Welcome to the Online Teaching telecommuting, part-time, and flexible jobs page! Online Teaching professionals provide learning opportunities over the internet to students of all ages. Opportunities to teach online include jobs with public and private elementary, middle and high schools throughout the country. Many traditional brick and mortar schools are offering online options to their students. Other K-12 schools are entirely virtual and provide 100 percent of their educational services online. Similarly, Online Teaching jobs are available with colleges and universities that either offer online courses or a full online curriculum leading to a degree or certification. Online Teaching professionals should have a thorough understanding of the subject they intend to teach. People with Online Teaching jobs should also be able to relate well to students, teach effectively and utilize the phone, internet email and instant message. Part-time, full-time and telecommute positions are frequently available in the Online Teaching subcategory of Education and Training. See below for the latest flexible and remote Online Teaching jobs!

To view and apply to any of the Online Teaching job postings, sign up for FlexJobs today!

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Immediate need for an Online ESL Teacher for Children. Work with students one-on-one teaching English. Courses, content and full training provided, does require some prior Teaching experience. Flexible terms, part-time contract position. up to $22/hr

Full-time partially remote job. Identify and support students that under perform, analyze the quality of courses and use data to drive decisions that will focus on the proficiency of students. 2 - 4 years of relevant exp. and a license in NH needed.

Teacher needed. Part-time mostly telecommuting. Provides virtual instruction of high school economics courses. Qualified candidate will have 6+ months' student teaching experience, MS Office proficiency, and relevant certification with endorsement.

Mostly telecommuting position providing virtual instruction of English language courses. Requires candidate with a bachelor's degree, 6+ months' teaching experience, relevant state certification, and ability to travel occasionally.

Seeking candidate with a related master's degree, 3+ years' teaching experience, and related state teaching certificate to fill a mostly telecommuting opportunity participating in development and execution of MTSS reading/ELA framework.

Math coordinator needed for a mostly telecommuting role. Participates in development and execution of MTSS framework. Requires a related master's degree, 3+ years' teaching experience, and related state teaching certificate.

Remote candidate will provide instruction in general education at this University, produce an educational environment which fosters innovations, and supply program specific expertise. Must have a master's degree, and online instruction experience.

Seeking remote freelance calculus tutor to conduct lessons in subjects throughout the K-12 math curriculum. Candidate must have at least one year of teaching experience. Having fast, reliable internet connection required.

Health teacher sought for a part-time, remote job planning and teaching virtual lessons, facilitating student conversations, providing academic motivation. BA/BS, teaching license and IN-based secondary certification required. Freelance.

Part-time contract position. Will work in a virtual learning environment supplementing source content with synchronous and asynchronous tools, maintaining office hours, tracking student progress, and grading student work. Bachelors required.

Will work in a remote environment providing assistance with study skills, providing academic technology support, and providing academic support to students. Strong multi-tasking skills are needed. 3+ yrs of experience required. Full-time schedule.

Adjunct faculty member sought for a temporary, telecommute job responsible for coordinating lessons, teaching virtual classes, facilitating student conversations, performing academic assessments. CIS or related MA/MS required.

Seeking instructor for a home-based opportunity. Will facilitate nutrition courses. Candidates must have a master's degree in nutrition or a master's degree with 18 graduate hours in nutrition. Two years of teaching experience a plus.

Seeking results oriented candidate for position providing hands-on instruction for courses in Mathematics. Strong communication and interpersonal skills needed. Prior teaching experience is preferred. Master's required. Full-time, stay at home job.

Adjunct faculty member sought for a temporary position with telecommute hours. Will teach, evaluate, motivate, and support virtual students. Humanities or similar MA/MS, exceptional interpersonal communication required,

Will serve as an Adjunct Instructor facilitating classroom discussions, providing a positive example to students, providing course instruction, and assessing student performance. 2+ yrs of experience is required. Doctorate preferred. Work at home.

Adjunct faculty member will plan and teach virtual classes, facilitate conversations, perform academic evaluations. Business or IT focused MA/MS, five+ years' management experience required. PMP certification a plus. Part-time, temporary, remote.

Adjunct faculty member sought for a temporary, remote job coordinating and teaching virtual lessons, supporting and assessing students, facilitating conversations. IT or similar doctorate degree required. CISSP or similar certification a plus.

Adjunct instructor needed for a temporary, telecommute job responsible for coordinating and teaching lessons, conducting research, assessing and motivating students, and facilitating conversations. JD degree, computer proficiency required.

Adjunct instructor sought for a temporary, telecommute position responsible for planning and teaching virtual courses, assessing and supporting students, and facilitating conversations. Computer proficiency, HIM or related BA/BS required.

Responsible for delivering 25-minute online lessons using company platform, and giving feedback on student progress and performance. Must be a native English speaker with ESL teaching experience OR current teacher certification.

Work at home opportunity. Responsible for answering general student questions, assisting students with technical issues, testing and reviewing courses for accuracy, and other assigned tasks. Master's in Computer Science or related field required.

Teach various online college courses to students pursuing associate's or bachelor's degrees. Must have a medical field-related bachelor's degree and 3+ yrs' related experience. Teaching exp. is preferred. Fully remote/home-based position.

Biology Instructor is needed for a remote opportunity. Candidate will conduct classes in accordance with established syllabi and lesson plans. Must possess effective communication skills. Prior relevant experience is required.

Will provide academic support to high school students via online chat. Must have a bachelor's degree in math, science, English, or a social sciences area. Tutoring or other related experience preferred. Part-time position.

The rest is here:
Online Teaching Telecommuting and Part-Time Jobs

No sales team will reach its full potential without effective sales training. Whether youre hiring new salespeople or looking to advance your existing sales team, a good sales training program can improve areas of weakness, improve effectiveness and boost confidence.

Weve identified 20 of the top sales classes, seminars, and resources:

For the main part, public sales training programs are delivered as 1-3 day workshops or seminars. Usually they take place at a local convention hall and anyone can join in by purchasing a ticket. Admission costs anywhere from $500 to $3,000 per seat.

If youre looking for classic training seminar, MHI hosts a number of sales training workshops around the US, as well as in Canada, Europe and Australia. Their events typically last 2 to 3 days, covering a variety of sales topics, including large account management, SPIN Selling and Strategic Selling which teaches a step-by-step method for managing complex business-to-business sales.

Launched after publishing the classic business book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, FranklinCovey offers a wide variety of business training resources. They sell books, offer online business training programs, hosts live seminars and provide one-on-one business coaching too.

While FranklinCovey do offer sales training programs, the majority of the resources cover leadership disciplines including; time management, data analysis, leadership and strategic thinking. You can view a list of their public training seminars here.

Training groups will work with you to write a curriculum specific to your business, then travel to your office to teach your employees. Costs can be quite a bit higher than public courses, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 per day.

The Brooks Group provides customized sales training courses. What I like about their approach is that it avoids the hype of pop sales books: Customized sales training is NOT a matter of changing the language or giving you a unique acronym for the sales process, reads their website.

Instead, The Brooks Group develops a close understanding of your business so it can teach according to your specific needs: Real customization ensures that the training your salespeople receive accurately matches their daily selling experience, [is] tailored to fit your unique sales environment and organizational culture. Before deploying to teach your employees, The Brooks Groups spends 3 to 12 weeks working with business owners to build the curriculum.

One of the big names in customized training courses is Richardson Sales Training. They start with assessment tests that highlight areas of strength and weakness in your sales team. Then, they use this to develop a course that addresses your specific needs i.e. lead generation, opportunity management, on-boarding, account development, etc.

Richardson also has a number of 1 and 2 day course that cover topics like sales conversations (how to interact with a client), sales negotiation, complex sales training and more. View the rest on their website here.

Richardson can serve a wide variety of businesses, but according to their website, they primarily focus on financial services, finance, technology, manufacturing and distribution, chemicals, life sciences and professional services.

Wilson Learning offers private, customized training courses. They follow the belief that single training seminars arent effective, since much of whats learned is forgotten months down the line. Instead, Wilson focuses on sustained sales training programs: It starts by consulting with managers, then runs sales training programs with the sales team. Finally, Wilson provides reinforcement quizzes enabled via mobile apps.

Signature Worldwide offers customized training courses in a few areas of specialty. Client-Centered Sales is a consultative sales training program that helps sales reps add position themselves as experts and win the trust of their prospects and customers. Other sales courses focus on prospecting, equipment sales and rental property leasing.

Like Wilson Learning, they follow the belief that single training events are not retained very well months down the line. Instead, they help reinforce knowledge with follow-up lessons. Telephone mystery shoppers gauge the effectiveness of your sales and customer service team and help Signature Worldwide trainers determine what to focus on.

DoubleDigit Sales specialize in helping salespeople, sales managers and executives perform significantly better to achieve double digit growth. DoubleDigit leverage a consultation process to deliver customized learning experiences that change behaviors and drive improved sales revenue. They are also one of the SellingPower Top 20 Sales Training Companies in 2017.

One program that caught my eye was called StorySelling. As Fusion explains on their website, Stories are one of the things that make life and work fun and fulfilling. The ability to craft and tell great stories is a critical business and life skill. Other topics include prospecting, sales presentations and consultative selling.

Online sales training programs are delivered via a range of different channels including; video conference, webinar, video, e-books and other accompanying content. Below I have provided a selection of free, low-cost and higher-cost options.

Sales Hacker has a massive online digital blog presence, which I speak about further below. This free sales training course bundle is designed to help any B2B sales professional improve their skill set. The bundle includes some of Sales Hackers favorite conference lectures, webinars and eBooks. There are 4-hours of sales training content, 10-video based lectures and 5-PDFs.

