I am taking a class at the School of Practical Philsophy entitled "Philosophy Works".  I love the class and highly recommend it for everyone.  If you want to learn more, check out the following u.r.l.

www.practicalphilosophy.org

We learned an awareness exercise that has been extremely beneficial.  The Exercise helps you to be in the present moment, to live life fully awake, and strive for a higher level of consciousness.  I’d like to share it with you all here.

Philosophy Works

The Exercise

Find a balanced, upright and comfortable

posture from which you need not move.

Become aware of where you are right now.

Be aware of any expectations or concerns that

may be present in your mind or heart.

Feel the weight of your feet on the ground.

Feel the weight of your body on the chair.

Feel the gentle pressure of the clothes on your skin.

And the play of air on the face and hands.

If your eyes are open, welcome color and form

light and shadow … without comment.

Taste.

Smell.

Watch the breath as it enters and leaves the body.

Now be aware of hearing.

Hear all the sounds as they rise and fall

without any comment or judgment of any kind.

Let the hearing run right out to the furthest and

gentlest sounds, embracing all.

Now simply rest in this great awareness for a few moments.

13 Virtues to aim for according to Benjamin Franklin

Temperance

Silence

Order

Resolution

Frugality

Industry

Sincerity

Justice

Moderation

Cleanliness

Tranquility

Chastity

Humility

Benjamin Franklin stated of his failure to achieve the moral perfection he sought, "but on the whole, tho’ I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavor, a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been had I not attempted it."

You say a prayer in your religion, and I will say a prayer as I know it. Together we will say this prayer, and it will be something beautiful to God.

Simone Weil says that prayer is undivided attention.

St. Paul advised us to make every breath a prayer.

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

- Jesus

Prayer is the common language of the soul.

- Lama Surya Das

Prayer is a bridge to the Absolute, a way of connecting with something higher, wiser, and more powerful than the individual self.

- Larry Dossey, M.D.

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.

- Gandhi

Types of Prayers

Lama Surya Das

• morning prayers, daily prayers, evening prayers, bedtime prayers, seasonal and holiday prayers

• prayers for healing and longevity

• prayers for reconciliation

• peace prayers

• bardo prayers for guidance at time of death

• prayers of loving-kindness and compassion

• petitioning prayers and obstacle-removing prayers

• prayers for guidance and divine wisdom

• prayers of surrender and allowing

• prayers for a better rebirth

• benedictions, and prayers for blessings

• prayers of thanksgiving

• centering prayers

• silent prayers

- Mother Theresa

Every spiritual journey requires taking an inventory of our own and others failings; however, we must be careful when taking this inventory.  It should be done with an open heart and not in a spirit of anger, comparison, or self-justification.  This is what Jack Kornfield refers to as the spirit of discriminating wisdom.

Every spiritual tradition and every teacher has strengths and weaknesses.  Discriminating wisdom allows us to take the good and leave the rest.

Discriminating wisdom has an inherent kindness in it.  It does not expect perfection from anyone or from any spiritual tradition.  As human beings we are inherently fallible.  Even the wisest among us are prone to make mistakes.

Discriminating wisdom means seeing clearly.  Jack Kornfield says we have to "be courageous enough to question our beliefs, our community, our teacher, ourselves."

Only through honest, open inquiry can we truly find the path.  The correct path should stand out as such after an honest, open inquiry.  It will only do so if we do not allow ourselves to be blinded by our various indoctrinations.  These indoctrinations may occur in the form of societal expectations, expectations of the church, etc.

The truth will stand out as such when we utilize discriminating wisdom.  We need to trust in this.

We must also be willing to change our perspective as new information becomes available.

The Buddha said the following:

Do not believe what you have heard.

Do not believe in tradition because it has been handed down many generations.

Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of many times.

Do not believe because the written statements come from some old sage.

Do not believe in conjecture.

Do not believe in authority or teachers or elders.

But after careful observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason and it will benefit one and all, then accept it and live by it.

The wisdom of the ages can help guide us on our journey through life; however, we should not blindly accept it.  We should judge it on its merits and make an informed decision based upon honest, open inquiry (discriminating wisdom).

There is also a difference between knowing about something and knowing something.  Dr. Wayne Dyer makes this distinction.

"Knowing about" is another term for belief.  "Knowing" is a term reserved exclusively for direct experience, which means an absence of doubt.

I will talk about this last concept in more detail later.

