Meditation

1. Trade Skill Name:
Meditation

2. Short Description:
Meditation is act of meditating. To meditate is to focus ones thoughts in order to foster calm, creativity, and spiritual well-being in themselves.

3. Background:
Meditation has existed as a practice since the beginning of recorded history and likely predates it. Since sentient life has been able to find silence, it has meditated.

Meditation can exist solely as a practice or art form, asking a practitioner to do no more than simply meditate when they feel the need to. It can also exist as a philosophy or mindset for someone. They believe in existing in meditation as often as possible, while walking, sitting, etc. Meditation can also exist as a life style which embraces itself as a way of existence and embodies itself in the form of its practitioner.

Many people in many different walks of life use meditation for varying reasons. A Mage, for instance, uses a form of meditation to reach a state called clara. In this state they are able to cast arcana, which manipulates both themselves and the world around them. A warrior will often meditate to clear their mind and ease their body before battle. Still, others might even use meditation as a way to heighten their aggressiveness for war.

Throughout the ages, artists, politicians, and even common folk have used meditation to focus themselves and their efforts.

4. How to Meditate:
Practicing meditation is a mental, physical, and spiritual activity. It can be exhausting for the mind, body, and soul, and demands great discipline and respect.

While there are various forms of meditation in use, some of the fundamental aspects of all of them are the very first steps to learning meditation. These are, controlled breathing and controlled posture. Ones ability to control their breathing and posture is central to meditation.

While exercises in controlled breathing differ, the focus of all of them is to regulate ones breathing in order to create an internal environment capable of allowing meditation. That is to say, if a person was practicing meditation for relaxation, they may find that a very slow and deep controlled breathing maybe be their best option. The exact opposite would exist for someone using meditation to increase their aggression for battle. Regardless of the intent, the controlled breathing used must allow for the chosen controlled posture as well.

Just like in controlled breathing, various forms of controlled posture also exist in the practicing of meditation. Still, there is one key factor to controlled posture that they all share: posture for breathing. In other words, the chosen posture much compliment the form of breathing one finds most fitting of their purpose. A person breathing for relaxation meditation will likely find a prone or siting posture to work best for them because it allows for direct and comfortable air flow within the body. Some controlled breathing for meditation requires walking. Some bent over. Still others exist that are far more strange.

While there is no single, general way to initiate meditation, the easiest way known is likely also the oldest. This meditation is specifically for relaxation. In order for someone to meditate in this manner they must adhere to the following steps and precautions:

1. Find a comfortable place to position yourself, this meditation is meant to relax your entire body, as well as, your mind, so you want to be comfortable.
2. A soothing smell or sound can help this meditation, like a sweet candle or wind chime. These should be sounds that relax you.
3. Control your posture by sitting or laying in a position that you would also feel comfortable falling asleep in. The results of such meditation can make one feel like they are falling asleep, so it is helpful to be in such a position.
4. Close your eyes and keep them shut, but in a relaxed fashion. There should be no struggle or tension in keeping your eyes closed or you should keep them open.
5. Breath in fully and out fully until your breathing is slow and relaxed. You must feel completely relaxed, but do not fall asleep.
6. Attempt to leave your thoughts behind, instead focusing on a single relaxing thought, feeling or concept. This is where the smells and sounds come into play. Concentrating on such things instead of thoughts in your mind is probably the easiest way to reach a meditative state.
7. The next step is up to you completely. You'll know when you've reached a meditative state once you have. This state will be completely calming and will relax your entire being.
8. A meditator can leave his state of meditation any time he chooses.

Above is just an example of how to commence meditation. There are many systems to use depending on the school of thought followed. And for those not following a school, meditation is best reached by adhering to the rules of controlled breathing and controlled posture, and then finding the stimuli that best works for them.

5. Skill Tree:
Using the five-tier system of advancement (i.e., beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert and master), describe what a practitioner/craftsman at this level would be doing to hone his/her skills, the types of products that s/he would be making, and what would need to be done to advance to the next level. Use several sentences at least for each level. For example:

Beginner: A beginning practitioner of meditation is like an explorer on the verge of discovery, only it isn't a new world or vast treasure, it's a whole new plane of thought. This can be very exciting for the beginner, but also one where strict discipline must be enforced. It is at the beginning level that a person first learns the prescribed techniques of controlled breathing and controlled posture, as well as, a basic, easily broken meditative state. This state allows for a very basic meditative state. Also, for the first time, the meditator gains a fuller feeling of self. This is referred to as being Awakened and is the first pillar of meditation. With this awakening, and much surface meditation, comes a heightened sense of self, allowing the Beginner meditator to heighten his mental clarity by improving his memory. A beginning practitioner of meditation may advance through a demonstrated knowledge of controlled breathing, controlled posture, and appropriate meditative state.

