... Infinitude's Happy Child ...

Seven Reasons Why We May Live Longer

2008-11-19T20:21:00.005+08:00

Studies shows that people who have a spiritual practice tend to live longer, recover faster from illness, and experience less distress in the face of calamity. In a recent well-researched and thoughtful book, God, Faith, and Health: Exploring the Spirituality-Healing Connections(John Wiley & Sons, 2001), epidemiologist Jeff Levin, Ph.D., has laid out seven pathways by which "religious or spiritual affiliation" may lead to better health.

1. Healthy lifestyle and social support
There is evidence that religious people may live longer because they are better stewards of their bodies. For example, many religious teachings discourage the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, meat, and drugs, all of which can endanger health. Religious people also tend to have more friends and stronger community. Social support is known to contribute to health.

2. Spiritual Practice
Practices such as prayer and meditation have been shown to improve health by promoting physiologic relaxation and strengthening the immune system.

3. Personality
Many religions prescribe attitudes and ways of relating to others that promote health. For example, most religions teach forgiveness, compassion, and peaceful comportment, which directly promote health. Practitioners who release anger and forgive or be helpful are likely to have decreased blood pressure, increased immune function.

4. Cognitive style
Religions teach faith, hope, and optimism, all of which are associated with better medical outcomes.

5. Mystical experience
Mystical experiences may occur with spiritual practices such as prolonged prayer, chanting or meditation These experiences may activate bio energy or life force that promotes natural, innate healing.

6. Supernatural force or intervention
There is a principle that is neither physical, emotional, nor mental, which is, nevertheless, the source of our aliveness and experience. Whatever this force might be, mounting evidence from studies at Duke, Columbia, the Mid-America Heart Institute suggests that an efficacy to healing intention or prayer separate from healthy lifestyle, social support, personality, spiritual practice, cognitive style or even altered states. Thus one way spirituality heals - is spiritual.

"During the past thirty years, people from all civilized countries on earth have consulted me. Among all my patients in the second of half of life - that is to say, over thirty-five - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life. It is safe to say that even one of them fell ill because he had lost that which the living religions of every age have given to their followers and none of them has been really healed who did not regain his religious outlook." - Carl Jung

Source: Self-Realization Fellowship Magazine, Winter 2002

Prescription for Health : All You Need Is "Love"

2008-11-10T13:22:00.010+08:00

Research Shows Expressing Love Is Crucial To Your Health

Imagine getting a prescription that reads: "100 milligrams of love, twice daily, unlimited renewals." Caring, of course can't be put in a capsule, but can heal as powerfully as medicine. "Love is a basic human need," says Dean Ornish, M.D., author of Love and Survival: 8 Pathways to Intimacy and Health."When we don't get it, we pay a price in how long we live and how likely we are to get sick."

We may also pay a price if we don't give love. According to Stephen Post, Ph.D., professor of bioethics and religion at Ohio's Case Western University, research shows that loving acts neutralize the kind of negative emotions that adversely affect immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular function.

But beyond our need to get and give it, what is love? How do we define something as essential and invisible as air? Researchers often look at human connection as the cardinal signal of love.

Scientists have taken the study of love in new directions, examining everything from the impact of mother's smile on her baby to the healing power of hugs. An interesting discovery has been how many kinds of connections count. Ties to friends, family, work, neighbours, and community can bolster health and happiness.

Beyond Romance
A powerful shift is occurring in the understanding of love, declares Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize winning science writer and author of Love at Goon Parle:Harry Hallow and the Science of Affection. " The science of today puts kindness ahead of romance," she says. The field of psychology ha shifted from Freud and sexuality to an adult view of love as responsibility and caring. The message is very clear: Taking care of each other is the nature of love."

Giving love allows you to ascertain who you are. "I define love as the un-sought for discovery of self through giving," Post says. He sees love as our indestructible core, an insight he confirmed when he began to work with Alzheimer's sufferers. " People with cognitive deficits are incredibly sensitive to affection. Any person can respond profoundly to love."

Post recalls one Alzheimer's patient who handed him a twig with a big smile. "If love was a wind, you'd have been blown off by your chair by the love in his eyes." he says.

Extend and Connect

So how do we "self-medicate" with love?

You can begin with a simple exercise in awareness: Choose a neutral person in your world, perhaps someone who sells you a morning coffee, and think of that person with compassion. "This practice awakens feelings of resonance and joy, which actually changes your biology (by releasing the chemical dopamine the brain)," says Sally Severino, M.D., professor of psychiatrhy ay University of New Mexico.

Move on to visualizing those closest to you with compassion. "The key is to cultivate a feeling of joy when you connect to others," says University of California psychiatrist Jeffery Schwartz, M.D. His brain-imaging studies have shown that compassionate practices stabilizes and balances brain functions, sometimes as effectively as medications such as antidepressants.

Finally, remember that love takes many forms, and that connection is more than romantic love. Expand your circle of love into a friendship toward all living things.

"I used to feel loved because i thought I was special," says Ornish. "Now I feel special because I am loved and I can love."
Your Rx (prescription) for Love

Your Rx For Love

Here are some simple actions to bring more love into your life.

1. Do small things with great kindness
2. Volunteer
3. Touch and be touched

4. Avoid rudeness

5. Love and do what you will

"If you get into a state of love, no matter what you do , it's going to be good." - St. Augustine

Source: Self-Realization Magazine, Issue: Summer 2008

Can Meditation affect Your Health @ the Genetic Level?

2008-11-01T17:22:00.008+08:00

DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid)

Say "Om": Doctors Find Meditation Affects Your Body
A Preliminary Study Shows Meditating Turns off Stress-Related Genes

It turns out peaceful thoughts really can influence our bodies, right down to the instructions we receive from our DNA, according to a new study.

Researchers for the study, published in the Public Library of Science, took blood samples from a group of 19 people who habitually meditated or prayed for years, and 19 others who never meditated.The researchers ran genomic analyses of the blood and found that the meditating group suppressed more than twice the number of stress-related genes -- about 1,000 of them -- than the nonmeditating group.

The more these stress-related genes are expressed, the more the body will have a stress response like high blood pressure or inflammation. Over long periods of time, these stress responses can worsen high blood pressure, pain syndromes and other conditions.

The nonmeditating group then spent 10 minutes a day for eight weeks training in relaxation techniques that involved repeating a prayer, thought, sound, phrase or movement.

"What this does is to break the train of everyday thought -- you no longer have stressful thoughts and because of that the body is able to return to a healthy state," said Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute Mind/Body Medicine and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

By the end of the training, the novice meditating group was also suppressing stress-related genes, although at lower levels than those of the long-term meditating people.

Meditation in the Genes

"In the old days, we thought the mind didn't affect the body," Benson said. "In truth, it's breaking down the very old rule."

Indeed, fellow mind-body researchers are finding more evidence that meditation and spiritual practices can influence the body in elemental ways.

Dr. Dean Ornish, professor of medicine and founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute at the University of California at San Francisco, recently found a relationship between meditation and genes in prostate cancer.

"This is an important pilot study showing that meditation alone may favorably alter gene expression in whole blood," Ornish said. "These findings provide additional evidence to our recent study in PNAS [the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences] showing that meditation -- when combined with better nutrition and moderate exercise -- also favorably altered gene expression in prostate tissue."

But researchers warn that only preliminary steps have been taken toward establishing a connection between genes and meditation.

"It's on the limits of sensitivity of where we can go on genomics and proteomics," said Towia Libermann, co-author of the study and director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Genomics Center in Boston. "We can't go into the brain itself, so a lot of what we do is going on in the blood."

That difficult step from brain to blood can make research to link meditation and genetics difficult.
"Things happen, and genes get turned on or turned off -- the genes make RNA, then the RNA makes proteins," said Dr. Charles Raison, clinical director of the Mind Body Program in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta.

Raison said it is those final proteins in the process that have a significant effect on the body, and sometimes RNA doesn't end up making those proteins. Since genomic analysis measures only the RNA in the blood, it can't guarantee that RNA had a specific effect on the body.

"Not everything gets down to the business end of the gun," said Raison, who would also have liked to see more definition of what meditation means in the study as opposed to including any forms of repetitive prayer or yoga.

Sorce:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=5287805&page=1

http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2008/7/1.aspx

Want to really Chill Out? - Try Ice Hotel - built of ice and snow

2008-10-25T05:14:00.030+08:00

Ice Hotel Entrance

Lighted Entrance

Reception Area

Main Hall

Main hall

Suite Room - Forest effect

Suite room

Ice Bar

Ice Church
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The other day I watched a programme about ICEHOTEL on Discovery Channel (on Astro). They showed how is the hotel built. It is amazing and a lot of hard work. A lot of engineering and artistic brains are behind building this beautiful piece of creation. If you really want to chill out in a unique place, go for Ice Hotel. But hang on! it is not cheap! atleast USD1000 per night. :)
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ICEHOTEL is situated in the village Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. The heart and backbone is the River Torne flowing freely through the unspoilt wilderness. Covered with a meter thick ice layer winter time the river is the source of all our art, architecture and design. The pure water and the steady movement of the river creates the clearest ice possible.

Ten thousand years ago, glaciers carved a riverbed and the Torne River was born. Since then, the crystal-clear, pure water of the Torne River has flowed freely along its 600-kilometer path through Lapland out to the sea in the southeast. The entire ICEHOTEL is on loan from the mighty Torne River and is a place where time stands still. When the spring comes and then finally the summer, the entire creation will once again become part of the rushing rapids coursing toward the sea.

ICEHOTEL takes shape
As soon as winter begins, a team of snow builders, architects, designers and artists from all over the world gather in the little town of Jukkasjärvi far north of the Arctic Circle. Under the direction of the ICEHOTEL Art & Design Group, they create each year’s version of ICEHOTEL.

