precise introduction to Advaita Vedanta, on the basis of something more

Essay from the year 2014 in the subject Psychology - Psychology of Religion, , language: English, abstract: As human beings we have the constant struggle of working, eating a balanced diet, exercising, having a social life, spending time with one’s family, staying current with today’s news and receiving at least eight hours of sleep. Our agendas are naturally stocked so there is no doubt that we all come across the evil seed that is stress, from time to time. Our bodies unburden stressful situations by releasing feelings of anxiety, tension and nervousness. We do not have to be doctors to know that these feelings are not the most beneficial regarding what is good for our bodies. In order to reduce, prevent and cope with these emotional reactions one can practice the stress relieving buddhist ritual of meditation. The two most common and useful types of meditation are Loving Kindness Meditation, known as Metta Bhavana, and Mindfulness of Breathing, known as Anapanasati (Vana 27). In this paper one will perceive an overview about the two most useful types of meditation mentioned previously, explore the benefits that come with regularly practicing meditation and read about different cases that prove the effects of this buddhist custom.

"Meditative States" gives a vivid and detailed account of the meditative practices necessary to develop a calm, alert mind that is capable of penetrating the depths of reality. In this precise and lucid work, two prominent modern Tibetan lamas--Lati Rinbochay and Denma Locho Rinbochay--present comprehensive explanations of the mental states attained through meditation. Discussing step-by-step the practice of meditation itself, they provide us with practical antidotes to the various obstacles that may arise in meditation. At the same time, they intersperse their presentations with captivating descriptions of the sometimes fantastic, sometimes astonishing cosmology that provides the background and context for Buddhist practice. Their erudite and experienced expositions are enlivened as well by their compassion and humor, so typical of Tibetan scholastic and yogic traditions. Drawing on classic texts by Asanga, Maitreya, and Dzong-kha-ba on the topics of meditative states known as the concentrations and the formless absorptions, the two lamas bring alive the learning experience of the Buddhist culture of Tibet. This new edition of "Meditative States" also contains a revised translation of the great Pan-chen So-nam drak-ba's "Explanation of the Concentrations and Formless Absorptions" from his well-known treatise, the "General Meaning of (Maitreya's) "Ornamaent for Clear Realization.""

What Is Meditation? explains the Buddhist worldview and the age-old practice it perfected to unfold our innate qualities of compassion, self-acceptance, and inner peace. Rob Nairn gives step-by-step instructions for beginning your own meditation practice, including three simple exercises—"Bare Attention," "Remaining in the Present," and "Meditation Using Sound"—to help get you started.

A Bodhisattva is someone who has resolved to liberate all living beings from suffering by fulfilling his or her full spiritual potential. Many people have the compassionate wish to benefit others, but few understand how to make this wish effective in their daily life. In this highly acclaimed explanation of the great Buddhist classic, Guide to the Bodhisattva`a Way of Life, Geshe Kelsang shows how we can develop and maintain the supremely compassionate motivation of a Bodhisattva, and how we can then engage in the actual practices that provide the greatest benefit to others and lead to the attainment of full enlightenment.

This unique book -- the first from the International Mahayana Institute -- contains meditations written by eighteen nuns and monks of the IMI Sangha. These meditations center on different Buddhist themes and provide a good resource for the practicing meditator. The book also includes brief spiritual autobiographies that allow the reader to trace each contributor's entry into and study of Tibetan Buddhism. The generous and personal meditations offered in this book help us develop these potentials and thus are true friends to whom we can always turn.

This book presents, with the intimate freshness of a personal teaching, the main practices of the Mahayana Buddhist path.

What Is Meditation? explains the Buddhist worldview and the age-old practice it perfected to unfold our innate qualities of compassion, self-acceptance, and inner peace. Rob Nairn gives step-by-step instructions for beginning your own meditation practice, including three simple exercises—"Bare Attention," "Remaining in the Present," and "Meditation Using Sound"—to help get you started.

The scientific study of Buddhist forms of meditation has surged in recent years, capturing the popular imagination and reshaping conceptions of what meditation is and what it can do. For perhaps the first time in history, meditation has shifted from Buddhist monasteries and practice centers to some of the most prominent and powerful modern institutions in the world, as well as non-institutional settings. As their contexts change, so do the practices-sometimes drastically. New ways of thinking about meditation are emerging as it moves toward more secular settings, ways that profoundly affect millions of lives all over the world. To understand these changes and their effects, the essays in this volume explore the unaddressed complexities in the interrelations between Buddhist history and thought and the scientific study of meditation. The contributors bring philosophical, cultural, historical, and ethnographic perspectives to bear, considering such issues as the philosophical presuppositions behind practice, the secularization of meditation, the values and goods assumed in clinical approaches, and the sorts of subjects that take shape under the influence of these transformed and transformative practices-all the more powerful for being so often formulated with the authority of scientific discourse.