The Spiritual Health

Archive for the ‘Meditation’ Category

How to deal with frustration

01.28.2009 · Posted in Meditation

deal-with-frustrationBeing human, we deal with varied expressions and feelings. They can be love, happiness, joy, excitement, anger, pity, etc. No matter what emotion or feeling we experience deep within us, they all have an expression and a reason that is directly concerned to our mind and our heart. Here we are trying to help you, how to deal with frustration, and its really important to know about it.

However, amongst all the feelings, frustration is one such feeling that is further related to all the other emotions. For instance, may it be love or anger, it all starts from a small frustration rooted deep within us caused due to some confusion in our mind or heart. For instance, you get frustrated thinking whether she loves you or not, similarly you get frustrated imagining the right solution for your problem etc. most commonly, you tend to get frustrated while managing stress and work life.

Life today is too difficult where you need to fight back for every single thing and thus gain success in not just work but in all aspects of life. Thus, to succeed ahead in life, you need to work hard and also achieve your goals. But do is this success attained easily? Not at all, you are needed to solve the smallest problems solely so as to engrave your path to success. You need to work hard by yourself without taking the help of any other person and when we are not able to find a solution to these various hurdles, we tend to get frustrated which further leads to other emotional outbursts like anger. In today’s world, managing stress and work life has become extremely important due to the rising competition.

Generally frustration is caused when you get stuck on your path and fail to select the right solution despite all your efforts. You feel yourself so close to your solution but yet are unable to find the perfect solution to the hurdle. It is at this point where you feel as if you are spinning your wheels over mud and finally are not able to find a road ahead that will take you to your answer. This is the time when stress relieving meditation and other solutions help you to get over your problems.

Yet, frustration is not something that can’t be surmounted. With just 8 simple solutions or tips, you can very easily overcome your frustration and thus gain success that you have been awaiting for since long time. These points include:

1. Check the positive points in the situation: It is all mental stress and the way you think. When we get caught in some problem, it is human nature to get anxious and start thinking all negative things. Instead of thinking about all the good things we tend to start thinking about the various barriers and the hurdles. This is where we go wrong. Thinking negative things during such situations will only drag you into a bigger problem and more frustration. Thus, to solve the barriers, you should think about all the positive points that are functional in that situation.

2. Always keep work life statistics while working: When we get deeply engrossed in our work, we start forgetting about the various aspects that need to be kept in mind always for a simple way through the problem. Thus it gets important that you keep along your work life statistics that will keep reminding you about the percentage work completed and the various things that need your concern. Through work life statistics, you can also very easily cover all the aspects of your work without missing a single aspect and thus strengthening your probability of success and hence indirectly avoiding frustration.

3. Keep yourself focused on your goal: Many a times, when we get too engrossed in our work, the main aim of our work simply slips off our mind. However, keeping your aim in mind always keeps you on your track of success. It will help you to stay focused on your work and also achieve the required result. Thus in this way, you can again overcome the possible frustrations that may be caused due to these problems.

4. Solve the smallest hurdles: Always remember that one small problem if not solved at the apt time always leads into a bigger problem that might not get solved very easily. Thus it gets very important that you solve all the problems when they are small and simple. Sometimes, even a small problem can entangle you for a very long time and thus faint your possible success. Thus, to ensure your success rate and avoid any kind of frustration related to it, you should always solve even the smallest problems.

5. Figure all the possible options: Every problem has not one, not two but many solutions which just need to be understood and realized. Thus, when you face a small problem, you should make your brain think about all the possible solutions or options that can be possible. Also, you should imagine well ahead about the consequences of each of the options that you are planning to follow. Thus, once you have a clear idea regarding all the options and their consequences, you can easily avoid frustration.

6. Keep working: Usually with a few failures in the kitty, our basics simply stagger. This is not correct. No matter the failures you have faced, you should keep working to gain success in your path. Thus, with the will to work hard and gain success, you will definitely achieve your targeted goal. By working towards your aim in spite of the failures, you will surely gain success and thus also avoid any chances of failure.

