David Lawrence Preston

Tag: happiness

  • Heaven and hell: an ancient story

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    Some religions teach that heaven and hell are places where we go after death, but spiritual awareness reveals that this is not so: they are states of consciousness. We create them by the way we think and act. When we align our thoughts with the highest ideas, we feel good. The body is flooded with…

  • Do you know what makes you happy?

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    Most of us think we know what makes us happy, but do we? We chase after money and status, seeking happiness by pandering to the senses. We think these will do the trick, but if we knew what really makes us happy, we would crave little. Take responsibility for your happiness We gain a wonderful…

  • Laugh with Buddha

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    Laughing does you good. Laughter can help you deal with many things including the stresses of our daily lives. A good laugh can stimulate your organs as you take in more oxygen, and leave you with a pleasantly relaxed feeling. The Laughing Buddha is a wandering monk who symbolises happiness and smiles knowingly at the…

  • The Higher and Lower Selves

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    Our inner experience often feels like a tug of war as various streams of thought battle for attention. Some thoughts come from the needs of the body and emotions. They make up the part of the mind referred to as the ego or ‘Lower Self’. In contrast, we also have thoughts which come from the…

  • 6 Tips for Inner Peace

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    The source of most mental tension is the ego – that part of our psyche which constructs the image of ourselves we like to present to the world – our idea of who we should be and who we would like others to think we are.  1. Give up the need to be right Giving…

  • Why are you here?

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    Why are we here? In short we don’t really know. We know the universe is orderly and expanding, has purpose and direction, and is presided over by an organising intelligence. So where do we fit in? Why do certain waves and particles take human form? What contribution do we make to the unfolding of the…

  • The Troublesome Ego

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    Is a powerful ego a good thing? Or does it just describe someone who thinks too much of themselves? Ego is Latin for ‘I’. It is the self as a thinking, feeling and self-determining being, distinguished from the selves of others. Fair enough, but in everyday use, it is often considered rather distasteful. When we…

  • The Seventh Principle of Relationships: Acceptance

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    ‘The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.’ Thomas Merton The Seventh Principle of Relationships is: Accept others as they are, not just as you want them to…

  • The Sixth Principle of Relationships

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    The sixth principle of relationships is all about communication. Good communication skills are essential. Without them, relationships cannot prosper. For millions of years, humans lived like the animals, sheltering in caves, scratching out a basic existence in the forests and plains. Then we developed language. This made our thinking abilities soar and unleashed the power…

  • The Fourth Principle of Relationships

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    David Lawrence Preston
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    The fourth principle is: Recognise that it is impossible to fake an interest in others The most popular people are usually those who are genuinely interested in others. This cannot be faked because you project your thoughts and feelings to others in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways. If you’re pretending, others know. Your facial expression,…