Buddhists believe in reincarnation meaning that they believe that people are reborn again after dying. They believe that people continually go through the cycle of birth, living, death and rebirth.

The three trainings or practices in Buddhism are sila, samadhi and prajna. Sila is the practice of virtue, morality and good conduct. Sila is the classic "golden rule" of Christianity, do unto others as you would wish them to do unto you. Samadhi is the mental development of the person and refers to concentration and meditation. Buddhists believe that developing one's mind is the best way to lead to personal freedom. Prajna is the discernment or enlightenment where wisdom emerges into a person's calm and pure mind.

The four noble truths of Buddhism explore human suffering. The first is Dukkha, which is that suffering exists. It states that suffering is universal and everyone will feel suffering. The second is Samudaya, which is that there is a cause for the suffering that everyone experiences. Buddhists believe that the desire to have and control things is what leads to suffering. The third is Nirodha, which is that there is an end to suffering. Buddhists believe that in achieving Nirvana then the mind is free to experience complete freedom and non-attachment. The fourth is Magga, which is that the eightfold path is the way to end suffering.

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What are the main beliefs of Buddhism? | Reference.com

Buddhism originated in India in the 6th century BC. It consists of the teachings of the Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha. Of the main branches of Buddhism, it is the Mahayana or "Greater Vehicle" Buddhism which found its way to Japan.

Buddhism was imported to Japan via China and Korea in the form of a present from the friendly Korean kingdom of Kudara (Paikche) in the 6th century. While Buddhism was welcomed by the ruling nobles as Japan's new state religion, it did not initially spread among the common people due to its complex theories.

There were also a few initial conflicts with Shinto, Japan's native religion. The two religions were soon able to co-exist and even complement each other.

During the Nara Period, the great Buddhist monasteries in the capital Nara, such as Todaiji, gained strong political influence and were one of the reasons for the government to move the capital to Nagaoka in 784 and then to Kyoto in 794. Nevertheless, the problem of politically ambitious and militant monasteries remained a main issue for the governments over many centuries of Japanese history.

During the early Heian Period, two new Buddhist sects were introduced from China: the Tendai sect in 805 by Saicho and the Shingon sect in 806 by Kukai. More sects later branched off the Tendai sect. Among these, the most important ones are mentioned below:

In 1175, the Jodo sect (Pure Land sect) was founded by Honen. It found followers among all different social classes since its theories were simple and based on the principle that everybody can achieve salvation by strongly believing in the Buddha Amida. In 1224, the Jodo-Shinshu (True Pure Land sect) was founded by Honen's successor Shinran. The Jodo sects continue to have millions of followers today.

In 1191, the Zen sect was introduced from China. Its complicated theories were popular particularly among the members of the military class. According to Zen teachings, one can achieve self enlightenment through meditation and discipline. At present, Zen seems to enjoy a greater popularity overseas than within Japan.

The Lotus Hokke or Nichiren sect, was founded by Nichiren in 1253. The sect was exceptional due to its intolerant stance towards other Buddhist sects. Nichiren Buddhism still has many millions of followers today, and several "new religions" are based on Nichiren's teachings.

Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi fought the militant Buddhist monasteries (especially the Jodo sects) at the end of the 16th century and practically extinguished Buddhist influence on the political sector.

Buddhist institutions were attacked again in the early years of the Meiji Period, when the new Meiji government favored Shinto as the state religion and tried to separate and emancipate it from Buddhism.

Nowadays about 90 million people consider themselves Buddhists in Japan. However, the religion does not directly affect the everyday life of the average Japanese very strongly. Funerals are usually carried out in a Buddhist way, and many households keep a small house altar in order to pay respect to their ancestors.

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Japanese Buddhism - Japan Guide

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Tibetan Buddhism is a very complete form of Buddhism containing a subtle and advanced philosophy, clear step by step instructions for meditation, devotional exercises and physical meditations that work like Tai Chi, as well as much more.

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Read as many of the Dalai Lama's books as possible. The most essential are "Essential Teachings," "The World of Tibetan Buddhism," "Mind of Clear Light," "The Art of Happiness," "An Open Heart," "How to Practice," and "The Path To Enlightenment." The Dalai Lama is one of the most scholarly, most humble and best Buddhist practitioners in the world, at least among those that are widely known.

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Realize that higher teachings are worthless if you can't even practice the most basic teachings, such as ethics (avoiding the ten non-virtuous actions). So you should start with ethics and do your best to start with the most basic teachings first and master them, or at least get a good grounding with them, before moving on to higher teachings.

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Think of Tibetan Buddhism as being like a pyramid. It starts with the foundation of the Hinayana for a stable base, then it builds on the Hinayana with the altruistic motivation of the Mahayana and its practice of the Six Paramitas, then it builds on the base of the Hinayana and Mahayana with the Vajrayana which is the pinnacle of Tibetan Buddhism and the main daily practice of serious Tibetan Buddhist practitioners. The way this works is similar to how the realization of impermanence, suffering, and no-self (wisdom) in Hinayana Buddhism is dependent on achievement of concentration which is itself dependent upon the practice of morality (keeping of the precepts).

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Know that Tibetan Buddhism contains teachings for people of all different kinds of dispositions, it has advanced philosophical teachings for those of an intellectual bent, it has more mystical experiential meditative teachings for those of a more Zen-like orientation, and it has energy practices (in Vajrayana) for moving wind (prana, chi, ki) for health and mental clarity and spiritual realization, this is like Tai Chi and Hindu yoga (for those who want a Buddhist practice with emphasis on the health of the physical body). Tibetan Buddhism also deals with the subtle drops as well as prana in the practice of Vajrayana. This makes it similar in some respects to Hindu yoga which also deals with the drops (Bindu). No matter what kind of person you are, it is likely that there are teachings in Tibetan Buddhism that would be suited for your type of personality or mental/emotional/physical/spiritual orientation. Also, the different deities (Buddhas and Bodhisattvas) are for people with different types of spiritual inclinations or personalities. For those who are intellectual, the teachings of Manjushri are very appropriate; for those who aren't very intellectual but are very kind and compassionate, the practice of Avalokiteshvara would be very good; for women, practice of the deity Tara (a female deity) would be good; and for those interested in power, Vajrapani (who represents of the power of the buddhas) might be a good deity.

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Learn about the Lamrim and practice the basics first.

