CENTER OF SILENCE - neutral space in absolute silence from which clarity of seeing can be manifested on all planes (Le Centre du Silence). (NAD)

(See also: CENTER OF SILENCE, Wiccan Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Center of Silence

A neutral space in absolute silence from which clarity of seeing can be manifested on all planes

(See also: Center of Silence, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Matthew Fox

Dominican Catholic priest silenced by the Vatican for teaching what he calls “creation-centered spirituality”.

(See also: Matthew Fox, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Life is a continuous circle of giving and receiving. Usually we are more focussed on receiving than giving. But the mystery of receiving is: the more you give the more you receive.

Here is one Osho meditation in which he suggests small exercises to make an energy circle with everything around you and feel the magic of it!

(See also: Meditation Techniques, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

The approaches to the path are many and different personalities are satisfied by different techniques and methods. Each one of us may be advised to experiment with the variety of streams and then to choose to stay with the one that seems most comfortable. Of course, the more fortunate may intuitively be drawn to a select method fairly early in their search and can thus take off from where they left off in a past incarnation.

The many systems are like rivers that lead into the one sea. All will finally lead to the One goal. Yet, some techniques take you across slowly as with a boat, while others get you to the far side by plane.

(See also: Meditation Techniques, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

This method is from The Book of Secrets , Osho's talks on Vigyan Bhairav Tantra .

This technique is about using breath to calm the mind and for centering the energy. By practicing it regularly, you can find gaps between incoming and outgoing breaths which is the door to witnessing.

(See also: Meditation Techniques, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

As we began to write this article on peace , which is the fourth of five human values we've been writing on (truth, righteousness, love, peace and non-violence), two things came to mind. The first was a Christian scripture that has meant a lot to each of us since childhood:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds .

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

As a common precursor, when you sit down to practice exercises in concentration and contemplation, precede your sessions with a prayer to God or Guru, and invoke their presence and Grace.

Smile and fill your heart with a recollection of joy and happiness that you may have experienced in the past. Feel God's light suffusing and relaxing the entire body, and gently, rhythmically, slow down the process of breathing. It always helps to keep your eyes shut and focused on the area of the third eye. Closing the eyes ensures stillness of the mind. The attention should always be turned inward, that is, we should try and lose awareness of our bodies and feel the consciousness being sucked into the vacuum-like depths of the eternity.

(See also: Meditation  and Concentration, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

The Towers of Silence (also dakhma or dokhma) are Zoroastrian funerary towers, the majority of which are located in Mumbai, India, belonging to Parsi Zoroastrians, and in Yazd and Kerman, Iran, belonging to the Iranian Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians consider the dead body to be unclean, and their religion prohibits allowing corpses to pollute the pure elements of earth and fire. Corpses are therefore placed atop the Towers of Silence for their flesh to be consumed by vultures. Once the bones have been bleached by the sun and wind, they are ...

Read more here: » Towers of Silence: Encyclopedia - Towers of Silence

Communications problems and successes played an important role in the September 11, 2001 attacks and their aftermath. Communication during the September 11 2001 attacks - Attackers. The Organizers of the September 11, 2001 attacks apparently planned and coordinated their mission in face to face meetings and used little or no electronic communication. This "radio silence" made their conspiracy more difficult to detect. An Unimaginable Emergency Put Communications to the Test, ...

Including:

• Communication during the September 11 2001 attacks - Attackers
• Communication during the September 11 2001 attacks - Federal Government
• Communication during the September 11 2001 attacks - First responders
• Communication during the September 11 2001 attacks - Victims
• Communication during the September 11 2001 attacks - General public

Read more here: » Communication during the September 11 2001 attacks: Encyclopedia - Communication during the September 11 2001 attacks

Kushinagar or Kusinagar is a Buddhist pilgrimage site located next to Kasia, a rural town in Kushinagar District of the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India 52 km from Gorakhpur, In ancient times, it was known as Kushavati (Jatakas). Kushinagar was a celebrated center of the Malla kingdom of ancient India. Later, it would be known as Kushinara, one of four holy sites for Buddhists. At this location, near the Hiranyavati River, Gautama Buddha atta ...

