Category: Zonr Posts

“If you are a witness to the thought, it simply drifts away and vanishes. But if you hold on to it and chew on it, then it stays with you.” More ideas on getting rid of “persistent thoughts” below.

FREEDOM !!! (George Michael)

Freedom Behind Bars: Meditation in Prison 

Om Namo Mantra & Freedom from Bad Thoughts Meditation (9:12) 

 

Which “persistent thought(s)” would you like to be freed from, lately?

 

 

7 ways to remove negative thoughts :

COURTESY : http://srisriravishankar.org

1.Get Busy

When you recognize a negative thought, get busy. If you simply sit, you will keep thinking a lot.

 

2.  Improve circulation in your body

 

If your head is filled with too many thoughts, lie down on the floor and keep rolling and you will see the circulation in the body improves. When circulation improves then the mind feels better. That is the reason they do shayana pradakshinam (a form of worship done by rolling on the floor). Experience it and see how there is a change in your mind.

 

3.   Shake hands with negative a thought

 

If you keep resisting negative thoughts and try to push them away, then they will follow you like a ghost. Shake hands with your negative thoughts. Tell them, ‘Come here and sit with me. I will not leave you’ and you will see how they quickly disappear. Thoughts are scared of you.

If you get scared of a negative thought then they will control you. But if you shake hands with them, then they will disappear.

 

 4.   Pranayama and Meditation

 

Pranayama and Meditation is the best way to apply brakes in the buzzing mind.

It is very effective and instantly calms your mind down.

 

5.  Intestinal Cleansing

 

if you are bombarded with too many negative thoughts, know that something must be wrong with your bowel movement. Do Shankh Prakshalan (intestinal cleansing). That would also help.

 

6.  Move Around

 

Get up, do your exercise, sing, dance, do yoga, meditation, pranayama. All these will help.

 

7.  Become a witness to your thoughts

 

You cannot stop a thought or know a thought before it comes. And when it comes, it also goes away immediately. If you are a witness to the thought, it simply drifts away and vanishes. But if you hold on to it and chew on it, then it stays with you. Thought(s) come and go, but that which is the basis of thought(s) – is the atma (soul). And that is what you are. You are like the sky and thought(s) are like clouds. This could be the nearest example one can give. Clouds come and go in the sky, but can they disturb or limit the vastness of the sky in any way? No, not at all.

So when you fly above the clouds, when you go beyond the clouds, you see that the sky is untouched. It is the same, it is unchanged. It is only the thought(s) which keep moving. This is what happens in meditation. When you come into Sakshi bhaav, i.e., when you simply become a witness to the thought(s).

We do not have to attach ourselves to the thought(s). That is foolishness. Whether they are good thoughts or bad thoughts – they come and go. You are far above and beyond all this. This is called the Vihangam Maarg. It means rising above thoughts and seeing that you have nothing to do with these moving thoughts.

 

 

OUR SECRET LIVES –

“[We] tend to
live secret lives.
For many years, we
covered low self-esteem
by hiding behind phony
images that we hop-
ed would fool peo-
ple.” (The Basic
Text, p.33)

 

HOLD BACK NOTHING –

“Provided you
hold back nothing,
your sense of relief
will mount from minute
to minute. The dammed-up
emotions of years break out
of their confinement, and mi-
raculously vanish as soon as
they are exposed. As the
pain subsides, a healing
tranquility takes its
place.” (12 &
12 p. 62)

 

“The face is
the mirror of the
mind, and eyes, with-
out speaking, confess
the secrets of the heart.”

– Saint Jerome (374 AD – 419 AD) Latin Christian priest

 

St. Jerome Brief Bio (1:54)

Mirror in the Bathroom – The English Beat (4:45)

Underground Cavern Meditation (10:01)

 

How do you decide with whom to share your secrets? 

 

 

The Gardener: Do Not Keep to Yourself.

by  Rabindranath Tagore

 

Do not keep to yourself the secret of
your heart, my friend!

 

Say it to me, only to me, in secret.

You who smile so gently, softly
whisper, my heart will hear it, not my
ears.

