The strength of our solar plexus, also known as the Manipura Chakra (‘Lustrous Gem’), is of vital importance in our daily lives. This area of the body is the basis of our confidence and decision making skills. A balanced Manipura Chakra will lead to more confidence, better digestion, and overall better quality of life. On…
Source: 8 Practical Ways To Strengthen Your Solar Plexus | Spirit Science
The image below depicts the occult anatomy of the human body, as projected on the Vitruvian Man (originally done, obviously, by Leonardo da Vinci). It unifies the Tree of Life, the Yogic Chakras, and information from Kundalini Yoga, Tantra, Astrology, Tarot and Alchemy.
The terror attacks in Paris left people questioning how such a horrible incident could happen to a country that has a well-developed intelligence and military
Source: Don’t Pray For Paris, That Won’t Help! Dalai Lama Tells Us What To Do Instead
What is Meditation?Meditation is an art of realizing and mastering self. Meditation does not mean the art of obtaining something from outside as it is an art of unlocking your energy from within. It is an art and it can be learn by any person. Some person does meditation for few years and after that they give up it as they were expecting miracles which is a wrong way of looking at meditation. Meditation allow you to enjoy life. It is not the path of running away from family life as it is an art of living a family and social life at it’s best. Now lets look at the first myth.
Source: Myths About Meditation
“A man becomes good by good works, evil by evil.” Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. 3. 2.13
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4:4.3-7 continues giving more detailed concepts and goes on to explain the concept as follows:
“When a caterpillar has come to the end of a blade of grass, it reaches out to another blade, and draws itself over to it. In the same way the soul, having coming to the end of one life, reaches out to another body, and draws itself over to it.
“Just as a goldsmith, having taken a piece of gold, makes another form, new and more beautiful, so also, verily the Atman having cast off this body and having put away Avidya or ignorance, makes another new and more beautiful form” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad).
“As people act, so they become. If their actions are good, they become good; if their actions are bad, they become bad. Good deeds purify those who perform them; bad deeds pollute those who perform them.
“Thus we may say that we are what we desire. Our will springs from our desires; our actions spring from our will; and what we are, springs from our actions. We may conclude, therefore, that the state of our desires at the time of death determines our next life; we return to earth in order to satisfy those desires.
“Consider those who in the course of many lives on earth have become free from desire. By this we mean that all their desires have found fulfillment within the soul itself. They do not die as others do. Since they understand God, they merge with God.
‘When all the desires clinging to the heart fall away, the mortal becomes immortal. When all the knots of desire strangling the heart are loosened, liberation occurs.
“As the snake discards its skin, leaving it lifeless on an anthill, so the soul free from desire discards the body, and unites with God who is eternal life and boundless light.”
Katha Upanishad 6.1-5, 10-11, 13-16
“The tree of eternity has its roots in the sky, and its branches reach down to earth. It is God; it is the immortal soul.
The whole universe comes from God; his energy burns like fire, and his power reverberates like thunder, in every part of the universe. In honor of God the sun shines, the clouds rain, and the winds blow. Death itself goes about its business in fear of God.
If you fail to see God in the present life, then after death you must take on another body; if you see God, then you will break free from the cycle of birth and death. God can be seen, like the reflection in a mirror, in a pure heart.
When the senses are calm and the mind is motionless, then your heart is pure; you have reached the highest state of consciousness, in which you are unified with God. If this state of consciousness is firm and secure, so it can never be broken, then you are free.
To calm the senses and still the mind, you must abandon the self. You must renounce ‘I’ and ‘me’ and ‘mine’. You must suppress every desire that surges around the heart. You must untie every knot of attachment.
A hundred and one lights radiate from the heart. One of them shines upwards to the crown of the head. This points the way to immortality. Every other light points to death.”
“Like corn, does a mortal ripen; like corn, does he spring to life again” (Kathopanishad).
upekkhā — equanimity, evenness of mind, a state of inner equipoise that cannot be upset by gain and loss, honor and dishonor, praise and blame, pleasure and pain
The Hajj is a religious pilgrimage to Mecca that a Muslim must make at least once in their lifetime. Read the about the experiences of Birmingham Muslims who have taken this trip of a lifetime. The Hajj is a very important part of the Islamic faith. Every year around 2 million Muslims converge on Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Dressed in white sheets the Pilgrims perform acts of worship and reaffirm their faith.
