Published: Saturday, 8/16/2014 - Updated: 10 hours ago BOOK REVIEW

BY TK BARGER BLADE RELIGION EDITOR

Imagine that, with the prestige of your job, you can have contact with just about any spiritual leader in the world. Imagine that the tensions from your work are steering you to seek some spiritual help. Imagine learning about your spirituality by having elite religious figures become your teachers. And imagine that you have a reason to seek a better path.

Dan Harris didnt have to imagine. When he was addressing a panic disorder and turning away from destructive behavior, including drug use, he became curious about the benefits of meditation.His job, as a correspondent for ABC News, gave him entree to inspirational people who wrote best-selling books or led religious movements. His mentor Peter Jennings, then the anchor of World News Tonight, had appointed him as ABC's religion reporter; today Harris is one of the anchors of Nightline and cohost of the weekend edition of Good Morning America, as well as a reporter for World News Tonight and other ABC News programs.

Sometimes for his reporting and at other times using story ideas for his own spiritual inquiry, Harris contacted prominent authors and religious leaders and learned their ways. For this religious education, he started with Eckhart Tolle, an Oprah-approved self-help swami, then went to Deepak Chopra, probably the most famous guru on earth, and later even had an audience with the Dalai Lama, head of Tibetan Buddhism: Within minutes, he had already proven himself more reasonable than either Eckhart Tolle or Deepak Chopra.

Harris also found some Jew-Bu, or Jewish-Buddhist, authors, psychologist Dr. Mark Epstein and meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, who continue to provide guidance. Prior to reading Epstein, he wrote, my most substantial interaction with Buddhism was when, as a 15-year-old punk kid, I stole a Buddha statue from a local gardening store and put it in my bedroom because I thought it looked cool.

As Harris was reading about Buddhist meditation, The thought popped into my head: Should I try this? I decided: Damn it, let's give it a shot. Carpe diem, and whatnot. He followed the book's instructions on how to meditate sitting comfortably, consciously focusing on breathing in and out, and the biggie. Whenever your attention wanders, just forgive yourself and gently come back to the breath.You don't need to clear the mind of all thinking; that's pretty much imposssible.

Meditation turned out to be what he needed. If you'd told me when I first arrived in New York City, to start working in network news, that I'd be using meditation to defang the voice in my heador that I'd ever write a whole book about itI would have laughed at you, he wrote in the preface.

Harris's most important revelation about meditation became the title of his book, 10% Happier, which is partly memoir of life in network news, partly appreciation of the practice of and effects from meditationwith a how-to-meditate appendix. Meditation makes Harris 10 percent happier, he realized. It doesn't completely change you; meditation makes things a little bit more manageable. The little bit for Harris is in the subtitle: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually WorksA True Story.

The 10% Happier phrase had the dual benefit of being catchy and true, he wrote, simultaneously counterprogramming against the overpromising of the self-helpers while also offering an attractive return on investment.

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Book review: 10% Happier

Spirituality is often identified with the value center of life, especially with all we do to find meaning and purpose in life and connect ourselves to others by means of compassion and empathy. Cultivating a spiritual life affects our relationships and, more subtly, our thinking our perceptions, our evaluations and our ways of knowing. We all acquire frames of understanding that we trust will help guide us to the truth about ourselves and the world, but with spiritual growth comes a freedom to engage in deep questioning about our ability to see the truth we seek.

The spiritual point of view allows us to take seriously questions that challenge our ordinary ways of thinking and our culturally embedded assumptions. This was recently brought home to me when a friend asked, "Who understands more about breathing, the pulmonologist or the yoga master?" Many would no doubt respond, "the pulmonologist," and for this reason: if science is the arbiter of truth, and you want to know the truth about breathing, go to the scientist who specializes in breathing.

But there is more to the story, which is why asking questions about yoga masters and pulmonologists or about geologists and potters (who best understands clay?) is important. Such questions provoke reflection and self-confrontation. There are cultures in which people trust the deep understanding of yoga masters and potters, so what do we do with that? We might express our disagreement and give our reasons, or even dismiss such unenlightened thinking, but perhaps some humility is required. Perhaps the more important question to ask is this: "What is it they know that I don't?" Allowing ourselves to be stumped when confronted with our own assumptions reflects an openness to learning and even some deeper spiritual stirring or awakening.

Calling assumptions into question is the work of scientists as much as it is that of philosophers and theologians. William James, an early 20th century philosopher and scientist, refusing to be boxed in by the boundaries of disciplines and the artificial orderliness of academic structures, once commented that the universe is a "more many-sided affair than any sect, even the scientific sect, allows for." He then followed up by saying "science and religion are both of them genuine keys for unlocking the world's treasure house to him who can use either of them practically ... ."

