April 22, 2013

Take the 100 day kindness challenge and contribute to a better world


                                                                  
 

COULD you be kind for 100 days straight? If everyone spent ten minutes a day quietly focusing on kindness the world would be a much better place to live. That's according to Wild Mild an online Buddhist group, run from the United States, who've kicked off a' kindness' challenge for the next 100 days. 
That's right, kindness. 

For one hundred days. If that sounds like a tall order, then you might also like to know you only have to spend ten minutes a day to join in and make a difference.

Kim Hollow, the president of the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils told news.com.au you can't underestimate the power of positive thoughts.

"Meditation is integral to our [Buddhist] philosophy. And when we focus on kindness, we call it ‘metta meditation'. This basically means that kindness becomes the focus of our meditation for that particular day," he said.

Mr Hollow said the process requires between ten and thirty minutes a day, a quiet space and the ability to switch off all the other thoughts swirling around your head and just focus on kindness.



"This can take practice," admits Mr Hollows. "But persevere with yourself. Close your eyes and try and switch off for a moment. You can start by thinking of all the things you are grateful for in your life."

Another way to cultivate this kindness is to run through a list of people in your life and send them a wish for kindness and peace.

"Kindness in modern life really comes down to the way you conduct yourself, not just on a Sunday. Once you start you find it's actually easier to project kindness than hold resentment and anger. And it has a ripple effect. Your kind thoughts about others set you off on a good and peaceful path for the day," Mr Hollow said.

Skilled mediators, who can sit for up to an hour at a time, experience a transformation in their perception of the world.

Mr Hollow said when they open their eyes and report that everything just looks better. "Kindness meditation is all about trying to escape the conscious by tapping into the subconscious. It helps you focus on all the positives in life, rather than negative," he said.

Meditation tips for beginners
1.Sit down in a comfortable position
2.Close your eyes
3.Try and disconnect from everything around you and focus on one thing.


Do you meditate? 
Would a challenge like this inspire you?
For more stories like this, follow @lucyjk on Twitter. 

                                                              


Article with thanks to News.Com

Many thanks to Jared for sending me this.