Lecanomancy is a form of divination in which a diviner uses stones, oil, or meditation, coupled with a basin of water. Stones are dropped in the basin and the sound of the dropping and the ripples formed are interpreted. When oil is used, the oil is poured into the water and the shapes it forms are interpreted. For meditation, the water is gazed upon, invoking a self-hypnotic state for divination. Other related archivesdivination, diviner, hypnotic state

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Mettā (मेत्ता in Devanagari) is a Pali word meaning unconditional loving-kindness. The Sanskrit is maitrī. It is one of the ten pāramitās of the Theravada school of Buddhism. The mettā bhāvanā (cultivation of mettā) is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism, practiced with mindfulness of breath, which provides concentration, so as to prevent the loss of compassion. The object of mettā meditation is to cultivate goodwill and compassion towards all sentient beings. The practice usually ...

Including:

• Mettā - Metta meditation: the practice of loving-kindness
• Mettā - Six stages
• Mettā - Source

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Vipassanā (Sanskrit: vipasyanā) is the practice of Insight Meditation. While it is often referred to as Buddhist meditation, the practice taught by the Buddha was non-sectarian, and has a universal application. It does not require conversion to Buddhism. While the meditation practices themselves vary from school to school, the underlying principle is the investigation of phenomena (Sanskrit: dharmas) as they manifest in the five aggregates (Skandha) namely, matter or form (Rupa), sensation or feelings (Vedana), perception (Samjna), mental formations (Saṃskāra) & consciousness (Vijnana). This process lead ...

Including:

• Vipassana - Etymology
• Vipassana - Practice of vipassanā
• Vipassana - Vipassanā today
• Vipassana - Vipassana in the Theravada Mahayana and Vajrayana
• Vipassana - In the Theravada
• Vipassana - In the Mahayana
• Vipassana - In the Vajrayana
• Vipassana - Famous masters

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Anapana Sati, meaning mindfulness of breathing ("sati" means mindfulness, "ānāpāna" refers to breathing) is a basic form of meditation taught by the Buddha. According to the Buddha's teaching in the anapanasati Sutra, practicing mindfulness of breathing meditation as a part of the Noble Eightfold Path leads to the removal of all defilements (kleśas) and finally the attainment of Nibbana. Buddha's teaching was based on his own experience in using anapanasati as part of his means of achieving his own enlightenment. However, m ...

Including:

• Anapana - The practice
• Anapana - Stages of anapanasati
• Anapana - Source

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Savikalpa samādhi is one of the highest form of minor state of samadhi meditation. In Savikalpa samadhi, the human consciousness is dissolved and lost for a short period of time. Beyond the state of Savikalpa Samadhi, there is other stages of Samadhi like Nirvikalpa Samadhi and Sahaja Samadhi. See also. Religious ecstasy Religious ecstasy Savikalpa - External link. The Height of Divine Consciousness ...

Including:

• Savikalpa - External link

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The dalit is a type of short Filipino poem, consisting of four lines with eight syllables each. There is a controversy regarding its origin. One school of thought states that the dalit is Spanish in origin, particularly because its syllabication is even or pares. Hence, it is said that the Spanish popularized the dalit in the Philippines. Another view holds that the dalit is indigenous, but the friars used its popularity to promote Catholicism, in the form of meditative verses. Other

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Murtis (singular Murti, also spelled Murthi or Murthy) refers to deities or images used by Hindus and also by some Mahayana Buddhists during worship as points of devotional and meditational focus. They are sometimes abstract, but more often anthropomorphic representations of forms of God like Shiva or Ganesh, Rama or Krishna, Saraswati or Kali. Because the mind is in turbulence (vritti) and incapable of focussing on God as a formless, abstract concept, God is worshiped in a form. Murti is made according to prescriptions of shilpa shas ...

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Brahmaviharā (Pali and Sanskrit) can be translated as Sublime Attitudes or Abodes of God. They form a sequence of Buddhism meditations recommended in the Pali Brahmavihara Sutta and the Sanskrit Brahmavihara Sutra. Metta/Maitri: lovingkindness towards all; the hope that a person will be well Karuna: compassion; the hope that a person's sufferings will diminish Mudita: altruistic joy in the accomplishments of a person, oneself or other Upekkha/Upeksha: equanimity, or learning to accept both loss and gain, praise and blame, success and failure with det ...

