Ashoka Newmedia

There is a war at hand.  It is an invisible war to most of us because we do not understand the nature of our involvement.  Love is a spirit, a soldier and warrior for the almighty.  Armed with an enormous power and potential, he is the joy and feeling of all goodness on earth.       His occupation is to dissuade us from self destruction.  His presence was involved in our creation as a guide and advisor to the other Holy Spirits.  He knows only that which is true and that is all.  He carries a hollow belly filled with the power of the Almighty’s goodness.  If only words could describe the reality of what truly is.       The feelings and emotions that we experience are[..]

Everyone knows this world is not a peaceful place. There is violence, anger, hatred, and deception. On the other hand, there is sometimes joy, love, goodness and honesty. There is a balance of the good and the bad in this world, but we can go beyond this balance of life to see the immortal truth. Truth is something that is unchanging, and yet it contains all of life that is in constant flux. If we use honesty, something that is good but rare in this world, we can see the big picture of life and reach the truth. Let's look at our reality honestly. We chase pleasure and avoid pain our whole lives, pretending that we will never die. We play the game in life; we grow up, get a job and make[..]

Peace and Harmony The most essential thing in any country for its people is to live in peace and harmony. However, beautiful and wealthy a country may be if there is no peace in that country, the people who live in those countries are always in tear and sadness. Some of the countries like Bangladesh that has floods very often, Japan that suffers terribly when there are earthquakes, also there are countries like America, Africa that have many high mountains and they have earth slips that ruin many buildings, houses and the people. These are very, very unfortunate countries. When we compare our Sri Lanka with those countries, we will feel how fortunate we are to be always protected with[..]

The human life continues to be a struggle to live and prosper. In spite of several difficulties, human race and humanity survives and runs the world. In the teachings of Bhagavat Gita one sees it as a mystery or one speaks of it or hears of it as a mystery, but no one knows (Gita 1;29) stands true to happenings in the world. India is a land of culture, great heritage and enlightment. The history has shown that there are few people who come in near to the sufferings of human race. It is the unforgettable, Vivekananda. Swami is a source of great inspiration. His teachings are more important today than yesteryears as the changing responses to the present day circumstances, when the ideology[..]

Foundations of Hinduism. Dalip Singh Wasan, Advocate. If we trace history of the Hindus we would not find one founder of this Hinduism. That is the reason, some people believe that Hinduism is not a religion, but it is a way of life which had been adopted by the people of this sub region and they had been getting guidance from old Rishis, Munnis, Avrtaras and the Gods and Goddesses. The important works of the great Rishis who had been residing in jungles and had been creating guidelines for the people are contained and collected in four Veras. The name of four Vedas are, The Rig Veda, The Yajur Veda, The Atharva Veda and the Sama Veda. The Rishis had also been writing Upanishads,[..]

Fear has been brought about in the hearts of many about the year 2012, that the Mayans predicted to become the end of the world. Just about every Mayan calendar concludes with complete distruction and this time it closes on December 21, 2012 . The thinking of quite a few people is that there could be an apocalyptic or some revolutionary transformation inducing quite a few unfortunate occurances in the world in no time. The reasons are predicted to be the Human behavior or the Natural disaster. Quite a few even claim that there might be the involvement of God in this devastation. But the motive for the specialists to trust in this myth is that it was first created by Mayans. The Mayans[..]

Its probably very hard to believe it but God loves all of us the same. He created all of us, he is our father. He cannot therefore love some more than others. The true revelation of what this means can change the entire world. If we are all the children of one father who loves us the same, we should also be able to love and embrace one another without conditions. Sometimes people do things that really hurt us and we feel like we can never forgive them. We want to hate them for the rest of our lives. This is a normal feeling but you dont have to always feel this way. Since we have answered the question does God love everybody, ask yourself, do you deserve this unconditional love. What[..]

India is a country rich in its own traditions, values and religions. There, religious festivals play an important role in binding its people in both their personal and public aspects, creating a country of profound culture and distinctiveness. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism are the three ancient religions which were originated in India. Hinduism is the most dominant religion with around 80% of the population Hindus, whereas 0.8% of the population is Buddhists and only 0.4% of the population Jains. On the contrary, 2% of the population takes up a rather new religion Sikhism. Hinduism is a religions which dates back to 5000 years or more. It is a colorful religion with a vast amount of[..]

