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Samskara (Indian Philosophy)
In Indian philosophy and Indian religions, samskaras or sanskaras (Sanskrit: संस्कार) are mental impressions, recollections, or psychological imprints. In Hindu philosophies, ''samskaras'' are a basis for the development of karma theory. In Buddhism the Sanskrit term Saṅkhāra is used to describe 'formations'. In Pali it is referred to as Saṅkhāra. According to various schools of Indian philosophy, every action, intent or preparation by an individual leaves a ''samskara'' (impression, impact, imprint) in the deeper structure of the person's mind. These impressions then await volitional fruition in that individual's future, in the form of hidden expectations, circumstances or a subconscious sense of self-worth. These ''Samskaras'' manifest as tendencies, karmic impulses, subliminal impressions, habitual potencies or innate dispositions.Jeaneane Fowler (2002), Perspectives of Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Hinduism, Sussex Academic Press, , page 10 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Philosophy
Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Vedas as a valid source of knowledge; whether the school believes in the premises of Brahman and Atman; and whether the school believes in afterlife and Devas. There are six major schools of Vedic philosophy— Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mīmāṃsā and Vedanta, and five major heterodox (sramanic) schools—Jain, Buddhist, Ajivika, Ajñana, and Charvaka. However, there are other methods of classification; Vidyaranya for instance identifies sixteen schools of Indian philosophy by including those that belong to the Śaiva and Raseśvara traditions.Cowell and Gough, p. xii.Nicholson, pp. 158-162. The main schools of Indian philosophy were formalised and recognised chiefly between 500 BCE and the late centuries of the Common ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pramana
''Pramana'' (Sanskrit: प्रमाण, ) literally means "proof" and "means of knowledge".pramANa Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, GermanyJames Lochtefeld, "Pramana" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 2: N-Z, Rosen Publishing. , pages 520-521 In Indian philosophies, pramana are the means which can lead to knowledge, and serve as one of the core concepts in Indian . It has been one of the key, much debated fields of study in , |
Engram (neuropsychology)
An engram is a unit of cognitive information imprinted in a physical substance, theorized to be the means by which memories are stored as biophysical or biochemical changes in the brain or other biological tissue, in response to external stimuli. Demonstrating the existence of, and the exact mechanism and location of, neurologically defined engrams has been a focus of persistent research for many decades. History The term "engram" was coined by memory researcher Richard Semon in reference to the physical substrate of memory in the organism. Semon warned, however: "In animals, during the evolutionary process, one organic system—the nervous system—has become specialised for the reception and transmission of stimuli. No monopoly of this function by the nervous system, however, can be deduced from this specialisation, not even in its highest state of evolution, as in Man." One of the first ventures on identifying the location of a memory in the brain was undertaken by Karl S. L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Discourses (Meher Baba)
Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A major spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in India, but with a significant number in the United States, Europe and Australia. Meher Baba's map of consciousness has been described as "a unique amalgam of Sufi, Vedic, and Yogic terminology". He taught that the goal of all beings was to gain consciousness of their own divinity, and to realise the absolute oneness of God. At the age of 19, Meher Baba began a seven-year period of spiritual transformation, during which he had encounters with Hazrat Babajan, Upasni Maharaj, Sai Baba of Shirdi, Tajuddin Baba, and Narayan Maharaj. In 1925, he began a 44-year period of observed silence, during which he communicated first using an alphabet board, and by 1954, entirely through hand gestures using ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samskara (ayurvedic)
A ''samskara'' is a process in ayurvedic medicine said to detoxify heavy metals and toxic herbs. In ayurveda, toxic ingredients, which sometimes include heavy metals such as mercury, are claimed to be purified using a process of prayer and pharmacy. There is little evidence that this process is generally effective, and case reports describe adverse effects of taking these substances. Metals, minerals or gems if added to herbs contain toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic. Adverse reactions to herbs due to their pharmacology are described in traditional ayurvedic texts, but ayurvedic practitioners are reluctant to admit that herbs could be toxic and the reliable information on herbal toxicity is not readily available. A 2004 study found such toxic metals in 20% of ayurvedic preparations that were made in South Asia for sale around Boston and extrapolated the data to the United States more broadly. It concluded that excess consumption of these products could cause ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saṃskāra
Samskara ( IAST: , sometimes spelled ''samskara'') are sacraments in Hinduism and other Indian religions, described in ancient Sanskrit texts, as well as a concept in the karma theory of Indian philosophies. The word literally means "putting together, making perfect, getting ready, to prepare", or "a sacred or sanctifying ceremony" in ancient Sanskrit and Pali texts of India. In the context of karma theory, samskaras are dispositions, character or behavioural traits, that exist as default from birth or prepared and perfected by a person over one's lifetime, that exist as imprints on the subconscious according to various schools of Hindu philosophy such as the Yoga school. These perfected or default imprints of karma within a person, influences that person's nature, response and states of mind.Stephen H. Phillips (2009), Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy, Columbia University Press, , Chapter 3 In another context, Samskara refers to the diverse sacraments ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nirjara
