Dr Ananda Kodituwakku

Walk For Peace: Walking Peace Into the World ☸️ Right now in the United States, an inspiring pilgrimage is still unfolding: the Walk for Peace - a long-distance journey begun on October 26, 2025, from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, headed toward Washington, D.C. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, monks walk day after day - often more than 20 miles - offering simple "peace sharing" talks at lunch stops and again at night, meeting communities with quiet presence rather than slogans. And walking with them is the beloved rescue dog Aloka - now a symbol of faithful companionship and hope on this ~2,300-mile path across multiple states (Texas through the Southeast, up toward Virginia and D.C.). To us, this isn't just a journey of feet. It's a visible prayer: that peace is practiced, not preached. Each step says, "May hatred soften. May hearts remember they belong to one family." If you've ever felt the world is too loud, this walk is a reminder: compassion can still move across the earth - and people will gather to meet it. 🙏 #Buddhism #Buddha #Buddhist #WalkForPeace #AlokaThePeaceDog #Aloka #Monks #UnitedStates #compassion #Metta #Kindness #KindnessMatters #MindfulLiving #MindfulMovement #Mindfulness #Mindful #meditation #Meditate #Dharma #DharmaTalk #SpiritualJourney #spiritualawakening #spirituality #SaturdayMorning

රාග,ද්වේශ,මෝහ

Exercise is a brain drug. Here’s the biology behind it New review in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience breaks down how exercise boosts brain BDNF, the key molecule for learning and memory. What matters most: 1. Exercise reliably increases brain BDNF, a driver of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis 2. BDNF supports memory, learning, mood, and stress resilience 3. Blocking BDNF signaling removes many cognitive benefits of exercise How exercise raises BDNF: 4) Neuronal activity increases calcium signaling and gene expression 5) Increased cerebral blood flow activates endothelial BDNF production 6) Muscle and liver release exerkines like lactate, irisin, IGF-1, and ketones that signal the brain 7) Brain BDNF comes from neurons, blood vessels, and peripheral organs working together Exercise isn’t just movement, it’s a whole body signal that rewires the brain from the inside out.

The gut-brain axis integrates 4 primary streams of signals: 🧠 1. Neural Pathway The vagus nerve and enteric nervous system (ENS) transmit afferent signals from the gut to the brain. Microbial metabolites and host-derived neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin, dopamine, GABA) influence mood, cognition, and stress responses. Enteroendocrine and enterochromaffin cells release neuroactive compounds in response to microbial cues. 🧬 2. Endocrine Pathway The gut microbiota modulates HPA axis activity through changes in gut barrier integrity, circulating metabolites, and stress hormones. Cortisol, released from the adrenal cortex, affects both systemic inflammation and brain function. Microbiota-regulated hormones such as GLP-1, CCK, and ghrelin further influence appetite, mood, and behavior. 🦠 3. Immune Pathway Microbial antigens (PAMPs) and metabolites interact with intestinal immune cells (e.g., Th1, Th17, dendritic cells), influencing systemic and neuroinflammatory tone. Elevated cytokines like TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6 have been linked to blood-brain barrier disruption, depression, and cognitive impairment. 🔁 4. Metabolic Pathway The gut microbiota ferments dietary components (e.g., fiber, protein, bile acids) into signaling molecules including: -SCFAs (butyrate, propionate) -Secondary bile acids -Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) These metabolites affect energy regulation, neurotransmission, and epigenetic signaling within the CNS and peripheral tissues. PMID: 37404311

True greatness does not rise above — it bends low, like water finding its own level. And in that humility, there is strength the world cannot comprehend.

@MonaLee41142040 🙏

Today’s Inspirational Message!💙 **************** Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place .. 🖋️ Iain Thomas 🎨 Credit to unknown artist Serendipity Corner 🌸

