One of those things I love about Facebook are those little factoids that one can pick up. Of course you always have to be careful. So, for instance, there is a meme going around my circles right now with a picture of the Stoic philosopher Chrysippus and the caption declaring he died laughing at his own joke.

One has to dig around a bit, but I did. And as it turns out there are actually two stories about how the great Stoic (often thought of as the second founder of the school) died. One is boring, he drank too much undiluted wine, fell into a stupor and passed away. The other claims he saw a donkey eating some figs and quipped Now give that donkey some wine to wash down the figs. Then, as the meme goes, he fell into a fit of laughter at his own joke, and, well, died. As to the humor of the quip, I guess you had to be there.

Through the near random associations of snapping synapses, this made me think of the way humor fits into Zen. And I renewed my web search.

I found a bunch of lists of jokes, most often leading off with the one about the Buddhist going to the hot dog vendor and asking to make me one with everything. It must be funny because people are always telling it to me. And, I do try hard to smile when they do.

Of course studies of humor are famously not themselves very funny. Dr Freuds study leaps to mind. Although I did find a pretty good article by Andrew Whitehead, She Who Laughs Loudest: A Meditation on Zen Humor. While he would never get through a dokusan (Zen interview) with his analysis, as a reflection on whats going on, I found it pretty good.

And Mr Whitehead offered some points I was unaware of. As it turns out those Indian Buddhists who analyzed pretty much everything (I believe in their quest for salvation by finding the perfect list) had a list of the six kinds of laughter.

sita: a faint, almost imperceptible smile manifest in the subtleties of facial expression and countenance alone; hasita: a smile involving a slight movement of the lips, and barely revealing the tips of the teeth; vihasita: a broad smile accompanied by a modicum of laughter; upahasita: accentuated laughter, louder in volume, associated with movements of the head, shoulders, and arms; apahasita: loud laughter that brings tears; and atihasita: the most boisterous, uproarious laughter attended by movements of the entire body (e.g., doubling over in raucous guffawing, convulsions, hysterics, rolling in the aisles, etc.).

Now, Andrew Whitehead quickly notes this sort of thing is alien to Zen. But. And. In fact we do inherit as a founding story Mahakashapas faint smile at the Buddhas twirling a flower, which fits as the first of the Indian list, and I guess we could even call it Zens great inside joke.

Actually Zens spiritual humor tends to be a bit more slapstick. For instance in the great shaggy dog koan about master Baizhang Huaihai and a fox spirit, it concludes in the evening when the old master told his assembly the story of his meeting the spirit and what happened, which turned on questions of causality and freedom.

His senior student Huangbo stood up and said, Sir, what if the old abbot had given the right answer every time? What would have happened then? Baizhang smiled, perhaps like Mahakashapa, and fingering his teachers stick said, Come here Huangbo, and Ill tell you.

Heres a dangerous moment, if a somewhat different danger than between the fox and Baizhang, to encounter a Zen teacher with a stick in his or her hand.

Huangbo would become another of the teachers who created what we call Zen. According to traditional sources he was a giant of a man, standing nearly seven feet tall, while his teacher was barely five feet, short even for those days. When the younger monk walked up to his teacher, just before coming face to face and just out of reach from his teachers stick, Huangbo reached out and slapped the old abbot.

And the old abbot laughed, and laughed, and declared They say the barbarian has a red beard, but heres a red bearded barbarian.

Theres a joke. Okay, slapstick, sort of, but still its another of Zens inside jokes.

And thats the real question. Whats the inside joke?

Whats the real deal?

Well, theres a novel by David James Duncan called The River Why. I think the concluding chapter says it as well as Ive heard it. So, for your benefit, here it is. Oh, one thing to help with it. There are a lot of fishing images in the novel.

There was an old Taoist who lived in a village in ancient China, named Master Hu. Hu loved God and God loved Hu, and whatever God did was fine with Hu, and whatever Hu did was fine with God. They were friends. They were such good friends that they kidded around. Hu would do stuff to God like call him The Great Clod. Thats how he kidded. That was fine with God. God would turn around and do stuff to Hu like give him warts on his face, wens on his head, arthritis in his hands, a hunch in his back, canker sores in his mouth and gout in his feet. Thats how He kidded. That God. What a kidder! But it was fine with Hu.

Master Hu grew lumpy as a toad; he grew crooked as cherry wood; he became a human pretzel. You Clod! hed shout at God, laughing. That was fine with God. Hed send Hu a right leg ten inches shorter than the left to show He was listening. And Hu would laugh some more and walk around in little circles, showing off his short leg, saying to the villagers, Haha! See how the Great Clod listens! How lumpy and crookedy and ugly He is making me! He makes me laugh and laugh! Thats what a Friend is for! And the people of the village would look at him and wag their heads: sure enough, old Hu looked like an owls nest; he looked like a swamp; he looked like something the dog rolled in. And he winked at his people and looked up at God and shouted, Hey Clod! What next? And splot! Out popped a fresh wart.

