Self-improvement is a journey. A pleasant, exciting and rewarding journey; and its taking you from the acorn to the oak tree, from the brook to the river, from a blank canvas to a masterpiece: the best YOU.

Because you are here, I guess, you already started your self-improvement journey, or you have a strong desire to do so.

Either way, you have made the first step, and that counts the most because this first step is the moment when you realize how amazing you can be, how beautiful and fulfilled your life can be, how great, rewarding and inspiring can be your contribution to a better world.

When your boss, your friends or whoever else is changing around you, your life is pretty much the same. When you are changing, then, your life is changing.

You grow and become extraordinary in life by accomplishing the most ordinary things.

Be like a river that starts its journey from a shallow brook and ends it into the deep ocean, or an acorn that becomes a majestic oak tree.

Allow yourself to become whoever you want to become.

If there is destiny, know that it has more than one version, and it is up to you which version of your destiny you get to live. Your desire to improve yourself is setting the course and the pathway of your destiny.

Your life belongs to you.

Are you living up to your potential?

Are you living the best version of your destiny?

Are you putting forward the best you?

Life is a gift. A gift that only a small minority of seeds receive.

Self-improvement is about honoring that gift; making the most out of it, building a happy, prosperous life and contributing to the well-being of others along the way.

We are living amazing times; your personal growth can make a change not only in your life but also can be powerful motivation for others.

Join us, so you dont have to walk alone in your journey.

On selfimprovement.org you can find in-depth information and self improvement tips.

For example, well talk about:

Allow us to walk with you on your journey to self-improvement, success and become the best version of yourself.

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Self-Improvement Tips for a Happy, Prosperous and ...

By Remez Sasson

Nowadays, there is a growing interest in self growth and self improvement techniques. There is a growing number of books, articles and websites dealing with these topics.

It seems that people are turning within them, to find the solution to their problems. They seek knowledge, techniques, workshops, lectures, and teachers, who can show them the way.

People are beginning to understand that self improvement and self growth can improve the quality of their lives.

The process of inner change requires inner work.It is not enough to read articles and books. You also have to practice what you read. Inner change requires motivation, desire, ambition, perseverance and dedication.

When you starting with a self improvement program, it is common to encounter inner resistance that comes from your old habits and from your subconscious mind, and also resistance and opposition from the people around you.

The desire to change, build new habits and improve oneself must be strong enough to resist laziness, the desire to give up, and the fear and ridicule of opposition from family, friends or colleagues.

A simple techniqueLet me tell you something about myself. I have been attracted to self improvement from an early age, and have regarded it as a source of inner strength and happiness, and a way to a improve my life.

One of the most useful techniques I discovered, was a simple, but very effective technique. It consisted of watching how people behaved and acted in various situations, and then looking inside myself, to find out if I behaved in the same way under the same conditions.

When I saw people with certain traits of character, or a certain kind of behavior that I did not like, I examined myself to see whether I possessed them too. If I did, I visualized and rehearsed in my mind a different sort of behavior. In my mind's eye, I saw myself with the opposite traits of character.

I visualized myself in various situations, in which I manifested the new behavior.

When I encountered traits of character or behavior, which I liked, I used to think about their advantages and benefits, and about their importance in my life. Here too, I used visualization and affirmations, and endeavored to enact them in my daily life.

In this way, I learned and benefited a lot from the behavior and actions of the people around me, at work, at home, on the street, and everywhere else. It was never for the purpose of judging them or taking advantage of them, but for learning how to act, react and behave in a better way.

This process had another benefit. It increased the knowledge and understanding about how the mind and thoughts influence the behavior and actions of people.

1. Look around you and watch how people behave in various circumstances. Watch the people you meet at home, work, at the supermarket, on the bus, train and on the street. You may also watch and learn from people being interviewed on TV.

2. Watch how people talk, walk and react, and how they are treated by others.

3. Pay attention to the way people use their voice and how they react to other people's voices. Watch how you feel and how you react when people shout, or speak softly. Watch what happens when people get angry, restless and upset, and what happens to you and others, when they are calm and relaxed.

4. If you do not like what you see, analyze why you do not like it, and then analyze your own behavior to find out, whether you behave in the same way. Be honest and impartial in your analysis.

5. When you discover that you possess some of these undesirable traits of character and behavior, affirm to yourself often that every time you catch yourself indulging in these traits or behavior, you are going to be aware of them, and do your best to avoid them.

6. Play in your mind a mental scene of how you would like to behave. Repeat it several times a day, every day.

7. When you detect in someone a sort of behavior or character traits you like and desire to possess, try to act in a similar way. Here too, visualize several times each day a scene, where you act and behave in that different way.

8. Think and visualize over and again in your mind how you would like to act and behave. Constantly, remind yourself of the changes you desire to make, and strive to act according to them. Every time that you find yourself acting according to your old habit, remember your decision to change and improve, and act accordingly.

