Have a nice day!

Friendship should not be sought, but is usually found both by chance and good luck.

Enthusiasm can be like a fire that needs an occasional poke with a stick.

The envious praise me unknowingly. (Kahlil Gibran)

A lasting marriage consists of the 3 C's;
Commitment
Communication
Compromise.

If you can laugh with a person, you can work with a person.

Strive for perfection in everything you do.

Take the best that exists and make it better.
When it does not exist, design it.
(Sir Frederick Henry Royce - of Rolls-Royce)

Smile is contagious; just smile at someone and see their reaction.

It takes a day to find a friend, a moment to lose them but a lifetime to forget them.

He, who doesn't hope to win has already lost. (Simon Bolivar)

Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.

Making your good times count and not forgeting your bad times makes a man sucessful.

Talent is useless without training, thank God. (Mark Twain)

Relationships-- of all kinds-- are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost. (Kaleel Jamison)

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Fate decides who walks into your life, you decide who you let stay, who you let walk away, and who you refuse to let walk out.

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

Don't make someone a priority, who only makes you an option.

If a man is not there for you at your worst, he does not deserve to see you at your best.

It is the pain of sacrifice or the pain of regret.

He who wrestles with us, strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skills. Our antagonist is our helper. (Edmund Burke)

It's good to have money and all the things that money can buy, but it's good too, to make sure you haven't lost the things that money can't buy. (George Horace Lorimer)

Friendship is not about who came first or who cares the most. It is all about who came in your life and never left.

Contingencies have tendencies to become dependencies. (W. Thomas McQueeney)

When you take things for granted, the things you are granted, get taken. (Phil Hennessy)

The older I get, the smarter my Dad gets. (Mark Twain)

The search for wisdom is a great challenge; to act on wisdom is an even greater challenge. (Jagad Guru)

Charity may begin at home, but if it goes no further, it's no longer charity. It's clan loyalty.

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

Advice for the day: If you have a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: Take two, and keep away from children.

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.

When the well's dry, we know the worth of water. (Ben Franklin)

A succesful man makes more money than his woman can spend.

A succesful woman is one who can find such a man.

If you can't dance, don't blame the dance floor.

The road to a friends house is never long. (Swedish proverb)

The time to ensure that the toilet works is before you really need it.

Making enemies out of friends is easy.
Making friends out of enemies is difficult, but it is actually worthwhile.

Fools learn from experience. Wise men learn from the experience of others (Otto von Bismark)

When the congregation falls asleep it is time for the minister to wake up.

The measure of greatness is not found in your accomplishments. Its in how much discouragement it takes to stop you.

People are made to be loved and things are made to be used. There is much chaos in this world because things are being loved and people are being used.

Laziness is the mother of all vice... but, it's a mother and you should respect her! (Spanish popular wisdom)

Being Australian is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, and then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.

Talent hits the target which no one else can hit; genius hits the target which no one else can see.

A beautiful relationship does not depend upon how good we understand someone but on how well we avoid misunderstandings.

Wisdom will keep you from getting into situations where you need it. (Bruce M. Sandbrook)

Opportunity is a bald man with a beard: You can catch him coming, but you can' t catch him going.

What is worth having is worth waiting for.

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired. (Robert Frost)

An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. (Mohandas Gandhi)

As long as people keep killing people, to stop the killing of people, the killing will go on.

If love was a raindrop I would send you a shower

If hope was a minute I would send you an hour

If happiness was a leaf I would send you a tree

If you need a friend you will always have me!

Surely it's no coincidence that the word "listen" is an anagram of the word "silent".

May every day of your life together be worse than the next. (Old Irish wedding blessing)

If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.
(Abraham Lincoln)

A good match blows fire...

You may have grown old, but you may not have grown up.

It is not what you gather but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

A Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible, Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. Then came the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation. When it was his turn, Rick stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."
A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark?"
"No," replied Johnny. "How could he, with just two worms?"

A Sunday school teacher was carefully explaining the story of Elijah, the Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. She explained how Elijah built the altar, put wood upon it, cut the steer in pieces, and laid it upon the altar. And then Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times - "Now," said the teacher, "can anyone in the class tell me why the Lord would have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?"
A little girl in the back of the room started waving her hand, " I know, I know!" she said, "To make the gravy!"

A Sunday school teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My Mummy looked back once while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school.
"Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."
"No Joey, is that really what the teacher taught you?" his mother asked.
"Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"
The banquet was about to begin when the master of ceremonies was informed that the clergyman invited to give the blessing was unable to attend.
He asked the main speaker if he would oblige, and the man agreed.
He began, "There is no clergyman present, let us thank God."

If you need time alone, try cleaning the house.

If I never had a bad day, how would I know whether I was having a good day? (Lee)

Looks capture the eyes.

Personality captures the heart.

Heaven is where the police are British, the mechanics German, the cooks are French, the lovers Italian, and all is organize by the Swiss.

Hell is where the police are German, the mechanics are French, the cooks are British, the lovers are Swiss, and it's all organized by the Italians!
(Eliane Kirchner)

When you give and don't expect anything back that's love. But if you give and expect a return it's an investment.

God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

The teenager lost a contact lens while playing basketball in his driveway. After a fruitless search, he told his mother the lens was no where to be found.

Undaunted, she went outside and in a few minutes returned with the lens in her hand.
"How did you manage to find it, Mom?" the teenager asked.
"We weren't looking for the same thing," she replied. "You were looking for a small piece of plastic. I was looking for $150."

Laughter is a smile with the volume turned up.

Sometimes we all have days where we are 386's in a P4 world.

Have you ever noticed how the contents of a box are much more interesting before the box is opened?

It is okay to visit your past just don't bring any luggage with you.

Don't ask God to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move your feet.

There's a book that tells you where you should go on your vacation. It's called your checkbook.