The people wagged their heads till their tongues wagged too. They said, Poor Master Hu has gone crazy. And maybe he had. Maybe God sent down craziness along with the warts and wens and hunch and gout. What did Hu care? It was fine with him. He loved God and God loved Hu, and Hu was the crookedest, ugliest, happiest old man in all the empire till the day he whispered,

Hey Clod! What now?

and God took his line in hand and drew him right into Himself. That was fine with Hu. Thats what a Friend is for.

The secret is in that line. Perhaps its a fishing line. Perhaps it is the blood red thread we run into in a couple of Zens koans.

Another hint. Dont cling too tightly to that thread, that line. That said, held lightly like a good fisherman, it does reveal the joke. Actually the punchline is revealed everywhere and in everything.

And if you get it, theres at least a smile, and maybe, on occasion, even some rolling down laughter.

Youre welcome. After all, whats a friend for?

And, okay, if thats not clear, perhaps Ellen can help, at least a little.

Youre welcome.

After all, whats a friend for?

The rest is here:

What's a Friend For? A Small Meditation on Zen's Inside Joke - Patheos (blog)

Tibetan Buddhist Pema Chdrn once said, If it werent for my mind, my meditation would be excellent. Im not a Buddhist, nor an ordained nun like Chdrn, but I completely get what shes saying. My mind always goes to food when I meditatemore specifically, cheeseburgers. My brain also travels to my to-do list, whatever show Im bingeing on Netflix , or current stressors. Which is exactly why I need meditation , but also why I can never seem to stick with it.

Merriam-Webster defines meditation as the simple act of engaging in a mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness. And loads of studies show that its basically a miracle nondrug for the brain.

Like many couples, my husband and I wade through lifes distractions, like a constant stream of text messages or the need for quick answers on an iPhone. If daily meditation can help keep us in the present, it's kind of like a free form of counseling for a better relationship, right? We decided to give it a try for a month. Heres what we learned.

Joey Klein, the author of The Inner Matrix: A Guide to Transforming Your Life and Awakening Your Spirit , tells SELF, Any place or position is OK for meditation because you are engaging in an internal process; you can do that in a city, in the woods, lying down, or sitting up, and you can even engage certain internal processes while you are walking or working out."

My husband and I both pictured meditation as sitting still in a cross-legged position, so we appreciated the myriad options for zoning out. Walking meditation is quite pleasant but difficult to do as a couple with the temptation to talk. Hiking meditation is pretty awesome (it's so much easier to keep quiet and be in the moment when you're surrounded by nature), but the best was in-flight meditation, which instantly quelled airport anxiety .

We did most of our meditating in the evening, sitting in bed. But unlike walking or sitting in lotus position, engaging in this casual style of meditation promptly led us both into deep sleep before our timer went off. Klein says that this is common for the newbie meditator and instead recommends sitting comfortably in a chair with your back straight, or on the floor with your back relaxed. But even when we fell asleep, it felt like a success.

Unlike my daily exercise routine of running or yoga , its hard to remember to meditate, and we completely forgot a few times. Klein says consistency is important when it comes to seeing the benefits of meditation and that skipping days will reduce the efficacy. Think of meditation as lifting weights for the mind and the brain," he suggests. "Just like you want to work out each day and not miss your workoutits the same idea. We started setting a daily meditation reminder, and by the end of our month, it was rarely needed.

Does it feel like humans get annoyed way too often? It feels like I spent too much of my life being annoyed about things that dont actually deserve the frustration (like big groups blocking the sidewalk, people wearing sunglasses indoors, or someone showing me a video on their iPhone). Surprisingly, meditation helps. I noticed this while nonchalantly dropping my husbands dirty clothes into the laundry bag that sits 1 inch from where he leaves the pile.

And my husband feels that his road rage is improving. A recent paper publishedin Current Directions in Psychological Science confirms that meditation can do this. Researcher Rimma Teper and her colleagues at the University of Toronto write that, despite the common misconception that meditation empties our head of emotions, mindfulness actually helps us become more aware and accepting of emotional signalswhich helps us to control our behavior.

Theres zero equipment required for meditation, but my husband and I both discovered that its easier to focus when youve applied Chapstick to your lips, moved hair out of your face, and are not hungry . I once meditated hungry on the sofa in front of leftovers, and the smell of onions was incredibly distracting.

We downloaded the Inscape app , created by Khajak Keledjian, the owner of New York Citys newest luxury meditation center of the same name. The handy subscription-based app is loaded with guided meditations for those who cant visit the swanky studio in person. While my husband found the apps voice to be distracting, I enjoyed the soothing tone and appreciated the guidance. Its here that I learned to count while breathing, which helped to alleviate thoughts of cheeseburgers.

