Eastern Philosophy Articles and More

All kinds of Articles related to Eastern Philosophy and Meditation. If you want a particular topic explained which is not covered below please go the the Contact Us page on the left and drop me a line.

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This too will pass:
This article is about one of the key concepts of Buddhism, Impermanence.

Vipassana meditation as taught by Mr. S N Goenka stresses on the experience of impermanence within our own bodies to attain Nirvana – the state beyond suffering.

The doctrine of Karma:
The topic of this article is the concept of Karma, which is common to most Eastern Philosophies be it Hinduism or Buddhism.

It is said that in the second watch of the night when the Buddha attained enlightenment he gained a different kind of knowledge, which complemented his knowledge of rebirth – The Law of Karma.

The basics of Meditation:
The subject of this article is the basics of Meditation.

I was reading Osho Rajneesh just now on Meditation and one thing he was stressing is that the attitude we have as we do the meditation is very important. He says that it is necessary to start with a very optimistic attitude.

Meditation for beginners:
The subject of this article is meditation.

The question arises – why should we meditate? Attaining God or Nirvana is a very distant ideal. What are the benefits Here and Now?

The first benefit of meditation is relaxation.

The foundation of Meditation - the body:
This article deals with the foundation of Meditation – the Body.

The body is the tool for meditation and all our efforts to know the Truth. If your body is impure, it will not be helpful. The body is not the enemy, not is it something of a lower sphere. You are not your body; it is a wonderful tool given to you. Care for it and it will help in your efforts to meditate.

The first thing to know about the body is that there are many impurities or blockages in it.

The foundation of Meditation Part II:
In my previous article about the foundation of meditation – the purification of the body, I had given some tips to dissolve the old blockages. In this article I will tell you how to prevent new blockages from arising.

Taking the old example suppose the boss has said something to you at work and you are feeling angry.

The foundation of Meditation Part III:
This is the last of a series of 3 articles on the purification of the body as a preparation for meditation.

The body is an absolutely physical mechanism – however also the mind and the body are completely interconnected. You cannot distinguish between the body and the mind.

Contemplation - an aid to Meditation:
One of the aids to meditation is Contemplation.

I was reading Osho Rajneesh just now and he told the story of contemplation regarding the Buddha. It is a famous story and very meaningful. The Buddha was born a prince and he was so brought up that he had no conception of the suffering that exists in this world.

The Buddha said - We are not separate:
There is a beautiful parable about the Buddha.

The Buddha arrived at the gates of heaven and all was prepared with great fanfare to receive him. The gates were flung open, music was playing and angels were present to greet him with garlands. But the Buddha refused to enter heaven.

Consciousness is bliss, Unconsciousness is misery:
Eckhart Tolle, in his classic book, The Power of Now, guides us to experiencing the truth of a seemingly outrageous statement. He says that nobody has any problems at all in the Now, in the present moment. Now you may be having any number of problems and challenges in your life. Before you classify this statement as absurd and stop reading try this exercise.

Mindfulness in daily life:
I am presenting in this article techniques that will completely transform the way you live your life. If practiced sincerely each moment that you live will come alive; you will be in touch with the wonder and mystery of life as you go about your day-to-day chores.

And what is this wonderful method – it is the practice of Mindfulness.

Transforming Anger:
All of us feel anger and hatred from time to time. Eastern meditation and mindfulness techniques can help us mange and transform our anger so that the energy contained in the anger benefits us instead of spreading misery in others and ourselves.

Transforming Anger Part II:
In an earlier article about transforming anger I had mentioned Thich Nhat Hanh's method of mindfully taking care of and transforming anger by caring for it the way we would care for a distressed child or baby. In this article I want to explain further how this method can bring us immeasurable benefits in our relationships with others, with our family and with ourselves.

The Fear of Death:
All of us are terrified of Death.

If we are interested in religion or philosophy we may believe in eternal life as promised by the scriptures. The Christian faith, Hinduism and many other religions assure us that death is not the end and life continues even after the physical body dies.

