Meditation, the key to having tranquility within your spirit and body to awaken your inner-self. For many people, meditation is the key to reach Nirvana to complete the Noble Eightfold Path, no one wouldn’t expect a small community of Buddhist within El Paso, located on East Yandell Street.
Helga Carrion an elderly, wise monk, starts the meditation session from eleven to eleven forty-five in the morning. As a Buddhist, we must take off our shoes before entering our sanctuary and before worshipping Buddha. When entering this tiny worship house, it’s as the size of a living room, the beige walls gives off a mood of peace and tranquility. On the floor, there were several maroon pillows, in the middle of the pillow it’s very stiff to sit down and for one to position themselves to meditate. The most important relic that was presented in the house was a golden statue of Buddha, candles to help with our breathing techniques, and two pictures of the fourteenth Dalai Lama.
It’s implausible that this house became a cultural center for Buddhist, especially being incorporated in a Roman Catholic and Christian community, but there is such thing as a diverse community, especially within El Paso. Throughout the week, the Buddhist house engages in meditation
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Being part of this society is very important, being a member must make a deeper commitment to their Buddhist learning and to have a future for their mission, and the best part of being a member is receiving discounts, prayer flags, prayer beads, and even to have access to their annual dinner. From Roman Catholic, the only thing that you’ll get would be prayers, and objects being blessed, yet both religions give an advantage to their members to find enlightenment and
I arrived at the Hsi Lai Temple in the city of Hacienda Heights around 3:00 p.m. on March 7, 2014. Although I am Chinese, I have never been to this temple before because my family does not practice Buddhism. This is my first time collecting data about the His Lai Temple. This method is referred to as participant-observation which is, “the anthropological method of collecting data by living with another people, learning their language, and understanding their culture” (Arenson and Miller-Thayer 521). The temple is built on a hill top. After driving up the long hill into the parking lot, I found that before entering the temple, I walked up many stairs. In the brochure For Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple, it said that the name Hsi Lai stands for “coming to the West”. The temple, which was founded by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, signifies the dedication of Taiwan’s largest Buddhist organizations called the Fo Guang Shan. It took ten years to build the temple and was completed in 1988. This $30 million Temple on 15 acres of land was financed by donations from Buddhist devotees from around the worlds.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
...carnation. After speaking to her about my religion ethnography, she offered that she practices Hinduism with her family and would be more than happy to open her home to me. I was honored that they gave me this opportunity, and understood that I truly was interested and not just writing a silly paper for a class. This information on Hinduism gave me more respect for my friend Adhita, as she plans to stay committed to Hinduism her entire life. I gained appreciation to the devotion, as well as the loyalty to good and bad karma. When first approaching the Sahai home, I felt slightly uncomfortable. Hoping the family wouldn’t judge my religion, and would be open about talking about theirs was my biggest concern. While this doesn’t even start to touch on the entire religion, I am confident I captured what was truly important about this religion to the Sahai family.
