he Main Concepts of Confucianism

Confucianism has two main concepts: the twin concepts of jen and li are often said to constitute the basis of Confucianism.

Jen (wren): human heartedness; goodness; benevolence, man-to-man-ness; what makes man instinctively human (that which gives human beings their humanity).

The first principle of Confucianism is to act according to jen: it is the ultimate guide to human action.

Jen is a sense for the dignity of human life--a feeling of humanity towards others and self-esteem for yourself.

There is the belief that jen can be obtained; indeed, there is the belief in the natural perfectibility of man. Hence, he rejects the way of human action where one satisfies likes and avoids dislikes.

Such feeling applies to all men--not just one nation or race. It is the foundation of all human relationships.

Li (lee): principle of gain, benefit, order, propriety; concrete guide to human action.

Confucius recognized that you need a well ordered society for wren to be expressed.

Two basic meanings to li: (1) concrete guide to human relationships or rules of proper action that genuinely embody jen and (2) general principle of social order or the general ordering of life.

Eastern Philosophy and Oneness

Eastern Philosophy offers much to the west even though there is a huge difference in the thoughts of both. Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism are among the most influencing philosophies that come from the east, and are largely based on the concept of oneness. These philosophies provide remarkable alternates to the western concepts, which are mostly originated from Greek, Socrates and Plato. As Oneness being the belief and the most important principle of eastern philosophy, it always gives the message of GOD with different names. It basically tells that you are a unit of the sole power. Thought the general concepts remains the same but still there are numerous differences that are noticed within eastern philosophies. These differences not only prevail among people of different religions but also they exist among the people of same religion. Besides the unanimous concept of Oneness eastern philosophies also have the same idea about energy. Taoists, Hipies and Hindus call it Chi, vibrations and Chakras respectively. The basic idea is that energy is neutral and it exists in everything, which is a reflection of the western terminology that says “energy can neither be created nor destroyed” but it changes the form and its shape. Humans not perfect, as GOD is another common thought between east and west. Though there are few similar concepts found but as a whole the eastern philosophies have large differences and conflicts with the western ones. They hold the concept of Cosmic Oneness and hence the presence of “GOD” in eastern philosophies is taken as a whole.

Confucius and Confucianism

Confucius (551-479 B.C.) sought to impose an integrated socio-ethical order in an attempt to secure the peace among warring states in China.

“There is nothing more visible than what is secret, and nothing more manifest than what is minute.”

Confucius thought the foundation of social order is to be based on the jen or “human-heartedness” of the chün tzu or “superior man.” The path to jen, the highest virtue, is reached through the practice of li, the principles of social order. The ruler is an ideal man or superior man, a chün tzu, who governs by jen.

Confucius’ ideas gained influence through successive generations of his students and were finally adopted during the Han dynasty six centuries later.

Several talented and influential disciples adopted Confucius’ philosophy during his time, but apparently Confucius, himself, never obtained the opportunity to apply his cultural changes
from high office.

“I know how it is that the path of the Mean is not understood:—The men of talents and virtue go beyond it, and the worthless do not come up to it.”

Buddhist Meditation: Buddha's Four Noble Truths

Bhuddist meditation, as you'll read below, is something that can be applied to our everyday lives to alleviate the stresses that we all feel.

Not long after his enlightenment, Buddha elucidated the "Four Noble Truths" in his first instruction to his disciples. Put simply, these truths go on to explain how:

(1) all who live suffer,
(2) suffering is a result of self,
(3) suffering can be avoided, and
(4) suffering can be extinguished by the "Eightfold Path."

"...and did the thought never come to you that also you are subject to death, that also you cannot escape it?"

"Thus has it been said by the Buddha, the Enlightened One: It is through not understanding, not realizing four things, that I, Disciples, as well as you, had to wander so long through this round of rebirths. And what are these four things? They are the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the Extinction of Suffering."

In the teachings and discipline of Buddhism, as with much of Eastern philosophy, one can find both comfort, and put to rest questions that all of us have wrestled with for much of our lives.

Meditating on some of the teachings has enabled me to achieve a serenity and peace of mind that I value greatly. More than ever, in these times of financial uncertainty, terrorism, strife, civil and religious wars, peace of mind through meditation helps keep me sane.

Happy New Year from Eastern Philosophy and Meditation!