 

The night is deep, the house is
silent, the birds’ nests are shrouded
with sleep.

 

Speak to me through hesitating
tears, through faltering smiles, through
sweet shame and pain, the secret of
your heart!

 

“It all started in elementary school. You remember the kid who thought he or she had the answer to every question, right?” Forbes article below.

The Judgement is the Mirror – Dalis Car (4:36)

Funny Lessons in Judging Too Quickly (0:31) 

Slowing the Mind & Ending Judgement Meditation (8:03)

 

How have your judgments of others or the feeling of being judged adversely affected you, lately?

 

Why Always Being Right Can Be Wrong

It all started in elementary school. You remember the kid who thought he or she had the answer to every question, right? They interrupted others, always wanted to have the last word, and even had to be right on the playground. Unfortunately, the workforce is not all that much different. Many of those know-it-alls never seem to change. In fact, one might be sitting across the room from you right now, or even worse, they’re in the corner office down the hall. You know who they are, and if you don’t, the problem might be even bigger. The know-it-all might be you.

 

Is it possible to be seemingly know everything except the fact that you’re a know-it-all? Self-diagnose by asking yourself this simple question: “Do I think I’m always right?” Give an honest answer—no caveats. You may not want to admit it, but if you catch yourself justifying it, (I am the senior partner, so of course I’m right!), then you have a problem. Always being right can be wrong. It can turn people against you, stifle conversations and ideas, and make people want to avoid you altogether. Read on to discover the classic reasons why you might feel like you can never be wrong—and how to master your mindset so you don’t embody typical know-it-all pitfalls. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidsturt/2016/11/02/why-always-being-right-can-be-wrong/#71f176ac6b8b)

“Why ask for something before we are ready for it? This would be asking for trouble. So many times addicts have sought the rewards of hard work without the labor.” (The Basic Text, p. 33)

 

How have you confronted something you dread and taken steps to make things right, lately?

 

 

FIRE   – Bruce Springsteen (5:14) 

Rodin Sculptural Meditation on The Thinker and More (5:43)

Alleluia – Gregorian Creation Chant (6:26)

 

The Thinker

by William Carlos Williams, 1883 – 1963

My wife’s new pink slippers
have gay pom-poms.
There is not a spot or a stain
on their satin toes or their sides.
All night they lie together
under her bed’s edge.
Shivering I catch sight of them
and smile, in the morning.
Later I watch them
descending the stair,
hurrying through the doors
and round the table,
moving stiffly
with a shake of their gay pom-poms!
And I talk to them
in my secret mind
out of pure happiness.

The Ho’oponopono mantra:

“I am sorry.
Please forgive me. Thank you.
I love you.”

Crazy – Seal (4:30) 

 No No No to Stinkin’ Thinkin’ (9:27) 

Ho’ oponopono – Hawaiian Mantra & Forgiveness Meditation LP (45:44)

 

What experiences with forgiveness have you had, lately?

 

 

I am sorry for participating in this erroneous memory data.

Please forgive me for not seeing the perfection in this moment, and playing back a universal memory I have received within me that is riddled with wrongs and errors.

Thank you for cleansing me, others, the world and the universe.

I love you. Loving the sweet divine is the greatest power or energy there is in all space. I am now loving everyone involved and affected. I know that my perceptions of them are within me, where this error first occurred and where it can be eradicated.  (http://www.naturalawakeningsmag.com/Natural-Awakenings/February-2014/Healing-Hurt/)

THEORY:

We carry inside us as parts of the Unconscious Mind, all the significant people in our lives. (These parts of us often look very much like Carl Jung’s archetypes.) Ho’oponopono makes it “all right” with them. The process of Ho’oponopono is to align with and clean up our genealogy as well as to clean up our relationships with other people in our lives.

The Process of Ho’oponopono:
Bring to mind anyone with whom you do not feel total alignment or support, etc.
In your mind’s eye, construct a small stage below you
Imagine an infinite source of love and healing flowing from a source above the top of your head (from your Higher Self), and open up the top of your head, and let the source of love and healing flow down inside your body, fill up the body, and overflow out your heart to heal up the person on the stage. Be sure it is all right for you to heal the person and that they accept the healing.
When the healing is complete, have a discussion with the person and forgive them, and have them forgive you.
Next, let go of the person, and see them floating away.

