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The same is true of someone suffering from afflictions of the mind—ill will, ego, doubt, and frustration due to unfulfilled desires. We rarely recognize the symptoms, and if we do, we don’t know how to change in order to live with greater harmony and personal power. In order to understand what is limiting us, we must learn how to see, isolate and intentionally respond to these mental obstacles. In Sri Lanka, people frequently talk about peace. For more than 21 years, our country has been struggling for peace in a process complicated by politics, religion, economics and ethnicity. We dream of living without conflict. We long for peace to bloom in our nation. But sometimes I feel this peace is only a dream. How can we overcome the tremendous obstacles in order to live in harmony here? During one of my spiritual travels in northeastern Sri Lanka, I happened to stop at a tiny rural village. While eating a simple meal, I met a very poor, innocent-looking girl. She was about 16, and had spent her entire life in this war-torn area of poverty and despair. In our conversation, it became clear that she had no concept of life without violence. She had lost her relatives, feared for her own life, and experienced the ravages of hunger and homelessness on a daily basis. I was struck by her suffering. Her appearance conveyed only a hint of what she had endured. She looked calm and peaceful, but underneath that serene countenance was a bubbling cauldron of pain, fear, hopelessness, and despair. Most striking of all was that she was completely unaware of the effects of her chronic mental anguish. She had not even a vague understanding that her suffering created such insurmountable obstacles to peace and harmony in her own mind. She knew nothing other than what her life had shown her, and was so completely immersed in her suffering that she could not see the toll it had taken. A few days later, I was in the bustling city of Colombo. I saw many people going about their business, and noticed that same innocent, eerily peaceful look that I’d first noticed about the young girl. I had to wonder what kind of suffering they were experiencing under their own smiling masks. We always sympathize with the unhappiness and sorrow of others. We help people all the time, and this is good and kind of us. But we fail to realize that we ourselves are suffering. Everything that happens in the world affects us all. The relentless desire for more of everything is a driving factor that leaves behind unhappiness and discontentment. We know this. We feel it in our hearts. In order to relieve ourselves of this suffering, we must first learn how to still our minds. There are many special mindfulness meditation techniques that have been practiced by thousands of people with tremendous benefits. The key is to remember that you are your own master. When you start practicing mindfulness, little by little you will be able to clear your mind of your continuous racing thoughts. You must attain this stillness in order to clearly see and understand your limiting thoughts and self-constructed obstacles to peace and harmony. With practice, you will be able to come to this still and clear state of mind and overcome your mental ailments completely. Here’s a simple exercise that will give you a taste of mindfulness meditation, which is often called vipassana meditation. Find a peaceful place—your bedroom, veranda, garden, or even your office. Sit in a comfortable position keeping your spine erect so that you can breathe easily. Close your eyes if you like, or simply allow them to develop a soft, unfocused gaze. Now, breathe deeply and completely for a few minutes, focusing your mind on the flow of your breath. Allow your body to relax while keeping your back straight. Watch your breath as it goes in and out, in and out. As you concentrate on your breath, you will notice that your mind becomes more settled. Your breath will become smooth and even. Continue in this state for several minutes, and finish your meditation with several deep breaths. By practicing this simple exercise, you will train your mind to become still. Continuous sessions of mental calm will bring you deeper clarity and a greater understanding of the source of your mental suffering. See it. Recognize it. Focus on releasing it. Finding peace in your nation begins with finding peace in yourself. Let’s work on peace as individuals, and create greater harmony together. We could all benefit from a taste of mindfulness.
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Advice Home Business Technology Online Advertising Motivational Internet Marketing SEO Help Online Games Science Articles Happiness More Articles:1. The Wealth-Receiving Mindset Here is an exercise for you that will develop what I call the wealth-receiving mindset: I want you to think about the time in your life when you had the most money you have ever had. I don’t care if the most money you’ve ever had was ten bucks, I want you to think about it right now. Maybe the most money you’ve ever had in your life was a thousand dollars. Maybe it was ten thousand dollars. Whatever it was, I want you to think back at that time when you possessed that amount of money. Are you th… 2. Belly Dancing for the Midlife Soul Part 2 Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print fre*eof charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address(http://www.schrift.com)in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to sandra@schrift.com Thank you.___________________________________________________________TITLE: Belly Dancing for the Midlife Soul Part 2AUTHOR: Sandra SchriftCONTACT: sandra@schrift.c… 3. Changing Destinations ... Universal Detours for a Better Life I recently worked with several people who are in the lowest points intheir lives. It seems that everywhere they turn and everything they docreates a new avalanche of loss. Some of these people were, at onetime, wealthy individuals, but, because of changes around them, theysuddenly lost everything. The others were living comfortable lives andit seemed like everything just stopped working for them. In all cases,they were slowly sinking into despair because they couldn't see thelight at the end of … 4. Lessons From The Bathroom Sink All the great philosophers must have been plumbers. The work seems to lend itself to powerful insights. Plumbers unstop the blockages and get everything flowing. They plunge the depths and get rid of all the crap. Who better to pass along pithy rules of life?I tackled a leaky sink the other day. I'd been tolerating the drip for months. It took me so long because I didn't know how to go about starting. I'd made halfhearted attempts to ask at various hardware stores but I didn't provide enough inf… |