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08/19/09
VR1 Media-Promotion of Buddhist Circuit in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar -ONLINE TRAINING ON PRECEPTS AND TRADE-58-Nepal promises steps to improve business climate We will create ‘feel-at-home’ environment for Indian entrepreneurs Security plan will address the issue of strikes, disruptions There is potential to further increase Indian investment- ON LIVELIHOOD THE WAY OF USING RESOURCES COMPREHENSIVE PALI COURSE LESSON 8 Exercise 1 Translate into English- FREE ONLINE TRAINING ON BUDDHISM FOR CHILDREN -18-Over 55 percent polling in Uttar Pradesh by-polls-A Permanent Online International Seminar on Buddhism and Buddhist Heritage of Jambudvipa, that is, the Great Prabuddha Bharath -11 Buddhist Meditation - the royal road to emancipation-Buddhism in South India?-
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Posted by: site admin @ 8:59 pm


VR1

MEDIA


Awakend One’s Teachings!

Only way to get awakened with awareness!

To reach Ultimate Bliss!

Promotion of Buddhist Circuit in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar


14:22 IST

The Union Tourism
Minister Kumari Selja has said that her Ministry will take along Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar while promoting Buddhist Circuit for tourists. She
said that Buddhist Circuit is popular both among foreign and domestic
tourists and all efforts will be made to make it star attraction. The
issue came up during the meeting of Uttar Pradesh tourism minister with
Kumari Selja here today when the former called on her. During the
meeting, Uttar Pradesh submitted a project on the Buddhist Circuit to
the Union Ministry for consideration.


Both the leaders discussed tourism related issues and Kumari
Selja stressed the need to provide cleanliness and hygienic atmosphere
at tourist spots in the state as the feel good factor among tourists
will provide the state a chance to have more repeat visitors. She said
Public Awareness Campaign about cleanliness must be started in places
like Agra where tourists come in large numbers. She suggested that the
help of corporate sector may also be taken in creating such awareness.
Kumari Selja also suggested to provide skill upgradation training to
waiters, cooks, taxi drivers and other stakeholders to provide better
experiences for tourists during their stay in the state. She said her
Ministry is willing to provide training to instructors of the state in
this regard, if such a request is put forward. She also urged the state
to work towards Seamless travel for the comfort of the tourists as
Uttar Pradesh is one of the key state in the Golden Triangle
(Delhi-Agra-Jaipur), which attracts most of the foreign tourists
visiting India.


The Uttar Pradesh tourism minister Shri Vinod Singh enlisted
the efforts of the state government in providing training to waiters,
cooks etc. and requested the Union Ministry to sanction a scheme of the
state government under which stipend for such training will be given to
the beneficiaries. He also sought help to have international airports
at Agra and Kushinagar.

Please visit:
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=cLXwU9e6D4sC&pg=PA512&lpg=PA512&dq=Buddhist+pilgrimage+in+UP+with+pictures&source=bl&ots=A63IIFHHDL&sig=xDwKJFtM2EcjmO_YRlVj22XhnEY&hl=en&ei=GeCMSo66DdWBkQWPi-G-DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=&f=false
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuVBUNV4D1c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLMeW6PPjUc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmr5X5vZZBU&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD9WDlwVYgw&feature=related

India Pilgrimage Tours

India Pilgrimage Tour

Circuit : Delhi - Patna - Nalanda - Bodhgaya - Varanasi - Gorakhpur
- Balrampur - Lucknow
Duration : 11 Nights / 12 Days

Cultural Discoveries :

Delhi : The capital of the
country and a historical place .
Patna : Capital of Bihar state and a Buddhiest tourist place.
Nalanda : An ancient historical place related to Budhism.Nalanda  Rajgir

