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It's a challenge to face the news of the day without occasionally experiencing anger, a sense of being overwhelmed, compassion fatigue or just plain old-fashioned burnout. And if you doubt that, just click from this article to Huffington's front page. Arguably, day in and day out, few people pay as close attention to the troubling news of our times as Arianna Huffington.
As it turns out, the straight talk that has set the pace on The Huffington Post also has a personal side, as Arianna revealed this past weekend at "How to Co-Create A Spiritually Empowered Future," an afternoon event with Deepak Chopra and Andrew Cohen, which she moderated. Donna Karan, a long-time friend of all three, hosted the event, which was organized by Gerard Senehi, a "transformative philanthropist." (See photos from the event below.)
"We're in a time of transition. One culture is dying. Another is being born. How do we move from struggle to grace?" Arianna posed the question to Chopra and Cohen as an audience of several hundred people gathered in Karan's welcoming Urban Zen Center in downtown Manhattan, with other participants watching via live stream. "Let's focus on what brings us together rather than what tears us apart," she urged.
Arianna revealed that she had her own moment of truth when long work hours and too little sleep blended into a state of bone-deep exhaustion that lead her to nod off and fall face forward on her own desk, smashing her face. After the broken bone mended and the stitches healed, Arianna recognized the wake-up call and turned to yoga, longer hours of sleep, and mindfulness in order to help her to "get enough rest and enjoy life while achieving."
Arianna recalled the words of her late mother, who once took her to task for opening her mail while speaking with her children, emphatically saying, "I hate multitasking."
Deepak Chopra pointed out that all of us are multitasking all the time, navigating the four levels of ourselves: being, feeling, thinking and doing. Doing it consciously makes all the difference.
Andrew Cohen, the founder of EnlightenNext took up the question of how to live in the midst of great change, saying, "Our shared values all too often propel us towards competition, aggression and narcissism. The rate of change is not slowing down. The traditional solution offered by spirituality and meditative practices, offered a safe haven of calm and primordial peace." (Cohen teaches meditation.)
"But that's not enough," he contended, explaining that in observing his students, he saw that once they came out of meditation and stepped into what he called "the world of chaos," they were unable to retain their calm. "They were always looking for a way out of here because the world is imperfect."
The goal, he felt, was not to use meditation to escape from the world but to connect with it wholeheartedly. In contemplating this, he reported that he came to recognize that "saying we want to retreat reveals that we have a core ambivalence about life on earth."
He invited the audience to contemplate the question, "Is life on earth good enough?"
Cohen pointed out that there are three possible answers: yes, no, and I'm not sure. He encouraged the participants to contemplate, get to the roots of their doubt and ambivalence, and discover the way to say a "big 'yes' to life."
Deepak Chopra affirmed that it's not only beneficial to the one who centers him- or herself, because an individual's spiritual practices also affect everyone, through a process called "entanglement." He asserted that the findings of quantum physics reveal that particles once connected are inextricably linked such that they continuously affect each other, even over great distances. Studies performed by Dean Radin have also repeatedly demonstrated that minds are similarly connected, he said.
"Our minds are entangled," Chopra affirmed. "There is no such thing as an isolated mind. Our mind regulates our brain and our bodies. Consciousness is key to bioregulation, neuroplasticity and gene modulation" -- all key biophysical mechanisms that govern our being, awareness, emotions, mind and health.
"Our mind exists in relationship to other minds. Through the flow of energy and information, we monitor and regulate, and are monitored and regulated by, other minds. Our well-being depends on the well-being of others. We are dependent on the well-being of others, including our perceived enemies."
Due to the flow of both information and interconnection via social media, Chopra sees technology as a key opportunity for personal and social transformation.
"Driven by divine discontent, let us peacefully and urgently work towards a peaceful, just, sustainable, healthy world," he urged. "Love without action is irrelevant. Action without love is nothing."
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Dr. Michael J. Breus: How Your Sleep Habits May Be Damaging Your Heart
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Arianna Huffington - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Official Site: Andrew Cohen - Spiritual Teacher and Founder of ...
