“The man who sees me in everythingand everything within mewill not be lost to me, norwill I ever be lost to him.He who is rooted in onenessrealizes that I amin every being; whereverhe goes, he remains in me.When he sees all being as equalin suffering or in joybecause they are like himself,that man has grown perfect in yoga.”

“The﻿ nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons.They arise from sense perception,and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.”

“We behold what we are, and we are what we behold.”

“A man's own self is his friend. A man's own self is his foe.”

“When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union.”

“Actions do not cling to me because I am not attached to their results. Those who understand this and practice it live in freedom.”

“No one who does good work will ever come to a bad end, either here or in the world to come”

The Bhagavad Gita Quotes in English on Success, Karma, Love, Life will enlighten you. These quotes and thoughts from Bhagwat Geeta will make

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Religion & Spirituality

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

mindfulness

Mindfulness

timemanagement

Time Management

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

 The Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Life, Love, Karma

People have been practising mindfulness for thousands of years. Mindfulness was popularised in the East by religious and spiritual institutions. The popularity of mindfulness in the West is rooted in Buddhist and Hindu traditions and can be traced to particular people and secular institutions.

The History of Mindfulness

Hinduism is widely considered to be the oldest religion in the world. It initially arose as a synthesis of many religious traditions around the historical region that now makes up India. Then, in the 1800s, British writers started calling Vedic traditions Hinduism. The earliest traditions, which have since been incorporated into Hinduism, arose more than 4,000 years ago in the Indus Valley- now Pakistan. These religious traditions continued to develop in Vedic writings 2,500-3,500 years ago, including rituals and the worship of gods common to modern-day Hinduism.

A Brief History of Hinduism

Buddhism was founded around 400-500 B.C.E. by Siddhartha Gautama, who became referred to as the Buddha. Since the Buddha's lifetime, it has split into several different traditions, including Theravada Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. Buddhism and Hinduism share many commonalities. One is they're both concerned with the concept of dharma - a way of life that is in harmony with the universe's natural order. Mindfulness (Sati) is considered to be the first step towards enlightenment.

A Short History of Buddhism

Some mindfulness meditation practices, such as the body scan, are very similar to yoga as they both involve awareness of one’s body. The origin of yoga coincides with the origin of Hinduism, and the recent rise of yoga’s popularity in the West coincides with the rise of mindfulness. This underscores the intertwined nature of Buddhism, Hinduism, mindfulness, and yoga.

How Mindfulness Relates to Yoga

Jon Kabat-Zinn was the biggest influence on bringing mindfulness from the East to the West. Kabat-Zinn founded the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Oasis Institute for Mindfulness-Based Professional Education and Training. Here, he developed his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. Kabat-Zinn learned about and studied mindfulness under several Buddhist teachers, including Thich Nhat Hanh, which gave him an Eastern foundation in mindfulness that he integrated with Western science.

How Mindfulness Moved From East to West

Mindfulness plays an important role in the greater field of psychology and positive psychology. Mindfulness has become a tool for any practitioner’s toolbox. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) are used to treat a variety of patients. Mindfulness meditation is also used to increase an individual's level of well-being.

Mindfulness’ Role in (Positive) Psychology

<ul><li>Mindfulness could be a yoga practice that involves mindfulness</li><li>It might involve setting aside time for mindfulness meditation sessions</li><li>It could involve practising mindfulness during everyday activities, such as washing dishes.</li></ul> Very few mindfulness traditions are based on restricting their teachings to an exclusive group. Therefore the versatility of mindfulness is the key part of the philosophy of mindfulness, whether it is practised religiously or in a secular matter.

Mindfulness Practice and Philosophy

Mindfulness' roots reach deep into Buddhism, religion, psychology, and philosophy. Here you'll find a complete history of mindfulness.

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Philosophy

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Exercise & Fitness

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Meditation

History of Mindfulness: From East to West and Religion to Science

The most important thing to remember is that the conception of knowledge (Al-Ilm) in Islam is the Guiding Light (Huda) separating right from wrong (Al furqan).Therefore, in the same way the sun brings light to our eyes to see the world around us, Al-Ilm is the source of guidance to see the signs of Allah (SWT) around us.

