Friday, December 20, 2019

Prince Harry meditates daily: Mindfulness

BD Dipen (BuddhistDoor.net, 2/1/19) via cosmopolitan.com; Erika Belair; Ven. Nyanaponika on Satipatthana (Buddhist Dictionary); CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Prince Harry, right, with Buddhist monk Kelsang Sonam, left (from cosmopolitan.com)
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Britain’s Prince Harry tells Buddhist monk about daily meditation practice
+1: Princess Meghan (thesun.co.uk)
Meeting well-wishers during a royal visit to Birkenhead in Merseyside, England, on January 14, 2019, Britain’s Prince Harry reportedly shared with 69-year-old Buddhist lama Kelsang Sonam that he meditates every day.

Following their conversation, Kelsang Sonam presented the prince a copy of the book Eight Steps to Happiness: The Buddhist Way of Loving Kindness by the Tibetan [renegade anti-Dalai Lama separatist Vajrayana] Dharma teacher Kelsang Gyatso.

Prince Harry and his wife, American former actress and humanitarian [Princess] Meghan Markle, visited a community café and supermarket called Number 7 selling discounted food for low-income families, operated by Feeding Birkenhead, a coalition of organizations “working together to eliminate hunger” in the local community.

During the visit, the couple had the chance to sit with some of the organization’s staff and customers, which is when the prince and Kelsang Sonam spoke.

That's my son, and I'm so glad he meditates with his lovely wife Meghan (Princess Di)
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The Daily Mail tabloid’s correspondent Rebecca English tweeted about their conversation: “Random fact of the day: a 69-year-old Buddhist monk named Kelsang Sonam, who gave Harry a copy of a book titled Eight Steps to Happiness, said the prince told him he meditates every day” (Rebecca English on Twitter).

Prince Andrew does not meditate.
[Black California actress turned Princess] Markle might have introduced her husband to meditation.

Prior to marrying the redheaded prince, she practiced meditation daily, and the practice continued as she made the [stressful] transition to royal life.

Years before her royal engagement, Light Watkins (beginmeditating.com), an American "Vedic meditation" [$$] teacher, taught her Buddhist mindfulness practice,* which she quickly adopted into her daily wellbeing routine. More
  • COMMENT: Erika Belair points out that the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) is a well-known separatist sect with only one leader who is not recognized by any other Buddhist group, transmission, or teacher [particularly not the current Dalai Lama]. NKT is hostile toward the Dalai Lama and frequently demonstrates against him and has allegedly even threatened his life. NKT is doing an ancient Tibetan practice which the Dalai Lama has prohibited, claiming it can lead to physical and mental harm [and is alleged the cause of China's invasion and occupation of Tibet]. For details of that practice, type "Shugden" into a search engine. [Tibet's "pope," the 14th Dalai Lama, likely regards this dharmapala or wrathful deity/protector as a "demon" as did the 5th Dalai Lama.] For details of the sect and the damage they have allegedly caused people, search "New Kadampa." I hope Harry will be warned, as they also like money donations. OK, they are not the only ones but...
*Mindfulness Practice
The Four Foundations or Fourfold Setting Up of Mindfulness
Ven. Nyanatiloka (Anton Gueth), edited for Wisdom Quarterly by Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines (palikanon.com
The Four "Foundations of Mindfulness" (lit., "awareness of mindfulness," sati-upatthāna), are the systematic contemplation of:
  1. body (form, materiality)
  2. feeling (sensation)
  3. mind (mentality)
  4. mind-objects. More

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