Jill is a highly respected expert sales professional. This workshop covers the changing sales environment, the elements of a strong value proposition, how to use sales intelligence and trigger events, effective calls and voicemails, and more. There are also free and paid options and resources for reinforcing and extending the lessons covered in the virtual workshop, such as coaching, and video lessons.

This three-month virtual course covers the seven key facets of sales: Prospecting, developing trust and credibility, identifying the buyers problems, overcoming resistance, selling value, closing, and getting referrals and repeat business. Along with 24-videos you can re-watch at any time, you also get workbooks, exercises, and bonus training modules.

This course teaches you to sell the inbound way, which Hubspot are experts in. like a This free virtual course on the Inbound Sales methodology encompasses everything from identifying potential buyers to developing personalized presentations. Once youve finished the course and passed the exam, youll get a badge to display on your LinkedIn profile, email signature or website.

This course is focused on the art of cold calling and telephone based sales. Art is an expert and he shares his expertise on how best to use the phone as your primary sales communication channel. Over the course of one month, you can will learn how to engage buyers in the first few seconds of call, resolve objections, add value at each stage, secure follow-up calls and more. Along with the videos, youll get access to a workbook, live coaching sessions, and an online forum.

This 5-week course provides new sales reps with a solid introduction to the fundamentals of sales. It covers; cold calling, prospecting, qualifying, asking questions and developing cost proposals. Unlike many of the other options, its equally relevant to both B2B and B2C salespeople and includes lectures, reading, and real-world exercises. The course itself is free, but if you want to course certificate to put on your LinkedIn profile and email signature then this will cost you $95.

In this 8-week training program, inside sales professionals will learn how to get past gatekeepers, overcome call reluctance, engage prospects, book appointments, delve into their prospects motivations, resolve their concerns and close deals. Beyond the 1-hour per week live online interactive training, you get sales, sales scripts, workbooks, weekly tests and final exam results. You also get free support via email and chat. All sales training workshops are recorded for your sales reps to refer to when they need a refresher.

This online option is ideal if youre and experience B2B salesperson, manager or leader looking for relevant, digestible insights across a range of sales topics to boost your skill set and come away with some fresh ideas and techniques. Each year from April to July sales experts including; Dave Kurlan, Deb Calvert, and Colleen Stanley deliver a short presentation on their area of expertise. Past sessions are available as recorded videos and include selling value, creating a social selling strategy and managing your sales pipeline.

Tony Iannarinos sales training program and membership community is designed for continuous learning. Each month, members receive a new lesson on a core sales skill. They also get to attend a live question and answer webinar with Tony. You also get access to a private forum, where members network and answer each others questions, share thoughts and support each other.

This course is intended for sales leaders looking for predictable results. Whether your goal is a higher quota and revenue attainment, better win rates or lower sales force turnover, this course provides the best answers available. Delivered by expert sales professional Lori Richardson, the course is delivered in six 90-minute virtual sessions. The program will help you put in place the right sales process and methodology for your market, your product and your revenue goals.

Area(s) of Focus: Custom online training exercises

One of the top online sales training websites, Mindflash lets you create your own training courses. You can upload sales materials you already have (like PDFs, PowerPoints or videos) and tailor them into a quiz.

Mindflash automatically send invites and reminders to users and generates reports for you to view their progress and determine who needs to focus more on what. The downside is that it takes a while to setup, since you have to create the courses.

Area(s) of Focus: Fast online sales lessons

As the name implies, Rapid Learning Institute is all about quick exercises that teach important concepts. Theres 70+ sales training lessons called Quick Takes that last 6 to 10 minutes. One of the key benefits to Rapid Learning Institute is you dont have to create courses yourself, as you would with Mindflash.

Training topics include prospecting, presentation, handling objections, closing, referrals and more. When you assign lessons to your staff, theyll receive automated emails reminding them to log on.

You can check out some free educational videos on their blog here.

Area(s) of Focus: Sales Assessment Tests, Sales Training

Boyer Management Group offers a variety of sales resources. The one we want to highlight, however, is their sales assessment test. This may seem a little out of place in an article focused on sales training, but sales assessment is actually the first step in any good training program.

By scoring each area of the sales cycle, including prospecting, performing a needs assessment, presenting, closing, etc., the Boyer Assessment Test tells you which employees need help on which areas of focus. Rather than each all employees all topics in which case, theyre liable to lose focus you can zero in on their specific needs.

Armed with this information, you might realize you dont even need an outside educator You can host training sessions of your own, or pair employees with mentors who have more experience in particular areas.

Every business has different needs when it comes to sales training. Generally speaking, its a good idea to reinforce knowledge with ongoing lessons, as opposed to a just one-time workshop. But you can always reinforce sales training programs with sales books and sales training videos to help achieve this.

More:
Top 20 Sales Training Programs, Courses & Seminars in 2017

Consultative-Partner Selling

The core of the LDL approach is consultative-partner selling. Modern selling is about being in business with the customer, not doing business with them. Selling has evolved from pitch and follow through to helping customers find the right solutions in a collaborative effort.

At LDL we have highly structured models for consultative-partner selling, which provide your people with a straightforward, repeatable reference when navigating the sales process. Clarity accelerates learning.

LDL sales training courses are interactive, engaging, upbeat and increasingly supported by online reinforcement.

For more information, please download our LACPOMAC 8-step selling structure ebook (see below).

For more than three decades LDL has studied the methods, techniques and mindsets of top sales people around the world. We talk to hundreds of salespeople each year to stay ahead of trends. We sort the great sales ideas and key insights from the rest, so you dont have to.

The results are in our wide range of sales training courses. Open courses are held in London. All programmes can be tailored and conducted in-company. We come to you.

Learn more about our presence in the following locations:

Read the rest here:
Sales Training Courses & Programmes - LDL

In the modern world the approach to selling has changed and our sales training has to change with it. Clients arent looking for salespeople who do business, they are looking for business people who sell. Utilising the BARRETT methodology, we provide programs and workshops that assist you in developing an empowered, high performance business sales team that consistently reach and exceed the goals and targets they have been set.

The fact is if you improve yourself then you improve your life and if you improve your people then you improve your business thats why we train. Whether you are talking life, sport or business the power to succeed is in your hands.

The purpose of Barrett's Sales Training is to give everyone access to the skills, processes, tools and personal insight we all need to be able to proactively and consistently sell ourselves effectively. That means we need to be able to act ethically and confidently in any situation - whether we are in a traditional sales environment, professional services or just need to communicate internally. Since 1995, we have researched and synthesised a vast array of information and distilled it into practical easy-to-apply processes that you can use every day to make decisions about how you work and relate with others. In addition, we have researched and defined the core behavioural competencies that underpin our sales training.

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Sales Training - Barrett Consulting Group

Reach your full potential and become the next star performer with The Sales Skills Accelerator Programme. This 2-day course is designed to develop and strengthen core selling skills and self-management aspects critical for delivering consistently steady sales results.

Enrich your leadership skills to boost sales staff productivity and performance with The Sales Manager Pro Programme. This course is designed to expand a sales managers strengths in the three critical areas of personal efficiency and effectiveness, sales team management and building a competitive sales organisation.

The impact that frontline and second-tier sales managers have on the performance of their sales teams cannot be over-emphasised. This 2-day masterclass has been designed to equip delegates with the knowledge, strategies and actionable methodologies to cut through the chaos and radically improve the results of their teams by focusing on two core pillars within sales strategy and sales management: Metrics and Coaching.

Proactive, formalised, structured coaching interventions have been found to increase the win-rate of forecast deals.This one-day Coaching Pro for Sales Managers course has been excerpted from the two-day Metrics & Coaching For Results Programme and is designed to equip sales leaders with the skill-set required for effective coaching.

Experiencing a reduction of profit margins? Battling to differentiate your offering? Struggling to win new business? Level 4 Value Creation is the first of its kind on the market. It elevates sales to greater levels of value, creating strategic, differentiated, compelling and replicable standards of service and delivery. The programme provides sales people and sales organisations with a plan of action that they can immediately implement in their business to increase revenue.

Are you facing deals that end in a no decision? Are deals stalling on account of stakeholder groups resisting change? Building Consensus is the framework for creating value propositions for winning more and larger deals. Arm your sales force with techniques to understand the clients structure and develop a plan to work within that structure. Create new opportunities or move existing ones successfully through the pipeline.

Is your current sales process not getting the results it once was? Are you battling to bring in new business? The Sales Engagement Process programme is designed for an executive team and a select group of star sales representatives, whose success depends on advanced selling methods that target todays complex customer problems.

ThinkSales presents a number of its sales training programmes in a public forum. These sales training programmes are offered at venues in Johannesburg. Check our annual calendar or subscribe to our newsletter to receive regular updates for upcoming sales training programmes.

Our sales training programmes are available in South Africa. All of our psychometric assessments are online and we offer in-house sales training programmes to all major city centres including sales training in Johannesburg and Pretoria, sales training in Cape Town and sales training in Durban.

ThinkSales offers Implementation and Refresher Coaching Sessions as an optional companion service to selected ThinkSales training programmes. These sessions are focused on improving implementation of sales process and/or sales methodology learning within live sales opportunities. Besides feedback and coaching of the individual, outcomes and action points are reported back to sales management for further internal coaching.

In addition to our Refresher Coaching Sessions we offer Implementation Evaluations as an optional companion service to selected ThinkSales sales training programmes. This service addresses a number of key business challenges and ensures implementation of a sales engagement process and sales methodology learning with live sales opportunities, conducted in a formal review.

Continued here:
Sales Training Courses in South Africa for Sales Executives ...

