ego Archives | Ahimsa Meditation

Meditation, Love and Self-Compassion

Many people start on their journeys to meditate and cultivate their minds. It’s awesome!

Yet for a majority of them, their practice of meditation is a sporadic tool or an activity that they need to find time for.

Surely, in our hectic and always changing world finding time is quite difficult. It is possible though if we get our priorities right.

Do you have 20-30 minutes for yourself a day? Start worrying if the answer is ‘No’

Meditation is in a way an expression of love to your own self. Do you love yourself enough to dedicate 20-30 minutes of your daily time to meditation?

Ones that tend to say that it is difficult to find time simply do not care about themselves enough. Because their routine, that eats all their free time, can be adjusted.

When you start practicing meditation, it starts to teach you to return to a self-compassionate mode and simply be. When you show some discipline in the beginning and form a habit of daily meditation, you will see that it is not even about loving yourself. But it is about being open and kind to everything and everyone.

What happens next is truly wonderful – you start bringing the benefits of meditation to your everyday life. Your attentiveness and love for your body will ensure that you eat well. Awareness of your eating patterns will quickly help you to eliminate usual nasties – refined sugars, processed foods, and white flour just to name a few. Kindness to others would help you to realize how awful it is to kill someone for your own food. And you will probably become vegetarian or even vegan.

When it comes to your mind, self-compassion allows you to observe your thoughts and not to cling to the disturbing ones. Remember, you are not your thoughts.

Similarly, your inner peace will allow you to be compassionate to others. But it is very difficult to be genuinely kind and warm-hearted to others if you nurture hate inside yourself. Loving-kindness then simply spreads to others in your life.

Meditation. Love. Ego. Compassion.

People think that meditation is being egoistic and spending time frivolously. And it cannot be further from the truth. You indeed develop yourself, listen to yourself clearly and view things from a calm and peaceful perspective. Yet it spreads! You actually let go of your ego’s strong grip and think about others. You wish others to be healthy, happy, safe, free from harm and peaceful. And then it spreads once again. Your own meditation, ability to feel self-compassion and love to yourself is actually important on a global level. No pressure though!

Hopefully, you will find some discipline to practice meditation on a daily basis. There are countless ways how to help you do that easier – establishing rituals and forming habits, creating cues and committing with other people. Yet quite soon you will be able to simply be better off.

Check out our basic instructions on how to start meditating or if you’re quite comfortable with it already, have a look at Vipassana Meditation guide. We wish you a good daily meditation practice. Much love and self-compassion!

Let’s talk about our desire to be special

We hope that with this article we would be able to start a conversation with everyone of you about a modern goal that everyone is or needs to be special.

Do you really need it? Is it OK to be special at all? Is it healthy to strive to be special?

What is it ‘to feel special’?

It seems that this ‘specialness’ comes from our own natural selection. Our feelings of uniqueness and superiority lie in the heart of that value system of survival. Some animals do that too. Unfortunately for other species, killing is the way how the strong ones assert their ‘specialness’. This behaviour is what we can call a very pedestrian one, arrogant and mindless.

We have been talking about evolution and human progress also to showcase that we have all the means to move past this behaviour and live a life of moral meaning. We have learned how to grow enough food on the planet and cure many diseases. Our progress should ensure we live better. That also means we all live better, no matter of a social status and background. This is how we can inject moral meaning into all aspects of our life.

Violence to justify that we can feel special?

Killing others for food is simply not an option. We do not need to do that. It is unethical. We are not special compared to a goat or a pig, we do not have any right to kill them. Nowadays our survival does not depend on them.

Deeply embedded in Buddhist thought is the intrinsic moral value of sentient life. Not just the value of human beings but the value of all organisms that have subjective experience and so are capable of pain and pleasure, of suffering and not suffering. This value in turn imparts value to other things such as helping people, being kind to dogs etc.

How can we deal with this social notion of ‘specialness’?

Mindful mediation can help us to examine our stories carefully. We can listen to our inner voices from the ground up. This allows us, if we choose of course, to separate truth from fabrication. We can ditch the need to feeling special and instead live by your own intrinsic values, in synergy with others.

One of the suggestion from us at Ahimsa Meditation is to look at the concept of non-self, or letting go of your ego. It will help to get rid of the ‘specialness’ feeling.

Meditation offers us to see clearly that there is a way to live that is not going with the natural selection flow or completely against it. Robert Wright, in his book “Why Buddhism is True” said that there is a concept of Middle Way where you are attuned to the impermanence, non-self and unsatisfactoriness of living and it brings liberation and happiness”.

Clearly, we are so easily inclined to accept the aim of feeling special because we think our life would be better off like that. Yet what it does, is something very opposite – it enslaves us in this rat race of ‘more, more and yet some more’ (it could be money, fame, you name it). You have a moment of feeling ‘special;’ and then it vanes, you need to become even more special. This may never end. It means you are not living your own life, it’s almost like someone programmed it for you.

Letting go of your ’specialness’ and ego will mean you can listen to what you really need and want. You can start living your life by your own rules.

