A cub of the Divine Lion, somehow I found myself confined in a sheepfold of frailties and limitations. Fear-filled, living long with sheep, day after day I bleated. I forgot my affrighting bellow that banishes all enemy sorrows. O invincible Lion of the Self! Thou didst drag me to the water hole of meditation, saying: ‘Thou art a lion, not a sheep! Open thine eyes, and roar!’
After Thy hard shakings of spiritual urge, I gazed into the crystal pool of peace. Lo, I saw my face like unto Thine!
I know now that I am a lion of cosmic power. Bleating no more, I shake the error forest with reverberations of Thine almighty voice. In divine freedom I bound through the jungle of earthly delusions, devouring the little creatures of vexing worries and timidities, and the wild hyenas of disbelief.
O Lion of Liberation, ever send through me Thy roar of all-conquering courage!
Over many centuries, the foremost masters of Yogic techniques have been able to sustain their health with little aid from food. Some Yogis can physically nourish their bodies with nothing more than prayer and meditation.
"The Fire Yogi" is a documentary film exploring the journey of a Yogi from Tanjore, India who has the extraordinary ability to use a unique breathing technique to get into union with Fire. This non-religious documentary portrays a rare and unusual Fire Ritual performed by a Yogi from India and the subsequent chemical analysis of his clothing & physical tests that examine this supernatural phenomenon. The Yogi has performed this Fire Ritual for a total of 1000 days over the last 45 years.
A never-before-seen by the public view into Yogi Rambhauswami’s life, daily religious practices and rituals. The traditional “Fire Ritual” is performed in its abbreviated form, normally taking 24 hours in its entirety.
The Yogi, weighing a mere 94 pounds (43 kilos), has been able to survive on only two bananas and a mere glass of milk with a few drops of water twice a day for the last 28 years.
The ritual is performed for Universal Harmony , Global Welfare and Individual Prosperity. Many aspects of the Yogi are on the edge of unbelievability, while at the same time highlighting the power and endurance of human mind, body and spirit.
"Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy" takes you on an intimate journey deep into the heart of an ancient Buddhist world. Four years in the making and hailed as a cinematic masterpiece in 1979, writer/director Graham Coleman's three-part feature has been unseen for over 20 years. Now, the film has been reworked into a single presentation, complete with digital restoration of the original material and new commentary.
The Dalai Lama, The Monasteries & The People ... Part 1, is an intimate portrait of the Dalai Lama as a spiritual and temporal leader.
Filmed in the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamsala, North India, and in the re-built Sera Monastery, the second largest monastery of the old Tibet, this opening part of the Trilogy observes the Dalai Lama in his dual role as political leader and spiritual teacher. In an elegant cinematic style, at one with its subject, the film interweaves this personal portrait with an intimately observed exploration of the ways in which the inner knowledge of Tibetan Buddhist culture is developed in the monasteries, through vigorous debate and solitary meditation, and communicated in to the lay community.
Radiating The Fruit Of Truth ... Part 2, journeys deep into the mystical inner world of monastic life and presents an authentic revelation of tantric Buddhism, with commentaries by the great 20th century master Dudjom Rinpoche.
With extraordinary authenticity Part II of the Trilogy journeys deep into the mystical inner world of monastic life. Set in the ancient village of Boudha, Nepal and the isolated mountain caves of the yogis, the film follows the lamas of the Phulwary Sakya Monastery through their contemplative retreats, the building of an intricate cosmogram, and the performance of an ancient protective ritual known as ‘A Beautiful Ornament’. Through the ritual invocation of the female deity Tara, the malevolent forces that might bring harm to the society are invited and magically transformed. With a subtitled commentary based on the teachings of master Dudjom Rinpoche, the essence of tantric Buddhism is powerfully revealed.
The Fields Of The Senses ... Part 3, photographed in the awesome landscapes of Ladakh, is a meditation on impermanence and the depiction of the monastery's moving ritual response to a death in the community.
Set in the majestic mountain landscape of Ladakh, Part III is a meditation on impermanence and the relationship between the mind, body and environment. It follows the monks and farmers through a day, ending with an unflinching depiction of the monastery's moving ritual response to a death in the community. As in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the departed is guided through the dream-like intermediate state between death and birth.
Harnessing the colorful commentary of the most prominent yoga scholars, teachers, and medical experts, 'Yoga Unveiled' reveals how yoga began, tells the story of yoga's passage to the West, describes its numerous branches, recounts the fascinating biographies of the foremost yoga masters, and explores yoga's astonishing medical potential. Yoga Unveiled also features commentary by Krishna Das, Dr. Herbert Benson, Edwin Bryant, Subhash Kak, Vasant Lad, Dr. Timothy McCall, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Father Joe Pereira, Swami Sivananda, Dr. Martina Ziska, and Dharma Mittra.
