Disentangling the Neural Mechanisms Involved in Hinduism- And
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The Microcosmic Alchemical Tantrik Architecture of Hangseshwari Temple तेज ो यत्ते रूपं कल्य
The Microcosmic Alchemical Tantrik Architecture of Hangseshwari Temple तेजो यते रपं कलाणतमं तते पशािम योऽसावसौ पुरषः सोऽहमिस ॥१६॥ tejo yat te rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tat te paśyāmi yo 'sāv [asau puruṣaḥ] so'ham asmi "The light which is thy fairest form, I see it. I am what He is" ~ Isha Upanishad (verse 16), One of the most beautiful, alchemical, castle-like temples is the Hangseshwari Temple of the Hoogy District of Bengal. It is the spiritual center of a Tantrik astral dream sect that inspired a King to build this temple in a dream, combining the Mother Goddess with his own mother's symbolic name into one of the most beautiful Tantrik temples in the world. We use this temple and its symbolism to introduce key teachings, practices and symbols and invite those interested to inquire for further details in our alchemical missionary work. The Hangeshwari Temple has been called the abode of “Our Lady of the Cosmic Goose” by scholars aware of the alchemical significance. This name combines alchemically with the Black Virgin in the Western Tradition, as well as the alchemical immortals of diverse traditions. This temple is a true example of “Tantrik Satchakrabhed" or the “sat-chakra-bhed or piercing of the chakra nerve plexuses.” This is sacred Tantrik architecture expressing the microcosm in the temple's structure, which is symbolic of the Human Body. Built by wise sthapatis (temple architects), these temples encode the divine proportions and inner secrets of the microcosm and subtle body in sacred architectural principles dating back to the Vastu Shastra, which may be the oldest known architectural treatise in the world. -
An Excursus on the Subtle Body in Tantric Buddhism. Notes
THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUDDHIST STUDIES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF A. K. Narain University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA EDITORS L. M.Joshi Ernst Steinkellner Punjabi University University of Vienna Patiala, India Wien, Austria Alexander W. Macdonald Jikido Takasaki Universite de Paris X University of Tokyo Nanterre, France Tokyo, fapan Bardwell Smith Robert Thurman Carleton College Amherst College Northfield, Minnesota, USA Amherst, Massachusetts, USA ASSISTANT EDITOR Roger Jackson FJRN->' Volume 6 1983 Number 2 CONTENTS I. ARTICLES A reconstruction of the Madhyamakdvatdra's Analysis of the Person, by Peter G. Fenner. 7 Cittaprakrti and Ayonisomanaskdra in the Ratnagolravi- bhdga: Precedent for the Hsin-Nien Distinction of The Awakening of Faith, by William Grosnick 35 An Excursus on the Subtle Body in Tantric Buddhism (Notes Contextualizing the Kalacakra)1, by Geshe Lhundup Sopa 48 Socio-Cultural Aspects of Theravada Buddhism in Ne pal, by Ramesh Chandra Tewari 67 The Yuktisas(ikakdrikd of Nagarjuna, by Fernando Tola and Carmen Dragonetti 94 The "Suicide" Problem in the Pali Canon, by Martin G. Wiltshire \ 24 II. BOOK REVIEWS 1. Buddhist and Western Philosophy, edited by Nathan Katz 141 2. A Meditators Diary, by Jane Hamilton-Merritt 144 3. The Roof Tile ofTempyo, by Yasushi Inoue 146 4. Les royaumes de I'Himalaya, histoire et civilisation: le La- dakh, le Bhoutan, le Sikkirn, le Nepal, under the direc tion of Alexander W. Macdonald 147 5. Wings of the White Crane: Poems of Tskangs dbyangs rgya mtsho (1683-1706), translated by G.W. Houston The Rain of Wisdom, translated by the Nalanda Transla tion Committee under the Direction of Chogyam Trungpa Songs of Spiritual Change, by the Seventh Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Kalzang Gyatso 149 III. -
Use of Theses
