nama-sadhana:

nama-sadhana (naama-saadhana). Practice of repeating the name of God.

(See also: nama-sadhana, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

sadhana chathushtaya:

sadhana chathushtaya (saadhana chathushthaya). Four disciplines.

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

Sadhana, Sadana:

Practices, both physical and mental, on the spiritual path; spiritual discipline.

(See also: Sadhana, Sadana, Kundalini, Kundalini Yoga, Kundalini Dictionary)

sahasra lekhana sadhana: (Sanskrit) "Thousand-times writing discipline." The spiritual practice of writing a sacred mantra 1,008 times.

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

Sadhanas in which Tara is the Yidam can be extensive or quite brief. Most all of them include some introductory praises or homages to invoke her presence. Then her mantra is recited, followed by a visualization of her, perhaps more mantra, then the visualization is dissolved, followed by a dedication of the merit from doing the practice. Additionally there may be extra prayers of aspirations, of refuge, and a long life prayer for the Lama who originated the practice. Many of the Tara sadhanas are seen as beginning practices within the world ...

See also:

Tara Buddhism, Tara Buddhism - Emergence of Tara as a Buddhist Deity, Tara Buddhism - Origin as a Buddhist Bodhisattva, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Saviouress, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Tantric Deity, Tara Buddhism - Sadhanas of Tara

Read more here: » Tara Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Tara Buddhism - Sadhanas of Tara

Tara as a focus for tantric deity yoga can be traced back to the time period of Padmasambhava. There is a Red Tara practice which was given by Padmasambhava to Yeshe Tsogyal. He asked that she hide it as a treasure. It was not until this century, that a great Nyingma Lama, Apong Terton rediscovered it. This Lama was reborn as His Holiness Sakya Trizin, present head of the Sakyapa sect. A monk who had known Apong Terton succeeded in retransmitting it to H.H. Sakya Trizin, and the same monk also gave it to Chagdud ...

See also:

Tara Buddhism, Tara Buddhism - Emergence of Tara as a Buddhist Deity, Tara Buddhism - Origin as a Buddhist Bodhisattva, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Saviouress, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Tantric Deity, Tara Buddhism - Sadhanas of Tara

Read more here: » Tara Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Tantric Deity

Tara also embodies many of the qualities of feminine principle. She is known as the Mother of Mercy and Compassion. She is the source, the female aspect of the universe, which gives birth to warmth, compassion and relief from bad karma as experienced by ordinary beings in cyclic existence. She engenders, nourishes, smiles at the vitality of creation, and has sympathy for all beings as a mother does for her children. As Green Tara she offers succor and protection from all the unfortunate circumstances one can encounter within the samsaric wor ...

See also:

Tara Buddhism, Tara Buddhism - Emergence of Tara as a Buddhist Deity, Tara Buddhism - Origin as a Buddhist Bodhisattva, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Saviouress, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Tantric Deity, Tara Buddhism - Sadhanas of Tara

Read more here: » Tara Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Saviouress

Within Tibetan Buddhism Tara is regarded as a Bodhisattva of Compassion. She can be seen as the female aspect of Avalokitesvara, and in some origin stories she comes from his tears, but she has older antecedents as a Mother Goddess, before Avalokitesvara and the Bodhisattva ideal emerged. Tara is also known as a Saviouress, as a heavenly deity who hears the cries of beings experiencing misery in Samsara. And Tara is also a Tantric deity, whose practice is used by practitioners of Vajrayana to develop certain inner qualities and understand o ...

See also:

Tara Buddhism, Tara Buddhism - Emergence of Tara as a Buddhist Deity, Tara Buddhism - Origin as a Buddhist Bodhisattva, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Saviouress, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Tantric Deity, Tara Buddhism - Sadhanas of Tara

Read more here: » Tara Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Tara Buddhism - Emergence of Tara as a Buddhist Deity

Tara has many stories told which explain her origin as a Buddhist Bodhisattva. One in particular has a lot of resonance for women interested in Buddhism and quite likely for those delving into early 21st century feminism. In this tale there is a young princess who lives in a different world system, millions of years in the past. Her name is Yeshe Dawa, which means "Moon of Primordial Awareness". For quite a number of aeons she makes offerings to the Buddha of that world system "Tonyo Drupa". She receives special instruction from him c ...

