Sadhana

The present decade has witnessed a huge volume of research revolving around a number of Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques, especially for the fabrication of different metallic materials. However, fabrication of ceramics and cermets using AM-based techniques mainly suffers from two primary limitations which are: (i) low density and (ii) poor mechanical properties of the final components. Although there has been a considerable volume of work on AM based techniques for manufacturing ceramic and cermet parts with enhanced densities and improved mechanical properties, however, there is limited understanding on the correlation of microstructure of AM-based ceramic and cermet components with the mechanical properties. The present article is aimed to review some of the most commonly used AM techniques for the fabrication of ceramics and cermets. This has been followed by a brief discussion on the microstructural developments during different AM-based techniques. In addition, an overvie...

Addressing the Yogasūtra योगसूत्र, or 'the point of view' codified in the Patañjali system, is a difficult task. We are faced with an Opera written in a sacred language, to which we approach with due respect. The text is hermetic, as it is typical of the writings of every initiatory Tradition, where the 'transmission' takes place exclusively through the direct relationship ('mouth-ear') between Master and disciple. Like all the writings of Tradition, the language used is highly symbolic, therefore a vehicle of multiple meanings, the decoding of which is almost impossible if you do not have the opportunity to make them "living them from the inside". Taken alone, it remains a text whose understanding is not only inaccessible for a layman, but also substantially indecipherable for the specialists of the academic world themselves

Affrontare gli Yogasūtra योगसूत्र, ovvero ‘il punto di vista’ codificato nel sistema di Patañjali è impresa ardua. Siamo di fronte ad un’Opera scritta in una lingua Sacra, alla quale accostarsi con il dovuto rispetto. Il testo è ermetico, come peraltro è tipico degli scritti di ogni Tradizione iniziatica, dove la ‘trasmissione’ avviene esclusivamente mediante il rapporto diretto (‘bocca-orecchio’) tra Maestro e discepolo. Come tutti gli scritti della Tradizione, il linguaggio utilizzato è altamente simbolico, quindi veicolo di Significati multipli, la cui decodifica è pressoché impossibile se non si ha la possibilità di realizzarli ‘vivendoli dall’interno’. Preso da solo, resta un testo la cui comprensione è non solo inaccessibile per un profano, ma anche sostanzialmente indecifrabile per gli stessi specialisti del mondo accademico.

Swami Paramarthananda discusses Sādhana Catuṣṭaya Saṃpatti (Fourfold Qualifications) , in many classess1. I have compiled this document based  on Swamiji’s teachings of these classes.  In the Karikas to Mandukya Upanishad, Gowdabadhachariyar advises us to give maximum effort to Sādhana Catuṣṭayaṃ.  This document describes  Sādhana Catuṣṭayaṃ and the ways to improve  Sādhana Catuṣṭayaṃ.

"Mārīcī in the Sādhanamālā"  Presentation handout
(This handout was partially revised after the conference presentation.)
I gave a presentation on Mārīcī in the Sādhanamālā.
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP19K12950(Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists) .

/ Date: Saturday, September 7, 2019
/ Place: Bukkyō University (Kyōto, JAPAN)
/ Abstract:  This presentation concerns Sādhanamālā (SM) No. 134, a meditation on the Mārīcī of three faces and eight arms (an image seen on extant art objects). The traits of the sādhana of SM No. 134 are elucidated via an understanding of its structural components.Belief in Mārīcī is said to have expanded during the era of Tantric (Esoteric) Buddhism, from the time of the Pāla Empire (8th–12th century CE) and thereafter. Among the Buddhist goddesses of the Pāla Empire, works depicting the Mārīcī are said to have been second in number only to those of the goddess Tārā, and Mārīcī worship was especially widespread in India. Sixteen types of Mārīcī sādhana are recorded in the SM, with Mārīcī displaying variously one face and two arms, three faces and eight arms, five faces and ten arms, six faces and twelve arms, or three faces and sixteen arms.In No. 134, in the preparatory stage for meditation, the concrete description of the figure of the goddess is characteristic.  The reason is not clear, but in No. 142, in the preparatory stage for meditation (similar to No. 134) is the phrase “depict images [paṭa], etc. of the figure of the holy mother [Mārīcī]” (paṭādigatamūrrtiṃ bhagavatīm avatārrya); therefore, it may be that the concrete figure of Mārīcī spoken of in the preparatory stage of No. 134 is suggesting not only a mediation, but also the creation of actual objects depicting the goddess. From the fact that numerous holy images of Mārīcī have been confirmed in India, we surmise that in addition to mediation, emphasis was also placed on the mechanism of gaining blessings by the pious act of creating actual art objects. (English translation by Editage, Cactus Communications.)

