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How Can Art Enhance The Experience Of Meditation?

Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash
By “Jackie Writing Jackie”
Meditation and mindfulness are vital practices embraced by Buddhists, owing to their ability to keep the mind on the eightfold path, as well as the many benefits they bestow on human mental health. If, in the past, meditation was seen as an ‘alternative therapy’ practiced by Buddhists and members of specific faiths, today, up to 500 million people of all ages, beliefs and backgrounds practice meditation as a way to battle stress, improve their mood and focus, and feel more connected to a force that is larger than themselves. In order to enhance mindfulness during meditation, many tools are used – everything from selecting natural settings to choosing calming aromas. Art, however, can also boost the state of being ‘in the here and now’ and serve as a practical tool during meditation practice.
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Entries filed under Arts and Poetry
El moco de Clara – HIGHLIGHT
Llegué a Shambhala cerca de doce años atrás, cuando el Centro de Santiago era un departamento pequeño y un poco fantasma y había que “pedir hora” para recibir la instrucción de meditación. Llegué porque no podía dormir; apagaba la luz y mi cabeza no paraba de ... continuePosted March 19, 2009 by
Clara’s Booger
I arrived in Shambhala 12 years ago when the Santiago Shambhala Center was a very small and ghostly apartment and when it was necessary to “ask for a date” in order to receive initial meditation instruction. I wanted the instruction to help me sleep better because ... continuePosted March 19, 2009 by
Dharma Music Blooms in America – HIGHLIGHT
Buddhism has been intertwined with song from its beginnings. Some of the earliest female and male disciples of the Buddha wrote songs and poems about their experiences as new renunciants. As in the Homeric tradition, these songs and poems were sung or recited, memorized and passed ... continuePosted March 7, 2009 by Ravenna
Royal Wedding Celebration in Orissa, India
In the fall of 2006 I found myself talking with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche about his upcoming wedding in Orissa, India, at the seat of his father-in-law’s lineage in India. The Sakyong asked if I was going; at the time I didn’t think that I would. I asked ... continuePosted February 22, 2009 by Marvin Ross
The Milarepa Children’s Chorus – HIGHLIGHT
Sometime in the mid-1980’s Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche was brought to the Kalapa Court in Boulder, Colorado for a brief informal meeting with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. When Khenpo Rinpoche left, Trungpa Rinpoche remarked to his kusung, “A scholar and a yogi!” The Kusung asked, “Is that ... continuePosted February 21, 2009 by
The Five Wisdoms Institute
By Irini Rockwell The Five Wisdoms Institute was founded in 2002 after the publication of my book The Five Wisdom Energies, a Buddhist Way of Understanding Personalities, Emotions and Relationships. continuePosted February 15, 2009 by Irini Rockwell
International Shambhala Arts Day Festival
“A work of art is created because there is basic sacredness, independent of the artist’s particular religious faith or trust. Sacredness from that point of view is the discovery of goodness, which is independent of personal, social, or physical restrictions.” Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche continuePosted February 14, 2009 by
Shining – Brillance
By/de Nathalie-Pascale Alexandra Boisseau I am told that the magpies like to steal and accumulate shiny and precious objects. This evening in one nest, I found a mirror, And unbearable sadness. Sadness, what are you? As I struggle to console you, to fix you, to understand you, to control you, You ask ... continuePosted February 1, 2009 by nataliepascal-boisseau
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