The Foreword to the book: Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our Time - THE MAYAN CALENDAR

Carl Johan Calleman has a Ph.D. in Physical Biology from the University of Stockholm (1984) and has served as a Senior Researcher of Environmental Health at the University of Washington in Seattle and as an expert on cancer for the World Health Organization. He is recognized as one of the world's foremost experts on the Mayan calendar based on the books Maya-hypotesen (in Swedish, 1994), The Mayan Calendar (Garev, 2001) and Enlightenment (Bear and Co, 2004).

Read more here: » Mayan Calendar: Foreword to the book Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our Time - THE MAYAN CALENDAR

Queztalcoatl

(Aztec - "feathered-serpent")

 An Aztec god of the air or a sun-god and a benefactor of their race who instructed them in the use of agriculture, metals and the like.

According to one account, Quetzalcoatl was driven from the country by a superior god and on reaching the shores of the Mexican Gulf promised his followers that he would return. He then embarked on his magic skiff for the land of Tlapallan.

The Great Bird-Serpent is the most powerful figure in Mexican mythology, and it was known and accepted as a god in ancient Mexico and Central America. Accordingly, he dominated the great early American civilizations, from the land of the Incas in South America, to the Pueblo Indians of the our southwestern desert; from Teotihuacan (Mexico City) on the high plateau to Chichen Itza in Yucatan, he is a prevailing motif on ancient monuments.

Sometimes with his jaws open, bifid tongue, and articulated spinal column, he is easily recognizable. At others, he seems to have been coded in an almost infinite variety of formalized patterns derived from his famous scales, or feathers.

To the ancients, Quetzalcoatl became the force for understanding the universe, as it was known before the introduction of modern religion by the Conquistadors of Spain. The god Quetzalcoatl represented, to the ancient peoples of Central and South America, the very essence of life.

(See also: Queztalcoatl , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Accepted Dictionary

Amazingly, as we approach the 21st century, there is still very little known about the inner universe of sleep and dreams. In fact, numerous common misconceptions still exist, many of which are perpetuated by so-called professionals. The author, David F Melbourne, has been studying dreams for 25 years and is known all over the world for his accurate dream interpretations.

Read more here: » Meaning of dreams: Common misconceptions about sleep and dreams

Buddha Skt., Pali, lit., Òawakened one.Ó

 1. A person who has achieved the enlightenment that leads to release from the cycle of existence (samsara) and has thereby attained complete liberation (nirvana). The content of his teaching, which is based on the experience of enlightenment, is the four noble truths. A buddha has overcome every kind of craving (trishna); although even he also has pleasant and unpleasant sensations, he is not ruled by them and remains innerly untouched by them. After his death he is not reborn again.

 Two kinds of buddhas are distinguished: the pratyeka-buddha, who is completely enlight ened but does not expound the teaching; and the samyak-sambuddha, who expounds for the wel fare of all beings the teaching that he has discov ered anew. A samyak-sambuddha is omniscient (sarvajnata) and possesses the ten powers of a buddha (dashabala) and the four certainties. The buddha of our age is Shakyamuni. (See also Buddha 2.)

 Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha, is not the first and only buddha. Already in the early Hinayana texts, six buddhas who preceded him in earlier epochs are mentioned: Vipashyin (Pali, Vipassi), Shikin (Sikhi), Vishvabhu (Vessabhu), Krakuchchanda (Kakusandha), Konagamana, and Kashyapa (Kassapa). The buddha who will follow Sh?kyamuni in a future age and renew the dharma is Maitreya. Be yond these, one finds indications in the litera ture of thirteen further buddhas, of which the most important is Dipamkara, whose disci ple Shakyamuni was in his previous existence as the ascetic Sumedha. The stories of these leg endary buddhas are contained in the Buddhavamsa, a work from the Khuddaka nikaya.

 2. The historical Buddha. He was born in 563 BCE, the son of a prince of the Shakyas, whose small kingdom in the foothills of the Himalayas lies in present-day Nepal. His first name was Siddhartha, his family name Gauta ma. Hence he is also called Gautama Buddha. (For the story of his life, see Siddhartha Gauta ma.) During his life as a wandering ascetic, he was known as Shakyamuni, the ÒSilent Sage of the Shakyas.Ó In order to distinguish the historical Buddha from the transcendent buddhas (see buddha 3), he is generally called Shakyamuni Buddha or Buddha Shakyamuni.

 3. The Òbuddha principle,Ó which manifests itself in the most various forms. Whereas in Hinayana only the existence of one buddha in every age is accepted (in which case the Buddha is considered an earthly being who teaches hu mans), for the Mahayana there are countless transcendent buddhas. According to the Mahayana teaching of the trikaya, the buddha principle manifests itself in three principal forms, the so-called three bodies (trikaya). In this sense the transcendent buddhas represent embodiments of various aspects of the buddha principle.

