Mahashivratri is a significant festival in Hinduism, celebrated all over India in honor of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati's divine... Read More Mahashivratri is a significant festival in Hinduism, celebrated all over India in honor of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati's divine wedding. It symbolizes the union of masculine and feminine energies, victory of light over darkness, and activates the chakras for spiritual growth. It is celebrated in honour of Lord Shiva, one of the trimurti, who is regarded as lord of transformation and destruction. Read Less Mahashivratri, often referred as Great Night of Shiva, is a significant festival in Hinduism, celebrated all over India, especially by Bhakts of Shaivism, usually falls on the fourteenth night of the dark fortnight in the Hindu lunar month of Phalguna, which in March 8 in 2024. It is celebrated in honour of Lord Shiva, one of the trimurti, who is regarded as lord of transformation and destruction. Why is it celebrated?

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Armenian Genocide Memorial at Yerevan. Image courtesy 23artashes/Wikimedia Commons

In the words of British writer Annie Besant, Hinduism is the soil into which Indias roots are stuck, and torn out of that, she will inevitably wither as a tree torn out from its place. And if Hindus do not maintain Hinduism, who shall save it? If Indias own children do not cling to her faith, who shall guard it? India alone can save India, and India and Hinduism are one.

Hindus and Armenians share several striking similarities. Both cultures bear the weight of ancient civilizations, enduring centuries of history on their resilient shoulders. Each has confronted existential threats from expansionist empires harbouring genocidal intentions yet has managed to persevere against the odds. Both boast revolutionary heroes, such as the Chapekar brothers and Soghomon Tehlirian, who bravely sought retribution against the oppressors of their people.

Moreover, both communities have suffered territorial losses, witnessing the creation of new nations on lands once integral to their civilisations. They have also experienced the unsettling reality of historical enemies aligning against them. In addition, both Hindus and Armenians have found themselves confronting Western indifference and ignorance, bordering on Hinduphobia and Armeniophobia, respectively, in the contemporary world.

Those who harbour animosity towards our existence exhibit striking parallels amongst themselves. Their intolerance is palpable, mirroring a worldview wherein the dominance of their community is deemed inevitable. They display a resolute unresponsiveness to peace proposals, often resorting to warmongering tactics. Furthermore, they demonstrate a preposterous tendency to distort history, selectively discarding facts that do not align with their narratives.

Strength of acceptance: Hinduisms legacy of tolerance

In ancient times, long before Christianity had made its way to Europe, the apostles of Jesus Christ journeyed to distant lands, including Armenia and India, to preach the gospel. Among them, Bartholomew and Thaddeus introduced Christianity to Armenia, while the Apostle Thomas brought the teachings of Christ to India. Notably, within the global spiritual movement of Ananda, founded on the principles of Swami Paramhansa Yogananda, a revered Hindu Yogi, Jesus Christ holds a central place of honour. His portrait adorns the Altar of Ananda, and devotees pay daily homage through prayers. In his renowned work, Autobiography of a Yogi, Swami Yogananda writes in Chapter 33 about the Mahavatar, a prominent Hindu Yogi also known as Babaji, affirming, The Mahavatar is in constant communion with Christ. According to Ananda, Christ appeared to the revered yoga master, Babaji, entreating him to dispatch a messenger to the Western world to disseminate the teachings of original Christianity.

By nature, Hindus have long exhibited a remarkable tolerance, if not outright acceptance, of diversity, owing to the inherent variety within their own faith. This inclusivity has made it relatively easy for them to embrace Armenians within their communities. Over time, Armenian settlements flourished in various Indian cities, such as Agra, Lahore, Gwalior, Delhi, Narwar, Surat, Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, and beyond. However, the Turkic rulers of India, like Jehangir, did not share the same tolerant outlook as the Hindu populace they governed. According to Mesrovb Jacob Seths account in his book History of Armenians in India, there is documentation of Jehangirs endeavour to coerce two Armenian Christian children into converting to Islam. Despite facing pressure, the two brothers, Zul-Qarnain and Iskanderus, remained steadfast in their resistance to conversion. Even after being forcibly circumcised in 1606 on Jehangirs orders, at ages fourteen and eleven, respectively, they adamantly refused all attempts to sway them from their Christian faith.

Struggle against prejudice: Targeting Hindus and Armenians

Across the annals of history, Hindus and Armenians have faced orchestrated hate campaigns by their adversaries. The dilapidated Armenian churches in Eastern Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as the ruined Hindu temples in Pakistan, serve as stark reminders of the animosity directed towards us, now entrenched within their foreign policy agendas. Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Pakistani pseudo-intellectuals have perpetuated historical negationism, fabricating narratives devoid of credible evidence, to sever the ties between Armenians and Hindus with their ancestral lands.

The rebranding of well-documented Armenian churches as Caucasian Albanian and the appropriation of Udi Christian heritage in Azerbaijan are alarming developments. According to a report by the Cornell-led Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW), decades of high-resolution satellite imagery document the systematic destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan since the late 1990s. Likewise, a report commissioned by Dr. Shoaib Suddle and presented to Pakistans Supreme Court underscores the deplorable condition of temples and Hindu places of worship in Pakistan, as detailed in a Dawn report.