THESES SIS/LIBRARY TELEPHONE: +61 2 6125 4631 R.G. MENZIES LIBRARY BUILDING NO:2 FACSIMILE: +61 2 6125 4063 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY EMAIL: [email protected] CANBERRA ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA USE OF THESES This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only. Passages from the thesis may not be copied or closely paraphrased without the written consent of the author. THE PRATYUTPANNA-BUDDHA-SAMMUKHAVASTHITA- SAMADHI-SUTRA AN ANNOTATED ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE TIBETAN VERSION WITH SEVERAL APPENDICES A Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Australian National University August, 1979 by Paul Harrison This thesis is based on my own research carried out from 1976 to 1979 at the Australian National University. ABSTRACT The present work consists of a study of the Pratyutpanna-buddha- sammukhavasthita-samadhi-sutra (hereafter: PraS), a relatively early example of Mahayana Buddhist canonical literature. After a brief Intro duction (pp. xxi-xli), which attempts to place the PraS in its historical context, the major portion of the work (pp. 1-186) is devoted to an annotated English translation of the Tibetan version of the sutra, with detailed reference to the three main Chinese translations. Appendix A (pp. 187-252) then attempts a resolution of some of the many problems surrounding the various Chinese versions of the PraS. These are examined both from the point of view of internal evidence and on the basis of bibliographical information furnished by the Chinese Buddhist scripture-catalogues. Some tentative conclusions are advanced concerning the textual history of the PraS in China. -
1. Hamsa Sandesam V1
Thirumaliruncholai Thirupathi Thiruvarangam ThiruveLLarai Thirukkacchi Sincere Thanks To: 1. Smt.Krishnapriya for compilation of source document 2. Smt.Jayashree Muralidharan for eBook assembly sadagopan.org C O N T E N T S Introduction 1 Hamsa Sandesam - Rahasyartham 6 sadagopan.org sadagopan.org Swami Desikan - Satyagalam (Thanks:Sri.Laskhminarasimhan Sridhar) . ïI>. ïImte ingmaNtmhadeizkay nm> . INTRODUCTION sadagopan.org I want to share with you the tribute that Swami Desikan paid to Sri Ranganatha through one of his Kavyams known as Hamsa sandesam. The other Kavyams of Swami Desikan are: Subhashitaneevi, Yadavaabhudhyam and Padhuka Sahasram. Hamsa Sandesam is what is known as a Sandesa Kavyam. This Kavyam follows the style of AandaaL and Nammazhwar, when they requested clouds, birds and bees to take a message to their Lord and asked them to help in uniting them with their beloved Lord. In more recent times, Poet Kalidasa Composed Megha Sandesam, where he asks NamperumAL - SrIRangam (Thanks: Sri. Murali BhaTTar) 1 the hurrying clouds to take a message to his beloved one in the Northern region. Swami Desikan sets Hamsa Sandesam as a Kavyam, where Sri Ramachandra languishing from the sorrow of separation from His beloved Sita sights a Raja Hamsam and implores it to take a southward journey to Lankapuri and asks the hamsam to convey to Sita his sense of anguish and inconsolable desolation. There are 110 slokas in this Kavyam set by Swami Desikan in the Mandaakrantha Meter. Sri Rama points out the landmarks that the hamsam will fly over in its southward journey. In this Kavyam, we get a glimpse of the Sarva Tantra Swatantrar’s extraordinary knowledge about the geography of Bharata Desam. -
Yamas and Niyamas.Pdf
Yamas & Niyamas Teacher Training Yamas and Niyamas What are the Yamas and Niyamas? The Yamas and Niyamas are yoga's ten ethical guidelines and are the first two limbs of Yoga's eight-limbed path (Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Sutras_of_Patanjali EIGHT LIMBS 1. Yama ~ Moral restraints (how to behave in society) - outer 2. Niyama ~ The personal disciplines (your private practices) - outer 3. Asana ~ Physical postures - outer 4. Pranayama ~ Controlling the breath - outer 5. Pratyahara ~ Sense withdrawal – outer 6. Dharana ~ Intense focus, concentration - inner 7. Dhyana ~ Meditation - inner 8. Samadhi ~ Bliss, Joy, Peace - inner Where and when did the Yamas and Niyamas Originate? Many attribute the text of the Yamas and Niyamas to Patañjali therefore dating it to 2nd century BCE. Others believe the Yamas and Niyamas are a collection of fragments and traditions of texts stemming from the second or third century, not necessarily written by Patañjali. Still others provide an even wider period of potential composition of between 100 BCE and 500 CE. Beginning the Journey (Yamas) Living ethically, according to Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, is the first step on the true path of yoga. By Judith Lasater http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/462 When our children were young, my husband and I would occasionally summon up the courage to take them out for dinner. Before entering the restaurant, one of us would remind them to "be good" or we would leave. This warning was only mildly successful, but then one day my husband reasoned out a more effective approach. -
