Buddhist calm becomes big business?
Buddhist calm becomes big business
AP, June 12, 2012
Peace of the action: The calming yogic technique of ‘mindfulness’ is catching on in big business and even politics.
San Francisco, CA (USA) — This has become a daily ritual. In Mr Ryan’s world, it’s a stretch for people to get this relaxed. He’s a member of Congress.
TIM Ryan finds a quiet spot, closes his eyes, clears his mind and tries to tap into the eternal calm.
Increasingly, people in settings beyond the serene yoga studio or contemplative nature path are engaging in the practice of mindfulness, a mental technique that dwells on breathing, attention to areas of the body and periods of silence to concentrate on the present rather than the worries of yesterday and tomorrow.
Marines are doing it. Office workers are doing it. Prisoners are doing it.
The technique is drawing tens of thousands to conferences and learning experiences across the nation and world, and studies have shown it to reduce the symptoms of certain diseases and conditions.
Mr Ryan has written a book, “A Mindful Nation,” pushing mindfulness as an elixir that can tone down political divisions in Washington, get American schoolchildren learning better, and return the country to an era of richer personal experience.
“You still forget your keys, you still call people by the wrong name, you still stub your toe, but you can train your mind to be more in the present moment,” Mr Ryan said.
Benefits in stress reduction and improved performance have prompted US corporations including Google, Target, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Comcast, BASF, Bose and New Balance to offer mindfulness training and encourage its use at work.
The practice’s critics, including some psychologists and religious scholars, say the approach is little more than Buddhist meditation repackaged and rebranded for a secular, and often paying, audience.
“The commercialisation of Buddhism has been happening as long as Buddhism has existed,” said Rachelle Scott, an associate professor of religion at the University of Tennessee and author of “Nirvana for Sale.”
“It’s problematic, because most Americans who are engaging in these activities don’t know the cultural backdrop to that, so in order to gain access they have to go to one of these retreats, and they are expensive,” she said.
Of the $US34 billion ($34 billion) Americans spent on alternative medicine in 2009, $US4.2 billion – about 12 per cent – was spent in sectors that included mindfulness concepts, such as meditation-related classes or relaxation techniques, according to federal data. Participation in meditation therapy by US adults rose 6 per cent a year on average from 2002 to 2007, according to a study by the research group SRI International.
Marine 1st Lt Scott Williams, 32, of Lancaster, California, said skills he learned through Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training – known in the military as MMFT or “M-fit,” – allow him to transition rapidly from one focus point to another, to rid his mind of negative thoughts, and to recover more quickly from emotional experiences.
“As an infantry officer in the Marines, the mental agility gained by conducting mindfulness exercises could potentially be the difference maker as I lead men through chaotic and uncertain environments in Afghanistan,” he said.
The technique has also reached prisons, where it is being used to reduce stress, anxiety and violence.
Mr Ryan, a Democrat from Youngstown, learned the technique at a retreat two days after the 2008 presidential election – the end of a stressful campaign period and the beginning of another.
“I was to the point where I was OK, but I thought, ‘I’m going to be fried by the time I’m 40; I’m just going to be burnt out,’” said Mr Ryan, who was 35 at the time of the election.
For Mr Ryan, a former high school quarterback, the feeling he gets during mindfulness meditation reminds him of the utter concentration and single-mindedness athletes feel when they’re “in the zone.”
In fact, it was Phil Jackson, the legendary NBA coach, who was among the first to legitimise mind-body techniques in popular culture as he led the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to 11 titles from 1989 to 2010.
Jackson was nicknamed the “Zen Master” for a holistic approach to coaching that drew upon Eastern religious philosophy. Over the same period that Jackson was winning titles, brain science was beginning to validate what practitioners found evident: The brain can be trained to de-stress, and the body will perform better.
For many, it was a wacky, or at least unconventional, idea – departing from the wisdom of the day that the brain was more or less fully formed by the time a child hit kindergarten.
