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Breaking habits of perception-a skill that changes everything « Metta Refuge. Here is another great teaching from Thanissaro Bhikkhu. While looking for some buddhadharma about dealing with guilt about the past, I came across this paragraph, from the end of his article, “Habits of Perception.” It was so helpful, I stopped my search to read the whole article, which I share below. May it be an aid to developing the skillful perceptions that lead to freedom! A frequent image in meditation instructions is that all you have to do is turn on a light and the darkness goes away. No matter how many eons the darkness has reigned, all you have to do is turn on the light once and that’s the end of the darkness.

Thanissaro Bhikkhu What have you got here in the present moment? Some of the baggage you’re bringing into the present moment consists of issues you’ve picked up in the course of the day: things this person said, that person did, things you yourself said or did. But the issues also go deeper than that. As the Buddha said, the problem all comes down to ignorance. The 21 Day Challenge Everyone Should Take. I'm on day 14 of a 21-day challenge that I semi-invented and so far I have to admit the results have been nothing short of amazing. Now, when I say that I semi-invented it, that is purely because I took the idea from the excellent book 'Psycho Cybernetics' and put it in a format that everyone can follow, myself included.

I'm not exaggerating when I say this challenge can literally help with any aspect of your life that you would like to improve. Before I go into more detail on how you can follow along, I need to talk a little about our 'self image' and why it is very important. Understanding the Self Image In the mid 20th Century, Maxwell Maltz who was a plastic surgeon, wrote a book called Psycho Cybernetics that has now sold millions of copies and been updated for modern times. It was this book that led me to write the post 'How to Improve at Anything' and it is probably the greatest book I have ever read. The 21 Day Challenge Let's look at the 4 parts of this challenge… The 4 Parts 1. 2. The Dalai Lama’s 18 Rules For Living. May 6, 2011 | 42 Comments » | Topics: Life, List At the start of the new millennium the Dalai Lama apparently issued eighteen rules for living.

Since word travels slowly in the digital age these have only just reached me. Here they are. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. Via OwenKelly Hot Stories From Around The Web Other Awesome Stories. 10 Wise Choices to Skyrocket Your Happiness. “The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.” – Thich Nhat Hanh Who doesn’t want to be happy? Just take a look at any moment of your life, any choice you make.

Isn’t your intention to be happy? By happiness, I don’t necessarily mean the pollyanna, silly-smile-on-your-face kind. What I mean is a deep sense of contentment, the capability of being peaceful and at ease no matter what, an inner knowing that things are just fine. Somehow true happiness eludes us, and here’s why. Happiness is absolutely within your reach. 1. Don’t blame others, turn yourself into a victim, or wait for someone to come and save you. 2. Be willing, open, courageous, and humble. 3. Nothing kills happiness more quickly than old hurts, resentments, and grudges. 4. The cause of unhappiness is the playing out of conditioned habits that don’t serve you. 5. We unknowingly build our lives around distorted beliefs and expectations. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Are you happy? Colors and their Meanings. Undefined White Cleanses, purifies, raises vibrations to a higher frequency, appeals to spiritual plane,heals, prophecy,clairvoyance.

Red South, strength, courage, sex, magnatism, passion, use to initiate change. Orange attracts success, encouragement, friendship, assits with creativity on all levels, brightens the atmosphere. Yellow East, dispels grief, sadness and depression, repels negativity, confidence, unity, attracts platonic relationships. Green North, draws prosperity and abundance, heals on the physical level, fertility. luck. Blue West, sooths anger, gives peace and serenity, good color for meditation and relaxation and for issues involving loyalty and dedication, fidelity, deep emotion. Dark Blue occult power and protection. Purple discourages envy and jealousy, generates power for ritual work, energizes the atmosphere, psychic ability.

Brown earthiness, concentration, overcoming hesitation. Pink bolsters self-esteem, helps emotional healing, spritiual awakening. Black Silver Gold Back to Table. Days of the Week Correspondence Tables. Days of the week Meanings. Brain pickings. By Maria Popova Debunking the myth of character, or what sitcoms have to do with the mysteries of personality. “What matters most is how well you walk through the fire,” Charles Bukowski famously wrote. We walk through life and its fires along narrative paths that define who we are and what our personalities are like. We speak of the “architecture” of character as if it were as rigid and unmoving as a building. We often perceive others as sitcom characters — static and unchanging from episode to episode. Yet ordinary contexts, from where we are to what we see around us to who else is with us, influence and transform how we behave and what character traits we exhibit — who we appear to be. We’re easily seduced by the notion of stable character.

For the ultimate cherry on top, especially for fellow lovers of book trailers, here is a wonderful pictogram- and typography-driven motion graphics teaser for the book: Donating = Loving Brain Pickings has a free weekly newsletter. Share on Tumblr. IndieBound. 36 Perfectly Timed Animal Shots.

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