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Make a strong and sustained effort to learn about and generate Bodhicitta in your mind and heart, Bodhicitta is one of the most important aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, (although not a distinguishing aspects, as all Mahayana Buddhists are defined as such by possessing Bodhicitta). Tibetan Buddhism has a more clear definition of Bodhicitta than other forms of Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhism also has more clearly defined and developed techniques for developing Bodhicitta than other forms of Mahayana.

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Practice the Tonglen everyday to develop compassion and create positive karma

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Find a Tibetan Lama or Rinpoche to teach you even further than you could by yourself, especially if you want certain empowerments. You should try to get a teaching from the Karmapa or the Dalai Lama.

How do I cultivate compassion and forgiveness?

wikiHow Contributor

Begin by showing compassion and forgiveness with yourself. Let yourself off the hook.

Can I practice Tibetan Buddhism without understanding it?

wikiHow Contributor

Practice comes from a desire to attain something. As you practice, you will refine your understanding. That refined understanding then refines your practice. That's good enough! But for your practice to become really effective, you should find a teacher. Not just any teacher, but a teacher that elevates you and speaks to your inner sense.

How would I practice the tantric aspects of Vajrayana?

wikiHow Contributor

You must have a teacher to practice the Vajrayana; it is the highest level of Buddhist teachings. There are many who claim that they are able to impart such knowledge, so be selective in who you choose to teach you.

I know that chants and mantras have to be recited in Tibetan, but what about prayers? Can they be recited in English only?

Mr_Norman

Yes. Mantras are generally from Sanskrit. Many have been "Tibetanized," but even those are similarly pronounced to their original Sanskrit. Watch someone you respect on video, like the Dalai Lama, or any teacher who touches you. Follow their lead. Chants are less rigorous, and English is fine. The trouble with English is that it's clunky compared to the elegance of Tibetan, so it doesn't chant well.

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How to Practice Tibetan Buddhism: 10 Steps (with Pictures)

Buddhism teaches compassion toward all sentient beings. By contrast, Christianity and its secular offshoot, Western science, cling to a very un-Darwinian form of human exceptionalism. According to the Biblical Book of Genesis, God put animals on earth purely to serve Man, who exists to serve God.

Early in the 21st century, there are an estimated 300 million Buddhists in the world. Central to Buddhist teaching are the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-fold Path.

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS:

Buddhist universalism is best represented by the Mahayana tradition, which embraces the well-being of all sentient life.

The meaning of the term nirvana, literally "the blowing out" of existence, is not entirely clear. Nirvana is not a place like heaven, but rather an eternal state of being. It is the state in which the law of karma and the rebirth cycle come to an end - though Buddhist conceptions of personal (non-)identity make these notions problematic. Nirvana is the end of suffering; a state where there are no desires, and individual consciousness comes to an end. Attaining nirvana is to relinquish clinging, hatred, and ignorance. Its achievement entails full acceptance of imperfection, impermanence, and interconnectedness. Sometimes "nirvana" is used to refer either to Buddhist heaven or complete nothingness, but most Buddhists would not understand the term in this way.

Ethical utilitarians share the Buddhist focus on suffering. But only "negative" utilitarians identify the minimisation of suffering as the sole ethical goal of life. "Positive" utilitarians regard the maximisation of happiness as ethically valuable no less than the minimisation of pain.

One radical form of utilitarianism is abolitionism. Abolitionists believe that biotechnology should be used to abolish suffering altogether - though not all abolitionists are utilitarians. Given the accelerating revolution in biotechnology, the abolitionist project is the logical implication of a utilitarian ethic. Even so, the creation of a truly cruelty-free world entails a disconcertingly ambitious technological solution. To achieve a world without suffering, it will be necessary to rewrite the vertebrate genome and redesign the global ecosystem. Any cross-species enterprise of this magnitude is beyond our current technological capabilities. Yet some kind of paradise-engineering is foreseeable in the coming era of quantum supercomputing allied to nanorobotics. Critically, too, genetically-engineered vatfood can potentially deliver global veganism more effectively than appeals to compassion alone.

These distinctions might seemacademic. Most people are not avowedly utilitarians in their code of ethical values. Moreover the term "utilitarian" itself is pedestrian. It conveys no sense of moral urgency. But a rough-and-ready utilitarian ethic is widespread in contemporary secular society. Even professed anti-utilitarians normally rely on (indirectly) utilitarian arguments by appealing to the bad consequences that would allegedly follow for our well-being from the [mis-]application of a utilitarian ethic.

Perhaps. But these differences of means are substantial. Most Buddhists would challenge the idea that technology offers an escape-route from the pain of earthly existence. Despite the cumulative success stories of scientific medicine, it would seem the advances of modern technology haven't left human beings any happier on average than our ancestors on the African savannah. Indeed the incidence of clinical depression, anxiety disorders, suicide, drug abuse, marital breakdown and other "objective" indices of distress is rising in Western consumer capitalist society as a whole. The track-record of technological science to date is not encouraging. Opponents of scientific utopianism envisage that its application will yield - at best - some type of "Brave New World".

Abolitionists respond that only enlightened biotechnology can ever deliver the world from suffering. Unless the biological substrates of unpleasantness are eradicated, then suffering is genetically preordained by the biochemistry of the human brain. All Darwinian humans periodically go through periods of distress ["dukkha"]. Its intensity and duration varies. But its spectre is never absent. Endowing their vehicles with a capacity to suffer enhanced the inclusive fitness of our genes in the ancestral environment. A heritable capacity to undergo all sorts of nasty states, conditionally activated, has been genetically adaptive. So even devout Buddhists undergo pain, sorrow and malaise in the course of their lives. A Buddhist lifestyle and meditational disciplines may offer palliative relief. Yet under the yoke of a Darwinian genome, no pursuit of a "Noble Eight-fold Path" can re-set our emotional thermostats, redesign our gene expression profiles, and dismantle the "hedonic treadmill" of Darwinian life. In evolutionary history, primate mothers who weren't anxiety-ridden, "attached" to their children, and desirous of their success left less copies of their genes than their malaise-ridden, un-Buddhist-like counterparts.