Basic Meditation Exercise (samatha)

   1.  Sit down comfortably and close your eyes.

   2.  Let your body relax.

   3.  Let go of all outside things, of all thinking and emotions, and let your mind relax.

   4.  Turn your attention to your abdomen and just observe (feel) the breathing process there (the rise and fall of the abdomen).

   5.  If your attention wanders off to other things, just bring it gently back to the breath.

   6.  Do this for 10 minutes.

This is a basic meditation exercise and a great place to start.  This is a form of concentration meditation.  I will discuss other methods later and progress to insight meditation.

Scientists from the Imperial College in London published a paper in Nature Biotechnology on October 6, 2004.  They examined the more than 500 species of bacteria that are known to exist in the human body.  These bacteria make up more than 100 trillion cells, while our own body cells only number several trillion.  The fact that bacteria largely outnumber our own body cells may alarm some; however most bacteria are harmless and many are not only beneficial, but necessary for life.

Bacteria have three types of relationships with humans and they are as follows:

Commensalism:  This relationship is beneficial to the bacteria, but does not help or harm the host (You and I).  Most bacteria fall into this category.

Mutualism:  In this relationship, both the bacteria and the host benefit.  The Probiotics (friendly bacteria) that reside in our gastro-intestinal tract are an example of this.  They help us to break down food and produce valuable substances such as vitamin K.  They also create a competitive environment against the parasitic bacteria.

Parasitism:  In this relationship, the bacteria benefit, while the host is harmed.  The pathogens fall into this category.

We need bacteria to survive; however, many bacteria can surivive perfectly well without us.

The fact that we are outnumbered by the bacteria and that we need them to survive begs the question:  are we here for the bacteria, or are they here for us?

The reality is that we are a superorganism.  We are a collection of symbiotic cells working together.  Maybe the human form is an evolutionary tool developed by competing species of bacteria to survive against others.

We are certainly not as independent and separate as we once thought.  We are intimately connected to everything, including bacteria.

Society can also be viewed as a superorganism.  Each individual acts as the role of an individual cell.  A "global brain" of sorts is present.  There are various channels of communication between individuals that represent the nervous system of this superorganism.  This blog is just one of those many channels, analagous to a network of neurons.

Systems theories describe these networks in great detail.    DaVinci spoke of connessione.  He recognized the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena.

Keep this in mind as you progress on your spiritual journey.  Everything and everyone are intimately connected.  All sentient beings have value.

Make your own Bible, select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your reading have been to you like the blast of triumph out of Shakespeare, Seneca, Moses, John and Paul.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have been keeping my own spiritual guidebook for quite sometime now.  I just came across this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson in the book Awakening to the Sacred, by Lama Surya Das.  It is one of his many recommendations for creating a spiritual life.

There are many paths to the center and we must all find our own.  It is helpful to have a guidebook for any journey.  Why not have one catered to your specific path?

If something inspires you, write it down.  We all have times when we need inspiration.  You will now be able to go straight to the source of your greatest inspiration.

Through reading this blog, you are obtaining a glimpse into my spiritual journals.  I hope it inspires you to start your own.

Lama Surya Das wrote a wonderful book entitled Awakening The Buddha Within.

In it he provided the following list to assist in building a spiritual life from scratch.

DAILY NECESSITIES

Tips and Pointers for Building a Spiritual Life from Scratch

Pray

Meditate

Be aware / Stay awake

Bow

Practice yoga

Feel

Chant and sing

Breathe and smile

Relax / Enjoy / Laugh / Play

Create / Envision

Let go / Forgive / Accept

Walk / Exercise / Move

Work / Serve / Contribute

Listen / Learn / Inquire

Consider / Reflect

Cultivate oneself / Enhance competencies

Cultivate contentment

Cultivate flexibility

Cultivate friendship and collaboration

Open up / Expand / Include

Lighten up

Dream

Celebrate and appreciate

Give thanks

Evolve

Love

Share / Give / Receive

Walk softly / Live gently

Expand / Radiate / Dissolve

Simplify

Surrender / Trust

Be born anew

The more clearly we experience something as "nonsense", the more clearly we are experiencing the boundaries of our own self-imposed cognitive structures.

"Nonsense" is that which does not fit into the prearranged patterns which we have superimposed on reality.

There is no such thing as "nonsense" apart from judgemental intellect which calls it that.

- The Dancing Wu Li Master

     - Gary Zukau

Throughout history, there are concepts that others considered nonsense.  Science is abundant with such examples.  The earth was once considered to be flat.  We used to think that the universe revolved around the earth.

