What is a possible connection between political systems/governance and notions of True Health through True Responsibility?

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Do you want to feel better…and better…and better – accepting of no end in sight?

May 24, 2013 by Dr Glen Hepker

How good do you want to feel about life and its living? How good of a place do you want to make your world, THE world? This speaks to inside and out, emotionally, physically, even spiritually, and in the broader world…one reflecting upon the other, back and forth in its intrinsic formulaic dynamic.

Please know these notions (within the Bright Beautiful School of Thought/Ming Chia) are in no way set forth in an unhealthful spirit of haughtiness…accordingly congruent with the Same Boat Theory, we are ALL in the same common boat in this and in so many other means (much more than we often think and act). Consistently, we ALL have our light and dark sides, and it is up to each one us as to decide how light or dark, how bright we want to be. It is up to each of us to decide how healthful or unhealthful we want to be. It is all about how much each of us wants to take responsibility for our own health and well-being. In regard to an additional traditional definition of ‘lightness,’ it is up to each of us to decide how ‘light’ of the pernicious weight of unhealthful ‘baggage’ we want to be. In the analogy of the ‘same boat’ as utilized herein, we can choose to selfishly ‘rock the boat’ in unhealthful fashions, or we can learn to be more and more loving, appreciative, and selfless in our outlook and behavior.

In the Theory of Lightness, in a splendid facet of the jewel of its manifest beauty, we can accordingly allow ourselves to more deeply and deeply embrace the notion of the ‘accumulation of light and lightness.’ In its genuine practical application, we can realize a more and more beyond words sparkling, spine-tingling, loving, and altruistic brightness. In accordance with the Bright School Theory, each of us, if willing, has a wonderful ‘free will’ choice as to how light/bright/healthful we want to be. How light/bright/healthful do you want to be? How important is it to you to utilize the True Gauges of True Health to decipher as to how healthful your thoughts and actions (choices) are? Consistently, how often is it possible for us to look at our thoughts and actions and decide whether they make the world a better place? How often is it possible for us to look at our thoughts and actions and decide how well we are Acting Without Acting – endeavoring to do the right thing for the right sake without the need for selfish recognition or hidden agendas. How often are we acting in a benevolent and altruistic spirit of dignity, decency, goodness, and grace (and figuring out how to TRULY mean it!). How much does this sound like ‘pins-and-needles-ville?’ It DOESN’T have to be pins-and-needles-ville!

This so-splendid and genuinely loving and selfless spirit of True Appreciation can be more and more in each moment…recognizing that NO MATTER how difficult or easy things are, each aspect of each moment, each thing, each facet of being, can be more and more impeccable quintessential blessings. How far can this go…how far can it so beautifully go past what words can describe? The answer may be in how masterful one can be in learning to play the part of the less and less blemished Witness…with less and less expectations, preset patterns of thinking, and learning to better and better embrace healthful change. In this tradition, it is learning to live life as a loving living art, witnessing the living loving story of one’s life AS one goes about it, versus just being a pawn in the story of one’s life.

What say you? SO quite humbly and respectfully, and not in a spirit of sounding/being harsh, how important is it to you to avoid ongoing stagnant plateaus (which can be like a living death)? We ALL have the ability to get stuck there, and we all have the ability to get unstuck. It is up to each of us to decide what is important or unimportant, and how much we are willing to lovingly embrace our comfort and discomfort equally. It is strategically treating life as a living loving art…and deeply embracing a most wonderful of blessings in said art, i.e., that there is ALWAYS room for improvement. It is the so beautiful spirit of True Appreciation of the miracle of the moment – more and more each moment. It is in ONGOINGLY needing less and less to hide behind. It is True Health through True Responsibility. In gathering more and more skill in this, we may realize more and more sparkling spine-tingling ‘glimpses of Heaven.’ Each of us has the ability to make it so.

Once again, PLEASE know this outlook is meant in the most humble and respectful of spirits. PLEASE know that this outlook can be a complement to ALL well-meaning religious and non-religious outlooks. PLEASE know that this outlook is lovingly and altruistically set forth in a spirit devoid of any sense of competition and/or any crepuscular/inimical sense of being. — Dr. Glen Hepker

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A so-splendid review of my book by fellow author Brian M. Hayden…

May 17, 2013 by Dr Glen Hepker

When I first decided to read “A Glimpse of Heaven”, I thought it was just another “self-help” book. I opened the file and took my requisite quick tour of its pages. I quickly discovered that ”A Glimpse of Heaven” was not just another self – help book. No, Dr Glen Hepker wrote something different. Something special.

