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Do you sometimes feel unnecessary fights with your significant other are sapping the time and energy out of your life? I know I did. Until less than a year ago the fights between me and my husband were quite literally incessant. Our weekends and holidays were completely dedicated to this favorite sport of ours. When we were too bored with our jobs we'd even keep the sweet nothings (somethings) flowing over the phone. Like all addictions, this little hobby of ours also started taking its toll on our bodies and minds pretty quickly, not to mention our relationship. I think I'd have lost my sanity completely, if it wasn't for something in me which woke up one fine morning and said, "I'll not fight anymore, no matter what." Read more » Read More @ Source

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Gautama the Buddha put forth a substance theory or if you prefer a less challenging term, he puts forth an essence theory.  Incidentally, for me, this puts Buddhism into the realm of science insofar as the Buddha directly cognized a unique substance.  Let's not forget what the broad definition of science is.  It is "knowledge or cognizance of something specified or implied" ( O.E.D. ).   More specifically, such an awakening by Gautama whereby he became the Buddha was the cognizance of an all pervading substance which was not composed or asankhata / asamskrita , in contrast to the composed.  It also implies that the universe exists within a spiritual medium which is mind-like.  Even our most subtle thoughts occur within this enveloping medium, the substance or essence of which is only Mind ( cittamatra ). About his ministry, to make a long story short, the Buddha tried to show composed things have no actual substance or essen...

As I wrote in my book, Living as a River: Relating to someone as a "self"—on the basis of how we see them right now—is like seeing a video reduced to a single frame, or seeing a ball hurtling through the air in a freeze-frame photograph. It's life-denying. It's a static way of seeing things. In taking a snapshot of a thing we lose its sense of trajectory, the sense that it's headed somewhere. We're disconnected from the reality of change and process. But imagine if we could consistently see a person not as a thing but as a process—if we could, at least in our imagination—see that person evolving towards wisdom and compassion. How might that change both them and us? That's the challenge for us all. I'd like to suggest an experiment to you, and I'd be delighted if you'd write a few words below about your experience of trying this. The experiment will only take two or three minutes of your time. I'd like you to call to mind someone y...

Elisha Goldstein, PsychCentral: We all have habits that we want to break and that is why I'm thrilled to bring to today Daniel Goleman and Tara Bennett-Goleman who . Daniel Goleman is an internationally known psychologist who lectures around the world and has many classic books including Emotional Intelligence which has over 5,000,000 copies in print. Tara is author of The New York Times bestseller Emotional Alchemy and her new book Mind Whispering: A New Map to Freedom from Self-Defeating Emotional Habits that can help us transform our emotions, improve our relationships and connect us to the inner wisdom that has always been there… Read the original article » Read More @ Source

Bella Jaisinghani, The Times of India: There was an Indian touch to the 50th anniversary celebration of the African Union. Last week, 23 countries came together to celebrate the golden jubilee with a spiritual quotient. Around 10,000 people of all races and religions joined an online meditation 'I Meditate Africa' conducted by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living. People of all age, races and religions gathered at different centres in these 23 countries to meditate for an Africa free of violence and stress. The campaign started with 2,800 students meditating for peace in the city of Soweto, Johannesburg, the home of… Read the original article » Read More @ Source

"The discipline which I have imparted to you will lead you when I am gone. Practice to attain the goal of enlightenment and awakening."   ~The Buddha Technorati Tags: Buddha Buddhist Buddhism Meditation Dharma Read More @ Source

Is realizing emptiness the same as the attainment of nirvana?  The simple answer to this question is no.  When the Buddha in the Pali Nikayas and Agamas talks about his awakening, emptiness is never mentioned.  It is the same with the Lalitavistara Sutra .  This is not to suggest that emptiness plays absolutely no role in working towards nirvana.  But nirvana is positive liberation even though it is sometimes explained in negative terms, whereas emptiness has several different uses depending upon the context.   Interpreting emptiness or shunyata , for example, as absolute is certainly not without its problems.  This becomes an issue in the later evolution of postmortem Buddhism in which we see the leveling down of nirvana so that it almost becomes a kind of samsara.  This makes it possible for emptiness to enter through the backdoor as the new nirvana.   Reflecting the older use of emptiness which serves as a special form of negation, Asanga describes it this way: "What...