Vinaya-pitaka (Sanskrit) [from vinaya discipline + pitaka basket]

The second section of the Buddhist canon treating of the training and discipline of monks; Tripitaka (three baskets) is the name given to the Buddhist canon.

(See also: Vinaya-pitaka, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Thapas:

Thapas: Ascetic practices (BV-23), process of purifying the inner equipments of man in the crucible of single-pointed speech, feeling and activity, directed towards God; discipline, spiritual exercise (sadhana), (BV-33), the discipline of austerities to propitiate the Gods (RRV-7b).

(See also: Thapas, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

sadhana: spiritual practice; any discipline performed for the purpose of turning one's mind from the world and applying it to the spiritual truths.

(See also: sadhana, Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

Yoga

(from Sanskrit. verbal root, meaning "discipline," )

Any number of physical or spiritual disciplines arising in India. An Eastern philosophy involving spiritual discipline using various techniques to experience union with a Supreme Being. Many yogic paths exist and include work on the physical body as in Hatha yoga, which uses breathing exercises and sustained physical postures to gain physical and mental control over the body; Bhakti, the yoga of devotion and love using the heart as a vehicle for transcendence; and other types of yoga specific to a path or teacher including Iyengar, Jnana, Karma, Kripalu, Kriya, Kundalini, Raja, Siddha and Tantra yoga.

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

Vinaya

Disciplined conduct, referring specifically to the monastic rules for the disciples who have left home; also, one of the three divisions of the Buddhist scriptures.

 (See also: Vinaya, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

MEDITATION: Discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. Employed since ancient times in various forms by all religions, the practice gained greater notice in the postwar U.S. as interest in Zen Buddhism rose.

Meditation is now used by many nonreligious adherents as a method of stress reduction; known to lower levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress. Enhances recuperation and improves the bodyÕs resistance to disease.

(See also: Meditation, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Vinaya (vinaya): The monastic discipline, spanning six volumes in printed text, whose rules and traditions define every aspect of the bhikkhus' and bhikkhunis' way of life. The essence of the rules for monastics is contained in the Patimokkha. The conjunction of the Dhamma with the Vinaya forms the core of the Buddhist religion: "Dhamma-vinaya" - "the doctrine and discipline" - is the name the Buddha gave to the religion he founded.

 (See also: Vinaya, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Sadhaka - one who follows a spiritual discipline to achieve a specific goal. In this book this especially refers to a practitioner of bhakti.

(See also: Sadhaka, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Vairagya - detachment or indifference to this world; a spiritual discipline involving the acceptance of voluntary austerities to achieve detachment from the sense objects.

(See also: Vairagya, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

bhakti-yoga

The spiritual discipline of linking to the Supreme Lord through pure devotional service.

(See also: bhakti-yoga, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Coaching: Instruction and direction provided by an experienced professional in a particular area/discipline: i.e., health, weight, business, spirituality, motivation.

(See also: Coaching, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Qi (also referred to as Chee, Chi, Qui or Ki):

in Eastern philosophies, the energy that connects and animates everything in the universe; includes both individual qi (personal life force) and universal qi, which are coextensive through the practice of mind-body disciplines, such as traditional meditation, aikido, and tai chi.

(See also: Qi, Alternative Medicine, Body Mind and Soul)

Meditation:

a technique of mind control with the goals of feeling an inner calm and peacefulness, profound experiences of self-realization and transcendental awareness. Meditation is a discipline found in many of the world's religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, but it is also advocated by many practitioners of holistic health for its impact on stress-related disease.

(See also: Meditation, Alternative Medicine, Body Mind and Soul)

Sadhu: Seeker for truth (sat); and person who is practicing spiritual disciplines. Usually this term is applied only to monastics.

(See also: Sadhu, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Bhakti Yoga: The yoga of attaining union with God through the prescribed spiritual discipline of the path of devotion.

(See also: Bhakti Yoga, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Yogi: One who practises Yoga; one who strives earnestly for union with God; an aspirant going through any course of spiritual discipline.

(See also: Yogi, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

dharana:

dharana (dhaarana). Concentration, fixed attention, one of eight steps in Patanjali's yoga discipline.

(See also: dharana, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

ashtanga-yoga:

ashtanga-yoga (ashtaanga-yoga). Eight-fold discipline of yoga to destroy ignorance and reach state of communion with Self, as taught by Sage Patanjali.

(See also: ashtanga-yoga, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Aranyakas:

Aranyakas (Aaranyakas). Religious or philosophical texts closely connected with the brahmins, either composed in the forest or studied there. They deal with inner significances and internal disciplines.

(See also: Aranyakas, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Mahasaraswathi:

Mahasaraswathi: Power as self-control, vision, value, validity, knowledge, keenness, discipline, justice, aspiration, adoration, the sathwic nature (SSS-III)

(See also: Mahasaraswathi, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Pali Canon: the oldest sacred collection of Buddhist writings from the 3rd-1st centuries BCE, written in the Pali language, and comprising three main divisions: the "Basket of Discipline" (Vinaya Pitaka), the "Basket of Discourses" (Sutta Pitaka), and the "Basket of Ultimate Doctrine" (Abhidhamma Pitaka).

 (See also: Pali Canon, Eastern Philosophy, Body Mind and Soul)

Disfellowshipping

As practiced by the Mormons and many other groups, this is a level of church discipline involving a probationary period of restricted privileges, but retaining church membership.

As practiced by the Jehovah's Witnesses, it is an alternate term for “excommunication,” being completely cut off from the church organization; see shunning.

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