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Articles from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock | Selfgrowth.com
- Creating A Universe In Your Mind - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockScientists say that everything began in the emptiness of space when a pea-sized piece of intensely dense matter and energy exploded into what has become our universe. In the Zen Buddhist religion, it is said, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Emptiness is no other than form, form is no ...
Views: 709 - Obama Gets It - by Submitted on Apr 18, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockFor seven years, congress has done relatively little regarding the very serious problems we face, such as a failing economy for the middle class, a war that we are bogged down in and where we are at the mercy of powerless Iraqi government that sides with Iran, a looming social security crisis, ...
Views: 707 - Seven Reasons We Don’t Become Enlightened - by Submitted on Jan 02, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockLack of adequate guidance Lack of resolve or faith Lack of confidence Lack of courage Distractions Laziness Anger Lack of adequate guidance: According to the Buddha, who is arguably the quintessential expert on enlightenment, in order to become enlightened we must understand how to practice, ...
Views: 707 - Middle-Aged Suicides - by Submitted on Feb 19, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockAccording to Patricia Cohen of the New York times, A new five-year analysis of the nation's death rates recently released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the suicide rate among 45-to-54-year-olds increased nearly 20 percent from 1999 to 2004, the latest year ...
Views: 704 - Why We War Over Religion - by Submitted on Jan 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe go to war to defend our religion. It has happened throughout history and is happening now. Once we label ourselves as a Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Jew, we feel that this label must be defended. This is a separation, where those who don't believe as we believe become the enemy, and ...
Views: 699 - How To Find Yourself (How To Look Within) - by Submitted on Mar 21, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockUnderstanding oneself, one's drives, one's emotions, the way in which one's mind works, is the minimum requirement for successful relationships. Without this understanding of oneself, without taking the time to learn about oneself, relationships can be merely a tug of war between two independent ...
Views: 697 - Seeds of Partings - by Submitted on Mar 16, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockMeetings of yesterday - seeds of tomorrow’s partings Planted as hope - the sadness I know, Growing straight and strong for so long, And now fallen down in an ocean of tears. Had I but known of the heartaches ahead, And if I did, what matter? What escape from this velvet noose, This ...
Views: 697 - An Article About Nothing - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThis article is about nothing. Therefore, after you read it, you won't know anything more than you did before reading it; it will be a total waste of your time because I have nothing to say. I mean, what can be said about mountains so high that the snow never leaves their peaks, and as we gaze ...
Views: 695 - Top Ten Relationship Mistakes (Advanced — Part 2 of 3) - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock1. Misunderstanding what a relationship is all about. A relationship is an opportunity to give, rather than take. If one or both partners have plastered on their forehead, "What's in this for me," things will get dicey. The key to a successful relationship is always uncompromising trust, and ...
Views: 694 - Ten Benefits Of Meditation - by Submitted on Dec 25, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock· Reducing stress · Feeling better mentally and physically · Eliminating fear and uncertainty from our lives · Changing aspects of our lives we do not like · Deepening and improving our relationships with others · Becoming more ...
Views: 691 - Meditation Can Help Depression - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWASHINGTON (AP) People who tend to the elderly, change diapers, and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers. Overall, 7 percent of full-time workers battled depression in the past year, according to a government report . . . When we work with old people, ...
Views: 688 - The Key (A Fairytale) — Chapter 4: Nothing Left To Lose (Part 5) - by Submitted on May 12, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThe forest was deliciously cool now, waiting silently, reverently for the day ahead, while lively birds and animals greeted the new morning with their familiar cries. The trail was a lush, fragrant tunnel of large ferns, bamboo groves, and tropical flowers surrounded by endless trees, foliage, ...
Views: 688 - The Key (A Fairytale) — Chapter 1: One More Journey (Part 1) - by Submitted on Apr 05, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThe sound of pacing reverberated throughout the high spire, echoing along the halls of the upper chambers. I stopped pacing long enough to gaze longingly at the valley below, slowly, from one end to the other, this precious kingdom that would be mine someday. Everyone looked small and ...
Views: 687 - Affairs of the Heart, and the Ending of Sorrow - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhen we think of heart, we think of our emotions. In the context of this article, however, heart means the summation of all that we are; our emotions, our thoughts, our bodies, and our minds – and the affairs of life that we all share. Affairs of the heart always begin with a solitary ...
Views: 683 - Religion: Last One Out, Please Close The Door - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockA recent report from the prestigious Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life comes down to this - Christians are getting restless. The report, other than indicating the consumerish attitude of modern religion shoppers, may indicate a deeper trend; it could mean that religion, as a mystery, as an ...
Views: 683 - What do You do the Day After Your Life Changes? - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIt can sneak up on you like a thief in night; change that is. One day, you are content and happy with your life, and the next, it's as if you find yourself living on mars. Everything around you has somehow changed, and you haven't, or maybe you have changed and everything else has remained ...
Views: 677 - Seven Indicators That Meditation Is About To Go Mainstream - by Submitted on Mar 02, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockAlthough meditation is thousands of years old, it is relatively new in the west. Here in America, new ideas seem to introduce themselves at three levels. First, a new idea is viewed as threatening and it is feared. Later, it is made fun of, ridiculed and laughed at. And finally, it is accepted ...
