American Meditation Institute
Transformation National Conscience Month • January 2021
January - March 2021
americanmeditation.org
The Key to Unlock Limitless Wisdom and Creativity and Solve All of Life’s Challenges
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LIFE’S MANY CHALLENGES ARE BOTH PERSONAL AND GLOBAL: Abortion Addiction Aging Anger Anxiety Bullying Burnout Civil Rights Climate Change Death Depression Education Family Fear Food Government Greed Gun Control Health Immigration LGBTQIA Marriage Misogyny Money Moral Decline Non-Truth Parenting Politics Pollution Poverty Racism Self-Preservation Sex Sleep Stress Terrorism Violence
Leonard’s new book will be released in September 2021.
Pre-Publication begins in July 2021. See page 7 for a preview.
AMI Classes for January - March 2021
YOGA SCIENCE
FOUNDATION COURSE INCLUDING AMI MEDITATION A TRANSFORMATIVE & EMPOWERING SELF-CARE PROGRAM - LIVE ON ZOOM
U NITING M IND , B ODY & S PIRIT INCLUDES 36 TOOLS FOR DEALING WITH THE STRESS OF COVID-19 American MEDITATION Institute Bringing Yoga Science to Life
Foundation Course Overview The curriculum for the FOUNDATION COURSE is based on the award-winning book, The Heart and Science of Yoga® by Leonard Perlmutter
Seated AMI Meditation • Mantra Science Diaphragmatic Breathing • Yoga Psychology Mind Function Optimization • Easy-Gentle Yoga Lymph System Detox • Nutrition • Ayurvedic Medicine YOGA SCIENCE––WEEK 1 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 AMI MEDITATION––WEEK 2 Systematic procedure for AMI Meditation Diminishing distractions with mantra science Learning the one-minute meditation Building focus, fearlessness, and strength BREATHING TECHNIQUES––WEEK 3 Breath as Medicine How breathing irregularities foster dis-ease Complete (three-part) yogic breath 2
YOGA PSYCHOLOGY & AYURVEDA––WEEK 4 How the mind supports optimal health The power of the present moment Building and healing relationships Introduction to Ayurveda EASY-GENTLE YOGA EXERCISES––WEEK 5 Yoga stretches to benefit: muscles, joints, glands and internal organs Physiological benefits of yoga postures MIND /BODY SELF-CARE PLAN––WEEK 6 The healing power of prayer The practical benefits of contemplation Creating a therapeutic self-care plan for yourself Learning to budget your time Integrating spiritual beliefs into daily life
americanmeditation.org • Tel. (518) 674-8714
Taught by
Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) The AMI MEDITATION Foundation Course was developed and is taught live on Zoom by Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev). Leonard is a noted educator, philosopher, Yoga scientist and founder of The American Meditation Institute. He is the author of The Heart and Science of Yoga® and the mind/body medicine journal, Transformation. He is a direct disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Leonard’s lectures are enlivened by his inspiring enthusiasm, vast experience, humor and clear teaching style. He has taught at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The New York Times Yoga Forum, Kaiser-Permanente and the U. S. Military Academy at West Point.
A MI MEDITATION: Case Study Results In 2008, AMI conducted a retrospective case study of participants who completed Leonard Perlmutter’s AMI MEDITATION Heart and Science of Yoga ® Self-Care Program. The findings included these positive, life-enhancing, health-promoting changes: • Significant reductions in stress and fear • Improved energy levels • Reduced cholesterol levels • Decreased anxiety and depression • Increased creative capacity • Diminished or extinguished • Lowered blood pressure • Diminishment of migraine headaches acute and chronic pain • Lowered heart rate • Decreases irritable bowel symptoms • Weight loss • Improved restorative sleep • Enhanced happiness and optimism • Increased breathing capacity
FOUNDATION COURSE Schedule and Accreditation
Medical Accreditation PHYSICIAN ACCREDITATION (18 CMEs) americanmeditation.org/physician-cme 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 providership 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. The Albany Medical College designates this Live activity for a maximum of 18 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
NURSING CONTINUING EDUCATION (15 contact hours) americanmeditation.org/nursing-continuing-education This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the American Nurses Association Massachusetts (ANA MASS), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Registration Includes: Lifelong support, a recording of each class, a 20-minute digital Guided Meditation, a copy of The Physiology of Easy-Gentle Yoga, and a subscription to AMI’s Transformation journal.
HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE
UPCOMING CLASSES
Live Streaming on ZOOM with Leonard Perlmutter Jan 20-Feb 24
Wednesday Evening
6:30 -8:30pm ET, $595.
Feb 13-Mar 20
1:30 -3:30pm ET, $595.
Mar 3-Apr 7
(6 WKS)
Wednesday Evening
6:30 -8:30pm ET, $595.
Apr 3-May 8
(6 WKS)
Saturday Afternoon
(6 WKS)
Saturday Afternoon
1:30 -3:30pm ET, $595.
Apr 13-May 18
(6 WKS)
Tuesday Evening
6:30 -8:30pm ET, $595.
(6 WKS)
Required Texts available at AMI Bookstore: The Heart and Science of Yoga ® The Art of Joyful Living
Physicians $895; PAs, NPs: $795; RNs: $695
Call us to discuss how your Health Insurance plan might cover this program.
Endorsed by Dean Ornish MD, Bernie Siegel MD, Larry Dossey MD, Dr. Oz 3
americanmeditation.org • Tel. (518) 674-8714
CALENDAR FREE: SUNDAY GUIDED MEDITATION & SATSANG LIVE on ZOOM every Sunday 9:30-11:00am ET with Leonard (Ram Lev) & Jenness • Link is on the website
JANUARY 2021 JAN 16 - 23: YOGA SCIENCE LAB
THE CHAKRA SYSTEM
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Balancing Subtle Body Energies Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter
The Chakra System is a psychological and physiological diagnostic tool to help you creatively and compassionately understand and heal the mind and body.
see p.5 Live on ZOOM
Crown HAMSA
Sat. Mornings, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM ET (2 wks)
JAN 18 - FEB 22: GITA/YOGA PSYCHOLOGY see p. 5
Brow SO HUM
Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on ZOOM
JAN 20 - FEB 24: AMI MEDITATION see p. 2-3
Throat HUM (HOOM)
Upward Pull of Divine Nature
Wed. Nights, 6:30-8:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on ZOOM
FEBRUARY 2021 FEB 13 - MAR 20: AMI MEDITATION see p. 2-3 Sat. Afternoons, 1:30-3:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on ZOOM
Heart YAM (YUM)
MARCH 2021 MAR 1 - MAR 15: CHAKRAS AS DIAGNOSTIC TOOL see p. 4
Navel, Solar Plexus RAM
Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (3 wks) Live on ZOOM Downward Pull of Animal Nature
MAR 3 - APR 7: AMI MEDITATION see p. 2-3 Wed. Nights, 6:30-8:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on ZOOM
MAR 13 - 20: YOGA SCIENCE LAB
see p.5 Live on ZOOM
Sat. Mornings, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM ET (2 wks)
Genital VAM (WUM)
Root LAM (LUM)
MAR 22 - APR 26: GITA/YOGA PSYCHOLOGY see p. 5 Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on ZOOM
APRIL 2021 APR 3 - MAY 8: AMI MEDITATION see p. 2-3 Sat. Afternoons, 1:30-3:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on ZOOM
APR 4: EASTER-PASSOVER MEDITATION SATSANG Sun. Morning, 9:30 - 11:00 AM ET Live on ZOOM
APR 13 - MAY 18: AMI MEDITATION see p. 2-3 Tues. Nights, 6:30-8:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on ZOOM
American Meditation Institute
Bringing Yoga Science to Life January - March, 2021 • Vol. XXIV No. 2 ©2021 60 Garner Road, Averill Park, NY 12018
americanmeditation.org \ Tel. (518) 674-8714 ami@americanmeditation.org AMI is a tax exempt, non-profit 501(c)3 educational organization. Donations are fully tax deductible.
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LEVEL II: The power to attain our own perfect health lies within each of us. It is simply a matter of attaining the necessary knowledge, and then cultivating our determination and will to employ the knowledge we have learned. This three-week course provides a detailed understanding of the meaning, anatomy, psychology and function of the ancient yogic chakra system. By learning to balance the chakras through the advanced mind/body medicine practices taught each week, you can increase your vitality and power of concentration, and rediscover your inner source of physical and mental health and well being.
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Available on ZOOM!
Study The Chakra System from the comfort of your own home or anywhere in the world. If you need more information, call 518.674.8714 for details.
MONDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 - 8:30PM, $195 (3 WKS) MAR 1- 15
AMI Classes for January - March 2021
Ne w ! YOGA SCIENCE LAB
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How to Practice Meditation-in-Action Valerie Chakedis, Mary Holloway MT Prerequisite: Yoga Science Foundation Course
LEVEL II: In AMI’s Foundation Course, you learned that your thoughts are your most valuable asset. The Yoga Science Lab will help you examine your thoughts and expand your ability to focus your attention. The techniques learned in seated AMI Meditation are applied in every duty and responsibility throughout the day. This process is called Meditation-in-Action. As you experiment with the Truth reflected by your Conscience, you’ll develop decision-making skills that will enhance your confidence in all relationships. As you have already learned, to experience real freedom you must be centered in the present moment, know who you are, and follow your Inner Wisdom. Yoga Science Lab can help you achieve that freedom! SATURDAY MORNINGS, 10:30AM -12:30 PM ET, $75. JAN 16 & 23; MAR 13 & 20 (2 WKS) LIVE ON ZOOM
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YOGA PSYCHOLOGY BHAGAVAD GITA STUDY
Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter LEVEL II: In continuous six week installments this course presents the profound teachings of the Bhagavad Gita as a handbook on the science of life and the art of living. If you are seeking a manual or guide for the supreme task of living well in the world today, this ongoing study will provide you practical wisdom, meaning and purpose for your life. Each week Leonard and Jenness will teach you how to reduce stress and confidently enhance your health and creative abilities, while providing you a fresh, positive perspective on all your family and business relationships.
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Available on ZOOM
Attend this in-depth course from your own home or anywhere in the world. Call 518.674.8714 for details.
MONDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET, $150. (6 WKS) JAN 18 - FEB 22; MAR 22 - APR 26 LIVE ON ZOOM
What Physicians Say About AMI’s
FOUNDATION COURSE “The AMI Foundation Course literally changed the direction of my career as a physician. Practicing the tools that I learned in the course have transformed my work as a physician and helped me eliminate the burnout I was experiencing. I am practicing as a lifestyle medicine physician and am much happier in my work. The tools are practical and help me to serve my patients better. Physicians! I urge you to prescribe this course to yourself so that you too can rid yourselves of burnout and frustration and create a happier, healthier life and career.” Kristin Kaelber, MD, PhD, FAAP, FACP Internist and Pediatrician 5
2nd Annual National Conscience Month The American Meditation Institute (AMI) announces that the 2nd annual National Conscience Month will be observed throughout the month of January 2021. The mission of this observance is to remind and encourage individuals across the nation to practice using their Conscience as a guide in every level of decision making. Working in partnership with citizens, governments, school systems, faith leaders, non-profits, community organizations and corporations across the United States, National Conscience Month provides every citizen a fresh opportunity to experience the value of using the Conscience as an inspired guide to making better decisions. We know that in today’s world people are moving very quickly and reacting automatically––rather than making discerning choices. Currently there are few coordinated opportunities for teaching people how to evaluate options or to use their Conscience as a guide in everyday situations. Because of this, we experience dis-ease. We suffer personally and as a culture from ills like addictions, gun violence, chronic and debilitating health conditions, suicide, racism, bigotry, stress, and depression, to name just a few. The inspiration for National Conscience Month grew out of the Yoga Science “Law of Karma” which states simply that thoughts lead to words, actions and, eventually, to further consequences. This law of cause and effect, embraced by all great scientists, from Sir Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein and today’s quantum physicists, is as true and unavoidable as the Law of Gravity.
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According to AMI founder Leonard Perlmutter, “A space satellite launched into orbit has no inner guidance to determine its destiny. You, however, can escape the failings of the culture or your own past mistakes, and can truly thrive in every relationship, simply by letting your Conscience be your guide in thought, word and deed.” National Conscience Month’s January 2021 campaign is designed to: • Remind, educate and raise awareness about the value of using your Conscience as a guide to making better decisions. • Inspire, build and support a national movement that embraces the role of conscience-driven choices in experiencing more health, happiness and security, as we create more rewarding lives for our families, communities and nation. • Encourage well-chosen individual actions through simple experiments that aid in increasing positivity, self-confidence, and self-reliance. It is by our personal experience of its wisdom that we learn to trust and rely on our own Conscience. According to Dan Millman, philosopher, acclaimed author of “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior,” world champion gymnast and Honorary Spokesperson for National Conscience Month, “Everything you'll ever need to know is within you; the secrets of the universe are imprinted on the cells of your body.” Our work in every relationship is to remember and employ this treasure.
