Ashoka Newmedia

> Mindfulness has attracted considerable attention throughout the healing professions and it has become an essential tool for treating anxiety and depression. Essentially mindfulness helps us establish a conscious relationship with our inner emotions in which we are not reactive, but fully present.  Mindfulness Therapy has developed this approach to a fine art. Mindfulness is a form of conscious awareness in which we are fully aware of experience as it is unfolding. This may not seem different to our usual understanding of awareness, so in order to better understand mindful-awareness we need to first examine common awareness. When we encounter an experience, which could be external,[..]

In this article we will discuss the concept of life and its underlying principle. We will be going through a step by step procedure, exploring your feelings and options, and by the end of this article, you should have a fairly solid tool you could immediately employ in your life, to give it a meaningful direction. There are three steps to the process of discovering the purpose of your life: Understanding the principle of choice Creating your underlying principle Aligning your life with the underlying principle Understanding the principle of choice Norman Vincent Peale has this to say about the power of choice. “The greatest power we have is the power of choice. It is an actual fact,[..]

I close my eyes as I settle into the comfortable cross legged seating position. In each hand, I hold a Dhama Timsha bell, poised to strike the edges together. As I exhale, I gently tap the two edges of these wonderful bells together. The tone rings forth in a steady clear note, perfect, steady, unwavering. I focus my mind on the sound. The clarity and steadiness allow me to concentrate completely. All other thoughts, sounds, and distractions leave my mind. I have begun my journey of peaceful meditation. As the continuous note gradually subsides, my mind is allowed to enter an ever deeper state of single focus. I enter into progressively deeper states of meditation. After losing sense of[..]

On the cultural and religious tour to Ladakh you will come across numerous gompas and monasteries in the peculiar Himalayan towns. Located at the hilltops these monasteries provide the spectacular views of the rugged snow peaks and the valleys below. Of all the important monasteries in Ladakh, Spituk Monastery, Shey Palace and Monastery, Hemis Monastery forms the major attraction of the region. Hemis Gompa Monastery: Built in 1630, Hemis Gompa is the world known largest monastery in the region of Ladakh. The monastery stands camouflaged inside a canyon and belongs to the red sect. Founded by the first incarnation of Stagsang Raspa Nawang Gyatso, this monastery is somewhat different from[..]

We must remember that the whole purpose of the practice is to destroy arrogance. When we submit to the Guru, it is not to lose our freedom; it is to gain full freedom. Through the practice of Dharma and Enlightenment, we gain full freedom. It is not just about getting money, long life or protection from obstacles. We gain full freedom - we gain control of where we go, what we do, our rebirth and how we benefit. We gain full benefit. If, in our next rebirth, we want to have money, we will be born into money. We will be born where we want to be born. We gain full control. This is why we submit to the Guru. It is just like submitting to school, to training, to our teachers, to our parents,[..]

BEING VEGETARIAN - Philosphy behind Vegetarian, the belief in and practice of eating exclusively vegetable foods and abstaining from any form of animal food. Food plays a major role and forms the essence in the practice of Religion in India. During the ancient Aryan Vedic period meat was consumed after animal sacrifice to the Gods. This slowly changed with the rise of Jainism and Buddhisim, since their founders advocated the principle of ahimsa or ''non-violence''. The Brahman priests, who used to exploit the people and advocated animal sacrifices as offerings in the name of religion, also began to preach Vegeterianism since it gained much popularity in India. They began to embrace[..]

Festivals in Thailand are either Buddhist, Chinese, animist, or associated with the monarchy. Buddhist and Chinese festivals are lunar and generally fall on a full moon, animist festivals such as Songkran or Loi Krathong can be solar or lunar, while royal holidays fall on special historical days such as the founding of the current Chakri dynasty or the birthdays of the reigning monarchs. The most deeply spiritual of the Thai holidays is Visakha Bucha held on a full moon night in May. It commemorates the date on which the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and died. Visakha Bucha day is marked with sermons and alms-giving culminating in an evening candlelit procession known as wien[..]

For centuries ...this vicious pack of warriorshave greeted bothfriends and foes alike. They are the demonsof the South Gate ...at Angkor Thom. Loyal friends of King Jayavarman VII. True friends of Siddhartha Sakayamuni. They will destroyany foolish doltwho may unwittingly choose ...to crosstheir tumultuous path. From a historical perspective, King Jayavarman VII is one of the most important figures in the culture of the Khmai. Jayavarman was born in 1125 and died in 1215. He went on to lead the Khmai as their reigning king from 1181 to 1215. As a notable figure, it is arguable that his most distinctive attribute was his decision to embrace Buddhism as his religion. The historical[..]

With all of its fascination, Borobudur Temple was witnessing a great celebration of a million of Buddhists

The Buddhist brotherhood is composed of four assemblies of Buddhists, namely, monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. Monks and nuns form the monastic section while laymen and laywomen form the lay section. The two sections follow the path of the Buddha at different levels. The monks are more devoted to spiritual development than the laymen. To minimize personal cares and worries, they shave their heads, wear only three robes and possess only a few necessary requisites. They depend on the laymen for material necessities such as food, clothing, lodging and medicine, and give them spiritual advice and guidance in return. To maintain the moral standard of the people and to make their own life[..]

