An Overview of Zen Meditation For Your Self Help

Zen meditation is a little different as compared to other traditional forms of meditation. Here the person who meditates does not get into a "trance" and they experience the beauty of life, in each breath of the present moment to the fullest.

How To Meditate

Select a quiet, comfortable place. The spot should not be too cold or too hot, nor too dark or bright. Place a cushion on the carpet or a blanket. You can keep it on the floor or on a thin pad.

These meditation pads and cushions (also called as zabutons and zafus) can be easily purchased. However other materials like rolled up blankets, sofa cushions or pillows is good enough for beginners.

The benefits of Zen meditation are as follows:

- Builds focus and concentration
- Generates awareness of Big Self
- Compassion,calmness,spontaneous joy
- Improves health and overall well being
- Builds character and increases will power
- Bestows psychic powers

The sitting postures under this type of meditation have been illustrated in many books. There are various postures like the full lotus posture, quarter lotus posture, half lotus posture, Burmese posture and kneeling posture which can be practiced by following the instructions given in the book.

In all these postures, it is necessary to keep your spinal cord straight, chin tucked in, buttocks thrust out and hands held closed to your body in "cosmic mudra". Here the left hand rests on the top of your right hand with palms open.

After you are through with the sitting posture, you have to take deep breath which would allow the lungs to expand. Focus all your attention on your breath during this process of meditation. If thoughts arise, acknowledge them, let them pass and treat them as a passing cloud.

If you are counting your breath, then you should count the breath from 1 to 10 when you exhale and inhale. You can purchase items like a bell, a ringing bowl or a incense to signal the start and the end of meditation period.

Initially you can practice this meditation for a period of 10 minutes. As you gain experience, you can extend the period up to 20 minutes. You should sit for meditation at the time when distractions are minimum preferably in the early morning. However there are some people who would love to meditate in the evening as well.

If you are following your breath then focus your attention on the breath as you exhale and inhale. When your mind flickers and wanders here and there then bring back the attention to your breath. Do not punish yourself if the attention wanders. The main purpose of your mind is to create thoughts. They are always with you. You should overcome those thoughts and focus on your breath.

While meditating, make sure you wear loose clothing. It is not recommended to sit for meditation after a heavy meal.

While practicing Zen meditation, you may experience cramps or aches in the legs and back. Don't force yourself so that it becomes strenuous. If you feel like doing Zen meditation in a group then you can look for various groups on the World Wide Web.

Here's an excellent way to start enjoying the benefits of meditation today. The Deep Zen audio program is easy for anyone wanting to learn how to meditate and helps advanced meditators achieve deeper levels of meditation too. Try your free demo here: http://holothink.org

Danger! Air Bags Aloft!

"Speak when you're spoken to" was the maxim with which most of us grew up. I'm trying to live by it now . Don't say anything unless there is something to say. Wait for the message. Here's what comes today, in the form of a question:

Where is the greatest danger for the Christian believer today? If you could choose to live in a place where you, the church, the world perceive the greatest threat to your personal safety, your character, your soul, your eternal relationship with Christ, where would you go?

I do not suggest that it is given to us to decide such matters. The Lord of the harvest must send this one here and that one there. So it's good that we not necessarily respond to our decision as though our thinking process is what makes the church go 'round.

But where would you go? I have portrayed North Korea as one of the most horrible places a Christian, or anyone could live. No liberty. No church, at least above ground. Tortured and tormented for naming publicly the name of Christ. Abject poverty. No modern conveniences except near Pyongyang. Big Brother alive and well and watching every move, and reporting it too. Oh my! Dangerous!

But out of North Korea come saints who walk with God. Not because American missionaries come in and out of that nation;they're not allowed. They don't thrive on American dollars and conveniences. Our gifts are mis-directed and hoarded by the inner circle. How do they possibly thrive without American riches and ingenuity? What drives a refugee who has finally escaped the nightmare, to turn around and walk right back in with Bibles, tracts and personal testimonies, to share Christ with neighbors and family? Yes, it happens in this dangerous land.

Danger you say? I agree. Yet when these souls pass on to the next life, it is all soon forgotten. These suffering saints are received in Christ's embrace and eternity begins in His arms. Makes North Korea look a little safer after all.

Consider fellow-nation USA. Safety everywhere you say? Oh, I agree there also. No guns. Well, actually lots of guns, but most people can move freely to places where guns aren't an issue. No persecution. No problem with church attendance. Why, a church on every corner. Plenty to eat and drink and enjoy. A comfort zone if ever there was one!

The dictator of North Korea has deceived his people into thinking that he is a god. Fear of failing this god has created this nation. But Americans are convinced of lies just as serious. Even Christians. They are convinced, for example, that a bag of air carried from one end of a field to another by a highly paid athlete, or a rawhide sphere slammed by a stick over a wall is gravely important and worth whiling hours and hours away as their safe little nations sinks deeper into its sins and faces the wrath of God.

