Arya (árya-) is a Sanskrit term used by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and others. It means "master, noble, lord" or can refer to any Vaishya. In Avestan, the cognate word is an n-stem, airyan-. The honorific term -ji (which is used for example in Gandhiji), is derived from Arya (through the Pali aya or aja and Apabhramsa aje). The important Sanskrit lexicon Amarakosha (ca. 450 AD) defines Aryan as: "An Arya is one who hails from a noble family, of gentle behavior and demeanor, good-natured and of ...

Including:

• Arya - Religious and spiritual uses
• Arya - Buddhism
• Arya - Arya in the Epics
• Arya - Ramayana
• Arya - Mahabharata

Read more here: » Arya: Encyclopedia - Arya

See also:

Arya, Arya - Religious and spiritual uses, Arya - Buddhism, Arya - Arya in the Epics, Arya - Ramayana, Arya - Mahabharata

Read more here: » Arya: Encyclopedia II - Arya - Religious and spiritual uses

Arya and Anarya are primarly used in the moral sense in the Hindu Epics. People are usually called Arya or Anarya based on their behaviour. Arya - Ramayana. In the Ramayana, the term Arya can also apply to Raksasas or to Ravana, if their behaviour was "Aryan". In several instances, the Vanaras and Raksasas call themselves Arya. The monkey king Surgriva is called an Arya (Ram: 505102712) and he also speaks of his brother Valin as an Arya (Ram: 402402434). In another instance in the Ramayana, Ravana regards himself an ...

See also:

Arya, Arya - Religious and spiritual uses, Arya - Buddhism, Arya - Arya in the Epics, Arya - Ramayana, Arya - Mahabharata

Read more here: » Arya: Encyclopedia II - Arya - Arya in the Epics

Does the recent interest exhibited in non-fiction titles such as The Soul of Business, A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America, The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace, The Three-Minute Meditation etc in the US point to the possible evolution of the "enlightened corporate sector"?

Do Indian managers, born in a land that has offered "yoga and meditation" to the world corporate sector (to overcome stress), have the "first-mover advantage"? These are the questions that should interest "enlightened" managers in "progressive" Indian corporations.

(See also: Spirituality at workplace, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

If you are a corporate leader and you would like to include spirituality in your organisation's culture, you are not alone.

Business leaders we've met, and management students sometimes ask us if it's really possible to make spirituality an overt and explicit part of an organisational culture - without causing religious conflicts or being inappropriate to an otherwise secular way of operating.

(See also: Corporate Spirituality, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Many people think and talk about becoming Financial Millionaires and the importance of making money, but for many of us there is much more. Many of us want to be richer spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially.

For those of us who want more, we can get it by focusing on becoming Spiritual Millionaires. Two of the foundations of becoming a Spiritual Millionaire are prayer and meditation.

(See also: Spiritual Millionaire, Keith Cameron Smith, Law of Attraction, Practising Law of Attraction, Law of Attraction for Prosperity, Law of Attraction for Love, Law of Attraction - Obstacles)

Several years ago William spoke at a large business symposium in New Delhi on the many varied aspects of becoming a spiritual-based leader in the workplace. During the question and answer session, a business executive asked him in a strong tone, "You've talked about how you can be spiritual and successful in business at the same time. India is known to be a spiritual nation. If we're so spiritual, why aren't we more successful in business and why is there so much corruption?"

William answered, "Over the last 10 years in the US, there has been a growing awareness of a distinction that you may or may not make here in India - the distinction between "being spiritual" and "being religious."

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

"Spirituality at work." Seeing or hearing these words, some people feel sceptical about whether spirituality can mix with work. Others feel cautious that some religious pressure will be put on them at work. Still others feel enthused at the possibility of expressing a more meaningful part of themselves through their jobs.

How about you? What comes to mind when you think about spirituality at work? People often ask us, "Can I really be spiritual at work? Can work really be a part of my spiritual path?" For us, the answer is unequivocally "Yes." With confidence, we invite you to join us in the weeks to come in exploring how you can indeed put your spirituality to work in practical and fulfilling ways.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

Spirituality and Science: Two Ways to Arrive at the Truth

Some of the greatest scientists have attributed their sparks of genius to spiritual inspiration. "I assert that cosmic religious experience is the strongest and the noblest driving force behind scientific research," said Albert Einstein.

Scientists today are striving to discover how creation came into being, and how human beings came to be. A state-of-the-art space telescope has been able to detect some of the earliest moments of the Big Bang. By picking up signals from several light years away, we are able to glimpse at the early universe, whose light is only now reaching us, billions of years later. Will we ever be able to discover the secret of creation?

Read more here: » Spirituality and Science: Two Ways to Arrive at the Truth

"We are all spiritual beings first and foremost, we exist beyond our bodies'', say Debra and William Miller, an American couple who have launched an international research programme on spiritual-based leadership in business. William began his spiritual journey at Puttaparathi in 1982 under the guidance of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and made frequent trips to India thereafter.