On this understanding the geologist whose mineral and soil analysis leads to a decision about where to put a building to avoid a landslide is akin to the potter who whirls clay on a wheel, shapes it, glazes it, fires it in a kiln and makes a functional and perhaps beautiful pot to enhance daily living. Both understand earthen materials clay and both hold a truth that does not negate the other's.

If spirituality so affects thinking and understanding that it breaks down the barriers we have created to avoid complexity, then we do well to take James' serious point about truth that truth appears in what is practical. And the practical test of spiritual growth will appear not only in outlook and attitudes but finally in the most practical thing of all our actual behavior.

Consider a central spiritual value, humility, and how it is expressed in practical behavior. Humility has its critics and despisers, but there is no doubt that genuine humility is a difficult spiritual attainment. Humility poses a direct challenge to the egoism and competitiveness that is so fostered in our society, and if the English author and philosopher Iris Murdoch was right when she said, "Love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real," then humility is actually necessary for the seeing beyond ourselves that is love.

What does it look like to see humility expressed practically in action?

In the 1960s, England's secretary of state for war, John Profumo, got himself tangled up in a sex scandal with a call girl who had herself been involved with a Russian spy. After lying about the affair and having the lie exposed, Profumo resigned. The conservative government of Harold Macmillan followed suit not long after.

Profumo never sought to excuse his behavior. He removed himself from the public eye, and for the next 40 years, until his death in 2006 at the age of 91, he worked in a charitable settlement, Toynbee Place, helping the poor in London's East End. This disgraced public official became a dedicated social worker who washed dishes and cleaned toilets, who visited prisons and worked to house the poor. When he died many considered him a saint.

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Faith and Values: Reflections on spirituality, true humility

Top 10 endpoint backup mistakes

The rapper 50 Cent has hooked up with Intel to get his headphone firm making kit for the health-tech wearables set.

The pair plan to produce a set of cans which monitor vital stats at the same time as bombarding fit folks' ear drums.

Following in the footsteps of the music producer turned Apple employee who self-identifies as "the mutha-fucking D. R. E.", Mr Cent (real name Curtis James Jackson III) first released a pair of headphones back in 2012 via his SMS Audio firm.

His latest offering has upped the ante somewhat, offering fitness freaks the chance to monitor their fitness, presuming they want to listen to music as they excercise.

According to a rather florid press release advertising the snappily titled SMS Audio BioSport In-Ear Headphones, the devices are designed to "optimize workouts for ultra-marathoners, aspirational exercisers and everyone inbetween".

The headphones are the result of a link-up with Intel.

"Intel is focused on driving innovation in the wearable technology segment by partnering with lifestyle brands like SMS Audio that complement our technology and design expertise," said Michael Bell, corporate vice president and general manager of the New Devices Group at Intel.

"With SMS Audio, we will bring smart headphones to market that eliminate the inconvenience of add-on devices with an integrated, one-device fitness accessory offering high-end style and premier sound quality for an exceptional fitness experience. This is a prime example of Intel driving innovation in wearable devices while being a forerunner in merging lifestyle and technology."

The main attraction of the in-ear headphones is an optical sensor which measures a victim's heartbeat as they exercise. Rather obviously, the headphones also offer "tuned-in Fitness", which means they allow you to play music. They can sync with the jogging app Runkeeper, are waterproof and do not require any power.

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Intel teams up with rap chap 50 Cent on heartbeat headphones

Alanis Morissette has always spoken her mind but its a voice as likely to erupt into a self-effacing laugh as segue into cerebral musing about socio-economic issues or the search for emotional and physical well-being.

The Grammy winners introspective approach to life has long fueled her music, from the powerhouse 1990s arena blaster You Oughta Know, a raw rant against a former lover, to the more recent Guardian, with its buoyant overtones of motherhood.

Her Intimate and Acoustic tour, which includes a stop at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on Friday, Aug. 22, offers a glimpse into that musical evolution. The unplugged format highlights both a sense of vulnerability and humor as Morissette, who grew up in Ottawa but has been based in Los Angeles for the past 20 years, shares stories about the experiences that have helped shape her life and art. Before heading out on the road, she chatted with NH Weekend about the many sides of her work on and off the stage, from raging rocker and emotive balladeer to activist and author.

NH Weekend: I wanted to start with the format of your current tour. I wonder what youve found in translating full-band, electric versions of tunes to an acoustic, more intimate format. Does the vibe change? Do lyrics take on new meaning?

Alanis: Yeah, it becomes much more vulnerable. Theres so much more pressure, in a fun, yet daunting way on the vocals. Theres not this big wall of sound to hide behind. And then the storytelling the narrative takes on an extra amount of intensity, I think. Theres more focus on it. Theres more onus on it. Yeah, I feel like the hair on my arms stands up way more ...

