Overview of Rene Descartes Meditation on First Philosophy
Rene Descartes was a French philosopher who was highly influential. He was also a writer, mathematician, and scientist. Rene Descartes or Renatus Cartesius was named as the Father of Modern Philosophy.
Descartes more often contrasted his point of view among his predecessors. He always consider his writing unique, a work that nobody has ever written before. However, many of his philosophical elements revealed influences of Augustine and Aristotle which tackles about the 16th century stoicism revisions.
Descartes natural philosophy is different from what is taught in schools on two aspects. First, he rejected the corporeal substance analysis of forms and matters. Second, he rejected any appeal to natural or divine ends which explain natural phenomena. Even in Descartes theology, he insisted on God's absolute freedom regarding creation.
Descartes is commonly regarded as a modern thinker who first provided philosophical frameworks of natural sciences. In his work Meditations on First Philosophy, he attempted to arrive at an original set of ideologies which can be accepted as true by anyone without doubts. He then employed methodological skepticism wherein he doubted any idea that appears to be doubtful just to create a solid foundation for authentic knowledge.
Initially, Rene Descartes had arrived to only one principle that thought exists. It is the main proof of existence because thoughts cannot be entirely separated from a person. In Meditations on First Philosophy, this is called as cogito ergo sum. Therefore, he concluded that he really exists.
He based his conclusions on perceiving his body by using his senses, although in the past studies, these are proven unreliable. So he concludes that the thinking thing in him is the only knowledge which is not doubtful at all. Thus he defined thought as becoming immediately conscious of what is happening in him and he is conscious about it. Thinking is an activity of every person that gets immediate conscious.
He further demonstrated the limitations of his senses through the Wax Argument. Descartes uses wax as an example, his senses has informed him about its specific characteristics including texture, shape, color, smell, and others. When the wax is brought towards the flame, these characteristics completely change. But still, it appears to be the same wax although his senses have already informed him that the characteristics are now different. So, for him to grasp the wax's nature properly, he doesn't use his senses instead he uses his mind. Thus what he thought he had seen with his eyes, he actually grasped it solely with his power of judgment that is in his mind.
In this way, Rene Descartes continues his construction of a knowledge system which discards perceptions as unreliable and admits deductions as a technique. In the middle of Meditation on First Philosophy, he also offered ontological proofs of God's benevolence. He believed that his sensory system and working mind are provided by God. And God never desires in deceiving him. But this became a controversial argument because his benevolent notions about God were also developed from his arguments which are doubting perceptions. In this supposition, he finally established the possibility of obtaining knowledge regarding the world through perception and deduction.
In the system of Descartes, knowledge can take the forms of ideas while philosophical investigation contemplates these ideas.
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Denis at
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Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Friday, 10 October 2008
An All-Around Yoga Exercise: 12-Step Salute to the Sun
One of the all-around yoga exercises is the 12-step salute to the sun. Do it once or twice when you get up in the morning to help relieve stiffness and invigorate the body. Multiple repetitions at night will help you to relax; insomniacs often find that six to 12 rounds help them fall asleep.
1. Stand with your feet slightly apart, palms together, thumbs against your chest.
2. Inhale deeply while slowly raising your hands over your head, and bend back as far as possible, while tightening your buttocks. Hold for three seconds.
3. Slowly exhale and bend forward, keeping your knees straight, until your fingers touch the floor outside your feet. (If you can't touch the floor, go as close as you can.) Bring your head in toward your knees.
4. Slowly inhale, bend your knees, and if your fingertips aren't outside your feet on the floor, place them there. Slide your right foot back as far as you can go, with the right knee an inch or so off the floor, (a lunge position). Now look up as high as possible, arching your back.
5. Before exhaling again, slide your left foot back until it is beside the right one, and with your weight supported on your palms and toes, straighten both legs so that your body forms a flat plane. Make sure your stomach is pulled in.
6. Slowly exhale, bend both knees to the floor, bend with your hips in the air, lower your chest and forehead to the floor.
7. Now inhale slowly and look up, bending your head back, then raising it, followed by your upper chest, then lower chest.
To read the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
1. Stand with your feet slightly apart, palms together, thumbs against your chest.
2. Inhale deeply while slowly raising your hands over your head, and bend back as far as possible, while tightening your buttocks. Hold for three seconds.
3. Slowly exhale and bend forward, keeping your knees straight, until your fingers touch the floor outside your feet. (If you can't touch the floor, go as close as you can.) Bring your head in toward your knees.