Including:

• Brahmavihara - The Brahma-viharas in Early Buddhism
• Brahmavihara - The Brahma-viharas in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra
• Brahmavihara - Literature

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Iron Shirt is a dog form of Kung fu exercise also known in Wing Chun as Golden Bell, or in Ashida Kim Black Dragon Ninjitsu as Iron Body. Some martial arts like Combat Ki are based on the idea that a correctly trained body can withstand more damage than one that is untrained. Iron Shirt is a series of exercises using many stances, herbs, meditation, and body movements to cause the body's natural energy (Chi or Ki) to reinforce its structural strength. In the Shaolin version of Iron Shirt, the practitioner would do things ...

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Iyengar Yoga, created by B.K.S. Iyengar, is a form of yoga known for its use of props, such as belts and blocks, as aids in performing asanas. It is firmly based on the traditional eight limbs of yoga as expounded by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, emphasizing the development of strength, stamina, flexibility and balance, as well as concentration (Dharana) and meditation (Dhyana). Iyengar Yoga is characterized by great attention to detail and precise focus on body alignment. Iyengar pioneered the use of "props" such as cushions, ...

Including:

• Iyengar Yoga - External link

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The Self-Realization Fellowship is a religious organization founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920. The group carries on Yogananda's teachings, including Kriya Yoga, a form of yoga the group claims originated millennia ago in India. To this end, it conducts correspondence courses in this discipline. It also publishes Yogananda's writings, lectures, and recorded talks; oversees temples, retreats, meditation centers, and monastic communities bearing the name Self-Realization Order; and coordinates the Worldwide Prayer Circle, which it ...

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Satsang is the company of the highest knowledge and Truth; the company of a Guru; contact with a person or an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the Truth. This highest company also takes the form of hearing or reading the words of highest awareness, reflecting on, discussing and assimilating their meaning, meditating on the source of these words, and bringing this awareness into one’s daily life. From Siree Raag Mahala 1, 71, Guru Granth Sahib: How is the Society of the Saint ...

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Samantabhadra (also Viśvabhadra, 普賢 Chinese: Pǔxián; Japanese: Fugen) is the Lord of the Truth (理) in Buddhism, who represents the practice and meditation of all Buddhas. Together with Shakyamuni and fellow disciple Manjusri he forms the Shakyamuni trinity. He is the patron of the Lotus Sutra and, according to the Avatamsaka Sutra, made the ten great vows which are the basis of a bodhisattva. Samantabhadra is most commonly described as a bodhisattva himself, although some es ...

Including:

• Samantabhadra - Iconography

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Sūrya namaskāra (Salute to the Sun) is a form of sun worship and self vitalization that is reputed to have been handed down from the enlightened sages of the Vedic Age. Sūrya namaskāra can be practised on varying levels of awareness ranging from that of simple physical exercise to a complete sadhana which incorporates asana, pranayama, mantra and chakra meditation. The physical base of the practice links together twelve asanas in a dynamically performed series. These asana ...

Including:

• Surya Namaskara - Series summary
• Surya Namaskara - Practice suitability and cautions

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Pratikramana means turning back. It is a form of meditation where one reflects on his spiritual journey and renews his faith. For both Swetambaras and Digambaras, it takes the form of periodic meditation. The period can be twice daily (morning and evening), once every lunar phase, every four months, or every year. The annual Pratikramana in some form is the minumum for a Sravaka. The annual Pratikramana is Samvatsari Pratikramana, in short Samvatsari. Since it coincides with Paryusha ...

