Scientists have discovered that it is possible to induce lucid dreaming in sleepers by applying mild electrical currents to their scalps, a study says. Lucid dreaming is when a sleeper recognises they are dreaming and may even be able to manipulate the dream’s plot and control their behavior. “The key finding is that you can, surprisingly, by scalp stimulation, influence the brain. And you can influence the brain in such a way that a sleeper, a dreamer, becomes aware that he is […]
Recently, I embarked on a 21-day cleanse from the supplement company Standard Process. In addition to thirty herbal pills a day for the first week, it entailed eating nothing but fruits, vegetables, lentils, and rice for the first ten days. I don’t…
With evidence growing that training the mind or inducing specific modes of consciousness can have beneficial health effects, scientists have sought to understand how these practices physically affect the body. A new study by researchers in Wisconsin, Spain, and France reports the first evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of intensive mindfulness practice. The study investigated the effects of a day of intensive mindfulness practice in a group of expe […]
The Buddha famously said that the cause of suffering (dukkha) is clinging. In fact, it is the second of his Four Noble Truths. For most people this idea speaks to the things in our lives that we like and want to hold onto, and the things we do not like and we want to make go away. While there is truth in this view, it is nonetheless one step removed from the deeper truth that most fail to see. The attempt to identify everything that I like or don’t like and what I am holding ont […]
Buddha was asked, “What have you gained from meditation?” He replied, “Nothing.” However, Buddha said, “Let me tell you what I lost : Anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, fear of old age and death.” […]
I have been doing this meditation on and off for several months, and the effects are unmistakable. If you set an intention to clear old patterns, people, and things in your life while chanting this meditation for 11 minutes each day, you will start noticing things that no longer serve you, so that you can clear them from your life to make room for things that serve your higher self. To do the meditation, chant along with the recording, and as you sit on the floor, with each line “wahe guru.. et […]
Lucid dreaming is one category of dreams that many people experience. It occurs when the individual is dreaming and during that dream the individual is completely aware that they are dreaming. Some people report a low-level lucidity state where one is aware they are dreaming but not able to alter the content of the dream. Other people have experienced high-level lucidity where one is aware they are dreaming but are also able to alter the dream, and have the freedom to do whatever they des […]
At first glance, Quiet Time – a stress reduction strategy used in several San Francisco middle and high schools, as well as in scattered schools around the Bay Area – looks like something out of the om-chanting 1960s. Twice daily, a gong sounds in the classroom and rowdy adolescents, who normally can’t sit still for 10 seconds, shut their eyes and try to clear their minds. I’ve spent lots of time in urban schools and have never seen anything like it. This practice – meditation rebra […]
The basic idea of the sitting practice of meditation is that it is what the Buddha did, and because of that, he attained enlightenment. That’s the basic point. And we have been told how to practice that way too, so that in turn, we can attain enlightenment. One of the basic ideas is that generally, when we are about in the world, we want a lot of things and we can’t get them. And sometimes we get angry with other people. Then we want to destroy them. Sometimes we have so much […]
Therapeutic interventions that incorporate training in mindfulness meditation have become increasingly popular, but to date, little is known about neural mechanisms associated with these interventions. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), one of the most widely used mindfulness training programs, has been reported to produce positive effects on psychological well-being and to ameliorate symptoms of a number of disorders. Here, we report a controlled longitudinal study to investigat […]
