Meditation like yoga originated in Vedic Hinduism many centuries ago, it was much later adopted into a wide variety of practices of religious and non-religious formats which emphasize mental activity or quiesscence. The English word comes from the Latin meditatio, which originally indicated every type of physical or intellectual exercise, but which later could perhaps be better translated as "contemplation." This usage is found in Christian spirituality, for example, when one "meditates" on the sufferings of Christ; as w ...

Including:

• Meditation - Overview
• Meditation - Types of meditation
• Meditation - Meditation in context
• Meditation - Physical postures
• Meditation - Frequency and duration
• Meditation - Purposes and effects of meditation
• Meditation - Metta meditation: the practice of loving-kindness
• Meditation - Health applications and clinical studies of meditation
• Meditation - Meditation and the brain
• Meditation - Meditation and EEG's
• Meditation - Adverse effects
• Meditation - Meditation and drugs

Read more here: » Meditation: Encyclopedia - Meditation

See also:

Meditation, Meditation - Overview, Meditation - Types of meditation, Meditation - Buddhism, Meditation - Christianity, Meditation - Judaism, Meditation - Hinduism, Meditation - Sufism, Meditation - Sikhism, Meditation - Taoism, Meditation - Transcendental Meditation, Meditation - Meditation in context, Meditation - Physical postures, Meditation - Frequency and duration, Meditation - Purposes and effects of meditation, Meditation - Metta meditation: the practice of loving-kindness, Meditation - Health applications and clinical studies of meditation, Meditation - Meditation and the brain, Meditation - Meditation and EEG's, Meditation - Adverse effects, Meditation - Meditation and drugs

Read more here: » Meditation: Encyclopedia II - Meditation - Overview

In the late nineteenth century, Theosophists adopted "meditation" to refer to various spiritual practices drawn from Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern religions. Thus the English word "meditation" does not exclusively translate any single term or concept from the sacred languages of Asia, such as the Sanskrit dhyana, samadhi, or pranayama. (Note that whereas in Eastern religions meditation is often a central part of religious or spirtual practice, in Christianity it tends to be a ...

See also:

Meditation, Meditation - Overview, Meditation - Types of meditation, Meditation - Meditation in context, Meditation - Physical postures, Meditation - Frequency and duration, Meditation - Purposes and effects of meditation, Meditation - Metta meditation: the practice of loving-kindness, Meditation - Health applications and clinical studies of meditation, Meditation - Meditation and the brain, Meditation - Meditation and EEG's, Meditation - Adverse effects, Meditation - Meditation and drugs

Read more here: » Meditation: Encyclopedia II - Meditation - Overview

Buddhist Meditation: Meditation in Buddhism

Meditation is something that plays a part in virtually all religions, although some of them don't use the word meditation. And meditation is something that can be done with no religious element at all. Meditation involves both the body and the mind. For Buddhists this is particularly important as they want to avoid what they call "duality", and so their way of meditating must involve the body and the mind as a single entity.

Read more here: » Buddhist Meditation: Meditation in Buddhism

Meditation Experiences by Sarasvati Buhrman PhD - Part II

Sometime after 350 B.C. a great yogi sage wrote the "Yoga Sutra". This brief translation should wet your appetite. This describes the transformation of mind that will unfold over a course of sadhana (spiritual practice), focusing on the relationship between the mind and the object of meditation.

Read more here: » Meditation Experiences: Meditation Experiences According to the Ashtanga Yoga Tradition with Commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutra - Part II

Meditation Experiences by Sarasvati Buhrman PhD - Part I

Sometime after 350 B.C. a great yogi sage wrote the "Yoga Sutra". This brief translation should wet your appetite. This describes the transformation of mind that will unfold over a course of sadhana (spiritual practice), focusing on the relationship between the mind and the object of meditation.

Read more here: » Meditation: Meditation Experiences According to the Ashtanga Yoga Tradition with Commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutra

The shakuhachi (尺八 in Japanese, pronounced /shakoo-hatchee/) is a Japanese end-blown flute which is held vertically like a recorder instead of being held transversely like the familiar Western transverse flute. It was used by the monks of the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism in the practice of Suizen (blowing meditation). Shakuhachi - Overview. The name shakuhachi means "1.8 foot", from its size. It is a compound of two words: Shaku (Including:

• Shakuhachi - Overview
• Shakuhachi - History
• Shakuhachi - Recordings
• Shakuhachi - Real shakuhachi
• Shakuhachi - Synthesized shakuhachi
• Shakuhachi - Interesting facts

Read more here: » Shakuhachi: Encyclopedia - Shakuhachi

Yoga when used as a form of alternative medicine is a combination of breathing exercises, physical postures, and meditation, practiced for over 5,000 years. Template:CamMenu In India, yoga is a daily part of life. It is common to see people performing yoga in the morning or speaking about food diets and body therapy entirely based on Yoga or the Hindu healing system of Ayurveda. A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine focused on who used complementary ...