See also:

Paryushana, Paryushana - Origin pf Paryushan, Paryushana - Pratikramana amayika: Renewal meditation, Paryushana - Dasha-Lakshana Vrata, Paryushana - Requesting Forgiveness, Paryushana - References:

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Metta signifies friendship and non-violence as well as "a strong wish for the happiness of others." Though it refers to many seemingly disparate ideas, Metta is in fact a very specific form of love—a caring for another independent of all self-interest—and thus is likened to one's love for one's child or parent. Understandably, this energy is often difficult to describe in words; however, in the practice of Metta meditation, one recites specific words and phrases in order to evoke this "boundless warm-hearted feeling." The strength of thi ...

See also:

Mettā, Mettā - Metta meditation: the practice of loving-kindness, Mettā - Six stages, Mettā - Source

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All forms of Vedanta are drawn primarily from the Upanishads, a set of philosophical and instructive Vedic scriptures which deal mainly with forms of meditation. "The Upanishads are commentaries on the Vedas, their putative end and essence, and thus known as Vedānta = 'End of the Veda'. They are considered the fundamental essence of all the Vedas and although they form the backbone of Vedanta, portions of Vedantic thought are also ...

See also:

Vedanta, Vedanta - Sub-schools of Vedanta, Vedanta - Roots of Vedanta, Vedanta - Transition from Vedic to Vedantic religion, Vedanta - Formalization, Vedanta - Vedanta and science, Vedanta - Major Vedantic Gurus

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Today, the term "Vipassanā" also refers to the meditation technique used by many branches of modern Theravada Buddhism, for example in modern Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos and Thailand, and to a specific branch of Buddhism popularized by the Indian businessman S. N. Goenka and his mentor U Ba Khin as a nonsectarian form of Buddhism, and also by Americans Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, and Jack Kornfield (who were inspired by the monks Mahasi Sayadaw and Ajahn Chah) under the rubric "insight meditation." The vipassana centres supported b ...

See also:

Vipassana, Vipassana - Etymology, Vipassana - Practice of vipassanā, Vipassana - Vipassanā today, Vipassana - Vipassana in the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, Vipassana - In the Theravada, Vipassana - In the Mahayana, Vipassana - In the Vajrayana, Vipassana - Famous masters

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Shikantaza is often referred to as the method of no method. While other forms of meditation often have quite clear instructions - such as focusing on the breathing process - shikantaza is held to make use of pure consciousness or mindfulness. The basic idea is that one has to transcend, go beyond, the thinking mind. While sitting one should not think about the sitting, but "really" sit, being one with the sitting. The moment one stops thinking about methods or other things, the correct way suddenly appears. From the viewpoint of Zen, ...

See also:

Shikantaza, Shikantaza - Meditation method, Shikantaza - Empirical explanation of central Buddhist concepts, Shikantaza - Theoretical context

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Today, the term "Vipassanā" also refers to the meditation technique used by many branches of modern Theravada Buddhism, for example in modern Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos and Thailand, and to a specific branch of Buddhism popularized by the Indian businessman S. N. Goenka and his mentor U Ba Khin as a nonsectarian form of Buddhism, and also by Americans Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, and Jack Kornfield (who were inspired by the monks Mahasi Sayadaw and Ajahn Chah) under the rubric "insight meditation." The vipassana centres supported b ...

See also:

Vipassana, Vipassana - Etymology, Vipassana - Practice of vipassanā, Vipassana - Vipassanā today, Vipassana - Vipassana in the Theravada Mahayana and Vajrayana, Vipassana - In the Theravada, Vipassana - In the Mahayana, Vipassana - In the Vajrayana, Vipassana - Famous masters

Read more here: » Vipassana: Encyclopedia II - Vipassana - Vipassanā today

Depending upon the mode of Dhikr , it has been divided into 3 kinds Dhikr-e-Jalli--Dhikr with tongue loudly Dhikr-e-Khaffi--Dhikr in heart ( hidden dhikr - i.e not form tongue ) Sufis further divide the mode of meditative Dhikr according to the Latifa in which they are done . These include Dhikr-e-nafsi Dhikr-e-Qalbi Dhikr-e-Ruhi Dhikr-e-Sirri Dhi ...

See also:

Dhikr, Dhikr - Modes of Dhikr, Dhikr - Forms of Dhikr, Dhikr - Source

Read more here: » Dhikr: Encyclopedia II - Dhikr - Modes of Dhikr