Tantra and Supernatural Power

Tantra and Supernatural Power

By Mahasambhuti 

The science of spirituality developed out of human beings’ innate desire to unravel the mystery of creation.  Humans began to search for the secret causes underlying both the dreadful and the beautiful aspects of Nature.  They looked around them at the rivers and streams, the far-flung mountain ranges, the flashes of lightning; they heard the thunder; they listened to the roaring of ferocious animals – and they began to plumb the depths of these mysteries.  These endeavours to get at the hidden truth of everything are what is known as Tantra.  Since these endeavours were carried on at different times, in different places, and by different groups of individuals, we find some differences in methodology among the various schools of Tantra.

Tantra originated in [South] Asia, and its propounders were the Austrics, the Dravidians, and the Mongolians.⁽¹⁾ Among these peoples, the Dravidians and the Mongolians were more developed, the Austrics less.  The practitioners of the more-developed Tantra would look upon things from a broad point of view, renouncing all narrow thinking.  They would always strive hard to advance the welfare of the masses.  Through such selfless service, they would overcome the fetters of the mind, such as hatred and shame.  The practitioners of the less-developed Tantra would behave in just the opposite way.  They would indulge in casteism; in expressions of untouchability; and in expressions of hatred and envy in relation to other groups.

The overcoming of material bondages signifies the greatest human progress.  The word tantra signifies that one “frees oneself from the bondages of crudity", therefore Tantra is considered the most progressively practical of spiritual practice.  Lord Sadáshiva was the first propounder of this Tantra.  He developed certain fixed rules, and thereby ensured all-round progress in the different aspects of human life.  He brought about a perfect system, reviewing and coordinating all branches of Tantra.  He researched and proved the efficacy of both the [external] and the [internal] aspects of Tantra.⁽²⁾ The [external] aspect of Tantra consisted of sádhaná with skulls, in cemeteries.  The [internal] aspect of Tantra consisted of the practice of yoga.  [It is ultimately] through [internal] Tantra that human beings can reach the heights of spiritual success.

Human beings can never win liberation by flattering Prakrti.  An entity which is flattered becomes proud.  Human beings must not become the slaves of matter.  If sádhakas will worship Puruśa and ignore Prakrti, they will find that Prakrti will automatically begin to flatter them.

There is no such thing as “supernatural” in this world.  All sorts of powers lie dormant in human beings. Sometimes we get glimpses of these latent powers.  In a more-developed terminology, these glimpses will be called “intellect” or “intuition”.  Human beings can develop that which they have glimpsed, eventually attaining extraordinary powers.  In the eyes of ordinary people, these powers appear to be supernatural, but actually they are natural.  But it is a fact that ordinary persons cannot do these extraordinary things, and that is why they look upon these powers as supernatural.

Tantra is a source of such extraordinary powers.  Within a short period, all the páshas and ripus [fetters and enemies] which bind the mind become broken.  As long as the mind is in bondage, it tends to move towards crude material objects; that is, the mind remains inextricably associated with matter.  But once the bondages become snapped through the practice of Tantra, the mind becomes detached from those crude objects.  This implies the elevation of human beings, because [it is through detachment that] physical, psychic, and spiritual progress becomes possible.  Humans are predominantly mental beings, and sometimes [certain of them] develop extraordinary intellect; because of their greater concentration of mind, their societies consider them to be a superior type of person.

When we talk about the ripus [enemies] of the mind, we mean only the [internal, or, innate] enemies.⁽³⁾ For a human being to bring the ripus under perfect control signifies an important victory.  Those persons who can do so attain greater control over the forces of matter, and can perform feats that in the eyes of the common masses betoken some kind of supernatural power.

