Daily Inspiration

This clip is from the episode called 'The Stone'. The scene opens with Master Po and Grasshopper in friendly combat. However, young Caine is angry, unfocused and is easily defeated by the blind Shaolin master.

Like young Caine, many of us go through life grumpy and anxious. All too often our minds are reliving failures of the past or worrying over an unknowable future. In this frame of mind we become rigid and out of harmony with our surroundings. Skilfulness can only be achieved through flexibility, spontaneity and being fully present in the "eternal now".

Master Po discovers Grasshopper is concerned that he is a coward. In the context of the yin-yang, Master Po explains: "What is cowardice, but the body's wisdom of its weakness. What is bravery, but the body's wisdom of its strength. The coward and the hero march together within every man. So to call one man a coward and another brave merely serves to indicate the possibilities of achieving the opposite."

Meditation Also Known as, How to Quiet 'Monkey Mind'

You have to finish a lab report by 9 a.m., spend the afternoon conveying your intellect and outstanding attention to detail in internship cover letters, rush to practice at 4 p.m. and scarf down dinner in time to make it to the 7 p.m. Habitat meeting. Oh and did I mention the three classes that are wedged in there also? You're stressed, to say the least. Well, meditation could be just the remedy your frazzled mind is begging for.

Meditation is an ancient Buddhist practice that utilizes a focus on breathing to eliminate conscious thought and calm the mind. For many people, the word 'meditation' evokes an image of a bearded man sitting cross-legged at the entrance to a cave or the foot of a mountain, but the reality is that it can be practiced by anyone, in any setting, from a dorm room floor to the dentist's chair. (More)

Source: Wheaton Wire

Daily Inspiration

In this scene, Caine is explaining to Martin (Wendell Burton) the subtleties of meditation. Caine explains that he is able to hit a target by considering himself, the bow, the arrow and the target as one action in Nature. This is an archery technique commonly practiced in Zen. (Zen is the union of Buddhism and Taoism.)

We often consider meditation as some type of mysterious process, but this really isn't the case. Meditation is simply anytime one becomes distracted from their usual thinking of time and self. Everyone has experienced this phenomena, but since it is extremely subtle, it is most often disregarded. Think of the last time you were surprised at how 'time flew'; or when you were so engaged in something, that you were unaware of anything else.

Caine meditates using archery. However fishing, reading, knitting, writing, solving puzzles, playing music or any other activity you find enjoyable can be just as effective as a meditation.

We often emerge from meditation feeling refreshed. This is because in this time we have briefly transcended our ego and have become an action of Nature. Again, this feeling of harmony is extremely subtle and often goes unnoticed. It is often only after we have evaluated the experience that we understand and appreciate the value of the meditative state.

Students Turn to Meditation For End of Semester Stress-Relief

The end of the semester is here and many students are consumed by final exams and research papers. Some are turning to meditation for the supportive community and outlet it provides to relieve the stress and anxiety.

“Meditation helps you to focus on your inner life with your outer life, making it come together. It also can generate a sense of peace and connection with the Divine or with God,” said Ginny Murphy, a Mills College alumna and the off-campus adviser for the Workers of Faith club. “It generally reduces stress because you can sit in the knowledge of who you are and the knowledge of the Divine. It helps you gain a better prospective of life’s daily tasks and who you are as a person.” (More)

Source: The Mills College Campanil

Daily Inspiration

The chronically cataract inflicted Master Po, is giving Caine a lesson on evil and compassion.

Our perception of evil is often extremely bias. We usually only ever consider good and evil from our own very limited perspective. Yet as Master Po reminds us, the Universe is far more than just ourselves.

In war, both sides always consider themselves moral and the other side evil. This enables both sides to justify the use of brutal cruelty in the name of justice, freedom and all that is good.

The ancient Taoist sages believed that forcing others to be "good" will in fact create evil. The only way to truly defeat malevolence is with compassion, as in the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

World Entertainment Celebrities Flocking to Yoga

Image conscious female entertainment celebrities of the world, mostly in their 30s, appear to be flocking to yoga to obtain svelte figures, sleek physiques, etc.

British actress Anastasia Griffith (Solitary Man), 31, who is a big fan of yoga and does meditation also, thinks "yoga can help really to keep you centered, keep you grounded, keep you focused".

Brazilian actress Morena Baccarin (Way Off Broadway), 30, reportedly said: "I like Jivamukti yoga, which is really hard and acrobatic, but there's a lot of meditation too, which is nice."

MTV Award winner American model-actress-singer Carmen Electra (Starsky & Hutch), 37, was reportedly spotted doing yoga moves while holidaying in Greece.

BAFTA winner actress Thandie Newton (Crash), 37, reportedly considers herself "yoga freak". Cesar Award winner French actress-singer Vanessa Paradis (La fille sur le pont), 36, and actress Rebecca Gayheart (Bunny Whipped), 38, also practice yoga. (More)

Source: DNA India

Daily Inspiration

In this clip from the episode "Sun & Cloud Shadow", Master Po is using a pond of lotus flowers as a metaphor for enlightenment. All people draw from the same pond of existence, yet each obtains a different level of understanding. Master Po reminds Caine that a tall flower is no more beautiful or superior than a short flower.

This is in direct reference to a teaching of the ancient Taoist sage Lao Tzu, the author of Tao Te Ching. From chapter 49 of this Taoist sacred text, 'An enlightened person is not obstinate. She accepts what others have willed for themselves. She accepts those who appear good to be good; and she accepts those who appear bad to be good also.'

Meditate to Melt Stress, Improve Health

Research shows daily attention to mind-body dynamic reduces anxiety, strengthens immune system


Newer research from the University of Wisconsin shows a meditation habit can strengthen the body's immune function, plus increase brain performance in the form of electrical activity. It validates the mind-body dynamic of meditation.

To gauge immune function, the researchers measured antibodies in the blood that fight flu and other infections.

Volunteer subjects in the study who meditated had significantly higher levels of these healthful antibodies than nonmeditators in just one to two months. In fact, it is interesting to note that participants who meditated for two months had significantly higher levels of antibodies than individuals meditating for just one month.

Results for brain-wave activity were even more amplified. The region of the brain most activated by meditation is the left frontal area associated with positive emotions and anxiety reduction. (More)

Source: Chicago Tribune

Daily Inspiration

In this clip from the episode called 'The Tide', Master Kan is echoing the words of the ancient Taoist sage Lao Tzu. "Those who do not trust also can not be trusted."

It may seem natural to become untrusting after an act of deceit. However, this only serves to limit our experiences of life. Although trusting will sometimes end in despair; this pales into insignificance when compared to the rewards that can only be known through trusting another.

The Secret's Out: Meditation Works!

Imagine you are squeezing some toothpaste out of a tube but you have forgotten to take the cap off. What happens? Deb actually did this in one of her most unaware moments (they do happen!), and the toothpaste soon found another way out -- through the bottom of the tube and onto her clothes. Now imagine that the tube of toothpaste is you, under pressure and beginning to experience psychological or emotional distress. But you do not take your cap off, as it were, by recognizing what is happening and making time to relax and deal with your inner concerns. Instead, you just keep squeezing yourself to do more. So what happens to the mental or emotional pressure building up inside you? Eventually it has to find a way out, and if it cannot come out through the top -- by being acknowledged, expressed, and resolved -- it will find another way of making itself known. (More)

Source: Behavioral Health Central