The Self Proclaimed Solitary Buddhist

I am the "Self Proclaimed Solitary Buddhist" follow me on my journey as I navigate this thing called life. I have no known Buddhist communities near me or like minded people in my mostly Catholic family. But that is not going to stop me from doing what I feel is right and what I need to be doing.

My intentions are to post several times per month if not weekly on my progress on my Buddhist practice and thoughts. Any input from Blog readers will be appreciated and will be taken as constructive criticism.

In my continued postings I'll discuss a little more about myself and the path I have chosen as a Buddhist and the knowledge I seek. 

The Illusion of I and Why Practice Buddhism?

The Illusion of I

          The Buddha said that this self which we call an "I" is an Illusion created by a mind which cannot penetrate reality - such a mind is suffering from ignorance. As we practice the Buddha's path we will begin to replace ignorance with wisdom. With wisdom, we will realize that a person is essentially a set of processes, or behavior's grouped into two classes: Mind and Matter. The second group appears as a solid body but is in reality a series of processes or qualities (solidity, fluidity, heat, and motion) which are forms of energy in various combinations. They are never constant, always moving, always changing, so they have no ultimate reality. The first group is more subtle, although they are also energies ( feelings, perceptions, mental habits, consciousness). They too have no ultimate reality, but are constantly changing, and so rapidly that the normal person cannot perceive the change and mistakes it for something permanent. These energies are neither are neither created at birth not destroyed at death, but go on relentlessly through what we call samsara. (The Buddha went further and discovered Nirvana, in which the energy and its ceaseless activity is permanently stilled, like the flame of a candle being blown out.)
       
      The Buddha's path can be realized gradually depending on how sincere, and how determined we are on following it. But understanding must be there in some degree, no matter how small, if we are to practice Buddhism correctly.

Why We Need To Practice Buddhism?

      The Buddha teaches that, because of ignorance, we must have created the illusion of a "real" self and then we are trapped in the cycle of births and deaths because of this. We cannot escape from it even though we enjoy temporary flashes of pleasure; we are at it's mercy. But when we come into contact with the Buddha's teaching we are offered a way out to overcome this suffering; we become masters of our own fate. We must follow the Noble Eightfold Path. When we have followed the path successfully, and broken through delusion, we have have achieved Nirvana - this is the final peace and salvation. And following of this path is what we call PRATICE of  BUDDHISM.

I would like to thank Vijaya Samarawickrama for this great teaching from his book "A Buddhist Reflects On Spirituality".

This is The Self Proclaimed Solitary Buddhist wishing you a Blessed day and passing on all of my accumulated merits to you and yours in this life or the next.

The Buddha Gave Relationship Advice?

Dhammapada for the 21st Century

Who knew the Buddha was giving relationship advice so many years ago?

Of course the Buddha at the time was talking to monk's, in reference to them all getting along. In my opinion, I think it would apply to FRIENDS and RELATIONSHIPS today. 

Please leave a comment after reading, let me know if you found this useful. Thanks!

Dhammapada Verse 328-330

Friends on the road again.

Verse 328 - If one finds a thoughtful friend who is honest, reliable, and dependable. One should remain friends with that person joyfully and mindfully overcoming all obstacles.

  

Verse 329 - If one can not find a thoughtful, honest, and reliable friend one should continue your virtuous life alone until you do.....  (note: of course you still have the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. So you are not totally alone. Just saying.) 

Good friends are hard to come by but are worth it

Verse 330 - It is better to face life alone, because there is no friendship with a person who lacks good judgement.

   



 

Meditaion Method For Relaxation

In the last post, we talked a little about learning to meditate and its benefits. In this post, we are going to talk about unlocking our hidden potential through meditation.

Relax and watch the breath

People who don’t practice meditation often misunderstand it. Very often, you’ll hear it referred to as mystical or transcendental, which makes them feel wary about trying it. When in fact, it’s simply a practiced skill that can help bring clarity to a cluttered mind. I know I get quite a few strange looks when I tell people what I like to do for relaxation.

Without going too deep in to what meditation is, or isn’t, let’s focus on one of the many things a daily meditation can do for you.

Meditation is often seen in Yoga classes and is widely practiced by a variety of cultures, countries and religious groups. I only mention this so you can understand that the art of meditation is perfectly safe and commonly practiced by millions of people around the world.

Some of the more documented benefits of meditation include less anxiety, irritability, moodiness and decreased depression. It can help improve your learning abilities, memory and unlock creativity. It can also slow down the aging process increase feelings of vitality and rejuvenation. Not to mention it can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and produce higher blood oxygen levels

There are many types of meditation, but the easiest form to learn that I have encountered thus far is, “breath awareness meditation.” Compared to many other meditation techniques, this will enable a person to experience the benefits of meditation in much less time.

Here's a simple technique that I found gave me results in minutes. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and tense up your whole body. Blow as much air out of your lungs as you can. Then breath deeply through your nose and release the tension from every muscle. Just feel each part relaxing, watching for parts that may hold onto tension, like a tight jaw.

If you still have tension somewhere, tense up that part again, then let it relax. It may also help to repeat silently like a mantra "relax" as the tension drains. This will train your body and mind to recognize relaxation. Later you may be able to relax more easily just by repeating the mantra "relax" a few times.

