Meta Modern Era

Preface
Why Meta Modern Era had to be written as Western civilization is facing many problems and issues that are impacting our personnel and social well-being.

Chapter 1 Modernism and Rationality
A profound perspective on the causes of the problems of modern times, predicted and described as the “dark age” (Kali Yuga). A vivid and critical look at our times where technological development lacking the knowledge of the roots of our Being has lead to a deep and desperate quest for the absolute truth in our hearts and minds. The limits of mere rationality can lead to disastrous conclusions and theories which are justified by the ego instead of being enlightened by the Spirit. Their effects can be seen in arts, social trends, and in all the manifestations of our society.

Chapter 2 Choices
The root of consumerism can be found in the traps of choices and fashions set by entrepreneurs for the modern minds. This chapter exposes the subtle causes of materialism and its implications on family life, and how a realized soul (person who has achieved Self Realization) can go beyond them.

Chapter 3 Democracy
Communism is dead. Nazism is no more. Why have the modern democracies become ‘demonocracies’ ? Money orientation vs. power orientation. Where can the question “what’s wrong?” lead. Real freedom is not abandonment to one’s habits and instincts, but the freedom to enjoy one’s Spirit which becomes a reality after Self Realization.

Chapter 4 Racism
A fresh look at this widespread conditioning of our society, and how it can be replaced by a culture of true integration, coming from the heart, in the light of one’s Spirit.

Chapter 5 The Culture in the West
” Culture shows the social heights in serenity, wisdom and morality”. Culture directs social trends. The culture of vulgarity justified by sheer rationality is contrasted with the subtle culture of innocence which expresses the beauty and purity of the Spirit.

Chapter 6 Religions
All religions were started in a pure form by great prophets and incarnations, but due to the people “in charge”, deviated over time from the absolute Truth into ritualism and fundamentalism. Their common essence and integration can be found – not mentally, but by experiencing the connection with one’s Spirit (Self Realization) which is beyond the mind. “The prayer said without connection (Yoga) with God is like a telephone without connection”.
The true religion is within. It can be awakened and manifested in our lives through the process of Self Realization. “With Sahaja Yoga, the innate universal religion of Divine Love is enlightened within and the seeker becomes spontaneously truly religious, righteous, moral, peaceful, compassionate and a powerful, enlightened personality.

Chapter 7 Peace
A humorous look at human ego and its stunning manifestations in our modern times, and how on the subtle side it ends up destroying our peace within. Peace cannot be achieved through lectures or political changes, but has to be established in the individual, and Sahaja Yoga makes this possible through Kundalini awakening. “The human mind is always bombarded with thoughts. It builds the ego and reacts with it. […] These thoughts come from the past or from the future, but reality is in the present where we achieve peace.” Self Realization leads to collective consciousness which is not a concept, but a higher state of awareness in which one becomes part of the whole and acts spontaneously to help others. “A new race of these peaceful warriors is already created. The only thing I hope is that it expands to such an extent that many people become peaceful and emit pece through their personality and saintly work.”

Chapter 8 World Peace
All wars have caused a reversal of our value system, which is reflected in our family life. “It is not an investment in armaments which will secure a truly peaceful future. It is the investment in our children which will yield invaluable dividends in the shape of a peaceful and moral society in the near future.”
A sweet but profound look at raising our children in a loving, disciplined and spiritual way, developing all the beautiful qualities which are built-in within them. How to avoid their exposure to cultural agressions that play on their curiosity and attack their innocence. How to build a culture of universal spirituality for our children, preventing them from falling into the terrible problems caused by religious fundamentalism.

Chapter  9 Evolution
A breathtaking view of the evolution of life that lead in an accelerated spiral to the human stage, paralelled by the evolution of awareness. Seeking the truth is part of this living process, and Self Realization is the next step in human evolution. The opening of the Sahasrara (seventh center) at the cosmic level in 1970 and the birth of Sahaja Yoga.

