American Meditation Institute americanmeditation.org
MAY – JUNE 2014
AVERILL PARK, NEW YORK
Self-Care for Healthy Living
The Yogic Teachings of
The Compassionate
BUDDHA Photo by 123RF.com
Upcoming Classes and Events Inside this Issue: Compassionate Buddha Beginner’s Meditation Comprehensive Meditation If you want to start and maintain a meditation practice, this course is perfect for you. / P. 2
FREE Guided Meditation Every Sunday morning at 9:30 you can experience a “guided meditation” with Leonard. / P. 5
This six week “self-care” program offers the complete science of Yoga, and lifelong support. / P. 3
Transformation
Practical essays by respected Yoga scientists to support and deepen your meditation. / P. 8
This one day course explains how the Buddha’s teaching is based on Yoga Science. / P. 4
The Power of Myth Scholar Joseph Campbell will discuss how myths reveal the pathway to Self-realization. / P. 5
COMPLETE AMI CLASS SCHEDULE: Pages 2-5
AMI Classes for May - June 2014
BEGINNER’S MEDITATION: The Basics for Getting Started Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev), AMI Founder LEVEL I: Have you ever thought about trying meditation, but didn’t know how to get started? In AMI’s two-session course, you’ll receive step-by-step guidance on how to start—and stick with—a daily meditation practice. It’s easy to learn the basics: how to deal with distractions, reduce stress, enhance your body’s immune system and become more focused, creative and content. This class includes a FREE “guided meditation” CD.
What is Meditation? In meditation you are fully alert, but the mind is relaxed and allowed to let go of its tendencies to think, analyze, remember, solve problems and focus on events of the past or expectations for the future. Meditation helps the mind to slow down its rapid series of thoughts and feelings that often lead to stress and dis-ease, and to replace that mental activity with a quiet, effortless, one-pointed focus of attention and awareness. Thus, meditation is not thinking about problems or analyzing a situation. Meditation is not having an internal conversation or argument with yourself. It is an inner attention that is concentrated, yet relaxed. It does not conflict with any religious tradition.
and body are calm and relaxed, dis-ease from a previously agitated system (that may have intensified issues such as high blood pressure, headaches, back pain, insomnia, digestive problems or PMS) is lessened, and you feel better. • Meditation can improve all relationships. By offering you tools to deal with stressful thoughts, meditation helps you remain calm, compassionate and skillful with others and to be more loving toward yourself. • Meditation makes you smarter. A 2005 Harvard Medical School study showed that meditation increased thickness in the regions of the brain associated with attention, sensory awareness and emotional processing.
Why Should I Meditate?
• Meditation makes you more creative. By
According to ABC World News Tonight, meditation is used today by many Americans including the U. S. Marines and students in classrooms all over the country. In 2011, 10% of U.S. adults (over 20 million) practiced meditation and 3 million patients, on the recommendation of their physicians, established their own meditation practice.
resting the mind from its habit of thinking, planning, judging and worrying, you create more space for new ideas to arise and to be noticed. Meditation also lowers resistance you may have to new concepts and ways of thinking.
• Meditation can make you healthier. Daily meditation is an essential ingredient in your own personal “self-care health program.” Scientific studies at the Mayo Clinic show that “meditating slows breathing rate, heart rate, lowers blood pressure and aids in the treatment of anxiety, depression and a range of other ailments.” • Meditation calms the mind. The mind and body are inter-connected. When the mind is calm, the body becomes stronger, more flexible, and less inflamed. When the mind 2
Meditating in a Chair: AMI teaches you to meditate in a straight-back chair. For proper posture, the head, neck and trunk should be comfortably erect (no slouching). For best back comfort, your buttocks should be slightly higher than your knees.
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SATURDAY MORNINGS, 9:30 -10:30AM, $95. (2 WKS) MAY 3 & 10; JUL 26 & AUG 2
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Your entire $95 registration fee will be applied to your COMPREHENSIVE MEDITATION tuition should you decide to register for that additional class within one year.
