Spirituality is man’s realisation of the spirit. According to advaita , the non-dualistic philosophy of Vedanta , this spirit, which is also called the Brahman , created this entire universe through matter and energy.

All objects are the outcome of one primal matter. All natural forces like gravitation, and thoughts and feelings on the consciousness level, are the outcome of a primal energy called prana .

(See also: Self-realisation , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Self-realisation: Matter And Energy, Brahman And Maya  

No religion preaches violence. If all religions advocate peace, why then do some who profess allegiance to their religion, commit violence to defend their peace-loving, peace-preaching faith? India is home to some of the oldest religious texts known to man. The Vedas and the Upanishads , for instance, do not preach a particular religion, nor do they spell out a list of dos and don’ts.

The Rig Veda says: “ Aano bhadrah kritavo yantu vishwatah ”, which means, let noble thoughts come to us from everywhere. These ancient texts did not have a single author, nor their philosophy a collective name. Because of its universality, this particular stream came to be known as Sanatan Dharma , or 'perennial duty’. Later it came to be called Hinduism. Unfortunately we now have its political version - Hindutva .

(See also: Peace on Earth , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: House Of Hinduism: Room For Everyone  

The nature of the mind is to accumulate. A gross mind wants to accumulate things; an evolved mind wants to accumulate knowledge. When emotion becomes dominant, it wants to accumulate people.

The mind’s basic nature is to accumulate. The mind is a gatherer - always wanting to gather something. The mind of a person on the spiritual path starts accumulating 'spiritual’ wisdom. Maybe it starts gathering the guru’s words but until one goes beyond the need to accumulate - whether it is food, things, people, knowledge or wisdom - it does not matter what you accumulate.

(See also: The Mind , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » The Mind: Stopping The Mind’s Chatter  

More than 50 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi offered a startling truth: "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." To a country bogged down in the morass of war, this could be a beacon of hope.

Gandhi went further to show that the way of peace ends suffering and oppression, not by warring against an enemy but by bearing witness to wrongs and allowing sympathy and common humanity to do their patient work. Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa lived different aspects of peace, which was proven to be a viable way to achieve great things.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Way of Peace: Love As Antidote to War

Though the term Hindu is not of indigenous origin, I am proud to consider myself a Hindu. That pride has been deeply hurt by what others using that label have done in Gujarat.

What they did was typically un-Hindu, even anti-Hindu. What distinguishes the Hindu culture, philosophy and outlook on life from all other religions, faiths and civilisational traditions? In Hinduism alone you are able to say '' Brahmasmi ’’ (I am God) and to your neighbour, '' Tattvamasi ’’ (You are the truth).

(See also: Peace on Earth , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Dharma was Killed In Gujarat  

The spiritual approach to peace-making is radically different from the worldly approach, said Jesus Christ. In the worldly approach, both peace and war are driven by vested interests - so the one is indistinguishable from the other. Wars, St Augustine warns us in The City of God, are waged mostly in the name of peace.

The road to peace is truly simple: Make peace politically profitable and war-mongering politically costly. There should be a constructive collaboration between democracy and spirituality.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Orient Your Life Towards Peace

Most world leaders, international organisations and so-called peace summits tend to define peace in the shadow of war, as 'a situation where there is no war"between nations.

By doing so they are actually taking a negative view. By viewing the positive element in contrast to the negative, we will end up underrating the former'spotential. By defining light as the 'absence of darkness"or, life as the 'absence of death", we assign greater importance to the powers of darkness and death, or in the case of peace, to war, rather than peace.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Peace Is More Than No War

There is an interesting legend connected with Mahashivratri, the day Shiva got married a second time to Shakti, his divine consort.

Once Shiva and Sati or Shakti were returning from the ashram of sage Agastya, after listening to Ram Katha or the story of Ram.

On the way when Shiva saw Rama roaming the forest - in search of Sita who was kidnapped by Ravana - he bowed his head in reverence. A surprised Sati inquired of Shiva why he was paying obeisance to a mere mortal.

(See also: Mahashivratri , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Mahashivratri: Celestial Marriage of Shiva and Shakti  

The recent killings in the land of the Mahatma, the apostle of peace and non- violence, raises a very serious question. Is human consciousness being governed by the tenets of a few religious texts or is it capable of transcending all barriers for the sake of universal brotherhood?

Christians have killed Jews. Jews and Muslims are fighting all the time. Hindus have a long history of wars going back to the time of the Mahabharata. Despite the advancement of science, people continue to fight on national, religious or racial criteria.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Channel Destructive

In India, the day begins with worship. People pray, bow and meditate. Members of the Jain community all over India bathe, put on new clothes and walk barefoot to their local temple. They embark on their daily pilgrimage with no possessions and with high aspirations. Some of them carry a cloth mask which they wear when inside the temple. From the moment they walk into the temple, all worldly concerns are set aside to facilitate meditation. Their focus is on the Tirthankaras , the teachers who conquered their own vices to teach the world about compassion and salvation through example. The recitation of the Namokar Mahamantra encourages them to salute the achievements of all divine souls who attained salvation.

(See also: Jainism Worship , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Jainism Worship: Sincere Prayer for Peace and Harmony  

The sages who gave us the ancient Vedic mantras and hymns were evolved beings who had either attained or come very close to a state of pure consciousness. In their meditations they heard perfect words and sounds - sublime mantras, sacred wisdom arising from within. They passed this sacred wisdom on to their disciples by singing it.