@MonaLee41142040 🙏👏

Human Kindness…💛 **************** He died on Christmas morning, and only then did the world discover he'd been secretly giving away millions—with one rule: nobody could ever know it was him. December 25, 2016. George Michael—one of the most celebrated pop stars of his generation—was found dead in his home at age 53. The world mourned the voice behind "Faith," "Careless Whisper," and "Freedom." Tributes poured in celebrating his music, his talent, his cultural impact. But then something unexpected started happening. Strangers began coming forward with stories. Not about concerts or albums, but about kindness. About money that appeared when they needed it most. About a famous man who helped them when no one else would—and swore them to secrecy. One by one, the stories emerged, painting a picture of a man the public never really knew. In 2008, a woman named Lynette Gillard appeared on the British game show "Deal or No Deal." During the show, she mentioned her dream of having a child but explained she couldn't afford IVF treatment. She lost the game and went home empty-handed. The next day, £15,000 appeared in her bank account. No name. No note. Just the exact amount she needed for IVF. Years later, after George Michael's death, Lynette finally learned the truth: it was him. He'd been watching the show, heard her story, and decided to make her dream come true—on one condition: she could never know who helped her. She now has a child because a stranger chose kindness over recognition. That was just one story. A homeless charity worker revealed that for years, a man calling himself "Paul" volunteered at their shelter during the holidays, serving meals and talking to people others ignored. No one recognized him. He wore simple clothes, avoided photos, and always left quietly. It was George Michael, one of the wealthiest men in British music, spending his Christmas serving soup to people who had nothing. Every Easter for years, £100,000 appeared in the accounts of children's charities across the UK. Anonymous. Untraceable. Regular as clockwork. After his death, the trail led back to him. A woman was crying in a bar, overwhelmed by debt she couldn't pay. George was there having a quiet drink. He listened to her story, wrote a check for £25,000, and told the bartender, "Give this to her after I leave. Don't tell her who it's from." She only learned years later, after he died, when the bartender finally felt able to tell the truth. George covered strangers' hospital bills. He paid tuition for students who couldn't afford school. He funded HIV/AIDS research and support programs quietly for decades—never seeking credit, never using it for publicity. When his mother was treated for cancer, the NHS nurses at the hospital cared for her with extraordinary compassion. After she died, George organized a free concert at the hospital exclusively for the nursing staff—his way of saying thank you when words weren't enough. He didn't announce it. He didn't turn it into a media event. He just did it. His manager once said George had one ironclad rule about his charitable giving: "Nobody can know it's from me. If the press finds out, I'll stop." He meant it. For decades, George Michael lived two lives. One in the spotlight—the pop star, the celebrity, the tabloid target constantly scrutinized for his personal struggles. And one in the shadows—the man who used his wealth to quietly change lives, one stranger at a time, asking for nothing in return except anonymity. Why did he hide it? Because George understood something most people don't: real generosity isn't about recognition. It's about impact. He didn't want gratitude. He didn't want headlines. He didn't want his charitable giving to become part of his brand or image. He just wanted people to be okay. After his death, financial records and testimonies revealed he'd given away tens of millions of pounds over his lifetime—most of it anonymously…

@MonaLee41142040 🙏

The Price of Authenticity Staying true to who you are won’t always earn applause, but it will always earn self-respect. Pretending just to be accepted only leads to emptiness. Choose the path of honesty, even if it’s lonelier — it’s the one that builds real strength and real peace. #stoicwisdom

#Vss365 #AcrosticPoem:achievable #poetry 🅐bandon grasping 🅒hoose stillness 🅗old nothing 🅘nward focus 🅔go loosens 🅥oid opens 🅐wareness widens 🅑reath steadies 🅛ove expands 🅔ffort dissolves #OurPoetryX #FoxProse #Only8Words #monoku⤵️

@elonmusknews30 Yes

She gave her cub to the rangers 😭😭, mother's love heightest by far ❤

Svākkhāto Bhagavatā Dhammo Sanditthiko akāliko ehipassiko opanayiko Paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhīti ☸️ “Ehipassiko” means ‘come and see yourself’ is extremely imp to understand, it is to walk on the path of Dhamma n experience it yourself.. do not rely just on reading/listening (even to my X or YouTube account) but experience it yourself thru your own awareness. May you be happy. #buddhism #buddhisminindia

@MonaLee41142040 🙏

“There are comforts such as your home, garden, meals, clothes, family members, and friends that you experience every day without ever appreciating them. Choose to pay attention—make the shift by giving thanks and loving appreciation." ~Dr. Wayne Dyer, Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life

@BuddhaBeings 🙏

Not This, Not That - Negation as The Way of Letting Go ☸️ Dear Friends, Language is a blessing - and a trap at the same time. Language helps us point to Truth, yet it also hardens ideas into things we try to hold. Shakyamuni Buddha often used negation to loosen that grip: “Not this, Not that, No-self etc.” He was not denying Reality; He was helping the heart stop clinging to the labels that language makes. The Diamond Sutra also presses this point. It says that in True awakening or Enlightenment, thoughts like “I have attained” or “I will carry all beings to Nirvana” do not take root - because even those noble phrases can quietly build a solid “I,” a fixed “being,” a permanent “soul,” a separate “person.” When those walls soften, compassion flows more freely. A bodhisattva still serves, gives, and protects - only now the hand is open, not clenched; the deed is done without hanging a name-tag on it. Like a clear mirror, the Awakened Mind reflects what is needed and leaves no fingerprints. This is Diamond Wisdom: cut through the tight stories, not the living world. Then compassion can move without swelling the “me,” or "I" and help can arrive without measuring the “you.” In that light, the path feels simple, brave, and beautifully light in the hand. #Buddhism #Buddha #Buddhist #LetGo #LettingGo #BuddhaWisdom #compassion #Kindness #KindnessMatters #MindfulLiving #MindfulMovement #Mindfulness #Mindful #MindfulMoments #meditation #Meditate #MeditationMatters #Dharma #DharmaTalk #SpiritualJourney #spiritualawakening #spirituality

විතක්ක සන්ඨාණ සූත්‍රය ඇසුරු කරන්න.🙏🪷🙏🪷🙏🪷

@MonaLee41142040 🙏💛

Golden Nugget of the Day.✍️🏻🪷

@Be_Supernatural 🙏

“And one day I understood that it is no one's job, but mine, to take care of myself and make myself happy.” ~ Paulo Coelho

My job 😊