Buddha |
The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, lived from about 566 to about 480 B.C. The son of an Indian warrior-king, Gautama led a life of luxury in his early years, enjoying the privileges of his caste. But eventually he tired of the affluence and ease, and set out what some might call a "vision quest." After encountering an old man, an ill man, a corpse and an ascetic, Gautama became convinced that suffering lay at the heart of all existence, stemming principally from the human ego's attachment to the transitory things of this world. He renounced his princely title and became a monk, freeing himself of possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth, and finding a path toward enlightenment and liberation. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a tree, where he experienced a breakthrough in understanding. Following this epiphany, Gautama came to be known as the Buddha, meaning the "Enlightened One." He spent the remainder of his life journeying about India, teaching others what he had come to believe. |
Jesus |
Jesus (also called Christ which means king or Messiah) was born in Israel 2000 years ago. Modern civilization marks his birth by dividing time B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini - or the year of our Lord). For his first thirty years, Jesus lived a traditional Jewish life, working as a carpenter. During this time, all of Israel was under Caesar's Roman dictatorship, including Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, and Nazareth, where he was raised.
In his thirties, Jesus began his public teaching and display of recorded miracles, yet still never travelled more than 200 miles from his birthplace. Over a three year period, despite his efforts to keep a low profile, Jesus' reputation spread nation wide. The Roman governors and rulers of Israel's provinces and the leaders of the Jewish people (the religious counsels) took note of him. Jesus' key messages included: |
Dalai Lama |
His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born on July 6, 1935 to a peasant family in the small village of Taktser in northeastern Tibet and was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of His predecessor, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of the Buddha of Compassion, who chose to take rebirth to serve humanity. Dalai Lama means Ocean of Wisdom; Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as Yizhin Norbu, the Wish-Fulfilling Gem, or simply Kundun, the Presence. |
Mother Teresa |
Mother Teresa, whose original name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born on August 27, 1910 in what is now Skopje, Macedonia. For her work with the poor around the world she received the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. Her interest in India began when as a child she attended meetings of an organisation known as the Sodality of Our Lady where letters from Yugoslavian priests working in Bengal were read. On 29th November 1928 she joined a religious order and took the name Teresa. The order immediately sent her to India. A few years later, she began teaching in Calcutta, and in 1948 the Catholic Church granted her permission to leave her convent and work among the city's poor people. She became an Indian citizen that same year. In 1950, she founded a religious order in Calcutta called the Missionaries of Charity. The order provides food for the needy and operates hospitals, schools, orphanages, youth centers, and shelters for lepers and the dying poor. It now has branches in 50 Indian cities and 30 other countries. Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997. |
Martin Luther King Jr. |
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an African American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he is frequently referenced as a human rights icon today.
A Baptist minister,[1] King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president.
King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.
In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther Kng, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986. |
Ammachi |
Mata Amritanandamayi, also known as ‘Amma’, ‘Ammachi’ or ‘Mother’ (born September 27, 1953), was born Sudhamani in the small village of Parayakadavu, near Kollam, Kerala and is a humanitarian and a revered saint.
Sudhamani was born to a family of fisher folks. Her schooling ended when she was nine and she had to take care of the domestic work full-time. From these humble beginnings started the journey of a young fisher woman on the path to ‘universal motherhood’, which took her even to the United Nations General Assembly, where she addressed the world. Even her own mother (Damayanti) and father (Sugunanandan) now address their daughter as Amma. Other aliases are ‘Her Holiness’ and the ‘Divine Mother’. She has also been called ‘Beloved’, a ‘Mahatma’, ‘Mataji’, and the ‘embodiment of the primordial, supreme consciousness, the Paramatman’.
Rise to fame
Also known to her followers as ‘Ammachi’, she is a devotee of Krishna. Her devotees claim that she had many mystical experiences as a child. Since 1981, she has been teaching spiritual aspirants all over the world. She founded a worldwide organization, the Mata Amritanandamayi Mission Trust, which is engaged in many spiritual and charitable activities. |
Swami Vivekananda |
Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was the foremost disciple of Ramakrishna and a world spokesperson for Vedanta. His lectures, writings, letters, and poems are published as The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. He felt it was best to teach universal principles rather than personalities, so we find little mention of Ramakrishna in the Complete Works.