Some scientists are currently working on developing the concept of time travel.  That is pure and utter nonsense you say.  Take a look at the following u.r.l.  Maybe you will change your mind.

http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/t-39444_Time_travel??.html

Don’t become locked into your preconceptions of science, religion, etc.  Open your mind to new perspectives.  Keep your beginner’s mind.  That doesn’t mean you have to blindly accept all new concepts.  Simply analyze them for their merits.  Don’t dismiss them before giving them a chance.

The Buddha said the following:

Believe nothing, O monks, merely because you have been told it.  Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher.  But, whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.

Buddha encourages all of us to examine everything for ourselves.  Don’t take my word for it.  Draw your owm conclusion, but only after you have allowed the process of honest and open inquiry.  If one path is indeed the correct path, it should stand out as such after exploring all possibilities.  In spite of this, don’t be afraid to change your perspective once you have been exposed to new concepts and information.

The scientific method encourages us to accept truth, or the best approximation of truth we can derive given our available information.

The scientific method has four steps

1. Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena.

2. Formulation of an hypothesis to explain the phenomena.

3. Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations.

4. Performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independent experimenters and properly performed experiments.

A good hypothesis is one that can be either proven or disproven.  It matters not which occurs.  Either way, we can gain a deeper insight and understanding. 

Our senses are very limited.  They only allow us a small glimpse at ultimate reality.  Telescopes, microscopes, electron microscopes, MRIs, sonograms, etc. are all methods for extending our senses.  Sometimes we must extrapolate information obtained from these tools. 

We think of ourselves as being these hard, material objects that are separate and distinct from everything else.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  Quantum mechanics tells us that we are simply bundles of energy moving through the quantum soup, interacting with other bundles of energy.  Keep this perspective in mind when dealing with your fellow sentient being.  We are all part of the same quantum soup.  Anything you do to someone else, affects you directly.

Truth 101     Truth is that which is true.  Whether you know it or not and whether you like it or not.  -  Ben Swett

We may not always know the truth.  We have a limited undertsanding of the world around us.  We may not always like the answers that we receive; however, we should not ignore the truth simply because it creates some level of cognitive dissonace within us. 

We can resolve cognitive dissonance by either ignoring reality or by accepting it.  I choose to accept it.

As a chiropractor, I realize the importance of finding balance in our lives.  I stress the mind-body connection and the importance of physical as well as mental health.

One of the DaVincian principles I previously alluded to was Corporalita - the cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise.  DaVinci understood the necessity of exercising both the body and the mind.

Chinese sage, Lau Tsue

Tao Te Ching

   - treatise on the art of living with poise, balance, and equanimity.

   Men are born soft and supple;

      dead, they are stiff and hard.

   Plants are born tender and pliant;

      dead, they are brittle and dry.

   Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible

      is a disciple of death.

   Whoever is soft and yielding

      is a disciple of life.

   The hard and stiff will be broken.

   The soft and supple will prevail.

Chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga, pilates, tai chi, Alexander Technique, Nia, Feldenkrais, etc. all help us to address the mind-body connection and help us live life to the fullest.

The Christian tradition tells us to treat the body as a temple.

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

I think it is wise to treat the body as a temple.  It will carry us through the journey of life, but we must respect it.

The Indian tradition of Ayurveda provides us with similar wisdom.

Dr. Yeshe Donden stated the following:

If you partake of food and drink well, your body and life will be sustained well. whereby you will live long.  If you do not know how to eat and drink properly - if these are insufficient, excessive, or perverse - disease will be produced, and your body and life will be adventitiously over-powered.  Hence, those who want happiness should value skill in eating and drinking.

Thomas Edison stated, "the doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."

While I certainly think there is a time and a place for medical care, I advocate utilizing the least invasive forms of health care first.  Take a proactive approach to your health.  Don’t wait for problems to occur and then react to them.  Preventative care is the best care.

Dr. Larry Dossey, M.D. spoke of the "biodance".  He defined the biodance "of human beings as essentially dynamic processes, not analyzable into separate parts and closely linked to their environment, and of health as the harmony of fluid movement."

Hippocrates spoke of the necessity of proper diet in maintaining health.

Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work.  The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.  Our food should be our medicine.  our medicine should be our food.

Aside from the obvious physical benefits of maintaining a healthy body, it also enables us to progress on our spiritual journey.  We have a special opportunity to be here in this specific configuration of energy.  It would be a shame to waste it.