Notes on the Avatamsaka Sutra
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE NOTES ON THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA bpO understand the Avatamsaka Sutra, the following remarks -®- will be found useful. Besides the general Mahayana notions, the Avatamsaka has its own philosophy or world-conception constituting the fundamental tenets of the Kegon School of Buddhism, which is regarded by some to be the culmination of the Buddhist experience of life. First, the Buddha as the central figure naturally occupies the most important position throughout the discourse. Un like in the other sutras, the Buddha himself does not deliver a sermon, or a series of sermons; all the lecturing whatever there is done by the attending Bodhisattvas: not only the lecturing but the praising of the Buddha’s holy merits, of which there is a great deal in this sutra, in fact more than in other sutras,—all this is the doing of the Bodhisattvas. The part played by the Buddha is just to show himself in radiance, and this is the important point in the understanding of the Avatamsaka. The Buddha here is not the historical Buddha, but one in the Sagara-mudra Samadhi, which means “ Ocean-Seal Samadhi.” According to Kegon scholars, the Buddha in this Samadhi keeps his mind so serene and transparent as the ocean in which all things are sealed or im pressed, that is, reflected as they are in themselves; the world thus appearing to him is not a world of the senses, but one of light and spirit. This world is called the Dharmadhatu, that is a world of pure beings, or simply a spiritual world, and is technically known as the “ World of the Lotus Treasure.” When the world is contemplated by the Buddha in this Samadhi, it is radiant with light; for the light issues from 234 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST his body, from every part of his body, in fact from every pore in his skin, illuminating the ten quarters of the universe and revealing the past, the present, and the future. -
Chanting Book
Samatha Chanting Book Published by the Samatha Trust 1 With thanks to all those from the various traditions of Pali chanting from whom we have learned chanting in the past, or will do so in the future. Sādhu sādhu sādhu 2 Chanting Book This book is one of a series published from time to time by the Samatha Trust. The Samatha Trust was founded in 1973 and is a registered charity. The Samatha Centre Greenstreete Llangunllo Powys LD7 1SP www.samatha.org First published in 2008 Second Edition 2014 ISBN 978-0-9514223-4-2 This Book may be freely copied for non-commercial distribution. Printed by: Oxford University Computing Services - Printing Department 3 4 CONTENTS 1 BEGINNINGS THE THREE REFUGES AND FIVE PRECEPTS ....................................................................................................2 RECOLLECTION OF THE TRIPLE GEM Iti pi so ................................................................................................3 2 PŪJĀ - OFFERING VERSES Vandāmi cetiyaṃ .........................................................................................................................................................4 TRANSFERENCE OF MERIT Ettāvatā ..................................................................................................................6 3 PARITTA, AND OTHER CHANTS OF BLESSING AND PROTECTION INVITATION TO THE DEVAS Samantā cakkavāḷesu (or: Pharitvāna mettaṃ) ...................................................8 BUDDHAMAṄGALAGĀTHĀ Sambuddho ............................................................................................................8 -
Scanned Using Xerox Bookcentre 7130