Shedding light on dark pasts: Hindu and Armenian genocide

Despite the staggering loss of at least 664,000 and potentially up to 1.2 million Armenians during the genocide orchestrated by the Ottoman Turks, Turkish intellectuals faced vehement criticism when they issued an online apology for the Armenian Genocide in 2008. Their act was met with fierce opposition from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as reported by The Guardian newspaper.

In India, the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus took place and has been recognised by the US-based non-profit International Commission for Human Rights and Religious Freedom (ICHRRF). It has recognised the 19891991 atrocities against Kashmiri Hindus as an act of genocide. As per the United Nations Refugee Agency, approximately 300,000 Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) are reported to have left the region due to constant persecution from the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and other militant groups, like Hizbul-Mujahideen (HM). Hizbul Mujahideen is designated as a terrorist organisation by multiple countries, including India, the United States, and the European Union.

Regional alliances and anti-India sentiments: Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistans unified stand

Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan have demonstrated a unified stance against Armenia while concurrently displaying anti-India sentiments on the global stage. Erdogan, who refuses to recognise the Armenian Genocide and aligns with the genocidal ambitions of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, underscored in the Pakistani parliament, as per reports from the Turkish news outlet Daily Sabah, that Today, the issue of Kashmir is as pertinent to us as it is to you (Pakistanis) and there is no disparity between Gallipoli and Kashmir. Erdogan has openly endorsed and actively supported Pakistan, which, reciprocally, lends support to Islamist terrorist factions in Kashmir. These groups perpetrate violence not only against Hindus but also Muslims, epitomizing the intolerant worldview espoused by Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan.

According to a report from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Pakistani education curricula propagate animosity towards Hindus, with a focus on historic revisionism aimed at exalting Islamic civilization and disparaging the contributions of religious minority communities. Similarly, Azerbaijan, like its ally Pakistan, fosters hostility towards its adversary, Armenia. As reported by Faustin Vincent in Le Monde, Azerbaijan recently reissued maps of Nagorno-Karabakh with streets named after Enver Pasha, a Turkish leader associated with the 1915 Armenian genocide. Despite Bakus assertions to the international community about respecting the rights of Armenians in the region, his actions speak otherwise. Azerbaijan has consistently sought to undermine Armenian heritage and exacerbate tensions through inflammatory rhetoric targeting Armenians.

Navigating the diplomatic landscape

In the complex arena of international relations, mastering the art of diplomacy is paramount for fostering successful diplomatic relations. Effective diplomatic engagement requires a delicate balance of strategy, communication, and negotiation. The art of international engagement requires finesse, foresight, and diplomacy. By adhering to these strategies, nations can cultivate robust diplomatic relations that contribute to global peace, stability, and prosperity. It is now imperative for both Hindus and Armenians to awaken the West from its state of indifference and compel it to acknowledge the genocides perpetrated against their respective communities. The governments of India and Armenia must take the lead in this endeavour by formally recognising the genocides committed against Armenians and Hindus, respectively. Subsequently, they should engage in diplomatic efforts to encourage other nations to follow suit.

Furthermore, there is a pressing need for India, Armenia, and Greece to explore the possibility of forming a security alliance to address the escalating threats in their respective regions. These nations possess significant geostrategic advantages: India holds a prominent position in the Indo-Pacific region; Armenia is strategically located in the South Caucasus, serving as a potential gateway to Europe via Georgia; and Greece occupies a key position in the Eastern Mediterranean. By collaborating closely, these countries can effectively counteract the destabilising actions of Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan. While advocating for peace in our regions and globally, we remain steadfast in safeguarding our national interests. Strengthening the bond between Hindus and Armenians is essential for promoting peace and stability in our regions and beyond. Hence, the importance of mastering the art of diplomacy in navigating the complexities of the global stage and fostering successful diplomatic relations is the need of the hour.

Arunansh B Goswami is Advocate, Supreme Court of India and Sumit Kaushik is a PhD candidate, OP Jindal Global University. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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Bharat and Armenia: A tale of resilience and diplomatic imperatives - Firstpost

Mahashivratri, the great night of Shiva, which is to be celebrated on March 8 this year holds deep value and significance in Hinduism. This auspicious night dedicated to Lord Shiva holds immense significance in the hearts of millions. While the world may slumber peacefully every day, it is believed that one must not sleep on the night of the great night. There are compelling reasons why one should not sleep on Maha Shivratri. Night of Divine Union The festival symbolizes the sacred union of Shiva and Shakti the male and female principles of the universe. This union is not just a symbolic marriage but also represents the merging of the soul with the divine. Devotees stay awake to meditate and immerse themselves in the thought of Shiva, seeking to experience this divine union. Tandava Maha Shivratri is believed to be the night when Lord Shiva performs Tandava, the divine dance of creation, preservation, and destruction. Devotees stay awake to witness this cosmic dance, symbolizing the cyclical nature of life and the universe. By staying awake, one aligns themselves with the celestial energies and partakes in this cosmic union. Scientific Perspective From a scientific viewpoint, staying awake and maintaining a vertical posture aligns with the body's energy flow. It is said that for the energy or 'Vata' to move freely, the main channels, or 'Nadis,' must be perpendicular to the ground. This is achievable only when one is sitting or standing, not while lying down. Hence, staying awake and vertical on Maha Shivratri is recommended.