In those days all the scriptures were sung, and the rishis and sages understood that chanting the sacred word was an offering to God for the well-being of the earth and all its creatures. They knew that the human voice chanting sacred mantras has healing power and that these pure sounds actually replenish the universe, create harmony, and keep the universe healthy.

(See also: Chanting , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Chanting: The Healing Powers Of Ancient Chants  

The Ashtavakra Gita , also known as Ashtavakra Samhita , is a treatise that offers simple recipes for almost instant liberation. Swami Shantananda of Vasistha Guha calls it “a quantum leap into the absolute”.

A unique treatise on the non-dualistic advaita philosophy , the Ashtavakra Gita “guarantees to transport a seeker instantaneously from time to eternity, from the relative to the absolute and from bondage to liberation”, writes Swami Shantananda.

(See also: Ashtavakra Gita , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Ashtavakra Gita: Ashtavakra's Guide To Instant Nirvana  

The Brahmakumaris practise Raja Yoga, particularly the trataka form of meditation in order to achieve union with God. It involves keeping your eyes open and fixing your gaze on a tiny red spot with total attention. Raja Yoga gives knowledge of self and enables one to attain peace, purity and harmony.

Dawn is preceded by the darkest hour of the night. The Brahmakumaris consider the present time as the most critical period. This will be followed by a new age - the dawn in the great cycle of time. The agent of transition may be the person possessing knowledge of the true self, of a positive soul. One who reaches the highest stage of this knowledge becomes Brahma. The supreme divine being is Shiva, who is an embodiment of knowledge, peace, purity and harmony.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Darkness Before Dawn In Cycle of Yugas

Sri Sathya Sai Baba is among those realised souls whose wisdom cuts across all barriers of race and religion, aimed only at restoring dharma and establishing the unity of faiths and peoples under the common banner of universal love and brotherhood.

However, to widen spirituality's reach beyond retreats and rosaries, it has to be made to touch all of life and divinise every activity. For this, the quest for atma vidya or self-knowledge is essential in a human being, for it awakens him to his inherent divinity and also promotes reverence and respect for all creation.

(See also: Atma Vidya , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Atma Vidya: Touch Base with God Through Atma Vidya  

Citizens everywhere today are demanding that their leaders make choices to advance the cause of peace. What is disturbing is the grotesque imbalance between our powers of destruction and our failing ethical capacity for empathy and self-restraint.

Genuine leadership must be based on a solid commitment to protecting the precious fabric of daily life. The ordinary citizens of the world are raising their voice, insisting that all decisions - whether political, military or economic - be made with this human reality firmly in view.

The common cause of human happiness is the strongest basis for human solidarity. In a world of intimate interconnection, solidarity cannot be limited to just one group or nation. It must embrace all the people everywhere.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Protect The Fabric Of Daily Life

True realisation takes place on knowing and seeing God in His transcendental form. It is a metaphysical experience within the human body. The manifestation of inherent divinity is in reality the revelation of the divine self of man. This is not different from the Supreme Self that permeates even the tiniest particle in the universe. It is accessible to all human beings.

(See also: Self-Realisation , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Self-Realisation: Cosmic Vision Alone Reveals the Truth  

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Waging Peace With An Awakened Mind

Faith is a rare gift of God granted only to humans, and it forms the basis of human relationships. We need to repose faith in our parents that they will always think of our welfare; in our children that they will not let us down; in our colleagues and friends that they will remain loyal. Similarly, for a seeker of salvation, a prime requirement is faith or shraddha in God.

Faith in people is based on our practical experience of them. We have no such experience of God. Does our faith in Him, therefore, have to be blind? As the following story illustrates, faith in God must be reasoned.

(See also: Faith , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Faith: Shraddha In God Works Wonders  

Christmas symbolises peace and goodwill towards all; that is why ceasefires are inspired by Christmas. It also means that we should ready ourselves to receive the child God, who epitomises the spirit of giving and receiving.

For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is ''hurry''.And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognise the spirit of Christmas. Christmas itself is eternal, said Burton Hillis.

(See also: Christmas , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Christmas: Imitation of Christ, Peace on Earth - - about Christmas  

Why are wars waged? Why are some conflicts never resolved? All fanaticism, militancy, terrorism and war are flashpoints of ativada. An ativadi is one who carries an opinion, viewpoint, argument or a case of grievance to excess.

That's why sages have said: Ati sarvatra varjayet - avoid excesses everywhere. No case or argument is strong enough to be an excuse for excess, for breaking peace. A mantra in the Mundaka Upanishad says: "It is one and the same life-force that shines forth as all these beings. One who realises this never becomes an ativadi" (3.1.4).

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Do Not Be Driven by Sentiment

There'sa crooked line drawn on land: One side of it is called India, the other side, Pakistan. People living on either side of this human made line could well kill one another - in fact, precious lives have been sacrificed to ensure that the line stays where it is.

You cannot have only peace, only love or only light, how much ever you wish it were so. Yin and Yang, Shiv and the Shakti, Krishna and Radha, are in perfect equilibrium in the cosmos. Their play is this universe, without and within. This unceasing play of opposites generates infinite hues. Murder and mayhem exist; so do loving and caring.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Drawing The Line - LoC To Infinity

Pranayama or breath control signifies stretching, extending and regulating our breathing process. Pranayama can be used as a preparation for meditation wherein it cleanses the body and the mind. It also helps to maximise the benefits of the practice of yogasanas and also focusing the mind.

(See also: Pranayama , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Pranayama: Breathe Some Life Into Your Soul - Pranayama