Nature and Spirituality - Dharma Centre of Canada (Slideshow) Updated 2014-Jan-21
Shimmering chimes of a Tibetan Singing Bowl played by Chrys Antaya interweave with wild bird song in this slide show she made of photographs taken by her hus...
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Nature and Spirituality - Dharma Centre of Canada (Slideshow) Updated 2014-Jan-21 - Video
Remedies To Get Rid Of Evil Eye Spirituality
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Take a playful romp through the muddy fields of spirituality with Betsy Chasse
Wife, mother and award-winning producer Betsy Chasse thought she had it all figured out...until she realized she didn #39;t. The truth was she didn #39;t know anythi...
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Take a playful romp through the muddy fields of spirituality with Betsy Chasse - Video
Terence McKenna - LD50, Salvia Divinorum, Psilocybin, Ayahuasca, Spirituality
Excerpt from the lecture #39;Plants Consciousness Transformation #39;. Rszlet a #39;Plants Consciousness Transformation #39; cm eladsbl. Orichalcum Workshop - Ps...
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Terence McKenna - LD50, Salvia Divinorum, Psilocybin, Ayahuasca, Spirituality - Video
LONDON - Values, ethics and spirituality should be included in a country's education system to counterbalance its more "secular" impact, says Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Speaking at the Education World Forum 2014, Muhyiddin said there was a need to embed ethics and spirituality to counter the oft-mentioned "education without a soul" dilemma.
"Ignoring values, ethics and spirituality is no longer acceptable since about five billion of the world's population are involved in the major religions," he said yesterday.
Although Malaysia's education philosophy was already built upon these objectives, Muhyiddin, who is Education Minister, said he would propose that the country take this forward to counterbalance the more secularising elements of education.
"We are committed to work together towards this aim in developing individuals based on good ethics and sound spiritual values as responsible leaders and learned members of the global community," he added.
Muhyiddin also said education for education's sake was not sufficient if it did not take into account its impact on the environment, human relations and how current policies and strategies would affect the world that children would inherit in the near future.
"Malaysia's conviction in these areas will form key priorities in how we reform and map our own education system post-2015," he added.
On the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025, he said he believed that teacher and school leadership abilities were the most important levers of change.
"In producing a dynamic teaching force, we will put in place stringent entry requirements, individualised continuous professional development opportunities, career progression by competencies and performance, and peer-led culture of excellence.
"Ultimately, our educators should be universally marketable," he added.
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Ethics and spirituality should be taught in schools: Malaysian DPM
A centuries-old Jain shrine with a stunning jade idol. A history-rich temple with a thousand Sivalingams in one! Scores of antique artefacts housed in an unassuming museum.
Kolanupaka, 70 km from Hyderabad, has as many lures for the spiritually-inclined as for art-lovers and history buffs. It is yet another illustration of the fact that, contrary to popular perception, there are indeed many day/weekend trip options from Hyderabad.
Close to these are the famous Surendrapuri museum, Bhongir Fort and Yadagirigutta Lakshmi Narasimha temple too. But that is another story.
This area was patronised by the Kalyana Chalukyas. Jainism and later Veerasaivism flourished here. The original Kolanupaka Jain MandirKulpakji to Jains was built by the Rashtrakutas in 11th century A.D. It houses three main idols. Lord Rishabh aka Adinath Bhagwan (the central one) flanked by Lord Mahaveer in jade (single piece of jade) and Lord Neminath. A dharamshala is built around the temple.
There are other Tirthankara idols. We saw Shantinath Bhagavan, Chandraprabhu Swami, Abhinandan Swami and others worshipped here. The Padmavati Mata and Bhomyaji Dada idols are Dharmarakshak gods, explained Hanskumar Raichand Shah, of Kutchi Samaj.
A few years ago, the temple was renovated in Nagara style by artisans brought in from Gujarat and Rajasthan. There is a bhojanashala and a few accommodation options. Next-door is a Goshala.
A ten-minute walk from Jain mandir and we reached the famed 11th-century Someswara temple built by Kalyana Chalukyas associated with Veerasaivism. The temple is fronted by a large courtyard with ambulatory which houses centuries-old sculptures of the open-air museum, Kolanupaka. At the entrance is a polished basalt image of Mahaveera in meditation.
Occupying centre-stage in the courtyard is a Hanuman in granite flanked by images of Ganesha and his brother Subramanya. Behind him is the Kirthi Sthambham and after that the Nandi mandapam; facing Shiva housed in the far end of the temple. These are also among the most well preserved figures you find in the museum.