9. Do not be disappointed or frustrated if you do not attain fast results. It does not matter how many times you fail or forget to behave as you desired. Persevere with your efforts and never give up, and you will begin to see how you and your life change.

About the Author

Remez Sasson is the founder of Success Consciousness website. He is the author of articles and books, teaching how to develop and use the skills, mental tools and inner powers one needs for creating a life of happiness, success, fulfillment and inner peace.

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Simple Technique for Self Improvement and Self Growth

Ashrama, also spelled asrama, Sanskrit rama, in Hinduism, any of the four stages of life through which a Hindu ideally will pass. The stages are those of (1) the student (brahmacari), marked by chastity, devotion, and obedience to ones teacher, (2) the householder (grihastha), requiring marriage, the begetting of children, sustaining ones family and helping support priests and holy men, and fulfillment of duties toward gods and ancestors, (3) the forest dweller (vanaprastha), beginning after the birth of grandchildren and consisting of withdrawal from concern with material things, pursuit of solitude, and ascetic and yogic practices, and (4) the homeless renouncer (sannyasi), involving renouncing all ones possessions to wander from place to place begging for food, concerned only with union with brahman (the Absolute). Traditionally, moksha (liberation from rebirth) should be pursued only during the last two stages of a persons life.

Ashrama, familiarly spelled ashram in English, has also come to denote a place removed from urban life, where spiritual and yogic disciplines are pursued. Ashrams are often associated with a central teaching figure, a guru, who is the object of adulation by the residents of the ashram. The guru may or may not belong to a formally constituted order or spiritual community.

Excerpt from:

ashrama | Hinduism | Britannica.com

If I could wish one skill on people it would be Self Awareness! So many of your friends and family need to see this asap! I hope you enjoy this :)--Thank you for watching this video. I hope that you keep up with the daily videos I post on the channel, subscribe, and share your learnings with those that need to hear it. Your comments are my oxygen, so please take a second and say Hey ;).----Thank you for watching this video. I hope that you keep up with the daily videos I post on the channel, subscribe, and share your learnings with those that need to hear it. Your comments are my oxygen, so please take a second and say Hey ;).-- Subscribe to My Channel Here http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...--Gary Vaynerchuk is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of VaynerMedia, a full-service digital agency servicing Fortune 500 clients across the companys 5 locations. Gary is also a prolific public speaker, venture capitalist, 4-time New York Times Bestselling Author, and has been named to both Crains and Fortunes 40 Under 40 lists.

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Self-Awareness: Know Yourself: Gary Vaynerchuk - YouTube

Buddhism is a world religion, which arose in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha (now in Bihar, India), and is based on the teachings of Siddhrtha Gautama[note 1] who was deemed a "Buddha" ("Awakened One"[4]). Buddhism spread outside Magadha starting in the Buddha's lifetime.

With the reign of the Buddhist Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the Buddhist community split into two branches: the Mahsghika and the Sthaviravda, each of which spread throughout India and split into numerous sub-sects.[5] In modern times, two major branches of Buddhism exist: the Theravada in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, and the Mahayana throughout the Himalayas and East Asia.

After peaking after Ashoka in ancient India, the practice of Buddhism and Buddhist monasteries received laity and royal support through the 12th century, but generally declined in the 1st millennium CE, with many of its practices and ideas absorbed into Hinduism. Except for the Himalayan region and south India, Buddhism almost became extinct in India after the arrival of Islam in late 12th century.[6][7][8]

Buddhism remains the primary or a major religion in the Himalayan areas such as Sikkim, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal, and the Lahaul and Spiti areas of upper Himachal Pradesh. Remains have also been found in Andhra Pradesh, the probable origin of Mahayana Buddhism.[9] Buddhism has been reemerging in India since the past century, due to its adoption by many Indian intellectuals, the migration of Buddhist Tibetan exiles, and the mass conversion of hundreds of thousands of Dalits to Buddhism.[10] According to the 2011 census, Buddhists make up 0.7% of India's population, or 8.4 million individuals.[11][12]Maharashtra state, which account for 77.36% (6.5 million) of all Buddhists in the country.[13]Navayana Buddhists (Converted or Neo-Buddhists) comprise more than 87% of Indian Buddhist community according to 2011 Census of India.[13]

Buddha was born in Lumbini, in Nepal, to a Kapilvastu King of the Shakya Kingdom named Suddhodana. After asceticism and meditation which was a Samana practice, the Buddha discovered the Buddhist Middle Waya path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.

