Ancient Buddha Meditation

In Today's Email:

• Ancient Meditation: All about Vipassana...

• Weekly Astrology...

• Mantra Of The Week: Lalitha Sahasranamam...

TODAY'S LEARNINGVIPASSANA MEDITATION

Vipassana is the oldest form of meditation used by Buddhists to improve their awareness. The technique is taken from the Satipatthana Sutta, also known as the "Foundations of Mindfulness," which is a lecture credited to the Buddha.

"Vipassana" means "seeing things as they really are" in Pali, an ancient Buddhist language. The words literally mean "special seeing."

"Vipassana meditation" and "mindfulness meditation" are often used interchangeably, but "Vipassana meditation" is more specific. It means noticing your thoughts and feelings as they are, without judging them or giving them too much thought.

It's different from other types of meditation, like pranayama (breathing exercises) or visualization.

In these techniques, you concentrate on a task or an image. You train your body and mind to do something in particular.

But in Vipassana, you just watch your inner self and don't try to control what you're feeling. The purpose is to help:

Quiet your mind, pay attention to the present, and accept thoughts, feelings, and sensations for what they are.

Reduce regrets by not thinking too much about the past and not worrying too much about the future. React to situations based on reality, not on worries or ideas you already have.

Benefits: Relieves stress. Reduces anxiety. Improves mental wellness. Promotes brain plasticity. Helps treat addiction

How To:

If you want to try Vipassana meditation at home, here's what you need to do:

• Put 10 to 15 minutes aside to practice. Vipassana is something you should do when you first wake up in the morning.

• Pick a place that is calm and distraction-free, if possible. A room that's empty or a quiet spot outside are both good places to go.

• Sit down on the floor. Cross your legs to make yourself comfortable. Relax your body, engage your core, and straighten your back.

• Shut your eyes and take normal breaths. Pay attention to how you breathe and what you feel.

• Be aware of each breath you take in and out. Watch your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations without reacting or judging.

• If you get distracted, just notice what's happening and come back to your breath.

• When you first start, try to do this for at least 5 to 10 minutes. As you get used to this practice, try to do Vipassana meditation for 15 minutes or longer.

WEEKLY ASTROLOGY (6th Feb - 12th Feb)

This week is one of moving ahead into deeper harmony as the full Moon ushers in transformation and Mercury invites mental freedom as it enters Aquarius.

The full Moon this week, which is ruled by Leo and is at a tight and tense angle to Uranus, brings us to an edge, a culmination, or a choice point. Once we step through it, it opens a door to healing, freedom, and an important inner arrival. It's the kind of doorway that once we go through, we can't go back or step back.

Uranus points us toward our hopes and dreams for the future and encourages us to break out of the ways we've always done things. The Moon and Leo lead us inward and backward to help us think, become aware, and let go. We are unable to let go of anything that hasn't been brought to our attention, accepted, or experienced physically or emotionally.

On February 11, 2023, Mercury will join the Sun in the air sign of Aquarius, which is known for thinking ahead and coming up with new ideas. Mercury is our mind, according to astrology. It is how we think, process information, communicate, and learn. Here, our minds can go beyond what has been tried and tested to explore our own sense of truth, authenticity, and originality through our thoughts and how we talk to each other.

This week is an invitation to freedom, truth, breaking open, and letting go of any cages that keep us small and hold us back. Leo is not a small person. It is proud and outspoken, brave and full of emotion. Aquarius is honest and creative, and he or she doesn't care about the status quo or the limits of the past.

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

POSITIVE NEWS OF THE DAY

A 1.2-megawatt solar community garden will be built in Minnesota.

Community solar garden subscribers will own a share of the solar array equivalent to up to 120% of the homeowner’s electricity consumption.

The subscriptions will be available to people living in apartments, mobile home park occupants, and individuals with low credit scores.

LEARN SANSKRIT

Agami (aah-GAH-mee): From the Sanskrit verb agam, which means "to return," "to get," or "the future that is coming."

One of the three types of karma described in the Vedas is called Agami. It talks about the power we have in the present to change our futures for the better or worse by the choices and actions we make in each moment.

In this way, Agami karma can be thought of as "future karma" because it reminds us that our actions, decisions, and commitments now will have a big impact on our future.

MANTRA OF THE WEEKLalitha Sahasranama

Lalitha Sahasranamam is a stotra from the Brahmanda Purana in the Chapter on the dialogue between Hayagreeva and Agasthya. Hayagreeva is Vishnu’s body with a horse head and is believed to be a repository of knowledge. Lalitha Sahasranamam has three parts. The first is called ‘poorva bhaga’ the middle part called ‘stotra’ has 1000 words and the last part is called ‘uttara bhaga’.

The word Lalitha means ‘take it easy’ or ‘play easy’. By singing this we develop mental maturity so that we can take all the difficulties easily and deal with them with renewed energy.

MEME