Cohen's point of relating to life and to others with a big, unending YES is a good compass for how to bring about a better future. Just imagine what the world would be like if more of us realized who we are at the deepest level--realized that we are, in fact, the entire 14 billion-year sweep of evolution--and lived from that realization. That's inspiring! And bringing about that shift, both in oneself and in culture, is something we can all be working on right now.
Apparently Andrew Cohen's background was not fact checked. The record is clear that Cohen faces numerous serious allegations of abuse over a 20 year period: There are now three books by former students documenting harmful treatment and a blog exposing Cohen. The allegations, by many former students, include physical, emotional and financial abuses - and to date none of the abuse has ever been apologized for or satisfactorily addressed in any way.
I was a 13 year student of Cohen's during which time I was a community leader and member of the Board of Directors. The book I've written, along with contributors, documenting the history of abuse is titled American Guru: A Story of Love, Betrayal and Healing. www.americanguru.net
Another book is by Cohen's own mother who was at one time his student: The Mother of God by Luna Tarlo.
Many articles exposing abuse are posted on the blog WhatEnlightment??!.
http://whatenlightenment.net/ Authors of the articles posted include 3 former editors of Cohen's EnlightenNext magazine.
It would behoove the Huffington Post to investigate more before supporting an event like this one.
William Yenner
americanguru@ymail.com
I can relate, because I’ve been in a similar situation where I had to smack my wife a few times. Now, I took no pleasure in doing it, and of course I didn’t hurt her, but she was being immature and selfish & I was forced to do it. I was helping her to see her flaws. In fact, if you ask her, she’ll tell you how much she needed it, and how it helped her out of the victimization she was stuck in. I keep telling her that she needs to learn to start pointing her finger at herself and her own shortcomings that lead to me smacking her.
It’s all about context. My wife and I are trying to live according to a higher standard, and unless you’ve tried to do that, you have no idea how truly insidious one’s ego can be. Filtered through this standard, I ask you, do I really “abuse” my wife? Or is what I do rather outrageous acts of love intent on saving her soul by holding her to her stated intentions?
So much of the post-modern spiritual scene is all about “human sensitivity” and “respecting others.” It’s all a bunch of feel-good, PC nonsense! As Peter says, real gurus kicks ass! This is the new truth I’ve been waiting to hear from a REAL guru. And it seems that there are those out there who simply can’t hack it, so after they get smacked around a little bit and all their money gets taken away from them they respond from their bruised egos and attack the person who gave them everything. This is outrageous!
As Ken Wilbur says, new truth will always be attacked. So very, very true.
1) Wo0
2) Wo0
The most important thing before ever starting to project upon some future is to know yourself, to know who you are. For this to happen, you need first to love and accept yourself the way you ARE now, in this very present moment. Only Love can reveal your true nature of being, love is the best and godly way of knowing.
A loving person is so full of the energy of love that he/she overflows with it and spreads it all around. For such a human being no ambition for achieving, no money, and no power is more important than his own being, his own individual flowering into Love, Truth and Bliss. Only such a being is free and authentic, only such a human being is an upsetting force for the vested interests to enslave him/her.
A good book for those new to meditation and spiritual growth would be 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle.
Then no surprise that some people as shown in this article, are so hating themselves that they are literally killing themselves with overwhelming ambition for achieving, leading them to “bone-deep exhaustion.” It simply shows a profound unhappiness and deep feeling of unworthiness. Then whatever you do, even if you start doing yoga, it will be the same suicidal effort to improve upon yourself, upon your own nature of being.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Cohen_(spiritual_teacher)#Criticisms
At 70 years of age, I don't envy the "elite"; many of them are less than half a person. For example, we don’t all value money or use money with the same level of awareness. Some can achieve the greatest things, such as personal happiness, with the expenditure of very little cash. The value of money, therefore, is totally relative. Political and financial power really are not the world's greatest powers and I think they are gradually being put in a more realistic perspective. Some can have millions, even billions, and still constantly feel fearful, frustrated and miserable and spend their lives threatening others. Can we call them losers! We have within us access to the Source of all that is and will ever be. Too bad so many live their whole lives unaware of this inner Treasure.
We can really and inexpensively solve all, yes all, the world's problems by sharing and learning Who We Really Are. So many want to make sharing this knowledge into a personal money making franchise which only proves they are still part of the problem.
