Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts

Sunday, 2 May 2010

Laos Religion

laos religion="laos religion"

In Esoteric Literature the Word “christ” Has Five Different Definitions

What is the Cosmic Christ? “It is the Soul of the Universe, the link or the relation between matter and spirit, and the redemptive energy, which leads the life, sleeping in matter, toward glorious heights of endless unfoldment…. It is the Son, the second person of the Trinity.” (Christ the Avatar of Sacrificial Love). It is the Love energy in nature, that attractive, magnetic power that links us to each other. To me, the Cosmic Christ is the universal Messenger of God, who guides, inspires, and overshadows all great Teachers of world religions. It is through Him that all religions manifest. He has given the Divine Teachings to humanity through His intermediaries such as Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Zoroaster, Lao Tse, Mohammed, to name just a few. If we are able to embrace the idea of a Cosmic Christ, Who does the will of the Father in Heaven, and elevates all mankind with God’s Teachings, then we can start building the bridges that will eventually help us unite all humanity under one God, not under one religion, but under one God with many manifestations. Conceptually, the idea of the Cosmic Christ helps us build the bridges of tolerance and acceptance.

The Cosmic Christ is known in many traditions under various names, such as Imam Mahdi, the Messiah, the Kalki Avatar, the Maitreya, the Bodhisattva, the Coming One, the Great One, the Great Spirit, and many others. He is known as the One Who is so far advanced and accomplished that He is able to give to humanity successive spiritual guidance through the Masters of Wisdom.

Our global conditions reflect our separative and exclusivist thinking. Our mind set conditions our opinions, feelings, and our actions and decisions. The idea of the Cosmic Christ can heal our separative minds. It can remove the walls of exclusivity that endanger human welfare. It allows us to think in broad terms and consider the majesty of God as part of all of us. It is in this way that we can understand that God does not take sides; He is always thinking of His children and, through the Cosmic Christ, never leaves us bereft of His Messengers and never leaves humanity without guidance.

Many religious people talk and act as if God is only on their side and not on the “other” person’s side. We pray to a sectarian God, a separative God, and one who takes sides helping us defeat the other person and beat others down. When I think of God and spiritual ideals in universal themes, I see how silly human beings have become and how separative we are when we think that our way is the only way. In thinking this way, we have effectively drawn a tight circle around us and identified the world between those who are in our circle and those who are outside of it. Even Presidential candidates in the United States talk about being on the side of all “true believers”!!!!! What about those who are outside of that circle by not believing the way a Presidential candidate may believe? How dangerous is this kind of separatism and how huge are the ramifications of such thinking? For all the talk about tolerance and acceptance, we have in effect taken that extra chair out of our dinner table and made sure no one comes and sits with us who is not “one of us.”

Some may object to this view saying that their particular Messenger is the only true Son of God and putting their Messenger in the same category with others demeans His status. To me this is not the case at all. Belonging to a group of Great Ones who incarnate to teach and guide humanity gives more power and legitimacy to each Messenger. They are not alone, but are part of the universe. If we can entertain this philosophical perspective, it may give us a new way to identify humanity. We would no longer look at one religion as better than another. We would no longer see one Messenger to be better and somehow more advanced than another. We may even form the philosophical foundation that enables us to be truly tolerant, inclusive, and humanitarian in our approach to others.

For people who have studied these kinds of Teachings and who have been exposed to many cultures and religious traditions, this is a logical and very beautiful idea to accept. For others, especially those who are very strict in their interpretation of religious teachings, this is totally unacceptable and may even be blasphemy. To the former, the Cosmic Christ means the Initiate, the Anointed One, the Cosmic Avatar; to the latter, Christ belongs only to the Christians and no one else. Those with strict interpretations of their religious teachings find the idea that greatness and reverence may be allowed to all Holy Ones is in itself totally unacceptable.

Sometimes you simply cannot force open unwilling hearts and minds; you just let life take care of it and let experience show how unity and love and tolerance are much more conducive to human welfare than hatred and separatism and sectarianism.