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The spiritual significance of staying awake on Maha Shivratri - The Times of India

Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh): On the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri, a heartwarming event unfolded at Mahadevgarh temple in Khandwa town, where one Rukhsana, a resident of Bangarda, made a life-changing decision. She embraced the Sanatan Hindu religion and entered nuptial knot with Sunil from Pipalkota, a choice that was filled with love and devotion.

The ceremony was a beautiful blend of traditions, with the couple taking seven sacred rounds around the holy fire, symbolizing their lifelong commitment to each other.

Rukhsana, who got new identity after embracing the Sanatan says she is now Rakhi. She expressed her deep reverence for Lord Shiva and her eagerness to learn about the life of Lord Shri Ram by reading Ramcharit Manas.

The union of Rukhsana and Sunil, witnessed by Lord Bholenath himself, symbolizes the harmonious blending of different faiths and the power of love to transcend boundaries. Ashok Paliwal, the chief of Mahadevgarh, shared his thoughts saying, "Today, Rukhsana of Bangarda has made Rakhi with Sunil of Pipalkota. They have come here willingly and got married according to Hindu customs. Rukhsana's adoption of Hinduism and their marriage marks a joyous celebration of unity and love."

The newlyweds expressed their happiness and gratitude for the support and blessings they received from their families and the community. Their story stands as a testament to the timeless values of love, acceptance, and understanding, inspiring many to embrace unity amidst diversity.

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MP: Muslim Woman Rukhsana Converts To Hinduism, Marries Sunil In Traditional Ceremony On Mahashivratri (WATCH) - Free Press Journal

In a remarkable event that unfolded after more than three decades, devotees gathered in massive numbers at Vyasa ji ka Tehkhana beneath the Knowledge Seat (Gyanvapi) in Varanasi, following the auspicious Mangala Aarti at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri on March 8. The sacred darshan at Vyasaji ka Tehkhana, renowned as the seat of Sage Vyasa, was made accessible after an extensive wait, witnessing an overwhelming attendance of thousands of devotees.

The rare darshan at Vyasa ji ka Tehkhana, located beneath the Knowledge Seat, was last open to devotees three decades ago. The gate leading to Vyasaji Ka Tehkhana is situated along the exit path from the temple, providing an opportunity for devotees to witness the divine idols as they exit.

Devotees gathered to witness the divine murti and seek blessings, creating a spiritually charged atmosphere.

The journey inside the Vyasaji ka Tehkhana included a circumambulation of the sacred premises, fostering a deeper connection with the divine.

While thousands revelled in the spiritual fervour of Maha Shivaratri, special attention was given to the dilapidated state of Vyasaji ka Tehkhana. Notably, the occasion attracted a multitude of devotees associated with the ongoing legal battle related to the Gyanvapi case, including the female litigants of the Shringar Gauri case, lawyers, and supporters.

Speaking to the media, female devotees expressed their primary motive of seeking Baba Vishwanaths blessings on Mahashivratri. They emphasized their hope for the early liberation of Adi Vishweshwar, who is currently confined in Vyasa Ji Tahkhane, awaiting the courts decision.

Mahashivratri, a significant festival celebrating the divine union of Bhagwan Shiva and Mata Parvati, witnessed an overwhelming turnout of devotees seeking blessings at the Kashi Vishwanath Dham. Following the Mangala Aarti, devotees thronged in large numbers to witness the ceremonial Jalabhishek of Kashi Vishwanath. According to temple authorities, by 9 a.m., a staggering 388,006 devotees had already received darshan.

As the day unfolded with prayers, rituals, and divine interventions, the atmosphere in Varanasi remained charged with devotion and faith, marking Maha Shivaratri as an unforgettable day for the devotees and the city alike.

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Gyanvapi: Hiatus of three decades ends; thousands of Hindus throng Viyas ji ka Tehkhana to worship on Maha Shivratri - Organiser

The secret to Jake Pauls victory has been revealed! It seems the Problem Child is in Beast mode, which is evident from the clips that hes been posting for the past few days now, in preparation for his third fight against a professional boxer. However, when Jake Paul revealed a clip of himself ahead of his upcoming fight, fans were left bewildered, wondering what Paul was doing in preparation for the fight.

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In a matter of hours, the Cleveland native will take on Ryan The Rhino Bourland on 2 March at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Hours earlier, the YouTuber-turned-pugilist shared a clip of himself practicing a sort of breathing technique that helps people clear blocks, access new levels, let go of stress, process emotions & heal trauma. The Problem Child Paul shared the clip on his second account on Instagram. And heres how it went!

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Accompanied by Luke Macpherson, Pauls trainer for the breathing technique, Paul can be seen taking deep breaths and forcefully exhaling. He captioned the post Tomorrow, emphasizing his fight against Bourland. Going into the fight, Paul is a heavy favorite, especially after his dominant win over Andre August last year.