NHW: I caught one of your acoustic shows this past winter on TV and I was struck by the palpable camaraderie between you and the audience. Though a lot of performers pare down their shows to get that interaction with fans, sometimes it still feels like a rock star squinting into the spotlight and jamming to an enthusiastic, yet, faceless crowd. But you seem to connect with fans. How do you find that balance, a place where it isnt scary to be so exposed?

Alanis: I think having done it for many years now ... You know, at first it was nervewracking. (With touring for) Jagged Little Pill ... I couldnt hear my own vocals in my in-ear monitors because of how loud the audience was, so this is almost more functional, and theres more room for actual dialogical intimacy. I get to feel like Im having a conversation of some kind. Theres more of an exchange. Its less of a monologue in a way.

NHW: Do you find that even when you have a set list, the show many change depending on that interaction, and questions or requests from the crowd?

Alanis: With the more acoustic shows, particularly if a whole set of Q&A opens up and theres a whole philosophical discussion, sometimes thatll dictate a song that is begged to be sung. But in these particular shows, were a little bit more prepared ... so we have a general sense of the set list. And we have a handful of other songs in our back pocket if something were to change or if people in the audience were yelling out the same request all night long, wed have to do it.

NHW: Speaking of philosophical discussions, I saw your recent Facebook posting in which you offered to answer fans questions, and it looks like you got thousands of queries about everything from lines in your songs what does transparent dangling carrots in the tune Thank U mean? and whether you play the Candy Crush game app to serious socio-economic issues. Is it surreal to know that you have so many followers who value your opinion on a host of subjects?

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Alanis Morissette speaks her mind on and off stage

MUMBAI: Abidali Lakhani is caught in a quandary. A member of the Khoja Shia Asna Ashari Jamaat, a branch of Shia Islam, 77-year-old Lakhani wants to donate his body after death but is finding stiff resistance from his family and the top Shia clerics.

Surrounded by books on history and spirituality and newspaper clippings on Muslim issues, Lakhani, a former advertising executive and a regular contributor on Islamic affairs to a Gujarati daily, lives alone off a leafy lane in Bandra (West). He has been contemplating donating his body for quite some time. He wants the hospital he will donate the body to, to decide whether it will use it only for scientific research or whether it also wants to donate the cornea, skin, bones and heart valves. Other solid organs such as lungs, heart, kidney, liver, pancreas and intestine cannot be donated after death but can be retrieved from a brain-dead person.

"When I turned 72 in 2002, I brought a donation form from J J Hospital. It demanded consent from immediate survivors. Since my wife had passed away by then, I asked my three daughters to give their consent. They flatly refused, saying it was not permissible in Islam," says Lakhani. "Yes, we oppose it as we think it is not proper for a Muslim to donate his body after death," says Lakhani's youngest daughter Shabnam.

Undeterred, Lakhani took matters in his hand and started approaching senior Shia clerics. When the maulanas (religious scholars) in Mumbai "disappointed" him with their refusals, Lakhani wrote to Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Najaf (Iraq)-based top Shia cleric who commands immense respect among Shias across the world. "Can I donate my body after my death?" asked Lakhani. Sistani, who grabbed global headlines recently after he sent a letter to Iraq's embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party against his re-nomination as PM, sent a one-line reply. In Persian it reads: Wasiyat e mazkoor mahalle ishkaal ast (the above-mentioned will is erroneous).

Leading clerics, both Shias and Sunnis, with the exception of Delhi-based Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, are against organ donation or donation of the body by a Muslim. "Islam demands respect to a dead body. Certain organs can be donated, but not the whole body as every departed Muslim must get a namaaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer) and a burial," says Mumbai-based senior Shia cleric and principal of a Shia religious school Maulana Ahmed Ali Abidi.

Maulana Roohe Zafar, another Shia cleric, refers to a book by Ayatollah Sistani and underlines that a Muslim can donate a part of his/her body only to another Muslim if the recipient's life can be saved with that donated part. "In no circumstances can a Muslim donate his entire body, whether before or after death," declares Benares-based top cleric Mufti Abdul Batin Noamani. "Our belief is that every dead Muslim will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement in the same condition as on the day of his death. That's why there is so much emphasis on respect to the dead," explains Noamani.

A human chain was formed on D N Road, Mumbai on the eve of World Organ Donation Day.(TOI Photo)

However, Lakhani is not convinced. He quotes senior moderate Islamic scholar Maulana Wahidudin Khan who famously said: "Organ donation is the noblest form of charity." "There is no problem if this gentleman wants to donate his body. It will be considered an act of charity," Khan told TOI. Khan's is a minority voice and he admits his own limitations: "Lakhani is a Shia and his daughters will not heed me (a Sunni scholar)."

