What is spiritual knowledge? Real Knowledge that does not change. When a peson does not forget that the Supreme Unifying Consciousness is always witnessing everything and is in everything known and not immediately knowable, this is spiritual knowledge. This spiritual knowledge can be translated in the mental sphere as well as in the physical sphere, eg by helping others so that mind moves from crude divisions to subtle wholeness in being. By the same token the 'greatest learned' is the person who understands that s/he is not at all learned. This very spiritual knowledge is devotion/Love, ie knowledge finally transforms itself into devotion after constant efforts. When knowledge realizes that nothing is to be effected by it, then alone it surrenders to devotion. When knowledge surrenders to devotion, that is spiritual knowledge. Once you have got devotion, that is spiritual knowledge. Once you have got devotion you have got everything. From thouhts of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti --- Some things to note. Typical tools of tantric meditation are Mantras and Yantras, the latter is a kind of diagram or symbol to visualize. Tantra has it's origins in the India of 7500 years ago, in that period the Indian population was facing a big cultural and physical clash due to the Aryan invasion. Aryans were entering India from the north-west side, where Pakistan now is. In the course of their invasion, Aryans tried to subdue 'Indians' to their culture, the ancient culture of the Vedas. The Vedas were a compilation of verses in which all their knowledge was reassumed. At that time there were three Vedas, Rik Veda, Yajur Veda and Sama Veda. In that particular moment a special person was born, His name was Shiva. He knew that the culture in and around India was at risk and in order to make it stronger, he organized all the knowledge that the Indian sages acquired by their intuitional practices (Meditations) at that time in a strong and well structured culture, and Tantra is the name of this culture. Shiva gave also many teachings on medicine, art, social life etc. etc. Organized in this way, the Indian culture was strong enough to survive and face the gradual Aryan invasion without being suppressed. In Tantra we can find the most complete form of Yoga, at that time all the different styles of Yoga were practiced together, but later in the course of the centuries they were developed separately and different schools of yoga and different philosophies arose. Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jinana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga are now the most popular forms. Tantra has deeply influenced all the Asian cultures, we can find it in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and when brought into Mongolia it became Taota, in China it became the Tao. Today is still possible to learn the ancient science of Tantra in it's original form, but it requires a Spiritual Master that guides one in the journey of the Self discovery. Such a master establishes a monastic order also of monks and nuns of a Spiritual Movement and these persons can properly initiate a person in Tantric Meditation and introduce you to the Tantric life style. Then at least once they will taste the joy of Meditation. If they continue they will taste more. There are of course many kinds of spiritual traditions and methods of Meditation, but if a person is genuinely interested in trying the Tantric way, it will be taught free of charge. Tantric monks and nuns treat Meditation as a birthright (just as Shiva did - and so also Krsna). It is the birthright of all, and genuine teachers will not charge for the teaching. --- What is this mysterious Tantra? Tantra is maybe the most ancient branch of Human culture, it's origins are rooted in India. In this ancient tradition we can find everything, from medicine to arts, from science to sociology, literature, spiritual teachings... etc. etc. Actually Tantra is a way of living, a journey towards Spiritual realization. In the west there is a big misunderstanding about this great culture: it is often associated with sexual life. Of course Tantra, being a wholistic science, includes topics about sexual life as well, but the way this matter is propounded by some in the west right now, has usually to do with the real spirit of Tantra. From Tantra has originated the wonderful art of Yoga and Meditation. The word Tantra is composed of the two sanskrit syllables Tan + Tra. Tan means "to expand" and Tra means "to liberate". Also in the syllable Tan we can extract "Ta" which is the acoustic root of Tamas: that is inertia or dullness. So the meaning of Tantra is "That which expands the consciousness freeing it from dullness and inertia". The spiritual practices of Tantra, have the effect to expand our mind and consequently our consciousness. Thought the main tool to expand the mind is used in Meditation, Tantra proposes other tools, like a special diet, a special way to live our daily life in relation with others and the nature around us, music and spiritual dance (Kiirtan) and others. --- What is good and evil? Every religion tells people to be good, and to shun evil. Actions which make one follow the unique inclination which increases the reflection of Universal Consciousness - Awareness of the Whole - are good deeds. Discrimination/Conscience is the quality which distinguishes a good person from a bad person. Inculcation of distaste for the crude, and taste for the subtle and realisation of right use of human faculties as well as things of the world, constitute good actions. The inner motivation of all action is to proceed from the crude to the subtle, from the bondage of time, space and person to the goal of Ultimate Reality - God. Anything which halts the march of unit consciousness to that Supreme Stance/Seity is evil. Longing for earthly objects, anger, avarice, attachment, lust, pride, jealously, envy, fear, shame, hatred, doubt, vanity of all kinds whether physical, mental or even spiritual and back-biting - are all fetters which drag the mind down the abyss of evil. They are enemies which absorb the mind in crudeness and stop its march towards the subtle. -- What is religion? There are a variety of religions in the world formulated by different propounders. So, far from being a unifying force, religion should be seen as a cause of disharmony. One thing should be remembered: spirituality and religion - or `Ima'n' and `majhab' in Arabic - are not synonymous. Throughout the ages, Ima'n has been propagating teachings to unite humanity. Religions are many, but Ima'n is one, and that is a system for the attainment of the Supreme. Based on practical wisdom and logical faith, it is a rational approach for the realisation of Absolute Truth. External paraphernalia are not required for the practice of spirituality: the only prerequisite is a unit mind. However, art and aesthetics in collective practices of spirituality certainly help the society. Within spirituality there is no room for exploiting people entrapped in the snare of blind faith. Religion is based on the following three factors: 1) Psycho-sentiment 2) Physico-ritualistic observance 3) Tradition Behind the origin of a religion lies the inborn fear psychology of human beings. Human beings started religious practice to appease the different natural phenomena - the hills and mountains, the rivers and oceans, the forests, thunder and lightening, the morning and evening, and so on. Such religious practice was based on the instinct for self-preservation: the only intention to propitiate the gods and goddesses of diverse moods. Some kind of imaginary faith worked in the back of people's minds. Such psycho-sentiments arose after human beings came in contact with the different natural phenomena. The roots of most religions lie in the worship of a particular natural phenomenon. Some religions centered around the moon, some the sun, and others a stone image. Later on people created an improvised philosophy to support the worship of that physical phenomenon. Later they advanced the philosophical argument that it was possible to attain the unlimited by worshipping its limited form. They declared their temples, mosques and churches made of bricks as sacred places. Thus a strong sentiment developed for the worship of different deities. So blind were their sentiments that they refused to listen to rationality. Take the case of cows. Hindus worship cows as something holy, apparently because cows give us milk. But if cows are revered as mothers because they give us milk, shouldn't buffaloes be given a similar status? Actually, buffaloes give more milk than cows. Unfortunately,the blind religious followers refuse to listed to logic as their religious sentiment for cows has taken root deep in their minds. People are fed these ideas since childhood, so later on it be comes impossible for them to discard them. According to some religions beef eating is forbidden but the killing of deer and goats is permissible. This is totally irrational. This is the result of blind faith. When the wave of physical sentiment becomes stronger than the wave of logic, we call it blind faith. Each religion has its own scriptures. These scriptures are sometimes worshipped with such reverence that they are treated as deities. But the paper on which the scripture was written, and the printing and binding of the book were perhaps done by people of other religions. But once the book is complete it is transformed into a holy scripture and those that made it will not have the right to even touch it. Many people spend huge sums of money to make an idol of clay only to immerse it in a river with pomp and ceremony to conclude the religious festival. But if the people of other religion happen to break even a finger of that idol terrible bloodshed will ensue. Thus, those who advocate the formation of countries on the basis of religious faith will cause irreparable damage by fragmenting human society. Human beings readily accept traditions without seeking the reasons behind them. Since ancient days the Semites have been observing the practice of circumcision. Moses and Mohammed accepted this system which today has become tradition. The ancient Austrics used to worship the Sun. Their purpose was to please the Sun God and be blessed with heavy rainfall and bumper harvests. Through religions it is next to impossible to establish unity in the society. Religious differences should be minimised as much as possible, but it should be remembered that blind faith in a religion cannot be forcibly eliminated. Psychological methods will have to be employed to make people realise the irrational nature of blind religious faith. This requires a rational interpretation of philosophy through enlightened intellect. When the human mind is gripped by the fear psychology it gives indulgence to blind faith rather than logic and reason. If human fear is removed through logic and reason, the very basis for blind faith will be weakened. That is why human beings will have to be taught philosophical doctrines in a rational way. Furthermore, to remove the psycho-sentiment for a particular physical object, either the object itself should be removed or, by changing the very outlook through scientific and humanitarian reasoning, the person concerned should be separated from that sentimental object. For example, those who perform religious ceremonies in worship of the moon will find it difficult to continue their practice once, due to scientific advancement, they actually get the opportunity to walk on the moon. Blind faith must be removed through the application of science and humanistic appeals. The real question is can the practices move in an ideational flow to a devotional goal? Those who follow a particular religion are supposed to kneel down and stand up a specific number of times, so naturally they are always counting their movements, consequently their minds cannot be withdrawn from physical movements and external activities. There are some people who vehemently believe that only temples are holy places, and that mosques, churches and synagogues are not. The followers of other religions look upon themselves as the chosen disciples of God, and regard others as heathens or infidels. But how can the bricks, stones, mortar, etc be holy or unholy? They are only material objects. Most of the masons and carpenters who were employed to build temples belonged to other religions, yet once a temple was constructed, it was declared holy, regardless of who built it. Is this not ludicrous? Religions are based on external ritualistic observances, so they are preoccupied with physical objects. In the course of time, these physical objects become the objects of ideation. As a result of ideating on religion, the human mind becomes inert. No amount of discussion or intellectual persuasion can shake that psychic inertia. From childhood, human beings are taught irrational ideas, so when they grow up it is extremely difficult to remove preconceived notions. So, it is said that religion is a question of faith, not logic. --- What is Ananda Marga? Finding Inner Peace Ananda Marga was founded in India in 1955 by the late Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar (also called Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) , a visionary philosopher and spiritual guide. Ananda Marga teaches yoga and meditation as powerful tools to help us discover deep spiritual fulfilment, peace and wisdom. It also emphasises a non-dogmatic code of ethics and encourages a universal outlook which rises above limited sentiments of nation, race, religion, gender and social status. Ananda Marga monks and nuns are called Dada and Didi which means brother and sister. They dedicate their life to service and spiritual teaching. In Ananda Marga both family people and monks are treated with equal respect Global Service Ananda Marga is also involved in many kinds of service, from orphanages and disaster relief, to alternative agriculture and programmes for artists and progressive scientists. For example, the Ananda Marga River School is part of a network of hundreds of Neo-Humanist schools run by Ananda Marga throughout the world. In Australia we have schools in Lismore, Melbourne and Perth. The River School is located on the Ananda Marga community land in Maleny, which comprises 57 acres and houses four families. Ananda Marga is a global movement dedicated to self-realisation and service to all. The name is Sanskrit and means literally Path of Bliss. --- "Now humanity bleeds. The future is dark. So we have come here to do something. I have come here to do something, and you have also come here to do something. My coming is significant, and your coming is not less significant. We have come with a mission; and our lives, singularly and collectively, are a mission. Not missions - ours is a collective mission. Here we all are one. We have come to do something. And that is the causal factor. And what will be the effect? The effect will be that the world will realize that humanity is one and indivisible, and no power in heaven or on earth can destroy this glorious humanity. We have come here to save humanity, and we will save humanity." P R Sarkar - Founder of Proutist Universal --- 'The main characteristic of PROUT-based socioeconomic movements is that they aim to guarantee the comprehensive, multifarious liberation of humanity.' P R Sarkar PROUT - PROgressive Utilisation Theory http://www.proutworld.org http://www.prout.org New Renaissance: A Journal for Social and Spiritual Awakening: http://www.ru.org ---