The Visuddhimagga Sparknotes

The Visuddhimagga is a historic Buddhist manual written in the mid fifth century. This doctrine simplifies these subjects of meditation by putting them into the following categories: the ten Devices, the ten Repulsive Things, the ten Recollections, the four Stations of Brahma, and the four Formless States. It describes and summarizes the teachings of Buddha and is one of the closest existing sources to Buddha himself. This manual also highlights the five basic themes of meditation in the form of the five doors of the Dharma. Each of these doors are meant to eliminate a form of suffering from one’s life. The first is described as meditation on impurity. This is meant to counteract the greed inherent within us as a species. The second is described as meditation on friendliness and is meant to counteract the urges of ill will, hatred, and jealousy. The third is meant to counteract stupidity and is referred to as conditioned co-production. The forth is meditation on breathing which attempts to eliminate the

Much like Buddhism, it has its own three principles, these are called the Three Treasures and are: compassion, moderation, and humility. In her book breaking down Taoism as a whole, Oldstone-Moore (2003) describes Taoist philosophy by stating: “The tradition stresses the importance of following the way of the Tao – that is, of taking no action contrary to nature, and of finding one’s place in the natural order of things.” Not only does Taoism have deep philosophical influences but Taoism boasts immense impact on the culture China and Chinese civilization and is credited with a handful of truly momentous scientific discoveries including the invention of gunpowder and the magnetic compass. According to the story the invention of gunpowder occurred by accident when Taoist alchemists were instructed by their current ruler to create a substance that could grant him eternal