''Nirjara'' is one of the seven fundamental principles, or Tattva in Jain philosophy, and refers to the shedding or removal of accumulated karmas from the atma (soul), essential for breaking free from samsara, the cycle of birth-death and rebirth, by achieving moksha, liberation. Singh, p. 4525 Literally meaning "falling off", the concept is described first in chapter 9 of the classical Jain text, Tattvartha Sutra (True nature of Reality) written by Acharya Umasvati, in 2nd century CE, the only text authoritative in both Svetambara and Digambara sects of Jainism. Later it also finds mention in Dravyasamgraha (Compendium of substances), a 10th-century Jain text by Acharya Nemichandra. Nemichandra, p. 93 Preparation Nirjara is preceded by stoppage of karma accumulation, or '' samvara'', thereby ending ''asrava'' or influx of karma which leads to '' bandha'' or bondage due '' kasaya'' or passions of the soul, namely, ''krodha'' (anger), ''lobha'' (greed), ''mana'' (ego) an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samvara
''Samvara'' (''saṃvara'') is one of the '' tattva'' or the fundamental reality of the world as per the Jain philosophy. It means stoppage—the stoppage of the influx of the material karmas into the soul consciousness. The karmic process in Jainism is based on seven truths or fundamental principles (''tattva'') of Jainism which explain the human predicament. Out of the seven, the four influxes ('' āsrava''), bondage (''bandha''), stoppage (''saṃvara'') and release ('' nirjarā'')—pertain to the karmic process. Philosophical overview ''Saṃvara'' is the first step in the destruction of accumulated harmful karmas. The world or the '' samsara'' is often described as an ocean and the soul as a boat trying to cross it and reach the shores of liberation. The boat is leaking i.e. karmic particles are getting attached to the soul. Hence the first step is to stop the leak and prevent new water from entering the boat. This is ''saṃvara''. Jains assert that emancipation is no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asrava
''Asrava'' (''āsrava'' "influx") is one of the '' tattva'' or the fundamental reality of the world as per the Jain philosophy. It refers to the influence of body and mind causing the soul to generate karma. The karmic process in Jainism is based on seven truths or fundamental principles (''tattva'') of Jainism which explain the human predicament. Out that the seven, the four—influx (''āsrava''), bondage (''bandha''), stoppage ('' saṃvara'') and release ('' nirjarā'')—pertain to the karmic process. Overview The ''āsrava'', that is, the influx of karmic occurs when the karmic particles are attracted to the soul on account of vibrations created by activities of mind, speech and body. p.112 According to the Jain text, Tattvartha sutra, translates S.A. Jain: The karmic inflow on account of ''yoga'' driven by passions and emotions cause a long term inflow of ''karma'' prolonging the cycle of reincarnations. On the other hand, the karmic inflows on account of actions ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Kalupahana
David J. Kalupahana (1936–2014) was a Buddhist scholar from Sri Lanka. He was a student of the late K.N. Jayatilleke, who was a student of Wittgenstein. He wrote mainly about epistemology, theory of language, and compared later Buddhist philosophical texts against the earliest texts and tried to present interpretations that were both historically contextualised and also compatible with the earliest texts, and in doing so, he encouraged Theravada Buddhists and scholars to reevaluate the legitimacy of later, Mahayana texts and consider them more sympathetically. Biography Born in Galle District, Southern Sri Lanka, Kalupahana attended Mahinda College, Galle for his school education. He obtained his BA (Sri Lanka, 1959), Ph.D (London), and D. Litt (Hon. Peradeniya, Sri Lanka). He was Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hawaii. He was assistant lecturer in Pali and Buddhist Civilization at the University of Ceylon, and studied Chinese and Tibetan at the School o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maṇḍana Miśra
Mandana Mishra (; c. ) was a Hindu philosopher who wrote on the Mīmāṃsā and Advaita systems of thought. He was a follower of the Karma Mimamsa school of philosophy and a staunch defender of the holistic sphota doctrine of language. He was a contemporary of Adi Shankara, and while it is said that he became a disciple of Adi Sankara, he may actually have been the most prominent Advaitin of the two until the 10th century CE. He is often identified with Sureśvara, though the authenticity of this is doubtful. Still, the official Sringeri documents recognises Mandana Mishra as Sureśvara. Life and scholarship Maṇḍana Miśhra, who was a contemporary of Shankara, is known to be a student of the Mimamsa scholar Kumarila Bhatta. He wrote several treatises on ''Mimamsa'', but also a work on Advaita, the ''Brahma-siddhi''. Maṇḍana Miśhra probably was more influential in the Advaita Vedanta tradition than is usually acknowledged. According to Richard E. King, Acco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shankaracharya
Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive line of teachers retrospectively dated back to him are known as Shankaracharyas. Establishment of the tradition According to a tradition developed in the 16th century, Adi Shankara set up four monasteries known as Mathas or Peethams, in the North, South, East and West of India, to be held by realised men who would be known as Shankaracharyas. They would take on the role of teacher and could be consulted by anyone with sincere queries of a spiritual nature. Another monastery Kanchi Kamkoti Peeth in south India also derives its establishment and tradition to Adi Shankara, however its heads are called "Acharya" or "Jagadguru" instead of "Shankaracharya". The table below gives an overview of the four main Shankar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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