Nalanda , an ancient city of
Mauryan period and resides most popular University of its
time. The Nalanda University was world famous Buddhist centre
of Learning. Pupils from far places used to come here to
receive the quality education. It was established by the great
scholar and diplomat Chankya. We will have to drive around 55
miles south east of Patna. Reaching there we would see the
complex of Nalanda University. You would find yourself in the
middle of history. You can take photographs and here and have
a video shoot. Our guide would show you the entire region.
After lunch we would drive towards Rajgir 15 Kms onwards.
Rajgir is an ancient town once the capital of powerful
Maghadha Kingdom.See the remains of its glorious past in its
ruins. Rajgir is developed as a health and winter resort due
to its warm water ponds. The water in this pond is said to
have medicinal qualities. You too can have a bath here. After
bath we would take a rope way to reach the Shanti Stupa
uphills and other monasteries built by Japanese devotees up
there. A continued journey towards outskirts of Rajgir would
take us to Gridhkuta Parvat ( hill) where Buddha preached his
best teachings. This is the very place where the first
Buddhist council was held after the lords Mahaparinirvana.

We would take our evening tea here at a local tea stall and
continue our drive towards Bodhgaya a very important place of
Pilgrimage in the Buddhist religion. We would Bodhgaya in
night. There would be no problem as we have already booked the
hotel for your convenience. After check in formalities over,
rest in your room. Dinner would be sent in your room. Go to
sleep after a nice hot dinner. It was a hectic day, so sleep
early and take complete rest. Tomorrow we would visit all the
important places in Bodhgaya.

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» Day 05 : Bodhgaya - Varanasi

Bodhgaya

Bodhgaya
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Wake up and have your bed tea
in your room. You can have breakfast of your choice in the
hotel restaurant . today we would see famous Buddhist
monasteries and temples in Bodhgaya. After breakfast we would
drive towards Mahabodi Temple which has diamond throne and
holy tree. Mahabodhi is the place where lord Buddha attained
enlightenment. Emperor Ashoka is considered to be the original
founder of the Mahabodhi temple. After visiting the temple
and Mahabodhi tree we would move further to visit other
monasteries and temples built by people from other countries
where Buddhism is the presiding religion like Bhutan , Tibet ,
China , Thai land and many others. We would take lunch in a
local restaurant which offers variety of cuisine. You can
order for Indian , Chinese , Continental and any other cuisine
of your choice.


Bodhgaya : The holy place where Lord Buddha attained Awakenment.
Varanasi : The most sacred and important religious sight in Hindu
religion.
Gorakhpur : An important historical and cultural place in Eastern
part of Uttar Pradesh.
Balrampur : The city has many ancient sights of Budhist religion.
Lucknow : Capital city of Uttar Pradesh and popular as a ciltural
hub of state with many famous Mughal monuments.
Kushinagar

Kushinagar
Kushinagar, the important place of Budhiest piligriamge where
Lord Buddha attained Mahapariniravana. Have your breakfast and
get in to the car. Kushinagar is 53 kms west and approx 3 hrs.
of drive from Gorakhpur. Reaching thter we would encounter
with the remains of ancient city “Kushinara” of
Malla dynasty.Visit the Today, Kushinagar is rediscovering its
roots, as a centre for international Buddhism, and home to
many viharas, including a Tibetan gompa devoted to Sakyamuni,
a Burmese vihara, and temples from China and Japan.

See the magnificient sulpture of Lord Buddha in the Stupa.
Have lunch in the peaceful environment of the Kushinagar and
visit all the temples built by many other Buddhist countries.

Introduction

Buddhism in South India?
 

The soaring towers of the great temples dedicated to the Hindu gods Śiva and Visnu
today dominate the religious landscape in the Tamil-speaking corner of southeastern
India. Impressive shrines built by a succession of powerful medieval dynasties cover the
region, from Kañcipuram in the north to Sriralkam, Citamparam, Tañcavur, and
Maturai. The temples of Śiva’s son, Murukan, mark the boundaries of the Tamil coun­
try; in 1971, the most prominent Tamil political party (the Tiravita Munnerrak Kalakam,
or DMK) declared Murukan to be its official patron deity. 1 Tamil-speaking Hindus today
enjoy the reputation throughout India of being the most traditional and the most ortho­
dox, with their practices and institutions
representing a seemingly unbroken chain of

religious development that stretches back nearly two millennia. Although minority popu­
lations of Muslims, Christians, and Jains do exist, the overwhelming majority of the
Tamil-speaking population in modern India practices some form of devotion to Śiva,
Visnu, or the goddess.