In Tantra the endeavour to establish control over matter or over external forces is called avidyá sádhaná.  And the practice which leads to self-realization is called vidyá sádhaná.  And that branch of Tantra which is neither vidyá sádhaná nor avidyá sádhaná is called upavidyá sádhaná.  Only vidyá sádhaná contributes to the welfare of humanity; the other two practices are merely a waste of time.  Márańa, uccát́ana, sammohan, váshiikárańa, etc., come within the definition of avidyá sádhaná.  The practice of avidyá leads to degradation.  Sadáshiva, the original propounder of Tantra, collected and systematized all the branches of Tantra, but He did not encourage the practice of avidyá, because it is an inferior order of sádhaná.  When people practise sádhaná in order to attain “supernatural” powers, their mental objects ultimately become crude, for after attaining such powers, they utilize them for self-aggrandizement or for revenge.

Vidyá sádhaná was almost extinct for the last 1200 years.  And there are now only a handful of real Avidyá Tantrics left – the rest are charlatans and hypocrites.  After death, these people will be reborn as worms and insects.

Human beings practise sádhaná in order to become one with Brahma, not to become ghosts or ghouls.  To become one with Brahma, they must practise Vidyá Tantra, not Avidyá Tantra.  Of course through either kind of sádhaná, sádhakas gain freedom from the páshas and ripus.  But the difference between the two sádhanás is that the practitioners of Vidyá Tantra channelize their spiritual powers towards the attainment of Paramátmá, whereas the practitioners of Avidyá Tantra utilize their acquired powers for mundane benefits.  Through Vidyá Tantra one “binds” [wins] Paramátmá, while through Avidyá Tantra one binds [dominates] living beings.  Vidyá Tantrics accept Paramátmá as their object of supreme adoration, and in order to become one with Him, they channelize all the powers they have acquired towards Him.

From a medical point of view also, Tantra sádhaná has its usefulness.  In ancient times there were Vedic experts in áyurveda.⁽⁴⁾ But as they were not Tantrics, they were handicapped in fully utilizing their medical knowledge to cure patients.  Because of their prejudices – their hatred of certain groups, their belief in untouchability, their casteism, etc. – they would hesitate to touch the bodies of their patients; whereas the Tantric doctors, because of their control over [such enemies and fetters as] hatred, fear and shame, could render medical service in a proper way.  The practices of dissection and surgery rested mainly in the hands of Tantric doctors.

---

Footnotes

(1) Since anciently Mongolia was an empire, and symbolized all of East Asia, “Mongolian” here means “Oriental”. –Eds.

(2) The distinction between external and internal is not the same as the distinction between “less-developed” and “more-developed” made previously in this discourse. –Eds.

(3) The ripus, or “enemies”, of the mind – káma [longing for physical objects], krodha [anger], lobha [avarice], mada [vanity], moha [blind attachment], mátsarya [jealousy] – are innate; the páshas, or “fetters”, are externally imposed. –Eds.

(4) School of medicine that brings about longevity, through herbal and other natural treatments. –Eds.

Do the mysteries of and about shamanism, meditation, tantra, yoga, mindfulness, intuition, and consciousness seem, at times, to be more confusing than you can grasp?  http://bit.ly/MysticalPresentations3

Sparkling Minds Expanding with the Universe

Instructor in Tantra Psychology, presenting rational articulation of intuitional science with cogent practical exercises bringing greater personal awareness and cultivation of subtler realms, imbuing new and meaningful talents into participants' lives.  Explore further bringing such capabilities into your realm, both personal and at work.  Contact HERE. 

Making a difference for the psychic, moral and physical development of youth, make a difference through and for our Youth Intuitional Development Program

 

Intuitional Training for Professionals and Community Leaders

 Longevity:  Is It In Your Future?

Yogic Relief for Diabetes

Yogic Treatments

Yogic Relief for Diabetes

Symptoms: Incessant desire for urination, burning sensation in the urinary tract, continuous thirst and sweet taste in the mouth, attraction of flies and ants towards the urine, headache, dizziness, pale and dry skin, becoming old in appearance at a young age, discomfort all over the body, etc., taken together, are the indications of diabetes. It is often found that diabetic persons suffer from cataracts.

Causes: It is not always the case that sugar is present in the urine of diabetes patients. Diabetes with sugar in the urine is called “somaroga” or “madhumeha”. Diabetes without sugar is called “mútrátisára” or “udakameha”.

