Secular Ethics is the Light of Hope: Dalai Lama

Sunday, 4 January 2015 - 7:30am IST | Agency: dna
Vaishali Balajiwale

"Tibet had remained dark till light from India reached the place; enlightenment came to Tibet from India, and historically Indians are our gurus, and we the chelas," said Dalai Lama, addressing the International Conference on Secular Ethics in Nashik on Saturday.

Dalai Lama, who captivated the audience with his thoughts, also answered questions of the gathering.

Stressing the need to lead a happy life, Dalai Lama said we needed to think of a happy world. "Oneness means all the people being one and leading a happy life. The basis of human rights is happy life. Everyone wants to lead a happy life for which we need to have a holistic approach. Faith is important, religions can be different," Dalai Lama said, giving example of the Chinese following the communist thought. He said: "The Chinese I met were non-believers, but were dedicated to working for the poor. What is important is becoming a good human being with deep human values."

On religious tolerance, Dalai Lama said: "Religious differences are borne by retarded thought. Acceptance of humanity should lie in the head and the mind."

Many problems in the society arise due to short-sightedness, or on account of looking at something in just one angle. The reality however is much complex. It is necessary that we look through six dimensions, or else we may fail to see the reality, Dalai Lama said.

On secularism, he said: "Secularism does not mean disrespect for other religions. No religion teaches violence. It will be unfair to generalise the bad tendencies in a religion and say it does not teach good."

On religious fundamentalism, Dalai Lama said: "Religions preach devotion to Allah, the Almighty or God. Saying that a particular religion teaches conflict would be totally ridiculous. No religion is negative. Any religion that teaches people to live happily cannot be bad. A religion may have mischievous people, but saying that their behaviour reflects the whole religion will not be correct."

On similarities in Buddhism and Jainism, Dalai Lama said: "Both believe there is no beginning or end, as well as non-violence (ahimsa)."

Saying it was important to develop an investigative bend of mind, Dalai Lama urged people not to follow any religious leader blindly. "Question", he said adding, "Buddha said investigate a thought thoroughly. Study the qualifications of a guru or a leader, meet them, observe till you develop a conviction that what the leader says can be followed."

"Know the qualities of a disciple, and as a disciple conduct unbiased investigation; use your intellect and develop enthusiasm to practise what you have accepted and believed. This is the Nalanda tradition and time has come to follow it, he said.

Compassion and affection are important in life for even those who have had cruel or unfavourable experience in early stages of life. With some effort we can turn to positivity, that is the basic human nature, Dalai Lama said.

Praising Dr Ambedkar, he said the maker of Indian Constitution was a great scholar. "His contributions are great."

On science and Buddhism, Dalai Lama said many scientists had come to accept that science had a role in transforming thinking. Even Albert Einstein believed that religion and science could go side by side. Many people say Buddhism is a way of life and not a religion. Buddhist psychology is all about building a healthy mind, healthy body and a healthy society.

Leaders of different religions expressed themselves on religion and all of them emphasised that the "true religion is secularism, brotherhood and peace" – "One God, one world and one family, binds all together," he said. "Secularism is the call of the day and secular ethics, the light of hope."

original link: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-secular-ethics-is-the-light-of-hope-dalai-lama-2049349

Sins of the Forefathers: Generational Curses

In this blog I hope to help give you the reader a better understanding in certain aspects of Exorcism, dealing with generational curses.  Generational curses for a common sense understanding is stated as “sins of your forefathers”, on both sides of the blood lines.  Each of our bloodlines descend from other areas of the world as our ancestors made impacts into their world at the time they lived.

Exorcism is removing the Demonic from within the person.  Curse breaking is used to sever ancestry ties to past sins as the “back door” gateway to the human in conjunction with the mortal sins the person committed.  So how does a generational curse actually work?

Generational curses work as follows, let’s say for example you know a family that has a history of anger issues.  Suppose a man went to see his Minister to discuss his anger and violent temper issues because his father too is an angry as well as violent man.  The young man asked the Minister about deliverance of this generational curse with the Minister to which the Minister responded in a manner such that this is a learned behavior.

The Minister might discuss with the young man that this is not scripturally based, because these anger outbursts are being works of the flesh so to speak.  Thus as Christians we are to have the Holy Spirit which overcomes this under accordance of scripture (see Galatians 5:16, 20).  A generation is defined as the age between the birth of the parents and the birth their child according to Webster’s.  A curse is defined as a prayer or invocation to cause harm to a person, a call to a supernatural power to send or cause injury upon someone.

