For success of any meditation is good preparation and regular practice. Preparation includes your meditation posture, finding a place for meditation, leading a simple life. To practice regularly we need confidence in the practice and in our own ability to change. As we go on, this confidence becomes more and more deeply rooted in our daily lives. Meditation: Buddhist Tradition Buddhist meditation is a form of mental concentration that can lead to enlightenment and spiritual freedom.
The Buddhist community strengthens its identity by coming together to celebrate Wesak. Wesak is a time for the individual to reflect on the key teachings of Buddhism, especially the three refuges, to examine his or her life according to these teachings. The individual acknowledges the significance of karma and samsara. Wesak is a chance for individuals to celebrate life and its joys with other members of the Buddhist community. Wesak encourages individuals to persevere in their faith One of the main activities
One is officially recognised as a Buddhist after he/she has undergone refuge. "Taking refuge in the Buddha, we learn to transform anger into compassion; taking refuge in the Dharma, we learn to transform delusion into wisdom; taking refuge in the Sangha, we learn to transform desire into generosity.” - Red Pine (2005) The Triple Jewels (or called The Three Treasures) in the refuge are inseparable as they all together generate considerable amount of merit and wisdom to a Buddhist. As mind is the forerunner of all things and, all living beings are suffering and trapped in the Samsara due to karma and entanglement; a wise man can disentangle this tangle through building well in virtue, developing concentration and understanding, which would help one gain wisdom. Only through taking refuge from the Triple Jewels, one could gain wisdom and have a good start for his/her path to awakening. The ultimate goal of this path is to
She credits yoga with not only helping her to recover physically but also for helping her to discover the path of self-awareness and enlightenment of her life’s purpose. The word yoga means “Unity” and is derived from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means to join. The overall goal of yoga is to join balance and harmonies the body, mind, and emotions. Yoga teaches us to reconnect with ourselves, to be at peace and at ease with who we are and where we are going. Yoga is not your ordinary exercise program.
One of the amazing things about a Guru is their vast range of intelligence. Through the years of meditating a Guru is able to gain so much experiential knowledge which allows him to teach values to the student. Those who have been under the teaching of a Guru will tell you how they can perform miraculous events such as healing the sick with a simple touch of the finger. For centuries the role of the Guru has remained the same for them to lead others on a spiritual path to discover one’s true self. In an excerpt from the writings of ancient Guru Paramahansa Yogananda, he explains how only those who truly know God can teach others about him: “The blind cannot lead the blind, only a master, one who knows God, may rightly teach other about him.
It was like yoga, a short meditation period to clear our minds. There was then a sutra chanting by Rev. Matsumoto and the community, which were the people. They call the community, nuns, and monks the “Sangha”. The Sutra chanting we did called “Vandana Ti-Sarana” is basically an opportunity to praise the virtues of the Buddha and learn the Buddha’s teaching.
The main focus of this lineage was to be as a teacher, having mastered the teachings clears away defects which related to intellectual understanding, experience from meditation, and various levels of realization. These teachings have been preserved and still exist today. The third path is Sakya (Grey Earth) tradition, originating in the 11th century. Closely associated with the Khon family of 1073, the Sakya monastery was built in the established tradition in Tibet. Khon Khonchok Gyalpo studied under Drokmi the Translator and became a master of many deep teachings.
The Center for Spiritual Enlightenment is an interfaith spiritual community that follows the tradition of Kriya Yoga. It is a place where people join together to learn and grow. The community at this center focuses on learning wisdom and compassion and “awaken their minds to life’s inherent goodness.” Their teachings focus on getting the followers to believe that one must live a “spiritually conscious” life by following rules such as harmlessness, truthfulness, and using life’s energy in a way that is effective. The center began in 1981 as a chapter for spiritual awareness. The center is a worldwide ministry with a main focus on teaching meditation and bringing the teachings of the east to a new community in the west.
To many the spiritual goal is to obtain an awareness of oneself and find spirituality from within. This spiritual aspect of yoga that is based on the religion of Hinduism makes some people uncomfortable. Some Christian groups practice the mind and body aspects of yoga, but incorporate their own version of the spiritual aspect by reciting and meditating on scripture instead of chanting mantra. For those who are uncomfortable with the connections to Hinduism, the spiritual aspects of yoga can be modified and individualized to meet the person's own individual spiritual needs. The spiritual alteration allows yoga to be utilized as a great form of exercise that is based on the principles of proper body positioning combined with relaxation, proper breathing techniques and mental focus.
Some of the most known ones are karma yoga, bkakti yoga, jnana yoga, and raja yoga. The goals of yoga depend on the religion that it is practiced in. For some religions it is used to get closer to god. In others it helps them get deeper with their wisdom, compassion ,and insight. Most of the time its either god-realization or self-realization.