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

A technique of mind control that leads to inner feelings of calm and peacefulness and may result in experiences of transcendental awareness and self-realization. The two main types of meditation are

(1)  the focusing type, similar to self-hypnosis, in which the meditator focuses on a repetitive sound or chant, an image, or pattern of breathing;

(2)  the "opening-up" type which emphasizes the detached observation of mental events as they occur.

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

Meditation

According to Swami Vishnu Devananda, meditation is "….a continuous flow of perception or thought, just like the flow of water in a river." A practice wherein there is constant observation of the mind, meditation brings awareness, harmony and natural order into life. It helps you dig deep into your inner self to discover the wisdom and tranquility that lie within.

Principles of Meditation

The basic points to be kept in mind in practicing meditation are:

·      Have a special place and specific time for meditation. Try doing it daily.

·      Choose a time when your mind is not clouded with worries.

·      Sit up straight with your back, neck and head in one line. Facing north or east.

·      Condition your mind such so as to remain quiet for the duration of your meditation session.

·      Regulate your breathing. Start with 5 minutes of deep breathing. Then gradually slow it down.

·      Follow a rhythmic breathing pattern - inhale and exhale.

·      Initially let your mind wander. It grows more restless if you force to concentrate.

·      Then slowly bring it to rest on the focal point of your choice.

·      Hold your object of concentration at this focal point throughout your session.

·      Meditation happens when you reach a state of pure thought. Even while retaining an awareness of duel self.

Followed diligently you will soon be able to attain a super-conscious state.

Tips on Concentration

·      At the outset, it is hard to keep your attention to keep focussed on one object.

·      So it is better to start off by limiting your field of concentration to a category of objects.

·      Choose your objects with care e.g. any four flowers, fruits, trees...etc. You must feel at ease with what you choose.

·      After concentrating on one, you can move on to the next, if & when your mind starts wandering.

This style of meditative exercise will help you control your mind down to a finer focus, teaching you the principle of single point concentration.

Meditative Postures

Yoni Mudra

·  Close your ears with thumbs.

·  Cover your eyes with your index finger.

·  Close your nostrils with your middle fingers.

·  Press your lips together with your remaining fingers.

·  Release the middle fingers gently to inhale and exhale while you meditate.

Frontal & Nasal Gazing

·  Gaze at a point between your eyebrows, seat of the 'Third Eye' or at the tip or your nose.

·  This would improve your level of concentration. At the same time, strengthening your eye muscles. Nasal gazing has a positive effect on the central nervous system.

·  Remember not to strain your eyes. Start with one minute of gazing and then slowly build it up to ten minutes.

Candle Gazing

• Place a candle at eye-level in a darkened, draught-free room.
• Close your eyes and hold an after-image of the bright flame.
• The practice steadies the wandering mind, leading you to focus with pin-point accuracy.

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

Meditation

Ideal for disciplining the mind and removing stress & strain, it is best done after a quick bath to cleanse yourself. Critical in satisfying the mind's hunger, when done well it is so nourishing that even the body can survive on less. Control of desire, or mental hunger, is the key to longevity and immortality. Anything can be meditation so long it is sincere and heartfelt. The simplest and healthiest involves the sun and its golden colour is deemed the most nourishing and productive.

While this routine acts as a critical shield of defence against the destabilising influences of an external environment, by using selective choice in some of the other factors mentioned below you can easily improve upon the condition of your total health.

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

Transcendental Meditation (TM): One of the two most important techniques of Maharishi Ayur-Ved. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi founded TM in 1957 and introduced it in the United States in 1959.

Transcendental Meditation is a means of experiencing pure awareness. It involves sitting comfortably, with eyes closed, for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day while one mentally repeats a mantra.

In Transcendental Meditation, a mantra is a thought-sound that has a known vibratory effect but does not have a designative meaning. The TM teacher chooses a mantra suitable for the initiate.

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

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)

creative meditation: Subject of Richard O. Peterson's 1990 book of the same name. It uses vibrational patterns to effect attunement, self-guidance, and self-healing. The last of the seven principles of this unique approach to meditation is: Creative meditation is first directed to at-onement [sic] with God [Creative Forces] without expectations of benefits; the resources of God are then accessible for self-knowledge, self-guidance, and self-healing.

(See also: Creative meditation , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

meditation

A state in which to place the body and mind, the physiological and psy- chological selfs, in preparation for the occurrence of relaxation and psi. The person is in a relaxed physical and mental state, where strain is replaced by passivity

(See also: Meditation , Body Mind and Soul)

Meditation: The emptying of the mind of thoughts, or concentration of the mind on just one thing in order to aid mental or spiritual development, contemplation, or relaxation. Although the practice originated in India, it is common to many religions. Hatha yoga is a form of meditation.

(See also: Meditation ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Quan Yin Method (Quan Yin Method of meditation): Ancient, theistic, lactovegetarian martial art unearthed and taught by Vietnamese-born Suma Ching Hai, whose father was a Catholic naturopath.

The Quan Yin Method is a means of conquering all manner of negative force in or around oneself. One of its teachings is that eggs attract ghosts.

