Meditation

Achieve Happiness and Serenity – Buddhist Walking Meditation

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009


As Featured On EzineArticles

If you want to experience serenity and happiness, Buddhist walking meditation is one path. It is achieved by bringing a moment to moment awareness (power of now) into your daily life. The walking meditation provides many benefits, takes only 15 to 20 minutes per day and is an easy 5-step process.

Benefits of walking meditation:

* Feeling sense of serenity and happiness
* Achieving a deeply relaxed state
* Naturally “letting go of thoughts” (of the past or future)
* Experiencing Law of Impermanence (all things rise and pass away – nothing permanent – (Anicca or Anitya in Sanskrit)
* Feeling compassion and loving-kindness for all sentient beings

Walking meditation instruction:

General note: Wear comfortable clothing and choose a location (a seashore, a park, a quite neighborhood, your backyard, etc. Allow about 15 – 20 minutes for walking meditation.)

1. Keep your eyes open and start ‘conscious breathing’ by breathing in through your nose and breathing out through you mouth. Be sure to make the breathing audible.

2. Start walking at your normal pace (you can walk in a circle – no beginning and ending or you can walk forward and come back). After a while you might naturally walk slowly. NOTE: There is no destination only the journey.

3. Observe your breathing and allow all thoughts to come about. You might notice how your mind takes you to the past (by remembering something from the past or by trying to re-write ‘history’) or takes to the future (planning something in the future, imagining, day dreaming, etc). It is important that you do not try to get rid of all your thoughts. Letting go is a natural process that occurs by simply bringing awareness to your breathing, and thus into the present moment. You might experience both thoughts and your breathing, and so you are in the present and observing your mind at work.

4. After you finish you walking meditation you can stay still or even sit down on a bench and close your eyes.

5. As you feel deeply relaxed, conclude your meditation with the loving-kindness mantra – Metta in Sanskrit. This should be done from the depths of your heart.

Loving-kindness Mantra (Metta as shared by Lama Surya Das)

May all beings be happy, content and fulfilled,
May all beings be healed and whole,
May all beings have whatever they want and need
May all beings be protected from harm and free from fear,
May all beings be awakened, liberated and free,
May there be peace on earth and the entire universe.

As you continue doing walking meditation daily, you will achieve serenity and happiness by bringing yourself to the present moment (power of now). By using loving-kindness mantra (Metta), you will start cultivating compassion towards all sentient beings. The 5 step processes will make a profound difference in your life.

May you be happy!

Spencer Isaac – is a 4th generation Shamanic Healer, Massage Therapist and author. Spencer was initiated by Spiritual Elders in Kazakhstan and receives guidance through his Spirit Guides. He uses 41 Kumalak (Ancient Kazakhstan Shamanic Divination oracle) to provide accurate insights and guidance for your questions including relationships, health, career, and business affairs. Spencer is a clairvoyant and clairsentient and has practiced Buddhist meditation for over 8 years. He is also a massage therapist – and offers Massage Therapy (including many styles to suit your needs such as Swedish Relaxation and Hot Stone Massage), Energy Healing, and Shamanic Healing in Vancouver, Canada

For more information check out Spencer’s websites:
http://omanamassage.com.
http://41kumalak.ca

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Spencer_Isaac

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On Vacation from April 20 – May 25, 2009

Friday, April 17th, 2009

To my valued clients and friends,

It is time again to visit my parents in Kazakhstan.  I am so excited to go back to my homeland and have a visit with my parents and siblings and friends.

I am also planning to visit some Kazakhstan Shamanic Healers and get some healing and learn more about new healing techniques.   Also, I am going to do a spiritual pilgrimage to the holy places in Kazakhstan to embark on the next level in my spiritual path.   One of such places is a mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (Kazakh: Қожа Ахмет Яссауи, Qoja Axmet Yassawï), a distinguished Sufi master of the 12th century for the Turkic Nomads (Turkic Sufism – from Wikipedia).   Spiritual pilgrimages are one of the ways for a shamanic healer to be blessed by spirit guides…

Қожа Ахмет Яссауи, Qoja Axmet Yassawï - mausoleum

Source:  Wikipedia

I am expecting this to be a great trip for me, one full of new experiences and personal growth.

Please check my website for any updates.

