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by ConnectIrmeli The Tibetan Buddhist master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche spent his life in the West confounding expectations and behaving in ways no one could anticipate or even understand. After 17 years of marriage, his wife found him "completely unfathomable" and his devoted students often felt the same. How, then, to make a film about a man who categorically resists summarization? Director Johanna Demetrakas has decided to simply present the man in all his demanding complexities and let him and his encounters with associates speak for themselves. Her only rubric is the one visible in her title: "Crazy Wisdom." There turns out to be a tradition in Tibetan Buddhism of masters who behaved in outrageous and unconventional ways as a means to awaken those around them. As Trungpa Rinpoche himself taught, wisdom already exists in students. The teacher only points that out. Though he is not well known outside of Buddhist circles, Trungpa Rinpoche (the last name is an honor

swimming: like being back in the womb In the spirit of #OpenPractice , below is my latest conversation with Shinzen Young regarding my chosen form of practice. I hope this will be of some use for others out there who have a similar form of practice. Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:54:24 -0800 Subject: Re: The Dark Night From: "~C4Chaos" To: Shinzen Young Dear Shinzen, I just read your latest blog post on The Dark Night . As usual, I find your articulation very concise, crisp, and clear. So thanks for that. That said, I want to ask you some specific questions about my own experience with my practice which may or may not be related to the Dark Night phenomena as you define it. First of, let me describe to you my practice in detail... My favorite of the Five Ways is " Focus on Flow " or " The Way of Flow ." It's my favorite because I've discovered that I have a "knack" for detecting the expansive , contractive , and flow aspects of &q

by francesco.rosati Article by Constantine George Meditation has been around for too long to be just another buzz word in the multi-billion dollars wellness industry. Meditation is indeed the method of choice for one's spiritual evolution but this is not the benefit discussed in this article. Rather the focus is on meditation immediate benefits for your mind and body. There is not only anecdotal but also more and more scientifical evidence that meditation benefits both your mind and body in a synergistic way: your mindset influences the body and at the same time your body helps your mind go further on its quest for evolution. Meditation benefits your mind by: Increasing your awareness in every moment, as opposite of living your life on autopilot, hence everyday seems to last longer and be filled with more noticeable experiences.Increasing your focus and concentration which in turn, like a magnifying glass, helps resolve the problems

by Gerry K. Article by Jamie Improving your creativity is an unbelievable method for accomplishing success in life. Most people discredit meditation right off as a crazy unreal and useless thing. Yet, meditation is fast becoming something that doctors and nurses are beginning to recommend to people in battling all sorts of illness. It can be difficult to start out in something like meditation if you have little or no experience. Yet there are some great new tools available these days provided by our ever loving Internet. The results you can get from meditating properly can amaze even the most skeptical person out there. Our brain works in mysterious ways and it should stand to reason that there are some strange and mysterious remedies to kick our brain into gear so to speak. Creativity does not come easy for most people. Inspiration can be hard to come by. There are some pretty cool techniques to get your brain going in a creative manner

by daryl_mitchell In my study of happiness, I've labored to identify its fundamental principles . Because I get a tremendous kick out of the numbered lists that pop up throughout Buddhism (the Triple Refuge , the Noble Eightfold Path , the Four Noble Truths , the eight auspicious symbols ), I decided to dub these fundamental principles as my Eight Splendid Truths. Each one of these truths sounds fairly obvious and straightforward, but each was the product of tremendous thought. Take the Second Splendid Truth—it’s hard to exaggerate the clarity I gained when I finally managed to put it into words. Here they are: First Splendid Truth To be happier, you have to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth . Second Splendid Truth One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy; One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself . Third Splendid Truth The days are long, but the years are shor