Swami Vivekananda represented Hinduism at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 where he was an instant success. Subsequently he was invited to speak all over America and Europe. He was a man with a great spiritual presence and tremendous intellect.Most of the Vedanta Societies which were founded in America and Europe up through the 1930s can trace their origins directly to Vivekananda or the people who heard him speak from 1893 through 1900.
After his first visit to the West, Swami Vivekananda returned to India and founded the Ramakrishna Order in 1898. |
Swami Sivananda |
Swami Sivananda was a responsible for promoting the philosophy of Yoga and Vedanta amongst the people of India as well as the world. He was also the founder of the Divine Life Society, apart from being the author of more than 200 books, on Yoga, Vedanta, etc. read on this biography to know more about Swami Sivananda and his life history.
Swami Sivananda was born as Kuppuswamy on 8th September 1887, in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu. The third son of his parents, Kuppuswamy displayed great intelligence right from his childhood. While completing his medical studied from Tanjore, he started a medical journal called Ambrosia. After graduating in medicine, he started practicing in Malaysia for a prod of ten years. He always used to treat the poor people free of cost.
As time passed, he started feeling that medicine cured a person only at a superficial level, without even touching their soul. People are affected by problems only at a physical level, but also at the spiritual level. His spiritual quest made him leave Malaysia in 1923 and come back to India.
Meeting Swami Vishwananda Saraswati and Initiation. After coming to India, Kuppuswamy started visiting various pilgrimage destinations. He met Swami Vishwananda Saraswati in Rishikesh in 1924 and took him as his Guru. Vishwananda initiated him into sanyas (asceticism) and gave the name of Swami Sivananda. However, Swami Vishnudevananda, the Mahant of Sri Kailas Ashram, performed the rest of the Viraja Homa ceremonies later. In 1927, Sivananda started a charitable dispensary at Lakshmanjula, where he treated pilgrims, holy men and the poor. Swami Sivananda left the world on 14 July 1963, on the bank of Ganges, in Shivanandanagar. |
Ganesha |
Ganesha is the God of success and overcoming obstacles, but is also associated with wisdom, learning, prudence, and power. As the god of success, his names are chanted at the start of any important venture. As the remover of obstacles, he is invoked at the start of every journey, marriage, religious rite, house construction, the writing of a book or even a letter.
One myth about his birth and how he came to posses the head of an elephant. The myth relates that his mother, Parvati, had to go for her bath when her husband, Shiva, was not at home. As Shiva had gone on a meditation retreat and was not expected to return, Parvati ordered Ganesha to keep guard and not let anyone inside the room. But after a while Shiva arrived and when he tried to enter, the child refused to let him do so. This angered Shiva, who cut off the child’s head.
In order to make up for his mistake, Shiva promised Parvati that if she places the head of any person or thing which crosses her path early the next day, the child would come back to life. The first person or thing that passed by them was the mighty elephant. Shiva cut off its head and placed it on the torso of the beheaded child. |
Arch-Angel Michael |
The Jews regarded Michael as the special protector of Israel, and in Christian usage he became the protector of the church. In the prayers after low mass, he is accordingly invoked to be 'our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil,' and is referred to as the 'captain of the Heavenly Host' because of what John tells us about him in the Apocalypse (12:7 to 9:): "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon... And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
In the offertory anthem of the mass for the dead, Michael is charged with the care of all departed souls that he "the holy standard bearer (may) introduce them to the holy light, which thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed."
