ONE reason for longevity is genetics. That is something that you either have or you don't have. You can almost blame it on your ancestors. There are some people who actually come from "the right stock".
These genetically superior homo sapiens have thicker capillaries (they don't suffer heart attacks or strokes as easily as the others). These people are physically stronger and are naturally healthier than most people.
You can put it to karma or religion but that's the way life is. This is something you cannot control. On the other hand, there are other things that are well within your control.
And these are lifestyle, diet, weight, peace of mind and a determination to have a strong, healthy body, thus increasing your chances of achieving a longer life span.
It is actually not that difficult to live pass 85 years old. Live right, eat right and don't think you are right all the time and you will be okay. What I mean is that's a good start.
From my decades of wandering around on earth, I found out that those who have better chances of living long are those individuals who laugh a lot, don't worry unnecessarily, are naturally generous and kind, and most of all, spiritually inclined.
So are you still up to it? I mean do you really want to live long and well and at the same time, achieve everlasting peace of mind?
Some people are natural suicide cases. They like to live dangerously and they brag about it. I have known friends who are smokers who casually proclaim that they KNOW they stand a good chance of dying of lung cancer but "at least I know what I am dying of? Do you?"
How do you respond to such an individual under those set of circumstances? However, if it is your karma to lead a short life, do not despair. It could be because you have fulfilled all your purpose of walking among men. Take it from me that it is a good thing.
Normally, only the highly evolved souls do not spend much time on earth. They check in and then quickly they check out. But it is not something I would like to dwell on too much here.
If you look after your mental health, look after your body and take care of the "temple" that you call the body, then you should have a good chance to live longer than the normal life span of 72 years for men and 75 years for women.
If I may be so bold as to suggest that you also refrain from overindulging in habits of gossiping, bad-mouthing others, holding grudges, harbouring hostility, being vindictive, etc.
Those habits can shorten your life by quite a number of years. If you live longer than usual, after a while, people will begin to take an interest in you. In the event of such an eventuality, you can actually impart some valuable advice to your fellow human beings.
Learn to take one day at a time. Do not worry about tomorrow. Do not believe too much in the power of money. Believe only in love, because in the end, it is all there is.
Those who love strongly, love well and love forevermore, will transcend all kinds of borders and enter the kingdom of heaven with ease accompanied by great joy and celebration.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Sleep on your woes and wake up on your toes!
THEY say that sleep is the panacea for life's ills. It's true. When you are heavily laden by daily's woes and worries, one of the side-effects is the desire to take a rest and possibly go to sleep.
It is in sleep, you find the escape that your body and mind so sorely need. The mind never sleeps. It just glides in and out of that twilight zone of uncontrolled visions and images, translated at times into symbols and bizarre scenarios.
It is life's way of telling you that no matter how impossible may be your situation, it is as illusionary as the dream that you have just dreamt.
The veiled side of sleep is its healing effect. There are ways of bringing sense and control back to your physical existence if you know what to do. First, before you doze off, tell yourself confidently that you will find the solution to your existing problems in your sleep.
In other words, you give free rein to your subconscious to solve the problem or problems for you. Even if you don't get the answer immediately, at least you have given your tired, worried beaten body the respite it badly needs.
The mind is well connected to dimensions beyond man's comprehension. We think we know a lot and believe we can solve a lot of things but we merely scratch the surface when it comes to the power of the subconscious.
In the realm of sleep, all gates are open. There's no avenue we cannot reach. There's no barrier, we can't leap across. It is a world where the impossible becomes the possible, and if pursued with great determination, it will lead to reality.
Close your eyes, but don't close your mind. It is what some Zen masters have experienced and almost none has been able to explain to the satisfaction of the unknowing and the uninitiated.
There are some masters who tell us that when the body, mind and soul harmonise, everything becomes One. There's nothing you don't know. There's nothing you would want. There's nothing to fear and love prevails and pervades. It is that deliciously happy place called satori, kundalini and nirvana.
Those are mere words to describe a particular experience. Actually, there's no word equivalent to that kind of experience. But to step on to the threshold of such a zone is enough to put a smile on a person's face for the remaining years of his life on earth.
But first we must begin with sleep. Sleep is but a stepping stone to another dimension where your earthly woes cannot enter. It is a place where you leave the heavy baggage of daily worries behind. You check all these stones of frustration, grudges and dissatisfaction at the concierge of the Dream Kingdom.
If you have learnt a bit of qigong or at least part of its concept, it can help you to smoothen the rough edges of your daily existence. Make use of sleep to erase the worry lines on your face. Let sleep be the highway that will speed you towards the destination of joy and happiness.
