Buddha - Meditation Techniques and Hand Gestures  (Hardcover, Dr. Balwant Singh, Ven. Bhikkhu Pragnapal)

The present book is a small attempt to introduce the method of meditation and Hand Postures by Lord Buddha. This inspiration comes from following the path of Vipassana Meditation and practicing this meditation awakens a sense of gratitude in the mind. Common people should also benefit from this technique. Keeping this spirit of human welfare in mind, a primary introduction to Lord Buddha's meditation technique should be made, which is completely based on scientific facts. That is why the Vipassana method taught by late Shri Satyanarayan Goenka and some of its centres have also been briefly discussed in this book. Along with Vipassana Meditation method, a second prevalent method of Lord Buddha, Samatha meditation method has also been introduced, so that people can practice according to their interest. These beneficial techniques, can be practiced by man and can become a complete human being by becoming free from his miseries. Hand Gesture described in this book are useful for human life. Talking about the history of these Mudras, the description dates back to about 5000 years. Apart from the Vedas, strong proofs of hand postures are found in Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Buddhist literature and Hatha Yoga, not only this, their extensive description is also found in Swami Swatmaram's Hathayoga Pradipika and Maharishi Gherand's Gherand Samhita. In spite of all this, it could not become popular while its practice is very simple and beneficial. According to our sages and scriptures, there is a special use of these Gestures at the physical and mental level. Modern research also confirms the usefulness of these Gestures. Seeing the postures of our Yogis and Rishis and their facial expressions and a special mention of Lord Buddha, curiosity arises in the mind of every person that what is the meaning and use of these postures. This led to, a curiosity that these mudras mentioned in the scriptures should be discussed. This work has been accomplished by various books, experts and materials available on the internet. The information mentioned in the book is not complete but yet it is a small effort. There may be a few errors, omissions and mistake in regard to the information provided in this book or if any person’s feelings or sentiments have been hurt, I sincerely apologize for it and hope you excuse my ignorance regarding it. This book is not written for any particular person, caste or religion, but its main purpose is public welfare through meditation and yoga. I would like to express my gratitude to all those people who have given me the encouragement and cooperation in the writing this book. My gratitude to our Co-Author Ven. Bhikkhu Pragnapal (Bangladesh) and Mr. Vivek Thani Ji (Owner of Global Academic Publisher) for their great cooperation, without which this would not have been possible. Please feel free to contact us and reflect your comments.