Siddhrtha Gautama attained enlightenment sitting under a pipal tree, now known as the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India. Gautama, from then on, was known as "The Perfectly Self-Awakened One," the Samyaksambuddha. Buddha found patronage in the ruler of Magadha, emperor Bimbisra. The emperor accepted Buddhism as personal faith and allowed the establishment of many Buddhist "Vihras." This eventually led to the renaming of the entire region as Bihar.[14]

At the Deer Park Water Reservation near Vras in northern India, Buddha set in motion the Wheel of Dharma by delivering his first sermon to the group of five companions with whom he had previously sought enlightenment. They, together with the Buddha, formed the first Sagha, the company of Buddhist monks, and hence, the first formation of Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) was completed.

For the remaining years of his life, the Buddha is said to have traveled in the Gangetic Plain of Northern India and other regions.

Buddha died in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.[15][16]

Followers of Buddhism, called Buddhists in English, referred to themselves as Saugata.[17] Other terms were Sakyans or Sakyabhiksu in ancient India.[18][19]Sakyaputto was another term used by Buddhists, as well as Ariyasavako[20] and Jinaputto.[21] Buddhist scholar Donald S. Lopez states they also used the term Bauddha.[22] The scholar Richard Cohen in his discussion about the 5th-century Ajanta Caves, states that Bauddha is not attested therein, and was used by outsiders to describe Buddhists, except for occasional use as an adjective.[23]

The Buddha did not appoint any successor, and asked his followers to work toward liberation. The teachings of the Buddha existed only in oral traditions. The Sangha held a number of Buddhist councils in order to reach consensus on matters of Buddhist doctrine and practice.

The Early Buddhist Schools were the various schools in which pre-sectarian Buddhism split in the first few centuries after the passing away of the Buddha (in about the 5th century BCE). The earliest division was between the majority Mahsghika and the minority Sthaviravda. Some existing Buddhist traditions follow the vinayas of early Buddhist schools.

The Dharmaguptakas made more efforts than any other sect to spread Buddhism outside India, to areas such as Afghanistan, Central Asia, and China, and they had great success in doing so.[26] Therefore, most countries which adopted Buddhism from China, also adopted the Dharmaguptaka vinaya and ordination lineage for bhikus and bhikus.

During the early period of Chinese Buddhism, the Indian Buddhist sects recognized as important, and whose texts were studied, were the Dharmaguptakas, Mahsakas, Kyapyas, Sarvstivdins, and the Mahsghikas.[27] Complete vinayas preserved in the Chinese Buddhist canon include the Mahsaka Vinaya (T. 1421), Mahsghika Vinaya (T. 1425), Dharmaguptaka Vinaya (T. 1428), Sarvstivda Vinaya (T. 1435), and the Mlasarvstivda Vinaya (T. 1442). Also preserved are a set of gamas (Stra Piaka), a complete Sarvstivda Abhidharma Piaka, and many other texts of the early Buddhist schools.

Early Buddhist schools in India often divided modes of Buddhist practice into several "vehicles" (yna). For example, the Vaibhika Sarvstivdins are known to have employed the outlook of Buddhist practice as consisting of the Three Vehicles:[28]

Several scholars have suggested that the Prajpramit stras, which are among the earliest Mahyna stras,[29][30] developed among the Mahsghika along the Ka River in the ndhra region of South India.[31]

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.[32][33] 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."[34]A.K. Warder believes that "the Mahyna originated in the south of India and almost certainly in the ndhra country."[35]

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."[36] 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."[37] Akira Hirakawa notes the "evidence suggests that many Early Mahayana scriptures originated in South India."[38]

Various classes of Vajrayana literature developed as a result of royal courts sponsoring both Buddhism and Saivism.[39] 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.[40] 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.[41] 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.[42]

"During the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E. (Before Common Era), commerce and cash became increasingly important in an economy previously dominated by self-sufficient production and bartered exchange. Merchants found Buddhist moral and ethical teachings an attractive alternative to the esoteric rituals of the traditional Brahmin priesthood, which seemed to cater exclusively to Brahmin interests while ignoring those of the new and emerging social classes." [43]

"Furthermore, Buddhism was prominent in communities of merchants, who found it well suited to their needs and who increasingly established commercial links throughout the Mauryan empire."[44]

"Merchants proved to be an efficient vector of the Buddhist faith, as they established diaspora communities in the string of oasis towns-Merv, Bukhara, Samarkand, Kashgar, Khotan, Kuqa, Turpan, Dunhuang - that served as lifeline of the silk roads through central Asia."[45]

The Maurya empire reached its peak at the time of emperor Aoka, who converted to Buddhism after the Battle of Kaliga. This heralded a long period of stability under the Buddhist emperor. The power of the empire was vastambassadors were sent to other countries to propagate Buddhism. Greek envoy Megasthenes describes the wealth of the Mauryan capital. Stupas, pillars and edicts on stone remain at Sanchi, Sarnath and Mathura, indicating the extent of the empire.