americanmeditation.org • Tel. (518) 674-8714 TMTM
COMPREHENSIVE MEDITATION: The Heart and Science of Yoga Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev), AMI Founder
LEVEL I: AMI’s acclaimed six-week course teaches you how to apply meditation principles to every situation. This complete “self-care health program” includes all the Beginner’s Meditation material plus breathing techniques, nutrition counseling, easy-gentle yoga exercises, instruction on how to make the best possible choices and lifelong support for your meditation practice. It provides you all the tools you’ll need to ease stress, reduce pain, boost your immune system, heal relationships, enhance your problem solving ability and find inner peace, happiness and security. A retrospective case study of former Heart and Science of Yoga TM students
recently found these positive, reproducible, long-term health-promoting changes: • Lowered blood pressure • Lowered heart rate • Reduced cholesterol levels • Weight loss
• Increased breathing capacity • Increased exercise capacity • Improved restorative sleep • Improved energy levels
• Increased creative capacity • Diminished migraines • Reduced stress and fear • Eliminated irritable bowel
• Enhanced happiness/optimism • Diminished or extinguished acute and chronic pain
TM
The Heart and Science of Yoga Curriculum is Endorsed by
Dr. Oz (Mehmet Oz MD), Dean Ornish MD, Bernie Siegel MD, Larry Dossey MD WEEK 1: YOGA SCIENCE How to use the mind for the best choices How to create new, healthier habits Understanding pain as an agent for healing Increasing energy, will power & creativity Antidotes for worry, stress and depression WEEK 2: MEDITATION Systematic procedure for meditation How to diminish distractions Learning the one-minute meditation Building focus, fearlessness, and strength WEEK 3: BREATHING TECHNIQUES Breath as Medicine How breathing irregularities foster dis-ease Complete (three-part) yogic breath
WEEK 4: PSYCHOLOGY & AYURVEDA How the mind supports optimal health The power of the present moment Building and healing relationships Introduction to Ayurveda WEEK 5: EASY-GENTLE YOGA Yoga stretches and exercises for: muscles, joints, glands and internal organs Physiological benefits of Hatha Yoga WEEK 6: MIND-BODY CARE PLAN The healing power of prayer The practical benefit of contemplation Creating a therapeutic care plan Learning to budget your time Integrating spiritual beliefs
PHYSICIAN ACCREDITATION (15 CMEs)
Registration Includes: Lifelong support for
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of Albany Medical College and The American Meditation Institute. Albany Medical College is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
your meditation practice, a Guided Meditation CD, a complementary subscription to Transformation journal and a copy of The Physiology of Gentle Yoga. Required Texts: The Heart and Science of Yoga by Leonard Perlmutter and The Art of Joyful Living by Swami Rama.
The Albany Medical College designates this Live activity for a maximum of 15 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 - 9:00PM, $475. (6 WKS) Physicians, Residents, Fellows, PAs, NPs: $775; RNs: $575 MAY 14 – JUN 18; JUL 9 – AUG 20 (excl. Jul 30)
NURSING ACCREDITATION (15 contact hours) This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialling Center's Commission on Accreditation.
TM
NEW SATURDAY MORNING CLASS SAT. MORNINGS, 9:30AM - 12:00PM, $475. (6 WKS) Physicians, Residents, Fellows, PAs, NPs: $775; RNs: $575
MAY 17 – JUN 28 (excl. May 24) 3
americanmeditation.org • Tel. (518) 674-8714
Our Founder LEONARD PERLMUTTER is a noted educator and founder of The American Meditation Institute. He is the author of The Heart and Science of Yoga TM and the mind/body medicine journal, Transformation. Leonard has served on the faculties of the New England Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, the Himalayan Yoga Teachers Association and the College of Saint Rose. He is a disciple of Swami Rama––who, in laboratory conditions at the Menninger Institute, demonstrated that blood pressure, heart rate and the autonomic nervous system can be voluntarily controlled. Leonard has presented courses at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Commonwealth Club, the Albany Medical College and The New York Times Yoga Forum with Dean Ornish, MD.
Professional
ENDORSEMENTS “Traditional medicine is very good at treating physical illness. However, studies show that the state of one’s health has more to do with lifestyle choices than with heredity or medical care. Patients need something beyond what we can offer them. Meditation relieves stress, allows clearer thinking and helps to control many chronic illnesses, all at very low cost and a small investment of time. We are fortunate to have the excellence of AMI in our area.” RICHARD RUBIN MD Internal Medicine, Slingerlands, NY
THE COMPASSIONATE BUDDHA The Healing Power of Thoughts Leonard and Jenness Perlmutter LEVEL II (offered once a year): The Compassionate Buddha is one of our most practical, yogic teachers for the practice of meditation as mind/body medicine. From the very first line of the Dhammapada––“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think”–– the Buddha explains what leads to joy and health and what leads to dis-ease and sorrow. Then he explains how to take our lives into our own hands. Without esoterica or metaphysics, without appeal to anything magical or superhuman, the Compassionate Buddha encourages us to experiment with our minds; to coordinate the four functions of the mind just as Patanjali (the codifier of Yoga Science) suggests, so that we can experience lasting health, happiness and security. TUESDAY NIGHT, 6:30 - 8:30PM, $95. MAY 6
PREMARITAL COUNSELING Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev), AMI Founder Int’l. Association of Yoga Therapists Love is the essential first ingredient in every marriage, yet the challenges of life can divert our attention from the union we cherish. Our own hopes, attitudes, expectations and assumptions will shape the marriage, determining what joy, stability and fulfillment we create together. This counseling can help you create a loving philosophy of life that can identify the strengths and needs of both partners. AMI HOME CENTER, By appointment. $125 /hr.
The AMI Curriculum is also endorsed by:
Dr. Oz (Mehmet Oz MD), Dean Ornish MD Bernie Siegel MD, Larry Dossey MD
GURU PURNIMA Full Moon Fire Ceremony and Movie
Directions to A MI • 60 Garner Road I-90 Exit #8 (Rt. 43 E). Take Rt. 43 for 4 1/2 miles. In W. Sand Lake, take a right turn at the lighted intersection onto Rt. 150. Go 1 mile on Rt. 150. Take a left turn on Cnty Rd #52/Sheer Rd (at stone wall). Go 1 mile on Sheer Rd and bear left at fork onto Garner Rd. AMI is the 3rd house on the right.
