Spiritual experiences in The Times of India and the foreword

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Light and Love

 

People more and more turn their steps to the spiritual way experiencing the infinite different forms of rituals, worships, beliefs, etc. in purpose to achieve the inner feeling (as some inner set) of the unity with Swami's Cosmic Form, what I also like to call The Great Oneness.

It is easy to perceive that the initial Source of all directions and issues of spiritual knowledge is Swami's Teaching and His Divine Illumination over the world connected tightly with the timeless Wisdom of Vedas.

Happy Birthday, Swami and happy birthday to all, who carry Swami's Cosmic Form within.

(In spite of that the birthdays of living creations are in every moment with every breath, humanity has the custom to celebrate birthdays every year, as the relative birthdays in aspect of Atmic Reality. Swami too is in form of human being and has to follow the customs of humans' society as the Teacher of Humanity in modern time).

 

Namaste - Reet

 

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A charmed life! (in short and edited a little by R.)

 

23 Nov 2008 "The Times of India," Life, Sunday TOI When designer Rina Dhaka's son was ill, she chanted for his recovery along with a Buddhist leader, till he got better. She continues to chant 20 minutes a day for peace and strength.

 

She says, "That was the time in life when I was feeling very hopeless. My chants helped me keep myself in rhythm with the universe. The positive energies affected not just me, but my family and surroundings as well."

 

She's not alone. Buddhist chants, the Gayatri Mantra and other spiritual tokens are gaining currency among those looking for a spiritual connect.

 

Renowned musician Bappi Lahiri confesses, "The entertainment industry is full of uncertainty. I consider my 'Hare Krishna Hare Ram' locket a lucky charm as I went for my first recording wearing it. Before I enter the studio for recording, it's my Guru's name that I chant. Every Saturday, I go to the Hanuman temple and read the Hanuman Chalisa - that's where I gain my inner strength from." He also believes in the power of gemstones since "from time to time, they have helped me overcome hurdles in life."

 

Through the lows of life, the Buddhist Lotus Sutra helps telly stars Manav Gohil and Shweta Kawaatra as well as actor Tisca Chopra look problems in the eye and learn from them. Says Chopra, "I chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo for at least an hour daily. It recharges me and I use it as fuel to charge my life."

 

Fellow actor Rahul Dev too adds that he chants either the Gayatri Mantra or Om Sai Ram at least 108 times daily. He states, "I believe in the strength of one's inner self, which provides the peace and happiness that one's constantly searching for on the outside."

 

However, famous for gravitating towards diverse paths in pursuit of the elusive 'all', stars today are resorting to means like gemstone rosaries to find their inner calm; whether it's actor Salman Khan's turquoise bracelet, or the twin blue sapphires adorning Big B's middle finger that are believed to have engineered his comeback into the industry. Actor Rakhi Sawant is seen flaunting a Navgrah ring as fellow actor Kiron Kher doesn't leave home without her Sai Baba ring.

 

Numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani and wife Jhernna S Jumaani explain, "Gem stones act as a catalyst in one's life, blocking the negative energies. Bollywood is a place where stars seek fame and this makes them resort to remedies as an obvious choice."

 

Salsa dancer Sandip Soparrkar, who wears five different gems adds, "The blue sapphire I wear is in the form of a gold pendant, whereas the rest beautify my fingers. I've had them for the last seven years. Gems are more of jewellery items for me as I feel dressed up wearing them. But, they've also helped me grow professionally." Pieces of decorative art or life-altering stones? Well, it's personal beliefs which rule the day. Spiritual aids can help one pull back from the brink of chaos and restore the balance and oneness. "When you're spiritual, nothing can shake you. Spirituality gives you a lot of strength," says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living.

Spirituality, and not religion, it seems is the key. "The Oneness University in Varadayapalayam, Andhra Pradesh focuses on enlightenment through diksha, which impacts the brain directly and leads people to altered states of consciousness," Says Samadarshini, director of the University, He continued, "Oneness is not a separate cult or religion. It's for all faiths, but there are also specific ones for Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and so forth, where people of every religion discover the truth of their own faith through personal experiences, which creates true harmony ultimately. Our vision is to set humanity totally and unconditionally free of suffering. We conduct processes whereby an individual is taken through a journey of spiritual awakening."

"In fact, newage spiritual leaders take forward the thought that all religions basically preach the same code of conduct - peace, love, forgiveness and unity," Says Fr Terence Farias, director of the inter-religious harmony movement, Ashirvad, Bangalore.

It's not uniformity, but unity in diversity that's needed.

 

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