Klein says that a great universal practice for beginner or advanced meditators alike is to concentrate on the breath. "Begin by sitting down, closing your eyes, and relaxing the body from your head to your toes," he instructs. "Next, place your focus on the breath and inhale through the nose for four seconds. Pause gently at the top of the inhale. Exhale through the nose for four seconds. Pause gently at the bottom of the exhale.If your mind becomes distracted, gently bring the focus back to the breath.Then repeat this breath pattern for 20 minutes.

Klein says, One of the most important aspects of a healthy and vibrant relationship is how couples connect with each other. Its so easy in our fast-paced modern society to forget to take the time to connect with each other in an intimate and focused way. That's why he recommends meditating as a couple. Meditation helps to create a deep and profound connection with ourselves and access experiences like joy, peace, love, and compassion. If we connect with each other in that space, it helps to bring those qualities into our relationship.

After a month of daily meditation, that advice completely rings true. For us, it felt great to engage in something nondigital together each day that was good for our minds and souls. And while we didnt speak, we soaked up the relaxing and positive vibes at the end of each day and let it really set the tone for our interactions. Daily meditation is definitely something well continue as a couple.

You Might Also Like: 3 Quick Tips for Meditating on the Road

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My Husband and I Meditated Daily for a Month and It Felt Like Free Couples Therapy - SELF

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ - Do you have questions about Buddhism or wanted to learn how to meditate? If so, the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center may have answers for you.

"The basic philosophy of Buddhism is to do good, not evil, and improve your mind," center member Ravi Karunaratnesaid.

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center was established in 2003and is located in Franklin Township minutes away from Princeton and a 45-minute bus ride from New York City.

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In Sep. 2009 the Samadhi Buddha statue was built, on the 10-acre property of the Meditation Center. According to theirwebsite, it is the largest outdoor Buddha statue in the western hemisphere. The Buddha is 30 feet tall, sits on a pink lotus and is made of steel and concrete.

Since the unveiling of the statue, the center has been considered a New Jersey landmark attracting a steady stream of visitors throughout the year. It can be seen from Route 27 by people driving by, especially on a moonlit night due to the luminous glow of the statue.

"Our members come from all over - New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Deleware and New York, we have about 600 families," center member Dr. Wije Kottahachchisaid.

According to their website, "the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara is dedicated to serving Buddhists, as well as non-Buddhists in the United States, essentially for religious, cultural and social purposes."

Many practicing Buddhist believe peace can only be found through love, compassion, tolerance, co-existence and non-violence. At the NewJerseyBuddhist Vihara and Meditation Center visitors can learn practical methods to deal with the everyday stresses of life through various programs offered at the center.

Visitors can meditate in front of the Samadhi Buddha statue every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. There is also a scenic redwood tree-lined meditation trail, one can walk to help cleanse their mind, and along the trail, they will see quotes to help with meditation.

On Friday nights between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. are evenings of meditation with the resident monksand after meditation one can take part in discussions on the Buddhist doctrine. There is also a Dhamma school for children to help give them a foundation to assist with the development of rational thoughts, along with positive attitudes.

At the center, you can learn different forms of meditation - Metta Meditation, Anapansati Meditation, and Buddhanussati Meditation.

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center provides descriptions of each form of meditation, below is a brief snapshot:

Metta Meditation:"Metta meditation is a good way to calm down a distraught mind and some consider it to be an antidote to anger."

Anapanasati Meditation:" The practice ofanapanasatiis a tool to free oneself from suffering generated by uncontrolled thoughts."

Buddhanussati Meditation:"In thismeditation,we direct the mind to the qualities of Lord Buddha as the object of meditation."

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center is in the midst of an expansion project that will include an 11,000 square foot building that would house a library, meditation hall, residence for the clergy, and areas for community gatherings. The meditation trails through the woods will also be expanded and meditation gardens will be built.

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Houses of Worship in Franklin Township - Buddhist Vihara ... - TAPinto - TAPinto.net

'A Service of Love in Song' at Fairview Chapel

Fairview Chapel will provide a midwinter worship experience at 7 p.m. Feb. 19. The Message Bearers from Wakefield Bible Church will present A Service of Love in Song.

The goal of the group is to minister and inspire a closer walk with Christ through personal testimonies and song. On this visit, it will bring additional friends in Christ, including singer Peggy Burrier-Flickinger. The service will include Scripture, poetry and prayer.

This love tribute will be presented by candlelight and oil lamp at this small restored 1847 stone chapel on the hill.

The chapel is at 6802 Boyers Mill Road, New Market, just north of the entrance to Lake Linganore. For more information about this and other weekly services at the chapel, call 301-606-3094.

Juliana Perez, who has facilitated mindfulness meditation, spiritual and grief groups for over 20 years, will lead the Interfaith Spiritual Discussion Group at the Frederick Meditation Center in downtown Frederick.

The group will meet for six sessions beginning Feb. 27 and ending April 3 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The first session on Feb. 27 is a free introductory workshop where participants can sample the class and choose to register for the remaining five sessions for $125. Those who wish to sign up for all six sessions at once are welcome to do so.

