Compassionate Carnivorism

Killing What You Eat: The Dark Side of Compassionate Carnivorism

 

There’s a relatively new category of conscientious consumer on the rise known as the “compassionate carnivore.”  These are meat eaters who have chosen, with good reason, to remove themselves from the horrific practices of factory farming. In her thoughtful book, The Compassionate Carnivore, Catherine Friend puts it this way:

I believe it’s possible to show compassion for animals and still eat them. For me, this means paying attention. It means learning more about the animals I eat and taking some responsibility for their quality of life.

on Mindfulness Meditation

This is what I heard— At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Kurus, where they have a city called Kammāsadhamma. There the Buddha addressed the monastics: “Monastics!” “Venerable sir”, they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Monastics, this is the path where all things come together as one, to purify sentient beings, to make an end of pain and sadness, to get past sorrow and lamentation, to reach the way, to witness Nibbāna; that is, the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.

What four? Here, a monastic meditates by observing an aspect of the body, keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. They meditate by observing an aspect of feelings, keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. They meditate by observing an aspect of the mind, keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. They meditate by observing an aspect of principles, keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world.

Meditation and its effect on brain activity

The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation

Nature Reviews Neuroscience
16,
213–225
doi:10.1038/nrn3916
Published online

Abstract

Research over the past two decades broadly supports the claim that mindfulness meditation — practiced widely for the reduction of stress and promotion of health — exerts beneficial effects on physical and mental health, and cognitive performance. Recent neuroimaging studies have begun to uncover the brain areas and networks that mediate these positive effects. However, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear, and it is apparent that more methodologically rigorous studies are required if we are to gain a full understanding of the neuronal and molecular bases of the changes in the brain that accompany mindfulness meditation.


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Mindfulness

Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Health: A Review of Empirical Studies

Abstract

Within the past few decades, there has been a surge of interest in the investigation of mindfulness as a psychological construct and as a form of clinical intervention. This article reviews the empirical literature on the effects of mindfulness on psychological health. We begin with a discussion of the construct of mindfulness, differences between Buddhist and Western psychological conceptualizations of mindfulness, and how mindfulness has been integrated into Western medicine and psychology, before reviewing three areas of empirical research: cross-sectional, correlational research on the associations between mindfulness and various indicators of psychological health; intervention research on the effects of mindfulness-oriented interventions on psychological health; and laboratory-based, experimental research on the immediate effects of mindfulness inductions on emotional and behavioral functioning. We conclude that mindfulness brings about various positive psychological effects, including increased subjective well-being, reduced psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and improved behavioral regulation. The review ends with a discussion on mechanisms of change of mindfulness interventions and suggested directions for future research.

Keywords: Mindfulness, Mindfulness-oriented Interventions, Mindfulness Meditation, Psychological Health, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy


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hugs

Couple cuddling

A woman may gain more from hugs than a man

Women’s heart health may benefit more from hugs than men’s, a study suggests.A team from the University of North Carolina studied the effects of hugging on both partners in 38 couples.

The study showed hugs increased levels of oxytocin, a “bonding” hormone, and reduced blood pressure – which cuts the risk of heart disease.

But, writing in the Psychosomatic Medicine, the researchers said women recorded greater reductions in blood pressure than men after their hugs.

7.5 minutes

When game designer Jane McGonigal found herself bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion, she had a fascinating idea for how to get better. She dove into the scientific research and created the healing game, SuperBetter. In this moving talk, McGonigal explains how a game can boost resilience — and promises to add 7.5 minutes to your life.

psychological life hacks

Published on Oct 22, 2015

Published on May 28, 2015

Sources for scientific journals are provided below. New videos come out every Thursday so subscribe for more videos.

https://www.facebook.com/BiteSizePsych

Also, if you like the music behind it, you should check out the musician behind it. This is his latest project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wepL1…

Sources
Visualization
http://www.psych.nyu.edu/oettingen/Oe…

Suppressing thoughts
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10…
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10…
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/21/9/1…

Self affirmation
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/arti…
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/20/7/860

Anger
http://psp.sagepub.com/content/28/6/7…
http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar03/when…

The World We Make with the Dalai Lama

Published on Mar 10, 2016
How might the world look roughly 15 years from now if we choose well-being today? While economic prosperity has generally increased, why haven’t happiness and well-being?

How can we decrease the costs related to depression and stress-related disorders that are projected to double to $6 trillion by 2030? How can we learn to be happy, to be kind, and to be grateful?

Along with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Center is gathering world leaders in science, health care and media to alter humanity’s course by sharing how we can cultivate well-being in ourselves, our communities and the world.