Chapter 10 Message of Meta Science
Limits of science and the message of Sahaja Yoga which is the meta science of our modern times, bridging the gap between science and spirituality. A scientific exposition of the evolution of matter and awareness to the human level and beyond.

Chapter 12 The Subtle System
A description of the three channels of energy and seven chakras and the role they play in our being and life, as well as the transformation that takes place through the awakening of the Kundalini.

A.

ABRAHAM – (2000 BCE, Mesopotamia) The founding patriarch of the Israelites.

ADFIA – Short for the French organisation UNADFL – National Union of Associations in Defense of Families and Individuals.

ADI SHANKARACHARYA (788 to 820) – Indian saint, philosopher and poet who wrote the Saundarya Lahiri, every couplet of which is a mantra in praise of the Goddess.

AGNYA CHAKRA – The sixth chakra or spiritual energy centre of the subtle system.

AHIMSA – Non-violence.

AMEER KHUSRO – An Indian Sufi and poet.

ANAHATHA CHAKRA – The fourth chakra or spiritual energy centre of the subtle system, also known as the Heart chakra.

ARYA SAMAJ – A reform movement and religious/social organisation which was formally established in India in 1875.

ASHOKA – An Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled from 273 BCE to 232 BCE.

ASURAS – Demons.

ATATATURK, KEMAL PASA – The first president of Turkey.

ATMA SAKSHATKAR – Self-realisation.

ATMA – The spirit.

AUM – The sacred word prefixed and suffixed to the Veda mantras, symbolizing God Almighty and the primordial sound, as known as Logos.

AYURVEDA – A system of medicine that originated in India several thousand years ago, combining two Sanskrit words – ayur, which means life, and veda, which means science or knowledge.

AZERBAIJANI – a person from Azerbaijan, a republic in South Caucasus, bordered by Russia to the north, the Caspian Sea to the east, Iran to the south and Georgia and Armenia to the west.

B.

BHAGAVAD GITA – see Gita.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE – A region of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and ships have disappeared, also known as the Devil’s Triangle.

BHAKTAS – Devotees of God.

BHAKTI – Devotion to God.

BHAVASAGARA – The ocean of mundane existence or ocean of illusion, what Einstein refers to as relativity.

BHRANTI – Confusion.

BHRIGUMUNI – Indian astrologer and author of Nadi Granth written about two thousand years ago, which predicts the incarnation of a great yogi and the beginning of a great era.

BLAKE, WILLIAM – (1757 to 1827) English mystic poet, painter and print-maker..

BODHA – To know the truth on one’s own central nervous system..

BRAHMAN – (also Brahmin) A person who has an aptitude to achieve the divine, a member of the highest Hindu caste, that of the priesthood.

BRAHMARANDHRA – The fontanelle bone area.

BUDDHA – Siddhartha Gautama, a spiritual teacher from ancient India and the founder of Buddhism, the deity who resides in the right Agnya chakra.

BURKHA – An outer garment worn by women in some Islamic traditions for the purpose of covering the entire body.

C.

CHADDER – Indo-Iranian shawl.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN – (1889 to 1977) An Academy Award-winning English comedic actor considered to have been one of the finest mimes and clowns ever captured on film, director of Modern Times.

CHAVAR – A fan made of yak’s tail.

COLLECTORATE – The district of a collector of customs; a collectorship.

CONFUCIUS – (551 BCE) One of the ten primordial masters, Chinese statesman whose philosophy emphasised personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity.

CRICK, FRANCIS – (1916 to 2004) An English molecular biologist, physicist, and neuroscientist, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953.

CRONIN, A.J. – (1896 to 1981) Scottish novelist, dramatist and nonfiction writer, author The Citadel and The Keys of the Kingdom.

D.

DACOIT – A bandit or robber.

DAG HAMMERSKJOLD – (1905 to 1961) A Swedish diplomat, Christian mystic and the second Secretary-General of the United Nations.

