Category: Christchurch
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Psychopathy & Karma
Psychopaths populate the earth with impunity. We are all surrounded by them. Much like silicon, they permeate the long solitary coastlines of our existence. Some of us were parented by psychopaths, some partner with them, some work for them, and some have them for children and friends–each relationship sucking the wind out of a normal…
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From Neurons to Numinosity: The Biology of Awakening
Journey to Wholeness For centuries, the image of the serene meditator—the monk in deep contemplation, the sage in unwavering peace—has been a symbol of a life beyond the mundane. We have looked upon such figures with a mixture of awe and mystery, often attributing their radiant equanimity to a divine gift or a superhuman feat…
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What Is Vipassana?
What is Vipassana, and how does it compare with the Yogas? This piece situates Vipassana within Buddhism as an insight discipline—training observation and equanimity—then contrasts it with Raja (concentration), Bhakti (devotion), Karma (action), and Jnana (inquiry). It outlines method, aims, and practical benefits, notes where Hatha/Tantra support practice, and offers beginner pointers without giving away…
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The Art Of Dying
It is natural to dwell on mortality after reflecting on the aging process. The following is a synopsis of my current writing project: a manuscript on the Art of Dying. What Is Death? Death can be defined in many ways: most relevant being the neurological and spiritual/religious definition. Neuroscience treats death as the permanent loss…
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Come, Grow Old Along With Me
A few years ago I met a man who said he was sixty-five. His jawline said thirty-five, the eyes said eighty. He had lost his wife two years ago. He’d smoothed grief with surgeons’ hands, learned to fly small planes, leapt off bridges with a bungee cord, and proposed—serially—to women half his age. Over coffee…
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Demystifying The Ajna!
Ajna Chakra, the one opening that everyone strives for. It has been a long way from Mooladhara, and a long time since, but such is the flow of time. So, what is Ajna, and what makes it so special that I have to come out of my self imposed isolation, you ask? The Third-Eye Chakra,…
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The Pied Piper of Ukraine
It is 5:00 AM here in New Zealand and I haven’t slept a wink. the war does that to me. I remembered the Pied Piper legend, and decided to write this blog instead. Great writers like the Grimm Brothers and Robert Browning have shaped the Pied Piper legend into art that has intrigued children for…
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Derivatives in Jung’s Work
To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. William Blake The individuation process is a term created by the famous psychologist Carl Gustav Jung to describe the process of becoming aware of oneself, of…
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This Is What Life Does
This is what Life does. It lures you into existence with promises of Eros. Eros, that enables love and attachment, creation and creativity, survival and fulfilment. Eros, the harbinger of a magical life. But to keep you humble, Life infuses an equal measure of Thanatos, the instinct of death and destruction, of obstructions, of strife,…
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The Matrix Of The Mind (Part III)
This is the concluding portion of the Trilogy Matrix of the Mind. It explores the totality of the mind, and the wisdom inherent in remaining in the “here and now” of mindfulness.
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The Matrix of the Mind (Part II)
The post reflects on how and why thoughts are created and what purpose thoughts serve in helping us handle the existential anxiety.
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The Matrix of Our Mind (Part – I)
Namo Tassa Bagawato Arahato Sammasambuddhasa Dedicated with gratitude, reverence and supplication to the meditations that have enabled the investigations and in-depth, personal experience of the matrix of my own mind. When I first saw them at the turn of the century, the Matrix trology left a very deep impression on my mind. The Wachowski brothers…
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Why is Graceful Aging becoming such a passe…?
A personal experience of aging, by someone who is speeding across 55….and loving every moment of it.
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Mindfulness Is…..
I had heard references to a “mindful” state of being, but several years ago, I wrote a thesis on Vipassana Meditation as a part of my MSW education. During that period, I happened to come across the term Mindfulness, as it is commercially used. A detailed research recently has really amazed me into how…
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The Underappreciated Mooladhara…..
Kundalini – The serpent power associated with wisdom, grace and power
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My quest for the god…
“My quest for the god” – The title isn’t grammatically incorrect – I specifically made it the way it is. I put in the word “the” there, and de-emphasised the word “god”. Since all religions claim monopoly on the god – not a god, therefore the term the is more appropriate. But today I want to discuss my personal god, not a generic god,…
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The Great Mother
Originally posted on Madhu Sameer: After playing with the developmental aspects of our physical, ego bound existence briefly over the last few weeks, the intuition spontaneously drives to exploring the archetypal, the collective and the symbolic aspects of the mother and the father in greater depth. These writings that follow are not my own ( cited…
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Be the Change…
There has been a lot of controversy lately about the role of Gandhi in the liberation of India. Regardless, Gandhi’s contributions, along with his quotes, reverberate and resonate across the world even now, decades after his death. One of the quotes that I often meditate on, and which has guided me in my personal life, is…
Madhu Sameer 