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The history of Buddhism spans from the 5th century BCE to the present; which arose in the eastern part of Ancient India, in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha (now in Bihar, India), and is based on the teachings of Siddhrtha Gautama. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today. The religion evolved as it spread from the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent through Central, East, and Southeast Asia. At one time or another, it influenced most of the Asian continent. The history of Buddhism is also characterized by the development of numerous movements, schisms, and schools, among them the Theravda, Mahyna and Vajrayna traditions, with contrasting periods of expansion and retreat.

Siddhrtha Gautama was the historical founder of Buddhism. He was born a Kshatriya warrior prince in Lumbini, Shakya Republic, which was part of the Kosala realm of ancient India.[1] He is also known as the Shakyamuni (literally: "The sage of the Shakya clan").

After an early life of luxury under the protection of his father, uddhodhana, the ruler of Kapilavasthu which later became incorporated into the state of Magadha, Siddhartha entered into contact with the realities of the world and concluded that life was inescapably bound up with suffering and sorrow. Siddhartha renounced his meaningless life of luxury to become an ascetic. He ultimately decided that asceticism couldn't end suffering, and instead chose a middle way, a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.

Under a fig tree, now known as the Bodhi tree, he vowed never to leave the position until he found Truth. At the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment. He was then known as Gautama Buddha, or simply "The Buddha", which means "the enlightened one", or "the awakened one".

For the remaining 45 years of his life, he traveled the Gangetic Plain of central India (the region of the Ganges/Ganga river and its tributaries), teaching his doctrine and discipline to a diverse range of people. By the time of his death, he had thousands of followers.

The Buddha's reluctance to name a successor or to formalise his doctrine led to the emergence of many movements during the next 400 years: first the schools of Nikaya Buddhism, of which only Theravada remains today, and then the formation of Mahayana and Vajrayana, pan-Buddhist sects based on the acceptance of new scriptures and the revision of older techniques.

Followers of Buddhism, called Buddhists in English, referred to themselves as Sakyan-s or Sakyabhiksu in ancient India.[2][3] Buddhist scholar Donald S. Lopez asserts they also used the term Bauddha,[4] although scholar Richard Cohen asserts that that term was used only by outsiders to describe Buddhists.[5]

Early Buddhism remained centered on the Ganges valley, spreading gradually from its ancient heartland. The canonical sources record two councils, where the monastic Sangha established the textual collections based on the Buddha's teachings and settled certain disciplinary problems within the community.

The first Buddhist council was held just after Buddha's Parinirvana, and presided over by Gupta Mahkyapa, one of His most senior disciples, at Rjagha (today's Rajgir) during the 5th century under the noble support of king Ajthaatru. The objective of the council was to record all of Buddha's teachings into the doctrinal teachings (sutra) and Abhidhamma and to codify the monastic rules (vinaya). nanda, one of the Buddha's main disciples and his cousin, was called upon to recite the discourses and Abhidhamma of the Buddha, and Upali, another disciple, recited the rules of the vinaya. These became the basis of the Tripiaka (Three Baskets), which is preserved only in Pli.

Actual record on the first Buddhist Council did not mention the existence of the Abhidhamma. It existed only after the second Council.

The second Buddhist council was held at Vaisali following a dispute that had arisen in the Sagha over a relaxation by some monks of various points of discipline. Eventually it was decided to hold a second council at which the original Vinaya texts that had been preserved at the first Council were cited to show that these relaxations went against the recorded teachings of the Buddha.

The Mauryan Emperor Aoka (273232 BC) converted to Buddhism after his bloody conquest of the territory of Kalinga (modern Odisha) in eastern India during the Kalinga War. Regretting the horrors and misery brought about by the conflict, the king magnanimously decided to renounce violence, to replace the misery caused by war with respect and dignity for all humanity. He propagated the faith by building stupas and pillars urging, amongst other things, respect of all animal life and enjoining people to follow the Dharma. Perhaps the finest example of these is the Great Stupa of Sanchi, (near Bhopal, India). It was constructed in the 3rd century BC and later enlarged. Its carved gates, called toranas, are considered among the finest examples of Buddhist art in India. He also built roads, hospitals, resthouses, universities and irrigation systems around the country. He treated his subjects as equals regardless of their religion, politics or caste.

This period marks the first spread of Buddhism beyond India to other countries. According to the plates and pillars left by Aoka (the edicts of Aoka), emissaries were sent to various countries in order to spread Buddhism, as far south as Sri Lanka and as far west as the Greek kingdoms, in particular the neighboring Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, and possibly even farther to the Mediterranean.

King Aoka convened the third Buddhist council around 250 BC at Pataliputra (today's Patna). It was held by the monk Moggaliputtatissa. The objective of the council was to purify the Sagha, particularly from non-Buddhist ascetics who had been attracted by the royal patronage. Following the council, Buddhist missionaries were dispatched throughout the known world.

Some of the edicts of Aoka describe the efforts made by him to propagate the Buddhist faith throughout the Hellenistic world, which at that time formed an uninterrupted continuum from the borders of India to Greece. The edicts indicate a clear understanding of the political organization in Hellenistic territories: the names and locations of the main Greek monarchs of the time are identified, and they are claimed as recipients of Buddhist proselytism: Antiochus II Theos of the Seleucid Kingdom (261246 BC), Ptolemy II Philadelphos of Egypt (285247 BC), Antigonus Gonatas of Macedonia (276239 BC), Magas (288258 BC) in Cyrenaica (modern Libya), and Alexander II (272255 BC) in Epirus (modern Northwestern Greece).

Furthermore, according to Pli sources, some of Aoka's emissaries were Greek Buddhist monks, indicating close religious exchanges between the two cultures:

Aoka also issued edicts in the Greek language as well as in Aramaic. One of them, found in Kandahar, advocates the adoption of "piety" (using the Greek term eusebeia for Dharma) to the Greek community:

It is not clear how much these interactions may have been influential, but some authors[citation needed] have commented that some level of syncretism between Hellenist thought and Buddhism may have started in Hellenic lands at that time. They have pointed to the presence of Buddhist communities in the Hellenistic world around that period, in particular in Alexandria (mentioned by Clement of Alexandria), and to the pre-Christian monastic order of the Therapeutae (possibly a deformation of the Pli word "Theravda"[7]), who may have "almost entirely drawn (its) inspiration from the teaching and practices of Buddhist asceticism"[8] and may even have been descendants of Aoka's emissaries to the West.[9] The philosopher Hegesias of Cyrene, from the city of Cyrene where Magas of Cyrene ruled, is sometimes thought to have been influenced by the teachings of Aoka's Buddhist missionaries.[10]

Buddhist gravestones from the Ptolemaic period have also been found in Alexandria, decorated with depictions of the Dharma wheel.[11] The presence of Buddhists in Alexandria has even drawn the conclusion: "It was later in this very place that some of the most active centers of Christianity were established".[12]

In the 2nd century AD, the Christian dogmatist, Clement of Alexandria recognized Bactrian Buddhists (ramanas) and Indian gymnosophists for their influence on Greek thought:

Sri Lanka was proselytized by Aoka's son Mahinda and six companions during the 2nd century BC. They converted the King Devanampiya Tissa and many of the nobility. In addition, Aoka's daughter, Saghamitta also established the bhikkhun (order for nuns) in Sri Lanka, also bringing with her a sapling of the sacred bodhi tree that was subsequently planted in Anuradhapura. This is when the Mahvihra monastery, a center of Sinhalese orthodoxy, was built. The Pli canon was written down in Sri Lanka during the reign of king Vattagamani (2917 BC), and the Theravda tradition flourished there. Later some great commentators worked there, such as Buddhaghoa (4th5th century) and Dhammapla (5th6th century), and they systemised the traditional commentaries that had been handed down. Although Mahyna Buddhism gained some influence in Sri Lanka at that time, the Theravda ultimately prevailed and Sri Lanka turned out to be the last stronghold of it. From there it would expand again to South-East Asia from the 11th century.

In the areas east of the Indian subcontinent (modern Burma and Thailand), Indian culture strongly influenced the Mons. The Mons are said to have been converted to Buddhism from the 3rd century BC under the proselytizing of the Indian Emperor Aoka, before the fission between Mahyna and Hinayna Buddhism. Early Mon[citation needed] Buddhist temples, such as Peikthano in central Burma, have been dated to between the 1st and the 5th century CE.

The Buddhist art of the Mons was especially influenced by the Indian art of the Gupta and post-Gupta periods, and their mannerist style spread widely in South-East Asia following the expansion of the Mon kingdom between the 5th and 8th centuries. The Theravda faith expanded in the northern parts of Southeast Asia under Mon influence, until it was progressively displaced by Mahyna Buddhism from around the 6th century AD.

According to the Aokvadna (2nd century AD), Aoka sent a missionary to the north, through the Himalayas, to Khotan in the Tarim Basin, then the land of the Tocharians, speakers of an Indo-European language.

The Shunga dynasty (18573 BC) was established in 185 BC, about 50 years after Aoka's death. After assassinating King Brhadrata (last of the Mauryan rulers), military commander-in-chief Pushyamitra Shunga took the throne. Buddhist religious scriptures such as the Aokvadna allege that Pushyamitra (an orthodox Brahmin) was hostile towards Buddhists and persecuted the Buddhist faith. Buddhists wrote that he "destroyed hundreds of monasteries and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Monks":[14] 840,000 Buddhist stupas which had been built by Aoka were destroyed, and 100 gold coins were offered for the head of each Buddhist monk.[15] In addition, Buddhist sources allege that a large number of Buddhist monasteries (vihras) were converted to Hindu temples, in places like, but not limited to, Nalanda, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, and Mathura, among many others.