Knowledge is proud she knows so much; wisdom is humble that she knows no more. (Cowper)

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did. (Mark Twain)

You can't expect people to look eye to eye with you if you are looking down on them.

We can't always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Be not simply good; be good for something. (Henry David Thoreau)

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. (Winston Churchill)

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. (Mark Twain)

Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.

A children's catechism class was learning the Apostles Creed. Each child had been assigned a sentence to repeat.

The first one said, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth."

The second child said, "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son."When he had completed his sentence, there was an embarrassing silence.

Finally, one child piped up, "Teacher, the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn't here."

People laugh because I'm different, I laugh because they're all the same.

My Sunday school class of kindergartners was studying the creation story.
After several weeks, we were ready to review.
"What did God make the first day?" I quizzed.
"The second day?" They answered both questions correctly.
"And what happened on the third day?" I asked.
One little child, face shining with enthusiasm, exclaimed, "He rose from the dead!"
Hope is the ability to hear the music of the future.
Faith is having the courage to dance to it today.
You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours. (Colin Powell)

Impossibility simply means I'm possibility. (Monsieur Nana Adom)

Faith is personal, but never private.

Tears are the baptism of the soul.

Utility is when you have one telephone,
luxury is when you have two,
and paradise is when you have none.

A politician is the one who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.

Quality rather than quantity determines your success.

Turn the despair of being alone into the wonder of being alone with God.

Don't protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends.

Keep it up......n enjoy!

Zen: Seeing into one's own nature.

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.
Basho

An autumn night... don't think your life, didn't matter.
Basho

There is nothing you can see that is not a flower; there is nothing you can think that is not the moon.
Basho

At any given moment, I open my eyes and exist. And before that, during all eternity, what was there? Nothing.
Ugo Betti

The torch of doubt and chaos, this is what the sage steers by.
Chuang-tzu

It is everywhere.
Chuang-tzu

To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.
Chuang-tzu

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?
Dogen

Zazen is itself enlightenment.
Dogen

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
Dogen

There is no beginning to practice nor end to enlightenment; There is no beginning to enlightenment nor end to practice.
Dogen

And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

When you are deluded and full of doubt, even a thousand books of scripture are not enough. When you have realized understanding, even one word is too much.
Fen-Yang

Should you desire great tranquility, prepare to sweat white beads.
Hakuin

Zen: Seeing into one's own nature.
Hui-neng

How do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole?
koan

It is better to practice a little than talk a lot.
Muso Kokushi

We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.
Lao Tzu

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao Tzu

So little time, so little to do.
Oscar Levant

The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.
Robert M. Pirsig

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.
Yasutani Roshi

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.
Baba Ram Dass

Natural and super-natural, temporal and eternal - continuums, not absolutes.
Albert Schweitzer (paraphrased)

You must neither strive for truth nor seek to lose your illusions.
The Shodoka

We have two eyes to see two sides of things, but there must be a third eye which will see everything at the same time and yet not see anything. That is to understand Zen.
D. T. Suzuki

As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.
Shunryu Suzuki

Zen is not some kind of excitement, but merely concentration on our usual everyday routine.
Shunkyu Suzuki

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.
Shunryu Suzuki

The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet.
Shunryu Suzuki

Life is like stepping onto a boat that is about to sail out to sea and sink.
Shunryu Suzuki

My heart burns like fire but my eyes are as cold as dead ashes.
Sayen Shaku

To set up what you like against what you don't like -- this is the disease of the mind.
Sheng-ts'an

No yesterday, no tomorrow, and no today.
Sheng-ts'an

Don't seek reality, just put an end to opinions.
Sheng-ts'an

When you get there, there isn't any there there.
Gertrude Stein

Water which is too pure has no fish.
Ts'ai Ken T'an

Nothing is exactly as it seems, nor is it otherwise.
Alan Watts

Let the dead bury the dead.
Western Koan

What does mysticism mean? It means the way to attain knowledge. It's close to philosophy, except in philosophy you go horizontally while in mysticism you go vertically.
Elie Wiesel

Ten thousand flowers in spring
the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer,
snow in winter.
If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.
Wu-men

Since it is all too clear
It takes time to grasp it.
When you understand that it's foolish to look for fire with fire,
The meal is already cooked.
Wu-men

.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

If you're attached to anything, you surely will go far astray.

Only the crystal-clear question yields a transparent answer.

All of the significant battles are waged within the self.

Life is the only thing worth living for.

Better to sit all night than to go to bed with a dragon.

Live every day like your hair was on fire.

If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.

When you get to the top of the mountain, keep climbing.

The mind should be as a mirror.

There is nothing infinite apart from finite things.

Everyday life is the way.

Great Faith. Great Doubt. Great Effort. - The three qualities necessary for training.

If you do not get it from yourself, Where will you go for it?

Do not permit the events of your daily life to bind you, but never withdraw yourself from them.

Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening.

Sitting peacefully doing nothing Spring comes and the grass grows all by itself.

Everything the same; everything distinct.

Lovely snowflakes, they fall nowhere else!

Chop wood, carry water.

Possessing much knowledge is like having a thousand foot fishing line with a hook, but the fish is always an inch beyond the hook.

A noble heart never forces itself forward. Its words are as rare gems, seldom displayed and of great value.

If you meet on the way a man who knows, Don't speak a word -- Don't keep silent!

Even a good thing isn't as good as nothing.

This is not the Buddha, this is the Buddha.

One moon shows in every pool, in every pool the one moon.

.

Studying Zen, learning the way, is originally for the sake of birth and death, no other thing.

What do I mean by other things? Arousing the mind and stirring thoughts right now; having contrivance and artificiality; having grasping and rejecting; having practice and realization; having purity and defilement; having sacred and profane; having Buddhas and sentient beings; writing verses and songs, composing poems and odes; discoursing on Zen and the way; discoursing on right and wrong; discoursing on past and present.