Many people do suffer from a burden that seems to be handed down (alcoholism, anger, violence, molestation, etc…).  So what does the Holy bible state about generational curses?  Exodus 34:7 states, "Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting (punishing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."  Lamentations 5:7, "Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne (been punished for) their iniquities."

Based upon what ancestors have done within the bloodlines who lived in the past is impossible to determine.  Very few people know how to properly break these generational curses that affect them to this day.  Why is that?  Well the answers can be many, but the simple truth is two-fold in my assessment:

A. People do not view these generational aspects anything but a physiological issue.  Example if the grandfather was angry, the son/daugther will be a angry due to living in this situation.  The physiological issue can be a legitimate scenario but truly dark forces are at work behind the scenes to keep this activity alive.

B. Ministry is not addressing these as generational curses because Ministry is not taking the time talk about these areas of human lives as curses set forth from ancestors which GOD is punishing people.

Many times people want to view GOD as an all loving, all compassionate GOD when frankly that is clearly not the case.  Many people who are Christian as they claim to be are confused (which they are from conversations I have had with many) that GOD could not be completely loving and jealous at the same time.

In Exodus 20:4-6, GOD is not using the word "jealous" as you or I would in the same context.  Use the word "jealous" to describe the feeling we get when someone else has something that we want or has qualities that we wish we had.

In the scripture of Exodus GOD states "Thou shalt not make up for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shalt not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God."  What is being stated is that GOD will not tolerate one of His creation worshipping or bowing down to a GOD other than Himself.

People want to assume that there is some “grey” area that GOD will give a pass for and simply that is not the truth.  People use the logic that if GOD was not loving then he would not send a savior so therefore he is ultimately not to be feared.  Well then, if that is not the case then according to James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” So if the Demons tremble in the name of GOD according to the scripture then why shouldn’t we as humans?

Ministry is not talking about the power of GOD acting in a subjugative manner anymore.  Instead our churches are focusing on talking about the redeeming love for his children.  Here is the major issue, there is no fear in the Lord our GOD anymore from our churches and this is very dangerous.  Psalms 111:10 states “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.”

This is the plan from Satan to make certain that Ministry is becoming “watered down” so to speak, thus people are struggling heavily in the churches.  Satan is having his way inside the churches with the Ministers not employed to break the hold of the Demonic upon people.

This ties right into our discussion on generational curses issues.  Why? For now we can see how these curses are even passed through the churches unchecked of weak Ministry setting up and supporting other weak Ministers.  So therefore these weak Ministers cannot truly help the flock with issues of spiritual bondage when it comes to dealing with the Demonic and breaking generational curses.

If you were a person suffering in this manner and you went to your Minister to request assistance and this Minister were to say to you “Well you just need to pray this situation to GOD and he will provide you the answers you need.”  First of all you would be disappointed in this Minister and secondly you would still be in this bondage until properly broken. Nothing has been done to break the hold the Demonic have in or upon you or your bloodline.  Therefore to be free it might take the Demonic within Exorcism to renounce the generational curse in place to be truly set free.

The job of Exorcism Ministry is to remove people from spiritual bondage which they are being held captive.  Generational curses are spiritual bondage at its finest.  These are demonic forces who are enacting this form of imprisonment upon people.

If you feel that you are suffering from a generational curse you can break away and become free.  Many people whom I have helped break curses felt like they took anchors as well as chains off their necks and bodies.  Feel free to contact me if you need assistance to do this properly.

Rev. Bradley Luoma, Exorcist Minister

Dalai Lama Preaches Peace, Compassion in Boca Raton Talk

Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 24 February 2010 (By Michele Dargan, Palm Beach Daily News) -  His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, spoke Wednesday about compassion and the benefits of positivity to 3,000 people at Florida Atlantic University's Arena in Boca Raton.

"Out of compassion brings inner peace, and out of inner peace comes world peace. Without inner peace, we cannot have world peace," he said.

His Holiness said everyone has the same capabilities for inner peace and compassion. If a person is always in constant fear and suspicion, that's "very bad," he said. Everyone has the same capacity for kindness, he said.