Emperor Aoka the Great (304 BCE232 BCE) was the ruler of the Maurya Empire from 273 BCE to 232 BCE.

Aoka reigned over most of India after a series of military campaigns. Emperor Aoka's kingdom stretched from South Asia and beyond, from present-day parts of Afghanistan in the north and Balochistan in the west, to Bengal and Assam in the east, and as far south as Mysore.

According to legend, emperor Aoka was overwhelmed by guilt after the conquest of Kaliga, following which he accepted Buddhism as personal faith with the help of his Brahmin mentors Rdhsvm and Majr. Aoka established monuments marking several significant sites in the life of akyamuni Buddha, and according to Buddhist tradition was closely involved in the preservation and transmission of Buddhism.[46]

Menander was the most famous Bactrian king. He ruled from Taxila and later from Sagala (Sialkot). He rebuilt Taxila (Sirkap) and Pukalavat. He became Buddhist and is remembered in Buddhists records due to his discussions with a great Buddhist philosopher in the book Milinda Paha.

By 90 BC, Parthians took control of eastern Iran and around 50 BC put an end to last remnants of Greek rule in Afghanistan. By around 7 AD, an Indo-Parthian dynasty succeeded in taking control of Gandhra. Parthians continued to support Greek artistic traditions in Gandhara. The start of the Gandhran Greco-Buddhist art is dated to the period between 50 BC and 75 AD.

Kuna under emperor Kanika was known as the Kingdom of Gandhra. The Buddhist art spread outward from Gandhra to other parts of Asia. He greatly encouraged Buddhism. Before Kanika, Buddha was not represented in human form. In Gandhra Mahyna Buddhism flourished and Buddha was represented in human form.

Under the rule of the Pla and Sena kings, large mahvihras flourished in what is now Bihar and Bengal. According to Tibetan sources, five great Mahvihras stood out: Vikramashila, the premier university of the era; Nlanda, past its prime but still illustrious, Somapura, Odantapur, and Jaggadala.[48] The five monasteries formed a network; "all of them were under state supervision" and their existed "a system of co-ordination among them . . it seems from the evidence that the different seats of Buddhist learning that functioned in eastern India under the Pla were regarded together as forming a network, an interlinked group of institutions," and it was common for great scholars to move easily from position to position among them.[49]

According to Damien Keown, the kings of the Pala dynasty (8th to 12th century, Gangetic plains region) were a major supporter of Buddhism, various Buddhist and Hindu arts, and the flow of ideas between India, Tibet and China:[50][51]

During this period [Pala dynasty] Mahayana Buddhism reached its zenith of sophistication, while tantric Buddhism flourished throughout India and surrounding lands. This was also a key period for the consolidation of the epistemological-logical (pramana) school of Buddhist philosophy. Apart from the many foreign pilgrims who came to India at this time, especially from China and Tibet, there was a smaller but important flow of Indian pandits who made their way to Tibet...

Indian ascetics (Skt. ramaa) propagated Buddhism in various regions, including East Asia and Central Asia.

In the Edicts of Ashoka, Ashoka mentions the Hellenistic kings of the period as a recipient of his Buddhist proselytism.[52] The Mahavamsa describes emissaries of Ashoka, such as Dharmaraksita, as leading Greek ("Yona") Buddhist monks, active in Buddhist proselytism.[53]).

Roman Historical accounts describe an embassy sent by the "Indian king Pandion (Pandya?), also named Porus," to Caesar Augustus around the 1st century. The embassy was travelling with a diplomatic letter in Greek, and one of its members was a sramana who burned himself alive in Athens, to demonstrate his faith. The event made a sensation and was described by Nicolaus of Damascus, who met the embassy at Antioch, and related by Strabo (XV,1,73)[54] and Dio Cassius (liv, 9). A tomb was made to the sramana, still visible in the time of Plutarch, which bore the mention:

Lokaksema is the earliest known Buddhist monk to have translated Mahayana Buddhist scriptures into the Chinese language. Gandharan monks Jnanagupta and Prajna contributed through several important translations of Sanskrit sutras into Chinese language.

The Indian dhyana master Buddhabhadra was the founding abbot and patriarch[55] of the Shaolin Temple. Buddhist monk and esoteric master from South India (6th century), Kanchipuram is regarded as the patriarch of the Ti-Lun school. Bodhidharma (c. 6th century) was the Buddhist Bhikkhu traditionally credited as the founder of Zen Buddhism in China.[56]

In 580, Indian monk Vintaruci travelled to Vietnam. This, then, would be the first appearance of Vietnamese Zen, or Thien Buddhism.

Padmasambhava, in Sanskrit meaning "lotus-born", is said to have brought Tantric Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. In Bhutan and Tibet he is better known as "GuruRinpoche" ("Precious Master") where followers of the Nyingma school regard him as the second Buddha. ntarakita, abbot of Nlanda and founder of the Yogacara-Madhyamaka is said to have helped Padmasambhava establish Buddhism in Tibet.

