Clipmarks | kwonsu's 'spirituality' clips

Sexual exploration is a basic human instinct and most of us will wander into the secret garden of less familiar sexual experiences to feed our erotic hunger. If you and your partner are looking for something new, Tantric sex could be the ideal adventure.

Tantra (a Sanskrit word meaning "woven together") can be loosely defined as a system of Hindu yoga which worships the union of men and women. Although a gay interpretation of Tantra is perfectly possible, historically the movement has its roots in the heterosexual physical and spiritual union of man and woman which leads to a form of sexual ritual where slow, non-orgasmic sex is believed to be a path to experience the divine.

The skill is in developing ways of delaying orgasm and manipulating our ability to control the climax.

"He who realises the truth of the body can come to know the truth of the universe."

Tags: sex, spirituality, love, life, people, tantra

The Sacred Book of the Maya - Creational Story

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 15:17:09 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.crystalinks.com

Popol Vuh - The Sacred Book of the Maya - Creational Story

The Popol Vuh, preserved in various transcriptions since the 16th century, was lost for many years and rediscovered. A simplified version of the complex text is now available in English and Spanish.

One part of this story recounts the first attempts of the creator, Heart of Sky to create humans. Finally he created the "True People" by constructing them with maize.

They came together in darkness to think and reflect. This is how they came to decide on the right material for the creation of man. . . . Then our Makers Tepew and Q'uk'umatz began discussing the creation of our first mother and father. Their flesh was made of white and yellow corn. The arms and legs of the four men were made of corn meal.

This is a very reasonable explanation since, in essence, it was the cultivation of maize that gave the early Maya culture the means to change from hunters gatherers to their highly advanced civilization.

Tags: popol vuh, religion, maya, spirituality, life, people

Quotes from Confucius

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:24:35 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.1000ventures.com

By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.

Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.

Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.

A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake.

When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.

Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.

Respect yourself and others will respect you.

When anger rises, think of the consequences.

Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.

Have no friends not equal to yourself.

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.

The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue.

If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.

He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.

Tags: confucius, quotes, spirituality, life, people

Why are emotions important

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 01:33:50 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: eqi.org

Here are a few of the reasons our emotions are important in our lives. By the way, the first few chapters of Goleman's 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, have a good presentation on evolution and emotions.

Survival

Nature developed our emotions over millions of years of evolution. As a result, our emotions have the potential to serve us today as a delicate and sophisticated internal guidance system

Decision Making

Boundary Setting

When we feel uncomfortable with a person's behavior, our emotions alert us.

Communication

Our emotions help us communicate with others. Our facial expressions, for example, can convey a wide range of emotions.

Happiness

Studies show that when a person's emotional connections are severed in the brain, he can not make even simple decisions.

The better we can identify our emotions, the easier it will be to determine what is needed to be happy.

Unity

Beliefs divide us. Emotions unite us.

Tags: emotions, people, life, spirituality

Atheism's Big List of Quotations by Richard Dawkins

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 17:27:46 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu
clipper's remarks:

Clip Source: www.positiveatheism.org

I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world.
-- Richard Dawkins (attributed: source unknown)

Religion teaches the dangerous nonsense that death is not the end.
-- Richard Dawkins, "Religion's Misguided Missiles" (September 15, 2001)

By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
-- Richard Dawkins, in "Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder," The Richard Dimbleby Lecture, BBC1 Television (12 November 1996)

Yes, testosterone-sodden young men too unattractive to get a woman in this world might be desperate enough to go for 72 private virgins in the next.
-- Richard Dawkins, "Religion's Misguided Missiles" (September 15, 2001)

Faith is powerful enough to immunize people against all appeals to pity, to forgiveness, to decent human feelings. It even immunizes them against fear, if they honestly believe that a martyr's death will send them straight to heaven.
-- Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene

Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.
-- Richard Dawkins (attributed: source unknown)

To describe religions as mind viruses is sometimes interpreted as contemptuous or even hostile. It is both. I am often asked why I am so hostile to organized religion.
-- Richard Dawkins, The Devil's Chaplain (2004)

If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it.
-- Richard Dawkins (attributed: source unknown)

You cannot be both sane and well educated and disbelieve in evolution. The evidence is so strong that any sane, educated person has got to believe in evolution.
-- Richard Dawkins, in Lanny Swerdlow, "My Sort Interview with Richard Dawkins" (Portland, Oregon, 1996)

Tags: evolution, creationism, dawkins, darwin, religion, atheism, spirituality, people, science

The Beliefs and Laws of Islam

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 13:10:21 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu
clipper's remarks: Stephen Bates explains the basics to non-Muslims with little previous knowledge.

Clip Source: www.islamfortoday.com

Origins Islam is the religion of allegiance to God and his prophet Mohammed, who lived around 570-632 and came from a family of traders at Mecca. The religion's book of revelation, mediated by the prophet, is the Koran. The word Islam derives from the same semitic root as the Hebrew word Shalom, which means peace. Islam means "entering into a condition of peace and security with God, through allegiance or surrender to him".

Mohammed is said to have received his revelations over a period of 23 years from the Angel Jibreel, or Gabriel, who was relaying the word of God.

It was not a completely new faith but is the third great monotheistic religion. In Muslim eyes, Mohammed completes a succession of prophets, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus, each of whom refined and restated the message of God.

The Koran therefore corroborates, updates and expands the Old and New Testaments.

It contains 114 chapters, written in vivid, rhyming prose, and was settled in its current form within 30 years of Mohammed's death.

Main tenets Central to Islam is the absolute sense that there can only be one God - Allah - and that he is the source of all creation and disposer of all lives and events. Hence, there is no God but God and Mohammed is his messenger.

