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Self-Cultivation : 5 nurturing principles

This is a translation of the March 13th posting.

The following five principles are easy and simple to follow:

1.  Happy dining, healthy breathing:  Dining should be a happy experience: it is not the case when we consume the meat of cows, pigs, fish who did not volunteer to die or were not happy to die, and were not willingly offer their flesh for our table.  Happy dining also means eating without getting sick, as the saying: “illnesses enter through the mouth.”  We should learn to eat healthy foods and try to consume fresh, organic ingredients.  Healthy breathing means spent enough time outdoors, inhaling fresh air.  Practice the five kinds of breathing: strong breathing, deep breathing, long breathing, slow breathing, and chi-directing breathing.

2.  Deep sleep, adequate rest: every day, try to sleep deep enough to enter the delta brain waves, allowing the body to restore itself.  Every day, practice relaxation, loosen up tensed muscles and let go off worries and stresses.

3.  Build stamina, nurture spirit:  Engage in physical activities, Tai Chi, Yoga, Chi Kung to increase energy and stamina; work up a sweat every day to excrete harmful toxins.  After physical exertion, sit down and meditate to nurture the spirit.  A focused, uncluttered mind is essential to the brain’s health.

4.   Get closer to nature, keep away from machines: spend more time in nature – go hiking every week  or take a walk in the park among the trees every day.  Spend less time on video games and machinery and spend more time talking and interacting with family and friends.

  1. Laugh, laugh, laugh: laugh a lot
  • Laugh at your mistakes so you can improve
  • Laugh to forgive mistakes made by others and let others open up with you.
    It would be so wonderful if you can get a depressed person to laugh!

Last but not least, induce everyone around you to become harmonious and share joy with each others.  This is equivalent to bringing happiness and optimism to beings.

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