(See also: Quan Yin Method , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Buddhism: Basic Buddhist Dictionary

A basic dictionary of Buddhism terms. Please note that all words in grey like " Buddhism " are links to an archive with related articles.

A dictionary Of Siddha Yoga Terminology. From Abhanga to Yogini.

Please note that all words in grey, like "enlightenment" or "kundalini" are hyperlinked to archives further explaining the term. At the corresponding archive you will also find articles related to the term.

Amethyst: Amethyst is a regal violet gemstone with whitish stripes. The purple color comes from the presence of manganese during its formation. It is a form of crystallized quartz, composed of silica. It is found mostly in Brazil.

Amethyst is a radiant gemstone, meaning that its energies are expansive. It is said that when you meditate with amethyst you are helping the Earth, because the violet ray will help to transform the entire world into a better place. It is the most highly valued stone in the quartz group. It has many supernatural powers. It is said to bring luck, ensure constancy, protect against magic and homesickness. It has long been known to help against drunkenness.

Violet has a calming effect upon the nervous system. Insomnia may be relieved by gently rubbing an amethyst on the temples or forehead, and can be used for tension and migraine headaches. It is one of the best to use for meditation. It is here to teach the lesson of humility, to “Let go and let God.” Amethyst is very useful for people grieving over lost loved ones, as it subliminally communicates that there is no death. Amethyst is recommended for stimulating greater love, and attunement for healing forces. In directing the energy of the amethyst to the lungs, relief may be obtained for asthma and circulation problems. You can recharge your own energy by holding an amethyst over the crown chakra, third eye, or heart chakra. A very high vibration centered in love, balance, and harmony will be transferred.

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

mysticism: Spirituality; the pursuit of direct spiritual or religious experience. Spiritual discipline aimed at union or communion with Ultimate Reality or God through deep meditation or trance-like contemplation. From the Greek mystikos, "of mysteries."

Characterized by the belief that Truth transcends intellectual processes and must be attained through transcendent means.

See: mysticism, occultism, clairaudient, clairvoyance, psychic, trance.psychic abilities, siddhi.

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

Zen Buddhism: Zen Buddhist Dictionary

A dictionary of Zen Buddhism terms. Please note that all words in grey like " Buddhism " are links to an archive with related articles.

A Yoga Dictionary from Asanas to Zerosis

Note that all words in grey (like the following examples; Yoga, Kundalini, Enlightenment) in the dictionary are links to archives with articles related to that word or expression.

From "Easy Steps to Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Subramuniyaswami: Current and 162nd satguru (1927-) of the Nandinatha Sampradaya's Kailasa Parampara. He was ordained Sivaya Subramuniyaswami by Sage Yogaswami on the full-moon day of May 12, 1949, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, at 6:21 pm. This was just days after he had attained nirvikalpa samadhi in the caves of Jalani. Yogaswami, then 77, ordained the 22-year old yogi with a tremendous slap on the back, saying, "This will be heard in America," and conferring upon him the mission to bring the fullness of Saivism to the West. Local devotees called the initiation a coronation.

That same year, while still in Sri Lanka, Subramuniyaswami founded the Saiva Siddhanta Yoga Order and Saiva Siddhanta Church at the Sri Subramuniya Ashrama in Alaveddy. Returning to America, he spent the next six years preparing for his teaching mission through intense sadhana and tapas. He began actively teaching in 1957 when he founded the Himalayan Academy. In 1970, he established his international headquarters and monastery complex, Kauai Aadheenam, on Hawaii's Garden Island of Kauai. Five years later, he designated a portion of the 51-acre holy site as the San Marga Sanctuary, future site of Iraivan Temple, carved of white granite stone in Bangalore, India. To spearhead a growing Hindu renaissance, he founded Hinduism Today in 1979, an international monthly, full-color magazine acclaimed the world over as the the greatest advent in Hindu publishing this century. In August of 1986, the World Religious Parliament in New Delhi honored Subramuniyaswami as one of five Hindu spiritual leaders outside of India who had most dynamically promoted Sanatana Dharma in the past 25 years. He was given the title Jagadacharya, "World Teacher." In 1995 the Parliament bestowed on him the title of Dharmachakra for his remarkable publications. In April of 1988, he was selected to represent Hinduism at the five-day Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders for Human Survival, held in England at Oxford University, and again in Moscow from January 11 to 15, 1990; and in Brazil, June 5­7, 1992. At Chicago's historic centenary Parliament of the World's Religions in September, 1993, he was elected to the Presidents' Assembly, a core group of 25 men and women representing the world's faiths. In late 1996 Gurudeva transformed "Hinduism Today" to a magazine, a quantum leap that extended its global reach and impact in Hindu communities. In 1997 he responded to President Bill Clinton's call for religious opinions on the ethics of human cloning and spearheded the 125th anniversary and diaspora pilgrimage of Sri Lanka's Sage Yogaswami. In Kerala, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad honored him as "The Hindu Voice of the Century." Throughout that same year he was a key member of Vision Kauai, a small group of indigenous and political leaders meeting to fashion the island's future based on ethical values.

