BRAHMA KNOWLEDGE Part I - Chapter 16 - MAYA Māyā.—The word māyā, magic illusion, is commonly used in the later Vedānta to denote the phantom character of the phenomenal world; and in this sense it does not appear in the Upanishads until the Śvetāśvatara (IV. 10). It is not found in the Brahma-sūtra; and hence the question has often been raised whether the idea denoted by it was actually present in the minds of the authors of the older Upanishads. That phenomena, even to

AnQur'an [2:40-66] Children of Israel, remember how I blessed you. Honour your pledge to Me and I will honour My pledge to you: I am the One you should fear. Believe in the message I have sent down confirming what you already possess. Do not be the first to disbelieve in it, and do not sell My messages for a small price: I am the One of whom you should be mindful. Do not mix truth with falsehood, or hide the truth when you know it. Keep up the prayer, pay the prescribed alms,

The law of karma underpins the process of transmigration of the soul. Karma literally means “action,” but more often refers to the accumulated reactions to activities. Thus we talk of “good karma” and “bad karma,” which are stored reactions that gradually unfold to determine our unique destiny. - Exodus 21: 23-25 "And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, st

Once upon a time, there was a wise Zen master. People traveled from far away to seek his help. In return, he would teach them and show them the way to enlightenment. On this particular day, a scholar came to visit the master for advice. “I have come to ask you to teach me about Zen,” the scholar said. Soon, it became obvious that the scholar was full of his own opinions and knowledge. He interrupted the master repeatedly with his own stories and failed to listen to what the m

The Three Sisters Echo Point, Katoomba. According to an Aboriginal dreamtime story, the three huge rocks formation were once three beautiful sisters named "Meehni", "Wimlah" and "Gunnedoo" from the Katoomba tribe. The three sisters fell in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe but their tribal laws forbade their marriage. The three brothers did not accept this law and tried to capture the three sisters by force. This caused a major tribal battle and the lives

THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD - An Introduction In the opening of 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead', in the introductory commentary, the question is raised whether or not there exists a continuity of consciousness after death. In answering this question 'His Holiness The XIVth Delia Lama' first relates the idea of 'self' or 'I'; what constitutes a person, psycho-physical aggregates, dependencies and factors involved in personality and rebirth. Explains an interdependence of consc

KENA UPANISHAD Lead me from the unreal to the Real. Lead me from death to immortality. OM shanti shanti shanti [i] THE STUDENT 1 Who makes my mind think? Who fills my body with vitality? Who causes my tongue to speak? Who is that Invisible one who sees through my eyes And hears through my ears? THE TEACHER 2 The Self is the ear of the ear, The eye of the eye, the mind of the mind, The word of words, and the life of life. Rising above the senses and the mind And renouncing sep

JOY AND SORROW Zend Avesta FARGARD 3 - THE EARTH [I:1-II:11] 3:I(1-6) The five places where the earth feels most joy. 3:II(7-11) The five places where the earth feels most sorrow. I. 1. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Which is the first place where the Earth feels most happy? Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is the place whereon one of the faithful steps forward, O Spitama Zarathustra! with the holy wood in his hand 1, the baresma 2 in his hand, the holy meat in his ha

SACRED TEXT: Some Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines DREAM-TIME STORY How the Sun was Made Dawn, Noontide and Night. When the emu egg was hurled up to the sky it struck a great pile of wood which had been gathered by a cloud man named Ngoudenout. It hit the wood with such force that the pile instantly burst into flame, and flooded the earth with the soft, warm light of dawn. The flowers were so surprised that they lifted their sleepy heads to the sky, and open

AYATUL-KURSI Regarded as the most excellent verse of the Qur'an according to Hadith. This verse is considered one of the most powerful in the Qur'an because when it is recited, the greatness of God is believed to be confirmed. --------------------------- Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah - The Cow, [2:255] Allah! There is none worthy of worship but He, the Ever-Living the Sustainer by Whom all subsist. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. To Him alone belongs whatsoever is in the heave

We have the choice - God or mammon. "The core issues of the modern day are arising from the seeking of pleasures associated with riches (mammon) towards exalting of oneself and the corruption of things, rather than the coming from an unselfishness and thinking of others. Not so much to do with puting in a 'hard day's work', the problem is in the direction and utilization of things in the bigger picture. The focus needs to be on the greater cause and not towards selfish ends.

THE LORD'S PRAYER From 'The Forgotten Books of Eden' The First Book of Adam and Eve Chapter XXIII - Verse 9 - In Footnotes Our Father, Who art in Heaven, be gracious unto us, O Lord our God, hallowed be Thy Name, and let the remembrance of Thee be glorified in Heaven above and on earth here below. Let Thy kingdom reign over us now and forever. The Holy men of old said remit and forgive all men whatsoever they have done unto me. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us f