The Ageless Wisdom Teachings are slowly permeating the thinking of religious and spiritual leaders. If for no other reason but the need to understand those who have a different faith and to practice the love and tolerance that is the cornerstone of every religious and spiritual tradition, this is an important development. Now that we understand that there are no borders in the world and we are one humanity, we need to consider the philosophical foundation that would make this understanding intellectually and religiously plausible.

You may not agree with this understanding of the Cosmic Christ. You may object strenuously to it. You may feel threatened that your religious beliefs are the most valid and most sanctioned by God. That is fine and I am not out to change anyone’s religious beliefs. Rather, I am presenting a view that may help us appreciate our common spiritual ancestry.

Let us set a new round table for religious discussions, one that allows a nice chair reserved just for the Cosmic Christ. Let Him listen to our discussions and our worries and our issues with each other. How would we then approach each other? I wonder what He would say as He listens to us?


About the Author

Gita Saraydarian is the Founder and President of TSG Foundation, and TSG University. She is the daughter of Torkom Saraydarian. Gita is a teacher and lecturer on the Ageless Wisdom Teachings and has established a worldwide audience as a creative educator for progressive ideas, transformation, and goodwill. TSG has offices in
London, Peru, Germany and USA

Gita writes a popular blog on diverse topics showing how to understand contemporary life issues through the application of the Wisdom Teachings.
Read more about Gita

www.tsg-uk.org (UK)
www.tsgfoundation.org (USA)



Chanting Monks in Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang, Laos









laos religion

Friday, 19 February 2010

Lao New

lao new="lao new"

Symbolic Flowers of the Chinese New Years

New Years throughout the east are celebrated based on lunar calendar or lunisolar calendar as opposed to the Gregorian calendar followed in the west. Many traditional flowers are seen as part of the celebration and each flower holds a different meaning. The first new moon in the month of late January or February marks the beginning of Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year is celebrated as Chinese New Year, Japanese New Year, Thai New Year, Cambodian New Year and Lao New Year. New Years are always associated with new beginnings, fresh start, and time to welcome good times and have fun!




Traditional Chinese New Year Flowers




Water fairy - Shiu Sin Fa - Narcissus




The contrast between the beautiful flower and the narrow leaf growing out from the brown bulbs signifies beginning of new year.This flower is the most common New Year flowers seen in Chinese New Year festival and it is adored for its pure snow white petals and heavenly fragrance.




Peach blossoms - To - Prunus




The peach blossoms come in pale pink, pink to coral red colors. The larger branches are pretty costly and are affordable only by the well to do. Peach tree is a symbol of wisdom.




Chinabells - Tiu Chung Fa - Enkianthus




Each cluster has 4-15 flowers. Buyers often go for purchasing branches consisting of the most number of flowers as larger clusters are believed to bring in more luck. This bell-shaped mountain flower, identifiable by its clusters of rose, white and pale pink flowers, makes a fine New Year flower.




Azalea - To Kuen - Rhododendron




Traditionally this flower used to come in two shades - brick red and lavender tinged. Azalea, the lovely sparkling flower grows in mountainous terrains. The color red is a very auspicious color of the Chinese and it is a symbol of prosperity. In recent years other colors of azalea too have come up in the New Year flower market.




Peony - Mau Tan - Paeonia




Peony flower is similar to the forget me not of America. Peony flowers are not bought by customers if the buds have not opened. It is a pale pink flower, 4-5 inches in diameter. It is a symbol of remembrance. They are given to friends and loved ones while departing.




Waxflower/Wintersweet - Lap Mooi/La Mei Hua - Chimonanthus




They are eagerly sort because of its rarity. These are delicate waxy yellow flowers with striped brown sepals and are very fragrant.




Camellia - Shan Ch'a - Camellia japonica




This is a very special flower and is offered to God at temples with special prayers and requests. They are sold as potted shrubs in the market during the New Year sale. It is a shrub with dark green and shiny leaves adorned with delicate pink colored flowers. The other types are red and white, which sometime are not available during the holiday season.




 


About the Author

Digital Mini DV Camcorders



Lao News 30/04/10









lao new