Negli ultimi anni abbiamo assistito ad una proliferazione di nuove edizioni degli Yogasūtra, spesso con traduzioni e commenti a cura di studiosi occidentali. Alcune pregevoli, altre meno. Abbiamo scelto di porre al centro dell’attenzione, come esempio positivo di serietà, rigore e correttezza, l’opera di Michel Angot .
Con questo breve intervento, destinato soprattutto ai lettori italiani, riportiamo uno stralcio in bozza tratta dal testo, in corso di redazione:
Dall’Uno della Tradizione ai Sistemi Aperti, Patañjali Yogasūtra. Il “punto di vista” dello Yoga Vol I -Yama e Niyama, delle astensioni e delle osservanze.

Le Edizioni Porpora hanno messo a disposizione questo lavoro di Sri Svami KRISHNANANDA.
Il testo completo è liberamente scaricabile dal sito indicato in intestazione.
Buona lettura ed un ringraziamento alle Edizioni Porpora, che continuamente rendono disponibili gratuitamente questi testi sapienziali, dando concreta dimostrazione che la Tradizione non può essere oggetto di mercimonio.
Il loro prezioso contributo è la dimostrazione che è possibile lavorare per il piacere di 'donare', senza attesa del risultato dell'azione.
Coloro che sono interessati al tema della Via iniziatica dello Yoga, secondo la Tradizione, possono consultare anche il contributo al link:
https://www.academia.edu/34906731/%C5%9Ar%C4%AB_Sv%C4%81m%C4%AB_K%E1%B9%9B%E1%B9%A3n%C4%81nanda_e_il_Sistema_dello_Yoga_Yama_e_Niyama_le_basi_fondanti

The Tantras selected here give few clues about geographical locations. Of the six short passages, the third alone mentions a place called the “Garlanded” (Mālinī) Mountain and a ravine or cave named Kokila, which may refer to sites in the far northeast of India, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, such as the ruined temple site called Malini- than in the Siang Hills. This area borders Tibet, Myanmar, and Bhutan and is home to numerous tribal communities speaking dozens of languages and hundreds of dialects. Its green forests and high mountains host some of the most biodiverse wilderness in India, with over 750 species of birds and hundreds of mammals, including snow leopards, red pandas, and gibbon apes.

These six short passages translated from the Sanskrit depart from the narrative format and instead present Tantric-guided visualizations and hymns of praise to the so-called goddess of desire, Kāmeśvarī. They are all about vivid description, characteristics of the practitioner, and praise for the goddess’s power. The first two pieces are from the Nityākaula, a previously untranslated Tantra predating the eleventh century and the sole surviving representative of the Nityā cult, as described in the essay. This important early Tantra has barely reached the present, for it survives in a single damaged palm-leaf manuscript from Nepal. The frequent ellipses (. . .) in the first passage flag places where the text is damaged and unreadable. The passage from the Ciñciṇīmatasārasamuccaya serves as a midpoint that elaborates on the nature and power of Kāmeśvarī. The latter three passages are from the Vāmakeśvarīmata, a Tantra of slightly later origin that expands the goddess’s retinue and links her to the famous diagram of nine interlocking triangles, called the Śrīcakra. The passages are thus arranged sequentially to illustrate the historical flow of religious influence from the Nityā cult to that of Tripurasundarī, who is still actively worshiped today in the popular Śrīvidyā tradition.

