Saṃsāra

Saṃsāra (sanskrit: संसार; Telugu: సంసారం) literally meaning “continuous flow”, is the cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth or reincarnation) within Buddhism, Hinduism, Bön, Jainism, Sikhism, and other Indian religions. The word has its origins in the sramanic traditions of ancient India, and is today used in many modern Indian languages to refer to the physical world, or family, or the universe. In modern parlance, samsara refers to a place, set of objects and possessions, but originally, the word referred to a process of continuous pursuit or flow of life. In accordance with the literal meaning, the word should either refer to a continuous stream of consciousness, or the continuous but random drift of passions, desires, emotions, and experiences.

In most Indian religions, life is not considered to begin with birth and end in death, but as a continuous existence in the present lifetime of the organism and extending beyond. The nature of the actions (karma) committed during the course of each lifetime, (good or ill) determines the future destiny of each being. Samsara is closely linked with the idea of rebirth (or reincarnation), but mainly refers to the condition of life, and the experience of life.

In Buddhism, at the moment of death the consciousness (consciousness of the different senses, such as eye consciousness, ear consciousness etc.), acts as the seed for the spawning of the new consciousness in a new biological structure, conducive to the volitional (Saṅkhāras) impulses at the moment of death (which are themselves affected by previous volitional impulses). In other Indian religions, the volitional impulses accrued from the present life are transmitted to a consciousness structure popularly known as the soul, which, after an intermediate period (in Tibetan called the bardo), forms the basis for a new biological structure that will result in rebirth and a new life. This cyclical process ends in the attainment of moksha.

Personal Stress Test

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This following test will help you assess your own stress levels, while indicating particular areas that may need attention. The higher your total score, the more likely you are to need specific attention. The higher your score, the more likely you are to need help to manage stress more effectively.

Scores

1 Never
2 Almost never
3 Sometimes
4 Fairly often
5 Very often

Rate each question with a number based on how often you:

  • Feel unable to control how you spend your time?
  • Get easily stressed, nervous, or irritated?
  • Feel unable to cope with all you have to do?
  • Fail to build relaxation into every day?
  • Tend to put everyone else first?
  • Get too little rest?
  • Feel ‘drained’ by certain clients?
  • Feel you don’t have enough people in your life to support you?
  • Lack confidence in your ability to handle challenges?
  • Feel unable to say ‘No’ to unreasonable requests?

    • Total Score:

    Action Plan:

    A truly holistic program of self-care needs to encompass all the following approaches:

    * Quick and easy de-stress strategies
    * Work-life balance
    * Recreation and fun
    * Regular exercise
    * Time for your self
    * Healthy eating
    * Social support
    * Clear limiting patterns that prevent self-care
    * Set clear personal and professional boundaries
    * Safe use of empathy

    Why not create a plan of action for yourself right now and choose a goal focused on one of the above. !!

    (Sarah Kulpers MSc, Stress Management, Reflexions Journal, Sept 2009,12-13)

    http://www.whitelotustherapy.com/

    HK's millionaires up by 164,000, but so is number earning under HK$3,500 a month

    HK’s millionaires up by 164,000, but so is number earning under HK$3,500 a month
    May Chan
    SCMP Mar 09, 2011

    The property boom and market rebound added 164,000 new millionaires to Hong Kong last year – the biggest increase since Citibank started to analyse residents’ wealth in this way eight years ago.

    In the same year, Hong Kong reported 1.26 million people making less than HK$3,500 a month.

    Together, the numbers paint a stark picture of a big wealth disparity in the city of seven million.

    Citibank yesterday announced the latest findings of its annual survey on the number of Hongkongers with liquid asset of more than HK$1 million.

    The city had 558,000 millionaires by the end of last month, up 42 per cent on 2009. This is a record high, in terms of absolute number and the growth rate since Citibank started the survey.

    These people now make up 10.8 per cent of the city’s adult population, and the millionaires are getting younger. The average age of the group went down by five years to 46, and the average age of the 164,000 new additions to the list was only 40.

    The surge in personal wealth can be attributed to the city’s booming property market. Of the new millionaires, 29 per cent said they made their first million dollars through property transactions – compared with only 8 per cent in 2009.

    Most of the newly rich, about 47 per cent, made their fortune last year from investments in the capital market – such as stocks, funds, currency trade and yuan-related investment products. A year ago, the figure was 55 per cent.

    Simon Chow wing-charn, Citibank Global Consumer Group’s deputy country business manager, expected the number of millionaires would grow in the next few years because of a strong economy.

    He noted the millionaires generally were positive about this year’s property market, with 20 per cent saying they planned to buy property this year, up 8 per cent from 2009.

    “The new millionaires tend to be younger, and they are still in the workforce,” Chow said. Twentysomethings should be optimistic about the future – 4 per cent of the new millionaires were aged 21 to 29, he said.

    The survey also showed a positive relationship between the level of wealth and the level of happiness. Respondents with less than HK$100,000 of liquidity averaged 5.75 on a scale from 0 to 10 in terms of happiness, while those with HK$5 million or above scored 7.83.

    The survey was conducted by the Social Sciences Research Centre of the University of Hong Kong, with 4,626 adults interviewed by phone from December last year to February.