In the ambulatory around the courtyard are many images---Sapta Matrukas, Veeragal, Chamunda, Naga, a Shiva-Brahma-Vishnu panel, etc., all excavated in and around this area, dated between the ninth century AD to the 16th century AD.
The sanctum-sanctorum has Someswara (Sivalingam) with an idol of the great Veerasaiva saint-prophet Renukacharya behind it. The priest revealed that as per Veerasaiva belief, He sprang from the Sivalingam. Beside this is Goddess Chandis shrine with the roof of the facing room covered entirely with colourful mudupulu. Next-door is an awe-inspiring sight---Sahasra Sivalinga shrine! One sivalingam covered with 1,000 tiny lingams sculpted on them!
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Introduction to Christian Spirituality: Session 6
Introduction to Christian Spirituality is a class taught by USC Associate Dean of Religious Life, Rev. Jim Burklo.
By: USC ORL
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The Travancore Devaswom Board is exploring the possibility of setting up an International Centre for Spirituality and Hinduism at Nilackal, near Pampa, at the foothills of Sabarimala.
Talking to The Hindu here on Tuesday, Subhash Vasu, TDB member, and P. Venugopal, Devaswom Commissioner, said the proposed spirituality centre was aimed at reviving the once-vibrant spiritual tradition and Ayyappa cult at Nilackal. According to them, Nilackal is believed to have been the cradle of a rich Hindu civilisation and spirituality years ago.
They said the remnants of an ancient place of worship found deep inside the forests as well as the age-old temples dedicated to Siva and Durga at Nilackal stood a testimony to this historical perception.
They said the TDB was planning to set up an Institute of Tantra and Vedas, which would be developed into a University of Hindu Spirituality at Nilackal in a phased manner.
The proposed institute would also open a training school and higher learning centre for priests as well as people on a spiritual pursuit, they said. The spirituality centre to come up here would be a well-designed one dotted with a series of caves in the names of the seers of yore to introduce the Indian sages to the modern generation and to the Western world, said Mr Venugopal.
A full-fledged library, auditorium, meditation halls, puja huts, bhajan mandir, administrative block, accommodation blocks, modern dining halls, cafetarias, toilet complexes, sewage treatment plant, etc, were various other facilities planned at the proposed spirituality centre, they said.
Both the Commissioner and the board member were at Nilackal on Tuesday to pay their respects to a few senior monks as part of the atonement rituals prescribed during an astrological consultation held there a week ago. Renowned spiritual leader and Mooppil Swamiyar of Thekke Madhom, Sankarananda Brahmananda Bhoothi; Sreedharan Swami of Nagerkovil; Swami Amritagitananda Puri of Mata Amritanandamayi Math; Swami Radhakrishna of Mavelikkara; Swami Pavanaputradas of Sabari Saranashram; and Acharya Kamala Narendra Bhushan of Saraswati Vaidika Gurukulam, Chengannur; were honoured as part of the atonement rituals.
The Sabarimala Tantri, Kandararu Rajeevararu, led the rituals.
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22 January 2014| last updated at 06:19PM
Stressing the importance of values based education, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin told participants at the Education World Forum 2014 here yesterday that ignoring values, ethics and spirituality is no longer acceptable as about five billion of the world's population was involved in the major religions.
The deputy prime minister and education minister said it was also integral in creating a harmonious and diverse society through education, and to counter-balance the more secularising elements of education.
"I strongly believe that civilisation and the advancement of humankind hinges on values, which then drives certain actions and decisions. In this regard, there is a need to embed ethics and spirituality in the education system to counter the oft-mentioned education without a soul dilemma.
"The education philosophy of Malaysia, being a successful multi-religious and multicultural society, is built upon these objectives for nurturing well-rounded individuals," he told the largest gathering of education ministers in the world here to discuss future practices and assess common issues and problems during his three-day working visit to London from Monday.
In this regard, he said, various efforts had been undertaken in the country including strengthening Islamic and moral education.
He stressed that learning outcomes required new measurements and yardsticks, complementing the more conventional international benchmarks such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
"This is in tandem with Eastern wisdom that recognises that learning is about being, and not about having, as we see today." Muhyiddin's speech during a plenary ministerial session at the forum touched on the decade ahead for education in Malaysia.
EWF, held for the first time in 2004, is an internationally recognised ministerial forum and is attended this year by 97 ministers from 100 countries at two venues here - Westminster Conference Centre and Excel Exhibition, and Conference Centre, London.