7. Think positive: No matter your results, you should always think positive about your situation and the work. If you lose your heart and mind, you will never achieve your target. Even if you have the power to accomplish your task, you won’t be able to achieve it if you give it up from your heart. So, simply think positive and avoid any possible chance of frustration in life.

8. Keep rechecking all your steps: Finally, you should always keep a check of all your work done and also recheck their functioning so as to avoid last minute worries and tensions. If you are confident about your work, then there is no looking back and thus no loop holes that might lead you to frustrations. So, work hard and keep a check on them to avoid problems or worries.

So, now that you are familiar with all the possible ways on how you can avoid frustrations, apply them in your daily routines and enjoy the results.

Buddhist Meditation Guide

01.26.2009 · Posted in Meditation

Buddhist Meditation Guide will help you in understanding of buddhist meditation and about its major benefits. Meditation is considered to be the central part of Buddhism. The Buddhist meditation is a type of cerebral attentiveness that has the emancipation of the human mind in its base.Buddhist meditation guide The Buddhist meditation gives significance to the fostering of enlightenment and virtues. The main motto of the Buddhist meditation is to achieve an absolute delight of nirvana. The nucleus of the Buddhist meditation is to realize the final ambition of life. The hub of Buddhist meditation is to practice the righteous path that is eightfold. The eight virtues are apposite thought, proper speech, correct action, accurate view, precise livelihood, good efforts, pertinent mindfulness and accurate attentiveness. The basis of the Buddhist meditation arrangements are tranquility and insight. Tranquility is called ‘Samatha’ and the insight is known as ‘Vipassana’ in Buddhist terms.

The tranquility meditation is inclusive of breathing and developing kindness. It also guides you to evolve your life with the help of the four ‘jhanas’. ‘Jhana’ means knowledge. They are the four phases of serenity. The main objectives of the Samatha meditation are to inculcate concentration, joy, calmness and disconnection in your day to day life. This type of meditation is further bifurcated into forty sub types. 

The insight meditation builds up the character understanding with the aid of understanding feelings, mental articles and mind. It directs our mind to scrutinize other objects that are integrated with the six senses. If you practice the insight meditation on a regular basis, then you can effortlessly become wise and this wisdom will wipe out all your ignorance and you will be liberated from your miseries. The ‘Vipassana’ meditation is considered to be amongst the premium and purest of meditation techniques, which helps escalate the capacity of a human being to live a unprejudiced and blissful life.

In the present age, the Buddhist meditation is accepted around the globe with the intention of attaining objectives like divine blissfulness and bodily repose. It is also helpful in managing your strain and reduction of your soreness.  A majority of Buddhist meditation implementers squander their complete lives in the struggle to attain enlightenment. Enlightenment is not achievable in a short episode to time. The Buddhist meditation requires being a major part of your lives and it directs you to live your life rightly.  The road that reaches to the enlightenment is very long and it is difficult too. You can fulfill your ultimate goal after attaining the enlightenment.  Here a free buddhist meditation guide for you. Please use it and get benefited out of it.

Forms of Meditation

01.25.2009 · Posted in Meditation

forms-of-meditationMeditation is a method by which a person probes into the deeper state of awareness and relaxation. It is a mental discipline. It involves focusing the attention to or concentrating on a single point of reference. It aims at self regulation of attention. Almost all religions that are practiced have meditation as one of their components. Mediation is practiced within and beyond religious realms.  Meditation has been practiced for more than around 5000years.  There are different forms of meditation such as

Hinduism: The oldest religion that professes meditation is Vedic Hinduism.  According to Vedic Hinduism meditation is a religious and spiritual practice. According to Hindu philosophy, Yoga is one of the six schools and it concentrates on meditation.  In Hinduism there are several types of meditation such as Vedanta, Raja Yoga, Surat Shabd Yoga, Japa Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Hatah Yoga. The final goal of meditation is going through the five different states namely Mudha, Ksipta, Ekagra, Viksipta and Nirodha and finally achieving the state of mind where the eternal calmness prevails.

