Living in Spirit Ebook

Living in Spirit
‘The religions of the world are not contradictory or antagonistic. They are but various phases of one eternal religion. That one eternal religion is applied to different planes of existence and is applied to the opinions of various minds and various races. There never was my religion or yours, my national religion or your national religion; there never existed many religions, there is only the One Infinite religion that existed all through eternity and will ever exist. And this religion is expressing itself in various countries in various ways..’ in the words of Swami Vivekananda.
This eternal religion is Sanatana-dharma, the Philosophy of Eternity and the Religion of Humanity. It is as old as God Himself; it is not confined to any time and place; and it is now everywhere. The word ‘religion’, in its original meaning, is something that binds, and it is literally true in respect of Sanatana-dharma.
Reduced to its elements, the Philosophy of Eternity and the Religion of Humanity consists of three propositions. First is that man’s real nature is divine. Second is that the aim of human life is to realize this divine nature. Third is that all religions, as they are differently called, are essentially in agreement with the first two elements.
The spiritual faith of humanity is that religious truth is not absolute, but relative, continuous and progressive. The founders and spiritual promoters of all religions, though different in the non-essential aspects of their teachings, abide in the principle of the organic unity of mankind as representing the consummation of the whole process of human evolution. All religious faiths recognize the unity of God, uphold the principle of an unfettered search after truth, and condemn all forms of superstition and prejudice.
All religious traditions agree that bliss is an authentic sign of spiritual life. Bliss is an elusive thing; it cannot be sought after, and attained in itself. It is what results from a way of life that is centered on God, and sensitive to the whole of creation.
Bliss is, essentially, a matter of spirit. Spiritual bliss arises out of being right with God and our fellow human beings. Human nature is such that man cannot be happy in a state of self-centeredness. Man’s felicity is to blossom in the social and spiritual space.
To live a spiritual life is to live in all its fullness. Fullness points to integration of the physical, the mental and the spiritual dimensions of human life. Spirituality involves the dynamic integration of all the three dimensions in living.
This book Living in Spirit makes an attempt to integrate the philosophical and practical dimensions as to the way of living in spirit.
A Look Ahead
Chapter 01: Human Nature
Chapter 02: God and Godhead
Chapter 03: Religious Experience
Chapter 04: Human Living
Chapter 05: Ways of Life
Chapter 06: Spiritual Experience
Chapter 07: Spiritual Practices
Chapter 08: Moral Insight
Chapter 09: Ethics
Chapter 10: Right Action
Chapter 11: Living in Spirit