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Benefits of buddhist meditation
Benefits of buddhist meditation
Benefits of buddhist meditation
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In Zen living, you do not strive to analyze or explain what happens in your life. You just learn to embrace whatever that may come your way. Life is to be experienced, not just to be enjoyed. Therefore, you do not try to avoid anything in life. Neither do you try to "accept" what is pleasant and "reject" what is unpleasant; the very act of "selecting" is a sickness of the mind. To heal depression with Zen, you must learn to let go - not just of the past (especially a traumatic past experience that might have triggered the depression) but also what you are afraid to let go. Once you mind becomes uncluttered by distorted thoughts, you begin to look at everything in your life in perspective.
The topic of Zen Buddhism and understanding how it fits into a framework that was designed to describe and compare religions is important because religion has a major impact on the world and to be able to understand and “explore” what the world has to offer is an important aspect of existence as a human being. Some might wonder why Zen Buddhism is important when it is not a major religion in the United States, but perhaps that is the very reason it is so important to understand Zen Buddhism and to be able to describe it in a way that allows one to make comparisons with more familiar religions in a standardized framework. Zen Buddhism in particular is interesting in the setting of the United States because as Americans we have had little experience with Buddhism. Shunryu Suzuki related in the book Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, that Americans start Buddhism with a very pure mind, a beginners mind, which allows us to understand the Buddha’s teaching as he meant them to be understood (138). Suzuki also states in the book that because of this, hopefully, young Americans have the chance to find out what the true way of life is for human beings (138)....
With all of it’s lofty, mystical terms and ideas, Zen Buddhism can seem very hard to talk about much less understand and follow. The beauty of Zen, though, is its practicality, its simplicity, its ingenious grasp of the obvious. There are few of the traditional Buddhist rituals or ceremonies in Zen. It is known as the "Way of Sudden Enlightenment." It is a way of life that brings one closer to the satori experience. Satori is the enlightenment itself and, thusly, the complete understanding of Zen’s truths.
The word Zen was foreign to the Western world a while ago. But because of the realization that Zen plays a major role in Asian arts such as the Japanese tea ceremony, Japanese poetry (haiku), flower arrangement, calligraphy and landscaping, Zen’s influence has become familiar to them. As a result, anyone has at least once heard the word Zen these days, but not many people can explain what that means despite its increasing popularity. The mystical nature is as strong as ever. One of the reasons is that Zen is not supposed to be explained in words, but rather to be experienced by individuals. For instance, if someone does not know what pasta is, it is difficult to explain pasta to that person no matter how good you are at describing it. In the end, you have to experience it by yourself if you want to know what it really like. It is like “experiencing is believing.” In addition, Zen is not an action but it is an attitude of mind. You do not need to learn anything new because the answers are already inside you. You just need to become one with nature and be aware. Now, what is the origin of Zen and what impact Zen is having on our culture and health?
It also includes illnesses such as bipolar disorder, depression, and borderline personality disorders. People often experience uncontrollable thoughts on a regular basis which are negative depending on how far his or her depression has become. In order to cope with the reoccurrence of negative thoughts, meditation can be used to train one’s self to be weary of lingering thoughts, thus bringing your attention to focusing on more positive ones in the present moment. Those experiencing depression, tend to have a lot of consistent negative thoughts about their stressors. With a compilation of mindfulness based stress reduction and cognitive therapy, this approach to treating depression has become very
Clinical Depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer. Clinical depression results from interactions between brain chemicals and hormones that influence a person's energy level, feelings, sleeping and eating habits, these chemical interactions are linked to many causes such as, a person's family history of illness, biochemical and psychological make-up, prolonged stress, and traumatic life crisis such as death of a loved one, job loss, or divorce (Clinical Depression).
As Descartes argued, the mind and the body are the base of our existence, and many different cultures view different illnesses positively or negatively. Certain cultures, like the Hmong, believe that epilepsy is a good spiritual thing, but others, such as Western culture, believe that it is medically bad because it could cause death. Many illnesses can be viewed both negatively and positively, some more than others. However, one such illness that is mostly viewed negatively is depression. It is viewed negatively in a symptomatic sense – the symptoms are useless – and in a diagnostic sense – those diagnosed with depression are not actually depressed and the illness itself does not exist; it is simply an excuse to be lazy. There are many different approaches to depression and most of them consider that this illness is negative; however, depression is actually an evolutionary tactic subconsciously employed by humans that can have very positive effects.
