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Author Archive | D. B. Smith
Scientific Mindfulness Meditation
Origins Mindfulness meditation may be defined as nonjudgmental awareness through purposeful holding of attention, being in the moment, for mental and physical health, self-knowledge and wisdom. One does not need to sit to be mindful; one can be mindful during all activities throughout the day. Along with its merit as a basis […]
Zen Buddhist Meditation
Zen Buddhist Meditation While there are a number of schools of Zen, this article will focus on the Japanese Soto sect teaching of shikantaza, or “just sitting” method of meditation, probably the most straight-forward example of Zen Buddhist meditation. Early Zen in Japan Buddhism spread from China to Korea in the […]
Chinese Chan Buddhist Meditation
Zuo Chan, Sitting Meditation The first Chinese people to become interested in Buddhism were Daoists. These Daoists became the first converts to Buddhism in China. Over the next couple of centuries Sanskrit Buddhist works on meditation, enlightenment and the path of the bodhisattva were translated into Chinese. Chinese mystics adopted and adapted Buddhism […]
Buddhist Insight Meditation
The Buddha: Siddhartha Gautama The Buddha’s meditation is a way of life, a religion, rooted in the simple act of sitting calmly and being awake to reality. The Buddha was born Prince Siddhartha Gautama probably in the sixth century BCE into the Shakya clan, which is why he is sometimes referred to as […]
The Science Abbey Meditation Guide – Basic Meditation
Simple Sitting Meditation This handbook is a guide to a seated silent meditation, which for the purpose of precise definition, is called Illumination meditation. Feel free to skip the philosophical introduction and go to the end of the article to the Meditation Manual. Illumination meditation is the unification of the mind, allowing […]
The Royal Art: Alchemy and Science
Hello, Dear Readers, below is a series of articles on the Royal Art. The Royal Art, known technically as symbolic or speculative alchemy, is the art of eternal transformation. According to tradition it is called royal because it is the supreme profession, encompassing the philosophy of nature, the art of life, and the science […]
Virgins and Philosophers: Early Proto-Monasticism (Inside Monastic Culture Part II)
Read “The Solitaries: Inside Monastic Culture Part I” Roman Religious Colleges The Vestal Virgins of ancient Rome, formed in the seventh century BCE, were the world’s first known cenobitic proto-monastics and their Atrium Vestiae, or House of the Vestal Virgins, was the first proto-monastic house. The Vestal Virgins, a part of the […]
Power of the Mind 2: Visualization and the Mind
Page 2 … Read Page 1 CONTENTS PART 2: Studying and Professional Skill Building | Mnemonics | The Memory Palace | Artistic Creativity | Enlightenment | The Universal Person | Archetypes | Inner Alchemy | Spirituality | Meditation, Mental Health and Enlightenment | Mindfulness Meditation CONTENTS PART 3: The Nervous System and Immunity | Neuroendocrinology | Psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology | Stress, Adrenaline and Homeostasis | How […]
Meditation, the Art of Life Part V: The Science of Meditation
A Working Definition of Illumination Meditation Meditation is defined as a focusing of awareness, confining the attention to a single thing, bringing the mind to a state of tranquility and clarity. There are many kinds of meditation developed all over the world for various purposes. In this article we will focus primarily on […]