Moreover, with a traditional neural architecture, it's notable that desire-driven "hyper-dopaminergic" people, who have the greatest range and intensity of appetites, tend to be the least unhappy - though their lives can still be blighted by disappointment and loss. By contrast, the extinction of desire experienced by many contemporary humans is more akin to apathy and withdrawal than illumination - not enlightenment and consequent nirvana but instead a condition of melancholia or anhedonia: emptiness in the sense of an absence of meaning. This isn't the kind of extinction of desire Buddhists have in mind. Yet it's unclear if Buddhism offers a solution to, say, anhedonia - the incapacity to feel happiness or anticipate reward - characteristic of many depressives.

Looking to the future, the new technologies of post-genomic healthcare promise effectively unlimited joy, meaning and motivation - or serenity. If we so desire, a rich hyper-spirituality can be awakened, too, even in the otherwise spiritually barren. Intelligence can be pharmacologically and genetically amplified, as can lifespans, perhaps indefinitely; and also, more counter-intuitively, compassion. In future, genetic engineering will allow control over archaic emotions and eventually the creation of whole new categories of experience in state-spaces of consciousness hitherto unknown.

More prosaically, but more importantly from an ethical point of view, the reproductive revolution of "designer babies" will enable us to choose how much - or how little - suffering we bring into the world when we decide on the genetic-make-up of our children. Gradients of genetically pre-programmed well-being can be the destiny of our offspring from conception, depending on which dial-settings we favour. If we so choose, we can abolish the soul-polluting nastiness of Darwinian life altogether. Dukkha can be consigned to historical oblivion; and replaced by a post-Darwinian era of mental superhealth.

The era of mature genomic medicine is still decades away, perhaps longer. Buddhists are surely right to stress how desire and attachment as experienced today often lead to heartbreak. But when heartbreak becomes genetically impossible, it will be safe to follow one's heart's desire without limit. More generally, an absence of desire is a recipe for personal and social stagnation, whereas an abundance of desires is a precondition of intellectual dynamism and social progress.

Control over our emotions nonetheless strikes many bioconservatives as a frightening prospect, evoking images of enslavement rather than empowerment. So it's worth recalling how some early social commentators feared that the discovery of anaesthesia gave doctors too much power over their patient. The use of anaesthetics for painless surgery allegedly robbed the individual of his or her autonomy and the capacity to act as a rational agent, reducing the patient "to a corpse". In a contemporary context, investing a quasi-priestly caste of physicians with the sole lawful power to grant - or withhold - pleasure-giving, pain-relieving prescription drugs undoubtedly does magnify the scope for abuses of authority.

Whatever the risks of abuse, our technologies of pain-eradication are too valuable to renounce, even if this option were sociologically realistic. Right now, of course, the vision of life without suffering still strikes many non-Buddhists (and even Buddhists) as fanciful. Life-long happiness seems no more likely than the prospect of effective "pain killers" or pain-free surgery struck our early Victorian forebears. For the most part, we are possessed by the deep unspoken feeling that "what has always been was always meant to be". Status quo bias has deep cultural roots. Even classical utilitarians may find it difficult to believe that suffering could be eradicated in the foreseeable future in the same way as, say, smallpox. Yet it is hard to underestimate the ramifications of rewriting the vertebrate genome as the millennium unfolds. The abolition of the biological substrates of suffering promises to mark a major discontinuity in the development of life on Earth. Our genetically enriched descendants may regard existence without "dukkha" - the abolition of suffering - as the ethical foundation of any civilised society.

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The conquest of suffering : Buddhism versus utilitarianism

By Dr. Meredith Sprunger

This document contains a brief historicaloverview of Buddhism, the life of Siddhartha Gautama, a description ofHinayana and Mahayana Buddhism, a description of basic beliefs and anoutline of Buddhism in today's world.

Buddhism began in India in the sixth century B. C. as a reform movementin Hinduism. It was the first religion of the world to become internationaland today (1982) has a membership of 254,867,450. The founder of Buddhismwas Siddhartha Gautama, the son of a rich ruler of the Kshatriya caste.There are legends of his non-human conception, supernatural birth, andof his future greatness prophesied by a Hindu saint. Gautama married atthe age of nineteen and later had a son. He lived a luxurious and shelteredlife but while riding outside the royal compound he saw a decrepit oldman, a diseased man, a corpse, and an ascetic monk. He became obsessedwith the fact that all must face age, sickness, and death and he determinedto find an answer to this anxiety and suffering.

Leaving his wife, son, family, and inheritance Gautama clipped his hairand beard, exchanged clothes with a beggar and began his quest. For yearshe tried to solve the problem of suffering first through philosophy andthen by extreme asceticism but found no inner peace.

Finally, around the age of thirty-five he sat down under the shade ofa fig or bo tree to meditate; he determined to meditate until he receivedenlightenment. After seven weeks he received the Great Enlightenment; TheFour Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. Henceforth he became known asthe Buddha (enlightened one). This Middle Way is a psychological-philosophicalinsight into the cause and cure of suffering and evil.

The First Noble Truth points out that the human condition is steepedin suffering, that in some way life has become estranged from reality.The Second Noble Truth tells us the cause of life's dislocation. Anxietyand suffering are caused by indulging in inherently insatiable desires.All forms of selfishness tend to separate us from others, life, and reality.The Third Noble Truth states a logical conclusion: suffering will ceasewhen we suppress, overcome, and master these cravings and desires. We mustdevelop non attachment to the things of the world. The Fourth Noble Truthtells us how this cure is accomplished--by following the Noble Eight-foldPath.

Buddha's analysis of the problems of life in the Four Noble Truths isessentially that of a therapist; and the Eight-fold Path is the courseof treatment through training. First one needs to have right knowledgein order to have the facts, principles, and values to establish a wiselife plan. Second, right aspirations are required to give power to thisplan. The heart as well as the head must be dedicated to our goals. Third,right speech is needed to take hold of what is in our consciousness whichcontrols our thinking. We need to change our speech and thinking towardtruth and charity. Fourth, right behavior should be initiated to furtherchange and control our lives. We must follow the Five Precepts: do notkill, steal, lie, be unchaste, or drink intoxicants. Fifth, we should engagein a right livelihood. Spiritual progress is difficult if one's occupationpulls in the opposite direction. One should not take work which weakensor destroys life but serve in those occupations that promote life. Sixth,right effort is needed to keep us growing in spiritual attainment. Buddhalaid great stress on the importance of the will in determining our destiny.He had more confidence in the long steady pull than in quick spurts ofactivity. Seventh,, we need right mindfulness to sustain our growth. Fewteachers have equaled Buddha's emphasis on the mind as the shaper and determinerof the course of human life. The Damma-pada opens with the words, "Allwe are is the result of what we have thought." We should wisely controlour state of consciousness. Eighth, right contemplation and absorptionfinally brings the aspirant into a transmutation of consciousness whichtranscends the worldly preoccupation with things, desires, and suffering.Those who have followed the eight-fold path and arrived at the point ofachieving Nirvana are called arhat, or "saint."