A Little Book of Love: Heart Advice on Bringing Happiness to Ourselves and Our World by Moh Hardin Moh Hardin is an acarya or senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and teaches classes on Buddhism and meditation in Canada and the U.S. This is his first book. Mr. Hardin tells us that the book is written for anyone who is interested in exploring wisdom from the Buddhist tradition for awakening, deepening and expanding love in our lives and in the world. Unfortunately, Hardin gives only tiny snippets of Buddhist wisdom and then neglects to describe how the wisdom relates to his suggestions for deepening and expanding love. Hardin begins by telling us we should be our own best friend, that our friendship with ourselves should not be based on conditions or a certain image we have of ourselves, not as we would like to be, but as we are. Making friends with ourselves is accepting ourselves just as we are, unconditionally in the same way we

by familymwr Article by Healthwin Stress And Abdominal Fat Are Threats To Your Health Stress reduction is not just good for your mental health, it's also good for your waistline. Once you learn to reduce the stress in your life, you may begin to experience weight loss success. Stress is counterproductive to belly fat loss goals because stress can actually shut down your digestive system. Also, stress-induced overeating makes it difficult to stick to an abdominal fat loss plan. Abdominal fat has been linked with both heart disease and diabetes. In fact, excessive stress affects where we tend to store fat. Higher levels of stress are linked to greater levels of abdominal fat. Unfortunately, abdominal fat is not only aesthetically undesirable, it's linked with greater health risks than fat stored in other areas of the body. Abdominal Fat Loss And Body Activity Exercises like crunches, situps or using an ab machine will give the abs

by Ron Sombilon Gallery Article by James Maya In these busy times, it is impossible for us not to experience stress at the end of a long day. Some people would say that they are already immune to the effects of stress in their body. What they do not know is that, stress reduction is very essential in maintaining a healthy mind and body. It's true that no one can live a stress-free life, but there are actually things that you can do in order to alleviate stress. Relaxation therapy is composed of simple and natural techniques that can help relax the body while dealing with a stressful life. It includes progressive muscle relaxing, deep breathing, meditation and music therapy. All of these are no brainer techniques that you can actually do while you're on a quick break at work. In order for you to reduce stress, you should practice relaxation therapy on a daily basis. If you do it regularly, your body will learn to relax easier and

by familymwr Article by Gloria Arenson Most of us are so used to living with stress that we aren't even aware that it's there. Here's a quick way to eradicate stress in two minutes or less. You can perform this procedure, called EFT, any time and anywhere. I enjoy doing it while stopped at a red light. It is safe and good for your health. Make sure to turn off your cell phone or iPod before you get started. When you are feeling uptight because of physical or emotional stress, the body tightens, and you may experience a knot in your stomach, neck or shoulders. Restricted breathing is an indicator that you are stressed, so start by taking a deep breath to rate how stressed you are from 1 to 10. The deepest, most satisfying breath you are capable of is rated 10. Anything below an 8 indicates that you need this quick stress reduction treatment. 1. Take a deep breath. Rate the depth and pleasure of the breath from 1 to 10. 2. If y

by tonyhall Article by John De Longhi Though one could be infinitely happy by just enjoying the nature and family and all the human-made things, there are still millions of people who are unhappy. In the developed countries there is very fortunate circumstance of having both God-given and man-made things. Still majority of people there are unhappy. In the developing countries, where for millions there is a real scarcity of even basic needs, people seem to be happy. There are some people who are engaged in difficult tasks and in warfare, and even incarcerated in prisons, and are still happy! We have just discussed the factors of happiness. Millions of people have them, still they are unhappy. There are millions of others who don't have them, yet they are happy! You would realize that the mere availability and abundance of God given and human-made things is not enough. There is something else which should be right to be happy. Of cour

In the eyes of educators from the RCS and Holistic Management schools, the four-year grazing study led by Trevor Hall missed the point by a wide margin. "What is needed is some very good basic science to underpin principles, and not some uninterpretable 'comparison'," said RCS founder Terry McCosker. "What we have is none of what is actually needed and plenty of info on what some individuals do." Both Mr McCosker and Bruce Ward of Holistic Results questioned the lack of clear definition of each grazing systems, which the study report only explained as lying on "a continuum from low-input continuous grazing, through rotational systems, to intensive 'cell' systems". "In my opinion this deficiency in definition alone renders the entire document of no credible value," Mr Ward said. Mr McCosker's chief criticism is that in most cases, the study assessed changes on properties many years after management had switched to time-con

