Ask Paul #2: How Do I Stay Sane During Life Upheaval? [Vlog]

/ Paul Crouse Spiritual Development/
Ask Paul #2: How Do I Stay Sane During Life Upheaval? [Vlog]

Here is the second video in my new “Ask Paul” series. Brian of Hendersonville, NC wrote:

“How to keep my sanity while watching my mom lose her battle with Parkinson's, raising a 16 year old, taking care of three dogs and one very nervous cat, and essentially starting over professionally and personally after a failed marriage. Other than all that life is good.” (with a freaked out lookng smilie face).  Later he said that through all of this that he was still smiling”

Have a listen to my answer. It is 9.5 minutes long. 

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Rev. Taka: Tomorrow I'm Superhuman?

/ Paul Crouse Consulting/
Rev. Taka: Tomorrow I'm Superhuman?

During this 2.5 minute audio excerpt from an hour-long radio interview, Zen Buddhist priest Rev. Taka Kawakami explains how life is in the present moment.

He says that people often get excited thinking about the future. We think that we will be superhuman tomorrow, but that we are only regular today. So we put things off. With that attitude, we let life slip past us.

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Rev. Taka: How to Meditate Simply

/ Paul Crouse Consulting/
Rev. Taka: How to Meditate Simply

During this two-minute audio excerpt from an hour-long radio interview, Zen Buddhist priest Rev. Taka Kawakami explains how meditation can be mind training, and how to simply meditate.

He says that you should just sit up straight and feel your breathing. It might help to have longer inhales and exhales. He suggests breathing in for a count of five and exhaling for a count of ten. 

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Rev. Taka: Meditation is Not a Magic Bullet

/ Paul Crouse Consulting/
Rev. Taka: Meditation is Not a Magic Bullet

In a two-minute excerpt from an hour-long radio interview, Zen Buddhist priest Rev. Taka Kawakami talks a good approach to meditation. Instead of using meditation to achieve something or solve an issue, it is better to simply observe from a non-subjective point of view. 

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Listen to Paul Crouse Radio Show #17 - "What the Bleep is Zen?"

/ Paul Crouse Consulting/
Listen to Paul Crouse Radio Show #17 - "What the Bleep is Zen?"

Zen is not a brand. It is a Buddhist religion and the word literally means “seated meditation.”

Listen in to this interesting and lighthearted interview with Rev. Takafumi Kawakami of Shunkoin Zen Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, Japan. 

Paul and Taka talk about the common misconceptions about Zen and Buddhism in the West, as well as about meditation, mindfulness, living life better and Captain Kirk. 

And -- no -- there is really is no such thing as Zen massage, Zen yoga or Zen hamburgers. That is just marketing silliness.

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You Are the Solution

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You Are the Solution

Take a look at the picture at the top of this article. It shows Siddhartha Gautama at the moment when he became enlightened and became Buddha. I find this is a brilliant image. 

When you look closely, you'll notice that inside the circle there is light and beauty. Outside of it are the demons, tempting and threatening Siddhartha in the darkness.

All of that light and beauty, all of that protection from the darkness and fear, Siddhartha created from within himself. And you can, too.

 

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Meditation: Discipline, Concentration and Insight (Words of Wisdom)

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Meditation: Discipline, Concentration and Insight (Words of Wisdom)

In this post, the ancient Chinese Zen writer Hush-yen talks about three qualities needed to for the Buddhist path: discipline, concentration and insight.  He shows how each of these qualities by themselves is a dead end, but used together are the keys for controlling your mind.
This is a wonderful explanation of how to find balance in our meditation practice, and in our lives.

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