Gautama Buddha taught a way of life devoid of authority, ritual, speculation,tradition, and the supernatural. He stressed intense self-effort. His lastwords before he died at the age of eighty were, "Work out your ownsalvation with diligence." Gautama accepted the law of karma and reincarnation.He saw Nirvana not as a state of extinction or annihilation but as "thehighest destiny of the human spirit." It is so totally different thatit is "incomprehensible, indescribably, inconceivable, unutterable...bliss."

Buddha did not believe in the existence of a personal God; nor did hebelieve that man had a soul. He tended to deny the existence of substanceof every kind and saw the transitoriness of all finite things and beings;he stressed impermanence. Man's life after achieving Nirvana is unfathomable- "reborn does not belong to him nor not-born, or any combinationof such terms." some scholars have pointed out that Buddhism in itsearliest form was not a religion but a system of psychological-ethicaldiscipline based on a pessimistic philosophy of life. Although there issome truth in this evaluation, there is much that is positive in Buddha'steaching.

The scripture of Buddhism is the Tripitaka (Three Baskets of Wisdom),made up of the Vinaya Pitaka (Discipline Basket), the Sutta Pitaka (TeachingBasket), and the Abhidhamma Pitaka (Higher Doctrine Basket). Parts of theTripitaka such as the Dhamma-pada and the Sutta-Nipata are among the mostexpressive religious books in the world. Some of Buddha's parables arevery similar to those used by Jesus.

Buddhism has been divided into two major branches which have in turnbeen subdivided into numerous sects. Today one may find in this one familyof religions nearly every form of religious belief and expression on theplanet.

Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle) or Theravada Buddhism concentrated in SoutheastAsia is conservative and more closely follows the original teachings ofBuddha. It sees man as entirely dependent on self-effort, teaches wisdomas the key virtue and regards religion as a full-time job, primarily formonks. They regard Buddha as a saint, eschew metaphysics and ritual, andlimit prayer to meditation. Their ideal is arhat (sainthood).

Mahayana (Greater Vehicle) Buddhism has spread throughout the worldand rests on the principle that Buddha taught many things in secret tothe elect who could properly interpret them. It sees man as involved withothers and saved by grace. It teaches compassion as the key virtue andbelieves its religion is relevant to life in the world; therefore, it isa religion for laymen as well as monks. The Mahayana branch sees Buddhaas a savior, welcomes metaphysics and ritual, and engages in petitionaryprayer. Their ideal is the Bodhisattva--a mortal who has achieved enlightenmentand after death postpones Nirvana attainment to serve in heaven answeringprayers and helping mortals who are in need. Mahayana Buddhism regardsBuddha as a divine savior--pre-existent, planfully incarnate, supernaturallyconceived, miraculously born, sinless, with a redemptive purpose, all knowing,and everlasting. Buddha has been made a member of the Buddhist Trinity.

Buddhism received its greatest impetus from the Indian emperor, Asoka,who was converted in 297 B. C. and became convinced that Buddhism was areligion for all of the peoples of the world. Accordingly, he sent missionariesthroughout the known world. Asoka also called the third council of Buddhismin 247 B. C. for the purpose of determining the true canon of Buddhistscriptures.

The main branches of Mahayana Buddhism are the Pure Land Sect, the IntuitiveSects, the Rationalist Sects, the Sociopolitical Sects, and the TibetanSect. The Pure Land Sect seeks to achieve salvation and life after deathin the "pure land of Western Paradise." They believe in DhyaniBuddhas who are lesser deities who help human beings. Their priests maymarry and their worship practices parallel the church and Sunday schoolservices of Christianity.

The Intuitive Sects such as Ch'an and Zen emphasize that the truthsof religion do not come through rational thought processes but througha sudden flash of insight. They believe the externals of religion are unnecessary.Reason is to be distrusted more than anything else; therefore riddles andvarious techniques of irrationality are used to confuse reason and triggeran intuitive flash. Zen is so concerned with the limitations of languageand reason that it makes their transcendence the central intent of itsmethod. Experience, not words are important. So they sit hour after hour,day after day, year after year seeking to develop their intuitive powers.

The Rationalist Sects believe that in addition to meditation one shouldutilize reason and a study of the scriptures in order to find the truth.All approaches to enlightenment may be useful at times but in reality thereis only one true Buddhist teaching and one must study the scriptures ofBuddhism in order to know this truth. The Chih-i sect in China and theTendai sect in Japan stress the importance of the rational approach.

The Sociopolitical Sects such as the Japanese Nichiren sect have hadgreat effect on the social and political dynamics of various nations. Thefounder of Nichiren thought that all of the sects of Buddhism were a perversionof the true teachings of Buddha and were leading peoples to hell. He cameto believe the only scripture one needed to study was the Lotus Sutra.Nichiren teaches a simplified form of Buddhism and uncompromising patriotism.

Tibetan Buddhism is representative of sects that emphasize the use ofmagic words or formulae to achieve various goals. Tibetan people traditionallyhave used incantations, spells, and magic to protect themselves from demons.Tibetan monks or lamas invented the prayer wheel to augment their defensesagainst evil. By the 14th century monastery leaders became more powerfulthan kings and for all practical purposes the country was ruled by Buddhistpriests. The lamas of Tibetan Buddhism have been divided into two orders,the Red Hats and the Yellow Hats. The leader of the larger Yellow Hat groupis known as the Dalai Lama who was virtually ruler of Tibet. China in 1950set up a puppet government in Tibet and when the Dalai Lama attempted tooverthrow Chinese rule in 1959 the rebellion was crushed. The Dalai Lamaand a few of his followers escaped to India.

During the twentieth century Buddhism is experiencing a revival. Thisnew awakening may have been augmented by Christian missionaries who translatedthe ancient Buddhist texts and made them available for all to study andby the rise of Asian nationalism. Buddhism today is once more a missionaryreligion.

