Here is a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh that describes clearly, and in simple words, what it means to live in the present, in the actual moment.

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future; live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.”

These words speak about patience, inner peace, attention, concentration and self-discipline. This is the way to live more consciously and more fully, and to find joy in whatever you do.

Acting in this way takes out boredom and drudgery from of every act, because you are fully focused on it. Also, when you are fully focused on what you are doing, you do fewer mistakes, and have more chances of success.

Living in the moment eliminates unnecessary thoughts and worries, and brings you self-mastery and inner peace.

Focusing on what you are doing at the moment, and living solely in this moment, as if what you are doing is the most important thing in the world, is a meditation that you can always practice, at any time and place.

© Remez Sasson for Remez Sasson Blog on Self Improvement and Spiritual Growth, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: actual moment, Living in the present, Meditation

Zen Buddhism is really popular among meditators in the West. In this post we’ll take a close look at the unique flavors of zen practice.

Have you ever stepped inside a Japanese temple? They’re full of character and charm; with its sliding doors, Japanese-window panels and tatami mats covering the floors. It feels special just to be there.

Zen Practice

The words zen practice suggest that you continue with the practice even after you’re done meditating in the temple. Unlike swimming where you stop once you get out of the water, the zen practice continues outside the meditation hall.

We can divide the meditation practice into three categories:

Meditation practice in the temple.
Awareness practice, called samu.
Meditation retreats, called sesshins.

Meditation Practice

The daily meditation practice starts early in the morning, usually before daybreak. The meditators sit along the walls inside the temple and meditate with their backs as upright as possible and with the chins somewhat tucked in. In Japanese, the word zazen is used for meditation.

After about 45 minutes everyone stands up to continue with walking meditation, for about a quarter of an hour, which in zen is a group practice where the meditators walk clockwise in a circle inside the temple.

It’s really powerful to do both the sitting and walking meditation as a group. This builds up a lot of mental energy which supports concentration. In that respect, group practice makes it easier to meditate.

Read the complete article:
Zen Buddhist Meditation Practice

© Remez Sasson for Remez Sasson Blog on Self Improvement and Spiritual Growth, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: buddhist meditation, Meditation, zen

Here is a short funny story about meditation I have found on the Internet.

Three Yogis are doing meditative in a remote cave.

One day a sound is heard from outside the cave. After about six months, one of the yogis says, “Did you hear that goat?” Once again, there was silence.

About a year later, one of the other Yogis says, “That wasn’t a goat; it was a mule.” Again, there was silence.

About two years later the third yogi says, “If you two don’t stop arguing, I’m leaving.”

Source: www.swamij.com/jokes.htm

© Remez Sasson for Remez Sasson Blog on Self Improvement and Spiritual Growth, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Meditation, yogis

Has anyone raised his or her head up in the evening and looked at the Western sky? If you did, you would have seen a big shining star, like a big lamp in the sky. This is the planet Venus.

In astrology, Venus is associated with femininity, love, marriage, partnerships and art. Why is that so? Maybe the ancients saw that Venus shone so beautifully and so brightly and therefore associated it with love and with art. Maybe because it always appears close to sun, before it, or after it, never far from it, and so thoughts there were in some sort of relationships.

It is interesting what the ancients thought when they looked at the sky at night. They must have been in awe, fascination and admiration. They certainly looked at the stars every night, unlike present society, because they lived closer to nature. There was no electricity, and therefore no lights to dim the light of the stars. It must have been absolute darkness at night, so they could see millions of stars.

(...)
Read the rest of Venus is Shining in the Sky (151 words)

© Remez Sasson for Remez Sasson Blog on Self Improvement and Spiritual Growth, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Meditation, sky, venus

Meditation is a state of concentrated attention on a thought, idea, quote, an object, or on nothing at all. It is a mental/spiritual technique for relaxing the restlessness of the mind and freeing it from anxiety and stress. In its higher forms, it aims for the attaining of peace of mind, inner silence and spiritual awakening.

Here are a few paragraphs from the article “Meditation Advice, Guidance and Tips – Information and Instructions”:

Meditation is more than a method for relaxing the body, as some people think. It is a way for gaining freedom from incessant, nagging thoughts and worries, quieting the chatter of the mind, and attaining inner peace and happiness. In its higher levels it leads to spiritual awakening, enlightenment, and to realizing who and what you are.

Though it plays an important role in various religions and spiritual practices, it is actually a practice that is free from all religious connotations, and has always been practiced everywhere, from ancient times until the present day. There has always been the desire to go within, to find what is beyond the physical form, and to find the real spirit and the relation between mankind, the world and the creator.

There are many forms, techniques and traditions of meditation, which are practiced and followed for various reasons and aims, for relaxation and health, for mental mastery and inner peace, and of course for attaining spiritual awakening – enlightenment, and for discovering who you really are.

Meditation calms down the body and the mind, reduces stress and anxiety, normalizes the blood pressure and has a healing effect on the body. It improves the power of concentration, sharpens the mind and strengthens the intuition. Its constant practice reduces the number of restless thoughts in the mind and brings inner peace, happiness and bliss.

Read the complete article:
Meditation Advice, Guidance and Tips – Information and Instructions

© Remez Sasson for Remez Sasson Blog on Self Improvement and Spiritual Growth, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: attention, concentration, Meditation