The love of the ignorant can be harmful yet even the anger of the Enlightened is not harmful. It can be only good!
An example is the school at the Art of Living Ashram in Bangalore. 250 children are enrolled but only 200 come to class on any given day. Fifty children don't show up. Why? They cry at home, "Mother, I don't want to go to school."
The mother says, "Oh, la la, don't cry . . . ok." She thinks, "No child in the world is like my child." And so she sticks up for the child and begins to speak for him. She does not see the teacher's point of view. The mother asks the teacher, "Why are you not teaching my child properly? He is so innocent, so lovely." So, what happens -- the child grows up spoiled. The love in the mother's ignorance has spoiled the child. The child will never learn the alphabet, never learn to read or write, but the mother says, "Oh, never mind, there are sheep to look after and fields to tend." The mother's love in ignorance has spoiled the child.
The anger of the Enlightened is a blessing. There are many instances of this in the Puranas. Once a Master was traveling in the middle province of India with a disciple following him a few yards behind. Some boys who were rude, rough, and abusive began to throw stones and tease the disciple calling him names. This went on for some time as the boys followed the Master and the disciple. They came to a river. The Master and the disciple got into a boat in order to cross. The boys got in another boat which started to sink in the middle of the river.
The Master slapped the disciple across the face. The disciple was so surprised as he had not said a word back to the boys in response to their taunts. He had been such a good disciple and yet the Master had slapped him!
The Master said, "It is your fault. You are responsible for their boat sinking. You did not respond to their abuse. Nature has now punished them in a worse way because you did not have enough compassion to quell their insults."
The slap that the Master gave took away the karma of this event such that it would not be carried into the future of the boys. It also served to take away any little bit of joy the disciple may have felt at seeing the boys' boat sink! Thus, it also took away the karma of the event for the disciple. So, the anger of the Enlightened is a blessing!
Health Benefits of Nuts
Nuts are grown all over the world. On every continent and for thousands of years, nuts have been an important food for humans. Especially in India, nuts are an intrinsic part of traditional dietary patterns. In the 1980s, all nuts were condemned by many nutrition professionals as they used to believe that "nuts are fattening," for the average diet. Today, Modern research showed that "A Balanced diet with nuts is helpful to reduce the risk of Heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes".
Even now, There is a wrong notion among the many individuals that nuts are high in calories and fat and regular consumption on nuts leads to the increase of weight. I must say "They are right", nuts are quite calorically dense. But if consumed in limited quantities, they provide a great source of protein as well yield numerous nutritional and health benefits. This is the reason why Most physicians and nutritionists now encourage consumers to replace sweet and salty snacks with unsalted nuts.
The following are the Healthiest nuts to consume
2. cashews
3. Peanuts
4. Pecans
5. Pinenuts
6. Pistachios
7. Walnuts
8. Hazelnuts
All these nuts are rich sources of nutrients like plant proteins, vitamins A, E and folate, trace minerals like calcium, , potassium, magnesium, selenium, copper, zinc, iron, manganese and phosphorus, fiber, heart-friendly fats (mono and poly unsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids), and antioxidants.
Here is why nuts are so important to your health:
1.Reduce the risk of heart disease: The fats found in nuts are primarily unsaturated fatty acids which have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease and reduce low-density lipoprotein. Omega-3 fatty acids present in nuts lower levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream. Some nuts also contain plant sterols which help lower your cholesterol. By just eating 140 grams (around five ounces) of nuts per week you can lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 35%. Another study found that women who ate nuts 4 times per week were 40 percent less likely to die of heart disease.
2. Good source of Protein: Nuts are very high in protein. All eight essential amino acids which we humans need in our protein intake are present in peanuts. Most nuts are high in the amino acid Arginine that helps widen and relax blood vessels.
3. Lower blood pressure levels: Nuts contain l-arginine that enhances the production of nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide helps relax the arteries and make them more flexible and less prone to blood clots resulting in improvements in high blood pressure levels.
4. Make bones stronger: Most nuts are a very good source of potassium, calcium and phosphorus which are required for stronger bones. In fact, a quarter cup of almonds has almost as much calcium as a quarter cup of milk. Peanuts also contain Lysine which is necessary for calcium absorption.
5. Extra fiber: Nuts are a good source of fiber which provides bulk to help food move through the digestive tract. It also promotes a feeling of fullness, therefore, making you eat less and thus keeping your weight loss effort in check. Fiber is also thought to play a role in preventing diabetes. 25 grams of peanuts contains about 8% of the fiber you need each day.
7. Full of antioxidants: Nuts are a rich source of antioxidants. These help in lowering oxidation of fatty deposits in the walls of blood vessels to help protect cells from tissue damage caused by free radicals. These free radicals are the main cause of premature aging and the general breakdown of the body.
8. Rich source of Potassium: Potassium is essential for a healthy nervous system and needed by all of the muscles in the body, including the heart. It aids regular heart rhythm and muscle contraction and blood flow.
9. Best sources of vitamin E: Almonds and peanuts are considered excellent sources of vitamin E. It protects against conditions related to oxidative stress such as aging, arthritis, cataracts, diabetes and infections.
10. Energy Booster: Nuts also provide important minerals like potassium, magnesium and zinc which are necessary for energy production.
CONCLUSION: Even though nuts are high in healthy fats, these healthy fats are also high in calories. When consumed too much and too frequent, the excess calories from nuts can lead to weight gain. Eating nuts in moderate quantities (around 25-50g per day) can be apart of a nutritional plan that can improve health and body weight. So everyone of us should incorporate nuts in our diet.
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