These various activities are not relevant to the issue of birth and death; they are all "other things."
Chien-ju

::Talking Zen::..

You have said it, but you have not understood.

(Jesus of Nazareth)


We take refuge in pride because we are afraid to tell the truth to ourselves.

(Kakuzo Okakura)


"This is my child, this is my wealth": such thoughts are the preoccupations of fools. If we are unable to own even ourselves, why make such claims?

(Buddha)


The samurai must maintain his faith in his beliefs, even as the social or political climate shifts and alters. He must be patient, must act in a manner that may at times seem irrational or illogical, must resist the temptations of instant gratification, and must work towards fulfilling what may seem to be an impossible idea.

As a result, the samurai is often something of an outsider, a rebellious figure because he refuses to conform to the habits of the day.

(Takahiro Kitamura)


Why is the tao so valuable?
Because it is everywhere,
and everyone can use it.

This is why those who seek
will find,
And those who reform
will be forgiven;
Why the good
will be rewarded,
And the thief who is cunning
will escape.

(Lao Tzu)


Taoism furnished the basis for aesthetic ideals, zen made them practical.

(Kakuzo Okakura)


When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of its red leaves, you will not see all the others. When the eye is not set on one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit. But if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.

(Takuan Soto)


She did not consciously think, "Ah, today I learned this and that; I gained this much." You do not do it step by step that way, by adding on coatings of varnish, or new paint. When learning becomes you, then it appears as you need it, when you are being you. Sometimes true learning surprises you when it emerges.

(Chungliang Al Huang)


The art of teaching is clarity and the art of learning is to listen.

(Vanda Scaravelli)


The tao is both singular and universal. It is open to all with the resolve and inclination to walk it. Those who do, however, take a variety of disciplines in approaching it, for the tao extrapolates from the specific to the general.

(Dave Lowry)


If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.
But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.
And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

(Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)


Without the tao,
Kindness and compassion are replaced by law and justice;
Faith and trust are supplanted by ritual and ceremony.

(Lao Tzu)


In the history of Chinese civilisation, no significant scientific advances came as a result of Confucian studies. They were scholastics, and a scholastic in those times was one who went by the book, who believed what the ancient text or the ancient scriptures said, and who studied them and became proficient in them like a rabbi or a Christian theologian.

But mystics have never been very interested in theology. Mystics are interested in direct experience, and therefore - although you may laugh at them and say they are not scientific - they are empirical in their approach. And the taoists, being mystics, were the only great group of ancient Chinese people who seriously studied nature. They were interested in its principles from the beginning, and their books are full of analogies between the taoist way of life and the behaviour of natural forces seen in water, wind, or plants and rocks.

(Alan Watts)


Simplicity before understanding is simplistic; simplicity after understanding is simple.

(Edward De Bono)


Kindness should become the natural way of life,
not the exception.

(Buddha)


After a heavy snowfall the more rigid branches
of the pine break under the weight of the snow,
but the more supple willow branches bend,
thus allowing the snow to fall to the ground.

(Tao: Sacred Symbols)

The judgements of particular times, places and people depend on subjective standpoints and therefore are not the same thing as objective truths in themselves.

(Cleary)

..:Benefits of Cycling::.

Cycling is a great fun activity that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike. A fantastic workout, it not only enables you to derive pleasure, but also goes a long way in ensuring your overall fitness. The best part about this sporting activity is that, you would find cycling a delightful experience, without even realizing that it has done good to your body. Cycling proves to be one of the most effective exercises, to shed off those extra calories and get rid of flabby abs. Even a small amount of cycling can prove to be good enough to boost your metabolism level, thereby fastening your weight loss program. It helps to improve the overall balance and coordination. The benefits of cycling go beyond health issues. To know more about the numerous benefits of cycling, read through the following lines.

Benefits Of Cycling

Heath Benefits

* Cycling minimizes the risk of coronary heart disease. Essentially an aerobic exercise, it gives your heart, blood vessels and lungs a workout, thereby reducing the risk of heart problems.
* A few miles of cycling per day assure trimmer and toned muscles. This is because your upper thigh muscles, backside and calf muscles all get to workout.
* Pursuing cycling helps a great deal in building your stamina. It enables you to carry out your day-to-day activities more effectively.
* For people, who are on the heavier side, cycling can prove to be beneficial. It manages weight and helps in getting rid of increased waistline and bulging fat.
* The pleasure and satisfaction attained while riding a bicycle alleviates all the stress, anxiety and depression of a person.
* This might come to you as a surprise, but cycling ensures a control in the level of blood pressure.
* Cycling enhances the overall fitness level of a person. It makes you breathe deeper and perspire more, thereby leading to a feeling of enhanced body temperature.
* Cycling has found to be effective for treating people diagnosed with diabetes and cancer.

Other Benefits

* A complete leisure activity, cycling gives you the opportunity to spend time with friends.
* A chance to meet new people and discover new places cannot be ruled out as well.
* Cycling is a complete environmental friendly activity. Unlike other means of transport, it lets out no harmful chemicals in the air.
* Cycling can prove to be the best mode to move around your local area without any difficulty.

Logotheraphy:Healing Thru Meaning

A human being is a deciding being.
Viktor E. Frankl

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
Viktor E. Frankl

Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human.
Viktor E. Frankl

Each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.
Viktor E. Frankl

Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.
Viktor E. Frankl

Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone's task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.
Viktor E. Frankl

Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
Viktor E. Frankl

Fear may come true that which one is afraid of.
Viktor E. Frankl

For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment.
Viktor E. Frankl

I recommend that the Statue of Liberty be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast.
Viktor E. Frankl

Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.
Viktor E. Frankl

Live as if you were living a second time, and as though you had acted wrongly the first time.
Viktor E. Frankl

The last of human freedoms - the ability to chose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances.
Viktor E. Frankl

Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.
Viktor E. Frankl

What is to give light must endure burning.
Viktor E. Frankl

When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.
Viktor E. Frankl

Attitude:Yours greatest asset!