Over the years Subramuniyaswami has written hundreds of tracts and books, which have been distributed in the tens of thousands in many languages. Especially in the 1980s, he lectured worldwide and established the worship in numerous Hindu temples. Gurudeva teaches the traditional Saivite Hindu path to enlightenment, a path that leads the soul from simple service to worshipful devotion to God, from the disciplines of meditation and yoga to the direct knowing of Divinity within. His insights into the nature of consciousness provide a key for quieting the external mind and revealing to aspirants their deeper states of being, which are eternally perfect, full of light, love, serenity and wisdom. He urges all seekers to live a life of ahimsa, harmlessness towards nature, people and creatures, an ethic which includes vegetarianism. From his ashrama in Hawaii, Gurudeva continues to follow his satguru's instruction to bring Saivism to the Western world by teaching others to "know thy Self by thyself" and thus "see God Siva everywhere." Through the ordained swamis of the Saiva Siddhanta Yoga Order, he trains young men in the ancient path of brahmacharya, enlightenment and service to humanity. Over 30 full-time monks, along with extended family groups in eight countries, have joined to fulfill this parampara's mission to further monistic Saiva Siddhanta and Hindu solidarity.

The name Subramuniya is a Tamil spelling of the Sanskrit Shubhramunya (not to be confused with Subramanya). It is formed from shubhra meaning "light; intuition," and muni, "silent sage." Ya means "restraint; religious meditation." Thus, Subramuniya means a self-restrained soul who remains silent or, when he speaks, speaks out from intuition.

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

death: Death is a rich concept for which there are many words in Sanskrit, such as: mahaprasthana, "great departure;" samadhimarana, dying consciously while in the state of meditation; mahasamadhi, "great merger, or absorption," naming the departure of an enlightened soul.

Hindus know death to be the soul's detaching itself from the physical body and continuing on in the subtle body (sukshma sharira) with the same desires, aspirations and occupations as when it lived in a physical body. Now the person exists in the in-between world, the subtle plane, or Antarloka, with loved ones who have previously died, and is visited by earthly associates during their sleep.

Hindus do not fear death, for they know it to be one of the most glorious and exalted experiences, rich in spiritual potential. Other terms for death include panchatvam (death as dissolution of the five elements), mrityu (natural death), prayopavesha (self-willed death by fasting), marana (unnatural death, e.g., by murder).

See: reincarnation, suicide, videhamukti.

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

Visualization

See Meditation Sutra for explanation.

The visualizations (in the Meditation Sutra) are distinguished into sixteen kinds (shifting from earthly scenes to Pure Land scenes at the third Visualization):

(1)  visualization of the sun,

(2)  visualization of water, (

(3)  visualization of the ground (in the Pure Land),

(4)  visualization of the trees,

(5)  visualization of the lake (s),

(6)  unified visualization of the (50 billion) storied-pavilions, trees, lakes, and so forth,

(7)  visualization of the (lotus throne of Amitabha Buddha),

(8)  visualization of the images of the Buddha (Amitabha) and Bodhisattvas (Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta),

(9)  visualization of the (Reward body of Amitabha Buddha, i.e., the form in which He appears in the Pure Land),

(10)             visualization of Avalokitesvara,

(11)             visualization of Mahasthamaprapta,

(12)             visualization of one's own rebirth,

(13)              (see below),

(14)             visualization of the rebirth of the highest grades,

(15)             visualization of the rebirth of the middle grades and

(16)             visualization of the rebirth of the lowest grades.

 (K.K. Tanaka, The Dawn of Chinese Pure Land Doctrine.)

The 13th Visualization has been summarized as follows: If one cannot visualize the (Reward body of Amitabha Buddha), focus on the small body, which is sixteen cubits high (the traditional height of Shakyamuni while he dwelt on earth); contemplate an intermingling of the (Reward) and small bodies. (1oji Okazaki, p.52.) Visualizations 14-16 refer to the nine lotus grades (of rebirth), divided into three sets of three grades each.

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

Demons

Evil influences which hinder cultivation. These can take an infinite number of forms, including evil beings or hallucinations. Disease and death, as well as the three poisons of greed, anger and delusion are also equated to demons, as they disturb the mind.

The Nirvana Sutra lists four types of demon:

i)               greed, anger and delusion;

ii)             ii) the five skandas, or obstructions caused by physical and mental functions;

iii)            iii) death;

iv)            iv) the demon of the Sixth Heaven (Realm of Desire).

The Self-Nature has been described in Mahayana sutras as a house full of gold and jewelry. To preserve the riches, i.e., to keep the mind calm, empty and still, we should shut the doors to the three thieves of greed, anger and delusion.

Letting the mind wander opens the house to "demons," that is, hallucinations and harm. Thus, Zen practitioners are taught that, while in meditation, "Encountering demons, kill the demons, encountering Buddhas, kill the Buddhas." Both demons and Buddhas are mind-made, Mind-Only.

For a detailed discussion of demons, see Master Thich Thien Tam, Buddhism of Wisdom and' Faith, sect. 51.

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