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All Levels Yoga

Starts: 5:45 pm

Ends: October 4, 2018 - 6:45 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

All Levels Iyengar Yoga. Appropirate for students who are familiar with the Iyengar Yoga Fundamentals.

Level 2 Yoga

Starts: 7:15 pm

Ends: October 4, 2018 - 8:30 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

Level 2. For students who are familiar with the Iyengar Yoga Fundamentals, have practiced in the Iyengar tradition before and/or are working with preparation for and headstand and shoulderstand.

Beginners Iyengar Yoga @ River Bend GCC

Starts: 9:00 am

Ends: October 5, 2018 - 10:00 am

For members of River Bend Golf and Country Club. Come take care of your body and up your tennis, golf, swimming, and general fitness and well-being!

All Levels Yoga

Starts: 11:45 am

Ends: October 5, 2018 - 12:45 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies, 12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194, USA

All Levels Yoga

Starts: 9:45 am

Ends: October 6, 2018 - 10:45 am

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies, 12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194, USA

All Levels Yoga

Starts: 11:00 am

Ends: October 6, 2018 - 12:00 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

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All Levels Yoga

Starts: 5:45 pm

Ends: October 11, 2018 - 6:45 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

All Levels Iyengar Yoga. Appropirate for students who are familiar with the Iyengar Yoga Fundamentals.

Level 2 Yoga

Starts: 7:15 pm

Ends: October 11, 2018 - 8:30 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

Level 2. For students who are familiar with the Iyengar Yoga Fundamentals, have practiced in the Iyengar tradition before and/or are working with preparation for and headstand and shoulderstand.

Beginners Iyengar Yoga @ River Bend GCC

Starts: 9:00 am

Ends: October 12, 2018 - 10:00 am

For members of River Bend Golf and Country Club. Come take care of your body and up your tennis, golf, swimming, and general fitness and well-being!

All Levels Yoga

Starts: 11:45 am

Ends: October 12, 2018 - 12:45 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies, 12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194, USA

All Levels Yoga

Starts: 9:45 am

Ends: October 13, 2018 - 10:45 am

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies, 12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194, USA

All Levels Yoga

Starts: 11:00 am

Ends: October 13, 2018 - 12:00 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

Special Guest Teacher Workshop: Juliana Teaches the Vayus

Starts: 4:00 pm

Ends: October 14, 2018 - 6:00 pm

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All Levels Yoga

Starts: 5:45 pm

Ends: October 18, 2018 - 6:45 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

All Levels Iyengar Yoga. Appropirate for students who are familiar with the Iyengar Yoga Fundamentals.

Level 2 Yoga

Starts: 7:15 pm

Ends: October 18, 2018 - 8:30 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

Level 2. For students who are familiar with the Iyengar Yoga Fundamentals, have practiced in the Iyengar tradition before and/or are working with preparation for and headstand and shoulderstand.

Beginners Iyengar Yoga @ River Bend GCC

Starts: 9:00 am

Ends: October 19, 2018 - 10:00 am

For members of River Bend Golf and Country Club. Come take care of your body and up your tennis, golf, swimming, and general fitness and well-being!

All Levels Yoga

Starts: 11:45 am

Ends: October 19, 2018 - 12:45 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies, 12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194, USA

All Levels Yoga

Starts: 9:45 am

Ends: October 20, 2018 - 10:45 am

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies, 12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194, USA

All Levels Yoga

Starts: 11:00 am

Ends: October 20, 2018 - 12:00 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

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All Levels Yoga

Starts: 5:45 pm

Ends: October 25, 2018 - 6:45 pm

Location: Yoga 4 All Bodies12021 Creekbend Dr, Reston, VA 20194-5629, United States

All Levels Iyengar Yoga. Appropirate for students who are familiar with the Iyengar Yoga Fundamentals.

Originally posted here:
Yoga 4 All Bodies - Iyengar Yoga in Reston, VA

The Nietzscheans are a subspecies of genetically engineered humans who religiously follow the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Social Darwinism, and Dawkinsian genetic competitiveness. They claim to be physically perfect and are distinguished by bone blades protruding outwards from the wrist area and their physical appearance. The race's trinomial taxonomic name is Homo sapiens invictus, which means "Unconquerable Wise Man" in the ancient Earth language Latin. Although Nietzsche frequently wrote about the bermensch, Nietzscheans take offense at usage of the word "ber" which is used as a derogatory term to describe them. The term is usually used by Humans.

Nietzschean Tyr Anasazi and Fleet Marshall Ataturk in the background.

All Nietzschean prides originated from Pride Musevini.

The headstone to Drago Musevini's crypt

The Nietzschean subspecies originated at Ayn Rand Station. In CY 8400, Dr. Paul Museveni, a human geneticist, left Earth and headed out to deep space with about 3,000 followers. Dr. Museveni's views were not considered proper, and thus he was shut out of mainstream scientific society. Four months later, the Museveni Fleet arrived in the Omari Globular cluster just outside the Milky Way Galaxy. A habitable world was found orbiting the Beta Sirrius Omega star, Museveni and his followers named this planet Fountainhead and declared it the home world of the new Nietzschean sub-race. Ayn Rand Station was built in orbit around Fountainhead in CY 8402. The station was constructed by converting one of the ships from Museveni's origin fleet. Rand station would later become the political capital of the new Nietzschean Alliance. The settlements on Fountainhead continued to grow. The people willingly embraced the philosophy of Dr. Museveni, which was based on elements of Nietzsche, Rand, Darwin, and Dawkins.

Drago Museveni, the clone/son of Dr. Paul Museveni, was born in CY 8403 (It is revealed later in the series that Drago had actually time traveled to the future to obtain the DNA of Beka Valentine in order to further enhance the Nietzschean race). Drago's children were the first true Nietzscheans born, the result of genetic modifications. Because of his influence, the first Pride was formed: Pride Museveni. Drago had a philosophy all future Nietzscheans would come to emulate (most of which was taught by Rhade). Due to the modifications of their genetic codes, they developed 3 bone spikes called "bone blades" on each forearm.

Within four years, nearly 4,000 more Nietzschean children were born. These children were the first members of Homo sapiens invictus, and they were the first generation of Drago Museveni's genetic manipulations.

In CY 8422, Paul Museveni died under mysterious circumstances due to a rare type of arsenic poisoning. His son Drago, at age 19, took the mantle of leadership of the Nietzschean people. It was suspected by some that Drago had removed his father, but it was never proven. In CY 8423, the second pride in Nietzschean society, the Drago-Kazov Pride, was formed after Drago broke ties with Pride Museveni and formed an alliance with the Kazov clan. A year later, the Kodiak, Jaguar, and finally, the Three Rivers prides were formed.

Drago Museveni died of natural causes in CY 8456. Rheged Mossadim of the Three Rivers Pride was chosen as the new leader. 31 years later in CY 8487, the Nietzscheans decided to spread out, establishing Zarathustra, their first colony, in 3576 and Enga's Redoubt followed near the end of the year. Midden was established in CY 8505 and then Dawkinstown and Victoria in 3585. Barbarossa and Hawking followed roughly a year after that. Kagame's World was established in CY 8520 and Cestus Mortialis in CY 8525. The Nietzscheans established the colony of Enkindu in the year CY 8534. Four years later, the newly formed Nietzschean Alliance established the Bedford Forest Colony. The last of the Nietzschean Colonies was established at Hephaistos IV in CY 8542.

The Nietzschean Alliance continued to govern themselves. The strongest and most able of their men became the leaders, the new Alphas of the Nietzschean culture who compete in combat to determine the next ruler of the Nietzschean Alliance.

Formal first contact with the Systems Commonwealth was made in CY 8544. A quick, but cautious, alliance formed; the Nietzscheans were happy to find their long-lost human cousins returned to them. However they did not join the Commonwealth, preferring to keep their independence. They became loose allies instead, sharing culture, technology, and other interests. Eventually, in CY 8553, the Nietzscheans formally joined the Systems Commonwealth.

With their gospel of gene-based survivalism and self-improvement, the Nietzscheans quickly spread throughout known space, reproducing rapidly until by the 52nd century, they constituted 8 percent of the overall human population (and 2 percent of the overall Commonwealth population).

For centuries Nietzscheans lived as loyal Commonwealth citizens, obeying its institutions, serving in its military and energetically contributing to its welfare, until they decided to destroy it.

Nietzschean discontent with the Commonwealth had been growing for decades, with many viewing it as a decadent and insufficiently challenging environment for a people as energetic as Homo sapiens invictus. But this simmering unhappiness rose to a boil after the Magog invasion of 9766 and what many Nietzscheans regarded as an insufficiently aggressive Commonwealth response. Long a frontier-dwelling people, many Nietzschean worlds found themselves along the front lines of Magog/Commonwealth confrontation, and suffered greatly from Magog attacks. Dawkinstown, Hawking, and Kagame's World, were only a few of the Nietzschean planets and settlements terrorized by the Magog.

Talk of Nietzschean secession from the Commonwealth began in earnest during this period, with the leading Drago-Kazov Pride beating the drum for a full-scale insurrection. But many Nietzscheans opposed such a course of action, until the Treaty of Antares. This peace treaty signed with the Magog in 9781 was viewed by the vast majority of Nietzscheans as the ultimate betrayal of the losses they had suffered and the burdens they had borne in the fight against this implacable foe. The negotiators who made peace with the Magog may not have realized it at the time, but in the course of taming one enemy, they created a far more dangerous one in its place.

With the majority of Nietzscheans now backing a full-scale assault against the Commonwealth, preparation for the attack began in earnest. Nietzschean-owned shipping firms went on a ship buying and building spree, choosing vessels which could easily be converted from harmless civilian transports into lethal military vessels. Passenger liners became troop ships, cargo vessels became cruisers and destroyers, and couriers were converted into stealthy attack fighters.

Similarly, the Home Guard units on Nietzschean worlds were beefed up with new personnel and equipment, and even in the elite High Guard Argosy and Lancer Corps, Nietzschean officers and crew made plans to betray their ships and units and turn them over to the enemy. In secret, a vast armada of 10,000 vessels was assembled in the Hephaistos system, with smaller strike groups positioned throughout Commonwealth space, ready to pounce on unsuspecting High Guard bases and Commonwealth seats of power when the signal to strike was given.

At Hephaistos System, a rogue black hole allowed the insurrectionists to send distress signals to a large number of High Guard starships, summoning them into a trap where they could be picked off one by one. In CY 9784, over 200 top-of-the-line vessels were destroyed in this fashion, until the captain and crew of the heavy cruiser Andromeda Ascendant managed to draw off the fleet's fire long enough for much of the crew to escape and reach Slipstream. Their veil of secrecy about to be broken, the Nietzscheans struck, and struck hard. Their intent was to overthrow the Systems Commonwealth and replace it with a Nietzschean-dominated empire.

In the opening days of the war, the attackers inflicted devastating losses on the High Guard fleet and ground forces. Despite the Commonwealth's overwhelming military superiority, defeat appeared swift and certain, with the Nietzscheans already planning to establish a post-Commonwealth Nietzschean Empire.

But rather than roll over and accept defeat after these initial losses, the Commonwealth regrouped and fought back fiercely. Interestingly enough, some of the High Guard's few victories were actually achieved by Nietzschean commanders, for a sizeable minority of Nietzscheans (including Dylan Hunts friend Ismael Khalid) remained loyal to the Commonwealth and fought bravely to preserve its ideals.

A war that was supposed to end in weeks lasted over two years, and rather than resulting in a Nietzschean triumph, ended in the two sides' mutual annihilation. The last battle of the Commonwealth Civil War was fought in CY 9786 at the Witchhead Nebula when High Guard ships were ambushed by a sizable Nietzschean fleet. The two fleets destroyed each other almost completely. The Nietzscheans would've won, had a mysterious ship known as the Angel of Death not appeared (eventually revealed to be the Andromeda Ascendant briefly thrust back in time through a slipstream mishap). It led the Nietzschean fleet on a chase, then detonated the nebula, taking out at least 2/3 (66.667%) of the fleet. Shortly afterward, the Magog crossed the Quarantine Zone in strength and numbers never imagined. Swarm Ship fleets roamed all of known space, indiscriminately attacking Nietzschean and former Commonwealth worlds alike. With no central political authority remaining and reliable interstellar communications only a memory, individual worlds were left to fend for themselves.

Weakened by the war to overthrow the Commonwealth, the ruling Nietzschean Drago-Kazov Pride was betrayed and attacked by Pride Jaguar in CY 9787. The Nietzschean Alliance was shattered, and instead of replacing the Commonwealth with a Nietzschean empire, chaos reigned instead. Fountainhead was rendered uninhabitable in the Battle of Fountainhead from either a Pride Jaguar attack or a final act of vengeance from a remaining High Guard starship.

The remains of Nietzschean Progenitor Drago Museveni were recovered and entrusted to Kodiak Pride, one of the Drago-Kazov Pride's allies. More than two hundred years later, in CY 10021, the still-powerful Drago-Kazov Pride betrayed the Kodiak Pride and seized the remains of the Progenitor from them. Kodiak Pride was exterminated, and the Progenitor's remains were relocated to Enga's Redoubt, the Drago-Kazov homeworld.