The growing body of research showing the brain has the capacity to change throughout life is bringing mental fitness onto the same plane as physical fitness, said Georgetown University associate professor Elizabeth Stanley.
Ms Stanley, who runs MMFT and conducts research for the Army and Marines, said mindfulness meditation “isn’t touchy-feely at all” in its new uses.
“There’s something very empowering about learning how and why the body and mind respond under stress,” she said.
Ms Stanley said studies involving subjects engaged in repeated mindfulness have shown that it changes the way blood and oxygen flow through the brain, leading over time to structural changes. The practice can shrink the amygdala, which controls our fear response; enlarge the hippocampus, which controls memory; and make the insular cortex that regulates the body’s internal environment more efficient, according to recent peer-reviewed studies by Ms Stanley and others.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are touting several recent studies that have found the technique can reduce the severity of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms in women and reduce stress and pain in chronic sufferers of fibromyalgia and depression.
Google spokeswoman Katelin Todhunter-Gerberg says the company’s “Search Inside Yourself” mindfulness class is among its most popular. It enhances awareness and performance, which improves productivity and morale, she said.
One Google lawyer, she said, was able to use her training to stop taking things so personally, reduce the irritability sometimes evident in her emails, and elicit immediate kudos from customers.
Not everyone is sold. In her self-help website Mindful Construct, psychology master’s student Melissa Karnaze worries that mindfulness runs the risk of encouraging participants to suppress valid emotions.
“To imply that typical forms of human judgment are somehow inferior to a particular type of attention referred to as mindfulness – with regard to mental health and well-being in general – is a broad sweep,” she said in an email. “We rely on various types of judgment for survival, and context matters.”
Mr Ryan wants to see fellow politicians embrace mindfulness and abandon the aggressive, around-the-clock grind.
“Nobody enjoys it; nobody likes it. It’s become a mess,” Mr Ryan said. “Look at the approval ratings from the American people, look at how the people who are inside these institutions feel about the gridlock and the inability to get things done, and the constant campaigning, and the amount of money that’s involved. We’re not going to solve the problem by doing more of it.”
Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/buddhist-calm-becomes-big-business/story-fn6s850w-1226392398991
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From my personal experience, meditation no doubt is the most effective antidote to our stressful mind that is always stressed to the maximum level by all the daily matters that we have to deal with. It is very useful in helping us to release our stress, calm our mind and grant us inner peace if not permanent but at least temporary. Furthermore, apart from granting us a peace of mind, meditation can also be a useful method that assist to train our patience and self-discipline. Meditation is unlike any conventional medication or supplement that comes in a form of pill and can be easily consumed with a glass of water. Consistency is the key for the practice of meditation and there is definitely no other shortcut for it.
With our modern day living more and more people having stress ,anxieties and medical problems. Its good to practice yoga or meditation which helps to reduce stress and anxiety , in a way which will strengthen our immune system. Practicing yoga improves balance, endurance, flexibility, and strength, while meditation helps keep the mind sharp. Researchers has proven that through yoga meditation has shown an improvement in people’s health and has many benefits. No matter how busy we are, have time ,take a break and every opportunity to mediate in a nature , quiet environment in the beautiful place like Kechara Forest Retreat. When life is hectic, it is an opportunity for us to train our mind to stay calm so as learning and practicng Dharma.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing.
Why people don’t meditate even if they want to? I guess many people are just like me. We all know meditation is good for us, but we don’t get around to doing it. For me, I guess I’ve not come to see its value. I think that ticking off items from my long long to-do lists is more valuable than something like meditation. Anyway, it is said that there is a direct line from inner well-being to the quality and success of our actions. ??
Modern people now easy get stress by the busy schedule. Is good people able find the method to reduce stress through meditation and yoga. Otherwise people will get tires and depress due to all day work.
Kechara Forest Retreat setup is for people who want to get away pressure living in the city and want to close to the nature to reduce the stress from the mind. Peaceful envoirament plus many blessed statue can heal people mind when they come here to visit. Is good for people can stay here doing retreat and meditation.
