Lighting The Lamp Of Wisdom

The insiders guide to Hindu spiritual life. Ashram is the general term for a study center, retreat house, or monastic community in Hinduism, the millennia-old religious tradition of India. Ashrams of various kinds are now found throughout North America, and are popular venues for spiritual retreats, workshops, and classes. Lighting the Lamp of Wisdom takes you into a typical week of retreat inside an ashram to demystify the ashram experience and show you what to expect from your own visit. You will experience all the elements of a typical day and week, including: The colorful puja, or worship services Meditation practices and yoga classes Classes on Hindu scriptures Chanting and music Satsang: an informal talk with the ashrams guru Work practice and much more. You'll also meet some of the people who visit ashrams to hear their reasons for going there, as well as the spiritual benefits they derive from the experience. Also included are a helpful glossary, a list of books for further reading, and a directory to ashrams in North America that will enable you to locate one near you and set up your own visit.

The powerful combination of exercising both mind and body in the quest for spiritual enlightenment is integral to Hindu spiritual life, and the ashram is where it takes place. This guide introduces you to the typical ashram schedule as experienced in three different communities -- India, New York, and the Bahamas -- to show you what you can expect from the yoga, meditation, worship, and study that define an ashram retreat. Whether you're simply curious about this millennia-old spiritual practice, or interested in experiencing it firsthand, this is the ideal handbook to get you started, no matter what your faith tradition. A helpful glossary of terms, a list of resources for further reading, and a directory to yoga ashrams in North America and elsewhere will enable you to set up your own visit and explore the spiritual benefits of yoga ashram life for yourself. Book jacket.

Surveys the history of the mosque lamp and its numerous variants and the deep significance of light and the lamp in religion.

This volume deals with the varied forms of shame reflected in biblical, theological, psychological and anthropological sources. Although traditional theology and church practice concentrate on providing forgiveness for shameful behavior, recent scholarship has discovered the crucial relevance of social shame evoked by mental status, adversity, slavery, abuse, illness, grief and defeat. Anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists have discovered that unresolved social shame is related to racial and social prejudice, to bullying, crime, genocide, narcissism, post-traumatic stress and other forms of toxic behavior. Eleven leaders in this research participated in a conference on The Shame Factor, sponsored by St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Lincoln, NE in October 2010. Their essays explore the impact and the transformation of shame in a variety of arenas, comprising in this volume a unique and innovative resource for contemporary religion, therapy, ethics, and social analysis.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib is generally known as the holy scripture of Sikhism, the world’s fifth largest religion. But this holy scripture is neither a storybook nor just the philosophy of the Sikh saints or prophets. It is more like a collection of divine revelations and hymns, expressing the feelings of love and devotion of the Sikh Gurus for the Supreme Being, along with the similar yearnings and longings of the devotees and saints from all faiths prevalent in Indian subcontinent during those times. The beauty of this 1430 page hymnal written in 22 different languages lies in the fact that while it spiritually connects the human mind to the original source of eternal bliss, it provides a very practical and effective way to live in love and harmony with other fellow human beings irrespective of their faith, color, caste, creed, or race. The following are a few examples of the views of eminent writers and scholars regarding Sri Guru Granth Sahib: “Mankind’s religious future may be obscure, yet one thing can be foreseen. The living higher religions are going to influence each other more than ever before, in the days of increasing communications between all parts of the world and branches of the human race. In this coming religious debate, the Sikh religion and its scriptures, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib will have something of special value to say to the rest of the world.’ Arnold Toynbee- Historian “I have studied the scripture of great religions, but I do not find elsewhere the same power of appeal to the heart and mind as I find here in these volumes [of Sri Guru Granth Sahib]. There is something strangely modern about these scriptures. They speak to the people of any religion or of none. They speak for the human heart and the searching mind.” Mrs. Pearl S. Buck- Nobel Laureate In Volume five of the “It Is The Same Light” series (SGGS pages 801-1000), author Daljit Singh Jawa continues his humble effort to share the beauty of the SGGS with those who have limited familiarity with the language (Gurumukhi), history, or context. The following are some of the comments received on the volume 1 (pages 1-200 of SGGS): “This translation of Guru Granth Sahib is one of the best English translations in my view, as it is in simple understandable English, each shabad’s summary message is given, there is connection between the shabads to reveal continuity of thought process in Guru ji’s message. Thanks to S Daljit Singh ji for the great work which will benefit future generations understand Guru Ji’s message easily.” -Amarjit Singh, M.D., University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY “A monumental undertaking, reflecting a lifetime of devotion to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and to the scholarly study of its voluminous texts. Both its rendition of the original Gurmukhi script, with accompanying English transliteration, and its erudite commentary on each of the Granth’s many hymns mark this work as a stunning achievement which will benefit all serious students of the Sikh religion and of world religions in general.” -Barry Crawford, Ph.D., Washburn Univesity, Topeka, Kansas