by Terriko Article by Lydia Quinn Whether you're an experienced yoga practitioner or a beginner, there are many accessories available to enhance your yoga. Here are some of the most popular and helpful: Yoga Bags & Totes If you're going to a yoga class or yoga studio for your yoga, you'll probably want a yoga bag to carry your yoga mat. A yoga bag will carry and protect your yoga bag as well as provide you with a stylish accessory. Many yoga bags or yoga totes also come with inner or outer pockets for carrying a water bottle, yoga props, clothing or other yoga accessories. Yoga Mats A yoga mat is one of the most essential accessories you should have for your yoga. A quality yoga mat will have some stickiness to it so that it grips the floor and does not slide. A yoga mat protects you from the harshness, hardness and coldness of the floor while doing your yoga. A yoga mat is essential for any yoga practitioner. Yoga Attire

by Ron Sombilon Gallery Article by Zaya Louis Self-hypnosis is a great procedure to sooth your thoughts, restore your energy plus boost your well-being. Imagery has become the most powerful resources you will need to handle emotional stress, gain self-confidence for peak performance, modify our thought patterns, reach your goals, tap into your inner knowledge and boost your health and well-being. Hypnosis is only a focused state of interest and internal concentration, commonly called a trance state. We have all experienced this without talking about it as being self-hypnosis. Maybe you have looked at a show or reading a good book and you weren't aware of what was taking place close to you? In that case, you had been in all likelihood in a trance state. During this concentrated, relaxed state, we're able to discover the effectiveness of our subconscious mind more effectively to get the alterations we want and attain the dreams we

As Auburn University student Leslie Troyer finished her fall 2011 semester, she Tweeted, "Bowling class = done. Jogging and swimming next semester #senior #athlete." A fourth-year sociology major, Troyer decided to take bowling because she was already registered for her required courses but still needed to accumulate more credit hours to graduate. Plus, bowling turned out to be fun, Troyer says. She's taking two more exercise classes next semester to fill those extra credits. "It's nice that I got all of my academic classes in order," Troyer says. "That way I can enjoy my senior year and not be too stressed my last two semesters." [Learn out how to stay focused through the senior slump.] Many college students feel stressed, says Hussein Rajput, the director of counseling at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., who thinks much of students' anxiety is derived from the enormous transitions that often occur at this time. "Moving away from ho

For the past few years, for the weekly video as part of the Happiness Challenge , I've proposed a resolution for your consideration—some concrete, manageable resolution to boost your happiness (at least, one that has boosted my happiness). As I mentioned several weeks ago, I've been thinking about changing the format of the videos for 2012, and now I've decided that I will. Instead of proposing resolutions for you to consider as part of your own happiness project, I'm going to discuss "Pigeons of Discontent ." Because, as much as we try to follow the Bluebird of Happiness , we're also plagued by the Pigeon of Discontent . A Pigeon of Discontent isn't a major happiness challenge, but rather, an ordinary problem that has settled into roost. For example: you never make it to the gym; you bicker with your kids each morning; your closet is a mess; you haven't had time to read a book in months. The Happiness Challenge for 2012 will be the identifica

Author and musician Dan Messinger uses multimedia - including a book, music, audio meditations, and a Web community - to revolutionize spirituality. In Dan Messinger's Holy Crap Heartwarming Contest 2011, fifty prizes will be awarded to the 50 most interesting, soulful or otherwise touching blog comments. Even more, any blog host who shares the contest details and a link to the contest page will receive a vibrant "Lover of Peace" sticker and a free ebook of Holy Crap: Spirituality within the Muck of Everyday Life. Sonoma, CA (PRWEB) November 30, 2011 Holy Crap is a revolutionary spiritual program that supports people of all faiths in using everyday hassles as opportunities for spiritual growth . With humor and stories of his own struggles as a father, husband and corporate VP, Dan Messinger both entertains and enlightens in his new multimedia book, Holy Crap: Spirituality within the Muck of Everyday Life. This holiday season, author Dan Messinger is hosting the Ho