DALAI LAMA – The spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people.

DATTATRAYA – The primordial guru.

DEITIES – Aspects of God.

DE MAUPASSANT, GUY – (1850 to 1893) nineteenth century French writer and one of the fathers of the modern short story.

DE SADE – (1740 to 1814) A French aristocrat, French revolutionary and writer of violent pornography.

DHARAMSHALA – A town in the northern regions of India in the state of Himachal Pradesh, notable as the capital of a Tibetan government in exile, also spelled Dharamsala.

DHARMA – Innate sense of righteousness.

DHOTI – A traditional garment of men’s wear in India, a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around five yards long, wrapped about the waist and legs and knotted at the waist.

DHYANA – Meditation.

DIGAMER JAINS – The oldest organisation of lay Jains in India.

DR JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, THE STRANGE CASE OF – A novella.

written by Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886, portraying the psychopathology of a split personality.

DWAPARA YUGA – The second age in the cycle of yugas, each of thousands of years in length.

DWIJA – Twice-born.

F.

FATWA – An authoritative ruling on a point of Islamic law.

FIRANGIS – An Indian term for “foreigner”.

FONTANELLE – The soft spot on a baby’s head which, during birth, enables the plates of the skull to flex, allowing the child’s head to pass through the birth canal.

FREUD, SIGMUND – (1856 to 1939) An Austrian physician who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology.

G.

GANAS – Antibodies or angels.

GANGES – Sacred river in India.

GAZAL – An ancient form of poetry, originating in sixth century, pre-Islamic Arabic verse, poetic expression of both the pain of separation from the loved one and the beauty of love in spite of that pain.

GENGHIS KHAN – (1162 to 1227) The Mongol founder, Khan (ruler) and posthumously declared Khagan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire in history.

GANDHI, MAHATMA – (1869 to 1948) Mahatma meaning “Great Soul,” political and spiritual leader who led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

GHOR KALI YUGA – The age of darkness, conflict and confusion.

GITA (Bhagavad Gita) – An episode in the Mahabharata regarded as one of the gems of Hindu literature, a dialogue between Prince Arjuna, the brother of King Yudhisthira, and Vishnu, the supreme God, incarnated as Krishna and wearing the disguise of a charioteer, in conversation takes place in a war chariot stationed between the armies of the Kauravas and Pandavas, who are about to engage in battle.

GNA – Gerund meaning “to know” in Sanskrit.

GNOSTIC – Relating to knowledge, especially esoteric mystical knowledge, the Greek word Gnosis refers to conscious, experiential knowledge, not merely intellectual or conceptual knowledge, belief or theory.

GODDESS DURGA – The Goddess who resides in the centre Heart chakra, with her merciful heart and mighty powers, she protects her devotees against evil.

GORAS – Term used by Indians to refer to white people, literally means “white,” not derogatory.

GUJARATIS – Natives of Gujarat, a state in western India.

GURUDWARA – Gurudwara is a house of the guru, derived from “Gur” for Guru, and “Dwara” meaning house or door.

GYANESHWARA, GYANESHWARI – Gyaneshwara was a famous saint and poet of Maharashtra born around 1275 AD, in the sixth chapter of his famous book Gyaneshwari, he beautifully describes kundalini.

H.

HAJJ – A pilgrimage to Mecca.

HAMSA – Part of the Vishuddhi chakra, situated between the eyebrows and having the qualities of discretion and discrimination, also called the Lambica chakra.

HARE KRISHNA MOVEMENT – Members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, who first appeared on the streets of Western cities in the 1960s and 1970s, dancing, chanting and selling literature.

HASTINAPUR – A town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

HAZRAT ALI – The husband of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.

HEART CHAKRA or ANAHATA CHAKRA – The fourth chakra or energy centre.

HEREKE – Hereke carpets are produced in Hereke, Turkey, made either from silk or a combination of wool and cotton, in addition, gold and silver threads are sometimes used.

