“The etiquette of Buddhism is not – if it’s a real practice – it’s not bullshit. It’s real. It helps you lead a better life. It helps you conserve energy so that you can live in higher states of mind.”
Frederick Lenz, Rama
Energy Management – Frederick Lenz, Rama
Rama taught the importance of energy management. During meditation, you build energy that enables you to both reach and sustain high states of consciousness. During our everyday lives, we can gain energy, but we also lose energy. By learning how we lose and gain energy outside of our meditation practice, we can make our meditation practice more powerful and our everyday lives more balanced.
There are a number of ways that you can increase your energy. Meditation is a primary way. You can also increase it by building a strong career, by visiting places of power (places where the earth vibrates faster), by practicing martial arts, and by receiving empowerments from enlightened teachers.
Rama taught a powerful exercise to his students to take stock of what gives and takes away from their power.
Taking Stock of Your Power – The Enlightenment Workbook
The power of my relationships
Entitle a new journal page, “The Power of My Relationships.” Divide the page into two columns. Write “Relationships That Increase My Power” as the heading for the first column. Write “Relationships that Decrease My Power” as the heading for the second column. List all the relationships you have in the appropriate column.
Things that affect my power
Now that you know how your relationships affect your power, consider everything else in your life. What else gives you power? What else takes power away? Entitle a new journal page, “Things That Affect My Power.”
Divide the page into two columns. As the heading for the first column, write “Things That Increase My Power.” As the heading for the second column, write “Things that Decrease My Power.” List all of the things in your life in the appropriate columns. List your job, your school, your hobbies, and your hang-outs. List your neighborhood, the stores you shop at, and your usual mode of transportation. List your chores, your commitments, and your common errands. List your diet, your sleep, and your exercise. List what you do on an average day. List the things you do with your free time, the things you do to have a good time, and the things you don’t like to do yet find yourself doing. List the things you like in your life and the things you don’t like. List what most brings you balance and peace, as well as what most ruins your balance and peace.