Helping the dying - some practical advice:
I have had no experience with death and dying. My grandparents and a few other friends and relatives died in my lifetime but I was too young and not skillful enough to help them at the times of their deaths.

Gaining solidity and a sense of being free:
Being present in the Here and Now lends us a sense of solidity and freedom.

Perhaps I can illustrate this statement by describing what as happened today in my life. A few years ago I registered a criminal complaint against one of my colleagues who cheated me of a very large sum of money.

Love yourself and Watch:
To love yourself is the first step to developing spiritually. You may have been told to love others but not to love ourself. This is a very harmful piece of advice and we will get into trouble if we attempt to follow it.

Osho Rajneesh says that it is only if we love ourselves can we love others.

Contemplating Death:
All things in life are impermanent. We will have to face death one day.

We do not want to face up to the fact of impermanence because then we have to face up to our own demise. Yet impermanence is something that makes life possible. We would not have grown to be responsible adults had it not been for impermanence.

* How to meditate - the approach and attitude to meditation:

How to meditate and how to be fully alive each moment of our lives - this article explains how.

* Being a witness - how it will help you meditate:

How being a witness can help us to progress in our meditation practice

* A powerful technique of meditation:

Here is a powerful technique of meditation that can give you courage to face all difficulties in Life.

* Transforming Pain and Suffering:

Pain and suffering are an integral part of our lives. We have come to accept them as a fact of life. We do not know that it is entirely possible to transform it into peace and joy and thus grow spiritually.

The first thing to realize is that living as we do in a world of duality we cannot escape either from happiness or unhappiness.

* Gaining Peace of Mind :

How do we gain peace of mind? Or more to the point why are our minds so turbulent, why are we always so agitated?

It is because we are not the masters of the mind. The mind is our master. We do not use the mind; the mind uses us.

* Letting go of Anger and Pride:

Why it is so difficult to let go of anger and pride? And why is it important and necessary that we do so?.

Both of these feelings are by–products of the ego.

* Personal and Spiritual growth through Acceptance and Surrender:

One of the most useful concepts to grow spiritually and becoming happier is the method of acceptance and surrender.

I have personally found this method to be perhaps the most workable and useful in retaining my poise and staying happier as I go through life.

* From Relative Truth to Absolute Truth through the 5 Remembrances:

If you read the sacred texts - amongst them the 5 Remembrances - of Buddhism you may find that many of the texts seem to contradict each other.

For example you have the Four Noble Truths, which is a very important principle of Buddhism.

* A new method of Witnessing:

Regarding Witnessing I was reading The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts and I came across a method that can make witnessing second nature and a habit for all of us.

It is this: We all have this concept of ourselves as some being or entity that experiences life, which thinks or acts, chooses, decides or lives.

* Scientific Findings about Reincarnation:

I would like to say something in this article about reincarnation or life after death.

There are plenty of authoritative books on this subject that you can read if you are interested.

* Being a witness - why it is necessary:

On being a witness, I am in the middle of reading Eckhart Tolle's new book – The New Earth. This article gives my views on this book.

Eckhart Tolle's first book – The Power of Now – is a modern spiritual classic. I agree with almost every word written in that book and I consider it one of the most important books I have read.

* Yin Yang of Chinese Taoism:

The culture in which we are brought up is such that we absorb certain concepts and accept them as true and never question them. It never occurs to us that there could be any other or different way of looking at life. One such assumption that most of us make in our modern, westernized culture is the assumption that we can enjoy the good things of life and avoid the bad.

* Buddhism and Emptiness - seeing our relationship with the Universe:

I have not done any contemplation on Emptiness. This is however a concept and a way of looking at ourselves and at the world that is revolutionary and is basic to Buddhism.

Basically almost all of us regard ourselves as individual beings separate from the rest of existence. This view in universal to the human race and is the cause of many of our problems and shortcomings.

* Aimlessness of Buddhism - a way of being happy:

In Buddhism the three doors of liberation are Emptiness, Signlessness and Aimlessness. This article is about Aimlessness.

