TERMS STARTING WITH
Focus: An item, act, phrase, gesture or similar artifice required to perform magic. Through the focus, the mage concentrates belief and will and causes magic to result.
focus: A point which, together with a line called the directrix, defines the set of points which form a conic section.
FOCUS "database, language" A hierarchical {database} language from {Information Builders, Inc.} (1994-12-21)
FOCUS ::: (database, language) A hierarchical database language from Information Builders, Inc. (1994-12-21)
focused ::: imp. & p. p. --> of Focus
focuses ::: pl. --> of Focus
focus group "product" An event where market researchers meet (potential) users of a product to try to plan how to improve it. (1999-02-24)
focus group ::: (product) An event where market researchers meet (potential) users of a product to try to plan how to improve it. (1999-02-24)
focusing ::: p. pr. & vb. n. --> of Focus
focus ::: n. --> A point in which the rays of light meet, after being reflected or refrcted, and at which the image is formed; as, the focus of a lens or mirror.
A point so related to a conic section and certain straight line called the directrix that the ratio of the distace between any point of the curve and the focus to the distance of the same point from the directrix is constant.
A central point; a point of concentration.
focus: The combination of belief, practice, and instruments through which a mage focuses her magick. (See paradigm.) (Like countermagick, this is more of a game term than a setting term.)
TERMS ANYWHERE
10. Centrality (zhuban yuanming jude men): Each of the aforementioned categories explains and validates all the others. When focus is directed at any particular category, all the others become subordinate, and the one at hand becomes predominant. Each category involves the same principle of being collectively substantiated by all categories together. The same is true with all phenomena: the relation between centrality and marginality is relative and mutually substantiating.
abhibhvAyatana. (P. abhibhAyatana; T. zil gyis gnon pa'i skye mched; C. shengchu; J. shosho; K. sŭngch'o 勝處). In Sanskrit, "sphere of sovereignty" or "station of mastery"; eight stages of transcendence over the sense spheres (AYATANA), which are conducive to the development of meditative absorption (DHYANA). By recognizing from various standpoints that material forms are external, one trains oneself to let go of attachments to material objects and focus exclusively on the meditation subject. The standard list of eight is as follows. When one perceives forms internally (viz., on one's own person), one sees forms external to oneself that are (1) limited and beautiful or ugly (viz., pure and impure colors) or (2) unlimited, and beautiful or ugly, and masters them so that one is aware that one knows and sees them; when one does not perceive forms internally, one sees external forms that are (3) limited or (4) unlimited. When one does not perceive forms internally, one sees external forms that are (5) blue, (6) yellow, (7) red, or (8) white and masters them so that one is aware that one knows and sees them. In the PAli meditative literature, the earth and the color devices (KASInA) are said to be especially conducive to developing these spheres of sovereignty. Progress through these spheres weans the mind from its attraction to the sensuous realm (KAMADHATU) and thus encourages the advertence toward the four meditative absorptions (DHYANA; RuPAVACARADHYANA) associated with the realm of subtle materiality (RuPADHATU), wherein the mind becomes temporarily immune to sensory input and wholly absorbed in its chosen object of meditation.
abhidhammika. [alt. Abhidhammika]. In PAli, "specialist in the ABHIDHAMMA"; scholarly monks who specialized in study of the abhidhamma (S. ABHIDHARMA) section of the Buddhist canon. In the PAli tradition, particular importance has long been attached to the study of abhidharma. The AttHASALINĪ says that the first ABHIDHAMMIKA was the Buddha himself, and the abhidhammikas were presumed to be the most competent exponents of the teachings of the religion. Among the Buddha's immediate disciples, the premier abhidhammika was SAriputta (S. sARIPUTRA), who was renowned for his systematic grasp of the dharma. Monastic "families" of abhidhamma specialists were known as abhidhammikagana, and they passed down through the generations their own scholastic interpretations of Buddhist doctrine, interpretations that sometimes differed from those offered by specialists in the scriptures (P. sutta; S. SuTRA) or disciplinary rules (VINAYA) . In medieval Sri Lanka, the highest awards within the Buddhist order were granted to monks who specialized in this branch of study, rather than to experts in the scriptures or disciplinary rules. Special festivals were held in honor of the abhidhamma, which involved the recital of important texts and the granting of awards to participants. In contemporary Myanmar (Burma), where the study of abhidhamma continues to be highly esteemed, the seventh book of the PAli ABHIDHARMAPItAKA, the PAttHANA ("Conditions"), is regularly recited in festivals that the Burmese call pathan pwe. Pathan pwe are marathon recitations that go on for days, conducted by invited abhidhammikas who are particularly well versed in the PatthAna, the text that is the focus of the festival. The pathan pwe serves a function similar to that of PARITTA recitations, in that it is believed to ward off baleful influences, but its main designated purpose is to forestall the decline and disappearance of the Buddha's dispensation (P. sAsana; S. sASANA). The TheravAda tradition considers the PatthAna to be the Buddha's most profound exposition of ultimate truth (P. paramatthasacca; S. PARAMARTHASATYA), and according to the PAli commentaries, the PatthAna is the first constituent of the Buddha's dispensation that will disappear from the world as the religion faces its inevitable decline. The abhidhammikas' marathon recitations of the PatthAna, therefore, help to ward off the eventual demise of the Buddhist religion. This practice speaks of a THERAVADA orientation in favor of scholarship that goes back well over a thousand years. Since at least the time of BUDDHAGHOSA (c. fifth century CE), the life of scholarship (P. PARIYATTI), rather than that of meditation or contemplation (P. PAtIPATTI), has been the preferred vocational path within PAli Buddhist monasticism. Monks who devoted themselves exclusively to meditation were often portrayed as persons who lacked the capacity to master the intricacies of PAli scholarship. Even so, meditation was always recommended as the principal means by which one could bring scriptural knowledge to maturity, either through awakening or the realization (P. pativedha; S. PRATIVEDHA) of Buddhist truths. See also ABHIDHARMIKA.
*Abhidharmahṛdaya. (C. Apitan xin lun; J. Abidon shinron; K. Abidam sim non 阿毘曇心論). In Sanskrit, "Heart of ABHIDHARMA"; one of the first attempts at a systematic presentation of abhidharma according to the SARVASTIVADA school; the treatise is attributed to Dharmasresthin (Fasheng, c. 130 BCE), who hailed from the GANDHARA region of Central Asia. The text is no longer extant in Sanskrit but survives only in a Chinese translation made sometime during the fourth century (alt. 376, 391) by SaMghadeva and LUSHAN HUIYUAN. The treatise functions essentially as a handbook for meditative development, focusing on ways of overcoming the negative proclivities of mind (ANUsAYA) and developing correct knowledge (JNANA). The meditative training outlined in the treatise focuses on the four absorptions (DHYANA) and on two practical techniques for developing concentration: mindfulness of breathing (ANAPANASMṚTI) and the contemplation of impurity (AsUBHABHAVANA). The text is also one of the first to distinguish the path of vision (DARsANAMARGA), which involves the initial insight into the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS, and the path of cultivation (BHAVANAMARGA), which eliminates all the remaining proclivities so that the adept may experience the stage of the worthy one (ARHAT).
AbhisamayAlaMkAra. (T. Mngon par rtogs pa'i rgyan). In Sanskrit, "Ornament of Realization"; a major scholastic treatise of the MAHAYANA, attributed to MAITREYANATHA (c. 350CE). Its full title is AbhisamayAlaMkAranAmaprajNApAramitopadesasAstra (T. Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa'i rgyan) or "Treatise Setting Forth the Perfection of Wisdom called 'Ornament for Realization.'" In the Tibetan tradition, the AbhisamayAlaMkAra is counted among the five treatises of Maitreya (BYAMS CHOS SDE LNGA). The 273 verses of the AbhisamayAlaMkAra provide a schematic outline of the perfection of wisdom, or PRAJNAPARAMITA, approach to enlightenment, specifically as delineated in the PANCAVIMsATISAHASRIKAPRAJNAPARAMITA ("Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines"). This detailed delineation of the path is regarded as the "hidden teaching" of the prajNApAramitA sutras. Although hardly known in East Asian Buddhism (until the modern Chinese translation by FAZUN), the work was widely studied in Tibet, where it continues to hold a central place in the monastic curricula of all the major sects. It is especially important for the DGE LUGS sect, which takes it as the definitive description of the stages of realization achieved through the Buddhist path. The AbhisamayAlaMkAra treats the principal topics of the prajNApAramitA sutras by presenting them in terms of the stages of realizations achieved via the five paths (PANCAMARGA). The eight chapters of the text divide these realizations into eight types. The first three are types of knowledge that are essential to any type of practice and are generic to both the mainstream and MahAyAna schools. (1) The wisdom of knowing all modes (SARVAKARAJNATA), for the bodhisattva-adepts who are the putative target audience of the commentary, explains all the characteristics of the myriad dharmas, so that they will have comprehensive knowledge of what the attainment of enlightenment will bring. (2) The wisdom of knowing the paths (MARGAJNATA), viz., the paths perfected by the sRAVAKAs, is a prerequisite to achieving the wisdom of knowing all modes. (3) The wisdom of knowing all phenomena (SARVAJNATA) is, in turn, a prerequisite to achieving the wisdom of knowing the paths. With (4) the topic of the manifestly perfect realization of all aspects (sarvAkArAbhisambodha) starts the text's coverage of the path itself, here focused on gaining insight into all aspects, viz., characteristics of dharmas, paths, and types of beings. By reaching (5) the summit of realization (murdhAbhisamaya; see MuRDHAN), one arrives at the entrance to ultimate realization. All the realizations achieved up to this point are secured and commingled through (6) gradual realization (anupurvAbhisamaya). The perfection of this gradual realization and the consolidation of all previous realizations catalyze the (7) instantaneous realization (ekaksanAbhisamaya). The fruition of this instantaneous realization brings (8) realization of the dharma body, or DHARMAKAYA (dharmakAyAbhisambodha). The first three chapters thus describe the three wisdoms incumbent on the buddhas; the middle four chapters cover the four paths that take these wisdoms as their object; and the last chapter describes the resultant dharma body of the buddhas and their special attainments. The AbhisamayAlaMkAra provides a synopsis of the massive prajNApAramitA scriptures and a systematic outline of the comprehensive path of MahAyAna. The AbhisamayAlaMkAra spurred a long tradition of Indian commentaries and other exegetical works, twenty-one of which are preserved in the Tibetan canon. Notable among this literature are Arya VIMUKTISEnA's Vṛtti and the ABHISAMAYALAMKARALOKA and Vivṛti (called Don gsal in Tibetan) by HARIBHADRA. Later Tibetan commentaries include BU STON RIN CHEN GRUB's Lung gi snye ma and TSONG KHA PA's LEGS BSHAD GSER PHRENG.
absent-mindedness: may refer to 1) a low level of attention ("blanking" or “zoning out”); or 2) intense attention to a single object of focus (hyperfocus) that makes a person oblivious to events around him/her; or 3) unwarranted distraction of attention from the object of focus by irrelevant thoughts or environmental events.
Absorption Concentration ::: In concentration meditation, this refers to the various states found in the samatha jhanas whereby the locus of focus narrows solely on the object of observation. Attainment of absorption concentration is causally preceded by access concentration which is itself preceded by the monkey mind state of awareness associated with mundane consciousness.
Access Concentration ::: In concentration meditation, this refers to the state preceding access to the samatha jhanas whereby the locus of focus has narrowed considerably from the monkey mind state of awareness associated with mundane consciousness and has started to settle rather effortlessly on the object of concentration. Precedes access to absorption concentration.
Accounting ratio - Usually is the comparing of two or more sets of accounting data. Often this is done by dividing or in some other way manipulating one f item on the financial statement by another. Ratios help with the interpretation of financial statements by focusing on specific relationships.
Adaptive Server Enterprise "database" (ASE) The {relational database management system} that started life in the mid-eighties [first release?] as "Sybase SQL Server". For a number of years {Microsoft} was a Sybase distributor, reselling the Sybase product for {OS/2} and (later) {Windows NT} under the name "Microsoft SQL Server". Around 1994, Microsoft basically bought a copy of the {source code} of Sybase SQL Server and then went its own way. As competitors, Sybase and Microsoft have been developing their products independently ever since. Microsoft has mostly emphasised ease-of-use and "Window-ising" the product, while Sybase has focused on maximising performance and reliability, and running on high-end hardware. When releasing version 11.5 in 1997, Sybase renamed its product to "ASE" to better distinguish its database from Microsoft's. Both ASE and MS SQL Server call their query language "Transact-SQL" and they are very similar. Sybase SQL Server was the first true {client-server} RDBMS which was also capable of handling real-world workloads. In contrast, other DBMSs have long been monolithic programs; for example, {Oracle} only "bolted on" client-server functionality in the mid-nineties. Also, Sybase SQL Server was the first commercially successful RDBMS supporting {stored procedures} and {triggers}, and a cost-based {query optimizer}. As with many other technology-driven competitors of Microsoft, Sybase has lost market share to MS's superior marketing, though many consider it has the superior system. {(http://sypron.nl/whatis_ase.html)}. (2003-07-02)
Adaptive Server Enterprise ::: database (ASE) The relational database management system that started life in the mid-eighties [first release?] as Sybase SQL Server. For a number of years Microsoft was a Sybase distributor, reselling the Sybase product for OS/2 and (later) Windows NT under the name Microsoft SQL Server.Around 1994, Microsoft basically bought a copy of the source code of Sybase SQL Server and then went its own way. As competitors, Sybase and Microsoft have been emphasised ease-of-use and Window-ising the product, while Sybase has focused on maximising performance and reliability, and running on high-end hardware.When releasing version 11.5 in 1997, Sybase renamed its product to ASE to better distinguish its database from Microsoft's. Both ASE and MS SQL Server call their query language Transact-SQL and they are very similar.Sybase SQL Server was the first true client-server RDBMS which was also capable of handling real-world workloads. In contrast, other DBMSs have long been commercially successful RDBMS supporting stored procedures and triggers, and a cost-based query optimizer.As with many other technology-driven competitors of Microsoft, Sybase has lost market share to MS's superior marketing, though many consider it has the superior system. .(2003-07-02)
Adhishthana (Sanskrit) Adhiṣṭhāna [from adhi over, upon + the verbal root sthā to stand upon] A basis, seat, or focus of action (cf BG 3:40, 18:14). Often applied to a principle or element which inheres in another principle; i.e., the active agent working in prakriti would be adhishthana. Also, precedent, rule, as when used as a name for one of the ten paramitas (rules of conduct).
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. "company" (AMD) A US manufacturer of {integrated circuits}, founded in 1969. AMD was the fifth-largest IC manufacturer in 1995. AMD focuses on the personal and networked computation and communications market. They produce {microprocessors}, {embedded processors} and related peripherals, memories, {programmable logic devices}, circuits for telecommunications and networking applications. In 1995, AMD had 12000 employees in the USA and elsewhere and manufacturing facilities in Austin, Texas; Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Penang, Malaysia; and Singapore. AMD made the {AMD 2900} series of {bit-slice} {TTL} components and clones of the {Intel 80386} and {Intel 486} {microprocessors}. {AMD Home (http://amd.com/)}. Address: Sunnyvale, CA, USA. (1995-02-27)
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. ::: (company) (AMD) A US manufacturer of integrated circuits, founded in 1969. AMD was the fifth-largest IC manufacturer in 1995. AMD focuses on the programmable logic devices, circuits for telecommunications and networking applications.In 1995, AMD had 12000 employees in the USA and elsewhere and manufacturing facilities in Austin, Texas; Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Penang, Malaysia; and Singapore.AMD made the AMD 2900 series of bit-slice TTL components and clones of the Intel 80386 and Intel 486 microprocessors. .Address: Sunnyvale, CA, USA. (1995-02-27)
A few centuries after the composition of the JNānaprasthāna, or c. first half of the second-century CE, Sarvāstivāda exegetes compiled a massive commentary to the text, entitled the ABHIDHARMAMAHĀVIBHĀsĀ, which followed the root text's chapters and section divisions but exponentially expanded the coverage of the school's teachings. Because of their adherence to the exegetical approaches outlined in that commentary, later masters of the Sarvāstivāda school in KASHMIR-GANDHĀRA termed themselves "VAIBHĀsIKA." ¶ The JNānaprasthāna is probably the last of the canonical Sarvāstivāda abhidharma texts to have been composed and contains a systematic overview of the emblematic doctrines of the mature school. Distinctive Sarvāstivāda doctrines treated in the text include the full roster of the four conditions (PRATYAYA) and six causes (HETU); the Sarvāstivāda's eponymous teaching that factors (dharma) exist in all three time periods (TRIKĀLA) of the past, present, and future; the definitive classification schema for the mental concomitants (CAITTA); and the listing of the four conditioned characteristics (SAMSKṚTALAKsAnA) of dharmas, viz., origination (JĀTI), continuance (STHITI), senescence (JARĀ), and desinence (anityatā, ANITYA; viz., death). The JNānaprasthāna's outline of Sarvāstivāda abhidharma is based on a soteriological schema, ultimately deriving from the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS. The opening chapter on miscellaneous factors begins with a discussion of the highest worldly factors (laukikāgradharma), perhaps the major conceptual innovation of the text, that is, dharmas at the moment of the transition from ordinary person (PṚTHAGJANA) to noble one (ĀRYA), when they catalyze access to the path of vision (DARsANAMĀRGA). The JNānaprasthāna thus uses its treatment of the highest worldly dharmas as an interpretative tool to integrate its discussion of the major stages in the path, from the mundane path of practice (LAUKIKA-BHĀVANĀMĀRGA), to the path of vision, the supramundane path of cultivation (LOKOTTARA-BHĀVANĀMĀRGA), and the path of the realized adept (AsAIKsAMĀRGA; see also PANCAMĀRGA). This focus also highlights the major difference between Sarvāstivāda and Pāli abhidharma materials: whereas Pāli texts include substantial coverage of such preliminary practices as morality and choosing a meditation subject, the JNānaprasthāna is principally concerned with the more advanced stages of the path. The second critical contribution of the JNānaprasthāna is its systematization of the six causes (HETU). These six are not found in the ĀGAMAs, and only four are listed in earlier Sarvāstivāda abhidharma texts, such as the VIJNĀNAKĀYA[PĀDAsĀSTRA]. Kātyāyanīputra's systematization of this list seems to have been intended to demonstrate the causal connections that pertained between the stages of the path. Overall, the JNānaprasthāna is best known not for its doctrinal innovations but instead for its grand systematization of Sarvāstivāda abhidharma.
Agni-Vishnu-Surya (Sanskrit) Agni-Viṣṇu-Sūrya [from agni fire + viṣṇu from the verbal root viś or the verbal root viṣ to pervade + sūrya sun] Fire-pervader-solar deity; this triad of gods is probably a permutation of the original Vedic triad Agni-Indra-Surya, having their influence and place respectively on earth, in the atmosphere, and in the sky. Agni-Vishnu-Surya has been called the “synthesis and head, or the focus whence emanated in physics as in metaphysics, from the Spiritual as from the physical Sun, the Seven Rays, the seven fiery tongues, the seven planets or gods” (SD 2:608).
ajikan. (阿字観). In Japanese, "contemplation of the letter ‛A'"; a meditative exercise employed primarily within the the Japanese SHINGON school of esoteric Buddhism. The ajikan practice is also known as the "contemplation of the letter 'A' in the moon-wheel" (AJI GATSURINKAN). The letter "A" is the first letter in the Sanskrit SIDDHAM alphabet and is considered to be the "seed" (BĪJA) of MAHAVAIROCANA, the central divinity of the esoteric traditions. The letter "A" is also understood to be the "unborn" buddha-nature (FOXING) of the practitioner; hence, the identification of oneself with this letter serves as a catalyst to enlightenment. In ajikan meditation, the adept draws a picture of the full moon with an eight-petaled lotus flower at its center. The Siddham letter "A" is then superimposed over the lotus flower as a focus of visualization. As the visualization continues, the moon increases in size until it becomes coextensive with the universe itself. Through this visualization, the adept realizes the letter "A" that is originally uncreated (AJI HONPUSHo), which is the essence of all phenomena in the universe and the DHARMAKAYA of MAHAVAIROCANA Buddha.
Alambana. (P. Arammana; T. dmigs pa; C. suoyuan; J. shoen; K. soyon 所縁). In Sanskrit, "objective support," "sense object," or "object of cognition"; in epistemology, the object of any one of the six sensory consciousnesses (VIJNANA), i.e., visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and mental objects. In the mainstream traditions, these objects were considered to be the external constituent in the cognitive relationship between subject and object, whereby the contact (SPARsA) between, e.g., an olfactory sensory object (e.g., gandha) and the olfactory sense base (GHRAnENDRIYA) produces a corresponding olfactory consciousness (GHRAnAVIJNANA). Sense objects thus correspond to the six external "sense-fields" or "spheres of perception" (AYATANA) and the six external "elements" (DHATU). The term Alambana is also used in instructions on meditation to describe the object upon which the meditator is to focus the mind. See also ALAMBANAPRATYAYA.
Alcyone The brightest star in the Pleiades. Alcyone and the Pleiades are the central group of “the system of sidereal symbology. . . . the focus from which, and into which the divine breath, Motion, works incessantly during the Manvantara” (SD 2:551). The culmination of the Pleiades and Alcyone on the meridian at midnight in November has been celebrated worldwide by festivals, chiefly in honor of the dead.
alexandrianwicca ::: Alexandrian Wicca A tradition of the Neopagan religion Wicca, named after Alex Sanders who, along with his wife Maxine, established the tradition in the 1960s, having previously been an initiate of a Gardnerian coven. Generally, Alexandrian Wicca focuses strongly upon training which includes areas more generally associated with Ceremonial Magick, such as Kabbalah and Enochian Magick.
All the great religious and philosophical systems of antiquity contained a divine or spiritual triadic unity as the cosmic source and focus of all beings and things, out of which emanate the universe and all that is in it. Examples are the Osiris-Isis-Horus of Egypt or the Brahma-Vishnu-Siva of India; yet these triads of gods are emanated reflections or representatives on lower planes of the still more sublime and ineffable triadic mystery above and beyond them.
AmarAvatī. (T. 'Chi med ldan). In Sanskrit, "Immortal"; is the modern name for DhAnyakataka or Dharanikota, the site of a monastic community associated with the MAHASAMGHIKA school, located in eastern Andhra Pradesh. The site is best known for its large main STuPA, started at the time of AsOKA (third century BCE), which, by the second century CE, was the largest monument in India. It is thought to have been some 140 feet in diameter and upwards of 100 feet tall, and decorated with bas-reliefs. The stupa is mentioned in numerous accounts, including that by the Chinese pilgrim XUANZANG. AmarAvatī (as DhAnyakataka) reached its historical zenith as the southern capital of the later SAtavAhana [alt. sAtavAhana] dynasty that ended in 227 CE. The last inscription found at the site is dated to the eleventh century, and when first excavated at the end of the eighteenth century by the British, the stupa had long been reduced to a large mound of earth. Over the following centuries, it has been the focus of repeated archaeological excavations that yielded many important finds, making it one of the best researched Buddhist sites of ancient India. The site is important in Tibetan Buddhism because the Buddha is said to have taught the KALACAKRATANTRA at DhAnyakataka. See also NAGARJUNAKOndA.
amasthenic ::: a. --> Uniting the chemical rays of light into one focus, as a certain kind of lens; amacratic.
American Telephone and Telegraph, Inc. "company, telecommunications, Unix" (AT&T) One of the largest US telecommunications providers, also noted for being the birthplace of the {Unix} {operating system} and the {C} and {C++} programming languages. AT&T was incorporated in 1885, but traces its lineage to Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone in 1876. As parent company of the former {Bell System}, AT&T's primary mission was to provide telephone service to virtually everyone in the United States. In its first 50 years, AT&T established subsidiaries and allied companies in more than a dozen other countries. It sold these interests in 1925 and focused on achieving its mission in the United States. It did, however, continue to provide international long distance service. The Bell System was dissolved at the end of 1983 with AT&T's divestiture of the Bell telephone companies. AT&T split into three parts in 1996, one of which is {Lucent Tecnologies}, the former systems and equipment portion of AT&T (including Bell Laboratories). See also {3DO}, {Advanced RISC Machine}, {Berkeley Software Distribution}, {Bell Laboratories}, {Concurrent C}, {Death Star}, {dinosaurs mating}, {InterNIC}, {System V}, {Nawk}, {Open Look}, {rc}, {S}, {Standard ML of New Jersey}, {Unix International}, {Unix conspiracy}, {USG Unix}, {Unix System Laboratories}. {AT&T Home (http://att.com/)}. (2002-06-21)
Amida. Japanese pronunciation of the Sinographic transcripton of the name AMITABHA, the buddha who is the primary focus of worship in the PURE LAND traditions of Japan. See JoDOSHu; JoDO SHINSHu.
Anal Stage ::: Freud&
An alternative definition defines the locus of all points that is equidistant from a point known as the focus, and a line known as the directrix. A parabola is specified as long as the focus does not lie on the directrix.
AnApAnasatisutta. (S. AnApAnasmṛtisutra; T. Dbugs rngub pa dang 'byung ba dran pa'i mdo; C. Annabannanian; J. Annahannanen; K. Annabannanyom 安那般那念). In PAli, "The Mindfulness of Breathing Discourse," the 118th sutta (SuTRA) in the MAJJHIMANIKAYA (a separate SARVASTIVADA recension, as titled above, appears in the Chinese translation of the SAMYUKTAGAMA). In this discourse, the Buddha outlines a type of meditation where the meditator remains mindful of the process of breathing in and breathing out (P. AnApAnasati; S. ANAPANASMṚTI). The meditator begins by developing an awareness of the physical processes involved in breathing, such as whether the breath is long or short; remaining cognizant of either the entire body during breathing or the entire process of breathing (as the commentaries typically interpret it), it culminates in breathing while consciously striving to calm the body. The meditator then follows the in- and out-breaths while developing salutary affective states, such as rapture (P. pīti, S. PRĪTI) and ease (SUKHA). The penultimate step is breathing while actively seeking to focus and liberate the mind. The meditation culminates in mindfulness of the breath while focusing on the awareness of the mental qualities of impermanence, cessation, and relinquishment. Through this progressive development, mindfulness of breathing thus leads from physical and mental calm, to direct insight into the value of nonattachment. The discourse ends with a treatment of the seven aspects of awakening (P. bojjhanga; S. BODHYAnGA) with regard to the four foundations of mindfulness (P. satipaṫṫhAna; S. SMṚTYUPASTHANA) of the physical body, physical sensations, state of mind, and mental qualities. See also ANBAN SHOUYI JING.
AnApAnasmṛti. (P. AnApAnasati; T. dbugs rngub pa dang 'byung ba dran pa; C. shuxi guan/annabannanian; J. susokukan/annahannanen; K. susik kwan/annabannanyom 數息觀/安那般那念). In Sanskrit, lit. "mindfulness (SMṚTI) of inhalation (Ana = prAna) and exhalation (apAna)," or simply, "mindfulness of breathing"; referring to one of the oldest and most basic meditative techniques found in Buddhism. The practice requires focusing on the breath as it moves into and out of the body during inhalation and exhalation, some say through attention to the sensation of the movement of breath at the tip of the nose, others say through attention to the rise and fall of the diaphragm. This passive following of the breath leads to physical and mental calm, which allows the meditator to focus on the generic aspect of breath: viz., the fact that the constant ebb and flow of the breath is emblematic of impermanence (ANITYA). This awareness may then lead to nonattachment and insight. The PAli ANAPANASATISUTTA provides a detailed description of the processes involved in developing this type of meditation. Unlike many of the other forty topics of meditation (KAMMAttHANA) in PAli Buddhism, which are said to suit specific types of personalities or as antidotes to specific negative tendencies, AnApAnasmṛti is claimed to be suitable for all, which may account for its continued popularity. Elsewhere, it is said to be a suitable object of meditation for those given to excessive thought. Some form of this practice is found in nearly every Buddhist tradition. There are various renderings of the term using Chinese Sinographs; although shuxi guan is one of the most common translations, there are others (e.g., chixi guan), as well as different ways of transcribing the Sanskrit into Chinese (e.g., anabona nian).
anasa buddhi (manasabuddhi; manasa buddhi; manasbuddhi; manas-buddhi) ::: the mental reason, the reasoning intellect; the buddhi or thinking mind in its ordinary forms (distinguished from the vijñanabuddhi or intuitive mind), as a faculty of prajñana ("apprehending consciousness" or intelligence) separated from vijñana;"the mental intelligence and will" which "are only a focus of diffused and deflected rays and reflections" of "the sun of the divine Knowledge-Will burning in the heavens of the supreme conscious Being".
An investment_strategy ::: guides an investor's actions with respect to asset allocation. Strategies vary, but they are based on individual goals, risk tolerance and future needs for capital. Some investment strategies seek rapid growth where an investor focuses on capital appreciation, or they can follow a low-risk strategy where the focus is on wealth protection. Many investors buy low-cost, diversified index funds, use dollar-cost averaging and reinvest dividends. Dollar-cost averaging is an investment strategy where a fixed dollar amount of stocks or a particular investment are acquired on a regular schedule regardless of the cost or share price. The investor purchases more shares when prices are low and fewer shares when prices are high. Over time, some investments will do better than others, and the return averages out over time.
Antaryoga (Sanskrit) Antaryoga [from antar interior, within + yoga union from the verbal root yuj to join, unite] Interior union; a state of deep thought or abstraction signifying that high stage of inner spiritual and intellectual recollection in which all the superior part of a person’s constitution is gathered together and focused as it were into a single point of consciousness. It is involved in the attaining of the higher states of consciousness such as turiya-samadhi.
antenna gain "radio" The factor by which a {radio antenna} of a given shape focusses the emitted power into a smaller beamwidth compared with an omnidirectional antenna. (2008-02-26)
anxin. (J. anjin; K. ansim 安心). In Chinese, "pacification of mind" or "peace of mind." Used generally to refer to an enlightened state of mind, anxin is used specifically in the Chan school (CHAN ZONG) in the more active sense of focusing one's attention in "wall contemplation" (BIGUAN) and thereby calming or "pacifying" the mind. According to the ERRU SIXING LUN attributed to the founder of Chan, BODHIDHARMA, the result of such cultivation is said to be an immovable state of mind. In the PURE LAND traditions, the "pacification of mind" refers to the firm establishment of a sense of faith in the teachings of the buddhas and the patriarchs (ZUSHI).
ApadAna. In PAli, "Heroic Tales" or "Narratives" (cf. S. AVADANA); the thirteenth book of the KHUDDAKANIKAYA of the PAli SUTTAPItAKA, this collection includes hagiographies of 547 monks and forty nuns, all arahant (S. ARHAT) disciples who lived during the lifetime of the Buddha. The text also contains two introductory chapters in verse. The first, the "BuddhApadAna," is a series of encomiums praising the merits and perfections (P. pAramī; S. PARAMITA) of the Buddha and an account of the past lives during which he mastered these qualities. The second chapter, the "PaccekabuddhApadAna," deals with solitary buddhas who do not teach (paccekabuddha; S. PRATYEKABUDDHA). Quite distinctively, the ApadAna names thirty-five buddhas of antiquity, in contrast to the twenty-four listed in the BUDDHAVAMSA; this is one of the reasons that the ApadAna is presumed to be one of the latest books in the PAli canon. The third and fourth chapters offer accounts of the noble deeds of the senior disciples, including many of the most famous names in Buddhist history. Each story focuses on a specific meritorious action performed by one of these elders while they trained under a buddha in a previous lifetime, followed by an account of what wholesome result that action produced in subsequent lifetimes, and how this ultimately led them to achieve arahantship in the present life. The collection thus highlights the merit that results from perfecting specific types of moral actions.
Apart from the remarkable learning that these earlier works display, two things are noteworthy about them. The first is that they are principally based on a single source language or Buddhist tradition. The second is that they are all at least a half-century old. Many things have changed in the field of Buddhist Studies over the past fifty years, some for the worse, some very much for the better. One looks back in awe at figures like Louis de la Vallée Poussin and his student Msgr. Étienne Lamotte, who were able to use sources in Sanskrit, PAli, Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan with a high level of skill. Today, few scholars have the luxury of time to develop such expertise. Yet this change is not necessarily a sign of the decline of the dharma predicted by the Buddha; from several perspectives, we are now in the golden age of Buddhist Studies. A century ago, scholarship on Buddhism focused on the classical texts of India and, to a much lesser extent, China. Tibetan and Chinese sources were valued largely for the access they provided to Indian texts lost in the original Sanskrit. The Buddhism of Korea was seen as an appendage to the Buddhism of China or as a largely unacknowledged source of the Buddhism of Japan. Beyond the works of "the PAli canon," relatively little was known of the practice of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. All of this has changed for the better over the past half century. There are now many more scholars of Buddhism, there is a much higher level of specialization, and there is a larger body of important scholarship on each of the many Buddhist cultures of Asia. In addition, the number of adherents of Buddhism in the West has grown significantly, with many developing an extensive knowledge of a particular Buddhist tradition, whether or not they hold the academic credentials of a professional Buddhologist. It has been our good fortune to be able to draw upon this expanding body of scholarship in preparing The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.
appanAsamAdhi. In PAli, "absorptive concentration"; the more advanced of the two broad types of concentration (SAMADHI) discussed in PAli commentarial literature. Both of these two types of samAdhi are used with reference to meditators who are specializing in calmness (samatha; S. sAMATHA) techniques. The preliminary "threshold concentration" (UPACARASAMADHI) helps to calm and focus the mind but is too discursive to lead to full meditative absorption (JHANA; S. DHYANA). In order to develop jhAna, meditators must proceed to cultivate less discursive topics of meditation (KAMMAttHANA) that will lead to "absorptive concentration" and thence jhAna: e.g., mindfulness of breathing (AnApAnasati, S. ANAPANASMṚTI); the four "divine abidings" (BRAHMAVIHARA; [alt. P. appamaNNa], S. APRAMAnA), namely, loving-kindness (P. mettA; S. MAITRĪ), compassion (KARUnA), altruistic or empathetic joy (MUDITA), and equanimity or impartiality (P. upekkhA; S. UPEKsA); and the ten "visual devices" (KASInA)-devices that are constructed from the elements earth, water, fire, and air; the colors blue, yellow, red, and white; and light and space. See also KHANIKASAMADHI.
araNNavAsi. In PAli, "forest-dweller"; in the PAli Buddhist tradition, a monk who is principally dedicated to meditative training (VIPASSANADHURA); contrasted with "town-dweller" (GAMAVASI), who lives in a village or town monastery and whose monastic vocation focuses on doctrinal study and teaching, or "book work" (GANTHADHURA). In Sri Lankan Buddhism, the emphases within the Buddhist order on both meditation and study led to the evolution over time of these two major practice vocations. The araNNavAsi remained in solitude in the forest to focus principally on their meditative practice. The gAmavAsi, by contrast, were involved in studying and teaching the dhamma, especially within the lay community of the village, and thus helped to disseminate Buddhism among the people. The araNNavAsi were not necessarily hermits, but they did live a more secluded life than the gAmavAsi, devoting most of their time to meditation (either individually or in smaller groups) and keeping their contact with the laity to a minimum. According to the VINAYA, a monk cannot remain constantly alone in the forest by himself; at a minimum, he must join together with the sangha at least once a fortnight to participate in the uposatha (S. UPOsADHA) rite, when the monks gather to confess any transgressions of the precepts and to listen to a recitation of the rules of discipline (P. pAtimokkha; S. PRATIMOKsA). These two vocations have a long history and have continued within the sangha into modern times. In a sense, the Buddha himself was an araNNavAsi for six years before he attained enlightenment; subsequently, he then passed much of his time as a gAmavAsi, teaching people the dharma and encouraging them to practice to bring an end to their suffering. See also PHRA PA; THUDONG.
arrow key "hardware" One of four keys on a {keyboard} marked with arrows pointing up, down, left and right. The arrow keys are used for such things as moving the {cursor} in a text document, for moving the {input focus} between the fields of a form or sometimes for scrolling a picture. (1998-06-26)
arrow key ::: (hardware) One of four keys on a keyboard marked with arrows pointing up, down, left and right. The arrow keys are used for such things as moving the cursor in a text document, for moving the input focus between the fields of a form or sometimes for scrolling a picture. (1998-06-26)
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) - A trading bloc of countries in SE Asia. ASEAN is focused on developing a f free trade zone among the member nations.
ASHRAM (Skt, T.B.) That group which a member of the planetary hierarchy
(at least a 46-self) forms of his disciples and with himself as the focus in the
power house. The planetary hierarchy consists of seven greater ashrams led by
44-selves and representing the seven departments, and 42 lesser ones led by 45- and
46-selves. The type energies these collective beings emit encompass the planet.
AsokAvadAna. (T. Ku nA la'i rtogs pa brjod pa; C. Ayu wang zhuan; J. Aiku o den; K. Ayuk wang chon 阿育王傳). In Sanskrit, "The Story of Asoka," a text belonging to the category of "edifying tales" (AVADANA), which narrates the major events in the life of King AsOKA of the Indian Mauryan dynasty. The work focuses primarily on Asoka's conversion to Buddhism, his subsequent support of the DHARMA and monastic community (SAMGHA), his visits to the major sites of the Buddha's life (MAHASTHANA), and his construction of STuPAs. It also records the transmission of the Buddhist teachings by five early teachers: MAHAKAsYAPA, ANANDA, MADHYANTIKA, sAnAKAVASIN, and UPAGUPTA. The AsokAvadAna relates that, in a previous life, Asoka (then a small boy named Jaya) placed a handful of dirt in the Buddha's begging bowl (PATRA). The Buddha predicted that one hundred years after his passage into nirvAna, the child would become a DHARMARAJA and CAKRAVARTIN named Asoka. As emperor, Asoka becomes a devout Buddhist and righteous king, renowned for collecting the relics (sARĪRA) of the Buddha from eight (or in one version, seven of eight) stupas and redistributing them in 84,000 stupas across his realm. Parts of the Sanskrit text have been preserved in the DIVYAVADANA, and the entire work is extant in Chinese. Only the KunAla chapter of the AsokAvadAna was rendered into Tibetan, in the eleventh century, by PadmAkaravarman and RIN CHEN BZANG PO.
“A state produced sometimes by physiological disorders, sometimes by mediumship, and at others by drunkenness. But the cause that produces the visions has to be sought deeper than physiology. All such visions, especially when produced through mediumship, are preceded by a relaxation of the nervous system, invariably generating an abnormal magnetic condition which attracts to the sufferer waves of astral light. It is the latter that furnishes the various hallucinations. These, however, are not always what physicians would make them, empty and unreal dreams. No one can see that which does not exist — i.e., which is not impressed — in or on the astral waves. A Seer may, however, perceive objects and scenes (whether past, present, or future) which have no relation whatever to himself, and also perceive several things entirely disconnected with each other at one and the same time, thus producing the most grotesque and absurd combinations. Both drunkard and Seer, medium and Adept, see their respective visions in the Astral Light; but while the drunkard, the madman, and the untrained medium, or one suffering from brain-fever, see, because they cannot help it, and evoke the jumbled visions unconsciously to themselves, the Adept and the trained Seer have the choice and the control of such visions. They know where to fix their gaze, how to steady the scenes they want to observe, and how to see beyond the upper outward layers of the Astral Light. With the former such glimpses into the waves are hallucinations: with the latter they become the faithful reproduction of what actually has been, is, or will be, taking place. The glimpses at random caught by the medium, and his flickering visions in the deceptive light, are transformed under the guiding will of the Adept and Seer into steady pictures, the truthful representations of that which he wills to come within the focus of his perception” (TG 133-4).
Astral Projection ::: The ability to firmly focus one's awareness within a form (sheath) envisioned in the Astral Plane. Through practice this allows for exploring the realm of individual and collective imagination lucidly and persistently. See also Astral Plane.
atma bhakti. ::: worship of the Supreme; to focus so intensely on the Supreme that the worshipper becomes the worshiped
Attention: (Lat. ad + tendere, to stretch) The concentration of the mind upon selected portions of the field of consciousness thereby conferring upon the selected items, a peculiar vividness and clarity. The field of attention may be divided into two parts: the focus of attention, where the degree of concentration of attention is maximal and the fringe of attention, where the degree of attention gradually diminishes to zero at the periphery. Attention considered with respect to its genesis, is of two types: involuntary, passive or spontaneous attention, which is governed by external stimulus or internal association of ideas and voluntary, controlled or directed attention which is guided by the subject's purpose or intention.
attention: the process of selectively focusing on particular stimulus elements, typically those deemed most significant.
Attunement ::: The process of moving the mind toward a specific archetype's (or set of archetypes') symbolism and meaning. In planetary magic, for example, to attune oneself to a planetary sphere (i.e. a Sephirah of the Kabbalah) is to focus and suffuse oneself within the symbolism and meaning behind that sphere in order to integrate or undergo its lessons in one's life. Only through this process can magic be woven from within that paradigm as to work magic with that archetype you need to understand that archetype, how it works, and its relation to Mind.
Authoritarian [parents] ::: Parenting style focused on excessive rules, rigid belief systems, and the expectation of unquestioned obedience.
Authoritative [parents] ::: Parenting style focused on setting reasonable rules and expectations while encouraging communication and independence.
AvataMsakasutra. (T. Mdo phal po che; C. Huayan jing; J. Kegongyo; K. Hwaom kyong 華嚴經). In Sanskrit, "Garland Scripture"; also known as the BUDDHAVATAMSAKASuTRA ("Scripture of the Garland of Buddhas"), or *BuddhAvataMsakanAmamahAvaipulyasutra, the Sanskrit reconstruction of the title of the Chinese translation Dafangguang fo huayan jing, which is usually abbreviated in Chinese simply as the HUAYAN JING ("Flower Garland Scripture"). The sutra is one of the most influential Buddhist scriptures in East Asia and the foundational text of the indigenous East Asian HUAYAN ZONG. The first major edition of the AvataMsakasutra was said to have been brought from KHOTAN and was translated into Chinese by BUDDHABHADRA in 421; this recension consisted of sixty rolls and thirty-four chapters. A second, longer recension, in eighty rolls and thirty-nine chapters, was translated into Chinese by sIKsANANDA in 699; this is sometimes referred to within the Huayan tradition as the "New [translation of the] AvataMsakasutra" (Xin Huayan jing). A Tibetan translation similar to the eighty-roll recension also exists. The AvataMsakasutra is traditionally classified as a VAIPULYASuTRA; it is an encyclopedic work that brings together a number of heterogeneous texts, such as the GAndAVYuHA and DAsABHuMIKASuTRA, which circulated independently before being compiled together in this scripture. No Sanskrit recension of the AvataMsakasutra has been discovered; even the title is not known from Sanskrit sources, but is a reconstruction of the Chinese. (Recent research in fact suggests that the correct Sanskrit title might actually be BuddhAvataMsakasutra, or "Scripture of the Garland of Buddhas," rather than AvataMsakasutra.) There are, however, extant Sanskrit recensions of two of its major constituents, the Dasabhumikasutra and Gandavyuha. Given the dearth of evidence of a Sanskrit recension of the complete AvataMsakasutra, and since the scripture was first introduced to China from Khotan, some scholars have argued that the scripture may actually be of Central Asian provenance (or at very least was heavily revised in Central Asia). There also exists in Chinese translation a forty-roll recension of the AvataMsakasutra, translated by PRAJNA in 798, which roughly corresponds to the Gandavyuha, otherwise known in Chinese as the Ru fajie pin or "Chapter on the Entry into the DHARMADHATU." Little attempt is made to synthesize these disparate materials into an overarching narrative, but there is a tenuous organizational schema involving a series of different "assemblies" to which the different discourses are addressed. The Chinese tradition presumed that the AvataMsakasutra was the first sermon of the Buddha (see HUAYAN ZHAO), and the sutra's first assembly takes place at the BODHI TREE two weeks after he had attained enlightenment while he was still immersed in the samAdhi of oceanic reflection (SAGARAMUDRASAMADHI). The AvataMsaka is therefore believed to provide a comprehensive and definitive description of the Buddha's enlightenment experience from within this profound state of samAdhi. The older sixty-roll recension includes a total of eight assemblies held at seven different locations: three in the human realm and the rest in the heavens. The later eighty-roll recension, however, includes a total of nine assemblies at seven locations, a discrepancy that led to much ink in Huayan exegesis. In terms of its content, the sutra offers exuberant descriptions of myriads of world systems populated by buddhas and bodhisattvas, along with elaborate imagery focusing especially on radiant light and boundless space. The scripture is also the inspiration for the famous metaphor of INDRAJALA (Indra's Net), a canopy made of transparent jewels in which each jewel is reflected in all the others, suggesting the multivalent levels of interaction between all phenomena in the universe. The text focuses on the unitary and all-pervasive nature of enlightenment, which belongs to the realm of the Buddha of Pervasive Light, VAIROCANA, the central buddha in the AvataMsaka, who embodies the DHARMAKAYA. The sutra emphasizes the knowledge and enlightenment of the buddhas as being something that is present in all sentient beings (see TATHAGATAGARBHA and BUDDHADHATU), just as the entire universe, or trichiliocosm (S. TRISAHASRAMAHASAHASRALOKADHATU) is contained in a minute mote of dust. This notion of interpenetration or interfusion (YUANRONG) is stressed in the thirty-second chapter of Buddhabhadra's translation, whose title bears the influential term "nature origination" (XINGQI). The sutra, especially in FAZANG's authoritative exegesis, is presumed to set forth a distinctive presentation of dependent origination (PRATĪTYASAMUTPADA) in terms of the dependence of the whole on its parts, stressing the unity of the universe and its emptiness (suNYATA) of inherent nature; dependent origination here emerges as a profound ecological vision in which the existence of any one thing is completely dependent on the existence of all other things and all things on any one thing. Various chapters of the sutra were also interpreted as providing the locus classicus for the exhaustive fifty-two stage MahAyAna path (MARGA) to buddhahood, which included the ten faiths (only implied in the scripture), the ten abodes, ten practices, ten dedications, and ten stages (DAsABHuMI), plus the two stages of awakening itself: virtual enlightenment (dengjue) and sublime enlightenment (miaojue). This soteriological process was then illustrated through the peregrinations of the lad SUDHANA to visit his religious mentors, each of whom is identified with one of these specific stages; Sudhana's lengthy pilgrimage is described in great detail in the massive final chapter (a third of the entire scripture), the Gandavyuha, titled in the AvataMsakasutra the "Entry into the DharmadhAtu" chapter (Ru fajie pin). The evocative and widely quoted statement in the "Brahmacarya" chapter that "at the time of the initial arousal of the aspiration for enlightenment (BODHICITTOTPADA), complete, perfect enlightenment (ANUTTARASAMYAKSAMBODHI) is already achieved" was also influential in the development of the East Asian notion of sudden enlightenment (DUNWU), since it implied that awakening could be achieved in an instant of sincere aspiration, without requiring three infinite eons (ASAMKHYEYAKALPA) of religious training. Chinese exegetes who promoted this sutra reserved the highest place for it in their scriptural taxonomies (see JIAOXIANG PANSHI) and designated it the "perfect" or "consummate" teaching (YUANJIAO) of Buddhism. Many commentaries on and exegeses of the sutra are extant, among which the most influential are those written by FAZANG, ZHIYAN, CHENGGUAN, LI TONGXUAN, GUIFENG ZONGMI, WoNHYO, ŬISANG, and MYoE KoBEN.
Bailian she. (J. Byakurensha; K. Paengnyonsa 白蓮社). In Chinese, "White Lotus Society." In the late fourth and early fifth centuries, the Chinese monk LUSHAN HUIYUAN assembled a group of 123 monks and laymen on LUSHAN and contemplated the image of the buddha AMITABHA; this group came to be known as the White Lotus Society. This name was also used by putatively heterodox lay Buddhist organizations that flourished during the Tang, Song, and early Yuan dynasties, as well as by monks mainly associated with the TIANTAI school. Inspired by Huiyuan's White Lotus Society and the repentance rituals of the Tiantai school, Mao Ziyuan (c. 1086-1166) constructed halls for repentance called White Lotus repentance halls and promoted the practice of NIANFO (see BUDDHANUSMṚTI) as a means of maintaining the five moral precepts (PANCAsĪLA). Mao Ziyuan's White Lotus Society was further popularized by the monk Pudu (1255-1330), who compiled an influential treatise known as the Lushan lianzong baojian ("Precious Mirror of the Lotus Tradition at Mt. Lu"). Despite ongoing governmental suppression, he and many other lay followers established cloisters and worship halls all over the country. There seems to be little if any connection between these later organizations and that of Lushan Huiyuan. These lay organizations primarily focused on the recitation of the name of AmitAbha in hopes of ensuring rebirth in his PURE LAND. During the early Ming, the name White Lotus Society was frequently associated with rebellious millenarian movements that worshipped the future buddha MAITREYA, which prompted the Ming government to ban any use of the name. Another more common name for these millenarian movements was BAILIAN JIAO. White Lotus societies also flourished in Korea during the Koryo dynasty, where they were called Paengnyon kyolsa (White Lotus retreat societies). Especially well known was the White Lotus Society (Paengnyonsa) established at Mandoksa in 1211 by WoNMYO YOSE (1163-1240), the mid-Koryo revitalizer of the Korean CH'oNT'AE (TIANTAI) tradition and a colleague of POJO CHINUL. See also JIESHE.
Baiyi Guanyin. (S. PAndaravAsinī; T. Gos dkar mo; J. Byakue kannon; K. Paegŭi Kwanŭm 白衣觀音). In Chinese, "White-Robed GUANYIN (Perceiver of Sounds)." An esoteric form of the BODHISATTVA AVALOKITEsVARA (known as Guanyin in Chinese), who became a popular focus of cultic worship in East Asia. The cult of Baiyi Guanyin began around the tenth century in China, whence it spread to Korea and Japan. Several indigenous Chinese scriptures praise the compassion and miraculous powers of White-Robed Guanyin. According to the various Baiyi Guanyin APOCRYPHA, she was also a grantor of children, as was Songzi Guanyin. Many testimonials from literati are appended to these scriptures, which attest to Baiyi Guanyin's ability to ensure the birth of sons, although it is also said that she granted children of both genders. Like many other Guanyin-related texts, the White-Robed Guanyin texts frequently invoke esoteric Buddhist terminology such as DHARAnĪ, MUDRA, and MANTRA. Beginning in the tenth century, Baiyi Guanyin's cult was associated with the founding of temples, as well as the production of countless images commissioned by both religious and laity. Many worshippers, especially monastics and royalty, had visions of White-Robed Guanyin. These dreams range from being promised children in return for a residence (such as the Upper Tianzhu monastery outside of Hangzhou, later also associated with Princess MIAOSHAN), to enlarging existing structures or even restoring them once a vision or dream of White-Robed Guanyin occurred. In such visions and dreams, White-Robed Guanyin appeared as a female, thus differentiating this form of the bodhisattva from SHUIYUE GUANYIN (Moon-in-the-Water Avalokitesvara), who was similarly dressed in a white robe, but appeared as a male. Some miracle tales highlighting the donors' names were also produced in honor of Baiyi Guanyin, lending further credence to the accounts of the bodhisattva's miraculous powers.
Ba Khin, U. (1899-1971). Influential lay Burmese teacher of insight meditation (S. VIPAsYANA; P. VIPASSANA). Born to a working-class family in Rangoon, U Ba Khin was educated in Christian middle and high schools. Married with six children, he began his career as a government clerk during the British colonial period, later becoming accountant general of independent Burma. He began practicing vipassanA in 1937 under the guidance of Saya Thet Gyi, a lay meditation teacher and disciple of the Burmese monk LEDI SAYADAW. He explored several styles of tranquility (P. samatha, S. sAMATHA) and insight meditation and eventually developed his own technique of vipassanA by drawing on his own experiences. The method he devised focuses on physical sensations (VEDANA), beginning at the crown of the head and continuing throughout the body; his approach is considered to be especially effective in producing states of deep concentration (SAMADHI). In 1941, U Ba Khin met the famous meditation teacher Webu Sayadaw, who encouraged him to teach his meditation technique to others. He began teaching small groups informally and eventually, while accountant general, taught vipassanA to his staff. Under his influence, the government of Burma instituted a policy of encouraging civil servants to practice meditation as part of their daily routine. In 1952, U Ba Khin established the International Meditation Centre in Rangoon, where he taught meditation and began holding intensive ten-day vipassanA retreats on a regular basis. After his retirement from government service in 1953, he devoted all of his time to promoting vipassanA practice. He also played an active role in the sixth Buddhist council (see COUNCIL, SIXTH), held in Rangoon from 1954-1956. His style of vipassanA is one of the most widely disseminated techniques internationally, and his disciples include such well-known meditation teachers as S. N. Goenka.
Balanced scorecard - An approach to performance measurement that also focuses on what managers are doing today to create future shareholder value. A balanced scorecard is a set of performance measures constructed for four dimensions of performance. The dimensions are financial, customer, internal processes, and learning and growth. Having financial measures is critical even if they are backward looking. After all, they have a great effect on the evaluation of the company by shareholders and creditors. Customer measures examine the company's success in meeting customer expectations. Internal process measures examine the company's success in improving critical business processes. And learning and growth measures examine the company's success in improving its ability to adapt, innovate, and grow. The customer, internal processes, and learning and growth measures are generally thought to be predictive of future success (i.e., they are not backward looking). After reviewing these measures, note how "balance" is achieved: (I) performance is assessed across a balanced set of dimensions (financial, customer, internal processes, and innovation); (2) quantitative measures (e.g., number of defects) are balanced with qualitativemeasures (e.g., ratings of customer satisfaction); and (3) there is a balance of backward-looking measures (e.g., financial measures like growth in sales) and forward-looking measures (e.g., number of new patents as an innovation measure).
bandhas. ::: body locks; a sustained contraction of a group of muscles that assists the practitioner not only in retaining a yogic posture but also in moving in and out of it; muscle locking/contraction, which focuses energy in the body and is closely tied to the breath; there are three bandhas which are considered our internal body locks &
baojuan. (寶巻). In Chinese, "precious scrolls" or "treasure scrolls"; a genre of scripture produced mainly by popular religious sects with Buddhist orientations during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The baojuan are believed to have been divinely revealed to select beings who often became the leaders of these new religious movements (see also T. GTER MA). The earliest extant baojuan, which focuses on the worship of MAITREYA, the future buddha, is dated 1430, shortly after the fall of the Yuan dynasty. Lo Qing (1442-1527), a lay Buddhist, founded the Wuwei jiao ("Teachings of Noninterference"), for instance, for which he produced "five books and six volumes" of baojuan. Precious scrolls seem to share certain mythological elements, such as a new cosmogony of both the creation and demise of the world. Many of them also expound a new soteriology based on CHAN meditation and Daoist alchemy. The baojuan genre seems to be an evolutionary development from the earlier Buddhist vernacular narrative known as "transformation texts" (BIANWEN). Like bianwen, the baojuan were also employed for both popular entertainment and religious propagation.
Barlaam and Josaphat. A Christian saint's tale that contains substantial elements drawn from the life of the Buddha. The story tells the tale of the Christian monk Barlaam's conversion of an Indian prince, Josaphat. (Josaphat is a corrupted transcription of the Sanskrit term BODHISATTVA, referring to GAUTAMA Buddha prior to his enlightenment.) The prince then undertakes the second Christian conversion of India, which, following the initial mission of the apostle Thomas, had reverted to paganism. For their efforts, both Barlaam and Josaphat were eventually listed by the Roman Catholic Church among the roster of saints (their festival day is November 27). There are obvious borrowings from Buddhist materials in the story of Josaphat's life. After the infant Josaphat's birth, for example, astrologers predict he either will become a powerful king or will embrace the Christian religion. To keep his son on the path to royalty, his pagan father has him ensconced in a fabulous palace so that he will not be exposed to Christianity. Josaphat grows dissatisfied with his virtual imprisonment, however, and the king eventually accedes to his son's request to leave the palace, where he comes across a sick man, a blind man, and an old man. He eventually meets the monk Barlaam, who instructs him using parables. Doctrines that exhibit possible parallels between Buddhism and Christianity, such as the emphasis on impermanence and the need to avoid worldly temptations, are a particular focus of Barlaam's teachings, and the account of the way of life followed by Barlaam and his colleagues has certain affinities with that of wandering Indian mendicants (sRAMAnA). By the late nineteenth century, the story of Barlaam and Josaphat was recognized to be a Christianized version of the life of the Buddha. The Greek version of the tale is attributed to "John the Monk," whom the Christian scholastic tradition assumed to be St. John of Damascus (c. 676-749). The tale was, however, first rendered into Greek from Georgian in the eleventh century, perhaps by Euthymius (d. 1028). The Georgian version, called the Balavariani, appears to be based on an Arabic version, KitAb Bilawhar wa BudhAsaf. The source of the Arabic version has not been identified, nor has the precise Buddhist text from which the Buddhist elements were drawn. After the Greek text was translated into Latin, the story was translated into many of the vernaculars of Europe, becoming one of the most popular saint's tales of the Middle Ages.
Because nature is repetitive throughout, these Grand Masters are correspondentially related to the highest three of the four lower manifested planes of the seven planes of cosmic consciousness, in which exist the sevenfold manifested cosmos, the solar system, and the seven sacred planets. Specifically with reference to the seven globes of our earth-chain, Blavatsky gives these in the Chaldean Qabbalistic system as: 1) Archetypal World; 2) Intellectual or Creative World; and 3) Substantial or Formative World (SD 1:200). The lowest of the seven cosmic planes is the plane of our physical earth, which is the focus, result, and outermost expression of the energies and forces of the three higher planes. Thus our physical earth, as also physical man, are each the Temple, planned and built by the Three Grand Masters, according to the pattern which David has “by the spirit,” the divine plan which is hidden in the heart of everything that is. In accordance with this divine plan all evolution proceeds by the progressive manifestation of the divine life and the cosmic and human spiritual energies, powers, and faculties, evolving and unfolding from within, until at last the building of the Temple shall be completed and adorned as a fit and worthy habitation of the inner god.
Bei zong. (J. Hokushu; K. Puk chong 北宗). In Chinese, "Northern school"; a designation for an early tradition of the CHAN school that flourished in the seventh and eighth centuries, and referring specifically to the lineage of SHENXIU and his disciples. The doctrines of the "Northern school" are known to have focused on the transcendence of thoughts (linian) and the five expedient means (fangbian; S. UPAYA); these teachings appear in "Northern school" treatises discovered at Dunhuang, such as the DASHENG WUSHENG FANGBIAN MEN, YUANMING LUN, and Guanxin lun. The appellations "Northern school" and "Southern school" (NAN ZONG) began to be used widely throughout the Tang dynasty, largely due to the efforts of HEZE SHENHUI and his followers. As a result of Shenhui's polemical attacks on Shenxiu and his followers, later Chan historians such as GUIFENG ZONGMI came to speak of a "Northern school" whose teachings promoted a "gradual awakening" (JIANWU) approach to enlightenment (see SUDDEN-GRADUAL ISSUE); this school was distinguished from a superior "Southern school," which was founded on the prospect of "sudden awakening" (DUNWU). While such a characterization is now known to be misleading, subsequent genealogical histories of the Chan tradition (see CHUANDENG LU) more or less adopted Shenhui's vision of early Chan wherein the legendary sixth patriarch (LIUZU) HUINENG, rather than Shenxiu, became the bearer of the orthodox transmission from the fifth patriarch HONGREN. The LIUZU TAN JING played an important role in making this characterization of a gradualist Northern school and a subitist Southern school part of the mainstream tradition. Despite Shenhui's virulent attacks, Shenxiu and his disciples YIFU (661-736), PUJI (651-739), and XIANGMO ZANG played a much more important role in the early growth of Chan than the later tradition generally acknowledges. There is strong evidence, in fact, that Shenxiu was considered by his contemporaries to be the legitimate successor to the fifth patriarch Hongren and he and his followers were part of the metropolitan elite and wielded deep influence at the Chinese imperial court. The Northern school also seems to have been a force in Tibetan Buddhism during the eighth century and the Northern-school monk Heshang MOHEYAN was the Chinese protagonist in the famous BSAM YAS DEBATE.
belief: The force of faith and conviction that allows a mage to rework reality; even after Awakening, a mage must believe powerfully in something. (See focus, paradigm, practice.)
Benchmarking (best practices) - The process of searching for new and better procedures by comparing your own procedures to that of the very best. The objective is to measure the key outputs of a business process or function against the best and to analyze the reasons for the performance difference. Benchmarking applies to services and practices as well as to products and is an ongoing systematic process. It entails both quantitative and qualitative measurements that allow both an internal and an external assessment Process benchmarking is the process of assessing the quality of key internal processes by comparing them with those of other firms. In results benchmarking, a firm examines the end product or service of another company, focusing on product/service specifications and performance results.
Focus: An item, act, phrase, gesture or similar artifice required to perform magic. Through the focus, the mage concentrates belief and will and causes magic to result.
BhadracarīpranidhAna. (T. Bzang po spyod pa'i smon lam; C. Puxian pusa xingyuan zan; J. Fugen bosatsu gyogansan; K. Pohyon posal haengwon ch'an 普賢菩薩行願讚). In Sanskrit, "Vows of Good Conduct," the last section of the GAndAVYuHA in the AVATAMSAKASuTRA and one of the most beloved texts in all of MahAyAna Buddhism; also known as the SamantabhadracarīpranidhAnarAja. The BhadracarīpranidhAna focuses on the ten great vows (PRAnIDHANA) taken by SAMANTABHADRA to realize and gain access to the DHARMADHATU, which thereby enable him to benefit sentient beings. The ten vows are: (1) to pay homage to all the buddhas, (2) to praise the tathAgatas, (3) to make unlimited offerings, (4) to repent from one's transgressions in order to remove karmic hindrances (cf. KARMAVARAnA), (5) to take delight in others' merit, (6) to request the buddhas to turn the wheel of dharma (DHARMACAKRAPRAVARTANA), (7) to request the buddhas to continue living in the world, (8) always to follow the teachings of the Buddha, (9) always to comply with the needs of sentient beings, and (10) to transfer all merit to sentient beings for their spiritual edification. The text ends with a stanza wishing that sentient beings still immersed in evil be reborn in the PURE LAND of AMITABHA. The text was translated into Chinese in 754 by AMOGHAVAJRA (705-774). Other Chinese recensions appear in the Wenshushili fayuan jing ("Scripture on the Vows made by MANJUsRĪ"), translated in 420 by BUDDHABHADRA (359-429), which corresponds to the verse section from Ru busiyi jietuo jingjie Puxian xingyuan pin, the last roll of the forty-roll recension of the Huayan jing translated by PRAJNA in 798. (There is no corresponding version in either the sixty- or the eighty-roll translations of the Huajan jing.) The verses are also called the "Précis of the Huayan jing" (Lüe Huayan jing), because they are believed to constitute the core teachings of the AvataMsakasutra. In the main Chinese recension by Amoghavajra, the text consists of sixty-two stanzas, each consisting of quatrains with lines seven Sinographs in length, thus giving a total number of 1,736 Sinographs. In addition to the sixty-two core stanzas, Amoghavajra's version adds ten more stanzas of the Bada pusa zan ("Eulogy to the Eight Great Bodhisattvas") from the Badapusa mantuluo jing ("Scripture of the MAndALAs of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas") (see AstAMAHABODHISATTVA; AstAMAHOPAPUTRA). Buddhabhadra's version consists of forty-four stanzas with 880 Sinographs, each stanza consisting of a quatrain with lines five Sinographs in length. PrajNa's version contains fifty-two stanzas with each quatrain consisting of lines seven sinographs in length. There are five commentaries on the text attributed to eminent Indian exegetes, including NAGARJUNA, DIGNAGA, and VASUBANDHU, which are extant only in Tibetan translation. In the Tibetan tradition, the prayer is called the "king of prayers" (smon lam gyi rgyal po). It is incorporated into many liturgies; the opening verses of the prayer are commonly incorporated into a Tibetan's daily recitation.
Bhaisajyaguru. (T. Sman bla; C. Yaoshi rulai; J. Yakushi nyorai; K. Yaksa yorae 藥師如來). In Sanskrit, "Medicine Teacher"; the "Healing Buddha" or "Medicine Buddha," who was the focus of an important salvific cult in the early MAHAYANA tradition. According to his eponymous scripture, the BHAIsAJYAGURUSuTRA, he has a body more brilliant than the sun, which was the color of lapis lazuli (vaiduryamani) and possessed the power to heal illness and physical deformities; his pure land of VaiduryanirbhAsa is located in the east. The origin of Bhaisajyaguru and his healing cult is unclear, although his worship seems to have arisen contemporaneously with the rise of the MahAyAna. BHAIsAJYARAJA and Bhaisajyasamudgata, two bodhisattvas mentioned in the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA ("Lotus Sutra"), are likely antecedents, and similarities with other "celestial" buddhas like AMITABHA and AKsOBHYA also suggest possible influence from those rival cults. The Bhaisajyagurusutra was translated into Chinese in the seventh century, during the Tang dynasty, when his worship finally achieved the wide recognition that it continues to enjoy within the Chinese tradition. The Bhaisajyagurusutra is also cited in the eighth-century tantric text, MANJUsRĪMuLAKALPA, indicating that his cult had by then achieved widespread acclaim throughout Asia. Bhaisajyaguru was one of the earliest buddhas to gain popularity in Japan, although initially he was familiar only within the imperial court, which constructed monasteries in his honor beginning in the sixth century. By the eighth century, his cult had spread throughout the country, with Bhaisajyaguru being invoked both to cure illness and to ward off dangers. The worship of Bhaisajyaguru seems to have entered Tibet during the eighth century, two versions of the Bhaisajyagurusutra having been translated into Tibetan by the prolific YE SHES SDE and others. Early in the development of his cult, Bhaisajyaguru was divided into a group of eight medicine buddhas (asta-bhaisajyaguru), made up of seven of his emanations plus the principal buddha. Their names vary according to source, and none save Bhaisajyaguru are worshipped individually. Two of these emanations-Suryaprabha and Candraprabha-are often depicted in a triad with Bhaisajyaguru. Further, Bhaisajyaguru is also said to command twelve warriors (YAKsA) related to various astrological categories and to wage war on illness in the name of their leader. Indic images of Bhaisajyaguru are rare, but his depictions are common across both the East Asian and Tibetan cultural spheres. East Asian images are almost uniform in depicting him seated, with his right hand in the gesture of fearlessness (ABHAYAMUDRA) or the gesture of generosity (VARADAMUDRA), his left in his lap, occasionally holding a medicine bowl. In Tibet, he is also shown holding the fruit of the medicinal myrobalan plant.
bhakti. ::: adoration; divine love; true devotion to absolute Reality, where the devotee focuses so much that he and the Reality become one
bhAvanA. (T. sgom pa; C. xiuxi; J. shuju; K. susŭp 修習). In Sanskrit and PAli, "cultivation" (lit. "bringing into being"); a Sanskrit term commonly translated into English as "meditation." It is derived from the root √bhu, "to be" or "to become," and has a wide range of meanings including cultivating, producing, manifesting, imagining, suffusing, and reflecting. It is in the first sense, that of cultivation, that the term is used to mean the sustained development of particular states of mind. However, bhAvanA in Buddhism can include studying doctrine, memorizing sutras, and chanting verses to ward off evil spirits. The term thus refers broadly to the full range of Buddhist spiritual culture, embracing the "bringing into being" (viz., cultivating) of such generic aspects of training as the path (MARGA), specific spiritual exercises (e.g., loving-kindness, or MAITRĪ), or even a general mental attitude, such as virtuous (KUsALA) states of mind. The term is also used in the specific sense of a "path of cultivation" (BHAVANAMARGA), which "brings into being" the insights of the preceding path of vision (DARsANAMARGA). Hence, bhAvanA entails all the various sorts of cultivation that an adept must undertake in order to enhance meditation, improve its efficacy, and "bring it into being." More specifically as "meditation," two general types of meditation are sometimes distinguished in the commentarial literature: stabilizing meditation (sAMATHA) in which the mind focuses with one-pointedness on an object in an effort to expand the powers of concentration; and analytical meditation (VIPAsYANA), in which the meditator conceptually investigates a topic in order to develop insight into it.
Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna. (1831-1891). A founding member of the Theosophical Society, Blavatsky was born in Ukraine to an aristocratic family, the daughter of a military officer and a well-known novelist. She was largely self-educated, and traveled throughout the world for more than twenty years. Arriving in New York from Paris in 1873, two years later she and HENRY STEEL OLCOTT founded the Theosophical Society, an organization that played a prominent role in the introduction of Asian religions to Europe and America. The society's purpose focused on promoting the understanding and awareness of the nature of reality through various disciplines. Madame Blavatsky claimed to have spent seven years in Tibet studying with masters whom she called "mahatmas," preservers of an ancient wisdom that provided the foundation for all mystical traditions. She also claimed to have remained in telepathic communication with these masters throughout her life and to have translated their teachings from the Senzar language into English. After attempts at alliances with various Asian teachers in India, Madame Blavatsky concluded that the modern manifestations of Hinduism and Buddhism had drifted far from their original essence, so she devoted much of her writing to expounding the true teachings, which she sometimes referred to as "Esoteric Buddhism." Two of her most important works are The Secret Doctrine (1888) and The Voice of the Silence (1889); these provide an account of, and commentary on, the theory of spiritual evolution that she is said to have discovered in the ancient Book of Dzyan, written in the secret language of Senzar. Although this text has not been found, nor the Senzar language identified, The Voice of the Silence has been considered to be a Buddhist text by some prominent figures within the modern Buddhist tradition.
Myopia - Defect of eye, commonly called nearsightedness, in which distant objects focus in front of the retina.
bodhisattvayAna. (T. byang chub sems dpa'i theg pa; C. pusa sheng; J. bosatsujo; K. posal sŭng 菩薩乘). In Sanskrit, lit. "BODHISATTVA vehicle," the path (MARGA) that begins with the initial activation of the aspiration for enlightenment (BODHICITTOTPADA) and culminates in the achievement of buddhahood; one of the early terms used for what eventually comes to be called the "Great Vehicle" (MAHAYANA). The bodhisattvayAna focuses on the development of the six perfections (PARAMITA) over a period as long as three incalculable eons of time (ASAMKHYEYAKALPA). At the culmination of this essentially interminable process, the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, with the full range of unique qualities (AVEnIKA[BUDDHA]DHARMA) that are developed only as a result of mastering the perfections. The bodhisattvayAna is distinguished from the sRAVAKAYANA, in which teachings were learned from a buddha or an enlightened disciple (sRAVAKA) of the Buddha and which culminates in becoming a "worthy one" (ARHAT); and the PRATYEKABUDDHAYANA, the vehicle of those who reach their goal in solitude. The bodhisattvayAna, by contrast, is modeled on the accounts of the current buddha sAKYAMUNI's extensive series of past lives, during which he was motivated by the altruistic aspiration to save all beings from suffering by becoming a buddha himself, not simply settling for arhatship. The srAvakayAna, pratyekabuddhayAna, and bodhisattvayAna together constitute the TRIYANA, or "three vehicles," mentioned in many MahAyAna sutras, most famously in the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA.
Bolwby (1907 -1990): a British psychologist, who focused primarily on attachmentbonds between a caregiver and a child, and how the strength or deprivation of the bond may affect the childs cognitive, social and emotional development, epitomised in Bowlbys maternal deprivation hypothesis.
Spherical Aberration - Inability of spherical mirror to focus all parallel rays to a single point.
Buy_weakness ::: is a proactive trading strategy in which a trader generates profits from buying into a security that has reached a low level. Traders will generally either go long on a stock or enter into call options that bet on a rising price. A buy weakness strategy is the opposite of a "selling into strength" strategy. BREAKING DOWN 'Buy Weakness' Buy weakness signals are often identified from following a trading channel. Trading channels may be either trend channels or envelope channels. Buy weakness trades focus on identifying a stock’s low point in order to profit from potential gains. Buying weakness and selling strength are two strategies derived from the basic concept of buy low, sell high. Buying weakness may also be referred to as buy a bounce or buy at support.
CakrasaMvaratantra. (T. 'Khor lo bde mchog gi rgyud). In Sanskrit, the "Binding of the Wheel Tantra" an important Buddhist tantra, often known simply as the CakrasaMvara (T. 'Khor lo bde mchog). The text is extant in Sanskrit and in a Tibetan translation in seven hundred stanzas, which is subdivided into fifty-one sections; it is also known by the name srīherukAbhidhAna (a name appearing at the end of each section), and commonly known in Tibet as the CakrasaMvara Laghutantra ("short tantra" or "light tantra") or Mulatantra ("root tantra") because, according to legend, there was once a longer text of one hundred thousand stanzas. The main deity of the tantra is HERUKA (also known as CakrasaMvara) and his consort is VAJRAVARAHĪ. Historically, the tantra originated as part of a literature that focused on a class of female divinities called YOGINĪ or dAKINĪ. It and its sister tantra, the HEVAJRATANTRA, probably appeared toward the end of the eighth century, and both show the influence of the Sarvabuddhasamayoga-dAkinījAlasaMvaratantra (referred to by Amoghavajra after his return from India to China in 746 CE). All are classed as yoginītantras. The use of skulls, the presence of the KHATVAnGA staff, and the references to sites holy to saivite KApAlikas (those who use skulls) point to a very close relationship between the saiva KApAlika literature and the early yoginītantras, such that some scholars have suggested an actual appropriation of the saiva literature by Buddhists outside mainstream Buddhist practice. Other scholars suggest this class of tantric literature originates from a SIDDHA tradition, i.e., from individual charismatic yogins and yoginīs with magical powers unaffiliated with particular religions or sects. Among the four classes of tantras-KRIYATANTRA, CARYATANTRA, YOGATANTRA, and ANUTTARAYOGATANTRA-the CakrasaMvaratantra is included in the last category; between the father tantras (PITṚTANTRA) and mother tantra (MATṚTANTRA) categories of anuttarayogatantras, it is classified in the latter category. The siddhas Luipa and SARAHA are prominent in accounts of its origin and transmission, and the siddha NAROPA is of particular importance in the text's transmission in India and from there to Tibet. Like many root tantras, the text contains very little that might be termed doctrine or theology, focusing instead on ritual matters, especially the use of MANTRA for the achievement of various powers (SIDDHI), especially the mundane (LAUKIKA) powers, such as the ability to fly, become invisible, etc. The instructions are generally not presented in a systematic way, although it is unclear whether this is the result of the development of the text over time or the intention of the authors to keep practices secret from the uninitiated. Later commentators found references in the text to elements of both the stage of generation (UTPATTIKRAMA) and stage of completion (NIsPANNAKRAMA). The DAkArnavatantra is included within the larger category of tantras related to the CakrasaMvara cycle, as is the Abhidhanottara and the SaMvarodayatantra. The tantra describes, in greater and less detail, a MAndALA with goddesses in sacred places in India (see PĪtHA) and the process of ABHIsEKA. The practice of the MAYADEHA (T. sgyu lus, "illusory body") and CAndALĪ (T. gtum mo, often translated as "psychic heat") are closely associated with this tantra. It was translated twice into Tibetan and is important in all three new-translation (GSAR MA) Tibetan sects, i.e., the SA SKYA, BKA' BRGYUD, and DGE LUGS. Iconographically, the CakrasaMvara mandala, starting from the outside, has first eight cremation grounds (sMAsANA), then a ring of fire, then VAJRAs, then lotus petals. Inside that is the palace with five concentric placement rings going in toward the center. In the center is the main deity Heruka with his consort VajravArAhī trampling on BHAIRAVA and his consort KAlarAtri (deities associated with saivism). There are a number of different representations. One has Heruka (or CakrasaMvara) dark blue in color with four faces and twelve arms, and VArAhī with a single face and two hands, red and naked except for bone ornaments. In the next circles are twenty-four vīras (heroes) with their consorts (related with the twenty-four pītha), with the remaining deities in the mandala placed in different directions in the outer circles.
camera obscura ::: --> An apparatus in which the images of external objects, formed by a convex lens or a concave mirror, are thrown on a paper or other white surface placed in the focus of the lens or mirror within a darkened chamber, or box, so that the outlines may be traced.
An apparatus in which the image of an external object or objects is, by means of lenses, thrown upon a sensitized plate or surface placed at the back of an extensible darkened box or chamber variously modified; -- commonly called simply the camera.
Camp David Accords (1978) ::: Conducted in secret on the presidential retreat in Maryland, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat concluded two agreements that provided the basis for continuing peace negotiations. “The Framework for Peace in the Middle East” focused on autonomy for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. “The Framework for Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel” paved the way for the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty of 1979. The Accords addressed the definition of a Palestinian, the boundaries of the West Bank, and Jerusalem.
Capabilities Maturity Model ::: (software) (CMM) The Software Engineering Institute's model of software engineering that specifies five levels of maturity of the processes of a expanded to cover other areas including Human Resources and Software Acquitition.The levels - focii - and key process areas are:Level 1 Initial - Heroes - None.Level 2 Repeatable - Project Management - Software Project Planning, Software Project Tracking and Oversight, Software Subcontract Management, Software Quality Assurance, Software Configuration Management, Requirements Management.Level 3 Defined - Engineering Process - Organisation Process Focus, Organisation Process Definition, Peer Reviews, Training Program, Inter-group Coordination, Software Product Engineering, Integrated Software Management.Level 4 Managed - Product and Process Quality - Software Quality Management, Quantitative Process Management.Level 5 Optimising - Continuous Improvement - Process Change Management, Technology Change Management, Defect Prevention.[Reference?](2001-04-28)
Capability Maturity Model "software" (CMM) The {Software Engineering Institute}'s model of {software engineering} that specifies five levels of maturity of the processes of a software organisation. CMM offers a framework for evolutionary process improvement. Originally applied to software development (SE-CMM), it has been expanded to cover other areas including Human Resources and Software Acquitition. The levels - focii - and key process areas are: Level 1 Initial - Heroes - None. Level 2 Repeatable - Project Management - Software Project Planning, Software Project Tracking and Oversight, Software Subcontract Management, Software Quality Assurance, Software Configuration Management, Requirements Management. Level 3 Defined - Engineering Process - Organisation Process Focus, Organisation Process Definition, Peer Reviews, Training Program, Inter-group Coordination, Software Product Engineering, Integrated Software Management. Level 4 Managed - Product and Process Quality - Software Quality Management, Quantitative Process Management. Level 5 Optimising - Continuous Improvement - Process Change Management, Technology Change Management, Defect Prevention. {(http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmm/cmm.html)}. (2001-04-28)
*caturApattidvAra. (T. ltung ba'i sgo bzhi / sdom pa nyams pa'i rgyu bzhi; C. si fanzui men; J. shibonzaimon; K. sa pomjoe mun 四犯罪門). In Sanskrit, "the four doors through which transgression comes." According to the BODHISATTVABHuMI, the best way to guard against transgression (Apatti) is to block these four doors. The first door is not knowing boundaries relative to which transgression does, or does not, occur; to counteract it, one should know the moral code (S. PRATIMOKsA) well. The second is knowing the code, but not respecting virtuous persons; to counteract it, one should conquer pride and have respect. The third is having respect but being heedless (PRAMADA); to counteract it, one must be guided by one's conscience (APRAMADA). The fourth door is when one has knowledge, respect, and a conscience but where KLEsA (affliction) predominates; to counteract it, one must apply an antidote (S. PRATIPAKsA) and focus on reducing the powers of the klesas.
Centering ::: The process of stabilizing the awareness within one's self-identity. This mostly refers to the ability to collect and constrain the locus of focus to one's physical body and identity and is often a precursor to more advanced energetic, meditative, and ritualistic workings. Many centering practices begin with stillness within an asana and involve a coordination of the breath with gesture, subtle movement, visualization, and vibration.
Centration ::: A young child&
CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Restoration and Compensation Liability Act)::: Cleanup Program focuses on human health and environmental concerns related to human health. The cleanup program is primarily carried out by EPA, working with States, on sites designated for cleanup on the NPL. Cleanup Program emphasizes local source control, prevention of further spread from sources. Cleanup Program is prohibited from "restoring" natural resources, although cleanup may prevent further injuries to natural resources.
Chassidic ::: movement of Judaism that focuses on the study of Kabbalah*; founded by the Baal Shem Tov
Cheng weishi lun. (S. *VijNaptimAtratAsiddhi; J. Joyui-shikiron; K. Song yusik non 成唯識論). In Chinese, "Demonstration of Consciousness-Only"; a magnum opus of Sino-Indian YOGACARA Buddhism and the foundational text of the Chinese WEISHI, or FAXIANG, school. The text is often cited by its reconstructed Sanskrit title *VIJNAPTIMATRATASIDDHI, and its authorship attributed to DHARMAPALA (530-561), but the text as we have it in Chinese translation has no precise analogue in Sanskrit and was never used within the Indian or Tibetan traditions. Its Chinese translator XUANZANG (600/602-664), one of the most important figures in the history of Chinese Buddhist scholasticism, traveled to India in the seventh century, where he specialized in YogAcAra doctrine at NALANDA monastic university under one of DharmapAla's disciples, sĪLABHADRA (529-645). At NAlandA, Xuanzang studied VASUBANDHU's TRIMsIKA (TriMsikAvijNaptimAtratA[siddhi]kArikA), the famous "Thirty Verses on Consciousness-Only," along with ten prose commentaries on the verses by the prominent YogAcAra scholiasts DharmapAla, STHIRAMATI, Nanda, CitrabhAnu, Gunamati, Jinamitra, JNAnamitra, JNAnacandra, Bandhusrī, suddhacandra, and Jinaputra. After his return to China in 645, Xuanzang set to work translating this massive amount of new material into Chinese. Rather than translate in their entirety all ten commentaries, however, on the advice of his translation team Xuanzang chose to focus on DharmapAla's exegesis, which he considered orthodox, rather than muddy the waters in China with the divergent interpretations of the other teachers. As a foil for DharmapAla's interpretation, Xuanzang uses the commentaries by Sthiramati, Nanda, and occasionally CitrabhAnu, but he typically concludes any discussion with DharmapAla's definitive view. This decision to rely heavily on DharmapAla's interpretation probably comes from the fact that Xuanzang's own Indian teacher, sīlabhadra, was himself a pupil of DharmapAla. ¶ The Cheng weishi lun is principally concerned with the origination and removal of ignorance (AVIDYA), by clarifying the processes by which erroneous perception arises and enlightened understanding is produced. Unlike the writings of STHIRAMATI, which understood the bifurcation of consciousness into subject and object to be wholly imaginary, the Cheng weishi lun proposed instead that consciousness in fact always appears in both subjective and objective aspects, viz., a "seeing part" (darsanabhAga) and a "seen part" (nimittabhAga). The apparent dichotomy between inner self and external images is a supposition of mentality (MANAS), which in turn leads to the various afflictions (KLEsA), as the mind clings to those images it likes and rejects those it dislikes; thus, suffering (DUḤKHA) is created and the cycle of rebirth (SAMSARA) sustained. Both the perceiving self and the perceived images are therefore both simply projections of the mind and thus mere-representation (VIJNAPTIMATRA) or, as Xuanzang translated the term, consciousness-only (WEISHI). This clarification of the perceptual process produces an enlightened understanding that catalyzes a transmutation of the basis (AsRAYAPARAVṚTTI), so that the root consciousness (MuLAVIJNANA), or ALAYAVIJNANA, no longer serves as the storehouse of either wholesome or unwholesome seeds (BĪJA), thus bringing an end to the subject-object bifurcation. In the course of its discussion, the Cheng weishi lun offers an extensive treatment of the YogAcAra theory of the eight consciousnesses (VIJNANA) and especially the storehouse consciousness (AlayavijNAna) that stores the seeds, or potentialities, of these representational images. The text also offers an overview of the three-nature (TRISVABHAVA) theory of vijNaptimAtra as imaginary (PARIKALPITA), dependent (PARATANTRA), and perfected (PARINIsPANNA). Finally, the Cheng weishi lun provides such exhaustive detail on the hundred dharmas (BAIFA) taxonomical system of the YogAcAra that it has been used within the tradition as a primer of YogAcAra dharma theory.
Cihang. (慈航) (1895-1954). Chinese monk during the Republican Era and prominent disciple of the influential Buddhist reformer TAIXU; his mummified remains continue to be a major focus of relic worship in Taiwan. Cihang was first educated in the traditional Chinese Buddhist exegetical traditions of the CHAN, TIANTAI, and PURE LAND schools before beginning his studies in 1927 at Taixu's modern Buddhist academy in Minnan. It was there that Cihang was exposed to, and inspired by, Taixu's reformist ideals, and began his own active missionary career. Cihang's achievements as a missionary included establishing various Chinese Buddhist organizations and lecturing on Buddhism throughout Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Singapore, Burma, and Malaysia, where he was credited with promoting a type of "socially engaged Buddhism." Cihang was also the founder and editor of the Buddhist monthly Renjian ("Human Realm"), and served as abbot of various monasteries. Most notably, Cihang founded the renowned Mile Neiyuan (MAITREYA Buddhist Academy) in Taiwan for training young clergy who had recently relocated from the Chinese mainland, so that they would be able to minister to new Taiwanese converts to Buddhism. Cihang's classes on YOGACARA and other MAHAYANA traditions in and outside of the academy were influential on the way Chinese Buddhism spread, developed, and took root in Taiwan after the retreat of the Kuomintang (Guomindang) from the Chinese mainland in 1949. Cihang's mummified remains-in the form of his largely intact body-continue to be a source of great fascination and controversy in Taiwan. In addition to the many debates within both the secular and religious communities concerning his "whole-body relic" (QUANSHEN SHELI), a new cult of relic worship began in earnest as soon as the existence of his mummified body became publicized. Cihang's pious followers undertook extra measures to ensure the lasting preservation of his body. Cihang's mummy, still sitting in a meditative posture, remains on display inside the memorial building (Cihang guan) dedicated to him.
Clean "language" A {lazy} {higher-order} {purely functional language} from the {University of Nijmegen}. Clean was originally a subset of {Lean}, designed to be an experimental {intermediate language} and used to study the {graph rewriting} model. To help focus on the essential implementation issues it deliberately lacked all {syntactic sugar}, even {infix} expressions or {complex lists}, As it was used more and more to construct all kinds of applications it was eventually turned into a general purpose functional programming language, first released in May 1995. The new language is {strongly typed} (Milner/Mycroft type system), provides {modules} and {functional I/O} (including a {WIMP} interface), and supports {parallel processing} and {distributed processing} on {loosely coupled} parallel architectures. Parallel execution was originally based on the {PABC} {abstract machine}. It is one of the fastest implementations of functional languages available, partly aided by programmer {annotations} to influence evaluation order. Although the two variants of Clean are rather different, the name Clean can be used to denote either of them. To distinguish, the old version can be referred to as Clean 0.8, and the new as Clean 1.0 or Concurrent Clean. The current release of Clean (1.0) includes a compiler, producing code for the {ABC} {abstract machine}, a {code generator}, compiling the ABC code into either {object-code} or {assembly language} (depending on the {platform}), I/O libraries, a {development environment} (not all platforms), and {documentation}. It is supported (or will soon be supported) under {Mac OS}, {Linux}, {OS/2}, {Windows 95}, {SunOS}, and {Solaris}. {(http://cs.kun.nl/~clean/)}. E-mail: "clean@cs.kun.nl". Mailing list: "clean-request@cs.kun.nl". ["Clean - A Language for Functional Graph Rewriting", T. Brus et al, IR 95, U Nijmegen, Feb 1987]. ["Concurrent Clean", M.C. van Eekelen et al, TR 89-18, U Nijmegen, Netherlands, 1989]. [{Jargon File}] (1995-11-08)
Clean ::: (language) A lazy higher-order purely functional language from the University of Nijmegen. Clean was originally a subset of Lean, designed to be an To help focus on the essential implementation issues it deliberately lacked all syntactic sugar, even infix expressions or complex lists,As it was used more and more to construct all kinds of applications it was eventually turned into a general purpose functional programming language, first parallel architectures. Parallel execution was originally based on the PABC abstract machine.It is one of the fastest implementations of functional languages available, partly aided by programmer annotations to influence evaluation order.Although the two variants of Clean are rather different, the name Clean can be used to denote either of them. To distinguish, the old version can be referred to as Clean 0.8, and the new as Clean 1.0 or Concurrent Clean.The current release of Clean (1.0) includes a compiler, producing code for the ABC abstract machine, a code generator, compiling the ABC code into either (or will soon be supported) under Mac OS, Linux, OS/2, Windows 95, SunOS, and Solaris. . E-mail: .[Clean - A Language for Functional Graph Rewriting, T. Brus et al, IR 95, U Nijmegen, Feb 1987].[Concurrent Clean, M.C. van Eekelen et al, TR 89-18, U Nijmegen, Netherlands, 1989].[Jargon File] (1995-11-08)
clinical psychology: focuses on the assessment and treatment of abnormal or maladaptive behaviour.
close reading: The careful focus upon ways that writers' choices of form, structureand language shape meaning. See critique and analysis.
cognitive processes: aspects of mental 'behaviour' that focus on the acquisition, storage, retrieval and use of knowledge, for instance in memory and perception.
cognitive psychology: research field in psychology that focuses on mental processes used to acquire, store, retrieve and use knowledge.
cognitive therapy: a form of therapy which focuses on the role of faulty beliefs and thought patterns in abnormal behaviour; because it also encourages testing beliefs via behavioural strategies, it is sometimes called' cognitive behavioural therapy'. See also rational-emotive therapy.
collimator ::: n. --> A telescope arranged and used to determine errors of collimation, both vertical and horizontal.
A tube having a convex lens at one end and at the other a small opening or slit which is at the principal focus of the lens, used for producing a beam of parallel rays; also, a lens so used.
Common ISDN Application Programming Interface "networking" (CAPI, Common-ISDN-API) A programming interface standard for an application program to communicate with an {ISDN} card. Work on CAPI began in 1989, focussing on the German ISDN protocol, and was finished in 1990 by a CAPI working group consisting of application providers, ISDN equipment manufacturers, large customers, user groups and DBP Telekom, resulting in COMMON-ISDN-API Version 1.1. Following completion of the international protocol specification, almost every telecommunication provider offers {BRI} and {PRI} with {protocols} based on {Q.931} / ETS 3009 102. Common-ISDN-API Version 2.0 was developed to support all Q.931 protocols. {(http://capi.org/)}. [Why not CIAPI?] (1998-09-07)
Common ISDN Application Programming Interface ::: (networking) (CAPI, Common-ISDN-API) A programming interface standard for an application program to communicate with an ISDN card.Work on CAPI began in 1989, focussing on the German ISDN protocol, and was finished in 1990 by a CAPI working group consisting of application providers, offers BRI and PRI with protocols based on Q.931 / ETS 3009 102. Common-ISDN-API Version 2.0 was developed to support all Q.931 protocols.Latest version: 2.0, as of 1998-09-07. .[Why not CIAPI?] (1998-09-07)
Computer Conservation Society "body" (CCS) A British group that aims to promote the conservation and study of historic computers, past and future. The CCS is a co-operative venture between the {British Computer Society}, the Science Museum of London and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. The CCS was constituted in September 1989 as a Specialist Group of the BCS. A number of active projects and working groups focus on specific computer restorations, early computer technologies and software. Membership is open to anyone interested. {Home (http://computerconservationsociety.org)}. See also {Bletchley Park}. (2012-03-22)
Computer Language for AeronauticS and Programming "language" (CLASP) A {real-time} language from NASA, focussing on {fixed-point} mathematics. CLASP is a near subset of {SPL}, with some ideas from {PL/I}. ["Flight Computer and Language Processor Study", Raymond J. Rubey, Management Information Services, Detroit, 1971]. (1994-10-13)
Computer Language for AeronauticS and Programming ::: (language) (CLASP) A real-time language from NASA focussing on fixed-point mathematics. CLASP is a near subset of SPL, with some ideas from PL/I.[Flight Computer and Language Processor Study, Raymond J. Rubey, Management Information Services, Detroit, 1971]. (1994-10-13)
Compuware Corporation "company" A US {software} and service company established in 1973. Since 1973, Compuware focused on optimising business software development, testing and operation. In 1999 the company had grown to over 15,000 employees worldwide and revenues of more than $1.6B. By 2013 it had shrunk to less than 5000. Current (2013) products and services include performance optimisation, availability and quality of web, non-web, mobile, streaming and cloud applications; project portfolio management, professional services automation; mainframe applications and developer tools; rapid application development and professional services. {(http://compuware.com/)}. (2013-03-08)
concentrate ::: v. t. --> To bring to, or direct toward, a common center; to unite more closely; to gather into one body, mass, or force; to fix; as, to concentrate rays of light into a focus; to concentrate the attention.
To increase the strength and diminish the bulk of, as of a liquid or an ore; to intensify, by getting rid of useless material; to condense; as, to concentrate acid by evaporation; to concentrate by washing; -- opposed to dilute.
Concentration: The act and state of focusing one’s entire attention and perception upon a certain object or idea, to the complete exclusion of all others, and under total inactivity of all the physical senses except the one used in this act (e.g., sight, hearing, etc.).
concentre ::: v. i. --> To come to one point; to meet in, or converge toward, a common center; to have a common center. ::: v. t. --> To draw or direct to a common center; to bring together at a focus or point, as two or more lines; to concentrate.
confocal conics: Conic sections which share the same focus (or foci).
Consciousness, Field of: The sum-total of items embraced within an individual's consciousness at any given moment. The total field consists of (a) the focus, where the concentration of attention is maximal and (b) a margin, periphery or fringe of a diminishing degree of attention which gradually fades to zero. -- L.W.
context-sensitive menu "operating system" A {menu} which appears in response to a user action (typically a {mouse} click) and whose contents are determined by which {application window} was clicked or has the {input focus}. Most {GUIs} use a secondary mouse button (right or middle) to call up a context-sensitive menu as the {primary mouse button} is normally used to interact with objects which are already visible. The context-sensitive menu often contains functions that are also available in a {menu bar} but the context-sensitive menu provides quick access to a subset of functions that are particularly relevant to the window area clicked on. The {RISC OS} {WIMP} uses only context-sensitive menus (always invoked using the middle mouse button). This saves screen space and reduces mouse movement compared to a {menu bar}. (1999-09-22)
context-sensitive menu ::: (operating system) A menu which appears in response to a user action (typically a mouse click) and whose contents are determined by which application window was clicked or has the input focus.Most GUIs use a secondary mouse button (right or middle) to call up a context-sensitive menu as the primary mouse button is normally used to interact with objects which are already visible.The context-sensitive menu often contains functions that are also available in a menu bar but the context-sensitive menu provides quick access to a subset of functions that are particularly relevant to the window area clicked on.The RISC OS WIMP uses only context-sensitive menus (always invoked using the middle mouse button). This saves screen space and reduces mouse movement compared to a menu bar. (1999-09-22)
contrary: Crazy wisdom role that reverses expected modes of dress and behavior (often, but not always, through crossdressing, androgyny, deliberate confusion, backwards speech, saying the opposite of what is meant, etc.) in order to subvert expectations about what is. Sometimes used as an instrument for mystic focus. (See shaman.)
Convergence ::: The binocular cue to distance referring to the fact that the closer an object, the more inward our eyes need to turn in order to focus
convergent ::: a. --> tending to one point of focus; tending to approach each other; converging.
corradiate ::: v. t. --> To converge to one point or focus, as light or rays.
Cult ::: A general term for formal aspects and interrelationships of religious observance, often as focused on a particular phenomenon (e.g., the “temple cult,” the “cult of saints”).
Cundī. (T. Skul byed ma; C. Zhunti; J. Juntei; K. Chunje 准提). In Sanskrit, the name Cundī (with many orthographic variations) probably connotes a prostitute or other woman of low caste but specifically denotes a prominent local ogress (YAKsInĪ), whose divinized form becomes the subject of an important Buddhist cult starting in the eighth century. Her worship began in the Bengal and Orissa regions of the Indian subcontinent, where she became the patron goddess of the PAla dynasty, and soon spread throughout India, and into Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and Tibet, eventually making its way to East Asia. Cundī was originally an independent focus of cultic worship, who only later (as in the Japanese SHINGONSHu) was incorporated into such broader cultic practices as those focused on the "womb MAndALA" (see TAIZoKAI). Several scriptures related to her cult were translated into Chinese starting in the early eighth century, and she lends her name to both a MUDRA as well as an influential DHARAnĪ: namaḥ saptAnAM samyaksaMbuddhakotīnAM tadyathA: oM cale cule cunde svAhA. The dhAranī attributed to Cundī is said to convey infinite power because it is in continuous recitation by myriads of buddhas; hence, an adept who participates in this ongoing recitation will accrue manifold benefits and purify himself from unwholesome actions. The efficacy of the dhAranī is said to be particularly pronounced when it is recited before an image of Cundī while the accompanying Cundī mudrA is also being performed. This dhAranī also gives Cundī her common epithet of "Goddess of the Seventy Million [Buddhas]," which is sometimes mistakenly interpreted (based on a misreading of the Chinese) as the "Mother of the Seventy Million Buddhas." The texts also provide elaborate directions on how to portray her and paint her image. In Cundī's most common depiction, she has eighteen arms (each holding specific implements) and is sitting atop a lotus flower (PADMA) while being worshipped by two ophidian deities.
darsanamArga. (T. mthong lam; C. jiandao; J. kendo; K. kyondo 見道). In Sanskrit, "path of vision"; the third of the five paths (PANCAMARGA) to liberation and enlightenment, whether as an ARHAT or as a buddha. It follows the second path, the path of preparation (PRAYOGAMARGA) and precedes the fourth path, the path of meditation or cultivation (BHAVANAMARGA). This path marks the adept's first direct perception of reality, without the intercession of concepts, and brings an end to the first three of the ten fetters (SAMYOJANA) that bind one to the cycle of rebirth: (1) belief in the existence of a self in relation to the body (SATKAYADṚstI), (2) belief in the efficacy of rites and rituals (sĪLAVRATAPARAMARsA) as a means of salvation, and (3) doubt about the efficacy of the path (VICIKITSA). Because this vision renders one a noble person (ARYA), the path of vision marks the inception of the "noble path" (AryamArga). According to the SarvAstivAda soteriological system, the darsanamArga occurs over the course of fifteen moments of realization of the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS, with the sixteenth moment marking the beginning of the BHAVANAMARGA. There are four moments of realization for each of the four truths. The first moment is that of doctrinal acquiescence (DHARMAKsANTI) with regard to the sensuous realm (KAMADHATU). In that moment, the afflictions (KLEsA) of the sensuous realm associated with the truth of suffering are abandoned. This is followed by a moment of doctrinal knowledge (DHARMAJNANA) of the truth of suffering with regard to the sensuous realm, which is the state of understanding that the afflictions of that level have been abandoned. Next comes a moment of realization called subsequent acquiescence (anvayaksAnti), in which the afflictions associated with the truth of suffering in the two upper realms, the realm of subtle materiality (RuPADHATU) and the immaterial realm (ARuPYADHATU) are abandoned; there is finally a moment of subsequent knowledge (anvayajNAna) of the truth of suffering with regard to the two upper realms. This sequence of four moments-doctrinal acquiescence and doctrinal knowledge (which are concerned with the sensuous realm) and subsequent acquiescence and subsequent knowledge (which are concerned with the two upper realms)-is repeated for the remaining truths of origin, cessation, and path. In each case, the moments of realization called acquiescence are the time when the afflictions are actually abandoned; they are called uninterrupted paths (ANANTARYAMARGA) because they cannot be interrupted or impeded in severing the hold of the afflictions. The eight moments of knowledge are the state of having realized that the afflictions of the particular level have been abandoned. They are called paths of liberation (VIMUKTIMARGA). An uninterrupted path, followed by a path of liberation, are likened to throwing out a thief and locking the door behind him. The sixteenth moment in the sequence-the subsequent knowledge of the truth of the path with regard to the upper realms-constitutes the first moment of the next path, the bhAvanAmArga. For a BODHISATTVA, the attainment of the path of vision coincides with the inception of the first BODHISATTVABHuMI (see also DAsABHuMI). The ABHIDHARMASAMUCCAYA explains that the bodhisattva's path of vision is also a direct perception of reality and is focused on the four noble truths; unlike the mainstream account, however, all three realms are considered simultaneously, and the sixteenth moment is not the first instant of the path of cultivation (bhAvanAmArga). The YOGACARA system is based on their doctrine of the falsehood of the subject/object bifurcation. The first eight instants describe the elimination of fetters based on false conceptualization (VIKALPA) of objects, and the last eight the elimination of fetters based on the false conceptualization of a subject; thus the actual path of vision is a direct realization of the emptiness (suNYATA) of all dharmas (sarvadharmasunyatA). This view of the darsanamArga as the first direct perception (PRATYAKsA) of emptiness is also found in the MADHYAMAKA school, according to which the bodhisattva begins to abandon the afflictive obstructions (KLEsAVARAnA) upon attaining the darsanamArga. See also DHARMAKsANTI; JIEWU; DUNWU JIANXIU.
Darumashu. (達摩宗). In Japanese, the "BODHIDHARMA sect"; one of the earliest Japanese Buddhist ZEN sects, established in the tenth century by DAINICHI NoNIN; the sect takes its name from the putative founder of the CHAN tradition, Bodhidharma. Little was known about the teachings of the Darumashu until the late-twentieth century apart from criticisms found in the writings of its contemporary rivals, who considered the school to be heretical. Criticisms focused on issues of the authenticity of Nonin's lineage and antinomian tendencies in Nonin's teachings. A recently discovered Darumashu treatise, the Joto shogakuron ("Treatise on the Attainment of Complete, Perfect Enlightenment"), discusses the prototypical Chan statement "mind is the buddha," demonstrating that a whole range of benefits, both worldly and religious, would accrue to an adept who simply awakens to that truth. As a critique of the Darumashu by Nonin's rival MYoAN EISAI states, however, since the school posits that the mind is already enlightened and the afflictions (KLEsA) do not exist in reality, its adherents claimed that there were therefore no precepts that had to be kept or practices to be followed, for religious cultivation would only serve to hinder the experience of awakening. The Darumashu also emphasized the importance of the transmission of the patriarchs' relics (J. shari; S. sARĪRA) as a mark of legitimacy. Although the Darumashu was influential enough while Nonin was alive to prompt other sects to call for its suppression, it did not survive its founder's death, and most of Nonin's leading disciples affiliated themselves with other prominent teachers, such as DoGEN KIGEN. These Darumashu adherents had a significant influence on early SoToSHu doctrine and self-identity and seem to have constituted the majority of the Sotoshu tradition into its third generation of successors. ¶ Darumashu, as the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese term Damo zong (Bodhidharma lineage), can also refer more generally to the CHAN/SoN/ZEN school, which traces its heritage back to the founder and first Chinese patriarch, Bodhidharma.
Death Star ::: [Star Wars film] 1. The AT&T corporate logo, which appears on computers sold by AT&T and bears an uncanny resemblance to the Death Star in the movie. This poster printed by Mt. Xinu showing a starscape with a space fighter labelled 4.2BSD streaking away from a broken AT&T logo wreathed in flames.2. AT&T's internal magazine, Focus, uses death star to describe an incorrectly done AT&T logo in which the inner circle in the top left is dark instead of light - a frequent result of dark-on-light logo images.
Death Star ["Star Wars" film] 1. The AT&T corporate logo, which appears on computers sold by AT&T and bears an uncanny resemblance to the Death Star in the movie. This usage is particularly common among partisans of {BSD} Unix, who tend to regard the AT&T versions as inferior and AT&T as a bad guy. Copies still circulate of a poster printed by Mt. Xinu showing a starscape with a space fighter labelled {4.2BSD} streaking away from a broken AT&T logo wreathed in flames. 2. AT&T's internal magazine, "Focus", uses "death star" to describe an incorrectly done AT&T logo in which the inner circle in the top left is dark instead of light - a frequent result of dark-on-light logo images.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ::: (body) (DARPA, ARPA) An agency of the US Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military. DARPA DARPA focusses on short (two to four-year) projects run by small, purpose-built teams.ARPA was its original name, then it was renamed DARPA (for Defense) in 1972, then back to ARPA [When?], and then, incredibly, back to DARPA again on 1996-03-11!ARPA was responsible for funding development of ARPANET (which grew into the Internet), as well as the Berkeley version of Unix and TCP/IP. . . (1999-07-17)
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency "body" (DARPA, ARPA) An agency of the US Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military. DARPA was established in 1958 in response to the Soviet launching of Sputnik, with the mission of keeping the US's military technology ahead of its enemies. DARPA is independent from other more conventional military R&D and reports directly to senior DoD management. DARPA has around 240 personnel (about 140 technical) directly managing a $2 billion budget. These figures are "on average" since DARPA focusses on short (two to four-year) projects run by small, purpose-built teams. ARPA was its original name, then it was renamed DARPA (for Defense) in 1972, then back to ARPA [When?], and then, incredibly, back to DARPA again on 1996-03-11! ARPA was responsible for funding development of {ARPANET} (which grew into the {Internet}), as well as the {Berkeley} version of {Unix} and {TCP/IP}. {(http://darpa.mil/)}. {History (/pub/misc/darpa)}. (1999-07-17)
Descriptive Statistics ::: The branch of statistics that focuses on describing in numerical format what is happening now within a population. Descriptive statistics require that all subjects in the population (the entire class, all males in a school, all professors) be tested.
design pattern "programming" A description of an {object-oriented design} technique which names, abstracts and identifies aspects of a design structure that are useful for creating an object-oriented design. The design pattern identifies {classes} and {instances}, their roles, collaborations and responsibilities. Each design pattern focuses on a particular object-oriented design problem or issue. It describes when it applies, whether it can be applied in the presence of other design constraints, and the consequences and trade-offs of its use. {Home (http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/patterns/patterns.html)}. ["Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software", Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides]. (1997-07-21)
Developmental Psychology ::: The area of psychology focused on how children grow psychologically to become who they are as adults.
Developmental Test and Evaluation ::: (programming) (DT&E) Activity which focuses on the technological and engineering aspects of a system or piece of equipment. (1996-05-13)
Developmental Test and Evaluation "programming" (DT&E) Activity which focuses on the technological and engineering aspects of a system or piece of equipment. (1996-05-13)
Dhammakāya. (Thai, Thammakai). A Buddhist reform movement in Thailand that originated in 1916, when a monk named Luang Phor Sodh is said to have rediscovered a technique of meditation that had been lost since the time of the Buddha. The movement began to gain impetus in 1970, when one of the abbot's disciples, a nun known as Khun Yay Upāsika, founded Wat Phra Dhammakāya. Dhammakāya meditation practice consists of visualizing a small crystal sphere entering one's body through the nasal passage; the sphere settles in the solar plexus and eventually becomes transformed into a crystal image of the Buddha. While engaging in this visualization, the meditator is supposed to focus on the MANTRA "samma arahang." The practice is supposed to culminate in the ability to see a buddha image (the dhammakāya, or "truth body" of the Buddha; see DHARMAKĀYA) inside oneself, an experience compared to tasting NIRVĀnA in the present life. Meditation is the principal Dhammakāya practice, and the organization encourages its followers to meditate twice a day as a way of improving self-confidence and as a tool for success, well being, and fostering family life. Dhammakāya also offers group training courses for adults in the private and public sectors. Devotees dress in white, and temple buildings are simple in design. Dhammakāya is also known for organizing massive ceremonies involving several thousand monks and tens of thousands of laypeople on Buddhist holy days. Rather than following the traditional lunar calendar and practicing on the days of the waning and waxing moon, Dhammakāya practice is held every Sunday, with meditation in the morning, followed by a sermon on topics relevant to the problems and concerns of everyday life. Its adherents are also encouraged to take part in such activities as retreats, youth camps, and massive ordinations for college students during the summer break. The Dhammakāya movement also differs from mainstream Thai Buddhism in that it requires monks to be ordained for life rather than the temporary ordination that is common among Thai laymen. In addition to its massive WAT outside of Bangkok, it has established branches throughout Thailand and overseas. Many Thais, especially intellectuals who support the forest meditation tradition, criticize Dhammakāya for its "direct marketing" type of organization and its quick-fix solutions to complex problems.
Dharmakīrti. (T. Chos kyi grags pa; C. Facheng; J. Hosho; K. Popch'ing 法稱) (c. 600-670 CE). Indian Buddhist logician, who was one of the most important and influential figures in the history of Buddhist philosophy. Dharmakīrti was the author of a series of seminal works building on his predecessor DIGNĀGA's PRAMĀnASAMUCCAYA ("Compendium on Valid Knowledge"), defending it against criticism by Brahmanical writers and explaining how accurate knowledge could be gleaned (see PRAMĀnA). His "seven treatises on pramāna" (T. TSHAD MA SDE 'DUN) are the PRAMĀnAVĀRTTIKA ("Commentary on Valid Knowledge") and PRAMĀnAVINIsCAYA ("Determination of Valid Knowledge"), as well as the NYĀYABINDU ("Drop of Reasoning"), the Hetubindu ("Drop of Reasons"), the Sambandhaparīksā ("Analysis of Relations"), the SaMtānāntarasiddhi ("Proof of Other Mental Continuums"), and the Vādanyāya ("Reasoning for Debate"). Dharmakīrti proposed a causal efficacy connecting the sense object and sensory perception as the basis of reliable perception (PRATYAKsA), thereby attempting to remove the potential fallacy in Dignāga's acceptance of the infallibility of sense data themselves. Dharmakīrti wrote explanations of many of his own works, and DHARMOTTARA, sākyamati, PRAJNĀKARAGUPTA, and Manorathanandin, among others, wrote detailed commentaries on his works. He had a profound influence on the exchange between subsequent Indian Buddhist writers, such as sĀNTARAKsITA, KAMALAsĪLA, and HARIBHADRA, and contemporary Brahmanical Naiyāyika and MīmāMsaka thinkers. His work subsequently became the focus of intense study in Tibet, first in GSANG PHU NE'U THOG monastery where RNGOG BLO LDAN SHES RAB and later PHYWA PA CHOS KYI SENG GE established through their commentaries on the PRAMĀnAVINIsCAYA an influential tradition of interpretation; it was questioned by SA SKYA PAndITA in his TSHAD MA RIGS GTER, giving rise to a second line of interpretation more in line with Dharmakīrti's original works. There is a question of Dharmakīrti's philosophical affiliation, with elements in his works that reflect both SAUTRĀNTIKA and YOGĀCĀRA doctrinal positions.
Dharmapāla. (T. Chos skyong; C. Hufa; J. Goho; K. Hobop 護法) (530-561). One of the ten great YOGĀCĀRA philosophers of Indian Buddhism. He was born in southern India in the middle of the sixth century CE, to the family of a high government minister. At around the age of twenty, on the evening that he was to be married, he ran away to a mountain monastery to become a monk. After mastering the teachings of both mainstream and MAHĀYĀNA Buddhism, Dharmapāla traveled extensively, becoming renowned for his debating skills. Later, he studied under the YOGĀCĀRA specialist and logician DIGNĀGA (d.u.) at NĀLANDĀ, where he became chief instructor despite his youth. His teaching focused especially on Yogācāra doctrine, and he produced many excellent disciples. XUANZANG (600/602-664), one of the most important figures in the history of Chinese Buddhist scholasticism, traveled to India in the seventh century, where he studied Dharmapāla's doctrines at Nālandā under one of his principal disciples, sĪLABHADRA (529-645), and brought Dharmapāla's scholastic lineage back to China. Xuanzang edited and translated some of the materials he had collected in India into the CHENG WEISHI LUN (*VijNaptimātratāsiddhisāstra; "Demonstration of Consciousness-Only"), a synopsis of ten separate commentaries on VASUBANDHU's TRIMsIKĀ ("Thirty Verses") but heavily focused on the insights of Dharmapāla, which Xuanzang considered orthodox. Unlike STHIRAMATI, who understood the bifurcation of consciousness into subject and object to be wholly imaginary, Dharmapāla proposed instead that consciousness always appears in both subjective and objective aspects, viz., a "seeing part" (darsanabhāga) and a seen part (nimittabhāga). His interpretations regarding the nature of consciousness became predominant in the Chinese FAXIANG (alt. Weishi) school of Yogācāra, which was developed by Xuanzang and his two main disciples, WoNCH'ŬK and KUIJI. Dharmapāla retired to AsaMbodhi monastery at the age of twenty-nine and passed away at the age of thirty-one.
Dharmaskandha[pādasāstra]. (T. Chos kyi phung po; C. Fayun zu lun; J. Hounsokuron; K. Pobon chok non 法蘊足論). In Sanskrit, "Aggregation of Factors," or "Collection of Factors"; one of the two oldest works in the SARVĀSTIVĀDA ABHIDHARMA, along with the SAMGĪTIPARYĀYA, and traditionally placed as the third of the six "feet" (pāda) of the JNĀNAPRASTHĀNA, the central treatise in the Sarvāstivāda ABHIDHARMAPItAKA. The text is attributed to sĀRIPUTRA or MAHĀMAUDGALYĀYANA. It is considered an early work, with some scholars dating it as early as c. 300 BCE. It draws principally from the ĀGAMA scriptures to provide an account of Buddhist soteriological practices, as well as the afflictions that hinder spiritual progress. In coverage, the closest analogues to the Dharmaskandha are the VIBHAnGA of the Pāli abhidhammapitaka and the first half of the sāriputrābhidharmasāstra (probably associated with the DHARMAGUPTAKA school), but it appears to be the most primitive of the three in the way it organizes DHARMA classifications, listing them as sense-fields or bases (ĀYATANA), aggregates (SKANDHA), and elements (DHĀTU), rather than the standard Sarvāstivāda listing of aggregates, bases, and elements (as is also found in the Pāli abhidhamma). The exposition of dharmas in the first half of the text follows the primitive arrangement of the thirty-seven factors pertaining to enlightenment (BODHIPĀKsIKADHARMA), probably the earliest of the MĀTṚKĀ (matrices) listings that were the origin of the abhidharma style of dharma analysis. The Dharmaskandha provides one of the earliest attempts in Sarvāstivāda literature to organize the constituents of the path (MĀRGA) and introduce the crucial innovation of distinguishing between a path of vision (DARsANAMĀRGA) and a path of cultivation (BHĀVANĀMĀRGA). This distinction would be of crucial importance in the mature systematizations of the path made by the VAIBHĀsIKAs and would profoundly influence later MAHĀYĀNA presentations of the path. The second half of the text covers various other classification schema, including the āyatanas and dhātus. The sixteenth chapter synthesizes these two divisions, and focuses especially on the afflictions (KLEsA) and their removal. Despite being one of the earliest of the Sarvāstivāda abhidharma texts, the mature tradition considers the Dharmaskandha to be one of the "feet" (pāda) of the JNĀNAPRASTHĀNA, the central treatise in the Sarvāstivāda abhidharmapitaka. The Dharmaskandha does not survive in an Indic language and is only extant in a Chinese translation made by XUANZANG's translation team in 659 CE.
digital dashboard "software" A personalised desktop {portal} that focuses on {business intelligence} and {knowledge management}. {Microsoft}'s version has a launch screen including stock quotes, voice mail and e-mail messages, a calendar, a weather forecast, traffic information, access to news feeds, customer and sales data, and Internet conferences. A digital dashboard might previously have been thought of as an executive information system. In the future, digital dashboards could be available on {personal digital assistants} and mobile phones. ["Gates pitches 'digital dashboards' to bevy of top CEOs", Bob Trott, pub. InfoWorld Electric, 1999-05-19]. (1999-09-14)
digital dashboard ::: (software) A personalised desktop portal that focuses on business intelligence and knowledge management.Microsoft's version has a launch screen including stock quotes, voice mail and e-mail messages, a calendar, a weather forecast, traffic information, access to system. In the future, digital dashboards could be available on personal digital assistants and cellular phones.[Gates pitches 'digital dashboards' to bevy of top CEOs, Bob Trott, pub. InfoWorld Electric, 1999-05-19]. (1999-09-14)
direction ::: 1. A line of thought or action or a tendency or inclination. 2. A purpose or orientation toward a goal that serves to guide or motivate; focus. directions.
directrices of an ellipse: A pair of parallel lines also parallel to the minor axis (thus perpendicular to the major axis) one of which can be used, together with the corresponding (closer) focus, to define the ellipse in question.
directrix: A line which, together with a point called the focus, defines the set of points which form a conic section.
directrix ::: n. --> A directress.
A line along which a point in another line moves, or which in any way governs the motion of the point and determines the position of the curve generated by it; the line along which the generatrix moves in generating a surface.
A straight line so situated with respect to a conic section that the distance of any point of the curve from it has a constant ratio to the distance of the same point from the focus.
directrix of a parabola: A line, not intersecting the parabola and perpendicular to the axis of symmetry, which, together with the focus, defines the parabola in question.
Disk Worship Another form of sun worship; however, the ancients, especially whose who had been initiated in the Mystery schools, did not worship the physical sun but reverenced the central source of life and vivifying power of which the sun is the focus in its own kingdom, and which it therefore represents.
Dunwu rudao yaomen lun. (J. Tongo nyudo yomonron; K. Tono ipto yomun non 頓悟入道要門論). In Chinese, "Treatise on the Essential Gate of Entering the Way through Sudden Awakening," composed by the Tang dynasty CHAN master DAZHU HUIHAI (d.u.); also known as the Dunwu yaomen. The monk Miaoxie (d.u.) discovered this text in a box and published it in 1369 together with Dazhu's recorded sayings that he selectively culled from the JINGDE CHUANDENG LU. Miaoxie's edition is comprised of two rolls. The first roll contains Dazhu's text the Dunwu rudao yaomen lun, and the second contains his sayings, which Miaoxie entitled the Zhufang menren canwen yulu. A preface to this edition was prepared by the monk Chongyu (1304-1378). The Dunwu rudao yaomen lun focuses on the notion of "sudden awakening" (DUNWU) and attempts to explicate various doctrinal concepts, such as sĪLA, DHYĀNA, PRAJNĀ, TATHATĀ, BUDDHA-NATURE (FOXING), and "no-thought" (WUNIAN), from the perspective of sudden awakening. The text explains sudden awakening as the "sudden" (dun) eradication of deluded thoughts and "awakening" (WU) to nonattainment or the fundamental absence of anything that needs to be achieved. Citing such scriptures as the LAnKĀVATĀRASuTRA and VIMALAKĪRTINIRDEsA, the text also contends that the mind itself is the foundation of cultivation and practice. The primary method of cultivation discussed in the text is seated meditation (ZUOCHAN), which it describes as the nonarising of deluded thoughts and seeing one's own nature (JIANXING). The Dunwu rudao yaomen lun also contends that sudden awakening begins with the perfection of giving (DĀNAPĀRAMITĀ).
durangamā. (T. ring du song ba; C. yuanxing di; J. ongyoji; K. wonhaeng chi 遠行地). In Sanskrit, "gone afar," or "transcendent"; the seventh of the ten "stages" or "grounds" (BHuMI) of the bodhisattva path (MĀRGA). The name of this stage is interpreted to mean that the bodhisattva has here reached the culmination of moral discipline (sĪLA) and hereafter proceeds to focus more on meditation (SAMĀDHI) and wisdom (PRAJNĀ). This stage marks the bodhisattva's freedom from the four perverted views (VIPARYĀSA) and his mastery of the perfection of expedients (UPĀYAKAUsALYA), which he uses to help infinite numbers of sentient beings. Although at this stage the bodhisattva abides in signlessness (ĀNIMITTA), he does not negate the conventions that create signs, thereby upholding the conventional nature of phenomena. He remains at this stage until he is able to abide spontaneously and effortlessly in the signless state. According to CANDRAKĪRTI in his MADHYAMAKĀVĀTĀRA, at this stage the bodhisattva, in each and every moment, is able to enter into and withdraw from the equipoise of cessation (NIRODHASAMĀPATTI) in which all elaborations (PRAPANCA) cease. For Candrakīrti, at the conclusion of the seventh stage, the bodhisattva is liberated from rebirth, having destroyed all of the afflictive obstructions (KLEsĀVARAnA). The seventh stage is thus the last of the impure bhumis. The bodhisattva then proceeds to the three pure stages (the eighth, ninth, and tenth bhumis), over the course of which he abandons the obstructions to omniscience (JNEYĀVARAnA).
eccentricity: A parameter for a conic section - the constant ratio of the distance from the focus to the distance from the directrix for any points on the conic section. Usually denoted by e.
eccentricity ::: n. --> The state of being eccentric; deviation from the customary line of conduct; oddity.
The ratio of the distance between the center and the focus of an ellipse or hyperbola to its semi-transverse axis.
The ratio of the distance of the center of the orbit of a heavenly body from the center of the body round which it revolves to the semi-transverse axis of the orbit.
The distance of the center of figure of a body, as of
Economics ::: is a social science concerned with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. It studies how individuals, businesses, governments and nations make choices on allocating resources to satisfy their wants and needs, and tries to determine how these groups should organize and coordinate efforts to achieve maximum output. Economic analysis often progresses through deductive processes, much like mathematical logic, where the implications of specific human activities are considered in a "means-ends" framework. Economics can generally be broken down into macroeconomics, which concentrates on the behavior of the aggregate economy, and microeconomics, which focuses on individual consumers.
elaborative rehearsal: the active processing of items to improve memory, through a variety of methods, from focusing on sensory characteristics (visual appearance, sound) to an emphasis on the semantic content (meaning) of information.
electron tube "electronics" (Or tube, vacuum tube, UK: valve, electron valve, thermionic valve, firebottle, glassfet) An electronic component consisting of a space exhausted of gas to such an extent that {electrons} may move about freely, and two or more electrodes with external connections. Nearly all tubes are of the thermionic type where one electrode, called the cathode, is heated, and electrons are emitted from its surface with a small energy (typically a Volt or less). A second electrode, called the anode (plate) will attract the electrons when it is positive with respect to the cathode, allowing current in one direction but not the other. In types which are used for amplification of signals, additional electrodes, called grids, beam-forming electrodes, focussing electrodes and so on according to their purpose, are introduced between cathode and plate and modify the flow of electrons by electrostatic attraction or (usually) repulsion. A voltage change on a grid can control a substantially greater change in that between cathode and anode. Unlike {semiconductors}, except perhaps for {FETs}, the movement of electrons is simply a function of electrostatic field within the active region of the tube, and as a consequence of the very low mass of the electron, the currents can be changed quickly. Moreover, there is no limit to the current density in the space, and the electrodes which do dissapate power are usually metal and can be cooled with forced air, water, or other refrigerants. Today these features cause tubes to be the active device of choice when the signals to be amplified are a power levels of more than about 500 watts. The first electronic digital computers used hundreds of vacuum tubes as their active components which, given the reliability of these devices, meant the computers needed frequent repairs to keep them operating. The chief causes of unreliability are the heater used to heat the cathode and the connector into which the tube was plugged. Vacuum tube manufacturers in the US are nearly a thing of the past, with the exception of the special purpose types used in broadcast and image sensing and displays. Eimac, GE, RCA, and the like would probably refer to specific types such as "Beam Power Tetrode" and the like, and rarely use the generic terms. The {cathode ray tube} is a special purpose type based on these principles which is used for the visual display in television and computers. X-ray tubes are diodes (two element tubes) used at high voltage; a tungsten anode emits the energetic photons when the energetic electrons hit it. Magnetrons use magnetic fields to constrain the electrons; they provide very simple, high power, ultra-high frequency signals for radar, microwave ovens, and the like. Klystrons amplify signals at high power and microwave frequencies. (1996-02-05)
electron tube ::: (electronics) (Or tube, vacuum tube, UK: valve, electron valve, thermionic valve, firebottle, glassfet) An electronic component consisting of a when it is positive with respect to the cathode, allowing current in one direction but not the other.In types which are used for amplification of signals, additional electrodes, called grids, beam-forming electrodes, focussing electrodes and so on according change on a grid can control a substantially greater change in that between cathode and anode.Unlike semiconductors, except perhaps for FETs, the movement of electrons is simply a function of electrostatic field within the active region of the tube, tubes to be the active device of choice when the signals to be amplified are a power levels of more than about 500 watts.The first electronic digital computers used hundreds of vacuum tubes as their active components which, given the reliability of these devices, meant the unreliability are the heater used to heat the cathode and the connector into which the tube was plugged.Vacuum tube manufacturers in the US are nearly a thing of the past, with the exception of the special purpose types used in broadcast and image sensing and displays. Eimac, GE, RCA, and the like would probably refer to specific types such as Beam Power Tetrode and the like, and rarely use the generic terms.The cathode ray tube is a special purpose type based on these principles which is used for the visual display in television and computers. X-ray tubes are ultra-high frequency signals for radar, microwave ovens, and the like. Klystrons amplify signals at high power and microwave frequencies. (1996-02-05)
ellipse ::: n. --> An oval or oblong figure, bounded by a regular curve, which corresponds to an oblique projection of a circle, or an oblique section of a cone through its opposite sides. The greatest diameter of the ellipse is the major axis, and the least diameter is the minor axis. See Conic section, under Conic, and cf. Focus.
Omission. See Ellipsis.
The elliptical orbit of a planet.
emmetropia ::: n. --> That refractive condition of the eye in which the rays of light are all brought accurately and without undue effort to a focus upon the retina; -- opposed to hypermetropia, myopia, an astigmatism.
emotion-focused coping: aims to manage the negative effects of stress on the individual, through changing an emotional response.
epic: This is a type of classical poetry, generally recounting heroic achievements. It is a poem that is a long narrative about a serious subject, told in an elevated styleof language. Epics generally focus on the exploits of a hero or demi-god who represents the cultural values of a race, nation, or religious group. John Milton’sParadise lost is an example of a famous epic. See classic.
eurocentric: The term refers to an argument, course, text or any piece of writing that is focused exclusively upon European literature and culture.
European Computer-Industry Research Centre GmbH ::: (body) (ECRC) A joint research organisation founded in 1984 on the initiative of three major European manufacturers: Bull (France), ICL (UK) and competitive ability of the European Information Technology industry and thus complement the work of national and international bodies.The Centre is intended to be the breeding ground for those ideas, techniques and products which are essential for the future use of electronic information processing. The work of the Centre will focus on advanced information processing technology for the next generation of computers.ECRC is an independent company, owned equally by its shareholders. The formal interface between ECRC and its shareholders consists of two bodies: The supervises their execution and the Scientific Advisory Board, which advises the Shareholders' Council in determining future research directions.There are many collaborations between ECRC and its shareholders' companies on specific projects (Technology Transfer, prospective studies etc). The Centre is the member companies, and others seconded from public research agencies and universities.Seminars are held which bring together specialists from the Centre and the member companies.ECRC's mission is to pursue research in fundamental areas of computer science. The aim is to develop the theory, methodologies and tools needed to build to both fundamental research and the process of delivering the results to industry.ECRC plays an important role in Europe and is involved in several European Community initiatives. It is regularly consulted by the Commission of the research plans, international co-operation and relationships between academia and industry.Address: ECRC GmbH, Arabellastrasse 17, D-81925 Munich, Germany. .Telephone: +49 (89) 926 99 0. Fax: +49 (89) 926 99 170. (1994-12-01)
European Computer-Industry Research Centre GmbH "body" (ECRC) A joint research organisation founded in 1984 on the initiative of three major European manufacturers: {Bull} (France), {ICL} (UK) and {Siemens} (Germany). Its activities were intended to enhance the future competitive ability of the European {Information Technology} industry and thus complement the work of national and international bodies. The Centre is intended to be the breeding ground for those ideas, techniques and products which are essential for the future use of electronic information processing. The work of the Centre will focus on advanced information processing technology for the next generation of computers. ECRC is an independent company, owned equally by its shareholders. The formal interface between ECRC and its shareholders consists of two bodies: The Shareholders' Council, which approves the Centre's programmes and budgets and supervises their execution and the Scientific Advisory Board, which advises the Shareholders' Council in determining future research directions. There are many collaborations between ECRC and its shareholders' companies on specific projects (Technology Transfer, prospective studies etc). The Centre is staffed by highly qualified scientists drawn from different countries. Research staff are hired directly by ECRC, as well as some who come on assignment from the member companies, and others seconded from public research agencies and universities. Seminars are held which bring together specialists from the Centre and the member companies. ECRC's mission is to pursue research in fundamental areas of computer science. The aim is to develop the theory, methodologies and tools needed to build innovative computer applications. ECRC contributes actively to the international effort that is expanding the frontiers of knowledge in computer science. It plays an important role in bridging the gap between research and industry by striving to work at the highest academic level with a strong industrial focus. ECRC constitutes an opportunity in Europe for the best scientists and offers young researchers the possibility to mature in an environment which exposes them to both fundamental research and the process of delivering the results to industry. ECRC plays an important role in Europe and is involved in several European Community initiatives. It is regularly consulted by the Commission of the European Communities on strategic issues, such as the definition of future research plans, international co-operation and relationships between academia and industry. Address: ECRC GmbH, Arabellastrasse 17, D-81925 Munich, Germany. {(http://ecrc.de/)}. Telephone: +49 (89) 926 99 0. Fax: +49 (89) 926 99 170. (1994-12-01)
Evans-Wentz, Walter Y. (1878-1965). American Theosophist, best known as the editor of THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD. Walter Wentz was born in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of a German immigrant and an American Quaker. As a boy he took an early interest in books on spiritualism he found in his father's library, reading as a teen both Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine by Madame HELENA PETROVNA BLAVATSKY of the Theosophical Society. He moved to California at the turn of the century, where in 1901, he joined the American section of the Theosophical Society. After graduating from Stanford University, Wentz went to Jesus College at Oxford in 1907 to study Celtic folklore. He later traveled to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and then on to India. In 1919, he arrived in the British hill station of Darjeeling, where he acquired a Tibetan manuscript. The manuscript was a portion of a cycle of treasure texts (GTER MA) discovered by RATNA GLING PA, entitled "The Profound Doctrine of Self-Liberation of the Mind [through Encountering] the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities" (Zab chos zhi khro dgongs pa rang grol), said to have been discovered in the fourteenth century. Since he could not read Tibetan, Evans-Wentz took the text to KAZI DAWA SAMDUP, the English teacher at a local school. Kazi Dawa Samdup provided Evans-Wentz with a translation of a portion of the text, which Evans-Wentz augmented with his own introduction and notes, publishing it in 1927 as The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Since its publication, various editions of the book have sold over 500,000 copies in English, making it the most famous Tibetan Buddhist text in the world. The text describes the process of death and rebirth, focusing on the intervening transition period called the BAR DO, or "intermediate state" (ANTARĀBHAVA). The text provides instructions on how to recognize reality in the intermediate state and thus gain liberation from rebirth. Through listening to the instructions in the text being read aloud, the departed consciousness is able to gain liberation; the Tibetan title of the text, BAR DO THOS GROL CHEN MO, means "Great Liberation in the Intermediate State through Hearing." Evans-Wentz's approach to the text reflects his lifelong commitment to Theosophy. Other translations that Kazi Dawa Samdup made for Evans-Wentz were included in Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines (1935). In 1924, after Kazi Dawa Samdup's death, Evans-Wentz visited his family in Kalimpong, from whom he received a manuscript translation of the MI LA RAS PA'I RNAM THAR, a biography of MI LA RAS PA, which Evans-Wentz subsequently edited and published as Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa (1928). He returned to Darjeeling in 1935 and employed two Sikkimese monks to translate another work from the same cycle of texts as the Bar do thos grol, entitled "Self-Liberation through Naked Vision Recognizing Awareness" (Rig pa ngo sprod gcer mthong rang grol). During the same visit, he received a summary of a famous biography of PADMASAMBHAVA. These works formed the last work in his series, The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation, eventually published in 1954.
