Nirvana

Nirvana means cessation which is the annulment of all conditioned thoughts. In other words it is a state in which one is free from pain, worry and the external world. Because nirvana is beyond all conditioning and all mental and linguistic constructs it is very difficult to articulate. Buddhists generally describe nirvana with metaphor or with silence. Because nirvana is an altered state of consciousness, it cannot accurately be compared to a normal state of mind.

Schmidt, Roger, et al. Pattern of Religion. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1999.

Teaching Buddhism

There are a number of ways that Buddhism is taught from generation to generation but here are the general traditions. Lama is a term used to refer to a Tibetan religious teacher but loosely refers to any teacher of Buddhism or even entirely different religions. Lama can be an honorific title for a monk who has reached a heightened state of enlightenment and describes authority to teach.

A Monk is a person who practices religious asceticism or austerity, meaning they refuse to take part in any pleasures that divert from their spirituality. This practice is often perceived as virtuous and in Buddhist tradition is meant to free the mind from worldly distractions and focus on experiencing reality. Monks normally live away from society with other like minded people.

Buddha Bio Continued!

During his travel of 6 years, he trained with many great teachers of his time.
- He was extraordinarily religiously gifted and reached his teachers level of advancement quickly
- dissatisfied with the path to salvation that was taught
- grew religiously through their teachings though

After training in Jainism, which focused on self-denial in order to gain liberation, he gathered a small following. During one of his times of extreme fasting he saw how futile fasting was and decided to eat when a young women offered him food and drink. His disciples saw this as weakness and abandoned him.

He then sat beneath and decided not to move from that place until he figured out the truth of himself. He sat there for week in self absorbed contemplation. After his time under the tree, he finally figured out the truth of himself and traveled to the religious festival in Benares. He found his former disciples in Deer Park and he then gave his first Sermon.
- 4 noble truths
- no eternal soul
- dependent co-origination
- impermanence

Religions Text book, Chapter Buddhism

Different Types of Prayer Wheels

The Mani wheel
-a small hand-held prayer wheel mounted on a handle

Water Wheel
-spun by the flow of water; the water that touches the wheel is then blessed

Fire Wheel
-turned by the heat of a candle or electric light; the light emitted then purifies negative kharmas

Wind Wheel
-the wind that spins the wheel alleviates the negative kharmas of the people it touches

Stationary Prayer Wheel
-set up side by side so that people walking by can spin them all as they run their fingers across

Electric Dharma Wheel
-powered by an electric motor and have the capability to include lights and music

Digital Prayer Wheel
-animated GIF's on websites send waves of good kharma

Prayer Wheel

A prayer wheel is a wheel that Buddhists spin as a form of prayer. It is made from metal, wood, leather, or cotton. Originally written by a Chinese pilgrim around 400 A.D. On the wheel are encrypted prayers or mantras which are read by the practitioner. The practitioner must follow these specific steps:
-Spin the wheel clockwise
-Before and after the wheel is turned, repeat the mantra
-The faster the better
-Repeat the mantra as many times as possible while the wheel is still spinning
-Keep a calm meditative mind
Buddhists believe that the prayer wheel has the ability to bring purification to negative kharmas.

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/prayer_wheel
www.worldprayers.org/prayerwheel

Zen Buddhism

Zen is the most well-known modern school of Buddhism. It follows Siddhartha Gautama's belief that enlightenment should be achieved through meditation. People following the idea of zen believe that all people have a "Buddha nature" in them but it is just being clouded by ignorance and the only way to bring forth their hidden Buddha nature is by clearing your mind through meditation and ridding it of desires and ignorance. Usually in Zen Buddhism, a master guides a disciple through the meditation process to achieve enlightenment.

Reincarnation

The concept of death and rebirth as an animal or human depending on your actions in your past life is what is usually thought of when someone talks about reincarnation. But in Buddhism, that is not necessarily the case. Many historians believe that this idea was used during the time of Buddha in order to frighten people into acting better. The idea of reincarnation in
Buddhism centers around the "Law of Conservation of Moral Energy." This just means that any spiritual and mental action that is put out into the universe is not forgotten and will not go unnoticed. This idea then leads to the idea of karma, which is essential in reincarnation in Buddhism. Karma is the consequences of our actions and if we act morally in this life, according to Buddhist belief, in our next life we will be better off. In other words karma can be summarized as "a good cause, a good effect; a bad cause, a bad effect."

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/karma.htm
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/reincarnation.htm