In a very real sense, each of us is a mandala. Some of us have intricate patterns and colors reflecting the complex experiences of our lives. Some of us are simple arcs of existence with minimalist designs and subtle colors and every possible combination in between. Each of us is as unique as our individual DNA, which strangely, in cross-section on electron microscopy, looks like a mandala! But unlike our DNA, our mandalas are constantly shifting shapes and colors as we make our choices as to the best way to live our lives. All designs of the mandala have a borderthe interface we have with one another and the material world. And each mandala has a center, the singularity, where the trinity of mind, body, and spirit integrates and unites with the divine self.

In a very real sense, each of us is a mandala. Some of us have intricate patterns and colors reflecting the complex experiences of our lives. Some of us are simple arcs of existence with minimalist designs and subtle colors and every possible combination in between. Each of us is as unique as our individual DNA, which strangely, in cross-section on electron microscopy, looks like a mandala! But unlike our DNA, our mandalas are constantly shifting shapes and colors as we make our choices as to the best way to live our lives. All designs of the mandala have a border--the interface we have with one another and the material world. And each mandala has a center, the singularity, where the trinity of mind, body, and spirit integrates and unites with the divine self.

Sociocultural evaluation of the works of Dhanapāla, 10th century exponent of Jainism.

"What, if anything, is Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism? In 1224, the medieval Japanese scholar-monk Dohan (1179-1252) composed The Compendium on Esoteric Mindfulness of Buddha (Himitsu nenbutsu sho), which begins with another seemingly simple question: Why is it that practitioners of mantra and meditation rely on the recitation of the name of the Buddha Amitabha? To answer this question, Dohan explored diverse areas of study spanning the whole of the East Asian Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Although contemporary scholars often study Esoteric Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism as if they were mutually exclusive, diametrically opposed, schools of Buddhism, in the present volume Aaron Proffitt examines Dohan's Compendium in the context of the eastward flow of Mahayana Buddhism from India to Japan and uncovers Mahayana Buddhists employing multiple, overlapping, so-called esoteric approaches along the path to awakening. Proffitt divides his study into two parts. In Part I he considers how early Buddhologists, working under colonialism, first constructed Mahayana Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism as discrete fields of inquiry. He then surveys the flow of Indian Buddhist spells, dharaòni, and mantra texts into China and Japan and the diverse range of Buddhist masters who employed these esoteric techniques to achieve rebirth in Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Bliss. In Part II, he considers the life of Dohan and analyzes the monk's comprehensive view of buddhanusmrti as a form of ritual technology that unified body and mind, Sukhavati as a this-worldly or other-worldly soteriological goal synonymous with nirvana itself, and the Buddha Amitabha as an object of devotion beyond this world of suffering. The work concludes with the first full translation of Dohan's Himitsu nenbutsu sho into a modern language"--

Vajrayogini is a tantric goddess from the highest class of Buddhist tantras who manifests the ultimate development of wisdom and compassion. Her practice is prevalent today among practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. This ground-breaking book delves into the origins of Vajrayogini, charting her evolution in India and examining her roots in the Cakrasamvara tantra and in Indian tradition relating to siva. The focus of this work is the Guhyasamayasadhanamala, a collection of forty-six sadhanas, or practice texts. Written on palm leaves in Sanskrit and preserved since the twelfth century, this diverse collection, composed by various authors, reveals a multitude of forms of the goddess, each of which is described and illustrated here. One of the sadhanas, the Vajravarahi Sadhana by Umapatideva, depicts Vajrayogini at the center of a mandala of thirty-seven different goddesses, and is here presented in full translation alongside a Sanskrit edition. Elizabeth English provides extensive explanation and annotation of this representative text. Sixteen pages of stunning color plates not only enhance the study but bring the goddess to life.

Mindfulness, such an ancient concept in Europe, an innate quality known in Ancient Greece as “Pure Reason” or with Egyptians as “heart-mind” or “Intelligence of the Heart” going back to Ancient Egyptian Babylon’s philosophy, or Ancient Greek Plato’s Soul’s Eye that is purified “for it is by it alone that we contemplate the truth”. The course consists of 12 modules that are full of personal development exercises and transformational tools designed to help the explorer understand body, thinking patterns, core beliefs, or relationships matrix. On this journey, you will be exploring: Nutrition, Will Power Exercises, Emotional Inteligence, Core Beliefs, Relationship Contract, building own Personal Development Plan...