Download or read book The Vedanta Way to Peace and Happiness written by Swami Adiswarananda and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Guarded for centuries by saints and ascetics in the forests and mountains of India, the universal principles of Vedanta were deemed too precious to be understood by the masses until Swami Vivekananda first introduced them in the West at the end of the nineteenth century.Today Vedanta?s principles of self-awareness, self-knowledge, and self-control are available for anyone who wants to enrich their life by following this ancient tradition. Fusing science, philosophy, meditation, and contemplation, these timeless teachings encourage spiritual growth by inviting critical inquiry, encouraging honest doubt, and providing realistic explanations of the mysteries of spiritual quest.This comprehensive guide examines in detail the tenets of Vedanta, its relationship to other spiritual paths, as well as its applications for your own spiritual journey, such as:
Download or read book The Vedanta Way to Peace and Happiness written by Swami Adiswarananda and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-04-14 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover how the crown jewel of Hindu teachings can enrich your life and spirituality. Guarded for centuries by saints and ascetics in the forests and mountains of India, the universal principles of Vedanta were deemed too precious to be understood by the masses until Swami Vivekananda first introduced them in the West at the end of the nineteenth century. Today Vedanta’s principles of self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-control are available for anyone who wants to enrich their life by following this ancient tradition. Fusing science, philosophy, meditation and contemplation, these timeless teachings encourage spiritual growth by inviting critical inquiry, encouraging honest doubt and providing realistic explanations of the mysteries of spiritual quest. This comprehensive guide examines in detail the tenets of Vedanta, its relationship to other spiritual paths and its applications for your own spiritual journey, such as: Re-establishing Contact with the Ultimate Reality Acting in the Living Present Awakening Spiritual Consciousness Mastering the Restless Mind Grasping the Essentials Liberating the Soul And much more ...
Download or read book The Spiritual Quest and the Way of Yoga written by Swami Adiswarananda and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The yoga way maintains that spiritual quest is not a matter of choice but a vital necessity for total well-being. This comprehensive guide for spiritual seekers of all faiths and backgrounds presents a roadmap to Self-knowledge, the goal of spiritual quest, and shows that reconnecting with the center of your being, your true Self, is real, tangible and attainable.
Download or read book The Nature of Happiness According to Advaita Vedanta written by Berthold Madhukar Thompson and published by XinXii. This book was released on 2016-05-27 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Guru: Yes. My definition of enlightenment is what colour is for the blind man. We can describe colour to him and he will understand and know it intellectually, as a mental concept. But what it really is as an experiential experience, he will only know after eyesight has been given to him. Or, say we have a glass of water in front of us. The water exists as it is; waterness is its nature. Speaking of it, is water in terms of the mind. Such water is a concept. The word water is not water. No matter how detailed we describe it-even if it is described by 100 Einsteins-such a description will never be what water really is. We have the triad: the subject (the seer), the object (water) and the process of perceiving water. We can know water only when we drink it, shower with it, etc. That knowing then is a direct existential experience. That knowing is drinking is quenching thirst, therefore, is blissful. The three-fold aspects knowing, drinking and being blissful are one in the event called drinking. It is an impersonal event that occurs as part of the functioning of Totality. It is not an act of an individual "me" embodied in a body-mind organism with the sense of personal volitiona and doership. While drinking, the triad drinker, water, and the process of drinking is dissolved. Drinking occurs as one impersonal event, comprising the drinker, the water and the process of drinking. In this case drinking is the impersonal "What-is." The actual drinking of water is not a concept. At the moment of drinking there is no individual, separate "me"-entity, a drinker drinking water. The "me" comes in afterwards as a further, additional "me"-thought as in "’I’-drank water. ‘I’ experienced drinking water." The fact is, while drinking water happened there was no "me." A body-mind organism was drinking water as part of the functioning of Totality. When we inquire closely, we find that such a "me"-entity does not exist, except as a thought, as a notion, as a concept.
Download or read book The Powers of The Mind written by Swami Vivekananda and published by editionNEXT.com. This book was released on 2015-12-09 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The Powers Of The Mind” is a speech delivered at Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 1900 by Swami Vivekananda explained his thoughts on the Powers of the Mind. This book brings together that speech for followers everywhere in his exact words.
Download or read book The Way of Peace and Blessedness written by Swāmi Paramānanda and published by . This book was released on 1913 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Sri Ramakrishna the Face of Silence written by Swami Nikhilananda and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This new edition of two classic spiritual biographies of Sri Ramakrishna offers an intimate portrait of the life of this great teacher. An essential spiritual guide for people of all faiths and backgrounds, it presents a unique look at the deeper spirit within the Ramakrishna legend, and illuminates an important link in the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda movement."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book The Gospel of Philip Annotated Explained written by and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gain insight into the historical context and major themes of the Gospel of Philip and a deeper understanding of its overarching message: Deciphering our own meaning behind the symbols of this world increases and enriches our understanding of God.
