Spiritual Systems

Spiritual Systems: Encyclopedia II - A Course In Miracles - Comparisons of ACIM to other spiritual belief systems

A Course In Miracles - Comparison of ACIM to Christianity. According to the historical theological roots of most Christian denominations, the most favorable view is that a manuscript such as ACIM must be as an apocryphal work. Early Christian teachings recommend that such documents, at their very best, must always be considered as secondary in authority to the Bible. This official teaching of the early Christian Church regarding such writings was finally agreed upon by the Church Fathers of the fourth and ...

Spiritual Systems: Spiritual - Theosophy Dictionary on Cartesian System

Cartesian System The system of Descartes, the great French philosopher (1596-1650), representing the first great attempt in Europe to develop philosophy on strict mathematical and scientific lines, as opposed to what seemed to him the futile subtilties of the Schoolmen.

Descartes is usually spoken of as a strong dualist. Defining substance as a thing which exists independently of any other thing, he says there can only be one real substance, God; but besides this one independent substance there exist realities dependent on God, which he calls created substances. These are of two kinds -- thinking and corporeal; the nature of the former being thought, and of the latter, extension. He made this dualism of the created world so absolute that only the continual interference of God could account for the harmony. Spirit differs radically from matter, a finite spirit is independent of its body, so that the physical universe is unhampered by spiritual law. The human body is a machine; and although human beings have souls, animals are entirely mechanical. This view of the universe laid the foundations of modern mechanistic science; and the independence of extended substance leads to the conclusion that every body is independent of every other.

This system contrasts with those of Spinoza and Leibnitz, Spinoza accentuating the monistic view and Leibnitz regarding Descartes's two substances as aspects of the One Substance (SD 1:628-9). It is stated, furthermore, that a combination of Spinoza with Leibnitz would give the essence of theosophical philosophy, according to which the universe, though essentially a unity, appears as a plurality of monads, manifesting under the dual -- yet essentially illusory -- aspects of spirit and matter. There is therefore no essential difference between spirit and matter, these being but mutually contrasted aspects of the one underlying and all-pervading substance.

In his theory of the physical universe Descartes recognizes one universally diffused matter which, by rotatory or vortical motion aggregates into planetary globes or into the physical elements, thus anticipating both the vortex theory of Thomson and the idea put forward by Crookes that the chemical elements are various modifications of an underlying protyle.

Spiritual Systems: Spiritual - Theosophy Dictionary on Universal Solar System

Universal Solar System The sum-total on all planes of all the bodies, visible or invisible, which pertain to the inclusive Brahmanda (egg of Brahma) of which our sun with its family of planetary chains forms a part. The Logos of the universal solar system, called the universal sun, has its foci of spiritual, psychological, ethereal, and material fields of action in and through emanated rays or minor logoi or suns, of which our sun is one, and each of these last has its corresponding subdivisional activities and functions. Our solar system, septenary or denary in itself, pertains to a single one of the primary seven rays of the universal solar system.

Spiritual Systems: The Caste System and The Law of Spiritual Economics

The underlying principle in caste system or Varna Dharma, is division of labour. Rishis studied human nature carefully. They came to the conclusion that all men were not equally fit for all kinds of work. Hence, they found it necessary to allocate different kinds of duties to different classes of people, according to their aptitude, capacity or quality.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Spiritual Systems: Fasting is Food for the Soul

Spiritual Fasting: Fasting is Food for the Soul

The followers of the Baha'i faith are on a 19-day fast from March 2 to March 20. In this context, it would be instructive to look at the significance of fasting in all faiths. Fasting may assume different forms across different belief systems but is an integral feature of humanity's common spiritual heritage.

We must ask ourselves why God wants us to abstain from food and drink. Obviously, as the all-loving creator, He would derive no pleasure from the mere act of making his creatures endure hunger and thirst for a specified period. We may as well go a little further and ask ourselves why we have spiritual laws at all.

Spiritual Systems: Fasting is Food for the Soul

Spiritual Fasting: Fasting is Food for the Soul

The followers of the Baha'i faith are on a 19-day fast from March 2 to March 20. In this context, it would be instructive to look at the significance of fasting in all faiths. Fasting may assume different forms across different belief systems but is an integral feature of humanity's common spiritual heritage.