 4. A synonym for the absolute, ultimate reality devoid of form, color, and all other propertiesÑbuddha-nature.

From The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen,

By Michael S. Diener, Franz-Karl Erhard, Ingrid Fischer-Schreiber

Translated by Michael H. Kohn

 (See also: Buddha , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Accepted Dictionary

REM (rapid eye movement) dreaming sleep usually occurs in ninety minute cycles throughout the night, before the onset of a period of SWS. As the night progresses, these intervals of REM increase in length until finally, the last two hours of slumber contain a high percentage of dreams. Therefore, we are more likely to catch ourselves dreaming towards the end of sleep - between the hours of five and eight in the morning for the average person.

Read more here: » Meaning of dreams: REM sleep and remembering dreams

Sundarkand forms part of Ramcharitmanas of Goswami Tulsidas which is commonly known as Tulsi Ramayana. It is the essence of the Ramcharitmanas, and is awarded as much importance as the Bhagavad Gita in the Mahabharata.

Like the Gita, the Sundarkand can be read independently. It has a powerful theme: When you are on a good mission, God gives you strength to overcome all obstacles. Sundarkand commences with Hanuman’s departure for Lanka in search of Sita and ends with Rama and his army’s preparation to reach Lanka across the sea. This entire episode is called sundar or beautiful because every act described in it is auspicious, elevating the human mind and promoting right human values.

(See also: Sundarkand , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Sundarkand: All’s Well That Ends Well - Sundarkand  

Islamic Dream Dictionary: Meaning of Dreams in Islam

Islamic dream dictionary with dream interpretation related to Islam and the Prophet: Includes the meaning of dreams about: Call to prayer, Bathing, Birds, Blowing, Clothing, Cover, Cows: Fat cows, Lean Cows, Fresh Dates, Ripe Dates, Door or Gate, Opening a Door, Egg, Elevation, Flowing Spring, Furnishing, Garden, Receiving a Gift, Gold, Hajj, Hand-hold, Keys, Laughing, Leg irons, Makkah, Marriage, Milk, Mountains, Pearls, Reconciliation, Right Side, Room, Rope, Ruler, Sexual Intercourse , Ship, Shirt, Silk Cloth, Sword.

See also: Meaning of Dreams

Read more here: » Islamic Dream Interpretation: Meaning of Dreams in Islam - I

Gurgadi Diwas is observed on October 20, when on this day in 1708, Guru Gobind Singh canonised the sacred Aad Granth pothi that Sikhs worship as the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

He said: " As ordained by the Lord Eternal/ A new way of life is evolved./ All the Sikhs are asked/ To accept the Holy Granth as the Guru./ Guru Granth should be accepted/ As the living Guru./ Those who wish to meet God/ Will find Him in the Word."

(See also: Gurgadi Diwas , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Gurgadi Diwas: Spiritual Uplift With Gurbani  

Despite continuing conflict, prejudices that once seemed inherent in our nature, are giving way. However, frequently, organised religion poses a formidable obstacle in the path, especially when fanatics seek credence from it. Yet, a lot has been achieved elsewhere: Women were generally regarded as inferior. But now, globally, the concept of equality of the sexes is a universally accepted principle.

Nationalism faces a similar fate. One has to distinguish between patriotism that enriches one'slife, and submission to inflammatory rhetoric that provokes hatred and fear. Nationalistic rites are as often marked by feelings of awkwardness as they are by the strong convictions and enthusiasm of earlier times. The fetish for absolute national sovereignty is on its way out.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Towards Universal Peace And Hope

Morality is neither an abstraction nor many-complexioned. There cannot be different sets of morality for politicians, business persons and bureaucrats. If such a difference is being accepted by most of us today, it is because we have been indifferent to the progressive deterioration of moral and ethical standards in the social order over the last half century.

Any moral code has to be applicable to all. "I never did, or countenanced, in public life", said Jefferson, "a single act inconsistent with the strictest good faith, having never believed there was one code of morality for a public and another for a private man".

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: The Core Values of Humanity

Ever since historian Ananda Coomaraswamy extolled the Nataraja bronze (dancing Shiva) from Tamil Nadu as ''poetry but nonetheless science’’, interpreting the Nataraja as the ''cosmic dance’’ of Shiva has been widely accepted.

Fritjof Capra catapulted Nataraja into a modern-day scientific icon when he euphorically stated in his cult book of 1974 The Tao of Physics that ''the dancing Shiva is the dancing universe, the ceaseless flow of energy going through an infinite variety of patterns that melt into one another’’.

