> > How much of this is actually true? > > emptybill: > This was the standard claim in the old days > and is still b.s. propaganda. The technique of > effortless attention to a classical bija > mantra was only a variant of a few effortless > attention practices in both Hinduism and > Buddhism. > So, the Hindu yoga was a variant common to both Hinduism and Buddhsm. Where have I read this before?
So, it has been established that yogic meditation begins with the historical Buddha, the founder of the enlightenment tradition in India. > However, those effortless attention practices > were not widely distributed nor actually > practiced by many people. > Except in Tibet, China, and Japan in the Yogacara, Chan and Zen sects. Go figure. > In the Buddhist tradition, Ganges Mahamudra and > Gandhara Dzogchen both are based upon effortless > attention but do not use mantra in their practice. > So, you're saying that the Buddhist meditation techniques came from the Ghandara region, which is up by Kashmere? Go figure. > Rather, they use mindfulness upon the arising of > experience in each moment to examine the mind's > focus and allow attention to recognize and then > subside into the limitless, openness of awareness. > According to Sogyal Rinpoche "...take care not to impose anything on the mind or to tax it. When you meditate there should be no effort to control and no attempt to be peaceful. Don't be overly solemn or feel that you are taking part in some special ritual; let go even of the idea that you are meditating. Let your body remain as it is, and your breath as you find it."
