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Role of Meditation in Brain Development Gains Scientific Support
Nationally acclaimed author, humorist and teacher Robert "Bob" Forman will lead a discussion on the search for enlightenment in our increasingly confusing world from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday in the center at St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church.
The discussion is open to the public and free of charge. Light refreshments will be served.
Forman addresses this question from the perspective of his 40-year career as a seeker and thousands of conversations with seekers of all faiths and cultures.
"Traditional models are giving seekers the wrong impression about spiritual enlightenment and it is creating a lot of pain and frustration," he said.
His latest book is titled "Enlightenment Ain't What It's Cracked Up to Be: A Journey of Discovery, Snow and Jazz in the Soul." He'll sign copies of the book, which will be available at the seminar.
The conversation with Forman is co-sponsored by the St. Francis Chrysalis Men's Group and the church's Adult Education Committee.
St. Francis is located at 4625 E. River Road, at North Swan Road, and the church phone number is 299-9063.
To contribute a story, go online to azstarnet.com/foothills
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Sixteen hallowed sites the Buddha visited:
Vesak dawned yesterday with many a Buddhist engaging in various religious activities to celebrate the life of the Buddha.
Mihintale Raja Maha Vihara
Sri Maha Bodhi
The Thrice Blessed Day which commemorates the Birth, Enlightenment and Parinibbana of the Buddha is one of the most significant events in the Buddhist calendar. As it is a time of spiritual awakening where devotees of the Buddha perform many meritorious acts and pay homage to Him, we decided to focus your attention on some of the important places the Buddhist venerate not only during Vesak, but also at other times during pilgrimages.
There are 16 very special sacred sites in Sri Lanka that are important to Buddhists because the Buddha is believed to have gone to these places during His many visits to Sri Lanka. Collectively known as Solosmasthana 16 sacred sites, they are listed in this order in the Pali verse Buddhists recite when they worship at any temple - Mahiyangana, Nagadeepa, Kelaniya, Padalaanchana (Holy Foot Print), Divaguha, Deegavapi, Muthiyangana, Tissamaharama, Sri Maha Bodhi, Mirisavetiya, Ruwanveliseya, Thuparama, Abhayagiri, Jetavana, Sela Chaitya, Kirivehera.
Mahiyangana is in the Badulla district on the left bank of the Mahaweli river.Nagadeepa is an island off the Jaffna peninsula and is known as Nainativu in Tamil. Kelaniya is on the right bank of the Kelani river about five or six km from the rivers mouth. Next in this list is Padalaanchana, the Holy Foot Print, (Sri Pada) atop Samanala Kanda. Sri Pada is followed by Diva Guha. The site has still not been identified - (not known for certain). Some say it is the rock shrine near Kuruwita in the Ratnapura district. The Samanala Kanda is clearly visible to this spot.
Next comes Deegavapi, a shrine in the Ampara district, followed by Mutiyangana in Badulla and Tissamaharama in the Hambantota district. The sites that follow are all in Anuradhapura except Kirivehera which is in Kataragama.
Why are these 16 shrines considered specially sacred? They are sites hallowed (made sacred) by Buddhas visits. The Buddhas first visit to the island was to Mahiyangana, in the Badulla district in the seventh month after His Enlightenment; that is on the full Moon Day in the Month of Duruthu (January). He came to settle a clash between two factions (rival groups) of Yakkhas were human beings not devils as they are portrayed today. They were a race of people living in the island before the advent of Vijaya. Because of the Buddhas visit, the place is of special sanctity and is first in the list.
The Buddhas next visit was three years later, on the Full-Moon Day of Bak (April) to Nagadeepa. Two Naga chieftains, uncle Mahodara and nephew Chullodara were fighting over a gem studded throne.
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Chaminda Perera and Priyanka Kurugala
The entire country is enveloped in spiritual fervour as the nation prepares to celebrate yet another Vesak Full Moon Poya Day marking the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha.
Religious activities, including meditation programmes, will take pride of place in Vesak Full Moon day celebrations at all temples and Buddhist monasteries islandwide during the Vesak Week which commenced on May 2.
Thousands are expected to visit over eight special Vesak Zones where Bakthi gee recitals and lantern competitions are held.
Tens of thousands are expected to visit Amadhara Vesak Zone organised by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited opposite the company premises for the 22nd consecutive year in association with Sri Lanka Telecom.
Acting Media Minister and Deputy Economic Development Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena will open the Vesak Zone on May 6.