On a Saturday evening, the seventh of November, I visited the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena to absorb the cultures and history it had to offer me. While there, I gravitated towards the Asian collection that attracted me the most. Stepping down the stairs into the area of the Asian collection, I felt the serene vibe that the artwork exuded. The Buddhist art pieces radiated serenity and tranquility, which attracted me to two pieces, The Head of Buddha and the Eight Miraculous Events of the Buddhas Life. The Head of Buddha is from the eighth century, and the Eight Miraculous Events of the Buddhas Life is a later piece from the thirteenth century. Both of thee pieces told a serene story. As I continued vewing distinct scultupres, I came across
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
Psychotherapist and former Buddhist Monk Donald Altman once said, “If you truly want to change your life, you must first be willing to change your mind.” As research suggests, changing your mind can have drastic benefits for your personal health and well-being. Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding experience moment by moment.” (Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Context) “[T]he principles and practices associated with mindfulness have been applied within many of the world’s great spiritual or wisdom traditions for millennia, most notably in Buddhism.” (Dobkin and Hassed 9) In fact, it was a physician from the Rochester School
The terms mindfulness and presence are often used interchangeably within the mental health field; however, without mindfulness the ability to be present may be null and void. Even though there are several references to mindfulness within research and literature (Bien, 2006; Cole & Ladas-Gaskin, 2007; Germer, 2005; Germer, Siegel, & Fulton, 2005; Hick, 2008; Linehan, 1993a, 1993b; Mace, 2008; McKay, Brantley, & Wood, 2007; Shapiro & Carlson, 2009), the expansive use of the term can lose its meaning. Originally based in Buddhist philosophy, mindfulness has been adapted by Western society and more specifically, within the counseling field. To be completely mindful is to be aware of the full range of experiences that exist in the present moment
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feeling, thoughts, and bodily sensation, as a therapeutic technique. The M square, as I call it, which stands for Mindfulness and Meditation is making an impact on today’s society, as it has been used by more people with each passing day. They are starting to acknowledge the benefits, some of which are the improvement in both mental and physical health, acceptance of one 's self, lower stress and depression, and maybe more but to mention a few. Not excluding these two great men; Dr. Martinez, a Biocognitive Psychologist and Keith Mitchell, an ex-American football linebacker in the National Football League. Both Dr.
Counselors have a wide array of techniques they use to treat their clients. Not one form of counseling works for every individual seeking help. Over the past decades, mindfulness has piqued the interest of many counselors and researchers in the area of cognitive psychology. Its use in counseling has grown and is a part of many counseling processes. Mindfulness has helped to make new strides in the area of counseling and treating patients with a handful of different disorders and issues. Mindfulness is now a widely used practice, and research is still being conducted today to find new ways it can continue to benefit society.
I feel that I have learned a lot from practicing mindfulness. I have learned that often I am unaware of what’s going on in my body. I have enjoyed doing mindfulness body scans before I go to bed each night and find that at times there are sensations, muscle tensions, or even pain that I was completely unaware of. I know the purpose of mindfulness isn’t relaxation, but as I became aware of tense areas of my body, I would relax them and at the end of mindfulness practice, I felt increased muscle relaxation. I also found that I fall asleep much faster when I do mindfulness. Mindfulness before bed also helps me to be present in the current moment instead of worrying about all the tasks I
Thích Nh’at Hanh is a world renowned Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, religious figure and accomplished writer. Living Buddha, Living Christ is only one of his many famous publications. Thích Nh’at Hanh, is famous for his insights into spiritual heritage and mindfulness in the present moment. Many Americans are seeking religious understanding and personal spirituality, even if they do not practice in the traditional manner. Throughout this book Nh’at Hang encourages readers to find meaning, understanding, mindfulness, and peace in the teachings of Buddha and Christ. His main focus is to open meaningful dialogue between different traditions, cultures, and religious groups around the world, for the betterment
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
As one can see, meditation is a sacred act that can have endless benefits. As well as being a physical act, activities such as transcendental meditation can also be fulfilling spiritually and mentally. Through deep concentration and relaxation, meditation becomes an altered state of consciousness. This essay has shown many ways as to why this is so. Through the simple acts of letting one’s mind go, there are endless possibilities that can happen. Without meditation and altered states of consciousness, the world as we know it would be completely different.
"Basics of Buddhism." n.d. The Living Edens: Thailand. Public Broadcasting Service. Website. 6 March 2014. .
The main purpose of this chapter is: to illustrate that when we practice mindfulness, we are more aware of our senses and can more fully enjoy what they have to offer. Living in an overindulgent, demanding society, individuals lose sight of the simplicities. The five basic senses – sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch – appear for many individuals at birth, resting unnoticed throughout life. With continuous stimulation from the external environment and internal factors, our senses do not turn on and off. Due to this continuous stimulation, individuals lose appreciation for their senses. By participating in mindfulness, an individual pulls himself or herself from reality, reflecting on their present experience.