In this two part article I try to bring some light on just what it means to worship in Spirit and Truth. Not the same Christian propaganda, not the same Christian mysticism, but a fully comprehensible presentation of this worship to a level by which you can apply it to your normal Christian life.   Whenever I asked someone what it meant to worship God in Spirit and Truth, they either had not real idea or they gave me some rehearsed scriptural propaganda, with the goal of befuddling me bull-crap. Even those that seem to have a clue what worshiping God in Spirit and Truth was would end up explaining to me a concept that I had not idea how to apply to my normal Christian life.  For many[..]

e are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. -- Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M. D. Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not? -- Robert F. Kennedy Things do not change, we do. -- Henry David Thoreau The fact that our task is exactly as large as our life makes it appear infinite. -- Franz Kafka He who knows does not speak; He who speaks does not know. Stop up the openings, Close down the doors, Rub off the sharp edges. Unravel all confusion. Harmonize the light, Give up contention: This is called finding the[..]

Are you living your divine purpose? Are you fulfilling your life mission, that you were destined to fulfill? It's not too late, no matter where you are in life, you can discover and step into your higher purpose, now. Finding your life's purpose is a necessity to live a happy and fulfilling life. Sometimes your life purpose will find you. If we lived in a world where everyone was living their highest divine purpose, we would literally have heaven on earth. Everyone's highest purpose involves benefiting the whole. To give you a clue of what your higher purpose may be, I guarantee you that it is something that will benefit humanity, benefit the earth and benefit your soul. I believe the[..]

If we go back to look at the Vedas, the oldest surviving religious texts in India, we find that the view of the afterlife is really quite similar to the view that is found in some of the European traditions familiar to us. It is a view that probably belonged in some way to all the people who called themselves Arya and who migrated across Europe and down into India. This view is that the people who live a virtuous life in this world, play by the rules, express themselves in some sort of heroic way, and perhaps achieve some kind of eminence, go to live to the land of the ancestors when they die. This believe persists in some aspects in Hinduism today. Sometime during the first half of the[..]

95% the population suffers from headaches at some time or another and headache is the most common of pain complaints. Whilst there are many types of headaches, tension and migraine are the most common. Tension Headaches 90% of all headaches experienced are tension headaches. The basic cause of a tension headache is contraction of the muscles over the scalp, forehead, back of head, upper neck and jaw. When we are stressed or tense we frown, without even thinking about it, and this causes the forehead and temples to become tense and congested. Constriction in artery walls leads to a rise in blood pressure to the head making it feel as though it is going to burst. Tension headaches vary in[..]

Knowing the dangers of depending solely on medications as a form of panic attacks treatment, many people nowadays opt for alternative treatments. This often includes meditation, acupuncture and aromatherapy. However, these methods only work well for moderate forms of panic anxiety disorder. Meditation is one form of alternative panic attacks treatment that you can try for yourself. This method has been around for many, many years and has its roots in Hinduism or Buddhism. Meditation can help you find that inner peace of mind and help your body to relax. Another form of unconventional treatment for anxiety attacks is acupuncture. It is used to cure many medical ailments, including minor[..]

Vipassana is an insight into the true nature of things; seeing things as they are. The path that leads to this insight or realization is awareness or mindfulness. It is exclusively found in no other religion rather than Buddhism. In this meditation, four objects are considered for concentration of mind: body, feelings, thoughts and mental states. Vipassana practice is to use these four objects for the development of concentration, mindfulness and insight or understanding of yourself and the world around you. It offers the most simple, direct and effective method for training the mind to meet daily tasks and problems and to achieve the highest aim: liberation. It is safe for all types of[..]