4. Slowly inhale, bend your knees, and if your fingertips aren't outside your feet on the floor, place them there. Slide your right foot back as far as you can go, with the right knee an inch or so off the floor, (a lunge position). Now look up as high as possible, arching your back.
5. Before exhaling again, slide your left foot back until it is beside the right one, and with your weight supported on your palms and toes, straighten both legs so that your body forms a flat plane. Make sure your stomach is pulled in.
6. Slowly exhale, bend both knees to the floor, bend with your hips in the air, lower your chest and forehead to the floor.
7. Now inhale slowly and look up, bending your head back, then raising it, followed by your upper chest, then lower chest.
To read the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
Friday, 3 October 2008
Using Meditation Through Music
Clearing your mind through meditation is one of the most peaceful ways you can find to just relieve all the tension you have in your body. Once your mind and body are relaxed you can start to just enjoy some time to yourself. I know that most of us listen to the radio at some point of the day. You may enjoy music ranging from country,to easy listening,to disco,soft rock,classic country,or even blue grass.
Whatever kind of music you enjoy you can find this as a very relaxing way of meditation. For a lot of you that are in good physical shape and like to exercise in a gym at home or even by jogging you want to be able to free your mind of a lot of things that have bothered you through the day.If you are out and about doing your exercises take a Walkman with you and just put it on a station that you really like and let the music just relax all of your tension.
If you are at home exercising or even cooking or cleaning if you have a CD player get one of your favorite Cd's and play it while you are doing the things you need to do.You can also just go get some blank tapes and record your favorite music off the radio for your meditation. One of the things I find relaxing is listening to music while I am working on the computer.
I have found free sites such as lime wire and frost wire and have taken the time to download my all time favorite songs. I transfer the songs I enjoy into my windows media player and play my music everyday when I am on the computer. I just quietly sing along to my favorite music relax and just meditate about my day. I actually use my keyboard a lot and have to do a lot of typing about different subjects
To read the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
Whatever kind of music you enjoy you can find this as a very relaxing way of meditation. For a lot of you that are in good physical shape and like to exercise in a gym at home or even by jogging you want to be able to free your mind of a lot of things that have bothered you through the day.If you are out and about doing your exercises take a Walkman with you and just put it on a station that you really like and let the music just relax all of your tension.
If you are at home exercising or even cooking or cleaning if you have a CD player get one of your favorite Cd's and play it while you are doing the things you need to do.You can also just go get some blank tapes and record your favorite music off the radio for your meditation. One of the things I find relaxing is listening to music while I am working on the computer.
I have found free sites such as lime wire and frost wire and have taken the time to download my all time favorite songs. I transfer the songs I enjoy into my windows media player and play my music everyday when I am on the computer. I just quietly sing along to my favorite music relax and just meditate about my day. I actually use my keyboard a lot and have to do a lot of typing about different subjects
To read the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Our Deep Meditation Music
For Troubled Individuals
Many forms of meditation are applicable to many situations. If you're a music lover, then perhaps you might want to try meditation music. In fact, as a human being, you can be compared to musical instruments because you can hum, sing, whistle, and make other pleasing and expressive sounds. Every person's musical experience is often described with words like harmony, flow, stimulate, healing, in trance, in tune, uplift, and many others. When you express yourself through musical sounds, something unusual is happening inside your system.
Numerous distractions bombard individuals as they go through their daily lives like noise pollution, social melodrama, stress of daily commute, tedium of work, and a lot more. Life today is considered fast-paced because of a lot of new technological advancements, and therefore, people suffer from continuing stress. You can't focus on your work effectively because your mind is already overloaded, uninspired, and burnt out. This results to a creativity block that can bring hopelessness to a person. But here's the good news, there is a way to combat and cope with this kind of situation and that is through deep meditation music.
Where can you find such music? If you have no idea, then it would be better to ask the help of someone with knowledge about music meditation. On the net, you can find several sites that provide pre-recorded programs on music meditation.
It was only after 1973 when music was used for meditation. All the programs make use of the binaural technology. Through this technology, the brainwave frequencies (right and left hemispheres) are synchronized.
To read the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
For Troubled Individuals
Many forms of meditation are applicable to many situations. If you're a music lover, then perhaps you might want to try meditation music. In fact, as a human being, you can be compared to musical instruments because you can hum, sing, whistle, and make other pleasing and expressive sounds. Every person's musical experience is often described with words like harmony, flow, stimulate, healing, in trance, in tune, uplift, and many others. When you express yourself through musical sounds, something unusual is happening inside your system.
