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Friday, March 20, 2009

Buddhas' Second Nobel Truth

Buddha's Second Noble truth is that the root of all suffering is attachment, which means that from the day we are born we are suffering. There is not one person on this planet that can say that they are not attached to something. First it is our mother who gives us food and warmth, then as we grow we become accustom to different things, not only physical but emotional and spiritual as well, in other words we become attached to all of the objects that our mind perceives.

As humans we have genetic dispositions that allow us to desire anything that brings pleasure, things as simple as a song that we liked, a gift someone gave to us for our birthday or a religious belief we were taught as a child, or it can be as complicated as believing we have our whole lives ahead of us. Our suffering is inevitable the only way to not suffer is to over come it, but pleasure is deceiving because we allow ourselves to believe that in order to be happy we need a home, family, nice car, a good job and so on. The need for these things means that we have become attached to transient things and with that comes ignorance.

Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or as modern Buddhist will say humans suffer because of craving and clinging. The objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable when we die we will lose our family, or home, and our thoughts, and then suffering will necessarily follow. It is inescapable.

Another common object of attachment is the idea of a "self" which is a major delusion, because there is no such thing as an abiding self. The thing we call "self" is just an imagined entity a mass of cells and electrical currents. We are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe. It is naive of us to say that we are more than just a collection of matter that will continue to erode the same way the earth does.

Throughout our short life on this earth we become attached to all of the objects that our mind perceives, which is everything. Think of it as if we are born into a video game that we cannot turn off until we die. We must free our minds of attachment and let go of everything. Live with compassion, patience, tolerance and trust that there is and end to this life.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

The Hindu Swastika

A swastika is a cross with four arms that are bent at a right angle, all four arms are the same length and sometime there will be a dot or charm in the negative space. It is a common symbol throughout India and world wide. The name swastika comes from the Sanskrit word svasti, which means good fortune, luck and well-being. It has a variety of religious meanings such as a charm to bring good fortune and can be seen in two different versions, the right-hand and the left-hand swastika.

The right-hand swastika is one of the 108 symbols of the god Vishnu and is also a symbol of the sun and of the sun god Surya. The rotation of the arms is a imitates the course the sun takes through the sky as it passes from east south and west in the Northern Hemisphere.

The left-hand swastika sometimes called a sauvastika, usually represents the terrifying goddess Kali, night and magic. However, this form of the swastika is not "evil" as it has become known for its connection to Hitler. The left-hand swastika is the form most commonly used in Buddhism. Hindu art often shows the swastika as an auspicious symbol very commonly used in architecture and decoration. It can be seen on everything from temples, houses, doorways, clothing, cars, and even cakes. It is also a major part of the decoration for festivals and special ceremonies such as weddings.

The Nazis adopted the swastika because their understanding was that it was an Aryan symbol indicating racial purity and superiority. The Nazis propagated a theory that the early Aryans of India were white invaders. There is also a connection with the swastika's magical connections, for Hitler and other Nazi leaders were keenly interested in the occult.

For such a simple symbol the swastika's history is far reaching and controversial. It has been tainted by fear and hatred but the true meaning of the swastika will aways be one of good fortune, luck and well-being.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Buddhas' First Nobel Truth

The word Dhukka suffering. In The Buddhas' teachings he taught the Four Noble Truths, The first of the Noble truths is that Life is suffering. Buddha spoke of how to live is to suffer in countless forms of pain, anguish, fear, and physical torments,as well as psychological maladies and emotional discomforts. There is no way to over come the outer causes of suffering but we can over come our internal suffering by following the Buddhas' teachings.

The main reasons for the suffering in the world is the nature of incarnate life, it is not perfect and neither is the planet we live on. During all of our lives, we will be unable to avoid physical suffering like bodily pain, sicknesses, injuries, fatigue, old age, and eventually death. There are all kinds disagreeable psychological forms of Suffering, including Sadness, Fear, Frustration, Disappointment, and Depression, that we all must endure.

Every unpleasant experience we have in this life time has an equal and pleasurable reaction. All the different levels of Dhukka will pass and be replaced by pleasurable experiences while we are still living. We generally like to think of suffering as the opposite of pleasure, but in fact it is the opposite.

Ease, Comfort and Happiness, are thought of as being the opposite extreme to displeasure. Life is complex but in order to make it tolerable for the masses there must be ease and pleasure to look forward to. Complexity is simply imperfect and incomplete, because humans, plants and every living being in this world are subject to impermanence, there is a means to an end.

Impermanence means that we will never be able to keep permanent hold of the things that we strive for, including our homes, cloths and jobs. Even though we are able to enjoy pleasurable moments, sadness and reality of misfortune to come are always looming. Eventually we ourselves and our loved ones will have to pass on and leave this body and life behind.

Suffering is the first noble truth. We must come to terms with this reality, learn from our misfortunes and let them pass. Every experience we have in this life is an opportunity to take wisdom with us as we pass through on our journey to enlightenment.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Mind over matter.

Mind over matter. This is true in all parts of life. Every religion talks about the importance of your thinking.

"What we think, we become" Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C

Before anything became a reality, it was a thought. By taking control of our thoughts, we can achieve our dreams. Do you have a business idea? Use the power of the subconscious mind. Visualize success.

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

As a christian, I base my thoughts on the Word of God, the Bible. The proverbs, for example, have many teachings about the power of wise thinking and how it can affect your life.

"For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."

There is scientific evidence that subatomic particles can have different behavior depending on the observer. Subconscious beliefs create realities. Meditate on words of wisdom and they will become part of your reality. The more knowledge you have, the more power your thinking will have.

"Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about." Whorf

Picture yourself in that new car or in that mansion of your dreams. Keep away from thoughts that will hinder success. If you are charitable it allows you to have an open mind about money without being attached to it. Attachment to money is a hindrance toward becoming wealthy. Fear of illness invites sickness. Faith is a phenomena created by what we think.

About the Author
Nahom Kidanemariam
http://eduhelper.tripod.com

Direction of Consciousness

For many cultures the fact that the human body is a finely tuned energy system has not disputed. Now with the scientific knowledge of string theory the human energy system can be deeply explored and proven in such a manner that it will change the world forever. Traditional medicines in the East refer to the major energy systems as chakras, Each of the seven chakras has a role and responsibility for different aspects of the endocrine system, it is likely that with time and the right tools the human race will finally be able to answer their deepest questions about life on earth.

Each chakra is directly responsible for aspects of the body, in the same way that each organ is responsible for its own bodily functions by using subtle electrical pluses. Our bodies take in these electrical pluses with the food we eat, the air we breath and from other people we interact with everyday. I am sure that you have felt the energy drain from your body when you are talking to someone who can't stop complaining about how horrible their life is, or had a surge of excitement after an inspirational speech by someone you respect.

Feelings and emotions are as normal and unpredictable as the weather. In order for you to become fully aware you must be able to ride out the feelings that pass through your consciousness. Feelings are something you can not control, just as you can not control the actions or feelings of another person. Sometimes your feelings may be chaotic but chaos is necessary, it is easier said than done but you need to let your self go, trust your self.

In all of us there is a connection to the bigger things in the universe, part of us has no idea, and the other knows it all, let the part of you that knowns nothing just tag along. Our lives here in earth are short, but our spirit or life energy will go on, we are all connected by a force called critical mass. Critical mass is when a mass of people understand a concept, the rest of society instantly understands, which means that your world is a direct result of your thoughts.