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LEVEL I: Guru Purnima is the brightest full moon of the year. It is the time for spiritual seekers to gather with their teachers to honor the wisdom and blessings of the Guru lineage. JULY 12, 7-10PM FREE see p. 6 for more details
AMI Classes for May - June 2014
YOGA PSYCHOLOGY
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THE POWER OF MYTH
The Gita’s Mind/Body Connection
Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers
Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter
A Video Conversation
Available by CDL (Computer Distance Learning) Study Yoga Psychology from your own home or anywhere in the world. Call 518.674.8714 for details. No additional computer software is necessary.
In this documentary, inspirational scholar Joseph Campbell and award winning journalist Bill Moyers discuss how myths, at their deepest level, reveal how human beings have discovered the path to self-fulfillment, social integration, and ultimately, transcendence.
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LEVEL II: The Bhagavad Gita is the most revered scripture in the literature of Yoga Science. As a follow-up to the six-week Comprehensive Meditation course, this Gita course will provide you ongoing guidance on how to further reduce stress in your life and confidently enhance your personal health and creative abilities while providing you a new perspective on all your family and business relationships. MONDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, $150. (6 WKS) JUN 2 - JUL 7
SACRED JOURNEY Living Purposefully And Dying Gracefully
SATURDAY, 1:30 - 4:30PM, $25 MAY 17
Leonard and Jenness Perlmutter Available by CDL (Computer Distance Learning) *Now available online. Call 518.674.8714 for details.
Level II: To understand the purpose of life, we must try to understand the relationship between life and death. The two are partners––each providing a context for the other. Death is not the end, but merely a pause in an eternal journey. When both birth and death are understood and accepted as parts of the human journey, then the fear of death subsides and life can be lived more fully and joyfully. Based on the ancient Katha Upanishad, this course reveals how to organize your life in a way that leads to expansion and growth. Because of the importance of this scripture to everyday life, this class has been extended to 6 weeks. Every student with a body is encouraged to attend. Required text: Sacred Journey, by Swami Rama
MONDAY NIGHTS, 6:30PM - 8:30PM (6 WKS) JUL 14 - AUG 25 except July 28, $150.
PERSONAL COUNSELING Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev), AMI Founder Int’l. Association of Yoga Therapists Meditational Therapy is a powerful tool of mind/body medicine. With over 35 years of personal practice, Leonard will teach you how to live free from stress and illness. Each personal counseling session will teach you how to live a rewarding life by making choices that enhance your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being.
AMI HOME CENTER, By appointment. $125 /hr.
FREE GUIDED MEDITATION Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter LEVEL I: Join AMI’s FREE 20-minute guided meditation and satsang teaching. Participants can sit on comfortable chairs or on the floor. SUNDAYS, 9:30 - 11:00AM, FREE 5
PHYSICIANS’ RETREAT Also: RNs • NPs • PAs • Psychologists
Cranwell Resort & Spa, Lenox, MA
CALENDAR
NOVEMBER 5-9, 2014 30 CMEs
SUNDAY GUIDED MEDITATION & SATSANG
For Details: (518) 674-8714
Sundays 9:30-11:00 AM with Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter. Love donations appreciated.
www.americanmeditation.org/cme
Guru Purnima-July 12 Full Moon Fire Ceremony & Movie
Saturday Night: 7-10PM
MAY 2014 MAY 3 & 10: BEGINNER’S MEDITATION see p. 2 Sat. Mornings, 9:30 - 10:30 AM (2 weeks)
MAY 6: THE COMPASSIONATE BUDDHA see p. 4 Tues. Night, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
MAY 14- JUN 18: COMPREHENSIVE MEDITATION see p. 3 Wed. Nights, 6:30 - 9:00 PM (6 weeks)
MAY 17- JUN 28: COMPREHENSIVE MEDITATION see p. 3 Sat. Mornings (excl. May 24) 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM (6 weeks)
MAY 17: JOSEPH CAMPBELL VIDEO LECTURE see p. 5 Sat. Afternoon, 1:30 - 4:30 PM
JUNE 2014 JUN 2 - JUL 7: YOGA PSYCHOLOGY see p.5 Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM (6 wk. Bhagavad Gita Study)
JULY 2014 JUL 9- AUG 20: COMPREHENSIVE MEDITATION see p. 3 Wed. Nights, 6:30 - 9:00 PM (6 wks excl. Jul 30)
JUL 12: GURU PURNIMA see p.6 On this day students revisit their teachers to rejuvenate their practice and to receive inspiration and further instruction. The Light of Guru is our own inner, intuitive wisdom, always available to help correct our ignorance and enhance our health and well being.
Please join us as we honor the wisdom of our Yoga tradition.
