1. Self Development In the Context of Spirituality and a Practical Approach U-Connect Name of Institution Session 9 - Theories of Life & Need for Meditation Course designed by uconnect@srcm.orguconnect@srcm.org

2. Opening  Welcome  Recap on last session – Art of meditation  Introduction to the topic – Theories of Life and Need for Meditation  Introduce the speaker

3. Theories of Life

4.  Theory of Special Creation  Theory of Spontaneous Generation  Theory of Catastrophism  Cosmozoic Theory (Theory of Panspermia)  Theory of Chemical Evolution Theories of Life

5.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXSEyttblMI (Evolution timeline 60 sec video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXSEyttblMI  Big Bang & Birth of the Earth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz8ithgTB4&fea ture=endscreenhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz8ithgTB4&fea ture=endscreen (4 minutes) Videos on Origin of Life

6.  Two distinct groups of theories  Each category has several versions  How about the possibility of God creating the life to evolve?  Yoga and meditation talks about evolution of consciousness Creationism vs. Evolutionism

7. Theories of Living

8.  Theory of Karma  Theory of Fate  Theory of Impressions Theory of LIVING

9. Theory of KARMA  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZX8QSdJ9go (12 LAWS OF KARMA – 5 MIN) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZX8QSdJ9go Theory of FATE  Fatalism  All is written  Nothing can be changes  Runs counter to will and determination  Creates Laziness Theory of Karma

10.  Sow a Thought reap an action  Sow an action reap a habit  Sow a habit reap a destiny  Our personality is sum of our impressions. Deeper impressions make the personalities stronger… they are called Samskaras Story of Karna – good or bad karma Theory of Impressions

11. Past Future ? Present Tendencies Choices we make Transformation Evolution – Morphological To Metaphysical

12. So what do you think we should do in the present? How can these theories be relevant to us? Question

13.  Creationism (Religious basis) and Evolutionism (Scientific basis) have to be synthesized to continue to explore the Truth  Spirituality based on rationality Intuition and Analysis Faith and Rationality  “Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind” - Einstein  Extension of evolutionary theory into metaphysical existence Synthesis

14.  Why meditation is relevant to us  Its importance in our evolution NEED for meditation

15.  ‘Medite’ means to rest on one thought  Think of one thing continuously  As you think so you become What is Meditation?

16.  Physical Benefit  Mental Benefit  Spiritual Benefit Why meditate?

17.  How many have been experimenting with Quiet time and meditation so far?  Can two of you share what you felt?  If you learnt a systematic practice would you benefit more? Reflective Questions

18. “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” “I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one.” – Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

19.  In ancient times, meditation was used for enlightenment, to find the Self  Meditation is a way to get rid of misery, to overcome challenges posed by life  Meditation has been the way to improve one’s abilities – physical and mental  The more responsibility you have in life, more is the need for meditation Benefits of Meditation

20.  Meditation brings better health to us  Meditation is food for the soul  It is an energizer for the mind  Better physical health Balance in poise and activity  Better mental health Normalization of behavior Better clarity of mind Meditate for Health

21.  Meditation helps to change your perception, perspective  It helps you in your relationships with people around, you know how you interact with people, what you see, what you say and how you act or react in different situations  It helps in creating a violence-free society, disease-free body, confusion-free mind, inhibition-free intellect, trauma- free memory and sorrow-free soul! Meditate for happiness

22.  Develop greater intuitive capability  Concentration Meditate for Inner Expansion

23. Past Future Present Tendencies Choices we make Evolution Or Stagnation Meditation is the intersection

24. Neuroscientist Sara Lazar's amazing brain scans show meditation can actually change the size of key regions of our brain, improving our memory and making us more spiritual - empathetic, compassionate, and resilient under stress. ‪ http://www.tedxcambridge.com/thriv e/sara-lazar/ Meditation and Brain

25. 20 minutes of quite time Practice Session

26.  Sum up the session  Next week – “The Natural Path & Integration” In Closing