Modern historians, however, dispute this view in the light of literary and archaeological evidence. They opine that following Aoka's sponsorship of Buddhism, it is possible that Buddhist institutions fell on harder times under the Shungas, but no evidence of active persecution has been noted. Etienne Lamotte observes: "To judge from the documents, Pushyamitra must be acquitted through lack of proof."[16] Another eminent historian, Romila Thapar points to archaeological evidence that "suggests the contrary" to the claim that "Pushyamitra was a fanatical anti-Buddhist" and that he "never actually destroyed 840,000 stupas as claimed by Buddhist works, if any". Thapar stresses that Buddhist accounts are probably hyperbolic renditions of Pushyamitra's attack of the Mauryas, and merely reflect the desperate frustration of the Buddhist religious figures in the face of the possibly irreversible decline in the importance of their religion under the Shungas.[17]

During the period, Buddhist monks deserted the Ganges valley, following either the northern road (uttarapatha) or the southern road (dakinapatha).[18] Conversely, Buddhist artistic creation stopped in the old Magadha area, to reposition itself either in the northwest area of Gandhra and Mathura or in the southeast around Amaravati. Some artistic activity also occurred in central India, as in Bhrhut, to which the Shungas may or may not have contributed.

At the start of the Silk Road in the crossroads between India and China (modern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, and Tajikistan) Greek kingdoms had been in place since the time of the conquests of Alexander the Great around 326 BC and continued for over 300 years: first the Seleucids from around 323 BC, then the Greco-Bactrian kingdom from around 250 BC and finally the Indo-Greek Kingdom, lasting until 10 CE.

The Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius I invaded the Indian Subcontinent in 180 BC, establishing an Indo-Greek kingdom that was to last in parts of Northwest South Asia until the end of the 1st century CE. Buddhism flourished under the Indo-Greek and Greco-Bactrian kings, and it has been suggested that their invasion of India was intended to show their support for the Mauryan empire and to protect the Buddhist faith from the alleged religious persecutions of the Shungas (18573 BC).

One of the most famous Indo-Greek kings is Menander (reigned c. 160135 BC). He converted to Buddhism and is presented in the Mahyna tradition as one of the great benefactors of the faith, on a par with king Aoka or the later Kushan king Kanika. Menander's coins bear the mention of the "saviour king" in Greek; some bear designs of the eight-spoked wheel. Direct cultural exchange is also suggested by the dialogue of the Milinda Paha around 160 BC between Menander and the Buddhist monk Ngasena, who was himself a student of the Greek Buddhist monk Mahadharmaraksita. Upon Menander's death, the honor of sharing his remains was claimed by the cities under his rule, and they were enshrined in stupas, in a parallel with the historic Buddha.[19] Several of Menander's Indo-Greek successors inscribed "Follower of the Dharma," in the Kharoh script, on their coins, and depicted themselves or their divinities forming the vitarka mudr.

It is also around the time of initial Greek and Buddhist interaction that the first anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha are found, often in realistic Greco-Buddhist style. The former reluctance towards anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha, and the sophisticated development of aniconic symbols to avoid it (even in narrative scenes where other human figures would appear), seem to be connected to one of the Buddhas sayings, reported in the Digha Nikaya, that discouraged representations of himself after the extinction of his body.[20] Probably not feeling bound by these restrictions, and because of "their cult of form, the Greeks were the first to attempt a sculptural representation of the Buddha".[21][pageneeded] In many parts of the Ancient World, the Greeks did develop syncretic divinities, that could become a common religious focus for populations with different traditions: a well-known example is the syncretic God Sarapis, introduced by Ptolemy I in Egypt, which combined aspects of Greek and Egyptian Gods. In India as well, it was only natural for the Greeks to create a single common divinity by combining the image of a Greek God-King (The Sun-God Apollo, or possibly the deified founder of the Indo-Greek Kingdom, Demetrius), with the traditional attributes of the Buddha. Many of the stylistic elements in the representations of the Buddha point to Greek influence: the Greco-Roman toga-like wavy robe covering both shoulders (more exactly, its lighter version, the Greek himation), the contrapposto stance of the upright figures (see: 1st2nd century Gandhara standing Buddhas[22]), the stylicized Mediterranean curly hair and topknot (ushnisha) apparently derived from the style of the Belvedere Apollo (330 BCE),[23] and the measured quality of the faces, all rendered with strong artistic realism (See: Greek art). A large quantity of sculptures combining Buddhist and purely Hellenistic styles and iconography were excavated at the Gandharan site of Hadda.

Several influential Greek Buddhist monks are recorded. Mahadharmaraksita (literally translated as 'Great Teacher/Preserver of the Dharma'), was "a Greek ("Yona") Buddhist head monk", according to the Mahavamsa (Chap. XXIX[24]), who led 30,000 Buddhist monks from "the Greek city of Alasandra" (Alexandria of the Caucasus, around 150km north of today's Kabul in Afghanistan), to Sri Lanka for the dedication of the Great Stupa in Anuradhapura during the rule (165 BC - 135 BC) of King Menander I. Dharmaraksita (Sanskrit), or Dhammarakkhita (Pali) (translation: Protected by the Dharma), was one of the missionaries sent by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka to proselytize the Buddhist faith. He is described as being a Greek (Pali: "Yona", lit. "Ionian") in the Mahavamsa.

A Buddhist gold coin from India was found in northern Afghanistan at the archaeological site of Tillia Tepe, and dated to the 1st century AD. On the reverse, it depicts a lion in the moving position with a nandipada in front of it, with the Kharoh legend "Sih[o] vigatabhay[o]" ("The lion who dispelled fear").

The Mahayana Buddhists symbolized Buddha with animals such as a lion, an elephant, a horse or a bull. A pair of feet was also used. The symbol called nandipada by archaeologists and historians is actually a composite symbol. The symbol at the top symbolizes the "Middle Path", the Buddha dhamma. The circle with a centre symbolizes cakka. Thus, the composite symbol symbolizes dhammacakka, the Buddhist Wheel of the Law. Thus, the symbols on the reverse of the coin jointly symbolize Buddha rolling the dhammacakka. In the "Lion Capital" of Saranath, India, Buddha rolling the dhammacakka is depicted on the wall of the cylinder with lion, elephant, horse and bull rolling the dhammacakkas. On the obverse, an almost naked man only wearing an Hellenistic chlamys and wearing a head-dress rolls a dhammacakka. The legend in Kharoh reads "Dharmacakrapravata[ko]" ("The one who turned the Wheel of the Law"). It has been suggested that this may be an early representation of the Buddha.[25]

The head-dress symbolizes the "Middle Path". Thus, the man with the head-dress is a person who adheres to the Middle Path. (In one of the Indus Valley seals, we find a similar head-dress worn by 9 women.)

Thus, on both sides of the coin, we find Buddha rolling the dhammacakka.

As no scientific study on literary and physical symbolization of Buddha and Buddhism was conducted by the archaeologists and historians, imaginary and false interpretations were only given on coins, seals, Brahmi and other inscriptions and other archaeological finds.

Several scholars have suggested that the Prajpramit stras, which are among the earliest Mahyna stras,[26][27] developed among the Mahsghika along the Ka River in the ndhra region of South India.[28]

The earliest Mahyna stras to include the very first versions of the Prajpramit genre, along with texts concerning Akobhya Buddha, which were probably written down in the 1st century BCE in the south of India.[29][30] Guang Xing states, "Several scholars have suggested that the Prajpramit probably developed among the Mahsghikas in southern India, in the ndhra country, on the Ka River."[31]A.K. Warder believes that "the Mahyna originated in the south of India and almost certainly in the ndhra country."[32]

Anthony Barber and Sree Padma note that "historians of Buddhist thought have been aware for quite some time that such pivotally important Mahayana Buddhist thinkers as Ngrjuna, Dignaga, Candrakrti, ryadeva, and Bhavaviveka, among many others, formulated their theories while living in Buddhist communities in ndhra."[33] They note that the ancient Buddhist sites in the lower Ka Valley, including Amaravati, Ngrjunako and Jaggayyapea "can be traced to at least the third century BCE, if not earlier."[34] Akira Hirakawa notes the "evidence suggests that many Early Mahayana scriptures originated in South India."[35]

The Fourth Council is said to have been convened in the reign of the Kashmir emperor Kanika around 100 AD at Jalandhar or in Kashmir. Theravda Buddhism had its own Fourth Council in Sri Lanka about 200 years earlier in which the Pli canon was written down in toto for the first time. Therefore, there were two Fourth Councils: one in Sri Lanka (Theravda), and one in Kashmir (Sarvstivdin).

It is said that for the Fourth Council of Kashmir, Kanika gathered 500 monks headed by Vasumitra, partly, it seems, to compile extensive commentaries on the Abhidharma, although it is possible that some editorial work was carried out upon the existing canon itself. Allegedly during the council there were altogether three hundred thousand verses and over nine million statements compiled, and it took twelve years to complete. The main fruit of this council was the compilation of the vast commentary known as the Mah-Vibhsh ("Great Exegesis"), an extensive compendium and reference work on a portion of the Sarvstivdin Abhidharma.

Scholars believe that it was also around this time that a significant change was made in the language of the Sarvstivdin canon, by converting an earlier Prakrit version into Sanskrit. Although this change was probably effected without significant loss of integrity to the canon, this event was of particular significance since Sanskrit was the sacred language of Brahmanism in India, and was also being used by other thinkers, regardless of their specific religious or philosophical allegiance, thus enabling a far wider audience to gain access to Buddhist ideas and practices. For this reason there was a growing tendency among Buddhist scholars in India thereafter to write their commentaries and treatises in Sanskrit. Many of the early schools, however, such as Theravda, never switched to Sanskrit, partly because Buddha explicitly forbade translation of his discourses into what was an elitist religious language (as Latin was in medieval Europe). He wanted his monks to use a local language instead - a language which could be understood by all. Over time, however, the language of the Theravdin scriptures (Pli) became a scholarly or elitist language as well, exactly opposite to what the Buddha had explicitly commanded.

