Posts Tagged ‘Members’
Beyond Winning and Losing
The philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588 –1679) believed human beings were innately competitive, and that this trait ruled our mind. Even if we appear to mingle peaceably with one another, there is always an interior gladiator, ready to thrust and parry its way to a position of personal gain and glorification. Hobbes justified strong government as…
Read MoreMeditation Practice: One Ocean of Consciousness
A session led by the Warden at Shanti Sadan Meditation helps us to relieve our mind of the cares and concerns of the day—to take a step back, as it were, or rather a step in to a level of our being where there is peace, not stress, silence, not noise, stillness, not movement. It…
Read MoreThe Yogic Conception of the Soul
What is the soul? Does such an entity exist, or is it merely a fiction of the religious imagination? Scientists are mainly concerned with the observation of objective phenomena, and are often inclined to dispense with the idea of a soul, or even of a mind in the generally accepted sense. A common tendency is…
Read MoreJapanese Spiritual Poetry – Dogen
(Eihei Dogen lived from 1200 to 1253. He is one of the great figures in the spiritual history of Japan, and generally regarded as the founder of the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism, with its focus on meditation.) By Dogen’s time, the Japanese love of poetry had penetrated far beyond the courtly and educated circles,…
Read MoreTeachings of Shri Dada of Aligarh
When the rains of our desires are over, and the calmness of the mind restored; when the mud of worldliness is dried up; it is then that the mist of error vanishes from view, like the shadow of night on the approach of dawn. Subscribe or enrol for free guest access to read all of…
Read MoreNazir on Love of God
This tavern has good wine, fine decanters and beautiful cups; but there is no Saqi (server of wine). I wish to set this tavern on fire and consume it to ashes. Nazir If life is passed in the midst of wealth, prosperity, mundane success, rest and comfort, excitement and pleasure, but without love, it has…
Read MoreThe Way to Fulfilment
One becomes happy by coming into contact with the source of happiness. Who indeed can breathe in or breathe out if this bliss were not there within the heart? Taittiriya Upanishad Without peace of mind, how can there be happiness? Bhagavad Gita The Upanishads have much to tell us about human happiness and its source.…
Read MoreMake Believe and Reality
One of London’s popular tourist attractions is 221a Baker Street, the home of Sherlock Holmes. The blue circular plaque fixed to the facade tells us that the consultant detective lived there from 1881 to 1904. Scores of tourists patiently wait their turn to cross the historic threshold and view the furnishings and relics of the…
Read MoreMeditation Practice: the Infinite Transcending Thought
A meditation practice session led by the Warden at Shanti Sadan There are great benefits awaiting us if we allow meditation to take root in the soil of our mind through regular practice. In this way meditation practice becomes a pleasure rather than a labour. We will come to it with joy and expectation. Our…
Read MoreLight from the Eastern Orthodox Mystics
This article will look at some of the mystical teachings that have come from the Orthodox Christian tradition. Within this tradition there has been a marked interest in the possibility of seeking within one’s own experience for a deeper knowledge of what is described in the scriptures, and practical guidance is provided on how to…
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