ZEN BUDDHISM
“This is the most irrational & inconceivable thing in the world.” No logical analysis
Not something you understand but something you do
Hui-Neng (700 AD), Chinese monk, stressed simple life & self-discipline
Concentrate on nonsense, free mind from normal, rigid pattern of thinking
(How do you get a goose out of a bottle; think of sound of one hand clapping)
Goal: to free the will so that all things bubble along in one interrelated continual flow
No personal, living God – Panthiestic
Can obtain Nirvana NOW through meditation, drugs, etc. (Buddhism & Hinduism say it takes many reincarnations
YOGA
Part of Hinduism, but taught on its own today
Union with divine through concentration & meditation, aided by Yoga’s body postures.
Demands intense effort to free the self (god) within
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (pupil of ‘god’ Guru Dev)
New method for an old Hindu result (after MM spent 2 years in cave to discover TM)
Claims not to be a religion but is
Goal: spiritual growth, peace & happiness through a system of deep meditation
expand consciousness through levels of consciousness
Receive own personal Mantra (sounds without meaning) for meditation
Purpose: to easier contact inner self (‘spirit guide’)