From that point on, and in the space of a few centuries, Mahyna was to flourish and spread in the East from India to South-East Asia, and towards the north to Central Asia, China, Korea, and finally to Japan in 538 AD and Tibet in the 7th century.

After the end of the Kushans, Buddhism flourished in India during the dynasty of the Guptas (4th-6th century). Mahyna centers of learning were established, especially at Nland in north-eastern India, which was to become the largest and most influential Buddhist university for many centuries, with famous teachers such as Ngrjuna. The influence of the Gupta style of Buddhist art spread along with the faith from south-east Asia to China.

Indian Buddhism had weakened in the 6th century following the White Hun invasions and Mihirakula's persecution.

Xuanzang reported in his travels across India during the 7th century, of Buddhism being popular in Andhra, Dhanyakataka and Dravida, which area today roughly corresponds to the modern day Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.[36] While reporting many deserted stupas in the area around modern day Nepal and the persecution of Buddhists by Shashanka in the Kingdom of Gauda in modern-day West Bengal, Xuanzang complimented the patronage of Haravardana during the same period. After the Haravardana kingdom, the rise of many small kingdoms that led to the rise of the Rajputs across the gangetic plains and marked the end of Buddhist ruling clans along with a sharp decline in royal patronage until a revival under the Pla Empire in the Bengal region. Here Mahyna Buddhism flourished and spread to Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim between the 7th and the 12th centuries before the Plas collapsed under the assault of the Hindu Sena dynasty. The Plas created many temples and a distinctive school of Buddhist art. Xuanzang noted in his travels that in various regions Buddhism was giving way to Jainism and Hinduism.[37] By the 10th century Buddhism had experienced a sharp decline beyond the Pla realms in Bengal under a resurgent Hinduism and the incorporation in Vaishnavite Hinduism of Buddha as the 9th incarnation of Vishnu.[38]

A milestone in the decline of Indian Buddhism in the North occurred in 1193 when Turkic Islamic raiders under Muhammad Khilji burnt Nland. By the end of the 12th century, following the Islamic conquest of the Buddhist strongholds in Bihar and the loss of political support coupled with social pressures, the practice of Buddhism retreated to the Himalayan foothills in the North and Sri Lanka in the south. Additionally, the influence of Buddhism also waned due to Hinduism's revival movements such as Advaita, the rise of the bhakti movement and the missionary work of Sufis.

Central Asia had been influenced by Buddhism probably almost since the time of the Buddha. According to a legend preserved in Pli, the language of the Theravdin canon, two merchant brothers from Bactria named Tapassu and Bhallika visited the Buddha and became his disciples. They then returned to Bactria and built temples to the Buddha.[39]

Central Asia long played the role of a meeting place between China, India and Persia. During the 2nd century BC, the expansion of the Former Han to the west brought them into contact with the Hellenistic civilizations of Asia, especially the Greco-Bactrian Kingdoms. Thereafter, the expansion of Buddhism to the north led to the formation of Buddhist communities and even Buddhist kingdoms in the oases of Central Asia. Some Silk Road cities consisted almost entirely of Buddhist stupas and monasteries, and it seems that one of their main objectives was to welcome and service travelers between east and west.

The Theravdin traditions first spread among the Iranian tribes before combining with the Mahyna forms during the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC to cover modern-day Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. These were the ancient states of Gandhra, Bactria, Margiana and Sogdia, from where it spread to China. Among the first of these states to come under the influence of Buddhism was Bactria as early as the 3rd century BC (see Greco-Buddhism). It was not, however, the exclusive faith of this region. There were also Zoroastrians, Hindus, Nestorian Christians, Jews, Manichaeans, and followers of shamanism, Tengrism, and other indigenous, nonorganized systems of belief.

Various Nikya schools persisted in Central Asia and China until around the 7th century AD. Mahyna started to become dominant during the period, but since the faith had not developed a Nikaya approach, Sarvstivdins and Dharmaguptakas remained the Vinayas of choice in Central Asian monasteries.

Various Buddhist kingdoms rose and prospered in both the Central Asian region and downwards into the Indian sub-continent, such as the Kushan Empire, prior to the White Hun invasion in the 5th century, where under the King Mihirakula they were heavily persecuted.

Buddhism in Central Asia started to decline with the expansion of Islam and the destruction of many stupas in war from the 7th century. The Muslims accorded them the status of dhimmis as "people of the Book", such as Christianity or Judaism, and Al-Biruni wrote of Buddha as prophet "burxan".

Buddhism saw a surge during the reign of Mongols following the invasion of Genghis Khan and the establishment of the Il Khanate and the Chagatai Khanate who brought their Buddhist influence with them during the 13th century; however, within 100 years the Mongols who remained in that region would convert to Islam and spread Islam across all the regions of central Asia. Only the eastern Mongols and the Mongols of the Yuan dynasty would keep Vajrayna Buddhism.

Buddhism expanded westward into the easternmost fringes of Arsacid Parthia, to the area of Merv, in ancient Margiana, today's territory of Turkmenistan. Soviet archeological teams have excavated in Giaur Kala near Merv a Buddhist chapel, a gigantic Buddha statue and a monastery.

Parthians were directly involved in the propagation of Buddhism: An Shigao (c. 148 AD), a Parthian prince, went to China, and is the first known translator of Buddhist scriptures into Chinese.

The eastern part of central Asia (Chinese Turkestan, Tarim Basin, Xinjiang) has revealed extremely rich Buddhist works of art (wall paintings and reliefs in numerous caves, portable paintings on canvas, sculpture, ritual objects), displaying multiple influences from Indian and Hellenistic cultures. Serindian art is highly reminiscent of the Gandhran style, and scriptures in the Gandhri script Kharoh have been found.

Central Asians seem to have played a key role in the transmission of Buddhism to the East. The first translators of Buddhists scriptures into Chinese were Parthian (Ch: Anxi) like An Shigao (c. 148 AD) or An Hsuan, Kushan of Yuezhi ethnicity like Lokaksema (c. 178 AD), Zhi Qian and Zhi Yao or Sogdians like Kang Sengkai. Thirty-seven early translators of Buddhist texts are known, and the majority of them have been identified as Central Asians.

Central Asian and East Asian Buddhist monks appear to have maintained strong exchanges until around the 10th century, as shown by frescoes from the Tarim Basin.

These influences were rapidly absorbed, however, by the vigorous Chinese culture, and a strongly Chinese particularism develops from that point.

According to traditional accounts, Buddhism was introduced in China during the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) after an emperor dreamed of a flying golden man thought to be the Buddha. Although the archaeological record confirms that Buddhism was introduced sometime during the Han dynasty, it did not flourish in China until the Six Dynasties period (220-589 AD).[43]

The year 67 AD saw Buddhism's official introduction to China with the coming of the two monks Moton and Chufarlan. In 68 AD, under imperial patronage, they established the White Horse Temple (), which still exists today, close to the imperial capital at Luoyang. By the end of the 2nd century, a prosperous community had settled at Pengcheng (modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu).

The first known Mahyna scriptural texts are translations into Chinese by the Kushan monk Lokakema in Luoyang, between 178 and 189 AD. Some of the earliest known Buddhist artifacts found in China are small statues on "money trees", dated c. 200 AD, in typical Gandhran drawing style: "That the imported images accompanying the newly arrived doctrine came from Gandhra is strongly suggested by such early Gandhra characteristics on this "money tree" Buddha as the high unia, vertical arrangement of the hair, moustache, symmetrically looped robe and parallel incisions for the folds of the arms."[44]

In the period between 460-525 AD during the Northern Wei dynasty, the Chinese constructed Yungang Grottoes, and it's an outstanding example of the Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. All together the site is composed of 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddha statues and statuettes.

Another famous Buddhism Grottoes is Longmen Grottoes which started with the Northern Wei Dynasty in 493 AD. There are as many as 100,000 statues within the 1,400 caves, ranging from an 1 inch (25 mm) to 57 feet (17 m) in height. The area also contains nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, whence the name "Forest of Ancient Stelae", as well as over sixty Buddhist pagodas.

Buddhism flourished during the beginning of the Tang Dynasty (618907). The dynasty was initially characterized by a strong openness to foreign influences and renewed exchanges with Indian culture due to the numerous travels of Chinese Buddhist monks to India from the 4th to the 11th centuries. The Tang capital of Chang'an (today's Xi'an) became an important center for Buddhist thought. From there Buddhism spread to Korea, and Japanese embassies of Kentoshi helped gain footholds in Japan.

However, foreign influences came to be negatively perceived towards the end of the Tang Dynasty. In the year 845, the Tang emperor Wuzong outlawed all "foreign" religions including Christian Nestorianism, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism in order to support the indigenous Taoism. Throughout his territory, he confiscated Buddhist possessions, destroyed monasteries and temples, and executed Buddhist monks, ending Buddhism's cultural and intellectual dominance.

However, about a hundred years after the Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution, Buddhism revived during the Song Dynasty (11271279).

Pure Land and Chan Buddhism, however, continued to prosper for some centuries, the latter giving rise to Japanese Zen. In China, Chan flourished particularly under the Song dynasty (11271279), when its monasteries were great centers of culture and learning.

In the last two thousand years, the Buddhist have built The Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism, they are Mount Wutai, Mount Emei, Mount Jiuhua, Mount Putuo.

Today, China boasts one of the richest collections of Buddhist arts and heritages in the world. UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang in Gansu province, the Longmen Grottoes near Luoyang in Henan province, the Yungang Grottoes near Datong in Shanxi province, and the Dazu Rock Carvings near Chongqing are among the most important and renowned Buddhist sculptural sites. The Leshan Giant Buddha, carved out of a hillside in the 8th century during the Tang Dynasty and looking down on the confluence of three rivers, is still the largest stone Buddha statue in the world.