HIMALAYAS – A mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan plateau.

HIROSHIMA – Japanese city subjected to nuclear warfare when it was bombed by the United States of America during World War II.

HITLER, ADOLF – (1889 to 1945) The leader of Nazi Germany who started World War II and instigated the Holocaust.

HO CHI MINH – (1890 to 1969) Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman, who later became prime minister and president of North Vietnam.

HUSSEIN, SADDAM – (1937 to 2006) President of Iraq from 1979 until 2003.

I.

IDA NADI – Part of the subtle system, the Moon Channel or left side channel.

ISA MASIH – Lord Jesus Christ.

J.

JAATI – The aptitude of a person.

JAINISM – Traditionally known as Jain Dharma, a spiritual, religious and philosophical tradition of Indian, originally dating back at least as far as the ninth century BCE.

JANABAI – Born to an Indian family of the lowest, sudra, caste, she became a servant in the household of Namadev and composed over 340 devotional songs.

JUNG, CARL GUSTAV – (1875-1961) Swiss psychologist.

K.

KABIR – A great poet, musician saint of fifteenth century India.

KAFIR – An Arabic word meaning “rejecter,” referring to a person who does not recognise God (Allah) or the prophethood of Muhammad, usually translated into English as “infidel” or “unbeliever”.

KALI YUGA – The age of darkness, confusion and conflict.

KANIFNATH – One of the Navnath, the nine saints, masters or Naths on whom the Navnath Sampradaya, the lineage of the nine gurus, is based, the nine saints collectively referred to in Hinduism as Navnath.

KARMA PHALAM – The fruits of action.

KHALIFA – Normally considered to be a successor or representative, frequently used in the Qur’an to refer to those who enter into the blessings enjoyed by their ancestors, more generally used to refer to the successors of the Prophet Muhammad.

KING, JR., MARTIN LUTHER – (1929 to 1968) A Baptist minister, one of the pivotal leaders of the American civil rights movement.

KIYAMA – The resurrection time, the blossomtime.

KRITA YUGA – The age of transformation.

KSHTRIYA – A division of the caste system in Hinduism, a warrior, ruler, politician or administrative worker.

KUKKUK – A paste made from turmeric powder used by Indian women as a red dot on their foreheads as an auspicious symbol of marriage.

KUNDAL – Coil, in Sanskrit.

KUNDALINI – The residual divine consciousness of the Holy Spirit within man.

KWAN YIN – The goddess originally worshipped in China and now worshipped in other parts of the world as well, a guardian and patron of mothers and seamen, a personification of compassion and kindness.

L.

LAKSHMAN – The devoted brother of Shri Rama.

LAKSHMI – The Goddess of wealth and prosperity.

LAO TSE – The father of Taoism, an older contemporary of Confucius and keeper of the imperial archives at Honan province of China during the sixth century BCE, the author of the Tao Te Ching.

LEWIS, C.S. – (1898 to 1963) A British writer and scholar whose works are diverse and include writings on medieval literature, Christian apologetics, literary criticism, radio broadcasts, essays on Christianity and fiction relating to the fight between good and evil, his fiction includes The Screwtape Letters and The Chronicles of Narnia.

LINCOLN, ABRAHAM – (1809 to 1865) The sixteenth president of the United States, who successfully led his country through its greatest crisis, the Civil War.

LOGOS or AUM – The sacred word prefixed and suffixed to the Veda mantras symbolizing God Almighty, the primordial sound.

M.

MAUGHAM, SOMERSET – (1874 to 1965) English playwright, novelist and short story writer.

MAHABHARATA – Sanskrit epic of ancient India and one of the longest epic poems in the world, a story of kings and princes, sages and wise men, demons and gods, elucidating the four goals of life: dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (pleasure) and moksha (liberation).

MAHALAKSHMI – The divine seed energy of evolution, the goddess who resides in the central channel of the subtle system.

