Bow hunting or bowhunting is one of those sports that you either love or you hate - a bit like fox hunting in the United Kingdom. Town people hate it and anybody involved with it and country people see it necessary to cull wild animals that could otherwise become a pest.

Despite its macho image, which was encouraged by the film the Deer Hunter, there are growing numbers of women who go bowhunting. The big distinction between hunting with a rifle and hunting with a bow is distance. A hunting rifle with telescopic sights can deliver enough punch at 600 yards to take down a deer with a single shot almost wherever it is hit in the chest.

On the other hand, a hunter using a bow with a fifty pound draw weight will need to be within about forty yards to be able to deliver the same kind of lethal punch, if the shot is precise to the heart.

This means that if you seriously wound an animal from 600 yards, it will probably be dead by the time you get there, clambering over fallen trees and rocks, but if you severely wound a deer from forty yards you see its pain.

This has a sobering effect on most bow hunters. The overwhelming majority of bow hunters do not want to see this and they do not want the animal to suffer either, so they wait for the perfect shot. If it is not there, they do not shoot.

A hunting bow needs to have a draw weight of at least fifty pounds to hunt large game and that used to mean quite a sturdy recurve or longbow, but the compound bow was developed in 1966.

A compound bow makes use of pulleys to help with the draw, which allows less strong people to achieve a draw weight of fifty pounds, which has opened up bowhunting to women and adolescents.

Large wild animals are dangerous and some will attack without warning if they feel threatened. This leads to a danger zone around wild animals. Every sort of animal has a danger zone, for a bear, that could be pretty large and for a deer less so. This danger zone is an area outside of which you are relatively safe.

If you are hunting with a gun, you can stay outside that danger zone without difficulty, but with a bow and arrow, well, you often have to go within it. This enlarged danger supplies a greater rush for bow hunters - a bigger thrill. Especially if they are hunting bears or mountain lions.

In contrast to the Deer Hunter, most bow hunters go on prearranged trips these days. The hunting trip is organized through a specialized firm which will provide guided trips into areas known to have large numbers of the animals you want to pursue.

These expert guides know how to bait zones to lure your prey; they can give advice on safety aspects and they take a big gun in case a hunter is too stupid to take their advice. Regrettably, the gun is for use on the animal, not the idiot.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on various topics, but is currently involved with compound hunting bows. If you would like to know more or for special deals, please go to our website at Kids Archery Set.

Tags: archery, buddhism, education, government, History, hobbies, hunting, martial arts, other, outdoors, Politics, recreation, sports, war

Bowmen have played a major role in warfare and hunting for thousands of years. Primitive bows were made of a single piece of wood, but composite recurve bows were being made from Greece to China as far back as the second millennium BC.

Recurve bows, those with the ends facing the ‘wrong way’ when unstrung, are more powerful inch for inch in length than one piece wooden bows, which made them more suitable to confined conditions such as on horseback, in a chariot or in woodlands.

Pieces of composite recurve bows, usually made from horn, have been found in many parts of the world. Early arrows were made from naturally straight twigs or pine needles with napped flint tips attached. Wooden bows did not keep so well and examples are scarce.

It appears that archery was being developed in the early Mesolithic or late Paleolithic Age. Archery was particularly well developed in some Islamic countries and in Asia, where Zen Buddhist monks used archery as an element of their meditation techniques.

In the early days of archery, there were miscellaneous feelings about archers. In those days, people battled hand to hand with swords and spears and some of the traditionalists thought that archers were cowards because they attacked from a distance out of direct danger. This point is made quite clear in ‘The Iliad’, Homer’s account to the siege of Troy.

There are or were many varieties of bows made to suit different fighting or hunting conditions. Some varieties of bow are the; long bow, short bow, recurve bow, composite recurve bow, reflex bow, decurve bow, deflex bow and crossbow among others.

The longbow was tremendously hard to learn to use and the archer needed considerable upper-body strength. The bow was often six feet long with a weighty three foot long arrow. The draw weight for utmost power was around a hundred pounds and the function of the bow on a battlefield was as long-range artillery.

The heavy arrows and vicious armour-piercing arrow head would rain down on the enemy from a hundred yards or more and penetrate shields and armour as if they did not exist. Shot horizontally, the three-foot arrow could pass through a couple of people.

In fact, the longbow was so essential to the triumph of Great Britain that a law was passed making it obligatory for men over a certain age to practice with their longbows every Sunday on the village green in order to develop the required skills and upper-body strength in case war came.