Buddhism was introduced around 372 AD, when Chinese ambassadors visited the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, bringing scriptures and images. Buddhism prospered in Korea - in particular Seon (Zen) Buddhism from the 7th century onward. However, with the beginning of the Confucian Yi Dynasty of the Joseon period in 1392, a strong discrimination took place against Buddhism until it was almost completely eradicated, except for a remaining Seon movement.

The Buddhism of Japan was introduced from Three Kingdoms of Korea in the 6th century. The Chinese priest Ganjin offered the system of Vinaya to the Buddhism of Japan in 754. As a result, the Buddhism of Japan has developed rapidly. Saich and Kkai succeeded to a legitimate Buddhism from China in the 9th century.

Being geographically at the end of the Silk Road, Japan was able to preserve many aspects of Buddhism at the very time it was disappearing in India, and being suppressed in Central Asia and China.

The Buddhism quickly became a national religion and thrived, particularly under Shotoku Taishi (Prince Shotoku) during Asuka period (538-794). From 710, numerous temples and monasteries were built in the capital city of Nara, such as the five-story pagoda and Golden Hall of the Hry-ji, or the Kfuku-ji temple. Countless paintings and sculptures were made, often under governmental sponsorship. The creations of Japanese Buddhist art were especially rich between the 8th and 13th centuries during Nara period(710-794), Heian period(794-1185) and Kamakura period(1185-1333).

During Kamakura period, major reformation activities started, namely changing from Buddhism for the imperial court to the Buddhism for the common people. The traditional Buddhism mostly focused on the protection of the country, imperial house or noble families from the ill spirits and salvation of the imperial families, nobles and monks themselves (self-salvation). On the other hand, new sects such as Jodo shu (pure land sect) founded by Honen and Jodo Shinshu (true pure land sect) founded by Shinran, Honen's disciple, emphasized salvation of sinners, common men and women and even criminals such as murderers of parents. Shinran preached the commoners by teaching that saying nembutsu (prayer of Amida Buddha) is a declaration of faith in Amida's salvation. Also for the first time in the history of Buddhism, Shinran started a new sect allowing marriage of monks by initiating his own marriage, which was deemed as taboo from the traditional Buddhism.

Another development in Kamakura period was Zen, by the introduction of the faith by Dogen and Eisai upon their return from China. Zen is highly philosophical with simplified words reflecting deep thought, but, in the art history, it is mainly characterized by so-called zen art, original paintings (such as ink wash and the Enso) and poetry (especially haikus), striving to express the true essence of the world through impressionistic and unadorned "non-dualistic" representations. The search for enlightenment "in the moment" also led to the development of other important derivative arts such as the Chanoyu tea ceremony or the Ikebana art of flower arrangement. This evolution went as far as considering almost any human activity as an art with a strong spiritual and aesthetic content, first and foremost in those activities related to combat techniques (martial arts).

Buddhism remains active in Japan to this day. Around 80,000 Buddhist temples are preserved and regularly restored.

Buddhism arrived late in Tibet, during the 7th century. The form that predominated, via the south of Tibet, was a blend of mahyna and vajrayna from the universities of the Pla empire of the Bengal region in eastern India.[45]Sarvstivdin influence came from the south west (Kashmir)[46] and the north west (Khotan).[47] Although these practitioners did not succeed in maintaining a presence in Tibet, their texts found their way into the Tibetan Buddhist canon, providing the Tibetans with almost all of their primary sources about the Foundation Vehicle. A subsect of this school, Mlasarvstivda was the source of the Tibetan Vinaya.[48] Chan Buddhism was introduced via east Tibet from China and left its impression, but was rendered of lesser importance by early political events.[49]

From the outset Buddhism was opposed by the native shamanistic Bon religion, which had the support of the aristocracy, but with royal patronage it thrived to a peak under King Rlpachn (817-836). Terminology in translation was standardised around 825, enabling a translation methodology that was highly literal. Despite a reversal in Buddhist influence which began under King Langdarma (836-842), the following centuries saw a colossal effort in collecting available Indian sources, many of which are now extant only in Tibetan translation. Tibetan Buddhism was favored above other religions by the rulers of imperial Chinese and Mongol Yuan Dynasty (12711368).

During the 1st century AD, the trade on the overland Silk Road tended to be restricted by the rise in the Middle-East of the Parthian empire, an unvanquished enemy of Rome, just as Romans were becoming extremely wealthy and their demand for Asian luxury was rising. This demand revived the sea connections between the Mediterranean and China, with India as the intermediary of choice. From that time, through trade connection, commercial settlements, and even political interventions, India started to strongly influence Southeast Asian countries (excluding Vietnam). Trade routes linked India with southern Burma, central and southern Siam, islands of Sumatra and Java, lower Cambodia and Champa, and numerous urbanized coastal settlements were established there.

For more than a thousand years, Indian influence was therefore the major factor that brought a certain level of cultural unity to the various countries of the region. The Pli and Sanskrit languages and the Indian script, together with Theravda and Mahyna Buddhism, Brahmanism, and Hinduism, were transmitted from direct contact and through sacred texts and Indian literature such as the Rmyaa and the Mahbhrata.

From the 5th to the 13th centuries, South-East Asia had very powerful empires and became extremely active in Buddhist architectural and artistic creation. The main Buddhist influence now came directly by sea from the Indian subcontinent, so that these empires essentially followed the Mahyna faith. The Sri Vijaya Empire to the south and the Khmer Empire to the north competed for influence, and their art expressed the rich Mahyna pantheon of the bodhisattvas.

Srivijaya, a maritime empire centered at Palembang on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, adopted Mahyna and Vajrayna Buddhism under a line of rulers named the Sailendras. Yijing described Palembang as a great center of Buddhist learning where the emperor supported over a thousand monks at his court. Yijing also testified to the importance of Buddhism as early as the year 671 and advised future Chinese pilgrims to spend a year or two in Palembang.[50]Atia studied there before travelling to Tibet as a missionary.

As Srivijaya expanded their thalassocracy, Buddhism thrived amongst its people. However, many did not practice pure Buddhism but a new syncretism form of Buddhism that incorporated several different religions such as Hinduism and other indigenous traditions.[51]

Srivijaya spread Buddhist art during its expansion in Southeast Asia. Numerous statues of bodhisattvas from this period are characterized by a very strong refinement and technical sophistication, and are found throughout the region. Extremely rich architectural remains are visible at the temple of Borobudur the largest Buddhist structure in the world, built from around 780 in Java, which has 505 images of the seated Buddha. Srivijaya declined due to conflicts with the Hindu Chola rulers of India, before being destabilized by the Islamic expansion from the 13th century.

Later, from the 9th to the 13th centuries, the Mahyna Buddhist and Hindu Khmer Empire dominated much of the South-East Asian peninsula. Under the Khmer, more than 900 temples were built in Cambodia and in neighboring Thailand. Angkor was at the center of this development, with a temple complex and urban organization able to support around one million urban dwellers. One of the greatest Khmer kings, Jayavarman VII (11811219), built large Mahyna Buddhist structures at Bayon and Angkor Thom.

Buddhism in Vietnam as practiced by the Vietnamese is mainly of Mahyna tradition. Buddhism came from Vietnam as early as the 2nd century AD through the North from Central Asia via India. Vietnamese Buddhism is very similar to Chinese Buddhism and to some extent reflects the structure of Chinese Buddhism after the Song Dynasty. Vietnamese Buddhism also has a symbiotic relationship with Taoism, Chinese spirituality and the native Vietnamese religion.

Various classes of Vajrayana literature developed as a result of royal courts sponsoring both Buddhism and Saivism.[52] The Majusrimulakalpa, which later came to classified under Kriyatantra, states that mantras taught in the Shaiva, Garuda and Vaishnava tantras will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by Manjushri.[53] The Guhyasiddhi of Padmavajra, a work associated with the Guhyasamaja tradition, prescribes acting as a Shaiva guru and initiating members into Saiva Siddhanta scriptures and mandalas.[54] The Samvara tantra texts adopted the pitha list from the Shaiva text Tantrasadbhava, introducing a copying error where a deity was mistaken for a place.[55]

From the 11th century, the destruction of Buddhism in the Indian mainland by Islamic invasions led to the decline of the Mahyna faith in South-East Asia. Continental routes through the Indian subcontinent being compromised, direct sea routes developed from the Middle-East through Sri Lanka to China, leading to the adoption of the Theravda Buddhism of the Pli canon, introduced to the region around the 11th century from Sri Lanka.

King Anawrahta (10441078); the founder of the Pagan Empire, unified the country and adopted the Theravdin Buddhist faith. This initiated the creation of thousands of Buddhist temples at Pagan, the capital, between the 11th and 13th centuries. Around 2,200 of them are still standing. The power of the Burmese waned with the rise of the Thai, and with the seizure of the capital Pagan by the Mongols in 1287, but Theravda Buddhism remained the main Burmese faith to this day.

The Theravda faith was also adopted by the newly founded ethnic Thai kingdom of Sukhothai around 1260. Theravda Buddhism was further reinforced during the Ayutthaya period (14th18th century), becoming an integral part of Thai society.

In the continental areas, Theravda Buddhism continued to expand into Laos and Cambodia in the 13th century. From the 14th century, however, on the coastal fringes and in the islands of south-east Asia, the influence of Islam proved stronger, expanding into Malaysia, Indonesia, and most of the islands as far as the southern Philippines.

Nevertheless, since Suharto's rise to power in 1966, there has been a remarkable renaissance of Buddhism in Indonesia. This is partly due to the requirements of Suharto's New Order for the people of Indonesia to adopt one of the five official religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism or Buddhism. Today it is estimated there are some 10 million Buddhists in Indonesia. A large part of them are people of Chinese ancestry.

