Robert asks…
Siddhartha Gautama, aka the Buddha!
Linda asks…
There is the story about the 500 Buddhist monks who went to meditate in the jungle, but their meditations kept being disturbed by lower realm creatures - monkeys and so on. When they asked Buddha what to do, Buddha asked them to chant Karaniya Metta Sutta, a mantra on practicing loving kindness. They returned to the jungle, did what Buddha recommended them to do, and the forest spirits repented and paid their highest respects to the monks.
The Buddha knew that the Sutta/Mantra, itself, was not important, but the most important thing is the mantra's meaning and the purpose of it. Going back to the story, it was not the Sutta that made the spirits repent and pay their highest respects to the monks, but the loving kindness the monks developed that did...
So, if a Buddhist prefers to chant, it is better if they focus more on the meaning and the purpose of the chanting (normally to expand loving kindness to other beings). But if they don't want to chant, they may also do another practice that creates the same effects/results as chanting.
Steven asks…
Is that true?
Dear Friend,
Perhaps. There are "energies" are all around us, so whatever you say or write, they are seeing, watching and affecting you.
It is said that by chanting the chant: Sree Gurudev Datta, your ancestors will get relief from the pain they are enduring, if they are not in heaven, so I guess it is possible that "souls" will come, especially to listen, when one chants...
Nancy asks…
What it means, which branch of Buddism it's from, how to say it, what language it is in, etc.
You're probably thinking of the phrase, "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" (this is pronounced just like it appears).
This phrase, or mantra, is used by the Nichiren schools of Japanese Buddhism as part of their primary method of formal practice. Followers of these schools repeat this phrase, over and over again, as a mantra.
The phrase is in the Chinese language, as pronounced by Japanese speakers. It means "Devotion to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra" (sometimes it is translated using slightly different words, but the meaning is always the same).
The Lotus Sutra is a Mahayana Buddhist text that was written in Sanskrit sometime around 100 CE. Although the text claims to represent the highest teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, it was written about 500 years after the Buddha's death and is unlikely to contain any of the Buddha's actual teaching words. This is not to say that the Lotus Sutra lacks validity as a spiritual document... You must read, experience and see for yourself...
Nichiren Buddhism, which arose from the Tiantai/Tendai (Chinese/Japanese) school of Buddhism, claims that the Lotus Sutra is the supreme text of Buddhism and that the entire meaning of the Lotus Sutra is contained in the phrase "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo."
Needless to say, this claim is not accepted by most other Buddhist traditions. This does not mean, however, that Nichiren Buddhist practice does not lead to enlightenment. It does, and that's the only point of Buddhism.
Chris asks…
Mantra recitation is used in the Mahayana Buddhist traditions (and not in the Theravada traditions).
Each mantra (and there are hundreds) has a particular energetic quality. A skilled teacher will sometimes match a mantra to a student, taking into account the particular functioning of that student's mind.
For this reason, it's probably not wise to simply use just any mantra.
However, you can safely and effectively use the name of the Bodhisattva of Compassion as a mantra. This mantra can awaken a practitioner's inherent compassion and also stabilize the mind so that equanimity can appear.
Just repeat silently to yourself: Guanyin Pusa, Guanyin Pusa, Guanyin Pusa
You can repeat these words very quickly and silently. When your mind drifts away into thoughts, gently return to the mantra.
The words mean: guan = perceive, yin = sound, pusa = bodhisattava
When you repeat these words you are literally calling upon yourself to become a bodhisattva by perceiving the cries of suffering throughout the universe.
Ask, seek, listen and other mantras will come to your attention, if needed. Best wishes on your path!
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Author: Frederick Gimino
The origins of the Tarot deck and its associated interpretive meanings may never be known with empirical certainty. However, one school of thought subscribed to, by Kabbalistic occultists, is that the Tarot deck stems from Jewish mysticism.
Some occultists even go as far as to say, it was an abstract code developed by Kabbalah masters to embody their thoughts and ideas, in an allegorical format. But before we delve into the nuances of the relationship between tarot cards and Jewish mysticism, we must first answer a fundamental question. What exactly is the Kabballah?
Jewish mysticism and the Kabbalah have roots that date back to the third to sixth century A.D. During this period a book called the "Book of Creation" was written, in anonymity, and contained meditations based on the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This book is believed to be the foundation of modern day Jewish mysticism and the Kabbalah. However, it would be many centuries before this seedling of ideas would grow into the tree of life we know today as the Kabbalah.