A PREVIEW In celebration of National Conscience Month
2021
The Key to Unlock Limitless Wisdom and Creativity and Solve All of Life’s Challenges
Here’s an introductory statement from the soon-to-be published book by
Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
A Call to Humanity “Dare to know! Have the courage to use your own intelligence.” Immanuel Kant “A bit of advice given to a young Native American at the time of his initiation: As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump! It’s not as wide as you think.” Joseph Campbell I wrote this new book to address a crisis in education. Many of us, no matter when we graduated from high school, were only educated to memorize and recite information. Perhaps a truly skilled teacher did teach us critical thinking skills, but it is highly unlikely that we learned to develop the practical and creative tools that reliance on the Conscience can provide. As a result, we are ignorant of our own innate, brilliant human capacity to make the wise and kind decision in every circumstance. The Conscience gives us the confidence to know what’s to be done and what’s not to be done, no matter what challenge we face. But our ignorance of the power of the Conscience blinds us and leads to suffering. The relentless onslaught of information from our mobile devices, news outlets, emails, and social media feeds adds yet another layer of stress and anxiety we are not equipped to manage. At an alarming rate, bits of new data
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challenge our security and titillate the pleasure centers in our brains, driving us to make snap decisions that lead to fear, anger, disease and even death. Technology may have changed how we were taught and how we stay connected to one another, but it has not addressed this serious deficit in our collective education. At this auspicious moment, an openness to embracing new (and old) ideas from beyond our present cultural matrix can bring us the sustenance and growth we desperately need and desire. Our modern American culture now faces a golden opportunity to go beyond its impoverished rigidity, superstition, blind customs and dogma to attain the spiritual and philosophical wealth necessary to solve all life’s challenges. Today, a new reliance on our Conscience as our guide can make it possible for each of us to access and integrate intuitive wisdom, and to establish greater personal security, creativity and peace of mind. As we experiment with the profound gifts of the Conscience to determine our thoughts, words and actions, we are destined to become both prophets and beneficiaries of our own Super Conscious Wisdom. For this noble endeavor, learning how to use the infinite resources of the Conscience is not simply a good idea, it is a dire necessity. With love and respect, Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) 7
2nd Annual National Conscience Month
ESSAY CONTEST For ALL High School Seniors $1,000. SCHOLARSHIP
January 2021 marks the 2nd Annual observance of National Conscience Month. Throughout the month Americans from all walks of life will be imagining new ways to celebrate the benefits of using their Conscience to guide their thoughts, words and deeds. Here’s a special opportunity for high school seniors across the nation! You’re now invited to participate in a unique and creative way––by writing a short essay about using the Conscience. Think of a real situation in your life––or create an imaginary scenario––in which you allowed (or chose not to allow) your Conscience to guide your thoughts, words and actions. What were the results? Were there benefits? Or unexpected consequences? What did you learn from this experience?
One talented student will receive a $1,000. scholarship, awarded for an original essay of 1,000 words or less. Submission Instructions No membership or purchase of any kind is required to take part in the National Conscience Month Essay Contest. Essay submissions should be sent by email to ami@americanmeditation.org. Submissions should be sent as a PDF attachment. Submissions must be received no later than Friday, January 29, 2021. The contest winner will be notified by email. Submissions may be featured by the American Meditation Institute either online or in print in connection with National Conscience Month programming and promotions, and the right to reproduce submissions is reserved by AMI and its sponsors.
E-mail your essay to ami@americanmeditation.org together with your name, address, telephone number and the name of your high school. 8
24th Annual Appeal The American Meditation Institute Because of COVID-19 We Need Your Help to Reach our Goal of $150,000 We urge you to thoughtfully consider the value that AMI has brought to your life, and to give generously to help us recover from the financial damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that you too may be suffering financially, yet we must count on you to help us achieve our goal of $150,000. No gift is too big or too small, and we thank you sincerely for your ongoing love and support. Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness
Help Us Keep Bringing Yoga Science to Life! Call (518) 674-8714
Donate Online at: americanmeditation.org/annual-appeal 9
Conscience Month Webinar #1
It’s FREE!