Experimental Physics Control Systems "body" (EPCS) A group of the European Physical Society, focussing on all aspects of controls, especially {informatics}, in experimental physics, including accelerators and experiments. (1994-12-12)
Experimental Physics Control Systems ::: (EPCS) A group of the European Physical Society, focussing on all aspects of controls, especially informatics, in experimental physics, including accelerators and experiments. (1994-12-12)
fajie yuanqi. (J. hokkai engi; K. popkye yon'gi 法界起). In Chinese, "conditioned origination (PRATĪTYASAMUTPĀDA) of the dharma-element (DHARMADHĀTU)," an East Asian theory of causality elaborated within the HUAYAN school. Unlike the Indian systematization of the twelvefold chain of pratītyasamutpāda, which views existence as an endless cycle of painful rebirths that begins with ignorance (AVIDYĀ) and ends with old age and death (jarāmarana; see JARĀ), this Huayan vision of causality instead regards the infinitely interdependent universe as the manifestation of the truth to which the Buddha awakens. The term "fajie yuanqi" does not appear in the Huayan jing (AVATAMSAKASuTRA) itself and seems to have been first coined by ZHIYAN (602-668), the "second patriarch" of the Huayan lineage. Zhiyan used fajie yuanqi to refer to the concurrency between cause (C. yin; S. HETU) and fruition (C. guo; S. PHALA), here meaning the "causal" practices (hsing) that are conducive to enlightenment and their "fruition" in the realization (zheng) of the quiescence that is NIRVĀnA. As this Huayan theory of pratītyasamutpāda is elaborated within the tradition, it is broadened to focus on the way in which every single phenomenal instantiation of existence both contains, and is contained by, all other instantiations, so that one existence is subsumed by all existences (yi ji yiqie) and all existences by one existence (yiqie ji yi); in this vision, all things in the universe are thus mutually creative and mutually defining, precisely because they all lack any independent self-identity (SVABHĀVA). Each phenomenon constitutes a part of an organic whole that is defined by the harmonious relationship between each and every member: just as the whole is defined by all of its independent constituents, each independent constituent is defined by the whole with which it is integrated. This relationship is called endless multiplication (chongchong wujin), because the process of mutual penetration and mutual determination (xiangru xiangji) is infinite. Due to this unlimited interdependence among all phenomena, this type of pratītyasamutpāda may also be termed "inexhaustible conditioned origination" (wujin yuanqi). This interdependence between one phenomenon and all other phenomena developed through fajie yuanqi is indicative also of the Huayan "dharmadhātu of the unimpeded interpenetration of phenomenon with phenomena" (SHISHI WU'AI FAJIE). The Huayan doctrines of the "ten profound mysteries" (SHI XUANMEN) and the "consummate interfusion of the six aspects" (LIUXIANG YUANRONG) also offer systematic elaborations of the doctrine of fajie yuanqi.
fangsheng. (T. srog blu/tshe thar; J. hojo; K. pangsaeng 放生). In Chinese, "releasing living creatures," referring to the practice of buying captured animals, such as fish, turtles, or birds, and then setting them free; the focus of a ritual popular in East Asian Buddhism, the "ceremony of releasing living creatures" (FANGSHENG HUI). The Buddhist tradition asserts that merit (PUnYA) is produced by both actively pursuing wholesome actions (KUsALA-KARMAPATHA) as well as refraining from unwholesome actions (AKUsALA-KARMAPATHA); fangsheng is regarded as an enhancement of both types of action, by furthering the first lay precept (sĪLA) that forbids the unsalutary action of killing, as well as the MAHĀYĀNA precept that encourages the salutary act of vegetarianism. ¶ The two representative scriptures on fangsheng are the FANWANG JING ("Book of Brahmā's Net") and the SUVARnAPRABHĀSOTTAMASuTRA (C. Jinguangming jing; "Sutra of Golden Light"), the former providing the doctrinal basis for the practice of fangsheng, the latter a protypical example of a fangsheng hui. The Fanwang jing says that because all sentient beings in the six destinies (sAdGATI; see also GATI) have at some time or other during the vastness of SAMSĀRA been one's parents, a person should always strive to rescue creatures from people who would kill them in order to save them from their torment. The Suvarnaprabhāsottamasutra tells a story about Jalavāhana (sĀKYAMUNI Buddha in an earlier life), who saved ten thousand fish who were dying in a dried up pond by bringing water to refill it. He then recited for them the ten epithets of the buddha Ratnasikhin/Ratnabhava, since he had been told that any creatures who heard that Buddha's name at the time of their deaths would be reborn in the heavens. The fish were reborn as divinities in the TRĀYASTRIMsA heaven, who then rained jewels down on the earth.¶ In China, the Buddhist custom of vegetarianism had started to pervade the culture by the Qi (479-501) and Liang (502-556) dynasties, a custom that encouraged the freeing of animals. In 619, an imperial decree prohibited fishing, hunting, and the slaughter of animals during the first, fifth, and ninth months of the year. A decree of 759 established eighty-one ponds for the release and protection of fish. Fangsheng appears to have been practiced not only by individual laypeople and monks. There is a record of the Liang dynasty monk Huiji (456-515) who practiced mendicancy so he could buy and release captured animals. TIANTAI ZHIYI (538-597), the founder of the TIANTAI ZONG, is known to have performed a formal ceremony for releasing animals in 575. Zhiyi lamented the fact that local folk made their living by catching fish, so he built a "pond where creatures could be released" (fangsheng chi) and preached to the freed fish the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA and the Suvarnaprabhāsottamasutra. Zhiyi thus established the Suvarnaprabhāsottamasutra as the scriptural authority for fangsheng. Following Zhiyi, the fangsheng ceremony subsequently became one of the important rituals used within the Tiantai school. Ciyun Zunshi (964-1032) and SIMING ZHILI (960-1028), both Tiantai monks during the Song dynasty, were ardent advocates of fangsheng, who established ponds for releasing creatures and performed the ceremony of releasing creatures, especially in conjunction with celebrations of the Buddha's birthday. In the CHAN school, YONGMING YANSHOU (904-975) and YUNQI ZHUHONG (1535-1615) were among the most enthusiastic proponents of fangsheng. Zhuhong wrote works regarding the practice of vegetarianism, including the Shirou ("On Meat-Eating") and the Shasheng feirensuowei ("Killing Is Not What Humans Are Supposed To Do"), and also composed tracts on the ritual practice of fangsheng, such as the Fangsheng yi ("Rite for Releasing Living Creatures") and the Jiesha fangsheng wen ("Text on Prohibiting Killing and Releasing Living Creatures"). His Fangsheng yi is still considered today one of the standard sources for the Fangsheng ritual. Eventually, almost every large monastery in China had a pool for releasing fish and pens for the care of livestock that had been rescued from the butcher. Because these animals had been given Buddhist precepts, they were encouraged to observe them, with males and females segregated and carnivorous fish kept separately. Birds, turtles, and fish were more popular for release than domesticated animals because they required no further assistance. The pious who delivered cows and pigs to the monastery, however, were required to contribute toward their sustenance. ¶ The practice was popular in other Buddhist countries. In medieval Japan the imperial government would order the capture of three times the number of fish needed to be released at a ceremony in order that the requisite number-often from one to three thousand-would still be alive by the time the ceremony took place. In such cases, the practice of releasing animals resulted in the unfortunate death of many before they could be liberated. Among Tibetan Buddhists, the killing of animals is normatively deplored, and protecting the life of even the tiniest insect (srog skyob) is a common practice; in the LHA SA region, a small Muslim community traditionally performed the task of killing and butchering animals; farmers and nomads butcher some of their animals each year. Vegetarianism (sha med) is admired, but not widespread in Tibet, except during the first two weeks of the fourth Tibetan month SA GA ZLA BA when, it is believed, the results of wholesome actions increase one hundred thousand times. Buying an animal destined for slaughter to protect one's own life, or more commonly to protect the life of an important religious figure, is also common; that practice is known as tshe thar, lit., "liberating life" in Tibetan.
Fazun. (法尊) (T. Blo bzang chos 'phags) (1902-1980). Twentieth-century Chinese translator of Buddhist scriptures and scholar of Tibetan religious and political history. In 1920, Fazun was ordained as a novice on WUTAISHAN. He became acquainted with Dayong (1893-1929), a student of TAIXU's who introduced him to the techniques of Buddhist TANTRA, at the time a popular strand of Buddhism in China in its Japanese (MIKKYo) and Tibetan forms. Fully ordained in Beijing in 1922, Fazun trained under Taixu's patronage in the tenets of the PURE LAND and TIANTAI schools at the Wuchang Institute for Buddhist Studies. During the same years, Taixu urged Dayong to train in Japanese mikkyo on KoYASAN. Taixu's aim was to verify and rectify the opinions about Buddhist tantra that circulated in China, where this form of Indian Buddhism had flourished at the Tang court. Upon his return, Dayong conferred on Fazun several ABHIsEKAs of the lower tantric cycles that he had brought from Japan. He also instructed Fazun in the Mizong gangyao ("Essentials of Tantra"), a primer for students of Buddhist tantra by the Japanese SHINGONSHu scholar Gonda Raifu (1846-1934) that Wang Hongyuan (1876-1937), a Chinese student of Gonda's, had translated in 1918. After an introduction to the Tibetan tantric traditions by Bai Puren (1870-1927), a Mongolian lama stationed at Beijing's Yonghe Gong, Dayong became gradually dissatisfied with Japanese mikkyo. With Taixu's endorsement, he resolved to study Buddhist tantra in its Tibetan form. In 1924, Fazun joined Dayong's Group for Learning the Dharma in Tibet (Liu Zang Xuefa Tuan), a team of some thirty Chinese monks who were studying the basics of the Tibetan language in Beijing. From 1925 to 1929, Fazun carried on his language learning in eastern Tibet and began his training in the classics of the DGE LUGS monastic curriculum, which in the ensuing years would become his main focus of translation. After Dayong's passing in 1929, Fazun followed his Tibetan teacher, DGE BSHES A mdo, to central Tibet. He stayed at 'BRAS SPUNGS monastery from 1930 to 1933. In 1934, Taixu asked Fazun to take on the position of director at the newly established Sino-Tibetan Institute (Hanzang Jiaoli Yuan) near Chongqing. The thirteenth DALAI LAMA also encouraged Fazun to spread TSONG KHA PA's synthesis of the Buddhist teachings in China. Hence from 1935, under the Japanese occupation and during the Chinese civil war, Fazun served as an educator of young monks in Tibetan Buddhism and as a translator of Tibetan scriptures at the Sino-Tibetan Institute. These years of prolific translation work established Fazun as the foremost translator of Buddhism from Tibetan sources in the history of Chinese Buddhism. Among his translations are Tsong kha pa's LAM RIM CHEN MO (Putidao cidi guanglun), LEGS BSHAD SNYING PO (Bian liaoyi buliaoyi lun), SNGAGS RIM CHEN MO (Mizong daocidi lun); MAITREYA's ABHISAMAYĀLAMKĀRA (Xianguan zhuangyan lun); CANDRAKĪRTI's MADHYAMAKĀVATĀRA (Ru zhonglun); and ĀRYADEVA's CATUḤsATAKA (Sibailun song). Fazun also translated into Tibetan the ABHIDHARMAMAHĀVIBLĀsA, extant in the two hundred rolls of XUANZANG's Chinese rendering (Da piposha lun), by the title Bye brag bshad mdzod chen mo. In 1950, after the Communist authorities discontinued the activities of the Institute, Fazun moved to Beijing. The Committee for Minority Affairs appointed him as a translator of communist propaganda materials, including Chairman Mao's Xin minzhu zhuyi("New Democracy") and Lun renmin minzhu zhuanzheng ("On the People's Democratic Dictatorship"), for the education of the new generation of cadres in occupied Tibet. In 1966, as the Cultural Revolution set in, he was charged with expressing anti-Communist sentiments during the 1930s. He was confined in a labor camp until his release in 1972. During the 1970s Fazun resumed his translation activity from Tibetan with DHARMAKĪRTI's PRALĀnAVĀRTTIKA (Shiliang lun), DIGNĀGA's PRALĀnASAMUCCAYA (Jiliang lun), and ATIsA DĪPAMKARAsRĪJNĀNA's BODHIPATHAPRADĪPA (Putidao deng lun). Fazun suffered a fatal heart attack in 1980. Because of his unsurpassed knowledge of Tibetan language, religion, and history, and his writing style inspired by KUMĀRAJĪVA's and Xuanzang's Buddhist Chinese, Fazun is often referred to as "the Xuanzang of modern times."
Feet ::: [Tehmi: “In India it is considered that the whole power of the being is focused in the feet. So the feet are touched not only in humility but because all the power of the divinity is concentrated there. When someone touches the feet with the right attitude and devotion a certain power is drawn by the one who touches. So it is a grace by the person who is touched to allow it. Only if one is rooted in the Divine he can allow his feet to be touched.”]
Fetish: Capitalized, an object imbued with a ritual significance and/ or spirit-based powers; in sexual terms, a practice or situation of intense fixation and potentially magickal focus.
Field of consciousness: The sum total of items embraced within an individual’s consciousness at any given moment. The total field consists of: (a) the focus, where the concentration of attention is maximal, and (b) a margin, periphery or fringe of a diminishing degree of attention which gradually fades to zero.
Financial_analysis ::: is the process of evaluating businesses, projects, budgets and other finance-related entities to determine their performance and suitability. Typically, financial analysis is used to analyze whether an entity is stable, solvent, liquid or profitable enough to warrant a monetary investment. When looking at a specific company, a financial analyst conducts analysis by focusing on the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement.
Financial_porn ::: is a slang term used to describe sensationalist reports of financial news and products causing irrational buying that can be detrimental to investors' financial health. Short-term focus by the media on a financial topic can create excitement that does little to help investors make smart, long-term financial decisions, and in many cases clouds investors' decision-making ability. Expanded media coverage, specifically the advent of 24-hour cable news networks and the internet and the tools it has provided the financial industry, has led to a large increase in financial porn. Examples of financial porn include constant advertisements of easy-to-use trading-strategy products that purport to turn minimal investments into small fortunes, media coverage of the latest and greatest sector trends and magazines with front pages that claim to have the next 10-must-own mutual funds of next year. Many of these products and ideas expose investors to great risks posed by both the movement of the market and the risk of fraud.
focal ::: a. --> Belonging to,or concerning, a focus; as, a focal point.
focal chord: A chord that contains the focus of a conic section.
focalization ::: n. --> The act of focalizing or bringing to a focus, or the state of being focalized.
focalize ::: v. t. --> To bring to a focus; to focus; to concentrate.
focal radius: Refers to the line segment between any point on a conic section and its focus. It can also refer to the length of such a line segment.
focimeter ::: n. --> An assisting instrument for focusing an object in or before a camera.
foci ::: pl. --> of Focus
focus: A point which, together with a line called the directrix, defines the set of points which form a conic section.
FOCUS "database, language" A hierarchical {database} language from {Information Builders, Inc.} (1994-12-21)
FOCUS ::: (database, language) A hierarchical database language from Information Builders, Inc. (1994-12-21)
focused ::: imp. & p. p. --> of Focus
focuses ::: pl. --> of Focus
focus group "product" An event where market researchers meet (potential) users of a product to try to plan how to improve it. (1999-02-24)
focus group ::: (product) An event where market researchers meet (potential) users of a product to try to plan how to improve it. (1999-02-24)
focusing ::: p. pr. & vb. n. --> of Focus
focus ::: n. --> A point in which the rays of light meet, after being reflected or refrcted, and at which the image is formed; as, the focus of a lens or mirror.
A point so related to a conic section and certain straight line called the directrix that the ratio of the distace between any point of the curve and the focus to the distance of the same point from the directrix is constant.
A central point; a point of concentration.
focus: The combination of belief, practice, and instruments through which a mage focuses her magick. (See paradigm.) (Like countermagick, this is more of a game term than a setting term.)
fourth generation language "language" (4GL, or "report generator language") An "application specific" language, one with built-in knowledge of an {application domain}, in the way that {SQL} has built-in knowledge of the {relational} database domain. The term was invented by Jim Martin to refer to {non-procedural} {high level languages} built around {database} systems. Fourth generation languages are close to {natural language} and were built with the concept that certain applications could be generalised by adding limited programming ability to them. When given a description of the data format and the report to generate, a 4GL system produces {COBOL} (or other 3GL) code, that actually reads and processes the data and formats the results. Some examples of 4GL are: {database query language} e.g.{SQL}; {Focus}, {Metafont}, {PostScript}, {S}, {IDL-PV}, {WAVE}, {Gauss}, {Mathematica}, and {data-stream languages} such as {AVS}, {APE}, {Iris Explorer}. (2004-04-01)
fourth generation language ::: (language) (4GL, or report generator language) An application specific language, one with built-in knowledge of an application domain, in the way that SQL has built-in knowledge of the relational database domain.The term was invented by Jim Martin to refer to non-procedural high level languages built around database systems.Fourth generation languages are close to natural language and were built with the concept that certain applications could be generalised by adding limited programming ability to them.When given a description of the data format and the report to generate, a 4GL system produces COBOL (or other 3GL) code, that actually reads and processes the data and formats the results.Some examples of 4GL are: database query language e.g.SQL; Focus, Metafont, PostScript, S, IDL-PV, WAVE, Gauss, Mathematica, and data-stream languages such as AVS, APE, Iris Explorer.(2004-04-01)
fovea: a small area on the retina, that contains closely packed cones, onto which light from an object is focused upon.
Freud (1856-1939): the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology, emphasised the importance of the unconscious mind, childhood experiences and repressed urges. His theory of psychosexual development outlines five stages; oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital, according to the different objects fixated upon at each specific stage. Freud also focused on the structure and development of personality; comprised of three parts - the id, ego and superego. Conflicts between the id and superego are dealt with by the ego that utilizes ?a target="_parent" href="https://www.itseducation.asia/psychology/d.htm
Freudian slip: a slip-up, either in speech, writing or in memory lapses that reflects the hidden worries or focus of the unconscious mind.
fulcrum ::: A developmental milestone within the self-identity stream, or the proximate-self line of development. Fulcrums follow a general 1-2-3 process: fusion or identification with one’s current level of self-development; differentiation or disidentification from that level; and integration of the new level with the previous level. AQAL theory, and Integral Psychology in specific, focus on anywhere from nine to ten developmental fulcrums.
gāmavāsi. In Pāli, "town dweller"; in the THERAVĀDA tradition, a monk who lives in a village or town monastery and whose monastic vocation focuses on doctrinal study and teaching, or lit."book work" (P. GANTHADHURA); such a monk is often contrasted with a "forest dweller" (P. ARANNAVĀSI), who is principally dedicated to meditative training (P. VIPASSANĀDHURA). In Sri Lankan Buddhism, the emphases within the Buddhist order on study and meditation led to the evolution over time of these two major practice vocations. The gāmavāsi were involved in studying and teaching the dhamma, especially within the lay community of the village, and thus helped to disseminate Buddhism among the people and maintain the institutions and history of the order. Because of their active engagement in society, the gāmavāsi have thus historically enjoyed closer relations with the social elite. The araNNavāsi, by contrast, remained in solitude in the forest to focus principally on their meditative practice. The araNNavāsi were not necessarily hermits, but they lived a more secluded life than the gāmavāsi, devoting most of their time to meditation, either individually or in smaller groups, and keeping their contact with the laity to a minimum. These two vocations have a long history and have continued within the sangha (S. SAMGHA) into modern times. In a sense, the Buddha himself was an araNNavāsi for six years before he attained enlightenment; subsequently, he then passed much of his time as a gāmavāsi, teaching people the dharma and encouraging them to practice to bring an end to their suffering. See also PARIYATTI; PAtIPATTI.
Gaze ::: Literally how one uses their eyes or attention to focus on an area. Different types of gazes be used for distinct purposes. For example, some gazes can be used to more easily peer into the Astral Plane and others can be used to more easily suppress the will of another.
Gestalt Therapy ::: Treatment focusing on the awareness and understanding of one&
gong'an. (J. koan; K. kongan 公案). In Chinese, "public case," or "precedent"; better known in the West by its Japanese pronunciation koan, a word that has now entered common English parlance as "koan." Gong'an was originally a legal term, referring to the magistrate's (gong) table (an), which by metonymy comes to refer to a legal precedent or an authoritative judgment; the term also comes to mean simply a "story" (gong'an in vernacular Chinese refers to the genre of detective stories). The term is widely used in the CHAN school in a way that conveys both denotations of a legal precedent and a story. The study of gong'an seems to have had its beginnings in the practice, probably dating from the late-Tang dynasty, of commenting on the exchanges or "ancient precedents" (guce) culled from Chan genealogical histories (e.g., JINGDE CHUANDENG LU) and the recorded sayings or discourse records (YULU) of the Chan masters of the past. Commenting on old cases (niangu), often using verses (SONGGU), seems to have become a well-established practice by the early Song dynasty, as more recorded sayings began to include separate sections known as nianggu and songgu. Perhaps one of the most famous collections of verse commentaries on old cases is the Chan master XUEDOU CHONGXIAN's Xuedou heshang baice songgu, which now exists only as part of a larger influential collection of gong'ans known as the BIYAN LU. Other famous gong'an collections, such as the CONGRONG LU and WUMEN GUAN, were compiled during the Song dynasty and thereafter. These collections often shared a similar format. Each case (bence), with some exceptions, begins with a pointer (CHUISHI), a short introductory paragraph. The actual case, often a short anecdote, is interspersed with interlinear notes known as "annotations" or "capping phrases" (C. zhuoyu/zhuyu; see J. JAKUGO). After the case, a prose commentary (pingchang), verse commentary (songgu), and subcommentary on the verse commentary follow. Traditionally, 1,700 specific gong'an are said to have been in circulation in the Chan school. Although this number does have antecedents within the tradition, there are no fixed numbers of cases included in Chan gong'an anthologies; for example, a late Qing-dynasty collection, the 1712 Zongjian falin, includes 2,720 gong'an, which were claimed to be all the gong'an then in active use within the tradition. Whatever the number, there seems not to have been any kind of systematic curriculum within the Chinese Chan or Korean Son traditions using this full panoply of gong'an. The creation of a pedagogical system of training involving mastery of a series of many different koans is commonly attributed to HAKUIN EKAKU (1685-1768) in the Japanese RINZAISHu of ZEN. The widespread reference to 1,700 gong'an in Western-language materials may derive from accounts of Japanese government attempts in 1627 to routinize the Rinzai monastic curriculum, by promulgating a regulation requiring all Zen abbots to master 1,700 cases as part of their training. ¶ The literary endeavor of studying old cases also gave rise to new forms of meditation. The Chan master DAHUI ZONGGAO in the YANGQI PAI of the LINJI ZONG systematized a practice in which one focuses on what he termed the "meditative topic" (HUATOU), which in some contexts refers to the "keyword," or "critical phrase" of a gong'an story. For instance, the famous huatou "WU" (no) that Dahui used as a meditative topic was derived from a popular gong'an attributed to ZHAOZHOU CONGSHEN: A student asked Zhaozhou, "Does a dog have buddha nature, or not?," to which Zhaozhou replied "wu" (no; lit., "it does not have it") (see WU GONG'AN; GOUZI WU FOXING). This new practice was called the "Chan of observing the meditative topic" or, more freely, "questioning meditation" (KANHUA CHAN). During the Song dynasty, students also began to seek private instruction on gong'an from Chan masters. These instructions often occurred in the abbot's quarters (FANGZHANG). ¶ The active study of gong'an in Korean SoN begins with POJO CHINUL and his disciple CHIN'GAK HYESIM, who learned of Dahui's kanhua Chan largely through the writings of their Chinese counterpart. Hyesim was also the first Korean Son monk to compile his own massive collection of cases, titled the SoNMUN YoMSONG CHIP. The use of cases was later transmitted to Japan by pilgrims and émigré monks, where koan study became emblematic of the Rinzaishu. Because rote memorization of capping phrases came to take precedence over skilled literary composition in classical Chinese, the Japanese compiled large collections of capping phrases, such as the ZENRIN KUSHu, to use in their training.
gsang ba'i rnam thar. (sang we nam tar). In Tibetan, "secret autobiography," one of the three types of RNAM THAR (sacred biography or autobiography), focusing on a subject's religious experiences, visions, and past-life experiences, with the author often writing from the perspective of an omniscient subject. They are called secret not because they are hidden away from general readership, but because of the esoteric tantric practices that form part of the subject matter. A well-known example of secret autobiography is 'JIGS MED GLING PA's Gsang ba chen po nyams snang gi rtogs brjod chu zla'i gar mkhan (translated as "Dancing Moon"), at least one purpose of which was demonstrating the authenticity of the KLONG CHEN SNYING THIG, a GTER MA (treasure text) that he revealed.
Guang hongming ji. (J. Kogumyoshu; K. Kwang hongmyong chip 廣弘明集). In Chinese, "Expanded Collection on the Propagation and Clarification [of Buddhism]," a collection of materials pertaining to the propagation and protection of Buddhism in China, compiled by DAOXUAN in 644 CE. As the title indicates, the Guang hongming ji is an updated version of the HONGMING JI compiled by SENGYOU. Daoxuan's text, however, differs from Sengyou's in several respects. Unlike the Hongming ji, which focused on treatises written by the SAMGHA, Daoxuan's text also cites non-Buddhist texts written by Daoists, monks' petitions to the court, court documents, imperial decrees, poetry, and songs. While the Hongming ji was primarily concerned with the Buddhists' attempts to protect their tradition from the attack of the Confucian elite who dominated the courts of the Five Dynasties, the Guang hongming ji had less to do with the Confucians than the Daoist priests of the Tang dynasty. Among the various sources cited in the Guang hongming ji are the Daoist renegade Zhen Luan's Xiaodao lun ("Laughing at the Dao Treatise") and DAO'AN's Erjiao lun ("Two Teachings Treatise"). The Guang hongming ji serves as an important source not only for understanding the different ways in which Chinese Buddhists sought to defend their "foreign" religion, but also for information on the relationship between Buddhism and Daoism in medieval China.
Guan Wuliangshou jing. (S. *Amitāyurdhyānasutra; J. Kan Muryojukyo; K. Kwan Muryangsu kyong 觀無量壽經). In Chinese, "Sutra on the Visualization of [the Buddha of] Immeasurable Life"; often called simply the Guan jing, or "Visualization Scripture." Along with the AMITĀBHASuTRA and SUKHĀVATĪVYuHASuTRA, the Guan Wuliangshou jing has been considered one of the three central scriptures of the PURE LAND tradition(s) (JINGTU SANBU JING). The Guan jing was extremely influential in East Asian Buddhism for advocating specific types of visualizations or contemplations (guan) on the person of the buddha AMITĀBHA (C. Wuliangshou; S. Amitāyu), and for encouraging oral recitation of Amitābha's name (chengming; see NIANFO). Early commentaries on the scripture were written by SHANDAO (613-681), an important Chinese exponent of pure land practice, as well as by TIANTAI ZHIYI (538-597), and JINGYING HUIYUAN (523-592), all attesting to the text's centrality to the East Asian Buddhist tradition. Although the Guan Wuliangshou jing purports to be a translation by the monk KĀLAYAsAS (fl. c. 383-442), no Sanskrit or Tibetan recension is known to have ever existed; Uighur versions of the Guan Wuliangshou jing are extant, but they are translations of the Chinese version. The scripture also contains specific Chinese influences, such as references to earlier Chinese translations of pure land materials and other contemplation sutras (guan jing), which has suggested to some scholars that the text might be a Chinese indigenous composition (see APOCRYPHA). It is now generally accepted that the scripture outlines a visualization exercise that was practiced in Central Asia, perhaps specifically in the TURFAN region, but includes substantial Chinese admixtures. ¶ The Guan Wuliangshou jing tells the story of prince AJĀTAsATRU who, at the urging of DEVADATTA, imprisons his father, king BIMBISĀRA, and usurps the throne. After Ajātasatru learns that his mother, queen VAIDEHĪ, has been surreptitiously keeping her husband alive by sneaking food in to him, he puts her under house arrest as well. The distraught queen prays to the Buddha for release from her suffering and he immediately appears in her chambers. Vaidehī asks him to show her a land free from sorrow and he displays to her the numerous buddha fields (BUDDHAKsETRA) throughout the ten directions (DAsADIs) of the universe. Queen Vaidehī, however, chooses to be reborn in the buddha AMITĀBHA's pure land of SUKHĀVATĪ, so the Buddha instructs her in sixteen visualizations that ensure the meditator will take rebirth there, including visualizations on the setting sun, the lotus throne of Amitābha, Amitābha himself, as well as the bodhisattvas AVALOKITEsVARA and MAHĀSTHĀMAPRĀPTA. The visualizations largely focus on the details of sukhāvatī's beauty, such as its beryl ground, jeweled trees, and pure water. In the last three visualizations, the Buddha expounds the nine grades of rebirth (JIUPIN) in that land, which became a favorite topic among exegetes in China, Korea, and Japan. The Guan Wuliangshou jing has also exerted much influence in the realm of art. A number of exquisite mural representations of sukhāvatī and the sixteen contemplations adorn the walls of the DUNHUANG cave complex, for example.
Guanyin. (J. Kannon; K. Kwanŭm 觀音). In Chinese, "Perceiver of Sounds," an abbreviation of the longer name Guanshiyin (J. Kanzeon; K. Kwanseŭm; Perceiver of the World's Sounds); the most famous and influential BODHISATTVA in all of East Asia, who is commonly known in Western popular literature as "The Goddess of Mercy." Guanyin (alt. Guanshiyin) is the Chinese translation of AVALOKITEsVARA, the bodhisattva of compassion; this rendering, popularized by the renowned Kuchean translator KUMĀRAJĪVA in his 405-406 CE translation of the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA ("Lotus Sutra"), derives from an earlier form of this bodhisattva's name, Avalokitasvara, which is attested in some Sanskrit manuscripts of this scripture; Kumārajīva interprets this name as "gazing" (avalokita; C. guan) on the "sounds" (svara; C. yin) [of this wailing "world" (C. shi) of suffering]. Avalokitasvara was supplanted during the seventh century CE by the standard Sanskrit form Avalokitesvara, the "gazing" (avalokita) "lord" (īsvara); this later form is followed in XUANZANG's Chinese rendering Guanzizai (J. Kanjizai; K. Kwanjajae), as found in his 649 CE translation of the PRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀHṚDAYASuTRA ("Heart Sutra"). The primary textual source for Guanyin worship is the twenty-fifth chapter of the Saddharmapundarīkasutra; that chapter is devoted to the bodhisattva and circulated widely as an independent text in East Asia. The chapter guarantees that if anyone in danger calls out Guanshiyin's name with completely sincerity, the bodhisattva will "perceive the sound" of his call and rescue him from harm. Unlike in India and Tibet, Avalokitesvara took on female form in East Asia around the tenth century. In traditional China, indigenous forms of Guanyin, such as BAIYI GUANYIN (White-Robed Guanyin), Yulan Guanyin (Guanyin with Fish Basket), SHUIYUE GUANYIN (Moon in Water Guanyin), Songzi Guanyin (Child-Granting Guanyin), MALANG FU, as well as Princess MIAOSHAN, became popular subjects of worship. Guanyin was worshipped in China by both monastics and laity, but her functions differed according to her manifestation. Guanyin thus served as a protectress against personal misfortune, a symbol of Buddhist ideals and restraint, or a granter of children. Various religious groups and lay communities also took one of her various forms as their patroness, and in this role, Guanyin was seen as a symbol of personal salvation. Beginning in the tenth century, these different manifestations of Guanyin proliferated throughout China through indigenous sutras (see APOCRYPHA), secular narratives, miracle tales, monastic foundation legends, and images. In later dynasties, and up through the twentieth century, Guanyin worship inspired both male and female religious groups. For example, White Lotus groups (see BAILIAN SHE; BAILIAN JIAO) during the Song dynasty included members from both genders, who were active in erecting STuPAs and founding cloisters that promoted Guanyin worship. In the twentieth century, certain women's groups were formed that took Princess Miaoshan's refusal to marry as inspiration to reject the institution of marriage themselves and, under the auspices of a Buddhist patron, pursue other secular activities as single women. ¶ In Japan, Kannon was originally introduced during the eighth century and took on additional significance as a female deity. For example, Kannon was often invoked by both pilgrims and merchants embarking on long sea voyages or overland travel. Invoking Kannon's name was thought to protect travelers from seven different calamities, such as fire, flood, storms, demons, attackers, lust and material desires, and weapons. Moreover, Kannon worship in Japan transcended sectarian loyalties, and there were numerous miracle tales concerning Kannon that circulated throughout the Japanese isles. ¶ In Korea, Kwanŭm is by far the most popular bodhisattva and is also known there as a deity who offers succor and assistance in difficult situations. The cult of Kwanŭm flourished initially under the patronage of the aristocracy in both the Paekche and Silla kingdoms, and historical records tell of supplications made to Kwanŭm for the birth of children or to protect relatives who were prisoners of war or who had been lost at sea. Hence, while the cult of AMITĀBHA was principally focused on spiritual liberation in the next life, Kwanŭm instead was worshipped for protection in this life. Still today, Kwanŭm is an object of popular worship and a focus of ritual chanting in Korean Buddhist monasteries by both monks and, especially, laywomen (and usually chanted in the form Kwanseŭm).
hack mode "jargon" Engaged in {hack}ing. A Zen-like state of total focus on The Problem that may be achieved when one is hacking (this is why every good hacker is part mystic). Ability to enter such concentration at will correlates strongly with wizardliness; it is one of the most important skills learned during {larval stage}. Sometimes amplified as "deep hack mode". Being yanked out of hack mode (see {priority interrupt}) may be experienced as a physical shock, and the sensation of being in hack mode is more than a little habituating. The intensity of this experience is probably by itself sufficient explanation for the existence of hackers, and explains why many resist being promoted out of positions where they can code. See also {cyberspace}. Some aspects of hackish etiquette will appear quite odd to an observer unaware of the high value placed on hack mode. For example, if someone appears at your door, it is perfectly okay to hold up a hand (without turning one's eyes away from the screen) to avoid being interrupted. One may read, type, and interact with the computer for quite some time before further acknowledging the other's presence (of course, he or she is reciprocally free to leave without a word). The understanding is that you might be in {hack mode} with a lot of delicate state in your head, and you dare not {swap} that context out until you have reached a good point to pause. See also {juggling eggs}. [{Jargon File}] (1996-07-31)
hack mode ::: (jargon) Engaged in hacking. A Zen-like state of total focus on The Problem that may be achieved when one is hacking (this is why every good hacker with wizardliness; it is one of the most important skills learned during larval stage. Sometimes amplified as deep hack mode.Being yanked out of hack mode (see priority interrupt) may be experienced as a physical shock, and the sensation of being in hack mode is more than a little explanation for the existence of hackers, and explains why many resist being promoted out of positions where they can code. See also cyberspace.Some aspects of hackish etiquette will appear quite odd to an observer unaware of the high value placed on hack mode. For example, if someone appears at your in your head, and you dare not swap that context out until you have reached a good point to pause. See also juggling eggs.[Jargon File] (1996-07-31)
Hakuin Ekaku. (白隱慧鶴) (1685-1768). Japanese ZEN master renowned for revitalizing the RINZAISHu. Hakuin was a native of Hara in Shizuoka Prefecture. In 1699, Hakuin was ordained and received the name Ekaku (Wise Crane) from the monk Tanrei Soden (d. 1701) at the nearby temple of Shoinji. Shortly thereafter, Hakuin was sent by Tanrei to the temple of Daishoji in Numazu to serve the abbot Sokudo Fueki (d. 1712). Hakuin is then said to have lost faith in his Buddhist training and devoted much of his time instead to art. In 1704, Hakuin visited the monk Bao Sochiku (1629-1711) at the temple Zuiunji in Mino province. While studying under Bao, Hakuin is said to have read the CHANGUAN CEJIN by YUNQI ZHUHONG, which inspired him to further meditative training. In 1708, Hakuin is said to have had his first awakening experience upon hearing the ringing of a distant bell. That same year, Hakuin met Doju Sokaku (1679-1730), who urged him to visit the Zen master Dokyo Etan (1642-1721), or Shoju Ronin, at the hermitage of Shojuan in Iiyama. During one of his begging rounds, Hakuin is said to have had another important awakening after an old woman struck him with a broom. Shortly after his departure from Shojuan, Hakuin suffered from an illness, which he cured with the help of a legendary hermit named Hakuyu. Hakuin's famous story of his encounter with Hakuyu was recounted in his YASENKANNA, Orategama, and Itsumadegusa. In 1716, Hakuin returned to Shoinji and devoted much of his time to restoring the monastery, teaching students, and lecturing. Hakuin delivered famous lectures on such texts as the VIMALAKĪRTINIRDEsA, SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA, VAJRACCHEDIKĀPRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀSuTRA, BIYAN LU, BAOJING SANMEI, DAHUI PUJUE CHANSHI SHU, and YUANREN LUN, and the recorded sayings (YULU) of LINJI YIXUAN, WUZU FAYAN, and XUTANG ZHIYU. He also composed a number of important texts during this period, such as the Kanzan shi sendai kimon, Kaian kokugo, and SOKKoROKU KAIEN FUSETSU. Prior to his death, Hakuin established the monastery of Ryutakuji in Mishima (present-day Shizuoka prefecture). Hakuin was a strong advocate of "questioning meditation" (J. kanna Zen; C. KANHUA CHAN), which focused on the role of doubt in contemplating the koan (GONG'AN). Hakuin proposed that the sense of doubt was the catalyst for an initial SATORI (awakening; C. WU), which had then to be enhanced through further koan study in order to mature the experience. The contemporary Rinzai training system involving systematic study of many different koans is attributed to Hakuin, as is the famous koan, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" (see SEKISHU KoAN). Hakuin was a prolific writer who left many other works as well, including the Dokugo shingyo, Oniazami, Yabukoji, Hebiichigo, Keiso dokuzui, Yaemugura, and Zazen wasan. Hakuin also produced many prominent disciples, including ToREI ENJI, Suio Genro (1716-1789), and GASAN JITo. The contemporary Japanese Rinzai school of Zen traces its lineage and teachings back to Hakuin and his disciples.
heads down ::: [Sun] Concentrating, usually so heavily and for so long that everything outside the focus area is missed. See also hack mode and larval stage, although this mode is hardly confined to fledgling hackers.[Jargon File]
heads down [Sun] Concentrating, usually so heavily and for so long that everything outside the focus area is missed. See also {hack mode} and {larval stage}, although this mode is hardly confined to fledgling hackers. [{Jargon File}]
Hedging – The strategy which is focused on reducing or lowering exposure to degrees of risk / loss resulting from unexpected fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, interest rates, commodity prices, etc. Hedging in relation to securities is the taking two offsetting positions so that each if prices change, the financial risk has been limited.
Heider (1896-1988): Austrian psychologist who focused on interpersonal relationships, proposing balance theory and attribution theory.
Hence in its widest sense Scholasticism embraces all the intellectual activities, artistic, philosophical and theological, carried on in the medieval schools. Any attempt to define its narrower meaning in the field of philosophy raises serious difficulties, for in this case, though the term's comprehension is lessened, it still has to cover many centuries of many-faced thought. However, it is still possible to list several characteristics sufficient to differentiate Scholastic from non-Scholastic philosophy. While ancient philosophy was the philosophy of a people and modern thought that of individuals, Scholasticism was the philosophy of a Christian society which transcended the characteristics of individuals, nations and peoples. It was the corporate product of social thought, and as such its reasoning respected authority in the forms of tradition and revealed religion. Tradition consisted primarily in the systems of Plato and Aristotle as sifted, adapted and absorbed through many centuries. It was natural that religion, which played a paramount role in the culture of the middle ages, should bring influence to bear on the medieval, rational view of life. Revelation was held to be at once a norm and an aid to reason. Since the philosophers of the period were primarily scientific theologians, their rational interests were dominated by religious preoccupations. Hence, while in general they preserved the formal distinctions between reason and faith, and maintained the relatively autonomous character of philosophy, the choice of problems and the resources of science were controlled by theology. The most constant characteristic of Scholasticism was its method. This was formed naturally by a series of historical circumstances, The need of a medium of communication, of a consistent body of technical language tooled to convey the recently revealed meanings of religion, God, man and the material universe led the early Christian thinkers to adopt the means most viable, most widely extant, and nearest at hand, viz. Greek scientific terminology. This, at first purely utilitarian, employment of Greek thought soon developed under Justin, Clement of Alexandria, Origin, and St. Augustine into the "Egyptian-spoils" theory; Greek thought and secular learning were held to be propaedeutic to Christianity on the principle: "Whatever things were rightly said among all men are the property of us Christians." (Justin, Second Apology, ch. XIII). Thus was established the first characteristic of the Scholastic method: philosophy is directly and immediately subordinate to theology. Because of this subordinate position of philosophy and because of the sacred, exclusive and total nature of revealed wisdom, the interest of early Christian thinkers was focused much more on the form of Greek thought than on its content and, it might be added, much less of this content was absorbed by early Christian thought than is generally supposed. As practical consequences of this specialized interest there followed two important factors in the formation of Scholastic philosophy: Greek logic en bloc was taken over by Christians; from the beginning of the Christian era to the end of the XII century, no provision was made in Catholic centers of learning for the formal teaching of philosophy. There was a faculty to teach logic as part of the trivium and a faculty of theology. For these two reasons, what philosophy there was during this long period of twelve centuries, was dominated first, as has been seen, by theology and, second, by logic. In this latter point is found rooted the second characteristic of the Scholastic method: its preoccupation with logic, deduction, system, and its literary form of syllogistic argumentation. The third characteristic of the Scholastic method follows directly from the previous elements already indicated. It adds, however, a property of its own gained from the fact that philosophy during the medieval period became an important instrument of pedogogy. It existed in and for the schools. This new element coupled with the domination of logic, the tradition-mindedness and social-consciousness of the medieval Christians, produced opposition of authorities for or against a given problem and, finally, disputation, where a given doctrine is syllogistically defended against the adversaries' objections. This third element of the Scholastic method is its most original characteristic and accounts more than any other single factor for the forms of the works left us from this period. These are to be found as commentaries on single or collected texts; summae, where the method is dialectical or disputational in character. The main sources of Greek thought are relatively few in number: all that was known of Plato was the Timaeus in the translation and commentary of Chalcidius. Augustine, the pseudo-Areopagite, and the Liber de Causis were the principal fonts of Neoplatonic literature. Parts of Aristotle's logical works (Categoriae and de Interpre.) and the Isagoge of Porphyry were known through the translations of Boethius. Not until 1128 did the Scholastics come to know the rest of Aristotle's logical works. The golden age of Scholasticism was heralded in the late XIIth century by the translations of the rest of his works (Physics, Ethics, Metaphysics, De Anima, etc.) from the Arabic by Gerard of Cremona, John of Spain, Gundisalvi, Michael Scot, and Hermann the German, from the Greek by Robert Grosseteste, William of Moerbeke, and Henry of Brabant. At the same time the Judae-Arabian speculation of Alkindi, Alfarabi, Avencebrol, Avicenna, Averroes, and Maimonides together with the Neoplatonic works of Proclus were made available in translation. At this same period the Scholastic attention to logic was turned to metaphysics, even psychological and ethical problems and the long-discussed question of the universals were approached from this new angle. Philosophy at last achieved a certain degree of autonomy and slowly forced the recently founded universities to accord it a separate faculty.
hetuvidyā. (T. gtan tshigs kyi rig pa; C. yinming; J. inmyo; K. inmyong 因明). In Sanskrit, the "science of reasoning," hence "logic and dialectics"; in Indian Buddhism, the term refers generally to a scholarly tradition that begins with DIGNĀGA and DHARMAKĪRTI, a tradition known for an epistemological theory based on two means of knowledge (PRAMĀnA)-direct perception (PRATYAKsA) and inference (ANUMĀNA)-and rejecting ĀGAMA, i.e., the authority of the scriptures, specifically the Vedas. Much of hetuvidyā focuses on the correct form of the syllogism (PRAYOGA) that underpins correct inference.
holistic: used to describe an approach that focuses on the whole person, rather than their constituent parts.
Honeywell "company" A US company known for its {mainframes} and {operating systems}. The company's history is long and tortuous, with many mergers, acquisitions and name changes. A company formed on 1886-04-23 to make furnace regulators eventually merged in 1927 with another company formed in 1904 by a young plumbing and heating engineer named Mark Honeywell who was perfecting the heat generator. A 1955 joint venture with {Raytheon Corp.}, called {Datamatic Corporation}, marked Honeywell's entry into the computer business. Their first computer was the {D-1000}. In 1960 Honeywell bought out Raytheon's interest and the name changed to {Electronic Data Processing} (EDP) then in 1963 it was officially renamed Honeywell Inc. In 1970 Honeywell merged its computer business with {General Electric}'s to form Honeywell Information Systems. In 1986 a joint venture with the french company {Bull} and japanese {NEC Corporation} created Honeywell Bull. By 1991 Honeywell had withdrawn from the computer business, focussing more on aeropspace. {CII Honeywell} was an important department. Honeywell operating systems included {GCOS} and {Multics}. See also: {brain-damaged}. {History (http://www51.honeywell.com/honeywell/about-us/our-history.html)}. (2009-01-14)
Huangbo Xiyun. (J. obaku Kiun; K. Hwangbyok Hŭiun 黄檗希運) (d. 850). Chinese CHAN master of the Tang dynasty. Huangbo was a native of Min in present-day Fujian province. Little is known of his early life, but he eventually became a monk on Mt. Huangbo in Fuzhou (present-day Fuzhou province). Huangbo later became the disciple of the eminent Chan master BAIZHANG HUAIHAI, a first-generation successor to MAZU DAOYI. After he left Baizhang's side, Huangbo became the abbot of the monastery of Da'ansi where he trained many students. At the invitation of the powerful minister of state Pei Xiu (787-860), Huangbo left for Zhongling (present-day Jiangxi province) and began to reside on a local mountain that he renamed Mt. Huangbo, whence he acquired his toponym. During this period, Huangbo acquired many more disciples and established himself as a major Chan master. In 842, Huangbo relocated to the monastery of Longxingsi and again to Kaiyuansi in Wanling (present-day Anhui province) in 848. His most famous disciple is LINJI YIXUAN (d. 867) whose lineage became the dominant Chan school in China, the eponymous LINJI ZONG. Huangbo's teachings focus on the notion of the "one mind" (YIXIN) that vivifies all things, including enlightened buddhas and unenlightened sentient beings. Chan practice therefore involves simply bringing an end to all discriminative thought so that the one mind will be made manifest. Pei Xiu compiled his notes of Huangbo's lectures, which he titled the CHUANXIN FAYAO. Huangbo received the posthumous title Chan master Duanji (Eradicating Limits).
huatou. (J. wato; K. hwadu 話頭). In Chinese, "topic of inquiry"; in some contexts, "critical phrase" or "keyword." The Song-dynasty CHAN master DAHUI ZONGGAO, in the LINJI ZONG, popularized a meditative technique in which he urged his students (many of whom were educated literati) to use a Chan case (GONG'AN) as a "topic of meditative inquiry" (huatou) rather than interpret it from purely intellectual or literary perspectives. Perhaps the most famous and most widely used huatou is the topic "no" (WU) attributed to the Chan master ZHAOZHOU CONGSHEN: A monk asked Zhaozhou, "Does a dog have buddha-nature (FOXING), or not?," to which Zhaozhou replied "WU" ("no"; lit. "it does not have it"; see GOUZI WU FOXING; WU GONG'AN). Because of the widespread popularity of this particular one-word topic in China, Korea, and Japan, this huatou is often interpreted as a "critical phrase'" or "keyword," in which the word "wu" is presumed to be the principal topic and thus the "keyword," or "critical phrase," of the longer gong'an exchange. Because Zhaozhou's answer in this exchange goes against the grain of East Asian Mahāyāna Buddhism-which presumes that all sentient beings, including dogs, are inherently enlightened-the huatou helps to foster questioning, or technically "doubt" (YIQING), the focus of a new type of Chan meditation called KANHUA CHAN, "the Chan of investigating the huatou." Huatou (which literally means "head of speech," and thus "topic") might best be taken metaphorically as the "apex of speech," or the "point at which (or beyond which) speech exhausts itself." Speech is of course initiated by thought, so "speech" in this context refers to all the discriminative tendencies of the mind, viz., conceptualization. By leading to the very limits of speech-or more accurately thought-the huatou acts as a purification device that frees the mind of its conceptualizing tendencies, leaving it clear, attentive, and calm. Even though the huatou is typically a word or phrase taken from the teachings of previous Chan masters, it is a word that is claimed to bring an end to conceptualization, leaving the mind receptive to the influence of the unconditioned. As Dahui notes, huatou produces a "cleansing knowledge and vision" (see JNĀNADARsANA) that "removes the defects of conceptual understanding so that one may find the road leading to liberation." Huatou is thus sometimes interpreted in Chinese Buddhism as a type of meditative "homeopathy," in which one uses a small dosage of the poison of concepts to cure the disease of conceptualization. Dahui's use of the huatou technique was first taught in Korea by POJO CHINUL, where it is known by its Korean pronunciation as hwadu, and popularized by Chinul's successor, CHIN'GAK HYESIM. Investigation of the hwadu remains the most widespread type of meditation taught and practiced in Korean Buddhism. In Japanese Zen, the use of the wato became widespread within the RINZAISHu, due in large part to the efforts of HAKUIN EKAKU and his disciples.
Huayan jing helun. (J. Kegongyo goron; K. Hwaom kyong hap non 華嚴經合論). In Chinese, "A Comprehensive Exposition of the AVATAMSAKASuTRA," a commentary written by LI TONGXUAN in the Tang dynasty (618-907), a reclusive lay Huayan adept and contemporary of the HUAYAN patriarch FAZANG. The commentary is also known as the "Commentary to the New [Translation] of the AvataMsakasutra" (Xin Huayan jing lun), because it comments on sIKsĀNANDA's "new" eighty-roll translation of the AvataMsakasutra, rather than Buddhabhadra's "old" sixty-roll rendering, which had been the focus of all earlier Huayan commentarial writing. Li Tongxuan's "Exposition of the AvataMsakasutra" contained ideas that were quite distinct from standard Huayan interpretations, such as the emphasis on the centrality of the preliminary soteriological stage of the "ten faiths" (shixin), rather than the "ten abodes" (shizhu) that had been stressed in previous Huayan accounts. Li's work subsequently played a key role in the revitalization of the Chinese Huayan exegetical tradition, especially in the thought of the Huayan patriarch CHENGGUAN. Li's worked dropped out of circulation soon after its composition, but after centuries in obscurity, the exposition was rediscovered by Chinese CHAN adepts during the Song dynasty, such as DAHUI ZONGGAO, and by Korean SoN adepts during the Koryo dynasty for the provocative parallels they perceived between Li Tongxuan's treatment of Huayan soteriology and the Chan approach of sudden awakening (DUNWU). The Korean Son exegete POJO CHINUL (1158-1210) was so inspired by the text that he wrote a three-roll abridgment of it entitled "Excerpts from the Exposition of the AvataMsakasutra" (Hwaom non choryo), which he used to demonstrate the parallels between the Huayan soteriological schema and his preferred meditative approach of "sudden awakening followed by gradual cultivation" (K. tono chomsu; C. TUNWU JIANXIU). In Japan, Li Tongxuan's advocacy of meditating on the light emanating from the Buddha's body was also a major influence on MYoE KoBEN.
Huayan wujiao. (J. Kegon no gokyo; K. Hwaom ogyo 華嚴五教). In Chinese, "Huayan's five classifications of the teachings." The HUAYAN ZONG recognizes two different versions of this doctrinal-classification schema, which ranks different strands of Buddhist teachings. The best-known version was outlined by DUSHUN and FAZANG: (1) The HĪNAYĀNA teachings (xiaojiao; cf. XIAOSHENG JIAO), also known as the srāvakayāna teaching (shengwenjiao), was pejoratively referred to as "teachings befitting the [spiritually] obtuse" (yufa). The ĀGAMAs and the ABHIDHARMAs were relegated to this class, which supposedly dealt primarily with theories of elements (DHĀTU) and more basic concepts such as dependent origination (PRATĪTYASAMUTPĀDA). (2) The "elementary teaching [of Mahāyāna]" ([Dasheng] SHIJIAO). Within this category, two additional subgroups were differentiated. The first was the "initial teaching pertaining to emptiness" (kong shijiao), which encompassed the PRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀ literature and exegetical traditions such as MADHYAMAKA. This class of teachings was characterized by an emphasis (or, in Huayan's polemical assessment, an overemphasis) on the doctrine of emptiness (suNYATĀ). The second subgroup, the "initial teaching pertaining to phenomena" (xiang shijiao), broaches the dynamic and phenomenal aspects of reality and did not confine itself to the theme of emptiness. YOGĀCĀRA and its traditional affiliate sutras and commentaries were classified under this subgroup. Together, these two subgroups were deemed the provisional teachings (quanjiao) within the MAHĀYĀNA tradition. (3) The "advanced [Mahāyāna] teachings" ([Dasheng] ZHONGJIAO) focused on the way true suchness (ZHENRU; S. TATHATĀ) was innately immaculate but could be activated in response to myriad conditions. The DASHENG QIXIN LUN ("Awakening of Faith"), sRĪMĀLĀDEVĪSIMHANĀDASuTRA, and LAnKĀVATĀRASuTRA are examples of texts belonging to this doctrinal category. The treatment in these texts of the one mind (YIXIN) and TATHĀGATAGARBHA thought was considered a more definitive rendition of the MAHĀYĀNA teachings than were the elementary teachings (shijiao). (4) The "sudden teachings" (DUNJIAO), which includes texts like the VIMALAKĪRTINIRDEsA, was ranked as a unique category of subitist teachings befitting people of keen spiritual faculties (TĪKsnENDRIYA), and therefore bypasses traditional, systematic approaches to enlightenment. The CHAN ZONG's touted soteriological methods involving sudden enlightenment (DUNWU) and its rejection of reliance on written texts led some Huayan teachers to relegate that school to this advanced, but still inferior, category of the teachings. Chan was thus superseded by, (5) the "perfect teachings" or "consummate teachings" (YUANJIAO). This supposedly most comprehensive and definitive strand of Buddhist teaching was reserved for the Huayan school and especially its definitive scripture, the AVATAMSAKASuTRA. ¶ The second version of five classifications was made by GUIFENG ZONGMI (780-841) in his YUANREN LUN: (1) The "teachings pertaining to the human and heavenly realms" (RENTIAN JIAO) encompassed "mundane" (LAUKIKA) practices, such as the observation of the five precepts (PANCAsĪLA) and the ten wholesome ways of action (KUsALA-KARMAPATHA); this classification was named because of its believed efficacy to lead practitioners to higher realms of rebirth. (2) The "HĪNAYĀNA teachings" (XIAOSHENG JIAO), which were similar to the previous "xiaojiao." (3) The "dharma-characteristics teachings of MAHĀYĀNA" (Dasheng faxiang jiao), which was analogous to the aforementioned "elementary teaching pertaining to phenomena" (xiang shijiao) in the preceding classification scheme. (4) The "characteristics-negating teachings of MAHĀYĀNA" (Dasheng poxiang jiao) was analogous to the preceding "elementary teaching pertaining to emptiness." (5) The "nature-revealing teaching of the one vehicle" (yisheng xiangxing jiao) was equivalent to the last three categories Fazang's system combined together. See also HUAYAN WUJIAO ZHANG.
Huayan zong. (J. Kegonshu; K. Hwaom chong 華嚴宗). In Chinese, "Flower Garland School," an important exegetical tradition in East Asian Buddhism. Huayan takes its name from the Chinese translation of the title of its central scripture, the AVATAMSAKASuTRA (or perhaps BUDDHĀVATAMSAKASuTRA). The Huayan tradition is also sometimes referred to the Xianshou zong, after the sobriquet, Xianshou, of one of its greatest exegetes, FAZANG. A lineage of patriarchs, largely consisting of the tradition's great scholiasts, was retrospectively created by later followers. The putative first patriarch of the Huayan school is DUSHUN, who is followed by ZHIYAN, Fazang, CHENGGUAN, and GUIFENG ZONGMI. The work of these exegetes exerted much influence in Korea largely through the writings of ŬISANG (whose exegetical tradition is sometimes known as the Pusok chong) and WoNHYO. Hwaom teachings remained the foundation of Korean doctrinal exegesis from the Silla period onward, and continued to be influential in the synthesis that POJO CHINUL in the Koryo dynasty created between SoN (CHAN) and KYO (the teachings, viz., Hwaom). The Korean monk SIMSANG (J. Shinjo; d. 742), a disciple of Fazang, who transmitted the Huayan teachings to Japan in 740 at the instigation of RYoBEN (689-773), was instrumental in establishing the Kegon school in Japan. Subsequently, such teachers as MYoE KoBEN (1173-1232) and GYoNEN (1240-1321) continued Kegon exegesis into the Kamakura period. In China, other exegetical traditions such as the DI LUN ZONG, which focused on only one part of the AvataMsakasutra, were eventually absorbed into the Huayan tradition. The Huayan tradition was severely weakened in China after the depredations of the HUICHANG FANAN, and because of shifting interests within Chinese Buddhism away from sutra exegesis and toward Chan meditative practice and literature, and invoking the name of the buddha AMITĀBHA (see NIANFO). ¶ The Huayan school's worldview is derived from the central tenets of the imported Indian Buddhist tradition, but reworked in a distinctively East Asian fashion. Huayan is a systematization of the teachings of the AvataMsakasutra, which offered a vision of an infinite number of interconnected world systems, interfused in an all-encompassing realm of reality (DHARMADHĀTU). This profound interdependent and ecological vision of the universe led Huayan exegetes to engage in a creative reconsideration of the central Buddhist doctrine of dependent origination (PRATĪTYASAMUTPĀDA), which in their interpretation meant that all phenomena in the universe are mutually creating, and in turn are being mutually created by, all other phenomena. Precisely because in the traditional Buddhist view any individual phenomenon was devoid of a perduring self-nature of its own (ANĀTMAN), existence in the Huayan interpretation therefore meant to be in a constant state of multivalent interaction with all other things in the universe. The boundless interconnectedness that pertains between all things was termed "dependent origination of the dharmadhātu" (FAJIE YUANQI). Huayan also carefully examines the causal relationships between individual phenomena or events (SHI) and the fundamental principle or patterns (LI) that govern reality. These various relationships are systematized in Chengguan's teaching of the four realms of reality (dharmadhātu): the realm of principle (LI FAJIE), the realm of individual phenomena (SHI FAJIE), the realm of the unimpeded interpenetration between principle and phenomena (LISHI WU'AI FAJIE), and the realm of the unimpeded interpenetration between phenomenon and phenomena (SHISHI WU'AI FAJIE). Even after Huayan's decline as an independent school, it continued to exert profound influence on both traditional East Asian philosophy and modern social movements, including engaged Buddhism and Buddhist environmentalism.
Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HITL) The Human Interface Technology Laboratory at the {University of Washington} was founded in 1990. It is a centre for research and development of advanced interface technology. Located on the university campus, HITL forms a bridge between academia and industry. It maintains its industrial focus via the Virtual Worlds Consortium and maintains contacts with academia by training students and teaching courses. The lab has access to faculty and students throughout the State of Washington. Address: Human Interface Technology Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. (1995-02-13)
Humanistic Therapy ::: Treatment focused on increasing awareness of one&
Human Monad In the human constitution, the fourth monadic focus or center on the descending scale of individualizing consciousness. It is the basis or root of the human ego from which emanates the human soul — a temporary or periodic appearance enduring for one incarnation, having for its range of consciousness the ordinary human consciousness of daily life.
Humphreys, Christmas. (1901-1983). Early British popularizer of Buddhism and founder of the Buddhist Society, the oldest lay Buddhist organization in Europe. Born in London in 1901, Humphreys was the son of Sir Travers Humphreys (1867-1956), a barrister perhaps best known as the junior counsel in the prosecution of the Irish writer Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). Following in his father's footsteps, Humphreys studied law at Cambridge University and eventually became a senior prosecutor at the Old Bailey, London, the central criminal court, and later a circuit judge; he was also involved in the Tokyo war crimes trials as a prosecutor, a post he accepted so he could also further in Japan his studies of Buddhism. (Humphreys's later attempts to inject some Buddhist compassion into his courtroom led to him being called the "gentle judge," who gained a reputation for being lenient with felons. After handing down a six-month suspended sentence to an eighteen-year-old who had raped two women at knifepoint, the public outcry that ensued eventually led to his resignation from the bench in 1976.) Humphreys was interested in Buddhism from his youth and declared himself a Buddhist at age seventeen. In 1924, at the age of twenty-three, he founded the Buddhist Society, London, and served as its president until his death; he was also the first publisher of its journal, The Middle Way. Humphreys strongly advocated a nonsectarian approach to Buddhism, which embraced the individual schools of Buddhism as specific manifestations of the religion's central tenets. His interest in an overarching vision of the whole of the Buddhist tradition led him in 1945 to publish his famous Twelve Principles of Buddhism, which has been translated into fourteen languages. These principles focus on the need to recognize the conditioned nature of reality, the truth of impermanence and suffering, and the path that Buddhism provides to save oneself through "the intuition of the individual." A close associate of DAISETZ TEITARO SUZUKI and a contemporary of EDWARD CONZE, Humphreys himself wrote over thirty semischolarly and popular books and tracts on Buddhism, including Buddhism: An Introduction and Guide, published in 1951.
hyperbola: A curve consisting of the set of points whose distance from a specified point (called the focus) is greater than the distance to a specified line (the directrix) by a fixed proportion. Thus, a hyperbola can be defined by the focus, directrix, and the proportion (called eccentricity - which in the case of hyperbolae must be greater than 1) only. It is one type of conic sections represented by the equation:
hyperbola ::: n. --> A curve formed by a section of a cone, when the cutting plane makes a greater angle with the base than the side of the cone makes. It is a plane curve such that the difference of the distances from any point of it to two fixed points, called foci, is equal to a given distance. See Focus. If the cutting plane be produced so as to cut the opposite cone, another curve will be formed, which is also an hyperbola. Both curves are regarded as branches of the same hyperbola. See Illust. of Conic section, and Focus.
hyperfocus: is an intense form of mental concentration or visualisation that focuses consciousness on a narrow subject, or beyond objective reality and onto subjective mental planes, daydreams, concepts, fiction, the imagination, and other objects of the mind.
hypermetropy ::: n. --> A condition of the eye in which, through shortness of the eyeball or fault of the refractive media, the rays of light come to a focus behind the retina; farsightedness; -- called also hyperopia. Cf. Emmetropia.
Ideation The faculty, power, or process of forming ideas. Cosmic ideation denotes an abstraction, being one aspect of cosmic egoity, and also the more concrete reality represented by mahat. Cosmic ideation, focused in a basis or upadhi, results as the abstract consciousness of space working through the monad or vehicle; and the manifestations vary according to the degree of the different upadhis. Cosmic ideation is sometimes called mahabuddhi or mahat, the universal world-soul, the cosmic or spiritual noumenon of matter. As mahat is the primordial essence or principle of cosmic consciousness and intelligence, it is the fountain of the seven prakritis — the seven planes or elements of the universe — and the guiding intelligence of manifested nature on all planes. Going deeper, we have precosmic ideation, which is an aspect of that metaphysical triad which is the root from which proceeds all manifestation.
idiographic: any approach or method in psychology that focuses on the individual rather than in the development of general laws of behavior (known as thenomothetic approach).
Independent Logical File "database" (ILF) One kind of {dynamic database management system}. Examples of ILF databases are {INQUIRE}, {ADABAS}, {NOMAD}, {FOCUS} and {DATACOM}. [More details?] (1998-10-07)
Independent Logical File ::: (database) (ILF) One kind of dynamic database management system.Examples of ILF databases are INQUIRE, ADABAS, NOMAD, FOCUS and DATACOM.[More details?] (1998-10-07)
Industrial/Organizational Psychology ::: The area or specialty in psychology focused on the application of psychological principles in the work force.
In exoteric works six chakras are named. De Purucker lists seven: 1) muladhara, the parts about the pubis, ruled by Saturn; 2) svadhisthana, the umbilical region, ruled by Mars; 3) manipura, the pit of the stomach or epigastrium, ruled by Jupiter; 4) anahata, the root of the nose, ruled by Venus; 5) visuddha, the hollow between the frontal sinuses, ruled by Mercury; 6) ajnakhya, the fontenelle or union of the coronal and sagittal sutures, ruled by the Moon; and 7) sahasrara, the pineal gland in the skull, ruled by the Sun. “The human body as a microcosm may be looked upon as containing every power or attribute or energy in the solar system. . . . all the seven (or twelve) logoic forces that originally emanate from the sun, and pass in and through the various sacred planets, are transmitted to us as human beings and directly to the physical body. Thus each one of these solar logoic forces has its corresponding focus or organ in the human body, and these are the chakras” (FSO 459).
Inferential Statistics ::: The branch of statistics that focuses on describing in numerical format what might be happening or what might happen (estimation) in the future (probability). Inferential statistics required the testing of only a sample of the population. (Example: 100 students rather than all students).
In Mahayana Buddhism, alaya-vijnana has acquired a somewhat larger and higher significance: alaya (an abode, in the sense of focus of activity), the prepositional prefix a (meaning position or limitation) with the verb li (to dissolve) signifies solution or coalescence in unity. Used much as the term human monad is in theosophy, equivalent to the higher manas or even buddhi-manas, it therefore signifies the focus or interior organ of consciousness into which is collected at the end of each incarnation the aroma of the higher experiences during that lifetime, thus forming a kind of treasury.
Inner God Used for the higher self or divine monad, the focus of divine-spiritual individuality in the human constitution, especially in connection with the degree of initiation when the candidate comes into communion with his true spiritual self, the god within.
Insight Meditation ::: One of the two general categories of meditative practice described on this site. Refers to meditation that focuses on dissecting the moment with the mind in order to reveal fundamental insights into how reality is established through the Three Characteristics. Certain "stages" of insight emerge during this practice that are referred to as the vipassana jhanas. Discussion of the jhanas is beyond the scope of this site at this time. Also "Mindfulness Meditation" and "Vipassana", although there may be some tradition-specific differences with these terms.
instrument: When referring to magick, an instrument represents the tools and activities involved in a focus: belief inspires practice, which employs instruments to provide focus. The Technocracy often calls its instruments apparatuses, and many other technomancers use that term as well.
Integral Life Practice (ILP) ::: The practice of body, mind, and spirit in self, culture, and nature. The personal expression of the AQAL framework. A modular and scalable approach to personal and professional growth. ILP focuses on tailoring a customized approach to the quadrants, levels, lines, states, or types of one’s own potential.
Intent ::: The ability to focus the will on a specific goal or outcome. Intent is important in patterning.
In theosophy every body in space, whether nebula, sun, planet, or galaxy, is a focus or organ of universal life; every sun, as an instance, being the channel — having nevertheless an individuality of its own distinct from other similar individualities — through which pour various cosmic forces, combined with the individual jiva of each sun itself. The ancients used to speak of the sun as being seven-rayed — a forecast of the seven rays of the solar spectrum — or even ten- and twelve-rayed, the reference being to the septenary, denary, or duodenary forces pouring from it. See also CALORIC
Introversion ::: The tendency to focus energy inward resulting in decreased social interaction.
Iomega Corporation ::: (company, storage) A storage device manufacturer whose major products are the Zip and Jaz removable disk drives and Ditto tape drives. They became popular with an early product called the Bernoulli Box.These products fall in line with their focus set in 1994 to help people manage their stuff. The company's stated aim is to create portable, fast, large and cheap storage solutions. Iomega's major competitor in the growing market for removable disks is SyQuest, who seem to always be a few weeks behind them.In general, Iomega target the Small Office/Home Office. They are also investigating the growing digital photography market which also needs large removable storage devices.Iomega's president and CEO is Kim Edwards. They have nearly 2000 employees in offices world-wide. Revenue for the quarter ending Dec 1996 was $371 million and net income was $20 million.Headquarters: Roy, Utah, USA. . (1997-04-15)
Iomega Corporation "company, storage" A storage device manufacturer whose major products are the {Zip} and {Jaz} removable {disk drives} and {Ditto} {tape drives}. They became popular with an early product called the {Bernoulli Box}. These products fall in line with their focus set in 1994 "to help people manage their stuff". The company's stated aim is to create portable, fast, large and cheap storage solutions. Iomega's major competitor in the growing market for removable disks is {SyQuest}, who seem to always be a few weeks behind them. In general, Iomega target the {Small Office/Home Office}. They are also investigating the growing {digital photography} market which also needs large removable storage devices. Iomega's president and CEO is Kim Edwards. They have nearly 2000 employees in offices world-wide. Revenue for the quarter ending Dec 1996 was $371 million and net income was $20 million. Headquarters: Roy, Utah, USA. {(http://iomega.com/index.html)}. (1997-04-15)
IOT ::: Illuminates of Thanateros. One of the more notable occult organizations focusing on chaos magic theory and practice.
irradiation ::: n. --> Act of irradiating, or state of being irradiated.
Illumination; irradiance; brilliancy.
Fig.: Mental light or illumination.
The apparent enlargement of a bright object seen upon a dark ground, due to the fact that the portions of the retina around the image are stimulated by the intense light; as when a dark spot on a white ground appears smaller, or a white spot on a dark ground larger, than it really is, esp. when a little out of focus.
Jagadyoni (Sanskrit) Jagadyoni [from jagat world + yoni womb] The womb of the world; applied to Brahma, Vishnu, and Krishna. It is the material cause of the universe and not the mother of the world, as often translated. It signifies a portion of the spatial deeps to be womb or source of some celestial body such as a planet, or a group of bodies such as a solar system. Jagad-yoni, therefore, is any portion of kosmic space which through karmic destiny is to be the focus out of which shall spring a celestial globe or solar system. It parallels in certain senses the Hindu hiranyagharba and Greek pleroma (BCW 11:491).
Jewish Agency ::: Organization formed in 1929 as the formal representative of the Jewish community vis-a-vis the British mandatory government. It gradually acquired the attributes of a proto-government for the Jewish community. After the establishment of the State of Israel, the Jewish Agency shifted its focus to issues common to the State and to Jewish communities abroad.
ji er changzhao. (J. jakunijosho; K. chok i sangjo 寂而常照). In Chinese, "quiescent, yet constantly illumining"; a CHAN Buddhist expression that can be interpreted both ontologically and soteriologically. Ontologically, ji er changzhao describes the nature of the mind as imperturbable in its essence but as always dynamically responsive to external objects in its functioning. Soteriologically, ji er changzhao refers to the meditative technique wherein one trains the mind to be focused and tranquil with regard to all things that arise in the mind, while nevertheless remaining simultaneously vigilant and observant of them. This expression typically appears in a parallel couplet along with "illumining, yet always quiescent" (C. zhao er changji; J. shonijojaku; K. cho i sangjok).
Jingde chuandeng lu. (J. Keitoku dentoroku; K. Kyongdok chondŭng nok 景德傳燈録). In Chinese, "Record of the Transmission of the Lamplight [Compiled during the] Jingde [Era]." A comprehensive, thirty-roll genealogical collection of short hagiographical notes and anecdotes of the ancient "patriarchs" and teachers (see ZUSHI) of the CHAN school, compiled by Daoyuan (d.u.) in 1004. Beginning with the seven buddhas of the past (SAPTATATHĀGATA) and up to the dharma heirs (see FASI) of the Tang-dynasty Chan monk FAYAN WENYI, the Jingde chuandeng lu provides a record of 1,701 Indian and Chinese successors in different main and collateral lineages of the Chan school. The first twenty-six rolls of the Jingde chuandeng lu is a series of hagiographies of Chan masters, focusing on their enlightenment experiences, and arranged genealogically; roll twenty-seven discusses eminent monks who do not belong to the Chan tradition; and the last three rolls contain YULU, viz., discourse records (roll twenty-eight), poetry and verses (roll twenty-nine), and other miscellaneous materials, such as the XINXIN MING (roll thirty). As the earliest and most influential of the many lamplight histories (denglu) compiled during the Song dynasty, the Jingde chuandeng lu is an invaluable resource for understanding the origins and development of the Chan school in China.
jingtu sanbu jing. (J. jodo sanbukyo; K. chongt'o sambu kyong 淨土三部經). In Chinese, "the three scriptures on the pure land," a designation for three main sutras that focus on AMITĀBHA Buddha and his PURE LAND of SUKHĀVATĪ; these are generally considered to be the central canonical sutras of the pure land schools, and especially of the Japanese JoDOSHu and JoDO SHINSHu. The three scriptures are (1) SUKHĀVATĪVYuHASuTRA, the "[Larger] Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life" (Wuliangshou jing); (2) "Sutra on the Contemplation of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life" (GUAN WULIANGSHOU JING); and (3) AMITĀBHASuTRA, the "[Smaller] Sutra on the Buddha Amitābha" (Amituo jing). The writings of the pure land school are to a large extent commentaries on or exegeses of these three scriptures.
Jingtu shiyi [lun]. (J. Jodo jugi[ron]; K. Chongt'o sibŭi [non] 淨土十疑[論]). In Chinese, "Ten Doubts regarding the PURE LAND"; a popular text on pure land beliefs and practices composed by TIANTAI ZHIYI. As the title suggests, the treatise is an apologia for the practice and verity of the pure land, even though it is exclusively directed at AMITĀBHA's pure land of SUKHĀVATĪ. The "doubts" that Zhiyi addresses in his treatise include: "Doesn't it show a lack of compassion to seek rebirth in the pure land (and thus leave behind those who are suffering in this world)?" "Isn't seeking rebirth in the pure land contradictory to the teaching of non-production (which nullifies the prospect of further rebirths)?" "Why focus on Amitābha and his pure land (as one's sole choice of devotion)?" "How is it that unenlightened beings who are entangled in the fetters (SAMYOJANA) are capable of being reborn in the pure land (and thereby transcend the rounds of rebirth)?" "How could it be that the pure land of sukhāvatī (being entirely male) has no women and no one with HĪNAYĀNA inclinations?"
Jodoshu. (浄土宗). In Japanese, the "PURE LAND school"; referring to the followers of HoNEN (1133-1212), who formed the first indigenous school of Japanese Buddhism outside the aegis of the imperial court. The central scriptures of the school are the so-called three pure land SuTRAs (jodo sanbukyo; see JINGTU SANBUJING): the longer SUKHĀVATĪVYuHASuTRA, the shorter Sukhāvatīvyuhasutra (also known as the AMITĀBHASuTRA), and the GUAN WULIANGSHOU JING; as well as the *Aparimitāyussutropadesa ("Exegesis of the Wuliangshou jing"), commonly known as the Jingtu lun (J. Jodoron) ("Treatise on the Pure Land") and attributed by tradition to VASUBANDHU (see WULIANGSHOU JING YOUPOTISHE YUANSHENG JI). Honen's teachings focused on the "easy path" to NIRVĀnA and the prospect of achieving enlightenment exclusively through recitation of the nenbutsu (C. NIANFO), which would lead to rebirth in the buddha AMITĀBHA's pure land. Honen's teachings quickly spread throughout Japan largely through the efforts of his disciples SHINRAN (1173-1262), Ryukan (1148-1228), Shokobo Bencho (1162-1238), Zen'ebo Shoku (1177-1247), Jokakubo Kosai (1163-1247), and Kakumyobo Chosai (1184-1366). While his disciples all agreed on the efficacy of the recitation of the nenbutsu as advocated by Honen, they developed different interpretations of this practice. These divisions eventually led to the formation of disparate factions within the school. Those who followed Bencho came to be known as the Chinzei branch; their spirit of tolerance for other practices allowed the Chinzei branch to thrive. Shoku's followers, now known as the Seizan branch, held the position that rebirth in the pure land is possible only through continuous repetition of the nenbutsu (TANENGI); indeed, Shoku himself was said to recite the nenbutsu as many as sixty thousand times a day. Kosai, and to a lesser extent Shinran, held the more radical position that a single invocation of the name of Amitābha (ICHINENGI) would suffice. In 1207, in an effort to suppress the spread of Honen's teaching of exclusive nenbutsu, Honen, Kosai, and Shinran, were exiled to different regions of the country. In 1227, the Jodo movement was further suppressed when Honen's grave was desecrated by HIEIZAN monks and Kosai was again sent into exile. In 1450, the Chinzei branch came to dominate the other branches when the Chinzei adherent Keijiku (1403-1459) assumed the position of abbot of the monastery CHION'IN (built at Honen's grave site) in Kyoto. The Chinzei branch firmly established itself as the leading branch with the support of the Tokugawa bakufu. The teachings of Bencho's disciple Ryochu (1199-1287), who advocated the active use of the nenbutsu for purifying bad KARMAN in order to attain rebirth in pure land, came to be the official position of the Chinzei branch and thus of the wider Jodoshu tradition. See also JoDO SHINSHu.
Jupiter is usually thought to have originated as a sky god. His identifying implement is the thunderbolt, and his primary sacred animal is the eagle,[1] which held precedence over other birds in the taking of auspices[2] and became one of the most common symbols of the Roman army (see Aquila). The two emblems were often combined to represent the god in the form of an eagle holding in its claws a thunderbolt, frequently seen on Greek and Roman coins.[3] As the sky-god, he was a divine witness to oaths, the sacred trust on which justice and good government depend. Many of his functions were focused on the Capitoline (“Capitol Hill”), where the citadel was located. He was the chief deity of the early Capitoline Triad with Mars and Quirinus.[4] In the later Capitoline Triad, he was the central guardian of the state with Juno and Minerva. His sacred tree was the oak.
Just as the forces of nature are in themselves neutral, and become “good” or “bad” as they are used by individuals, similarly so is a symbol usable in a good or a bad sense. In the use of nagas and sarpas, the Brothers of Light are properly called nagas, and the Brothers of Darkness are more properly called sarpas, as the root srip which means to wriggle, hence to insinuate, to creep in by stealth and deceive. Both the Brothers of Light and of Darkness are focuses of power, subtlety, wisdom, and knowledge; in the one case rightly and nobly applied, and in the other wrongly applied. The former are the nagas or serpents of light: subtle, wise, and with power to cast off the garment or vehicle when the body has grown old and to assume another at will. The latter are more strictly the sarpas or serpents of darkness, insinuating, worldly wise, selfishly shrewd, deceitful, venomous, and dangerous, and yet possessing the same powers, but in less degree, and using them wrongly, thus deceiving human hearts and succeeding in their work often by lies and misrepresentations. Nevertheless, precisely because nagas and sarpas are used almost indiscriminately, either word may apply both to the servants of light or of darkness.
Kaddish ::: A classical Jewish prayer (mostly in Aramaic) with eschatological focus extolling God's majesty and kingdom recited at the conclusion of each major section of each liturgical service; a long version (called rabbinic kaddish) follows an act of study; also a prayer by mourners during the first year of bereavement (see shiva, sheloshim) and on the anniversary of the death of next-of-kin.
kalyānamitra. (P. kalyānamitta; T. dge ba'i bshes gnyen; C. shanzhishi; J. zenchishiki; K. sonjisik 善知識). In Sanskrit, lit. "good friend"; viz., "spiritual guide," or "religious mentor"; a spiritual companion or mentor (sometimes, though rarely, referring even to the Buddha himself) who encourages one in salutary directions and helps one to remain focused on matters of real religious import. Association with a kalyānamitra is said to be one of the foundations of religious progress: it is one of the seven things conducive to the welfare and weal of monks and one of the indicators that a monk will perfect the seven constituents of awakening (BODHYAnGA). In the absence of "good friends," it was thought preferable for monks to lead the solitary life of the rhinoceros (see KHAdGAVIsĀnA; KHAdGAVIsĀnAKALPA). Three kinds of kalyānamitra are described in the literature: an instructor, a fellow practitioner, and a lay supporter (DĀNAPATI). The Tibetan title "geshe" (DGE BSHES), referring to a monk who has successfully completed the scholastic curriculum of the DGE LUGS sect, is a contraction of the Tibetan translation of kalyānamitra.
Kelley (1921-2003): was a social psychologist, focusing on interpersonal relationships and contributing to attribution theory - how individuals 'attribute' causes to events, for instance a "situational" or "dispositional" factor.
kirigami. (切紙). In Japanese, "secret initiation documents" (lit. "strips of paper"), ; secret instructions or formulas written on individual pieces of paper, which were used in the medieval Japanese traditions, including the SoTOSHu, to transmit esoteric knowledge and monastic routines. Kirigami were a central pedagogical feature in many fields involving apprenticeships in medieval Japan and were used to transmit knowledge about acting, poetic composition, martial arts, and religious practice. Soto Zen kirigami were also elaborations of the broader Chinese monastic codes (shingi; see QINGGUI) and focused on the secret rituals that a Zen abbot would perform in private, including consecration, funerals, and transmission of precepts or a dharma lineage. Many kirigami also provide short, targeted instruction on individual Zen cases (koan; C. GONG'AN), such as the correct sequence of questions and answers, or the appropriate "capping phrase" (JAKUGO), that would prove mastery of a specific koan. Because kirigami were also kept hidden away in Soto monasteries and were known only to the abbots, access to them was a potent symbol of the abbots' enhanced religious authority.
Kiyomizudera. (清水寺). In Japanese, "Pure Water Monastery"; an important monastery of the Japanese HoSSo school of YOGĀCĀRA Buddhism, located in the Higashiyama (Eastern Mountains) District of Kyoto. The monastery claims to have been founded in 778 by a monk named Enchin and the general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, who stopped on the site for a drink from a waterfall fed by a natural spring, where he met the monk. Together, they contracted to create a magnificent image of an eleven-faced and forty-armed Kannon (AVALOKITEsVARA), which was enshrined in 798 in a temporary hall that was given the name Kiyomizudera. The monastery became a state shrine in 810 and a focus of state-protection Buddhism (see HUGUO FOJIAO) in Japan. The current buildings date from the latest reconstruction of the monastery in 1633. The monastery is perhaps best known for its long veranda that juts over the hillside in front of the main shrine hall; there is a folk tradition dating back to the Edo period that anyone who survives a plunge off the veranda is granted whatever one wishes. The monastery was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
Knowledge_engineering ::: is a field of artificial intelligence (AI) that creates rules to apply to data in order to imitate the thought process of a human expert. It looks at the structure of a task or a decision to identify how a conclusion is reached. A library of problem-solving methods and the collateral knowledge used for each can then be created and served up as problems to be diagnosed by the system. The resulting software could then assist in diagnosis, trouble-shooting and solving issues either on its own or in a support role to a human agent. :::BREAKING DOWN 'Knowledge Engineering' Knowledge engineering sought to transfer the expertise of problem-solving human experts into a program that could take in the same data and come to the same conclusion. This approach is referred to as the transfer process and it dominated early knowledge engineering attempts. It fell out of favor, however, as scientists and programmers realized that the knowledge being used by humans in decision making is not always explicit. While many decisions can be traced back to previous experience on what worked, humans draw on parallel pools of knowledge that don’t always appear logically connected to the task at hand. Some of what CEOs and star investors refer to as gut feeling or intuitive leaps is better described as analogous reasoning and nonlinear thinking. These modes of thought don’t lend themselves to direct, step-by-step decision trees and may require pulling in sources of data that appear to cost more to bring in and process than it is worth. The transfer process has been left behind in favor of a modeling process. Instead of attempting to follow the step-by-step process of a decision, knowledge engineering is focused on creating a system that will hit upon the same results as the expert without following the same path or tapping the same information sources. This eliminates some of the issues of tracking down the knowledge being used for nonlinear thinking, as the people doing it are often not aware of the information they are pulling on. As long as the conclusions are comparable, the model works. Once a model is consistently coming close to the human expert, it can then be refined. Bad conclusions can be traced back and debugged, and processes that are creating equivalent or improved conclusions can be encouraged.
Knowledge Systems Laboratory ::: (KSL) An artificial intelligence research laboratory within the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University. Current work focuses on knowledge computational environments for modelling physical devices, architectures for adaptive intelligent systems, and expert systems for science and engineering. (1994-12-06)
Knowledge Systems Laboratory (KSL) An {artificial intelligence} research laboratory within the Department of Computer Science at {Stanford University}. Current work focuses on {knowledge representation} for sharable engineering knowledge bases and systems, computational environments for modelling physical devices, architectures for adaptive intelligent systems, and {expert systems} for science and engineering. (1994-12-06)
Kotani Kimi. (小谷喜美) (1901-1971). Cofounder along with KUBO KAKUTARo (1892-1944) of the REIYuKAI school of modern Japanese Buddhism, which derives from the teachings of the NICHIRENSHu school of Buddhism. Kotani Kimi was the wife of Kotani Yasukichi, Kubo's elder brother. She and her husband became two of the earliest and most active proponents of Reiyukai. After her husband died, she became the first official president of the group in 1930, and after Kubo's death in 1944, she ran the organization successfully on her own, although many splinter groups formed in reaction to her leadership. Kotani focused on the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA ("Lotus Sutra"), but because ancestor worship was her primary religious practice, she used the sutra rather idiosyncratically as a path to the spiritual realm. Kotani also focused the group's energies on social welfare programs, and especially youth education, for she felt that Japan's rapid modernization was neglecting the needs of the youth.
Koyasan. (高野山). In Japanese, "Mt. Koya"; a Japanese sacred mountain in Wakayama prefecture. Currently, the monastery Kongobuji on Mt. Koya serves as the headquarters (honzan) of the Koyasan SHINGONSHu sect of the Shingon tradition. While traveling through the lands southwest of Yoshino, the Japanese monk KuKAI is said to have stumbled upon a flat plateau named Koya (High Field) on a mountain. Kukai determined that Koya was an ideal site of self-cultivation, as it appeared to be an uninhabited area surrounded on four sides by high mountain peaks. It is said that the mountain was revealed to Kukai by a hunter who was an incarnation of the god (KAMI) of the mountain, Koya Myojin. This deity is still worshipped on Mt. Koya in his hunter form as Kariba Myojin. In 816, Kukai received permission from the emperor to establish a practice center dedicated to the study of MIKKYo ritual and doctrine at Koya. Kukai first sent his disciples Jitsue (786-847) and Enmyo (d. 851) to survey the entire area and went to the site himself in 818. Due to his activities at the official monastery, ToJI, and his business at the monasteries Jingoji and Muroji, Kukai's involvement with Mt. Koya was limited. In 835, he retired to Mt. Koya due to his deteriorating health and finally died there, purportedly while in a deep meditative state. Kukai's body is housed in the mausoleum complex Okunoin near Kongobuji. According to legend, he remains there in a state of eternal SAMĀDHI. As a result of the developing cult of Kukai, who increasingly came to be worshipped as a bodhisattva, Mt. Koya came to be viewed as a PURE LAND on earth. Later, as a result of political contestations, as well as several fires on the mountain in 994, Mt. Koya entered a period of protracted decline and neglect. Through the efforts of Fujiwara and other aristocrats as well as the patronage of reigning and retired emperors, Mt. Koya reemerged as a powerful monastic and economic center in the region, and became an influential center of pilgrimage and religious cultivation famous throughout Japan. In 1114, KAKUBAN took up residence on the mountain and assiduously practiced mikkyo for eight years. In 1132, he established the monasteries of Daidenboin and Mitsugon'in on Mt. Koya. Despite his efforts to refocus Mt. Koya scholasticism around the doctrinal and ritual teachings of Kukai, his rapid rise through the monastic ranks was met with great animosity from the conservative factions on the mountain. In 1288, the monk Raiyu (1226-1304) moved Daidenboin and Mitsugon'in to nearby Mt. Negoro and established what came to be known as Shingi Shingon, which regarded Kakuban as its founder. In 1185, Myohen, a disciple of HoNEN, moved to Mt. Koya to pursue rebirth in the pure land, a common goal for many pilgrims to Mt. Koya. It is said that, around 1192, NICHIREN and Honen made pilgrimages to the mountain. MYoAN EISAI's senior disciple Gyoyu established Kongosanmai-in and taught Chinese RINZAI (LINJI) Zen on Mt. Koya. Zen lineages developed between Mt. Koya, Kyoto, and Kamakura around this time. In 1585, during the Warring States Period, the monk Mokujiki ogo was able to convince Toyotomi Hideyoshi not to burn down the mountain as Oda Nobunaga had done at HIEIZAN. As a result, Mt. Koya preserves ancient manuscripts and images that would have otherwise been lost. Mt. Koya's monastic structures shrank to less than a third of their original size during the Meiji persecution of Buddhism (HAIBUTSU KISHAKU). At that same time, Mt. Koya lost much of its former land holdings, which greatly reduced its economic base. In the twentieth century, Mt. Koya went through several modernization steps: the ban against women was lifted in 1905, its roads were paved, and Mt. Koya University was built on the mountain. At present, Mt. Koya is a thriving tourist, pilgrimage, and monastic training center.
Kyoto school. An influential school of modern and contemporary Japanese philosophy that is closely associated with philosophers from Kyoto University; it combines East Asian and especially MAHĀYĀNA Buddhist thought, such as ZEN and JoDO SHINSHu, with modern Western and especially German philosophy and Christian thought. NISHIDA KITARo (1870-1945), Tanabe Hajime (1885-1962), and NISHITANI KEIJI (1900-1991) are usually considered to be the school's three leading figures. The name "Kyoto school" was coined in 1932 by Tosaka Jun (1900-1945), a student of Nishida and Tanabe, who used it pejoratively to denounce Nishida and Tanabe's "Japanese bourgeois philosophy." Starting in the late 1970s, Western scholars began to research the philosophical insights of the Kyoto school, and especially the cross-cultural influences with Western philosophy. During the 1990s, the political dimensions of the school have also begun to receive scholarly attention. ¶ Although the school's philosophical perspectives have developed through mutual criticism between its leading figures, the foundational philosophical stance of the Kyoto school is considered to be based on a shared notion of "absolute nothingness." "Absolute nothingness" was coined by Nishida Kitaro and derives from a putatively Zen and PURE LAND emphasis on the doctrine of emptiness (suNYATĀ), which Kyoto school philosophers advocated was indicative of a distinctive Eastern approach to philosophical inquiry. This Eastern emphasis on nothingness stood in contrast to the fundamental focus in Western philosophy on the ontological notion of "being." Nishida Kitaro posits absolute nothingness topologically as the "site" or "locale" (basho) of nonduality, which overcomes the polarities of subject and object, or noetic and noematic. Another major concept in Nishida's philosophy is "self-awareness" (jikaku), a state of mind that transcends the subject-object bifurcation, which was initially adopted from William James' (1842-1910) notion of "pure experience" (J. junsui keiken); this intuition reveals a limitless, absolute reality that has been described in the West as God or in the East as emptiness. Tanabe Hajime subsequently criticized Nishida's "site of absolute nothingness" for two reasons: first, it was a suprarational religious intuition that transgresses against philosophical reasoning; and second, despite its claims to the contrary, it ultimately fell into a metaphysics of being. Despite his criticism of what he considered to be Nishida's pseudoreligious speculations, however, Tanabe's Shin Buddhist inclinations later led him to focus not on Nishida's Zen Buddhist-oriented "intuition," but instead on the religious aspect of "faith" as the operative force behind other-power (TARIKI). Inspired by both Nishida and such Western thinkers as Meister Eckhart (c. 1260-1327), Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), and Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) (with whom he studied), Nishitani Keiji developed the existential and phenomenological aspects of Nishida's philosophy of absolute nothingness. Concerned with how to reach the place of absolute nothingness, given the dilemma of, on the one hand, the incessant reification and objectification by a subjective ego and, on the other hand, the nullification of reality, he argued for the necessity of overcoming "nihilism." The Kyoto school thinkers also played a central role in the development of a Japanese political ideology around the time of the Pacific War, which elevated the Japanese race mentally and spiritually above other races and justified Japanese colonial expansion. Their writings helped lay the foundation for what came to be called Nihonjinron, a nationalist discourse that advocated the uniqueness and superiority of the Japanese race; at the same time, however, Nishida also resisted tendencies toward fascism and totalitarianism in Japanese politics. Since the 1990s, Kyoto school writings have come under critical scrutiny in light of their ties to Japanese exceptionalism and pre-war Japanese nationalism. These political dimensions of Kyoto school thought are now considered as important for scholarly examination as are its contributions to cross-cultural, comparative philosophy.
lakshya. :::target on which attention is focussed; that which is kept in view
Lankāvatārasutra. (T. Lang kar gshegs pa'i mdo; C. Ru Lengqie jing; J. Nyu Ryogakyo; K. Ip Nŭngga kyong 入楞伽經). In Sanskrit, "Scripture on the Descent into Lanka"; a seminal MAHĀYĀNA sutra that probably dates from around the fourth century CE. In addition to the Sanskrit recension, which was discovered in Nepal, there are also three extant translations in Chinese, by GUnABHADRA (translated in 443), BODHIRUCI (made in 513), and sIKsĀNANDA (made in 700), and two in Tibetan. The text is composed as a series of exchanges between the Buddha and the BODHISATTVA Mahāmati, who asks his questions on behalf of Rāvana, the YAKsA king of Lanka. Thanks to the wide-ranging nature of Mahāmati's questions, the text covers many of the major themes that were the focus of contemporary Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism, and especially the emerging YOGĀCĀRA school, including the theory of the storehouse consciousness (ĀLAYAVIJNĀNA), the womb or embryo of the buddhas (TATHĀGATAGARBHA), and mind-only (CITTAMĀTRA); despite these apparent parallels, however, the sutra is never quoted in the writings of the most famous figures of Indian Yogācāra, ASAnGA (c. 320-390) and VASUBANDHU (c. fourth century CE). The sutra also offers one of the earliest sustained condemnations in Buddhist literature of meat eating, a practice that was not proscribed within the mainstream Buddhist tradition (see JAINA; DHUTAnGA). The Lankāvatāra purports to offer a comprehensive synthesis of the Mahāyāna, and indeed, its many commentators have sought to discover in it a methodical exposition of scholastic doctrine. In fact, however, as in most Mahāyāna sutras, there is little sustained argumentation through the scripture, and the scripture is a mélange composed with little esprit de synthèse. ¶ The emerging CHAN school of East Asia retrospectively identified the Lankāvatāra as a source of scriptural authority; indeed, some strands of the tradition even claimed that the sutra was so influential in the school's development that its first translator, Gunabhadra, superseded BODHIDHARMA in the roster of the Chan patriarchal lineage, as in the LENGQIE SHIZI JI ("Records of the Masters and Disciples of the Lankāvatāra"). Rather than viewing the Chan school as a systematic reading of the Lankāvatāra, as the tradition claims, it is perhaps more appropriate to say that the tradition was inspired by similar religious concerns. The Newari Buddhist tradition of Nepal also includes the Lankāvatāra among its nine principal books of the Mahāyāna (NAVAGRANTHA; see NAVADHARMA).
latency stage : Freud's fourth stage of psychosexual development whereby sexual preoccupations are repressed, children focus on interact with same sex peers.
Latency Stage ::: Freud&
latus rectum: The chord of a conic section containing the ficus and parallel to a directrix - a line segment with endpoints on the conic section, through the focus, parallel to the directrix.
latus rectum ::: --> The line drawn through a focus of a conic section parallel to the directrix and terminated both ways by the curve. It is the parameter of the principal axis. See Focus, and Parameter.
Lazarus (1922-2002): a hugely influential psychologist who focused on the study of cognition, in particular appraisal of emotion and stress, and coping mechanisms in response to stress.
lefthandpath ::: Left-hand Path The terms 'Left-hand Path' and 'Right-hand Path' refer to a claimed separation of two distinct types of religion, the exact meaning of these terms having varied over time. The modern usage regards religions which focus upon the worship of one or more deities and the observance of strict moral codes, as belonging to the Right-hand Path, while religions which value the advancement of the self over other goals are considered to belong to the Left-Hand Path (sometimes referred to as the Dark Path).
lens ::: Transparent structure in the eye whose thickening or flattening in response to visceral motor control allows light rays to be focused on the retina.
Light, as one of the forms of radiation, is in the view of theosophy an efflux or substance, ultimately to be traced back to a source or focus which gave it birth and from and through which it therefore pours as a radiation of vitality. Light, and most other forms of radiation, partake of both an undulatory and corpuscular character, for in one sense it is both, and in another sense it is neither, for its undulations or its discrete particles are merely the methods by which it subjects itself to human examination. In itself it is both force and substance, and as everything in the universe is in an unceasing state of vibration or constant movement, even a discrete particle — and an aggregate of discrete particles, because of their vibrational activities — is as readily conceivable as undulatory in character as corpuscular. The important thing about light is not so much its modes of motion or manifestation, but the fact that light is the vital efflux or substance flowing forth from a living being, whether microcosmic or macrocosmic. The same observations, mutatis mutandis, may be said of other forms of radiation — electricity, magnetism its alter ego, heat, and even, on far higher planes, thought and consciousness.
Linking ::: The process of focusing the awareness upon a link in order to attune to a target. Once that philotic thread is found it becomes possible to connect to the target, learn about them, influence them, etc.
Li Tongxuan. (J. Ri Tsugen; K. Yi T'onghyon 李通玄) (635-730; alt. 646-740). Tang-dynasty lay exegete of the AVATAMSAKASuTRA (Huayan jing) and renowned thaumaturge. Li's life is the stuff of legend. He is claimed to have been related to the Tang imperial house but is known only as an elusive and eccentric lay scholar of Buddhism, who hid away in hermits' cells and mountain grottoes so as to devote himself entirely to his writing. Li's hagiographer says that he was able to work late into the night just from the radiance that issued forth from his mouth; his scholarship and health were sustained by two mysterious maidens who brought him paper, brushes, and daily provisions. The magnum opus of this life of scholarship is a forty-roll commentary to sIKsĀNANDA's "new" 699 translation of the AvataMsakasutra; his commentary is entitled the Xin Huayan jing lun and was published posthumously in 774. In the mid-ninth century, Li's commentary was published together with the sutra as the HUAYAN JING HELUN, and this compilation is the recension of Li's exegesis that is most widely used. Li also wrote a shorter one-roll treatise known usually by its abbreviated title of Shiming lun ("The Ten Illuminations"; the full title is Shi Huayan jing shi'er yuansheng jiemi xianzhi chengbei shiming lun), which discusses the Huayan jing from ten different perspectives on the doctrine of conditioned origination (PRATĪTYASAMUTPĀDA), and two other shorter works. Because Li Tongxuan was not associated with the mainstream of the Huayan lineage (HUAYAN ZONG), he was able to develop his own distinctive vision of the insights found in the AvataMsakasutra, a vision that often offered an explicit challenge to the interpretations of FAZANG and the mainstream tradition. Li stands outside the orthodox patriarchal lineage of the Huayan school by being a layperson, not a monk, and by being someone interested not just in the profound philosophical implications of the scripture but also its concrete, practical dimensions. In his commentary, Li focuses not on the description of the dimensions of the realm of reality (dharmadhātu; see SI FAJIE) as had Fazang, but instead on SUDHANA's personal quest for enlightenment in the final, and massive, GAndAVYuHA chapter of the sutra. Li moved forward the crucial point of soteriological progress from the activation of the thought of enlightenment (BODHICITTOTPĀDA), which he places at the first stage of the ten abidings (shizhu), up to the first level of the ten faiths (shixin), what had previously been considered a preliminary stage of the Huayan path (MĀRGA). Since faith alone was sufficient to generate the understanding that one's own body and mind are identical to the dharmadhātu and are fundamentally equivalent to buddhahood, buddhahood could therefore be experienced in this very life, rather than after three infinite eons (ASAMKHYEYAKALPA) of training. ¶ Although Li's writings seem to have been forgotten soon after his death, there was an efflorescence of interest in Li Tongxuan during the Song dynasty, when specialists in the Linji school of Chinese CHAN Buddhism (LINJI ZONG), such as JUEFAN HUIHONG (1071-1128) and DAHUI ZONGGAO (1089-1163), and their acquaintance, the scholar-official ZHANG SHANGYING (1043-1121), began to draw on Li's practical orientation toward the Huayan jing in order to clarify aspects of Chan practice. In particular, Li's advocacy of "nature origination" (XINGQI) in the Huayan jing (rather than conditioned origination of the dharmadhātu [FAJIE YUANQI]) seemed to offer an intriguing sutra parallel to Chan's emphasis on "seeing the nature" in order to "achieve buddhahood" (JIANXING CHENGFO). In Korea, POJO CHINUL (1158-1210) was strongly influenced by Li Tongxuan's portrayal of Huayan thought, using it to demonstrate his claim that the words of the Buddha in the scriptural teachings of KYO and the mind of the Buddha transmitted by SoN (C. Chan) were identical. Through Li, Chinul was able to justify his claim of an intrinsic harmony between Son and Kyo. Chinul also wrote two treatises on Li's Huayan thought, including a three-roll abridgement of Li's Xin Huayan jing lun, entitled the Hwaom non choryo. In Japan, MYoE KoBEN (1173-1232) drew on Li's accounts of the radiance emanating from the Buddha himself, in conjunction with his readings of esoteric Buddhism (MIKKYo) and his own prophetic dreams and visionary experiences, to create a distinctive meditative technique called the SAMĀDHI of the Buddha's radiance (Bukko zanmai). Thus, despite being outside the mainstream of the Huayan tradition, in many ways, Li Tongxuan proved to be its longest lasting, and most influential, exponent. PENG SHAOSHENG (1740-1796), in his JUSHI ZHUAN ("Biographies of [Eminent Laymen"), lists Li Tongxuan as one of the three great lay masters (SANGONG) of Chinese Buddhism, along with PANG YUN (740-803) and LIU CHENGZHI (354-410), praising Li for his mastery of scholastic doctrine (jiao).
Liuzu tan jing. (J. Rokuso dangyo; K. Yukcho tan kyong 六祖壇經). In Chinese, "Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch," the written transcription of the sermons of the sixth patriarch (LIUZU) HUINENG (638-713); the composition is attributed to the monk FAHAI; also known as the Nan zong dunjiao zuishang dasheng mohe bore boluomi jing, Liuzu dashi fabao tan jing, Fabao tan jing, or simply Tan jing ("Platform Sutra"). The Liuzu tan jing is one of the most influential texts of the CHAN tradition. The text is ostensibly a record of the lectures delivered by the reputed sixth patriarch Huineng at the monastery of Dafansi in Shaozhou (present-day Guangdong province). The lectures contain the famous story of Huineng's verse competition with his rival SHENXIU, which wins Huineng the Chan patriarchy (see ZUSHI), in which Huineng distinguished his own "sudden teachings" (DUNJIAO) of a so-called Southern school (NAN ZONG) of Chan from the "gradual teachings" (jianjiao) of Shenxiu's Northern school (BEI ZONG). As Huineng defines the term later in this sermon, the "sudden teaching" involves an approach to Buddhist training that is free from all dualistic forms of practice (see ADVAYA) and that correspondingly rejects any and all expedient means (UPĀYA) of realizing truth. This sudden teaching comes to be considered emblematic of the so-called Southern school (Nan zong) of Chan, which retrospectively comes to be considered the mainstream of the Chan tradition. The teachings of the text also focus on the unity of concentration (SAMĀDHI) and wisdom (PRAJNĀ), in which concentration is conceived to be the essence (TI) of wisdom and wisdom the functioning (YONG) of concentration; "no-thought" (WUNIAN), which the text defines as "not to think even when involved in thought"; seeing one's own nature (JIANXING); and the conferral of the formless precepts (WUXIANG JIE). Indeed, the "platform" in the title refers to the ordination platform (jietan; cf. SĪMĀ) where Huineng conferred these formless precepts. Although the Liuzu tan jing has been traditionally heralded as the central scripture of the Nan zong, and certainly is beholden to the teachings of the Southern-school champion HEZE SHENHUI, the text seems to have been influenced as well by the teachings of both the Northern and Oxhead schools (NIUTOU ZONG). Within the Chan tradition, a Yuan-dynasty edition of the Liuzu tan jing, which included an important preface by FORI QISONG, was most widely disseminated. SIR MARC AUREL STEIN's rediscovery in the DUNHUANG manuscript cache of a previously unknown, and quite different, recension of the text, dating to the mid-ninth century, did much to launch the modern scholarly reappraisal of the received history of the Chan school. See also DUNWU.
Loading ::: Using awareness, concentration, and even breath to charge an object of focus with a particular archetype, current, idea, or intent. The object can be tangible (specific materia or a talisman for instance) or intangible (e.g. a sigil). See also Patterning.
Locus of Focus ::: Refers to the field and breadth of one's awareness. Most find in mundane consciousness that the mind is constantly jumping around and very broadly focused, but through practicing meditation (especially concentration meditation in this case) the locus of focus narrows so that some deeper mysteries of reality can be revealed and so that sense of self can be shaken off more easily.
Lycanthropy ::: The act of engaging in acts as a werewolf. This usually refers to astral shapeshifting into a werewolf and groups that focus on such activities as well as their actions surrounding those forms.
MadhyamakālaMkāra. (T. Dbu ma rgyan). In Sanskrit, "Ornament of the Middle Way"; a verse work in ninety-seven stanzas by the eighth-century Indian master sĀNTARAKsITA; it is accompanied by a prose commentary (vṛtti) by the author. Both the root text and commentary are lost in the original Sanskrit (although verses cited elsewhere remain) but preserved in Tibetan translation. Whereas sāntaraksita's other major work, the TATTVASAMGRAHA, is valued largely for its detailed discussion of competing Buddhist and non-Buddhist schools of Indian philosophy, the MadhyamakālaMkāra, which was composed later, is regarded as the foundational text of the YOGĀCĀRA-MADHYAMAKA synthesis that occurred in late Indian Buddhism, what Tibetan doxographers would dub YOGĀCĀRA-SVĀTANTRIKA-MADHYAMAKA. sāntaraksita argues that the proper method for gaining realization of reality is to first come to the Yogācāra understanding that external objects do not exist and then move to the Madhyamaka view that mind also is empty of self. The MadhyamakālaMkāra famously states (at stanzas 92-93), "Through relying on mind-only, the nonexistence of external objects should be known. Relying on this [Madhyamaka] mode, it should be known that this [mind] also is completely selfless. Those who, having mounted the chariot of the two modes, grasp the reins of reasoning thereby attain the state of a Mahāyānist exactly as it is." sāntaraksita argues that anything that has intrinsic nature (SVABHĀVA) must be intrinsically either one or many. Whatever is neither intrinsically one nor many must lack intrinsic nature. He then goes on to subject a wide range of important philosophical categories to this reasoning in an effort to demonstrate that nothing is endowed with intrinsic nature. These categories include the conditioned (such as the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind), the unconditioned (NIRVĀnA), the person (PUDGALA) asserted by the VĀTSĪPUTRĪYAs, and space (ĀKĀsA). He continues on to apply this same reasoning to the major categories of consciousness of various Buddhist and non-Buddhist schools, focusing upon VAIBHĀsIKA, SAUTRĀNTIKA, and the various subschools of VIJNĀNAVĀDA. In the course of this section, he considers such important topics in Buddhist epistemology as whether or not the object casts an image or "aspect" (ĀKĀRA), toward the perceiving consciousness, and whether reflexivity (SVASAMVEDANA) exists. He concludes that consciousness lacks intrinsic nature (NIḤSVABHĀVA). Roughly the last third of the text is devoted to an exposition of the two truths (SATYADVAYA). He concludes by stating that the follower of the Buddha has compassion for those who hold mistaken philosophical views.
Madhyamaka. (T. Dbu ma pa; C. San lun zong/Zhongguan; J. Sanronshu/Chugan; K. Sam non chong/Chunggwan 三論/中). In Sanskrit, "Middle Way (school)"; a proponent or follower of the middle way" (MADHYAMAPRATIPAD); Buddhism is renowned as the middle way between extremes, a term that appears in the Buddha's first sermon (see P. DHAMMACAKKAPPAVATTANASUTTA) in which he prescribed a middle path between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. Thus, all proponents of Buddhism are in a sense proponents of the middle way, for each school of Buddhist philosophy identifies different versions of the two extremes and charts a middle way between them. The term Madhyamaka has however come to refer more specifically to the school of Buddhist philosophy that sets forth a middle way between the extreme of eternalism (sĀsVATADṚstI) and the extreme of annihilationism (UCCHEDADṚstI). The Madhyamaka school derives from the works of NĀGĀRJUNA, the c. second century CE philosopher who is traditionally regarded as its founder. His major philosophical works, especially his MuLAMADHYAMAKAKĀRIKĀ (a.k.a. MADHYAMAKAsĀSTRA), as well as the writings of his disciple ĀRYADEVA, provide the locus classicus for the school (which only seems to have been designated the Madhyamaka school after Āryadeva's time). Commentaries on their works (by such figures as BUDDHAPĀLITA, BHĀVAVIVEKA, and CANDRAKĪRTI) provide the primary medium for philosophical expression in the school. Madhyamaka was highly influential in Tibet, where it was traditionally considered the highest of the four schools of Indian Buddhist philosophy (Madhyamaka, YOGĀCĀRA, SAUTRĀNTIKA, and VAIBHĀsIKA). Tibetan exegetes discerned two branches in the Madhyamaka, the PRĀSAnGIKA (associated with Buddhapālita and Candrakīrti) and the SVĀTANTRIKA (associated with Bhāvaviveka and sĀNTARAKsITA). The works of Nāgārjuna and Āryadeva were also widely studied in East Asia, forming the basis of the "Three Treatises" school (C. SAN LUN ZONG; K. Sam non chong; J. Sanronshu), where the three treatises are the ZHONG LUN (the "Middle Treatise," or Madhyamakasāstra), the SHI'ERMEN LUN ("Twelve Gate Treatise," or *Dvādasamukhasāstra), and the BAI LUN ("Hundred Verses Treatise," *sATAsĀSTRA), the latter two attributed to Āryadeva. The Madhyamaka school is most renowned for its exposition of the nature of reality, especially its deployment of the doctrines of emptiness (suNYATĀ) and the two truths (SATYADVAYA). Because of its central claim that all phenomena are devoid or empty (sunya) of intrinsic existence (SVABHĀVA), its proponents are also referred to as suNYAVĀDA and Niḥsvabhāvavāda. The doctrine of emptiness has also led to the charge, going back to the time of Nāgārjuna and continuing into the contemporary era, that the Madhyamaka is a form of nihilism, a charge that Nāgārjuna himself deftly refuted. Central to Madhyamaka philosophy is the relation between emptiness and dependent origination (PRATĪTYASAMUTPĀDA). Dependent origination in its Madhyamaka interpretation refers not only to the twelvefold chain but more broadly to the fact that all phenomena arise in dependence on other factors. Hence, everything is dependent, and thus is empty of independent and intrinsic existence (NIḤSVABHĀVA). As Nāgārjuna states, "Because there are no phenomena that are not dependently arisen, there are no phenomena that are not empty." This analysis becomes key to the Madhyamaka articulation of the middle way: because everything is dependently arisen, the extreme of annihilation (UCCHEDĀNTA) is avoided; because everything is empty, the extreme of permanence (sĀSVATĀNTA) is avoided. Although most of the major schools of Buddhist philosophy speaks of the two truths-the ultimate truth (PARAMĀRTHASATYA) and the conventional truth (SAMVṚTISATYA)-this category is especially important for Madhyamaka, which must simultaneously proclaim the emptiness of all phenomena (the ultimate truth) while describing the operations of the world of cause and effect and the processes governing the path to enlightenment (all of which are deemed conventional truths). Although the true character of conventional truth is misperceived as a result of ignorance (AVIDYĀ), conventional truths themselves are not rejected; as Nāgārjuna states, "Without relying on the conventional, the ultimate cannot be taught; without understanding the ultimate, NIRVĀnA is not attained." The precise nature of the two truths and their relation is explored in detail in the Madhyamaka treatises, most famously in the sixth chapter of Candrakīrti's MADHYAMAKĀVATĀRA. Although most renowned for its doctrine of emptiness, Madhyamaka is a MAHĀYĀNA school and, as such, also offers detailed expositions of the path (MĀRGA) to the enlightenment. These works that focus on soteriological issues include the SUHṚLLEKHA and RATNĀVALĪ of Nāgārjuna, the CATUḤsATAKA of Āryadeva, the MADHYAMAKĀVATĀRA of Candrakīrti, the BODHICARYĀVATĀRA of sĀNTIDEVA, the BHĀVANĀKRAMA of KAMALAsĪLA, and the BODHIPATHAPRADĪPA of ATIsA DĪPAMKARAsRĪJNĀNA.
major axis: The longer axis of an ellipse, passing through its focus.
Makiguchi Tsunesaburo. (牧口常三郎) (1871-1944). Founder of SoKA GAKKAI, a modern Japanese lay movement. Makiguchi was born in a small village in Niigata prefecture. Until 1928, he pursued a career as an educator and writer, serving as a teacher or a principal in several schools, and publishing articles on his educational philosophy, which focused on developing the creativity and personal experience of his students. Perhaps because of such personal misfortunes as the loss of four of his five children, Makiguchi converted in 1928 to NICHIREN SHoSHu, an offshoot of Nichiren Buddhism, after finding that its teachings resonated with his own ideas about engendering social and religious values. Together with his disciple Toda Josei (1900-1958), Makiguchi founded in 1930 the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (Creating Educational Values), a lay organization under the umbrella of the Nichiren Shoshu, which focused on publicizing his pedagogical ideas, and led its first general meeting. The society subsequently began to take on a decidedly religious character, focusing on missionary work for Nichiren Shoshu. As the Pacific War expanded, Makiguchi and his followers refused to cooperate with state-enforced SHINTo practices, leading to a rift between them and TAISEKIJI, the head monastery of Nichiren Shoshu. As a result, Makiguchi was arrested in 1943 on charges of lèse-majesté and violations of the Public Order Act, and died in prison one year later. After Makiguchi's disciple Toda Josei was released from prison in July 1945, he took charge of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai organization and renamed it Soka Gakkai in 1946, developing it into one of the largest lay Buddhist organizations in Japan.
Mantra ::: A syllable, word, phrase, or even onomatopoeia repeated as part of a spiritual practice. Can be an object of focus in its own right or designed to induce a trance. Does not need to be spoken aloud but is usually most powerful done so.
meditation ::: Meditation The practice of inner focus which renders an advanced state of awareness. It includes a variety of techniques for some individuals that may or may not incorporate spirituality which can calm and soothe as well as provide insight.
meditation: refers to techniques that focus the mind and promote a state of calmness so that the mind and body can be brought into greater harmony to facilitate health and healing.
memoir: An autobiographical sketch, which focuses less on the author's personal life or psychological development, but more on the notable people and events the author has encountered or witnessed. The aim of a memoir, unlike a diary, is to be eventually published.
Mental Projection ::: The ability to firmly focus one's awareness at the level of the Mental Plane and to slip between and amongst the forms that characterize this level. Through practice this allows for exploring the realm of symbolic archetypes and raw information to the extent that the human mind can lucidly and persistently form structures around such ideas. See also Mental Plane.
Metta ::: Also "Loving-Kindness Meditation". A type of meditative practice that focuses on the quality of love and acceptance in relation to self and others. Metta can be a combination of samatha and insight practice and is traditionally focused around the Anahata Chakra and loosening the boundaries and fetters of self-identity.
micrometer ::: n. --> An instrument, used with a telescope or microscope, for measuring minute distances, or the apparent diameters of objects which subtend minute angles. The measurement given directly is that of the image of the object formed at the focus of the object glass.
Midrash ::: (pl. midrashim). From darash, "to inquire," whence it comes to mean “exposition” (of scripture). Refers to the “commentary” literature developed in classical Judaism that attempts to interpret Jewish scriptures in a thorough manner. Literary Midrash may focus either on halaka, directing the Jew to specific patterns of religious practice, or on (h)aggada, dealing with theological ideas, ethical teachings, popular philosophy, imaginative exposition, legend, allegory, animal fables—that is, whatever is not halaka.
mikkyo. (密教). In Japanese, lit. "esoteric teachings"; often translated as "esoteric Buddhism." The term mikkyo is used collectively today to refer to a large body of texts, liturgies, implements, and rituals that were imported from China to Japan during the Heian period (794-1185) by influential Japanese monk-pilgrims in the Japanese TENDAISHu and SHINGONSHu traditions. These new teachings and objects in turn were largely, but not exclusively, based on the teachings of late medieval Indian Buddhism (see TANTRA and VAJRAYĀNA) that had reached Central Asia and China. SAICHo (762-822) and KuKAI (774-835) played the most notable roles in introducing esoteric Buddhism to the Japanese isles. Their trips to Tangdynasty China (618-907) coincided with the height of esoteric practice on the continent. While Saicho's brief voyage to China in 804 focused on TIANTAI practice, he also learned a limited number of MANTRA practices toward the end of his stay, which he introduced to Japan. In 806, KuKAI returned from a three-year stay in the Tang capital of Chang'an, bringing back with him the extensive training he had received in esoteric Buddhism from the prominent tantric master HUIGUO (746-805), as well as a large collection of esoteric texts and MAndALAs. In the following years, Saicho and Kukai's esoteric rituals quickly gained favor with the Japanese court, gradually becoming dominant among the political elite over the course of the Heian period. Alongside Kukai's Shingon school of mikkyo (known as ToMITSU), Tendai Buddhism increasingly developed its own set of tantric practices (known as TAIMITSU) under such successors of Saicho as ENNIN (794-864), ENCHIN (814-891), and ANNEN (b. 841). These practices were further adopted by the Nara Buddhist institutions and heavily influenced the growth and development of SHUGENDo. Many local cultic practices, now collectively referred to as SHINTo, also incorporated esoteric rituals. The primary deity of worship in mikkyo is the universal buddha MAHĀVAIROCANA. Concrete goals of esoteric practice included maintaining power, attaining good fortune, warding off evil, and becoming a buddha in one's very body (SOKUSHIN JoBUTSU). Common ritual implements included mandalas (see KONGoKAI and TAIZoKAI); icons, sometimes hidden, that were presented in the ritual hall (see HIBUTSU); and various ritual objects such as wands, bells, and the VAJRA.
Mi la ras pa'i rnam thar. (Milarepe Namtar). In Tibetan, "Life of Milarepa"; an account of the celebrated eleventh-century Tibetan yogin MI LA RAS PA. While numerous early Tibetan versions of the life story exist, including several that may date from his lifetime, the best-known account was composed in 1488 by GTSANG SMYON HERUKA, the so-called mad YOGIN of Tsang, based upon numerous earlier works. Its narrative focuses on Mi la ras pa's early wrongdoings, his subsequent training and meditation, and eventual death. It is a companion to the MI LA'I MGUR 'BUM ("The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa"), also arranged and printed by Gtsang smyon Heruka, which records Milarepa's later teaching career through a compilation of his religious instruction and songs of realization. Gtsang smyon Heruka's version of the Mi la ras pa'i rnam thar is known and read throughout the Tibetan Buddhist cultural world and is widely accepted as a great literary achievement by Tibetans and Western scholars alike. The account of Milarepa's life profoundly affected the development of sacred biography in Tibet, a prominent genre in Tibetan Buddhist culture, and has influenced the way in which Tibet's Buddhism and culture have been understood in the West.
Mishnah (&
Modernist ::: A general term used in discussions of religion to indicate the perspective that focuses on modern applicability of religious principles. See also liberal, conservative.
Mohe zhiguan. (J. Makashikan; K. Maha chigwan 摩訶止觀). In Chinese, "The Great Calming and Contemplation"; a comprehensive treatise on soteriological theory and meditation according to the TIANTAI ZONG; attributed to TIANTAI ZHIYI (538-597). The Mohe zhiguan is based on a series of lectures Zhiyi delivered in 594, which were transcribed and edited by his disciple GUANDING. Zhi (lit. "stopping") is the Chinese translation for sAMATHA (calmness, serenity) and guan (lit. "observation") is the Chinese for VIPAsYANĀ (insight); the work as a whole seeks to establish a proper balance between meditative practice and philosophical insight. Zhi and guan practice are treated in three different ways in this treatise. Zhi in its denotation of "stopping" means calming the mind so that it is not buffeted by distracting thoughts; fixing the mind so that it stays focused on the present; and recognizing that distraction and concentration are both manifestations of a unitary, nondual reality. Guan in its denotation of "observation" means to illuminate the illusory nature of thought so that distractions are brought to an end; to have insight into the suchness (TATHATĀ) that is the ultimate nature of all phenomena in the universe; and to recognize that in suchness both insight and noninsight ultimately are identical. The original text of the Mohe zhiguan consists of ten chapters, but only the titles of the last three chapters survive. The last extant chapter, Chapter 7 on "Proper Contemplation," comprises approximately half of the entire treatise and, as the title suggests, provides a detailed description of the ten modes of contemplation and the ten spheres of contemplation. The first of the ten spheres of contemplation is called "the realm of the inconceivable" (S. ACINTYA). In his discussion of this realm in the first part of the fifth roll, Zhiyi covers one of the most famous of Tiantai doctrines: "the TRICHILIOCOSM in a single instant of thought" (YINIAN SANQIAN), which Zhiyi frames here as the "the trichiliocosm contained in the mind during an instant of thought" (sanqian zai yinian xin), viz., that any given thought-moment perfectly encompasses all reality, both temporally and spatially. By emphatically noting the "inconceivable" ability of the mind to contain the trichiliocosm, Zhiyi sought to emphasize the importance and mystery of the mind during the practice of meditation. This chapter, however, remains incomplete. The work also offers an influential presentation of the "four SAMĀDHIs," that is, the samādhis of constant sitting, constant walking, both sitting and walking, and neither sitting nor walking. Along with Zhiyi's FAHUA XUANYI and FAHUA WENJU, the Mohe zhiguan is considered to be one of the three most important treatises in the Tiantai tradition and is regarded as Zhiyi's magnum opus. The Tiantai monk ZHANRAN's MOHE ZHIGUAN FUXING ZHUANHONG JUE is considered to be the most authoritative commentary on the Mohe zhiguan.
Monkey Mind ::: The state of awareness characterized by habitual thought loops, incessant chatter, and an inability to believe one can focus. This is, quite sadly, the default mode for most people and takes time and meditative effort to learn to control.
Mossad ::: (Heb. Hamossad Le’mode’in U’le’tafkidim Meyuchadim) The Israeli government's intelligence agency. Like the CIA, it uses agents to collect intelligence, conduct covert operations and counterterrorism. Its primary focus is on terrorist organizations and the Arab nations.
Mubarak Plan (1989) ::: In 1989, Mubarak came up with a new plan to get Israel and the PLO to negotiate peace. The new plan focused on the Palestinian elections and required Israel to accept the outcome and freeze settlement activities and entering the West Bank and Gaza Strip on election day. Arafat accepted the plan and Israel rejected it.
multimodal therapy: a cognitive behavioural therapy developed by Lazarus, which aims to consider all aspects of a disorder. To be effective, seven different dimensions, represented by BASIC IB?(behavior, affects, sensations, images, cognitions, interpersonal relationships, and biological functioning) must be focused on and treated.
Myoe Koben. (明慧高弁) (1173-1232). A Japanese SHINGONSHu monk who sought to revitalize the Kegonshu (C. HUAYAN ZONG) in Japan; commonly known as Myoe Shonin. Koben promoted traditional Buddhist values over the newer approaches of so-called Kamakura Buddhism. Against the prevailing tide of belief that the world was in terminal decline (J. mappo; C.MOFA), he took a positive stance on Buddhist practice by arguing that salvation could still be attained through traditional means. Koben was born in Kii province (present-day Wakayama Prefecture) and orphaned at the age of eight when both parents died in separate incidents. He went to live under the care of his maternal uncle Jogaku Gyoji, a Shingon monk at Jingoji on Mt. Takao, northwest of Kyoto. In 1188, at the age of sixteen, he was ordained by Jogaku at ToDAIJI. He took the ordination name Joben and later adopted the name Koben. After ordination, he studied Shingon, Kegon, and esoteric Buddhism (MIKKYo) at one of Todaiji's subtemples, Sonshoin. Koben tried twice to travel on pilgrimage to India, first in the winter of 1202-1203 and second in the spring of 1205, but was unsuccessful. On his first trip, Kasuga, a spirit (KAMI) associated with the Fujiwara family shrine in Nara, is said to have possessed the wife of Koben's uncle, Yuasa Munemitsu, and insisted that Koben not leave Japan. In the second attempt, he fell ill before he set out on his trip. In both instances, Koben believed that the Kasuga deity was warning him not to go, and he consequently abandoned his plans. These portents were supported by Fujiwara opposition to his voyage. In 1206, the retired emperor Gotoba gave Koben a plot of land in Toganoo. Gotoba designated the temple there as Kegon, renamed it Kozanji, and requested that Koben revive the study of Kegon doctrine. A year later, Gotoba appointed him headmaster of Sonshoin with the hope of further expanding Koben's promotion of the Kegon school. Despite this generous attention, Koben focused little of his efforts on this mission. He initially built a hermitage for himself at Toganoo, and it was not until 1219 that he constructed the Golden Hall at Kozanji. Koben dismissed the newer schools of Buddhism in his day, particularly HoNEN's (1122-1212) reinterpretation of pure land practice in the JoDOSHu. In 1212, he denounced Honen's nenbutsu (C. NIANFO) practice in Zaijarin ("Refuting the False Vehicle"), a response to Honen's earlier work, Senchaku hongan nenbutsu shu ("Anthology of Selections on the Nenbutsu and the Original Vow"; see SENCHAKUSHu). In contrast to the Jodoshu's exclusive advocacy of the single practice of reciting the Buddha's name, Koben defended the traditional argument that there were many valid methods for reaching salvation. Koben spent the last several decades of his life experimenting with ways to make Kegon doctrine accessible to a wider audience. In the end, however, his efforts were largely unsuccessful. He was unable to garner popular support, and his disciples never founded institutionally independent schools, as did the disciples of the other teachers of Kamakura Buddhism. Koben was fascinated by his dreams and recorded many of them in a well-known text known as the Yume no ki, or "Dream Diary." Like most Japanese of his day, Koben regarded many of these dreams to be portents coming directly from the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and gods.
myopia ::: n. --> Nearsightedness; shortsightedness; a condition of the eye in which the rays from distant object are brought to a focus before they reach the retina, and hence form an indistinct image; while the rays from very near objects are normally converged so as to produce a distinct image. It is corrected by the use of a concave lens.
Mystery Schools Adopted in theosophical literature from Classical writings, to designate centers which were consecrated to the teaching of the truths of cosmic Being to those who were found fit and ready for their reception; and this body of teaching or instruction and training is imbodied in the ancient wisdom which is the heritage of humanity. This wisdom was originally given to mankind during the infancy of the human race by celestial teachers. “The mysteries of Heaven and Earth, revealed to the Third Race by their celestial teachers in the days of their purity, became a great focus of light, the rays from which became necessarily weakened as they were diffused and shed upon an uncongenial, because too material soil. With the masses they degenerated into Sorcery, taking later on the shape of exoteric religions, of idolatry full of superstitions, and man-, or hero-worship” (SD 2:281).
n. 1. The point, axis, or pivot about which a body rotates. 2. A point, area, or part that is approximately in the middle of a larger area or volume. 3. A person or thing that is a focus of interest or attention. 4. A point of origin. centre"s, centres. v. 5. To focus or bring together. 6. To move towards, mark, put, or be concentrated at or as at a centre. 7. centred. Brought together to a centre, concentrated.
Nara Buddhism, Six Schools of. A traditional grouping of six major scholastic schools of Japanese Buddhism active during the Nara period (710-794 CE): (1) Sanronshu (see SAN LUN ZONG), an East Asian counterpart of the MADHYAMAKA school; (2) Kegonshu (see HUAYAN ZONG), an East Asian exegetical tradition focused on the AVATAMSAKASuTRA; (3) RISSHu, or VINAYA exegesis; (4) Jojitsushu (see CHENGSHI LUN) the TATTVASIDDHI exegetical tradition; (5) Hossoshu (see FAXIANG ZONG), an East Asian strand of YOGĀCĀRA; and (6) Kushashu, focused on ABHIDHARMA exegesis using the ABHIDHARMAKOsABHĀsYA. These six schools are presumed to have been founded during the initial phase of Buddhism's introduction into Japan, between c. 552 and the end of the Nara period in 794. These learned schools were eventually supplanted by the practice and meditative schools of TENDAISHu and SHINGONSHu, which were introduced during the succeeding Heian period (794-1185), and the later schools of the ZENSHu, the pure land schools of JoDOSHu and JoDO SHINSHu, and NICHIRENSHu of the Kamakura period (1185-1333).
nat. In Burmese, a generic term for a "spirit" or "god." Burmese (Myanmar) lore posits the existence of numerous species of nats, of both indigenous and Indian origin. Nats can range in temperament from benign to malevolent, including those who are potentially helpful but dangerous if offended. The most generally benevolent species of nats are the divinities (DEVA) of the Indian pantheon. This group includes such gods as Thakya Min (sAKRA) and Byama (BRAHMĀ). Nats of Indian origin are typically looked upon as servants of the Buddhist religion, which is how they are depicted in Burmese Pāli literature. Indigenous nats in the form of nature spirits are thought to occupy trees, hills, streams, and other natural sites, and may cause harm if disturbed. The guardian spirits of villages and of the home are also classified as nats. Certain nats guard medicinal herbs and certain minerals, and, when properly handled, aid alchemists in their search for elixirs and potions. One species of nat, the oktazaung, are ghosts who have been forced to act as guardians of pagoda treasures. These unhappy spirits are thought to be extremely dangerous and to bring calamity upon those who attempt to rob pagodas or encroach upon pagoda lands. The best-known group of nats is the "thirty-seven nats" of the Burmese national pantheon. For centuries, they have been the focus of a royal cult of spirit propitiation; the worship of national nats is attested as early as the eleventh century CE at PAGAN (Bagan). At the head of the pantheon is Thakya Min, but the remaining are all spirits of deceased humans who died untimely or violent deaths, mostly at the hands of Burmese monarchs. The number thirty-seven has remained fixed over the centuries, although many of the members of the pantheon have been periodically replaced. One of the nats who has maintained his position is Mahagiri Min, lord of the nat pantheon, occupying a position just beneath Thakya Min. Mahagiri dwells atop Mount Poppa and is also worshipped as the household nat in most Burmese homes. An annual nat festival of national importance is held in August at the village of Taungbyon near Mandalay. The festival is held in honor of Shwepyingyi and Shwepyinnge, two Muslim brothers who became nats as a consequence of being executed by King Kyanzittha of Pagan (r. 1084-1112) who feared their supernormal strength.