Buddhism: In Buddhism prime importance is given to Meditation. It is considered the bridge to spiritual development. The Shamatha and Vipassana are the two classes of meditation that are practiced in Buddhism. Shamathan is related to development of the ability to concentrate while Vipassana is with reference to development of wisdom and insight. In Buddhism, meditation has been influenced by the local traditions and cultures. The meditative development of concentration and mindfulness is emphasized in Theravada Buddhism. On the other hand the Tibetan Buddhism is also called Tantrayana Buddhism because it emphasizes on tantra.

Christianity: There are various forms of meditation in Christianity. The basis of these form are found in the Monastic traditions. Rosary   and the Adoration are the most common meditative practices among the Christians.  In Christianity Meditation is usually linked with the prayer and how you pray at home or in the church. The Old Testament as well as the New Testament highlights the importance of meditation.

Islam:  In Islam praying 5 times a day which is also called as “offering Namaz 5 times a day” is a type of meditation. During the Namaz one has to recite the verses of Qur’an Sharif and Dhikr and at the same time meditate and focus on Allah. The Qur’an Sharif is considered to be the revelations received by Prophet Muhammad when he was meditating.

Jainism: Among the Jains, the practice of meditation is denoted by the word Samayika. The Goal of Samayika is to identify the constant reality in life that is called Atma or soul.

Meditation in one form or another is practiced even in other faiths such as Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism, and even Bahá’í Faith.

History of Meditation as a Clinical Intervention

01.24.2009 · Posted in Meditation

meditation-as-a-clinical-interventionIn a clinical situation if an intervention carried out to access, maintain or, improve the health of a person then it is called as Clinical Intervention. These interventions are carried out to accelerate the healing of any injure or accelerate the curing of any diseases.

Meditation is an ancient spiritual practice. It is a modern mind body technique for relaxation of the body and calmness of the mind. The East Asian countries especially Japan, China and India are considered to be the origin of meditation. Meditation in other forms has existed in other parts of the world too. Meditation has been practiced since ages with the religious point of concern. There have been many health benefits that are associated with meditation but this has been recognized and brought to limelight only recently.

Before 30years meditation was only considered a religious practice and the medical fraternity that totally believed in allopathic medicines did not consider meditation appropriate for health care setting. The acceptance of meditation as a clinical intervention became inevitable after Dr. Herbert Benson published his research work that showed the benefits of meditation. This research work was published in the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology in 1970. The Kaiser Permanente and VA clinics prescribe meditation as technique for calming the mind as well as relaxing the body.

Most of the spiritual practices and religions support the practice of concentration meditation in which the meditator has to concentrate or focus the attention on an external or inter objet. The distractions should be minimized to help concentrating on the object that is chosen. The most commonly used form of concentration meditation is the repetitive prayer.

The articles written by Dr. Herbert Benson in support of meditation as a clinical intervention were published in the Scientific American and the American Journal of Physiology. His studies revealed that meditation reduces stress.

The “fight-or-flight” response of the nervous system is activated under the influence of stress. This response is very important for surviving in any circumstances but if this activity is repeated a number of times then it is harmful to body. If stress increases there is an increase in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. This leads to increase in the rate of respiration and heart beat. This increases the blood pressure and even the consumption of oxygen in the body. Most of the researchers believe that most of the people suffer from hypertension and cardiac ailments just because of increase in the level of stress.

Dr. Benson has shown that meditation reduces the:

· heart beat

· rate of respiration

· blood pressure

· consumption of oxygen and

· Tension in the muscles.