Download or read book Healing the Jewish Christian Rift written by Ron Miller and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How did a Jewish teacher, healer, sage and mystic become the vehicle for so much hatred and harm directed against his own people? Dialogue is demanding and difficult. It is often painful. It entails deep listening, letting others define themselves and being willing to confront and transform deep-rooted prejudices in ourselves. It requires the courage to re-envision absolutely everything we tend to cherish and protect, and to relinquish our entrenched vainglorious ego attachments, our inflated sense of I, me and mine. This challenge to grow beyond tribalism, to approach others in a fair and reasonable way, is an essential step in our human evolution. from the Invitation to the Reader Judaism and Christianity have had a volatile relationship in their two-thousand-year history. Anger, rivalry, insensitivity, bloodshed and murder have marred the special connection these two Abrahamic faiths share. In the last several decades, scholars, activists, laypeople and clergy have attempted to expose and eliminate the struggles between Jews and Christians. This collaborative effort brings together the voices of Christian scholar Ron Miller and Jewish scholar Laura Bernstein to further explore the roots of anti-Semitism in Christian faith and scripture. In a probing interfaith dialogue, Miller and Bernstein trace the Jewish-Christian schism to its very source in the first book of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew. Illuminating the often misunderstood context of Matthew s gospel a persecuted Christian minority writing some sixty years after Jesus s death this examination of a foundational Christian text discerns the ways in which the Jewishness of Jesus was forgotten and Jews and Judaism became Christianity s foil. More important, it takes a renewed look at Matthew with contemporary retellings that present a new and better future of conciliation and compassion between the two faith traditions.
Download or read book The Book of Mormon written by and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-04-11 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inside look at the foundational sacred text of one of the world's youngest and fastest growing religions The Book of Mormon stands alongside the Bible as the keystone of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church/Mormonism). Translated by the prophet Joseph Smith from ancient writings inscribed on golden plates, the Book of Mormon is an account of people living in the Western Hemisphere in a timeline that parallels that of the Bible. It covers a thousand years of loss, discovery, war, peace, and spiritual principles that focus on the teachings of Jesus Christ, outlining a plan for salvation and the responsibilities we must assume to attain it. The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained explores this sacred epic that is cherished by more than twelve million members of the LDS church as the keystone of their faith. Probing the principal themes and historical foundation of this controversial and provocative narrative, Jana Riess focuses on key selections that offer insight into contemporary Mormon beliefs and scriptural emphases, such as the atonement of Christ, the nature of human freedom, the purpose of baptism, and the need for repentance from sin. She clarifies the religious, political, and historical events that take place in the ancient communities of the Book of Mormon and their underlying contemporary teachings that serve as the framework for spiritual practices that lie at the core of Mormon life. Now you can experience this foundational sacred text even if you have no previous knowledge of Mormonism. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents the key teachings and essential concepts of the Mormon faith tradition with insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that helps to dispel many of the misconceptions that have surrounded the Book of Mormon since its publication in 1830.
Download or read book Sri Ramakrishna the Face of Silence written by Dhan Gopal Mukerji III and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-12-05 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inspiring in-depth look at the nineteenth-century Godman of India and Prophet of Harmony. Sri Ramakrishna, one of the greatest spiritual personalities of our time, is widely recognized as the Prophet of the Harmony of Religions. After perfecting the practice of several religions—including Christianity, Islam and various traditions of Hinduism—he declared, “As many faiths, so many paths.” For the first time, two classic biographies—Dhan Gopal Mukerji’s The Face of Silence (1926) and Swami Nikhilananda’s Sri Ramakrishna (1942)—are brought together to provide a fuller understanding of the life and spiritual significance of Sri Ramakrishna as well as the systems of Indian religious thought intimately connected with him. Pairing legend with fact, memory with history, this unique volume—including an Introduction to Sri Ramakrishna’s God-consciousness by Swami Adiswarananda—succeeds in intimately examining the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and conveying the true story of this great mystic, whose leaping flame of spiritual realization continues to influence the modern spiritual search.
Download or read book Vivekananda World Teacher written by Swami Adiswarananda and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-09-21 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A message of love, compassion and the spiritual unity of humankind from one of India’s visionary teachers Vivekananda’s message gives us hope for the future. His love for humanity gave him the mandate for his message, and his innate purity gave him an irresistible power that nobody could match. The same love that was born as Buddha, the Compassionate One, once again assumed human form as Vivekananda. —from the Introduction At the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, a young Hindu monk caused a sensation. At the utterance of his simple opening words—“Sisters and Brothers of America”—the audience broke into spontaneous applause for Swami Vivekananda. What followed was a stunning speech about the validity and unity of all religions. In just a little over a century, Vivekananda’s message has spread throughout the world. In this book for spiritual seekers of all faiths and backgrounds, and for all who yearn for solutions to the ideological conflicts that threaten our world, Swami Adiswarananda presents a selection of Vivekananda’s most profound and inspiring lectures and an intimate glimpse of his life through newspaper reports from the time, personal reminiscences from disciples and others close to him, and impressions of his life and message from world leaders. A chapter by Swami Nikhilananda, founder of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, offers a fascinating view of Vivekananda’s spiritual mission to America—a mission that brought the ideals of spiritual freedom and spiritual democracy to the forefront of Western religious thought.