RSVP before July 9
American Meditation Institute
Self-Care for Healthy Living May-June, 2014 • Vol. XVII No. 4 ©2014 60 Garner Road, Averill Park, NY 12018
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Sat. Night, 7:00 - 10:00 PM
JUL 14 - AUG 25: SACRED JOURNEY see p. 5 Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM (6 wks; available online)
JUL 18 - 20: SUMMER RETREAT see p. 15 Friday through Sunday (15 physician CME credits)
JUL 26 & AUG 2: BEGINNER’S MEDITATION see p. 2 Sat. Mornings, 9:30 - 10:30 AM (2 weeks)
AMI’s 17th Annual
GIVING CAMPAIGN Please support AMI with your generous donation.
americanmeditation.org \ Tel. (518) 674-8714 ami@americanmeditation.org
Thank you for your generosity.
AMI is a tax exempt, non-profit 501(c)3 educational organization. Donations are fully tax deductible.
americanmeditation.org/make-a-donation
MEDITATION NEWS As co-anchor of Nightline and weekend editions of Good Morning America, ABC newsman Dan Harris is proud to call himself a professional skeptic. Meditation was one of the things he used to be skeptical about. “I always thought meditation was uniquely ridiculous and annoying.” And yet, after a year’s-long quest that took him to self-help gurus, spiritual leaders and brain scientists, Harris took up meditation. He’s now written a book extolling its life-changing power. It’s called 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head and Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge. The following interview with contributor Kim Painter recently appeared in USA TODAY. Q: How did your on-air panic attack lead you to meditation? A: After 9/11, I spent many years covering wars overseas. When I came home, I got depressed and did a really stupid thing. I self-medicated with recreational drugs. While I wasn’t doing it at work or on air, I later learned from my doctor that (the drugs) primed me for a panic attack on Good Morning America. It was an embarrassing event that finally led me to meditation. The key was the science. Meditation does everything from lowering your blood pressure to boosting your immune system.
time that happens, every time you catch your mind wandering, forgive yourself and bring your attention back to the breath. That moment is the bicep curl for the brain. Instead of just letting your mind run around in useless repetitive and unproductive ways you train it how to focus. Just imagine how useful that is in an age of multitasking. Q: You say meditation could use a PR makeover. What are some of the misconceptions?
It can even produce significant changes in your brain. It was hard to resist that. And, I was told by people I respected that this was the best way to deal with that voice in our heads that yanks us around.
A: One is that it’s baloney. Another is that people think, ‘OK, I get it, meditation is a good thing, but it’s not for me, I can’t do it. My mind is too crazy.’ Another misconception people share is that their lives are too busy to do this. I tell people five minutes is enough. Everybody has five minutes.
Q: Explain meditation for the layperson.
Q: What advice would you offer the skeptics?
A: First, meditation is completely secular. There’s nothing to join, no dues to pay. It is, in essence, a form of exercise for your brain. It has three very simple steps. One, sit down with your spine straight and close your eyes. Second, try to focus on what the breath feels like every time it comes in and goes out. And the third step is the key. Your mind is going to start wandering like crazy. Every
A: Give it five minutes a day, no matter how woo-woo you think it is. You may have 17 children and two full-time jobs, but everybody has five minutes. Tell yourself you are never going to do more, and let it grow organically. If it doesn’t work for you, if you don’t notice a changed relationship with the voice in your head after a couple of weeks, send me a note on Twitter and let me know. 7
Dan Harris ABC News reporter and author
Transformation The Journal of Meditation as Mind/Body Medicine
The Yogic Teachings of
The Compassionate
BUDDHA By Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
Photo by 123RF.com
In the 6th century B.C., Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal Indian family in the region now known as Nepal. His father, King Suddhodana, ruled a tribe called the Shakyas (meaning “capable”). His mother, Maya, died seven days after Siddhartha’s birth, but before her passing a holy man prophesied that her child would become either a great king, military leader or renowned spiritual philosopher. To keep his son from witnessing the miseries and suffering of the world by following the spiritual path, King Suddhodana sheltered Siddhartha from human hardship within the confines of an opulent palace. When he was 16, a Hindu marriage to his cousin Yasodhara was arranged, but his life of isolation from the outside world continued for another 13 years. At age 29, Siddhartha ventured out of the palace grounds for the first time with his charioteer Channa as his guide. They came upon an old man. When the prince asked about the decrepit condition of this person, Channa replied that aging was something that happened to every human being. For the pampered prince, the sight was sobering. Siddhartha next came upon a sick person 8
suffering from disease. The prince was again surprised. Channa told him that everyone is subject to disease and pain. This second sight further troubled the prince’s mind. Then Siddhartha saw a corpse lying at the side of the road. Channa explained that death is the inevitable fate that comes to everyone. After viewing these sights the young prince grew quiet, sorrowful and contemplative about the sufferings that must be endured in life. As he pondered these three sobering sights, Siddhartha encountered an ascetic, a Yoga scientist who had devoted himself to finding a way beyond human suffering. Hearing of such a possibility, the compassionate prince felt an inward call. For Siddhartha the experience of these four sightings was profound. The curtain that had once limited his consciousness was torn open, and as a result, he would soon set out on a quest to discover for himself how the life of a yogi might free him from suffering and death. Siddhartha returned to his sumptuous palace life, but began to question the meaning and purpose of his life. Eventually, not even the birth of his son could delay his