QWYERsli'l OF. HAWAII UBRARJ AN INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF TIBETAN BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PSYCHOLOGY DECEMBER 1981 By Joseph Mark Rosenthal Dissertation Committee: S. I. Shapiro, Chairman Abe Arkoff David W. Chappell Lauren E. Ekroth Shigeaki Fuj.itani Walter Nunokawa Rene Tillich We certify that we have read this dissertation and that in our opinion it is satisfactory in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology. Chairman ~ • • t ABSTRACT Selected aspects of Tibetan Buddhist theory and practice were introduced and compared with Western formulations from such systems as Gestalt therapy, psychoanalysis, cognitive psychology, and con temporary physics. Generally, the Tibetan Buddhist approach asserts that all forms of diminished functioning (samsara) result from the ego principle's interruption of innate, primordial awareness (rig-pa), which is the experiential pole of Sunyata, unconditioned reality. The ego principle has been defined as a cybernetic system which creates samsara through its struggle to sustain the reification of the self other context in the face of the truth of impermanence and the ego's actual nonsubstantiality. The Four Veils and the Eight Consciousnesses are models which elucidate the mechanisms of the ego principle. The Four Veils are: ma-rig-pa (the basic ground of ego); the actual ego-other dichotomy; the klesa (egocentric emotionality); and karma (egocentric behavior). The Eight Consciousnesses are: the five senses; a sixth "sense" (yid) which functions to synthesize and organize experience coherently; the seventh consciousness (nyBn-yid) which provides the cognitive framework and emotional energy for dichotomizing experience into self and other; and the eighth consciousness (alaya-vijnana), the ultimate phenomenal ground. -
Quantum Mind Meditation and Brain Science
Quantum Mind Meditation and Brain Science PAUL DENNISON Published under the auspices of Rama IX Temple, Bangkok, July 2013, to mark the 2600-year anniversary of the Buddha’s enlightenment Quantum Mind Meditation and Brain Science Quantum Mind: Meditation and Brain Science © Paul Dennison Published 2013 under the auspices of Wat Phra Rama 9 Paendin Dhamma Foundation 999/9 Soi 19 Rama IX Road, Bang Kabi, Huai Khwang, Bangkok Thailand 10320 Tel: 0-2719-7676 Fax: 0-2719-7675 E-mail: [email protected] Printed and bound in Thailand by Sangsilp Press Ltd Part. 116/38-47 Rangnam Road, Thanon Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok Thailand 10400 Tel: 0-2642-4633-4 Fax:: 0-2245-9785 E-mail: [email protected] The front cover illustration is a combined view of the Antennae Galaxies, taken in 2011 by the ALMA Radio Telescope Array and the Hubble Space Telescope. Superposed is an EEG recording of the brain wave activity of a Samatha meditator recorded in 2010. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO). Visible light image: the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1137a/ (Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution License) Contents Beginnings … Fast forward … Buddhist meditation comes West Samatha and Vipassanā meditation Jhāna An EEG study of Samatha meditation Quantum mind To be continued … Links and references Beginnings … Considering the precision and detail of Buddhist meditation traditions handed down, person to person, to this day, it is easy to not fully appreciate the very long time period involved, or the great achievement of Buddhist Sanghas worldwide in preserving the teachings. -
The Serpent Power by Woodroffe Illustrations, Tables, Highlights and Images by Veeraswamy Krishnaraj
The Serpent Power by Woodroffe Illustrations, Tables, Highlights and Images by Veeraswamy Krishnaraj This PDF file contains the complete book of the Serpent Power as listed below. 1) THE SIX CENTRES AND THE SERPENT POWER By WOODROFFE. 2) Ṣaṭ-Cakra-Nirūpaṇa, Six-Cakra Investigation: Description of and Investigation into the Six Bodily Centers by Tantrik Purnananda-Svami (1526 CE). 