Articles
Do I have to give up my religion to meditate?
Allow me to ask you this question: Do you give up your religion to go to sleep? Meditation is an elder brother of sleep - it leads to a state similar to a conscious sleep. Just as sleep lies beyond your waking state, so also meditation lies beyond your deep sleep state. If the deep sleep can be so refreshing, imagine how much more refreshing meditation would be. In meditation, you dive deeper and deeper inside to get to the pure I-awareness. You make your mind perceive your own divinity, your own innermost reality. For example, if you are a ...
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What is the difference between belief and faith?
This is an uplifting question in spirituality. The meanings of the words “belief” and “faith” are not the same. To believe something, and to have faith in something are completely different. The word ‘belief’ has its root "lief," meaning to desire. Belief means to fervently believe in something as true. Belief is conceptual like God, heaven, and hell. Beliefs make you a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist. Beliefs create fights and arguments. Faith stems from the Latin word "fides." It is related to Bona fides, meaning good faith, a well known principle in contract law. Faith is a direct experience, not ...
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Why should we develop love and respect for all people?
He/she who does not love himself/herself, how can he/she develop love and respect for others? Therefore, the first step is to love and respect oneself. For instance, if you throw a pebble into a calm lake, the first circle will form around the pebble first and then the circle will spread out farther and farther. It is natural! Once you are filled with love within, it naturally flows out to others. You don't have to try to give love to others. Why love others? Think deeply. When you love others, where does that love arise from? The love arises from within ...
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Understanding Meditation
"Meditation applies the brakes to the mind." – Ramana Maharshi Meditation is a part of yoga. According to sage Patanjali, the father of modern yoga, complete stillness of mental tendencies is yoga. Meditation (dhyana in Sanskrit) denotes the seventh of the eight limbs of yoga in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The eight limbs of yoga are yama, niyama, aasana, pranayama, pratyahar, dharana, dhyana (meditation), and samadhi. Although the Sanskrit word "dhyana" is commonly translated as meditation, it really has no English equivalent. The English word "meditation" is derived from the Latin verb meditari, which means "to think, contemplate, devise, ponder, to ...
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How does one succeed at life?
By staying in tune with the power of the Spirit within -- beyond one's body and mind, one can succeed at life. We know the elephant is a much larger animal than the lion. The elephant’s body seems to be much stronger than the body of a lion, and yet a single lion can put to flight a whole herd of elephants. What is the secret of the lion’s success? The only secret is: The elephant believes in the body; the lion believes not in the body, but in something higher than the body: the Spirit (atman in Sanskrit) within. Elephants ...
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Who are the best known spiritual masters?
Spiritual masters are not rare. A real spiritual master will never tell that he/she is a real one! Even if someone mentions a certain spiritual master, how can you verify the truth of such an assertion? Unless a seeker is truly worthy, no benefit can accrue by meeting a spiritual master. What to do? Remember that the inner Guru that dwells within you is always watching all your thoughts, words, and actions. If one has this right understanding, there is absolutely no need to search for a spiritual master. Truly speaking, a spiritual master is already in search of a worthy seeker. In your dream, a ...
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