Kridana Toys Unveils First-Ever Action Figures Based On Great Indian Epics  

Kridana (kree-da-na): Sanskrit, meaning toy or plaything. Ramayana Action Figures

 

Our toys are collectible quality but durable enough to stand up to whatever kids can dish out.  We choose to manufacture with a 30-year veteran of the toy industry, and all of our production runs are rigorously tested by independent, 3rd-party labs to ensure both the toys' mechanical safety and the absence of dangerous lead levels in their paint.  Moreover, both Hanuman and Rama are made from non-phthalate PVC plastic, an environmentally friendly plastic that is safer for our children. (Many European countries, as well as California starting in 2009, mandate the usage of non-phthalate PVCs in children's toys for this very safety concern.)   

Sometime in 2008 we plan to bring out another action figure: Ravana, the ultimate demon king. Over time we will expand our products to include not only an ever broader range of the characters from the Ramayana but also those from other Indian Epics.    

Check us out at Kridana.com and don't hesitate to call me with pre-story questions for pitches. We're currently selling product in the U.S. and Canada, our first target markets.  Our products are currently available at our own website, and in December we expect to be selling through select toy and comic book stores and also general food and merchandise stores catering to the Asian-Indian market.  Thanks for reading.     Sincerely,
Mahender Swami Nathan
Co-president & Founder,
Kridana.com

A poetry after a long time, its been a while since I read some good poetry that sticks with you. What I love about this poem is that it is showing me a completely new perspective of the ocean and fields. I grew up around the ocean and I feel I am so much as peace when I overlook it but is it possible that someone who grew up around farms may find it disturbing. This poetry catches that emotion beautifully.

Last Trip to the Island

You're mad that I can't love the ocean,

but I've come to this world landlocked
and some bodies feel permanently strange.
Like any foreign language, study it too late and
it never sticks. Anyway,

we're here aren't we? —
trudging up the sand, the water churning
its constant horny noise, an openmouthed heavy

breathing made more unnerving by
the presence of all these families, the toddlers

with their chapped bottoms, the fathers
in gigantic trunks spreading out their dopey
circus-colored gear.

How can anyone relax
near something so worked up all the time?

I know the ocean is glamorous,
but the hypnosis, the dilated pull of it, feels

impossible to resist. And what better reason to
resist? I'm most comfortable in

a field, a yellow-eared patch
of cereal, whose quiet rustling argues for
the underrated valor of discretion.

And above this, I admire a certain quality of
sky, like an older woman who wears her jewels with
an air of distance, that is, lightly,
with the right attitude. Unlike your ocean,

there's nothing sneaky about a field. I like their
ugly-girl frankness. I like that, sitting in the dirt,

I can hear what's coming between the stalks.

Erin Belieu
Black Box
Copper Canyon Press

The main story in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007, was about how "humble jobs are lifting millions of Indians out of poverty." From "Moving Up in Mumbai" by Eric Bellman:

Such basic sales jobs, unremarkable and often derided in the West, are providing careers, confidence, and a shot at entering the consumer class to millions of impoverished young men and women across India. As their ranks swell, these children of slum dwellers, servants, sweepers and others low on the socioeconomic totem pole are forming a new stratum of workers. They are likely to play an important role in determining the future of the world's second-most-populous nation.

Until recently, much of the new wealth in India went to college-educated computer programmers, consultants and call-center workers. While they have made the country's technology industry a new pillar of global commerce, the total number employed by the software industry is still only about two million -- less than 0.2% of India's 1.1 billion population. At the other end of the spectrum, India still has more than 200 million people who live below the poverty line, mostly farmers.

Between the two are tens of millions of Indians, mostly city dwellers in their 20s and 30s, who are taking their first steps into the salaried class by selling goods and services to the increasingly free-spending upper crust. They represent a kind of swing vote in how far India can spread the fruits of its rapid expansion. Annual economic growth has averaged more than 8.5% for the past four years, but much of the benefits have accrued to the old industrial families and the tech-savvy few.

This still doesn't mean its good but its positive. I am sure its hard to see this in terms of numbers, someone has to do it... bring a macro perspective. I cant go beyond the micro, personal level..

New Indian HIV estimate brings global figures down sharply

In the Wall Street Journal of Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007, reporter Nancy Keates asks a provocative question: "Is Yoga Just Posing As a Good Workout? While practitioners say the ancient art is good cardiovascular exercise, most fitness experts say that's a stretch."