" Yoga Unveiled is a joyous, educational and uplifting experience from beginning to end. All the aspects of Yoga are harmoniously discussed herein. It is, as far as I know, the only comprehensive audio-visual production available. The renowned authorities, Eastern and Western, have given the message in a telling way. The script, production, photography, music, direction, editing - all bear a mark of high-level professional skill. It will be of immense use to students, practitioners, and teachers of this age-old and yet modern science of total development of life. I was very much impressed by the fact that the ultimate goal of Self-Realization was emphasized throughout. Starting from strengthening of the body, we are guided on to reach the finer and finer levels of our being, unfolding the potential of each and organically uniting it to the goal of life. "
~ Swami Yogatmananda, August 2008. Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Society, Providence, RI.
" Yogins and Yoginîs , this is a documentary you must not miss, and it is remarkable that it is available for only $36.99. If I had to summarize this film in one word, it would be, "Wow." Through interviews with a broad spectrum of experts, exquisite art and graphics, rarely seen archival footage, just-right music, and beautiful narration, Gita and Mukesh Desai have created a magnificent gift honoring the great tradition of Yoga. In the first two hours and fifteen minutes, while tracing the history of Yoga from its origins in India to its taking root in America, the film movingly communicates Yoga's core purpose: transformation and realization. It informs every frame of the film, and that is an extraordinary achievement. Yoga's Indic origins and its literature and philosophy are explored via beautiful visual displays and interviews with Yoga scholars and Yoga teachers in the United States and India. Among the scholars are Prof. Edwin Bryant, Dr. M. S. Dhavlikar, Dr. Georg Feuerstein, and Prof. Subhash Kak. The teachers include T. K. V. and Kausthub Desikachar, B. K. S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Swami Tyagananda, Patricia Walden, and Rodney Yee, plus musician Krishna Das. The film next turns to some of the great yogins and yoginîs responsible for Yoga's passage to the West: Swami Vivekananda, Swami Sivananda, Aurobindo, Sri Krishnamacharya, and students of Krishnamacharya, including Indra Devi, B. K. S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and T. K. V. Desikachar. Biographies are presented, accompanied by commentary from teachers who studied with these masters. T. K. V. Desikachar reminds us of his father's prophetic words, "One hundred years from now, people will acknowledge Yoga as the greatest gift from India" [ note: Sri Krishnamacarya [1888-1989] is T. K. V. Desikachar's father.] The final hour, titled "Yoga As Therapy," jumps straight to the present and examines Yoga's growing contribution to Western medicine. Interviewed are Herbert Benson, M.D., Bernard Clark, M.D., Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., S. V. Karandikar, M.D., Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.S., Timothy McCall, M.D., Dean Ornish, M.D., Mehmet Oz, M.D., Father Joe Pereira, and Martine Ziska, M.D. Each describes the profound positive benefits that Yoga, and in some instances Ayurveda, has brought to their patients. Regarding the recent increase in Yoga research in the West, Dr. Oz indicates that its purpose is not so much to prove that Yoga works [implying that anyone who has practiced it at any length knows that it does], but rather to translate how it works into a language mainstream physicians can understand and thereby make Yoga's benefits available to a wider audience. Jon Kabat-Zinn beautifully and accessibly explains the purpose and benefits of mindfulness meditation, pointing out that the realization of our true nature brings the ultimate healing from pain and suffering.
~ Yoga Studies - The Online Journal of IAYT, September-December 2004 Review by Trisha Lamb.
"Act of God" is a 2009 Canadian documentary film that investigates the "metaphysical" effects of being struck by lightning.
Director Jennifer Baichwal questions whether being struck by lightning is a "random natural occurrence or a predestined event". The film contains seven stories in which Baichwal interviews people about their personal experiences with lightning strikes. She speaks to American novelist and screenwriter Paul Auster, Canadian dramatist James O'Reilly, and U.S. Marine veteran and author Dannion Brinkley. She also interviews a storm chaser in France, and a group of Mexican mothers who accept the loss of their children to lightning at a religious festival as "God's will". She also investigates a Yoruba religious community in Rwanda (the lightning capital of the world) who worship the lightning god Shango. The reactions in each of Baichwal's subjects varies considerably, from an "Act of God" to the "Mechanics of Reality".
"Altered States" is an episode from the Taboo documentary series on NGC, which explores drug cultures around the world where people use drugs to enter an "altered state" of consciousness, sometimes with dangerous consequences. We visit a village in Venezuela where shamans use drugs to contact the spirit world, a festival in Nepal where Marijuana & Hashish is temporarily legalized and a club scene in Amsterdam where drugs have become a focus of both recreational indulgence and scientific inquiry.
Some of the translations and the so called facts presented here are untrue and exaggerated ... You decide what resonates with you as the truth ! :)
"Titans of Yoga" is a recently released 70 min documentary film which shares with us timeless yogic wisdom as best known to the 25 Masters of Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness who are featured in this fantastic documentary on the union of the mind and body ; spirit and matter.