As instigators of the civil war that ultimately destroyed the Commonwealth, Nietzscheans aren't the most popular denizens of the current post-Fall landscape. The war itself proved devastating to the Nietzschean people, with untold billions killed in battle fighting on both sides. Many Nietzschean Alliance planets were on the front line of hostilities and suffered greatly in the war, while Nietzschean populations on many Commonwealth worlds were subjected to internment and mob attacks. The inter-clan wars and general strife that began with Pride Jaguar's betrayal of the Drago-Kazov and continue to this day have proved even more pernicious to the long-term health and survival of the Nietzschean people. Dozens of once-powerful prides, such as Atreus, Kodiak, Al-Sharif, Three Rivers, and Banyamulenge, have been all but exterminated by other Nietzscheans, while still others have fallen prey to Magog, Than, or other hostile powers. Meanwhile, those prides which remain powerful, such as Drago-Kazov, Sabra, and Jaguar, spend much of their time defending territory from each other or putting down revolts by restless subjects. Despite this they remain a dominant power in the post Commonwealth era. Others, who have remained loyal to the Commonwealth, joined a number of humans lead by Sara Riley to the planet Tarazed, who they will live with in peace and co-existence.

After 300 years, with the re-emergence of the Andromeda and its plan to resurrect the Commonwealth, the Tarazed Nietzscheans and Sabra-Jaguar Pride joins Dylan Hunt's cause.

Unfortunately, the enigmatic being known as the Spirit of the Abyss, had caused a new Nietzschean uprising, resulting in the occupation of Sinti, the near loss of an entire High Guard fleet and the corrupt Commonwealth Collectors ally with it.

About 2 years after the Commonwealth reformation, the Drago-Kazov Pride and Sabra-Jaguar Pride Prides make a move on Tarazed, now the new Commonwealth capital. It was only opposed by a few defense forces, their very much surprising Alpha Matriarch and the Andromeda. It was forced to go through the Route of Ages to the Seefra System in order to use the Vedran sun to destroy the Abyss. It is later reported that Tarazed had survived the attack.

Nietzscheans are a directly derived sub-species Homo Sapiens Sapiens, that have been modified at the genetic level. They have the same amount of chromosomes as an unmodified Humans, although there is less variation and chance of mutation, removing the threats of everything from cancer to eye sight deficiencies.

Nietzcheans are immune to some poisons (aconite, ammonia, antipyrine, arsenic, atropine, camphor, hydrocyanic acid, iodine, lead, picrotoxin, & strychnine) and diseases (diphtheria, hepatitis a, hepatitis b, influenza, Lyme disease, measles, meningococcal disease, mumps, pertussis, pneumococcal disease, polio, rabies, rubella, tetanus, and varicella).

Nietzcheans are only immune to the Earth-based diseases and poisons that were developed and/or discovered Prior to their leaving Earth in 3477 (as listed above; this can also include other diseases and poisons from the time period and on). Nietzcheans, even with their strong immunological systems, are still susceptible to modern poisons and diseases.

They are able to breathe chlorine gas for short periods of time, although long-term exposure (longer than 30 minutes) will cause permanent harm, just as if they were a "normal" human.

Nietzcheans are able to survive in harsher environments easier than a normal human can, and pride themselves on thriving where normal humans wouldn't dare to tread. It should be remembered though that Nietzcheans are not indestructible, and most environments that are inhospitable to Homo sapiens are also inhospitable to Homo sapien invictus.

Biologically, Nietzcheans reproduce in exactly the same way as Earth humans do. One male and one female is all it takes to reproduce and create a Nietzchean child. Nietzchean enter puberty anywhere from 1014 years, with an average of 11.8 years of age.

Their bone blades are a natural outgrowth, and are fully developed by mid-puberty. The bone blades can be either perpendicular to a forearm or can lie on a forearm with blade tips pointed toward the arm elbow and are controlled by a voluntary muscle on each forearm that attaches to the bone blades. The bone blades are made of a bone-like substance, and can be used as a natural weapon in personal combat when blades are perpendicular to forearm to stab an opponent. The removal of the bone blades without anesthetic can cause a Nietzschean great physical pain, but the blades will grow back.

Finally, the Nietzschean lifespan is a maximum 150 years of age.

A holographic crystal displaying Freya Rajput's genetic information.

To a Nietzschean, reproduction is the single-most important event in their lives. They choose their mates with care, only reproducing with those who have genes that will strengthen the clan, the Pride, and the Nietzschean species as a whole.

To become married and reproduce, a Nietzschean must present their potential mate to their clan's (or pride's) Matriarch, who will do a genetic scan and determine if the genes of the potential mate are strong. If approved, the couple becomes married in a private ceremony, involving only the two of them. The male and female exchange bracers that signify that they are one. Nietzscheans are very, very choosy about their mates. The point is not just to get people pregnant. It's to make sure your children reach breeding age themselves. Love 'em and leave 'em is a valid reproductive strategy, but it's risky. You can win big, but you can lose big too. And in Nietzschean society, women definitely have full control of their reproductive options, which means they chose the men, not the other way around.

A Nietzschean will only reproduce with another Nietzschean, except in the most dire of circumstances (one example could be that a male Nietzschean who is about to die would procreate with a "normal" human, to carry on his genes). A Nietzschean would never reproduce with a member of any other species except for "normal" humans. They would feel that the Nietzschean species would become contaminated with impure genetic material. Nietzschean/Human hybrids do exist, but in very small numbers. They are noticeable by their shorter than average arm spikes, and also for the fact that they are smaller in size then the average Nietzschean, even though they are still larger in size than their "normal" parent.

It is normal for a Nietzschean male to have many wives and have children with each; with some families as large as one male with 10+ wives, and 30+ children.

Tyr Anasazi and Charlemagne Bolivar exchanging a typical Nietzschean greeting.

The Human philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche believed that strife and conflict would inevitably reshape men into something better and stronger than what they once were. As a superhuman species, Nietzscheans took his words to heart and used genetic engineering and nanotechnology to reshape themselves into the ultimate survivors. Yet, it is important to keep in mind that the actual philosopher Nietzsche was not only opposed to social darwinism, but was also opposed to biological interpretations of his thought. His philosophy is focused on artistic self-overcoming, not competition.

Nietzscheans have built their culture on the twin pillars of social Darwinism and Dawkinite genetic competitiveness. Their single-minded devotion to self-improvement and the propagation of their own genes can strike other species (even their non-Nietzschean Human cousins) as selfish and arrogant, yet in practice the Nietzscheans' boundless energy and willpower have made them valued contributors to the Systems Commonwealth and many other cultures and worlds. For all their genetic engineering and superhuman strength and endurance, Nietzscheans are still human beings, with human emotions.

The Nietzschean people have a prophecy that proclaims that one day, a Nietzschean will be born that is the genetic reincarnation of Drago Musevini. That person would unite the scattered tribes and would be able to unite them into one large, very powerful entity, one that would be able to overrun and rule the known worlds. Nietzscheans, no matter what pride, usually believe in the prophecy, however there are those who believe that it is still just a myth. Because of this proclamation, Nietzscheans are tested at birth to see whether their DNA is identical of their progenitor.

Nietzscheans pride themselves on their attractiveness, strength, cunning, and treachery.

When asked what he wanted, Sabra-Jaguar Pride Arch Duke Charlemagne Bolivar replied: "The usual hundreds of grandchildren, complete dominion over the known worlds, and the pleasure of hearing that all my enemies have died in highly improbable accidents that cannot be connected to me." ("Into the Labyrinth")

However, Gaheris Rhade had an idealistic view and was thoroughly disgusted with the reality: "Our people were meant to be living gods, warrior-poets who roamed the stars bringing civilization, not cowards and bullies who prey on the weak and kill each other for sport. I never imagined they'd prove themselves so inferior." ("The Unconquerable Man") It should be noted that Rhade lived during the reign of the old Commonwealth and his beliefs may not be unique of Nietzscheans from this time period.

From a conversation between Tyr Anasazi and Charlemagne Bolivar, it seems that the different prides take different approaches to the idea of "genetic superiority". Bolivar comments that the Kodiak bred for strength, size, attractiveness and "imaginative hairstyles", while his own pride, the Jaguars, and then the Sabra-Jaguar, value treachery, cunning, and "proper table manners". Due to television's limitations on casting, it's not apparent that there is a physical difference between different kinds of Nietzscheans (or between them and normal Homo sapiens for that matter), but it's quite possible that there might be what could be considered several "sub-species" to Homo sapiens invictus between several of the long established prides, where the average Kodiak would be taller and stronger than the average Jaguar born Nietzscheans. However, these preferential differences don't change the basic requisites for a Nietzschean (bone blades, bigger than Homo sapiens, 5 times the strength, etc.) as they do still register as the same species.

Similar to a wolf pack, the "pride" terminology is distinctly leonine, the organization of prides is dominated by an Alpha Male. The Alpha Male will usually listen to the advice of the other strong men in his pride, along with the stronger females. He will also listen to the advice of the pride's Matriarch.

Alpha Male: Leader of a Pride/Clan. The strongest, smartest, quickest Nietzschean Male of a Pride/Clan, or one who has learned to survive while all of his comrades have been removed.

Alpha Female / Matriarch: Strongest Female of the Pride or Clan. Not necessarily the wife of the pride/clan's Alpha Male (can be grandmother, mother, sister, cousin, or even daughter.) One of the primary duties of the Matriarch is to assure that the genes of a prospective mate (either male or female) are good ones, and that those genes will benefit the pride by reproduction.

Another duty is to make sure that weak genes are removed, so that they do not contribute to the pride/clan. This is accomplished by preventing weak genes from entering the pride/clan in the first place, but it also means that the Matriarch may need to remove weak male and female members of her own pride/clan in order to assure the survival of the rest of the pride/clan.

A Nietzschean becomes an adult when he or she reaches reproductive age, which can be anywhere from 1014 years, with an average of 11.8 years of age. When they become adults, they are expected to maintain their pride/clan's superiority, and to fight for the pride/clan when necessary. All Nietzscheans, both male and female, are brought up with these sacred teachings. In addition, females have the additional responsibility to produce strong alpha-personality Males to lead the pride/clan and keep it strong.

New Prides can be formed if a strong male and at least one strong female break off from their pride. The stronger a Nietzschean Pride is, the better a chance it has of becoming more powerful and defeating its enemy prides.

A Nietzschean is born into a clan (family). Numerous clans form a Nietzschean Pride. Prides consist of various clans who are somewhat genetically related to each other. They are usually named after powerful mythological and historical figures or creatures from the ancient planet Earth.

Nietzschean males and females have long full names, which include a short genealogy. Their names include their Primary Name, their Clan Name, their mother's name, their father's name, and finally, the Pride Affiliation.

The following is an example of a full and formal Nietzschean name:

If questioned about who their lineage is (in the case that there is more than one Nietzschean with that name) they will respond with their father's name followed by their grandfather's name.

Nietzscheans may also use normal, human names for their children if they so choose.

Primary names for Nietzcheans have evolved from their Earth origins.

Examples of Nietzschean Primary Names:

Following is a listing of Nietzschean first names, clan names, and pride names. A particular Nietzschean can only be of one Pride at a time.

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Nietzschean | The New Systems Commonwealth Wiki | FANDOM ...

FOUNDED: Fifth century b.c.e.RELIGION AS A PERCENTAGE OF WORLD POPULATION: 6 Percent

Buddhism is the world's oldest missionary religion. Since its beginnings some 2,500 years ago in northern India, it has spread to nearly every region of the world. There are now more than 350 million Buddhists in the world, most of whom belong to one or the other of the two major schools: the Mahayana and the Theravada. About 98 percent of the world's Buddhists can be found in Asia, but there are significant Buddhist communities throughout Europe, North America, and Australia. There are Buddhists who are poor rice farmers in Malaysia and who are wealthy business owners in Chicago.

As it has spread, Buddhism has by necessity also changed, expanding to adapt to many different cultural, linguistic, and geographical settings, incorporating local beliefs and practices, and shifting to accommodate often fluid social and political contexts. The Buddhist tradition thus displays an incredible variety of beliefs and practices. There is no central Buddhist organization, single authoritative text, or simple set of defining practices. Buddhism is, to its core, a pluralistic religion.

Despite its incredible diversity, though, there are elements that cut across the many contexts in which Buddhism and Buddhists flourish. These elements include beliefs and traditions that, although perhaps slightly different depending on their specific settings, could be recognized and practiced by all Buddhists. For instance, all Buddhists recite the simple formula known as the Three Refuges (also known as the Triple Gem): "I go for refuge to the Buddha, I go for refuge to the dharma, I go for refuge to the sangha." Buddhists can be heard chanting these lines in Colombo, Bangkok, Beijing, Sidney, Rome, or Los Angeles. Certain core philosophical tenets and beliefs that cut across the Buddhist world include karma, nirvana, and renunciation. While attention must be paid to the diverse contexts, beliefs, and practices of Buddhism, the Buddhist tradition as a whole can also be fruitfully examined.