Aimlessness basically means that there is nothing to attain, nothing to strive for, nothing that we are compelled to do. This enables us to be happy in the present moment, to live, to do the experiencing of life.

* Gaining in well being and joy through the teachings of Buddhism:

This article is about the third of these Four Noble Truths of Buddhism – cessation of suffering.

According to the Zen Buddhist Master – Thich Nhat Hanh – cessation of suffering can also be looked upon as well being. We normally have many reasons to feel good about ourselves at any given time. The problem is that we do not recognize and value and treasure these reasons and our well being.

When you have a bad toothache you suffer from excruciating pain.

* How to read and absorb The Art of War and apply its teachings:

The Art of War by Sun Tzu is marvelous. It is a look at the thinking process of a sage and a philosopher and a warrior. You will be exposed to a way of managing and handling conflicts that is different from anything else that you have ever experienced.

Consider the following statement from the book:

"To win without fighting is the best."

* What is meant by Spirituality and being Spiritual:

What is meant by spirituality runs like a common thread through all cultures and religious traditions. It is expressed in the Christian tradition by the words: "He that loseth his soul shall find it."

A Buddhist poem expresses this intuition about spirituality in this way:

"While living, be a dead man, thoroughly dead.

Then whatever you do, just as you will, will be right."

* Taoism and the state of Wu Wei:

The highest state of man – according to Taoism – is a state of no-doing. This is a state of Wu Wei (a Chinese word) or Mui (in Japanese).

Before I got interested in eastern philosophy I read a number of American self-help books. None of these books did me much good.

* Spirituality and lightheartedness:

An article about spirituality.

I read my first book by Alan Watts a few months back and he has become one my favorite authors. His insights and enthusiasm for eastern philosophy are entertaining as well as instructive and inspiring.

The book that I am reading now is Become What You Are. It is just a series of articles that discusses many spiritual concepts and is not about any particular religion or philosophy as such.

* A State of Concentration while you are meditating:

Concentration while meditating.

If you are doing meditation and I hope you are – you will face frustration from time to time because you will think that you are unable to focus well.

I am doing Vipassana meditation and in this form of meditation we are told to develop concentration through awareness of the Breath

* Books I have loved:

I have spent a lot of time with books in my life and overall it was more than worth it. Books have opened my eyes to a world that I would never have known to have existed if I had not read them. They have enabled me to escape from myself and my problems when they were too heavy to bear. And in escaping from myself I got much needed rest and relief which would enable me to deal with my problems better.

* More Books I have loved:

I had spoken of my experience with books in a previous article. Enough talk about myself. Here are my comments on some of them. I will be writing more than just this one article because I have loved many books and there is much that I want to say.

In no particular order they are:

* Still More Books I have loved:

This is the third in a series of articles on books I have loved. I urge you to read my earlier two articles as well. If I have already emailed them to you then do not delete those emails and refer to those mails more than once. Here are some more of the books have loved.

* How to Think Straight:

This article is on thinking, on taking thought and coming up with thoughtful solutions to the problems facing us and thus achieving our objectives.

* On Alan Watts and The Book:

In this article I wish to comment on one of my favorite authors - Alan Watts. Many of Alan Watt's books are classics in the field of Eastern Philosophy. He writes engagingly and is able to explain clearly and well even the most obscure points of Eastern Philosophy.

* Osho's most insightful book:

“A master who lived as a hermit on a mountain was asked by a monk: ‘What is the way?’

‘What a fine mountain this is ‘, the master said in reply.

‘I am not asking you about the mountain’, said the monk, ‘but the way’.

* The story of Papillon:

“I would like to spit in your eye but I am afraid that it will dirty my spit.”

This sentence symbolizes for me what the book Papillon is all about. Courage in the face of almost insurmountable odds.Papillon was written in the 1930s if I remember correctly and it is a classic that has been reprinted many times. Even now almost 70 years after the book came out if you want to purchase your copy you will find it easily available. It remains in the market and sell steadily.

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