Indian monk Atia, holder of the mind training (Tib. lojong) teachings, is considered an indirect founder of the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism. Indian monks, such as Vajrabodhi, also travelled to Indonesia to propagate Buddhism.

The decline of Buddhism has been attributed to various factors. Regardless of the religious beliefs of their kings, states usually treated all the important sects relatively even-handedly.[58] This consisted of building monasteries and religious monuments, donating property such as the income of villages for the support of monks, and exempting donated property from taxation. Donations were most often made by private persons such as wealthy merchants and female relatives of the royal family, but there were periods when the state also gave its support and protection. In the case of Buddhism, this support was particularly important because of its high level of organization and the reliance of monks on donations from the laity. State patronage of Buddhism took the form of land grant foundations.[59]

Numerous copper plate inscriptions from India as well as Tibetan and Chinese texts suggest that the patronage of Buddhism and Buddhist monasteries in medieval India was interrupted in periods of war and political change, but broadly continued in Hindu kingdoms from the start of the common era through early 2nd millennium CE.[60][61][62] Modern scholarship and recent translations of Tibetan and Sanskrit Buddhist text archives, preserved in Tibetan monasteries, suggest that through much of 1st millennium CE in medieval India (and Tibet as well as other parts of China), Buddhist monks owned property and were actively involved in trade and other economic activity, after joining a Buddhist monastery.[63][64]

With the Gupta dynasty (~4th to 6th century), the growth in ritualistic Mahayana Buddhism, and the adoption of Buddhist ideas into Hindu schools, the differences between Buddhism and Hinduism blurred, and Vaishnavism, Shaivism and other Hindu traditions became increasingly popular, and Brahmins developed a new relationship with the state.[65] As the system grew, Buddhist monasteries gradually lost control of land revenue. In parallel, the Gupta kings built Buddhist temples such as the one at Kushinagara,[66][67] and monastic universities such as those at Nalanda, as evidenced by records left by three Chinese visitors to India.[68][69][70]

According to Hazra, Buddhism declined in part because of the rise of the Brahmins and their influence in socio-political process.[71] According to Randall Collins, Richard Gombrich and other scholars, Buddhism's rise or decline is not linked to Brahmins or the caste system, since Buddhism was "not a reaction to the caste system", but aimed at the salvation of those who joined its monastic order.[72][73][74]

The 11th century Persian traveller Al-Biruni writes that there was 'cordial hatred' between the Brahmins and Sramana Buddhists.[75] Buddhism was also weakened by rival Hindu philosophies such as Advaita Vedanta, growth in temples and an innovation of the bhakti movement. Advaita Vedanta proponent Adi Shankara is believed to have "defeated Buddhism" and established Hindu supremacy. This rivalry undercut Buddhist patronage and popular support.[76] The period between 400 CE and 1000 CE thus saw gains by the Vedanta school of Hinduism over Buddhism[77] and Buddhism had vanished from Afghanistan and north India by early 11th century. India was now Brahmanic, not Buddhistic; Al-Biruni could never find a Buddhistic book or a Buddhist person in India from whom he could learn.[78]

According to some scholars such as Lars Fogelin, the decline of Buddhism may be related to economic reasons, wherein the Buddhist monasteries with large land grants focussed on non-material pursuits, self-isolation of the monasteries, loss in internal discipline in the sangha, and a failure to efficiently operate the land they owned.[62][79]

Chinese scholars traveling through the region between the 5th and 8th centuries, such as Faxian, Xuanzang, I-ching, Hui-sheng, and Sung-Yun, began to speak of a decline of the Buddhist Sangha, especially in the wake of the Hun invasion from central Asia.[6] Xuanzang, the most famous of Chinese travellers, found millions of monasteries in north-western India reduced to ruins by the Huns.[6][80]

The Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent was the first great iconoclastic invasion into South Asia.[81] By the end of twelfth century, Buddhism had mostly disappeared,[6][82] with the destruction of monasteries and stupas in medieval northwest and western India (now Pakistan and north India).[83]

In the northwestern parts of medieval India, the Himalayan regions, as well regions bordering central Asia, Buddhism once facilitated trade relations, states Lars Fogelin. With the Islamic invasion and expansion, and central Asians adopting Islam, the trade route-derived financial support sources and the economic foundations of Buddhist monasteries declined, on which the survival and growth of Buddhism was based.[79][84] The arrival of Islam removed the royal patronage to the monastic tradition of Buddhism, and the replacement of Buddhists in long-distance trade by the Muslims eroded the related sources of patronage.[83][84]

