In a study that compares the consequences of physical pain and emotional pain, it was found that the effects of emotional pain is far worse than that of physical pain. While physical pain can heal, most emotional pain continues to have its damaging effects long after the pain had been inflicted.

For the full story, click here.

Emotional pain needs to be healed too for our well-being. Most people, I think, have no idea how to heal their emotional pain while it is easy to simply allow the body to heal its physical pain automatically. To heal an emotional pain, forgiveness is essential and most people simply do not know how to do that properly. There is too much myths and misinformation about the process of forgiveness.

Human beings are not the only living things with self awareness. Experiments have shown that some mammals like dolphins, elephants and apes are capable of being self aware.

Now a new study done by scientists from the Goethe Institute in Germany have also found that magpies may also have self awareness. The experiment to test self awareness is designed using a mirror. To find out how this is done, please go here.

Another interesting news is the apparent transfer of skills from dolphins in captivity to those in the wild, without any apparent direct link. Here is the story.

We have notice for some time now that global human consciousness is increasing. People around the world are increasingly becoming more self aware. Is it possible that this simultaneously also raise the awareness of other living beings on earth or are we just observing more of what we did not observe before?

By now, almost everyone has heard of The Secret movie. Many have also tried putting what was taught in the movie into practice in their own lives.

The results?

While some have been successful, the majority had cried “foul”. They claimed that the Law of Attraction does not work for them.

If you are one of these people, then you need to know that the Law of Attraction is a natural law and it works for everyone, everytime, everywhere - just like the law of gravity. If it is not working for you, the likelihood is that you’ve got some of the steps wrong.

Here’s a free report that offers 3 insights to help set it right for you:

3 Insights into The Secret

Most free report offers very general information that is of little value to the reader, but not this report. The 3 insights are quite an eye opener. In fact, I was able to use 2 of the insights in my recent public talks on the Law of Attraction. So I urge you to get this report now.

3 Insights into The Secret

Much has been said about the virtues of forgiveness, yet many today who need to forgive are unable or unwilling to do so. This is mainly due to the wrong understanding of what forgiveness is. Most people, when given a clearer understanding of what forgiveness is, become more willing to do so.

Here are some good reasons why you should forgive:

1. Forgiveness is about YOU

Many people are of the opinion that forgiving a perpetrator allows the perpetrator to escape punishment. They think that forgiveness is about giving the perpetrator a second chance at the expense of the injured party.

The truth is forgiveness is all about the injured and is for the benefits of the injured. The focus of forgiveness is for the injured to finally be able to let go of the pain that has continued to hurt him or her even long after the initial assault. It is to help the injured find peace within so that he or she can move on in life without having to continuously carry the pain of the injury.

Forgiveness does not mean condoning the act or absolving the perpetrator of his or her responsibility for the action. It does not mean that the injured will tolerate being inflicted with the same injury again and again. It does not mean reconciliation although reconciliation may happen if the injured wishes.

Forgiveness means standing up for your rights and your self worth. It means drawing a boundary about what you will accept as OK and what is not OK. It means having the courage to assert your rights and responsibilities.

2. Forgiveness is the best revenge

People who have been badly hurt by an intimate person such as a spouse, partner, parent, sibling or close friend sometimes erroneously believe that by staying in the hurt, they are somehow indirectly punishing the perpetrator. They see it as their way of getting back at the perpetrator.

This logic does not hold water because very often the perpetrator does not really care about you in the first place or else he or she would not have cause the injury. In addition, continue to wallow in the pain only prolonged the injury long after it has happened. If it was the intention of the perpetrator to hurt you, clinging on to the pain only multiplies his or her success at hurting you.

In fact, the best revenge of the injured is to live a good and happy life after the injury. This is the surest way to foil the perpetrator’s “success”.

3. Forgiveness improves your health

Studies have shown that an unforgiving heart suffers increased risk of stress, anxiety, depression, anger, hatred, jealousy, ill will, sadness and insomnia. In addition, an unforgiving heart also risks high blood pressure, heart attack, skin eruptions, arthritis, backache, stomach ulcer, migraine, frequent cold and perhaps even risk of malignancy.

Genuine forgiveness, on the other hand, can have the opposite effects. There is reduced stress, anxiety, depression, anger, hatred, jealousy, ill will, sadness and insomnia as well as a reduction in physical ailments. On top of that, studies have also shown that those who are forgiving tend to grow old with more peace and satisfaction, and less afraid to face death.

