Spiritual Pathways

10 1 The purpose of life is to evolve. 2 Human souls evolve through thousands of birth, starting as bacteria and then gradually moving up through insect and animal lives to human level. 3 Evolution does not stop at the human level. 4 Among humans, levels of evolution differ greatly on our planet. If one considers human and other life in the universe elsewhere then variations are greater. 5 What is being talked of here is spiritual evolution and not physical evolution but physical and spiritual evolution take place in harmony.  The physical body is merely a vehicle for the inner spiritual soul.  6   At any time, in some parts of our world, human life is only slightly different from life of monkeys and chimpanzees, the evolutionary and genetic predecessors of humans, the chimpanzee is near   99% human genetically, whereas in other parts there are well-organized civilizations with well managed cities and towns. These differences are a result ...

9 Trumpence Amaryllis, some of the flowers in my garden There may be reason enough to reject a religion but that is not a reason to reject God; Because God is Love. It is unfortunate that some persons regard some religion or the concerned preacher in consideration as an authority on God and reject God because of that. Such persons make another error when they refer to God, as this god or that god because there is Just one God. If one prefers, one need not follow any religion at all but believe in God nevertheless i.e. become an independent theist. The greatest of mystics and founders of many religions were all independent theists. In fact there is nothing but God, all of the universe that is within the reach of perception and all that is beyond perception is God, everything else including us are a part of Him, although some of us is ignorance too, giving us our independent existence for as long as that ignorance and the karma born of it persists. If a religion descri...

8  https://twitter.com/ramblingsloa/status/842031372483076096 Every leaf that grows will tell you: What you sow will bear fruit. So if you have any sense my friend, Don't plant anything but Love.  Rumi Karma is a Sanskrit word used in eastern philosophies. In Islam and Christianity, other words are used to describe similar ideas. The principle of Karma implies that everything we do, good or bad, is recorded by the Universal Intelligence. It causes a reaction similar to our deed. It is the principle of retribution - As you sow so shall you reap!  The main difference between Christian and Eastern religion as regards this is that in prevalent interpretation of mainstream Christianity, actions and reactions take place over two lives (this one and the next) because only a single reincarnation is assumed whereas in eastern philosophy it is something that can be executed over several life times with a soul taking birth repeatedly. The principle...

7  Your world is created by your mind But the mind may never know the Lord fully The Father and Mother of the universe Nay, not even the loftiest of angels know Him fully Only He knows Himself Eyes cannot see Him Ears cannot hear Him The mind cannot understand Him But, you may know Him through your heart And your soul At best the mind can lead you to His portal More often it shall lead you away from it To brief pleasures of the world To brief delights of the ego That is followed by pain and suffering Still your body Still your mind Then you shall know thyself And your heart shall know Him The abode of infinite Peace and Bliss.

6 “Theologians may disagree, but mystics of the world speak the same language.” ― Meister Eckhart Leaving behind ambitions of world and attainments of the world, most of his wealth and property, keeping only the minimum necessary to sustain his remaining years, he became a recluse. He entered the forests on the mountains and set up his abode there. Now he had become a hermit, a mystic yogi. At first his sleep was disturbed as he tossed and turned through the night, as he resolved the dilemmas and anguish that fall on all of us as we face the world of gain, ambition and desire. In time though, the tossing and turning subsided. Once again, his sleep became as sweet as it was when he was a child. He would wake up early with the same delight that a child wakes up when it is holiday from school, for every day is a holiday now, each day with its own new magic. He now enjoyed flowers of the forests as a child enjoys his colorful toys. A walk through the trees was as joyous ...

5 All pursue happiness. This includes even those who are on the fringes – The Mystics who rejected much of the material world as also those who became billionaires in the pursuit of the same. However, there is a major difference in the way in which happiness is pursued between these two extreme fringes of society. Understanding their paths is helpful for most humans who are between the two extremes. Mystics endeavor to pursue happiness in a way that does not lead to harm for others. If possible, they help others increase their happiness as well, not just from compassion but also because they understand that whatever one puts into the world comes back. Moreover, they avoid pursuits that may lead to brief episodes of happiness but pain later. Most of all, they seek a path of happiness that helps their souls to evolve, i.e. capable of ever greater peace, happiness and bliss, for if the very apparatus that perceives happiness is damaged, there is little hope of it. Myst...