"To me, the audience is brothers and sisters — no difference," he said. "Emotionally, mentally and physically we are the same. Negative emotions — anger, fear suspicion [are the] same. Other hand, we have the same potential for compassion. Compassion is the seed of inner peace. We all have the same potential."

Showing compassion to an enemy helps to achieve inner peace, he said.

"Neighbors with jealousy never get peace," the Dalai Lama said.

Smiling often and genuinely is another key to finding compassion and inner peace, he said.

The more positive you are, the better you feel, he said.

"Scientists begin to realize — for physical health — reduce blood pressure, reduce anxiety, reduce fear .... calm is very, very important," the Dalai Lama said.

An additional 2,500 students, faculty and staff viewed Tenzin Gyatso, the 74-year-old exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, by simulcast in the auditorium.

A total of 873 public tickets were sold to the event.

People began filing into the arena at 8:30 a.m., with doors closing at 9:30 a.m.

Everyone in the arena stood up as His Holiness entered the stage at 10:05 a.m. He shook hands with dignitaries and waved to the crowd.

The Dalai Lama spoke for nearly 45 minutes and took questions prepared by students, faculty and staff for 15 minutes.

In helping to achieve inner peace, the Dalai Lama said meditation works best for him. He rises at 3:30 a.m. and recites a Buddhist prayer to begin his day.

A necessary component for compassion: intelligence.

Looking at situations only from only one angle brings worry and frustration. But looking at things from different angles "brings new opportunities," he said.

FAU's Manjunath Pendakur, dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, said, "This is a major boost to work harder .... in the cause of peace. This is a momentous day in the history of the university. We are humbled and enriched by it."

John Pritchett, FAU's interim president, welcomed everyone to this "historical event."

Pritchett called the Dalai Lama "a living example of all the good that can be accomplished in this world by one person — a person with courage, a person with conviction to raise his voice for peace.

original link: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/501-dalai-lama-preaches-peace-compassion-in-boca-raton-talk

The Fall Of Lucifer And His Limited Powers Not Equal To God's

Hello my beauties. I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas/Holiday season and are ready for the upcoming new year 2015. Wow! Can you believe it? 2015. I swear the older we get the faster time goes. I really do. Grrrr

This isn't a subject that's easy to write or blog about and I will try my best to make it as understandable as possible. Again it is just my humble opinion and how I interpret the Bible to say. I want to make that clear now so we have an understanding that I am not claiming to know this to be gospel and fact.

Although Satan appears frequently in the Scriptures, there isn't a whole lot of information in the bible about the fall of Satan and his angels. The term "falling from heaven" is a Near Eastern way of saying that someone has suffered defeat, and it was also used in ancient non-biblical literature to describe the fall of gods from power. It is similar to our expression "falling from grace." Falling from heaven, then, means to lose one’s role or power. 1 Timothy 3:6 indicates that pride caused Satan’s downfall. For many Christians the verse is one of the few that speaks directly about the fall of Satan.

Because I'm coming from a biblical point of view any religion  or doctrine that promotes that God and Satan are equal in power is not something I'm going to agree with. The Bible is clear in telling us that Satan was originally created by God as a angel called Lucifer who's was Gods most beautiful angel. After Satan rebelled and wanted to be all powerful like God, he was cast out of Heaven and a certain amount of angels followed him. Many refer to them as fallen angels. Satan thought he would one day rise up and be God, but since God holds all power Satan was unable to do so and was cast into hell. Isaiah 14:12-17and Ezekiel 28 will tell you about the fall of Lucifer.

Isaiah 14: This passage refers to the king of Babylon as “falling out of heaven.” We know that none of the Babylonian kings ever literally fell from Heaven, but Satan clearly did. This king of Babylon thought he could “ascend into heaven” and usurp God’s throne. These are the exact thoughts that Satan had.

Ezekiel 28: This passage makes reference to the ruler of Tyre and in doing so gives us several hints that it is talking about Satan. First, it says that the “king of Tyre” was ‘created’ and not born. We know for certain that Satan was created by God. The “king of Tyre” is also known as the “cherub” and the cherubim were the “inner circle” of angels who had the closest access to God and guarded his holiness. “

Satan is not omnipotent.
He has great power—more than any man and most angels—but he is not anywhere near the equal of our God. As mentioned, he must seek God's permission before he can even do certain things.