The sessions will incorporate meditation, poetry and readings from many spiritual traditions to help participants investigate their own personal belief system. Sample session themes will include What does it mean to have faith, to be spiritual? and Obstacles along the way: How have spiritual traditions of our youth affected us?.

Those interested may sign up for the free workshop only, or reserve their space for all six classes on frederickmeditation.com. For those who do not have a schedule that suits a morning class, Perez will facilitate an evening version of the Interfaith Spiritual Discussion Group starting March 9, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. This evening course is now open for registration as well.

Perez has led mindfulness meditation, spiritual and grief groups in the Seattle area for over 20 years and has a masters degree in social work and a certification in Interfaith Spiritual Direction from the Chaplaincy Institute, an interfaith seminary, in Berkeley.

The Frederick Meditation Center is at 1 W. Church St., above The Tasting Room in downtown Frederick.

Calvary United Methodist Church will host Bishop Latrelle Easterling, of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, as the honored guest and preacher on March 5. This will be a one-service Sunday to begin the season of Lent. Worship will be at 10 a.m., and Sunday school for all ages will be at 9 a.m.

Bishop Easterling is the first woman bishop to lead the 233-year-old Baltimore-Washington Conference. She was elected as a bishop in The United Methodist Church in July 2016 and began serving the conference in September.

An Indiana native, Easterling is an inquisitive, collaborative and transformational leader. She is married to the Rev. Marion Easterling Jr., pastor of Wesley Grove UMC in Hanover and the former pastor of Parkway UMC in Milton, Massachusetts.

Calvary United Methodist Church is at 131 W. Second St., Frederick. Visit http://www.calvaryumc.org for more information.

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Religion Notes: Fairview Chapel, Frederick Meditation Center, Calvary UMC to host events - Frederick News Post (subscription)

One of the early trailers for Logan featured a grizzled, older Wolverine with Johnny Cashs cover of Hurt playing. It was an evocative experience, a connection of music and tone, which perfectly sets the stage for this film.

Set in the near future, an older Logan (Hugh Jackman) is driving a limo, hes unkempt and sporting a scraggily beard. Hes self-medicating his pain with booze, his weathered face chronicling the hurt hes experienced.

Its a departure for the roguishly handsome Jackman there are no costumes here or quippy lines to distract from his sense of defeat.

Hes working to get money for actual medication to help his old friend Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), who is living in a remote location in Mexico, where he is cared for by a mutant named Caliban (Stephen Merchant). Xavier is kept medicated to keep him from having seizures, with his once impressive intellect savaged by age and his powers out of control.

The movie hints at a past tragedy and no new mutants have been born in years, though Xaviers delirious rantings speak of a new mutant.

Her name is Laura (great newcomer Dafne Keen) and shes quickly jettisoned into their lives. Shes a child, low on communication, but strong on action, and shes got some similar abilities to a certain X-Man. Keen, in her cinematic debut, is a pint-size powerhouse, turning out a strong performance in what is no doubt a difficult role, requiring extensive physical and emotional work.

Laura is being tracked by a mechanically enhanced killer named Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook, who makes his lackadaisical Southern drawl menacing), and theres only one mutant who can keep her safe. And just how is Laura connected to Logan?

At its heart, Logan is a road movie, a Western of sorts, with the drifter plodding from town to town with his young charge, working to find a better life and unable to avoid getting caught up in battle after battle.

Oh, and there are tons of battles here, bloody and visceral, almost animalistic. It does get over-the-top at times have fun counting the beheadings but there is an undeniable jolt of adrenaline when the claws come out.

Director James Mangold, working off a screenplay he co-wrote with Michael Green and Scott Frank, creates a dusty, sun-soaked future with stark scenes in the desert, long shots of caravans of trucks marching down highways and urban decay.

Logan marks Jackmans ninth turn as Wolverine and Stewarts seventh as Professor X. These are superb actors who know intrinsically these roles and its great to see them be able to really explore the furthest reaches of the characters. These arent the self-assured combatants from earlier movies, but rather broken vestiges of past greatness.

Much like the fourth-wall-breaking Deadpool was a new direction for Foxs Marvel mutant movies, Logan is as well, though in the other direction. This is a mature film, almost a meditation at times, of growing older, losing hope and coping with ones own mortality.

Jackman and Stewart have danced around whether theyll return to these roles in the future, but even if this is the last we see of them on the big screen, it sure is a great curtain call.

Go here to read the rest:

Hugh Jackman's 'Logan' a powerful meditation on mortality - amNY

Described as "the new yoga"in many a headline and recently declared "a billion-dollar business"by Fortune magazine, the practice of meditation has come a long way from its ancient beginnings. Dozens of celebrities, from Ellen DeGeneres to Paul McCartney, have touted its powerful effects on their lives, and more and more companies are providing mindfulness programs for their employees. This probably isn't what the Buddha had in mind, yet the fact remains: Meditation is so hot right now.

