Religion is not meant to create conflict and division, but to promote dialogue and harmony. Buddha Purnima is an appropriate occasion to dwell a little on the Buddhist philosophy I follow, of Nichiren Daishonin, called the Soka Gakkai, which literally means "Value Creating Society".

Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai International, says: "The people and the society of our age might be compared to a ship in the middle of the ocean which has lost its compass. Without an accurate guide to lead them, they sail aimlessly along towards the future''.

(See also: Buddha Purnima , 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: » Buddha Purnima: From Desire To Enlightenment  

Lent is a special season in which Christians prepare for the feast of Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. The word Lent is derived from the old English term 'Lencten' which means 'spring'.

The term derives from the word 'lengthen', referring to the lengthening of the daylight hours. In the northern hemisphere, when Lent begins, the bare trees around seem dead. Underneath the ground and inside, they are very much alive. Spring brings them back to life. Lent tries to do the same for persons, to bring them back to life.

(See also: Lent , 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: » Lent: Lent - Period of Faith and Renewal  

The Hebrew word for Passover is Pesach, a combination of peh and sach . The two words mean, 'the mouth speaks'. Passover is all about communication.

It all started with that communication from God to Moses or Moshe about the redemption of the Hebrews from their slavery under the Pharoah. This Holy communication guided the oppressed to freedom. For this act of redemption the Jews are so reverential to Him that they never write the word 'God' in full. Instead, they write G-d, afraid that the paper on which it is written may get trampled upon, however inadvertently. For God's name, YaHWeH, or JeHoVaH they use the tetragrammaton, YHWH, or JHVH. With the vowels absent, they cannot and do not pronounce His name.

(See also: Passover , 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: » Passover: The Jewish Passover Celebrates Freedom  

Although ancient Jain scientific thought is not so well known, it is a rich source of Indian scientific heritage. The grand Jain spiritual tradition and its masters broadly influenced Indian thought and rationality in three key areas:

Atomism, non-absolutism and mathematical concepts including the theory of numbers: As realists, a satisfactory explanation for the origin of the material world was important to Jain philosophers. Karma, according to the Jains, is paudgalika or of material nature. By its linkages with body and thus with the outer world, the soul is literally penetrated with material particles of a very subtle kind.

(See also: Jain Philosophy , 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: » Jain Philosophy: Scientific Heritage Of Jain Philosophy  

Twenty-five kilometres south west of Thrissur in Kerala, there is an ancient Rama temple at Thriprayar. In front of the temple flows the Thriprayar river. When Vishnu incarnated as Vamana and expanded His form to pervade the whole universe, His feet touched sathyaloka, Brahma's abode. A flabbergasted Brahma, on seeing the Lord's all-encompassing form, offered argya for washing Vishnu's feet. Part of the water fell on earth to form the Thriprayar Thiru Paadayar - a river with its source in Vishnu's feet.

(See also: Thriprayar , 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: » Thriprayar: A Union of Brahman and Maya  

Pilgrims visit Bodh Gaya on Vaishakha Purnima day as it marks the three major events in the Buddha's life: His birth, enlightenment and passing away.

Buddha Purnima assumes great importance especially when the world faces challenges of violence and terrorism in various forms. Buddha said that just as fire cannot extinguish fire, war cannot solve disputes. Enmity cannot overcome enmity; it can be overcome only with love. Disputes can be settled through dialogue and negotiation, not by war..

(See also: Vaishakha Purnima day , 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: » Vaishakha Purnima day: A Life in the Day Of the Buddha

Narasimha avatar, one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, is unique in many ways. In the other avatars Vishnu was born at a particular time, grew up in this world and helped his devotees at some other time. But as Narasimha, both his appearance on earth and his coming to the aid of his devotee were simultaneous and instantaneous.

Maitreya, Parasara's disciple and author of Vishnu Purana asks why the Lord always seems to be partial, why he helps the Devas and kills asuras. In reply, Parasara narrates to him the story of Narasimha, who comes to the rescue of the little boy Prahlad, the son of asura king Hiranyakashipu.

