Ruth Lee's Web Log - Philosophy and Theology

Sri Sri Ravishankar Talks

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:30:00 -0400

I say this without disrespect...'Sri Sri Ravishankar speaks' because when i "met" him years ago in Pittsburgh, he said nothing while his large entourage busied themselves bustling about selling his CDs and tapes and expecting everyone to pay out $250 for a weekend course on, of all things, my work. Yes, I had to speak to them about taking the title of my work and Trademarking it as the work of Sri Sri Ravishakar.

Seems outrageous now to have been sent and given a free ticket to do it...to speak to the great guru about my work on "The Healing Breath," which is still working for all of us here and is still available on CD through this web site. That work is the basis of the free class i gave to the universe several years ago: "Healing is Only a Breathe Away" which then turned around and saved my life when i struggled with Ovarian Cancer.

I am not sure why we want to call attention to this very slight slight to our work here, but it came up and i am sharing it now because you have no idea that such things are often done and we pick up on another's work without being aware of what was done by someone else in the past. Today we tend to think we are discovering new ideas about faith and healing and discovering our human potential, but we are not!

Here Sri Sri Ravishankar speaks out about a very modern day problem: "Impossible to find peace without knowing your spirit" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbiDXXkkl0c&feature=related

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:58:00 -0400

This segment is first of a series on Tibetan Buddhism that is probably the best film you can find now describing their way of life and religious convictions. I urge you to view this if you nothing about Tibet and its Buddhists or tend to think they are much like Buddhists from other countries--They are not! Click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91Hqkwb2Szc&feature=related

The Gospel of Thomas

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:14:00 -0400

For spiritual seekers and those dissatisfied with the teachings of the established Church, the Gospel of Thomas Collection is a series of spiritual writings that provide unique explanations and insights into Jesus' teachings in the Gospel of Thomas.

Discovered amongst a library of books hidden for over 1500 years, the Gospel of Thomas directly reveals spiritual Teachings of Jesus. Their Life-Giving quality offers each of us inward certainty and joyousness based on a timeless tradition of Truth that was omitted from orthodox Christian dogma. It consists of sayings of Jesus almost certainly written down before 52AD and therefore pre-dating by as much as a generation all the books and epistles included in the New Testament. The Gospel reveals the spiritual Teachings of Jesus in their purest form.

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Books for Thought...

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:10:00 -0400

I intend to attend a series of classes dealing with the following books, but not in this order. I think some of you may also be interested in the subject matter and might like to comment on one or another or all of the following books suggested for your use and inclusion in your personal library…These comments are not mine, rather those of the teacher of these classes.

The Universe in a Single Atom by HH Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is a religious leader of unusual, if not unique, brilliance in explaining how his religion gives him deep insights into all areas of human experience. He is particularly concerned with how religion will accept the truths of science and offer in return the great insights into the nature of non-physical—or spirituality, reality. [More]

Sharing Secrets of the Yogis of Tibet

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:03:00 -0400

Can we help them continue this ancient lineage or is it doomed due to politics and the pull of our world now? Excellent clip, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l69iITFD7NQ

Thich Nhat Hanh on "The End of Suffering"

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:29:00 -0400

Are you dealing with life endings or know someone who is, here is something to think about... Thich Nhat Hanh speaks on "The End of Suffering" This is an excerpt from "Grateful Passages" featuring various spiritual teachers from several religions, giving advice about death and dying. Click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMab_lYY5lE&feature=related

Islam and the Islamic World

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:45:00 -0400

Time to take a break in our studies of Islam and walk down another path for a few moments in time but before we go a few more words about…

Islam and the Islamic World

Islam considers itself the last major world religion in the current history of humanity and believes there will be no other plenary revelation after it until the end of human history and the coming of the eschatological events described so eloquently in the final chapters of the Quran, which is the verbatim Word of God.

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Islamic Terrorism?Roots and Causes

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:42:00 -0400

Okay, this is what many Americans cannot see beyond today…their vision is impaired and their judgment skewed away from accepting a religion based on many of the same beliefs they hold dear. Here is what someone else wrote, but I accept here…

Islamic Terrorism—Roots and Causes

“Many Muslims today believe that the conditions of their world require a jihad. They look around them and see a world dominated by corrupt authoritarian governments and a wealthy elite—a minority concerned solely with its own economic prosperity, rather than national development; a world awash in Western culture and values in dress, music, television, and movies. Western governments are perceived as propping oppressive regimes and exploiting the region’s human and natural resources, robbing Muslims of their culture and their options to be governed according to their own choice and to live in a more just society. Many believe that the restoration of Muslim power and prosperity requires a return to Islam, the creation of more Islamic-oriented states and societies.”