The arrows are made to suit the different kinds of bows and the different bows and their specific arrows are suited to different kinds of hunting - whether you are hunting men or animals.

There are essentially two types of shooting: instinctive shooting, which is very difficult as the archer does not take his eyes off the target, but does not sight down the arrow; and sight shooting where the archer makes use of sights to align the arrow with its target. The majority of people find sight shooting simpler.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on several subjects, but is presently concerned with archery recurve bows. If you would like to know more or for special offers, please go to our website at Kids Archery Set.

Tags: archery, buddhism, education, government, History, hobbies, hunting, martial arts, other, outdoors, Politics, recreation, sports, war

Asia is the largest continent when measured by landmass and human population. Following is an overview of Asia.

Asia is considered one of the seven continents. This continental definition, however, is far broader than many people think. Under the seven continent methodology, Asia stretches from Japan in the East through Russia in the West. It encompasses Saudi Arabia and everything above Asia. While it doesn’t always make practical sense, there is no denying this definition of Asia makes it the home of over 60 percent [4 billion] of all humans. China and India, of course, are the locations of a vast majority of these people.

In modern times, geographers recognize there really is no dividing line between Asia to the west and Europe to the East. This has resulted in the entire area being called Eurasia, but thousands of years of terminology aren’t about to pass into antiquity. Today, most people refer to Europe as a continent so far as it extends to the Ural Mountains in Russia. Everything to the east of that mountain range is considered Asia. For instance, Israel is considered a country in Western Asia!

Russia has even picked up on this theme with the two heads on the national flag. The west facing head refers to the European part of Russia while the East facing head refers to the Asian part of the country. Within Russia, it is almost as if there are two countries with Moscow and St. Petersburg having heavy European influences. Cities in the Far East, such as Vladivostok, are much more oriented to China and such.

To resolve the boundary issue, the powers that be have started defining Asia subcontinents. The areas are:

Central Asia - Kazakhstan Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

1. East Asia - China, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan, North and South Korea.

2. North Asia - Russia.

3. India Subcontinent - India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

4. Southeast Asia - Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar [Burma], Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

5. Southwest Asia - The Middle East including Turkey, Iran, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and sometimes Egypt.

Given the problems defining the boundaries of Asia, you can imagine it is also difficult to define certain characteristics regarding the continent. After all, life in Turkey is much different than in China. Conversely, customs in India are completely different than those in China. In fact, most people living in Asia take offence when someone uses the word “Asians” to refer to them. The word implies a similarity among all people in Asia, which simply isn’t true.

Economically, things are a bit easier to categorize. The largest economy in Asia is China as a measure of gross domestic product. Officially known as the People’s Republic of China, this country remains communist in name only when it comes to economic issues. With massive economic growth over the last 10 years, China is the second largest economy in the world after the United States. Another heavily populated area, India, is now the fourth biggest economy in the world, while relatively small Japan is the third. Put in practical terms, Asia is home to three of the four biggest economies on Earth. The three dominant financial centers are Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.

With so many countries, it is hardly surprising to find a wide variety of religious practices in Asia. There are a wide variety of belief systems, but Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam have the largest number of adherents.

Figuring out exactly what constitutes Asia is largely a matter of opinion. Among many assertions about Asia, the undisputable one is it is the home to the largest percentage of humans on the planet.

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Tags: aisa travel, Asia, buddhism, China, hinduism, hong kong, india, islam, israel, Japan, russia, singapore, tokyo

What is Zen Buddhism? The Japanese name for Chinese “Chan” (for “to think”) Buddhism, Zen or Chan Buddhism is best illustrated, not described, and among the very best of illustrations is one of the most well-liked of Zen koans, a word that’s loosely translated as “teaching parable.”

A Zen Master was relaxing with two disciplines one day by having cake and tea. Suddenly he took his fan and threw it at one of them, asking, “What’s this?” The disciple caught the fan and started fanning himself, whereupon the Master exclaimed, “Good! Good!” He took another fan and threw it at the second disciple with the same question. This second disciple also caught the fan, but used it as an eating utensil with which to serve the Master some cake. The Master clapped, “Good! Good!”

And that’s the essence of Zen Buddhism. Yes, that.

What does it mean?

An explanation would actually rob you of the full power of the koan. If you don’t “get” the koan, it is best to keep thinking about it until finally you do. Any further discussion would be most meaningful once you’ve discovered the meaning for yourself. Or put it this way: Which would you rather have, porn or sex?

Sure, porn is very easily obtainable, whereas sex takes work (not only performing it but wooing the lady in the first place!), but one is no doubt a really pale reflection of the other. Likewise, “giving away the answer” will be like explaining a joke; even when you finally understand, that “zzzzt!” feeling is lost forever.