Neo-Confucianism developed in three phases, namely the Reason school in the Sung period (960-1279), the Mind school in the Ming period (1388-1644) and the Moral-Law school in the Ch-ing period (1644-1911). The central idea of the movement is focused on the Great Ultimate (T'ai Chi) and Reason (li). The Great Ultimate moves and generates the active principle, yang, when its activity reaches its limit, and engenders the passive principle, yin, when it becomes tranquil. The eternal oscillation of yin and yang gives rise to the material universe through their Five Agents of Water, Fire, Wood, Metal and Earth. Thus, reality is a progressively evolved and a well-coordinated system.
Nichiren Shoshu. (日蓮正宗). In Japanese, "Orthodox School of Nichiren"; one of the principal Japanese Buddhist schools based on the teachings of NICHIREN (1222-1282). Nichiren Shoshu is descended from Nichiren through Nichiko (1246-1332), the alleged sole heir of Nichiren among his six chief disciples. Nichiko was a loyal student and archivist of Nichiren's writings, who established in 1290 what was then called the Fuji school at TAISEKIJI, a monastery on Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka prefecture. Nichiko's school later divided into eight subbranches, known collectively as the Fuji Monryu (Fuji schools) or Nichiko Monryu (Nichiko schools). The monk Nichikan (1665-1726), a noted commentator and teacher, was instrumental in resurrecting the observance of Nichiren's teachings at Taisekiji. He was also the person who systematized and established many of the innovative features of the school, particularly the school's unique view that Nichiren was the Buddha (see below). The eight associated temples that remained in the Fuji school reunited in 1876 as the Komon sect, later adopting a new name, the Honmon. However, in 1899, Taisekiji split from the other temples and established an independent sect, renaming itself Nichiren Shoshu in 1912. In 1930, MAKIGUCHI TSUNESABURO and Toda Josei established the SoKA GAKKAI (then called Soka Kyoiku Gakkai), a lay organization for the promotion of Nichiren Shoshu thought, but quickly ran afoul of the Japanese government's promotion of the cult of state Shintoism. Makiguchi refused to comply with government promulgation of Shinto worship and was imprisoned for violating the Peace Preservation Law; he died in prison in 1944. Toda was eventually released, and he devoted himself after World War II to promoting Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu, which at that time were closely connected. The two groups acrimoniously separated in 1991, Nichiren Shoshu accusing Soka Gakkai of forming a personality cult around their leader IKEDA DAISAKU (b. 1928) and of improper modifications of Nichiren practice; Soka Gakkai accusing the Nichiren Shoshu leader Abe Nikken of trying to dominate both organizations. The two groups now operate independently. Nichiren Shoshu has grown to over seven hundreds temples in Japan, as well as a few temples in foreign countries. Nichiren Shoshu distinguishes itself from the other Nichiren schools by its unique view of the person of Nichiren: it regards the founder as the true buddha in this current degenerate age of the dharma (J. mappo; C. MOFA), a buddha whom sĀKYAMUNI promised his followers would appear two thousand years in the future; therefore, they refer to Nichiren as daishonin, or great sage. Other Nichiren schools instead regard the founder as the reincarnation of Jogyo Bosatsu (the BODHISATTVA VIsIstACĀRITRA). Nichiren Shoshu's claim to orthodoxy is based on two documents, not recognized by other Nichiren schools, in which Nichiren claims to transfer his dharma to Nichiko, viz., the Minobu sojosho ("Minobu Transfer Document") and the Ikegami sojosho ("Ikegami Transfer Document"), which are believed to have been written in 1282 by Nichiren, the first at Minobu and the second on the day of his death at Ikegami. Nichiren Shoshu practice is focused on the dai-gohonzon mandala, the ultimate object of devotion in the school, which Nichiren created. The DAI-GOHONZON (great object of devotion), a MAndALA (here, a cosmological chart) inscribed by Nichiren in 1279, includes the DAIMOKU (lit., "title"), viz., the phrase "NAMU MYoHoRENGEKYo" (Homage to the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA), which is considered to be the embodiment of Nichiren's enlightenment and the ultimate reason for his advent in this world. The gohonzon is placed in a shrine or on a simple altar in the homes of devotees of the sect. This veneration of the gohonzon to the exclusion of all other deities and images of the Buddha distinguishes Nichiren Shoshu from other Nichiren schools. The school interprets the three jewels (RATNATRAYA) of the Buddha, DHARMA, and SAMGHA to refer, respectively, to Nichiren (the buddha); to namu Myohorengekyo and the gohonzon (the dharma); and to his successor Nichiko (the saMgha). By contrast, other Nichiren schools generally consider sākyamuni to be the Buddha and Nichiren the saMgha, and do not include the gohonzon in the dharma, since they question its authenticity. All schools of Nichiren thought accept Nichiren's acknowledgment of the buddhahood that is latent in all creatures and the ability of all human beings of any class to achieve buddhahood in this lifetime.
Nirira Namastaka The ability of a high adept to produce from within his focus of consciousness or to exteriorize from it a substitute on a lower plane, which thereafter functions in all respects as would the full inner spiritual person were he present in the vehicle in which the substitute is acting. It is the same power but on a higher plane which enables the adept to transfer his mayavi-rupa to different parts of the earth, and to act in it; a power which in Tibetan is called hpho-wa.
Niwano Nikkyo. (庭野日敬) (1906-1999). Cofounder of RISSHo KoSEIKAI, a Japanese lay Buddhist organization that was an offshoot of REIYuKAI and was strongly influenced by NICHIRENSHu doctrine. Niwano was born into a poor family in a small town in Nigata prefecture in northern Japan. After going to work in Tokyo in 1923, Niwano led a typical working-class life, running such small businesses as rice, charcoal, and Japanese-pickle shops, while also showing an intense interest in astrology, numerology, and divination. Niwano became an ardent adherent of Reiyukai in 1934, when his nine-month-old daughter recovered from a serious illness after he followed the organization's practice of ancestor worship. Niwano soon became a leading evangelist for Reiyukai, recruiting many new followers, one of whom was NAGANUMA MYoKo (1899-1957). In 1938, Niwano and Naganuma left Reiyukai and cofounded Rissho Koseikai, together with about thirty other followers. According to Niwano, the group seceded because of Reiyukai's overemphasis on the miraculous benefit, rather than the teachings, of the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA ("Lotus Sutra"), although others say that the split occurred because the leader of Reiyukai publicly criticized Niwano's interest in divination. After establishing the organization, Naganuma served as a spirit medium, while Niwano focused on teaching and administration. After Naganuma's death in 1957, Niwano became the president of the million-member organization and declared the end of the organization's first era of "skillful means" (J. hoben; S. UPĀYAKAUsALYA), which had been characterized by spirit mediumship and divine instructions, and the dawn of a new era of "manifesting the truth" (shinjitsu kengen). Niwano affirmed that henceforth the central objects of the organization's faith would be the Saddharmapundarīkasutra and sĀKYAMUNI Buddha, which were eternal and universal. Based on his understanding of the sutra, Niwano emphasized the spiritual development of individuals along the BODHISATTVA path, whose salvific efforts should be dedicated not just to one's own family and ancestors, but also to Japanese society and the world at large. Niwano also dedicated himself to promoting world peace through interreligious cooperation, one example of which was the establishment of the Niwano Peace Foundation in 1978. Niwano resigned from the presidency of Rissho Koseikai in 1991 and was succeeded by his eldest son Niwano Nichiko (b. 1938).
novel: Generally speaking a novel is any extended fictional prose narrative that focuses on a few crucial characters but often involves scores of secondary characters. The novel can cover any subject from any view point. Within English there are a few contenders for the first 'true novel': Bunyan's Pilgrims's progress,Defoe's Robinson Crusoe or Moll Flanders. After the birth of the novel in the 18th century, the 19th century saw a rise in the production of the novel, with the advent of novelists such as Austen and the Bronte sisters.
Novell, Inc. ::: (company, networking) A software development company specialising in networking and workgroup applications.Novell started life as Novell Data Systems, a computer hardware business. The company was reorganised as Novell, Inc., and began to focus almost entirely on networking in 1983, with the release of Novell Netware 1, a Network Operating System for IBM PCs.Novell Netware's success has left Novell in a dominant position in the networking market. The product has evolved and now supports many hardware and software platforms together with WAN connectivity.The company has diversified in recent years, with the acquisition of several mainstream applications, including Wordperfect and Quattro Pro. Other products include UnixWare, AppWare, Personal NetWare, Groupwise and Novell Dos 7. .(21 Sept 1995)
Novell, Inc. "company, networking" A {software} development company specialising in {network}ing and {workgroup} applications. {Novell} started life as {Novell Data Systems}, a computer hardware business. The company was reorganised as Novell, Inc., and began to focus almost entirely on networking in 1983, with the release of {Novell Netware} 1, a {Network Operating System} for {IBM PCs}. {Novell Netware}'s success has left Novell in a dominant position in the {network}ing market. The product has evolved and now supports many {hardware} and {software} {platforms} together with {WAN} connectivity. The company has diversified in recent years, with the acquisition of several mainstream applications, including {Wordperfect} and {Quattro} Pro. Other products include {UnixWare}, {AppWare}, {Personal NetWare}, {Groupwise} and {Novell Dos 7}. {(http://novell.com/)}. (21 Sept 1995)
Nyāyabindu. (T. Rigs pa'i thigs pa). In Sanskrit, "Drop of Reasoning," one of the seven treatises of the great seventh-century logician DHARMAKĪRTI. This text summarizes Dharmakīrti's positions on topics set forth at greater length in his most important work, the PRAMĀnAVĀRTTIKA, focusing upon the two forms of valid knowledge (PRAMĀnA): direct perception (PRATYAKsA) and inference (ANUMĀNA). The work is divided into three chapters, with the first chapter dealing with direct perception (pratyaksa), that is, valid knowledge gained through the sense consciousnesses (and the mental consciousness) without mediation by thought. The second chapter deals with "inference for one's own purposes" (SVĀRTHĀNUMĀNA), the process by which thought arrives at a valid judgment. The third chapter deals with "inference for the purpose of others" (PARĀRTHĀNUMĀNA), the statement of syllogisms to an opponent in a debate. Among the several commentaries to the text, the most important is that by DHARMOTTARA.
Obermiller, Eugène. (1901-1935). Noted Russian scholar of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, born in St. Petersburg to a family devoted to music and the arts. He studied English, French, and German as a youth and was planning to become a musician. However, when he was eighteen years of age, he was stricken by syringomyelia, a disease of the spinal cord, which deprived him of the full use of his hands and fingers. After the Russian Revolution, he attended FYODOR IPPOLITOVICH STCHERBATSKY's lectures on Sanskrit at the University of Petrograd (later Leningrad and St. Petersburg) and studied Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Mongolian. He became Stcherbatsky's student, preparing Sanskrit-Tibetan and Tibetan-Sanskrit indexes to the NYĀYABINDU and assisting him in editing the Tibetan text of the ABHIDHARMAKOsABHĀsYA. Obermiller spent a great deal of time in Buryatia in the Transbaikal, studying at Mongolian monasteries of the DGE LUGS PA tradition, where he learned to speak Tibetan. In working closely with learned Buddhist monks, Obermiller anticipated what would become a common model of scholarship after the Tibetan diaspora that began in 1959. In 1928, Stcherbatsky formed the Institute of Buddhist Culture (later to become part of the Institute of Oriental Studies), and Obermiller was appointed as a research scholar. In 1929, the two colleagues published an edition of the ABHISAMAYĀLAMKĀRA. Obermiller continued to suffer from syringomyelia throughout this period. By the age of thirty, he had become incapacitated to the point that he was not able to write and died four years later. Despite his debilitating illness, during his last years, he remained committed to his scholarship and published a number of pioneering translations, including BU STON's "History of Buddhism" (BU STON CHOS 'BYUNG) and the RATNAGOTRAVIBHĀGA (Uttaratantra) in 1932. In his articles (several of which have been republished), he focused especially on the PRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀ exegetical literature, relying largely on Dge lugs expositions.
Oberon "language" A {strongly typed} {procedural} programming language and an operating environment evolved from {Modula-2} by {Nicklaus Wirth} in 1988. Oberon adds type extension ({inheritance}), extensible record types, multidimensional open arrays, and {garbage collection}. It eliminates {variant records}, {enumeration types}, {subranges}, lower array indices and {for loops}. A successor called Oberon-2 by H. Moessenboeck features a handful of extensions to Oberon including type-bound procedures ({methods}). Seneca is a variant of Oberon focussing on numerical programming under development by R. Griesemer in April 1993 (to be renamed). See also {Ceres workstation Oberon System}. {(http://oberon.ethz.ch)}. {(http://math.tau.ac.il/~laden/Oberon.html)}. {Free ETH Oberon (ftp://ftp.inf.ethz.ch/pub/Oberon)}. {MS-DOS (ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/mirrors/msdos/pgmutl/)}. {Amiga (ftp://ftp.cso.uiuc.edu/pub/amiga/fish/ff380)}. ["The Programming Language Oberon", N. Wirth, Soft Prac & Exp 18(7):671-690 July 1988]. ["Programming in Oberon: Steps Beyond Pascal and Modula", M. Reiser & N. Wirth, A-W 1992]. ["Project Oberon: the design of an operating system and compiler", N. Wirth & J. Gutknecht, ACM Press 1992]. ["The Oberon Companion: A Guide to Using and Programming Oberon System 3", André Fischer, Hannes Marais, vdf Verlag der Fachhochschulen, Zurich, 1997, ISBN 3-7281-2493-1. Includes CD-ROM for Windows, Linux, Macintosh and PC Native]. (1998-03-14)
Oberon ::: (language) A strongly typed procedural programming language and an operating environment evolved from Modula-2 by Nicklaus Wirth in 1988. Oberon open arrays, and garbage collection. It eliminates variant records, enumeration types, subranges, lower array indices and for loops.A successor called Oberon-2 by H. Moessenboeck features a handful of extensions to Oberon including type-bound procedures (methods).Seneca is a variant of Oberon focussing on numerical programming under development by R. Griesemer in April 1993 (to be renamed).See also Ceres workstation Oberon System. . . .[The Programming Language Oberon, N. Wirth, Soft Prac & Exp 18(7):671-690 July 1988].[Programming in Oberon: Steps Beyond Pascal and Modula, M. Reiser & N. Wirth, A-W 1992].[Project Oberon: the design of an operating system and compiler, N. Wirth & J. Gutknecht, ACM Press 1992].[The Oberon Companion: A Guide to Using and Programming Oberon System 3, Andr� Fischer, Hannes Marais, vdf Verlag der Fachhochschulen, Zurich, 1997, ISBN 3-7281-2493-1. Includes CD-ROM for Windows, Linux, Macintosh and PC Native]. (1998-03-14)
object ::: n. 1. Anything that is visible or tangible and that is relatively stable in form. 2. A focus of attention, feeling, thought, or action. objects.
Occult Sciences ::: In referencing the occult, we are referring to a side of reality that is hidden from both the general populace and from the mundane mind. Etymologically, even, "occult" finds its roots in the Latin for "to conceal". Although there can be religiously-colored connotations of the occult as demonic or unsavory, this is highly paradigm-dependent and almost always false. Here we use the term "occult sciences" to refer to the science of studying those hidden aspects of reality which remain less explored than traditional subjects in the natural sciences but which are far more important in understanding consciousness and cosmology. The main long-term focus of this site is on advancing the occult sciences and in reconciling those with the conventional sciences.
occupational psychology: branch of psychology that focuses on human beings in the workplace, including job satisfaction, leadership, selection and recruitment of staff and the effect of different working conditions upon performance.
optimism What a programmer is full of after fixing the last bug and just before actually discovering the *next* last bug. Fred Brooks's book "{The Mythical Man-Month}" contains the following paragraph that describes this extremely well. All programmers are optimists. Perhaps this modern sorcery especially attracts those who believe in happy endings and fairy god-mothers. Perhaps the hundreds of nitty frustrations drive away all but those who habitually focus on the end goal. Perhaps it is merely that computers are young, programmers are younger, and the young are always optimists. But however the selection process works, the result is indisputable: "This time it will surely run," or "I just found the last bug.". See also {Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology}. [{Jargon File}]
Oral Stage ::: Freud&
Our visible sun, though the center of its system, is not the father of the planets but their “co-uterine brother,” one of the “eight sons of Aditi.” It is not the creator of the fohatic forces, but their radiating focus. Nor is it an incandescent and cooling body; it is nature’s great laboratory of intelligently vital and electromagnetic forces for our system. “The Sun is the heart of the Solar World (System) and its brain is hidden behind the (visible) Sun. From thence, sensation is radiated into every nerve-centre of the great body, and the waves of the life-essence flow into each artery and vein. . . . The planets are its limbs and pulses” (SD 1:541). Physiologically, the sun pulsates life through the solar system, in connection with the 11 and 22 year sunspot phenomena — the solar spots being due to the contraction of the solar heart.
Ouyi Zhixu. (J. Goyaku/Guyaku Chigyoku; K. Uik Chiuk 益智旭) (1599-1655). One of the four eminent monks (si da gaoseng) of the late-Ming dynasty, along with YUNQI ZHUHONG (1535-1615), HANSHAN DEQING (1546-1623), and DAGUAN ZHENKE (1543-1604); renowned for his mastery of a wide swath of Confucian and Buddhist teachings, particularly those associated with the TIANTAI, PURE LAND, and CHAN traditions. In his youth, he studied Confucianism and despised Buddhism, even writing anti-Buddhist tracts. He had a change of heart at the age of seventeen, after reading some of Zhuhong's writings, and burned his previous screeds. According to his autobiography, Zhixu had his first "great awakening" at the age of nineteen while reading the line in the Lunyu ("Confucian Analects") that "the whole world will submit to benevolence" if one restrains oneself and returns to ritual. After his father's death that same year, he fully committed himself to Buddhism, reading sutras and performing recollection of the Buddha's name (NIANFO) until he finally was ordained under the guidance of Xueling (d.u.), a disciple of Hanshan Deqing, at the age of twenty-four. At that time, he began to read extensively in YOGĀCĀRA materials and had another great awakening through Chan meditation, in which he experienced body, mind, and the outer world suddenly disappearing. He next turned his attention to the bodhisattva precepts and the study of vinaya. Following his mother's death when he was twenty-seven, Zhixu rededicated himself to Chan meditation, but after a serious illness he turned to pure land teachings. In his early thirties, he devoted himself to the study of Tiantai materials, through which he attempted to integrate his previous research in Buddhism and began to write commentaries and treaties on Buddhist scriptures and on such Confucian classics as the Zhouyi ("Book of Changes"). In the late-sixteenth century, Jesuit missionaries such as Michele Ruggieri (1543-1607) and Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) had reintroduced Christianity to China and sought "to complement Confucianism and to replace Buddhism." This emerging religious challenge led Zhixu to publish his Bixie ji ("Collected Essays Refuting Heterodoxy") as a critique of the teachings of Christianity, raising specifically the issue of theodicy (i.e., why a benevolent and omnipotent god would allow evil to appear in the world); Zhixu advocates instead that good and evil come from human beings and are developed and overcome respectively through personal cultivation. After another illness at the age of fifty-six, his later years were focused mostly on pure land teachings and practice. In distinction to Japanese pure land teachers, such as HoNEN (1133-1212) and SHINRAN (1173-1262), who emphasized exclusively Amitābha's "other-power" (C. tali; J. TARIKI), Zhixu, like most other Chinese pure land teachers, advocated the symbiosis between the other-power of Amitābha and the "self-power" (C. jiri; J. JIRIKI) of the practitioner. This perspective is evident in his equal emphasis on the three trainings in meditation (Chan), doctrine (jiao), and precepts (lü) (cf. TRIsIKsĀ). Ouyi's oeuvre numbers some sixty-two works in 230 rolls, including treatises and commentaries on works ranging from Tiantai, to Chan, to Yogācāra, to pure land. His pure land writings have been especially influential, and his Amituojing yaojie ("Essential Explanations" on the AMITĀBHASuTRA) and Jingtu shiyao ("Ten Essentials on the Pure Land") are regarded as integral to the modern Chinese Pure Land tradition.
Overbought ::: refers to a security that analysts or traders believe is trading above its true value. Overbought generally describes recent or short-term movement in the price of the security, and reflects an expectation that the market will correct the price in the near future. This belief is often the result of technical analysis of the security’s price history. BREAKING DOWN 'Overbought' Overbought refers to a security which has been subject to a persistent upward pressure and that technical analysis suggests is due for a correction. The bullish trend may be due to positive news regarding the underlying company, its industry or the market in general. Upward movement can feed on itself and lead to continued bullishness beyond what many traders consider reasonable. When this is the case, traders refer to the asset as overbought and many will bet on a reversal in price. Traditionally, the standard indicator of a stock’s value has been the price-earnings ratio (P/E). Analysts and companies have used either publicly reported results or earnings estimates to identify the appropriate price for a particular stock. If a stock’s P/E rises above that of its sector or a relevant index, investors may see it as overvalued and as a smart buying opportunity for long-term investing. This is a form of fundamental analysis, which uses macroeconomic and industry factors to determine a reasonable price for a stock. The rise of technical analysis has allowed traders to focus on indicators of a stock to forecast price. Indicators include recent price, volume and momentum. Traders use technical tools to identify stocks that have become overvalued in recent trading and refer to these equities as overbought. Technical Analysis Tools for Identifying Oversold Stocks Technical analysis has provided traders with increasingly sophisticated calculations to identify overbought stocks. George Lane’s stochastic oscillator, which he developed in the 1950s, examines recent price movements to identify imminent changes in a stock’s momentum and pricing trend. This oscillator laid the foundation for the technical indicator which has become the primary indicator of an overbought stock, the relative strength index (RSI). The RSI measures the power behind price movements over a recent period, typically 14 days, using the following formula: RSI = 100 - 100/(1 + RS) RS represents the ratio of average upward movement to downward movement over a specified period of time. A high RSI, generally above 70, signals traders that a stock may be overbought and that the market should correct with downward pressure in the near term. Many traders use pricing channels like Bollinger Bands to confirm the signal that the RSI generates. On a chart, Bollinger Bands lie one standard deviation above and below the exponential moving average of a stock’s recent price. Analysts that identify a stock with a high RSI and a price that is edging toward the high end of its upper Bollinger Band will likely consider it to be overbought.
overcompensation: a Freudian defence mechanism, whereby an individual attempts to offset weakness in an area of their lives by focusing on another aspect of it.
A complicated technique using x-rays to "create an image" where no lense to focus the light rays is available.
Padmasambhava. (T. Padma 'byung gnas) (fl. eighth century). Indian Buddhist master and tantric adept widely revered in Tibet under the appellation Guru rin po che, "Precious Guru"; considered to be the "second buddha" by members of the RNYING MA sect of Tibetan Buddhism, who view him as a founder of their tradition. In Tibetan, he is also known as Padma 'byung gnas (Pemajungne), "the Lotus Born," which translates his Sanskrit name. It is difficult to assess the many legends surrounding his life and deeds, although the scholarly consensus is that he was a historical figure and did visit Tibet. The earliest reference to him is in the SBA BZHED (a work that purports to be from the eighth century, but is likely later), where he is mentioned as a water diviner and magician, suggesting that he may have been an expert in irrigation, which would have required the ability to subdue local spirits. Two texts in the Tibetan canon are attributed to him. The first is the Man ngag lta ba'i phreng ba, which is a commentary on the thirteenth chapter of the GUHYAGARBHATANTRA. The second is a commentary on the Upāyapāsapadmamālā, a MAHĀYOGA TANTRA. Regardless of his historical status and the duration of his stay in Tibet, the figure of Padmasambhava has played a key role in the narrative of Buddhism's arrival in Tibet, its establishment in Tibet, and its subsequent transmission to later generations. He is also venerated throughout the Himalayan regions of India, Bhutan, and Nepal and by the Newar Buddhists of the Kathmandu Valley. According to many of his traditional biographies, Padmasambhava was miraculously born in the center of a lotus blossom (PADMA) on Lake Danakosa in the land of OddIYĀNA, a region some scholars associate with the Swat Valley of modern Pakistan. Discovered and raised by King Indrabodhi, he abandoned his royal life to pursue various forms of Buddhist study and practice, culminating in his training as a tantric adept. He journeyed throughout the Himalayan regions of India and Nepal, meeting his first consort MANDĀRAVĀ at Mtsho padma in Himachal Pradesh, and later remaining in prolonged retreat in various locations around the Kathmandu Valley including MĀRATIKA, YANG LE SHOD and the ASURA CAVE. His reputation as an exorcist led to his invitation, at the behest of the Indian scholar sĀNTARAKsITA, to travel to Tibet in order to assist with the construction of BSAM YAS monastery. According to traditional accounts, Padmasambhava subdued and converted the indigenous deities inimical to the spread of Buddhism and, together with sāntaraksita and the Tibetan king KHRI SRONG LDE BTSAN, established the first Buddhist lineage and monastic center of Tibet. He remained in Tibet as a court priest, and, together with his Tibetan consort YE SHES MTSHO RGYAL, recorded and then concealed numerous teachings as hidden treasure texts (GTER MA), to be revealed by a later succession of masters spiritually linked to Padmasambhava. The Rnying ma sect preserves the corpus of instructions stemming from the master in two classes of materials: those revealed after his passing as treasure texts and those belonging to an unbroken oral tradition (BKA' MA). It is believed that Padmasambhava departed Tibet for his paradise known as the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain (ZANGS MDOG DPAL RI), where he continues to reside. From the time of the later dissemination of the doctrine (PHYI DAR) in the eleventh century onwards, numerous biographies of the Indian master have been revealed as treasure texts, including the PADMA BKA' THANG YIG, BKA' THANG GSER 'PHRENG, and the BKA' THANG ZANGS GLING MA. Padmasambhava is the focus of many kinds of ritual activities, including the widely recited "Seven Line Prayer to Padmasambhava" (Tshig 'dun gsol 'debs). The tenth day of each lunar month is dedicated to Padmasambhava, a time when many monasteries, especially those in Bhutan, perform religious dances reverencing the Indian master in his eight manifestations. In iconography, Padmasambhava is depicted in eight forms, known as the guru mtshan brgyad, who represent his eight great deeds. They are Padma rgyal po, Nyi ma 'od zer, Blo ldan mchog sred, Padmasambhava, Shākya seng ge, Padmakara (also known as Sororuhavajra, T. Mtsho skyes rdo rje), Seng ge sgra sgrogs, and RDO RJE GRO LOD.
parabola ::: n. --> A kind of curve; one of the conic sections formed by the intersection of the surface of a cone with a plane parallel to one of its sides. It is a curve, any point of which is equally distant from a fixed point, called the focus, and a fixed straight line, called the directrix. See Focus.
One of a group of curves defined by the equation y = axn where n is a positive whole number or a positive fraction. For the cubical parabola n = 3; for the semicubical parabola n = /. See under
paradigm: A model of reality that reflects a system of belief. (See focus, practice, instrument.)
pāramitāyāna. (T. phar phyin theg pa). In Sanskrit, "perfection vehicle." In scholastic tantric literature, the MAHĀYĀNA is sometimes divided into the pāramitāyāna and the VAJRAYĀNA, with the former referring to the path of the BODHISATTVA, set forth in Mahāyāna sutras and focused on the practice of the six perfections (PĀRAMITĀ). The vajrayāna is represented as a faster and more effective route, set forth in the tantras, to the same goal of buddhahood. In this way, the Mahāyāna is represented as having both exoteric and esoteric forms. The pāramitāyāna is also called the pāramitānaya, or "perfection mode."
Permanent Self Used by Blavatsky (Key, sec 8) for the incarnating ego, as contrasted with the earth vehicle, the personal self or ego; not to be confused with its own divine-spiritual monadic source or focus, the higher self (atman), the essential and eternally perduring divine selfhood per se.
Phallic Stage ::: Freud&
phallic stage: the third stage of development in Freud's theory, from about 3 to 5 years of age, during which the source of gratification is focused on the genitals.
Pharmakeia; Is roughly equivalent to witchcraft. Contrary to the accusations of the heresiologists, Gnostic writers seemed to be against any form of sympathetic magic or divination. The reason for this is not that it doesn't necessarily work, but that it's focus is still within the hylic and psychic spheres of thought. ESP, astrology etc are only applicable to the realm of Heimarene.
portal "web" A {website} that aims to be an entry point to the {web}, typically offering a {search engine} and/or links to useful pages, and possibly news or other services. These services are usually provided for free in the hope that users will make the site their default {home page} or at least visit it often. Popular examples are {Yahoo} and {MSN}. Most portals on the {Internet} exist to generate advertising income for their owners, others may be focused on a specific group of users and may be part of an {intranet} or {extranet}. Some may just concentrate on one particular subject, say technology or medicine, and are known as a {vertical portals}. (2001-07-07)
Power Spot ::: A location, usually in the Physical Plane, that is unusually powerful or active spiritually relative to other locations around it. Places like churches are an everyday example of this. When dozens of minds turn their focus to a singular idea and worship then there tends to be a power to that. Natural formations of sanctity (e.g. Uluru) or constructs of great intrigue (e.g. Stonehenge) are similar examples but even an unusual circle of rocks in the woods could be deemed such a spot.
practice: With regards to mages and magick, practice reflects the activities and rituals a mage uses to focus her beliefs; also known as a magickal style. (See belief, focus, instrument, paradigm.)
prana pratishtha. ::: when an image of a deity is consecrated for worship, a connection is established with the particular aspect of the Divine which it represents and its image therefore becomes a live focus for the transmission of divine power and blessing
primary prevention: strategies that aim to prevent disease in currently healthy individuals, by focusing on the development of good health habits and discouraging poor ones.
Procedure: Capitalized, a Technocratic focus for technomagickal spells.
Product-orientated - A description applied to a business whose main focus of activity is on the product itself. See also market-orientated.
Product orientation - An approach to business which places the main focus of attention upon the production process and the product itself.
Psionics ::: A general paradigm of practice for certain types of "energy" work that are pragmatically-focused and technologically-minded. This isn't your typical work on the etheric body for spiritual advancement or ego shedding, this is a modern approach to practical, everyday problems through usage of will, visualization, and the structural realities of the astral and etheric bodies all in a technologized and transhumanist-minded context.
psychosexual development: in psychoanalytic theory, a description of how a child progresses through set stages that vary according to the focus of gratification(oral, anal, genital) and by the person towards which this feeling is directed at.
qiao. (S. sarīre khāni; J. kyo; K. kyu 竅). In Chinese, the "bodily orifices," of which nine are listed: the two eyes, the two ears, the two nostrils, the mouth, the reproductive organ, and the anus. In one form of "foulness contemplation" (S. AsUBHABHĀVANĀ), in which the impure aspects of the human body are concentrated upon in order to counter lust and excessive attachment to the body, practitioners focus on the way impurities (pus, blood, secretions, etc.) and odors are constantly being secreted through these nine orifices.
Qi Gong ::: Translated as "the Way of Qi". An ancient Chinese system of holistic health focusing on coordinating breath and visualization with body posture, subtle movement, and meditation.
qixian. (J. shichiken; K. ch'irhyon 七賢). In Chinese, lit. "seven sagacities," seven stages on the path of preparation (PRAYOGAMĀRGA) derived from the Chinese translation of the ABHIDHARMAKOsABHĀsYA. The first stage involves the cultivation of meditative "antidotes" (PRATIPAKsA) such as the contemplation of foulness, the contemplation of loving-kindness, and the contemplation of the breath to counter, respectively, the excessive tendencies toward lust, ill will, and discursiveness. The second involves the practice of the so-called four foundations of mindfulness, which involves insight (VIPAsYANĀ) into real-time experiences as they unfold in the body and mind. The third focuses on the contemplation of the three marks of existence (TRILAKsAnA), noticing the characteristics of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and selflessness in those psychophysical experiences. The fourth through seventh stages correspond to the "wholesome roots associated with the knowledge that penetrates reality" (NIRVEDHABHĀGĪYA-KUsALAMuLA): heat (usMAN), summit (MuRDHAN), receptivity or acquiescence (KsĀNTI), and highest worldly dharmas (LAUKIKĀGRADHARMA). These nirvedhabhāgīya open access to the path of vision (DARsANAMĀRGA) where the first stage of sanctity, stream-entry (SROTAĀPANNA), is won.
rational-emotive therapy: a form of therapy developed by Ellis which focuses changing irrational beliefs and faulty interpretations, which result in negativeemotions and severe anxiety.
Ratnāvalī. (T. Rin chen phreng ba; C. Baoxingwang zheng lun; J. Hogyo o shoron; K. Pohaengwang chong non 寶行王正). In Sanskrit, "Garland of Jewels," a Sanskrit work by the MADHYAMAKA philosopher NĀGĀRJUNA. The work consists of five hundred verses arranged in five chapters. While the Ratnāvalī contains many of Nāgārjuna's fundamental philosophical ideas, grounded primarily in the notion of emptiness (suNYATĀ), the work is more focused on issues of ethics. The Ratnāvalī is addressed to King Gautamīputra of ĀNDHRA, a friend and patron of Nāgārjuna, and much of the text discusses the proper conduct of the laity, particularly those in administrative positions such as ministers and kings. In particular, the fourth chapter is devoted to an exploration of kingship and the proper management of a kingdom. The work also contains a defense of the Mahāyāna as the word of the Buddha (BUDDHAVACANA), an exposition of the collection of merit (PUnYASAMBHĀRA) and the collection of wisdom (JNĀNASAMBHĀRA), a description of the ten bodhisattva stages (BHuMI) based on the DAsABHuMIKASuTRA, and a correlation of the practice of specific virtues with the achievement of the thirty-two marks of a superman (MAHĀPURUsALAKsAnA). There are complete versions of the work extant in Tibetan and Chinese translations, but only parts survive in the original Sanskrit.
RCRA ::: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. RCRA gave EPA authority to control hazardous waste from " cradle-to-grave." This includes the minimization, generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA also set forth a framework for the management of non-hazardous solid wastes. RCRA focuses only on active and future facilities and does not address abandoned or historical sites.
Reconstructionist Judaism ::: Founded by Mordecai M. Kaplan (1881-1982), this represents a recent development in American Judaism, and attempts to focus on Judaism as a civilization and culture constantly adapting to insure survival in a natural social process. The central academic institution is the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in the Philadelphia suburbs. See also Reform and Conservative Judaism.
Reincarnating Ego ::: In the method of dividing the human principles into a trichotomy of an upper duad, an intermediate duad,and a lower triad -- or distributively spirit, soul, and body -- the second or intermediate duad,manas-kama, or the intermediate nature, is the ordinary seat of human consciousness, and itself iscomposed of two qualitative parts: an upper or aspiring part, which is commonly called the reincarnatingego or the higher manas, and a lower part attracted to material things, which is the focus of whatexpresses itself in the average man as the human ego, his everyday ordinary seat of consciousness.When death occurs, the mortal and material portions sink into oblivion; while the reincarnating egocarries the best and noblest parts of the spiritual memory of the man that was into the devachan or heavenworld of postmortem rest and recuperation, where the ego remains in the bosom of the monad or of themonadic essence in a state of the most perfect and utter bliss and peace, constantly reviewing andimproving upon in its own blissful imagination all the unfulfilled spiritual yearnings and longings of thelife just closed that its naturally creative faculties automatically suggest to the entity now in thedevachan.But the monad above spoken of passes from sphere to sphere on its peregrinations from earth, carryingwith it the reincarnating ego, or what we may for simplicity of expression call the earth-child, in itsbosom, where this reincarnating ego is in its state of perfect bliss and peace, until the time comes when,having passed through all the invisible realms connected by chains of causation with our own planet, itslowly "descends" again through these higher intermediate spheres earthwards. Coincidently does thereincarnating ego slowly begin to reawaken to self-conscious activity. Gradually it feels, at firstunconsciously to itself, the attraction earthwards, arising out of the karmic seeds of thought and emotionand impulse sown in the preceding life on earth and now beginning to awaken; and as these attractionsgrow stronger, in other words as the reincarnating ego awakens more fully, it finds itself under thedomination of a strong psychomagnetic attraction drawing it to the earth-sphere.The time finally comes when it is drawn strongly to the family on earth whose karmic attractions orkarmic status or condition are the nearest to its own characteristics; and it then enters, or attaches itselfto, by reason of the psychomagnetic attraction, the human seed which will grow into the body of thehuman being to be. Thus reincarnation takes place, and the reincarnating ego reawakens to life on earthin the body of a little child.
Reiyukai. (霊友会/靈友會). In Japanese, lit. "Numinous Friends Society," or "Society of Friends of the Spirits"; a Japanese Buddhist lay organization, deriving from the teachings of the NICHIRENSHu. It was founded in 1925 by KUBO KAKUTARo (1892-1944) and KOTANI KIMI (1901-1971), the wife of Kubo's elder brother, who took over leadership of the organization and became president in 1944 upon Kubo's death. Kubo insisted that everyone keep a family death register and give posthumous names to venerated ancestors; these activities were formerly the domain of monks, who would be paid for their services. His other ideas included the classical directive to convert the world into a PURE LAND for Buddhism and the need to teach others the truth. He particularly emphasized the ability of each individual to improve him or herself. Kubo's ideas appealed to the poor and he began to attract converts quickly, including his brother Kotani Yasukichi and Kotani's wife, Kotani Kimi. In 1971 after Kotani Kimi died, Kubo's son Kubo Tsugunari took over as the leader of the group. For years he had prepared for this future, including studying Indian philosophy and Buddhism at Rissho University. Despite this preparation, Reiyukai was rocked by what some viewed as his personal failings and political maneuverings and Kubo Tsugunari eventually lost his leadership post. More recent leaders have been elected democratically. Some noted activities in recent years include opening the Lumbinī International Research Institute in Nepal and the International College for Advanced Buddhist Studies in Tokyo. The organization reached its peak during the years surrounding the Second World War, when it claimed some three million members, and was the source of numerous Nichiren-related new religious movements, of which the RISSHo KoSEIKAI, founded in 1938, became the most prominent. Reiyukai continues to be an active lay organization in both Japan and abroad. The Reiyukai organization has no clergy and no formal affiliation with any other Buddhist school, but instead relies on volunteer lay teachers who lead informal group meetings and discussions. Reiyukai focuses on the human capacity for lifelong self-cultivation in order to become ever more wise and compassionate. All its adherents must have a personal sponsor in order to join the order. The school stresses ancestor worship, believing that personal and social ills are the result of inadequate veneration of ancestor spirits who have been unable to attain buddhahood and instead became guardian spirits until the proper rites are performed so they may be liberated. Its followers believe that reciting the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA ("Lotus Sutra") in abridged form during daily morning and evening services or a group meeting transfers merit to their ancestors.
Renwang jing. (J. Ninnogyo; K. Inwang kyong 仁王經). In Chinese, "Scripture for Humane Kings"; an influential indigenous Chinese scripture (see APOCRYPHA), known especially for its role in "state protection Buddhism" (HUGUO FOJIAO) and for its comprehensive outline of the Buddhist path of practice (MĀRGA). Its full title (infra) suggests that the scripture belongs to the "perfection of wisdom" (PRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀ) genre of literature, but it includes also elements drawn from both the YOGĀCĀRA and TATHĀGATAGARBHA traditions. The text's audience and interlocutors are not the typical sRĀVAKAs and BODHISATTVAs but instead kings hailing from the sixteen ancient regions of India, who beseech the Buddha to speak this sutra in order to protect both their states and their subjects from the chaos attending the extinction of the dharma (MOFA; SADDHARMAVIPRALOPA). By having kings rather than spiritual mentors serve as the interlocutors, the scripture thus focuses on those qualities thought to be essential to governing a state founded on Buddhist principles. The text's concepts of authority, the path, and the world draw analogies with the "humane kings" of this world who serve and venerate the transcendent monks and bodhisattvas. The service and worship rendered by the kings turns them into bodhisattvas, while the soteriological vocation of the monks and bodhisattvas conversely renders them kings. Thus, the relationship between the state and the religion is symbiotic. The sutra is now generally presumed to be an indigenous Chinese scripture that was composed to buttress imperial authority by exalting the benevolent ruler as a defender of the dharma. The Renwang jing is also known for including the ten levels of faith (sRADDHĀ) as a preliminary stage of the Buddhist path prior to the arousal of the thought of enlightenment (BODHICITTOTPĀDA). It is one of a number of Chinese Buddhist apocrypha that seek to provide a comprehensive elaboration of all fifty-two stages of the path, including the PUSA YINGLUO BENYE JING and the YUANJUE JING. The Renwang jing is not known in Sanskrit sources, but there are two recensions of the Chinese text. The first, Renwang bore boluomi jing, is purported to have been translated by KUMĀRAJĪVA and is dated to c. 402, and the latter, titled Renwang huguo bore boluomiduo jing, is attributed to AMOGHAVAJRA and dated to 765. The Amoghavajra recension is based substantially on the Kumārajīva text, but includes additional teachings on MAndALA, MANTRA, and DHĀRAnĪ, additions that reflect Amoghavajra's place in the Chinese esoteric Buddhist tradition. Furthermore, because Amoghavajra was an advisor to three Tang-dynasty rulers, his involvement in contemporary politics may also have helped to shape the later version. Chinese scriptural catalogues (JINGLU) were already suspicious about the authenticity of the Renwang jing as least as early as Fajing's 594 Zhongjing mulu; Fajing lists the text together with twenty-one other scriptures of doubtful authenticity (YIJING), because its content and diction do not resemble those of the ascribed translator. Modern scholars have also recognized these content issues. One of the more egregious examples is the RENWANG JING's reference to four different perfection of wisdom (prajNāpāramitā) sutras that the Buddha is said to have proclaimed; two of the sutras listed are, however, simply different Chinese translations of the same text, the PANCAVIMsATISĀHASRIKĀPRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀSuTRA, a blunder that an Indian author could obviously not have committed. Another example is the scripture's discussion of a three-truth SAMĀDHI (sandi sanmei), in which these three types of concentrations are named worldly truth (shidi), authentic truth (zhendi), and supreme-meaning truth (diyiyidi). This schema is peculiar, and betrays its Chinese origins, because "authentic truth" and "supreme-meaning truth" are actually just different Chinese renderings of the same Sanskrit term, PARAMĀTHASATYA. Based on other internal evidence, scholars have dated the composition of the sutra to sometime around the middle of the fifth century. Whatever its provenance, the text is ultimately reclassified as an authentic translation in the 602 catalogue Zongjing mulu by Yancong and continues to be so listed in all subsequent East Asian catalogues. See also APOCRYPHA; SANDI.
reticule ::: n.. --> A little bag, originally of network; a woman&
Revelation ::: A general term for self-disclosure of the divine (God reveals to humans), which is often considered to be focused in the revealed scriptures. Also the name of a specific Christian biblical book, the “Apocalypse” (Greek, “uncovered”) or “Revelation” (Latin).
Rhutaliai Derived from the huge, highly civilized island called Ruta, which perished many millennia ago and which was one of the last strongholds of Atlantean culture and civilization. This island existed in the Pacific Ocean, and from it as from a focus flowed forth civilizing colonies into what were then virgin or quasi-inhabited lands of the Far East, these colonies carrying with them their religions, philosophies, customs, habits, laws, languages, and forms of writing.
Rhys Davids, Thomas William. (1843-1922). Preeminent British scholar of Pāli Buddhism, Thomas William Rhys Davids was born in Colchester, the son of a Congregationalist minister. He attended secondary school in Brighton and then went on to the University of Breslau in Germany, where he studied Sanskrit. He received a PhD from the University of Breslau before taking a position as a judge in the Ceylon Civil Service in 1864. He resigned from this position in 1872 and became a lawyer in 1877. Instead of practicing law, Rhys Davids turned to researching and writing about Pāli literature. His first book, The Ancient Coins and Measures of Ceylon, was published in 1877, after which he began to publish regularly in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. In 1880, he translated the NIDĀNAKATHĀ. His 1881 Hibbert Lectures became quite famous, and at the second lecture, Rhys Davids announced the creation of the PALI TEXT SOCIETY. the first learned society in the West to focus on Pāli language and literature. In 1882, Rhys Davids became a professor of Pāli at University College, London. From 1885 to 1904, he also worked for the Royal Asiatic Society. In 1904, he became professor of comparative religion at Victoria University, Manchester. In 1894, Rhys Davids married Caroline August Foley (see RHYS DAVIDS, CAROLINE AUGUST FOLEY); the two worked and published together for the rest of their lives. Rhys Davids published many works, including a Manual of Buddhism, the first two volumes of the "Sacred Books of the Buddhists" series, and the first volume of a Pāli-English Dictionary. The Rhys Davidses together translated the DĪGHANIKĀYA between 1910 and 1921.
righthandpath ::: Right-hand Path The terms 'Right-hand Path' and 'Left-hand Path' refer to a claimed separation of two distinct types of religion, the exact meaning of these terms having varied over time. The modern usage regards religions which value the advancement of the self over other goals are considered to belong to the Left-Hand Path (sometimes referred to as the Dark Path), while those which focus upon the worship of one or more deities and the observance of strict moral codes, as belonging to the Right-hand Path.
Ritual ::: On this site, it's a practice of mind and body that is aimed at accomplishing a specific goal. While there are mundane rituals (organizing the house everytime one gets home, for example), the rituals we focus on here are magical rituals: these are rituals aimed at effecting change in the world through the application of will. This can involve one's own personal power such as with a talisman or sigil or it can involve invoking or evoking entities to work with. Typically there are several rites that might go into the making of a larger ritual. Contrast with Rite.
RLaB ::: A MATLAB-like matrix-oriented programming language/toolbox. RLaB focusses on creating a good experimental environment (or laboratory) in which to do matrix and string scalars, and matrices. RLaB also contains a list variable type, which is a heterogeneous associative array.Version 0.95 includes an interpreter, libraries and documentation. E-mail: Ian Searle . . Requires GNUPLOT, lib[IF]77.a (from f2c). Ported to many platforms including Unix, OS/2, Amiga. (1993-10-27).
RLaB A {MATLAB}-like matrix-oriented programming language/toolbox. RLaB focusses on creating a good experimental environment (or laboratory) in which to do matrix mathematics. Currently RLaB has numeric scalars and matrices (real and complex), and string scalars, and matrices. RLaB also contains a list variable type, which is a heterogeneous associative array. Version 0.95 includes an interpreter, libraries and documentation. E-mail: Ian Searle "ians@eskimo.com". {(ftp://evans.ee.adfa.oz.au)}. Requires {GNUPLOT}, lib[IF]77.a (from f2c). Ported to many {platforms} including {Unix}, {OS/2}, {Amiga}. (1993-10-27)
rtsod grwa. (tsodra). In Tibetan, lit. "debating institution," particularly a large DGE LUGS monastery where a central part of the monastic complex is the chos ra (chora), literally "fenced enclosure for dharma," hence "debate courtyard," often an enclosed open space close to the main assembly hall where monks who study scriptures assemble to debate points of doctrine. The term mtshan nyid grwa tsang (tsenyi dratsang) is often used in place of rtsod grwa. The origins of the rtsod grwa may go back to the model of study followed in BKA' GDAMS monasteries like GSANG PHU NE'U THOG, although such debate was also a part of the curriculum in the large monastic universities of northeast India, such as VIKRAMAsĪLA, NĀLANDĀ, and ODANTAPURĪ. The rtsod grwa is sometimes contrasted with teaching institutes (BSHAD GRWA) and places given over to meditation (sgrub khang), although most monasteries have parts dedicated to those activities as well. The best-known rtsod grwa are the six great Dge lugs monasteries of pre-1959 Tibet where the calendar year had strict debating periods; debate was raised to a high level there, forming a central part of the curriculum. For a month during the winter, 'Jang phu monastery to the southwest of LHA SA was the site of an intensive debate called the 'Jang dgun chos (Janggüncho) attended by students from the major Dge lugs monasteries in the greater Lha sa area, where debate focused particularly on the PRAMĀnAVĀRTTIKA of DHARMAKĪRTI.
Sajip. (四集). In Korean, "Fourfold Collection," a compilation of three Chinese CHAN and one Korean SoN texts that has been used in Korean Buddhist seminaries (kangwon) since at least the eighteenth century as the core of the monastic curriculum. The four books in the collection provide monks and nuns with, first, a systematic overview of mature Korean Buddhist thought and soteriology, focusing on the accommodation between Buddhist doctrinal study (KYO)-specifically HUAYAN (K. Hwaom) thought-and CHAN (Son) meditation practice and different schemata of awakening (C. WU; K. o) and cultivation (C. xiu; K. su); and second, extensive grounding in the theory and mode of practice of "questioning meditation" (K. kanhwa Son; C. KANHUA CHAN), the predominant form of meditative practice in Korea since the middle of the Koryo dynasty. The books of the "Fourfold Collection" are, in their traditional order: (1) The "Letters of Dahui" (C. DAHUI PUJUE CHANSHI SHU, better known in Korea by its abbreviated title Sojang, C. SHUZHUANG), a collection of the correspondence between the Chinese LINJI master DAHUI ZONGGAO (1089-1163) and various of his lay and ordained students, which describe the specifics of kanhua Chan meditation; (2) The "Chan Prolegomenon" (CHANYUAN ZHUQUANJI DUXU, known in Korea by its abbreviated title of TOSo), by GUIFENG ZONGMI (780-841), which provides an overarching hermeneutical framework-drawing on a series of polarities such as sudden and gradual, emptiness and self-nature, true and provisional-through which to understand the relationships among the teachings of representative traditions of Chan and the various doctrinal traditions, leading to a vision of Buddhism that reconciles the scholastic schools and the Chan schools; (3) The "Essentials of Chan" (GAOFENG HESHANG CHANYAO, typically known in Korea as the SoNYO), by GAOFENG YUANMIAO (1238-1295), which Koreans have considered one of the clearest expositions of kanhwa Son in all of Son literature and use as a primer on the technique; (4) The "Excerpts from the 'Dharma Collection and Special Practice Record' with Personal Notes" (PoPCHIP PYoRHAENGNOK CHoRYO PYoNGIP SAGI, usually known by its abbreviated title CHoRYO) by POJO CHINUL (1158-1210), which offers an exhaustive examination of the question of whether enlightenment is achieved via a sudden or gradual process of soteriological development, advocating as the optimal stratagem the approach of sudden awakening followed by gradual cultivation (K. tono chomsu; C. DUNWU JIANXIU), and first introducing to Korea the kanhwa Son technique; through this examination, Chinul specifically correlates the path as described in the doctrinal teachings of Buddhism (Kyo) with the practice of Son, an approach that subsequently becomes emblematic of Korean Buddhism. The four books of the Sajip are thus intended to provide monks and nuns with substantial grounding in the theory and practice of kanhwa Son prior to their beginning intensive training in the meditation hall (Sonbang).
sakṛdāgāmiphalastha. (P. sakadāgāmiphala; T. phyir 'ong 'bras gnas; C. zheng yilai guo; J. shoichiraika; K. chŭng illae kwa 證一來果). In Sanskrit, "one who has reached, or is the recipient of, the fruit of once-returner"; this term is paired with the SAKṚDĀGĀMIPHALAPRATIPANNAKA, one who is a candidate for the fruit of once-returner. Both refer to the "once-returner" (SAKṚDĀGĀMIN), one of the four types of noble persons (ĀRYA); the sakṛdāgāmiphalapratipannaka has, however, only reached the ĀNANTARYAMĀRGA (unimpeded path), while the sakṛdāgāmiphalastha has reached the VIMUKTIMĀRGA (path of freedom). In general, according to the ABHIDHARMAKOsABHĀsYA, a noble person reaches the goal of ARHAT by becoming free of all the afflictions (KLEsA) of the three realms, from the sensuous realm to the BHAVĀGRA, the highest level of the immaterial realm. There are nine levels to the three realms: the level of the sensous realm is counted as one, and each of the four meditative absorptions (DHYĀNA) of the realms of both subtle materiality and and immateriality are counted as one each. The path of vision (DARsANAMĀRGA) has sixteen instants, eight ānantaryamārga and eight vimuktimārga. The first four instants (consisting of two pairs of ānantaryamārga and vimuktimārga) are focused on the truth of suffering as it pertains to the sensuous realm, and then to the remaining eight levels of the two upper realms. The second four instants are focused on the truth of origination as it pertains to the sensuous realm, and then to the remaining eight levels of the two upper realms (see DHARMAKsĀNTI). In this way, during sixteen instants that systematize the path of vision, all the afflictions to be eliminated by the path of vision are removed. The sharpest people (TĪKsnENDRIYA), with the finest store of previous actions, like the Buddha, know all three realms are equally conditioned by suffering (SAMSKĀRADUḤKHATĀ) and feel disgust for all of it equally as SAMSĀRA; they enter into the path of vision, eliminate the fetters, and awaken as arhats. Others have gradations of good fortune, ranging from those who will reach the final goal after death, to those who spend many lives taking rebirth in different heavens in the upper two realms before finally reaching the goal of arhatship. Those whose prior store of actions is such that, prior to reaching the path of vision, they have eliminated all, some, or none of the nine sets of afflictions that specifically cause rebirth in the sensuous realm reach the intermediate fruits of nonreturner, once-returner, and stream-enterer, respectively, when they reach the path of vision. The number of births they will take, and the places they take them, give rise to an āryasaMgha made up of twenty different persons (VIMsATIPRABHEDASAMGHA). In the Mahāyāna didactic reformulations of ABHIDHARMA, sakṛdāgāmin is a name for celestial bodhisattvas who are in their last life before taking birth in the TUsITA heaven prior to becoming complete and perfect buddhas (samyaksaMbuddha).
sāmantaka. (T. nyer bsdogs; C. jinfen; J. gonbun; K. kŭnbun 近分). In Sanskrit, "preparation," "neighboring state"; according to the YOGĀCĀRABHuMI and the ABHIDHARMASAMUCCAYA, each of the four concentrations (DHYĀNA) and attainments (SAMĀPATTI) has two parts: maula (fundamental state) and sāmantaka (a neighboring part that is preparatory to that fundamental state). The fundamental state is sAMATHA (serenity, calmness) and the sāmantaka (preparation) is included under the heading of VIPAsYANĀ (insight). Six or seven types of attentions (MANASKĀRA) are listed as preparations for the attainment of the first dhyāna. These include attention that contemplates marks (laksanapratisaMvedīmanaskāra), arises from belief (ādhimoksikamanaskāra), arises from separation (prāvivekyamanaskāra), contemplates joy and withdrawal (ratisaMgrāhakamanaskāra), investigates (mīmāMsakamanaskāra), is a final practice (prayoganistamanaskāra), and leads to the result of the final practice (prayoganistaphalamanaskāra). There are nine impediments (heya) between the fundamental stages of the first and second concentrations (dhyāna), for example. Attention is then paid to the marks of the lower as coarse (audārika) and the higher as delightful (sānta). The first attention identifies the impediments and focuses the mind on removing them; the second brings vigor or energy (VĪRYA); the third, fourth, and six actually counteract the three sets of three impediments; the fifth investigates to see whether the impediments have actually been eliminated. The seventh is the fundamental state. See also UPACĀRASAMĀDHI.
Samatha Meditation ::: One of the two general categories of meditative practice described on this site. Refers to concentration meditation where an object of focus is chosen and held onto with the mind. The object of focus can vary considerably, but enough attention consistently leads to the emergence and development of states called the samatha jhanas. Also Concentration Meditation.
samayamudrā. (T. dam tshig gi phyag rgya; C. sanmoye yin; J. sanmayain; K. sammaya in 三摩耶印). In Sanskrit, "seal of the vow," "seal of time," or "seal of the symbol," all three denotations related to objects of meditation in tantric Buddhism. The samayamudrā is usually listed as the third of four "seals" (MUDRĀ), "seal" here being used in the sense of a doorway through which one must pass in order to attain full realization; the other three are the KARMAMUDRĀ, the JNĀNAMUDRĀ, and the MAHĀMUDRĀ. In the context of sexual yoga, the term is also used to refer to a tantric consort who maintains the tantric pledges, as opposed to a karmamudrā (a consort who does not maintain such pledges) and a jNānamudrā (a consort who is not a physical person but is visualized in meditation). As "seal of the vow," the samayamudrā involves sustained focus on one's intention to keep a specific set of vows received as part of one's initiation (ABHIsEKA, dīksā) into tantric practice. As "seal of time," samaya carries its temporal denotation and the meditation involves an abandonment of past and future for the sake of a sustained experience of the present moment. As "seal of the symbol," the object of attention is a symbolic representation of various aspects of a buddha, BODHISATTVA, or deity.
saMnāha. (T. go cha; C. beijia; J. hiko; K. p'igap 被甲). In Sanskrit, "armor"; a term that occurs especially in the tradition of the ABHISAMAYĀLAMKĀRA, where the term "armor practice" (saMnāhapratipatti) refers both to the bodhisattva path in general as well as to specific practices begun on the path of accumulation or equipment (SAMBHĀRAMĀRGA). In the PRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀ sutras (which are termed the jinajananī, "mother of victors"), bodhisattvas are said to be armed with a great armor (saMnaddhasaMnāha), an equipment made out of the interwoven six perfections (PĀRAMITĀ); and to set out (prasthāna) for the difficult work (duskaracaryā) necessary to become "victors" (JINA). This "difficult work" involves activities done for the sake of others. Each of the perfections is said to subsume all the other perfections, so that, for example, when bodhisattvas engage in exceptional acts of giving away their wealth or limbs (DĀNA), the act is informed by the bodhisattva's morality (sĪLA); done with forbearance (KsĀNTI) that can withstand the difficulty involved; propelled by perseverance (VĪRYA), and informed by concentration (SAMĀDHI), which enables the bodhisattva to stay focused on the aim of enlightenment while remaining tranquil and at ease; and is grounded on the wisdom (PRAJNĀ) that understands that the act of giving, the carrying out of the act, and the donor are all interdependent and without any inherent nature (SVABHĀVA). When bodhisattvas are armed with this great armor, they do not become discouraged by the long and difficult task of looking after the welfare of others (PARĀRTHA) who are "numberless like the sands of the Ganges" (GAnGĀNADĪVĀLUKĀ). Buckling on the armor (saMnāha) and setting out (prasthāna) on their quest, bodhisattvas ultimately accumulate all their necessary equipment (SAMBHĀRA) and go forth (niryāna) to the final goal of buddhahood.
samudayasatya. (P. samudayasacca; T. kun 'byung gi bden pa; C. jidi; J. jittai; K. chipche 集諦). In Sanskrit, "truth of origination"; the second of the so-called FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (catvāry āryasatyāni) promulgated by the Buddha in his first sermon (see DHAMMACAKKAPPAVATTANASUTTA) in the Deer Park at SĀRNĀTH. In this context, SAMUDAYA refers to the origination or cause of the first truth, suffering (DUḤKHA; DUḤKHASATYA). The origination of suffering is identified as KARMAN and KLEsA. Karman or past actions, in this case unwholesome (AKUsALA) actions, are identified as the immediate cause of suffering, with negative deeds fructifying as experiences of mental and physical pain. The afflictions (klesa), often enumerated in this context as greed, hatred, and delusion, are the mediate causes of suffering, motivating the nonvirtuous deeds that result in future suffering. Among these three, delusion, understood as the mistaken conception of a perduring self (ĀTMAGRAHA), is the root cause of suffering, and produces greed and hatred. The implication of the second truth is that if one can eliminate the cause or origin of suffering, one can then put an end to suffering itself. This truth of the origin of suffering has four aspects (ĀKĀRA): it is the cause (HETU), origination (SAMUDAYA), producer (saMbhava), and condition (PRATYAYA). These four aspects counteract respectively the mistaken views that (1) suffering is arbitrary and has no cause, (2) there is only a single cause for suffering even though it is diverse and ongoing, (3) suffering is just the imaginary transformations of reality, and (4) suffering is the result of a particular mental focus, not the inexorable result of a mind governed by klesa and karman. These four aspects of the truth of origination are like a disease (in the sense that klesa and karman are the root cause of suffering), like a boil that is the origin of ongoing pain, like a thorn that produces intense suffering immediately, and like misfortune, in that the unbroken continuum (SAMTĀNA) of the aggregates (SKANDHA) is the condition for a life that is governed by suffering.
samyakpradhāna. (P. sammāpadhāna; T. yang dag par spong ba; C. zhengqin; J. shogon; K. chonggŭn 正勤). In Sanskrit, "right effort" or "correct effort"; in Tibetan (which reads the term as PRAHĀnA), "right abandonment." There are four right efforts, which are set forth within the presentation of the second set of dharmas making up the thirty-seven constituents of enlightenment (BODHIPĀKsIKADHARMA). The four pradhānas (efforts or, as prahāna, abandonments) describe effort at incipient stages of the path or religious training; by contrast, right effort (SAMYAKVYĀYĀMA), the sixth constituent of the eightfold path (ĀRYĀstĀnGAMĀRGA), denotes the effort or abandonment that occurs during the path of vision (DARsANAMĀRGA) or the path of cultivation (BHĀVANĀMĀRGA), when the path is more fully developed. Pradhāna involves the effort to abandon unwholesome (AKUsALA) mental states-and their resulting actions via body, speech, and mind-that are conducive to suffering. Simultaneously, samyakpradhāna encompasses the effort to cultivate those wholesome (KUsALA) mental states that are conducive to happiness for both oneself and others. These wholesome mental states are characterized by mindfulness (SMṚTI), energy (VĪRYA), rapture (PRĪTI), concentration (SAMĀDHI), and equanimity (UPEKsĀ). At the first stage of practice, the focus is on SMṚTI, which, as the foundations of mindfulness (SMṚTYUPASTHĀNA), involves mindfulness of the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS as applied to the body, sensations, states of mind, and wholesome and unwholesome dharmas. At the second stage of the practice, the focus is on the effort needed to develop samādhi. When fully developed in the mind of the awakened person, the practice of mindfulness is called right mindfulness; concentration, rapture, and equanimity are included under right concentration; and energy is called right effort (samyakvyāyāma).
Sandpiling ::: A technique, the name of which was put forward by the sorceror Jason Miller, for breaking through mundane states of consciousness through a piling of awareness of self upon a single point of focus. This is a technique that can be used to attune to the Mental Plane.
San lun zong. (J. Sanronshu; K. Sam non chong 三論宗). In Chinese, the "Three Treatises school," a Chinese analogue of the MADHYAMAKA school of Indian Buddhism philosophy; a largely exegetical tradition that focused on three important texts translated by KUMĀRAJĪVA, namely the Zhong lun ("Middle Treatise"), BAI LUN ("Hundred [Verse] Treatise"), and SHI'ERMEN LUN ("Twelve [Chapter] Treatise"). The Zhong lun is ostensibly a translation of NĀGĀRJUNA's MuLAMADHYAMAKAKĀRIKĀ. Kumārajīva's translation (dated 409), however, also contains his own notes as well as a commentary on Nāgārjuna's text by Pingala (fl. c. 4 CE). The Bai lun (*sATAsĀSTRA) is attributed to ĀRYADEVA and was translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva in 404. In this text, the author employs the apophatic language of the Madhyamaka school and refutes the arguments of rival traditions. The Shi'ermen lun (*Dvādasamukhasāstra) is also attributed to Nāgārjuna and is purportedly an introductory manual to the Zhong lun. In this text, the author provides an interpretation of emptiness (suNYATĀ) in twelve chapters. No Sanskrit or Tibetan recensions of the Bai lun or Shi'ermen lun are extant. The "three treatises," however, exerted much influence in East Asia, where they functioned as the central texts for students of emptiness and Madhyamaka doctrine. JIZANG (549-623) wrote influential commentaries on the three treatises and came to be regarded as the systematizer of the San lun school. He retrospectively traces the school to two important vaunt couriers: SENGZHAO (374-414), an influential early Chinese exegete and cotranslator of the perfection of wisdom (PRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀ) literature, whose writings helped to popularize the works of the Madhyamaka school in China; and SŬNGNANG (c. 450-c. 520), who is claimed to have taught the notion of "three truths" or "three judgments" (SANDI)-the truths of emptiness, provisional reality, and their mean-an exegetical schema that was influential in the subsequent development of both the San lun and TIANTAI schools. The writings of San lun exegetes were also influential in Korea during the Three Kingdoms period (where the tradition was known as Sam non) and during the Nara and Heian periods in Japan (where it was called Sanron).
Satisficing ::: is a decision-making strategy that aims for a satisfactory or adequate result, rather than the optimal solution. Rather than put maximum exertion towards attaining the most ideal outcome, satisficing focuses on pragmatic effort when confronted with tasks. This is because aiming for the optimal solution may necessitate needless expenditure of time, energy and resources. The strategy can include adopting a minimalist approach in regards to achieving the first attainable resolution that meets basic acceptable outcomes. Satisficing narrows the scope of options that are considered to achieve those outcomes, setting aside options that would call for more intensive, complex, or unfeasible efforts to attempt attain more optimal results. The term "satisfice" was coined by American scientist and Noble-laureate Herbert Simon in 1956. BREAKING DOWN 'Satisficing' The theory of satisficing finds application in a number of fields including economics, artificial intelligence and sociology. Satisficing implies that a consumer, when confronted with a plethora of choices for a specific need, will select a product or service that is "good enough," rather than expending effort and resources on finding the best possible or optimal choice. If a consumer were to require a tool to process and resolve a problem, under a satisficing strategy they would look to the simplest, most readily accessible piece of equipment regardless of more effective options being available at greater cost and time. For instance, that may include the use of a single software title versus procuring an entire software suite that includes supplemental features. How Satisficing Is Applied Organizations that adopt satisficing as a strategy might seek to meet the minimal expectations for revenue and profit set by the board of directors and other shareholders. This contrasts with attempting to maximize profits through concerted efforts that put higher demands on the performance of the organization across sales, marketing, and other departments. By aspiring to targets that are more attainable, the effort put forth may be equitable with the final results. Such a strategy might also be applied if a company’s leadership chooses to put only nominal effort towards one objective in order to prioritize resources to achieve optimal solutions for another goal. Reducing staffing at a tertiary worksite to minimal operational levels could allow for personnel to be reassigned to other divisions and projects where more substantial labor is required for maximized results. A limitation of satisficing is that the definition of what constitutes a satisfactory result has not necessarily been determined, nor is it universally clear that such a result differs from pursuit of an optimal outcome.
Sayana or Sayanacharya (Sanskrit) Sāyaṇa, Sāyaṇācārya The celebrated commentator on the Rig-Veda, who flourished under Vira-bukka I of Vijaya-nagara (1350-79). Some of his works were written in conjunction with his brother Madhava, who was the prime minister of Vira-bukka, also known as Madhavacharya, a celebrated teacher and scholar. Madhavacharya brought into clearer focus the Dvaita-Vedanta (dualistic Vedanta), according to which Brahma and the human soul, although intimately connected, are distinct. This teaching is in direct contradistinction with that of Sankaracharya, the greatest historic exponent of the Advaita-Vedanta (nondualistic Vedanta), according to the teaching of which, spirit and matter, Brahman-atman (divinity) and the human spirit, are one in essence.
Science ::: A process through which knowledge is acquired. The scientific method conventionally begins with an observation and proceeds to formulate a hypothesis. From there a sound experiment is designed with appropriate variables to study and controls set to try to narrow the focus to the variable of study (i.e. whether the independent variable is causing a change in the dependent variable). If the results of the experiment align with the hypothesis then further experiments are designed and peer-reviewed to ensure validity. If the results do not align then the hypothesis may need to be reworked. This is a simplification of the process but is the primary method of knowledge acquisition in society today. Unfortunately the mental state of the experimenters and the subjects cannot be controlled adequately and there needs to be a rethinking of this method to truly understand and decipher the mystery of consciousness. The process of meditation is used to decipher the factors that give rise to conscious experience.
selective attention: perceptual process of focusing on specific elements of a stimulus.
Self-Deification ::: The process of becoming more "god"-like in awareness, attachments, and/or abilities. Many paradigms that are LHP-oriented focus on deifying the self and differ from RHP paradigms that seek to shed or shatter the illusion of a self (see Anatta) entirely. Self-deification — or at least the attributes we ascribe to self-deification — can arise in either path and is frequently a result of becoming more aware of the nature of reality and What is doing the observing, regardless of whether one is seeking deification of the self or not. But that attachment to deification and its status as a goal along the path is what primarily distinguishes LHP from RHP philosophies.
Shanjia Shanwai. (J. Sange Sangai; K. San'ga Sanoe 山家山外). In Chinese, "On-Mountain, Off-Mountain"; two factions in a debate that engulfed the TIANTAI ZONG during the eleventh century over issues of the school's orthodoxy and orthopraxy. The Shanjia (On-Mountain) faction was led by the monk SIMING ZHILI (960-1028) and his disciples; they pejoratively referred to their opponents within the Tiantai school, such as Ciguang Wu'en (912-988), Yuanqing (d. 997), Qingzhao (963-1017), Zhiyuan (976-1022) and their disciples, as Shanwai (Off-Mountain), for drawing on non-Tiantai elements in their exegeses. The debate began over an issue of textual authenticity, but soon came to cover almost all major facets of Tiantai doctrine and practice. The On-Mountain faction criticized their rivals for attempting to interpret Tiantai doctrine using concepts borrowed from texts such as the DASHENG QIXIN LUN, which had not previously been an integral text in Tiantai exegesis, and from rival exegetical traditions, such as the HUAYAN ZONG. These Shanwai monks argued that the doctrine of the "TRICHILIOCOSM in an single instant of thought" (YINIAN SANQIAN) should be understood in the Huayan framework of the suchness that is in accord with conditions (zhenru suiyuan): in this understanding, an instant of thought is identified with the true mind that in its essence is pure, unchanging, and inherently enlightened; subsequently, by remaining in accord with conditions, that suchness in turn produces the trichiliocosm in all its diversity. From this perspective, they argued that the true mind should be the focus of contemplative practice in Tiantai. Shanjia masters feared such interpretations were a threat to the autonomy of the Tiantai tradition and sought to remove these Huayan elements so that the orthodox teachings of Tiantai would be preserved. Zhili, the major proponent of the Shanjia faction, argued that the Shanwai concept of suchness involved the principle of separation (bieli), since it excluded the afflicted and the ignorant, and only encompassed the pure and the enlightened. According to Zhili, suchness does not produce the trichiliocosm only when it is in accord with conditions, as the Huayan-influenced Shanwai exegetes asserted, because suchness is in fact identical to the trichiliocosm; therefore the instant of thought that encompasses all the trichiliocosm, including both its pure and impure aspects, should be the true focus of contemplative practice in Tiantai. Zhili's disciple Renyue (992-1064) and his fourth-generation successor Congyi (1042-1091) were subsequently branded the "Later Off-Mountain Faction," because they accepted some of the Shanwai arguments and openly rejected parts of Zhili's argument. Nevertheless, the Shanjia faction eventually prevailed, overshadowing their Shanwai rivals and institutionalizing Zhili's interpretations as the authentic teachings of the Tiantai tradition. Two Tiantai genealogical histories from the Southern Song dynasty, the Shimen zhengtong ("Orthodox Transmission of Buddhism") and the FOZU TONGJI ("Chronicle of the Buddhas and Patriarchs"), list Zhili as the last patriarch in the dharma transmission going back to the Buddha, thus legitimating the orthodoxy of the Shanjia faction from that point forward.
Shapeshifting ::: The process of changing either the Physical or Astral form into that which is other than the default. Almost always this is viewed as stabilizing the locus of focus upon a visualized Astral form but the possibility is not ruled out that this can apply physically as well.
She lun zong. (J. Shoronshu; K. Sop non chong 攝論宗). In Chinese, "School of the MAHĀYĀNASAMGRAHA"; one of the early Chinese indigenous doctrinal schools, focusing on YOGĀCĀRA philosophy. The school has its origins in exegetical traditions that began with PARAMĀRTHA's (499-569) translation of ASAnGA's MahāyānasaMgraha (C. She Dasheng lun). The school played a central role in early Chinese doctrinal controversies concerning the interpretation of consciousness in two different Indian Buddhist systems of thought: Yogācāra and TATHĀGATAGARBHA. The controversies revolved around the issue of the nature of the eighth storehouse consciousness (ĀLAYAVIJNĀNA), based on VASUBANDHU's ambiguous position in the SHIDIJING LUN (DAsABHuMIVYĀKHYĀNA), a commentary on the DAsABHuMIKASuTRA. In some passages, Vasubandhu implied that the ālayavijNāna was the tainted source from which SAMSĀRA arises; in others, he implied instead that the ālayavijNāna was coextensive with suchness (TATHATĀ) and thus fundamentally pure. The northern branch of the DI LUN ZONG argued that the storehouse consciousness was impure; it is a tainted source that produces only defiled dharmas. By contrast, the southern branch argued that the ālayavijNāna was fundamentally pure but came to be adventitiously associated with impure elements: it was the functioning of suchness and thus was pure, but it also was subject to the same laws of conditioned origination (PRATĪTYASAMUTPĀDA) as the sensory consciousnesses and thus on that level was also impure. The She lun school sought to integrate these two interpretations by drawing on Paramārtha's concept of an immaculate consciousness (AMALAVIJNĀNA). Paramārtha in his personal writings condemned the ālayavijNāna as being fundamentally impure, positing instead that only a ninth mode of consciousness, which he termed the immaculate consciousness, was pure. Following Paramārtha, She lun exegetes treated the ālayavijNāna as impure, and instead established the amalavijNāna as the pure ninth consciousness. They identified this new consciousness with suchness (tathatā) by using it as a synonym for PARINIsPANNA, the perfected nature described in Yogācāra philosophy. In the She lun zong interpretation, amalavijNāna thus came to be regarded as the absolute basis for all previous eight types of consciousness; the eighth consciousness, the ālayavijNāna, was instead seen as the provisional basis of afflictions (KLEsA). Several She lun masters advocated this admixture between ālayavijNāna and tathāgatagarbha thought, including Huikai (518-568), Daoni (fl. 590), Huikuang (534-613), and Tanqian (542-607). Tanqian was especially influential and was even invited by the Sui emperor Wendi (r. 581-604) to the imperial capital of Chang'an in 587 to preach the She lun teachings. The emperor later built the monastery of Chandingsi in the capital and appointed Tanqian as its first abbot, which became the center of the She lun zong. Sengbian (568-642), a She lun master from Daoni's lineage, was one of the teachers of the renowned Korean Yogācāra master WoNCH'ŬK (613-696). Doctrinal positions held in the She lun zong were crucial in the evolution of the HUAYAN school of the mature Chinese tradition.
Shenxiu. (J. Jinshu; K. Sinsu 神秀) (606?-706). Chinese CHAN master of the Tang dynasty and putative founder of the "Northern school" (BEI ZONG) of early Chan Buddhism. Shenxiu was a native of Kaifeng in present-day Henan province. As an extraordinarily tall man with well-defined features, Shenxiu is said to have had a commanding presence. In 625, Shenxiu was ordained at the monastery of Tiangongsi in Luoyang, but little is known of his activities in the first two decades following his ordination. In 651, Shenxiu became a disciple of HONGREN (601-674), cofounder of the East Mountain Teachings (DONGSHAN FAMEN) and the monk later recognized as the fifth patriarch of the Chan school; indeed, by many early accounts, such as the CHUAN FABAO JI and LENGQIE SHIZI JI, Shenxiu became Hongren's legitimate successor. According to the famous story in the LIUZU TANJING ("Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch"), however, Shenxiu lost a verse-writing contest to the unlettered HUINENG (638-713), whom Hongren then in secret sanctioned as the sixth patriarch. However, it is unclear how long Shenxiu studied with Hongren. One source states that it was for a period of six years, in which case he would have left Hongren's monastery long before Huineng's arrival, making the famous poetry contest impossible. Regardless of the date of his departure, Shenxiu eventually left Hongren's monastery for Mt. Dangyang in Jingzhou (present-day Hubei province), where he remained for over twenty years and attracted many disciples. Shenxiu and his disciples were the subjects of a polemical attack by HEZE SHENHUI (684-758), who disparaged Shenxiu as representing a mere collateral branch of BODHIDHARMA's lineage and for promoting what Shenhui called a "gradual" (jian) approach to enlightenment. Shenhui instead promoted a "sudden teaching" (DUNJIAO), which he claimed derived from a so-called "Southern school" (NAN ZONG) founded by Huineng, another (and relatively obscure) disciple of Hongren, whom Shenhui claimed was Hongren's authentic successor and the true sixth patriarch (LIUZU). Later Chan historians such as GUIFENG ZONGMI (780-841) began to use the designation "Northern school" (Bei zong) to describe the lineage of Shenxiu and his disciples YIFU (661-736), PUJI (651-739), and XIANGMO ZANG (d.u.). While Shenhui's characterization of Shenxiu and his supposed "gradualism" is now known to be misleading, subsequent histories of the Chan tradition (see CHUANDENG LU) more or less adopted Shenhui's vision of early Chan; thus Huineng, rather than Shenxiu, comes to be considered the bearer of the orthodox Chan transmission. As one mark of Shenxiu's high standing within the Chan tradition of his time, in 700, Shenxiu was invited to the imperial palace by Empress WU ZETIAN, where the empress prostrated herself before the nonagenarian monk. She was so impressed with the aged Chan master that she decided to build him a new monastery on Mt. Dangyang named Dumensi. She also gave him the title of state preceptor (GUOSHI). Upon his death, he was given a state funeral. He is one of only three Buddhist monks whose biography is included in the Tang shi ("Tang Annals"). This is clearly not the profile of an imposter within the Chan lineage. Shenxiu's teachings are known to have focused on the transcendence of thoughts (linian) and the five expedient means (fangbian; S. UPĀYA); these teachings appear in "Northern school" treatises discovered at Dunhuang, such as the YUANMING LUN, Guanxin lun, and DASHENG WUSHENG FANGBIAN MEN. Shenxiu was an expert on the LAnKĀVATĀRASuTRA, a text favored by Hongren and the early Chan tradition, and is also thought to have written a substantial commentary on the AVATAMSAKASuTRA. Despite the uncomplimentary portrayal of the "Northern school" in mainstream Chan materials, it is now recognized that Shenxiu and his disciples actually played a much more important role in the early growth and development of the Chan school than the mature tradition acknowledged.
Shinto. (J) (神道). In Japanese, lit. "The Way of the Spirits (KAMI)"; modern designation used to refer to a supposedly indigenous religion of Japan distinct from Buddhism. Shinto (alt. jindo) was originally a Buddhist term that designated the realm or course (to) of the local gods and spirits (shin), in distinction to tendo, the Indian divinities who populated the Buddhist celestial heavens (SVARGA). The term therefore referred to an amorphous complex of local beliefs, myths, and rituals that were focused on village and clan tutelary gods called KAMI. During the medieval period, this amorphous set of beliefs was gradually being systematized on a broader scale, but always in conjunction with, and under the strong influence of, Buddhism. It was only in 1868, with the start of the Meiji Restoration, that there was a forced separation of the kami and the buddhas (SHINBUTSU BUNRI), which artificially created two distinct and autonomous religions: the putatively autochthonous Japanese religion of Shinto and the imported traditions of Japanese Buddhism. See HAIBUTSU KISHAKU; HONJI SUIJAKU; KAMI; SHINBUTSU BUNRI; SHINBUTSU SHuGo.
Shobogenzo. (正法眼藏). In Japanese, "Treasury of the True Dharma Eye"; the magnum opus of the Japanese ZEN master DoGEN KIGEN (1200-1253); the title refers to the Zen (C. CHAN) school, which is considered to be the repository of the insights of the buddha sĀKYAMUNI himself, transmitted through the lineage of the CHAN patriarchs (ZUSHI) starting with MAHĀKĀsYAPA. A work bearing the same title (C. ZHENGFAYANZANG) by the eminent Song-dynasty Chinese monk DAHUI ZONGGAO was probably the inspiration for Dogen's own title. Dogen's oeuvre contains two works with this title. The first is a collection of 301 koan (C. GONG'AN) cases, composed in literary Chinese, known as the Shinji Shobogenzo or the Mana Shobogenzo. The second is a collection of essays written in Japanese, known as the Kana [viz., "vernacular"] Shobogenzo, which is the better known of the two and which will be the focus of this account. The Shobogenzo is a collection of individual essays and treatises that Dogen composed throughout his eventful career. Its earliest included treatise is the BENDoWA composed in 1231 and the latest is the Hachidainingaku composed in 1253, the year of Dogen's death. Although the Shobogenzo seems to have been all but forgotten after Dogen's death, later successors in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition, such as MANZAN DoHAKU (1636-1715), TENKEI DENSON (1648-1735), and MENZAN ZUIHo (1683-1769), and the layman ouchi Seiran (1845-1918) rediscovered the text and their influential commentaries on it helped to make Dogen's magnum opus the central scripture of the Soto Zen tradition. Six different editions of the Shobogenzo are known to exist: the "original" volume edited by Dogen in seventy-five rolls, the twelve-roll Yokoji edition, the sixty-roll Eiheiji edition edited by Giun (1253-1333), the eighty-four roll edition edited by Bonsei (d. 1427) in 1419, the eighty-nine roll edition edited by Manzan Dohaku (1636-1715) in 1684 at Daishoji, and the ninety-five roll edition edited by Kozen (1627-1693) in 1690 at Eiheiji. The seventy-five roll edition is today the most widely consulted and cited. Many of the essays were originally sermons delivered by Dogen, such that some are written by him and others were recorded by his disciples. Late in his life, he began to revise the essays, completing the revision of twelve of them before his death. The essays are renowned for their subtle and elliptical style, clever word play, and sometimes enigmatic meanings. Part of their difficulty arises from the fact that Dogen quotes liberally from Buddhist sutras and the works of Chinese masters, but also interprets these passages quite ingeniously. Dogen also invented a number of Buddhist neologisms that were largely unique to him, including creative "mis"-readings of original Chinese passages. For example, in his famous essay "Uji" ("Being Time"), Dogen reads the quotidian Chinese compound youshi ("at a certain time") to suggest the identity of "being" (C. you, J. u) and "time" (C. shi, J. ji): i.e., since impermanency governs all compounded things, those things are in fact time itself. The text includes extensive discussions of the foundations of Zen thought, the meaning and significance of awakening (SATORI), as well as detailed instructions on the ritual procedures for performing sitting meditation (J. ZAZEN; C. ZUOCHAN), as in the chapter FUKAN ZAZENGI. The Shobogenzo remains a source of great interest to scholars and practitioners of Zen. See also SoToSHu.
Shotoku Taishi. (聖德太子) (572-622). Japanese statesman of the Asuka period (593-710) and second son of Emperor Yomei (r. 585-587), who is traditionally assumed to have played an important role in the early dissemination of Buddhism in Japan. He is also known as Umayado no Miko (Prince Stable Door), but by the eighth century, he became known as Shotoku Taishi (lit. Prince Sagacious Virtue). Given that the earliest significant writings on the life of Shotoku Taishi come from two early histories, the Kojiki (712) and Nihon shoki (720), which are both written nearly a century after his death, little can be said definitively about his biography. According to the traditional accounts in these two texts, Suiko (554-628), the aunt of Prince Shotoku and the Japanese monarch, appointed her nephew regent in 593, giving him broad political powers. Thanks to his enlightened leadership, Prince Shotoku is credited with numerous historical achievements. These include the promotion of Buddhism within the court under an edict he issued in 594; promulgation of the Seventeen-Article Constitution in 604, which stresses the importance of the monarchy and lays out basic Buddhist and Confucian principles; sponsorship of trade missions to China; construction of the monasteries of HoRYuJI and SHITENNoJI; authorship of two chronological histories (Tennoko and Kokki); and composition of three of the earliest Buddhist commentaries in Japan, on the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA ("Lotus Sutra"), VIMALAKĪRTINIRDEsA, and sRĪMĀLĀDEVĪSIMHANĀDASuTRA ("Lion's Roar of Queen srīmālā"), which demonstrate his deep familiarity with Mahāyāna Buddhist doctrine. The credibility of Prince Shotoku's achievements as described in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki is undermined by fact that both texts were commissioned by the newly empowered monarchy in an attempt to strengthen its political standing. Some scholars have thus argued that because the new royal family wanted to identify itself with the powerful instrument of the new religion, they selected the person of Prince Shotoku, who shared their lineage, to serve as the first political patron of Buddhism in Japan. This historical narrative focused on Prince Shotoku thus denigrated the importance of the defeated SOGA clan's extensive patronage of Buddhism. As early as the Nara period (710-794), Prince Shotoku began taking on legendary, even mythical status, and was eventually transformed into one of Japan's greatest historical figures, representing the quintessence of Buddhist religious virtue and benevolent political leadership. Priests often dedicated temples to him or transferred the merit of religious enterprises to Shotoku. Both SHINRAN (1173-1263) and NICHIREN (1222-82) dedicated written works to his name. Throughout the Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1185-1333) periods, what is now referred to as the cult of Shotoku Taishi was widely popular and members of the aristocracy regularly venerated him (a practice referred to as Taishi shinko, lit. devotion to the Prince).
Shugendo. (修驗道). In Japanese, lit. the "Way of Cultivating Supernatural Power," a Japanese esoteric tradition that is focused on an intensive ascetic regiment of training in the mountains. Its practitioners claim as their founder EN NO OZUNU ([alt. En no Gyoja], En the Ascetic) (b. 634), a semilegendary ascetic from the mountains of KATSURAGISAN on the border between present-day Nara and osaka prefectures, who is venerated for his shamanic powers and for being the prototypical shugenja (lit. one who cultivates supernatural powers). Before it evolved into an independent religious entity, Shugendo was a wide-ranging set of religious practices that included elements drawn from many traditions, lineages, and institutions, including Japanese TENDAI (TIANTAI), SHINGON, Nara Buddhism, ZEN, PURE LAND movements, Daoism, and local indigenous beliefs. Its practitioners, who were known as YAMABUSHI (lit. those who lie down [or sleep] in the mountains), were largely itinerant, spending much of their time in the mountains, which Japanese regarded as numinous places that housed the spirits of the dead. Through severe austerities in the mountains, such as immersion under waterfalls, solitary confinement in caves, fasting, meditating, and the recitation of spells (MANTRA), practitioners strove to attain buddhahood in this very body (SOKUSHIN JoBUTSU) and accumulate power that would benefit others. As Shugendo evolved into a distinctive tradition during the mid- to late-Heian period (794-1185), Shugendo mountain centers either became linked with Tendai and Shingon institutions or continued to operate and expand independently. Mountains that were especially important to Shugendo included the Yoshino peaks in Nara prefecture, KUMANO in Wakayama prefecture, Haguro in Yamagata prefecture, Hiko in Kyushu, and Ishizuchi in Shikoku. During this period, the aristocratic nobility, including a long succession of monarchs and retired monarchs, patronized the Yoshino and Kumano mountains. Shugenja guided these visitors on pilgrimage and performed magical and religious rites for them. Pilgrimages became increasingly popular and became a significant source of revenue for many of these mountain centers. Under the temple regulations (J. jiin hatto) imposed by the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) at the start of the Tokugawa period (1600-1868), Shugendo sites were forced to align with either the Tendai Shugen branch of Honzan, administered by the temple of Shogoin, or the Shingon branch of Tozan, administered by Sanboin, both located in Kyoto. Itinerant practitioners largely settled down and began performing rituals and offering prayers in villages. Due to sectarian strife between the two schools, in 1707 the Tozan branch named as its founder Shobo (a.k.a. Rigen Daishi; 832-909), who had established Daigoji at Mt. Yoshino. Shugendo was proscribed in 1872 during the Meiji persecution of Buddhism, as the government tried to purge Shinto-affiliated traditions of their "foreign" elements. However, Shogoinryu, the primary branch of the Honzan school, was returned to the religious rolls in 1892. When religious freedom was restored in postwar Japan, many Shugendo institutions resumed their former rituals and traditions, although not to the same extent as they had previously. While a multitude of indigenous gods (KAMI), buddhas, and bodhisattvas have been venerated historically at Shugendo sites around Japan, Kongo Zao Gongen, a deity in the omine mountains who was venerated by En no Ozunu, gradually became the central deity in Shugendo. Other significant objects of worship include En no Ozunu himself, who is thought to have manifested himself as Hoki Bosatsu (the bodhisattva DHARMODGATA); Shobo, an incarnation of Nyoirin Kannon (Cintāmanicakra AVALOKITEsVARA); and Fudo Myoo (ACALANĀTHA-VIDYĀRĀJA), a wrathful DHARMAPĀLA of the VAJRAYĀNA pantheon.
Shwegyin Sayadaw. (1822-1893). In Burmese, "Senior Monk from Shwegyin," honorific title of U Zagara (P. Jāgara), a prominent nineteenth-century reformist scholar-monk and founder of the SHWEGYIN GAING, which today is the second largest monastic fraternity (B. GAING; P. GAnA) in the Burmese sangha (S. SAMGHA). U Zagara was born in Shwegyin village near Shwebo in Upper Burma. As a novice (P. sāmanera; S. sRĀMAnERA) and as a young monk (P. BHIKKHU; S. BHIKsU) he studied under many of the prominent abbots of his time, and according to some sources was a colleague of the learned and ultra-orthodox Okpo Sayadaw, U Okkamwuntha (P. OkkaMvaMsa), founder of the DWAYA GAING, in British-occupied Lower Burma. Like the Okpo Sayadaw, U Zagara emphasized Pāli scholarship and scrupulous attention to monastic discipline (P. VINAYA) as the foundation of the Buddha's religion (P. sāsana; S. sĀSANA), qualities which brought him to the attention of the Burmese king, MINDON (r. 1853-1878). King Mindon, who had inaugurated a revival and reform of Buddhism throughout his kingdom, appointed U Zagara as a royal preceptor (B. SAYADAW) and built for him an elaborate monastic complex at the foot of Mandalay Hill. This attention soon brought U Zagara into conflict with the powerful THUDHAMMA Council, a royally appointed ecclesiastical body charged with governing the Burmese sangha of the kingdom. After a falling out with the Thudhamma patriarch (B. thathanabaing; P. SAnGHARĀJĀ), U Zagara petitioned the king for autonomy (P. ganavimutti) from Thudhamma control, which the king granted. He and his disciples thus formed the nucleus of the new Shwegyin gaing. Some years after the death of the Thudhamma patriarch, during the reign of Burma's last king, Thibaw (1878-1885), U Zagara was invited along with another senior monk to jointly head the Thudhamma Council. U Zagara declined the offer, focusing his energies instead on expanding the reach of the Shwegyin gaing throughout Upper and Lower Burma. The strong emphasis placed by U Zagara and his successors on Buddhist scholarship, monastic discipline, and strict institutional organization of member monasteries allowed the Shwegyin gaing to successfully weather the tumultuous years following the British conquest of the Burmese kingdom in 1885, which saw the dissolution of the Thudhamma Council and disestablishment of Buddhism as the state religion.
Sifen lü. (J. Shibunritsu; K. Sabun yul 四分律). In Chinese, "Four-Part VINAYA"; the Chinese translation of the DHARMAGUPTAKA vinaya, the most influential of the different vinaya translations in East Asia, so-named because of the four main divisions into which the text was divided: (1) bhiksuvibhanga, (2) bhiksunīvibhanga, (3) SKANDHAKA, which includes a life of the Buddha and the twenty skandhaka, and (4) two Appendices, of saMyuktavarga and vinayaikottara. The collection probably derives from some time in the first century BCE. With the support of the ruler Yao Xing (r. 394-416), the Kashmiri monk BUDDHAYAsAS (d.u.; fl. c. early fifth century) recited the text from memory and translated it into Chinese with the help of the Chinese monk ZHU FONIAN (d.u.). Their work was carried out in the Chinese capital of Chang'an between 408 and 413 and was completed in sixty rolls. The Chinese translation is especially important because the Sanskrit recension is no longer extant and the text was never translated into Tibetan. The "Four-Part Vinaya" first circulated in the Chinese metropolitan centers of Chang'an and Luoyang, eventually replacing the other vinayas then circulating in China to became the definitive monastic code in East Asia. Exegetical schools such as DAOXUAN's NANSHAN LÜ ZONG (South Mountain vinaya school) and HUAISU's DONGTA LÜ ZONG (East Pagoda vinaya school), as well as the Korean YUL CHONG and the Japanese RITSUSHu, all focused on the explication of the "Four-Part Vinaya." Among the numerous commentaries on the "Four-Part Vinaya," DAOXUAN's Sifen lü shanfan buque xingshi chao came to be regarded as most authoritative.
sigil ::: Sigil Usually denotes a magical sigil, a glyph used in Ritual Magick as a focus, or for summoning angels, demons, or spirits. There are several methods of devising sigils for this use, usually involving special arrangements of magick squares, Enochian tables, etc., of letters or numbers, and tracing the desired word over this pattern to reveal a symbol, or by reducing alphabetical characters into a single glyph (a fancy word for a shape, a component that makes up an outline font). John Dee's (see Enochian Magick) AGLA Sigil was designed for the reverse of the Sigil of Ameth under the direction of the angel Uriel. He was instructed to re-create the Sigil of Ameth by the angels he contacted during his scrying sessions with Edward Kelley.
Simulacrum ::: Also Doppelgänger. An eerie likeness of a person. There are many esoteric ideas surrounding this concept but the practical will mainly be focused on here: that is a simulacrum of one's physical form can be that which is utilized on the Astral Plane as a sheath (although it might be unwise to try to craft a simulacrum of oneself in that manner for certain reasons).
Smon lam chen mo. (Monlam Chenmo). In Tibetan, "great prayer," the great prayer festival that took place in the Tibetan capital of LHA SA as part of the celebration of the Tibetan lunar New Year (and thus occurring in February and sometimes March). The festival was established by TSONG KHA PA, the founder of the DGE LUGS sect, in 1409, to commemorate the Buddha's defeat of the heretical teachers (TĪRTHIKA) at sRĀVASTĪ. Lasting until the twenty-fifth day of the first month of the new year, the festival included prayers performed three times each day at the JO KHANG, the chief temple of Lha sa, as well as rituals for the expiation of misdeeds committed during the previous year and a rededication to the principles of Buddhism for the coming year. During the festival, the city would be filled with pilgrims from all over Tibet as well as with monks from the three Dge lugs monasteries in the vicinity of Lha sa. Elaborate butter sculptures (GTOR MA) were made and 'CHAM dances were performed. The examinations for the granting of the DGE BSHES lha ram pa degree took place at this time. For the period of the festival, the lay officials of the city of Lha sa turned over civil authority to the monks of 'BRAS SPUNGS monastery. The festival was suspended after the Tibetan uprising in 1959, but began again in 1986 with the political liberalization that followed the death of Mao Zedong, but was banned again in 1990. In times of conflict it has served as a focus for Tibetan political and cultural identity.
smṛti. (P. sati; T. dran pa; C. nian; J. nen; K. yom 念). In Sanskrit, "mindfulness" or "memory" and often seen in Western sources in the Pāli equivalency sati; a polysemous term, but commonly used in meditative contexts to refer to the ability to remain focused on a chosen object without forgetfulness or distraction. The SARVĀSTIVĀDA school of ABHIDHARMA lists smṛti as one of a group of five determinative (VINIYATA) mental concomitants (CAITTA), whose function is to aid the mind in ascertaining or determining its object. The five are: aspiration or desire-to-act (CHANDA), determination or resolve (ADHIMOKsA), mindfulness or memory (smṛti), concentration (SAMĀDHI), and wisdom or cognition (PRAJNĀ). According to ASAnGA, these five determinative factors accompany wholesome (KUsALA) states of mind, so that if one is present, all are present. Mindfulness is crucial to all types of formal meditative practice because of its role in bringing clarity to the perceptual process; it leaves the mind in a purely receptive state that inhibits the unwholesome responses to sensory stimuli, such as greed, hatred, and delusion. Mindfulness also contributes to control of the mind, by eliminating distraction and helping the meditator gain mastery of his thought processes. Smṛti is also a catalyst of the related term "circumspection" or "introspection" (SAMPRAJANYA) and ultimately of wisdom (PRAJNĀ). As the third of the five spiritual faculties (PANCENDRIYA), smṛti helps to balance faith (sRADDHĀ) and wisdom (prajNā)-which could degenerate into blind faith or skepticism, respectively-as well as vigor (VĪRYA) and concentration (SAMĀDHI)-which could degenerate respectively into restlessness and indolence. Smṛti is thus the keystone that ensures the uniform development of all five faculties; for this reason, unlike the other four factors, there can never be too much mindfulness, because it cannot degenerate into a negative state. The emphasis on mindfulness is one of the most distinctive features of Buddhist meditation theory. Consequently, the term appears in numerous lists of virtuous qualities, especially in those pertaining to meditation. For example, in perhaps its most popular usage, right mindfulness (SAMYAKSMṚTI) is the seventh of the eight aspects of the noble eightfold path (ĀRYĀstĀnGAMĀRGA). Generally in this context, the cultivation of the "foundations of mindfulness" (SMṚTYUPASTHĀNA) is understood to serve as a basis for the development of liberating wisdom (prajñā). Thus, meditation exercises involving smṛti are often discussed in connection with those related to VIPAsYANĀ, or "insight." In one of the most widely read discourses on mindfulness, the MAHĀSATIPAttHĀNASUTTANTA, the Buddha offers four specific foundations of mindfulness training, namely, on the body (KĀYA), sensations (VEDANĀ), mental states (CITTA), and specific factors (P. dhamma; S. DHARMA). In his Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayanāmatīkā, a commentary on the PRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀHṚDAYASuTRA ("Heart Sutra"), KAMALAsĪLA lists mindfulness as the third of five "powers" (BALA) that are attained on the path of preparation (PRAYOGAMĀRGA). In another popular schema, smṛti is listed as the first of seven "limbs of awakening" or factors of enlightenment (BODHYAnGA); these are seven factors that contribute to enlightenment. See also ANUSMṚTI; SMṚTYUPASTHĀNA; SATIPAttHANASUTTA.
Social_economics ::: is a branch of economics that focuses on the relationship between social behavior and economics. It examines how social norms, ethics and other social philosophies influence consumer behavior and shape an economy, and uses history, politics and other social sciences to predict potential results from changes to society or the economy. Social economic theories do not move in lockstep with those of orthodox schools of economics. Therefore, traditional schools of thought often assume that actors are self-interested and make rational decisions. Social economic theories often consider subject matter outside the focus of mainstream economics including the effect of the environment and ecology on consumption and wealth.
social network "communications" Any {website} designed to allow multiple users to publish content themselves. The information may be on any subject and may be for consumption by (potential) friends, mates, employers, employees, etc. The sites typically allow users to create a "profile" describing themselves and to exchange public or private messages and list other users or groups they are connected to in some way. There may be editorial content or the site may be entirely user-driven. Content may include text, images (e.g. {(http://flickr.com/)}), video (e.g. {(http://youtube.com/)}) or any other media. Social networks on the the web are a natural extension of {mailing lists} and {buletin boards}. They are related to {wikis} like {(http://wikipedia.org/)} but typically do not allow users to modify content once it has been submitted, though usually you can publish comments on others' submissions. Different sites have different emphasis. For example, {(http://friendsreunited.co.uk/)} (one of the earliest such sites) focusses on listing former acquaintances; {(http://myspace.com/)} is music-oriented; {(http://linkedin.com/)} aims to connect business partners; {(http://del.icio.us/)}, {(http://stumbleupon.com/)} and {(http://digg.com/)} are for exchanging links to favouirite websites. There are many more. Sometimes the social aspects are a side-effect of bringing together people with shared interests, e.g. {(http://slashdot.org/)} (IT), other times they become more important than the original purpose, e.g. {(http://worldofwarcraft.com/)} (fantasy gaming). (2006-12-05)
Social Psychology ::: The branch of psychology which focuses on society and it&
Soka Gakkai. (創價學會/創価学会). In Japanese, "Value-Creating Society," a Japanese Buddhist lay organization associated with the NICHIRENSHu, founded by MAKIGUCHI TSUNESABURO (1871-1944) and his disciple Toda Josei (1900-1958). Formerly a teacher, Makiguchi became a follower of Nichiren's teachings, finding that they supported his own ideas about engendering social and religious values, and converted to NICHIREN SHoSHu in 1928. In 1930, he established a lay organization under the umbrella of the Nichiren Shoshu, which initially called itself the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (Creating Educational Values Society), and led its first general meeting. After its inauguration, the society began to take on a decidedly religious character, focusing on missionary work for Nichiren Shoshu. As the Pacific War expanded, Makiguchi and his followers refused to cooperate with state-enforced SHINTo practices, leading to a rift between them and TAISEKIJI, the head monastery of Nichiren Shoshu. In 1943, the society almost disintegrated with the imprisonment of Makiguchi and Toda, along with twenty other leaders charged with lèse-majesté and violations of the Public Order Act, which required each family to enshrine a Shinto talisman in its home. Makiguchi died in 1944 in prison, but Toda survived and was released on parole in July 1945. After his release, Toda took charge of the organization, renaming it Soka Gakkai in 1946. He successfully led a massive proselytization campaign that gained Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu vast numbers of new converts and by the late 1950s, upwards of 750,000 families had become adherents. After Toda died in 1958, IKEDA DAISAKU (b. 1928) became its third president and the society grew even more rapidly in Japan during the 1960s and the 1970s. In 1975, Ikeda also founded Soka Gakkai International (SGI), which disseminated the society's values around the world. Soka Gakkai publishes numerous books and periodicals, as well as a daily newspaper in Japan. During this period, Soka Gakkai also became involved in Japanese domestic politics, establishing its own political party, the Komeito (Clean Government Party) in 1964, which became completely separate and independent from the Soka Gakkai in 1970. The society also supported Taisekiji with massive donations, including raising the funds for a new main shrine hall for the monastery. Soka Gakkai, like other groups in the Nichiren lineage, focuses on worship of the SADDHARMAPUndARĪKASuTRA ("Lotus Sutra") and its adherents are expected to chant daily the title (DAIMOKU) of the sutra, NAM MYoHoRENGEKYo, as well as recite the most important sections of the sutra and study Nichiren's writings. Soka Gakkai believes that all beings possess the capacity to attain buddhahood and emphasizes the ability of each person's buddha-nature to overcome obstacles and achieve happiness. Soka Gakkai followers can accomplish these goals through a "human revolution" (the title of one of Ikeda's books) that creates a sense of oneness between the individual and the environment, thus demonstrating how each individual can positively affect the surrounding world. As tensions grew between the Nichiren Shoshu and its increasingly powerful lay subsidiary, Nikken (b. 1922), the sixty-seventh chief priest of Nichiren Shoshu, tried to bring its membership directly under his control. His efforts were ultimately unsuccessful and he excommunicated the Soka Gakkai in 1991, forbidding Soka Gakkai followers from having access to the holiest shrines associated with Nichiren. Sokka Gakkai remains at the center of controversy because of its strong emphasis on recruitment and proselytization, its demonization of enemies, and a mentorship structure within the organization that some claim creates a cult of personality centered on Ikeda. Soka Gakkai remains among the largest Buddhist organizations in the Western world.
Sometimes upadhi is interchangeable with vahana (vehicle); thus manas is spoken of as the upadhi or vahana of buddhi. But the more frequent use of upadhi is as a foundation or base. For instance, Blavatsky speaks of hydrogen as the upadhi of both air and water; and of akasa as the upadhi of divine thought. “Cosmic Ideation focussed in a principle or upadhi (basis) results as the consciousness of the individual Ego. Its manifestation varies with the degree of upadhi, e.g., through that known as Manas it wells up as Mind-Consciousness; through the more finely differentiated fabric (sixth state of matter) of the Buddhi resting on the experience of Manas as its basis — as a stream of spiritual intuition” (SD 1:329n).
Son. (禪). In Korean, "Meditation"; the Korean branch of the broader East Asian Chan school, which includes Chinese CHAN, Japanese ZEN, and Vietnamese THIỀN. Son is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese term CHAN, which in turn is a transcription of the Sanskrit term DHYĀNA, or meditative absorption. More specifically, Son denotes the Korean Buddhist traditions that trace their origins back to the Chinese Chan school, or CHAN ZONG. Koreans such as CHoNGJUNG MUSANG were important participants in the development of the new teachings of the Chan zong on the Chinese mainland; in addition, Korean pilgrims were bringing this tradition home to the peninsula no later than the early-ninth century during the Silla dynasty. At least nine of these pilgrims are known to have established their own Son lineages, which are traditionally referred to as the Nine Mountains School of Son (KUSAN SoNMUN). Eight of these nine traditions were associated with the lineage of MAZU DAOYI and the HONGZHOU ZONG, which was known for its iconoclastic approach to Chan pedagogy. The Son tradition flourished during the Koryo dynasty largely through the efforts of POJO CHINUL and his successor CHIN'GAK HYESIM, and the late-Koryo and early-Choson figures T'AEGO POU, MUHAK CHACH'O, and NAONG HYEGŬN. During this period, the teachings of masters associated with the Chinese Imje chong (C. LINJI ZONG) lineage became especially influential in Korea, and Son practice came to focus on the meditative technique of "observing the meditative topic," or "questioning meditation" (K. kanhwa Son, C. KANHUA CHAN). The Son schools, like all of the religion, suffered under the centuries-long suppression of Buddhism during the Choson dynasty, which reduced all the different strands of Korean Buddhism to the "two traditions of Son (Meditation) and Kyo (Doctrine)" (SoN KYO YANGJONG). Even during this period of crisis, however, Korean Son produced some of its most eminent teachers, including CH'oNGHo HYUJoNG and his student SAMYoNG YUJoNG. Son was revitalized during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries thanks to the efforts of such monks as KYoNGHo SoNGU and MAN'GONG WoLMYoN. Two of the dominant schools of contemporary Korean Buddhism, the CHOGYE CHONG and T'AEGO CHONG, both consider themselves predominantly Son traditions.
Sotoshu. (曺洞宗). One of the three major branches of the Japanese Zen tradition, along with the RINZAISHu and oBAKUSHu. The Soto tradition traces its lineage back to DoGEN KIGEN (1200-1253), who is credited with transmitting to Japan the CAODONG ZONG line of the Chinese CHAN teacher TIANTONG RUJING (1162-1227). After returning from China in 1227, Dogen settled in Kyoto and sought to create a new Zen community. Because of resistance from the TENDAI and Rinzai traditions that were already firmly entrenched in the capital (see ENNI BEN'EN), Dogen and his followers eventually left for the rural area of Echizen (in the northern part of present-day Fukui prefecture), and founded EIHEIJI, which came to serve as the center of this new Zen institution. In Echizen, Dogen devoted his time and energy to securing the doctrinal and institutional bases for his community. Dogen's venture was aided by several adherents of the DARUMASHu, who joined the community. Among them were Koun Ejo (1198-1280), the editor of the seventy-five-roll version of Dogen's magnum opus, the SHoBoGENZo, and Tettsu Gikai (1219-1309), whose lineage subsequently came to dominate the Soto school; these monks later served as the second and the third abbots of Eiheiji. Modern scholars believe that a dispute between Gikai and a fellow disciple of Koun Ejo named Gien (d. 1313) concerning the abbotship of Eiheiji prompted Gikai to move to Daijoji in Ishikawa. Gikai was succeeded by his disciple KEIZAN JoKIN (1268-1325), who is honored as "the second patriarch" of Soto by the school's modern followers. Keizan revitalized the Soto community by synthesizing Zen practice with the worship of local gods (KAMI), thus appealing to the local populace. Keizan also established SoJIJI, which along with Eiheiji came to serve as the headquarters (honzan) of the Soto tradition. Gazan Shoseki (1275-1365), a successor of Keizan, produced several disciples, including Taigen Soshin (d. c. 1371) and Tsugen Jakurei (1322-1391), who are credited with the Soto school's rapid expansion throughout Japan during the medieval period. Soto monks of this period, especially those belonging to Keizan-Gazan lines, proselytized in the rural areas of Japan, which had been largely neglected by the established Buddhist traditions at court, and attracted a following among commoners and local elites by engaging in such social activities as building bridges and irrigation systems, as well as by performing rituals that met their religious needs, such as funeral services and mass ordinations (jukai e). Each lineage of the Soto tradition also developed its own secret koan manuals (monsan), only available to selected monks, which gave a received set of questions and answers regarding each koan (C. GONG'AN). During the Tokugawa period, the Soto school developed into one of the largest Buddhist sects in Japan, with a stable financial base, thanks to the mandatory parish system (DANKA SEIDO) that the government launched, in which every household was required to register as a member of a local Buddhist temple and was responsible for the financial support for the temple. By the middle of the eighteenth century, there were more than 17,500 Soto temples across Japan. Although the religious life of the majority of the Soto monks and lay followers during this period was focused on practical religious benefits, such as faith healing and funeral services, a restoration movement eventually developed that sought to return to the putative "original teachings and practices" of the founder Dogen. MANZAN DoHAKU (1636-1714) opposed the custom of IN'IN EKISHI, or "changing teachers according to temple," which was widespread in the Soto tradition during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and was required in order to inherit the dharma lineage of a temple (GARANBo). Instead, Manzan called for a direct, face-to-face transmission (menju shiho) from one master to his disciple (isshi insho), which he claimed Dogen had established for the Soto tradition. After several failed attempts, he finally succeeded in persuading the bakufu government to ban the in'in ekishi and garanbo practice in 1703. TENKEI DENSON (1648-1735) and MENZAN ZUIHo (1683-1769) also composed influential commentaries to Dogen's magnum opus, the Shobogenzo, which led to a renaissance in Dogen studies. After the Meiji reforms of 1868, the two head monasteries of Eiheiji and Sojiji, which had remained rivals through the Tokugawa period, worked together to reform the school, issuing several standardizations of the rules for temple operation, ritual procedures, etc. In 1890, Azegami Baisen (d.1901) from Sojiji and Takiya Takushu (d. 1897) from Eiheiji edited the layman ouchi Seiran's (1845-1918) introductory work on the Shobogenzo and distributed it under the title of the Soto kyokai shushogi ("Meaning of Practice and Realization in the Soto Sect"). This text played a major role in the popularization of the school's meditative practice of "just sitting" (SHIKAN TAZA), which fosters a psychological state in which "body and mind are sloughed off" (SHINJIN DATSURAKU); sitting practice itself is therefore regarded as the manifestation of the perfect enlightenment of buddhahood. The Soto school continues to thrive today, with the great majority of its more than fourteen thousand contemporary temples affiliated with Sojiji.
Soul :::The animating life or consciousness within man (or any other creature, see Sefer HaTanya, ch. 1). The Jew possesses an additional &
space bar "hardware" (Or "space key") The extra-wide {key} at the near edge of every {keyboard} that is used to enter a {space} character. In some {Graphical User Interfaces}, pressing the space bar selects the current item where the context does not allow text entry, e.g. when the {input focus} is on a {push button} or {tick box}. (2007-01-29)
Spearman (1863-1945): focused on intelligence research; proposing the theoretical underlying general factor (g) of intelligence, and statistics; establishing Spearmans rank correlation coefficient and factor analysis.
spell ::: Spell A magical rite directed towards the achievement of an objective. Sometimes this refers to the verbal part of the ritual, and is similar in ways to a Christian prayer, but besides vocalisation, herbs, candles and other assorted natural objects are used to strengthen and focus the 'prayer' or spell.
Spiral Dynamics ::: A theoretical model focusing on the development of value memes, or “vMemes,” from First Tier (Survival Sense, Kin Spirits, Power Gods, Truth Force, Strive Drive, and Human Bond) to Second Tier (Flex Flow and Global View). Conceived by Don Beck and Christopher Cowan, and based on research by Clare Graves.
Standard Generalized Markup Language "language, text" (SGML) A generic {markup} language for representing documents. SGML is an International Standard that describes the relationship between a document's content and its structure. SGML allows document-based information to be shared and re-used across applications and computer {platforms} in an open, vendor-neutral format. SGML is sometimes compared to {SQL}, in that it enables companies to structure information in documents in an open fashion, so that it can be accessed or re-used by any SGML-aware application across multiple platforms. SGML is defined in "ISO 8879:1986 Information processing -- Text and office systems -- Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML)", an {ISO} standard produced by {JTC} 1/SC 18 and amended by "Amendment 1:1988". Unlike other common document file formats that represent both content and presentation, SGML represents a document's content {data} and structure (interrelationships among the data). Removing the presentation from content establishes a neutral format. SGML documents and the information in them can easily be re-used by publishing and non-publishing {applications}. SGML identifies document elements such as titles, paragraphs, tables, and chapters as distinct objects, allowing users to define the relationships between the objects for structuring data in documents. The relationships between document elements are defined in a {Document Type Definition} (DTD). This is roughly analogous to a collection of {field} definitions in a {database}. Once a document is converted into SGML and the information has been 'tagged', it becomes a database-like document. It can be searched, printed or even programmatically manipulated by SGML-aware applications. Companies are moving their documents into SGML for several reasons: Reuse - separation of content from presentation facilitates multiple delivery formats like {CD-ROM} and {electronic publishing}. Portability - SGML is an international, platform-independent, standard based on {ASCII} text, so companies can safely store their documents in SGML without being tied to any one vendor. Interchange - SGML is a core data standard that enables SGML-aware applications to inter-operate and share data seamlessly. A central SGML document store can feed multiple processes in a company, so managing and updating information is greatly simplified. For example, when an aeroplane is delivered to a customer, it comes with thousands of pages of documentation. Distributing these on paper is expensive, so companies are investigating publishing on CD-ROM. If a maintenance person needs a guide for adjusting a plane's flight surfaces, a viewing tool automatically assembles the relevant information from the document {repository} as a complete document. SGML can be used to define attributes to information stored in documents such as security levels. There are few clear leaders in the SGML industry which, in 1993, was estimated to be worth US $520 million and is projected to grow to over US $1.46 billion by 1998. A wide variety tools can be used to create SGML systems. The SGML industry can be separated into the following categories: Mainstream Authoring consists of the key {word processing} vendors like {Lotus}, {WordPerfect} and {Microsoft}. SGML Editing and Publishing includes traditional SGML authoring tools like {ArborText}, {Interleaf}, {FrameBuilder} and {SoftQuad Author}/Editor. SGML Conversions is one of the largest sectors in the market today because many companies are converting legacy data from mainframes, or documents created with mainstream word processors, into SGML. Electronic Delivery is widely regarded as the most compelling reason companies are moving to SGML. Electronic delivery enables users to retrieve information on-line using an intelligent document viewer. Document Management may one day drive a major part of the overall SGML industry. SGML Document Repositories is one of the cornerstone technologies that will affect the progress of SGML as a data standard. Since 1998, almost all development in SGML has been focussed on {XML} - a simple (and therefore easier to understand and implement) subset of SGML. {"ISO 8879:1986//ENTITIES Added Latin 1//EN" (http://ucc.ie/info/net/isolat1.html)} defines some characters. [How are these related to {ISO 8859}-1?]. {ISO catalogue entry (http://iso.ch/cate/d16387.html)}. SGML parsers are available from {VU, NL (ftp://star.cs.vu.nl/Sgml)}, {FSU (ftp://mailer.cc.fsu.edu/pub/sgml)}, {UIO, Norway (ftp://ifi.uio.no/pub/SGML/SGMLS)}. See also {sgmls}. {Usenet} newsgroup: {news:comp.text.sgml}. ["The SGML Handbook", Charles F. Goldfarb, Clarendon Press, 1991, ISBN 0198537379. (Full text of the ISO standard plus extensive commentary and cross-referencing. Somewhat cheaper than the ISO document)]. ["SGML - The User's Guide to ISO 8879", J.M. Smith et al, Ellis Harwood, 1988]. [Example of some SGML?] (2000-05-31)
Standard Generalized Markup Language ::: (language, text) (SGML) A generic markup language for representing documents. SGML is an International Standard that describes the relationship that it can be accessed or re-used by any SGML-aware application across multiple platforms.SGML is defined in ISO 8879:1986 Information processing -- Text and office systems -- Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), an ISO standard produced by JTC 1/SC 18 and amended by Amendment 1:1988.Unlike other common document file formats that represent both content and presentation, SGML represents a document's content data and structure establishes a neutral format. SGML documents and the information in them can easily be re-used by publishing and non-publishing applications.SGML identifies document elements such as titles, paragraphs, tables, and chapters as distinct objects, allowing users to define the relationships between becomes a database-like document. It can be searched, printed or even programmatically manipulated by SGML-aware applications.Companies are moving their documents into SGML for several reasons:Reuse - separation of content from presentation facilitates multiple delivery formats like CD-ROM and electronic publishing.Portability - SGML is an international, platform-independent, standard based on ASCII text, so companies can safely store their documents in SGML without being tied to any one vendor.Interchange - SGML is a core data standard that enables SGML-aware applications to inter-operate and share data seamlessly.A central SGML document store can feed multiple processes in a company, so managing and updating information is greatly simplified. For example, when an can be used to define attributes to information stored in documents such as security levels.There are few clear leaders in the SGML industry which, in 1993, was estimated to be worth US $520 million and is projected to grow to over US $1.46 billion by 1998.A wide variety tools can be used to create SGML systems. The SGML industry can be separated into the following categories:Mainstream Authoring consists of the key word processing vendors like Lotus, WordPerfect and Microsoft.SGML Editing and Publishing includes traditional SGML authoring tools like ArborText, Interleaf, FrameBuilder and SoftQuad Author/Editor.SGML Conversions is one of the largest sectors in the market today because many companies are converting legacy data from mainframes, or documents created with mainstream word processors, into SGML.Electronic Delivery is widely regarded as the most compelling reason companies are moving to SGML. Electronic delivery enables users to retrieve information on-line using an intelligent document viewer.Document Management may one day drive a major part of the overall SGML industry.SGML Document Repositories is one of the cornerstone technologies that will affect the progress of SGML as a data standard.Since 1998, almost all development in SGML has been focussed on XML - a simple (and therefore easier to understand and implement) subset of SGML. defines some characters. [How are these related to ISO 8859-1?]. .SGML parsers are available from , , .See also sgmls.Usenet newsgroup: comp.text.sgml.[The SGML Handbook, Charles F. Goldfarb, Clarendon Press, 1991, ISBN 0198537379. (Full text of the ISO standard plus extensive commentary and cross-referencing. Somewhat cheaper than the ISO document)].[SGML - The User's Guide to ISO 8879, J.M. Smith et al, Ellis Harwood, 1988].[Example of some SGML?](2000-05-31)
*sthāpyabhāvanā. (T. 'jog sgom). In Sanskrit, "stabilizing meditation," the one-pointed concentration on a single object without discursive reflection. An example of such stabilizing meditation would be the concentration on the breath or the golden body of the Buddha, eventually resulting in a state of sAMATHA or DHYĀNA. The term is often paired with *VICĀRABHĀVANĀ, those forms of meditation that involve discursive reflection on points of Buddhist doctrine, such as the investigation of the constituents of mind and body. In instructions on meditation practice, advice is often given to alternate between these two forms of meditation, first arriving at a conclusion or conviction through analytical meditation and then focusing on that conclusion through stabilizing meditation, resulting in VIPAsYANĀ.
Structuralism ::: School of thought from the 19th century focused on the gathering of psychological information through the examination of the structure of the mind.
Subconscious In The Secret Doctrine, used for a degree of consciousness less evolved than that with which we are familiar. Generally today, psychic researchers and psychoanalysts define it as a kind of mental action not yet revealed to ordinary consciousness and not easily apparent to introspection. Our own consciousness is known by experience; that of others is inferred from analogy and from its results. In the same way, our conduct is found to be largely influenced by something which we must presume to be a conscious intelligence, yet of which we are not aware by actual experience. We cannot get a clear definition of this until we have analyzed the concept of consciousness more fully, as is done in Hindu systems. But, as a practical question, our mental nature includes a far larger field than that occupied at any one time by the focus of attention. Subconscious may merely mean behind conscious; but if it taken to mean below, the expression is unfortunate as implying lower and more sinister regions of our mentality; and this indeed is actually the region studied and accepted by prominent modern psychoanalysts.
subject matter: The issue or topic that is the focus of a discussion or text.
Sukhāvatīvyuhasutra. (T. Bde ba can gyi bkod pa'i mdo; C. Wuliangshou jing; J. Muryojukyo; K. Muryangsu kyong 無量壽經). Literally, the "Sutra Displaying [the Land of] Bliss," the title of the two most important Mahāyāna sutras of the "PURE LAND" tradition. The two sutras differ in length, and thus are often referred to in English as the "larger" and "smaller" (or "longer" and "shorter") Sukhāvatīvyuhasutras; the shorter one is commonly called the AMITĀBHASuTRA. Both sutras are believed to date from the third century CE. The longer and shorter sutras, together with the GUAN WULIANGSHOU JING (*Amitāyurdhyānasutra), constitute the three main texts associated with the pure land tradition of East Asia (see JINGTU SANBUJING). There are multiple Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan versions of both the longer and shorter sutras, with significant differences among them. ¶ The longer Sukhāvatīvyuhasutra begins with ĀNANDA noticing that the Buddha is looking especially serene one day, and so asks him the reason. The Buddha responds that he was thinking back many millions of eons in the past to the time of the buddha LOKEsVARARĀJA. The Buddha then tells a story in the form of a flashback. In the audience of this buddha was a monk named DHARMĀKARA, who approached Lokesvararāja and proclaimed his aspiration to become a buddha. Dharmākara then requested the Buddha to describe all of the qualities of the buddha-fields (BUDDHAKsETRA). Lokesvararāja provided a discourse that lasted one million years, describing each of the qualities of the lands of trillions of buddhas. Dharmākara then retired to meditate for five eons, seeking to concentrate all of the marvelous qualities of the millions of buddha-fields that had been described to him into a single pure buddha-field. When he completed his meditation, he returned to describe this imagined land to Lokesvararāja, promising to create a place of birth for fortunate beings and vowing that he would follow the bodhisattva path and become the buddha of this new buddha-field. He described the land he would create in a series of vows, stating that if this or that marvel was not present in his pure land, may he not become a buddha: e.g., "If in my pure land there are animals, ghosts, or hell denizens, may I not become a buddha." He made forty-eight such vows. These included the vow that all the beings in his pure land will be the color of gold; that beings in his pure land will have no conception of private property; that no bodhisattva will have to wash, dry, or sew his own robes; that bodhisattvas in his pure land will be able to hear the dharma in whatever form they wish to hear it and whenever they wish to hear it; that any woman who hears his name, creates the aspiration to enlightenment (BODHICITTA), and feels disgust at the female form, will not be reborn as a woman again. Two of these vows would become the focus of particular attention. In the eighteenth vow (seventeenth in the East Asian versions), Dharmākara vows that when he has become a buddha, he will appear at the moment of death to anyone who creates the aspiration to enlightenment, hears his name, and remembers him with faith. In the nineteenth vow (eighteenth in the East Asian versions), he promises that anyone who hears his name, wishes to be reborn in his pure land, and dedicates their merit to that end, will be reborn there, even if they make such a resolution as few as ten times during the course of their life. Only those who have committed one of the five inexpiable transgressions bringing immediate retribution (ĀNANTARYAKARMAN, viz., patricide, matricide, killing an ARHAT, wounding a buddha, or causing schism in the SAMGHA) are excluded. The scene then returns to the present. Ānanda asks the Buddha whether Dharmākara was successful, whether he did in fact traverse the long path of the bodhisattva to become a buddha. The Buddha replies that he did indeed succeed and that he became the buddha Amitābha (Infinite Light). The pure land that he created is called sukhāvatī. Because Dharmākara became a buddha, all of the things that he promised to create in his pure land have come true, and the Buddha proceeds to describe sukhāvatī in great detail. It is carpeted with lotuses made of seven precious substances, some of which reach ten leagues (YOJANA) in diameter. Each lotus emits millions of rays of light and from each ray of light there emerge millions of buddhas who travel to world systems in all directions to teach the dharma. The pure land is level, like the palm of one's hand, without mountains or oceans. It has great rivers, the waters of which rise as high or sink as low as one pleases, from the shoulders to the ankles, and vary in temperature as one pleases. The sound of the river takes the form of whatever auspicious words one wishes to hear, such as "buddha," "emptiness," "cessation," and "great compassion." The words "hindrance," "misfortune," and "pain" are never heard, nor are the words "day" and "night" used, except as metaphors. The beings in the pure land do not need to consume food. When they are hungry, they simply visualize whatever food they wish and their hunger is satisfied without needing to eat. They dwell in bejeweled palaces of their own design. Some of the inhabitants sit cross-legged on lotus blossoms while others are enclosed within the calyx of a lotus. The latter do not feel imprisoned, because the calyx of the lotus is quite large, containing within it a palace similar to that inhabited by the gods. Those who dedicate their merit toward rebirth in the pure land yet who harbor doubts are reborn inside lotuses where they must remain for five hundred years, enjoying visions of the pure land but deprived of the opportunity to hear the dharma. Those who are free from doubt are reborn immediately on open lotuses, with unlimited access to the dharma. Such rebirth would become a common goal of Buddhist practice, for monks and laity alike, in India, Tibet, and throughout East Asia. ¶ The "shorter" Sukhāvatīvyuhasutra was translated into Chinese by such famous figures as KUMĀRAJĪVA and XUANZANG. It is devoted largely to describing this buddha's land and its many wonders, including the fact that even the names for the realms of animals and the realms of hell-denizens are not known; all of the beings born there will achieve enlightenment in their next lifetime. In order to be reborn there, one should dedicate one's merit to that goal and bear in mind the name of the buddha here known as AMITĀYUS (Infinite Life). Those who are successful in doing so will see Amitāyus and a host of bodhisattvas before them at the moment of death, ready to escort them to sukhāvatī, the land of bliss. In order to demonstrate the efficacy of this practice, the Buddha goes on to list the names of many other buddhas abiding in the four cardinal directions, the nadir, and the zenith, who also praise the buddha-field of Amitāyus. Furthermore, those who hear the names of the buddhas that he has just recited will be embraced by those buddhas. Perhaps to indicate how his own buddha-field (that is, our world) differs from that of Amitāyus, sākyamuni Buddha concludes by conceding that it has been difficult to teach the dharma in a world as degenerate as ours.
Summum Bonum: (Lat. the supreme good) A term applied to an ultimate end of human conduct the worth of which is intrinsically and substantively good. It is some end that is not subordinate to anything else. Happiness, pleasure, virtue, self-realization, power, obedience to the voice of duty, to conscience, to the will of God, good will, perfection have been claimed as ultimate aims of human conduct in the history of ethical theory. Those who interpret all ethical problems in terms of a conception of good they hold to be the highest ignore all complexities of conduct, focus attention wholly upon goals towards which deeds are directed, restrict their study by constructing every good in one single pattern, center all goodness in one model and thus reduce all other types of good to their model. -- H.H.
Sun The central focus of radiating energy, physical and spiritual, of any solar system. In our solar system the sun is one of several suns subordinate to the more central sun of the universal solar system. In the solar cosmos as a whole it is the Logos, the head of the septenary hierarchy of creative forces, corresponding to the Christos, Abraxas, Mithras, Dionysos, etc., in man. Its names among the many peoples of the earth are countless: Osiris, Ormazd, Apollo, Phoebus, Ammon-Ra, Helios, Surya, etc. Symbolized by the circle with a central point, it is for its own system the All-Father. Sun worship, in the occult sense, was once the universal foundation of religion, but it has mostly given place to what is really lunar worship. The sun is often found contrasted with the moon as spiritual is with material; and solar magic means white magic as contrasted with the dark lunar magic. Thus we find deities classed as solar and lunar, or particular deities have both a solar and a lunar aspect. As Father and Son he is seen in Osiris and Horus, atman and buddhi-manas, God and Christos.
syāmatārā. (T. Sgrol ljang). In Sanskrit, "Dark Tārā"; in Tibetan "Green Tārā"; according to a widely held Tibetan myth, the goddess who consorted with a monkey (an emanation of AVALOKITEsVARA) and gave birth to the Tibetan people. Later, she took the form of the princess BHṚKUTĪ, Nepalese wife of King SRONG BTSAN SGAM PO. After Avalokitesvara, syāmatārā is perhaps the most widely worshipped Buddhist deity in Tibet and the focus of the nonsectarian Tārā cult. The Namas Tāre EkaviMsatistotra ("Twenty-One Praises of Tārā") is one of the most widely known prayers in Tibet, and her MANTRA, oM tāre tuttāre ture svāha, is second in popularity only to OM MAnI PADME HuM, AVALOKITEsVARA's mantra. Each Tibetan sect has its own tantric rituals (SĀDHANA) and ritual propitiations (VIDHI) for Green Tārā, who is considered particularly helpful to those building monasteries and other religious structures, and to those starting business ventures. Green Tārā is iconographically represented as sitting in LALITĀSANA with her left leg bent and resting on her lotus seat, her right leg pendant, with the knee slightly raised, the foot resting on a second smaller lotus. ATIsA DĪPAMKARAsRĪJNĀNA, an Indian Buddhist monk and scholar revered by Tibetan Buddhists as a leading teacher in the later dissemination (PHYI DAR) of Buddhism in Tibet, was a devotee of Green Tārā, and the temple commemorating his principal residence during his later years in central Tibet, in Snye thang (Nyethang), is the Sgrol ma lha khang (Drolma Lhakang) "Tārā Temple," which is widely believed by Tibetans to have a statue of syāmatārā that can speak. See also TĀRĀ.