(See also: Narasimha avatar , 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: » Narasimha avatar: Devotee's Dream, Brahma's Pride  

The practice of Christian meditation dates back to the beginning of Christianity; its objective is to daily 'empty the self' to experience the fullness of God. It is consonant with Jesus's invitation to his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow him. It is central to Easter celebrations, 'dying' to rise to a New Life.

The way of meditation is the way of silence. Silencing the ceaseless chatter of a mind buzzing with thoughts is not easy. The way to silence is the way of the mantra. Choosing a sacred word and repeating it from the beginning to the end of the period of meditation forms part of the essential teaching of Christian meditation. It is advisable to choose a word of four syllables and pronounce them with equal length. The recommended word in the Christian Tradition is Ma-ra-na-tha. In Aramaic, the language of Jesus's time, it means 'The Lord comes'.

(See also: Christian Meditation , 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: » Christian Meditation: Christian Meditation - Death of the Self  

A guru shows the path of enlightenment to seekers. The guru is both a formal teacher and a spiritual preceptor. He is a storehouse of spiritual energy, which he can transmit to others. He helps the aspirant to polish his inner self till it reflects the light of truth. In the Shirdi Sai Satcharita a seeker asks Shirdi Baba: "Where to go?" Baba replies: "High up". The seeker then asks: "How to go there?" Baba answers: "Take a guide, he will take you straight and make you avoid the ditches and wild beasts in the jungle". Even avatars like Rama and Krishna subjected themselves to the tutelage of worthy gurus like Vashishta and Sandipani.

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

Read more here: » Advantage of Guru: The Guru Shows The Path  

Retaining no traces of individuality to hinder the flow of God's love and harmony through them, their work is done by God, their teachings are from God and the transformations they cause are also from God alone. God, then, is the actual Guru, the physical body only serving to spread love and knowledge about His own Self.

This is the true foundation of Siddha Yoga in which allegiance to the guru is complete. Reverence of the spiritual master as God is the foundational belief. Those who embrace such a path find true protection, peace, love, joy, well being and the experience of the Divine at every step because of blessings from their spiritual master.

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

Read more here: » Siddha Yoga: Guru is Divinity, Says Siddha Yoga  

Over 4,000 years ago God asked Abraham to build the Kabah (house of worship) at Mecca and to call upon all people to make the pilgrimage to the House of God. Thus, it came to be obligatory for every Muslim to go for Haj at least once, provided good health and financial position permitted it.

Over two million believers from all over the world gather every year in Mecca to perform this pious duty. The rites of Haj take about one week to complete, but the devout spend as many days as possible so that they may become spiritually enriched by the sacred atmosphere. All the acts and sites of Haj convey a spiritual message.

(See also: Kabah , 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: » Kabah: Pilgrimage to Kabah - Spirit of Sacrifice  

Sri Aurobindo's insight and analysis of evolution are now part of the scientific and cultural landscape. But few scientists and artists know his evolutionary theories that are being proved true by modern science.

While probing frontiers of science, physicists have discovered the limitation of the Newtonian mechanistic model at the level of galaxies and electrons. These discoveries have no doubt given the first glimmering of the new paradigm that matter and consciousness are the primary forces in the universe.

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

Read more here: » Sri Aurobindo: Evolutionary Ideas Of Sri Aurobindo  

Adi Sankaracharya and Ramanujacharya were great philosophers. Their road maps to the Absolute reflect the essence of Indian spiritual thought and tradition, although they held divergent views - while Sankara advocated monism or advaita, Ramanuja believed in vishishtadvaita, that contains elements of both advaita and dvaita philosophy.

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

Read more here: » Sankara and Ramanuja: Double Celebration - Sankara & Ramanuja  

Festive bonhomie apart, many myths, legends and spiritual insights are woven around the customs and rituals associated with Diwali.

Celebrations commence a day before amavas on Naraka Chaturdasi , which marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and Satyabhama. According to the puranas , demon king Naraka had acquired immense power through penance and had imprisoned the gods. He had also held captive 16,000 celestial princesses.

(See also: Diwali , 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: » Diwali: It's Time to Light Lamps of Wisdom - about Diwali  

Lent, the season of fasting, penance and prayer begins today, on Ash Wednesday. The Lenten theme has often been negatively interpreted as a time for self-flagellation rather than empowerment.