The main feast is, of course, on Michaelmas Day (September 29th), but on May 8th a lesser feast is observed to commemorate the appearance of St. Michael on the summit of Mount Gargano in Apulia during the time of Pope Gelasius (492-6). |
Mahatma Gandhi |
Mahatma Gandhi popularly known as Father of Nation played a stellar role in India's freedom struggle. Born in a Bania family in Kathiawar, Gujarat, his real name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (M.K. Gandhi). The title Mahatma came to be associated with his name much later. Before Gandhiji's arrival on the Indian political scene, freedom struggle was limited only to the intelligentsia. Mahatma Gandhi's main contribution lay in the fact that he bridged the gulf between the intelligentsia and the masses and widened the concept of Swaraj to include almost every aspect of social and moral regeneration. Paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his death, famous scientist Albert Einstein said, "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a man as this walked the earth in flesh and blood". |
Kahlil Gibran |
Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) - Gibran / Jibran - Khalil or Kahlil, Arabic name Jubrãn Khalil Jubrãn
Lebanese-American philosophical essayist, novelist, mystical poet, and artist. In the 1960s Gibran's works influenced especially American popular culture; his most famous book, THE PROPHET (1923), has been a bestseller from the 1920s. Gibran believed that if a sensible way of living and thinking could be found, people would have mastery over their lives. |
Shiva |
Shiva (Sanskrit: Auspicious One), or Siva, is one of the main Deities of Hinduism, worshipped as the paramount lord by the Saivite sects of India. Shiva is one of the most complex gods of India, embodying seemingly contradictory qualities. He is the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the benevolent herdsman of souls and the wrathful avenger.
Shiva was originally known as Rudra, a minor deity addressed only three times in the Rig Veda. He gained importance after absorbing some of the characteristics of an earlier fertility god and became Shiva, part of the trinity, or trimurti, with Vishnu and Brahma. |
Hanuman |
Hanuman the monkey god, an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Rama, is worshipped by millions of people in India. Hanuman is the embodiment of devotion, dedication and strength. Devotees pray to Hanuman to remove the sufferings created by Saturn's god for humans and also to fulfil their wishes.
The epic of Ramayana contains the heroic deeds of Hanuman and stories of his devotion to Sri Rama, and his wife Sita. Hanuman jumps over the Indian ocean and reaches Sri Lanka in search of Sita, who was abducted by Ravana, the demon king. In the battle between Sri Rama and Ravana, in which Ravana is killed, Hanuman plays a major role. |
B.K.S. Iyengar |
B.K.S. Iyengar is one of the foremost teachers of Yoga in the world and has been practicing and teaching for over sixty years. Millions of students now follow his method and there are Iyengar yoga centres all over the world. He has written many books on yogic practice and its philosophy including "Light on Yoga," "Light on Pranayama," "Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" and more. |
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois |
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, or Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois, counts amongst the world-renowned yoga teachers of India. A student of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, he is currently teaching at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute of Mysore, founded by him. His yoga shala attracts thousands of foreign students every year. Let us move on further to explore the complete biography of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. |
David Swenson |
David Swenson began practicing yoga at a very early age. Well not quite as early as the photo but he did begin in 1969 at the age of 13. His older brother Doug was his first teacher. They practiced hatha yoga from whatever books they could find. David's introduction to Ashtanga came in 1973 when he met David Williams and Nancy Gilgoff in Encinitas, California. In 1975 David and Nancy brought K. Pattabhi Jois to the U.S. for the first time and Swenson was fortunate enough to be there. He then initiated studies directly with the master. Swenson made his first trip to Mysore in 1977 and learned the full Ashtanga system as it was originally taught by K. Pattabhi Jois. David Swenson is recognized today as one of the worlds foremost practitioners and instructors of Ashtanga Yoga. |
Krishna Das |
Krishna Das is at the forefront of infusing traditional Hindu kirtan (chanting) with modern influences. Grounded in the path of bhakti, or devotional yoga, since 1968 when he met his guru, Mahara-ji Neem Karoli Baba, his music is energized with modern grooves and melodies to create soulful chanting that is eminently accessible to Western hearts. Founder of Karuna/Triloka records, his popular CDs include Pilgrim Heart, Live on Earth, Breath of the Heart, Door of Faith, All One, and Flow of Grace: Learning the Hanuman Chalisa. He conducts seminars and workshops and leads kirtan in yoga centers throughout the world. |
Luna |
Our sweet family member who has taught us what unconditional love is all about. She has taught us about living a simple life and enjoying every minute of it. We both have learned a lot from Luna. |
Douglas
1974-1998 |
Douglas Smith. In loving memory, Brother and inspiration of Charlotte and Edward.