The STORY: about a hotel made of ice and snow
If it is possible to build a hotel of ice in a small village 200km inside the Arctic Circle, which strikes the whole world with amazement, then anything is possible. The story of ICEHOTEL is indeed a fairy tale come true. The free flowing Torne River is the origin and artery of ICEHOTEL. From the river, the ice of ICEHOTEL is borrowed each year. And it is here, on the river shores in the village of Jukkasjärvi that our story begins.
It started off as a summer destination
The company Jukkas (present day ICEHOTEL) has been a tourist operator in the region since the 1970s. For many years the company focus was on the summer season and the magnificent outdoor experiences offered by the land of the midnight sun. During the dark winter the river was frozen and the people of the small village of Jukkasjärvi went into hibernation.
Cold and darkness as an experience
By the end of the 1980s it was decided to turn things around. Instead of viewing the dark and cold winter as a disadvantage, the unique elements of the arctic were to be regarded an asset. Inspired by the work of visiting Japanese ice artists, in 1990 the French artist Jannot Derit was invited to have the opening of his exhibition in a specially built igloo on the frozen Torne River. The 60 square metre building named Artic Hall attracted many curious visitors to the area.
ICEHOTEL known all over the world
One night a group of foreign guests, equipped with reindeer hides and sleeping bags, decided it would be a good idea to use the cylindrical shaped igloo as accommodation. The following morning the brave group raved about the unique sensation of sleeping in an igloo. Hence, the concept of ICEHOTEL was born. A lot has happened since. Today ICEHOTEL is world famous for its unique concept, its fantastic works of art and its extraordinary experiences. The fairy tale nature of ICEHOTEL brings out the child in guests of all ages.
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Source: http://www.icehotel.com/

India's First Mission To Moon - CHANDRAYAAN - 1

2008-10-22T20:01:00.014+08:00

Moon Impact Probe

Polar Satellite Vehicle (PSLV-C11)

If all goes well, Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, to be launched by the Polar Satellite Vehicle (PSLV-C11) on October 22 at 6.20 a.m. from the Sriharikota space port, will reach the lunar orbit on November 8, according to M.Y.S. Prasad, Associate Director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

About 1,000 engineers and technicians of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have rolled up their sleeves and are working hard for the past two months to ensure a flawless launch. The 52-hour countdown will begin on October 20 at 4 a.m.

On Saturday, the PSLV-C11, which is 44.4 metres tall and weighs 316 tonnes, looked majestic in the huge Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) of the state-of-the-art second launch pad on the Sriharikota island. As it gleamed in white and brown colours, the VAB’s massive doors, in contrast, shone in speckled grey.

“All checks on the vehicle are completed. The vehicle is now ready to receive the satellite,” declared T. Subba Reddy, Manager, Second Launch Pad, when journalists visited the complex.
A few kilometres away, Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which weighs 1,380 kg, is undergoing a battery of tests to test its flight-worthiness.

The spacecraft will be moved to the VAB on October 14 and married up with the PSLV-11. The “marriage ceremonies” such as filling Chandrayaan-1 with propellants and gas, and cobbling of the heat-shield which protects the spacecraft through searing heat when the rocket climbs through the atmosphere, will be performed over the next four days. On October 18 will begin the extremely slow journey of the rocket with the spacecraft, as if it were a temple chariot with the deity, from the VAB to the launch pad.

The PSLV, which stands on a mobile platform, will be wheeled on rail tracks to the launch pad, also called the umbilical tower, which is one km away. A powerful hydraulic bogey system will slowly pull the vehicle. The one-km journey will take two hours!

“The movement of the vehicle to the launch pad will take place on October 18. There will be minimum four days of work on the launch pad. The launch will take place on October 22 at 6.20 a.m., provided the weather supports us,” said M.C. Dathan, Director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

However, V. Krishnamurthy, the Range Safety Officer for the mission, is a confident man. “Rains do not matter. The launch vehicle is rain-proof. It can get drenched and we can still launch,” he asserted.

The PSLV had lifted off earlier when it was pouring over the island. Only a cyclone would pose a problem to the launch on time. Since this was the time when the north-east monsoon set in, Mr. Krishnamurthy said ISRO had formed a team of weather specialists who would be in Sriharikota six days before the launch.

Depending on their inputs, ISRO would take a decision on when to ignite the rocket.

Chandrayaan-1 will carry 730 kg of propellants. About 600 kg of these propellants will be used to put the spacecraft into lunar orbit at an altitude of 100 km. The spacecraft will have a mission-life of two years and use up 70 kg of propellants during this period, Mr. Prasad said.

Chandrayaan-1 has 11 scientific payloads — five from India and six from abroad. The payloads from abroad includes those from NASA, the European Space Agency and Bulgaria. The payloads will map the chemicals and minerals on the moon, and also prepare a 3-diemensional map of the entire lunar surface. The mission will also give clues on the early origin of the moon.

Mr. Prasad said, “We will be able to confirm whether there is water on the surface of the moon near the Poles with the help of the Chandrayaan mission.” Water on the moon was first identified by a NASA mission called Clementine. Based on that, NASA concluded that there could be a possibility of water in the moon’s South Pole, he added.

Moon Impact Probe
S. Satish, Director, Publications and Public Relations, ISRO, said an important Indian payload on the Chandrayaan-1 was the Moon Impact Probe (MIP). When the spacecraft reached the lunar orbit at an altitude of 100 km, the MIP would eject from Chandrayaan. As the MIP sped towards the moon’s surface, its video-camera would take pictures of the lunar surface.

Its altimeter would measure the instantaneous altitude from the moon. A third instrument, a mass spectrometer, would sniff the tenuous atmosphere above the moon. V. Seshagiri Rao, Deputy Director, Range Operations, Sriharikota, said each payload on the Chandrayaan, was subjected to different tests at Sriharikota.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/12/stories/2008101260901000.htm

Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satasang Society of India: Unfolding of a Great Vision

2008-10-19T09:52:00.010+08:00

Excerpts from a talk given by a monk at Self-Realization Fellowship's 75th Anniversary World Convocation, Los Angeles, July 14, 1995

"Renaissance" means rebirth. In the West, we look at history as a linear progression and assume that the farther we go into the future, the more evolved and refined things will be. But the yogis of India teach that history is cyclical. It moves in giant 24,000 cycles - from higher ages to lower ones and back up again, over and over.

The Florentines in the Renaissance looked back to the classical cultures for a model of ideal civilization; they idolized ancient Rome. And whom did the Romans idolize? the Greeks, who in turn idolized the Egyptians. Do you know why? Though very few Western historians could answer, it is because the Egyptians were a higher-age culture. Truths from past ages that were much more advanced than ours were encrypted in the Egyptians' hieroglyphics, in symbolism we still don't understand.

In his Autobiography of a Yogi, our guru Paramahansa Yogananda mentioned the civilizations of higher ages in ancient India, Egypt, Japan, China, Mexico - all over he world. Everyone of them has long since disintegrated, except India's. India's wisdom has survived all these centuries because, instead of carving their legacy in symbols and stone, her masters maintained a living spiritual tradition from guru to disciple. Even when history descended to the dark ages, the guru-disciple relationship continued to produce realized saints who kept that sacred flame alive, century after century. This is the key point - these teachings that our Gurus ( Self-Realization Fellowship Gurus) reintroduced to the world are not new; they are he wisdom of the highest ages becoming known again. And now that in our time the great cycle of ages is beginning to ascend once more, people are not only ready again to understand this higher wisdom , they are demanding it.

In his Autobiography of a Yogi, our guru tells us: "Unknown to society in general, a great spiritual renaissance started in 1861in a remote corner of Banaras." That was when Lahiri Mahasaya, at the request of Mahavtar Babaji, began initiating disciples into Kriya Yoga. And it was 1920 that the final stage of this renaissance truly got under way, for it was in that year that our Guru, Paramahansaji - whose work had begun in 1917 as Yogoda Satsang Society of India - beheld in a great vision a panorama of Western faces and heard God calling him to America. After a few days later he was ordained by Babaji to begin his world mission of spreading the science of Kriya Yoga worldwide.

"India has sent these Self-Realization Fellowship teachings," our Guru said, "to show you how to expand your consciousness to receive the infinite wisdom, the infinite love, the infinite joy of God."

As Guruji often said, he did not come to bring a new teaching or a new religion, but the essence, the truth, behind all religions. These teachings are more than religion; they are the truth that upholds life itself. If you want to be a good parent, you'd better have more than platitudes to answer your children's questions. If you want to know the secrets of getting along with others, of creating fulfilling relationships, you need more than religious dogma. Or if you want to be a successful businessman, these teachings are going to help you more than anything else you could ever study, because they give you the divine laws of success. Our Guru's teachings give a practical understanding of the basic laws of life that is incredible in its breadth.

Once a devotee of this path (of Self-Realization Fellowship) was talking about how the teachings applied to his work, and mentioned the words work and service. I asked him, "What is your definition of work and how does it differ from service?" He thought for just a minute and said, "Well, in work you produce something and in service you become something." I thought, this is Truth! Sincere members of Self-Realization Fellowship are not just sitting and studying about truth - they are living it; they are manifesting it; that's how exciting it is. And that is why these teachings will be at the core of the coming age.

Source: Self-Realization Fellowship magazine, Issue: Fall 1995

Picture: Self-Realization Fellowship International Headquarters Building on Mt. Washington in Los Angeles.

Big Bang Experiment Ready To Go TODAY - WEDNESDAY, September 10, 2008

2008-09-10T11:01:00.010+08:00

Big Bang Experiment Ready To Go TODAY - WEDNESDAY, September 10, 2008 at Centre Europeen de Recherche Nucleaire (CERN)

Video Presentaion:
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=90338

Thousands of scientists have spent more than a decade building the Large Hadron Collider at the European Centre For Nuclear Research in Geneva.

By smashing atoms together, the machine will recreate the conditions just after the 'Big Bang' when the universe was created.

The machinery is housed in a 17 mile tunnel 100 metres beneath Switzerland and France. Atoms will race around at virtually the speed of light in an atmosphere colder than outer space.

The millions of collisions will create temperatures 100,000 times hotter than the sun.

Scientists hope that will uncover secrets about the universe's structure and reveal more about dark matter.

They also believe the experiment could confirm the existence of the so-called 'Higgs Boson', dubbed the 'God Particle', which would explain why some particles have differing mass. The theory is named after British scientist Peter Higgs, who developed it in 1964, but no-one has ever seen the particle.