For those that follow the secular calendar, I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year from The Eastern Philosophy Blog and Eastern Philosophy And Meditation!

It's my sincere hope that whatever calendar you follow, the coming year will bring you peace, prosperity, and good fortune.

Writing about Eastern Philosophy has the great benefit of providing a wide range of perspectives. Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Zen and Zazen, Confucius, Chinese religion - they all offer insight and lessons on finding meaning from life.

As William Blake said:

To see the world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower, to hold infinity in the palm of the hand, and eternity in an hour.

Eastern Philosophy and Meditation will help you to free yourself of mental noise, of disturbing and negative feeling and emotions and all limitations imposed by the false self.

In the coming months, I hope to expand the website and blog significantly. I will be actively soliciting guest writers & bloggers, and look to add voices to these pages.

If you are interested in contributing, please feel free to comment here on the blog and leave your email address.

Buddhist Philosophy

Buddhist philosophy, or Buddhism, or Buddhist philosophy is a set of religious beliefs that are based primarily on the teachings of Siddhartha Guatama. As one of the non-theistic religions, Buddhist tenets aren't terribly concerned with the question of whether a God or Gods exist. In fact, the Buddha himself specifically disavowed any kind of divine inspiration or status, saying rather that anyone, anywhere could achieve the same degree of insight as he himself had.

Though certain sects, such as that of Tibetan Buddhism, actually do worship Gods drawn from local indigenous beliefs, Buddhism in general doesn't concern itself with the question of God.

One of the chief concepts Buddhist sects believe in is karma, something akin to a cause-and-effect relationship between all that has been done and all that will be done.

Events that occur are thought to be the direct result of previous events. One resulting effect of karma is the idea of rebirth. At death, the karma from a given life determines the nature of the next life's existence. The ultimate goal of a Buddhist practitioner is to eliminate karma (both good and bad), end the cycle of rebirth and suffering, and attain Nirvana, usually translated as awakening or enlightenment.

You can read all about Bhuddism and Bhuddist philosophy on the Eastern Philosophy and Meditation website.

Eastern Meditiation Techniques And Psychology

Eastern meditation techniques and psychology can help you to overcome these "social" obstacles. These social obstacles might include isolating, difficulty relating with others, and aving a hard time "fitting in".

For myself, the reason why I had poor relations with others in
my social group was that I had a very poor relation with myself. I
could not accept any negative feelings in myself - feelings of anger,
hatred, fear and depression - and would refuse to accept them into my
consciousness. I would criticize and beat up on myself whenever I felt
these emotions. Naturally since I could not accept these feelings within
me I could not accept them in others. I would criticize others - often
to their faces - when they behaved in ways that I did not like, and I
did not like a lot of things. Such behavior would clearly be unacceptable
in any country or culture, from someone as young as I was then and who
was also financially dependent on his parents.

There was another consequence of my excessive criticism of myself. I
would simply refuse to accept certain feelings into my consciousness.
Hence I could not understand it when people around me felt those or
similar emotions. Think of it this way. A person who has never felt
anger will be unable to understand or empathize when people around
him feel angry. He will not be able to co-relate this with his own
internal experience because he has never felt it. What is required is
that the person should experience anger, re-claim his angry feelings,
and accept these feelings as his own. Only by dealing appropriately
with yourself can you have good relations with others.

Eastern psychology - particularly Buddhist psychology - insists that a
person should welcome all thought and feelings, as they arise, into
his consciousness. Just accept it into your consciousness and leave
it there - no need to verbalize or think or debate with yourself
whether the feeling is appropriate or not. Simply accept. The feeling
will pass of its own accord because it is impermanent. And you will be
free of this feeling yourself and better able to deal with it in others.

There is a technique called the Sedona method that teaches how to
release negative feelings as they arise. Check it out if you like. I
have purchased the program and found that it did not live up to all
the claims that were being made for it. But the basic concepts - that
of welcoming your feelings as they arise so hat they dissolve of themselves
- are valid and find support in Buddhist psychology.

You may want to purchase the Sedona method program but it is expensive.
And indeed meditation will give you the same benefits. Simply practice
focusing on your in breath and out breath for 30 minutes daily. Remember
to welcome and thus dissolve all thoughts and feelings as they arise in
your meditation. You can sit on a chair to meditate. Thus for 30 minutes you
will be in meditation, free from the clutches of the ego, and you will
arise completely refreshed.