"Quello che esiste è Uno senza un secondo. Uno ed Uno soltanto, e non duale è quella grande Realtà, eternamente esistente, sempre presente, infinita. Non c’è nessun secondo, c’è Uno ed Uno soltanto. Qualsiasi cosa esiste è in quell’Uno senza un secondo.
            Il termine Maya, quindi, è soltanto un termine per descrivere uno straordinario inesplicabile stato di quell’Essere Universale che essendo l’Uno e non duale è presente ovunque, tuttavia non è né riconosciuto, né compreso. Questo stato di imperfetta coscienza è designato come Maya. E’ niente altro che un insidioso qualcosa che emana dallo stesso Brahman. E’ la Sua stessa effulgenza che apparentemente nasconde quella radiante e splendente Realtà."

In questa ricerca delle fonti del Sacro mantra non poteva mancare un richiamo al testo originale del Taimni, interamente dedicato alla Gāyatrī. Siamo di fronte ad un insegnamento di particolare rilevanza, sviluppato in modo organico e completo. Sintetizzare quella che possiamo definire una pietra miliare per la conoscenza della Sāvitrī – Gāyatrī è oggettivamente impossibile. Nel limitarci a proporre alcune citazioni particolarmente pregnanti, confidiamo che il sincero ricercatore che sta percorrendo la sādhana (il sentiero che conduce alla realizzazione del Sé, all‟Illuminazione), possa trovarvi lo stimolo ad affrontare lo studio del testo nella sua integrità. Dell‟Opera, è altresì disponibile, finalmente, l‟edizione italiana (I. K. Taimni, Gāyatrī. The daily religious practice of the Hindus, Vasanta press, Adyar, Madras, 1978;  I. K. Taimni, Gāyatrī, La madre dei Veda, Mediterranee, Roma, 2017)

Mediating the Power of Buddhas offers a fascinating analysis of the seventh-century ritual manual, the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. This medieval text is intended to reveal the path into a ritual universe where the power of a buddha abides.

Author Glenn Wallis traces the strategies of the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa to enable its committed reader to perfect the promised ritual, uncovering what conditions must be met for ritual practice to succeed and what personal characteristics practitioners must possess in order to realize the ritual intentions of the Buddhist community. The manual itself was written at a key point in Buddhist history, one when Hindu forms of practice were still imitated and on the cusp of the shift from Mahayana to Vajrayana (or Tantric) Buddhism.

In addition, the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa presents a rich compendium of Buddhist life in an earlier era, containing information on a variety of its readers' concerns: astrology, astronomy, medicine and healing, ritual practice, iconography, devotion, and meditation.

Among Western scholars and researchers, the opinion that between the thought of Patañjali (Yogasūtra) and that of Śaṅkarācārya (Advaita-Vedānta) there is an irreparable rift. Not believing the formulations to be completely convincing in this regard, we hope that the subject can benefit from further studies conducted with an approach respectful of hermeneutical methods and the specificity of thought contained in the texts, not a limited cultural horizon, much less reducible to it.
In these brief notes we will focus exclusively on the requirements that the two authors identify as pre-requisite conditions for accessing Traditional Wisdom.
Ideas and proposals for reflection, analysis, research, in an attempt to go beyond the narrow horizon of duality and closed systems.