But before you dismiss it as another overhyped trend akin to so many fad diets and workout regimens, let's take a moment to acknowledge that, unlike juice cleanses or CrossFit, meditation has been around for thousands of years. Perhaps more salient to the skeptics among us, though, is this: Recent studies have shown that practicing mindfulness can actually be enormously beneficial to your physical health. Here's the scoop...

Simply put, meditation is the practice of "just being." While that may sound like a fancy paraphrase of sitting on one's ass doing nothing, meditation can be more challenging than it seems. Luckily, filmmaker-slash-creator of nightmares, David Lynch, breaks it down for us.

According to the David Lynch Foundation, there are three basic approaches to meditation:

But why bother with any of these? Science says...

According to the National Institutes of Health, research suggests that meditation can physically change the brain in positive ways. These include increasing the brain's ability to process information, and slowing, stalling, or even reversing changes in the brain that result from aging.

When you experience stress, your body releases adrenaline, which causes your heart rate and blood pressure to rise -- a once-helpful survival tool passed down from our ancestors. These days, though we're no longer being chased by bears, just a glance at our social media feeds can get our hearts a pumpin'. Meditation counteracts this fight-or-flight response by slowing your heart rate and lowering blood pressure, which can in turn reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Studies show that a mindfulness practice can minimize the stress response in people with generalized anxiety disorder, and meditation retreats in particular have been found to decrease depression, anxiety, and stress in participants.

With opioid dependence, abuse, and addiction rising at terrifying rates, drug-free pain management techniques are more necessary than ever. Luckily, mindfulness meditation has been shown to help patients with chronic pain, and can be beneficial when used alone or in combination with pain medication.

Meditating at home is popular for good reason: It's comfortable, convenient, and free. But if you'd prefer a group experience, or something a bit less conventional, there are plenty of options out there. You could attend a silent meditation retreat, try a sensory deprivation tank, or even explore orgasmic meditation (yup, that's a thing).

Don't worry; there's an app for that.

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Katie McDonough is a freelance writer and editor who knows meditation would probably fix many of her problems, but wheres the fun in that? Follow her@thewritekatie.

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Is Meditation Medically Good for You? The Science Behind Mindfulness. - Thrillist

Meditation is often associated with spirituality, being an important aspect of spiritual traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. But meditation has also grown in popularity among a more diverse range of people, spreading from a largely spiritual practice into fairly widespread use in the secular world.

The secular benefits of meditation on the body and mind have been widely documented in science, and plenty of people are taking up meditation as a hobby for health or enjoyment nowadays rather than any kind of religious practice. Some of the benefits of meditation include stress reduction, a stronger immune system, better mood, and improvements in memory. Meditation has also been shown to increase willpower to help people meet their goals.

Don't get me wrong, you shouldn't consider meditation to be a magic bullet that will magically solve all of your problems. But with all of these benefits, it is definitely worth giving a try.

Much like exercise, which trains the body, the training of the mind through meditation is most effective when done regularly. The hardest part of doing this is establishing it as a regular habit. So what are some good ways to get into the habit of meditating?

The first thing you need in order to get into the habit of meditating is obviously to know how to meditate. While some readers may already know how, let's cover this for those who may not.

There are numerous ways to meditate, Buddhism alone has about 40 different techniques described in the Visuddhimagga. Don't let that number frighten you though, a lot of these techniques aren't practical nowadays, for example some involve encouraging worldly detachment by focusing on some kind of rotten object such as a skeleton.

There are just a handful of popular practical meditation techniques so don't sweat the number of different ways to meditate. Not only that, most meditation organizations will provide instructions on how to do their meditation technique online for free, so finding a good practical technique doesn't take much effort. You can even learn to meditate from watching a TED Talk.

Probably one of the more popular meditation techniques is breathing meditation, or mindfulness of the breath. Other common techniques include loving-kindness meditation and walking meditation. There are also some more specific techniques such as the recently popular Vipassana meditation and the famous Chakra Meditation.

My personal favorite is a meditation technique called Dhammakaya, which is closely related to breathing meditation. The focus is on 7 points within the body largely along the path of the breath, its main point of focus however is a point in the center of the stomach just above the navel called the "7th base of the mind". You can also find this point by taking a deep breathe and finding the point where you feel your breathe end. One reason I like this method of meditation is that it's easy to do when you're doing other tasks besides sitting still. All you have to do is gently place your mind at the 7th base while carrying on normal activities. This technique of course, is my own personal preference and you are free to try any technique you feel most comfortable with. If you are curious about it however, you can find instructions here.

A good tip to keep in mind is that experiences change with circumstances. For instance, while Dhammakaya meditation is my preferred, I have had sessions where I get a better experience using breathing meditation instead. Another nice meditation tip is keeping a meditation journal to write down your experiences. It's a great way to track your progress and make use of any tips that might come in handy later. You should note that each time you meditate, you shouldn't hold on to expectations based on past experiences or ambition. The key is not to force, but to allow your mind to be peaceful and joyous.

