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Monday, June 23, 2008

"Spirituality, Tool to get Harmony of Mind" - Staff Reporter, The Hindu

Spirituality is often viewed as an end in itself after achieving a feeling of unity within and feeling of God’s presence within, its ultimate aim. However, spirituality is a tool, not an end, to achieve harmony of mind, emotion and body, according to Pradeep Narang, Chairman of Aurobindo Society, Puducherry.

Delivering a lecture on “Spirituality in day-to-day life” at Gandhi Memorial Museum at Madurai on Sunday (June 22, 2008), he said that spiritual journey cannot begin without faith, for which the acceptance of mind was essential. “While it is true faith comes with experience, and vice versa. Faith cannot come on its own. Effort must be taken to have faith,” he said.

Speaking about prayer, he said that the intensity of prayer was directly proportional to the problems faced by one. Chairman of the Aurobindo Society, Tamil Nadu, N.Tiruvengadam, noted that the audience of the meeting lacked youth.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, June 23, 2008.
Grateful thanks to The Hindu.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

From My Spiritual Diary-45:

Who feels in India for the three hundred millions of men and women sunken for ever in poverty and ignorance? Where is the way out? Who feels for them? Let these people be your God – think of them, work for them, pray for them incessantly – the Lord will show you the way. Him I call a Mahatma, a noble soul, whose heart bleeds for the poor; otherwise he is a 'duratma', a wicked soul.

So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them…

We are poor, my brothers, we are nobodies, but such have always been the instruments of the Most High. (Swami Vivekananda)

From Age to Age, God becomes man so that man may become God. (Unknown)

The worldly man must constantly live in the company of holy men. It is necessary for all… especially necessary for the householder. His disease has become chronic because he has to live constantly in the midst of ‘woman and gold’.

The highest duty of man is to realize God. To achieve it, holy company and service to the guru are needed. They will gradually fix the intellect on God. Sri Ramakrishna used to compare it with toothache. One attends to everything but the mind remains attached to the pain. Similarly, one must attend to all worldly matters but keep the intellect on Him. (‘M’)

Monday, June 16, 2008

From My Spiritual Diary-44:

Let no political significance ever be attached falsely to my writings or sayings. What nonsense!.... I will have nothing to do with political nonsense. I do not believe in politics. God and Truth are the only politics in the world. Everything else is trash.

It is a man-making religion that we want. It is a man-making education all round that we want. And here is the test of truth: ANYTHING THAT MAKES YOU WEAK PHYSICALLY, INTELLECTUALLY AND SPIRITUALLY, REJECT AS POISON; there is no life in it, it cannot be true. Truth is strengthening. Truth is purity, truth is all knowledge. Truth must be strengthening, must be enlightening, must be invigorating. Give up these weakening mysticisms and be strong. The greatest truths are the simplest things in the world, simple as your own existence.

He who wants perfection in the world is a madman – for it cannot be. How can you find the infinite in the finite?

The real spiritual man – everywhere – is broad-minded. His love forces him to be so. They to whom religion is a trade are forced to become narrow-minded and mischievous by their very introduction into religion of the competitive, fighting selfish methods of the world.

No religion on earth preaches the dignity of humanity in such a lofty strain as Hinduism, and no religion on earth treads upon the necks of the poor and the low in such a fashion as Hinduism. Religion is not at fault, but it is the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Let each of us pray, day and night, for the downtrodden millions in India, who are held fast by poverty, priestcraft, and tyranny – pray day and night for them. I care more to preach religion to them than to the high and the rich. I am no metaphysician, no philosopher, nay no saint. But I am poor, I love the poor… (Swami Vivekananda)

Friday, June 13, 2008

How To-17: "How to Say a Buddhist Prayer"


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

When you send the following loving-kindness prayer, visualize the beings you mention as really well, happy, and peaceful, and your thoughts of loving-kindness reaching them, touching them, embracing them and making them really well, happy, and peaceful.