After the Classical encounters between Buddhism and the West recorded in Greco-Buddhist art, information and legends about Buddhism seem to have reached the West sporadically. An account of Buddha's life was translated into Greek by John of Damascus, and widely circulated to Christians as the story of Barlaam and Josaphat. By the 14th century this story of Josaphat had become so popular that he was made a Catholic saint.

The next direct encounter between Europeans and Buddhism happened in Medieval times when the Franciscan friar William of Rubruck was sent on an embassy to the Mongol court of Mongke by the French king Saint Louis in 1253. The contact happened in Cailac (today's Qayaliq in Kazakhstan), and William originally thought they were wayward Christians (Foltz, "Religions of the Silk Road").

In the period after Hulagu, the Mongol Ilkhans increasingly adopted Buddhism. Numerous Buddhist temples dotted the landscape of Persia and Iraq, none of which survived the 14th century. The Buddhist element of the Il-Khanate died with Arghun.[56]

The Kalmyk Khanate was founded in the 17th century with Tibetan Buddhism as its main religion, following the earlier migration of the Oirats from Dzungaria through Central Asia to the steppe around the mouth of the Volga River. During the course of the 18th century, they were absorbed by the Russian Empire.[57] At the end of the Napoleonic wars, Kalmyk cavalry units in Russian service entered Paris.[58]

Interest in Buddhism increased during the colonial era, when Western powers were in a position to witness the faith and its artistic manifestations in detail. The opening of Japan in 1853 created a considerable interest in the arts and culture of Japan, and provided access to one of the most thriving Buddhist cultures in the world.

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History of Buddhism - Wikipedia

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I. Loved. This. Place. The venue, the customer service, and the creative plates (and desserts). This is a "mom & pop," "hole-in-the-wall" type place. I loved the homey vibes and the owner was in the back preparing the plates. Lots of little trinkets for purchase as well as a "To-GO" refrigerator section. I didn't expect to find a raw-vegan restaurant along the outskirts of Chicago, glad I gave this place a try. I will be back!!!!

Karim and Irina, the owners, are two of the most fabulous, loving, kind, and warm people you will ever have the chance to meet. They take so much pride in their beautiful cafe, but also embody this idea of health and wellness, and it simply radiates from the two of them.I would love to compliment their food in the highest regard! Each and every item I have ever ordered has always been prepared with love, and has left me feeling so energized and full of life by the time I am finished. So much care and attention to detail goes into every dish, every juice, every smoothie, and even the water they serve. Enhancing its properties with pieces of Quartz and Shungite. They truly care for their guests well being, and create such a harmonious and loving energetic space for all to be welcomed into!They have a little section of goods in the store too, available for shopping. They sell everything from stones to health foods, to body products, all vegan and environmentally friendly.The Hemp Burger is delicious, and their Burrito is my absolute favorite. I enjoyed the Blue Mountain juice the last time I was there. The blue green algae and fresh peppermint left my palate with a wonderful zing! Irina is a fabulous baker and has so many little sweets and treats to choose from aswell. Their raw vegan "cheesecake" is so fantastic, as are the individual CBD chocolates they sell.I love this place, and hope everyone who reads this review will stop in there. You will be so happy that you did! 🙂

I've been a vegetarian for 10 years, and am working towards being vegan, so I am always looking for new places in the city and the burbs, and had been eyeing Purple Sprout for months. I'm so glad I finally made it in!! The food was refreshing, and a much needed change from the typical "vegan junk food" restaurants you would find in the city (not hating on those places, but sometimes I prefer to walk out of a restaurant without a food baby). I loved that they even purify their water with different elements, such as crystals, to detoxify, and boost positivity. Seriously some awesome vibes in this place! They even have a grab and go section along with an entire wall filled with homemade soaps, knickknacks and what not.Service was phenomenal and anyone who complains about the portion sizes in their review should probably rethink how much they are consuming in one meal. I was plenty full after my meal, and it was the first time I had eaten all day. Pricing is on point for the food, especially since its fresh and organic ($48 for two meals and two drinks - no different than if you were to go to a regular restaurant to stuff your face with processed food and a glass of wine). I had the braised seitan that comes with the house mash and a salad, and I also ordered their Fountain of Youth juice (kale, apple, parsley, celery, ginger and lemon). My friend(non-veg) had the same meal, and a smoothie, and he loved his as well. Highly recommend even if you're not a veg! I will be back 🙂

Recently vegan (3 weeks) n wanted to try out some vegan places. This was our second vegan place and being vegan is starting to look scary. Order quite a bit so we can try a bit of everything but the only thing that was half decent was the waffle. It had kinda liked this mealiness texture n liked the flavor of the drizzle on top. SushiNot freshly made. Was in their "grab n go" fridge. Instead of rice they rolled it with chopped almonds n veggies. Popped one in my mouth n all I tasted was ginger. Kept chewing n found something super tough. Pulled it out n it was the nori (seaweed). Refrigerated nori?? I should have known better. Hemp burger with beet ketchupDef not a "burger" you are use to. So if your recently vegan, don't get the burger. Way too different from a reg burger you may have been used to. Braised seitan plateWas ok but loved the pure that it came with!!One thing I've noticed so far is that vegan food is really quite expensive for having no meat in it. And I also found that making vegan meals at home is much more tastier than what we've encountered so far.

Went here with my best friend for my early birthday brunch and loved the food!Oil free option!!!! We had the amazing gf waffle and the burrito with the bean sausage. All vegan, gluten free and OIL FREE!! Delicious healthy food that is worth it. Will definitely be back again and can't wait till there are oil free dessert options also available:) You will not be disappointed if your looking for healthy food that is completely Vegan!! Can't wait to try the heavenly waffle and enchiladas plate.

Great little place if you are trying to be vegan like I am....dont be in a hurry as everything is carefully made to order....super high quality food very well worth the prices....This is the future of food....they might be ahead of their time.....come support them and the plant based food movement..peace.

This is my favorite restaurant ever and I've only been here twice. I've tried the Blue Mountain juice, lettuce wraps, hemp burger, burrito, enchiladas, strawberry cheesecake, and wheatgrass shots. Everything is AMAZING. Best vegan food. Best food in general. Everything tastes fresh, healthy, complex yet simple and delicious. Customer service is amazing and gives advice and answers questions. This place is a sanctuary for those who are vegan, those care about the earth and their health. So many options! Friendly, warm environment! There are even some groceries you can buy, lots of business cards, signs w info about local vegan/plantbased/ mindfulness/ wellbeing groups. It's a little pricey compared to the standard restaurant, but you're getting high-quality, local, fresh, nutritionally dense food! Definitely worth it!

I enjoyed my visit at the Purple sprout cafe it was on my book marks and am very interested in healthy clean eating . I came on a Sunday morning and was greeted by this beautiful child unlocking the door. I entered a very clean interesting cafe . I spoke to the brain child behind this clean interesting place, Irina . She is very passionate and knowledgeable about nutrition. The restaurant was playing nice relaxing music as I dined on a garbanzo vegetable crpe . Irina was kind enough to write a detailed description of what the crpe was made of but I misplaced the paper . So I believe it was made with two types of lentil flour and had a sesame creme. Inside was celery carrots avocado. It was an interesting vegan choice. As I continued to eat this I started to really enjoy it. It had something that was fermented and really tantalized my tastebuds. She was very gracious and not only did I receive a chickory coffee for checking in she gave me a beautiful hand made dark chocolate that was sugar free. It was very rich and satisfying. I was going to save it and give it to my dear friend who is very healthy so she offered one more for myself. I never care for artificial sweetener and they used agave nectar which made it taste like a wonderful decadent chocolate. Nothing artificial about this .If you guys want something tasty and HEALTHY check this place out. Irina is very passionate & interesting about her foods, without being to invasive or overbearing. I enjoyed my visit and chatting with her.It's a cool little place to visit and look forward to coming back. I felt very energetic after eating here and am possibly thinking of being a temporary vegan or pescatarian . I was a vegan once for 6 months . I think the recipes and flavors have really evolved in the last three years. So I'm pretty sure I'll be back here sooner then later. Check it out!!

OMG. I love it. Purple Sprout is my dream restaurant. Go here and lose your mind (in a good way). WE NEED MORE PEOPLE/PLACES DOING THIS. Irina is a goddess! *chickpea scramble *veggie stir-fry w/ lentil chorizo TRY THEM^

I got a wheat grass shot and green juice to start. The veggie burger and sweet potato fries were amazing. The owner Irina was very nice. I was able to get work done with the wifi.

Wow what a blessing to find this gem in the neighborhood. I came in today for the first time and was welcomed, they even allowed my son to play with some toy trucks while I shopped. I love there smoothies, they are so delicious. I had a burrito too and it was enormous and so incredibly good. It was a joy to eat and to know it was good for me. Kudos to the chef. I will be back tomorrow morning, yup it was that good plus I signed up for a 5 day meal plan. I did pick up some fresh cream cheese and homemade bread that I'm sure my kids will love especially the strawberry flavor. I also got fresh almond milk and some frozen meals! Oh and the coconut balls are awesome! I will def buy more of those!! So happy! Thank you Irina.

I love that they Opened a healthy place to eat in Wheeling. Came here with few family members. Ordered green smoothie which was pure water,banana,spinach , dates and kiwi. Was really good I especially loved the little chunks of dates that were in it. I also ordered tofu kabobs with brown rice. It was very good and also surprisingly very filling and lots of flavor! Overall this place was really good. Just bit pricey but then again everything here is good for you.