Background

“We will show them Our signs in the universe and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Quran) is the truth” (Quran; 41:53) .Based on this Quranic verse, Allah (SWT) strongly encourages Muslims to observe and study the universe in order to find some of His signs.For that reason, many verses of the Noble Quran invite Muslims to study nature and seek knowledge, and this has been interpreted to mean encouragement for scientific inquiry.

Introduction

“We made every living thing from water, will they not believe?” (Quran, 21:30)It was only after the discovery of the microscope that it was concluded that all living things consist mostly of water – while in the deserts of Arabia, the last thing a man could guess is that all of life ultimately came from water.

1. Water

“Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them” (Quran, 21:30).In 1929, American astronomer Edwin Hubble proposed the Hubble’s Law according to which all entities in space are moving away from the Earth at speeds proportional to their distance i.e. the greater the distance from earth, the faster they are moving. Soon after this, he discovered that galaxies are moving away from each other as well which means that the universe is expanding overall. This laid the basis for the Big Bang theory.

2. Universe: The Big Bang Theory

“The Day when We will fold the heaven like the folding of a [written] sheet for the records. As We began the first creation, We will repeat it. [That is] a promise binding upon Us. Indeed, We will do it” (Quran, 21:104).This fits in with the theory of Big Crunch which talks about how the universe will be pulled back into the black holes and again form a tiny mass.Indeed, the Big Crunch is one of the scenarios predicted by scientists in which the Universe may end. Just like many others, it is based on Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.

3. Universe: The Big Crunch Theory

“We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), then We made the alaqah into a mudghah (chewed substance)” (Quran 23:12-14)Science has only proved this with the help of the latest technology. Professor Emeritus K. L. Moore (a well-known scientists in the fields of anatomy + embryology) who said that “It's clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later”

4. Embryology

“And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away” (Quran 21:32).It is a scientific fact that the sky, with all of its gases, protects the earth and life that is present on it from the harmful rays of the sun. If there was no protective layer, life on earth would cease to exist as the temperature on earth would be freezing at -270.556°C, the same as the temperature in space.

5. The Sky’s Protection

“We sent down Iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits for humankind” (Quran 57:25)According to M. E. Walrath, iron is not natural to the earth. Scientists state that billions of years ago, the earth was struck by meteorites. It was within these meteorites that iron was present and due to explosion on earth, we now have iron available to us. The Quran, as stated above, has already enlightened us of this fact by stating “We sent down iron with its great inherent strength…”.

6. Iron within Meteorites

“He released the two seas, meeting [side by side], Between them is a barrier [so] neither of them transgresses” (Quran, 55:19-20).Science has discovered that in places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier that divides them which helps both the seas maintain their own temperature, salinity, as well as density.

7. The Meeting of the Seas

“And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming” (Quran, 21:33)Although it was only a widespread belief in the 20th century amongst the astronomers, today it is a well-established fact that the Sun, the Moon, and all the other bodies in the Universe are moving in an orbit and constantly moving, not stationary as commonly thought before.

8. Sun Moving in Orbit

“Have We not made the earth a resting place? And the mountains as stakes?” (Quran, 78:6-7)In a book by geophysicist Frank Press called ‘Earth’ (1986), he explains how the mountains are like stakes and are buried deep within the earth’s surface.Mount Everest, which has a height of approximately 9 km above sea level, has a root deeper than 125 km – thus only reinforcing the Quranic revelation of the importance and strength of mountains on our earth.

9. Mountains as Stakes

“And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander” (Quran, 51:47)According to the prominent physicist Stephen Hawking in his book ‘A Brief History of Time’, “The discovery that the universe is expanding was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 20th century”, although centuries before the Quran had already revealed to us that in regards to the universe, “We are its expander”.

10. Expansion of the Universe

“We shall send those who reject our revelations to the (hell) fire. When their skins have been burned away, We shall replace them with new ones so that they may continue to feel the pain: God is almighty, all-wise” (Quran, 4:56)For a long time it was thought that the sense of feeling and pain was dependent on the brain. However, it has been discovered that there are pain receptors present in the skin. Without these pain receptors, a person would not be able to feel pain – another example of the scientific miracles of the Holy Quran .

11. Pain Receptors

“Or [they are] like darknesses within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds – darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. And he to whom Allah has not granted light – for him there is no light” (Quran, 24:40)Incredibly, oceanographers have stated that unlike the belief that waves only occur on the surface, there are waves that take place internally in the oceans, below the surface of the water. Invisible to the human eye, these can only be detected through special equipment.