Scientists have also dismissed claims that the experiment will create black holes to swallow up the planet.

Physicist Dr Pippa Wells said: "In the universe at the moment the stars we see don't explain how the stars and galaxies move around each other. There must be more 'stuff' out there."

Sources:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/the_large_hadron_collider.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSL846768920080908

Meditation-Based Relaxation Techniques Produce Brain Wave Patterns Similar to Sleep

2008-09-10T09:21:00.011+08:00

By Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs

Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs is an Insomnia Specialist at the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and a leading authority on the treatment of insomnia.

As a Senior Scientist at Harvard's Mind/Body Medical Institute and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, where he spent almost 20 years treating and researching insomnia, he developed the first drug-free program for insomnia proven to be more effective than sleeping pills. His insomnia research at Harvard Medical School was funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in journals such as the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Did you know?

Insomnia now affects over half of all adults.

Meditation and relaxation techniques have been proven to be effective for insomnia.

These techniques improve sleep by producing brain wave patterns that are similar to the early stages of sleep.

Insomnia is becoming increasingly prevalent in our high-stress, fast-paced world. Recent polls by the National Sleep Foundation in the United States found that 35% of adults experience insomnia every night and almost 60% of adults experience insomnia at least a few nights per week. Although prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids are the most common treatments for insomnia, non-drug therapies for insomnia are becoming increasingly popular due to the many side effects of sleep aids and increasing scientific evidence that non-drug treatments are effective for insomnia.

One popular non-drug treatment for insomnia is meditation and relaxation techniques. The use of these techniques for insomnia is based on the fact that individuals who suffer from insomnia exhibit elevated brain arousal that is associated with excessive mental activity during the night. This is often described by insomniacs as "racing thoughts". Researchers have consistently documented this excessive mental arousal as measured by increased fast brain wave patterns called "beta" activity. Beta activity, an alertness brain wave, is elevated both at sleep-onset and during the night, particularly in dream sleep, in insomniacs. This may explain why insomniacs overestimate how long they are awake during the night, since beta activity may alter the usual sense of time. As a result of these findings, insomnia is now conceptualized as a disorder of excessive brain arousal, and interventions designed to reduce insomnia exert their clinical effects by reducing this excessive arousal.

Although meditation and relaxation techniques are widely used to treat a variety of health problems (including hypertension, headaches, anxiety, and irritable bowel syndrome) and have also been used successfully to treat insomnia, it has been presumed that these techniques work by altering brain wave activity and reducing brain arousal. However, few well-controlled studies have actually measured the effects of meditation and relaxation techniques on brain activity.

In a study in the current issue of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback , Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs and Dr. Richard Friedman measured the effects of meditation-based relaxation techniques on brain wave activity at Harvard Medical School . They compared a group of subjects who practiced a meditation-based relaxation technique daily for 6 weeks to a control group who listened to relaxing music for the same length of time. After six weeks of practice, the researchers measured each group's brain waves while they practiced their mediation-based relaxation or listened to music. Jacobs and Friedman found that the group who practiced the meditation-based relaxation techniques produced greater reductions in brain arousal as measured by increase in theta brain wave activity in multiple brain regions. Theta is a slow brain wave pattern that is produced during the transition from waking to sleep.

Because an increase in theta activity is associated with the onset of sleep, the Jacobs and Friedman study suggest that mediation and relaxation techniques may be similar to the early stage of sleep, called stage 1 sleep. Stage 1 is the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep and is characterized by a gradual transition from a predominant alpha pattern (a "relaxed wakefulness" brain wave) to a predominant theta frequency.

The findings suggest that insomniacs can reduce elevated brain arousal by practicing meditation or relaxation techniques at bedtime or after awakening during the night. By quieting the "racing mind" and excessive mental activity during the night, insomniacs will find it easier to fall asleep at bedtime or during the night.
Source:
http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-disorders/2005/02/insomnia-meditation-relaxation.htm

New Human Race on Earth : In Contact with " Cosmic Consciousness "

2008-04-27T04:27:00.009+08:00

Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke (18 March 1837 - 19 February 1902) (often called Maurice Bucke) was an important Canadian progressive psychiatrist in the late nineteenth century. An adventurer in his youth, he went on to study medicine, practice psychiatry, and befriend several noted men of letters. In addition to writing and delivering professional papers, Bucke wrote three book-length studies: Man's Moral Nature, Walt Whitman, and – his best known work – Cosmic Consciousness, a classic in the modern study of mystical experience.

Dr. R.M. Bucke believes that cosmic consciousness is a natural faculty of man, and that a future race of men on this earth will be born with this faculty well developed and not merely latent as it is now. Bucke's theory is that , just as man advanced from the state of simple consciousness, which he shared with animal kingdom, into a state of self-consciouness, peculiar to man alone, and marked by the development of language, so he must ineveitable come into a higher state of consciouness, distiniguished by a cosmic or universal understanding.

One selection from his book " Cosmic Consciousness " :

In contact with the flux of Cosmic Consciousness all religions known and named today will be melted down. The human soul will be revolutionized. Religion will absolutely dominate the race. It will not be believed and disbelieved.

It will not be part of life, belonging to certain hours, times, occasions. It will not be in sacred books nor in the mouths of priests. It will not dwell in churches and meetings and forms and days. Its life will not be in prayers, hymns nor discourses. It will not depend on special revelations, on the words of gods who came down to teach, nor any Bible or Bibles. It will have no mission to save men from their sins or secure them entrance into heaven. It will not teach a future immortality nor future glories, for immortality and all glory will exist in here and now. The evidence of immortality will live in every heart as sight in every eye. Doubt of God and of eternal life will be as impossible as now doubt of existance; the evidence of each will be the same. Religion will govern every minute of every day of all life. Churches, priests, forms, creeds, prayers, all agents, all intermediaries between the individual man and God will be permanantly replaced by direct unmistakable intercourse. Sin will no longer exist nor will salvation be desired. Men will not worry about death or future, about the kingdom of heaven., about what may come with and after cessation of life of the present body. Each soul will feel and know itself to be immortal, will feel and know that the entire universe with all its good and with all its beauty is for it and belongs to it forever. The world peopled by men possessing cosmic consciousness will be as far removed from the world of today as this is from the world as it was before the advent of self-consciouness ... This new race is in the act of being born from us, and in the near future it will occupy and possess the earth.

Hello My Blog Readers !!

2008-04-27T04:20:00.004+08:00

It has been quite sometime since I wrote last time. Kind of busy and lazy. :)

I am back online to write again.

An Abstract Representation of Creation and Evolution of Mankind

2008-03-01T23:52:00.007+08:00

It's a painting (very intelligently created) representing the "Creation of Universe" & "Evolution of Mankind."

The painting depicts:
1. Seven Epoch of Divine Era
2. Creation of the Divine Spirit
3. Creation of the Universe
4. Creation of a Human Spirit Pattern
5. Materilization of Humans
6. Materialistic Desires and Progress
7. Desire for Power and Love
8. Appearance of Saints, Religion and Philosophy flourishes
9. Material centred science
10. Degeneration of Spiritual impurities
11. Great convulsion of Nature
12. Baptism by Fire
13. Spiritual centred civilization
14. Humankind becomes divine
15. Towards an age of higher theocracy.

Source: From Dato Lai's (famous Malaysian architect) beautiful home

Chinese New Year Luncheon With My Spiritual Family

2008-02-17T16:18:00.031+08:00

This sunny Sunday is another wonderful day to me. We, KL SRF Meditation group, gathered together for lunch on the occasion of Chinese New Year at the "Restaurant NEU" in PJ. Our Chinese devotees hosted the lunch. It was indeed joyful gathering with delicious Chinese Vegetarian dishes. We started with "Yee Sang". Everyone had a great time tossing the Yee Sang for luck, propsperity, health and whatever our wishes may be. Then, we enjoyed the sumptous dishes like "4 Seasons, Yam Basket, Asam Fish(sourish Veg. fish), Deep Fried Mushroom, Beans, Spinach in Superior Soup, Sea Coconut Longan with Lemon and Honey (for dessert)".
What a start - to the year of the RAT - Eating Away!! :)

The Spiritual Family Around "8" . #8 symbolizes Prosperity in Chinese belief.

3 Muskateers

4 Lovely Ladies

Wow, We Are So Happy To See The Delicious Food. Yammy, huh!

Wow, We Can't Wait To Eat

Ladies In Action

Yam Basket, Asam Fish, Deep Fried Mushroom

More Food !!

The Dessert : Sea Coconut Longan with Lemon and Honey

A Scripture of Love

2008-02-11T21:50:00.000+08:00

By Paramahansa Yogananda from the book "The Divine Romance".

The Lord ever silently whispers to you:

I am Love. But to experience the giving and the gift of love, I divided Myself into thre; love, lover, and beloved. My love is beautiful, pure, eternally joyous, and I taste in many ways, through many forms.

As father I drink reverential love from the spring of my child's heart. As mother I drink the nectar of unconditional love from the soul-cup of the tiny baby. As child I imbibe the protecting love of the father's righteous reason. As infant I drink ceaseless love from the holy grail of material attraction. As master I drink the sympathetic love from the flask of the servant's thoughtfullness. As servant I sip respectful love from the goblet of the master's appreciation. As guru-preceptor I enjoy purest love from the chalice of the desciple's all-surrendering devotion. As friend I drink from the self-bubbling fountains of spontaneous love. As a divine friend, I quaff crystal waters of cosmic love from the reservoir of God-adoring hearts.

I am in love with Love alone, but I allow myself to be deluded when as father or mother I think and feel only for the child; when as the lover I care only for the beloved; when as servant I live only for the master. But because I love Love alone, I ultimately break this delusion of My myriad human Selves. It is for this reason that I transfer the father into the astral land when he forgets that it is My love, not his, that protects the child. I lift the babe from the mother's breast, that she might learn it is my love she adored in him. I spirit away the beloved from the lover who imagines it is she whom he loves, rather than My love responding in her.

So My love is playing hide-and-seek in all human hearts, that each might learn to discover and worship, not the temporal human receptacles of My love, but My love itself, dancing from one heart to another.

