576. Mental Housekeeping

Once a month, set aside a quiet day to do your mental house cleaning. No thought lives in your mind rent-free. Every negative, disempowering and fearful thought will cost you time, money, energy, peace of mind, health and well-being.

Use your day to sit still, balanced and upright, as in meditation. Observe each thought as it comes into your mind, noting if it is negative. For each negative, disempowering, down-dragging thought, say loudly and clearly, "Neti, Neti, Not This, Not This." Then Let it go. Then, from your pile of affirmation cards, pick a thought to replace it. Choose the word or words that express this thought simply and let it sound in your mind like a mantra. After about 50 repetitions, let the mind fall still and reflect on the thought for 2 minutes.

Whenever you encounter rough times in the month(s) that follow you can recall this affirmation at will and let it operate in your mind.

386. Meditation the 3 S's and Genius

Three things are necessary in order to meditate properly. These are the 3 S's of meditation :

Stillness
Silence
Solitude.

"When you become quiet, it just dawns on you." -Thomas Eddison.

Noise kills genius.
Stillness is strength.
Genius never hurries.

"If you have a conented mind, you have enough to enjoy life." -Plautus.

533. Your Most Valuable Skill

In an age when events move ever more swiftly and information overload threatens to swamp your mind, the most valuable skill you can acquire is to be able to tell for yourself what is true from what is false. This is done by polishing your mental faculty called Buddhi, or conscience. Meditation is the way to do this and when your mind is still, it will be able to see clearly what is true and what is not.

514. Eliminate. Less is More

"The height of Civilisation always runs to simplicity." - Bruce Lee.

Every day decrease the amount of rubbish around you. Do not add to it. Eliminate noise, ornamentation,  excess paper, fat etc from your self and your enviornment. Learn to listen. Learn to meditate - reduce the clutter of sounds and ideas rushing around in your mind. Cultivate an appreciation of the simple line drawing of Japanese Art that brings the mind to rest when you simply let your gaze fall gently on it.

498. Too Much Information

A wealth of information creates poverty of attention. Balance your information receiving time (lectures, reading etc.) with an equal amount of time dedicated to Meditation and Creative Thinking. Meditation will restore attention. Learn to develop selective active ignorance by deliberately ignoring information that is :

(a) Irrelevant
(b) Unimportant
(c) Un-actionable

The same goes for interruptions.

"There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant." -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

464. Start Afresh

Step up, make your move and say "YES". Each and every day starts with a clean slate no matter what has gone before. Meditating has the effect of cleaning the blackboard. You can make a fresh start any time even with your last breath.

342. Steven Covey on Choice

Between stimulus (what's presented to you) and response (your reaction) is a space or gap. In that gap is your freedom to choose. The bigger that space, the greater your range of choices and the greater your potential for happiness. In that space alone you have the ability to grow learn love and further expand the space. It is only in how you use it to expand or contract that you can determine your present and future states.

The direction of our work here is to expand and grow mentally, physically and spiritually. This can be done by meditation and Tai Chi, the study of great literature and scriptures as well as your conscious decision to swim upstream against the social, cultural and genetic currents that seek to drag you down.

315. Detachment

Grow up knowing how not to be affected by the inevitable problems of life. Have a sense of inner peace to sustain you in difficult times. This can be achieved by meditation. Day by day as you meditate, you will strengthen that core of iner strength, serenity and calm. That place is your true self. It knows all, was never born, will never die, is not the effect of any external cause, is self-existent, imperishable, ancient; it lives in all hearts. That place is the one self of all beings. Self-realisation is the path to resting your mind there forever.

263. Conservation of Energy

Do not waste your energy gratuitously. Over-exertion and over-development of muscles and organs are detrimental to your health. Rather you should seek to conserve your energy; always be moderate without going to extremes.

Let your movements in exercise be harmonious. Begin with Meditation, then a round or two of Tai Chi. Fit your movements harmoniously to your "opponent."

Learn to cultivate the art of detachment. Learn to not interfere but to follow the natural curves of things.

Let the thoughts you have and the emotions you feel when in front of an opponent pass like the reflection of a bird on still water.

Let not your feelings be sticky or blocked.

Accept yourself and go with your nature, not against it.

258. The Non-Stopping Mind

In combat (life) allow your mind to concentrate by not allowing it to stop anywhere. If you block, follow up immediately with your counters; Do not allow the space to develop that would give your opponent the chance to strike you. Remain aware of the whole field of action. Where there are multiple attackers, as soon as you have disposed of one, move immediately on to the next one without permitting the mind (and therefore the body) to stop. This is only possible when the mind is not permitted to stop for anything. Then all opponents will be dealt with in succession.

The mind is present everywhere because it is attached nowhere to any particular object. Even when relating to this or that object, it does not cling to it. Allow your flow of thought to be like water filling a pond - it is ready to move off again. It can work powerfully because it is free. It is open to everything brcause it is empty, like a tidy desk.

This is what is meant by Serene Reflection, it is the vivid and clear awareness that comes out of the tranquility of no thought.

169. Strengthen Your Mind

Strengthen and sharpen your mind by using meditation mnenomics, mind maps, IQ tests, puzzles, word games, crosswords, mental arithmetic etc. You should do this without let up because : "The Strong Take from the Weak and The Smart Take from the Strong".

106. Meditation

Learn to meditate. Meditation is the cornerstone of the measured life. It is the foundation on which mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health and strength rests. In a world where everything appears to be spinning rapidly out of control, the very least that meditation will do for you is to keep you sane and centred. Meditation is the still centre to the potter's wheel. While you are still young begin the practice of meditating twice a day. This will be very natural to you and will keep your energies from going out of kilter. The Louise Hay You Can Heal Your Life Workbook is a very useful tool for keeping well.

95. Learning, Meditation, Prarers, Answers

You have within you the greatest Teacher there is, your own Higher Self. This Self is always with you, whether or not you feel it or are aware of it. When we go inside in meditation and ask for guidance, truth, support, love, encouragement or strength, they begin to come to us in the right way.This is not always the way we (our egos) think they should.

64. Love Thyself

Learn to love yourself, to love who you are. Always be happy in your own company. Remember that those who cannot stand to be alone, usually hate the one they are with. As a good practice seek out solitude for Meditation and Reflection.

59. Discipline and Responsibility.

As you grow, you are learning to become more and more disciplined. Ultimately, all your discipline comes from within. You will learn to take care of yourself, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and materially. This involves the practices of good hygiene, meditation, martial arts, exercise, diet, study, investing and saving. Disciplines like these can be fun, rewarding and exhilirating. They help to give you control over your life. Acquiring these disciplines and embodying them is about taking responsibility for your own life.

27. The Importance of Achievements

It is very important to achieve the goals you have set for yourself but you should remain detached from them and not become obsessed. Maintain a healthy distance from them through meditation. Never compromise your principles or sully your values in order to achieve your aims. You will hate yourself a little more every time you do.

17.The Life You Were Born to Lead

Before you were born, you were given a special gift to bring to the world and embodied into just the right circumstances for your gift to flower. No-one told you that you were given this gift, how to find it nor what to do with it once you had found it. Once you have been born, your job is to find your gift and give it to everyone who needs it. If you give your gift, your life will be filled with happiness and magic. Sometimes these gifts are revealed in dreams and through meditation.Sometimes an exceptional teacher will have the insight into your nature to be able to tell you what it is and how to develop it.

3.There is no Wealth but Life Itself

All the wealth in the world is no good if you are ill or dead. You should have a disciplined approach to all your monetary affairs and always work to maximise your wealth. This MUST be combined with a healthy mind in a sound body. You should read a little philosophy or scripture every day to keep your mind clear and exercise every day to keep your body healthy. Walk, Swim and train in your Martial Arts. The Martial Arts will help you to protect your body from injury. Meditate, eat well, exercise properly and get proper sleep. These will keep you healthy throughout your life so that you can enjoy the wealth that you earn.

1. On being conflicted

No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves.

You need to be clear about where you stand on issues. When you have doubts and inner conflicts go off somewhere quiet to your poustinia or ashram. Meditate a little then reduce the conflict to one sentence or phrase or even one word then reflect on it. Do this by sounding it in mind as you would your mantra in meditation. After a suitable time either the answer will have come to you or not. If not, remain open to hearing it or encountering some lesson to teach you. Be coherent, congruent and cogent.