Sybase, Inc. ::: (company) A software vendor focused on database management software.Yearly sales: $903.9 million (1997).Address: 6475 Christie Ave., Emeryville, California, USA. . (1998-05-18)
Sybase, Inc. "company" A software vendor focused on {database} management software. Yearly sales: $903.9 million (1997). Address: 6475 Christie Ave., Emeryville, California, USA. {(http://sybase.com)}. (1998-05-18)
Symbolic Resonance ::: The idea that since reality can be reduced to archetypes then awareness simply needs to shift its locus of focus to those specific archetypes in order to bring them into the reality of the magician and to be able to work with them.
T'aego Pou. (太古普愚) (1301-1382). In Korean, "Grand Ancient, Universal Stupidity"; SoN master of the late Koryo dynasty, who is presumed to have introduced the lineage of the LINJI ZONG (K. Imje chong) of the Chinese CHAN school to Korea. T'aego was a native of Hongju in present-day South Ch'ungchong province. He is said to have been born into the prominent family of a court official and ordained as a youth in 1313 by the monk Kwangji (d.u.) at the monastery of Hoeamsa (Kyonggi province). T'aego later passed the clerical examinations (SŬNGKWA) for specialists of the Hwaom (C. HUAYAN) school in 1329. While investigating the Chan case (GONG'AN) "the ten thousand dharmas return to one" (case 45 of the BIYAN LU) in 1333, T'aego is said to have attained his first awakening at the monastery of Kamnosa in Songso (South Cholla province). Four years later, he is said to have had another awakening while investigating ZHAOZHOU CONGSHEN's WU GONG'AN. In 1341, he built a hermitage near the monastery Chŭnghŭngsa on Mt. Samgak (Kyonggi province) named T'aegoam, whence he acquired his toponym. In 1346, T'aego headed for China, where he resided at the monastery of Daguangsi in the Yuan capital of Yanjing. T'aego is also said to have visited the eminent Chan master Shiwu Qinggong (1272-1352) and received his seal of transmission (C. YINKE, K. in'ga) and thus an affiliation with Shiwu's Linji lineage. After T'aego returned to Korea in 1348, he retired to Miwon on Mt. Sosol (Kyonggi province). In 1356, he was summoned to the Koryo capital of Kaesong, where he taught at the influential monastery of Pongŭnsa. That same year he was appointed the king's personal instructor, or "royal preceptor" (wangsa), and abbot of the monastery KWANGMYoNGSA, the major Son monastery in the capital. T'aego continued to serve as the personal advisor to successive kings until his death on Mt. Sosol in 1382. His teachings are recorded in the T'aego hwasang orok. ¶ In the last half of the twentieth century, attempts to trace the orthodox lineage of the contemporary Korean CHOGYE CHONG back to T'aego and his Chinese Linji lineage rather than to POJO CHINUL (1158-1210) caused a rift within the Korean Buddhist community. The focus of the critique is Chinul's putatively "gradualist" approach to Son Buddhist soteriology (viz., his advocacy of tono chomsu, C. DUNWU JIANXIU) and Chinul's lack of an authentic dharma transmission from a recognized Chan or Son master (he is known to have been an autodidact). T'aego was therefore credited with initiating true Son orthodoxy in Korea, based on T'aego's transmission from Shiwu Qinggong, an authentic successor in the Chinese Linji school with its quintessentially "sudden awakening" (DUNWU) soteriology. This issue remains a matter of unremitting controversy in contemporary Chogye order politics. T'aego's name has also been adopted by the T'AEGO CHONG, a modern order of Korean married monks, in order to give a patina of orthodoxy to its school as well.
Target ::: In magical practice this is the focus of a spell or rite. It is usually used to refer to a person but does not necessarily carry a negative connotation.
taskbar "operating system" The part of the {Microsoft Windows} {graphical user interface} (GUI) typically occupying a fixed strip along the bottom of the screen, showing a rectangular icon for each running {application}. The taskbar also contains the {Start menu} at its left-hand end and the {notification area} at the right-hand end. Other {toolbars} can be added such as the {Quick Launch toolbar}. Clicking an application's taskbar icon makes its windows visible in front of other windows and gives one of them the {input focus}, or if it is already in front, minimises it. Right-clicking an icon gives a {window manager} menu, possibly customised by the application. Right-clicking the taskbar itself performs global window manager actions such as minimising all windows and also allows you to set taskbar properties. The taskbar can be locked in position or resized or dragged to the top, left or right of the screen. (2007-06-13)
Technical_analysis ::: is a trading discipline employed to evaluate securities and identify trading opportunities by analyzing statistics gathered from trading activity, such as price movement and volume. Unlike fundamental analysts, who attempt to evaluate a security's intrinsic value, technical analysts focus on charts of price movement and various analytical tools to evaluate a security's strength or weakness.
technomagick: Reality-alteration (that is, magick) through a scientific/ technological focus.
TECO ::: (editor, text) /tee'koh/ (Originally an acronym for [paper] Tape Editor and COrrector; later, Text Editor and COrrector]) A text editor developed at may have been the most prolific editor in use before Emacs, to which it was directly ancestral. The first Emacs editor was written in TECO.It was noted for its powerful programming-language-like features and its unspeakably hairy syntax (see write-only language). TECO programs are said to probably not a useful one); one common game used to be predict what the TECO commands corresponding to human names did.As an example of TECO's obscurity, here is a TECO program that takes a list of names such as: Loser, J. RandomQuux, The Great sorts them alphabetically according to surname, and then puts the surname last, removing the comma, to produce the following: Moby DickJ. Random Loser The program is [1 J^P$L$$J .-Z; .,(S,$ -D .)FX1 @F^B $K :L I $ G1 L>$$ (where ^B means Control-B (ASCII 0000010) and $ is actually an alt or escape (ASCII 0011011) character).In fact, this very program was used to produce the second, sorted list from the first list. The first hack at it had a bug: GLS (the author) had accidentally features of TECO, but ^P means sort and J.-Z; ... L> is an idiomatic series of commands for do once for every line.By 1991, Emacs had replaced TECO in hacker's affections but descendants of an early (and somewhat lobotomised) version adopted by DEC can still be found lurking on VMS and a couple of crufty PDP-11 operating systems, and ports of the more advanced MIT versions remain the focus of some antiquarian interest.See also retrocomputing. for VAX/VMS, Unix, MS-DOS, Macintosh, Amiga.[Authro? Home page?](2001-03-26)
TECO "editor, text" /tee'koh/ (Originally an acronym for "[paper] Tape Editor and COrrector"; later, "Text Editor and COrrector"]) A {text editor} developed at {MIT} and modified by just about everybody. With all the dialects included, TECO may have been the most prolific editor in use before {Emacs}, to which it was directly ancestral. The first {Emacs} editor was written in TECO. It was noted for its powerful programming-language-like features and its unspeakably {hairy} {syntax} (see {write-only language}). TECO programs are said to resemble {line noise}. Every string of characters is a valid TECO program (though probably not a useful one); one common game used to be predict what the TECO commands corresponding to human names did. As an example of TECO's obscurity, here is a TECO program that takes a list of names such as: Loser, J. Random Quux, The Great Dick, Moby sorts them alphabetically according to surname, and then puts the surname last, removing the comma, to produce the following: Moby Dick J. Random Loser The Great Quux The program is [1 J^P$L$$ J ".-Z; .,(S,$ -D .)FX1 @F^B $K :L I $ G1 L"$$ (where ^B means "Control-B" (ASCII 0000010) and $ is actually an {alt} or escape (ASCII 0011011) character). In fact, this very program was used to produce the second, sorted list from the first list. The first hack at it had a {bug}: GLS (the author) had accidentally omitted the "@" in front of "F^B", which as anyone can see is clearly the {Wrong Thing}. It worked fine the second time. There is no space to describe all the features of TECO, but "^P" means "sort" and "J".-Z; ... L"" is an idiomatic series of commands for "do once for every line". By 1991, {Emacs} had replaced TECO in hacker's affections but descendants of an early (and somewhat lobotomised) version adopted by {DEC} can still be found lurking on {VMS} and a couple of {crufty} {PDP-11} {operating systems}, and ports of the more advanced MIT versions remain the focus of some antiquarian interest. See also {retrocomputing}. {(ftp://usc.edu/)} for {VAX}/{VMS}, {Unix}, {MS-DOS}, {Macintosh}, {Amiga}. [Authro? Home page?] (2001-03-26)
Temple [from Latin templum, tempulum a small division from Greek, Latin tem to cut off, mark out] Templum was a spot marked off for sacred purposes by the augur with his staff, and might be on the ground or in the sky, where it was a region designated for the observation of omens. This connects the idea with that of the celestial mansions or zodiacal signs. From being a mere marked-off spot, it gradually evolved into elaborate edifices, and it has also a figurative use, as when the body is called the temple of God or the earth is described as a temple. When a temple in ancient days was constructed by adepts for specific purposes, it became a center or receptacle of spiritual energies attracted and focused there; and from this arose the merely exoteric ideas, true in their origin but absurdly untrue today, that a consecrated portion of a temple or church was the Holy of Holies or the Seat of God, etc.
The ethnology of the ancient peoples inhabiting Mesopotamia is extremely obscure. The records of occult history show that in a previous geological period, all that portion of western and central-western Asia, which includes Persia, Babylonia, Turkestan, Baluchistan, Afghanistan, etc., was once a highly fertile and well-populated portion of the earth’s surface, not only bearing once famous and brilliant civilizations, but likewise the seat of different peoples living side by side. When immense climatic and geological changes took place, this vast stretch of territory became the seeding-place or focus whence spread to the east, south, and west various emigrant offshoots which populated what were then less fertile territories, which in time became on the one hand northern India, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and Turkestan, and on the southwest Iran, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus district. It was far later that a reverse current of emigration left what is now northern India and proceeded westward settling to a certain extent in the lands of their ancient forefathers, and this accounts not only for the similarities between the west and east of this district, but the Indian influence perceptible in Mesopotamia and the close linguistic and other links that existed between the ancient Zoroastrians and the Brahmanical streams of thought.
The fundamental idea in these various manners of adoring fire was that, because of the warming and life-giving functions of this universal element, it symbolized the vital and all-penetrating activity of cosmic life. Furthermore, because the sun was the focus or heart through which pours the life of any solar system, therefore the ideas connected with ancient fire worship are likewise intimately connected with the teachings concerning the solar orb and its indwelling divinity.
Thelema ::: A philosophical and spiritual paradigm developed in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley that emphasizes a central tenet to guide one's actions in the form of the Law of Thelema: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the Law, Love under Will." Traditionally incorporating Egyptian symbolism and its pantheon, modern Thelema as practiced by groups such as the A∴A∴ and O.T.O. tends to focus on initiations based on the Kabbalah and its Visions (e.g. K&C with the HGA, crossing the Abyss, etc.). The word "magick" with a "k" at the end comes from the Thelemic writings of Aleister Crowley.
Theory of constraints – Refers to a management approach or theory that main focuses is on the identification and subsequent and relaxation of the constraints that may limit a firm's ability to achieve a higher level of their goal attainment.
There exist alternative definitions of conics involving a focus and a directrix together with a ratio of distance from the two called eccentricity.
There seems little doubt that the Chaldean Anu and the Sanskrit anu (atom) are identic in origin. Anu is a title of the formative Brahma who philosophically is often envisaged as the cosmic atom or infinite universe. The mystical significance is the ever-invisible, unreachable divine center — whether of a being or universe — which is the divine-spiritual focus of essential consciousness, from which flow forth all the streams of consciousness in its multiform varieties.
The term monad was adopted from Greek philosophy by Bruno, Leibniz, and others. According to Leibniz there can be but one ultimate cosmic reality or monad, the universe; but he recognizes an innumerable multiplicity of monads which pervade the universe, copies or reflections of the universal monad regarded as real except in their relation to the universal monad. He divides his derivative monads into three classes: rational souls; sentient but irrational monads; and material monads, or organic and inorganic bodies. As regards the material monads, while recognizing that corporeal matter is compound, and the attributes by which we perceive it unreal, unlike Berkeley, he does not deny its existence but regards it essentially as monadic. Thus his universe is an aggregate of individuals. The relations of these individuals to each other and to the universal is a supreme harmony, implying both individuality and coordination, thus reconciling the antinomy of bonds of law and freedom. The interrelations of various groups of monads is as a series of hierarchies. Theosophical usage is largely the same as that of Leibniz, as the focus or heart in any individual being, of all its divine, spiritual, and intellectual powers and attributes — the immortal part of its being. In The Secret Doctrine we find a triadic union of gods-monads-atoms, related to each other as spirit-soul-body (or more accurately spirit, spirit-soul, and spirit-soul-body). Monads and atoms are related to each other as the energic and the material side of manifestation, the atoms being the reflections, veils, or projections of and from the monads themselves.
The_trend ::: is the general direction of a market or of the price of a security. In technical analysis, trends are identified by trendlines that connect a series of highs or lows. Most traders trade in the same direction as a trend, while contrarians seek to identify reversals. Trends can also apply to interest rates, bond yields, and other markets where they're characterized by a long-term movement in price or volume. BREAKING DOWN 'Trend' Technical analysis was founded on the premise that security prices trend over time, which makes identifying the trend one of the most important elements of the practice. Traders can identify the trend using various forms of technical analysis, including both trendlines and technical indicators. For example, trendlines might show the direction of a trend while the relative strength index (RSI) is designed to show the strength of a trend at any given point in time. Many traders live by the mantra, "the trend is your friend," with the exception of contrarians that seek to identify reversals. Trends may also be used by investors focused on fundamental analysis, which looks at changes in the revenue, earnings, or other business metrics. For example, fundamental analysts may look for trends in earnings per share and revenue growth. If earnings have grown for the past four quarters, this represents a positive trend. However, if earnings have declined for the past four quarters, it represents a negative trend. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/trend.asp
“This is the Logos (the first), or Vajradhara, the Supreme Buddha (also called Dorjechang). As the Lord of all Mysteries he cannot manifest, but sends into the world of manifestation his heart — the ‘diamond heart,’ Vajrasattva (Dorjesempa)” (SD 1:571). Adi-buddha is the individualized monadic focus of adi-buddhi, primordial cosmic wisdom or intelligence, synonymous with mahabuddhi or mahat (universal mind). Otherwise expressed, adi-buddha is the supreme being heading the hierarchy of compassion and our solar universe; the fountain of light running through all subordinate hierarchies and thus the supreme lord and initiator of the wisdom side of our universe.
Thomas, Edward Joseph. (1869-1958). British scholar of Pāli and Sanskrit Buddhism. He was the son of a Yorkshire gardener and worked as a gardener himself in his early life before studying at St. Andrews and then Cambridge, where he received his BA in 1905. He spent the remainder of his life at Cambridge, holding various positions at the university library, where he was renowned for his knowledge of languages (along with his work in Indian languages, he also published a book on Danish conversational grammar). He wrote both general works on Buddhist thought and translated Buddhist texts, including a collection of JĀTAKA stories from the Pāli. His most influential work was The Life of the Buddha as Legend and History (1927), in which he focused upon the structure of various biographical fragments and texts, and their role within the wider tradition. Thomas stressed the importance of studying all available language sources and the need to understand the mythic and fabulous elements of the religion as important traditions in their own right.
Thoughtform ::: See Artificial Spirit. There is a slight difference though in that a thougtform has the connotation that it is more likely to be unintentionally created through the collective will and focus of a group.
T'ongdosa. (通度寺). In Korean, "Breakthrough Monastery" (lit. "Penetrating Crossing-Over Monastery"); the fifteenth district monastery (PONSA) in the contemporary CHOGYE CHONG of Korean Buddhism, located at the base of Yongch'uksan (S. GṚDHRAKutAPARVATA, or Vulture Peak) in Yangsan, South Kyongsang province. Along with HAEINSA and SONGGWANGSA, T'ongdosa is one of the "three-jewel monasteries" (SAMBO SACH'AL) that represent one of the three jewels (RATNATRAYA) of Buddhism; T'ONGDOSA is the buddha-jewel monastery (pulbo sach'al), because of its ordination platform and the relics (K. sari; S. sARĪRA) of the Buddha enshrined in back of its main shrine hall (TAEUNG CHoN). The oldest of the three-jewel monasteries, T'ongdosa has long been regarded as the center of Buddhist disciplinary studies (VINAYA) in Korea, and has been one of the major sites of ordination ceremonies since the Unified Silla period (668-935). Relics, reputed to be those of the Buddha himself, are enshrined at the monastery, and its taeung chon is famous for being one of four in Korea that does not enshrine an image of the Buddha; instead, a window at the back of the main hall, where the image ordinarily would be placed, looks out on the Diamond Ordination Platform (Kŭmgang kyedan), which includes a reliquary (STuPA) that enshrines the Buddha's relics. This focus on vinaya and the presence of these relics, both of which are reminders of the Buddha, have led the monastery to be designated the buddha-jewel monastery of Korea. T'ongdosa is said to have been established by the vinaya master CHAJANG (608-686) in 646 to enshrine a portion of the relics that he brought back with him from his sojourn into China. While on pilgrimage at WUTAISHAN, Chajang had an encounter with the bodhisattva MANJUsRĪ, who entrusted Chajang with a gold studded monk's robe (K. kasa; S. KAsĀYA) wrapped in purple silk gauze, one hundred pieces of relics of the Buddha's skull bone and his finger joint, beads, and sutras. One portion of the relics was enshrined together with the Buddha's robe in a bell-shaped stone stupa at the center of the Diamond Ordination Platform; another portion was enshrined in the nine-story pagoda at HWANGNYONGSA in the Silla capital of Kyongju. Under Chajang's leadership, the monastery grew into a major center of Silla Buddhism and the monastery continued to thrive throughout the Silla and Koryo dynasties, until the whole monastery except the taeung chon was destroyed by invading Japanese troops in the late sixteenth century. In 1641, the monk Uun (d.u.) rebuilt the monastery in its current configuration. The Diamond Ordination Platform was periodically damaged during the sporadic Japanese invasions that occurred during the Choson dynasty. In the fourth month of 1377, Japanese pirates invaded, seeking to plunder the sarīra; to keep them from falling into Japanese hands, the abbot went into hiding with the relics. Two years later, on the fifteenth day of the fifth month of 1379, the pirates came again, and the monks quickly whisked away the relics and hid them deep in the forest behind the monastery. The Japanese went in pursuit of the relics, but the abbot Wolsong (d.u.) took them to Seoul to keep them safe, returning with them once the danger had passed. During the Hideyoshi Invasions in the late sixteenth century, the relics were also removed in order to keep them safe. SAMYoNG YUJoNG, who was leading a monk's militia fighting the Japanese invaders, sent the relics to the Diamond Mountains (KŬMGANGSAN) in the north, where his teacher and the supreme commander, CH'oNGHo HYUJoNG, was staying. Hyujong decided that the relics were no safer there than back at their home monastery, so he returned them to T'ongdosa. Yujong covered the hiding place of the relics with weeds and thorn bushes and, once the Japanese threat was rebuffed, he restored the site to its former glory and the relics were reenshrined in 1603. The platform was repaired again in 1653 and on a grand scale in 1705. The Diamond Ordination Platform remains the site where BHIKsU and BHIKsUnĪ ordinations are held in Korea. In 1972, T'ongdosa was elevated to the status of an ecumenical monastery (CH'ONGNIM), and is one of the five such centers in the contemporary Chogye order, which are all expected to provide training in the full range of practices that exemplify the major strands of the Korean Buddhist tradition; the monastery is thus also known as the Yongch'uk Ch'ongnim.
Toson. (道詵) (827-898). Korean SoN master during the Later Silla and the early Koryo kingdoms, who is said to have been the first Korean to combine geomancy (K. p'ungsu; C. fengshui) and Buddhism in order to assess and correct adverse energy flows in the indigenous Korean landscape. Toson was probably a relatively little-known figure during his own lifetime, but he became the stuff of legend for supposedly predicting the rise to prominence of the founder of the Koryo dynasty, Wang Kon (r. 918-943), and using his geomatic prowess to locate the most auspicious site for the founding of its new capital, Kaesong. Toson developed a theory of deploying Buddhist architectural sites as a palliative to geographic anomalies. This theory, called "reinforcing [the land] through monasteries and STuPAs" (K. PIBO SAT'AP SoL), proposed that building monasteries and pagodas at geomantically fragile locations could alleviate or correct weaknesses in the native topology, in much the same way that acupuncture could correct feeble energy flows within the physical body. His geomantic theory is unusual, because Chinese geomancy of the time focused more on the discovery of hidden propitious sites within the landscape, not correcting geomantic weaknesses. This term pibo (lit. "assisting and supplementing," and thus "reinforcing," or "remediation") is also unattested as a technical term in Chinese geomancy. The term may derive from similar terms used in the geomantic theories of the Chinese CHAN school and thence the Korean Nine Mountains Son school (KUSAN SoNMUN), with which Toson was affiliated. The geomancy of Yang Yunsong (834-900) was popular in the Jiangxi region of China; this type of geomancy sought to interpret the lay of the land as a way of locating the most auspicious sites for constructing buildings. This tradition seems to have entered into the Chan lineages in that region, whence it might have been introduced in turn into Korea by the several Son masters in the Nine Mountains school who studied in Jiangxi. The frequency with which late Silla and early Koryo period Son monks located their monasteries following geomantic principles may well derive from the fact that seven of these nine early lineages of Korean Son were associated with the Hongzhou school and the Jiangxi region. Some scholars instead propose that the source of Toson's geomancy is to be found in esoteric Buddhism: Toson viewed the country as a MAndALA and, in order to protect the nation, proposed to situate monasteries at locations chosen through the ritual of demarcating a sacred site (sīmābandha). Finally, Korean indigenous religion and Togyo (Daoism) are also sometimes presented as sources of Toson's geomantic teachings. Toson's theory of geomancy also played a role in resituating the religious center of Korean Buddhism, which had previously been focused on the Silla capital of KYoNGJU or such indigenous sacred mountains as the five marchmounts (o'ak). The Silla royal and aristocratic families founded monasteries around the capital of Kyongju based on the belief that this region had previously been a Buddha land (Pulgukt'o). Toson's theory resulted in an expansion of the concept of "Buddha land" to take in the entire Korean peninsula, instead. After the establishment of the new Koryo dynasty in 918, Toson's theory was appropriated as a means of integrating into the dynastic political structure local power groups and monasteries. In the posthumous "Ten Injunctions" (hunyo sipcho) attributed to Wang Kon, the Koryo founder is reputed to have instructed that monasteries should only be constructed at sites that had been specifically designated as auspicious by Toson. For this reason, the term pibo later comes to be used as an official ecclesiastical category in Korea to designate important monasteries that had figured in the founding of the Koryo dynasty. Toson's thought also subsequently became associated with the theory of geomancy and divination (TOCH'AM) taught by the diviner-monk MYOCH'oNG (d. 1135), who eventually led an unsuccessful rebellion against the Koryo dynasty.
Total quality management (TQM) - A managerial approach which focuses on quality and aims to improve the effectiveness, flexibility, and competitiveness of the business.
trench poetry: Poetry and songs written by both practiced poets and ordinary soldiers, which focuses on the disenchantment, torment, bitterness, and moral dismay these individuals felt as a result of their participation in World War I (the trench war). Eminent trench poets include Sassoon and Owen. In particular Owen's Dulce Et Decorum Est is an example of well-known trench poetry.
Tshad ma rigs gter. (Tsema Rikter). In Tibetan, "Treasure of Valid Knowledge and Reasoning"; an influential Tibetan work on logic and epistemology (PRAMĀnA) by the renowned scholar SA SKYA PAndITA KUN DGA' RGYAL MTSHAN, composed circa 1219. The Tshad ma rigs gter inaugurated a new period of pramāna studies in Tibet by focusing particularly on DHARMAKĪRTI's most famous work, the PRAMĀnAVĀRTTIKA; prior to this time in Tibet, pramāna had been approached through summaries (bsdus pa) of the seven works of Dharmakīrti (see TSHAD MA SDE BDUN). Written in verse, the Tshad ma rigs gter seeks accurately to represent the positions of the late Indian traditions of logic and epistemology and to identify the errors of earlier Tibetan scholars, notably the summaries associated with GSANG PHU NE'U THOG monastery, especially the works of RNGOG BLO LDAN SHES RAB, PHYWA PA CHOS KYI SENG GE, and their disciples. The Tshad ma rigs gter is said to have been so highly regarded that it was translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit and circulated in northern India.
twm ::: Tab Window Manager.A window manager for the X Window System. Twm provides titlebars, shaped windows, several forms of icon management, user-defined macro functions, click-to-type and pointer-driven keyboard focus, and user-specified key and pointer button bindings. It can be extensively configured by a startup file.Twm was written by Tom LaStrange, Solbourne Computer; Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium; Steve Pitschke, Stardent Computer; Keith Packard, MIT X Consortium; Dave Sternlicht, MIT X Consortium; Dave Payne, Apple Computer.An extended version, vtwm, provides a virtual desktop.[Why Tab?] (1995-02-14)
twm Tab Window Manager. A {window manager} for the {X Window System}. Twm provides {titlebars}, shaped windows, several forms of icon management, user-defined macro functions, {click-to-type} and pointer-driven {keyboard focus}, and user-specified key and pointer button bindings. It can be extensively configured by a startup file. Twm was written by Tom LaStrange, {Solbourne Computer}; Jim Fulton, MIT {X Consortium}; Steve Pitschke, {Stardent Computer}; Keith Packard, MIT X Consortium; Dave Sternlicht, MIT X Consortium; Dave Payne, {Apple Computer}. An extended version, {vtwm}, provides a {virtual desktop}. [Why "Tab"?] (1995-02-14)
Type A Personality ::: A theory used to describe a person with a significant number of traits focused on urgency, impatience, success, and excessive competition.
Type B Personality ::: A theory used to describe person with a significant number of traits focused on relaxation, lack of urgency, and normal or reduced competition.
ubhayatobhāgavimukta. (P. ubhatobhāgavimutta; T. gnyis ka'i cha las rnam par grol ba; C. ju jietuo; J. kugedatsu; K. ku haet'al 解). In Sanskrit, "liberated both ways." This is the type of liberation achieved by those noble persons (ĀRYA) who are liberated, first, by way of meditative absorption (DHYĀNA; P. JHĀNA), which is called "liberation of mind" (CETOVIMUKTI; P. cetovimutti), and second, "liberation through wisdom" (PRAJNĀVIMUKTI; P. paNNāvimutti), which involves insight by way of any of the four noble paths (ĀRYAMĀRGA), viz., the path of the stream-enterer (SROTAĀPANNA) to the path of the ARHAT. Liberation may be achieved via wisdom alone, but arhats enlightened in this manner, without any attainment of dhyāna, are in some materials pejoratively termed "dry insight workers" (P. SUKKHAVIPASSAKA); strands of contemporary Burmese VIPASSANĀ meditation theory, however, emphasize this focus on wisdom alone as a more subitist approach to enlightenment that does not require lengthy perfection of the dhyānas. Twofold liberation is thought to be a more complete experience, and all buddhas and their chief disciples are liberated in both these two ways. The ubhayatobhāgavimukta is also one of the VIMsATIPRABHEDASAMGHA ("twenty varieties of the ĀRYASAMGHA") based on the list given in the MAHĀVYUTPATTI.
University of Durham "body, education" A busy research and teaching community in the historic cathedral city of Durham, UK (population 61000). Its work covers key branches of science and technology and traditional areas of scholarship. Durham graduates are in great demand among employers and the University helps to attract investment into the region. It provides training, short courses, and expertise for industry. Through its cultural events, conferences, tourist business and as a major employer, the University contributes in a wide social and economic sense to the community. Founded in 1832, the University developed in Durham and Newcastle until 1963 when the independent University of Newcastle upon Tyne came into being. Durham is a collegiate body, with 14 Colleges or Societies which are a social and domestic focus for students. In 1992, the Universities of Durham and Teesside launched University College, Stockton-on-Tees, which has 190 students in the first year. {(http://dur.ac.uk/)}. (1995-03-17)
upadesasaMpramosa. (T. gdams ngag brjed pa; C. wang shengyan; J. boshogon; K. mang songon 忘聖言). In Sanskrit, lit. "loss of the instruction," a term that appears in instructions for developing SAMĀDHI, to describe the point in the early stages of developing concentration where the meditator loses focus upon the chosen object of concentration, thus allowing the mind to wander.
v. **1. Focused attention, thought, etc., on (something). adj. 2. Directed or drawn toward a common center; focussed. concentrating.**
*vicārabhāvanā. (T. dpyad sgom). In Sanskrit, "analytical meditation"; a general term for those forms of meditation that involve discursive reflection on points of Buddhist doctrine, as opposed to the focus of the mind upon a single object. An example of such analytical meditation would be the investigation of the constituents of mind and body in search of the self or systematic reflection on the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time of death. The term is often paired with *STHĀPYABHĀVANĀ, "stabilizing meditation" (T. 'jog sgom), the one-pointed concentration on a single object without discursive reflection. In instructions on meditation practice, there is often advice to alternate these two forms of meditation, first arriving at a conclusion or conviction through analytical meditation and then focusing on that conclusion through stabilizing meditation, resulting eventually in VIPAsYANĀ.
vicāra. (T. dpyod pa; C. si; J. shi; K. sa 伺). In Sanskrit and Pāli, "sustained thought," "sustained attention," "imagination," or "analysis"; one of the forty-six mental factors (CAITTA) according to the VAIBHĀsIKA school of SARVĀSTIVĀDA ABHIDHARMA, one of the fifty-one according to the YOGĀCĀRA school, and one of the fifty-two in the Pāli ABHIDHAMMA. Although etymologically the term contains the connotation of "analysis," vicāra is polysemous in the Buddhist lexicon and refers to a mental activity that can be present both in ordinary states of consciousness and in meditative absorption (DHYĀNA). In ordinary consciousness, vicāra is "sustained thought," viz., the continued pondering of things. It is listed as an indeterminate mental factor (ANIYATA-CAITTA) because it can be employed toward either virtuous or nonvirtuous ends, depending on one's intention and the object of one's attention. Vicāra as a mental activity typically follows VITARKA, wherein vitarka is the "initial application of thought" and vicāra the "sustained thought" that ensues after one's attention has already adverted toward an object. In the context of meditative absorption, vicāra may be rendered as "sustained attention" or "sustained application of attention." With vitarka the practitioner directs his focus toward a chosen meditative object. When the attention is properly directed, the practitioner follows by applying and continuously fixing his attention on the same thing, deeply experiencing (or examining) the object. In meditative absorption, vicāra is one of the five factors that make up the first dhyāna (see DHYĀNĀnGA). According to the VISUDDHIMAGGA, "applied thought" (P. vitakka; S. vitarka) is like a bee flying toward a flower, having oriented itself toward its chosen target, whereas "sustained attention" (vicāra) is like a bee hovering over that flower, fixating on the flower.
Vikramasīla. (T. Rnam gnon ngang tshul). A monastery and monastic university in the northern region of ancient MAGADHA, in the modern Bihar state of India, located along the Ganges River in the Bhagalpur District of Bihar, about 150 miles east of NĀLANDĀ. King Dharmapāla of the Pāla dynasty founded Vikramasīla between the late eighth and early ninth centuries and appointed his teacher, BuddhajNānapāda, to be abbot of the monastic university. Throughout its existence, leaders of the Pāla dynasty supported the teachers, students, and maintenance of the institution. There were six areas of religious study, supplemented by such secular subjects as grammar, metaphysics, and logic. The two monastic universities of Vikramasīla and Nālandā had a great deal of scholarly interaction, and, like Nālandā, Vikramasīla served as a model for Tibetan monasteries. There were more foreign students at Vikramasīla than at Nālandā, and the monastery is said to have been large enough to accommodate around ten thousand resident students, including specific dormitories for visiting Tibetan students. Vikramasīla also housed a substantial library, where texts were both stored and recopied by students and teachers. By the tenth century CE, Vikramasīla had outgrown even Nālandā, reaching its peak in the eleventh century, and offered a famous PRAJNĀPĀRAMITĀ curriculum. The monastery became the focus of tantric scholarship during this period, and pilgrims came to study from many regions of Asia. During the reign of King Nayapāla, in the eleventh century, ATIsA DĪPAMKARAsRĪJNĀNA was considered the greatest scholar at the monastery. Other famous scholars also taught there, including JITĀRI, JNĀNAsRĪMITRA, NĀROPA (briefly), and RATNĀKARAsĀNTI. Vikramasīla was attacked by Muslim armies between 1199 and 1203 CE. During the same period, ODANTAPURĪ was also attacked, and the surviving scholars and students were forced to flee. Many scholars escaped to Nepal and Tibet, saving many texts from their libraries. sĀKYAsRĪBHADRA was the last abbot of Vikramasīla, and also the last to flee to Tibet from the monastery, arriving in 1204.
Visualization ::: The ability of the mind to form an internal world in which the only limit is the imagination of the visualizer. This is a capability largely provided by the Astral Plane and into which the locus of focus can be narrowed and strengthened so as to allow for practices like lucid dreaming and astral projection to take place.
wannabee /won'*-bee/ (Or, more plausibly, spelled "wannabe") [Madonna fans who dress, talk, and act like their idol; probably originally from biker slang] A would-be {hacker}. The connotations of this term differ sharply depending on the age and exposure of the subject. Used of a person who is in or might be entering {larval stage}, it is semi-approving; such wannabees can be annoying but most hackers remember that they, too, were once such creatures. When used of any professional programmer, CS academic, writer, or {suit}, it is derogatory, implying that said person is trying to cuddle up to the hacker mystique but doesn't, fundamentally, have a prayer of understanding what it is all about. Overuse of hacker terms is often an indication of the {wannabee} nature. Compare {newbie}. Historical note: The wannabee phenomenon has a slightly different flavour now (1993) than it did ten or fifteen years ago. When the people who are now hackerdom's tribal elders were in {larval stage}, the process of becoming a hacker was largely unconscious and unaffected by models known in popular culture - communities formed spontaneously around people who, *as individuals*, felt irresistibly drawn to do hackerly things, and what wannabees experienced was a fairly pure, skill-focussed desire to become similarly wizardly. Those days of innocence are gone forever; society's adaptation to the advent of the microcomputer after 1980 included the elevation of the hacker as a new kind of folk hero, and the result is that some people semi-consciously set out to *be hackers* and borrow hackish prestige by fitting the popular image of hackers. Fortunately, to do this really well, one has to actually become a wizard. Nevertheless, old-time hackers tend to share a poorly articulated disquiet about the change; among other things, it gives them mixed feelings about the effects of public compendia of lore like this one. [{Jargon File}]
Watcom International ::: (company) A provider of application development tools and IBM PC-based SQL database servers.Founded in 1974, Watcom initially focused on scientific and engineering markets establishing itself as a supplier of programming and information tools worldwide, serving customers in 60 countries with highly regarded products such as WATFOR-77 for mainframes, minicomputers and PCs.Since the introduction of Watcom C in 1988, the company has emerged as an industry leader in optimising compilers for 16 and 32-bit Intel-based IBM PCs.Moving into the client/server market in 1992, Watcom introduced Watcom SQL, including SQL database servers for multi-user networks and single-user Series. In June, 1993, Watcom launched VX*REXX, an integrated visual development environment for OS/2.In February 1994, Watcom became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Powersoft Corporation which merged with Sybase Inc. on 13 February 1995. Today the company addresses a broad range of application developers, including corporate MIS professionals, system integrators, VARs and independent software vendors.Watcom has strategic relationships with IBM, Lotus, Microsoft, Intel and Novell. Based on its academic roots, Watcom maintains a research relationship with the nearby University of Waterloo.Watcom's products include the Watcom SQL databases, Watcom C/C++, and Watcom VX*REXX 2.1.Ian McPhee is President and Chief Executive Officer, David Boswell is Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Craig Dynes is Vice President of Finance and David Yach is Vice President of Development.Headquarters: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. (1995-04-18)
Watcom International "company" A provider of application development tools and {IBM PC}-based {SQL} {database} {servers}. Founded in 1974, Watcom initially focused on scientific and engineering markets establishing itself as a supplier of programming and information tools worldwide, serving customers in 60 countries with highly regarded products such as {WATFOR}-77 for {mainframes}, {minicomputers} and {PCs}. Since the introduction of {Watcom C} in 1988, the company has emerged as an industry leader in optimising compilers for 16 and 32-bit {Intel-based} {IBM PCs}. Moving into the {client/server} market in 1992, Watcom introduced {Watcom SQL}, including {SQL} {database} {servers} for multi-user networks and single-user {stand-alone} applications. The product has since been incorporated into {Powersoft}'s {PowerBuilder} development environment and the {Powersoft Enterprise Series}. In June, 1993, Watcom launched {VX*REXX}, an integrated visual development environment for {OS/2}. In February 1994, Watcom became a wholly-owned subsidiary of {Powersoft Corporation} which merged with {Sybase Inc.} on 13 February 1995. Today the company addresses a broad range of application developers, including corporate {MIS} professionals, system integrators, {VARs} and independent software vendors. Watcom has strategic relationships with {IBM}, {Lotus}, {Microsoft}, {Intel} and {Novell}. Based on its academic roots, Watcom maintains a research relationship with the nearby {University of Waterloo}. Watcom's products include the {Watcom SQL} {databases}, {Watcom C/C++}, and {Watcom VX*REXX} 2.1. Ian McPhee is President and Chief Executive Officer, David Boswell is Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Craig Dynes is Vice President of Finance and David Yach is Vice President of Development. Headquarters: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. (1995-04-18)
weapon focus effect: the tendency for witnesses to a crime involving a weapon (e.g. gun) to recall details of the weapon, but to be less accurate on other details such as the perpetrator's face.
While not abandoning its interest in beauty, artistic value, and other normative concepts, recent aesthetics has tended to lay increasing emphasis on a descriptive, factual approach to the phenomena of art and aesthetic experience. It differs from art history, archeology, and cultural history in stressing a theoretical organization of materials in terms of recurrent types and tendencies, rather than a chronological or genetic one. It differs from general psychology in focusing upon certain selected phases in psycho-physical activity, and on their application to certain types of objects and situations, especially those of art. It investigates the forms and characteristics of art, which psychology does not do. It differs from art criticism in seeking a more general, theoretical understanding of the arts than is usual in that subject, and in attempting a more consistently objective, impersonal attitude. It maintains a philosophic breadth, in comparing examples of all the arts, and in assembling data and hypotheses from many sources, including philosophy, psychology, cultural history, and the social sciences. But it is departing from traditional conceptions of philosophy in that writing labelled "aesthetics" now often includes much detailed, empirical study of particular phenomena, instead of restricting itself as formerly to abstract discussion of the meaning of beauty, the sublime, and other categories, their objective or subjective nature, their relation to pleasure and moral goodness, the purpose of art, the nature of aesthetic value, etc. There has been controversy over whether such empirical studies deserve to be called "aesthetics", or whether that name should be reserved for the traditional, dialectic or speculative approach; but usage favors the extension in cases where the inquiry aims at fairly broad generalizations.
XFree86 Project, Inc. "operating system, graphics" A non-profit organisation that produces XFree86, a freely redistributable implementation of the {X Window System} that runs on {Unix} and Unix-like operating systems and {OS/2}. The XFree86 Project has traditionally focused on {Intel x86} based {platforms} (hence the "86"), but the current release supports other platforms. {(http://xfree86.org/)}. (1999-04-02)
XFree86 Project, Inc. ::: (operating system, graphics) A non-profit organisation that produces XFree86, a freely redistributable implementation of the X Window System that traditionally focused on Intel x86 based platforms (hence the 86), but the current release supports other platforms. . (1999-04-02)
Yichud (&
yoga. ::: "union"; union with the Reality; fusion of individual self with the universal Self; spiritual practice designed to purify one's mind and bring one closer to Self-realisation; the practice of stilling the mind, whereby thoughts, memories, emotions, associations and perceptions are refocused onto the Reality and where a natural disgarding takes place; there are four main paths of yoga &
Zion, Zionism ::: (Mount) Zion is an ancient Hebrew designation for Jerusalem, but already in biblical times it began to symbolize the national homeland (see e.g., Psalm 137.1-6). In this latter sense it served as a focus for Jewish national-religious hopes of renewal over the centuries. Ancient hopes and attachments to Zion gave rise to Zionist longings and movements since antiquity, culminating in the modern national liberation movement of that name. The Zionist cause helped the Jews return to Palestine in this century and found the state of Israel in 1948. The goal of Zionism is the political and spiritual renewal of the Jewish people in its ancestral homeland. See also Herzl.
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2 Peter J Carroll
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1:Focus your eyes on the truth. ~ Dante, #KEYS
2:Focus on the smallest thing you can do right now." ~ Ryan Holiday, #KEYS
3:The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. ~ Bruce Lee, #KEYS
4:The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." ~ Bruce Lee, #KEYS
5:It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." ~ Aristotle, #KEYS
6:The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. ~ Socrates, #KEYS
7:Keep it simple, and focus on what matters. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed." ~ Confucius, #KEYS
8:The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
~ Socrates?,#KEYS
9:Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus. ~ Alexander Graham Bell, #KEYS
10:The easiest means of concentrating the mind is to focus on the flame of a candle. ~ Sri Ramakrishna, #KEYS
11:You will not be good teachers if you focus only on what you do and not upon who you are. ~ Rudolf Steiner, #KEYS
12:'I love you' and 'I thank you.' Focus on your heart and send out light and love to the essence of everything you see." ~ Imam Jamal Rahman, #KEYS
13:Do not focus so much on the path; keep your eyes fixed on the one who guides you and on the heavenly home to which He is guiding you. ~ Saint Padre Pio, #KEYS
14:One should just focus solely on performing one's obligatory and highly stressed prayers and not go overboard on supererogatory acts.. ~ Mawlay al-Arabi ad-Darqawi, @Sufi_Path #KEYS
15:Do not look at your weaknesses but focus on The Search. Every seeker is worthy of This Search. Strive to redouble your efforts, so that your soul may escape from this material prison. ~ Jalaluddin Rumi, #KEYS
16:A focus on inconsequential things is presumably what's most contrary to a soul that intent on constantly reaching out toward the whole that comprises all of what is divine and human together. ~ Plato, Republic 486a, #KEYS
17:Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection - or compassionate action. ~ Daniel Goleman, #KEYS
18:Meditation here is not reflection or any other kind of discursive thinking. It is pure concentration: training the mind to dwell on an interior focus without wandering, until it becomes absorbed in the object of its contemplation. But absorption does not mean unconsciousness. The outside world may be forgotten, but meditation is a state of intense inner wakefulness. ~ Anonymous, The Upanishads, #KEYS
19:4. Study Every Day ::: Establish a daily routine where you study in one place a minimum of 4 -5 hours each day. There are different kinds and 'levels' of study discussed below. What is important is that study becomes the centerpiece of your day and the continuous element in your work week. Do not wait for exam-time to study. Exams offer the opportunity to refine what you know and to sharpen your communication skills. The best way to focus your view of things is to present it clearly in writing. Writing is a ritual for thinking. ~ Dr Robert A Hatch, How to Study, #KEYS
20:Drugs have a long history of use in magic in various cultures, and usually in the context of either ecstatic communal rituals or in personal vision quests. However compared to people in simple pastoral tribal situations most people in developed countries now live in a perpetual state of mental hyperactivity with overactive imaginations anyway, so throwing drugs in on top of this usually just leads to confusion and a further loss of focus. Plus as the real Shamans say, if you really do succeed in opening a door with a drug it will thereafter open at will and most such substances give all they will ever give on the first attempt.
~ Peter J Carroll, The Octavo,#KEYS
21:Einstein was remarkable for his powers of concentration; he could work uninterruptedly for hours and even days on the same problem. Some of the topics that interested him remained on his mind for decades. For relaxation he turned to music and to sailing, but often his work would continue during these moments as well; he usually had a notebook in his pocket so that he could jot down any idea that came to him. Once, after the theory of relativity had been put forth, he confessed to his colleague Wolfgang Pauli, "For the rest of my life I want to reflect on what light is." It is perhaps not entirely an accident that a focus on light is also the first visual act of the newborn child. ~ Howard Gardner, #KEYS
22:Magic is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will. The will can only become magically effective when the mind is focused and not interfering with the will The mind must first discipline itself to focus its entire attention on some meaningless phenomenon. If an attempt is made to focus on some form of desire, the effect is short circuited by lust of result. Egotistical identification, fear of failure, and the reciprocal desire not to achieve desire, arising from our dual nature, destroy the result.
Therefore, when selecting topics for concentration, choose subjects of no spiritual, egotistical, intellectual, emotional, or useful significance - meaningless things.
~ Peter J Carroll, Liber Null, Liber MMM, The Magical Trances [15],#KEYS
23:The condition of today's world cannot be transformed by technocratic rationality, since both technocracy and rationality are apparently nearing their apex.
Nor can it be transcended by preaching or admonishing a return to ethics and morality, or in fact, by any form of return to the past.
We have only one option: in examining the manifestations of our age, we must penetrate them with sufficient breadth and depth that we do not come under the demonic and destructive spell.
We must not focus our view merely on these phenomena, but rather on the humus of the decaying world beneath, where the seedlings of the future are growing, immeasurable in their potential and vigor.
Since our insight into the energies pressing toward development aids their unfolding, the seedlings and inceptive beginnings must be made visible and comprehensible." ~ Jean Gebser,#KEYS
24:People have to start educating themselves more in the faith. It is not enough just to go to mass anymore. You can't do that... We don't live at a time in which one can spiritually survive and be intellectually not very good. Maybe a few older ladies who have the extraordinary graces can get away with it. But modernism is such a toxic heresy that [you need] a lot of educational background--which you should work on anyway, because everybody has an obligation to continue educating themselves according to their state in life... They need to be reading more. They can listen to interviews and podcasts, that's fine. But at some point you've got to encounter the books. You've got to start reading them and educating yourself and getting a deeper understanding of the faith so that when you hear the nonsense from the secular media, [and even] from members of the magisterium now, you can keep your focus. ~ Reverend Chad Ripperger, transcribed from interview with Taylor Marshall, #KEYS
25:Meditation is a deliberate attempt to pierce into the higher states of consciousness and finally go beyond it. The art of meditation is the art of shifting the focus of attention to ever subtler levels, without losing one's grip on the levels left behind. In a way it is like having death under control. One begins with the lowest levels: social circumstances, customs and habits; physical surroundings, the posture and the breathing of the body, the senses, their sensation s and perceptions; the mind, its thoughts and feelings; until the entire mechanism of personality is grasped and firmly held. The final stage of meditation is reached when the sense of identity goes beyond the 'I-am-so-and-so', beyond 'so-l-am', beyond 'I-am-the-witness-only', beyond 'there-is', beyond all ideas into the impersonally personal pure being. But you must be energetic when you take to meditation. It is definitely not a part-time occupation. Limit your interests and activities to what is needed for you and your dependents' barest needs.
Save all your energies and time for breaking the wall your mind had built around you. Believe me, you will not regret. ~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,#KEYS
26:God reveals himself everywhere, beneath our groping efforts, as a universal milieu, only because he is the ultimate point upon which all realities converge. Each element of the world, whatever it may be, only subsists, hic et nunc, in the manner of a cone whose generatrices meet in God who draws them together-(meeting at .the term of their individual perfection and at the term of the general perfection of the world which contains them). It follows that all created things, every one of them, cannot be looked at, in their nature and action, without the same reality being found in their innermost being-like sunlight in the fragments of a broken mirror-one beneath its multiplicity, unattainable beneath its proximity, and spiritual beneath its materiality. No object can influence us by its essence without our being touched by the radiance of the focus of the universe. Our minds are incapable of grasping a reality, our hearts and hands of seizing the essentially desirable in it, without our being compelled by the very structure of things to go back to the first source of its perfections. This focus, this source, is thus everywhere. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Divine Milieu, #KEYS
27:meta-systemic operations ::: As the 1950's and 60s begin to roll around the last stage of first tier emerged as a cultural force. With the Green Altitude we see the emergence of Pluralistic, Multicultural, Post-Modern world-views.
Cognition is starting to move beyond formal-operations into the realm of co-ordinating systems of abstractions, in what is called Meta-systemic Cognition. While formal-operations acted upon the classes and relations between members of classes. Meta-systemic operations start at the level of relating systems to systems. The focus of these investigations is placed upon comparing, contrasting, transforming and synthesizing entire systems, rather than components of one system. This emergent faculty allows self-sense to focus around a heightened sense of individuality and an increased ability for emotional resonance. The recognition of individual differences, the ability to tolerate paradox and contradiction, and greater conceptual complexity all provide for an understanding of conflict as being both internally and externally caused. Context plays a major role in the creation of truth and individual perspective. With each being context dependent and open to subjective interpretation, meaning each perspective and truth are rendered relative and are not able to be judged as better or more true than any other. This fuels a value set that centers on softness over cold rationality. Sensitivity and preference over objectivity.
Along with a focus on community harmony and equality which drives the valuing of sensitivity to others, reconcilation, consensus, dialogue, relationship, human development, bonding, and a seeking of a peace with the inner-self. Moral decisions are based on rights, values, or principles that are agreeable to all individuals composing a society based on fair and beneficial practices. All of this leads to the Equality movements and multiculturalism. And to the extreme form of relativitism which we saw earlier as context dependant nature of all truth including objective facts.
Faith at the green altitude is called Conjunctive, and allows the self to integrate what was unrecognized by the previous stages self-certainty and cognitive and affective adaptation to reality. New features at this level of faith include the unification of symbolic power with conceptual meaning, an awareness of ones social unconscious, a reworking of ones past, and an opening to ones deeper self. ~ Essential Integral, 4.1-52, Meta-systemic Operations,#KEYS
28:Countless books on divination, astrology, medicine and other subjects
Describe ways to read signs. They do add to your learning,
But they generate new thoughts and your stable attention breaks up.
Cut down on this kind of knowledge - that's my sincere advice.
You stop arranging your usual living space,
But make everything just right for your retreat.
This makes little sense and just wastes time.
Forget all this - that's my sincere advice.
You make an effort at practice and become a good and knowledgeable person.
You may even master some particular capabilities.
But whatever you attach to will tie you up.
Be unbiased and know how to let things be - that's my sincere advice.
You may think awakened activity means to subdue skeptics
By using sorcery, directing or warding off hail or lightning, for example.
But to burn the minds of others will lead you to lower states.
Keep a low profile - that's my sincere advice.
Maybe you collect a lot of important writings,
Major texts, personal instructions, private notes, whatever.
If you haven't practiced, books won't help you when you die.
Look at the mind - that's my sincere advice.
When you focus on practice, to compare understandings and experience,
Write books or poetry, to compose songs about your experience
Are all expressions of your creativity. But they just give rise to thinking.
Keep yourself free from intellectualization - that's my sincere advice.
In these difficult times you may feel that it is helpful
To be sharp and critical with aggressive people around you.
This approach will just be a source of distress and confusion for you.
Speak calmly - that's my sincere advice.
Intending to be helpful and without personal investment,
You tell your friends what is really wrong with them.
You may have been honest but your words gnaw at their heart.
Speak pleasantly - that's my sincere advice.
You engage in discussions, defending your views and refuting others'
Thinking that you are clarifying the teachings.
But this just gives rise to emotional posturing.
Keep quiet - that's my sincere advice.
You feel that you are being loyal
By being partial to your teacher, lineage or philosophical tradition.
Boosting yourself and putting down others just causes hard feelings.
Have nothing to do with all this - that's my sincere advice.
~ Longchenpa, excerpts from 30 Pieces of Sincere Advice
,#KEYS
29:PROTECTION
Going to sleep is a little like dying, a journey taken alone into the unknown. Ordinarily we are not troubled about sleep because we are familiar with it, but think about what it entails. We completely lose ourselves in a void for some period of time, until we arise again in a dream. When we do so, we may have a different identity and a different body. We may be in a strange place, with people we do not know, involved in baffling activities that may seem quite risky.
Just trying to sleep in an unfamiliar place may occasion anxiety. The place may be perfectly secure and comfortable, but we do not sleep as well as we do at home in familiar surroundings. Maybe the energy of the place feels wrong. Or maybe it is only our own insecurity that disturbs us,and even in familiar places we may feel anxious while waiting for sleep to come, or be frightenedby what we dream. When we fall asleep with anxiety, our dreams are mingled with fear and tension, sleep is less restful, and the practice harder to do. So it is a good idea to create a sense of protection before we sleep and to turn our sleeping area into a sacred space.
This is done by imagining protective dakinis all around the sleeping area. Visualize the dakinis as beautiful goddesses, enlightened female beings who are loving, green in color, and powerfully protective. They remain near as you fall asleep and throughout the night, like mothers watching over their child, or guardians surrounding a king or queen. Imagine them everywhere, guarding the doors and the windows, sitting next to you on the bed, walking in the garden or the yard, and so on, until you feel completely protected.
Again, this practice is more than just trying to visualize something: see the dakinis with your mind but also use your imagination to feel their presence. Creating a protective, sacred environment in this way is calming and relaxing and promotes restful sleep. This is how the mystic lives: seeing the magic, changing the environment with the mind, and allowing actions, even actions of the imagination, to have significance.
You can enhance the sense of peace in your sleeping environment by keeping objects of a sacred nature in the bedroom: peaceful, loving images, sacred and religious symbols, and other objects that direct your mind toward the path.
The Mother Tantra tells us that as we prepare for sleep we should maintain awareness of the causes of dream, the object to focus upon, the protectors, and of ourselves. Hold these together inawareness, not as many things, but as a single environment, and this will have a great effect in dream and sleep.
~ Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Yogas Of Dream And Sleep,#KEYS
30:HOW CAN I READ SAVITRI?
An open reply by Dr Alok Pandey to a fellow devotee
A GIFT OF LOVE TO THE WORLD
Most of all enjoy Savitri. It is Sri Aurobindo's gift of Love to the world. Read it from the heart with love and gratitude as companions and drown in its fiery bliss. That is the true understanding rather than one that comes by a constant churning of words in the head.
WHEN
Best would be to fix a time that works for you. One can always take out some time for the reading, even if it be late at night when one is done with all the daily works. Of course, a certain receptivity is needed. If one is too tired or the reading becomes too mechanical as a ritual routine to be somehow finished it tends to be less effective, as with anything else. Hence the advice is to read in a quiet receptive state.
THE PACE
As to the pace of reading it is best to slowly build up and keep it steady. To read a page or a passage daily is better than reading many pages one day and then few lines or none for days. This brings a certain discipline in the consciousness which makes one receptive. What it means is that one should fix up that one would read a few passages or a page or two daily, and then if an odd day one is enjoying and spontaneously wants to read more then one can go by the flow.
COMPLETE OR SELECTIONS?
It is best to read at least once from cover to cover. But if one is not feeling inclined for that do read some of the beautiful cantos and passages whose reference one can find in various places. This helps us familiarise with the epic and the style of poetry. Later one can go for the cover to cover reading.
READING ALOUD, SILENTLY, OR WRITING DOWN?
One can read it silently. Loud reading is needed only if one is unable to focus with silent reading. A mantra is more potent when read subtly. I am aware that some people recommend reading it aloud which is fine if that helps one better. A certain flexibility in these things is always good and rigid rules either ways are not helpful.
One can also write some of the beautiful passages with which one feels suddenly connected. It is a help in the yoga since such a writing involves the pouring in of the consciousness of Savitri through the brain and nerves and the hand.
Reflecting upon some of these magnificent lines and passages while one is engaged in one\s daily activities helps to create a background state for our inner being to get absorbed in Savitri more and more.
HOW DO I UNDERSTAND THE MEANING? DO I NEED A DICTIONARY?
It is helpful if a brief background about the Canto is known. This helps the mind top focus and also to keep in sync with the overall scene and sense of what is being read.
But it is best not to keep referring to the dictionary while reading. Let the overall sense emerge. Specifics can be done during a detailed reading later and it may not be necessary at all. Besides the sense that Sri Aurobindo has given to many words may not be accurately conveyed by the standard dictionaries. A flexibility is required to understand the subtle suggestions hinted at by the Master-poet.
In this sense Savitri is in the line of Vedic poetry using images that are at once profound as well as commonplace. That is the beauty of mystic poetry. These are things actually experienced and seen by Sri Aurobindo, and ultimately it is Their Grace that alone can reveal the intrinsic sense of this supreme revelation of the Supreme. ~ Dr Alok Pandey,#KEYS
31:DHARANA
NOW that we have learnt to observe the mind, so that we know how it works to some extent, and have begun to understand the elements of control, we may try the result of gathering together all the powers of the mind, and attempting to focus them on a single point.
We know that it is fairly easy for the ordinary educated mind to think without much distraction on a subject in which it is much interested. We have the popular phrase, "revolving a thing in the mind"; and as long as the subject is sufficiently complex, as long as thoughts pass freely, there is no great difficulty. So long as a gyroscope is in motion, it remains motionless relatively to its support, and even resists attempts to distract it; when it stops it falls from that position. If the earth ceased to spin round the sun, it would at once fall into the sun. The moment then that the student takes a simple subject - or rather a simple object - and imagines it or visualizes it, he will find that it is not so much his creature as he supposed. Other thoughts will invade the mind, so that the object is altogether forgotten, perhaps for whole minutes at a time; and at other times the object itself will begin to play all sorts of tricks.
Suppose you have chosen a white cross. It will move its bar up and down, elongate the bar, turn the bar oblique, get its arms unequal, turn upside down, grow branches, get a crack around it or a figure upon it, change its shape altogether like an Amoeba, change its size and distance as a whole, change the degree of its illumination, and at the same time change its colour. It will get splotchy and blotchy, grow patterns, rise, fall, twist and turn; clouds will pass over its face. There is no conceivable change of which it is incapable. Not to mention its total disappearance, and replacement by something altogether different!
Any one to whom this experience does not occur need not imagine that he is meditating. It shows merely that he is incapable of concentrating his mind in the very smallest degree. Perhaps a student may go for several days before discovering that he is not meditating. When he does, the obstinacy of the object will infuriate him; and it is only now that his real troubles will begin, only now that Will comes really into play, only now that his manhood is tested. If it were not for the Will-development which he got in the conquest of Asana, he would probably give up. As it is, the mere physical agony which he underwent is the veriest trifle compared with the horrible tedium of Dharana.
For the first week it may seem rather amusing, and you may even imagine you are progressing; but as the practice teaches you what you are doing, you will apparently get worse and worse. Please understand that in doing this practice you are supposed to be seated in Asana, and to have note-book and pencil by your side, and a watch in front of you. You are not to practise at first for more than ten minutes at a time, so as to avoid risk of overtiring the brain. In fact you will probably find that the whole of your willpower is not equal to keeping to a subject at all for so long as three minutes, or even apparently concentrating on it for so long as three seconds, or three-fifths of one second. By "keeping to it at all" is meant the mere attempt to keep to it. The mind becomes so fatigued, and the object so incredibly loathsome, that it is useless to continue for the time being. In Frater P.'s record we find that after daily practice for six months, meditations of four minutes and less are still being recorded.
~ Aleister Crowley, Liber ABA,#KEYS
32:Wake-Initiated Lucid Dreams (WILDS)
In the last chapter we talked about strategies for inducing lucid dreams by carrying an idea from the waking world into the dream, such as an intention to comprehend the dream state, a habit of critical state testing, or the recognition of a dreamsign. These strategies are intended to stimulate a dreamer to become lucid within a dream.
This chapter presents a completely different set of approaches to the world of lucid dreaming based on the idea of falling asleep consciously. This involves retaining consciousness while wakefulness is lost and allows direct entry into the lucid dream state without any loss of reflective consciousness. The basic idea has many variations.
While falling asleep, you can focus on hypnagogic (sleep onset) imagery, deliberate visualizations, your breath or heartbeat, the sensations in your body, your sense of self, and so on. If you keep the mind sufficiently active while the tendency to enter REM sleep is strong, you feel your body fall asleep, but you, that is to say, your consciousness, remains awake. The next thing you know, you will find yourself in the dream world, fully lucid.
These two different strategies for inducing lucidity result in two distinct types of lucid dreams. Experiences in which people consciously enter dreaming sleep are referred to as wake-initiated lucid dreams (WILDs), in contrast to dream-initiated lucid dreams (DILDs), in which people become lucid after having fallen asleep unconsciously. 1 The two kinds of lucid dreams differ in a number of ways. WILDs always happen in association with brief awakenings (sometimes only one or two seconds long) from and immediate return to REM sleep. The sleeper has a subjective impression of having been awake. This is not true of DILDs. Although both kinds of lucid dream are more likely to occur later in the night, the proportion of WILDs also increases with time of night. In other words, WILDs are most likely to occur the late morning hours or in afternoon naps. This is strikingly evident in my own record of lucid dreams. Of thirty-three lucid dreams from the first REM period of the night, only one (3 percent) was a WILD, compared with thirteen out of thirty-two (41 percent) lucid dreams from afternoon naps. 2 Generally speaking, WILDs are less frequent than DILDs; in a laboratory study of seventy-six lucid dreams, 72 percent were DILDs compared with 28 percent WILDs. 3 The proportion of WILDs observed in the laboratory seems, by my experience, to be considerably higher than the proportion of WILDs reported at home.
To take a specific example, WILDs account for only 5 percent of my home record of lucid dreams, but for 40 percent of my first fifteen lucid dreams in the laboratory. 4 Ibelieve there are two reasons for this highly significant difference: whenever I spentthe night in the sleep laboratory, I was highly conscious of every time I awakened andI made extraordinary efforts not to move more than necessary in order to minimizeinterference with the physiological recordings.
Thus, my awakenings from REM in the lab were more likely to lead toconscious returns to REM than awakenings at home when I was sleeping with neitherheightened consciousness of my environment and self nor any particular intent not tomove. This suggests that WILD induction techniques might be highly effective underthe proper conditions.
Paul Tholey notes that, while techniques for direct entry to the dream staterequire considerable practice in the beginning, they offer correspondingly greatrewards. 5 When mastered, these techniques (like MILD) can confer the capacity toinduce lucid dreams virtually at will. ~ Stephen LaBerge, Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, 4 - Falling Asleep Consciously,#KEYS
33:Attention on Hypnagogic Imagery The most common strategy for inducing WILDs is to fall asleep while focusing on the hypnagogic imagery that accompanies sleep onset. Initially, you are likely to see relatively simple images, flashes of light, geometric patterns, and the like.
Gradually more complicated forms appear: faces, people, and finally entire scenes. 6
The following account of what the Russian philosopher P. D. Ouspensky called "half-dream states" provides a vivid example of what hypnagogic imagery can be like:
I am falling asleep. Golden dots, sparks and tiny stars appear and disappear before my eyes. These sparks and stars gradually merge into a golden net with diagonal meshes which moves slowly and regularly in rhythm with the beating of my heart, which I feel quite distinctly. The next moment the golden net is transformed into rows of brass helmets belonging to Roman soldiers marching along the street below. I hear their measured tread and watch them from the window of a high house in Galata, in Constantinople, in a narrow lane, one end of which leads to the old wharf and the Golden Horn with its ships and steamers and the minarets of Stamboul behind them. I hear their heavy measured tread, and see the sun shining on their helmets. Then suddenly I detach myself from the window sill on which I am lying, and in the same reclining position fly slowly over the lane, over the houses, and then over the Golden Horn in the direction of Stamboul. I smell the sea, feel the wind, the warm sun. This flying gives me a wonderfully pleasant sensation, and I cannot help opening my eyes. 7
Ouspensky's half-dream states developed out of a habit of observing the contents of his mind while falling asleep or in half-sleep after awakening from a dream. He notes that they were much easier to observe in the morning after awakening than before sleep at the beginning of the night and did not occur at all "without definite efforts." 8
Dr. Nathan Rapport, an American psychiatrist, cultivated an approach to lucid dreaming very similar to Ouspensky's: "While in bed awaiting sleep, the experimenter interrupts his thoughts every few minutes with an effort to recall the mental item vanishing before each intrusion that inquisitive attention." 9 This habit is continued sleep itself, with results like the following:
Brilliant lights flashed, and a myriad of sparkles twinkled from a magnificent cut glass chandelier. Interesting as any stage extravaganza were the many quaintly detailed figurines upon a mantel against the distant, paneled wall adorned in rococo.
At the right a merry group of beauties and gallants in the most elegant attire of Victorian England idled away a pleasant occasion. This scene continued for [a] period of I was not aware, before I discovered that it was not reality, but a mental picture and that I was viewing it. Instantly it became an incommunicably beautiful vision. It was with the greatest stealth that my vaguely awakened mind began to peep: for I knew that these glorious shows end abruptly because of such intrusions.
I thought, "Have I here one of those mind pictures that are without motion?" As if in reply, one of the young ladies gracefully waltzed about the room. She returned to the group and immobility, with a smile lighting her pretty face, which was turned over her shoulder toward me. The entire color scheme was unobtrusive despite the kaleidoscopic sparkles of the chandelier, the exquisite blues and creamy pinks of the rich settings and costumes. I felt that only my interest in dreams brought my notice to the tints - delicate, yet all alive as if with inner illumination. 10
Hypnagogic Imagery Technique
1. Relax completely
While lying in bed, gently close your eyes and relax your head, neck, back, arms, and legs. Completely let go of all muscular and mental tension, and breathe slowly and restfully. Enjoy the feeling of relaxation and let go of your thoughts, worries, and concerns. If you have just awakened from sleep, you are probably sufficiently relaxed.
Otherwise, you may use either the progressive relaxation exercise (page 33) or the 61-point relaxation exercise (page 34) to relax more deeply. Let everything wind down,
slower and slower, more and more relaxed, until your mind becomes as serene as the calmest sea.
2. Observe the visual images
Gently focus your attention on the visual images that will gradually appear before your mind's eye. Watch how the images begin and end. Try to observe the images as delicately as possible, allowing them to be passively reflected in your mind as they unfold. Do not attempt to hold onto the images, but instead just watch without attachment or desire for action. While doing this, try to take the perspective of a detached observer as much as possible. At first you will see a sequence of disconnected, fleeting patterns and images. The images will gradually develop into scenes that become more and more complex, finally joining into extended sequences.
3. Enter the dream
When the imagery becomes a moving, vivid scenario, you should allow yourself to be passively drawn into the dream world. Do not try to actively enter the dream scene,
but instead continue to take a detached interest in the imagery. Let your involvement with what is happening draw you into the dream. But be careful of too much involvement and too little attention. Don't forget that you are dreaming now!
Commentary
Probably the most difficult part of this technique to master is entering the dream at Step 3. The challenge is to develop a delicate vigilance, an unobtrusive observer perspective, from which you let yourself be drawn into the dream. As Paul Tholey has emphasized, "It is not desirable to want actively to enter into the scenery,
since such an intention as a rule causes the scenery to disappear." 11 A passive volition similar to that described in the section on autosuggestion in the previous chapter is required: in Tholey's words, "Instead of actively wanting to enter into the scenery, the subject should attempt to let himself be carried into it passively." 12 A Tibetan teacher advises a similar frame of mind: "While delicately observing the mind, lead it gently into the dream state, as though you were leading a child by the hand." 13
Another risk is that, once you have entered into the dream, the world can seem so realistic that it is easy to lose lucidity, as happened in the beginning of Rapport's WILD described above. As insurance in case this happens, Tholey recommends that you resolve to carry out a particular action in the dream, so that if you momentarily lose lucidity, you may remember your intention to carry out the action and thereby regain lucidity.
~ Stephen LaBerge, Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming,#KEYS
*** WISDOM TROVE ***
1:Focus on your strengths. ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 2:Focus is more valuable than IQ. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 3:Words are a lens to focus one's mind. ~ ayn-rand, @wisdomtrove 4:What you focus on always gets better. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 5:Focus on fewer but higher impact tasks. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 6:Focus on opportunities, not problems. ~ peter-drucker, @wisdomtrove 7:Focus on the solution, not on the problem. ~ jim-rohn, @wisdomtrove 8:Focus on being productive instead of busy. ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 9:To attract money, you must focus on wealth. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 10:Find reasons to be happy and focus on those! ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 11:Focus does not mean saying yes, it means saying no. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 12:Keep the focus of your life in the here and now. ~ caroline-myss, @wisdomtrove 13:Focus on the present, to reduce anxiety and stress. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 14:Focus on what you want, not on what you don't want. ~ t-harv-eker, @wisdomtrove 15:Focus on return on equity, not earnings per share. ~ warren-buffet, @wisdomtrove 16:These distraction-oholics. These focus-ophobics. ~ chuck-palahniuk, @wisdomtrove 17:Always focus on accomplishments rather than activities. ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 18:Focus on the impact you make versus the title you have. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 19:Keep the focus of your life in the here and now. ~ norman-vincent-peale, @wisdomtrove 20:Play the picture in your mind - focus on the end result. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 21:Focus on giants - you stumble. Focus on God - Giants tumble. ~ max-lucado, @wisdomtrove 22:Stop focusing on what you cant do, focus on what God can do. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 23:Focus is about finding simplicity in this Age of Distraction. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 24:The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention. ~ alan-watts, @wisdomtrove 25:The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. ~ bruce-lee, @wisdomtrove 26:The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. ~ bruce-lee, @wisdomtrove 27:Today, I will focus on having a good relationship with myself. ~ melody-beattie, @wisdomtrove 28:Focus and simplicity... once you get there, you can move mountains. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 29:They [The Soviet Union] are the focus of evil in the modern world. ~ ronald-reagan, @wisdomtrove 30:When I focus upon things of a physical nature, I am less spiritual. ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 31:The first requisite for success is to develop the ability to focus. ~ thomas-edison, @wisdomtrove 32:Don't focus on the good old days, look forward towards the good new days. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 33:Keep it simple and focus on what matters. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed. ~ confucius, @wisdomtrove 34:Focus on the possibilities for success, not on the potential for failure. ~ napoleon-hill, @wisdomtrove 35:The focus we hold in our minds affects what we perceive and how we perform. ~ david-allen, @wisdomtrove 36:Every day is a gift from God. Learn to focus on the Giver and enjoy the gift! ~ joyce-meyer, @wisdomtrove 37:Knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to focus on. ~ warren-buffet, @wisdomtrove 38:Learning the art of expressing gratitude will force you to focus on the positive. ~ jim-rohn, @wisdomtrove 39:Your destiny is not determined by your critics. Focus on running your own race. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 40:When we have God in clear focus, His powerful presence eclipses our fear. ~ charles-r-swindoll, @wisdomtrove 41:As we start looking for the good, our focus automatically is taken off the bad. ~ susan-jeffers, @wisdomtrove 42:By starting small, you keep your focus narrowed, and therefore increase your power. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 43:Focus your attention on the Now and tell me what problem you have at this moment. ~ eckhart-tolle, @wisdomtrove 44:What you focus on grows. What you concentrate on is what you see more of in your life. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 45:I feel a sudden clear focus and perspective. There is no time for anything inessential. ~ oliver-sacks, @wisdomtrove 46:Mastery comes via a monomaniacal focus on simplicity versus an addiction to complexity. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 47:Do not take yearly results too seriously. Instead, focus on four or five-year averages. ~ warren-buffet, @wisdomtrove 48:The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear. ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 49:The way of the mind is to study many things; the way of the Beingness is to focus on one thing. ~ mooji, @wisdomtrove 50:Don't worry about what you can't do; focus instead on what you can do... and then do it. ~ billy-graham, @wisdomtrove 51:What you focus on with your thought and feeling is what you attract into your experience. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 52:Focus on keeping your spine straight. It is the job of the spine to keep the brain alert. ~ b-k-s-iyengar, @wisdomtrove 53:Focus! True direction is being woken up at 3 am and knowing exactly what your one goal is. ~ tony-robbins, @wisdomtrove 54:Ingnore your thoughts. As you focus more intensely, you may feel as if you are floating. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 55:I steeled myself to focus only on the present yet remain alert to what might come next. ~ nicholas-sparks, @wisdomtrove 56:You will not be good teachers if you focus only on what you do and not upon who you are. ~ rudolf-steiner, @wisdomtrove 57:Focus on your customers and lead your people as though their lives depend on your success. ~ warren-buffet, @wisdomtrove 58:When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 59:Focus alone is not enough; putting in the time to commit is also crucial to achieve success. ~ warren-buffet, @wisdomtrove 60:Focus on the highest, clearest, and most meaningful teaching you can find, and let all else go. ~ alan-cohen, @wisdomtrove 61:I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe. ~ dalai-lama, @wisdomtrove 62:If you focus completely on the things you love, then you are on your way to a beautiful life. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 63:May our prayers today, and every day, be from our hearts and with the focus of our whole being. ~ billy-graham, @wisdomtrove 64:The ordinary focus on what they're getting. The extraordinary think about who they're becoming. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 65:Focus is what happens when you stop letting yourself get distracted by the unimportant things. ~ celestine-chua, @wisdomtrove 66:Focus on your business strengths and keep its weaknesses away from the competition or public. ~ richard-branson, @wisdomtrove 67:Take prayer with you wherever you go. Say it anytime, and then focus your mind and heart on God. ~ henri-nouwen, @wisdomtrove 68:When we focus on or disappointments , we stop God from ringing fresh new blessing into our lives. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 69:Proper business planning demands that you focus on the self-interest of the customer at all times. ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 70:The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new. ~ dan-millman, @wisdomtrove 71:You are all over the map, figure out the top 5 things you want to focus on and get rid of the rest. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 72:I try to look on all the great things God's done, and not focus on the negative. It's a perspective. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 73:Avoid results-by volume approach, instead focus on few critically important but uncomfortable actions. ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 74:Break complex projects into smaller, well-defined tasks. Focus on completing just one of those tasks. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 75:Choose a checked or striped wall paper. People will be halfway home before they are able to focus. ~ phyllis-diller, @wisdomtrove 76:Do whatever it takes to create a quiet, distraction free environment where you can focus. ~ marc-and-angel-chernoff, @wisdomtrove 77:Being selective-doing less-is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest. ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 78:Break complex projects into smaller, well-defined tasks. Focus on completing just one of those tasks. ~ steve-pavlina, @wisdomtrove 79:I don't focus on criticism. I prefer to praise people and the world, rather than criticize them and it. ~ alice-walker, @wisdomtrove 80:The computer actually may have aggravated management's degenerative tendency to focus inward on costs. ~ peter-drucker, @wisdomtrove 81:What you focus on grows, what you think about expands, and what you dwell upon determines your destiny. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 82:Charlie [Munger] and I are not big fans of resumes. Instead, we focus on brains, passion and integrity. ~ warren-buffet, @wisdomtrove 83:My focus is incredibly narrow. I can't talk with any authority other than design and development of product. ~ jony-ive, @wisdomtrove 84:Keep it simple, and focus on what you have to do right now, not on playing with your system or your tools. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 85:Build your life around 5 key priorities: The Big 5. Any more and you'll suffer from Broken Focus Syndrome. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 86:Focus all your attention and energy on the achievement of the objectives you are involved with right now. ~ denis-waitley, @wisdomtrove 87:To make a relationship work, focus on what you appreciate about the other person, and not your complaints. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 88:As soon as you become aware that something is not working, immediately shift your focus to the desired result. ~ alan-cohen, @wisdomtrove 89:Focus on giving smiles away and you will always discover that your own smiles will always be in great supply! ~ joyce-meyer, @wisdomtrove 90:Brilliant results don't just show up by chance. The finest things in life take patience, focus and sacrifice. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 91:Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life. ~ eckhart-tolle, @wisdomtrove 92:The Lord blesses people who bless others, and He gives grace to those who focus on the things that please Him. ~ billy-graham, @wisdomtrove 93:To rid yourself of old patterns, focus all your energy not on struggling with the old, but on building the new. ~ dan-millman, @wisdomtrove 94:When you focus on problems, you get more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you have more opportunities. ~ zig-ziglar, @wisdomtrove 95:Instead of focusing on how much you can accomplish, focus on how much you can absolutely love what you’re doing. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 96:Miserable people focus on what they hate about their life. Happy people focus on what they love about their life. ~ zig-ziglar, @wisdomtrove 97:There are always limits, and opportunities. The ones we rehearse and focus on are the ones that shape our future. ~ seth-godin, @wisdomtrove 98:Clearing distractions so you can focus on one single activity is incredibly effective, and breathtakingly joyful. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 99:Although I am a committed Catholic priest, and nowhere hide that fact, my focus is very much a spiritual journey. ~ henri-nouwen, @wisdomtrove 100:As a Christian, instead of concentrating on how you feel, focus on what you know to be truth from the Word of God. ~ joyce-meyer, @wisdomtrove 101:Today I set my mind and heart on a new path. I focus my energy on love, appreciation, and my highest possibilities. ~ alan-cohen, @wisdomtrove 102:Today, I will focus on what's right about me. I will give myself some of the caring I've extended to the world. ~ melody-beattie, @wisdomtrove 103:When you focus on the eternal, victorious Son of God, you break the devil's heart and render him powerless. ~ aiden-wilson-tozer, @wisdomtrove 104:Even if you only stop and focus on your breathing for a few breaths, or for a minute or two, its very valuable. ~ thich-nhat-hanh, @wisdomtrove 105:We shouldn't deny the pain of what happens in our lives. We should just refuse to focus only on the valleys. ~ charles-r-swindoll, @wisdomtrove 106:Faith is a re-directing of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus. ~ aiden-wilson-tozer, @wisdomtrove 107:Focus. Focus... on your burning priorities. Say no to everything else. Life's short. You only get one shot at great. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 108:Focus only on things you love, feel love, and you will experience that love and joy coming back to you - multiplied! ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 109:When Christ becomes our central focus, contentment replaces our anxiety as well as our fears and insecurities. ~ charles-r-swindoll, @wisdomtrove 110:Games are won by players who focus on the playing field - not by those whose eyes are glued to the scoreboard. ~ warren-buffet, @wisdomtrove 111:If you focus your awareness only upon your own rightness, then you invite the forces of opposition to overwhelm you. ~ frank-herbert, @wisdomtrove 112:Through discipline, effort, and continual practice, you can also accomplish almost anything you focus your thoughts on. ~ wayne-dyer, @wisdomtrove 113:As long as we focus on the outside, there will always be that empty, hungry, lost place inside that needs to be filled. ~ shakti-gawain, @wisdomtrove 114:Focus on what you want, not on what you fear or don't want. Focus on what you fear and that's exactly where you'll end up. ~ tony-robbins, @wisdomtrove 115:If you focus on the person (You’re a lousy writer') instead of their actions, you will make them angry or defensive or hurt. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 116:Make each product the best it can be. Focus on form and materials. What we don't include is as important as what we do include. ~ jony-ive, @wisdomtrove 117:What are the things you are grateful for?? Feel the gratitude.. focus on what you have right now that you are grateful for. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 118:Focus on one habit at a time, one month at a time, so that you’ll be able to focus all your energy on creating that one habit. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 119:Focus on the center of the chest, relax. Imagine a rose there. Feel it unfolding. Let yourself go and ignore your thoughts. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 120:I want to focus on God's grace and give thanks for all the good things in my life. I don't want to focus on what I don't have. ~ joyce-meyer, @wisdomtrove 121:Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 122:It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 123:To become wise, meditate on the third eye, between the eyebrows and a little bit above. Focus on that spot, the Agni chakra. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 124:Organize as much as possible around teams, to achieve enhanced focus, task orientation, innovativeness, and individual commitment. ~ tom-peters, @wisdomtrove 125:Your current thoughts are creating your future life. What you think about the most or focus on the most will appear as your life ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 126:A solid answer to everything is not necessary. Blurry concepts influence one to focus, but postulated clarity influences arrogance. ~ criss-jami, @wisdomtrove 127:The Law of Attraction requires that we focus our attention on what we do want, rather than what we don't want, Focus on loving you. ~ louise-hay, @wisdomtrove 128:Vision is the ability to see God's presence, to perceive God‚Äôs power, to focus on God‚Äôs plan in spite of the obstacles. ~ charles-r-swindoll, @wisdomtrove 129:I think sometimes you just lose your focus, and I think that's easy to do when you start getting more fame, more money, more power. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 130:When you focus on the third chakra it has to pull the kundalini from the root center, through the second, up to the third chakra. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 131:Climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you. Focus all your effort on what is in your power to control. ~ john-wooden, @wisdomtrove 132:Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer. ~ denis-waitley, @wisdomtrove 133:I'm trying to teach people how to live their everyday lives, and so I do focus on it, probably not as much as some people would like. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 134:Taking the inventory of your current work at all levels will automatically produce greater focus, alignment, and sense of priorities. ~ david-allen, @wisdomtrove 135:Over the years, I've learned that a confident person doesn't concentrate or focus on their weaknesses - they maximize their strengths. ~ joyce-meyer, @wisdomtrove 136:We can always choose to perceive things differently. We can focus on what's wrong in our life, or we can focus on what's right. ~ marianne-williamson, @wisdomtrove 137:Do not have an attitude, open yourself and focus yourself and express yourself. Reject external form that fails to express internal reality. ~ bruce-lee, @wisdomtrove 138:I outsource because it makes me more effective. It helps me focus on the high value, 20% tasks that make the biggest impact in my life. ~ celestine-chua, @wisdomtrove 139:Without a clear focus, it’s too easy to succumb to distractions. Set targets for each day in advance. Decide what you’ll do; then do it. ~ steve-pavlina, @wisdomtrove 140:You must have tremendous power of focus to direct your life and not allow all these variant forces, different vibrations, to enter you. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 141:In my adolescence, love, as I think for most of us, was a tremendous focus. I wanted to find the perfect partner. I did and married her. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 142:The simple act of walking can be a tremendous boost to your focus, productivity, clarity of mind, not to mention your health and waistline. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 143:What you focus on you become. So always focus on that which is highest, brightest, happiest and most noble of all things, enlightenment. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 144:Hope looks good on paper. But what creates greatness is focus, dedication and hard work. Daily. Go do it. We deserve to see you fly in 2014. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 145:If you use insulting or degrading language, or put down the person in any way, they will focus on that, and not on the rest of the criticism. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 146:Learning of all kinds goes on best, lasts best, and tends to lead itself on more when it grows out of a real focus of interest in the learner. ~ carl-rogers, @wisdomtrove 147:Suffice it to say that something automatic and extraordinary happens in your mind when you create and focus on a clear picture of what you want. ~ david-allen, @wisdomtrove 148:Breathing is central to every aspect of meditation training. It's a wonderful place to focus in training the mind to be calm and concentrated. ~ jon-kabat-zinn, @wisdomtrove 149:If you will focus on meeting other people’s needs, God will always make sure your needs are supplied. God will take care of your problems for you. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 150:No matter what's happening, choose to be happy. Don't focus on what's wrong. Find something positive in your life. Thank God for the small things. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 151:The greatest force of personal liberation is the decision to widen our circle of compassion, moving from focus on self to focus on service. ~ marianne-williamson, @wisdomtrove 152:Self-discovery is a process of dissolution and creation. Dissolution means envelopment in eternity. Creation is bringing into focus new awareness ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 153:Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives. ~ tony-robbins, @wisdomtrove 154:The chakra is a doorway. These are doorways that lead you into other dimensions. But you have to focus on them to the exclusion of everything else. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 155:Focus in on the genre you want to write, and read books in that genre. A LOT of books by a variety of authors. And read with questions in your mind. ~ nicholas-sparks, @wisdomtrove 156:I feel vulnerable because my mind - because of the stroke, my mind doesn't focus. And then I feel vulnerable because I don't understand the world around me. ~ ram-das, @wisdomtrove 157:If you keep your eye on the profit, you’re going to skimp on the product. But if you focus on making really great products, then the profits will follow. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 158:What is there to fear in this very moment of now? Is your fear about something in the future? Then focus on being present now, and let go of the fear. ~ eckhart-tolle, @wisdomtrove 159:When the Lord makes it clear you're to follow Him in this new direction, focus fully on Him and refuse to be distracted by comparisons with others. ~ charles-r-swindoll, @wisdomtrove 160:Focus is about saying, No. And the result of that focus is going to be some really great products where the total is much greater than the sum of the parts. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 161:That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex; you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 162:Your prayer causes you to focus, and the Law of Attraction causes everything in the Universe that's in vibrational harmony with your focus to come to you. ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 163:My life is better when I assume that people are doing their best. It keeps me out of judgment and lets me focus on what is, and not what should or could be. ~ brene-brown, @wisdomtrove 164:When you meditate, you focus to clear the mind and to bring the willpower together. But then, toward the end of the session let go, just become eternity. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 165:Don't focus on what's wrong. Things may not be perfect, but be grateful for the opportunity to experience each day. Live each day like it could be your last. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 166:Provide clear written agendas to meeting participants in advance. This greatly improves meeting focus and efficiency. You can use it for phone calls too. ~ steve-pavlina, @wisdomtrove 167:If you are feeling a shortage of time or money, your best effort would be to focus upon better- feeling thoughts, and do more things that make you feel good. ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 168:In my experience, getting rich takes focus, courage, knowledge, expertise, 100 percent of your effort, a never-give-up attitude and of course a rich mind-set. ~ t-harv-eker, @wisdomtrove 169:We should focus on what people get done, not on how many hours or days worked. Just as we don't have a nine-to-five policy, we don't need a vacation policy. ~ richard-branson, @wisdomtrove 170:Do one task at a time, without distractions. Don't multitask, and don't let yourself get interrupted. Single tasking and and focus are are the keys to execution. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 171:My particular focus at the moment is on the development of genetic algorithms and neural networks that work together to create computer architectural systems. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 172:Truly creative people care a little about what they have done, and a lot about what they are doing. Their driving focus is the life force that surges in them now. ~ alan-cohen, @wisdomtrove 173:Practice being present. You can practice being in the moment at any time during the day. Simply focus on what you’re doing right now, not on the past or the future. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 174:The more you worry about being applauded by others and making money, the less you'll focus on doing the great work that will generate applause. And make you money. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 175:You must look for the good in people to have more of it appear. As you look only for the good things in a person, you will be amazed at what your new focus reveals. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 176:Your most important tasks and priorities are those that can have the most serious consequences, positive or negative, on your life or work. Focus on these above all. ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 177:Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus. ~ oprah-winfrey, @wisdomtrove 178:Don't focus on the adversity; focus on God. No matter what you go through, stay in faith, be your best each day and trust that God will use it to position you for greatness. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 179:Many ... have tremendous God-given gifts, but they don't focus on the development of those gifts. Who are these individuals? You've never heard of them- and you never will . ~ john-wooden, @wisdomtrove 180:The thing itself is one; the images are many. What leads to a perceptive understanding of the thing is not the focus on one image, but the viewing of many images together. ~ rudolf-steiner, @wisdomtrove 181:Focus your awareness on the heart chakra. As you do, you will feel your consciousness shifting. You may feel different perceptions of energy in different parts of your body. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 182:Rich people see opportunities. Poor people see obstacles. Rich people see potential growth. Poor people see potential loss. Rich people focus on rewards. Poor focus on the risks. ~ t-harv-eker, @wisdomtrove 183:Satan wants us to constantly focus on everything that is wrong with us and look at how far we still have to go. But God desires for us to rejoice in how far we have already come. ~ joyce-meyer, @wisdomtrove 184:When life is hard it's easy to focus only on the bad things and forget all about the good things God has given us. But God has blessed every one of us in ways we often overlook. ~ billy-graham, @wisdomtrove 185:You get hit the hardest when trying to run or hide from a problem. Like the defense on a football field, putting all focus on evading only one defender is asking to be blindsided. ~ criss-jami, @wisdomtrove 186:I can focus on writing, or I can get lost in wonderfully fun but endless conversations and produce nothing new at all. I count on those people who enjoy my work to understand this. ~ ken-wilber, @wisdomtrove 187:Thanksgiving is a time of quiet reflection; an annual reminder that God has, again, been ever so faithful. The solid and simple things of life are brought into clear focus. ~ charles-r-swindoll, @wisdomtrove 188:Continuing to tell stories of shortage only continues to contradict your desire for abundance, and you cannot have it both ways: You cannot focus upon unwanted and receive wanted. ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 189:There is no need to compare because everyone is different. Your goal is not to be like others but to be yourself. Stop comparing with others and focus on being yourself instead. ~ celestine-chua, @wisdomtrove 190:As you focus your attention on the heart center, you will begin to feel your thoughts slowing down. You'll begin to feel your mind becoming calm and quiet. They won't bother you. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 191:Immerse yourself in the task. Just start on the task, and focus completely on it. Forget about everything else, and let the world melt away. Get excited about the task and have fun. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 192:So the bad news is that there’s always something bad about life we can choose to focus on. And the good news is that there’s always something good about life we can choose to focus on. ~ tim-freke, @wisdomtrove 193:The top three projects on your Projects List will be your entire focus until you finish all three, and then the next three projects you move onto this active list will be your focus. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 194:It is the invariable lesson to humanity that distance in time, and in space as well, lends focus. It is not recorded, incidentally, that the lesson has ever been permanently learned. ~ isaac-asimov, @wisdomtrove 195:You may have made a lot of wrong choices, but you’ve also made a lot of choices that were right. Focus on your good qualities. Focus on your victories. Get off the treadmill of guilt. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 196:The past was gone and the future had yet to unfold, and he knew he should focus his life on the present. Yet his day-to-day existence suddenly struck him as endless and unbearable. ~ nicholas-sparks, @wisdomtrove 197:As a mortal being you are limited, but as a child of God you are unlimited... Focus your attention on God, and you shall have all the power you want, to use in any direction. ~ paramahansa-yogananda, @wisdomtrove 198:Enlightenment is to be outside the circle, the circle of death and rebirth. There is a circle inside you. If you meditate and focus on your third eye, you will see a circle of light. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 199:Goal-setting is powerful because it provides focus. It shapes our dreams. It gives us the ability to hone in on the exact actions we need to perform to achieve everything we desire in life. ~ jim-rohn, @wisdomtrove 200:I don't focus on the critics. Everyone who is making any difference in any field has critics. As long as I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, then I don't worry about it. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 201:Instead of tryig to stop thought when you meditate, focus your attention on love. Suddenly you'll find your thoughts are slacking. Light is everywhere and suddenly there is no thought. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 202:Focus on impact, not approval. If you believe you can change the world, which I hope you do, do what you believe is right and expect resistance and expect attackers. Keep calm and carry on! ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 203:Breathe in and take one step, and focus all your attention on the sole of your foot. If you have not arrived fully, one hundred percent in the here and the now, don't take the next step. ~ thich-nhat-hanh, @wisdomtrove 204:Power comes from the navel center. If you meditate for an hour or so a day and you focus on that sphere, you will release a tremendous power that will enter your body. We call it the chi. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 205:I generally concentrate on work for three or four hours every morning. I sit at my desk and focus totally on what I’m writing. I don’t see anything else, I don’t think about anything else. ~ haruki-murakami, @wisdomtrove 206:When you reach out to hurting people, that’s when God is going to make sure your needs are supplied. When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 207:You cannot help the world by focusing on the negative things. As you focus on the world's negative events, you not only add to them, but you also bring more negative things into your own life. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 208:Focus your attention around the naval area, feel that spot. Visualize it. Do whatever it takes. When thoughts come in and out of your mind, pay no attention. You just stay right on that spot! ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 209:One of the fundamental principles of productivity is that in order to get things done, you've got to focus. And that necessary focus requires that you eliminate as many distractions as possible. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 210:Focus your attention on the top of your neck. Take that energy and transmit it in two lines to your hands. Then from the hands, bounce that energy right back to the heart center and ground it. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 211:Goals provide the energy source that powers our lives. One of the best ways we can get the most from the energy we have is to focus it. That is what goals can do for us; concentrate our energy. ~ denis-waitley, @wisdomtrove 212:A life without limits is taking a cup of red dye and pouring it into the ocean, and watching the color dilute into nothingness. Limited focus is putting that same cup of dye into a gallon of water. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 213:M: How can an unsteady mind make itself steady? Of course, it cannot. It is the nature of the mind to roam about. All you can do is to shift the focus of consciousness beyond the mind. ~ sri-nisargadatta-maharaj, @wisdomtrove 214:By going into third world countries and serving, by actually feeding and helping people, I've been led to focus a little more on how people here try to be happy by ignoring other people who are unhappy. ~ ram-das, @wisdomtrove 215:I got my driver's license photo taken out of focus on purpose. Now when I get pulled over, the cop looks at it [moving it nearer and farther, trying to see it clearly], and says, "Here, you can go" ~ steven-wright, @wisdomtrove 216:Slow down. Talk less. When you can, do just one thing at a time. Reduce multitasking. Focus on your breath while doing daily activities. Simplify your life; give up lesser pleasures for greater ones. ~ rick-hanson, @wisdomtrove 217:Avoid fragmentation: Find your focus and seek simplicity. Purposeful living calls for elegant efficiency and economy of effort-expanding the minimum time and energy necessary to achieve desired goals. ~ dan-millman, @wisdomtrove 218:Focus on one point and hold your attention there. The mind will waiver, you'll think a million thoughts, but each time you do, bring your mind back to the point of concentration, seeing it visually. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 219:I don't care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don't harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you're never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants ~ zig-ziglar, @wisdomtrove 220:People over-focus on teachers as an excuse to avoid their own life, and that way they fail to take responsibility for themselves. They have this feeling that the teacher will just take care of them. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 221:So many people seem to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but have no clue how to lead their own. So focus on your inner callings and keep paving your own path. ~ marc-and-angel-chernoff, @wisdomtrove 222:We want a crowd to make us feel important and liked. But why is getting a crowd our focus? Jesus never suggested that crowds were the goal. He never addresses getting your church to grow. Never. ~ charles-r-swindoll, @wisdomtrove 223:A happy man or woman is a better thing to find than a five-pound note. He or she is a radiating focus of goodwill; and their entrance into a room is as though another candle had been lighted. ~ robert-louis-stevenson, @wisdomtrove 224:The Pareto principle is the 80-20 rule, which states that 80% of the value of a task comes from 20% of the effort. Focus your energy on that critical 20%, and don’t overengineer the non-critical 80%. ~ steve-pavlina, @wisdomtrove 225:Sometimes we focus on the mess or the broken dream, but in all the mess God sees greatness. He knows how to take your troubles and turn them into trophies, how to take the test and make it your testimony. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 226:Focus on what you're grateful for in your life. If you don't appreciate what you have, you won't get any more... because the universe thinks it's not important to you, and therefore you don't need any more. ~ t-harv-eker, @wisdomtrove 227:One way to focus and express kind intentions is through these traditional wishes, which you can think, write down, or even sing: May you be safe. May you be healthy. May you be happy. May you live with ease. ~ rick-hanson, @wisdomtrove 228:[The Soviets] preach the supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the earth; they are the focus of evil in the modern world. ~ ronald-reagan, @wisdomtrove 229:One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular. ~ tony-robbins, @wisdomtrove 230:I have noticed in every campaign that I have fought-that there is a key segment of time, somewhere between 13 and 15 minutes in which the battle is won or lost. I focus on that segment of time, and I win. ~ napoleon-bonaparte, @wisdomtrove 231:Instead of focusing on how big your problems are, focus on how big your God is! He is everything you need. He is the Great I AM, and He is the one leading and guiding you into victory in every area of your life! ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 232:Most companies, 97 percent or more, put all their focus on clever advertising and clever taglines to get people to buy average or mediocre products. You need to back off and offer a really good product or service. ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 233:As far as income goes, there are three currencies in the world; most people ignore two. The three currencies are time, income and mobility, in descending order of importance. Most people focus exclusively on income. ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 234:The Value of Thinking About Why: Here are just some of the benefits of asking why: It defines success. It creates decision-making criteria. It aligns resources. It motivates. It clarifies focus. It expands options. ~ david-allen, @wisdomtrove 235:You don't have to search so hard for meaning and destiny. If you focus on keeping yourself clear and in balance and you live from your heart, destiny and your highest-good path will unfold naturally at your feet. ~ melody-beattie, @wisdomtrove 236:To attract money, you must focus on wealth. It is impossible to bring more money into your life when you are noticing you do not have enough, because that means you are thinking thoughts that you do not have enough. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 237:Keep my eyes fixed on You, Lord. Help me to stop tinkering and realize my total inability to change. I look to You to change me and give me victory as I focus on Your friendly eyes looking lovingly at me. Amen. ~ aiden-wilson-tozer, @wisdomtrove 238:Focus your attention on the center of your forehead. Visualize that there is a slow but steady swirl of white light there. Visualize that the white light above your forehead is slowly moving in a clockwise direction. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 239:There just isn't enough time for everything on our & 240:When you are able to shift your inner awareness to how you can serve others, and when you make this the central focus of your life, you will then be in a position to know true miracles in your progress toward prosperity. ~ wayne-dyer, @wisdomtrove 241:If you have a clear goal and a plan to achieve it, your focus is fixed on a set course of action. Instead of becoming sidetracked by distractions and diversions, your time is focused on a straight line from start to finish. ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 242:Instead of concentrating on your problems and getting discouraged, focus on God and meditate on His promises for you. You may have fallen down, but you don't have to stay down. God is ready, willing and able to pick you up. ~ joyce-meyer, @wisdomtrove 243:the more we are focused on controlling and changing others, the more unmanageable our life becomes. The more we focus on living our own life, the more we have a life to live, and the more manageable our life will become. ~ melody-beattie, @wisdomtrove 244:The thing with focus is that it's not this thing you aspire to, like, & 245:Have you noticed that those who speak most about illness have it, those that speak most about money have it, those that speak about poverty have it ... that must be their experiences. Whatever you focus on will come to you. ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 246:In the real world, those of us who are most productive, successful, and satisfied focus not on fixing feelings or manipulating thoughts, but on what needs to be done-and then doing it-no matter what thoughts or feelings arise. ~ dan-millman, @wisdomtrove 247:We have never worried about numbers. In the market place, Apple is trying to focus the spotlight on products, because products really make a difference. You can't con people in this business. The products speak for themselves. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 248:Today I will focus on a peaceful pace, rather than a harried one. I will keep moving forward gently, not frantically. I will let go of my need to be anxious and upset and will replace these feelings with calmness and harmony. ~ melody-beattie, @wisdomtrove 249:Dreams can come true, but there is a secret. They're realized through the magic of persistence, determination, commitment, passion, practice, focus and hard work. They happen a step at a time, manifested over years, not weeks. ~ elbert-hubbard, @wisdomtrove 250:Focus on the heart center and feel love. There is a flower there, but it's like a rose folded up. As you meditate, feel that the flower is opening. Each time you open a set of petals you're going deeper into eternal awareness. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 251:I don't want people's approval. I want people to think the way they think. That's love. Manipulating and trying to change someone is like trying to rape his mind. "You there! Stop your internal life and focus over here, on me! ~ byron-katie, @wisdomtrove 252:I think Bigfoot is blurry, that's the problem. It's not the photographer's fault. Bigfoot is blurry, and that's extra scary to me. There's a large, out-of-focus monster roaming the countryside. Run, he's fuzzy, get out of here. ~ mitch-hedberg, @wisdomtrove 253:With a wonderful business, you can figure out what will happen; you can't figure out when it will happen. You don't want to focus on when, you want to focus on what. If you're right about what, you don't have to worry about when ~ warren-buffet, @wisdomtrove 254:Bring the mind into sharp focus and make it alert so that it can immediately intuit truth, which is everywhere. The mind must be emancipated from old habits, prejudices, restrictive thought processes and even ordinary thought itself. ~ bruce-lee, @wisdomtrove 255:When you focus on how wonderful God is and all the great things He's done... is doing... and even will do in your life, your natural response will be praise, adoration and awe. Don't let yourself ever get used to it... stay amazed! ~ joyce-meyer, @wisdomtrove 256:Once I can focus in on something, I just play it in my mind until an idea comes from out of nowhere, and it's usually the key to the whole song. It's the idea that matters. It's like electricity was around long before Edison harnessed it. ~ bob-dylan, @wisdomtrove 257:Success comes from doing the hard part. When the hard part is all you've got, you're more likely to do it. And this is precisely why it's difficult to focus. Because focusing means acknowledging that you just signed up for the hard part. ~ seth-godin, @wisdomtrove 258:The reason for desires, goals, for finding those decisions or points of focus, is because they are the life- giving things of the Universe. Without objects of attention, or objects of desire, Life- Force does not come through any of us. ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 259:As a cure for worrying, work is far better than whiskey. I always found that, if I began to worry, the best thing I could do was focus upon doing something useful and then work very hard at it. Soon, I would forget what was troubling me. ~ thomas-edison, @wisdomtrove 260:Saying no isn't easy, but it's a required skill if you wish to have any degree of focus in your life. If you say yes too often, you'll likely fall into the common trap of saying yes to the good while simultaneously saying no to the best. ~ steve-pavlina, @wisdomtrove 261:Dominant energy patterns that are contributing to the stress in a human being, are able to be picked up, if a person is open enough. And for me, as a medical intuitive, that's where I focus my attention. That's what the skill is all about. ~ caroline-myss, @wisdomtrove 262:If you have a past with which you feel dissatisfied, then forget it, now. Imagine a new story for your life and believe in it. Focus only on the moments when you achieved what you desired, and that strength will help you to get what you want. ~ paulo-coelho, @wisdomtrove 263:If you focus the rays of the sun through a lens, they can burn cotton or a piece of paper; but, the scattered rays cannot do this act. If you collect the dissipated rays of the mind and focus them at a point, you will have wonderful concentration. ~ sivananda, @wisdomtrove 264:Have the courage to be exactly who you are without apology. Admit your mistakes without beating yourself up. Release all shame! Release all guilt! You cannot live if you are hiding behind what was. Focus on what is, right now, and that is you! ~ lyania-vanzant, @wisdomtrove 265:A great deal of what people say, think, or do is actually motivated by fear, which of course is always linked with having your focus on the future and being out of touch with the Now. As there are no problems in the Now, there is no fear either. ~ eckhart-tolle, @wisdomtrove 266:Dominant energy patterns that are contributing to the stress in a human being, are able to be picked up, if a person is open enough. And for me, as a medical intuitive, that's where I focus my attention. That's what the skill is all about. ~ norman-vincent-peale, @wisdomtrove 267:If we want to make relatively minor changes in our lives, we can focus on our attitudes and behaviors. But if we want to make significant quantum changes, we need to work on our basic paradigms—the way we view ourselves and the world around us. ~ stephen-r-covey, @wisdomtrove 268:Lacking an external focus, the mind turns inward on itself and creates problems to solve, even if the problems are undefined or unimportant. If you find a focus, an ambitious goal that seems impossible and forces you to grow, these doubts disappear. ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 269:To the extent we are perceiving anyone's guilt -choosing to focus on the errors of their personality rather than the eternal innocence of their spirit - we're closing our hearts, deflecting a miracle and causing our own inevitable suffering. ~ marianne-williamson, @wisdomtrove 270:I pray for faith that my future will be good if I live today well, and in peace. I will remember that staying in the present is the best thing I can do for my future. I will focus on what’s happening now instead of what’s going to happen tomorrow. ~ melody-beattie, @wisdomtrove 271:We were born with a natural tendency to focus on love. Our imaginations were creative and flourishing, and we knew how to use them. We were connected to a richer world, a world full of enchantment and a sense of the miraculous. What happened? ~ marianne-williamson, @wisdomtrove 272:Keep steadily in the focus of consciousness the only clue you have: your certainty of being. Be with it, play with it, ponder over it, delve deeply into it, till the shell of ignorance breaks open and you emerge into the realm of reality. ~ sri-nisargadatta-maharaj, @wisdomtrove 273:Rumi once advised his students to write down the three things they most wanted in life. If any item on the list clashes with any other item, Rumi warned, you are destined for unhappiness. Better to live a life of single-pointed focus, he taught. ~ elizabeth-gilbert, @wisdomtrove 274:Write your script. When you see things you don't want, don't think about them, write about them, talk about them, push against them, or join groups that focus on the don't wants... remove your attention from don't wants.. and place them on do wants. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 275:Rumi once advised his students to write down the three things they most wanted in life. If any item on the list clashes with any other item, Rumi warned, you are destined for unhappiness. Better to live a life of single- pointed focus, he taught. ~ elizabeth-gilbert, @wisdomtrove 276:When you have a pile of bills that you have no idea how you are going to pay, you cannot focus on the bills, because you will continue to attract more bills. You have to find a way that works for you to focus on prosperity, despite the bills around you. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 277:It's just easier to talk about product attributes that you can measure with a number. Focus on price, screen size, that's easy. But there's a more difficult path, and that's to make better products, ones where maybe you can't measure their value empirically. ~ jony-ive, @wisdomtrove 278:When we're interested in something, everything around us appears to refer to it (the mystics call these phenomena "signs," the skeptics "coincidence," and psychologists "concentrated focus," although I've yet to find out what term historians should use). ~ paulo-coelho, @wisdomtrove 279:Mind Like Water: A mental and emotional state in which your head is clear, able to create and respond freely, unencumbered with distractions and split focus. David Allen ~ david-allen, @wisdomtrove 280:You are one who knows your worthiness. And when you feel inferior, resentful or disrespected, it's not that someone else has the power to do that to you, it's your focus. You've focused in a screwy way, you see. You've focused out of sync with who you are. ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 281:Creation is not and has never been about action. It has always been about alignment of Energy. So when you focus upon alignment of Energy time becomes irrelevant. And when time is irrelevant, it will be so expansive that you will wonder where it always was. ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 282:Getting organized in the normal routines of life and finishing little projects you've started is an important first step toward realizing larger goals. If you can't get a handle on the small things, how will you ever get it together to focus on the big things? ~ joyce-meyer, @wisdomtrove 283:Focus your mind on & 284:When you allow yourself to begin to dream big dreams, creatively abandon the activities that are taking up too much of your time, and focus your inward energies on alleviating your main constraints, you start to feel an incredible sense of power and confidence. ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 285:Financial scarcity is what you attract when you focus on me, me, me — my needs, my problems, my wants. Financial abundance is what you attract when you focus on we, we, we — our needs, our challenges, our potential. The ego is too small a container for wealth. ~ steve-pavlina, @wisdomtrove 286:If I focus my attention on my subjective nature as the & 287:I started to meditate formally at about 18. I would sit on a mountaintop in Southern California around twilight and focus on my third eye. Everything would become still and rings of light would appear, and I'd go through them. I would be beyond time and space. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 288:To develop the creative attitude, analyze and focus on the wanted SOLUTION; seek out and fill your mind with the FACTS; write down ideas, both sensible and seemingly wild; let the facts and ideas simmer in your mind; evaluate, recheck, settle on the creative ideas. ~ bruce-lee, @wisdomtrove 289:When we try to focus our thought upon One who is pure uncreated being we may see nothing at all, for He dwelleth in light that no man can approach unto. Only by faith and love are we able to glimpse Him as He passes by our shelter in the cleft of the rock. ~ aiden-wilson-tozer, @wisdomtrove 290:I focus for periods of time on creative work and I'm very insular during those times - not a lot of socializing. I play when I want. That means I can take off on a retreat, catch a matinee, make friends. My core desired feelings are my time management system. ~ danielle-laporte, @wisdomtrove 291:Lions don't have to roar. There is power in silence, confidence, and persistence. Those who work don't talk, and those who talk don't work. Handle your business. Measure your efforts by results. Focus your time, energy, and activity on mastering and executing a plan. ~ les-brown, @wisdomtrove 292:Whatever happens to me during the course of my life - physically, socially, or financially - I can always choose to focus on giving. When I'm in that state, nothing else matters. I cease to exist as a separate being and merge into an expression of divine oneness. ~ steve-pavlina, @wisdomtrove 293:Every time you feel anxiety, use that as a trigger to take some deep breaths, and then think to yourself: "This fear or anxiety is happening in my life to tell me what I don't want. What do I want instead?" Start visualizing what you do want. Gently focus on that. ~ anita-moorjani, @wisdomtrove 294:Commit to investing from twenty to thirty minutes a week in weekly planning. Follow these steps as you plan: Write down your key roles. Select one or two of your highest priorities to focus on this week. Look at the week and schedule your tasks and appointments. ~ stephen-r-covey, @wisdomtrove 295:Rich people believe "You can have your cake and eat it too." Middle-class people believe "Cake is too rich, so I'll only have a little piece." Poor people don't believe they deserve cake, so they order a doughnut, focus on the hole, and wonder why they have "nothing." ~ t-harv-eker, @wisdomtrove 296:We have to realize that our lives could be gone in a moment. There are no guarantees that we will be here at this time next year. Learn to live each day to the fullest. Don't complain. Don't focus on what's wrong. Be grateful for the opportunity to experience each day. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 297:If you spend a lot of time thinking about your problems, they'll grow bigger and stronger. Is that what you want? Of course not!Instead, focus on your goals. Start your day with them at the front of your mind, and use notes to recall them strategically throughout your day. ~ les-brown, @wisdomtrove 298:I am struck by how, except when you're young, you really need to prioritize in life, figuring out in what order you should divide up your time and energy. If you don't get that sort of system set by a certain age, you'll lack focus and your life will be out of balance. ~ haruki-murakami, @wisdomtrove 299:Writers need to learn their trade, and how to negotiate the increasingly difficult marketplace. The trade can be taught and learned just as the craft can. But a workshop where the trade is the principal focus of interest is not a writing workshop. It is a business class. ~ ursula-k-le-guin, @wisdomtrove 300:I'm meditating and I'm enjoying the bliss of being deep awake. I'm conscious of being a spacious presence within which the world is arising like a dream. Thoughts and sensations are coming and going in my peripheral attention, but my focus is on the stillness of my essential nature. ~ tim-freke, @wisdomtrove 301:Steve said, I don’t know. I really don’t. All I know is that my life is better when I assume that people are doing their best. It keeps me out of judgment and lets me focus on what is, and not what should or could be. His answer felt like truth to me. Not an easy truth, but truth. ~ brene-brown, @wisdomtrove 302:Focus very clearly on a few small things. The purpose of a business is to give someone something that they want. Have a product or service that's really excellent. [... ] What can you offer that no one else can offer and will satisfy them at a higher level than what anyone else can? ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 303:The information age has been driven and dominated by technopreneurs. We now have to apply these technologies in saving lives, improving livelihoods and lifting millions of people out of squalor, misery and suffering. In other words, our focus must now move from the geeks to the meek. ~ arthur-c-carke, @wisdomtrove 304:For me the information has to remain incredibly neutral. It's what I would call & 305:Indeed, our everyday world presents intellectual challenges just as daunting as those of the cosmos and the quantum, and that is where 99 per cent of scientists focus their efforts. Even the smallest insect, with its intricate structure, is far more complex than either an atom or a star. ~ martin-rees, @wisdomtrove 306:To concentrate implies bringing all your energy to focus on a certain point; but thought wanders away... Whereas attention has no control, no concentration. It is complete attention, which means giving all your energy, the energy of the brain, your heart, everything, to attending. ~ jiddu-krishnamurti, @wisdomtrove 307:If you focus on what others expect of you, you'll continue to act on and attract more of what they desire for you. But when you can shift your inner thoughts to what you intend to create and attract into your life, you will no longer have to give mental energy to what others want for you. ~ wayne-dyer, @wisdomtrove 308:The key to a great life lies in shifting your focus from accumulation to contribution. The old saying "He who gathers the most toys wins" needs to be replaced with "He who serves the most prospers". Remember, happiness is the by-product of a life spent adding value to other people's lives. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 309:Expect the best; convert problems into opportunities; be dissatisfied with the status quo; focus on where you want to go, instead of where you're coming from; and most importantly, decide to be happy, knowing it's an attitude, a habit gained from daily practice, and not a result or payoff. ~ denis-waitley, @wisdomtrove 310:It's a matter of ABC: When we encounter ADVERSITY, we react by thinking about it. Our thoughts rapidly congeal into BELIEFS. These beliefs may become so habitual we don't even realize we have them unless we stop to focus on them. And they don't just sit there idly; they have CONSEQUENCES. ~ martin-seligman, @wisdomtrove 311:Every day, or at least twice a week, take a few minutes and focus on seeing yourself in joy. Feel yourself in joy. Imagine only joy ahead in your life and see yourself basking in it. As you do this the Universe will move all people, circumstances, and events to bring you joy, joy and more joy. ~ rhonda-byrne, @wisdomtrove 312:For me the information has to remain incredibly neutral. It's what I would call & 313:Focus on the positives. Go for the positive topics. Which means rather than talk about past grievances, opt for a discussion of future goals. Rather than talk about the coffee that spilled on your table this morning, talk about that movie you are looking forward to watch later in the evening. ~ celestine-chua, @wisdomtrove 314:In the founding era of our country, it was not organized religion but personal faith that brought focus and unified the early leadership-maybe an unspoken faith in God, and certain values that came with that faith. So in that sense, we cannot discount, in my judgment, religious faith in politics. ~ billy-graham, @wisdomtrove 315:We should reserve the notion of & 316:You see, I'm a believer in the rhapsodic. I like things that are happy. For no particular reason, I just like them. Most people don't seem to be like that in this particular place, in this world. You can tell by what they focus on. Read a newspaper, watch a TV show, go to a movie, look at a life. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 317:Rather than beating yourself up for what you are not doing, appreciate and celebrate the things you are doing. When you shift your focus away from what you do not want, you can create a vision for what you do. Don't fight with yourself - focus on what you do, can do, choose to do, are ready to do. ~ lyania-vanzant, @wisdomtrove 318:Please stop waiting for a better and more appropriate time to become happy and focus on the moment you live in. Happiness is not an arrival, it is the journey itself. Many people seek for happiness above the height of human beings, some below. Yet, happiness is exactly at the exact height of human beings. ~ confucius, @wisdomtrove 319:Staying focused on a project or plan is one of the most difficult challenges we face. There is always the house to clean, calls to make, laundry to fold, deadlines to meet. Actually, there is only one thing that keeps us from our goals - lack of focus. And very often, lack of focus is caused by fear. ~ lyania-vanzant, @wisdomtrove 320:When I live lucidly, my focus moves fluidly between the active and passive poles of my identity. And in my experience, this fluidity of focus is the way to enjoy a creative life as an active participant in the life-dream, while also bathing in the bliss of my deeper being. It is the secret of enlivenment. ~ tim-freke, @wisdomtrove 321:If you trust me, believe when I tell you that you are the pure awareness that illuminates consciousness and its infinite content. Realise this and live accordingly. If you do not believe me, then go within, enquiring ‘What am I’? or, focus your mind on ‘I am’, which is pure and simple being. ~ sri-nisargadatta-maharaj, @wisdomtrove 322:Anything that you are wanting: don't stand in the lack of it and lament that it isn't there and expect it to come to you. It cannot. Find a little piece of it, a little trail of it, a little clue of it - look for something about it, and focus upon that little piece, and by Law of Attraction, watch it grow! ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 323:Focus on guilt will always breed fear, and focus on innocence will always breed love. Any time we project guilt onto someone else, we are fortifying the experience of guilt within ourselves. Like blood on Lady MacBeth's hands, we cannot remove our own guilty feelings as long as we are judging others. ~ marianne-williamson, @wisdomtrove 324:It has been asserted that there is a separate species on the earth to correspond with each one of the stars. Now if the earth provides in each species a focus for the action of each star, why may not a similar provision be made among other heavenly bodies that are subject to the action of their fellows? ~ nicholas-of-cusa, @wisdomtrove 325:Whatever we focus on is bound to expand. Where we see the negative, we call forth more negative. And where we see the positive, we call forth more positive. Having loved and lost, I now love more passionately. Having won and lost, I now win more soberly. Having tasted the bitter, I now savor the sweet. ~ marianne-williamson, @wisdomtrove 326:Whenever you focus on the blessings in your life, you're instantaneously on the blessing frequency, and blessings increase in your life IN THAT MOMENT! & 327:The first requisite for success is to develop the ability to focus and apply your mental and physical energies to the problem at hand - without growing weary. Because such thinking is often difficult, there seems to be no limit to which some people will go to avoid the effort and labor that is associated with it. ~ thomas-edison, @wisdomtrove 328:I am conscious right now of an ever-changing stream of experiences. Normally I focus my attention on what I am experiencing, but I’m choosing to be conscious of myself as the experiencer. I am the experiencer of all that I’m experiencing. I am the presence of awareness witnessing colours … sounds … feelings … thoughts. ~ tim-freke, @wisdomtrove 329:Your fear is just as boring as mine is. Everyone's got the same one. It is not precious. It is not special. It is not singular to you. It's just the one we all got wired with when we came in. Focus on your unique qualities that deserve to be celebrated and put fear back in its place. Don't listen to it. Onward. ~ elizabeth-gilbert, @wisdomtrove 330:Another way to be awakened by the beauty and complexity of the word is to get a dog. Small Things like a plant that I had passed a thousand time and never given a second thought to. But the dog is curious. And the dog stops and wants to smell this and smell that. And the dog makes you look and focus and take the time. ~ dean-koontz, @wisdomtrove 331:Keep the ‘I am’ in the focus of awareness, remember that you are, watch yourself ceaselessly and the unconscious will flow into the conscious without any special effort on your part. Wrong desires and fears, false ideas, social inhibitions are blocking and preventing its free interplay with the conscious. ~ sri-nisargadatta-maharaj, @wisdomtrove 332:Maybe you’ve invested a lot of time, effort, money, emotion, and energy in a relationship; you did your best to make it work out. But for some reason, things got off course. And now you feel as though you have been robbed. When we focus on or disappointments, we stop God from ringing fresh new blessing into our lives. ~ joel-osteen, @wisdomtrove 333:Religious ideas about good and evil tend to focus on how to achieve well-being in the next life, and this makes them terrible guides to securing it in this one. Of course, there are a few gems to be found in every religious tradition, but insofar as these precepts are wise and useful they are not, in principle, religious. ~ sam-harris, @wisdomtrove 334:The world is waiting for you to wake up to the person you are called to be. Stop listening to the negative inner conversation that's causing you to play small. Focus your mind on positive thoughts, possibilities and solutions that can move you forward. Tap into your creativity and determination and stay busy. Stay focused. ~ les-brown, @wisdomtrove 335:People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 336:Being an elite performer on the playing field of life is not about being perfect. Rather, it is about cultivating a mental focus towards mastery in every area of your life. It is about commiting yourself, from the core of your heart, to manifest and polish your highest talents and become the person you are destined to be. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 337:To suppose that the eye, with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree. ~ charles-darwin, @wisdomtrove 338:This goes two ways: a relationship that’s bigger than its real foundation is a set-up for disappointment and hurt, while a relationship that’s smaller than its foundation is a lost opportunity. In both cases, focus on your own initiative, especially after you’ve made reasonable efforts to encourage changes in the other person. ~ rick-hanson, @wisdomtrove 339:Existence is predicated on paradoxity, so our experience flows between good and bad, joy and suffering, yum and yuk. We hope for yum without yuk. We fear there will be yuk without yum. But there is always both. We can focus on the good, but we can’t exile the bad. We can make our lives better, but we can’t make our lives perfect. ~ tim-freke, @wisdomtrove 340:It is far more lucrative and fun to leverage your strengths instead of attempting to fix all the chinks in your armor. The choice is between multiplication of results using strenths or incremental improvement fixing weaknesses that will, at best, become mediocre. Focus on better use of your best weapons instead of constant repair. ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 341:Somebody once told me, ‘Manage the top line, and the bottom line will follow.’ What's the top line? It's things like, why are we doing this in the first place? What's our strategy? What are customers saying? How responsive are we? Do we have the best products and the best people? Those are the kind of questions you have to focus on. ~ steve-jobs, @wisdomtrove 342:The Power of Less is perfect for achieving goals: Limit yourself to fewer goals, and you’ll achieve more. At the same time, you’ll look at ways to narrow your focus on your projects, so that you can complete them more effectively and move forward on your goals. You’ll apply limitations to your projects to increase your effectiveness.' ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 343:Your very nature has the infinite capacity to enjoy. It is full of zest and affection. It sheds its radiance on all that comes within its focus of awareness and nothing is excluded. It does not know evil nor ugliness, it hopes, it trusts, it loves. You people do not know how much you miss by not knowing your own true self. ~ sri-nisargadatta-maharaj, @wisdomtrove 344:Don't criticize, condemn or complain. Constantly criticizing, condemning and complaining is what breaks most relationships. Instead of criticizing and condemning, figure out how you can solve the problem together. Instead of focusing on blaming the other person for what they did wrong, focus on how you can avoid the problem next time. ~ dale-carnegie, @wisdomtrove 345:Existence is predicated on paradoxity, so our experience must flow between good and bad, joy and suffering, yum and yuk. We hope for yum without yuk. We fear there will be yuk without yum. But there will always be both. We can focus on the good, but we can’t exile the bad. We can make our lives better, but we can’t make our lives perfect. ~ tim-freke, @wisdomtrove 346:Although we tend to think about saints as holy and pious, and picture them with halos above their heads and ecstatic gazes, true saints are much more accessible. They are men and women like us, who live ordinary lives and struggle with ordinary problems. What makes them saints is their clear and unwavering focus on God and God's people. ~ henri-nouwen, @wisdomtrove 347:My secret for writing is going back to clarity. I'm very clear about what I want to accomplish-the goal-and then the next two are focus and concentration. And I've probably spent my whole life both practicing those two and teaching them. Focus. Focus on a single point and concentration. And concentrating on a single thing till it's done. ~ brian-tracy, @wisdomtrove 348:Let's practice appreciative witnessing right now . . . You are conscious that you're experiencing something . . . so pay attention to the experiencer. Focus on your essential being that you call & 349:It's all about finding and hiring people smarter than you. Getting them to join your business. And giving them good work. Then getting out of their way. And trusting them. You have to get out of the way so YOU can focus on the bigger vision. That's important. And here's the main thing... .you must make them see their work as a MISSION. ~ richard-branson, @wisdomtrove 350:Clearing distractions is simple: turn everything off and get it out of sight so you have the space to focus on what’s important. That means closing your browser and email program and all programs other than what you need to work on the important task before you. It means turning off notifications and clearing your desk of all non- essential items. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 351:That's always disappointed me, to see a guy in the crowd who doesn't look like he's having fun but in general if you just listen to the crowd it sounds like they're having fun. So I don't want to focus on the one guy who's not having fun. And by closing my eyes and just listening, I can't hear that he's not laughing but I can see that he's not laughing. ~ mitch-hedberg, @wisdomtrove 352:They have the greeting cards with the couples on the front. They photograph them. These hazy focus people. They’re always having picnics. There’s always a tree, a pond… who are these people? I don’t know them. I don’t want them on my card either. What am I going to write inside there anyway? “Here’s another couple having a better relationship than us.” ~ jerry-seinfeld, @wisdomtrove 353:He told me that one of the reasons people are so unhappy is they don't talk to themselves. He said you have to keep a conversation going with yourself throughout your life to see how you're doing, to keep your focus, to remain your own friend. He told me that he talked to himself all the time, and that it helped him to grow stronger and better everyday. ~ elizabeth-gilbert, @wisdomtrove 354:It helps to have a focus for your attention, an anchor line to tether you to the present moment and to guide you back when the mind wanders. The breath serves this purpose exceedingly well. It can be a true ally. Bringing awareness to our breathing, we remind ourselves that we are here now, so we might as well be fully awake for whatever is already happening. ~ jon-kabat-zinn, @wisdomtrove 355:You end up exhausted and spent, but later, in retrospect, you realize what it all was for. The parts fall into place, and you can see the whole picture and finally understand the role each individual part plays. The dawn comes, the sky grows light, and the colors and shapes of the roofs of houses, which you could only glimpse vaguely before, come into focus. ~ haruki-murakami, @wisdomtrove 356:See, see Who God is, see the glory of God, going up to Him out of this incomprehensible and infinite Sacrifice in which all history begins and ends, all individual lives begin and end, in which every story is told, and finished, and settled for joy or for sorrow: the one point of reference for all the truths that are outside of God, their center, their focus: Love. ~ thomas-merton, @wisdomtrove 357:Keep a grateful journal. Every night, list five things that happened this day that you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is change your perspective of your day and your life. If you can learn to focus on what you have, you will always see that the universe is abundant; you will have more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never have enough. ~ oprah-winfrey, @wisdomtrove 358:Renovating temples does not mean building great gate towers or receptacles for offerings. What we should focus on is the regular conduct of worship according to tradition, regular satsang, devotional singing, and so forth. Our devotion and faith give life to temples, not rituals and ceremonies. Children, we should remember this when we are involved in temple matters. ~ mata-amritanandamayi, @wisdomtrove 359:Every second you spend thinking about what you don't want in your life is a second denying focus and energy from getting what you do want. Every minute you worry about what's not working is a minute drawn away from creating what will work. And every hour spent reflecting on the disappointments of the past is an hour stolen from seeing the possibilities that your future holds. ~ robin-sharma, @wisdomtrove 360:Letting go means we stop trying to force outcomes and make people behave. It means we give up resistance to the way things are, for the moment. It means we stop trying to do the impossible-controlling that which we cannot-and instead, focus on what is possible-which usually means taking care of ourselves. And we do this in gentleness, kindness, and love, as much as possible. ~ melody-beattie, @wisdomtrove 361:You can’t look too far ahead. Do that and you’ll lose sight of what you’re doing and stumble. I’m not saying you should focus solely on the details right in front of you, mind you. You’ve got to look ahead a bit or else you’ll bump into something. You’ve got to conform to the proper order and at the same time keep an eye out for what’s ahead. That’s critical, no matter what you’re doing. ~ haruki-murakami, @wisdomtrove 362:Self-actualizing people never use their minds to think about what they don’t wish to attract. Their minds focus on the conditions they wish to produce—then the lucky break, the right people or circumstances, or the synchronistic opportunity somehow presents itself as a result of their contemplation. We all become what we think about, so it’s pretty important to pay attention to those thoughts. ~ wayne-dyer, @wisdomtrove 363:Forgiveness is a selective remembering. It is a conscious choice to focus on someone's innocence instead of his or her mistakes... This serves *you*... Your body was not created to bear the burden of your overattachment to it, but was created as a container for the light of your spirit. It will more easily remember how to function perfectly when you remember the perfection in everyone. ~ marianne-williamson, @wisdomtrove 364:The old saying of work hard, play hard really works for me. For me it's all about focus. To get the Fire Starter Sessions digital book out it was about three months of intense focus. I let my friends know that I probably wouldn't be hanging out of returning their phone calls. It wasn't about doing the dishes, I ordered a lot of pizza, and I just completely put myself in the creative bubble. ~ danielle-laporte, @wisdomtrove 365:My most persistent memory of stand - up is of my mouth being in the present and my mind being in the future: the mouth speaking the line, the body delivering the gesture, while the mind looks back, observing, analyzing, judging, worrying, and then deciding when and what to say next. Enjoyment while performing was rare - enjoyment would have been an indulgent loss of focus that comedy cannot afford. ~ steve-martin, @wisdomtrove 366:It is important to communicate to children about what we are going through. We often speak in half truths. We don't frame the truth or explain our experience in terms they can understand. We need to take time to do this. What has to happen is that more people have to get involved with more children. Focus energy on the child. Children are raising themselves these days in all sorts of strange ways. ~ james-redfield, @wisdomtrove 367:Take a good look at your life right now. If you don't like something about it, close your eyes and imagine the life you want. Now allow yourself to focus your inner eye on the person you would be if you were living this preferred life. Notice the differences in how you behave and present yourself; allow yourself to spend several seconds breathing in the new image, expanding your energy into this. ~ marianne-williamson, @wisdomtrove 368:Every time we focus on someone else's darkness, we are blocking our own view of the light. We think the person we are involved with has attacked us or has withheld love from us, when they really haven't. We focus on their guilt instead of their innocence. Frequently people are just being themselves and we start projecting our own childhood dramas onto them, pushing away the very love we want so much. ~ marianne-williamson, @wisdomtrove 369:Often, self-imposed constraints, or boundaries, force you to think differently about challenges, leading to more practical ideas and innovations. Instead of thinking ‘outside the box’ and looking in every possible direction, get inside one box – a specific problem that needs a resolution, a smaller space where big changes can be made, etc. – and focus your creative attention on making a difference. ~ marc-and-angel-chernoff, @wisdomtrove 370:Champions get up! When you’re down to nothing, God is up to something! Champions get up! Focus your mind, pull yourself together. If you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on! You are a champion. You are more than a conqueror. Keep the faith. Cry if you must. You are still here. God is not through with you yet. You were born to win. Champions get up! You are a champion. You have GREATNESS within you! ~ les-brown, @wisdomtrove 371:I'm always amused by the idea that certain people have about technique, which translate into an immoderate taste for the sharpness of the image. It is a passion for detail, for perfection, or do they hope to get closer to reality with this trompe I'oeil? They are, by the way, as far away from the real issues as other generations of photographers were when they obscured their subject in soft-focus effects. ~ henri-cartier-bresson, @wisdomtrove 372:Focus on your marriage. Because that's the nucleus of the home, whatever you do to restore its health and strength will naturally restore what's broken among the other relationships. If you have no children yet, this will make a comfortable nest for them to begin life well. If you have children, the changes you make in your marriage will affect the rest of the household more quickly and dramatically than you think. ~ charles-r-swindoll, @wisdomtrove 373:Instead of & 374:I live in the space of thankfulness – and I have been rewarded a million times over for it. I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased. That’s because what you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life. ~ oprah-winfrey, @wisdomtrove 375:All that was required of them (i.e. the brain-washed masses) was a primitive patriotism which could be appealed to whenever it was necessary to make them accept longer working hours or shorter rations. And even when they became discontented, as they sometimes did, their discontent led nowhere, because, being without general ideas, they could only focus it on petty specific grievances. The larger evils invariably escaped their notice. ~ george-orwell, @wisdomtrove 376:Too many writers think that all you need to do is write well-but that's only part of what a good book is. Above all, a good book tells a good story. Focus on the story first. Ask yourself, & 377:When we dislike someone, or feel threatened by someone, the natural tendency is to focus on something we dislike about the person, something that irritates us. Unfortunately, when we do this& 378:People always focus on people like me who use synthesizers, right, which are explicitly electronic and therefore obvious. "Ah, yes, that's electronic music." But they don't realize that so is the concept of actually taking a piece of extant music and literally re-collaging it, taking chunks out and changing the dynamics radically and creating new rhythmic structures with echo and all that. That's real electronic music, as far as I'm concerned. ~ brian-eno, @wisdomtrove 379:With all humility, I think, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." Infinitely more important than the vain attempt to love one's neighbor as one's self. If you want to hit a bird on the wing you must have all your will in focus, you must not be thinking about yourself, and equally, you must not be thinking about your neighbor; you must be living with your eye on that bird. Every achievement is a bird on the wing. ~ oliver-wendell-holmes-jr, @wisdomtrove 380:The scientific story points to this deep purpose of life. It tells how the evolutionary process has filled the world with ever more conscious forms of life, until it has created human beings. What makes us so special is that we’re not just conscious, we’re conscious that we’re conscious. We know that we exist. We are conscious of being. And if we focus our attention on our deepest being we become deep awake. And then we can live as a lover of life. ~ tim-freke, @wisdomtrove 381:What I want to argue for is not that we should give up on our ideas of success, but that we should make sure that they are our own. We should focus in on our ideas and make sure that we own them, that we're truly the authors of our own ambitions. Because it's bad enough not getting what you want, but it's even worse to have an idea of what it is you want and find out at the end of the journey that it isn't, in fact, what you wanted all along. ~ alain-de-botton, @wisdomtrove 382:At least three time per day at scheduled times, he had to ask himself the following question: Am I being productive or just active? Charney captured the essence of this with less-abstract wording: Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important? He eliminated all of the activities he used as crutches and began to focus on demonstrating results instead of showing dedication. Dedication is often just meaningless work in disguise. Be ruthless and cut the fat. ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 383:She'd always believed that people come in two varieties: those who look out the windshield and those who stare in the rearview mirror. She'd always been the windshield type: gotta focus on the future, not the past, because that's the only part that's still up for grabs. Mom throws me out? Gotta get some food and find a place to live. Husband dies? Gotta keep working, or I'll end up going crazy. Got some guy stalking me? Gotta figure out a way to stop it. ~ nicholas-sparks, @wisdomtrove 384:Your real work is to decide what you want and then to focus upon it, for it is through focusing upon what you want that you will attract it. That is the process of creating: giving thought to what you want, so much thought, and such clear thought, that your Inner Being offers forth emotion. And as you are giving thought, with emotion, you become the most powerful of all magnets. That is the process by which you will attract (what you want) into your experience. ~ esther-hicks, @wisdomtrove 385:If I focus my attention on the deep awake state, the waking world goes out of focus. But the waking world is still in my peripheral consciousness, so I can bring my attention to it if I wish. And if I focus my attention on the waking world, I can keep the deep awake state in my peripheral consciousness, so I can return my focus to it when I want to. I am able to move the focus of my attention between the poles of my identity, while retaining the other pole in my peripheral attention. ~ tim-freke, @wisdomtrove 386:... the idea of a spiritual part of our nature that survives death, the notion of an afterlife, ought to be easy for religions and nations to sell. This is not an issue of which we might anticipate widespread skepticism. People will want to believe it, even if the evidence is meager to nil... compelling testimony ... provides that our personality, character, memory ... resides in the matter of the brain, it is easy not to focus on it, to find ways to evade the weight of the evidence. ~ carl-sagan, @wisdomtrove 387:Whether your focus is on preserving and strengthening family ties in a world of increasingly unstable relationships, gaining access to a decent job, growing and evolving as a person, or guiding a company through the stormy seas of a fiercely competitive global marketplace-whether your goals are material, emotional, or spiritual-the price of success is the same: thinking, learning. To be asleep at the wheel-to rely only on the known, familiar, and automatized-is to invite disaster. ~ nathaniel-branden, @wisdomtrove 388:The effective executive knows that it is easier to raise the performance of one leader than it is to raise the performance of a whole mass. She therefore makes sure she puts into the leadership position, into the standard-setting, the performance-making position the person who has the strength to do the outstanding pacesetting job. This always requires focus on the one strength of a person and dismissal of weaknesses as irrelevant unless they hamper the full deployment of the available strength. ~ peter-drucker, @wisdomtrove 389:Focus attention on the feeling inside you. Know that it is the pain-body. Accept that it is there. Don't think about it - don't let the feeling turn into thinking. Don't judge or analyse. Don't make an identity for yourself out of it. Stay present, and continue to be the observer of what is happening inside you. Become aware not only of the emotional pain but also of "the one who observes," the silent watcher. This is the power of the Now, the power of your own conscious presence. Then see what happens. ~ eckhart-tolle, @wisdomtrove 390:The great Sufi poet and philosopher Rumi once advised his students to write down the three things they most wanted in life. If any item on the list clashes with any other item, Rumi warned, you are destined for unhappiness. Better to live a life of single-pointed focus, he taught. But what about the benefits of living harmoniously among extremes? What if you could somehow create an expansive enough life that you could synchronize seemingly incongruous opposites into a worldview that excludes nothing? ~ elizabeth-gilbert, @wisdomtrove 391:What good is it to continue to focus on the exterior technological wonders before us - from indefinite life extension to computer/mind interlinks to unlimited zero-point energy to worm-hole intergalactic space travel - if all we carry with us is an egocentric red-mem Nazis and KKK? Do we really want Jack the Ripper living 400 years, zipping around the country in his hypercar, unleashing misogynistic nanorobots? Exterior developments are clearly a concern; how much more so are interior developments - or lack there of. ~ ken-wilber, @wisdomtrove 392:Changing the world is like trying to straighten a dog's tail. However much you may try, you won't succeed. But although the tail won't straighten, if you keep trying every day, at least you will put on some muscle. Similarly, even though it is difficult to make a change, our effort to do so in itself brings positive results. It will help us change. Without waiting for others to change,if we change ourselves first, that will make a difference. Instead of worrying about results, focus on doing our best in what we are engaged in. ~ mata-amritanandamayi, @wisdomtrove 393:Anger is like a storm rising up from the bottom of your consciousness. When you feel it coming, turn your focus to your breath. Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body. Then look at, or think of, the person triggering this emotion: with mindfulness, you can see that they are unhappy and suffering. You can see their wrong perceptions. You'll feel motivated by a desire to say or do something to help the other person suffer less. This means compassionate energy has been born in your heart. And when compassion appears, anger is deleted. ~ thich-nhat-hanh, @wisdomtrove 394:One of my patients told me that when she tried to tell her story people often interrupted her to tell her that they once had something just like that happen to them. Subtly her pain became a story about themselves. Eventually she stopped talking to most people. It was just too lonely. We connect through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand, we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen, they know we care. Many people with cancer talk about the relief of having someone just listen. ~ rachel-naomi-remen, @wisdomtrove 395:It's your time for a breakthrough! Make up your mind to leave the past and the old you behind. Focus on giving birth to a new you... .the real you. It is your time to create a turning point for the better in your life. It is your destiny to be healthy, happy and successful.Your future is open, full of possibility and promise! Buckle down and do whatever is required to create a life that you are proud of and a life that you deserve! Don't look back!! Look ahead, move forward and make this your best year ever! You have the something special. You have GREATNESS within you! ~ les-brown, @wisdomtrove 396:So when such challenges come, as they always do, make it a habit to go within at once and focus as much as you can on the inner energy field of your body. This need not take long, just a few seconds. But you need to do it the moment that the challenge presents itself. Any delay will allow a conditioned mental- emotional reaction to arise and take you over. When you focus within and feel the inner body, you immediately become still and present as you are withdrawing consciousness from the mind. If a response is required in that situation, it will come up from this deeper level. ~ eckhart-tolle, @wisdomtrove 397:How can we be directly in God, neither striving nor seeking for anything other than him, and how can we be so poor and give up everything? It is hard counsel that we should not desire any reward. Now be certain of this: God never ceases to give us everything. Even if he had sworn not to, he still could not help giving us things. It is far more important to him to give than it is for us to receive, but we should not focus upon this, for the less we strive for it, the more God will give us. God intends thereby only that we should become yet more rich and be all the more capable of receiving things from him. ~ meister-eckhart, @wisdomtrove 398:A slower-paced life means making time to enjoy your mornings, instead of rushing off to work in a frenzy. It means taking time to enjoy whatever you’re doing, to appreciate the outdoors, to actually focus on whoever you’re talking to or spending time with — instead of always being connected to a Blackberry or iPhone or laptop, instead of always thinking about work tasks and emails. It means single- tasking rather than switching between a multitude of tasks and focusing on none of them. Slowing down is a conscious choice, and not always an easy one, but it leads to a greater appreciation for life and a greater level of happiness. ~ leo-babauta, @wisdomtrove 399:If we think in term of months, we had probably focus on immediate problems such as the turmoil in the Middle East, the refugee crisis in Europe and the slowing of the Chinese economy. If we think in terms of decades, then global warming, growing inequality and the disruption of the job market loom large. Yet if we take the really grand view of life, all other problems anddevelopments are overshadowed by three interlinked processes: 1. Science is converging on an all-encompassing dogma, which says that organisms are algorithms and life is data processing. 2. Intelligence is decoupling from consciousness. 3. Non-conscious but highly intelligent algorithms may soon know us better than we know ourselves. These three processes raise three key questions, which I hope will stick in your mind long after you have finished this book: 1. Are organisms really just algorithms, and is life really just data processing? 2. What’s more valuable – intelligence or consciousness? 3. What will happen to society, politics and daily life when non-conscious but highly intelligent algorithms know us better than we know ourselves? ~ yuval-noah-harari, @wisdomtrove *** NEWFULLDB 2.4M ***
1:A broad mind lacks focus. ~ Unknown, #NFDB
2:Turn fear into focus. ~ Bill Rancic, #NFDB
3:When you focus on place ~ Fred Kent, #NFDB
4:Focus equals feeling. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
5:my focus began to shift. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
6:Focus on writing first. ~ Lyra Parish, #NFDB
7:Jealousy blurs the focus. ~ Toba Beta, #NFDB
8:Clarity affords focus. ~ Thomas Leonard, #NFDB
9:Focus equals feeling. ~ Anthony Robbins, #NFDB
10:What you focus on grows. ~ Esther Hicks, #NFDB
11:Channel your energy. Focus. ~ Carl Lewis, #NFDB
12:Focus on the now and kick ass! ~ A R Von, #NFDB
13:We expand what we focus on. ~ Wayne Dyer, #NFDB
14:What you focus on expands. ~ T Harv Eker, #NFDB
15:He deserves to be a focus. ~ Courtney Cole, #NFDB
16:Whatever you focus on expands, ~ Pam Grout, #NFDB
17:4. Focus on product, not sales ~ Peter Thiel, #NFDB
18:What you focus on is what you get. ~ Bob Burg, #NFDB
19:winners focus, losers spray. ~ Steve Chandler, #NFDB
20:Focus is more valuable than IQ. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
21:Where focus goes, energy flows. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
22:I'm Mozart with a focus on the tide ~ Aesop Rock, #NFDB
23:My focus is on my constituents. ~ Randy Hultgren, #NFDB
24:Words are a lens to focus one's mind. ~ Ayn Rand, #NFDB
25:It helps me chill out and focus. ~ Susan Sarandon, #NFDB
26:You get what you focus on in life. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
27:Document, evaluate, focus, test. ~ Scott D Anthony, #NFDB
28:I would, for once, focus on me ~ Elizabeth Eulberg, #NFDB
29:My greatest asset now is my focus. ~ Josh McDowell, #NFDB
30:need is to focus on what people around you ~ Kriti, #NFDB
31:Whatever you focus upon, increases. ~ Andy Andrews, #NFDB
32:whatever you focus upon, increases. ~ Andy Andrews, #NFDB
33:You get what you focus on in life,. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
34:Alaska has had to focus upon the ~ James A Michener, #NFDB
35:I lost focus on everything else. ~ Octavia E Butler, #NFDB
36:Starve your distractions, feed you focus. ~ Unknown, #NFDB
37:What you focus on you create more of, ~ Jen Sincero, #NFDB
38:What you focus on you create more of. ~ Jen Sincero, #NFDB
39:A thousand ways. Focus on the one way. ~ Rick Yancey, #NFDB
40:What you focus on always gets better. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
41:Focus like a laser, not a flashlight ~ Michael Jordan, #NFDB
42:Focus on opportunities, not problems. ~ Peter Drucker, #NFDB
43:Focus on the solution, not on the problem. ~ Jim Rohn, #NFDB
44:Focus on your music and not technology. ~ Bryan Adams, #NFDB
45:Whatever you focus on is what you get. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
46:focus and have faith in my own story. ~ Michelle Obama, #NFDB
47:Focus on other people, not on yourself. ~ Randy Pausch, #NFDB
48:Google[x]'s Focus on the Physical World ~ Astro Teller, #NFDB
49:summer camps focus on robotics Times staff ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
50:correct this focus and instill ~ William N Thorndike Jr, #NFDB
51:Focus on the big picture, not the numbers. ~ W Chan Kim, #NFDB
52:focus on the user and all else will follow. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
53:I focus on a lot of women's issues. ~ Lauren Greenfield, #NFDB
54:Commitment is the foundation of focus. ~ Shannon L Alder, #NFDB
55:Focus on being productive instead of busy. ~ Tim Ferriss, #NFDB
56:Focus on the positives and be grateful. ~ Katrina Bowden, #NFDB
57:Focus on what's next, not what came before. ~ Sarah Fine, #NFDB
58:Good things happen when you narrow your focus. ~ Al Ries, #NFDB
59:I think I'm a focus for international attention. ~ Sting, #NFDB
60:Feeding the Beast becomes the central focus. ~ Ed Catmull, #NFDB
61:Focus on winning the contest with yourself. ~ John Kessel, #NFDB
62:Intense, sustained focus fuels manifestation. ~ T F Hodge, #NFDB
63:Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus. ~ Ann Voskamp, #NFDB
64:Think BIG and always focus on the positive ~ Donald Trump, #NFDB
65:Discipline #1: Focus on the Wildly Important ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
66:Focus on the journey, not the destination. ~ Greg Anderson, #NFDB
67:Focus on the solution, not on the problem. ~ David A Wells, #NFDB
68:Focus on what's ahead. Use what is behind. ~ Donita K Paul, #NFDB
69:FORGET ABOUT GOALS, FOCUS ON SYSTEMS INSTEAD ~ James Clear, #NFDB
70:Glance at negatives, but focus on positives. ~ Tim Sanders, #NFDB
71:To attract money, you must focus on wealth. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
72:Whatever you focus on you're going to feel. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
73:Don’t focus on the what ifs. Focus on what is. ~ Vi Keeland, #NFDB
74:Remember: what you focus on becomes bigger. ~ Kathryn Alice, #NFDB
75:Singing was the big focus and outlet for me. ~ Debra Wilson, #NFDB
76:Efficiency and focus are the keys to success. ~ Robert Crais, #NFDB
77:Every period has its own optical focus. ~ Laszlo Moholy Nagy, #NFDB
78:FOCUS - Follow One Course Until Successful ~ Robert Kiyosaki, #NFDB
79:Focus on being productive instead of busy. ~ Timothy Ferriss, #NFDB
80:Focus on execution rather than just the idea. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
81:Parties bring my misantrophy into focus. ~ Jeffrey Eugenides, #NFDB
82:The secret of success is focus of purpose. ~ Thomas A Edison, #NFDB
83:When we focus on others, our world expands. ~ Daniel Goleman, #NFDB
84:Don't focus on her hiss. Remember her purr. ~ Donna Lynn Hope, #NFDB
85:Focus on stillness, rather than on movement ~ Morihei Ueshiba, #NFDB
86:Goals may give focus, but dreams give power. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
87:I really try to focus on my books and readers. ~ Emily Giffin, #NFDB
88:I try to not focus on what people expect from me. ~ Lady Gaga, #NFDB
89:My principal focus is finding great dramas. ~ Colin Callender, #NFDB
90:Our focus is on outputs rather than inputs. ~ Stephen Cambone, #NFDB
91:Skilled leaders focus on "we," not "me." ~ Stewart D Friedman, #NFDB
92:FOCUS - Follow One Course Until Successful ~ Robert T Kiyosaki, #NFDB
93:FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful. ~ Robert T Kiyosaki, #NFDB
94:Focus On How To Be Social, Not On How To Do Social. ~ Jay Baer, #NFDB
95:Focus on the present moment. Stay in the moment. ~ Tony Horton, #NFDB
96:Focus on your accomplishments , not your failures. ~ T D Jakes, #NFDB
97:I just want people to focus on the performance. ~ Janet McTeer, #NFDB
98:I think everybody should focus on inner beauty. ~ Paloma Faith, #NFDB
99:It's the will that gives us the ability to focus ~ Bob Proctor, #NFDB
100:My focus was always toward imagery of some sort. ~ David Salle, #NFDB
101:Renounce love and you can achieve demonic focus. ~ Glen Duncan, #NFDB
102:we tend to focus on the annoying expectation ~ Richard Carlson, #NFDB
103:When you shift your focus, you change your life. ~ Steve Rizzo, #NFDB
104:WikiLeaks is a important focus of our attention. ~ James Comey, #NFDB
105:Don't focus on the victory, focus on the task. ~ Erik Spoelstra, #NFDB
106:Everything in the street today seems soft focus. ~ Irvine Welsh, #NFDB
107:Focus on people and the needs they have. ~ Norman Vincent Peale, #NFDB
108:focus on the doing rather than the getting it done. ~ S J Scott, #NFDB
109:Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. ~ Gary Vaynerchuk, #NFDB
110:I don't really have a focus, I just make music. ~ Vince Staples, #NFDB
111:To make the most of Christmas, focus on Christ. ~ J B Priestley, #NFDB
112:We can learn to focus on what things really are. ~ Ryan Holiday, #NFDB
113:What you choose to focus on becomes your reality. ~ Jen Sincero, #NFDB
114:When life attains a crisis, man’s focus narrows. ~ Jim Thompson, #NFDB
115:Complexity creates confusion, simplicity focus. ~ Edward de Bono, #NFDB
116:Don't let negative people drain your energy. Focus ~ Jon Gordon, #NFDB
117:Focus does not mean saying yes, it means saying no. ~ Steve Jobs, #NFDB
118:Keep the focus of your life in the here and now. ~ Caroline Myss, #NFDB
119:SHUCHU RYOKU - Focus all your energy to one point. ~ Gozo Shioda, #NFDB
120:Strategic Principle #3: Focus primarily on morale. Two ~ Vox Day, #NFDB
121:Today, let’s focus just on what’s in front of us. ~ Ryan Holiday, #NFDB
122:Don’t focus on the what ifs. Focus on what is. *** ~ Vi Keeland, #NFDB
123:Either you focus, or you hit something really hard. ~ Jeff Gordon, #NFDB
124:Focus on the problem, you might miss the easy solution. ~ Unknown, #NFDB
125:Focus on what you want, not on what you don't want. ~ T Harv Eker, #NFDB
126:I can't help it. I always focus in on the negative. ~ Wayne White, #NFDB
127:Loyalty is what you focus on and won't give up. ~ Shannon L Alder, #NFDB
128:My focus is to not focus too much on one genre. ~ Amanda Seyfried, #NFDB
129:Remove the fear, and the answer comes into focus. ~ Oprah Winfrey, #NFDB
130:The past is dead, let's focus on tomorrow instead. ~ Greg Graffin, #NFDB
131:Whatever we focus on determines what we become. ~ E Stanley Jones, #NFDB
132:Focus on what you can do, then do it with all your heart. ~ Lois W, #NFDB
133:I use discipline and focus as my greatest weapons. ~ Lyoto Machida, #NFDB
134:much more productive to focus on “eat and train. ~ Timothy Ferriss, #NFDB
135:Stop managing your time. Start managing your focus. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
136:These distraction-oholics. These focus-ophobics. ~ Chuck Palahniuk, #NFDB
137:When you focus on serving, there is no fear in you. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
138:With Instagram, the focus is on the present tense. ~ Kevin Systrom, #NFDB
139:Always remember, your focus determines your reality. ~ George Lucas, #NFDB
140:Don't worry about your platform; focus on your impact. ~ Tony Dungy, #NFDB
141:Find the one thing you’re good at and FOCUS on it. ~ Joyce Tenneson, #NFDB
142:Focus on prevention; would save $14B with diabetes. ~ Newt Gingrich, #NFDB
143:Focus on return on equity, not earnings per share. ~ Warren Buffett, #NFDB
144:Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
145:Has anyone ever told you that you lack focus? ~ MaryJanice Davidson, #NFDB
146:Live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive. ~ Matt Cameron, #NFDB
147:Successful people focus their thinking on progress ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
148:What you choose to focus on becomes your reality. And ~ Jen Sincero, #NFDB
149:Your field of focus determines what you find in life. ~ T Harv Eker, #NFDB
150:You've just got to focus on what you have to do. ~ Cheyenne Jackson, #NFDB
151:Always remember your focus determines your reality. ~ Peter Kingsley, #NFDB
152:Eliminate the unnecessary and focus on the substance. ~ Tommy Ramone, #NFDB
153:Fervent prayer keeps your true identity in focus. ~ Priscilla Shirer, #NFDB
154:Focus on the process of what it takes to be successful. ~ Nick Saban, #NFDB
155:Focus on the why rather than the how of a task or job. ~ Emma Sepp l, #NFDB
156:I focus my energies more so on staying original. ~ Waka Flocka Flame, #NFDB
157:Step on the gas and focus on the road in front of me. ~ Jacob Chance, #NFDB
158:Stop Managing Your Time. Start Managing Your Focus. ~ Robin S Sharma, #NFDB
159:The focus needs to be in improving customer retention ~ Ryan Holiday, #NFDB
160:Yoga calms me down. It gives me energy and focus. ~ Jennifer Aniston, #NFDB
161:Another key role the CEO plays is to focus efforts. ~ Scott D Anthony, #NFDB
162:If you focus on people’s weaknesses, they lose confidence. ~ Tom Rath, #NFDB
163:Losing focus is another way that founders get off track. ~ Sam Altman, #NFDB
164:Ooh, do we need a team name? How about “Focus the Noob”? ~ Cosimo Yap, #NFDB
165:Planets move in ellipses with the Sun at one focus. ~ Johannes Kepler, #NFDB
166:This type of testing ignores the internal parts and focus ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
167:We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
168:What we don’t keep in focus before us eventually fades. ~ John Bevere, #NFDB
169:Always remember, your focus determines your reality. ~ Joshua P Warren, #NFDB
170:Focus on the impact you make versus the title you have. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
171:Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear. ~ Anthony Robbins, #NFDB
172:Forget about yourncompetitors, just focus on your customers. ~ Jack Ma, #NFDB
173:If one were blind, one can simply focus on a feeling. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
174:Me, I’m a stickler. I prefer my photographs in focus. ~ Lionel Shriver, #NFDB
175:The focus of subjectivity is a distorting mirror. ~ Hans Georg Gadamer, #NFDB
176:Don’t focus on what you can’t do. Focus on what you can. ~ Ronda Rousey, #NFDB
177:Focus on being the best you can at what you want to do. ~ David Maister, #NFDB
178:Focus upon what you want, not upon what you don’t want. ~ Doreen Virtue, #NFDB
179:I find it hard to focus looking forward. So I look backward. ~ Iggy Pop, #NFDB
180:I mean, whose songs don't focus on tragedy and loss? ~ Lucinda Williams, #NFDB
181:In order to succeed, you must have a long-term focus. ~ Anthony Robbins, #NFDB
182:Los Angelenos dress like they've been focus-grouped. ~ Douglas Coupland, #NFDB
183:Motivation, passion, and focus have to come from the top. ~ Kevin Plank, #NFDB
184:Our brain can really only focus on one thing at a time. ~ Kevin Horsley, #NFDB
185:Play the picture in your mind - focus on the end result. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
186:Take a Deep Breath & Focus on What's Really Important. ~ Wayne Dyer, #NFDB
187:The most powerful people on earth are focus groups. ~ William J Clinton, #NFDB
188:this ability to focus one’s attention was fundamental. ~ Dalai Lama XIV, #NFDB
189:What you believe and focus on becomes your reality. ~ Michael McMillian, #NFDB
190:When you focus on the consumer, the consumer responds. ~ Alexander Wang, #NFDB
191:Where we focus our energy is where we will get the results. ~ Tori Amos, #NFDB
192:It just felt like the right time to focus on solo material. ~ Robin Gibb, #NFDB
193:It's important to focus on the solution, not the problem. ~ Donald Trump, #NFDB
194:Jane: Focus is important.