The first thing I noticed about the book was its layout. The table of contents describes each chapter. I found that very helpful. Dr. Hepker begins by providing background information, a forward and author’s notes. This was an important step in laying the foundation for the subject matter. The subject matter being, the “Bright Beautiful School of Thought/True Health philosophy”. This, you will learn is rooted deeply in Chinese philosophy.

One of the things I appreciated about this book, is that unlike other “self-help books, “A Glimpse of Heaven” shares knowledge and philosophy instead of listing matter-of-factly do’s and don’t, rules, etc. I felt as if I were in the living room with Dr Hepker, and he was simply talking to me. This fresh approach to sharing knowledge made learning easier.

The concepts of this book may, to some degree be familiar to you. The Golden Rule for one, and chapter XI, True Faith and the Three Portents. You may not recognize the title, but you will recognize the substance of the chapter.

The book is well written and the subject matter expertly presented. The lessons and philosophy clearly work. Dr Hepker is a living example. I have gotten to know Dr Hepker on a social media level, and I can attest to his ardent belief in what he writes.

“A Glimpse of Heaven” is a masterful lesson in life, and should be read by everyone. In these tenuous times in the United States and around the world, I think the people of Earth could use a good dose of what Dr Hepker is offering.

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Why are we here?

May 12, 2013 by Dr Glen Hepker

Questions (from readers of my book or in general): Glen, in your opinion, why has God put us here on Earth?

So quite humbly and respectfully, I OBVIOUSLY cannot feel it appropriate for me to ‘speak for God.’ Albeit, it the ages-old arts that I teach, coach, and endeavor to follow (the Bright Beautiful School of Thought/Ming Chia – a type of Tao Chan/Buddhism), it is said that, in the ultimate sense, we are here because there are some VERY important things we need to learn. This is said to be so much about learning to better and better embrace the notion of Acting Without Acting, i.e., doing the right thing for the right sake…without the need for selfish recognition or hidden agendas. It is much about realization that bad tidings and suffering are rooted in desire, craving, and fear of healthful change. “If there is a Heaven, a ‘key the universe,’ a ‘sixth sense,’ they are rooted in True Honesty, promoting of True Happiness and True Freedom…but MOST importantly, needing less and less to hide behind.” True Honesty can allow us to be more prepared for Heaven…a place, so-to-speak, where there is no time, no space, no distance…all is known, and again, nothing to hide behind. All of the ‘walls of lies’ come tumbling down. Again, humbly and respectfully, this is likely deserving of a really BIG ‘oh boy!’

The Tao Te Ching verse one speaks to this:

“The Way that can be told is not the Eternal Way, the Way that can be told is the Mother of all things.”

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True Freedom…is it possible?

May 10, 2013 by Dr Glen Hepker

It is likely that life will always hold varying levels of frustrations and annoyances – but we can learn to honestly witness ourselves. In the story of our life, from one moment to the next, we can elect to be a good actor or bad actor. We do have the wherewithal to choose to be more than just pawns to our internal and external encumbrances. We can choose how frustrated and annoyed we become and by what fashion we display such feelings: Life can be without destructive and debilitating anger…in utilizing truly substantive healthful loving compassion and empathy. It can be done, through a meaningful acceptance – a realistic healthful empathy and optimism complemented by a lack of co-dependency. When someone wrongs us, we can be a good, healthful model and learn how to truly mean it: as is commonly said, “two wrongs don’t make a right.” We can lovingly act to never give in…and we need not ever ‘bend-over.’

It is easier to accomplish all of this when we can embrace the notion that each of us has historically ‘rocked the boat’ – and will likely do so again. It is easier to forgive ourselves for past infractions, when, in the here-and-now, we can display honest and well-meaning empathy and forgiveness for similar behavior in others. In the traditions herein, this healthful mien is viewed as being in direct congruence with the true responsibility of supporting others – and one aspect of an honest and loving true freedom.