Almost every study on yoga and fitness agrees that the practice has a significant positive impact on muscular strength, endurance and flexibility. But most find doing only yoga -- without mixing in some traditional aerobic workouts -- doesn't exercise the heart enough. That's a growing concern, with more than 14 million Americans practicing yoga and Tai Chi now, up from six million in 2000, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.

Read the rest of the piece and here is some yoga advice from the doctor credited with coining the term "aerobics."

• CARTOON: Yoga & President Bush

This is  a nice piece of writing, seems very personal also. Good Journalism should be something like this. I know its a view point and more like an OpEd piece but it tells me more about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder than a newspaper article.

Am I to blame for his private war?

Luis Sinco
Sunday November 18, 2007
The Observer

Full Article

This is hilarious, it is attention catching and from 'audience' perspective which is odd... a friend compared it to selling India using elephants...


Eurostar's tourism ad for London.

More...

I just spent the entire weekend at MIAAC film festival in New York. Initially I was only there to support my sister since she was part of the organizers but then the quality of the films was outstanding and I ended up spending the entire weekend in the movie theater. I landed in NYC at 9 pm on Friday. Didnt do much besides vacuum and clean up my room in Jersey. Saturday, we left for the city at 11 am, after a nice lunch at a south indian restaurant in the Village, I headed to the movie theater and saw 2 full length films and 2 short films. Next day I was in the movie theater from 12 pm - 11 am, watched 4 full length features and delivered some food and coffee for the volunteers.

Here are the movies that I saw:

Schedule

	Missed Call (NYC) 105 Mins; English, Hindi – Yes; India; 2005 Cast: Ankur Vikal, Heeba Shah, Ram Kapoor, Tinu Anand Synopsis: Aspiring filmmaker Gaurav Sengupta lives his life through the viewfinder of his camcorder. He struggles to juggle social and familial demands with his passion for filmmaking. When he finds love in Gayatri, and the camera begins to threaten his future with her, he must decide whether to let go or to continue telling his story. Directors: Mridul Toolsidas and Vinay Subramanian Mridul Toolsidass: Born and brought up and educated in Kolkatta.After graduation , with three papers left to clear Chartered Accountancy, he moved to Delhi to do MBA in finance. Post classes, he worked with a music director friend on jingles and at night he’d write film sequences, his longest running hobby. Through his writing, he realised soon, that his quest lay in rearranging reality and dealing with it. So he rearranged his own and turned to Bombay in 2002 to deal with it. For a year he did odd jobs in as many capacities for films, documentaries, T.V., Ads, and a theatre group. Missed Call is his first film as a writer- director. Vinay Subramanian: After graduating in bachelors of commerce from Bombay University, he attended a 10-month diploma programme at Xaviers Institute of Communications. While in the course he got an opportunity to assist one of the course instructor Veena Bakshi on her documentary venture and later on got absorbrd into her production house(Searchlight Productions), which also produced ads. Failing attempts to get into a film school he moved on to work briefly with ad and documentary filmakerAshim Ahluwalia(Film Republic)
	London Bridge is Falling Down (World) 28 Mins; English; India; 2007 Cast: Tinti, Aishee Synopsis: If you fall with a thud you become a thudani. This punchline is the first among the many thoughts both ridiculous and sublime that our hero has as he prepares to hit the ground during a long fall. I'm at a bar. I hear about this guy who went to a party at a high rise. He spots this girl, goes up to her, tries to get comfortable beside her. Falls. And dies. I fictionally reconstruct his life which flashes past his eyes as he takes a fall Director: Jagannathan Krishnan I worked as a sales man, clerk, forex dealer and equities analyst before I moved to non fiction television where I did news, game shows and documentaries with gaps in between. All the work was either writing or directing. I then moved to Calcutta where I've done four and half years at film school. Been out now for the last few months