Numerous distractions bombard individuals as they go through their daily lives like noise pollution, social melodrama, stress of daily commute, tedium of work, and a lot more. Life today is considered fast-paced because of a lot of new technological advancements, and therefore, people suffer from continuing stress. You can't focus on your work effectively because your mind is already overloaded, uninspired, and burnt out. This results to a creativity block that can bring hopelessness to a person. But here's the good news, there is a way to combat and cope with this kind of situation and that is through deep meditation music.
Where can you find such music? If you have no idea, then it would be better to ask the help of someone with knowledge about music meditation. On the net, you can find several sites that provide pre-recorded programs on music meditation.
It was only after 1973 when music was used for meditation. All the programs make use of the binaural technology. Through this technology, the brainwave frequencies (right and left hemispheres) are synchronized.
To read the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
Saturday, 5 July 2008
Chakra Meditation: My Beginners Guide to This Great Meditation Method
Chakra Meditation:
My Beginners Guide to This Great Meditation Method
Your health is the most important things that you have to take care of. Because of this, a lot of people are doing everything they can just to get the perfect balance of chemicals in their body in order to obtain perfect health. You also need to consider that most people find it hard to relax and control their emotions. You need to learn that anger contributes to poor health and this is the emotion that you should minimise as much as possible. It is important that you should never be angry if you don’t need to be angry in order to balance your spiritual self to promote good health and good healing.
Today, a lot of people are participating in different kinds of meditation in order to achieve balance in their emotions and also in their spirit. You need to know that meditating can contribute a lot of great benefits for your body. With meditation, you will be able to relax more and you can effectively control your emotions and never be angry if you don’t need to be angry. By not wasting precious energy on being angry, you can put all these negative energies and turn it into positive energies that can be useful in your everyday life. Always remember that nothing distracts more or uses up more energy more than anger.
So, if you are having problems controlling your emotions, problems in relaxing, or you simply want to experience oneness with yourself, you have to try chakra meditation.
To read the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
My Beginners Guide to This Great Meditation Method
Your health is the most important things that you have to take care of. Because of this, a lot of people are doing everything they can just to get the perfect balance of chemicals in their body in order to obtain perfect health. You also need to consider that most people find it hard to relax and control their emotions. You need to learn that anger contributes to poor health and this is the emotion that you should minimise as much as possible. It is important that you should never be angry if you don’t need to be angry in order to balance your spiritual self to promote good health and good healing.
Today, a lot of people are participating in different kinds of meditation in order to achieve balance in their emotions and also in their spirit. You need to know that meditating can contribute a lot of great benefits for your body. With meditation, you will be able to relax more and you can effectively control your emotions and never be angry if you don’t need to be angry. By not wasting precious energy on being angry, you can put all these negative energies and turn it into positive energies that can be useful in your everyday life. Always remember that nothing distracts more or uses up more energy more than anger.
So, if you are having problems controlling your emotions, problems in relaxing, or you simply want to experience oneness with yourself, you have to try chakra meditation.
To read the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
Saturday, 21 June 2008
My Overview on Meditation and Its Importance to Communion
My Overview on Meditation and Its Importance to Communion
Meditation is synonymous to serenity. It's a process which involves concentration on a sound, your breathing, or an object. The idea of meditation is to concentrate or focus your thoughts on a single relaxing thing over a certain duration of time. Usually, it can last for about fifteen to thirty minutes.
Meditation is also considered as a skill. So, it is necessary to practice regularly to achieve satisfying and positive results. Meditation done for longer periods of time can help you build some good experiences.
Meditation's ultimate goal is to achieve a constant state of the mind. As you master doing your meditation, your mind can achieve the tranquility of water in a windless place. With a still mind during the meditation process, your inner self will be revealed. Once your mind is distracted, do a couple of breathing techniques to achieve calmness. You will fail the entire process if your mind thinks of other things including internal gossip, mental commentary, or analysis.
Never forget that during your deep meditation state, you can recall some past buried memories like childhood abuse or other traumas. Never be surprised since it is normal. As meditation progresses, it can turn into a dynamic, pleasurable, and blissful experience.
Mostly, meditation is done during worships including communion. This is an event wherein God's food is consumed. It is advisable to practice meditation rituals as much as possible for security and comfort.