    The number of millionaires in Hong Kong, according to survey data, had increased from 260,000 to 558,000 during the period of 2003 to 2010, with a sharp decline in 2008 from 414,000 to 348,000 due to the global financial crisis.

    At the same time, the number of Hongkongers earning HK$3,500 or less a month grew steadily in the past decade, from 1.186 million in 2001 to 1.26 million in the first half of last year, according to a study of Census and Statistics Department figures by the Council of Social Service. The projected percentage of poor people went from 17.2 per cent in 2005 to 18.1 per cent in the first half of last year.

    According to the latest statistics from the United Nations, Hong Kong’s Gini coefficient – a measurement of social inequality – stood at 0.53, the highest in Asia last year.

    Chua Hoi-wai, the council’s business director for policy advocacy, said he was worried that the income gap would escalate with inflation.

    “The increase in salary of the poor can hardly catch up with the inflation rate,” he said. “They can hardly manage to pay for their basic needs, so it is next to impossible that they should have spare money for investment and build up their wealth.”

    Roxette – It Must Have Been Love

    “It Must Have Been Love” is a power ballad written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The ballad became the duo’s 3rd #1 hit in the United States, and is one of their best-selling releases, leading the single to be certified gold in a number of countries.

    The song, included on the soundtrack to the hugely popular film Pretty Woman, rivals “The Look”, “Joyride” and “Listen to Your Heart” as the song most closely associated with them. In 2005, Per Gessle received an award from BMI after the song’s four millionth radio play.

    Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water (1969)

    “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel’s final album together, released January 26, 1970. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at the top of the chart for six weeks. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” also topped the adult contemporary chart in the U.S. for six weeks.

    This song’s recording process exposed many of the underlying tensions that eventually led to the breakup of the duo after the album’s completion. Most notably, Paul Simon has repeatedly expressed regret that he insisted that Art Garfunkel sing this song as a solo, as it focused attention on Garfunkel and relegated Simon to a backing position. Art Garfunkel initially did not want to sing lead vocal, feeling it was not right for him. “He felt I should have done it,” Paul Simon revealed to Rolling Stone in 1972.
    Garfunkel said that the moment when he performed it in Madison Square Garden in 1972 was “almost biblical”.

    United States Principles of War

    The United States Armed Forces use the following nine principles of war in training their officers:

    * Objective – Direct every military operation toward a clearly defined, decisive and attainable objective. The ultimate military purpose of war is the destruction of the enemy’s ability to fight and will to fight.

    * Offensive – Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. Offensive action is the most effective and decisive way to attain a clearly defined common objective. Offensive operations are the means by which a military force seizes and holds the initiative while maintaining freedom of action and achieving decisive results. This is fundamentally true across all levels of war.

    * Mass – Mass the effects of overwhelming combat power at the decisive place and time. Synchronizing all the elements of combat power where they will have decisive effect on an enemy force in a short period of time is to achieve mass. Massing effects, rather than concentrating forces, can enable numerically inferior forces to achieve decisive results, while limiting exposure to enemy fire.

    * Economy of Force – Employ all combat power available in the most effective way possible; allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts. Economy of force is the judicious employment and distribution of forces. No part of the force should ever be left without purpose. The allocation of available combat power to such tasks as limited attacks, defense, delays, deception, or even retrograde operations is measured in order to achieve mass elsewhere at the decisive point and time on the battlefield.

    * Maneuver – Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power. Maneuver is the movement of forces in relation to the enemy to gain positional advantage. Effective maneuver keeps the enemy off balance and protects the force. It is used to exploit successes, to preserve freedom of action, and to reduce vulnerability. It continually poses new problems for the enemy by rendering his actions ineffective, eventually leading to defeat.

    * Unity of Command – For every objective, seek unity of command and unity of effort. At all levels of war, employment of military forces in a manner that masses combat power toward a common objective requires unity of command and unity of effort. Unity of command means that all the forces are under one responsible commander. It requires a single commander with the requisite authority to direct all forces in pursuit of a unified purpose.

    * Security – Never permit the enemy to acquire unexpected advantage. Security enhances freedom of action by reducing vulnerability to hostile acts, influence, or surprise. Security results from the measures taken by a commander to protect his forces. Knowledge and understanding of enemy strategy, tactics, doctrine, and staff planning improve the detailed planning of adequate security measures.

    * Surprise – Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is unprepared. Surprise can decisively shift the balance of combat power. By seeking surprise, forces can achieve success well out of proportion to the effort expended. Surprise can be in tempo, size of force, direction or location of main effort, and timing. Deception can aid the probability of achieving surprise. …

    * Simple – Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and concise orders to ensure thorough understanding. Everything in war is very simple, but the simple thing is difficult. To the uninitiated, military operations are not difficult. Simplicity contributes to successful operations. Simple plans and clear, concise orders minimize misunderstanding and confusion. Other factors being equal, parsimony is to be preferred.

    Officers in the U.S. Military sometimes use the acronyms “MOSS COMES”, “MOSS MOUSE”, “MOOSE MUSS”, “MOUSE MOSS”, “MOM USE SOS”, or “SUMO MOSES” to remember the first letters of these nine principles.

    (US Army Field Manual FM 3-0)