The Yoga Health Foundation presents this ONEderful Documentary Film by Johannes R. Fisslinger featuring Dr. Dean Ornish, Lilias Folan, Kim Eng, Bryan Kest, Ana Forrest, Seane Corn, Gurmukh Khalsa, Shiva Rea, David Life, Sharon Gannon, Gary Kraftsow, David Swenson, Vinnie Marino, Sara Ivanhoe, Lisa Walford, Larry Payne, John Friend, Beth Shaw, Rajashree Choudhary, Dharma Mittra, Swami Kriyananda, Deva Premal & Miten Saul, David Raye & Krishna Kaur.
Music by The Shaman's Dream Music Collective at Yogi Tunes !
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. The Japanese word Zen is derived from the Chinese word Chán, which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which means "meditation" or "meditative state."
Zen has been surrounded by myth, taboo and misconception. The Zen Mind is a journey across Japan to explore the practice of zen and expel some of these myths. "The Zen Mind - A Zen Journey Across Japan" is a documentary full of contrasts as we travel across the width and breadth of Japan to explore Zen today.
In Japan, the cloistered lifestyle of the zen monk is declining, but zen is finding a renewal among the baby boomers in the cities. Our journey starts here with a visit to the Dogen Sangha or zen center, tucked among the office buildings of a Tokyo suburb, where commuters and office-workers stop by for meditation. We join the formal ceremonies of Kyoto’s largest zen temple and witness the rituals that have managed to survive a thousand years. In the depths of the surrounding countryside we visit a zen center that is carrying on the very spar tan and simple zen lifestyle that many temples have abandoned. This contrast heightens as we enter Japan’s largest soto zen monastery and live with the zen monks and disciples. Our cameras film unrestricted as we join the monks.
Throughout this journey is the underlying practice of zazen or meditation, the act of sitting and concentrating the mind to an emptiness—to reach a self-realization and enlightenment. Intimate interviews with the spiritual heads or Roshi reveal their methods and precepts for zazen and keeping their students on the path to enlightenment. One of Japan’s leading flute players, Christopher Yohmei Blasdel provides the unique soundtrack of shakuhachi flute fused with digital melodic tones. The combination of beautiful photography, compelling narrative and striking music create a memorable Zen experience.
This video is filmed entirely on location in Japan at the following Zen monasteries and center: Soji-ji Monastery, Tenryuji Temple, Ryoanji Temple, Nanzenji Temple, Ginkakuji Temple, Kyoto Kokusai Zendo, Dogen Sangha-Tokyo, Komazawa University and Eishen-ryu Iaido dojo.
~Peace to all beings~
“Absolutely amazing and wonderfully shot. After watching it I was truthfully extremely relaxed and ready to take on more stress from my every day life. I cannot recommend this film enough. It showcases the most beautiful temples in Kyoto and brought back many fond memories. Braeley did a first class job and I take my hat of to him.” Don Warrener, Hollywood, California. 09/27/2007
We have always been fascinated by zen. What does it do (nothing)? What is it (not much)? How do you practice (do nothing)?. So how do you make a documentary of something that you cannot see or touch? Well, I think we succeeded, by the great reviews we keep receiving. This story could not be told without the great music of Japan’s top Shakuhachi flute player – Christopher Yohmei and the melodies of Synthezer player, Uehara. The soundtrack is also available.
First, we decided to film on location in Japan and at the widest range of zen centers and monasteries – from the zen centers in downtown bustling Tokyo to the mountains above Kyoto, it is an incredible film of contrasts. Secondly, we talked to every teacher and roshi that we could find – and then narrowed this down to some of the best interviews on zen life and zen daily practice. Travelling from the top to the bottom of Japan and across its breadth. Deep into the countryside of Kyoto, to a Rinzai zen center for foreigners to the largest Soto zen monastery in Japan. In this unique film, we are allowed to witness the daily life of the zen monk, preparing food, at work, and learning and seeking answers. You will watch the rituals inside the zendo or meditation hall and of zazen (meditation) and use of Koan’s (questions) to go deeper and deeper into the subconscious. It is a fascinating journey that could change your own life forever.
Zen mind is the "Natural" state of our being: No self, no identity, no memes, no beliefs.
Any idea of "what is" takes us away from what is - to be in the moment, all ideas need to be gone. There's not even an "I" to have the ideas.
The natural being acts as an outcome of the movement of the universe, in the same way that an artist's brush is moved by its "universe".
All "teachings", "spiritual" paths or "sacred" practices actually take us away from the moment, because it needs an "I" to do them, with an agenda of some kind, something to gain. All of which removes our beingness from the identity-free moment.
The only way that "what is" can be experienced is to lose all traces of self, in which case the "what is" can't be experienced because there is no one there to experience it.
Any description of the state of the natural mind is false, including this one. "It" cannot be described. "It" is always "bigger" than the limiting description.
There is not even an "ultimate" state to gain, because the very idea that there is, takes us away from it.
All there is, is the operation of the universe in its all-ness. There's no such thing as "enlightened" or "unenlightened". These are just ideas of what is.
Even "bliss" or "transcendence" is a state of mind that needs an "I" to experience those feelings.
Thoughts are the glue of our belief structures. "I" is the creation of thoughts and beliefs.