But after marrying Debra in 1999, "we have come home to India, leaving our home in the US''. In an interview to Mahendra Ved, they say that they believe it is their dharma to help awaken spirituality in business, "and India is the best place to grow in our ability to do this'':

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

If you're already in a hole, it's no use to continue digging.

- Roy W. Walters

(See also: Spiritual Quotes, Love Quotes, Friendship Quotes, Life Quotes)

Fred Schwettman, former president of the circuit technology division of Hewlett Packard, once told us:

We had a discussion one time about values and beliefs in our staff meeting. I think one of the most important things we can do is to articulate what our personal purpose is - really trying to understand what we're doing to grow, and to work on that. An example could be for me to know God or to find love associated with God and to practise that in whatever I do.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

In February of 2000, we began writing an in-depth programme for working people which explores five human values that are found across all spiritual traditions: Truth, righteousness, love, peace and non-violence. The title is Human Values in the Workplace: Making Spirituality the Inner Context for Your Work.  [1]  

We were inspired to write this programme because our collective business experience showed us that these five human values were the fundamental roots of a healthy, vibrant, viable organisation - and of healthy, vibrant, viable individuals.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

Studying the myths of various cultures leads to a better understanding of their social and religious underpinnings. By turning the myths inwards, inviting them into our lives and learning their language of imagery and symbolism, we learn more about ourselves.

In almost every culture, the metaphor of descent serves as a powerful, sacred and mythic image for women. One of the earliest such accounts is the story of Inanna, the Sumerian goddess and Queen of the Upper World. She was worshipped in Sumer from the third millennium BCE (before the common era) to the first millennium BCE.

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

Imagine what your workplace would be like if it fostered service, sacrifice, balance, good order, endurance, attentive regard, sharing, kept promises, courageous respect for others, and a check on the appetite for excess.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes your parents can be a great resource of ideas for your work, especially in ways you least expect? We experienced this when William's mother recently sent us an article entitled Finding Spirituality in the Workplace . It was written by a Jesuit priest named William Byron, and published in the Texas Catholic (USA) magazine.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

When William was attending a Catholic secondary school, his teachers would ask the students if they had a "vocation", which meant a calling from God to enter a religious order, as a priest or monk. Only later as an adult did he understand the broader notion of "vocation" as a "calling" (vocation is from the Latin " vocare ", "to call"). A "calling" is any "strong inner impulse towards a course of action, especially when accompanied by a conviction of Divine influence."

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

Tom Chappell and his wife co-founded the American company Tom's of Maine in 1971 on the principles of customer-focused, environmentally-conscious health products. As the company grew, profit maximisation began to dominate business planning, and Tom considered selling the business, as it was no longer fulfilling to him.

But in 1989, a new degree of spirituality awakened in him, and he called a special board meeting to create a new strategy and culture based on, "Respecting people for who they are and not for what they can do for us."

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

The religious philosophies and schools of thought in Buddhism have evolved since Buddha's death into diverse, and complex traditions. Buddhist religious philosophy - Three main schools. Buddhism has evolved into myriad schools that can be roughly grouped into three types: Nikaya, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Of the Nikaya schools, only the Theravada survives. Each branch sees itself as representing the true, original teachings of the Buddha, and some schools believe that the dialectic nature of Bu ...

Including:

• Buddhist religious philosophy - Three main schools
• Buddhist religious philosophy - Mahayana
• Buddhist religious philosophy - Vajrayana

Read more here: » Buddhist religious philosophy

Cannabis has a long history of spiritual use, especially in India, where it has been used by wandering spiritual sadhus for centuries. The most famous religious group in the West to use cannabis in a spiritual context are the Rastafari movement, though they are by no means the only group. Some historians and etymologists have claimed that cannabis was used by ancient Jews, early Christians and Muslims of the Sufi order. Cannabis spiritual use - Rastafari use. It is not known when the Rastafari first made cannabis ...

Including:

• Cannabis spiritual use - Rastafari use
• Cannabis spiritual use - Judeo-Christian use
• Cannabis spiritual use - Muslim use
• Cannabis spiritual use - Hindu use
• Cannabis spiritual use - Sikh use
• Cannabis spiritual use - Others

Read more here: » Cannabis spiritual use: Encyclopedia - Cannabis spiritual use

Arya Samaj (Aryan Society or Society of Nobles) is a Hindu reform movement in India that was founded by Swami Dayananda in 1875. He was a sannyasin (renouncer) who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda advocated the doctrine of karma and reincarnation, and emphasised the ideals of brahmacharya (chastity) and sanyasa (renunciation). Arya Samaj - Doctrines. The doctrines of the Samaj are summed up in Ten Principles: God is the primary cause of all true ...

Including:

• Arya Samaj - Doctrines

Read more here: » Arya Samaj: Encyclopedia - Arya Samaj