Enlightenment is not just one state

Many people has the notion that enlightenment is one state. Many also believe that when it is attained, a person is forever in that state.

The following is not a definitive article on this subject. It is just an expression of my own thoughts.

My opinion is that enlightenment is not just one state but is a progressive and gradual establishing of states of consciousness.

I, myself have not reach the end of the road. But from years on a spiritual quest, I can safely say that enlightenment happens in a series or stages of self-realisations and self-discoveries.

Usually there is a difference between an initial awakening and a later stabilisation of that stage that happens through practice or experiences. The initial awakenings are new discoveries about the dynamics of consciousness, while the stabilisation is the assimilation of what is being discovered into one's life experience. Sometimes, a new discovery can completely over-rule or modify upon an older one.

Almost all stages of enlightenment can be said to be associated with Presence. However, the enlightening Presence comes in various degrees of intensity and clarity. The degree of intensity is directly dependent on the level and depth of one's clarity as well as one's realisations/discoveries.

Also, as one progresses along, the relationship or connections of oneself to the universe and existence at large also becomes clearer.

Below very briefly illustrates the progressive and stage-based nature of enlightenment:

When one first begin meditating, one may first experience the all-pervading Presence. This Presence, is most often experienced when thoughts are momentarily suspended. This Presence which exists in the Eternal Present Moment is our true self





However such an experience can only be classified as an awakening to the true self.. which is no-self. This is because, after the meditation, the Presence seems to have disappeared. One cannot understand and find the connection of presence to our everyday life. Therefore one will have difficulty re-acquiring the Presence. And it takes many stages and series of realisation to understand the relationship of Presence to our phenomenal world. It can be said that the prolonged sustaining of Presence is dependent on the stages and depth of realisation.

Also, during the earlier stages we may mistaken another state to be the pure presence. For example, we may mistaken 'I AM' for pure presence. This is because the thinking mind has created a reflective image of Pure Presence. This reflection of the absolute is 'I AM'.

Usually, in order to pass through the 'I AM' stage, the person must move unto even deeper understandings. These understandings may include realising that one's personality is not the doer of action. This stage may persist for a while before the person realises the illusion of subject-object division. This stage involves recognising the hypnotic impression of there being an observer and the being observed. Here is where one begins to see through the illusionary nature of our phenomenal world.

I cannot comment on the stages before me as they are beyond me. Nevertheless, one can still see from the above description that enlightenment is not so straight-forward after all.

For your necessary discernment. Thank you for reading.

Healing Psyche: False Hope Is non existent

This is a chapter of
"Healing Psyche - Patterns and Structure of Complementary Psychological Cancer Treatment (CPCT)"

In their search for health, clients are willing to try anything, hoping for a miracle cure. They often reason that they might as well try it because "they have nothing to lose." Unfortunately, there is something to lose. Clients might gain a false sense of hope. They might lose interest in mainstream medicine or other complementary approaches. Finally, they might also be robbed of valuable time by pursuing an unsatisfactory therapy.

Complementary psychological therapy is often questioned on issues such as false hope. Some people are afraid that if cancer clients experience hope, they are fooling themselves, and will end up being disappointed. They think that as long as they are expecting the worst, they will not be disappointed. This is a form of false hopelessness. Such people like to call themselves realists, but are in fact pessimists.

Many people misinterpret the true value of an optimistic, pessimistic or realistic view of life. Pessimistic people view the world as a dark place, where there is only misery and everything is hopeless. They deny the positive side of things. Optimistic people view the world as one happy playground, where there is joy everywhere. They deny the negative side of life. Realistic people know that there are positive and negative aspects of everything in life. They fully accept both sides.


"No one really knows enough to be a pessimist."
- Norman Cousins -


- Pessimist: My glass is almost empty.
- Optimist: My glass is still full.
- Realist: I have half a glass.


When therapists work with the psychological issues that are described in this work, they are not providing false hope, but are assisting clients in being more realistic. Realistic hope is what is being communicated in this therapeutic approach.

Society and the medical team often issue some sort of death guarantee (although lesser every day) along with the diagnosis of cancer. Fortunately, this is not the case. There is no guarantee that one will die from cancer. On the other hand, there is also no guarantee that one will heal from cancer after the intervention. The issue of false hope only exists when the practitioner (medical or psychological) issues a guarantee that the client is healed after the intervention. False hope is thus only present as a false guarantee.

