Friday, December 5, 2008
Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You (The Golden Rule)
Do you notice if you smile at someone, most likely they will smile back at you? If you pat someone on the back to as if to say 'hey buddy', you will get many pats on your back too? This is a reciprocal world. You get what you give out. And as they say… Love begets Love, Hate begets Hate. So if you want the world to treat you better, treat it better first. Say more thank yous, more good mornings, pardon me(s), and I'm sorrys. Pay back what you owe, open more doors for others, and help more old people cross the street. More importantly, always be polite, never hurt others, and always tell the truth. These are basic principles that never go out of style.
You can avoid much disaster by following the Golden Rule. I remember one night, I was sitting at an outdoor McDonald's in Singapore's Orchard Road. When I hear the smack of a tray hitting the ground. Six metres away, two large-sized Caucasian men, corner a shorter, stout Hawaiian man. All three men are in their late 20's. It seems like they failed to give way to one another at the door, so they bumped and the tray fell. I hear some insults, and they start to push each other. I count the pushes, 1.. 2.. 3.. and then they had a scuffle. Somehow, the Hawaiian man manages to grab hold of one Caucasian man's neck, and swing him head first into the marble edge of the building! His forehead splits open, and the gash starts spurting blood. The other Caucasian man says, "Stop! Stop! Why are you trying to kill us, man?"
I can't believe all this started over failing to give way at the door, and not apologizing for the mistake. Instead, they chose to push and intimidate each other into a fight. So you see, whatever you give out, will come back to you, ten times stronger. "You push me, I'll push you harder. You punch me, I'll knock you out." These men let their egos get in the way of a peaceful resolution. They could have simply apologized and offered to pay for each other's meal.
As you know, this is not a rare case. Often, just staring at someone can start a fight. Or pushing someone out of a queue. Or snatching someone else's parking space. Or tailgating. Or flashing your car's high beam out of irritation. It's sad when we let our anger get the better of us. As they say in Buddhist philosophy, anger is a form of hell. So is greed, envy, lust, and hate. All poison the heart and mind. Disrupting the inner peace that would make your life wonderful. So before you take an action you might regret, ask yourself, "Is this what I would like to bring into my life?" The moment you perform that action, you are giving permission for the Universe to take the effect, multiply it by ten, and return it to you.
Do you notice if you smile at someone, most likely they will smile back at you? If you pat someone on the back to as if to say 'hey buddy', you will get many pats on your back too? This is a reciprocal world. You get what you give out. And as they say… Love begets Love, Hate begets Hate. So if you want the world to treat you better, treat it better first. Say more thank yous, more good mornings, pardon me(s), and I'm sorrys. Pay back what you owe, open more doors for others, and help more old people cross the street. More importantly, always be polite, never hurt others, and always tell the truth. These are basic principles that never go out of style.
You can avoid much disaster by following the Golden Rule. I remember one night, I was sitting at an outdoor McDonald's in Singapore's Orchard Road. When I hear the smack of a tray hitting the ground. Six metres away, two large-sized Caucasian men, corner a shorter, stout Hawaiian man. All three men are in their late 20's. It seems like they failed to give way to one another at the door, so they bumped and the tray fell. I hear some insults, and they start to push each other. I count the pushes, 1.. 2.. 3.. and then they had a scuffle. Somehow, the Hawaiian man manages to grab hold of one Caucasian man's neck, and swing him head first into the marble edge of the building! His forehead splits open, and the gash starts spurting blood. The other Caucasian man says, "Stop! Stop! Why are you trying to kill us, man?"
I can't believe all this started over failing to give way at the door, and not apologizing for the mistake. Instead, they chose to push and intimidate each other into a fight. So you see, whatever you give out, will come back to you, ten times stronger. "You push me, I'll push you harder. You punch me, I'll knock you out." These men let their egos get in the way of a peaceful resolution. They could have simply apologized and offered to pay for each other's meal.
As you know, this is not a rare case. Often, just staring at someone can start a fight. Or pushing someone out of a queue. Or snatching someone else's parking space. Or tailgating. Or flashing your car's high beam out of irritation. It's sad when we let our anger get the better of us. As they say in Buddhist philosophy, anger is a form of hell. So is greed, envy, lust, and hate. All poison the heart and mind. Disrupting the inner peace that would make your life wonderful. So before you take an action you might regret, ask yourself, "Is this what I would like to bring into my life?" The moment you perform that action, you are giving permission for the Universe to take the effect, multiply it by ten, and return it to you.