In the Gangetic plains, Orissa, northeast and the southern regions of India, Buddhism survived through the early centuries of the 2nd millennium CE.[79] The Islamic invasion plundered wealth and destroyed Buddhist images,[85] and consequent take over of land holdings of Buddhist monasteries removed one source of necessary support for the Buddhists, while the economic upheaval and new taxes on laity sapped the laity support of Buddhist monks.[79]

Monasteries and institutions such as Nalanda were abandoned by Buddhist monks around 1200 CE, who flee to escape the invading Muslim army, after which the site decayed over the Islamic rule in India that followed.[86][87]

The last empire to support Buddhism, the Pala dynasty, fell in the 12th century, and Muslim invaders destroyed monasteries and monuments.[6] According to Randall Collins, Buddhism was already declining in India before the 12th century, but with the pillage by Muslim invaders it nearly became extinct in India in the 1200s.[7] In the 13th century, states Craig Lockard, Buddhist monks in India escaped to Tibet to escape Islamic persecution;[88] while the monks in western India, states Peter Harvey, escaped persecution by moving to south Indian Hindu kingdoms that were able to resist the Muslim power.[8]

Many Indian Buddhists fled south. It is known that Buddhists continued to exist in India even after the 14th century from texts such as the Chaitanya Charitamrita. This text outlines an episode in the life of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (14861533), a Vaisnava saint, who was said to have entered into a debate with Buddhists in Tamil Nadu.[89]

The Tibetan Taranatha (15751634) wrote a history of Indian Buddhism, which mentions Buddhism as having survived in some pockets of India during his time.[90]

Buddhism also survived to the modern era in the Himalayan regions such as Ladakh, with close ties to Tibet.[91] A unique tradition survives in Nepal's Newar Buddhism.

Some scholars suggest that a part of the decline of Buddhist monasteries was because it was detached from everyday life in India and did not participate in the ritual social aspects such as the rites of passage (marriage, funeral, birth of child) like other religions.[83]

A revival of Buddhism began in India in 1891, when the Sri Lankan Buddhist leader Anagarika Dharmapala founded the Maha Bodhi Society.[92] Its activities expanded to involve the promotion of Buddhism in India. In June 1892, a meeting of Buddhists took place at Darjeeling. Dharmapala spoke to Tibetan Buddhists and presented a relic of the Buddha to be sent to the Dalai Lama.

Dharmapla built many vihras and temples in India, including the one at Sarnath, the place of Buddha's first sermon. He died in 1933, the same year he was ordained a bhikkhu.[93]

The 14th Dalai Lama departed Tibet in 1959, when Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru offered to permit him and his followers to establish a "government-in-exile" in Dharamsala. Tibetan exiles have settled in the town, numbering several thousand. Many of these exiles live in Upper Dharamsala, or McLeod Ganj, where they established monasteries, temples and schools. The town is sometimes known as "Little Lhasa", after the Tibetan capital city, and has become one of the centers of Buddhism in the world. Many settlements for Tibetan refugee communities came up across many parts of India on the lands offered by the Government of India. Some of the biggest Tibetan settlements in exile are in the state of Karnataka. The Dalai Lama's brother, Gyalo Thondup, himself lives in Kalimpong and his wife established the Tibetan Refugee Centre in Darjeeling [1]. The 17th Karmapa also arrived in India in 2000 and continues education and has taken traditional role to head Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism and every year leads the Kagyu Monlam in Bodh Gaya attended by thousands of monks and followers. Palpung Sherabling monastery seat of the 12th Tai Situpa located in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh is the largest Kagyu monastery in India and has become an important centre of Tibetan Buddhism. Penor Rinpoche, the head of Nyingma, the ancient school of Tibetan Buddhism re-established a Nyingma monastery in Bylakuppe, Mysore. This is the largest Nyingma monastery today. Monks from Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, Bhutan and from Tibet join this monastery for their higher education. Penor Rinpoche also founded Thubten Lekshey Ling, a dharma center for lay practitioners in Bangalore. Vajrayana Buddhism and Dzogchen (maha-sandhi) meditation again became accessible to aspirants in India after that.

A Buddhist revivalist movement among Dalit Indians was initiated in 1890s by socialist leaders such as Iyothee Thass, Bhagya Reddy Varma, and Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi.[citation needed] In the 1950s, B. R. Ambedkar turned his attention to Buddhism and travelled to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) to attend a convention of Buddhist scholars and monks. While dedicating a new Buddhist vihara near Pune, Ambedkar announced that he was writing a book on Buddhism, and that as soon as it was finished, he planned to make a formal conversion to the religion. He twice visited Burma in 1954; the second time in order to attend the third conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Rangoon. In 1955, he founded the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha, or the Buddhist Society of India. He completed his final work, The Buddha and His Dhamma, in 1956. It was published posthumously.[citation needed]

After meetings with the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Hammalawa Saddhatissa, Ambedkar organised a formal public ceremony for himself and his supporters in Nagpur on 14 October 1956. Accepting the Three Refuges and Five Precepts from a Buddhist monk in the traditional manner, Ambedkar completed his own conversion. He then proceeded to convert an estimated 500,000 of his supporters who were gathered around him. Taking the 22 Vows, Ambedkar and his supporters explicitly condemned and rejected Hinduism and Hindu philosophy. This was the world's biggest mass religious conversion; it is celebrated by Buddhists every year at Nagpur, when 1-1.5million Buddhists gather every year for the ceremony. He then travelled to Kathmandu in Nepal to attend the Fourth World Buddhist Conference. Ambedkar died soon after conversion on 6 December 1956.

