Meditation is the english name of the word called dhyana or Raja yoga.
Indian Sage Patanjali has writen extensively about Yoga and Raja Yoga which is now popular as Meditation.
The Aim of Raja Yoga is to help you realize the god within you.
see below link :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C4%81ja_yoga
is yoga part of Hinduism?
Patanjali the India Sage has written extensively on Yoga in his work : Yoga Sutras
Yoga does not belong to any religion but it was developed as a Science in India in the ancient times.
Patanjali is not credited with the development of Yoga but is credited with Compiling it so it could be passed on to future generations.
Check below link for more info:
what is the meaning of OM??
Om is said to the symbolic representation of the Cosmos or the Brahmand.
Om (A U M) in Literal terms is a representation of the Three prime gods of Hinduism.
It Basically symbolizes the cycle of Creation , Existence and Destruction.
It is said to be the eternal ever existing sound and symbolizes the universe/Cosmos.
Brahma -A
Vishnu -U
Maheswara -M
Brahma is the creator and the starting of Aum A is attributed to Creation
Vishnu keeps the universe and all of Life in Balance. U which is uttered on a longer note signifies this existence
Maheshwara is god of Destruction. M in the AUM symbolizes this.
This is a symbolic representation and has been weaved in to the core of Hindu tradition to explain the universe in simple terms.
can we use the siddhis we gain? will it close doors to higher sprituality?
Siddhis are gained during the course of Meditation / Dhyana / Raja Yoga.
Its not easy to Gain siddhis. It takes years may be decades of Meditation to gain Siddhis. I am sure by that time you would have reflected enough to understand pros/cons of using Siddhis.
It is not good to use siddhis without understanding the consequences.
No action is good from every one. An action you take which may benifit one person may have a negetive effect on some one else. And especially with siddhis if you act irresponsibly you may do a lot of damage unknowingly.
Using Siddhis for wrong purpose will create bad Karma and it can have a negetive impact your spritual growth.
Siddhis Basi info :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhi
Its not easy to Gain siddhis. It takes years may be decades of Meditation to gain Siddhis. I am sure by that time you would have reflected enough to understand pros/cons of using Siddhis.
It is not good to use siddhis without understanding the consequences.
No action is good from every one. An action you take which may benifit one person may have a negetive effect on some one else. And especially with siddhis if you act irresponsibly you may do a lot of damage unknowingly.
Using Siddhis for wrong purpose will create bad Karma and it can have a negetive impact your spritual growth.
Siddhis Basi info :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhi
what are the advantages of meditation? what is best and easiest meditation technique?
Most people meditate to relieve tensions and to improve concentration.
Mind when left to its will keeps on wandering. And its these thoughts about what could go wrong, what could be the consequence of your past or present actions that make us tense.
Meditation is the process of calming your mind. Meditation trains you to narrow down your thought process to a single object/thought. When you train your mind to be one pointed this you are more attentive to the one thing you are doing and this increases your concentration and also memory.
The simplest way of meditation is to concentrate on your breath. You can sit in a chair in a comfortable position and concentrate on your breath cycles while you breath in and breath out.
Another way is to mentally chant a mantra/word like OM repetitively. You can start chanting aloud and then slowly fall back to just chanting with lip movement and then finally just chant om mentally without even the lip movement.
There are many more ways but these are simple ways which any one can follow.
You can read Swamy Vivekananda's Raja Yoga PDF which you can get online to understand more about meditation. Raja Yoga is the science of Meditation compiled by Sage Patanjali.
Vivekananda Raja Yoga link :
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_1/raja-yoga/raja-yoga_contents.htm
Mind when left to its will keeps on wandering. And its these thoughts about what could go wrong, what could be the consequence of your past or present actions that make us tense.
Meditation is the process of calming your mind. Meditation trains you to narrow down your thought process to a single object/thought. When you train your mind to be one pointed this you are more attentive to the one thing you are doing and this increases your concentration and also memory.
The simplest way of meditation is to concentrate on your breath. You can sit in a chair in a comfortable position and concentrate on your breath cycles while you breath in and breath out.
Another way is to mentally chant a mantra/word like OM repetitively. You can start chanting aloud and then slowly fall back to just chanting with lip movement and then finally just chant om mentally without even the lip movement.
There are many more ways but these are simple ways which any one can follow.
You can read Swamy Vivekananda's Raja Yoga PDF which you can get online to understand more about meditation. Raja Yoga is the science of Meditation compiled by Sage Patanjali.
Vivekananda Raja Yoga link :
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_1/raja-yoga/raja-yoga_contents.htm
who founded hinduism ?