Meditation Transforms You

01.23.2009 · Posted in Meditation

Meditation is an altered state of consciousness. It is a controlled modification of the brainwaves of a person. One can experience “meditation “when one is able force the brainwaves in the Alpha or Theta range. The experience of meditation is far more than the shift of the brainwaves which is merely a physical aspect.
meditation-transforms-youMeditation is the state of mind when you are neither connected with the physical body that you possess nor your sense. It is a state when you explore your true self, your source and why you are from within.
Meditation transforms the attitude of a person, his perception and his overall health. This transformation is not immediate but is seen gradually in a person who practices meditation daily and judiciously. There are a number of benefits of meditation.
The physical benefits of meditation include regulation of blood pressure, enhancement of the functioning of the immune system, the need for sleep reduces, the energy level increases, and the stress levels are reduced. Usually the stress is related to the tensions and the hectic schedules that we adhere to in out day to day life.  Nowadays most of the diseases are related to stress. Meditation helps you to get rid of this stress. Once you are relived of this stress the mind can think something positive and make positive energy flow into the body.
On the emotional side we can see that meditation gives a positive outlook to the life, gives a feeling of bliss, makes the changing of habits a smooth transformation, helps controlling the anger, and enhances the ability to concentrate and focus. When a person is angry he is said to lose temper just because he loses something and angry person not only harms others but also inflicts others. Once a person has controlled anger he can maintain a lot of relations and be constructive in maintaining friendship with everyone.
Meditation has got spiritual benefits such as discovering the true inner self, connecting with the source, the feeling of out of body experience, and finding the solutions to your spiritual questions. The hunger of the soul within a person has to be satisfied and this is what the meditation does. When one realizes what he is actually, he knows that he cannot run from himself and tries to improve his life through constructive ways.
Meditation has so much impact that not only you but the surrounding is affected. The best example of this is Lord Buddha who was enlightened under the Bodhi tree. The meditation practiced by Buddha not only affected him but also the Bodhi tee which is still alive today.

Buddhist Meditation

12.25.2008 · Posted in Meditation

buddhist meditation,mental concentration

Buddhist Meditation is a sort of mental concentration. The final aim of Buddhist Meditation is spiritual freedom and enlightenment. In all forms of Buddhism meditation takes a central place. The different traditions among the Buddhists of different regions have given rise to variations in the meditation and its approach.  The Buddhist meditation focuses on development of full consciousness of all within and without you. Later the understanding of meditation was formalized and expanded by the Buddhist monks.

Vipassana and Samatha are the two main types of Buddhist Meditation.  Vipassana is special insight or clear seeing. Samatha is tranquility or peacefulness. The details of these two are mentioned as follows.

Samatha : It is also called tranquility  meditation. The basic aim of Samatha  is to train oneself to concentrate and to still the mind. The skill of concentration is far more important and the object of concentration. The object of concentration is also called Kammatthana and it differs from situation to situation and from individual to individual. There are approximately 40 Kammatthanas. This includes

  • repulsive things like a corpse
  • Devices such as light or color
  • Virtues such as love and kindness
  • Recollections such as mantras and shlokas.

There are four stages also called Dhyanas and progressing through these four stages is the aim of Samatha meditation. The four stages are as follows:

  • The first step is to get detached from the external world and be conscious of tranquility and joy
  • The second step is to concentrate and at the same time suppress the reasoning and investigation.
  • The third step is the passing away of joy, but what should remain is the sense of tranquility
  • The fourth and final step is the passing away of tranquility and the state of equanimity and self possession are the final goals of this meditation

Vipassana : Skills developed during tranquility  meditation can be used for Vipassana. Vipassana is also called insight meditation. The realization of important and ultimate truth is the basic aim of Vipassana. The understanding and the enlightenment that the person gets on practicing Vipassana helps him / her to get liberated and understand the truth of life. Vipassana revolves around the nature of mindfulness in which a person thinks about something and observes it carefully. The first step of Vipassana is gaining the sill of mindfulness. Some of the most common methods of practicing Vipassana or Insight Meditation are sitting mindfulness, Walking mindfulness and mindfulness of daily activities. The best part of this meditation is that the person practicing it feels the task far easier than what it is.