What's happening, when we think we are functioning human beings, is the operating system of the brain, running sophisticated meme/belief structures that create the content of our identities and sense of self.
The only act awareness can "do" is to let go of "self" awareness. Awareness, to be fully there, needs to have no "I" attached to it.
Where there was self, there is now "active" emptiness.
Action, from this place, is an instantaneous, pure response to the call of the moment. It is the moment, the universe acting, not the person.
True peace is an absence of agitation, an absence of self-generated internal activity. So peace cannot be "done", or created - it's an absence of doing. This allows unadulterated "what-is" to be.
All action out of this state is completely harmonious and non-conflicting. There is nothing there to conflict with anything else.
A transcended being feels the world cleanly, whereas an "I", full of beliefs and ideas of self, overlays those unadulterated feelings with external content, imbuing them with emotional "charge". This charge is reactive to the world around it, continually creating conflict as it attempts to dissipate.
Whatever is actual or real can only be there when all ideas, all thoughts, all belief, all traces of identity are gone - when there is no "I" left to take us out of the moment. If the eternal now moment is all there is, this may be the only way to be in it.
Thought is only necessary, only of any use, when it is called for by the moment, for a particular task. To keep thinking beyond the particular call of the moment is the same as keeping your arm above your head all the time, or hopping on one leg all the time.
What comes out of the moment relates only to that moment. It's already past and nonexistent as it is experienced. To hold to anything experienced or said in that moment, is to live in the dead past.
If you can't touch it, show it, taste it, does it have any reality?
In 2000, Kosta Danaos published a book, called The Magus of Java: Teachings of an Authentic Taoist Immortal where he tells about John Chang, his system (called neikung or Nei Kung).
It's an amazing story of a Javanese healer and martial artist who demonstrates his full mastery of Chi, or bio-energy, as witnessed in the clip from the documentary film Ring of Fire.
The most startling sequence in the film is that of the acupuncturist John Chang generating an electrical current within his body, which he uses to heal the film maker with an eye infection, and then setting a newspaper on fire with his bare hand.
This scene caused the Greek martial arts instructor Kosta Danaos to seek out the master and begin an apprenticeship that would yield more insights into Chang`s astonishing powers. Chang is a direct heir to the lineage of the fifth-century B.C.Chinese master Mo-Tzu, Confucius`s great rival. He is a master of a Kung Fu lineage whose roots can be traced back twenty-four hundred years and he teaches the discipline of Mo-Pai, little known in the West, and practises techniques such as pyrokinesis, telekinesis, levitation, telepathy, and interaction with spirits.
The Magus of Java includes explanations of Chang`s paranormal abilities witnessed by the author and vividly described, and offers proof for the existence and study of Chi and Neikung, or internal power.
"Spiritual Reality - Journey Within" is a brilliant video presentation on Meditation, a must see for all who seek to understand what Meditation is all about ...
Meditation
Meditation is the journey of our consciousness towards the Self. Sleep is unconscious Meditation and Meditation is conscious sleep.
We receive some amount of Cosmic Energy in sleep and in deep silence. We receive abundant Cosmic Energy in Meditation. Meditation is the journey of our consciousness from :
Body to Mind, Mind to Intellect, Intellect to Self ... and beyond !
To Meditate, the first thing is Posture. We may sit in any posture. Posture must be comfortable and stable. We may sit either on the floor or on a chair. Cross your legs clasp the fingers Close your eyes gently Relax relax
Then, Observe your normal Breath Do not chant any Mantra do not think of any God Just witness the Breath If any thoughts come, Do not go behind the thoughts do not negate the thoughts Just come back observe the Breath Witness the Breath Be the Breath
Just Be.
This is the WAY. This is the Meditation Technique. Then one reaches, No Thought and No Breath state. This is the Meditative State.
By more and more Meditation, we receive abundant Cosmic Energy. With this Meditation Technique, Our Energy body gets cleansed Third Eye is activated, and further perfected, Astral Travel happens We understand Life after Life and many more ...
Cosmic Energy
The Cosmic Energy exists everywhere in the Cosmos. It is the Bond between the galaxies, the planets, humans and molecules. It is the 'space' between each and everything. It is the bond, which keeps the whole cosmos in order. Cosmic Energy is the 'Life Force'.
This Cosmic Energy is essential to maintain the order of our life and to expand our Consciousness.
Cosmic Energy is the base for all our actions and functions.
We receive some amount of Cosmic Energy in deep Sleep and in total Silence. We are using this energy for our day-to-day activities of our Mind like seeing, speaking, hearing, thinking and all actions of our Body.
"Mindful Movements" is a 36 minute video presentation by renowned Zen Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh where he discusses 'Ten Exercises For Well-Being' through practicing mindfulness ... When you calm your body and your emotions, teaches Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, you restore yourself, and you restore peace to the world around you. On Mindful Movements, this renowned teacher of mindfulness meditation guides you through a series of gentle exercises created specifically to cultivate a joyful awareness of the body and breath. These are the same "meditations in motion" that the monks and nuns of Plum Village Monastery use daily as a complement to their sitting meditation practice.
