Man is made up of a sensory system - therefore, he indulges in sensory pleasures; that's his destiny, say some. However true this might be, man must attempt to rise above them if he is to discover the Divine hidden within.

Aware of the difficulties in controlling the senses, ancient philosophers evolved practical methods of daan or almsgiving, vrat or fast, tapas or austerities and dhyan or meditation. Daanam means the will to share one's wealth with others. But why should we give away anything? Because, it helps to purify the Self. Sharing wealth requires purification of mind, atmashuddhi, and control of senses, damashca

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

Read more here: » Charity: Perfect the Art of Giving Graciously  

NEW YORK: "Where's home, cowboy?" I don't remember how I deflected the friendly bartender's question but the question has bothered me ever since, mainly because...I don't know the answer anymore.

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

Read more here: » Peace in Mind: Wanderer At Home In Grass And Stardust  

Hare, Rama, Dharma or HRD is the driving force of any organisation. Hare drives away your problems, Rama invokes your own radiance and Dharma is the duty of the organisation to see that each individual performs to the best of her ability. This dharma, if followed by each organisation, will drive us from an asset-based economy to a talent-based economy. There is an old saying, '' Yatha raja tatha praja ''. Under the new definition of HRD it should be '' Yatha praja, tatha raja '' - which means it is the people in your organisation who will determine the leadership.

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

Read more here: » Hare  Rama Dharma: Hare, Rama, Dharma: HRD Redefined  

A devotee asked Ramakrishna Parmahansa : "Sir, is God real and can I see Him?" Ramakrishna replied: "Yes, God is real. I see Him just as I see you or any other object around me." The devotee continued: "Can I also see Him as you do?" Said the sage: "Yes, you can, if the intensity of your longing for God is equal to the intensity of a drowning man longing for fresh air; or the intensity of a mother longing for the life of her only child in the grip of serious illness; or of the miser longing for more wealth. If your longing for God is at least a fraction of the longing which Radha had for Krishna, then you will see God."

The miracle of healing, is simply the body offering the subconscious mind's 'knowledge of perfect health' when the questioning nature of the conscious mind is silenced. Real faith is about things happening in the present. If it is hundred per cent faith, it must happen.

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

Read more here: » Power of Emotions: Intensity of Faith Yields the Truth  

It is so easy to commune with God. That's because God is closer to us than the air we breathe.

But we tie ourselves in knots while praying because we are unable to free ourselves from our own 'sophistication'.

H A Williams, an Anglican pastor, discovered he had to 'earn' his passage by turning the short and easy path to God into an obstacle race, a puzzle, devising schemes whereby he could make the grade spiritually, when in fact there is no grade.

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

Read more here: » Power of Prayer: Universal Reach of Heartfelt Prayer  

The tradition of Orisa worship was kept alive by Yoruba slaves. But the second generation Yoruba had lost much of the memory of the primal worldview of our Yoruba ancestors. This work was achieved through my personal experience with the Oku folk culture in Guyana, and direct contact with the people who were struggling to maintain the little know-ledge they retained of Olodumare, whom they called Olorun, and the beautiful Orisa tradition.

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

Read more here: » Yoruba: Traditional Wisdom Of the Yoruba - African Spirituality  

Have we, as a generation, succumbed to negative thinking? If we have, maybe this explains why more young people today are seeking solace in spirituality despite claims that the younger generation is moving away from traditions and religion.

Modern concepts and changing lifestyles have ensured that spirituality for the young is not confined to mere idol worship - it is more about seeking deeper truths and attaining self-knowledge.

(See also: Youth 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)

Read more here: » Youth Spirituality: When the Young Keep the Faith  

The magical, almost other-worldly streets of Florence are lined with shops selling puppets. Pinocchio is everyone's favourite. Wide-eyed and long-nosed, his fixed bemused smile suggests he is not too sure of his much publicised desire to become a 'real boy' - he seems to beg you to take him with you. And many do.

Over a hundred years after he was 'created', Pinocchio 's dream of being wanted, of belonging, comes true - again and again. What is it about this simple story that has caught our fancy?

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

Read more here: » Pinocchio: Heartwarming Tale Of A Puppet's Search  

Gandhi steadfastly avoided violence towards his opponents. The non-violent activist, while willing to die, was never willing to kill. Gandhi pointed out three possible responses to oppression and injustice.

One he described as the coward's way: to accept the wrong or run away from it. The second option was to stand and fight by force of arms. Gandhi said this was better than acceptance or running away. But the third way, he said, was best of all and required the most courage: to stand and fight solely by non-violent means.

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

Read more here: » Non-Violenence: Gandhi's faith In Non-Violent Action  

A film on Russia-born Helena Petrovna Blavatsky is currently in the making. Even 110 years after she passed away, Madame Blavatsky - as she is more popularly known and remembered - continues to fire the imagination of a great many people. Very few know enough about Mme Blavatsky. That's precisely why she has often been referred to as 'The Sphinx' of the nineteenth century. She has been, equally, complimented and criticised; accused and praised.