Yet the literary and historical record of religions in this region of southernmost India
tells a far more complex story. Although the monarchs of the medieval Pallava, Paotiya,
and Co;a dynasties constructed large edifices in honor of the Hindu pantheon, they
patronized other sectarian communities as well, including Jains, Ajivikas, 2 and Bud­
dhists. Indeed, non-Hindu communities played such an important role in South Indian
literary and religious culture and in the administration of the state between the fourth
and seventh centuries that later Śaiva tradition labeled this period the Kalabhra Interreg­
num,
the interruption of the “wicked ones” (kalappalar). 3 The earliest written records in
Tamil, the Brahmi inscriptions, are Jain. 4 Between the composition of the classical, or
“Calkam, ” literature (roughly, the second through fourth centuries) 5 and the emergence
of the Hindu devotional (bhakti) poet-saints in the seventh through ninth centuries, the
majority of the poetic works produced in Tamil were written by either Buddhists or
Jains.

Despite the presence of Buddhists, Jains, and Ajivikas in the Tamil inscriptional,
archaeological, and literary record, the significance of non-Hindu contributions to the
 history of religions in Tamil-speaking South India has only recently become the topic of
serious academic study. In what Richard Davis calls the “standard historical narrative
concerning South Indian Jainism and Saivism, ” for example, scholarship has long tended
to pit Hindu against non-Hindu, telling “a story of heterodox challenge and Hindu revival
and triumph. ” 6 In this historical narrative, which has dominated the study of religion
in South India for more than a century, Buddhists and Jains appear only intermittently
as the “other, ” as
foreigners to be spurned, ridiculed, and ultimately dismissed as “anti­
Tamil, ” unable to corrupt or suppress with their emphasis on ascetic practice the natu­
ral joie de vivre of the Tamils. 7

Several recent and important studies have begun to reverse this scholarly trend,
however, particularly in regard to the long presence of Tamil-speaking Jains in South
India. Leslie C. Orr’s work, for example, examines the lives of both Hindu and Jain
“religious women” in the inscriptional record of the eighth through thirteenth centu­
ries, noting that Jain women were both significant temple donors and religious teachers. 8
James Ryan’s study of the ninth-century poetic narrative, the Civakacintamaoi, demon­
strates the power of literary parody in this sophisticated work by a Jain monk that over­
turns the classical conventions of literary love to prove “the poisonousness of lust in
epic fashion. ” 9 Paula Richman’s study of the sixth-century Buddhist narrative, the
Manimekalai, loosely follows a similar approach, demonstrating the ways in which the
author inverts classical literary ideals with great rhetorical finesse to inculcate Buddhist
values in his audience. 10 Examining the anti-Jain invective in the earliest devotional poetry
to Śiva, Indira Peterson asserts that “we cannot assume that the Jains suddenly stopped
participating in Tamil culture even as the Śaiva bhakti cult began to assert itself. It is
much more likely that the Nayanars [the Śaiva
saints, literally “leaders”] found it advan­
tageous to exclude their most powerful rivals from their reformulation of Tamil cul­
ture. ” 11 In a thought-provoking essay that ponders the origins of the seeming similari­
ties between Jain thought and the medieval Śaiva philosophy in Tamil known as Śaiva
Siddhanta, Richard Davis suggests a model of “productive encounter” among sectarian
communities, a flow of ideas back and forth despite the Śaiva rhetoric of challenge and
defeat. 12 Indeed, each of the essays in the edited volume, suggestively titled Open
Bound­
aries: Jain Communities and Cultures in Indian History,
in which the Orr, Ryan, Peterson,
and Davis articles cited previously appear, fruitfully attempts to understand the Jain
tradition, from models of kingship to Jain contributions to Sanskrit literary theory, in
the broader context of South Asian history and religiosity, taking into account the “chal­
lenging, borrowing, contradicting, polemicizing, appropriating, and modifying that goes
on across religious boundaries. ” 13