Despite that, Paul is not ready to take any chances, so he is pulling off all the stops to cement his victory in the upcoming fight, including the breathing technique. However, fans failed to see the usefulness of the exercise as they took to the comment section to express their thoughts.

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While some poked fun at Jake Paul for the unusual exercise before the fight, others showed support for Paul. One user suggested that Paul was practicing some sort of Satanic Ritual to win the fight. The user wrote, Back at it with the satanic rituals.

Another user jokingly asked, Why cant people be normal? Its worth mentioning that Paul might not be alone when it comes to practicing breathing exercises in the lead-up to big fights. The only difference is that other fighters dont share clips of themselves doing it.

Someone else had a demand for Paul, asking him to knockout Bourland within 3.5 rounds. The user wrote, I need a knocked out in less than 3.5 rounds! Its quite possible that the user has placed some bets on Pauls fight.

Boxing Update: Jake Paul Signs Indian Boxing Star Neeraj Goyat Following Confrontation in Puerto Rico

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The next user decided to enlighten everyone on what Paul was doing. Not one of these comments even know or understand what hes doing or the fact hes with [Luke Macpherson] breath-work! Its powerful, the user wrote.

One user tried to motivate Jake Paul with some kind words of encouragement. The user wrote, Lets go, Jake! Knock him out!!

With mere hours left in his fight against Ryan Bourland, Jake Pauls breathing exercise to get ready for the fight didnt seem to land too well with his fans. However, it would be interesting to see whether it helps him win the fight faster than he did with Andre August.

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Do you think the breathing exercise will help Jake Paul? Or do you think its unnecessary?

Jake Pauls Next Opponent Is Not an Uber Driver but Works at an Oil Rig

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Why Can't People Be Normal: Jake Paul's Uncommon Breathing Excercise Ahead of Ryan Bourland Fight Leaves ... - EssentiallySports

I am not a chill person, but I would like to be. Its why I keep trying various meditation tech, breathing in and out as abstract graphics or disembodied voices guide me to a higher state of being. Or thats what would happen if most meditation tech worked for me. So trust me when I say I expected nothing from Headspace XR.

When the pandemic struck, meditation and mindfulness apps like Headspace were everywhere. Totally makes sense. Yet meditating in VR? It sounds ridiculous. Why would I breathe in a headset when I could just... not. But you never know! Things could surprise you! Thats why I, the meditation skeptic, agreed to try a demo of Headspace XR. Walking into Metas New York office, I thought Id stick on the headset and nod politely while strangers mulled around watching me wear a Quest 3 and breathe deeply. Technically, that is what happened, but I was surprised that I actually enjoyed what I was seeing inside the headset.

Headspace XR is what youd get if you took the Headspace app and turned it into a virtual playground. You walk around as an abstract, gender neutral avatar and there are different locations you can go to and... play. Theres a bunch of fountains where you pick up colorful orbs and throw them at walls or breathe and inhale the colors into your avatar. Theres a place called the Energy Dome where you go and wave your arms around while tracing shapes. The best I can describe it is if Beat Saber and tai chi had a baby. Im sure I looked goofy from the outside, but inside the Energy Dome I was having a good time.

You can also pull up a little map to view all the areas within this mental health playground. A giant mood stream, where six balloons with faces representing various emotions await you. Touching one will tailor the experience to whether youre feeling happy, sad, bored, anxious, angry, or lonely. Theres a mural with slingshots lined up in front of it that you fling virtual balls of paint at that eventually uncover a message. (At my demo, it was Be present.)

Theres actually a lot of slingshots. At one point, we were encouraged to just fling balls through giant shapes in the sky breathing in when you pull back and exhaling when you let er rip. You can also invite friends to come hang out with you in various public spaces and club houses. The most traditional experience I tried was visiting the Boxy Treehouse. Its a virtual tree house at sunset where you can see a visualization of box breathing, a deep breathing technique to calm the nervous system.

The whole thing felt like a pill pocket for meditation. But instead of hiding medicine in a treat for your pets, youre learning meditation skills through playing games. Thats by design.

There are five pillars of mindfulness that we talked about specifically at Headspace. Theres meditate, move, eat, sleep, and play. Play, to me, is something that we could really, really access in the world of VR, that was tough to access in the world of 2D, says Sara Cohen, vice president of content creation at Headspace.

Another feature launching in Headspace XR is more mixed reality experiences. I didnt get to try this during the demo, but I was told that theyre designed to let you interact with your actual surroundings. For example, one lets you draw a window in your room and a guided visualization lets you see positive energy bubbles fly through that window and into your space.

The idea is to bring the practice into your everyday life. Because its not so much about techniques and exercises. Mindfulness is really a lifestyle, says Kessonga Giscombe, one of Headspaces mindfulness and meditation teachers. Its the same thing with the XR experience.

Thats a good sentiment, though Im still skeptical about meditating in VR overall. Last week, I tried the Mindfulness app in the Apple Vision Pro and that typical Look at these shapes and breathe gratefully experience never resonated with me. So as a meditation skeptic, theres something to Headspace XRs approach that feels fresh. I would try it again. Thats even though a part of me knows Im being fed something good in the guise of a game. But if its good for me, and I enjoy it, does it really matter how I get there?