If these topics are of interest to you, you may be very interested in The Urantia Book. What is The Urantia Book?

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Introduction to Buddhism - Expanding Spiritual Awareness

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

French philosopher and paleontologist

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, (born May 1, 1881, Sarcenat, Francedied April 10, 1955, New York City, New York, U.S.), French philosopher and paleontologist known for his theory that man is evolving, mentally and socially, toward a final spiritual unity. Blending science and Christianity, he declared that the human epic resembles nothing so much as a way of the Cross. Various theories of his brought reservations and objections from within the Roman Catholic Church and from the Jesuit order, of which he was a member. In 1962 the Holy Office issued a monitum, or simple warning, against uncritical acceptance of his ideas. His spiritual dedication, however, was not questioned.

Son of a gentleman farmer with an interest in geology, Teilhard devoted himself to that subject, as well as to his prescribed studies, at the Jesuit College of Mongr, where he began boarding at the age of 10. When he was 18, he joined the Jesuit novitiate at Aix-en-Provence. At 24 he began a three-year professorship at the Jesuit college in Cairo.

Although ordained a priest in 1911, Teilhard chose to be a stretcher bearer rather than a chaplain in World War I; his courage on the battle lines earned him a military medal and the Legion of Honour. In 1923, after teaching at the Catholic Institute of Paris, he made the first of his paleontological and geologic missions to China, where he was involved in the discovery (1929) of Peking mans skull. Further travels in the 1930s took him to the Gobi (desert), Sinkiang, Kashmir, Java, and Burma (Myanmar). Teilhard enlarged the field of knowledge on Asias sedimentary deposits and stratigraphic correlations and on the dates of its fossils. He spent the years 193945 at Beijing in a state of near-captivity on account of World War II.

Most of Teilhards writings were scientific, being especially concerned with mammalian paleontology. His philosophical books were the product of long meditation. Teilhard wrote his two major works in this area, Le Milieu divin (1957; The Divine Milieu) and Le Phnomne humain (1955; The Phenomenon of Man), in the 1920s and 30s, but their publication was forbidden by the Jesuit order during his lifetime. Among his other writings are collections of philosophical essays, such as LApparition de lhomme (1956; The Appearance of Man), La Vision du pass (1957; The Vision of the Past), and Science et Christ (1965; Science and Christ).

Teilhard returned to France in 1946. Frustrated in his desire to teach at the Collge de France and publish philosophy (all his major works were published posthumously), he moved to the United States, spending the last years of his life at the Wenner-Gren Foundation, New York City, for which he made two paleontological and archaeological expeditions to South Africa.

Teilhards attempts to combine Christian thought with modern science and traditional philosophy aroused widespread interest and controversy when his writings were published in the 1950s. Teilhard aimed at a metaphysic of evolution, holding that it was a process converging toward a final unity that he called the Omega point. He attempted to show that what is of permanent value in traditional philosophical thought can be maintained and even integrated with a modern scientific outlook if one accepts that the tendencies of material things are directed, either wholly or in part, beyond the things themselves toward the production of higher, more complex, more perfectly unified beings. Teilhard regarded basic trends in mattergravitation, inertia, electromagnetism, and so onas being ordered toward the production of progressively more complex types of aggregate. This process led to the increasingly complex entities of atoms, molecules, cells, and organisms, until finally the human body evolved, with a nervous system sufficiently sophisticated to permit rational reflection, self-awareness, and moral responsibility. While some evolutionists regard man simply as a prolongation of Pliocene fauna (the Pliocene Epoch occurred about 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago)an animal more successful than the rat or the elephantTeilhard argued that the appearance of man brought an added dimension into the world. This he defined as the birth of reflection: animals know, but man knows that he knows; he has knowledge to the square.

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Another great advance in Teilhards scheme of evolution is the socialization of mankind. This is not the triumph of herd instinct but a cultural convergence of humanity toward a single society. Evolution has gone about as far as it can to perfect human beings physically: its next step will be social. Teilhard saw such evolution already in progress; through technology, urbanization, and modern communications, more and more links are being established between different peoples politics, economics, and habits of thought in an apparently geometric progression.

Theologically, Teilhard saw the process of organic evolution as a sequence of progressive syntheses whose ultimate convergence point is that of God. When humanity and the material world have reached their final state of evolution and exhausted all potential for further development, a new convergence between them and the supernatural order would be initiated by the Parousia, or Second Coming of Christ. Teilhard asserted that the work of Christ is primarily to lead the material world to this cosmic redemption, while the conquest of evil is only secondary to his purpose. Evil is represented by Teilhard merely as growing pains within the cosmic process: the disorder that is implied by order in process of realization.

Original post:
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin | French philosopher and ...

Alan Watts is considered as the foremost interpreter of Eastern disciplines for the contemporary West. He had an astonishing and an indescribable way of writing the unwritable.

Among all the qualities of this great orator and writer, he hadan unique gift of expressing complex thoughts in the form of simple and illustrated thoughts. The simple way he exemplified and expressed all his reflections made him and universal philosopher, someone that could be comprehended by the vast majority of the people. Lets see some of Alan Watts magic and awakening quotes.

It is no news that we humans take things too seriously. We over think to the point where we become anxious. We over analyze and overvalue things to the point of depression.

If there was something that Mr.Watts wanted us to do is to enjoy life and live it as a joyous dance. We are a tiny spot in an enormous, out-of-our-eyes universe, no need to take things too seriously! Go out and enjoy this beautiful experience!

This quote makes reference to the reverse effortprinciple. What Mr.Watts simply wants to say is to dont force things, dont create tension. Sometimes things work out better if we let them flow and simply happen.

Just as floating in the water, it is not about the effort we put into floating but about letting go! Flow as water!

3. To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you dont grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float. Alan Watts.

This quote does much reference to the former one. Trust, as some people wrongly conceive, is not about holding on to things or people, it is about letting go and having faith in the process.

In life, we cant hold on to fears, over constructed thoughts, or plans. Any of this security searching habits and trust habits will only impede us from moving forward and really enjoying life. Let go and trust the waters!

A common seen reflection in the Eastern philosophies is the thought that lifes essence is the impermanence we find in it, something which is certainly true. Life is all about the process between life and death, creation and destruction, change.

Everything changes every moment. Cells multiply, plants grow, universe expands. Everything which is alive will be in constant motion, and this is the beauty of life. It is always passionate to change and it always brings something new to us! We have to acknowledge this as our nature, for it is!