Developed by Thich Nhat Hanh himself, the exercises taught here combine simple stretching and graceful gestures with mindfulness meditation. Join Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village monk Brother Michael to explore step by step these ten unique movements. Practice them before or after sitting meditation, at home, or at work - any time you have a few minutes to refresh your body and quiet your mind. Mindfulness has the power to sustain and heal you in every aspect of your life.
"The Answer" is a documentary on 'Interstellar Moonlight Therapy' or easier understood as Lunar Therapy, which is a doctor supported therapeutic breakthrough and is believed to be one of the most powerful tools for stress relief, relief from depression, mood elevation, improved health, deeper meditation, pain management, balance and improved sleep and deeper inner peace, with new beneficial discoveries every day. Researchers, doctors, healers and ordinary people from all over the world are experiencing and supporting the moonlight collector as a medical marvel.
The Interstellar Light Collector is unlike any other array in the world. Four years of collaboration by advocates of alternative therapies, private stakeholders and experts in the fields of engineering, optics, bioscience and medicine resulted in the completion of the world's first and only light collection device. The ILA collector is not only an achievement in innovation, but also an execution of groundbreaking design.
Situated in the Southern Arizona desert in a secure location 15 miles west of Tucson and 22 miles east of Kitt Peak National Observatory, the ILA collector is a parabolic, non-imaging optical collector composed of 84 mirrored collection panels.
At 52 feet high, 60 feet across and weighing 25 tons, this breathtaking device is colossal, yet has the maneuvering capability and precision of a Swiss watch.
The Interstellar Light Collector rotates a full 360 degrees, and can be aligned with the position of the moon to 1/10,000 of an inch in accuracy. With a collection surface of 3,000 square feet, the collected light can be focused into an area as large as 10 by ten feet or as small as 1mm that can pulsated or applied as a laser and transmitted directly into the accompanying research facility.
A line of investigation into the characteristics of natural light raised intriguing questions about the possible uses of alternative spectrum light, specifically moonlight.
Light cast by the moon is 500,000 times less bright than the sun. This light, reflected from the sun, presents a distinctive spectrum composed of more reds and yellows, and possesses a different frequency than sunlight. This specific light spectrum has never been artificially duplicated.
This 60-minute DVD "The Answer" includes a 15 minute lunar therapy session and a 9 minute guided meditation session in the concentrated moonlight of the Interstellar Light Collector. It's the next best thing to being there.
According to the philosophy of Tantra, the entire universe is a manifestation of pure consciousness. In manifesting the universe, this pure consciousness seems to become divided into two poles or aspects, neither of which can exist without the other ... all creation is the divine union of the opposites ... Yin & Yang ... Shiva & Shakti ... One aspect, Shiva, is masculine, retains a static quality and remains identified with unmanifested consciousness. Shiva has the power to be but not the power to become or change.
The other aspect, Shakti, is feminine, dynamic, energetic and creative. Shakti is the Great Mother of the universe, for it is from her that all form is born.
All that is found in the cosmos can be found within each individual, and the same principles that apply to the universe apply in the case of the individual being.
Kundalini Shakti is a sexual energy ; Kundalini Shakti is conceived as a goddess, then, when it rises to the head, it unites itself with the Supreme Being, Lord Shiva.
The aspirant becomes engrossed in deep meditation and infinite bliss. This raw energy is the secret tool, which, when awakened, has the power to transform an individual from ordinary to exceptional.
"Only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have the power to create." - Saundaryalahari
"Second-hand knowledge of the self gathered from books or gurus can never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied; only direct realisation will do that. Realise yourself, turning the mind inward."
Zen : The Best of Alan Watts is a documentary film directed by Elda Hartley presenting the Zen Philosophy as known to Alan Watts. Alan Watts (1915-1973) who held both a master's degree in theology and a doctorate of divinity, is best known as an interpreter of Zen Buddhism in particular, and Indian & Chinese philosophy in general.
He authored more than 20 excellent books on the philosophy and psychology of religion, and lectured extensively, leaving behind a vast audio archive. With characteristic lucidity and humor Watts unravels the most obscure ontological and epistemological knots with the greatest of ease.
" Man is nature becoming conscious of itself ... Alan Watts "
While many in the 60's played the stock market and paid their mortgages, Alan Watts lived aboard a colorful houseboat, writing, speaking, and inspiring a generation to re-assess their values.
For more than forty years, Alan Watts earned a reputation as a foremost interpreter of Eastern philosophies for the West. Beginning at age sixteen, when he wrote essay for the journal of the Buddhist Lodge in London, he developed an audience of millions who were enriched through his books, tape recordings, radio, television, and public lectures.
In all, Watts wrote more than twenty-five books and recorded hundreds of lectures and seminars, all building toward a personal philosophy that he shared in complete candor and joy with his readers and listeners throughout the world. His overall works have presented a model of individuality and self-expression that can be matched by few philosophers.