As they do, cut the aka cord that connects the two of you (if appropriate). If you are healing in a current primary relationship, then assimilate the person inside you.
Do this with every person in your life with whom you are incomplete, or not aligned.
The final test is, can you see the person or think of them without feeling any negative emotions. If you do feel negative emotions when you do, then do the process again. (http://www.ancienthuna.com/ho-oponopono.htm)

“When it comes to ego deflation, few Steps are harder to take than Five. But scarcely any Step is more necessary to longtime sobriety and peace of mind than this one.” (12 & 12 p. 55)

 

This is How We Do It – Montell Jordan (3:59) 

 Mark Twain Brief Bio (1:40) 

Braveheart – Celtic Pipes, Strings & Movie Scenes Meditation (5:40)

 

What specific steps have you taken to walk through your fears, lately?

 

 

Step Five –

“Admitted to God, to our-
selves, and to another human
being the exact nature of our wrongs.”

 

The Dilemma –

“When it comes
to ego deflation, few
Steps are harder to take
than Five. But scarcely any
Step is more necessary to
long time sobriety and
peace of mind than
this one.” (12 &
12 p. 55)

 

The Solution –

“We must overcome
our fear and work the
Fifth Step if we are to make
any significant changes in
the way we live. We gather our
courage and go on. We may
call our sponsor for reassur–
ance.” “… [W]e don’t have
to face our feelings alone
… .” (It Works, How
& Why p. 35)

 

“Courage is
resistance to fear,
mastery of fear –
not absence
of fear.”

– Mark Twain (1835 – 1910) U.S. author / satirist

“Then it cannot be your own true nature,” said the teacher, “if it were, you would be able to show it to me at any time. Why are you allowing something that is not yours to trouble your life?” A Zen approach to overcoming anger.

Mad – Ne Yo (4:40)

The Angry-Eating Demon (4:22)

Releasing-Anger: A Brahma Guided Meditation (4:00)

 

While reflecting on your own fourth step discoveries, what triggers your temper to rise, lately?

 

 

 

Let us enjoy reading this Zen Tale of Overcoming Anger.

A Zen student said to his teacher, “Master, I have an ungovernable temper. Help me get rid of it.”

“You have something very strange,” said the teacher.

“Show it to me.”

“Right now I cannot show it to you.”

“Why not?”

“It arises suddenly.”

“Then it cannot be your own true nature,” said the teacher, “if it were, you would be able to show it to me at any time. Why are you allowing something that is not yours to trouble your life?”

Thereafter whenever the student felt his temper rising he remembered his teacher’s words and checked his anger.

In time, he developed a calm and placid temperament.

‘Self-Pity’ is what D. H. Lawrence himself described as a ‘pansy’: like the flower, this poem is a pensée, a little thought, not meant to be anything grander or more sustained. (See more below)

Stephen Fry Speaks on Self Pity (2:14)  

The Antidote for Self Pity Meditation (3:55)

Movie GI Jane recites Self Pity poem (1:36)

 

Other than “Honesty, Faith & Responsibility” what would you replace self-pity with and why?

 

Self-pity

by D.H. Lawrence

 

I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself.

 

A Short Analysis of D. H. Lawrence’s ‘Self-Pity’

by Sana Kapur

 

Self-Pity by D.H Lawrence is a short poem about self-pity and the fear of death in humans. Lawrence begins by giving an example of a wild “thing” or wild animal. Just the way an animal does not lament on the misfortunes or the bad luck it has face[d] in the past and moves on, humans should do the same. Humans often have a tendency to be melancholic and broken-hearted due to events that do not go as they wished or instances that cause a misfortune. Humans must take inspiration from these animals and learn to live life as it comes, instead of grieving on the misfortunes of the past.