Peace has been always within us, peace are not from the external. It’s not from the environment, people & other elements.
It’s important for us to understand what we are doing in life & what are the purposes. If the purposes are selfish & only benefit for oneself, for sure the activity will only brings more “disasters” rather than happiness.
One of the most common reasons that people learn meditation is to reduce stress.
Stress is of course unavoidable, and the point of stress reduction and stress management programs is not to eliminate stress from our lives entirely. Life is always going to be full of challenges, and a life without some turmoil is not only impossible but is also undesirable.
Many stress therapists, of course, recognize that regular meditation and relaxation can be of significant help in reducing stress to manageable and healthy levels, and relaxation and meditation exercises are now widely taught.
Research has shown that meditation has benefits on mental health, including a reduction in proneness to depression, an increase in emotional positivity, and an increased ability to deal with life’s inevitable stresses.
Meditation, however, not only involves relaxation but promotes mindfulness, which helps the stress-sufferer to recognize unhelpful patterns of thought that give rise to the stress response, and also involves the active cultivation of positive mental states such as lovingkindness, compassion, patience, and energy.
It’s good that researched has been done and proven that Buddhist meditation really helps in our life. In fact, it’s good that more and more people start to realise the benefit of meditation. People nowadays are usually busy with our daily schedule, daily activities, entertainments, be it entertain friends, or clients. Very seldom and in very rare occasion that people will sit down, breath deeply, calmly, and quietly listen to our breathing and surrounding. People doesn’t realise by meditating, it actually helps us to think better, breathe better and even live life better. Be it spiritual or non spiritual, only through meditation, we can find our internal peace, especially for people in this era who always have busy schedule. Not only that, it even helps people who has sinus, and helps them to breath better.
People in this era are inflicted with more unnecessary stress and problems which have led more and more are turning to alternatives to destress like yoga and or meditation. Meditation helps in the sense of healing the mind which is the most fundamental part of our life. When practiced in a higher level, one can even gain attainments.
When the mind is at peace, the mind become clear and we can think better and work better. Meditation is one of way to train our mind in peace. In Buddhism the very basic in the practice of training the mind is to train us rely upon our own inner strength rather than upon external conditions. It also helps us to remove our obstacles, seeing obstacle as an opportunity. The highest practice of the training of mind in Buddhism is towards enlightenment.
It is beneficially good for people that researches have shown the positive effects of Buddhist meditation, one of the practices Lord Buddha taught over 2500 years ago. Calmness of the mind leads to less stress of the mind and body, resulting in reduction of depression and physical illness. We know that meditation also brings us mental state of happiness yet we make excuses not to spend 5-10 minutes that give us so much benefits, citing we do not have time.
Looks like meditation, is one of culture in spirituality. I found out that people engage in spiritual are very likely into meditation. Other than being in spiritual side, meditation does help much in disciplinary such as our mind that controls our emotions and thoughts. This is a very useful practice for all regardless any religious, because meditation is a very simple practice that could heal our mind and ourselves eventually.
Meditation is good to calm ones mind. With much practice on meditation one may find their memory improves, thinks better, makes better decision and more mindful of the surroundings. With this, businesses and projects will have better results / outcome while kids will excel better in school.
In busy and stressful times nowadays, it is always good for the body, mind and soul to just sit back and destress. Some quiet time for the body to focus and rest. Meditation is a method that anyone of any race, religion and age can use. The body age but the mind does not. We keep on learning and absorbing information everyday. Meditation can also help our mind to focus better in time. For thousand of years, meditation has helped many religiously because they really have positive effects.
Basically within our mind we live in 3 time zones, the past, the present and the future. Before we even begin to consider meditation so that we can stay focused and mindful, it is important to evaluate the 3 time zones to think which is by far the most important state of being.
If we perpetually recall the past at the present moment, we cannot see the value of the present but only relate to our experience of the past. We therefore create the past in the present moment of now. This is therefore not a good situation as being in the past within the present moment can only create the past experiences and therefore unable to grasp any new opportunities that prevail in the moment of NOW. As such we will only know that the future is nothing exciting but a repetition of History.