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Headspace XR made me forget how much I hate meditation tech - The Verge

The route leading to Son Tra peninsula restricted visitors that afternoon for the special visitors attending the tea meditation session at the height of 700 m above sea level.

Two days before, two of Gates's assistants flew to Hanoi and went to the house of Vietnamese tea artiste Hoang Anh Suong to discuss every detail about the tea meditation session.

Suong, with over 20 years of organizing thousands of tea meditation sessions, was present at the top of Ban Co early in the afternoon and brought with him two ancient tea sets that he often uses to serve heads of state, along with lotus and ancient snow shan teas.

Two staff members from a travel company carried a set of ancient tables and chairs up hundreds of stone steps to the top of Ban Co. In Vietnamese culture, especially the old wealthy class, it is common to sit and drink tea on ancient tables and chairs.

The tables and chairs were placed next to a fairy chess board, thus named because the board lies next to a fairy statue, with a layer of mist below.

Hoang Anh Suong prepares a tea table for Bill Gates on top of Ban Co Mountain in Da Nang, next to a fairy chess board, on March 6, 2024. Photo courtesy of Hoang Anh Suong

At 5 p.m., Gates and his girlfriend arrived at the foot of the mountain and walked together to the top, while his representative and bodyguards stayed down.

A nun from Da Nang joined them on top of Ban Co that day.

Suong said that when he met Gates and his girlfriend, he was surprised by their simple style, with T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers.

(From L) A nun from Da Nang joins Bill Gates, his girlfriend Paula Hurd, and tea artiste Hoang Anh Suong for a tea meditation session on Ban Co mountain peak in Da Nang on March 6, 2024. Photo courtesy of Hoang Anh Suong's Facebook page

Suong guided the couple on how to meditate, with the nun's help, because "Western people are now very interested in meditation," he said.

He added that atmosphere on top of the mountain was so peaceful he could "clearly hear Gates' breathing."

After 10 minutes of meditation, Suong brewed two types of Tan Cuong tea marinated with lotus flowers.

"The first cups of tea I offered, Bill Gates and Paula Hurd drank them down very quickly. I asked them if the tea was too strong because most Westerners are used to drinking black tea, with a light taste, while lotus tea usually tastes acrid, I got the answer 'very delicious'," Suong said.

Tan Cuong tea is a famous brand in Vietnam's northern province of Thai Nguyen.

"Paula Hurd explained that at home she also drinks green tea," Suong said.

Gates and Hurd were also surprised as they listened to Suong speak of the sophisticated and elaborate art of marinating lotus tea among Hanoians. A kilogram of lotus tea needs to be marinated five to seven times, each time with around 200 lotus flowers from Hanoi's West Lake, he told them.

Hurd turned to Gates and joked, "You and I now become king and queen! (for getting to drink such precious tea)" Suong said.

Suong also spent time talking about how to brew and enjoy tea the ancient royal way, introduced tea making tools and how to choose a pot, cup, water and how to brew, pour and how to serve or enjoy the first sip of tea for 5-6 seconds, then purse your lips and swallow gently to feel the aroma of the tea.

Bill Gates (L) and his girlfriend Paula Hurd sit opposite to tea artise Hoang Anh Suong at a tea ceremony on Ban Co mountain peak in Da Nang, as a nun observes from a distance, March 6, 2024. Photo provided to VnExpress

Suong explained to his guests that Vietnamese people always choose quiet places to drink tea: Ancient masters often went to the mountains or to their study rooms. In a quiet space, people have the opportunity to understand themselves.

"The foundation and essence of the tea ceremony is a matter of understanding. When you understand each other, love is true love," Suong recalled what he told Gates.

He also explained that with tea meditation, tea was not just to enjoy but a way to cultivate the mind.

"When I talked about love, both showed their love right in front of us. This made me very happy," Suong shared.

They were so engrossed in talking about tea that they forgot to look at the clock and thus the tea ceremony lasted 20 minutes longer than the one-hour schedule, he said.

Suong took the initiative to end the conversation, as Gates and Hurd told him that they would return to Vietnam with their families.

The couple left Da Nang on their private jet Thursday night.

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Bill Gates, girlfriend spend 80 minutes enjoying tea, meditation on Da Nang mountain peak - VnExpress International

Insisting on getting 14 hours sleep a night and bathing at any hour because she finds that 'water is really grounding' - Dakota Johnson lives in a wonderful Hollywood world where she is now preparing to become the next Mrs Chris Martin.

The Fifty Shades of Grey actress, 34, was proposed to by the Coldplay singer, 47, 'a while ago' with the full blessing of his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow, 51, and their children Apple, 19, and Moses, 17.

Their news comes six years after their relationship started as a source told the Mirror it was 'inevitable' - because the famous couple had beenbesotted with each other from day one.

But behind their romance Dakota puts sleep as her 'number one priority', as she meditates twice a day to manage anxiety.

And the Madame Web star has revealed the gentle ways in which her now-fiance helps to ease her out of a 'low day'.

'I dont have a regular [wake-up] time. It depends on whats happening in my life. If Im not working, if I have a day off on a Monday, then I will sleep as long as I can. Sleep is my number one priority in life,' she told the WSJ.