Satan is not omniscient.
He has a powerful intellect and knows many things from experience (far more than people), but only God is all-knowing.

He is not omnipresent.
Satan is an individual personality, so he can be in only one place at a time (as seen in Job 1:7). So when we say that the devil is personally tempting us, more than likely it is his power working through his network of demons.

God’s Word tells us in 1 John 4:4 that the God Whom we believe in and the God Who dwells in us is greater than Satan. This verse says: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” This verse shows us that between God and Satan there is no dualism. Evil is no match for good. God, who represents good, is the most powerful force in the universe. Satan was not and never will be able to win vs. God because evil is not all-powerful.

We should keep as much distance between us and the devil as possible. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). We do this by avoiding things that will drag us down spiritually. Disobedience and persistent waywardness provide the enemy grounds from which he can attack and influence the Christian. This is why Scripture reminds us to not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).

You will never win this spiritual battle in your own strength. You will only be successful when you draw your strength from the power base, God Himself. There you will find the strength and stamina to "stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11).

Satan's Nature- it is the nature of a man that causes him to act as he does. The same principle exists as we try to better understand Satan. John identified the devil as the originator and chief practitioner of sin (1 John 3:8). He further described Satan as “that wicked one” (1 John 5:18). Jesus called Satan a liar (John 8:44) and thief (John 10:10). The evil acts of Satan are a natural expression of his evil nature.

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). The apostle Paul recognized the destructive nature of Satan when he wrote, “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Cor. 4:4).

Written By Jennifer L Auld

Special Christmas Essay ~ We're All Little Drummer Boys

By Kirby Robinson

Copyright 2011-2014

Are we starting to forget what the season is all about? Turn on the TV and can you really tell it's the Christmas season? Outside of commercials pushing the latest holiday trends. What about all the great Christmas specials like the old Andy Williams or Jim Nabors variety shows—where have they gone? Does your favorite sitcom or one hour drama even acknowledge that it's Christmas? How many times has Ben-Hur or The Greatest Story Ever Told played on your local channels? Sales clerks nowadays feel uncomfortable wishing you a Merry Christmas and simply blurt out, "Happy Holidays." Are we losing the lessons this day should be teaching us?

Take a moment out of your busy schedule and think about the gift the Lord is offering us. That night 2000+ years ago that saw the birth of a Child from a deity that is offering His one and only Son to be born not into a royal family but to a couple made up of an old carpenter who scraped by on a small income with a very young wife. The Child was born under the threat of being killed. They had to sneak the Child out of Bethlehem to Egypt so they could safely return to Israel. The Child grows knowing that at some time at the peak of adulthood He must die. Not just any ordinary peaceful dying in your sleep death, but a pain filled death. He had to suffer all the deaths of mankind past, present and future. Every sin, every illness, every wound had to descend on His being so that our debts could be fully paid.

My favorite Christmas song is "Little Drummer Boy." Every time I hear it, no matter who's the singer, this song always makes me stop and think that in some way we are all little drummer boys.

We're all little children in God's eyes. And the message has always been sent to one and all to come to Him. Not to the birthplace necessarily but that image of the Child born that night is always there. The beginning of the Greatest Story Ever Told here is truly a newborn King. He will always be the only true King. There are other men of power and other kings but they have no real power in life and are forgotten in death. And what are our finest gifts to bring before the newborn King? Our love, compassion, understanding, empathy, faith, wisdom, and forgiveness.

No matter the status of wealth, fame, and power who come to Him they honor Him. We don't have to travel to His house or to an image of Him. We just have to simply gaze into the eyes of a child, witness the blooming of a flower, and bask in the brightness of the sun. We see Him, we draw closer to Him, and we honor Him.

Quite often we feel cut off from Him because we view ourselves as poor in some way. This imagined poverty might be materialistic or spiritual. At times we feel as though we don't have anything of value to offer Him. 

But if we search our souls we find something to give Him: a prayer, a word, an act. That shows Him how we feel towards Him. That shows Him and us that we're not truly poor. 

Because whatever that act is it brings joy and happiness to the heavens. When you honor Jesus you honor all the martyrs, saints, all the angels, the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit, and God. We might find that fear might accompany us at first but keep offering the gift and fear will disappear.

