8 Ancient Beliefs Now Backed By Modern Science

 

The Earth may not be flat nor is it the center of the universe, but that doesn’t mean old-world intellectuals got everything wrong. In fact, in recent years, modern science has validated a number of teachings and beliefs rooted in ancient wisdom that, up until now, had been trusted but unproven empirically.
Here are eight ancient beliefs and practices that have been confirmed by modern science.

Helping others can make you healthier.

In their never-ending search for the best way to live, Greek philosophers argued over the relative benefits of hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. Hedonic well-being sees happiness as a factor of increased pleasure and decreased pain, while eudaimonic (“human flourishing”) happiness has more to do with having a larger purpose or meaning in life. A recent study from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist Barbara Fredrickson may reveal which form of happiness is more beneficial for health and well-being.
The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year, found that while both types of happiness can make you feel good, the latter could promote physical health and longevity as well. Using phone interviews, questionnaires and blood samples, the study explored how the two forms of happiness affected individuals on a genetic level. Participants with more hedonic and less eudaimonic well-being were found to have a lower production of virus-attacking antibodies, while those with more eudaimonic well-being experienced an increase in antibody production.

Acupuncture can restore balance to your body.

The traditional Chinese medicine technique is believed to address imbalances in a person’s qi (pronounced chi), the circulating energy within every living thing. Whether or not you believe in the existence of this energy flow, a new study published in Archives of Internal Medicine found that the age-old practice may be an effective way to relieve migraines, arthritis and other chronic pains.
Analyzing previous research data from approximately 18,000 subjects, researchers found that acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture and standard western care when treating various types of pain, including migraines and chronic back pain.

We need the support of a community in order to thrive.

Traditional Buddhist teachings suggest that community is a key component in any happy, fulfilled life. A 2010 study conducted by Brigham Young University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers confirmed this belief, concluding that a healthy social life promotes longevity.
In analyzing the 148 studies — involving more than 300,000 individual participants — available on the subject, the researchers discovered that those with stronger social relationships maintained a 50 percent increased likelihood of survival. The effect of social relationships on mortality risk is even greater than the effect of exercise or obesity.

Tai chi can help alleviate a variety of health conditions.

This ancient Chinese martial art is based on the belief that achieving balance with one’s mind and body creates an overall sense of peace and harmony, naturally inspiring a long life. A report in the May 2009 issue of Harvard Women’s Health Watch summarized several studies confirming that this “moving meditation” practice can help prevent and treat many age-related health problems alongside standard treatment in older adults. A number of studies in the past decade have found tai chi to be helpful for those suffering from arthritis, low bone density and heart disease.

Meditation can help you reduce stress and discover inner peace.

Stemming from ancient Eastern origins, the practice of meditation is believed to help still the mind and reach a heightened level of awareness, improving health and well-being as a byproduct. Science is now proving the health benefits of meditation. The latest study from a team of Harvard Medical School scientists reveals how this mind-body practice can affect genes that control stress levels and immune function.
Harvard psychiatrist John Denniger and his team used neuro-imaging and genomics technology to measure potential physiological changes in each subject more accurately. After observing the high-stress individuals as they followed the study’s prescribed yoga and meditation practices, the team noticed an improvedmitochondrial energy production, utilization and resiliency, which help to reduce the stress linked to health conditions like hypertension and infertility.

Compassion is the key to a meaningful life.

Tibetan Buddhist tradition includes a practice called metta, or loving-kindness. A 2012 study from Emory University found that compassion meditation based on this Tibetan model can effectively boost one’s ability to empathize with others by way of reading their facial expressions.
Another loving-kindness meditation study from 2011 found that, over time, this practice increased participants’ positive emotions that allowed them to find a deeper sense of mindfulness, their purpose in life, the network of support surrounding them, and their health. These components helped increase their overall life satisfaction.

Accepting what you can’t change is key to reducing suffering.