An old man lived alone in a village. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison.

The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his Situation:





Dear Son,



I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year.. I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.



Love,

Dad



Shortly, the old man received this telegram:

"For Heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden!! That's where I buried the GUNS!!"



At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.

Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asked him what to do next.



His son's reply was:

"Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad.. It's the best I could do for you from here."





Moral:



NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART YOU CAN DO IT. IT IS THE THOUGHT THAT MATTERS.. NOT WHERE YOU ARE OR WHERE THE PERSON IS .

Every craftsman

I've said before that every craftsman
searches for what's not there
to practice his craft.

A builder looks for the rotten hole
where the roof caved in. A water-carrier
picks the empty pot. A carpenter
stops at the house with no door.

Workers rush toward some hint
of emptiness, which they then
start to fill. Their hope, though,
is for emptiness, so don't think
you must avoid it. It contains
what you need!
Dear soul, if you were not friends
with the vast nothing inside,
why would you always be casting you net
into it, and waiting so patiently?

This invisible ocean has given you such abundance,
but still you call it "death",
that which provides you sustenance and work.

God has allowed some magical reversal to occur,
so that you see the scorpion pit
as an object of desire,
and all the beautiful expanse around it,
as dangerous and swarming with snakes.

This is how strange your fear of death
and emptiness is, and how perverse
the attachment to what you want.

Now that you've heard me
on your misapprehensions, dear friend,
listen to Attar's story on the same subject.

He strung the pearls of this
about King Mahmud, how among the spoils
of his Indian campaign there was a Hindu boy,
whom he adopted as a son. He educated
and provided royally for the boy
and later made him vice-regent, seated
on a gold throne beside himself.

One day he found the young man weeping..
"Why are you crying? You're the companion
of an emperor! The entire nation is ranged out
before you like stars that you can command!"

The young man replied, "I am remembering
my mother and father, and how they
scared me as a child with threats of you!
'Uh-oh, he's headed for King Mahmud's court!
Nothing could be more hellish!' Where are they now
when they should see me sitting here?"

This incident is about your fear of changing.
You are the Hindu boy. Mahmud, which means
Praise to the End, is the spirit's
poverty or emptiness.

The mother and father are your attachment
to beliefs and blood ties
and desires and comforting habits.
Don't listen to them!
They seem to protect
but they imprison.

They are your worst enemies.
They make you afraid
of living in emptiness.

Some day you'll weep tears of delight in that court,
remembering your mistaken parents!

Know that your body nurtures the spirit,
helps it grow, and gives it wrong advise.

The body becomes, eventually, like a vest
of chain mail in peaceful years,
too hot in summer and too cold in winter.

But the body's desires, in another way, are like
an unpredictable associate, whom you must be
patient with. And that companion is helpful,
because patience expands your capacity
to love and feel peace.
The patience of a rose close to a thorn
keeps it fragrant. It's patience that gives milk
to the male camel still nursing in its third year,
and patience is what the prophets show to us.

The beauty of careful sewing on a shirt
is the patience it contains.

Friendship and loyalty have patience
as the strength of their connection.

Feeling lonely and ignoble indicates
that you haven't been patient.

Be with those who mix with God
as honey blends with milk, and say,

"Anything that comes and goes,
rises and sets, is not
what I love." else you'll be like a caravan fire left
to flare itself out alone beside the road.

Rumi

Between the poles...

Between the poles of the conscious and the unconscious,

there has the mind made a swing:
Thereon hang all beings and all worlds,

and that swing never ceases its sway.

Millions of beings are there:

the sun and the moon in their courses are there:
Millions of ages pass, and the swing goes on.

All swing! the sky and the earth and the air and the water;

and the Lord Himself taking form:
And the sight of this has made Kabîr a servant.

- Kabir

O friend!

O friend! hope for Him whilst you live

O friend! hope for Him whilst you live,
know whilst you live, understand whilst you live:
for in life deliverance abides.

If your bonds be not broken whilst living,
what hope of deliverance in death ?

It is but an empty dream, that the soul shall have union with Him
because it has passed from the body:

If He is found now, He is found then,
If not, we do but go to dwell in the City of Death.

If you have union now, you shall have it hereafter.

Bathe in the truth, know the true Guru,
have faith in the true Name!

Kabir says : 'It is the spirit of the quest which helps;
I am the slave of this Spirit of the quest.'

- Kabir

Tell me brother

Tell me, Brother, how can I renounce Maya?

Tell me, Brother, how can I renounce Maya?
When I gave up the tying of ribbons,
still I tied my garment about me.

When I gave up tying my garment,
still I covered my body in its folds.

So, when I give up passion,
I see that anger remains;

And when I renounce anger,
greed is with me still;

And when greed is vanquished,
pride and vainglory remain;

When the mind is detached and casts Maya away,
still it clings to the letter.

Kabir says, 'Listen to me, dear Sadhu! the true path is rarely found.'

- Kabir

Live Inspired !

"If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."
Vincent Van Gogh

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Seldom does an individual exceed
his own expectations." -Buddhaboy

Let every man or woman here, if you never hear me again, remember this, that if you wish to be great at all, you must begin where you are and with what you are. He who would be great anywhere must first be great in his own Philadelphia.

Russel H. Conwell

Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession... Do that which is assigned to you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your work is to discover your world
and then with all your heart give yourself to it.

The Buddha

You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to
enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."

Woodrow Wilson

"When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change."

Thich Nhat Hanh

"Try not to become a man of success.
Rather become a man of value."

Albert Einstein

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.

Carl Jung

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."-Buddhaboy

Being an Entrepreneur

Ask yourself this question, "Do I have what it takes to be a home entrepreneur?" Like any business venture, a home-based business requires an investment of time, energy and resources.