The presence of hope within clients is often associated with better health, and hopelessness is often a precursor for poor outcomes. Presenting hope, however, is no guarantee, but it assists the healing process.

Example:
When people marry, there is no guarantee that they will be joyful. They hope they will be. This could be interpreted by a pessimist as false hope.
However, expecting the marriage to end in a few years is almost a guarantee that it will. <




Hoping that one will be happy is no guarantee, but it surely helps.

Feelings of hope stimulate the placebo effect. The possible effects of a placebo cannot be denied, even in the context of cancer.


"Everybody knows that one dies of cancer, but I was not sure whether to apply this to myself. I considered this (belief) as nonsense."
Quote from a spontaneous remission patient
- Daan van Baalen - (1987[1])


False hope is real, and can be seen as focusing solely on unachievable results, while denying the current truth. Such unrealistic expectations lead to disappointment and feelings of guilt. Hope of healing is a realistic hope. Realistic or mature hope is accepting the current feelings, thoughts, relationships, and possibilities of improvement. Focusing solely on hopelessness and self-pity is just as unrealistic as only seeing a positive and bright future.

False hope
- I only focus on the positive.
- I can do whatever I want.
- I can control everything.


False hopelessness
- I am wallowing in despair.
- I cannot control anything.
- Everything scares me and the disease and emotions are controlling me.


Realistic hope
- Sometimes I feel awful, and other times I feel more connected to life and others than ever before.
- There are some things beyond my control. Yet, there are many things I can control.
- I choose to live as fully as possible now. The quality of my life may be related to my physical health, but however long I may live, I plan to do it to the fullest of my ability.


Hope initiates actions, and stimulates well-being. Without hope, people do not take action towards their health. Hope is a supporting emotion as well as a drive to trigger positive actions towards increased self-control.

Solano et al. (1993[2]) studied the connection between psychosocial situations and the probability of symptom development. They concluded that "The
best attitude with regard to prognosis appears to be full recognition of
one's situation and a decisive will to do something about it." This conclusion is supported by many other authors. Hopelessness triggers inaction and letting things happen. Hope triggers the decisive will to take action.


"Trust in god and tie your camel to a tree."
- Muhammad -


[1] Baalen, van, Daan C. & Vries, de, Marco J. (1987) Spontaneous regression of cancer - A clinical, pathological and psycho-social study, Rotterdam: Erasmus University

[2] Solano, L. & Costa, M. & Salvati, S. & Coda, R. & Aiuti, F. & Mezzaroma, I. & Bertini, M. (1993) 'Psychosocial factors and clinical evolution in HIV-1 infection - a longitudinal study, J. of Psychosomatic Research,A 37(1):39-51

"Don't Touch It," and other simple, nature-friendly advice

Each summer, I visit the Chequamagon National Forest in Wisconsin. An amazingly beautiful and lush forest, this place is my sanctuary. I stay at a low-key resort, in a cabin overlooking Lake Namekagon. It's a breath of fresh air - quite literally - to spend two weeks each year at this place, away from bustling streets and busy people. It's like a different world.

Or, at least, it was. I had a very different experience this past July. Upon entering our cabin, my fiance and I were greeted by a large television, equipped with Direct TV. Don't get me wrong: I'm a TV-lover, through and through. There was, however, something strange about having to look around the television to see the lake.

We overlooked this; after all, we don't own the cabin. Some resort-goers might crave 500 channels before they crave hiking and fishing. Convinced that the TV (both the sight of it and the temptation to watch it) would put a damper on things, we went out on the water.

As I started the old, rented pontoon boat, something occured to me. We were no better than the TLC, MTV, and MSNBC addicts. Yes, our boat was used for the enjoyment of the outdoors; however, it left a muddy, green wake behind it. Yes, we came to the resort to get away from everyday conveniences and to surround ourselves with nature, but we were staying in a cabin - not a tent or a sleeping bag. We cooked our breakfast every morning on a fairly modern stove, we drank coffee made in a Bunn coffeemaker, and we turned on the electric heat if the cabin got too cold. It turns out we weren't roughing it; we were faking it.

Since this realization, I've been troubled. I don't understand where our appreciation for nature went. I don't understand how misguided travelers - myself included - consider themselves to be experiencing nature, when really all we're doing is glancing at it between commercials. Granted, everyone experiences nature in a different way. For some, glancing at it through a window - or on a TV screen - might be enough.





