The mark of Dharma is Achara or good conduct. Achara is the mark of the good. From Achara is Dharma born. Dharma enhances life. Man attains prosperity and fame, here and hereafter, through the practice of Dharma.

Good conduct is the highest Dharma. It is the root of all Tapas or austerities. Righteousness, truth and good works, power and prosperity - all originate from conduct.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Hindu Ethics: Ethics in Hindu Darma

Distant healing is known as “absent treatment” also. You can transmit Prana through space to your friend who is living at a distance. He should have a receptive mental attitude. You must feel yourself en rapport (in direct relation and in sympathy) with the people whom you heal with this Distant Healing method.

Excerpt from the book Kundalini Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Distant Healing: Distant Healing and Pranic Healing

What makes the Good Book so good?

Article explores how the Bible has impacted the authorÕs life, including how what it taught her about God's goodness helped her when she faced financial struggles.

What makes the Good Book so good? Elements of adventure, history, biography, and poetry fill its pages. But that's true of countless books whose impact has faded over time. To me, the Bible isn't just a good book - it's a book about goodness. A record and celebration of how God makes His good nature known and felt in ordinary and extraordinary situations.

Read more here: » Christian Science: What makes the Good Book so good?

A message about the forthcoming Venus Transit from the Mayan Elders thru Carlos Barrios, a Mayan Ajq'ij that has been given the mission by his elders to begin sharing the prophecies and teachings of the Mayan peoples with the rest of the world.

“Now that we are at the gates of a New Path of Venus over the Face of the Sun on June 7-8 2004, the least we can do is expecting a new change in the outcome of humanity. Death is knocking at our doors. The drums of war can be heard. Intransigence, the destruction of our Mother Earth, pollution, new diseases, the resurging of old plagues, global warming, the fear of world conflict, intolerance and fundamentalism in any of its manifestations, negligence, apathy, the confusion or worst still the extreme estrangement of drug abuse. --- While reason and logic tell us that we have to stop all this madness, we are living in the age of prophecies, and the responsibility of balancing things is ours. There is no more time to play; it is know time to act. --- The great guardian brings the energy of a new beginning, the beginning of a new era.”

It sounds like a pessimistic prophecy but can be compared to what the Indian Avatar Sri Kalkis view. Kalki says that the Venus Transit of June 2004 is the start of the Golden Age, but he is also saying:

“Humanity is entering the most crucial phase of its existence. The coming decade shall witness the most unprecedented and undreamt of changes in the course of its long evolution. There is nothing much humanity could do about it, other than to understand the changes occurring around it and to flow with the changes that are overpowering it. Towards the end, humanity would enter a new age, The Golden Age. The transition will be a painful process. Only those whose relationships are in order would make it easily.”

Read more here: » Venus Transit: A message to the world from the Mayan Elders about the coming Venus Transit

The doctrine of rebirth is a corollary to the Law of Karma. The differences of disposition that are found between one individual and another must be due to their respective past actions. Past action implies past birth. Further, all your Karmas cannot certainly bear fruit in this life. Therefore, there must be another birth for enjoying the remaining actions. Each soul has a series of births and deaths. Births and deaths will continue till you attain Knowledge of the Imperishable.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Karma: Karma And Rebirth

Man takes birth in this world with a definite purpose. It is not for mere sensual enjoyment that man is born in this world. The goal of life is Self-realisation or God-consciousness. The various activities of life should ultimately lead to that ideal or goal; or else the life is wasted. There is no difference between the life of a beast and that of a man if he does not attempt to attain the goal of life.
In the Gita you will find: “Whosoever leaving the body goes forth remembering Me alone, at the time of death, he attains My being; there is no doubt about this.”

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Sraaddha: Prayer For The Dead - Why Scriptures Are Read To A Dying Man?

About four out of ten reported psychic experiences involve some seeming awareness of the future. The term premonition is in general use, and the more clinical word precognition, ('before knowing'), tends to be used by parapsychologists. In descending order of frequency, premonitions come in the form of dreams, waking thoughts, waking imagery and sleep-onset, (hypnagogic), imagery.

Read more here: » Meaning of dreams: Precognitive dreams and premonitions

Recent knowledge indicates that Nostradamus may have been in contact with the Mayan Elders in his development of certain skills in his extensive wisdom of astrology and predictions. This radical theory along with much interesting knowledge about the great Seer is featured in this article.

Read more here: » Astrology: The truth about Nostradamus: Nonsense or Reality?

When the painting is based on Vedic Principles you can get in touch with the source of all creation. Now anyone can go to the Oneness Festival in India and try out how Vedic Art turns life into a masterpiece of Art. Agneta Milde found Vedic Art ten years ago and writes about it here.

Read more here: » Spiritual Art: Vedic Art

Guru is one who has full Self-illumination and who removes the veil of ignorance in deluded Jivas. Guru, Truth, Brahman, Ishvara, Atman, God, Om are all one. The number of realised souls may be less in this Kali Yuga when compared with the Satya Yuga, but they are always present to help the aspirants. They are always searching for the proper Adhikarins.