Mr. Watts made a lot of emphasis on the inefficient word system we use. Words exist thanks to a contrast with other words. Right exists because there is wrong to contrast with.

Alan Watts saw this system of naming meaningless, for there is no bad or good, negative or positive. Ultimately everything is the same, just a different side of the same coin. To live life fully and with no restrictions, we have to acknowledge that any experience is just an experience and a learning process. If we constantly oppose to one side of the coin we will never see life as it really is, a color pallet with many different colors and shades.

Rigidity is just a synonym of boring, unnaturaland narrow vision. In life it is essential to flow as water, this is why so many Eastern philosophers refer to water as a great teacher.

Life is wiggly and spontaneous, being rigid in life will only lead us to a boring, narrow path in life. We wont enjoy fully and at the end of the curse we will notice that we have wasted all of our time. Belike water!

One of the greatest problems of society that Alan Watts pointed out isthe intense separation between man and nature. Human beings tend to see themselves as aliens that came to Earth.

We have a constantwill to change, destroy and manipulate nature. We, forgetting that we are alsonature,are subjects to all the consequences of our acts. Global warming, total destruction of our resources, water pollution There will arrive the moment were all of us notice that we are connected to this world and universe, just as the roots of a tree are connected to earth. We cant keep going like this! Earth dies, we die!

Doubtlessly, what makes this world a beautiful experience is, the impermanence and mutability of all things. This world will always have a mysterious andunpredictableway of flow.

Everything is changing and it is necessary that we acknowledge that and livewith it. We are organic to this world, an so, we are submit to change too. We cant oppose to our nature, we have to admit and flow with this beautiful dance.

Alan Watts held a firm point of view were he saw all life as something undefinable and with a sole purpose of experiencing it. He always said that this universe cant be defined by worlds and that the harder we try to do this the more we separatefrom the real experience.

To live this experience we have to see the object that we point at with our finger, not our finger. In other words, we have to live each experience and not try to define it!

Alan Watts was clearly a follower of an Eastern philosophy type of view. Something that any Eastern philosophy pushed on was the fact of living in the present.

It is more than true that only by living in the present we really enjoy all the pleasures of live, and more so, we eliminate any fear of the future, anxiety or depression. Making plans for the future is only useful for those who know how to enjoy this future when it arrives. It is useless to live for a future when we dont live it when it arrives. Learn to enjoy the now and you will be able to enjoy everything else that comes at you!

All problems have a solution, problems are soluble in solutions, and solutions areinexhaustible. We have powerful minds which work by creativity and logic, we certainly have the power to create solutions.

Alan Watts, with his positive mindset, had a great ability to pose problems and find theirsolutions. We all can do this, it takes breathing, calming down and concentrating! Sometimes it is all about how we approach the problem!

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11 Quotes From Alan Watts That Will Change Your Life.

The Dawning of a New Era of Hope

Stem cell researcher Robert Lanza hopes to save thousands of lives and for a long time this caused him to fear for his own At the time, a doctor was threatened at a nearby fertility clinic, and a pipe bomb exploded at a bio lab in Boston. Back then I thought that there was probably a 50-50 chance that I was going to get knocked off because I was so visible, says the doctor. I said, okay, try to kill me Im still going to do what I think is right. In Lanzas case, doing what is right involves working with therapies based on human stem cells. The blind shall see again; the paralyzed shall walk again; the hemophiliac shall not bleed anymore. That may sound like something out of the Bible, but Lanza is no faith healer. In fact, the US business magazine Fortune called him the standard-bearer for stem cell research. Lanza is often compared to the main character played by Matt Damon in the film Good Will Hunting, a highly talented outsider who, like Lanza, comes from a humble background.

Initial Success: We have some surprisingly good visual outcome, says Steven Schwartz, an eye surgeon at UCLA. He says that one of his patients can read a clock again and go shopping, while another can recognize colors again. Lanza is a genius and his work is stellar, Schwartz says.

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Robert Lanza Self-Awareness in the Pigeon

DIRECTIONS TO MEDITATION GROUP:Click here.SUBSCRIBE TO E-MAIL NOTICES:Click hereSUBSCRIBE TO RSS NEWS FEEDS:Click here

NOTE: We recently revised the set-up of our meeting times for the Meditation Circles About page and wanted to share that with members of the circle and those interested in attending. | Thad and Doug

WHO WE ARE:

Welcome. The Meditation Circleis a meditation group in the Buddhist tradition, practicing vipassana or insight meditation. Were based in Charleston, West Virginia, and meet every Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. at theUnitarian Universalist Congregation, 520 Kanawha Blvd.

Those wishing instruction in basic, breath-centered Buddhist meditation are welcome to arrive from 5:30 to 6 p.m., alongwith seasoned meditators who maywish to sit longer or for whom that time period is better for their schedules.

Were a lay support group for people interested in meditation or who wish to deepen their practice through the support of a meditation sangha. Our members come from a wide variety of spiritual traditions and backgrounds. You do not need to be Buddhist to enjoy the benefits of a meditation practice. The circlesfacilitators are not teachers and we encourage people to seek out seasoned teachers to further their practice. Cushions, meditation benches and chairs are available or you arewelcome to bring your own cushion, if you wish.

WHAT WE DO:

The time from5:30 to 6 p.m. p.m.. is set asideforbasic instruction in sitting, standing, and walking meditation for those new to meditation, along with discussion about maintaininga regular meditation practice.Regular meditators are also welcome to come and sit during this period.

From6 to 7 p.m,time is set aside for seated meditation. The format consists of two rounds of meditation, each lasting about 20 minutes, with a 5 minute period of standing or walking meditation between rounds.We close the evening with a short Metta meditation. (Metta is the Pali term for loving-kindness or friendliness.) There is an opportunity for questions or discussion about practice at the end of the meditation period. Feedback welcome!

Those new to meditation practice may visit ourResource pagefor more information about the type of meditation we practice at the Meditation Circle.

There is no cost to join the circle. We do accept donations in a box titled dana to offer to the Unitarians to cover the costs for their kindness in letting us use the space and also to help defray the costs of occasionally bringing Buddhist monks to town.

Come join the Circle!(Although sometimes it resembles an oblong or parallelogram, but the Meditation Parallelogram of Charleston didnt have quite the right sound.)

