INTERFAITH, INTERRACIAL, INTERCULTURAL PRAYER FOR PEACE -Ambassador Zara Bayla Juan

INTERFAITH, INTERRACIAL, INTERCULTURAL PRAYER FOR PEACE -Ambassador Zara Bayla Juan
PEACE VIGIL PRAYERS FOR UN INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE 12:00 NOON IN YOUR TIME ZONE

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Tuesday, August 25, 2015

BUDDHISM: On Money: Think about how money connects you to other people. Think about how to use that money to empower others

The dharma of dollars: What Buddhism says about money and meaning

By Chris Taylor
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Buddhism, which holds that wealth is temporary and no path to happiness, might not sound like the best source for money wisdom.
Not so, says Ethan Nichtern, the prominent Buddhist teacher, who has written a new book, "The Road Home," on self-awareness and spiritual seeking.
Money is unavoidable and it is people's attitude to it that causes worry and stress, says Nichtern, who sat down with Reuters to discuss how money fits into a spiritual approach to the world.

Q: Can we escape our connection to money - or should we?
A: We need to have some kind of system for measuring how we consume, produce, and share. So there will always be money in any complex society. And any human who wants to pay the rent has to learn the rules of budgeting.
But it's not just a necessary evil. Money can also be spiritual or divine, by powering whatever positive activity you want to engage in.
Q: You were raised in money-centric New York City. Did that shape your views?
A: Growing up on the Upper West Side and in the East Village, I certainly realized how important money was. It determines so much of the structure of our world, and it also brings so much stress along with it. Especially in New York, people feel burdened by the need for the security and status that money brings. That's why we all need to open up and have this conversation. I've never had the (billionaire) Koch Brothers in my class, though - that could be awkward.
Q: Why is money seen as the solution to all our problems?
A: In life, we are all wandering around in circles, thinking that our next stop will be exactly what we have always been looking for. But we never arrive - it's an illusion of an oasis. It is the same thing with materialism: The idea that 'If I get the right stuff, I will finally feel at home.' But we can never acquire enough stuff.
Q: Why are we so dependent on something so abstract?
A: First money was gold coins, then it was paper, and at a certain point it just became computer files. Money has become more and more abstract, and we are basically just agreeing that this is the way things are. But that doesn't make it any less powerful. Even though it is abstract, we cling to it as part of our identity.
Q: People's foremost money worry is retirement. How can we deal with that anxiety?
A: Buddhism teaches about cause and effect. So by all means, prepare for retirement. There is nothing wrong with that. But the other way to look at it is, if the mind is insecure, then no amount of money will ever make us feel safe. Even if you saved $50 million, you would just worry about something else, like getting cancer or having a car accident. Just try to remember that everyone else on earth has a similar anxiety. Then you won't feel so alone. So plan well, and then let go.
Q: How can people use money as a positive tool?
A: We are taught to use money in ways that isolate us. But money is an exchange. If there was only one person in the world, you could be a trillionaire, but it wouldn't even matter because all that money would be worthless.
Think about how money connects you to other people. From a Buddhist standpoint, you should think about how to use that money to empower others.
Q: Any final messages about the possibilities of money?
A: You can be an awakened human being, and also make a living at the same time. When people say money is dirty, then they are just leaving it all to people who don't have any spiritual practices or values. That is an abdication of our responsibilities. Those of us with compassion actually need to go deeper into these arenas. With money, we can empower some very meaningful things in the world.
(The writer is a Reuters contributor. The opinions expressed are his own.)
(Editing by Lauren Young and Bill Rigby)

HINDUISM: Bhakti Yoga: Devotion, motivated by the sincere, loving desire to please God, rather than the hope of divine reward or fear of divine punishment


6 Generic "Types" of Hinduism (McDaniel 2007): 
  • Folk Hinduism, as based on local traditions and cults of local deities at a communal level and spanning back to prehistoric times or at least prior to written Vedas.
  • Vedic Hinduism as still being practiced by traditionalist brahmins (for example shrautins).
  • Vedantic Hinduism, for example Advaita (Smartism), as based on the philosophical approach of the Upanishads.
  • Yogic Hinduism, especially that based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
  • "Dharmic" Hinduism or "daily morality", based on the notion of Karma, and upon societal norms such as Hindu marriage customs.
  • Bhakti or devotionalism, especially as in Vaishnavism:It has been defined as a practice of devotion toward God, solely motivated by the sincere, loving desire to please God, rather than the hope of divine reward or the fear of divine punishment. It is a means toward a state of spiritual liberation or enlightenment through the "realisation", or the attainment of "oneness" with God.Bhakti yoga is often considered by Hindus to be the easiest way for ordinary people to attain such a spiritually liberated state, because although it is a form of yoga, its practice is not as rigorous as most other yogic schools, and it is possible to practice bhakti yoga without needing to become a full-time yogi.The origins of Bhakti can be seen in the upanishads, specifically the Shvetashvatara Upanishad. The Bhagavad Gita, and the Puranas are important scriptures that expound the philosophy of bhakti yoga. Hindu movements in which bhakti yoga is the main practice are called bhakti movements – the major schools of which are Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakti_yoga

SEPTEMBER 1: Catholic Church 'World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation' - Vatican

Pope Francis said he had been inspired by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, who have been praying for the environment on that date since the late 1980s.
"The celebration of this Day, on the same date as the Orthodox Church, will be a valuable opportunity to bear witness to our growing communion with our Orthodox brothers and sisters," the Pope said.
"We live at a time when all Christians are faced with the same decisive challenges, to which we must respond together, in order to be more credible and effective."
The prayer day "will offer individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation" and reflect upon "the adoption of appropriate lifestyles," the letter said.
Francis has become a leading defender of the environment, particularly in the fight against climate change.
He published an environmental encyclical earlier this year which denounced exploitation of the poor and waste of the planet's resources.
He is due to address the UN Special Summit on Sustainable Development in September.
That gathering comes amid efforts to forge a worldwide deal on climate change in Paris in December, with the aim of limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.
 http://news.yahoo.com/pope-creates-global-prayer-day-care-creation-184825421.html

Be the Peace Leader

Be the Peace Leader
Pray for Peace by Amb Zara Jane Juan

Come & Join Inter-Faith Prayers & Inter-Cultural Dialogue for Peace

Come! Share your Peace! - Ambassador Zara Jane Juan, Sailing for Peace

2012 Video International Day of Peace Vigil by Sailing for Peace

Sailing for Peace Worldwide Peace Vigil

Sailing for Peace Worldwide Peace Vigil
Prayer Vigil for Vatican as Pope expresses sorrow over terrorist attacks and prayed that God will sustain all men of goodwill who courageously roll up their sleeves to deal with the plague of terrorism and this bloodstain which is gripping the world in a shadow of fear and bewilderment

Amb. Zara Jane Juan, Peace Ambassador

Amb. Zara Jane Juan, Peace Ambassador
I choose to be a Missionary of the Interfaith, Interracial, Intercultural Sailing for Peace Program inspired and guided by the discipline and life of the Virgin Mary of the Catholic Church. I am a Catholic, a Lady Datin of the Muslims, a Buddhist in my Healthy Lifestyle and a Hindu in Purifying my Soul. With Free Thinking and Scientific Approach to my Peace Work, my life on the over-all is a whirlwind of Faith and Fate. I refuse donations to my peace work to prevent corruption but rather I decided to live a very simple so that I can fund it personally through my own personal income as Professional Resource Speaker, Author, Visual Artist, Playwright and Director

JESUS CHRIST - 7 LAST WORDS - Lenten Recollection for Christians