JANUARY 27, 2012

The Three Teachings – First: Retreat

Posted by Dorothy under Community Interests, Interesting Reads, Natural Highs, Philosophy, Wellness, Yoga Retreatno responses

Few years ago, a friend of mine lent me a book entitled Three Teachings. It consists of three talks delivered by Tenzin Palmo in Singapore in the year of 1999. Born in London in 1943, she was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1964. Her talks were aimed at an ordinary audience of people with families,professions and normal social obligations.  Therefore, in order to make Dharma appeal to these people without expecting them to leave their social responsibilities, Tenzin Palmo retracts the ‘over-emphasism’ of sitting meditation as the sole means to enlightenment. Instead, she points out that when one lives his or her everyday lives with awareness and open heartedness, that is the very basis of a Dharma practice. Tenzin not only delivers her teachings in plain language and with compassion, but makes it lively with humour.

In this month’s blog post, I have attached a downloadable pdf file of her first teaching entitled “Three Teachings- Retreat“. The second and third teachings will be uploaded in the February and March blog posts. Enjoy:)

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DECEMBER 30, 2011

Defining Inner Peace

Posted by Dorothy under Community Interests, Interesting Reads, Natural Highs, Philosophy, Wellnessno responses

The world over have been talking about having or creating inner peace. What inner peace means varies between individuals. With the growing consumerism, a big number of people will say that having lots of money gives them a certain feeling of peace. How far does one go with obtaining money has no ends but that certainly has nothing to do with obtaining inner peace. Whether you are rich, poor or of middle class, healthy or sick, inner peace can still be yours. Here’s a guide to the meaning of inner peace:

The 12 Symptoms Of Inner Peace” © 1984 by Saskia Davis

• A tendency to think and act spontaneously, rather than from fears based on past experiences
• An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment
• A loss of interest in judging self
• A loss of interest in judging others
• Loss of interest in conflict
• A loss in interest of interpreting the action of others
• A loss of ability to worry
• Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation
• Contended feelings of connectedness with others and with nature
• Frequent attacks of smiling through fear
• Increasing susceptibility to love extended by others, as well as the uncontrollable urge to extended it
• An increasing tendency to let things happen, rather than to manipulate them

Loka samasta sukino bhavantu

(May the entire universe be filled with peace and joy;love and light)

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NOVEMBER 28, 2011

Smile, Not Only For Your Soul, But Others Too

Posted by Dorothy under Community Interests, Interesting Reads, Natural Highs, Wellnessno responses

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~Mother Teresa

It takes a lot of work from the face to let out a smile, but just think what good smiling can bring to the most important muscle of the body… the heart. ~Author Unknown

Some of you may think, what is the big deal if you smile or not. Ask yourself a simple question: when someone smiles at you, how does that affect your emotions?; and when someone sulks or does not smile, will you find that person pleasant? Most of the time when someone smiles at you, you smile back and it makes you feel good. For example if there are two restaurants in your area serving the same food at the same price but one have more smiling faces than the other, naturally you will choose the smiling faces. I bet most of you smiled when you saw the huge smiley picture of this blog post!!

When you smile, it triggers happy feelings and creates happy vibes which makes you and the people around you happy. Just like a machine, when one section does not work well, it will eventually affect the entire machine in the long term.

To prove the beauty of smiling and for experimental purposes, try smiling today and then sulk the next day. Notice how it affects your moods and the people around you. If that does not convince you to smile, do you know that it takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown? So when you frown, there will be more opportunity for wrinkles to be formed. Therefore, a smile is literally an inexpensive way to change your looks.

Whether you are having a good day or not, smiling will always make it better. Treat it like yoga. The more you practice, the easier it becomes and the better you will feel. So let us all have the simplest kind of practice ever: Smile when you wake up and before you go to bed. As for me, I smile everyday watching my pets play with each other or by themselves and the funny yoga-like positions they sleep in.

Please check out the Taoist Inner Smile Meditation which teaches you to smile at your internal organs as a form of detoxification for your body, mind and soul.
There is even the existence of World Smile Day which is celebrated on the first Friday of October every year.

So keep smiling, my fellow readers.

** Our Next 2N3D Langkawi Yoga & Nature Retreat
**Our Next 4N5D Langkawi Yoga & Nature Retreat

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