But rest assured that the koan presented above is one of the best illustrations of what Zen Buddhism is all about, since it illustrates Zen on so many levels. It is at once non-sensical and eminently brilliant. It’s funny and quirky and even puzzling but entirely logical and in fact easy to understand.

It is Zen. It is life.

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Tags: ancient greece, belief, Buddha, buddhism, Buddhist, hellenistic world, philosophers, religion, school of buddhism, zen buddhism

Among the essential components facilitating a person’s spiritual progress, as revealed by way of the Kundalini Yoga principles, is in making sure that her or his chair of intuition, the third eye chakra (also sometimes called the ajna chakra), is open and well balanced.

This chakra meditation strategy utilizes the use of numerous Kundalini Yoga concepts in the fulfillment of its objectives. It harnesses the power of Pranayama (yoga breathing), mudras (eye and hand positioning), numerology, visualization, plus focus meditation in order to properly open the third eye chakra.

In deciding to employ the use of the third eye chakra meditation, it will be possible to open your third eye; greatly enhance your current intuition and insight as well as your mental focus and motivation; attain inner peace; as well as boost your own psychic powers. An open third eye may even help to improve one’s respiratory and visual systems.

Before you decide to commit to the use of this kind of meditation technique, understand that you might discover it at first challenging to accomplish. Because it is complex, you should be patient as well as exercise tremendous strength of will for you to grasp this completely.

That said, the basic steps for this specific meditation technique are:

* Take a seat on your heels in the rock position, with your arms raised up and out to the sides on a 60 degree angle. If this type of posture proves to become hard for you, you may also opt for the sukh asanai pose, or even just take a seat cross-legged.

* Pull yourself in and focus on the center of your forehead, just over the brows.

* Begin to breathe in sixteen different phases and let out your breath in sixteen different stages as well. Hold this breathing style over the entire meditation. If the sixteen-part breathing may prove complicated, you could begin from eight and go up from there.

* With every single portion of the breathing, picture a small sludge hammer softly tapping the center of your forehead, where the third eye chakra is. You may begin this exercise starting at 1 minute, coming up to to 3, then 11 minutes afterwards. You can decide to extend from there, going up to 31 minutes.

For more information on How To Open Third Eye , I highly recommend checking out this blog post on How To Open The Third Eye Effectively

Tags: buddhism, chakras, hinduism, meditation, psychic, reiki, self improvement, spirituality, yoga

Buddhist art forms were born and flourished in the Indian sub-continent where the Buddhism itself originated. In accordance with the growth of Buddhism, it became popular all around the Asian countries including Japan as a result of its interactions with other cultures.

The growth of the Buddhist religion and art was very fast in Asia. It entered all corners of the continent including northern, central, eastern and south-east Asia.

Before the arrival of Buddhism in Japan, various other cultures and movements had made impacts on the Japanese art. Especially the Kofun and Yoyoi times had a great influence on the culture and art style of Japan.

In the 6th century, Buddhism took up its residence in Japan. As it was fading away from India, Japan was becoming its capital. The Buddhist priests succeeded in attracting the ordinary people with their art works and statues. Consequently, Japan became the largest country of Buddhism in the world.

Soon after the introduction of Buddhism in Japan, it began to influence the Japanese life and art. Numerous monasteries and temples were built up. The Kofukun-ji temple in Nara, the five story pagoda and the Golden Hall of Horyuku are the existing examples of the Buddhist art forms of those times.

Buddhist art also improved in the form of paintings and sculptures. The government was involved in sponsoring a lot of artists in order to create numerous paintings and sculptures. The art of the time revolved around realism and had a very graceful appeal. This was the result of Korean, Chinese and Hellenistic impacts that had come together to form a unique style.

The Buddhist art had a greater development between the 8th and 13th century. In the periods of Nara and Heian, it became supreme in Japan. Hindu and Shintoist effects also were found in the Buddhist art forms. Most of the art works were portraying Buddhist deities and were exceptional because of their diversity and individuality.

Around the 13th century, the Zen art which was introduced in Japan by Eisai and Dogen began to replace the conventional Buddhist art. A large number of art works of those times including painting and pottery illustrated their intention to expose the life’s reality. Japanese martial arts and the art of flower arrangement named Ikebana also had a greater improvement in this period.

Today Japan is home to around 80,000 Buddhist temples. Most of these temples have been constructed from wood and have undergone massive restoration for the purpose of preservation.