Admittedly, it does take some money to get along, but it is not the most important resource. Curiosity, an open mind and dedication to learning will get us a long way in the right direction. It is always a process of arriving.
You may want to believe different. That is.... the thinker in your head may want to believe different.
The little person in the head that the Buddha realized did not exist..
the one that wants to be as if "first cause". The controller.
When someone claims that the thinker can create reality.. can be the creator... all the other egos will want to buy that! It has appeal.. it gets sales... and followers.
But his type of wishful delusion leads to things like Deepak claiming he created the Mexicalli earthquake with his meditation.
"Had a powerful meditation just now — caused an earthquake in Southern California." -Deepak
Heh.
pretty funny I guess.
Also Dean Radin... He has not proven anything about our minds being connected by entanglement.
All he has done is suggested that ...and played with data.
People believe for reasons other than having reasons to believe.
I respect Arianna in part because she gives voice to a lot of common sense.
I wish she would find some spiritually attuned people more grounded (in actual science) and less controversial and commercial to throw her support behind. If any actually exist.
That really COULD help the world ...and our spiritual future.
You look fantastic Arianna, but spirituality is a personal journey. Any time you try to include social group think spirituality, you are going to run into problems. The best way is to allow anyone to worship any way they want. . . but keep an eye on people who might use religion as an excuse to do others harm.
What an undignified way to make a living.
At this point there is so much info about him from former followers that would make your hair stand up. His behavior, on multiple occassions, has just been appalling.
His mother (a former follower) has renounced him. Other books have been written, The blog "WhatEnlightenment" is full of first person accounts as well.
If we don't hold so called gurus and spiritual leaders accountable for the wrongs they do, they will just continue to do them.
And no, such comments should NOT be censored. People need to have a heads up, and then go do research for themselves.
It also makes me very happy to be a reader of HP after seeing what Arianna is promoting. Communication like HP and other social media may well be the key to greater consciousness and compassion.
Everyone needs to work against selfishness and greed. From a selfish point of view, doing this work can lead to good karma for the participants. There is a Reiki concept that good karma needs to be dedicated to avoid being lost. Perhaps this is also Buddhist.
Keep up all of your good work Alison.
Translation = Pseudo-Science.
He is a prolific bestseller because millions of peoples' lives are enriched by his writing.
The fact you are attacking another human being reflects on you , not on Chopra.
THE ONLYHOPE FOR SALVATION OF THE PLANET [ PARDON THE PUN] IS GREEN
that is bringing abstract words into physical reality
full spectrum sustainability in action in actual behaviiour
higher states of consciousness is better behaviour and that is more than kindness, living peaceful dynamic ; million sof nice words
better behaviour is in a word green.
Deepak , Shapiro, Williamson etc might write for the green section ; are they themslves a smillionaires setting the example they can afford a Tesla electric car, to demolish sickbuilding syndrome house and built with all natural non-toxic materials, energy efficiency and selfsufficiency, active passive solar, composting, recycling , repurposing...
more than the negative : no pollution no waste less animal consumerism more economical behaviour
it spositive use every day of full spectrum green , not just preaching better behaviour : organic food, vedic organic agriculture
the only hope is millionaires going green the only hope is 2 000 000 000 christians going green
atheists i'm assuming have no veste dinterest insaving th eplanet [ habitat, lifesupport, nourishment] since it's just a chance purposeless thign anyhow
green and cosmic architecture , vastu vidya , maharishi sthapatya veda building an dplanning
green mediicne , natural health care, maharishi Ayur Veda, TCM, naturopathy, master herbalism-
reconnecting to natural law with maharishi jyotish and yagya etc
pardon the bother take 2 rests and day and drink plenty of holy water
This comment alone paints you as a cerebral zephyr, all puffed up with pseudo-boll0cksing word salad.
Atheists have more vested interest in saving the planet than just about any other group in the world! We are the ones that know that this is all there is.
What total b0llocks. Atheists have more interest in saving the planet than virtually any other group as we realise that this is ALL there is. We must preserve the Earth for those that follow us. It is the only moral thing to do.