According to Buddhist teachings, one must accept the things they cannot change in order to reduce suffering. Now, scientists have found that this belief rings true,especially for older adults who are working through difficult life changes.
Researchers from Deakin University in Australia found that facing the realities of living with assistance and losing a degree of independence helps seniors live longer and feel far happier. Their study, which was published in the Journal of Happiness Studies last year, compared feelings of life satisfaction and perceived control of older adults living with assistance and those living in the community. Their analysis revealed that the ability to accept the inevitable (as well as maintain low-level control) in an assisted living setting was a significant predictor of life satisfaction. The researchers concluded, “In order to protect the well-being of older individuals, adaptation involves both a sense of control and the active acceptance of what cannot be changed.”

All you need is love.

If there is one thing that a variety of ancient wisdom traditions can agree on, it’s the value of love in maintaining a happy, meaningful life. And a group of Harvard researchers, on a mission to uncover the true roots of life fulfillment, conducted a 75-year study that reached the same conclusion.
The Harvard Grant Study, led by psychiatrist George Vaillant, followed the life trajectories of 268 male students in order to answer life’s universal questions of growth, development, value and purpose. Vaillant considers the most meaningful finding of the study to be that a happy life revolves around loving relationships. He explained that there are two pillars of happiness: “One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away.”
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Source: huffingtonpost.com

6 Mistakes I’ve Made on the Spiritual Path

Yes, I know, there are no mistakes on the spiritual journey. There can’t be, if you think about it. The spiritual journey is, to a certain extent, a process of learning. And don’t we almost always learn best from what we often see as our mistakes? But then, if we learn from them, if we grow from them, how could they really be mistakes?
As you venture down the spiritual path, you really start seeing your life as a long curriculum in a giant classroom called Life. No mistakes. Just your individual assignments. I have had my “lessons” to learn, my conditioning to undo.
That said, here are 6 things that I would have previously called mistakes. For me, they weren’t. But maybe you will see something in them that will help you as you journey down the path.

1. You cannot choose love too often. So many times along the path, I’ve been given the opportunity to choose love or fear. Many, many times I chose fear. I pushed people and things away to avoid loving them. I suffered, to be sure, and Life graciously came back and offered the lesson again and again. I’m very glad it did. Choose love.
2. You can’t sit too much. I loved meditating when I first started, but I loved reading about and talking about spirituality more. And reading and talking about spirituality, while they can be helpful, just doesn’t cut the mustard. Spirituality must be lived, it must be experienced. Sitting with yourself, finding out what you really are is so incredibly important and transformative.
3. Not enough time spent in nature. For centuries, spiritual masters have made references to nature, to time spent in nature, as a part of their journey. There is something about the trees, the rocks, the plants, the sky, the sun that calls to us. Being in nature is a powerful aid to our spiritual growth. Taking a walk in the pines will do more for you than a library full of books.
4. Being arrogant about my beliefs. I was a jerk in the early days of my journey. I was cocky, overly confident, and thought I knew it all. What a joke! The real truth of the matter is that I knew so little. By being so cocky, I rejected a lot of interesting and potentially helpful spiritual teachings along the way. I had to learn humility, almost by force. I’m truly grateful I did, because now I see so clearly how all the things I thought I knew were an obstacle of sorts to knowing the only thing that mattered: who I truly am.
5. Believing that feelings are reliable guides to behavior and truth. I’ve made lots of choices in life based upon how I feel, which is not a great idea, I’ve come to see. Feelings are just feelings. They are simply sensations in our bodies in response to our thoughts. They have something to teach us, for certain, but they aren’t the truth. For instance, every time you’ve experienced anxiety, you are afraid of something that is only in your mind. But you aren’t in eminent danger, and you aren’t going to die. Thus, anxiety is a poor guide for action. The only thing to do with feelings is to experience them and then let them go. Feelings want to be felt. Let the energy flow. As Hale Dwoskin of the Sedona Method likes to say: “Feelings are not true, they are not you, and you can let them go.”
6. Rejecting spiritual teachings before giving them a chance. This goes along with number 4 above. For instance, I hated The Secret when I first saw it. I was very agitated after watching it because I had a strong reaction to some of the “personalities” in it. They seemed so arrogant and, well, like used car salesmen. And so I rejected all the ideas in The Secret. Of course, I was being as arrogant as they seemed to be. There are good ideas in The Secret, and had I listened to some of them, I might have found a way to learn some lessons that I took over a year to learn the hard way.
   