See also:

Tara Buddhism, Tara Buddhism - Emergence of Tara as a Buddhist Deity, Tara Buddhism - Origin as a Buddhist Bodhisattva, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Saviouress, Tara Buddhism - Tara as a Tantric Deity, Tara Buddhism - Sadhanas of Tara

Read more here: » Tara Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Tara Buddhism - Origin as a Buddhist Bodhisattva

The eight "limbs" or steps are: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. A number of commentators break these eight steps into two categories. Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, and Pratyahara comprise the first category. The second category, called Samyama is comprised of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. The division between the two categories exists because in latter three mentioned steps there is no cognizance whereas in the first five steps cognizance exists. "Since there is no cognizance to these th ...

See also:

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Introduction, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Authorship, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Philosophical Roots and Influences, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - The Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Bibliography, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Appendix: English Translation of the Yoga Sutras, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Book I : Consciousness and Superconsciousness Samadhi Pada, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Book II : Ways To Attain Yoga Sadhana Pada, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Book III : Powers Vibhuti Pada, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Book IV : Liberation Kaivalya Pada

Read more here: » Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Encyclopedia II - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - The Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga

sadhaka:

a follower of a sadhana. a magician.

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

sandhya upasana: (Sanskrit) "Worship at time's junctures."

Drawing near to God at the changes of time - worship and sadhana performed in the home at dawn, noon and dusk.

See: sadhana.

(See also: Sandhya upasana, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Shunya yantra

The Shunya Sadhana has no audible Mantra, unlike all other Yantra sadhanas. The picture above is of Shunyayantra. There are ten circles (approximate) representating ten solar-rings and the dot represents the Parambrahman. A Sadhak who performs shunya-sadhana is a shunya-sadhak. €€€

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

asceticism: The austerities of an ascetic. See: sadhana, tapas, ascetic.

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

asceticism: The austerities of an ascetic. See: sadhana, tapas, ascetic.

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

sadhaka: (Sanskrit) From sadh, "going straight to the goal."

A spiritual aspirant; a devotee who performs sadhana. A serious seeker who has undertaken spiritual disciplines, is usually celibate and under the guidance of a guru. He wears white and may be under simple vows, but is not a yogi or sannyasin.

See: sadhana.

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

Sadhaka:

Sadhaka. A follower of a Sadhana. A magician.

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

bodhi tantra: (Sanskrit) "Wise methods; ways of wisdom." See: sadhana, tantra.

(See also: Bodhi tantra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

spiritual unfoldment: Adhyatma vikasa.

The unfoldment of the spirit, the inherent, divine soul of man. The very gradual expansion of consciousness as kundalini shakti slowly rises through the sushumna.

The term spiritual unfoldment indicates this slow, imperceptible process, likened to a lotus flower's emerging from bud to effulgent beauty. Contrasted with development, which implies intellectual study; or growth, which implies character building and sadhana.

Sound intellect and good character are the foundation for spiritual unfoldment, but they are not the unfoldment itself. When philosophical training and sadhana is complete, the kundalini rises safely and imperceptively, without jerks, twitches, tears or hot flashes. Brings greater willpower, compassion and perceptive qualities.

See: adhyatma vikasa, kundalini, kundalini, awakening, liberation, pada, sadhana, sadhana marga, San Marga, tapas.

(See also: Spiritual unfoldment, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Nama - the holy name of Krsna, chanted by bhaktas as the main limb of the practice of sadhana-bhakti.

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

Sadhaka: One who practices spiritual discipline-sadhana-particularly meditation.

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

Vedantin:

Vedantin: one who follows the path of Vedantic  Sadhana.

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