A prominent meditation master was once asked, "How many times a day do you meditate?"

This was his answer:

"I meditate twice a day. Only twice. I meditate when my eyes are open. And I meditate when my eyes are closed."

This is, to say the least, probably the ultimate goal one would like to reach in getting into the habit of meditating. Since you can be present and aware at any time, meditating all the time is indeed possible, but starters should probably begin with smaller goals at first.

Much like the exercise schedules of the modern era, a good way to develop a meditation schedule is to ease your way into it with increasing increments. If you are starting from no meditation at all, you can start with maybe 10 minutes of sitting meditation a day and then increase by increments of 5 minutes or so every week. Once you reach a solid amount of daily sitting meditation, an hour or so would be a good benchmark, you will likely notice some positive feelings not just during meditation, but before and after also.

From there you can focus on incorporating meditation into your daily life. The most efficient way to maximize benefits from meditation is to not just focus on sitting meditation, but to do walking meditation and other forms of meditation while doing other activities also. Whether it is staying aware, repeating a mantra, or gently keeping your mind at the 7th base at all times; there are plenty of ways to integrate meditation with your daily tasks. Meditating with your eyes open is not much more difficult than meditating with your eyes closed.

The best way to get into the habit of meditating is to make it a habit to meditate following your routine tasks. Meditating right after work or class for example is a great way to develop your meditation routine and ensure you never neglect the practice. Another good one is meditating right before you go to sleep or right after you wake up. Meditation has been known to help with sleep, and the mind tends to be very quiet right after waking up.

Another advantage of meditating before and after bed is that humans need to sleep everyday (for the most part), and if you make it a habit to meditate at such times it ensures you are training your mind consistently. Meditating before or after other daily tasks such as meals would also work.

Measuring meditation doesn't have to be restricted to time either, those who use mantras to aid with meditation can count mantras in their free time throughout the day and set mantra count goals. The mantra I use is "Samma Arahung", a Pali mantra, but there are plenty of other good ones you can use even in English such as "inner peace" or "clear and bright". Mantras are great for meditators to calm their mind and clear it of any chit-chat or wandering.

You can count mantras yourself, for instance "inner peace one, inner peace two, inner peace three etc...", or use tools like a tally counter. Simple tally counters can be bought online or in thrift stores for pretty cheap, and it's great to use if you want to do mantra meditation while doing other activities. Getting to a few thousand mantras in a day isn't as hard as it looks, you can get several hundred in just waiting for your late friend or waiting to be seated at a restaurant.

Enlist the help of technology

A great way to help with getting into the habit of meditating regularly is using technology. There are plenty of great apps you can find online to help you with the practice.

For those looking for a simple meditation timer, there are quite a few good ones that have standard features like reminders, a timer and progress tracking. Meditate Free Meditation Timer from Mindcore covers these basic features. Insight Timer provides guided meditations, music to go along with your meditation, as well as a pretty unique system where you can see who and how many are also meditating with the app. A great way to develop a habit of meditation if you respond to social feedback well and have some interested friends.

For those looking for a program to get started with, there are apps for those also. Calm has a pretty extensive range of meditation programs available for those interested in trying out lots of different methods and the more famous Headspace has a 10 part series for free on its app. There's even an app called Simple Habit, designed to help incorporate meditation into your daily life.

I'm an old fashioned kind of person so I tend to just stick to the more basic meditation timers, but just mentioning these programs for those who may be interested.

Like all routines, whether it be working out, training for the olympics or practicing an instrument; the hardest part is getting started. Once the the power of habit kicks in, following through is pretty easy.

A good way to get started on, or to improve your habit of meditating is to go on a meditation retreat. Thanks to the power of habit, immersing yourself in nothing but meditation for a few days is a great way to catapult yourself into a solid routine if you are serious about later developing one at home. What's also great is that meditation retreats tend to be reasonably cheap for reputable meditation organizations. A few that I know of are S.N. Goenka's Vipassana meditation course which consists of a ten day retreat, and the Middle Way Meditation Retreat for those who don't mind traveling.

Many Hindu or Buddhist temples will also allow guests to stay overnight and meditate with the monastics or would host retreats at little or no cost. This would only be an option for those who don't mind the religious rules and customs integrated with being at a monastery. If you are okay with such a circumstance, you can always try to contact a local Buddhist or Hindu temple to see if such programs are offered.

For those who want an easier way to get the benefits of a meditation retreat, without the hassle or cost of going to one physically, there are online options available also. Peace Revolution offers a free 42-day online program that can be done right in your home, more than enough time to get that habit of meditation developed. Peace Revolution also offers various free and low-cost fellowships at some very appealing meditation sites for qualified candidates who complete their program. A pretty nice perk for just sitting at your computer each day.

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Getting into the Habit of Meditating - Huffington Post

We don't know about you, but we've been finding it increasingly difficult to keep calm these days. Since we've already looked to the Quakers for tips on staying chill, now we're turning to labyrinth spirituality, a form of meditation and prayer that you may have never heard of that could completely change how you deal with stress.