MAHARASHTRA – India’s third largest state in area and second largest in population, located in western India.

MAHAVIRA – (599 to 527 BCE) Mahavira means “great hero” and is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana, who established the central tenets of Jainism, the deity who resides in the left Agnya chakra.

MAITREYA – In the Buddhist tradition, a bodhisattva (an enlightened being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others) who is to appear on Earth and teach the pure dharma.

MANDELA, NELSON – Anti-apartheid activist and former president of South Africa.

MARATHI – Language spoken in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

MARKANDEYA – An ancient sage from the Hindu tradition who is celebrated as a devotee of God and is mentioned in a number of stories from the Puranas.

MECCA – Islam’s holiest city known for the annual Hajj pilgrimage which attracts close to two millions pilgrims.

MICHELANGELO – Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet and engineer, known for the Pietà, the statue of David, scenes from Genesis painted on the ceiling and The Last Judgement on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, he also designed the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

MLECCHAS – Barbarians, in the late Vedic texts defined as someone who eats meat or indulges in self-contradictory statements or is devoid of righteousness and purity of conduct.

MOGHUL EMPIRE – A Turk-ruled Islamic imperial power which ruled most of the Asian subcontinent from the early 16th to the mid19th centuries.

MUHAMMAD SAHIB – Founder of the world religion of Islam, who is regarded by Muslims as the messenger and prophet of God.

MOINDDIN CHISTI – Famous Sufi saint of the Chishti order of South Asia.

MOLIERE – (1622 to 1673) French playwright and actor, considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature.

MOOLADHARA – The first chakra or energy centre which lies below the kundalini, meaning “the support of the root”.

MOSES – (1300 B.C., Egypt) One of the ten primordial masters, to whom God proclaimed the Ten Commandments, the ten sustenance points in man representing the ten petals of the Nabhi chakra.

MUJIBUR RAHMAN – Founding leader of Bangladesh who was assassinated during a military coup in 1975 while he was serving as the self-declared life-long president of the country.

MULLAH – Islamic religious cleric.

MUMBAI – Bombay.

N.

NABHI CHAKRA – The third chakra or spiritual energy centre of the subtle system.

NADI GRANTH – A book written by the first great astrologer, Bhrigumuni, in which he made clear predictions about Shri Mataji’s work.

NAMADEVA – An Indian saint and one of the chief Varkari poets who taught equality of all before God, regardless of caste or gender.

NAMAZ – Islamic prayers.

NARADA – Divine sage who travels the three worlds playing a vina (stringed musical instrument) and singing hymns, prayers and mantras in praise of God.

NATH – A tradition of disciplic succession, the initiatory tradition of a spiritual teacher and disciple, literally meaning “lord, protector, refuge”.

NATH SUMPRADAYA – The Navnath are the nine saints, masters or naths on whom the Navnath Sampradaya, the lineage of the nine gurus is based.

NIRMAL TATTWA – The principle of spiritual cleansing.

NIRVANA – Enlightenment and liberation.

NIRVICHARA SAMADHI – The state of thoughtless awareness.

NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI – The state of doubtless awareness.

NIZAMUDDIN AULIA – (1238 to 1325) A famous Sunni Sufi saint of the Chishti order in South Asia.

NOSTRADAMUS – (1503 to 1566) A French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide.

O.

OPTIC CHIASMA (OPTIC CHIASM) – the part of the brain where the optic nerves cross.

P.

PAIGAMBER – Prophet.

PALI – A Middle Indo-Aryan language of India, best known as the language of the earliest Buddhist canon still in existence.

PARAMACHAITANYA – The all-pervading power of divine love.

PAUL – An apostle and early Christian missionary, who, unlike the twelve apostles, did not ever meet Jesus, to whom fourteen epistles in the New Testament are traditionally attributed.

PINGALA NADI – The Sun channel in the subtle system, the right side channel of action.

PUNJAB – A state in northwest India.

PURANAS – Ancient Indian texts containing a narrative of the history of the universe, from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes and demi-gods and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy and geography.

PURDAH – The practise of preventing men from seeing women by physical segregation of the sexes and the requirement for women to cover their bodies and conceal their form, existing in various forms in the Islamic world.

PURNABRAHMA – The supreme being.

Q.

QUR’AN – Literally means “the recitation,” the central religious text of Islam, alternatively transliterated as Quran, Koran, Alcoran or Al-Qur’an.

R.

RAHIM, RAHMAT – Arabic words for compassion and mercy.

RAKSHASAS – Demons.

RAMAYANA – An ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage (maharishi) Valmiki.

RASTAFARIANS – Followers of a religious movement of Jamaican origin, who believe that Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was the Messiah.

RITUMBHARA PRAGYA – The all-pervading divine power.

RUH – The Paramachaitanya or Holy Spirit as referred to in Islam.

RUSSELL, BERTRAND – (1872-1970) a philosopher, historian, logician, mathematician, advocate for social reform and pacifist.

S.

SACRUM – The sacred bone at the base of the spine, the home of the dormant kundalini, known to the ancient Greeks as hieron osteon and often associated with spiritual resurrection.

SADAT, ANWAR AL SADAT – (1918 to 1981) Third president of Egypt, serving from 1970 until his assassination in 1981.

SADHUS – Jain celibate fathers.

SADHWIS – Female sadhus, Jain celibate nuns.

SAHAJA – Spontaneous.

SAHAJA YOGA – The spontaneous awakening of the kundalini which allows a person to experience thoughtless awareness in their meditation. Created by Shri Mataji in 1970.

SAHASRARA – The seventh chakra or energy centre of the subtle system, the lotus of one thousand petals.

SAHIB – A Hindi and Bengali term of respect, meaning sir, master or lord.

SANSKRIT – The classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism and other Indian religions, the earliest Indo-Iranian language and one of the earliest members of the Indo-European language family.

SANYASIS – Those who renounce worldly life and dedicate themselves completely to spiritual pursuits.

SATYA YUGA – The first or golden age.

SAUNDARYA LAHARI – A venerated literary work written by Adi Shankaracharya, its hundred verses describe the grace and munificence of the Goddess.

SELF-REALISATION – The opening of the Brahmarandhra (the apex of the brain) by the awakened kundalini, also known as Self Realisation or Self Realization.

SHABDA JALAM – In Sanskrit, web of words of false ideas.

SHALIVAHANA – Royal dynasty in central India of whom Shri Mataji is a direct descendant.

SHANKARACHARYAS – Title of the heads of monasteries in India.

SHARIYA – The body of Islamic religious law, the legal framework within which the public and private aspects of Islamic life are regulated.

SHASTRI, LAL BAHADUR – (1904 to 1966) The third prime minister of independent India and a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.

SHAW, GEORGE BERNARD – (1856-1950) An Irish playwright.

SHIVA – God’s aspect of existence and destruction.

SHRI CHAKRA – Chakra or spiritual energy centre located in the area of the right shoulder that represents (in combination with the Shri Lalita chakra) the feminine powers of Shri Krishna.

SHRI KRISHNA – An incarnation of the Father aspect of God.

SHRI LALITA CHANKRA – Chakra or spiritual energy centre located in the area of the left shoulder that represents (in combination with the Shri Chakra) the feminine powers of Shri Krishna.

SHRI MATAJI NIRMALA DEVI – The founder of Sahaja Yoga. Born 21st March 1923 in Chhindwara, India. In 1970, Shri Mataji discovered a way of granting spontaneous Self-realisation. – kundalini awakening. She then travelled the world holding programs, giving Self-realisation and informing people of Sahaja Yoga.

SHRI RAMA – The seventh incarnation of Shri Vishnu, the ideal, benevolent king and human being.