Including:

• Yoga alternative medicine - Overview
• Yoga alternative medicine - Hatha yoga

Read more here: » Yoga alternative medicine: Encyclopedia - Yoga alternative medicine

History of Christianity Jesus of Nazareth The Apostles Ecumenical councils Great Schism The Crusades Reformation The Trinity God the Father Christ the Son The Holy Spirit The Bible Old Testament New Testament Apocrypha The Gospels Ten Commandments Sermon on the Mount Christian theology Salvation · Grace Christian worship Christian Church Catholicism Orthodox Christianity Protestantism Christian denominations ...

Including:

• Christianity - Overview
• Christianity - Denominations of Christianity
• Christianity - History
• Christianity - Beliefs
• Christianity - The Trinity
• Christianity - Jesus Christ as God
• Christianity - Jesus Christ as Salvation
• Christianity - Crucifixion and Resurrection
• Christianity - The Second Coming
• Christianity - The Afterlife
• Christianity - Differences in Beliefs
• Christianity - Nicene Creed
• Christianity - Scriptures
• Christianity - Worship and practices
• Christianity - Weekly worship services
• Christianity - Holidays
• Christianity - Symbols
• Christianity - Persecution
• Christianity - History and denominations
• Christianity - Notes
• Christianity - References and select bibliography

Read more here: » Christianity: Encyclopedia - Christianity

A martial art, often referred to as a fighting system, is a system of codified practices and traditions of training for combat, usually (but not always) without the use of guns and other modern weapons. Today, people study martial arts for various reasons including sport, fitness, self-defense, self-cultivation (meditation), mental discipline & character development, and self-confidence. "Martial arts" derives from the Japanese terms bugei (武芸) and the synonymous bujutsu (武術) or their Chinese eq ...

Including:

• Martial arts - Overview
• Martial arts - History
• Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia
• Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe
• Martial arts - Martial arts in North America
• Martial arts - Martial arts internationally
• Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts
• Martial arts - Technical aspects
• Martial arts - Testing and Competition
• Martial arts - Forms
• Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring
• Martial arts - Full-contact fighting
• Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense
• Martial arts - Martial arts as sport
• Martial arts - Martial arts and dance
• Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts
• Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia - Martial arts

Neigong 內功 , pinyin nèigōng, also spelt nei kung or neigung meaning "internal skill" is any of a set of Chinese breathing and meditation disciplines associated with Daoism and especially the Chinese martial arts. Neigong practice is normally associated with the so called "Soft Style", "Internal" or Neijia 內家 Chinese martial arts, as opposed to the category known as Waigong 外功 or "external skill" which is historically associated with Shaolin Quan or the so called "Hard Style", "External" or Waijia 外家 Chi ...

See also:

Neigong, Neigong - Overview, Neigong - Neigong and the Internal martial arts, Neigong - Neigong and meditation

Read more here: » Neigong: Encyclopedia II - Neigong - Overview

meditation: 1. Continuous and profound contemplation or reflection on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or impenetrable nature

2. A long and thoughtful observation of spiritual matters (usually on religious or philosophical subjects)

Also See: chi

(See also: meditation, Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

MEDITATION:

1) reflection, contemplation, the turning inward to Self or outward to Diety.

2) quiet time used to dwell on certain thoughts, symbols or to let thoughts come as they will.

3) a method of observing the mind through relaxation.

(See also: MEDITATION, Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

meditation: Dhyana. Sustained concentration.

Meditation describes a quiet, alert, powerfully concentrated state wherein new knowledge and insights are awakened from within as awareness focuses one-pointedly on an object or specific line of thought.

See: internalized worship, raja yoga, Satchidananda, mantra, mantra yoga.

(See also: Meditation, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Meditation Sutra

One of the three core sutras of the Pure Land school.

It teaches sixteen methods of visualizing Amitabha Buddha, the Bodhisattvas and the Pure Land. This sutra stresses the element of meditation in Pure Land.

See also "Three Pure Land Sutras," "Vaidehi," "Visualization."

 (See also: Meditation Sutra, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

MEDITATION

Meditation is at least a three-step process that leads to a state of consciousness that brings serenity, clarity, and bliss. Our "normal" state of mind is actually quite abnormal. We receive sensory stimuli and react in a completely uncontrolled way (although we tell ourselves we have great control). We bounce from one thought to another and follow with our emotional and physical reactions.

Concentration is the first step in meditation and is the beginning of gaining control over the mind and thereby life. The procedure is deceptively simple and seems like it would be very easy to do, but there are few tasks more difficult to master. The idea is to pick an object/subject/music to place your attention on and then to focus exclusively on it without diversion.