The Science of meditation

11.09.2008 · Posted in Meditation

Meditation,mental peace,spiritual inspirationThe practice of meditation had developed in ancient India and China, but it is now practiced all over the world quite extensively.

Dictionary meaning of the word “to meditate” is “to engage in contemplation or reflection”. This is a quite accurate description of the practice of meditation in the present age. It has developed beyond the mystical method of seeking the ecstasy of union with the divine or God for its own sake, as it was practiced in the ancient times. It has also grown beyond some of the modern types of meditation which puts more emphasis on attaining “peace of mind” by detaching mind from all its normal functions. This kind of detachment has been found to induce a sense of mental paralysis rather than mental peace. The mind also loses the capacity of registration, interpretation and application in this method.

But, the present day creative mediation is involved with three stages of mediation – registration, interpretation, and application. These mental activities involve cause and effect, contact with a source of inspiration, and the consequent ability to use and apply the benefits accrued by meditation.

The meditation process includes a method by which the consciousness could be focused, aligned towards the first source of spiritual inspiration i.e. the soul. This process could be learned and practiced regularly. The process starts with the mental activity that makes the lower mind that is involved in analyzing and directing into alignment with higher mind and soul through conscious direction. A thought or a “seed idea” contemplated in the light of the soul produces new thoughts, mental illumination, which the lower mind interprets and applies.

The process of meditation is involved in the process of mental receptivity. The process could be considered as a method of channelizing the vital energy. Today, scientists also agree that everything could be considered as energy – which is a basic occult concept. The life force that holds all manifestation of life in a being is energy and consciousness could be considered as a response to this energy infusing human hearts and minds. Meditation helps in clearly directing thoughts with the mind held steady in the light of the soul. This is a scientific way of contacting those major aspects of life force which is better known as light, love and power by us. Such activity provides right interpretation, and direction in the form of ideas and planning of specific activity.

Meditation is a scientific technique which has been found to produce results if it is executed with precision and care. Though this process could be learnt, the application would vary from person to person. Everyone has to find the way of meditation for himself.

Various Methods of Meditation

09.17.2008 · Posted in Meditation

Gone are the days when meditation was considered a means of spiritual growth. Now this term seems more common because most of the people consider it a panacea for increasing their all round capabilities by reducing the mental and physical stress that they undergo during the daily hectic schedule. Most of the people approach meditation because of the range of benefits that accompany it. There are several kinds of meditation but the most common ones are as follows.

Mindfulness Meditation:   The Buddhists call the Mindfulness Meditation, insight meditation or “Vipassana”. The aim of the Mindfulness Meditation is to clear your mind of worry. This meditation is for those who want to live in the present. In this meditation one has to focus upon the breath and pay attention to the passage of it through the body. During the course of this meditation, when you welcome the thoughts that come into your mind, you become a passive observer. In the next step the mind has to be directed back to your breathing but in a liberal way.

Transcendental Meditation: One of the most famous forms of meditation is Transcendental Meditation. It is also known by its abbreviated form “TM”. The benefits of TM can be experience in just a few days. TM is comparatively simple to learn. Usually the credit of making TM famous in the United States goes to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In the United States more than 1 million people practice this meditation. Worldwide this number goes more than 5 million. TM involves repeating of a mantra for 20 minutes, twice every day. A state of concentrated alertness can be reached with the help of practicing this meditation in which you focus on the mantra. This meditation helps the thoughts to enter your mind and leave it. The outside thoughts are just allowed to pass through will you still remain focused on the mantra. After practicing this meditation for some time, your brain will begin to become quiet and enable you to experience the thoughts which are worst upsetting in a manner which is calm.

Zen Meditation: This meditation is an ancient Buddhist practice. This meditation promotes your presence and awareness. This meditation is practiced by sitting in a lotus position usually on a small cushion. One has to focus on breathing   and posture. One has to try not to get distracted by thoughts. Each session of Zen meditation can last of 10-20 minutes or longer. This can be practiced once or twice a day.