12. Internal Waves in the Oceans

In Surah Al-Alaq, in the story of a man named Abu Jahl who was a cruel oppressive tribal leader in the times of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Allah revealed a verse to warn him.Therein Allah (SWT) says: “No indeed! if he does not stop, We will seize him by the forehead, his lying, sinful forehead” (Quran, 96:15-16).

13. Frontal Lobe

According to a book titled ‘Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology,’ it is clearly stated that the forehead or frontal area of the brain is responsible for motivation and the foresight to plan and initiate movements.All this takes place in the prefrontal area of the brain. The part of the brain that is responsible for movement and planning is said to be seized if he does not stop.Other studies have proved that it is this prefrontal region that is responsible for the function of lying.

Another study at the University of Pennsylvania in which volunteers were questioned during a computerized interrogation showed that the volunteers who were lying had increased activity in their prefrontal and premotor cortices.SubhanAllah, there is a deeper meaning behind why the Quran stated: “We will seize him by the forehead”.

The importance of seeking knowledge is repeatedly emphasized in the Noble Quran with frequent injunctions, such as:“God will exalt those of you who believe and those who have knowledge to high degrees” (Quran58:11)“O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge” (Quran 20:114)“As God has taught him, so let him write” (Quran 2:282).Such Quranic verses provide a forceful stimulus for the Islamic community to strive for education and knowledge.

Emphasis on The Importance of Seeking Knowledge

The most important thing to remember is that the conception of knowledge (Al-Ilm) in Islam is the Guiding Light (Huda) separating right from wrong (Al furqan).Therefore, in the same way the sun brings light to our eyes to see the world around us, Al-Ilm is the source of guidance to see the signs of Allah (SWT) around us.More such facts that are already mentioned in the Quran and will be proven in the future by mankind as Allah (SWT) says in the Quran in Surah Ar-Rahman, “So which of the favours of your Lord would you deny?”

Final Thoughts

As the Islamic month of Ramadan ends, during which the Quran was first revealed, it is really insightful to see how the Quran had predicted scientific ideas way before they were proven in the science community.

The most important thing to remember is that the conception of knowledge (Al-Ilm) in Islam is the Guiding Light (Huda) separating right from wrong (Al furqan). Therefore, in the same way the sun brings light to our eyes to see the world around us, Al-Ilm is the source of guidance to see the sign ...

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

13 Scientific Facts in the Holy Quran

Reasons:You find yourself unable to sleep as well as you used to: unable to fall asleep, waking up many times a night, or waking earlier than you would like.• You feel more stress than you’ve felt before, which can sometimes be described as a heaviness on your chest.• You find yourself overwhelmed, unable to keep up or handle the normal rhythms of everyday life like you used to from parenting, to housework, to your job, to your marriage.• You find yourself unable to enjoy or look forward to things you used to enjoy.• You feel unmotivated to accomplish the things you need to do.

What To Do When You Feel Stuck 

• You can’t seem to focus or concentrate on things as well as you did in the past; maybe your brain feels “foggy”.• Instead of coping with reality, you find yourself “escaping from reality” with an unhealthy amount of food, Netflix, scrolling through your feed, alcohol, drugs, sex, etc.• You find yourself feeling paralyzed by feelings of sadness or worry that you can’t seem to shake off, and it’s beginning to impact your everyday life.

Reasons

If you can relate to some or maybe all of these symptoms, it’s time to go backward before you can move forward. God is longing to bring healing to your heart from the inside out, and help you move forward in freedom. In order to forget what is behind, as Philippians 3:13, calls us to do, we have to deal with it.It’s time to get intentional about dealing with the pain of this past year and a half, the things it may have triggered inside of you, the changes it brought, and the ways it has emotionally impacted your life.

If You Relate ...

The first step to getting unstuck is to acknowledge how we feel. Putting words to your experience and pain allows you to face it. Writing it out, saying it out loud, and sharing your feelings with Jesus is an important step. The worst thing we can do is continue to pretend we’re okay, and just try to push through. Affirming what you’ve been through and how it’s impacted your life brings it to the light where it can be healed.