Among the many religious communities that once wielded influence in various realms
of cultural life in the Tamil-speaking South, relatively little study has been made of the
Buddhists. With the Buddhist strongholds of Amaravati and Nagarjunakooda immedi­
ately to the north and the great monastic establishments of Sri Lanka to the east, it is
certainly not surprising to find traces of a Buddhist presence in the kingdoms of the
Pallavas, the Paotiyas, and the Co;as in the fourth through twelfth centuries. Yet while
the scattered artifacts of Buddhism in the region have been examined individually over
the past century or so, the significance of any one is often far from clear; the character
of the Tamil-speaking Buddhist community or communities has remained largely obscure.
Who were the Tamil-speaking Buddhists of southern India? What did being “Buddhist” 

mean in the complex religious world of the medieval South, a diverse landscape of
competing sectarian communities in which Buddhists were perhaps always a minority?
What can the disparate remnants of Buddhism in this region reveal to the historian of
religions?

 

http://www.questia. com/PM.qst? a=o&d=104967642

 

Imagining a Place for Buddhism
Literary Culture and Religious Community in
Tamil-Speaking South India

ANNE E. MONIUS

OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
2001

 
 
May all beings be happy!
(Sakya, The Humanity)

ONLINE TRAINING ON PRECEPTS AND TRADE-58

Nepal promises steps to improve business climate

We
will create ‘feel-at-home’ environment for Indian entrepreneurs

Security plan will address the issue of strikes, disruptions

There is potential to further increase Indian investment


NEW DELHI: Nepal on Wednesday promised a “feel-at-home” environment
for Indian entrepreneurs, with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal
assuring India that his office would take the initiative to remove all
obstacles.

Last year, his predecessor Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda had
given a similar commitment, but his tenure was too short to create a
conducive atmosphere for Indian businessmen, who complained of
extortion threats and plant closures.

Mr. Nepal promised to put in place a security plan after consulting
all political parties to protect investment and ensure uninterrupted
manufacturing operations. The plan would address the issue of strikes
and disruptions so as to keep the industrial production steady and
protect investor interest.

“The Prime Minister’s office will make sure that you feel at home
and obstacles are removed. You will get a high level of attention from
the government. I will personally make sure that foreign investment is
given due priority,” Mr. Nepal said, speaking at a luncheon organised
by the industrial chambers.

Mr. Prachanda had also said his government would adopt every
possible measure to create the necessary conditions, including
repatriation of capital and profit earned by investors.

New Delhi considers Indian investment in Nepal a fulcrum for
correcting the imbalance in trade, now tilted heavily in favour of
India. This approach has been tried out with success in boosting trade
with Sri Lanka without skewing the balance further in India’s favour.
India has been adopting a similar approach to Bangladesh, but with
little success.

“My government will be responsive to all your suggestions,” Mr.
Nepal told Indian businessmen, while identifying hydropower, roads,
bridges, infrastructure, construction, tourism, agro-processing and
financial services as the areas where Indian investment would be
especially welcome. He conceded that though the bulk of the foreign
investment (43 per cent) received by Nepal was from India, there was
potential to increase it further.

Peace and stability in Nepal through all-round economic growth and
inclusive development would be the key factors in lifting the economic
face of the nation. “I believe we can sustain peace and stability in
the country only with rapid and inclusive development. We will do our
best to ensure security and peaceful environment in the country,” he
said
.




ON LIVELIHOOD
THE WAY OF USING
RESOURCES


Although Buddhism
admonishes us against material

Desire, in this
society and opposed to excessive indulgence in material

culture is in accord
with moral living. But practicing ascetics

who hope to subdue
their wills by tempering their material

desires are also to
be commended.   In the monastic life, for

example, when the
master dies, his or her belongings are given

to his or her
disciples. One garment can be handed down for

generations; over the
years of my own monastic life I have ]

experienced this. If
we can distance ourselves from material

things, then we are
not slaves to them. That is why the

Diamond Sutra [Vajracchedika Prajna Paramita Sutra] tells us

Not to dwell in the
six dusts – form, sound, smell, taste, touch

And objects. The five
desires and six dusts are filled with

Defects and afflictions;
The Collection of Great Treasures
asserts,

“Riches, lust, and
position are impermanent and last but a

Short time. The wise
do not pursue momentary pleasure

But diligently seek
the most wonderful Buddha wisdom”. The

Flower Ornament Sutra [Avatamsaka Sutra] also notes, “The

Dhamma of eternal
happiness, gentleness, and patience is to

Be found amid
loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and

Equanimity”.  We can find our path in life only by taming

Our material desires
and taking delight in seeking the Dhamma;

And by being happy,
compassion, joy and equanimity.