4 https://twitter.com/ramblingsloa/status/850732754534846464 When your mind and heart sing in harmony, you hear the music of your soul. Most humans have to deal with a host of difficulties frequently while trying to get on with their lives. All are in need of simple techniques that can empower one to deal with stress and difficulties in whatever one has to do, most effectively and joyously. Here is an ancient technique from ancient Buddhist sources - interpreted with further information and personal experience. The technique is mindful breathing. It is free of any philosophical baggage and very easy to practice. It is available from many sources today with slight variations. Just observe your breathing, the inward breath brings with it life and energy that is carried to every cell of your body, energizing and cleaning every cell. The same blood that carries this breath to every corner of the body from head to toe is like a good friend of the cells. - ...

3 Both my father and mother are no more. When I was young, my mother was the world to me. She was a gentle and loving mother as good as any and if any mother has something of the divine in her, something of the mother Goddess, she had it. As I grew older, I continued to love her and be loved by her until she breathed her last some twenty years ago. Something else happened, as I grew older. I learnt that there is another mother, a more permanent one that was the mother of my mother as well and the mother of everyone else too. She is Mother Earth because all of us are born from her womb. Every part of our body is made from some part of her flesh and blood. And, this more eternal mother is incredibly beautiful too. Her vast forests, mountains, deserts, grasslands and oceans never cease to delight and charm us with their grandeur. She provides us with unlimited bounties, day after day, as long as we live and long after that for the rest of her children, all life that dwells u...

2   Everyday, every moment of our lives, all of us undergo a range of experiences. With each experience is associated a memory. During an average lifetime, the storehouse of such memories is vast indeed, far more than any computer can hold. A process of the human brain is to organize these memories in layers, the uppermost layer being the conscious mind. Below this are many layers of the subconscious mind that store not just the memories of this lifetime, but for those who believe in reincarnation, memories of previous lifetimes as well. Mystics believe that the deepest layers of memories are in the soul and contain knowledge of the universe. Reaching this layer is what is described as enlightenment. Nevertheless, restricting ourselves to the most immediately accessible layers of mind, we know that with each memory is connected certain emotions such as hate, anger, love, sorrow, happiness etc. Indeed it seems that only those memories are of value that have emotional...

1 Sometimes humans live in rented or other temporary accommodation. At times they live in a home they own. Even though humans spend effort in making their temporary homes comfortable, they do not make any large investments on it. If they own a home, they spend much more effort in maintaining and developing this latter property. Humans that realize that their physical bodies are a temporary abode for their souls and that their soul is something permanent that lives in numerous bodies over many lifetimes often spend more time on assets connected with their soul rather than this temporary body. These assets are the experiences, memories, knowledge, evolution and karma that belong to the soul more than the body. Our family relationships, wealth, property, and even name are something that belongs to our bodies rather than the soul and these are left behind when we leave this body. It is good to maintain the body just as we maintain our temporary rented homes, because i...

Dear Reader This blog is primarily for those seeking spiritual knowledge in a modern way, free from encumbrances of any one particular religion. There are other blogs by me on spiritual matters but they contain much else too. One looking only for spiritual knowledge would tend to get distracted. Although spirituality has always been my first interest,  I became an engineer, scientist, professor and educational administrator to make a living, travel the world and learn modern ways of thinking. During those years, spiritual studies took a back seat except for breaks in career and vacations. Much involvement with the world often leads humans to error and sin and I did not escape that in my worldly life. While this leads to suffering, it may also lead to overcoming the same depending on the attitude they are dealt with. In my case, it was the latter with the grace of God, at least for the most part. Even the worst of sinners are rescued from harm when one turns to God, the ...