Acknowledge How You Feel

The next step is expressing it to others. When you feel stuck, you need the help of trusted friends and community to move you in the direction of healing. Express what you’re going through to a friend, and ask for prayer and support. There’s no shame in being honest with how you’re really doing. In fact, there’s freedom there. That’s what the body of Christ is for. And when you do, you’ll realize you’re not alone in your struggle. Everyone is going through something hard. We’re all in this together

Express To Others

The third step is simply this: take the next step. For some of you, that means connecting with a licensed professional counselor to work through your feelings and get to the root of what’s causing you to feel stuck. It could be working through pain from your past, hurts from your present, or worries about the future. Taking control of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors is such an important step in getting unstuck. You give God what you can’t control, but then you take ownership of what you can control. You choose to become better rather than choosing to become bitter.

Take The Next Step.

Debra Fileta wants to remind us: to be freed from the past, you need to deal with the past.

mentalhealth

Mental Health

What To Do When You Feel Stuck

<ul><li>Perform all obligations, Abandon all Prohibitions.</li><li>Safeguard your Prayer and Purification (Wudoo)</li><li>Don't take false oaths and frequent oaths by Allah</li><li>Take care of your eyes, tongue and ears from falling into what is prohibited</li><li>Safeguard your stomach from consuming unlawful food and drink</li><li>Safeguard your tongue and private parts from infringing on the proscribed</li></ul>

Follow and Preserve the limits set by Allah 

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">He will protect your Body, Children, Family & Wealth</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Learn the Deen, Memorize Quran - Allah will preserve your intellect when you are old.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Safeguard your limbs from sins when you are young, Allah will protect them when they're old.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Allah will safeguard your children and grandchildren by virtue of your righteousness.</li><li class="ql-align-justify"> Allah will protect you from any Harms, Predatory Animals, Doubts and Desires</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Ask Allah to Preserve your faith</li></ul>

Obey Allah and will Protect you

Be Sincere to Allah, He will Intervene between you and the routes leading to destructive sin. Like the story of Kifl, a person from children of Israel who was ready to perform illegal intercourse but was reminded to fear Allah and so he left her. Kifl passed away same night and the following morning, these words were inscribed on his door "Allah has forgiven Kifl"

Being Sincere to Allah & the story of Kifl

<ul><li>Obey Allah, Obey his commandments and He will choose what is best for you</li><li>Remember Allah and He'll remember you.</li><li>If you wish not to be afflicted with anything bad, Don't do anything which Allah dislikes.</li></ul>

Honor Allah, He'll honor you!

Allah is with those who have Taqwa (God consciousness) of him<ol><li>Spend long periods of time alone and in isolation in remembrance of Allah; if you feel loneliness, you're missing the point</li><li>Perform optional good deeds so as to become closer to Allah</li><li>Fill your heart with the love of Allah until your limbs does only that is pleasing to your lord</li></ol>

How to be closer to Allah?

<ul><li>Remember Allah at the time of ease, He'll remember you at the time of distress</li><li>If you're given to supplicating at the time of ease and are faced with a hardship, and supplicate to Allah, The angels will intercede you saying "this is a familiar voice.."</li><li>Remember your righteous deeds at the time of death, It helps alleviate throes of death and strengthens your hope</li><li>Remember Allah during your life, Allah will take care of you in your deathbed. He will allow you to die in faith</li></ul>

Remembering Allah at the time of ease

<ul><li>Ask Allah as he love to be asked. He wants his servants to show their need of him.</li><li>Allah is angry at someone who doesn't ask him. Whereas his creation get angry at someone who ask them.</li><li>Allah calls out every night asking if there's any caller invoking him so he may respond to their need</li><li>Don’t beg people without a need lest you lose your nobility in front of Allah</li><li>Go to the Masjid, Pray two Rakah and ask for your need</li></ul>

Ask Allah Alone

<ul><li>Allah recorded the fates of all creatures fifty thousand years before he created the heavens and the earth.</li><li>Allah has decided five matters for every servant: his lifespan, his provision, his deeds, his lying down, and whether he is wretched or felicitous.</li><li>Upon you is to perform good deeds, remain steadfast and be balanced because everyone is eased (towards what he was created for)</li></ul>

The Pen has dried, Fates have been decided

Everything has a reality and the servant will not attain the reality of faith until he knows that what afflicted him would never have missed him, and what missed him would never have afflicted him

Everything happens by the will and decree of Allah. Don't please the creation by displeasing Allah. When you truly realise that it is only Allah who can bring about benefit, cause or remove harm, and grant or withhold, this will necessitate your singling Him out for obedience and worship and giving that precedence over obeying any other creature.

