Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

Last updated on October 6th 2014 While I do not believe in the claims made by some person(s) of being able to interact with subtle form of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and therefore act as a medium between devotees and Bhagawan, I think what is undeniable is that some Sathya Sai devotees have belief in some of these person(s) and are associating with the activities done by organizations/trusts led by these person(s) and/or their close associates. I wish them well, and I am quite sure most Sathya Sai devotees would wish them well, in their efforts to spread as well as practice Bhagawan's teachings through these organizations/trusts. However, I believe there are some strange situations where some individual(s) associated with Sathya Sai trust/organization A (including, perhaps, some senior administrative position holder(s), at least in the past, immediately after Bhagawan's Mahasamadhi) take guidance/instructions from leaders/spiritual masters associated with Sathya Sai tr...

Last updated on October 28th 2014 This short account of history of early Christianity is a mix of wikipedia links (including some small extracts), and comments of mine. The main wiki page for this topic is Wikipedia's History of early Christianity, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_early_Christianity (as of Sept. 2014). 1) Prior to and during the advent of Jesus Christ, Jerusalem, the centre of the Jewish faith, was under foreign (Roman) rule. The Jews (at least some of them) expected a 'messiah' who would eject the foreigners and resurrect a Jewish state (centred in Jerusalem). Judaism (religion of the Jews) was divided into sects like the Pharisees and Saducees. Those who sought to incite the people to rebel against the Roman empire and expel it from the Jewish lands by force were referred to as Zealots, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealots_(Judea) . 2) Judea (containing Jerusalem), Samaria and Galilee are three important regions of Palestine/Israel at the ...

Last updated on 30th Sept. 2014 This is a miscellaneous post and not a spiritual one :). Recently I dug up some info. and added some of my own, and got some clarifications/corrections from correspondents, on Bangalore to Puttaparthi road driving directions, to pass on to folks who plan to visit me by driving from Bangalore to Puttaparthi. From http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/34714-bangalore-puttaparthi-route-advice.html  in early 2008 The route is Hebbal - Yelahanka - Devanahalli - Chikkaballapur - Bagepalli (KA RTO Checkpost) - Kodikonda (AP RTO Checkpost) - Thummalakunta Thummalakunta is about 9 km from the KA - AP border and identified by a sharp S curve just after an IBP bunk on the left and an IOC bunk on the right. Turn right here for Puttaparthi ... -------- end team-bhp.com post extract ----------------- 24th Sept. 2014 Ravi: What is given below is based on Google Maps route, a correspondent's recent input on the matter, and what I re...

This article, dated Sept. 20th 2014, Three Cheers for Pluralism Over Separatism, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/opinion/sunday/thomas-l-friedman-three-cheers-for-pluralism-over-separatism.html , by Thomas Friedman quotes views/understanding of Harvard's (religious) pluralism project. However, Friedman uses these views in a more political/social/ethnic pluralism context rather than religious pluralism, IMHO. Harvard Prof. Diana L. Eck crisply defines her (and the Harvard pluralism project's) view of (religious) pluralism here: http://www.pluralism.org/pluralism/what_is_pluralism . I have copy-pasted the contents below along with some comments of mine: What is Pluralism? The plurality of religious traditions and cultures has come to characterize every part of the world today. But what is pluralism? Here are four points to begin our thinking: First, pluralism is not diversity alone, but the energetic engagement with diversity. Diversity can and has meant the creation o...

I came across this very interesting short speech by USA Secretary of State, John Kerry, at the launch of the (USA) Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives on Aug. 7th 2013, http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/08/212781.htm Here are some excerpts from his speech which I found to be very interesting, and some comments of mine: As Secretary of State, and before that as a senator for 29 years, I have met with faith-based leaders all across the world, had the privilege, obviously, of running for President of the United States, met with many members of our faith-based community here in our country, and I have met with people of all religions and of all life philosophies and belief systems. And that experience has only reaffirmed my belief that there is much more that unites us, and should unite us, than divides us. Gandhi called the world’s religions beautiful flowers from the same garden ... And there is common ground between the Abrahamic faiths, and, in fact, between th...

I was not aware of this July 18th 2014 article in India Today, Eternal Empire of the Living God, http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sri-satya-sai-baba-mission-crisis-of-credibility-his-death-three-years-ago/1/372954 . It was brought to my notice by a mail I received today. In early August (2014) I had come across an article in the Daily Bhaskar praising the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust about which I put up a post here: https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2014/08/media-article-praises-sri-sathya-sai.html . This India Today article carries the sub-title "Sri Sathya Sai Baba's mission surmounts the crisis of credibility arising from his death over three years ago". The article states (He in the quote that follows refers to Sri Sathya Sai Baba), "He's no longer around but the vast network of institutions he built over five decades continues to flourish, managed and guided by an all-powerful caucus, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT). It's to SSSCT's credi...