Peace on Earth, Peace in Mind, Inner Peace, Outer Peace, Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Peace, Peace on Earth, World Peace, Oneness, International, World, Planet, Earth, War, Nonviolence, Non-violence, Non-violent, Nonviolent, Let there be peace on earth, Human Rights, Conflict, War and Peace, Conflict Resolution, Disarment, Violence, Sustainable, Sustainability, Community, Conflict Management, Justice, Reconciliation, Equality, Development, Environment, Environmental, , Spirituality
The nature of the mind is to accumulate. A gross mind wants to accumulate things; an evolved mind wants to accumulate knowledge. When emotion becomes dominant, it wants to accumulate people.
The mind’s basic nature is to accumulate. The mind is a gatherer - always wanting to gather something. The mind of a person on the spiritual path starts accumulating 'spiritual’ wisdom. Maybe it starts gathering the guru’s words but until one goes beyond the need to accumulate - whether it is food, things, people, knowledge or wisdom - it does not matter what you accumulate.
(See also: The Mind , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Whenever the Golden Temple is mentioned, we tend automatically to think of the beautiful Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, which is known worldwide by that name. However, there is another Golden Temple down South - the great Nataraja temple at Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu.
This temple figures prominently in Tamil Shaivite literature and is considered to be one of the most holy spots dedicated to Lord Shiva, next in importance to Mount Kailash itself.
(See also: Nataraja , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Pranayama or breath control signifies stretching, extending and regulating our breathing process. Pranayama can be used as a preparation for meditation wherein it cleanses the body and the mind. It also helps to maximise the benefits of the practice of yogasanas and also focusing the mind.
(See also: Pranayama , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Earth, water, fire, wind, sky, the astral bodies, dawn, night, thunderstorms and lightning are all worshipped and deified in Hinduism. If God is 'all’, then where is his abode?
"The Hindu firmly believes that the countless viewpoints of God (the different religions) are all valid and will lead us to the same God. The ultimate experience is beyond the pale of the ego; but the highest spiritual experiences, too, may differ from person to person, as is revealed in the different religions... "Even they who seek material gains - or even spiritual perfection - resort to God only through the various divinities; and God responds to them through the same channel. We adore God in various ways. This knowledge frees us from fear, attachment, anger, intolerance and proselytism".
(See also: Gods in Hinduism , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
When I was small, my grandmother told me there was only one main
rule in life upon which all others rested. Then she looked me in the eye and
with quiet conviction pronounced, "Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you."
It is with delight that I discovered over the years that this basic spiritual
law can be found at the heart of many religious and spiritual teachings.
Shri Rama is an avatar of Maha Vishnu . He is the Adi Purush - the Ancient One - who, out of compassion for humankind, descends to earth in human form, taking upon himself the trials and tribulations of human existence, willingly suffering ordeals to protect the virtuous and annihilate the wicked.
Indeed, the Ramavatara is one of the most splendid of Maha Vishnu 's manifestations in order to redeem His pledge to "appear in bodily forms whenever virtue decays and evil causes misery to the good and the virtuous, and the earth itself". ( Sant Tulsidas ).
(See also: Shri Rama , Indian Festivals,
Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
The sage, Narad, visiting Krishna in Dwaraka, was surprised to find that his Lord’s favourite pastime was to hear the story of Vraja-Vrindavan , its people and His own activities there. It is a story set in a particular time and space - however, its nature cannot be bound by time and space. The beauty of Vrindavan lies in it being both the seed and the fullest manifestation of the tree contained in that seed. The theme of all the stories of this lila is only one, and that is prem , love.
(See also: Vraja-Vrindavan , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
In vedanta, the second capsule of the Brahma Sutras is the most fundamental, cardinal, sacrosanct, and is also the most famous. Janmadyasya yatah - Brahman is that from which the birth and the evolution of the universe follow.
It says Brahman is that ultimate 'world’ which we gain access to by distilling the world down to its inmost content, or the furthest stop from where we get off by travelling backwards in time-space. Astronomical observations have confirmed more or less beyond doubt that stars, galaxies and clusters of super galaxies are receding from the earth and from one another.
The clinching evidence comes from the Doppler Effect or the Red Shift. The shift in the spectral lines towards the longer wavelengths identified by the red colour in the spectrum confirms that the source of light is moving and is not at rest.
(See also: Big Bang Theory , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Meditation is a good stress-reliever. It calms the senses, making the mind inactive and the body, passive. Meditation usually involves concentrating on an object - a flower, a burning candle, a circle, a sound or word, or even one’s own rhythm of breath. Over time, random thoughts peter off. Meditation could also be objectless - just sitting, doing nothing.
Most forms of meditation involve turning your attention inward, away from your usual preoccupations and activities. In the process, you make a simple but significant shift from thinking and doing, to just being. With repeated practice the mind begins to settle down and your breathing slows, and you get into a relaxed, peaceful, harmonious state.
(See also: Meditation , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
The year 2005 comes under the banner of 'Spirituality' and is ruled by the strongest God Force represented by number 7.
In Western Astrology, this number is associated with the watery planet Neptune and in Hindu Astrology it swings to the moods of the half-planet Ketu.