Perhaps the single most significant unifying factor for the world's diverse Buddhist populations is the figure of the Buddha himself, Siddhartha Gautama. Although the various schools of Buddhism have different specific understandings of and attitudes toward the Buddha, each of them, without exception, recognizes, respects, and reveres him. What makes the Buddha so significant in Buddhism is not simply that he is the founder of the religion but also that he serves as the template for every Buddhist, the model for the life of the individual. It is not enough to receive and understand his teachings or to worship him; rather, one must strive to be like the Buddhato replicate his life.

The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, who would later be known simply as the Buddha, was by birth what we would now call a Hindu. Although Buddhism breaks with the Hindu tradition in significant ways, it was at the start very much a reform movement from within Hinduism. It is thus essential to understand something of the religious worldview ofIndia in the sixth century b.c.e. in order to understand the Buddha's own religious worldview and why Buddhism took the particular shape that it did.

The Buddha was born into a world in flux, of shifting religious ideals and changing social structures. The dominant religion in northern India up until this point was Brahmanism, based on a body of texts called the Vedas, which had developed orally beginning about 1500 b.c.e. This religious system was also beginning to be challenged from a number of fronts.

The Vedic religious world was one of numerous deities, or devas, many of whom were personified forces of nature. Humans could interact with and influence these devas via sacrifice; offerings such as grain, milk, and animals were placed in a sacrificial fire by a priest, or Brahman, and "consumed" by the gods. In return, according to the Vedas, humans would receive boons from the gods: abundant crops, healthy sons, protection, and so on.

This was, furthermore, a hierarchical religious world, formally defined by the division of society into four classes, or varnas, membership in which was determined solely by birth. At the top were the sacrificial priests, the Brahmans. It was their role and duty to perform the religious rituals and to preserve and recite the Vedasto memorize the thousands of verses, to chant them at the sacrificial rituals, and to orally pass these texts on to successive generations of Brahmans. In so doing, the Brahmans maintained the order, or dharma (Pali, dhamma), of the world, assuring that the gods would be appeased. Directly below the Brahmans in the hierarchy were the Kshatriyas, the warriors and sociopolitical rulers. Just as it was the duty of the Brahmans to maintain the order of the divine world, so was it the dharma of the Kshatriyas to preserve order in the human realm. Below the Kshatriyas were the Vaishyas, the cultivators and keepers of domestic animals. It was their dharma, accordingly, to provide food and material goods. Below them were the Shudras, the laborers and servants, whose dharma it was to ensure the cleanliness of the other three classes of humans. Outside this system was a group called untouchables, or outcasts, who had no defined role in the social system and who were viewed as disorderly, as adharmic in character and nature.

This was a system of mutual dependence but also of restriction. There was no upward mobility in this system. One Vedic text (the "Purusha Shukta" of the Rig Veda) that describes the creation of the universe envisions this social system as a human being who is sacrificed to create the world: the Brahmans are the mouth of the human (because of their oral preservation and performance of the sacred verses of the Veda); the Kshatriyas are the arms (because they are the "strong arms" of the social world); the Vaishyas are the thighs (the support of the body); and, significantly, the Shudras are the feet (the lowest but in many ways the most fundamental). Thus, social and cosmic order (dharma) can be maintained only if each part of the body is present and "healthy." Certainly the feet are lower than the head, but without the feet the body cannot stand.

A new genre of religious discourse, a body of texts known as the Upanishads, began to emerge out of the Vedic ritual religious world sometime between the seventh and the fifth century b.c.e. Although they would eventually become part of Hinduism, these textsorally transmitted, like the Vedasbegan to question the efficacy of the formal sacrifice and introduced essential new religious ideas that would be adopted, in part, by the Buddha: the idea of rebirth (samsara), the law of cause and effect (karma), the concept of liberation (moksha) from samsara, and the practice of asceticism and meditation (yoga).

The Wheel of the Dharma symbolizes aspects of the Buddha's teachings. It represents the preaching ("turning") of his first sermon and also, with its eight spokes, Buddhism's Eightfold Path. The path is a guide to living life compassionately and nonviolently.

As the ideas of the Upanishads began to spread, some individuals took them to heart and set out to experience the liberation that they described. These individualsrenounced their ties to the material world and set out as wanderers, spreading these new ideas even farther and debating philosophical and meditational points. These various wanderers were called shramanas, and the earliest Buddhists saw themselves as a subset of this group of itinerant religious seekers. Also among these individuals was Mahavira, the founder of another new religious tradition, Jainism.

At about the same time, important social changes were in process along the Gangetic Plain in northern India. Kingdoms began to emerge out of the smaller kinship structures, and with these kingdoms came cities and highly structured systems of government. Furthermore, trade routes began to develop between these cities, and with trade came both economic growth and the emergence of a monied merchant class. This latter group is particularly important in the emergence of Buddhism, for although they had economic status, they, as members of the Vaishya caste, did not have religious status; the Buddha would offer a new religious path that allowed them to develop that status.

Buddhist tradition holds that the man who would become the Buddha was born in a small village near what is now the border between Nepal and India in the middle of the sixth century b.c.e. He was born into a Kshatriya family, part of the Shakka clan, and was given the name Siddhartha (he whose goal will be accomplished) Gautama.

According to legend, his birth was asexual. In a dream that his mother had, the fetus was implanted in her womb by a white elephant. His father, upon learning of his wife's unusual impregnation, had the dream interpreted by a group of Brahman priests, who stated that the boy was destined to greatness, either as a great king (cakravartin) or a religious leader. From the start it was clear that he would be an extraordinary human being. Siddhartha emerged from the wombsome versions have him diving out of his mother's sideand immediately took seven steps in each of the four directions, proclaiming that he was the foremost creature in each of them.

Because of the prediction of the priests, Siddhartha's father kept him confined to the palace grounds, making sure that the young boy could see and experience only sweetness and light. In an early sermon, the Buddha describes his childhood this way: "Bhikkhus [monks], I was delicately nurtured, exceedingly delicately nurtured, delicately nurtured beyond measure. In my father's residence lotus-ponds were made: one of blue lotuses, one of red and another of white lotuses, just for my sake. My turban was made of Kashi cloth [silk from modern Varanasi], as was my jacket, my tunic, and my cloak. I had three palaces: one for winter, one for summer and one for the rainy season. In the rainy season palace, during the four months of the rains, I was entertained only by female musicians, and I did notcome down from the palace" (from the Anguttara Nikaya). Within the confines of the palace, Siddhartha lived, essentially, a normal Brahmanical life, passing from the student stage to the beginnings of the householder stage, but all the while being groomed to eventually become king. He married and had a child, a son named Rahula.

One day Siddhartha persuaded his chariot driver to take him outside the gates of the palace, and there he saw the first of four things that would transform his life. Upon seeing an old man, Siddhartha asked his driver, "Good charioteer, who is this man with white hair, supporting himself on the staff in his hand, with his eyes veiled by the brows, and limbs relaxed and bent? Is this some transformation in him, or his original state, or mere chance?" The driver answered that it was old age, and the prince asked, "Will this evil come upon me also?" The answer was, of course, "Yes."

On two subsequent trips outside the palace grounds, Siddhartha saw a diseased man and then a dead man, and on each occasion he had much the same discussion with the driver. These first encounters with suffering (duhkha; Pali, dukkha) transformed the happy prince into a brooding young man. As one text puts it, "He was perturbed in his lofty soul at hearing of old age, like a bull on hearing the crash of a thunderbolt nearby." Siddhartha wondered if perhaps this luxurious palace life was not reality but instead was an illusion of some sort, and he thenceforth wandered around in a profound existential crisis.

The fourth thing he saw was a wandering ascetic, and having encountered not only the duhkha that characterizes the world but also, in the ascetic, a potential way out of this realm of suffering, Siddhartha resolved to leave the palace and go out into the world and wander in search of the truth. He sneaked out in the middle of the night after first going to his sleeping father to explain that he was not leaving out of lack of respect nor out of selfishness but because he had a profound desire to liberate the world from old age and death, from thefear of suffering that comes with old age and death. In short, Siddhartha wanted to rid the world of suffering.

He went off and quickly mastered meditation with a variety of teachers, but he was frustrated and thought that there must be something more than what he experienced as only temporary meditational trances. He thus set out on his own and was soon joined by five other shramanas. Together they began a course of rigorous asceticism. Siddhartha applied himself with great rigor to this radical lifestyle for several years, getting to the point that he could sit in meditation for days, barely eating. The narratives of his life story say that at this point he could exist on a daily diet consisting of one sesame seed, one grain of rice, or one jujube. Eventually he reached a state in which he was barely breathing, barely alive: "Because of so little nourishment, all my limbs became like some withered creepers with knotted joints; my buttocks like a buffalo's hoof; my back-bone protruding like a string of balls; my ribs like rafters of a dilapidated shed; the pupils of my eyes appeared sunk deep in their sockets as water appears shining at the bottom of a deep well; my scalp became shriveled and shrunk as a bitter gourd cut unripe becomes shriveled and shrunk by sun and wind the skin of my belly came to be cleaving to my back-bone; when I wanted to obey the calls of nature, I fell down on my face then and there; when I stroked my limbs with my hand, hairs rotted at the roots fell away from my body" (from the Majjhima Nikaya).

While meditating one day Siddhartha remembered a passing moment in his childhood when he had slipped into a state of utter calm and equilibrium as he watched a plough turn the earth. He realized with this simple vision that he must somehow return to that humble moment and forge a middle path between the extreme asceticism he had been practicing (and which only leads to more suffering) and the sensual indulgence of his former life in the palace. His fellow shramanas abandoned him, cursing and denouncing him as weak willed. At this point a passing woman named Sujata saw the emaciated renouncer that he had become and offered him a simple gift, a bowl of rice gruel. With this modest nourishment Siddhartha sat down beneath a ficus tree near the town of Gaya (known as Bodh Gaya after the Buddha attained enlightenment here) and made rapid progress. In themiddle of his meditations he was challenged by an evil superhuman being named Mara, the embodiment of temptations of all kinds, as well as of fear, delusion, and death. In defeating Mara, Siddhartha metaphorically overcame all such hindrances and quickly attained enlightenment, or bodhi (awakening).

After his awakening, at the age of 35, the Buddha spent several weeks meditating on the various aspects of the truth, which he called dharma, that he had realized. He was initially hesitant to share his teachings, however, for he felt that the complexity of his meditational vision would be too difficult for humans to grasp and would lead to further confusion and suffering. At this point, according to the tradition, the gods went to the Buddha to convince him to accept his vocation of teacher, appealing to his compassion and assuring him that in fact there were people capable of understanding the dharma. One god used the image of a lotus pond: In a lotus pond there are some lotuses still under water or even under the mud; there are others that have risen only up to the water level; and there are still others that stand above water and are untouched by it. In a similar way, in this world there are people of different levels of development. Thus challenged, the Buddha determined to proclaim the insight he had gained and set out for nearby Sarnath, where he would offer his first discourse on the dharma.

The Buddha's first "sermon" was given to the very ascetics who had earlier joined him during his meditations but had lost faith in him. They gathered around him as he spoke of what is known as the first turning of the Wheel of the Dharma. He laid out the basic outline of his knowledge and experience of enlightenment to these five shramanas. This first discourse represents, in many ways, the beginning of Buddhism, since it is with the sharing of his personal religious experience that the Buddha created the organized religion that is Buddhism.

The content of that first sermon was so powerful, the tradition maintains, that the Buddha's first five disciples quicklyafter one weekattained enlightenment, becoming arhats (worthy ones). These first five followers, in turn, went forth and began to teach the dharma that the Buddha had shared with them; this is the beginning of the Buddhist sangha, the community and institution of monks that is at the heart of the religion. For the next 40 years the Buddha traveled almost without stop throughout India, sharing the dharma and gathering followers. He did, however, stay in one place for three months out of every year during the monsoon season. This period, known later as the rain season retreat, became an essential element in the formation not only of Buddhist monasticism but also of a Buddhist lay community. Monks settled in small communities throughout India, debating amongst themselves, establishing a formal religious canon and an accepted body of religious practices, and sharing the Buddha's teachings with the laypeople. The laity, in turn, supported the monks materially by providing them with shelter, food, robes, and alms bowls.

Toward the end of his life, the Buddha instructed his followers that no single person or group of people could hold authority over the community of monks and laypeople. Rather, the authority was to be shared by all. As much as this created an egalitarian religious community, it also, after the Buddha's death, opened the way both for productive debate about the meaning and significance of the teachings that the Buddha had left behind and for disagreement and schism. Initially the Buddha's teachings were only preserved orally by followers who had actually heard his discourses. These teachings were gathered in three collections, or "baskets." These three sets of what the tradition regards as the Buddha's actual words are known as the Tripitaka (Pali, Tipitaka): the Vinaya (Discipline), the Dharma (Doctrine), and the Abhidharma (Pali, Abhidhamma; Advanced Doctrine). As these collections were being formed, debates arose among the different groups of monks about the content of these discourses as well as their significance. Furthermore, new situations that had not been explicitly addressed by the Buddha arose, leading to the need for new rules and resulting in further disagreements.