The debility of the Mańipura Cakra(1) is the main cause of diabetes. Amongst the pancreatic juices, one secretion helps in the digestion of food, and another separates the sugar content from non-vegetarian and starchy types of food. The sugar is then stored in a particular section of the liver and according to body requirements it is dissolved to generate heat and vital power to run the body mechanism. Chronic indigestion, constipation (here also the stool usually turns into pellets), mental exertion without any physical labour, use of intoxicants, and excessive seminal waste – all weaken the vitality of the liver. When such weakening takes place, the sugar contents of the food, failing to find a storage place in the liver, are assimilated into the blood and gradually accumulate. As a result, the blood gets polluted and loses its immune properties to a great extent. The natural reaction of the body in such a situation is to try to purify the blood by separating out its sugar content and expelling it with the urine. To dissolve the sugar, the human body needs plenty of water, and that is why diabetes patients suffer from a continuous thirst. Sugar emitted with the urine in a large quantity gradually reduces the vital energy of diabetes patients.

additional asana options

Yogic Treatment:

Yogasanas

Morning – Utkśepa Mudrá, Karmásana, Agnisára Mudrá, Upaviśt́a Ud́d́ayana Mudrá, Jánushirásana and Ágneyii Mudrá or Ágneyii Práńáyáma.

How to do these HERE:  http://bit.ly/YogasanaPostures

Evening – Yogamudrá, Diirgha Prańáma, Bhújauṋgásana, Pashcimottánásana, Bhastrikásana and Agnisára Mudrá.

Diet: As diabetes is basically a disease of liver and pancreas, care has to be taken to keep these organs in a healthy state, and to do so patients must select food that will keep their bowels clear, yet which is nutritious and easily digestible. All types of fruits are good for this disease, especially ripe bananas. Non-vegetarian food must never be eaten. Vegetable proteins are also acidic, hence they are to be eaten as sparingly as possible. It is therefore advisable to reduce the intake of rice and rut́i (made of wheat flour) and instead to use more foods such as vegetable soup, plantain soup, pat́ol, okra, dhundula, paltá, squash (Lagenaria vulgaris Seringe), plantain spathes and flowers, figs, etc., which contain alkaline properties.

Dos and don’ts: Diabetes is the disease of intellectuals. Those who do physical labour seldom suffer from this disease. Undergoing mental exertion, remaining indoors for a long period, physical laziness, constipation, intemperance, etc., are reasons for the contraction of diabetes. As has already been said, diabetes is basically connected with the liver and the pancreas, hence only those foods should be selected which do not over-stimulate those vital organs. Similarly, work and exercise which will help to bring these organs into their normal state of health must be pursued more and more. For those who are adverse to physical labour, a cure from diabetes is next to impossible.

The human body also needs the nutrients offered by starchy and non-vegetarian types of food; therefore foods which are not acidic but rather alkaline, yet contain those nutrients, should be taken in greater quantity to meet those needs. This will include coconut, peanuts, curd (yogurt), bananas, etc. A drink of peanut extract and water without sugar and with little or no honey is ideal as both food and medicine for this disease.

Remember that insulin may increase the vitality of a patient but can never cure the disease.

Generally diabetes patients are a bit greedy, and sometimes they eat too much sweetened food, which brings on the disease. Diabetes patients must keep control over such temptations and should practise fasting.

In the severe state of the disease a continuous fast for two or three days taking nothing but a little juice of lemon or other fruit will definitely reduce the sugar content of the urine.

Sometimes sugar is completely absent in the urine. In this respect one has to remember that sugar may be found temporarily in the urine if the urinary bladder, kidney or some other internal organ is subjected to a blow. If in such cases insulin is given, it will actually harm the patient. Under such circumstances the best thing to do would be to treat the injury of the concerned organ appropriately, and then the urine of the patient will automatically become sugar-free.

Some remedies:

1. Boil myrobalan, muthá, lodhá and banyan fruits in equal quantities and drink 2 tolas of the extract early in the morning for a few days regularly. This will bring a good result.

2. Crush about 1/8 seer of guava leaves in water at night. The next morning strain the leaves out and drink the water. This will bring good results during the severe state of diabetes.

3. (a) 1 tola of yajiṋa d́umura juice with honey; or (b) 1 tola of telákucá leaf extract taken with honey early in the morning by licking it; will relieve diabetes.

4. (a) 1/16 tola of the inside of jám seeds with honey; or (b) Dry shimúla root crushed with powder, to be licked with honey in a quantity of 1/16 tola; will yield excellent results in diabetes.

5. When the disease is worsening, 5 tolas of bánsha leaves in half a seer of water, boiled down to 1/8 seer, and the leaves strained out, should be drunk for immediate results.

6. Boil gent́e durbá (see durbá in glossary), vajiṋa d́umura, emblic myrobalan (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.), myrobalan, coriander seeds and gandha-muthá in equal quantities in half a seer of water. When boiled down to 1/8 seer, drink it. Do this every day for a week at break of dawn. This will bring beautiful results.   

Guiding wisdom from the heart of ~Mahasambhuti~  

Do the mysteries of and about shamanism, meditation, tantra, yoga, mindfulness, intuition, and consciousness seem, at times, to be more confusing than you can grasp?  http://bit.ly/MysticalPresentations3

Sparkling Minds Expanding with the Universe

Instructor in Tantra Psychology, presenting rational articulation of intuitional science with cogent practical exercises bringing greater personal awareness and cultivation of subtler realms, imbuing new and meaningful talents into participants' lives.  Explore further bringing such capabilities into your realm, both personal and at work.  Contact HERE. 

Making a difference for the psychic, moral and physical development of youth, make a difference through and for our Youth Intuitional Development Program

 

Intuitional Training for Professionals and Community Leaders

 Longevity:  Is It In Your Future?

Harvard Researchers in the Himalayas -- Buddhist Monks Demonstrate Human Potentials in Subtler Realms

Cognitive capabilities can perceive
what the mind is prepared to comprehend.  
Prepare yours through Tantra Psychology.

Human potential is a broad spectrum of evolutionary excellence, of which are imperceptible to dogmatic minds, petrified by the inanimacy produced by regressive dogmas such as that Newtonian physics as the final determinant of all reality.  

Human history is full of grander scales than contemporary beliefs of prevailing cultures presume exist, capabilities extant today and demonstrated among Buddhist monks, Taoist practitioners, shamans around the world, and others alive today.  The excellence is not in cultivating such capabilities, the excellence is in transpersonal, psycho-spiritual evolutionary development of which such extraordinary capabilities are symptoms, not goals.  

As such symptoms of human evolution result from greater portions of humanity taking up progressive transpersonal and spiritual practices as part of their daily life, many of the burdensome problems plaguing humanity today will also find remediation as subtle realms of mind more readily understand the scope of such dilemmas and fathom the wisdom to solve such disparities in human life, including those deemed unsolvable today.  

Such thresholds of excellence in human evolution, reflected in society at large will rent asunder the constipatory petrificities of prevailing dogmas intellectually, morally, and socially retarding humanity today.  

Guest article  

March, 2016 by Arjun Walia.

It’s fascinating to consider just how many ancient teachings tell us that humans have the capacity to gain extraordinary powers through various techniques.  Some of these techniques, known as siddhis in the yoga tradition (from the Sanskrit, meaning “perfection”), include meditation, static dancing, drumming, praying, fasting, psychedelics, and more.

In Buddhism, for example, the existence of advanced powers is readily acknowledged; in fact, Buddha expected his disciples to be able to attain these abilities, but also to not become distracted by them.

A Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan, Donald Lopez Jr., describes the many abilities ascribed to Buddha:  

With this enlightenment, he was believed to possess all manner of supernormal powers, including full knowledge of each of his own past lives and those of other beings, the ability to know others’ thoughts, the ability to create doubles of himself, the ability to rise into the air and simultaneously shoot fire and water from his body. . . . Although he passed into nirvana at the age of eighty-one, he could have lived “for an aeon or until the end of the aeon” if only he had been asked to do so. (source)

Levitating yogi Yogananda referred to
in his book "AutoBiography of a Yogi"

Again, there are numerous historical anecdotes of people with, as the Institute of Noetic  Sciences calls them, ‘extended human capacities.”  Since this article is focused on Buddhist monks, here is another example from the lore as written by Swami Rama in Living with the Himalayan Masters:  

I had never before seen a man who could sit still without blinking his eyelids for eight to ten hours, but this adept was very unusual.  He levitated two and a half feet during his meditations.  We measured this with a string, which was later measured by a foot rule.  I would like to make it clear, though, as I have already told you, that I don’t consider levitation to be a spiritual practice.  It is an advanced practice of pranayama with application of bandeaus (locks).  One who knows about the relationship between mass and weight understands that it is possible to levitate, but only after long practice. . .

He (also) had the power to transform matter into different forms, like changing a rock into a sugar cube.  One after another the next morning he did many such things.  He told me to touch the sand – and the grains of sand turned into almonds and cashews.  I had heard of this science before and knew its basic principles, but I had hardly believed such stories.  I did not explore this field, but I am fully acquainted with the governing laws of science. (source)

A lot of these stories exist within the literature and lore, but they are just stories, up to the readers to decide if they hold any actually credibility.  Of course, one who subscribes to various ancient teachings would be more inclined to believe that these are more than just stories and tales.  With science shedding light on the possible truths of ancient mysticism, it’s not implausible to think that, at one time, these abilities were more common knowledge.

Today, there have been a number of studies within the realms of parapsychology that have yielded statistically significant results, especially when examining the findings that’ve come from quantum physics.  This is why Max Planck, the theoretical physicist who originated quantum theory, stated that he “regards consciousness as fundamental” and that he regarded “matter as derivative from consciousness.”  He also wrote that “we cannot get behind consciousness” and that “everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing postulates consciousness.”  And the Dalai Lama has supported this viewpoint:  

Broadly speaking, although there are some differences, I think Buddhist philosophy and Quantum Mechanics can shake hands on their view of the world.  We can see in these great examples the fruits of human thinking.  Regardless of the admiration we feel for these great thinkers, we should not lose sight of the fact that they were human beings just as we are. (source)

R.C. Henry, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at John Hopkins University, explains things further:  

A fundamental conclusion of the new physics also acknowledges that the observer creates the reality.  As observers, we are personally involved with the creation of our own reality.  Physicists are being forced to admit that the universe is a “mental” construction.  Pioneering physicist Sir James Jeans wrote:  “The stream of knowledge is heading toward a non-mechanical reality; the universe begins to look more like a great thought than like a great machine.  Mind no longer appears to be an accidental intruder into the realm of matter, we ought rather hail it as the creator and governor of the realm of matter.  Get over it, and accept the inarguable conclusion.  The universe is immaterial-mental and spiritual. (source)

For a selected list of downloadable peer-reviewed journal articles reporting studies of psychic phenomena, mostly published in the 21st century, you can click HERE.  

Harvard And The Himalayan Monks

During a visit to remote monasteries in the 1980s, Harvard Professor of Medicine Herbert Benson and his team of researchers studied monks living in the Himalayan Mountains who could, by g Tum-mo (a yoga technique), raise the temperatures of their fingers and toes by as much as 17 degrees.  It is still unknown how the monks are able to generate such heat. (source)

And it doesn’t stop there — the researchers also studied advanced meditators in Sikkim, India, where they were astonished to find that these monks could lower their metabolism by 64 percent.(source)

In 1985, the Harvard research team made a video of monks drying cold, wet sheets with body heat alone.  Monks spending winter nights 15,000 feet high in the Himalayas is also not uncommon.

These are truly remarkable feats, and not the first time science has examined humans who can do extraordinary things.  We published an article a couple of months ago showing that factors associated with consciousness can influence our autonomic nervous system.  You can read more about that in the article linked below, as it is heavily sourced and provides links to several papers that clearly indicate how factors associated with consciousness can influence our biology.