Heavenly GF Crepe is amazing!!! Delicious crepe filled with banana, topped with strawberries, pears, ice cream and chocolate syrup. Vegan and zero calories... well ok not the calories part!! The menu has a perfect balance between sweet and savory. The chickory coffee was delish. It was crowded when i came so there was a bit of a wait, but well worth it and ill be back again!!

Traveling for work and picked Purple Sprout, as it was close the business park I was visiting. Food was really good - it was a bit chaotic to figure out ordering (some things on menu weren't being made, etc..), but I appreciated the care and love that the owners clearly had for the food they are putting out. I was a raw foodist for many years, even founded a raw food company - So I think it was extra special to me, as it brought back a lot of memories from my days in Northern California. I'd definitely come back if I'm in the area again!

My new favorite restaurant! The menu is varied and the dishes are creative. We tried the sprouted lentil chorizo enchiladas and the veggie burger, and both were delicious. The enchiladas came with very nicely flavored fluffy rice, a cabbage slaw, and the best tasting refried black beans I've had in ages. The beans were my favorite part of the dish. The veggie burger had a fantastic whole grain bun and microgreens, with a slightly sweet beet spread. I normally hate beets with a fiery passion, but it really worked for this dish. The chef clearly understands how to properly balance a vegan meal, and I think even health conscious meat eaters will really enjoy the plant based dishes. There are 2 downsides to Purple Sprout that kept me from giving 5 stars. One is that they are way understaffed, and when we came in only one person was working. She had to do everything herself, including cashier duties and cooking. Everything is handmade from scratch, so the wait for food is super long. Give yourself plenty of time to eat here. The other issue is price, sort of. This place is not cheap but if you consider the fact that everything is organic and that each dish contains many different ingredients, I actually think the price is fair. Just be aware that it's a little expensive.

First time here. The owners were very nice and very accommodating to our requests. Told them it was our first visit and the woman went on to explain product and foods in great detail, which I very much appreciated due to the fact that I am new to this way of eating. I ordered the hemp burger & my husband ordered the avocado salad and the sweet potato sliders. All was spot on and flavorful. We also split a mango smoothie, we didn't care for much, maybe because it was warm, better maybe if it were ice cold. The cost was kind of expensive, but it was worth it because the food was good & it's very difficult to find places that specialize in this type of food. I will definitely return.

Great food, real food. Presentation of the Chick pea crepe was great.Next time I fly into Chicago executive I will definitely stop in!

So so so good!!! I got the hemp burger and loved it! I would recommend this to everyone and I promise you won't be disappointed 🙂 also it's such a cute place with great service and raw desserts.

Very good experience. Small cafe and the owners are really nice. They have a variety of options, all vegan. Tried the hemp burger and their sweet potato fries and a deep green smoothie. Hemp burger was good (highly recommend trying it with the sunflower cheese) as well as the sweet potato fries. The green smoothie tasted as it sounds; green, which was hard to get down, but #health. But the chocolate smoothie, I as well as my friends enjoyed.It was on the more expensive side, but they are a recently opened cafe and they are serving alot of fresh and hard to come by ingredients. They also serve raw desserts.

They were very nice! The atmosphere strange! It could be like a relaxing and fun place! But it just is a counter to order! Bright lights and uncomfortable seats! Slow service!The food was ok! Very small portions and the juice shots were very expensive! But i did not expect them to taste good! But i feel sure they are good for you!Everything seems to be the same, and we tried a lot of different things!We were so glad to have a vegan restaurant in Wheeling! But i am hoping they up their game!We may give it another shot someday! But they are no heartland cafe!Sorry! I do not want to be so harsh!If they invite us back and the food is better, we would love to give them a great review!I really hope they do well!

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Purple Sprout Cafe - Wheeling, IL - Yelp

What Exactly is Personal Development?

Personal development is the process of self-enhancement that can occur individually or under the guidance of a mentor, teacher or personal development coach. The field of personal development is ancient and history reveals that it is an ongoing area of research and understanding as each generation faces new challenges an opportunities. There are a variety of online and in-person learning programs, training programs, books, audios, and videos. Each of which share different perspectives, tools, techniques, and methods to enhance ones personal development. The key premise behind personal development is intentionality: the intent to change ones circumstances or effectiveness based upon specific, measurable criteria. In most activities this affects an individuals health, wealth, relationships and spirituality. To begin with, there must be an initial intake using specific criteria to establish where you are currently and this is contrasted with ones desired outcomes. This process reveals the missing resources that the individual must personally develop. The resulting objectives, goals and benchmarks can be used as milestones that demonstrate progress upon a persons personal development path. Both failures and successes upon this development path provide a feedback system in real time. A personal development coach helps the coachee to effectively evaluate the feedback and make adjustments accordingly so as to stay on track.

It is generally assumed that personal development mixed with psychology when Alfred Adler and Carl Jung made their respective impacts upon psychology. Alfred Adler is recorded as one of the first psychologists to not limit psychology to just analysis that focused upon past childhood circumstances or unconscious drives as derived from the Freudian psychotherapy model. Adler also defined the concept of lifestyle, which is a persons overall approach to life including how they face problems, their self-image and general attitude toward life. Carl Jung brought to psychology the notion of the process of individuation. This is the individuals drive to experience a sense of wholeness and internal balance. Later, Daniel Levinson developed a model of seven life stages that has come to be known as the lifecycle. Within the lifecycle, each individual is unconciously influenced by the aspirations of an ideal life; the Dream.

David Starr Jordan Professor Emeritus of Social Science in Psychology at Stanford University, Albert Bandura has revealed through his research that personal development is an effective approach to goal achievement because of the internal resources it creates within the individual. One of the primary resources each individual who proactively begins a self-directed personal development path or personal development coaching is self-confidence. Self-confidence, according to Bandura, is an important predictive quality supporting individual success because within the individual it: creates the context of anticipated success; it allows for controlled risks and challenging goals; it encourages continued attempts in the face of failure; and it empowers one to control non-beneficial emotions.

The educational researcher in the field of student affairs, Arthur Chickering, outlined seven import points of personal development that should be experienced by university students:

The application of personal development within academia can be seen in the following disciplines:

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs reveals self-actualization at the top of the pyramid, signifying a human beings desire to be more and be everything that an individual has the capacity to become. It is interesting to think that Maslow estimated only a small percentage of the population were actually concerned with self-actualization, individuation and personal development. The remainder of the population would be solely interested in the lower levels such as financial security and personal needs being met. With the growth and globalization of the worlds economy, it becomes less the responsibility of corporations to ensure the personal development of their employees and more so the responsibility of the employee to ensure she or he is well suited for a position. Peter Drucker stated the following in the Harvard Business Review (source):

We live in an age of unprecedented opportunity: if youve got ambition and smarts, you can rise to the top of your chosen profession, regardless of where you started out. But with opportunity comes responsibility. Companies today arent managing their employees careers; knowledge workers must, effectively, be their own chief executive officers. Its up to you to carve out your place, to know when to change course, and to keep yourself engaged and productive during a work life that may span some 50 years.

It can be generalized that corporate personal development programs can be divided into two categories: employee benefits and development strategies. The purpose behind employee benefits personal development coaching programs is to enhance motivation, create employee loyalty and improve job satisfaction. Such personal development programs focus upon: time management, work and life balance, stress management, leadership, and the personal discovery that can occur in sports, martial arts, NLP coaching, hypnosis, personal finance, yoga, meditation, etc. Regarding development strategies, these often overlap with professional development goals. Often programs are created or consultants and personal development trainers brought in to enhance productivity, inspire innovation or motivate employees to enhance the quality of their work. The overall interests benefit the employees but more so benefit the long term development goals of the organization. In this sense, it is a win-win scenario because the company can look at enhancing one or all of the following factors: increase performance, reduce costs, or increase revenues. While the employees receive training and resources to better ensure job stability and enhance performance.

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Life Coaching | Personal Development Coaching

Learn the peak performance secrets that Tony Robbins has used to transform the world class business leaders, athletes and entertainers. Imagine you are no longer controlled by fear and limitations, how would your life be different? What goals and dreams would you set to achieve?

Knowing what you want is important, but having the right strategies and mindsets to get from where you are to where you want to be is crucial. On this day you will learn how to condition for success, how to develop a clear target and master the powerful skills necessary and utilize your potential and resources to achieve your goals.

Learning how to model the best strategies to get consistent results that you desire is what this day is about. You will also learn to replace limiting beliefs with empowering beliefs and create triggers to get you follow through your plans.

Your health and energy are the most important factors when it comes to mastering your life and achieving success. However, we often neglect this. On this day you will discover the psychological and nutritional strategies to increase your energy and boost your immune system and experience the vibrant health and energy that you deserve.

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A belief is a feeling of certainty about what something really means to you. When you say you believe in something, it means you feel certain about it. Human behavior is belief-driven and our beliefs control our actions. All beliefs carry with them consequences. If someone does something, they have a reason or reasons, even when they don't know it consciously.

These 3 beliefs are very important to have when you want to create lasting change. They are:

#1. Change is a MUST

You have to believe something MUST change, not something SHOULD change. If you say you should change something, chances are it will never happen. When you should do something, you only do it when it's convenient, and you don't do it consistently. Change has to be a total absolute MUST.

#2. I must change it

You must be responsible for your change. For example, you want to lose weight and get fit, you cannot hire someone to do it for you. You must be the one who do it. It cannot be based on someone else. Here's what you need to say to yourself: "It must change and I must change it."

#3. I can change it

If you don't believe you can do it, you will not put all your energy and effort to get the result because you think it will not work. For you to really get the results that you want, you must believe that you can. Image you want to go to a different city that you've never been to and your belief is like the map. Let's say your map is wrong and it guarantees that you will never get to your destination. Will you get to your destination? Of course no. So having the right belief is like having the right map to get to your dream destination.

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