Where are the heroic saints emerging emerging from this land? Believers who still go to church better not be asked to stay over an hour per meeting. The prayer meeting has all but died, and its format has been dead for a long time. Music is worldly, messages are miniscule, and evangelism has stopped in so many of these period pieces. Soon the world will speak of post-Christian America as we speak of Europe today.

Did we say this is a safe place? Not for the soul. Temptation is all around.

The answer for most of us is not to move to North Korea. But to repent. And to be such odd ducks for Jesus here, for holiness produces such, that the persecution will follow us too. Where is the cross in this nation? Surely Jesus has one for you, and it's not that sore toe or rheumatism. The world can boast of all those things.

It's the sold-out devotion to a living God that brings the wrath of the Enemy. Without it, our facing of eternity may be more hazardous than we had bargained for.

"Must Jesus bear the cross alone, and all the world go free?

"No, there's a cross for everyone, and there's a cross for me."

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

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Happy Children - Create a Happy Child with a Tantrum of Thankfulness

In my research on potty training for our potty training course, I have learned that children respond to the emotions of their parents and care takers. In further research, I have learned that in all relationships, the most important step you can take in creating a successful relationship is to be happy yourself.

All people are attracted to happiness. This trait is most easily observed in children who have not yet learned to suppress their emotions.

The most important gift that you can give your child is your own happiness. When you are happy yourself, you will naturally be more patient, kind and loving toward your child. You dont have to work at it, the love just flows naturally when you are happy.

Too many parents think that once they have children, pursuing their own happiness is selfish and something to feel guilty about. Neglecting your children while pursing your happiness may be something to feel guilty about; however, there are many ways to create your own happiness and provide care for your children at the same time.

Children need love and happiness as part of their nutritional requirements. They cannot grow and develop to their full potential unless they receive adequate love and attention.

Parents who are filled with happiness and who think happy thoughts the majority of the time are in a much better position to provide the nurturing environment that children need to grow and develop. Finding your own happiness is the first step in creating a happy child.

Dr Wayne Dyer suggests in his books that you can choose your emotions. You simply choose to feel angry or choose to feel happy. While I love his writings, I have had trouble practicing that suggestion. What works better for me is to choose thoughts that allow the happy emotions to flow naturally.

For example, when my dog was injured, there was no way I could feel happy about his injury. However, after a great deal of prayer and meditation, I was able to slowly begin to find things about the episode that I could feel better about. By slowly changing my thoughts from sadness and anger to thankfulness and expectation, I was eventually able to feel happy again about my dog.

And just like a child, my dog has responded to my thoughts and emotions. While I was sad, he moped around and looked awful. As my mood improved, he began to get more active and is now again the feisty puppy that I enjoy spending time with.

Because children respond so visibly to your emotions, it is your duty as a parent to be as happy as you can be. Seeking your own happiness is not selfish, but the act of a loving and responsible parent.

Over the years, I have observed many child behavior issues that we very obviously linked to the unhappiness of the parents. Well, it was obvious to everyone except the parents of these children. They kept looking for someone else to blame for their childrens problems. They continued to create more unhappiness for their children and everyone involved.

So, if you notice undesirable behavior in your own children, take a moment to look inside yourself before you start looking for someone else to blame. Are you happy? If not, take steps to address your own emotions before you start to work with your childrens behavior problems.

As an engineer, I was very good at the identify a problem, find a cause, remove the cause, theres your solution kind of problem solving method. But in my work with children, I have found that this method is ineffective.

A better method is to simply identify and express the desired behavior and then encourage it. I call this the creative intention method of problem solving.

We can leave the cause finding to the research scientists. As parents, we just want happy well behaved children.

And the first step in creating happy children is to find happiness ourselves. Creative intention works especially well in finding ways to create more happy thoughts in your life and in the life of your children.

In every situation, there is always something good to be thankful for. Those of us who are accustomed to finding problems that need a solution will need to practice a bit before we can easily and quickly see the good in every situation. You may want to find someone who is naturally optimistic to mentor you.

But with practice we all can learn to think thoughts that will create happy feelings.

One quick exercise that can help is throwing a Tantrum of Thankfulness. We all know that two year olds can express a lot of emotion is a short period of time so let us use that example to create more of what we want and less of what we dont want.

Set a timer for three minutes. During that time think of as many things as you can to be thankful for. Write them down, speak them aloud or just think about them. I like to do opposites: I am thankful for sunshine, I am thankful for rain. Get as animated as possible while doing this exercise. Jump around, sing, yell, do whatever you can to experience the emotion of passionate thankfulness.

Get your children involved in the game. Really listen to what they are thankful for. If they dont understand the concept of thankful just ask what makes them happy. Dont make any judgments, just go with what they say.

