Enlightenment and meditation: Achieving calm in our fast-paced world

When I listen to the sounds in the video at left, I feel safe, content and at peace. On a broader level, there are 4 main points to my current understanding of tranquility:

(1) Meditation. One of the books on my shelf right now is Becoming Enlightened by Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama. The book explains that the key to enlightenment is "morality, concentrated meditation, and wisdom, enhanced by compassion." The book recommends to meditate in 2-4 daily sessions of several minutes each, and to gradually increase session length over time.

(2) Respect for others. I've recently read an important thought of a very classic author, Dale Carnegie: you should never argue, since there is no way to win an argument. Even if you suceed in proving the other person wrong, you have not created an ally. You have made the other person feel annoyed and/or incompentent. It is better to respect others' opinions and beliefs.

(3) Self control. Carnegie's no-argue rule ties into a belief of Napoleon Hill's (from Napoleon Hill's Golden Rules): There is no greater power than complete self control. Once you have mastered self control, you are truly on your way to success. Nothing can affect your mood, and therefore you can make consistent, clear-headed decisions. You can always act in your best interest.

(4) Allowing. Here I am referring to the Abraham Hicks teaching known as the Art of Allowing (this is detailed in The Law of Attraction: The Basic Teachings of Abraham by Esther and Jerry Hicks). Being an Allower means that you feel positive emotion connected to who you are in life, regardless of what others do or say. Allowing is not to be confused with tolerating, which is a state when you feel negative emotion but don't display it. Allowing is a state in which you feel happy and content and respectful, both towards yourself and others, regardless of others' opinions.

These points come together to form a clear picture about calmness. Once these points are mastered, the sense of self is strengthened and a person's life objectives become clearer and easier to obtain.

Going further with objectives and attaining goals, I recently attended a seminar on the Law of Attraction in Manhattan. At one point, we were told to close our eyes and go to a place where we were supremely happy. I envisioned a breathtaking rainforest where the leaves were bright green and the trunks of trees were black with moisture. I was sitting on a huge rock overlooking a river and there was a roaring waterfall nearby. I could see a jaguar moving smoothly in the forest on the other side of the river, and I could hear monkeys and birds calling from high branches above. It was heaven.

What an eye-opening experience! I learned that I can harness the power I feel from my rainforest fantasy to feel more at peace in everyday life. Because my "happy place" is the rainforest, I have begun listening to calming rainforest sounds while at home cleaning or studying. These sounds allow me to create tranquil pictures in my mind that I associate with extreme peace and contentment. This is a form of pseudo-meditation that brings my vibration closer to what I would like to achieve.

Enjoy the calming sounds of the rainforest. May you attract everything you wish to have. And according to Becoming Enlightened, "Appreciate how rare and full of potential your situation is in this world, and take joy in it, and use it to your best advantage."