In fact it would not be until the twelfth and thirteenth centuries A.D., that the ideas and concepts, in this book, would be expanded and built upon significantly.
During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries A.D., the writing and publication of the Zohar or "Zohar: The Book of Splendor" contributed greatly to the ideas and concepts of the modern Kabbalah.
One of the major underlying principles of the Kabbalah was that the universe consisted of four worlds. These four worlds were created in order the highest world belonging to God and the lowest world belonging to man.
In addition, these four worlds consisted of emanations called sephiroth. The four worlds were each separated into identical sets of ten sephiroth. The only difference being the energy associated with them. This energy is defined by the world that the sephiroth resides in.
Visual aids were constructed from the sephiroth. The focus of meditation was now on these geometric structures - the most popular being the tree of life. It consisted of ten sephiroth connected by twenty-two pathways corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
With this in mind, a correlation between the tarot deck and the tree of life may be formed. The first correlation is between the four worlds of the Kabbalah and the four suits of the tarot deck. The next correlation that may be formed is between the ten sephiroth and the minor arcana numbered ace through ten. The final relationship that may be formed is between the twenty-two cards of the major arcana, twenty-two pathways, and the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
The major debate among occultist is the placement of the cards on the twenty-two pathways. A common practice would be to start with the first card of the Major Arcana and proceed arithmetically to the world card number twenty-two. However, there is a wrench in the works. The fool card's number zero of the major arcana defies placement on the pathways, as it would skew the other twenty-two cards to non-corresponding numerical pathways.
So, there in lies the rump of the problem. The placement of the fool card on the pathways, has been the subject of much debate. Almost as if the fool cards true nature, has disrupted the correlation of the tarot cards and the pathways. However, Court de Gebelin wrote an essay in the late 1700's defining a correlation between the cards and the Hebrew alphabet. In addition, another author published in "The Primitive World," Comte de Mellet proposed the linking structure between the tarot cards and the twenty-two pathways marked by the Hebrew alphabet.
Whether you subscribe to the Kabbalistic school of thought regarding the tarot cards or not, it is very interesting to note the many similarities between the Jewish mysticism and the tarot deck. It is hard to deny that such a correlation exists, but never the less, one must keep an open mind without irrefutable historical evidence.
Although, we may never know the exact origins, nature, or purpose of these mystical cards, one thing is certain, we will continue to enjoy these aesthetically pleasing mystical cards for ages to come.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/new-age-articles/tarot-cards-and-the-kabbalah-306840.html --- About the Author: If you are interested in getting a Free Tarot Reading then please visit Frederick Gimino's site Free Psychic Network. Many free cartomancy oracles are available including minchiate Deck, Rider, Lenromand, and Napoleanic. You may even like to get a Psychic Reading from a live psychic online. Enjoy!
Kabbalah
So.. all you Kabbalists out there, what do you think of these decks? Also what do you think of the idea of having Kabbalah cards in general, could it help with my progress and Kabbalah studies? These are the decks I have found online so ...
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Tarot With: Nale and Company: 72 Names Cards
I have absolutely no knowledge of the Kabbalah and the symbols on the cards look very mysterious to me. The card number is printed on the bottom left hand corner so, don't worry if you are not familiar with these symbols. ...
Publish Date: 05/17/2011 13:35
http://naleandcompany.blogspot.com/2011/05/72-names-cards.html
profitism - Part 1; The Star (Card #17, The 28th Path).
I'm exploring the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, and using a Tarot deck to help me with that. The idea involves correspondences/ symbolism. The Tarot cards associated with the different parts of the Tree give you clues as to what that part ...
Publish Date: 03/27/2011 7:30
http://prof-it-e.livejournal.com/28049.html
Kabbalah Insights - Tools for personal guidance
Presenting tools for personal guidance by Kabbalah Insights. Enchanted gifts according to the secrets of the Kabbalah: Artistic amulets for love, health, success and protection, Spiritual Kabbalistic art by Orna Ben-Shoshan, King Solomon tarot cards,...
In his first full-length book since converting to Roman Catholicism over ten years ago, Thomas Howard presents his wonderful, refreshing insights on the "glad tidings" of the deeper meaning of Catholic piety, dogma, spirituality, vision and practice, rendered in his unique style of prose for which he is well-known. The book's chapters take the form of lay meditations on Catholic teaching and practice, opening up in practical and simple terms the richness at work in virtually every detail of Cath
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