Labyrinths which aren't mazes but usually symmetrical circuits made of concentric circles have been around for a really, really long time. They've been found outside of ancient Egyptian gravesites, as massive stone structures in Scandinavia, and in Roman mosaics. Their purposes range just as widely as their countries of origin labyrinths have been used for Pagan rituals, templates for basket design, and even horseback riding training.

It was only in the Middle Ages that labyrinths took on distinctly spiritual purposes in Christianity. Western Europeans who couldn't make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem embedded labyrinthine paths in their cathedrals, so that they still could walk a sacred path of some kind.

Since then, labyrinths have become pretty non-denominational. You can still find them in churches, but they're now also part of some schools' wellness programs, and they're even available to rent from traveling companies, too. Rather than performing a fertility rite or a symbolic pilgrimage to the Holy Land, people now walk labyrinths to get in touch with themselves and it's a great alternative to regular meditation if you just can't sit still. A normal labyrinth meditation consists of walking to the center of the circuit (also known as the rosette), pausing there in silence, and then leaving the way you came. Your inner work should mirror your physical journey:

Start by looking inward and letting the world beyond the path ahead of you fall away. When you reach the rosette, stop and decide if there's anything you'd like to let in, maybe a spiritual force or something more specific to your personal life whatever you're reflecting upon, take as much time as you need. When you leave, do so with a newfound sense of power and purpose, so that by the time you're outside of the labyrinth, you feel refreshed and ready to resume your everyday life.

Labyrinths are an incredibly versatile spiritual tool they aren't problem-solvers, but they provide people with a template for meditation and prayer they might not have thought of otherwise. Research has found that labyrinth walking can be helpful as part of couples and family therapy, for stress management, and to aid with recovery from trauma. They're often used to help young people explore their spiritual needs, but labyrinths can serve that purpose for anyone, regardless of age.

If you're still on the fence, find one near you and take a stroll for yourself. You just might leave feeling recharged and focused and, if nothing else, you'll have gotten a little peace and quiet, which is about as chill as it gets.

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This Might Be The Chillest Way To Meditate - Refinery29

Having long tried to virtually transport listeners to beaches, rain forests and other dreamy respites, meditation apps today are also trying to appeal to people who are actually traveling to such places.

Several apps, including Buddhify, Calm, OMG. I Can Meditate and Simple Habit, offer specialty meditation sessions for travelers on planes, trains and city streets, making their way across oceans or simply across town, be it "Waiting at the Airport" or "Commuting: A Mindful Journey."

On my first trips of 2017, I tried several such apps, including some veterans, to see if they could alleviate the stress of long lines, crowded planes and busy streets. Meditation is personal the teacher's voice, words and methods affect each of us in different ways so I didn't rank the apps. Instead, I've highlighted certain features and to whom they may or may not appeal.

Research began at Newark Liberty International Airport, where my plane was being de-iced. I put in earbuds and tapped the "Prepare for Travel" session from Simple Habit, an app with meditations for situations as varied as remedying procrastination and easing PMS. Users can choose from sessions that span the vacation process, from "Waiting at the Airport" to "Just Landed" to "Relaxing on Vacation" and "After Vacation." To gain access to all of Simple Habit's sessions, you need a subscription ($3.99 for seven days; $11.99 for one month; $99.99 for a year on iOS). As with other app subscriptions, you can cancel through iTunes. (I used an iPhone, but the apps are also available for Android.)

"Travel can sometimes be a tumultuous experience," a male voice said. "You just got your seat on the plane?" the voice said. "Just this breath. Just this moment."

Another app, OMG. I Can Meditate (access to all sessions, $12.99 a month; $89.99 a year on iOS), offers sessions like "Mindful Walking," "Waiting in Lines," "Public Places" and "Mindful Eating," which I selected during breakfast.

"Notice all the different colors, textures, shades, different food types," a female voice said. The travel-related meditations on this app may appeal if you're beginning to practice mindfulness and want step-by-step instructions. The eating session, for instance, asks listeners to rate their hunger from 1 to 10 to help them learn when they are full.

Experienced meditators may want to try an oldie but goodie: Buddhify ($4.99 for iOS and $2.99 for Android), which has a rainbow wheel with the question "What are you doing?" in the center. Users can select slices of the wheel with sessions like "Walking in City." I tapped one that said "Traveling" and up came options like "Connecting with stillness in a busy place" and "A unique meditation for when you're on a plane."

The latter is about 10 minutes. A soft male voice asks you to notice the sounds of the plane, and the people within. To help you stay present, the voice suggests that when your thoughts drift to the past, you say to yourself the name of the city from which you're departing. If your thoughts drag you into the future, you say the city where you're headed. Simple but effective in gently guiding the mind.

