Jiddu Krishnamurti is regarded globally as one of the greatest thinkers and religious teachers of all time. He did not expound any philosophy or religion, but rather talked of the things that concern all of us in our everyday lives, of the problems of living in modern society with its violence and corruption, of the individual’s search for security and happiness, and the need for mankind to free itself from inner burdens of fear, anger, hurt, and sorrow. He explained with great precision the subtle workings of the human mind, and pointed to the need for bringing to our daily life a deeply meditative and spiritual quality.

Krishnamurti belonged to no religious organization, sect or country, nor did he subscribe to any school of political or ideological thought. On the contrary, he maintained that these are the very factors that divide human beings and bring about conflict and war. He reminded his listeners again and again that we are all human beings first and not Hindus, Muslims or Christians, that we are like the rest of humanity and are not different from one another.

This 30-minute documentary is the first from an original series of eight made for television in 1966. They were the earliest sound-films of Krishnamurti speaking to audiences.

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The Hermetica are a body of theological-philosophical texts written in late antiquity, but long believed to be much older. Their supposed author, Hermes Trismegistus, was thought to be a contemporary of Moses, and the Hermetic philosophy was regarded as an ancient theology, parallel to the received wisdom of the Bible.

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Leo Tolstoy was a spiritual man of much wisdom and expressed his own version of unorthodox Christianity through his writings, which championed social justice, pacifism and various moral causes in his life.

In a series of posts, I will be hoping to share with you selected writings of Leo Tolstoy which I think will both enlighten you with the true Christian values, and how, most importantly, you can apply these wise teachings in this, seemingly, corrupt world we now find ourselves.

Starting with the Leo Tolstoy essay ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’ written in 1900, which argues the case for us all to embrace and uphold the inspirational teachings of Jesus Christ.  This essay was especially directed at two competing powers in Europe at the time; namely, the State and the religion of orthodox Christianity.

The imperative Commandment of ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’, of which Tolstoy’s essay is titled, obviously implies for us in general not to engage in violence and murder in any way shape or form, such as in retribution, revenge and, most heinous of all, war. Read more…

The following ten steps towards Spiritual Zen was taken from the Manly P. Hall lecture ‘Spirit of Zen’.

Each experience proves itself as we progress so that at no time are we required to accept any belief or idea that we’ve not already discovered to be true, thus we actually lead and guide ourselves.

All we require is sincerity and a little courage, and these will become stronger as we experience their benefits.

Our discovery of the practical values of Zen unfolds according to a pattern of ten steps:

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An inspired gathering of religious writings that reveals the “divine reality” common to all faiths, collected by Aldous Huxley, author of A Brave New World.

“The Perennial Philosophy,” Aldous Huxley writes, “may be found among the traditional lore of peoples in every region of the world, and in its fully developed forms it has a place in every one of the higher religions.”

With great wit and stunning intellect—drawing on a diverse array of faiths, including Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Christian mysticism, and Islam—Huxley examines the spiritual beliefs of various religious traditions and explains how they are united by a common human yearning to experience the divine. The Perennial Philosophy includes selections from Meister Eckhart, Rumi, and Lao Tzu, as well as the Bhagavad Gita, Tibetan Book of the Dead, Diamond Sutra, and Upanishads, among many others.

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“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

~ Buddha

Have a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year filled with nothing but Wisdom!