Steps


  1. May I be well, happy, and peaceful.
      • May my teachers be well, happy, and peaceful.
      • May my parents be well, happy, and peaceful.
      • May my relatives be well, happy, and peaceful.
      • May my friends be well, happy, and peaceful.
      • May the indifferent persons be well, happy, and peaceful.
      • May the unfriendly persons be well, happy, and peaceful.
      • May all meditators be well, happy, and peaceful.
      • May all beings be well, happy, and peaceful.
      • "Om Mani Padme Hum" (Hail to the jewel in the lotus)




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Sources and Citations





Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Say a Buddhist Prayer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The Secret of Inner Peace

The Secret of Inner Peace is loving God, and striving to be worthy of His love for you.

Courtesy: ‘Secrets of Inner Peace’ by J.Donald Walters
Grateful thanks to J.Donald Walters

Gems from Swami Vivekananda-10:

O Lord, I do not want any kingdom, nor heavenly pleasures not even escape from rebirth. But I do want that the afflictions of all beings tormented by the miseries of life may cease.

Gems from the Bhagavad Gita-9:

When a man can withdraw his senses from sense-objects like a tortoise withdrawing its limbs, it is said that he is established in wisdom.

Gems from the Bible-12:

Blessed are the distressed in heart for the kingdom of heaven, for they shall be consoled.

Gems from Swami Chidbhavananda-1:

Affliction with anguish is a destructive force. It shatters the personality, clouds the understanding and ruins the talents. But the spiritual anguish has a toning effect on the character.

Defects, failures and disappointments in life are inevitable. But on that ground man should not sink in an endless sorrow. He is to outgrow anguish as quickly as possible. For it eats up the personality as a whole. Whereas the remorsefulness that one is not progressing in the act of self-perfection adds to one’s ethical growth.

Courtesy: “Daily Divine Digest”, Published by Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaithurai, Trichy Dt, Tamilnadu, India

Monday, June 2, 2008

How To-16: "How to Do Pranayam"


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Pranayama (also spelled Pranayama) is an ancient part of Perform Yoga Postures practice, the fourth part of the eight-fold Yoga described in the ""Yoga Sutra of Patanjali". Pranayama is concerned with breathing and posture. Research has shown that that practicing Pranayama can relieve symptoms of asthma[1]. It is also beneficial in treating stress related disorders, such as anxiety and depression[2]. Pranayam supplies oxygen to the entire body, and exercises the lungs, the stomach and its surrounding organs.
There are a total of six types of Pranayam practice:
  • Bhastrika Pranayama
  • Anulom Vilom Pranayama
  • Kapalabhati Pranayama
  • Bahya Pranayam
  • Bhramari Pranayama
  • Udgeeth Pranayam

The three most popular are detailed here.

Steps


  1. Bhastrika Pranayam:
    1. Sit in comfortable position, you may sit even on a chair.
    2. Breathe in untill the lungs are full through your nostrils.
    3. Breath out forcefully and uniformly, again through your nostrils.
    4. Repeat the process.
    5. When correctly done, your chest will expand when you breathe in and deflate when you breathe out.
    6. Continue doing this for 5 minutes.

  2. Kapalbhati Pranayam:
    1. Sit erect.
    2. Inhale through your nostrils a little and exhale through both nostrils forcefully.
    3. Inhale again a little and follow with another forceful exhalation passively and effortlessly.
    4. Continue these cycles. The frequency should be about 60 strokes/minute.
    5. Continue doing this for 15 minutes. You may take a minutes rest after every five minutes.

  3. Anulom Vilom Pranayam:
    1. Sit comfortably.
    2. Close your eyes.
    3. Close the right nostril with the right thumb.
    4. Inhale slowly through the left nostril and fill your lungs with air.
    5. Close your left nostril with the ring and middle fingers of the right hand and open the right nostril.
    6. Exhale slowly and completely with the right nostril.
    7. Again inhale through the right nostril and fill your lungs.
    8. Close the right nostril by pressing it with the right thumb.
    9. Open the left nostril, breathe out slowly. (This process is one round of Anulom Vilom Pranayam.)
    10. Continue for 15 minutes. You may take a minutes rest after every five minutes of exercise.


