Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

Jewel Live - I have seen the Face of Love, the Grace of God, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbYwj9lRpP0 , 3 min, 30 secs Jewel Live - Joy to the world! The Lord has come! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U31r38CEX60 , 3 min, 30 secs Jewel Live - O Holy Night! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh3pFC65CnE , 3 min 47 secs From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_(singer) : Jewel Kilcher (born May 23, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress, and author/poet. She has received four Grammy Award nominations and, as of 2008, has sold over 27 million albums worldwide. --- end wiki extract ---

Pic courtesy: Radio Sai This is from New Testament (Christian) scripture, John 10:30, http://biblehub.com/john/10-30.htm , and are the words Jesus spoke to those who were aggressively questioning him. Given below are the verses John 10:30 to 10:38 (from above biblehub.com link): "I and the Father are one." The [persons-opposing Jesus] picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The [persons-opposing-Jesus] answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I SAID, YOU ARE GODS '? "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, ...

As I explored more about the incident of Wheaton College Associate Professor, Dr. Hawkins, being asked to go on administrative leave as she had written on her Facebook page that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2015/12/christian-prof-of-evangelical-christian.html , I noted that a Washington Post article on the matter, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/12/16/do-muslims-and-christians-worship-the-same-god-college-suspends-professor-who-said-yes/ , stated: She [Ravi: Dr. Hawkins] linked to a Christianity Today interview [Ravi: link: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/april/muslimschristianssamegod.html ] with Yale theologian Miroslav Volf on the topic. In the piece, Volf said that “all Christians don’t worship the same God, and all Muslims don’t worship the same God. But I think that Muslims and Christians who embrace the normative traditions of their faith refer to the same object, to the same Being, when they p...

A Sai university alumnus and former Sai university faculty wrote me recently: Dear Iyer sir, I consider myself, foremost, as a learner. Hence I do not limit myself to only a few topics. Some topics, perhaps, would not have been of interest to me, but nothing stops me from reading articles on it and, who knows, I may even pick up interest on that topic. This has happened to me many times. This is where your mails [Ravi: I mail my articles/posts to him] play a very catalytic role. They give me some fodder for thought. I do tend to think deeper on many of your mails. I may not find the time to pen my thoughts back to you, always, but rest assured that your mails have enlarged my field of vision and thought process. Thanks for that. --- end Sai university alumnus and former Sai university faculty mail extract --- I wrote back: Thanks for your kind and well articulated words. I am glad that some of my article-mails have been of some help to you. Such words give me the much ...

Dr. Larycia Hawkins, (tenured) Associate Prof. of Political Science at Wheaton College, Illinois, USA, said in her Facebook post on Dec. 11th 2015, https://www.facebook.com/larycia/posts/10153326773658481 , "I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God." Note that Dr. Hawkins has stated in the words above that she is a Christian. This post drew resistance from Wheaton college administrators as they felt it went against their statement of faith, http://www.wheaton.edu/About-Wheaton/Statement-of-Faith-and-Educational-Purpose , and so they put her on administrative paid leave from Dec. 15th 2015, "in order to give more time to explore theological implications of her recent public statements concerning Christianity and Islam". For more see Wheaton College Statement Regarding Dr. Larycia Hawkins, http://www.wheaton.edu/Media-Center/Media-Relations/...

Last updated on 16th Dec. 2015   Preface: This post has NOT been made from a viewpoint of denigrating spiritual missions, but from a viewpoint of sharing some human issues that come into play in Indian spiritual missions/ashrams. It may serve to better prepare some persons to handle these challenges if they are involved with such spiritual missions, or intend to do so in future. This note is based on my experiences as well as my readings about Hindu, Christian and multi-faith (SarvaDharma) spiritual missions/ashrams in India. end-Preface. [Part 1 of this article is available here: https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-five-human-challenges-to-overcome.html ] b) Inbreeding I came across the term institutional inbreeding or academic inbreeding only after I got associated with a deemed university in India as honorary staff/faculty. From http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20131009120224656 : "The narrower definition of academic inbreeding assumes that...

Lok Nayak (people's leader) Jayaprakash Narayan has written, "Seeking Baba's Blessings" along with his signature and Swami has written, "With Blessings" along with Swami's signature in this photo below: Pic courtesy: Shri Karan Dewan,  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=215661822099291&set=a.102893226709485.1073741829.100009664231632 From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayaprakash_Narayan : Jayaprakash Narayan (11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), popularly referred to as JP or Lok Nayak (Hindi for The People's Hero), was an Indian independence activist, social reformer and political leader, remembered especially for leading the mid-1970s opposition against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, for whose overthrow he called a "total revolution". ... At age 20, Jayaprakash sailed aboard the cargo ship Janus while Prabhavati remained at Sabarmati. Jayaprakash reached California on 8 October 1922 and was admitted to Berkeley in Januar...

I believe this 2 lakh i.e. two hundred thousand litres water sump & pump house facility had been vital in providing water to Prasanthi Nilayam ashram as well as Puttaparthi town, when bore well water resources had dried up in summer this year. This seems to have come up sometime early this year (2015) and seems to have been executed by Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT).