One major practice of a Buddhist is meditation whereby we are clear our mind of any perception of the past and stay in the moment to experience and gain mindfulness of the present.
Having a calm mind will definitely allows ourselves to be mindful of the present and the space and people within. This state of being will enhance our chances of new experiences and perform to the best of what is for Now. This is very beneficial to ourselves and the people around us.
It is a good news that more people from various corporate industry engage in meditation to help them calm their mind. Meditation is not a religion but a method to train us to be mindful and focus. When we can control our mind and be focus we naturally will not be affected by the stress from our daily life. Hope more people will engage in meditation and mindfulness training to gain peace of mind.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. This is indeed a good news to hear. Hopefully more and more people will engage in meditation classes which will train them about mindfulness. At this degenerate age, mindfulness is very important or else all the good morale will be gone and the people’s mind will be barbaric.
With folded palms,
Vivian
To me, I think that by doing dharma work, keeping up with own practices, and following instructions given by one’s Guru would be the best practice. There are many ways to keep the mind calm, including meditation. I would say that there is no one way to do it, but I believe that we should use the way that we feel that it suits us best!
I don’t think that anyone can deny that in this day and age people need a stress reliever. Things move fast, and a quick and easy method is in demand to relax and to “escape” for a while.
What’s interesting is how Georgetown University associate professor Elizabeth Stanley refers to the body and mind as two separate entities when relating to how each entity reacts to stress.
If Tim Ryan’s quick and easy fix is to meditate on calmness despite where you are, it clearly shows how our body and mind are two separate entities.
We can be in a bustling underground station, and escape into the serenity our mind can bring us to.
If that is the case, when our body breaks down and finally gives in – where does our mind go to?
Due to the hectic lifestyle, more people are seeking ways to find inner peace by going for meditation classes which is a very therapeutic way to distress. Meditation before multitasking can calm stress and aid concentration.
With this in mind, business schools are now beginning to embrace a practice of Buddhist approach to increasing awareness of oneself and its surrounding that has grown popular in the corporate world.
Buddhism has much much more to offer than just calming one;s mind so one is more aware. If they only knew the true benefits of buddism they would scream !
Mindfulness is key to any form of spiritual development. It does not mean that we are becoming less sensitive or involved when mindfulness increases. In fact we become more astute, aware, sensitive and sharp because we are definitely more focused and clear of our thoughts, emotions and feelings. Why? Because a chattering mind wastes energy unnecessarily. Instead of writing a letter to our friend congratulating her job promotion, we have a million other things floating about in our mind from paying our bills to choosing the next movie to watch. So when the letter is written, it is not getting our 100% attention and if we focused, we’d probably finish our task faster and with more efficiency. So there we go… mindfulness is not just a spiritual practice but it is a crucial for our day to day living. _/\_
The key to success in work performance, creativity, productivity is in calm abiding and prevent delusional thoughts from arising. Many individuals seeking success in their goals whether worldly or spiritual acknowledge meditation as a vehicle to attain their goals.
In these modern, fast-paced world, everyone is feeling very pressured and tensed. Meditation helps to calm ones nerves and it is an alternative to using drugs. It is just so wonderful what Shakyamuni Buddha taught more than 2000 years ago still work wonders today.
Mindfulness leads to a more peaceful and calm mind. When we are calm and less stressed, it leads to clearer thinking and making less rash and wrong decisions. If world leaders can practice mindfulness, it would help them in running their countries and for some, it would mean less animosity with other countries and lesser wars. What was taught by Lord Buddha 2,500 years ago is now being re-branded and commercialized by non-spiritual individuals. For the less spiritually inclined societies, attending such programs is beneficial than not attending any at all. This training may be good to be taught in schools so that children can be trained from young and grow up to be better adults.
Mindfulness is part of the 4th noble truth that Buddha taught 2500 years ago. We need to tame our monkey mind in order to think deeper and absorb knowledge. So that in order for us to gain wisdom.