It is said that during our time, which is in 'kaliyug' (the era of darkness), Rahu, Ketu and Saturn have become more powerful and active than other planets and exert maximum influence on mankind and the earth as a whole.
(See also: Spiritual Awakening , Indian Festivals,
Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
“All religions are ancient monuments to superstition, ignorance and ferocity,” said the French materialist phi-losopher Baron d’Holbach. Religion has been described as the root of human misery and conflict - that more people have been killed in the name of God than in any other cause.
Religion has never been the root of man’s miseries. The problem with man has been man. Religion is but an instrument; man its wielder. Like any instrument or organisation, religion can be misused. But, with religion there exists an agonising and eternal irony: it is the only path to transform the materialists who abuse it.
(See also: Religion , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
The future is unpredictable, so the end is unknown to us. This is the mystery of human life. Ancient wisdom had no hesitation in accepting this truth. But today, we find it difficult to accept.
T S Eliot lamented: "Where is the wisdom, we have lost in knowledge;/ Where is the knowledge, we have lost in information".
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
The word ' Yog ’ is derived from the verb yuj which means to yoke, to join, to connect. The end of life is to yoke oneself to the holy spirit i.e., the Paramchaitanya. Hindu scriptures enlighten us on the various ways or margas of doing so. The union with the holy spirit is possible through Gyan Yog, Karma Yog, Bhakti Marg, Mantra Yog, Raj Yog, Sanyas Marg or Hath Yog.
The rishi-munis have particularly adopted the Gyan Yog which is possible only through Dhyan . For the householder, Karma Yog and Bhakti Marg are the most practical ways of attaining moksha. Ascetics have developed the knowledge of mantra-tantra . Hath Yogis have evolved various Aasanas, postures and occult practices for awakening the Kundalini. Shri Aadishakti Shri Mataji Nirmaladevi has advocated the Sahaj Yog for householders to attain the Parmachaitanya through the raising of the Kundalini.
(See also: Sahaj Yog , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Sri Sathya Sai Baba is among those realised souls whose wisdom cuts across all barriers of race and religion, aimed only at restoring dharma and establishing the unity of faiths and peoples under the common banner of universal love and brotherhood.
However, to widen spirituality's reach beyond retreats and rosaries, it has to be made to touch all of life and divinise every activity. For this, the quest for atma vidya or self-knowledge is essential in a human being, for it awakens him to his inherent divinity and also promotes reverence and respect for all creation.
(See also: Atma Vidya , Indian Festivals,
Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
Today, as the vernal equinox bathes the universe in a golden glow and Spring dances in seen and unseen splendour, it is amply clear that once you are with God, everything's possible.
Today is Jamshedji Navroze , the original new year. It is celebrated by Parsees today - as it was by the people of ancient Iran - with good reason. The day marks the birth of Creation and therefore, your birth and mine too. It also celebrates Prophet Zarathushtra's profound pronouncements, the beauty and truth of which I've gleaned with my own limited vision from the scriptures.
(See also: Jamshedji Navroze , Indian Festivals,
Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
In 61 aphorisms, the Nirvanopanishad describes the attributes of one who has achieved Jivanmukti or liberation, while remaining in the physical body. At the very beginning, this Upanishad makes it clear that when one says: “Brahman encompasses the universe”, one is still assuming that there is duality, of the Brahman and the universe. The Jivanmukta, or the realised one, does not see the Brahman as being separate from the universe. For him, the universe does not exist. Therefore, he himself does not exist. The only existence is of the Brahman.
(See also: Jivanmukti , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
During the mid-19th century, Baha'u'llah proclaimed three cardinal principles: The oneness of mankind, oneness of God and oneness of religion. He provided the blueprint for a New World Order which would help reduce h uman suffering.
Baha'u'llah revealed: "The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy." The entire focus of Baha'u'llah's revelation is the well-being of humanity, mitigation of man's suffering in this world and the progress of his soul both in this world and in the world to come.
(See also: Declaration of the Bab , Indian Festivals,
Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
The chanting of the Divine Name or nama japa has an important place in bhakti tradition. Nama japa can be in the form of japa or stotra. Japa is silent repetition of a mantra while stotra is uttered out loud.
The sahasranama stotra is perhaps the most popular of all stotras. There are sahasranamas of most of the deities of the Hindu pantheon of which two have attained great popularity. These are the Lalita Sahasranama in praise of the Divine Mother and Vishnu Sahasranama in praise of the Lord conceived as Vishnu.
(See also: Sahasranama , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
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)
Influenced by Madame Blavatsky, Annie Besant joined the Theosophical Society. Her aim was to found a universal brotherhood where race and creed don't matter, to encourage the study of literature and philosophy, and to investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the physical powers latent in man. She advocated a radical approach to religion, which emphasised that religion cannot be forced upon any one; that faith was a matter of personal belief.
Why did she choose to become a Theosophist? Annie Besant wrote: ''An imperious necessity forces me to speak the truth, as I see it... That one loyalty to truth I must keep stainless, whether friendships fail me or human ties be broken... I asked no other epitaph on my tomb but that 'she tried to follow truth'."
(See also: Annie Besant , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
