IDEAL
Everyone is essentially divine. We are the divine Self. The ideal of human existence is the recognition of our spiritual Self. Religion is the realization of our divine nature, otherwise called Self-realization. When we realize our true Self, spirituality guides our daily life and conduct. Life guided by spiritual vision insures inner contentment and peace.
AUM - Shanti Shanti Shanti - Hari AUM Shanti
May absolute peace pervade the whole universe.
SUNDAY PHILOSOPHIC SERVICES
We welcome you to join us in the Golden Lotus Temple of the Self-Revelation Church of Absolute Monism. Our weekly non-sectarian philosophic services are held in the Church at 11:00am each Sunday (except during the months of July and August.) This devotional and philosophic service offers messages of Advaita Vedanta, or Absolute Monism. Children are welcome to join our Sunday School which meets in the Church of the Children at the same time. All are welcome.
Join us on Sundays at 11:00am in the Golden Lotus Temple
At this time of Diwali, when rows of diyas display a marvel of light on a dark moonless night, we are reminded of the Vedic invocation: Lead us from the unreal to the real; From darkness, to light; From death, to immortality.
TEMPLE OFFERING MESSAGES
Light ignites our hearts in many ways, always joining, embracing, expanding… Some hearts are slow to illumine. Like coal they need time, but once aglow, their quiet warmth soothes and endures for a long time. Some hearts hold light as water does, subdued in dark and silent depths, yet brilliant and energizing in streams and cascading falls. Some hearts spread their light like the ignited incense - a fragrance offered into all directions freely, inviting and pleasing to all. Some hearts, like peerless transparent diamonds reveal the full spectrum of Light.
The Isha of our Upanishad, the Super Soul, which permeates all moving things, is the God of this human universe whose mind we share in all our true knowledge, love and service, and whom to reveal ourselves through renunciation of self is the highest end of life.
Sitting with the purpose of meditation you can follow a tremendously beneficial process of breathing in twelve stages. Just by reading them, you will see right away that they are progressively sublime, calming and expansive. They will be effective and helpful from your very first attempt and every time you follow them! Following them, you will gradually benefit from increasing contentment, gentleness and peace.
The gentle autumn has arrived. Her very presence fills the heart with serene happiness. Tranquility composes the mind with calmness, a sublime stillness pervades the entire being with inexplicable beatitude, soul feels closer to one's own pure consciousness, and a contemplative attitude fills the whole environment with an inner spiritual well-being.a
Experience has taught me that silence is a part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it.
Discovery of the spiritual wealth of your life does not mean that you will automatically become prosperous, healthy, famous or popular. Nor does it mean you will find a life of ease, free from care or responsibility. But you will enjoy true wealth, well-being and serenity.
All spiritual aspirants ought to know and clearly understand kundalini power. To the intiate trained to use kundalini it comprises the inner path to God. In Kriya meditation, kundalini is the specific and conscious link between individual prana or life energy pervading the human being and cosmic prana, the source and perfection of all beings.
I walk to the tree of life and sit beneath her canopy. My thoughts ascend through her outstretched branches. I listen to her wisdom and praise her for her beauty. I thank her for her beneficence. I learn from her guidance. She offers blessings as dewdrop beads of light on the gossamer string of love.
So long as our unfoldment requires us to continue our existence in the world of manifestation, we must have two ideals. One is the relative and the other is the absolute ideal. The relative ideal demands that we provide for the objective aspect of life; whereas the absolute ideal inspires us to realize the highest state of perfection, which is oneness with God, or Self-realization.
Light encircles each day with its garland of seven illuminations. In solemn stillness of Pre-dawn is foretold the course of each heavenward destiny. Dawn heralding advent of rose-golden rays In beneficent blessing, spanning across the horizon of time and space. Gaze upon this day of Thy creation! Each morning bathing the day with renewed vitality and opportunity.
I have discovered that man is fundamentally good and spiritual. In the innermost depth of his heart every man is kind and loving. This realization of the innate goodness of man has completely oriented my attitude towards my fellow beings. Today none can hurt me because I behold man in his spirit, and in his spirit man is good. Now my constant effort, under all circumstances, is to awaken man to his innate virtue and righteousness.
Within a few years of his arrival in Washington in 1928, Swamiji (then a Brahmachari) met a couple whose influence and generosity would further his work in establishing his first church on Western Avenue while he simultaneously became an inspiration to their work in establishing the Shenandoah National Park.
Krishna as the guide of Arjuna reveals the truth and ideal of guru—that is, our own divine, ever pure and perfect soul, Self-conscious and ever one with God. Embodying the ideal of human guru, Krishna leads Arjuna to discover the life of his own soul.
What is Karma Yoga? It is Self-Realization in action; liberation through work; freedom by service. It is commonly called the path of action. In whatever state of self-expression we engage, that is action. We think, we love, we work. These are all actions. Karma Yoga is the regulation of all our actions in order that we may realize our innate spiritual perfection.
O precious cycle of time, I witness your changing attire, your wardrobe of expression. Traversing celestial realms, this budding universe appears before me in all its grandeur.
AUM represents the physical, mental and spiritual states of consciousness of the Self. For the final Wednesday evening of our Kriya Yoga Meditation series we will explore the powerful suggestion of the silent utterance of this sacred mantram, contemplating its meaning and significance, as we meditate on AUM.
All messengers of light have identified the path of inner illumination. It is accessible to anyone who makes sincere effort. Even when darkness surrounds us from all sides, still there is a light on the altar of our consciousness that burns bright. For this evening’s Kriya Meditation, let us meditate on the glory of that effulgent reality. All are welcome.
"O Thou self-manifested cause and substance of creation, O Thou indwelling Self of all, Thou source of illumination, guide me beyond Thy rays of creation, transport me beyond Thy objective form that, by Thy grace, I may behold Thy glorious Self: That absolute Self abiding in the transcendental effulgence, verily, I am That."
In meditation, the mind has to become more subtle. To get to that subtle perception we have to begin with that which sets the whole engine in motion. That is Prana. Prana determines the quality of our consciousness. This cosmic Prana is not realized by the light of intellect, the brilliance of mind, or the power of the senses.
The mystic studies the breath of life in subtle and beautiful ways. In this third evening of our Kriya series, we enter that current which reaches the innermost and extends outward.
To free the mind from the strong grip of mental attachment requires a steadfast pursuit of the study of silence. Not just silence of the senses but a sense of calm can be attained by an inward journey. In this second evening of our Kriya Yoga series we will dive into the ocean of self-subjectivity and the depth of calm.
What are the dimensions of our meditation? In our daily life and activity we live in dimensions of length, height and depth and we experience the effects of time. Scientists theorize about additional dimensions in which other worlds arise and other histories and futures are possible. In our meditation we explore universes of experience that go beyond space and time, to the infinite and eternal. In the first evening of our Kriya Series we will begin to explore awakening to the light and life of meditation.
In the light of mysticism, the entry into Jerusalem symbolizes the journey of life, the pilgrimage of self-unfoldment which each of us must follow on the path of life. The life of Jesus sets forth a spiritual pattern which each of us must follow to walk on the path of God.
All life is guided by consciousness. Consciousness is responsible for all our happiness or unhappiness, peace or sorrow in life. Right now we are our consciousness. Our consciousness reveals the authority over our daily experience.
Books and words comprise scriptures, but they are not the only revelations of life. All creation is “word,” God's cosmic scripture for us to read and understand. The method of study is glorification, communion, and feeling that the stream of life that flows through our and Nature's veins is One.
Self-realization is the highest goal of our life. We are irresistibly progressing towards that ultimate objective of our existence. In truth, through science, art, philosophy and religion we are drawing ever nearer to the realization of the full perfection and glory of God, our supreme Self. In the realization of our divine self we reach that state of self-perfection wherein we realize our identity with God and attain the realization that we are the absolute self.
Let us examine our mental life to see how well established in the peace of our own subjectivity we are: For too many people the day is so crowded with one activity after another that there is little time given to realize pure self-reflection. Instead, they habitually establish themselves solely in their objective life, allowing their mind to be dominated by the sense-world.
“Initiation into subjective meditation is like a bridge to those who are earnest and determined to transcend all inner finiteness. Realization of the imperishable Brahman, the absolute Self, is the goal of self-liberation.”
All possess love. We not only possess love, but we also have the spiritual strength to express it. To possess love is to manifest it. One whose heart is imbued with love can never hide it, for his whole being radiates it. Can a full-blown rose hide its fragrance? Then how can anyone ever conceal the sweetness of love? For love is sweeter than the rose
With ascending consciousness soul offers itself in sacrifice throughout its human pilgrimage to God, and sacrifice can be perceived and understood in the manifestation of the human personality at four levels.
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
The Divine origin and meaning of Breath for human life according to Yoga philosophy and meditation coupled with the harmonization of the consciousness-bearing life force, Prana.
Also available on Amazon Kindle
All inspired thoughts, meditations and prayers become to us many lights on the path of spiritual unfoldment. This collection of reflections draws from the idealism of advaita (absolute monism) offered by Srimati Karuna, Minister of the Self-Revelation Church of Absolute Monism.
The spiritual teachings of life as shared deep within the forest sanctuaries of ancient India are of immense value to us even today. Although the cultural and spiritual referents of her writings emerge from the idyllic forest ashrams of India’s Vedic Age thousands of years ago, Srimati Kamala draws from her memories of life with her guru, Swami Premananda, from a profound spiritual tradition and from her own meditations and musings.
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Through all times and all lands devotees have offered prayers of soul with creative and beautiful traditions. One way is through prayer beads. By the repetition of prayers or sacred names of God, one holds a constant thought of God. With this book I present a collection of prayers with prayer beads beautifully illustrated by Shanthi Chandrasekar. I offer these prayers with open hands and open heart. Kindle e-book is also available.