Study:  Factors Associated With Consciousness Can Influence Our Autonomic Nervous System

If you’re further interested in this subject, I recommend reading Supernormal:  Science, Yoga, and the Evidence for Extraordinary Psychic Abilities by Dr. Dean Radin, Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences.

Another related CE Article that might be of interest:  6 Humans With Real “Superpowers” That Science Can’t Explain

This article was originally published here March 2016.  

Do the mysteries of and about shamanism, meditation, tantra, yoga, mindfulness, intuition, and consciousness seem, at times, to be more confusing than you can grasp?  http://bit.ly/MysticalPresentations3

Sparkling Minds Expanding with the Universe

Instructor in Tantra Psychology, presenting rational articulation of intuitional science with cogent practical exercises bringing greater personal awareness and cultivation of subtler realms, imbuing new and meaningful talents into participants' lives.  Explore further bringing such capabilities into your realm, both personal and at work.  Contact HERE. 

Intuitional Training for Professionals and Community Leaders

http://gplus.to/TantraPsychology    Longevity:  Is It In Your Future?

Maturation in Science Acknowledging Our Heart’s Intuitive Intelligence

Guest article

What Science Is Telling Us About The Heart’s Intuitive Intelligence

by Arjun Walia

The wonderful and brilliant scientists over at the Institute of HeartMath have done some amazing work in shedding a light on the science of the heart.  

The Institute of HeartMath is an internationally recognized nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to helping people reduce stress, self-regulate emotions, and build energy and resilience for healthy, happy lives.  HeartMath tools, technology, and training teach people to rely on the intelligence of their hearts in concert with that of their minds at home, school, work, and play.  

A large portion of their research has investigated heart and brain interaction.  Researchers have examined how the heart and brain communicate with each other and how that affects our consciousness and the way in which we perceive our world.  For example, when a person is feeling really positive emotions like gratitude, love, or appreciation, the heart beats out a certain message.  Because the heart beats out the largest electromagnetic field produced in the body, researchers are able to gather significant data from it.  According to Rolin McCratey, Ph.D, and director of research at the Institute:

Emotional information is actually coded and modulated into these fields.  By learning to shift our emotions, we are changing the information coded into the magnetic fields that are radiated by the heart, and that can impact those around us.  We are fundamentally and deeply connected with each other and the planet itself.  

This is very important work, as again, it shows how the heart plays an important role far beyond what is commonly known.  Did you know that your heart emits electromagnetic fields which change according to your emotions?  Did you know that the human heart has a magnetic field that can be measured up to several feet away from the human body?  Did you know that positive emotions create physiological benefits in your body?  Did you know that you can boost your immune system by conjuring up positive emotions?  Did you know that negative emotions can create nervous system chaos, and that positive emotions do the complete opposite?  Did you know that the heart has a system of neurons which have both short term and long term memory, and that their signals sent to the brain can affect our emotional experiences?  Did you know that in fetal development, the heart forms and starts beating before the brain is developed?  Did you know that a mother’s brainwaves can synchronize to her baby’s heartbeats?  Did you know that the heart sends more information to the brain than vice versa?  

All of these facts, published researched papers, and more can be accessed at heartmath.org.  

Below is a video from the Institute about the intuitive intelligence of the heart.  Definitely worth a look.  

This Is Why It’s Important For The Human Race To Change The Way We Feel Inside

The Institute of HeartMath does a wonderful job at emphasizing why it’s critical for many of us to change the way we feel inside.  Not much can be accomplished from a place of sadness, angst, or anger.  Our current human experience, the everyday life we all seem willing to participate in, does indeed take its toll on many.  A lot of people are feeling that living the lifestyles we do, struggling to pay bills and constantly working, is not a natural way of life for the human race.  It’s an experience which makes it hard to maintain a “high frequency” or positive state for some.  What makes this unfortunate reality even more perplexing is the fact that it doesn’t have to be this way, we are capable of so much more.  

