Hello Kind Mindful Steemians!
What Empowers You? - That is the bi-weekly question posed by 
Knowledge empowers me. If I didn't know about the #steemit platform, I won't be here. And billions of people aren't aware of it and so they aren't here. But just because someone knows about steemit doesn't necessarily mean they will use this platform. However, knowledge of its existence is a prerequisite. So, Buddha talks about 3 levels of knowledge:
1. Sotamaya Panna or Knowledge acquired through reading, listening, watching etc.
This is a knowledge we receive through others. So we read books and receives knowledge. Knowledge gained through hear discourses or watching yoga videos falls into this category. At this level of knowledge we are passively receiving knowledge passed on by someone else. For example, we hear a meditator explaining his/her inner journeys - the stages of meditation, bhanga state, jhanas, the bliss, being one with breath, transcendence, present moment awareness and so on. And tell us how amazing it can be to be so contented without need for the psychological air we always seek through ignorance. And everyone can go into that state and so on. But this is just listening someone else's experience. While this may be helpful to inspire us to meditate, this alone will not take us very far.
Taking the example of steemit - a devout steemians explains many benefits of steemit and the wonderful people on it to a friend. That friend gains only sotamaya panna unlesss s/he moves to next level.
2. Chintamaya Panna or reflective knowledge
Here, a person takes a step further. After hearing meditator's story - s/he reflect on it using his/her critical thinking hat. Analyse it using the logic and social learning experiences s/he thus far accumulated. And come to a conclusion. One may decide that the whole meditation story is very compelling and aligned to his/her thinking or may go other way.
Similarly, friend of steemians may decide that it doesn't make sense. How can you be rewarded for a post? The fakenews platform doesn't. And thus decides to stay away. Or it may be totally opposite.
3. Bhavanamaya Panna or Knowledge gained through direct experience
At this level, one knows things through experience. Having heard, read or watched about something one goes on critical thinking mode and reflect on what s/he heard, read or watched. And then with open mind one tries it to test it. So, after hearing about meditation one tries to see what it really is through direct experience. And the knowledge gained through his/her experience is his own - not imparted by others. It is authentic.
Or friend of the steemian tries to test it out the platform, posts first post and sees few cents or dollars. Then s/he is not relying in someone else's knowledge but his own knowledge gained through experience.
So, when I say knowledge empowers me it is the Bhavanamaya panna that really empowers. And the knowledge that we are ONE. Yes, I may have brown skin and black eyes, I may speak different language. But, we all breathe. And in venerable S N Goenka's word "Breath is neither white, nor black nor brown. It is neither American nor Russian nor Nepalese. Breath is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian. Breath is universal." And breath is life. Life starts and end with breath. And we all breathe, right? So, one can say that the planet is nothing but inhalation and exhalation. We may be individual waves but would be foolish to think waves are different from the ocean. And vhavanamaya panna of "We are ONE" can be experienced when we are one with our own breath. At that states of experiential knowledge you are empowered for nothing other than Truth, Love and Compassion. Life is bliss. We see ourselves in others and others in ourselves. We become ONE. Life no longer exist in duality but in pure bliss and harmony.
So Let's try to know our breath and try to be one with it. All emotions are connected to breath, we can change our emotion by changing our breath - Sri Ravi Shankar.
Would you like to know your breath a bit better?
We cordially invite you to Mindful Life community, which resides in the @naturalmedicine server HERE. Our #SGM (#SteemitGroupMeditation) in our virtual Meditation Hall are on:
Wednesdays 8:30 to 9:30 pm London time
(8:30-8:40 pm check in & brief guidance, 8:40-9:10pm guided meditation and 9:10 to 9:30pm Q & A plus chitchat)Saturdays 6 to 7:30pm London time
(6-6:10pm check in & brief guidance, 6:10-7:10pm guided meditation and 7:10 to 7:30pm Q & A plus chitchat).
But you are welcome to join just guided meditation session if time prevents you from joining the whole 1 to 1.5 hours.
Please join us – we love to share our Happy Place.
Promotion and Reward
This section will contain any promotion or rewards I may be offering. So watch this space.I will soon be announcing the winners of 6SP and delegation of up to 150SP related to my previous post: 5 SBI give away for reesteems 👍🏼! And deadline to Win 6SP Plus delegation of up to 150SP extended to end of May soon.
With Peace Love & Joy 🕉❤️😊
Let’s grow together in wisdom through #meditation 🧘🏼♂️🧘🏼♀️