Views: 676 - Love - What Are You? - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockLove. Stay! Do you understand? I want you. Stay! Are you my love? Will you make me happy? Please make me happy. Be my love. Stay! Will you always love me? Love me forever? Please love me forever. Be my love. Stay! Are you my love? Will you change? Please don’t change. Be my love, ...
Views: 673 - People Ask Me, "Why Do You Meditate?" - by Submitted on Sep 12, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThe mind is a curious thing. Oddly enough, it seeks security in such silly concepts as the past. But what if the mind learned not to do that? What if the mind trained itself not to seek security in the past and only focused on what was happening in the present? What would happen then? That, ...
Views: 661 - Spirituality – Three Requirements - by Submitted on Jan 24, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockSpirituality is an innate quality we all have in various degrees. For that spiritual quality to move from an innate to an active mode, however, depends upon three things. If any of the three are missing, spiritual tendencies could be smothered by our instinctive reactions of greed, hatred, and ...
Views: 661 - Natural Cures For Constipation And Diarrhea (Don't Try These at Home!) - by Submitted on Apr 04, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIt was 1981 and my wife and I were living at a monastery in the remote jungles of Northeast Thailand practicing as a Buddhist monk and nun . . . and Janet was having problems stomaching the coarse food. With only one meal in the morning and no further food permitted the rest of the day, she ...
Views: 660 - The True Purpose of a Relationship - by Submitted on Feb 06, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockNo, it's not to make babies! Although making babies is a very important consideration regarding the propagation of our species, especially in Europe and the United States where the birth rate is plummeting, it's not the prime purpose. And it's not to keep you company. Or make you financially or ...
Views: 660 - Play Your Own Guitar - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIt is important that we remain true to our own ambitions, whatever they happen to be. If they are harmful or helpful to others, or ourselves, we will find out soon enough through the reflection of our associations. Learning to play our instrument flawlessly is very important. We should be aware ...
Views: 659 - The Hope Of Humankind - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIf a star is originally only gasses that are compressed into a burning sun, then someday that star will become only gas again. If the universe was at one time pure energy, then all the stars and planets will become pure energy again; dust to dust so to speak. And this constant change, I believe, ...
Views: 649 - Calculate Your Candidate Based on the Issues — - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThis is fun! Just score each issue, add up your score, and see who's your man . . . or woman! It is important, really important I feel, to not only do our civic duty and responsibly research who matches up to our particular preferences, but to make sure and vote. As Thomas Jefferson once said, ...
Views: 648 - Worry — Who Needs It? - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe worry a lot, and the things we worry about are unlimited. For example, the current hot issues - the war, the economy, immigration, global warming, health care - and the list goes on. If these weren't enough, how about our personal problems, our jobs, our relationships, our families, our ...
Views: 642 - Purpose, and the Religious Left - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockAn excerpt from Wikipedia.org (Religious Left): “The Christian Left holds that social justice, renunciation of power, humility, forgiveness, and private observation of prayer (as opposed to publicly mandated prayer) are clearly mandated by the Gospel text . . . Bible scholars observe that early ...
Views: 641 - If You Are Not Happy Now, You Never Will Be - by Submitted on Oct 02, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe have all foolhardily said, at one time or another, that if we only had so and so, we would be happy forever. I remember saying it when I was a little tyke and wanted a two-wheeler, and later when I was a young man and wanted a house, three kids, and two cars! I think we set ourselves up when ...
Views: 640 - Looking For The Only Happiness - by Submitted on May 20, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhen a Buddhist monk or nun ordains, they give away everything. They give away their relationships, their families, their business career or job, house, car, clothes – everything. They trade it all for three simple robes and a begging bowl, and perhaps a chance to see the "Dhamma" -- a catalyst ...
Views: 640 - The Third Level Of Education - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockAsk any educator today about the purpose of teaching, and they will more than likely say that it is to bestow knowledge, not much different from programming a computer. But is that the true purpose of teaching, or is that only an obsession with past, dead information? Another educator might say ...
Views: 638 - The Zen Master and a Troubled Man - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockI made my way back toward the monastery and noticed a middle-aged man waiting near the entrance; he had his hands clasped, indicating that he would like to speak with me. When I walked over to where he was waiting, he said, “Thank you for a moment of your time. I must make a difficult decision ...
Views: 636 - Meditation Practice – Managing the Insights and Energy - by Submitted on Feb 12, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockA common mistake made by new and intermediate meditators is the frittering away of the insights and energy that result naturally from meditation practice. Unless a meditator knows how to manage this energy and insight, he or she will fall into the trap of a premature re-embracing of the world. ...
Views: 632 - Shopping at the Spirituality Supermarket - by Submitted on Dec 30, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockFeel-good spiritual paths espousing light and love and the prospect of some kind of an enlightenment with little or no effort are plentiful, but have they really changed you? A trend is developing toward a serious approach to spirituality involving personal, in-depth, permanent changes in ...