'Im not functional if I get less than 10. I can easily go 14 hours.'

The Persuasion actress also revealed she will 'get in a bathtub at any time of day' saying: 'If in the middle of the day, Im like, "Oh God, what is this world?" Ill get in the bathtub. I find water really grounding.

'I meditate every day, twice a day. I do transcendental meditation. I've been really into breathwork recently and thats been helping me a lot with anxiety.'

Dakota, who has suffered with depressionsince she was 15, revealed her coping mechanism is to use humour to 'deflect'.

Her parents, Hollywood stars Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, entered her into the world of therapy at a young age amid their public divorce in 1996 - when Dakota was just seven years old.

Griffith has a host of major blockbusters to her name including Lolita, Working Girl and Roar, while Johnson has starred in films Miami Vice, Knives Out and Django Unchained.

The Miami Vice star later married Kelley Phleger in 1999 and the Working Girl actress tiedthe knot with Antonio Banderas in 1996. They divorced in 2015.

Dakota is also the granddaughter of actress Tippi Hedren, who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and Marnie.

Hitchcock's obsession with Hedren is well-documented, with the actress revealing in recent years that after she refused his sexual advances he threatened to ruin her career.

Speaking candidly about her mental health struggles as she was honoured for her depression advocacy work at the 17th Annual HOPE Luncheon Seminar in December, Dakota recalled one telltale sign the Yellow singer knows to look out for.

'A few weeks ago I was having a low day,' she began. 'My partner said to me so kindly, "Are you really struggling?". I said, "No".

'He said, "Baby, you're wearing a Cats T-shirt". Like Cats, the musical. It turns out I was really struggling.'

She continued: 'But that moment lifted my heart, and it pulled me out of it.'

Dakota, who has been dating the British singer since 2017, continued: 'I think most of the time I speak about depression or anxiety in a very self-deprecating way. Perhaps it is easier to look it in the eyes if I wear the mask of comedy.

'Covering my pain or anxiety in comedy is a lifelong tool and I don't think it's a bad thing. It works. It helps me because sometimes if I don't laugh, I'll cry.'

Elsewhere in the speech, Dakota explained: 'The biggest thing I've learnt about depression is learning to become okay with there never really being an immediate answer, never really being an immediate end.'

The actress has also described herself as a 'sexual person' - after becoming a household name when she starred in 2015 movie Fifty Shades of Grey, with sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed following in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2022, she said: 'I'm a sexual person, and when I'm interested in something, I want to know so much about it.'

'That's why I did those big naked movies. I signed up to do a very different version of the film we ended up making.'

Chris Martin was formerly married to Iron Man star Gwyneth Paltrow, who is well known for her own wacky lifestyle - including famously launching a candle that smells like her vagina.

The This Smells Like My Vagina candle was first released back in 2020, and admitted the geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar scented candle was initially created as a joke.

But following her first candle's success, Gwyneth's brand then released a second titled, This Smells Like My Orgasm.

Gwyneth - who founded the website in 2008 - is no stranger to sparking controversy on her lifestyle website by previously advising readers to purchase a $15,000 24k gold vibrator and vaginal jade eggs.

She has also turned her attention to the world of BDSM, selling a nude underwear set alongside a black whip, which promised to fulfill consumers 'fantasies'.

Dakota also complained of the making of Fifty Shades of Grey as 'psychotic' and insists the trilogy lacked the sexual intensity she envisaged when agreeing to take on her starring role as Anastasia "Ana" Steele.

She explained how making the trilogy became complicated in part because the author of the books, E.L. James maintained creative control over the film adaptations.

And although she doesn't regret working on the racy franchise of films, the Texan born star said that the original film she signed on to wasn't exactly the one they ended up doing.

Chris and Dakota met through mutual friends and have 'never really left each other' since, the actress told Vanity Fair in June 2022.

She was seen wearing an emerald green ring on her wedding finger at her 34th birthday in Los Angeles last October.

They were first spotted together in 2017, the year after the musician's divorce from Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth.

However, it was not initially clear if the couple were dating, or just close.

In June 2019, the pair had a wobble, rumoured to be a result of the Coldplay frontman pushing for them to have children.

This was a leap as Dakota, in her professional prime, was reportedly not enthusiastic about. However, before summer was up, they were back together.

They will be extra glad for that having seemingly got matching infinity sign tattoos in 2018.

Dakota has recently said she loves Chris and Gwyneth's two children 'like my life depends on it'.

In an interview with Bustle, the actress, 34, opened up about being a stepmom to Apple and Moses, the teenage children Coldplay singer Chris shares with Gwyneth.

'I love those kids like my life depends on it. With all my heart,' Dakota said of Apple and Moses.

As a member of a large blended family herself, Dakota - who was recently spotted in Malibu - has learned to embrace connections that aren't blood-related.

When the reporter brought up a photo Gwyneth posted of her and Dakota, she said: 'I grew up in a family that was so big, and I just believe in the saying "Blood is thicker than water,"' she explained.

'The actual saying is "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," which means that the connections with people you choose are more solid than the connections to the people you're actually born to.'