Each church has its own celebration of communion. However the reasons are similar.
There are other lots of practices in sharing the body and blood of Christ. Millions of people around the world are doing it in different ways. Some just stay in their seats and receive the bread while others go in front of the sanctuary. People can meditate wherever they are before receiving communion. They can worship at cathedrals, small weatherboard churches, homes, or even in prisons. Food, usually bread and liquid, usually grape juice or wine are incorporated upon remembering the unfaltering love of God through his son Jesus Christ. It is a commitment to share and respond to
For the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
Meditation is synonymous to serenity. It's a process which involves concentration on a sound, your breathing, or an object. The idea of meditation is to concentrate or focus your thoughts on a single relaxing thing over a certain duration of time. Usually, it can last for about fifteen to thirty minutes.
Meditation is also considered as a skill. So, it is necessary to practice regularly to achieve satisfying and positive results. Meditation done for longer periods of time can help you build some good experiences.
Meditation's ultimate goal is to achieve a constant state of the mind. As you master doing your meditation, your mind can achieve the tranquility of water in a windless place. With a still mind during the meditation process, your inner self will be revealed. Once your mind is distracted, do a couple of breathing techniques to achieve calmness. You will fail the entire process if your mind thinks of other things including internal gossip, mental commentary, or analysis.
Never forget that during your deep meditation state, you can recall some past buried memories like childhood abuse or other traumas. Never be surprised since it is normal. As meditation progresses, it can turn into a dynamic, pleasurable, and blissful experience.
Mostly, meditation is done during worships including communion. This is an event wherein God's food is consumed. It is advisable to practice meditation rituals as much as possible for security and comfort.
Each church has its own celebration of communion. However the reasons are similar.
There are other lots of practices in sharing the body and blood of Christ. Millions of people around the world are doing it in different ways. Some just stay in their seats and receive the bread while others go in front of the sanctuary. People can meditate wherever they are before receiving communion. They can worship at cathedrals, small weatherboard churches, homes, or even in prisons. Food, usually bread and liquid, usually grape juice or wine are incorporated upon remembering the unfaltering love of God through his son Jesus Christ. It is a commitment to share and respond to
For the complete Article Visit
Denis at
http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Do Meditation Proud
Do Meditation Proud
Meditation refers to a state where your body and mind are consciously relaxed and focused. Practitioners of this art report increased awareness, focus, and concentration, as well as a more positive outlook in life.
Meditation is most commonly associated with monks, mystics and other spiritual disciplines. However, you don’t have to be a monk or mystic to enjoy its benefits. And you don’t even have to be in a special place to practice it. You could even try it in your own living room!
Although there are many different approaches to meditation, the fundamental principles remain the same. The most important among these principles is that of removing obstructive, negative, and wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming the mind with a deep sense of focus. This clears the mind of debris and prepares it for a higher quality of activity.
The negative thoughts you have – those of noisy neighbors, bossy officemates, that parking ticket you got, and unwanted spam– are said to contribute to the ‘polluting’ of the mind, and shutting them out is allows for the ‘cleansing’ of the mind so that it may focus on deeper, more meaningful thoughts.
Some practitioners even shut out all sensory input – no sights, no sounds, and nothing to touch – and try to detach themselves from the commotion around them. You may now focus on a deep, profound thought if this is your goal. It may seem deafening at first, since we are all too accustomed to constantly hearing and seeing things, but as you continue this exercise you will find yourself becoming more aware of everything around you.
If you find the meditating positions you see on television threatening – those with impossibly arched backs, and painful-looking contortions – you need not worry. The principle here is to be in a comfortable position conducive to concentration. This may be while sitting cross-legged, standing, lying down, and even walking.
If the position allows you to relax and focus, then that would be a good starting point. While sitting or standing, the back should be straight, but not tense or tight. In other positions, the only no-no is slouching and falling asleep.
Loose, comfortable clothes help a lot in the process since tight fitting clothes have a tendency to choke you up and make you feel tense.
The place you perform meditation should have a soothing atmosphere. It may be in your living room, or bedroom, or any place that you feel comfortable in. You might want an exercise mat if you plan to take on the more challenging positions (if you feel more focused doing so, and if the contortionist in you is screaming for release). You may want to have the place arranged so that it is soothing to your senses.