These debates often led to schisms within the Buddhist community. The tradition records that shortly after the Buddha's death a council was held in the town of Rajagriha (present-day Rajgir, in Bihar) to discuss issues of doctrine and practice; another council was held about a century later. As a result of the disagreementsover proper practice and doctrinevoiced at these councils, the sangha eventually divided into two different lines of monastic ordination, the Sthavira (Elders) and the Mahasanghika (Great Assembly), whose differences initially mostly revolved around issues of monastic discipline, or Vinaya. These two groups would evolve into the Theravada and Mahayana, respectively, developing different doctrinal and ritual standards and becoming established in different parts of Asia.

One of the most important figures in the history of Buddhism was Ashoka, the ruler (230207 b.c.e.) of a large empire in India who not only became a Buddhist himself but established a model of dharmic kinship that would remain the standard template for all Buddhist rulers to follow. Ashoka erected numerous large stone pillars throughout India with edicts inscribed on them. These edicts laid out many of the basic aspects of the Buddha's teachings as well as guidelines for how to live a good Buddhist life. Furthermore, Ashoka established the standard of royal support for the monks by building monastic shelters, planting shade trees and digging wellsto aid travelers, and spreading the physical remains of the Buddha throughout India. The physical remains were particularly important in the spread and growth of Buddhism. Enshrined in chaityas and stupasburial mounds of varying sizethey became objects of devotion and important gathering places, often associated with significant events in the Buddha's life, allowing the monks to spread the dharma to larger and larger groups. Ashoka also sent out a number of missionaries, including his own son, Mahinda, to introduce Buddhism and establish monastic orders in other parts of the world, such as Sri Lanka, Southwest and Southeast Asia, and even Greece.

Ashoka had set an important precedent in his support for Buddhism; the support of rulers was an essential element in the expansion and vitality of the religion. For their part, kings were attracted to Buddhism because of its emphasis on individual morality, the lack of caste hierarchy, and the symbiosis between the sangha and the state. The monks needed the king to provide land, food, and protection, while the king found in the sangha a moral legitimization of his righteous rule. The ideal king was a dharmaraja (king of dharma)just, generous, and moral, upholding and promoting the teachings of the Buddha. This basic model is one that continues to be replicated in Buddhist countries today.

As Buddhism spread, the Theravada school (sometimes called Southern Buddhism) became particularly well established in Southern Asia, in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Cambodia. The Mahayana school (sometimes called Northern Buddhism) spread north, first to China and then to the rest of East Asia. These two major divisions in turn divided into many different subgroups and schools, adapting to their particular settings. In Tibet, for instance, the form of Mahayana that became established was Tantra (or Vajrayana), an extrapolation from the core Mahayana beliefs that puts particular emphasis on the transformative effects of ritual. In China and then later Japan, the Ch'an (Zen in Japan) school developed a form of the Mahayana that places particular emphasis on the meditation experience. Thus, although Buddhism essentially died out in India by the thirteenth century, its fundamentally missionary character, and its ability to adapt and adopt, enabled it to flourish elsewhere in Asia.

Buddhism first entered the Western consciousness with colonialism. In the nineteenth century intellectual interest in Buddhism developed in Europe and North America, creating a distinct scholarly field focused on the translation of Buddhist texts from their original languages, as well as their philosophical analysis, an offshoot of which was the gradual availability of accessible books on Buddhist belief and practice. Although there have never been huge numbers of Buddhists in the Westestimates vary, but probably no more than 5 million of the world's 500 million Buddhists live in the Westthey have been an important religious presence. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the West also saw an influx of Asian immigrants who brought with them Buddhism, establishing small temples and communities throughout Europe and North America.

As Buddhism gained followers and monks began to form distinct groups, often united on the basis of doctrinal commonalities and matters of monastic discipline, Buddhism was marked by a doctrinal explosion. By the first millennium of the common era, substantial new texts began to appear: commentaries on the Buddha's sermons, new Vinaya texts, and entirely new texts that were claimed to have been hidden by the Buddha himself. This doctrinal profusion is truly one of the hallmarks of Buddhism. That said, however, certain key doctrines also are shared by all Buddhists.

Underlying virtually all of Buddhism is the basic doctrine of samsara, which Buddhism shares with Hinduism. Samsara is really a fundamental worldview or ethos, an understanding of the world that holds that all beings, including animals, are part of an endless (and beginningless) cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. Furthermore, Buddhism holds that the physical universe is itself made up of infinite world systems, spread out infinitely in space, and that these world systems, like the individual person, are also subject to the cycle of birth and rebirth. It was, in many ways, the realization of the horror of samsara that led to the Upanishads and the shramana movements. These movements attempted to devise a religious mode of action and thought that would provide a way out of this endless cycle of rebirth.

The Buddhist view of the cosmos is predicated on samsara and holds that there are both different world systems and different realms that are arranged in a tripartite structure: the "sense-desire" realm at the bottom, the "pure form" realm above that, and the "formless" realm at the top. Within these three divisions are further subrealms into which a being can be reborn: the human realm, the animal realm, the hungry ghost (preta) realm, various hells, and, higher up, deva (divine) realms. Although it is not the highest realm, the human realm isconsidered the most promising because in this realm are both suffering, which acts as a motivation to advance, and free will, which enables humans to act on this impulse. It is important to note that Buddhism holds that even the divine beings, despite their power, are subject to the laws of samsara.

Karma (which means "act" or "deed"), another concept shared with Hinduism, is the linchpin of the whole religious system of Buddhism, in that karma is what determines the quality of each rebirth and keeps the individual in the samsara. On its most basic level, karma is the natural law of cause and effect, inherent in the very structure of the world, a cumulative system in which good acts produce good results, bad acts bad results. Beings are then reborn in good or bad realms, depending on their cumulative karma in each birth. Karma is frequently described in Buddhist texts as being a seed (phalam) that will eventually grow fruit, which is, naturally, dependent on what sort of seed was sown.

The Buddhist understanding of karma, though, further stipulates that it is not just the act that determines the karmic result but also the motivation behind the act. Thus, good acts done for the wrong reason can produce negative karmic results, and likewise bad acts that might have been done for good reasons (or accidentally) do not necessarily produce negative karmic results. Indeed, Buddhism holds that bad thoughts are every bit as detrimental as intentional bad actions.

Negative karma is most typically created through intentionally harming other beings and through greed. Positive karma is most easily created through compassionate acts and thoughts and through giving selflessly (which is, ultimately, motivated by compassion).

The doctrine of impermanence (anitya) is rooted in the four visions that prompted Siddhartha to abandon his life in the palace. What he realized, when he saw old age, disease, and death, was that all beings are in a fundamental state of flux and, ultimately, decay. This is, in an important sense, a fundamental corollary to the reality of samsarathe human being, just as the world, is constantly evolving, decaying, and reforming. Furthermore, it is the failure to recognize this flux that causes beings to suffer, since they grasp on to that which is impermanentlife, love, material objects, and so onwishing it will last. The Buddha condenses this basic idea in a simple pronouncement (in Pali): yad aniccam tam dukkham (whatever is impermanent is suffering). Since everything is necessarily impermanent, then everything ultimately involves suffering, which he succinctly expresses in the phrase sabbam dukkham (everything is suffering).

The doctrine of no self (anatman; Pali, anatta) is frequently misunderstood in the West. The Buddha does not mean that human beings have no personality but, rather, that because everything in the world is impermanent, there can be no permanent self. In this way Buddhism significantly breaks from Hindu doctrine, which holds that there does exist a permanent self that is reborn time and time again in samsara. But if there is no permanent self, what is it that is reborn? It is karmic residue alone. In his second sermon, the Buddha explains that what we think of as the self is only a collection of personality traits (skandas). They create the impression that there are both objects to be perceived and a person to perceive the objects, when in fact all of these objects are impermanent, constantly changing.

One of the clearest expressions of this basic Buddhist idea is demonstrated in a conversation between the monk Nagasena and King Milinda, contained in the Milindapanha. Nagasena uses the example of a chariot to illustrate no self, explaining to Milinda that although one can point to, ride, or see a chariot, it only exists in-sofar as it is a collection of partsaxles, wheels, reins, and so onand that since no single part can be called the chariot, there is no essential, independent thing called a chariot, just as there is no essential, independent self.

Often called "the chain of conditioned arising" or "the chain of becoming," pratitya-samutpada (Pali, paticca-samuppada) is broken into 12 links and is one of the most important Buddhist doctrines, one about which Buddha's disciple Sariputta says, "Whoever understands conditioned arising understands the dharma." This is a more elaborate understanding of karma and samsara, a vision of cause and effect in which everything in the world is dependent on some other thing for its existence, succinctly expressed in this simple formula, which occurs in any number of Pali texts: "When this is, that is / This arising, that arises / When this is not, that is not / This ceasing, that ceases." In other words, one thing begets another. Birth begets life, which begets decay, which begets death, which begets birth, and around and around. To get out of the circle, one must break the chain somewhere, most efficiently at its weakest link, ignorance, which is done by applying oneself to mastering the dharma.

The Four Noble Truths is really the doctrinal foundation of Buddhism, a kind of basic blueprint of theBuddha's teachings, delivered in his first sermon at Sarnath after attaining enlightenment.

The first Noble Truth, suffering (duhkha; Pali, dukkha), posits that suffering exists in the world. This we see in the story of Siddhartha in the palace: The young prince is made aware that the world is not all wonderful, as it appears to be in the palace, but in fact that the rosy life was just an illusion. In the first sermon, the Buddha says that birth is duhkha, old age is duhkha, sickness is duhkha, death is duhkhain fact, everything is duhkha, including things that seem to be pleasurable.

The first Noble Truth is intended not to engender a pessimistic worldview in Buddhists but, rather, to alert them to the reality of the world and to promote a clear, truthful view of that world. Furthermore, the response to the reality of suffering, as we see clearly in the Buddha's own desire to realize and share the dharma, is to show compassion (karuna) and kindness (maitri) to all living beings.

The second Noble Truth is the arising (samudaya) of suffering. Since suffering exists, the Buddha posits, it must have a cause, which is most simply expressed as tanha (thirst or desire). This thirst takes many forms: the desire for life, for things, for love. Although on its face this, too, may seem to engender a pessimistic worldview, in which the individual must stifle all sensual pleasure, it is important again to stress that the Buddha advocates a middle path, between sensual indulgence and extreme asceticism. Pleasurable experiences should be experienced for what they are, without grasping. Indeed, the Buddha pronounces that it is precisely because humans mindlessly grasp things and experiences, always rushing to the next, that they fail to fully experience their lives, including that which is pleasurable. The point then is not to deny the sensual but to fully experience sensations and thoughts as they are happening.

The third Noble Truth is cessation (nirodha) of suffering. Just as the Buddha saw that if suffering exists it must logically have an origin, so, too, must it have an end. The end of duhkha is, logically, related to its source; nirodha comes as a result of ending craving, of stopping the grasping after things that are impermanent. When one stops grasping, one stops generating karma, and it is karma and karma alone that keeps beings trapped in samsara. The absolute elimination of karma is nirvana, eternal freedom from the bondage of samsara.

Of all Buddhist concepts, nirvana has perhaps been the most misunderstood. Although it is frequently equated with heaven or described as a state of bliss, nirvana is actually the absence of all states. The Sanskrit word literally means "to blow out, to extinguish," as one would blow out a candle. Nirvana then refers to the absolute elimination of karma. Since karma is what keeps us in samsara, what constitutes our very being, the elimination of karma logically means an elimination of being. This is the end of duhkha, the end of the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth, beyond all states of existence.

Despite the fact that nirvana is the Buddhist understanding of ultimate salvation, the Buddha himself had little to say on the topic, often warning his followers of the dangers of grasping on to the end goal at the expense of living a focused, compassionate life. He describes it as the "extinction of desire, the extinction of illusion" and also as the "abandoning and destruction of desire and craving for these Five Aggregates of attachment; that is the cessation of duhkha." When asked once if nirvana were a state or not a state of existence, however, the Buddha responded that this was an unanswerable question and left it at that. The point again is that the focus should be on mindful progression on the path, not on the destination. The person who spends too much time obsessively focusing on nirvanaor on any aspect of existence or doctrinal complexityis, the Buddha said, like the man who, upon being shot by a poison arrow, asks who shot it, how did he aim, what sort of wood the arrow was made of, and so on. The point is that the man must first remove the arrow before the poison kills him.

That said, however, later Buddhist schools inevitably took up the question of nirvana, frequently engaging in long philosophical analysis of the possibility of describing it in positive terms. In some Mahayana schools nirvana is, in fact, often described as a kind of state of blissful calm.

The fourth Noble Truth is the Eightfold Path (marga; Pali, magga). Often envisioned as the Wheel of the Dharma with eight spokes, this is the middle path between extreme asceticism and extreme hedonism, a systematic and practical way to realize the truth and eliminate suffering. The Eightfold Path is traditionally divided into three distinct phases that should, ideally, be progressively mastered.