Buddhist art from Japan is an integral component of the nation’s heritage. If you would like to see Buddhist influences in common Japanese tattoo symbols please click on the links.

Tags: art, Asia, buddhism, culture, family, health, home, Japan, painting, religion, spirituality

Religions in the world are many. We have the Religion in Myanmar, Christianity, Muslim, Buddhism etc. Sometimes it’s hard to know whose telling the truth, or what their real purpose is.

We are at a stage where we’re tired of having people telling us what we should believe in. We’re disappointed by all the hypocrites out there that don’t even know how to set a good example.

The situation gets so bad that our trust in religion is just so thin. We don’t know who or what to believe.

I’ve come to a point in my life where all I really say about religion is LEARN more about their standards. Don’t put your faith in those who say their keeping the ways.

It’s impossible to really know the true story, doctrine from the words of a human being. Everyone puts a part of themselves into their testimony after all.

Even though many religions out there claim to have the one and only “god” or the only powerful “gods” I’ve come to realize that most preach one thing.

They all believe firmly in Justice. And to be honest this is not such a bad thing to believe in. I no longer ignore all religion that is thrown at me.

I try and take from the situation everything that I can. Because although I probably will never be converted, I will probably leave knowing something that I didn’t know before.

And isn’t knowledge everything? Wouldn’t we simply be a routine without knowledge?

Everything that you see now, that you are now, that you have now… is this really it? I know for a fact that almost everyone has asked themselves this question at one point in their life.

So therefore I am of the idea that we should always seek to improve our knowledge, to explore, to be open, and not shun or judge a group by its religion. Simply because we’ve never heard of it doesn’t mean they don’t have something good to offer.

There are so many religions to pick from and learn from, which one to start with? Well, there is Catholicism- did you know that the Virgin Mary had more sons than just Jesus? Or even the religion of Myanmar for example… have you even heard of it before? Lean, live, embrace, and die happy. Die with knowledge!

Want to learn more about religions? Visit Myanmar, also be sure to visit Religion Videos for your needs.

Tags: Buddha, buddhism, Meditations in Myanmar, Religion in Myanmar

Would you classify yourself as a beginner learning to meditate wondering “How do you meditate?” Learning how to meditate is a question that stays on the minds of many beginning practitioners. There are several beginners meditation techniques for many goals. There are also a number of beginners meditation techniques to teach you how to meditate.

Learning how to meditate can improve and create a unique ability to be an internal observer. This internal observation will help you notice certain body reactions such as clenching and tension of your jaw when you feel anxiety and stress. The best meditation techniques help raise your awareness of this. Once this behavior has been observed, and you’ve determined that it is not desirable, you can release the tension.

Reading one article won’t cause a huge jump to having the presence of mind enough to notice these unwanted body reactions to stress. But over time beginners meditation techniques will give you the ability to be more in the present moment. And that allows you to remove prolonged anxiety as an unwanted experience.

For a beginner wanting to learn the best meditation techniques then a great deal of exploration is necessary. When you explore various techniques you will begin to notice drastic differences in how each style affects your body. Here are a few of the more effective ways to learn meditation.

Hemi-sync Meditation CDs :Hemi-sync Meditation CD’s one of the best meditation techniques the novices similar to bicycle training wheels. This is a small field of meditation technology to show you what meditation feels like. It won’t be long before you can achieve levels of success with meditation that would usually take months.

The Experience Meditation Today CD’s: These cds use a passive, more cerebral way to learn how to meditate. The process they use is called hemispheric synchronization which gets both sides of the brain synchronize with each other. The cds play music or relaxing white noise, while in the background you hear calming hums that are heard by your brain. Those hums or tones then create a third tone that naturally guides you to a meditative state.

Yoga:A widely-known method in how to learn to meditation is the ancient art of yoga. Yoga was originally conceived as a way to prepare your body to meditate by relieving all the tension and leading the body to a natural state of relaxation. As one of the best meditation techniques for beginners further in my writings I go into detail to describe the wonders that yoga has done for my mental state and self-awareness.

Learning the best meditation techniques does not have to be stressful or unproductive. Guided meditation, yoga, can all help you reach the meditative state you desire. Read more about how effective these breathing and relaxation techniques are and how they can help you relieve stress and anxiety.

Paul Duvuvier writes articles to help beginners learning to meditate. Read more about beginners meditation techniques to reduce stress and anxiety.

