How to Meditate: What you didn’t know about Empty Mind Techniques and your bliss

Sow a thought and you reap an act; Sow an act and you reap a habit; Sow a habit and you reap a character; Sow a character and you reap a destiny. Empty mind meditation is one of the most popular and yet misunderstood types of meditation. I love it because it trains you to still (or control, depending on what you want) your thoughts and emotions. Why should this matter? Empty mind meditation is also a neutral form – it is free of all the different teachings and belief systems, so everyone can practice it without getting sucked into something they might not want to. I’ve been asked a few times about my favourite meditations, so I’ll describe it here, with a few personal variations. If you’re an experienced meditator, you can skip the next few sections and get straight to the goods. Benefits of empty mind meditation I have used empty mind meditation to great effect; it was one of the most important practices I used to get out of extreme negativity. Continued practice of meditation: Posture

Western Philosophy Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper Use simple prose Don't shoot for literary elegance. Use simple, straightforward prose. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. If your paper sounds as if it were written a third-grade audience, then you've probably achieved the right sort of clarity. It's OK to show a draft of your paper to your friends and get their comments and advice. Read your paper out loud. "Does this really make sense?" Presenting and assessing the views of others If you plan to discuss the views of Philosopher X, begin by isolating his arguments or central assumptions. Keep in mind that philosophy demands a high level of precision. At least half of the work in philosophy is making sure that you've got your opponent's position right. When a passage from a text is particularly useful in supporting your interpretation of some philosopher's views, it may be helpful to quote the passage directly. Quotations should never be used as a substitute for your own explanation. Miscellaneous points