Koans

Koans are riddles, questions, or statements that originated at around the time of the 5th-6th century in Zen Buddhism. They have been used by teachers to help students come into the awakened state. Some students concentrate on koans during meditation. In meditation koans are often accompanied with the ZaZen sitting meditation. Just reading Koans can be very confusing, and for a true koan meditation, the koan should be delivered from a master. To get a zen master one must participate in a dokusan interview.

Here is an example of a zen koan:

This Mind is Buddha

Daibai asked Baso: `What is Buddha?'

Baso said: `This mind is Buddha.'

Mumon's Comment: If anyone wholly understands this, he is wearing Buddha's clothing, he is eating Buddha's food, he is speaking Buddha's words, he is behaving as Buddha, he is Buddha.

This anecdote, however, has given many pupil the sickness of formality. If one truly understands, he will wash out his mouth for three days after saying the word Buddha, and he will close his ears and flee after hearing `This mind is Buddha.'

Under blue sky, in bright sunlight,
One need not search around.
Asking what Buddha is
Is like hiding loot in one's pocket and declaring oneself innocent.

this and more at http://www.ibiblio.org/zen/cgi-bin/koan-index.pl

As well as here is a poem from Tukaram translated by Daniel Ladinsky

Cracking Koans

No one was cracking the koans
He had tatooed
everywhere

So God changed His tactics--He developed a sweet tooth
and started chatting
about love.

He knew that really would not work and sure enough things got
worse--for a fine rebellious bunch we are.

This time people started stockpiling nukes,
and lawsuits plagued the land, and smog put a full nelson
on our lungs,

and T.V. hijacked brains, which caused millions to
vote Republican--
WOW!--

and all because we couldn't
bust a couple
koans.

Mandala Meditation

The word mandala comes from the Sanskrit translating to "circle" or "disc" it also means "containing" or "completion." Mandalas are spiritually significant in Hinduism, Buddhism, Dzogchen, and to many more cultures and individuals. They can be used for spiritual rituals, and to aid in meditation. Carl Jung believed mandalas to be "a representation of the unconscious self." He said, "The goal of contemplating the processes depicted in the mandala is that the yogi shall become inwardly aware of the deity. Through contemplation, he recognizes himself as God again, and thus returns from the illusion of individual existence into the universal totality of the divine state." A mandala represents the wholeness and entirety of the universe, it is present in the big and small, microcosm and macrocosm. Circles with centers exist everywhere, in the anatomy of an atom to galaxies swirling in outer space. Invite yourself to explore mandalas, find your own center and radiate both inward and outward.

Mandala Meditation - Physical

Here is a mandala meditation from OSHO for natural centering.
The meditation consists of four 15-minute parts.

1 - With your eyes open, start running in place, starting slowing and gradually gaining speed. bring your knees up as high as you can. Breathe deep and evenly, forget the mind and body, keep going (15 min)
2 - Sit comfortably with your eyes closed, the mouth is open and loose. gently rotate your body side to side from the navel point like a reed blowing in the wind. Feel the energy in your navel center. (15 min)
3 - Lying on your back with your head still, rotate your eyes in a clockwise direction. Full circle, around the sockets, as fast as you can. it is important to maintain a gentle and even breath, make sure your jaw is relaxed. (15 min)
4 - Lie still with your eyes shut. (15 min)

(more at http://www.osho.com/Main.cfm?Area=Meditation&Language=English)

Mandala Meditation - Visual

Meditations aided by a visual Mandala

Tantra Mandala
Unspecified Mandalas: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6