The Eightfold Path

I saw this research article on the role of media violence and the development of aggressive behavior in adolescents. It was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and is one of many studies documenting the role the media plays in influencing violent actions in our children - and I am sure many adults. I am also sure the violent video games, aggressive words in pop music, negative images and messages in books and profane language now common in the media contribute to this very low energy state many people live in. There is a book called "Power Versus Force" by David Hawkins, MD that presents interesting research on the energy states of certain mind states. The lowest was in those who are blameful, vindictive, revengeful and humiliating. The highest were in those living in peace, serenity, compassion, divine love and self-enlightenment.

The Eightfold path in Buddhism has very simple concepts about how to live: Buddha's Noble Truths, is the way to end suffering (dukkha). It has eight sections, each starting with the word samyak (Sanskrit, meaning correctly, properly, or "right"

Prajñā is the wisdom that purifies the mind, allowing it to attain spiritual insight into the true nature of all things. It includes:
dṛṣṭi (ditthi): viewing reality as it is, not just as it appears to be.
saṃkalpa (sankappa): freedom and harmlessness.

Śīla is the ethics or morality, or abstention from unwholesome deeds. It includes:
vāc (vāca): speaking in a truthful and non hurtful way
karman (kammanta): acting in a non harmful way
ājīvana (ājīva): a non harmful livelihood
Samādhi is the mental discipline required to develop mastery over one’s own mind. This is done through the practice of various contemplative and meditative practices, and includes:
vyāyāma (vāyāma): making an effort to improve - having discipline in the practice
smṛti (sati): awareness to see things for what they are with clear consciousness, being aware of the present reality within oneself, without any craving or aversion
samādhi (samādhi): correct meditation or concentration, explained as the first 4 dhyānas
The practice of the Eightfold Path is understood in one of two ways. It requires either simultaneous development (all eight items practiced in parallel), or it is conceived of as a progressive series of stages through which the practitioner moves, the culmination of one leading to the beginning of another.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism#The_Noble_Eightfold_Path

Wouldn't it be simple if some of these concepts were practiced and honored by more people in this world. Imagine if we lived in a world with right speech, action, thought, deeds and love for one another. As yoga teachers and practitioners - we learn about these ancient practices and principles to live the "yogic lifestyle". Pass the teachings on to your children, spouses, friends - about the role that media violence is creating in the way people are behaving and living their lives. This is the best way to promote peace.
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From the research on violence:You are what you watch, when it comes to violence in the media and its influence on violent behavior in young people, and a new paper, lead-authored by Rutgers University, Newark, researcher Paul Boxer, provides new evidence that violent media does indeed impact adolescent behavior.
The author's research, funded by the Centers of Disease Control, into media violence and its impact is only one aspect of his overall work, which “focuses on the impact of violence in all aspects of the social environment on child and adolescent development.” Boxer is currently working on research that emphasizes the role of family violence and community violence in children's aggressive behaviors.

Boxer et al. The Role of Violent Media Preference in Cumulative Developmental Risk for Violence and General Aggression. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, February 2009
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In a paper published in the August issue of the journal Pediatrics, Dartmouth researchers document the alarming numbers of young adolescents age 10-14 who are exposed to graphic violence in movies rated R for violence.They found that these extremely violent movies were seen by an average of 12.5 percent of an estimated 22 million children age 10-14. One R-rated movie, Scary Movie, was seen by an estimated 10 million children, or about 48 percent of 10-14 year olds.

Dartmouth College (2008, August 4). Too Many Children See Extreme Violence In Movies. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 21, 2008,
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Watching media violence significantly increases the risk that a viewer or video game player will behave aggressively in both the short and long term.The research clearly shows that exposure to virtual violence increases the risk that both children and adults will behave aggressively," said Huesmann, the Amos N. Tversky Collegiate Professor of Communication Studies and Psychology, and a senior research scientist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR). In his article, Huesmann points out that U.S. children spend an average of three to four hours a day watching television. "More than 60 percent of television programs contain some violence," he said, "and about 40 percent of those contain heavy violence."Exposure to violent electronic media has a larger effect than all but one other well-known threat to public health. The only effect slightly larger than the effect of media violence on aggression is that of cigarette smoking on lung cancer," Huesmann said.

"Our lives are saturated by the mass media, and for better or worse, violent media are having a particularly detrimental effect on the well-being of children," he said.

University of Michigan (2007, November 28). Violent TV, Games Pack A Powerful Public Health Threat. ScienceDaily.
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