There are over 13 main Vesak pandals within Colombo city limits and danselas and bakthi gee recitals are organised by government and private organisations islandwide.
The Police Department yesterday said special security arrangements covering all areas of the country would be in place from today. A special contingent of police personnel will be deployed for the safety of the public, Police Spokesman SP Ajith Rohana said.
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BUDDHISTS celebrate Wesak today by paying respect to Lord Buddha on his birthday, for attainment of enlightenment and to commemorate his death.
Buddhists pray in temples early in the morning, attend chanting sessions, have vegetarian food as well as take part in community service.
Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple chief monk Venerable Saranankara Nayaka Maha Thera said devotees could also commemorate and honour Buddha not just by buying joss-sticks and flowers to be offered but understanding his teachings and most of all put it to practice.
Every religion has a beautiful set of teachings but we must all learn to practise it and understand the philosophical side of it.
You can visit a hundred temples on Wesak Day and it will not do you any good if do not know the teachings of Buddha, said Saranankara.
He added that one should practice Dana (act of giving), Sila (observing Buddhist precepts) and Bhavana (wisdom through meditation) not only on Wesak but should also make it an everyday ritual.
People often misunderstand this concept. Dana does not only mean feeding the monks, but also giving in terms of material, spiritual and also donating anything from blood or even your organs, he said.
He said in Sri Lanka cornea donation had become popular among residents there because donors believe they would receive better vision in their next life.
This year, the 59-year-old resident monk will be participating in the blood donation campaign together with fellow monks and devotees.
He said the practice had been introduced since 1986 and had become a yearly affair at the temple for Wesak and Kathina festival.
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American Guru Steven Sadleir shows students how to awaken their Kundalini and access their inner guiding nature through live teleconferences classes, the Internet and a spiritual energy called Shaktipat.Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 04, 2012 The Self Awareness Institute just launched a new membership program and training in Self Realization that is conducted using the latest in technology to make ...
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17-11-2011 11:10 Eckhart Tolle does not present any practical solution to help make this world a better place. Stop existing in a bubble of pretty words and 'feeling bliss and peace'. Investigate your daily actions and you will find you are not doing what is best for all, you are in fact acting to support your own survival only, within an acceptance of the current money system and all its outflows and side effects and abuse. Saying that your happiness is making the world a better place is EGO and is easy to say because in that you do not have to take responsibility - you only focus on feeling 'at peace' and 'at one' - it is all about you having an experience, not actually looking at how to change this world at a real, practical level to benefit all beings here. What is required is a practical SYSTEMIC solution to End the unnecessary suffering and deaths of millions of people and animals that currently only exist because of the money system. In this, spirituality is irrelevant. What is relevant is Self Honesty - which must be developed to make sure you are not deluding yourself and existing in Self Interest. The way out of Delusion is Self Honesty and Self Forgiveness - where you actually stand as Life, Here as All as One as Equal - and Give yourself the Power of being Here - the power to face all that is Here, and take responsibility to learn how to transform your life into a life that actually supports a Real Solution to make this world a better place for All. You have limited time ...
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10-02-2012 14:08 People often ask, "what is the blocking me from spiritual enlightenment?". In this channeled Higher Self teaching learn what the block to spiritual enlightenment is. Only by first understanding the problem, can we create the solution and achieve the goal. In this world there are countless spiritual teachings and spiritual practices. However very few truly take a person to spiritual enlightenment. The majority of spiritual teachings and practices are taught from the human mind and created by the human mind. A teaching from the human mind can only ever work for the layers of the mind and below/within the mind - such as the thoughts, memories, intellect, emotions, and physical body. To reach genuine spiritual enlightenment, the teaching must come from beyond the mind, in the state of Higher Self consciousness. Although some teachings may sound high and mighty, if they are based on the experience of a separate mind and separate person, then they can not help a person reach genuine spiritual enlightenment. Only a person who has arrived at the destination can help others to travel there. In this video teaching, you are being taught directly from the Higher Self consciousness. Learn what the state of enlightenment teaches about enlightenment. Learn how to most effectively reach this state of consciousness for yourself. The structures within the personal mind are the problem. Only when the teaching comes from beyond the personal mind, can it effectively guide a person to the ...