Read more here: » Kushinagar: Encyclopedia - Kushinagar

The City Of Ten Thousand Buddhas (萬佛聖城, wanfo shengcheng) is an international Buddhist community and monastery founded by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, an important figure in Western Buddhism. It is the first Chinese Zen Buddhist temple in the United States. The city is situated in Talmage, California, Mendocino County, about 110 miles (180 km) north of San Francisco. It was one of the first Buddhist monasteries built in the United States, and most possibly outranks Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, Californi ...

Including:

• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas - History
• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas - Sites of interest
• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas - Traditions held at the monastery
• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas - Rules
• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas - Daily schedule
• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas - Morning
• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas - Afternoon
• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas - Evening

Read more here: » City of Ten Thousand Buddhas: Encyclopedia - City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born January 12, 1917) is the founder of the TM Movement. He brought Transcendental Meditation to the western world. Maharishi is believed to have been born near Jabalpur, India and graduated from Allahabad University with a degree in physics. He was secretary for thirteen years with Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath. In 1955, after spending two years in silence in Uttar Kashi, in the Himalayan foothills, he began teaching a basic meditation technique which he later dubbed "Transcende ...

Read more here: » Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Encyclopedia - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Apollonius of Tyana (13 March 2 – 98?) was a Neo-Pythagorean philosopher and teacher of Greek origin. His teaching influenced scientific thought for centuries after his death. He is best known through the medium of the writer Philostratus, in whose biography some have seen an attempt to construct a rival to Jesus Christ. Apollonius was a vegetarian, and a disciple of Pythagoras. He is quoted as having said "For I discerned a certain sublimity in the discipline of Pythagoras, and how a certain secret wisdom enabled him to know ...

Read more here: » Apollonius of Tyana: Encyclopedia - Apollonius of Tyana

From the 1950s until the early 1990s the majority of underworld crime figures and major incidents can be traced back to the Painters and Dockers Union that existed on Melbourne's waterfront. Similar in structure to Italian crime gangs, the 'dockies' followed an unwritten set of rules which included assistance to members, rejection of conventional justice and a code of silence. Activity was centered around control of the Union, and the cut associated with the drugs that passed through the port. In the early 1970's the amount of drugs increased, and so did the violence associated with ...

See also:

Crime in Melbourne, Crime in Melbourne - Early history, Crime in Melbourne - Timeline of major incidents, Crime in Melbourne - Major figures

Read more here: » Crime in Melbourne: Encyclopedia II - Crime in Melbourne - Early history

A Theosophical definition of Om - Aum :

Om - Aum

A word considered very holy in the Brahmanical literature.

It is a syllable of invocation, as well as of benediction and of affirmation, and its general usage (as elucidated in the literature treating of it, which is rather voluminous, for this word Om has attained almost divine reverence on the part of vast numbers of Hindus) is that it should never be uttered aloud, or in the presence of an outsider, a foreigner, or a non-initiate, and it should be uttered in the silence of one's mind, in peace of heart, and in the intimacy of one's "inner closet."

There is strong reason to believe, however, that this syllable of invocation was uttered, and uttered aloud in a monotone, by the disciples in the presence of their teacher. This word is always placed at the beginning of any scripture or prayer that is considered of unusual sanctity.

It is said that by prolonging the uttering of this word, both of the o and the m, with the mouth closed, the sound re-echoes in and arouses vibration in the skull, and affects, if the aspirations be pure, the different nervous centers of the body for good.

The Brahmanas say that it is an unholy thing to utter this word in any place which is unholy. It is sometimes written Aum.

See also: Om - Aum, Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul)

The proper definition of self-hatred, especially from a racial perspective, has been controversial. The biggest controversy centers on definition and appropriate use, if any, of the label "self hating Jew". Leftist Jews such as Michael Lerner and Noam Chomsky have charged that some pro-Israel advocates define and apply the label in a manner designed to silence or discredit any Jew who disagrees with their politics regarding Israel. On being described as "self-hating", Israel Shahak replied " ...