Of course, you must have faith. Faith is the key that will jump-start the vehicle that will transport you to that happy resort called No Worries. Where you are going in your sleep, fear seldom enters. You become the key, you become the solution and you alone have all the answers.
So next time before you fall asleep, smile and know you are well on your way out of that troubled situation you are in right now and will emerge on the right side of No Worries.
It is in sleep, you find the escape that your body and mind so sorely need. The mind never sleeps. It just glides in and out of that twilight zone of uncontrolled visions and images, translated at times into symbols and bizarre scenarios.
It is life's way of telling you that no matter how impossible may be your situation, it is as illusionary as the dream that you have just dreamt.
The veiled side of sleep is its healing effect. There are ways of bringing sense and control back to your physical existence if you know what to do. First, before you doze off, tell yourself confidently that you will find the solution to your existing problems in your sleep.
In other words, you give free rein to your subconscious to solve the problem or problems for you. Even if you don't get the answer immediately, at least you have given your tired, worried beaten body the respite it badly needs.
The mind is well connected to dimensions beyond man's comprehension. We think we know a lot and believe we can solve a lot of things but we merely scratch the surface when it comes to the power of the subconscious.
In the realm of sleep, all gates are open. There's no avenue we cannot reach. There's no barrier, we can't leap across. It is a world where the impossible becomes the possible, and if pursued with great determination, it will lead to reality.
Close your eyes, but don't close your mind. It is what some Zen masters have experienced and almost none has been able to explain to the satisfaction of the unknowing and the uninitiated.
There are some masters who tell us that when the body, mind and soul harmonise, everything becomes One. There's nothing you don't know. There's nothing you would want. There's nothing to fear and love prevails and pervades. It is that deliciously happy place called satori, kundalini and nirvana.
Those are mere words to describe a particular experience. Actually, there's no word equivalent to that kind of experience. But to step on to the threshold of such a zone is enough to put a smile on a person's face for the remaining years of his life on earth.
But first we must begin with sleep. Sleep is but a stepping stone to another dimension where your earthly woes cannot enter. It is a place where you leave the heavy baggage of daily worries behind. You check all these stones of frustration, grudges and dissatisfaction at the concierge of the Dream Kingdom.
If you have learnt a bit of qigong or at least part of its concept, it can help you to smoothen the rough edges of your daily existence. Make use of sleep to erase the worry lines on your face. Let sleep be the highway that will speed you towards the destination of joy and happiness.
Of course, you must have faith. Faith is the key that will jump-start the vehicle that will transport you to that happy resort called No Worries. Where you are going in your sleep, fear seldom enters. You become the key, you become the solution and you alone have all the answers.
So next time before you fall asleep, smile and know you are well on your way out of that troubled situation you are in right now and will emerge on the right side of No Worries.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Moving the Qi in your sleep
Have you ever experienced the awakening time about half an hour to 60 minutes before your eyes are wide open? If you have, let it be known that in those fleeting moments when you are skirting along the fringes of your own personal twilight zone, you can actually move your Qi to revitalise tired limbs and weary body.
I tried it this morning at about 6.30am. I knew it was a "short" time to 7.35am when my alarm would ring. So I "commanded" my Qi to circulate my entire human form.
It is when your body is at rest that there won't be other encumbrances like stretching your toes, moving your hips or grinding your teeth.
Almost everything is at your command, provided you know what to do. In an awakened world, passivity is also known as inactivity. In the world of transcendental meditation, being passive is actually being active.
The mind is most receptive when it is passive. Something to do with the delta brain waves.
Imagine an inexorable wave of pure energy sweeping across the tributaries of your human form. Every river of Qi is cutting across the legs, arms, hair, toes, fingers and internal organs. As the flow of Qi moves in and around your organs and limbs, "see" the energy seeping into the vital spots and strengthening them.
Remember, this is all at your command. Believe it, perform it and benefit directly from it. This is one of the biggest hidden secrets of the martial arts world. It is that the mind thinks, the body follows suit. There is no place for doubt. Faith is the answer.
Next time, just before you wake up in the morning, know that time has stood still and only in your mind's eye, do you see and unleash the forces that lie dormant in your human body until it is awakened to served you alone.
I tried it this morning at about 6.30am. I knew it was a "short" time to 7.35am when my alarm would ring. So I "commanded" my Qi to circulate my entire human form.
It is when your body is at rest that there won't be other encumbrances like stretching your toes, moving your hips or grinding your teeth.