	Aids JaaGO (USA) 80 Mins; Hindi, Malayalam, English - English Subtitles; India; 2007 Cast: Shiney Ahuj, Raima Sen, Sameera Reddy, Irrfan Khan, Siddhartha, Pankaj Kapoor, Ayesha Takia, Shabana Azmi, Prabhudeva, Boman Irani Synopsis: Under the auspices of Mirabai Films and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the AIDS Jaago Project presents four short dramatic films by cutting-edge Indian directors Mira Nair, Vishal Bhardwaj, Santosh Sivan, and Farhan Akhtar that aim to dismantle myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. Each film uses top Indian movie stars to maximize the exposure of the films to audiences throughout India.   Mira Nair's Migration deals with the AIDS Virus as the great class leveler in society by following its transmission through interweaving stories linking urban and rural India.  Blood Brothers, directed by award-winning new wave director Vishal Bhardwaj- stars Siddhartha (Rang de Basanti) as a young man who gets a positive HIV diagnosis and henceforth allows his life to fall apart.  Prarambha- The Beginning, directed by renowned cinematographer and director Santosh Sivan, features South Indian superstar Prabhudeva as a truck driver who discovers a young boy stowed away in his vehicle.  Sivan explores the question of how society deals with those who are infected. Farhan Akhtar is one of Mumbai's mose prominent young filmmakers.  His film, Positive, follows the story of a young boy and his parents and how they cope with the devastation that AIDS can visit on the family.   Directors: Mira Nair, Vishan Bhardwaj, Farhan Akhtar, Santosh Sivan Santosh Sivan is from Kerala and is a renowned cinematographer, having lensed Ashoka, Title, and Title. His directorial debut, The Terrorist, was internationally acclaimed.  His forthcoming feature film, Before the Rains will receive its world premiere at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.  Vishal Bhardwaj received critical and commercial success of his newest film, Omkara, a Hindi version of Shakespeare’s Othello. Arguably India’s most recognized New Wave director. Farhan Akhtar, the director of hit films Dil Chahta Hai and Don is one of Bombay’s most prominent young filmmakers.  Mira Nair’s latest film, The Namesake, opened to rave reviews, and is currently the most successful art house release of 2007.  She is currently directing Shantaram for Warner Brothers, starring Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan. She was nominated for an oscar for her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay. Her 2001 film, Monsoon Wedding is still one of the highest grossing foreign films of all time.
	Rainwater Harvesting, Roll Call, Learning is Child's Play 1 and 2 1 Min each; Hindi; India; Public Service Announcements created by Nandita Das Director: Nandita Das Indian actress Nandita Das is known for her critically acclaimed performances in the films Fire, Earth (both directed by Deepa Mehta), Bawander (directed by Jagmohan Mundhra) and Amar Bhuvan (directed by Mrinal Sen). She has performed in over 25 feature films. She won the Best Actress award for her performance in the film Bawander at the Santa Monica Film Festival (2001). She also won the Best Actress award for performance in Amar Bhuvan at the Cairo Film Festival (2002). In May 2005 Das served as a Member of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.

	The Voyeurs (Ami, Yasin Ar Amar Madhubala) (USA) 115 Mins; Bengali – English Subtitles; India; 2007 Festivals Played/ Awards Won: Toronto Film Festival 2007 Cast: Amitav Bhattacharya,   Prosenjit Chatterjee, Sameera Reddy Synopsis: With an exceptional capacity for irony-tinged tenderness toward his characters, an unerring sense of where to place his widescreen camera and an ability to expand small-scaled stories into accounts of what it means to live in the modern world, Bengali director Buddhadeb Dasgupta adds another fine work to his impressive filmography with "The Voyeurs." Gentle pic involves a computer geek, his hick buddy and an aspiring dancer-thesp in a rich human comedy-turned-tragedy that deals with issues including high-tech abuse, AIDS and terrorism.  – Variety. Director: Buddhadeb Dasgupta Buddhadev Dasgupta is a poet and prominent contemporary Indian filmmaker. His poeticism has been extended to cinema as well. During the early stages of his film career, Dasgupta made films inspired by Satyajit Ray's realistic films and later moved on to other forms. Some of his most acclaimed films are Bagh Bahadur, Tahader Katha, Charachar and Uttara.
	Shanu Taxi 15 Mins; English; India; 2006 Festivals Played/ Awards Won: Silver Award for the Best First Film from IDPA (Indian Documentary Producer's Association, International Competition at the Karachi International Film Festival, Pakistan, International Competition at the Asiana International Short Film Festival, Seoul Cast: Vikas Kumar, Neel Bhattacharya, Rajesh Balwani, Rakesh Maudgal, Pramathesh, Takesh Singh, Zul Vellani Synopsis: An honest Mumbai taxi driver looks to make the most of a cell phone rewarded to him by a customer, setting off on a path to achieve his dreams that extend well beyond the city's traffic. Director: Vasant Nath Vasant Nath (born 12/03/1980) studied English Literature at St. Stephen's College, New Delhi and went on to do a Master's in Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge, UK. He was assistant to director Deepa Mehta on her Oscar® nominated film Water, after which he joined director Bharatbala, whom he assists in production, shoot and script development.

