God And Buddha A Dialogue 1999

God and Buddha - A Dialogue (1999)

This dialogue is of a live presentation between Columbia University professor, Dr. Robert Thurman and Deepak Chopra, MD, a student of Indian Philosophy and author. Mr. Chopra presents views from Vedanta, one of the six classical systems of Indian philosophy. The term Vedanta refers both to the wisdom of the Upanishads, which makes up the last section of the Veda, and to the realization of its ultimate significance. Mr. Thurman presents views from Buddhism, which is a kind of reform movement within Hindu thought that has become an independent pluralistic tradition of it's own.

Within the first 20 minutes of the program, Mr. Chopra sums up the core teaching of Vedanta. He describes some of the causes of human suffering and also describes some of the suggested paths to discovering the true nature of reality. Most of the rest of the program is a kind of free-flowing meditation on the implications of these teachings.

Mr. Chopra, with a background in the field of medicine, conveys his insight and knowledge through a kind of systematic, formal approach to verbal communication. Mr. Thurman, with his years of experience in engaging skeptical college students, takes a more anecdotal approach. He works to win the attention, and ultimately the heart, of his audience.

Demoniod

Sri Maha Karumariamman Muneeswarar Temple Ipoh Perak

Goddess Karumariamman, is the Goddess of Rain and is celebrated and humbly worshipped by the Hindus of Tamil Nadu in India. The devotees display great significance in worshiping Goddesses Karumariamman as it is believed that she is the symbol of sacrifice and motherhood. This spiritually exhilarating temple based in Ipoh is the bastion of Goddess Karumariamman, and has a vivid and vibrant history. The current temple was built by Kakaji, a Hindu devotee of Punjabi origin. It was initially a shrine built over 200 years ago by the early Hindu settlers of Perak. However, the shrine was destroyed by Japanese soldiers during World War 2. In 1998, Kakaji stayed in a remote village near the outskirts of Ipoh town. As the area was in the thick of jungle, movement of people was limited after dusk, as superstition claimed that evil spirits roamed around at this time. Also during this period, Kakaji always noticed a dazzling lady always clad in a glittering golden saree walking through the jungle, and was extremely curious about her presence. He had spotted her frequently, and followed her back on one particular day. She walked to the middle of the jungle, and turned around to speak to Kakaji. She told him of her plight, that she was of divine origin, and her spiritual abode was wrecked by humans. She asked him to help rebuild the temple, and take charge of her abode. Soon after Kakaji dug the spot where he met the divine Goddess, and discovered an ancient copper yantra, 'kolusu' (anklets), a Trisulam, gold coins and gemstones. He soon established a temporary shrine, but later built it into a magnificent spiritual dwelling for Goddess Karumariamman. She provided spiritual instructions to Kakaji, on performing 'abhishekam' (pouring libations on the deity), 'alankaram' (arrangement of ornaments on the deity), and recitation of Sanskrit hymns and verses. Although Kakaji had become accustomed to the spiritual messages conveyed by the Goddess, he still did not know her name. During the consecration ceremony of the temple, the officiating priest asked Kakaji for the deity name whereby Kakaji replied it is Amman. The priest had then requested for the specific Amman 'avataram' (manifestation). Kakaji requested Amman to reveal her true self. At that moment, a tape recorder playing devotional music had suddenly jammed, emitting only the words Karumariamman. A huge 'naga' (cobra) appeared unexpectedly to confirm the Goddess identity. Simultaneously, an escaped cow charged towards the shrine of the temple, knocking flowers and 'kumkumam' (red powder), thus scattering the offering to Goddess Karumariamman all over the temple. Many Hindu devotees have had visions of the Goddess in this temple. She is known to wear a diamond crown, and has a penchant for 'Natyam'(classical dancing). During the festival of Navaratri, devotees hear her footsteps performing classical dances in the middle of the night. Many Hindu devotees come all over Malaysia to receive 'darshan' (spiritual blessing) from the Goddess, especially to cure disease, such as chicken pox, cancer, heart abnormalities, diabetes, and so forth.

Address: No. 238, Jalan Lahat, 30200 Falim, Ipoh

Source: pagan-space.blogspot.com

Specialists In Good News

In his book called "Joy", (Doubleday, 1974) Fr. Louis Evely writes: "We act as though we are specialists in bad news, when in fact we have been told that we are to be the bearers of glad rejoicing." Sadness and fear seem to be two things to which human beings are especially prone. One of the lessons of the Resurrection is that the joy which Jesus invites us to share is precisely our "sadness overcome". It's sorrow turned to joy. More than ever, it must be in and through our prayer life and our Eucharistic life that Jesus is present, overcoming our sadness.

Luke's 24:13-35 provides a snapshot of the kind of disillusionment we often experience. When things don't work out as you and I figure it should, we become discouraged. In a sense, we walk off, just do our jobs by going through the motions, just endure life. Could it be that often we expect the wrong things, for example, some sense of achievement, some sense that we can handle our life's challenges by ourselves? It's easy enough to look past the presence of the Risen Lord in our lives because we're not quiet enough to realize that he's here.

The two disciples bound for Emmaus are depicted as still believing ("Jesus, who was a prophet..."), but very confused and discouraged. "We were hoping that he was the one to set Israel free...but..." This is the problem: they've lost hope. Jesus gently begins to lead them back from their despair by taking them immediately to "Word "and "Sacrament". Actually, his whole explanation is concisely summarized in Peter's sermon in Acts 3:13-15; 17-19. He says that our life, like Christ's, is a passing-over from death to life. A "real dying" is necessary if one takes the business of living and bearing witness to the Gospel seriously. It involves living at the level where it really counts, and that will involve discomfort and even hurt because it involves moving into the unknown and failing many times.