Now, Dakota is open to having children of her own.

'Im so open to that. Ive gotten to this place where I really want to experience everything that life has to offer. And especially being a woman, Im like, What a magical f*cking thing to do.

'What a crazy, magical, wild experience. If thats meant to happen for me, Im totally down for it. Ive been really tripping out recently like, were not here for very long.

'Theres so much to eat up and learn and grow from and experience and feel. That includes all the pain and the suffering and feeling so helpless about the world. Most days I feel like the most useless piece of sh*t.

'Im sitting in this dumb*ss chair, talking about this dumb*ss movie, and there are people in excruciating catastrophes, and what can I do? I do have that incredible friction in myself.

'And then Im like, "Were not here for very long, so if Im meant to be a mother, bring it on". '

The actress has been dating Coldplay frontman Chris since 2017 but watching him perform on stage never gets old.

'I love watching him. I could watch him every day. I dont know how to explain it. I feel like, I dont know... Im watching my most favorite being do his most favorite thing,' she explained.

The couple have lived together in a multi-million Malibu beach-house for some years now.

The singer is into his surfing, and the actress likes to swim, making this a perfect location.

Dakota also enjoys whizzing around the area in a 1965 Mustang bought for her as a birthday present by her partner.

They support each other professionally, with Dakota appearing at Chris' gigs, and Chris at Dakota's premieres.

In June 2023, the vocalist even serenaded his girlfriend at his band's visit to Naples.

They have even worked together once, with Dakota the director of Coldplay's 2020 music video for the song Cry Cry Cry.

Originally posted here:

Sleeping 14 hours a night, 'grounding' water and meditating twice daily...and we're not talking about Gwyneth! - Daily Mail

The first time I heard about the jhanas, they sounded too good to be true. These special mental states are described in the sacred texts of an ancient school of Buddhism. Today, advanced meditators usually access them by concentrating on something: a flame, their breath, the sense of loving kindness. The meditators unclench their minds bit by bit, until they reach a state of near-total absorption. If they direct that focus in just the right way, a sequence of intense experiences ensues, beginning with bliss and ending with full-body peace. The jhana bliss state is not like the little uptick in well-being that comes with mindfulness meditation. It is not like a runners high. This stuff is really powerful, says Matthew Sacchet, the director of the Meditation Research Program at Harvard Medical School. An orgasm is said to be tame by comparison. Tears of joy will sometimes stream down a meditators face.

The early Theravada Buddhists put no restrictions on the jhanas, but some later traditions taught that they were extraordinarily difficult to attain. Over the past 20 years, a small group of teachers has introduced the jhanas to a new generation of advanced meditators in the West, and a tech-adjacent subculture in the Bay Area has recently taken them up with gusto. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a tech start-up is now trying to make the jhanas accessible to almost anyone, at almost any time. It is called Jhourney, and according to its founders, Stephen Zerfas and Alex Gruver, the combination of artificial intelligence and EEG recordings of the brain will give novice meditators bliss on demand.

I recently joined a video call with Zerfas and Gruver. They were pulled over to the side of the road, on the way to one of the jhana meditation retreats theyve been leading as they develop their proprietary technology. (Attendees pay up to $3,000, they said.) Zerfas did most of the talking, and communicated almost entirely in founder-speak. He told me that Jhourneys goal is to teach 100 million people how to enter the jhanas. I asked how hed arrived at that number. He said that he was pretty sure that the Headspace meditation app had tens of millions of subscribers, but that otherwise he had pulled it out of thin air.

Zerfas first experienced the jhanas while he was navigating two different breakupsone with a girlfriend and the other with a co-founder at an earlier start-up. After reaching emotional rock bottom, he went on a meditation retreat, where he unexpectedly stumbled into the first jhana state. With time and coaching, he learned to enter the jhanas at just about any moment. He said that he still does a jhana meditation every morning and intimated that I wouldnt want to deal with the version of him who didnt. Learning the jhanas was one of the most important things that ever happened to him. It gave him a feeling of emotional abundance and imbued him with a particular kind of tech-world evangelical fever: Why isnt this happening at mega-scale? he remembers wondering.

Read: The app that monetized doing nothing

Zerfas learned to enter the jhanas the old-fashioned way, with sustained practice at lengthy meditation retreats, but he and Gruver want to fast-forward that process. They insist that by presenting students with real-time biofeedback from sensors attached to their scalp, they will soon be able to foster bliss within a single day. Afterward, they want their students to be able to reenter the jhanas anytime, in as few as 15 to 30 minutes. Terje Sparby, a philosophy professor at Rudolf Steiner University College, in Oslo, Norway, who studies the phenomenology of jhanas, told me that it usually takes him multiple days of meditation at a retreat before he enters one. The idea that someone could get there every morning in the time it takes to watch two episodes of Bluey struck him as unusual.