However, signing the heads of Christians with ashes on this day is viewed today as a positive symbol: Repent and believe in the Gospel or the Good News, often preferred to the old formula, "Dust thou art and into dust thou shall return". The good news with which the Gospel empowers us is that we are all sons and daughters of God, the King, and so should view ourselves with the empowering eyes of our divine inheritance.

(See also: Ash Wednesday , 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: » Ash Wednesday: The Passion of Christ And Ash Wednesday  

Swami Rama Tirtha rekindled the poetic vision of the Upanishads. His exposition of Vedanta through lectures and talks imparted a transcendental perspective to the ancient texts. He advocated greater brotherhood and bonding through a realisation of the true meaning of the spiritual law.

The essence of this is captured in a beautiful composition called The Faith: "What care I for caste or creed? / It is the deed; it is the deed/ what for class or clan? / It is the man, it is the man /...What for crown or crest? / It is the heart within the breast".

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

Read more here: » Swami Rama Tirtha: Swami Rama Tirtha's View of Vedanta  

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year which has been designated the Year of the Monkey, 4701. The date is computed on the basis of the Chinese Lunisolar Calendar which harmonises both the lunar cycle and the solar year by incorporating astronomical observations of the phases of the moon and the apparent path of the sun.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated on the second new moon (lunar) after the winter solstice (solar). The winter solstice occurs when the apparent path of the sun reaches its lowest point on the horizon.

(See also: Chinese New Year , 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: » Chinese New Year: Year of the Monkey  

Christmas symbolises peace and goodwill towards all; that is why ceasefires are inspired by Christmas. It also means that we should ready ourselves to receive the child God, who epitomises the spirit of giving and receiving.

For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is ''hurry''.And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognise the spirit of Christmas. Christmas itself is eternal, said Burton Hillis.

(See also: Christmas , 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: » Christmas: Imitation of Christ, Peace on Earth - - about Christmas  

Very few recognise the importance of seeking out a guru whom they can look to for guidance.

Guru is not God but God is guru because the guru leads the disciple from darkness to light. God encompasses both light and darkness; He is formless, omnipotent, immovable, and immortal. The guru is a glass of water from the ocean called God. An ideal guru-shishya relationship would be one of friendship and the student should feel free to question his teacher. Both are united by unconditional love, in a relationship that transcends the physical, mental, emotional and the intellectual involvement. Such a relationship has the capacity to weather any storm.

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

Read more here: » Advantage of Guru: Reach for the Rays Of Truth Within - About Guru  

The ideals and motto of the Divine Life Society - "Serve, love, give, purify, meditate and realise" - are reflected in the life and work of Swami Chidananda Saraswati. His spiritual journey began on a Buddha Purnima day in 1943 inspired by his mentor Swami Sivananda.

Chidananda's fervour to serve found the perfect outlet in the welfare work he undertook at Rishikesh. He believes that service alone can purify and prepare the soul for deep contemplation.

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

Read more here: » Swami Chidananda: Service Before Self - Seva as Sadhana - about Swami Chidananda  

Dussehra marks the day when goddess Durga killed the buffalo-demon Mahishasura, who had a boon from Brahma that he would not be slain by gods, men, spirits or any aspect of nature. So he vanquished the gods and tyrannised the world.

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva combined the energies of their consorts, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Shakti and created a beautiful woman - the ten-armed Durga - to kill the demon, as Mahishasura had forgotten to mention women while asking for his boon. Durga fought Mahishasura for nine days, finally beheading him on the tenth day.

(See also: Dussehra , 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: » Dussehra: Slaying the Demon That's Within Us  

Sant Dnyaneshwar realised that the Gita's teachings could be read and understood only by a small Sanskrit-knowing elite. Dnyaneshwar, under the advice of his guru, Nivrathinath, rendered a Marathi version of the Gita known as Dnyaneshwari. It contains more than 9,000 verses called ovies. So Sant Dnyaneshwar brought the teachings of the Gita within reach of the common man. Dnyaneshwari was composed around the twelfth century, when Dnyaneshwar was only 16 years old. He took samadhi at the age of 22 and left this mortal world.

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

Read more here: » Dnyaneshwar: Dnyaneshwar's Gita Has Popular Appeal