The challenges and joys of learning meditation

The goal is the journey. Find out how practicing and learning meditation in daily life helps you live life intensely

Learning meditation

The goal of all mindfulness exercises

Avoiding fruitless thinking is the goal of all mindfulness exercises. You will live life more intensely. Learn how.

Mindfulness exercises

The path and the goal

The state of relaxed alertness is both the path and the goal of meditation practices.

Click on the following link to learn more about this essence of meditation methods

More Buddhism beliefs

How we can use the mystical insights of the Zen Master Bodhidharma to transform our lives

Here then is one of the most useful of the Buddhism beliefs

Here are some memorable Confucius quotes

Here are some memorable Confucius quotes.

Confucius stressed justice. He was moderate in all things even virtue. Here then is another profound Confucius quotations:

A disciple asked Confucius, “How do you regard the principle of returning good for evil.”

Confucius says, “What then would be the return of good? Rather you should return justice for injustice and good for good.”

Click the link for more Confucius quotes

Basic Buddhism beliefs practices

Some points about Buddhism beliefs practices are mentioned in this article.

On this page I will briefly cover Buddhism beliefs and then explain in more details some Buddhist practices that I have experimented with.

Click here for the full article on Buddhism beliefs practices

What are the basic beliefs of Buddhism? Some answers.

This article explains the basic beliefs of Buddhism. These constitute the Buddhist doctrine of salvation and belief in the 3 Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

As regards the doctrine of salvation Buddhism is based on 3 precepts:-

a) Impermanence of all phenomena

Click here for the full article Basic beliefs of Buddhism

How does meditation benefit stress?

How does meditation benefits stress?

In this article I will describe how to bring meditation to your day-to-day life so that you can deal with stress as it arises.

Click here for the full article on Meditation benefits stress

Basic beliefs of 5 Facts Buddhism explained

5 facts Buddhism are explained below in this article.

These are also the basic Buddhism beliefs. They make up the Buddhist doctrine of salvation. This doctrine of salvation along with the Buddhist beliefs in the 3 Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha form the accepted Buddhist beliefs common to all traditions at Buddhism.

These important facts are

Click here for the full article on 5 Facts Buddhism

Buddhism religion history in India

In this Buddhism religion history, I will cover its history in India.

In actual fact Buddhism covered almost the whole of Asia - excluding perhaps Russia. But I cannot cover all these details in a short article.

The Shakyamuni Buddha founded Buddhism through his enlightenment and teaching. He livd between 563 BC and 483 BC

Click here for the full article on Buddhism religion history

The close agreement of Buddhism and Facts

Buddhism and facts are in close agreement. In fact the basic propositions of most Eastern philosophies have now been verified by modern science. Modern science now seems to be reaching the same conclusions about the Universe as the ancient mystics of the East.

Click here for the full article on Buddhism and Facts

Hinduism and Buddhism

In this article I will be discussing some points, which make up Hinduism and Buddhism a comparison.

Buddhism differs from Hinduism only in the way the doctrines are presented. Certain points are emphasized in Buddhism, which are mentioned in the Hindu scriptures but not stressed by them. Similarly the Buddhism teaching ignores certain other aspects of the Hindu teaching. So as far as Hinduism and Buddhism a comparison is concerned the difference lies in the emphasis of certain points.

Click here for the full article on Hinduism and Buddhism a comparison

When was Buddhism founded

This article is an answer to the question, when was Buddhism founded?

Buddhism originally arose out of the teaching and enlightenment of Siddharth Gautama. Siddharth Gautama was the first of many Buddhas – or enlightened masters - who have enriched the Buddhist tradition.

The Buddha lived approximately between the years 563-483 BCE.

Click here for the full article on When was Buddhism founded

Chief god of early Hinduism

One of the chief God of early Hinduism is Vishnu (the preserver). The two other chief gods are Brahma (the creator) and Shiva (the destroyer).

In this article I will be focusing on the chief God of early Hinduism Vishnu (the preserver).

Click here for the full article on the chief god of early Hinduism

Important holy sites of Hinduism

In this article there is information about some important holy sites of Hinduism. These are some of the Tirthas and Dhaams – the most important holy sites.

