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

Everyday Life Meditation - Dishwashing

Many of us lead busy stressful lives, and even though we may want to take time out of our day to relax and meditate, it can be hard to find the time. However, you may find that it is possible to transform your everyday actions into an act of meditation. By changing the way you think about something, you can change the way you feel about it.
A good time to try meditating is while doing the dishes. Notice the shapes and textures of the dishes as your hands gracefully move around and clean them as the water flows over the dishes. Your touch is sacred, nothing would be happening without out it. Your hands create something new, and all creation is sacred.

Here is a writing from Thich Nhat Hanh which may give you further insight

To my mind, the idea that doing the dishes is unpleasant can occur only when you are not doing them. Once you are standing in front of the sink with your sleeves rolled up and your hands in warm water, it really is not so bad. I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to go and have a cup of tea, the time will be unpleasant and not worth living. That would be a pity, for each minute, each second of life is a miracle. The dishes themselves and the fact that I am here washing them are miracles! Each bowl I wash, each poem I compose, each time I invite a bell to sound is a miracle, each has exactly the same value. One day, while washing a bowl, I felt that my movements were as sacred and respectful as bathing a newborn Buddha. If he were to read this, that newborn Buddha would certainly be happy for me, and not at all insulted at being compared with a bowl.

Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred. In this light, no boundary exists between the sacred and the profane. I must confess it takes me a bit longer to do the dishes, but I live fully in every moment, and I am happy. Washing the dishes is at the same time a means and an end that is, not only do we do the dishes in order to have clean dishes, we also do the dishes just to do the dishes, to live fully in each moment while washing them.

If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have a cup of tea, I will be equally incapable of drinking the tea joyfully. With the cup in my hands I will be thinking about what to do next, and the fragrance and the flavor of the tea, together with the pleasure of drinking it, will be lost. I will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the present moment.

The time to enjoy life is now, not later. When you are aware, you will find treasure everywhere.

Connecting With the Breath, Meditation and Truth

Here is a good simple meditation to help you tune in with your infinite self and reduce stress.

SAT NAM is the most basic mantra in kundalini yoga, and it means "truth is God's identity, truth is (your) identity." SAT means truth and NAM means to "call upon, or identify with." SAT is tied to the inhale, and NAM to the exhale. Simply by slowing your breathing you can help reduce stress. Slowing the breath to 10 times or less per minute will help you relax, and slowing the breath to no more than four breaths per minute will lead to deep meditation. It is important for the breath to be full and to exhale through the nose. Awareness of your breath, particularly when tied to a mantra such as SAT NAM is a great tool for calming and energizing oneself. You may even start to here the truth in your breath, SAT on your inhale, NAM on the exhale.

Here is Kundalini yoga's most simple and basic meditation:

Sit in easy pose, or sukhasana. The spine is straight and your weight is on your sit bones.
Rest your hands on your heart, palms facing you, left hand over right, with the right thumb in the center of the right palm. Fingers are straight, and the arms are relaxed.

Inhale deeply, and as you exhale chant a long SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT, at the end of the breath say NAM. Your breath will grow longer longer and deeper. Feel the AAA vibration in your heart and throat. Sing to your soul as you chant, allow yourself to experience whatever emotions may arise.

When you are ready to end your meditation, inhale deeply and hold the breath for as long as you want. Do 3 breaths this way. Listen to yourself inside, you may either lie down or sit as you let yourself completely relax.

The benefits of this meditation are great, it will bring you to a peaceful state and nuetralize your tensions. It is a good meditation to do at the end of a long day to help you relax, or before you go to bed to help you sleep. If you do this meditation continuously for 40 days it will revitalize your glandular system and reestablish equilibirum.

You can find more on this meditation at www.kundaliniyoga.org

In other types of yoga the mantra is said/heard as SoHum

Here is a video with a very similar meditation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKNzaWGm0o8

Remember, the breath is the bridge between body and mind.
Returning to the breath is always a good way to calm one's mind and return to the truth.


May the long time sun shine upon you,
all love surround you,
and the pure light within you guide your way on.