Adi Sankaracharya's life was dedicated to a quest for spiritual truth. His views on Advaita are best summed up in his own words: Brahma satyam jagat mithya, Jiva brahmaiva naparah; the Brahman alone is real, the world is illusory, the individual and Universal Soul are one.

This pronouncement is in contrast to other thought-systems of the time, like Ramanujacharya's Vishishtadvaita which treads a middle ground by focusing on the relation between the world and God; and Madhva's dvaita or dualistic world-view.

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

Read more here: » Adi Sankaracharya: Sankara's Path of Self-inquiry  

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  

It is important to recognise the difference between bhagavan bhakti (love of God) and religious fundamentalism - however, desh bhakti (love of country) has its own significance. After all, you have to begin with a smaller constituent. People have to get on with their lives. Can you sit back and do nothing if your nation’s security is threatened? Or even if one state’s safety is compromised?

(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: Identity Crisis - Desh or Dharma  

To find peace in this life, it is essential to walk the walk, facing what you would rather not face, but doing so in faith. Often what you face changes its countenance completely in the light of the faith you have in the Divine Essence within you. Situations that are faced with Divine peace radiating from the center change both in perception and hence reality. I am not one to confront, but I have confronted my own fears and found little to fear.

Read more here: » Transcendence Of Consciousness: Glass Ceilings and the Transcendence Of Consciousness

The Vedas contain revelations of the eternal Truth. The culture of a community or a nation is derived from the values that people live and uphold in their lives. The word Veda is derived from the Sanskrit vid , to know.

They contain knowledge in every field of worldly science , under the following broad headings - the sadangas or six limbs: Siksa or phonetics, kalpa or the code of rituals, vyakarana or grammar, nirukta or etymology, chandas or literature, and jyotish or astronomy. Along with these, four upvedas o r subvedas consist of the four sciences: Ayurveda or medicine, dhanurveda or new archery, gandharvaveda or music and sthapatyaveda or architecture

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

Read more here: » Vedas: Vedas As A Guide To Good Living  

Despite continuing conflict, prejudices that once seemed inherent in our nature, are giving way. However, frequently, organised religion poses a formidable obstacle in the path, especially when fanatics seek credence from it. Yet, a lot has been achieved elsewhere: Women were generally regarded as inferior. But now, globally, the concept of equality of the sexes is a universally accepted principle.

Nationalism faces a similar fate. One has to distinguish between patriotism that enriches one'slife, and submission to inflammatory rhetoric that provokes hatred and fear. Nationalistic rites are as often marked by feelings of awkwardness as they are by the strong convictions and enthusiasm of earlier times. The fetish for absolute national sovereignty is on its way out.

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

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Towards Universal Peace And Hope

The mind as a separate live entity does not exist, for it is an instrument in the hand of God. The only thing that remains is 'Being', which covers both existence and non-existence, which is beyond words or ideas. Pure awareness dawns through an understanding of one's own nature. The sage's instruction demands no strenuous effort either through physical rigour or austere practices such as chanting.

(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: Discover the 'I', Be One With God  

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

Read more here: »  : Buddha Dharma Is Life-giving  

Ayurveda and Yoga can be called sister sciences of 'self-healing and self-realisation'. Both evolved from a Vedic background in ancient India, based on the same philosophy, sharing many practices. Ayurveda, the 'yogic form of healing', is aimed at bringing us back into harmony with our true Self or Atman . The great Ayurvedic teacher Charaka defines Ayurveda as the harmony of body, prana , mind and soul. Patanjali defines yoga as controlling the mind in order to realise the Purusha .

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

Read more here: » Ayurveda: Ayurveda and Yoga - Healing Touch  

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

Read more here: » Spiritual Music: Palliative Effects Of Good Music  

In 61 aphorisms, the Nirvanopanishad describes the attributes of one who has achieved Jivanmukti or liberation, while remaining in the physical body. At the very beginning, this Upanishad makes it clear that when one says: “Brahman encompasses the universe”, one is still assuming that there is duality, of the Brahman and the universe. The Jivanmukta, or the realised one, does not see the Brahman as being separate from the universe. For him, the universe does not exist. Therefore, he himself does not exist. The only existence is of the Brahman.

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

Read more here: » Jivanmukti: A Jivanmukta Lives In Non-duality  

Rabindranath Tagore lived up to his name. Rabi means the Sun and like the Sun's rays the myriad-minded "Great Sentinel" - as Mahatma Gandhi called him - never failed to dazzle with his creative genius, enlightening us with his sagacious insight.

Tagore's songs, poems, plays, short stories, novels, essays, letters, and paintings take us through his personal reflection of reality, which soon become our own because they touch the core of our heart, bonding us with nature. His writings are a heartfelt appeal for universal peace, love and harmony.

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

Read more here: » Rabindranath Tagore: Creative Philosophy Inspired by the Sun - about Rabindranath Tagore  

Yoga is now a universally sought-out medium and spirituality as a subject has become part of the curriculum of leading B-schools in the US. What is the reason for the resurgence of spirituality?

There are three interpretations: One school cites that in the modern era an organisation needs to innovate continuously to survive for which every individual stakeholder in the organisation needs to leverage his creative energy by connecting to God's own creative energy.