Tags: buddhism, diy, fitness, health, meditation, self improvement, spirituality, yoga

Beijing has been a focal point for China’s most important religious observances since it become the country’s capital in 1420. Of all the temples built to worship the mighty forces in nature, the Temple of Heaven in southern Beijing is easily the most significant one.

Running an empire that held the worlds largest population, the Chinese emperors couldn’t just rely on intimidation and an effective government. They had to rule by legitimacy from Heaven.

Once forbidden ground, the Temple of Heaven is now ready to welcome you in and reveal all its mystery.[I:http://buddhisminfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/DavidCheng49.jpg]

On the west side stands the Hall of Abstinence. This was where the emperor stayed to prepare himself for the ceremonies. He abstained from meat, onions, garlic, alcohol and sexual relations. Everything looks very simple in the hall. Here, the emperor didn’t have the luxurious furnishings and ornaments found in the Forbidden City.

Standing opposite to this, on the east side, are the Animal Slaughtering Hall and the Divine Kitchen. Cattle, sheep, pigs, and other sacrificial animals were slaughtered and prepared for the ceremonies here. Almost 50 workers would have to work for quite a few days before they could get the job done.

Music was also an important facet of all ceremonies in the Temple of Heaven. In the Hall of Divine Music Administration, imperial orchestras practiced compositions day and night. When rituals were held, they would play all throughout. Sometimes rituals lasts a whole day and into the night!

The number of antique instruments displayed in the hall is a big hit. And be sure to enjoy the mock performances, which are staged every two hours.

Soon you’ll be standing before the Circular Altar, the most significant structure in the temple. The altar was built to worship Heaven. You can’t miss taking a picture here, for it was believed to be the center of the universe.

And this was where the emperor would bow on his knees to take vows and confirm his legitimacy to rule China. A Chinese philosopher once wrote:If the ruler is right, then the creative energy of the universe will be harmonious and compliant. The rain and wind will be timely. Auspicious stars will appear, and then, the yellow dragon will descend.

The ritual gave the emperor absolute power to rule his empire.

Tags: altars, Asia, Beijing attractions, Beijing temples, Beijing tour, Beijing travel, buddhism, China, religion, temple, Temple of Heaven, Tiantan park, tourism

When traveling to Laos, there are many places and sights to see. But one of the most unique and interesting destinations has to be the Pak ou Caves. Located near Luang Prabang you can hire a boat or songthaew to take you the 25 km down river.

Located directly on the Mekong River, the Pak Ou Caves are one of the most sacred sights in the country. They are actually still used as a place of worship. Every New Year people from Luang Prabang make a pilgrimage to visit the caves containing over 4000 Buddha images and statues.

Of the 4000 plus buddhas, the majority are in the form of the tall Luang Prabang Buddha’s. The boat ride across the river is sensational as the caves come into view. White stairs stand out against a dark black hole that cuts into the high cliffs towering over the river.

There are two levels to the caves Tham Ting the lower cave and Tham Pheung higher. Tham Phum is dark but it is filled with more statues. Make sure you bring a flash-light, it can be quite dark inside the Caves, especially Tham Pheung.

The Pac Ou Caves make for a great day trip from Luang Prabang as you take a break from exploring the cities ancient architecture. But once you are back in town, make sure to check out everything that Luang Prabang has to offer. Rent a bike or go for a walk along the Mekong river to explore the day away.

Luang Prabang is filled with intricate temples. A World Heritage Sight, you can explore its rich history for days. Check out the former Royal Palace a.k.a. Haw Kham, one of the most recognizable buildings in the city. Examine the ornate interiors filled with reclining Buddhas, carvings and tapestries.

There are coffee and pastry shops to stop for lunch, and you will feel very civilized as you sip a caf latt while enjoying a croissant. If you are lucky, you may stumble into a temple at a time when Monks are playing their drums.

An event that must not be missed is a walk up Phou Si hill. This is a steep walk, but well worth it to view the incredible sunset. A temple stands at the top of the hill giving you a panoramic view of the countryside.

Not to be missed is the Night Market. Crammed with tourists it is a popular destination to buy your statues and paintings before you leave the country. It is a bit pricey, but a savvy shopper can find a good deal if they bargain hard. After you have worked up an appetite, you can simply hop into one of the many restaurants that are located on the edge of the market.

It wasn’t long ago that very few people visited Laos. Now Luang Prabang has become a very popular destination on the tourist route, so get there fast before the rest of the planet discovers this hidden gem of a nation.

Tags: adventure, Asia, buddhism, Laos, Luang Prabang, Pac Ou Caves, South east asia, Temples of laos, things to do in Laos, Travel, travel in Asia, world heritage sight