In 1999, a Buddhist monk moved to Canada and has since discovered something “shocking” about people in this country.
“Kids haven’t been taught to use their hearts,” said venerable Sam Uttho.
Compassion can be found and maintained through the act of meditation, he said, and it does not have to be a religious practice – which is an aspect that usually deters people from meditation.
Uttho, a Thailand native, said curiosity brought him to Canada where he has learned the human mind is truly universal and that meditation is something from which anyone can benefit.
Science has dominance over the Western mind, Uttho added, and science rejects spirituality. Meditation, he said, is a way to find compassion, love, trust and respect within a person’s mind and body.
“You can’t remove emotion from human beings, but science removes everything,” he said.
Studies have also found that through meditation, positive energies can be created to reduce stress, improve immune systems, encourage creativity and heal many chronic pains, Uttho said.
“Material science cannot explain everything,” he said. “People (have) ignored the mind for many years.”
Uttho holds meditation sessions from Tuesday to Friday at 7 p.m. at the office of Dr. Francesco Anello, 401 Laurel St.
Raymond Murphy, a marital arts instructor at the YMCA, said he included meditation in his classes after experiencing its benefits first hand.
“We can learn from different cultures,” Murphy said. “We carry too much of a burden.”
Last year, Murphy spent six weeks in Thailand with Uttho, along with a group of Buddhist monks, where meditations were led by Master Thong Bai. Uttho said Bai is the best meditation master in all of Thailand.
“It was a beautiful experience,” Murphy said. “I saw so many smiles.”
Murphy said they spent hours meditating every day, but he would not join in the daily prayers with the monks because he does not practice the Buddhist religion.
“It’s not a religious thing,” he said. “To the monks it is, but it can be a spiritual thing.”Although Murphy’s martial arts classes are over for the year, he said he will incorporate more meditation next year and hopes to have a family class as well.
Meditation is something anyone can do at home as well, Murphy added, and anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour can help calm the mind.
“Even to get away from the TV for an hour,” Murphy added.
During his martial arts classes, Murphy said one of the biggest reasons he likes using meditation is so people become more aware of the decisions they make. Anything from settling confrontations to just feeling more relaxed is helped with meditation, he said.
“We learn how to hurt people in a thousand ways, but it only takes one smile to make things work,” Murphy said.
Also, he added, meditation can encourage self-respect and respect of others, trust and compassion. True happiness can only come from within.
Buddha once said, “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world.”
From: Cambridge Town News, Ontario, Canada