An entrepreneur is a person who has decided to take control of his future and become self-employed—whether by creating his own unique business or working as a member of a "team," as in multi-level marketing.

There are several character traits and work ethics that are common to successful entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs are careful about money. They always know how much money they have. They know the value and cost of things so they can recognize a real bargain.

Entrepreneurs are competitive by nature. Many were active in sports and other competitions in high school and college. Others were competitive in wanting to make good grades, earn the respect of their parents and teachers and achieve their goals.

Entrepreneurs believe in the old adage, "the early bird gets the worm." They sleep and eat enough to maintain their energy levels but they don't usually linger over non-productive tasks.

Entrepreneurs are risk-takers who trust their hunches and act on them.

Entrepreneurs have a "head for business." They are always thinking of new ideas and new ways to make money or increase their business. They are not afraid to put these ideas to use.

Entrepreneurs are usually loners rather than joiners.

Entrepreneurs are usually honorable people who do business based on a handshake or a promise. They tend to form strong associations with others who share this work ethic.

Entrepreneurs do set aside time for leisure activities and family. Their principal form of relaxation is their work, but they do realize the importance of downtime and spend time with their family.

Entrepreneurs value life and live it to the fullest.

Empowering Yourself

Use Empowering Words When You Talk to Yourself
(whether you are speaking out loud or silently)

How do you talk to yourself?

Do you use the words "can't", "won't", "don't need to", "why try"?
Many people do.

Do you find that what you say to yourself turns out to be true?

Why is this?

You see your brain is like a computer that you feed each day. It doesn't know always know what's real or not unless you tell it.

Example: If someone you love has hurt you, you may tell yourself that all people who love you will probably hurt you too.

Your brain just files this information for reference, it's data, little zeroes and ones and no column that asks "true or not true?" Now your brain thinks, based on what you told it, that everyone you'll ever love will hurt you.

How do you think you will respond the next time you get hurt?

Right!!

Now, what if we instead told our brain:

"Okay this person ripped my heart out - but that's only one person. I'm lovable and have many loving people in my life who are not out to hurt me. I know that the right people are coming into my life all the time. If someone hurts me, I will forgive them and bless them on their way."

Words can be empowering.

I can
I love to
I want to
I will
I must
I am

We can reach a new level of living, if we feed ourselves empowering words and practice saying them until they become a habit.

I know first hand that it takes time.

And I also know that it's worth it.

Try it for a week.

Catch yourself saying, "I can't", when you don't really mean it and instead try, "I can", and see how you think and feel about yourself.

Remember, the words you use to empower yourself will have a lasting effect, only if you practice them and they become a habit (an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary).

They say it takes at least 28 days to develop a habit. After a week, you will see that it becomes easier. It's a mindset and you can control your thoughts. Be proactive and not reactive - give yourself some good words.

Dream big and empower yourself! Believe you can and you will.

Sky is the only limit

"Mind can accept any boundary anywhere. But the reality is that, by its very nature, existence cannot have any boundary, because what will be beyond the boundary - again another sky. That's why I'm saying skies upon skies are available for your flight. Don't be content easily. Those who remain content easily remain small: small are their joys, small are their ecstasies, small are their silences, small is their being. But there is no need! This smallness is your own imposition upon your freedom, upon your unlimited possibilities, upon your unlimited potential."

"Nobody is here to fulfill your dream. Everybody is here to fulfill his own destiny, his own reality."

Inspirational Quotes from Orison Swett Marden

A constant struggle, a ceaseless battle to bring success from inhospitable surroundings, is the price of all great achievements.
Orison Swett Marden

A good system shortens the road to the goal.
Orison Swett Marden

A strong, successful man is not the victim of his environment. He creates favorable conditions. His own inherent force and energy compel things to turn out as he desires.
Orison Swett Marden

A will finds a way.
Orison Swett Marden

All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers.
Orison Swett Marden

All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.
Orison Swett Marden

Analyzing what you haven't got as well as what you have is a necessary ingredient of a career.
Orison Swett Marden

Be larger than your task.
Orison Swett Marden

Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action.
Orison Swett Marden

Every youth owes it to himself and to the world to make the most possible out of the stuff that is in him.
Orison Swett Marden

Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes - every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man.
Orison Swett Marden

If you do not feel yourself growing in your work and your life broadening and deepening, if your task is not a perpetual tonic to you, you have not found your place.
Orison Swett Marden

It is like the seed put in the soil - the more one sows, the greater the harvest.
Orison Swett Marden

It is psychological law that whatever we desire to accomplish we must impress upon the subjective or subconscious mind.
Orison Swett Marden

It is what we do easily and what we like to do that we do well.
Orison Swett Marden

Joyfulness keeps the heart and face young. A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everybody around us.
Orison Swett Marden

Many a man has finally succeeded only because he has failed after repeated efforts. If he had never met defeat he would never have known any great victory.
Orison Swett Marden

Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them.
Orison Swett Marden

No employer today is independent of those about him. He cannot succeed alone, no matter how great his ability or capital. Business today is more than ever a question of cooperation.
Orison Swett Marden

No man can be ideally successful until he has found his place. Like a locomotive he is strong on the track, but weak anywhere else.
Orison Swett Marden

No man fails who does his best.
Orison Swett Marden

No one has a corner on success. It is his who pays the price.
Orison Swett Marden

Nothing else so destroys the power to stand alone as the habit of leaning upon others. If you lean, you will never be strong or original. Stand alone or bury your ambition to be somebody in the world.
Orison Swett Marden

Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them... they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight.
Orison Swett Marden

Our thoughts and imagination are the only real limits to our possibilities.
Orison Swett Marden

Power gravitates to the man who knows how.
Orison Swett Marden

Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.
Orison Swett Marden

The best thing about giving of ourselves is that what we get is always better than what we give. The reaction is greater than the action.
Orison Swett Marden

The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
Orison Swett Marden

The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment; it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone.
Orison Swett Marden

The greatest thing a man can do in this world is to make the most possible out of the stuff that has been given him. This is success, and there is no other.
Orison Swett Marden

The influential man is the successful man, whether he be rich or poor.
Orison Swett Marden

The man who has no money is poor, but one who has nothing but money is poorer. He only is rich who can enjoy without owning; he is poor who though he has millions is covetous.
Orison Swett Marden

The quality of your work, in the long run, is the deciding factor on how much your services are valued by the world.
Orison Swett Marden

The Universe is one great kindergarten for man. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson.
Orison Swett Marden

The waste of life occasioned by trying to do too many things at once is appalling.
Orison Swett Marden

There are powers inside of you which, if you could discover and use, would make of you everything you ever dreamed or imagined you could become.
Orison Swett Marden

There can be no great courage where there is no confidence or assurance, and half the battle is in the conviction that we can do what we undertake.
Orison Swett Marden

There is an infinite difference between a little wrong and just right, between fairly good and the best, between mediocrity and superiority.
Orison Swett Marden

There is no investment you can make which will pay you so well as the effort to scatter sunshine and good cheer through your establishment.
Orison Swett Marden

There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.
Orison Swett Marden

There is no stimulus like that which comes from the consciousness of knowing that others believe in us.
Orison Swett Marden

There is only one thing for us to do, and that is to do our level best right where we are every day of our lives; To use our best judgment, and then to trust the rest to that Power which holds the forces of the universe in his hands.
Orison Swett Marden

To many a man, and sometimes to a youth, there comes the opportunity to choose between honorable competence and tainted wealth. The young man who starts out to be poor and honorable, holds in his hand one of the strongest elements of success.
Orison Swett Marden

Unless you have prepared yourself to profit by your chance, the opportunity will only make you ridiculous. A great occasion is valuable to you just in proportion as you have educated yourself to make use of it.
Orison Swett Marden

We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out.
Orison Swett Marden

We fail to see that we can control our destiny; make ourselves do whatever is possible; make ourselves become whatever we long to be.
Orison Swett Marden

We make the world we live in and shape our own environment.
Orison Swett Marden

We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.
Orison Swett Marden

What power can poverty have over a home where loving hearts are beating with a consciousness of untold riches of the head and heart?
Orison Swett Marden

Wisdom is knowledge which has become a part of one's being.
Orison Swett Marden

You cannot measure a man by his failures. You must know what use he makes of them. What did they mean to him. What did he get out of them.
Orison Swett Marden

You have not found your place until all your faculties are roused, and your whole nature consents and approves of the work you are doing.
Orison Swett Marden

You will never succeed while smarting under the drudgery of your occupation, if you are constantly haunted with the idea that you could succeed better in something else.
Orison Swett Marden

Your expectations opens or closes the doors of your supply, If you expect grand things, and work honestly for them, they will come to you, your supply will correspond with your expectation.
Orison Swett Marden

Your outlook upon life, your estimate of yourself, your estimate of your value are largely colored by your environment. Your whole career will be modified, shaped, molded by your surroundings, by the character of the people with whom you come in contact every day.
Orison Swett Marden

Recession:Surviving Layoffs!!!

Current economic times are tough and it is important to hang in to your current job because you never know how long will it take to get a new job. Layoffs in a company are usually done because the management wants to cut own its expenses or due to a corporate merger where the duplicate staff is told to let go and only the best of people in both units are retained. One should not wait for the things to detoriate and then act, its better to prepare your layoff survival strategy much before others, specially when the economy is not doing too well. Lookout for signs like hiring freeze, workforce reductions in other parts of the company, bad financial results and that things are getting a bit strict than usual.


1. Make yourself indispensable:
During the time of layoffs, it is very common that managers are secretly told to rate employees on a scale of 1 through 10 reflecting their importance for the company. People who are in crucial projects of the company are usually least impacted, while the ones that are over staffed or are working in internal only projects or just nice to have projects are the first to go. Profitable divisions are often untouched. Change your projects or try to move in an important slot within your company where you almost become indispensable, that may very well mean harder work for you, but this is truly the most important factor for keeping your job during the layoff in a company.

2. Do not resist change:
Present yourself to be flexible enough to take any challenges and changes. During a reorganization, your boss will really not want to deal with a situation where some employees resist change or stick with conventional habits. When two organizations merge, each tends to think that their methodology of execution of a project, technology and problem solving is better than the other. Often people who decide which path to choose, may not even have knowledge but just the position to make that decision, obviously results may not be perfect and most logical. If you are one of those who welcomes change, it leaves a good impression on your boss and gives a better chance for you to survive a layoff.

3. Keep your boss happy:
Eventually your immediate boss will likely review your performance, therefore keep your boss happy and avoid risky conversations with him. After all we are humans and some favourism cannot be ruled out, therefore being in the good books of your boss is one of the best survival strategy during a layoff.

4. Keep your skills sharp:
Improve your skillset, even if you work in a certain technology, there is no harm in reading books about a newer one or talking to people who are already working on it. Take classes, attend conferences, get certifications and indirectly mention people above you about it. Learn skills that your employer may need in future. Benefit from employer-provided training when it's available.

5. Never give personal reasons to keep your job:
Don't tell others including your boss how badly you need your current job. Always defend your position with your skillset, ability to work hard and presenting that you are indispensable.

6. Never beg for your job:
This is really the ultimate form of desperation and leads you even nearer to the cutting board. Sympathy dies out pretty soon and often plays an adverse role in a long term.

7. Keep a positive attitude and Stop complaining:
Motivate yourself and even your colleagues in tough times, your positive attitude will eventually reach up the management chain. Even prove a motivation for your boss, show him that he can rely on you.

8. Take your job performance evaluations very seriously:
We are often given a worksheet about the things we have been doing, make sure that you explain things very systematically in a professional manner. Don't think its just a formality anymore. There are times when boss will forget that you did something important 3-6 months back. Keep some sort of an evidence of every significant work you do. This will certainly help to avoid being the part of layoff list.