I’m not amazed that practicing mindfulness changes the way blood and oxygen flow through the brain and also improve memory and control fear. These had been said in the Buddha’s teachings.
In the modern world that full of competition and the heavy load of work, whether you are in the business world, children in school, Politician or prisoners. It is very important to train our mind to be focus on whatever we are doing at this moment. Once we focus our mind, we are actually has slowly calm our mind and enjoy the peacefulness.
因为控制不了情绪而犯下了，很大的错，也因为情绪上的控制不好，就发动没必要的战争，情绪的控制是非常的重要的。我们修行佛法与静坐来达到身，心的平静，在这样的状态，我们的智慧就会慢慢生长，可以让我们做出正确的决定，不管我们在做什么事情时，都能有最好的结果，如果我们这里有一间禅修中心，就可以让大家能够尝试透过静坐或禅修，让我们可以好好的静下来，想想我们要的是什么，我们的就有圆满人生。
人，往往因为控制不了情绪而犯下了，很大的错误，也因为情绪上的控制不好，而发动战争，所以情绪上的控制是非常的重要的。我们修行佛法与静坐来达到身，心的平静，只有这样的状态，我们的智慧就会慢慢产生，可以让我们做出正确的决定，这么一来不管我们在做什么事情时，都能有最好的结果，如果有一间禅修中心，就可以让大家能够尝试让自己透过静坐或禅修，让我们可以好好的静下来，想想我们要的是什么，这样才能有圆满的人生。
Mindfulness is so fundamental and important in our daily lives. More and more people are finding the meditation on mindfulness useful to calm their minds and to de-stress themselves. Even the secular world is capitalising on this Buddhist meditation technique too. Mindfulness meditation is not just for calming our mind, at a deeper level it will develop our wisdom which necessary to understand the nature of things around us and about us. Mindfulness Meditation is now a must rather a necessity in life for everyone.
如果我们相信佛陀的话， 其实祂早已有了医学和科学的答案。
人体有无限可能，心识能够控制的事情有很多。我们不应该太靠感官来思考，在我们内心深处其实有许多更实在的答案。
Mr.Ryan 做了非常好的事, 把静坐介绍给不同领域的人去修学。不管我们外在面对怎样的问题，每个人都有能力用心识的力量去治愈自己。
但愿更多人可以通过打坐从而认识自己的能力，解决自身的问题，帮助更多的人。
Practice mindfulness can let us calm down.it useful for us as in modern day we only focus on pursuing personal goal, busy with worldly thing, we should seek a chance to let our mind calm down.
当你静心关照自己，首先认清当下，看清过去。
有过什么样错误，当你跨过过去的阴影，你就可以燃起新的点子的火花开启你体内的惊人活力。
I think the concept of “mindfulness”, “awareness” and “meditation” is becoming more and more popular these day because it is not based on religion but rather on a universal agreement of being at PEACE. Something everyone would like to have and can do with out having to have faith in anything in particular.
Let’s face it we are living in a fast pace rat race and everyone’s got stress! Buddha is perhaps the best psychiatrist in the world, giving us the antidote that we can apply in our daily lives! >>>Meditation to calm our mind & create awareness<<<
So while the motivation of selling this "concept" is not a virtuous one… but at the same time it gives people a chance to discover the connection between the samsara world and their true potential. And it doesn't always have to be "Buddhist Dharma"… it can be just being a kinder, more tolerant, peaceful, happier person. So why not if it helps.
Rinpoche has explained to us once that a lot of people have this mistaken idea that when we do these meditations, we “withdraw” and become less aware of the world around us. Actually, this isn’t what it’s about and developing awareness meditation actually hones our minds more, make us sharper and more alert so that we actually become more in tune with what’s going on around us, as opposed to withdrawing. This makes a lot of sense in a corporate environment, and in modern work environments where, to be successful, you need to be able to multitask, as well as to be aware of the behaviours, tendencies and work of everyone around you.
