I have found that through meditation I can get closer to God than through prayer. I live on a lake back in the woods, so I’m in a perfect place for meditation. I sit on the deck in the late evening or at night and I meditate while I either watch
What’s happening?” What have you been up to?” What’s going on in your life?” We use these types of greetings every day in lives filled with things to do.
Any break in these nonstop activities is uncomfortable; when someone asks what is going on in our lives, it’s not cool to say “Nothing.” We would be considered boring—not at all fun to be around. Therefore, we spice it up; TV, the internet, movies, going here and there, relationships, family, friends, religion, careers, hobbies; they all contribute to make our lives interesting and active. A full life.
½. The habit of changing negative thoughts to positive.
This is a half habit because you don’t need the whole habit in order for it to be effective. It is the most difficult habit to maintain. This is the habit of changing your thoughts. Mastering your thoughts is a constant struggle, if you master them half the time, you’ll be doing twice a well! The thoughts you share with others can have a profound influence on them.
It appears as if war has always existed. Even throughout the
universe, past-life researchers (going way back), including
our own research and visions, report various forms of
controversy, discord, and aggression.
Militarily, economically, psychically, or other ways, there is
always risk of attack and nothing will change that. You can’t
just try to think only positive thoughts and “increase the light
within all life everywhere,” to “stop war,” and conflict, as
some advocate.
In the beginning of Earth’s recorded history, disputes were
usually over basic necessities like good water and soil and
hunting rights, then over commodities like gold and silver,
and also land. The most common topic of disagreement, then
and now, is religion, and it’s likely to continue.
People paint for a lot of different reasons. To relax, to express themselves , to create beauty and meaning, to make money, because they have a passion to create, to gain approval, to stay sane, to make sense of the world, to play and have fun. All of the above are wonderful and valid motivations to put a brush filled with color onto paper or canvas. But did you also know that there is a way to approach painting that can be used very effectively as a form of meditation and psycho spiritual practice?
Not expecting instant results is a good beginning but expect the kilesas!
Kilesa : Our inherent greed, hatred, and delusion.
Your kilesas will become downright annoyed that you are doing this (meditation), and will cause mischief for sure. They will attempt to sway you this way or that way. To begin with, they will make you painfully aware of any physical or mental weaknesses you may have or imagine that you have, and will attempt to force you to cut back or stop the practice. One of their favorite ploys is making you excruciatingly aware of your mortality, and scaring you with the thoughts of terrible, terminal illnesses that you might be harboring!