You can go to a tirtha as a tourist to discover the soul of India. For the devout Hindu however a visit to a tirtha is a voyage of personal and spiritual discovery. These places are charged with the power of God and he visits them for that purpose. The Hindu visits a tirtha as a penance for sins committed and also for the promise of moksha or enlightenment.

Click here for the full article on important holy sites of Hinduism

A guide to important Buddhism religion facts

Some of the Buddhism religion facts are as follows: Buddhism is not a faith or even a doctrine. It is a method to attain enlightenment and it takes the form of a dialogue. Any dialogue must necessarily to tailored to meet the needs of one person with his individual requirements.

Click here for the full article on Buddhism religion facts

Ten fact about Buddhism

The Buddhist doctrine is a vast field for study. Ten fact about Buddhism (in no particular order of importance) are as follows:

1) Be lamps unto yourself – Buddhism stresses experiential understanding and transformation. Hence it stresses self-effort and testing out teachings through personal experience.

Click here for full article on ten fact about Buddhism

Interesting fact about Buddhism

An interesting fact about Buddhism is its history.

Buddhism first developed in India through the teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha about 2500 years ago. His teaching is carried on in the Theravada tradition of Buddhism or the Teaching of the Elders.

Click here for the full article on Interesting fact about Buddhism

Taoism outline view on growing to virtue and capability

Taoism outline contains another key concept – that of Te (or virtue).

Te is not virtue in the sense of being contrived or cultivated virtue as happens when we follow a moral code. It is not moral rectitude. It is the power that enables the plants to grow; which keeps the blood circulating in our bodies. It is the power which keeps the heart beating. It is in our entire being and is not limited to our conscious attention or ego or personality that we identity with.

Click here for the full article on Taoism Outline

Buddhism outline and its view on interdependence

This Buddhism outline will cover some of its messages as to the 4 Noble Truths, what is meant by Nirvana and how we can (intellectually at any rote) see what a liberated person sees.

Click on the following for the full article on Buddhism Outline

Gaining poise and self confidence through witnessing

I was very much lacking in poise and self confidence when I was young. Partly because of my upbringing no doubt I had a lot of negative feelings about myself and indulged in a lot of destructive self-talk.

My situation is I think similar to most people on this planet although I was a particularly bad case in that I lacked poise. However most people lack confidence, frequently they do not feel good about themselves and they judge themselves harshly and have many opinions about themselves, which limit their growth and potential.

For the full article visit this page on Poise

Better relationships through mastery of self

Relationships should not be a problem to you at all if you really take the message of Eastern Philosophy and of this ebook to heart and change the way you look at the world and at yourself. If you can govern your responses and reaction, understand yourself – through mindfulness of feelings – and be whole, then all your relationships will change for the better.

For the full article visit this page on Relationships

Beating stress through Eastern Philosophy

As you must have gathered by now I have no short term fixes to help you to deal with stress. I am asking you to accept, think over and make real to yourself certain concepts, which will result in your looking at the world in an entirely new way. This will result in your de-hypnotizing yourself from false beliefs. It will take time and effort but the resulting changed outlook will stay with you and help you for the rest of your life. And this will help beat stress and many other ills of modern life.

For the full article visit this page on Stress

Dealing with loss after death of a loved one

The death of a loved one can be a deeply painful incident for his family. This is even more true when the death is sudden and unexpected; caused by suicide or an accident. We are left to deal with our feelings of loss and grief and we do not quite know how to cope with them. In the modern, westernized culture we may find that people around us are just as unskillful and may not know how to console us and help us to let go.

For the full article visit this page on Death

Eastern advice on helping the dying

I have had no experience with helping the 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.

For more see this page on Helping the Dying

Preparing for Death when the time comes

All of us wish for an easy and quick and painless death and the wish grows stronger as we grow older. Much of the terror that diseases like cancer and AIDS inspire is caused not by the fact that we die in the end. After all, all of us must die one day. The terror is caused by the manner of our passing if we contract these dreaded diseases. Our death will be slow, painful and terror stricken.

For more see this page on Preparing for Death

Mindfulness on Death to help us live

Buddhist monks are sent to meditate on death to a cemetery for many months on end when they are newly ordained.

What are the benefits of such a practice. It seems morbid and depressing. And it seems completely opposed to the modern culture in most countries that stresses youth, activity, sex, achievement and consumption.

