While the Western World is accustomed to coming at a situation with a list of rules under their arm, the Buddhist view could be seen as approaching a situation from the other side. Intrinsically, Buddhist views would preclude the list of activities that are either good or bad. Rather, the question remains, does the activity stand in the way of the enlightenment of the person who is performing the activity.

Sex in general, if used for unhealthy purposes, will be harmful. This is in the same manner that anything, in the wrong hands, can be harmful. Probably ultimately, upon full enlightenment, the individual may have no interest in sex. Conversely, upon enlightenment, the person will experience nothing but one huge orgasm. Who knows?

The good news is that the melding into the Oneness that occurs with enlightenment, is the ultimate bliss. What this means, one doesn’t know.

But millions of people who have chosen the path of the Buddha, have glimpsed shadows of the possibility, have found enough peace to continue the journey. The view of the Buddhist of homosexuality probably is less about right or wrong, than the use of the practice. This would be the same as the view of any activity of sexuality; or business pursuit; or interaction with a colleague; or use of the environment.

Most people, unless a Bodhisattva, are in this physical world to learn the lessons to allow for enlightenment. The very act of issuing an edict concerning someone elses actions may uncover one’s own misunderstanding.

If one is hoping for the enlightenment that may offer the eternal orgasm, one would think long and hard before judging the personal actions of another. And as one is up in arms over the gay or lesbian sexual behavior of another, we may be overlooking the murderous heterosexual rapist.

It is a complicated physical existence we are enmeshed in.

Consumerism is deeply enmeshed in the psyche of most Americans. Not only are we rewarded for spending money, we are cajoled and encouraged to do so. The advertising industry, itself a hugely profitable business, is paid to inform people that what they have, is not enough.

In fact, what each person has is indeed enough. Sin is not a Buddhist concept in the manner as understood by Westerners. Sin, as implied by Buddhism, is that which stands between an individual and the melding into the Oneness that will convey bliss. Greed can be seen as a sin, because this emotion will strengthen the feelings of division within the individual.

The emotion will strengthen a perception of lacking on an individual basis. In truth, this does not exist. Neither is poverty a virtue. Poverty will as surely set up the illusion of lack, when in reality it may only be the universal cry of “I want”, of the childish mind.

Consumerism is an artificial system that has been created for the manipulation of the many for the few. Currently, as consumers live in their cluttered homes with limited spaciousness and enormous debt, the silliness of consumerism is an easy argument. Ten years ago, at the height of the consumer-mentality, the person suggesting moderation would have not been taken so seriously.

This unfolding of fortunes is the materialization of the abstract concept of letting go in order to uncover more. The more we try to hold on to, the farther we move from our true nature and the Oneness that is bliss.

The individual who understands the value of peace, contentment, and intrinsic value of oneself, can be the recipient of spaciousness both physical and emotional. The need to buy material products to prove one’s worth is irrelevant.

Lack of material possessions, after the requisite food, shelter, and clothing, leaves enormous room for delving into bountiful nature, peaceful sleep, enjoyable contemplation and activities with friends and family.

And the lack of debt needs no discussion.

The idea of the smallest being as the enormity of Creation will put into words the concept of sex as seen within the Buddhist tradition. Just as the brocolli floweret is the same as the whole, and each tiny portion of the floweret is like the brocolli floweret, is the Creation as compared to the Creator.

And, since Creation exists, the act of Creation is the nature of each little creature. This is accomplished according to the nature of the creature. Since humans are held to be in a move advanced level on the path to full enlightenment, humans ideally will accept their role in sex in a more thoughtful and sacred manner than, say, a worm.

However, sex is indeed in the nature of humans, as it is in the nature of everything, including plants and animals. As far as we know, it may include rocks and rain. In a world where the bumble bee can see colors that humans are impervious to and dogs hear sounds that go unnoticed by people, there may indeed be something going on that we are missing.

