A poem on rebirth.

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: » Rebirth: A poem on Rebirth

Best known as an innovator in Realism (and credited with coining the term), and a landscape and seascape painter, his scenes are not romantic or idealized as was customary style at the time. Rather, he portrayed dynamic scenery, subject to continuous and progressive change. Courbet believed the Realist artist's mission was the pursuit of truth which would help erase social contradictions and imbalances. For Courbet realism was not the perfection of line and form, but spontaneous and rough handling of paint, suggesting direct observati ...

See also:

Gustave Courbet, Gustave Courbet - Realism, Gustave Courbet - Burial at Ornans, Gustave Courbet - Notoriety

Read more here: » Gustave Courbet: Encyclopedia II - Gustave Courbet - Realism

These arguments can be classified under two headings. First are the strictly logical or metaphysical arguments; these arguments seek to prove that the existence of a being with at least one attribute that only God could have is logically necessary. Arguments for the existence of God - Metaphysical arguments. The chief such arguments are: The Cosmological argument, which argues that God must have been around at the start of things in order to be the "first cause". The Mathematical argu ...

See also:

Arguments for the existence of God, Arguments for the existence of God - Arguments for the necessity of God, Arguments for the existence of God - Metaphysical arguments, Arguments for the existence of God - Empirical arguments, Arguments for the existence of God - Arguments for the belief in God, Arguments for the existence of God - The theological status of the arguments

Read more here: » Arguments for the existence of God: Encyclopedia II - Arguments for the existence of God - Arguments for the necessity of God

True realisation takes place on knowing and seeing God in His transcendental form. It is a metaphysical experience within the human body. The manifestation of inherent divinity is in reality the revelation of the divine self of man. This is not different from the Supreme Self that permeates even the tiniest particle in the universe. It is accessible to all human beings.

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

Read more here: » Self-Realisation: Cosmic Vision Alone Reveals the Truth  

One of Rabindranath Tagore's most memorable poems begins with the line: The world is insane with violence, every day there emerges a new kind of cruel conflict. He goes on to pray to the Almighty to instil love and wisdom into a world afflicted with myriad ills. This reflects the core of Tagore's spiritual humanism.

Stressing the need for spiritual freedom, he referred to the uncontrolled excesses of passion that upset our balance and obscure the underlying harmony between the individual and universal spirit. This malady, which he called 'sin', distorts our freedom in the realms of matter, mind and spirit.

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

Read more here: » Rabindranath Tagore: Spiritual Insight in Tagore's Works  

Karma means not only action, but also the result of an action. The consequence of an action is really not a separate thing. It is a part of the action, and cannot be divided from it. Breathing, thinking, talking, seeing, hearing, eating, etc., are Karmas. Thinking is mental Karma. Karma is the sum total of our acts both in the present life and in the preceding births.

Any deed, any thought that causes an effect, is called a Karma. The Law of Karma means the law of causation. Wherever there is a cause, there an effect must be produced. A seed is a cause for the tree which is the effect. The tree produces seeds and becomes the cause for the seeds.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Karma: The Law Of Karma

In our 1st article on spiritual character ("The Power of Spiritual Character"), we shared with you the following equation that we use to define and develop spiritual character:

Spiritual Character = Spiritual Context + Spiritual Purpose + Spiritual Values

______________________________________ Ego Desires

The first element of this equation, your spiritual context, represents your spiritual view of life. The dictionary defines context as: the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs: an environment . So your spiritual context is the spiritual 'container' or 'frame of reference' within which you experience all of life, including your work.

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

Read more here: » Work As A Spiritual Practice: Spiritual Character Part I: Defining Your Spiritual Context  

Death is the separation of the soul from the body. All the sorrow of man comes from the body. The sage has no fear of death, because he identifies himself with the All-pervading, Immortal Soul.
Karma and rebirth are the two great pillars of Hinduism as well as Buddhism. He who does not believe in these two great truths cannot grasp the essence of these two religions.

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’s Journey After Death: Karma And Reincarnation - I

In 1772 Herder published Concerning the Origin of Speech and went further in this promotion of language than his earlier injunction to "spew out the ugly slime of the Seine. Speak German, O You German". Herder now had established the foundations of comparative philology within the new currents of political outlook. Throughout this period he continued elaborating his own unique theory of aesthetics in works such as the above while Goethe produced works like The Sorrows ...

See also:

Johann Gottfried Herder, Johann Gottfried Herder - Biography, Johann Gottfried Herder - Works and ideas, Johann Gottfried Herder - Volk and Nation, Johann Gottfried Herder - Germany and The Enlightenment, Johann Gottfried Herder - Bibliography

Read more here: » Johann Gottfried Herder: Encyclopedia II - Johann Gottfried Herder - Works and ideas

I wasn't sure what woke me up - the mellifluous call of the muezzin to prayer or the peacocks' "peeuing", calling out frantically to each other. The dial-light on my watch showed that it was exactly three in the morning. That's the right time to wake up, my guide from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had advised me the previous evening, as we walked around Fatehpur Sikri, Agra. I went to him but he was still fast asleep.

(See also: Ramzan , 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: » Ramzan: Ramzan Diary From Fatehpur Sikri  

The Chakras are centres of Shakti as vital force. In other words, these are centres of Pranashakti manifested by Pranavayu in the living body, the presiding Devatas of which are the names for the Universal Consciousness as It manifests in the form of these centres. The Chakras are not perceptible to the gross senses. Even if they were perceptible in the living body which they help to organise, they disappear with the disintegration of organism at death.