I’ve found over the years that one of the best ways to learn and grow is from hearing other people’s stories, their successes and mistakes along the spiritual path. I would love to hear of your “mistakes” in the comments.
by Tom Stine

The Six Metaphysical Laws

There are Six Metaphysical Laws of Prosperity, inviolable principles and maxims beyond the physical plane that dictate a person’s future success and ultimate prosperity.
1. The Metaphysical Law of Human Radiation recognizes that each person is basically a powerful energy source that radiates a karma of thoughts and feelings, emotions or “vibes,” if you will. In a philosophical way, we are both living magnets and power sources of human energy–a yin and yang in oriental thinking. This law teaches us that as we radiate out our unique energy, we attract into our lives those people and circumstances that are in tune with our unique thoughts. You attract to yourself what you radiate out from yourself, whether it is positive or negative. People of a similar mind tend to group together. Your close friends probably think much like you do. They have become your close friends because of this metaphysical law of human radiation. It confirms the old adage that birds of a feather flock together. Others immediately recognize fundamentally good people because of the aura they cast. They easily attract friends. People instinctively trust them. This occurs by the metaphysical Law of Human Attraction. Those who have few or no friends also operate under the Law of Attraction. Somehow the true natures of people shine through and others instinctively know who they really are inside.



YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT AND YOU BECOME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT
For years you have heard that you are what you eat. It is true, but did you know that you become what you think about all the time? This is equally true. There is another maxim that guides your life: what you radiate out, you also attract to yourself. Stated differently, what a person thinks about all the time is attracted into his life. Show me someone who is passionately consumed with a belief or concept, who lives, breathes, and eats a particular idea, and I will show you a person who will have that preoccupation become a reality in his or her life.
With this metaphysical law of attraction in mind, obviously you want to be very positive and optimistic in your outlook so that you will attract those developments in your life. This is much more than just “positive thinking,” although there is certainly nothing wrong with positive thinking. Success visualization is a process that changes our lives by creating images in our minds that ultimately become reality. These images are first just anticipation, but they quickly become an expectation, and finally an intrinsic belief. Over time you “know” that this will become a reality in your life. Since you are creating your life every day, you are also creating your future.
2. The Metaphysical Law of Self-Determination is an acknowledgment of the role of personal responsibility. It is your “self” that determines your fate and nothing and no one else. The self-determination you feel within gives you the strength to overcome all the obstacles you will face in life. You must take personal responsibility for your actions and the results in your life. Your “self” must become strong and determined. You always succeed through self-determination.
3. The Metaphysical Law of Continuous Growth reveals that you cannot succeed in life if you stop growing mentally. Personal self-improvement and professional educational growth should be your never-ending quest. To enjoy continued success and prosperity, you must always be learning and striving for improvement. The Metaphysical Law of Continuous Growth is the accepted way of life for truly successful people. Remember, when you stop growing, you are ripe. And when you are ripe, you start to rot. If you are not reading and learning new things regularly, then your brain is withering away. To earn more, you must learn more.
4. The Metaphysical Law of Self-Direction basically dictates that you are happiest and feel the best about yourself and your work to the degree that you are self-directed in your vocational activities and in your personal life. From a vocational standpoint, you must be able to express your creativity and individuality or you become an unhappy robot. If you feel you are controlled by others or by circumstances out of your control, you will find yourself generally unhappy. People want to feel they are self-directed at work, even though they really may not be.
This law was discovered decades ago during the period when factories dominated the U.S. economy. Employees were treated as machines and were not given even the slightest power to vary their activity. Unfortunately, this is still prevalent today in meat cutting plants, assembly lines and other low-level jobs. The factory worker who works on the assembly line has little control over his work and generally feels frustrated and unfulfilled. The secretary who pounds the word processor and routinely files meaningless papers day after day generally feels stifled and dehumanized. The positive aspect of this law has been rediscovered recently by companies like Saturn that advertise that their employees can now stop “the line” by pulling a cord when they see something wrong. To them it is a big deal.
