Steps

1. Take deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth, and extend your diaphragm as you do so. Although this may be painful if you’ve been crying for prolonged periods of time, the purpose is to relax. Continue even if your breathing is shaky.

2. Tense and relax your body. Once your breathing is fairly normal, try to find where the tension is in your body. Tense up the muscles in this area, hold for the count of five, and relax. Breathe and make a conscious effort to these and other tense areas, such as your shoulders and stomach.

3. Lay down in a position that is comfortable to you in your bed. Turn off the big lights, and turn on the soft nightlights or other small lamps.

4. Turn on some quiet music. Lose yourself in it. Turn this on quietly in the background. Talk to yourself in your head. Say stuff like (Everything is going to be ok) ,( It’s over) or (she is going to be ok).

5. Realize that life has its ups and downs. Crying isn’t a bad thing and that crying isn’t a bad thing to do, but that after a while, crying can actually hurt your body, so it’s important to try to relax.

6. Comfort yourself with the thought that eventually, all this will be a memory, and it won’t be as painful for you to think of, so try not to think about it.

7. Don’t be afraid to cry with a friend or family member. They have probably gone through what you have just experienced.

8. Take a break. If you cannot see the bright side to things, just lie down and go to sleep. You will feel so much better afterwards.

9. Go for a walk with a friend and talk about something that will make you laugh and remember to breathe.

10. Think of happy things. Avoid dwelling on what made you upset. Remember to focus on other things that make you happy. Continue reading →

Practicing generosity in a Buddhist context means to consider everyone equal, not to discriminate against anyone. There are cruel persons and kind persons among the poor and destitute, just as there are among the wealthy, and we must not exclude the cruel ones from our practice.

As the sutra states, ‘Bodhisattvas consider everyone, friends and enemies alike, as equal. They do not condemn anyone’s past wrongdoings, nor do they hate those who are presently doing harm.’ This expresses the spirit of Mahayana Buddhism. Poverty creates anger, hatred, and wrongdoing. If we teach Buddhist philosophy through lectures, but do not practice generosity to ease the suffering of others, we have not yet attained the essence of Buddhism. We should practice generosity with compassion and not disdain, without discriminating against people who, because of their poverty, have caused anger and hatred. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

From Sadness to Hope – the Power of Compassion

May the supreme and precious awakening mind
Arise where it has not yet arisen.
And where it has declined or does not exist,
May it flourish and keep growing.

“It is clear that the greater your sense of altruism, the more you work
for the welfare of others, the greater will be your own satisfaction.
And when you come to die you’ll be able to go with confidence. As you
dedicate yourself to working for others, your own interests will
incidentally be fulfilled. Selfishness and self-centredness, on the
other hand, lead to anxiety and suspicion, poor health and a decline in
well-being.” ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Although the Buddha had spoken about suffering when he taught the Four
Noble Truths, that is no grounds for feeling depressed. Rather we should
examine what gives rise to suffering and take on the challenge of
overcoming it. He said that helping others who suffer to cope and
overcome their grief described is a great gift of kindness.

His Holiness clarified that we experience two levels of pain, physical and mental, and that while physical pain tends to have a physical cause, mental suffering usually derives from our own way of thinking. For this the 8th century Indian master, Shantideva, offers practical advice:

Why be unhappy about something
If it can be remedied?
And what is the use of being unhappy about something
If it cannot be remedied?

Source: dalailama.com
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The Sun challenges us to Shine, the Clouds remind us to Move,
the Birds tell us we too can Fly and the Sky tells us that there
is no limit to our Dreams and Goals. ~RVM, India

Prayer is only another name for good, clean, direct thinking. When you pray, think well what you are saying, and make your thoughts into things that are solid. In that manner, your prayer will have strength, and that strength shall become part of you, mind, body, and spirit. ~Richard Llewellyn

The Areng Valley in Koh Kong province. Environmental impact assessments on a dam project there are pushing ahead. International Rivers