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the Meditation Circle | A meditation group in the Buddhist ...

Meditation

Meditation is a mental and physical course of action that a person uses to separate themselves from their thoughts and feelings in order to become fully aware.

It plays a part in virtually all religions although some don't use the word 'meditation' to describe their particular meditative or contemplative practice.

Meditation does not always have a religious element. It is a natural part of the human experience and is increasingly used as a therapy for promoting good health and boosting the immune system.

Anyone who has looked at a sunset or a beautiful painting and felt calm and inner joy, while their mind becomes clear and their perception sharpens, has had a taste of the realm of meditation.

Successful meditation means simply being - not judging, not thinking, just being aware, at peace and living each moment as it unfolds.

In Buddhism the person meditating is not trying to get into a hypnotic state or contact angels or any other supernatural entity.

Meditation involves the body and the mind. For Buddhists this is particularly important as they want to avoid what they call 'duality' and so their way of meditating must involve the body and the mind as a single entity.

In the most general definition, meditation is a way of taking control of the mind so that it becomes peaceful and focused, and the meditator becomes more aware.

The purpose of meditation is to stop the mind rushing about in an aimless (or even a purposeful) stream of thoughts. People often say that the aim of meditation is to still the mind.

There are a number of methods of meditating - methods which have been used for a long time and have been shown to work. People can meditate on their own or in groups.

Meditating in a group - perhaps at a retreat called a sesshin or in a meditation room or zendo - has the benefit of reminding a person that they are both part of a larger Buddhist community, and part of the larger community of beings of every species.

David Midgley is founding director of the Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds. Dr Susan Blackmore is Lecturer in Psychology at the University of the West of England and Bristol. They discuss meditation practices with Liz Watson, director of the London Christian Meditation Centre.

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These lines from the ancient Buddhist scripture the Dhammapada suggest that the mental states we experience are the key to everything in our lives.

If we are consumed by craving or aversion, we will experience the world very differently from the way we will experience it if we are overflowing with generosity and kindness.

Buddhist meditation is an invitation to turn one's awareness away from the world of activity that usually preoccupies us to the inner experience of thoughts, feelings and perceptions.

For Buddhists, the realm of meditation comprises mental states such as calm, concentration and one-pointedness (which comprises the six forces: hearing, pondering, mindfulness, awareness, effort and intimacy).

The practice of meditation is consciously employing particular techniques that encourage these states to arise.

Some classical meditation methods use the meditator's own breathing. They may just sit and concentrate on their breathing... not doing anything to alter the way they breathe, not worrying about whether they're doing it right or wrong, not even thinking about breathing; just 'following' the breathing and 'becoming one' with the breathing.

It is important not to think: "I am breathing". When a person does that they separate themselves from the breathing and start thinking of themselves as separate from what they are doing - the aim is just to be aware of breathing.

This is more difficult than it sounds. Some meditators prefer to count breaths, trying to count up to ten without any distraction at all, and then starting again at one. If they get distracted they notice the distraction and go back to counting.

But there are many methods of meditation - some involve chanting mantras, some involve concentrating on a particular thing (such as a candle flame or a flower).

Nor does meditation have to involve keeping still; walking meditation is a popular Zen way of doing it, and repetitive movements using beads or prayer wheels are used in other faiths.

In the West, for many of those who want to explore a spiritual path, meditation is the first thing they encounter.

In Buddhist tradition, meditation is the second part of the 'threefold path'.

There are many formulations of the Buddhist path to spiritual awakening but the threefold path is generally seen as the most basic one.

The first training, and the indispensable basis for spiritual development, according to the Buddha, is ethics (shila).

Buddhism does not have laws or commandments but its five ethical precepts are guidelines for how to live in a way that avoids harming others or oneself.

Meditation (samadhi) is the second training. Acting ethically gives rise to a simpler life and a clear conscience, which are a sound basis for meditation practice.

Meditation clarifies and concentrates the mind in preparation for the third training: developing wisdom (prajna). The real aim of all Buddhist practice is to understand the true nature of our lives and experience.

A useful way of understanding the diversity of meditation practices is to think of the different types of meditation.

These practices are known as:

This isn't a traditional list - it comes from modern meditation teachers who draw on more than one Asian Buddhist tradition. Neither are there hard and fast distinctions.

A particular meditation practice usually includes elements of all four approaches but with the emphasis on one particular aspect.

Connected with meditation, but not quite the same as it, is the practice of mindfulness. This, too, is an essential part of Buddhist practice and means becoming more fully aware of what one is experiencing in all aspects of one's life.

Mindfulness always plays a part in meditation, but meditation, in the sense of setting out to become more and more concentrated, is not necessarily a part of mindfulness.

If you focus your attention on an object it gradually becomes calmer and more concentrated.

In principle, any object will do - a sound, a visual image such as a candle flame, or a physical sensation.

In the tantric Buddhism of Tibet and elsewhere, meditators visualise complex images of Buddha forms and recite sacred sounds or mantras (in fact these images and sounds have significance beyond simply being objects of concentration).

But the most common and basic object of concentrative meditation is to focus on the naturally calming physical process of the breath.

In the 'mindfulness of breathing', one settles the mind through attending to the sensations of breathing.

There are many variations on how this is done. Here is a common version of the practice:

An example of a 'generative' practice is the 'development of loving kindness' meditation (metta bhavana). This helps the person meditating to develop an attitude of loving kindness using memory, imagination and awareness of bodily sensations.

In the first stage you feel metta for yourself with the help of an image like golden light or phrases such as 'may I be well and happy, may I progress.'

In the second stage you think of a good friend and, using an image, a phrase, or simply the feeling of love, you develop metta towards them.

In the third stage metta is directed towards someone you do not particularly like or dislike.

In the fourth stage it is directed towards someone you actually dislike.

In the last stage, you feel metta for all four people at once - yourself, the friend, the neutral person and the enemy.

Then you extend the feeling of love from your heart to everyone in the world, to all beings everywhere.

Scripture on this practice says: 'As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child, even so should one cultivate a limitless heart with regard to all beings. With goodwill for the entire cosmos cultivate a limitless heart.' (Metta Sutta)

Other generative practices in Buddhism include tonglen - the Tibetan practice of breathing in the suffering of others and breathing out a purifying white light. This practice is aimed at cultivating compassion.

