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My musings on life's wonder and mystery...and, of course, stuff about sinus and allergy concerns. |
First Person Stories - December 2009  |
Must say I am glad 2009 is over. It wasn't so wonderful in many ways as some of us can agree. But the good thing is we can start over with a clean slate, being wiser and healthier, right? So cheers and shout-outs to a brighter new year with joy and success for everyone!
December 28, 2009
What happens when people start watching less television? This is the question asked in the recent New York Times article (read it here). It caught my attention because about 5 years ago my family and I decided to stop watching television. The idea started when we had a customer service problem with our cable company. So rather than to deal with the hassle and also partly to challenge ourselves to be less of couch potatoes we simply disconnected from the TV world.
To be sure, it was not easy at first. We missed our favorite programs terribly. I missed the Daily Show with Jon Stewart the most. My young son whined and complained nonstop for few days. But we persevered and now think, "What was all the fuss about?"
So to answer the question posed above.... For us, we talked, read, played games, and took walks more often. In other words, we moved and bonded as a family more. Obviously this is a good, healthy thing. Now, if only we spent less time sitting on our butts all day in front of computer screens....
December 24, 2009
From one allergy sufferer to another, I truly wish you an awesome Christmas with no sniffles, sneezes, itchiness, coughes, ache and exhaustion. Well, the last two, everyone likely will experience no matter what.... And now you can relax with this soothing music and images of winter wonderland.
December 20, 2009
While I was studying Maum meditation in S. Korea, I visited a well-known Buddhist temple known as Shin Won Sa (see the photo above) about one and a half miles away. The atmosphere was always serene with devoted practitioners praying or engaged in a walking meditation. Personally, one of the most interesting things about my visits there was rustic, traditional Korean houses that were partly used as gift shops for visitors along the path toward the main temple entrance. And from one of these shops I bought this wooden mala (photo above), drawn to its simple beauty. I thought it would be ideal to use it as a tool - something to focus and count as I repeated mantra or affirmation. I learned there were 108 beads which made me curious if there was significance to the number. Well, it turns out there is. There are interesting beliefs and meanings about the number 108 in world religions and spiritual practices which I share with you below:
- 9 times 12: Both of these numbers have been said to have spiritual significance in many traditions. 9 times 12 is 108. Also, 1 plus 8 equals 9. That 9 times 12 equals 108.
- Powers of 1, 2, and 3 in math: 1 to 1st power=1; 2 to 2nd power=4 (2x2); 3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27=108Harshad number: 108 is a Harshad number, which is an integer divisible by the sum of its digits (Harshad is from Sanskrit, and means "great joy")
- Desires: There are said to be 108 earthly desires in mortals.
- Lies: There are said to be 108 lies that humans tell.
- Delusions: There are said to be 108 human delusions or forms of ignorance.
- Heart Chakra: The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.
- Sanskrit alphabet: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.
- Pranayama: If one is able to be so calm in meditation as to have only 108 breaths in a day, enlightenment will come.
- Upanishads: Some say there are 108 Upanishads, texts of the wisdom of the ancient sages.
- Sri Yantra: On the Sri Yantra there are marmas where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersections has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti qualities. 54 times 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra as well as the human body.
- Pentagon: The angle formed by two adjacent lines in a pentagon equals 108 degrees.
- Marmas: Marmas or marmasthanas are like energy intersections called chakras, except have fewer energy lines converging to form them. There are said to be 108 marmas in the subtle body.
- Time: Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.
- 8 extra beads: In doing a practice of counting the number of repetitions of the mala, 100 are counted as completed. The remaining are said to cover errors or omissions. The 8 are also said to be an offering to God and Guru.
- Astrology: There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas or chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas are the divisions within a whole.
- River Ganga: The sacred River Ganga spans a longitude of 12 degrees (79 to 91), and a latitude of 9 degrees (22 to 31). 12 times 9 equals 108.
- 1, 0, and 8: Some say that 1 stands for God or higher Truth, 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 stands for infinity or eternity.
- Sun and Earth: The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. The distance from the Sun to the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun.
- Meditations: Some say there are 108 styles of meditation.
- Breath: Tantra estimates the average number of breaths per day at 21,600, of which 10,800 are solar energy, and 10,800 are lunar energy. Multiplying 108 by 100 is 10,800. Multiplying 2 x 10,800 equals 21,600.
- Paths to God: Some suggest that there are 108 paths to God.
- Goddess names: There are said to be 108 Indian goddess names.
- Hinduism: 108 is said to refer to the number of Hindu deities. Some say that each of the deities has 108 names.
- Islam: The number 108 is used in Islam to refer to God.
- Jain: In the Jain religion, 108 are the combined virtues of five categories of holy ones, including 12, 8, 36, 25, and 27 virtues respectively.
- Buddhism: Some Buddhists carve 108 small Buddhas on a walnut for good luck. Some ring a bell 108 times to celebrate a new year. There are said to be 108 virtues to cultivate and 108 defilements to avoid.
- Chinese: The Chinese Buddhists and Taoists use a 108 bead mala, which is called su-chu, and has three dividing beads, so the mala is divided into three parts of 36 each. Chinese astrology says that there are 108 sacred stars.
- Stages of the soul: Said that Atman, the human soul or center goes through 108 stages on the journey.
- Praiseworthy souls: There are 108 qualities of praiseworthy souls.
Check out some beautiful mala beads here.
December 17, 2009
Want to know the easiest, quickest way to reduce stress you may face day to day? Simply do this: Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly and effortlessly. Then squeeze out a little more. That's it. Do this consciously every day as often as you can. Soon it will be a habit that facilitates more relaxed and healthier you. Now you can go out there and take on the madness of Christmas shopping!
December 14, 2009
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Know what? I am going to put this woodcut I did a long time ago on my wall to remind my lazy and at times indifferent self that I could do something - no matter how small it may be - to be a part of the solution. I've been talking to my 13 year-old son about volunteering together at a local food shelter and donating food for the needy. Regrettably, talking is all we've done...so this year I challenge myself to actually do it. Now that I've shared my intention with you and made it public, I better get moving....
December 10, 2009
Winter is coming and you might get dry, bronchial coughs, chest congestion and ear infections, if not already. To treat them naturally, Andrew Weil recommends mullein
Products are available as tinctures, oils, powders, lozenges, capsules, extracts and even in whole leaf form - select reliable brands that are 100 percent pure mullein.
For congestion and dry cough, try a dropperful of tincture in a little warm water every four hours. Mullein
Source: Andrew Weil, M.D.
December 07, 2009
You and I know we could get sick when someone has a flu and that person, without proper manners, sneezes at our face and shares a dreaded flu virus. But do we know exactly how a virus invades our body and takes down some unfortunate humans? Watch this and you will know.
December 03, 2009
My sinus pain was really bad recently and made my days miserable. But fortunately a great relief came in the form of guided mindfulness meditation dealing with physical pain by Shinzen Young. I bought his book, "Break Through Pain"
which includes a CD that teaches several meditation strategies to cope with acute or chronic pain. Below is a 3-part video segments demonstrating his work with a pain sufferer. I hope this sharing proves to be helpful if you are experiencing any physical discomfort.