I'm concerned, though, that by accepting this as a legitimate way to experience nature, we are missing something. Or, perhaps, we are missing everything. On a basic level, there is something satisfying about feeling a different kind of air on your skin, and about feeling the crunch of leaves and dirt beneath your feet. Where city lights don't corrupt the night sky, we can see stars in a new way, and the level of darkness is foreign and exciting.

There more to this simple human/nature combination than deep satisfaction, though. There is a danger present in the ways we currently explore nature. It is common for travelers to hop on boats, jetskis, waverunners, or ATVs to travel through lakes and forests. In these cases, vacationgoers are experiencing nature - while leaving a trail of pollution behind.

And what about our cabin? Built in the middle of the forest, trees had to be removed in order for the resort to exist. There is an inherent disconnect, here: the resort was designed to house nature-loving travelers who want to see the forest's natural beauty, and yet in order for the resort to exist, some of the forest had to be cut down. Instead of experiencing untouched and unscathed nature, vacationers are experiencing a forest marred by human interference.

This is the way with us. We, whether intentionally or accidentally, can't help but tinker with nature in its natural forms. Even when we attempt to truly experience it, we are also hindering it. So, we must consider some simple pieces of advice if we wish....(read the full article at the link below)

How to Learn Basic Spanish Verbs - Part 1

There are three basic groups of Spanish verbs, in these articles we will look at the regular AR, ER and IR verbs.

A verb is a word that means everything from an action to an opinion, so laugh, go, like, hate, love, drink, fall, smile, hear, write turn, are all examples of verbs. In English the verb is not changed by who is doing the action. As an example;
In these phrases, "I like cheese", "we like cheese" and "you like cheese", the verb "like" stays the same. In Spanish the form of the verb is changed by who is doing the doing. It might sound odd now but it will make sense later!

So lets look at the three main verb types in Spanish. They are the verbs that end in the letters ar, er and ir. they can then be subdivided into regular and irregular. As we are just starting we will stick to the regular verbs.


Verbs That End In AR

In the Spanish language the group of verbs that end in ar are the most common, so they are a good place to start.
If we use the Spanish verb TOMAR, it means a few different things, but in our case it means to drink. To say "I drink wine" in Spanish we would remove the a and r , then to add an o. to give us "tomo vino". You could add yo ( the Spanish word for I) at the start of the sentence but it would be unnecessary. <




To say "you drink wine" to a single person, again remove the a and r, and add as, to give "tomar vino".
If we wanted to say that he or she drinks wine, then we remove the ar and add just an a, to give us "toma vino". This version of tomar would also be used in a formal situation, or if talking to someone for the first time.
When learning our basic Spanish verbs and wanting to say "we drink wine" we add amos to give us "tomamos vino".
If we wanted to refer to a group when using "you drink wine", we would add áis, giving "tomáis vino"
"They drink wine" would require the addition of an, so "toman vino" would be the correct phrase.

These are obviously all in what is called the present tense, which means that it describes what is occurring now,we will cover the other tenses (future, past etc) and the ER and IR verbs at a later date. I hope that this article has been of help and I hope that you stick with Spanish as it is a very rewarding language.

Good Luck.

Ten Easy Ways to Help Kids Learn: A Brain-based Learning Strategy that Really Works

Susan's a math whiz and Caleb's an artist extraordinaire. That's, great but wouldn't it be better if Caleb could improve in math and Susan could develop some artistic skills? They can and it's easy.

Researchers have recently discovered that whole-brain learning or brain-based learning is an efficient and effective learning strategy that helps kids (parents and teachers, too) learn anything easily without struggling.

One feature of brain-based learning involves using both the right side and the left side of the brain. Although nobody is just left brain or just right brain, most of us have a dominance.

Susan's math aptitude means she is probably left-brain dominant, and Caleb, the artist, has a right-brain dominance.

Learning to read and write requires using both sides of the brain. So does learning math and even doing art. In fact, doing just about anything well, including thinking clearly, and even problem solving, involves using the right and left hemispheres of the front part of the brain.

How do you accomplish this? Easy. Just move across the center mid-line of your body. Every time you move your right arm to your left side or your left arm to your right side, you're crossing the mid-line and improving learning, thinking, and problem solving. Now you're using brain-based learning.

Works for kids. Works for you. Try these parenting tips and teacher resources today.