“To maintain this precious mind of bodhichitta,
I make excellent offerings …
Lakes and pools adorned with lotuses,
and the beautiful call of wild geese.”~ Shandideva, from Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
Shinto vs. Buddhism
Shinto or kami-no-michi (the original traditional term) is the natural spiritual cult of Japan extensively followed by the Japanese people. Shinto or literally meaning the way of the Gods was originally adopted from the ancient Chinese inscriptions. The very word Shinto is the combination of the two terms, “shin” or ‘shen’ meaning gods or spirits and “tÅ” or “do” denoting an idealistic path of study or path of existence. On the other hand, Buddhism is a tradition envisaged as the ultimate path of salvation which is to be achieved through an imminent approach into the absolute nature of reality and existence.
Shinto essentially integrates the various religious practices consequent of the diverse regional and local prehistoric traditions that were practiced in ancient Japan. On the other hand Buddhism takes within its purview many diverse traditions, religious practices and spiritual beliefs which are majorly based on the teachings of the Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.
Shinto is a unique religion where the ritual practices, actions and rites are a lot more significant than the words or preaching. On the other hand, Buddhism is a religion that does not recognize many religious rites or practices. It primarily focuses on the relation and study of the words and philosophies of the Buddha and the paths of existence as showed by him.
Shinto exemplifies the worship of the abstract forces of nature, the ancestors, nature, polytheism, and animism. The central focus remains on ritual purity which revolves around the honoring and celebration of the existence of Kami which is the ultimate spirit of essence. In a differing way, the foundation of Buddhism lies on the performing of altruism and following the paths of ethical conduct. Some of the common practices of Buddhism are cultivation of wisdom through meditation and renunciation, invocating the bodhisattvas and studying the scriptures.
Buddhism has two main branches termed as Mahayana and Theravada. Mahayana includes the traditions of Pure Land, Nichiren Buddhism, Zen, Shingon, Tibetan Buddhism, Shinnyo-en and Tendai whereas Theravada centers on the thoughts from the earliest surviving School of Elders. But Shinto has no branches and exists as one single institution of ancient Japanese religion.
Summary:
1. Shinto is an ancient religion from Japan whereas Buddhism is a tradition envisaged in India by Siddhartha Gautama.
2. Shinto originated from ancient Chinese inscriptions, whereas Buddhism has its inception in the thoughts and teachings of Gautama Buddha.
3. Shinto lays importance to religious actions and rites rather than words and preaching whereas the foundation of Buddhism is the words and preaching of Buddha. Buddhism focuses on an altruistic life that leads to salvation.
4. Buddhism has religious branches in the form of Theravada and Mahayana whereas Shinto has no such religious sects.
5. Shinto worships the forces of nature, polytheism and animism whereas Buddhism is all about following an ethical code of conduct in one’s life and practice meditation and renunciation.
The most important day of the year to clear obstacles in your life is Ganesha’s birthday. This is a very special time that happens once a year, when Ganesha will take on your karma, and dissolve all obstacles that lie in your future. All rituals and prayers to Ganesha become tremendously magnified during this time, and we have put together 3 packages to help you take advantage of this special power time.
The elephant head of Ganesha has a tremendous amount of importance because the elephant is associated with Supreme Intelligence. That’s why Ganesha is represented as the Isha, the Lord or the General of the Ganas (Angels).
Ganas are Super-intelligent beings. These are the soldiers in Heaven and they have a tremendous amount of psychic powers. They don’t fight wars like we do with nuclear weapons. They do it with psychically driven weapons.
He is the head of all these soldiers with psychic powers, so you can imagine the kind of intelligence that Ganesha possesses.
The worship of Ganesha represents acquisition of psychic powers and Supreme Intelligence.
Why the elephant head? The elephant is the most intelligent animal according to Indian scriptures and also according to Aristotle. He said that no animal is more intelligent or smarter in wit than the elephant. Aristotle said this long before scientists found out the importance of the elephant brain compared with the human brain like is happening now.
Worshiping Ganesha on his birthday every year has tremendous significance for everyone wanting to develop their intelligence.
Ganesha, Custodian of Intelligence, can give you shortcuts so that you don’t have to grope in the darkness.
That is what Ganesha does.
Never Underestimate the Power of Divine Archetypes like Ganesha!
Archetypes are able to help us in our day to day life. They have a higher intelligence. They can inform us and warn us of dangers ahead of time and give us a better intelligence. Ancient Scientists of different cultures understood Archetypes and used them in their daily lives.
Obstacles Are Standing Between You & Success
Obstacles are the karmic road blocks we experience in life, interwoven into the very fabric of our destiny. They are responsible for the hardships we face, especially delays, and setbacks, as well as frustration and failure. Ultimately, they block success, both materially and spiritually, and if they are not removed, they make it nearly impossible to reap the fruits of your efforts no matter how hard you try, or how well-intentioned you may be. The Archetype Ganesha, however, has the solution.