See also:

Self-hating Jew, Self-hating Jew - Usage, Self-hating Jew - Proposed psychological basis, Self-hating Jew - Historical origins of the term, Self-hating Jew - Controversy over the definition and use of the label self-hatred, Self-hating Jew - Synonymous terms, Self-hating Jew - List of people accused being self-hating Jews

Read more here: » Self-hating Jew: Encyclopedia II - Self-hating Jew - Controversy over the definition and use of the label self-hatred

Thomas Carlyle - Early writings. His first major work, Sartor Resartus (1832) was intended to be a new kind of book: simultaneously factual and fictional, serious and satirical, speculative and historical. It ironically commented on its own formal structure, while forcing the reader to confront the problem of where 'truth' is to be found. The narrator finds contempt for all things in human society and life. He contemplates the "Everlasting No" of refusal, comes to the "Center of Indifference," and eventual ...

See also:

Thomas Carlyle, Thomas Carlyle - Early Life and Influences, Thomas Carlyle - Writings, Thomas Carlyle - Early writings, Thomas Carlyle - Heroes and Hero Worship, Thomas Carlyle - The Everlasting Yea and No, Thomas Carlyle - Worship of Silence and Sorrow, Thomas Carlyle - Later work, Thomas Carlyle - Private life, Thomas Carlyle - Influence, Thomas Carlyle - Works, Thomas Carlyle - Definitions

Read more here: » Thomas Carlyle: Encyclopedia II - Thomas Carlyle - Writings

The Eucharist has always been at the center of Christian worship, though theological interpretations vary. In general, the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox traditions see the Eucharist as the fulfillment of God's plan for the salvation of humanity from sin (the "Divine Economy"), a commemoration and making present of Jesus' Crucifixion on Calvary and his Resurrection, the means for Christians to unite with God and with each other, and the giving of thanks for all these things. Differences in Eucharistic theology tend to be related ...

See also:

Eucharist, Eucharist - Names for the Eucharist, Eucharist - Eucharist in the Bible, Eucharist - Christian Theology, Eucharist - Roman Catholic: Sacrifice; Transubstantiation, Eucharist - Eastern Christianity: Sacrifice and Objective Reality but Pious Silence on the Particulars, Eucharist - Anglicans/Episcopalians: Real Presence with Opinion, Eucharist - Lutherans - the Sacramental Union: in with and under, Eucharist - Methodism: presence as mystery, Eucharist - Calvinist Reformed: spiritual feeding pneumatic presence, Eucharist - Reformed/Congregational: no Real Presence, Eucharist - Summary of views, Eucharist - Ritual and liturgy, Eucharist - The Agape feast, Eucharist - Eastern Christianity, Eucharist - Roman Catholicism, Eucharist - Protestantism, Eucharist - Jehovah's Witnesses, Eucharist - Open and closed communion, Eucharist - Footnotes, Eucharist - Resources

Read more here: » Eucharist: Encyclopedia II - Eucharist - Christian Theology

The Eucharist has always been at the center of Christian worship, though theological interpretations vary. In general, the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox traditions see the Eucharist as the fulfillment of God's plan for the salvation of humanity from sin (the "Divine Economy"), a commemoration and making present of Jesus' Crucifixion on Calvary and his Resurrection, the means for Christians to unite with God and with each other, and the giving of thanks for all these things. Differences in Eucharistic theology tend to be related ...

See also:

Eucharist, Eucharist - Names for the Eucharist, Eucharist - Eucharist in the Bible, Eucharist - Christian Theology, Eucharist - Roman Catholic: Sacrifice; Transubstantiation, Eucharist - Eastern Christianity: Sacrifice and Objective Reality but Pious Silence on the Particulars, Eucharist - Anglicans/Episcopalians: Real Presence with Opinion, Eucharist - Lutherans - the Sacramental Union: in with and under the forms, Eucharist - Methodism: presence as mystery, Eucharist - Calvinist Reformed: spiritual feeding pneumatic presence, Eucharist - Zwinglian Reformed: no Real Presence, Eucharist - Summary of views, Eucharist - Ritual and liturgy, Eucharist - The Agape feast, Eucharist - Eastern Christianity, Eucharist - Roman Catholicism, Eucharist - Protestantism, Eucharist - Jehovah's Witnesses, Eucharist - Open and closed communion, Eucharist - Alleged pre-Christian origins, Eucharist - Footnotes, Eucharist - Resources

Read more here: » Eucharist: Encyclopedia II - Eucharist - Christian Theology