Sex, is therefore, an enjoyable and honorable part of human nature. When treated with the sacred respect with which one may best view his or her life, it is as nourishing as any other food. In particular, if one considers that the act of Creation has produced everyone and everything, the act of sex can be seen as a recreation of the act of Creation by our Creator.

This will suggest that when a man and woman, with similar understanding, are united in the symbol of Creation called marriage, the act of sex can be physically dynamic and spiritually compelling.

If one has chosen to follow the path of Buddhism to work toward enlightenment, the sex act can be a suggestion of the ultimate joining with the Oneness.

The message of Buddhism is of the interdependence and cause and effect of everything. One can see that this concept could be the perfect guide for a happy marriage. The couple who desires a healthful marriage knows that it isn’t about the man and it isn’t about the woman, it’s about the marriage.

The husband and wife who, rather than requiring what each needs, have agreed to work on what is beneficial to the marriage, may have an opportunity to make each happy and content.

In a world where individual rights are written into our US Constitution, the idea of give and take may take a back-seat to cooperation.

The advantage of two committed people working together for a common end is invaluable. The couple can decide who is the most effective money-earner, and divide the obligations accordingly. Or the couple can agree that both husband and wife should contribute monetarily, and to equally divide the remainder of the obligations.

When the welfare of the other is important and acted upon, the sexual life can be greatly enhanced. The gift of sexuality is seen as natural and beneficial when used with honorable and open intentions. When the healthy sexual life between 2 loving people is added to the mix of happiness within a cared-for marriage, self-realization for the husband and wife is possible.

The Western culture, with the focus on advertising of product and personality, has helped to cheapen the institution of marriage. People may enter into the partnership with a half-expectation of a circus atmosphere. One-upsmanship may seem normal. Husbands may be seen as ineffectual bumblers and wives may be pictured as self-centered tyrants; or vica versa.

The choice for the description of marriage rests with each couple. Making one’s decisions based on values rather than reaction is only an extension of the process of the person who is working toward enlightenment using the path of the Buddha.

Many marriages are as internally competitive as the culture within which we live. A different approach could provide a surprisingly pleasant result.

The future of Buddhism can be viewed as the future of physics. If indeed it is the truth, Buddhism will be what it will be. Cause and effect will be at play, funneling Creation in the only direction possible.

Proselytizing is uncomfortable in the Buddhist tradition, and not advocated for. The reason is that, again, when an individual stops working on their own enlightenment to instruct another, he or she has, in that act, interferred with the greater Power of Creation.

Just as in physics, theories abound of global warming and the influence that humans have on our atmosphere, in reality this is a local situation. The self-absorbed concern for oneself of the human being, suggests that we will change the character of the Earth by our misuse of the environment.

This will, ultimately, not mean a thing to the Universe, planets, or the Earth itself. For the same reason, the fact that humans so cavalierly play with environment, is witness to our lack of understanding of the enormity of the Power of Creation and our association to it.

It is usually the unforeseen circumstances that tell the tale of the future. For example, Buddhism developed in the isolation of the Himalyas. In this remote area, the focus could be placed on the inner world, without the distractions that the rest of the planet was bombarded.

The Buddhist tradition came to become a remarkably researched and guarded phylosophy. It was protected against outside intrusion. When Tibet was invaded by China and the Buddhist monks fled their country, they took their learning with them. The result has been that the world received these teachings.

The invasion that was intended to quell the tradition that was offensive to the Chinese, instead resulted in the spread of Buddhism through the world. This is an example of the cause and effect that is life in the physical. No one knows what the result of their actions will be. We can try our hardest for one result, and end up with another.

In Buddhism, one is extolled to leave the tradition if it does not suit one. As in physics, the investigation, scientific discoveries and education of the scientists, will not influence the subject. Both Buddhism and physics are bigger than humans; and we are immersed in both.

And this is the truth that will allow humans who follow the Buddhist tradition, to find their personal place in the vastness. This is the reason it is advisable to work on one’s “own little acre of Paradise”, as it were.

The future of Buddhism will unfold as it will. It will need no formal program or plan as layed out by its followers. We are instead free to put the effort into ourselves.