In our tradition, Rinpoche has explained that awareness meditation is one step more than focusing on the breath or on walking. The focus of the meditation instead, is on visualisation of a Buddha, his iconography and his form; or a focus on mantra recitation. So in this way, we develop focus, but our object of focus is of something enlightened – by that we also gain merit on top of developing the clarity of the mind. The merit propels us in our spiritual practice, so it becomes an essential part of the meditations we do. One fuels the other, and vice versa.
Thank you for this share Rinpoche. it’s really good to see how Buddhist influence is penetrating the busiest, most high profile places in the world. Just goes to show that you can be very much a Buddhist, and adopt the practices wherever you are, whatever you’re doing and without having to even overtly “convert”.
I am happy to see that more and more people around the world are gradually involved in practice of Buddhism in one way or another. But what worries me is that people also using this phenomenon to commercialize it. The most important practice in Buddhism is to maintain a pure motivation in whatever we do. Commercialized practice can never maintain that pure motivation. It is in fact motivated by one of the three poisons: greed, and it also defied the teaching of Buddhism to become Generous.
Personally I foresee the teaching of mindfulness meditation will become a big money generator simply because more and more people is seeking for peaceful mind due to overloaded of information both relevance and irrelevance, good and bad, positive and negative, worldly and spiritually. The information of worldly desire, enjoyment, depression, politics and many more meaningless updates that causing mind confusion and instability.
I fully agreed people should learn and practice any kind of meditations but I disagreed to commercialize it. Good thing must be shared, not sell. They may collect certain amount of money to maintain the facilities and create awareness but not making huge profit for personal gain.
Charging expensive fee is limiting the number of people to learn and access to it. Moreover this method against the original principle of sharing in Buddhism.
Thank you for sharing, Rinpoche
Take good care
With love,
VP
Non Buddhists use meditation to calm their minds and improve alertness Buddhists go further than that, after the mind is calm we contemplate and familiarize our minds with virtues.
It is interesting to note ” research showing the brain has the capacity to change throughout life” as said Georgetown University associate professor Elizabeth Stanley and Rinpoche had taught that our mind does not age, otherwise how can a baby (whose mind already existed many life times ago) learn new things ?
翻开报纸里所有的新闻都是负面的，很多事件都是因为人们失去清晰的思维，没有平静的心所犯下了弥天大错。
持宗喀巴心咒真的有效于平静下我们的思维，认真的持修有助于释放我们负面的情绪，把任何的愤怒，不开心都可以化解，其实佛法就是我们的禅修之一，也不需花费成千上万去上身，心，灵的课程，佛陀就是我们最好的禅修对象。
I was given my first lesson on meditation by Pastor Ngeow in Kechara last year. It was a small group of less than ten people. We were told to suck sweet…heh! Heh,… And described the experience. Each one of us had different experience. But the experience I had with meditation after few practices was …….Certainly it was relaxing but it was the heightened awareness, the clarity of sound, the calmness of the mind was simply an wonderful journey. Last Sunday at the Kechara Sunday Service where we had a brief meditation session. It was a wonderful reminder of the calming state of mind. I must practise more……
当我第一次，来到克切拉佛教中心的时候，第一个给我的感觉就是，很舒服，没有压力，整个人好像轻松了很多。我也参加了法会，法会使我心灵平静和集中。是很多城市人，心灵减压又健康的好去处，现在的社会环境，给人带来的无名压力，真的
需要找个方法来解决，佛教中心和禅修中心，是很好的选择。
人，最难控制的东西就是情绪。 人，往往因为控制不了情绪而犯下了了很大的错误，也因为情绪上的控制不当，因而发动战争，所以情绪上的控制是非常的重要的。释迦摩尼佛所弘扬的佛法，就能让我们透过佛法的修行，来达到身，心，零灵的平衡，只有达到这样的状态，我们才能产生智慧，让后可以让我们做出正确的决定，这么一来不管你在做什么事情时，都能有最好的结果产生，所以希望大家能够尝试让自己透过静坐，让自己好好的静下来，好好的想想自己想要的是什么，这样才能过一个圆满的人生。
修习佛法与坐禅是百利无害的，它能带来生，心，灵的平静。当我们的思维非常的清晰与冷静下所做的选择与决定，才能正确无误和事半功倍的把事情办好！既能利己又能利他，何乐而不为呢？朋友，就从今天开始学习佛法与坐禅吧！！
I have never learnt this ‘mindfulness’, so i cannot really comment how effective this program can be.
what I feel is that if this is generated from Buddhism, then it must have elements of truth in it, for Buddhism has been in this world for 2500 years, it can be coming out from no way.