While it is evident that ‘nothing is perfect’ herein this life, we can healthfully choose to learn to interpret things in a more and more unblemished and selfless light – a light which can become brighter and brighter and brighter. Once again, the greatest gift of all is that there is always room for improvement – deeper insight. Taking advantage of this ‘gift’ is exercising true freedom on a next-to-perfect level. And, in addition to that being said, it would be easy to say that such is as good as it gets on this Earth – but it would be dishonest and misleading. It does get better still, and better. And at such a point, it is traditional in these arts to reflect a bit of profundity which truly and honestly is meant in a spirit of heartfelt respect and appreciation:

“The Way that can be told is not the eternal way…the Way that can be told is the
mother of all (material and tangible) things (which can separate us).”

The following handed-down analogy sets forth the detail in a seemingly strange and possibly distressful fashion:

The Way manifests in the madman screaming, “If the stars are not words, then stop calling them stars.”

Some things can only be (truly) understood by witnessing – whether it be of this Earth and the living story thereof, or in a glimpse of heaven.

Both levels of…(?) existence have commonalities, and there are many means by which to make this world a better place. Albeit, all meaningful ways as such are inclusive of these things: True Freedom, aka the accumulation of light and lightness, and its almost-unblemished and/or genuinely unblemished true love and true responsibility of universal compassion and healthfully-balanced empathy. As said, there are many means by which to make the world a better place – but all meaningful ways, to be exact, are inclusive of this level of grace and the freedom to artfully appreciate what we have.

This living awareness is among the pinnacles of True Health, as described in the following saying (which is symbolic of life and all of its potential in connecting-the-healthful-dots):

The Lotus Flower Blossoms

“There is a place where, wherever you are there, whatever you are doing…no matter what, in any given moment, there should be nowhere you would rather be.

It is where you are right now – and you have the ability to so deeply and artfully appreciate your life and its living…to connect one healthful insight to the next, and make them all one…learning to witness this already-existing truth.

In the wilderness of our existence…a place of budding flowers about, about to unwrap in a showing of perfect appreciation for all to thrive upon, we are the flowers which can
blossom again and again in each season of our deeper and deeper insights…all connected…each better and more healthful than before. It is not unlike Heaven…and it can become Heaven, with enough insight and appreciation.

It takes quite a few sparks, glimpses – spine-tingling moments…as a way-of-life which becomes more and more purposeful…more and more without time or space or distance. More and more there is less and less to hide behind.”

In this writing, the discussion of True Health and making the world a better place has primarily been spoken of on a personal or individual basis. The following point brings us full circle to the central thesis of the Bright Beautiful School of Thought: the principle that the world would be a much better and different place if more and more people took True Responsibility for their own health and wellbeing – in short, True Health Through True Responsibility. If more and more of us are raised and/or raised-up to believe that our most important responsibility is to make the world a better place…a greater and greater majority, what would this mean? The short answer is that it can’t be bad. The whole thing may sound naïve – but if you try to really look at it, it is difficult to fairly and scrupulously find fault with the notion.

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True Appreciation…what is its connection to True Health?

May 6, 2013 by Dr Glen Hepker

Most of us enjoy an awareness and appreciation for what we perceive to be major life-altering miracles: a life or lives being saved in a disaster, wonderful medical breakthroughs, great spiritual or religious events, etc. Certainly, many would agree that the manifestation of these circumstances is miraculous – often beyond measure. After all, that is why we coin them as such: “true miracles.” The primary thesis of True Appreciation herein displays no impetus toward competing with that notion: it simply implies that there are true miracles, by the tens of thousands each day, that most of us choose to ignore. These miracles are no less so – true miracles. According to this theory, awareness and True Appreciation of these miracles, or the lack thereof, is a gauge of True Health.

No matter how difficult life is for us, no matter the many ‘thorns in our side’ in our daily lives, how dare we not appreciate the gift of each moment for the miracles that they are? Why do we not feel a deep and abiding rational, emotional, and even spiritual appreciation for each moment, in each moment?

It is likely true, that much of the time, each of us is ‘lost within ourselves’ – in our anxiety, in our sadness – not even knowing to, let alone wanting to be, objective and insightful – unwilling to ‘reach out of ourselves,’ our own ‘little bubble,’ our faulty private logic, our unhealthy habits, our addictive behavior. Such issues may be reasons to ignore the miracle of each moment. Albeit, they are not valid excuses…No Matter What. Nothing may be more important than learning to embrace our discomfort as much as our comfort – to substantively face our internal problems so we can mature beyond them.