SHRI SAINATH OF SHIRDI – Founder of a spiritual movement which began in the nineteenth century in Shirdi, India, his followers consider him to be an avatar and a saint.

SHUDDHA VIDYA – Pure divine knowledge.

SHUDRAS – In the Hindu caste system, a member of the fourth of the four major castes with the role of labourer.

SHWETAMBAR JAINS – The predominant Jain sect in India.

SIKHS – Adherents of Sikhism, comprising about two percent of India’s population, beginning with the religious leader and social reformer Guru Nanak, during the fifteenth century in the Punjab region of India.

SITA – The beloved wife of Rama and the daughter of King Janaka, also known as Janaki, an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and the epitome of womanly purity and virtue.

SOCRATES – (469 BCE) One of the ten primordial masters, a Greek philosopher who made important contributions to the fields of ethics, logic and epistemology (what it means to know something as opposed to merely having an opinion).

STHITAPRAGYA – An enlightened state described by Lord Krishna in the Gita, where one becomes a self-contained witness.

SUFIS – Practitioners of the Sufi tradition, the inner or mystical dimension of Islam.

SUSHUMNA NADI – The central channel of evolution and revelation, part of the subtle system.

SWADISTHAN – The second chakra or spiritual energy centre of the subtle system.

SWAYAMBHU – An innate font of divine vibrations emanating from Mother Earth, including Stonehenge in England, Uluru in Australia, Astavinayaks in Maharastra and sacred places in the Himalayas.

T.

TAO – “the way” or “ the path ahead,” with special meaning within the context of Taoism, where it implies the essential, unnamable process of the universe (see also Lao Tse).

TAPASYA – Penance, asceticism.

TASLIMA NASREEN – Bengali Bangladeshi ex-physician turned feminist author, who is known for her secular humanist philosophy and her severe criticism of Islam and of religion in general.

TOTAH – The holiest book within Judaism and venerated by Jews, the Pentateuch.

TURIYA – A state of pure consciousness. The experience of ultimate reality and truth.

TWELFTH MAHADI – The prophesied redeemer of Islam, who Muslims believe will restore righteousness and change the world into a perfect and just Islamic society.

U.

UNADFL – In France, the National Union of Associations in Defense of Families and Individuals.

UNITED NATIONS – An international organisation founded in 1945 to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues.

UPANISHADS – In Sanskrit literature, a part of the Vedas and of the Hindu scriptures, the core spiritual thought known as Vedanta (the end or culmination of the Vedas).

URDU – A language belonging to the Indo-European family of languages, the national language of Pakistan, as well as one of the twenty-three official languages of India.

V.

VAIDYAS – Doctors of Ayurveda.

VAISHYA – In the Hindu caste system, a member of the third of the four major castes comprised of merchants, farmers, landowners and artisans.

VALMIKI – The great Indian saint who wrote the epic tale, the Ramayana.

VEDAS – A large body of sacred texts originating in ancient India, forming the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature.

VIDA – The knowledge of the truth on one’s own central nervous system.

VIDHITAMA – The disciple of Lord Buddha who started the Zen system in Japan.

VALAMBA – The space of silence between two thoughts.

VISHNU – God’s aspect of evolution, the Hindu god who travels on a condor.

VISHUDDHI – The fifth chakra or spiritual energy centre of the subtle system.

W.

WAILING WALL – A Jewish religious site located in the old city of Jerusalem.

WALI – A Sufi, a saint, a Muslim mystic.

Y.

YANGTZE RIVER – China’s longest and most important river.

YUGAS – Periods of time, thousands of years long, that occur in a cyclic or spiral progression.

YUNUS EMRE – A thirteenth century dervish from Anatolia whose poetry, language and philosophy shaped Turkish culture.

Z.

ZEN – Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition.

ZOLA, EMILE – (1840 to 1902) An influential French writer of the literary school of naturalism.

ZOROASTER – A Persian prophet and religious poet, also known as Zarathustra.