V: Only if you're a microscope. ~ J R Ward,#NFDB
195:My two kids take a lot of my focus, which I'm grateful for. ~ Aden Young, #NFDB
196:As an actor you're used to being the focus of attention. ~ Yasmine Bleeth, #NFDB
197:Delusion detests focus and romance provides the veil. ~ Suzanne Finnamore, #NFDB
198:Focus on giants - you stumble. Focus on God - Giants tumble. ~ Max Lucado, #NFDB
199:Focus on the squadron, Naasir. I will take care of Lijuan. ~ Nalini Singh, #NFDB
200:Focus on understanding yourself instead of blaming others. ~ Wayne W Dyer, #NFDB
201:I can't let safety and security become the focus of my life. ~ Judy Blume, #NFDB
202:I focus on myself, that's how I beat Wladimir Klitschko. ~ Anthony Joshua, #NFDB
203:If you don't care about losing, you will focus on technique. ~ Caio Terra, #NFDB
204:I only want to do better work. That's the focus of my life. ~ Ajay Devgan, #NFDB
205:It takes time, focus, and dedication to achieve great things. ~ Chris Fox, #NFDB
206:Screw the competition - focus on good customer service. ~ Richard Branson, #NFDB
207:The more you focus, the more that focus becomes a habit. ~ Charles Duhigg, #NFDB
208:We should not focus on ideas that divide us and pull us apart. ~ Ted Cruz, #NFDB
209:Your life must focus on the maximization of objectivity. ~ Charlie Munger, #NFDB
210:but everything was a fog. When she tried to focus on a single ~ Simon Wood, #NFDB
211:Focus not on who you are, but on what you can do for others. ~ Ron Kaufman, #NFDB
212:Focus on loving the life you have now in the body you’ve got! ~ Wayne Dyer, #NFDB
213:it’s been to focus on culture and imagine what’s possible. ~ Satya Nadella, #NFDB
214:Know your core competencies and focus on being great at them. ~ Mark Cuban, #NFDB
215:We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer. ~ Jonathan Ive, #NFDB
216:While editing "Done in One":
FOCUS or F*** US! 08-15-2014 ~ Jan Thomas,#NFDB
217:Don't worry about what you should do, focus on what you can do. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
218:Focus on the play like it has a history and a life of its own. ~ Nick Saban, #NFDB
219:Hopefully and devoutly focus on your greater possibilities. ~ Bryant McGill, #NFDB
220:If I'm working, then I'm working, and my focus is on that. ~ Carmen Electra, #NFDB
221:Once upon a time we did not focus on a president's private life. ~ Tom Ford, #NFDB
222:Our focus has to be on changing reality, not changing laws. ~ Sheryl WuDunn, #NFDB
223:The future is finally something that we can now put into focus. ~ Lou Gramm, #NFDB
224:When we are shame-based, we can only focus on our own ache. ~ John Bradshaw, #NFDB
225:Workers' rights should be a central focus of development. ~ Joseph Stiglitz, #NFDB
226:Don’t focus on the mishaps; consider the pleasures instead. ~ Victor LaValle, #NFDB
227:...extraordinarily beautiful, and slightly out of focus. ~ Rosemary Sutcliff, #NFDB
228:Focus on giants - you stumble.
Focus on God - Giants tumble. ~ Max Lucado,#NFDB
229:If there’s any secret to success for a startup, it’s focus. ~ Alistair Croll, #NFDB
230:I never really wanted to write and wanted to focus on acting. ~ Abby Elliott, #NFDB
231:It seems the older you get, the more life comes into focus. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
232:It's important to focus on the good in life and appreciate it. ~ Geneen Roth, #NFDB
233:My ego is controlled enough that I don't have to be the focus. ~ Herbie Mann, #NFDB
234:Nothing done with the focus on God is ever a waste of time. ~ Lysa TerKeurst, #NFDB
235:The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention. ~ Alan Watts, #NFDB
236:To have a mission is to have a unifying focus for your career. ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
237:Where you hang your feelings is where you hang your focus. ~ Shannon L Alder, #NFDB
238:Work. Study. Focus. Dedicate yourself to it and don't give up. ~ Mateus Ward, #NFDB
239:Better to live a life of single-pointed focus, he taught. ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, #NFDB
240:But I'm going to focus on salvation as well as physical healing. ~ Benny Hinn, #NFDB
241:Hard work, sacrifice and focus will never show up in tests. ~ Lance Armstrong, #NFDB
242:If you want to live a long life, focus on making contributions . ~ Hans Selye, #NFDB
243:I think we have to focus,on exactly what the priorities are. ~ Chris Christie, #NFDB
244:It is in our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. ~ Aristotle, #NFDB
245:Let’s focus on where you could end up, not where you were or are. ~ Gary Cole, #NFDB
246:Maira Kalman says, “Avoiding work is the way to focus my mind. ~ Austin Kleon, #NFDB
247:Marketing should focus on market creation, not market sharing ~ Regis McKenna, #NFDB
248:The more choices we have, the greater the need for focus. ~ Tom Butler Bowdon, #NFDB
249:The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. ~ Bruce Lee, #NFDB
250:When God is in sharp focus, then life is also undistorted. ~ Elizabeth George, #NFDB
251:When you focus on want, you become an endless cycle of wants. ~ Bryant McGill, #NFDB
252:You cannot trust your eyes, if your imagination is out of focus. ~ Mark Twain, #NFDB
253:Anger will make you weak and clumsy. It will divert your focus. ~ Tahereh Mafi, #NFDB
254:Don't obsess over risks. Keep your focus on positive outcomes. ~ Deepak Chopra, #NFDB
255:Focus on innovating at value, not positioning against competitors ~ W Chan Kim, #NFDB
256:Focus on reaping the great benefits and mitigating the drawbacks ~ Jason Fried, #NFDB
257:Focus on where you want to go, not where you don't want to go. ~ Justin Langer, #NFDB
258:Focus your mind on what your Highest Self chooses to be. ~ Neale Donald Walsch, #NFDB
259:High interest rates focus on the revenue of a parasitic class. ~ Linda McQuaig, #NFDB
260:High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus) ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
261:I'm happiest when I have something to focus my energy on. ~ Scarlett Johansson, #NFDB
262:I really want to focus on economic growth and growing the economy. ~ Paul Ryan, #NFDB
263:Remember, what you focus on expands; results follow focus. ~ Marcus Buckingham, #NFDB
264:The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. ~ Bruce Lee, #NFDB
265:The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. ~ Bruce Lee, #NFDB
266:We need to sharpen our focus & live to the point just like a pencil. ~ Robin S, #NFDB
267:You always have to focus in life on what you want to achieve. ~ Michael Jordan, #NFDB
268:Your purpose is your identity; focus your energy on great purposes. ~ Amit Ray, #NFDB
269:A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course of victory. ~ Arthur Golden, #NFDB
270:Focus and simplicity...once you get there, you can move mountains. ~ Steve Jobs, #NFDB
271:Focus less on what people say and more on what you can accomplish. ~ Kiera Cass, #NFDB
272:Focus should be on the art of film, not on the business of film. ~ Winona Ryder, #NFDB
273:For me, the focus are songs, which really get the audience moving. ~ Joe Cocker, #NFDB
274:I'm all for NATO. But I said they have to focus on terror, also. ~ Donald Trump, #NFDB
275:I often focus more on language than on the conveying of information. ~ Pat Mora, #NFDB
276:I think Fast Company has a tremendously smart focus and execution. ~ James Daly, #NFDB
277:Keep it simple and focus on 4-5 simple retail/consumer small cap stocks! ~ Mika, #NFDB
278:People are looking for fame or a focus, and I can't provide that. ~ Will Oldham, #NFDB
279:The focus must always be on how to best accomplish the mission. ~ Jocko Willink, #NFDB
280:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Theatrical Trailer (Courtesy of Focus ~ John le Carr, #NFDB
281:Today, I will focus on having a good relationship with myself. ~ Melody Beattie, #NFDB
282:Focus: Establish a new business model in an old industry ~ Alexander Osterwalder, #NFDB
283:Focus is a matter of deciding what things you're not going to do. ~ John Carmack, #NFDB
284:Focus on the journey, not on arriving at a certain destination. ~ Chris Hadfield, #NFDB
285:focus on the journey, not on arriving at a certain destination. ~ Chris Hadfield, #NFDB
286:focus on the possible and let the impossible fade from your mind. ~ Marc Cameron, #NFDB
287:It’s simple. Your field of focus determines what you find in life. ~ T Harv Eker, #NFDB
288:Lets not focus on saving a nickel... lets focus on making a buck. ~ Adam Carolla, #NFDB
289:Most people when you get up close are not more in focus, but less. ~ Susan Minot, #NFDB
290:My main focus in sobriety has been to replace fear with faith or love. ~ Steve O, #NFDB
291:The ink in the pen that writes success stories is "FOCUS"... ~ Israelmore Ayivor, #NFDB
292:When you fully focus your mind,
you make others attracted to you. ~ Toba Beta,#NFDB
293:Be aware of the darkness but your focus should always be the light. ~ Tyler Perry, #NFDB
294:Don’t Take Breaks from Distraction. Instead Take Breaks from Focus. ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
295:Everything is similar if you're willing to look far out of focus. ~ Marvin Minsky, #NFDB
296:I’d chosen to focus on what was wrong instead of what was right. ~ Jill Santopolo, #NFDB
297:I focus on things that are the highest value and do them perfectly. ~ Sean Parker, #NFDB
298:I once heard someone say that success is not hocus pocus but focus focus. ~ David, #NFDB
299:It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. ~ Aristotle, #NFDB
300:My central focus is creating employment for the ordinary citizen. ~ Narendra Modi, #NFDB
301:the focus of spiritual formation is the formation of our spirit. ~ Dallas Willard, #NFDB
302:this was not a problem to address, this was a person to focus on: ~ Michael Wolff, #NFDB
303:To revert to the present moment To focus on what can be controlled ~ Ryan Holiday, #NFDB
304:You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. ~ Mark Twain, #NFDB
305:Focus only on your successes and you will never know failure... ~ Stephen Richards, #NFDB
306:Focus on where you are going rather than on what you hope to avoid. ~ Ben Horowitz, #NFDB
307:If you are running a city you must focus on day-to-day problems. ~ Ken Livingstone, #NFDB
308:Its focus wasn't on the written word but how the word was written. ~ Neville Brody, #NFDB
309:Key 7: The focus of our awareness becomes the reality of our world. ~ Gregg Braden, #NFDB
310:Let’s agree to disagree, Martin. And let’s focus on the task at hand. ~ A G Riddle, #NFDB
311:Simplicity is not a matter of circumstance; it is a matter of focus. ~ Ann Voskamp, #NFDB
312:Successful organizations have one common central focus: Customers. ~ Ken Blanchard, #NFDB
313:There are more important things to focus on in life than how you look. ~ Arden Cho, #NFDB
314:They [The Soviet Union] are the focus of evil in the modern world. ~ Ronald Reagan, #NFDB
315:Think less about who you were. Focus more on who you are becoming. ~ Joshua Becker, #NFDB
316:We decided to focus on women because no one was singling them out. ~ Judy Woodruff, #NFDB
317:What matters is where you want to go. Focus in the right direction! ~ Donald Trump, #NFDB
318:You have to focus on the process. You cannot be glued to the results. ~ Ivan Lendl, #NFDB
319:You should focus on being more interested than interesting. ~ Jacqueline Novogratz, #NFDB
320:At any moment in time, our reality is based on whatever we focus on. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
321:Everything you need comes into focus when you abandon the unneeded. ~ Bryant McGill, #NFDB
322:He ignored the disturbing ripple and tried to focus on the gateway. ~ Christa Faust, #NFDB
323:I will focus on being substantive and I will focus on Barack Obama. ~ Newt Gingrich, #NFDB
324:Stop comparing yourself to others and focus on your own improvement. ~ Lolly Daskal, #NFDB
325:The quality of our lives is determined by the focus of our attention. ~ Cheri Huber, #NFDB
326:Today I will focus on priorities and ignore the unimportant crap ~ Jayne Ann Krentz, #NFDB
327:Well, I don't think there's any need for people to focus on my career. ~ Bill Gates, #NFDB
328:When exercising, be sure to focus your attention on what you are doing. ~ Lee Haney, #NFDB
329:all problems can be solved if enough intensity and focus are applied. ~ Scott Berkun, #NFDB
330:Do we focus on pruning out all evil, or do we focus on growing love? ~ Sierra Simone, #NFDB
331:Focus on things that are small enough to change, but big enough to matter ~ Kat Cole, #NFDB
332:Hatred can't erase love memories.
You need to focus on anything else. ~ Toba Beta,#NFDB
333:I'm just thankful to have a tour and work something I can focus on. ~ Jerry Cantrell, #NFDB
334:I'm uncomfortable with the focus on the poet and not on the poem. ~ Yusef Komunyakaa, #NFDB
335:The quality of your life is determined by the focus of your attention. ~ Cheri Huber, #NFDB
336:Today's Declaration: I focus on what I want, not on what i don't want. ~ T Harv Eker, #NFDB
337:Turn off your mind, and focus on what you've got to do - task at hand. ~ Tony Horton, #NFDB
338:Whatever you consistently think about and focus upon you move toward. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
339:You don’t have the same type of focus when you are undefeated. ~ LaDainian Tomlinson, #NFDB
340:Your mind simply cant focus forward and downward all at the same time. ~ Daryn Kagan, #NFDB
341:Dream the dream, find that extraordinary vision, and keep it in focus. ~ Dewitt Jones, #NFDB
342:Focus on lack and you will always struggle to create enough money. ~ Stephen Richards, #NFDB
343:Focus on the moment, not the monsters that may or may not be up ahead. ~ Ryan Holiday, #NFDB
344:I'm tired of high policy talks. I want to focus on nuts and bolts. ~ Dave Freudenthal, #NFDB
345:I'm very career-driven, so my focus and my energy has been into that. ~ Stacy Keibler, #NFDB
346:In America, people focus on the end result; they focus on the star. ~ Joshua Waitzkin, #NFDB
347:My focus, my life, my world is now. You just can't plan the future. ~ Juliette Lewis, #NFDB
348:Myrnin:I could murder a cheeseburger right now
Oliver:focus ya fool ~ Rachel Caine,#NFDB
349:Shoot a few scenes out of focus. I want to win the foreign film award. ~ Billy Wilder, #NFDB
350:Someone who was so single-minded of focus and so fragile of emotion. ~ Lizbeth Selvig, #NFDB
351:Sometimes the only solution is figuring out a bigger problem to focus on. ~ Dane Cook, #NFDB
352:The first requisite for success is to develop the ability to focus. ~ Thomas A Edison, #NFDB
353:At the instant A warrior Confronts a foe, All things Come into focus ~ Morihei Ueshiba, #NFDB
354:Don't focus on what others want. See what it is that you want. ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, #NFDB
355:Educated people recognise their limitations but focus on their strengths. ~ Shiv Khera, #NFDB
356:fervently—because fervent prayer keeps your true identity in focus. ~ Priscilla Shirer, #NFDB
357:Focus not on reducing your fear, but on building your courage—because, ~ Eric Greitens, #NFDB
358:Focus on what makes you happy, and do what gives meaning to your life ~ Barry Schwartz, #NFDB
359:If you can’t fix what’s wrong, you focus on what you can make right. ~ Brigid Kemmerer, #NFDB
360:I wanted it to be kind of dreamy and 1920s, when everything is soft-focus. ~ Kate Moss, #NFDB
361:Jealousy is a waste of energy...focus on what I have, not what I don't. ~ Nikki Grimes, #NFDB
362:My idea of a good picture is one that's in focus and of a famous person. ~ Andy Warhol, #NFDB
363:Sometimes when we get too close, we can lose focus, just like a camera. ~ Vish Dhamija, #NFDB
364:The duty of a film director is to focus more on the soul of the spectator. ~ Ken Loach, #NFDB
365:You need the negative focus to survive, but a positive one to thrive, ~ Daniel Goleman, #NFDB
366:All of history has pointed its refining focus to your life this moment. ~ Bryant McGill, #NFDB
367:Don't focus on what I'm wearing. Focus on what's coming out of my face. ~ Rachel Maddow, #NFDB
368:focus, I imagined. Only two of the chairs were occupied. Justin and Serene ~ Robin Hobb, #NFDB
369:Forget about finding your passion. Instead, focus on finding big problems. ~ Mark Cuban, #NFDB
370:In her focus on personal comfort, she had forgotten about eternal values. ~ Amanda Tero, #NFDB
371:In the midst of battle, you need something versatile to keep your focus ~ Isaiah Hankel, #NFDB
372:I see in Communism the focus of the concentrated evil of our time. ~ Whittaker Chambers, #NFDB
373:It is necessary to have a strong focus. Work will give you that focus. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
374:It's painful to not be able to fully focus, but it keeps you fresh. ~ Brian Chippendale, #NFDB
375:My focus is on a ring, and giving the best individual performance I can. ~ Frank Thomas, #NFDB
376:Stop thinking in terms of a year; instead focus on shorter time frames. ~ Brian P Moran, #NFDB
377:Success isn't magic or hocus-pocus - it's simply learning how to focus. ~ Jack Canfield, #NFDB
378:There is no continuum for success. Focus on the progress, not the results. ~ Nick Saban, #NFDB
379:When you focus on your greatness you elevate everyone around you. ~ Gabrielle Bernstein, #NFDB
380:Why don’t you focus on where you’re going and less on where you came from? ~ Amy Harmon, #NFDB
381:Chrissy, there’s a baby currently coming out of your womb. Please focus. ~ Julie Johnson, #NFDB
382:Focus on the possibilities for success, not on the potential for failure ~ Napoleon Hill, #NFDB
383:Focus on the victory instead of on everything that could go wrong. ~ Sanya Richards Ross, #NFDB
384:Keep it simple and focus on what matters. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed. ~ Confucius, #NFDB
385:My hope is Donald Trump will focus on building bridges instead of walls. ~ Julian Castro, #NFDB
386:So I think instead of focusing on the competition, focus on the customer. ~ Scott D Cook, #NFDB
387:There's only one thing on my mind. There's only one goal. One aim. One focus. ~ Triple H, #NFDB
388:You just need to be positive, believe in yourself, and focus on others. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
389:But right now, I'm going to focus on the beauty of life, not the darkness ~ Claudia Gabel, #NFDB
390:Do not focus only on what your eyes feed you; it limits one's vision... ~ Pedro L Alvarez, #NFDB
391:Focus your energy on the fragrance and beauty of the petals not on the thorns. ~ Amit Ray, #NFDB
392:I like to think of the word FOCUS as Follow One Course Until Successful. ~ Donald J Trump, #NFDB
393:I mean all this focus on how we look on the outside. It's just all wrong ~ Melody Carlson, #NFDB
394:Instead of focusing on my looks I focus on the character that I am playing. ~ Anil Kapoor, #NFDB
395:In terms of technological progress,
the public is slower than focus group. ~ Toba Beta,#NFDB
396:It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. ~ Aristotle Onassis, #NFDB
397:Only focus on your three-foot world,” he said. “Focus on what you can affect. ~ Mark Owen, #NFDB
398:the focus we hold in our minds affects what we perceive and how we perform. ~ David Allen, #NFDB
399:The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance. ~ Oprah Winfrey, #NFDB
400:THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus. ~ Al Ries, #NFDB
401:There's absolutely no point in beating yourself up. Focus on going forward. ~ Mary Harron, #NFDB
402:To kiss and to kill are similar words to eyes that focus with difficulty. ~ Patrick White, #NFDB
403:To learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction. ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
404:We need to sharpen our focus & live to the point just like a pencil. ~ Robin S Sharma, #NFDB
405:We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. ~ John F MacArthur, #NFDB
406:Writing is losing focus and winning it back, only to lose it once more. ~ Durga Chew Bose, #NFDB
407:A leader does not lose focus because he wants to please his followers. ~ Israelmore Ayivor, #NFDB
408:Focus on fruitful relationships that bring you closer to Jesus Christ. ~ M Russell Ballard, #NFDB
409:Focus on one thing, make it your priority, and stick with it no matter what! ~ Tyler Perry, #NFDB
410:It's hard to focus on your love life when giant spiders are chasing you. ~ Cassandra Clare, #NFDB
411:Leaders focus on what they can control, what they have, and what they want. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
412:Startups have to focus on the big experiments that lead to validated learning. ~ Eric Ries, #NFDB
413:The most powerful way to control your focus is through the use of QUESTIONS ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
414:The time that leads to mastery is dependent on the intensity of our focus. ~ Robert Greene, #NFDB
415:To create reality, focus beyond the outcome, as if it has already happened. ~ Gregg Braden, #NFDB
416:A mission keeps you on the rails. The OKRs provide focus and milestones. ~ Christina Wodtke, #NFDB
417:Calm down, stop trying to figure out the answers, and turn your focus to God. ~ Joyce Meyer, #NFDB
418:For the most effective pitch, focus 80% on the problem, 20% on the solution. ~ Dave McClure, #NFDB
419:I can now focus on a huge audience through TV, books, cookware and foods. ~ Rocco DiSpirito, #NFDB
420:I focus on the words and then I have fun putting together the music after. ~ Matt Berninger, #NFDB
421:If you can focus the energy into something valuable, put that into work ethic. ~ Kanye West, #NFDB
422:I kept my attention fixed on Quinn, blinked twice so he would come into focus, ~ Penny Reid, #NFDB
423:It wants to focus on being a good person, not just a barely not horrible one. ~ Allie Brosh, #NFDB
424:The biggest secret of focused people is that they don't think about focus. ~ Penelope Trunk, #NFDB
425:The only never you should focus on is that God will never let you down. ~ Charles F Stanley, #NFDB
426:Don’t focus on age,” she says with a touch of impatience. “It doesn’t exist. ~ Deepak Chopra, #NFDB
427:focus all your energy not on struggling with the old, but on building the new. ~ Dan Millman, #NFDB
428:For any alliance to work, the focus must remain on solving specific problems. ~ Mal Fletcher, #NFDB
429:I do what I do, and I do it well, and focus and take it one moment at a time. ~ Jim Caviezel, #NFDB
430:If you want to focus on what’s wrong, you also have to acknowledge what’s right. ~ Elin Peer, #NFDB
431:Instead of obsessing about the outcome, focus on how you want to feel. ~ Gabrielle Bernstein, #NFDB
432:Knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to focus on. ~ Warren Buffett, #NFDB
433:Learning the art of expressing gratitude will force you to focus on the positive. ~ Jim Rohn, #NFDB
434:shift your focus to achieve your purpose. Life is all about change! ~ Ernest Agyemang Yeboah, #NFDB
435:The notion of my future suddenly snapped into focus: it didn't exist yet. ~ Ottessa Moshfegh, #NFDB
436:To learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction. To ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
437:You can focus your mind. You can respect your body. All of that is important. ~ Laura Huxley, #NFDB
438:against my gut feelings and instead focus on becoming the perfect girlfriend. ~ Kathryn Croft, #NFDB
439:All great achievements are the result of sustained focus over time—all of them. ~ Gary Keller, #NFDB
440:Attention and focus are essential skills for writers in a noise-filled world. ~ Anne H Janzer, #NFDB
441:Because education is such a broad area, I chose to focus on language learning. ~ Luis von Ahn, #NFDB
442:Great entrepreneurs focus intensely on an opportunity where others see nothing. ~ Naveen Jain, #NFDB
443:If you only focus on the things you leave behind, you'll never go anywhere. ~ Katie Kacvinsky, #NFDB
444:Ignore the naysayers. Really the only option is, head down and focus on the job. ~ Chris Pine, #NFDB
445:It's easy to focus on the differences, harder to find the similarities in people. ~ Chali 2na, #NFDB
446:My job is to focus on bringing characters to life in an honest and personal way. ~ Danny Pudi, #NFDB
447:Only through focus can you do world-class things, no matter how capable you are. ~ Bill Gates, #NFDB
448:Power Thought: I am able to keep my mind on track and focus on what I am doing. ~ Joyce Meyer, #NFDB
449:There is no accountability today... no willingness to focus on big ideas. ~ Michael Bloomberg, #NFDB
450:Do you tend to focus more on what you can control or what you can’t control? ~ Anthony Robbins, #NFDB
451:Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.” —John Carmack ~ Gary Keller, #NFDB
452:Focus on making you the best you can be as an actor, and follow your own path. ~ Craig Sheffer, #NFDB
453:Focus on the future for 50%, on the present for 40%, and on the past for 10% ~ Masaaki Hatsumi, #NFDB
454:Focus on the positives is what I teach my kids. The rest takes care of itself. ~ Dan Henderson, #NFDB
455:I don't have a routine, but I have used meditation to just decompress and focus. ~ Mike Colter, #NFDB
456:I focus, I invent, I transform, I challenge, I attempt, I observe, I perform. ~ Philippe Petit, #NFDB
457:If you focus on another person you take their energy in your body completely. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
458:I prefer to focus on the future. There are a lot of new stories to be heard. ~ Gugu Mbatha Raw, #NFDB
459:Multitasking divides your attention and leads to confusion and weakened focus. ~ Deepak Chopra, #NFDB
460:So many fearful people focus on the What if when they should be saying Why not? ~ Nick Vujicic, #NFDB
461:Sometimes success needs interruption to regain focus and shake off complacency. ~ Lennox Lewis, #NFDB
462:The successful warrior is the average person with laser-like focus. Bruce Lee ~ Steve Chandler, #NFDB
463:When I look at the arc of my career, my focus is on lyricism, right? I own that. ~ Talib Kweli, #NFDB
464:All great achievements are the result of sustained focus over time-all of them. ~ Gary W Keller, #NFDB
465:apostle Paul, however, said to focus only on what is right and honorable, ~ John F MacArthur Jr, #NFDB
466:As we start looking for the good, our focus automatically is taken off the bad. ~ Susan Jeffers, #NFDB
467:Contemplative simplicity isn’t a matter of circumstances; it’s a matter of focus. ~ Ann Voskamp, #NFDB
468:If there are nine rabbits on the ground and you want to catch one, just focus on one. ~ Jack Ma, #NFDB
469:If you focus too much on the future, you’ll forget to have fun in the present. ~ Deborah Bladon, #NFDB
470:I just love making music. I always stay in the studio. Making music is my main focus. ~ Juicy J, #NFDB
471:I just try to focus on the basketball game and not get caught up in all the media. ~ Lamar Odom, #NFDB
472:Rather than having small smart tricks to get by, focus on holding on and persevering. ~ Jack Ma, #NFDB
473:Stay focus on what God has assigned me to do. Keep my mind on what I am doing/ ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
474:the foundational root of all success in sales is a fanatical focus on prospecting, ~ Jeb Blount, #NFDB
475:When you focus on being a happy and motivated person, that is who you will be. ~ Steve Chandler, #NFDB
476:You have no control over other people's taste, so focus on staying true to your own. ~ Tim Gunn, #NFDB
477:You have no control over other people’s taste, so focus on staying true to your own. ~ Tim Gunn, #NFDB
478:and transition our focus from building the right thing to building the thing right. ~ Jez Humble, #NFDB
479:But the truth is always a lot fuzzier, hiding in soft focus on the periphery. ~ Jonathan Tropper, #NFDB
480:Focus on eating healthy natural foods; forget about trying to get enough protein. ~ Joel Fuhrman, #NFDB
481:Focus on money and we will make money. Focus on impact and we will make an impact. ~ Simon Sinek, #NFDB
482:If you want to improve your world, then focus your attention on helping others. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
483:I have an acquired taste for language, yet it is seldom an actual focus of mine. ~ Saul Williams, #NFDB
484:It is during our darkest moments.That we must focus to see the light. ~ Buddha.#Buddha #Buddhism, #NFDB
485:I've always felt if my nose were more crooked, critics would focus more on my acting. ~ Tim Daly, #NFDB
486:Mangaldeep Agarbatti’ and made up his mind to focus on it for one simple reason. ~ Rashmi Bansal, #NFDB
487:When we fear punishment, we focus on consequences, not on our own values. ~ Marshall B Rosenberg, #NFDB
488:A gentle focus of attention is all it takes to free the body of minor imbalances. ~ Deepak Chopra, #NFDB
489:Focus on the positive things in your life and you’ll be shocked at how many more ~ Sophia Amoruso, #NFDB
490:Focus your attention on the Now and tell me what problem you have at this moment. ~ Eckhart Tolle, #NFDB
491:Gentrifiers focus on aesthetics, not people. Because people, to them, are aesthetics. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
492:If you focus too early on competitors, you can be blinded by what they’re doing, ~ Alistair Croll, #NFDB
493:If you just focus on the smallest details, you will never get the big picture right. ~ Leroy Hood, #NFDB
494:It's a nice way to put the focus back on this simple act... if someone creates you. ~ Danny Boyle, #NFDB
495:It's easy to forget to look up when all you do is focus on the road straight ahead. ~ Jessi Kirby, #NFDB
496:No, I have to really focus, especially when I'm writing because I wanna be good at it ~ Tom Araya, #NFDB
497:No theology is genuinely Christian which does not arise from and focus on the cross. ~ John Stott, #NFDB
498:Optimism is the ability to focus on where we're going, not where we're coming from. ~ Simon Sinek, #NFDB
499:People who focus exclusively on efforts that matter, succeed. It's that simple. ~ Michael Lazerow, #NFDB
500:To ignite your life you must focus on ONE Thing long enough for it to catch fire. ~ Gary W Keller, #NFDB
501:When you focus with soul eyes, / You will see home in many, many places. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes, #NFDB
502:When you start a company, it's a singular focus. You have the wind at your back. ~ Howard Schultz, #NFDB
503:You need to focus your decision-making energy. You need to routinize yourself. ~ Sylvie Di Giusto, #NFDB
504:Do not let people interrupt you. Find your focus and you’ll find your lifestyle. ~ Timothy Ferriss, #NFDB
505:extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus. ~ Gary Keller, #NFDB
506:Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream will take care of itself. ~ Mark Twain, #NFDB
507:I focus on the individual and not seeing this great big monster, "the press." ~ Marianne Faithfull, #NFDB
508:if you focus on the large fossils, you miss most of the life that is present ~ Peter Godfrey Smith, #NFDB
509:If you focus on what you left behind, you'll never be able to see what lies ahead. ~ Remi Gaillard, #NFDB
510:If you focus on your competition, you will never deliver anything truly innovative. ~ Eric Schmidt, #NFDB
511:I should focus on other important issues like people's livelihoods and the economy. ~ Donald Tsang, #NFDB
512:I think right now, the focus has got to be on how we hold [Donald] Trump accountable. ~ John Lewis, #NFDB
513:It’s been freeing to focus on what works for me rather than what’s wrong with me. ~ Gretchen Rubin, #NFDB
514:make your sole and all-encompassing focus the other person and what they have to say. ~ Chris Voss, #NFDB
515:My major focus is national security because that's really what the president runs. ~ Rudy Giuliani, #NFDB
516:When I find my focus and keep my balance- I find that all is right with my world. ~ Thomas Kinkade, #NFDB
517:When you focus so much on the word, you tend to neglect the realm of silence. ~ David Steindl Rast, #NFDB
518:And every camera in the room turned to focus on my horror-stricken, blood-drained face. ~ Meg Cabot, #NFDB
519:anti-“lightbulb moment,” the idea that comes into focus over decades, not seconds. ~ Steven Johnson, #NFDB
520:As long as I can focus on enjoying what I'm doing, having fun, I know I'll play well. ~ Steffi Graf, #NFDB
521:Fear and focus are the only two things standing between you and staying positive. ~ Shannon L Alder, #NFDB
522:Focus on long term success but be willing to make short term adjustments to get there ~ Simon Sinek, #NFDB
523:I focus all my energy into become a faster, stronger, and better version of myself. ~ Georgia Clark, #NFDB
524:Rather than focus on your critics, focus on the people who are impacted by your work. ~ Tyler Perry, #NFDB
525:Rich people focus on what they want, while poor people focus on what they don't want. ~ T Harv Eker, #NFDB
526:The challenge is to focus on the work, not on the fear that comes from doing the work. ~ Seth Godin, #NFDB
527:To get momentum, you must first focus on a specific goal with passion and intensity. ~ Donald Trump, #NFDB
528:We can take responsibility for our attitudes and focus on our strengths and our joys. ~ Mary Pipher, #NFDB
529:You can do two things at once, but you can't focus effectively on two things at once. ~ Gary Keller, #NFDB
530:Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus. ~ Gary W Keller, #NFDB
531:Getting distracted by trifles is the easiest thing in the world… Focus on your main duty ~ Epictetus, #NFDB
532:God is peace, bliss, beauty and truth. Focus your energy on that, life will be like that. ~ Amit Ray, #NFDB
533:I don't focus on the results. Put my head down, put my hoodie up, and do the work. ~ Michael Skolnik, #NFDB
534:Intersectionality allow us to focus on what is most important at a given point in time. ~ Bell Hooks, #NFDB
535:I think the lack of precision and deep focus is why it took me years to build up my work. ~ Gil Kane, #NFDB
536:Its important not to focus so much on the statistics, but [on people's] perceptions. ~ Federico Pena, #NFDB
537:Music became my focus. At 13, I was jamming with my mates. At 15, I was playing clubs. ~ Bryan Adams, #NFDB
538:Stop focusing on these little details,” it told me. “Focus instead on becoming better. ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
539:Take your mind off yourself. Focus on what you are doing and how you can do it better. ~ Bob Proctor, #NFDB
540:The fit is my main focus, I want the fit to be great and that's the focal point for me. ~ Beth Ditto, #NFDB
541:The power of people, when they focus on something positive, never fails to amaze me. ~ Ozzy Osbourne, #NFDB
542:The successful warrior
is the average person
with laser-like focus. Bruce Lee ~ Steve Chandler,#NFDB
543:To hate is to show you still care, who needs that, focus on what's really important. ~ Henry Rollins, #NFDB
544:Travel is a set of corrective lenses that helps focus the planet's blurred reality. ~ Andrew Solomon, #NFDB
545:Try to focus on the things that you do have instead of obsessing over things you don't ~ Hannah Hart, #NFDB
546:Warrior energy is a combination of focus, dedication, purpose, and determination. ~ HeatherAsh Amara, #NFDB
547:Watch who you have around you, and focus, work hard, and be humble, and try to be good. ~ Inbar Lavi, #NFDB
548:We could focus our efforts on discovering solutions that work uniquely for us. ~ Margaret J Wheatley, #NFDB
549:We’ve chosen a craft requiring solitude and focus, and this “people-stuff” can be hard. ~ Jeff Goins, #NFDB
550:Whenever I do something I tend to focus on it and spend all of my time and energy on it. ~ Tom Green, #NFDB
551:Whenever I've directed something, there's this feeling of demand and focus that I like. ~ J J Abrams, #NFDB
552:Which do you tend to focus on more—what you have or what’s missing from your life? ~ Anthony Robbins, #NFDB
553:Boundaries create a focus on “us” and “our work together,” liberated from external noise, ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
554:Focusing on avoiding mistakes takes our focus away from becoming truly exceptional. ~ L David Marquet, #NFDB
555:I want to be judged harshly because that forces me to really sit down and focus. ~ Seth Grahame Smith, #NFDB
556:Losers Focus On What They Are Going Through; Champions Focus On What They Are Going To ~ Mike Murdock, #NFDB
557:Numerical quantities focus on expected values, graphical summaries on unexpected values. ~ John Tukey, #NFDB
558:Our focus should not be on emerging technologies, but on emerging cultural practices. ~ Henry Jenkins, #NFDB
559:That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex. ~ Steve Jobs, #NFDB
560:The lowest-hanging fruit in preventative medicine is just to really focus on nutrition. ~ Peter Thiel, #NFDB
561:The most powerful purpose statements are crystal clear and single-minded in their focus. ~ Roy Spence, #NFDB
562:What you focus on grows. What you concentrate on is what you see more of in your life. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
563:Will I, succeed, paranoid from the weed and hocus pocus, try to focus but I can't see. ~ Tupac Shakur, #NFDB
564:You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support. ~ Sabrina, #NFDB
565:you can do anything if you put your focus on how to do it rather than on why you can't. ~ Bob Proctor, #NFDB
566:You can do two things at once, but you can't focus effectively on two things at once. ~ Gary W Keller, #NFDB
567:You need to worry less about what everyone else thinks and focus on what makes you happy ~ Maya Banks, #NFDB
568:A lie that could help someone focus on his life was better than a hundred simple truths. ~ Faraaz Kazi, #NFDB
569:Focus first on where you want to be, and why, and then on the right path to get there. ~ Mark Halperin, #NFDB
570:Gentrifiers focus on aesthetics, not people. Because people, to them, are aesthetics. ~ Sarah Kendzior, #NFDB
571:I feel a sudden clear focus and perspective. There is no time for anything inessential. ~ Oliver Sacks, #NFDB
572:It's as if when I open myself up to every perception, things create their own focus. ~ Kristin Cashore, #NFDB
573:It was nice to focus on things outside of my body. Music has always done that for me. ~ Nanci Griffith, #NFDB
574:law of productivity:
High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus) ~ Cal Newport,#NFDB
575:Losers focus on what they are going through; winners focus on what they are going to. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
576:Mastery comes via a monomaniacal focus on simplicity versus an addiction to complexity. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
577:My sole focus as far back as I can remember was all about my dream to become a singer. ~ Sheena Easton, #NFDB
578:Shift the focus from what you want to do, to how you want to be... how you want to feel. ~ Denise Linn, #NFDB
579:There is a lot of focus on that first rate move, and I'm not sure how important that is. ~ Jamie Dimon, #NFDB
580:To focus on how I'm doing more than what Christ has done is Christian narcissism ~ Tullian Tchividjian, #NFDB
581:What you focus on expands. Focus on what you are best at and you will be unstoppable. ~ Bill McDermott, #NFDB
582:A place bikers hang out, Dad. Focus.” “I hope you mean bicyclist, and not an MC. ~ Aurora Rose Reynolds, #NFDB
583:Damn that dimple. I just want to lick it, or push my nipple into it. Oh, crap. Focus. “What ~ Ker Dukey, #NFDB
584:Don't worry about what you can't do; focus instead on what you can do... and then do it. ~ Billy Graham, #NFDB
585:Dwelling on past mistakes did no good. Better to focus on the ones that
could be fixed. ~ Megan Derr,#NFDB
586:Focus on our ignorance.” She didn’t quite grasp the concept. She’d never been ignorant. ~ John Sandford, #NFDB
587:Focus on that sensation and see how it changes when you take a deep breath out, ~ Bessel A van der Kolk, #NFDB
588:Happiness is found in the absence of expectation and a continuous focus on appreciation. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
589:I don't judge people.
It blurs out the center of my attention,
my focus,
myself. ~ Toba Beta,#NFDB
590:I focus on everything from Brussels sprouts to global warming to keep my dick down. “You ~ Kennedy Ryan, #NFDB
591:I will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running America. ~ Donald Trump, #NFDB
592:My biggest concern for this generation is your inability to focus, especially in prayer. ~ Francis Chan, #NFDB
593:Seems to me you always have a mind to focus on finding fault, not celebration. ~ Barbara Claypole White, #NFDB
594:Successful people do ordinary things with extraordinary consistency, commitment and focus. ~ Jon Gordon, #NFDB
595:The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear. ~ Brian Tracy, #NFDB
596:The more we focus on using renewable fuels, the less we are dependent upon foreign oil. ~ John M McHugh, #NFDB
597:There are often references to childhood, but they're rarely the focus of the [my] novels. ~ Paul Auster, #NFDB
598:The way of the mind is to study many things; the way of the Beingness is to focus on one thing. ~ Mooji, #NFDB
599:To keep from falling, you must change your focus: from your circumstances to My Presence. ~ Sarah Young, #NFDB
600:To me the cynics are the ones in the boardrooms with the reports from the focus groups. ~ George Carlin, #NFDB
601:To quote Mark Twain, “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. ~ Gary Klein, #NFDB
602:We focus on what we want to do and can do, neglecting the plans and skills of others. ~ Daniel Kahneman, #NFDB
603:What is focus and who has the right to say what focus is the legitimate focus? ~ Julia Margaret Cameron, #NFDB
604:Who you are, what you think, feel, and do, what you love—is the sum of what you focus on. ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
605:As a rule, my focus is on classical music, but I love jazz. I love everything, actually. ~ Julie Andrews, #NFDB
606:Do not take yearly results too seriously. Instead, focus on four or five-year averages. ~ Warren Buffett, #NFDB
607:Don't be envious of the runner in the lane next to you; just focus on finishing your race. ~ Rick Warren, #NFDB
608:Enjoy what you have, live in the moment, focus on things you can change and ignore the rest. ~ Joe Sacco, #NFDB
609:If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead. ~ James Clear, #NFDB
610:I'm going to focus on speed, doing little things like my turns and my starts - just speed. ~ Ryan Lochte, #NFDB
611:I think L.A. is impossible. There's just too much media focus. You can't live a normal live. ~ Brad Pitt, #NFDB
612:I try to just focus on the love and my family. That's what I'm focussed on every single day. ~ DJ Khaled, #NFDB
613:My focus is first of all, to remove every thought of violence from my own consciousness. ~ Deepak Chopra, #NFDB
614:Now, if these people are not the focus and object of ministry, then what is ministry? ~ Paul David Tripp, #NFDB
615:Oh, his words! Sometimes they’re like tiny splinters, catching at the fabric of my focus. ~ Ayisha Malik, #NFDB
616:Simplify and focus on the good. The beauty of the journey ahead will flourish on its own. ~ Erik Tomblin, #NFDB
617:Success at anything will always come down to this: focus & effort. And we control both. ~ Dwayne Johnson, #NFDB
618:THE ADMIRALTY’S focus was elsewhere, on a different ship that it deemed far more valuable. ~ Erik Larson, #NFDB
619:The greatest gift is the ability to forget - to forget the bad things and focus on the good. ~ Joe Biden, #NFDB
620:Then focus on thruth, not logic. Stop trying to figure out why and look for what is. ~ Kristi Ann Hunter, #NFDB
621:The path to such success seemed clear: strategize, focus, and don’t take no for an answer. ~ Meg Donohue, #NFDB
622:The real focus needs to be on political action to stop this runaway train, real soon. ~ William H Calvin, #NFDB
623:We don't want to focus on the trees (or their leaves) at the expense of the forest. ~ Douglas Hofstadter, #NFDB
624:We have to focus on how do we ensure the economy works for everybody, and not just a few. ~ Barack Obama, #NFDB
625:What you focus on with your thought and feeling is what you attract into your experience. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
626:When you focus on the problems, you get more of the same. What you focus on you create. ~ Baron Baptiste, #NFDB
627:Women often focus more on staying friends, which is as important as climbing the mountain. ~ Arlene Blum, #NFDB
628:A good strategy coordinates policies across activities to focus the competitive punch. ~ Richard P Rumelt, #NFDB
629:any business that’s in business to sell you a cure is motivated not to focus on prevention ~ Derek Sivers, #NFDB
630:Don't focus on the negative things that can happen, just think about the positive things. ~ Michelle Kwan, #NFDB
631:Fear is the venom impact of predator sting,
causing prey not to be focus on the survival. ~ Toba Beta,#NFDB
632:Focus on keeping your spine straight. It is the job of the spine to keep the brain alert. ~ B K S Iyengar, #NFDB
633:His focus had been so narrow that the world became a mirrored reflection of his attitude—as ~ Dan Skinner, #NFDB
634:I could never rule out my own inability to focus on things that didn’t interest me. ~ Meghan Ciana Doidge, #NFDB
635:I don't like having too many projects in the pipeline. I like to focus on what's at hand. ~ Jean Dujardin, #NFDB
636:If I had my life to live over again, I would focus on the getting and eating of ice cream. ~ Bob Odenkirk, #NFDB
637:I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe. ~ Dalai Lama, #NFDB
638:If you can focus on doing things that make you happy, you'll have less of a need for stuff. ~ Leo Babauta, #NFDB
639:I'm really trying to focus myself on playing tennis, and I think that's really important. ~ Stefan Edberg, #NFDB
640:Ingnore your thoughts. As you focus more intensely, you may feel as if you are floating. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
641:I steeled myself to focus only on the present yet remain alert to what might come next. ~ Nicholas Sparks, #NFDB
642:I think it's important to focus on our economy, on jobs, on getting America back to work. ~ John Barrasso, #NFDB
643:Let our advance worrying become our advance thinking and planning. —Winston Churchill Focus ~ David Allen, #NFDB
644:People who can focus, get things done. People who can prioritize, get the right things done. ~ John Maeda, #NFDB
645:Sexuality is the primary focus of our culture, and almost no one has come to resolve it. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
646:The focus is what is right before you - to give it your best. It sows the seeds of tomorrow. ~ Kiran Bedi, #NFDB
647:The noise around me blurs, and all I can focus on is his lips and breath and presence. ~ Christina Farley, #NFDB
648:The other important focus is to realize that pain in and of itself becomes traumatizing. ~ Peter A Levine, #NFDB
649:The SIS was an agency that didn't exist. The primary focus of the group was counter-terrorism. ~ L T Ryan, #NFDB
650:This is one of the keys to successful investing: focus on the companies, not on the stocks. ~ Peter Lynch, #NFDB
651:What cancer does is, it forces you to focus, to prioritize, and you learn what’s important. ~ Joel Siegel, #NFDB
652:When you try to persistently abolish hatred,
at that very moment...you lose focus on love. ~ Toba Beta,#NFDB
653:You have got to have discipline and focus - on the customer and how you run the business. ~ Jim Cantalupo, #NFDB
654:You will not be good teachers if you focus only on what you do and not upon who you are. ~ Rudolf Steiner, #NFDB
655:As long as you focus on your strengths and remain natural, then you come off natural [in your work]. ~ T I, #NFDB
656:Discontentment shows up when we focus on what we can't have rather than what we do have. ~ Emily P Freeman, #NFDB
657:focus on getting a little bit better each and every day (in every dimension of our life). ~ Robin S Sharma, #NFDB
658:Focus on your problem zones, your strength, your energy, your flexibility and all the rest. ~ Jack LaLanne, #NFDB
659:If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results. ~ Jack Dixon, #NFDB
660:I kept telling myself this word, process. Focus on my process, don't care about the result. ~ Rory McIlroy, #NFDB
661:I no longer focus on meeting their expectations because I am too focused on outdoing hers. ~ Sarah MacLean, #NFDB
662:My focus is to forget the pain of life. Forget the pain, mock the pain, reduce it. And laugh. ~ Jim Carrey, #NFDB
663:People need to focus on bigger issues instead of whether George Bush is an idiot or not. ~ Colin Greenwood, #NFDB
664:Put a lot of your eggs in a few baskets and focus. Follow One Course Until Successful. ~ Robert T Kiyosaki, #NFDB
665:science of economics should focus on the best use of scarce means to satisfy social ends. ~ Daron Acemo lu, #NFDB
666:Set yourself up for success from the very beginning and then focus on maintaining that success. ~ Cat Cora, #NFDB
667:She Just Wants You to Listen” = She Wants You to Focus on Her Feelings, Not the Problem ~ Shaunti Feldhahn, #NFDB
668:The biggest lesson I learned in the bar business is to focus on revenues. Dollars, not dimes. ~ Jon Taffer, #NFDB
669:The responsibilities of marriage induce young men to settle down, focus, and get to work. ~ Charles Murray, #NFDB
670:They may have been victims at one time, but what you have to focus on is what they are now. ~ Kevin Hearne, #NFDB
671:Turnaround begins with you. Outward focus begins with you. Revitalization begins with you. ~ Thom S Rainer, #NFDB
672:We don't want to focus on the trees (or their leaves) at the expense of the forest. ~ Douglas R Hofstadter, #NFDB
673:We recognize that there are no trivial occurrences in life if we get the right focus on them. ~ Mark Twain, #NFDB
674:You will not be good teachers if you focus only on what you do and not upon who you are. ~ Rudolf Steiner, #NFDB
675:Despite good intentions, the result is troubling: Feeding the Beast becomes the central focus. ~ Ed Catmull, #NFDB
676:Don't worry about trying to impress people. Just focus on how you can add value to their lives. ~ Hal Elrod, #NFDB
677:ethology’s focus was on behavior that develops naturally in all members of a given species. ~ Frans de Waal, #NFDB
678:Focus on Options, not issues, and you’ll be able to handle any situation life throws at you. ~ Josh Kaufman, #NFDB
679:Focus on your customers and lead your people as though their lives depend on your success. ~ Warren Buffett, #NFDB
680:I'm going to focus on people and what they need, not on name calling between politicians. ~ Charles Schumer, #NFDB
681:Infinite possibilities exist by keeping focus on what you really want to create your bliss. ~ Steve Redhead, #NFDB
682:Mindfulness can encourage creativity when the focus is on the process and not the product. ~ Ellen J Langer, #NFDB
683:Obstacles are only in your view when you don't have a clear enough focus on your goal. ~ Mark Victor Hansen, #NFDB
684:Our thoughts create our reality - where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go. ~ Peter McWilliams, #NFDB
685:People see only my actions. Instead, if I focus on Christ with thanksgiving, people see Him. ~ Francis Chan, #NFDB
686:people with a positive attitude focus their time and attention on solutions, not problems. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
687:Rather then focusing on the obstacle in your path, focus on the bridge over the obstacle. ~ Mary Lou Retton, #NFDB
688:So starting in 1999 Apple began to produce application software for the Mac, with a focus ~ Walter Isaacson, #NFDB
689:Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. ~ Jack Canfield, #NFDB
690:The best way to reclaim your focus from this is to try your best to understand what’s going on. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
691:When we focus on the breath, we become mindful of the universal nature of all beings. ~ Henepola Gunaratana, #NFDB
692:When you excuse yourself from learning something new, you block your focus and your energy. ~ Kevin Horsley, #NFDB
693:Who you are, what you think, feel, and do, what you love—is the sum of what you focus on.” In ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
694:With practice and focus, you can extend yourself far more than you ever believed possible. ~ Edmund Hillary, #NFDB
695:As a Yoga Therapist, focus on increasing people's quality of life not on curing diseases. ~ T K V Desikachar, #NFDB
696:Back to work. And this time, focus. You’re not an ape. Don’t just throw your shit everywhere. ~ Tahereh Mafi, #NFDB
697:Focus on the highest, clearest, and most meaningful teaching you can find, and let all else go. ~ Alan Cohen, #NFDB
698:if we don’t focus on our relationship with God foremost, then we’re prone to becoming proud. ~ Brian Houston, #NFDB
699:If you focus completely on the things you love, then you are on your way to a beautiful life. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
700:If you want to focus more on Allah in your prayers, focus more on Him outside your prayers. ~ Yasmin Mogahed, #NFDB
701:In America, what makes us so successful is the innovation, the competition, the focus on merit. ~ Joel Klein, #NFDB
702:It isn't magic, just a focus for the will. A powerful will might not even need it" -Brimstone ~ Laini Taylor, #NFDB
703:Learning to focus attention and concentration is very useful; meditation can help you do that. ~ Andrew Weil, #NFDB
704:Managers focus on short-term goals versus opportunities or challenges coming down the road. ~ Adrian Gostick, #NFDB
705:Only when I focus on the holiness and glory of God am I able to see myself with accuracy. ~ Paul David Tripp, #NFDB
706:Our reality is not the infinitely stretching cosmos but the small part we choose to focus on. ~ Haemin Sunim, #NFDB
707:Our thoughts create our reality -- where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go. ~ Peter McWilliams, #NFDB
708:Put your consumers in focus, and listen to what they're actually saying, not what they tell you. ~ Daniel Ek, #NFDB
709:The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and the image of fulfillment. ~ Malcolm Muggeridge, #NFDB
710:The things we should focus on in any life shouldn’t be what we’ve lost, but what we’ve gained ~ Shelly Crane, #NFDB
711:When I leave the body someday, I can help people just as effectively if they focus upon me. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
712:You have to focus on what you are doing, not just as a photographer, but as a human being. ~ Anders Petersen, #NFDB
713:cash-poor executive, by contrast, will focus on increasing the value of the company as a whole. ~ Peter Thiel, #NFDB
714:Figure out what is important and focus on that. Do not be tempted by things you might regret. ~ Chris Dietzel, #NFDB
715:Focus alone is not enough; putting in the time to commit is also crucial to achieve success. ~ Warren Buffett, #NFDB
716:Focus your intention on your dreams, you can wave magic when you set your heart and mind to it ~ Miranda Kerr, #NFDB
717:I don't spend time wondering what might be next; I just focus on trying to savor every day. ~ Trisha Yearwood, #NFDB
718:I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe. ~ Dalai Lama XIV, #NFDB
719:I like to think of making cancer a chronic disease rather than focus just on curing cancer. ~ Laurie Glimcher, #NFDB
720:I'm usually one of these guys analyzing what does happen and putting it in focus and context. ~ Rush Limbaugh, #NFDB
721:I never had the dream to be a great designer. My focus was just to do beautiful things. ~ Christian Louboutin, #NFDB
722:It takes a huge amount of culture to normalize "crazy", and of course that's its main focus ~ Stefan Molyneux, #NFDB
723:I want to write a film. I need to think of the right idea and focus on that; I love writing. ~ Jack Whitehall, #NFDB
724:Life is a test we take every day. You must focus. You must be there for them when they need you. ~ A G Riddle, #NFDB
725:My focus is always on the conditions that create social problems, not just a particular person. ~ Killer Mike, #NFDB
726:Stick with the Dips that are likely to pan out, and quit the Cul-de-Sacs to focus your resources ~ Seth Godin, #NFDB
727:The smallest viable market is the focus that, ironically and delightfully, leads to your growth. ~ Seth Godin, #NFDB
728:The thing about relationships is, when you are in the middle of one, they consume your focus. ~ Joshua Harris, #NFDB
729:But then it hasn't really been a focus of our government to make us an educated people. ~ Maynard James Keenan, #NFDB
730:Cockblocked by the phone. Wanna bet it’s Focus On The Family or some Satanic organization like? ~ Andrea Speed, #NFDB
731:Don't clutter your life with things that bring you down. Focus on the things that life you up. ~ Robin Bielman, #NFDB
732:Enjoy what you have, every little detail of wherever you are. Don´t focus on where you aren´t. ~ Richelle Mead, #NFDB
733:Focus on how far you have come in life
rather than looking at the accomplishments of others. ~ Lolly Daskal,#NFDB
734:Focus on performance. Outcome is going to happen. No stress about that. Focus on performance. ~ Dustin Poirier, #NFDB
735:Focus on “pulling the plug” on failed ideas more quickly, not on reducing your failure rate. ~ Robert I Sutton, #NFDB
736:For some reason if we hear 100 praises and one criticism, we focus on that one hurtful thing. ~ Carmen Electra, #NFDB
737:I believe if we focus on the things that make us happy, then happiness will find us in return. ~ Maria Murnane, #NFDB
738:I learned that focus is key. Not just in your running a company, but in your personal life as well. ~ Tim Cook, #NFDB
739:I'm a big believer in that if you focus on good skin care, you really won't need a lot of makeup. ~ Demi Moore, #NFDB
740:May our prayers today, and every day, be from our hearts and with the focus of our whole being. ~ Billy Graham, #NFDB
741:The fuel of ambition is not the problem; it is the focus of ambition that frees or betrays us. ~ Erwin McManus, #NFDB
742:The ordinary focus on what they're getting. The extraordinary think about who they're becoming. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
743:When you define your goals, you give your brain something new to look for and focus on. It’s as ~ Darren Hardy, #NFDB
744:With no object no image and no focus, what are you looking at? You are looking at you looking. ~ James Turrell, #NFDB
745:You need to focus on reaching your goals rather than on the obstacles that stand in your way. ~ Tommy Newberry, #NFDB
746:A touch of the jitters sharpens the mind, gets the adrenaline flowing and helps you to focus. ~ Richard Branson, #NFDB
747:Earth is but a sliver of the eternal Pie. Our focus should be on the whole pie, not the sliver. ~ Danny L Deaub, #NFDB
748:Focus on nurturing your healthy relationships so that they are even more loving and fulfilling. ~ Deepak Chopra, #NFDB
749:Focus on your business strengths and keep its weaknesses away from the competition or public. ~ Richard Branson, #NFDB
750:Focus your energy on peace, bliss, and beauty. Life will be blissful and the world will be peaceful. ~ Amit Ray, #NFDB
751:Growth and momentum are what a startup lives on and you always have to focus on maintaining these. ~ Sam Altman, #NFDB
752:He wasn’t about to let himself be distracted by irrelevant mental trickery. He needed to focus. ~ Christa Faust, #NFDB
753:If you focus on the sweeter things of life, that's exactly what you're going to get out of life ~ Saint Germain, #NFDB
754:I have trouble with any kind of focus or concentrating, or getting anything done at all, really. ~ Nellie McKay, #NFDB
755:Information overload is a symptom of our desire to not focus on what's important. It is a choice. ~ Brian Solis, #NFDB
756:Instead of focusing on the work, you focus on the entropy and the chaos and you get a byproduct. ~ Ben Chestnut, #NFDB
757:I tend to focus on what I'm doing at the moment, and that takes up the entire span of my focus. ~ Maura Tierney, #NFDB
758:It is about looking straight ahead and not shifting that focus. Keep your eyes on the prize! ~ Stephen Richards, #NFDB
759:Joy is found when you focus your energy on improving human dignity, human capacity and human values. ~ Amit Ray, #NFDB
760:NVC is a reminder; to focus our attention where we are most likely to get our needs met. ~ Marshall B Rosenberg, #NFDB
761:Take prayer with you wherever you go. Say it anytime, and then focus your mind and heart on God. ~ Henri Nouwen, #NFDB
762:The fact that I can't hear the world around me leaves me to focus more on the world inside me. ~ Colleen Hoover, #NFDB
763:the further we go in Christ, the simpler we become, and the clearer our focus that Jesus is all. ~ James W Goll, #NFDB
764:the more you focus on your own neediness, the more your desires will be christened as needs. ~ Paul David Tripp, #NFDB
765:Women teachers, let's shift the focus from 'you are a daughter of the King' to 'behold your King'. ~ Jen Wilkin, #NFDB
766:A guy who was taught the front-sight mantra might focus so hard he could lose his peripheral vision. ~ Lee Child, #NFDB
767:Coffitivity CODING.FM Soundrown Focus@Will 如果喜愛大自然的聲音，可以試試看這些： Jazz and Rain Rainy Mood Thunderspace ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
768:I can't spend a lot of time worrying about the numbers at home. I've got to focus on the mission. ~ John R Allen, #NFDB
769:If your business is to grow and prosper, as a leader, you need to focus on people development. ~ Robert Kiyosaki, #NFDB
770:I just focus on my work with inner-city kids, and in my community, and on my philanthropic work. ~ Mark Wahlberg, #NFDB
771:Instead of envying what others have, decide what YOU want out of life and focus on achieving it. ~ Beverly Engel, #NFDB
772:it is better to focus on how a team is performing, not on the talents of the individuals within it. ~ Ed Catmull, #NFDB
773:It is the invariable lesson to humanity that distance in time, and in space as well, lends focus. ~ Isaac Asimov, #NFDB
774:It is very difficult to get people to focus on the most important things when you're in boom times. ~ Jeff Bezos, #NFDB
775:“Victory requires knowledge,
fortitude, and focus.”
-THE BOOK OF THE ETERNAL ROSE ~ Fiona Paul,#NFDB
776:I was able to concentrate and focus better on the day I was born than Max is able to even today. ~ Matthew Dicks, #NFDB
777:Keep your eyes focused on the problems and you’ll have mayhem. Focus on Jesus and you’ll have peace. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
778:My plate is full with just acting. I want to focus on that, and then maybe direct in the future. ~ Penelope Cruz, #NFDB
779:Nietzsche: if you keep your focus, eventually your focus will keep you. Sometimes without parole. ~ Stephen King, #NFDB
780:Obviously, the goal is to maximize my own potential, whatever that may be. That's all I focus on. ~ Torrey Smith, #NFDB
781:Other people can think ahead all they want. I just focus on the task at hand and try to move on. ~ Jeremy Renner, #NFDB
782:Our plate is full. We have a lot to do building our company organically and that is our key focus. ~ Jamie Dimon, #NFDB
783:take the trouble you’re dealing with and use it as an opportunity to focus on the present moment. ~ Ryan Holiday, #NFDB
784:There are so many things we can do if we focus on antiknowledge, or what we do not know. ~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb, #NFDB
785:There were a lot of signs telling me to lighten up, slow down, and focus on what really mattered. ~ Regina Brett, #NFDB
786:The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new. ~ Dan Millman, #NFDB
787:We don’t look at the whole beach; we focus on one grain of sand. We only see one grain at a time, ~ Ben Bergeron, #NFDB
788:what we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore—plays in defining the quality of our life. ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
789:When you focus on gratitude, positive things flow in more readily, making you even more grateful. ~ Lissa Rankin, #NFDB
790:You are all over the map, figure out the top 5 things you want to focus on and get rid of the rest. ~ Steve Jobs, #NFDB
791:Don't focus on the wins and losses... focus your efforts on performing to your full potential. ~ Michael Chandler, #NFDB
792:Focus, Fen. You've been using pain for it all your bloody life. How badly do you want him dead? ~ Carole Cummings, #NFDB
793:Focus on your own goals and how to achieve them. No one took your spot, there’s room for all of us. ~ Amy Schumer, #NFDB
794:I have a great staff at the church; they protect me and allow me to focus on more of what I do best. ~ Max Lucado, #NFDB
795:I think Democrats often hold the unconstrained vision, and Republicans focus more on the Rule of Law. ~ John Fund, #NFDB
796:It's like low-budget filmmaking - a focus on dialogue and relationships over plot. Quirky. Improv. ~ James Franco, #NFDB
797:It's not an area where designers want to focus or pay attention - women who are larger than a size 12. ~ Tim Gunn, #NFDB
798:I wanted the focus to be on my ability as a singer and as an entertainer - not on my private life. ~ Adam Lambert, #NFDB
799:My mother never wanted me to focus on my physical self. She always said that beauty is what you do. ~ Halle Berry, #NFDB
800:One should not focus on the differences between people but look for commonality and similarity. ~ Theodore Levitt, #NFDB
801:Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives. Where we focus our attention. ~ Greg Anderson, #NFDB
802:Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention. ~ Greg Anderson, #NFDB
803:School, I never truly got the knack of. I could never focus on things I didn't want to learn. ~ Leonardo DiCaprio, #NFDB
804:Short stories demand a certain awareness of one's own intentions, a certain narrowing of the focus. ~ Joan Didion, #NFDB
805:Teams should be able to act with the same unity of purpose and focus as a well motivated individual. ~ Bill Gates, #NFDB
806:The basic idea is to focus on the matchless worth of the Lord God and then get connected to him. ~ Edward T Welch, #NFDB
807:The rich focus on their asset columns while everyone else focuses on their income statements. ~ Robert T Kiyosaki, #NFDB
808:Time spent in nature decreases stress and anxiety and improves focus for adults as well as children. ~ Laura Bush, #NFDB
809:To focus our mind on the task at hand-with fierce concentration-m akes for a productive use of time. ~ R C Sproul, #NFDB
810:To get the right things done, choosing what to ignore is as important as choosing where to focus. ~ Peter Bregman, #NFDB
811:When you're in there fighting, there's an energy and there's a focus that is nearly unbreakable. ~ Frank Shamrock, #NFDB
812:Where you place your focus, there will be your Heart and that will be the Spiritual Heart. ~ Roger Delano Hinkins, #NFDB
813:A relentless focus on the outward markers of success can lead to complacency. It can make you lazy. ~ Barack Obama, #NFDB
814:Diets prove difficult precisely because they focus us on that which we are trying to avoid. ~ Sendhil Mullainathan, #NFDB
815:Focus on increasing service. Becoming great where you are. Pile in the wood. The heat will follow. ~ William James, #NFDB
816:I have a tendency to over-focus on the task in hand, with an exclusivity that is borderline autistic. ~ Neal Asher, #NFDB
817:I just am grateful for every opportunity to go to work. I don't really focus on celebrity status. ~ George Dzundza, #NFDB
818:I started my career as a singer in Japan, but left it all behind to focus on my dancing career. ~ Carrie Ann Inaba, #NFDB
819:Rewards and praise are most effective when they focus on an achievement that took time and energy. ~ John Townsend, #NFDB
820:Some people focus more on sonics. Some people focus more on story. I focus on both sonics and story. ~ Frank Ocean, #NFDB
821:sometimes the only solution when the data is very noisy—is to focus more on process than on results. ~ Nate Silver, #NFDB
822:The focus of a politics of compassion is the alleviation of suffering caused by social structures. ~ Marcus J Borg, #NFDB
823:The more spiritually aware you become the more you will focus on your own self and less on others. ~ Bryant McGill, #NFDB
824:This was not just money wasted but the construction of a false confidence based on an erroneous focus. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
825:We need to shift our focus from putting on attractional events to creating attractional communities. ~ Tim Chester, #NFDB
826:What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. ~ Oprah Winfrey, #NFDB
827:As I get close to my election, I want to spend more time in my district and focus on my reelection. ~ Henry Cuellar, #NFDB
828:A startup can focus on only one metric. So you have to decide what that is and ignore everything else. ~ Noah Kagan, #NFDB
829:Attention is the ability we have to discriminate and to focus only on that which we want to perceive. ~ Miguel Ruiz, #NFDB
830:Choose a checked or striped wall paper. People will be halfway home before they are able to focus. ~ Phyllis Diller, #NFDB
831:focus on the person or people you are with rather than the tantalizing device in your pocket. ~ Daniel Post Senning, #NFDB
832:Girls are the future mothers of our society, and it is important that we focus on their well-being. ~ Miriam Makeba, #NFDB
833:If you're proactive, you focus on preparing. If you're reactive, you end up focusing on repairing. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
834:I had to focus and create a character in Bagger Vance, not just do my 'Will Smith' thing and get paid. ~ Will Smith, #NFDB
835:In their vanity men focus on what they wish to hear and miss the hidden meaning, the lurking threat. ~ David Hewson, #NFDB
836:I think being a competitive diver for years helps you focus and dedicate yourself to what's needed. ~ Jason Statham, #NFDB
837:Narrow the focus, take the ascent one step at a time, and it's amazing what odds a man can beat. ~ Courtney Schafer, #NFDB
838:Nine times out of ten it's a minor shift in your focus and your attitude that makes the difference. ~ Brenda Strong, #NFDB
839:So many people focus on who they will be that they never get around to figuring out who they are. ~ Shannon L Alder, #NFDB
840:The Christian mission has only one focus: to change individual's lives so they can change the world. ~ Pope Francis, #NFDB
841:The industry should take comfort in knowing that WinStar is my main focus after my faith and family. ~ Kenny Troutt, #NFDB
842:There's so much that you can get mad about. Out of self-preservation, I focus on being grateful. ~ Mariska Hargitay, #NFDB
843:We make my opponent out as a monster. We focus on his strengths because that's what we need to negate. ~ Joe Lauzon, #NFDB
844:Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive, but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth. Proverbs 17:24 ~ Beth Moore, #NFDB
845:As an outside; don't worry about failure, because failure will take care of itself. Focus on success. ~ Henry Cavill, #NFDB
846:Avoid results-by volume approach, instead focus on few critically important but uncomfortable actions. ~ Tim Ferriss, #NFDB
847:close your eyes (shutting out distractions), focus on your feelings inside, and smile for one minute. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
848:Focus on the journey not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. ~ Greg Anderson, #NFDB
849:I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest. —Venus Williams ~ Jeb Blount, #NFDB
850:If you focus on the flaws of others it takes away from the improvements that you may need to make. ~ Christofer Drew, #NFDB
851:My main focus is on becoming a new mom and giving the best of myself to my husband and growing baby. ~ Stacy Keibler, #NFDB
852:Narrow the Focus. By that I mean you shouldn’t try to do everything; you should do a few things well. ~ Andy Stanley, #NFDB
853:One aspect we might focus on during this moratorium is an alternative to overly cerebral approaches. ~ Frans de Waal, #NFDB
854:Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life. ~ Eckhart Tolle, #NFDB
855:their focus must not be on tangible food, but on spiritual food that only He can provide. Appalled, ~ David Limbaugh, #NFDB
856:The other piece besides focus for execution is intensity. Startups only work at a fairly intense level. ~ Sam Altman, #NFDB
857:The person who has a highly evolved will they think, they build an image and they focus on that image. ~ Bob Proctor, #NFDB
858:There's been a lot of focus on my body, but it's taught me to appreciate myself no matter where I am. ~ Crystal Renn, #NFDB
859:Why focus on what somebody might think? Nobody talks [on TV] like people really talk most of the time. ~ Kurt Fuller, #NFDB
860:You can focus on things that are barriers or you can focus on scaling the wall or redefining the problem. ~ Tim Cook, #NFDB
861:A.G. Riddle spent ten years starting and running internet companies before retiring to focus on his true ~ A G Riddle, #NFDB
862:Change your focus from making money to serving more people. Serving people makes the money come in. ~ Robert Kiyosaki, #NFDB
863:Concentrate all your thoughts on the task at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. ~ Brian Tracy, #NFDB
864:Courage has to do with controlling fear and it seems to me that focus has a way of overcoming anxiety. ~ Tommy Franks, #NFDB
865:Focus and having energy is the most important goal when choosing my activities and how I treat myself. ~ Crystal Renn, #NFDB
866:focus on the boring stuff: how to measure progress, how to set up milestones, and how to prioritize work. ~ Eric Ries, #NFDB
867:her seat with a curse. She hadn’t been speeding. She was sure of it. Christy forced herself to focus ~ C J Darlington, #NFDB
868:If you have to end up in the hospital, try to focus all your pain in your heart rather than your head. ~ Miriam Toews, #NFDB
869:If you want to minimize the risk of catastrophe, you focus on the process much more than the outcome. ~ Megan McArdle, #NFDB
870:I love our Lord with all my soul, but the Church did well to give up on sex and focus on the burning. ~ Max Gladstone, #NFDB
871:I pursue this dream and carry on. I don't dwell too much on the outside, I just focus on the inside. ~ Conor McGregor, #NFDB
872:I've had my share of dark days of the soul. I try not to focus on it too much so it doesn't get to me. ~ Annie Lennox, #NFDB
873:Look deep inside, and when you locate the sadness, give it a vacation, and focus on the simple things. ~ Larry Norman, #NFDB
874:Question for God every morning: What is the main event today? What do you want me to focus on today? ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
875:The focus of the Christian faith is not our morality; it is Jesus, who died for our immorality. ~ Tullian Tchividjian, #NFDB
876:The focus on talent distracts us from something that is at least as important, and that is effort. ~ Angela Duckworth, #NFDB
877:The focus should be on Indian atrocities in Kashmir, not on our support for the Kashmiri resistance. ~ Husain Haqqani, #NFDB
878:The person who have a highly evolved will they think, they build an image and they focus on that image. ~ Bob Proctor, #NFDB
879:There are some guys out here that can really play golf, but it has not been their focus for that long. ~ Trent Dilfer, #NFDB
880:The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
~ Socrates?,#NFDB
881:Whatever we fix our thoughts upon or steadily focus our imagination upon, that is what we attract. ~ Claude M Bristol, #NFDB
882:What is clear is that the focus in interpretation has shifted from the author to the text to the reader. ~ D A Carson, #NFDB
883:What you condemn you continue. Focus on where you want to go rather than what you want to get away from. ~ Alan Cohen, #NFDB
884:Bootstrapping goes awry when entrepreneurs focus on saving pennies to the detriment of the Big Picture. ~ Guy Kawasaki, #NFDB
885:focus less on the impression you’re making on others and more on the impression you’re making on yourself. ~ Amy Cuddy, #NFDB
886:He nodded. "I no longer focus on meeting their expectations because I am too focused on outdoing hers. ~ Sarah MacLean, #NFDB
887:I attract to my life whatever I give my attention, energy and focus to, whether positive or negative. ~ Michael Losier, #NFDB
888:I don't focus on criticism. I prefer to praise people and the world, rather than criticize them and it. ~ Alice Walker, #NFDB
889:I finally learned to live in the present and focus only on what I want rather than what I don't want. ~ Darren Johnson, #NFDB
890:If you focus on success, you’ll have stress. But if you pursue excellence, success will be guaranteed. ~ Deepak Chopra, #NFDB
891:It’s realizing that extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus. ~ Gary Keller, #NFDB
892:Leaders know how to set priorities. They focus on the task that requires the most rapid attention. ~ Israelmore Ayivor, #NFDB
893:Like an ant, I will find my way round any obstacle. Like a child, I will persevere with pinpoint focus. ~ Chris Murray, #NFDB
894:Maybe our single-minded focus on the light makes us unable to see the dark that’s all around, always. ~ Alicia Elliott, #NFDB
895:Our focus on the investigation is really wide-ranging. And we can't limit it to just one point in time. ~ Barack Obama, #NFDB
896:Part of Washington keeping its promises is a focus on directing more dollars into our local classrooms. ~ Mark Kennedy, #NFDB
897:Playing for England was a massive honour and when I was in the team, that was all I wanted to focus on. ~ Mike Tindall, #NFDB
898:Positive thinkers focus their minds on the future; they are never complacent about where they are. ~ Israelmore Ayivor, #NFDB
899:The computer actually may have aggravated management's degenerative tendency to focus inward on costs. ~ Peter Drucker, #NFDB
900:The fuel of ambition is not the problem; it is the focus of ambition that frees or betrays us. ~ Erwin Raphael McManus, #NFDB
901:They lost track of time not because they didn’t have enough focus, but because they had too much focus. ~ Matthew Syed, #NFDB
902:We focus upon pairs of words very often which are the same in some areas and different in other areas. ~ William Labov, #NFDB
903:What you focus on grows, what you think about expands, and what you dwell upon determines your destiny. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
904:When you focus on a chakra, it's very easy to bring subtle physical energies into your consciousness. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
905:Being selective-doing less-is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest. ~ Tim Ferriss, #NFDB
906:Concentrate all your thoughts on the task at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. ~ Kevin Horsley, #NFDB
907:Discussing the thought processes behind solutions aims the focus on the solutions, not on second-guessing. ~ Ed Catmull, #NFDB
908:Focus, Amy. Just because he looked great in the saddle did not mean he wasn't an axe murderer. ~ Rosemary Clement Moore, #NFDB
909:I don't hide my emotions from people. I am not a focus-group tested, blow-dried candidate or governor. ~ Chris Christie, #NFDB
910:I have learned not to focus too much on what's yet to come...
and instead,
I concentrate on today. ~ Jos N Harris,#NFDB
911:In life, when presented with any situation, breathe, take your time, focus and then decide what to do. ~ Rickson Gracie, #NFDB
912:Irrelevant questions focus on the person rather than on the person’s qualifications for the open job. ~ Johanna Rothman, #NFDB
913:It’s very seductive to focus on what you don’t like as opposed to celebrating all that it is that you do. ~ Talib Kweli, #NFDB
914:The focus of education should not be on suppressive information but on kindling the thirst for knowing. ~ Jaggi Vasudev, #NFDB
915:The only source of competitive advantage now is a focus on knowledge of and engagement with customers. ~ James McQuivey, #NFDB
916:The steady physical effort, the lack of anything to focus on put me into a waking dream about nothing. The ~ Robin Hobb, #NFDB
917:We hyper-focus on the lines of Scripture containing the miracles, and we miss the details of the mess. ~ Lysa TerKeurst, #NFDB
918:We need to focus on building a military that is second-to-none ... so that we can destroy Islamic terrorism. ~ Jeb Bush, #NFDB
919:What I've learned over the years is that focus and singular purpose is the best approach for businesses. ~ Barry Diller, #NFDB
920:With any character, I try to focus more on who the character is and how they got to be who they are. ~ Rachelle Lefevre, #NFDB
921:Art is about eliminating almost everything in order to focus on the thing that you need to talk about. ~ Jonathan Lethem, #NFDB
922:Charlie [Munger] and I are not big fans of resumes. Instead, we focus on brains, passion and integrity. ~ Warren Buffett, #NFDB
923:Could you maybe not admire the evil enemy quite as much, and focus on how we're going to get out of this? ~ Rachel Caine, #NFDB
924:Forgiveness is 'selective remembering'--a conscious decision to focus on love and let the rest go. ~ Marianne Williamson, #NFDB
925:If we want to make a change in our lives, we should first focus on our personal attitudes and behaviors. ~ Stephen Covey, #NFDB
926:If you just focus on the trees swaying outside the window without distraction, you will see your true face. ~ Sam Harris, #NFDB
927:If you want the secondary greatness of recognized talent, focus first on primary greatness of character. ~ Stephen Covey, #NFDB
928:I learned long ago to focus on things you can control and don't even pay attention to things you don't. ~ Bryan Cranston, #NFDB
929:important achievements require a clear focus, all-out effort, and a bottomless trunk full of strategies. ~ Carol S Dweck, #NFDB
930:is: Focus on that which makes you feel good and ye shall find (attract) that which makes you feel good. We ~ Jen Sincero, #NFDB
931:Keep it simple, and focus on what you have to do right now, not on playing with your system or your tools. ~ Leo Babauta, #NFDB
932:Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life ~ Eckhart Tolle, #NFDB
933:The first step in healing is to put the focus on what's alive now, not what happened in the past. ~ Marshall B Rosenberg, #NFDB
934:The one thing with stress is, you've got to keep your focus on what you can do, not what happened to you. ~ Ben Horowitz, #NFDB
935:We focus on the best, fun, and happy things, and people want that. Being happy never goes out of style. ~ Lilly Pulitzer, #NFDB
936:We need to focus on radical Islamic terrorists and we need to stop them before they carry out acts of terror. ~ Ted Cruz, #NFDB
937:We're very simple people at Apple. We focus on making the world's best products and enriching people's lives. ~ Tim Cook, #NFDB
938:Attention is the ability we have to discriminate and to focus only on that which we want to perceive. ~ Miguel Angel Ruiz, #NFDB
939:Build your life around 5 key priorities: The Big 5. Any more and you'll suffer from Broken Focus Syndrome. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
940:Concentration is the act of building focus and meditation is the art of retaining it without losing awareness. ~ Om Swami, #NFDB
941:even had little snatches of dream—bare wisps of image that skittered away before I could focus on them. I ~ Lauren Oliver, #NFDB
942:Focus on the process (the way you spend your time) instead of the product (what you want to accomplish). ~ Barbara Oakley, #NFDB
943:Grace, I will focus on nothing else in life until you come. I will start it and I will fucking finish it. ~ Alice Clayton, #NFDB
944:I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.” —Dalai Lama ~ Angela Roquet, #NFDB
945:I focus on details, either of the body, or of objects that represent gender, sexuality, and other themes. ~ Lorna Simpson, #NFDB
946:If you want the secondary greatness of recognized talent, focus first on primary greatness of character ~ Stephen R Covey, #NFDB
947:I have always done what I love myself. My philosophy was that I never had focus groups. I did what I wear. ~ Ralph Lauren, #NFDB
948:I'm not a pop song lyric writer. I can't just focus on one simple meaning or even a double entendre. ~ Julian Casablancas, #NFDB
949:I used to focus more on scoring. Now I take a lot of pride and pleasure in helping someone else do well. ~ Landon Donovan, #NFDB
950:[James] Baldwin is needed even more today because he helps you focus to the essential, to what is important. ~ Raoul Peck, #NFDB
951:Magic doesn’t work like that. You have to have intent and focus, but not think about it. - Aunt Polly ~ Michelle M Pillow, #NFDB
952:My focus is that firearms are handled safely and that we can continue to enjoy them here in North America. ~ Steve Kanaly, #NFDB
953:Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life. ~ Eckhart Tolle, #NFDB
954:Stick with the Dips that are likely to pan out, and quit the Cul-de-Sacs to focus your resources. That’s it. ~ Seth Godin, #NFDB
955:Successful people become great leaders when they learn to shift the focus from themselves to others. ~ Marshall Goldsmith, #NFDB
956:Terrific minds focus on tips; average minds go over activities; little minds talk about people today. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt, #NFDB
957:The ability to focus is the key separation point between those who move ahead and those who fall behind. ~ Orrin Woodward, #NFDB
958:The important questions focus on what matters most-Heavenly Father's plan and the Savior's Atonement. ~ M Russell Ballard, #NFDB
959:The pleasure of being alive is brought into sharper focus when you need to pay attention to staying alive. ~ Richard Louv, #NFDB
960:To make a relationship work, focus on what you appreciate about the other person, and not your complaints. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
961:to perform without a net is ecstasy." Papa Phom had often reminded her, "To perform without focus is fatal. ~ Tom Robbins, #NFDB
962:Violence may be a good focus to organize around, but we have to look at women's lives in our entirety. ~ Patricia Ireland, #NFDB
963:Vision remains vision until you focus, do the work, and bring it down to earth where it will do some good. ~ Donald Trump, #NFDB
964:When you focus on the greatness of God, your own problems and burdens will become smaller and lighter. ~ Warren W Wiersbe, #NFDB
965:When you focus on what you don’t have or on situations that displease you, your mind also becomes darkened. ~ Sarah Young, #NFDB
966:Your job is to focus on my personal happiness, she said, & I've got big plans, so break time is over. ~ Brian Andreas, #NFDB
967:Your need to feel significant will never be met, until you can conquer your fear and manage your focus. ~ Shannon L Alder, #NFDB
968:Always focus on what you can add or take away to improve someone’s life … and then prepare to get paid. ~ Chris Guillebeau, #NFDB
969:Asperger’s syndrome is associated with organization, focus, innovative thinking, and rational detachment. ~ Graeme Simsion, #NFDB
970:Focus groups are a waste of time, filled with people telling you what you want to hear so they can go home. ~ Sergio Zyman, #NFDB
971:focus on clarifying what is being observed, felt, and needed rather than on diagnosing and judging, ~ Marshall B Rosenberg, #NFDB
972:Focus on yourself -- do what you want, when you want, without having to consider anyone else's agenda. ~ Lauren Weisberger, #NFDB
973:I focus a lot on my voice because I want it to be an instrument as well. I want my voice to add color. ~ Theophilus London, #NFDB
974:If we focus too much of our attention on what people want, we will only increase the amount of complaining. ~ Francis Chan, #NFDB
975:If you focus too much on development of the visual angle, it could be a detriment to what you're doing musically. ~ Grimes, #NFDB
976:If you want the secondary greatness of recognized talent, focus first on primary greatness of character. ~ Stephen R Covey, #NFDB
977:I'm sure at some point I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids. ~ Patrick Ewing, #NFDB
978:I see myself being 5 times hotter than I am now every year. I just focus on being hotter than the year before. ~ Slim Thug, #NFDB
979:It's very tough for me to focus. I'm like: 'Look, something shiny! No, focus. Oh, there goes a butterfly!' ~ Gabby Douglas, #NFDB
980:Materialism creates a world of narcissism in which the focus of life is solely on acquisition and consumption ~ bell hooks, #NFDB
981:My voice was pretty good almost all through Othello. Alexander Technique really helped my posture and focus. ~ Lenny Henry, #NFDB
982:One of the major failures of the church is not a focus on building disciples but a focus on building members. ~ Tony Evans, #NFDB
983:Revenge—no, nothing as petty as that; justice for the deaths of hundreds of thousands—was the focus now. ~ Christie Golden, #NFDB
984:The best solution for falling just short of the goal is to focus on the fundamentals but perform them better. ~ Tony Dungy, #NFDB
985:The moment we begin to celebrate ourselves and focus on our successes is the moment we begin living. ~ Gabrielle Bernstein, #NFDB
986:The single most important problem is our misguided focus on identifying the single most important problem! ~ Jared Diamond, #NFDB
987:We need to focus on destroying ISIL, but we shouldn't be the ones declaring that [Bashir] Assad must go. ~ Martin O Malley, #NFDB
988:What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. ~ Ricky Martin, #NFDB
989:. . . wishes are like magnifying glasses they enlarge and focus an intention that is already inside us. ~ Stephen Mitchell, #NFDB
990:Acting is my first focus, but at the core, I'm a storyteller, and however that comes out is fine with me. ~ Santino Fontana, #NFDB
991:a good wine allows clarity and focus, while still allowing a bit of comforting coloration of the memory. ~ Patrick Rothfuss, #NFDB
992:Bring the mind to a sharp focus and make it alert so that it can immediately intuit truth, which is everywhere. ~ Bruce Lee, #NFDB
993:But when you're beginning, you should try to focus on something you love and your own way of doing things. ~ Jerry Harrison, #NFDB
994:Chasing the sensation. Whether it was drugs or sex or whatever. Those things had become my main focus in life. ~ Rick Allen, #NFDB
995:Each one of us has both; good and evil virtues. Those who decide to focus on the good ones succeed in life. ~ Narendra Modi, #NFDB
996:Even if you only stop and focus on your breathing for a few breaths, or for a minute or two, its very valuable. ~ Nhat Hanh, #NFDB
997:Focus on giving smiles away and you will always discover that your own smiles will always be in great supply! ~ Joyce Meyer, #NFDB
998:gratitude, humility, dedication, positivity, poise, focus, resilience, and an eagerness to continuously grow ~ Ben Bergeron, #NFDB
999:Having reached the halfway mark in the alphabet, my prime focus is on writing each new book as well as I can. ~ Sue Grafton, #NFDB
1000:I came from the Bronx and a certain background. I worked really hard. I kept my focus on the right things. ~ Jennifer Lopez, #NFDB
1001:I don't think focus is in itself ever a bad thing. But focus of the wrong kind, or managed poorly, can be. ~ Daniel Goleman, #NFDB
1002:If the focus of our testimony is our changed life, we as well as our hearers are bound to be disappointed. ~ Michael Horton, #NFDB
1003:I mean, that was a throwaway thought, because my focus was - my intent and my focus was to never go public. ~ Bill O Reilly, #NFDB
1004:Instead of focusing on imagined rewards, focus on serving God’s other children, for they are your customers. ~ Daniel Lapin, #NFDB
1005:I try not to think about my public life. I focus on my private life, and that's just the best way to live. ~ Angelina Jolie, #NFDB
1006:I've always had the mentality of: work hard, get to bed early, focus - and let your work speak for itself. ~ Olivia Palermo, #NFDB
1007:Life will get in the way. Count on it. Be prepared for it. Maintain focus and press on towards your goal. ~ Robert Kiyosaki, #NFDB
1008:My investment strategy, which is to focus on sectors that are a national priority for India, hasn't changed. ~ Gautam Adani, #NFDB
1009:Okay, Fitzwilliam. You'd rather I focus on your behavior before you presented me with this miraculous letter? ~ Alyssa Cole, #NFDB
1010:One way to boost our will power and focus is to manage our distractions instead of letting them manage us. ~ Daniel Goleman, #NFDB
1011:Our focus should be on developmental dimensions of atomic science with a special outreach to India's youth. ~ Narendra Modi, #NFDB
1012:"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life." ~ Eckhart Tolle, #NFDB
1013:The big thing in life is to focus on providing more value to people than they expect. The rest comes then. ~ James Altucher, #NFDB
1014:There is a difference between a shaky or out-of-focus photograph and a snapshot of clouds and fog banks ~ Erwin Schr dinger, #NFDB
1015:The status quo approach, however, is to focus not on making the government more competent but on downsizing it. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1016:We feel unhappy and confused with our life when we don't do the focus or calling that God has on our life. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
1017:We focus on what we know and neglect what we do not know, which makes us overly confident in our beliefs. ~ Daniel Kahneman, #NFDB
1018:you’ll feel comfortable about your decision. Whatever you choose to do, you can focus on it and enjoy it. ~ Stephen R Covey, #NFDB
1019:You try not to talk about the past too much as an artist. Instead, you focus on the continuity of your work. ~ Rebecca Horn, #NFDB
1020:As I grow older, I try not to focus on my regrets and failures, but rather to focus on what I’ve accomplished. ~ Mary Pipher, #NFDB
1021:Be dramatically willing to focus on the customer at all costs, even at the cost of obsoleting your own stuff. ~ Scott D Cook, #NFDB
1022:Brilliant results don't just show up by chance. The finest things in life take patience, focus and sacrifice. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
1023:Governments accountable to the voters focus on building roads and schoolsnot weapons of mass destruction. ~ George W Bush, #NFDB
1024:He reminded me to focus on the “trendlines,” not just the headlines, and to relish the experiences. ~ Hillary Rodham Clinton, #NFDB
1025:I believe that as much as you take, you have to give back. It's important not to focus on yourself too much. ~ Nicole Kidman, #NFDB
1026:I don't like to think on obstacles. I guess that if you focus your mind on obstacles, they will grow bigger. ~ Omar Chaparro, #NFDB
1027:I find the less you focus on your flaws, the better off you are. Be yourself and be glad of who you are. ~ Michelle Pfeiffer, #NFDB
1028:Just be careful of forming close relationships, Craig. Focus on Yourself." "Only then does healing take place. ~ Ned Vizzini, #NFDB
1029:Keep your eye off the ball. Ninety percent of what’s important happens away from the focus of attention. ~ Gregg Easterbrook, #NFDB
1030:Michael tried to focus, but he found himself consumed by his past, by the memories he had tried to silence. ~ Brittney Sahin, #NFDB
1031:Question for God every morning:
What is the main event today? What do you want me to focus on today? ~ John C Maxwell,#NFDB
1032:Really, most of us just focus on what's in front of us. We're too busy putting out the fires of everyday life. ~ Aidan Quinn, #NFDB
1033:Start-up should focus on innovation not on building on infrastructure. Thanks to Google cloud service they can. ~ Urs Holzle, #NFDB
1034:You must get comfortable with eliminating things in your life that are getting in the way of clarity and focus. ~ Todd Henry, #NFDB
1035:You must put aside the passing moments of terror and temptation, and focus on what’s most important in the ~ Anthony Robbins, #NFDB
1036:...because a life without meaning, without drive or focus, without dreams or goals, isn't a life worth living. ~ Chris Colfer, #NFDB
1037:During moments of strife and 'dis-ease', check your flow and redirect your focus to that which is naturally good. ~ T F Hodge, #NFDB
1038:If we focus on our actions without addressing our hearts, we may end up merely as better behaved lovers of self. ~ Jen Wilkin, #NFDB
1039:Im a transactional lawyer; I negotiate all types of things, but with a particular focus in software licenses. ~ Keith Rothfus, #NFDB
1040:Its a really wonderful thing to focus your life on something other than your own personal career and ambition. ~ Kevin Spacey, #NFDB
1041:It took greater energy to be able to focus when heard
the voice of wisdom in a hustle bustle than in serenity. ~ Toba Beta,#NFDB
1042:I wish Obama would focus on governing the United States and would forget his country's imperialist pretensions. ~ Hugo Chavez, #NFDB
1043:look back, Mace. What’s passed is past, and you can’t change it. Focus on making the best of what lies ahead. ~ Deborah Sharp, #NFDB
1044:Medicine’s focus is narrow. Medical professionals concentrate on repair of health, not sustenance of the soul. ~ Atul Gawande, #NFDB
1045:One clear focus for everyone. Your business needs laser focus on what the next objective is. Execution is key. ~ Ben Keighran, #NFDB
1046:Our focus is and should be on the leakers, not those that are obtaining it as part of legitimate newsgathering. ~ James Comey, #NFDB
1047:Records must not be the focus and that's the most important thing. It mustn't come at the cost of the team. ~ Garfield Sobers, #NFDB
1048:That’s because there’s too many opportunities roaming around in the world. It’s hard to focus on just one. ~ Jessica Sorensen, #NFDB
1049:The Lord blesses people who bless others, and He gives grace to those who focus on the things that please Him. ~ Billy Graham, #NFDB
1050:We would all benefit by shifting our focus from seeing pain as bad to seeing pain as motivation to change. ~ Cortney S Warren, #NFDB
1051:When having a goal takes your focus off God and His daily intentions for you, it can cause trouble. Proverbs ~ Lysa TerKeurst, #NFDB
1052:When you delight yourself in the Lord, His Word and His ways become the focus and foundation of your life. ~ Elizabeth George, #NFDB
1053:When you focus on want, you become an endless cycle of wants. To get, simply release, and then gently invite. ~ Bryant McGill, #NFDB
1054:You need to focus so much on what's in front of you rather than thinking about what might happen in the future. ~ Elena Anaya, #NFDB
1055:Armed with positive thoughts, it becomes easier to focus on your goals, while the opposite also holds true. ~ Stephen Richards, #NFDB
1056:...because a life without meaning, without drive, or focus, without dreams or goals, isn't a life worth living. ~ Chris Colfer, #NFDB
1057:Do not shift your focus from serving others to focusing exclusively on school, work, or social activities. ~ M Russell Ballard, #NFDB
1058:Film is a time capsule. If I have a lack of dedication or focus, it's permanently there as a negative reminder. ~ Adrien Brody, #NFDB
1059:Focus on building the best possible business. If you are great, people will notice and opportunities will appear. ~ Mark Cuban, #NFDB
1060:I didn't focus on death, or spend much time thinking about it. It was more like an idea, lurking in the distance. ~ Chris Kyle, #NFDB
1061:Instead of focusing on how much you can accomplish, focus on how much you can absolutely love what you’re doing. ~ Leo Babauta, #NFDB
1062:It's time to change the conversation about nature to focus on what we all have in common: our shared humanity. ~ Harrison Ford, #NFDB
1063:I want to help with bullying because there are girls who can't just up and homeschool and focus on their career. ~ Demi Lovato, #NFDB
1064:Make rules and follow rules as needed, but don't focus on riles. Focus on faith. Focus on grace. Focus on Jesus. ~ Judah Smith, #NFDB
1065:Our focus on discrimination against women during the past 30 years has blinded us to opportunities for women. ~ Warren Farrell, #NFDB
1066:Participatory culture shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression to community involvement. ~ Henry Jenkins, #NFDB
1067:People can certainly be creative when they're under the gun, but only when they're able to focus on the work. ~ Teresa Amabile, #NFDB
1068:There are always limits, and opportunities. The ones we rehearse and focus on are the ones that shape our future. ~ Seth Godin, #NFDB
1069:The result of information overload is usually distraction, and it dilutes your focus and takes you off your game. ~ Zig Ziglar, #NFDB
1070:What's important now? - To evaluate the past, focus on the future, and tell you what you have to do in the present ~ Lou Holtz, #NFDB
1071:When purchasing gifts becomes the focal point of the season, we lose focus on what's truly important. ~ Joshua Fields Millburn, #NFDB
1072:Whether you're 9 or 90, stop trying to fix the things you're bad at, and focus on the things you're good at. ~ Gary Vaynerchuk, #NFDB
1073:Work ethic, confidence, a laser focus and commitment to accomplish a goal that most people can never imagine. ~ Daniel Cormier, #NFDB
1074:Doing less meaningless work, so that you can focus on things of greater personal importance, is NOT laziness. ~ Timothy Ferriss, #NFDB
1075:Focus more on who your child is than what your child does. Remember, you're growing a person, not fixing a problem. ~ L R Knost, #NFDB
1076:Happiness doesn't just happen. I'm convinced that for the most part, those who focus their minds on it, obtain it. ~ Lisa Bloom, #NFDB
1077:He does have that weird mixture of born again Christian and stupid that some people mistake for courage and focus. ~ Marc Maron, #NFDB
1078:How to get through the day if every indignity capsized you in a ditch? One learned to focus one's attention. ~ Colson Whitehead, #NFDB
1079:I did feel bad—I did—but I didn’t dwell on it. I knew it was done. I knew I had to focus on what to do next. ~ Angela Duckworth, #NFDB
1080:I don't have a belief problem, I have a focusing weakness. I focus on what's loudest instead of what feels best. ~ Esther Hicks, #NFDB
1081:In the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, it’s believed that reality can exist only where our mind creates a focus. ~ Gregg Braden, #NFDB
1082:My big focus is China and OPEC and all of these countries that are just absolutely destroying the United States. ~ Donald Trump, #NFDB
1083:no matter which path you choose, you have to do it with strong beliefs, absolute focus, and loads of effort. ~ Mike Michalowicz, #NFDB
1084:One-Coin” Loophole: Whether we choose to focus on the single coin or the growing heap will shape our behavior. ~ Gretchen Rubin, #NFDB
1085:Or: When bad things cannot be subtracted, protect the good things and focus on them when you need a break from the bad. ~ Stoya, #NFDB
1086:Persevere. Plan. Strategize. Focus. Breathe. Write. Let go: relax. Forgive. All this failing: take a nap. ~ Mary Anne Radmacher, #NFDB
1087:Since we cling to our hope in the future, we do not focus our energies and capabilities on the present moment ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, #NFDB
1088:There's a tendency to look at investments in isolation. Investors focus on the risk of individual securities. ~ Daniel Kahneman, #NFDB
1089:The right decisions come from the right focus. You’ll succeed if your focus is on the mission, not the money. ~ Robert Kiyosaki, #NFDB
1090:The thrill of doing television versus features is in television you get to focus more on the characters. ~ Lauren Shuler Donner, #NFDB
1091:the tighter you try to hang on to something, the more you focus on it, the easier it can slip from your grasp. ~ Angela Marsons, #NFDB
1092:The wolves knew when it was time to stop looking for what they'd lost, to focus instead on what was yet to come. ~ Jodi Picoult, #NFDB
1093:Things go wrong occasionally, but when you focus on that, you miss the enormity of what goes right. ~ Loretta Graziano Breuning, #NFDB
1094:We need to focus on the kind of human beings we want to have and the kind of society in which we want to live. ~ Howard Gardner, #NFDB
1095:When you focus on want, you become an endless cycle of wants. To get, simply release, and then gently invite. ~ Bryant H McGill, #NFDB
1096:Whether you call someone a hero or a monster is all relative to where the focus of your consciousness may be. ~ Joseph Campbell, #NFDB
1097:about anything in the past. If you focus on past difficulties, you are bringing more difficult circumstances now. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
1098:Although I am a committed Catholic priest, and nowhere hide that fact, my focus is very much a spiritual journey. ~ Henri Nouwen, #NFDB
1099:Companies that solely focus on competition will ultimately die. Those that focus on value creation will thrive. ~ Edward de Bono, #NFDB
1100:Focus attention and energy on making a difference in the lives of others, and success might follow as a by-product. ~ Adam Grant, #NFDB
1101:Games are won by players who focus on the playing field -- not by those whose eyes are glued to the scoreboard. ~ Warren Buffett, #NFDB
1102:Games are won by players who focus on the playing field –- not by those whose eyes are glued to the scoreboard. ~ Warren Buffett, #NFDB
1103:However, attention can be moved away from an unwanted focus, primarily by focusing intently on another target. ~ Daniel Kahneman, #NFDB
1104:If you want joy and happiness in life, focus your energy on improving human dignity, human capacity and human values. ~ Amit Ray, #NFDB
1105:I learned the value of focus. I learned it is better to do one product well than two products in a mediocre way. ~ Reed Hastings, #NFDB
1106:I think there's too much mult-tasking going on. I think people need to quiet down and focus and be still more. ~ Ellen DeGeneres, #NFDB
1107:I would prefer the teacher to focus on teaching and have a security officer worry about keeping the kids safe. ~ Andrea Tantaros, #NFDB
1108:Knowing your purpose gives your life meaning, simplicity, focus and motivation. It also prepares you for eternity. ~ Rick Warren, #NFDB
1109:Out my left, I saw baboon bum, out my right, my long-lost uncle Amos. Naturally, I decided to focus on the right. ~ Rick Riordan, #NFDB
1110:Sustaining the energy and focus involved in doing a good job I think starts to gets tougher the longer you do it. ~ Barack Obama, #NFDB
1111:That unblinkingly vivid Japanese sun seems the blazing focus of the glassy ocean's immeasurable burning-glass. ~ Herman Melville, #NFDB
1112:The more Christians focus on tangential issues, the less we will be heard on matters of true moral significance. ~ Philip Yancey, #NFDB
1113:The overarching best practice is to focus, get early wins to build trust, and build momentum based on these wins. ~ Mark Jeffery, #NFDB
1114:There are so many great artists that are doing interesting things, that I don't want to focus on boring people. ~ Kathleen Hanna, #NFDB
1115:The reason I've been able to be so financially successful is my focus has never, ever for one minute been money. ~ Oprah Winfrey, #NFDB
1116:They instructed negotiators to focus their attention and search their memory for arguments against the anchor. ~ Daniel Kahneman, #NFDB
1117:Today, I will focus on what's right about me. I will give myself some of the caring I've extended to the world. ~ Melody Beattie, #NFDB
1118:Whether we choose to focus on the guilt in their personality, or the innocence in their soul, is up to us. ~ Marianne Williamson, #NFDB
1119:You don’t think about everything you have to do. You focus on one thing and get it done, then move on to the next. ~ Jim Butcher, #NFDB
1120:You focus your attention on a single truth from the Bible and then continue to think about it throughout your day. ~ Rick Warren, #NFDB
1121:As far as keeping my sanity, it's something I've only recently tried to focus on as a means of self-preservation. ~ Anthony Green, #NFDB
1122:Christianity does not direct us to focus on finding the right person; it calls us to become the right person. Our ~ Gary L Thomas, #NFDB
1123:Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus. ~ Alexander Graham Bell, #NFDB
1124:Define yourself by your best moments, not your worst. Find one thing you did do right today, and focus on that. ~ Trisha Ashworth, #NFDB
1125:Focus on the positive things in your life and you'll be shocked at how many more positive things start happening ~ Sophia Amoruso, #NFDB
1126:Focus on what you can control... Kow what you can bend to your will, and don't waste energy on what you can't. ~ Lisa Renee Jones, #NFDB
1127:Getting to the top should be a priority, but being aware of the reason for getting there should be the focus! ~ Israelmore Ayivor, #NFDB
1128:He didn’t immediately answer. His focus, however, remained glued to her cleavage. Ground control, we have contact. ~ Jodi Redford, #NFDB
1129:I love films where the world seems to be going a bit faster and everything's a bit brighter and more in focus. ~ Robbie Coltraine, #NFDB
1130:Intersectionality decentralizes people who are used to being the primary focus of the movements they are a part of. ~ Ijeoma Oluo, #NFDB
1131:I try not to focus on the gender issue too much but I think you have to acknowledge it in order for it to go away. ~ Emily Haines, #NFDB
1132:It seemed like everything became centered and peaceful when there was no choice but to make nature the focus. ~ Carine McCandless, #NFDB
1133:Jason decided not to add that the best way to get him to focus on something was to tell him not to think about it. ~ Brandon Mull, #NFDB
1134:Owners focus on what they want. Victims focus on what they fear. And both positions are pure internal invention. ~ Steve Chandler, #NFDB
1135:Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life. Whereas ~ Eckhart Tolle, #NFDB
1136:[Theater] has always been a big focus. I have been away from it for the past few years. I want to get back to it! ~ Andre Holland, #NFDB
1137:The natural reaction of the artist will be strongly towards bringing man back into focus as the center of importance. ~ Ben Shahn, #NFDB
1138:The only way to shape that culture is to focus on hiring people with the attributes you want your culture to have. ~ Darren Hardy, #NFDB
1139:There is nothing quite like the cold taste of gun oil on a stainless steel barrel to bring your life into focus. ~ Josh Stallings, #NFDB
1140:The sucker's trap is when you focus on what you know and what others don't know, rather than the reverse. ~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb, #NFDB
1141:Too many people focus on the thing, instead of the heavenly glory of it. I don't want to give away what to expect. ~ Tracy Morgan, #NFDB
1142:We need to focus on killing the bad guys, not getting stuck in Middle Eastern civil wars that don't keep America safe. ~ Ted Cruz, #NFDB
1143:You have to understand what it is that you are better at than anybody else and mercilessly focus your efforts on it. ~ Andy Grove, #NFDB
1144:All of the most fulfilled people I know focus more on the quality of their connections than the quantity of them. ~ Jocelyn K Glei, #NFDB
1145:August brings into sharp focus and a furious boil everything I've been listening to in the late spring and summer. ~ Henry Rollins, #NFDB
1146:Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus. ~ Alexander Graham Bell, #NFDB
1147:Focus on essentials and try not to get distracted and bogged down by things that don't add value to the bottom line. ~ Carlos Slim, #NFDB
1148:Focus on the positive things in your life and you’ll be shocked at how many more positive things start happening. ~ Sophia Amoruso, #NFDB
1149:I like to focus on what I'm doing now, which is giving back. I've done interventions with people I've been close to. ~ Demi Lovato, #NFDB
1150:In the beginning, it’s advisable to focus on the flow of your work and the idea that your work actually has a “shape. ~ Jim Benson, #NFDB
1151:It is impossible to need excuses when the focus of your life shifts from 'What's in it for me?' to 'How can I serve?' ~ Wayne Dyer, #NFDB
1152:My focus is on always trying to treat the inevitable highs and lows of life with the same blissful, calm energy. ~ Kordell Stewart, #NFDB
1153:My focus is trying to make great music and putting on great shows, and whatever happens beyond that is a bonus to me. ~ Luke Bryan, #NFDB
1154:One way is to close your eyes (shutting out distractions), focus on your feelings inside, and smile for one minute. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
1155:The best way to get Americans to focus on what's happening in Afghanistan is by using the example of their own. ~ Tim Hetherington, #NFDB
1156:the deeper meaning of focus—a concentration and coordination of action and resources that creates an advantage. ~ Richard P Rumelt, #NFDB
1157:The more we focus on who we are in Christ, the less it matters who we were in the past, or even what happened to us. ~ Joyce Meyer, #NFDB
1158:There is nothing quite like the cold taste of gun oil on a stainless steel barrel to bring your life into focus. ~ Josh Stallings, #NFDB
1159:The tale of their teamwork is important because we don’t often focus on how central that skill is to innovation. ~ Walter Isaacson, #NFDB
1160:the world is ever so slightly but uncorrectably out of focus, that there are no absolutely precise answers. Whatever ~ Barry Lopez, #NFDB
1161:Time seems to slow down for me when I focus on staying in the moment and that helps me maintain a sense of balance. ~ Miranda Kerr, #NFDB
1162:We all carry the seeds of greatness within us, but we need an image as a point of focus in order that they may sprout. ~ Epictetus, #NFDB
1163:What you focus on in your life grows, what you think about expands and what you dwell on determines your destiny. ~ Robin S Sharma, #NFDB
1164:A person with passion will not look somewhere to see who is not doing it; they will focus and do what they can. ~ Israelmore Ayivor, #NFDB
1165:Are we gonna just make movies about trying to get laid over and over again or focus on something that's more relevant? ~ Seth Rogen, #NFDB
1166:Balance lives in the present. The surest way to lose your footing is to focus on what dreadful things might happen. ~ Oprah Winfrey, #NFDB
1167:Despite my struggle to focus, I did hear him say this: “The only thing I’m afraid of is a life without you, Pigeon. ~ Jamie McGuire, #NFDB
1168:Fight against something and you focus on the thing you hate. Fight for something and you focus on the thing you love. ~ Simon Sinek, #NFDB
1169:Focus isn't about hammering one nail all our lives.