The theme for EWF this year is "Planning for 2015; policy-making catalyst for a decade: measurement, reach and enterprise".
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Muhyiddin: Values, ethics, spirituality vital to education system
Paradigm Shift London at the Spirituality Expo 2014
http://www.londonseekers.org/expo.php - London Spirituality Expo 2014 http://ParadigmShiftCentral.com - Browse more conscious media. Be Inspired. Get Involve...
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Lord Shiva Linga Spirituality
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Spirituality Programs in Loyola #39;s Institute of Pastoral Studies
Learn about spirituality program offerings in Loyola University Chicago #39;s Institute of Pastoral Studies.
By: LUCGrad
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Spirituality Programs in Loyola's Institute of Pastoral Studies - Video
By Traci Pedersen Associate News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on January 19, 2014
Engaging in regular meditation or another spiritual practice is linked to a thickening of the brain cortex, according to new research published in JAMA Psychiatry.
This discovery could lead to new insights as to why these activities help guard against depression, particularly in those who are genetically predisposed to the mental health disorder.
Major depression is characterized by a depressed mood for most of the day and a loss of interest in normal activities and relationships. The disease affects about 6.7% of the U.S. population over age 18, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
This is the first published study investigating whether there is any physical evidence in the brain linked to the protective effects of spirituality and religion against depression.
Theresearch involved 103 adults at either high or low risk of depression, based on family history. Magnetic resonance imaging findings revealed thicker cortices in those participants who placed a high importance on religion or spirituality than those who did not.
Furthermore, the relatively thicker cortex was found in exactly the same regions of the brain that had otherwise shown thinning in people at high risk for depression.
The new study links this extremely large protective benefit of spirituality or religion to previous studies which identified large expanses of cortical thinning in specific regions of the brain in adult offspring of families at high risk for major depression, said Dr. Lisa Miller, professor and director ofClinical Psychologyand director of theSpirituality Mind Body InstituteatTeachers College, Columbia University.
Prior research conducted by Miller and her team revealed a 90 percent decrease in major depression in adults who placed spirituality or religiosity at high importance and whose parents suffered from depression.
The findings showed that although regular attendance at church was not necessary, a strong personal importance placed on spirituality or religion was most protective against major depression in people who were at high familial risk.
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Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: An Evening with Peter Scazzero
Peter Scazzero #39;s presentation on January 13, 2014 at Myers park United Methodist Church.
By: Myers Park United Methodist Church
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Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: An Evening with Peter Scazzero - Video
University of Connecticut Professor Bradley Wright has all types of questions for his research: Did you pray in the last 24 hours? To what extent are you feeling nurtured or angry with God? Do you feel a sense of purpose right now?
And he'd like the answers in real time, launching a website that sends texts to smartphones that it's time for participants to take the twice-daily survey. It's part of an ambitious look by Wright and other researchers into the role of spirituality in the daily lives of Americans and its links to well-being.
Wright is hoping the effort will shed light on a wide range of issues: Do people feel closer to God or more distant after they're on Facebook? How did attending church service affect them? Does spirituality help with social isolation? Does amount of sleep affect spiritual awareness?
"In general I think that over the coming years this will produce a number of findings that I think will help redefine how we understand day-to-day spirituality," Wright said.
Wright, an associate professor of sociology who wrote the 2010 book "Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites... and Other Lies You've Been Told," is overseeing http://www.soulPulse.org to gather data for researchers to study. Participants fill out brief questionnaires for two weeks, answering a range of questions on health to volunteer work at church or a charity.
"It just opens a whole new category of data about spirituality, personal growth, personal characteristics that people value," Wright said. "We're giving people a chance to take a two-week snapshot of their life. This is just an interesting way for people to learn about themselves."
Kyndria Brown, a 50-year-old bookkeeper from Madison, Conn., who participated in the study, said she learned that she thought more about God when she was alone and feeling sad. "But when I was with other people I tended to not think in a spiritual way," she said.
Brown, who is Episcopalian, said participating in the project prompted deeper questions about her spirituality, admitting that is scary but ultimately rewarding.
"It makes you question the very premise of why you've chosen to be spiritual," she said. "It's forcing me to face myself and I appreciate that kind of a challenge. This program was pivotal in making me explore that concept."
Many studies have been conducted of Americans' religious and spiritual beliefs and their effects on health and other matters, but Wright said they mainly rely on one-time surveys, lab experiments and personal observations. He said SoulPulse is the first to use to use cellphones to measure spirituality as it unfolds over time in natural settings.