Awakening to Oneness Panel Discussion Perspectives on Meditation and Contemplative Practices
Friday, January 8th • 3:00 - 4:30pm ET Presented by: The American Meditation Institute americanmeditation.org Interfaith Center at Oxford, Ohio oxfordinterfaithcenter.org Start the Wave startthewave.org
disneyclips.com
The Panelists: Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev), AMI Founder Rev. Will Rucker, Pastor, Intersection Interfaith Community Prof. Murshida Stephanie Nuria Sabato, Sufi Initiate Ilarion (Larry Merculieff), Wisdom Weavers of the World Katie Breslin, Quaker Ministry Brad Warner, Ordained Zen Buddhist Monk Please join us as six national spiritual leaders offer a thought-provoking and inspiring discussion of meditation and contemplative spiritual practices in the time of COVID-19 Each panelist will speak about how their own spiritual practice affects the confusion, fear and pain the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world. But COVID-19 is only one of many crises. We are struggling with other critical social dilemmas such as inequality, injustice, poverty, pollution, climate change, and human and animal rights. We’re facing situations that we have never had to deal with before, and the exterior sources of direction we look to––social media, news outlets, religions and government––are giving us conflicting advice. We’ve been looking outside ourselves for almost everything. We even seek directions for our own happiness, health and success from the outside world. But our current global culture promotes competition, fear, greed and self-gratification. As a result, we feel pain, fear, isolation, and loss. And the truth is that we are seriously harming ourselves, others, and our planet. More and more of us are now seeking
better direction by looking within, seeking within and discovering happiness, health and purpose through self-inquiry. Most spiritual traditions and religions already have meditative or contemplative practices, and there’s no one term that captures all their meanings. Recognizing this limitation of language, the word “meditation” will be used as a general and inclusive term throughout the discussion. The benefits of these practices are many. Most importantly, they are our direct path to the Divine wisdom within every human being. A daily meditation practice enables us to see ourselves and our world as we truly are––one undivided whole. And when our perspective changes, our experience also changes. When we increasingly rely on our inner wisdom (or Divine knowledge), our courage grows with every skillfully chosen thought, word and deed. How each of us comes to meditation and to the experience of unity and love is as unique as we are. In this auspicious moment, by participating in this webinar’s conversation, we are planting the seeds that will empower all of us to grow into a higher and more unified consciousness.
This special webinar is open to the General Public.
Please join us on Friday, January 8th! 10
Conscience Month Webinar #2 Medical Physicians Panel Discussion How I Personally Benefit from Yoga Science and Its Practices
It’s FREE!
Saturday January 9th • 10:30am - 12:00pm ET Presented by: The American Meditation Institute americanmeditation.org disneyclips.com
Lorenz Iannarone MD
Kristin Kaelber MD PhD Anita Burock Stotts MD
Janine Pardo MD
Renee Goodemote MD
This special webinar is for Physicians, PAs, NPs, other Healthcare Providers AND the General Public. Please join us on January 9th!
