Happiness & Success
Achieving Happiness Through Acceptance of Life
The quest for happiness often leads to frustration, as many fail to realize that the...
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- Written by: Osho
Don't think about enlightenment as a goal, it is not. It is not a goal; it is not something that you can desire. And if you desire it you will not get it. In desiring a thousand and one things, by and by you come to understand that all desire is futile. Each desire lands you in frustration; each desire again and again throws you into a ditch.
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- Written by: Katie Edwards, University of Sheffield
While you’re biting the heads off your chocolate bunnies this weekend, you might wonder how cartoon rabbits became so central to our Easter celebrations. It’s tempting to assume that because there’s no biblical basis for the Easter Bunny, rabbits and hares have no religious significance – but that’s just not the case.
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- Written by: Richard Smoley
The priests of the Age of the Father, whose job centered on sacrifice, would probably not have recognized their successors as religions. One of the charges the pagan Romans leveled against the Christians was atheism...
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- Written by: Andrew Harvey
Why we are here? Who and what are we really?. The great mystical traditions are astonishingly united in their answers to these questions; they each claim, in different ways, that we are essentially sparks of Divine Consciousness, emanated by the Divine out of itself, and placed here in this dimension to travel back to conscious union with the Godhead.
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- Written by: Sayadaw U. Pandita
We do not practice meditation to gain admiration from anyone. In this essay we learn some basics of meditation and how to meditate.
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- Written by: Lakota Wisdomkeeper Mathew King
I walk with the Great Spirit, with God. I talk to Him. The Great Spirit guides me in my life. Wakan-Tanka, that's what we call him in Lakota. You can call Wakan-Tanka by any name you like. In English I call Him God or the Great Spirit. So call Wakan-Tanka whatever you like. Just be sure to call Him. He wants to talk to you.
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- Written by: Sarah Stillman
Some grow up against a backdrop of strong pious traditions, while others are born into families in which both parents belong to different denominations, or no denomination at all. Most of us tend to adhere to the religion of our parents, but some choose to venture on their own spiritual paths...
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- Written by: Christopher Grosso
Yes, love your brother. Yes, live in harmony with nature. But first and foremost, pave the way for the best within each one to shine outward. In other words 'Heal your mind'. But how?
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- Written by: Alexis I. Jordan
Thank you, infinite goodness, for your bounteous gifts, including peace, love, freedom and joy, health, energy, and abundance which liberally surge through me and to me each time I live fully in the here-and-now with you, and let go of all my perceived pain from...
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- Written by: Joanne M. Pierce
In late winter, many Christian denominations observe a 40-day period of fasting and prayer called Lent. This is in preparation for the spring celebration of Easter, a religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
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- Written by: James F. Twyman
Realizing that we create everything we experience - no matter how positive or negative it may seem - is the first step in spiritual mastery. But it's only the beginning. Trying to satisfy the endless needs of the ego leads to complete disillusionment. I'm a strong proponent of viewing acts of service as a...
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- Written by: Joan Borysenko
The seven directions and the seven chakras reveal seven paths to God. Although we will discuss these paths in a sequence that may seem linear, one path is no more "advanced" than another. They are simply different expressions, distinct rays of energy that each of us embody.
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- Written by: Richard Smoley
People are interested in spiritual experience (if only at times of crisis or transition in their lives), and the clergy have not been trained to guide them through such experiences. All great religions, although their inner essence is esoteric and inevitably the province of the few, have to make some provision for the world at large.
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- Written by: Daisaku Ikeda
We all desire happiness, and yet happiness seems to be just beyond our reach. However many 'how to be happy' books might appear, human beings are still largely beset by the same problems as their ancestors. The poor seek wealth, the sick yearn to be healthy, those suffering from domestic strife...
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- Written by: Lorna Piatti-Farnell
Christmas is celebrated worldwide with a focus on community, family, and festivity, but its origins are rooted in diverse traditions. From the Roman Saturnalia to Norse Yule, the evolution of Christmas incorporates various customs that reflect cultural shifts. Even in the Southern Hemisphere, unique adaptations highlight the festival's global nature.
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- Written by: Sharon Salzberg
Compassion is not a thought or a sentimental feeling, but is rather a movement of the heart. Compassion is born out of lovingkindness. But we may get distracted, we forget, we get caught up in something else, or we confuse another feeling for the state of compassion.
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- Written by: Cate Montana
“The gods have used religion to their advantage, keeping you at each other’s throats for far too long. Which is why I wanted to come back and have this discussion.” He leaned back. “Any questions?”
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- Written by: John Randolph Price
Between 2500 and 1500 B.C. (the dates vary), Hermes Trismegistus, the 'scribe of the gods,' came on the world stage to tell about the Spirit of the Divine within. In his writings, he implores humanity to "rise from your sleep of ignorance" and to find the Light.
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- Written by: Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche
It's very easy for you to be wholesome and virtuous and spiritual when things are going right. But as soon as a little bit of adversity arises, then the real test begins, especially when you look at how you deal with your family life..
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- Written by: J.T. Garrett and Michael Garrett.
The 'Way of the Circle' is passed down from generation to generation, from Native American Elders to the children in the form of stories, traditions, customs, and teachings. What follows is a general collection of these teachings, which can be embraced by anyone seeking the way of...
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- Written by: Christopher Penczak
Everybody on this planet has a spiritual support team. This group is our backup in the game of life. We come into the world with this team, and build on it through our spiritual practices and experiences.
