Presence

Self-realization is an expression used in psychology, spirituality, and Eastern religions. It is defined as the “fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one’s character or personality.”[1]

In one overview, Mortimer Adler defines self-realization as freedom from external coercion, including cultural expectations, political and economic freedom, and the freedom from worldly attachments and desires etc. Paramahansa Yogananda defined Self-realization as “the knowing — in body, mind, and soul — that we are one with the omnipresence of God; that we do not have to pray that it come to us, that we are not merely near it at all times, but that God’s omnipresence is our omnipresence; that we are just as much a part of Him now as we ever will be. All we have to do is improve our knowing.”[2]

Published on Nov 20, 2015
This video is brought to you by www.shaktileadershipbook.com.
We cultivate Presence to get in touch with our wholeness and to realize that all we need is within us at any given moment and always has been. With that realization comes a feeling of serenity and a sense of confidence. You know that Shakti is always accessible within you; you don’t need to find it from somewhere outside of yourself.
How can we cultivate a state of Presence? By using the Presence practice described in video. With enough practice, we can cultivate a state of full presence as our default state, ready to take on anything life brings to us.
This brief practice is adapted from the one synthesized by Vijay Bhat and Hank Fieger, conscious leadership coaches who teach Executive Presence. It is a quick way for busy, stressed, and rushed people to move into a state of Presence.

Want to be happy? Be grateful

The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar. And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude. An inspiring lesson in slowing down, looking where you’re going, and above all, being grateful.

Gratitude Works!: The Science and Practice of Saying Thanks [Robert Emmons]

Published on Apr 7, 2014
Robert Emmons (Professor of Psychology, UC Davis) explains how gratitude can heal, energize, and change human lives, with reference to recent empirical psychological research. Delivered at Biola University on March 6, 2014. Co-sponsored by Biola CCT and Rosemead School of Psychology.

The scale of human cooperation is an evolutionary puzzle

Culture and the evolution of human cooperation

The scale of human cooperation is an evolutionary puzzle. All of the available evidence suggests that the societies of our Pliocene ancestors were like those of other social primates, and this means that human psychology has changed in ways that support larger, more cooperative societies that characterize modern humans. In this paper, we argue that cultural adaptation is a key factor in these changes. Over the last million years or so, people evolved the ability to learn from each other, creating the possibility of cumulative, cultural evolution. Rapid cultural adaptation also leads to persistent differences between local social groups, and then competition between groups leads to the spread of behaviours that enhance their competitive ability. Then, in such culturally evolved cooperative social environments, natural selection within groups favoured genes that gave rise to new, more pro-social motives. Moral systems enforced by systems of sanctions and rewards increased the reproductive success of individuals who functioned well in such environments, and this in turn led to the evolution of other regarding motives like empathy and social emotions like shame.

Keywords: cooperation, culture, coevolution

Empathic concern

Empathic concern refers to other-oriented emotions elicited by and congruent with the perceived welfare of someone in need.[1][2] These other-oriented emotions include feelings of tenderness, sympathy, compassion, soft-heartedness, and the like.

Empathic concern is often and wrongly confused with empathy. To empathize is to respond to another’s perceived emotional state by experiencing feeling of a similar sort. Empathic concern or sympathy not only include empathizing, but also entails having a positive regard or a non-fleeting concern for the other person.[3]

C. Daniel Batson is one chief pioneer of the term. His mature definition of the term is “other-oriented emotion elicited by and congruent with the perceived welfare of someone in need“.[4] Batson explains this definition in the following way.