Skills Learned: Basic controlled breathing, Basic controlled posture.
Technique: Controlled breathing, Controlled posture, Eyes closed.
Capabilities: Basic meditative state ("Surface Meditation"), Memory Enhancement.
Tools Used: Optional outside stimulus (candles, chimes, etc.)

Intermediate: Once a beginner has proven himself, his instructor may choose to coach him in reaching deeper meditative states. This requires longer instructional periods, further exercises in breathing and posture, and also the addition of a personal stimuli. A personal stimuli is one that a meditator comes into tactile contact with, like prayer beads, a candle, or even a weapon. The meditator learns to concentrate fully on that stimuli for meditation and is capable of doing so with his eyes open. His meditative state becomes less fragile and longer lasting than that of a Beginners. Also, the meditator can focus one of their sensory organs through deep meditation and enhance its potential for the duration of the meditation. For instance, an intermediate practitioner of meditation can, through deep meditation, enhance his sense of smell. An intermediate meditator may advance in his sense of heightened awareness through a teacher's good graces with proof of a successful and sustaining meditative state involving a personal stimuli.

Skills Learned: Intermediate controlled breathing, Intermediate controlled posture, Sensory enhancement.
Technique: Controlled breathing, Controlled posture, Focus: Personal Stimulus.
Capabilities: Intermediate meditative state ("Deep Meditation"), Sensory Enhancement, Awakening.
Tools Used: Personal stimulus (prayer beads, weapon, etc.)

Advanced: And advanced student of meditation is usually one who finds others noticing a change in him. He seems to exude an enhanced sense of self and finds himself capable of gaining a state of meditation faster than he could before. Also, an advanced meditator can, in order to reach deep meditation or while in it, move. A famous form of meditation known as "Walking Meditation" is the most famous of advanced meditations, as well as, dancing and stretching. He also becomes aware of other potentials within himself through his awakening and is able to focus his meditation in such a way to bring himself a better sense of balance. In order for an advanced student of meditation to advance, he must prove himself through a moving meditative state of considerable length and quality, as well as, proof of a more heightened sense of balance.

Skills Learned: Advanced controlled breathing, Advanced controlled posture, Basic moving meditation, Balance enhancement.
Technique: Controlled breathing, Controlled posture, Focus: Determined by meditator.
Capabilities: Advanced meditative state ("Deep Meditation"), Moving meditation, Balance enhancement.
Tools Used: Optional outside or personal stimulus.

Expert: Expert meditators often finding themselves questioning the actions of others around them. They have come to such a great sense of self and heightened awareness through meditation that they see the world differently than most. They also find that they can slip and out of meditation quickly via Verbal stimuli such as prayers, chants, or even songs. These verbal stimuli bring a student of meditation an even deeper meditative state, one that can silence the world for the meditator. This deep sense of meditation brings mental clarity far beyond the meditative states of lower proficiency levels It also allows the meditator to gain an even greater sense of self by being able to control extremely basic functions of basic bodily organs. This is referred to as "Pre-Perfection." For instance, an expert meditator is capable of slowing down and speeding up the rate at which their heart beats, which can warm or cool their body temperature. He can also open and close his pores. An expert meditator cannot however speed up the digestion of food in his system or cause his hair to grow. An expert meditator can also meditate in various positions and situations, such as a loud roof or while running. An expert meditator may only continue in his studies of meditation if he shows a genuine interest in reaching a personal goal of perfection, can maintain a deeper meditative state, and can show proof of his heightened awareness.

Skills Learned: Expert controlled breathing, Expert controlled posture, Intermediate moving meditation, Pre-Perfection.
Technique: Controlled breathing, Controlled posture, Focus: Verbal Stimulus.
Capabilities: Expert meditative state ("Deeper Meditation"), Intermediate moving meditation, Pre-Perfection, Able to teach meditation to others.
Tools Used: Verbal stimulus.

Master: Masters of meditation are few and far between. They usually live with meditation as a philosophy that not only defines them as a person, but also what they do, eat, and say. They may even start schools to teach their meditation to others and hire other teachers as well. A meditation master finds himself on the verge of self perfection, a state in which almost complete mental clarity is attained. They also find themselves in a pure state of meditation, one untainted by the emotions of the human mind or distracted by outside or internal conflict. They can reach this state in only a moment, and in any position or situation. Their mastered level of heightened self perception also allows them to enter a physical state of being , known as "perfection." In this state they can enhance and influence the inner workings of their bodies and mind. For instance, a Master meditator is capable of enhancing self-regeneration, defeating ingested poisons or rapidly healing wounds. They can also enhance their thought processes, and memory beyond lower levels.

Skills Learned: Master controlled breathing, Master controlled posture, Advanced moving meditation, Perfection.
Technique: Controlled breathing, Controlled posture, Focus: None needed.
Capabilities: Master meditative state ("Pure Meditation"), Advanced moving meditation, Perfection, Able to start a school.
Tools Used: None needed.

Beyond Master: Purity Beyond the Master level of meditation is a state meditators often refer to as Purity. This state, the second pillar of meditation, is one in which both physical and mental perfection come to exist in the same being. This is to say that a meditator reaches a state of physical Perfection, like at the Master level. And also reaches a meditative state of Perfection, one only the strongest of meditators and beings can accomplish. It is often thought by many practitioners of meditation that some or even all of the gods are actually Pure Beings, that is to say that they were once mortal meditators who reached a state of mental Perfection and therefore transcended this physical world.

6. Proper Training Facilities:
A meditator can practice his skill anywhere, but a Master who starts a school must do so in a well thought out location. Depending on the school of thought, a school founder would want to find a place of relatively controlled environment. For example, a relaxation meditation school would exist in a secluded place where there is much peace and quite. On the other hand, a martial meditation school may want distractions near their school to keep the warrior's mind keen to distraction in battle.

For the solo-meditator, depending on the intention of the meditation, one should likely mimic the environment of a school of similar thought. He who meditates for relaxation will want to do so in complete quite. He who meditates for battle may want to do so near an abundance of noisy distractions, etc.

7. Services:
Meditation is not a lucrative business for anyone other than the owner of a school, who is most likely not in it for the money. At lower levels than Expert, where one can teach, a meditator can provide no meditation-centered service. They can however, use meditation to enhance themselves as a being in order to have an edge on others looking for work. For example, a meditator can make an excellent personal assistant. They can also be excellent scouts or bodyguards. And in general, they become better at anything they do because of their heightened sense of awareness and venue for peace.

8. Meditation and Clara
It's easy to see that meditation and clara can be confused from an outside perspective. One would wonder if training in meditation would help aide a mage in reaching clara. The answer to that question is "yes, to a degree."

Clara is a state of mediation that requires two things normal Meditation does not. First of all, in order to reach a state of clara, the practioner must be unbound. This is not the case in meditation where the practitioner may be bound. Secondly, the end result, or "purpose" of a magi's meditation is to reach clara. A practioner of meditation does not hold his end result in focus, but instead focuses their meditation for various other results (i.e. regulating body temperature, breathing, etc.).

In practice, a person who studies both Meditation and Arcana may find meditation useful because it gains them experience and "practivce" in reaching a state of meditation. This means that the mage may be able to reach a state of clara a bit easier (i.e. with less mental strain on meditating) but not significantly faster, as that is realm of arcanomechanics. The mage may, however, use the techniques (i.e. chanting, beads, etc.) in order to aide themselves in reaching a state of clara. Also, finding a state of meditation can be quite relaxing and focusing. A mage who practices meditation may find a heightened sense of mental clarity when casting arcana.

9. Terms:
There are many terms used in the practice of meditation that someone outside of the practice wouldn't understand. Below is a list of commonly used terminology...

Awakened - this term is used to describe a meditator of Beginning level or higher. At this level they have reached a heightened sense of self awareness.

Controlled Breathing - A technique in which a person controls the rhythm at which they breath in order to bring about a specific result during meditation.

Controlled Posture - A technique in which a person controls the physical posture in order to aid in Controlled Breathing and bring about a specific result during meditation.

Deep Meditation - A state of meditation at Intermediate and Advanced levels. A meditative state capable of lasting several candlemarks sustained, capable of being broken with loud disturbances or lavish distractions.

Deeper Meditation - A state of meditation at Expert level. A meditative state capable of lasting an entire brightening sustained, capable of being broken only be continuous and strenuous physical contact.

Meditate - To focus ones thoughts in order to foster calm, creativity, and spiritual well-being in themselves.

Moving Meditation - A state of meditation in which the meditator can move around while sustaining his meditative state. A technique in which a meditator can enter a state of meditation while moving.

Perfection - A physical state in which a meditator can enhance and influence the inner workings of their bodies and mind.

Pre-Perfection - A physical state in which a meditator gains a greater sense of self and is able to control extremely basic functions of basic bodily organs.

Pure Meditation - A state of meditation sustainable for a cycle or more at a time. This state cannot be broken by normal physical means.

Purity - A state of being in which both physical and mental perfection come to exist in the same person.

Outside Stimulus - Any stimulus in meditation that the meditator does not come into direct contact with.

Personal Stimulus - Any tactile stimulus in meditation that the meditator comes into direct contact with.

Self Awareness - How much one is attuned to their own body and mind is their self awareness. In meditation, one comes across latent potential they never knew they had.

Stimulus - Something that aides in or incites to activity.

Surface Meditation - A state of meditation at Beginning level. An easily broken meditative state.

Verbal Stimulus - Any stimulus in meditation that is delivered by the mediator is oratory form.