Our lives are filled with events and experiences. Some of these  bring us happiness and some sadness. There are periods of great turmoil, cycles of success, cycles of failure, periods of illness, periods of great vitality and excitement. Then there are events of great joy such as birth of a child or realization of a life long cherished dream. There are also dreams, which never get realized in our lifetime. We are tossed up and down in this sea of mundane existence. Yet the Buddha, who witnesses these same events, has a serene and beatific smile on his face at all times. Why is this so?

In a Buddha, the ego is completely annihilated. This false identity, the ego fools you into thinking that you are this fragile and puny body or the ever-oscillating monkey mind. The ego exaggerates the events in our life.

By Marcia Sirota MD

It’s so easy to have problems with communication. Often, we hear things wrong; maybe because there’s too much ambient noise obscuring the words of the speaker, or maybe because what the other person is saying is overshadowed by what we expect to hear.

We interpret what we’re hearing through the filters of our past experiences, belief systems and habitual patterns of interaction. All these psychological processes can significantly interfere with our ability to communicate, even more than being physically hard of hearing.

At the root of the word “communicate” is the concept of communing, or coming together. The essence of communication is the intention to come together: to know and to be known; to understand and be understood.

When we truly want clarity in communication, we must choose to leave our expectations, beliefs, attitudes and habits at the door and truly listen...

It’s the perfect time of year to reflect on everything learned and experienced in 2014, and to set new beautiful goals and inspiring intentions for the next twelve months (and beyond).

If you’re looking for ideas, here are 21 habits of happy people you can adopt in 2015. Discover how they can transform your soul and life.

1. Forgive more.

The Buddha once said, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Remember that everyone is fighting their own battle, and everyone is trying their best. Learn to forgive other people and set yourself free.

2. Meditate.

Meditation has been shown to improve your sleep, memory, focus, health and stress-levels. It also boosts your creativity and compassion. Start with two minutes a day and build yourself up to longer sittings.

The degrees in which you grow in your light are not measured by the physical world but, in the love you practice, first with yourself…..then others. ~ Creator

“Positive or negative energy is exchanged like a fair trade, the more you give, the more you receive.” ~ Master Jin Kwon

Every space holds energy. Even though you can’t see it, you’ve probably sensed it. When you enter sacred places be it like temples, monasteries or meditation centers, we experience a state of calmness and peace. Simple reason is the positive intent, the constant cleansing of energy by using bells, chants, hymns, and even smudging. Smudging is an ancient practice used for healing and energy clearing.

The simple rule energy follows is, ‘like attracts like’. Our thoughts, feelings, intentions are voluntarily transfusing energy – positive thoughts attract positive energy and negative ones attract energy. Our house is an integral part of the space. We consciously and unconsciously create both permanent & temporary energy patterns. Feng Shui professes, whether positive or negative, gradually energy begins to clog and congest all around the house depending on the way we move around. This stagnant energy becomes directly proportional to our thoughts.