I am the love that dances human puppets on the strings of emotions and instincts, to play the drama of love on the stage of life. My love is beautiful and endlessly enjoyable when you love it alone; but the lifeline of your peace and joy is cut when instead you become entangled in human emotions and attachment.

Realize, My children, it is My love for which you yearn!

Chinese New Year luncheon @ Dato Lai & Datin Susan's House

2008-02-09T19:16:00.002+08:00

I had great time today, in the afternoon, at Datin Susan's house. Datin Susan, momma and all their friends gathered for a delicious lunch at Datin's house. I am fortunate to join these wonderful people and had great time. Some of the pictures to treasure and cherish the moments....

Righ Attitude: Harnesing Life's Difficulties for Positive Achievements

2008-01-31T13:06:00.000+08:00

Excerpts from a talk given by Sri Daya Mata, President & Sangha Mata of Self-Realization Fellowship/YSS of India. Today (Jan 31) is Sri Daya Mataji's birthday. Wish you a very happy birthday, Ma ! :)

Love and understanding, wisdom, health, security, lasting joy - these every person is seeking. Those of us on the spiritual path share the conviction that by communingwith God we will attain these goals.

When visited by hard times, our bad habit of believing we are mortal beings makes it easy to succumb to wrong thinking - "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" - or to feel resentment or anger over the way life treats us. Cultivating right attitude helps us to see those circumstances, no matter how seemingly "unfair", as oppertunities - created by our own personal karma, yet blessed with the underlying grace of God for the specific purpose of hastening the unfoldment of our souls.

Progress is aligned to our understanding that our difficulties come not from other people, not fro outer conditions, not from any source but God through His cosmic laws. If we can but hold to the truth we can use what happens for our ultimate and highest good, we will feel God's ever-present hand of blessing and will find that our troubles cannot touch us inwardly.

This is why it is so important to have the right attitude toward the circumstances we encounter. I would even go so far as to say that attitude is the basis of everything on the spiritual path. How we face life, how we react to difficulties, how we respond to the inevitable challenges to our well-being and evenmindedness, how we engage in our spiritual practices - these determine how close we draw to the Divine, and how quickly.

So long as we exist on this material plane, there is one thing of which we can be of certain: the uncertainity of change. This we cannot avoid in a world of duality in which we are incessantly presented with the fluctutions of maya: light and darkness, health and ill health, life and death. Their inconstancy must not cow us down with fear or hopelessness - never! Their purpose is to teach us the lesson of our own transcendent, blissful nature. They are a prod to make us exert the effort to be free of these ceaseless ups and downs. The way to rise above the law of duality is by contacting God - the unchangeable Reality beyond the realm of changes.

Lakshmi Narasimhaswami Temple Near My Village

2008-01-22T00:01:00.000+08:00

A beautiful, 11th century, Lakshmi Narasimhaswami Temple, 20 minutes (drive) away from my village.

An Evening @ The Gardens, KL

2008-01-11T22:54:00.000+08:00

After having a delicious dinner with my friends at Gandhi's Restaurant in Brickfields, KL, we wanted to go for a walk in the new shopping mall "The Gardens".

A few snaps at the trendy mall.

Be Nourished by the Soul : Balancing, Simplifying, Making Time for God

2008-01-10T22:32:00.000+08:00

Excerpts from an article by Sri Daya Mata, President of Self-Realization Fellowship/YSS of India.

Humanity today is suffering from spiritual malnutrition. People in parts of the world suffering from physical starvation, but millions in all nations are suffering from spiritual starvation. Science has given the means to feed everyone on this planet; it is man's spiritual poverty that makes him cling to selfishness and small-minded prejudices, thereby preventing him from eradicating hunger and other forms of deprivation.

The life anchored in truth, in wisdom, in God, is a balanced life. It starts with meditation. That is the emphasis of the routine established by Paramahansa Yogananda... The way of life he taught us consists of mediation in the morning, before we begin our duties, and at intervals through out the day; at noon, and again in the early evening when we have finished our daily work, and once more late at night ...before retiring.

It is the spiritually balanced individual who is truly successful. I am not referring monetary success; it has little meaning. That has been my(Daya Mata) experience, as it was Master's(Paramahansa Yogananda); I have met scores of materially successful human beings who have been emotional and spiritual failures - stressful; lacking inner peace and the ability to give and receive love; unable to relate harmoniously to their families, or to other human beings, or to God. A person's success cannot be measured by what he has, only by what he is and what he is able to give of himself to others.

Meditation helps us to align our outer life with inner values of the soul as nothing else in this world can.It does not take away from family life or relationships with others. On the contrary, it makes us more loving, more understanding - it makes us want to serve our husband, our wife, our children, our neighbours. Real spirituality begins when we include others in our wish for well-being, when we expand our thoughts beyond"I and me and mine."

Most shun meditation not because they truly have no time, but because they do not want to face themselves - a definite result of the interiorization of meditation. There is too much they do not like in themselves, so they would rather keep the mind on externals, never thinking too deeply about the self-improvements they need to make. Get away from such mental laziness.

How marvelously different and fulfilling is the balanced life in God shown us by Master: "Divine Mother, teach me to live with delight. May I enjoy my earthly duties and the countless beauties of creation. Help me to train my senses and appreciate Thy wondrous world of Nature. Let me savour with Thy zest all innocent pleasures. Save me from negation and unwarranted kill-joy attitudes."

Today in Western civilization people do not know how to enjoy simple things.They have become so jaded in their tastes that nothing satisfies: overstimulated outwardly, starved and empty inwardly, they take to drink or drugs to escape.

Let us go back to the simple pleasures of life. Have you ever on your day off, for example, taken a drive up into the mountains, or out into the desert or some other quiet place, had a picnic, sat quietly, and thought about God? These are real pleasures. What joy they bring once you have cultivated the sensitivity of appreciating the Lord's presence in the beauty of nature.

You might say, "Well, it would be terribly boring." But just try it once instead of going to a movie, from which you usually return restless and moody. You wanted to enjoy it, but it did not make you happy. Instead, seek natural places of beauty and solitude and listen to the still voice of God speaking through His creation. What peace it will bring to you!

One who is seeking God must practice more stillness in his life - for at least a short time each day in meditation; for a few hours on the weekend, perhaps when you get out in nature; and for several days or a week every so often.

The Science of Near-Death Experiences

2007-12-24T15:11:00.000+08:00

"Consciousness can be experienced in some alternative dimension without our body-linked concepts of time and space. The brain is not producing consciousness, but it enables us to experience our consciousness."

A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound psychological experience, typically occurring in about 10% of people during a physical or emotional trauma, a life-threatening health crisis, or actual clinical death.

Browse the link below to read more in this TIME magazine article.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1657919-1,00.html

The Sound of Music and Plants

2007-12-13T15:33:00.000+08:00

Article from Self-Realization Fellowship Magazine. Issue: Spring 1979

If plants could talk, one can not help but wonder what they would tell us about their likes and dislikes. In The Sound of Music and Plants, Mrs.Retallack gives the reader an insight into the emotional reaction of plants to music. Jazz, pop, country, rock, ragas, Berg, Bernstein, or Bach - which type do they most enjoy? To find out, the author, a professional musician and wife of a medical doctor, conducted scientific experiments while working on her B.A. degree at Tempel Buell College(now Colorado Women's College).

The results were so interesting that her work received worldwide recognition through the news media - articles appeared in over 500 news papers and magazines, including the New york Times, Harper's Science Digest, and Reader's Digest. In addition CBS television filmed the experiments on time-lapse camera for a special feature on Cronkite News.

What is so novel about these experiments? It is not that this type of research is new; experimentation with the effect of music on plants has been going on for years.

The experimentation of the author has unique twist. She writes: "Although others have done experiments for reasons of better production, bigger flowers, and so on, apparently I was the first in US to do scientifically controlled experiments purely to see how plants react to different types of music." By carefully setting up controlled music chambers with all factors constant except the music, placing a speaker at one end of each sound chamber and various types of vegetable, flowering, and leafy plants in the middle, she set the stage for observing the plants' reaction to the sound of music.

She watched in dismay as one group drooped, faded, and turned away from the sound source. What is more, after eighteen days, they died. Only six feet away, in another sound chamber, the drama was strikingly different: "At the 14th day, the plants nearest speaker were leaning at 60-degree angle so as to almost embrace the speaker. The growth was noticeably lush and abundant, as were the roots." The difference? The first group has been listening to "acid rock" ( the term used to define a highly percussive, heavily rhythmic kind of rock music), and the second to East Indian devotional music. The evidence gathered from this experiment led to an intriguing theory.

"Of all the various kinds of music used," the author explains, "there were three kinds, apparently different in every way, that the plants responded to most favourably: East Indian devotional, Bach's 'Orgelbuchlein(Preludes based on Hymn Tunes of the Church Year), and jazz.

The author appeals to mankind to listen to what plants are trying to say and to consciously develop music as means of inspiration and upliftment of all forms of life - as a "bridge to Infinite."

The highest mission of music is to serve as a bridge between man and God.

Click the link below for more information on the experiments:

http://www.dovesong.com/positive_music/plant_experiments.asp

Christmas Tree Deco @ Midvalley Megamall, KL

2007-12-02T23:24:00.000+08:00

Physalis Flowers in a magical forest

Physalis is a genus of plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to warm temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world. The genus is characterised by the small orangey fruit similar in size, shape and structure to a small tomato, but partly or fully enclosed in a large papery husk derived from the calyx. Collectively, they are referred to as groundcherries but many species are well-known to humans and have more fanciful names.

They are herbaceous plants growing to 0.4-3 m tall, similar to the common tomato - a relative - but usually with a stiffer, more upright stem; they can be either annual or perennial. Most require full sun and fairly warm to hot temperatures. Some species are sensitive to frost, though others such as P. alkekengi (Chinese Lantern) tolerate severe cold when dormant in winter.

A Melodious & Delicious Deepavali Night @ Our Meditation Centre

2007-11-25T22:22:00.000+08:00

It has been the tradition of our meditation centre (KL SRF) that we celebrate Deepavali with our spiritual family members at our centre. This year, we celebrated on the 24th November '07.