His life and work reflects an astonishing adventure: he was an editor, Anglican priest, graduate dean, broadcaster, author, lecturer, and entertainer. He had fascinations for archery, calligraphy, cooking, chanting, and dancing, and still was completely comfortable hiking alone in the wilderness. He held a Master's Degree in Theology from Sudbury-Western Theological Seminary and an Honorary DD from the University of Vermont in recognition of his work in the field of comparative religions.
He held fellowships from Harvard University and the Bollingen Foundation, and was Episcopal Chaplain at Northwestern University during the Second World War. He became professor and dean of the American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco, made the television series "Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life" for National Educational Television, and served as a visiting consultant for psychiatric institutions and hospitals, and for the United States Air Force. In the mid-sixties he traveled widely with his students in Japan, and visited Burma, Ceylon, and India.
The renowned Zen Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh at the "Colors of Compassion Retreat – Healing Our Families, Building True Communities" Deer Park Monastery, Escondido, California.
In this first talk of a week-long mindfulness retreat for people of color, Zen Master the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh – whom Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize – gives instruction in the basic mindfulness practices of sitting meditation, walking meditation, and awareness of the present moment.
Buddhist mindfulness techniques can help to bring the mind back to the body so that you are fully present here and now. For sitting meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh describes simple practices of awareness that increase a sense of well being and release tension in the body.
He offers walking meditation as a practice that can help you to live deeply every moment of your life, free from the prison of the past and of the future. He gives instruction, too, in addressing pain and anger in your heart and developing a deeper awareness of and appreciation for everyday moments of life: cooking, cleaning, driving, and working in such a way that you feel peaceful, mindful,and happy.
Regular Meditation and a constant awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, actions and speech opens up our chakras, develops our spiritual guiding system, our psychic centre, commonly called the 'Third Eye' or the 'Ajna Chakra' (Ajna means to command). With practice, we can learn how to use this in our lives. Controlled breathing ... allowing deep breaths and slow exhaling oxygenates our blood and opens up important energy centers in our body that allows Prana / Chi ... the life force to flow through freely ... much like tapping into the energy of the universe and opening up all channels to let the light shine through ...
There are many ways and methodologies to Open the Third Eye shared on the Internet & in books and videos widely viewed by thousands each day as the awareness of our own spiritual existence expands seeding the spark of evolution within our consciousness ... The first step towards a spiritual awakening is a shift in world view from separateness to that of Oneness and Unity. As this understanding grows deeper the ego or the false sense of self melts away giving way to a brand new realization of the self as one with the infinite unified field of consciousness we know by many names and in many forms and colors.
Here is an excerpt from the book Meditation by Linda Williamson ...
Power Stations ...
There are seven main energy centres within the body. They are called 'chakras', the Sanskrit word for wheel, because they appear clairvoyantly as whirling vortices of light. The chakras are situated in a line along the spine, starting with the root chakra at the base of the spine. Next is the sacral chakra, at the reproductive centre, the solar plexus at the naval, the heart, the throat, and the brow. The highest centre at the crown of the head is called the thousand-petalled lotus.
As a person begins to evolve spiritually, the chakras start to open and expand, from the lowest upwards. The expansion of the solar plexus gives increased sensitivity and intuition. As the heart opens, we are able to give out and receive greater love and compassion. The expansion of the throat centre begins creative ability and self-expression, while the crown connects us with the higher dimensions of spirits and with the deities.
The third eye has always been linked with psychic and occult powers. Pictured as an eye in the middle of the forehead, its development gives the ability to see with the inner vision. This encompasses many things: clairvoyance, seeing spirits, remote viewing or seeing things in distant places, and foreseeing in the future. At the highest level, it bestows the gift of spiritual 'insight' and spiritual knowledge.
When you begin to see vivid pictures or colours during your meditation, this is a sign that your third eye is developing. All meditation practices stimulate the development of the third eye, particularly those which involve visualisation. The following exercise is particularly helpful because it focuses the attention at the exact point where the third eye is situated.
Opening The Third Eye :
This is a highly practical exercise for helping to develop your third eye. Don't persist in staring at the candle if your eyes begin to tire or feel sensitive. Remember, the focus is not on the candle, but your third eye.
Exercise : Candle meditation
1. Find a candle in a colour you like, perhaps white, gold or purple as these are spiritual colours. The room should be dark. Place the candle on the table about a metre away from you, slightly below eye level. Light it and gaze steadily at the flame. Calm your mind and steady your breathing.
2. After a couple of minutes, close your eyes. You will see the after-image of the flame as a small point of white light in your mind's eye, the spot between the physical eyes. Keep your attention fixed on this point of light. Do not try to move, control or change it, just observe.
3. The light might appear to move upwards. It might change colour. Keep it in your inner vision for as long as you can. You may be surprised how long the image remains, sometimes fading and then reappearing again. When it fades completely, open your eyes and look at the candle again.
4. Repeat the procedure three times. The last time, try to hold the after-image steady without wavering. When you can no longer see it, keeping your eyes closed, continue to watch the space where it has been. Be aware of any colours or pictures that appear there.