At the same time, many people around the world are struggling to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves.  The Earth is being destroyed and our time to turn things around seems to be limited.  This is a hard truth that we very much need to address, and we have a number of options to choose from which could alleviate these problems.  It can be difficult to maintain a positive state of mind when we see so many terrible things happening in the world, but we cannot create the kind of change we’re looking for unless we do so from a positive, peaceful state.  

Despite all of the negativity in the world and our individual struggles, many people do manage to find inner peace and moments of joy, and that’s pretty remarkable.  It’s all about perspective – it’s seeing the bigger picture and changing the way you look at things.

Happiness is no doubt an inside job, but with a human experience that is not resonating with many it can be hard to maintain.  This is evident in a variety of different areas where people are starting to stand up and demand change.  More and more people are wanting something different, wanting a life where everybody can thrive and feel good about themselves and their place in the world.  If one is suffering, we all suffer – that’s the way we feel here at CE and it’s clear that many are resonating with that message.  

The funny thing about our feelings is that, for the most part, they are a result of our own choices.  We can choose to change the way we feel just by changing our thoughts.  Negative emotions are usually a result of the thoughts we have about the people, things, or events in our lives.  At the end of the day, it’s just a human experience, and all experiences are opportunities for learning and growth.  

Bottom line, feelings of love, gratitude, and compassion – any positive feelings whatsoever – have a larger impact than we could have ever imagined.  These are all characteristics of consciousness, and as quantum physics is showing us, consciousness plays a definite role in the creation of our reality.  If this is true, then how we feel about things must too, and with the research coming out from the Institute of HeartMath, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to suggest that feeling good might very well be fundamental to creating global change.

“A fundamental conclusion of the new physics also acknowledges that the observer creates the reality.  As observers, we are personally involved with the creation of our own reality.  Physicists are being forced to admit that the universe is a ‘mental’ construction.  Pioneering physicist Sir James Jeans wrote: ‘The stream of knowledge is heading toward a non-mechanical reality; the universe begins to look more like a great thought than like a great machine.  Mind no longer appears to be an accidental intruder into the realm of matter, we ought rather hail it as the creator and governor of the realm of matter.  Get over it, and accept the inarguable conclusion.  The universe is immaterial-mental and spiritual.’ ” –  (R. C. Henry, “The Mental Universe”; Nature 436:29, 2005, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University)

This article was originally published here November 2014.  

Do the mysteries of and about shamanism, meditation, tantra, yoga, mindfulness, intuition, and consciousness seem, at times, to be more confusing than you can grasp?  http://bit.ly/MysticalPresentations3

Sparkling Minds Expanding with the Universe

Instructor in Tantra Psychology, presenting rational articulation of intuitional science with cogent practical exercises bringing greater personal awareness and cultivation of subtler realms, imbuing new and meaningful talents into participants' lives.  Explore further bringing such capabilities into your realm, both personal and at work.  Contact HERE. 

Making a difference for the psychic, moral and physical development of youth, make a difference through and for our Youth Intuitional Development Program

 

Intuitional Training for Professionals and Community Leaders

http://gplus.to/TantraPsychology    Longevity:  Is It In Your Future?

What Can Mindfulness Teach You About Being A Better Manager?

Guest article

What Can Mindfulness Teach You About Being More Present — and a Better Manager?

by Daniel Rodriguez

As anyone working at a high-growth startup can tell you, things get very hectic and stressful very easily.  Motivating a ten person team and also having a life of my own presents itself as a single gigantic challenge.  Until recently, an acquaintance or social media follower would view my life as successful, but there was one huge problem: I was anxious, stressed out and not all that happy.  Thankfully, over the past year I’ve taken a new approach to life that involves being mindfully aware, or “present,” that has made me a better manager and partner in quantifiable ways.  

First, I should make a slightly embarrassing admission: much of my anxiety boiled down to FOMO (fear of missing out).  I felt anxious on a daily basis about missing out on, well, everything that it seemed others were doing that I wasn’t.  Faster revenue growth (because 150% isn’t enough).  Boozy brunches.  Unicorn valuations.  Skyrocketing personal wealth with minimal work experience.  Bottle service.  Personal training sessions.  One Direction hair.  