For more see this page on Mindfulness on death

Buidling resolve through witnessing

It you are like me then you have resolved many things and started many projects without following through on them. And this is a habit that most of us get into. We decide to quit smoking or swearing or to get up one hour earlier in the morning and go to the gym. But sooner rather than later our determination flags. We lapse back into our old habits and put off these goals for some future date.

For more see page on Resolve

Defusing anger through Communication

To defuse anger straightforward non-hostile, calm and loving communication is vital. It is also vital to all important relationships, especially within the family.

It should be obvious that we will not know what the other person is thinking and feeling unless we communicate.

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Changing your life through awareness of Impermanence

The importance of Impermanence in our personal philosophy oflife can be illustrated by the following story —

The story of the Two Rings

A rich old man died leaving two sons...

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Attaining the God experience

The existence of God.

I had hoped to give you in my ebook some conclusive logical proof regarding the existence of of the Absolute and of the soul (or Atman or Self). But there are none.

Immanuel Kant - the German Philosopher - proved conclusively in the 19th century that we cannot hope to prove of disprove or know God through logic or the intellect.

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Learning the material of the ebook

The best state of mind is to experientially realize our oneness with all of existence. In other words if we were to have a mystical experience it would solve all our problems.

But our problems are here and how and very real whereas mystical experiences are very far away. How then can we use these teachings to guide our day to day life.

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Dealing with anger - still more advice

Dealing with anger - The greatest lesson of George Gurdieff’s life.

George Gurdieff was an Armenian mystic. He has been praised by Osho Rajneesh as one of the most enlightened masters of modern times. This is the story of what Gurdieff claimed was the greatest lesson of his life.

When Gurdieff was a young boy his father died.

Click here for the full article

Transforming the energy of anger

Habitual energies of anger are those tendencies inside of us that we have picked up as a result of our upbringing. Perhaps our parents were too critical or too short-tempered in the way they brought us up. Later in life we tend to react to situations in the same way as they did.

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Dealing with anger constructively

Anger, rage hatred, long term grudges and resentments can make a hell for us. They poison our relationships, harm our careers, and give us no peace. We feel the urge to lash out at the person who has made us angry. Frequently that person happens to be important for us and our well-being – such as a boss or our parents and we dare not take it out on them. So we lash out at others who have done nothing to harm us. In this way we spread misery and pain in the world.

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Why Spirituality matters

The following quotation of the Buddha describes what spirituality is all about

When faced with the ups and downs of life,Still the mind remains unshaken,Not lamenting, not generating defilements, always feeling secure,That is the greatest happiness.

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The Universe - where modern science and eastern philosophy agree

The Universe is one organic whole.

You might think that the above statement the universe is one organic whole – is the conclusion of saints and mystics. In fact I have derived this concept from the relatively new discoveries of Physics – specifically Bells Theorum and Quantum Mechanics.

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The Buddha and our view of the World

Modern science is coming to the Buddha's view of the Universe.

As described later in the book the recent conclusions of quantum physics are that the universe is one organic whole.

This is what the eastern Religions have been saying through the ages - be it Hinduism, Buddhism or Taoism.

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The benefits of this course

I have published a multi-part course on how I used Eastern Philosophy to benefit myself.

The following article lists the benefits.

How would you like to gain a view of the world and of yourselfthat puts all your problems into perspective?

How would you like to feel so secure, at such peace with yourself that all your problems and challenges become almost irrelevant?

Click here for the full article

Transforming your life through Eastern Philosophy

What is true happiness?

I have found the answer to this question in EasternPhilosophy and I encourage you to do so as well.

In today’s materialistic culture one can easily mistake happiness as being found in money, having lots of friends, a beautiful wife (or girlfriend, or a successful and charismatic husband), ...

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And 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.

Sceptical Essays by Bertrand Russell

Click here for the full article

Some 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:

The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant

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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.

Click here for the full article

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

Click here for the full article

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.

Click here for the full article

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.

Click here for the full article

Gaining in well being and joy through the teachings of Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism are one of the foundation stones of its philosophy.

They state that:

1) There is suffering in this world.

2) This suffering has a cause.

3) The suffering can be removed by dealing with the cause.

4) The way out is the Noble Eight Fold path.

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.

Click here for the full article on Buddhism

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."

Also the following story captures beautifully the essence of the book. This story has been sourced from Thomas Cleary's translation of book:

Click here for more on The Art of War

What Spirituality really means

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."

