What Is Really Meditation Part-5

Another way practical, simple and indirectly increase the level of consciousness, is what Buddhism calls the Work Ethic. Almost everyone must work to live. Many of us are doing the same kind of work every day, five days a week, forty-eight weeks a year. And we'll do maybe five, ten, twenty, twenty-five or thirty years until we reach retirement age. All this affects our moods constantly. If our job is mentally, morally, or spiritually unhealthy, the effect it will have on our minds will also be unhealthy. Buddhism, the Buddha's teaching, we strongly advise to review how we make our living and practicing ethical work, in other words, an occupation that does not lower the level of our consciousness, which does not prevent us not to increase it, and that does not harm other living beings. The Buddhist tradition list a number of occupations it deems detrimental to the mental development: a butcher, arms dealer, who sells alcoholic beverages, etc ... This change in the nature of your occupation (even if the occupation you are engaged in this is not entirely ethical), the mere fact of changing work place, environment, this change kind of people you work with, the type of things you do every day, will have a positive and will help you improve your level of consciousness - or at least it will not prevent it from rising.

More specific and concrete we can add the importance of having a regular, disciplined life: something that seems less and less popular. This may consist of observation and practice of certain moral principles and precepts, have regular times for meals, work, study and relaxation, sleep and speech - perhaps even fasting at times , or observe silence for a few days or weeks. When this disciplined life is practiced in its full form we call the monastic life. Over the years, we can see very clearly the change in the state, the level of consciousness of those who live life as a regular and disciplined, even if they do not practice meditation.

There are other methods, such as Hatha yoga (yoga in the physical sense). There is especially the so-called yogic asanas, which affect not only the body but also the spirit. They affect the mind through the body and even those who meditate regularly can sometimes find them very useful. Sometimes even an experienced person in the practice of mediation is sometimes a little too tired at the end of a workday, or has a few too many worries to meditate properly. Then she will practice a few asanas until his mind becomes calmer and more concentrated. His fatigue will dissipate and it will feel refreshed almost as if she had meditated.

There are also the Do or "tracks" such as Japanese ikebana or flower arrangement. Arrange flowers in a vase in a traditional way may seem something very simple and very ordinary, but the spirit, the conscience of those who have done for years have clearly changed. One can also mention of T'ai chi ch'uan etc ... All this has an effect on the mind. These are indirect methods to raise the level of consciousness.

Similarly, the enjoyment of great works of art - poetry, music, painting high levels - contributes to raising the level of consciousness. This enjoyment raises the consciousness if the works in question are truly great works, if the expression of a consciousness higher than our usual state.