Jesus Christ will smile upon you and your act and your courage and your faith. It might not be from the manger but from the heavens. It might be in the face of a stranger or a person that you go out of your way to help. Just as with the boy who had his drum who was called to view a newborn King he felt worthless and unworthy. And offered the only thing that he had which was his drum and a simple little song. So worry not what you have to offer Him. It's the offering that counts. And don't forget that we're all just like that little drummer boy.

Dalai Lama: "We Need One-ness of 7 Billion People"

Speaking at a session organised by the Ananta Centre, the Dalai Lama said "it is our collective responsibility to ensure a compassionate humanity." The 79-year-old also said, "I have been a refugee for over 50 years, but have never given up hope or determination." Watch his entire speech here.

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/we-need-one-ness-of-7-billion-people-dalai-lama/346051

Here are the highlights:

We need to create the one-ness of 7 billion human beings.

I am nearly 80, I am still studying. Your whole life, remain a student.

Real transformation of India must take place in rural areas, not with more buildings and shops in Delhi and Bangalore.

The South Indian brain is something special, I think because they drink so much coconut water (laughs). So I also drink it.

I love President Bush as a human being, he was warm and informal not ceremonial.

Serving humanity is the best form of serving God, of worship.

Use education. It is best way of removing the differences that divide us. Teach secular ethics in schools.

In over 55 years of being a refugee, have never given up hope or determination.

It is our collective responsibility to create a compassionate humanity.

What Is Dangerous About Ghost Hunting Tools Connected To Demons?

What is a Demon? A demon, daemon or fiend, is a supernatural, often malevolent being prevalent in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology and folklore. The original Greek word daimon does not carry the negative connotation initially understood by implementation of the Koine δαιμόνιον (daimonion),[1] and later ascribed to any cognate words sharing the root.

Again, let me say this is just my humble opinion on the subject of EVP's. I've witnessed serious consequences from someone having a unhealthy obsession and doing those a lot. I pray before each one I have to do for a case or investigation however, that is the only time I resort to EVP's.  I'm aware this subject has been discussed and many feel they are harmless. Maybe these cases I speak of just had bad luck but it's no different than attempting communication via ouija board or automatic writing. Just because you left a location with nothing going wrong doesn't mean all is well. Demons are very patient and I can assure you they will make themselves known at the worst possible time in your life. This is pure evil, why would anyone risk this? I had a case where said person was constantly doing these. She lost her friends and some family as she only seemed to care about was doing EVP's. At that point she could not be helped. She refused to stop doing them at any cost.

A demon is believed to be a force that can be conjured and controlled. They are also believed to have the ability to possess or inhabit the body of humans and the only way to rid the person of them is to conduct deliverance and/or Exorcism. Demons are portrayed differently in different cultures. Some believe demons to be actual physical beings that can take the form of anything, including animals. Others consider the real demons as more of a spiritual force of evil battling for one's soul. They  have been feared and written about in almost every culture in one form or another for as long as history has been recorded.

Demonic possession is a common belief involving demons. It  involves the act of a demon inhabiting the body of a mortal, living thing. Because Demons are believed by many to be fallen angels and the opposite of all that is good, a priest is usually called upon to perform the ceremony. Skeptics have blamed pre existing mental conditions for reported cases of possession, as opposed to demonic influence. Some cases have baffled everyone. People who are said to be possessed have been reported speaking in foreign languages that they had never even been exposed to. They often become very ill while their faces and bodies will sometimes appear to change. Possessed individuals have been known to speak in reverse dialog and injure themselves and or others.

Ouija Boards and EVP's create the same danger in my humble opinion. I have witnessed awful consequences people have to bare from playing around with these. In my opinion they are nothing more than portals to the demonic. Christ warns us about this.."Beware Of The Familiar Spirit." Our friends and loved ones are mimicked by demonic entities in a effort to trick us into offering help or becoming highly involved in keeping the communication going. This eventually allows them legal ground into our life.

 Demons are “angels that sinned,” spirit creatures who rebelled against God. (2 Peter 2:4) The first angel to make himself into a demon was Satan the Devil, whom the Bible calls “the ruler of the demons.” Matthew 12:24, 26.

I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Christmas and a amazing New Year! Please be safe traveling and enjoy time surrounded by people who love you. So many don't have that and it's easy to take for granted. Pray for them as suicide rates skyrocket this time of year. God Bless!

Written Jennifer L Auld