The first phase is sila (ethics) and involves purifying one's outward behavior (and motivations for such behavior). The Buddha describes three elements in sila (the first three steps of the Eightfold Path): (1) right action, (2) right speech, and (3) right livelihood. Next comessamadhi (meditation), which is broken down, likewise, into three elements (the next three steps): (4) right effort, (5) right mindfulness, and (6) right concentration. The third phase is prajna (wisdom) and is broken down into two elements (the last two steps): (7) right understanding and (8) right intentions. Prajna is not just knowledge or things one learns. Rather, it is a profound way of understanding being in the world. Prajna is often described as a sword that cuts through all illusion, a mental faculty that enables one to fully experience the world as it is without grasping. A later Mahayana school uses an image of geese reflected on a perfectly still pond to describe this state: The average person looks at the pond and, upon seeing the reflection of a flock of geese, immediately looks up. But the person who has perfected prajna does not look up but, rather, fully experiences the thing that he or she is seeing in the moment, the reality of the reflection, without distractions. In a sense such a person does not think at all but only sees the world as it iswhat the Buddha called yathabhutam (in a state of perpetual flux).

With the rise of Mahayana Buddhism sometime shortly after the turn of the first millennium, new and increasingly more complex doctrines emerged, extending the original teachings of the Buddha. In particular, new understandings of both the character and activity of the Buddha emerged, and new doctrines evolved that held that the Buddha had not, in fact, completely left the world when he died and attained nirvana but was still an active presence in the world.

This is first articulated in the doctrine of the various bodies (kayas) of the Buddha. The first of these bodieswhich are not, in fact, conceived of strictly as physical forms but rather more like the different ways in which the Buddha continues to be present in the worldis the dharmakaya, or "body of the teachings." This is the Buddha's form as wisdom, truth, and the real nature of reality (emptiness). This is that which characterizes the Buddha as the Buddha. Sometimes called Buddhaness, dharmakaya is the whole collection of wonderful qualities that are known as the Buddha. It also refers to the teachings, in their essence. The second body is called the nirmanakaya, or "transformation body" (also sometimes called the rupakaya, or "form body"). This is the earthly form, or manifestation, of the Buddha. Finally there is a more rarified form of the Buddha called the sambhogakaya, or "enjoyment body," the form of the Buddha that those who have attained enlightenment enjoy and interact with.

Related to this idea of the multiple bodies of the Buddha was the emergence of the concept of the bodhisattvaan enlightened being who works for the welfare of all those still caught in samsarawhich is perhaps the hallmark of the Mahayana schools. Although bodhisattva was a common word in the earliest of Buddhist texts, these pre-Mahayana schools held that once the Buddha had attained enlightenment, he taught the dharma to his disciples and then, on his death, entered nirvana, or parinirvana, thus ending his existence in the realm of samsara forever. The Buddha's immediate disciples were known as arhats (worthy ones) upon attaining enlightenment, and they too entered nirvana upon death. The Mahayana, however, were critical of this positionthey derisively called the arhats pratyekabuddhas, or "solitary Buddhas"and posited that the Buddha and all other enlightenment beings postponed final nirvana out of their compassion for the sufferings of other beings, choosing to remain in samsara to perfect their own Buddhahood and work for the benefit of all other beings, until each one attains enlightenment.

There are a number of important elements here. For one thing, all beings were now conceived as at once having the innate potential to become a Buddha and also sharing in a kind of universal enlightenment as well. The path then was reconceived as being the path of the bodhisattva, a path that takes many, many lives but is intent on developing bodhicitra (the awakened mind and the very quality of enlightenment), a quality that fundamentally shifts one's attention away from the self to a selfless concern for the well-being of others. Each bodhisattva takes a vow to help other beings and to continue to do so indefinitely, a vow that involves cultivating a set of sixlater expanded to 10perfections, or paramitas. The 10 perfections are (1) dana (generosity), (2) sila (morality), (3) ksanti (patience and forbearance), (4) virya (vigor, the endless and boundless energy that bodhisattvas employ when helping others), (5) dhyana (meditation), (6) prajna (wisdom), (7) upaya (skillful means), (8) conviction, (9) strength, and (10) knowledge. Once a bodhisattva has mastered these 10 perfections, then he is fully realized as a buddha.

With the rise of the ideal of the bodhisattva came also the development of a complex pantheon of enlightened beings. Three of the most popular and most important bodhisattvas are Maitreya, Avalokiteshvara, and Manjushri.

Eventually the Buddha's teachings will lose their potency owing to the natural decay of the world. Whenthings become unbearable, Maitreya will be reborn and will provide for the welfare of all beings and promote a new set of teachings.

The quintessential Buddhist savior figure and the embodiment of compassion, Avalokiteshvara is perhaps the most popular of all bodhisattvas. His name is significant: He is the "lord who sees all," in the sense that he sees all suffering and responds immediately. He saves us from dangers: fire, drowning in a river, being lost at sea, murder, demonic attack, fierce beasts and noxious snakes or insects, legal punishment, attack by bandits, falling from steep precipices, extremes of weather, internecine civil or military unrest, and others.

Especially associated with wisdom, Manjushri is a key figure in numerous Mahayana scriptures, and he has been the focus of significant cultic activity throughout Mahayana Buddhist countries. His name means "gentle glory," although he is called by many names and epithets, some of which refer to his relation to speech (Vagishvara, "lord of speech") or to his disarming youth (Kumarabhuta, "in the form of a youth" or "having become the crown prince"). Because he is destined soon to become a Buddha, Manjushri is often called "prince of the teachings."

A concept that first appears in the Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) texts, the idea of emptiness (shunyata) extends the Buddha's teachings about dependent origination and posits that all phenomena are dependent for their being on some other thing. The first-century thinker Nagarjuna introduced the most radical understanding of this concept, arguing that just as the terms "long" and "short" take on meaning only in relation to each other and are themselves devoid of independent qualities (longness or shortness), so too do all phenomena (all dharmas) lack their own being (svabhava). If a thing were to have an independent and unchanging own being, Nagarjuna reasons, then it would follow that it is neither produced nor existent, because origination and existence presuppose change and transience. All things, physical as well as mental, can originate and develop only when they are empty of their own being. Nevertheless, Nagarjuna contends, elements do have what he calls a conventional reality, so that we still interact with them, think thoughts, and so on, even if ultimately they are empty of reality. Related to this is the concept of skillful means, upaya, which refers to the bodhisattva's employment of whatever means are necessary to help beings toward enlightenment. Language, for instance, is itself empty, in that it depends on external references to make sense, but language is necessary to communicate and is therefore a skillful means through which to spread the dharma.

One of the things that makes the theory and practice of ethics (sila) particularly interesting in the Buddhist context is the tension that exists, right on the surface, between the individual's responsibility for his or her own salvationas exemplified by the Buddha's advice that one must be one's own island (atta dipa), dependent on no one other than one's self for salvationand the individual's connection with social life, as governed by the collective nature of karma. This is perhaps most dramatically illustrated by the Buddha's own life story. For instance, in Johnston's translation of The Buddhacarita, or, Acts of the Buddha, the young Siddhartha's wife, Yashodhara, when she hears that Siddhartha has abandoned her, falls upon the ground "like a Brahminy duck without its mate"a common symbol of lifelong marital partnership, such that one duck will die of remorse upon the death of the other. Likewise, his son is described as "poor Rahula," who is fated "never to be dandled in his father's lap" (pp. viii, 58).

The ethical and moral challenge is always to strike a balance between one's concern for the suffering of others and one's own progress on the path; too much concern for other people can be a hindrance, just as not enough can generate negative karma. The key to Buddhist ethics, if not in fact to the whole of the Buddha's teachings, is the cultivation of mindfulness (sati)to develop a mental attitude of complete and selfless awareness, a mental attitude that necessarily influences the manner in which one acts toward other living beings, a mental awareness that fundamentally informs one's every act and intention to act.

For the monk the ethical system is extremely complex and extensive, contained primarily and explicitly in the Vinaya but secondarily and implicitly in every utterance of the Buddha. To be a monk is to be necessarily ethical. For the layperson the ethical guidelines are less specific, seeming to amount to "live the proper life." This means that one must be aware that all acts and all beings are part of samsara and are thus caught up in karma and pratitya-samutpada (Pali, paticca-samuppada; the chain of conditioned arising). Whatever one does has effects, and those effects are not always obvious. The implications here are perhaps best ethically stated when the Buddha says, "Oh Bhikkhus, it is not easy to finda being who has not formerly been your mother, or your father, your brother, your sister or your son or daughter" (Samyutta Nikaya, vol. II, p. 189). In other words, any act necessarily affects not only the immediate actor but all beings, who are, logically, karmically connected.

It is also important to remember that we are still within the basic Brahmanical milieu here. What we see in Buddhism, however, is an emphasis on the individual as he or she fits into society, not an emphasis on how society molds or controls the individual, as we see in Hinduism, where the emphasis is on order and duty, on making sure that everything and everyone stays in the proper placehence caste, life stages, and so on. This is not to say that this societal component is entirely absent in Buddhism, since one of the motivations for the individual to act ethically is to make society work. Without social order things would fall utterly apart, as is perhaps best articulated in what is sometimes called the Buddhist book of Genesis, the Aganna Sutta, which describes a social world in which chaos and decay emerge precisely because beings act greedily and selfishly. Proper, ethical action in Buddhism is not performed out of duty or some higher cosmic order, however; rather, one acts ethically out of one's own free will, because without such proper action, the individual can make no progress on the path.

The importance of proper giving (dana) is utterly central to Buddhist ethics and to the life of both the layperson and the monk; indeed, dana can be said to be the key to monk-lay relations. The first principle that must be noted here is that in Buddhism there is a marked ambiguity about material wealth. The concept of nonattachment, the absence of grasping, is of crucial importance here; from the Buddhist perspective material goods are only important as a means of cultivating nonattachment. Again, however, the middle way is emphasized: Too many possessions can lead to attachment, just as too few can lead to craving. Any material prosperity offers at once the opportunity for greater giving and the cultivation and expression of nonattachment, but such prosperity also offers a temptation toward the kind of antidharmic self-indulgence that leads to increased entrapment in the web of worldly existence.

The model donor in Buddhism is the laywoman Sujata, who gave Siddhartha the simple and selfless gift of rice gruel, which enabled him to gain the strength to make the final push to enlightenment. What makes this act of dana so important is that Sujata gave her gift modestly, with no self-interest, no expectation of gain or reward; she was responding with selfless compassion to Siddhartha's obvious need.

Equally important as a model donor is the king Vessantara, whose story is told in a popular tale from the Jataka collection that provides not only a model of ethical giving but also a cautionary tale about the karmic consequences of giving too much. In this story Vessantara eventually gives away his kingdom and prosperity, his wife and children, everything, and the result is suffering for all until everything is restored and Vessantara realizes the need to give modestly.

Monks also engage in dana, although rather than giving material goods, which they necessarily depend on the laity for, they give what the Dhammapada says is the best gift of all: "The gift of dharma excels all gifts."

Two important metaphors for proper ethical giving are bija and khsetra. Bija basically means "seed" but is nearly always used to describe the seed of an auspicious act. This act, if it is indeed done with the correct selfless motives, bears karmic fruit (phala); the act itself is called kushala, which can be defined as "good, moral, skillful, proper," or, to use the best Buddhism definition, that which is "karmically wholesome"in other words, a gift that is given with proper intention, given out of selfless compassion. The best field in which to plant a seed is the sangha (community of monks), and the best seed to plant is an act of giving, dana. The sangha is thus consistently referred to as a fertile karmic field. This imagery is further developed in times when there are monastic schisms or crises, in which case the monks are sometimes described as a barren field in which no seeds will bear fruit. This imagery is not limited to the monks and gifts to them but refers to any auspicious action.

Buddhist acts of charity, then, are fundamentally symbiotic in nature. The laypeople provide the monks with the material support that they needshelter, robes, food, and so onand in the process cultivate the crucial attitudes of nonattachment and compassion, a kind of domestic asceticism that is not disruptive of the social order. The monks, in turn, depend on the laypeople and return the material gifts with the gift of the Buddha's teachings. Furthermore, the ideology of dana is such that the laypeople's gifts will only bear "fruit" (that is, positive karma) if the monks are pure (in other words, a fertile field). If a particular monastery becomes corrupt, then the laypeople will give somewhere else, providing a kind of ethical imperative for monastic purity.

A crucial element in all of this is the concept of punya (merit), which is positive karma. By giving selflessly, one "earns" merit, accumulating positive karma, which determines the quality of one's next rebirth. If one is too attached to this merit, thoughtoo focused on the end products and not the selfless and compassionate act of giving (and giving up)then one in fact earns not positive karma but negative, which will hinder one's ultimate spiritual progress.

The pancha sila are the basic ethical guidelines for the layperson, although they are not necessarily followed rigidly by everyone. In some ways they are rather like the Ten Commandments in Judaism and Christianity, in that they are the basis for ethical behavior, a kind of practical blueprint. A fundamental difference from the Ten Commandments, though, is that the pancha sila are voluntarily followed and are a matter of personal choice, not an imperative to act in a particular manner.

The first guideline is No killing. The basic idea here is that every individual is connected with all other living beings. Buddhists go to considerable lengths to qualify this precept, giving five conditions that govern it: (1) presence of a living being, (2) knowledge of this, (3) intention to kill, (4) act of killing, and (5) death.