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The Dimensions of Islam

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:41:00 -0400

As you can tell, we are not doing a lot to explain the differences, but stressing what the basics of this religion are…

The Dimensions of Islam

The Shari-ah or Divine Law of Islam not only is central to the religion but also constitutes Islam itself in its ritual, legal, ethical, and social aspects. Muslims believe the divine Law contains the concrete embodiment of the Will of God—how god wants them to act in this life and felicity in the hereafter. The Shari-ah divides all acts into five categories: obligatory, recommended, indifferent, reprehensible, and forbidden. [More]

Doctrines and Beliefs of Islam

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:39:00 -0400

Does this all seem relevant and equal to what you thought Islam is and would be once you understood its basic tenets. If so, you may comment below… If not, keep on reading and studying and learning more, then please share what you gain…here…

Doctrines and Beliefs of Islam

“The Supreme Reality is at once God, the Person, and the suprapersonal Reality of Godhead. Allah is not only Pure Being, but the Beyond-Being, about which nothing can be said without delimiting His Infinite and Absolute Essence, which is beyond all determination.

“There are traditionally ninety-nine Names of God; these are all sacred names in Arabic chosen by god as He has revealed Himself in Islam.”

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The Blessings of FaceBook and YouTube

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:00:00 -0400

If i had listened to The Press and other media, and even many friends of the past, i would not have heeded the 'call' to work on FaceBook that i received at the end of last year. What a huge hole in the fabric of my present life there would be today! So much to be gained by following your Guides about the internet and taking in classes at no cost to you now...and being exposed to people from all over the globe... Yesterday i shared the following class on my FB wall and am asking you to check it out, too, along with two other clips that seem to predict something new coming into view for you, too...

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Islam as Religion

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:37:00 -0400

Breaking this up into bite-sized pieces so you will read it more closely and not jump to conclusions based on speed reading…

Islam as Religion

Religion, or Al-din, means the repaying of our debt to God and involves the whole of our life…by ourselves we are nothing and God is everything.

“Religion must embrace the whole of life. Every human thought and action must be ultimately related to the Divine Principle, which is the source of all that is.”

The separation of religion from other (secular) parts of life is unimaginable…religion’s role in human life is essential and is life itself.

“…the attitude, so prevalent in the modern world, that a person’s body and life are his own to do with as he pleases is totally alien to Islam. Our bodies and lives are not our own—they are God’s.” [More]

Islam - The Oneness of God

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:35:00 -0400

Part III of the Introduction to Islam…hope you are gaining more insights into your own religion as taught in The West or are becoming more aware of what millions follow around the world now… This is not an attempt to sway anyone to change their religion, but hopefully align more minds in peace in our time…

The Oneness of God

The Qur'an reminds us of the falsity of all alleged gods. To the worshippers of man-made objects it asks: “Do you worship what you have carved yourself.” (37:95) “Or have you taken unto yourself others beside Him to be your protectors, even such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves.” (13:16)
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Islam 101 - God The Creator

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:34:00 -0400

Not easy to break up the work of describing the fundamentals of any religion and Islam is no different, so here goes… we will add a few thoughts daily until the work is done, as far as we are going here on The Blog… You would be wise to use this as an introduction and continue to study this great religion on your own… Only through education and love can anything be changed without war and poverty ad infinitum…

God The Creator
The Creator must be of a different nature from the things created because if He is of the same nature as they are, He will be temporal and will therefore need a maker. It follows that nothing is like Him. If the maker is not temporal, then he must be eternal. But if he is eternal, he cannot be caused; and if nothing caused Him to come into existence, nothing outside Him causes Him to continue to exist, which means he must be self-sufficient. And if He does not depend on anything for the continuance of His own existence, then this existence can have no end. [More]

Islam 101

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:29:00 -0400

Borrowing heavily from materials used during a recent course on comparative religion, I am continuing our study here of the world's great religions. Today, from all appearances, too many are lost or in the dark when it comes to knowing anything about Islam….

Islam stands for what in your mind now??? No arguments please and no one saying they interpret it otherwise, because no one spoke up in past classes to do that…Here is what I have readily available and am willing to share:

Concept of God in Islam - Introduction

It is a known fact that every language has one or more terms used in reference to God, and sometimes to lesser deities. This is not the case with Allah. Allah is the personal name of the One true God. Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has no plural or gender. This shows its uniqueness when compared with the word "god," which can be made plural, as in "gods," or made feminine, as in "goddess." It is interesting to notice that Allah is the personal name of God in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and a sister language of Arabic.

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