Guru Purnima, July 22 2013

Happy Guru Purnima, from Spirit Warrior Press, to all of those who have a true Guru in their lives.  Guru Purnima is a holiday traditionally celebrated in the East by both Hindus and Buddhists to show appreciation to one’s spiritual teacher.  A Guru is revered as one’s path to God by acting as a spiritual guide and counsellor, a devotee’s best friend, and a father and mother figure.  Purnima, which means ‘full moon’ in Sanskrit, is celebrated on the first full moon in the Hindu month of Ashaad (June-July) which marks the beginning of India’s four month monsoon season.  On this day, in accordance with Vedic scripture, seekers make a pilgrimage out to the Guru’s Ashram to honour him/her on this day.

For further information on Guru Purnima:

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-03/nagpur/32522716_1_guru-purnima-vedas-great-sage

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5076

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Purnima

Can Quantum Physics Explain Near-Death Experiences and Conciousness?

Near-death experiences occur when quantum substances which form the soul leaves the nervous system and enters the universe, claim two quantum physics experts.  Dr Stuart Hameroff, Professor Emeritus at the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology and the Director of the Centre of Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona, and British physicist and Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University Sir Roger Penrose, have developed a theory called orchestrated objective reduction (Orch-OR), which they claim is a model for consciousness.

This Daily Mail article  demonstrates that, “consciousness is a program for a quantum computer in the brain which can persist in the universe even after death, explaining the perceptions of those who have near-death experiences.”  The theory, if correct, would basically prove the existence of consciousness as something that predicates human experience in accordance with many Eastern religious beliefs such as Buddhism.  Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2225190/Can-quantum-physics-explain-bizarre-experiences-patients-brought-brink-death.html#ixzz2ZVyTAZbp

A further and more detailed explanation of Orch-OR theory can be read here on Quantum Consciousness.org written by Hameroff and Penrose  in a paper called Orchestrated Objective Reduction of Quantum Coherence in Brain Microtubules: The “Orch OR” Model for Consciousness.   http://www.quantumconsciousness.org/penrose-hameroff/orchOR.html

Thai Buddhist Monks Criticized Over Private Jet

A recent Associated Press report demonstrates the pitfalls of the ego where a You-Tube video showing Thai monks in their private jet invoked staunch criticism.  The AP report states that this is not an isolated incident where, “Last year, about 300 out of 61,416 Buddhist monks and novices in Thailand were reprimanded – in several cases removed from the monkhood – because of their misconduct, ranging from alcohol consumption, having sex with women, to extortion. The Office also received complaints about monks driving cars, and scams…”  Furthermore, it is noted that the monks were acting, “inappropriately,…[and] not adhering to Buddha’s teachings of simplicity and self-restraint”, the very teaching that they are supposed to represent.

This story can act as a reminder and a lesson of the illusionary state of the world as appearances can be deceiving;  just because someone may look or act like a holy person, does not mean that they actually are one.  Anyone who is living within the material world is subject to the pitfalls of ego with all its conditions of attachment and desire to some degree, and it takes much discipline and arduous spiritual practice in order to be lessened from its grip.

The entire story and video can be viewed on The Telegraph by clicking on the link below.

.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/10124885/Thai-Buddhist-monks-criticised-over-private-jet.html

Spending Time With a Spiritual Teacher

New post from Siddha Warrior!  In our hyper-individualistic Western culture, many people seem to think that they don’t need a Guru, or any sort of spiritual authority in their lives.  With so many false prophets emerging in the New Age it is probably a good idea to stay away from these so-called spiritual teachers, as most of them seek to exploit you, or persuade you to buy their latest book.  However, most people haven’t met a real Guru, so society’s view on what such a teacher would be like is completely skewed.  Siddha Hermes is a rare and genuine spiritual teacher and explains in his latest post the importance of being in the company of a (real) teacher for one’s spiritual development.   Being in the company of a Guru is essential in the practice of the higher forms of niskam sadhana, a traditional ego-transcending Eastern spiritual practice. 

Spending time in the company of a good teacher is very important in the practice of yoga. Chapter 6:23 of the Bhagavad Gita states, “yoga must be practiced with faith, with a strong and courageous heart.”  In essence, this means that satsang with the Guru is important, and we must never give up on our sadhana, as we must always study and practice to be better devotees. Buying a few books on spirituality will never really help us; it may provide us with consolation, or temporary relief from our dilemma, but it will not ultimately change our condition of suffering…Read More

Read more on spirituality at:  www.siddhawarrior.com

Film Review: Kumare

The 2011 documentary Kumare was recently reviewed on The Mystic Muse.   The somewhat contraversial  film questions the legitimacy of the spirituality of the New Age Movement, as filmmaker Vikram Gandhi pretends that he is his alter-ego Guru Kamare.  The review, written by Devyn Lewis, is  a thought provoking critique of the direction of how spirituality is interpreted today.

If one can get past the ethics of fooling people into believing that New Jersey filmmaker Vikram Gandhi is ‘Guru Kumare’ from India, then Kumare is well worth watching. This original, witty, and gutsy 2011 documentary reveals how easy it is to convince people that they are getting real spirituality, when in fact they are not.   Gandhi sets out to test his hypothesis with what he calls ‘The Spiritual Placebo Effect’, in a social experiment to see whether a fake religion can have the same effect as a real religion. After interviewing and documenting numerous so-called spiritual teachers in both the West and the East within the modern day New Age Movement, he found a blatant connection between them all in that they were false prophets…Read more

Divine Justice

 Many feel that life is unjust.  Many rationalize this because there is so much suffering in the world and conclude that this proves the absence of God.  In the egoic sense, if what our lower selves are trying to aspire to is some sort of heaven on Earth, or to acheive bodily enjoyment, then there is some truth to this last statement.  However, in the higher sense of justice, called Divine Justice, all is God and therefore just; as everything is a modification of that One.  Even the apparent suffering that we are experiencing is paradoxically just because this is one’s karmic path that is meant to bring us through our life lessons so one can ultimately be released from Samsara.  God in this sense is both dark and light, as these two concepts in their apparent differences perceived through our dual mind seem to be apart from each other, where in fact, they are two sides of the same whole.  The Divine Justice that one may receive may not be ideal, as the result is not to appease the ego’s desires; but according to the Law of Love, it is always exactly what one needs for their spiritual growth at that moment.

The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.
  ~Michelangelo

A post on Siddha Warrior reveals more on this concept of Divine Justice:

Some of you may feel that life is unjust or that there is no Justice in life. In some sense this may be implied by the lack of apparent Justice in our society. Many may feel that the nature of our society is a reflection of the nature of life and that life is brutal. They may even doubt the existence of God because of the brutal nature of life on earth. We often get angry when we feel things are unjust, or that we have been done wrong…read more

Every Moment is the Guru

The guru in our modern age is one of the most misconstrued concepts, as we live in a time where there are many false prophets trying to sell their version of happiness to the public.  ‘Guru’, which translates as ‘light/dark’, is not a person, as many people may think, but a function.  In Sanskrit, it means ‘spiritual teacher’ or ‘master’, however, in the modern age its meaning has been diluted to mean anybody who is a perceived expert in a given field of knowledge.   The meaning of guru as a  function is to interpret life for the student of spirituality as a provider of a clear channel for the communication of God.  The purpose of this function is to dissolve the ego in order for the seeker to learn how to interpret life/God’s messages/lessons for themselves, and ultimately to pass on this teaching to others either in this life or the next.

The apparent person providing this guru function is just a human being, and a guru could pass you on the street and you wouldn’t even know it.  A true guru does not need to dress in flowing robes, make long pilgrimages to India, or live in some emaculate Ashram hidden far away in the mountains; as spirituality, as most may think, isn’t about becoming ‘spiritual’, but learning what it means to be human.

×

The Primacy Of Consciousness

Peter Russel is one of the many scientists in the modern age who are now merging science with spirituality.  Having studied theoretical physics and mathematics at Cambridge University (UK), he then proceeded to travel to India and study Eastern philosophy and meditation.  Consciousness, especially through scientific disciplines such as quantam physics, is increasingly becoming evident as the unquestionable basis of our reality where the two camps of spirit and science were previously thought to be in opposition.

Exploring the nature of reality and of conciousness itself, Russel presents at The Physics of Consciousness Conference in Virginia Beach, VA November, 2004.  His presentation titled the Primacy of Consciousness can be viewed on Top Documentaries:

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-primacy-of-consciousness/

Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world.

                      ~Albert Einstein, The Evolution of Physics

To the mind that is still, the whole Universe surrenders

                         ~Lao Tzu

Book Review: Creative Power: Discover Your Creative Potential

Great summer read!  From Vancouver-based author Brenda Fraser comes an inspirational pocket-sized book for unleashing one’s creative potential.  A useful guide for almost anybody as we are all creative beings, because we are all a part of the same microcosmic whole of divine creation. A more detailed review of Creative Power can be found at The Mystic Muse:

Brenda Fraser’s Creative Power: Discover Your Creative Potential is a truly inspirational, book about discovering the hidden creative spark within you.  This creative energy she fervently describes as “the fire of life,” is the latent power within all of us.   Fraser makes use of her poetic language skills as her words reflect this intuitive nature.  She writes, “What lies deep within is a sacred seed that needs nourishment [and] [w]hen we allow ourselves the freedom to express who we really are, we nurture the inner seed that is our own divine nature.” ….read more  

You can find this book on-line at Amazon as a Kindle edition or paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Power-Discover-creative-potential/dp/1470173824/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353446437&sr=1-1&keywords=creative+power+Fraser#_

 

 

Healing from Denial

New post from Siddha Warrior!  Siddha Warrior is a site dedicated to revealing the path of the Spiritual Warrior through the process of knowing oneself.  The site offers new insights every week and contains an archive of information for the spiritual seeker.  Written by Vancouver-based spiritual teacher Siddha Hermes who has been communicating the Way for over twenty years.

Our society is ill. A good reason for this is because so many people are living in denial. The reason that people are living in denial is because they are afraid of what they are denying. When we accept what we are denying, when we are honest with ourselves, we are freed from the fear of clinging to our illusions…read more

Learn more at:

http://www.siddhawarrior.com