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http://docakilah.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/9-powerful-life-le...
by Robert Piper
When I was 18 years old, I suffered from anxiety and stomach problems. A compassionate physician and practicing Buddhist referred me to a Taoist monk who specialized in meditation and martial arts. I ended up healing myself of anxiety and stomach issues by doing meditation, and went on a great journey of self-discovery. Here are 9 lessons I learned while studying with a monk:
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http://docakilah.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/9-powerful-life-le...
Some forms of Zen Buddhism use a very similar style of training. An old saying (by Taoist monks) goes like this: In making a four corner table, the teacher shows the student how to make one corner. Its the students job to figure out how to make the other three. They did this because they were preparing a student to deal effectively with problems in the real world. I traveled to South Korea one time, and I found it fascinating how much you have to rely on your intuition when you dont speak the native language of a country. I remember one instance, I had trouble explaining to the cab driver where my hotel was, and he didnt speak English. So I had to get out of the cab and ask several people until I could find someone to tell the cab driver in Korean how to get to my hotel. In life, whenever we try new things, we have to go into new places with only a small amount of information. The real world doesnt give us all the answers. The greatest teacher is inside of us.
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http://docakilah.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/9-powerful-life-le...
6. Patience is a virtue.
The monk always made me waitand I dreaded this. For example, when I got to his house to train, hed make me wait for a minimum of a half-hour, sometimes longer. Wed go out to dinner on Friday nights and hed show up at the restaurant an hour late. Hed tell me to meet him at a particular restaurant at 7:00. Id get there and find out that he wasnt there. So Id usually be sitting in the restaurant by myself fumbling with my phone, acting like I was texting someone, while worrying about what everyone at the restaurant was thinking about me. Keep in mind, its not like I could call him; I dont think the guy ever turned his cell phone on. Then hed show up at about 8:15 and act like nothing happened. His first question was always, Hows your mother and father? (Of course in my head Im thinking, What do you mean, Hows my mother and father? I just waited here for an hour and fifteen minutes.) But after a few years of this, it never bothered me; and not only that, it spread to every area of my life. Because of this training, I can honestly say that I very rarely get upset about anything. I never get agitated anymore when I have to wait in a long line or when someone cuts me off on the highway. Patience is the gift of inner calm.
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http://docakilah.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/9-powerful-life-le...
When you let go of your ego needs, its easier to accept and even benefit from whatever comes at you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robert Piper is a meditation instructor & the creator of monkinthecity.com. He studied with a Taoist monk for 9 years & traveled to Asia & Australia in search of other meditation teachers. Robert is currently writing a book on meditation to make it more accessible for stress relief, health & happiness.
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http://docakilah.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/9-powerful-life-le...
Sunday Chijioke Ijah June 14, 2012 at 3:40 pm This is just perfect Reply
rrendon86 June 15, 2012 at 5:58 pm Woah I am amazed! Very helpful post, I will put into practice about meditating. Reply
otove June 20, 2012 at 5:25 am Reblogged this on The Borscht of times, the Wrste of times and commented: Inspirational! Reply
Thomas Ross June 20, 2012 at 9:16 am Thank you for sharing this amazing wisdom. Reply
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