Meditation is unbroken attention. The classic description of the difference between concentration and meditation is given in the example of pouring oil from a bottle into a bowl. At first the oil drips out a drop at a time. This is concentration. Then the oil comes out in a steady stream. This unbroken pouring out is meditation. If you really examine the process closer, you would notice that when the oil was coming out drop by drop, each drop caused a splash and the droplets of the splashing can be considered analogous to the distractions that interrupt our concentration. Once the stream starts becoming steady it flows effortlessly. Similarly, when concentration flows into meditation, the attention paid to the object of meditation becomes deeper and deeper effortlessly and spontaneously, true knowledge about the object presents itself.

As Albert Einstein tells us, everything in the universe is relative to everything else, ultimately your meditation will connect you to everything. At this point, the unity of the object of your meditation and your mind occurs. This is the state of contemplation and is the ultimate state of consciousness. Where we usually are only conscious of our body and ego and consider ourselves apart from the rest of the universe, with the experience of contemplation we become conscious of the cosmos and know ourselves to be a part of it and realize our unity with all of it.

The above definition of meditation was obtained from The Meditation Society of America.

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

MEDITATION

The concept of meditation originated in the East, primarily in India, where formal techniques are taught and learnt. In the West this word seems to have a generic meaning, whereby it can almost mean anything. However there are several types of this practice.

One is the technique of concentration, which can best described as focussing the mind on a particular value in a constant manner, with extreme intent. This can be illustrated by the chanting of monks, where a phrase or refrain is repeated for long periods of time. This technique appears to have been adopted by those who are usually in a monastic way of life, and who spend long hours in this practice. It does actually work by the mind being released from such control after a period of time, and then transcends itself to experience the transcendent. The same applies to extreme concentration techniques, like clearing the mind of thoughts, or staring at a candle.

Then there is the technique of contemplation, which seems to be the most common technique in the West. This practice keeps the mind on the conscious thinking level, but at times there is an experience of the transcendent, but can be short-lived, as the conscious mind is so active, and is encouraged to stay with those thoughts. There are many variations to this type of mindfulness, and many different visualizations can be adopted, including and not limited to breathing techniques. The intent is for union with one’s source (the Transcendental Nature of Existence), and is highly recommended.

See TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION and YOGA, and QI GONG/CHI KUNG, TAI CHI CHUAN.

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

Meditation

Steady, close and consecutive reflection, and attention on one's own inner thoughts, or perhaps on a religious, or spiritual theme; continuous, and patient application of separating oneself from one's own thoughts, and simply watching the mind without any expectation. There are many ways to meditate, but the effect is the same: a centeredness, and stillness within.

(See also: Meditation, Alternative Health, Healing, 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 body’s resistance to disease.

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

MEDITATION - n. or adj.

1. art and science of contemplation and concentration spanning Paleolithic hunting rituals. Neolithic mysteries and historic religious traditions East and West, especially Zen, Yoga, Sufism and Coptic, Carmelite, Trappist and Quaker Christianity.

2. contemplation reflection, intuition, doing nothing; in duration from a movement to a kalpa, through most frequently for periods of 10 minutes to several hours or days; performed anytime, anywhere or in any position or activity, through often setting on the Earth, floor, a chair, rock or pennacle standing straight or holding a posture, walling, dancing, jogging, making love; sometimes accompanied by chanting silently or aloud alone or with a group; focusing on the breath, the chakras, the mind, parts of the body, light, sound, God, a tutelary deity, symbols, archetypes, a candle or another internal, external or transcendental object.

3. practice leading to cosmic consciousness, enlightenment truth-consciousness-bless, developing body consciousness, rooting in the here and now perfecting harmony and balance with the Earth.

5. discipline of mind awareness and control of thoughts, emotions and states of consciousness.

6. return to the source or emptiness to erase delusions, refresh ourselves day to day and begin a new. (Michio Kushi).

7. exercise or practice of just being experiencing ourselves at whatever we are, without any extra thing added. (Gary Snyder)

8. going into the mind to see wisdom for yourself-over and over again until it becomes the mind you live in. (Gary Snyder)

9. space to work or fears, hopes, neurotic games, self-deception. (Trungpa)

10. self-analysis, self-cultivation, self-enlightenment.

11. thought-form building, bring down to the concrete levels of the mental plane abstract ideas and intuitions and shattering of forms, establishing of a direct channel between the nomad and the purified personality and between the seven centers in the human etheric vehicle; freedom to work on any path (Bailey)

12. the Tao of cats n. mediator, meditativeness, adj. meditative. v. meditate (from meditari, Latin). (NAD)

(See also: MEDITATION, Wiccan Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)