I prefer to do this exercise with my dog as my children are older and think I am crazy. My dog just enjoys the company.

Whenever you find unhappy thoughts creeping in, just throw a tantrum of thankfulness. If it is not appropriate to throw a tantrum right there like waiting in line at the post office - just remember the last tantrum you threw. Experience the happiness in your mind and smile.

The greatest gift you can ever give to anyone is that of your own happiness. Guard it with all your might and seek new ways to create happiness everyday.

Teach your children how to be happy. Create a happy world for all of us one happy child at a time.

Mike Strawbridge is the owner of Straw Solutions Performance Improvement Consulting and is dedicated to creating happy business owners and happy employees.

http://www.mikestrawbridge.com

Mike is also a contributing writer for the Potty Training Site http://www.pottytrainingsite.com

Saint Jude Patron Saint of Desperate Cases and Lost Cases

St Jude is considered the Patron Saint of Lost Cases and Desperate Causes Situation in the Catholic religion. St Jude is depicted wearing a green robe which symbolizes life and Hope, as well as a flame above his head were he received the Holy Spirit after Pentecost.

Often time he is depicted with a club, axe or carpenters rulers, the axe or a similar item because this is the weapon that was used to kill him.

The Calendar of Saints is way that the Catholic Church associates one or several Saints with the days of year. These day associated with the saints are called Feast Day, the Feast Day for St Jude is October 28th. Often times local churches will festival and special masses around these date to pay tribute to the Saint on that day.

Legend tells us that he spread the words of the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia. Later in life he returned to Jerusalem around the year 62, and aided the election of his brother, St. Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem. We know that St Jude was born Jewish in Paneas, and that his mother and father opted into Christianity. His father Clopas is said to have been murder for his devotion and outspoken ways towards Christianity.

St Jude at the Last Supper with Jesus and is said to have asked Jesus why he did not reveal himself to the world after his resurrection. A devoted Apostle that is said to have traveled to Iran, Beirut and Edessa carry the word and message of Jesus. St. Jude Thaddaues is some time confused for Jude Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to Roman.

Iscariot contacts the Chief Priest and ask what will you give me if I deliver him to you? And so legend tells is that he sold Jesus to the Romans and assist them in the crucifixion.

It is important to understand and know the distinction between the two Judes because St Jude Thaddaeus played a very important and positive part as an Apostle. St Jude Thaddaeus mother was the Virgin Marys cousin and therefore there is a direct connection with Jesus.

In you most desperate situation, when you find yourself completely lost St. Jude is the saint you direct yourself to. He is the Patron Saint of Desperate Cases and lost Causes therefore you evoke prayers and offering to him to assist you in moment of need.

One way to initiate prayers to St Jude is to begin a Novena. A Novena is a prayer that you repeat for nine continuous days and ask for assistance or relief with your suffering. You can also use a prayer book, a Rosary or a 3 day candle.

For More Detailed Information please visit www.novenastjude.com.

Lue Amil

Intelligence - Learning How Other People Think, Feel and Sense

By interpreting your dreams, you will understand how your psychic sphere works and how you can develop all your psychological functions and stay away from depression, craziness and suicidal thoughts. Moreover, you will also understand how other people think, feel and sense, what will help you avoid misunderstandings and other problems in your relationships.

First of all, you will have clear information about the person you love, so that you may understand if this is really the ideal person for you and what you must do to have a peaceful and happy relationship.

However, everybody is important in your life. You may never have cared about trying to understand the others, but this is a crucial matter.

In my ebook concerning craziness prevention through dream interpretation, I summarized the psychological types defined by Carl Jung in his book (2 volumes) "Psychological Types," because one cannot understand why one must develop the psychic sphere, what to learn in order to be balanced and why dream messages are so important, without knowing about the 8 existent psychological types and their defects.

This is important not only for your own development but also to help predict other people's reactions to avoid fights, misunderstandings and manipulations against you. Of course, you shall not use this knowledge to manipulate others because you can predict their reaction. Your intentions in life must always be good if you want to avoid problems.

The comprehension of the psychic sphere function in each one will give you many answers for many questions you never expected to have because you'll understand the roots of the human behaviour.

The light of wisdom will eliminate your doubts and your complaints about other people's behaviour. You'll be able to trust your friends and partners without fear and avoid relationships with psychological types based on the opposite psychological functions of your psychological type. This will save you from unnecessary conflicts and help you distinguish people who are compatible with your character.

Prevent Depression and Craziness through the scientific method of Dream Interpretation discovered by Carl Jung and simplified by Christina Sponias, a writer who continued Jung's research in the unknown region of the human psychic sphere.

Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com and http://www.booksirecommend.com

Click below to download your copy of the Free ebook
Beating Depression and Craziness

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