Ya, Jah, Ra, YHWH, Jehovah, Brahman, Elohim, El Shaddai, Adonai, Zeus, Theos, Logos, Krishna, Om, Heavenly Father, Divine Mother, Ishvara, Paramatman, Purusha, Allah, Sat and Lord - these are just a few of the more popular names in the attempt to label the original source and substance, creator of all the universe most generically referred to simply as God. With so many to choose from how do we know which one is the right One? Since the beginning of time man has sought to understand the cause of his own existence and the purpose of his life. We cannot prove that we exist to another and yet we know that we exist. Even if all your senses ceased to function you would still know yourself as[..]

On the one side Indians are considered as the proud owner of glorious education system in the past and on the other side we the same Indian are considered as one of the nations with poorest education structure in the world -with millions of illiterates in the country- even poorer than the countries those stands nowhere near us in the development in the last few years. On the other hand various other countries are amazed by the quality of the human resources that the Indian education system has produced. There was a time when India's education system was considered as the best in the world and followed and adored by renowned scholars from every part of the world. But with the time this[..]

e of us is born with a destiny to fail. As children we are not aware of where we exactly fit in into society. But as we reach around teenage we become aware of our appearances and of our position in society. Some who feel that they are inferior to other people around them can get stuck in such a frame of mind for the rest of their lives. It is not always about physical appearances or what we look like. We sometimes get negative feedback from people around us on other aspects of our lives, like how we perform, how we work at things like that. These comments if taken too seriously can have a heavy negative impact on the human mind. When we find our selves in such a position in life, it is[..]

Culture may be defined as the forces whether they are social or political which influence the growth of us. To be brief it is known as the state of manners. In this regard Indian culture is rich in its own way. From the medieval periods there are diverse cultural diversities in the form of languages, religions, festivals and many more. Every state of India has its own language and own distinct culture. In spite of too many differences in their languages and cultural diversities, Indians are closely attached to each other. Traditional Indian culture is very strict. The Indian caste system properly describes the social stratification and social restrictions in Indian culture. Even we have[..]

The 'Buddhist Art,' associated with monuments and paintings enlightening about the religion, Buddhism, came in to existence in around fifth century BC, under the mounting influence of Gautama Sakyamuni. The preachers of Buddhism claim Gautama Buddha as the greatest amongst the mythological pantheon, an aspect highly magnified in one of the key forms of the art of India, the 'Buddhist Art.' The initial 'Buddhist Art,' found at Bharhut, Sanchi, and Bodh-Gaya, and Amaravati, bore no anthropomorphic depiction of Gautama Buddha. The 'Buddha Image' was instead 'Symbolic' at that time. Some of the key representative symbols were empty thrones, a standing woman, a pair of footprints, the Bodhi[..]

Pilgrimage has always been the most essential part of every religion. Worshiping is our faith in the almighty and it is our way of being dependent on the supernatural powers of the God. India is regarded as the land of religion or dharma. This country is the land of various religions the reflection of which can be seen due to the existence of abundance of temples present here. India is a spiritual country, the spirituality here is not limited to the mosques, temples, and churches, and here religion is the life blood of the nation. Large numbers of pilgrims come to India from all around the world as here one can see the conflux of many religions, India attracts pilgrims from all the nooks[..]

Bangalore is the principal of Karnataka from 1956 and it took the status of a principal in up-to-the-minute era from 1831 as the British Commissioners took above the administration of Mysore State from the Mysore Prince. The place last name is found mentioned in a 9th century top score of Begur as 'Benguluru' 'Bengu' significance a Shrub colloquially called Rakta Honne (Benga trees) . Kempegowda II gave the same last name to the new-found town, he founded i.E., the present-day Mega City. Earlier, it was the head office of the Yelahanka Nadaprabhus who ruled under Vijayanagara Empire and built the new-found town with the fort. Kempegowda II is said to hold raised the fort in 1537 as[..]

India is one of the centers of spirituality for over 4,000 years. In fact, the Land of the Vedas and Temples can be found in India is the World's Capital of Spirituality. Everything about India including its people, buildings and even its soil nurture spiritualism that develops and strengthens the religion itself. Other religion such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism were formed and strengthened in India. They got support and sought refuge in India when they were mistreated in their own country. India offers sanctuary and enlightenment not only for religion alone but also for numerous sages, philosophers and founders of other religions as well. The quest for spirituality becomes[..]

For over 4,000 years, India--one of the most spiritually enriched places on earth--has been the cradle of spirituality. Actually, the Land of the Vedas and Temples, India is the Spiritual Capital of the World. India, its people, its infrastructure, and, in fact, its very soil, encourage and nurture spiritualism, allowing religions to thrive, flourish and prosper. No wonder every major religion in the world, as well many of their off-shoots and facets, get support and nourishment in India. Many of these religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism were conceived in India, and others sought refuge in India after being persecuted in their own countries. Apart from religions,[..]

Sixty long years have passed. The state of the common man has not registered any perceptible changed the same kind of roof that can protect him neither from the sun nor from the rain, the same in sanitary conditions all around drink and the most depressing factor not much work to do, work enough to keep him and his family warm both inside and outside. This is the plight of over 80% of our countrymen today. They wait for a better sunny morning to dawn, but the morning eludes them. The journey into the long night continues. But the future did not look so bleak in 1947. Blaming the foreigner for our ills we waited for out midnight freedom that would mark the end of all our ills. Like the[..]