Read more here: » Chakras and Kundalini: The gradational ascent of the mind

In the West, there is a widespread fear of losing the ego or personality. Through meditation we find that we can expand the ego, not lose it. We must become large-hearted. We must take in more and more of our fellow beings and the rest of the world rather than identify with the individual, isolated self. We must think of ourselves as travellers temporarily passing through life in this world.

We must realise that we are only using this body, these experiences, these material objects temporarily on loan. They are not ours. We are borrowing them. Sooner or later we will leave them behind. There is nothing to fear; our purpose is not to possess these things but to use them in order to transcend them. This is the truth, which goes beyond the law. We must learn that our actions are not our personal possessions. We need not be attached to them.

(See also: Metaphysics, Metaphysical Principles, Definition of Metaphysics, Metaphysical Techniques, Miracles, Creating Miracles Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, Peace of Mind, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Metaphysical Principles: Attachment and Non-Attachment

Rabindranath Tagore lived up to his name. Rabi means the Sun and like the Sun's rays the myriad-minded "Great Sentinel" - as Mahatma Gandhi called him - never failed to dazzle with his creative genius, enlightening us with his sagacious insight.

Tagore's songs, poems, plays, short stories, novels, essays, letters, and paintings take us through his personal reflection of reality, which soon become our own because they touch the core of our heart, bonding us with nature. His writings are a heartfelt appeal for universal peace, love and harmony.

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

Read more here: » Rabindranath Tagore: Creative Philosophy Inspired by the Sun - about Rabindranath Tagore  

The computer era has popularised the term "solution". All metros now display advertisements and posters that offer a variety of solutions.

The names are equally enterprising: "Ideal Solutions", "Smart Solutions", "Party Solutions", "Curtain Solutions", "Critical Solutions"... the list is long. When the question is of one's well being, a superficial solution will not work.

Non-apprehension of Reality is the cause for all misapprehensions. A deluded mind creates misunderstandings. One who broods over the past mars the present which is what shapes the future.

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

Read more here: » Peace of Mind: The Solution For Eternal Peace

The Guru Gita says: ''If Shiva is angry with you, the guru will take care of you, but if the guru is cross with you, even Shiva will not be able to protect you against the wrath of your guru.''

How strange, I thought. Shiva is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of the universe; he is the vital principle from which all objects emerge. How can a living guru be more powerful than the lord of the universe?

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

Read more here: » The Guru Principle: Total Surrender to The Guru Principle  

Airbrushing has long been used to alter photographs in the pre-digital era. In skilled hands it can be used to help hide signs that an image has been extensively retouched or "doctored". Many photographs of officials from the Stalinist regime show extensive airbrushing, often entire people have been removed. The term "airbrushed out" has come to mean rewriting history to pretend that something was never there. The term "airbrushed" or "airbrushed photo" has also been used to describe glamour photos in which a model's imperfecti ...

See also:

Airbrush, Airbrush - Airbrushing for photo retouching, Airbrush - Spray guns

Read more here: » Airbrush: Encyclopedia II - Airbrush - Airbrushing for photo retouching

The Zohar (Hebrew זהר "Splendor, radiance") is widely considered the most important work of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. It is a mystical commentary on the Torah (the five books of Moses), written in medieval Aramaic and medieval Hebrew. It contains a mystical discussion of the nature of God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of souls, sin, redemption, good and evil, and related topics. The Zohar is not one book, but a group of books. These books include scriptural interpretations as well as material on the ...

Including:

• Zohar - Origin
• Zohar - Acceptance of authenticity
• Zohar - Rejection of authenticity
• Zohar - Mysticism
• Zohar - Pardes and Biblical exegesis
• Zohar - Effects on Judaism
• Zohar - Influence on Christian mysticism
• Zohar - Appendices and additions

Read more here: » Zohar: Encyclopedia - Zohar

The following summarizes the beliefs of some modern numerologists. The association of various meanings to specific numbers in the time of the European Renaissance, when numbers were worked into the detailed fabric of musical, poetic, & architectural artifice, was both far richer and far more precise than the modern summaries offered here. Numbers 0 to 10 are used in present-day numerology to determine character analysis and predict upcoming trends. Other numbers are thought to carry vibrational influences which must also be taken into consideration, as must also the connection of astrol ...

See also:

Numerology, Numerology - Esoteric significance of numbers, Numerology - One, Numerology - Two, Numerology - Three, Numerology - Four, Numerology - Five, Numerology - Six, Numerology - Seven, Numerology - Eight, Numerology - Nine, Numerology - Ten, Numerology - Eleven, Numerology - Twelve, Numerology - Thirteen, Numerology - Twenty-two, Numerology - Zero, Numerology - Alphabetic harmonics, Numerology - Numerological divination, Numerology - Numerology in science, Numerology - Postmodern critique, Numerology - Numerology and astrology, Numerology - In popular culture, Numerology - Days of Birth reveal your character, Numerology - Sunday born, Numerology - Monday born, Numerology - Tuesday born, Numerology - Wednesday born, Numerology - Thursday born, Numerology - Friday born, Numerology - Saturday born

Read more here: » Numerology: Encyclopedia II - Numerology - Esoteric significance of numbers

Dream Interpretation including dreams about:

Copper Plate , Copperas, Coppersmith, Copying, Coral, Cords , Cork, Corkscrew, Corn, Corn and Corn-Field, Corner, Cornet, Cornmeal , Corns, Coronation, Corpse , Corpulence, Corset, Cossack, Cot , Cotton, Cotton Cap, Cotton Cloth, Cotton Gin

For more dream interpretations, see: Dream Interpretation

For more about dreams, see: Dreams.

Read more here: » Dream Interpretation: Dream Interpretation of dreams from;