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The Tree of Self-Knowledge
The recorded worship service “The Tree of Self-Knowledge” will be offered by Srimati Karuna on Sunday, June 28, 2020 at 11:00am.
There is always a sublime message to be found in the bountiful nature that surrounds us. The tree is a living spiritual symbol and its imagery and message is found in all religions and scriptures. In the liberating expression of true knowledge of the Self, there can be no more powerful and majestic symbol than the tree of life—the tree of Self-knowledge.
From a Distance
Sometimes we look at life as if from a great distance. We view the objects of creation as separate from ourselves. And in the process, our journey becomes one of struggle and turmoil. We begin to feel distant from God, from others and ourselves.
When the heart struggles, there is feeling of separation, of absence, of abandonment. Does absence make the heart grow fonder? If our soul is of identical nature with the God of the universe, where can we go where God is not?
Srimati Karuna
Speaks on “From a Distance”
Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 11:00am
Sometimes we look at life as if from a great distance. We view the objects of creation as separate from ourselves. And in the process, our journey becomes one of struggle and turmoil. We begin to feel distant from God, from others and ourselves.
When the heart struggles, there is feeling of separation, of absence, of abandonment. Does absence make the heart grow fonder? If our soul is of identical nature with the God of the universe, where can we go where God is not?
Spiritual Mapmaking
We often hear the words “moral compass” and we understand the meaning of this inner guidance. We look for direction in life. We discover realms of consciousness that transcend our worldly senses. These “other-worldly” maps help us to unfold along the path of life. They sharpen our attunement, deepen our connection and expand our love.
If we had to “map out” our spiritual progress, what landmarks would we include? What symbols would our map key offer? Do the lines of longitude and latitude reveal how to reach our destination? What is required in our spiritual mapmaking?
Srimati Karuna, Minister
Speaks on “Spiritual Mapmaking”
Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 11:00am
We often hear the words “moral compass” and we understand the meaning of this inner guidance. We look for direction in life. We discover realms of consciousness that transcend our worldly senses. These “other-worldly” maps help us to unfold along the path of life. They sharpen our attunement, deepen our connection and expand our love.
If we had to “map out” our spiritual progress, what landmarks would we include? What symbols would our map key offer? Do the lines of longitude and latitude reveal how to reach our destination? What is required in our spiritual mapmaking?
Self-Reliance
“In God we trust” vs “self-reliance”: are these two ideals opposed to one another? Are they contradictory? Ralph Waldo Emerson and others of the so-called “New England Transcendentalists” were proponents of the ideal of “self-reliance” while the official motto of the United States is “In God We Trust.” In whom shall we place our trust and rely on for guidance, God or our self, or both?"
Acharya Jeff Bauer
Speaks on “Self-Reliance”
Sunday, September 22, 2019 at 11:00am
“In God we trust” vs “self-reliance”: are these two ideals opposed to one another? Are they contradictory? Ralph Waldo Emerson and others of the so-called “New England Transcendentalists” were proponents of the ideal of “self-reliance” while the official motto of the United States is “In God We Trust.” In whom shall we place our trust and rely on for guidance, God or our self, or both?"
Second Nature
When something becomes second nature to us, it becomes a deeply ingrained habit. We want to develop good habits that will nourish us with calmness, patience and courage.
When we work at a task everyday we naturally become knowledgable about every aspect of that activity. It becomes our dedication and focus. In fact, it becomes part of our entire being. It becomes self-fulfilling.
Srimati Karuna
Speaks on “Second Nature”
Sunday, June 9, 2019 at 11am
When something becomes second nature to us, it becomes a deeply ingrained habit. We want to develop good habits that will nourish us with calmness, patience and courage.
When we work at a task everyday we naturally become knowledgable about every aspect of that activity. It becomes our dedication and focus. In fact, it becomes part of our entire being. It becomes self-fulfilling.
That Which Liberates
There is a verse in the Vishnu Purana that includes the Sanskrit phrase: "Sa vidya ya vimuktaye”. It means: “knowledge is that which liberates.”
Srimati Karuna
Speaks on "That Which Liberates"
Sunday, June 3, 2018 at 11:00am
There is a verse in the Vishnu Purana that includes the Sanskrit phrase: "Sa vidya ya vimuktaye”. It means: “knowledge is that which liberates.”
The Vishnu Purana opens as a conversation between the sage Maitreya and his guru, Parashara. The sage asks the question, “What is the nature of this universe and everything that is in it?”
Consider another ancient philosophical text, the Dialogues of Plato, in which Plato presents philosophical discourses on a range of subjects (many through the voice of his teacher, Socrates).
In both cases, we encounter the question of the origin of the universe and the soul. The path of self-realization or self-liberation (moksha) involves a knowledge that liberates. But this knowledge is not merely an understanding of life around us, rather it is a knowledge of the source of life within us.