It’s about hammering lots of nails, one way, all our lives. ~ Scott Ginsberg,#NFDB
1170:Focus only on things you love, feel love, and you will experience that love and joy coming back to you - multiplied! ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
1171:focus on the journey, not on arriving at a certain destination. Keep looking to the future, not mourning the past. ~ Chris Hadfield, #NFDB
1172:For me, I've learned that the best thing is to focus on the team you play for and yourself and what you need to do. ~ Sidney Crosby, #NFDB
1173:he gazed at the amethyst sky, trying to focus on the miracle of God’s wonders rather than the mystery of God’s plan. ~ Mesu Andrews, #NFDB
1174:He leaned forward slightly in a teasing manner, as if trying to focus on Carla. He took a step forward and smiled. ~ Olivia Stanton, #NFDB
1175:His gaze travelled down me, then zipped back to my face. "Sorry." "Focus, Rafe." "I am. Just on the wrong thing. ~ Kelley Armstrong, #NFDB
1176:I'm very lucky. I am one of those people who is able to go home, shut the front door and completely focus on the kids. ~ Nick Clegg, #NFDB
1177:Laying my heart out was easier than I’d imagined. Maybe the grim reaper breathing down my neck put things into focus. ~ Celia Aaron, #NFDB
1178:One of the big things that I focus on is not having regrets, just taking every opportunity I have and going for it. ~ Chris Weidman, #NFDB
1179:Only perspective brings truth into focus. Where you stand when you look at the facts will determine how they appear. ~ Steven James, #NFDB
1180:Startups should risk boldness, have a plan, avoid competitive markets, and focus as much on sales as product. ~ Instaread Summaries, #NFDB
1181:The focus is on singer/songwriters now rather than huge shows. I mean, of course there's always a place for that too. ~ Emeli Sande, #NFDB
1182:The focus on process rather than purpose creates an insidious opportunity for sly employees to manipulate the system. ~ Laszlo Bock, #NFDB
1183:There are a lot of limitations so you have to ultimately focus on what you think the most important storyline is. ~ Joseph Kosinski, #NFDB
1184:The weight is just a tool. Do you focus on the hammer or the nail? You better focus on the thing you're trying to hit. ~ Kai Greene, #NFDB
1185:they make it clear that their focus is on understanding, honoring, and supporting the business of the client. As ~ Patrick Lencioni, #NFDB
1186:We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up. We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1187:You really have to focus on what you're doing and just plow ahead no matter what hurdles are thrown in front of you. ~ George Lucas, #NFDB
1188:A positive attitude goes a long way. Focus your energy on the here and now, and see how a happier you shines through. ~ Jamie Eason, #NFDB
1189:As she wiped her eyes with one of her lacy cuffs, her despair became rage. Rage became strength. Strength became focus. ~ Fiona Paul, #NFDB
1190:creativity comes not in exchange for money or rewards but when we focus our attention on something because we want to. ~ David Niven, #NFDB
1191:Grown-ups everywhere are learning the instrument to relieve stress, focus their minds – and for the sheer joy it brings. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1192:I come to work on time. I focus on my job. I bust my scenes out and everything else kind of happens from there. ~ Michael K Williams, #NFDB
1193:If I paid too much attention to naysayers or let encouragers bloat my ego, I’d lose focus on what mattered: the company. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1194:If you focus your awareness only upon your own rightness, then you invite the forces of opposition to overwhelm you. ~ Frank Herbert, #NFDB
1195:In the beginning, I wanted his heart. Then I shifted focus to his body. I was never interested in only friendship. ~ Daria Snadowsky, #NFDB
1196:I was shy and a hard worker, so acting was a way to focus whatever nervous energy I was experiencing onto a goal. ~ Deborah Ann Woll, #NFDB
1197:I would love to be able to do a film. I would love to be able to focus on what excites me in watching actors. ~ Charlotte Gainsbourg, #NFDB
1198:Now is the one time in my life I can be 100% selfish. I'm not married; I don't have kids; I can focus on my career. ~ Kim Kardashian, #NFDB
1199:One of the nice things about being busy is it makes you focus on what's important to you and how you use your time. ~ Lorne Michaels, #NFDB
1200:Teenagers only have to focus on themselves - its not until we get older that we realize that other people exist. ~ Jennifer Lawrence, #NFDB
1201:The months and years of struggle were suddenly canceled by three weeks of exercise and some visualization and focus. ~ Karan Mahajan, #NFDB
1202:the whisperings from the heart are always authentic and singular in their focus. The heart knows what it wants. The ~ Baron Baptiste, #NFDB
1203:You don’t know me, but you do need to know that if you’re in bed with me, you focus on me and only fucking me.” She ~ Pepper Winters, #NFDB
1204:A business environment with an unbalanced focus on short-term results and money before people affects society at large. ~ Simon Sinek, #NFDB
1205:Concentration, focus, long-term thinking—those are the qualities that separate a warrior from a mere flailing fighter. ~ Timothy Zahn, #NFDB
1206:Confucius, who had said it was better not to know about ghosts and gods, but rather to focus on the world we lived in. ~ Yangsze Choo, #NFDB
1207:Efforts to deepen your focus will struggle if you don’t simultaneously wean your mind from a dependence on distraction. ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
1208:Even when we change our routines, neural pathways remain etched in our brains, ready to be reactivated when we lose focus. ~ Nir Eyal, #NFDB
1209:If I lost focus for even a moment, she’s smack me with her stick and say, “Dreaming of dancing with your dark prince? ~ Leigh Bardugo, #NFDB
1210:If managers focus only on short-term results, they are often justified in continuing to intervene to sustain results. ~ Peter M Senge, #NFDB
1211:I'm really trying to focus on the storytelling, more so than ever before I think, partly because it makes for easier pages. ~ Jim Lee, #NFDB
1212:In the United States, workouts tend to focus on body image and how you look. For me, it's really all about the brain. ~ Chris Cornell, #NFDB
1213:It is the focus on the highest ideal day after day that saves life from being wrapped up in small whirlwinds. ~ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, #NFDB
1214:Prayers only help the person doing the praying, and then, only if they strengthen and focus that person's resolve. ~ Octavia E Butler, #NFDB
1215:The end product of the shorter
deadline is almost inevitably of equal or higher quality due to greater
focus. ~ Timothy Ferriss,#NFDB
1216:the PlayPump problem: there is a strong incentive in development to focus on projects that look good and sound good. As ~ Tim Harford, #NFDB
1217:There are a lot of new things going on in the microprocessor world, including increased focus on power and efficiency. ~ Michael Dell, #NFDB
1218:There is no such thing as failure. Mistakes happen in your life to bring into focus more clearly who you really are. ~ Oprah Winfrey, #NFDB
1219:the things that aren’t working. Rather, I wrote this book as a guide to focus on and amplify the things that do work. I ~ Simon Sinek, #NFDB
1220:The truth is that most startups don’t fail because they run out of money. They fail because the entrepreneurs lose focus. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1221:When all hopes are lost, only then does reality acquire that sharp focus that defines who we are and what we have become. ~ Greg Bear, #NFDB
1222:When we focus on what we can do, it’s amazing how little time we have left to become consumed by our disappointments. ~ Gary L Thomas, #NFDB
1223:When you focus on the practice instead of the performance, you can enjoy the present moment and improve at the same time. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1224:White House operatives went to great lengths to show Obama shifting focus from wars abroad to domestic issues at home. ~ Ron Fournier, #NFDB
1225:You psychologists focus on what is wrong with people; I want to focus on what is right and what could be right. ~ Isabel Briggs Myers, #NFDB
1226:You use your cuts to get people to swing attention to the parts of your message you really want them to focus on. ~ Robert B Cialdini, #NFDB
1227:Any self-prompt that reminds you to focus on flow not ebb, contributes to your greater sense of abundance. (53) ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach, #NFDB
1228:Designers need to focus their attention on the cases where things go wrong, not just on when things work as planned. ~ Donald A Norman, #NFDB
1229:Flint and its lead contaminated water are now the focus of sustained national attention including political attention. ~ Rachel Maddow, #NFDB
1230:If we are looking for one single action which will enable the poor to overcome their poverty, I would focus on credit ~ Muhammad Yunus, #NFDB
1231:I like to be alone so I can write. But focus can hurt you. I don't want to be some stress casualty in early middle age. ~ James Ellroy, #NFDB
1232:I rarely see one of the 'summer blockbuster' movies. I'd like to see a stronger focus on smaller, smarter movies. ~ Christopher Meloni, #NFDB
1233:It encourages you to focus on your work and the generosity that comes from interacting with (and helping) your community. ~ Seth Godin, #NFDB
1234:It was strange how badly he longed for her full focus on him, only him, whether or not that attention came with pain. ~ Pepper Winters, #NFDB
1235:people “who don’t have a chance to take revenge are forced, in a sense, to move on and focus on something different. ~ Robert I Sutton, #NFDB
1236:Prayer as focus is not a way of limiting what can be seen; it is a habit of attention brought to bear on all that is. ~ Patricia Hampl, #NFDB
1237:Remember, the Devil loves to make us focus on the little that's wrong so we miss the big picture of all that's right. ~ Lysa TerKeurst, #NFDB
1238:The beliefs of Native people are no less powerful or important just because they focus on a different "form of magic." ~ Joseph Boyden, #NFDB
1239:The more you respect and focus on the singular and the strange, the more you become aware of the universal and infinite. ~ Gail Godwin, #NFDB
1240:They focus on the past, to get vengeance. They never develop, instead relying on the forward-thinking of other nations. ~ Perrin Briar, #NFDB
1241:This stage involves clear choices and sacrifices that to anyone with a patriarchal focus may look like dropping out. ~ Maureen Murdock, #NFDB
1242:Tonight, everyone’s focus is on my art, but my focus is on her. She’s the most interesting piece in this entire room. ~ Colleen Hoover, #NFDB
1243:We just always focus on quality, which can be frustrating during the wait, but which pays off when we're done (we hope). ~ Gabe Newell, #NFDB
1244:When you get yourself off, do you just focus on your clit or do you fuck your pussy like this?” Hottest. Question. Ever. I ~ J Daniels, #NFDB
1245:Where I’d had huge success, I had narrowed my concentration to one thing, and where my success varied, my focus had too. ~ Gary Keller, #NFDB
1246:You can't do everything. You can't do health and forestry and agriculture. You've got to focus and do one or the other. ~ Jane Goodall, #NFDB
1247:You can’t focus on what everyone else is doing — it has to be about what’s really broken and what you can do to fix it. ~ Drew Houston, #NFDB
1248:As long as we focus on the outside, there will always be that empty, hungry, lost place inside that needs to be filled. ~ Shakti Gawain, #NFDB
1249:If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present. ~ Roy T Bennett, #NFDB
1250:I’m sorry that I long ago coined the term “objects” for this topic because it gets many people to focus on the lesser idea. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1251:It is important for me to discover the ideal title, for without this title the story or novel isn't quite in focus. ~ Joyce Carol Oates, #NFDB
1252:It's a skill that people are born with. Either you're a focuser or you're a multitasky person. I am a full-focus person. ~ Jodie Foster, #NFDB
1253:It was the time of night when the odd feeling of not being quite in focus comes and goes, and all things are mysterious. ~ Tracy Kidder, #NFDB
1254:I was never that much a focus of interest in my career. I'm aware of that now, which doesn't give me a lot of pleasure. ~ Harrison Ford, #NFDB
1255:many entrepreneurs focus only on short-term growth. They have an excuse: growth is easy to measure, but durability isn’t. ~ Peter Thiel, #NFDB
1256:Most organizations I’ve worked with have too many top priorities to achieve the level of focus they need to succeed. ~ Patrick Lencioni, #NFDB
1257:Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about. ~ Stephen R Covey, #NFDB
1258:The more we focus on tangential issues, the less effective we will be in addressing matters of true moral significance. ~ Philip Yancey, #NFDB
1259:When you focus on the peace behind the problem, you begin to clean up the perceptions creating and attracting the problem. ~ Joe Vitale, #NFDB
1260:Worship puts God in focus. When the Almighty is in view, our giant’s power over our thinking begins to flicker and fade. ~ Louie Giglio, #NFDB
1261:you can change the world through careful planning, not by listening to focus group feedback or copying others’ successes. ~ Peter Thiel, #NFDB
1262:You women-loving men are too focused on being men. Focus on being human, for fravashi sake. Focus on being a friend. ~ Delilah Marvelle, #NFDB
1263:Absolute focus is the key to all great human achievement. Its opposite, preoccupation, is the enemy of all achievement. ~ Steve Chandler, #NFDB
1264:Along with a strong belief in your own inner voice, you also need laser-like focus combined with unwavering determination. ~ Larry Flynt, #NFDB
1265:Also, there was a Princeton study that found that visual clutter reduces your ability to focus and process information. ~ Gretchen Rubin, #NFDB
1266:Beyond the hand holding this book that I'm reading, I see another hand lying idle and slightly out of focus—my extra hand. ~ Lydia Davis, #NFDB
1267:Bottom line is when we focus on our strengths and lean in to the strengths of others, we can make the impossible possible. ~ Simon Sinek, #NFDB
1268:Close the eyes, and focus on the third eye, the heart chakra, or the navel center. It is a good idea to alternate them. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
1269:confronted with sudden disaster we all focus on how unremarkable the circumstances were in which the unthinkable occurred, ~ Joan Didion, #NFDB
1270:Don’t think about those who are not doing it. Focus on your dreams, goals and actions and make sure it is done well. ~ Israelmore Ayivor, #NFDB
1271:Enough or more?” She tore her focus off Boon to stare into his eyes. “Hit him a few more times. He’s really a dickhead. ~ Laurann Dohner, #NFDB
1272:Even when something is not your fault, toxic blame has no place in your life. Focus on your own empowerment and healing. ~ Bryant McGill, #NFDB
1273:Exploration means we disengage from a current focus to search for new possibilities, and allows flexibility, discovery, ~ Daniel Goleman, #NFDB
1274:Grant me the strength to focus this week, to be mindful and present, to serve with excellence, to be a force of love. ~ Brendon Burchard, #NFDB
1275:I became very successful at a young age... I had lots of opportunities and lots of power and had no idea how to focus it. ~ Claire Danes, #NFDB
1276:My focus is to stay up the middle. If I'm a little early I'll hit it to left, if I'm a little late, I'll hit it to right. ~ Andruw Jones, #NFDB
1277:Remember: what you focus on expands. As I often say in our training, “Where attention goes, energy flows and results show. ~ T Harv Eker, #NFDB
1278:Somewhat paradoxically, parenting programs should focus on the behavior of the parents not the behavior of the children. ~ Timothy Carey, #NFDB
1279:The evidence should guide you to a theory; you should not be allowing the theory to guide the evidence upon which you focus. ~ Pat Brown, #NFDB
1280:The operations of the human mind are also controlled by words of power, formulas that become a focus of mental activity. ~ Northrop Frye, #NFDB
1281:There are two things that I put my focus on. One is the fight against AIDS and finding a cure. The other is human rights. ~ Judith Light, #NFDB
1282:To focus means to bring your attention to the center, to concentrate on one thing intently in order to gain clarity. ~ Cheryl Richardson, #NFDB
1283:We focus so much on how immigrants can change America that we forget that America has always changed immigrants even more. ~ Marco Rubio, #NFDB
1284:When all else fails, write what your heart tells you. You can't depend on your eyes, when your imagination is out of focus. ~ Mark Twain, #NFDB
1285:When our focus is toward a principle of relatedness and oneness, and away from fragmentation and isolation, health ensues ~ Larry Dossey, #NFDB
1286:When the world shifts its focus on heart over mind, we will finally experience a beautiful global garden for our children. ~ Suzy Kassem, #NFDB
1287:When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. ~ Ansel Adams, #NFDB
1288:You can’t focus on death, or failure. Otherwise you’re surrendering greatness to all the people too dumb to contemplate it. ~ David Wong, #NFDB
1289:You can't grow and learn if your focus is on finding someone else to blame instead of looking at your own shortcomings. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
1290:17. Focus your attention: Stop the interruptions and distractions that interfere with completing your most important tasks. ~ Brian Tracy, #NFDB
1291:An important re-engineering principle is that companies should focus on their core competence and outsource everything else. ~ Bill Gates, #NFDB
1292:A small communication breakdown is enough for everyone to be working on slightly different things. And then you loose focus. ~ Sam Altman, #NFDB
1293:As players, you just play for the club. I love Man United, I'm going to play for Man United, and that's what my focus is on. ~ Ryan Giggs, #NFDB
1294:Don’t focus on the minutia in life. When
you come to a wall in the road, life is telling you to make a turn. Go for it. ~ Howard Murad,#NFDB
1295:Focus. Focus. Focus...on your burning priorities. Say no to everything else. Life's short. You only get one shot at great. ~ Robin Sharma, #NFDB
1296:Happiness Habits for Empowerment 1. Focus on the Solution 2. Look for the Lesson and the Gift 3. Make Peace with Yourself ~ Marci Shimoff, #NFDB
1297:His gaze travelled down me, then zipped back to my face. "Sorry."
"Focus, Rafe."
"I am. Just on the wrong thing. ~ Kelley Armstrong,#NFDB
1298:How, without detaching ourselves from the spell of the past, can we focus fully on the moment that faces us? ~ Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, #NFDB
1299:If you fear to know the cost, the value will definitely be lost. Focus your attentions on the product, not the price. ~ Israelmore Ayivor, #NFDB
1300:I love any kind of acting, so if I could focus on becoming the best actor I can strictly on my voice, I would love that. ~ Jennifer Stone, #NFDB
1301:I'm someone who loves to enjoy life and tries to focus on real things and real friendships. That's why I live very simply. ~ Cameron Diaz, #NFDB
1302:In acceptance, there is a decreased preoccupation with “doingness,” a growing focus on the quality of beingness itself, ~ David R Hawkins, #NFDB
1303:In the end, the focus on safety should be credited to the entire firearms-owning community, the “gun culture” if you will. ~ Massad Ayoob, #NFDB
1304:My focus has kind of been on teenagers, you know, and I think we've got a huge crisis right now in America, among our teens. ~ Sean Covey, #NFDB
1305:People who fail focus on what they will have to go through; people who succeed focus on what it will feel like at the end. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
1306:Since he saved me from the attack, I have associated his smell with safety, so as long as I focus on it, I feel safe now. ~ Veronica Roth, #NFDB
1307:The sun’s rays, focused, are much more powerful than they are without focus. The same is true for people seeking power. ~ Jeffrey Pfeffer, #NFDB
1308:Treat reluctance like seasickness," Errol said, picking something off his sleeve. "If you feel it, focus on the horizon. ~ Daniel Handler, #NFDB
1309:Trump, one guest noted, always more salesman than politician, seemed to have the capacity to focus only on the good news. ~ Michael Wolff, #NFDB
1310:We should focus on the things that are bad that we can immediately control, because people are always going to be people. ~ Vince Staples, #NFDB
1311:Whatever you focus on, you become. That is the key line, you know. Meditation is the bow and concentration is the arrow. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
1312:When all else fails, write what your heart tells you. You can't depend on your eyes, when your imagination are out of focus. ~ Mark Twain, #NFDB
1313:When the world shifts its focus on heart over mind, we will finally experience a beautiful global village for our children. ~ Suzy Kassem, #NFDB
1314:When we work heartily for the Lord, the mundane becomes meaningful, and the bigger tasks are given greater energy and focus. ~ Lara Casey, #NFDB
1315:will largely be determined by how faithfully we focus on living the gospel in the home. ~ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, #NFDB
1316:Work diligently. Work hard. Focus. Perform as if you are at the Olympics. One day, unexpectedly, it will start paying off. ~ Joan Marques, #NFDB
1317:A simply luxurious life is not easy to create initially because it requires that we focus on quality and let go of excess. ~ Shannon Ables, #NFDB
1318:Flawless results only meant you needed to maintain your skills in this area, and focus on becoming better somewhere else. ~ Robert J Crane, #NFDB
1319:Instead of letting the feelings from this situation label me, I’m going to focus on God and His promises for good things. ~ Lysa TerKeurst, #NFDB
1320:I tend to be not my own best company. I can get a little lost when - if I don't have my work to occasionally focus me. ~ Bruce Springsteen, #NFDB
1321:Lets take the best of our ideas from Global Drucker Forum, and the best of our language, and then focus and clarify. ~ Clayton Christensen, #NFDB
1322:My focus is not merely a beautiful city, but a city that's made beautiful on the parameters of good health and cleanliness ~ Narendra Modi, #NFDB
1323:Simply stated, your church will not likely be ready for change until it experiences some action steps of an outward focus. ~ Thom S Rainer, #NFDB
1324:Tennis is my life, obviously; I need to focus, I need to win. But it's not the only thing. I'm not going to play forever. ~ Novak Djokovic, #NFDB
1325:To protect themselves, the weak focus on the "bad" in people. Conversely, the strong, who fear little, focus on the "good". ~ Iimani David, #NFDB
1326:We need to invest at the local party unit and focus our energy on turn out. That's how we come back, and we can come back. ~ Keith Ellison, #NFDB
1327:What are the things you are grateful for?? Feel the gratitude.. focus on what you have right now that you are grateful for. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
1328:When you focus on what you have, your ABUNDANCE increases. I started with my breath. Noticing being alive is a good start! ~ Oprah Winfrey, #NFDB
1329:When you live out of your memory, you focus on the past. When you live out of your imagination, you focus on the future. ~ Stephen R Covey, #NFDB
1330:When you lose people that are close to you it brings everything into focus, and the rest kind of gets put on the back burner. ~ Vince Gill, #NFDB
1331:You can tell a story clearly in the storyboards, but if you don't keep the correct focus in the animation, it can be ruined. ~ Lee Unkrich, #NFDB
1332:And I think in theater, people don't really focus on the media unless there's a huge superstar doing a play or something. ~ Elizabeth Olsen, #NFDB
1333:Anger is like a storm rising up from the bottom of your consciousness. When you feel it coming, turn your focus to your breath. ~ Nhat Hanh, #NFDB
1334:As if the years he had spent interpreting signs that no one else could even see had stretched him, pulled him out of focus. ~ Cameron Dokey, #NFDB
1335:Bad days my memory functions no better than an out-of-focus kaleidoscope, but other days me recall is painfully perfect. ~ Mordecai Richler, #NFDB
1336:I dont have a huge breakfast, and I sometimes forget to have lunch, so I focus on dinner. I love Thai and Japanese food. ~ Saffron Aldridge, #NFDB
1337:If you want to create a great product, just focus on one person. Make that one person have the most amazing experience ever. ~ Brian Chesky, #NFDB
1338:I got my bearings, I began to focus. My mother was very supportive. When I came back to New York I landed a job at Hot 97. ~ Angie Martinez, #NFDB
1339:I like to be in a different place when I make a movie so that I can't really focus on anything else, and that is your world. ~ Jodie Foster, #NFDB
1340:I shift my focus from trying to fix the other person and the situation to allowing God to reveal some tender truths to me. ~ Lysa TerKeurst, #NFDB
1341:I think universal harmony is a pipedream and it may be more productive to focus on more modest goals, like a ban on yodeling. ~ Woody Allen, #NFDB
1342:It is wonderful when you don't have the fear, and a lot of the time I don't ... I focus on what needs to be done instead. ~ Wangari Maathai, #NFDB
1343:I want to design my own clothing line. I'm very into fashion. It's something I really want to focus on when swimming is over. ~ Ryan Lochte, #NFDB
1344:Man is not a circle with a single centre; he is an ellipse with a double focus. Facts form one of these, and ideas the other. ~ Victor Hugo, #NFDB
1345:My approach has never been to conduct business as usual. Instead it’s been to focus on culture and imagine what’s possible. ~ Satya Nadella, #NFDB
1346:My main focus is to try to give myself time to heal...Forgiveness takes time. It is the last step of the grieving process. ~ Elin Nordegren, #NFDB
1347:One of the most effective ways to overcome anxiety is to try to shift the focus of attention away from self and toward others. ~ Dalai Lama, #NFDB
1348:Someone said your name, or something that sounded like your name. That was enough to signal to your brain to perk up and focus. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1349:Sometimes we worry about the things that you know that matter the least and don't focus on the things that matter the most. ~ Kevin Costner, #NFDB
1350:Technology is notorious for engrossing people so much that they don't always focus on balance and enjoy life at the same time. ~ Paul Allen, #NFDB
1351:The first mistake brands make is they fail to focus on the aspects of their offer that will help people survive and thrive. ~ Donald Miller, #NFDB
1352:The moment you concentrate the focus of your mind on a singular purpose, extraordinary gifts will appear within your life. ~ Robin S Sharma, #NFDB
1353:There's people that focus on the game and forget about the art. There's that specific special individual that can do both. ~ Conor McGregor, #NFDB
1354:The unique ability to take decisive action while maintainign focus on the ultimate mission is what defines a true leader. ~ Robert Kiyosaki, #NFDB
1355:Think of how much more time and energy we would have to focus on other things that matter if we weren’t so busy surviving. ~ Rebecca Solnit, #NFDB
1356:To dream" means to focus and zoom the photos of destiny called visions for clearer view, manipulation and exploitation. ~ Israelmore Ayivor, #NFDB
1357:To learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction. To learn, in other words, is an act of deep work. ~ Cal Newport, #NFDB
1358:When life attains a crisis, man’s focus narrows. […] The world becomes a stage of immediate concern, swept free of illusion. ~ Jim Thompson, #NFDB
1359:A clear purpose will unite you as you move forward, values will guide your behavior, and goals will focus your energy. ~ Kenneth H Blanchard, #NFDB
1360:As I read, I could feel my mother’s presence so acutely, her absence so profoundly, that it was hard to focus on the words. ~ Cheryl Strayed, #NFDB
1361:College admissions have become the focus not only of secondary schooling but of contemporary American childhood writ large. ~ Malcolm Harris, #NFDB
1362:Focus comes not from working without distractions, but with a devotion so intense that distractions fall from our awareness. ~ Eric Greitens, #NFDB
1363:Focus on the center of the chest, relax. Imagine a rose there. Feel it unfolding. Let yourself go and ignore your thoughts. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
1364:For next several years PSU can focus on rebuilding its athletic culture, not worrying about whether it's going to a bowl game. ~ Mark Emmert, #NFDB
1365:I think it's almost an indulgence to focus on the dark side of things. And as you get older, you want to focus on the positive. ~ Rob Brydon, #NFDB
1366:I've approached so many things in my life with such intensity that I want to approach motherhood with dedication and focus. ~ Drew Barrymore, #NFDB
1367:Meditation is hard. You are constantly trying to focus on one thing, usually your breath, and your mind is going to go berserk. ~ Dan Harris, #NFDB
1368:Mindfulness helps us to focus on one goal at a time. It helps us to be more relaxed, patience and compassionate towards the goal. ~ Amit Ray, #NFDB
1369:One foot in front of the other, counting tiles on the floor so I don't have to focus the blur of painted smiles, fake faces. ~ Ellen Hopkins, #NFDB
1370:One of the greatest advantages of singleness is the potential for greater focus on Christ and accomplishing work for Him. ~ Elizabeth George, #NFDB
1371:People who fail focus on what they will have to go through; people who succeed focus on what it will feel like at the end. ~ Anthony Robbins, #NFDB
1372:pulling focus away from a particular problem (and, instead, looking at the environment around it) can lead to better solutions. ~ Ed Catmull, #NFDB
1373:She was like a camera that had been chronically out of focus until someone came by and twisted the lenses into alignment. ~ Deborah Harkness, #NFDB
1374:Simplified living is about more than doing less. It’s being who God called us to be, with a wholehearted, single-minded focus. ~ Bill Hybels, #NFDB
1375:Sustaining the energy and focus involved in doing a good job I think starts to - starts to gets tougher the longer you do it. ~ Barack Obama, #NFDB
1376:The ability to focus attnetion on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence."---Irrational Exuberance ~ Robert J Shiller, #NFDB
1377:The need of the hour is to think big. The more we focus on skill, scale & speed, it will increase India's growth trajectory. ~ Narendra Modi, #NFDB
1378:The New World Order that is in the making must focus on the creation of a world of democracy, peace and prosperity for all. ~ Nelson Mandela, #NFDB
1379:The only way I know how to deliver is to focus; some people can turn it on or off - I'd rather stay in character. ~ Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje, #NFDB
1380:There is so much greatness to be known and felt by looking at God and his world, they believed, why would we focus on ourselves? ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1381:The smaller your ToDos, the faster you move work across the board. The more you retain your focus. The less multitasking you do. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1382:Unconditional response-ability is self-empowering. It lets you focus on those aspects of the situation that you can influence. ~ Fred Kofman, #NFDB
1383:Vision is the ability to see God’s presence, to perceive God’s power, to focus on God’s plan in spite of the obstacles. ~ Charles R Swindoll, #NFDB
1384:When u move ur focus from competition to contribution life becomes a celebration. Never try 2defeat people, just win their hearts. ~ Buddha, #NFDB
1385:YA heroines can choose to have sex & they can choose not to without either decision becoming the focus of their story. ~ Celine Kiernan, #NFDB
1386:Concentration comes not from trying hard to focus on something, but from keeping your mind open and directing it at nothing. ~ Shunryu Suzuki, #NFDB
1387:Corporations today, by their razor sharp focus on the 'bottom line' and quarterly earnings, have lost their ability to innovate. ~ John Maeda, #NFDB
1388:Experience isn’t a place; it’s a focus of attention. You can live there, at the still point around which everything revolves. ~ Deepak Chopra, #NFDB
1389:Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it. ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
1390:I focus on my work. If I let myself get distracted by the insults and slanders I wouldn't get anything substantive done. ~ Norman Finkelstein, #NFDB
1391:If you innovate broadly, focus on the customer experience, and deliver everyday a great product, you will gain share. ~ Michael J Silverstein, #NFDB
1392:If you lack the mental focus to stay with one activity for any length of time, you will never be able to achieve your goals, ~ Robin S Sharma, #NFDB
1393:I love team sports - they give me something to focus on rather than the fact that I can't breathe or my muscles are aching. ~ Sanjeev Bhaskar, #NFDB
1394:I realized I ought to be paying attention, but all of my focus was driven toward keeping a calm and happy expression on my face. ~ Kiera Cass, #NFDB
1395:I really just try to focus every day on delivering the most honest portrayal I can and let everything else take care of itself. ~ Sherri Saum, #NFDB
1396:It's great when you can just focus your whole attention on the music and hear all of the decisions and choices that were made. ~ Michael Cera, #NFDB
1397:It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them. ~ Steve Jobs, #NFDB
1398:Just focus on being the best possible version of yourself and quit worrying about your thighs, there's nothing wrong with them. ~ Jennie Runk, #NFDB
1399:My first obligation is my job. It's very hard to really get into campaign mode when you've got to focus on doing the work. ~ Claire McCaskill, #NFDB
1400:Play is also part of developing trust. Play opens the heart and gives delight and focus, like an abacus did when we were young. ~ Anne Lamott, #NFDB
1401:The album requires a certain focus of mine that I can't really explain - let's just say it's all I can really do while I'm doing it. ~ Eminem, #NFDB
1402:This is torment for me, Eva. I can’t focus. I can’t sleep. I lose my temper at the slightest irritants. I’m in hell without you. ~ Sylvia Day, #NFDB
1403:To become wise, meditate on the third eye, between the eyebrows and a little bit above. Focus on that spot, the Agni chakra. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
1404:We each matter and we’re each worthy.” He took a deep breath. “So I focus on that, and when I do, everything seems brighter. ~ Megan Erickson, #NFDB
1405:When you fall in love you recognise you're not the most important person in the world, and your focus becomes another person. ~ Russell Brand, #NFDB
1406:With training and self discipline; clear focus and confidence; problems can be overcome and even lead to unexpected gains ~ Georges St Pierre, #NFDB
1407:Yet in one sense they can miss it: that is, by failing to focus on it, even when in general terms they are aware of its reality. ~ J I Packer, #NFDB
1408:You know, it's recently come into focus for me why I want to be an actor: It's because of the connection I feel to people. ~ Jessica Chastain, #NFDB
1409:Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries on earth. Security issue or no security issue, there would need to be a focus on it. ~ Helen Clark, #NFDB
1410:After the children grew up, I began to focus on my writing. My first books were part of a trilogy... The 'Wind Dance' trilogy. ~ Iris Johansen, #NFDB
1411:As you advance in life, different passions can take the front seat, so for me, business is where my primary focus is right now. ~ Marie Forleo, #NFDB
1412:Breathe out unwanted thoughts with your exhale and re-focus your attention directly on what is important right now, at this moment. ~ Amit Ray, #NFDB
1413:Focus on the core problem your business solves & put out lots of content & enthusiasm, & ideas about how to solve that problem. ~ Laura Fitton, #NFDB
1414:I am not blinded by the past or motivated by the future. I focus on the present, because that is where I am destined to live. ~ David Levithan, #NFDB
1415:If a business has to be told that it needs more focus, accountability and decisiveness, there is a bigger problem at hand. ~ Brad Garlinghouse, #NFDB
1416:if we focus on what's ugly, we attract more ugliness into our thoughts, and then into our emotions, and ultimately into our lives ~ Wayne Dyer, #NFDB
1417:If you get called on to help somebody pull focus to some good cause, that's good use of your fame. I don't try to avoid that. ~ Morgan Freeman, #NFDB
1418:I hope (the United States) will change and they will now focus entirely on helping and building a stronger, better Afghanistan. ~ Hamid Karzai, #NFDB
1419:Im not a part of the glamour industry. I would like to focus on my game, and there are minimal chances of me getting into films. ~ Sania Mirza, #NFDB
1420:In America, there seems to be more focus on the idea that it's important to do things differently. In Britain, it's not an issue. ~ Thom Yorke, #NFDB
1421:It always pays off to focus on things that will make you feel proud. Remember this during every difficult decision you face. ~ Richard Branson, #NFDB
1422:It's never too late. Don't focus on what was taken away. Find something to replace it, and acknowledge the blessing you have. ~ Drew Barrymore, #NFDB
1423:It's scary but as an actress it is my job to be vulnerable, so I try to just embrace it and focus on the things I can control. ~ Sadie Calvano, #NFDB
1424:Mindfulness is like having the freedom to point our camera at all sorts of interesting objects once we know how to focus it. ~ Ronald D Siegel, #NFDB
1425:Organizations don’t execute unless the right people, individually and collectively, focus on the right details at the right time. ~ Ram Charan, #NFDB
1426:That sounds really interesting. I’m working on A, B, and C right now. Which should I set aside in order to focus on this project? ~ Kate White, #NFDB
1427:The earlier you learn that you should focus on what you have, and not obsess about what you don't have, the happier you will be. ~ Amy Poehler, #NFDB
1428:The most important single thing is to focus obsessively on the customer. Our goal is to be earth's most customer-centric company. ~ Jeff Bezos, #NFDB
1429:The person who has a highly evolved will they think, they build an image and they focus on that image.”
― Bob Proctor ~ Bob Proctor,#NFDB
1430:We should all strive to be extraordinary, and that starts with a focus on our own capabilities instead of those of our opponents. ~ Don Yaeger, #NFDB
1431:Above all, don’t dwell on yesterday’s victory. If your focus is on what’s behind you rather than what’s ahead, you will crash. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
1432:A brain in a negative emotional state provides focus: precisely what is needed to maintain attention on a task and finish it. ~ Donald A Norman, #NFDB
1433:Changing the focus of the conversation from religion to Jesus actually invites people to face him and the grace he provides. ~ Jefferson Bethke, #NFDB
1434:Cultivation theorists focus the majority of their research on heavy viewers, or those who watch more than four hours of TV per day. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1435:For whatever reason, we like to focus on the 2 percent that's different, an most of the conflict in the world comes from that. ~ David Levithan, #NFDB
1436:If we consider my latest book, Strategie de la deception, what we need to focus on are the other aspects of the same phenomenon. ~ Paul Virilio, #NFDB
1437:I had been a religion major, with a focus on scriptural languages, and upon receiving my degree, felt qualified to do--nothing. ~ Peter Manseau, #NFDB
1438:In meditation have a complete focus on light, brightness, spiritual oneness, God, infinity, eternity. You know - silly things. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
1439:I suggest that if you were able to focus your attention at will, you could actually choose the universe you appear to inhabit. ~ B Alan Wallace, #NFDB
1440:I think my biggest focus for myself is learning how to continue to get through the trauma that my father has caused in my life. ~ Lindsay Lohan, #NFDB
1441:It’s all about our power to focus consciousness, which is the great secret of some of our most ancient and cherished traditions. ~ Gregg Braden, #NFDB
1442:I wake up sometimes with an idea and then I write it down. It's not necessarily easy, but when you focus on something it comes. ~ Vince Staples, #NFDB
1443:Just see how it glints and sparkles. Of course it is a nucleus and focus of crime. Every good stone is. They are the devil ~ Arthur Conan Doyle, #NFDB
1444:Let's focus on the funny. ... That's what I'm focused on... This is the gift God gave me. That's what I want to touch in people. ~ Tracy Morgan, #NFDB
1445:One of my biggest assets is my ability to focus on something and go out and get it, but it's one of my biggest weaknesses too. ~ Daniel Cormier, #NFDB
1446:Organize as much as possible around teams, to achieve enhanced focus, task orientation, innovativeness, and individual commitment. ~ Tom Peters, #NFDB
1447:People getting their mercury fillings removed report immediate and dramatic changes in focus, attention, memory, concentration. ~ David Goodman, #NFDB
1448:The proper focus of holiness is not on being set apart from something (i.e., the world), but on being set apart for something. ~ Michael Horton, #NFDB
1449:told him that instead of focusing on eradicating terrorism through war, he should focus on eradicating it through education. ~ Malala Yousafzai, #NFDB
1450:We can be more or less conscious when you create grades of focus on a subject that is flowing in our stream of consciousness. ~ Antonio Damasio, #NFDB
1451:What if, in raising children, we focus on ability instead of gender? What if we focus on interest instead of gender? ~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, #NFDB
1452:"When we focus our attention in the here and now and live simply, we have more time to do the things we think are important." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, #NFDB
1453:World all twisted up and wrong, like distorted glass, only came back into focus if you looked at it through bottom of bottle. ~ Terry Pratchett, #NFDB
1454:Yes, you bit me, yes, I kind of liked it, yes, let's not talk about it again, said Jace. You're not a vampire anymore. Focus. ~ Cassandra Clare, #NFDB
1455:Your current thoughts are creating your future life. What you think about the most or focus on the most will appear as your life ~ Rhonda Byrne, #NFDB
1456:A focus on being good distracts us from coming to terms with our sin; and it is because of our sin that Christ needed to die. ~ Timothy J Keller, #NFDB
1457:A solid answer to everything is not necessary. Blurry concepts influence one to focus, but postulated clarity influences arrogance. ~ Criss Jami, #NFDB
1458:Beware of putting all your focus into results. While results are important, your people should be your number one area of focus. ~ Ken Blanchard, #NFDB
1459:Effective philanthropy requires a lot of time and creativity - the same kind of focus and skills that building a business requires. ~ Bill Gates, #NFDB
1460:Fearlessness requires attention and receptivity-it takes focus to stand in the still eye of a tornado and not be swept away by it. ~ Susan Piver, #NFDB
1461:Focus too much on the near-term and you won't get tomorrow's customers, focus too much on the long-term and you won't get today's. ~ Aaron Levie, #NFDB
1462:For whatever reason, we like to focus on the 2 percent that's different, and most of the conflict in the world comes from that. ~ David Levithan, #NFDB
1463:if we focus on what's ugly, we attract more ugliness into our thoughts, and then into our emotions, and ultimately into our lives ~ Wayne W Dyer, #NFDB
1464:I'm an incurable optimist and a go-getter - it's in my nature to focus much more on what makes me happy than what makes me nervous. ~ Demi Moore, #NFDB
1465:Instead, we must focus on our hopes. If we cannot anchor ourselves in a belief that we will succeed, we have already been defeated. ~ Robin Hobb, #NFDB
1466:In the end, a lack of focus is usually just fear: fear that whatever project I’m attempting will go nowhere or fail miserably. ~ Timothy Ferriss, #NFDB
1467:I try mainly to just focus on character and what my character's point of view is, with each person, and try to figure out story. ~ Katie Cassidy, #NFDB
1468:people with a positive attitude focus their time and attention on solutions, not problems. Just about anybody can see problems. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
1469:The Law of Attraction requires that we focus our attention on what we do want, rather than what we don't want, Focus on loving you. ~ Louise Hay, #NFDB
1470:The simple act of visualizing, which requires mindfulness, focus, and creativity, frees the mind from mental chatter and negativity. ~ S J Scott, #NFDB
1471:The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom limb pain. ~ Austin Kleon, #NFDB
1472:To manage a system effectively, you might focus on the interactions of the parts rather than their behavior taken separately. ~ Russell L Ackoff, #NFDB
1473:When I'm in focus mode, I do training six times a week. Carbs only in the morning. And I try not to eat at least two hours before bed. ~ Ciara, #NFDB
1474:When it came to producing a state of focus, quiet contentment, and inner peace, Zen meditation ran a very distant second to caffeine. ~ Joe Hill, #NFDB
1475:When we focus our thoughts on something, we resonate with it. When that resonance is constant and directed, we draw it to us. ~ Stephen Richards, #NFDB
1476:Although there is much talk about small firms creating jobs, and increasingly a focus of policymakers, this is mainly a myth. ~ Mariana Mazzucato, #NFDB
1477:Do all brilliant ideas seem brilliant from the very beginning, or do they seem far-fetched until they come into clearer focus? ~ Elin Hilderbrand, #NFDB
1478:God's Word is especially suited to directing those who want to focus primarily on the nature and direction of their own hearts. ~ James MacDonald, #NFDB
1479:I like having some things very clear while other things are obscured... so that it kind of keeps coming into and out of focus. ~ Jonathan Meiburg, #NFDB
1480:Important achievements require a clear focus, all-out effort, and a bottomless trunk full of strategies. Plus allies in learning. ~ Carol S Dweck, #NFDB
1481:I placed the highest priority on the sort of life that lets me focus on writing, not associating with all the people around me. ~ Haruki Murakami, #NFDB
1482:I think it'd be a whole lot better if you focus on what we do well than what we're unable to do. Isn't that what you call fair? ~ Haruki Murakami, #NFDB
1483:I try to focus on practice. This is work time. This is where we work, this is our office. I try not to let it distract me too much. ~ Reggie Bush, #NFDB
1484:It’s not that these thoughts are bad. It’s just that when we focus our attention on ourselves, we turn our attention away from God. ~ Renee Swope, #NFDB
1485:it's perfectly okay to paraphrase Nietzche: if you keep your focus, eventually your focus will keep you. Sometimes without parole. ~ Stephen King, #NFDB
1486:I've never been good at being nostalgic, and I've never been able to focus on sound without having a voice that's very here-and-now. ~ Jenny Hval, #NFDB
1487:Just be careful of forming close relationships, Craig. Focus on yourself.” “Okay.” “Only then does healing take place.” “All right. ~ Ned Vizzini, #NFDB
1488:Now I know a lot about NATO - NATO is obsolete, and the reason it's obsolete is because of the fact they don't focus on terrorism. ~ Donald Trump, #NFDB
1489:People focus on role models; it is more effective to find antimodels - people you don't want to resemble when you grow up ~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb, #NFDB
1490:People want you to play the songs they know. I try not to reflect too much, and I don't really like to focus too much on myself. ~ John Darnielle, #NFDB
1491:She was so close to what she wanted - the focus of her whole existence for more then a year now was just so close.
My death. ~ Stephenie Meyer,#NFDB
1492:Stop worrying about tomorrow. Stop thinking about yesterday. Mindfulness is to be here now, in the moment. Focus on this moment. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
1493:The majority of photographers focus on the obvious. They believe and accept what their eyes tell them, and yet eyes know nothing. ~ Duane Michals, #NFDB
1494:The path is focus. The power of focus is absolutely essential. To stop all thoughts, you have to have tremendous power of focus. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
1495:There's been a sea change in our focus on corporate ethics. We've made more progress in the last three years than the previous 30. ~ Steve Odland, #NFDB
1496:To create your best work, you’ll have to make room for it. You’ll have to cut out the excess noise and focus on what really matters: ~ Jeff Goins, #NFDB
1497:We believe in saying no to thousands of projects so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. ~ Tim Cook, #NFDB
1498:What if, in raising children, we focus on ability instead of gender? What if we focus on interest instead of gender? I ~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, #NFDB
1499:What we focus on determines how we feel. And how we feel - our state of mind - powerfully influences our actions and interactions. ~ Tony Robbins, #NFDB
1500:When people focus on themselves rather than on their impact, lots of activity and effort get wasted on the wrong things. ~ The Arbinger Institute, #NFDB
72 Integral Yoga
21 Christianity
19 Fiction
12 Occultism
10 Integral Theory
9 Yoga
8 Science
8 Psychology
7 Philosophy
5 Poetry
2 Cybernetics
1 Thelema
1 Mysticism
1 Alchemy
33 Satprem
29 The Mother
27 Nolini Kanta Gupta
20 H P Lovecraft
17 Sri Aurobindo
16 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
9 Swami Krishnananda
5 Plotinus
5 Peter J Carroll
5 Carl Jung
4 Thubten Chodron
4 Jordan Peterson
4 Aleister Crowley
2 Sri Ramakrishna
2 Norbert Wiener
2 Nirodbaran
2 Genpo Roshi
20 Lovecraft - Poems
9 The Study and Practice of Yoga
8 The Phenomenon of Man
8 Let Me Explain
8 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03
7 Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness
7 Agenda Vol 03
6 The Synthesis Of Yoga
5 Liber Null
5 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 07
5 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01
4 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
4 Maps of Meaning
4 How to Free Your Mind - Tara the Liberator
4 Agenda Vol 08
3 The Secret Doctrine
3 On the Way to Supermanhood
3 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 04
3 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02
3 Agenda Vol 12
2 Twelve Years With Sri Aurobindo
2 The Mother With Letters On The Mother
2 Plotinus - Complete Works Vol 01
2 On Thoughts And Aphorisms
2 Mysterium Coniunctionis
2 Liber ABA
2 Cybernetics
2 Agenda Vol 13
00.03 - Upanishadic Symbolism, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
But Yama did answer and unveil the mystery and impart the supreme secret knowledge the knowledge of the Transcendent Brahman: it is out of the transcendent reality that the immanent deity takes his birth. Hence the Divine Fire, the Lord of creation and the Inner Mastersarvabhtntartm, antarymis called brahmajam, born of the Brahman. Yama teaches the process of transcendence. Apart from the knowledge and experience first of the individual and then of the cosmic Brahman, there is a definite line along which the human consciousness (or unconsciousness, as it is at present) is to ascend and evolve. The first step is to learn to distinguish between the Good and the Pleasurable (reya and preya). The line of pleasure leads to the external, the superficial, the false: while the other path leads towards the inner and the higher truth. So the second step is the gradual withdrawal of the consciousness from the physical and the sensual and even the mental preoccupation and Focussing it upon what is certain and permanent. In the midst of the death-ridden consciousness in the heart of all that is unstable and fleetingone has to look for Agni, the eternal godhead, the Immortal in mortality, the Timeless in time through whom lies the passage to Immortality beyond Time.
Man has two souls corresponding to his double status. In the inferior, the soul looks downward and is involved in the current of Impermanence and Ignorance, it tastes of grief and sorrow and suffers death and dissolution: in the higher it looks upward and communes and joins with the Eternal (the cosmic) and then with the Absolute (the transcendent). The lower is a reflection of the higher, the higher comes down in a diminished and hence tarnished light. The message is that of deliverance, the deliverance and reintegration of the lower soul out of its bondage of worldly ignorant life into the freedom and immortality first of its higher and then of its highest status. It is true, however, that the Upanishad does not make a trenchant distinction between the cosmic and the transcendent and often it speaks of both in the same breath, as it were. For in fact they are realities involved in each other and interwoven. Indeed the triple status, including the Individual, forms one single totality and the three do not exclude or cancel each other; on the contrary, they combine and may be said to enhance each other's reality. The Transcendence expresses or deploys itself in the cosmoshe goes abroad,sa paryagt: and the cosmic individualises, concretises itself in the particular and the personal. The one single spiritual reality holds itself, aspects itself in a threefold manner.
0.00 - The Book of Lies Text, #The Book of Lies, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
The Ego is but "the ghost of a non-Ego", the imaginary Focus at which the
non-Ego becomes sensible.
0.01f - FOREWARD, #The Phenomenon of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
But to do this we must Focus our eyes correctly.
From the dawn of his existence, man has been held up as a
01.09 - The Parting of the Way, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
This passage from the self-conscient to the super-conscient does not imply merely a shifting of the Focus of consciousness. The transmutation of consciousness involves a purer illumination, a surer power and a wider compass; it involves also a fundamental change in the very mode of being and living. It gives quite a different life-intuition and a different life-power. The change in the motif brings about a new form altogether, a re-casting and re-shaping and re-energising of the external materials as well. As the lift from mere consciousness to self-consciousness meant all the difference between an animal and a man, so the lift again from self-consciousness to super-consciousness will mean the difference of a whole world between man and the divine creature that is to be.
Indeed it is a divine creature that should be envisaged on the next level of evolution. The mental and the moral, the psychical and the physical transfigurations which must follow the change in the basic substratum do imply such a mutation, the birth of a new species, as it were, fashioned in the nature of the gods. The vision of angels and Siddhas, which man is having ceaselessly since his birth, may be but a prophecy of the future actuality.
01.10 - Nicholas Berdyaev: God Made Human, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Nicholas Berdyaev is an ardent worker, as a Russian is naturally expected to be, in the cause of the spiritual rehabilitation of mankind. He is a Christian, a neo-Christian: some of his conclusions are old-world truths and bear repetition and insistence; others are of a more limited, conditional and even doubtful nature. His conception of the value of human person, the dignity and the high reality he gives to it, can never be too welcome in a world where the individual seems to have gone the way of vanished empires and kings and princes. But even more important and interesting is the view he underlines that the true person is a spiritual being, that is to say, it is quite other than the empirical ego that man normally is"not this that one worships" as the Upanishads too declare. Further, in his spiritual being man, the individual, is not simply a portion or a fraction; he is, on the contrary, an integer, a complete whole, a creative Focus; the true individual is a microcosm yet holding in it and imaging the macrocosm. Only perhaps greater stress is laid upon the aspect of creativity or activism. An Eastern sage, a Vedantin, would look for the true spiritual reality behind the flux of forces: Prakriti or Energy is only the executive will of the Purusha, the Conscious Being. The personality in Nature is a formulation and emanation of the transcendent impersonality.
There is another aspect of personality as viewed by Berdyaev which involves a bias of the more orthodox Christian faith: the Christ is inseparable from the Cross. So he says: "There is no such thing as personality if there is no capacity for suffering. Suffering is inherent in God too, if he is a personality, and not merely an abstract idea. God shares in the sufferings of men. He yearns for responsive love. There are divine as well as human passions and therefore divine or creative personality must always suffer to the end of time. A condition of anguish and distress is inherent in it." The view is logically enforced upon the Christian, it is said, if he is to accept incarnation, God becoming flesh. Flesh cannot but be weak. This very weakness, so human, is and must be specially characteristic of God also, if he is one with man and his lover and saviour.
01.10 - Principle and Personality, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The thing, however, is that what you call principles do not drop from heaven in their virgin purity and all at once lay hold of mankind en masse. It is always through a particular individual that a great principle manifests itself. Principles do not live in the general mind of man and even if they live, they live secreted and unconscious; it is only a puissant personality, who has lived the principle, that can bring it forward into life and action, can awaken, like the Vedic Dawn, what was dead in allmritam kanchana bodhayanti. Men in general are by themselves 'inert and indifferent; they have little leisure or inclination to seek, from any inner urge of their own, for principles and primal truths; they become conscious of these only when expressed and embodied in some great and rare soul. An Avatar, a Messiah or a Prophet is the centre, the Focus through which a Truth and Law first dawns and then radiates and spreads abroad. The little lamps are all lighted by the sparks that the great torch scatters.
And yet we yield to none in our demand for holding forth the principles always and ever before the wide open gaze of all. The principle is there to make people self-knowing and self-guiding; and the man is also there to illustrate that principle, to serve as the hope and prophecy of achievement. The living soul is there to touch your soul, if you require the touch; and the principle is there by which to test and testify. For, we do not ask anybody to be a mere automaton, a blind devotee, a soul without individual choice and initiative. On the contrary, we insist on each and every individual to find his own soul and stand on his own Truththis is the fundamental principle we declare, the only creedif creed it be that we ask people to note and freely follow. We ask all people to be fully self-dependent and self-illumined, for only thus can a real and solid reconstruction of human nature and society be possible; we do not wish that they should bow down ungrudgingly to anything, be it a principle or a personality. In this respect we claim the very first rank of iconoclasts and anarchists. And along with that, if we still choose to remain an idol-lover and a hero-worshipper, it is because we recognise that our mind, human as it is, being not a simple equation but a complex paradox, the idol or the hero symbolises for us and for those who so will, the very iconoclasm and anarchism and perhaps other more positive things as wellwhich we behold within and seek to manifest.
0 1960-03-03, #Agenda Vol 01, #unset, #Zen
And there are many, many experiences like this. It is only a small, a very small beginning. This one in particular came to mark the new stage: four years have elapsed, and now four years to come. Because everything has Focused on this body to prepare it, everything has concentrated on itNature, the Master of the Yoga, the Supreme, everything So only when its over, not before, will it really be interesting to speak of all this. But maybe it will never be over, after all. Its a small beginning, very small.
The Darshan on February 29, 1960, the first anniversary of the Supramental Manifestation.
0 1961-01-10, #Agenda Vol 02, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Later, Satprem asked Mother, 'Is it a single vibration that CAN REPEAT itself endlessly or that REPEATS itself endlessly?' Mother replied: 'I meant several things at once. This single vibration is in static latency everywhere but when you realize it consciously you have the power to make it active wherever you direct it; that is, one doesn't "move" something, but makes it active by the insistence of the consciousness wherever you Focus it.'
Twice a week, during the period of the Playground Talks, Mother would publicly reply to questions put to her by the disciples assembled at the Ashram Playground.
0 1962-02-27, #Agenda Vol 03, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Its easier with the mind because we are more used to concentrating there. When you want to reflect and find a solution to something, instead of using mental deduction, you stop everything, Focus on the idea or problem, and then concentrate, concentrate, intensifying the crux of the problem. You stop everything and wait until, through sheer intensity of concentration, a response comes. Learning that also demands a little time; but if you were ever a good student you have something of the aptitudeits not so very difficult.
Theres a kind of extension of the physical senses. In American Indians, for instance, the senses of hearing and smell are far more extended than ours (in dogs too!). When I was eight or ten years old, I had an Indian friend who came with Buffalo Bill in the days of the Hippodrome that was a long time ago, I was around eight. He was so sharp that he could put his ear to the ground and tell, from the intensity of the vibrations, how far the sound of footsteps was coming from. All the children immediately said, Id really like to know how to do that! And so you try.
0 1962-06-23, #Agenda Vol 03, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
I cant say I find it terribly interesting (!) but I am clearly meant to know about it. Not that I am seeking to see or know (my Focus is rather on preparing the body and making it receptive; thats what I am actively doing), but what probably happens is that, in my contemplation, I suddenly exteriorize (or something of the sort) and then I see all kinds of things. But I DONT sleep, you see (I dont know how to explain it). I go from a state of conscious concentration to a more passive state in which I am made to take part in all kinds of scenes and visions, involving many people and many things, as if to complete my knowledge. Some of these visions are amusing, new and interesting, and I dont know, but I suspect Sri Aurobindo has something to do with it, because theres such a sense of humor running through it all! (Mother laughs) Things that make me laugh, comical things due mainly to the tremendous earnestness with which people take the most unimportant things; yes, the disproportionate importance people give to absolutely unimportant events!
(silence)
0 1962-06-30, #Agenda Vol 03, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
I didnt write that to give you. Sometimes I write things and then keep them for years on end so that. They are a material Focus for the action. Had I not written it, I would not have been able to work so effectively these are occult documents.1
***
0 1962-07-18, #Agenda Vol 03, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Its like an image. You see, the body is stretched out here on the chaise longue. You know how it is when experiments are done on animals? Its something like that the body is there as the subject of an experiment. Then theres my consciousness, the part Focused on the earthly experience and the present transformation (its what I mean when I say I). And then the Lord. I say the Lord Ive adopted that because its the best way of putting it and the easiest for me, but I never, NEVER think of a being. For me, its a simultaneous contact with the Eternal, the Infinite, the Vast, the Totality of everything the totality of everything: all that is, all that has been, all that will be, everything. Words spoil it, but its like thatautomaticallywith consciousness, sweetness and SOLICITUDE. With all the qualities a perfect Personality can offer (I dont know if you follow me, but thats the way it is). And That (I use all these words to say it, and three-fourths is left out) is a spontaneous, constant, immediate experience. So the I I spoke of asks that the body may have the experience, or at least an initial taste, even a shadow of the experience of this Love. And each time its asked for, it comes INSTANTLY. Then I see the three together1in my consciousness and perception the three are together and I see that this Love is dosed out and maintained in exact proportion to what the body can bear.
The body is aware of this and is a little sad about it. But immediately comes something soothing, calming, making it vast. The body instantly senses the immensity and regains its calm.
0 1962-09-26, #Agenda Vol 03, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
This region just overlooks the earth and the mind (including the very highest mind). But evolution I mean TERRESTRIAL evolution, with its particular rhythm which is more condensed, more concentrated and, you could say, more Focused than universal evolution as a wholethis terrestrial evolution has, with the human species, created a kind of higher intellectuality capable of passing through the overmental region, the region of the gods, and reaching a higher Principle directly.
But this overmental region, this region of the gods with the power to govern the universe and, PARTIALLY, the earth, does have its own reality. You can come into contact with it and use it; the Vedic forefa thers used it, occultists use it, even Tantrics use it. But theres another path which, distrusting the gods, bypasses them through a kind of intellectual asceticism, as it were, wary of forms, of images, and differing expressions, which rises straight as an arrow, proud and pure, towards the supramental Light. That is a living experience.
0 1962-10-12, #Agenda Vol 03, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Ive been Focusing on this lately. Ive been looking at the difference between similar events in the lives of human beings and the lives of animals. If you identify with animals, you clearly see that they dont take things tragically at allexcept for those which have come into contact with man. (But then theyre not in their natural state; its a transitional state, they are beings in transition between animal and man.) And naturally the first things they pick up from man are his defects thats always whats easiest to pick up! And then they make themselves unhappy for nothing.
So many things, so many things. Human beings have made an appalling tragedy out of death. And I saw, with all these recent experiences, I saw how many, many poor human beings have been destroyed by the very people they loved the most! Under the pretext that they were dead.
0 1962-11-10, #Agenda Vol 03, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Thats what I was beginning to see towards the end. It took form gradually, gradually, and it was all there by the time you finished reading. At the beginning my attention was divided between what you were reading and what was going on; afterwards it was entirely Focused on what was happening: your sheets of paper falling and landing weightlessly, like birds, and spreading over a floor that wasnt solid (it was there just to give the impression of a room, but you could see through it). And while you were reading, he was gathering them all up, with a long robe trailing behind him. This being was made of practically the same substance as the sheets coming out of the piano (it was a kind of piano, it was playing music, but it was the principle of what you have written). So he gathered up everything, and when he had a stack this big, he said, I am going to take it and show it to them.
It was really lovely.
0 1963-12-07 - supramental ship, #Agenda Vol 04, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
It was a very total vision. And such an acute experience that it seemed to be the only true thing. It didnt take up any space, yet there was that sensation of nearness and farness. And there was a kind of Focus, or a Center, I cant say (but it was everywhere), which was the climax of Theepurely Thee. And it had a quality of its own. Then it began to move farther and farther away, which produced a kind of mixture with something that was nothing that didnt exist but that altered the vibration, the intensity, which made it move farther and farther away to Darknessunconscious Darkness.
And something kept coming again and again to me: there is no other sin (because this followed a few lines I read in Savitri on the glorification of sin in the vital world, the words came to me because of that) there is no other sin, no other vice than to be far from Thee.
0 1965-11-27, #Agenda Vol 06, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
But I clearly see that when the work is done as I am made to do it, it becomes that way very spontaneously. For instance, one of the very concrete things, which shows the problem clearly: humanity has the sex impulse quite naturally, spontaneously and, I may say, legitimately. This impulse will naturally and spontaneously disappear along with animality (a lot of other things will disappear, such as for instance the need to eat, perhaps also the need to sleep the way we do), but the most conscious impulse in a higher humanity, and which has remained as a source of bliss is a big word, but of joy, of delight, is certainly the sexual activity, which will have absolutely no more reason to exist in the functions of nature when the need to create in that way no longer exists. Therefore the capacity to come into contact with the joy in life will go up one rung or will orient itself differently. But what the spiritual aspirants of old had attempted on principlesexual negationis an absurd thing, because it must exist only in those who have gone beyond that stage and no longer have any animality in them. And it must fall off naturally, effortlessly, without struggle, just like that. Making it a Focus of conflict, struggle and effort is ridiculous. To be sure, my experience with the Ashram has absolutely proved that to me, because I have seen all the stages and that all the ideas and prohibitions are absolutely useless, that its only when the consciousness stops being human that it falls off quite naturally. There is a transition there that may be somewhat difficult because transitional beings are always in a precarious balance, but inside oneself there is a sort of flame or need thanks to which the transition isnt painfulits not a painful effort, its something that can be done with a smile. But to want to impose that on those who arent ready for that transition is absurd. I have been much reproached for encouraging certain people to marry; there are lots of these children to whom I say, Get married, get married! I am told, What! You encourage them?its common sense.
Its common sense. They are human, but let them not pretend they arent.
0 1966-06-08, #Agenda Vol 07, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
This Talk of April 19, 1951 interests me immensely. Its exactly the same Focus as the present effort.
This constant correlation between the inner and the outer work is very interesting, like the preparation of this Bulletin,1 for instance. I can clearly see that the initial cause always comes from outside (outside with regard to this body), in the sense that the Focus of the effort depends on the state of health of the people around me, on a certain set of circumstances, and also on an intellectual work (like this Bulletin); those are the causes. Because here (gesture to the forehead), theres really a tranquil and silent stillness. So theres only what comes from outside.
And the body is increasingly conscious: it has a very acute perception of the vibrations coming from the old habits, from the old ways of being and from the opposition, and of the presence of the True Vibration. So its a question of dose and proportion, and when the amount, the sum total of the old vibrations, the old habits, the old responses, is too great, that creates a disorder which takes stillness and concentration in order to be overcome, and which gives such a clear and intense perception of how precarious the equilibrium and existence are. And then, behind: a Glory. The Glory of the divine Light, the divine Will, the divine Consciousness, the eternal Motive.
0 1967-02-08, #Agenda Vol 08, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Oh, how interesting it is, if you knew how interesting. Take coughing, for instance (not in the chest, in the throat). So, the first vibration: an irritation that draws your attention in order to make you cough. It has a certain kind of vibration which we may call pointed, but its not violent: its light, annoying. Its the first little vibration. So with that vibration: awakening of the attention in the surrounding consciousness (of the throat cells); then a refusal to accept the cough, a rejection here (in the throat), which at first almost causes nausea (all this is seen through a microscope, you understand, they are very tiny things). The attention is Focused. Then, at that point, there are several possible factors, which are sometimes simultaneous and sometimes one drives away the other; one is anxiety: something goes wrong and there is apprehension at whats going to happen; the other is a will that nothing should be disturbed by the irritation; and then all of a sudden, the faith that the Force is capable of restoring order everywhere immediately (none of this is intellectual: its vibrations).
Then, sometime yesterday morning, something very interesting occurred: a clear perception that the vast majority of the cells (in THIS CASE: Im not talking about the whole body, I am talking about this particular spotthroat, nose, etc.), the vast majority of the cells still have a sort of feelingwhich seems to be the result of innumerable experiences or of habits (its both; not clearly one or the other, but both)that Natures force, that is to say, the nature governing the body, knows what needs to be done better than the divine Power: its used to it, it knows better. Thats how it is. And then, when this new consciousness which is being worked out in the physical being (the mind of the cells) has caught hold of that, oh, it was as if it had caught hold of an extraordinary revelation; it said, Ah, Ive got you, you culprit! You are the one who is preventing the transformation.
0 1967-06-21, #Agenda Vol 08, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
If, as Sri Aurobindo announced, the supramental Power is to enter a realizing phase in 1967 and if, as Mother said, the fate of the present civilization is to be settled in 1967, it is clear that the earths many latent diseases must come out in the open and find a Focus somewhere, as an abscess is the focal point for the disease of the body, our earth body.
There are no catastrophes. The Supramental is a force of order and harmony. Thus what may seem to us at first glance to be a catastrophe is bound to actually put things in order, work in every way and every detail towards putting the earth in order.
--
There is only one place in the world where the issue is being played out really and symbolically that is India. That is where, therefore, the disease of the earth must be Focused. It is in the order of things that the last Asura should come and die at the feet of the Mother.
But India, supposed to embody the forces of truth, is herself prey to the same Falsehood as is the rest of the earth. The Asura is also in India, perhaps more dangerous there as it is masked behind a veil of false truth.
0 1967-07-12, #Agenda Vol 08, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
I remember, when I came back after having BEEN those burststhose pulsations, those bursts of creative Love,1 when I returned to the ordinary consciousness (while retaining the very real memory of That, of that state), well, that state, which I felt as pulsations of creative Love, is what must, is That which must replace here this consciousness of concrete realitywhich is, which becomes unreal: its like something lifelesshard, dry, inert, lifeless. And to our ordinary consciousness (I remember how it was in the past), thats what gives you the impression, This is concrete, this is real. Well, this, this sensation, is what must be replaced by the phenomenon of consciousness of that Pulsation. And That (Mother makes an intense gesture encompassing her entire face) is at the same time all-light, all-power, all-intensity of love, and such FULLNESS! Its so full that nothing else can exist but That, there too (in Matter). And when That is there, in the body, in the cells, it suffices to Focus That on someone or something, and order is instantly restored.
So, expressed in ordinary words, it cures. It cures the illness. But it doesnt cure it: it annuls it. Yes, it annuls it.
0 1967-07-22, #Agenda Vol 08, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Here is the person's description: "External awareness had slipped away I heard, saw nothing. I sagged forward as my wife held my head to keep me from pitching from the chair. To the Doctor I had reached clinical death. But for me there was a surge of inner awarenessmagnified, finely Focused, brilliant. It is a progressive thing, this death. You feel the toes going first, then the feet, cell by cell, death churning them like waves washing the sands. Now the legs, the cells winking out. Closer now, and the visibility is better. Hands, arms, abdomen and chest, each cell flaring into a supernova, then gone. There is order and system in death, as in all that is life. I must try to control the progression, to save the brain for last so that it may know. Now the neck. The lower jaw. The teeth. How strange to feel one's teeth die, one by one, cell igniting cell, galaxies of cells dying in brilliance. Now, in retrospect, I grope for this other thing. There was something else, something that I felt or experienced or beheld at the very last instant. What was it? I knew it so well when it was there, opening before me, something more beautiful, more gentle, more loving than the mind or imagination of living creature could ever conceive. But it is gone." David Snell, Life Senior Editor (extract from Life, May 29, 1967).
According to Sri Aurobindo, the green light is a dynamic force of the vital which has the power to purify, harmonize or heal.
0 1968-12-25, #Agenda Vol 09, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
And then You know that from every side Ive been trying to get Sri Aurobindo published [in France], in particular The Human Cycle. At last I got a letter from a certain J. B., who writes: For a long time now, a publisher (F.) has been asking me to create a collection in his publishing house. I thought of a few books, mostly foreign ones, grouped around a title such as Towards the spiritual mutation and Focused on the present researches, individual and clumsy, often dangerous, but sincere and undertaken in a spirit quite different from that of the former generation, the spirit of a certain youth I am in contact with. The idea is to show these young people that their attempts and aspirations are legitimate, even if they have discovered them through drugs, since in many cases drugs alone have been able to unmoor them from the Cartesian rationalist bedrock, to put before them experiences that, at least, are positive, and to offer them directions and models. In other words, the aspect of amateurism and exoticism found in Z [another publisher] would be replaced here by a practical and technical side, wide open to all spiritual researches, whatever they may be, to all duly controlled metapsychical experiments, serious psychedelic experiments (I have T. Leary in mind, for instance), new theologies Naturally, there would be room, a major place, for the Oriental endeavor. In sum, it would involve all researches and attempts to crack open that sort of corset within which the Western mind has been going in circles for such a long time. That does not in the least rule out, on the contrary, certain scientific worksof pure sciencein which, out of intrinsic necessity, this Cartesianism has already been singularly shaken. Of course, all that would make for quite an ill-assorted backdrop for Sri Aurobindos thought, a backdrop you will regard as unworthy of it. The planned Collection might be called Spiritual Adventures.
We can try.
0 1970-03-25, #Agenda Vol 11, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Theres something very interesting on a psychological level: its that material needs decrease in proportion to the spiritual growth. Not (as Sri Aurobindo said), not through asceticism, but because the Focus of attention and concentration of the being moves to a different domain. The purely material being, quite conceivably, finds only material things pleasing; with all those who live in the emotive being and the outer mind, the interest of the being is turned to for instance, things of beauty, as with those who want to live surrounded by beautiful things, who want to use nice things. Now that appears to be the human summit, but its quite what we might call a central region (gesture hardly above ground level), its not at all a higher region. But the way the world is organized, people without aesthetic needs go back to a very primitive lifewhich is wrong. We need a place where life where the very setting of life would be, not an individual thing, but a beauty that would be like the surroundings natural to a certain degree of development.
Now, as things are organized, to be surrounded by beautiful things you need to be rich, and thats a source of imbalance, because wealth usually goes with quite an average degree of consciousness, even mediocre at times. So theres everywhere an imbalance and a disorder. We would need a place of beautya place of beauty in which people can live only if they have reached a certain degree of consciousness. And let it not be decided by other people, but quite spontaneously and naturally. So how to do that?
0 1971-10-23, #Agenda Vol 12, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
It depends on the case. Theres a slight difference. There are cases when nothing comesnothing, everything is stopped. So there you have to wait until it runs its course. There are cases where you are NATURALLY led to do one thing or another, which seems totally indifferent but is part of the Action (I dont know how to say it). I have experienced both. It depends on the case. There are cases where nothing is needed. There are cases where its simply as though you put the Divine ON the thing (Mother makes a gesture of aiming a beam). You know, youre like not an intermediary, I dont know its like a power of concentration on something; then the Divine Force flows through and is Focused (same gesture of aiming a beam), but you yourself do nothingyet the thing is done. Sometimes, if there is a word to be said, then the word comes to you; or if there is something to be done (it may seem like a very small, indifferent thing), you just have to do it quietlyyou are LED to do it.
Youre led, yes, I understand.
--
Then, in that case, it becomes very clear. There are times when youre sort of COMPELLED to do something. There are times when nothingyou feel the Force passing and having an effect, but you yourself (I mean, the body), the body doesnt move. It becomes very perceptible. And Ive had proof that thats right, because Ive had examples: at times, when Ive remained still like that, without saying anything, simply letting the Force be Focused on someone or something through the body (same gesture of aiming a beam), it does it, it acts miraculously like that. And the body has done nothing, hasnt moved, just let it pass through and be Focused on a particular spot (same gesture). Its automatically Focused. Because its in our consciousness that the world is divided like this (gesture of little pieces), and theres one person, another person, one thing, another thingits our consciousness which is like that; so one uses that [the individuality] as a channel for the Force to go exactly where it is supposed to go. The action is not a personal action: its an Action of the Force using the personal consciousness as a pipeyou understand?
Its very difficult to say that one no longer has any preferences and desires.
0 1971-12-08, #Agenda Vol 12, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
My nights. I dont have the impression of sleeping, but time goes by without my noticing it, like that, simply feeling the Forces going through. But I dont know what they do I know theyre going through [Mother] and are Focused here or there. But I have no curiosity; just the impressions of being very quiet so the process can go on unhinderedso that nothing creates an obstacle to the passing of the forces at work.
And hour after hour, hour after hour, day after day its like that. With the impression that the time goes by unnoticed. Not long, not.
0 1971-12-25, #Agenda Vol 12, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
More and more I am convinced that we have a way of receiving things and reacting to them that CREATES difficulties I am more and more convinced of it. Because, for example, I have rather unpleasant physical and material experiences about food. You know that for a very long time now I have completely stopped being hungry (I eat only to be reasonable, because one must eat, otherwise), and I have some small difficulty in swallowing, or breathing (ridiculous things), but everything changes depending on whether you pay attention to them or not, depending on an attitude like this (gesture of being Focused on oneself) in which you watch yourself living, or an attitude in which youre (vast gesture) in things, in movement, in life; and a third attitude in which you pay attention only to the Divine. If you succeed in being like that all the time, there are no difficultiesand yet things are the same. Thats the experience: the thing in itself is as it is, but it is our reaction to it that differs. The experience is more and more conclusive. You see, there are three categories: our attitude with respect to things, the things in themselves (those two always give you trouble), and there is a third category in which everything, but everything is in regard to the Divine, in the Consciousness of the Divineall is marvelous, all is easy! And I am speaking of material things, of the material, physical life (for psychological things, weve known it for long), I mean material things like little discomforts of the body, or reactions, feeling pain or not, circumstances going wrong, not being able to swallow your dinner the most banal things you dont pay attention to when youre young and strong and in good health (you dont pay any attention to them, and its like that for everyone), but when you live in the consciousness of your body and what happens to it and its ways of receiving things that come and so onoh, its misery! When you live in the consciousness of others, of what they want, what they need, their relationship with youits misery! But if you live in the Divine Presence and its the Divine who does everything, sees everything, is everything its Peaceits Peace, time has no duration, everything is easy and. Not that you feel joy or feel its not so its the Divine who is there. And its the ONLY solution. Thats where the world is going: the Consciousness of the Divine the Divine who does, the Divine who is, the Divine. So then, the same IDENTICAL circumstance (I am not speaking of different circumstances), the same IDENTICAL circumstance (its my experience these last few days, so concrete, you know, so concrete); day before yesterday I was sick as a dog, and yesterday circumstances were the same, my body was in the same state, all was the same and yet all was peaceful.
I am thoroughly convinced of that.
0 1972-03-29a, #Agenda Vol 13, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
It may seem strange to speak of you in an Indian Ashram that one would consider far removed from the world and the agonizing problems and struggles of the Human Condition, but as a matter of fact Sri Aurobindos Ashram is concerned with this earthly life; it wants to transform it instead of fleeing it as all traditional Indian and Western religions do, forever proclaiming that His kingdom is not of this world. Knowing that there exists a fundamental reality beyond man, religions have Focussed on that other realm to find the key to man just as your heroes Focus on their death to discover the fundamental reality that will be able to stand in the face of death. But religion has not justified this life, except as a transition toward a Beyond which is supposedly the supreme goal; and your heroesthough so close to lifes throbbing heart that at times it seems to explode and reveal its poignant secretfinally plunge into death, as if to free themselves from an Absolute they cannot live in the flesh.
The young Indian students with whom I discuss your books understand perhaps better than Westerners the reason for all those bloody and apparently useless sacrifices the torments conflicts and revolts of your heroes condemned to death, the great Hunger that drives them beyond themselves for they know that these are like the contractions of childbirth, and that the thick shell of egoism, routine, conformism, intellectual and sentimental habits must be broken for the inner Divine to transpierce the surface of this life for the Divine is indeed WITHIN man, and life harbors its own hidden justification. Echoing the Upanishad, Sri Aurobindo tells us that The earth is His foothold. He also wrote, God is not only in the still small voice, but in the fire and the whirlwind.
0 1972-10-25, #Agenda Vol 13, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Yes. You know, my impression is that the individuality is like an image to Focus the attention (humans need something they have always needed something on their scale to Focus their attention), so the body tries its best not to obstruct the divine Force from passing through, it tries to suppress all its own interferences, but at the same time it sees itself as an image humans need to Focus their attention.
(At this point, Governor J. enters the room, sits silently before Mother, remains a few minutes in meditation, then does his pranam and leaves the room.)
02.02 - Lines of the Descent of Consciousness, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The formulation or revelation of the Psyche marks another line of what we have been describing as the Descent of Consciousness. The phenomenon of individualisation has at its back the phenomenon of the growth of the Psyche. It is originally a spark or nucleus of consciousness thrown into Matter that starts growing and organising itself behind the veil, in and through the movements and activities of the apparent vehicle consisting of the triple nexus of Body (Matter) and Life and Mind. The extreme root of the psychic growth extends perhaps right into the body, consciousness of Matter, but its real physical basis and tenement is found only with the growth and formation of the physical heart. And yet the psychic individuality behind the animal organisation is very rudimentary. All that can be said is that it is there, in potentia, it exists, it is simple being: it has not started becoming. This is man's speciality: in him the psychic begins to be dynamic; to be organised and to organise, it is a psychic personality that he possesses. Now this flowering of the psychic personality is due to an especial Descent, the descent of a Person from another level of consciousness. That Person (or Superperson) is the jvatman, the Individual Self, the central being of each individual formation. The Jivas are centres of multiplicity thrown up in the bosom of the infinite Consciousness: it is the supreme Consciousness eddying in unit formations to serve as the basis for the play of manifestation. They are not within the frame of manifestation (as the typal formations in the Supermind are), they are above or beyond or beside it and stand there eternally and invariably in and as part and parcel of the one supreme RealitySachchidananda. But the Jivatman from its own status casts its projection, representation, delegated formulationemanation, in the phraseology of the neo-Platonistsinto the manifestation of the triple complex of mind, life and body, that is to say, into the human vehicle, and thus stands behind as the psychic personality or the soul. This soul, we have seen, is a developing, organising Focus of consciousness growing from below and comes to its own in the human being: or we can put it the other way, that is to say, when it comes to its own, then the human being appears. And it has come to its own precisely by a descent of its own self from above, in the same manner as with the other descents already described. Now, this coming to its own means that it begins henceforth to exercise its royal power, its natural and inherent divine right, viz, of consciously and directly controlling and organising its terrestrial kingdom which is the body and life and mind. The exercise of conscious directive will, supported and illumined by a self-consciousness, I that occurs with the advent of the Mind is a function of the I Purusha, the self-conscious being, in the Mind; but this self-conscious being has been able to come up, manifest itself and be active, because of pressure of the underlying psychic personality that has formed here.
Thus we have three characteristics of the human personality accruing from the psychic consciousness that supports and inspires it:(1) self-consciousness: an animal acts, feels and even knows, but man knows that he acts, knows that he feels, knows even that he knows. This phenomenon of consciousness turning round upon itself is the hallmark of the human being; (2) a conscious will holding together and harmonising, fashioning and integrating the whole external nature evolved till now; (3) a purposive drive, a deliberate and voluntary orientation towards a higher and ever higher status of individualisation and personalisation,not only a horizontal movement seeking to embrace and organise the normal, the already attained level of consciousness, but also a vertical movement seeking to raise the level, attain altogether a new poise of higher organisation.
02.14 - Panacea of Isms, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
And yet this is not the grand finale, the nec plus ultra. For, man does not stop with man; in the tremendous phrase carved by Nietzsche, "Man is a thing that shall be surpassed." Until and unless man surpasses himself, finds a Focus and fulcrum outside and beyond his normal humantoo humanself, he cannot entirely and radically change his nature and rebuild his society on an altogether different pattern. Man has to reach his divine status, become the Divine, within and outside, body and soul; then only can the ills to which he is exposed totally vanish and then alone can he enjoy individually and collectively a perfect life on earth. Naturally man is not expected to accomplish this mighty work alone and unaided, he can rest assured and comforted, for Nature herself is moving inexorably towards that consummation.
***
03.02 - Yogic Initiation and Aptitude, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Now what exactly is this wonderful thing? This power that brings into being the non-being, realises the impossible? Whose is this Call, from where does it come? It is none other than the call of your own inmost being, of your secret self. It is the categorical imperative of the Divine seated within your heart. Indeed, the first dawning of the spiritual life means the coming forward, the unveiling of this inner being. The ignorant and animal life of man persists so long as the inner being remains in the background, away from the dynamic life, so long as man is subject to the needs and impulses of his mind and life and body. True, through the demands and urges of this lower complex, it is always the inner being that gains and has its dictates carried out and is always the secret lord and enjoyer; but that is an indirect effect and it is a phenomenon that takes place behind the veil. The evolution, in other words, of the inner or psychic being proceeds through many and diverse experiencesmental, vital and physical. Its consciousness, on the one hand, grows, that is, enlarges itself, becomes wider and wider, from what was infinitesimal it moves towards infinity, and on the other, streng thens, intensifies itself, comes up from behind and takes its stand in front visibly and dynamically. Man's true individual being starts on its career of evolution as a tiny Focus of consciousness totally submerged under the huge surface surge of mind and life and body consciousness. It stores up in itself and assimilates the essence of the various experiences that the mind and life and body bring to it in its unending series of incarnations; as it enriches itself thus, it increases in substance and potency, even like fire that feeds upon fuels. A time comes when the pressure of the developed inner being upon the mind and life and body becomes so great that they begin to lose their aboriginal and unregenerate freedom the freedom of doing as they like; they have now to pause in their unreflecting career, turn round, as it were, and imbibe and acquire the habit of listening to the deeper, the inner voice, and obey the direction, the comm and of the Call. This is the Word inviolate (anhata-vn) of which the sages speak; this is also referred to as the still small voice, for indeed it is scarcely audible at present amidst the din and clamour of the wild surges of the body and life and mind consciousness.
Now, when this call comes clear and distinct, there is no other way for the man than to cut off the old moorings and jump into the shore less unknown. It is the categorical demand of such an overwhelming experience that made the Indian spirant declare:
03.04 - The Body Human, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
This is man's great privilege that, unlike the animal, he can surpass himself (the capacity, we may note, upon which the whole Nietzschean conception of humanity was based). Man is not bound to his human nature, to his anthropomorphism, he can rise above and beyond it, become what is (apparently) non-human. Therefore the Gita teaches: By thy self upraise thy self, lower not thy self by thy self. Indeed, as we have said, man means the whole gamut of existence. All the worlds and all the beings in all the worlds are also within his frame; he has only to switch or Focus his consciousness on to a particular point or direction and he becomes a particular type in life. Man can be the very supreme godhead or at the other extreme a mere brute or any other intermediary creature in the hierarchy extending between the two.
The Divine means the All: whatever there is (manifest or beyond) is within Him and is Himself. Man too who is within that Divine is the Divine in a special way; for he is a replica or epitome of the Divine containing or embodying the threefold status and movement of the Divine the Transcendent, the Cosmic and the Individual. He is co-extensive with the Divine. Only, the Divine is conscious, supremely conscious, while Man is unconscious or at best half-conscious. God has made himself the world and its creatures, the transcendental has become the material cosmos, true; but God has made himself Man in a special sense and for a special purpose. Man is not a fabrication of the Lower Maya, a formation thrown up in the evolutionary course by a temporary idea in the Cosmic Mind and developed through the play of forces; on the other hand, it is a typal reality, a Real-Ideaa formation of the original truth-consciousness, the Divine's own transcendental existence. Man is the figure of the Divine Person. The Impersonal become or viewed as the Personal takes up the human aspect, the human, that is to say, as its original prototype in the superconscience.
03.08 - The Standpoint of Indian Art, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Indian art, too, possesses a perspective and an anatomy; it, too, has a Focus of observation which governs and guides the composition, in the ensemble and in detail. Only, it is not the physical eye, but an inner vision, not the angle given by the retina, but the angle of a deeper perception or consciousness. To understand the difference, let us ask ourselves a simple question: when we call back to memory a landscape, how does the picture form itself in the mind? Certainly, it is not an exact photograph of the scenery observed. We cannot, even if we try, re-form in memory the objects in the shape, colour and relative positions they had when they appeared to the physical eye. In the picture represented to the mind's eye, some objects loom large, others are thrown into the background and others again do not figure at all; the whole scenery is reshuffled and rearranged in deference to the stress of the mind's interest. Even the structure and build of each object undergoes a change; it does not faithfully re-copy Nature, but gives the mind's version of it, aggrandizing certain parts, suppressing others, reshaping and recolouring the whole aspect, metamorphosing the very contour into something that may not be "natural" or anatomical figure at all. Only we are not introspective enough to observe this phenomenon of the mind's alchemy; we think we are representing with perfect exactitude in the imagination whatever is presented to the senses, whereas in fact we do nothing of the kind; our idea that we do it is a pure illusion.
All art is based upon this peculiar virtue of the mind that naturally and spontaneously transforms or distorts the objective world presented to its purview. The question, then, is only of the degree to which the metamorphosis has been carried. At the one end, there is the art of photography, in which the degree of metamorphosis is at its minimum; at the other, there seems to be no limit, for the mind's capacity to dissolve and recreate the world of sense-perception is infinite and many modern schools of European art have gone even beyond the limit that the "unnatural" Indian art did not consider it necessary to transgress. Now, the classical artist selects a position as close as he can to the photographer, tries to give the mind's view of Nature and creation, as far as possible, in the style and norm of the sense-perceptions. He takes his stand upon these and from there reaches out towards whatever imaginative reconstructions are justified within the bounds laid out by them. The general ground-plan is, almost rigorously, the form given by the physical eye. The art of the East, and even, to a large extent, the art of mediaeval Europe, followed a different line. Here the scheme of the sense-perceptions was rejected, the artist sought to build on other foundations. His procedure was, first, to get a Focus within the mind, to discover a psychological standpoint, and from there and in accordance with the subtler laws and conventions of an inner vision create a world that is unique and stands by itself. The aim was always to build from within, at the most, from within outwards, but not from without, not even from without inwards. This inner world has its own laws and they differ from the laws of optics which govern the physical sight; but there is no reason why it should be called unnatural. It is unnatural only in the sense that it does not copy physical Nature; it is quite natural in the 1 sense that it is a faithful reproduction of another, a psychological Nature.
Indian art is pre-eminently and par excellence the art of this inner re-formation and revaluation. It has thrown down completely and clearly the rigid scaffolding of the physical vision. We take here a sudden leap, as it were, into another world, and sometimes the feeling is that everything is reversed; it is not exactly that we feel ourselves standing on our heads, but it is, as if, in the Vedic phrase, the foundations were above and all the rest branched out from them downwards. The artist sees with an eye, and constructs upon a plan that conveys the merest excuse of an actual visible world. There are other schools in the East which have also moved very far away from the naturalistic view; yet they have kept, if not the form, at least, the feeling of actuality in their composition. Thus a Chinese, a Japanese, or a Persian masterpiece cannot be said to be "natural" in the sense in which a Tintoretto, or even a Raphael is natural; yet a sense of naturalness persists, though the appearance is not naturalistic. What Indian art gives is not the feeling of actuality or this sense of naturalness, but a feeling of truth, a sense of realityof the deepest reality.
04.01 - The Divine Man, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
But there is a still closer mystery, the mystery of mysteries. There has not been merely a general descent, the descent of a world-force on a higher plane into another world-force on a lower plane; but that there is the descent of the individual, the personal Godhead into and as an earthly human being. The Divine born as a man and leading the life of a man among us and as one of us, the secret of Divine Incarnation is the supreme secret. That is the mechanism adopted by the Divine to cure and transmute human illshimself becoming a man, taking upon himself the burden of the evil that vitiates and withers life and working it out in and through himself. Something of this truth has been caught in the Christian view of Incarnation. God sent upon earth his only begotten son to take upon himself the sins of man, suffer vicariously for him, pay the ransom and thus liberate him, so that he may reach salvation, procure his seat by the side of the Father in Heaven. Man corrupted as he is by an original sin cannot hope by his own merit to achieve salvation. He can only admit his sin and repent and wait for the Grace to save him. The Indian view of Incarnation laid more stress upon the positive aspect of the matter, viz, the role of the Incarnation as the inaugurator and establisher of a new order in lifedharmasasthpanrthya. The Avatar brings down and embodies a higher principle of human organisation, a greater consciousness which he infuses into the existing pattern, individual or collective, which has -served its purpose, has become otiose and time-barred and needs to be remodelled, has been at the most preparatory to something else. The Avatar means a new revelation and the uplift of the human consciousness into a higher mode of being. The physical form he takes signifies the physical pressure that is exerted for the corroboration and fixation of the inner illumination that he brings upon earth and in the human frame. The Indian tradition has Focussed its attention upon the Goodreyasand did not consider it essential to dwell upon the Evil. For one who finds and sees the Good always and everywhere, the Evil does not exist. Sri Aurobindo lays equal emphasis on both the aspects. Naturally, however, he does not believe in an original evil, incurable upon earth and in earthly life. In conformity with the ancient Indian teaching he declares the original divinity of man: it is because man is potentially and essentially divine that he can become actually and wholly divine. The Bible speaks indeed of man becoming perfect even as the Father in Heaven is perfect: but that is due exclusively to the Grace showered upon man, not because of any inherent perfection in him. But in according full divinity to man, Sri Aurobindo does not minimise the part of the undivine in him. This does not mean any kind of Manicheism: for Evil, according to Sri Aurobindo, is not coeval or coterminous with the Divine, it is a later or derivative formation under given conditions, although within the range and sphere of the infinite Divine. Evil exists as a stern reality; even though it may be temporary and does not touch the essential reality, it is not an illusion nor can it be ignored, brushed aside or bypassed as something superficial or momentary and of no importance. It has its value, its function and implication. It is real, but it is not irremediable. It is contrary to the Divine but not contradictory. For even the Evil in its inmost substance carries or is the reality which it opposes or denies outwardly. Did not the very first of the apostles of Christ deny his master at the crucial moment? As we have said, evil is a formation necessitated by certain circumstances, the circumstances changed, the whole disposition as at present constituted changes automatically and fundamentally.
The Divine then descends into the earth-frame, not merely as an immanent and hidden essencesarvabhtntratm but as an individual person embodying that essencemnu tanumritam. Man too, however earthly and impure he maybe, is essentially the Divine himself, carries in him the spark of the supreme consciousness that he is in his true and highest reality. That is how in him is bridged the gulf that apparently exists between the mortal and the immortal, the Infinite and the Finite, the Eternal and the Momentary, and the Divine too can come into him and become, so to say, his lower self.
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The Divine descends as an individual person fundamentally to hasten the evolutionary process and to complete it; he takes the human form to raise humanity to divinity. The fact and the nature of the process have been well exemplified in Sri Ramakrishna who, it is said, took up successively different lines of spiritual discipline and by a supreme and sovereign force of concentration achieved realisation in each line in the course of a few days what might take in normal circumstances years or even lives to do. The Divine gathers and concentrates in himself the world-force, the Nature-Energyeven like adynamo and Focuses and canalises it to give it its full, integral and absolute effectivity. And mortal pain he accepts, and swallows the poison of ignorant lifeeven like Nilakantha Shivato transmute it into ecstasy and immortality. The Divine Mother sank into the earth-nature of a human body:
Of her pangs she made a mystic poignant sword. . .
04.02 - Human Progress, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Now, these two positionsof Jung and of Heardoffer us a good basis upon which we can try to estimate the nature of man's progress in historical times. Both refer to a crucial change in human consciousness, a far-reaching change having no parallel since it invented the metal tool. The change means the appearance of pure intelligence in man, a change, as we may say, in modern terms, in the system of reference, from biological co-ordinates to those of pure reason. Only Jung thinks that the reorganisation of the human consciousness is to happen precisely round the Focus of pure reason, while Gerald Heard is doubtful about the efficacy of this facultyof directive thinking, as Jung puts it-if it is to lead to overspecialisation, which means the swelling of one member and atrophy of the rest; a greater and supreme direction he seeks elsewhere in a transcendence of intelligence and reason which, besides, is bound to happen in the course of evolution.
We characterise the change as a special degree or order of self-consciousness. Self-consciousness, we have seen, is the sine qua non of humanity. It is the faculty or power by and with which man appears on earth and maintains himself as such, as a distinct species. Thanks to this faculty man has become the tool-making animal, the artisanhomo faber. But on emerging from the original mythopoeic to the scientific status man has become doubly self-conscious. Self-consciousness means to be aware of oneself as standing separate from and against the environment and the world and acting upon it as a free agent, exercising one's deliberate will. Now the first degree of self-consciousness displayed itself in a creative activity by which consciousness remained no longer a suffering organon, but became a growing and directing, a reacting and new-creating agent. Man gained the power to shape the order of Nature according to the order of his inner will and consciousness. This creative activity, the activity of the artisan, developed along two lines: first, artisanship with regard to one's own self, one's inner nature and character, and secondly, with regard to the external nature, the not-self. The former gave rise to mysticism and Yoga and was especially cultivated in India, while the second has led us to Science, man's physical mastery, which is the especial field of European culture.
04.05 - The Immortal Nation, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
A nation, however, that has achieved something, created something, made a strong formation in the mental or in the vital world may die physically, but the formation, the creation, the achievement remains and continues to be alive in the terrestrial atmosphere, in the general consciousness of man. Ancient Greece is dead, Augustan Rome is gone, but the mind of light that Greece brought into play, the cast of social character that Rome established are among the permanent acquisitions of human culture and civilisation. They have gone into the making of the warp and woof of the standard human life today. Apart, however, from this general survival, could there be a reappearance of the very soul of a nation in another nation, in the same way as an individual soul reincarnates itself in another individual body? That question is asked, as sometimes it has been suggested, from certain significant and striking similarities, that ancient Greece incarnated in modern France and that there is a Roman stamp in the British nation. The possibility may not be altogether ruled out of court. But still it must be understood that the two phenomena are not quite identical, there is a difference in nature and kind. Rebirth in the sense of reincarnation is especially an individual phenomenon, the individual forming a divine centre, a Focus of consciousness which the group is not; the group is more a field and a frame for the individual in spite of a conscious existence of its own.
In any case, the revival or renaissance of a nationa collective consciousness and beingis quite possible, and the normal curve of lifebirth and growth and deathis not even for it the ineluctable destiny. For like the individual, the group too has that in it or the possibility of that in it which is akin, toan isotope of the soul or self, the immortal conscious being.
05.05 - Of Some Supreme Mysteries, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Utter Nescience is the Focussing of utter Intelligence the farthest away from itself and upon infinite points.
The Soul is a portion of the Divine, enshrined in the heart of the human being; it is the child of the Mahakti , it is the immortal in mortality, the secret godhead that urges the earthly creature ever forward and upward in the march of-evolution, ever expressing and embodying more and more of its inner truth in the actualities of life.
06.03 - Types of Meditation, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The next type we may call concentration, instead of meditation. Here we do not pursue a thought-line, but fix the thought upon one object unmoved. It means a further process of withdrawing the consciousness from its habitual outgoing and dispersive movement. The thought is held at a point and attention is Focussed upon it: it is continuous and unbroken attention, for example, upon an idea, a phrase (mantra) or an image. One can concentrate also upon a physical point, say, fixing the gaze upon the tip of one's nose, or on a luminous point outside etc. In this discipline the whole mind is gathered together and Focussed: or, everything else is shut out leaving only one thing upon which all the light of the consciousness is directed. It is a standstill consciousness, like a flame erect and immobile in a windless place.
There is a third grade when the mind becomes a void, all thoughts being driven out, all vibrations tranquillised. It is a wide silence suffused with a still luminosity. The operation is difficult. For it means a kind of continuous and methodical drainage or rarefication which takes more or less a very long time. First you throw' out well-formed ideas and notions, processes and products of reasoning and judgment the bigger waves, as it were; as soon as these subside you find there are smaller waves below or behindhalf-formed thoughts, budding ideas, fugitive notions and so on; when these too are quieted down, you come across still another layer of smaller ripples of thought, close to sensations, nervous reactions, vibrations of the brain-mind, rudimentary precepts, etc., etc. One may go on like that if not ad infinitum, at least, to a considerable length. One arrives in the end at what is practically a vacuum, to all intents and purposes a silent mind. Even then it is a difficult and arduous process and may not be as absolute as one may expect. There are other surer and even perhaps easier processes to attain the same end. Thus instead of striving and struggling and forcing your will upon the restless waves, you simply relax yourself, bypass them as it were, await and aspire and open yourself towards the Silence that is above: call for the silence with trust and reliance and it comes not unoften as a massive inundation, a glacial sweep and automatically overwhelms you, drowning and filling you from top to toe. There is also another way: to contact, to enter into the Mother's Presence. Mother's Presence means all the realisations to which we aspire concretised, brought down, near to us, within our human reach. We have not to travel far and wide, mount to inaccessible heights, labour and strainwith blood and sweat and tearsto get what we want: all the gettings are ready-made there in our atmosphere, we have only to know and perceive, open something in us for them to flow in. That is perhaps the action of Grace: silence, absolute silence, not only in the mind, but in the whole being, can come this way too.
06.08 - The Individual and the Collective, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
An integral sadhana cannot be confined to the individual alone; an element of collectivity must enter into it. An individual is not an isolated being in any way. There are, of course, schools of Yoga and philosophy that seek to isolate the individual, consider him as an entity hemmed in by his own consciousness; indeed they view the individuals as all distinct and separate, each a closed circle or sphere, they may barely touch each other but never interpenetrate or inter-communicate. Each stands as a solitary island, all together forming the vast archipelago of the universe. This is a position; no doubt, that can be acquired by a kind of discipline of the consciousness, though not to a great perfection; but it is not a natural or necessary poise. Normally, individuals do merge into each other and form one weft of give and take. A desire, an impulse, even a thought that rises in you, goes out of you, overflows you and spreads around even to the extreme limit of the earth, like a Hertzian wave. Again, any movement in any person anywhere in the world would come to you, penetrate you, raise a similar vibration in you, even though you may not so recognise it but consider it as something exclusively personal to you. You send out vibrations into the world and the world sends out vibrations into you. Individual life is the meeting-ground of these outgoing and incoming forces. It is precisely to avoid this circle or cycle of world-vibrations that the older Yogis used to leave the world, away from society, retire to mountain-tops, into the virgin forest where they hoped to find themselves alone and aloof, to be single with the Single Self. This is a way out, but it is not the only or the best solution. It is not the best solution, for although apparent-ly one is alone on the hill-top, in the desert crypt, or the forest womb, one always carries with oneself a whole world within, the normal nature with all its instincts and impulses, reactions, memories and hopes: you cut away the outside, run away from it, but what about the outside that is within you? The taste for a tasty thing does not drop with the removal of the object. Secondly, such an individual solution, even if it were possible, would still be a purely personal matter and, in the ultimate analysis, egoistic. It is why the Buddha refused to enter definitely into Nirvana and withdrew from the brink to work among men. Indeed, the real solution is else-where. It is not to withdraw or go away but to find within the orbit here a centre, a Focus of consciousness which is not controlled by the outside forces but can control them, which is not coloured by them but can lend them its own luminosity. That is the soul or the psychic centre.
And this centre is not an isolated entity in its nature: it is, as it were, a universal centre, that is to say, it links itself indissolubly in a secret sense of identity with all other centres. For this self is only one of the selves through which the One Self has multiplied itself for a varied self-objectification. The light that shines here, the fire that burns here and the delight that flows here illumine, purify and revitalise not only the individual in which it dwells, but move abroad and extend into the other individuals with which it lives in spiritual identity.
07.15 - Divine Disgust, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
In the case of the physical occurrence, the knowledge I speak of is the inner knowledge of the body cells, their existence, composition, distribution and the knowledge of the consequences of the blow, its natural and expected effects. Also at the same time there should be the knowledge of what the cells should be like, how they ought to react to the blow. And the procedure adopted too is quite different from that of physical Nature which takes hours, days, months to repair a damage; the inner knowledge can do the thing immediately. This inner knowledge can be brought down from its highest source. Instead of the mere psychological knowledge, one can call down the supramental knowledge and Focus it upon the part of the body endangered. If the elements of the body, the cells come under the influence of the force of truth and receive it, then there can be an immediate new ordering of the elements according to the higher law. That will bring about not only the cure from the blow received, the mending of the accident, but initiate a big progress in the general consciousness. This power to comm and the consciousness has no limit. If you have committed an error, even a grave error, and if you can yet call upon the consciousness of truth, this power of the supramental and allow it to work, it will give you an occasion to make a formidable progress. In other words, never be discouraged if you have blundered, blundered even more than once. Only you must keep your will firm, and take sometimes the unshakable resolution not to repeat. Rest assured you will in the end triumph over your difficulty.
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100.00 - Synergy, #Synergetics - Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking, #R Buckminster Fuller, #Science
at an aggregate of generalized somethings, and finally Focusing upon a special
case something:
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permits conceptual Focus upon otherness, which is primitively essential to the
experience of life, for it occasions life's initial awareness. (See Fig. 411.05.)
1.00a - Introduction, #Magick Without Tears, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
No, there is this factor in all success: self-confidence. If we analyze this, we find that it means that one is aware that all one's mental and physical faculties are working harmoniously. The deadliest and subtlest enemy of that feeling is anxiety about the result; the finest gauze of doubt is enough to dim one's vision, to throw the entire field out of Focus. Hence, even to be aware that there is a result in prospect must militate against that serenity of spirit which is the essence of self-confidence. As you will know, all our automatic physiological functions are deranged if one is aware of This then, is the difficulty, to enjoy consciously while not disturbing the process involved. The obvious physical case is the sexual act: perhaps its chief importance is just that it is a type of this exceptional spiritual-mental condition. I hope, however, that you will remember what I have said on the subject in paragraphs 1517 of my 3rd Lecture on Yoga for Yellowbellies (pp. 71-72); there is a way of obtaining ecstacy from the most insignificant physiological function. Observe that in transferring the whole consciousness to (say) one's little finger or big toe is not trying to interfere with the normal exercise of its activities, but only to realize what is going on in the organism, the exquisite pleasure of a function in its normal activity. With a little imagination one can conceive the analogical case of the Universe itself; and, still less fettered by even the mildest limitation which material symbols necessarily (however little) suggest, "Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; ..." (AL, II, 9).
Is it too bold to suggest that the gradual merging of all these Ways into an interwoven unity may be taken as one mode of presentation of the Accomplishment of the Great Work itself?
10.14 - Night and Day, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 04, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Your sleep-world is full of many worlds, rising tier upon tier like hills in a mountain range. Quite at the bottom is an almost physical, a subtle physical world and at the top is the world of the spiritual or psychic being or consciousness. You range through all of them in some way or other but you remember only partially and in snippets and you do not know which is which. It is by Focussing your attention upon them and trying to distinguish the different modes of each in regard to your feeling and perception that you gradually begin to unravel them, untie the knots and spread out the threads separately.
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1.01 - Fundamental Considerations, #The Ever-Present Origin, #Jean Gebser, #Integral
We have only one option: in examining the manifestations of our age, we must penetrate them with sufficient breadth and depth that we do not come under their demonic and destructive spell. We must not Focus our view merely an these phenomena, but rather on the humus of the decaying world beneath, where the seedlings of the future are growing, immeasurable in their potential and vigor. Since our insight into the energies pressing toward development aids their unfolding, the seedlings and inceptive beginnings must be made visible and comprehensible.
It will be our task to demonstrate that the first stirrings of the new can be found in all areas of human expression, and that they inherently share a common character. This demonstration can succeed only if we have certain knowledge about the manifestations of both our past and our present. Consequently, the task of the present work will be to work out the foundations of the past and the present which are also the basis of the new consciousness and the new reality arising therefrom. It will be the task of the second part to define the new emergent consciousness structure to the extent that its inceptions are already visible.
1.01 - Introduction, #unset, #Anonymous, #Various
How has that sense-vision been formed of which our eye, gathering into a Focus the rays of Light, is at once the symbol and the organ?
To produce our conscious perceptions it was necessary that all the diffused clarities which the intelligence and the sense-faculty in our rudimentary being could assemble or could produce, should converge towards certain points in the vastness of infinity destined to form the field of our experiences and of our progress, and each of our possible conquests in that field, always obtained by a greater concentration of light, has circumscribed around us, by the very act of giving it precision, the province of the visible.
1.01 - MAPS OF EXPERIENCE - OBJECT AND MEANING, #Maps of Meaning, #Jordan Peterson, #Psychology
psychology, Focused on the interpretation of subjective frames of reference.
In it [the Indian Ocean, in this example] are images of heaven and earth, of summer, autumn, winter,
1.01 - Seeing, #Let Me Explain, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
But to do this we must Focus our eyes correctly.
From the dawn of his existence, man has been held up as a
1.01 - The Mental Fortress, #On the Way to Supermanhood, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
This implacable duality which assails the whole life of mental man a life that is only the life of death is obviously insoluble at the level of the Duality. One might as well fight the right hand with the left. Yet, that is exactly what the human mind has done, without much success, at all levels of its existence, offsetting its heaven with hell, matter with spirit, individualism with collectivism, or any other isms that proliferate in this sorry system. But one does not get out by the decrees of any ism pushed to its perfection: deprived of its heaven, our earth is a poor whirling machine; deprived of its matter, our heaven is a pale nebula filled with the silent medusas of the disembodied spirit; deprived of the individual, our societies are dreadful anthills; and deprived even of his sins, the individual loses a Focus of tension that helped him to grow. The fact is, no idea, however lofty it may seem, has the power to undo the Artifice for the very good reason that the Artifice has its value and season. But it has also its season, like the winged seed tumbling over the prairies, until the day it finds its propitious ground and bursts open.
Indeed, we shall not get out through an idea but through an organic Fact.
1.01 - Who is Tara, #How to Free Your Mind - Tara the Liberator, #Thubten Chodron, #unset
syllables serve as subtle objects upon which a meditator may Focus; they also
remind us of the qualities we are developing within ourselves as a result of
1.025 - Sadhana - Intensifying a Lighted Flame, #The Study and Practice of Yoga, #Swami Krishnananda, #Yoga
In the concentration of the mind on one reality, ekatattva, what is intended is that the attention should be Focused on a system or order of values which is immediately superior to, or transcendent to, the current state of affairs, the present state of experience, and the conditions through which we are passing through at this moment. Anything which can include particulars in a more organised whole can be regarded as a higher reality for this purpose. There are tentative realities created for the purpose of practical convenience by organisations, associations or systems which we have created for the purpose of subjugating the individual ego and compelling it to affiliate itself to a larger body to which also it ought to belong and is made to belong.
I can give you examples of quantitative systems which we create in our practical daily life for the purpose of overcoming the urges of the ego and connecting it with wider or larger wholes. A physical individual, or a bodily person, is the lowest unit of reality as far as our experience goes. An utterly selfish individual is one who looks upon the body as the ultimate reality, and the only reality there is nothing else. Now, this is the grossest form of egoism, where the bodily individuality is regarded as the only reality and everything else is completely ignored. This is the animal's way of thinking, to some extent. The tiger has no concern for anything except its own personal existence, and it can pounce on anyone for the sake of its own security and existence.
1.028 - Bringing About Whole-Souled Dedication, #The Study and Practice of Yoga, #Swami Krishnananda, #Yoga
I have always been saying that our personality is not merely at the conscious level. The larger part of our personality is in levels which are deeper than the conscious one. Until all of the levels come up and merge into a Focused attention in the practice of yoga, we cannot expect the desired result. But once this whole-souled dedication is achieved, once it becomes part of our conscious life, it immediately speaks in the language of ultimate success.
1.02 - MAPS OF MEANING - THREE LEVELS OF ANALYSIS, #Maps of Meaning, #Jordan Peterson, #Psychology
unpleasantly. You Focus all of your attention on your boss. Look, she says, I have received a number of
35
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detail and does not in addition have the visual capacity to Focus intensely on the kinds of tiny features we
can perceive. Higher-order nonhuman primates have a more developed grip, however, which enables more
--
and Focused concentration, activates large areas of neocortex. Similarly, increased cortical mobilization
takes place during the practice phase of skill acquisition, when awareness appears required for development
--
of phenomena. However, we can also shift levels of abstraction which means, can voluntarily Focus our
attention, when necessary, on stories that map out larger or smaller areas of space-time (excuse the
--
by looking at the big picture, when we have to, or by Focusing in on details that may have previously
escaped us. Both the details and the big picture may be considered as dwindling or trailing off into,
--
think this is in part because we are not built to Focus on the predictable and familiar. Our attention
gravitates naturally towards those aspects of our environments, natural and social, that contain information.
--
Ancient stories of the generation of the world therefore Focus on all of reality, rather than on those distant
and abstracted aspects we regard as purely objective.
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entirely. The nervous system is designed to eliminate predictability from consideration, and to Focus
limited analytical resources where Focus would produce useful results. We attend to the places where
change is occurring; where something is happening that has not yet been modeled, where something is
1.02 - Meditating on Tara, #How to Free Your Mind - Tara the Liberator, #Thubten Chodron, #unset
Notice if there are still subtle ways that the Focus on me sneaks in.
3. Try taking the I out of relationships with those whom were not getting
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visualize Tara in front of us, Focus our attention on her enlightened qualities. The more we reect upon Taras wonderful qualities, the more we will
receive the happiness that comes from following the spiritual path she
1.02 - The 7 Habits An Overview, #The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, #Stephen Covey, #unset
As part of an interdependent world, you have to relate to that world every day. But the acute problems of that world can easily obscure the chronic character causes. Understanding how what you are impacts every interdependent interaction will help you to Focus your efforts sequentially, in harmony with the natural laws of growth.
Habit 7 is the habit of renewal -- a regular, balanced renewal of the four basic dimensions of life. It circles and embodies all the other habits. It is the habit of continuous improvement that creates the upward spiral of growth that lifts you to new levels of understanding and living each of the habits as you come around to them on a progressively higher plane.
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If you adopt a pattern of life that Focuses on golden eggs and neglects the goose, you will soon be without the asset that produces golden eggs. On the other hand, if you only take care of the goose with no aim toward the golden eggs, you soon won't have the wherewithal to feed yourself or the goose.
Effectiveness lies in the balance -- what I call the P/PC Balance TM. P stands for production of desired results, the golden eggs. PC stands for production capability, the ability or asset that produces the golden eggs.
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When two people in a marriage are more concerned about getting the golden eggs, the benefits, than they are in preserving the relationship that makes them possible, they often become insensitive and inconsiderate, neglecting the little kindnesses and courtesies so important to a deep relationship. They begin to use control levers to manipulate each other, to Focus on their own needs, to justify their own position and look for evidence to show the wrongness of the other person. The love, the richness, the softness, and spontaneity begin to deteriorate. The goose gets sicker day by day.
And what about a parent's relationship with a child? When children are little, they are very dependent, very vulnerable. It becomes so easy to neglect the PC work -- the training, the communicating, the relating, the listening. It's easy to take advantage, to manipulate, to get what you want the way you want it -- right now! You're bigger, you're smarter, and you're right! So why not just tell them what to do? If necessary, yell at them, intimidate them, insist on your way.
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But if your paradigm is Focused on Production, on getting the room clean, you might find yourself nagging her to do it. You might even escalate your efforts to threatening or yelling, and in your desire to get the golden egg, you undermine the health and welfare of the goose.
Let me share with you an interesting PC experience I had with one of my daughters. We were planning a private date, which is something I enjoy regularly with each of my children. We find that the anticipation of the date is as satisfying as the realization.
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I know of a restaurant that served a fantastic clam chowder and was packed with customers every day at lunchtime. Then the business was sold, and the new owner Focused on golden eggs -- he decided to water down the chowder. For about a month, with costs down and revenues constant, profits zoomed. But little by little, the customers began to disappear. Trust was gone, and business dwindled to almost nothing. The new owner tried desperately to reclaim it, but he had neglected the customers, violated their trust, and lost the asset of customer loyalty. There was no more goose to produce the golden egg.
There are organizations that talk a lot about the customer and then completely neglect the people that deal with the customer -- the employees. The PC principle is to always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.
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That Focus on golden eggs -- that attitude, that paradigm -- is totally inadequate to tap into the powerful energies of the mind and heart of another person. A short-term bottom line is important, but it isn't all-important.
Effectiveness lies in the balance. Excessive Focus on P results in ruined health, worn-out machines, depleted bank accounts, and broken relationships. Too much Focus on PC is like a person who runs for three or four hours a day, bragging about the extra 10 years of life it creates, unaware he's spending
them running. Or a person endlessly going to school, never producing, living on other people's golden eggs -- the eternal student syndrome.
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You may choose to read it completely through once for a sense of the whole. But the material is designed to be a companion in the continual process of change and growth. It is organized incrementally and with suggestions for application at the end of each habit so that you can study and Focus on any particular habit as you are ready.
As you progress to deeper levels of understanding and implementation, you can go back time and again to the principles contained in each habit and work to expand your knowledge, skill, and desire.
1.02 - To Zen Monks Kin and Koku, #Beating the Cloth Drum Letters of Zen Master Hakuin, #unset, #Zen
been much improvement in living conditions for some time afterward. Hakuin's primary Focus in the first decade of his incumbency was his own post-satori practice, although the records mention a small number of students, mostly villagers from Hara, who were coming to him for instruction at this time.
Hakuin's teaching career did not really begin, however, until an autumn night in 1726, a little over two years prior to this letter. While reading the Lotus Sutra, he suddenly achieved the decisive enlightenment that brought his religious quest to an end, and with it the knowledge, "beyond any doubt," that he was "ready to teach others with the perfect, untrammeled freedom of the
1.032 - Our Concept of God, #The Study and Practice of Yoga, #Swami Krishnananda, #Yoga
vara praidhnt v (I.23), is a sutra of Sage Patanjali. One of the methods of controlling the mind is surrender to God. According to many, it is perhaps the principal method of controlling the mind. This is a most positive approach, of the many that can be thought of. When our mind is absorbed in love for something 'absorbed' is the word, completely occupied with the thought of a particular thing there is no chance for the mind to think of anything else. The modifications of the mind, the vrittis in respect of objects, should cease spontaneously when they are all Focused in the direction of love of God. There is no need for any struggle in the form of breathing exercises or any type of hardship in the control of the mind or its vrittis, if it is absorbed in a love which is all-consuming.
The extent of our love of God, the intensity of our feeling for God, will depend upon our idea of God, our concept of God. There are various concepts of the Creator, of God, the Absolute, etc., according to the various philosophical theories, doctrines, and religious traditions. One of the primitive forms of conceiving God is that He is the Creator of the world. We have a childish idea of a creator. A creator is one who makes things, and God is someone who has made this world. "God made this world" is an old saying which we often repeat. God made the world and, therefore, God is the Creator of the world. God is the Father of the world and, therefore, all His children should love Him as the Supreme Parent. The idea of creatorship that is in our minds is the conditioning factor of our love towards this Creator. We have seen in this world that if someone makes something, he is the efficient or sometimes the instrumental cause of that particular thing that he has made, and the thing that he has made is an effect that is produced by him, standing outside him. God can thus be regarded as extra-cosmic, which is the usual way in which we conceive God.
1.03 - Bloodstream Sermon, #The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, #Bodhidharma, #Buddhism
What could he possibly attain? Even Focusing on a mind, a power,
an understanding, or a view is impossible for a buddha. A buddha
--
who does nothing, someone who can't even Focus his mind on a
buddha. A buddha isn't a buddha. Don't think about buddhas. If
--
be Focused. You're likely to see all sorts of strange, dreamlike
scenes. But you shouldn't doubt that all such scenes come from
--
don't tell others and don't Focus on it. It's the light of your own
nature.
1.03 - Tara, Liberator from the Eight Dangers, #How to Free Your Mind - Tara the Liberator, #Thubten Chodron, #unset
down to meditate, our mind is unable to Focus and runs crazily from one
object to another. This occurs because the ignorant mind has not been subdued by mindfulness and vigilance, mental factors that hook it so it remains
--
ethical guidelines and our meditation object, and vigilance arises from frequently observing, What is my mind Focused on? What is going on in my
mind? When our mind is Focused on something conducive to the path, vigilance lets it be. If we are distracted to sense pleasures, preoccupied with worries, or burning with anger, vigilance calls forth the appropriate antidote to
calm whatever ignorant emotion plagues us at that moment.
--
have been cultivated with great effort over a long period of time. Like a raging forest re, anger begins with a tiny spark and, fueled by the wind of inappropriate attention that Focuses on and exaggerates the negative qualities of
someone or something, anger ares up. Blazing, it produces tumult in our
--
time to Focus on transforming our disturbing attitudes and emotions and
developing benecial ones. Through familiarizing our mind with the compassionate motivation of bodhichitta and the wisdom realizing emptiness,
--
dispel discursive thoughts and Focus the mind. A settled mind can distinguish
important issues that need consideration from skeptical, nonsensical thoughts.
1.04 - Feedback and Oscillation, #Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, #Norbert Wiener, #Cybernetics
but to be associated with a pathological Focus somewhere in the
brain stem. It is only one of the diseases of the postural feed-
1.04 - THE APPEARANCE OF ANOMALY - CHALLENGE TO THE SHARED MAP, #Maps of Meaning, #Jordan Peterson, #Psychology
say, than in his role as social revolutionary). Marduk, who faced Tiamat in single combat, is a very Focused
representative of mans mastery over nature. The pattern of action signified by this god that is,
--
enlightenment, clarity and Focus; spirit, opposed to black matter; bright masculinity, opposed to the dark
and unconscious feminine. Light is Marduk, the Babylonian hero, god of the morning and spring day, who
1.04 - The Gods of the Veda, #Vedic and Philological Studies, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
We can now understand the intention of the Rishi in his last verse and the greatness of the climax to which he has been leading us. Saraswati is able to give impulsion to Truth and awaken to right thinking because she has access to the Maho Arnas, the great ocean. On that level of consciousness, we are usually it must be remembered asleep, sushupta. The chetana or waking consciousness has no access; it lies behind our active consciousness, is, as we might say, superconscious, for us, asleep. Saraswati brings it forward into active consciousness by means of the ketu or perceptive intelligence, that essential movement of mind which accepts & realises whatever is presented to it. To Focus this ketu, this essential perception on the higher truth by drawing it away from the haphazard disorder of sensory data is the great aim of Yogic meditation. Saraswati by fixing essential perception on the satyam ritam brihat above makes ideal knowledge active and is able to inform it with all those plentiful movements of mind which she, dhiyavasu, vajebhir vajinivati, has prepared for the service of the Master of the sacrifice. She is able to govern all the movements of understanding without exception in their thousand diverse movements & give them the single impression of truth and right thinkingvisva dhiyo vi rajati. A governed & ordered activity of soul and mind, led by the Truth-illuminated intellect, is the aim of the sacrifice which Madhuchchhanda son of Viswamitra is offering to the Gods.
For we perceive at once that the yajna here can be no material sacrifice, no mere pouring out of the Soma-wine on the sacred flame to the gods of rain & cloud, star & sunshine.
1.04 - The Silent Mind, #Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
Instead of going through Grand Central Station four times a day like someone hounded and forever in a rush, we can walk there consciously, as a seeker. Instead of living haphazardly, dispersed in a multitude of thoughts, which not only lack any excitement but are also as exhausting as a broken record, we can gather the scattered threads of our consciousness and work on ourselves at every moment. Then life begins to become surprisingly exciting, because the least little circumstance becomes an opportunity for victory; we are Focused; we are going somewhere instead of going nowhere.
For yoga is not a way of doing but of being.
1.052 - Yoga Practice - A Series of Positive Steps, #The Study and Practice of Yoga, #Swami Krishnananda, #Yoga
While desire is a bondage when it is caught up in diversity, it is also a means to liberation when it is concentrated. The concentrated desire is exclusively Focused on a chosen ideal; and the freedom of the mind from engagement in any other object than the one that is chosen is the principle of austerity. We limit ourselves to those types of conduct, modes of behaviour and ways of living which are necessary for the fulfilment of our concentration on the single object that has been chosen for the purpose of meditation. We have to carefully sift the various necessities and the needs of our personality in respect of its engagement, or concentration, on this chosen ideal.
This is the psychological background of the practice of self-control. Self-control does not mean mortification of the flesh or harassment of the body. It is the limitation of ones engagements in life to those values and conditions which are necessary for the fulfilment of the chosen ideal and the exclusion of any other factor which is redundant. It is a very difficult thing for the mind to understand, because sometimes we mix up needs with luxuries, and vice versa, and what is merely a means to the pampering of the senses, the body and the mind may look like a necessity or a need. Also, there is a possibility of overstepping the limits of self-restraint which, when indulged in, may completely upset the very intention behind the practice. Diseases may crop up, distractions may get more intensified, and the practice of concentration may become impossible.
1.05 - Christ, A Symbol of the Self, #Aion, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
of a total extinction of the ego, for then the Focus of conscious-
ness would be destroyed, and the result would be complete un-
1.05 - Consciousness, #Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
or everything, depending on which level we Focus our consciousness.
The Individualization of Consciousness We are beginning to have an idea of what consciousness is and to 47
1.05 - Dharana, #Liber ABA, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
1:NOW that we have learnt to observe the mind, so that we know how it works to some extent, and have begun to understand the elements of control, we may try the result of gathering together all the powers of the mind, and attempting to Focus them on a single point.
2:We know that it is fairly easy for the ordinary educated mind to think without much distraction on a subject in which it is much interested. We have the popular phrase, "revolving a thing in the mind"; and as long as the subject is sufficiently complex, as long as thoughts pass freely, there is no great difficulty. So long as a gyroscope is in motion, it remains motionless relatively to its support, and even resists attempts to distract it; when it stops it falls from that position. If the earth ceased to spin round the sun, it would at once fall into the sun.
1.05 - The Activation of Human Energy, #Let Me Explain, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
'Omega Point*. Unless this Focus-point, which gathers
things together and ensures their irreversibility, does in
1.05 - The Ascent of the Sacrifice - The Psychic Being, #The Synthesis Of Yoga, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
This then is the true relation between divine and human knowledge; it is not a separation into disparate fields, sacred and profane, that is the heart of the difference, but the character of the consciousness behind the working. All is human knowledge that proceeds from the ordinary mental consciousness interested in the outside or upper layers of things, in process, in phenomena for their own sake or for the sake of some surface utility or mental or vital satisfaction of Desire or of the Intelligence. But the same activity of knowledge can become part of the Yoga if it proceeds from the spiritual or spiritualising consciousness which seeks and finds in all that it surveys or penetrates the presence of the timeless Eternal and the ways of manifestation of Eternal in Time. It is evident that the need of a concentration indispensable for the transition out of the Ignorance may make it necessary for the seeker to gather together his energies and Focus them only on that which will help the transition and to leave aside or subordinate for the time all that is not directly turned towards the one object. He may find that this or that pursuit of human knowledge with which he was accustomed to deal by the surface power of the mind still brings him, by reason of this tendency or habit, out of the depths to the surface or down from the heights which he has climbed or is nearing, to lower levels. These activities then may have to be intermitted or put aside until secure in a higher consciousness he is able to turn its powers on all the mental fields; then, subjected to that light or taken up into it, they are turned, by the transformation of his consciousness, into a province of the spiritual and divine. All that cannot be so transformed or refuses to be part of a divine consciousness he will abandon without hesitation, but not from any preconceived prejudgment of its emptiness or its incapacity to be an element of the new inner life. There can be no fixed mental test or principle for these things; he will therefore follow no unalterable rule, but accept or repel an activity of the mind according to his feeling, insight or experience until the greater Power and Light are there to turn their unerring scrutiny on all that is below and choose or reject their material out of what the human evolution has prepared for the divine labour.
How precisely or by what stages this progression and change will take place must depend on the form, need and powers of the individual nature. In the spiritual domain the essence is always one, but there is yet an infinite variety and, at any rate in the integral Yoga, the rigidity of a strict and precise mental rule is seldom applicable; for, even when they walk in the same direction, no two natures proceed on exactly the same lines, in the same series of steps or with quite identical stages of their progress. It may yet be said that a logical succession of the states of progress would be very much in this order. First, there is a large turning in which all the natural mental activities proper to the individual nature are taken up or referred to a higher standpoint and dedicated by the soul in us, the psychic being, the priest of the sacrifice, to the divine service; next, there is an attempt at an ascent of the being and a bringing down of the Light and Power proper to some new height of consciousness gained by its upward effort into the whole action of the knowledge. Here there may be a strong concentration on the inward central change of the consciousness and an abandonment of a large part of the outward-going mental life or else its relegation to a small and subordinate place. At different stages it or parts of it may be taken up again from time to time to see how far the new inner psychic and spiritual consciousness can be brought into its movements, but that compulsion of the temperament or the nature which, in human beings, necessitates one kind of activity or another and makes it seem almost an indispensable portion of the existence, will diminish and eventually no attachment will be left, no lower compulsion or driving force felt anywhere. Only the Divine will matter, the Divine alone will be the one need of the whole being; if there is any compulsion to activity it will be not that of implanted desire or of force of Nature, but the luminous driving of some greater Consciousness-Force which is becoming more and more the sole motive power of the whole existence. On the other hand, it is possible at any period of the inner spiritual progress that one may experience an extension rather than a restriction of the' activities; there may be an opening of new capacities of mental creation and new provinces of knowledge by the miraculous touch of the Yoga-shakti. Aesthetic feeling, the power of artistic creation in one field or many fields together, talent or genius of literary expression, a faculty of metaphysical thinking, any power of eye or ear or hand or mind-power may awaken where none was apparent before. The Divine within may throw these latent riches out from the depths in which they were hidden or a Force from above may pour down its energies to equip the instrumental nature for the activity or the creation of which it is meant to be a channel or a builder. But, whatever may be the method or the course of development chosen by the hidden Master of the Yoga, the common culmination of this stage is the growing consciousness of him above as the mover, decider, shaper of all the movements of the mind and all the activities of knowledge.
1.05 - THE HOSTILE BROTHERS - ARCHETYPES OF RESPONSE TO THE UNKNOWN, #Maps of Meaning, #Jordan Peterson, #Psychology
C.G. (1968a). p. 190], a process which might be compared to purposive daydreaming with mood as the Focus can
generate images and fantasies associated with that mood. Participation in this process helps illuminate the structure of
--
maternal attachment in particular, and has Focussed in part on the role of the opiate system, which is also involved in
governing reaction to pain, frustration and disappointment broadly, to punishment (reviewed in Pihl, R. O. &
--
frustrating circumstances serves to Focus the childs attention on the reasons for the disequilibration rather than simply
on the desired goal. [Rychlak, J. (1981). p. 688 see Piaget, J. (1967); Piaget, J. (1962)] and (b) that will arises when
1.06 - Being Human and the Copernican Principle, #Preparing for the Miraculous, #George Van Vrekhem, #Integral Yoga
came the Focus of attention and consternation. For how to
admit that among our ancestors and those of Christ there
--
differently Focused (at least most of them). To them the
big questions led to nothing but confrontational and use
1.06 - Gestalt and Universals, #Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, #Norbert Wiener, #Cybernetics
is in the same part of the visual field of each, and to Focus the
lens so that its outlines are as sharp as possible. These actions
--
a pickup for the centering and Focusing-directing mechanism of
the eye.
--
the slight fluctuations of Focus and point of fixation which are
inevitable in vision do not change the character of the image
--
ter our images around the Focus of attention and reduce them
more or less to outlines. We have now to compare them with
--
which bring it to the Focus of attention, and of other motions
which lead us to see it, now at one distance and now at another,
--
feedbacks and the use of our normal centering, orienting, Focus-
ing, and converging apparatus. There now ensues the problem192
1.06 - The Breaking of the Limits, #On the Way to Supermanhood, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
But, then, what is the attitude that brings the new consciousness, the look that makes a difference? The attitude is simple, we have said: one must first have severed all ties with the machine and live in the expanse behind. We say behind, but to tell the truth we do not know whether there is front, back, top or bottom; it is only a distance from ourselves, the old shadow, a sort of position both above and behind, as if that shadow were only part of a picture among many other things we looked at but who does the looking, where is the Self that looks?... It is indeed a strange self, which is not myself. It feels as if myself were no longer inside the body, hanging in the center of the mental and vital spider web, but as if the body were inside myself, along with many other things. And as the disconnection from the machinery grows more absolute, this self seems even to extend outward, to touch many other points, apparently capable of living in many different places, without any concern for distance, as if it no longer depended on the sense organs and could, perhaps, live innumerably, here or there, depending on where the beam is Focused.... It is an innumerable self.
The basic condition seems therefore to establish that clear little expanse behind, that increasing flow: the medium must be clear, otherwise everything is distorted and there is no look at all, only the same old hodgepodge. But that clarity is only a basic condition for something else: the instrument is being cleansed to be used. And we come back to our question: What sort of look will unearth the new consciousness?... For it is indeed a matter of unearthing: it is here, not millions of miles away in the heavens or in space. It is so close that we do not see it; it seems so much like nothing that we walk right past it, as the ape walked past the river a thousand times without noticing the torrent of energy that could change the world.
1.075 - Self-Control, Study and Devotion to God, #The Study and Practice of Yoga, #Swami Krishnananda, #Yoga
Sattvauddhi saumanasya aikgrye indriyajaya tmadarana yogyatvni ca (II.41) is the sutra of Patanjali which tells us that luminosity lustre of the mind, tranquillity, a serenity of mood, concentration, or the power to Focus the mind, and control over the senses, indriyajaya all these are spontaneously the results of purity, which finally ends in fitness of oneself to receive the light of the Self.
Kya indriya siddhi auddhikayt tapasa (II.43): Austerity purifies the body, purifies the senses, purifies the mind, and endows a person with certain peculiar powers which cannot usually be seen in people. Kya indriya siddhi are the words used. Siddhi is a perfection, an endowment, a power or a capacity, an energy; all these meanings are implied in the term siddhi. These three perfections in respect of the body and the senses arise by the practice of tapas, or austerity. Any attempt which subdues the senses is tapas which, impliedly, involves, of course, the control of the mind, because one depends on the other and one works in connection with the other.
1.07 - A Song of Longing for Tara, the Infallible, #How to Free Your Mind - Tara the Liberator, #Thubten Chodron, #unset
enough. However much they praise me is good enough. I have my own internal sense of well-being. Theres a lot of love inside, and Im going to Focus on
sharing that with others. Training our mind to think like this is real Dharma
--
attention is principally Focused on our mind. We work to develop good qualities and engage in constructive actions. We try to transform our minds and
hearts into the path to enlightenment.
--
we are more Focused. At the end, we dedicate not only our own positive
potential, but everyone elses as well. When we engage in group practice, we
--
Dharma is the Focus of all my energy.