These pics were taken in Sept. this year (2015). It was nice to see local folk singers play some devotional songs (in Telugu) and local folks dancing (folk dancing) to it. I found it to be quite pleasing and was happy to see the locals enjoy this way of expressing their devotion. One foreign lady too joined in and was doing the moves in sync with the locals!

This facility was set up many months ago. I think it has been very beneficial for many Puttaparthi locals. This is located at the beginning of the bridge connecting Puttaparthi with Karnatakanagapalli. The Telugu writing on the wall of this facility says 20 litres of water for Rs. 2/- (Two Rupees), which many (low income) locals have told me is a great bargain for them.

Preface: This post has NOT been made from a viewpoint of denigrating spiritual missions, but from a viewpoint of sharing some human issues that come into play in Indian spiritual missions/ashrams. It may serve to better prepare some persons to handle these challenges if they are involved with such spiritual missions, or intend to do so in future. This note is based on my experiences as well as my readings about Hindu, Christian and multi-faith (SarvaDharma) spiritual missions/ashrams in India. end-Preface. Spiritual missions involve people with a mix of spirituality and mission/service orientation. If one is focused on intense spiritual practices which take up most of one's time, then one may not so easily fit in a spiritual mission. A reclusive ashram/monastery which is largely detached from the world (or for some very dedicated person, even a cave, abandoned temple/place of worship or the jungle), would be a more appropriate place for such a person. But if one is involved wi...

I was born and brought up in Bombay/Mumbai. Hindi films (Bollywood) and songs were an intrinsic part of my youth and adult life, though I was more into listening to Hindi film songs than seeing Hindi films. [In those days, 70s to 90s say, most Hindi songs were part of Hindi films. Separate music albums unconnected to a film were quite rare.] The themes of 70s & 80s Hindi films were usually very healthy and promoting good values in general. I mean, typically the good guy & gal will win over evil at the end. Amar Akbar Anthony was a mega starrer and superhit of the late 70s. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amar_Akbar_Anthony : Amar Akbar Anthony (Hindi: अमर अकबर अन्थोनी) is a 1977 Bollywood action comedy film with a lost and found theme, about three brothers separated during their childhood who grew up in three homes, adopting three religions. They meet in their youth to fight a common villain. It was the biggest blockbuster of 1977, and won several awards at 25th Filmf...

I refer to this declaration, https://www.facebook.com/groups/135091189986965/permalink/598382213657858/ , put up on Shri Sudhir Joshi's Facebook page (which I shared on my FB page). [Note the contents of this declaration are available on this blog post of mine: http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2015/12/official-alumni-group-of-sathya-sai.html ] I think very few seem to be interested in making an OPEN DECLARATION in support of this official alumni declaration. Hmm. One wonders how many of those earning salaries from Prasanthi Nilayam, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT) managed institutions are really hidden supporters of Muddenahalli group! Or am I imagining things? I would be glad to be corrected and be told that all Sai university alumni working as salaried staff in Prasanthi Nilayam/SSSCT managed institutions do not believe in Muddenahalli so called subtle body claims and Muddenahalli so called communicator, and that they are LOYAL to Prasanthi Nilayam which is paying them the...

Last updated on 10th January 2016 Given below are contents of a recent Facebook post of mine, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1682681738615063 . Update on 10th Jan. 2016: As it is over a month since brother Sri Sudhir Joshi put up the FB post shared below about official alumni group announcement, WITHOUT any such announcement from official SSSIHL sources or any other official Sai institution source, I have to say that the announcement CANNOT BE VIEWED AS AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF Sai educational institutions alumni! That is really disappointing! I don't think I will blame Sai fraternity if they suspect whether official Sai alumni group is a HIDDEN SUPPORTER of Muddenahalli false belief? I mean, the situation is so murky now that one does not know whom to trust in this Muddenhalli muddle. --- end update --- Sudhir Joshi sir on FB chat informed me that he had confirmed the matter given in his shared post below with a responsible official. So I consider his FB ...

I have given below mainly my part of a small comment exchange I had with Bro. VijaySai B.S.​ on this Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/sathyanarayana.raju.9/posts/703024516500702 (MDH refers to Muddenahalli): Ravi S. Iyer wrote: Bro. VijaySai B.S. May I ask you whether you are in Sathya Yuga now or in Kali Yuga? --- Bro. VijaySai B.S. responded in essence that he believes in all that (so called) Muddenahalli subtle body says but that he is not so much bothered about the Yuga we are living in, as against dealing with other "here & now" things. [For exact comment, readers may visit the above mentioned post.] --- Ravi S. Iyer wrote: See bro. VijaySai B.S.: I appreciate the devotion and service activities of MDH following, and wish them well. Don't get me wrong on this point. I do not wish any harm to befall MDH following and pray to Bhagavan to shower His Grace on MDH following too. But Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba had clearly said that Kali Yuga is goin...