(See also: Nataraja , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Nataraja: Nataraja Reveals Cosmic Secrets  

canon: The religious laws governing a sect or a religion. Body of accepted or authorized scriptures.

(See also: Canon , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Accepted Dictionary

Christianity

Major world religion whose development was begun by Plato 300 BC in the School of Philosphers in Athens. It was more fully developed in the fourth century AD when the Emperor Constantine established a universal (Catholic) church. At this time, the belief that Jesus the Nazarite was the promised Messiah or Christ of Israel was accepted, along with a set of books, known as the New Testament. (See Christianity)

(See also: Christianity , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Accepted Dictionary

Karma Yoga Lesson VlI

Janaka and Shuka; Living as kings do; Helping humanity and geocentricity; Teaching the law, guarding oneself; Every act to be a sacrament.

Read more here: » Karma Yoga: Karma Yoga - Lesson VII (of XI )

Body-Mind Integration in the Personal Growth Process

Does the matter mind? I mean, does the mind matter? That is, what's the matter with the "mind over matter" attitude, and what's the matter if matter (the body) doesn't mind? Okay, I'll put the questions a little less pun-like and paradoxical. How often does it seem that our body is just something for our mind to use to achieve certain ends? And from the way the body minds at times, do we too often lack confidence that it's really going to cooperate with our plans? Or, even though we may try to "listen to our body," does it still surprise us when the massage therapist finds knots, "rubber bands," and sticky layers of achiness in areas we thought minded us the most?

Read more here: » Massage Therapy: Body-Mind Integration in the Personal Growth Process

God and Gods of Hinduism

The most prevalent expression of worship for the Hindu comes as devotion to God and the Gods. In the Hindu pantheon there are said to be three hundred and thirty-three million Gods. Hindus believe in one Supreme Being. The plurality of Gods are perceived as divine creations of that one Being. So, Hinduism has one supreme God, but it has an extensive hierarchy of Gods. Many people look at the Gods as mere symbols, representations of forces or mind strata, or as various Personifications generated as a projection o of man's mind onto an impersonal pure Beingness.

Read more here: » Hinduism: God and Gods of Hinduism

Baptism

A practice of spiritual cleansing, known by other names in Asia for thousands of years. The belief that supports this practice among Christians is regeneration (i. e. , the new birth), and therefore salvation or eternal life, is conditioned upon being ritually immersed in water.

Most groups teaching this doctrine also add that proper mode (immersion or sprinkling) and/or proper minister (one authorized by the organization) is necessary. . The teaching that baptism is a prerequisite for salvation, is not accepted by all Christians The New Agers perform baptism in the same sense as do Hindus.

(See also: Baptism , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Accepted Dictionary

axiom: A rule or maxim that is universally accepted as true.

(See also: Axiom , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Accepted Dictionary

Read more here: » Vision: The Nature of Vision

Theory:

(1) A belief, policy or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action.

(2) An ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles or circumstances.

(3) The body of generalizations and principles developed in association with practice in a field of activity.

(4) A judgment, conception, proposition or formula formed by speculation or deduction, or by abstraction and generalization from facts.

(5) A working hypothesis given probability by experimental evidence or by factual or conceptual analysis but not conclusively established or accepted as a law.

(See also: Theory , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Accepted Dictionary

Sampradaya - (samyak + pradaya): that process or path that bestows the Supreme Absolute Truth thoroughly and perfectly. A line of disciplic succession; established doctrine transmitted from one teacher to another; a particular system of religious teaching. The Padma Purana predicts the advent of four authorized lines of Vaisnava disciplic succession as well as their founding acaryas in the age of Kali: ata kalau bhavisyanti catvarah sampradayinah sribrahma- rudra-sanaka vaisnavah ksiti-pavana - "In the age of Kali four Vaisnava sampradayas will purify the earth. These are known as the Sri (Laksmi) , Brahma, Rudra, and Sanaka (Catuhsana) sampradayas.

These sampradayas are renowned by the names of the acaryas who established their doctrines in recent times (Padma Purana): ramanujam sri svicakre madhvacaryam caturmukha sri visnusvaminam rudro nimbadityam catuhsana - "Laksmidevi accepted Ramanuja, Caturmukha Brahma accepted Madhvacarya; Rudra accepted Visnusvami; and Catuhsana, the four Kumaras, accepted Nimbaditya as the respective heads of their sampradayas.”

Although Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu claimed a link with the Madhva sampradaya, His line is distinguished as the Gausiya sampradaya (the sampradaya established in the land of Gausa). Because He is Sri Bhagavan Himself He has presented the highest conceptions of love of God which were previously unknown to any of the sampradayas.

(See also: Sampradaya , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Accepted Dictionary