3) THE FIVEFOLD FOOTSTOOL (PĀDUKĀ-PAÑCAKA THE SIX CENTRES AND THE SERPENT POWER See the diagram in the next page. INTRODUCTION PAGE 1 THE two Sanskrit works here translated---Ṣat-cakra-nirūpaṇa (" Description of the Six Centres, or Cakras") and Pādukāpañcaka (" Fivefold footstool ")-deal with a particular form of Tantrik Yoga named Kuṇḍalinī -Yoga or, as some works call it, Bhūta-śuddhi, These names refer to the Kuṇḍalinī-Śakti, or Supreme Power in the human body by the arousing of which the Yoga is achieved, and to the purification of the Elements of the body (Bhūta-śuddhi) which takes place upon that event. This Yoga is effected by a process technically known as Ṣat-cakra-bheda, or piercing of the Six Centres or Regions (Cakra) or Lotuses (Padma) of the body (which the work describes) by the agency of Kuṇḍalinī- Sakti, which, in order to give it an English name, I have here called the Serpent Power.1 Kuṇḍala means coiled. The power is the Goddess (Devī) Kuṇḍalinī, or that which is coiled; for Her form is that of a coiled and sleeping serpent in the lowest bodily centre, at the base of the spinal column, until by the means described She is aroused in that Yoga which is named after Her. -
Ajahn Chandako Samatha and Vipassana in Harmony
BuddhaSasana Home Page English Section A Honed and Heavy Ax Samatha and Vipassanā in Harmony Ajahn Chandako Abbreviations DN - Dīgha Nikāya MN - Majjhima Nikāya SN - Samyutta Nikāya AN - Anguttara Nikāya Sn - Sutta Nipāta It - Itivuttaka -ooOoo- May all beings be free from all suffering. The Ax Imagine you need to chop down a dead tree with an ax. To be successful the ax will have to be both sharp and reasonably heavy. But where does sharpness end and weight begin? It’s clear that even with great effort neither using a razorblade nor a baseball bat is going to do the trick. In the context of Buddhist meditation practice the weight of the ax may be compared to serenity (samatha), its sharpness to insight (vipassanā). These two aspects of meditation play the crucial roles in awakening beings to the nature of reality and releasing them from suffering. By examining the most ancient texts attributed to the Buddha as well as some popular contemporary approaches, this work will attempt to shed light on the mutually supportive relationship between these two pillars of spiritual development. The word ‘vipassanā’ has come to be associated with particular meditation techniques or a style of Buddhist practice in the Theravada tradition. What the Buddha originally taught however, was ‘samatha/ vipassanā’. Samatha means the calm and tranquility that result from sustained attention on one object, process or perception. Vipassanā refers to clear seeing. When they are both present, a person’s heart and mind are in balance. Samatha is unifying, unconditionally accepting and non-discriminating. It is still, bright, radiant, internally silent and blissful. -
Sources and Definitions
1 Sources and Definitions DHYANA\ AND MEDITATION THEORY An appropriate starting point for our study is to establish some basic defini- tions of the philosophical concepts that are foundational in the practices of meditation and yoga in the Hindu and Buddhist context. Primary among these are dhyana\ , “meditation,” and samadhi\ , “meditative absorption” or “contem- plation.” Dhyana\ and samadhi\ are terms that are well represented in the liter- ature of the study of religion, particularly in the Indo-Tibetan context, but are rarely used by scholars of these religions with significant precision. These terms play crucial roles in both the Hindu and Buddhist meditative systems and the soteriological or liberatory processes of which they are a part. The development of Hindu and Buddhist conceptions of dhyana\ and samadhi\ demonstrates the ongoing effort within these religious communities to clarify different interpretations of what constitutes liberation and what means are necessary to bring about these ends. In other words, examining the role of these ideas across the Hindu-Buddhist boundary is particularly helpful in understanding how different schools and sects of these traditions have under- stood the practice of meditation in the context of an assumed plurality of viewpoints. Researching across this boundary clarifies the role of meditation practice in both traditions and weakens the common viewpoint that these tra- ditions are autonomous entities that can be viewed in isolation. The relation- ship between the Classical Yoga tradition of Patañjali and the development of Buddhist models of meditation also demonstrates the tension between scholastic and ascetic tendencies with meditation that occur in both Hindu and Buddhist contexts.