Manorama Six Feet Under (World)
140 Mins; Hindi - English Subtitles; India; 2007
Cast: Abhay Deol, Sarika, Raima Sen, Gul Panag, Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Synopsis: A homage to the noir genre, Manorama is about an amateur detective in a small town who finds himself caught in a web of lies, deceit, and murder. Nothing is what it seems and redemption doesn't come easy.

Director: Navdeep Singh
Navdeep Singh studied filmmaking at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, graduating in 1997. He then directed commercials and music videos for Uground and Cognito in LA, and the Great Guns in London. Navdeep then moved to India in 2001 and has since directed a number of award-winning

Apna Asmaan (US) 110 Mins; Hindi – English Subtitles; India; 2007 Festivals Played/ Awards Won: Bollywood and Beyond - Stuttgart, best Feature Film - German Star of India. Cast: Irrfan Khan, Shobana, Rajat Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Dhruv Panjuani Synopsis: An allegorical tale of Ravi, Padmini and their mildly autistic, intellectually handicapped teenage son Buddhi, who is a promising artist. The parents’ obsession to make Buddhi a genius, leads them to an experimental drug, which makes him their dream child – only to reveal the dark side that they had not bargained for. Director: Kaushik Roy Kaushik Roy (50) wrote his first script at 15, assisted film directors on features and documentaries and made an early entry in advertising as a visualiser. In the last three decades he has made a mark in the field of Indian advertising and marketing. After many group painting exhibitions his show with his son at The Nehru Center Art Gallery, Mumbai in 2006, was a great success. Apna Asmaan is his first feature film.

130 Mins; English; India; 2007
Lead Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampa, Divya Dutta, Shefali Shah and Jisshu Sengupta.
Festival Played/ Awards Won: Toronto International Film Festival 2007

Synopsis: When first we meet veteran thespian Harish Mishra (Bachchan), he is gravely ill. The punishments of a film shoot have left the old man in a coma. His co-star, Shabnam (Preity Zinta), is wracked with worry, but their director, Siddharth (Arjun Rampal), keeps strangely distant and refuses to visit his ailing star. In flashbacks, their story emerges.
Siddharth first had to woo Harish from the comforts of his retirement, and the interaction between the two yields some of the film’s most delightful scenes. The impatient young auteur attempts to win the trust and collaboration of the aged performer, who sits raging against the modern world from the sanctuary of his study. Sporting a silver mane, Bachchan is irresistible here – vain, forceful and impetuous. He trumpets the superiority of Shakespeare over anything cinema can create. And yet, the movies hold out a new challenge.
Once he agrees to act in the film, The Last Lear becomes a captivating reflection on the comparative artifices of stagecraft and cinema. As the outsider in the cast, Harish is hilarious in dismissing movie fakery. His theatre skills are grander. Standing on a hillside, he teaches Shabnam how to project her voice clear across a valley to the next hill.

Director: Rituparno Ghosh
Rituparno Ghosh was born in Kolkata to a family of artists. He graduated with a Master’s degree in economics from Jadavpur University and has served as editor of the Bengali film magazine Anandalok. His films have screened at festivals around the world, winning numerous accolades. Since making his feature debut in 1991 with Diamond Ring, he has directed fourteen feature films in total, ten of which he also wrote. Among them are Crossfire (97), The First Monsoon Day (01), Chokher Bali, A Passion Play (03), Raincoat (04), Dosar (06) and The Last Lear (07).

I feel terrible that I was sitting in a Gay Bookstore reading about civil right movements for gay rights when the world is undergoing another major human rights violation in Pakistan. Here is a transcript from notes that someone at SAJA took at Musharraf's speech yesterday. I am also posting the declaration of Emergency document issued (from SAJA website). Its not that I can do anything about it, yet its frustrating!


Link to the English CNN video
Original Speech You Tube embedded. 

2:49:33 PM: Musharraf speach:

- sucide bombing, terrorism and extremism at its peak - not afraid of security officials.

- extremism in islmbd is spreading - they are trying run a govt within a govt.

- extremist trying to enforce there version of islam on everyone.