This year, we had special performance by "Sruti Academy" students led by their guru, Srimathi Vijaya Lakshmi Arumugam. we were all spell-bound by Srimathi Vijaya Lakshmi Arumugam's veena music.

And, of course, after their performance, we (devotees of SRF) sang our Cosmic Chants led by Magesan(vocal) and Mrs. Lakshmi (harmonium).

Finally, we all had a very delicious potluck dinner.

It was, indeed a special Deepavali Night for me. :)

Astral Body : An Electro-Dynamic field : A Blueprint of Human Body

2007-11-22T11:30:00.000+08:00

The Hindu scriptures say that God has created this Universe. God thought the design of the Universe, then created a blueprint of the design and then materialised the physical Universe.

Please read the following, amazing scientific explanation for the existence of blueprint of human body (God created human beings).

Excerpts are taken from Blueprint For Immortality, by Dr. Harold Saxton Burr

Dr. Harold Saxton Burr, Ph.D., who was E. K. Hunt Professor Emeritus, Anatomy at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Burr was a member of the faculty of medicine for over forty-three years. From 1916 to the late 1950’s, he published, either alone or with others, more than ninety-three scientific papers.

Dr. Burr discovered that all living things - from men to mice, from trees to seeds - are molded and controlled by electro-dynamic fields, which could be measured and mapped with standard voltmeters. These “fields of life,” or L-fields, are the basic blueprints of all life on this planet. Their discovery is of immense significance to all of us. Dr. Burr believed that, since measurements of L-field voltages can reveal physical and mental conditions, doctors should be able to use them to diagnose illness before symptoms develop, and so would have a better chance of successful treatment.

“Electro-dynamic fields are invisible and intangible; and it is hard to visualize them. But a crude analogy may help to show what the fields of life - L-fields for short - do and why they are so important. Most people who have taken high school science will remember that if iron filings are scattered on a card held over a magnet, they will arrange themselves in the pattern of the ‘lines of force’ of the magnet’s field. And if the filings are thrown away and fresh ones scattered on the card, the new filings will assume the same pattern as the old. Something like this happens in the human body. Its molecules and cells are constantly being torn apart and rebuilt with fresh material from the food we eat. But, thanks to the controlling L-fields, the new molecules and cells are rebuilt as before and arrange themselves in the same pattern as the old ones.

“Until modern instruments revealed the existence of the controlling L-fields, biologists were at a loss to explain how our bodies ‘keep in shape’ through ceaseless metabolism and changes of material. Now the mystery has been solved: the electro-dynamic field of the body serves as a matrix or mould which preserves the ’shape’ or arrangement of any material poured into it, however often the material may be changed.

“When a cook looks at a jelly mould, she knows the shape of the jelly she will turn out of it. In much the same way, inspection with instruments of an L-field in its initial stage can reveal the future ’shape’ or arrangement of the materials it will mould. When the L-field in a frog’s egg, for instance, is examined electrically, it is possible to show the future location of the frog’s nervous system because the frog’s L-field is the matrix which will determine the form which will develop from the egg.

“To return to the cook, when she uses a battered mould, she expects to find some dents or bulges in the jelly. Similarly, a ‘battered’ L-field - that is, one with abnormal voltage patterns - can give a warning of something ‘out of shape’ in the body, sometimes in advance of actual symptoms. For example, malignancy in the ovary has been revealed by L-field measurements before any clinical sign could be observed. Such measurements, therefore, could help doctors to detect cancer early, when there is a better chance of treating it successfully.

To read the complete article, please click the link below:

http://www.wrf.org/men-women-medicine/dr-harold-s-burr.php

Enriching Your Life Through Solitude and Silence

2007-11-20T03:22:00.000+08:00

An article from " Self-Realization Fellowship Magazine"
by Susan Smith Jones, Ph.D

Noise certainly seems to be part of our everyday lives - from the alarm clock in the morning , to the traffic outside, to the never-ending sound of voices, radio and television. Our bodies and minds appear to acclimate to these outside intrusions. Or do they?

Two decades ago, the Committee on Environmental Quality of the Federal Council of Science and Technology found that "growing number of researchers fear the dangerous and hazardous effects of intense noise on human health are seriously underestimated."

More recent studies, writes, Michael D. Seidman, M.D., in his terrific book, Save Your Hearing Now, suggest that we pay a price for adopting to noise: higher blood pressure, heart rate, adrenalin secretion; heightened aggression; impaired resistance to disease, a sense of helplessness. Studies indicate that when we control noise, its effects are much less damaging.

I have not been able to find any studies on the effects of quiet in repairing the stress of noise, but I know intuitively that most of us love quiet and need it desperately.We are so used to noise in our lives that silence can sometimes feel awkward and unsettling. On vacation, for instance, when quiet prevails, we may have trouble sleeping. But choosing times of silence can enrich the quality of our lives tremendously. If you find yourself overworked, stressed-out, irritated, or tense, rather than heading for a coffee or snack break, may be all you need is a silence break.

Everyone at some time has experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed by life. Everyone too, has felt the need to escape, to find a quiet, secluded place to experience the peace of Spirit, to be alone with quiet thoughts. Creating time of silence in your life takes commitment and discipline. Most of the time, periods of silence must be scheduled into your day's activities or you will never have any.

May be you can carve out times of silence while at home where you can be without radio, television, telephones, or voices. If you live in a family, may be the best quiet time for you is early in the morning before others arise. In that silence, you can become more aware, more sensitive to your surroundings, feel more in touch with the wholeness of life.

From quiet time or silence, you recognize the importance of solitude. Silence and solitude go hand in hand. In silence and solitude, you reconnect with your self. Solitude helps to clear your channels, fosters peace, and brings spiritual lucidity. When you retreat from outside world to go within, you can be at the very centre of you being and reacquaint yourself with you r spiritual nature - the essence of your being and all life.

Outside noise tends to drown the inner life - the music of soul. Only in silence and solitude can we go within and nurture our spiritual lives. Within each of us there is a silence waiting to be embraced.

How do you feel about being alone? Aloneness is quite different from loneliness. (Loneliness is the pain of being alone. Solitude is the glory of being alone) Loneliness is something you do to yourself. Have you ever expressed being lonely even when you are with other people?

Choose to Make Solitude Your Friend

It is my contention that all the other good things we endeavour to provide for ourselves, including sound nutrition, daily exercise and material wealth, will be of reduced value unless we learn to live in harmony with ourselves, which means knowing ourselves and finding peace in our own company. This peace is natural occurrence of spending time alone in silence. In spending time alone we realize that we are never really alone and that we can live more fully by focusing our inner guidance rather than externalities.

Embrace solitude. Walk in silence among the trees, in the mountains, by the ocean, with the sun and moon as your friends. Be by yourself, and experience a whole new way of celebrating yourself and life. Feel the heartbeat of silence. Bathe in its light and love. Know within yourself that you are a child of God, and in your silence in Heaven.

"When from our better selves we
have too long
been parted by the hurrying
world, and droop,
Sick of its business, of its pleasures tired,
How gracious, how benign, is solitude." --- William Wordsworth

The Divine Art of Erasing Age and Creating Vitality (continued ...)

2007-11-17T18:14:00.000+08:00

Healthy Blood Is Necessary For Optimum Vitality

The canals in our bodies carry blood plasma that brings nutrition to all the cells, as well as take away the waste products that are dumped by the cells into the bloodstream. Healthy red blood is of utmost important in order to keep well - and plenty of exercise and fresh air.

Many persons do not exercise at all. Working is not really exercise. Of course any physical activity does some good and is better than sedentary life; but if it does not use all the muscles, you are not truly exercising. Scientific exercise means working the entire muscular system. That charges fresh blood into blood vessels in all parts of the body, and as a result it washes away poisons and gives life-force-laden oxygen and food to cells through out the system.

The red blood corpuscles not only carry oxygen, but also life-force, prana, to the cells. Every corpuscle is a tiny battery of life energy. That is what most people don't know. This is why when you loose blood, energy goes. Unless your body is strong, you should never give your blood; it is a mistake to do so. If you are weak, the loss of even one point of blood may injure you in unsuspected ways by lowering your body's overall life energy. If your body is strong, then it is all right to give blood.

The blood is an amazing thing. It knows how to throw off anything it does not like - anything foreign to the health of the body. Being a vehicle of life-force or prana, it carries the subtle intelligence innate in that creative energy. Some of the chemicals in the medicines are not good for you, with t he result that potent tonics are filtered out rather than absorbed by the blood. The blood takes oxygen readily than anything else.That is why proper breathing is so important to keep your blood charged with vitality. You receive more tonic from oxygen than from anything else - especially if you have good habits of proper breathing.

Learn and practice this method: First, throw out the breath with a strong double exhalation (one short and one long breath). Then, inhale in a double inhalation (one short and one long breath), filling the lungs as full as is comfortable. Hold the air in the lungs for a few seconds, allowing the oxygen to be fully absorbed and converted into prana. Then repeat the double exhalation, followed by the double inhalation. Practice this method in fresh air 30 times in the morning and 30 times at night. It is very simple. You will be healthier than ever if you follow this. This exercise brings in a great deal of extra life-force; and also decarbonizes your blood, promoting calmness. Remember that. I (Paramahansa Yogananda) want all of you to be healthy and well.

Eating bananas will help to increase the health of your red blood. They are one of the most beneficial of God's foods. Taking half an avocado daily with your meal will also greatly help in giving you the right nutrition. Your body will feel just as strong as if you had meat - and without creating meat's harmful acid conditions.

The foundation of divine healing is to live naturally. This is just not a physical method of healing; it is a divine method. To maintain health you must use nature's laws. Sun, fresh air, pure water, fruits, and vegetables - all these were given to you by God to keep well.

The Divine Art of Erasing Age and Creating Vitality (continued ...)

2007-11-17T17:56:00.000+08:00

Cleansing The Body From Within

Health is easy to maintain if you know and practice the laws of keeping the body well, rather than starting the effort to heal yourself only after you become sick.