Only Allah's decree is in effect!

Hope takes on a number of forms: 1)hoping to attain what is desired 2) hoping to keep it after it has been attained 3)hoping to keep at bay all that is disliked and that it not occur 4) hoping to see theend of anything that is disliked that has already occurred. When the feeling ofhope becomes deeply ingrained in a person, it leads to state of submissivenessand humility in the same way that this state is achieved when fear takes firm rootin the heart.

Types of Hope

Hope takes on a number of forms:1) Hoping to attain what is desired2) Hoping to keep it after it has been attained3) Hoping to keep at bay all that is disliked and that it not occur4) Hoping to see the end of anything that is disliked that has already occurred.When the feeling of hope becomes deeply ingrained in a person, it leads to state of submissiveness and humility in the same way that this state is achieved when fear takes firm root in the heart.

Hope & Fear go hand in Hand

"Be desirous of all that would benefit you and seek Allah's aid and do not despair. If you are afflicted with something, do not say, 'If only I had done [this], such and such would have happened,' rather say, 'Allah decreed and did what He willed.'[Saying], 'If only,' opens [the door to] the actions of Shaytan.Say La Hawla Wa Laa Quwwata illah billah. It is a cure for 99 ailments, the least of which is worry.

Faith in decree removes worry and distress

It is Recommended and is a state of excellence to be content with decrees of Allah that are hard to bear. If you're unable to be content, It is a must that you remain patient.<ul><li>The Content doesn't desire any other state than the one he is in, whereas the Patient Does.</li><li>The Content accepts whatever he's facing, whereas the patient prevents soul from displeasure </li></ul>

Being content vs Being Patient

No matter what hardship a person faces, Allah will send relief afterwards for one hardship cannot overcome two eases<ul><li>Supplicate when faced with tribulation. </li><li>Confer gratitude in a state of ease</li><li>Place your trust and dependency on Allah alone</li></ul>Here ends the treatise by the grace of Allah

Ease follows Hardship

This is a brief treatise by Ibn Rajab Al Hanbali (R) where he explains the advice of Prophet ﷺ to Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه

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Books

ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Aḥmad Ibn Rajab

The Legacy of the Prophet

Animated corpses appear in stories all over the world throughout recorded history. But zombies have a distinct lineage— one that traces back to Equatorial and Central Africa.

Zombie’s African Origins 

The first clue is in the word “zombie” itself. Its exact etymological origins are unknown, but there are several candidates. The Mitsogho people of Gabon, for example, use the word “ndzumbi” for corpse. The Kikongo word “nzambi” refers variously to the supreme being, an ancestor with superhuman abilities, or another deity. And, in certain languages spoken in Angola and the Congo, “zumbi” refers to an object inhabited by a spirit, or someone returned from the dead.

Zombie’s Types And Varieties

Between 1517 and 1804, France and Spain enslaved hundreds of thousands of African people, taking them to the Caribbean island that now contains Haiti and the Dominican Republic. There, the religious beliefs of enslaved African people mixed with the Catholic traditions of colonial authorities and a religion known as “vodou” developed.

How Vodou Developed

According to some vodou beliefs, a person’s soul can be captured and stored, becoming a body-less “zombi.” Alternatively, if a body isn’t properly attended to soon after death, a sorcerer called a “bokor” can capture a corpse and turn it into a soulless zombi that will perform their bidding. Historically, these zombis were said to be put to work as laborers who needed neither food nor rest and would enrich their captor’s fortune.

Zombis: The No-Fuss Laborers

In other words, zombification seemed to represent the horrors of enslavement that many Haitian people experienced. It was the worst possible fate: a form of enslavement that not even death could free you from. The zombi was deprived of an afterlife and trapped in eternal subjugation. Because of this, in Haitian culture, zombis are commonly seen as victims deserving of sympathy and care.

Zombis: The Eternal Slaves

The zombie underwent a transformation after the US occupation of Haiti began in 1915— this time, through the lens of Western pop culture. During the occupation, US citizens propagated many racist beliefs about Black Haitian people. Among false accounts of devil worship and human sacrifice, zombie stories captured the American imagination.