9. Maintain work behavior:
In tough times avoid gossips with your fellow workers, avoid errands in work hours and keep your head cool.

10. Avoid asking for a salary raise and perks:
Let your boss decide how much raise and other perks he wants to give you.

Others:
Take a public speaking course, keep a notebook of your tasks, avoid internet browsing at work or keep it to a minimum, increase your sales, get good reviews from customers, avoid criticizing others, dress appropriately and maintain a clean physical look. If things get nasty in your company, take some risks as well.

Being an Entrepreneur: The master of your own destiny.

I'm often surprised when I talk to people interested in starting their own businesses. When asking about my experience as an entrepreneur, they'll say, "You're so lucky," or "It must be great to be out of the rat race." Statements like this make me smile because they couldn't be less true. Luck has nothing to do with it. As for the rat race, while different, it's faster than ever.

That's why I wanted to share the realities of being an entrepreneur. First, a disclaimer: At the end of every day, I wouldn't trade my current situation for any other option, and I'm grateful to be able to do what I truly love. However, being an entrepreneur isn't the easy, carefree career path that many believe it to be; it's actually quite the opposite. When everything is invested in your own business--time, money, passion and creativity--it can border on obsession. And when you work from home or your spouse or family members work with you, you rarely, if ever, leave the office--at least from a mental standpoint.

Let me start with a few hard truths of being an entrepreneur:

1. It's stressful. If you think meeting a boss's deadlines or demands is tough, try meeting your own, especially when your personal savings are on the line. Maybe you've already taken out a second mortgage and your credit cards are maxxed out. Or maybe you've borrowed money from family and friends and you're on the hook to pay them back, ASAP. This type of pressure lights a fire under even the most laid-back personalities. Not only will you feel the pressure to get your business off the ground, but you'll also feel the added pressure to do so quickly to regain some semblance of financial security.

2. It's never-ending. Yes, it can be thankless to work for someone else, knowing your skills and talents are ultimately making someone else a bundle. But in most jobs, you can leave the work behind when you go home to enjoy your family, friends or hobbies. As an entrepreneur, the workload can be intense, especially during the early stages when you are the CEO, CFO, HR person, sales staff, marketing guru, tech guy, office manager, and janitor. With all these roles, there's rarely a moment that you feel your work is "done" for the day. There's always something more you could be doing, like researching new markets, writing press releases, contacting new media, cold calling new sales outlets, developing new products and the list goes on. And that can eat away at time formerly devoted to family, leisure activities, workouts or relaxation. It's a difficult balance to strike.

3. It's frustrating. Maybe you've partnered with someone who doesn't have your best interests at heart. Or you've received a shipment of damaged products that you need for a trade show the next day. Or the media appearance you spent days preparing for is suddenly cancelled due to a natural disaster. As an entrepreneur, these types of situations happen on a regular basis. (I speak from experience; all of the above happened to me.) The truth is that you never know what's around the corner and it can be extremely frustrating when you've planned to spend a day on product development, only to find out that you have to repair the cases of product packaging that came apart during shipping.

So with this kind of stress, pressure and workload, why, then, would anyone subject themselves to being an entrepreneur? The answer is simple: the positives outweigh the negatives:

1. It's rewarding. When you're successful, you reap both financial and emotional rewards. There's no better feeling than seeing a product you've worked hard to develop on store shelves, or when you've provided successful service for a grateful client. It's exciting to make a sale or win a new client when you know it's from your own hard work; it's gratifying when customers tell you that your product, service or example has made a difference in their lives. And of course, turning a profit and knowing your business is financially stable are extremely rewarding as well.

2. It's flexible. Once you work for yourself, it's common to feel you could never work in a conventional 9-to-5 environment again. I believe it's mostly due to the flexibility. Yes, you may work more hours, but you can do so on your own terms. You can stop work at 3 to pick up the kids from school without asking your boss for permission. You can work from midnight to 4 a.m. if you're a night owl. You can work from home or your own office with daycare on-site. When you're the boss, you call the shots, and the new freedom can be exhilarating.

3. It's the chance to create. Many entrepreneurs are driven by the need to build something great, help other people, or leave something behind. Perhaps it's a business that your children can join and grow; maybe it's the legacy of creating something that will be around long after you're gone. No matter what the motivation, creating something from nothing that grows and develops through the years can be almost like raising a child; it's your baby, and you've nurtured it to its current level of success. That type of fulfillment is difficult to duplicate in most other career paths.

Kayaking: a fun sport!

Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking is generally differentiated from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is defined by the International Canoe Federation (the world sanctioning body) as a boat where the paddler faces forward, has their legs in front of them, and uses a double bladed paddle. Almost all kayaks have closed decks, however, there are many sit-on-top kayaks, and these boats are growing in popularity. A canoe is defined as a boat where the paddler faces forward and kneels in the boat, using a single bladed paddle. Canoes can be closed deck or open deck.

Whitewater kayaking involves taking a kayak down rapids. Sea kayaking sometimes also referred to as Ocean Kayaking involves taking kayaks out on to the ocean or other open water e.g., a lake. Sea kayaking can involve short paddles with a return to the starting point or "put-in" or expeditions covering many miles and days. Kayaking of all kinds has continued to increase in general popularity through the 1990s and early 21st century.
Kayaking at Great Falls, Virginia.

Kayaks are classified by their intended use. There are six primary classifications: slalom, whitewater, surf, touring/expedition, light touring/day tripping and general recreation. From these primary classifications stem many sub-classes. For example, a fishing kayak is simply a general recreation kayak outfitted with features and accessories that make it an easier kayak from which to fish. Also within these classifications are many levels of performance which further separate the individual models. In other words, not all touring kayaks handle the same.