Download or read book Gnostic Writings on the Soul written by and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just what is a "soul," exactly? Where did the idea come from? How do we experience our souls? Two ancient Gnostic texts - The Exegesis on the Soul and The Hymn of the Pearl, both presented here in all-new translations - hold important clues to the development of the soul as a concept and reveal inspiring ways your own soul can remember and return to its unique, divine purpose.The Exegesis on the Soul depicts the soul as a feminine figure who has fallen into the corrupted world and must find her way back to the Divine. It is a hero's journey that will inspire your own spiritual pilgrimage. The Hymn of the Pearl is an allegorical story about a prince sent to retrieve a precious pearl but who soon-like many of us-forgets his purpose and falls asleep. It is a stirring tale of the importance of remembering your soul's identity and calling-and knowing that only you can fulfill your unique destiny. Accessible facing-page commentary explains the text for you and increases your sensitivity to the movements of your own soul, while additional material drawing on Christianity, Platonism, Judaism, Buddhism, Hin duism, Islam, indigenous religions, and modern philosophical and psychological notions of the soul places the Gnostic teachings in a clear historical context.
Download or read book A Walk with Four Spiritual Guides written by Andrew Harvey and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four spiritual guides, four classic texts--timeless wisdom for our complicated world introduced by one of today's great teachers of spirituality. Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Ramakrishna: four of the world's most interesting and challenging spiritual masters. The core of their most important teachings--along with annotations from expert scholars and introductions from Andrew Harvey, one of the great spiritual thinkers of our time--now are all in one beautiful volume. A Walk with Four Spiritual Guides contains selections from four classic texts: Bhagavad Gita (Krishna) * Dhammapada (Buddha) * The Gospel of Thomas (Jesus) * Selections from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (Ramakrishna) The selections focus on the inspiring themes of devotion and selfless action; serenity and the mind; mysticism and the individual's search for answers; and the direct path to the Divine. Andrew Harvey's warm and personal introduction to each guide offers his own experiences of learning from their wisdom.
Download or read book Talking about God written by Daniel F. Polish and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Challenge Yourself to Delve into a Deeper Interfaith Dialogue "To wrestle with the ideas these thinkers present is to find ourselves challenged to look at our own religious lives in new ways; and to appreciate the spiritual endeavors of others, whatever form their religious expression may take. To engage with these thinkers can leave us enlarged in our perception of human religiousness and deepened in our appreciation of it." --from the Conclusion The modern age of religion is characterized by dialogue. Jews and Christians together explore the realities and meaning of living in proximity to one another. Yet for all the good will and sincerity of intention, too often such discussions fail to progress beyond well-intentioned pleasantries to the challenging content that can truly deepen our understanding of each other. This fascinating and accessible introduction to the theologies of four modern religious thinkers will help you break through the superficial generalities to plumb the depths of religious differences and embrace the commonalities. Examining the lives and works of Søren Kierkegaard, Martin Buber, Paul Tillich and Abraham Joshua Heschel through the lens of their treatment of the Bible and the biblical patriarch Abraham, you will take part in a discussion of the very phenomenon of religion and what part it plays in living a fully engaged human life.
Download or read book The Passionate Jesus written by Peter Wallace and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2012 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fresh and moving portrait of Jesus as a model for how to live more authentic, honest and meaningful lives by fully experiencing our emotions in the love of God. Many depictions of Jesus show him as a character who coolly and calmly floats above the grit and grime of human existence. He doesn¿t hurt, he doesn¿t fear, he doesn¿t laugh, and most tragically, he doesn¿t love very passionately. He seems not to feel at all. But a closer look at the Bible reveals something surprisingly different. In this eye-opening spiritual study, Peter Wallace examines Jesus¿s actions rather than just his teachings to uncover a passionate figure who was involved, present, connected, honest and direct with others. He was one who was ¿deeply moved,¿ as the writer of John¿s gospel put it¿one who knew and embodied the emotions he felt and expressed them in honest, clear and life-giving ways. Through Wallace¿s deeply personal insights and compelling stories and examples, you will be encouraged to model this passionate Jesus by building personal authenticity in every area of your own life, particularly in your self-acceptance and self-expression, your relationships with others and, above all, your relationship with God.
Download or read book The Four Yogas written by Swami Adiswarananda and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-04-12 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Choose the Yoga path that best suits you, and you choose the way to know God. The philosophy of Yoga tells us that the root cause of our sorrows and suffering is loss of contact with our true Self. Our recovery is only possible by reestablishing contact with our innermost Self, the Reality of all realities, and by recognizing that knowledge of Self is our salvation. In this comprehensive guide, Swami Adiswarananda introduces the four spiritual paths of Yoga—Karma-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Raja-Yoga and Jnana-Yoga—and what you can expect as an aspirant on each path. Covering the message and practice of each of the Yogas as well as philosophy and psychology, preparatory practices, common obstacles and ways to overcome them, this accessible book will prove invaluable to anyone wishing to follow a Yoga practice in order to realize the goal of Self-knowledge.
