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Search Results for: Multiple methods (meditation)
AI Overview: Meditation encompasses various practices aimed at training attention and awareness, promoting mental clarity and calmness. Diverse methods exist across different cultures and religions, including Transcendental Meditation (TM), which involves structured sessions for deep relaxation and health benefits. Buddhist meditation techniques include mindfulness of breathing and loving-kindness, while Hindu practices integrate meditation within a broader yoga framework, featuring postures and breath-work. Tibetan Buddhist meditation involves advanced practices like Mahamudra. Each tradition emphasizes unique aspects but shares a common goal of enhancing spiritual awareness and inner peace.
Meditation
Meditation is a practice of training attention and awareness to attain a clearer and calmer mental state, prevalent in various religions including Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism. It aims to surpass the 'thinking' mind for deeper relaxation and insight, with roots in Vedic times. Buddhist meditation emphasizes the development of moral conduct, concentration, and wisdom to alleviate suffering, while Christian meditation often involves reflection on scripture and prayers. In Hinduism, meditation takes various forms aimed at soul evolution and scriptural understanding.
Meditation Categories
This category includes various aspects of meditation related to spirituality, Buddhism, Christian prayers, and lifestyles.
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a meditation technique developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi that involves sitting with closed eyes for twice daily sessions. It is associated with various physical and mental health benefits, though research findings are somewhat mixed. TM is learned in a structured program involving lectures and personal instruction, aiming to help practitioners achieve a state of deep rest and inner peace in their daily lives. Since its inception in the 1950s, TM has grown globally, with millions reportedly trained. While it claims to be compatible with various religious beliefs, there are differing opinions within religious communities regarding its implications. Experts have noted that TM students typically demonstrate healthy, self-sufficient behaviors rather than cult-like tendencies.
Dhyāna Sutras
The Dhyāna sutras (Chan-jing) are early Buddhist meditation texts from the Sarvastivada school, primarily composed by Buddhist Yoga teachers in Kashmir. Influential in Chinese Buddhist meditation, they are available only in Chinese translation and outline five main meditation practices: anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing), paṭikūlamanasikāra (mindfulness of body impurities), loving-kindness (maitrī), contemplation on the twelve links of pratītyasamutpāda, and contemplation on the Buddha's thirty-two characteristics.
Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism
The Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, traces its origins to the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and Naropa, and was established in Tibet by Marpa Lowatsawa. Its first monk, Gampopa, was instrumental in founding several branches, leading to the emergence of four primary sub-schools: Karma Kagyu, Drikung Kagyu, and Drukpa Kagyu. Teachings emphasize faith in the spiritual teacher and meditation, with Gampopa's 'The Jewel Ornament of Liberation' serving as a key text. Advanced practices include the six yogas of Naropa and Mahamudra meditation, which focus on concentration and the understanding of one's mind.
Salat: The Practice of Prayer in Islam
Salat, the Islamic practice of prayer, is a fundamental duty for Sunni Muslims, typically observed five times daily. It involves ritual purification (wudhu) and direct communication with Allah, without the need for a priest. The prayer periods are determined by the Sun's movement. Quranist Muslims perform prayers thrice a day, focusing on unity of mind, body, and soul. Shia Muslims may pray three or five times depending on the subset. Ritual washing before prayer is essential for cleanliness.
Lawrence LeShan
Lawrence LeShan (September 8, 1920 – November 9, 2020) was an American psychologist, educator, and author, renowned for his best-selling book 'How to Meditate' (1974). Throughout his career, he wrote approximately 75 articles and 13 books focused on psychotherapy, war, cancer treatment, and mysticism. Born in New York City, LeShan passed away at the age of 100.
Yoga
Yoga is an ancient discipline from Hindu philosophy that integrates spiritual and physical practices through breathing techniques, exercises, and meditation. The term 'yoga' means union in Sanskrit and has been historically shaped by figures like Patanjali, who defined it as the cessation of the modification of the mind. Yoga incorporates postures (asanas), breath-work, mantras, and meditation. It also includes classifications like Rajayoga, Hathayoga, Gyanyoga, Karmayoga, and Bhaktiyoga, each serving different purposes in spiritual practice. Notable asanas include Pawanmuktasana for gas release and Ushtrasana for spinal relaxation. Historical references trace yoga back to early Vedic practices and potentially to the Indus Valley Civilization.
Relaxation
Relaxation is a process aimed at reducing anxiety, stress, and anger, contributing to lower muscle tension, blood pressure, and slower heart rates. It offers various health benefits.
Noble Eightfold Path
In Buddhism, the Noble Eightfold Path is the method to end suffering and is the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths. It is categorized into three areas: wisdom (pañña), virtue (sila), and concentration (samadhi). The path includes Right Thought, Right Understanding, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration, each focusing on ethical living, mental clarity, and the pursuit of enlightenment.