The third eye has various other names, including 'the seat of intuition'. By focusing on this area during meditation, we gain a deep and persistent awareness of our intuition and proper judgment. With regular practice, this awareness can reach into our everyday lives. When we make decisions or face difficult situations we will be able to tap into our powers of judgment - instead of relying on external sources for answers to our problems.
The Third Eye chakra is often blocked by ego, or a sense of personal "self" as a separate physical entity. By surrendering to existence and persistent practice you help create a greater awareness of the third eye and allow the light within to shine through in unison with divine intent that drives our thoughts, actions, emotions and our speech. The chanting of AUM with a controlled and relaxed breath flow is one of the oldest known ways to tune into the power of the third eye, the focal point of intuition, the centre of our spiritual guiding system helping us tune into any and all frequencies of the one consciousness manifested as many ...
Breath is defined as the air we inhale and exhale during respiration. It is our lifeline. Our bodies can live for days without food and water but without breathing our spirit rapidly leaves the body. Our breath is absolutely necessary to our life but we take it for granted. For centuries, mystics have believed the breath was the seat of the soul and this directly corresponds to the Pineal Gland Activation or the Third Eye Awakening which in essence is the awakening of the soul !
Stanislav Grof, one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology and a pioneering researcher into the use of altered states of consciousness for purposes of healing, went on to discover that many of these states of mind could be explored without psychedelics and instead by using certain breathing techniques in a supportive environment. He continues this work today under the title "Holotropic Breathwork".
While all of us are aware of 'breathing' to be essential to our survival, few of us know what it is like to breathe consciously and practice mindfulness (silent observation of our thoughts, one of the first lessons in practicing meditation) ... breathing consciously in a controlled manner opens up new levels of awareness and helps us go beyond our perceived waking physical reality and experience the transpersonal ... the oneness ... which is the unifying essence of creation !
Stanislav Grof is a psychiatrist with almost 50 years of experience in research of non-ordinary states of consciousness. He has been the principal investigator in a psychedelic research program at the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague, Czechoslovakia, chief of psychiatric research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and scholar-in-residence at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. It was at Esalen that he co-developed, with his wife Christina Grof, Holotropic Breathwork, a technique that includes deep, connected breathing, music, art, and trained facilitation with the goal wholeness, healing, and wisdom.
Breathwork is an integral part of all spiritual disciplines and religions, implicitly or explicitly. Throughout time, particular breathing rhythms have been used to induce diverse altered states of consciousness through singing, devotional chanting, drumming, and dancing - all implicit forms of Breathwork. In Buddhist Vipassana and Zen meditation the breath is observed - an explicit form of Breathwork - and this results in a change of consciousness.
The way we breathe creates and controls our state of consciousness, and our state of consciousness influences the way we breathe. If we are afraid, we breathe faster, when we breathe fast, we feel fear. When we feel calm, our breath is slow and deep, when we slow down and deepen our breathing, we feel calm. In many languages the word for "soul" or "spirit" is the same as that for breath. We are our breath !
References : Conscious Breathing - How Shamanic Breathwork Can Transform Your Life By Joy Manné
One of the best known and most respected Zen masters in the world today. A poet & peace and human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh (called Thây by his students) has led an extraordinary life. Born in central Vietnam in 1926 he joined the monkshood at the age of sixteen. The Vietnam War confronted the monasteries with the question of whether to adhere to the contemplative life and remain meditating in the monasteries, or to help the villagers suffering under bombings and other devastation of the war. Nhat Hanh was one of those who chose to do both, helping to found the "engaged Buddhism" movement. His life has since been dedicated to the work of inner transformation for the benefit of individuals and society.
In Saigon in the early 60s, Thich Nhat Hanh founded the School of Youth Social Service, a grass-roots relief organization that rebuilt bombed villages, set up schools and medical centers, resettled homeless families, and organized agricultural cooperatives. Rallying some 10,000 student volunteers, the SYSS based its work on the Buddhist principles of non-violence and compassionate action. Despite government denunciation of his activity, Nhat Hanh also founded a Buddhist University, a publishing house, and an influential peace activist magazine in Vietnam.
After visiting the U.S. and Europe in 1966 on a peace mission, he was banned from returning to Vietnam in 1966. On subsequent travels to the U.S., he made the case for peace to federal and Pentagon officials including Robert McNamara. He may have changed the course of U.S. history when he persuaded Martin Luther King, Jr. to oppose the Vietnam War publicly, and so helped to galvanize the peace movement. The following year, King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Subsequently, Nhat Hanh led the Buddhist delegation to the Paris Peace Talks.
In 1982 he founded Plum Village, a Buddhist community in exile in France, where he continues his work to alleviate suffering of refugees, boat people, political prisoners, and hungry families in Vietnam and throughout the Third World. He has also received recognition for his work with Vietnam veterans, meditation retreats, and his prolific writings on meditation, mindfulness, and peace. He has published some 85 titles of accessible poems, prose, and prayers, with more than 40 in English, including the best selling Call Me by My True Names, Peace Is Every Step, Being Peace, Touching Peace, Living Buddha Living Christ, Teachings on Love, The Path of Emancipation, and Anger. In September 2001, just a few days after the suicide terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he addressed the issues of non-violence and forgiveness in a memorable speech at Riverside Church in New York City. In September of 2003 he addressed members of the US Congress, leading them through a two-day retreat.