The first step is to get rid of the poisons that have accumulated in the system.Fasting is an ideal method of accomplishing this - for example, three days on Orange juice and ground almonds, with natural laxative. Repeat this after one month. If you spend time and effort necessary to cleanse the body from within, you will quickly find the truth of what I (Paramahansa Yogananda) am telling you about preserving youth.

Most of you are dying of disease because of overeating day after day, and eating the wrong foods. The less meat you eat the better - especially after you turn forty, because it takes much energy to clean your own blood as well as what you ingest from the animal's, which may carry many toxins or harmful chemicals. Meat has some good qualities, but it is better to eat meat substitutes. Meat takes too long to digest and pass through the body; that undigested protein creates an acid condition in the body that is destructive to kidneys. Many persons have kidney trouble and do not know it; yet the impaired function of these purifying filters inevitably hasten old age. Fruits and vegetables,including raw salads of lettuce and other greens, help to counter act harmful acid-forming foods - as well as aiding elimination.

Make it a habit to eat more fruit. It is made for you by God. It is packed with energy and healing power. You will not have constipation, which is one of the worst enemies of health; and your body will not look haggard. Fruits have definite effect on the mind. Vibrationally, fresh fruits in the diet help to produce spirituality, even more than vegetables. An abundance of fruit will make your mind much more clear and calm. Watermelon, for example, is helpful for those who are cranky. More fruits and vegetables will get rid of whatever headaches and pains and cranky dispositions come because of eating too much meat. Of course, these conditions may also be caused by other factors; but the point is, to remain youthfulness and calmness in body and mind, you should eat those foods that lessen and remove the accumulation of toxins in the body.

Another point is to change the type of meal you take at night. It is best to take the heavier meal at noon, not late in the day. In particular, drop the habit of eating much protein at night. Instead, have more fruits or light vegetable dishes for the evening meal.

(to be continued in next post)

The Divine Art of Erasing Age and Creating Vitality

2007-11-16T09:20:00.000+08:00

From " Self-Realization Fellowship Magazine"
A magazine devoted to healing of body, mind and soul

Article by Sri Paramahansa Yogananda

" Cultivating pure love and true wisdom greatly enlivens the heart and brain - physically as well as spiritually. And the harmonization of the Love Principle in the heart and the Wisdom Principle in the brain creates a magnetic force that draws healing energy into the whole body."

To remain in abundant good health is an art that is not known by most people. There are two aspects to this art: the physical methods and the divine methods. The physical ways of looking after the body-machine are numerous; countless books have been written on the subject. Still, that knowledge alone is of limited effectiveness in keeping this machine in perfect condition. We must also know how to apply the divine ways in order to keep ourselves well.

The joy and vitality of youth are not related to one's physical age. God is ever youthful, and He is eternal. But, in the general sense we can say youth is with us until about the age of thirty. After forty, the body-machine begins to change; its natural endowment of vitality and ability to restore itself starts to wane. You can choose to be either the body's doctor or its enemy. To the degree that you can avoid inflicting damage on your body-machine, you can hope to preserve it much longer in a healthy condition. By the right physical, mental and spiritual methods, much of the unwelcome effect of the body's aging can be erased.

(to be continued -
please read the next post to know the methods to erase age and create vitality) :)

Just Checking In

2007-11-15T08:58:00.000+08:00

(Inspiraional poem - from unknown source)

A minister passing through his church, in the middle of the day,Decided to pause by the altar, and see who had come to pray.Just then the back door opened, an old man came down the aisle,The minister frowned as he saw, the man hadn't shaved in a while.

His shirt was kinda shabby, and his coat was worn and frayed,As the man knelt down, he bowed his head, then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap,He knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap.

The minister's suspicions grew, with robbery a main fear,He decided to stop the man and ask him, "What are you doing here?"

The man said he worked down the road, lunch was half an hour.Lunchtime was his prayer time, for finding strength and power."

I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away;As I kneel here talking to the Lord, this is kinda what I say:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP, AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.SO JESUS, THIS IS KEVIN, CHECKING IN TODAY."

The minister feeling foolish, told Kevin that was fine.He said he was welcome to come, and pray just anytime.

to go, Kevin smiled, said "Thanks" and hurried out the door.The minister knelt at the altar, he'd never done it before.

His cold heart melted, warmed with love and met with Jesus there.As the tears flowed in his heart, he repeated old Kevin's prayer:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.SO JESUS, THIS IS ME, CHECKING IN TODAY."

Past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Kevin hadn't come.As more days passed without Kevin, he began to worry some.

At the factory he asked about him, learning he was ill.The hospital staff was worried too, but he'd given them a thrill.

The week that Kevin was with them, brought changes on the ward.His smiles and joy contagious, changed people were his reward.

The head nurse couldn't understand, why Kevin was so glad,No flowers, calls or cards came, not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by Kevin's bed, he voiced the nurse's concern:No friends came to show they cared, he had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Kevin spoke up and with a winsome smile;"The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know, that in here all the while,

Everyday at noon he's here, a dear friend of mine, see, He sits right down, takes my hand, leans over and says to me:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, KEVIN, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP, I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY, ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,SO KEVIN, THIS IS JESUS, CHECKING IN TODAY."

-- Without Him, I will be nothing. Without Him, I am nothing but with Him"I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." Phil 4:13

Wish You All A Very Happy Deepavali

2007-11-06T13:48:00.000+08:00

To all my friends, a very happy Deepavali. To my family, Deepavali Subhakankshalu. :)

Look To This Day

2007-11-05T11:42:00.000+08:00

(a poem by the great Indian poet, Kalidas)

Look to this day:
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendour of achievement
Are but experiences of time.

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision;
And today well-lived, makes
Yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to this day;
Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

The Living God

2007-11-05T10:59:00.000+08:00

(a poem by Swami Vivekananda)

He who is in you and outside you,
Who works through all hands,
Who walks on all feet, Whose body are all ye,
Him worship, and break all other idols!

He who is at once the high and low,
The sinner and the saint,
Both God and worm,
Him worship — visible, knowable, real, omnipresent,
Break all other idols!

In whom is neither past life
Nor future, birth nor death,
In whom we always have been
And always shall be one,
Him worship. Break all other idols!

Ye fools! who neglect the living God,
And His infinite reflections with which the world is full.

While ye run after imaginary shadows,
That lead alone to fights and quarrels,
Him worship, the only visible!
Break all other idols!

The Power to Change Your Life

2007-11-05T08:28:00.000+08:00

From " Where There Is Light " by Sri Paramahansa Yogananda

We are what we think we are. The habitual inclination of our thoughts determines our talents and abilities, and our personality. Thus, some think they are writers or artists, industrious or lazy, and so on. What if you want to be other than what you presently think you are? You may argue that others have been born with the special talent you lack but desire to have. This is true. But they had to cultivate the habit of that ability some time -- if not in this life, then in a previous one. So whatever you want to be, start to develop that pattern now. You can instill any trend in your consciousness right now, provided you inject a strong thought in your mind; then your actions and whole being will obey that thought.

One must never give up hope of becoming better. A person is old only when he refuses to make the effort to change. That stagnant state is the only "old age" I recognize. When a person says again and again, "I can't change; this is the way I am," then I have to say, "All right, stay that way, since you have made up your mind to be like that."

No matter what his present state, man can change for the better through self-control, discipline, and following proper diet and health laws. Why do you think you cannot change? Mental laziness is the secret cause of all weakness.

Everyone has self-limiting idiosyncrasies. These were not put into your nature by God, but were created by you. These are what you must change -- by remembering that these habits, peculiar to your nature, are nothing but manifestations of your own thoughts.

Note: You can purchase this book at: http://www.srfbooks.com/Item.asp?id=1336

Achieving Your Goals

2007-11-04T10:30:00.000+08:00

From " Where There Is Light " by Sri Paramahansa Yogananda

Using Dynamic Will Power

Will is the instrument of the image of God within you. In will lies His limitless power, the power that controls all the forces of nature. As you are made in His image, that power is yours to bring about whatever you desire.

Nothing is impossible, unless you think it is.

When you make up your mind to do good things, you will accomplish them if you use dynamic will power to follow through. No matter what the circumstances are, if you go on trying, God will create the means by which your will shall find its proper reward.... If you continuously use your will power, no matter what reverses come, it will produce success and health and power to help people, and above all, it will produce communion with God.

As a mortal being you are limited, but as a child of God you are unlimited.... Focus your attention on God, and you shall have all the power you want, to use in any direction.

Note: You can purchase this book at: http://www.srfbooks.com/Item.asp?id=1336

Making Time for God in Your Life

2007-11-04T10:22:00.000+08:00

From " Where There Is Light " by Sri Paramahansa Yogananda

Mankind is engaged in an eternal quest for that "something else" he hopes will bring him happiness, complete and unending. For those individual souls who have sought and found God, the search is over: He is that Something Else.

Many people may doubt that finding God is the purpose of life; but everyone can accept the idea that the purpose of life is to find happiness. I say that God is Happiness. He is Bliss. He is Love. He is Joy that will never go away from your soul. So why shouldn't you try to acquire that Happiness? No one else can give it to you. You must continuously cultivate it yourself.

Everything has its place, but when you waste time at the cost of your true happiness it is not good. I dropped every unnecessary activity so that I could meditate and try to know God, so that I could day and night be in His divine consciousness.

Very few of us know how much we can put into life if we use it properly, wisely, and economically. Let us economize our time -- lifetimes ebb away before we wake up, and that is why we do not realize the value of the immortal time God has given us.

Do not while away your time in idleness. A great many people occupy themselves with inconsequential activities. Ask them what they have been doing and they will usually say, "Oh, I have been busy every minute!" But they can scarcely remember what they were so busy about!

Yoga is the art of doing everything with the consciousness of God. Not only when you are meditating, but also when you are working, your thoughts should be constantly anchored in Him. If you work with the consciousness that you are doing it to please God, that activity unites you with Him. Therefore do not imagine that you can find God only in meditation. Both meditation and right activity are essential, as the Bhagavad Gita teaches. If you think of God while you perform your duties in this world, you will be mentally united with Him.