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

Read more here: » Helena Petrovna Blavatsky: Speaking The Truth Without Malice - Mme Blavatsky  

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

Read more here: » Anekantavad and syadvad: Anekantavad: True Essence Of Ahimsa  

Recently, two colleagues wrote a very fine piece describing how different readers related with the newspaper, and it in turn with them. In conclusion, the writers suggested that the reader's relationship with the paper was like Arjuna's dialogue with Krishna.

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

Read more here: » Journalism: Why I Never Read What I Write  

Good Friday is observed as a special day in the Christian calendar: It is the day when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified; this was the day his spirit left his body.

The sacrifice was not committed in vain - Christ rose to immortality on Easter Sunday, in a Resurrection that is remembered every year, more than two millennia after the event, as the ultimate sacrifice of obedience to the Divine.

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

Read more here: » Good Friday: Christ's Sacrifice Of Obedience  

Our ancient rishis identified among men and women two contrasting attitudes towards life. While some of us worry, ever anxious about security in life, some others repose their faith in Providence, and so rest assured.

The rishis named these two attitudes as the markat-kishore-nyaya - law of the baby-monkey, and marjaala-kishore-nyaya - law of the kitten.

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

Read more here: » Faith: Are You a Monkey Or a Kitten? - about faith  

In India, whenever religion and philosophy were perceived to be in danger of getting distorted at the hands of a few, reformers emerged to steer the faith away from distortions. They were concerned with the protection of the essence of religion, which is devotion to God; they did their best to rid religion of unwanted fringe elements who tampered with its true nature and practice.

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

Read more here: » Hinduism Founders: Devadasas Rescued Faith From Ritual  

One Friday afternoon, on his way to offer the weekly namaz at a mosque, a friend found an accident victim lying unattended on the road. As he hesitated over what to do a few more passers-by joined him.

Reasoning to himself that the injured person will now be taken care of, he hurriedly continued to walk towards the mosque. But that day, no matter how hard he prayed, peace eluded him.

Something was missing. He agonised over whether he could remain indifferent to a fellow human being's suffering while making fervent attempts to serve God through prayer?

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

Read more here: » Charity: Worship God through Community Service  

There are three kinds of freedom. The freedom from, the freedom for and just freedom.

One is 'freedom from'; that is a negative freedom: freedom from the father, freedom from the mother, freedom from the church, freedom from the society.

The second kind of freedom is 'freedom for'; that is positive freedom. Your interest is not in denying something, rather you want to create something. For example, you want to be a poet, and just because you want to be a poet.

And then there is a third freedom, the highest; in the East we have called it MOKSHA

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

Read more here: » Moksha: There are three kinds of freedom. The freedom from, the freedom for and just freedom.

Ralph Emerson, the 20th century American philosopher, described man as the "ever-losing winner". We tend to measure God's blessings on the basis of how many of our prayers have been answered - we compare what we sought with what we got. We do not often get what we prayed for. Then we accuse God of being unkind. Subsequently, we discover later that whatever happened was in fact for the good. The 'bad' event turns out to be a blessing in disguise.

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

Read more here: » Power of Prayer: Lose and Still be a Winner  

Conquering Mara is a big challenge. Consider Mara an evil 'being' out to delude humanity - a personification of one's mental impurities. Sayagyi U Ba Khin, the renowned Vipassana meditation teacher of the twentieth century, explained the 10 biggest obstructions on the path to total inner purification. "You have to be very careful", he said. "You have to stand firm and face many difficulties, so that you can know true anicca (Pali word for impermanence) from your own experience".

The Buddha describes these difficulties in Padhana Sutta:

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

Read more here: » Ten Soldiers of Mara: Ten Soldiers of Mara - Obstruct Nibbana  

When we meet people, how do we decide whether we want to associate with them in future? What kind of relationship do we want to have with them? How do we decide whether we like or dislike their character? The answer comes naturally. A first impression based on our instinct.

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

Read more here: » Thought vs Feeling: Subjective Judgment, Objective Character  

Carried away by the triumphs of science, many people repudiate God's existence. They dispute anything which is not empirically verifiable. But as former president S Radhakrishnan said: "Science looks at the periphery, at the outside of things, the variety and multiplicity of the universe. The centre of being from which all these things come, from which they arise - that must be felt by solitary meditation."

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

Read more here: » Science and Religion,: Implicit Faith In A Supreme Power  

Knowledge is divided between phenomenology, science of the changeable and ontology, science of the unchangeable. Ontology is the realm of being and phenomenology that of becoming.

To explain it to the laity, Christianity uses the word 'Father' for ontology and 'Son' for phenomenology. The Holy Spirit is individualised consciousness that mediates the two.

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

Read more here: » Science and Religion: You Are The Father And Son Of God