koty: Meditation

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique or combination of techniques to train attention and awareness and detach from "discursive, ruminating thought", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not intending to analyze the effects, to judge its outcomes, or to create any expectation with regard to the process. Meditation techniques are broadly classified into focused (or concentrative) and open monitoring methods. Focused methods involve attention to specific objects like breath or mantras, while open monitoring includes mindfulness and awareness of subjective experiences in the present moment, and can also involve the active cultivatio…

Evidence: 57 • authority: 72

Om (or Aum; ; Sanskrit: ॐ, ओं, ओम्, romanized: Oṃ, ISO 15919: Ōṁ) is a polysemous symbol representing a sacred sound, seed syllable, mantra, and invocation in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. Its written form is the most important symbol in Hinduism. It is the essence of the supreme Absolute, consciousness, Ātman, Brahman, or the cosmic world. In Indian religions, Om serves as a sonic representation of the divine, a standard of Vedic authority and a central aspect of soteriological doctrines and practices. It is the basic tool for meditation in the yogic path to liberation. The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other H…

Evidence: 44 • authority: 72

Yoga (UK: , US: ; Sanskrit: योग 'yoga' [joːɡɐ] ; lit. 'yoke' or 'union') is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain liberation (moksha), as practiced in the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions. Modern forms of yoga are practiced worldwide, often mainly for exercise accompanied by other elements like relaxation. Yoga may have pre-Vedic origins, but it is first attested in the early first millennium BCE. It developed as various traditions in the eastern Ganges basin and drew from a common body of practices, including Vedic elements. Yoga-like practices are mentio…

Evidence: 44 • authority: 72

The Upanishads (; Sanskrit: उपनिषद्, IAST: Upaniṣad, pronounced [ˈupɐniʂɐd]) are Sanskrit texts of the late Vedic and post-Vedic periods that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hinduism. They are the most recent addition to the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, and deal with meditation, philosophy, consciousness, and ontological knowledge. Earlier parts of the Vedas dealt with mantras, benedictions, rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices. While among the most important literature in the history of Indian religions and culture, the Upanishads document a wide var…

Evidence: 38 • authority: 88

Meditation in the Upanishads. The Upanishads are the abode of the highest truths of Hindu Dharma and the bedrock of Hindu philosophical thought. The Upanishads are the crown jewel of Vedic thought. It has the distinction of being one of the foremost books of the ‘Prasthana Triyas’ of Hinduism. The Upanishads, which originate from the word ‘sath’, are seen as the divine wisdom that frees us from the transitory life of samsara and destroys the ignorance that hides our true nature and leads us to the illusion of God. Thus the Upanishads say that attaining God is the ideal of every soul. This is the stage of maturity known as the stage of birth bliss. The Upanishads insist that souls attain the…

Evidence: 38 • authority: 92

The mystery of reincarnation.. One of the mysteries puzzling human mind since the origin of mankind is the concept of "reincarnation" which literally means "to take on the flesh again." As the civilizations evolved, beliefs got discriminated and disseminated into various religions. The major division manifested was "East" and "West." The eastern religions being more philosophical and less analytical, have accepted reincarnation. However, the different eastern religions like Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism have differed in their faith on rebirth. Further, the Islam as well as the most dominant religion of the world, Christianity, having its origin in the west, have largely denied reincarnati…

Evidence: 38 • authority: 72

Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya (transl. "doctrines and disciplines"), is an Indian religion and philosophy based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a śramaṇa (wandering ascetic) and religious teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth-largest religion, with an estimated 320 million to 540 million followers, representing approximately 4.1%–6.7% of the global population. It originated in the eastern Gangetic plain as a śramaṇa movement in the 5th century BCE, and gradually spread throughout much of Asia via the Silk Road. Buddhism has since played a significant role in Asian culture and spirituality, eventually spreading to the West in…

Evidence: — • authority: 80

The Archeology of World Religions: The Background of Primitivism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Islam, and Sikhism

Evidence: — • authority: 80

The unangry religions: Taoism, Vishnuism, Buddhism, Jainism.

Evidence: — • authority: 80

The Archeology of World Religions: The Background of Primitivism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Islam, and Sikhism

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world or continue to be part of their society, but typically adopt a frugal lifestyle, characterized by the renunciation of material possessions and physical pleasures, and also spend time fasting while concentrating on religion, prayer, or meditation. Some individuals have also attempted an ascetic lifestyle to free themselves from addictions to things such as alcohol, smoking, drugs, sex, pornography, lavish food, and entertainment. Asceticism has been historically ob…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Karma (, from Sanskrit: कर्म, IPA: [ˈkɐɾmɐ] ; Pali: kamma) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called the principle of karma, wherein individuals' intent and actions (cause) influence their future (effect): Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and happier rebirths, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and worse rebirths. In some scriptures, however, there is no link between rebirth and karma. In Hinduism, karma is traditionally classified into four types: Sanchita karma (accumulated k…