The Archetype Ganesha is a universal one that can be found in many cultures all over the world. He is sought by regular people, Mystics, and even by the Gods for his unique ability to both foresee and remove all known and unknown obstacles that lie in the future. Ganesha has the power to take your karma and transform it to ensure an utterly successful and prosperous future. He can give you the ability to enjoy effortless success and unimpeded growth in all areas of your life.
Just as an object needs a subject, the person in attack is not taking an independent position but is acting as an assistant. After all, you need your opponent to complete the other half of a whole.
The gentleness/firmness is one inseparable force of one unceasing interplay of movement. If a person riding a bicycle wishes to go somewhere, he cannot pump on both [of] the pedals at the same time or not pump on them at all. In order to move forward he has to pump on one pedal and release the other. So the movement of going forward requires this “oneness” of pumping and releasing, and vice versa, each being the cause of the other.
— Sifu Bruce Lee
Pare ca na vijānanti
mayamettha yamāmase.
Ye ca tattha vijānanti
tato sammanti medhagā.
There are those who do not realize
that one day we all must die.
But those who do realize this
settle their quarrels.
Dhammapada 1.6
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Buddha,
translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita
“I didn’t come here of my own accord and I can’t leave that way.
Whoever brought me here, will have to take me Home.
~ Rumi
kusalarāsī — a heap of merit
ujjalati — to blaze up, shine forth
In Lak’ech!
Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
in order to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and
death of all that are alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river,
and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time
to eat the mayfly.
I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence,
feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.
I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate,
and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.
I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands,
and I am the man who has to pay his “debt of blood” to, my people,
dying slowly in a forced labor camp.
My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life.
My pain is like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.
dukkhanirodha — the cessation of suffering
sabbaganthappamocana — freedom from all bonds
Udakañhi nayanti nettikā;
usukārā namayanti tejanaṃ;
dāruṃ namayanti tacchakā;
attānaṃ damayanti paṇḍitā.
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom,
translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita
Uṭṭhānenappamādena,
saṃyamena damena ca,
dīpaṃ kayirātha medhāvī
yaṃ ogho nābhikīrati.
By effort and heedfulness,
discipline and self-mastery,
let the wise one make for oneself
an island which no flood can overwhelm.
Dhammapada 2.25
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom,
translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita
Moisture in the air
Lightening over Manhattan
Summer’s beginning
Saddhīdha vittaṃ purisassa seṭṭhaṃ
Dhammo suciṇṇo sukhamāvahāti.
Saccaṃ have sādutaraṃ rasānaṃ.
Paññājīviṃ jīvitamāhu seṭṭhaṃ.
Sweet spring rising
To lead you without effort
To embrace new love
“There is no emotion that you cannot be rid of, because emotions are simply thoughts, and thoughts are just like the wind moving through the empty sky. There is nothing to them.”
~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Uttiṭṭhe! Nappamajjeyya!
Dhammaṃ sucaritaṃ care.
Dhammacārī sukhaṃ seti
asmiṃ loke paramhi ca.
Arise! Do not be heedless!
Lead a righteous life.
The righteous live happily
both in this world and the next.
Dhammapada 13.168
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom,
translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita
Kāyamuniṃ vācāmuniṃ,
manomunimanāsavaṃ,
muniṃ moneyyasampannaṃ.
Āhu ninhātapāpakaṃ.
Silent in body, silent in speech,
silent in mind, without defilement,
blessed with silence is the sage.
One is truly washed of evil.
Itivuttaka 3.67
Gemstones of the Good Dhamma,
compiled and translated by Ven. S. Dhammika
sabbasaṅkhaarasamatha — the calming of all conditions
Yesaṃ dhammā asammuṭṭhā
paravādesu na nīyare;
te sambuddhā sammadaññā,
caranti visame samaṃ.
Those to whom the Dhamma is clear
are not led into other doctrines;
perfectly enlightened with perfect knowledge,
they walk evenly over the uneven.
Saṃyutta Nikāya 1.8
Gemstones of the Good Dhamma,
compiled and translated by Ven. S. Dhammika
ṭhiti — stability, steadfastness; duration, continuance
The feminine is again
on the march and is awesome
Move forward to meet
Know she is not alone
Your ancestral memories are her companions
tāyitar — one who protects, shelters or guards
Anupubbena medhāvī, thokaṃ thokaṃ, khaṇe khaṇe,
Kammāro rajatasseva,
niddhame malamattano.
One by one, little by little, moment by moment,
a wise one should remove one’s own impurities,
as a smith removes dross from silver.
Dhammapada 18.239
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom.
translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita
vippamutta — completely freed
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