In the mindfulness of breathing or the metta bhavana meditation practice, a balance needs to be struck between consciously guiding attention and being receptive to whatever experience is arising.

This attitude of open receptive attention is the emphasis of the receptive type of meditation practice.

Sometimes such practices are simply concerned with being mindful. In zazen or 'just sitting' practice from the Japanese Zen tradition, one sits calmly, aware of what is happening in one's experience without judging, fantasising or trying to change things.

A similar practice in Tibetan tradition is dzogchen. In both cases, the meditator sits with their eyes open. (Usually people close their eyes to meditate).

Zazen and dzogchen practices gain depth from the underlying belief in the significance of being in the present moment.

Reflective meditation involves repeatedly turning your attention to a theme but being open to whatever arises from the experience.

Reflective practices in Buddhism include meditations on impermanence and interconnectedness as well as faith enhancing practices such as meditation on the qualities of the Buddha.

The classical meditation position is 'the lotus position'. This involves sitting cross-legged with the left foot on top of the right thigh and the right foot on top of the left thigh.

If you can't manage that it is still good to sit on the floor either kneeling or cross-legged with enough support to have both knees on the ground and the back erect without having to strain.

But it is possible to meditate in any stable posture that keeps the spine straight. Sitting quietly in a chair is perfectly acceptable.

While it helps for the body to be alert, relaxed and stable, meditation is really about the mind and the inner experience. Posture is a support to that but most Buddhist traditions do not regard it as an end in itself.

It is useful to take time before and after you meditate to settle into and emerge from the practice. It is always a good idea to have some space to let thoughts die down and tune into your feelings and bodily sensations.

Over the last half century meditation has gradually become a more familiar practice in the West.

Just as many people practice hatha yoga (which is Hindu in origin) or T'ai Chi (which is Taoist) for their health benefits, so many people practice Buddhist meditation without being a Buddhist.

It is a valuable tool for developing self-knowledge, learning to concentrate and dealing with stress.

In recent years there has been growing interest in using meditation and mindfulness in palliative care, particularly learning to cope with chronic pain and preventing relapse into depression.

Within its Buddhist context, meditation is a vital component of its path to spiritual awakening.

In the UK, as in many other western countries, there are many Buddhist centres and independent teachers offering meditation classes and courses.

There are also many books, tapes and websites devoted to the subject.

But the general advice from Buddhists is that it helps to meditate with others and to have teachers who can help you with issues that arise along the way.

It also helps to go on retreat with other meditators, when you can focus on meditation more fully.

Zen is about living in the present with complete awareness.

Practitioners turn off the automatic pilot that most of us operate from throughout the day -- we don't really notice all the things that are going on around us or within our own minds.

They try to experience each moment directly. They don't let thoughts, memories, fears or hopes get in the way.

They practice being aware of everything they see, hear, feel, taste, and smell.

Another way of looking at this is to say that a Zen practitioner tries to be completely aware in the activity of any particular moment -- to the extent that they are one with what they are doing. So, for example:

Zen practice is to realise that thoughts are a natural faculty of mind and should not be stopped, ignored, or rejected.

Instead, thinking, especially discursive thinking, is to be acknowledged but then put to one side so that the mind is not carried away by worries, anxieties, and endless hopes and fears.

This is liberation from the defilements of the mind, the suffering of the mind, leaving the truth of this vast, unidentifiable moment plain to see.

In Zen Buddhism the purpose of meditation is to stop the mind rushing about in an aimless (or even a purposeful) stream of thoughts. People often say that the aim of meditation is "to still the mind".

Zen Buddhism offers a number of methods of meditation to people - methods which have been used for a long time, and which have been shown to work.

Zen Buddhists can meditate on their own or in groups.

Meditating in a group - perhaps at a retreat called a sesshin or in a meditation room or zendo - has the benefit of reminding a person that they are both part of a larger Buddhist community, and part of the larger community of beings of every species.

The key Zen practice is zazen. This involves sitting in one of several available positions and meditating so that you become fully in touch with the true nature of reality.

Different schools of Zen do zazen in different ways: Soto meditators face a wall, Rinzai meditators sit in a circle facing each other.

Meditation is possible in any stable posture that keeps the spine fairly straight. Sitting quietly in a chair is perfectly acceptable.

The classic posture for Zen meditation is called the Lotus Position. This involves sitting cross-legged with the left foot on top of the right thigh and the right foot on top of the left thigh.

The lotus position is difficult and uncomfortable for beginners, and there are other sitting positions that are a lot easier to achieve, such as the half lotus (in which only one foot is put on top of the opposite thigh) or simply sitting cross-legged or sitting on a cushion with knees bent and lower legs tucked under upper legs.

Some classic meditation methods use the meditator's own breathing. They may just sit and concentrate on their breathing not doing anything to alter the way they breath, not worrying about whether they're doing it right or wrong, not even thinking about breathing; just "following" the breathing and "becoming one" with the breathing.

But there are many methods of meditation - some involve chanting mantras, some involve concentrating on a particular thing (such as a candle flame or a flower). Nor does meditation have to involve keeping still; walking meditation is a popular Zen way of doing it, and repetitive movements using beads or prayer wheels are used in other faiths.

Meditation teaches self-discipline because it's boring, and because the body gets uncomfortable. The meditator learns to keep going regardless of how bored they are, or how much they want to scratch their nose.

Koans are questions or statements, often paradoxes, that provoke spiritual understanding. They are often used by masters as a way of teaching pupils, and also to test enlightenment.

Don't think that the koan and its solution are themselves wisdom and truth. They may be, but their particular importance here is their use as tools to help you understand the true nature of yourself and of everything, and to increase your awareness of what is.

A well known koan is "In clapping both hands a sound is heard; what is the sound of one hand?"

Koans can't be solved by study and analytical thought. In order to solve a koan, the pupil must leave behind all thoughts and ideas in order to respond intuitively.

Koans don't have a right answer. Western pupils often find this very frustrating, since most westerners are used to trying to get the right (and only) answer to a problem. For the same reason, the truths of Zen can't be learned just by reading a scripture or getting a solution from a a teacher or a text book.

The best way to work with koans is with a teacher. Without a teacher it can be too easy to fool yourself into thinking that you've solved a koan.

The first collection of koans was made in the 11th century CE. They are a favourite teaching tool of the Rinzai school of Buddhism.

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BBC - Religions - Buddhism: Meditation