Note: You can buy this book at : http://www.srfbooks.com/Item.asp?id=1336

"Divine Eye Foundation" in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India

2007-10-30T05:39:00.000+08:00

Inspiration
Paramhansa Yogananda's life and teachings, particularly his inspiring words to "serve mankind as one's larger self" have propelled an eye doctor in his life and work. During the centenary celebrations (1992 - 1993) of Paramahansa Yogananda, the ophthalmologist was in the team of doctors who took part in the "Eye-care for tribal people" service project organized by Rajahmundry Yogoda Satsanga Dhyana Kendra, in the forest areas of Rampachodavaram. This in turn led the doctor to get involved in more and more service activities through his Divine Eye Foundation. The culmination of these activities is the starting of Paramahansa Yogananda Netralaya.

Divine Eye Foundation is a registered charitable Trust, engaged in providing super-specialty eye-care services to the rural people in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Becoming operational from July 2007, Paramahansa Yogananda Netralaya, is a Rs. 5.2 crore ($1.27 million) project of the Foundation. The Netralaya is a multi-specialty eye hospital, with a wing for Community out-reach services.

Objectives
Provide comprehensive eye care services in 500 villages surrounding the hospital.
Provide facilities for treating 2,00,000 out-patients per year.
Perform 20,000 surgeries per year.
Undertake preventive eye care programs in the command area.
Accommodate an Eye Donation Center / Eye Bank.
Impart continuous education and training to ophthalmic personnel.
Provide Community - based rehabilitation services.
80% of the services totally free of cost for the poor and needy. Remaining 20% services extended to those who are able to pay.

The same good quality Eye Care services to be provided without discriminating paying and non-paying patients.

Website address: http://www.divineeye.org/

Donations
We extend our cordial invitation to magnanimous souls all around the globe to become partners in this mammoth adventure of driving out darkness from the eyes and lives of millions of unfortunate brothers and sisters. We solicit your prayers, suggestions and contributions.
Donations to Divine Eye Foundation are exempt from Income Tax under Section 80G of Indian Income Tax Act. Cheques or drafts may be drawn in favor of "Divine Eye Foundation, Rajahmundry.”

Address:
DIVINE EYE FOUNDATION, Akira Eye Hospital Premises, Aryapuram, Rajahmundry, E.G.Dist., Andhra Pradesh, India. PIN: 533 104. Phone: +91-883-247 1147 / 243 2559.

Note: Donations are exempted U/S.80/G. vide Order of Commissioner of Income Tax, Rajahmundry Hqrs. No. 111 / 04 - 05 / 75 pg. 28 from 01.04.2005 to 31.08.2008.

Remoulding Your Life

2007-10-29T18:10:00.000+08:00

From " Journey To Self- Realization " by Paramahansa Yogananda

Life Is a Matrix of Consciousness

We are made of the matrix of consciousness. All life was spumed out of the one Source of the river of consciousness. Your individualised consciousness is thus the very foundation of your existence. All of your thoughts and actions are bubbles and droplets of the river of consciousness.

The seemingly solid body is actually a mass of electro-magnetic currents. Its electrons and protons of the relative positive and negative creative thoughts projected by God, which I (Paramahansa yogananda) call thoughtrons. All creation is derived from these thoughtrons, the consciousness of God.

What is the difference between black and white? They are two contrasting thoughts, each frozen into its particular concept, that is all. For example, black horses and white horses in a dream are nothing but different crystallization's, relativities of the dreamer's one stream of thought.

In the ultimate sense, then, all things are made of pure consciousness; their finite appearance is the result of relativity of consciousness. Therefore, if you want to change anything in yourself, you must change the process of thought that occasions the materialization of consciousness into different forms of matter and action. That is the way, the only way, to remould yourself.

Note: To buy this wonderful book of wisdom, please place your order at : https://www.srfbooks.com/Item.asp?id=1330
or email me at:

Unconditional Love : Perfecting Human Relationships

2007-10-28T21:11:00.000+08:00

From " Where There Is Light " by Paramahansa Yogananda

Marriage
Two persons who unite their lives to help each other toward divine realization are founding their marriage on the right basis : unconditional friendship.

To develop pure and unconditional love between husband and wife, parent and child, friend and friend, self and all, is the lesson we have come on earth to learn.

True marriage is a laboratory in which poisons of selfishness, bad temper, and bad behaviour may be poured into the test tube of patience and neutralized and changed by the catalytic power of love and constant effort to behave nobly.

If there is a habit or quality in your mate that rouses unlovely traits in your disposition, you should realize the purpose of this circumstance: to bring to surface those poisons hidden within you so that you may eliminate them and thus purify your nature.

The greatest thing a husband or wife can wish for spouse is spirituality; for soul unfoldment brings out divine qualities of understanding, patience, thoughtfulness and love. Live love yourself and your goodness will inspire all your loved ones.

The first and most essential requirement for a happy marriage is soul unity....Couple who possess soul unity will be able to make a success of marriage.

The second requirement for happy marriage is similarity of interest - intellectual, social, environmental, etc..

The third and last in importance (though usually given first place by unenlightened people) is physical attraction. That bond soon loses its attractive power. Sex has its place in the marital relationship between man and woman. But if it becomes the supreme factor in that relationship, love flies out and disappears completely.

When two people feel unconditional attraction for each other, and ready to sacrifice for one another, they are truly in love.

Note: If you like this article and wish to buy this book of great wisdom, please place your order at : https://www.srfbooks.com/Item.asp?id=1337
or email me at : kalagara.suresh.kumar@gmail.com

Wow ! Wat An Evening With Delicious Punjabi Khana !!!

2007-10-27T12:57:00.000+08:00

My friend and brother disciple (of Sri Paramahansa Yogananda), Vaibhav, invited me and all the spiritual family members for dinner last night. Vaibhav is from India and has been working (as IT professional) in KL since 2+ years. His mother and sister visited KL recently. Mrs.Malik (vaibhav's mom) is really a good cook and she prepared a lot dishes like, Sag (made of mustard leaves), Alu-Gobi, chapatis and many more. She prepared a nice fruit punch and a biscuit pudding for desert. We all arrived at Vaibhav's cozy apartment at around 8pm. Mrs.Malik gave us a warm welcome. We were served with a nice drink (fruit punch) and some Indian delicacies like Indian Chiwda. Then, Vaibhav and his sister (Deepali) prepared the dining table. After everything was set, we all attacked the dining table and really enjoyed a nice punjabi meal.

After the meal, hot punjabi tea was served. The pictures (above) tell u how much we all enjoyed. Thanks a ton, vaibhav for the delicous dinner. :)

An Exciting Morning @ Toyota Service Centre in Cheras, KL

2007-10-26T18:04:00.000+08:00

This morning (24 Oct '07), since it is still my off day, momma wanted me to drive her Toyota VIOS to send it for its major service (40K kms) to the Toyota service centre in Cheras. Her appointment was at 9.30am. We started at momma's place at about 9am and reached the service centre at sharp 9.30am (thanks to the SMART tunnel, it helps to kill all the traffic).

Then, we surrendered the car for service while waiting for it at the cozy waiting area in Toyota service centre (see the pics). The waiting area is really good with facilities like free beverages (coffee, tea, etc.), nice cookies and with broadband hotspot. Just nice to spend time on the Net while sipping your favourite drink (mine is white coffee). :)

Momma wasn't much interested to browse the Net, so, she called up her sister who stay in Cheras. She wanted to take her sis and bro-in-law for lunch. When they arrived at the service centre, we all wanted to have look at the new VIOS and CAMRY in the show room (which is at the service centre itself).

Then, I enjoyed learning about the new VIOS and also about CAMRY, YARIS, FRONTIER.

VISO design is changed front, rear as well as interior (the dashboard). It costs about RM88K on the road. Then, I test drove VIOS and CAMRY. Both are lovely cars. I just enjoyed the drive.

To talk about CAMRY... it is just awesome. It is about RM 170K (2.4 ltr.). It has shiftronix gear system. A mix of manual and automatic transmission (gear) system. It has two air-conditions, meaning that you can control the air condition for individual person in the car. Great, isn't it?

Myself and Mr. Kan Chee Choy (momma's bro-in-law) enjoyed the test drive of VIOS and CAMRY.

Then, we all went to momma's Sis' house. They have a beautiful house. Mr. Kan Chee Choy is a collector of Chinese art and antiques. He decorated the house so beautifully that all the ladies must learn from him how to make a house. You can see some pics (front view, lobby, living room etc.) of his house in this post.

Then, momma wanted to take us for a nice vegetarian lunch at our favourite Chinese vegetarian restaurant (in Cheras), but, unfortunately it was closed. Then, she decided to take us to the near by Pizza Hut (because all of us were very hungry). We had a good time with pasta and hot pizzas.

Indeed, a great day with lovely friends and lovely VIOS and CAMRY. :)

An Evening @ IKEA in Damansara (Malaysia)

2007-10-24T10:01:00.000+08:00

Since it is my off day today, I woke up late this morning. Afternoon, I had a gud dinner at Saravana Bhavan, Bangsar with my friend. A combination of Phulka with delicious Palak Paneer. Yammy! huh! :)

Then, in the evening, we went to IKEA to do some shopping. By the time we reached IKEA, we were informed that they are closing in 15 minutes because tonight is their annual dinner. Then,we quickly managed to buy some tea candles, some delicious cheese and cookies made in Sweden. IKEA tea candles are of good quality compared to the ones available at other shops. I light up these candles at my altar. The cheese sold at IKEA shop is the best cheese I ever had. It costs only RM5 and there are about 10 over slices in each pack.The cookies are very delicious too. We bought strawberry flavoured and hazelnut sprinled cookies.One pack costs RM3.90. Worth buying !! I strongly recommend all the cheese and cookies lovers to buy these delicious products from Sweden at IKEA.

IKEA's Business Idea
"We shall offer a wide range of well designed, functional Home Furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them."Here in IKEA Malaysia, we have systematically reduced our prices every year so that we will always be on the side of the customer. This has been made possible mainly because we use the full strength of the IKEA concept and the IKEA organization to purchase in large numbers, using the best supply chain methods to keep prices low. In the store, we request that you, the customer, do your part to shop on your own, and together, we save. "

Yoga or Modern Science ?