Hinduism does not have a founder form where the religion started. It was the way of life of the people belonging to the Indian subcontinent. The foreigners have given the name Hinduism to the way of life followed by people of India.
The Rigveda which is considered the most ancient text relating to any religion is dated back to 1500 BCE and the there is no proof that it was actually created at that precise time or is much older. Its contents describe events that have taken place at a much ancient time.
The Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharatha, Bhagavatam, Bhagavad gita are the ancient text which which give guidance on how a person should lead life and also the ways by which we can realise god. Prayer is just one of the ways and Meditation is another way to realising god.
Reading Bhagavad gita should help you understand what Hinduism stands for.
The Rigveda which is considered the most ancient text relating to any religion is dated back to 1500 BCE and the there is no proof that it was actually created at that precise time or is much older. Its contents describe events that have taken place at a much ancient time.
The Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharatha, Bhagavatam, Bhagavad gita are the ancient text which which give guidance on how a person should lead life and also the ways by which we can realise god. Prayer is just one of the ways and Meditation is another way to realising god.
Reading Bhagavad gita should help you understand what Hinduism stands for.
what is third eye meditation? Does it have side affects? how to practise it safely?
Third Eye Meditation is meditation by concentrating at the spot betwen your eyes. Third Eye Meditation is also known as Jangama dhyana.
This is the position where the soul is located according to hinduism. This is also the spot where the Ajna Chakra is located.
You should not directly start Third Eye Meditation. You need to first start with smiple forms of meditation like concentrating your breath or mentally chanting a mantra Like OM for some time till you are able to concentrate your mind on a fixed thing without letting it drift.
Once you are confident with it you can move on to other powerfull forms of meditation.
Yes third eye meditation may have some side affects like you will have a squezing affect at the centre of the forehead and this will happen even when you are not meditating. Third eye meditation is a way for selfrealization. On this path you may attain some powers but they are to be discouraged if you wish to attain the ultimate goal of self realization.
In simple terms selfrealization simply means being aware of the cosmos and all the knowledge there is.
More links :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jangama_dhyana
This is the position where the soul is located according to hinduism. This is also the spot where the Ajna Chakra is located.
You should not directly start Third Eye Meditation. You need to first start with smiple forms of meditation like concentrating your breath or mentally chanting a mantra Like OM for some time till you are able to concentrate your mind on a fixed thing without letting it drift.
Once you are confident with it you can move on to other powerfull forms of meditation.
Yes third eye meditation may have some side affects like you will have a squezing affect at the centre of the forehead and this will happen even when you are not meditating. Third eye meditation is a way for selfrealization. On this path you may attain some powers but they are to be discouraged if you wish to attain the ultimate goal of self realization.
In simple terms selfrealization simply means being aware of the cosmos and all the knowledge there is.
More links :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jangama_dhyana
what are siddhis? how to attain them?
Siddhis are supernatural powers gained through the practice of Meditation / Dhyana / Raja Yoga.
It is not easy to attain them. You will need to practice meditation for years to attain Siddhis.
Swamy Vivekananda has explained Raja Yoga in Beautiful want. Below is the link to Raja Yoga by Vivekananda on the Ramakrishna Mission Site. It is a very intresting book and must read for people intrested in Meditation.
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_1/raja-yoga/raja-yoga_contents.htm
You can some pdf's versions if you search online.
It is not easy to attain them. You will need to practice meditation for years to attain Siddhis.
Swamy Vivekananda has explained Raja Yoga in Beautiful want. Below is the link to Raja Yoga by Vivekananda on the Ramakrishna Mission Site. It is a very intresting book and must read for people intrested in Meditation.
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_1/raja-yoga/raja-yoga_contents.htm
You can some pdf's versions if you search online.
difference between Generic and Patented / Branded Drugs?
Patented Drugs :
Pharma companies do years of research to formulate drugs for a specific disease. They file for a patent for the drug they produce. A patented drug cannot be manufactured by another company. This way the company that had done the research to find a cure for the disese can sell the drug for a fixed period of time to recover the money they spent on research and also make profits.
Generally the patent period will be around 20 years.
Generic Drugs:
Once this 20 year patent period of the drug expired any company can manufacture the drugs and sell them. So the drugs produced this way after the patent has elapsed are called Generic drugs.
Pharma companies do years of research to formulate drugs for a specific disease. They file for a patent for the drug they produce. A patented drug cannot be manufactured by another company. This way the company that had done the research to find a cure for the disese can sell the drug for a fixed period of time to recover the money they spent on research and also make profits.
Generally the patent period will be around 20 years.
Generic Drugs:
Once this 20 year patent period of the drug expired any company can manufacture the drugs and sell them. So the drugs produced this way after the patent has elapsed are called Generic drugs.