With loving-kindness,

Spencer Isaac
Massage Therapist
Omana Massage
West End, Vancouver, BC
604-512-5074
Omanamassage.com

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Meditation, Prayer, Spirituality and Psychic Reading and Kumalak Divination articles by Tolga Savas

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Tolga Savas is a clairvoyant psychic and Kumalak reader who lives in Australia.  His heritage and training from early age makes him uniquely qualified.  You can read about his bio at his website kumalak.com.au   He published many articles on Psychic education, Psychic tools, Divination. Though he started recently publishing on EzineArticles.com, Tolga has already been ranked as an Expert in regards to Psychic readings, divination and spirituality.  You can enjoy his personal takes on the above topics  at  Tolga at EzineArticles.com

These are the examples of Tolga’s articles:

Psychic Ability: Clairvoyant is Having Clear Visibility in a Complex World

Psychic Readings – Echoes From Silence

Psychic Ability and Types of Psychic Abilities

Enjoy readings his articles and check out his website for further information and get updates from his blog  http://kumalak1.wordpress.com/

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Buddhist Walking Mediation as adapted by Spencer Isaac, a monk at heart

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

Walking meditation

I would like to share a simple Buddhist meditation with you today and I hope that this would be beneficial for you on your path towards peace and happiness.

 

I learned this from a couple of American Buddhist meditators (Tibetan tradition) when I was doing my graduate studies at St. Michael’s College, Vermont, USA.   The impact was very powerful and life transforming.

 

Later as I meditated using Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka (Theravada tradition from Burma), I further modified the meditation. 

 

The goal of Buddhist Walking meditation is to be in the present moment (the power of now).   It is not visualization mediation nor is it a focus on one object meditation (anapana).  Rather it is a meditation that allows observing all natural phenomena as it raises and passes away (anicca – impermanence).   An example could be thoughts from the past (taking your mind back into the past) or thoughts and/or plans about the future (taking your mind into the future) or simple sensations of happiness or sadness.  At any case, this meditation allows to truly let go of all thoughts and achieve serenity and peace.

 

Without further ado, here is the walking meditation as adapted by Spencer Isaac, a Buddhist monk at heart.

 

  1. Choose a place to walk, i.e. English Bay seawall (if you are in beautiful Vancouver) or a quite neighbourhood.

  2. Allow yourself about 15 – 20 minutes for walking meditation

  3. Take ‘conscious breathing’ – deep breathing (breathing in through your noise and breathing out through your mouth).  Ensure that you are making a noise.

  4. Walk at a normal pace (eyes open) and observe the path, the nature, the sounds, the thoughts.  Eventually you might find yourself walking slowly – that is fine.

  5. Important:  Listen to the sound of your breathing.  Breathing is the only natural indication of you being in the ‘present moment’ (“power of now”).

 

NOTE:  It important that you do not force yourself to ‘let go of your thoughts’ or focus on ‘resolving an emotional or personal or professional issue’.  Rather, allow whatever comes up in your mind, to ‘simply’ surface and ‘evaporate’. 

 At times you might forget to ‘hear’ the sound of your breathing.  It is fine; there is no need to force it.  Simply bring your awareness to the present moment (NOW) by simply ‘listening’ to the sound of breathing.   Remember, the thoughts about the past events in your mind – immediately takes you out of the present moment and brings to the PAST.  The plans or ideas about future bring you to the future.   The only thing is important is to be in the ‘present’ moment.   As you meditate, you will learn to be ‘more and more’ in the present and naturally let go of the thoughts and simply observe natural phenomena of things – ALL THINGS RISE AND EVENTUALLY PASS AWAY (“Anicca – Impermanence”).

 The result of the Buddhist walking mediation is a peace, serenity and equanimity and one step towards liberation and enlightenment.  As a by product, you might feel clarity in your mind, the solution to your problems/issues, etc.  The latter is not a goal of the Buddhist walking meditation.

 

May you bring yourself to the present moment and experience a moment to moment awareness and achieve deeply realized state of awakening and happiness.

 

If you have any questions, you can post a comment or email me directly and I will be happy to answer all your questions (spencer@omanamassage.com)

 

 

About Spencer:  Spencer is a long term Buddhist meditator (Over 8 years  - Vipassana meditation) and massage therapist who brings his Buddhist teaching and experiences of being in the present moment to his massage and healing practice in West End, Vancouver, BC, Canada.   Spencer simply focuses on bringing a moment to moment awareness and facilitates deep healing and awakening.   Read about massage services at omanamassage.com/services

 

With loving-kindness,

Spencer Isaac, a Buddhist monk at heart
Massage Therapist
West End, Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-512-5074
omanamassage.com

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Free Buddhist Meditation Retreat – Vipassana

Friday, January 9th, 2009

If you ever wondered and wanted to do a meditation, but found that it costs a lot of money to learn the benefits of meditation?