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Lord Williams
"Cities need lots of imagination to work," said the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Rowan Williams at an event in St James's Church Piccadilly yesterday.
He was speaking to a mainly Christian and Muslim audience on the themes of the city, spirituality, and trust.
Lord Williams spoke about how spirituality was vital for holding cities together into the future, giving people "a vision of human dignity" and transcending diversity.
"Either the city is a challenge for our imagination, or it is a desert and chaos," Lord Williams explained, as he spoke about the need for imagination to see past differences.
He discussed the need to understand the stranger, saying, "I am not going to be fully human without that person."
Spirituality was, he said, a means of better achieving the vision of a unified city, saying, "Urban faith is something which at its best can be part of the process, providing respect for people who belong together."
However, he distanced himself from the usual definition of spirituality.
"Spirituality is a modern word it seems to say that religious belief is a bit difficult and not all that attractive, but we quite like the warm feelings," he said.
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Spirituality makes unity in diversity possible - Rowan Williams
NEW HAVEN, Conn. University of Connecticut professor Bradley Wright has all types of questions for his research: Did you pray in the past 24 hours? To what extent are you feeling nurtured or angry with God? Do you feel a sense of purpose right now?
And hed like the answers in real time, launching a website that sends texts to smartphones that its time for participants to take the twice-daily survey.
Its part of an ambitious look by Wright and other researchers into the role of spirituality in the daily lives of Americans and its links to well-being.
Wright is hoping the effort will shed light on a wide range of issues: Do people feel closer to God or more distant after theyre on Facebook? How did attending church service affect them? Does spirituality help with social isolation? Does amount of sleep affect spiritual awareness?
In general I think that over the coming years this will produce a number of findings that I think will help redefine how we understand day-to-day spirituality, Wright said.
Wright, an associate professor of sociology who wrote the 2010 book, Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ... and Other Lies Youve Been Told, is overseeing http://www.soulPulse.org to gather data for researchers to study.
Participants fill out brief questionnaires for two weeks, answering a range of questions on health to volunteer work at church or a charity.
It just opens a whole new category of data about spirituality, personal growth, personal characteristics that people value, Wright said. Were giving people a chance to take a two-week snapshot of their life. This is just an interesting way for people to learn about themselves.
Kyndria Brown, 50, a bookkeeper from Madison, Conn., who participated in the study, said she learned that she thought more about God when she was alone and feeling sad. But when I was with other people I tended to not think in a spiritual way, she said.
Many studies have been conducted of Americans religious and spiritual beliefs and their effects on health and other matters, but Wright said they mainly rely on one-time surveys, lab experiments and personal observations. He said SoulPulse is the first to use cellphones to measure spirituality as it unfolds over time in natural settings.
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Title: Practical Spirituality for Enriched Living: Author: Shri Nimishananda; Publisher: Satsangh Publications (Bangalore); Pages: 231; Price: Rs.225
Title: Chakras for Starters; Author: Savitri Simpson; Publisher: Anada Sangha Publications; Pages: 127; Prices: Rs.150
Both these easy-to-read books are for those who are on the spiritual path or want to embrace spirituality. In 46 chapters of two to three pages each, Shri Nimishananda dwells on ways to lead a balanced spiritual life in tune with nature. He writes on karmic debts, the spiritual code of conduct, and the inner enemies humans must guard against including lust, anger, attachment, greed, pride and jealousy. In what is by now globally accepted as truth, he underlines that meditation not only brings peace, contentment and happiness but also increases one's mental horizons. The book has simple tips on how meditation, prayers, watering plants and feeding birds and animals help us connect with divine energy. He insists that just 20 minutes of daily meditation can do wonders.
Savitri Simpson demystifies the 'chakras' - which form part of our spiritual anatomy and are the vortices of energy located along the central axis of our bodies. The book offers guided mediation and exercises for each chakra. Our sages have said that when the charkas are out of balance, they become the root cause for various diseases. Understanding and awakening the charkas can result in immense benefits including calmness, will power, inner peace, self control and, above all, spiritual transformation.
(M.R. Narayan Swamy is Executive Editor of IANS. He can be reached on narayan.swamy@ians.in)
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Finding Spirituality Late in Life
Women seek more spirituality as they get older. Meet a woman who became a minister at 50. To find out more, come visit us at http://www.whoanetwork.com.
By: WHOA! Network
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Spirituality: Time for a Spiritual Revolution! (Are YOU Ready)
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