1. Give yourself a big hug




2. Tell kids the only rule is to cross the mid-line of the body, right hand to left side, left hand to right side. Now let them invent ways of doing this.
3. Dance the hula. Or twirl a hula hoop.
4. Take a Brain Boosters TeleClass. Sign up at www.brainboostersforyourkids.com Or a Brain Gym class. Sign up at www.BrainGymClasses.com
5. Do the twist. (So you weren't dancing in the 50s and 60s? Ask somebody to show you how to twist or get a dance video.) Twist with the kids while you listen to some old Chubby Checker songs.
6. Rake some leaves with your kids, making sure you're raking off to the side instead of straight in front of you.
7. Play a board game. (Use your right hand to move your piece when it's in the left corner and vice versa.)
8. Practice using your non-dominant hand to reach for things on the opposite side of your body. Even writing and drawing with your non-dominant hand helps. (You'll get better with practice.)
9. Do Yoga and Tai Chi. Lots of moves cross the mid-line.
10. Cross your ankles and arms in front or in back when you're doing jumping jacks. Kids can usually do this. If you can't, try it in a swimming pool.

This brain-based learning strategy really isn't all that complicated. Lots of everyday kinds of activities get the whole brain active. Sitting around watching TV, however, isn't one of them! You and your kids have to move around and cross your mid- line. It's fun.

Understanding Asperger’s Disorder Across Ages and Gender

By: Brian F. Roselione, M.S., LMHC, P.A.



Defining Asperger’s disorder (also referred to as Asperger Syndrome or AS) and its key features has been an evolving challenge for professionals since it was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994. With the proposed changes to the new DSM-V and a new name for the category, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which includes autistic disorder (autism), Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) a host of even more challenges awaits in distinguishing ASD from other conditions.



The following information was created to help families and professionals better understand Asperger’s disorder before it is removed as a diagnostic category.



Background and Foundation of Understanding



(a) Asperger’s disorder is a developmental disability that starts at birth and has a continuum of severity in all areas of development. Asperger’s is considered a neurological brain based condition. It is genetic and not "caused" by anything a parent or caregiver did or didn't do. Asperger’s is a way of thinking and learning. Asperger’s has been around as long as humans have been around. Some famous historical people with Asperger’s are believed to be Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Mozart, Bill Gates, etc.



(b) When professionals question whether or not a skill is present they are looking for more than an understanding or knowledge of a skill or concept. They are looking for both an understanding and application in daily life. For example a person can understand the social rules during Thanksgiving dinner with family but not follow those same rules during the dinner. So when you ask the question, "What are two topics we are not going to talk about this year at Thanksgiving dinner?” The answer in return might be “politics and video games.” However at dinner when someone brings up a video game or political topic the person does not ignore or avoid the topic but joins in and ignores the previous discussion about conversational rules at Thanksgiving dinner.



(c) When conducting a differential diagnosis we are looking at a totality of symptoms over time, in various situations, with a variety of people. Many children appear socially able when they are with adults, at home, or doing something they enjoy. Take the same person and observe them with same aged peers, over a three or four day period engaging in a variety of activities that involve the peer’s interests and determine whether there are any social challenges, communication difficulties, or problem behaviors.



(d) Males and females with Asperger’s will not typically present the same way diagnostically. Females have a tendency to be more social in general. The difference between males and females with Asperger’s is usually in their obsessions or restricted area of interests. Males have a tendency to become obsessed with toys and objects where females become obsessed with people and relationships. Quite often females with Asperger’s will talk about other people a lot. They will do anything, say anything, be anything to be accepted into a group or relationship. When professionals hear this report from the parent they immediately rule out Asperger’s disorder. Parents will quite often hear, “your daughter can’t have Asperger’s, she is too social”. Asperger’s disorder is not about wanting or not wanting to be social, it is about not knowing how to be social.



The number one feature in Asperger is called - Theory of Mind Dysfunction (ToMD). ToMD can be used to explain almost every challenge, behavior or social skill deficit. ToM is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and know the knowledge they know, feel the feelings they feel, understand the beliefs they have. In addition ToM also means having the ability to understand and accept that someone elses feelings, thoughts, and beliefs are as equally important as their own. This ability happens within less than a second as if it is a reflex.



ToM is not the same as understanding how someone feels when they win the lottery or lose a family member to cancer. Individuals with Asperger’s know how people feel in basic life situations. People with Asperger’s and ToMD are not thinking about other people's feelings, thoughts, and interests. When someone has a ToMD they have a tendency to assume everyone feels the same way as they do. They also have a tendency to take everything personally. Understanding how people think and feel impacts areas such as what you wear and the questions you ask or don't ask. Not having this ability can increase anxiety and create increased paranoia and agitation.