Most of the Ambedkarite Buddhists belong his own former Mahar caste. The new converts treat Ambedkar himself as a deity. Although they have renounced Hinduism in practice, a community survey showed adherence to many practices of the old faith including endogamy, worshipping the traditional family deity etc.[94]

The Buddhist meditation tradition of Vipassana meditation is growing in popularity in India. Many institutionsboth government and private sectornow offer courses for their employees.[95] This form is mainly practiced by the elite and middle class Indians. This movement has spread to many other countries in Europe, America and Asia.

According to the 2011 Census of India there are 8.4 million Buddhists in India but Buddhist leaders claim there are about 50 to 60 million Buddhists in India.[96] Maharashtra has the highest number of Buddhists in India, with 77.36% of the total population. Almost 90 per cent of Navayana or Neo-Buddhists live in the state.

In the 1951 census of India, 1.81 lakh (0.05%) respondents said they were Buddhist. The 1961 census, taken after Ambedkar adopted Buddhism with his millions of followers in 1956, showed an increased to 3.2 million (0.74%).

Living Religions, seventh edition, by Mary Pat Fisher

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History of Buddhism in India - Wikipedia

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Think about a time when you did something or reacted to something and later realized that you might have been wrong or became upset at something because you didnt quite understand it. This is something we have all been through at various points in our lives. For some of us we can catchourselvesbefore this happens again in the future, and for others it continues to happen over and over almost as if we are not aware it. The reason it may repeat is because we often want to attach ourselves to certain belief systems because we may have been brought up with them or like what they represent. It is true that belief systems can be limiting and can often cause segregation, judgment, suffering and conflict. While it may not always seem to be the case, think of what happens the moment we decide to put all of our trust into a single system of belief, do we limit ourselves? Our ego enjoys creating an identity with these beliefs and in that identity, we give it power.

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The Importance of Conscious Awareness Collective Evolution

What is Zumba?

Zumba combines high energy and motivating music with unique moves and combinations that allow the Zumba participants to dance away their worries. It is based on the principle that a workout should be "FUN AND EASY TO DO" in order for Zumba participants to stick to the Zumba fitness program to achieve long term health benefits. Zumba is great for the mind and body.

Zumba is a "FEEL HAPPY" workout that comes from Colombia. This fusion of Latin and International dance music is sure to create a dynamic workout. Zumba targets areas such as the gluteus, legs, arms, abdominals and most importantly - the heart.

Sign up now and Christi will help you BURN UPWARDS OF 500-700 CALORIES.

In 2007 I spent a winter in southern Alabama taking Zumba classes and this is where I found my passion. I took master classes with Erick Santana before becoming the first Zumba instructor in northern Michigan in 2008. In 2009 I attended master classes in California, Florida and Ohio with Beto Perez (the creator of Zumba) getting my license to teach basic 2 along with my Aqua license through Maria Browning (the co-creater of Aqua program) and my ZumbAtomic license with Gina Grant (the co-creator of the Zumba for kids program). In 2010 I traveled to Wisconsin to train under Kelly Bullard to receive my Zumba Toning license.

I have since expanded my skills to Pole Fitness, chair and burlesque dancing, strength training and Real Ryder cycling. With the love of dance and fitness I created my own program called Alley Cats Fitness, which was introduced in 2014. As much as I am dedicated to your success, I understand the importance of keeping my personal skills up to date as well. Your success is my success and I value every person that walks through the door.

Come join Christi and the crew for a brand new addition - indoor cycling with RealRyder Bikes! We provide an exhilarating cycling experience through a choreographed mixture of music, real-time heart rate monitoring, and top notch instructors from the area.

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Indoor cycling classes all follow a uniquely designed, intense and fun full hour workout. Our classes will tone your legs and arms, strengthen your core, improve your balance and offer an unrivaled cardio workout.

RealRyder is a registered trademark. Opinions and descriptions on this page do not reflect those of RealRyder International.