4. Bahya Pranayam: Breathe air out, touch chin to chest, squeeze stomach completely and hold for a while. then release chin, breathe in slowly.
Duration : 3 times to 5 times normally.
5. Bhramari Pranayam: Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee. Do this three times.
6. Udgeeth Pranayam: Breathe in deeply, and chant 'Om'kar. OOOOOOm ( long O and small m. Do this 3 times.

Understand the Benefits of Pranayama Practice
  1. Depending on the intensity of the ailment a person doing regular Pranayam starts getting good results from day one. However it can take from one week to approximately nine months to get the complete benefits of Pranayam.
  2. Health changes can include:
    • Respiratory troubles clearing up, in addition to improvements to allergies, migraines, High blood pressure, diseases pertaining to the kidneys, and sexual dysfunction in males and females.
    • A calming of excitement, anxiety, fear, anger, disappointment, the lust for sex (lasciviousness) and other mental states.
    • The digestive system improves.
    • Memory improves.
    • Pain in the joints vanishes.
    • The process of aging is retarded. Falling of the hair or premature graying, the appearance of wrinkles on the face or other parts of the body at young age, diminution of eyesight etc. are all minimized.
    • The face becomes bright, luminous and calm.
    • Pranayam cures or improves the following chronic diseases:


  • Diabetes
  • H.B.P.
  • Angina
  • Blockages in Arteries
  • Obesity
  • Asthma
  • Bronchitis
  • Leucoderma
  • Depression
  • Parkinson
  • Insomnia
  • Thyroid problems
  • Arthritis
  • Cervical Spondalities
  • Hepatitis
  • Chronic Renal Failure
  • Cancer
  • Cirrhosis of the Liver
  • Gas
  • Constipation
  • Acidity


Tips


  • Do Pranayam preferably in the morning with an empty stomach.
  • If you prefer to do Pranayam in the evening, do it on an empty stomach and keep a gap of at least 5 hours between your meal and Pranayam.
  • Those who cannot sit in Asanas can sit on the chair and do Pranayam.
  • Never hold your breath while doing Pranayam.
  • Do about 1 to 5 minutes of jogging after Pranayam exercises as per your physical ability.


Warnings


  • Consult your doctor before doing any exercises.
  • Pregnant woman and persons having a fever should not do Pranayam.
  • Children above 5 years should do Bhastrika Pranayam for only 2 minutes, Kapalbhati and Anulom Vilom Pranayam each for 5 minutes
  • Even after consulting doctors, it is important to remember that Kapalbhati can be risky in those who have abdominal wounds, surgical operations, hernia, peritonitis, appendicitis, prolapse of rectum or uterus, hiatus hernia and recently delivered women.


Things You'll Need


  • Doing Pranayam requires only a little space. Thus it is can be done by any person living on the earth as it requires no external equipment nor any money.


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Sources and Citations


  1. Effect of two breathing exercises (Buteyko and pranayama) in asthma: a randomised controlled trial.

  2. Sudarshan Kriya Yogic breathing in the treatment of stress, anxiety, and depression. Part II--clinical applications and guidelines.




Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Do Pranayam. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-15: "How to Be Still for a Long Period of Time"


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

If you've ever tried to keep still for a long period of time with annoying distractions, you'd know it's not all that easy. Here's some help for you people.

Steps


  1. Find yourself a position with your neck, legs, and arms that will be comfortable for the next couple of minutes. This may include trying some bizarre positions, but just make sure it will be comfy-cozy.
  2. Try to think of still things. Or, look at something that is not moving and keep looking there.
  3. Hold still as long as you can. If people try to make you move, say like staring straight at you, or doing things that are a laughable matter. Dude or dudette, three words: Just. Ignore. Them. If they keep bothering you, look up at the sky without moving your head.


Tips


  • If you have to scratch really, really badly, say "Time-Out" and that person will understand.
  • It's probably not a good idea to stretch yourself into an awkward position, because whoever is watching you will probably touch you, and if you're that desperate, you won't stop them.
  • Don't be too competitive, otherwise you could find yourself in a tight spot. For example, "I bet I could do a split and stay like that for half an hour!" when you can't do a split. Try hard not to get into this spot.


Warnings


  • DO not try to break any bones!!!


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Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be Still for a Long Period of Time. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.