The Speakers: Lorenz Iannarone MD Larry is Chief of General Surgery at Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. He has been in practice for 38 years, and is presently studying the role of one-pointed attention and diaphragmatic breathing in limiting or eliminating narcotic usage in postoperative patients. Kristin Kaelber MD, PhD, FAAP, FACP Kristin is a board certified internist and pediatrician practicing integrative and lifestyle medicine at the UH Connor Integrative Health Network in Cleveland, Ohio. A student of Yoga Science since 2015, she now actively serves on the AMI teaching faculty and the Department of Medical Education. Kristin believes that people can improve or reverse chronic disease through proper lifestyle choices regarding nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management. Anita Burock Stotts MD A graduate of the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Anita is board certified in internal medicine, and certified in Functional Medicine by the Institute for Functional Medicine. A student at AMI since 2003, Anita currently serves on the AMI faculty, and as a member of the AMI Department of Medical Education. Janine Pardo MD Janine graduated from Princeton and the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She is a board certified internist emphasizing preventive care, a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and founder of the Weston Internal Medicine & Wellness Center in Weston, MA. Since 2015 Janine has been practicing Yoga Science. Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote MD Renee is medical director of the Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center, Saratoga Springs, NY. She has served as chairperson of the Department of Family Medicine as well as President of the Medical Staff at Saratoga Hospital. Renee is board certified in Family Medicine offering the principles of Yoga Science to her patients in the form of a nutrition Rx and complementary pain management program. Renee is Co-Chair of AMI’s Department of Medical Education. 11
The Power of One-Pointed Attention by Eknath Easwaran An excerpt from, “Meditation” © 1978 by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation
If we want to live in freedom, we must have complete mastery over our thoughts. For nearly all of us, it is just a euphemism to say we think our thoughts––actually our thoughts think us. They are in command, and we unwittingly serve them. Let us imagine that you are a student and have just settled down to study for your finals. You have everything you need–sharpened pencils, textbooks, class notes, calculator, and a willing spirit–and you know you must really work at it because there is a lot of material to absorb. Turning to your economics text, you begin to read about the law of supply and demand. Suddenly, through a door on the far edge of your consciousness, a desire comes creeping in. It smacks its lips and whispers, “How about a pizza?” You have a serious purpose–these finals count–so you courageously reject the temptation and return to your reading. But the door is open now, so in rushes a memory of last year’s rock 12
concert, followed by a daydream about how your stocks are doing. Again you return to your reading, or try to. This question arises: if what you want to do is study, aren’t these thoughts intruding without permission? Well, then, why don’t you ask them to leave? We must face an unpleasant truth––they won't go. They know you're not the master here. And so there you sit, with half your mind on your studies, half on other things. Suppose you find yourself troubled by some worry. It is a little thing, you would be the first to admit, but you can’t shake it off. You go to a movie, thinking that will give you a fresh perspective, but that stubborn worry follows you and gnaws away at your consciousness like a mouse. Or perhaps you are sometimes possessed by song lyrics or bothered by a forgotten name; or you may play over and over again in your mind the tape recordings of pleasant and unpleasant moments, like that day at the ocean four
years ago or the time Mary Sue snubbed you at the class reunion. Or possibly more serious matters. A major error in judgment at work, carelessness that ended in injury for yourself or someone else, the memory of someone separated from you by estrangement or death, paralyzing fears and self-doubts, missed opportunities, debilitating addictions, envy and jealousy, a failure of will or some ethical lapse—how horribly any of these can haunt us; how they make us feel we have taken up residence in a tomb, far from the light and joy of day. In all these common cases, the mind lacks an essential condition for clear thinking and smooth functioning: one-pointedness. “One-pointedness” is a very vivid expression, because it assumes quite accurately that the mind is an internal instrument which can either be brought to a single, powerful focus or left diffuse. Light, as you know, can be focused into an intense beam through the use of reflectors. But if holes and cracks lace the reflecting surface, the light will spill out in all directions. Similarly, when the mind is diffuse and many-pointed, it cannot be effective. The mental powers are divided up, and less remains available for the task at hand. Training the Mind Though our mind may be three-pointed or four-pointed or a hundred-pointed now, we train it to be one-pointed in meditation. This remarkable discipline brings all the powers of the mind to an intense focus. We can say that it seals all our mental cracks and then sends the vital energy that was seeping out to the single point on which we have put our attention. As our meditation deepens, we shall discover that where we thought we had only a tiny, rather leaky light, we actually possess a tremendous beacon that can instantly illumine any problem. In meditation we train the mind to be one-pointed by concentrating on a single subject––a mantra. Whenever the mind wanders and becomes two-pointed, we give more attention to the mantra over and over and over again. It is certainly challenging work, but gradually the mind becomes disciplined, taking its proper place–not as the master of