How is it to live with an aim of ‘specialness’ for you?

We’ve all been (or still are) there. Let’s help each other and share our stories of how the aim of being special is actually not helpful at all.

What are your thoughts, contemplation and advice for others? Please leave your comments below or send us a message through Contact form – let’t share. Thank you.

Mindfulness Meditation for Depression

What is depression?

Depression, or depressive disorder, is a serious mental health issue that causes increased feelings of sadness and loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed. A person who suffers from depression may have feelings of severe despondency and dejection.

Unfortunately, our current busy lifestyle and manic schedules do create unrealistic expectations, enormous stress and a feeling that we constantly lack something. The latter means that we feel ‘broken’, we seek something in order to fix us, to stop lacking something. This comes back to a so-called ‘rat race’, burnout and sometimes results in severe forms of depression.

Yet it is not just all down to stress, we are being hurt in a physical way too. Our current nutrition patterns are abysmal. Depression is a common symptom of eating disorders, that was confirmed by scientists Thompson and Trattner-Sherman back in 1993.

Let us explore how mindfulness meditation for depression can massively help everyone suffering from mild depression

The benefits of mindfulness meditation for anxiety and depression

A study at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine and published in JAMA Int Medicine showed that meditation can provide a level of relief from symptoms of anxiety and depression similar to that of antidepressant drugs.

When it comes to mental health, mindfulness is an integral part of the treatment of various psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder and more (as quoted in “The rough guide to mindfulness” by Albert Tobler and Susann Herrmann).

So, how looks like the mindful way through depression guided meditation practices? You can focus on stress and fatigue, make a connection with activity and the mood, cultivate intention to foster a de-centered perspective, to deepen insight into the nature of the mind (as suggested in ‘Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy book by Rebecca Crane).

Matt Haig suggested a few ideas that can serve you as meditation themes in your contemplative practice.

Here are a few ideas:

Awareness and self-observation – ‘Who am I?’
Wholeness (we simply fight feelings of lacking something or some kind of deficiency)
The world is subjective
Less is more
You already know what’s significant
Acceptance seems to be key. We don’t need to distance ourselves from ourselves.

This is so true, we are not as kind to our own selves as we could be. Let’s try and do so more often!

Guided mindfulness meditation depression

This mindfulness meditation practice that targets depression, in particular. It is based on the principle of ‘egolessness’, or simply the fact that everything changes including your ego and thoughts, so you need to cut yourself some slack.

Mindfulness meditation exercises for depression are aimed to let go of your ego even slightly, and there would be less of ‘me’ and ’my’ in your thoughts. It means you start to learn that your thoughts are just your thoughts, not the reality or even a valid reason to suffer. These two major concepts of impermanence and letting go of your ego are two major meditation themes that will help you overcome depression. Practicing mindfulness meditation for anxiety and depression is really easy and you can try it right now.

Use these simple instructions for a concentration meditation on breathing with elements of vipassana meditation directed at dealing with depression:

Find a quiet place and set your alarm for an initial 10 minutes (more if you feel comfortable to start with a longer session).
Sit cross-legged on a floor (use a mat and a cushion to level your hips with your knees), place your arms on your lap. Only sit on a firm chair if the cross-legged position is very uncomfortable. In general, your posture should be fairly relaxed but not sluggish, so you won’t meditate yourself to sleep. Full lotus is the most stable and firm posture, but you can adopt half-lotus or a simple cross-legged position too.
Take a few really deep breaths as so other people would be likely to hear you breathing. It should make you feel relaxed fairly quickly.
Close your eyes and start paying attention to sounds, smells, posture, and breathing. Simply make a mental note on what you are observing. No need to judge it or dwell on it.
Pay attention to how your body feels. Start doing so by scanning your body from top to bottom and notice how even the smallest parts of your body feel. Don’t try to change anything or judge. It’s all good, you are being attentive, that’s it.
Move the focus of your attention to your breathing. Do not try to change it, just let it be. No judgment please, do not allow to be violent towards yourself. Notice where in your body your breathing starts, how it flows and how it ends. To help you settle with this pattern, you can start counting your breaths from 1 to 10 and then revert back to 1. If your attention shifts to something else, notice the very fact of this happening. Then gently get your mind to count the breaths again and again. These ‘jumps’ happen all the time, so be kind to yourself. The more skillful you become, the less monkey-like your mind learns to be. Every single time your mind gets back to counting breaths, it also gets stronger. This, in effect, gives your mind a proper training.
When you have established a good concentration on breathing, invite your mind to contemplate yourself. Ask yourself ‘Who am I?’
Be gentle, do not rush things. With time, you will come across manifestations of your own ego and notice some preconceptions that are simply not true. You will learn how to be kind to yourself. What’s more, you will realize that there is no such thing as a constant and non-changing self. As everything changes, and you can contemplate on that too, so do you like everyone else. What it means is that with meditation you can become a better you.
No stress though, your first achievement is to realize that you do not lack anything major. Yes, you may want to learn a skill or two, but that doesn’t make you an unwholesome person. Your critical thoughts that are constantly there in your mind are not you. It means you do not need to associate them with you. Your self is constantly changing, so are those thoughts. Note those thoughts. Think about them in as a third person: ‘Ah yes, there are thoughts about uncle Jeff’ or ‘Oh, there is some pain in a left knee’. There is no ‘me’ or ‘mine’ in this noting technique, simply acknowledging the fact. Guess what, if you master this simple thing, everything will come and go easier than before. Your depression will subside too. It is not even ‘your’ depression – those are just thoughts that appeared and then went away. Why do you need to suffer because of that?
Continue breathing, contemplating and noting for your set amount of time. When finished, allow your mind to rest for 30 seconds with no focus on anything at all. Just observe and let it simply flow.