It's part of being human to be fearful, saddened and discouraged. But, as I read somewhere, "Nowadays, to be on your way is to be home." The place where you and I meet Jesus, the Risen Lord is in Scripture and in sacrament. It's there that the Word is spoken to us continuously as we go our way. The Word is our bread for the journey, and we find it in Jesus breaking it for us, even in the midst of our own fragmented lives and experiences. And we find that, in this very Word, Scripture and sacrament, broken for us in our passing-over, Jesus overcomes our sadness and hopelessness. He offers us the gift of joy, the deep, true joy, not just a surface kind of good feeling. To the extent that we can accept his jouy, each celebration of the Eucharist will be for us a true homecoming. Ours isn't a religion of absence, but of Resurrection Presence. You and I are called to joy in faith. The Risen Lord is present doing the impossible, the incredible: giving us his joy in our sadness, poverty and distress. It's for us the learn well the lesson he teaches us, and become, in our turn, specialists in Good News.

Credit: about-world-religions.blogspot.com

Magic Secrets

What is magic? It means that someone has a way to do something that seems impossible to do in the eyes of another one. Magic users often believe that they have a way to control things or people.

A long time ago, the ones gifted with magical knowledge would use their skills for the following reasons: they would heal people, they could find a way to know what really happened when something someone was wrongfully accused, they could decide to go nasty and do bad magic and lastly, they could do magic to make a spirit go away.

Black & White Magic
If you decide to do magic, you have the choice of doing good magic (white) or bad magic (white).

When you see movies with battles undoubtedly the end is written in way that it's the good guy versus the bad guy and the good guy always wins. The same principle applies when you compare black magic and white magic.

White magic means good magic. You use this kind of magic to do some good in this society while using techniques that is harmless to either you or the others.

Because there is always two sides to a medal, you have black magic. When you think black magic, you think evil and doing bad things. When performing this magic, you need to conjure evil spirits.

'Sorcery & Witchcraft'
Black magic is known throughout the world as witchcraft, sorcery or any other terms associated with it. However today's society warlocks or witches don't really want to harm other people.

Today's Black Magic'
In the black magic world of today, these are the following things you might learn if you decide that you want to learn the black art.

1. Fortune telling will give you the ability to see the past and to predict the future.
2. The ancient art of divination will let you find other people's secrets.
3. Invoke a spirit to cast a spell on someone.
4. You can put a curse on someone you want to hurt
5. Evocation will give you the chance to conjure up a spirit.
6. There's a great chance that your concentration will benefit through various actions exercises.
7. Further to contrary beliefs, you can heal while you do black magic.
8. To thank or reward the spirit that helped you, you can do a ceremony

Unfortunately, in today's society people believe that black magic will be done to do bad things.

If you read about the history of black magic and you decide to compare the black magic from then and today's magic you will learn that it is not as bad as it may sound.

If you believe in magic, you will want to know more details about how today's black magic works. Furthermore, the more you read and the more you learn, you will find how black magic is not related at all to worshiping Satan.

What black magic teaches is to love yourself, love and respect nature and that everything complements themselves especially men and woman.

Finally, something will make you wonder about spells, special ceremonies and finally curses. All these elements lets you respect this noble art called magic.

Source: magick-keys.blogspot.com

Wednesday In The Word Victory Is Ours

Who doesn't want to experience victory? Who wants to lose? Not me and not you! So how can we be sure that we can be on the "winning side"? It's according to what we're talking about I suppose. If it's a physical or mental opposition we're facing such as a tennis match or a chess game (neither of which I play by the way!) then the way to experience victory lies in getting stronger physically or mentally than our opponant. But if it's a spiritual victory that we're wanting then the answer is found in Scripture: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:57"

Spiritual victory is found in letting God fight the battle for us and not trying to get "strong enough" to do it on our own. Remember what David said when he fought the giant Goliath: "And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands." I Samuel 17:47"

In just a few days many eyes will be glued to TV sets all over the world to see who wins the Super Bowl. Who will have the victory. And this is all right....to some degree. But to some people, this is their religion! I read on a news article this morning where someone remarked that they were getting to the Super Bowl in spite of the raging frozen precipitation falling even "if they had to crawl". How many of us as Christians would say that we were going to go "wherever" God was calling us even "if we had to crawl"? Die-hard sports fans put us to shame in their tenacity! Oh that I could be that much of a fanatic about the cause of Christ!In the January issue of the AFA Journal there was a very interesting commentary by Matt Friedeman. The title was "Thank God my College Football Team is Losing". Here is an EXCERPT FROM THE COMMENTARY: "He commented...jokingly...that now he could forget all about them and lift up his heart totally to God. He also told the story of on time one of the members of the board of Wesley Biblical Seminary said a friend had said to him that he quietly feared that his children might not want to attend Ole Miss. The board member responded with...'Not to worry...You drink from Ole Miss cups, give money to Ole Miss, never miss an Old Miss ballgame, wear Ole Miss clothes, have scrapbooks full of Ole Miss in your home, talk/joke/dream Ole Miss....of course your kids are going to go to Ole Miss.' Remembering Deuteronomy 6:5-7 "("And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.") it appears the friend had replaced the law of God with a school. Wonder how many of us have done the same with sports teams."[Go here to read the complete commentary on Matt Friedeman's blog.]

Real victory in our lives comes only from God. Eugene M. Bartlett who wrote the words to "Victory in Jesus" realized this. Here are the words to the chorus of his song":"O victory in Jesus My Savior, forever He sought me and bought me With His redeeming blood; He loved me 'ere I knew Him And all my love is due Him He plunged me to victory Beneath the cleansing flood. "

And so my friends....Victory is ours...through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Marilyn