Christian Definition of True Reality

How does one define reality from the perspective of faith? St Anselm defines theology as "faith seeking understanding".

St Augustine, citing Plato, argued for the necessity of eternal, universal spiritual principles and laws on which our contingent and temporal realm of existence is based. For Augustine, God is the author and overseer of these principles and laws.

Making this Platonic distinction between the spiritual and material, early mediaeval Christianity came to value the spiritual realm of life far more than the material. The attendant dualistic anthropology led to an overvaluation of the development of the soul, in comparison to the body.

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Read more here: » Spiritual Inspiration: Fire Free Bird

Moving out of my apartment to reach anywhere in Mumbai, I pass through slices of time. 'Yesterday' shows up, among other things, in the buffalo sheds I pass along-side my drive through the new, slick highway, which is 'today'.

'Tomorrow' is seen in the amazing imported car showrooms, right next to the buffalo sheds. Rows of shining cars that can go at dazzling speeds - for which we do not have the right roads.

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

Read more here: » Personal faith: Close Encounter On A Metro Street  

faith: Trust or belief. Conviction. From the Latin fides, "trust." Faith in its broadest sense means "religion, dharma." More specifically, it is the essential element of religion-the belief in phenomena beyond the pale of the five senses, distinguishing it sharply from rationalism.

Faith is established through intuitive or transcendent experience of an individual, study of scripture and hearing the testimony of the many wise rishis speaking out the same truths over thousands of years. This inner conviction is based in the divine sight of the third eye center, ajna chakra.

Rightly founded, faith transcends reason, but does not conflict with reason. Faith also means confidence, as in the testimony and reputation of other people. The Sanskrit equivalent is shraddha. Synonyms include astikya, vishvasa, dharma and mati.

(See also: Faith , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Personal Faith Dictionary

Faith - The Power to Move Mountains

Faith is an awesome force that can give us the power to accomplish the seemingly impossible. There are many well-known examples of the power of faith in action. Mother Theresa, for instance, always had faith that God would somehow provide the food, money and provisions she needed to continue her service to the poorest of the poor. Writings about her work are filled with miracle stories of how the things she needed showed up exactly when she needed them, often in the most surprising ways.

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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  

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  

Introduction to Buddhism.

Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life. This makes Buddhism different from many other faiths for it is not centred on the relationship between humanity and God. Buddhism doesn't fit the pattern of other faiths and needs to be seen in its own terms to be understood properly. Buddhists do not believe in a personal creator God. It does not have the concept of a Saviour, nor of Heaven and Hell in the popular sense. Buddhism doesn't demand blind faith or belief, and says that people should test its teachings against personal experience.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Introduction to Buddhism

Faith: A belief; in the religious sense, faith is a belief in the supernatural or whatever other force brings the believers together. Faith has nothing to do with fact.

 (See also: Faith , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Personal Faith Dictionary

Id-ul-Azha is the second most important festival of Muslims across the world. Today's celebration comes almost two months after Eid-ul-Fitr, the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan. The spirit of Eid- ul-Azha is incorporated in Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah. The underlying flavour is the spirit of sacrifice or qurbani, commemorating Abraham's great act of faith many centuries ago.

Eid-ul-Azha, also known as Eid-e-Qurban, is a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice of something living to God.

(See also: Id-ul-Azha , 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: » Id-ul-Azha: Faith And Qurbani - Spirit of Eid  

When Jesus said: - The kingdom of God is within - what He meant was that heaven itself would be a disappointment to restless, worldly people.

If a person has no true joy in his heart, he will not find true joy outside though he be in heaven itself, and in the company of angels. Heaven must be experienced right here, right now, within ourselves if we are to experience it ever.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: Make Friends With Your Self

The three fundamental tenets for Jains are: Right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. A pursuit of these goals involves modest living, and prescribed behavior such as non-violence and stringent vegetarianism, and also various rituals and acts of devotion ( puja). The worship of images of mortal teachers or Thirthankaras (divinities) is common among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains alike, but the approach of the Jains to the Tirthankaras differs from that of the other groups.

Read more here: » Jainism: Right Faith, Right Knowledge And Right Conduct

Ending Poverty Consciousness

Definition number one of "poverty" in the American Heritage Dictionary is: "The state of being poor; lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts." It is further defined as "deficiency in amount; scantiness; unproductiveness; infertility."

By "poverty consciousness," I mean the set of attitudes and beliefs and feelings and values associated with material lack or fear of material lack. Poverty consciousness equals a belief in limitation, and almost always includes fear.

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Presentation of the Spiritual Reatreats in The Golden City.

Read more here: » Spiritual Retreats - A retreat for Enlightenment

“The experience of being a ‘free women’ came to me when I attended spiritual sessions… Freedom, I was under the impression, was to dress up lavishly and do precisely what I wanted and expecting exactly what I felt was right to happen in “MY WAY”, not being answerable to anybody for my thoughts, my words or action. That I called Freedom. Then I had an absolute change of heart and mind.”. Read more in this personal article about women’s liberation by Uma Mohan.

Read more here: » Women’s Spirituality: A personal view on women’s liberation

Buddhism after the Buddha

Buddhism spread slowly in India until the powerful Mauryan emperor Asoka converted to it and actively supported it. His promotion led to construction of Buddhist religious sites and missionary efforts that spread the faith into the countries listed at the beginning of the article.

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The following steps will help you make the shift from ineffective good intentions to being a powerful catalyst for positive change. With this approach you are very likely to see results, which is important because when we see that we've had an impact, we have more faith in our spiritual power. With faith, our power increases and our Area of Power expands.

Read more here: » Personal Growth: Discovering Your Area of Power

Spiritual Fasting: Fasting is Food for the Soul

The followers of the Baha'i faith are on a 19-day fast from March 2 to March 20. In this context, it would be instructive to look at the significance of fasting in all faiths. Fasting may assume different forms across different belief systems but is an integral feature of humanity's common spiritual heritage.

We must ask ourselves why God wants us to abstain from food and drink. Obviously, as the all-loving creator, He would derive no pleasure from the mere act of making his creatures endure hunger and thirst for a specified period. We may as well go a little further and ask ourselves why we have spiritual laws at all.

Read more here: » Spiritual Fasting: Fasting is Food for the Soul

Sharing of personal experience of enlightenment and the teachings of the Golden Age Foundation.

Read more here: » Personal Experience of Enlightenment: A path to freedom

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