We must ask ourselves why God wants us to abstain from food and drink. Obviously, as the all-loving creator, He would derive no pleasure from the mere act of making his creatures endure hunger and thirst for a specified period. We may as well go a little further and ask ourselves why we have spiritual laws at all.

Spiritual Systems: Meditation Is Cool, Enjoy Yourself

Meditation is the natural process of withdrawing attention from environmental, physical, and mental processes and consciously directing it inward to a chosen focus of attention. But not many people know how to practice meditation for personal benefit and spiritual growth.

The beneficial side-effects of regular meditation practice include stress reduction, strengthening of the body's immune system, more orderly thinking, improvement in powers of concentration, and a slowing of the biological ageing process. For these reasons, meditation practice is recommended by an increasing number of doctors as a harmless way for patient-clients to be more responsible for their own total well-being.

Read more here: » Effects of Meditation: Meditation Is Cool, Enjoy Yourself

Spiritual Systems: A Planet of Creativity

Eaerth is a Planet of Creativity realated to the throat chakra, the higher creative energy centre of our solar system and our Solar Life. We have been fully creative in the lower sense, producing physical bodies for descending souls and for imagining and manufacturing the many forms and structures that we need to live comfortable lives. In this transformative and shifting time on Earth, Creativity is now seeking a higher form of conscious expression, reflecting our true identities as spiritual beings.

Spiritual Systems: Secular and Sacred Equality

Through the years, history shows that despite the existence of the caste system and its abuse by vested parties, the idea of equality has always ruled supreme in the minds of India’s sages. In fact, many of India’s most revered saints and philosophers came from the lowest strata of society.

Few are aware about the sacrifices made by some who, since ancient times, have silently worked to uplift human values.

Today, very few know of the invaluable contributions of the selfless humanists who have worked relentlessly for the uplift of the marginalised classes. The name of B R Ambedkar, however, is still fresh in public memory as the saviour of the Dalits. Atrocities continue to be heaped on the weaker sections, in one form or the other. Many saints and sages have stood by the Dalits and many of them were Dalits themselves. The work done by these saints are the real heritage of the Dalits.

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Secular and Sacred Equality

Spiritual Systems: : Ayurveda � healing waters

Ayurveda is perhaps the oldest science of life and a system of diet, healing and health maintenance that is deeply spiritual in origin. In this article the healing properties of water will be presented.

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Spiritual Systems: Encyclopedia - A Course In Miracles

A Course In Miracles (ACIM) is a self-study book of "spiritual psychotherapy" that was "scribed" by Dr. Helen Schucman. The book, often referred to by its students and followers as simply The Course, is written in first person in the voice of Jesus Christ. It was first published in 1976 as a three volume set and has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide in 14 different languages. The Course is written in Christian terminology and its subject aims to teach how to attain the direct personal experience of God ...

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A Course In Miracles - Comparisons of ACIM to other spiritual belief systems

A Course In Miracles - Critical reviews

A Course In Miracles - Related movements

A Course In Miracles - Footnote references

Spiritual Systems: Encyclopedia - Religion

Religion (see etymology below) —sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system—is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine; and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions and rituals associated with such belief. In its broadest sense some have defined it as the sum total of answers given to explain humankind's relationship with the universe. In the course of the development of religion, it has taken ...

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Religion - Etymology

Religion - Approaches to the study of individual religions

Religion - Development of religion

Religion - Religion today

Religion - Approaches to relating to the beliefs of others

Religion - Religion and other approaches to forming beliefs about the nature of the universe

Religion - Related philosophical stances

Religion - Compare with

Read more here: » Religion: Encyclopedia - Religion

Spiritual Systems: Spiritual - Theosophy Dictionary on Solar System

Solar System Commonly, the Sun with the nine principal planets -- Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto -- their satellites, and the minor planets, comets, and meteors; in theosophy, however, the solar system is a far more complex entity, for many of its worlds manifest on planes of being invisible to our senses.