the house, but as a trusted, loyal servant whose capacities we respect. Consider the practicality of having a disciplined mind. If you haven't trained your mind and you feel, for example, some resentment towards your neighbor, you may say, “Don’t be resentful, my mind.” But the mind answers superciliously, “To whom are you speaking?” When very angry, you add a “please,” but the mind only responds, “You haven’t taught me to obey you; why should I now?” And the mind has a case. If, however, you have learned to meditate and made your mind one-pointed, you have only to say, “No, my friend,” when the mind gets unruly. There’s the end of it. If the disturbance stems from a negative emotion like resentment, you will be able to draw your attention away and the distress will immediately be lessened. If it is actually a problem with a solution, you will be able to take some action later on to work it out. In the Katha Upanishad we find a brilliant simile likening the mind to a chariot. Untrained horses can break away and run where they will, here and there, perhaps leading us to destruction, and what can we do about it? But trained horses––horse lovers know the delight of this––respond to even a light touch of the reins. Similarly, the mind well trained in meditation responds to a light, almost effortless touch. If the memory of a hostile act done to us by our partner tries to force its way in, we can eject it by turning our full attention to the many loving acts our partner has done in the past. Here we are refusing to be pulled about relentlessly by our thoughts––we are thinking them in full freedom. This is what the Buddha meant when he said, “There is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind––and there is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind.” The Benefits of One-Pointedness The one-pointed mind, once we have obtained it, gives us tremendous loyalty and steadfastness. Like grasshoppers jumping from one blade of grass to another, people who cannot concentrate move from thing to thing, activity to activity, person to person. On the other hand, those who can concentrate know how to remain still and absorbed. 13
Such people are capable of sustained endeavor. I’m reminded of a story about a great Indian musician, Ustad Alauddin Khan. When Ravi Shankar, the sitarist, was a young man, he approached Khan Sa’hib for lessons, passionately promising to be a diligent pupil. The master turned his practiced eye upon Ravi and detected in his clothes and manner the signs of a dilettante. He said, “I don't teach butterflies.” Fortunately, Ravi Shankar was able after many months––a test of his determination––to persuade the master to reconsider. But we can readily understand the teacher's reluctance to waste his precious gift on someone who might jump from interest to interest, dissipating all his creative energies. People who cannot meet a challenge or turn in a good performance often suffer from a diffuse mind and not from any inherent incapacity. They may say, “I don’t like this job,” or “This isn’t my kind of work,” but actually they may just not know how to gather and use their powers. If they did, they might find that they do like the job, and that they can perform it competently. Whenever a task has seemed distasteful to me––and we all have to do such things at times––I have found that if I can give more attention to the work, it becomes more satisfying. We tend to think that unpleasantness is a quality of the job itself; more often it is a condition in the mind of the doer. “This important teaching faithfully interprets the wisdom of the ancient Yoga masters and is a great service to humanity. It is a powerful tool for spiritual growth.” ACHARYA SIVAGURU: K.S. DIXITAR Sivaguru Ashram, Paulsboro, NJ
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The same may be said for boredom. Few jobs are boring; we are bored chiefly because our minds are divided. Part of the mind performs the work at hand and part tries not to; part earns his wages while the other part sneaks out to do something else or tries to persuade the working half to quit. They fight over these contrary purposes, and this warfare consumes a tremendous amount of vital energy. We begin to feel fatigued, inattentive, restless, or bored; a grayness, a sort of pallor, covers everything. How timeconscious we become! The hours creep, and the job, if it gets done at all, suffers. The result is a very ordinary, minimal performance, since hardly any energy remains with which to work; most of it goes to repair the sabotage by the unwilling worker. When the mind is unified and fully employed at a task, we have abundant energy. The work, particularly if routine, is dispatched efficiently and easily, and we see it in the context of the whole into which it fits. We feel engaged; time does not press on us. Interestingly too, it seems to be a spiritual law that if we can concentrate fully on what we are doing, opportunities worthy of our concentration come along. This has been demonstrated over and over in the lives not only of mystics but also of everyday people like you and me.
“Timeless” by Jenness Cortez
JENNESS CORTEZ “Demystifying the Masters” HOMER • SARGENT • ROCKWELL • WARHOL • VERMEER • DEGAS • VAN GOGH • VAN EYCK • RENOIR
Visit Jenness’s Website and Watch Her New Video Series on YouTube Jenness Cortez begins her creative process by selecting another artist’s iconic painting to serve as the centerpiece of her own original composition. Depending on her response to that chosen painting, the artist who created it, and the time and culture that gave birth to it, Cortez then becomes author, art director, architect, visual journalist, art historian, curator and pundit as she searches for supportive elements—such as books, photographs and clocks—to assist in telling her story. Completion of the painting involves thousands of choices, each one determined by her highly perfected intuitive sense of what is needed. Then, when all the elements are in harmony— in service to her vision—the viewer is drawn into the picture. And it is this instantaneous seduction that leads us into exploring the hidden pleasures awaiting our discovery.
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