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Removing the Mental Wall that Blocks Spiritual Enlightenment (1 of 2) - Video
10-02-2012 14:30 People often ask, "what is the blocking me from spiritual enlightenment?". In this channeled Higher Self teaching learn what the block to spiritual enlightenment is. Only by first understanding the problem, can we create the solution and achieve the goal. In this world there are countless spiritual teachings and spiritual practices. However very few truly take a person to spiritual enlightenment. The majority of spiritual teachings and practices are taught from the human mind and created by the human mind. A teaching from the human mind can only ever work for the layers of the mind and below/within the mind - such as the thoughts, memories, intellect, emotions, and physical body. To reach genuine spiritual enlightenment, the teaching must come from beyond the mind, in the state of Higher Self consciousness. Although some teachings may sound high and mighty, if they are based on the experience of a separate mind and separate person, then they can not help a person reach genuine spiritual enlightenment. Only a person who has arrived at the destination can help others to travel there. In this video teaching, you are being taught directly from the Higher Self consciousness. Learn what the state of enlightenment teaches about enlightenment. Learn how to most effectively reach this state of consciousness for yourself. The structures within the personal mind are the problem. Only when the teaching comes from beyond the personal mind, can it effectively guide a person to the ...
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Removing the Mental Wall that Blocks Spiritual Enlightenment (2 of 2) - Video
31-03-2012 09:16 WATCH THE LATEST UPDATED VIDEO HERE Subscribe To Get Notified Of The Latest Releases As They Come Out Spiritual Enlightenment - 04.15.2011
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24-04-2012 02:29 Essential Life Education, by http://www.conscioushumanity.com, is the study of the Knowledge of the Self and of Relationship leading to Spiritual Enlightenment and Total Life Mastery. With its study, we move the world to peace. From birth till death you are bound to live with yourself and to relate with others. The Knowledge of the Self and how it relates with others is the critical education needed for you to attain inner peace and any height of success in any area of your social, spiritual, psychological, physical and financial life; and the lack of it is the cause of all internal conflicts that lead to large scale external conflicts and wars. The ELED course is designed to enable you discover why you and others are the way you are, why you do the things you do, and how to celebrate your unique differences. You will identify your inner persona that is seeking to fulfill Spiritual, Sociological, Psychological, Physiological and Financial quests, and be empowered to interact harmoniously through social and economic environments. True Enlightenment comes with inner awareness and free expression: knowing who and what you are, knowing how you know it and having the ability to freely express it, and Essential Life Education is your authentic fastest route to Enlightenment and Life Mastery. You are invited to participate in your own Freedom Now and join the movement by inviting your world to study it too. You never know what inner peace and happiness is until you study Essential Life ...
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BANGKOK (Reuters) - Beam Atchimapon is already three days late for the new school term in her native city, the Thai capital of Bangkok - but for a good cause. The nine-year-old is part of a small but growing group of Thai girls who choose to spend part of the school holiday as Buddhist nuns, down to having their heads shaven. The temporary ordination of young men has long been part of Thai ...
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GUELPH Faith must be lived and shared.
Spoken fervently and affectionately in a Louisianan twang, that was the alpha and omega idea of a stirring presentation by renowned author and spiritual guide Sister Helen Prejean Monday in the city.
Prejean is best known as the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, which became an Academy Award winning film starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon in 1995. Prejean is a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.
Prejean agreed to be the spiritual adviser to convicted killers Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie in the 1980s coming to realize that neither man was the sum total of the worst thing they had ever done, but were instead capable of faith, honesty and redemption. Both died on the electric chair.
Prejean said after witnessing Sonniers death in 1984 she first vomited, then she resolved to fight for the abolition of the death penalty in the United States. She has not relented from that commitment since.
Speaking to a gathering of hundreds of Wellington District Catholic School Board teachers and staff members assembled for the annual Spiritual Development Day, Prejeans eloquent and moving stories of the death row inmates she befriended, prayed with, and walked with to their deaths, garnered tears, laughs, gasps, and a standing ovation.
Prejean, 73, is a nun, devoted to a life of spiritual service a life of living the example set by Jesus Christ. But for the first years of her life as a nun, she freely admitted, she was asleep spiritually, unmoved by grace, unmoved by the suffering of the poor and oppressed.
I was not awake, and when youre not awake, youre not awake, she said. We cannot enlighten ourselves, she said. We must be graced with enlightenment.
A person of faith, she said, is in a constant state of self-questioning, because faith is a moving, changing reality. And, she said jokingly, God is sneaky, sneaky, sneaky. There is no telling when the spark of grace will enter, or the path of service it will take you down.
What more could I do? How can I go deeper? How could I be happier? she said. There is all of this questioning of the spirit. Will I ever know Jesus, really know Him and live the Gospel of Jesus before I die?
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Advocate for abolition of death penalty gives stirring talk at Guelph gathering
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