Breath through your nose. This is important because it brings in more oxygen by involving your diaphragm more. You can test this. Breath with your mouth and you'll notice that your breathing is shallower. Then breath through your nose and you'll notice that your abdomen extends more. Air is being drawn deeper into your lungs.

Allow your breathing to fall into a comfortable pattern, and pay attention to it. Pay attention to your breath as it passes in and out of your nose. Your mind may wander endlessly, but all you have to do is continually bring attention back to your breath.

Focus Meditation

If your mind is still too busy, try naming the distractions as a way of setting them aside. For example, say in your mind, "itchy leg," "worried about work," or "anger," and then immediately return attention to your breathing. Use any way you can to identify and set aside distractions.

That's it. Continue this for five or ten minutes at first. Afterwards, I open my eyes and sit there for a few seconds. I feel relaxed, and my mind refreshed. Also better prepared for any challenges that come my way.

Meditation has many rewards, and through daily practice, one can learn to release the unlimited potential of your mind and body. For example, Since I've started writing this blog, my mind has become clearer allowing me to be more productive.

In my next post, I will be continuing to talk about how to use meditation exercises for relaxation.

Until then, Namaste _/l\_

The Self Proclaimed Solitary Buddhist

Meditation Beginners Key Points

Meditation

Beginners Key Points

 I am going to use a little space to focus on meditation. I feel from what I am learning thus far it plays a big part in the path to Enlightenment.

  

So welcome to the second post on meditation methods. In each post, I hope to share with you valuable information that will help you and me understand the various methods of meditation and their benefits. In this post, we are going to talk a little bit about learning to meditate and why you should consider trying it yourself.

With most of us living fast-paced lifestyles trying to balance work, family and social lives can take it’s toll on our mental and physical well-being. Learning to meditate can bring a sense of calm and inner happiness to our lives and help promote feeling of peace and tranquility that often times gets lost when we are busy trying to juggle everything we have to accomplish on a daily basis.

The practice of meditation is a gateway into our inner consciousness, resulting in an enhanced awareness of your own existence and your overall relationship to the universe.

Whether you are looking to answer the age-old question, “Who am I and why am I here?” or simply to implement simple relaxation techniques to help ease your mind. Meditation may just be the answer for you.

Meditation has been around for hundreds if not thousands of years and it has many different cultural contexts, some of which transcend the boundaries of any one specific culture. There are literally hundreds of established techniques on how to meditate and it’s up to you to decide which method will fit best into your lifestyle. You can have your choose between many different schools of thought and it may take you a bit of testing to find a technique that best suits your personality, so be prepared to try out several methods before you find the right one.

According to Eastern philosophy, to meditate means to think on the eternal, or rather to expand your consciousness until you are at one with the universe as a whole. This philosophy is based on the belief that transcendental emotions like grief, euphoria or even love can fade away, but the universe is forever.

Even if you’re not interested in the metaphysical implications of meditation it has undeniable health benefits. It incorporates many relaxation techniques that can help you erase the negative feelings that come with the stress of leading a hectic lifestyle.

Learning to meditate can have positive effects on stress-induced illnesses like heart disease and high blood pressure. In conjunction with traditional approaches to medicine, meditation can target the root causes behind stress-based conditions by helping you to calm and clear your mind.

You don’t have to have any special tools or your private own meditation garden. You can meditate anywhere you feel comfortable. You can meditate sitting, standing or lying down, in a chair, on the floor. or even walking. Learning how to meditate isn’t difficult either.

There are many products like books and DVD’s available. There are also online programs that can teach you the basics and chances are if you are luckier than me there may be classes and instructors in your local area that can guide you through each step of the meditation process, provide tips on appropriate posture and teach you how to create the ideal setting for your meditation session.

As we meet other people who meditate, I've encountered a few who will boast about their endurance for long meditation sessions—maybe even hours at a sitting. Don’t be tempted to change your practice to “ keep up.” Meditation is not meant to be a competition.

Key Points I Have Learned

1. You should be comfortable enough to concentrate, but not so comfortable that you feel the urge to fall asleep. (Very important lol)

2. When just starting meditating, stick with one method at a time. During this first 2 to 3 weeks. Don’t read or listen to any other meditation information during this foundation building stage. The reason for this is not that you should close your mind to new information but, that you should focus on action and getting real results – and not to focus theories and ideas.

Chances are if you are like me you have already read quite a bit about meditation for beginners, watched or listened to some guided meditations online and maybe even tried meditation a few times. Some of these programs might have worked for you. But you were not able to stick with it for whatever reason. Our only focus, right now, should be to get into the HABIT of meditating so we can start getting the benefits as soon as possible. Then we can take the time to experiment and read up on the expanded theories.

3. We have to make an effort to be mindful of our mood and thoughts when NOT meditating. 
This will benefit us in the long run when we do meditate to help focus.
 
4. Prepare ahead of time for distractions. Get a drink of water, turn off the phone and go to the bathroom before a session to eliminate additional distractions that can be avoided.

5. Keep the mind focused on using just one program for a set number of days and should see better results than by switching back and fourth.

No more excuses. It's time for us to STOP THINKING about meditation and START DOING IT..


Tomorrow we will be talking about unlocking our hidden potential through meditation.I hope you join me on this Path we can seek Enlightenment together. 

The Self Proclaimed Solitary Buddhist