departure on the journey to experience the end of all sorrow through Self-realization. One night as Siddhartha reflected on the inevitability of old age, disease, and death, he realized that he could no longer be content living the life of a prince. That very night he left his family and the palace, shaved his head (as was the custom for renunciates), and exchanged his prince’s clothes for a beggar’s robe to begin his quest for enlightenment. Siddhartha began his spiritual journey by learning how to meditate, and by studying with renowned teachers from whom he learned both strict and liberal religious teachings. After years of unfulfilling experimentation, Siddhartha’s personal contemplation and meditation practices eventually led him to study and practice an oral tradition already expounded in the Upanishads long before his birth. This teaching eventually became known to the world as Samkhya and Yoga. Samkhya is the system of Indian philosophy that posits two realities: Purusha (the conscious principle) and Prakriti (the unconscious principle). Yoga, meaning union, was codified as the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali around 200 BC, and describes the essential oneness of the individual self and the universal Self (God). Inspired scriptures from this dual stream of wisdom (Samkhya and Yoga) include the Katha and Shvetashvatara Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. This ancient philosophy and science (later to be known as the Science and Philosophy of Yoga) required that spiritual aspirants, like Siddhartha, consciously examine, understand and coordinate the four major functions of the mind: the questioning faculty and senses (manas), ego (ahamkara), unconscious (chitta), and the discriminative faculty (buddhi). This ancient wisdom held that the mind was both the problem and solution to humanity’s suffering. Its practical power has exercised a profound influence on the world’s spiritual and religious landscape over the last five to six thousand years, including what we know today as the teachings of the Compassionate Buddha. As Siddhartha recognized that training and discipline of the mind was the key factor in finding true happiness, his meditation and
meditation-in-action practices led him to rely on his conscience (buddhi) to determine what thoughts, words and deeds would flow through him. And the more he trusted the buddhi’s access to superconscious inner wisdom, the more focused and enlightening became his meditation practice. Finally, after years of experimenting with the Truth, the answer came to Siddhartha in the climax of meditation called samadhi. Blessed with the clear vision of a purified buddhi, the Buddha now saw death as a terminal illness of the body, but an illness that can be conquered. By relying on the buddhi, he finally knew that death of the body is a process that begins at birth. As Prince Siddhartha, he had suffered from the emotional pain of mankind’s terminal illness because of his identification with the body. But he was cured by recognizing that the “middle path” of true Self-reliance resolves all the conflicts and suffering caused by attachment to the pairs of opposites––like good and bad, pleasant and unpleasant, birth and death. It was this noble confrontation with the nature of death that eventually transformed Prince Siddhartha Gautama into the Compassionate Buddha. The Dhammapada The Dhammapada is one of the core books of the Buddha’s teaching. Dhammapada means “the path of dharma.” It recognizes the central law that all of life is one. Dharma is the eternal law that both serves the good of all individuals and upholds social order. Dharma is maintained when spiritual and ethical disciplines are practiced, thereby continually guiding humanity toward its highest destiny. Dharma is duty; right action. The Dhammapada a sure and trustworthy guide to a life without suffering and death. The Buddha’s Four Noble Truths 1. All life is full of suffering. 2. The cause of suffering is self-willed desire (attachment). 3. Suffering can be relieved through the practice of non-attachment or detachment. 4. The relief of suffering can be experienced by following the eightfold path. Continued on page 10 9
The Buddha’s Eightfold Path According to Buddhism, the key to ending suffering and achieving nirvana is to follow the “eightfold path.” Right Views Right Resolve Right Speech Right Action
Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness Right Concentration
“All life is suffering.” What does that mean? The Compassionate Buddha taught that life will always involve a certain amount of suffering if we identify with the body and any other forms that are subject to change, death, decay and destruction. Inevitably, each one of us will become old, experience sickness and die. Our possessions will break, wear out, or be lost, and relationships will change and end. The fact that these things happen does
not account for our unhappiness, however. We experience unhappiness because we fight against the inevitability of change. We cling to our sense of how we want things to be. It is this attachment to desires and expectations that gives rise to suffering. Only by accepting that life is unpredictable and will often bring unwanted events can we become “nonattached” and avoid the suffering that plagues most people. This is the practice of vairagya (non-attachment or detachment), and is manifested in our lives as the “eightfold path.” Nirvana The Sanskrit root of the word nirvana means to “blow out” or “extinguish.” In Buddhism, nirvana represents the highest state of consciousness in which self-willed desires and attachments are no longer present.
These are the opening verses of the Dhammapada The Buddhaʼs Teaching
Ram Levʼs Commentary
Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought, like a shadow that never leaves.
The Yoga Sutras teach that all union and happiness begin with an understanding of and coordination of the functions of the mind. When we base our thoughts, words and deeds on our own inner intuitive wisdom reflected by a purified buddhi (conscience), we become the joyful Buddha (literally, the awakened one.)
“He was angry with me, he attacked me, he defeated me, he robbed me.’’ Those who dwell on such thoughts will never be free from hatred. “He was angry with me, he attacked me, he defeated me, he robbed me.” Those who do not dwell on such thoughts will surely become free from hatred.
