Beyond Religion Part 2, answers.

1) Mind-training.

2) Altruism: devoting your life to others.

3) Controlling the mind, which is the root of all behaviour, bodily or spoken.

4) Nyong mong.

5) They undermine our self-control, and thus our well-being. In particular, they distort reality.

6) Afflictive states have an opposite, and we deal with the afflictive state by cultivating the opposite state – e.g. deal with anger by cultivating forbearance.

7) Hate, because it is never good. Fear helps us avoid danger, and anger helps us deal with injustice, but hate has no positive benefits.

8) Brain plasticity.

9) Heedfulness is about caution, being careful not to cause harm. Mindfulness is about recollecting our core values. Awareness is about understanding our own behaviour, so that we can control it.

10) Cultivating familiarity.

11) Early in the morning.

12) Distraction –when the mind wanders off on other tracks. Sinking –when relaxation becomes an end in itself, instead of a means to contemplation.

13) Discursive mediation aims to educate the mind, by reflecting on an object (e.g. patience). Absorption educates the heart, by cultivating the object.

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