What is most important about this first precept is not its negative form, injunction against killing, but its positive aspect, that of compassion and loving kindness. This positive aspect is one of the most common things upon which laypeople meditate, often with this verse from the Metta Sutta: "May all beings be happy and secure; / May their hearts be wholesome. / Whatever living beings there be/ Feeble or strong, tall, stout or medium, / Short, small or large, without exception/ Seen or unseen, / Those dwelling far or near, / Those who are born or who are to be born, / May all beings be happy."

The second guideline is No taking what is not given. This is particularly important for the monks. Here the concept of dana is crucial. Because one of the chief ethical activities of the layperson is to give unselfishly to the sangha, this giving is contingent on the monks accepting, also unselfishly, whatever is given. The monks are not to take anything that is not given to them. This holds true also for the layperson, in that he or she is not to steal.

The third guideline is No sexual misconduct. This prevents lust and envy, which are the most powerful forms of thirst (tanha).

The fourth guideline is No false speech. Lies create deception and illusion and lead to grasping. Also, for the monks, this is about not speaking false doctrines.

The fifth guideline is No liquor, which clouds the mind and prevents sati (mindfulness).

In addition to these five basic principles, monks follow additional basic rules, sometimes three, sometimes five: No untimely meals (thereby promoting group sharing of food and hindering the desire to hoard); No dancing or playing of music (thereby promoting a sober, nonfrivolous life); No adornments or jewelry (which would be against the basic ascetic attitude of the monk); No high seats (an injunction intended to promote equality in the sangha); and No handling of money (thereby preventing greed and attachments).

The Buddha famously told his chief disciple, Ananda, that after his death, the dharma he was leaving behind would continue to be the present teacher, the "guiding light," to all future Buddhists, a scene that establishes the paramount importance of sacred texts in Buddhism. Tradition holds that during the first rainy-season retreat after the Buddha's death, thus sometime in the latter half of the sixth century b.c.e., the Buddha's disciples gathered at Rajagriha (present-day Rajgir, in Bihar) and orally collected all of the Buddha's teachings into three sets, or "three baskets" (tripitaka; Pali, tipitaka). By about the end of the first century c.e., these oral texts were written down. These three collections form the basis of the Buddhist canon.

The first collection of the Pali Tipitaka is the Sutta Pitaka, some 30 volumes of the Buddha's discourses as well as various instructional and ritual texts. The Vinaya Pitaka, or collection of monastic rules, includes the list of 227 rules for the monks (311 for nuns), called the Patimokkha, and detailed accounts as to how and why they were developed. The Vinaya also contains narratives of the Buddha's life, rules for rituals, ordination instructions, and an extensive index of topics covered. The third group of texts is the Abhidhamma Pitaka, or collection of scholastic doctrines. These are highly abstract, philosophical texts dealing with all manner of issues, particularly the minutiae that make up human experience. The last of these texts, the Patthana Abhidhamma, stretches for some 6,000 pages.

In addition to the fundamental texts of the Tipitaka, each text also is accompanied by an extensive commentary, and often several subcommentaries, thatclarifies the grammatical and linguistic ambiguities of the text and also extends the analysis, serving as a kind of reader's (or listener's) guide through the book's sometimes confusing philosophical and ritual points.

With the rise of the Mahayana, new books were added to this basic canonical core, most of them composed in Sanskrit; the tradition holds, however, that these were not new sacred texts but were the higher teachings of the Buddha himself that were set aside for a later revealing. Perhaps the best known of these is the Lotus Sutra, composed probably around the turn of the first millennium, and also the Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) texts. Additional texts continued to be added as the Mahayana schools developed in India. As Buddhism branched out, these texts, and the earlier Tipitaka, were translated by Buddhist monks from both Tibet and China. These translations sometimes led to further expansion of the canon, particularly in Tibet, where the rise of the Vajrayana (Tantric) schools led to more new texts; likewise, as Ch'an (Zen in Japan) developed, new sacred texts were written and preserved.

Early Buddhism employed a variety of visual symbols to communicate aspects of the Buddha's teachings: the Wheel of the Dharma, symbolic of his preaching ("turning") his first sermon and also, with its eight spokes, of Buddhism's Eightfold Path; the bodhi tree, which symbolizes not only the place of his enlightenment (under the tree) but the enlightenment experience itself; the throne, symbolizing his status as "ruler" of the religious realm and also, through its emptiness, his passage into final nirvana; the deer, symbolizing the place of his first sermon, the Deer Park at Sarnath, and also the protective qualities of the dharma; the footprint, symbolizing both his former physical presence on earth and his temporal absence; and the lotus, symbolic of the individual's journey up through the "mud" of existence, to bloom, with the aid of the dharma, into pure enlightenment. Later Buddhism added countless other symbols. Among them, in the Mahayana, for instance, the sword becomes a common symbol of the incisive nature of the Buddha's teachings; in Tibet the vajra (diamond or thunderbolt) is a ubiquitous symbol of the pure and unchanging nature of the dharma.

One of the most common meditational practices in Tibetan Buddhism is deity yoga. Tantric practitioners learn to think, speak, and act as if they were already a fully enlightened buddha through visualizing their body, speech, and mind as the body, speech, and mind of an enlightened being, in order to actualize, or make real in the present, their latent potential for enlightenment.

These practitioners meditate, often with the use of mandalas and mantras, on a particular deityan enlightened being, such as the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvarathat represents their own potential for enlightenment, their own Buddha nature, which is, according to the Vajrayana schools, always there, albeit obscured by illusion and ignorance. In the case of deity yoga directed to Avalokiteshvara, the meditator sits before an image of the bodhisattva and mentally focuses on his compassion and wisdom, often beginning with thoughts of praise (sadhanas), progressing to contemplation of the deity's sublime qualities, and sometimes constructing an elaborate mental "world" inhabited by the deity; then gradually the meditator envisions everything, including his or her own mind, as being a manifestation of the deity. Accordingly, the practitioner eventually realizes through this meditation that there is no difference between the mind of the deityor, for that matter, the Buddha himselfand his or her own mind.

The Buddha's immediate disciples not only formed the first Buddhist community but also were responsible for orally preserving his teachings. One of the most important of these early followers was Ananda, the Buddha's cousin, who accompanied the Buddha for more than 20 years and figures prominently in many early Buddhist texts. Sariputta, one of the Buddha's first converts (along with Mahamogallana), was the Buddha's most trusted disciple and was often depicted as the wisest. Sariputta also served as the Buddha's son's teacher when he joined the sangha (community of monks). Another important early figure is Mahakassapa, a Brahman who became a close disciple of the Buddha. Mahakassapa presided over the first Buddhist Council at Rajagriha (present-day Rajgir, inBihar) and was later celebrated in Ch'an (Zen in Japan) as the receiver of the first transmission of the Buddha's special, esoteric teachings, when the Buddha, upon being asked a question about the dharma, is said to have held up a flower and Mahakassapa smiled, silently signifying his reception of this special teaching. The Buddha's aunt, Mahapajapati, also figures prominently in several early texts. Not only did she raise him after his mother's death but she was ordained as the first woman admitted to sangha.

The Greco-Bactrian king Milinda, also called Menander or Menandros, reigned over Afghanistan and Northern India in the latter half of the second century b.c.e. and is one of the most important royal converts to Buddhism. He had a series of discussions with a Buddhist monk, Nagasena, which were compiled into a famous work entitled the Milindapanha. Perhaps the most famous of all historical figures in Buddhism is the Indian king Ashoka (ruled 230207 b.c.e.). He was the founder of the Maurya Dynasty and the first king to rule over a united India, as well as being one of Buddhism's first royal patrons. Ashoka abolished war in his empire, restricted killing for food, built hospitals, erected thousands of stupas (Buddhist burial mounds), and engraved a series of edicts on rocks and pillars throughout his empire that articulated the basic moral and ethical principle of Buddhism. Ashoka was also instrumental in the spread of Buddhism outside of India. His son, Mahinda (third century b.c.e.), was the leader of a Buddhist missionary enterprise to Sri Lanka and was thus instrumental in the spread of Buddhism outside of India.

Another important early Buddhist king was Harsha-vardhana (60647). He ruled a large empire in northern India and became an important Buddhist convert. Like his predecessor Ashoka, he is described in Buddhist texts as a model rulerbenevolent, energetic, and just, active in the administration and prosperity of his empireand, like Ashoka, he is frequently invoked as a model for all righteous rulers.

There are many early historical figures outside of India. One of the most important records of the early Buddhist world comes to us from the Chinese pilgrim Fa-hsien (fourth to fifth century). Not only did he obtain many Sanskrit texts of the Pali Tipitaka that he translated upon his return to China in 414, but he also wrote an influential record of his travels that remains one of the most informative views of the early Buddhist world in India. He was followed by another Chinese pilgrim, Hsuan-tsang (60264). Hsuan-tsang, like his predecessor Fa-hsien, was a Buddhist monk who traveled throughout India collecting doctrinal texts, which he then translated from Sanskrit into Chinese, and left a detailed record of his travels. Hsuan-tsang was also the founder in China of the Consciousness-Only (Yogacara) school.

The sixth-century South Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma is a central figure in Chinese and, later, Japanese Buddhism. He arrived at the Chinese court in 520 and is credited with founding the Ch'an (Zen) school of Buddhism. Other important East Asian historical figures are Honen (11331212), also called Genku, who in 1175 established the Jodo (Pure Land) school in Japan; Shinran (11731263), founder of the True Pure Land School of Japanese Buddhism, who is also credited with popularizing congregational worship and introducing reforms, such as salvation by faith alone, marriage of priests, and meat eating; and Nichiren (122282), founder of the Nichiren sect in Japan.

In Tibet the monk Padmasambhava (eighth century) is one of the best-known and important figures. He is a Tantric saint who was instrumental in introducing Buddhism to Tibet; mythologically he is credited with converting to Buddhism the local demons and gods who tormented the Tibetan people, turning them into protectors of the religion. Atisha (9821054) was an Indian monk and scholar who went to Tibet in 1038. He is credited with entirely reforming the prevailing Buddhism in Tibet by enacting measures to enforce celibacy in the existing order and to raise the level of morality within the Tibetan sangha. He founded the Kadampa school, which later became the Geluk-pa school. Like his Chinese counterparts Fa-hsien and Hsuan-tsang, Buston (100864), a Tibetan Buddhist, translated much of the Buddhist sacred literature, including Tantra texts, into classic Tibetan and is sometimes credited with making the definitive arrangements of the Kanjur and Tanjur, the two basic Tibetan collections of Buddhist principles. He also produced a history of Buddhism in Tibet that is among the most important documents for Buddhism's early development in that region. Finally, two extremely important semihistorical figures are Marpa (101296) and Milarepa (10401143). Marpa was a Tibetan layman thought to have imported songs and texts from Bengal to Tibet, but he is best known and most venerated as the guru of Milarepa. Milarepa was a saint and poet of Tibetan Buddhism who continues to be extremely popular. His well-known autobiographyrecounts how in his youth he practiced black magic in order to take revenge on relatives who deprived his mother of the family inheritance and then later repented and sought Buddhist teaching. Milarepa stands figuratively as the model for all Tibetans.

One of the most important religious and social leaders in Tibet is the Panchen Lama, who ranks second only to the Dalai Lama among the Grand Lamas of the Geluk-pa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. His seat is in the Tashilhumpo monastery at Shigatse. The current Dalai Lama (born in 1935) is the spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists. He has lived in exile since 1959, when the Chinese invaded Tibet. The Dalai Lama has been instrumental not only in aiding the Tibetan people but also in spreading Buddhism to the West.

The Sri Lankan Buddhist Anagarika Dharmapala (18641933) stands as one of the most important Buddhist propagandists of the modern era. Dharmapala was intimately involved in the restoration of Bodh Gaya in India, the birthplace of Buddhism, and with spreading Buddhism to the West. He was for much of his life closely associated with Henry Steele Olcott (18321907), an American who, along with H.H. Blavatsky, founded the Theosophical Society. Olcott worked to establish a new lay Buddhism in Sri Lanka, where he founded schools and lay organizations, and he wrote The Buddhist Catechism, which was an important tool in reestablishing and preserving Buddhism among the lay population of Sri Lanka.

One of the most important early scholars of Buddhism was T.W. Rhys Davids (18431922). Rhys Davids was professor of Pali at London University and one of the founders of the university's School of Oriental and African Studies. Along with his wife, Caroline, he pioneered the translation, study, and transmission of Pali text in the West. Ananda Metteyya (Charles Henry Allan Bennett; 18721923) is another important Western Buddhist. The son of an electrical engineer, he was born in London and trained as an analytical chemist before becoming the first British bhikkhu (monk) and Buddhist missionary. Bhikkhu anamoli (Osbert Moore; 190560) was a pioneer British bhikkhu and Pali scholar who went to Sri Lanka and was ordained as a monk. He translated The Visuddhimagga into English as The Path of Purification; he also translated Nettippakarana (The Guide) and Patisambhidamagga (Path of Discrimination), as well as most of the sections of the Majjhima Nikaya and several from the Samyutta Nikaya. Ayya Khema (Ilse Ledermann; 192397) was born in Berlin to Jewish parents; in 1938 she escaped from Germany and began studying Buddhism. In 1978 she helped to establish Wat Buddha-Dhamma, a forest monastery near Sydney, Australia. She later set up the International Buddhist Women's Centre as a training center for Sri Lankan nuns and the Parappuduwa Nun's Island at Dodanduwa, Sri Lanka.

