I want to talk about things we are grateful for in this thread. Also I wanna share goodness exercises that we can complete and discuss. I feel these things are at the heart of spirituality. At the heart of darkness or the plane of existence that favors the evil things of this universe (which might be spiritual for those interested as the topics range beyond the mundane realm of ordinary worldings) I would say greed and evil replace gratitude and goodness. This should be a warning for us as porn is full of this venomous darkness.
One shouldn't focus on the dark often, however one video if the above confuses at all. Think Lucifer and Satan from a God based teaching lens. So right now in this present moment I am grateful for the chocolate I just ate (milkfree and sugarless, dark, the healthy kind) and ginger beer (non-alcoholic) I am sipping. Might get a movie to relax to before this evening's vigorous and focused meditation session.
Sunday Goodness Exercise I suppose one daily for now. At least from me. Feel free to share your own. I am not the creator of these. Copying them from elsewhere and want them to feel like they are integrated into this thread rather than from another site. LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION TIME REQUIRED 15 minutes daily HOW TO DO IT This exercise draws on a guided meditation created by researcher Emma Seppala, Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. We recommend listening to the audio of this guided meditation in the player below; you can read more about it on Dr. Seppala’s website. We have included a script of the meditation to help you follow it yourself or teach it to others. Body Position Close your eyes. Sit comfortably with your feet flat on the floor and your spine straight. Relax your whole body. Keep your eyes closed throughout the whole visualization and bring your awareness inward. Without straining or concentrating, just relax and gently follow the instructions. Take a deep breath in. And breathe out. Receiving Loving-Kindness Keeping your eyes closed, think of a person close to you who loves you very much. It could be someone from the past or the present; someone still in life or who has passed; it could be a spiritual teacher or guide. Imagine that person standing on your right side, sending you their love. That person is sending you wishes for your safety, for your well-being and happiness. Feel the warm wishes and love coming from that person towards you. Now bring to mind the same person or another person who cherishes you deeply. Imagine that person standing on your left side, sending you wishes for your wellness, for your health and happiness. Feel the kindness and warmth coming to you from that person. Now imagine that you are surrounded on all sides by all the people who love you and have loved you. Picture all of your friends and loved ones surrounding you. They are standing sending you wishes for your happiness, well-being, and health. Bask in the warm wishes and love coming from all sides. You are filled, and overflowing with warmth and love. Sending Loving-Kindness to Loved Ones Now bring your awareness back to the person standing on your right side. Begin to send the love that you feel back to that person. You and this person are similar. Just like you, this person wishes to be happy. Send all your love and warm wishes to that person. Repeat the following phrases, silently: May you live with ease, may you be happy, may you be free from pain. May you live with ease, may you be happy, may you be free from pain. May you live with ease, may you be happy, may you be free from pain. Now focus your awareness on the person standing on your left side. Begin to direct the love within you to that person. Send all your love and warmth to that person. That person and you are alike. Just like you, that person wishes to have a good life. Repeat the following phrases, silently: Just as I wish to, may you be safe, may you be healthy, may you live with ease and happiness. Just as I wish to, may you be safe, may you be healthy, may you live with ease and happiness. Just as I wish to, may you be safe, may you be healthy, may you live with ease and happiness. Now picture another person that you love, perhaps a relative or a friend. This person, like you, wishes to have a happy life. Send warm wishes to that person. Repeat the following phrases, silently: May your life be filled with happiness, health, and well-being. May your life be filled with happiness, health, and well-being. May your life be filled with happiness, health, and well-being. Sending Loving-Kindness to Neutral People Now think of an acquaintance, someone you don’t know very well and toward whom you do not have any particular feeling. You and this person are alike in your wish to have a good life. Send all your wishes for well-being to that person, repeating the following phrases, silently: Just as I wish to, may you also live with ease and happiness. Just as I wish to, may you also live with ease and happiness. Just as I wish to, may you also live with ease and happiness. Now bring to mind another acquaintance toward whom you feel neutral. It could be a neighbor, or a colleague, or someone else that you see around but do not know very well. Like you, this person wishes to experience joy and well-being in his or her life. Send all your good wishes to that person, repeating the following phrases, silently: May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be free from all pain. May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be free from all pain. May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be free from all pain. Sending Loving-Kindness to All Living Beings Now expand your awareness and picture the whole globe in front of you as a little ball. Send warm wishes to all living beings on the globe, who, like you, want to be happy: Just as I wish to, may you live with ease, happiness, and good health. Just as I wish to, may you live with ease, happiness, and good health. Just as I wish to, may you live with ease, happiness, and good health. Take a deep breath in. And breathe out. And another deep breath in and let it go. Notice the state of your mind and how you feel after this meditation. When you’re ready, you may open your eyes.
It says daily. Also the audio would not copy as I seem limited posting links for now. Just try it for 15 minutes today if you choose. WHY YOU SHOULD TRY IT Practicing kindness is one of the most direct routes to happiness: Research suggests that kind people tend to be more satisfied with their relationships and with their lives in general. We all have a natural capacity for kindness, but sometimes we don’t take steps to nurture and express this capacity as much as we could. Loving-kindness meditation (sometimes called “metta” meditation) is a great way to cultivate our propensity for kindness. It involves mentally sending goodwill, kindness, and warmth towards others by silently repeating a series of mantras.
Btw I am not doing today's exercise lol. I just recited a Buddhist mantra for a half hour. It is pleasant just reading through it though. Good food for the heart even if you don't feel like doing it.
Might play with the fonts and colors for a bit until something sticks or maybe just keep it random or regular font and size. These are taken from this site btw, ggia.berkeley.edu. They also say to do it for a certain amount of time. I might just drop them for this week and then sleep on this idea. It might be more popular in the self-improvement section I am thinking as individual challenge threads. Monday Goodness Exercise TIME REQUIRED 5-15 minutes per day for two weeks. Eventually you could incorporate this practice into your daily routine. HOW TO DO IT Be mindful of the natural elements and objects around you on a daily basis (e.g., trees, clouds, leaves, the moon, moving water, animals, etc.), and notice how these make you feel and what emotions they evoke. Take a moment to allow yourself to truly experience the nature around you. When you encounter a natural object, element, or scene that evokes a strong emotion in you, that moves you in some way, take a photo of it. If possible, upload the photo to your computer, or even to a blog if you have one. Along with the photo, jot down a brief description of what prompted you to take it and how this nature scene made you feel, in a few words or a few sentences. You can take as many photos as you like, but try to take at least 10 photos over the course of two weeks. Be mindful of how the nature you encounter makes you feel on a daily basis, but space the photos out on different days. Remember: What is key is your experience with what you are photographing—how nature makes you feel. Don’t worry too much about the quality of the photos or how creative they are.
Ok change of plans (you may still complete the exercise above if you choose). I will now post my own goodness exercise on Mondays. Feel free to discuss gratitude and goodness outside of the exercises as well.
Grateful for the tea which I am drinking in the mornings before meditation. Really nice on an empty stomach, well with water before.