Dharma is true cessations and true paths, the last two Noble Truths.
--
be able to stay Focused and are less likely to be distracted from our spiritual
aspirations.
--
If you feel more attracted to one pure land, Focus your dedications to be
reborn there. Also, at the time of death, if theres a pure land that you have a
--
While we often Focus on whether or not those we trust come through for us,
we need to expand our perspective to examine whether we are trustworthy
1.07 - On Dreams, #Words Of Long Ago, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
In most cases, this activity is even heightened, because, as the body is asleep, the internal faculties are no longer Focused on or used by the physical life.
It is sometimes said that in a mans sleep his true nature is revealed.
--
In this domain, the practice of concentration should therefore Focus both on the special faculty of memory and on the participation of the consciousness in the activities of the sleeping state.
Someone who wishes to recover the memory of a forgotten dream should first of all Focus his attention on the vague impressions which the dream may have left behind it and in this way follow its indistinct trace as far as possible.
This regular exercise will enable him to go further every day towards the obscure retreat of the subconscient where these forgotten phenomena of sleep take refuge, and thus trace out an easily followed path between these two domains of consciousness.
1.07 - Savitri, #Twelve Years With Sri Aurobindo, #Nirodbaran, #Integral Yoga
As far as I remember, we worked on these drafts in the evening for an hour or so after all the correspondence work was over. He would sit in a small straight-backed armchair where the big armchair now stands, and listen to my reading. The work proceeded very slowly to start with, and for a long time, either because he didn't seem to be in a hurry or because there was not much time left after attending to the miscellaneous correspondence I have mentioned elsewhere. Later on, the time was changed to the morning. After the selections had been made from one or two versions of a Book, let us say The Book of Fate, we were occupied with it. Never was any Book, except The Book of Death and The Epilogue, taken intact. He would dictate line after line, and ask me to add selected lines and passages in their proper places, but which were not always kept in their old order. I wonder how he could go on dictating lines of poetry in this way, as if a tap had been turned on and the water flowed, not in a jet, of course, but slowly, very slowly indeed. Passages sometimes had to be reread in order to get the link or sequence, but when the turn came of The Book of Yoga and The Book of Everlasting Day, line after line began to flow from his lips like a smooth and gentle stream and it was on the next day that a revision was done to get the link for further continuation. In the morning he himself would write out new lines on small notebooks called 'bloc' notes which were incorporated in the text. This was more true as regards The Book of Fate. Sometimes there were two or even three versions of a passage. As his sight began to fail, the letters also became gradually indistinct, and I had to decipher and read them all before him. I had a good sight and, more than that, the gift of deciphering his "hieroglyphics", thanks to the preparatory training I had received during my voluminous correspondence with him before the accident. At times when I got stuck he would help me out, but there were occasions when both of us failed. Then he would say, "Give it to me, let me try." Taking a big magnifying glass, he would Focus his eyes but only to exclaim, "No, can't make out!"
When a Book was completed and copied out, it went to Nolini for typing. On the typescript again, fresh lines were added or the order changed. In this respect The Book of Fate gave us a great deal of trouble. Though Sri Aurobindo says in his letter to Amal in 1946 that the Book was almost finished, it was again taken up at the end, and many changes were introduced which contained prophetic hints of his leaving the body very probably after he had taken his decision to do so.
1.081 - The Application of Pratyahara, #The Study and Practice of Yoga, #Swami Krishnananda, #Yoga
Complete pratyahara is not practicable unless an aspect of concentration and meditation is combined with it. The positive side should also be brought into the role of the practice, to some extent at least. Just as in medical treatment, together with the particular prescription for the treatment of the illness we also give a constructive tonic so that there may not be a deleterious effect of the weakness of the system on account of an intensive treatment, likewise we have to be very cautious in dealing with the mind that in withdrawing the mind from objects, we are not merely Focused on the aspect of withdrawing. We are not only emptying the mind and giving nothing else with which to fill it. There can be a parallel filling of the mind with a positive content, together with the emptying of it. Then the painful aspect of it will be mitigated to a large extent. We are not going to merely starve the mind and give it nothing. That would be a very difficult thing to stomach. Together with this starvation and the emptying or vacating of the mind gradually by detaching it from its usual objects of contact, it can also be positively filled with the content of dharana, whose winds will start blowing, gradually, with their own fragrance and solacing message, together with this deeper preceding stage of pratyahara or withdrawal.
With this, the Samadhi Pada of the Yoga Sutras concludes. From the Vibhuti Pada onwards, we are given a passport to enter into the inner realm of yoga, which is concentration, meditation, and communion with the noble, great object of meditation. The Vibhuti Pada begins with dharana, or concentration of mind. Dea bandha cittasya dhra (III.1): The fixing of the attention of the mind on the given object wholeheartedly, spontaneously and entirely is called concentration.
1.083 - Choosing an Object for Concentration, #The Study and Practice of Yoga, #Swami Krishnananda, #Yoga
The mind is constituted, to some extent, in a way similar to the structure of the physical body. That means to say, even as the body is not a compact indivisible whole and is constituted of many, many minute parts, down to the most minute called cells and organisms, and yet the body appears to be a single concrete substance, so is the case with the mind. It is constituted of functions vrittis, as they are called and yet it appears to be a single entity. This singleness of its existence is an appearance, not a substantiality or reality, even as the single concrete presentation of the physical body is only an appearance. It is not there really. The peculiar structure of the mind namely, its internal disparity of character prevents it from Focusing itself wholly on any objective. What is it that prevents the concentration of the mind on any one thing continuously? It is the mind itself. The nature of the mind is averse to the requisitions of concentration. Concentration is the flow of a single vritti, one continuous idea hammering itself upon an object that is presented before it. But the mind is not made up of a single idea. The mind has hundreds and thousands of ideas hidden within it, and it is made up of these ideas, like a cloth is made up of threads. Because of this composite character of the mind, which is made up of fine elements inside in the form of these vrittis, it becomes difficult for it to gather its forces into a single Focus.
The gathering of the forces of the mind into a single Focus becomes difficult because the internal elements, which are the vrittis of the mind, do not agree with each other. The members of the family have independent views. If one member does not agree with another member in the family, we can imagine the nature of the family and the kind of life they live in the house. If at every step a member disagrees with the other, and yet he belongs to the family, there would be a continuous restlessness felt internally in the family. This is what is happening to the mind. It is a restlessness continuously felt inside on account of the disharmonious relationship of the ideas, or the vrittis in the mind, which hanker for different types of satisfaction in respect of different objects which they want to grab on different occasions. That the mind is ordinarily contemplating on a particular object of sense at any given moment of time is not any indication that it will not like other objects.
The particular attention that the mind and the senses pay to a given object at a particular time is an indication of the preponderance of the particular vritti at that particular time in respect of that object, for the sake of fulfilment thereby. But the fulfilment by contact of the senses with the objects is variegated, and it is not of any specific character. The reason why there is an endlessness of desires, and a continuous dissatisfaction felt even in spite of the fulfilment of desires, is due to the presence of infinite urges in the mind which want to press themselves forward in respect of their own objects. But, due to unfavourable conditions, all of them cannot press themselves forward at the same time. Though a hundred people may have a hundred desires in their minds, it may be that every desire cannot be fulfilled at the same time because of the different conditions which contri bute to the fulfilment of these desires, so each desire will raise its head at the appropriate moment. Hence, the mind is filled with these urges and is made up of these urges. How will we bring all these urges together in a compact mass and Focus the whole of them into the direction of the object of meditation?
The very first step is the most difficult step. This requires a very terrible adjustment of ideas. The sadhaka, the seeker, has to work very hard to introduce some sort of an organisation in the midst of the variegated ideas which run hither and thither in disparity just as the head of a family, if he is wise enough, may bring about some sort of an organisation in the family in spite of the fact that the members disagree among themselves, as otherwise there will be only disagreement and no such thing as a family. The very purpose of there being a head of the family is to introduce system into the chaos that would be there otherwise. The aspiration for the realisation of a higher goal acts like the head of a family which brings this disparity of ideas into a Focused attention. It does not mean that the mind is really united in the act of concentration, or dharana. It is still disunited inside; therefore, there is a vast difference between the stage of dharana and the further advanced stages, which are yet to be reached, where there is a complete union of ideas. There is no such complete union in dharana there is still restlessness. But there is a force exerted upon the mind as a whole by the aspiration that is at the background of this effort at concentration.
The fixing of the mind on the point also implies the choosing of the point. What is the point on which we are concentrating? We have the traditional concept of the ishta devata, a term designating the nature of the object of meditation, which gives a clue as to what sort of object it should be. It should be ishta and it should be our devata. Only then we can allow the mind to move towards it entirely. We must worship that object as our god or goddess, our deity, our alter-ego, our centre of affection, our love, our everything; that should be the object. And, it is the dearest conceivable. There is nothing in this world so dear to us as that such a thing is called the ishta devata. What is there in this world which is so dear to us, which we worship as God Himself? Is there anything like that? If there was no such thing as that, it would have to be there; otherwise, the mind will not move towards the object. How can the mind move towards an object which it does not regard as the highest ideal, which it regards as only one among the many? If the idea is that there is a possibility of other objects also, equally valuable as the one here presented, why should not the mind turn to other directions?
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Thus, we have to superimpose, in the beginning, all those blessed qualities which we require to be satisfied in our mind, ordinarily speaking. This is a type of psychological analysis that we are making of the point on which the mind is to be fixed the desa, as the sutra puts it, to which the mind has to be tied. The mind cannot be tied to a point like that easily, unless all this background, or its history, is properly known. From this analysis we also come to the understanding that this point is not merely a dot on the wall, as many people imagine. Rather, it is a symbolic Focusing point, a metaphorical point not a geometrical point which allows all the infinite characteristics of our longings to converge upon one point. It is the point, really speaking, where we find the satisfaction of our desires. Though the desires of the mind are endless, how is it that the mind sometimes rushes forward towards a single object? How does it become possible for the mind to see all perfection in a single object at the time when it runs towards the object? That is because at that particular moment of time, the given object manages to attract towards itself all the values which the mind seeks. That becomes the converging point of all our longings for that particular time only. Afterwards, that object will withdraw itself and some other object will come to the forefront. So unless all our aspirations get Focused at that particular point, it cannot become the point of concentration.
We now conclude that this point is not merely a physical point. It is more a type of conceptual point, or rather the centre of our affection, which cannot find a physical location anywhere. It cannot be seen in this world. Such is the intricacy that is involved in the choosing of the object of meditation itself. This difficulty is a little bit obviated by the assistance that we receive from a Guru at the time of initiation.
1.08 - Independence from the Physical, #Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
We are only prisoners of ourselves; the whole world is waiting at our door, if only we would consent to pull aside the screen of our small constructions. To this capacity for expansion of the consciousness must naturally be added a capacity for concentration, so that the expanded consciousness may silently and quietly Focus on the desired object, and become that object. But concentration and expansion are spontaneous consequences of inner silence. In inner silence, the consciousness sees.
Independence from Illnesses Once we are freed from the tension and constant buzz of the thinking mind, from the tyranny and restlessness and endless demands of the vital mind, from the stupidity and fears of the physical mind, we begin to appreciate what the body is without all these exhausting encumbrances, and we discover that it is a marvelous instrument
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There are all kinds of "elsewheres," as many as there are planes of consciousness, and we can go out at one point or another, depending upon where we have Focused our consciousness (the universal Mind and universal Vital have already been mentioned), but the most immediate elsewhere, the one that borders on our physical world and resembles it except for a greater intensity, is what Sri Aurobindo calls the subtle physical. This knowledge is as ancient as the world and not unique to Sri Aurobindo's yoga, but it is part of our integral development, preparing us for the day when we leave our body for a longer period in what men ignorantly call "death." To make it clearer,
let us listen to a young disciple describe his experience in the subtle physical, when he left his body for the first time: "I was stretched out on my couch, concentrated, when I suddenly found myself at my friend's house; he was playing music with several others. I could see everything quite clearly, even more clearly than in the physical world,
1.094 - Understanding the Structure of Things, #The Study and Practice of Yoga, #Swami Krishnananda, #Yoga
The yoga process here, in this great endeavour known as samyama, attempts to cut at the root of this problem by a direct Focusing of the attention of the mind on the very same thing with which it cannot reconcile itself namely, the object. The name object is given to that with which we cannot reconcile ourselves; otherwise, it will not be an object. It will be like us only it will be a subject. It is something different from us and, therefore, we call it an object. It stands outside us because we cannot cope with its ways of working and the manner of its relationship with other things of a similar nature.
The object that we see with the eyes, for instance, is therefore, on a deeper probe, revealed to be an index of a condition which is cosmical in nature. It is not isolated as it appears. The vast prakriti, being universal in its operations, Focuses itself on a pinpoint in the form of an object of sense. And every object has the background of a universal pressure which prakriti exerts at any given moment of time. This pressure is exerted by prakriti on any object, whatever be the shape of that object. The different characters exhibited by different objects do not in any way mean a difference in the nature of the pressure exerted by prakriti on these objects. It has a uniform pressure communicated to everything and anything, and that pressure is the pattern which prakriti wants to maintain in the form of this manifested universe. That is called the laksana.
As it was mentioned previously, this universe is only one of the forms which prakriti can take. In every kalpa, or age-cycle, the form of the universe changes. Kalpa means a cycle of time beginning with the manifestation of the universe and ending with its dissolution, or pralaya. Between the kalpas is a condition of equipoise called samyavastha which contains the potentialities for creation of the next kalpa. In every kalpa, prakriti takes a particular time-form for the projection of a universe determined by the potentialities existing originally in the condition of equipoise called samyavastha. All schools of thought tell us that the nature of the universe manifested in any particular kalpa is equivalent to the requisite conditions necessary for the fulfilment of the unfulfilled desires of individuals who lay buried, unconscious, at the time of the dissolution of the world prior to this particular manifestation.
1.096 - Powers that Accrue in the Practice, #The Study and Practice of Yoga, #Swami Krishnananda, #Yoga
The character of grasping an object is called grahana. The way in which the eyes see, the ears hear, etc. that manner of the senses operating upon objects is called grahana. Svarupa is the senses themselves, independent of these functions. Apart from the functions that the senses perform, they have a nature of their own. That independent nature of the senses, apart from their activity, is called svarupa. Asmita is the I-principle that controls the operation of the five senses. It is the ego principle which organises the activities of the different senses and Focuses them on a particular object. That means to say, the higher controls the lower, and the higher includes the lower. Ultimately, it is the I-principle that is the reason behind the working of the senses. Thus, if we can grasp the meaning of this ego, the meaning of the senses also is clear. The fourth one is anvaya. That is similar to the fourth aspect in respect of the power of the five elements namely, the operation of the gunas. The three gunas sattva, rajas and tamas of prakriti are the rudimentary principles behind the senses and also the ahamkara tattva, or I-principle. Arthavattva is the purpose of the activity of the senses which is, again, to bring about experience for the purpose of the liberation of the spirit. With these connotations of the activities of the senses, one can concentrate, do samyama on the senses themselves, and the senses come under ones control. Grahaa svarpa asmita anvay arthavattva sayamat indriyajaya (III.48).
Then the sutra, tata manojavitva vikaraabhva pradhnajaya ca (III.49), tells us that the mind becomes powerful and it can carry the body, like a rocket, to any place. That is called manojavitvam: one can fly as fast as the mind flies. Vikranabhava is another perfection that is said to follow. Vikranabhava means the capacity to reach any object, at any distance, and manipulate it in the manner required, according to the wish of the yogi. Again, this is another part of grahsya samapatti, or the power that one gains over the elements.
1.10 - Harmony, #On the Way to Supermanhood, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
From within that silence in him a silence that is not empty, not an absence of noise, not a cold and toneless blank, but the smooth breadth of the open sea, an extreme of sweetness that fills him and needs neither words nor thought nor comprehension: it is instant comprehension, the embracing of everything, the absolute here and now. So what could be missing? the seeker, the newborn to be, begins to see the mental play. First, he sees that those thousands of thoughts, gray or blue or paler, do not actually emanate from any brain. Rather, they float in midair, as it were. They are currents, vibrations, which are translated into thoughts in our heads when we capture them, as waves are translated into music or words or images into our television sets; and everything shifts and moves and whirls at different levels, flows universally over our motley little frontiers: captured in English, German, French; colored yellow, black, or blue depending on the height of our antenna; rhythmic, broken, or scattered into a powdering of microscopic thoughts depending on our level of reception; musical, grating, or discordant depending on our clarity or complication. But the seeker, the listener, does not try to pick up one channel or another, to turn the dials of his machine to capture this or that he is tuned in to the infinite, Focused on a little flame in the center, so sweet and full, free from interference and preference. He needs only one thing: that that flame in him burn and burn, that that flowing pass again and again through his clearing, without words, without mental meaning, and yet full of meaning and of all meaning, as if it were the very source of meaning. And, at times, without his thinking or wanting it, something comes and strikes him: a little vibration, a little note alighting on his still waters and leaving a whole train of waves. And if he leans a little, to see, stretches toward that little eddy (or that slight note, that point calling out, that rip in the expanse of his being), a thought appears, a feeling, an image or a sensation as though there were really no dividing line between one mode of translation and another; there is just something vibrating, a more or less clear rhythm, a more or less pure light being lit in him, a shadow, a heaviness, an uneasiness, sometimes a glittering little rocket, dancing and light as a powdering of sunshine on the sea, an outpouring of tenderness, a fleeting smile and sometimes a great, solemn rhythm that seems to rise from the depths of time, immense, poignant, eternal, which calls up the unique sacred chant of the world. And It flows effortlessly. There is no need to think or want; the only need is to be again, to burn in unison with a single little flame that is like the very fire of the world. And, when necessary, just for a second, a little note comes knocking at his window, and there comes exactly the right thought, the impulse for the required action, the right or left turn that will open up an unexpected trail and a whole chain of answers and new opportunities. The seeker, the fervent one, then intimately understands the invocation of this five or six-thousand-year-old Vedic poet: O Fire, let there be created in us the correct thought that springs from Thee.24
But wrong thoughts, too, are a surprising source of discoveries. As a matter of fact, more and more, he realizes that this kind of distinction is meaningless. What, in the end, is not for our own good? What does not ultimately turn out to be our greater good? The wrong paths are part of the right one and pave a broader way, a larger view of our indivisible estate. The only wrong is not to see; it is the vast grayness of the terra incognita of our limited maps. And we indeed limit our maps. We have attributed those thoughts, feelings, reactions and desires to the little Mississippi flowing through our lands, to the thriving Potomac rivers lined with stone buildings and fortresses and indeed, they have got into the habit of running through those channels, cascading here or there, boiling a little farther below, or disappearing into our marshes. It is a very old habit, going back even before us or the ape, or else a scarcely more recent one going back to our schooldays, our parents or yesterday's newspaper. We have opened paths, and the current follows them it follows them obstinately. But for the demechanized seeker, the meanders and points of entry begin to become more visible. He begins to distinguish various levels in his being, various channeling centers, and when the current passes through the solar plexus or through the throat, the reactions or effects are different. But, mostly, he discovers with surprise that it is one and the same current everywhere, above or below, right or left, and those which we call thought, desire, will or emotion are various infiltrations of the same identical thing, which is neither thought nor desire nor will nor anything of the sort, but a trickle, a drop or a cataract of the same conscious Energy entering here or there, through our little Potomac or muddy Styx, and creating a disaster or a poem, a millipede's quiver, a revolution, a gospel or a vain thought on the boulevard we could almost say at will. It all depends on the quality of our opening and its level. But the fundamental fact is that this is an Energy, in other words, a Power. And thus, very simply, quite simply, we have the all-powerful source of all possible changes in the world. It is as we will it! We can tune in either here or there, create harmony or cacophony; not a single circumstance in the world, not one fateful event, not one so-called ineluctable law, absolutely nothing can prevent us from turning the antenna one way or the other and changing this muddy and disastrous flood into a limpid stream, instantly. We just have to know where we open ourselves. At every moment of the world and every second, in the face of every dreadful circumstance, every prison we have locked ourselves alive in, we can, in one stroke, with a single cry for help, a single burst of prayer, a single true look, a single leap of the little flame inside, topple all our walls and be born again from top to bottom. Everything is possible. Because that Power is the supreme Possibility.
1.10 - The Revolutionary Yogi, #Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
these in turn were mere puppets in the clutch of these forces. When one is habituated to see the things behind, one is no longer prone to be touched by the outward aspects or to expect any remedy from political, institutional or social changes.110 Sri Aurobindo had become aware of these "enormous forces" behind, of the constant infiltration of the supraphysical into the physical. His energies were not Focused on a moral problem violence versus nonviolence which after all would be rather superficial, but on a problem of effectiveness. He saw clearly, again through experience, that in order to cure the world's evil it is first necessary to cure "what is at its roots in man." Nothing can 109
At the risk of incurring the censure of his compatriots (it must be remembered that India had suffered enough under British rule not to be uninterested in the fate of Britain under German attack).
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heightening and widening of the Truth.123 We could say that, inasmuch as it opens upon the beyond, the nirvanic or religious stage in general represents a first stage of evolution that takes us away from a false vision of the world, and that its purpose is essentially educational. But one who is awakened and truly born must prepare for the next evolutionary stage, and leave the religious Focused on the other world for the spiritual Focused on the Totality. Then nothing is excluded,
everything widens. The integral seeker must therefore be on his guard,
11.14 - Our Finest Hour, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 04, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
But may we not pause a little and consider whether that is the only choice, or the best choice the rush for destruction? The whole past construction that now stands against man, against his farther progress, it is agreed, has to be broken down, thrown aside, but in what way? By mere physical force, brute force, by pushing and dashing and ramming from outsidewell, perhaps the thing can be done, but destruction of form is not elimination of the life or spirit behind it. The past still in its present form continues because it maintains its own inner life and spirit. So long as that inner spirit is there you may break one form but another or many others will appear inspired by the same spirit. That is why the French proverb says: "The more it changes, the more it remains the same;"1 For the truth is that destruction is not the aim, not even the destruction of what should be destroyed, the aim is the creation of a new spirit, change of the inner nature. Our attention should be Focussed not on the outward form but on the inner norm. If there is a new norm within and a change of nature, the outer change of form will follow automatically. The old leaves will fall off, the dead branches break away and new leaves and flowers appear with a new sap flowing in. The shell breaks off automatically when the living creature within grows and is mature enough to come out.
On the contrary, the prison need not be altogether a prison, it may be an occasion, an opportunity for the human consciousness to make a break-through to create a new dimension. Here is then our immediate workto conquer inner domains, the inner truths: for all truths are found first within the consciousness, established there before they become facts. So then let us harness our power and prowess, our aspiration and sincerity, all our life energy to the labour of the inner conquest. Let us stop awhile from the temptation and the urge for destruction and turn it round towards a higher inner adventure that of construction. Yes, the truth that we want to see established in the outer world, let us establish it in ourselves, in each one of us, in our consciousness, in our impulses and activities. We always wanted liberty and equality and fraternity in the world at large, the ideal has not been realised because we did not care to realise it in the consciousness and life of each one of us. In the collective life of mankind that truth will alone become a fact which is a fact in the inner existence and consciousness of every human being.
11.15 - Sri Aurobindo, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 04, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The new world has to be based on new foundations. The old world was built from outside with superficial cheap elements that lower Nature offers easily and profusely. It is body's needs, vital hungers assembled and arranged according to a plan supplied by mind's ideas and notions under the directive and compulsion of the ego, the sense or consciousness of one's separate individual existence as against others. The new world will start from the soul, the luminous divine element in man which is one with all and grow from within outward. It is as if the foundations are laid not below, but above the tree of existence would branch out not from below upwards, but from above downward, in the image given by the ancient Rishis of India. The individual will therefore be not primarily a body housing secondaryor as it is sometimes called epiphenomenalmovements such as those of the mind and the vital limited and largely conditioned by it. The individual will primarily be a consciousness, a Focus of energy-consciousness existing and acting in union and communion with all other similar individual foci, for all form one single undivided entity. The body and life and mind are moulded in the substance and rhythm of that sovereign consciousness. The hard egoism or self-centred ness, the gross animality that seem to be the very constitution of the human individual are dissolved into the soul's radiant urges.
The individual can be and is to be fulfilled in and through his soul the presiding consciousness that has at its disposal the mind, the vital and the body as its instruments and means of expression, but which till now, because of an evolutionary necessity of growth and development, acted more as an obstruction or a veil than as an aid or a channel. When in the new consciousness the individual attains its soul-status, in other words, its divinity, then a reshaping and recasting of the lower limbs becomes possible and even inevitable. The soul-status means freedom, harmony, purity, knowledge, power, delight and immortality, absolute and inalienable.
1.11 - Oneness, #Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
Sri Aurobindo was not a man to be satisfied with cosmic dreaming. The au thenticity of the experience and its practical relevance can be immediately verified by a very simple test, which reveals a new mode of knowledge through identity: we know a thing because we are that thing. Consciousness can move to any point of its universal reality, Focus on any being, any event, and know it immediately and intimately, as one knows the beating of one's own heart, because everything now takes place within; nothing is outside or separate anymore. As the Upanishad long ago stated: "When That is known, all is known."155 The first signs of this new consciousness are quite tangible: One begins to feel others too as part of oneself or varied repetitions of oneself, the same self modified by Nature in other bodies. Or, at the least, as living in the larger universal self which is henceforth one's own greater reality. All things in fact begin to change their nature and appearance; one's whole experience of the world is radically different from that of those who are shut up in their personal selves. One begins to know things by a different kind of experience, more direct, not depending on the external mind and the senses. It is not that the possibility of error disappears, for that cannot be so long as mind of any kind is one's instrument for transcribing knowledge, but there is a new, vast and deep way of experiencing,
seeing, knowing, contacting things; and the confines of knowledge can
1.12 - God Departs, #Twelve Years With Sri Aurobindo, #Nirodbaran, #Integral Yoga
The work on Savitri proceeded as usual, but slowed down in pace, especially when we came to a mighty confrontation with the two big Cantos of The Book of Fate. Revision after revision, addition of lines, even punctuations changed so many times! It seemed like a veritable "God's labour" against a rock of resistance. At his time the Press sent up a demand for a new book from him. The Future Poetry was given preference and some passages which were meant to be dovetailed into the text of the chapters were written. But since he wanted to write something on modern poetry and for his works of modern poets were needed, orders were sent to Madras for them while whatever few books were available from our small library were requisitioned. As I read them out, he said, "Mark that passage," or "These lines have a striking image" (once the lines referred to were, I think, from C. Day Lewis' Magnetic Mountain).He himself read out a poem of Eliot's to me I don't remember exactly which, and remarked, "This is fine poetry." In this way we proceeded. Since we had to wait for the arrival of the books, he said, "Let us go back to Savitri." His whole attention seemed to be Focussed on Savitri, but again, the work had to be suspended owing to the pressure of various extraneous demands. They swelled up to such an extent that he was obliged to remark, "I find no more time for my real work." When the path was fairly clear and I was wondering what his next choice would be, he said in a distant voice, "Take up Savitri. I want to finish it soon." This must have been about two months before his departure. The last part of the utterance startled me, though it was said in a subdued tone. I wondered for a moment if I had heard rightly. I looked at him; my bewildered glance met an impassive face. In these twelve years this was the first time I had heard him reckoning with the time factor. An Avatar of poise, patience and equanimity, this was the picture that shone before our eyes whenever we had thought or spoken about him. Hence my wonder. We took up the same two Cantos that had proved so intractable. The work progressed slowly; words, ideas, images seemed to be repeated; the verses themselves appeared to flow with reluctance. Once a punctuation had to be changed four or five times. When the last revision was made and the Cantos were wound up, I said, "It is finished now." An impersonal smile of satisfaction greeted me, and he said, "Ah, it is finished?" How well I remember that flicker of a smile which all of us craved for so long! "What is left now?" was his next query. "The Book of Death and The Epilogue." "Oh, that? We shall see about that later on." That "later on" never came and was not meant to come. Having taken the decision to leave the body, he must have been waiting for the right moment to go, and for reasons known to himself he left the two last-mentioned Books almost as they were. Thus on Savitri was put the seal of incomplete completion about two weeks before the Darshan of November 24th. Other literary works too came to an end.
And significantly The Book of Fate was the last Book to be revised. What I deemed to be minor flaws or unnecessary repetitions, and thought that a further revision would remove them, appeared, after his passing, to be deliberate and prophetic:
1.14 - The Secret, #Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
If psychoanalysis were content to remain within its narrow limits, there would be nothing to fear; it would eventually realize its own limitations, while fulfilling in the meantime a useful social function by treating minor scratches. Unfortunately, psychoanalysis has become for many a kind of new gospel. By its insistent Focus on all our murky possibilities rather than on our divine ones, it has become a powerful instrument of mental corruption. No doubt, in the course of evolution, our "blunders" eventually find their place and purpose; our moral, middle-class self-righteousness certainly had to be shaken, but the method chosen is a dangerous one because it calls up the disease without having the corresponding power to cure it. It tends, says Sri Aurobindo, to make the mind and vital more and not less fundamentally impure than before.
. . . Modern psychology is an infant science, at once rash, fumbling and crude. As in all infant sciences, the universal habit of the human mind to take a partial or local truth, generalize it unduly and try to explain a whole field of Nature in its narrow terms runs riot here. . . . The psychoanalysis [especially] of Freud . . . takes up a certain part, the darkest, the most perilous, the unhealthiest part of the nature, the lower vital subconscious layer,225 isolates some of its most morbid phenomena and attributes to it and them an action out of all proportion to its true role in the nature. . . . To raise it up prematurely or improperly for experience is to risk suffering the conscious parts also with its dark and dirty stuff and thus poisoning the whole vital and even the mental nature. Always therefore one should begin by a positive, not a negative experience, by bringing down something of the divine nature, calm, light, equanimity, purity, divine strength into the parts of the conscious being that have to be changed; only when that has been sufficiently done and there is a firm positive basis, is it safe to raise up the concealed subconscious adverse elements in order to destroy and eliminate them by the strength of the divine calm, light, force and knowledge.
1.15 - The Supramental Consciousness, #Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
probably because of the inadequacy of our language, which Focuses on one point rather than another and hence casts shadows, whereas Sri Aurobindo embraces everything, not out of "tolerance," which is a mental substitute for Oneness, but through an undivided vision that is truly one with each thing, in the heart of each thing. Perhaps this is the Aurobindo called them, with a consciousness that is vision and power.
264
1.18 - The Perils of the Soul, #The Golden Bough, #James George Frazer, #Occultism
was Focusing the instrument, the headman of the village came up and
insisted on peeping under the cloth. Being allowed to do so, he
1.25 - SPIRITUAL EXERCISES, #The Perennial Philosophy, #Aldous Huxley, #Philosophy
But first, by way of preface to the description of these exercises, it should be remarked that all teachers of the art of mental prayer concur in advising their pupils never to use violent efforts of the surface will against the distractions which arise in the mind during periods of recollection. The reason for this has been succinctly stated by Benet of Canfield in his Rule of Perfection. The more a man operates, the more he is and exists. And the more he is and exists, the less of God is and exists within him. Every enhancement of the separate personal self produces a corresponding diminution of that selfs awareness of divine Reality. But any violent reaction of the surface will against distractions automatically enhances the separate, personal self and therefore reduces the individuals chances of coming to the knowledge and love of God. In the process of trying forcibly to abolish our God-eclipsing day-dreams, we merely deepen the darkness of our native ignorance. This being so, we must give up the attempt to fight distractions and find ways either of circumventing them, or of somehow making use of them. For example, if we have already achieved a certain degree of alert passivity in relation to Reality and distractions intervene, we can simply look over the shoulder of the malicious and concupiscent imbecile who stands between us and the object of our simple regard. The distractions now appear in the foreground of consciousness; we take notice of their presence, then, lightly and gently, without any straining of the will, we shift the Focus of attention to Reality which we glimpse, or divine, or (by past experience or an act of faith) merely know about, in the background. In many cases, this effortless shift of attention will cause the distractions to lose their obsessive thereness and, for a time at least, to disappear.
If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Masters presence. And even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back and place it again in Our Lords presence, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well employed.
1951-04-26 - Irrevocable transformation - The divine Shakti - glad submission - Rejection, integral - Consecration - total self-forgetfulness - work, #Questions And Answers 1950-1951, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
One can always try little experiments. I have said that one must use a torch, a strong light; then one must take a round within ones being. If one is very attentive, one can very easily find these ugly corners. Suppose you have a beautiful experience, that suddenly in answer to your aspiration a great light comes; you feel all flooded with joy, force, light, beauty, and have the impression that you are on the point of being transfigured and then, it passes awayit always passes away, doesnt it? especially at the beginningsuddenly, it stops. Then you tell yourself, when you are not vigilant, There, it came and it has gone! Poor me! It came and has gone, it just gave me a taste of the thing and then let me fall. Well, thats foolish. What you should tell yourself is, Look, I was not able to keep it, and why was I not able to keep it? So, you take your torch and go on a round within yourself trying to find a very close relation between the change of consciousness and the movements accompanying the cessation of the experience. And if you are very, very attentive, and make your round very scrupulously, you will find that suddenly some part of the vital or some part of the mind or of the body, something has not kept up, in this sense that mentally, instead of being immobile and attentive, something has begun to ask, Wait a minute, what is this experience? What does it mean?, begun to try to find an explanation (what it calls an understanding). Or maybe in the vital something has begun to enjoy the experience: How pleasant it is, how I would like it to grow, how good if it were constant, how. Or something in the physical has said, Oh! It is a bit hard to endure that, how long am I going to be able to keep it? It is perhaps not as obvious as all this, but it is a wee bit hidden like this, somewhere. You will always find one of these three things or others analogous. Then, it is there the lantern is needed: where is the weak point? where is the egoism? where is the desire? where is that old dirt we do not want any longer? where is that thing which turns back upon itself instead of giving itself, opening itself, losing itself? which turns back upon itself, tries to take advantage of what has happened, wants to appropriate to itself the fruit of the experience? Or rather which is too weak, too hard, too rigid to be able to follow the movement? It is that, you are now on the track, you begin precisely to put the light you have just acquired upon it; it is that you must do, Focus the light upon it, turn it in such a way that the thing cannot resist it.
You wont be able to succeed the very first day but you must do it persistently and little by little or perhaps suddenly one day it will vanish. Then you will find out after a time that you are another person.
1953-06-24, #Questions And Answers 1953, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
So I do not know, I cannot decide without full knowledge of the matter, if you have too much work, unless you bring me all the work you have to do; but I do not believe that you are overburdened with work. I say I do not believe it. Now, I do not assert this because I do not know what all the teachers do. But in any case, if you have much to do, you must learn how to concentrate much, all the more, and when you are doing a thing, to think of that only, and Focus all your energy upon what you do. You gain at least half the time. So if you tell me: I have too much work, I answer: You do not concentrate enough.
(Another child) For a mathematical problem, sometimes the solution comes quickly, sometimes it takes too long.
1957-06-05 - Questions and silence - Methods of meditation, #Questions And Answers 1957-1958, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
What I read at the beginning ought to serve to canalise the thought, to direct and Focus it on a particular problem or a set of ideas or a new possibility of understanding which comes from the passage read; and in fact it is almost like a subject of meditation suggested for the silence which follows the reading.
To speak for the sake of speaking is not at all interesting there are schools for that! Not here.
1958 09 19, #On Thoughts And Aphorisms, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
In a general and almost absolute way, if you truly wish to profit from these readings, as from all of Sri Aurobindos writings, the best method is this: having gathered your consciousness and Focused your attention on what you are reading, you must establish a minimum of mental tranquillity the best thing would be to obtain perfect silence and achieve a state of immobility of the mind, immobility of the brain, I might say, so that the attention becomes as still and immobile as a mirror, like the surface of absolutely still water. Then what one has read passes through the surface and penetrates deep into the being where it is received with a minimum of distortion. Afterwards sometimes long afterwardsit wells up again from the depths and manifests in the brain with its full power of comprehension, not as knowledge acquired from outside, but as a light one carried within.
In this way the faculty of understanding is at its highest, whereas if, while you read, the mind remains agitated and tries to understand at once what it is reading, you lose more than three-quarters of the force, the knowledge and the truth contained in the words. And if you are able to refrain from asking questions until this process of absorption and inner awakening is completed, well, then you will find that you have far fewer questions to ask because you will have a better understanding of what you have read.
1963 03 06, #On Thoughts And Aphorisms, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
He himself used to say that when he was in possession of the supramental power, when he could use it at will and Focus it on a specific point with a definite purpose, it was irrevocable, inevitable: the effect was absolute. That can be called a miracle.
For example, take someone who was sick or in pain; when Sri Aurobindo was in possession of this supramental powerthere was a time when he said that it was completely under his control, that is, he could do what he wanted with it, he could apply it where he liked then he would apply this Will, for example, to some disorder, either physical or vital or, of course, mentalhe would apply this force of greater harmony, of greater order, this supramental force, and Focus it there, and it would act immediately. And it was an order: it created an order, a harmony greater than the natural harmony. That is, if it was a case of healing, for example, the healing would be more perfect and more complete than any obtained by ordinary physical and mental methods.
There were a great many of them. But people are so blind, so embedded in their ordinary consciousness that they always give explanations, they can always give an explanation. Only those who have faith and aspiration and something very pure in themselves, that is, who truly want to know, they were able to perceive it.
1f.lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
possibility of losing our pursuer at this bewildering Focus of large
galleries. There were several of the blind albino penguins in the open
--
of earths peaks and Focus of earths evil; harbourers of nameless
horrors and Archaean secrets; shunned and prayed to by those who feared
1f.lovecraft - Medusas Coil, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
being, a splendid Focus of cosmic forces who has a right to be called
divine if anything on earth has!
1f.lovecraft - Out of the Aeons, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
some obscure influence, were slow in bringing the magnifier into Focus,
but a moment later I realised that the image was less faded than in the
1f.lovecraft - The Battle that Ended the Century, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
supplied to furnish a Focus for the rites. The funeral procession was
headed by a gaily bedecked hearse driven by Malik Taus, the Peacock
1f.lovecraft - The Call of Cthulhu, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
The chief of these outsiders, and in a short time the Focus of interest
for the entire meeting, was a commonplace-looking middle-aged man who
1f.lovecraft - The Challenge from Beyond, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
beam fell and was Focused upon the warm crystal cube. He held it there
closely, for minutes. He snapped it out, then watched.
--
directly upon the cube, Focusing it so far as he could upon its heart.
He sent all his will, all his concentration, along it; Focusing will
and sight upon the disc as he had the light.
--
nebulous manner, and could nowhere be voluntarily Focussed into
definiteness. Gradually, though, visual images began to trickle in
1f.lovecraft - The Crawling Chaos, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
hopelessly out of Focus, but gradually I realised my solitary presence
in a strange and beautiful room lighted by many windows. Of the exact
1f.lovecraft - The Diary of Alonzo Typer, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
age. Rather must that monstrous shape be a Focus for all the evil in
unbounded space, throughout the aeons past and to comeand those
1f.lovecraft - The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
Focussed toward the north; every curve and asterism of the glittering
sky became part of a vast design whose function was to hurry first the
--
subtly emphasised their northward Focus; gathering themselves up as it
were to cast the flying army into the void of the boreal pole, as the
--
it was plain that the Focus of their flight was the onyx castle where
the pale light shone. So close was the great black mountain that its
1f.lovecraft - The Dreams in the Witch House, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
spot on the floor. As the day advanced the Focus of his unseeing eyes
changed position, and by noon he had conquered the impulse to stare at
1f.lovecraft - The Dunwich Horror, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
of optical devices are, fumbled a while; but eventually Focussed the
lenses with Armitages aid. When he did so his cry was less restrained
--
regarding its Focussing and use, they left the telescope with the
frightened group that remained in the road; and as they climbed they
1f.lovecraft - The Festival, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
Focus of crazy alleys at the top of a high hill in the centre of the
town, where perched a great white church. I had seen it from the roads
1f.lovecraft - The Man of Stone, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
bus drew up; but we knew that the latter would probably prove a Focus
for such information. Surely enough, the usual group of idlers was
1f.lovecraft - The Mound, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
high-powered binoculars which Compton had quietly offered me. Focussing
them hastily, I saw at first only a tangle of underbrush on the distant
1f.lovecraft - The Shadow over Innsmouth, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
odour and persistently Focussed ones fancy on death and decay.
Another thing that disturbed me was the absence of a bolt on the door
1f.lovecraft - The Shunned House, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
attention was Focussed. That object was my unclethe venerable Elihu
Whipplewho with blackening and decaying features leered and gibbered
--
apparatus, and Focussed toward that scene of immortal blasphemousness
the strongest ether radiations which mans art can arouse from the
1f.lovecraft - The Thing on the Doorstep, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
from outer spacesome damnable, utterly accursed Focus of unknown and
malign cosmic forces.
1f.lovecraft - The Trap, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
through a region of shadow or blurred Focus where the details of each
scene mingled curiously. All the vistas were distinguished by the
1f.lovecraft - The Whisperer in Darkness, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
strange Focussing of thought upon our world in an effort to
facilitate mental rapport. I would not be surprised if astronomers
--
of a haunted mountainthat Focus of trans-cosmic horror amidst the
lonely green hills and curse-muttering brooks of a spectral rustic
1.lla - Fool, you wont find your way out by praying from a book, #unset, #Anonymous, #Various
English version by Ranjit Hoskote Original Language Kashmiri Fool, you won't find your way out by praying from a book. The perfume on your carcass won't give you a clue. Focus on the Self. That's the best advice you can get. [2579.jpg] -- from I Lalla: The Poems of Lal Ded, Translated by Ranjit Hoskote <
1.lovecraft - Fungi From Yuggoth, #Lovecraft - Poems, #unset, #Zen
Yet all, by some obscurely Focussed force
From brooding gulfs beyond the Zodiac's course,
1.rb - The Flight Of The Duchess, #Browning - Poems, #Robert Browning, #Poetry
Of mucus and Focus from mere use of ceruse:
In short, she grew from scalp to udder
1.sk - Is there anyone in the universe, #unset, #Anonymous, #Various
English version by Lex Hixon Original Language Bengali Is there anyone in the universe, among heavenly or earthly beings, who can understand what Kali is? The systems of all traditions are powerless to describe Her. Is Mother a feminine being or greater than Being itself? Chanting Her transforming Name -- OM KALI OM KALI OM KALI, empowers Lord Shiva, Who is transcendent Knowledge, to drink the negativity of all beings, turning His Throat dark blue. Without Her protection such poison would be deadly, even to the highest Divinity. More than Creator and creation, Mother is sheer Creativity beyond the notion of duality. Universe and Father-God are thrilling glances from Her seductive Eyes. Always pregnant with ecstasy, She gives birth to manifest Being from Her Womb of primal Awareness, nursing it tenderly at Her Breast, then playfully consumes Her Child. The world dissolves instantly upon touching Her white Teeth, attaining the realization of Her brilliant Voidness. The various Divine Forms that manifest throughout history take refuge at Her Lotus Feet. The Essence of Divinity, the Great Ground of Being, lies in ecstatic absorption beneath Her red-soled Feet. Is Mother simply a Goddess? Does She need a male consort to protect or complete Her? The cycle of birth and death bows reverently before Her. Is She simply naked or is She naked Truth? No veil can conceal Her. Her naked radiance slays demons not with weapons but with splendor. If Mother is a conventional wife, why is She dancing fiercely on the breast of Shiva? Her timeless play destroys conventions and conceptions. She is primal purity, Her ecstatic lovers are purity. Purity merges into purity, with no remainder. I am totally inebriated by Her wine of timeless bliss. The wine cup is Her Name -- OM KALI OM KALI OM KALI. Those drunk on ordinary wine assume I am one of them. Not everyone will encounter the dazzling darkness called Goddess Kali. Not everyone can consciously receive the infinite treasure of Her Nature. The foolish mind refuses to perceive and accept that She alone exists. Even the noble Lord Shiva, most enlightened of beings, can barely catch a glimpse of Her flashing crimson Feet. The wealth of world-emperors and the richness of Paradise are but abject poverty to those who meditate on Her. To swim in a single Glance from Her three Cosmic Eyes is to be immersed in an ocean of ecstasy. Not even Shiva, prince of yogis, can Focus upon Her dancing Feet without falling into trance. Yet the worthless lover who sings this mad song aspires to conscious union with Her during waking, dream, and deep sleep. [1146.jpg] -- from Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna, by Lex Hixon
1.wby - An Irish Airman Foresees His Death, #Yeats - Poems, #William Butler Yeats, #Poetry
The Irish airman in this poem is Major Robert Gregory (1881-1918), only child of Yeatss friend Lady Augusta Gregory. He was killed on the Italian front. In elegizing him, Yeats Focuses on the lonely impulse of delight that drove him to enlist in the British Royal Flying Corps and distinguishes his heroic solitude from patriotic duty and other common motivations.
2.01 - Habit 1 Be Proactive, #The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, #Stephen Covey, #unset
So on the third day, we decided to Focus on the proactive question, "What is our response? What are we going to do? How can we exercise initiative in this situation?" In the morning we talked about managing and reducing costs. In the afternoon we discussed increasing market share. We brainstormed both areas, then concentrated on several very practical, very doable things. A new spirit of excitement, hope, and proactive awareness concluded the meetings.
At the every end of the third day, we summarized the results of the conference in a three-part answer to the question, "How's business?"
--
Another excellent way to become more self-aware regarding our own degree of proactivity is to look at where we Focus our time and energy. We each have a wide range of concerns -- our health, our children, problems at work, the national debt, nuclear war. We could separate those from things in which we have no particular mental or emotional involvement by creating a "Circle of Concern.
As we look at those things within our Circle of Concern, it becomes apparent that there are some things over which we have no real control and others that we can do something about. We could identify those concerns in the latter group by circumscribing them within a smaller Circle of Influence.
By determining which of these two circles is the Focus of most of our time and energy, we can discover much about the degree of our proactivity.
Proactive people Focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about. The nature of their energy is positive, enlarging and magnifying, causing their
Circle of Influence to increase.
Reactive people, on the other hand, Focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern. They Focus on the weakness of other people, the problems in the environment, and circumstances over which they have no control. Their Focus results in blaming and accusing attitudes, reactive language, and increased feelings of victimization. The negative energy generated by that Focus, combined with neglect in areas they could do something about, causes their Circle of Influence to shrink.
As long as we are working in our Circle of Concern, we empower the things within it to control us.
--
But those things were in our Circle of Concern. As long as we Focused our efforts on those things, we accomplished nothing, except to increase our own feelings of inadequacy and helplessness and to reinforce our son's dependence.
It was only when we went to work in our Circle of Influence, when we Focused on our own paradigms, that we began to create a positive energy that changed ourselves and eventually influenced our son as well. By working on ourselves instead of worrying about conditions, we were able to influence the conditions.
Because of position, wealth, role, or relationships, there are some circumstances in which a person's
--
This situation reflects on a self-inflicted emotional myopia -- another reactive selfish life-style Focused in the Circle of Concern.
Though they may have to prioritize the use of their influence, proactive people have a Circle of
--
This man Focused on his Circle of Influence. He was treated like a gofer, also. But he would do more than what was expected. He anticipated the president's need. He read with empathy the president's underlying concern, so when he presented information, he also gave his analysis and his recommendations based on that analysis.
As I sat one day with the president in an advisory capacity, he said, "Stephen, I just can't believe what this man has done. He's not only given me the information I requested, but he's provided additional information that's exactly what we needed. He even gave me his analysis of it in terms of my deepest concerns, and a list of his recommendations.
--
So these executives Focused on finding more information, more ammunition, more evidence as to why they weren't responsible.
But this man was proactive toward them, too. Little by little, his Circle of Influence toward them grew also. It continued to expand to the extent that eventually no one made any significant moves in the organization without that man's involvement and approval, including the president. But the president did not feel threatened because this man's strength complemented his strength and compensated for his weaknesses. So he had the strength of two people, a complementary team.
This man's success was not dependent on his circumstances. Many others were in the same situation. It was his chosen response to those circumstances, his Focus on his Circle of Influence, that made the difference.
There are some people who interpret "proactive" to mean pushy, aggressive, or insensitive; but that isn't the case at all. Proactive people aren't pushy. They're smart, they're value driven, they read reality, and they know what's needed.
--
The Circle of Influence is filled with the be's -- I can be more patient, be wise, be loving. It's the character Focus.
Anytime we think the problem is "out there," that thought is the problem. We empower what's out there to control us. The change paradigm is "outside-in" -- what's out there has to change before we can change.
--
Judeo-Christian tradition. It's the story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers at the age of 17. Can you imagine how easy it would have been for him to languish in self-pity as a servant of Potiphar, to Focus on the weaknesses of his brothers and his captors and on all he didn't have?
But Joseph was proactive. He worked on be. And within a short period of time, he was running
--
If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control -myself. I can stop trying to shape up my wife and work on my own weaknesses. I can Focus on being a great marriage partner, a source of unconditional love and support. Hopefully, my wife will feel the power of proactive example and respond in kind. But whether she does or doesn't, the most positive way I can influence my situation is to work on myself, on my being.
There are so many ways to work in the Circle of Influence -- to be a better listener, to be a more loving marriage partner, to be a better student, to be a more cooperative and dedicated employee.
Sometimes the most proactive thing we can do is to be happy, just to genuinely smile. Happiness, like unhappiness, is a proactive choice. There are things, like the weather, that our Circle of Influence will never include. But as proactive people, we can carry our own physical or social weather with us. We can be happy and accept those things that at present we can't control, while we Focus our efforts on the things that we can.
--- The Other End of the Stick
Before we totally shift our life Focus to our Circle of Influence, we need to consider two things in our Circle of Concern that merit deeper thought -- consequences and mistakes.
While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of those actions.
--
We don't have to go through the death camp experience of Frankl to recognize and develop our own proactivity. It is in the ordinary events of every day that we develop the proactive capacity to handle the extraordinary pressures of life. It's how we make and keep commitments, how we handle a traffic jam, how we respond to an irate customer or a disobedient child. It's how we view our problems and where we Focus our energies. It's the language we use.
I would challenge you to test the principle of proactivity for 30 days. Simply try it and see what happens. For 30 days work only in your Circle of Influence. Make small commitments and keep them. Be a light, not a judge. Be a model, not a critic. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
2.01 - THE ADVENT OF LIFE, #The Phenomenon of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
must now Focus our researches if we want to grasp the essence of
its novelty.
2.01 - The Attributes of Omega Point - a Transcendent God, #Let Me Explain, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
death. What is the use of detecting a Focus of any sort in the
van of evolution, if that Focus can and must one day disinte-
grate? To satisfy the ultimate requirements of our action,
2.02 - Evolutionary Creation and the Expectation of a Revelation, #Let Me Explain, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
plain that if this Focus point is to hold firm it presupposes
behind it, and at a deeper level, a transcendent - divine -
2.02 - Habit 2 Begin with the End in Mind, #The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, #Stephen Covey, #unset
Please find a place to read these next few pages where you can be alone and uninterrupted. Clear your mind of everything except what you will read and what I will invite you to do. Don't worry about your schedule, your business, your family, or your friends. Just Focus with me and really open your mind.
In your mind's eye, see yourself going to the funeral parlor or chapel, parking the car, and getting out. As you walk inside the building, you notice the flowers, the soft organ music. You see the faces of friends and family you pass along the way. You feel the shared sorrow of losing, the joy of having known, that radiates from the hearts of the people there.
--
Management is a bottom-line Focus: How can I best accomplish certain things? Leadership deals with the top line: What are the things I want to accomplish? In the words of both Peter Drucker and
Warren Bennis, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.
--
Suppose, for example, that I am highly overreactive to my children. Suppose that whenever they begin to do something I feel is inappropriate, I sense an immediate tensing in the pit of my stomach. I feel defensive walls go up; I prepare for battle. My Focus is not on the long-term growth and understanding but on the short-term behavior. I'm trying to win the battle, not the war.
I pull out my ammunition -- my superior size, my position of authority -- and I yell or intimidate or I threaten or punish. And I win. I stand there, victorious, in the middle of the debris of a shattered relationship while my children are outwardly submissive and inwardly rebellious, suppressing feelings that will come out later in uglier ways.
--
The most effective way I know to Begin with the End in Mind is to develop a personal mission statement or philosophy or creed. It Focuses on what you want to be (character) and to do
(contri butions and achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based
--
It is also here that our Focused efforts achieve the greatest results. As we work within the very center of our Circle of Influence, we expand it. This is highest-leverage PC work, significantly impacting the effectiveness of every aspect of our lives.
Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.
--
Family Centeredness. Another common center is the family. This, too, may seem to be natural and proper. As an area of Focus and deep investment, it provides great opportunities for deep relationships, for loving, for sharing, for much that makes life worthwhile. But as a center, it ironically destroys the very elements necessary to family success.
People who are family-centered get their sense of security or personal worth from the family tradition and culture or the family reputation. Thus, they become vulnerable to any changes in that tradition or culture and to any influences that would affect that reputation.
Family-centered parents do not have the emotional freedom, the power, to raise their children with their ultimate welfare truly in mind. If they derive their own security from the family, their need to be popular with their children may override the importance of a long-term investment in their children's growth and development. Or they may be Focused on the proper and correct behavior of the moment.
Any behavior that they consider improper threatens their security. They become upset, guided by the emotions of the moment, spontaneously reacting to the immediate concern rather than the long-term growth and development of the child. They may overreact and punish out of bad temper. They tend to love their children conditionally, making them emotionally dependent or counterdependent and rebellious.
--
Sometimes there are apparently noble reasons given for making money, such as the desire to take care of one's family. And these things are important. But to Focus on money-making as a center will bring about its own undoing.
Consider again the four life-support factors -- security, guidance, wisdom, and power. Suppose I derive much of my security from my employment or from my income or net worth. Since many factors affect these economic foundations, I become anxious and uneasy, protective and defensive, about anything that may affect them. When my sense of personal worth comes from my net worth, I am vulnerable to anything that will affect that net worth. But work and money, per se, provide no wisdom, no guidance, and only a limited degree of power and security. All it takes to show the limitations of a money center is a crisis in my life or in the life of a loved one.
--
Friend centeredness can also Focus exclusively on one person, taking on some of the dimensions of marriage. The emotional dependence on one individual, the escalating need/conflict spiral, and the resulting negative interactions can grow out of friend centeredness.
And what about putting an enemy at the center of one's life? Most people would never think of it, and probably no one would ever do it consciously. Nevertheless, enemy centering is very common, particularly when there is frequent interaction between people who are in real conflict. When someone feels he has been unjustly dealt with by an emotionally or socially significant person, it is very easy for him to become preoccupied with the injustice and make the other person the center of his life.
--
We are limited, but we can push back the borders of our limitations. An understanding of the principle of our own growth enables us to search out correct principles with the confidence that the more we learn, the more clearly we can Focus the lens through which we see the world. The principles don't change; our understanding of them does.
The wisdom and guidance that accompany Principle-Centered Living come from correct maps, from the way things really are, have been, and will be. Correct maps enable us to clearly see where we want to go and how to get there. We can make our decisions using the correct data that will make their implementation possible and meaningful.
--
If you're self-centered, you'll be Focused on what will do you the most good. Would it be better for you to go out for the evening? Or would it be better for you to make a few points with the boss? How the different options affect you will be your main concern.
As we consider various ways of looking at a single event, is it any wonder that we have "young lady/old lady" perception problems in our interactions with each other? Can you see how fundamentally our centers affect us? Right down to our motivations, our daily decisions, our actions (or, in too many cases, our reactions), our interpretations of events? That's why understanding your own center is so important. And if that center does not empower you as a proactive person, it becomes fundamental to your effectiveness to make the necessary Paradigm Shifts to create a center that will.
--
And finally, you'll feel comfortable about your decision. Whatever you choose to do, you can Focus on it and enjoy it.
As a principle-centered person, you see things differently. And because you see things differently, you think differently, you act differently. Because you have a high degree of security, guidance, wisdom, and power that flows from a solid, unchanging core, you have the foundation of a highly proactive and highly effective life.
--
As we go deeply within ourselves, as we understand and realign our basic paradigms to bring them in harmony with correct principles, we create both an effective, empowering center and a clear lens through which we can see the world. We can then Focus that lens on how we, as unique individuals, relate to that world
Frankl says we detect rather than invent our missions in life. I like that choice of words. I think each of us has an internal monitor or sense, a conscience, that gives us an awareness of our own uniqueness and the singular contri butions that we can make. In Frankl's words, "Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated.
--
The imagination can be used to achieve the fleeting success that comes when a person is Focused on material gain or on "what's in it for me." But I believe the higher use of imagination is in harmony with the use of conscience to transcend self and create a life of contri bution based on unique purpose and on the principles that govern interdependent reality.
--- Identifying Roles and Goals
--
After you identify your various roles, then you can think about the Long Term Goals are plans you make that support the principles described in your Mission Statement. These goals should represent areas you want to Focus on in the near future. Typically, Long Term Goals take longer than a week to complete, but are most specific than the lifetime goals of your Mission Statement.long-term goals you want to accomplish in each of those roles. We're into the right brain again, using imagination, creativity, conscience, and inspiration. If these goals are the extension of a mission statement based on correct principles, they will be vitally different from the goals people normally set. They will be in harmony with correct principles, with natural laws, which gives you greater power to achieve them.
They are not someone else's goals you have absorbed. They are your goals. They reflect your deepest values, your unique talent, your sense of mission. And they grow out of your chosen roles in life.
An effective goal Focuses primarily on results rather than activity. It identifies where you want to be, and, in the process, helps you determine where you are. It gives you important information on how to get there, and it tells you when you have arrived. It unifies your efforts and energy. It gives meaning and purpose to all you do. And it can finally translate itself into daily activities so that you are proactive, you are in charge of your life, you are making happen each day the things that will enable you to fulfill your personal mission statement.
Roles and goals give structure and organized direction to your personal mission. If you don't yet have a personal mission statement, it's a good place to begin. Just identifying the various areas of your life and the two or three important results you feel you should accomplish in each area to move ahead gives you an overall perspective of your life and a sense of direction.
2.02 - THE EXPANSION OF LIFE, #The Phenomenon of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
ipso facto an equally irresistible Focus of diversification.
105
--
by Focussing our attention on the younger and more progressive
branch of the mammals die placentals. 1
2.03 - The Christian Phenomenon and Faith in the Incarnation, #Let Me Explain, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
of God, the Focus of the World).
2. Faith in the divinity of the historical Christ (not only
--
ardent collective Focus of love that has yet appeared in the
world, burns here and now at the heart of God's Church.
2.04 - The Living Church and Christ-Omega, #Let Me Explain, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
fied portion of the world - the Church, the principal Focus-
point at which inter-human affinities come together through
2.05 - Habit 3 Put First Things First, #The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, #Stephen Covey, #unset
Habits 1 and 2 are absolutely essential and prerequisite to Habit 3. You can't become principle-centered without first being aware of and developing your own proactive nature. You can't become principle-centered without first being aware of your paradigms and understanding how to shift them and align them with principles. You can't become principle-centered without a vision of and a Focus on the unique contri bution that is yours to make.
But with that foundation, you can become principle-centered, day-in and day-out, moment-by-moment, by living Habit 3 -- by practicing effective self-management.
--
Organize and execute around priorities. That phrase represents the evolution of three generations of time-management theory, and how to best do it is the Focus of a wide variety of approaches and materials.
Personal management has evolved in a pattern similar to many other areas of human endeavor.
--
The third generation reflects the current time-management field. It adds to those preceding generations the important idea of prioritization, of clarifying values, and of comparing the relative worth of activities based on their relationship to those values. In addition, it Focuses on setting goals -specific long-, intermediate-, and short-term targets toward which time and energy would be directed in harmony with values. It also includes the concept of daily planning, of making a specific plan to accomplish those goals and activities determined to be of greatest worth.
While the third generation has made a significant contri bution, people have begun to realize that
"efficient" scheduling and control of time are often counterproductive. The efficiency Focus creates expectations that clash with the opportunities to develop rich relationships, to meet human needs, and to enjoy spontaneous moments on a daily basis.
As a result, many people have become turned off by time management programs and planners that make them feel too scheduled, too restricted, and they "throw the baby out with the bath water," reverting to first- or second-generation techniques to preserve relationships, to meet human needs, and to enjoy spontaneous moments on a daily basis.
--
Rather than Focusing on things and time, fourth-generation expectations Focus on preserving and enhancing relationships and accomplishing results -- in short, on maintaining the P/PC Balance.
Quadrant II
The essential Focus of the fourth generation of management can be captured in the Time
Management Matrix diagrammed on the next page. Basically, we spend time in one of four ways.
--
As long as you Focus on Quadrant I, it keeps getting bigger and bigger until it dominates you. It's like the pounding surf. A huge problem comes and knocks you down and you're wiped out. You struggle back up only to face another one that knocks you down and slams you to the ground.
Some people are literally beaten up by the problems all day every day. The only relief they have is in escaping to the not important, not urgent activities of Quadrant IV. So when you look at their total matrix, 90 percent of their time is in Quadrant I and most of the remaining 10 percent is in Quadrant IV
--
Quadrant I crises and emergencies that require their immediate attention, but the number is comparatively small. They keep P and PC in balance by Focusing on the important, but not the urgent, high-leverage capacity-building activities of Quadrant II.
With the Time Management Matrix in mind, take a moment now and consider how you answered the questions at the beginning of this chapter. What quadrant do they fit in? Are they important?
--
The effect was dramatic, profound. By Focusing on relationships and results rather than time and methods, the numbers went up, the tenants were thrilled with the results created by new ideas and skills, and the shopping center managers were more effective and satisfied and increased their list of potential tenants and lease revenue based on increased sales by the tenant stores. They were no longer policemen or hovering supervisors. They were problem solvers, helpers.
Whether you are a student at the university, a worker in an assembly line, a homemaker, fashion designer, or president of a company, I believe that if you were to ask what lies in Quadrant II and cultivate the proactivity to go after it, you would find the same results. Your effectiveness would increase dramatically. Your crises and problems would shrink to manageable proportions because you would be thinking ahead, working on the roots, doing the preventive things that keep situations from developing into crises in the first place. In the time management jargon, this is called the Pareto
--
We say "yes" or "no" to things daily, usually many times a day. A center of correct principles and a Focus on our personal mission empowers us with wisdom to make those judgments effectively.
As I work with different groups, I tell them that the essence of effective time and life management is to organize and execute around balanced priorities. Then I ask this question: if you were to fault yourself in one of three areas, which would it be: (1) the inability to prioritize; (2) the inability or desire to organize around those priorities; or (3) the lack of discipline to execute around them, to stay with your priorities and organization?
--
A Quadrant II Focus is a paradigm that grows out of a principle center. If you are centered on your spouse, your money, your friends, your pleasure, or any extrinsic factor, you will keep getting thrown back into Quadrants I and III, reacting to the outside forces your life is centered on. Even if you're centered on yourself, you'll end up in I and II reacting to the impulse of the moment. Your independent will alone cannot effectively discipline you against your center.
In the words of the architectural maxim, form follows function. Likewise, management follows leadership. The way you spend your time is a result of the way you see your time and the way you really see your priorities. If your priorities grow out of a principle center and a personal mission, if they are deeply planted in your heart and in your mind, you will see Quadrant II as a natural, exciting place to invest your time.
--
As I have said, this is where most of the time-management field is today. But this third generation has some critical limitations. First, it limits vision -- daily planning often misses important things that can only be seen from a larger perspective. The very language "daily planning" Focuses on the urgent
-- the "now." While third generation prioritization provides order to activity, it doesn't question the essential importance of the activity in the first place -- it doesn't place the activity in the context of principles, personal mission, roles, and goals. The third-generation value-driven daily planning approach basically prioritizes the Quadrant I and III problems and crises of the day.
In addition, the third generation makes no provision for managing roles in a balanced way. It lacks realism, creating the tendency to over-schedule the day, resulting in frustration and the desire to occasionally throw away the plan and escape to Quadrant IV. And its efficiency, time-management Focus tends to strain relationships rather than build them.
While each of the three generations has recognized the value of some kind of management tool, none has produced a tool that empowers a person to live a principle-centered, Quadrant II life-style.
--
Even the third generation, with its vast array of planners and materials, Focuses primarily on helping people prioritize and plan their Quadrant I and III activities. Though many trainers and consultants recognize the value of Quadrant II activities, the actual planning tools of the third generation do not facilitate organizing and executing around them.
As each generation builds on those that have preceded it, the strengths and some of the tools of each of the first three generations provide elemental material for the fourth. But there is an added need for a new dimension, for the paradigm and the implementation that will empower us to move into
--
The objective of Quadrant II management is to manage our lives effectively -- from a center of sound principles, for a knowledge of our personal mission, with a Focus on the important as well as the urgent, and within the framework of maintaining a balance between increasing our Production and increasing our Production Capability
This is, admittedly, an ambitious objective for people caught in the thick of thin things in Quadrants
--
Quadrant II Focus:. You need a tool that encourages you, motivates you, actually helps you spend the time you need in Quadrant II, so that you're dealing with prevention rather than prioritizing crises.
In my opinion, the best way to do this is to organize your life on a weekly basis. You can still adapt and prioritize on a daily basis, but the fundamental thrust is organizing the week.
--
There seems to be implicit cultural recognition of the week as a single, complete unit of time. Business, education, and many other facets of society operate within the framework of the week, designating certain days for Focused investment and others for relaxation or inspiration. The basic Judeo-Christian ethic honors the Sabbath, the one day out of every seven set aside for uplifting purposes.
Most people think in terms of weeks. But most third-generation planning tools Focus on daily planning. While they may help you prioritize your activities, they basically only help you organize crises and busywork. The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. And this can best be done in the context of the week.
A "People" Dimension: You also need a tool that deals with people, not just schedules. While you can think in terms of efficiency in dealing with time, a principle-centered person thinks in terms of effectiveness in dealing with people. There are times when principle-centered Quadrant II living requires the subordination of schedules to people. Your tool needs to reflect that value, to facilitate implementation rather than create guilt when a schedule is not followed.
--
They are obviously on a continuum, and some important activities are more important than others. In the context of weekly organizing, third-generation prioritization gives order to daily Focus.
But trying to prioritize activities before you even know how they relate to your sense of personal mission and how they fit into the balance of your life is not effective. You may be prioritizing and accomplishing things you don't want or need to be doing at all.
--
Quadrant II manager and planning your days as an individual centered on something else? Can you begin to sense the tremendous difference the Quadrant II Focus would make in your current level of effectiveness?
Having experienced the power of principle-centered Quadrant II organizing in my own life and having seen it transform the lives of hundreds of other people, I am persuaded it makes a difference -- a quantum positive difference. And the more completely weekly goals are tied into a wider framework of correct principles and into a personal mission statement, the greater the increase in effectiveness will be.
--
The practical thread running through all five of these advances is a primary Focus on relationships and results and a secondary Focus on time.
Delegation:
--
4. But because we are Focusing here on principles of personal management, and the ability to delegate to others is the main difference between the role of manager and independent producer, I am approaching delegation from the standpoint of your personal managerial skills.
A producer does whatever is necessary to accomplish desired results, to get the golden eggs. A parent who washes the dishes, an architect who draws up blueprints, or a secretary who types correspondence is a producer.
--
They are the producers. They roll up their sleeves and get the job done. If they are given a position of supervision or management, they still think like producers. They don't know how to set up a full delegation so that another person is committed to achieve results. Because they are Focused on
methods, they become responsible for the results.
--
Stewardship delegation is Focused on results instead of methods. It gives people a choice of method and makes them responsible for results. It takes more time in the beginning, but it's time well invested. You can move the fulcrum over, you can increase your leverage, through stewardship delegation.
Stewardship delegation involves clear, up-front mutual understanding and commitment regarding expectations in five areas.
Desired Results: Create a clear, mutual understanding of what needs to be accomplished, Focusing on what, not how; results, not methods. Spend time. Be patient. Visualize the desired result.
Have the person see it, describe it, make out a quality statement of what the results will look like, and by when they will be accomplished.
--
I am convinced that if stewardship delegation is done correctly, both parties will benefit and ultimately much more work will get done in much less time. I believe that a family that is well organized, whose time has been spent effectively delegating on a one-to-one basis, can organize the work so that everyone can do everything in about an hour a day. But that takes the internal capacity to want to manage, not just produce. The Focus is on effectiveness, not efficiency.
Certainly you can pick up that room better than a child, but the key is that you want to empower the child to do it. It takes time. You have to get involved in the training and development. It takes time, but how valuable that time is downstream! It saves you so much in the long run.
2.09 - Meditation, #Words Of The Mother II, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Keep your thought Focussed upon it in a concentrated way.
And when no subject is given, is it enough to concentrate on your Presence in the heart-centre? Should we avoid a formulated prayer?
2.14 - The Unpacking of God, #Sex Ecology Spirituality, #Ken Wilber, #Philosophy
To remain arguing about the exteriors is to effectively seal out the interior and thus the superior. Focusing on the exterior world being holistic thus misses the central transformative occasion.
Long ago Nagarjuna devastated such approaches, pointing out that holistic or atomistic, or both or neither, are all beside the point (and, he added, they're all false anyway). It is the radical deconstruction of all conceptualizations whatsoever that paves the way for pure intuition (prajna) of Shunyata (Emptiness or Openness). If we meet even the Buddha and are supposed to kill him, guess how holism will fare.
--
This approach, then, Focuses almost exclusively on Dharma, or the objective Truth, and not enough on Buddha (subjective) and Sangha (intersubjective), or how that Truth refracts as well through the psychological and cultural domains (how that Spirit manifests as all four quadrants of the Kosmos). And when objective truth is made the "total truth"-when it is really thought to be "utterly holistic" and "all-encompassing"-then Buddha and Sangha are violently reduced to flatl and objectivist terms, and an approach that originally wishes us to transcend and include, ends up being a merely and purely Descended worldview that effectively blocks transcendence altogether.
My point is that less-than-skillful interpretations of otherwise genuine Spiritual intuitions do not facilitate the birthing of further intuitions, and thus a special care and thoroughness is required in the unpacking of this Gift of
--
And about these interior transformations, and all the intricate psychological changes necessary in order to effect them, the Eco camps have virtually nothing to say. They are so Focused on exterior, monological, reflective "paradigms" that their understanding of interior dynamics and development is incredibly anemic; thus they are contri buting little to the real changes that have to occur in order to "save Gaia."
Hence, the only "transformation" most ecophilosophers talk about is having everybody change their objective and monological views of reality and accept a "web-of-life" conception, as if that would effect a genuine interior transformation. But not only is the web-of-life ontology regressive (its end limit is always biocentric feeling in divine egoism), but, more tellingly-and this is the only point I would like to emphasize-even if the web-of-life ontology were absolutely true, nonetheless change in objective belief is not the primary driving force of interior development.
--
This is most naive, and belies the inadequacy of attempting to change people by altering the object instead of growing the subject. Focusing merely on monological and objective and exterior and scientific terms-no matter how utterly true-beyond a certain point simply detracts away from the fundamental problem, hides the fundamental problem, which is not exterior pollution but interior development.10
Everywhere the paradox of damage: absolutizing the biosphere contri butes inexorably to its destruction.
2.19 - Out of the Sevenfold Ignorance towards the Sevenfold Knowledge, #The Life Divine, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
But this limitation of our temporal consciousness is intimately dependent upon the preoccupation of our mentality with the material plane and life in which it is at present acting; the limitation is not a law of the spirit but a temporary provision for an intended first working of our manifested nature. If the preoccupation is relaxed or put aside, an extension of the mind effected, an opening into the subliminal and superconscient, into the inner and higher being created, it is possible to realise our persistent existence in time as well as our eternal existence beyond it. This is essential if we are to get our self-knowledge into the right Focus; for at present our whole consciousness and action are vitiated by an error of spiritual perspective which prevents us from seeing in right proportion and relation the nature, purpose and conditions of our being. A belief in immortality is made so vital a point in most religions because it is a self-evident necessity if we are to rise above the identity with the body and its preoccupation with the material level.
But a belief is not sufficient to alter radically this mistake of perspective: the true self-knowledge of our being in time can come to us only when we live in the consciousness of our immortality; we have to awaken to a concrete sense of our perpetual being in Time and of our timeless existence.
2.3.01 - Aspiration and Surrender to the Mother, #The Mother With Letters On The Mother, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
In these moods the thoughts that assail you are so much out of Focus! The essence of surrender is not to ask the Mother before doing anything - but to accept whole-heartedly the influence and the guidance, when the joy and peace come down to accept them without question or cavil and let them grow, when the
144
2.3.07 - The Mother in Visions, Dreams and Experiences, #The Mother With Letters On The Mother, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
I could see her smiling. Then the Focus of the light was thrown by her on my face and what happened afterwards I did not remember.
The significance is plain - it refers to the difficulty in seeing
2.3.1 - Ego and Its Forms, #Letters On Yoga IV, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
This is a very common disease with the sadhaksmaking comparisons with feelings of jealousy and envyin some it leads to revolt and self-assertion, in others to self-depreciation and depression. Naturally, these feelings are quite out of place and the judgments created are out of Focus. Each sadhak has his own movement, his own relation with the Divine, his own place in the work or the general sadhana and to compare with others immediately brings in a wrong standard. It is on the truth of his own inner movement that he has to take his baseswadharma.
***
30.01 - World-Literature, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 07, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
We say, "No." Intellect may anoint the body of literature with a kind of sattwicquality, poise and grace; it may even make it rich with a diversity of manner and theme, yet this sattwicquality, this largeness and elevation, often lack what may be called depth and substance. Here we may get something of the rich smiling surface of the ocean, but not the real vastness, the infinity of the cosmic creation, its immeasurability. The literature which is formed with the help of thought and mental discernment, brain-power and intellectual skill may be, as we have already said, classical, it is not classic - it is not world-literature;it cannot Focus and show the universal Muse, the figure of the cosmic beauty. It may at best give the frame-work of world-literature and never the inner lan vital,the secret soul of world literature. For the sole function of intellect is to place a thing in a systematic form and not to discover or reveal anything. Intellect and intelligence play with the materials touched by the senses and concretely felt by the heart. So, in the action of intellect, there is always a sense of division, want and deficiency - elements that are inherent in the gross senses and emotions upon which the intellect is based after all. In fact, the very function of the intellect is to see things divided and separated. It sees and understands the universe by analysing it, dissecting it. It fails to see the whole thing all at once, that is to say, simultaneously. It can never grasp the whole in a vast unity. Discerning intellect is, as the Upanishad says, a golden cover on the face of Truth, it cannot reveal the Truth in its reality, what it shows is a mere similitude or semblance of the Truth, its external grandeur, a remote expression of the Truth, and its divided and scattered rays. We can, of course, with the aid of intelligence form a workable acquaintance with the world. But that is not a true union. Based upon that ground alone classicism may easily become a store-house of lucid and decorative words and moral lessons, but it would find it extremely difficult to bring out the secret of things, the profound oneness with the universe. It is a very superficial judgment to say that the influence of the intellectual faculty, the power of quiet intelligence, is what made the Greek, Latin, Sanskrit literatures classics. A deeper light and power dwelling behind this intellectual faculty is the source of the glory of the ancient classics; the intellectual faculty is only an outer robe of that inner spirit.
The Body, the Life and the Mind are only eternals. What is exclusively physical, vital or mental is mainly a field of difference, for it is a field of the finite. The Soul alone is the inner reality. And nothing but the Soul is the centre of the universe. The diversity and manifold particularities in the creation have their oneness and a vast and concrete harmony in the Soul. And if we realise this Soul we can easily and without fail embrace the universe. When That is known everything is known. In other words, not the gross perception of the senses, nor the impulse of emotions nor even the dexterity of thought but a divine vision or revelation is needed to create world-literature. This literature is neither realistic nor romantic nor even classical; it is revelatory. A particular thing when seen through revelation or divine vision no longer remains partial; it becomes integral, no more particular but universal. Time, place and subject become then embodiments of the Law of the Infinite, of the Rhythm of the all-encompassing Self, for it is only revelation, direct vision that can give the quintessence of all truths, the profoundest beauty of all the beauties.
30.08 - Poetry and Mantra, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 07, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Let us now Focus our attention on something else. When we study the Gita or the Upanishads or the Vedas, the idea never flashes across our mind that we are reading poetry; our consciousness enjoys a delight which surpasses that of poetry. Here is a clear proof. When we speak of genuine poetry, we hardly think of the Veda-Upanishad-Gita. To serve our purpose we immediately resort to the works of Valmiki, Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti. Yet, as a matter of fact, the Gita, the Upanishads and the Vedas can easily stand on the same footing with the greatest poetry. However natural or mundane may be the delight in poetic creation, it can never surpass the poetic greatness of the mantra. Neither the ancient poet Valmiki nor even Homer or Shakespeare are an exception. It is said that "the highest art is to conceal art". The famous poets of to-day cannot so easily conceal themselves in their poetic creation as did the poets of the Veda-Upanishad-Gita. When the Upanishad says,
"This is the highest Refuge, the Refuge supreme,
30.18 - Boris Pasternak, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 07, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
But behind this conception of the universal life, declaring that "there is no other thing here on earth", there enters a duality with its inner conflict. For individual freedom is the second note of Pasternak's life-principle. No doubt, the whole creation is indivisible, yet it is a close-knit unity in manifold diversity. Seeing in this light, when we Focus our attention on the individuality of man we come face to face with quite a different picture. Individuality means not only struggle but a veil of darkness as well - the ugly play of all the hungers and passions. Life becomes a chalice of poison. The individual is condemned to dash himself in vain against the collective solidarity of which he is a part. And thereupon we begin to perceive that the peace, the unity, the supreme identity Pasternak has realised do not belong to the land of the mortals. Even if there is anything in his realisation that belongs to this earth, then it must have penetrated it, passed through and gone far beyond to reveal something of another world. This world as a result turns into a great illusion; and then when one can look upon it as such - wonderful to say - it assumes the beauty of a mirage! This beauty therefore can last as long as the world is taken as a whole. But in an individual life the illusion presents an aweful sight. In spite of a unity in the creation the individual life is a bundle of sorrows and tragedies of which Christ, his Lord, is the very embodiment.
"What do you want to know of the creation which is under the octopus of time and subject to death?" queries the poet.
3.01 - THE BIRTH OF THOUGHT, #The Phenomenon of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
surround it. We are not dealing with an immutably fixed Focus
but with a vortex which grows deeper as it sucks up the fluid
--
reflection ; not a ' Focus ' but a ' front ' of evolution.
Though not disputing the value and the scientific probabilities
3.03 - SULPHUR, #Mysterium Coniunctionis, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
[134] Because of the singular role it plays in alchemy, sulphur deserves to be examined rather more closely. The first point of interest, which we have already touched on, is its relation to Sol: it was called the prima materia of Sol, Sol being naturally understood as the gold. As a matter of fact, sulphur was sometimes identified with gold.73 Sol therefore derives from sulphur. The close connection between them explains the view that sulphur was the companion of Luna.74 When the gold (Sol) and his bride (Luna) are united, the coagulating sulphur, which in the corporal gold was turned outwards [extroversion], is turned inwards (i.e., introverted).75 This remark indicates the psychic double nature of sulphur (sulphur duplex); there is a red and a white sulphur, the white being the active substance of the moon, the red that of the sun.76 The specific virtue of sulphur is said to be greater in the red variety.77 But its duplicity also has another meaning: on the one hand it is the prima materia, and in this form it is burning and corrosive (adurens), and hostile to the matter of the stone; on the other hand, when cleansed of all impurities, it is the matter of our stone.78 Altogether, sulphur is one of the innumerable synonyms for the prima materia79 in its dual aspect, i.e., as both the initial material and the end-product. At the beginning it is crude or common sulphur, at the end it is a sublimation product of the process.80 Its fiery nature is unanimously stressed,81 though this fieriness does not consist merely in its combustibility but in its occult fiery nature. As always, an allusion to occult qualities means that the material in question was the Focus of projections which lent it a numinous significance.
[135] In keeping with its dual nature sulphur is on the one hand corporal and earthly,82 and on the other an occult, spiritual principle. As an earthly substance it comes from the fatness of the earth,83 by which was meant the radical moisture as prima materia. Occasionally it is called cinis extractus a cinere (ash extracted from ash).84 Ash is an inclusive term for the scoriae left over from burning, the substance that remains belowa strong reminder of the chthonic nature of sulphur. The red variety is thought of as masculine,85 and under this aspect it represents the gold or Sol.86 As a chthonic being it has close affinities with the dragon, which is called our secret sulphur.87 In that form it is also the aqua divina, symbolized by the uroboros.88 These analogies often make it difficult to distinguish between sulphur and Mercurius, since the same thing is said of both. This is our natural, most sure fire, our Mercurius, our sulphur, says the Tractatus aureus de lapide.89 In the Turba quicksilver is a fiery body that behaves in exactly the same way as sulphur.90 For Paracelsus sulphur, together with Sal (salt), is the begetter of Mercurius, who is born of the sun and moon.91 Or it is found in the depths of the nature of Mercurius,92 or it is of the nature of Mercurius,93 or sulphur and Mercurius are brother and sister.94 Sulphur is credited with Mercurius power to dissolve, kill, and bring metals to life.95
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[146] The contrast is even sharper in the Naassene picture of the Redeemer, as reported by Hippolytus:162 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.163 This is the wonder of wonders. For who, saith he [the Naassene], is this King of glory? A worm and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people;164 this same is the King, and mighty in battle. But the battle, say the Naassenes, refers to the warring elements in the body. This association of the passage from the Psalms with the idea of conflict is no accident, for psychological experience shows that the symbols of the self appear in dreams and in active imagination at moments of violent collision between two opposite points of view, as compensatory attempts to mitigate the conflict and make enemies friends. Therefore the lapis, which is born of the dragon, is extolled as a saviour and mediator since it represents the equivalent of a redeemer sprung from the unconscious. The Christ-lapis parallel vacillates between mere analogy and far-reaching identity, but in general it is not thought out to its logical conclusion, so that the dual Focus remains. This is not surprising since even today most of us have not got round to understanding Christ as the psychic reality of an archetype, regardless of his historicity. I do not doubt the historical reality of Jesus of Nazareth, but the figure of the Son of Man and of Christ the Redeemer has archetypal antecedents. It is these that form the basis of the alchemical analogies.
[147] As investigators of nature the alchemists showed their Christian attitude by their pistis in the object of their science, and it was not their fault if in many cases the psyche proved stronger than the chemical substance and its well-guarded secrets by distorting the results. It was only the acuter powers of observation in modern man which showed that weighing and measuring provided the key to the locked doors of chemical combination, after the intuition of the alchemists had stressed for centuries the importance of measure, number, and weight.165 The prime and most immediate experience of matter was that it is animated, which for medieval man was self-evident; indeed every Mass, every rite of the Church, and the miraculous effect of relics all demonstrated for him this natural and obvious fact. The French Enlightenment and the shattering of the metaphysical view of the world were needed before a scientist like Lavoisier had the courage finally to reach out for the scales. To begin with, however, the alchemists were fascinated by the soul of matter, which, unknown to them, it had received from the human psyche by way of projection. For all their intensive preoccupation with matter as a concrete fact they followed this psychic trail, which was to lead them into a region that, to our way of thinking, had not the remotest connection with chemistry. Their mental labours consisted in a predominantly intuitive apprehension of psychic facts, the intellect playing only the modest role of a famulus. The results of this curious method of research proved, however, to be beyond the grasp of any psychology for several centuries. If one does not understand a person, one tends to regard him as a fool. The misfortune of the alchemists was that they themselves did not know what they were talking about. Nevertheless, we possess witnesses enough to the high esteem in which they held their science and to the wonderment which the mystery of matter instilled into them. For they discoveredto keep to sulphur as our examplein this substance, which was one of the customary attri butes of hell and the devil, as well as in the poisonous, crafty, and treacherous Mercurius, an analogy with the most sacrosanct figure of their religion. They therefore imbued this arcanum with symbols intended to characterize its malicious, dangerous, and uncanny nature, choosing precisely those which in the positive sense were used for Christ in the patristic literature. These were the snake, the lion, the eagle, fire, cloud, shadow, fish, stone, the unicorn and the rhinoceros, the dragon, the night-raven, the man encompassed by a woman, the hen, water, and many others. This strange usage is explained by the fact that the majority of the patristic allegories have in addition to their positive meaning a negative one. Thus in St. Eucherius166 the rapacious wolf in its good part signifies the apostle Paul, but in its bad part the devil.
3.03 - THE MODERN EARTH, #The Phenomenon of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
roundly. But the Focus of the spheres was badly placed. By
its situation it incurably paralysed the elasticity of the system.
--
narrowly limited round a single Focus ; on the other ' mass
mutations ' in which whole blocks of mankind are swept along as
3.09 - The Return of the Soul, #The Practice of Psycho therapy, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
16his main interest is Focussed on the unconscious itself and not at all on the
powers of discrimination and formulation which mark the concise
31.04 - Sri Ramakrishna, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 07, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Perhaps we have a mission in the world, but before that we have to realise God. He alone has the right to act, and his deeds alone achieve fulfilment, who has been chosen and authorised by God. The spiritual practice of Sri Ramakrishna laid great stress on Yogic trance.It signifies that the outer mind should be withdrawn from all sense-attraction, not going out in all directions but Focussed on the pure spiritual truth, like an arrow shot into its target.
What absurd ideas do we not cherish in the name of spirituality? Firstly, according to the common notion a spiritual figure, a Yogi, a sadhu is he who is endowed with some miraculous powers - as for instance, walking over water, flying in the sky, living without food or eating an enormous quantity, healing diseases at a puff of breath, telling the ins and outs of a man at sight or at the mere mention of his name. Any accomplishment of this kind commands our humble devotion. The eightfold occult powers are considered the very acme of spirituality. In Europe too the measure and the proof of a saint lie in miracles. Sri Ramakrishna's advent demonstrated the simple truth that miracles have nothing to do with spirituality; performing miracles. becomes rather an obstacle to spirituality, and it is a proof of the want of true spirituality. Such powers lead the aspirants astray from the straight path into blind alleys. The measure of spirituality is not the display of occult power but the attainment of discrimination, dispassion, devotion and love of God and such other well-known but eternal qualities.
3.12 - Of the Bloody Sacrifice, #Liber ABA, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
Henry Bibby comes to mind) who have made him a Focus for their delusions. The
final sentence of this chapter is indication enough that it needs to be read with
32.07 - The God of the Scientist, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 07, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
From the standpoint of norms and. ultimate values that science brings forward, reasoning does not occupy the most important place. Science presumes to arrive at a logical conclusion from observation of facts of Nature. The advantages and benefits that we get from science are its material side. But there is another aspect of the scientific intellect which is incorporated into it as its fragrance and beauty, like that of a fruit or flower. What is that thing? Different scientists have expressed it in different ways. But all expressions centre round the same truth. Science avowedly seeks to arrive at the truth within the framework of reasoning by weighing and measuring the material limbs of Nature, confining itself strictly within the four corners of material Nature. But the one thing which, if not manifest even at the outset, has gradually blossomed and taken hold of the scientist, that has from the beginning existed as a hidden inspiration behind the veil, is the sense of a profound mystery, the touch of an infinite eternity, something inexpressible, something to be wondered at, an unmanifest that cannot be defined yet can be felt, a glimpse of a conscious existence: that has been called the supreme unity by some; others have called it the Pure Reason, yet others have called it the highest law or dispensation while there are people who prefer to call it consciousness or awareness. Such a sense and perception and. experience does not fall under the strict field of scientific research, but the scientist is surrounded, as it were, by a subtle atmosphere, a halo wherefrom proceeds his inspiration for research, for clues, for the vision of truth. Do we not see that all great scientists possess this turn of temperament, an opening, as it were, into other subtle realms? Perhaps many are merely compilers, cataloguers, but those who have discovered something genuine and have been able to unveil some secrets of Nature emanate the fragrance and radiance I speak of, beyond the reasoning faculty. When Kepler looked at the sky through his telescope to observe the course of the stars and the planets, he was deeply absorbed in the experience of something vast, infinite, strange and mysterious. Was it not then at this golden moment that it flashed like lightning through his mind that the orbits of the planets were elliptical and the Sun is at one Focus of these apparent ellipses? Is not this incident as strikingly wonderful as the discovery of the law of gravitation made by Newton when he noticed an apple fall to the ground?
In fact, it is merely a notion or a mental complex that the scientific knowledge is solely or chiefly the outcome of the reasoning process. Many of the scientists are perhaps of the opinion that it must be so, but the fact is otherwise. Discovery means the removal of a veil and that too all on a sudden. Reasoning steps in later to establish the discovery on a firm footing, at the most it makes slight alterations here and there, adds or subtracts a few necessaries, clarifies the discovery and gives precision to it. In the matter of all true knowledge and ultimate certitude the inner perception and intuition come first and what provides the major premiss to the logical syllogism is beyond reasoning.
3-5 Full Circle, #unset, #Anonymous, #Various
Although the present model relies heavily on intuitive judgements, it provides an operational basis for identifying the strategic variables and a means of organizing relevant information once it, or an estimate of it, is available. Research is being designed to Focus a figurative magnifying glass and mental radar screen on each subjective value involved so as to measure it more carefully and/or to seek combinations of objective sub-variables which will yield more practical results. Value engineering principles are being combined with cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses in an effort to determine more clearly what types of educational inputs are producing the desired educational outputs. As experimental progress continues to be made along these lines, the expectation is that more reliance can be placed on objective, measurable, demonstrable factors.6
Translating Etbnic Bi-Lingualism Into Scientific Pan-
--
The profound difference between these two groups--between what Sonnemann calls legitimate and illegitimate specialisms--will shortly be diagrammed. "No wrong attaches to any specialization, any concentration on a particular subject matter, or realm of subject matters," he points out, "which, in setting its method of analytic attack, closely follows the given structure of the subject. If the subject happens to be a whole [system], such as the whole subject matter of entomology, or of its self articulated subdivisions [which is ecology], the wholeness of the subject implies at once the universality of good order constituent of nature throughout, and a distinct separateness from other subject matters of nature: a separateness which, in favoring the concentration of the scientists' Focus upon it, legitimizes, at the same time, its specialistic restriction.
"It is different," he points out, "for such subject matters of one science as are inseparable from other subject matters lying within a different science which in actuality form one [system] with them. Specialistic narrowing of Focus here cannot but fail to perceive the order of the whole and cannot help replacing what it misses by a mechanical order which it imposes on the subject by means of procedure." He then goes on to point out:
Bergson has already stated the [illegitimate] specialist's inclination to conceive of his subject matter in terms of his method rather than the other way around. [But] he had not pointed out in any detail . . . the various slights of hand [read unconscious mistakes) which turn abstractions from processes into factorial [empirical] entities assumed to partake in the process as such. . . Where the statistical method is used, not for its legitimate end of clarifying the structure of large bodies of relevant data but of predicting the structure of human events to come, [illegitimate] specialistic attitudes are characterized by an inclination to reduce events to mere occurrences, Focusing on their comparative numbers without questioning the basis of comparison used, remaining blind to the specific event-nature of each, and never inquiring into those elemental processes behind them-revelation of which would invalidate the cherished technique from the start.51
He then touches upon the heart of the danger in which illegitimate specialists involve our culture; the self perpetuating cybernetic structure displayed in Figure IV-10, which Mr. Stafford Beer has called the meta-threat: "The circularity of the method, a closed system inaccessible to any such observations as would interfere with its own premises..." The specialist's conscious input comes from his own non-systemic field. His detector screens out inputs from the rest of the system of which he is studying a part; and from other functionally related ones. His conscious (subjective] output goes to his own traditional field, though his objective outputs may go disastrously to others as what he calls "side effects." These are, however, screened out by his detector, preventing him from becoming aware of and correcting his mistakes; also, from listening to or understanding those who try to point them out. We shall return to these figures in Chapter V.
36.07 - An Introduction To The Vedas, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 08, #unset, #Zen
Rigveda 111.62.10. It is clearly stated in the Upanishad: "Savitre satyaprasavaya (the Sun is the origin of truth). Further, the sun of knowledge and the light of knowledge are not expressions unfamiliar to us. We always make use of such comparisons and allegories. If ever the Vedic sages made use of such a comparison, then has it to be regarded as something describing mere natural phenomena? Finally we cannot resist the temptation of quoting another instance. This will serve as a typical example as to what extent quite a simple idea can be twisted. And it will enable us to appreciate what a terrible injustice the Veda has to suffer at the hands of the commentators. The phrase amrtasya vani that is found in the Veda should convey to all the essence of the Veda. But do you know what meaning Sayana has ascribed to it? He has translated amrtasya vani (the message of immortality) as the current of water. Can we be at one with him? In fact, what we want to say is that the Veda is the expression of Yogic realisations, spiritual experiences, the knowledge of the ultimate Truth; It is thus that we can discover the fundamental concept and the esoteric mystery of the Veda. If we follow this course we shall find how easily and consistently the meaning of the whole Veda unfolds itself and becomes crystal-clear. No doubt, at places if we want to delve into the minutest detail, there will be occasions for uncertainty and confusion. But it will not prove an obstacle to the apprehension of the fundamental truths of the Veda provided we can rightly Focus the attention of our intelligence on it. Can we not have any access to the Mahabharata because of Vyasakutas[^73]
When the sage Vyasa made a request to Ganesh to record his version of the Mahabharata, the latter agreed to do so on condition that he must not be made to stop his writing. The sage agreed provided Ganesh would not only write but understand his words. It is said that in order to gain time for composition the sage would use some knotty expressions so that Ganesh might take time to understand them. (the knotty expressions devised by Vyasa)? Besides, if we admit the esoteric basis of the Veda, we will get a reasonable clue to the fact as to why the Veda is held in such high esteem in the culture and education of the Hindus.
3.7.1.05 - The Significance of Rebirth, #Essays In Philosophy And Yoga, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
The one question which through all its complexities is the sum of philosophy and to which all human enquiry comes round in the end, is the problem of ourselves,why we are here and what we are, and what is behind and before and around us, and what we are to do with ourselves, our inner significances and our outer environment. In the idea of evolutionary rebirth, if we can once find it to be a truth and recognise its antecedents and consequences, we have a very sufficient clue for an answer to all these connected sides of the one perpetual question. A spiritual evolution of which our universe is the scene and earth its ground and stage, though its plan is still kept back above from our yet limited knowledge,this way of seeing existence is a luminous key which we can fit into many doors of obscurity. But we have to look at it in the right Focus, to get its true proportions and, especially, to see it in its spiritual significance more than in its mechanical process. The failure to do that rightly will involve us in much philosophical finessing, drive on this side or the other to exaggerated negations and leave our statement of it, however perfect may be its logic, yet unsatisfying and unconvincing to the total intelligence and the complex soul of humanity.
The bare idea of repeated births as the process of our soul existence does not carry us much farther than the simple material reality of this single life in the body, that first fact of our conscious sensation and memory which is the occasion of all our speculations. Behind our present starting-point and preceding this one lappet of our race in the fields of being rebirth reminds us indeed of a past, of pregnant anterior courses, a soul-existence in many previous bodies which have immediately created what we now are. But to what use or advantage if there is no progressive significance in our pre-existence and our persevering continuity? In front of us it rolls far back from our vision the obstruction of the near blank wall of death; our journeying upon earth becomes less of a long or brief unretraceable road ending abruptly and perplexingly in a cul-de-sac; our physical dissolution is robbed of the cruellest poison of its sting. For the burden of death to man the thinking, willing, feeling creature is not the loss of this poor case or chariot of body, but it is the blind psychical finality death suggests, the stupid material end of our will and thought and aspiration and endeavour, the brute breaking off of the hearts kind and sweet relations and affections, the futile convicting discontinuity of that marvellous and all-supporting soul-sense which gives us our radiant glimpses of the glory and delight of existence,that is the discord and harsh inconsequence against which the thinking living creature revolts as incredible and inadmissible. The fiery straining to immortality of our life, mind, psyche, which can assent to cessation only by turning in enmity upon their own flame of nature, and the denial of it which the dull acquiescence of a body consenting inertly to death as to life brings in on us, is the whole painful irreconcilable contradiction of our double nature. Rebirth takes the difficulty and solves it in the sense of a soul continuity with a beat of physical repetition. Like other non-materialistic solutions it gives the right to the souls suggestion as against the bodys and sanctions the demand for survival, but unlike some others it justifies the bodily life by its utility to the souls continued self-experience; our too swift act in the body ceases to be an isolated accident or an abrupt interlude, it gets the justification of a fulfilling future as well as a creating past for its otherwise haphazard actions and relations. But simple persistence, mechanical continuity is not enough; that is not all our psychical being signifies, not the whole luminous meaning of survival and continuity; without ascension, without expansion, without some growing up straight into light in the strength of our spirit our higher members toil here uncompleted, our birth in matter is not justified by any adequate meaning. We are very little better off than if death remained our ending; for our life in the end becomes then an indefinitely continued and renewed and temporarily consequent in place of an inconsequent, abruptly ended and soon convicted futility.
4.01 - Conclusion - My intellectual position, #Let Me Explain, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
'Omega Point'. Unless this Focus-point, which gathers things
together and ensures their irreversibility, does in fact exist,
--- Overview of noun focus
The noun focus has 7 senses (first 4 from tagged texts)
1. (6) focus, focusing, focussing, focal point, direction, centering ::: (the concentration of attention or energy on something; "the focus of activity shifted to molecular biology"; "he had no direction in his life")
2. (3) focus ::: (maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system; "in focus"; "out of focus")
3. (2) focus ::: (maximum clarity or distinctness of an idea; "the controversy brought clearly into focus an important difference of opinion")
4. (1) focus, focal point, nidus ::: (a central point or locus of an infection in an organism; "the focus of infection")
5. stress, focus ::: (special emphasis attached to something; "the stress was more on accuracy than on speed")
6. focus, focal point ::: (a point of convergence of light (or other radiation) or a point from which it diverges)
7. focus ::: (a fixed reference point on the concave side of a conic section)
--- Overview of verb focus
The verb focus has 5 senses (first 3 from tagged texts)
1. (6) concentrate, focus, center, centre, pore, rivet ::: (direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies")
2. (4) focus ::: (cause to converge on or toward a central point; "Focus the light on this image")
3. (1) concenter, concentre, focalize, focalise, focus ::: (bring into focus or alignment; to converge or cause to converge; of ideas or emotions)
4. focus, focalize, focalise ::: (become focussed or come into focus; "The light focused")
5. focus, focalize, focalise, sharpen ::: (put (an image) into focus; "Please focus the image; we cannot enjoy the movie")
--- Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun focus
7 senses of focus
Sense 1
focus, focusing, focussing, focal point, direction, centering
=> concentration, engrossment, absorption, immersion
=> attention
=> faculty, mental faculty, module
=> ability, power
=> cognition, knowledge, noesis
=> psychological feature
=> abstraction, abstract entity
=> entity
Sense 2
focus
=> distinctness, sharpness
=> clearness, clarity, uncloudedness
=> quality
=> attribute
=> abstraction, abstract entity
=> entity
Sense 3
focus
=> clarity, lucidity, lucidness, pellucidity, clearness, limpidity
=> comprehensibility, understandability
=> quality
=> attribute
=> abstraction, abstract entity
=> entity
Sense 4
focus, focal point, nidus
=> point
=> location
=> object, physical object
=> physical entity
=> entity
Sense 5
stress, focus
=> emphasis, accent
=> importance, grandness
=> standing
=> status, position
=> state
=> attribute
=> abstraction, abstract entity
=> entity
Sense 6
focus, focal point
=> point
=> location
=> object, physical object
=> physical entity
=> entity
Sense 7
focus
=> point
=> location
=> object, physical object
=> physical entity
=> entity
--- Hyponyms of noun focus
1 of 7 senses of focus
Sense 1
focus, focusing, focussing, focal point, direction, centering
=> particularism
--- Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun focus
7 senses of focus
Sense 1
focus, focusing, focussing, focal point, direction, centering
=> concentration, engrossment, absorption, immersion
Sense 2
focus
=> distinctness, sharpness
Sense 3
focus
=> clarity, lucidity, lucidness, pellucidity, clearness, limpidity
Sense 4
focus, focal point, nidus
=> point
Sense 5
stress, focus
=> emphasis, accent
Sense 6
focus, focal point
=> point
Sense 7
focus
=> point
--- Coordinate Terms (sisters) of noun focus
7 senses of focus
Sense 1
focus, focusing, focussing, focal point, direction, centering
-> concentration, engrossment, absorption, immersion
=> focus, focusing, focussing, focal point, direction, centering
=> specialism
=> study
Sense 2
focus
-> distinctness, sharpness
=> definition
=> discernability, legibility
=> focus
Sense 3
focus
-> clarity, lucidity, lucidness, pellucidity, clearness, limpidity
=> monosemy
=> focus
=> preciseness, clearcutness
=> perspicuity, perspicuousness, plainness
=> unambiguity, unequivocalness
=> explicitness
Sense 4
focus, focal point, nidus
-> point
=> punctum
=> blind spot, optic disc, optic disk
=> navel, umbilicus, bellybutton, belly button, omphalos, omphalus
=> McBurney's point
=> node
=> antinode
=> beginning, origin, root, rootage, source
=> celestial point
=> center, centre, midpoint
=> trichion, crinion
=> chokepoint
=> corner
=> crossing
=> focus
=> geographic point, geographical point
=> ground zero
=> hot spot, hotspot
=> midair
=> abutment
=> position, place
=> position
=> pressure point
=> military position, position
=> corner
=> topographic point, place, spot
=> vanishing point
=> focus, focal point
=> hilum
=> focus, focal point, nidus
Sense 5
stress, focus
-> emphasis, accent
=> stress, focus
Sense 6
focus, focal point
-> point
=> punctum
=> blind spot, optic disc, optic disk
=> navel, umbilicus, bellybutton, belly button, omphalos, omphalus
=> McBurney's point
=> node
=> antinode
=> beginning, origin, root, rootage, source
=> celestial point
=> center, centre, midpoint
=> trichion, crinion
=> chokepoint
=> corner
=> crossing
=> focus
=> geographic point, geographical point
=> ground zero
=> hot spot, hotspot
=> midair
=> abutment
=> position, place
=> position
=> pressure point
=> military position, position
=> corner
=> topographic point, place, spot
=> vanishing point
=> focus, focal point
=> hilum
=> focus, focal point, nidus
Sense 7
focus
-> point
=> punctum
=> blind spot, optic disc, optic disk
=> navel, umbilicus, bellybutton, belly button, omphalos, omphalus
=> McBurney's point
=> node
=> antinode
=> beginning, origin, root, rootage, source
=> celestial point
=> center, centre, midpoint
=> trichion, crinion
=> chokepoint
=> corner
=> crossing
=> focus
=> geographic point, geographical point
=> ground zero
=> hot spot, hotspot
=> midair
=> abutment
=> position, place
=> position
=> pressure point
=> military position, position
=> corner
=> topographic point, place, spot
=> vanishing point
=> focus, focal point
=> hilum
=> focus, focal point, nidus
--- Grep of noun focus
autofocus
focus
focusing
focussing
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Wikipedia - History of architecture -- Field of history focused on architecture
Wikipedia - Hocus Pocus (song) -- 1973 single by Focus
Wikipedia - Hope For The Day -- non-profit focusing on suicide prevention in Chicago, Illinois, US
Wikipedia - Humanism -- Philosophical school of thought emphasizing the value of human beings and focusing on rationalism and empiricism
Wikipedia - Hyperfocus
Wikipedia - Ici Paris -- Weekly French magazine, founded in 1941, focusing on celebrity and entertainment news
Wikipedia - IEEE Xplore -- Research database focused on computer science, electrical engineering, electronics, and allied fields
Wikipedia - Incomindios Switzerland -- Human rights organization that focuses on the native populations of the Americas
Wikipedia - InFocus
Wikipedia - Information technology consulting -- Field that focuses on advising businesses on how best to use information technology
Wikipedia - Initiative: Eau -- American NGO focusing on drinking water availability
Wikipedia - Inner Relationship Focusing
Wikipedia - Inside Higher Ed -- News website focused on issues of degree-oriented tertiary education
Wikipedia - Institute of Human Virology Nigeria -- Non-governmental organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS related problems in Nigeria
Wikipedia - Institute of technology (United States) -- Technologically-focused universities
Wikipedia - Interest (emotion) -- Feeling that causes attention to focus on an object, event or process
Wikipedia - International Men's Health Week -- Event focused on issues facing men's health
Wikipedia - International Year of Indigenous Languages -- 2019 United Nations observance focusing on the endangerment of Indigenous languages
Wikipedia - Internet Security Research Group -- Californian public-benefit corporation which focuses on Internet security
Wikipedia - Investopedia -- Website focused on finance and investing
Wikipedia - Isoelectric focusing -- Type of electrophoresis
Wikipedia - Jamaica Intensive Reading Clinic -- Jamaican NGO focused on literacy
Wikipedia - Jews for Judaism -- Organization that focuses on preventing Jews from converting to other faiths and reclaiming those who have already converted
Wikipedia - Joanne Barker -- Lenape academic focusing on indigenous peoples' studies
Wikipedia - Journal of Behavioral Finance -- Journal focused on behavioral finance
Wikipedia - Journal of Experimental Psychopathology -- Peer-reviewed journal focused on psychopathology
Wikipedia - Kimura Nova Uniao -- Brazilian sports schools focused on Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Wikipedia - Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity -- Interdisciplinary research institute focusing on race and ethnicity
Wikipedia - Kuso -- East Asian internet subcultures focusing on parody
Wikipedia - KXHT -- Hip-hop focused radio station serving the Memphis, Tennessee, area
Wikipedia - Law of triviality -- Focusing on what is irrelevant but easy to understand
Wikipedia - Law review -- Type of scholarly journal focusing on legal issues
Wikipedia - Lego Speed Champions -- Lego theme focusing on Lego scale models of real life production cars
Wikipedia - LessWrong -- Rationality-focused community blog
Wikipedia - Light Railway Research Society of Australia -- A research society focused on narrow gauge railways, tramways, and industrial railways in Australia and places where Australian economic interests were strong
Wikipedia - Linux Mint -- Desktop-focused Ubuntu-based Linux distribution
Wikipedia - List of artists focused on the female form -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of Focus Features films -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of magazines named Focus -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of media spin-offs -- Narrative work derived from one or more already existing works that focuses in more detail on one aspect of that original work
Wikipedia - List of museums focused on African Americans -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of Nikon F-mount lenses with integrated autofocus motor -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of women's film festivals -- List of international film festivals focusing on women
Wikipedia - Literary festival -- Festival focused on literature
Wikipedia - Long-focus lens -- Camera lens with big focal length
Wikipedia - Lost Ladybug Project -- Nonprofit organization in the USA focused on promoting citizen science
Wikipedia - Macrosociology -- Sociological theories and approaches that focus on large-scale aspects of society
Wikipedia - Maneuver warfare -- Military strategy focused on movement
Wikipedia - Mantria Corporation Ponzi scheme -- Ecologically-focused investment scandal
Wikipedia - Manuel Dorrego national institute -- institute of Argentine history focused in the historiography of Manuel Dorrego
Wikipedia - Marxist humanism -- School of Marxism that primarily focuses on Marx's earlier writings
Wikipedia - Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education -- Former Arizona State University department with mission to focus on research and graduate ed programs
Wikipedia - Master of Commerce -- Postgraduate master's degree focusing on commerce and economics-related subjects
Wikipedia - Masters of Anima -- 2018 real-time tactics video game developed by Passtech Games and published by Focus Home Interactive
Wikipedia - Mathematical Association of America -- American organization that focuses on undergraduate-level mathematics
Wikipedia - Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science -- Private nonprofit university focused on biomedical research and graduate-level education.
Wikipedia - MCV/Develop -- British trade magazine that focuses on the video game industry
Wikipedia - Medical tourism in the Republic of Moldova -- Medical focused tourism in Moldova
Wikipedia - Meditation -- Mental practice of focus on a particular object, thought or activity to improve one's mind
Wikipedia - Mentec PDP-11 -- Computer company focused on DEC's PDP-11
Wikipedia - MetaGer -- Privacy-focused internet search engine
Wikipedia - Meteorology -- Interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere focusing on weather forecasting
Wikipedia - MeWe -- Social Network focused on privacy
Wikipedia - Micro Focus International
Wikipedia - Micro Focus -- British based multinational software and information technology business
Wikipedia - Miniature golf -- Offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game
Wikipedia - Ministry of Education (Ethiopia) -- Ethiopian ministry focusing in policy and governance of education system
Wikipedia - Mona Foundation -- non-profit organization focusing on the education of women and girls
Wikipedia - Monero -- A privacy-focused cryptocurrency
Wikipedia - MSABI -- Tanzanian NGO focused on water sanitation, hygiene, and education
Wikipedia - MX vs. ATV -- Racing video game series developed by Rainbow Studios, focusing on motocross bikes and all-terrain vehicles
Wikipedia - Nat Geo Wild -- Global television channel focused on wildlife programming of National Geographic
Wikipedia - National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education -- Professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education program
Wikipedia - Negative campaigning -- Political campaign strategy focusing on deficiencies of the oposition.
Wikipedia - New India (newspaper) -- Daily newspaper focused on Indian freedom published in colonial India
Wikipedia - News media -- Elements of mass media that focus on delivering news
Wikipedia - New York (magazine) -- American magazine on life, culture, politics, and style, focusing on New York City
Wikipedia - Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism -- Four-day conference focusing on science and skepticism held annually in New York City.
Wikipedia - Nouthetic counseling -- Form of Christian pastoral counseling based solely upon the Bible and focused on Christ
Wikipedia - Ocean Observatories Initiative -- A program that focuses the work of an emerging network of science driven ocean observing systems
Wikipedia - Offshore financial centre -- Corporate-focused tax havens
Wikipedia - Omni Focus -- Burmese bus company
Wikipedia - OpenBSD -- Security-focused Unix-like operating system
Wikipedia - Original Plumbing -- Quarterly magazine focused on the culture and lifestyle of transgender men
Wikipedia - Orphaned Starfish Foundation -- Non-profit organization focused on developing vocational centers for orphans, victims of abuse, and at-risk youth
Wikipedia - Orthotics -- Medical specialty that focuses on the design and application of orthoses
Wikipedia - Out of Hours -- GP focused mini drama series
Wikipedia - Palliative care -- Area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients
Wikipedia - Paranormal radio shows -- Radio programs focusing on paranormal subjects
Wikipedia - Patheos -- Non-denominational online media company focusing on religion
Wikipedia - Peripheral light focusing -- eye science
Wikipedia - Personality psychology -- Branch of psychology focused on personality
Wikipedia - Petrography -- Branch of petrology focusing on detailed descriptions of rocks
Wikipedia - Philosophy of life -- Personal philosophy, whose focus is resolving the existential questions about the human condition
Wikipedia - Pierce Biotechnology -- American biotechnology company focused on protein biology
Wikipedia - Pirate Party (Sweden) -- Swedish political party focused on information sharing
Wikipedia - Planetary romance -- Subgenre of science fiction focussing on adventures on alien planets
Wikipedia - Portals (Sub Focus and Wilkinson album)
Wikipedia - Prog (magazine) -- British magazine focused on progressive rock
Wikipedia - Psychiatric genetics -- Research field focused on role of genetics in development of mental disorders
Wikipedia - Purism (company) -- Computer manufacturer focusing on software freedom
Wikipedia - Quackwatch -- American alternative medicine watchdog website focusing on quackery
Wikipedia - Qubes OS -- Security-focused Linux-based operating system
Wikipedia - Question-focused dataset
Wikipedia - Quillette -- Online magazine focusing on science, technology, news, culture, and politics
Wikipedia - Qutebrowser -- Free keyboard-focused web browser with a minimal GUI
Wikipedia - Radio Disney -- American youth-focused radio network
Wikipedia - R/dataisbeautiful -- Subreddit focused on data visualization
Wikipedia - Refractive error -- Problem with focusing light accurately on the retina due to the shape of the eye
Wikipedia - Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre -- Non-profit media group in Regent Park, Toronto
Wikipedia - Regulatory Focus Theory
Wikipedia - Rejuvenation -- Medical discipline focused on the practical reversal of the aging process
Wikipedia - Relix -- Magazine that focuses on live and improvisational music
Wikipedia - Retail politics -- Type of political campaigning focused on direct interaction
Wikipedia - Retro Television Network -- American broadcast television network focusing on classic television series
Wikipedia - Revue du Nord -- Academic journal of history and archaeology focusing on northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands
Wikipedia - Robin Hood Ventures -- Group of angel investors, focused on early-stage, high-growth companies
Wikipedia - Rolling Stone -- American magazine focusing on popular culture
Wikipedia - Romance (love) -- Type of love that focuses on feelings
Wikipedia - Rossica -- Magazine focusing on Russian arts, published in London
Wikipedia - Royal Australian Historical Society -- Society focused on Australian history
Wikipedia - Salutogenesis -- A medical approach focusing on factors favouring health
Wikipedia - Sam & Max -- Media franchise created by Steve Purcell focusing on the titular fictional private investigator duo
Wikipedia - Schizoanalysis -- Practice formulated by Deleuze and Guattari focusing on the unconscious represented through abstract machines, bodies without organs, rhizomes and assemblages
Wikipedia - Science-Based Medicine -- Website covering issues in science and medicine, focusing on quackery
Wikipedia - ScienceBlogs -- Science-focused invitation-only blog network created by Seed Media Group
Wikipedia - Science by press conference -- Practice by which scientists put an unusual focus on publicizing results of research in the media
Wikipedia - Science National Honor Society -- An American academic honor society focused on science.
Wikipedia - Scott Manley -- Scottish/American YouTuber who makes videos usually focusing on space
Wikipedia - Security-focused operating system
Wikipedia - Self focusing
Wikipedia - Servants of the Blessed Sacrament -- contemplative, but not cloistered, congregation of sisters with a focus on Eucharistic adoration.
Wikipedia - Set the Night on Fire -- Book about Los Angeles in the 1960s with a focus on civil rights
Wikipedia - Sexual health clinic -- Medical facility focused on preventing and treating sexually transmitted diseases
Wikipedia - Shaped charge -- Explosive with focused effect
Wikipedia - Simmons University -- Private women-focused university in Boston, Massachusetts
Wikipedia - Sky Sports Racing -- British television sports channel focussing on horse racing
Wikipedia - Sky Sports -- UK television channels focusing on sports broadcasting
Wikipedia - Slate Star Codex -- Blog focused on psychology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and futurism
Wikipedia - Social conservatism in the United States -- Political ideology focused on the preservation of traditional values and beliefs in the US
Wikipedia - Social dance -- Participatory dance focused on human interaction
Wikipedia - Society for Research Synthesis Methodology -- Learned society focused on research synthesis
Wikipedia - Sociogenomics -- Academic discipline focused on effects of social factors on genome activity
Wikipedia - Soft Focus with Jena Friedman -- Series of TV specials on Adult Swim
Wikipedia - Solution focused brief therapy
Wikipedia - Solution-focused brief therapy -- Goal-directed approach to psychotherapy
Wikipedia - Sounds Fake But Okay -- Podcast that focuses on asexuality and aromanticism.
Wikipedia - Speculative poetry -- Genre of poetry focussing on fantastic, science fictional and mythological themes
Wikipedia - Spin-off (media) -- Narrative work derived from one or more already existing works that focuses in more detail on one aspect of that original work
Wikipedia - Startpage.com -- Privacy-focused search engine based in the Netherlands
Wikipedia - Sub Focus -- English DJ, record producer, songwriter, musician and sound engineer
Wikipedia - Suffering-focused ethics
Wikipedia - Supporting character -- Character in a narrative that is not focused on by the primary storyline
Wikipedia - Symbolic interactionism -- A sociological theory focused on cultural symbols exchanged during interpersonal interactions
Wikipedia - Systems engineering -- Interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design and manage complex systems over their life cycles
Wikipedia - Task-focused interface
Wikipedia - TeenNick -- U.S. teen-focused cable and satellite TV channel
Wikipedia - TERI School of Advanced Studies -- Sustainability-focused university in Delhi, India
Wikipedia - The Awl -- Defunct website focused on news and culture
Wikipedia - The Case for Reparations -- Article focusing on redlining and housing discrimination
Wikipedia - The Daily Beast -- American progressive opinion website focused on politics and pop culture
Wikipedia - The Focus Group
Wikipedia - The Focus of Life
Wikipedia - The Green Bible -- English version of the New Revised Standard Version Bible with a focus on environmental issues and teachings
Wikipedia - The Hollywood Reporter -- American magazine and website focusing on the Hollywood entertainment industry
Wikipedia - The Millennium Project -- Think tank which focuses on the future
Wikipedia - The Wall Street Journal -- American business-focused daily broadsheet newspaper based in New York City
Wikipedia - The Yogscast -- Group of YouTube broadcasters who focus on gaming-related video content
Wikipedia - Tibetan and Himalayan Library -- Digital library hosted by the University of Virginia focusing on Tibet and the Himalayas
Wikipedia - Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago -- Private college focused on computer science
Wikipedia - Tracking (Scouting) -- Element of scouting that focuses on following a trail
Wikipedia - Transference focused psychotherapy -- form of psychotherapy
Wikipedia - Transgressive fiction -- Genre of literature which focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual or illicit ways
Wikipedia - Trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy -- Therapy
Wikipedia - Tree Aid -- Organisation which focuses on the potential of trees to reduce poverty and protect the environment in Africa
Wikipedia - TV Fooor -- Comedy-focused TV channel in Slovakia
Wikipedia - Ulrike Gabriel -- German artist and researcher focussing on generative systems
Wikipedia - Undisclosed (podcast) -- American true-crime podcast focusing on wrongful convictions
Wikipedia - United States Department of Transportation -- federal executive department focusing on transportation
Wikipedia - Universal Kids -- American pay television channel focused on kids
Wikipedia - University of California, San Francisco -- University focused on health science
Wikipedia - Unlicense -- Public domain-like license with a focus on an anti-copyright message
Wikipedia - User experience design -- Field of design focusing on the creation of user centered products and services
Wikipedia - User talk:Dream Focus
Wikipedia - Vedomosti -- Russian business-focused daily broadsheet newspaper based in Moscow
Wikipedia - Vice (magazine) -- Magazine focused on international arts and culture
Wikipedia - WaterAid -- International NGO, focused on water, sanitation and hygiene
Wikipedia - Weapon focus
Wikipedia - Wikipedia:Asian Month -- Asia-focused annual online edit-a-thon between multiple Wikipedia communities
Wikipedia - Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility -- WikiProject focusing on users with disabilities
Wikipedia - Wikipedia:WikiProject Women in Red -- Community focused on overcoming systemic gender bias
Wikipedia - Women & Politics Institute -- Research institute focused on the gender gap in political leadership
Wikipedia - Women in Focus -- Feminist film and video distribution centre and gallery in Vancouver, Canada
Wikipedia - World Learning -- International nonprofit organization that focuses on international development, education, and exchange programs
Wikipedia - Zweites Buch -- Hitler's unpublished second book, focusing on foreign policy.
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auromere - walking-with-eyes-unfocussed
Integral World - It's a Matter of Focus, Confusing Practicality with Faith, David Lane
The Butterfly and the Hawk: How Dual Focus Can Help You Overcome Pain, Anxiety, and Trauma
selforum - systematic study and continued focus is
selforum - shift attention from past and focus on
Dharmapedia - Expressions_of_Christianity,_With_a_focus_on_India
Psychology Wiki - Hyperfocus
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Analysis/OutOfFocus
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/FocusFeatures
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https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/PrimeFocus
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https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/ZeroFocus
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https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoFocusOnHumans
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OutOfFocus
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RackFocus
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Suffering-focused_ethics
Dinosaurs (1991 - 1994) - A family of Dinosaurs, in the stone age, where dinosaurs are the masters of the world and the Sinclairs are the focus of the show. There is: Earl (the father), Fran (the mother), and three kids (one brother, one sister and the famous Baby Sinclair). It is similar to the Flintstones except it is in...
Family Matters (1989 - 1998) - A perfect spin-off from Perfect Strangers. Family Matters focused on Harriet Winslow (the elevator operator from the Chronicle) and her family of sorts. Carl Winslow, her husband, was a dutiful cop, and a gruff and lovable father
Recess (1997 - 2001) - Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere (credited as "Paul and Joe") and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers. The title refers...
As Told By Ginger (1999 - 2004) - (Info by Wikipedia.) As Told By Ginger is an American animated series that premiered on Nickelodeon in October 2000. The show focuses on Ginger Foutley and her adventures at Lucky Jr. High, as she records them in her diary. The series was noted for its story lines, character development, and the fac...
101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997 - 1998) - 101 Dalmatians: The Series is based on Disney's famous animated movie 101 Dalmatians. There's always lots of fun with 101 Dalmatian puppies as they grow and play. This series focuses on the life of three main Dalmatians as they cope with their new life on the farm, as well as their chicken friend an...
Mighty Max (1993 - 1994) - A 1993 action/adventure series that ran a total of 40 episodes, Mighty Max was based loosely on the toys produced by British toy company, BlueBird, makers of the original Polly Pocket. The series focused on the exploits of Max, an American teenager who learns he has been "destined" to protect mankin...
Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters From Beverly Hills (1994 - 1995) - This show focused on four "teenagers", Laurie, Gordon, Drew, and Swinton being recruited by an blob-like alien called Nimbar. To fight off the monsters sent by Emperor Gorganus, and his talking bird friend, Lechner.
Back to the Future: The Animated Series (1991 - 1993) - Back to the Future: The Animated Series was a cartoon series based on the Back to the Future trilogy of films. The series lasted 2 seasons, each lasting 13 episodes, and ran on CBS from September 21, 1991 to 1992. The show focused on Marty McFly and Doc Brown, together with Doc's wife Clara, their s...
Diff'rent Strokes (1978 - 1986) - Brothers Arnold and Willis, orphaned African American children from Harlem, are adopted by Phillip Drummond, a rich white man from Manhattan, as a promise to their dying mother. The show focuses on the children's struggle to fit in and the lessons of growing up. Featured the popular catch phrase,...
Doctor Who (1963 - Current) - From the planet of Gallifrey comes a mysterious alien only known as "the Doctor". The show began with the idea of an educational program focusing on history but it ended up being the longest science fiction tv show in history.
Caitlin's Way (1999 - 2002) - Caitlin's Way was a live action drama series that aired on Nickelodeon from 1999-2002. The show focues on Caitlin Seeger (Lindsay Felton), a troubled girl who lives on the streets of Philadelphia. After being arrested she is given the option of going to jail or living with relatives in Montana. She...
Emergency! (1972 - 1977) - This program focused on the implementation and development of the new concept of the paramedic. The show begins with introducing our heros Roy Desoto and Johnny Gage assembling the first paramedic team and breaking new ground with unheard of new ideas, a mobile unit, equipped to stablize a patient a...
Hang Time (1995 - 2012) - Hang Time is basically just another teen coming-of-age sitcom. The twist here is, however, that it focuses on a boys basketball team with one female team member. The show is generically the same as the rest - same jokes, same gags, same characters, touches on the same issues - but it is one of the b...
General Hospital (1963 - Current) - The longest running drama series in the history of television. The series focuses on Dr. Steve Hardy and his nurse friend Jessie Brewer and her marriage with the young Dr. Phil Brewer. Despite originally taking place in the hospital of an unnamed city, the city was later placed as Port Charles, New...
Maude (1972 - 1978) - A spin-off series of "All in the Family" focusing on the life of Maude Findlay, a liberal women living in New York with her family.
Big Blue Marble (1973 - 1983) - The Big Blue Marble was a children's television program that forcused on the lives and children all over the world. In my opinion, it focused on the diversity and beauty of the many cultures in the world. Instead of featuring adults, it always explained from the view point of a child and used childr...
Sightings (1992 - 1997) - This was a show like unsolved mysteries but it was more focused on ghosts,aliens,ufos and other spiritual occurrences.It also had interviews with eye witness who either where abducted or had captured all of this on video.
Bad Dog (1998 - Current) - Bad Dog is a short-lived animated cartoon that aired on ABC and Teletoon during 1998. The cartoon focuses on the Potanski family and their dog Berkeley. The show's gimmick was that whenever Berkeley was told that he was a bad dog, he would freeze and pretend to be dead until someone told him he was...
The Incredible Hulk (1982) (1982 - 1982) - The series focused on the green incarnation of the Hulk/Banner personality disorder. Based more on the Stan Lee comic book version than on the live-action tv version (starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno), and narrated by Stan Lee himself, this series lasted a very short time due to its extremly ea...
Flying Rhino Junior High (1998 - 2000) - This series follows four friends at Rhino Junior High using their brains and brawn to deal with problems created by their nemesis Earl P. Sidebottom A.K.A The Phantom, who can transpose the school to faraway places and drop students into strange situations. Focusing episodically on the different mem...
China Beach (1988 - 1991) - A drama series set at an American base during the Vietnam War. Rather than focusing on the battle scenes that made up most other portrayals of the war, this show looked at the everyday lives of the people sent to serve their country. The doctors, nurses, soldiers and even USO entertainers stationed...
Starcom: the U.S. Space Force (1987 - 1987) - Based on the toy line of the same name from Coleco, StarCom was the name of the headquarters of the U.S. Space Force, who focused on exploration of the solar system and potential colonization. Standing in their way is a human-like alien with a seemingly all robotic crew of minions which our heros c...
A Country Practice (1981 - 1993) - Episodes in the lives of the residents of the rural town of Wandin Valley in New South Wales, especially focusing on the vets practice, the hospital and the pub.
Entertainment Tonight (1981 - Current) - Debuting in 1981, Entertainment Tonight set the trend for entertainment-oriented shows. This half-hour program, which has been hosted by John Tesh, Leeza Gibbons, Patrick O'Brien, and Mary Hart, focuses on the news of the movies, television and music industries.
Hannah Montana (2006 - 2011) - Hannah Montana, also known as Hannah Montana Forever for the fourth season, is an American musical comedy series created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll, and Barry O'Brien which focused on Miley Stewart (portrayed by Miley Cyrus), a teenager living a double life as an average schoolgirl by day and a...
Dog City (1992 - 1995) - Dog City is a television series that aired on FOX from 1992 to 1995, and in Canada on Global in 1993, then on Teletoon until 2000. The show contained both animation, done by Nelvana and Fox Kids, and puppetry, done by Jim Henson Productions. The animated portions of the show focused on a canine priv...
The Young Riders (1989 - 1992) - Set just before the American Civil War, this series presented a highly fictionalized account of the heyday of the Pony Express. Its focus was a group of young Express riders based at the waystation in Sweetwater, Wyoming Territory. Running the station was ex-Texas Ranger and all-around eccentric Tea...
StarCom (1987 - 1987) - Based on the toy line of the same name by Coleco, StarCom was the name of the elite U.S. Space Force division that focused on exploring, colonizing, and defending our Solar System from the threat of the Shadow Force, a band of evil humans who had their own dark agenda for the future of human expansi...
Judging Amy (1999 - 2005) - A family drama focused on three generations of women living together in Hartford, Connecticut. Amy Gray, a former Wall Street attorney left New York City behind, and is now based in the Hartford Judicial District IN Connecticut Family Court Judge.
Spin City (1996 - 2002) - Show who's cast was originally led by Michael J. Fox who's role was later handed over to Charlie Sheen. The series focuses on the Mayor of New York City, Randall Winston, and his staff as they run the cityalthough the main person in charge is Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty. Mike is excellent at his job...
Animals, Animals, Animals (1976 - 1980) - Host Hal Linden would showcase some of the many wonders of the animal kingdom. Each week, Hal would focus on a specific animal group such as horses, cats, K9's etc. Experts would frequently appear as guests on the show.
Doctor Dolittle (1970 - 1971) - Loosely based on the "Doctor Dolittle" books, this series focuses on the adventures of the good doctor traveling around the world while trying to avoid Sam Scurvy and his pirates, who wants his secret so he can talk to animals and take over the world.
The Little Flying Bears (1991 - 1992) - The series focuses on a rare species of little bears with wings that live in the magical forest in a utopian cooperative community. The little flying bears together with their friends, took on themselves the task to defend their forest from pollution. However, their efforts, very often, are disturbe...
SOF: Special Ops Force (1997 - 1999) - Originally titled "Soldiers of Fortune, Inc." SOF: Special Ops Force was one of the first television shows produced by Jerry Bruckheimer of "Con Air" and "Armageddon". The series focused on a group of highly trained soldiers who are contracted by the US Government to take on "Black Ops" missions, t...
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993 - 1997) - Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a phenomenal television success. A much more lavish version of the popular Superman television series which had first aired forty years earlier, Lois & Clark focused more on the Man of Steel's early adult years in Metropolis.
Crossroads Cafe (1996 - 1996) - Crossroads Cafe is a TV series debuting in the mid 1990s with a focus on teaching English and English skills to non-english speaking people. The show follows the lives of workers in a cafe and one customer. It is comedy and drama. The show is still airing on public television all over the US.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964 - 1969) - A spin-off from the Andy Griffith Show focusing on the misadventures of Gomer Pyle, having joined the Marines.
Night Heat (1985 - 1989) - A police series set in a big city and focusing on said city's night squad. Filmed in Toronto. Starring Scott Hylands, Jeff Wincott, and Susan Hogan. Very watchable. Great theme tune by Roy Keener and Dominic Triano.
Pretty Cure (2004 - Current) - Nagisa Misumi and Honoka Yukishiro transform into Cure Black and Cure White to save the world from the evil Dark Zone. It also has spawned many spin-off series focusing on different groups of girls, as well as cross-over movies.
Even Stevens (2000 - 2003) - Every family has a Louis. Every family wants a Ren. Even they can't believe they're related. This popular and critically-acclaimed family sitcom was part of Disney Channel's "Zoog Weekendz" lineup. It's about an upper-middle class family in Sacramento, California with the focus on the two youngest s...
The Adventures of the Black Stallion (1990 - 1993) - The show follows the life of fifteen-year-old horse racer Alec Ramsay (Richard Ian Cox), his wild stallion The Black, and their trainer Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney). In the series, Alec's father died before the series start, leaving Alec and his mother to run Hopeful Farm. The show focuses both on l...
As the World Turns (1956 - 2010) - The long-running CBS soap opera created by Irma Phillips known for her work on radio soap operas. The series focused on the day-to-day lives of a family of legal and medical professionals. The series was know for its slow pace and gradual evolution of characters instead of sudden change. This would...