Reference:
December 12th, 2007 by Lance Ong
Monday, December 1, 2008
Mental Stress Release Technique
There may be moments in life which are hard for you. Heavy responsibility and multiple pressures from the outside make it difficult to cope. The high tension puts us in panic mode and we become frustrated as we scramble in a haphazard attempt to do our job. Prolonged stress response seriously damages your health. Your hair falls out, you might go bald; you become old and haggard-looking; your perfect California body becomes a sack of potatoes. How sad is that? To age not because we partied ourselves to death, but because we worried ourselves to the grave. Mental stress is an enemy you have to learn to defeat.
Stress Release Technique: Disassociation
Before you attempt this technique, spend a few minutes to quiet your mind. You can do this by sitting in a relaxed position with your arms on your lap or by your side. Close your eyes and begin breathing slowly through your nostrils. Focus your attention on the breath. Anything else that comes to mind, let it go and bring your attention back to the breath. You will find that as you continue this process for a few minutes your breathing becomes shallower and shallower, the thoughts entering your mind slow down, and you feel calmer with more peace in your heart. Now you are ready to use the following technique:
All you have to do is imagine you have died. When a person dies, there are no more worries and responsibilities to handle. The soul is free to travel to heaven and continue into its next life. Now I'm not asking you to die… just imagine it. See your body lying there lifeless while you feel your soul floating upwards to connect with the heavens.
See all the memories of your life drop way down below you. From this higher viewpoint, you can see all the events of your life which have shaped you. Your past, present, and future form one continuous line of memories below you.
There may be moments in life which are hard for you. Heavy responsibility and multiple pressures from the outside make it difficult to cope. The high tension puts us in panic mode and we become frustrated as we scramble in a haphazard attempt to do our job. Prolonged stress response seriously damages your health. Your hair falls out, you might go bald; you become old and haggard-looking; your perfect California body becomes a sack of potatoes. How sad is that? To age not because we partied ourselves to death, but because we worried ourselves to the grave. Mental stress is an enemy you have to learn to defeat.
Stress Release Technique: Disassociation
Before you attempt this technique, spend a few minutes to quiet your mind. You can do this by sitting in a relaxed position with your arms on your lap or by your side. Close your eyes and begin breathing slowly through your nostrils. Focus your attention on the breath. Anything else that comes to mind, let it go and bring your attention back to the breath. You will find that as you continue this process for a few minutes your breathing becomes shallower and shallower, the thoughts entering your mind slow down, and you feel calmer with more peace in your heart. Now you are ready to use the following technique:
All you have to do is imagine you have died. When a person dies, there are no more worries and responsibilities to handle. The soul is free to travel to heaven and continue into its next life. Now I'm not asking you to die… just imagine it. See your body lying there lifeless while you feel your soul floating upwards to connect with the heavens.
See all the memories of your life drop way down below you. From this higher viewpoint, you can see all the events of your life which have shaped you. Your past, present, and future form one continuous line of memories below you.
Float even higher and you can connect with the Spirit of God and gain wisdom by looking at your life situation through 'Heavenly Eyes'. Capture this feeling of inner peace and remember the insight gained.
Bring it back into your body by gradually floating down through the galaxy, stars, and clouds, into your city, your home, and back to your body.
Our whole life is designed to help us grow to develop spiritual qualities. Naturally, we will face situations which test our patience, endurance, and willpower. A person cannot stop these challenging life situations from occurring… we have no control over that. But what we can control is our own emotional state (our feelings). Many people allow themselves to be swung about by the rollercoaster of life. But some people are able to ride that rollercoaster and feel calm on the inside because they realize that the events we experience are the situations which God, Buddha, or the Universe wants us to face in order to help us grow and gain enlightenment. In every adversity lies the seed of Satori [Zen Buddhism: a state of sudden spiritual enlightenment].
The key is not to REACT immediately when you face a challenge, but to first calm down and find your centre from which you can respond with clarity and confidence. Like was said earlier, when a person becomes frustrated, we tend to do things in a haphazard manner. That is called Reacting. When you realize you have a choice over how you wish to feel, you are instead Responding from a powerful position of calm control. Whether it's your egotistic colleague or the ton of assignments blocking your way, keep a cool head when facing your opponent. Watch their movement and think calmly how you will respond to defeat them. Sure, they will try their best to scare you with their psychological tactics and throw you off your feet. And yes, you might fall. But a Master is one who stands up again and again despite being thrown a hundred times; a thousand times — as many times as it takes to learn the secret of inner balance and emotional control, regardless of whether they face a man, a giant, or a mountain.
May you become a Master, my friend.
Reference:
April 12th, 2008 by Lance Ong
Labels: Life Philosophies, Remedies in Life, Stress in Life
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