Views: 632 - Top Ten Relationship Mistakes (Initial — Part 1 of 3) - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock1. Relying on your feelings rather than your intuition. Feelings regarding a new relationship will almost always involve powerful lust. This is natural. When an interest grows sexually, it grows as quickly and as surely as a child. Each interaction doubles the desire until the need to be ...
Views: 632 - What You Don’t Want To Know About God! - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockFrom the Bible, we learn all kinds of things about God. What we don’t know about God, however, are things like; what does He do on Sunday afternoons? Since we are created in His likeness, He must like the same things we do. Doesn’t that make sense? So, He must like football games! Go Packers! ...
Views: 632 - Don’t Worry, Be Happy? - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockEons ago when we lived in caves, we would get hungry, and when we got hungry, we would become very unhappy and mad as hell, and we would go out and kill something to eat! Today, if we become unhappy with our situation, whatever it may be, we get mad as hell and change it! So unhappiness has its ...
Views: 630 - Meditation — 11 Reasons Why People Begin - by Submitted on Dec 30, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockMen and women, seeking spiritual answers they can't seem to find in Western culture or traditional religious pathways, are trying meditation. A large (and growing) number of people are taking up the practice, including open-minded Christians and undocumented millions of seekers who are ...
Views: 628 - How to Uncover the 5 Hidden Lies - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock"Thou shalt not bear false witness" - the Ninth Commandment that is probably more abused than any other! Lying is one of the Buddhist precepts as well, the fourth to be exact. The problem with Buddhism, however, is that lying is not simply a matter of making an untrue statement, lying goes much ...
Views: 626 - Considering Politics And Religion - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockPolitics, defined as "social relations involving authority or power," dominate a religious organization when the religion is no longer relevant; the operational words being "social," and power." When a religion becomes more of a social event instead of living up to the original tenets of ...
Views: 624 - Credit Without Cash Backing It Up Spells Depression! - by Submitted on Apr 04, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIf we are accustomed to eating out three times a week, and for financial reasons can only eat out twice, we feel deprived. Additionally, if we only eat at exclusive restaurants (wouldn’t be caught dead in a chain!), then we will feel disadvantaged if we have to eat at an Olive Garden, or, dare I ...
Views: 620 - New Frontiers In Spirituality - by Submitted on Feb 20, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockPeople of all religions and spiritual persuasions are attempting to get at the root of their faiths. They are doing this by deepening their awareness and examining religious beliefs instead of just reading more books. They are searching for real answers this time to their deepest questions - ...
Views: 620 - What Middle-Class America Doesn’t Understand, And The Fed Does - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockLet's say that a caveperson makes some baskets. Other cavepeople like the baskets, and trade some fruits and berries for a basket. This is legitimate. But let's say that an enterprising caveperson prints some money, and uses that to pay for a basket. Then, the basket maker only holds a piece of ...
Views: 618 - Discovering Your Personal Creativity and Vision - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockCreativity and vision are what distinguish the exceptionally successful person from the ordinary person. Once creativity and vision are established, energy, passion, and leadership follow. To acquire these is surprisingly easy because we are all naturally creative and visionary. Some of us, ...
Views: 614 - Fulfillment, Self Expression and Compassion - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThe subjects of this article are cherished goals. What could be more rewarding than a life fulfilled, or expressing ones deepest felt emotions and thoughts? The problem is; one person's fulfillment might be another's tragedy. Take for example the dream of home ownership. A young woman, ...
Views: 614 - What Lies Beneath Our Consciousness? - by Submitted on May 10, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockBelow our conscious mind is a stream of subconscious, emotional activity. Buddhists call this stream the Life Continuum Consciousness, or the Bhavanga. Sometimes we call it just karma. It is what remains with us from lifetime to lifetime and impels us to do what we do, whether they are good ...
Views: 610 - Meditation – What’s In It For You? - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhat can we expect to gain from meditation? Nothing, in the beginning, except for a somewhat annoying practice that always seems to get in the way of our doing something more important! If we are half-way serious about our practice, however, we will persevere, and eventually get to a point where ...
Views: 608 - Obsession With Food — and Other Reasons Why Diets Don’t Work - by Submitted on Feb 13, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockCounting calories, ordering special diet meals, measuring out portions - these are indications that we remain mesmerized and captivated by food - food has taken over our entire lives with no escape; food is an addiction no different from heroin, and maybe more dangerous because we think that ...
Views: 600 - Needing Each Other - by Submitted on Mar 13, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock"I need you," is not something we hear too often these days. When we do hear it, however, it touches a very deep chord in the depths of our being. To be needed, to be necessary and important means so much, because as human beings, we will always need each other. When we are not needed, when ...
Views: 599 - Attraction -- Be Careful! - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockResearch has revealed that the part of our brain that is stimulated when we are in love is not the emotional centers as once thought, but the part of the brain that controls physical lust. In other words, being in love has everything to do with sex and little to do with love. Emotionally, after ...
Views: 598 - Dying to Everything - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockAs long as there is hope, there will be despair. As long as there is experience, there will be death. Yet fervently we seek both. Human beings are strange creatures. What creatures of earth aren't? For one thing, we eat each other. The child Buddha saw this one day at a ploughing festival in ...
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