COMPREHENSIVE PALI COURSE LESSON 8 (Contd)-

LESSON 8

 

Exercise 1

 

Translate into English

 

1.                  
Manussā kusalāni ca akusalāni ca kammāni karonti.

 

Men do good and eveil deeds.

 

2.                  
Munayao puññāni karonti, evapuññavantā honti.

 

The sages perform meritorious deeds. Thus become

Pious ones.

 

3.                  
Pāpa-puggalā pāpa-kammāni harissanti.

 

Evil men will commit eveil deeds.

 

4.                 
Evaṁ te dīghakālaṁ dukkhaṁ labhissanti.

 

Thus they will get suffering for long.

 

5.                 
Ekasmiṁ gahapatimhi pāpa-icchāyo uppajjiṁsu.

 

Evil desire arose in one householder.

 

6.                  
So maīnaṁ rāsiyo karissāmi iti abhāsi.

 

I shall make heaps of gems, so he
said.

 

7.                  
Kāyo anicco, vedanā aniccā, saññā aniccā, saṅkhārā

Aniccā, viññāṇaṁ iti Bodhi Rukkhassa mūle

Sākyamunino ñāṇaṁ upapajji.

 

The body is impermanent, feelings are impermanent

Perceptions are impermenant, mental formations are

Impermanent, conciousness is impermenant, thus

The knowledge arose to the sage of the sahyas at

The foot of the Tree of Awakenment.

 

8.                  
Dhammassa Adhipatino, Karuāya Udadhissa,

Saddhā-cittena devamanussā atite
vandi
ṁsu,idāni

Vandanti, ānāgate vandissanti.

 

Gods and men worshipped the Lord of
Truth, the

Ocean of Compassion, with a heart of
devotion, in

The past, they worship now and will
worship in the

Future.

 

9.                  
Paṇḍitā sabbe saṁkhārā aniccā, dukkhā, anattā iti

Passanti, evaṁ saṁyojanāni hanenti akusala-

Byādhīhi attānaṁ mocenti, kusalaṁ karonti ceva

paññaṁ bhāventi.

 

All things are impermanent, unsatisfactory and

Impersonal, so the wise ones understand and thus

Destroy the fetters and free themselves from the

Diseases of evil, and perform meritorious deeds and

Develop wisdom.

 

10.              
Bālā gambhīraṁ Buddha-Dhammaṁ jānanti

evaṁ Dhamma-nidhiṁ na labhanti, dighakāla

dukkhena viharanti ca.

 

The tools do not know the profound Teachings of the

Awakened One,thus they don’t acquire the

Treasure of Truth and for long dwell with

Unhappiness.



FREE ONLINE
TRAINING ON BUDDHISM FOR CHILDREN -18

The One-hundredth Prince
[Obedience
to a Wise Teacher]

Once
upon a time, there was a king who had one- hundred sons. The youngest, the one-hundredth,
was Prince Gamani. He was very energetic, patient and kind.

All
the princes were sent to be taught by teachers. Prince Gamani, even though he
was the one-hundredth in line to the throne, was lucky enough to have the best
teacher. He had the most learning and was the wisest of them of all. He was like
a father to Prince Gamani, who liked, respected and obeyed him.

In
those days, it was the custom to send each educated prince to a different province.
There he was to develop the country and help the people. When Prince Gamani was
old enough for this assignment, he went to his teacher and asked which province
he should request. He said, “Do not select any province. Instead, tell your
father the king that if he sends you, his one-hundredth son, out to a province,
there will be no son remaining to serve him in his home city.” Prince Gamani
obeyed his teacher, and pleased his father with his kindness and loyalty.