In your personal life it is also important to feel self-directed. Teenagers don’t like to be under the strict authority of their parents. Women don’t like to be bossed around by their husbands and vice versa. Everyone wants to be in control of his or her own life. The question you must ask yourself is “Who is in control of my life?” To be happy in life, the answer should be “you.”
5. Most successful people live The Metaphysical Law of Positive Choices. These people recognize that during each day there are literally hundreds of choices to make, most seemingly small but ultimately important, and with each choice there is a consequence. They recognize that there is a cause and effect in everything they do. Everything in your life today was brought about by the choices you made in the past-everything!
Successful people make careful, thoughtful choices because they know that the events they cause create their future. They tend to be pro-active people who plan ahead and work toward predetermined goals. They function daily by the logical principle of cause and effect. Thoughtful people recognize that they cause the developments in their lives and are responsible for the results. They work hard and expect positive results.
In contrast, unsuccessful people don’t make conscious choices. They believe that everything happens to them by accident and that they have no control over their destinies, when in fact they create their future daily by the choices they make. Unsuccessful people consider themselves victims. They have no long term goals, in fact, no plans beyond the short term. They hope for the best, but make absolutely no plans to make the best happen. The concept of positive choices and cause and effect are foreign to their way of thinking.
6. The Metaphysical Law of Strong Conviction and Positive Expectations mandates that whatever you believe with absolute conviction and confidently expect to happen becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and will become a reality in your life. The two powerful parts of this law are conviction and expectation. They are really the same concept, because if you believe something with absolute conviction, you also expect it to become true. It recognizes the powerful force of your will to succeed.
If you continuously build your convictions about your inevitable success in life, you will instinctively take the appropriate actions that will bring about the results you reverently desire. What we expect to happen, happens. Very successful people in life live by this law. They anticipate and expect success, and they achieve it. These positive expectations have a powerful impact on our relationships and on the events in our lives, such that the expectations really do influence the outcome.
Worry is negative goal setting and negative expectations. It is thinking about, talking about and imagining exactly what we don’t want to happen. It is the exact opposite of the Metaphysical Law of Strong Conviction and Positive Expectations. To be successful, become obedient to the Law of Positive Expectations and visualize success daily in everything you do.

Written by Jocelyn Daher

New Study Reveals How You Can Upgrade Your Genes!

There’s a lot of talk about “DNA activation”, which is usually dismissed as new age mumbo-jumbo with no real scientific basis. But a new study by researchers in Wisconsin, Spain, and France reports the first evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of mindfulness meditation. It shows that you can actually switch on certain genes while meditating, an idea that had previously only been thought of pseudoscience.
The study investigated the effects of a day of intensive mindfulness practice in a group of experienced meditators, compared to a group of untrained control subjects who engaged in quiet non-meditative activities. After eight hours of mindfulness practice, the meditators showed a range of genetic and molecular differences, including altered levels of gene-regulating machinery and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes, which in turn correlated with faster physical recovery from a stressful situation.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows rapid alterations in gene expression within subjects associated with mindfulness meditation practice,” says study author Richard J. Davidson, founder of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds and the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Most interestingly, the changes were observed in genes that are the current targets of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs,” says Perla Kaliman, first author of the article and a researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spain (IIBB-CSIC-IDIBAPS), where the molecular analyses were conducted.
The study was published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Mindfulness-based trainings have shown beneficial effects on inflammatory disorders in prior clinical studies and are endorsed by the American Heart Association as a preventative intervention. The new results provide a possible biological mechanism for therapeutic effects. So it is not as though you are changing your genetic material when you reach deep states of meditation, but you are indeed changing which genes are being expressed and to what degree they are affecting the body.



Sources: Jill Sakai,http://www.news.wisc.edu/22370