Thich Nhat Hanh continues to live in Plum Village in the meditation community he founded, where he teaches, writes, and gardens; and he leads retreats worldwide on "the art of mindful living."
Teachings
Thich Nhat Hanh's key teaching is that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live in the present moment instead of in the past and in the future. Dwelling in the present moment is, according to Nhat Hanh, the only way to truly develop peace, both in one's self and in the world.
Writing to Thich Nhat Hanh ...
If you'd like to write a letter to Thich Nhat Hanh, you can mail it to one of his addresses in Plum Village or send your letter to pvlistening@plumvill.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will forward your letter to Thich Nhat Hanh.
How do you pronounce Thich Nhat Hanh?
The English pronunciation is: Tik · N'yat · Hawn
However since Vietnamese is a tonal language, this is only a close approximation for how one would pronounce it in Vietnamese. (His name is sometimes misspelled as Thich Nhat Hahn, Thich Nhat Han, and Thich Nat Han.)
By his students he is affectionately known as Thay (pronounced "Tay" or "Tie"), which is Vietnamese for "teacher."
An Excerpt from Mindfulness of Ourselves Mindfulness of Others by Thich Nhat Hanh ...
Let us enjoy our breathing. Breathing in ... I feel I am alive. Breathing out ... I smile to life. To Life… smiling to life
Anger. There's a seed of anger in every one of us. There is also a seed of fear, a seed of despair. And when the seed of anger manifests, we should know how to recognize it, how to embrace it, and how to bring [ourselves] relief. When the seed of fear manifests itself as energy in the upper level of our consciousness, we should be able to recognize it, to embrace it tenderly, and to transform it. And the agent of transformation and healing is called mindfulness.
Mindfulness is another kind of energy that is in us in the form of a seed also. If we know how to practice mindful breathing, mindful walking, mindful smiling, then we should be able to touch the seed of mindfulness in us and transform it into a zone of energy. And with that energy of mindfulness, we can recognize our anger, our fear, our despair. We practice recognizing and embracing.
When a mother working in the kitchen hears the cries of her baby, she puts anything she is holding down and goes to the room of the baby, picks the baby up and holds the baby dearly in her arms. We do exactly the same thing when the seed of anger and fear manifest in us; our fear, our anger is our baby. Let us not try to suppress and to fight our fear and our anger. Let us recognize its presence; let us embrace it tenderly like a mother embracing her baby.
When a mother embraces her baby, the energy of tenderness begins to penetrate into the body of the baby. The mother does not know, yet, what is the cause of the suffering of the baby, but the fact that she is holding the baby tenderly can already help. The energy of tenderness and compassion in a mother begins to penetrate into the body of the baby, and the baby gets some relief right away. The baby may stop crying. And if the mother knows how to continue the practice of holding the baby mindfully, tenderly, she will be able to discover the cause of the suffering of the baby.
When the seed of anger is watered, when the seed of fear is watered, whether by yourself or by another person or by the mass media ... because the mass media in this country has watered a lot the seed of anger and fear in us ... We should know how to recognize, embrace and bring relief to our anger and our fear.
The attitude is the attitude of non-duality, non-violence. Our fear, our anger are not our enemies; they are us. We have to treat our fear, our anger in a most non-violent way, the most non-dualistic way, like we are treating our own baby. So if you are a good practitioner of meditation, you will know exactly what to do when the seed of anger is watered and begins to manifest in the upper level of your consciousness. With the practice of mindful breathing or mindful walking, you generate the energy of mindfulness, and exactly with that energy, you can recognize the energy of anger, of fear in you.
Anger is… energy number one. By practicing mindful breathing or mindful walking, we generate the energy number two: the energy of mindfulness. We call it in Buddhist terms: mindfulness of anger. Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something. When you drink your water mindfully, that is called mindfulness of drinking. When you eat mindfully, that is called mindfulness of eating. When you breathe mindfully, in and out, that is called mindfulness of breathing. When you walk mindfully, it is called mindfulness of walking.
So, when you recognize your anger, embrace your anger tenderly with that energy of mindfulness, it is called mindfulness of anger, mindfulness of despair, mindfulness of fear. We should be able to learn and help the young people to learn how to do it. It's very important.
The Buddha offers us very concrete and simple exercises in order to become mindful. The first exercise on mindful breathing is: Breathing in ... I know I am breathing in. Breathing out ... I know I am breathing out. You can reduce the length of the sentence to one word. In. Out. While you are breathing in, you just recognize that this is your in breath, and you use the word, in. And you are wholly concentrated on your in breath. Nothing else.
You become your in breath. You're not thinking of anything. You're not thinking of the past, of the future, of your projects. You release everything. You just follow your in breath, and you become one with your in breath. And the energy of mindfulness is generated together with the energy of concentration.