20/20 (1978 - Current) - 20/20 is a news magazine show airing on ABC. Unlike the political focus of CBS' 60 Minutes, 20/20 focuses on personal interest stories. 20/20 is known for its hour-long TV specials that go in-depth on stories.
The New Adam 12 (1989 - 1989) - A remake of the popular and long-running 70's poilce drama of the same name. Officers Doyle and Grant patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in squad car Adam-12, trying to keep the city safe for everyone. The show mainly focused on the partners' dealings with both serious crimes and more unusual humo...
The Jamie Foxx Show (1996 - 2001) - Well, The Jamie Foxx Show focused up on the young Jamie King, who was working at his aunts and uncles hotel, the kings tower as a bellhopper. He was at california to become an aspiring actor or musician. He also worked with two other people, one which was his future fiancee,Francesca and a hotel c...
Silk Stalkings (1991 - 1998) - Set in Palm Beach Florida the show focuses on Homicide Detectives Chris Lorenzo (played by Rob Estes) and Rita Lance (Mitzi Kapture). Chris and Rita were the best in solving sex crimes. Eventually Rob and Mitzi left the show and they brought in two new detectives Det. Michael Price (Nick Kokotakis)...
Casualty (1986 - Current) - This British television medical soap is set in the fictional Holby City Hospital and focuses on the staff and patients of the hospital's Accident and Emergency Department.
Scientific American Frontiers (1990 - 2005) - Scientific American Frontiers was an American television program primarily focused on informing the public about new technologies and discoveries in science and medicine.
Sailor Moon Crystal (2014 - 2016) - The Plot Focuses On Usagi Tsukino And Her Fellow Sailor Senshi In Search Of Princess Serenity And The Legendary Silver Crystal.
Bliss (2002 - 2004) - Bliss was a Canadian adult series that focused on the sexual desires of women.
This Art Club has a Problem! (2016 - 2016) - Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru! focuses on an art club in a certain middle school, and its members: Subaru Uchimaki, who is a genius at drawing faces, but only wants to draw the perfect 2D wife; Colette, a rich troublemaker who never stops making mischief; and the club president, who sleeps thro...
Mathica's Mathshop (1993 - 1994) - Mathica's Mathshop is a math tutorial TV series produced for TVO from 1993-1994. The 15-minute programs focus on teaching basic mathematics for primary grades by incorporating storytelling with the principles of the subject. Every program presents math through a familiar fairytale context which enco...
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012 - Current) - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Japanese: Hepburn: JoJo no Kimy na Bken), also known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Animation, is a Japanese anime television series produced by David Production based on the manga of the same name by Hirohiko Araki. The series focuses on the mysterious adven...
Nichijou - My Ordinary Life (2011 - 2011) - Nichijou primarily focuses on the daily antics of a trio of childhood friendshigh school girls Mio Naganohara, Yuuko Aioi and Mai Minakamiwhose stories soon intertwine with the young genius Hakase Shinonome, her robot caretaker Nano, and their talking cat Sakamoto. With every passing day, the live...
Mad Men (2007 - 2015) - A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.
Keroro Gunso (2004 - 2011) - The main plot of the story focuses on the steadily deteriorating conditions of the Keroro Platoon, a group of five, frog-like aliens from Planet Keron of the Gamma Planetary System. The platoons mission is to invade and conquer Earth (known to the aliens as Pekopon), but fail miserably at each at...
Once Upon a Time... Man (1978 - 1978) - The series explains world history in a format designed for children. The action focuses around one group. The same familiar characters appear in all episodes as they deal with the problems of their time.
Adventures in Odyssey (1991 - 2003) - Based from Christian Radio Drama and Comedy series created by Focus on the Family. The first Adventures in Odyssey video was released in 1991. This series was created following the success of Focus on the Family's involvement in Tyndale House's video project, McGee and Me. Originally, the Odyssey vi...
My Friend Rabbit (2007 - 2008) - My Friend Rabbit is a show about friendship, particularly the friendship between Mouse and Rabbit. These two buddies and their friends don't think about the past or the future too much, but focus most of their boundless energy on enjoying the moment.
Steam Detectives (1998 - 1999) - Steam City is a place where the only fuel source is coal, and the only means to produce energy is the steam engine. As the only source of energy, the steam engine has been the focus of technological advancement to the point where it can be substituted for any other form of power in modern technology...
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's (2008 - 2011) - is the second main spin-off of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. The series aired in Japan between April 2, 2008 and March 30, 2011, following the conclusion of the previous series, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.The story focuses around characters playing a card game called Duel Monsters. This series introduces Synchro Monst...
The Marshmallow Times (2004 - 2005) - The anime series, consisting of a total 52 episodes, was broadcast from April 4, 2004 until March 27, 2005 on the TXN Network in Japan.The series focuses on 7 children and a sheep-like character who hang out together and work as a team. Each character is depicted with a varying hairstyle and flavor...
Hell Girl (2005 - 2017) - an anime series produced by Aniplex and Studio Deen.It focuses on the existence of a supernatural system that allows people to take revenge by having other people sent to Hell via the services of the mysterious title character and her assistants who implement this system.[3] Revenge, injustice, hatr...
Hiatari Ryk! (1982 - 1988) - a live-action television drama series,[2] an anime television series,[1] and an anime film sequel to the television series.[1] The title translates roughly as Sunlight All Around!The story focuses on the relationships of Kasumi Kishimoto, a high school student. When she enters Myj High School, she...
Lovely Idol (2006 - 2007) - Rabudoru, lit. a Japanese portmanteau of Lovely Idol) is the title of a Japanese series which focuses on a group of young girls who are striving to become famous Japanese idols.The entire series has a wide range of media, ranging from written prose to a video game and even an anime adaptation. Lovel...
Rituals (soap opera) (1984 - 1985) - This American television soap opera that aired in Syndication, and it took place in fictional Virginia town of Wingfield. The story focused on the Chapin, Gallagher and Robertson families.
Kamisama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama (2015 - 2018) - a fantasy slice-of-life anime series produced by OLM, Inc., based on both the series of toys and Media Franchise created by Bandai Namco Holdings.[2] The series focuses on Kokoro Yotsuba, a fifth grader who accidentally witness a small god born from her treasured color pencil set, and must be bound...
Tottemo! Luckyman (1994 - 1995) - lit. "Absolutely! Luckyman") a Japanese manga series created by Hiroshi Gam for the shnen anthology magazine Weekly Shnen Jump. Running between 1993 and 1997, this gag comedy series focused on the adventures of a bizarre superhero on his fights against various aliens and other enemies threatening...
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card (2018 - Current) - a Japanese shjo manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. It is a sequel to Clamp's manga Cardcaptor Sakura and focuses on Sakura Kinomoto in junior high school. The manga began serialization in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine with the July 2016 issue. A 22-episode anime televisi...
Sound! Euphonium (2015 - 2016) - a Japanese novel series by Ayano Takeda. The story takes place in Uji, Kyoto, and focuses on the Kitauji High School Music Club, which is steadily improving thanks to the newly appointed adviser's strict instruction.[1] A manga adaptation illustrated by Hami was serialized on the Kono Manga ga Sugoi...
Golf Channel on NBC (1954 - Current) - Golf Channel on NBC (known as PGA Tour on NBC from 1954 to 2011) is the branding used for broadcasts of golf tournaments produced by NBC Sports in conjunction with Golf Channel, on the NBC television network in the United States. The network's coverage focuses mostly on the PGA Tour (NBC shares the...
Dallas (2012) (2012 - 2014) - This revival American primetime television soap opera focuses mainly on Christopher Ewing and John Ross Ewing III both now grown up.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994 - 1998) - The series focuses on Spider-Man and his alter ego Peter Parker during his college years at Empire State University. As the story begins, Peter has already gained his superpowers and is a part-time freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle.
Day & Date (1995 - 1997) - Daily syndicated show that features news, talk and entertainment issues focusing of today's and yesterday's events. Hosted by Dana King and Patrick Vanhorn.
Tokyo Babylon (1992 - 1994) - etween 1992 and 1994 Tokyo Babylon was adapted into a two-part original video animation series by the studio Madhouse. PDS also produced a live-action feature film sequel, Tokyo Babylon 1999, which was released on August 21, 1993. The series has been well received for its focus on occultism and soci...
.hack//Liminality (2002 - 2003) - an OVA series directly related to the .hack video game series for the PlayStation 2, with the perspective of Liminality focused on the real world as opposed to the games' MMORPG The World. Liminality was separated into four volumes; each volume was released with its corresponding game. The initial e...
Hana no Ko Lunlun (1979 - 1980) - The Flower Child Lunlun and Lulu, The Flower Angel is a magical girl anime by Toei Animation, focusing on a theme of flowers in its stories. It was directed by Hiroshi Shidara and written by Shiro Jinbo. It was greatly successful in the West, particularly in Europe and in Latin America, as well as i...
GeGeGe no Kitar (1968 - 2018) - focuses on the young Kitarthe last survivor of the Ghost Tribeand his adventures with other ghouls and strange creatures of Japanese mythology. Along with: the remains of his father, Medama-Oyaji (a mummified Ghost tribesman reincarnated to inhabit his old eyeball); Nezumi-Otoko (the rat-man); Ne...
Shimmer and Shine (2015 - Current) - The first season is set in the human world and focuses on a young girl named Leah Thompson who is friends with a pair of twin genie sisters named Shimmer and Shine. Each day, the genies grant Leah three wishes, but they often make errors. Each episode features Leah working together with the genies t...
The Story of Read Alee Deed Alee (1994 - 1995) - Created by Slim Goodbody, The Story of Read Alee Deed Alee is an educational show aimed at children dedicated to literacy. The show tells the story of a magical dragon named Read Alee Deed Alee. One day he takes a magical journey to a faraway land where everybody loves to read. The series had a focu...
Nanaka 6/17 (2003 - 2006) - 12-episode anime series that aired on TV Tokyo in 2003. In 2004 the anime series was licensed for distribution in North America by ADV Films and released on DVD in 2006.The story focuses on a cold and distant 17-year-old girl, Nanaka Kirisato, who only cares about studying and getting accepted into...
Deaf Mosaic (1985 - 1995) - An Emmy-winning Gallaudet University monthly magazine production that was very popular from the 1980s to the 1990s. Hosted by Gil Eastman and Mary Lou Novitsky, the program focuses deaf and hearing viewers who have learned about many different aspects of the deaf community.
London Burning (1986 - 2012) - London's Burning was a television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television. It focused on the lives of Blue Watch firefighters in the busy area of Blackwall, East London. It was broadcast between 1986 and 2002 on ITV and currently airs in Canada on digital television station CBC Country...
Funnybones (1992 - 1992) - Funnybones was a Welsh children's television series that was first aired on S4C and the BBC in 1992. It was based on the eponymous series of books by Janet & Allan Ahlberg which were illustrated by Andre Amstutz and focused on the adventures of a gang of skeletons. There was a Big Skeleton (whose ca...
This Old House (1979 - Current) - Originally intended as a one-time series, This Old House is the very first home improvement series on television and has run for over 35 years! This Old House focuses on the building or remodeling of entire houses over the course of several weeks. A host, Bob Vila from 1979 to 1991, Steve Thomas fro...
Just Shoot Me! (1997 - 2003) - Just Shoot Me! was a Work Com about Maya Gallo, a highly qualified but difficult-to-work-with journalist, who, after alienating one news anchor too many, is forced to take a job with the trashy Cosmopolitan-esque fashion magazine run by her estranged father Jack Gallo. Originally focusing on the fat...
The Frugal Gourmet (1973 - 1997) - Cooking show on PBS hosted by Jeff Smith. In each episode Smith would show how to create gourmet meals with little to no expertise with cooking and with each episode focusing on a different theme. His show began to air locally on PBS channel KTPS in Tacoma before being picked up by Chicago PBS chann...
The Backyardigans (2004 - 2010) - The Backyardigans is a Canadian musical cartoon created by Janice Burgess. The series focuses on Uniqua, Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha and Austin: a group of five anthropomorphic creatures who transform their own backyard into fantastic landscapes everyday. The series premiered on Nickelodeon in 2004, but wa...
Squirrel Boy (2006 - 2007) - Squirrel Boy is an American animated television series produced by Cartoon Network Studios. Squirrel Boy focuses on the life of an odd boy named Andy Johnson (named after the former United States President, Andrew Johnson) who lives with his pet squirrel, Rodney, who is often full of ideas (some of...
Dateline NBC (1992 - Current) - Dateline NBC is a news magazine on NBC which first showed in 1992. The program has always had a focus on crime related stories. Dateline is historically notable for its longevity on the network. The show debuted on March 31, 1992, initially airing only on Tuesdays, with Stone Phillips and Jane Paule...
Mucha Lucha! (2002 - 2005) - Mucha Lucha! (roughly translated to "A Lot of Wrestling") was a Flash-animated show that ran on Kids' WB! from 2002 through 2005. Running for 52 episodes (and being retitled Mucha Lucha!: Gigante in its third and final season), the show focused on the young Luchadores (masked wrestlers) who are st...
FashionTelevision (1985 - 2012) - FashionTelevision, also known as FT, was a Canadian-produced special interest show focusing on fashion. The show, created by Jay Levine in 1985 was last hosted by Jeanne Beker. Production of the broadcast finally ended on April 11, 2012.
24 (2001 - 2010) - Drama about Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer with each season being real-time over the course of 24 hours. 24 is a serial drama which stars Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, focusing on the efforts of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit, and their efforts to protect America from terrorism plo...
Masterpiece Mystery (1980 - 2008) - "Masterpiece Mystery" is a PBS TV series showcasing detective stories and movies from British productions. The series was a spin-off of the PBS mega-hit series Masterpiece Theater and had a focus on detective shows. The show was originally hosted by actor Vincent Price until his death on October 25t...
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000 - 2001) - A spin-off series of Pixar's immensely popular Toy Story films, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is an animated action series focusing on Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear. The series is set in the Galactic Federation in the year 8000 A.D. and chronicles the adventures of Buzz trying to fight against the ev...
G4tv.com (2002 - 2005) - A video game talk show airing on the G4 network focusing on gaming help and general discussion as tied in with the G4tv.com web site. The show was hosted by Tina Wood, Laura Foy, and Geoff Keighley. Each episode has an interview with a professional.
Pulse (2002 - 2004) - Pulse is a prerecorded weekly news show that focused on the gaming industry that ran on cable TV channel G4. Originally hosted by Ronilyn Reilly and Jim Downs before co-anchor Patrick Clark took over. Kevin Pereira briefly served as co-host when Reilly left the show. Pereira was then replaced with A...
BH90210 (2019 - 2019) - This American primetime comedy-drama series focusing on the original Beverly Hills, 90210 cast members reunited to get a reboot and running, and must reconcile their new lives with the complications of their histories together.
One to Grow On (1983 - 1989) - One to Grow On is an educational public service announcement that broadcast during NBC's Saturday morning line-up from 1983 to 1989, when the network ran cartoons. The name is taken from the custom of putting an extra candle on a birthday cake as "one to grow on". One to Grow On focused on ethical a...
Miffy and Friends (2003 - 2007) - The series focuses on the life of young rabbit Miffy. It is presented in a storybook style, with narration by Canadian actress/singer Cyd Vandenberg explaining the actions of non-speaking Miffy and her friends. In the United States, the series aired on Noggin (now Nick Jr.) from April 7, 2003[4] to...
ESPN College Basketball (1979 - Current) - ESPN College Basketball is a blanket title used for presentations of college basketball on ESPN and its family of networks. Its coverage focuses primarily on competition in NCAA Division I, holding broadcast rights to games from each major conference, and a number of mid-major conferences.
E:60 (2007 - Current) - E:60 is an American sports newsmagazine broadcast by ESPN. The series features investigative journalism, focusing upon news, issues, and other stories in sports.
Forbidden Science (2009 - 2009) - This series, set in a near-future world in which people fulfill erotic desires with virtual reality and androids, focuses on the lives of the 4Ever Innovations staff.
POV (1988 - Current) - The longest-running showcase on television for independent documentary films. PBS presents 1416 POV programs each year, and the series has premiered over 400 films to U.S. television audiences since 1988. POV's films have a strong first-person, social-issue focus. Many established directors, includ...
Art:21 (2001 - Current) - Art:21 - Art in the 21st Century is a PBS series, educational resource, archive, and history of contemporary art. It premiered in 2001, and is now broadcast in over 50 countries worldwide. Premiering a new season every two years, Art:21 is the only series on United States television to focus exclusi...
Splash and Bubbles (2016 - 2018) - The Jim Henson series focuses on the adventures of a yellowback fusilier fish named Splash who along with his friends learn about all sorts of marine life.
Clifford's Puppy Days (2003 - 2006) - A prequel series to the Clifford series from 2000. Set two years (1998) before the events of Clifford the Big Red Dog, the series focuses on when Clifford is a tiny red puppy, the runt of the litter in a litter of puppies given birth to by the pet dog of Emily Elizabeth's neighbor, Mr. Bradley (who...
Private Practice (2007 - 2013) - The series focuses on Dr. Addison Montgomery, who relocates from Seattle to Los Angeles, needing a big change in her life. In Los Angeles, Addison joins the private practice of her friends Naomi, a fertility specialist and endocrinologist, and Sam Bennett, an internist and cardiothoracic surgeon.
Pig Goat Banana Cricket (2015 - 2018) - Pig Goat Banana Cricket focuses on the titular quartet, a group of anthropomorphic best friends and roommates: Pig, who is obsessed with pickles, Goat, who has musical dreams, Banana, who loves video games and Cricket, who is talented at mad science. The four embark on surreal journeys on their own,...
Robot and Monster (2012 - 2015) - Robot & Monster focuses on the day-to-day adventures of Robot Default, a genius inventor, living with his roommate Monster Krumholtz, a cheerful and enthusiastic purple creature, and their pest-turned-pet Marf.
Fight Club(1999) - The story focuses on a disillusioned, death-obsessed pencil-pusher (Edward Norton) whose only apparent social stimulus comes from attending cancer support-group meetings. His dreary existence takes a decided turn for the anarchic when he meets an amoral and enigmatic guru named Tyler Durden (Brad Pi...
Maximum Overdrive(1986) - Writer-director Stephen King falls short in his debut at the helm with Maximum Overdrive, an absurd tale about a radiation storm that somehow animates machines across the world, causing them to turn on their makers. The film focuses on a group of survivors held captive at the Dixie Boy Diner by a gr...
D3: The Mighty Ducks(1996) - This story focuses mainly on Charlie as he veers down the same self-loathing path Gordon took when he was a youth. The Ducks return to thier roots in the third installment of this seires. Back home in Minnesota. Tieing in with the first episode. After reaching the Top in D2 this story deals with the...
Frosty the Snowman(1969) - A discarded silk tophat becomes the focus of a struggle between a washed-up stage magician and a group of schoolchildren after it magically brings a snowman to life. Realizing that newly-living Frosty will melt in spring unless he takes refuge in a colder climate, Frosty and a young girl who he befr...
Prehysteria(1993) - This family fantasy focuses on a widowed farmer and his kids who find some mysterious eggs which hatch to reveal a brood of baby dinosaurs.
Monty Python's Life Of Brian(1979) - Irreverent satire of Biblical films and religious intolerance focuses on Brian, a Jew in Roman-occupied Judea. After joining up with an anti-Roman political organization, Brian is mistaken for a prophet, and becomes a reluctant Messiah.
The Thirteenth Floor(1999) - The increasingly blurry lines between what is real and what is an artificial construct - both physically and philosophically - are the point of focus in the science fiction drama The Thirteenth Floor. In 1937, a man named Fuller (Armin Mueller-Stahl) gives a note to Ashton (Vincent D'Onofrio), the b...
La Bamba(1987) - This is the true story Ritchie Valens a young rock & roll singer who tragically died in an aircrash at the age of 17. The film follows Ritchie from his days in Paicoma, California where he in and his family makes a meagre living working at plantations to his rise as a star. The film also focus on Ri...
Needful Things(1993) - Satan opens an antique shop in a small town and lures the residents into evil actions in this supernatural chiller. Based on a novel by the prolific Stephen King, the film bears many of the author's trademarks, such as the New England setting and the focus on regular people tempted by the forces of...
White Hunter, Black Heart(1990) - Something of a sleeper in its 1990 release, White Hunter, Black Heart is one of Clint Eastwood's most engaging films. It is based on Peter Vietel's novel about the location shoot of John Huston's immortal The African Queen. But the focus is never on Bogie and Hepburn. Egomaniacal director John Wilso...
Having Babies II(1977) - The second installment of the made for TV trilogy focuses on obstertician Julie Farr and her expectant patients as the effects of parenthood brings them out in different ways. Among them, are Trish, who is faced with an unplanned pregnancy and thinks that she looks and feels unloved by her busy hus...
Lily C.A.T.(1987) - Lily C.A.T. is a violent, adult sci-fi anime movie released in 1987. The film has much in common with the American science-fiction/horror film Alien. The basic storyline focused on a crew of astronauts on their way to investigate a planet which is awakened from a cryogenic sleep, only to come under...
Lake Placid(1999) - When a man is eaten alive by an unknown creature, the local Game Warden (Pullman) teams up with a paleontologist (Fonda) from New York to find the beast. Add to the mix an eccentric philanthropist with a penchant for "Crocs" (Platt), and here we go! This quiet, remote lake is suddenly the focus of a...
Bad Company(1995) - Laurence Fishburne and Ellen Barkin star in this complex tale of former C.I.A. agents who now specialize in freelance espionage. As the film opens, Nelson Crowe (Fishburne) is being interviewed for a position with the Grimes Organization, which focuses on industrial espionage. He is hired by Margare...
The Commitments(1991) - In the working class section of Northern Dublin, young Jimmy Rabbitte was always focused on the music business (at least in the matters of retail) and has very high aspirations of managing the world's greatest band...the only thing is he has one kind of music in mind: soul. After countless audition...
Busting(1974) - LA cops get in over their heads when they don't heed orders from above and go after a big crime boss. While higher ups in the police department want the cop duo to just focus on nabbing petty criminals, the team does so while still going after LA kingpin Rizzo. Various fist fights, chases, shootouts...
The Decline Of Western Civilization(1981) - The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film with The Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.
Fire and Rescue(1993) - A Direct to video program created by Fred Levine about how a fire fighter's job is. Produced by Focus Video Productions Inc., (Now known as Little Hardhat).
Cleared for Takeoff(1994) - A Direct to video for kids about how they run an airplane at an airport. Created by Fred Levine and produced Focus Video Productions Inc. (Which became now known as Little Hardhats).
Hard Candy(2005) - Hard Candy is a 2005 vigilante thriller film focusing on the torture of a suspected sexual predator by a 14-year-old vigilante. The film was directed by David Slade, written by Brian Nelson, and stars Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page. It was the first feature film for Slade, who previously had worked m...
That's Dancing!(1985) - That's Dancing! is a 1985 retrospective documentary produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that looked back at the history of dancing in film. Unlike the That's Entertainment! series, this film did not focus specifically on MGM films and included more recent performances by the likes of John Travolta (from...
Beach Blanket Bingo(1965) - Fifth entry of the "Beach Party" movies by American-International focuses on the comedic antics of a gang of local young people including musical numbers, a sky driving stunt, a biker gang and
Women And Men: Stories Of Seduction(1990) - Three short stories come to the screen, each focused on a man and a woman. The first is set in the 1940s, the other two in the 1920s. In "The Man in a Brooks Brothers Suit," a businessman of about 40 plies a younger Leftist women with liquor aboard a train. They spend the night together, and he deci...
The Girl from Mars(1991) - Dee-Dee is a 13 year old girl who claims herself to be from Mars. She has had a rough time with her own mother passing away, so she ends up living with her older sister as well as her dad. She focuses her attention on controlling her own flying saucer which distracts students in school. She also mee...
Pokmon 3: The Movie(2000) - Originally released in Japan in 2000 then in the U.S. in 2001, the movie focuses on a researcher named Spencer Hale, who lives in the town of Greenfield and studies the elusive Unown, symbolic Pokemon. His daughter Molly hears a story about the legendary Pokemon Entei, who she claims is strong and n...
Miracle on 34th Street(1947) - The story takes place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City, and focuses on the impact of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing.
Evan Almighty(2007) - This sequel to 2003's Bruce Almighty focuses on Bruce's TV rival, anchor Evan Baxter. Newly elected to Congress, Evan leaves the TV business and moves with his family to suburban northern Virginia with a campaign to "Change the World". Afterwards Evan notices strange things begining to happen. His a...
Limitless(2011) - Out-of-work writer Eddie Morra's rejection by girlfriend Lindy confirms his belief that he has zero future. That all vanishes the day an old friend introduces him to NZT, a designer pharmaceutical that makes him laser focused and more confident than any man alive. Now on an NZT-fueled odyssey, ever...
H.O.T.S(1979) - College exploitation film focusing on the wild escapades of the women of H.O.T.S. Sorority. The antics include but are certainly not limited to a wet t-shirt contest, a sky-diving eposide, plenty of fraternity boys and even a house-keeping robot. Can the girls of H.O.T.S. overcome the scrutiny of th...
The Future of Food(2004) - The Future of Food is a 2004 American documentary film which describes an investigation into unlabelled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have been sold in grocery stores in the United States for the past decade. In addition to the US, there is a focus on Canada an
Auto Focus(2002) - A story about "Hogan's Heroes" star Bob Crane and his friendship with John Carpenter.
Gimme Shelter(1970) - A harrowing documentary of the Stones' 1969 tour, with much of the focus on the tragic concert at Altamont.
Sicko(2007) - Sicko is a 2007 documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore. The film investigates health care in the United States, focusing on its health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. The movie compares the for-profit, non-universal U.S. system with the non-profit universal health care syste...
Bowling for Columbine(2002) - Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 American documentary film written, directed and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Moore suggests are the causes for the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and other acts of violence with guns. Moore focuses on the background and environment in whic...
Waking Life(2001) - Waking Life is a 2001 American animated drama film directed by Richard Linklater. The film focuses on the nature of dreams, consciousness, an
Love Is the Devil(1998) - Subtitle: Study For A Portrait Of Francis Bacon. Biography of British painter Francis Bacon focuses on his relationship with his lover, George Dyer, a former small time crook.
Beyond The Mat(1999) - Heartfelt documentry focusing on the lives of professional wrestlers and how their sport is not fake.
The American Mall(2008) - Produced by the same team behind Disney's High School Musical film series, The American Mall is conceptually very similar, as it focuses on several teenage characters and their daily struggles, with comic elements and musical numbers. The central plot thread of the film is that the two main characte...
X-Men Origins Wolverine(2009) - X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics' fictional character Wolverine. Directed by Gavin Hood, the film is a prequel to the X-Men film trilogy, focusing on the violent past of the mutant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and his relationship with his half-brothe...
The Wedding Planner(2001) - When a wedding planner named Mary (Jennifer Lopez) is asked by her father to marry re-introduced childhood friend Massimo(Justin Chambers) she figures she only wants to focus on her career of becoming the partner for her company. Things change when she runs into a man named Steve Edison(Matthew McCo...
Ice Spiders(2007) - When a young ski team training for the Olympics arrives at the remote and isolated Lost Mountain Ski Resort to focus on training, they're thrilled to find a retired Olympic skier is there to help them train. But their plans are halted when a scientist working at a nearby government lab arrives with...
Postal(2007) - In the ironically named city of Paradise, a recently laid-off loser teams up with his cult-leading uncle to steal a peculiar bounty of riches from their local amusement park; somehow, the recently arrived Taliban have a similar focus, but a far more sinister intent.
Terminator Salvation(2009) - The fourth installment in the Terminator film series. In a departure from the previous installments, which were set between 1984 and 2004 and used time travel as a key plot element, Salvation is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting agains...
The X-Files: I Want to Believe(2008) - Originally intended as a movie-based series finale, this film finally entered production in 2007. Unlike the first film, the plot does not focus on the series' ongoing extraterrestrial based mytharc themes, but instead works as a standalone thriller horror story, similar to many of the Monster-of-th...
The Company(2003) - Ensemble drama centered around a group of ballet dancers, with a focus on one young dancer who's poised to become a principal performer.
O'Horten(2007) - A drama focused on a life-changing moment in 67-year-old train engineer Odd Horten's existence: the evening of his retirement.
Bright Eyes(1934) - Bright Eyes is a 1934 American comedy drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by William Conselman is based on a story by David Butler and Edwin J. Burke, and focuses on the relationship between bachelor aviator James "Loop" Merritt (James Dunn) and his orphaned godchild, Shirley Blake (...
Curly Top(1935) - Curly Top is a 1935 American musical drama film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay by Patterson McNutt and Arthur J. Beckhard focuses on the adoption of a young orphan (Shirley Temple) by a wealthy bachelor (John Boles) and his romantic attraction to her older sister (Rochell
Saw 3D(2010) - Saw 3D (also known as Saw: The Final Chapter) is a 2010 American 3D horror film by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the seventh installment in the Saw franchise. The plot focuses on a man who falsely claims to be a Jigsaw survivor, becoming a local celebrity. Ho...
RBG(2018) - RBG is a 2018 American documentary film focusing on the life and career of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female Supreme Court of the United States Associate Justice after Sandra Day O'Connor. RBG chronicles the career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which spans several decades,...
Annabelle(2014) - Annabelle is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed by John R. Leonetti, written by Gary Dauberman and produced by Peter Safran and James Wan. It is a prequel to 2013's The Conjuring and the second installment in the Conjuring Universe franchise. A spin-off focusing on the origins of the...
Air Buddies(2006) - Switching the focus to Bud's five puppies who share the same love for basketball. When Bud and Holly are dognapped, it's up to the Buddies to save the day for real.
Space Buddies(2009) - The focus switched yet again to Buddha and his owner Sam who want to go to space and touch the moon. When Buddha can't go on a humans-only mission he and his buddies attend the test launch but stow away onto the ship. When things go wrong in orbit, it's up to them to save Earth.
Justin Bieber's Believe(2013) - Thought the first film ended the torture? The sequel to Never Say Never continues to focus on Bieber's rise to international fame as he embarks on his Believe Tour. In new interviews with Bieber, the movie reveals long-awaited answers to questions about his passion to make music, relationships and c...
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans(2009) - A prequel to the original 2003 film. The film focuses primarily on the origins of the characters and the events that lead up to the VampireLycan war. Kate Beckinsale, who starred in the previous Underworld movies, appears briefly at the end of the movie.
Impure Thoughts(1986) - Four male friends are reunited after not being in contact with each other for several years. However, the meeting place is Purgatory, the afterlife state of limbo between heaven and hell. In Purgatory, these friends reflect on their pasts while they were living. They especially focus on their years...
Home Alone: The Holiday Heist(2012) - Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (also known as Home Alone 5) is a 2012 American made-for-television Christmas comedy film. It is the fifth installment in the Home Alone franchise. Even though it does not focus on the McCallister Family it does contain a number of homages to the previou
OceanWorld 3D(2009) - A Disneynature documentary that focuses on the life of various creatures in the ocean. The film is about the variety of animal life in the ocean. It features Californian kelp forests, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and the Roca Partida island off the coast of Mexico, which is home to thousands...
Born in China(2017) - This Disneynature documentary focuses on a snow leopard named Dawa and her cubs, a young golden snub-nosed monkey named Tao Tao, a female giant panda named Ya Ya along with her daughter Mei Mei, and a herd of chiru. The American release of the film is narrated by John Krasinski.
X-Men: First Class(2011) - An intended reboot of the "X-Men" franchise, "First Class" is set primarily in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and focuses on the relationship between Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto, and the origin of their groupsthe X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants, respectively, a...
X-Men: Days of Future Past(2014) - The second story in the reboot timeline, inspired by the 1981 Uncanny X-Men storyline "Days of Future Past" by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, focuses on two time periods, with Logan traveling back in time to 1973 to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutant...
Deadpool(2016) - Wade Wilson hunts the man who gave him mutant abilities and a scarred physical appearance, becoming the beloved antihero Deadpool. A spinoff of the "X-Men" series that puts the focus on the main villain Deadpool.
https://myanimelist.net/manga/20553/Kimi-iro_Focus
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30 for 30 ::: TV-G | 1h | Documentary, Biography, History | TV Series (2009 ) -- A collection of documentary films focused on sports. Stars: Dick Vitale, Brent Musburger, William C. Rhoden
Ali (2001) ::: 6.8/10 -- R | 2h 37min | Biography, Drama, Sport | 25 December 2001 (USA) -- A biography of sports legend Muhammad Ali, focusing on his triumphs and controversies between 1964 and 1974. Director: Michael Mann Writers: Gregory Allen Howard (story), Stephen J. Rivele (screenplay) | 3 more
Alphas ::: TV-14 | 44min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi | TV Series (20112012) -- Alphas is a science fiction drama focusing on a team that investigates people with supernatural abilities. Creators: Michael Karnow, Zak Penn
Auto Focus (2002) ::: 6.6/10 -- R | 1h 45min | Biography, Crime, Drama | 1 November 2002 (USA) -- The life of TV star Bob Crane and his strange friendship with electronics expert John Henry Carpenter. Director: Paul Schrader Writers: Robert Graysmith (book), Michael Gerbosi
Blood In, Blood Out (1993) ::: 8.0/10 -- Bound by Honor (original title) -- Blood In, Blood Out Poster -- Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on step-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. Director: Taylor Hackford Writers:
Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) ::: 6.5/10 -- R | 2h 3min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 16 September 2016 (USA) -- Forty-something and single again, Bridget decides to focus on her job and surround herself with friends. In a twist, she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch - she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby's father. Director: Sharon Maguire Writers:
Chef's Table ::: TV-MA | 50min | Documentary | TV Series (2015 ) -- Chef's Table goes inside the lives and kitchens of six of the world's most renowned international chefs. Each episode focuses on a single chef and their unique look at their lives, talents and passion from their piece of culinary heaven. Stars:
Cow and Chicken ::: TV-PG | 30min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | TV Series (19971999) The program focuses on the misadventures of two unlikely yet somehow biological siblings: Cow and Chicken. Creator: David Feiss Stars:
Cradle Will Rock (1999) ::: 6.8/10 -- R | 2h 12min | Drama | 21 January 2000 (USA) -- A true story of politics and art in the 1930s U.S., focusing on a leftist musical drama and attempts to stop its production. Director: Tim Robbins Writer: Tim Robbins Stars:
Criminal: UK ::: TV-MA | 43min | Crime, Drama, Thriller | TV Series (2019 ) -- A cat-and-mouse drama, which focuses on the intense mental conflict between detectives and suspects. The stories take place within the confines of a police interview suite. Creators:
Delirious (2006) ::: 6.5/10 -- Not Rated | 1h 47min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 18 May 2007 (Spain) -- An offbeat drama focused on a homeless youth, a pop music siren and a member of the paparazzi. Director: Tom DiCillo Writer: Tom DiCillo
Dilbert ::: TV-PG | 30min | Animation, Comedy | TV Series (19992000) -- Cubicle denizen Dilbert toils away at Path-E-Tech which makes undefined products. The focus is on his survival amongst a moronic boss, hostile co-workers and his malevolent pet, Dogbert. Creators:
Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) ::: 7.4/10 -- PG-13 | 1h 24min | Drama, Music | 16 November 1988 (France) -- The lives of an English working-class family are told out of order in a free-associative manner. The first part, "Distant Voices", focuses on the father's role in the family. The second part, "Still Lives", focuses on his children. Director: Terence Davies Writer:
Focus (2015) ::: 6.6/10 -- R | 1h 45min | Comedy, Crime, Drama | 27 February 2015 (USA) -- In the midst of veteran con man Nicky's latest scheme, a woman from his past - now an accomplished femme fatale - shows up and throws his plans for a loop. Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa Writers:
Franklin ::: TV-Y | 23min | Animation, Family | TV Series (19972006) -- Franklin focuses on the eponymous growing young turtle who, as his television stories and books always begin, "could count by twos and tie his shoes". Stars:
Gone Girl (2014) ::: 8.1/10 -- R | 2h 29min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 3 October 2014 (USA) -- With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent. Director: David Fincher Writers:
Harley Quinn ::: TV-MA | 23min | Animation, Action, Adventure | TV Series (2019 ) -- The series focuses on a single Harley Quinn, who sets off to make it on her own in Gotham City. Creators: Justin Halpern, Dean Lorey, Patrick Schumacker
Helter Skelter (2004) ::: 6.4/10 -- Not Rated | 3h | Biography, Crime, Drama | TV Movie 16 May 2004 -- A new take on the Manson Family murders, with a keen focus on Charles Manson himself. Director: John Gray Writers: Vincent Bugliosi (book), Curt Gentry (book) | 1 more credit Stars:
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows (1998) ::: 8.1/10 -- R | 1h 33min | Documentary, Biography, Sport | TV Movie 20 December -- Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows Poster Documentary focusing on the career of pro wrestler Bret Hart & his controversial exit from the WWF. Director: Paul Jay Writer: Paul Jay Stars:
Imposters ::: TV-14 | 41min | Comedy, Crime, Drama | TV Series (2017 ) -- A dark comedy that focuses on a female con artist who marries people and then disappears with their money. Creators: Paul Adelstein, Adam Brooks
Initial D (2005) ::: 6.4/10 -- Tau man ji D (original title) -- Initial D Poster After winning his first competition, Takumi focuses his attention on drift racing, a sport he has unknowingly perfected while delivering tofu in his father's Toyota AE86. Directors: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak | 1 more credit Writers: Shuichi Shigeno (comic books), Felix Chong (screenplay)
In Living Color ::: TV-14 | 30min | Comedy | TV Series (19902006) -- The Wayans siblings present an African-American focused sketch comedy show. Creator: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Judging Amy ::: TV-PG | 1h | Drama | TV Series (19992005) -- A family drama focused on three generations of women living together in Hartford, Connecticut. Creators: Amy Brenneman, Bill D'Elia, Barbara Hall | 2 more credits
Julien Donkey-Boy (1999) ::: 6.8/10 -- R | 1h 34min | Comedy, Drama | 13 September 2000 (France) -- A portrait of the effects of schizophrenia on family life is the central focus. Director: Harmony Korine Writer: Harmony Korine
Julien Donkey-Boy (1999) ::: 6.8/10 -- R | 1h 34min | Comedy, Drama | 13 September 2000 (France) -- A portrait of the effects of schizophrenia on family life is the central focus.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent ::: TV-14 | 1h | Crime, Drama, Mystery | TV Series (20012011) -- This series focuses on the NYPD's Major Case Squad, a force of detectives who investigate high-profile cases, whilst also showing parts of the crime from the criminal's point of view to the audience. Creators:
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998) ::: 6.5/10 -- Unrated | 1h 27min | Biography, Drama, Romance | 7 October 1998 (USA) -- Biography of British painter Francis Bacon focuses on his relationship with his lover, George Dyer, a former small time crook. Director: John Maybury Writer: John Maybury Stars:
Mad Men ::: TV-14 | 47min | Drama | TV Series (20072015) -- A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper. Creator:
Martin ::: TV-PG | 30min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | TV Series (19921997) -- Sassy sitcom centering on radio and television personality Martin Payne. Series focuses on his romantic relationship with girlfriend Gina, her best friend Pam and escapades with best friends Tommy and Cole. Creators:
Matthias & Maxime (2019) ::: 6.8/10 -- Matthias et Maxime (original title) -- Matthias & Maxime Poster -- A drama focusing on a group of friends in their late 20s. Director: Xavier Dolan Writer: Xavier Dolan
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008) ::: 7.5/10 -- L'instinct de mort (original title) -- Mesrine: Killer Instinct Poster -- The story of the notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine, with the focus on his life before the early 1970s and the events that led to him being declared Public Enemy No. 1 in France. Director: Jean-Franois Richet Writers:
Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008) ::: 7.5/10 -- L'ennemi public n1 (original title) -- Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 Poster -- The story of the notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine, with the focus on his life and death as France's Public Enemy No. 1 in the 1970s. Director: Jean-Franois Richet Writers:
Nico and Dani (2000) ::: 6.6/10 -- Krmpack (original title) -- Nico and Dani Poster A Spanish coming of age story focusing on the antics of two 17 year olds, who have a posh beach house almost all to themselves one summer. This is also a summer of sexual awakenings. Director: Cesc Gay Writers: Toms Aragay (as Toms Aragay), Cesc Gay | 1 more credit
Nowhere Boy (2009) ::: 7.1/10 -- R | 1h 38min | Biography, Drama, Music | 25 December 2009 (UK) -- A chronicle of John Lennon's first years, focused mainly in his adolescence and his relationship with his stern aunt Mimi, who raised him, and his absentee mother Julia, who re-entered his life at a crucial moment in his young life. Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson (as Sam Taylor-Wood) Writer:
Radio Days (1987) ::: 7.5/10 -- PG | 1h 28min | Comedy | 30 January 1987 (USA) -- A nostalgic look at radio's golden age focusing on one ordinary family and the various performers in the medium. Director: Woody Allen Writer: Woody Allen
Root of All Evil? (2006) ::: 8.2/10 -- 1h 30min | Documentary | TV Movie 9 January 2006 -- Richard Dawkins' highly critical documentary attacks the pulsing heart of all mainstream religion- faith; with special focus on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Contains repeated ... S Director: Russell Barnes Writer: Richard Dawkins Stars:
Secrets and Lies ::: TV-14 | 43min | Crime, Drama | TV Series (20152016) -- Each series, a detective focuses on the prime suspect in a murder case; but everyone has something to hide. Creator: Barbie Kligman
Snow Cake (2006) ::: 7.5/10 -- Not Rated | 1h 52min | Drama, Romance | 15 December 2006 (Canada) -- A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man who is traumatized after a fatal car accident. Director: Marc Evans Writer: Angela Pell
Space: Above and Beyond -- G | 1h | Action, Adventure, Drama | TV Series (19951996) ::: The Earth is embroiled in a desperate war against alien invaders, and this series focuses on one squadron of Marine pilots involved in it. Creators: Glen Morgan, James Wong
Tales from the Hood (1995) ::: 6.4/10 -- R | 1h 38min | Crime, Drama, Horror | 24 May 1995 (USA) -- A funeral director tells four strange tales of horror with an African American focus to three drug dealers he traps in his place of business. Director: Rusty Cundieff Writers: Rusty Cundieff, Darin Scott
Tales of the City ::: TV-MA | 1h | Drama | TV Series (2019) -- A middle-aged Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and reunites with the eccentric friends she left behind. "Tales of the City" focuses primarily on the people who live in a boardinghouse turned apartment complex owned by Anna Madrigal at 28 Barbary Lane, all of whom quickly become part of what Maupin coined a "logical family". It's no longer a secret that Mrs. Madrigal is transgender. Instead, she ... See full
The Big Sky (1952) ::: 7.0/10 -- Approved | 2h 20min | Drama, Western | 27 November 1952 (Italy) -- The success of the journey focuses on keeping the Indian girl alive as well as themselves to complete trade with the Blackfeet. Director: Howard Hawks Writers: Dudley Nichols (screenplay), A.B. Guthrie Jr. (novel)
The Eichmann Show (2015) ::: 6.6/10 -- 1h 36min | Drama, History | TV Movie 20 January 2015 -- Dramatisation of the team hoping to televise the trial of Adolf Eichmann, an infamous Nazi responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews. It focuses on Leo Hurwitz, a documentary film-maker and Milton Fruchtman, a producer. Director: Paul Andrew Williams Writer: Simon Block
The Giant (2017) ::: 6.7/10 -- Handia (original title) -- The Giant Poster -- A story about the world's tallest man, this is an unsettling Basque-language period drama focused on sibling rivalry. Directors: Aitor Arregi, Jon Garao Writers:
The Looney Tunes Show ::: TV-PG | 23min | Animation, Short, Adventure | TV Series (20112014) -- An updated iteration of the classic Looney Tunes characters focusing on their satirical misadventures living in suburbia. Stars: Jeff Bergman, Bob Bergen, Fred Armisen
The Mill and the Cross (2011) ::: 6.9/10 -- Mlyn i krzyz (original title) -- The Mill and the Cross Poster -- This movie focuses on a dozen of the five hundred characters depicted in Bruegel's painting. The theme of Christ's suffering is set against religious persecution in Flanders in 1564. Director: Lech Majewski Writers:
The Nativity Story (2006) ::: 6.8/10 -- PG | 1h 41min | Adventure, Drama, Family | 1 December 2006 (USA) -- A drama that focuses on the period in Mary and Joseph's life where they journeyed to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. Director: Catherine Hardwicke Writer: Mike Rich
There Will Be Blood (2007) ::: 8.2/10 -- R | 2h 38min | Drama | 25 January 2008 (USA) -- A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business. Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Writers: Paul Thomas Anderson (written for the screen by), Upton Sinclair
The Road to Guantanamo (2006) ::: 7.4/10 -- R | 1h 35min | Drama, War | 9 March 2006 (UK) -- Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantnamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge. Directors: Mat Whitecross, Michael Winterbottom Stars:
The Rocket (2005) ::: 7.6/10 -- Maurice Richard (original title) -- The Rocket Poster A story about Quebec's most famous hockey player, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, focusing on the struggles of a French Canadian in the National Hockey League dominated by Anglophones. Director: Charles Binam Writer: Ken Scott
The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020) ::: 6.4/10 -- PG | 1h 47min | Drama, Romance | 31 July 2020 (USA) -- A feature film adaptation of the self-help book, 'The Secret', which focuses on the power of positive thinking. Director: Andy Tennant Writers: Bekah Brunstetter (screenplay by), Andy Tennant (screenplay by) | 3
The Spectacular Spider-Man ::: TV-Y7 | 23min | Animation, Action, Adventure | TV Series (20082009) -- An animated television show that focuses on a sixteen-year-old Peter Parker, and the origins of Spider-Man. Creators: Victor Cook, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee | 1 more credit
The Thin Red Line (1998) ::: 7.6/10 -- R | 2h 50min | Drama, War | 15 January 1999 (USA) -- Adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War. Director: Terrence Malick Writers: James Jones (novel), Terrence Malick (screenplay)
The Unusuals ::: TV-14 | 1h | Comedy, Crime, Drama | TV Series (2009) Darkly comedic drama focusing on the dysfunctional cops and staff of an infamous NYPD precinct. Creator: Noah Hawley Stars:
This Country ::: 21min | Comedy | TV Series (20172020) Comedy exploring the lives of young people in modern rural Britain, focusing on cousins Kerry and Kurtan and their lives in the Cotswolds. Stars: Daisy May Cooper, Charlie Cooper, Paul Chahidi
Three Seconds (2017) ::: 6.6/10 -- Dvizhenie vverkh (original title) -- Three Seconds Poster Going Vertical is a film based on real events that occurred in 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. It focuses on a legendary final battle between USSR and USA basketball teams. Director: Anton Megerdichev Writers: Sergey Belov (book), Aleksandr Konovalov (book) | 2 more credits
Vincent & Theo (1990) ::: 6.9/10 -- PG-13 | 2h 18min | Biography, Drama | 16 November 1990 (USA) -- The familiar tragic story of Vincent van Gogh is broadened by focusing as well on his brother Theodore, who helped support Vincent. The movie also provides a nice view of the locations which Vincent painted. Director: Robert Altman Writer:
Vision Quest (1985) ::: 6.6/10 -- R | 1h 47min | Drama, Romance, Sport | 15 February 1985 (USA) -- A high school wrestler in Spokane, Washington has trouble focusing on his training regimen when a beautiful young drifter takes up temporary residence at his home. Director: Harold Becker Writers:
Viva la Bam ::: TV-PG | 30min | Comedy, Reality-TV | TV Series (20032006) A show that follows Bam Margera (of Jackass and CKY fame) in his attempts to anger his parents. Unlike CKY or Jackass, Viva La Bam focuses mainly on the torture of Bam's parents and less on harmful stunts. Creators: Bam Margera, Troy Miller
Voltron: Defender of the Universe ::: TV-Y7 | 24min | Animation, Family, Sci-Fi | TV Series (19841985) -- This series focuses on five lion robots and their pilots as they fight the evil forces of King Zarkon and Prince Lotor. Stars: Jack Angel, Michael Bell, Peter Cullen
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX ::: TV-PG | 30min | Animation, Action, Adventure | TV Series (20042008) -- A semi-spinoff of the popular Yu-Gi-Oh anime series, focusing on a boy named Jaden and his misadventures as a student at an esteemed Duel Monsters academy. Creator:
Zindagi Gulzar Hai ::: 42min | Romance | TV Series (20122013) A school teacher was left by her husband with her 3 daughters and marries another women for the sake of getting a male child. The story focuses on gender biasness and the difference between the classes in terms of the affluence level. Stars: Sanam Saeed, Fawad Khan, Samina Peerzada
https://actofaggression.fandom.com/wiki/Focus_Home_Interactive
https://alice.fandom.com/wiki/Focus
https://allods.fandom.com/wiki/Focused_Artillery_I
https://allods.fandom.com/wiki/Rare_Focused_Artillery_I
https://anarchyonline.fandom.com/wiki/Focus-Funneling_Helper
https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/Alpha_Centauri_strategy_guide_by_Dream_Focus
https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/DC_Focus
https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Focused_Strength
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Discipline_Focus
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Diverse_Focus
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Fable_of_focus
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Focused_Breath
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Focused_chaos
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Focused_fury
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Focused_Mind
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Focused_Sight
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Focused_sound
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Focused_Superiority
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https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Refocus
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https://ffxiclopedia.fandom.com/wiki//focustarget
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https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Headband_of_Focus
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https://galciv.fandom.com/wiki/Templates_and_Focus
https://garoseries.fandom.com/wiki/FOCUS
https://hatoful.fandom.com/wiki/Focus_on_the_Hawks
https://humanscience.fandom.com/wiki/How_Life_Responds_to_Focus,_Interest,_and_Aspiration
https://linuxstudio.fandom.com/wiki/Focusrite_Forte
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https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Focus_Bangla
https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Focus_Features
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https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Electromagnetic_focusing
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Focus_on..._Star_Trek
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Species_8472_energy_focusing_ship
https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Focus_on..._Star_Trek
https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Spiros_Focus
https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Flash_Focus:_Vision_Training_in_Minutes_a_Day
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https://nwn.fandom.com/wiki/Epic_skill_focus
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https://nwn.fandom.com/wiki/Epic_superior_weapon_focus
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https://nwn.fandom.com/wiki/Greater_spell_focus
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https://photography.fandom.com/wiki/Focus_free_lens
https://sawfish.fandom.com/wiki/Focus_grabs_aren't_focus_changes
https://sca21.fandom.com/wiki/Urban_focus
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Beam_focuser
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https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Wookieepedia:WookieeProject_Galaxy's_Edge/Project_Focus
https://swfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Superlaser_focuser
https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/A_Shift_in_Focus_(short_story)
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https://wowwiki-archive.fandom.com/wiki/API_ClearFocus
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91 Days: Toki no Asase/Subete no Kinou/Ashita, Mata Ashita -- -- Shuka -- 1 ep -- Original -- Action Historical Drama -- 91 Days: Toki no Asase/Subete no Kinou/Ashita, Mata Ashita 91 Days: Toki no Asase/Subete no Kinou/Ashita, Mata Ashita -- This episode contains three stories. -- -- The first story, "Toki no Asase" (Shoals of Time), will center on Nero and Vanno persuading Frate to skip mass with them and see the circus. -- -- The second story, "Subete no Kinou" (Yesterday Before Everything), will focus on Ganzo, as he meets a young man named Vincente at a bar, and asks Ganzo to do something for him. -- -- The third story, "Ashita, Mata Ashita" (Tomorrow, and then Tomorrow), is set after Nero and Avilio defeat Mad Mack and are on the way back to Lawless. Nero suffers from fever dreams, and Avilio nurses him back to health. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- Special - Jul 5, 2017 -- 38,796 6.88
Aachi wa Ssipak -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Original -- Action Comedy -- Aachi wa Ssipak Aachi wa Ssipak -- After the world ran out of all traditional energy sources, only one remained—human excrement. To encourage citizens to produce as much waste as possible, the government implants a chip in the anus at birth, which provides citizens with "juicybars" every time it detects defecation. Juicybars are highly addictive narcotics that sometimes transform their users into mutant blue dwarfs with extreme constipation. These mutant addicts make up the "Diaper Gang," those who live underground and are focused on trying to obtain juicybars. -- -- Aachi and Ssipak are two small-time crooks who steal and sell juicybars to make it on the streets. When they meet a beautiful woman who has the anal chips of every Diaper Gang member implanted in her, producing dozens of juicybars with every dump, Aachi and Ssipak strike it rich. However, with both the government and the Diaper Gang on their tails, the two struggle to protect their newfound riches. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Flatiron Film Company -- Movie - Jun 28, 2006 -- 8,637 6.66
Ajin 2nd Season OVA -- -- Polygon Pictures -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Action Mystery Horror Supernatural Seinen -- Ajin 2nd Season OVA Ajin 2nd Season OVA -- Bundled with the limited edition tenth manga volume. It focuses on the backstory of when Satou captured the first ever Ajin in Africa and discovered that he himself is an Ajin. -- OVA - Apr 7, 2017 -- 11,346 7.09
Biohazard 4D-Executer -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Game -- Action Adventure Military Horror -- Biohazard 4D-Executer Biohazard 4D-Executer -- Biohazard 4D Executor was a 20 minute CG movie that people in Japan could see in a special theater. -- -- Though the CG was primitive, (the rendering and models aren’t much better than that seen in Resident Evil 2, it’s certainly not on par with Resident Evil 3) it told the story enough. Below is a summary of the events within the 20 minute movie. -- -- The story focuses on an elite unit of 5 UBCS members, sent into Raccoon City to try and rescue Dr. Cameron. An Umbrella scientist lost in all the confusion. The UBCS team, consisting of members Rodrigo, Roger, Klaus, Ed and Norman, have a GPS device used to track down Dr. Cameron’s last known location, which is near a large food factory. -- -- Upon entering the factory they are attacked by a large creature, a sort of hybrid between a Tyrant and the more evolved forms of Nemesis. -- -- (Source: rehorror.net) -- Special - ??? ??, 2000 -- 3,774 5.49
Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan -- -- Hal Film Maker, Nomad -- 4 eps -- Light novel -- Comedy Magic Ecchi -- Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan -- Sakura Kusakabe, a mere junior high student, has committed a horrible crime. Or, rather, he will commit a crime—20 years into the future. The crime in question? He will prevent all women from developing past the age of 12, with immortality as an unintended side effect. As a result, the angel Dokuro Mitsukai is sent from the future as an assassin, armed with with a magical spiked bat named Excalibolg. However, rather than kill him, Dokuro wants to take a different approach. She resolves to be a constant nuisance to Sakura, in an attempt to prevent him from focusing on anything long enough to create his criminal technology. -- -- With Dokuro going against orders, the angel Sabato is sent out to complete Dokuro's mission. Between the impulsive Dokuro—who often murders Sakura with her bat before reviving him with the magic words "Pipiru piru piru pipiru pi"—and the electric baton-wielding Sabato, Sakura's life will never be peaceful again. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Discotek Media, Media Blasters -- OVA - Mar 13, 2005 -- 170,933 6.58
Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan -- -- Hal Film Maker, Nomad -- 4 eps -- Light novel -- Comedy Magic Ecchi -- Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan -- Sakura Kusakabe, a mere junior high student, has committed a horrible crime. Or, rather, he will commit a crime—20 years into the future. The crime in question? He will prevent all women from developing past the age of 12, with immortality as an unintended side effect. As a result, the angel Dokuro Mitsukai is sent from the future as an assassin, armed with with a magical spiked bat named Excalibolg. However, rather than kill him, Dokuro wants to take a different approach. She resolves to be a constant nuisance to Sakura, in an attempt to prevent him from focusing on anything long enough to create his criminal technology. -- -- With Dokuro going against orders, the angel Sabato is sent out to complete Dokuro's mission. Between the impulsive Dokuro—who often murders Sakura with her bat before reviving him with the magic words "Pipiru piru piru pipiru pi"—and the electric baton-wielding Sabato, Sakura's life will never be peaceful again. -- -- OVA - Mar 13, 2005 -- 170,933 6.58
Byousoku 5 Centimeter -- -- CoMix Wave Films -- 3 eps -- Original -- Drama Romance Slice of Life -- Byousoku 5 Centimeter Byousoku 5 Centimeter -- What happens when two people love each other but just aren't meant to be together? Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara are childhood friends, but circumstances beyond their control tear them apart. They promise to stay in contact, and although the progression of time widens the distance between them, the chain of memories remains ever-present. -- -- Byousoku 5 Centimeter is a romantic drama that focuses on the mundane and harsh reality of long-distance relationships. Stuck in the past and unable to make any new memories, Takaki and Akari cling to the hope of seeing each other again. They live their everyday lives half-heartedly, both hurting themselves and the people around them. -- -- -- Licensor: -- ADV Films, Bandai Entertainment, Crunchyroll, Discotek Media -- Movie - Mar 3, 2007 -- 725,001 7.70
Byulbyul Iyagi -- -- - -- 6 eps -- - -- Psychological Drama -- Byulbyul Iyagi Byulbyul Iyagi -- Six animated shorts about discrimination and being different. -- -- 1. "Daydream" talks about dealing with people with disability. It homes in on the daily life of a father with a daughter whose hands and feet are deformed. -- -- 2. "Animal Farm" relies on the rough-and-ready feel of stop-motion clay animation to create a satire of bullying and mob dynamics. -- -- 3. "At Her House" paints a devastating picture of gender inequality within a marriage. -- -- 4. "Flesh and Bone" gently pillories superficiality and the obsession with outward appearance. -- -- 5. "Bicycle Trip" focuses on the discrimination experienced by foreign workers in Korea. -- -- 6. "Be a Human Being" looks at the way young Koreans are barely treated as human beings before they get to university. -- -- (Source: ANIWEBLOG, ASIANDB, Jeonju) -- Movie - Sep 23, 2005 -- 402 N/A -- -- Paradise -- -- - -- 1 ep -- - -- Adventure Psychological Space -- Paradise Paradise -- "A highly energetic story told from outer space, battlefields, and dentist offices, over and around time and space." -- -- (Source: Image Forum Festival 2014 program) -- Movie - ??? ??, 2013 -- 381 N/A -- -- Ninja & Soldier -- -- - -- 1 ep -- - -- Psychological -- Ninja & Soldier Ninja & Soldier -- Two eight-year-old boys compete in a game of childish bravado. Ken is a Ninja, Nito a child soldier from the Congo who was forced to kill his own mother. Their naïve game addresses cruel realities, and they talk about their differences and what they have in common. Accompanied by contrasting graphics, the film explores the types of acts of which humankind is capable. -- -- (Source: Berlinale) -- Movie - ??? ??, 2012 -- 374 5.90
Cardfight!! Vanguard Gaiden: If -- -- OLM -- 25 eps -- Original -- Action Game Adventure Comedy Parody Demons -- Cardfight!! Vanguard Gaiden: If Cardfight!! Vanguard Gaiden: If -- The series will explore an alternate universe to the main series, and will focus on Kouji Ibuki, an antagonist in the Cardfight!! Vanguard Movie: Neon Messiah, and Suiko Tatsunagi. -- -- (Source: ANN, edited) -- 2,168 6.37
Cardfight!! Vanguard: Link Joker-hen -- -- TMS Entertainment -- 59 eps -- Original -- Action Adventure Demons Game Shounen -- Cardfight!! Vanguard: Link Joker-hen Cardfight!! Vanguard: Link Joker-hen -- A few months have passed since the VF Circuit, and Aichi is now in High School. However Aichi is in a different high school than most of his friends, a high school where the instructors focus on looking towards the future. One day Aichi admits he thinks Cardfight can be a future people can believe in, but in order to prove it Aichi must use his new deck, a deck in which Royal Paladins and Gold Paladins are combined as one force. Slowly but surely Aichi must gain friends through Cardfighting and help his new team win the newly formed high school cardfighting championships. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- 17,722 7.15
Crystal Clear -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Music -- Music Space -- Crystal Clear Crystal Clear -- A music video for BIGMAMA's song "Crystal Clear," which focuses on a young woman's attempt to achieve space travel and her interactions with her cat. -- Music - Jul 19, 2017 -- 984 6.44
Dolls' Frontline -- -- Asahi Production -- ? eps -- Game -- Action Military Sci-Fi Drama -- Dolls' Frontline Dolls' Frontline -- After the third world war, nations devastated by biological warfare no longer have the ability to protect the wastelands, so the defense of these territories is left to private military companies like Griffin & Kryuger, whose android soldiers or "tactical dolls" are tasked with fighting the rogue android army of Sangvis Ferri. Now M4A1, the indecisive but potentially capable leader of the elite "Anti-Rain" team must protect her comrades in a series of operations to try and regain the upper hand against Sangvis Ferri. -- TV - ??? ??, 2021 -- 4,205 N/A -- -- Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Memory of Eden -- -- Sunrise -- 2 eps -- - -- Action Mecha Military Sci-Fi Drama -- Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Memory of Eden Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Memory of Eden -- This project will recompile the television series (from the Asemu arc onward) to focus on the characters Asemu Asuno and Zeheart Galette. -- OVA - Jul 26, 2013 -- 4,174 6.63
Doukyuusei (Movie) -- -- A-1 Pictures -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Slice of Life Romance School Shounen Ai -- Doukyuusei (Movie) Doukyuusei (Movie) -- Hikaru Kusakabe is a normal, carefree boy in a rock band who is always focused on the present. During the summer, his entire class is forced to participate in an upcoming chorus festival. By coincidence, he discovers his classmate Rihito Sajou—known for being an honor student with excellent grades—practicing his singing alone. Sajou just cannot seem to get their class' song right, and Kusakabe, delighted at seeing a new side of his straight-laced classmate, offers to help him prepare for the event. -- -- Although their lives and personalities are total opposites, they begin to grow closer as time progresses. But with the pressure of an unknown future, what will become of them and their growing relationship? -- -- Movie - Feb 20, 2016 -- 172,090 8.32
Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka IV -- -- - -- ? eps -- Light novel -- Action Adventure Comedy Romance Fantasy -- Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka IV Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka IV -- Fourth season of Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka. -- TV - ??? ??, 2022 -- 55,073 N/A -- -- Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha: Shijou Saikyou no Maou no Shiso, Tensei shite Shison-tachi no Gakkou e -- -- SILVER LINK. -- ? eps -- Light novel -- Magic Fantasy School -- Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha: Shijou Saikyou no Maou no Shiso, Tensei shite Shison-tachi no Gakkou e Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha: Shijou Saikyou no Maou no Shiso, Tensei shite Shison-tachi no Gakkou e -- Second season of Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha: Shijou Saikyou no Maou no Shiso, Tensei shite Shison-tachi no Gakkou e Kayou. -- TV - ??? ??, ???? -- 55,065 N/A -- -- Tegamibachi Reverse -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 25 eps -- Manga -- Adventure Supernatural Fantasy Shounen -- Tegamibachi Reverse Tegamibachi Reverse -- After Niche carries the wounded and stunned Lag back to the Bee Hive, the Letter Bee finally begins to piece the puzzle together. Now he knows what's happened to Gauche, why the Marauders are so focused on stealing mail and the actual intent of the group controlling both, Reverse. However, when he's forbidden to reveal the truth, Lag is soon forced out of the artificial sunlight and back into the world of perpetual night. And soon Reverse's plot to take down the Letter Bees and overthrow the Amberground government begins to accelerate. If things weren't already bad enough, the giant insect creatures called gaichuu are apparently evolving into something new; there may be traitors working within the Hive; and Niche's sister, who's definitely not human friendly, shows up to turn family drama into a full-scale siege! It all spells serious trouble for the Letter Bees, but if anyone can weather the storms and gloom of night, Lag and his team are the ones who'll deliver. -- -- (Source: FUNimation) -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- 55,008 7.77
Esoragoto Spiral -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Music -- Music Psychological School -- Esoragoto Spiral Esoragoto Spiral -- Esoragoto Spiral focuses on Seisa, the representative of the Going Home Club, who is lost in her thoughts and tries to fabricate herself by gathering some aspects of bitterness and sweetness. The music video itself was published online and has not been released on any DVD yet. -- -- (Source: Mikagura School Suite Wikia) -- Music - Aug 20, 2016 -- 1,159 6.14
Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly -- -- ufotable -- 1 ep -- Visual novel -- Action Fantasy Magic Supernatural -- Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly -- The Fifth Holy Grail War continues, and the ensuing chaos results in higher stakes for all participants. Shirou Emiya continues to participate in the war, aspiring to be a hero of justice who saves everyone. He sets out in search of the truth behind a mysterious dark shadow and its murder spree, determined to defeat it. -- -- Meanwhile, Shinji Matou sets his own plans into motion, threatening Shirou through his sister Sakura Matou. Shirou and Rin Toosaka battle Shinji, hoping to relieve Sakura from the abuses of her brother. But the ugly truth of the Matou siblings begins to surface, and many dark secrets are exposed. -- -- Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly continues to focus on the remaining Masters and Servants as they fight each other in the hopes of obtaining the Holy Grail. However, as darkness arises within Fuyuki City, even the state of their sacred war could be in danger. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Aniplex of America -- Movie - Jan 12, 2019 -- 224,860 8.59
Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly -- -- ufotable -- 1 ep -- Visual novel -- Action Fantasy Magic Supernatural -- Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly -- The Fifth Holy Grail War continues, and the ensuing chaos results in higher stakes for all participants. Shirou Emiya continues to participate in the war, aspiring to be a hero of justice who saves everyone. He sets out in search of the truth behind a mysterious dark shadow and its murder spree, determined to defeat it. -- -- Meanwhile, Shinji Matou sets his own plans into motion, threatening Shirou through his sister Sakura Matou. Shirou and Rin Toosaka battle Shinji, hoping to relieve Sakura from the abuses of her brother. But the ugly truth of the Matou siblings begins to surface, and many dark secrets are exposed. -- -- Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly continues to focus on the remaining Masters and Servants as they fight each other in the hopes of obtaining the Holy Grail. However, as darkness arises within Fuyuki City, even the state of their sacred war could be in danger. -- -- Movie - Jan 12, 2019 -- 224,860 8.59
Freezing Specials -- -- A.C.G.T. -- 6 eps -- - -- Action Comedy Ecchi -- Freezing Specials Freezing Specials -- These episodes focus on ecchi and comedy and don't have anything to do with the main story of Freezing. -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- Special - Mar 30, 2011 -- 40,292 6.60
Furusato Saisei: Nippon no Mukashibanashi -- -- Tomason -- 258 eps -- Other -- Historical Kids Supernatural -- Furusato Saisei: Nippon no Mukashibanashi Furusato Saisei: Nippon no Mukashibanashi -- Like in any culture, Japanese kids grow up listening to the stories repeatedly told by their parents and grandparents. The boy born from a peach; the princess from the moon who is discovered inside a bamboo; the old man who can make a dead cherry tree blossom, etc. These short stories that teach kids to see both the dark and bright sides of life have passed traditional moral values from generation to generation. -- -- Each half-hour episode of Folktales from Japan consists of three self-contained stories, well-known and unknown, with a special focus on heartwarming stories that originate from Tohoku, the northern region heavily touched by the earthquake of 2011. May this program help cheer up earthquake victims and cast a light of hope for them? -- -- (Source: Crunchyroll) -- 9,749 6.98
GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class -- -- AIC PLUS+ -- 12 eps -- 4-koma manga -- Slice of Life Comedy School Seinen -- GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class -- The Ayanoi High School features the Geijutsuka Art Design Class (GA) that focuses on the arts. Five close friends — the energetic "hime"-prankster Noda Miki; the level-headed, cynical Nozaki Namiko; the intelligent, observant, and kind Oomichi Miyabi; the lively and mischievous tomboy Tomokane; and the curious, innocent, glasses-wearing Yamaguchi Kisaragi — attend this class with great enthusiasm, learning about the many art techniques. Every day seems to pose a new and interesting challenge, be it struggling with the latest assignment or when dealing with the daily strangeness of school life. -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- TV - Jul 7, 2009 -- 17,651 7.14
Gakkou no Kaidan: Kubinashi Rider!! Shi no Noroi -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 1 ep -- Original -- Horror Mystery Supernatural -- Gakkou no Kaidan: Kubinashi Rider!! Shi no Noroi Gakkou no Kaidan: Kubinashi Rider!! Shi no Noroi -- A TV special of Gakkou no Kaidan that aired almost 5 months after the original anime. However, this event takes place before the Finale episode of the TV series. -- -- The story focuses on a headless motorcycle rider. -- -- Licensor: -- ADV Films, Discotek Media -- Special - Aug 24, 2001 -- 10,254 7.03
Gall Force: Chikyuu Shou -- -- AIC -- 3 eps -- Original -- Action Military Sci-Fi Mecha -- Gall Force: Chikyuu Shou Gall Force: Chikyuu Shou -- The year 2085 and the only winners of the last war were the machines. Years previously the human race discovered the ruins of an ancient ship beneath the moon's surface and used the knowledge gained to create weapons of war. Eventually these weapons turned against mankind, seeing them as a threat and deciding the only way to stop these war loving humans was to destroy them. Heavily influenced by the 1988 Terminator movie, this new series focuses upon Sandy Newman as she leads a band of warriors in an attempt to reclaim the earth from the machines. If they can reach a group of unlaunched nuclear missiles, they can take out the machine`s headquarters located in Australia. -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- -- Licensor: -- Central Park Media -- OVA - Dec 25, 1989 -- 2,272 6.20
Gosick -- -- Bones -- 24 eps -- Light novel -- Mystery Historical Drama Romance -- Gosick Gosick -- Kazuya Kujou is a foreign student at Saint Marguerite Academy, a luxurious boarding school in the Southern European country of Sauville. Originally from Japan, his jet-black hair and dark brown eyes cause his peers to shun him and give him the nickname "Black Reaper," based on a popular urban legend about the traveler who brings death in the spring. -- -- On a day like any other, Kujou visits the school's extravagant library in search of ghost stories. However, his focus soon changes as he becomes curious about a golden strand of hair on the stairs. The steps lead him to a large garden and a beautiful doll-like girl known as Victorique de Blois, whose complex and imaginative foresight allows her to predict their futures, now intertwined. -- -- With more mysteries quickly developing—including the appearance of a ghost ship and an alchemist with the power of transmutation—Victorique and Kujou, bound by fate and their unique skills, have no choice but to rely on each other. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 439,921 8.09
Gunparade Orchestra -- -- Brain's Base -- 24 eps -- Game -- Drama Mecha Military Romance Sci-Fi Slice of Life -- Gunparade Orchestra Gunparade Orchestra -- The story focuses and revolves around the 108th Guard Squad, stationed in Aomori. A poorly equipped unit with very little military standing, it is often viewed as a 'reject camp' for pilots not making the grade for the elite units based in Hokkaido. The apparent helpless nature of this force is hardly a deterrent for the encroaching enemy armies, ever closing in on both the 108th and the rest of the empire. The young pilots of the 108th, who had dreamed on returning home, are plunged forcefully and unwillingly into a war. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- TV - Oct 4, 2005 -- 4,093 5.89
Haikyuu!! Second Season -- -- Production I.G -- 25 eps -- Manga -- Comedy Sports Drama School Shounen -- Haikyuu!! Second Season Haikyuu!! Second Season -- Following their participation at the Inter-High, the Karasuno High School volleyball team attempts to refocus their efforts, aiming to conquer the Spring tournament instead. -- -- When they receive an invitation from long-standing rival Nekoma High, Karasuno agrees to take part in a large training camp alongside many notable volleyball teams in Tokyo and even some national level players. By playing with some of the toughest teams in Japan, they hope not only to sharpen their skills, but also come up with new attacks that would strengthen them. Moreover, Hinata and Kageyama attempt to devise a more powerful weapon, one that could possibly break the sturdiest of blocks. -- -- Facing what may be their last chance at victory before the senior players graduate, the members of Karasuno's volleyball team must learn to settle their differences and train harder than ever if they hope to overcome formidable opponents old and new—including their archrival Aoba Jousai and its world-class setter Tooru Oikawa. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- 954,913 8.70
Hakuouki Sekkaroku -- -- Studio Deen -- 6 eps -- Visual novel -- Action Historical Demons Drama Fantasy Josei -- Hakuouki Sekkaroku Hakuouki Sekkaroku -- This OVA takes place in between episodes 8 and 9 of the first season of Hakuouki. -- -- Yukimura Chizuru goes on a reconnaissance mission in Shimabara as a geiko for the Shinsengumi. Each episode unfolds the events of the days leading up to, during, and after the operation. It intermittently reveals each captain's involvement as well as that of a few demons in the affair. Each individual episode primarily focuses from the third person perspectives of: Okita Souji, Saito Hajime, Harada Sanosuke, Toudou Heisuke, Hijikata Toshizo, and Kazama Chikage. -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- OVA - Aug 5, 2011 -- 24,157 7.64
Hakuouki Sekkaroku -- -- Studio Deen -- 6 eps -- Visual novel -- Action Historical Demons Drama Fantasy Josei -- Hakuouki Sekkaroku Hakuouki Sekkaroku -- This OVA takes place in between episodes 8 and 9 of the first season of Hakuouki. -- -- Yukimura Chizuru goes on a reconnaissance mission in Shimabara as a geiko for the Shinsengumi. Each episode unfolds the events of the days leading up to, during, and after the operation. It intermittently reveals each captain's involvement as well as that of a few demons in the affair. Each individual episode primarily focuses from the third person perspectives of: Okita Souji, Saito Hajime, Harada Sanosuke, Toudou Heisuke, Hijikata Toshizo, and Kazama Chikage. -- OVA - Aug 5, 2011 -- 24,157 7.64
Hakushaku to Yousei Specials -- -- Artland -- 6 eps -- Light novel -- Adventure Fantasy Magic Historical -- Hakushaku to Yousei Specials Hakushaku to Yousei Specials -- Chibi-Earl and Chibi-Fairy. Every special focuses on another character, who will in their turn recite a poem by Shakespeare, that they feel describes their lives the best. -- Special - Dec 29, 2008 -- 7,891 6.41
Hatsukoi Limited. -- -- J.C.Staff -- 12 eps -- Manga -- Comedy Romance School Shounen -- Hatsukoi Limited. Hatsukoi Limited. -- A series relating the intertwined stories about the "first loves" of several middle-schoolers and high-schoolers. Each episode tends to focus on a different character, however the developments established during previous episodes continue to play smaller roles in those following. As the series progresses, an array of unusual and unexpected love webs begin to blossom. -- 84,355 7.32
Hello World -- -- Graphinica -- 1 ep -- Original -- Sci-Fi Drama Romance -- Hello World Hello World -- The year is 2027, and the city of Kyoto has undergone tremendous technological advancement. Within the city lives Naomi Katagaki, a socially awkward and introverted boy with a love for books, and Ruri Ichigyou, a girl with a cold personality who is often blunt with people, but shares his love for reading. Despite having similar interests, Naomi is afraid to approach Ruri due to her unfriendly nature. -- -- One day, as Naomi goes out for a walk, a crimson aurora pierces through the sky for a brief moment before vanishing. Shortly after, he sees a three-legged crow and a mysterious hooded man who reveals himself to be Naomi from 10 years in the future, explaining that he has come to change an imminent tragic event that happens to Ruri shortly after they start dating. Initially taking his words with a grain of salt, present-day Naomi follows his future self's instructions and starts getting closer to Ruri, determined to save her. -- -- Hello World focuses on the present Naomi alongside himself from 10 years into the future. With the help of his future self, Naomi begins his preparations to save Ruri. Will he be able to change the future? -- -- Movie - Sep 20, 2019 -- 121,677 7.58
Henkei Shoujo -- -- DLE -- 5 eps -- Original -- Sci-Fi -- Henkei Shoujo Henkei Shoujo -- Shorts about girls who transform into machines. The first episode focuses on Haru, a girl who transforms into a fighter jet while trying to catch a hat blowing away in the wind. -- ONA - Mar 26, 2017 -- 19,496 5.72
Hetalia Axis Powers -- -- Studio Deen -- 52 eps -- Web manga -- Comedy Historical Parody -- Hetalia Axis Powers Hetalia Axis Powers -- What if nations were people? What traits would they have? What would this mean for historical events? -- -- Hetalia Axis Powers takes these questions and runs with them, personifying countries into characters. The show takes a comedic and light approach to politics and historical events while educating the viewer. -- -- Taking place primarily during the events of World War I and World War II, the story focuses on the Axis Powers and occasionally throws the spotlight onto the tumultuous relationship between the Allied Forces. The Axis Powers feature the titular character North Italy, who is clumsy, carefree and loves pasta; Germany, who is very serious but easily flustered; and Japan, who is stoic but has bizarre interests. -- -- Based on Hidekaz Himaruya's widely popular webcomic turned print manga, Hetalia Axis Powers is a historical comedy that pokes lightly at culture, examines the relationships between nations and breathes fun into history. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- ONA - Jan 24, 2009 -- 227,002 7.36
Hi☆sCoool! SeHa Girls Special -- -- TMS Entertainment -- 1 ep -- Other -- Comedy Game School Sports -- Hi☆sCoool! SeHa Girls Special Hi☆sCoool! SeHa Girls Special -- The special episode was bundled with the complete series DVD set and focuses on a school sports festival. -- Special - Nov 3, 2016 -- 740 6.12
Hoshiai no Sora -- -- 8bit -- 12 eps -- Original -- Slice of Life Sports Drama School -- Hoshiai no Sora Hoshiai no Sora -- Constantly outperformed by the girls' club, the boys' soft tennis club faces disbandment due to their poor skills and lack of positive results in matches. In desperate need of members, Toma Shinjou is looking to recruit capable players, but he fails to scout anyone. Enter Maki Katsuragi, a new transfer student who demonstrates great reflexes when he catches a stray cat in his classroom, instantly capturing Toma's attention. With his interest piqued, Toma ambitiously asks Maki to join the boys' team but is quickly rejected, as Maki doesn't wish to join any clubs. Toma refuses to back down and ends up persuading Maki—only under the condition that Toma will pay him for his participation and cover other club expenses. -- -- As Maki joins the team, his incredible form and quick learning allow him to immediately outshine the rest of the team. Although this gives rise to conflict among the boys, Maki challenges and pushes his fellow team members to not only keep up with his seemingly natural talent, but also drive them to devote themselves to the game they once neglected. -- -- This story focuses on the potential of the boys' soft tennis club and their discovery of their own capability, while also enduring personal hardships and dealing with the darker side of growing up in middle school. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 119,187 7.54
Imouto sae Ireba Ii. -- -- SILVER LINK. -- 12 eps -- Light novel -- Comedy Romance -- Imouto sae Ireba Ii. Imouto sae Ireba Ii. -- Itsuki Hashima is a light novelist obsessed with little sisters, strictly focusing on them when he writes his stories. Despite his personality, he is surrounded by a tight circle of friends: Nayuta Kani, a genius yet perverted novelist who is in love with him; Haruto Fuwa, a fellow male author whose work has seen considerable success; Miyako Shirakawa, a good friend that he met in college; and Chihiro, his perfect younger step-brother who takes care of the housework and cooking. -- -- Together, they play strange games, go on spontaneous journeys, crack silly jokes, and celebrate each other's successes. However, each individual must also deal with their own issues, whether it is struggling to meet a deadline or coming to terms with traumatic events buried in their past. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 238,902 7.36
Jashin-chan Dropkick -- -- Nomad -- 11 eps -- Web manga -- Comedy Supernatural -- Jashin-chan Dropkick Jashin-chan Dropkick -- The demon Jashin-chan has been summoned to Earth by Yurine Hanazono, a girl with a knack for the occult. Unfortunately, Yurine does not actually know how to send Jashin-chan back to Hell. Now stuck on Earth, she must live at Yurine's apartment as her familiar. -- -- The only way for Jashin-chan to return would be to kill her summoner, but this is easier said than done for the incompetent demon. Since Jashin-chan is immortal and can regenerate her body, Yurine does not hold back in attacking her with a range of weapons, punishing her in gruesome manners for her evil schemes. Jashin-chan is also often visited by her demon friends: the kindhearted Gorgon Medusa and the energetic minotaur Minosu, who seem much more well-behaved in contrast, and disapprove of her plans to kill Yurine. -- -- Jashin-chan Dropkick is a comedy focusing on these two reluctant roommates and their bizarre antics as they get by with their cat-and-mouse relationship. -- -- 77,306 6.94
Jashin-chan Dropkick': Chitose-hen -- -- Nomad -- 1 ep -- Web manga -- Comedy Supernatural -- Jashin-chan Dropkick': Chitose-hen Jashin-chan Dropkick': Chitose-hen -- The episode will be funded through Chitose's Hometown tax program, a system that allows taxpayers who live in urban areas to contribute to taxes that apply to rural residents. Taxpayers who contribute over 2,000 yen are then awarded in credit to reduce their income tax and residence tax. The Hometown tax program will also be the episode's focus. -- -- (Source: MAL News) -- Special - Apr 30, 2020 -- 7,098 7.10
Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi -- -- Bones -- 1 ep -- Novel -- Slice of Life Drama Romance -- Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi -- A youth romantic drama with themes of growing up, the story focuses on college student Tsuneo and dreamer Josee, who lives her life stuck in a wheelchair. Josee—named after the heroine in Françoise Sagan's Wonderful Clouds—spends most of her days reading and painting until by chance she encounters Tsuneo, and decides it's time to face the real world. -- -- (Source: MAL News) -- Movie - Dec 25, 2020 -- 66,606 7.98
Keishichou Tokumubu Tokushu Kyouakuhan Taisakushitsu Dainanaka: Tokunana OVA -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Original -- Action Police Vampire Fantasy -- Keishichou Tokumubu Tokushu Kyouakuhan Taisakushitsu Dainanaka: Tokunana OVA Keishichou Tokumubu Tokushu Kyouakuhan Taisakushitsu Dainanaka: Tokunana OVA -- The OVA will be focus on when Kujaku Nijou first entering group, which occurs one year before the main anime begins. -- OVA - Jan 24, 2020 -- 3,400 6.06
Kingdom 2nd Season -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 39 eps -- Manga -- Action Military Historical Seinen -- Kingdom 2nd Season Kingdom 2nd Season -- A year after the devastating battle against the formidable Zhao, the State of Qin has returned its focus to pursuing King Ying Zheng's ambition of conquering the other six states and unifying China. Their next target is Wei, a smaller state which stands as a geographic stepping stone for the sake of conquest. -- -- Li Xin, now a three hundred man commander of the swiftly rising Fei Xin Unit, continues to seek out lofty achievements in order to garner recognition for himself and his soldiers, motivated by those previously lost in battle. In the preliminary battles ahead of Qin's invasion of Wei, Xin finds competition in other young commanders who are of a higher social status than him. Back in Qin, the royal palace faces turmoil as opposing factions begin to make their move against Ying Zheng's regime. -- -- With their hands full both abroad and at home, Zheng and Xin must lead the way in this era of unending war, resolved to etch their names in history by creating a unified China. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 82,402 8.38
Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - Byouki no Kuni - For You -- -- Shaft -- 1 ep -- Light novel -- Adventure Drama Fantasy -- Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - Byouki no Kuni - For You Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - Byouki no Kuni - For You -- After a long journey, Kino and Hermes finally arrive at their destination—a very beautiful and clean country with many skyscrapers. Unlike the other places they have visited so far, the country's landscape is a little peculiar. Although the countryside appears to be farmland, the area seems to be abandoned. Filled with old and damaged buildings, there is no sign of life. In contrast, the city is hidden within a mountain, confined under a fabricated sky that is generated by advanced technology. The highly developed city is focused on healthcare, practicing strict hygiene regulations and aiming to turn its citizens into the healthiest of people. -- -- However, despite being in a beautiful and clean environment, Kino cannot help but feel a sense of uneasiness. The town's air slightly contains a peculiar smell, and there are no birds to be seen flying in the skies, bringing a sense of mystery and dizziness to the scenery. After all, as an experienced traveler, Kino knows that looks can be deceiving and that the town may not be what they had initially expected. -- -- Movie - Apr 21, 2007 -- 42,187 7.71
Kono Oto Tomare! 2nd Season -- -- Platinum Vision -- 13 eps -- Manga -- Drama Music Romance School Shounen -- Kono Oto Tomare! 2nd Season Kono Oto Tomare! 2nd Season -- The Tokise High School Koto Club has courageously pushed through their fractured and unsynchronized performance at the Kanto Region Traditional Japanese Music Festival. Clubmembers Chika Kudou, Satowa Houzuki, Takezou Kurata, Hiro Kurusu, Kouta Mizuhara, Saneyasu Adachi, and Michitaka Sakai are devastated to learn the negative results of their performance, leaving them crushed. Nonetheless, the group recognizes their potential and enthusiastically agree to collectively sharpen their skills, improve their flaws, and develop higher caliber playing to succeed in the upcoming national qualifiers in winter. -- -- With the help of their now willing club advisor Suzuka Takinami, the group's goal gradually becomes achievable as they begin to grasp the foundations of good music and refine their koto-playing abilities, with the suggestion of performing more often to gain what they lack most—experience. -- -- However, as their journey to nationals is underway, the koto club members face challenges that obstruct their focus and progress. Not only does the threat of other powerhouse schools and musicians remain, but the high school issues of budding romance and soon-to-be-graduating seniors also begin to push the limits of the determined group of teenagers and the future of the koto club. -- -- 90,539 8.42
Konpeki no Kantai -- -- J.C.Staff -- 32 eps -- - -- Action Drama Historical Military -- Konpeki no Kantai Konpeki no Kantai -- Konpeki no Kantai is a Japanese alternate-history original video animation series produced by JC Staff. Based on a 1992 novel by Yoshio Aramaki, the series focuses on a technologically advanced Imperial Japanese Navy and a radically different Pacific War that was brought about by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's revival in the past due to unexplained circumstances. The series also features real-life 1940s figures whose first names were changed, such as Winston Churchill to Kingston Churchill and Adolf Hitler to Heinrich von Hitler. -- -- (Source: Wikipedia) -- OVA - Dec ??, 1993 -- 2,176 6.50
Kuroko no Basket 2nd Season -- -- Production I.G -- 25 eps -- Manga -- Comedy Sports School Shounen -- Kuroko no Basket 2nd Season Kuroko no Basket 2nd Season -- With the Interhigh Championship finally over, Seirin's basketball team refocuses their efforts, training harder than ever to get the chance to participate in the Winter Cup. Both Kuroko and Kagami see old friends walk back into their lives, providing a challenge both on and off the court. -- -- As new skills are developed and new alliances created, enemies from various teams—giants of high school basketball such as Yousen, Shuutoku and Touou—stand in the way of Seirin's steadfast attempts to get to the top. All of these schools prove to be formidable foes whose abilities progress exponentially, while Kuroko struggles to find a balance between his resolve to play as part of a team and his desire to win. -- -- With old wounds reopening, new challenges to face on the court, and a new set of foes—the "Uncrowned Kings"—vowing to defeat the new hopefuls, will Seirin ever be able to achieve their dream of beating the Generation of Miracles? -- -- 617,506 8.27
Macross 7 Encore -- -- Production Reed -- 3 eps -- Original -- Action Sci-Fi Music Space Comedy Drama Mecha Shounen -- Macross 7 Encore Macross 7 Encore -- Three unbroadcasted episodes of the Macross 7 series. In "Fleet of the Strongest Women," the Macross 7 fleet encounters a rogue Meltrandi fleet led by an old rival of Millia. "On Stage" focuses on Ray's past as a fighter pilot, how he first met Basara, and how they formed Fire Bomber. In "Which One Do You Love," when Millia falls ill, she feels her life expectancy is running short and attempts to have Mylene engaged to Basara. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- OVA - Dec 18, 1995 -- 7,910 6.97
Mahoraba: Heartful days -- -- J.C.Staff -- 26 eps -- Manga -- Comedy Drama Romance Shounen -- Mahoraba: Heartful days Mahoraba: Heartful days -- Shiratori Ryuushi is a young artist-in-training, about to start studying at a vocational school. Arriving at his new lodgings, Narutakisou, he finds himself the focus of attention for the collection of weirdos that inhabit the place. He also meets and falls for the landlady, Aoba Kozue, who seems to be both lovely and charming. However, Kozue is not what she seems to be... in fact, she's more. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- -- Licensor: -- Discotek Media -- TV - Jan 10, 2005 -- 22,377 7.33
Mahoraba: Heartful days -- -- J.C.Staff -- 26 eps -- Manga -- Comedy Drama Romance Shounen -- Mahoraba: Heartful days Mahoraba: Heartful days -- Shiratori Ryuushi is a young artist-in-training, about to start studying at a vocational school. Arriving at his new lodgings, Narutakisou, he finds himself the focus of attention for the collection of weirdos that inhabit the place. He also meets and falls for the landlady, Aoba Kozue, who seems to be both lovely and charming. However, Kozue is not what she seems to be... in fact, she's more. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- TV - Jan 10, 2005 -- 22,377 7.33
Mahou Shoujo? Naria☆Girls -- -- Bouncy -- 12 eps -- Original -- Magic -- Mahou Shoujo? Naria☆Girls Mahou Shoujo? Naria☆Girls -- After the Ice Queen brings eternal winter to the land of Nariadia, the only hope to restore balance is to gather human warriors and give them the power of Naria crystals. For this reason, Animaru has chosen the middle schoolers Urara, Inaho, and Hanabi as warriors. The girls, however, are much more focused on mocking the events happening around them and trying to earn money as idols. -- -- When the Ice Queen's familiars appear, they use the "Ice Mirror" to trick the girls into performing ridiculous skits. Will Urara, Inaho, and Hanabi ever step up and embrace their roles as magical girls, or will their antics prove too distracting to themselves? -- -- 6,745 3.83
Mai-Otome 0: S.ifr -- -- Sunrise -- 3 eps -- Original -- Sci-Fi -- Mai-Otome 0: S.ifr Mai-Otome 0: S.ifr -- This is the prequel of My-Otome, which predates the events before the My-Otome Series. In this series, it focuses upon the origins of Lena Sayers, the mother of Arika Yumemiya and former bearer of Lofty Crimson Jade / Blue Sky Sapphire GEM, and Sifr Fran, the biological mother of Nina Wáng and the former queen of Windbloom Kingdom, as well as the origins of Schwartz, Aswad, and the Garderobe Academy and its Five Columns. The kidnapping of Sifr and the powerful revelation of Lena's GEM will soon fatefully determine the outcome of the future for themselves and the others around them. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- -- Licensor: -- Bandai Entertainment, Funimation -- OVA - Feb 21, 2008 -- 13,321 7.39
Micro Teukgongdae Diatron 5 -- -- - -- 1 ep -- - -- Action Space Mecha Sci-Fi -- Micro Teukgongdae Diatron 5 Micro Teukgongdae Diatron 5 -- The plot focuses around a Cyborg woman named Ivy, who defends the entire universe from enemies with her built-in evil-sensing computers. The enemy infects her with a virus. Now the only one to save her is Diatron 5, the mecha shrunk down to microscopic size that goes in to fight the bacteria. Two kids, a battle station called the "Star Wars" and Diatron's inventor join her in the battle against evil. Evil being an androgynous woman named Mary, her brother with blue skin who looks suspiciously like Spock and their fleet of robots and forest green demon-like aliens. -- -- (Source: TV Tropes) -- Movie - Jul 20, 1985 -- 797 4.74
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 -- -- Sunrise -- 25 eps -- Original -- Action Military Sci-Fi Space Drama Mecha -- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Mobile Suit Gundam 00 -- In the distant future, mankind's dependence on fossil fuels will lead to their complete depletion, an energy crisis unlike anything the world witnessed. Out of retaliation and fear, humanity began focusing at an alternative source of energy: solar power. Different nations have united together to form three major factions—the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations, the Advanced European Union, and the Human Reform League. Each of these sectors has access to a solar power generator, which gives them limitless energy. -- -- As a result, countries that were once dependent on the sale of fossil fuels are now plunged in poverty, leading to years of warfare and internal strife over the control of solar energy. Amid this chaos, an unknown paramilitary organization appeared identifying themselves as "Celestial Being," aspire to end all warfare through armed intervention by using mysterious and technologically advanced Mobile Suits known as Gundams. -- -- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 follows the story of Celestial Being's Gundam Meisters Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism, and Tieria Erde. These four dive into the devastating battle between the three superpowers to accomplish their goal of changing the world. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Bandai Entertainment -- 187,895 8.14
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn: Episode EX - 100 Years of Solitude -- -- Sunrise -- 1 ep -- - -- Drama Mecha Military -- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn: Episode EX - 100 Years of Solitude Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn: Episode EX - 100 Years of Solitude -- Recap of Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack focusing on Newtype and Zeonism ideals told before UC episode 7. -- -- Included as a bonus on a Volume 7 Blu-ray release of the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn OVA. -- Special - May 17, 2014 -- 3,853 6.70
Muteki Robo Trider G7 -- -- Sunrise -- 50 eps -- Original -- Comedy Mecha Sci-Fi Space -- Muteki Robo Trider G7 Muteki Robo Trider G7 -- Takeo Watta inherits a company upon his father's death. The company focuses on space travel, and the transformable robot Trider-G7 is their greatest creation. When an evil space organization lead by Lord Zakuron starts attacking Earth, Watta has to use Trider in a more combat-oriented way. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- 931 6.40
New Initial D Movie: Legend 1 - Kakusei -- -- LIDENFILMS, SANZIGEN -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Action Cars Seinen Sports -- New Initial D Movie: Legend 1 - Kakusei New Initial D Movie: Legend 1 - Kakusei -- The first movie in a trilogy, focusing on the battle against the Takahashi brothers. -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- Movie - Aug 24, 2014 -- 25,127 7.77
Nichijou -- -- Kyoto Animation -- 26 eps -- Manga -- Slice of Life Comedy School Shounen -- Nichijou Nichijou -- Nichijou primarily focuses on the daily antics of a trio of childhood friends—high school girls Mio Naganohara, Yuuko Aioi and Mai Minakami—whose stories soon intertwine with the young genius Hakase Shinonome, her robot caretaker Nano, and their talking cat Sakamoto. With every passing day, the lives of these six, as well as of the many people around them, experience both the calms of normal life and the insanity of the absurd. Walking to school, being bitten by a talking crow, spending time with friends, and watching the principal suplex a deer: they are all in a day's work in the extraordinary everyday lives of those in Nichijou. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Bandai Entertainment, Funimation -- 672,644 8.47
Ojamajo Doremi -- -- Toei Animation -- 51 eps -- Original -- Comedy Magic -- Ojamajo Doremi Ojamajo Doremi -- Harukaze Doremi considers herself to be the unluckiest girl in the world. Her parents are always fighting, her little sister makes fun of her, and her crush pines after another girl. If only Doremi could just wave a magic wand, she would have a much better life—or so she used to think. -- -- After a mishap with a real witch, Doremi becomes an apprentice witch herself, and it turns out she's pretty horrible at that, too. -- -- Now she and her two friends must study to become better at magic so they can become good witches. That is, if they can focus on their magic studies! -- -- The three apprentices will need all the luck they can get if they want to pass the witch exams and become full-fledged witches. Only then will Doremi's debt to the witch Majorika be repaid. Until then, Doremi will remain a useless little witch girl! -- -- Licensor: -- 4Kids Entertainment -- 40,996 7.22
Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo: Oretachi no Game Set -- -- Connect -- 1 ep -- Light novel -- Comedy Romance School -- Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo: Oretachi no Game Set Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo: Oretachi no Game Set -- The original video anime episode will serve as the final chapter to the television series, focusing on the rivalry between the "background character" Amatsuyu Kisaragi (Jouro) and Yasuo Hazuki (Hose), "the protagonist." -- -- (Source: MAL News) -- OVA - Sep 2, 2020 -- 79,151 7.64
Platinum End -- -- Signal.MD -- ? eps -- Manga -- Psychological Supernatural Drama Shounen -- Platinum End Platinum End -- After the death of his parents, a young Mirai Kakehashi is left in the care of his abusive relatives. Since then, he has become gloomy and depressed, leading him to attempt suicide on the evening of his middle school graduation. Mirai, however, is saved by a pure white girl named Nasse who introduces herself as a guardian angel wishing to give him happiness—by granting him supernatural powers and a chance to become the new God. -- -- In order to earn the position, he must defeat 12 other "God Candidates" within 999 days. Soon, Mirai begins a struggle to survive as a terrifying battle royale erupts between himself and the candidates looking to obtain the most power in the world. -- -- TV - Oct ??, 2021 -- 27,914 N/AKimi no Koe wo Todoketai -- -- Madhouse -- 1 ep -- Original -- Drama -- Kimi no Koe wo Todoketai Kimi no Koe wo Todoketai -- The story focuses on high school girl Nagisa Yukiai who lives in a seaside town. She has believed her grandmother's story that spirits dwell in words and they are called "kotodama" (word spirit). One day, she strays into a mini FM station that has not been used for years. As an impulse of the moment, she tries to talk like a DJ using the facility. But her voice accidentally broadcasted reaches someone she has never expected. -- -- (Source: Crunchyroll) -- Movie - Aug 25, 2017 -- 27,913 7.05
Pokemon Housoukyoku -- -- OLM -- 16 eps -- Game -- Adventure Comedy Kids Fantasy -- Pokemon Housoukyoku Pokemon Housoukyoku -- Pokémon Chronicles is a TV series comprised of the English-dubbed versions of a number of Pokémon TV specials. Many of the episodes are from the Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station show in Japan, but it also contained The Legend of Thunder! and shorts from the Pikachu's Winter Vacation series. The series, in each episode, basically focuses on the lives of the many of the recurring/main characters Ash Ketchum met on his journey, like Sakura, Misty, her sisters, Casey, and Tracey. Ash only makes two appearances in the series in brief cameos. -- -- (Source: Bulbapedia) -- -- Licensor: -- 4Kids Entertainment -- TV - Dec 3, 2002 -- 24,300 6.84
Pokemon Movie 23: Coco -- -- OLM -- 1 ep -- Game -- Action Game Adventure Comedy Kids Fantasy -- Pokemon Movie 23: Coco Pokemon Movie 23: Coco -- The new film's story is set in Okoya Forest, a Pokémon paradise protected by strict rules that forbid outsiders from setting foot inside. The film centers on Coco, a boy who was raised by Pokémon and also considers himself as one, treating the Mythical Pokémon Zarude as his father. Ash and Pikachu encounter Coco during an adventure. The film focuses on the theme of a "human raised by Pokémon," instead of the previous films' focus of the "bond between a human trainer and their Pokémon." -- -- (Source: ANN) -- Movie - Dec 25, 2020 -- 9,014 6.53
Project ARMS -- -- TMS Entertainment -- 26 eps -- Manga -- Action Martial Arts Super Power -- Project ARMS Project ARMS -- A boy gets involved in an accident when in kindergarten, horribly damaging his arm, but the doctors somehow manage to save it. Now, several years later, his arm seems to be becoming the focus of strange events as it turns out to be more than a normal arm. Meanwhile, a secret organizations is out to get hold of him and the power he possess. -- -- Licensor: -- Discotek Media, VIZ Media -- TV - Apr 7, 2001 -- 11,308 6.98
Saint☆Oniisan (Movie) -- -- A-1 Pictures -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Comedy Seinen Slice of Life -- Saint☆Oniisan (Movie) Saint☆Oniisan (Movie) -- What if Jesus and Buddha were living on Earth in modern times? What if they shared an apartment in Japan? Saint Young Men is a humorous manga about the daily lives of Jesus and Buddha, with each chapter focusing on some element of modern life, such as Disneyland, rush hour on the train, Christmas, the public pool, carnivals, and more. -- -- (Source: Mangafox) -- Movie - May 10, 2013 -- 73,973 7.84
Sakurada Reset -- -- David Production -- 24 eps -- Light novel -- Mystery Super Power Supernatural School -- Sakurada Reset Sakurada Reset -- Kei Asai lives in the oceanside city of Sakurada—a town where the inhabitants are born with strange abilities. On the school rooftop one day, he meets Misora Haruki, an apathetic girl with the power to reset anything around her up to three days prior. While no one knows when she has reset, not even Haruki, Kei can retain everything before the reset thanks to his own ability: photographic memory. After they successfully help someone by combining their powers, they join the Service Club to aid others in their town. -- -- However, their club becomes involved with and begins completing missions for the mysterious Administration Bureau—an organization that focuses on managing the abilities in Sakurada and manipulating the town's events for their own ends. They may find out that there are more things at work in Sakurada than the machinations of the uncanny organization. -- -- 121,387 7.36
Seitokai no Ichizon -- -- Studio Deen -- 12 eps -- Light novel -- Harem Comedy Parody School -- Seitokai no Ichizon Seitokai no Ichizon -- Imagine living life as the vice president of the student council, passing the days eating snacks, playing games, and bonding with a harem of beautiful girls. This is exactly the kind of life that high school student Ken Sugisaki leads, or so he thinks! -- -- Usually, the officers of Hekiyou Academy's student council are elected by popular vote, but an additional position is granted to the student who scores the highest on the exams. Ken, who historically has had below average grades, worked hard to improve them to be accepted into the student council, with the ultimate goal of surrounding himself with girls who fawn over him. -- -- Unfortunately for the vice president, things do not go quite as planned. Not only do the ladies of the council continually rebuff his advances, they also prefer to focus on more important and "boring" activities, such as organizing school events and managing the other clubs. But a few minor hurdles like these won't stop Ken from chasing after his dreams, even if they seem a bit ridiculous. -- -- TV - Oct 3, 2009 -- 169,766 7.35
Shakugan no Shana II (Second) -- -- J.C.Staff -- 24 eps -- Light novel -- Action Supernatural Drama Romance Fantasy School -- Shakugan no Shana II (Second) Shakugan no Shana II (Second) -- Denizens from the Crimson Realm continue to infiltrate Misaki City and steal life energy from humans. To combat this threat, Flame Hazes are tasked with saving humans from losing their existences. But while it is a Flame Haze's duty to protect humans, Shana—the "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter"—seems to be focusing her attention on one human in particular: Yuuji Sakai, a teenage boy who was unwittingly dragged into the fight between Crimson Denizens and Flame Hazes. Since her first encounter with Yuuji, Shana has started to see him as more than just a friend. In fact, Yuuji wonders if Shana might have revealed her feelings to him once before, but it is difficult for him to confirm due to her hot-and-cold personality. Nonetheless, their days pass like any other, until a new transfer student arrives at their high school—one who bears a striking resemblance to an old enemy. -- -- Yuuji and Shana have no time to dance around their feelings for each other; while their adversaries from the Bal Masqué organization plan their next attack, the two must keep their guard up as they explore the origin behind the coveted magical object within Yuuji's body, the "Midnight Lost Child." -- -- 274,998 7.60
Shakugan no Shana II (Second) -- -- J.C.Staff -- 24 eps -- Light novel -- Action Supernatural Drama Romance Fantasy School -- Shakugan no Shana II (Second) Shakugan no Shana II (Second) -- Denizens from the Crimson Realm continue to infiltrate Misaki City and steal life energy from humans. To combat this threat, Flame Hazes are tasked with saving humans from losing their existences. But while it is a Flame Haze's duty to protect humans, Shana—the "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter"—seems to be focusing her attention on one human in particular: Yuuji Sakai, a teenage boy who was unwittingly dragged into the fight between Crimson Denizens and Flame Hazes. Since her first encounter with Yuuji, Shana has started to see him as more than just a friend. In fact, Yuuji wonders if Shana might have revealed her feelings to him once before, but it is difficult for him to confirm due to her hot-and-cold personality. Nonetheless, their days pass like any other, until a new transfer student arrives at their high school—one who bears a striking resemblance to an old enemy. -- -- Yuuji and Shana have no time to dance around their feelings for each other; while their adversaries from the Bal Masqué organization plan their next attack, the two must keep their guard up as they explore the origin behind the coveted magical object within Yuuji's body, the "Midnight Lost Child." -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 274,998 7.60
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: Moments -- -- A-1 Pictures -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Music Shounen -- Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: Moments Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: Moments -- OVA bundled with the 11th Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso manga volume. -- -- The OVA will focus on Kousei, Emi, and Takeshi when they were younger, showing their troubles during their competitions and the beginning of their rivalry. -- -- (Source: Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso Wikia) -- OVA - May 15, 2015 -- 88,217 7.71
Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis - Short Story -- -- MAPPA -- 2 eps -- Game -- Action Adventure Demons Supernatural Magic Fantasy -- Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis - Short Story Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis - Short Story -- The first short story focuses on Favaro and Kaiser between the events of the first and second series as they visit Favaro's home village. -- -- The second short story shows Kaiser as a knight commander sparring with Jeanne, and sharing the reasons they remained as Orleans Knights in the aftermath of the final battle against Bahamut. -- ONA - Dec 28, 2016 -- 21,714 7.14
Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S -- -- Diomedéa -- 12 eps -- Light novel -- Drama Fantasy Music Romance School -- Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S -- The new series will again focus on Corticarte, but it will tie into Ichiro Sakaki and Noboru Kannatsuki's Shinkyoku Sōkai Polyphonica crimson S light novel adaptation, which are set during the Academy years of the storyline. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- -- Licensor: -- Maiden Japan -- TV - Apr 5, 2009 -- 22,526 7.18
Soul Eater NOT! -- -- Bones -- 12 eps -- Manga -- Action Comedy Ecchi Shounen Supernatural -- Soul Eater NOT! Soul Eater NOT! -- Soul Eater NOT! is a spin-off and side story that takes place one year prior to the events of the original Soul Eater. At the Death Weapon Meister Academy, humans born with the power to transform into weapons and those with the power to wield these weapons (Meisters) train to hone their natural talent. The characters of the main series are enrolled in the Especially Advantaged Talent class, where they train to become warriors of justice capable of defeating what threats prey on innocent lives—or even the entire world. -- -- Other students at the DWMA are less talented. Members of the Normally Overcome Target class focus less on being warriors of justice and more on controlling their powers so they don't hurt themselves or anyone around them. Tsugumi Harudori, a new halberd-transforming student, meets Meisters Meme Tatane and Anya Hepburn and quickly grows indecisive about which of the two new friends should be her partner. As they learn to use these powers and settle in, their lives as everyday students will be far from normal. -- 172,411 5.95
Soul Eater NOT! -- -- Bones -- 12 eps -- Manga -- Action Comedy Ecchi Shounen Supernatural -- Soul Eater NOT! Soul Eater NOT! -- Soul Eater NOT! is a spin-off and side story that takes place one year prior to the events of the original Soul Eater. At the Death Weapon Meister Academy, humans born with the power to transform into weapons and those with the power to wield these weapons (Meisters) train to hone their natural talent. The characters of the main series are enrolled in the Especially Advantaged Talent class, where they train to become warriors of justice capable of defeating what threats prey on innocent lives—or even the entire world. -- -- Other students at the DWMA are less talented. Members of the Normally Overcome Target class focus less on being warriors of justice and more on controlling their powers so they don't hurt themselves or anyone around them. Tsugumi Harudori, a new halberd-transforming student, meets Meisters Meme Tatane and Anya Hepburn and quickly grows indecisive about which of the two new friends should be her partner. As they learn to use these powers and settle in, their lives as everyday students will be far from normal. -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 172,411 5.95
Souten Kouro -- -- Madhouse -- 26 eps -- Manga -- Action Adventure Historical -- Souten Kouro Souten Kouro -- Souten Kouro's story is based loosely on the events taking place in Three Kingdoms period of China during the life of the last Chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao (155 – March 15, 220), who also serves as the main character. -- -- The Three Kingdoms period has been a popular theme in Japanese manga for decades, but Souten Kouro differs greatly from most of the others on several points. One significant difference is its highly positive portrayal of its main character, Cao Cao, who is traditionally the antagonist in not only Japanese manga, but also most novel versions of the Three Kingdoms period, including the original 14th century version, Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. Another significant difference from others is that the storyline primarily uses the original historical account of the era, Records of Three Kingdoms by Chen Shou, as a reference rather than the aforementioned Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel. By this, the traditional hero of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei, takes on relatively less importance within the story and is portrayed in a less positive light. Yet, several aspects of the story are in fact based on the novel version, including the employment of its original characters such as Diao Chan, as well as anachronistic weapons such as Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Zhang Fei's Viper Blade. -- -- A consistent theme throughout the story is Cao Cao's perpetual desire to break China and its people away from its old systems and ways of thinking and initiate a focus on pragmatism over empty ideals. This often puts him at odds with the prevalent customs and notions of Confucianism and those that support them. -- -- (Source: Wikipedia) -- TV - Apr 8, 2009 -- 15,970 7.29
Starmyu -- -- C-Station -- 12 eps -- Original -- Music School Slice of Life -- Starmyu Starmyu -- The series tells the story of the five students; Yuuta Hoshitani, Tooru Nayuki, Kaito Tsukigami, Kakeru Tengenji, and Shuu Kuga as they struggle to enter the musical department of Ayanagi Academy, a school focusing on music. They need to be accepted to the Star Frame Class, which is directly taught by the members of Kaou-kai, the most talented from the musical department who stand at the top of the pecking order within the academy. Luckily, they are spotted by Itsuki Ootori, one of Kaou-kai members. -- -- (Source: Wikipedia) -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 39,607 6.91
Starry Tales: Seiza wa Toki wo Koete -- -- KAGAYA Studio -- 1 ep -- Original -- Fantasy Space -- Starry Tales: Seiza wa Toki wo Koete Starry Tales: Seiza wa Toki wo Koete -- Constellations were created thousands years ago and they have been handed down generation after generation up to now. This show focuses on this great fact. In the show, you will see instruction on constellations and movement of the sun, moon and planets against constellations. An associated story from Greek myths is provided with beautiful CG including the tale of Astraea, the goddess of justice, who is closely related to the constellation Libra. -- Movie - Mar 19, 2011 -- 881 5.51
Tegamibachi Reverse -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 25 eps -- Manga -- Adventure Supernatural Fantasy Shounen -- Tegamibachi Reverse Tegamibachi Reverse -- After Niche carries the wounded and stunned Lag back to the Bee Hive, the Letter Bee finally begins to piece the puzzle together. Now he knows what's happened to Gauche, why the Marauders are so focused on stealing mail and the actual intent of the group controlling both, Reverse. However, when he's forbidden to reveal the truth, Lag is soon forced out of the artificial sunlight and back into the world of perpetual night. And soon Reverse's plot to take down the Letter Bees and overthrow the Amberground government begins to accelerate. If things weren't already bad enough, the giant insect creatures called gaichuu are apparently evolving into something new; there may be traitors working within the Hive; and Niche's sister, who's definitely not human friendly, shows up to turn family drama into a full-scale siege! It all spells serious trouble for the Letter Bees, but if anyone can weather the storms and gloom of night, Lag and his team are the ones who'll deliver. -- -- (Source: FUNimation) -- 55,008 7.77
Tegamibachi Reverse -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 25 eps -- Manga -- Adventure Supernatural Fantasy Shounen -- Tegamibachi Reverse Tegamibachi Reverse -- After Niche carries the wounded and stunned Lag back to the Bee Hive, the Letter Bee finally begins to piece the puzzle together. Now he knows what's happened to Gauche, why the Marauders are so focused on stealing mail and the actual intent of the group controlling both, Reverse. However, when he's forbidden to reveal the truth, Lag is soon forced out of the artificial sunlight and back into the world of perpetual night. And soon Reverse's plot to take down the Letter Bees and overthrow the Amberground government begins to accelerate. If things weren't already bad enough, the giant insect creatures called gaichuu are apparently evolving into something new; there may be traitors working within the Hive; and Niche's sister, who's definitely not human friendly, shows up to turn family drama into a full-scale siege! It all spells serious trouble for the Letter Bees, but if anyone can weather the storms and gloom of night, Lag and his team are the ones who'll deliver. -- -- (Source: FUNimation) -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- 55,008 7.77
Time Travel Shoujo: Mari Waka to 8-nin no Kagakusha-tachi -- -- WAO World -- 12 eps -- Book -- Sci-Fi Adventure -- Time Travel Shoujo: Mari Waka to 8-nin no Kagakusha-tachi Time Travel Shoujo: Mari Waka to 8-nin no Kagakusha-tachi -- Time Travel Shoujo is based on a 1983 book titled Jishaku to Denki no Hatsumei Hakken Monogatari by Japanese educator Kiyonobu Itakura. It is part of the Hatsumei Hakken Monogatari Zenshuu series which describes the story of various scientific discoveries and inventions throughout history. The 1983 book focuses on discoveries related to magnetism and electricity. -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 14,667 6.51
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun -- -- J.C.Staff -- 24 eps -- Manga -- Action Sci-Fi Super Power -- Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Toaru Kagaku no Railgun -- The student-filled Academy City is at the forefront of scientific advancement and home to the esper development program. The seven "Level 5" espers are the most powerful in Academy City, and ranked third among them is middle schooler Mikoto Misaka, an electricity manipulator known as "The Railgun." -- -- When strange incidents begin occurring throughout the city, she finds each crime to be connected to the elusive "Level Upper," a legendary device that allegedly increases the esper level of its user. As the situation escalates, it becomes apparent that there is more to the Level Upper than meets the eye, and that Academy City may be a far more twisted place than the glamorous utopia it appears to be. -- -- Toaru Kagaku no Railgun focuses on Mikoto and her friends—and the dangerous situations they find themselves in—as they get caught up in the matter of the Level Upper. As Mikoto says, "There's never a dull moment in this city." -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 480,015 7.71
Tonari no Seki-kun -- -- Shin-Ei Animation -- 21 eps -- Manga -- Comedy School Seinen -- Tonari no Seki-kun Tonari no Seki-kun -- All Rumi Yokoi wants to do is focus during school, but she is constantly distracted by Toshinari Seki, her neighboring classmate. Paying attention during class is the least of Seki's worries, as he obsesses over intricate setups created using an assortment of items, from an elaborate domino course on his desk to a treacherous war played out with shogi pieces. Yokoi desperately attempts to focus in class, only to be repeatedly sucked into his intriguing eccentricities; however, they always seem to end up with her getting in trouble with their teacher. Fortunately, lessons will never be dull with Seki's antics around! -- -- TV - Jan 6, 2014 -- 180,007 7.57
Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu -- -- Kyoto Animation -- 13 eps -- Light novel -- Sports Drama School -- Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu -- "Tsurune"—It's the sound made by the bowstring when an arrow is released, and the sound that inspired Minato Narumiya to learn Kyuudo, a modern Japanese martial art focusing on archery. However, an incident during his last middle school tournament caused him to quit the sport. -- -- But soon, many factors conspire to make Minato take up the bow once again: the start of a new Kyuudo club in his high school, a chance encounter with a mysterious archer, and the support of his childhood friends, Seiya Takehaya and Ryouhei Yamanouchi. Together with his childhood friends and his new teammates, Kaito Onogi and Nanao Kisaragi, Minato rekindles his love for Kyuudo and works with his team toward their aim of winning the prefectural tournament. -- -- 93,500 7.59
Vampire Hunter D -- -- Production Reed -- 1 ep -- Light novel -- Action Sci-Fi Horror Supernatural Vampire -- Vampire Hunter D Vampire Hunter D -- 10,000 years in the future, the world has become a very different place; monsters roam the land freely, and people, although equipped with high tech weapons and cybernetic horses, live a humble life more suited to centuries past. The story focuses on a small hamlet plagued by monster attacks and living under the shadow of rule by Count Magnus Lee, a powerful vampire lord who has ruled the land for thousands of years. When a young girl is bitten by the Count and chosen as his current plaything, she seeks out help of a quiet wandering stranger, D. It so happens that D is one of the world's best vampire hunters, and he takes it upon himself to cut through Magnus Lee's many minions, and put an end to the Count's rule. -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks, Urban Vision -- Movie - Dec 21, 1985 -- 65,968 7.07
Vampire Hunter D -- -- Production Reed -- 1 ep -- Light novel -- Action Sci-Fi Horror Supernatural Vampire -- Vampire Hunter D Vampire Hunter D -- 10,000 years in the future, the world has become a very different place; monsters roam the land freely, and people, although equipped with high tech weapons and cybernetic horses, live a humble life more suited to centuries past. The story focuses on a small hamlet plagued by monster attacks and living under the shadow of rule by Count Magnus Lee, a powerful vampire lord who has ruled the land for thousands of years. When a young girl is bitten by the Count and chosen as his current plaything, she seeks out help of a quiet wandering stranger, D. It so happens that D is one of the world's best vampire hunters, and he takes it upon himself to cut through Magnus Lee's many minions, and put an end to the Count's rule. -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- Movie - Dec 21, 1985 -- 65,968 7.07
Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii OVA -- -- A-1 Pictures, Lapin Track -- 2 eps -- Web manga -- Slice of Life Comedy Romance -- Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii OVA Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii OVA -- Tarou Kabakura, a third-year high school student and captain of the boys' volleyball team, is constantly being harassed by his underclassman Hanako Koyanagi, who is in charge of the girls' team. Koyanagi insists that since the girls have a match coming up, Kabakura should give up the courts to let them practice. When he refuses, she pulls out photographic evidence exposing his secret hobby. -- -- With the danger of his entire team finding out about his otaku interests looming over him, Kabakura agrees to hand over the volleyball courts to Koyanagi, giving her some private coaching as well. As the two grow closer, they begin to forge an everlasting bond. -- -- -- The second episode will be bundled with the tenth limited edition volume. It will focus on the supporting characters Naoya Nifuji and Kou Sakuragi. -- OVA - Mar 29, 2019 -- 106,550 7.86
Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Kan OVA -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Light novel -- Slice of Life Comedy Drama Romance School -- Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Kan OVA Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Kan OVA -- (No synopsis yet.) -- OVA - ??? ??, ???? -- 38,919 N/A -- -- 91 Days: Toki no Asase/Subete no Kinou/Ashita, Mata Ashita -- -- Shuka -- 1 ep -- Original -- Action Historical Drama -- 91 Days: Toki no Asase/Subete no Kinou/Ashita, Mata Ashita 91 Days: Toki no Asase/Subete no Kinou/Ashita, Mata Ashita -- This episode contains three stories. -- -- The first story, "Toki no Asase" (Shoals of Time), will center on Nero and Vanno persuading Frate to skip mass with them and see the circus. -- -- The second story, "Subete no Kinou" (Yesterday Before Everything), will focus on Ganzo, as he meets a young man named Vincente at a bar, and asks Ganzo to do something for him. -- -- The third story, "Ashita, Mata Ashita" (Tomorrow, and then Tomorrow), is set after Nero and Avilio defeat Mad Mack and are on the way back to Lawless. Nero suffers from fever dreams, and Avilio nurses him back to health. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- Special - Jul 5, 2017 -- 38,796 6.88
Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi -- -- Tatsunoko Production -- 3 eps -- Manga -- Action Magic Comedy Super Power Supernatural Shounen -- Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi -- An OVA based on the Hoshi no Umi arc of the manga spanning chapters 26-34. -- -- This arc focuses on Rin Azuma, a Jiang-Shi yokai resident of Sakurashin adjusting to her new life in the city and working for a ramen shop. One day her former friend Zakuro Kurumaki invades Sakurashin to capture Rin and convince her to join her in destroying the city with the other yokai hunters as well as Enjin Hiizumi, the main antagonist of the series. Akina Hiizumi and the other members of the Hiizumi Life Counseling Office take action to save Rin, 'tune' the yokai controlling Zakuro and protect the city. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- OVA - Oct 8, 2010 -- 34,127 7.41
Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho - Ankoku Bujutsukai no Shou -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 2 eps -- Manga -- Action Adventure Supernatural Shounen -- Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho - Ankoku Bujutsukai no Shou Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho - Ankoku Bujutsukai no Shou -- These are two recap specials that focus on Team Urameshi's matches in the Dark Tournament, with a few character songs playing in the background. -- -- There are also two shorts at the end of each episode, both of which are about 1:20 long. -- -- Eizou Hakusho Series: Ankoku Bujutsukai no Shou - Gekan -- -Group Photo -- -- Eizou Hakusho Series: Ankoku Bujutsukai no Shou - Joukan -- -Koto's Interview -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- OVA - Sep 21, 1994 -- 10,794 7.27
Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho II -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 4 eps -- Manga -- Action Adventure Comedy Supernatural Shounen -- Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho II Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho II -- Eizou Hakusho II actually consists of four separate volumes. Each volume focuses around one of the main characters; Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, or Kuwabara. Each episode is basically recap about the specific character's involvement in the series. -- -- The beginning of each episode also contains a short music video about the specific character, with a song by its seiyuu. -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- OVA - Dec 16, 1995 -- 10,855 7.33
Zombie Clay Animation: Life of the Dead -- -- Studio Binzo -- 4 eps -- Original -- Comedy Horror -- Zombie Clay Animation: Life of the Dead Zombie Clay Animation: Life of the Dead -- Clay animation about a guy stuck in a room during zombie apocalypse. -- OVA - ??? ??, 2011 -- 292 N/A -- -- The Girl and the Monster -- -- - -- ? eps -- Original -- Comedy Horror -- The Girl and the Monster The Girl and the Monster -- A girl quietly reads a book in her room. Suddenly, a monster comes crawling out from under her bed! Is it friend or foe? -- ONA - Jul 26, 2019 -- 291 N/A -- -- Heisei Matsue Kaidan: Ayashi -- -- DLE -- 2 eps -- Original -- Comedy Historical Parody Horror Supernatural -- Heisei Matsue Kaidan: Ayashi Heisei Matsue Kaidan: Ayashi -- A Matsue City collaboration anime with Eagle Talon. Yoshida book-ends the story as horror tales, both modern and historical, originated within the city are narrated by another person. -- ONA - Mar 17, 2017 -- 289 N/A -- -- 3-bu de Wakaru Koizumi Yakumo no Kaidan -- -- - -- 7 eps -- Book -- Historical Horror Parody Supernatural -- 3-bu de Wakaru Koizumi Yakumo no Kaidan 3-bu de Wakaru Koizumi Yakumo no Kaidan -- Stories from Patrick Lafcadio Hearn's book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things. The Greek-American author was known as Koizumi Yakumo in Japan and is renowned for collecting and publishing stories of Japanese folklore and legends. -- -- The shorts were made for a Matsue City tourism promotion, as Hearn taught, lived, and married there. His home is a museum people can visit. -- ONA - May 9, 2014 -- 287 N/A -- -- Kimoshiba -- -- Jinnis Animation Studios, TMS Entertainment -- 13 eps -- Original -- Comedy Horror Kids Supernatural -- Kimoshiba Kimoshiba -- Kimoshiba is a weird type of life form with the shape of an oversize shiba inu, loves eating curry (particularly curry breads), and works at a funeral home. Similar life forms include yamishiba and onishiba. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- 284 N/A -- -- Ehon Yose -- -- - -- 50 eps -- Other -- Historical Horror Kids -- Ehon Yose Ehon Yose -- Anime rakugo of classic Japanese horror tales shown in a wide variety of art styles. -- TV - ??? ??, 2006 -- 279 N/A -- -- Higanjima X: Aniki -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Fantasy Horror Seinen Vampire -- Higanjima X: Aniki Higanjima X: Aniki -- A new episode of Higanjima X that was included in Blu-ray. -- Special - Aug 30, 2017 -- 277 N/A -- -- Yamiyo no Jidaigeki -- -- Sunrise -- 2 eps -- - -- Historical Horror -- Yamiyo no Jidaigeki Yamiyo no Jidaigeki -- Tales include: -- -- The Hill of Old Age, which tells of a conspiracy hatched against Japan's unifier, Oda Nobunaga. -- -- Seeing the Truth, about the assassin sent to murder Nobunaga's successor leyasu Tokugawa. -- -- The broadcast was a part of the Neo Hyper Kids program. -- -- (Source: Anime Encyclopedia) -- Special - Feb 19, 1995 -- 275 N/A -- -- Youkai Ningen Bem: Part II -- -- Topcraft -- 2 eps -- Original -- Demons Horror -- Youkai Ningen Bem: Part II Youkai Ningen Bem: Part II -- For 1982 a 26-episode TV series sequel to Youkai Ningen Bem was planned. Because the original producers disbanded, the animation was done by Topcraft. 2 episodes were created and the project shut down without airing on television. The episodes were released to the public on a LD-Box Set a decade later. 2,000 units were printed and all were sold out. -- Special - Oct 21, 1992 -- 268 N/A -- -- Kaibutsu-kun: Kaibutsu Land e no Shoutai -- -- Shin-Ei Animation -- 1 ep -- - -- Comedy Horror Kids Shounen -- Kaibutsu-kun: Kaibutsu Land e no Shoutai Kaibutsu-kun: Kaibutsu Land e no Shoutai -- Based on the shounen manga by Fujiko Fujio. -- -- Note: Screened as a double feature with Doraemon: Nobita no Uchuu Kaitakushi. -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- Movie - Mar 14, 1981 -- 266 N/A -- -- Ushiro no Hyakutarou -- -- - -- 2 eps -- - -- Horror School Supernatural -- Ushiro no Hyakutarou Ushiro no Hyakutarou -- Horror OVA based on the manga by Jirou Tsunoda. The title roughly means "Hyakutarou behind". -- -- A boy named Ichitarou Ushiro deals with various horrifying phenomena with the help of his guardian spirit Hyakutarou. -- -- 2 episodes: "Kokkuri Satsujin Jiken", "Yuutai Ridatsu". -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- OVA - Aug 21, 1991 -- 254 N/A -- -- Zombie Clay Animation: I'm Stuck!! -- -- Studio Binzo -- 4 eps -- Original -- Comedy Horror -- Zombie Clay Animation: I'm Stuck!! Zombie Clay Animation: I'm Stuck!! -- Spin-off series of Zombie Clay Animation: Life of the Dead. -- ONA - Mar 2, 2014 -- 247 N/A -- -- Shou-chan Sora wo Tobu -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Novel -- Horror Sci-Fi -- Shou-chan Sora wo Tobu Shou-chan Sora wo Tobu -- An anime version of Ikkei Makina's horror novel of the same name. It aired at the same time as the live-action adaptation. -- Movie - Nov 14, 1992 -- 235 N/A -- -- Matsue Kankou Taishi Sanri ga Iku! Matsue Ghost Tour -- -- DLE -- 2 eps -- Original -- Comedy Historical Parody Horror -- Matsue Kankou Taishi Sanri ga Iku! Matsue Ghost Tour Matsue Kankou Taishi Sanri ga Iku! Matsue Ghost Tour -- An accompaniment to Heisei Matsue Kaidan: Ayashi. This ghost tour takes a more realistic approach featuring Yoshia (the fictional Eagle Talon character), Kihara Hirokatsu (horror and mystery novelist), Chafurin (voice actor and Shimae Prefecture ambassador), and Frogman (Ryou Ono's caricature; real-life director of the anime studio DLE). The quartet travels around Matsue City exploring horror/haunted real life locations talking about the history and how it became a paranormal focus. -- -- The end of the episode promotes ticket sale and times for a real ghost tour watchers can partake in. -- ONA - Mar 16, 2017 -- 227 N/A -- -- Yamiyo no Jidaigeki (OVA) -- -- Sunrise -- 2 eps -- - -- Historical Horror -- Yamiyo no Jidaigeki (OVA) Yamiyo no Jidaigeki (OVA) -- A direct sequel that was put straight to video. -- -- The Ear of Jinsuke, about a wandering swordsman saving a damsel in distress from evil spirits. -- -- Prints from the Fall of the Bakufu, features a tomboy from a woodcut works charged with making a print of the young warrior Okita Soji. -- -- (Source: Anime Encyclopedia) -- -- OVA - Aug 2, 1995 -- 227 N/A -- -- Inunaki-mura x Taka no Tsume-dan -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Other -- Comedy Horror Parody -- Inunaki-mura x Taka no Tsume-dan Inunaki-mura x Taka no Tsume-dan -- A collaboration between the live-action horror film Inunaki-mura slated to be released in theaters February 7, 2020 and the Eagle Talon franchise. The film is based on the urban legend of the real-life abandoned Inunaki Village and the old tunnel that cut through the area. -- ONA - Jan 17, 2020 -- 226 N/A -- -- Echigo no Mukashibanashi: Attaten Ganoo -- -- - -- 1 ep -- - -- Demons Horror Kids -- Echigo no Mukashibanashi: Attaten Ganoo Echigo no Mukashibanashi: Attaten Ganoo -- A collection of four folk tales from Koshiji (from 2005, part of Nagaoka), Niigata prefecture (Echigo is the old name of Niigata). -- -- Episode 1: The Azuki Mochi and the Frog -- A mean old woman tells an azuki mochi to turn into a frog, if her daughter-in-law wants to eat it. The daughter-in-law hears this, and... -- -- Episode 2: Satori -- A woodcutter warms himself at the fire of deadwood, when a spirit in the form of an eyeball appears in front of him. The spirit guesses each of the woodcutter's thoughts right... -- -- Episode 3: The Fox's Lantern -- An old man, who got lost in the night streets, finds a lantern with a beautiful pattern, which was lost by a fox spirit. The next day, he returns it reluctantly, and what he sees... -- -- Episode 4: The Three Paper Charms -- An apprentice priest, who lost his way, accidentally puts up at the hut of the mountain witch. To avoid being eaten, he uses three paper charms to get back to the temple... -- -- (Source: Official site) -- OVA - May ??, 2000 -- 221 N/A -- -- Jigoku Koushien -- -- - -- 1 ep -- - -- Sports Comedy Horror Shounen -- Jigoku Koushien Jigoku Koushien -- (No synopsis yet.) -- OVA - Feb 13, 2009 -- 220 N/A -- -- Nanja Monja Obake -- -- - -- 1 ep -- - -- Kids Horror -- Nanja Monja Obake Nanja Monja Obake -- An anime made entirely in sumi-e following a child fox spirit and his morphing ability for haunting but he ends up getting scared himself. -- Special - Dec 6, 1994 -- 215 N/A -- -- Heisei Matsue Kaidan -- -- DLE -- 7 eps -- Original -- Horror Parody Supernatural -- Heisei Matsue Kaidan Heisei Matsue Kaidan -- A Matsue City collaboration anime with Eagle Talon. Yoshida book-ends the story as modern horror tales, originated within the city, are narrated by another person. The shorts are meant to promote the Patrick Lafcadio Hearn's Ghost Tour offered by the city. -- -- Some episodes feature biographical segments of the Matsue Kankou Taishi Sanri ga Iku! Matsue Ghost Tour group. -- ONA - Apr 9, 2015 -- 211 N/A -- -- Akuma no Organ -- -- - -- 1 ep -- Music -- Music Horror Demons -- Akuma no Organ Akuma no Organ -- Music video for Devil's Organ by GREAT3. From Climax E.P. (2003) -- Music - ??? ??, 2003 -- 210 5.16
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