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Maitri, Karuna, Mudita, and Upeksha – The Four Immeasurable Brahmaviharas

Compassion Meditation – The Four Immeasurable Virtues: Maitri, Karuna, Mudita, and Upeksha

Sri Amit Ray talks about the importance of the four immeasurable Brahmaviharas – compassion meditation techniques and attitudes. They are the highest form of all virtues. The four Immeasurable Virtues are: Maitri, Karuna, Mudita and Upeksha. Brahmaviharas means divine abiding.  Dr. Ray talks about the nature of Brahmaviharas and the importance of Brahmaviharas. He also discusses how these four virtues increases our emotional intelligence and happiness in life. The four Immeasurable divine virtues are explained in details.

Purpose of yoga and meditation is to get a permanent blessed and peaceful state of mind. Being able to control our emotions is key to our happiness as well as our relationships. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with any kind of emotion, some of them can lead to major amounts of distress when left unchecked. By changing our thoughts, we would not change the situation, however, we would change the way it affects our life.

Maitri-Karuna-Mudita-Upeksha-The Four Immeasurable Brahmaviharas

Four Immeasurable Brahmaviharas and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra

These four virtues are mentioned in the teachings of Buddha, Patanjali’s yoga sutra and Upanishads. They are the four types of attitudes towards people and society. The yoga sutra (1.33) states that blessed state of mind is developed through meeting happy people with friendliness, those who are suffering with compassion, those who are virtuous with delight, and indifference or neutrality towards those we perceive as wicked or evil.

Four Immeasurable Brahmaviharas as Taught by Buddha

The Buddha taught the four great virtues, known as the four “Brahmaviharas”. The word Brahmavihara is Pali, and comes from two words. First, there is the word brahma. In the Buddha’s time, a brahma was a deity who lived in a heavenly realm. The word vihara means abode or dwelling. Hence, the word Brahmavihara means dwelling in the realm of blessedness. They are mindfulness practices that protect the mind from falling into habitual patterns of reactivity with the cultivation of our best intentions. We all have the potential to abide in loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity. When we know how to do this, these capacities become an inner wealth, more valuable than any external wealth. Read More »Maitri, Karuna, Mudita, and Upeksha – The Four Immeasurable Brahmaviharas

Shiva Shambhavi Meditation for Inner Peace

Shiva Shambhavi Meditation Technique

Shiva Shambhavi Meditation is a special meditation technique of Sri Amit Ray.  It is a guided meditation class on the eve of Mahashivratri. Shiva is the all-pervading cosmic consciousness. Shambhavi is the energy aspect of that consciousness. This meditation class is a life-changing experience, designed for those seeking a deep spirituality, inner awakening, positive transformation, deepest relaxation, self-inquiry, empowerment, mental clarity and peace.

Shiva Shambhavi Meditation by Sri Amit Ray

These special meditation techniques, revealed to Dr. Amit Ray and Banani Ray, are very simple, easy and effortless meditation and inner awakening technique which can be practiced almost any time during the day that will take you beyond meditative highs and lows to truly embody the spiritual light that you are.

Shambhavi Meditation Program:

Shiva means auspiciousness, peace, beauty and truth. On the eve of Mahashivratri you can feel the presence of the auspiciousness within you. Shambhavi is the creative energy of Shiva. This Shambhavi energy can guide you to achieve the ultimate objectives of life.

Program Structure:

You will know the followings:

  1. Concept of Shiva Shambhavi Meditation
  2. Purpose of the Shiva Shambhavi Meditation
  3. Techniques of Shiva Shambhavi Meditation
  4. How to do Shiva Shambhavi Meditation
  5. When to do Shiva Shambhavi Meditation
  6. How long to do Shiva Shambhavi Meditation
  7. Shiva Shambhavi Guided Meditation
  8. Shambhavi Meditation and Krama Clearing
  9. How to overcome problems and obstacles of life with meditation

This meditation class consist of following two meditation sessions:

1. Shiva Shambhavi Meditation by Dr. Amit Ray 
2. Gangadhar Meditation by respected Banani Ray

This meditation program is an adventure into the deeper aspects of your consciousness. You will be initiated into the teachings and practices where you will learn how to awaken and uncover your self-effulgent inner guide and absorb its luminosity and Energy in your being. You will learn how to find your inner guide and become a beacon of light, energy, healing, creativity, and blessings in the world.Read More »Shiva Shambhavi Meditation for Inner Peace

How Your Belief and Intelligence Can Bring You Success

How Your Belief and Intelligence Can Bring You Success

It is often said that belief is the death of intelligence. Sri Amit Ray explains how belief and intelligence can work together for success. He says why you need to transcend your limiting belief systems and develop strong self-belief by reprogramming your subconscious mind. He discussed how you can change your point of view in order to change your core negative beliefs.

Beliefs Intelligence and Success

Nature of Beliefs:

Generally, belief means an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof.  For example, we never ponder whether or not the sun will rise. We simply assume the sun will rise.  Self-belief or self-confidence are thought to be the way that you feel about your skills, abilities, looks and behaviors.

Types of Beliefs:

There are two types of beliefs; positive beliefs and negative beliefs. Positive beliefs are the beliefs that gives you energy, motivation and happiness for short term as well as for long term. Self-belief is an example of positive belief. Negative beliefs are the beliefs that drags you down and makes you dependent on something other than your self. Blind faiths are the examples of negative belief. 

Beliefs are driven by very human hopes and dreams and fears. Your beliefs can be a prison system you’ve created for yourself. But the door is not locked. You can come out of that. It never was and you can get escape from your limiting ideas about reality any time you want to open that door. 

Power of Self-Beliefs and Self-Confidence:

What is important is developing belief in yourself.  Self-belief makes you confident, relax, creative and think clearly. Test and experience your own beliefs again and again.  If you believe in yourself, you’ll feel motivated to take positive action and you will remain motivated for longer periods of time. You won’t be upset by mistakes or setbacks. If you believe that you can or you can’t, you’re right. If you don’t think it’s possible forget about success, you can’t even get started.  The only thing standing between you and your success is your inner story – that continuously telling you as to why you can’t achieve it.  

Intelligence and Blind Beliefs:

Intelligence is necessary in life but intelligence alone is not enough to be a successful person.  Self belief and positive-mindset are essential elements of success.  Blind faith, while still practiced, is not a practical approach to resolving the problems of modern life.  In fact blind faith is detrimental to life. It gives a very narrow view of problems and issues. When your beliefs meet reality, reality wins every time if they’re not in sync. Researchers observed that there is a negative relationship between intelligence and religious belief.  Blind belief system often actively deny evidence to fit what they already believe. 

Belief and Intelligence and Success:

Success in life depends on how to meet the challenges in the world of emotions or how we become more creative, how we identify and solve real life problems or how we make better decisions.  The people who achieved great success in life mastered a few fundamental and universal truths better than anyone else. They can easily separate the signal from the noise. Truth must be earned by each individual. It can’t be bought or cheated or even learned without personal dedication and hard work. If you want to get good at anything you have to learn to see your strengths and  weaknesses accurately. If you don’t start with the truth you can’t possibly get anything else right. 

Humans are fear driven animals. We constantly imagine terrible tragedies in order to try to react ahead of them. But the problem is that you spend your whole life reacting to imaginary events instead of the one real one. That is the path to suffering and pain. Positive mindset is the path of success and happiness.

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Mindful Leadership and Emotional Stability

Mindful Leadership and Emotional Stability

How mindfulness can bring emotional stability in leadership.

The art of mindful leadership with emotional stability are discussed here. Leadership requires emotional stability – a clam, clear and decisive mind. All the time, you don’t have to have all the answers but your positive energy, confidence, responsibility, emotional stability and passion are very important for success. 

A mindful leader is someone who embodies leadership presence by cultivating insights, focus, clarity, creativity and compassion for the benefits of self and others.  Mindfulness is often defined as ‘non-judgmental, moment to moment awareness’.

Emotional stability refers to a person’s ability to remain stable and balanced during crisis. Emotions happen too quickly and outside the rational mind. But mindfulness gives you the total control of how you will react. All good leaders require a number of mindfulness skill to help them positively interact with employees or team members.

“In every bend of time there is some surprise, joy and beauty. Mindfulness is the light to discover it”. — Amit Ray

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The 36 Tattvas for Deep Meditations

36 Tattva Meditations for Spiritual Awakening

The 36 Tattvas for Deep Meditations and Spiritual Awakening

Sri Amit Ray tells us the importance of Tattva Meditation for Spiritual Awakening. 

Tattvas are the foundation of yoga philosophy.  Many of my students and spiritual seekers requested me to explain tattvas in a very simplistic term. The purpose of this article is to explain tattvas in a meaningful way so that anyone can understand and practice tattva meditation easily. 

Tattva Meditation for Spiritual Awakening

Why Tattvas are Important?

Understanding tattvas help us to evolve our consciousness to higher levels. It purifies the mind and removes the ignorance. Tattva deals with the pure consciousness, material world and the three forms of energies. These energies are energy of intentions, energy of wisdom and the energy of actions.  Realizing the ever blissful divine Self, which is unchanging, omnipresent and omniscient, is the hidden desire of every human being. Tattvas show the way for  realizing that objective. The practice of tattva yoga accelerates the evolution of human beings.  Tattvas are the key concepts of  yoga philosophy. Knowledge of the 36 tattvas allows you to understand the laws of nature in a deeper way. You can use this yoga to attain greater brain power, health, knowledge, wisdom and happiness.

What is Tattva?

The universe is made of energy and Consciousness. Tattvas  explain the underline connection between our inner world and the outer world.  Tattva is a Sanskrit word meaning  ‘reality’ or ‘truth’. Tattvas are the basic concepts to understand the nature of absolute, the souls and the universe.

Meditation on tattva is a journey to the ultimate reality.  Knowing the tattva is the way of understanding inner psychology, the world and the beyond. The journey of tattva is a journey from  unconsciousness to supreme consciousness.  It is a journey from darkness to light. 

In chemistry, all materials are classified into 118 basic elements.  They are classified according to the number of protons in their atom. Similarly, in spiritual science all matters and consciousness are classified into thirty six elements. These thirty six elements are called tattavs. Tattvas are used to explain inner psychology, the creation and the existence of the Universe. Tattvas are connected with chakras and the tanmatras.

Meditation on Tattva:

Tattva meditation is a journey from gross to subtle. Tattva meditation  gives us the bigger picture and connects us the higher potential of life.  Our special tattva meditation class is a seven step meditation process. The first step is developing the theoretical knowledge about the tattvas. The second step is developing experiential knowledge about the gross tattavs in individual levels. The third step is formalizing and assimilating the collection of valuable knowledge gained from experiences. The subsequent steps deals with much deeper and subtler aspects tattavas. Tattav meditation includes, concentration, awareness, visualization and deep compassion.

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Om Meditation for Awakening the Divinity Within You

“Meditation is the artwork of awakening the divine within you.” – Amit Ray

What is divinity?

Divinity is the state of being connected with the source. It is the state when your heart is full with love, compassion, and caring. It is the state when your mind is full with joy, equanimity, peacefulness, and happiness. It is the state when you are relaxed, energetic, focused, joyful, creative, and compassionate.  

Om Meditation and Divinity

Om meditation is the best way to awaken the divinity within you. During Om meditation the brainwaves of the entire brain get synchronized. Om meditation has seven powerful steps. Each step is unique to connect with your divinity.

Meditation Awakening Divine Within You

Meditation and brain Synchronization

Meditation enhances mind-body integration. Scientific researchers have observed that advanced meditators develop the ability to use their whole brain and to live in a more balanced state characterized by brain synchronization and whole brain functioning.

Better Communication and Relationships:

Through awakened divinity you gain more clarity and insight. You will be able to make your decisions and understand what is good for you and what is not. Being able to communicate effectively you can stop wastage of energy by needless arguments.  Divinity helps us to develop respect for others and respect is the core to any good relationship. Respect translates to trust and trust is the key to good leadership. 

Self- Confidence and Divinity:

Divinity can help you to build healthy relationships, deliver greater energy in what you do, and do the work with others without weighing others down or just ego management. Every person is born with some gifts, and developing divinity with Om meditation helps you to find your source of life and expand your natural gifts and interest with time. It also creates valuable and positive change among the peoples who are around you.  Read More »Om Meditation for Awakening the Divinity Within You

Online Vipassana Meditation and Emotional Intelligence Class

Vipassana meditation techniques and its relation with emotional intelligence are discussed. Self-awareness, Self-regulation and Self-confidence are the key components of emotional intelligence and your ability to understand other people, what motivates them and how to work cooperatively and harmoniously with them are the essence of emotional intelligence. Vipassana meditation is the time-tested and the most ancient way for developing Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Adaptability, Empathy, Witnessing and Social Skills. You will also learn Neuroscience of Vipassana Meditation and Emotional Intelligence. This workshop teaches integrated meditation techniques that combines time-tested ancient Vipassana meditation techniques along with modern science-backed practices that are proven for leadership, creativity, emotion control, developing grey matter in the brain, improving focus, concentration and memory, and resist the shortening of telomeres in your gene which enhances health and longevity.

Om Inner Science Meditation Online Class

Om Inner Science Meditation is a seven step integrated meditation program. These seven Om meditation techniques combines time-tested ancient techniques along with modern science-backed practices that are proven for developing grey matter in the brain, improving focus, concentration and memory, and resist the shortening of telomeres in your gene which enhances health and longevity. This meditation technique is based on the traditional meditation technique and the modern findings of Neuroscience and Epigenetics that helps to build and maintain a healthy, whole, and fulfilling life.

Om Inner Science Meditation

Om Inner Science Meditation

“You are a cosmic flower. Om chanting is the process of opening the psychic petals of that flower.” — Amit Ray

Science of Om meditation is deep. It is linked to the ancient wisdom as well as the knowledge of modern neuroscience, genetics and positive psychology.   Om meditation is deeply linked to creativity, efficiency and well-being. 

Purpose of this Om Meditation Program:

  1. To connect with the Higher Self
  2. To bring peace and harmony in life
  3. To reduce stress, strain and anxiety of life
  4. To improve focus, concentration and efficiency in life
  5. To remove the negative energies of life and bring positive energies in life
  6. To bring balance in the chakras and harmony in the psychic energies of life
  7. To attract prosperity and success in life
  8. To gain social, occupational, financial, environmental and intellectual well-being in life

About the Om Inner Science Meditation:

The online class will teach the Om meditation techniques called Om Inner Science Meditation, which is an easy-to-practice and effective integrated Om scientific meditation technique developed by Dr.… Read more..

Mindful Leadership: A Journey to Self-discovery and Empowerment

Mindful Leadership A Journey of Self-discovery and EmpowermentSelf-discovery and empowerment are two powerful components of mindful leadership. Through empowerment you can achieve your greatest potential. Through self-discovery you become aware of your true potential, values, character, and motives. Mindfulness strengthens these two powerful tools of leadership and management.  

The sacred spirit or life force energy is within us and around us. You can tap into the power of the universe, draw it in and use it to awaken our inner capacity for value based mindful leadership. We are not separated isolated beings, we are part of One Energy, connected to the vast universe.  Mindfulness is  our capacity to be touched by nature and beauty of the moment. Through mindfulness, we learn to see the wonder in small things—from a new leaf to a child’s smile.

Mindful Leadership and Self-Discovery

Self has many layers. Knowing the self is the beginning of mindfulness. What are my thoughts now? What are my feelings now? What is my experience now?  Who am I? What are my dreams, and strengths? Experiencing these powers of the truth with minute to minute honesty with self is the core practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness Meditation for Corporate LeadershipMindfulness creates a positive mood, integrity, inner peace, inner strength, determination, and a warm heart. Researchers have identified that mindfulness enhances strengths, such as self-compassion, emotional intelligence, learned optimism, the relaxation response, self-esteem, distress tolerance, self-regulation, resilience, and executive functions.

Self-discovery is trying to discover who you are, your true potential, your purpose in life, and your core principles of life. It gives you the deeper sense of yourself and your unique role in the world. Self-discovery is a journey form unconsciousness  to consciousness. As you are mindful about your true values and potentials, you will build up a great confidence and inner strength.

“Self has many layers. Knowing the self is the beginning of mindfulness.” – Amit Ray

Mindful Leadership and Empowerment

Mindfulness based empowerment is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights. Good leaders are characterized by their ability to empower themselves and their team members to achieve maximum success. Empowerment is gaining control over your own life. It is a process that fosters power in people for use in their own lives, their communities, and their society.

Mindful Leadership and EmpowermentMindful leaders have a more optimistic view of the ability to get good work from the team members. This belief makes them more likely to implement empowerment. Based on the recent studies of neuroscience, we can say that the brain takes its shape from what the mind rests upon. If you keep resting your mind on less-empowerment like self-criticism, worries, grumbling about others, hurts, and stress, then your brain will be shaped into greater reactivity, vulnerability to anxiety and depressed mood, a narrow focus on threats and losses, and inclinations toward anger, sadness, and guilt.

Read More »Mindful Leadership: A Journey to Self-discovery and Empowerment

Neuroscience of Smiling Face in Meditation

Why smiling face is so important during meditation? Soft smiling brings instantaneous joy. It relaxes the mind and the body.  It is not necessary to smile all the time during meditation. However, at the beginning of a meditation session smiling is very important. Smiling is a positive lens through which you can see the world positively.  In this article the basic neuroscience of smiling, during meditation is explained.

“Meditation is the way to bring more smile, joy and positive energy into the world.” – Amit Ray

We smile to express our joy and satisfaction. Smiling is one of the most basic, biologically-uniform expressions of all humans. When you smile, you are become more attractive, reliable, relaxed and sincere. A smiling face actually appear to be more competent and friendly to the world. Often smiling comes naturally in certain states of the mind. 

Smiling Face During MeditationChildren smiles as many as four hundred times per day. Smiling stimulates our brain reward mechanism in a way that even chocolate cannot match. Smiling can help reduce the level of stress-enhancing hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and dopamine, increase the level of mood-enhancing hormones like endorphin and reduce overall blood pressure. 

The feel good neurotransmitters dopamine, endorphins and serotonin are all released when a smile flashes across your face as well.  … Read more..