Third Eye Meditation (Trataka): This is a type of meditation in which a person focuses his/her gaze on a object, then slowly closes the eyes. One has to maintain focusing on the object even when the eyes are closed. The eyebrow center is called third eye. One has to focus on the third eye to “see” the object with the eyes closed.

Zen Meditation- An Introduction

09.05.2008 · Posted in Meditation

mahayana buddhism,zen buddhism,zen meditationThe word Zen meditation usually originates from the word Zen which is a school of mahayama Buddhism, referred in Chinese as the Chan. The word Chan is usually derived from the Sanskrit word Dhyana which means mediation. This word Zen usually emphasizes the dharma practice along with the experimental wisdom and the attainment of the awakening of the soul. Moreover, it de-emphasizes the use of both theoretical knowledge and the study of religious texts that are usually in favor of direct, experimental realization.

The introduction of the Zen mediation should be actually credited to an Indian prince who turned and converted into the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. It’s he who migrated to china and taught a special art and education to the Buddhist monks over there. It’s because of him that the emergence of Zen came into existence as a distinct and unique school of Buddhism in china during the 7th century. This was the first institute in the country that is thought to have developed and imbibed all the teachings and the practices of this Buddhist monk.

There are also different experts and historians that associate Zen meditation with that of the Chinese mythology. The historical records also point out towards a complete and accurate account of the early Zen history that could be the origins of the Chinese culture, custom and tradition. Chan which is usually called when associating or referencing the Zen Buddhism in early china had its origins from the interaction from the Mahayana Buddhism and a slight mix of the Taoism. Moreover, there are also some scholars that argue and claim that the Chan has its roots of origin from the traditional yoga practice and yoga exercises. This was the consideration of the object and the human mind.

Zen meditation stresses and asserts as other Buddhist schools in china do, that all the human sentiments have one common thing is them and that is that they come with the Buddha nature. And it comes with the universal nature of inherent wisdom and virtue since they emphasize that the Buddha nature is nothing else other than the human nature itself. The aim and the ambition of the Zen meditation is to discover and practice the Buddha nature that is within every and each person. This can be done with the help of regular meditation and other yoga exercise. There are many Zen practitioners that believe that this would offer and provide newer perspectives ultimately leading to enlightenment.

Meditation for Mental Health

09.05.2008 · Posted in Meditation

benefits of meditation,meditation postures,meditations,mental health problem

Relaxation is considered important for both physical and mental well being. Mental relaxation benefits not only your mind but also your body. If you regularly carry out meditation, mental health problems will never be a problem for you. Through meditation both mental health and physical well being is improved.

Many years ago, for linking meditation and mental health problems together, one would have to tread very carefully, as to the safety and effects meditating may have on a person with mental health problem. Research however, has scientifically proven that meditation, through contemplation and deliberation, is one of the safest practices in alternative and complementary medicine. Its numerous values have become well known and practiced for thousands of years; therefore more and more doctors are nowadays promoting the benefits of meditation as means to cure many stress related activities.

Though there are several methods of meditations used for treating mental health problems, some of them differ greatly. Few of them require a person to close their eyes and be still, giving thought to the sensations felt associated with breathing, whereas others involve concentrating on a specific object, such as the flame of a candle or possibly slowly reciting scripture passages. Not considering the various techniques practices, all hold to the unique principal of quiet thought and focused attention for reaching the desired state of meditation. Postures of yoga are also habitually combined with several techniques of the meditation and it brings huge benefits to those who practice.

During your time of reflection and deliberation, you will slowly start noticing a sharp awareness of your ability to concentrate your attention, resulting in the normal flow of thought slowing to a very relaxed and calming state of contemplation. With sufficient practice, you may even experience periods in meditation where thought looks like stopping. Buddhist calls this state as “Samadhi” which means an altered state of consciousness, marked by both heightened alertness and deep relaxation.

Thus, meditation is certainly useful in solving mental health problems.