Sharper Vision

As selfishness and complaint
pervert and cloud the mind,
so love with its joy
clears and sharpens the vision.

 Helen Keller

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

To experience your true self, or Essence, you have to move out of your self-images and thoughts about yourself into the experience you are having right here and now, absent of thoughts and self-images, which obscure who you really are.
We become entranced by our thoughts and overlook reality—the real experience we are having here and now.
The ego-centered mind, however, doesn't want you to stop paying attention to it, so it continually tries to engage your attention. It persists in this because this is how the false self is maintained.
 If you become aware of the natural initial thought that comes in, and instead concentrate on controlling what you allow yourself to become entangled with, the false self disappears, and all that's left is Essence—the real you who is experiencing this moment.

Analgesics and Hearing Loss

Research suggests that women who take ibuprofen or acetaminophen several times a week have an increased risk of hearing loss. Those at greatest risk appear to be women under 50, especially those who take over-the-counter analgesics six or more times each week.

The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, backs up a study from last year, which showed similar findings in men.

Vastness

Finding The Truth

"Believe those who are seeking the truth.

Doubt those who find it."

 Andre Gide

The "Voice In Our Head"

The mind is a wonderful tool for thinking, but it has a dark side. There is an aspect of the mind that is not useful but pretends to be useful, which is called the egoic mind. It is the aspect of our mind that chats with us as we move about our day. It is the "voice in our head," as Eckhart Tolle calls it.
Not only do we believe these thoughts, but we believe they are "ours." We identify with them—we feel they reflect who we are. We don't tend to question our own thoughts, although we readily question other people's thoughts, especially if those thoughts are different from ours.

 But when we stop and examine what this mental voice is saying, we discover a lot of contradictory advice, misinformation, prejudices, judgments, and other negativity. This mental voice is often unkind, belittling, fearful, self-doubting, judgmental, complaining, confused, and unhelpful.
It turns out that the voice in our head is not a very good guide to life, and yet we tend to accept what it says and do what it suggests. This voice, in fact, is the cause of human suffering. It fights life, rails against it, and is discontent and afraid. It is the voice of the false self—the ego—not the true self.
The thoughts that arise in our mind cause every negative emotion we experience: fear, guilt, anger, jealousy, shame, sadness, resentment, envy, hopelessness, worthlessness, and depression.
Without these thoughts, we would live in peace within ourselves and in harmony with others.

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