Lawrence then gives an example of a bird and says that a small bird which drops dead from a bough never feels sorry for itself. He compares an animal as small as a bird to a human, a much larger mammal. He conveys to the readers of the poem that just the way a small bird, which may drop dead at any time, does not live in fear of death and rather moves on living life, humans should do the same. Humans must not live in fear of the inevitable death, but rather move on in life, live life to the fullest and accept death as it comes, for death cannot be avoided.

Self Pity is a short, inspirational poem written by D.H Lawrence which inspires the readers to move on in life, not to grieve over their past misfortunes and not to fear the unavoidable death.  (https://www.gradesaver.com/self-pity/study-guide/analysis)

Which spiritual tools might you use when you feel you don’t have enough money and the pressure starts to weigh you down?

 

Mon-ey (Pink Floyd, 1974 Original Video)

The Dalai Lama on God, Money & Inner Peace

Classical Inner Peace Meditation

 

 

The Money in The Pot of Butter

– an African proverb

A man had to go on a long travel. He hid his money in a pot and put butter over it. So nobody could see what was there under the butter in the pot.

Then he took the pot to his neighbour and said, “Please keep this pot of butter for me till I come back.” He did not say anything about the mon-ey in the pot.

A month passed. Two months passed. But the traveller did not come back. His neighbour thought, “I’m afraid the butter in the pot is bad.”

And he took all the butter out of the pot and saw money there.

He took the money for himself and put many small stones into the pot in place of the money. When the traveller came back, he asked his neighbour for the pot. He carried it home and took out all the butter. He wanted to take the mon-ey. But he found only many small stones under the butter.

He was very angry. Then one of his friends came to see him. “You look angry, my friend! Why are you angry?” asked his friend.

“Oh, I am a silly man!” And he told his friend the story about the pot of butter, the mon-ey and the small stones.

“Well, I can show you how to get your money back. Let us go to the forest.”

And the two friends went to the forest, caught a monkey there and brought it home.

“Now you go to your neighbour and say, ‘Please let your son come with me to the market. He can help me to carry food from the market.”

The man did so. The neighbour sent his son to the man. But they did not go to the market. The man went home with the neighbour’s son and locked the boy in his house.

The friend said, “Now go to your neighbour with the monkey and say: ‘Here is your son.”

The man did so. The neighbour was very angry.

“Take the monkey away and bring back my son!” he said.

“Why, this is your son! If money can turn into small stones then a boy can turn into a monkey.”

The neighbour understood everything. He brought the mon-ey and the man let the boy go back to his father.

The man thanked his clever friend very much. He wanted to give him a part of the Money. But his friend did not take it.

“We are friends, aren’t we?” he said. “And friends always help each other. But never take money for that. Never, never!”

http://www.english-for-students.com/The-Money-in-The-Pot-of-Butter.html

What causes you to have feelings you find difficult to call by name, lately?

Feelingsss – Nina Simone (4:57)

Powering up the Divine – Unified Field Meditation LP (17:35)

 

NAMING TAKES THE POWER AWAY FROM FEELING “BAD”

“Naming our feel-
ings is important, for
once we do so, we can
begin to deal with them.
Rather than panicking over
how we feel, we can specifi-
cally say how we’re feeling.
This gets us away from our
limited way of identifying
feelings as either “good”
or “bad” with not much
in between.” (It Works,
How & Why, p. 30)

 

DIGGING UP THE ROOTS & SHAKING OFF THE DIRT –

“Suppose that finan-
cial insecurity constant-
ly arouses these same
feelings.” “And if the ac-
tions of others are part of the
cause, what can I do about
that?” “Questions like these,
more of which will come to
mind easily in each indivi-
dual case, will help turn
up the root causes.”
(12 & 12, pp. 53-4)

 

“A name repre-
sents identity, a deep
feeling and holds tremend-
ous significance to its owner.”

– Rachel Ingber (U.S. author / economist)

 

 

Feelings

by Spike Milligan

There must be a wound!
No one can be this hurt
and not bleed.

How could she injure me so?
No marks
No bruises

Worse!
People say ‘My, you’re looking well’
…..God help me!
She’s mummified me –
ALIVE!