Self is everywhere, shining forth from all beings, vaster than the vast, subtler than the most subtle, unreachable, yet nearer than breath, than heartbeat. Eye cannot see it, ear cannot hear it nor tongue utter it; only in deep absorption can the mind, grown pure and silent, merge with the formless truth. As soon as you find it, you are free; you have found yourself; you have solved the great riddle; your heart forever is at peace. Whole, you enter the whole. Your personal self returns to its radiant, intimate, deathless source. ~ Mundaka Upanishad This beautiful passage from the Mundaka Upanishad comes perhaps as close as written words can to "speaking the unspeakable" ~ to pointing to[..]

Zen Buddhism can allow you to approach life with calm and serenity, and meditation is a vital component of developing this ability. By stilling the incessant thoughts that are running through our minds all day, we can start to perceive the underlying unity of everyone around us. So what is zen? It's a way of looking at, and more importantly experiencing life. Sometimes people think that zen is detached, but it's actually being attached to the whole experience of life, not little parts of it. But at the same time, being completely involved in life. This can be a bit of a subtle distinction, but most of us spend a too much of our time and energy worrying about things that have little or no[..]

We all often find ourselves stressed and almost at the point of depression. The routine of having to wake up, find food and other material things and then back to sleep, is bound to cause boredom. Moreover, soon than later, you would realize that the ultimate satisfaction is not in this routine. This is why you need to meditate, to be able to find the true satisfaction. A satisfaction that would be lasting and be able to meet the needs not only of the individual, but also of the people around the individual. Starting with the benefits to the individual, meditation has been shown to reduce the impact of stress or depression in life. The routine in life and the disappointments may come as[..]

There are many meditation techniques in the world. Most of them are improvised to suit individual religions. Buddhism is the only religion that proclaims meditation as the only way of true salvation, Nirvana. To achieve nirvana one must follow noble eight fold path. Meditation is the only way to achieve the last two steps, right mindfulness & right concentration. However , you don't need to be a Buddhist to meditate. Meditation can put you in touch with the real you, we are spirit and we can realize this and link deep within ourselves. What is meditation? We think that we are in control of our mind but that's not the truth. Most of the time our mind is in total control. That's why it[..]

You've heard how meditation can help to reduce stress, induce calmness and improve health. But, for some reason, you're hesitant to learn it because of the things you've read or heard about this ancient practice. In this article, we will address some of the common beliefs about meditation that have confused many newcomers: 1. I'm not a Buddhist, so I can't learn meditation Although meditation has been closely linked to Buddhism, meditation by its very nature, is religion neutral. It doesn't require you to believe in some higher beings or deities. Similarly, it also doesn't require you to give up your existing religious belief, if you've one. Take the example of breathing meditation,[..]

To know why India has a rich culture, you need to embark on cultural tours in India. A tour to India will give you an opportunity to learn about its history, languages, religion, arts and crafts, performing arts and cuisine, which play key role in forming its culture and traditions. 1. History of India The historical past of India is graced with witnessing one of the oldest civilizations of the world. The origin of which can be traced back to 5000 years back. This civilization was named as Indus Valley civilization. The civilization has been so named after its place of origin which was called Indus River Valley. This civilization has been given much respect and admiration for its[..]

Taking the holistic approach to health management really begins with the mind, as our thoughts give birth to all actions and have been shown to have physiological effects on the body's intricate systems.There are direct correlations found in Chinese medicine, for instance, between certain major organs and particular emotional states. Negative or wildly imbalanced mental or emotional states will eventually manifest as physical symptoms. In turn, calming and balancing the mind can readily effect positive changes in physical symptoms of disease. There are many components one can use to bring about the desired mental states and they are often used in conjunction with each other. We will[..]

Practising yoga asanas, or the physical practice of yoga brings many benefits to mind, body and spirit. Yoga means union and through the breath connects the mind, body and spirit. With regular practice, yoga becomes a moving meditation with the focus remaining throughout on the breath. It is the breath which makes yoga unique and more than just a physical exercise. Breath is what enables prana, the life force which pervades all living things to enter our body. Practising yoga therefore increases our pranic energy. Each movement is initiated by either an inhalation or exhalation and the movement flows with the breath. Breath and movement work together effortlessly to create a yoga[..]