But how are we to lose ourselves. How is it possible for the ego to do away with itself?

Click here for the complete article on Spirituality

Buddhism and Emptiness - seeing our relationship with the UniverseBuddhism and its path to happiness - Aimlessness

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.

This is the message of the Heart Sutra, which clearly says that there is nothing to attain. This is basically looking at Absolute Truth.

Click here for more on Aimlessness of Buddhism

Chuang Tzu of Taoism - the thought process of a Chinese sage explained

I was reading Alan Watts on Taoism. The name of the book is The Watercourse Way available at Amazon.

As I read the book I got the impression that the Taoism of ancient China is an outlook on ourselves and the world that is fundamentally different from our modern way of life. It is also totally different from the way I was brought up. It is totally different from the way people I know look at life. In fact I do not know anybody who looks at life in this way and that includes myself and I am interested in Philosophy.

Click here for the full article on Taoism

Enlightenment and Taoism - a brief description of both

Some further thoughts on Taoism, the religion from ancient China.

This religion is similar in its core philosophy to almost all the other eastern philosophies and religions. The core message is that it is the well being of the whole that is important and not the well being of any individual being. In Quantum Physics scientists have reached the conclusion that the Universe is one organic whole. Just as the human body is an organism, the Universe too is one being. The ancient Taoists seem to have come to this same conclusion a long time ago through mystical insight. Their philosophy of Taoism reflects this conclusion.

Click here for the article on Taoism

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.

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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.


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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.


Click Here for the full article

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. I would recommend the following:
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Life after Life by Raymond Moody.
Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss.
The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.


* Click here for the full article:

A new method of Living and 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.

Instead of this start thinking of yourself as an ever-changing process that is constantly experiencing or living or acting. When I am thinking, there is just a process of thinking. There is no thinker apart from the act of thinking. There is just the process of thinking.

* Click here for the full article:

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. This concept states that:
1) There is suffering in this world.
2) This suffering has a cause.
3) We can cease to create suffering for ourselves by removing the cause.
4) The way to the end of suffering is the Noble Right Fold Path.

* Click here for the full article:

Personal 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.

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Acceptance and Surrender

Letting go of Anger and Pride

Let go of anger, let go of pride

– The Dhammapada

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

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Anger and Pride

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.

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Peace of Mind

Transforming Pain and Suffering - gaining peace

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.

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Transforming Pain and Suffering

Right Thinking - Step 2 of the Noble 8 Fold Path

The second step in the Noble 8 Fold Path is Right Thinking.
There is a famous saying in Western Philosophy- “I think therefore I am”.

This is where Western Philosophy (as opposed to Western religions) and Eastern Philosophy diverge and go their separate ways.

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Right Thinking according to the Noble 8 Fold Path

Right Views - Step 1 of the Noble 8 Fold Path

The Noble 8 Fold Path is the last of the 4 noble truths propounded by Buddhism religion. The first aspect of the Noble 8 Fold Path is right views.

We must first recognize that attachment to the wrong views causes suffering.

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The Noble 8 Fold Path

The Bhagavad Gita - Part III

The Bhagavad Gita is a code of conduct, a form of practical spirituality that is based on a view of the world – a metaphysic. If we are to make sense of the code of conduct we must first understand the metaphysic.

In Europe and United States – for a time in the 20th Century – the Hedonistic view of life had for a time become popular...

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The world-view of the Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita - Part II

In the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita we come across a very important sloka. The situation is this – Arjuna is caught between his duty to wage war and revulsion at the prospect of killing his elders, kith, kin and family whom he has known all his life. A great trembling arises in him, he becomes confused and emotional and he resolves not to fight. He says as much to Lord Krishna who is with him on the battlefield.

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Karma Yoga - the message of the Bhagavad Gita

The path of action - The Bhagavad Gita

This is the first in a series of a 3 articles on the Bhagavad Gita – the song celestial – the sacred book of Hinduism religion.

Warren Hastings – the first British Governor General – wrote an introduction to the first English translation of the Bhagavad Gita. He said: -

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The Bhagavad Gita - the path of action

Religion of China

The main religion of China are Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
The religion of China have shaped the characteristic Chinese temperament.

The Chinese have been described by Bertrand Russell as perhaps the most cultured, the most tolerant and the most realistic people he had ever met.