The First Transformation: Occupation

And in 1932, zombies debuted on the big screen in a film called “White Zombie.” Set in Haiti, the film’s protagonist must rescue his fiancée from an evil vodou master who runs a sugar mill using zombi labor. Notably, the film's main object of sympathy isn't the enslaved workforce, but the victimized white woman.

The Second Transformation: Film

Over the following decades, zombies appeared in many American films, usually with loose references to Haitian culture, though some veered off to involve aliens and Nazis. Then came the wildly influential 1968 film “Night of the Living Dead,” in which a group of strangers tries to survive an onslaught of slow-moving, flesh-eating monsters. The film’s director remarked that he never envisioned his living dead as zombies. Instead, it was the audience who recognized them as such.

The Zombification Of The Zombis

But from then on, zombies became linked to an insatiable craving for flesh— with a particular taste for brains added in 1985′s “The Return of the Living Dead.” In these and many subsequent films, no sorcerer controls the zombies; they’re the monsters. And in many iterations, later fueled by 2002′s “28 Days Later,” zombification became a contagious phenomenon.

A Monster And A Disease

For decades now, artists around the world have used zombies to shine a light on the social ills and anxieties of their moment— from consumer culture to the global lack of disaster preparedness. But, in effect, American pop culture also initially erased the zombies origins—cannibalizing its original significance and transforming the victim into the monster.

World-Famous And Defamed

On voodoo and zombies, or on the effects of perspective distortion and/or false representation: how Vodou went from diasporic religion to sensationalized pop-culture caricature and how zombis went from victims to monsters.

Zombies have a distinct lineage— one that traces back to Equatorial and Central Africa. For three centuries, African people were enslaved and brought to the Caribbean Islands. There, a religion known as vodou developed, along with the belief that a person's soul can be captured and stored, becoming a body-less zombie. Christopher M. Moreman uncovers the true origins of the undead. [Directed by Kaspar Jancis, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio].

history

History

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

The Dark History Of Zombies

Clearly recognizing what is happening inside us, and regarding what we see with an open, kind and loving heart, is what I call Radical Acceptance.

Radical acceptance has two pillars: learning to observe our experience clearly and how to be compassionate towards that experience.Learning to pause is the first step in the practice of Radical Acceptance. A pause is a suspension of activity, a time of temporary disengagement when we are no longer moving toward any goal. Unlike the frantic pilots, we stop asking, “What do I do next?” The pause can occur in the midst of almost any activity and can last for an instant, for hours or for seasons of our life.

The Two Pillars: Learning To Pause

Most of us spend our time frantically moving from task to task. In the chaos of everyday life, we often forget to pause and take a minute to remember where we are, what we are doing, and why we think it matters. Learning to incorporate pauses throughout our days is a simple and effective way to begin becoming more conscious observers of and participants in our experience.

The Chaos Of Everyday Life

Suffering or discontent is universal, and fully recognizing its existence is the first step on the path of awakening. During his all-night vigil, the Buddha looked deeply into his own suffering. His amazing insight was that all suffering or dissatisfaction arises from a mistaken understanding that we are a separate and distinct self. This perception of “selfness” imprisons us in endless rounds of craving and aversion. When our sense of being is confined in this way, we have forgotten the loving awareness that is our essence and that connects us with all of life.

Lord Buddha's Noble Truth

Everyone – in one way, shape, or form – is suffering. Suffering is inherent to the human condition. The Buddha recognized that this suffering stems from being trapped in our sense of self and forgetting that we are connected to all that exists in this world.A common misconception about Buddhism is that the goal is to eliminate the craving that causes suffering, but the reality is that desires will always exist. They cannot be eliminated. However, through accepting the fleeting nature of all things and experiences, we can better relate to our desires, and in doing so, we will suffer less.

Desires Do Not Go Away

Perhaps the biggest tragedy in our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns. Entangled in the trance of unworthiness, we grow accustomed to caging ourselves in with self-judgment and anxiety, with restlessness and dissatisfaction.  Each day we listen to inner voices that keep our life small. Even if we were to win millions of dollars in the lottery or marry the perfect person, as long as we feel not good enough, we won’t be able to enjoy the possibilities before us.

