English Literature – Articles ☆ Meditate Like The Buddha # 21: Pearls of Wisdom ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

 As we progress on the path of meditation, we develop valuable insights. We share below some gems shared by experienced meditators:

“Meditation is a practice that makes it possible to cultivate and develop certain basic positive human qualities in the same way as other forms of training make it possible to play a musical instrument or acquire any other skill.”

-Matthieu Ricard

“Meditation has the effect of creating biological calm and reducing stress. Research shows that long-term meditators have a lessened cortisol response (a key stress hormone) under stress.”

-Daniel Goleman

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”

“Mindfulness is a kind of energy that helps us to be fully present in the here and the now, aware of what is going on in our body, in our feelings, mind, and in the world, so that we can get in touch with the wonders of life that nourish and heal us.”

“With mindfulness, concentration, and insight, you can generate a feeling of joy and happiness, whenever you want. With the energy of mindfulness, you can also handle a painful feeling or emotion.”

“Your breath should be light, even, and flowing, like a thin stream of water running through the sand. Your breath should be quiet, so quiet that a person sitting next to you cannot hear it. Your breathing should flow gracefully, like a river, like a water snake crossing the water, and not like a chain of rugged mountains or the gallop of a horse.”

“If each one can meditate an hour each day that is good, but it’s nowhere near enough. You have got to practice meditation when you walk, stand, lie down, sit, and work, while washing your hands, washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, drinking tea, talking to friends, or whatever you are doing.”

“When you are washing the dishes, washing the dishes must be the most important thing in your life. Just as when you are drinking tea, drinking tea must be the most important thing in your life. When you’re using the toilet, let that be the most important thing in your life.”

“Chopping wood is meditation. Carrying water is meditation. Be mindful 24 hours a day, not just during the one hour you may allot for formal meditation or reading scripture or reciting prayers.”

“Each act must be carried out in mindfulness. Each act is a rite, a ceremony. Raising your cup of tea to your mouth is a rite, a ceremony. Do it mindfully.”

“Do not drink your tea like someone who gulps down a cup of coffee during a work break. Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the whole earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.”

“Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

“Beyond the pleasant states meditation can produce, the real payoffs are the lasting traits that can result.”

Daniel Goleman & Richard J Davidson

 “By the practice of meditation, you will find that you are carrying within your heart a portable paradise.”

–Paramahansa Yogananda

“All walking can be walking meditation. You can focus on your footsteps, on bodily awareness, or on breathing itself, anything that brings you into the present.”

“I love to walk for exercise, and I find my walks around the city to be wonderful occasions for mindfulness practice.”

-Larry Rosenberg

“The fruition of meditation could be described as an optimal way of being, or again, as genuine happiness. This true and lasting happiness is a profound sense of having realized to the utmost the potential we have within us for wisdom and accomplishment. Working towards this kind of fulfilment is an adventure worth embarking upon.”

“If we consider that the possible benefit of meditation is to have a new experience of the world each moment in our lives, then it does not seem excessive to spend at least twenty minutes a day getting to know our mind better and training it towards this kind of purpose.”

“Mindfulness is a kind of energy that helps us to be fully present in the here and the now, aware of what is going on in our body, in our feelings, mind, and in the world, so that we can get in touch with the wonders of life that nourish and heal us.”

“Experienced meditators have demonstrated qualities of focused attention that are not found among beginners. For example, they are able to maintain more or less perfect concentration on a particular task for forty-five minutes, whereas most people cannot go beyond five or ten minutes before they begin making an increasing number of mistakes.”

“Meditation reduces anxiety, the tendency towards anger and the risk of relapse for people who have previously undergone depression.”

“Eight weeks of meditation for thirty minutes a day significantly strengthens the immune system, reinforces positive emotions, and reduces arterial pressure in those suffering from high blood pressure.”

-Matthieu Ricard

“First, let the mind follow the movement of the breath, in and out, until it becomes calm and tranquil. Then increasingly rest the mind on the breath until one’s whole being seems to be identified with it.”

“When performing the meditation practice, one should develop the feeling of opening oneself completely to the whole universe with absolute simplicity and nakedness of mind, ridding oneself of all protecting barriers.”

“Meditation is always perfect, so there is no need to correct anything. Since everything that arises is simply the play of the mind, there are no “bad” meditation sessions and no need to judge thoughts as good or evil.”

“Simply plunge straight into meditation at this very moment with your whole mind, and be free from hesitation, boredom, or excitement.”

“When meditating it is traditional and best, if possible, to sit cross-legged with the back erect but not rigid. However, it is most important to feel comfortable, so it is better to sit in a chair if sitting cross-legged is painful.”

-Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

“Sit comfortably. Keep your back straight. Follow your breath. Let go of everything. If you can, maintain a half-smile. As the half smile appears, all the facial muscles begin to relax. The longer the half smile is maintained, the better. It is the same smile you see on the face of the Buddha.”

“Half-smile when you first wake up in the morning. Use these first seconds before you get out of bed to take hold of your breath. Inhale and exhale three breaths gently while maintaining the half smile. Follow your breaths.”

“Half-smile during your free moments – anywhere you find yourself sitting or standing. Look at a child, a leaf, a painting on the wall, anything which is relatively still, and smile. Inhale and exhale quietly three times. Maintain the half smile and consider the spot of your attention as your true nature.”

“Half-smile while listening to music. Pay attention to the words, music, rhythm, and sentiments. Smile while watching your inhalations and exhalations.”

“When you realize you’re irritated, half-smile at once. Inhale and exhale quietly, maintain the half smile for three breaths.”

“Those who are without compassion cannot see what is seen with the eyes of compassion.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

English Literature – Articles ☆ Meditate Like The Buddha # 15: MINDFULNESS OF BREATHING ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

English Literature – Articles ☆ Meditate Like The Buddha # 16: THE FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

English Literature – Articles ☆ Meditate Like The Buddha # 17: The Middle Way ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

English Literature – Articles ☆ Meditate Like The Buddha # 19: THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

English Literature – Articles ☆ Meditate Like The Buddha # 20: The Four Jhanas ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