Even the most fundamental things, moments, are profound miracles – not just potential miracles. The ability to sit there and read this is a miracle. The ability to have a conversation with someone is a miracle. The ability to agree to disagree ‘without wanting to kill each other’ is a miracle. An appreciative awareness that we are all in the same boat, is a ‘really big’ miracle.

If all of this is true, then perhaps the greatest gift and miracle of all is the ability to love – deep abiding love of others, but most particularly, a truly healthful love of oneself. Is it possible that if we can realize True Love of the self, that we can also realize True Appreciation? By employing genuine effort, can we enjoy a peace of mind in which we can take true responsibility for our own health and wellbeing? Wouldn’t our world, The World, be a much better and different place as such?

In realizing meaningful levels of True Appreciation, it is an appropriate step to attempt to do the right thing for the right sake, without need for selfish recognition: Acting Without Acting – taking action based on true and healthful reasons, versus false and unhealthful reasoning or instinct. According to this strategy, the only certain means by which to do this is by Playing the Part of the Perfect Witness: employing a light meditative demeanor in which one has made a self-disciplined effort to learn to clear the mind of thought, e.g., unblemished witnessing versus heavy internal dialogue – heavy pernicious cyclical thinking which is promoting of unhealthful craving/desire. This is True Freedom – the ability to avoid being weighted-down by heavy cyclical or scattered thinking, without opinion, precognition, preprogrammed, or preset patterns of thinking. This practice may allow us the lightness of being in which we can truly appreciate the miracle of the moment, each moment.

In ‘connecting-the-healthful-dots’ and fitting all the pieces of this formula together, it is important to realize that, even in times when we are busy taking care of daily responsibilities and it is obviously impractical to be ‘clearing the mind,’ such times/moments can be significantly complemented by the blossoming effect resulting from the healthful peace of mind which can be realized through consistent application of the meditative practices mentioned herein.

A clear measure of True Health is having the internal wherewithal to interact with others in a spirit of dignity, decency, goodness, and grace – and find a way to truly mean it, No Matter What. We will be unable to do so unless we are willing to look deeply within ourselves and work diligently in dealing with our internal difficulties. Our willingness or unwillingness to do so is, once again, a measure of True Health: It is reflected in our ability or inability to look within ourselves with less and less fear. We can choose to improve and evolve, or we can choose to ignore our internal difficulties and suffer accordingly. By nurturing, realizing a truly healthful self-image – by displaying true forgiveness towards oneself for historical misdeeds and faulty internal logic – by learning to heal one’s festering emotional sores, this then, in itself, if it is made to happen more and more often in more and more moments, is truly a miracle to be appreciated: It is realization of True Health if we enjoy the wherewithal to choose to appreciate, to ‘pay attention’ to, the miracle and blessing of each moment.

Miracles do not have to be rare and unusual things – as is commonly perceived. Miracles are manifest in each moment of our lives, intrinsic to familiar everyday occurrences whose true significance we most often choose to ignore and take for granted. Life itself – in and of itself, is truly a miracle beyond measure. How dare we not make a genuinely sincere effort to recognize and feel a deep abiding appreciation for it. How dare we take it for granted – each or any moment. — Dr. Glen Hepker

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Is anger all/only a bad thing?

April 28, 2013 by Dr Glen Hepker

Questions from readers of my book/or in general: Glen, what do you think of anger, i.e., do you think it is always a bad thing? Can it be a good thing?

Response: Anger can be a blessing if it is treated as such, and if one employs it without being in ANY way destructive or harmful. Anger can be congruent with dignity, decency, goodness, and grace, if a loving and selfless effort is made. This healthful outlook can seem quite outside the mainstream view of anger…but it need not be so. Anger and frustration can prompt us to take the proverbial ‘bull by the horns’ and get really good/healthful things done. It is requisite of True Effort and True Strength…in the loving spirit of doing the right thing for the right selfless sake. It CAN be all about a deep and abiding True Appreciation of our own True Responsibility in making the world a better place. — Dr. Glen Hepker

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