Almost everything is at your command, provided you know what to do. In an awakened world, passivity is also known as inactivity. In the world of transcendental meditation, being passive is actually being active.
The mind is most receptive when it is passive. Something to do with the delta brain waves.
Imagine an inexorable wave of pure energy sweeping across the tributaries of your human form. Every river of Qi is cutting across the legs, arms, hair, toes, fingers and internal organs. As the flow of Qi moves in and around your organs and limbs, "see" the energy seeping into the vital spots and strengthening them.
Remember, this is all at your command. Believe it, perform it and benefit directly from it. This is one of the biggest hidden secrets of the martial arts world. It is that the mind thinks, the body follows suit. There is no place for doubt. Faith is the answer.
Next time, just before you wake up in the morning, know that time has stood still and only in your mind's eye, do you see and unleash the forces that lie dormant in your human body until it is awakened to served you alone.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Positive Thinking - You Are What You Think
I KNOW it's quite difficult to think positive when you have a dollar in your wallet, a flat tyre in the middle of the night on a lonely stretch of highway, your child's sick and you are beside yourself with worry, or you are bypassed for promotion again despite the fact that you have worked yourself to the bone.
But taking into consideration all that have happened to you, all the more you should conjure some positive thoughts because money can always be earned and found; a flat tyre can be re-inflated or mended; a child's ailment can be treated; being promoted may bring longer hours in the office, etc.
So like we say out here in the Far East, good luck can also mean bad luck, depending on which way the horse runs. To cut a long parable short, one day a man found a tame horse loitering around in his orchard. Like all ordinary blokes, he thought "wow, what a lucky break. A horse for free."
So he led the horse to his barn, washed it, fed it and later put a saddle on its back. As he rode the horse across the field, a wild rabbit scurried across its path, startling it. The horse leapt and then bolted in a different direction. Our man hung on to the reins for his dear life. About a hundred yards later, the runaway horse keeled over because one of its legs sank into a ditch. The rider toppled over and broke both legs.
That's the moral of the story. What is considered as lucky for you, may in the end turned out to be your predicament.
So the wise man neither takes stock of the so-called good or imagined bad. Everything happens as it happens. It does not matter what it is. Everything "bad" can be seen in a totally good light. Many a life has been changed for the better because the person experiencing it sees only good things emanating from it.
We are all creatures of the earth. When our bodies have run its course, it will expired. That's when we die. In the meantime, we try and get the best results from a fragile life form.
Those who see only the best in themselves and others will transformed their imagined reality into actual reality for themselvs. If we do not hold fast to everything we consider our own, we will never be disappointed. Everything we see and touch are not ours to have and to hold.
Buddha is right. If we do not form attachment to impermanent objects or forms, there will be on unhappiness.
Everything, I mean everything, can be see in a positive light. The power of choice is ours. Nobody can make us see the bad sight if we do not want to see it so.
A lot of things have taken place in my life which I have not taken to heart. For example, about 20 years ago, I volunteered to work in another State. At first, there was some apprehension as to what I was getting myself into. My colleagues thought it was "the end" for me.
However, my years from the headquarters turned out to be the best working years of my life. Till today, I get nostalgic over those wonderful years when the office staff were so much smaller than the head office. My male colleagues became closer to me than my brother.
We were hundreds of miles away from the head office and we were delirious with joy because there was no boss to breathe down our necks. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. Everyday when I wake up, I look forward to going to office because it wasn't like work, it was more like a holiday camp.
Positive thinking can also be applied to qigong, tai chi or anyone of the martial arts that are being practised. Take for example, a man who excels in a particular martial art. He is constantly worrying about his family and other unimportant matters.
When this person who is harbouring all those worrying thoughts exercise, how much do you think he's going to gain from the automated physical exercises? My guess is very little benefit will he derive from the morning or evening exercise sessions.
That's because he worries too much. Worry is like dirt thrown into your wok as you cook. It is a substance that you don't need. On the other hand, positive thoughts are like the garnishings you add to an already marvellous dish.
The person who constantly entertains positive thoughts carries with him a self-generated battery. He does not get angry. His mind is always sharp and he's in touch with the universe.
There's nothing to lose from thinking positively. When you don't have anything else to lose, and you lose hope as well, you have truly lost everything. You must make positive thinking part of your personal armoury. It is the shield you need when the spears of criticism and bad talk come in your direction.
Positive thoughts strengthens the human resolve, brighten the darkened corners of your mind and rejuvenates a tired body after a long, hard day in the office. Smile if you must but never give up. Don't kill yourself with worry. It does nothing for you except bury yourself in the graveyard of personal distress.