You may choose to call yourself a Buddhist if you follow the path of Siddhartha Gautama, the man who was born into a royal family in 563 B. C. in the area that is now called Nepal. Early in his life, he realized his royal birth and extravagant wealth offered no more protection against sickness, death, and pain than the lowliest beggar received from his unenviable position in life.

The Buddha nature is not assumed or created by an individual, it is uncovered and realized. Everything and everybody has Buddha nature. Realization of this Buddha nature sets one upon the path toward what one may call enlightenment.

This is the realization of the validity of everything that is, and the illusory nature thereof. Rather than viewing the world in terms of good and bad, one begins to understand that the world cannot be without the dichotomy of what would be called the yin and yang, the dark and light; the material world that would not exist without the opposites.

Most people will attempt to ward off what they perceive to be the bad, or the dark, or the yin. In reality, it is the dance between the opposites that is life. Good would not exist without bad. Light would not exist without dark. Yang would not exist without Yin.

When a person understands this, they can begin to live their life in a manner to honor and accept the opposites, and to know that their existence in the material world would be impossible without the opposites. When a person transcends the yin and the yang, they can move on to pure enlightenment, which is nothing more than the ability to incorporate the opposites into their experience without discrimination, and cannot be accomplished within this material existence.

The person may choose to label oneself a Buddhist. The enormity, all-inclusiveness, and inter-dependence of everything and everyone may present a different perspective. When the significance of this realization is absorbed, the need or wish to label has become irrelevant.

Prosaically, a person who follows the path as described by Siddhartha Gautama can be called a Buddhist. The internalization of this realization is something much more awesome.

Natural techniques are becoming increasingly popular in the treatment of many disorders and problems that affect our everyday lives. When it comes to issues and disorders involving high levels of stress or anxiety, methods such as mindfulness meditation are becoming more and more popular treatment methods. Methods such as mindfulness meditation are used to calm and quiet an individual’s anxieties and stresses, in the hopes of leading them to full and productive lives that are high in quality.

The concept of Mindfulness Meditation is precisely what it sounds like. The method of mindfulness is used in conjunction with meditation to teach individuals how to better control their lives. Mindfulness as it sounds is used to teach an individual how to develop their own awareness in the present moment. It is mindfulness in the truest sense, where one is taught to merely observe this moment and experience without judging or criticizing it.

When an individual is being mindful, they will accept any issue or thought process that arises without criticism. Mindfulness means to watch this event, and to not act on this event or judge it. As such, this process allows an individual to focus on this specific moment without being distracted by other thought processes or external stimuli.

When used in conjunction with meditation methods, mindfulness meditation allows an individual to concentrate on the processes that are impairing their daily lives. This kind of meditation allows an individual to recognize the precise stream of consciousness that their behaviors are submerged in every day. It is an intentional focus that allows this person to become fully present, and to attend to what is occurring both in and out of themselves.

Mindfulness meditation is very effective in treating anxiety disorders because it helps an individual overcome toxic thought processes by allowing the individual to experience them for themselves through mindfulness. It is very effective in helping one overcome their vulnerabilities to destructive emotional or mental thought patterns.

If one has decided to follow the path of the Buddha, enlightenment is the goal. Enlightenment will remove the pain of living within the cause and effect world of this physical world.

Most of us understand the frustration of the idea that the harder we try, the more ellusive the result. This is the abstract effect of the picture of the world in terms of right and wrong. In truth, the Buddha nature implies that everything is as it should be, and the imperfection we perceive is more in our own mind than in reality.

Enlightenment is the state of letting go of one’s own ideas sufficiently to see the reality of what is. If we believe we hold the future in our hands, we are quite caught up in the process of cause and effect. We may have heard the old adage, “The path to hell is paved with good intentions”. This implies an understanding of the process of cause and effect.

In truth, the presence in this physical world suggests that enlightenment has not as yet occurred. When one has absorbed the truth of the Buddha nature and all-inclusive state of everything, one will no longer live in the physical world. One will have desolved into the Pure Light of Oneness.