The Trance of Unworthiness

In every moment, joy and freedom are possible. But many of us get caught up in habitual thinking patterns that prevent us from feeling the many joys of life. Instead of being grateful for a pay raise, we complain and think we deserve more. Instead of accepting ourselves as imperfect beings doing our best, we criticize ourselves for making small mistakes. Until we learn to accept ourselves and our experience, we stay in the trance of unworthiness.

Trapped In Our Small Thinking

The process of experiencing and accepting the changing stream of sensations is central to the alchemy of transformation. Emotions, a combination of physical sensations and the stories we tell ourselves, continue to cause suffering until we experience them where they live in our bodies. If we bring steady attention to the immediate physical experience of an emotion, past sensations and stories linked to it that have been locked in our body and mind are “de-repressed.” Layers of historic hurt, fear or anger may begin to play themselves out in the light of awareness

Peeling The Layers

Fear is the anticipation of future pain.

Fear of death is a powerful motivator. Death is the ultimate end, the fate we all face. While many of us prefer to ignore the reality that one day we will die, it’s important to understand how it influences our daily actions and decision making.If we don’t fully accept ourselves or our experiences, we may feel shame. Shame about how things should be.  It creates a fear that fuels more shame, and a vicious feedback cycle begins.The other side of resisting fear is freedom. When we stop tensing against life, we open to an awareness that is immeasurably large and suffused with love.

Fear, Death, Shame and Freedom

When we are caught in our own self-centred drama, everyone else becomes “other” to us, different and unreal. The world becomes a backdrop to our own special experience and everyone in it serves as a supporting cast, some as adversaries, some as allies, and most as simply irrelevant. Because involvement with our personal desires and concerns prevents us from paying close attention to anyone else, those around us—even family and friends—can become unreal, two-dimensional cardboard figures, not humans with wants and fears and throbbing hearts.

Becoming Paranoid

When we get lost in the narrative of our life, we begin to fictionalize the people around us. The hyper-attention on our existence becomes the lens through which we view every person or interaction. Instead of realizing that even those people we don’t like spending time with are humans with fears and desires like ours, we write them off as detractors to our story.

The World Becomes A Fiction For The Egocentric

Just as a bright sun causes ice cubes to melt, in the moments when we feel connected and kind, we create a warm environment that encourages others around us to relax and open up. Each time we widen the circle of caring—with a smile, a hug, a listening presence, a prayer—the ripples flow out endlessly.The little actions matter. A smile, listening intently, saying a few kind words – these small actions create an openness that encourages others to participate in the warmness of existence.

Feeling Connected and Kind

Hurting other people feels terrible. But it happens, and instead of wallowing in your sorrow, try this simple, but effective approach to moving forward: take responsibility for the pain you’ve caused, listen intently to understand the other persons suffering, offer a genuine apology, and revitalize your commitment to acting with compassion.

What to Do When You’ve Hurt Someone

As we become mature spiritually, our yearning to see the truth and live with an open heart becomes more compelling than our reflex to avoid pain and chase after pleasure. We may feel mistreated and angry at our partner but we are willing to recognize our part, see their pain, forgive and keep loving. When we become lonely or sad, we are less inclined to dull the painful feelings with food, drugs or staying busy. We become increasingly aligned with our evolutionary destiny, which is to awaken into our natural wisdom and compassion

Becoming Spiritually Mature

Spiritual maturity means breaking free from our natural gravitation toward pleasure and away from pain. Instead of succumbing to these natural desires, we continue on the path to truth and treat all situations with an open heart. It’s a subtle, but meaningful difference.

The Ultimate Growth

While there are things that are simply outside of your control, there are lots of actionable steps you can take to seize control and feel better. 

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How to Feel Better About Yourself

A simple, modern take on the spirituality of the east.

Combining the principles of psychotherapy with the teachings of Buddhism, this illuminating guide explains how to eliminate the personal conflicts and feelings of not being good enough that can cause such problems as addiction, overwork, and perfectionism, and how to develop balance, compassion, acceptance, self-healing, and a more fulfilling life. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.

Radical Acceptance

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The Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Life, Love, Karma

History of Mindfulness: From East to West and Religion to Science

13 Scientific Facts in the Holy Quran

What To Do When You Feel Stuck

The Legacy of the Prophet

The Dark History Of Zombies

Radical Acceptance

When peace comes on earth

50 Nihilism Quotes About The Implications of Nothingness

What people eat for Easter in countries around the world

It's time to Read like a Pro.

It's time to
Read like a Pro.