Human nature - as understood by the Religion of China

How to Meditate

In this article I will not tell you how to meditate but give you some tips and advice on meditation. But please read on, what I have to tell you is important to your practice.

How to meditate - some important advice

Buddhist Meditation

This article describes and explains partly the Buddhist Meditation technique expounded in the Anapanasati Sutra.

This Sutra describes a practice that has come down to us from the Buddha himself.

Buddhist meditation as taught by the Anapanasati Sutra

A Path of Insight

The truth of suffering is one of the central concepts of Buddhism religion. The Buddha can be looked upon as a physician who diagnoses and prescribes the path leading to the end of suffering.

Buddhism is looked upon by some as a pessimistic religion since it stresses on suffering. What they forget is that that this is a philosophy that also prescribes a way out. My own view is that Buddhism is based on an understanding of human psychology and that it is very realistic and practical.

Buddhism religion - a path leading to insight

The 3 Dharma Seals of Buddhism religion

The 3 Dharma seals of Buddhism religion – the focal points on which the whole philosophy of Buddhism is based are that of Suffering, No-self and Impermanence.

Buddhism stresses the truth of suffering and the unsatisfactory nature of our normal lives. But it is not a pessimistic religion as it also offers a way out of suffering.

Buddhism religion - the 3 Dharma seals

A powerful technique of Meditation

In this article I want to mention again one technique of meditation that can completely transform your life. I had covered this concept in one of my earlier articles. But this technique of meditation is so powerful and beneficial that it bears repetition.

A great king once asked a Sufi mystic for some lesson in writing which would help him in any and all situations in life – in success or failure, wealth or poverty, illness, disease or death.

A powerful technique of meditation

Being a Witness

some of my earlier articles in this series I have stressed on the need to be a witness of your thoughts and feelings. Through this we dis-identify with the mind and obtain some rest from out fretful, anxious selves.

This act can be done at any moment during the day when we are with ourselves and not fully occupied in our work and other activities.

Being a witness - how it will help you meditate

How to Meditate

In this article I will give some guidance on how to meditate. But more importantly I will describe the attitude to be brought to meditation or awareness.

A story is told of a great sage and his disciple. The sage sent his disciple to the court of King Janak to learn how to meditate.

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How to meditate - the approach and attitude to meditation

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.

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Contemplating Death

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.

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Love yourself and Watch

Helping the dying

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.

A dying person at the time of death is in such a situation that he or she is leaving behind all that he has clung to and been familiar with all his life. Wealth, fame, prestige, family, friends, power all is being left behind. Rinpoche asks us to put ourselves in the place of the person who is dying ...

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Helping the dying meet their end peacefully

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. This person was arrested in due course and subsequently released on bail. I strongly suspect that the Investigating police officer has taken money from the accused in order to mismanage the case.


With all these matters on my mind today, I found myself worrying and making myself miserable. A few years ago this miserable mood may have continued for days. But Eastern Philosophy has helped me to snap out of it.

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Gaining solidity and Freedom through the present moment

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.

Transforming Anger

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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

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Overcoming the fear of Death

All of us are terrified of Death.

All our viewsabout death do not help us to overcome the fear of death. My grandmother lived to a ripe old age before she contracted lung cancer in her late 80s. She had always taken a keen interest in the Hindu religion and had written a book on the Bhagvad Gita.

Overcoming Death

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Mindfulness is daily life.

I am presenting in this article techniques that will completely transform the way you live your life.

Mindfulness in daily life

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Consciousness is Bliss

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.

Consciousness is bliss, Unconsciousness is misery

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We are not separate

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.

We are not separate

The foundation of Meditation - The Body - 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.

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The Body - 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.

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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.

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Nikhil
The Eastern Philosophy Website

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.

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Nikhil
The Eastern Philosophy website

Starting your meditation practice

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.

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Nikhil
The Eastern Philosophy Website

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. Whatever are your goals for doing meditation be optimistic that you will achieve them.

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Nikhil
The Eastern Philosophy website

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.

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Nikhil
Eastern Philosophy and Meditation

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 importance of impermanence and how it can be integrated within
our lives is illustrated by the following story: -

A rich old man died leaving two sons. They decided to separate
dividing all the properties between themselves – fifty fifty.

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Nikhil
Eastern Philosophy and Meditation