This can be a disturbing concept to anyone who is still separated by dualism, from the Oneness. The ubiquitous cry of “I want”, is well-known to everyone and a difficult emotion to release. And this, comically, is the emotion that separates us from Oneness.

Possibly this is the reason for the little smile on the face of the famous statues of the Buddha, with his bald head and little pot belly. We already have it all. If we can let go of our comical demands, we will experience Enlightenment.

In truth, not everyone in the material world lacks Enlightenment. A Boddhisatva is a person who has gained enlightenment and has moved into the Oneness as a result. Some of these Enlightened Beings, in their compassion for the rest of us, choose to come back from the Oneness into our physical world of opposites, to help others find their way.

This would imply people such as Jesus, perhaps Ghandi, or maybe Mother Theresa. They don’t need to be famous, and we may be living next door to a Boddhisatva. The person who is gaining awards for good works, is probably not a Boddhisatva. The intention of the Boddhisatva would not be personal fame.

A wonderful little Chihuahua named Kuan Yin was most possibly a Boddhisatva. Her selfless and universal love and acceptance was inspirational. This didn’t mean she wouldn’t give a little nip to another when needed.

When looking for new approaches to depression, especially when medications are unwanted or ineffective, one of the lesser-known options is mindfulness based cognitive therapy. For depression, many approaches deal with the active examination and rejection of thought processes and patterns that are deemed unproductive… but MBCT turns this upside down, taking an entirely different approach.

Based on the works of Jon Kabat-Zinn, the purpose of mindfulness based cognitive therapy for depression is not to alter the processes and patterns themselves, but to alter one’s response. Instead of rejecting the way your brain and mind react to the world around you, MBCT accepts this activity, and chooses to take a different response.

The key element of mindfulness based cognitive therapy for depression is to understand what is happening in the moment, from second to second throughout the day; to recognize it, accept it, and act rationally – rather than emotionally – without assigning any value judgement to the patterns and processes themselves.

When applying this to your own life, and seeking a condition of greater awareness and self-control, it is important to recall that the processes and patterns… while they may be unproductive, or incorrect, or even irrational… are not bad or wrong. They are simply a condition, and you can choose whether to respond – taking a reasonable and intelligent action – or react, taking an emotional and possibly unproductive action.

Depending on the people you ask, mindfulness based cognitive therapy for depression is either a wonderful thing that has made their lives immeasurably better, or a complete waste of time. Like any therapeutic method, you get out of it roughly what you put into it – the therapy itself does not cure anything, but serves as a tool you can use to cure yourself.

If you’ve owned a small handheld game system, or known someone who does, you’ve seen the small games that promise to improve your brain function by having you do basic exercises and play simple games on a daily basis. These games work on the theory of neuroplasticity; exercises such as this can theoretically inspire your brain to create new and better interactions among the neurons, and thereby assist you to think faster and better.

But the real question – what everyone who sees these games tends to think first – is, do they even work? Can it really improve your brain’s function to do some simple little games poking at a screen and some buttons?

Unsurprisingly, the answer is yes – neuroplasticity exercises, while they may seem to have little connection to higher brain function, actually do help teach the brain how to improve and adapt the basic functions that underlie all higher thought processes.

It seems ridiculous, to many of us, that watching someone play a digital shell game with fake boxes can have any real effect… but this is, in fact, a real neuroplasticity exercise that can teach your brain to respond more effectively to changing circumstances.

From hand and eye coordination to communication and emotional maturity, neuroplasticity exercises of various types serve like the drills sports coaches use to improve athletic performance. The brain is constantly improving itself, and enhancing its ability to efficiently perform the processes you call upon it to master… so deliberate training and effort does, indeed, improve those functions.

Whether you’re learning to achieve better activation of your central nervous system for athletic performance, or cultivating rapid decision-making for professional benefit, or simply learning how to respond appropriately in uncomfortable social scenarios – neuroplasticity exercises can help you achieve your goals more rapidly, and with greater success.