vipassana meditation

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation.

Vipassana was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art Of Living. This non-sectarian technique aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation.

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The Joy of Free Book Summaries

Life is so fast now we don’t have to read a book from start to finish. We rush everywhere, binge watch TV, eat fast food and multitask our lives away. There are so many books out there and so little time. We have the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) so now there are summaries of books we can read or listen to on any of our devices.

If you are unable to handle the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) then here is a list of sites with book summaries. Of course it’s not the same as reading the book. Note that whomever wrote the summary is using what THEY think is important or key based on their life, their understanding, their upbringing and their teaching. Still its another way to learn new ideas and ripple your mind.

These are great for whatever device you use… I use a google chrome extension and send them to my kindle for reading later.

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Karma…it is what it is

Do you believe in Karma? Karma = action

One can think of karma as the spiritual equivalent of Newton’s Law of Motion. “For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction.” When we exhibit a negative force in thought, word, or action, that negative energy will come back to us.

The 12 Laws of Karma Everyone Should Know!

1. The Great Law or The Law of Cause & Effect – As you sow, so shall you reap. To receive happiness, peace, love, and friendship, one must BE happy, peaceful, loving, and a true friend.
Whatever one puts out into the Universe will come back to them.

2. The Law of Creation – Life requires our participation to happen. It does not happen by itself. We are one with the Universe, both inside and out.
Whatever surrounds us gives us clues to our inner state.
Surround yourself with what you want to have in your life and be yourself.

Karma – “what goes around comes around”… “let karma get the bastard…”
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Learn the Lost Art of Rhetoric

The Art of Manliness Podcast #639  artofmanliness.com • August 31, 2020

For thousands of years, the study of rhetoric was a fundamental part of a man’s education. Though it ceased to be commonly taught in the 19th century, it’s an art well worth reviving in the modern day.

Meet Jay Heinrichs– he’s an expert in language and persuasion and the author of Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion. Jay explains what rhetoric is, why after being taught around the world for centuries it fell out of favor as a component of education, and why it’s still essential for everyone, especially leaders, to learn. The difference between fighting and arguing, and how it’s the latter that’s a lost art, especially in our digital age. What are Aristotle’s three tools of rhetoric — ethos, pathos, and logos —your character is so important, and do an ethos analysis of your resume. What about Cicero’s five canons of rhetoric, and Jay shares a smart technique for memorising a presentation, and thus delivering it more persuasively. Continue reading “Learn the Lost Art of Rhetoric”

Covid Cooking fixes the climate crisis

Its a strange time for all of us but there are some advantages. I recently read a post on “Lockdown, leftovers and how food frugality is a climate boon” by Christopher Walljasper and Nigel Hunt.

They show that because people are in their homes and can’t get out as freely, they are cooking and eating everything, scrounging through cupboards, fridges and freezers and everything is being consumed. Whereas pre Covid the leftovers were often discarded in favour of fast food.

Cooking with kids during lockdown – Les Frenchy Moms

That option has gone for most people so now we are reducing our food wastage. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that a third of the world’s food is wasted every year. Forests are cleared, fuel is burnt and packaging is produced just to provide food which is thrown away. Meanwhile, rotting food in landfills releases more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

As a result, food waste is responsible for around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a similar amount to road transportation. People are taking this opportunity to adopt less wasteful habits in life after lockdown.

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minimal, optimal, essential, intentionalism…?

I have stumbled across the minimalism group… the internet world of peoples who follow minimalism blogs and videos and podcasts….

7 Tiny Steps for the Beginner Minimalist - Be More with Less

They all want to tell us there are no rules to follow these practices.. but then you read “the rules are”…?

To be minimalists you need to do this… then they say its up to you. You need to find what fits for you with minimalism, simple living, essentialism and living your life intentionally.

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minimalism

Minimalism is all about living with less. This includes less financial burdens such as debt and unnecessary expenses. … For many minimalists, the philosophy is about getting rid of excess stuff and living life based on experiences rather than worldly possessions.

Why do I have so many things… ? I looked through my stuff and I had 2,3,4,even 9 of the same things… staplers, notebooks, jackets, pairs of shoes, jeans, bags… you name it I had many, many of them. Excess. Too much stuff. Finding a place to put this stuff.

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Digital minimalism

yes. It’s also the title of a book by Cal Newport. https://www.calnewport.com/books/digital-minimalism/ He writes a philosophy for technology that suggest we get off our devices, off social media and live a real life. Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you.

Is this weird? No. Do you remember when when we didn’t have mobile phones. We just called someone from home or from work. We actually used public phones and there was plenty of these on nearby street corners. We never needed to be in so much contact. We talked to each other and our partners. We laughed and joked and spoke about things, the world and other issues.

We went out and did things. Family was important.

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