Finish by making a mental note how you feel now, what you are going to do next and open your eyes.

It is enough for you to spend 15 minutes a day in the morning or in the evening or even in the afternoon for mindfulness meditation exercises for depression. For complete relaxation, you can also include special meditation music.

Music-video for mindfulness meditation for depression

You have just completed a session of mind training or cultivation that specifically targeting depression.

The more you become comfortable with this noting technique, the more you will be able to let go of your ego. It is important to overcome your depression. Getting over yourself and realizing an ever-changing nature of things that results in so-called ‘non-self’ is difficult. Yet it is so liberating!

We wish you a good meditation practice. Share this guide with your friends who might need it and we are more than happy to guide you and answer any questions.

A Life of Nonviolence

In this short article, we want to discuss values, mindfulness, our ego, constant change and evolution, but also suffering and stress. We see that there is a life of nonviolence or Ahimsa way that is possible through meditation and training of our mind.

Life values

What is your main value as a human?

Is there such thing that can unify all humans and sentient beings – can it be “value of life itself”.

The act of taking someone’s life is an ultimate crime. We need to develop a reverence for life. Can we live without harming others? Can we extend this compassion and harmlessness to all living beings?

Our progress allows and requires us to thrive by living harmoniously with others.

Why be mindful of life

Let’s be mindful.

Mindfulness helps us to contemplate what is the value of life. It is anything but violence. It is not killing – be it others or yourself. So mindfulness is connected to kindness and compassion. It starts with you, your body and mind and then extends to your family and so on.

Mindful eating leads to mindful health, better care about our body. This, in turn, leads to mindful consumption and then to mindful relationships, both interpersonal and with nature.

Why hold back your ego

Hold on, put a mindful cap on, who are you?

Let’s think about it. Are we a collection of organs? Is there a soul? Is there a centre of our persona or so-called ego?

Such contemplation may lead us to a liberating effect of egolessness. There is really nowhere to go and no one to be, but just be.

Why you do not need to be afraid of change

We all change, we all sentient beings are born and die. We form communities, learn, enhance and develop our lives.

Enhancement brings evolution.

Natural evolution is happening all the time. Our wants are subjected to do the same but artificially. Our needs are actually not that big – we need shelter, food, clothing, medicine. The rest are wants – they create attachments, delusion and thus suffering.

Evolution, our progress and development also mean that we have now enough tools and ways how to grow enough food, secure food supply and stop relying on killing others for our own food, clothing or entertainment. We can stop that suffering. We should be proud of our achievements so far, they allow us to transform our living into a more peaceful and pleasant one.

Yet suffering is everywhere.

What we can do is to cultivate nonviolence, a non-harming way of life.

How? By kindness and compassion, joy when others do/live well and serenity in our everyday lives. This compassion that extends to all living beings makes it possible for us to live in harmony and peace with others. Everyone can start today – change nutrition, make their choice whilst shopping, give a helping hand at animal sanctuaries, feed the hungry, and all of this can be cultivated in your mind.

Meditation

Cultivation is possible through meditation.

Meditation is not just about concentrating and focusing your mind, it can provide seeds to possible insights. Studies proved that it enhances your well-being by strengthening physical and mental health.

How can you start improving your well-being in the context of nonviolent life? Consider employing a plant-based whole foods diet, practising mindfulness meditation and engaging in ethical business.

Plant-based whole foods nutrition is devoid of violence both towards your own body and others’. There should be no intentional killing when it comes to our livelihood and business activities. It is clear that we live in a world of abundance and overconsumption. Abusive marketing and advertising make us believe that our wants are actually our needs. It stimulates new wants in us all the time.

There are many triggers for violence. One of them is inequality. Income inequality becomes truly shocking when investment bankers earn a thousand times more than other workers. From the nutritional side, excessive consumption of sugar triggers increase in crime and violent behaviour, it also affects our current rise of obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic.

It is evident that everything is truly interconnected: how we can care best for our bodies, train our minds, provide good nutrition and adopt a mindful approach to living.

How to live well?

There is a very simple solution that solves our current predicament – it is a mindful living based on the life-enhancing value of nonviolence. We can truly embrace it wholeheartedly and make it as a centre of all our activities, including nutrition, relationships, politics, business, environment and simply being in this world, we can solve a puzzle of happy living.

Tag: ego