What I am concerned is that in this era where people like new ideas and that things get fade out quickly and that the amount of company profits is far more important than the actual benefits that are produced to the consumers, program on ‘mindfulness’ may be handled carelessly and this gives bad name to Buddhism.
Buddhism cannot be wrong, but the misuse of this religion can lead to unfortunate scene.
In my opinion, Engaging in dharma is a way to develop a mindful mind.
To practice mindful starts from the minute you get up in the day to the moment you lay your head on the pillow there is opportunity to engage mindfulness, opening you up to greater focus, calm, and peace.
Nowadays people spend thousands on program to manage daily stress and learn how to be mindful etc.
Actually , in buddhist principle, if we practice sincerely with determination and focus, mindfulness definitely will be close with us.
Doing meditation is very good for us when we are stressed from work or other things. we should find a quite place that no one will disturb u, sit down, close ur eyes & don’t think of anything. I usually do that when I’m stressed & cannot think of anything. This is taught by my previous yoga teacher, this really help.
Mindfulness meditation is one Buddhism’s major contribution of sense of peace and well being for the people in this world.Although it is inseparable from Buddhism as a religious practice, its versatility and effectiveness to benefit all levels of needs had crept into every facet of one’s life such as sports, martial arts,qi gong dynamics, business environment,home, medical treatment, etc. When before, fitness gurus think physical health is key to everything,the benefits experienced by meditators had broken that myth. Both our body and mind have a very close relationship and both influence each other.If one’s mind is not well, one’s body will deteriorate and vice versa. Both body and mind must be equally factored into the equation of health. Unfortunately, due to commercialism and lack of true knowledge,one or the other is promoted or emphasized. This reduces the full benefit of attaining harmony or balance of body and mind. Recognizing the combined benefits of meditation and physical exercise is the holistic approach to ensuring physical health and sense of well being.
Learn and practice Dharma can bring inner peace for us, when our mind is clear everything will be have a better solution for that and right decision. Through meditation can help us feel relax and release.
Although this is not our habit now, but is no harm to start to do it now. Start to do it 10% from now then increase more later, u will feel and tasted the benefits of Dharma.
It is good to take a short while away from the hustle and bustle to engage in this technique, to tame our monkey-minds. Yes, start slowly and increase / put in more time as we begin to feel the benefits. So we need to de-stress to perform better.
Daniel J Siegel (MD), a scientist by training wrote a Foreword in the book “Bringing Home the Dharma” by Jack Kornfield. He said he was surprised to find that Buddhist views were actually more about a science of mind and a method of healing than about a ‘religion’.
He encountered Buddhism as a system of thought and understanding devoted to alleviating mental pain. He found it odd that as a psychiatrist, something in the realm of religious practice was actually more akin to clinical work in the field of mental health. He now teach on the connection between science and spirituality, linking the mindful brain with the wise heart.
He said we can promote a more integrated way of living through the power of mindful awareness with integrative reflective practices, our relationships with one another can become filled with compassion and kindness. His hopes for our planet of moving from “me” to “we” to fill the potential of bringing health and healing to our precious and fragile home.
这并非件新鲜事，遇见一位朋友，他的公司就设立了一间静修室，让所有的员工，尤其是高层的职员能将心静下来，才开始工作或则会议。他说每一次在路上的奔波，走动，心或多或少都会比较浮躁，浮躁的心所作的决定也必定会有不好的结果，一间静修室就这样设立了。