Hinduism versus Christianity: Hinduism and Christianity Compared

Similarities and differences between Hinduism and Christianity.

Read more here: » Hinduism versus Christianity: Hinduism and Christianity Compared

Christ and Budda: Jesus Through Buddhist Eyes

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, speaking to a capacity audience in the Albert Hall in 1984 united his listeners instantly with one simple statement: "All beings want to be happy; they want to avoid pain and suffering." I was impressed at how he was able to touch what we share as human beings. He affirmed our common humanity, without in any way dismissing the obvious differences.

When invited to look at 'Jesus through Buddhist eyes', I had imagined that I would use a 'compare and contrast' approach, rather like a school essay. I was brought us as a Christian and turned to Buddhism in my early thirties, so of course I have ideas about both traditions: the one I grew up in and turned aside from, and the one I adopted and continue to practise within. But after re-reading some of the gospel stories, I would like to meet Jesus again with fresh eyes, and to examine the extent to which he and the Buddha were in fact offering the same guidance, even though the traditions of Christianity and Buddhism can appear in the surface to be rather different.

Read more here: » Christ and Budda: Jesus Through Buddhist Eyes

The philosophy of Prophet Zarathushtra accorded sanctity to nature as much as to rectitude in human existence. The Sun became the celestial emblem of the Fire which was kept burning within the homes and fire-temples on earth as an undying and unremitting tribute to the spirit of the Creator, Ahura Mazda.

Haptan Yasht says: "We revere the Earth and the Sky, we revere the strong Wind created by Mazda, we revere all good land." The unflinching reverence of the living world as also an abiding involvement with the advancement of our own Self were propounded through Zoroastrianism, a religion in consonance with environmental perceptions. Physical purity became a step towards purity of the mind, the soul and the spirit.

(See also: Jamshedi Navroz , 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: » Jamshedi Navroz: Celebration of Life - Jamshedi Navroz  

MOTHER KALI

The Destroyer of Demoniac Attributes

It is unfortunate that Devi is ignorantly understood by many as a mere blood-thirsty Hindu Goddess. No! Devi is not a vicious demoness nor is She the property of the Hindus alone. Devi does not belong to any religion. Devi is that conscious power of God. The words Devi, Shakti, etc., and the ideas of different forms connected with these names are concessions granted by the sages due to the limitations of the human intellect; they are by no means the ultimate definitions of Shakti.

From " Hindu Fasts & Festivals " by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Kali: The Hindu Godess Mother Kali

Holi is an abundant celebration of joy, goodness and the season of spring. The day of Holi on Phalgun Purnima (full moon day) is observed as the birthday of Manu, the start of Sambat (first day in the Hindu calendar). Spiritually, it signifies light prevailing over darkness, fear and ignorance.

Holi is associated with mal utsav (smearing of colours) and the Holika bonfire in which dry sticks and cow dung are put to fire and corn seeds burnt to the point of losing their power to germinate. The fire represents the burning away of what is old and worn out. The festivities of Holi have a central message - let bygones be bygones, bury old hatchets and start anew in the spirit of spring.

(See also: Holi , 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: » Holi: Colourful Triumph of Good over Evil - about Holi  

The Native American Sweat Lodge, Temazcal, is an ancient practice from the native indians of America; a sacred ritual for Healing and Purification. Participants at the Oneness Festival will be able to experience this very powerful ritual both at day time, and, when it is as most powerful, at night time.

Read more here: » Sweat Lodge: Temazcal I/III - The Traditional Mexican Sweat Bath

Carl-Johan Calleman is an internationally recognized authority in the studies of the Mayan Calendar. He has appeared in Swedish, Finnish and Mexican television and American Web-TV. He has published two books about the Mayan Calendar and he was one of the main speakers at a Mexican conference in Yucatan 1998 about the Mayan Calendar.

Read more here: » Mayan Calendar: About Materialist and Spiritual Calendars

The traditional festivals of the Indian diaspora all reflect the ancient concept of the Utsav Mela, which encouraged everyone to congregate, meet and mix amid festivity and pageantry. In fact, the word mela (fair) is derived from the word mil , meaning 'to meet'.