Our likes and dislikes, known as raga/dveshas, make us prisoners to the mental lenses through which we view the world. We suffer because our perceptions are skewed by our conceptions. To be free, we need to be detached from our likes and dislikes and use the discrimination of the buddhi (conscience).
For hatred can never put an end to hatred; love alone can. This is an unalterable law. People forget that their lives will end soon. For those who remember, quarrels soon end.
The cause of all anger, fear and self-willed desire is the belief that we are the body, and that we are the individual, limited mind with all its likes and dislikes.
As a strong wind blows down a weak-rooted tree, Mara the Tempter overwhelms weak people who, eating too much and working too little, are caught in the frantic pursuit of 10
Pain is the shadow of the outstretched hand of the Supreme Reality providing us an opportunity to make a mid-course correction. Suffering is experienced when the ego’s desire (preya) is
The Buddhaʼs Teaching continued
Ram Levʼs Commentary continued
pleasure. As the strongest wind cannot shake a mountain, Mara cannot shake those who are self-disciplined and full of faith.
stronger than our faith in the buddhi’s wisdom (shreya) and in our capacity to use our will power. Unable to sacrifice the preya, we suffer.
Those who put on the saffron robe without purifying the mind, who lack truthfulness and self-control, are not fit to wear this sacred garment. But those who have purified their minds and are endowed with truth and selfcontrol are truly fit to wear the saffron robe.
Being willing to serve the eternal Truth (as revealed by the buddhi ) and renouncing old habits that conflict with the buddhi are the keys to successful living.
The deluded, imagining trivial things to be vital to life, follow their vain fancies and never attain the highest knowledge. But the wise, knowing what is trivial and what is vital, set their thoughts on the supreme goal and attain the highest knowledge.
By knowing and serving your deepest driving desire, you will be able to train the ego, senses and unconscious mind to defer to the wise and good counsel of the buddhi. That alone will lead you to the summum bonum of life.
As rain seeps through an ill-thatched hut, passion will seep through an untrained mind. As rain cannot seep through a wellthatched hut, passion cannot seep through a well-trained mind.
The process of spiritual maturity is often measured by examining how willing the personality is in deferring to “Thy” will (wisdom from the purified buddhi) versus “my” will (limited perspective of the ego, senses and unconscious mind).
Those who are selfish suffer here and hereafter; they suffer in both worlds from the results of their own actions. But those who are selfless rejoice here and rejoice hereafter; they rejoice in both worlds from the results of their own actions.
We live in our habit patterns both here and hereafter. The Law of Karma states that every action brings about a consequence. We might say we do not subscribe to this law, but we are always subject to it. If the ascending force of human effort can conform to the Inner Wisdom of the buddhi, human beings become open to the descending grace of the Supreme Reality. The concept of “evil” represents the shadow of inattention. When we reject the quiet prompting of the buddhi (individually and collectively), the consciousness of humanity experiences a shared, painful situation that the collective ego defines as “evil.”
Those who are selfish suffer in this life and in the next. They suffer seeing the results of the evil they have done,and more suffering awaits them in the next life. But those who are selfless rejoice in this life and in the next. They rejoice seeing the good that they have done, and more joy awaits them in the next life. Those who recite many scriptures but fail to practice their teachings are like a cowherd counting another’s cows. They do not share in the joys of the spiritual life. But those who know few scriptures but practice their teachings, overcoming all lust, hatred, and delusion, live with a pure mind in the highest wisdom. They stand without external supports and share in the joys of the spiritual life.
