Category Archives: faith

“Through him, She…”

I am finally reading the “Gospel of Ramakrishna” which I picked up over the summer. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a Sanatana Dharmist in the truest sense I can think of. He tested every path for himself: From Daulism to Advaita, … Continue reading

Posted in Abrahamic faiths, American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, bhakti, Bible, biography, book review, books, Brahman, Buddhism, Christ, Christianity, Comparitive Religion, consciousness, dharma, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Divine Mother, dualism, duality, Durga, Eastern Philosophy, ego, faith, God, guru, Hanuman, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, inner peace, inspiration, Islam, Jainism, Jesus, Kali, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama, myth, mythology, non-dualism, philosophy, pluralism, polytheism, Ramakrishna, religion, Sanatana Dharma, Self-Realization Fellowship, Shakti, Sikhism, spirituality, Vaishnavism, Vaisnavism, Vedanta, Vishnu, Vivekananda, yogis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mind…Blown…Maybe

I was watching an episode of my new favorite show, “Global Spirit” over the weekend, I think it was the one with Karen Armstrong in it. She said that the word “believe” in the context of the New Testament originally … Continue reading

Posted in Abrahamic faiths, bhakti, Christ, Christianity, faith, God, Jesus, self-realization, yoga | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Illegal Atheists

by Aranyakananda The world is a funny, funny place. It appears that in Saudi Arabia it is now illegal to be an atheist. In fact atheism is equated with terrorism. It is not illegal for an atheist to enter the … Continue reading

Posted in Abrahamic faiths, atheism, censorship, Comparitive Religion, Conservative, crime, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, faith, God, Hinduism, History, India, Islam, Liberal, meditation, minorities, monotheism, Muslim, News, opinion, philosophy, pluralism, politics, prayer, religion, social commentary, spirituality, Western Hinduism, White Hindus, yoga | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Blucky

by Aranyakananda …and speaking of luck, per the last post on this blog, last night I was in Hobby Lobby (a place so very Christian in reputation that I was worried I would burst into flames just walking in) and … Continue reading

Posted in Abrahamic faiths, American Hindus, atheism, Christianity, Comparitive Religion, consciousness, current events, detachment, dharma, Divine Consciousness, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, faith, fatalism, God, gratitude, Hinduism, prayer, Western Hinduism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Being Enlightened vs. Being Self-Realized

by Aranyakananda I was asked the other day if there is a difference between being “enlightened” and being “Self-realized”/”Self-actualized” whichever you prefer. And if so, is it wrong to say “I am enlightened.” Let me deal with the second question … Continue reading

Posted in afterlife, American Hindus, Apocalypse, Aum, avatars, Avatars of Shiva, Avatars of Vishnu, Brahman, Creation, detachment, dharma, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Divine Consciousness, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, ego, existentialism, faith, Forms of Shiva, God, Heaven, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, inspiration, Kali, kali yuga, Kalki Avatar, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, life, meaning of life, moksha, myth, Narayana, non-dualism, opinion, philosophy, reincarnation, religion, Sanatana Dharma, self-realization, Shaivism, Shiva, spirituality, transmigration, Trimurti, Vaishnavism, Vedanta, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, yugas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Hamburg Beatles and a Meditation on Karma

by Aranyakananda I find inspiration in the strangest places. I think all of us must at one point or another. I think I’ve mentioned a time or 15 that I am a fan of the Beatles. At work, along with … Continue reading

Posted in American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, bhakti, biography, cancer, consciousness, death, dharma, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Eastern Philosophy, faith, George Harrison, Gita, God, Hare Krishna, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, hippies, inspiration, ISKCON, japa, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, life, Mahamantra, meaning of life, meditation, music, peace movements, philosophy, politics, Popular Music, religion, religious conversion, rock music, Sanatana Dharma, social commentary, spirituality, Swami V, Swami Vidyadhishananda, Vaishnavism, Vegetarianism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Holi, High.

by Aranyakananda I have never taken part in Holi while high on cannabis. Am I being a prude? It would appear so by a simple survey of the news stories marking Holi that I have seen, that Holi is not … Continue reading

Posted in Catholicism, consciousness, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, drugs, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, faith, Hindu Festivals, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, hippies, Holi, holidays, India, Indian culture, opinion, pluralism, religion, self-realization, social commentary, spirituality, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Manasa-tirthas

by Aranyakananda I left off in my last post discussing how the sacred can be found anywhere. Wherever you go, there you are.” Same thing. It is a recurring theme with me lately, it seems wherever I go, this subject … Continue reading

Posted in bhakti, consciousness, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Eastern Philosophy, faith, Hinduism, India, Indian culture, inspiration, japa, karma yoga, meditation, philosophy, pluralism, pujas, religion, self-realization, spirituality, Uncategorized, Vegetarian, Vegetarianism, yoga | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Very Thorough Review of the Film “Enlighten Up”

by Aranyakananda This is a review of the film “Enlighten Up”, about the transformational potential of yoga. I will be going through the details of the film and giving my thoughts, so, you know, SPOILER ALERT!, and all that. This … Continue reading

Posted in agnosticism, agnostics, American Hindus, astrology, atheism, Bhagavad-Gita, bhakti, chakras, consciousness, Dharma religions, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, ego, faith, family, film, film review, Gita, God, guru, Hindu Scriptures, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, Humanism, independent film, India, Indian culture, inspiration, karma, Krishna, meaning of life, meditation, moksha, movie quotes, movie review, movies, New Age, New Thought, non-dualism, opinion, philosophy, religion, science, Secular Humanism, self help, self-realization, spirituality, Western Hinduism, White Hindus, yoga | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys

by Aranyakananda I was flipping through my Facebook feed yesterday and I saw a story about an ISKCon monk undergoing the Sannyasi Ceremony and receiving saffron robes. I am not too familiar with how things are done in such a … Continue reading

Posted in American Hindus, bhakti, Buddhism, current events, dharma, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Eastern Philosophy, ego, Facebook, faith, famous quotes, Hare Krishna, Hell, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, ISKCON, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, opinion, philosophy, Prabhupada, religion, Sanatana Dharma, social commentary, spirituality, Uncategorized, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Buddhism, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment