Ramanisblog

Tag: Religion & Spirituality

  • Meet Billionaire Bishop,True Follower of Christ!

    We know that the Churches are run like Corporate.

    The Vatican has a Budget for Religious Conversion.

    This is cloaked under various Heads as  Donations, Medicare, orphanage maintenance and the like.

    Protestants openly do it in the Evangelicalism.

    Religious Conversion by Carrot is the norm’

    Targets are set for the Priests for this Noble venture and they are compensated as in a Corporate, by Money,promotions(?!).

    In addition, these Saviors called Priests raise funds from the laity.

    And they amass wealth.

    How much?

    Meet ,Edir Macedo, Brazil’s Billionaire Bishop.

    Edir Macedo, Brazil's Billionaire Bishop
    Edir Macedo, Brazil’s Billionaire Bishop

    He has more than 5 million followers, whose donations over the last 36 years have made him a billionaire..

    “In Brazil, where he was born and raised, he is a major national figure, the subject of dozens of criminal inquiries, and the owner of Rádio & Televisão Record, a media conglomerate that runs the country’s second-largest television network. He is known to most everyone by the title he created for himself: He is O Bispo—“The Bishop.” Macedo is the founder of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, a Pentecostal denomination specializing in prosperity theology, which links faith to financial success. He preaches twice a week, often in two different cities, and the sermons are fervently watched on church websites, his Facebook page, and the miniature TV sets that Brazilian taxi drivers like to keep on their dashboard. Now and then he holds outdoor events that draw crowds of half a million. In February he addressed 5,000 of his parishioners at one of his churches in Belo Horizonte, in southeastern Brazil. High overhead, a stained-glass cross lit by fluorescent bulbs took up most of the ceiling while a theater-size screen blew him up for the pews in the back. He paced back and forth on the stage, explaining the intersection of God and money. “Which is the largest country in the world, economically speaking? It’s America, the United States. Do you know why? Because way back—this is history, you can look it up on the Internet—the colonization was done by men who believed in the word of God. And they were tithers,” he said. “That’s why you see on the dollar bill: ‘In God we trust.’ ”

    In Macedo’s teaching, tithing, or giving 10 percent of your income to the church, is a mandate from God…

    The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his wealth at $1.2 billion, entirely because of his ownership of Rádio & Televisão Record. The conglomerate’s namesake TV network produces standard commercial fare: telenovelas (sometimes Biblical), sex-infused reality shows, and journalism that dwells on grisly crimes. Record also runs a cable news channel, a handful of radio stations, three newspapers, a film-production company, and even a small bank, as well as cable and satellite units scattered around the world.

    Macedo purchased Record, then just a debt-ridden TV network, in 1989 for $45 million. The transaction led to an investigation by Brazil’s tax agency, which found that he’d used interest-free loans from the Universal Church to fund it, and fined him for failing to declare the loans as income. In his defense, Macedo said he’d bought Record on behalf of the church to create the country’s first evangelical TV network.”

    Source:

    http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-25/edir-macedo-brazils-billionaire-bishop

    The gullible who sway , swoon and pay up for these good for nothings.

    Watch his facial expressions,tremendous actor!

     

     

  • Perfecting Practice Yoga Sutra 1.14

    In Yoga Sutra 1.14, Patanjali tells us how to make the Practice Perfect.

    In Sutra 1.13,it was explained how one should go about practicing without bothering about the opinion and comments by the others.

    Having commenced the Practice, one has to do it systematically and regularly to make it Perfect.

    As in Life, practice is necessary to make anything perfect.

    One man have a loads of Talent.

    Only when it is fine boned does it become perfect

    Practice is what makes Perfection.

    We know that , sportsperson, keep themselves ready and raring to go, by constant practice.

    This action of practicing must be regular and be uninterrupted..

    Uninterrupted practice becomes easy when the Resolution is steadfast .

    Those who have tried to do a  particular puja would have noticed that it gets interrupted, making them drop it.

    Hinduism anticipates this.

    They believe that this, apart from the individual’s lack of resolution and laziness, is due to disturbance from the forces that tend to disturb the regularity of practice.

    To ward of this,a Pooja has, foe every Maha Mantra like Lalitha Sahasranama or Vishnu Sahasranama, Anga Nyasa, Kara Nyasa.

    This procedure ensures that the practice does not get disturbed by the forces , not in control of the individual.

    One must, in order to succeed in Yoga Sadhana, Practice regularly.

    Good habits are difficult to get set while Bad Habits are easy to acquire.

    Practice regularly.

    Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.4
    Yoga Sutra 1.4

     

    sa – that [practice]
    tu – but
    dīrgha – long
    kāla – time
    nairantarya – without interruption
    satkāra – with great attention
    āsevitaḥ – practicing assiduously
    dṛḍha – firmly
    bhūmiḥ -grounded

    “But that practice only becomes firmly established when it has been executed with great attention and without interruption over a long period of time”

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  • Isa Upanishad Introduction

    Upanishads form a part of the Vedas, the Authority for Hinduism and Indian Thought.

    Quote from Brihadhanyaka Upanishad.
    Quote from Brihadhanyaka Upanishad.

    There are Four Vedas,

    Rik,

    Yajur,

    Sama and

    Atharva.

    Rik Veda is the most ancient literature known to Man.

    It contains Hymns .

    It is called Rik as it is composed in a particular and format. tune,.

    Yajur Veda deals with the Duties of Man mainly with Knowledge portion also provided.

    There are two kinds in Yajur Veda.

    Shukla Yajur and Krishna Yajur.

    Shukla Yajur was complied by Sage Yagnyavalkya.

    Krishna Yajur and the entire Vedas were complied by Veda Vyasa.

    Sama Veda is set to tune.

    It is Rik Veda, with minor differences.

    While these three Vedas deal with Superior Knowledge,(para), the Atharva handles day to day knowledge like science, technology and the like,warfare, magic.

    The Vedas are recommendatory in nature; they do not force any one to follow them.

    Some methods have been found, they are useful, if you ant to , you follow them,that’s all.

    Each Veda has four parts,

    Samhitas, which contain Hymns,

    Brahmanas, Rules for Living,

    Aranyakas,rules for the semi-detached and,

    Upanishads, the final portions that handle exclusively the Science of Self Realization.

    For more on The Vedas, please read my posts under Hinduism,Indian Philosophy.

    Upanishad, mean, ‘sitting  nearby’ meaning that it is taught by a Preceptor  personally.

    Vedas were not transmitted by written word.

    It is called Sruthi , to be heard and practiced.

    Despite being not in written form for the past 5000 years, you can see that The Vedas intoned in the same way all across India!

    Originally there were 108 Upanishads in number.

    Please refer Wiki for details.

    Eleven Upanishads have been commented upon By Shankaracharya which includes The Isa Upanishad or Isopanishad.

    A commentary is being attempted here on Isa, Isha Upanishad.

  • How To ‘Practice, Resolution’ Yoga Sutra 1.13

    Having spoken about the prerequisites for streamlining the Mind to enable it to do our bidding, Patanjali tells us how,

    Practice.This is closely associated with and inspired by, our resolutions.

    The more one practices more steadfast one becomes and the more one is resolved and motivated, the Practice becomes easy and regular.

    Practice requires blind adherence to your resolution, come what may.

    This is true of any action for that matter.

    You deliberate on something, decide on it and act.

    If you hesitate or pause , the action will become difficult to perform .

    You get nagging doubts about performing the action and later it becomes a doubt on your ability to perform.

    To quote an example,look at some cricketers like Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.

    Sehwag is passing through rough patch in his form.

    His shots have become tentative and his body language negative on the field, clearly conveying self-doubt.

    This is due to a wavering resolution and self-doubt, fueled by comments by others.

    He had been advised Vivian Richards, not to show fear even if he has,for every one has them, and go blasting on the field.

    He came good.

    Tendulkar said much the same thing when he had a slump in form, when recovering.

    Do not  listen to others when you are practicing.

    Nor should you discuss your Resolutions with the others.

    It would slow you down if not break you.

    So, having taken the resolution, go ahead and practice.

    And trust your resolution.

    This principle applies to breaking bad habits as well.

    I used to smoke 80 Cigarettes a day.

    This, I was doing for 19 years.

    Then, one night as I was smoking in my office around 10 pm, I thought that it was silly to smoke and threw out the packet and I have not smoked since.

    The reason is that there had been a resolve to kick the habit away at the back of my mind but it was just that I could not bring myself do it.

    If your resolve is strong, you will do it.

    Another point is that if your resolutions are sparked by or reinforced by those whom you love, then you do it.

    I used to drink and had been for nearly 30 years.

    One day my daughter came to me(she was 25 then) and said to me,

    ‘we want you, do not Drink any more”

    I stopped Drinking from that Day.

    So two things are important,

    Follow-up your resolutions blindly and

    Have it reinforced by those who love you.

    That’s it.

    Two great points by the sastras.

    Never  disclose your Pooja or Mantras to others.

    Always surround yourself with Satsang (people of Good Thoughts and Deeds)

    Remember it is equally important to have the Grace of God for these Sadhanas.

    So much so, Yoga, called as a Nastika System(Atheist), for Sankhya and Yoga do not believe in the Testimony of the Vedas( Astika is one who believes in the Testimony of The Vedas), because it does not believe in it, is forced to accept personal God as Iswara for Yoga Practice.

    His Grace is necessary, even Patanjali.

    Now onto the Sutra 1.12.

    Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.13
    Yoga Sutra 1.13

    tatra -in regards to these [abhyāsa and vairāgya]
    sthitau – standing firm [`as in battle’] standing, staying, situated, resting or abiding or remaining in
    yatnaḥ – effort, activity of will, volition
    abhyāsaḥ –  practice, repeated or permanent exercise, discipline, use, habit, custo

    The practice requires Firmness of Resolution and Practice.
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  • Belief Faith and Miracles

    My son was telling me( he is a Believer, Agnostic and a Non believer, all rolled into one, don’t ask me how, he is-I do not tell him what he should,on occasions I used to suggest him when he is that state of Mind to enquire within;he also knows the essentials of Indian Thought and knows important Sruti by heart) and an hour ago asked my that Miracles happened in the past ,especially in Treta Yuga( an Indian Aeon) and people thought of God and He appeared and why they do not now,

    I am posting the essence of the discussion.

    Lord Krishna.
    Lord Krishna as a child.

    In Indian Philosophy, unlike in other Philosophical Systems of the World, there is no such thing as  ‘Super Natural’

    For a Hindu, everything in the Universe is natural, be it Rebirth, Good Actions producing  good results, Bad, the bad.Clairvoyance and the like and God.

    God would appear if one where to call out to Him..

    And that to in the Form the Caller wanted Him!

    Is this due to Faith?

    Answer is Yes and No.

    Let me explain.

    Belief is the feeling that some thing or some event would be the same way as it has been in our experience..

    Child believes that its Mother would take care of it.

    This kind Belief turns into Faith when the Belief turns out to be true at all times in one’s experience.

    This Faith performs the seemingly impossible.

    Faith is clothed as ‘Positive thoughts’ in modern parlance.

    When one thinks he has Faith, he has lost it.

    It should be as natural as breathing and to cite a daily example ‘the morning Ablutions’.

    These things, you do not contemplate, analyse,but are Natural.

    When one thinks he has Faith, he is aware of it and expects things to happen definitely.

    But if this feeling is natural, you do not even for a second contemplate the desired result, because you are unconsciously convinced the that the desired result would be there and It is there for you..

    Pu it simply, it is the Faith of the Child in its Mother.

    In this sense, Faith does not perform Miracles,

    It does , when one does and has the disposition of doing things naturally.

    For people of the earlier Yugas, Miracles and Faith did not exist separately for them.

    Faith was in their being and the result was embedded in that Feeling.

    Hence they could do and see things which we, to-day call as Miracles .

    Arjuna believed Krishna , had faith in Him.

    He never thought it was  faith, it was a natural feeling with him.

    If he had Faith on Lord Krishna only because he believed Krishna to be God , Arjuna would not have called Krishna as ‘a Cowherd, Friend(yadava, Saket and in many instances ridiculed him(He apologized to Krishna in The Bhagavad Gita for this in The Viswaroopa chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita)

    Arjuna took Krishna as his friend and treated him accordingly and what we call Miracles to-day were there for him.

    The moment Arjuna felt differently, he was routed.

    There is a story in the Mahabharata which narrates this point.

    After the passing away of Lord Krishna(the term Dehavyoha is to be used here), Arjuna’s wives were captured by ordinary Dacoits..

    Sage Narada was present  at his side.

    Arjuna got agitated and swore that he would finish the dacoits off , get his wives back and bragged that those dacois did not know the power of Arjuna and his Kandipa(Arjuna’s Bow)

    Narada just smiled and accompanied Arjuna in this assault on the dacoits.

    Arjuna’s Kandiva was ineffective , broken and he was squarely beaten by the dacoits.

    He asked Narada what happened to him and his Kandiva.
    Narada replied,

    ‘You forgot the essential part of You, Lord Krishna; so long He was apart of You naturally , you vanquished every one.

    Now you are humiliated”

    Arjuna yearns for Krishna and  got his wives back after defeating the dacoits with his Kandiva.

    So long as belief and Faith  natural and a part of you, nothing is a Miracle.

    You shall get whatever  you want( so long it does not run contrary to Dharma(Righteousness)

    This self belief is to be inculcated in the Children right from their infancy as it has been the case  with Dhruv(Dhruva) or Prahlad.

    Then there are no Mountains, only mole hills in Life.

    ‘Aakaasath Pathitham Thoyam Yatha gachathi Saagaram,

    Sarva Deva Namaskarah Kesavam Partichathi’

    ( As water from Rains, in the form Rivulets, Streams. Ponds, Rivers ultimately reaches and get submerged in the Ocean and become a part of it,worship of all and any God ultimately reaches Kesava( Lord Vishnu)

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