Silence helps most people relax and meditate, so you may want a quiet, isolated area far from the ringing of the phone or the humming of the washing machine. Pleasing scents also help in that regard, so stocking up on aromatic candles isn’t such a bad idea either.
The monks you see on television making those monotonous sounds are actually performing their mantra. This, in simple terms, is a short creed, a simple sound which, for these practitioners, holds a mystic value.
You do not need to perform such; however, it would pay to note that focusing on repeated actions such as breathing, and humming help the practitioner enter a higher state of consciousness.
The principle here is focus. You could also try focusing on a certain object or thought, or even, while keeping your eyes open, focus on a single sight.
One sample routine would be to – while in a meditative state – silently name every part of you body and focusing your consciousness on that part. While doing this you should be aware of any tension on any part of your body. Mentally visualize releasing this tension. It works wonders.
In all, meditation is a relatively risk-free practice and its benefits are well worth the effort (or non-effort – remember we’re relaxing).
Studies have shown that meditation does bring about beneficial physiologic effects to the body. And there has been a growing consensus in the medical community to further study the effects of such. So in the near future, who knows, that mystical, esoteric thing we call meditation might become a science itself!
Visit Denis at http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
Meditation refers to a state where your body and mind are consciously relaxed and focused. Practitioners of this art report increased awareness, focus, and concentration, as well as a more positive outlook in life.
Meditation is most commonly associated with monks, mystics and other spiritual disciplines. However, you don’t have to be a monk or mystic to enjoy its benefits. And you don’t even have to be in a special place to practice it. You could even try it in your own living room!
Although there are many different approaches to meditation, the fundamental principles remain the same. The most important among these principles is that of removing obstructive, negative, and wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming the mind with a deep sense of focus. This clears the mind of debris and prepares it for a higher quality of activity.
The negative thoughts you have – those of noisy neighbors, bossy officemates, that parking ticket you got, and unwanted spam– are said to contribute to the ‘polluting’ of the mind, and shutting them out is allows for the ‘cleansing’ of the mind so that it may focus on deeper, more meaningful thoughts.
Some practitioners even shut out all sensory input – no sights, no sounds, and nothing to touch – and try to detach themselves from the commotion around them. You may now focus on a deep, profound thought if this is your goal. It may seem deafening at first, since we are all too accustomed to constantly hearing and seeing things, but as you continue this exercise you will find yourself becoming more aware of everything around you.
If you find the meditating positions you see on television threatening – those with impossibly arched backs, and painful-looking contortions – you need not worry. The principle here is to be in a comfortable position conducive to concentration. This may be while sitting cross-legged, standing, lying down, and even walking.
If the position allows you to relax and focus, then that would be a good starting point. While sitting or standing, the back should be straight, but not tense or tight. In other positions, the only no-no is slouching and falling asleep.
Loose, comfortable clothes help a lot in the process since tight fitting clothes have a tendency to choke you up and make you feel tense.
The place you perform meditation should have a soothing atmosphere. It may be in your living room, or bedroom, or any place that you feel comfortable in. You might want an exercise mat if you plan to take on the more challenging positions (if you feel more focused doing so, and if the contortionist in you is screaming for release). You may want to have the place arranged so that it is soothing to your senses.
Silence helps most people relax and meditate, so you may want a quiet, isolated area far from the ringing of the phone or the humming of the washing machine. Pleasing scents also help in that regard, so stocking up on aromatic candles isn’t such a bad idea either.
The monks you see on television making those monotonous sounds are actually performing their mantra. This, in simple terms, is a short creed, a simple sound which, for these practitioners, holds a mystic value.
You do not need to perform such; however, it would pay to note that focusing on repeated actions such as breathing, and humming help the practitioner enter a higher state of consciousness.
The principle here is focus. You could also try focusing on a certain object or thought, or even, while keeping your eyes open, focus on a single sight.
One sample routine would be to – while in a meditative state – silently name every part of you body and focusing your consciousness on that part. While doing this you should be aware of any tension on any part of your body. Mentally visualize releasing this tension. It works wonders.
In all, meditation is a relatively risk-free practice and its benefits are well worth the effort (or non-effort – remember we’re relaxing).
Studies have shown that meditation does bring about beneficial physiologic effects to the body. And there has been a growing consensus in the medical community to further study the effects of such. So in the near future, who knows, that mystical, esoteric thing we call meditation might become a science itself!
Visit Denis at http://thegreatmeditation.com/
For a great deal more on Meditation
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