Tommaso Francesco Stalletti, born in 1997 on the dark cold morning of Grand view hospital, as the youngest therapist in the world only being 16 years old. Tommaso has appeared in TIME magazine and countless CNN articles as being one of the best and most effective therapist of his time. In his free time he does not play video games or sports like most young adults, but rather writes essays and books in order for the public to start understanding the people he works with, and how they too are important to the world. Some of his works including “What it Means”, “On Bravery”, and “The Importance of Devotion”. All of these getting multiple awards that define Tommaso for the talents and unique passion he has at just being 16 years old. His writings have all gotten multiple awards including “Best author of the year”, “Best motivational writer”, and “Most unique writing style.” This has by far out passed any other author and writer as this amazing, young, and talented 16 year old boy outwits most. Not to mention his three wives, polygamy at best.
Throughout the early years in many East Asian countries, there were many people who were looking for answers to this world’s, and otherworldly, questions. When Gotama became enlightened, and began preaching the practices of Buddhism, it came at such a time when the Han dynasty was collapsing, citizens were tired of Confucianism and looking for a new ideology that they could put there hearts and souls into. Over the years, Buddhism proved to be much more than just a religion; it became a way of life. But over time, the powerful orthodoxy transformed, and many different Buddhist sects emerged. One of the more popular sects, Ch’an, or Zen, Buddhism, has become one of the most influential religions in China and Japan, and is still flourishing today.
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
Depression is one of the most widespread mental disorders globally, affecting more that 350 million people of all ages. It is characterized by disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, sadness, poor concentration and feelings of guilt. There are various types of depression which are long lasting, and other types which are constantly reoccurring (World Health Organisation , 2012). Severe symptoms of depression that inhibit the ability to work, sleep and eat is categorised as major depression, this form of depression can occur once in a lifetime, however in some circumstances it may occur more often. Persistent depressive disorder can last up to 2 years; symptoms may resemble major depression along with episodes of less severe symptoms. Psychotic depression is a form of severe depression when a person begins to hallucinate and have delusions. Postpartum depression is experienced by women after birth, physical and hormonal changes can lead to depression. Seasonal affective depression (SAD) usually occurs during winter due to less sunlight. Another major type of depression is bipolar disorder which is categorized as changes in mood, for instance extreme high moods to extreme low moods (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). The prevalence of depression was analysed in 8449 individuals aged between 15 and 40, results showed that depression was commonly found in white males and females than in black and Mexican male and females (Stephanie et al, 2005).
Depression is a mental health condition that causes feelings of sadness, loss, anger and/or frustration that interferes with daily life from days, to weeks, or months. It’s also known that depression can change the way you see yourself, other people, and life. There isn’t an exact cause for depression yet but it’s believed that chemical changes in the brain are the source. It can also be in your genes, but it’s thought that it could be both chemical changes and in your genes. Any person of any age can develop depression. Certain causes include: alcohol or drug abuse, medical conditions such as underactive thyroid, cancer, or chronic pain, medications (ex: steroids,) sleeping problems, and stressful live events including—but not limited to—death,
Clinical depression is very common. Over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. Such a discrepancy may account for the differences in reported cases of depression between men and women, which indicate that more than twice the numbers of women than men are clinically depressed. According to the numbers of reported cases of depression, 25% of women and 10% of men will have one or more episodes of clinical depression during their lifetimes.
Applying the first step in the Law of Pure Potentiality was very difficult for me because I live on campus. It was very difficult for me to meditate once a day, let alone twice a day. The only time I was able to, was in the morning when the rest of my roommates were sleeping. I wake up 15 minutes early, wash my face so that I do not fall back to sleep and then I go back into my room and sit on my bed to try and meditate. This works like 4 times a week because I am usually too tired and fall back to sleep. The days that I can stay awake and meditate I feel much happier with my self. It usually clears my head and makes it seem like I have no worries. Everyday I follow the second step of the Law of Pure Potentiality. I commune with nature. Most days I just sit in the green and watch the leaves blow around, I usually pick out one particular leaf and watch where it goes. I follow the leaf on its journey, it is really amazing. Once a week I try to go to Verona Park and stand on the bridge over the pond and watch the water flow and the geese and ducks swim. My time in the park and in the green really mellows me out because ...
Buddhism is known for happiness. Happiness can be achieved by genuinely practicing meditation. Meditation is the central practice of Buddhism. Practicing Buddhism gives one a way of finding answers to deep questions about life and the nature of reality. “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “What is the meaning of life?” “Why do we suffer?” and “How can I achieve lasting happiness?” As the Dalai Lama commented,
Many people feel apprehensive and miserable every now and then, but when does it take over their whole lives? Losing a loved one, doing poorly in school or work, being bullied and other hardships might lead a person to feel sad, lonely, scared, nervous and/or anxious. Some people experience this on an everyday basis, sometimes even or no reason at all. Those people might have an anxiety disorder, depression, or both. It is highly likely for someone with an anxiety disorder to also be suffering from depression, or the other way around. 50% of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.