The five pillars of the Islamic faith - the fundamental constituents of Muslim life - are: · Shahada, the profession of faith in the uniqueness of Allah and the centrality of Mohammed as his prophet · Salat, formal worship or prayer · Zakat, the giving of alms for the poor, assessed on all adult Muslims as 2.5% of capital assets once a year · Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim should undertake at least once in their lifetime; the annual hajj takes place during the last 10 days of the 12th lunar month every year · Sawm, fasting during Ramadan, the holy ninth month of the lunar year.

Tags: religion, people, spirituality, islam, koran

Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 13:05:21 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu
clipper's remarks: Follow the link above to reach a short and clear explanation of The Four Noble Truths

Clip Source: www.thebigview.com

The Four Noble Truths

1. Life means suffering.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

Clip Source: www.thebigview.com

Tags: buddhism, four noble truths, religion, spirituality, people

ZEN - Visually rich, funny, intuitive, basic introduction

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:50:29 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.do-not-zzz.com

Tags: religion, spirituality, people, science, zen, buddhism, japan

A good place to get Religion Facts

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:28:47 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.religionfacts.com

Religion, or at least religious inquiry, is something that nearly all humans share in common. In all corners of the world and in all eras of history, people have wondered about the meaning of life, how to make the best of it, what happens afterwards, and if there is anyone "out there."

The goal of this website is to provide free, reliable information — "just the facts" — on the various answers that have been given to these near-universal questions, as well as the rituals and customs that go along with them. This very broad definition means that we have articles on a wide variety of religions (both ancient and modern), but also "ways of life" like philosophies, modern mind-body teachings, and even some anti-religion systems like Epicureanism and modern atheism.

ReligionFacts does not promote any one religion or belief system nor even a particular view of religion. Our only "value statements" are these: (1) religion is interesting; (2) knowledge is good. These two opinions led to the creation of ReligionFacts in 2004. Other than that, we keep our opinions to ourselves and aim to give you the facts in the most unbiased and objective manner possible. We hope you find ReligionFacts useful and interesting. Find what you're looking for by browsing the top menu or entering your topic in the search box at the top of any page. Thank you for visiting ReligionFacts!

Tags: religion, spirituality, islam, judaism, christianity, buddhism, hinduism, mormonism

Quotes about life from Buddha

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 19:46:14 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: thinkexist.com

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.”

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”

“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.”

“To understand everything is to forgive everything”

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”

Clip Source: thinkexist.com

“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”

“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky”

“However many holy words you read,However many you speak,What good will they do you If you do not act on upon them?”

“A jug fills drop by drop.”

“The tongue like a sharp knife... Kills without drawing blood.”

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”

“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”

“A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.”

Clip Source: thinkexist.com

“There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.”

“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”

Tags: religion, spirituality, quotes, life

How to achieve happiness.

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:03:43 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu
clipper's remarks: Follow the link for the whole list.

Clip Source: carlosruben.multiply.com

Live with Passion

This life is not a rehearsal for the real thing; don't just walk through it reading your lines. Get passionately involved with all aspects of your life because it is too precious and special to be treated politely or with indifference.

Behave in a happy cheerful fashion even though you don't feel happy.

If you imagine a thing to be true, your body generally responds accordingly. Your body does not differentiate between "real" messages and "imagined" messages, so if your brain's message is "I'm happy", hormones will be released that put your body in a "happy state". Note! This also works in reverse and depressing thoughts, whether real or imagined, have a negative effect on the body.

Exercise and meditate twice a day.

Exercise prevents the body from "rusting out". It is the best preventative medicine available and the only way to slow the aging process. Meditation focuses the mind and evokes the relaxation response, which reduces anxiety and stress.

Be spiritual.

Spirituality involves the deepest level of human existence. All human societies have created religions to help people experience spiritual awareness and search for the meaning of life and death. The ultimate sources of spirituality are not understood and probably will never be subject to scientific analysis. Whatever the source, belief in powers that transcend human kind help us deal with problems which otherwise would be beyond our grasp.

Be sexual.

Humans are the sexiest animals. We do not have mating seasons, as do most other animals but are ready to engage in sexual activities throughout all of the year. Sexual activity releases hormones that cause very beneficial changes in the body. A well balanced sex life can have enormous benefits to both your health and your state of mind. It has been said "The gods do not subtract from allotted time of humans those hours spent in loving activity".

Tags: happiness, life, stress, spirituality, philosophy

10 Rules for Being Human

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 06:43:00 GMT

clipped by: coecoe321
clipper's remarks: This says it all!

(Written by Cherie Carter-Scott)

Clip Source: www.bluinc.com

You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.

You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."

There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."

Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.

Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.

"There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."

Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

You will forget all this.

Tags: life, spirituality

Coping With People You Dislike

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 16:50:38 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu
clipper's remarks: t is worth trying... (not for the people you dislike but for yourself)
Read the complete article at http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2006/6107.html

Clip Source: www.dailyom.com

As much as most of us wish we could exist in harmony with the people we encounter throughout our lives, there will always be individuals we dislike. Some simply rub us the wrong way while others strike us as deliberately unaware. We may judge others as too mean or abrasive for us to interact with them comfortably. Yet no person should be deemed a villain because their beliefs, opinions, mannerisms, and mode of being are not compatible with your own. You need not embrace the rough traits they have chosen to embody. There may be times in which the best course of action involves distancing yourself from someone you dislike. But circumstances may require that you spend time in the company of individuals who awaken your aversion. In such cases, you can ease your discomfort by showing your foe loving compassion while examining your feelings carefully.

Tags: inspiration, spirituality