- all govt officials are being punished by the courts - they are afraid of taking any orders. 100's of suo mot cases against govt is in place by the court against govt.

- security forces have lost hopes because there senior officials have been asked to visit court everyday blocking them from do what they are suppose to.

- before 1999 Pakistan was a failed state. When I came I have three stage in mind for transition - in stage 1, I controlled everything in stage 2 I was only overseeing with PM, assembly in place. In the final stage 3, full democracy will be implemented. Some elements are trying to block the country to get to stage 3.

- lots of FDI that was comming till last year has all of a sudden stopped.

- 7 years of development in the infrastructure, telecommunication, foreign investment which is essential for Pakistan future is in danger.

- Pakistan is facing internal crisis - some media channels has projected negative influence in Pakistan. It is the same media channels that I have given independence to.

- Ask the nation why this negative behavior?

- clash of judicial and govt is causing lot of damage to Pakistan. This all started on March 9th on the recmd. of Prime Minister and I submitted according to the constitutuion. Law and order breakdown because of the political involment. I may not agree with the decision but I accepted the decision whole heartedly. Unfortunately even after my full cooperation the problem still existed.

- Lal Masjid was trageic - Pakistani image was put to shame in the whole world. They took chineese hostage.

-61 terrorist because of supreme court orders are roaming around the country

- because of supreme court orders - maderassa that harbor terrorism were ordered to be open.

- supereme court has ordered to put the same admintration that was responsible for so many killlings
Inquiry.

- uncertainity and political instability is because of supreme court - court is not issuing the order - whole nation is waiting for the decision yet the court is delaying the decision. Prime Minister wrote to me that it is very difficult to run the country.

- because of all this we have to take action and we need to stop the downslide.

- three pillars of the country  has to sit together for a better governance.

- this is the only way to get back on the track - with all this in mind, I discussed with govt, politicians, expat pakistani's and my plan remains the same to complete the stage 3 for restoration of full democracy.

- all the assemblies will remain intact under pco and PM and all the ministers will remain as before.

- now in english - to the friends in the west - I would ask you to kindly understand the criticality in and around pakistan. Pakistan is on the verge of distablization. The saddest part is that after we have achieved in 7 years we see a downward trend because of extremism and I feel that "inaction" will be disaster and therefore I had to take this action in order to protect the democratic transition - the three stage - 1st being I being in control - 2nd where the local and federal govt was incharge and I was just overseeing and the 3rd stage that I want the coutry to go to which is full democracy and for us to go that 3rd stage I request you all to bare with us - to the critics and idealist - do not demand the level of democracy that you learned over centuries - Lincoln broke laws in term of preserving the constitution.

- we are learning democracy. It is the nation that is important and it is pakistan that comes first and whatever I do is for pakistan.

- I am doing with full conviction

- back to urdu - there was no other way - I know how to fight and I am figting for the nation - with your support, with you next to me, we can bring Pakistan back on track together.

- nation is fed up of extremism, terrorism - let's fight together. May Allah take care of all of us.

End at 3:35:46 PM

Text of emergency law proclamation
  Updated at 2150 PST, Nov. 3, 2007
  Proclamation of Emergency declared by Chief of the Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday:

“WHEREAS there is visible ascendancy in the activities of extremists and incidents of terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings, IED explosions, rocket firing and bomb explosions and the banding together of some militant groups have taken such activities to an unprecedented level of violent intensity posing a grave threat to the life and property of the citizens of Pakistan;

WHEREAS there has also been a spate of attacks on State infrastructure and on law enforcement agencies;

WHEREAS some members of the judiciary are working at cross purposes with the executive and legislature in the fight against terrorism and extremism thereby weakening the Government and the nation’s resolve and diluting the efficacy of its actions to control this menace;

WHEREAS there has been increasing interference by some members of the judiciary in government policy, adversely affecting economic growth in particular;

WHEREAS constant interference in executive functions, including but not limited to the control of terrorist activity, economic policy, price controls, downsizing of corporations and urban planning, has weakened the writ of the government; the police force has been completely demoralized and is fast losing its efficacy to fight terrorism and Intelligence Agencies have been thwarted in their activities and prevented from pursuing terrorists;

WHEREAS some hard core militants, extremists, terrorists and suicide bombers, who were arrested and being investigated were ordered to be released. The persons so released have subsequently been involved in heinous terrorist activities, resulting in loss of human life and property. Militants across the country have, thus, been encouraged while law enforcement agencies subdued;