We must continually participate in the spiritual work of building and maintaining a philosophy of life that helps us to base our thoughts, words and deeds on our own inner wisdom. Doing this, we learn how to detach from our own mental handicaps and those of the people with whom we have relationships. When we are successful in this endeavor, we begin to “blow out” the force of self will and live in the Light of Love known as nirvana to Buddhists and Christ-conscious to Christians. 11
Pain
and Other Options By Linda Johnsen Photo by 123RF.com
Being a guru is a pain. No one knew this better than the Buddha, who in forty-five years of teaching experienced just about every problem a guru will ever face. There were the jealous rival teachers trying to discredit him. There were the disaffected ƒƒstudents who broke with him to form their own organizations. There were the young monks who refused to behave themselves even when he forced them to recite the rules of their order every morning. There was the embarrassing sex scandal. There were also social issues he was clearly uncomfortable dealing with, like women insisting that if men could leave home to spend their lives in meditation, women should be able to too. As I read through very early Pali accounts of the Buddha’s life, there was another problem he faced that really surprised me. It turns out all those statues of Buddha meditating serenely in a perfectly erect posture are fiction. Earlier in his life the Buddha seriously injured his back. When we’re told that Buddha achieved enlightenment sitting under the famous “bodhi tree” (i.e., a fig tree) we imagine he was taking advantage of the shade. It turns out the Buddha suffered from such severe back pain that he could barely sit up straight, and needed a tree or some other such fixture to lean against. Physicians today aren’t sure what 12
the problem was but based on the symptoms described in the Pali texts, it may have been something as serious—and genuinely agonizing—as a slipped disc. I had never realized the Buddha was in constant physical pain. No wonder the first of the four Noble Truths he taught was, “Life is painful.” Another thing many of us in the West aren’t aware of is that the great guru Buddha actually had two gurus himself. That would be Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta, for those interested in their names. Importantly (yoga students take note!), they were both teachers in the Samkhya tradition. Samkhya of course was the ancient name for Yoga Science—the same tradition many of us study today. This is why there are so many similarities between Buddhism and Classical Yoga. Alara and Uddaka introduced the Buddha to the extraordinary meditative states we still learn about in the Yoga Sutras. In fact, Samkhya begins at the same place Buddhism does, pointing out that life is duhkha, “painful,” “full of suffering,” “constantly frustrating.” According to Samkhya, duhkha comes in three varieties, the pain you bring on yourself, the pain others cause you, and the suffering produced by the forces of nature (think excessive heat or cold, drought, tsunamis or mud slides). These unending aggravations undermine the
joy in life, forcing us to ask, “Is there a way to free ourselves from all this misery?” The Buddha understood this conundrum perfectly. Ironically, he had grown up a prince, indulged by his wealthy, powerful father. He had a beautiful wife and son, a promising career, and an opulent home. Yet like so many spoiled young people even today, he was bored and dissatisfied. Then on his first tour through the countryside his father ruled, he was shocked at the wretched condition of his subjects, and horrified by the pervasive presence of disease and death. (His aching back certainly didn’t help!) Everywhere: pain. Was there another option? In his early thirties the suffering prince set out to find out. His spiritual quest would become one of the most famous stories in history. The Yoga of Pain Elimination As I mentioned, one part of that story that’s largely unknown these days except by Buddhist specialists, is the Buddha’s close connection with Yoga. This tradition was formally founded by the sage Kapila (one of the world’s most influential thinkers ever) centuries before the Buddha was born. When was this? Archeologists’ recent discovery of a Buddhist temple in Lumbini (on the Indo-Nepalese border) dating to the sixth century B.C., suggests that the latest possible birth date for the Buddha would be around 600 B.C. The Northern Buddhist tradition pushes his life even earlier by another two or three centuries. Samkhya Yoga was already widely practiced at that time, which helps explain why it appears in such a well developed form in the Bhagavad Gita, the most famous Yoga text of all, composed around 500 B.C. The region of Kapilavastu (“Kapila’s dwelling place”) was probably an enclave of Samkhya yogis from very early times. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is the very district where the Buddha was born! My Yoga teacher, Swami Rama of the Himalayas, says Kapila himself lived much earlier than the Buddha, perhaps several thousand years earlier. Given some archaic aspects of the Yoga tradition, this ancient dating makes sense to me. Keep in mind
we’re talking about classical Indian Yoga here, the philosophical and meditative portion of our Yoga heritage, not about the common hatha postures which have entered the tradition later. (Some poses however, like versions of Vrikshasana, “the Tree,” as well as the classical meditation postures, are certainly truly archaic.) Here’s what we know. Alara and Uddaka initiated the Buddha in Kapila’s Samkhya Yoga. This tradition emphasizes that to live is to be in pain, and that suffering forces us to ask if there is some way to eliminate pain. According to the Kapila Sutra, the answer is yes. Examples: physical suffering may be treated with medicine, interpersonal suffering may be alleviated by social structures that keep crime in check, and bad luck (i.e., the coming to fruition of one’s bad karma) may be mitigated by chanting mantras. But Kapila’s chief concern was spiritual suffering. Problems never stop coming. Not even death brings relief. Samkhya does teach the existence of life after death and the possibility of attaining heaven. But unlike Christianity which claims that once you enter heaven, you’re there for eternity, the yogic view is that our stay in heaven (or hell!) is only temporary. Eventually we must return to physical embodiment to work out the rest of our karmas. This is the cycle of birth and death which goes on endlessly, or at least as long as we continue to engage in the cosmic process. Kapila taught that there is a way out of this perpetual cycle: to return to one’s true nature, which is pure spirit (purusha). The subtle body, which is the true vehicle of our spirit whether we’re alive or in the afterdeath state, cannot continue to exist in the absence of vasanas, the thoughts, feelings, desires and aversions which constitute our personhood. We can actually dissolve our subtle body through abhyasa and vairagya, constant attention to our innermost being and dispassion toward the things of the world. This leads to moksha, liberation from the wheel of birth and death through freedom from the bondage of karma caused by our vasanas. When the Buddha said we can extinguish our “self” like the flame of a 13