The planets are individual manifestations of conscious intelligences, their distances from the sun being generally in rhythmical progression and their motions directed by mind and volition, as Kepler declared in his doctrine of Rectors, following the ancient teachings. The nebular hypothesis, once so popular in European scientific thought and now more or less rejected, was first suggested by Swedish seer Swedenborg and German philosopher Kant, and around the beginning of the 19th century was worked out in mathematical detail by the Frenchman Laplace. Though the nebular hypothesis as scientifically presented was unacceptable to theosophical thinkers, it nevertheless was based upon facts of cosmic evolution accepted by the ancient wisdom-religion and approximated somewhat more closely to what theosophy teaches as the facts of cosmogony than do the later tidal or planetesimal theories.

In theosophy the universe is the product of cosmic mind or intelligence, whose all-permeant activities manifest on our material plane as the laws of nature. The universe and all in it, proceeding from cosmic consciousness, is imbued throughout with the qualities and attributes of its divine originators; and as there is but one primordial fundamental life -- and therefore one fundamental law -- energizing and guiding all, the ancient teaching of analogy is the master key to understanding universal nature.

Calling the primordial origins of every being and thing by the term monads, as Leibniz did following Pythagoras, these monads may be looked upon as the seeds of cosmic life, life-centers or energy points, and in such case naught in the universe is the product of chance, but is the offspring of mind. Thus the solar system itself sprang from such a cosmic seed or monad; and the same holds true for the planets, nebulae, comets, and all other individually enduring cosmic bodies.

Comets are coordinated with earlier and later stages of nebular evolution, playing an activating part in the formation of individual celestial bodies. The planets did not emerge from the sun, but the sun is their "co-uterine brother" with the same nebular origin. The sun is the great distributor of light and other radiations, including vital energy, throughout the solar system, and is itself a member of a hierarchy of solar beings.

The ancient wisdom speaks of seven sacred planets which are especially connected with the earth, as indeed our own earth is likewise especially connected with various planetary chains, which mutually assisted in the formation of the seven or twelve globes of the planetary chains. These sacred planets are: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn -- the Sun and Moon being substitutes for esoteric and invisible planets. The complete number of the planets of a solar system is twelve, which is the number of globes composing a planetary chain. These twelve sacred planets are closely linked with the twelve houses of the zodiac, these links of unity being the energic coordinates tying our solar system in with the life and structure of the galaxy.

Theosophy makes a distinction between the solar system and the universal solar system -- the former has especial reference to the twelve sacred planets, while the universal solar system refers to all bodies belonging to and revolving around a master- or king-sun (raja-sun) and within the latter's far-flung realm on seven or more planes of being. It therefore contains planets and suns invisible to our present range of sense perception. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are said not to belong to the solar system (nor are they included among the twelve sacred planets), but are members of the universal solar system.

In the Brahmanical system the solar system was regarded as an Egg of Brahma (brahmanda), the prakritic or prithivi-form of Brahma, so that its life span is equivalent to the length of Brahma's manifested life. A Day of Brahma for a planetary chain consists of a planetary manvantara -- seven rounds of the various life-waves around that chain -- a period of 4,320,000,000 terrestrial years. The ensuing pralaya or Night of Brahma is of an equivalent length, together equaling 8,640,000,000 terrestrial years. Forty-nine such planetary Days and Nights equal one solar manvantara, equivalent to a Year of Brahma; and each such year of Brahma is figured as being 360 of his Days; and 100 such Years of Brahma equal Brahma's Life, a period of 311,040,000,000,000 terrestrial years -- including in this vast time period the various twilights and dawns. Theosophic philosophy states that one-half of Brahma's Life has been spent, or 50 Years of Brahma. At the end of Brahma's Life, the final consummation of the solar system, so far as the planetary chain is concerned, will occur, and everything within the bounds of this system will vanish, and the succeeding solar pralaya will commence.

(See also: Solar System, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Spiritual Systems: Encyclopedia II - A Course In Miracles - Publication

ACIM was first published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace, or FIP in a three volume set. In 2003, after some copyright litigation, it was determined that an earlier edition of ACIM, known as the Criswell edition, did not qualify for the same copyright protection accorded to the standard edition currently published by the FIP. This ruling was made as a result of the court's finding that a few unintentional oversights had been made ...

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