Read more here: » Yoga Guru: Who Is A Yoga Guru?

Karma Yoga Lesson XI

The dullness in Karma Yogi's life; The power of cumulation; Dryness; The Air trial, without programme; Reversion; The task one of changing the center; The need for watchfulness.

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

According to the theory of transmigration, even if the individual is to take another birth immediately after his death, the performance of Sraaddha adds to his happiness in his new birth. So it is the imperative duty of everybody to perform Sraaddha ceremony for his parents and forefathers.

This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Sraaddha And Prayer For The Dead: Importance Of Sraaddha Ceremony

Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

There are many out there who believe that Wicca and its related forms of NeoPagism are a type of Celtic Paganism (and vice versa),  but this is simply not true. The following article is meant to be a comparison of Wicca and Celtic Paganism in order to demonstrate this, and to educate the public about Celtic Paganism. While Wicca certainly contains elements of Celtic mythology, folk magic and religious belief, its basic tenets and beliefs are radically different from those of Celtic Pagans.

Read more here: » Wicca and Celtic Paganism: Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

“Daisyworld and the Gaia Hypothesis are controversial because they touch on the definition of what constitutes life. If we think that life is about the selfish gene, competition, and survival of the fittest, then it is hard to see where the Earth fits in. However, it isn't necessary to think that the Earth is alive in order to appreciate that it is a highly complex system. And, if we say it is alive, why is that so threatening? No one doubts that plants are alive, but they don't do anything nearly as complicated as the Earth does.”

A brief introduction to the intriguing Gaia theory, as developed by James Lovelock, Lynn Margulis and others.

Read more here: » Gaia Theory: Gaia Theory - Science of the Living Earth

Western science has operated for centuries on the assumption that we can understand the universe without understanding ourselves. Jacob Needleman observes it as a philosopher and metaphysician, from within. In this first chapter from his book, “A Sense of the Cosmos; The Encounter of Modern Science and Ancient Truth” he presents us with the possibility that the Universe is a living teaching. It is not another "New Age" criticism of science. Needleman has the greatest respect for science and for the search for truth that is the heart and soul of science. In part IV, What Is Consciousness? Needleman's challenging reflections imply that there are states, levels or qualities of consciousness that can be developed within us. What is more, the implication is that this development is the purpose of both the Cosmos and Great Teachings.

This is part I from the first chapter of Jacob Needlemans book A Sense of The Cosmos

Read more here: » Consciousness: The Universe, Part I – The Universe As a Teaching

The foundation of Sanatana Dharma is Sruti; Smritis are the walls; the Itihasas and Purnas are the buttresses or supports. In ancient times, the Srutis were learnt by heart. The teacher sang them to his pupils and the pupils sang them after him. They were not written in book form. All the sects, all the philosophical systems, appeal to the Sruti as the final authority. The Smriti stands next in authority to the Sruti.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Dharma: Sanatana Dharma

There are varieties of hells that a Jiva has to experience in accordance with the Karmas which he does through sin and passion. Twenty-nine kinds of regions of sufferings are described in the Bhagavata, when Jivas are said to be born due to their Karmas

This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Lokas Or Planes: Karmas And Hells

Lila said: “Tell me in short, Goddess Sarasvati, something more with regard to death, as to whether it is happy or painful to die and what becomes of people after they are dead and gone from here.”
The Goddess replied: “Dying men are of three sorts and have different results upon their death. They are, those who are ignorant, and such as are versed in Yoga, and those that are abstemious and religious….

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Soul After Death: Death And After according to The Yogavasishta

The principle of Varnasrama Dharma is one of the basic principles of Hinduism. The Varnasrama system is peculiar to Hindus. It is a characteristic feature of Hinduism. It is also prevalent throughout the world according to Guna-Karma (aptitude and conduct), though there is no such distinct denomination of this kind, elsewhere.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Caste System: The Principle of the Hindu Caste System

Phillipe de Vos is a Sufi Master who visited India and shared the Sufi way at the Oneness Festival February 2004. "Open your eyes – you where never enemies!" That is the call for peace from Phillipe De Vos.

Read more here: » Call for Peace between Moslems and Hindus

Man can be compared to a plant. He grows and flourishes like a plant and dies in the end but not completely. The plant also grows and flourishes and dies in the end. It leaves behind it the seed which produces a new plant. Man leaves when dying his Karma behind—the good or bad actions of his life. The physical body may die and disintegrate, but the impressions of his actions do not die. He has to take birth again to enjoy the fruits of these actions. No life can be the first, for it is the fruits of previous actions, nor the last, for its actions must be expiated in the next life following. Therefore, Samsara or phenomenal existence is without beginning and an end. But there is no Samsara for a Jivanmukta or liberated sage who is resting in his own Sat-Chit-Ananda Svarupa.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Reincarnation: Theory Of Rebirth