So, a forgiving person benefits from improved health in all areas, i.e. physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

4. Forgiveness makes you a better and stronger person

Another myth about forgiveness is that only the weak forgives. The truth is that only the strong can forgive. That is because forgiveness requires the courage to truly face the emotional pain and injuries, to embrace them and then to eventually let them go. This task is so difficult and painful that many are not able to face it but it is a necessary initial step towards forgiveness.

So, only the strong can forgive. The good news is that once the injured is able to go through the process of forgiveness, he or she will grow to become stronger. There will be a change in his or her fundamental belief systems as well as a renewed purpose and meaning to life. Life will be re-invigorated once again when the old hurt can be left behind without becoming a burden.

So, if you have been hurt before and find it hard to forgive, seriously consider all these good reasons why you should forgive and start to learn how to forgive. It’s going to do you a world of good. I promise.

There was a free public forum at Clove & Clive last Saturday night on the topic Forgiveness - Path to Liberation. It was very interesting and the questions and discussion that followed were lively and exciting.

Forgiveness is about letting go of the hold that an old injury had over us. Holding on to old memories and pain harms us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Forgiveness is always for the injured, not the injurer. Forgiveness allows the injured to heal.

Studies have showed that people who forgive reduces their anxiety, pain, depression and even some physical symptoms such as backache and arthritis. They experienced an increased in energy, vitality, optimism about life and increased physical and emotional well being. In contrast, an unforgiving heart prolonged the pain from an injury that was long gone. It perpetuates the state of stress in the body, with increased anxiety, worry, depression and pessimism. It also increases the risk of a heart attack, gastric ulcer, skin eruptions, arthritis, neck and backache. Generally, it decreases the quality of life for the unforgiving heart.

Knowing this, doesn’t it make sense to forgive?

Here’s a very good short video on the steps taken to transform negative emotions into joy.

If you need to know more, go here.

Mindfulness meditation, one type of meditation technique, has been shown to enhance emotional awareness and psychological flexibility as well as induce well-being and emotional balance.

Scientists have also begun to examine how meditation may influence brain functions.

This talk will examine the effect of mindfulness meditation practice on the brain systems in which psychological functions such as attention, emotional reactivity, emotion regulation, and self-view are instantiated. We will also discuss how different forms of meditation practices are being studied using neuroscientific technologies and are being integrated into clinical practice to address symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.

Some of us have had the good fortune of meeting up with highly accomplished spiritual masters who are always serene and happy. Most time, we can also find one or two ordinary-looking people among our midst who always seem to glow with peace and serenity. These are usually people who have lived a simple life based on universal spiritual values of love and compassion.

They all have something in common - symptoms of inner peace. Below are some of these symptoms.

Symptoms of Inner Peace

1. Tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experiences.

2. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

3. Loss of interest in judging self.

4. Loss of interest in judging other people.

5. Loss of interest in conflicts.

6. Loss of interest in interpreting actions of others.

7. Loss of ability to worry (this is a very serious symptom).

8. Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

9. Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

10. Frequent attacks of smiling through the eyes of the heart.

11. Increasing susceptibility to love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

12. Increasing tendency to let things happen rather than to make them happen.

To the lay people, some of these symptoms may even seem alarming, but when one takes a deeper look at them, one will eventually see the wisdom arising from them.

How to Stay Well (or Get Better, If You’re Not So Well To Begin With)

If these symptoms appeal to you, here are what you can do to achieve your own inner peace.

1. Do things that bring you a sense of fulfillment, joy and purpose, that validate your worth as a human being. See your life as your own creation, and strive to make it a positive one.

2. Pay close and loving attention to yourself, tuning in to your needs on all levels. Take care of yourself, nourishing, supporting, and encouraging yourself.

3. Release all negative emotions - resentment, envy, fear, sadness, anger. Express your feelings appropriately; don’t hold on to them. Forgive yourself. Forgive others too.

4. Hold positive images and goals in your mind, pictures of what you truly want in your life. When fearful images arise, re-focus on images that evoke feelings of peace and joy.

5. Love yourself, and love everyone else. Make loving the purpose and primary expression in your life.

6. Create love, loving, honest relationships, allowing for the expression and fulfillment of needs for intimacy and security. Try to heal any wounds in past relationships, as with old lovers, mother, father and siblings.

7. Make a positive contribution to your community, through some form of work or service that you value and enjoy.

8. Make a commitment to health and well-being, and develop a healing programme, drawing on the support and advice of experts without becoming enslaved to them.

9. Accept yourself and everything in your life as an opportunity for growth and learning. Be grateful. When you mess up your life, forgive yourself, learn what you can from the experience, and then move on.