WHEREAS some judges by overstepping the limits of judicial authority have taken over the executive and legislative functions;

WHEREAS the Government is committed to the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law and holds the superior judiciary in high esteem, it is nonetheless of paramount importance that the Honourable Judges confine the scope of their activity to the judicial function and not assume charge of administration;

WHEREAS an important Constitutional institution, the Supreme Judicial Council, has been made entirely irrelevant and non est by a recent order and judges have, thus, made themselves immune from inquiry into their conduct and put themselves beyond accountability;

WHEREAS the humiliating treatment meted to government officials by some members of the judiciary on a routine basis during court proceedings has demoralized the civil bureaucracy and senior government functionaries, to avoid being harassed, prefer inaction;

WHEREAS the law and order situation in the country as well as the economy have been adversely affected and trichotomy of powers eroded;

WHEREAS a situation has thus arisen where the Government of the country cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution and as the Constitution provides no solution for this situation, there is no way out except through emergent and extraordinary measures;

AND WHEREAS the situation has been reviewed in meetings with the Prime Minister, Governors of all four Provinces, and with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chiefs of the Armed Forces, Vice-Chief of Army Staff and Corps Commanders of the Pakistan Army;

NOW, THEREFORE, in pursuance of the deliberations and decisions of the said meetings, I General Pervez Musharraf, Chief of the Army Staff, proclaim Emergency throughout Pakistan.

2. I hereby order and proclaim that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall remain in abeyance.

3. This Proclamation shall come into force at once.”

I work in such a white place with no diversity, I feel like I have to post this so that people know what I stand for, what my major festival is. Here is what I posted on my cube for Diwali.

 

Diwali, is a major Indian festival that is very significant in Hinduism and Jainism.

While Deepavali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", the most significant esoteric meaning is "the awareness of the inner light".

Central to Hindu philosophy, is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to one's true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, imminent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman, comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (Inner Joy or Peace).

Deepavali celebrates this through festive fireworks, lights, flowers, sharing sweets, and worship. While the story behind Deepavali varies from region to region, the essence is the same - to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying reality of all things (Brahman).

I tried to go for this but the address on Google is wrong so ended up doing something completely different. In any case, I'd like to post something that I have created for my cube.

Welcome to the World of Active Meditation! 

 

Active Meditations were introduced by the Indian mystic Osho for the contemporary man. They are designed to move one’s state of being from activity to silence. The various active meditations suit different types of people. There are gentle meditation techniques like Nadabrahma and more vigorous ones like Dynamic Meditation. Active Meditations use a variety of activities - such as breath, sound, movement, and sometimes a form of catharsis - to prepare the ground for relaxation and silence. Then the state of meditation comes more easily.

“Meditation has a few essential things in it, whatever the method, but those few essentials are necessary in every method. The first is a relaxed stage; no fight with the mind, no control of the mind, no concentration. Second, just watch with a relaxed awareness whatever is going on, without any interference – just watching the mind, silently, without any judgment, evaluation. These are the three things; Relaxation, watching, no judgment, and slowly, slowly a great silence descends over you. All movement within you ceases. You are, but there is no sense of “I am” – just a pure space. There are many methods of meditation…they differ in their constitution, but the fundamentals remain the same: relaxation, watchfulness, a non-judgmental attitude.” Osho - The Great Zen Master: Ta Hui

I went for Zen Buddhism some days ago, this is what I printed out for my cubicle!

Bodhidharma. Woodcut print by Yoshitoshi, 1887.

Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism notable for its emphasis on practice and experiential wisdom—particularly as realized in the form of meditation known as zazen—in the attainment of awakening. As such, it de-emphasizes both theoretical knowledge and the study of religious texts in favor of direct individual experience of one's own true nature.

A broader term is the Sanskrit word "dhyana", which exists also in other religions in India.

The emergence of Zen as a distinct school of Buddhism was first documented in China in the 7th century CE. It is thought to have developed as an amalgam of various currents in Mahāyāna Buddhist thought—among them the Yogācāra and Madhyamaka philosophies and the Prajñāpāramitā literature—and of local traditions in China, particularly Taoism and Huáyán Buddhism. From China, Zen subsequently spread southwards to Vietnam and eastwards to Korea and Japan. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Zen also began to establish a notable presence in North America and Europe.