Anteprima dal testo in corso di redazione:
Pātañjala Yogasūtrāṇi, Yama e Niyama, i Doveri (astensioni e osservanze), Il ‘punto di vista’ Yoga Vol II, terza edizione ampliata e rivista. A cura di Fabio Milioni
Il testo  (IV-XII d.C.) è attribuito a Yājñavalkya, celeberrimo grande Saggio dell’induismo, presumibilmente vissuto nell’VIII° sec. a.C., cui sono altresì attribuiti altri scritti sapienziali tra i quali ricordiamo il Śukla Yajurveda, शुक्लयजुर्वेद. la Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad e la Yājñavalkya Smṛti. Siamo di fronte ad un personaggio mitico, citato anche nella Mahābhārata e nei Purāṇa. E’ un testo sapienziale che narra l’insegnamento tradizionale impartito dal Sapiente Yājñavalkya ad una delle sue due mogli, Gārgī.

Preview from the text being edited:
Pātañjala Yogasūtrāṇi, Yama and Niyama, the Duties (abstentions and observances), The 'point of view' Yoga Vol II, third expanded and revised edition. Edited by Fabio Milioni
The text (IV-XII AD) is attributed to Yājñavalkya, the famous great Sage of Hinduism, presumably lived in the 8th century. a.C., to which other sapiential writings are also attributed among which we remember the Śukla Yajurveda, शुक्लयजुर्वेद. the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad and the Yājñavalkya Smṛti. We are facing a mythical character, also mentioned in the Mahābhārata and the Purāṇa. It is a sapiential text that tells the traditional teaching given by the Wise Man Yājñavalkya to one of his two wives, Gārgī.

This presentation concerns Sādhanamālā (SM) No. 134, a meditation on the Mārīcī of three faces and eight arms (an image seen on extant art objects). The traits of the sādhana of SM No. 134 are elucidated via an understanding of its structural components.
Among the Buddhist goddesses of the Pāla Empire (8th–12th century CE), works depicting the Mārīcī are said to have been second in number only to those of the goddess Tārā, and Mārīcī worship was especially widespread in India. Sixteen types of Mārīcī sādhana are recorded in the SM, with Mārīcī displaying variously one face and two arms, three faces and eight arms, five faces and ten arms, six faces and twelve arms, or three faces and sixteen arms.
In No. 134, in the preparatory stage for meditation, the concrete description of the figure of the goddess is characteristic.  The reason is not clear, but in No. 142, in the preparatory stage for meditation (similar to No. 134) is the phrase “depict images [paṭa], etc. of the figure of the holy mother [Mārīcī]” (paṭādigatamūrrtiṃ bhagavatīm avatārrya); therefore, it may be that the concrete figure of Mārīcī spoken of in the preparatory stage of No. 134 is suggesting not only a mediation, but also the creation of actual objects depicting the goddess. From the fact that numerous holy images of Mārīcī have been confirmed in India, we surmise that in addition to mediation, emphasis was also placed on the mechanism of gaining blessings by the pious act of creating actual art objects.

Typically, supply chain members are dependent on each other to manage various resources and information. The conflicting objectives and lack of coordination between supply chain members may often cause uncertainties in supply and demand. The basic elements of coordination theory like interdependency, coherency and mutuality may help in effective flow of information and material between the dependent supply chain members. Supply chain contract can be an effective coordination mechanism to motivate all the members to be a part of the entire supply chain. There are different types of supply chain contracts such as buy back and quantity flexibility contracts. Supply chain performance may be substantially improved by properly designing the contracts to share risks and rewards. The objective of this paper is to explore the applicability of coordination elements through an analytical model in three-level (Manufacturer-distributor-retailer) serial supply chains using contracts. The model evaluates the impact of supply chain contracts on various performance measures. The impact of some contract may be on some specific performance measure only, which helps managers to choose the type of contract if there is an objective of improving certain performance measure before hand. In three-level supply chains, the contracts are designed at two distinct interfaces: Manufacturer-distributor and distributor-retailer. The model demonstrates the complexity in evaluating the decision variables of three level supply chains. The proposed model is a novel approach to apply coordination theory at various levels of supply chain. The model also presents how the coordination elements are related to each other in various coordination cases.