Then read the information below about a FREE Buddhist Meditation that is available all over the world and one in Merritt, BC, Canada.   I have a first hand experience in Vipassana meditation (insight meditation) as taught by S.N. Goenka.    I have done 4 10 day meditation retreats and had an honor to volunteer as  a cook on a 10 day course.

It is FREE and based on donation that is given from the depths of your heart.  Dana – a donation is accepted from students at the end of the meditation to provide others to experience this meditation as well.   You can read more about the schedules (runs every 10 days in Merritt, BC), the code of conduct, etc on their website at Vipassana Meditation Centre of BC.

Today, I would like to take this opportunity to provide my personal experience and why I think that is a great opportunity on your spiritual path.

I was looking for a meditation course that is both affordable and focused on ‘my’ experience and no dogma, no cult and no gurus.  I simply wanted to learn the meditation technique and have the opportunity to do it.  I found it in Vipassana Center in Ontario.

My first 10 day Vipassana meditation retreat was 7 years ago.  Vipassana meditation helped me to become more peaceful and to find my path and later to change my whole life style from a Corporate Senior manager to a person who lives his life as simply as possible and spends more time being mindful and helpful to others.

Vipassana mediation is insight meditation and it allows you to be a neutral observer and understand complex universal truths using your own body as a scientific lab.  You accept only what you have experienced.   The first 3 days focuses on training your mind to be still (Anapana – one pointed meditation).  The remaining 7 days are Vipassana mediation (insight meditation).

During the 7 days – you have an opportunity to observe all emotional and mental phenomena and subsequently mindfully “let it go.”   The latter phase became a popular phrase by many teachers, but many people understood this as an ‘intellectual concept.”  It is easier said than done.   Vipassana meditation allows letting go by doing it ‘experientially.’  You walk the talk and truly let go.   Actually, you do not let go – you simply ‘observe’ thoughts and feelings, which as all phenomena ‘rises and passes away’ (anicca – impermanence).

Everybody’s experience will be different after the 10 day meditation retreat, but many would have experienced deep peacefulness, equanimity and glance of awakened state.
Until you experience the 10 day meditation retreat, which I call lovingly call, a Buddhist meditation boot camp, the concept of ‘letting go’  will remain simply a concept.

Vipassana meditation taught to over 100,000 of people all over the world and system has become so efficient to anticipate all the challenges for mediators. Qualified assistant teachers (ATs) are there to support and to help guiding you.

What makes Vipassana meditation the best for me is that it is not a cult or a particular Buddhist school.  Rather it is a meditation technique based on Buddhist principles.  It focuses on helping you to find the answers within using Vipassana meditation.  It is not contemplation or guided visualization, but simple observing breathing and all rising and passing things as pertaining to your mind and body.

For 9 days you would take a vow of silence to help you go insight and Assistant Teachers have 1×1 times to answer ALL questions regarding meditation techniques.  They will not answer any philosophical questions since it is not a focus of Vipassana meditation.

All vegetarian food from different cuisines is served by volunteers who are former students.  They prepare each food with loving-kindness and thus make it tastier during your stay at Merritt, BC Meditation Center.  I was a volunteer cook there too.

I found Sylvia Boorstein summarizes nicely what I experienced during my 10 day meditation retreat.

“Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience.
It isn’t more complicated that that.
It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is,
without either clinging to it or rejecting it. “

So, check out their website to get more details about the schedule, what to expect, etc and start your path today towards liberation – ‘to see things as they are – nothing more or nothing less.”   Buddha said that “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without”.

You are the one who will discover peace within you and no teachers or gurus will bestow this upon you and no quick workshops will illuminate and make you enlightened.  There seems to be no quick shortcuts towards liberation.

Vipassana meditation is one such path that is based on full experiential immersion and to understand ‘power of now’ as described by Eckhart Tolle.
If you have done a 10 day meditation, very good for you and I hope you have gotten most benefit.

I will leave with you another saying by a Tibetan monk – Choguyam Trunpa:

“Anything that is created must sooner or later die.
Enlightenment is permanent because we have not produced it; we have merely discovered it.”

I hope you will have discovered a glance of enlightenment and you are on the path.
I conclude with loving-kindness mantra I use during my transformational massage and healing and while I walk on the streets of Vancouver.

“May you be happy, content and fulfilled
May you be healed and whole.
May you have whatever you want and need.
May you be protected from harm and free of fear.
May you be awakened, liberated and free.
May be peace on earth and throughout the entire universe (Lama Surya Das)”

With loving-kindness,
Spencer Isaac, a.k.a  a monk at heart
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Massage Therapist in West End, Vancouver, BC

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