Meditation an ancient practice is rooted in Vedic Hinduism. It is a state in which the mind dissolves and is free of thoughts. Full fledged in Western culture, meditation is a common practice known to everyone. It includes a wide variety of spiritual practices that masters on the mental activity of a person. Most of them approach Meditation for achieving peace of mind. Types of Meditation: is on the basis of different religions- • Bahai faith • Buddhism • Christianity • Gnostic • Jainism • Hinduism • Islam • Judaism • Sikhism • Taoism • New Age Just thinking on one topic is Christian type of meditation. In this, mystics reach a state of achieving complete silence of[..]

What is Hinduism? Hinduism is an age-old, worldwide popular religion. Its huge following makes it rank third among all religions. Hinduism unlike other important religions, does not believe in a single doctrine and is not preached by just a single religious organization. Neither is it founded by a single guru nor does it follow a single ethical system. Hinduism is not just a religion; it is a culture, a tradition, a way of leading a pious life in the name of God, with no specific set of rules. History of Hinduism Hinduism is believed to be as old as history itself and exists on the earth since times immemorial. According to historians, innumerable communities have been preaching and[..]

The word Upanishad literally means "sitting down near" and implies studying with a spiritual teacher. The Upanishads were written by sages of India between the eighth and fourth centuries BC,The seven Upanishads presented complete in this collection are drawn from the twelve principal Upanishads and appear in what is considered their chronological order, the KENA, KATHA, and ISHA being considered pre-Buddhist and thus from the eighth or seventh centuries BC. The name KENA comes from the first word which means "By whom." ISHA comes from the first word meaning "Lord." PRASHNA comes from the word for "question." The gods referred to in these Upanishads are Agni the god of fire, Vayu the god[..]

Big Bang tries to explain the origin of the universe. At present there seems to be a general consensus that universe began with a big bang. What does Hinduism say about this? Before we discuss that let us discuss the main theory about Big Bang. Big Bang idea came into play after it was found that the universe is expanding constantly. It has been found that the heavenly bodies are running away from us. The speed is proportional to their distance from us. Those that are farthest are traveling at the maximum speed. There was no explanation for this other than saying that all heavenly bodies emerged from a point and after explosion started traveling outward. Big Bang theory stipulates that[..]

The Bhagavad-Gita Gita is one of the most important Hindu scriptures and considered as one of the most important philosophical classics of the world. Bhagavad-Gita is also known as Gitopanishad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upanishads in Vedic literature, The Bhagavad-Gita Gita comprises of 18 Chapters and 700 verses of the Gita with a beautiful accompaniment of flute, veena, sitar, mridanga, tabla and tala...The Mahabharata confirms that Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-Gita to Arjuna at the Battle of Kuruksetra in 3137 B.C.. According to specific astrological references in the Vedic scriptures, the year 3102 B.C. is the beginning of kali Yuga which[..]

Man has two creations, that brought about by his creator and the second creation of self. These creations are analogous to a car; a car is manufactured and presented to a driver. The second creation is learning to drive that car; and either making it a habit to plan every new journey before starting off, or start off with no plan at all. When the planned route is known and becomes common-place, man just drives through with little effort of his conscious mind. Hence, according to simple universal law, to accomplish great things, we must not merely act by taking off from without. Taking off from a haphazard base does not just cut it, as you'd be going against universal law. Your weaknesses[..]

There are stories in old texts about why Lord Shiva is shown as a Shiva Lingam. A Shiva Lingam may be very small or very large in size. It may be made of stone, metal or whatever. But essentially it symbolizes the glory of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is Para Brahma. He is the Jagadguru. He is the only truth and he creates the cosmos as a game and then destroys it. Lord Shiva creates every living being. Lord Shiva creates Heaven and Hell. He creates us on the earth. The whole earth is created by him and he rules the cosmos with his own laws. Only he knows the law of Karma fully. No body else knows the law of karma. The trees, precious stones, wild animals, bacteria, fish, and every other[..]

Reincarnation means that the soul is changing bodies. This change of bodies occurs not only at death, but throughout life; from boyhood to youth to old age, then to a baby's body. These moment by moment changes are too small for the person to be aware of, but when we consider greater amounts of time, then the change of bodies is obvious. The change of body known as death is the most apparent. The Bhagavad-gita compares the change of body at the time of death to a person discarding old and useless clothes, and putting on new garments. Regardless of whatever plans and adjustments we make, our body eventually wears out, and we are obliged to accept a new one. Although everyone must die,[..]