Meditation sessions for travelers? There's an app for that 02/16/17 [Last modified: Thursday, February 16, 2017 4:39pm] Photo reprints | Article reprints

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Meditation sessions for travelers? There's an app for that - Tampabay.com

Reflecting on a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., Jeremy Mohler relates it to how meditation helps us adjust to reality, and helps us act to change ittoo.

Reality during the early days of President Trumps administration has mostly felt surreal, but there are moments where it feels like a cold shower. One of those moments was the morning after he banned immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries. I awoke earlier than normal and lay in bed trying to imagine what I could do about it. With no one to talk to, I scrolled Facebook to see what friends had to say. Someone shared a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.: Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.

The idea of being maladjusted, and that what we are asked to adjust to society could be in conflict with being human, attracted me, so I looked for the quotes source. It comes from a sermon King gave many times called Transformed Nonconformist. In one variation delivered in November 1954, when King was a mere 25 years old, he used a metaphorborrowed from a socialist Methodist pastorto describe the individuals place in society:

Im sure that many of you have had the experience of dealing with thermometers and thermostats. The thermometer merely records the temperature. If it is 70 or 80 degrees it registers that and that is all. On the other hand the thermostat changes the temperature. If it is too cool in the house you simply push the thermostat up a little and it makes it warmer. And so the Christian is called upon not to be like a thermometer conforming to the temperature of his society, but he must be like a thermostat serving to transform the temperature of his society.

King went on to rail against mass mind and rugged collectivism, claiming that many had become afraid of not conforming. He says of this mindset, Instead of making history we are made by history. This was the 1950s, of course, in the Holocausts aftermath and at the high point of Stalins authoritarian brand of communismmany people feared manipulative leaders who claimed to speak for the majority. Kings point was that to oppose injustice we must shed the fear of standing alone. He argued we must make history rather than being made by it, echoing Karl Marxs call at the end of Theses on Feuerbach: The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.

This idea of changing rather than merely interpreting could also be applied a little closer to home. Kings temperature metaphor also describes the human mind. The connection can be seen through meditation practice. On the cushion, we open to the moment and space around us. Our mind tends towards being a thermometer. It follows whatever comes up, whether thoughts or emotions, and we spin off into discursive thinking. We plan our day or reflect on yesterday.

Meditation has us practice being a thermostat. When a thought or emotion appears, we watch and note it and return to our anchor, the breath. The goal is to stay steady with whatever comes up, with the riptide of thoughts, with our aching back or numb legs. From this place of steadiness we can fully feel the moment. Like a thermostat transforming the temperature, we simply guide our minds attention back to the breath over and over again. We practice returning to feeling grounded, a comfortable room temperature of 72 degrees. Eventually we stay relaxed in the space around uswe align with the present moment and no longer fight against it by being elsewhere in our mind.

Off the cushion, in everyday life, the metaphor still applies but gets a little fuzzy. So lets add a new element to our thermostat metaphor: a teenager. Our teenager is happy to complain about the temperature, wishing it were different, but lacks the money to pay the electricity bill. Buddhisms second noble truth says that suffering comes from grasping for things we like and pushing away things we dont like; in essence, wanting to change that which we cant. Like the temperature, life is always changing, and rarely in what wed consider an agreeable form. And like the teenager, we tend to complain about that.

If weve practiced on the cushion, though, were more ready for lifes constant change. Many people, before trying meditation, have an image of a solitary monk sitting for years in a cave. This leads to the notion that the goal of meditation is to detach from everything, to not be moved by anything.

But the truth is quite different. Meditation helps us feel everything more fully. Our ability to notice our grasping or running away becomes sharper and quicker, allowing us to let go and get back to feeling the present moment. Meditation helps us feel, not detach.

From a deep sense of presence, we are then able to act mindfully, to, like a thermostat, adjust to whats around us andthis is the keyto adjust whats around to us. Meditation not only helps us quit fighting the present moment; it also helps us forget the lie that we are separate from the present moment to begin with. We become present along with everything else around us. It may sound like a Buddhist clich, but we are becoming one with our surroundings.

Like a thermostat, we must feel the temperature of the moment, which includes our thoughts and emotions, and gently adjust it to our intentions, and meditation can help us do that. This is another way of being creatively maladjusted, or simply being human.

I still havent figured out what to do about the immigration ban, other than to stand in solidarity with immigrants, especially Muslims. But later that day, having meditated in the morning, I experienced the power of being creatively maladjusted. I was having tea with a good friend who had once been a lover. My heart trembled like the edges of a frying egg. I could feel my love for her, but I didnt grasp. I instead appreciated her new role in my life. By staying present with my feelings instead of thinking about what could have been, I fell upon my real intention, to simply enjoy our time together.

Adjusting society may take other, collective practices by the late 1960s, King would be calling for a radical redistribution of economic power. But meditation practice, by helping is adjust to both the present moment and our deepest intentions, is a powerful tool for building the very connections and community we so passionately want to heal.

A different version of this piece was originally published on Medium.

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How Meditation Helps Us to Be One With and Affect Change - Lion's Roar