One of the most important biographical accounts of the Buddha's life, the Buddhacarita, is also the first complete biography of the Buddha; it was written by Asvaghosa (second century). Perhaps the most important theologian of early Buddhism was Nargarjuna (second to third century), sometimes called "the second Buddha." Nagarjuna is considered to be the founder of the Madhyamika (Middle Way) school and is counted as a patriarch of both Zen and Vajrayana (Tantra). He is held in the highest regard by all branches of the Mahayana. Another important early author was Kumarajiva (344413), a Buddhist scholar and missionary who had a profound influence in China as a translator and a clarifier of Buddhist terminology and philosophy. Buddhaghosa (fifth century) was one of the greatest Buddhist scholars in the religion's history. He translated Sinhalese commentaries into Pali, wrote numerous commentaries himself, and composed the Visuddhimagga (later translated as Path of Purification by Bhikkhu anamoli). Asanga (31090) was the founder of the Yogacara (Consciousness-Only) school of Buddhism. He is closely associated with the Indian philosopher Vasubandhu (420500). The two founded the Yogacara school of Mahayana Buddhism. Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakosa is one of the fullest expositions of the Abhidharma teachings of the Theravada school. Dhammapala (sixth to seventh century) was the author of numerous commentaries on the Pali canon and stands as one of the most influential figures in the Theravada. Shantideva (seventh to eighth century) is a later representative of the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism and author of two important surviving works, the Shikshasamuccaya (Compendium of Doctrines) and Bodhisattva Avatara (Entering the Path of Enlightenment), the latter of which is still used in Tibetan Buddhism as a teaching text.

The fundamental structure of Buddhism is that it is a self-governing body of individuals, each of whom is theoretically equal and intent on his or her own salvation while compassionately mindful of fellow beings. As soon as Buddhist monksbegan to form into groups, however, there was a need for rules (contained in the Vinaya Pitaka) and also for a degree of hierarchy that was needed to keep order, to enforce the rules, and to maintain religious purity within the community. This hierarchy was, and continues to be, based on senioritythe longer one has been a monk, the more seniority he or she has. There is thus no single authority in the Buddhist world. Rather, each school has a leader or group of leaders who provide guidance to the community as a whole, and the degree of internal hierarchy varies considerably from school to school and country to country.

There has always been a symbiosis between the sangha (community of monks) and the laity. The former depends on the latter for material support, while the latter depends on the former for religious instruction. In these roles they keep each other in check. The laity ensures the purity of the sangha in that unless the community of monks remains well regulated and pure, the laity's gifts will not bear fruit (positive karma); likewise, the sangha serves as a constant reminder and model to the laity of the proper, salvifically beneficial religious life.

The earliest holy sites in Buddhism were probably associated with the places where the Buddha's relics were located. The tradition holds that after the Buddha's body was cremated, his remains were divided into several portions that were set up in burial mounds (stupas) at important crossroads. These places provided opportunities for laypeople and monks to contemplate the Buddha's teachings. The number of these reliquaries soon multipliedAshoka, the early Indian king, was said to have divided the relics into 84,000 pieces, placing them in stupas throughout Indiaand generally were under the care and protection of monasteries. Hence, not only were monasteries places of residence for the monks, they also became meeting places for the laity, places to hear the dharma and also to pay homage to the Buddha. Now virtually every monastic complex has a reliquary or stupa and a central meeting hall where the monks gather to recite the twice-monthly Patimokkha (the Vinaya rules) and receive donations from the laity, and also where the laity gather to hear dharma talks.

In medieval India eight special pilgrimage places developed, all associated with significant events in the Buddha's life. Bodh Gaya, for instance, is the site of his enlightenment and continues to be a major place of pilgrimage for monks and laypeople from throughout the Buddhist world, as well as being home to several important monasteries representing Buddhists from many different countries and traditions. Outside of India new holy places developed as Buddhism developed, some places having mythological significance, some having specific historical or national significance associated with famous monks.

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Buddhism | Encyclopedia.com

There are many things in life that are beyond our control. However, it is possible to take responsibility for and to change ones state of mind. According to Buddhism this is the most important thing we can do, and Buddhism teaches that it is the only real antidote to the anxiety, hatred, discontentedness, sleepiness, and confusion that beset the humancondition.

Meditation is a means of transforming the mind. Buddhist meditation practices are techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and a clear seeing of the true nature of things. By engaging with a particular meditation practice one learns the patterns and habits of the mind, and the practice offers a means to cultivate new, more positive ways of being. With discipline and patience these calm and focused states of mind can deepen into profoundly tranquil and energised states of mind. Such experiences can have a transformative effect and can lead to a new understanding oflife.

Over the millennia countless meditation practices have been developed in the Buddhist tradition. All of them may be described as mind-trainings, but they take many different approaches. The foundation of all of them, however, is the cultivation of a calm and positive state ofmind.

Every year thousands of people learn meditation with the Triratna Buddhist Community. We teach two basic meditations that were originally taught by the historical Buddha. These help develop the qualities of calmness and emotional postivity: the Mindfulness of Breathing and Loving-Kindness (Metta Bhavana)meditations.

The techniques of meditation are very simple. However, reading about them is no substitute for learning from an experienced and reliable teacher. A teacher will be able to offer you guidance in how to apply the technique and how to deal with difficulties. Perhaps most importantly, a teacher can offer the encouragement and inspiration of their ownexample.

At Triratna Centresmeditation is taught by members of the Triratna Buddhist Order, who are experienced meditators. Classes and courses are open to everyone: you need not be interested in Buddhism. Motives for learning meditation vary. Some people want to improve their concentration for work, study, or sports; others are looking for calm and peace of mind. Then there are people trying to answer fundamental questions about life. With regular practice, meditation can help all of us to find what we are looking for. Meditation Courses are excellent contexts for learning.Meditation Retreatsoffer ideal conditions to take thingsfurther.

When you sit down to meditate you need to set up your meditation posture in a way that is relaxed but upright, usually sitting on a cushion and probably cross-legged. If this is not easy you can sit kneeling or else in a chair. Then you close your eyes, relax, and tune in to how you are feeling. It is important to be sensitive to your experience because this is what you work with in meditation. It is a good idea to take some time to sit quietly before starting a meditation, to slow down and relax. Some gentle stretching can alsohelp.

There are lots ofresources availableto help you learn meditation or to take your practicedeeper.

Read an excellentmeditation posture guideby Bodhipaksa, from Wildmind.

You can find answers to somecommon questions about Buddhist meditationwithClear Visionvideo.

For a comprehensive set of free audio and text resources on learning meditation, seefree buddhist audios meditation pages.

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Meditation | The Buddhist Centre

FROM DEATH PSYCHOLOGY TO DEEP ECOLOGY AND EASE: KATHERINE MANSFIELDS FINAL DAYS IN FRANCE In 1922, at a time when death was closing on her, Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) could forget the solemnity of her state by adopting a holistic... moreFROM DEATH PSYCHOLOGY TODEEP ECOLOGY AND EASE:KATHERINE MANSFIELDS FINAL DAYS IN FRANCE

In 1922, at a time when death was closing on her, Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) could forget the solemnity of her state by adopting a holistic approach to the world, which, in 1973, Norwegian philosopher Arne Nss (1912-2009) would theorise about and term deep ecology. At the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man at Fontainebleau-Avon, on the threshold of her permanent end, deep in her psyche Mansfield found happiness in the feeling of kinship with and compassion for life forms other than her own. There she also saw the physical representation of the philosophy of deep ecology in Russian mystic George Ivanovich Gurdjieffs (1866?-1949) Movements, a symbolic dance deemed sacred and traceable to Sufism which, with its stress on the unity within the universe, had centuries ago foreshadowed deep ecology. Furthermore, at Fontainebleau, where the paths of people of different nationalities and creeds intersected, Mansfield felt affiliated with humans, thereby calling Gurdjieffs disciples my people, and contemplated in unison with them mans symbiotic relation to the universe. This paper, focused on the last stage of Mansfields life which she spent in France with references to her letters and other relevant writings, proposes to discuss that in the said period and setting, the writer acquired a sense of oneness with both human and nonhuman nature, or nature in its totality, which ultimately, like alchemy, transformed the painful period she had to endure into a rewarding one.

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Gurdjieff Research Papers - Academia.edu

What is yoga?

Yoga, which means "union," is a 5,000-year-old system of principles and practices originating in India. Yoga incorporates nutrition guidelines, ethics, exercise, and meditation with the intention of bringing together the mind, body, and spirit.

Most types of yoga practiced in the United States focus on movement and breathing, and do not require a total lifestyle change. More thana hundredvariations of yoga are practiced in the United States some slow and gentle and others active and fast-moving.

One of the most frequently practiced types of yoga is called hatha yoga, which uses physical poses and breathing techniques to increase strength, flexibility, and well-being.

Research in breast cancer patients has shown that yoga may be able to help:

A yoga session can last from 20 minutes to an hour and can bedone alone at home or in a class setting with an instructor. During your yoga session you will:

In the United States, a yoga instructor has the option to train for 2 or more years or to be certified after only taking a weekend-long course. As a result, there is a wide gap in experience from teacher to teacher. Inexperienced teachers can increase the risk for student injuries, so it's important to find a seasoned instructor. Ask your doctor for recommendations on yoga instructors who have worked with breast cancer patients. Another way to find an experienced instructor is to check with an organization requiring at least 200 hours of training to gain certification as a yoga instructor.

The Yoga Alliance sets guidelines for teacher training and registers yoga schools according to these standards. The Yoga Alliance website offers a searchable U.S. database of qualified teachers and schools.

For more information about finding a qualified complementary medicine practitioner, see our Finding a Complementary Medicine Practitioner section.

Here are questions to ask a potential yoga instructor:

In studies ofwomen with breast cancer, yoga has been shown toreduce fatigue and improvequality of sleep, physical vitality, and overall quality of life.

At the 2003 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), results were reported from a yoga study involving 126 women recently diagnosed with Stage I or II breast cancer. The women were about to receive chemotherapy or hormonal therapy.Some of the women were assigned to yoga classes over a 3-month period. The women taking yoga had a 12% improvement in fatigue, physical functioning, and quality of life compared with those in the program who did not take the yoga classes.

In 2006, results of a yoga study were reported from an M.D. Anderson Cancer Center study. The study followed 61 women receiving 6 weeks of radiation treatment for breast cancer. Half the women took a yoga class twice a week; the other half did not. Compared with the women who did not take yoga, the women in the yoga group reported having more energy and less daytime sleepiness, better physical functioning, and better overall quality of life.

Likeall practices, yoga comes with some risks:

Back to Types of Complementary Techniques

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Yoga - breastcancer.org

Since the 1970s, meditation and other stress-reduction techniques have been studied as possible treatments for depression and anxiety. One such practice, yoga, has received less attention in the medical literature, though it has become increasingly popular in recent decades. One national survey estimated, for example, that about 7.5% of U.S. adults had tried yoga at least once, and that nearly 4% practiced yoga in the previous year.

Yoga classes can vary from gentle and accommodating to strenuous and challenging; the choice of style tends to be based on physical ability and personal preference. Hatha yoga, the most common type of yoga practiced in the United States, combines three elements: physical poses, called asanas; controlled breathing practiced in conjunction with asanas; and a short period of deep relaxation or meditation.

Available reviews of a wide range of yoga practices suggest they can reduce the impact of exaggerated stress responses and may be helpful for both anxiety and depression. In this respect, yoga functions like other self-soothing techniques, such as meditation, relaxation, exercise, or even socializing with friends.

By reducing perceived stress and anxiety, yoga appears to modulate stress response systems. This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing respiration. There is also evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body's ability to respond to stress more flexibly.

A small but intriguing study done at the University of Utah provided some insight into the effect of yoga on the stress response by looking at the participants' responses to pain. The researchers noted that people who have a poorly regulated response to stress are also more sensitive to pain. Their subjects were 12 experienced yoga practitioners, 14 people with fibromyalgia (a condition many researchers consider a stress-related illness that is characterized by hypersensitivity to pain), and 16 healthy volunteers.

When the three groups were subjected to more or less painful thumbnail pressure, the participants with fibromyalgia as expected perceived pain at lower pressure levels compared with the other subjects. Functional MRIs showed they also had the greatest activity in areas of the brain associated with the pain response. In contrast, the yoga practitioners had the highest pain tolerance and lowest pain-related brain activity during the MRI. The study underscores the value of techniques, such as yoga, that can help a person regulate their stress and, therefore, pain responses.

Although many forms of yoga practice are safe, some are strenuous and may not be appropriate for everyone. In particular, elderly patients or those with mobility problems may want to check first with a clinician before choosing yoga as a treatment option.

But for many patients dealing with depression, anxiety, or stress, yoga may be a very appealing way to better manage symptoms. Indeed, the scientific study of yoga demonstrates that mental and physical health are not just closely allied, but are essentially equivalent. The evidence is growing that yoga practice is a relatively low-risk, high-yield approach to improving overall health.

For more advice about reducing anxiety, visit our online Stress Resource Center at http://www.health.harvard.edu/stress.