Then the prince went again to his teacher and asked, “How best can I serve
my father and the people, here in the capital city?” The wise teacher replied,
“Ask the king to let you be the one to collect fees and taxes, and distribute
benefits to the people. If he agrees, then carry out your duties honestly and
fairly, with energy and kindness.”

Again
the prince followed his teacher’s advice. Trusting his one-hundredth son, the
king was glad to assign these functions to him. When he went out to perform the
difficult task of collecting fees and taxes, the young prince was always gentle,
fair and lawful. When he distributed food to the hungry, and other necessary things
to the needy, he was always generous, kind and sympathetic. Before long, the one-hundredth
prince gained the respect and affection of all.

Eventually,
the king came to be on his deathbed. His ministers asked him who should be the
next king. He said that all his one-hundred sons had a right to succeed him. It
should be left up to the citizens.

After
he died, all the citizens agreed to make the one-hundredth prince their next ruler.
Because of his goodness, they crowned him King Gamani the Righteous.

When
the ninety-nine older brothers heard what had happened, they thought they had
been insulted. Filled with envy and rage, they prepared for war. They sent a message
to King Gamani, which said, “We are all your elders. Neighbour countries
will laugh at us if we are ruled by the one-hundredth prince. Either you give
up the kingdom or we will take it by war!”

After
he received this message, King Gamani took it with him to his wise old teacher,
and asked his advice.

It
just so happened that this honorable gentle teacher was the reborn Awakened
Being. He said, “Tell them you refuse to wage war against your brothers.
Tell them you will not help them kill innocent people you have come to know and
love. Tell them that, instead, you are dividing the king’s wealth among all one-hundred
princes. Then send each one his portion.” Again the king obeyed his teacher.

Meanwhile
the ninety-nine older princes had brought their ninety-nine small armies to surround
the royal capital. When they received the king’s message and their small portions
of the royal treasure, they held a meeting. They decided that each portion was
so small it was almost meaningless. Therefore, they would not accept them.

But then they
realized that, in the same way, if they fought with King Gamani and
then with each other, the kingdom itself would be divided into small
worthless portions. Each small piece of the once-great kingdom would
be weak in the face of any unfriendly country. So they sent back their
portions of the royal treasure as offerings of peace, and accepted
the rule of King Gamani.

The
king was pleased, and invited his brothers to the palace to celebrate the peace
and unity of the kingdom. He entertained them in the most perfect ways - with
generosity, pleasant conversation, providing instruction for their benefit, and
treating all with even-handed courtesy.

In
this way the king and the ninety-nine princes became closer as friends than they
had been as brothers. They were strong in their support of each other. This was
known in all the surrounding countries, so no one threatened the kingdom or its
people. After a few months, the ninety-nine brothers returned to their provinces.

King
Gamani the Righteous invited his wise old teacher to live in the palace. He honored
him with great wealth and many gifts. He held a celebration for his respected
teacher, saying to the full court, “I, who was the one-hundredth prince,
among one-hundred worthy princes, owe all my success to the wise advice of my
generous and understanding teacher. Likewise, all who follow their wise teachers’
advice will earn prosperity and happiness. Even the unity and strength of the
kingdom, we owe to my beloved teacher.”


The kingdom prospered under the remainder of the generous and just rule of King
Gamani the Righteous
.

The moral is:
One is rewarded a hundred-fold for following the advice of a wise
teacher.

A Permanent Online International Seminar on Buddhism and Buddhist
Heritage of Jambudvipa, that is, the Great Prabuddha Bharath -11

Buddhist Meditation - the royal
road to emancipation

This article describes and explains partly the Buddhist
Meditation technique expounded in the Anapanasati Sutra.

This Sutra describes a practice that has come down to us
from the founder of Buddhism, the Buddha himself. It is one of
the main practices of Theravada Buddhism.

Anapana means breathing and the word sati means awareness.
Anapanasati is therefore the practice of awareness of the
breath.

This is a particularly good Buddhist Meditation as you can
practice it at any and all times during the day and not just in
those hours when you are meditating.