There are two major configurations of kayaks - "sit on tops" which as the name suggests involves sitting on top of the kayak in an open area and "cockpit style" which involves sitting with the legs and hips inside the kayak hull and a "spray skirt" that creates a watertight barrier around the waist. Whether a kayak is a sit-on-top or a cockpit style has nothing to do with which classification it falls under. Both configurations are represented in each of the five primary classifications. While most kayaks are designed to be paddled by a single person, other configurations include tandem and even triple cockpit boats.

Because of their range and adaptability, Kayaking is popular amongst divers, fishers, and adventure enthusiasts.

Meditation: Take a stress-reduction break wherever you are

Meditation can wipe away the day's stress, giving you a clean slate. You can practice meditation anywhere — at home, on the bus, at work or wherever you are. See how.

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Originally, it was meant to help people deepen their understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, many people turn to meditation for relaxation and stress reduction.

Meditation produces a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and emotional stability. And these effects don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can have lasting effects on your emotional and physical well-being.

Don't be daunted by meditation. Anyone can practice meditation. It's simple and inexpensive and doesn't require any special equipment. You can spend a few minutes in meditation almost anywhere — whether you're on the job, out for a walk, riding the bus, doing the laundry or waiting at the doctor's office.

Meditation and medical illnesses

Many healthy people use meditation as a way to relax the body and reduce stress. But meditation may also be useful if you have a medical disease or condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress. Scientific research about the benefits of meditation is continuing, and the results are mixed. Keeping that in mind, some research shows that meditation may help such conditions as:

• Allergies
• Anxiety
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Cancer
• Chronic pain
• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease

Be sure to talk to your health care professional about the pros and cons of using meditation if you have any of these or other medical conditions. Meditation isn't a replacement for traditional medical treatment. But it may be useful in addition to your other treatment.

Fitting meditation into your lifestyle

When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day. When your mind is clear of distracting thoughts, you gain new perspectives and new ways of handling stress and other problems. You become more self-aware. You focus on the here and now — not on your ever-growing to-do list.

While there are many different ways to meditate, the goal is the same — inner peace. You may have heard about transcendental meditation, Zen meditation, movement meditation and other forms of meditation. But don't let the thought of meditating the "right" way add to your stress. Sure, you can certainly attend special meditation centers or group classes led by trained instructors to practice such forms of meditation as:

• Yoga
• Tai chi
• Guided meditation
• Qi gong

But you can also practice meditation easily on your own. You can find everyday opportunities to meditate wherever you happen to be. You can also make meditation as formal or informal as you like — whatever suits your lifestyle and situation. Some people build meditation into their daily routine. For example, they may start and end each day with an hour of meditation. If you're short on time, all you really need is a few minutes.

Everyday ways to practice meditation

Here are some ways you can practice meditation on your own, whenever you choose. Take a few minutes or as much time as you like.

• Breathe deeply. This technique is good for beginners because breathing is a natural function. Focus all attention on your breathing. Concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly. When you feel your attention wander, gently return your focus to your breathing.
• Scan your body. When using this technique, focus attention on different parts of your body. Become aware of your body's various sensations, whether that's pain, tension, warmth or relaxation. Combine body scanning with breathing exercises and imagine breathing heat or relaxation into and out of different parts of your body.
• Repeat a sacred name or phrase. A mantra is the name of a sacred deity or a sacred phrase that you repeat silently or aloud. You can create your own mantra. Mantras are the building blocks of transcendental meditation. Examples of religious mantras include a Jesus prayer in the Christian tradition, the holy name of God in Judaism, or the Om mantra of Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.
• Walking meditation. Combining a walk with meditation is an efficient and healthy way to relax. You can use this technique anywhere you're walking — in a tranquil forest, on a city sidewalk or at the mall. When you use this method, slow down the pace of walking so that you can focus on each movement of your legs or feet. Don't focus on a particular destination. Concentrate on your legs and feet, repeating action words in your mind such as lifting, moving and placing as you lift each foot, move your leg forward and place your foot on the ground.
• Engage in prayer. Prayer is the best known and most widely practiced example of meditation. Spoken and written prayers are found in most faith traditions. You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others. Check the self-help or 12-step-recovery section of your local bookstore for examples. Talk with your rabbi, priest, pastor or other spiritual leader about resources.
• Read or listen and take time to reflect. Many people report that they benefit from reading poems or sacred texts silently or aloud, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on the meaning that the words bring to mind. You can listen to sacred music, spoken words or any music you find relaxing or inspiring. You may want to write your reflections in a journal or discuss them with a friend or spiritual leader.
• Focus your love and gratitude. In this type of meditation, you focus your attention on a sacred object or being, weaving feelings of love and gratitude into your thoughts. You can also close your eyes and use your imagination or gaze at representations of the object.

[Note: This list of Einstein quotes was being forwarded around the Internet in e-mail, so I decided to put it on my web page. I'm afraid I can't vouch for its authenticity, tell you where it came from, who compiled the list, who Kevin Harris is, or anything like that. Still, the quotes are interesting and enlightening.]

Collected Quotes from Albert Einstein

• "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
• "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
• "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
• "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
• "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."
• "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
• "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
• "A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."
• "I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice."
• "God is subtle but he is not malicious."
• "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
• "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
• "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
• "Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."
• "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
• "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
• "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."
• "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
• "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
• "Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
• "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
• "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
• "God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically."
• "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
• "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
• "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
• "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
• "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
• "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
• "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
• "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
• "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity."
• "If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
• "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
• "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
• "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
• "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
• "In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep."
• "The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead."
• "Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves."
• "Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!"
• "No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?"
• "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
• "Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever."
• "The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
• "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."
• "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."
• "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
• "The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."
• "Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
• "You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."
• "One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year."
• "...one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought."
• "He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."
• "A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
• "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)

Copyright: Kevin Harris 1995 (may be freely distributed with this acknowledgement)