In Hinduism we do not call any teacher a Guru. We do not call preachers as Guru. We do not call mendicants and those who perform the rituals as Guru. Guru is supreme God according to the truth revealed by Hinduism thousands of years ago. A Guru is God in all the senses. We believe that God comes in human form as guru to give salvation to his disciples. The definite text on Guru is Guru Geeta, which sings Guru's glory. Guru is all around the world. He make look confined in a body but that is only the way he communicates himself. Otherwise he creates the world within himself and destroys it. He gives the results to all of us according to our karma. He shows us the path by which we attain[..]

Reincarnation is the belief that when one dies, one's body decomposes, but the soul travels to another body. It is a belief that one has lived before and will live again in another body after death. The bodies one passes through need not be human. One may have been a Doberman (dog of German origin) in a past life, and may probably be a little rat in a future life. From a philosophical point of view, what is it that reincarnates? Presumably, it is the Soul. As per Hinduism, a lifespan on earth is not a discrete one-time event. Rather, it is just one episode in the play. There will be multiple appearances (births) before the soul finally takes leave from the cycle of birth and death. Birth[..]

Every day we're confronted with situations where we need to influence, lead and persuade people. From persuading your children to clean their room, to convincing your boss to give you a raise. It's all about influence. Our ability to deal successfully with people determines the quality of our business life, our family life, and our social life. Ultimately, our success in life and in any endeavor will be solely determined by how well we influence other people. Our ideas will never see the light of day if we can't persuade others why our ideas are good. Excellent influencing skills require a healthy combination of interpersonal, communication, presentation, and assertiveness techniques.[..]

Developing Christian object lessons is a mindset. I've been putting them together for years and I think they are simply the coolest, most fun part of any Bible lesson. My Bible stories for children always contain at least one object lesson. As a result, I'm always on the prowl for something I can use to drive a point home to kids. You need to develop a mindset that no matter where you are or what you do; there is always a potential object or situation that can be incorporated into an object lesson. Don't forget to keep within reach a way to write or record these ideas so they aren't forgotten! So Where Do You Find Objects? Garage sales are my absolute favorite place to gather items for[..]

When many people hear Cause and Effect or Karma they automatically think bad things. It's something that comes up at times like when you get a flat tire and you're trying to think what you did to deserve it. Usually some ridiculous event comes to mind like the one time you stole 10 dollars from your mom's purse when you were ten and you never got caught. The funny thing is that people never think of the other side of the story. If every time you do something bad you have to experience some sort of hardship, then shouldn't it work the other way around? If stealing 10 bucks out of mom's purse gets you a flat tire then shouldn't that time you did the dishes without anyone asking you to[..]

  Hinduism answers Human Diversity   Dr.T.V.Rao MD     The Hindu religion is a founded on Vedic principles which rarely gives emphasis on any individual and accommodated every one with diverse views. The ever-growing thought process in the religion has contributed to off shoot of several religious sects to suit any section of the society. The great epic Mahabharata is a reflection of oneself in the world, every one of us are there in the scripture, but play roles to suit our needs and ambitions for future. Still the world runs with self determination with lesser faith in the almighty which lead to growing crisis in the society, and degradation of Hinduism. The reasons for degradation[..]

During the great war of Mahabharata, Dronacharya made the Chakra Vyuha. Only Arjuna knew how to break that. But he had gone away to fight. That time Arjuna's son Abhimanyu tried to break open the Chakra Vyuha. Many Kauravs killed Abhimanyu together. That time after Arjuna returned he vowed that he would kill Jayadratha before the end of the war on the next day. Otherwise he would kill himself by entering fire. That was both a good and bad news for the rascal Kauravs. Good because if Arjuna could not kill Jayadratha, he would himself die and bad because Jayadratha could get killed by Arjuna. Next day the kauravas kept Jayadratha behind and came forward to fight. They did not want Arjuna[..]