2007-10-23T13:22:00.000+08:00

An SRF publication " A World In Transition : Finding Spiritual Security in Times of Change"

(This article was written by Tara Mata ( SRF nun) in the early 1930s, before invention of the electron microscope.)

" Material science is more theoretical than true religion.Science is able to investigate, for example, the external nature and behaviour of atom. But, the practice of meditation bestows omnipresence; a yogi can become one with the atom." -- Paramahansa Yogananda
Modern invention merely copy nature. The telescope is only equivalent to a pair of abnormally bright eyes and brings us merely an extension of vision. It can not give us a new sense but simply enlarges the sense of sight we already possess. Knowledge of the electromagnetic world of atomic structure has opened to us universes so infinitely small that the microscope itself can not perceive them and we must represent them with mathematical equations. But we understand that, given a microscope of sufficient power, the atoms, being forms, could be seen. We see light, though it travels 186,000 miles a second. We see the Andromeda galaxy, and the inconceivably distant universes of stars, with the naked eye.

Because we cannot go beyond sensory perception (for even thought and imagination are forms perceived with the inward eye or the inward sight), the ancient Hindus, and doubtless every other great race of the past Golden Ages, built up their systems of mental science, Yoga (control), through which the senses are refined, broadened, and sharpened so that all natural phenomena lay open to their true-seeing gaze.

Inner Sight Needs No Spectacles

The whole body of scientific inventions that represents the genius of man at our present stage in this new cycle of upward evolution was unnecessary - like spectacles on a man of good vision - to Golden Age rishis (literally, seers). Red begins the spectrum of colours, and red ends it, but the intensity of one is not the intensity of the other. Though it is true that extremes seem to meet, and that both the most backward peoples, and those belonging to the highest civilizations, do not have inventions and observatories and scientific laboratories, yet in the first case it is due to the ignorance of Kali Yuga (Dark Age), an in the latter case to the perfected insight of Golden Age men. So we need not conclude , because the ancients left no records of inventions such as we have today, that they were ignorant men. Inventions are for Dwapara and Treta Yuga (the Bronze and Silver Ages), the midpoints between savagery and true civilization.

Thinkers of our own age are not failing to point out that our inventions are likely to lead us to ruin unless and until we are morally developed enough to direct and use them rightly. Without a better understanding of his own nature, man is unprepared for the responsibility of a knowledge of nature and her dynamic forces. So the golden Age men developed and perfected a science of man - Yoga - not a science of nature, for that follows automatically.

Note: If you like this article and would like to buy this book of great wisdom, place your order at: http://srfbooks.com/

or email me at : kalagara.suresh.kumar@gmail.com

The topics in this book are:

1. The New Millennium: End or Beginning?

2. The New Harmony Between Science and Spirituality

3. The New Religion

4.The New World

5.The New Humanity

Divine Love : Highest Goal of Religion and of Life

2007-10-22T13:55:00.000+08:00

From SRF's new publication: The Yoga of Jesus

Though one must love God in order to know Him, it is equally true that one must know God, in order to love Him.No one can love anything of which he is entirely ignorant; no one can love a person who is completely unknown to him. But those who meditate deeply do "know," because the find the proof of the existence of God as the ever new Joy felt in meditation, or the Cosmic Sound of AUM heard in deep silence, or the Cosmic Love experienced while concentrating devotion at heart , or the Cosmic Wisdom that dawn as inner enlightenment, or the Cosmic Light evoking visions of Infinity, or the Cosmic Life felt during meditation when the little life is joined the greater Life in everything.

Any devotee who even once sensed God as anyone of His tangible manifestations in meditation cannot help but love Him when thus touched by His thrilling qualities. Most people never really love God because they little know how lovable the Lord is when He visits the heart of meditating devotee. This actual contact of the transcendental presence of God is possible to determined devotees who persist in meditation and continuous soulful prayers.

Malaysian Friends' Visit 2 My Home (in India) in 2006

2007-10-22T13:10:00.000+08:00

Wisdom from The Gita : Point Of No Return / The State Of Non-Return

2007-10-21T04:09:00.001+08:00

From GOD TALKS WITH ARJUNA: THE BHAGAVAD GITA : Royal Science of God-Realization - By Paramahansa Yogananda

Chapter 5 : verse 17

To reach The State Of Non-Return, there are 3 stages:

1. Thinking on THAT (God) : Holding the attention on the object of meditation

2. Merged in THAT : Oneness with the object of meditation ( Savikalpa Samadhi)

3. Established in THAT : Permanently and continuously abiding in the state of divine oneness ( Nirvikalpa Samadhi)

After passing the above three stages, we reach to the point of no return and do not have to come back to take part in Delusion (rather don't have to come to this tragic life on earth). The " living happily ever after" will happen after we reach The State Of Non-Return.

What a simple formula and yet it takes incarnations to perfect it.

Wisdom Of The Bhagavad Gita : Freedom = Meditation on God + Desirless Activity

2007-10-21T04:01:00.000+08:00

My Master's pearls of wisdom (from The Bhagavad Gita).

The Gita advises the most effective way to free oneself from the bad and good karma.

When a aspiring yogi ...

1. eats, he/she should enjoy eating only as a pleasurable suty for preserving the temple of God.
2. sleeps, he/she should think the body is being quited that he may subconciously enjoy the restful presence of God.
3. meditates, he/she should feel God manifesting as Joy.
4. thinks, he/she should feel that the Cosmic Wisdom is working through his/her discrimination.

By living in this consciousness the yogi dutifully acts out the plan assigned to him by God on the stage of life and no matter what he/she does, he/she is free.

Isn't it a simple formula? But, of course, quite challenging as well.

So, folks.... who ever is looking for freedom, freedom is not in money ( as the so called rich people say that financial freedom gives freedom).....get busy by following the wisdom of Gita.

My Trip To Simla, The Summer Capital Of India (in 2006)

2007-10-21T01:17:00.000+08:00

Last year (2006), when I went back to India (from Malaysia), I visited Simla.

Simla, is a city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is also the capital of the state and a municipality within the Simla district. In 1864, Simla was declared the summer capital of the east while British Ruling in India. A popular tourist destination, Simla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills" (a term coined by the British). Located in north-west Himalayas at an altitude of 2,130 metres (6,988 ft), the city of Simla, draped in forests of pine, rhododendron, and oak, experiences pleasant summers and cold, snowy winters. The city is famous for its buildings styled in tudorbethan and neo-gothic architecture reminiscent of the colonial era. Simla is connected to the city of Kalka by one of the longest narrow gauge railway routes in India. Simla is approximately 115 km (71.4 miles) from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and 365 km (226.8 miles) from New Delhi, the national capital. The city is named after the goddess Shyamala Devi, an incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Kali.

Our spiritual organization ( SRF/YSS) has built a beautiful spiritual retreat centre. The retreat building is about 10km away from Simla town. It is built on the slope of the hill. I really wonder how could they possibly built such a beatiful architecture on the sloppy hill. Indeed great! The retreat has about 16 rooms. The rooms are built with pine wood. The frgarance of the pine wood so nice that I used to sleep like a pine wood log. :) The retreat is taken care by a young devotee. He is a good cook. We enjoyed our meals everyday while enjoying the nature and meditations in the quite place far far away from the daily chaos of life. We were there for about 5 days.

The pictures below give you some idea about the place. I wish to go there again. Perhaps in near future. :)

My Dream To Play " Lawn Tennis "

2007-10-20T07:00:00.001+08:00

It has been my dream, since childhood, to play " Lawn Tennis ". During my childhood days, I used to watch my father enjoying watching tennis game on TV. I learnt from him, how the game is played.

My favourite world tennis stars among men are : Ivan Lendle, Boris Bekker, Andri Agassi, Nadal. And among women are: (strong) Steffi Graff, (cute)Martina Hingis, (Sexy)Sharapova, (pretty)Capriati and the (wonderful) Williams sisters.

I and my brother used to play tennis with fake tennis racquets and balls.

It was always my dream to buy a real tennis racquet and play on a real tennis court.

A couple of years ago, I played tennis (only once) with a real tennis racquet with my friend in KL. Since then, I wanted to buy my own tennis racquet, but, never bought it. It has been just a dream all the while.

Then, finally, I bought two tennis racquets last week (Oct 2007) and waiting for a partner to play with me. Vilves, my good friend, wants to play tennis (as part of her fitness programme) with me, but, she fell ill now. I am praying for her daily and wish that she recovers soon.

Vilves, waiting for you to play tennis, lah ! ......... :)

My Meditation Centre in KL (Malaysia)

2007-10-20T06:12:00.000+08:00

Our meditation centre is composed of devoted members and friends of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsang Society of India, a worldwide religious non-profit organization, founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda for the purpose of disseminating Kriya Yoga, a definite scientific technique of attaining direct personal experience of God.

This meditation centre is my second home. I meet all my spiritual family members here once or twice a week. Here, we all meet together and meditate to spend some time with our Maker (God). It is a wonderful experience to meditate with all these wonderful souls who love God.

We love our family, our friends, our possessions etc..............but do we love the One who made us, gave us family, friends and possessions, the Lord God !!

Just think about it? Perhaps, it is worth spending some time, daily, with the One who gave us this life. :)

"Meditation is the most scientfic and cost-effective way to spend time with God".

My Guru

2007-10-20T05:28:00.001+08:00

Paramahamsa Yogananda, my Guru, my Master.

Guru - means who dispels darkness.

My Guru showed me the purpose of life and the way to achieve it.

Meeting him (metaphysically) is another great thing happened in my life (during my stay in Malaysia).

Hindu scriptures say that "when a deciple is ready, his Master will come to him". I met my Master in the right moment when I needed someone to hang-on during my worst moments of my life. And my Master carried me through the storm of my life and brought me to the safe shores. Now, He is the captain of the boat of my life. When a Master is the captain, what to worry about? :)

To know more about my Master,
please visit http://www.srf-yogananda.org/py-life/index.html