The DSM IV-TR areas of impairment:



1. Individuals with Asperger’s have difficulty in the area of social development, social skills, and social understanding/ social thinking.



a. Difficulties range from personal hygiene issues like not showering, brushing your teeth, or picking your nose at the dinner table to hurting someone's feelings by not including them in an activity or by saying something.

b. Individuals might have difficulty "reading" facial expressions, body language or environmental situations quickly. In addition they might have difficulty using this information to change their behavior and language to meet the social situation at hand. They are not taking into consideration these variables when talking and interacting with others. Social interactions are not linear in nature. Social situations are more similar to a biofeedback, interactive, flowing model in which input effects and changes output.





2. Individuals with Asperger’s typically have a restricted range of interests, intense feelings or strong opinions of certain topics, such as religion, politics, laws, etc.



a. At times can look like obsessive compulsive disorder.

b. Difficulty getting intrusive or unwanted thoughts out of their mind.

c. Can get absorbed into an activity that they lose track of time or can block out everything going on around them.

d. When these intense interests or activities are restricted or controlled by others you will typically see a "rage" episode like the world is coming to an end.

e. These restricted interests will impact social interactions if peers want to do something different.



3. Individuals with Asperger typically have communication challenges. This is a difficult area to assess at first but is critical.



a. Usually want to talk about themselves, things they did or things they are interested in.

b. Typically will not ask questions related to other people's interests.

c. Small talk or social chit chat is usually not easy or liked.

d. Might have a difficult time knowing what to say in social situations outside a work function or topics they love.

e. Difficulty with the unwritten social communication rules. For example, not calling or texting a person before 8:00am, not answering a cell phone in the movie theater, nor never asking a women her age or weight.



4. Other Challenging or Difficult Areas



a. Sensory issues such as smells, textures, sounds, etc. May have a difficult time blocking out noises when trying to read or sleep.

b. Might be a picky eater.

c. Sleep problems such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up during the middle of sleep and not being able to fall back to sleep, early wakening. In addition there is tremendous anxiety created about sleep and the problems they know they are going to have that night about not being able to sleep.

d. Difficulty with handwriting or written language.

e. Might be able to solve math problems but not able to show the work.

f. Individuals with Asperger’s may have very good verbal skills and high level reading skills but may not be able to explain what it is they read.

g. During anger or meltdowns usually can not remember things that were said or done.

Our Schools Are Large, What Are We To Do?

ew York City accounts for approximately 42.9 percent of New York State's population with figures at more than 8 million people in 2009. On average, New York City has grown by about 42 thousand residents a year. With numbers like this, the educational system in New York City is increasingly hard to manage. With about 22% of NYC's population being under 18 years old, it's no wonder why are schools are so large and difficult to manage. Our schools are becoming so hard to manage that the city's Mayor felt like the best person for the job of Education Chancellor was someone who had years of successful management skills and no educational experience. Our educational system is larger than some companies. Our students are being pressured to perform better every year, while the resources that they need are simply being stripped away through budget cuts. Surely many would agree that in order to have students succeed, they need to be given the right tools.



More parents are turning to private schools to get their children the tools they need to succeed, but many of these schools are attempting to find the best way to maximize a student's performance in school. I don't think any parent would disagree that nobody can get through to their children like they can. Beyond an emotional attachment, I wonder why that is. One theory that exists, which would be in line with this thought, is that children learn best as they get more personal attention. Or stated mathematically larger classes equal less personal attention equals worse student performance. An article in the journal “The Future of Children” about a Tennessee study on class size in 1995 concluded that children performed better when having smaller class sizes earlier on in their educational career. A suggestion made by this study was to increase personal attention for students through the incorporating of technology in the classroom and a new teaching style where teachers focused their teaching to different groups of student at different times (The Future of Children Vol. 5, No. 2).



It would seem that this message would have gotten through to our decision makers, however it is clouded by contradictory arguments. I would say that when contemplating an issue as controversial as this, one would understand why. The controversy stems from contradictory statistics from various articles and journals. I would argue that these students are not statistics, they are human beings with distinct backgrounds and distinct learning styles. This is something essential to being human, would you rather be catered to or treated like a number? I believe the answer is obvious, and therefore would extrapolate that our students would like it too. You be the judge.