For the past year, Zerfas and Gruver have been collecting data by attaching EEG electrodes to experienced jhana teachers while they meditate. They want to use it to train an algorithm that determines whether someone is experiencing a jhana state in real time. They imagine their future teachers presiding over a class of novice meditators who are all wearing EEG headsets. (A tennis instructor can see whats wrong with your stroke, but todays meditation teachers cant look inside your mind.) If Jhourneys algorithm could track your progress toward entering a jhana state and display it outside your headset, the teachers could give you tailored real-time instructions. Youre on the right track, keep going, they might say, or, if things werent going well, Lets take a minute to relax before returning to focus.

Eventually, Zerfas said, the algorithm itself could do the teaching, by playing the same sort of instructions through speakers in a consumer helmet that Jhourney eventually hopes to manufacture. I pointed out that there are already EEG-based meditation headsets on the market, but they tell you only if youre in a general, meditative stateand none seems to work well enough to have transformed meditation practice. Those products are a good idea, Zerfas told me, but they arent targeting life-changing experiences. If his product is successful, he said, it would be the most important intervention in human well-being in a generation. He sent me a document that explained more. Imagine if Biden and Putin shed tears of joy and gratitude for 30 minutes every morning, it read. There would be all kinds of cascading effects. The implication seemed to be that Jhourney would help bring about world peace.

Read: An ode to not meditating

No one should disband their armies just yet. Jonas Mago, a neuroscientist who has consulted for Jhourney, told me that the companys algorithm has not been able to achieve enough precision at classifying neurological states. When I asked Zerfas and Gruver how reliably their software can identify whether a person is having the intense experience of being in a jhana, they would say only above chance. So far, theyve primarily collected data from expert meditators. Kathryn Devaney, a neuroscientist and co-founder of the Alembic, a nonprofit body-mind center in Berkeley, California, has also advised Jhourney. She told me that whatever brain data Zerfas and Gruver are able to record from advanced meditators may not generalize to other people. Even if the EEG sensors could reliably detect jhana states, that might not be enough. For the product to be useful, it would need to recognize the intermediate states that precede the jhanas, and then deliver the sort of feedback and instruction that could coax a person across the finish line.

EEG data are also notoriously difficult to collect and isolate. Extracting bona fide neural activity from the noise created by muscle movements and other sources is tedious work, even for experts. When I asked Zerfas if Jhourney has a full-time EEG scientist on staff, he said no, but added that hed read a bunch of textbooks, and taught himself with the help of a tutor. The current state of EEG research coming out of academia underwhelmed him, he said. And in any case, he saw this as more of a machine-learning problem than a neuroscience problem.

Academic research into the jhanas has indeed been pretty thin, but it is ramping up. Michael Lifshitz, a psychiatry professor at McGill University, in Montreal, recently led an EEG study of an experienced jhana meditator. His group chose a respected Western jhana teacher named Shaila Catherine because she belongs to a strict traditionjhanas, for her, count only if they are extremely prolonged states of absorption. Lifshitz hasnt yet published his results, and he stressed that theyre still preliminary. But he told me that when Catharine entered the deepest states, her brain still seemed to be having sensory experiences, yet the neural signals that might be associated with complex cognition about the sensations were reduced to the point of being nonexistent.

Lifshitz hopes that more scientists will take up bliss as an object of scientific study. He and Josh Brahinsky, a researcher at UC Berkeley, have been studying evangelical Christians who report having an intense blissful experience while speaking in tongues. Their ecstasies look quite distinct from those of your average Buddhist monk: Tongue-speaking Christians are physically active to the point of being spastic, and they churn out streams of nonsense syllables. They also have a very different worldview from the meditators, with very different metaphysics. But they might be hacking the same feature of the human brain to produce a very similar inner state, Lifshitz said. Maybe instead of accessing it by being really quiet, theyre becoming so loud that they drown everything out. It could be a different way of flattening the landscape.

Last fall, Sacchet, the director of the Meditation Research Program at Harvard Medical School, published detailed brain-imaging data from a meditator entering the jhana states, with the help of an MRI machine. A fuller understanding of these brain states could have incredible potential for humanity, he says, so long as the science is done with rigor. I worry about a move fast, break things approach when it comes to the mind and these deep states of consciousness.

There may not be reason to worry: Zerfas and Gruver arent moving that fast. Before we hung up, I asked them when they could imagine the first headset-aided retreats happening. As soon as 18 to 24 months from now, Zerfas told me, while granting that it was an optimistic assessment. He then detailed for me the consumer-headset development plan that would follow. (The final stage: Then we SpaceX it!) Gruver was more circumspect. I would love it if it was working in two years, he said, but it might also take five or 10. A lot depends on how seriously we take this as a society. Society, in this case, meant investors. I told him that I would expect his pitch to be quite welcome among Silicon Valleys venture capitalists. It brings together a lot of their interests. There are a lot of people in Silicon Valley who like to say that they are countercultural risk takers, he said, but very few actually are.

I get what Gruver was saying, but Jhourney doesnt seem all that countercultural to me. When Id discussed the jhana states with Sparby, the philosopher, he reminded me that they were not cultivated as ends in themselves, but rather as way stations on a longer path to wisdom and enlightenment. Jhourney is trying to extract the bliss from that path, and to optimize and productize it in a gadget for the mass market. What could be more mainstream than that?

The rest is here:

The Meditation Start-Up That's Selling Bliss on Demand - The Atlantic