The other school feels that the sudden eruption of numerous corporate scandals worldwide is due to the lack of an appropriate value system. Hence the need to incorporate spirituality in the business curriculum apart from outlining the need for an evolution in the field of corporate governance.

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

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Why We Need to Get Connected to God

Vedas are four in number: The Rig Veda , the Sama Veda , the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda . Each of these four Vedas has four parts: the Samhita, the Brahmana, the Aranyaka, and a number of Upanishads. The first three parts of all the Vedas are collectively called the Vedas , and the fourth and the last, the Upanishads, are collectively called Vedanta .

These four parts of the Vedas represent the historical order of their development over millennia. The Samhitas are the most ancient, and of them, the Rig Veda Samhita is the earliest. The Samhitas are considered the Vedas proper; the Brahmanas , the Aranyakas and the Upanishads are periodic additions, made by way of growing with the changing times.

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

Read more here: » The Vedas: Physics is the New Bhashya of Vedanta  

Basaveswara was a 12th century spiritual master in Karnataka. Popularly known as Basavanna, he propagated moral, ethical and spiritual values for a peaceful and purposeful life.

Disillusioned by an indifferent and disparate society, Basavanna formed a new spiritual institution, Anubhava Mantapa . It was based on democratic principles to spread universal love and brotherhood. Anyone, irrespective of caste, could become a member of this institution as long as they were pious and of good character.

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

Read more here: » Basavanna: Basavanna Tried to Democratise Faith  

Influenced by Madame Blavatsky, Annie Besant joined the Theosophical Society. Her aim was to found a universal brotherhood where race and creed don't matter, to encourage the study of literature and philosophy, and to investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the physical powers latent in man. She advocated a radical approach to religion, which emphasised that religion cannot be forced upon any one; that faith was a matter of personal belief.

Why did she choose to become a Theosophist? Annie Besant wrote: ''An imperious necessity forces me to speak the truth, as I see it... That one loyalty to truth I must keep stainless, whether friendships fail me or human ties be broken... I asked no other epitaph on my tomb but that 'she tried to follow truth'."

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

Read more here: » Annie Besant: Triumph of Spirit: Annie's Dream  

Even as we prepare to deal with the threat of war and conflict, we need to focus on the equally critical issue of the impact this has on people's hearts and minds. The signal failure of military action to produce a clear prospect for peace has left many feeling suffocated with illusions of powerlessness and dread.

The impasse could be broken through military force or other forms of "hard power". At best, however, such action only responds to the symptoms of conflict. To the extent it plants further seeds of hatred in regions already torn by strife, it deepens and entrenches antagonisms.

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

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Creating a Global Climate for Peace

Advocates of peace all over the world continue with their avowed mission. They are working towards creating greater awareness of the need for promoting universal feelings of amity and compassion.

The annual Maramon Convention held recently in Kerala - which was first organised in 1896 by the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, an ancient Christian community of India - is one such collective effort to bring out the spiritual essence of the Word of God.

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

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Community Efforts For Amity And Peace

As the sighting of the moon is a must in Islam to signal holy occasions, so is the confluence of the full moon, pournami , and the star Pushya in the month of Makara or January. It is a day consecrated to the worship of Subrahmanya - he who is full of bliss and effulgence - the younger son of Shiva. He is more or less appropriated by the Tamils as their own god; temples to Kartikeya dot the state, most of them situated on hilltops, in places like Palani and Tiruttani, in thick forests as in Subrahmanya in Dakshina Kannada and on the seashore as in Tiruchendur.

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

Read more here: » Subrahmanya: The Child as the Guru of God  

Technologically we live in a borderless world. In reality, however, we exist in compartments, separated by walls of caste, religion and geography. We acknowledge the information explosion as being a great achievement and take pride in describing ourselves as a knowledge-based society. Snowed under as we are with mounds of information, we are facing a paradox - we find that ignorance levels are growing as well. The rate at which we are accumulating information is not commensurate with the rate at which our awareness is growing.

(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 or Violence, Make Your Choice

Meditation is a good stress-reliever. It calms the senses, making the mind inactive and the body, passive. Meditation usually involves concentrating on an object - a flower, a burning candle, a circle, a sound or word, or even one’s own rhythm of breath. Over time, random thoughts peter off. Meditation could also be objectless - just sitting, doing nothing.

Most forms of meditation involve turning your attention inward, away from your usual preoccupations and activities. In the process, you make a simple but significant shift from thinking and doing, to just being. With repeated practice the mind begins to settle down and your breathing slows, and you get into a relaxed, peaceful, harmonious state.

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

Read more here: » Meditation: Do-it-Yourself Tips For Meditation  

All followers of a guru, regardless of age , are like his children. He gives them shelter from misery and imparts to them the knowledge of self-realisation without expecting anything in return.

In a satsang the guru teaches meditation and other methods for realising the God who resides within. How does one find a guru? An ancient saying says that when the disciple is prepared, the guru appears. A genuine spiritual guru seeks out good students. If he finds that the student is not yet ready, he will gradually prepare him for higher teachings. And when the wick and oil are properly prepared, the guru lights the lamp.

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

Read more here: » Satsang: Satsangs, Gurus, Faith and Truth