This book is the collection of decades of talks between Ramakrishna and his disciples, devotees and visitors. Thus, it is a complete collection of his philosophic ideas, captured the very moments they were uttered and preserved for future generations. The book tells the stories of the divine origin of a human and nature, the energies that influence stand behind everything in our lives and influence our actions, and how to find peace and harmony by understanding what peace and harmony is. It also describes the lives of people, that found their spiritual way by worshipping their gods, or rather the embodiments of God, as the Higher Power. The text of this book was translated with the help of the prominent Americans of those times, such as the daughter of the President Woodrow Wilson and the poet John Moffit. Mahendranath Gupta (1854 –1932) was a disciple of the great 19-th century Hindu mystic Rama-krishna, a teacher to Paramahansa Yogananda, a famous 20th-century yogi and an author of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He met The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishnain his teens and since then he became his devoted disciple. Since the age of 13 Mahendranath wrote a diary, which later became a basis of the book about Sri Ramakrishna, which was his greatest achievement of the great influencer, as it helped spread the teachings of Ramakrishna around the world.

"The prayer book is our Jewish diary of the centuries, a collection of prayers composed by generations of those who came before us, as they endeavored to express the meaning of their lives and their relationship to God. The prayer book is the essence of the Jewish soul." This stunning work, an empowering entryway to the spiritual revival of our times, enables all of us to claim our connection to the heritage of the traditional Jewish prayer book. It helps rejuvenate Jewish worship in today's world, and makes its power accessible to all. Vol. 8 Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat in the Synagogue) features the authentic Hebrew text with a new translation designed to let people know exactly what the prayers say. Introductions tell the reader what to look for in the prayer service, as well as how to truly use the commentaries and to search for and find meaning in the prayer book. Framed with beautifully designed Talmud-style pages, commentaries from many of today s most respected Jewish scholars from all movements of Judaism examine Kabbalat Shabbat from the perspectives of ancient Rabbis and modern theologians, as well as feminist, halakhic, Talmudic, linguistic, biblical, Chasidic, mystical, and historical perspectives."

This Volumes’ of Sri Sathya Sai Speaks are compiled and offered at Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Lotus Feet on His 97th Birthday as a reminder to all Spiritual Aspirants of Baba’s Love & Message Compilation of Discourses from 1953 to 2010 (1614 Discourses) Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 01 | Year(s) : 1953 to 1960 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 02 | Year(s) : 1961 to 1962 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 03 | Year(s) : 1963 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 04 | Year(s) : 1964 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 05 | Year(s) : 1965 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 06 | Year(s) : 1966 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 07 | Year(s) : 1967 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 08 | Year(s) : 1968 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 09 | Year(s) : 1969 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 10 | Year(s) : 1970 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 11 | Year(s) : 1971 to 1972 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 12 | Year(s) : 1973 to 1974 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 13 | Year(s) : 1975 to 1977 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 14 | Year(s) : 1978 to 1980 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 | Year(s) : 1981 to 1982 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16 | Year(s) : 1983 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17 | Year(s) : 1984 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 18 | Year(s) : 1985 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 19 | Year(s) : 1986 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 20 | Year(s) : 1987 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 21 | Year(s) : 1988 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 22 | Year(s) : 1989 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 23 | Year(s) : 1990 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 24 | Year(s) : 1991 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 25 | Year(s) : 1992 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 26 | Year(s) : 1993 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27 | Year(s) : 1994 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28 | Year(s) : 1995 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 29 | Year(s) : 1996 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 30 | Year(s) : 1997 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31 | Year(s) : 1998 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 | Part 1 | Year(s) : 1999 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 | Part 2 | Year(s) : 1999 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 | Year(s) : 2000 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34 | Year(s) : 2001 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 35 | Year(s) : 2002 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 36 | Year(s) : 2003 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 37 | Year(s) : 2004 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 38 | Year(s) : 2005 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 39 | Year(s) : 2006 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 40 | Year(s) : 2007 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41 | Year(s) : 2008 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42 | Year(s) : 2009 Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 43 | Year(s) : 2010