candle, this is what he was talking about. The disappearance of the “little self” into purusha, pure spirit within, was the entry into nirvana, and eternal freedom from pain. “Outsiders suffer a lot, but insiders can attain emancipation and enlightenment,” Swami Rama emphasized. Most people are outsiders, focused completely on the world external to themselves. “Become an insider,” Swamiji advised. “Learn to know the dweller within.” Then, while you are still in a physical body, you walk through the world as a master, not a victim, of the cosmic process. The Buddha’s Unique Contribution Scholars have admitted that very little of what the Buddha taught is completely unique. The Buddha himself claimed that his doctrine was a continuation of the teaching of buddhas (“enlightened beings”) who had appeared before him. The Sanskrit word samkhya means “enumeration,” as Kapila was particularly famous for the detailed lists he used to codify Yoga science, e.g., twenty-five fundamental constituents of reality, five cognitive powers, three types of bondage, nine excuses for not persevering in one’s spiritual practice, etc. The Buddha followed Kapila’s example, exhaustively enumerating his doctrines: Four Noble Truths, the twelve-fold chain of origination, and so on. This can make for boring reading nowadays, but in antiquity these detailed lists helped illiterate students mentally organize and memorize vast amounts of information. In fact, much of the Buddha’s analysis of the human condition, as well as the meditation techniques he recommended, are comparable to the teachings of Samkhya Yoga. However, he steered his disciples away from the extreme asceticism practiced by many Samkhya yogis at that time—although his monks’ lifestyle was still quite austere by today’s standards. Some modern scholars believe that one practice which truly is uniquely Buddhist is Vipassana Meditation. This involves sitting absolutely still for long periods of times (often for hours). This can become incredibly painful as your legs cramp up and the muscles holding your spine erect grow tired. In 14
Vipassana you don’t shift your posture to release the pain. Instead you focus on the discomfort intently until it finally dissolves itself. It’s quite likely this is the technique Buddha himself used to deal with his back pain. One thing we can all credit the Buddha with is starting a mass movement of meditators, culled from all castes and both genders. He founded a monastic community, making it practical for many men and women, who were not able to wander through the forests alone like many of Kapila’s followers, to nevertheless devote their entire lives to spiritual practice. He taught everyone—us included—that there is an alternative to suffering, that a state of being beyond pain, a state of buddhahood, is available to everyone willing to sit quietly and to uncover that place within themselves that knows only freedom.
Linda Johnsen, M.S. is the award winning author of Daughters of the Goddess: The Women Saints of India, Lost Masters: The Sages of Ancient Greece, and six other books on spiritual traditions.
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PHYSICIANS’CME RETREAT Cranwell Resort & Spa, Lenox, MA
NOVEMBER 5-9, 2014 For Details: (518) 674-8714 www.americanmeditation.org/cme Computer Distance Learning
SACRED JOURNEY Living Purposefully & Dying Gracefully See page 5 for complete details
The Heart and Science of Yoga
TM
Comprehensive Training in Self-Care for Healthy Living
SUMMER RETREAT At The American Meditation Institute, Averill Park, New York
LEONARD PERLMUTTER (Ram Lev) • JULY 18-20, 2014 Meditation • Mantra • Breath • Mind Function Optimization • Lymph System Detox Ayurveda & Alkaline Nutrition • Easy-Gentle Yoga (for joints, glands and internal organs) Spend a peaceful and instructive weekend with AMI founders Leonard and Jenness Perlmutter. This retreat presents the complete Heart and Science of YogaTM curriculum in a concentrated three-day format. Regardless of your level of experience, you’re guaranteed to gain practical skills for transformation through lectures, practices and discussions. Leonard’s understanding,
clear teaching style and sense of humor will provide you a complete meditation practice and teach you how to express your life’s true purpose creatively and confidently. This retreat will provide you all the tools you’ll need to ease stress, reduce pain, boost your immune system, heal relationships, enhance your problem solving ability and find inner peace, happiness and security.
What You’ll Learn:
HOUSING: A limited number of single and shared accommodations are available.
An easy meditation procedure How to harness the power of the mind The healing power of breath The philosophy of mantra science How to employ your personal mantra Ayurvedic health principles Easy-gentle yoga exercises The benefits of contemplation and prayer
GOURMET VEGETARIAN MEALS are served throughout the weekend. Please call 2 weeks in advance with any specific nutrition requirements. IN ADDITION to daily lectures, you’ll enjoy relaxing visits to AMI’s Buddhi Yoga Labyrinth, our beautiful perennial gardens, wooded pathways, goldfish pond and waterfall.
This retreat is open to the General Public. Physicians receive 15 CMEs. RNs receive 15 Contact Hours. Call (518) 674-8714 or ONLINE: www.americanmeditation.org/courses/summer-retreat 15
Leonard Perlmutter, AMI Founder • Susan Lord MD • Beth Netter MD • Rosy Mann BAMS Mark Pettus MD • Kathie Swift MS RDN • Jenness Cortez Perlmutter, AMI Co-Founder
Physicians’ Retreat 6th Annual Comprehensive Training in Yoga Science as Holistic Mind/Body Medicine (30 CMEs) The Heart and Science of YogaTM
NOV 5-9, 2014 • Cranwell Resort, Lenox MA Meditation • Mantra Science • Diaphragmatic Breathing • Yoga Psychology • Easy-Gentle Yoga Mind Function Optimization • Chakras • Nutrition • Functional Medicine • Ayurvedic Medicine • Epigenomics
www.americanmeditation.org/cme
Tel. 518.674.8714
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