10. Keep a sense of humour.

The 5 ranks of Tozan is a description on the various stages of enlightenment. Tozan was a Zen Master who lived more than 1,200 years ago.

According to this description, there are 5 stages that one goes through as he progresses towards enlightenment. The majority of people in the world today are in pre-stage one.

Pre-Stage One

At this stage, one is fully engaged and absorbed in the physical reality, and only in this physical reality. One is still unaware of the other reality that is transcendental and sublime. In pre-stage one, one’s main focus and attention is on the day to day survival as well as physical accumulation of wealth. This is because one is able to see only this physical world as real. The spiritual and transcendental reality is not perceived as real. One may be able to conceptualize and rationalize about spirituality but one does not truly appreciate the reality of this subtle realm.

Stage One

In this stage, one is now convinced of the reality of the transcendental realm. One behaves and lives according to this perception and acceptance of this new reality. This means that one’s priorities in lives change to put more emphasis on the importance of spirituality. More time and energy is directed towards the pursue of this spiritual understanding and growth. Material comfort and accumulation become secondary.

Accumulating spiritual understanding means acquiring more understanding about the reality of the transcendental realm, its nature, its qualities. It initially leads to the accumulation of more new beliefs, concepts and assumptions about the various spiritual teachings. The rational mind tries to make sense of all these terminologies, concepts and beliefs.

Stage Two

This is the stage where the rational mind comes against a wall. It soon realizes that the rational mind cannot fully grasp the transcendental reality. After all, how can a mind that functions in time and space fully grasp what is beyond time and space? There arise great doubts about the whole concept of understanding via the rational mind. It begins to see the limitation of names, labels, concepts and beliefs.

To progress, the spiritual seeker needs to surrender all his attachments and clinging to concepts and names. In fact, he needs to let go entirely of the need to rationalize with his rational mind. To do that, he needs a great leap of faith in the beyond - believing that whatever is beyond the rational mind is far more superior and sublime than the rational mind. He needs to literally jump off the edge of a cliff and have faith that his fall is safe. This is the great death that will lead to a great rebirth.

Stage Three

After the great death comes a new rebirth into the transcendental realm. It is here in this transcendental realm that is timeless and limitless that one experiences only the now. Here one experiences the oneness of all things. Here is peace. Here is eternity. Here is now. Many who have caught or taste a glimpse of this realm believe themselves to be fully enlightened. The experience in this realm is one of detachment from the physical world, even to the point of not caring for physical existence. One may try to convince oneself that here at last he has completely eliminate his ego. However, he will only be deluding himself as the denial of the suffering of the physical world is still a denial, albeit a sublimely subtle one. That is why this stage is sometimes said to have a big mind but no heart. If not careful, one can completely indulge oneself by staying in this realm indefinitely as a form of escapism.

Stage Four

At some point, one begins to realize the remnant of his subtle ego. The ego has matured tremendously at this stage but one is still not completely free of it. Soon there follows a fall from grace. From this great transcendental realm, one fall into a greater realization of the need to interact with the physical world.

Stage Five

In this final stage of Tozan, one finally fully realizes and is able to integrate both the transcendental experience with the physical world. One is able to be “in this world, yet not of this world”. In other words, one develops a great heart of compassion for all sentient beings who are still caught in the physical world and comes back to co-exist for the well-beings and uplifting of their spirituality. This is the stage of big mind, big heart. One is able to live a full physical life and yet is above all the conflicts and sufferings that normally accompanies a physical life.

Another way of looking at this is by drawing a triangle as shown above. The left corner represents the human aspects of our existence, where everything is perceived in relative dualism using the rational mind. Here we experience both pain and pleasure. The right corner represents the transcendental aspects of our being where oneness is experienced. Here is peace and is where the rational mind cannot fully comprehend due to its limiting nature. The transcendental or intuitive mind functions here.

To exclusively dwell in either one of these domains is unhealthy for us as human beings. To be a human being, we must be both able to experience the human aspect of ourselves as well as the transcendental aspect. A fully enlightened being is one who has fully integrated both, as represented by the apex in the triangle.

We’ve all heard about the power of gratitude - that we need to be appreciative of the good that we have and received from others in order for us to attract more of the same into our lives.

While it may seem easy to be grateful for some, for others this is not a habit they are familiar with. For these latter group, to automatically generate a feeling of gratitude can be a challenge. Then again, that is all the more reasons why they must do it, practice more and turn this into a habit.

Watch this short video clip and it will help you to generate this feeling of gratitude and appreciation for what you already have.