GRATITUDEA „RELIGIOUS‟ „RESEARCH‟!

INTERESTINGLY, ONE COMMON LINK THAT CONNECTS MOST HOLY SCRIPTURES OF RELIGIONS ALLOVER THE WORLD IS…

THE STRESS UPON-GRATITUDE!

LET‟S TAKE A QUICK GLANCE…

HINDUISM

“Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart -- a leaf, a flower, fruit or water -- I accept with joy

,,-Bhagavad Gita

HINDUISM“God has given us the life. He will give us the means of its sustenance. But He does expect us to perform our work remembering that we need to express our gratitude. That expression is reflected through performing our acts as if they were an offering to God.”-

BhagavadGita Adhyaay 3 Shlok 1-43 v2

CHRISTIANITY

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you….

BIBLE :(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

”“

BUDDHISMThe unworthy man is ungrateful, forgetful of benefits [done to him]. This ingratitude, this forgetfulness is congenial to mean people... But the worthy person is grateful and mindful of benefits done to him. This gratitude, this mindfulness, is congenial to the best people.

Anguttara Nikaya i.61”

“

JUDAISM Be not like those who honor their gods in prosperity and curse them in

adversity. In pleasure or pain, give thanks!

-Midrash, Mekilta to Exodus 20.20

”“

AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS One upon whom We bestow kindness But will not express gratitude,

Is worse than a robber Who carries away our belongings

Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria)

”“

„EKLAVYA‟ THE CHARACTER FROM THE GREAT EPIC MAHABHARATA ,CHOPPED OFF HIS THUMB, AT THE

BIDDING OF HIS GURU DRONACHARYA …

ACCORDING TO INDIAN MYTHOLOGY…

BUT, IF ANYONE BIDS YOU TO CHOP

OFF A FINGER …

WILL YOU?

YOU WOULD NOT! BUT IF TOLD YOUR FINGER IS GANGRENOUS YOU WOULD!

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT BEING RELIGIOUS OR AN ATHEIST, YOUR FAITH OR LACK OF IT, BEING RADICAL OR RATIONAL…

IT‟S ABOUT BEING ILLOGICAL OR LOGICAL… HAVING AN „ESTABLISHED REASON‟!

TO ACCEPT SOMETHING NOWADAYS WE NEED LOGICAL, SCIENTIFIC STUDY TO BACK UP ANY THEORY!

SO, THERE HAS TO BESOME SCIENTIFIC TRUTHIN THE POWER OFGRATITUDE, WHICHHAS TAKEN ITS IMPORTANCETO A UNIVERSAL LEVEL…

NOW LET‟S SEE WHAT SCIENTIFIC STUDY HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!

Here‟s an excerpt of an experiment conducted by psychologists,

Michael McCollough of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, on gratitude and its impact on well-being.

• A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED INVOLVING SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE.

• THE PEOPLE WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS.

• ALL THE GROUPS WERE REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN A DAILY LOG.

In The Experiment…

The difference being…

• Group 1- To keep a record of all events.

• Group 2- To keep a record of unpleasant experiences.

• Group 3- To make a daily list of things for which they felt grateful.

They suffered less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater

progress toward achieving personal goals.

The results indicated that the 3rd group with daily

gratitude exercises showed

• Higher reported levels of alertness

• Enthusiasm,

• Determination,

• Optimism,

• Energy

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In addition, Dr. Emmons – who has been studying gratitude for almost ten years and is esteemed by many to be the world‟s leading authority on gratitude!

His book -“Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier”. is based on research involving thousands of people conducted by anumber of different researchers around the world.

Practising gratitude can increasehappiness levels by around 25%.

Moreover, Dr. Emmons‟ research establishes that those who practice gratitude

• Tend to be more creative,

• Can bounce back more readily in adversity,

• Have a stronger immune system,

• And have stronger social relationships than those who don‟t!

In his words… “To say we feel grateful is not to say that

everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our blessings.”

So, are you aware of your blessings?

Going back to one of the Holy Scriptures are you strong enough to “Be not like those who honor their gods in prosperity and curse them in adversity.

In pleasure or pain, give thanks!”?

WE ARE THANKFUL TO http://www.thechangeblog.com/gratitude/