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Studio Health and Fitness

The Well being and Fitness Program at the Faculty of Kinesiology is perfect for college kids keen on wellness, private training, teaching, or being a health and health educator. Pauling was a pioneer in the utility of quantum mechanics to chemistry, and in 1954 was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work describing the nature of chemical bonds He additionally made vital contributions to crystal and protein structure willpower, and was one of many founders of molecular biology Pauling obtained the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 for his campaign in opposition to above-floor nuclear testing , becoming only one of 4 folks in history to individually receive two Nobel Prizes Later in life, he grew to become an advocate for normal consumption of large doses of Vitamin C Pauling coined the time period orthomolecular to confer with the follow of various the focus of gear usually present within the physique to prevent and deal with illness, and promote health.

In spite of everything, the page asks users to pick between programs that make individuals hot and get folks large. It also reminds you to choose properly. However that is simply Romaniellos signature bluntness (in any case, arent those two fairly common causes individuals wish to work out?) If you look beneath the floor, you rapidly notice Romaniello is likely one of the smartest health specialists of our time, and his type and mind has struck a chord with thousands of devoted followers.

A self-described certifiably cynical realist, Freedhoff discusses proof-based diet and weight administration on his weblog, Weighty Matters The creator of The Food plan Repair and founding father of Bariatric Medication Institute has dedicated his career to weight problems therapy and administration, and towards abolishing the cycle of failure-oriented fad weight-reduction plan.

He uses his serious science know-how (hes a former research biochemist and review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism) to help individuals understand the advantages and reasoning behind following the eating plan in his podcast , speaker series, and best-selling e book, The Paleo Answer His newest ebook, Wired to Eat , comes out this March.

Ranked as one of many high trending health icons by Google in 2016, Victoria made headline news for socially sharing her stomach rolls, not simply as soon as , but a number of times This type of honesty made her a key player in the body-positivity motion that has inspired hundreds of fitness and social media influencers to share their own non-posed, imperfect pictures.

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Health And Fitness | Net Magazines

EmpowerGym&FitnessClubPublish a New Report on Couples Guide to Fitness and Health

Ask anyhealth and fitnessknowledgeable, motivation and consistency is that the key to achieving good condition. As you and your partner undertake this new journey of health along, your daily lives can profit staggeringly.

Are you each serious regarding obtaining fit? If thus, you would like to be realistic regarding making time in your lives for this new routine. If youre gayly connected, you will got to get thinking about your partners customary of good condition too.

Know about Zumba Dance http://www.empowerfitnessclub.com/fitness-classes-zumba-yoga.htm

Habits square measure arduous to interrupt, particularly diet. eightieth of a healthy way starts within the room, the physical side ( athletic facility routine ) then features a a lot of easier time shaping your body once the dangerous food is gone. Couples have the golden chance to inspire one another to realize personal goals, which may additionally strengthen different areas of their relationship.

Here square measure your initial steps to effective weight management and generalhealth and fitness.

Lead by example

If your partner needs a healthy way however lacks initial motivation, lead by example. Avoid dispute regarding his or her dangerous habits, instead began to form your own new routine by uptake right, going for normal walks and having your new athletic facility program me assessed and enforced. Inspiration may be a terribly powerful incentive, particularly once somebody starts to note your results.

Goals

Set realistic physical goals and time frames. Establish your goals along and create personal targets furthermore what proportion weight does one wish to lose? no additional do away with food? eat dinner no later than seven.00PM? get out of bed at five.00am each Tuesday, Wednesday, Fri and weekday then head to the gym? create it a habit you each embrace, set your initial mile stone at three months with the help of an expert nutrition and athletic facility assessment.

Motivation and support

We know youve got detected it all before, however the reality neer lies. Encouragement, support and compliments may be a direction for nice outcomes. Standing by one another and dealing along square measure the sole ways that may see you reach every and each mile stone. youll got to have interaction in a very posture perspective with a controlled mental outlook.

Celebrating these victories along may be a wondrous thanks to hinge upon your relationship.

The Right Gym and Fitness Club http://www.empowerfitnessclub.com/

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Health and Fitness

Health and fitness really go hand in hand, but are not quite the same thing. Health describes the state of an entire body and all of it's systems. Is the body functioning the way it ought to? Are there irregularities within one or more systems that do not allow for full, efficient functioning? Fitness also describes the state of the body, but focuses more specifically on the nervous system, the muscular system, and the skeletal system. Are the systems functioning properly? Are they working properly together? To be fit is to have an efficient heart muscle, one that recovers quickly after being taxed. It is also to have proper movement patterns, so that when you execute a movement, the correct muscles activate, and injury is averted. Fitness also takes into consideration the skeletal system. Are the joints moving the way they should? How is your posture? We must create fitness, by training the muscles to work in the correct patterns, by focusing on maintaining correct posture during movement, and by placing demands upon the muscles so that they grow stronger and more efficient. The effort we put toward fitness pays off by creating a greater state of overall health.

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What is the difference between fitness and health ...