Meditation help

Ahimsa

Practice of Ahimsa develops love. Ahimsa is another name for truth or love. Ahimsa is universal love. It is pure love. It is divine Prem. Where there is love, there you will find Ahimsa. Where there is Ahimsa, there you will find love and selfless service. They all go together.

The one message of all saints and prophets of all times and climes, is the message of love, of Ahimsa, of selfless service. Ahimsa is the noblest and best of traits that are found expressed in the daily life and activities of perfected souls. Ahimsa is the one means, not only to attain Salvation, but also to enjoy uninterrupted peace and bliss. Man attains peace by injuring no living creature.

MEANING OF AHIMSA

Ahimsa or non-injury, of course, implies non-killing. But, non-injury is not merely non-killing. In its comprehensive meaning, Ahimsa or non-injury means entire abstinence from causing any pain or harm whatsoever to any living creature, either by thought, word, or deed. Non-injury requires a harmless mind, mouth, and hand.

Ahimsa is not mere negative non-injury. It is positive, cosmic love. It is the development of a mental attitude in which hatred is replaced by love. Ahimsa is true sacrifice. Ahimsa is forgiveness. Ahimsa is Sakti (power). Ahimsa is true strength.

BENEFITS OF THE PRACTICE OF AHIMSA

Ahimsa is soul-force. Hate melts in the presence of love. Hate dissolves in the presence of Ahimsa. There is no power greater than Ahimsa. The practice of Ahimsa develops will-power to a considerable degree. The practice of Ahimsa will make you fearless. He who practices Ahimsa with real faith, can move the whole world, can tame wild animals, can win the hearts of all, and can subdue his enemies. He can do and undo things. The power of Ahimsa is infinitely more wonderful and subtler than electricity or magnetism.

THE POWER OF AHIMSA

He who practices Ahimsa develops strong will-power. In his presence, enmity ceases. In his presence, cobra and frog, cow and tiger, cat and rat, wolf and lamb, will all live together in terms of intimate friendship. In his presence, all hostilities are given up. The term 'hostilities are given up' means that all beings - men, animals, birds and poisonous creatures will approach the practitioner without fear and do no harm to him. Their hostile nature disappears in them in his presence. The rat and the cat, the snake and the mongoose, and other beings that are enemies of each other by nature, give up their hostile feelings in the presence of the Yogi who is established in Ahimsa. Lions and tigers can never do any harm to such a Yogi. Such a Yogi can give definite orders to lion and tigers. They will obey. This is Bhuta-Siddhi (mastery over the elements) obtainable by the practice of Ahimsa. The practice of Ahimsa will eventually culminate in the realization of unity and oneness of life, or Advaitic (non-dual) Consciousness. The Yogi then enjoys the highest peace, bliss and immortality.

There is a hidden power in Ahimsa which protects its practitioners. The invisible hand of God gives protection. There is no fear. What can pistols and swords do ?

http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/ahimsa.htm

Our life is fragile and it is passing
like a lamp running out of fuel.
We must make the most of its light
while we have it

~ 17th Karmapa

JUPITERASC said:

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Hi Jupiterasc!

This is a strange quotation coming from His Holiness since Buddhist tradition, as well as Yogic tradition of Patanjali, recognizes mind as a sense and, at least in Yogic tradition, the goal is to transcend all sensory input (including the mind) and to unite (meaning of the word 'Yoga' in Sanskrit is 'to unite', 'to join') with true essence of one's being, which is beyond mind's capability of understanding. Mind can be used as a tool and aid in this process. However, satisfaction coming from the mind is just as temporary as satisfaction coming from other senses.

Or Buddhist tradition holds different view?

Cap said:

Hi Jupiterasc!

This is a strange quotation coming from His Holiness since Buddhist tradition,
as well as Yogic tradition of Patanjali, recognizes mind as a sense
and, at least in Yogic tradition, the goal is to transcend all sensory input (including the mind)
and to unite (meaning of the word 'Yoga' in Sanskrit is 'to unite', 'to join')
with true essence of one's being, which is beyond mind's capability of understanding.
Mind can be used as a tool and aid in this process.
However, satisfaction coming from the mind is just as temporary
as satisfaction coming from other senses.

Or Buddhist tradition holds different view?

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Hi Cap!

To be fair to HH XIV Dalai Lama
he may have originally spoken that comment in Tibetan
and then the comment was translated into English

or if
HH XIV Dalai Lama made that comment directly using English
then
since English is a language he has not as good a command of
as when using his native Tibetan language
then
depends on ones perspective

i.e.
when speaking with Westerners who recognise the five physical sense as senses
rather than the mind
he may have used that form of wording

because
HH XIV Dalai Lama frequently emphasises MINDFULNESS
as well as
a form of Happiness better stated as EQUANIMITY
and
Mindfulness is intended to lead to Equanimity

Protective Inner Wisdom ~ 17th Karmapa

There are many forces surrounding us
that encourage us to follow along unthinkingly wherever our greed leads us.
We are bombarded by advertising
designed to convince us that our happiness depends on material goods.
Today’s global culture tells us that having more of these goods
is a measure of our success in life, and even of our value as a person.
This message comes at us in many forms and from many directions
so we need a clear awareness of how greed works in order to protect ourselves
from being deceived by these forces.
We can then counteract them with inner wisdom
about where real success and personal value come from.
17th Karmapa from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

I recognize that this wish to create a better society
end all the suffering of all beings everywhere
and protect the entire planet
may not seem particularly feasible
But whether or not we accomplish such goals in our lifetime
it is nevertheless deeply meaningful to cultivate such a vast sense of responsibility
and the wholehearted wish to be able to benefit others.
This outlook is so wholesome and noble that it is worth developing
regardless of the probability of actually accomplishing such a vast vision

17th Karmapa - from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

JUPITERASC said:

I recognize that this wish to create a better society
end all the suffering of all beings everywhere
and protect the entire planet
may not seem particularly feasible
But whether or not we accomplish such goals in our lifetime
it is nevertheless deeply meaningful to cultivate such a vast sense of responsibility
and the wholehearted wish to be able to benefit others.
This outlook is so wholesome and noble that it is worth developing
regardless of the probability of actually accomplishing such a vast vision

17th Karmapa - from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

Click to expand...

It is not just about ending poverty and unnecessary suffering. Automation is also about freeing people from the ''rat race'', giving them leisure time to learn, grow and evolve.

Cap said:

It is not just about ending poverty and unnecessary suffering.
Automation is also about freeing people from the ''rat race'',
giving them leisure time to learn, grow and evolve.

Click to expand...

Humans are increasingly expected to perform as automatons

and that causes unhappines

MEDITATION helps to reduce the stress

The 16th Gyalwang Karmapa and the 14th Dalai Lama.

Contentment

I truly feel that contentment is the greatest wealth.
Anyone can claim it for themselves. Anyone can own it.
Contentment is an incredible wealth that we don’t have to pay for
or seek anywhere outside ourselves.
The natural resources to create this wealth are the inner riches of our own mind.
Contentment is a wealth that gives the highest satisfaction
and we can gain it simply by mining our own resources, and knowing our own mind.
We can cultivate the perspective that what we have is enough.
We can see that we do not actually need more than we already have
and can be completely satisfied with that

~ 17th Karmapa
from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

We are capable of having a huge impact on the world.
The only way for us to protect our species
- and the planet
- from our own destructive power
is to do everything possible to maintain peace and stability among ourselves.
Therefore, it is worthwhile for all of us to study and lovingly preserve all the religions, traditions, and systems
that promote peace and unity for humankind
17th Karmapa from the book "The Future Is Now: Timely Advice for Creating a Better World"

SCIENTIFIC BENEFITS OF MEDITATION – 76 THINGS YOU MIGHT BE MISSING OUT ON

We all have heard that “meditation is good for you”. But good in what terms? Is that just reports from people doing it for 10 years, or are there good scientific studies showing specific benefits that I care about?

In this massive article I have summarized several scientific discoveries on the benefits of meditation. Over 100 studies were analyzed (some of which are in themselves analysis of other hundreds of studies), and categorised the findings into 76 benefits (divided into 46 subheadings). You will be surprised in reading some of these.

http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation

NAMO TRIRATNAYA

MAY ALL LIVING BEINGS BE HAPPY, CREATE THE CAUSES OF HAPPINESS, & BE PEACEFUL
& FREE FROM SUFFERING
& AVOID CREATING THE CAUSES OF SUFFERING



"The mind is excitable and unsteady
it is difficult to control and to restrain.
The wise one trains his mind to be upright as a fletcher straightens an arrow."
~ The Buddha ~


How many obscurations and how many afflictions have been subdued or cleared away?
This is the true test of meditation
not what wonderful or special experiences we might have
17th Karmapa - from the book "Traveling the Path of Compassion:

A Commentary on The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva"

We don’t need to reject temporary states of happiness
but we need to remember not to cling to them
or mistake them for our ultimate goal ~ 17th Karmapa