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Thich Nhat Hanh |
Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced Tick-Naught-Han) is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. During the war in Vietnam, he worked tirelessly for reconciliation between North and South Vietnam. His lifelong efforts to generate peace moved Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. He lives in exile in a small community in France where he teaches, writes, gardens, and works to help refugees worldwide. He has conducted many mindfulness retreats in Europe and North America helping veterans, children, environmentalists, psychotherapists, artists and many thousands of individuals seeking peace in their hearts, and in their world. |
Pema Chodron
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Pema Chödrön is a leading exponent of teachings on meditation and how they apply to everyday life. Pema Chödrön is widely known for her charming and down-to-earth interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism for Western audiences.
Pema Chödrön studied under the meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and currently studies under Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. Pema Chödrön is the resident teacher at Gampo Abbey, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery for Westerners and has authored several books, including:
- -Comfortable with Uncertainty
- -The Path of Transformation
- -The Places that Scare You
- -When Things Fall Apart
- -Start Where You Are
- -The Wisdom of No Escape
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The Meditation section contains an essay written by Pema Chödrön as well as pieces by other members of Pema's teaching lineage. The balance of the site is comprised of teachings by Pema Chödrön and questions that she has answered. |
Eleanor Roosevelt |
(Anna) Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York. Her family called her Eleanor. She was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but won fame in her own right for her humanitarian work, and as a role a model for women in public life. One of her most noted quotations, and an excellent reflection of her attitude about life is: "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
Eleanor married a distant cousin, Franklin Roosevelt, in 1905. When her husband was stricken with polio in 1921 she began to work on his behalf, making frequent fact-finding trips during his terms as governor of New York, and later as President. While First Lady, she went on nationwide lecture tours, and held over 350 press conferences for woman reporters only. She wrote a daily newspaper column and articles for many magazines. Eleanor was also a civil rights activist during her husband's tenure as President.
Roosevelt served as a United States delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1951. In 1946 she was elected chairman of the UN's Human Rights Commission. She helped draft the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1961 she returned to the General Assembly. Later in 1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed her head of the Commission on the Status of Women.
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T. Krishnamacharya |
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya - yogi, healer, linguist, Vedic scholar, expert in the Indian Schools of thought, researcher, author... in other words, a legend. Born in 1888 in a remote Indian village, T Krishnamacharya who lived to be over hundred years old was one of the greatest yogis of the modern era. If today, yoga is an inherent part of the everyday lives of millions of people across the world, it is due in large measure to the pioneering efforts of T Krishnamacharya who revived yoga in the early twentieth century. While preserving ancient wisdom and reviving lost teachings, Krishnamacharya was also a revolutionary innovator who developed and adapted yoga practices that were as would offer health, mental clarity and spiritual growth to any individual in the modern-day world. Krishnamacharya's knowledge of yoga was so vast that he taught each student differently. In refusing to standardize the practice and teaching methodology, Krishnamacharya created an understanding of yoga relevant for a broad spectrum of students. By integrating the ancient teachings of Yoga and Indian philosophy with modern-day requirements, Krishnamacharya created yoga practices that are as accurate and powerful as they are practical and relevant. Fernando Pages Ruiz probably summed up Krishnamacharya's immense contribution to yoga when he wrote in an article entitled, The Legacy of Krishnamacharya," (Yoga Journal, May/June 2001) :"You may have never have heard of him, but Tirumalai Krishnamacharya influenced or perhaps even invented your yoga. Whether you practice the dynamic series of Pattabhi Jois, the refined alignments of BKS Iyengar, the classical postures of Indra Devi, or the customized vinyasa [of Desikachar], your practice stems from one source: a five-foot, two-inch Brahmin born more than one hundred years ago in a small south Indian Village". |
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