Baisakhi epitomises the mela notion of convergence for it brings together people of all castes and communities on the first day of Vaisakha, the beginning of the traditional Indian New Year. Basically a harvest festival, Baisakhi marks the ripening of the Rabi harvest, especially in the Punjab. It is called the Naba Barsha celebrations in Bengal, Rongali Bihu in Assam, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Pooram (Vishu) in Kerala.

(See also: Baisakhi , 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: » Baisakhi: Baisakhi Is Both Sacred And Secular  

Guardian Angels

God gave us each an angel

To watch over us with love.

They’re always carrying messages

To Him in Heaven above.

They warn us during danger,

Encourage us to do what is right,

And will always guard and guide us,

Throughout the day and night.

God sent them to protect us,

When crisis comes our way,

And to aid us with our problems

That we encounter every day.

Thank You, my God in Heaven,

For our Guardian Angels dear.

They’re just a token of Your love

To help us overcome life’s fears.

Shirley Hile Powell

Read more here: » Angel Quotes: Wisdom about Angels

Predictions for 2004 based on the Mayan Calendar. This article by Ian Lungold, based on new revelations pertaining to the Mayan calendar, seems to fit in well with other predictions for the coming year. If this year is truly part of an accelerating galactic cycle to pay off karmic debts, we may see quite a few earth-shaking events taking place worldwide, in every sense of the word, politically as well as geophysically. There could be tightening of controls, even as hidden closets begin to get cleaned out. With increasing solar flares and tectonic plate activity, there could also be increased earthquake and volcanic activity worldwide.

The period from December 10 2003 through December 4 2004 will be the greatest test that humanity has ever faced. It is at this time that the Law of Karma goes extinct. That is to say that all Karmic debts shall be paid in full during this Galactic cycle.

Read more here: » Mayan Calendar: 2004 - The Third Night by Ian Xel Lungold

Vasthu Ceremony - for laying foundation

The ceremony of the laying of the foundation for a building should be performed only during the home when the Deity of the plot (VASTHU PURUSHAN) is well awake. It is guide imperative to follow the presages to be carefully notices when performing the laying of the foundation ceremony.

The worship during laying the foundation ceremony should be postponed to another auspicious day in any of the following twenty presages are noticed.

Read more here: » Vastu Shastra: Vasthu Ceremony - for laying foundation

The reason why people are keeping themselves so busy, so entangled with life is not because they have fallen in love with life. It is just to avoid the inner struggle. Many of them, if they don't get married and produce children, if they don't start businesses and don't get into all the mess that they are getting into on a day-to-day basis, they would be simply lost within themselves.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Life and Death: The Whys and Hows Of Life on Earth

Tantric Celibacy: Going All the Way With Tantric Celibacy

Tantric yoga, as a system of rituals, exercises, and philosophical teachings, was developed over the past 2,500 years in a practical search for profound feeling and awareness. Just as a modern scientist might spend years on a single research problem, tantric yogis might dwell on a certain feeling for hours a day, plumbing its every nuance and what it told them about existence. They became experts in the arts of feeling and concentration.

Read more here: » Tantric Celibacy: Going All the Way With Tantric Celibacy

Satya Narayana Vrata

The observance of the Satya Narayana Vrata does not cost much. You need only give a small gift to the pundit who comes to read the story and then distribute some prasad which also need not be very costly. Some wheat flour and sugar will make up the prasad. A little curd and some fruit are required. Even the poorest man can observe this Vrata.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Satya Narayana Vrata: Hindu Rituals - Satya Narayana Vrata

In the series, Evolving Towards Enlightenment I-V, Carl Johan Calleman explains the links between the Mayan Calendar Enlightenment and the significance of the year 2012.

Read more here: » Mayan Calendar: Evolving Towards Enlightenment - III

The most important festival of the Jain community is Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir. This is observed on the 13th day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Chaitra. The day is celebrated with great zeal and devotion. People visit sacred places and worship Teerthankaras (spiritual guides) on this day.