It is an easy meditation method but it requires effort.

The paradox in learning
meditation

The first thing we come to know in learning
meditation is that many techniques are simplicity itself. But
practicing them involves moment to moment awareness and that is
an extraordinarily difficult habit to form. In learning
meditation, in practicing this easy meditation technique we are
reversing the accumulated habits of a lifetime..


So that is what makes it difficult. But persevere. The
benefits and results are more than worth it.

This sutra has been described as the incomparable path
leading to emancipation. For our purposes however, it would
suffice if we gained some peace and happiness and some freedom
from our fretful, anxious selves.

The sutra consists of 16 verses or methods of Buddist
Meditation. In this article I will describe and explain the
first 2 verses only which will be enough to calm us down, get
ourselves started and give us the experience decide whether we
wish to continue, stop or progress further.

The sutra reads as follows: -

Following the breath in daily life – eliminating
forgetfulness and unnecessary thinking.

“Breathing in, he knows that he is breathing in; and
breathing out he knows that he is breathing out. Breathing in a
long breath he knows, “I am breathing in a long breath.”
Breathing out a long breath he knows, “I am breathing out a
long breath.” Breathing in a short breath he knows “I am
breathing in a short breath”. Breathing out a short breath he
knows, “I am breathing out a short breath”’

These sutras sound very simple; you may think what is so
earth-shakingly important about knowing whether I am breathing
in or breathing out. Do not be fooled. By doing this exercise
you will force yourself to be free of your thoughts and
desires. You will be free of your joys, sorrows, anger and
unease and gain some peace.

As stated earlier

The above method is one of the
main practices of Theravada Buddhism

You can practice this
exercise during your hours of meditation with profit. You can
also – if you choose – integrate this method in your daily life
and practice it as you go about your day-to-day chores.


Most of our day-to-day chores can be done and made
meaningful by practice of this method of Buddhist Meditation.
While sitting, walking, standing you combine awareness of
breathing with all the movements of the body. While sitting –
“I am breathing in and I am sitting down”. While standing – “I
am breathing out and I am standing”. While doing something
which involves attention such as chopping onions – “I am
breathing in and I am aware that my right hand is chopping
onions” This is the way we can practice.

You may find that the time taken for an in breath or out
breath is too short to say the complete sentence to yourself.
In that case say “Breathing in – sitting” or “Breathing in –
standing” or “Breathing out – chopping onions” and so on.

By following your breath and combining conscious breathing
with your daily activities you will cut across the stream of
disturbing thoughts and become peaceful. This is also an
exercise that leads to stopping of our thoughts so that we can
observe them. It also leads to an increase in our powers of
concentration.

You may find it difficult to sustain your practice over the
weeks, months and years if you are practicing alone. It will be
of immense help to you if you can form a group or community of
likeminded friends who are interested in Buddhist Meditation.
The group can then support and encourage each other.

Some more easy meditation
techniques

So these are two of the practices described in
the Anapanasati sutra of Buddhism. Theravada and also Mahayana
Buddhism has many such powerful and easy meditation techniques
we can practice.


As I mentioned earlier the Anapanasati sutra describes 16
forms of Buddhist Meditation. I have explained in brief the
first 2 methods, which are quite enough for you to dis-identify
with your mind and your grasping, anxious ego and gain peace.
To make further progress please pick up a copy of the book

Breathe! You are alive by Thich Nhat Hanh available at
Amazon.

To learn more about the benefits of this practice please
visit this page on Buddhism
religion

To learn more about its history visit this page on
Buddhism religion
history

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it will be useful
to you.


Over 55 percent polling in Uttar Pradesh by-polls

Lucknow, Aug 18 (IANS) Over 55 percent turnout was recorded in
by-elections to four assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh Tuesday, officials
said.


Polling was peaceful with no untoward incidents reported.

The highest turnout, 66 percent, was recorded in the Morna
constituency in Muzaffarnagar district and the lowest, 45 percent, in
the Moradabad Central constituency.

Malihabad in Lucknow district and Viduna in Kanpur Dehat recorded 55 percent polling.



Bahujan Samaj Party

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