The ultimate goal of spirituality is nirvana—liberation from the cycle of life and death. However, considering the fast-paced lives we live today, it isn’t easy to move beyond the stress of our everyday lives. How, in that case, does one even begin to tread on the path of spirituality?
According to Osho, one can be spiritual while navigating their everyday life—a belief that is radically different from what many other religions preach.
Read on to discover Osho’s unique take on nirvana and liberation that he distils from some of Buddha’s most important teachings in How to Get Rid of Misery.
“We do a million things not to be alone with ourselves. But truly knowing oneself is indeed a miracle.”
We measure ourselves by the connections we make and the relationships we maintain. At any point in life, a person is someone’s sibling, friend or lover. But as soon as these descriptors are taken away, a person suddenly feels naked, vulnerable or even lost.
It is believed that truly knowing yourself is the first step towards understanding the world around us. But how does one begin that path to understanding?
Read on, as Osho talks about the many ways by which you can truly find yourself and begin a spiritual journey in How to Know Yourself.
“Buddha is the scientist of the inner world—the scientist of religion.”
A spiritual journey usually begins with the search for truth—a higher truth—about the meaning behind our existence and our true purpose. But this journey to enlightenment is hindered by various religions swearing by their own unique interpretation of ‘the answer’.
Buddha, however, believes in a scientific approach to the truth. He uses technical terms and offers clear-cut methods, much like the steps to a scienctific experiment. But what leads a truth-seeker to the right path? Is everyone required to be on the same path? Must we all prepare for the same journey?
In The Path of Buddha, Osho beautifully highlights and synthesizes the two polarities of science and religion with the teachings of Buddha, answering some of the most important spiritual questions.
In Hindu mythology, the children of Gods and Goddesses—their domesticity—represent the perfect balance of spiritual pursuits and material aspirations that make life worthwhile.
While myth brings beliefs, mythology brings customs. Reading and learning about the domestic life of gods is meant to guide us to lead more meaningful as well as spiritually fulfilling lives.
In The Domestic Life of Gods, Devdutt Pattanaik examines instances of mythology that depict gods living ‘human’ lives and what that signifies. Read on.
Shiva is believed to be a tapasvin in Kailasa and a householder in Kashi. In Kailasa he is a distant ascetic, someone who has no desires, no feelings, no urges. But in Kashi, Shiva experiences emotions, he cares, he is man for a woman. In Kailasa he lives in severe isolation but in Kashi, he lives with his wife as Shankara.
As per Hindu mythology, the restlessness of matter—living an involved, emotionally fulfilling life—is believed to be necessary in the search for stillness, for transcendence. This intriguing back and forth between the two energies that feed each other is what makes the world go around.
Read on as Devdutt Pattanaik, the master of mythology, expertly examines and analyzes the relationship between restlessness and stillness of the mind in The Ascetic and The Householder.
Both Hindu epics—Ramayana and Mahabharata—seek to establish a certain order in the world. Their heroes, Rama and Krishna, have different ideals and respond differently to seemingly similar situations. However, is there one correct way? Are Rama’s ideals above Krishna’s shrewdness?
Emotions are the biggest threat to the order imposed by dharma. The conflict between the head and the heart is usually the root of all troubles that plague mankind. This conflict usually leads to either social change or cultural decay. But rules and regulations are meant to adapt and change according to time and geography. If that is the case, are we doing a good job adapting our ideals to our dharma?
Read on as Devdutt Pattanaik examines the conflict between cultural demands and natural urges through two of Hinduism’s biggest heroes in Rama vs Krishna.
“Culture needs to thrive but not at the cost of nature.”
Asuras are different from humans—or manavas—because they usually follow the law of the jungle, where ‘might is right’. This offers no reprieve for the weak, the helpless, or the downtrodden. According to this code, only the fit may survive.
Humans, on the other hand, have the faculty of reason—they can discipline themselves and tame the instinct to dominate the weak. They are expected to follow the code of dharma. But what is it exactly that distinguishes the two codes? Are we really programmed to live according to dharma or do we also possess the urge to live by the law of the jungle? Is a cultured society—one that follows dharma—really better than an untamed society?
Read on as Devdutt Pattanaik explores these questions and more in Dharma vs the Law of the Jungle.
Every story and every occurrence in Hindu mythology is usually a story about the Devas (good) trying to stop the Asuras (evil) from creating havoc for the mortals on earth. However, neither side permanently wins.
The peace that follows the defeat of an Asura is only a temporary reprieve. Soon, a new Asura appears and repeats the cycle of war. War almost seems like a reaction to peace and vice-versa. In fact, it might appear that the existence of Asuras is almost necessary for the world. Would the world stop existing in perpetual peace?
Devas vs Asuras is an analysis of this very question by Devdutt Pattanaik, the master of mythology. Read on.
According to the law of karma, every ‘jiva’ or soul is obliged to experience the reactions of all actions. Only actions remain in our control while the reactions are simply to be borne. How one handles those reactions is believed to be the real test of one’s existence on earth according to Hindu mythology.
Desire and Destiny are the governing principles of the universe. What we desire, what we do to fulfill those desires and how we act upon our destinies—they all add up as credits and debits in our life’s ledger, maintained by none other than Yama, the God of death. And he maintains this ledger for a reason: to determine what happens to us after we die.
Read on as Devdutt Pattanaik unravels the various beliefs associated with death in Hindu mythology in Yama and His Book of Accounts.
Ancient texts—or Vedas—were written for us to make sense of the universe that we live in. It is, however, believed that that the Vedas are of non-human origin and contain timeless wisdom.
The Vedas acknowledge the existence of ‘jiva’ or soul and that each unique ‘jiva’ contributes to the constant shaping of the universe. But how does that affect us? Are we collectively moving toward a particular destination that has already been determined?
Read on as Devdutt Pattanaik explores these questions and more in The Mythological Evolution of the Universe.