Read more here: » Jainism: Indian Festivals - Mahavir Jayanti

23-day cycle

Cycle of physical ups and downs in biorhythm

(See also: 23-day cycle , Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Day Dictionary

28-day cycle

Cycle of emotional ups and downs in biorhythm

(See also: 28-day cycle , Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Day Dictionary

3-day energy fast: Subject of The 3-Day Energy Fast: Cleanse Your Body, Clear Your Mind, and Claim Your Spirit (1997), by Pamela Serure. the 3-day energy fast is an integrated body, mind and spirit program to effect life detox. It includes exercises that are oriented in part to cleaning out physical, emotional, and spiritual toxins and to balancing the body and spirit.

(See also: 3-day energy fast , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Day Dictionary

Across the world on June 8, people around the globe will be focusing on an unusual celestial event that people of Spirit will honor as a point of revelation. It is the transit of the planet Venus across the Sun. And it offers profound possibilities that we can call in to illuminate our lives and give meaning to the course of our world, and the way in which we wish to live.

This offers a tremendous opportunity for people to help shift our planet toward a balance of Spirit – honoring the Female Power that has been dominated by the Male Power for thousands of years, and open inner doorways for healing self, others and our world.

There is much synchronicity to this timing. On May 8, exactly one month before the Venus transit, Native American peoples in the Americas and others of Spirit joined to honor the Earthly Mother through a giant Medicine Wheel, 600 miles in diameter.

Read more here: » Venus Transit: Calling In The Divine Feminine Through Keeping The Sky Paths Open

All Saints' Day, All-Hallows, Hallowmas (Halloween) A festival originally on the first of May, said to have been instituted for the martyrs in European countries about the 4th or 5th centuries. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface instituted it on May 13 to replace a pagan festival of the dead. In 834 the day was moved to November 1st by Gregory III and was then celebrated for all the saints.

The Greek Church celebrates it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Closely connected with the celebration was the keeping of the preceding evening, known as the vigil of Hallowmas or Halloween. This was especially kept in Scotland and in Brittany, France. In Scotland an important item was the lighting of a bonfire at each house.

The Celts kept two festivals, one called Beltane (Bealtine or Beiltine) in which fires were lighted on the eve of May 1st, and the other called Samtheine on the eve of November 1st, in which people jumped over two fires placed very close together. "The Druids understood the meaning of the Sun in Taurus, therefore, when, while all the fires were extinguished on the 1st of November, their sacred and inextinguishable fires alone remained to illumine the horizon, like those of the Magi and the modern Zoroastrians" (SD 2:759).

The Germanic nations had their Osterfeuer and Johannisfeuer.

(See also: All Saints' Day, All-Hallows, Hallowmas , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Day Dictionary

January 31 - February Eve - Imbolc

Actually, this holiday is most usually celebrated beginning at sundown on February 1, continuing through the day of February 2. 'Imbolc' means 'in the belly (of the Mother)' because that is where seeds are beginning to stir. It is Spring. Another name for the holiday is 'Oimelc', meaning 'milk of ewes', since it is lambing season. It was especially sacred to the Celtic Fire Goddess, Brigit, patron of smithcraft, healing (midwifery), and poetry. A Coven's High Priestess may wear a crown of lights (candles) to symbolize the return of the Goddess to her Maiden aspect, just as the Sun God has reached puberty. Weather lore associated with this sabbat is retained by the folk holiday of 'Groundhog's Day'. The Christian religion adopted a number of these themes, as follows. February 1 became 'St. Brigit's Day', and February 2 became 'Candlemas', the day to make and bless candles for the liturgical year. The 'Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary' adapts the Maiden Goddess theme. The alternative date of February 14 ( 'Old Candlemas', Christianized as 'Valentine's Day') is employed by some Covens.

Read more here: » Wiccan Holidays: January 31 - February Eve - Imbolc