Buddha's Young Life

by Vivek Roy

Here is a brief sketch of the life of the Buddha also known as Siddhartha, Gautama, and Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. (more…)

Happiness and Meaning

Evolution drives us towards survival and reproduction. That we exist, now, is a result of our ancestors being sufficiently good at survival and reproduction that we have a 4 billion year unbroken lineage to the origin of life. At some unknown point in that 4 billionn year journey we developed consciousness and (perhaps) agency. In some way we (what is we, or I, or 'self'?) became aware of our environment and aware of the choices open to us in negotiating it towards some end.

Evolution continually drives us towards the next nourishing meal and the next potential partner in order that our specific genetic pattern may survive in perpetuity, or long beyond our individual mortal body. It does this by driving us to seek positive emotions, that which 'feels' good, and to avoid negative emotion (what feels bad). But feelings are inevitably short-lived. It would not serve evolution if one tasty meal satisfied us for a lifetime.

Over countless aeons, civilization developed drives that seem to exceed the basics of evolution. We still seek the momentary hedonistic buzz of basic fulfillment. But its inevitable transience causes us to seek the more sustained satisfaction arising from meaningful purpose in life. (more…)

Trumped-up wars

By William T. Hathaway

"Obey me or die!"
the orange-haired man threatens the world.
"My drones know you're home,
and my missiles don't miss.
I'm Commander in Chief, CinC for short.
I'll sink you into the sea, fry you crisp,
burn you to dust with the push of a button.
I'll overthrow your governments,
strangle your economies,
jail your refugees.
I'm the trumpet of doom,
I'll turn your land into a tomb!"

CinC, this may shock you,
but there are higher commanders than you,
and to Them we appeal for peace
and deliverance from you:

"Jaya Jaya, Vinayaka
Hara Kailash
Durga Rakshakari
Rudra Shanti
Vidjayante Taram

Protect us from the orange fire
of the orange demon
and all his NATO agents of orange.
Disembody these demons, vanish them,
banish them into the dungeon of perdition
their deeds have built for them.

Om namah Shivaya"

***

William T. Hathaway's first novel, A World of Hurt, won a Rinehart Foundation Award, and his new one, Wellsprings: A Fable of Consciousness, deals with the environmental crisis as an old woman and a young man battle the corporations controlling our shrinking water supplies: https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/cosmicegg-books/our-books/wellsprings. He and his wife, Daniela, direct the Transcendental Meditation Center in Oldenburg, Germany.

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3 Steps on How to Impress Your Boss Using Astrology

by Margarita Celeste

Astrology is no longer relegated to the “fortune teller” status that it had back in the day. In the last two years, the world has steadily moved towards embracing this magical art. It has mainly come through Millennials and Generation X leading the way; generations searching for a little more meaning in the world.

Although Astrology is mainly known through horoscope reading in the daily newspaper, or most recently through online sources, it is gathering speed. More and more people are learning to read their “birth charts”. From business to love and relationships, to planting the right seeds at the right time, astrology has become an indispensable tool for the modern generation.

We can totally use astrology to get ahead in the workplace, simply by understanding a little of how it works and the applying that to our careers; specifically, to impress our boss. It’ll take a few hours of practice, but by the end of it, you’ll be the envy of the office with your seemingly magical way of knowing exactly what makes your boss tick.

Read on to find out 3 ways to impress your boss using Astrology:

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A Buddhist - Christian Path to Satisfaction

Like most religions Buddhism and Christianity both consist of philosophical and “supernatural” aspects. This post draws on the key philosophical teachings of Buddhist pragmatism and Christian kindness to identify guidance for satisfaction and fulfilment in the 21st Century.

Life is Short, Fragile and Uncertain

A human lifespan is but the tiniest drop in the cosmic ocean. Life is fragile; it can be cut short in so many ways - illness, accident, at the hands of another. It is subject to countless unpredictable external influences, many with the power to drastically affect life’s course, or mercilessly terminate it.

Life is like being given $100 and knowing it will vanish at some random unknown future time. Rationally, you’d spend and enjoy it now. That is living primarily in the moment, ie mindfully. (more…)

Abortion: Islamic and Jewish views on when a human soul enters a human fetus

by Rabbi Allen S. Maller

I am a Rabbi who frequently writes articles about the close connections between Judaism and Islam for Islamic web sites as well as for Jewish web sites; and 31 articles previously published by Islamic web sites are in my book ‘Judaism and Islam as Synergistic Monotheisms: A Reform Rabbi's Reflections on the Profound Connectedness of Islam and Judaism’.

The following article appeared this week on the Islamicity web site; and on The Times of Israel:

All the continuing political disputes over abortion in the USA and other countries ignore the fundamental religious issue: when does the fetus in the womb of a woman’s body become a human fetus? At conception it is a living physical body, but when does this soul become a spiritual human being? (more…)

Stress and Worry World Wide

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5 Yoga Asanas You Should Follow With Your Family On Weekends

by Manmohan Singh

Summary: Weekends are not only meant to sleep till late, eat junk, or take a stroll at a mall. Alter it with yoga, making it healthy and enticing for your family. Learn about five asanas to follow with your family on weekends.

Is there anything better than spending time with family over the weekends where you can have fun, talk, remember old times, and lots more. Relaxing at home after a tiring weekend is simply an amazing feeling, but during those two days, most of us endure hours of lying in bed watching TV, keep on munching food out of boredom or do nothing progressive.

Make your weekend fun with your family with yoga. Practice some amazing poses with them creatively, which you might have learned during 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Bangalore or at a yoga retreat in Dharmashala. (more…)

The Quantum World and The Physics of Healing

by Gabriel of Urantia

Excerpted from the book Teachings on Healing From a Spiritual Perspective co-authored by Gabriel of Urantia available at  https://globalchangetools.org/collections/books/products/teachings-on-healing-from-a-spiritual-perspective

Those of us who study the fact that human beings have various bodies all functioning with the physical body should know that any one of those bodies may need healing before the physical body can be healed.  Often, band-aids are put on the disease where deep soul surgery or emotional surgery needs attention.  The physical body or cellular body has to deal with impure air, impure water, impure food, and bacteria and viruses.  All that breaks down the immune system.  But very few individuals realize that many diseases of the body are actually caused by impure thinking, in both emotional (etheric) and astral (soul) bodies.  A series of negative thought patterns is called dio thade thought.  This dio thade thought can disrupt any of the body’s systems over a period of time and cause any of a number of diseases.

One thing that distinguishes human beings from animals is that we have emotions.  These emotions, when handled properly and in balance, can bring forth beautiful music and art and wonderful novels.  But when emotions are imbalanced, they can disrupt relationships and cause actual physical pain to the cellular body.  Many people fail in all endeavors of life because they have not learned to control their emotions. (more…)

5 Stages of Spiritual Awakening

In this article, we will be briefly exploring five stages of spiritual development. By being able to identify critical moments in our transcendental journey, we will be able to dive deeper into the unconscious and use it as a resource for understanding ourselves.

Just as our consciousness is only the tip of the iceberg, it is crucial to understand that our spiritual journey forms part of our growth as human beings. Given that we can know which tier we're currently in, we will have the capability to go higher.

As such, here are the five key stages for spiritual awakening (more…)