While his daughters and top Shia clerics quote scriptures against donation of the body, Lakhani wants to take a scientific approach. "We take advantage of scientific research. So why can't the clerics see the reason that my body after death can help doctors and researchers? I have lived my life and have no complaints against anyone. I want to do my bit to the development of medical science with my dead body, which will in any way get wasted whether I am buried or burnt," he says.

A way out can be conversion, but he is reluctant. "How can I convert and leave my daughters horrified and repent eternally?" he asks.

Originally posted here:
Shia man wanting to donate body stumped by family and clerics

Sue Asher has been helping the senior citizens in town keep fit for the past 26 years by leading summer weekly aqua aerobics classes at Cooper Pool.

"Once again we are back doing the aqua aerobics with my senior family," she said. "We have 20 ladies and several ladies have medical conditions that usually attend the class but cant this year. Class starts at 10:45 but between 10:30 and 10:45 we catch up on things that are happening in the town, happening with the senior citizens and it is our social time. Then we do our exercises and work hard," said Ms. Asher.

Ms. Asher and her group meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for eight weeks from 10:30 a.m. to noon. They work on strengthening their arms, legs and body muscles while in the water. The ladies start by getting used to the water, bobbing up and down, do cross country, rocking forward and backwards, and exercises on the wall with their legs, arms and with bar bells. More exercises include kicking with the knees straight and toes pointed, bicycling, arm circles and shoulder rolls.

The program remains the same starting at the feet and working the way up their body.

According to Ms. Asher, aqua aerobics is a great way to loosen up the joints and bones. The water helps with the tension and the exercises give the ladies the opportunity to socialize a bit as well as exercise and work every part of their body legs to neck to keep toned and avoid joint and arthritis problems.

The maximum number of participants in the program is 24 and this year she has 20 ages 56 to 80-plus. Some of the participants have been with Ms. Asher for 25 years. The Cooper pool is heated to 85 degrees during the lessons.

"We are fortunate enough to get a grant from Wal-Mart to provide the refreshments which are orange juice, apple juice and water for each of their sessions," she said.

This years end of classes is fast approaching. "We are ending the program on Aug. 21, which is eight full weeks. I would love to do it longer but unfortunately I need to get into school and prepare for the next school year."

She is hoping that maybe in the future the town would consider building an indoor swimming pool.

"It would be wonderful because, not only can we exercise eight weeks in the summer, we can also exercise all year around. So that will definitely be a goal of mine for the future to have a community/senior center with a built-in swimming pool."

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MANVILLE: Susan Asher gets seniors in the swim

Youngsters on the innerbandy bench. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

Sweden's government proposed on Wednesday an additional 20 percent of sports for the country's primary school children, meaning a massive hop, skip, and a jump from 500 hours a year to 600.

Education Minnister Jan Bjrklund said that Sweden's move to cut back school sports during the nineties was "an unfortunate decision".

"Not only are we going to correct this, but we plan to improve it," he said on Wednesday.

He proposed that primary school students should be given 600 hours of excercise a year, up 20 percent from the current 500 hours.

"When students are on the move we know they're working better in class. Furthermore, there's been a change in lifestyle meaning children excerxise less these days."

The 100 hours will be taken from the students' free-choice subject time, meaning the move won't cost anything to implement. TheNational Agency for Education (Skolverket) has been tasked with determining how to structure student timetables in light of the increase.

The change is planned to take effect in 2016.

Birgitta Ohlsson (far left) and Jan Bjrklund (far right) at a protest in Stockholm. Photo: Sren Andersson/TT

As the Swedish Security Service warns that the number of Swedes fighting in Syria is on the rise, the Liberal Party has called for legislative changes making it a crime for Swedes to participate in terrorist training abroad. READ

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Swedish kids to get 100 more sport hours a year

Late scare but it's a win for Cardiff.

Guido Burgstaller and an own goal from Ryan Haines saw Cardiff though to round 2 of the Capital One CUp.

City had to endure a scare in the final 10 minutes whenShaun Miller pulled one back for Coventry but Cardiff held on to win at Sixfields.

Burgstaller scored in the 4th minute of the game and City played the next 60 - 70 mins as a training excercise. Coventry tried to put some pressure on the Bluebirds late in the game but were undone by Simon Moore's kick out to Mats Daehli. The Norwegian crossed to Kadeem Harris to score under pressure but replays showed the ball came off Coventry defender Haines.

Within two minutes though the hosts, playing 35 miles from Coventry, had pulled one back. Haines crossed for Miller to finish.

Cardiff saw out the tricky final minutes and will now face Port Vale away in round 2.

During the game both sets of supporters held up cards saying 'Let Down' in support of Coventry's ridiculous situation where they play in Northampton but also in support of Cardiff having to endure a totally unwanted and unnecessary rebrand.

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FT Coventry 1 - 2 Cardiff. Bluebirds progress in League Cup