Compassionate Charity

One path to sustainable happiness is being the happiness you want to achieve. Live it now. A component of happiness is the capacity to have an open heart. Practicing compassion is a path to opening your heart. The development of compassion has had phenomenal scientific research results in the welfare of the brain. Which is amazing since compassion not only breeds happiness in yourself and others it is like rehabilitation for your brain. For instance Metta-meditation increases cerebral activity between our cerebral cortexes, i.e. we can better utilize both sides of our brain in unison.
I had the amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity of following His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama during his visit to Finland (http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/727-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-concludes-two-day-program-in-finland , you can also read more in the post below). He spoke at many different forums, each time spreading the message of compassion and speading awareness regarding the realities of poor conditions of those Tibetians living in the Tibet area of China. At a formal luncheon at the Helsinki Bourse Club an inspired participant asked what people in Finland can do to help. His Holiness answered that what everyone everywhere in the world can do to help is to upkeep awareness of the terrible conditions faced by those living in the area of Tibet. AWARENESS AND COMPASSION.

There is one excellent way to do more than just upkeep and spead awareness, you can send practical help to the people in Tibet. You can send a donation to Danakosha Aid:

http://danakoshaaid.fi/About_us.html
 
Donations go directly towards building and operating a school for nomadic children in Eastern Tibet. These children live in poor conditions and have no access to education. Government aid is lacking.

Danakosha Aid is an awesome charity because you can trust that the aid you give will be brought directly to those in need in the village of Gegong in the area of Dzachuka in Eastern Tibet. Danakosha workers work in direct co-operation with both the local nomad families and Gegong monastery to built and operate an educational center which will be built close to Gegong monastery. (see http://youtu.be/-Nir3rQRIaU for a visual of the area, people and Gegong mpnastery)

If you live in Europe, chances are you can send aid directly to Danakosha Aid through the following bank account: FI3940550010120638/BIC/SWIFT HELSFIHH

Elsewhere you can donate through PayPal.com using the button on the right of this page. Just select any amount, no matter how small and submit. The funds sent through PayPal will be transferred to the Danakosha account above.

Analytical Meditation for Depression

I found the following thoughts on analytical meditation and its use for depression the site http://viewonbuddhism.org/


"All things are preceded by the mind, led by the mind, created by the mind."
- from the first verse of the Dhammapada (quotations from the Buddha)

Why meditate?

"If there is something you truly want to know,
then you truly want to listen to your own wisdom.
You know, meditation is learning how to listen with your own wisdom,
so that you can see.
I think why meditation is amazingly important,
is that somehow our unconscious world is much bigger.
It is huge, universal, and we don't understand that one.
Meditation allows this world to be light and knowable, understandable.
That is why it is important.
Normally we are totally robbed by the egotistic, conventional mind,
not allowing the fundamental mind to be functioning.
That is why one should have confidence,
truly... through experience,
one has confidence in one's spiritual journey."
By Lama Thubten Yeshe

To make the most out of the following analytical meditation, it is good to realise that we should not only observe the analytical mind, but also any arising emotions and feelings. Let yourself open up to the whole experience. A good way to start the analytical meditation is to make sure you are motivated for it and by doing a breathing meditation.

 

Start-up breathing meditation: WATCHING THE BREATH (I have adapted this)

Getting orientated

- Find a space where you won't be interrupted, turn off your phone, tell those around youto let you relax for 20 minutes.

- Take a comfortable position, also a position that doesn't hinder blood flow.

- Let your thoughts roam freely for a few minutes

- Give yourself permission to relax

Begin the breathing meditation

- Let your thoughts concentrate on the tip of your nose, feel the breath going in and out.
To help your concentration, you can count every out-breath as one, and count from 1 to 10. When you arrived at 10, simply start at 1 again. All the attention is with the feeling of the nose and the counting, nothing more, nothing less.
Regularly check yourself if you are still concentrated, do not get angry when distracted, simply return to counting from 1.
Just before ending the breathing meditation, release the concentration on the counting and the tip of your nose, and simply be aware of how you feel for a minute or so.

ANALYTICAL DEPRESSION MEDITATION (unadapted)

- Imagine the state of mind when in depression - everything is black, hopeless, cold - try to really feel it in the heart.
- What am I so concerned about?
- Are there thoughts that keep on repeating themselves in my mind?
- Am I only concerned about myself, my own problems and pain?
- Am I realistic about my own situation?
- Am I really helpless, hopeless, hungry, completely alone, poor and cold?
- How many people in the world are really helpless, hopeless, hungry, alone and cold?
- Try to feel some compassion for their suffering.
- Imagine a little light in your heart that becomes brighter and brighter.
- Open the heart and let the light shine out to other people that really need some love and affection.
- Imagine that their suffering decreases because of your light.
- Now realise that you can use this light also for yourself, and radiate love and affection to yourself.
- Fill the whole body with light and simply enjoy it.

After any meditation you can dedicate any positive or unselfish thoughts, any positive energy to a goal or person of your choice.