Tell yourself every minute of everyday that you are "better than ever". That's my standard answer when people come up to me and ask "How are you today?" I shock them with my energetic reply. Most of the time, they laugh but at the back of their mind, I know they envy me because I see the beautiful flowers out there in the fields and smell the roses in someone else's garden.
Life is not meant to be treated with gloomy thoughts nor should it considered a slow walk down purgatory. Heaven is here, there's no other place. Remember that always with all the right reasons, and heaven will open its doors wide, just for you.
But taking into consideration all that have happened to you, all the more you should conjure some positive thoughts because money can always be earned and found; a flat tyre can be re-inflated or mended; a child's ailment can be treated; being promoted may bring longer hours in the office, etc.
So like we say out here in the Far East, good luck can also mean bad luck, depending on which way the horse runs. To cut a long parable short, one day a man found a tame horse loitering around in his orchard. Like all ordinary blokes, he thought "wow, what a lucky break. A horse for free."
So he led the horse to his barn, washed it, fed it and later put a saddle on its back. As he rode the horse across the field, a wild rabbit scurried across its path, startling it. The horse leapt and then bolted in a different direction. Our man hung on to the reins for his dear life. About a hundred yards later, the runaway horse keeled over because one of its legs sank into a ditch. The rider toppled over and broke both legs.
That's the moral of the story. What is considered as lucky for you, may in the end turned out to be your predicament.
So the wise man neither takes stock of the so-called good or imagined bad. Everything happens as it happens. It does not matter what it is. Everything "bad" can be seen in a totally good light. Many a life has been changed for the better because the person experiencing it sees only good things emanating from it.
We are all creatures of the earth. When our bodies have run its course, it will expired. That's when we die. In the meantime, we try and get the best results from a fragile life form.
Those who see only the best in themselves and others will transformed their imagined reality into actual reality for themselvs. If we do not hold fast to everything we consider our own, we will never be disappointed. Everything we see and touch are not ours to have and to hold.
Buddha is right. If we do not form attachment to impermanent objects or forms, there will be on unhappiness.
Everything, I mean everything, can be see in a positive light. The power of choice is ours. Nobody can make us see the bad sight if we do not want to see it so.
A lot of things have taken place in my life which I have not taken to heart. For example, about 20 years ago, I volunteered to work in another State. At first, there was some apprehension as to what I was getting myself into. My colleagues thought it was "the end" for me.
However, my years from the headquarters turned out to be the best working years of my life. Till today, I get nostalgic over those wonderful years when the office staff were so much smaller than the head office. My male colleagues became closer to me than my brother.
We were hundreds of miles away from the head office and we were delirious with joy because there was no boss to breathe down our necks. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. Everyday when I wake up, I look forward to going to office because it wasn't like work, it was more like a holiday camp.
Positive thinking can also be applied to qigong, tai chi or anyone of the martial arts that are being practised. Take for example, a man who excels in a particular martial art. He is constantly worrying about his family and other unimportant matters.
When this person who is harbouring all those worrying thoughts exercise, how much do you think he's going to gain from the automated physical exercises? My guess is very little benefit will he derive from the morning or evening exercise sessions.
That's because he worries too much. Worry is like dirt thrown into your wok as you cook. It is a substance that you don't need. On the other hand, positive thoughts are like the garnishings you add to an already marvellous dish.
The person who constantly entertains positive thoughts carries with him a self-generated battery. He does not get angry. His mind is always sharp and he's in touch with the universe.
There's nothing to lose from thinking positively. When you don't have anything else to lose, and you lose hope as well, you have truly lost everything. You must make positive thinking part of your personal armoury. It is the shield you need when the spears of criticism and bad talk come in your direction.
Positive thoughts strengthens the human resolve, brighten the darkened corners of your mind and rejuvenates a tired body after a long, hard day in the office. Smile if you must but never give up. Don't kill yourself with worry. It does nothing for you except bury yourself in the graveyard of personal distress.
Tell yourself every minute of everyday that you are "better than ever". That's my standard answer when people come up to me and ask "How are you today?" I shock them with my energetic reply. Most of the time, they laugh but at the back of their mind, I know they envy me because I see the beautiful flowers out there in the fields and smell the roses in someone else's garden.
Life is not meant to be treated with gloomy thoughts nor should it considered a slow walk down purgatory. Heaven is here, there's no other place. Remember that always with all the right reasons, and heaven will open its doors wide, just for you.
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