I looked at the world and saw what I didn’t have and felt bummed out and a little bitter.  And how did I overcome that feeling?  I got intense, took control and lived on the edge of a stress-induced breakdown, which resulted in the occasional snippy comment, the short-term desire for a “quick win” in an argument with my wife, or a passive aggressive comment to a subordinate.

Basically, I was taking my unhappiness out on those around me and being a lot less of the person that I wanted to be.

So I started searching to see if there was anyone else in the world who was wrestling with the guilt of being someone with so much yet fighting bouts of unhappiness that came in waves every few months.

And it turns out that a TON of people have felt this way—not just startup VPs, or Americans, or millennials, but human beings for hundreds of years.  The introduction in the book Mindfulness in Plain English crystalizes this common anxiety and convinced me that I could do something about it.

To combat my anxiety and unhappiness, I started meditating.  It has worked by making me be more “in the present” (more on that phrase a bit later).

I was an economics major in college, so the way that I measure the success of mindfulness is by the increase in positive feelings (feeling happy more often) and decrease of negative emotions (feeling anxious less often).  

Let’s tackle the biggest problem first: the anxiety that makes you feel unhappy.  Every single time that I feel anxious I am thinking about something in the future, meaning that I am not in the present.  Things like hiring faster (we MUST go FASTER!), what our go-to-market strategy will look like in 6 months and getting industry recognition are all thoughts about the future.  By meditating, I’m able to steer myself away from dwelling on those thoughts so that when they enter my mind, I gently push them aside.  The result: so much less anxiety about the future!

Another big contributor to unhappiness is feeling annoyed by something difficult to avoid: other people.  This is a life lesson and also a practical management one: it’s worth it to try to see things through someone else’s perspective.  By practicing empathy you have a much better chance of going through life feeling happy rather than crushed by the boredom of standing in lines or dealing with a coworker’s nagging cough.  David Foster Wallace’s This is Water captures the necessity of this mentality perfectly: be present and take a second to see the good in a situation or else you’ll be mired in petty annoyances and the feeling of everyone being in your way (especially during the holiday season!).  

Seeing the good in others rather than getting annoyed by them has been the biggest boon to me experiencing more positive moments.  Ellen Langer notes this in her podcast interview on the Science of Mindfulness as seeing someone not as gullible but rather as trusting, not as impulsive but as spontaneous.  Sitting in an open work environment near others and managing different personalities has its inherent challenges, so why make it more difficult by not finding things to enjoy about those around you?  And in case you think that the idea of mindfulness and being present is only a Buddhist philosophy that requires time spent meditating, Langer’s research shows that being mindful is more about actively focusing on the here and now (rather than meditating to get you ready to be present).  

The irony of FOMO is that by worrying so much about missing out you actually miss out.  You miss the joy in seeing a new hire grow and gain their own recognition, the value in not knowing where your company will be in 2 years but knowing that today, in this place, is a ton of fun.  You also miss the beauty that can be found in watching leaves fall from the trees, or the colors in a sunset or the way your kid’s voice sounds when they sing Doc McStuffins songs.  This is the first year of my life that hasn’t flown by—it’s been rich with work and life moments because I’ve been here, in the present, much more often.

It’s a happier place and I hope that those that I get to meet enjoy it with me.

This post was originally published here December 2015.  

Do the mysteries of and about shamanism, meditation, tantra, yoga, mindfulness, intuition, and consciousness seem, at times, to be more confusing than you can grasp?  http://bit.ly/MysticalPresentations3

Sparkling Minds Expanding with the Universe

Instructor in Tantra Psychology, presenting rational articulation of intuitional science with cogent practical exercises bringing greater personal awareness and cultivation of subtler realms, imbuing new and meaningful talents into participants' lives.  Explore further bringing such capabilities into your realm, both personal and at work.  Contact HERE. 

Making a difference for the psychic, moral and physical development of youth, make a difference through and for our Youth Intuitional Development Program

 

Intuitional Training for Professionals and Community Leaders

http://gplus.to/TantraPsychology    Longevity:  Is It In Your Future?