First, “congruent” here refers not to the specific content of the emotion but to the valence—positive when the perceived welfare of the other is positive, negative when the perceived welfare is negative. . . . Third, as defined, empathic concern is not a single, discrete emotion but includes a whole constellation. It includes feelings of sympathy, compassion, softheartedness, tenderness, sorrow, sadness, upset, distress, concern, and grief. Fourth, empathic concern is other-oriented in the sense that it involves feeling for the other—feeling sympathy for, compassion for, sorry for, distressed for, concerned for, and so on.[5]

Many writers other than Batson use different terms for this construct or very similar constructs. Especially popular—perhaps more popular than ’empathic concern’—aresympathy, compassion or pity.[6] Other terms include the tender emotion and sympathetic distress.[7]

Human beings are strongly motivated to be connected to others.[8] In humans and higher mammals, an impulse to care for offspring is almost certainly genetically hard-wired, although modifiable by circumstance.

compassion

Mettā (Pali) or maitrī (Sanskrit) is benevolence,[1][2] friendliness,[2][3][4][4][5] amity,[3] friendship,[4] good will,[4] kindness,[3][6] close mental union (on same mental wavelength),[4] and active interest in others.[3] It is the first of the four sublime states (Brahmavihāras) and one of the ten pāramīs of the Theravāda school of Buddhism. Mettā is love without the suffering that arises from attachment (known as upādāna).

The cultivation of benevolence (mettā bhāvanā) is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism. In the Theravadin Buddhist tradition, this practice begins with the meditator cultivating benevolence towards themselves,[7] then one’s loved ones, friends, teachers, strangers, enemies, and finally towards all sentient beings. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, this practice is associated with tonglen(cf.), whereby one breathes out (“sends”) happiness and breathes in (“receives”) suffering.[8] Tibetan Buddhists also practice contemplation of the Brahmavihāras, also called the four immeasurables, which is sometimes called ‘compassion meditation’.[9]

Almost everything there is to know about compassion in a multimedia eBook!

What is the difference between empathy and compassion? Is it possible to train compassion? Can it be measured? How useful is compassion training in schools, clinical settings, and end-of-life care? Can the brain be transformed through mental training?

The free eBook: Compassion. Bridging Practice and Science by Tania Singer andMatthias Bolz describes existing secular compassion training programs and empirical research as well as the experiences of practitioners. The state-of-the-art layout of the eBook includes video clips and a selection of original sound collages by Nathalie Singer, and artistic images by Olafur Eliasson.

In addition, the film Raising Compassion by Tania Singer and Olafur Eliasson brings together workshop participants in a remarkable exchange between science, art, and contemplative practice.

emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating
ourselves and for managing emotions effectively in ourselves and others. An emotional competence is a
learned capacity based on emotional intelligence that contributes to effective performance at work.

Building upon and integrating a great deal of competency research, Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2002) presented a model of emotional intelligence with eighteen competencies arrayed in four clusters (Boyatzis, 1982; Spencer & Spencer, 1993; Rosier, 1994-1997; Jacobs, 1997; Goleman, 1998). They are:

  • The Self-awareness Cluster included Emotional Self-Awareness, Accurate
    Self-assessment, and Self-confidence;
  • The Self-Management Cluster included Emotional Self-control, Achievement,
    Initiative, Transparency, Adaptability, and Optimism;
  • The Social Awareness Cluster included Empathy, Service Orientation, and
    Organizational Awareness;
  • The Relationship Management Cluster included Inspirational Leadership,
    Influence, Conflict Management, Change Catalyst, Developing Others, Teamwork and Collaboration.

The Emotional Competence Inventory 2.0 (ECI) measures 18 competencies organized into four clusters: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management.

ESCI Competency Scales

Emotional Self-Awareness: Recognizing one’s emotions and their effects

Emotional Self-Control: Keeping disruptive emotions and impulses in check

Adaptability: Flexibility in handling change

Achievement Orientation: Striving to improve or meeting a standard of excellence

Positive Outlook: Persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks

Empathy: Sensing others’ feelings and perspectives, and taking an active interest in their concerns

Organizational Awareness: Reading a group’s emotional currents and power relationships

Coach and Mentor: Sensing others’ development needs and bolstering their abilities

Inspirational Leadership: Inspiring and guiding individuals and groups

Influence: Wielding effective tactics for persuasion

Conflict Management: Negotiating and resolving disagreements

Teamwork: Working with others toward shared goals. Creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals.