We will continue to share with you, excerpts from His Holiness’ speeches on vegetarianism and previous Karmapas who were strict vegetarians. “In the catalogue of his Collected Works by 5th Shamarpa, Konchog Yenlag, there is a text called A Letter to my Defenceless Mothers Primarily in the Land of Snows: How Eating Meat is Wrong. There is a text with this title, which is like an announcement

His Holiness, the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is the spiritual head of the 900-year-old Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite having been brought up as a meat-eater in a nomadic family in Tibet, His Holiness subsequently abandoned meat and firmly encouraged others to stop buying, making and eating meat. The 17th Karmapa believes strongly in compassion, loving-kindness, women’s ri

“‘I tell you truly, even so did satan enter your bodies which are the habitation of God. And he took in his power all that he wished to steal: your breath, your blood, your bone, your flesh, your bowels, your eyes, and your ears. But by your fasting and your prayer, you have called back the Lord of your body and his angels. And now satan sees that the true Lord of your body returns, and that it is

In 1947, a young Bedouin boy at Qumran, on the banks of the Dead Sea, discovered a ceramic pot inside an empty cave. Within the broken pot were pages of ancient texts. A total of 850 sacred texts were eventually discovered, all around 2000 years old. These scriptures, now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, contained many details about an ancient spiritual group called the Essenes. With respect for all

Let us now continue with a reading of the next Chapter VII in “The Sanctuary of Self” by Frater Ralph M. Lewis, entitled, “Death – The Law of Change.” “Why do most men fear death? Is it not because they dislike to relinquish the pleasures, the joys, the rewards, the power, fame and position, they have attained in life? But if they fear to relinquish these things, if they fear that death wil

The Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, also known as the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, is a worldwide cultural, educational, and philosophical organization that is perpetuating the profound and practical teachings of the Rosicrucians. These teachings, as passed down and added to over the centuries, from ancient Egypt to Europe and now all over the world, pertain to the mysteries of the universe, nat

The philosopher’s keen perception of the nature of the human mind points out a major aspect in our psychological life which would influence the experience of real self-knowledge. “We listen with hope and fear; we seek the light of another but are not alertly passive to be able to understand. If the liberated seems to fulfill our desires, we accept him; if not, we continue our search for the

Jiddu Krishnamurti was an internationally renowned spiritual figure, born in 1895, in southern India, who, to this present day, is still considered one of the greatest thinkers and spiritual teachers of all time. Krishnamurti’s only concern was to set humanity “absolutely, unconditionally free.” His vision was for humans to have a more profound understanding of themselves and of the art of living,

“O Son of Man! Upon the tree of effulgent glory, I have hung for thee the choicest fruits, wherefore hast thou turned away and contented thyself with that which is less good? Return then unto that which is better for thee in the realm on high. O Son of Spirit! Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou were created. O Son of the Supreme! To the eter

Born in 1817 in Tehran, Persia, or present-day Iran, Bahá’u’lláh was the enlightened Prophet and founder of the Bahá’i Faith. He and His teachings are believed to be prophesied in Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and other religions. The Arabic word Bahá means “glory” or “splendor.” The Bahá’i Faith rests on three main concepts, also known as the “three onenesses”: unity of God, unity of r

“Space does not represent any property of objects as things in themselves, nor does it represent them in their relations to each other; in other words, space does not represent to us any determination of objects such as attaches to the objects themselves, and would remain, even though all subjective conditions of the intuition were abstracted. For neither absolute nor relative determinations of ob

Immanuel Kant was one of the most influential German philosophers in modern Western philosophy. His most famous work was in the area of ethics and metaphysics. Kant’s work in the area of morality was considered completely new at the time. He stated, first of all, that all humans are worthy of dignity and respect. His philosophy also said that motivation, not outcome, is the most important determin

The “Sons of God” and the “Sacred Island” “If we believe the tradition at all, we have to credit the further story that, from the intermarrying of the progeny of the hierophants of the island and the descendants of the Atlantean Noah, sprang up a mixed race of righteous and wicked. On the one side the world had its Enochs, Moseses, various Buddhas, its numerous ‘Saviors,’ and great hierophants; on

Offering insight into the origin and evolution of the universe, “The Secret Doctrine” also details an account of "Root Races" dating back millions of years. The “Sons of God” and the “Sacred Island” “Tradition says, and the records of the Great Book (the Book of Dzyan) explain, that long before the days of Adam, and his inquisitive wife, Eve, where now are found but salt lakes and desolate

Let us now continue with the reading from Godfré Ray King’s book titled, “Unveiled Mysteries.” What follows is the fascinating speech of a Cosmic Master. Who, during His presence at the king’s banquet, reveals great truths about the most essential Universal Law – the Law of Love. “‘When the children of Earth look away from Love, they are deliberately and consciously choosing the experience

Guy Warren Ballard was a United States mining engineer and co-founder, together with his wife Edna Anne Wheeler Ballard, of the “I AM” spiritual movement, inspired by his life-changing meeting with the Ascended Master Saint Germain. Following this enlightening encounter, Mr. Ballard devoted his life to spreading the Master’s wisdom, according to his capacity. From Master Saint Germain’s dictations

“NEIGHBOR: ‘Why has God created wicked people?’ MASTER: ‘That is His will, His play. In His maya there exists avidya as well as vidya. Darkness is needed too. It reveals all the more the glory of light. There is no doubt that anger, lust, and greed are evils. Why, then, has God created them? In order to create saints. A man becomes a saint by conquering the senses. Is there anything impossible for

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa was born in 1836 to a devout family in rural Bengal. As a young man, Ramakrishna was interested in pursuing God consciousness, above all other studies. He joined His elder brother, who was then head priest at Dakshineswar Kali Temple, a holy site that is still active today. When His brother passed away, Ramakrishna was appointed as the temple’s priest. When He met with

III The Striving after Perfection Requires Mental Effort “‘Be ye perfect, even as your Heavenly Father is perfect,’ says the Gospel. This does not signify that Christ commands man to be as perfect as God, but that every man must make efforts of mind to strive after perfection, and in this striving is the life of man. Every creature grows up gradually and not all at once. A science cannot be master

In addition to his renowned epic novels, Leo Tolstoy wrote essays and letters that conveyed the spiritual truths he came to realize in life. Along with adopting and promoting the vegetarian diet, he became deeply interested in spirituality and living by the ethical teachings of Christ. Supreme Master Ching Hai spoke about the uplifting nature of Leo Tolstoy’s work during a group meditation session