More:
Yoga for anxiety and depression - Harvard Health

200 hour Yoga Teacher Training - FALL 2018

by Camille Moses-Allen

This foundational program will advance your practice, acquaint you with the many layers of yoga, build your confidence and help you find your voice.If you aspire to teach, you're in good company: Since the start of our training school in 1990, YogaWorks alumni have gone on to become some of the world's most renowned yoga leaders. We want you to master the fundamentals, so completing our program will mark the beginning of your successful career as a yoga teacher.

August 25-26

September 8-9

September 22-23October 6-7

TEACHERS:

Camille Moses-Allen & Emily Lodge

OUR 200-HOUR TEACHER TRAINING CURRICULUM INCLUDES:

Advanced study of asana (proper alignment, benefits and potential risks) Principles of anatomy Science and art of sequencing Hands-on adjustments How to observe bodies Informed use of props to improve or modify a posture Cultivating your voice Confidence-building through practice teaching Yoga history and philosophy Sanskrit names of postures The Business of Yoga

WHAT MAKES YOGAWORKS TEACHER TRAINING UNIQUE?Lineage & Experience: We've refined our comprehensive curriculum over 25 years.

Intelligent Sequencing: Learn the art and science of designing and delivering a safe, dynamic class.

Learn to truly teach: Our program isn't about memorizing and reciting sequences. Instead an emphasis is placed on teaching principles for clearly instructing students bodies into alignment.

Find Yourself: We give you the space and opportunity to find your own teaching style.

Global Recognition: With a legacy that includes today's yoga leaders and over 10,000 alumni, YogaWorks teacher training is respected worldwide.Yoga Alliance 5 Star Rating

Class RequirementFor the duration of the program, students are required to take 3 classes per week, 1 of which must be with a lead Trainer.

Early-bird price of $2,950 when you pay in full by July 30, 2018.

Total cost is $3,150 thereafter.

Payment Plans available off the full price plus a $50 admin fee (50% of tuition must received one week before start date).

Midtown, MD

Aug 25 - Dec 16, 2018

SAT, SUN

85 hour Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training, Yoga Alliance Registered

by Lily Dwyer Begg

Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training 2018 with Lily Dwyer Begg

Fells Point Studio

4 Weekends

Sept 14, 15, 16Oct 19, 20, 21Nov 9, 10, 11Dec 7 and 9

Fridays 7:30 - 10:30 PM

Saturdays 12:30 - 8:30 PM

Sundays 11:30 AM - 6:00 PM

Tuition: $500 deposit

$1,250 thereafter paid in full by September 7, 2018

Fells Point Studio

1807 Thames St.

Baltimore, MD 21231

800.336.9642

This training is open to men and women, parents and non-parents alike - anyone who feels the calling to teach pre- and post-natal yoga is welcome. Even if you have never been pregnant yourself, the foundation of your success as a teacher will revolve around your self-inquiry and experiential participation in everything we do and learn.

The training is designed to feel at once like a yoga retreat and a rigorous course of study. You will be given a chance to integrate all layers of self into the learning experience. You will prepare a solid foundation for the demands of working with a range of pregnant students, while at the same time participating in a space for embodied daily yoga practice and a felt firsthand understanding of meditations, chants, and energetic practices that support women during this rich, creative time of life. Respectful community and fellowship is a vital piece of this training: each graduating class emerges close-knit and you will be given tools to help one another grow and evolve as teachers, share critical and supportive feedback, and exchange ideas, experiences and responses to materials learned. Graduates will emerge empowered to teach from the heart grounded by sound knowledge and expertise.

This program curriculum will give you:

Full payment is required to reserve a space in workshops. All workshops are non-refundable. Cancellations made two weeks or more prior to workshop start date will be issued store credit. No store credit will be given for cancellations made less than two weeks prior to workshop start date. YogaWorks is not responsible for any costs incurred for travel arrangements or accommodations related to this event.

Fells Point, MD

Sep 14 - Dec 9, 2018

FRI, SAT, SUN

The Restoration

by Martha McAlpine

September 14, 15, 16

October 5, 6, 7

October 26, 27, 28

November 16,17, 18

Fridays 6:30 - 9:30 PMSaturdays 12:30 - 6:30 PMSundays 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

1024 Light Street

Baltimore, MD, 21230

800.336.9642 X12

We are interconnected. We all feel each other.Felt drained, edgy, misaligned lately?Crazy news. Busy schedule.This is the time to learn to update and enrich how we tend ourselves.To restore the collective heart we share.

These are teachings for teachers and students. Novice through advanced. All comers welcome to experience asana, kriya, breath, meditation, writing, talking, learning.

This is The Restoration.

In The Restoration, Martha will lead you through all-level asana sequences, kundalini kriyas, and meditation practices to explore the ancient yogic traditions. We will also draw from the recent advances of neuroscience, physiology and psychology. With structured writing and group work and learn simple but powerful skills that are everyday useful at home, work, anywhere for inspired, meaningful connection. Each day of the weekends will conclude with 30 beautiful minutes of deep rest in Yoga Nidra leaving you wholly empowered.

Martha is your guide through 4 weekends of ENERGETIC EVOLUTION

Weekend 1 : Our raw feelings and emotions are translated into AWARENESS

Weekend 2 : Our awareness is given purpose and DIRECTION

Weekend 3 : Our direction becomes far more personal as we build DISCERNMENT

Weekend 4 : Our discernment enables a sense of healing,wholeness, and FREEDOM

No reading list. No homework. No prerequisites. Just you.I cant wait to see you.

Marthas classes inspire me. As a teacher myself I am always looking for how the old and the new meet; how our modern urban lifestyles can benefit from these age-old shapes and folds. I love how she is able to bring it all together. How the old is new, and I feel my own deep connection to what is actually ancient in my busy life and timeless in my teaching. - NW

Marthas teaching is sublime. I come away from practice with her emboldened and softened, both at once. I never knew what I was missing on my mat, but I knew I wanted more. Now, every class I take - no matter the teacher - I can get MY practice and this is priceless. -EB

A homeschool mama, yogi, cyclist, and cook, Martha McAlpine brings a love of life to all she does. Most recently, after 20 years of practice, 200 and 500 hour teacher trainings, and ten years of teaching Martha returned to the 200 hr Charm City teacher training to renew what she's learned and taught for years. In the past year she also completed the Spirit Junkie Master Class with Gabrielle Berstein, Marie Forleo's BSchool, an Art of Attention teacher module with Elena Brower, and the Vinyasa Krama Para teacher training of Rod Stryker. She believes modern research paired with ancient traditions makes for a rich, interesting, contemplative present moment. As a lifelong learner she looks forward to sharing her uniqueperspective and abilities with you.

Full payment is required to reserve a space in workshops. All workshops are non-refundable. Cancellations made two weeks or more prior to workshop start date will be issued store credit. No store credit will be given for cancellations made less than two weeks prior to workshop start date. YogaWorks is not responsible for any costs incurred for travel arrangements or accommodations related to this event.

Federal Hill, MD

Sep 14 - Nov 18, 2018

FRI, SAT, SUN

Beginner Series, 5 Weeks (Severna Park)

by Eric Brown

Sundays (5 Weeks)

September 23rd - October 21st, 2018

Severna Park Studio160 Governor Ritchie HwySeverna Park, MD 21146800.336.9642 X15

The Beginner Workshop is a five week introductory course in yoga. A perfect introduction to the philosophy and postures of yoga, it is designed so that upon completion, students will have acquired a foundation in yoga that will equip them to start sampling other classes and developing your own practice.

The Program: Each class will demonstrate important yoga poses or postures, and introduce the yogic philosophy of Patanjali, a sage and yogi, who was the first person to systematically describe the yogic tradition in written form. He described the practice as consisting of eight limbs. These limbs cover all aspects of life: beginning with a prescribed code of conduct and ending with an individuals vision of his/her true self.

Eric Brown began practicing yoga and meditation in 1983 in search of self-healing. He studied many styles of yoga while living in Los Angeles and his classes are an eclectic blend of Ashtanga, Kripalu, Pranakriya, and the unique vinyasa flow style of LA. Erics classes can be challenging, but students are led in a mindful asana practice that fully engages them on many levels bringing deeper awareness to the subtle aspects of the postures. He wants his students to really learn and understand their bodies and the poses; fully feeling whatever theyre going to feel. Eric holds yoga teaching certifications with the Kundalini Research Institute (RYT 200); Kripalu/Pranakriya (RYT 200); Ashtanga Yoga (David Swenson); and Rocket Vinyasa Yoga (David Kyle). He studied with Kim Manfredi at Charm City Yoga and received his 500RYT in 2012. He is a Vipassana meditation practitioner and has received his Thai Yoga practitioner certification from the Thai Institute of Healing Arts. Eric has been featured in Yoga Journal (Oct 2011) and is a Manduka ambassador.

Full payment is required to reserve a space in workshops. All workshops are non-refundable. Cancellations made two weeks or more prior to workshop start date will be issued store credit. No store credit will be given for cancellations made less than two weeks prior to workshop start date. YogaWorks is not responsible for any costs incurred for travel arrangements or accommodations related to this event.

Severna Park, MD

Sep 23 - Oct 21, 2018

SUN

Beginner Series, 5 Weeks (Columbia)

by Nikki Watson

Mondays (5 Weeks)

September 24,18 - October 22, 2018

7:00 - 8:30 PM

Columbia Studio8325 Guilford Rd

Columbia, MD 21046 800.336.9642 X10

The Program: Each class will demonstrate important yoga poses or postures, and introduce the yogic philosophy of Patanjali, a sage and yogi, who was the first person to systematically describe the yogic tradition in written form. He described the practice as consisting of eight limbs. These limbs cover all aspects of life: beginning with a prescribed code of conduct and ending with an individuals vision of his/her true self.

Nikki Watson has a gift for making the practice of yoga an accessible, enjoyable self-exploration and loves helping her students learn and discover. Nikki started practicing yoga as a way to continue moving after years of ballet performance and dance education. As time went on, her practice became both physically and spiritually transforming. Yoga has become a great constant in her life a place of challenge, growth, change and contentment. Nikki received her 200 hour teaching certification from Charm City Yoga under Kim Manfredi in 2012 and her 500 hour certification through YogaWorks Baltimore.

Full payment is required to reserve a space in workshops. All workshops are non-refundable. Cancellations made two weeks or more prior to workshop start date will be issued store credit. No store credit will be given for cancellations made less than two weeks prior to workshop start date. YogaWorks is not responsible for any costs incurred for travel arrangements or accommodations related to this event.

Columbia, MD

Sep 24 - Oct 22, 2018

MON

The Restoration, WEEKEND 2: DIRECTION

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YogaWorks Midtown | Baltimore Yoga Classes | YogaWorks

Yoga (Sanskrit: pronunciation (helpinfo)) is the physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India with a view to attain a state of permanent peace of mind in order to experience one's true self. The term yoga can be derived from either of two roots, yujir yoga (to yoke) or yuj samdhau (to concentrate). The Yoga Stras of Patajali defines yoga as "the stilling of the changing states of the mind" (Sanskrit: : - :). Yoga has also been popularly defined as "union with the divine" in other contexts and traditions. Various traditions of yoga are found in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, yoga is one of the six stika schools (accepts authority of Vedas of Hindu philosophy. Yoga is also an important part of Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. Gurus from India later introduced yoga to the west, in the late 19th and early 20th century. In the 1980s, yoga became popular as a system of physical exercise across the Western world.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book II

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book III

See the article here:
Yoga - Wikiquote

Yoga is an old discipline from India. It is both spiritual and physical. Yoga uses breathing techniques, exercise and meditation. It helps to improve health and happiness.

Yoga is the Sanskrit word for union.

Patanjali was a pioneer of classical yoga. He defined yoga as "the cessation of the modification of the mind". (stopping changing the mind).

A person doing yoga will move from one posture (called asana) to another. For example, the "sun-salutation" contains 12 poses of asanas, one after the other, and is said to help balance body and soul. The "sun-salutation" is popularly known as "Suryanamaskar".

Yoga was introduced by Indian Ascetic . Ascetic practices (tapas) are referenced in the Brhmaas (900 to 500 BC), early commentaries on the Vedas.[1] Several seals discovered at Indus Valley Civilization (~33001700 B.C.) sites in Pakistan depict figures in positions resembling a common yoga or meditation pose. The pose shows "a form of ritual discipline, suggesting a precursor of yoga", according to archaeologist Gregory Possehl.[2] Scholars think there must be some type of connection between the Indus Valley seals and later yoga and meditation practices, though there is no conclusive evidence.

A yogasan is a pose in which a man can sit. The intention of yogasan is to exercise the body and making it free of pains and problems.

Yogi is a person who has mastered yoga or has achieved great success in yoga. Yogasanas are also called as Asan or Asanas (plural). A Yogi can sit in any asan for a given time.

This yogasan helps to release gas in the stomach.

This yogasan makes the spine more relaxed.[5]

1. Nisarga Yoga - Understand yoga philosophy and your true nature by being it via yoga practice.

2. Isha Yoga - A Guide To Yoga & Meditation.

3. Yoga Burn - Learning that art of Yoga

Go here to read the rest:
Yoga - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia