Any Book Guide Your Spirituality?

[Windwalker]

I think there does come a point when "book-learning" becomes secondary to a higher aspiration of truth as a lived reality. Certainly I do not see any book as my "guide". I see them as useful "pointers" and reflections from others who have walked the path.

I was looking for a way to say this. ^^^^This.

In fact, an analogy I have is that without ever this you say, it's like keeping the training wheels on your bike, never launching off to riding under your own sense of balance. They can't do it for you, and as long as you are dependent on them, you are not doing what they were there to teach you to do in the first place. Many people assume they are riding because they have these attached to their bike, when in fact they are not. Then of course they get all defensive of themselves and scream at those that don't have them on their bikes, "You heretics! You unbelievers!".

 

[InformedIgnorance]

eh? not really, the closest in my life has been: Reading Critically at University by Mike Metcalfe (one of my past lecturers actually and I found the course he ran very very interesting, a pity I had to wait until masters year to take it) and I wouldnt call that a bible, so much as a book that suggests an extremely valuable mechanism by which to think about how we think about things; it has greatly guided how I understand how I understand spirituality (among almost everything else) by providing a set of tools for self examination and multiple tools for a broader examination of subjects from different perspectives.

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

Do you have a book (considered holy or not) that pretty much works like your Bible or guides your spiritual life?

I have a couple of books that i refer to and read majority of the times, One being the Light of Truth or Satyarth Prakasha and the other being the The Bhagvad Gita.

The Gita I think has influence on my "Spiritual" life at the most everyday level, and the Light of Truth more influences my technical understanding of spiritual life and other ways of approach to spirituality, although neither of them are like my Bible, that position is held by the Veda only for me, even then i try not turn it into scripture.

 

[YmirGF]

I think there does come a point when "book-learning" becomes secondary to a higher aspiration of truth as a lived reality. Certainly I do not see any book as my "guide". I see them as useful "pointers" and reflections from others who have walked the path.

I would agree with this, Vouthon. There are many books I look at from time to time, but none that I defer to. I simply do not read "spiritual" works anymore as I find myself becoming critical of the writer as I read. That and I spent the last 10 years going through endless reams of Islamic texts in order to figure out where Islam came off the rails. But, most days, I much rather sit quietly working out my own ideas with a pen and a pad of legal paper.

Could you pray tell, if possible in words, the "ground" that you are covering? I understand if not.

It is very hard to describe. One topic I spent some time on was called "Perception IS Reality" (subjectively, of course). That now runs over 100 scribbled pages and eventually I will type it all up in Word. I'm quite pleased with it. Another work that is a continuing labor of love is an extended piece on states of consciousness. And there is also my autobiography that is very much a work in progress. But there is always the yard to tend to and the deer coming by, waiting for me, to bring them an apple.

None of which really answers your question.

If you are musically inclined, the wonderful feeling and deep emotion behind the music in this piece is the sort of ground I am covering and have been for a very long time.

[youtube]_D2nxNC5n9I[/youtube]
Mike Oldfield - Women of Ireland

 

[HankHill]

No, but I've been looking for that book for years. I've seen myself often in the future waking up to reading from this book that I set on top of my Bible but have not yet come across that spiritual guide yet.

 

[underthesun]

I think there does come a point when "book-learning" becomes secondary to a higher aspiration of truth as a lived reality. Certainly I do not see any book as my "guide". I see them as useful "pointers" and reflections from others who have walked the path.​

It must be getting tiring to constantly see this quoted, but, really, this is a better wording than I ever could have come up with. I completely agree with this statement.

I spend time reading books of every religion in an effort to gain both insight on culture (out of my own curiosity) and insight to the different aspects of the divine that others have felt or seen. I read nothing as absolute truth or as rules by which I should live my life, but I read many things to expose myself to different ideas about the divine that I might not have considered on my own. These need not only be limited to spiritual books, mind you.

If I had to name a few books that I found most influential, or at least most inspiring of my own beliefs, I would have to lean toward the many different neopagan readings that I have done. Even though I do not worship any singular deity like the ones often mentioned in the books, and even though I do not perform any rituals like those described, I find the strategies and stories of self-searching very useful in my own practices.​

 

[NoraSariah]

Three books called The Secret, The Power, and The Magic.

 

[DawudTalut]

Do you have a book (considered holy or not) that pretty much works like your Bible or guides your spiritual life?

Peace be on you.
The Holy Quran

 

[BSM1]

When I read Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh I realized that, belief wise, I could have written the first book and about half of the second. Now I'm reading The Urantia Book and some of the holes in my understanding are being filled.

 

[Sand Dancer]

When I read Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh I realized that, belief wise, I could have written the first book and about half of the second. Now I'm reading The Urantia Book and some of the holes in my understanding are being filled.

What is Urantia?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

No. My beliefs are informed by various books, myths, personal experiences, artwork, science, etc.

 

[sharukkhan]

I believe in quran encourge spirtual

Spirt become clear by our actions

We don't drink wine or pork and the rest of food is allowed
Obviously because these two things are harmful

Wine bad on brain lead to crimes and unsafe society ( made by bad fruite)

Pork eat his pea so it consider to be dirty and have bad influence in body
It like putting dirt inside your body


We help poor people by giving them zakah and sadaqah

We must be good to our parents and look after them while they become old

When man get married he must take all financial duty like preparing for marriage and the rest thing

Women wear hijab and they cover their body to save themselves from bad people and so they will not attract any one

Women don't go with men alone except if the men are their fathers or brother or uncles or their husband


No talking to men and chatting to them because it lead people to do mistakes

We don't do anything related to wizard. It is forbidden in quran
They work with devil and Jin
All they do is break relations as they want.... etc

I want to clarify one thing about jihad

Jihad must done only to protect your self against invasion

Prophet did jihad because jewsh and disbeliver declared the war against him

so the allah gave him order to make jihad to protect his self

All this rubbish about islam like killing people are not true


Many indian go to work in Arab world where most muslims live
Also many foriegn go there in order to sit in sun and get tanned

They safe and no one hurting them

There was clear command to be god to non muslim who not hurt you
If any muslim did kill any non muslim he will not go even near to paradise


Eleven septmber attack was not mentioned in quran
Those people done such thing by theirselves
And many muslims die in bomb of eleven septmber

Not every one call him muslim do what mentioned in quran

If you want to know islam read quran

Don't judge quran through people's action

There are sinful people in all religions

We belive in jesus as prophet

He was born without father as miracle


she (jesus mother) pointed to him( jesus). They (jewish) said, "How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?"
[Jesus] said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet

And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain alive

And [made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant.


In quran : Jews didn't crucified jesus


Group 4:157 And their saying: "We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, messenger of God!" And they had not killed him, nor crucified him, but it appeared to them as if they had. And those who dispute are in doubt regarding him, they have no knowledge except to follow conjecture; they did not kill him for a certainty.


Here is evidence that he was someone else

Jesus crucified and shouted
Matthew 27:46: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

Why he is asking for answer if he came to be crucified
It is exactly like saying what is going on!

Obviously the one who changed bible, he is the one who changed truth in bible

According to new christian bible has been changed so they don't believe in it.

Jesus says only worship allah

Luke 4:8

You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.

Jesus says in bible there is
: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only

You will be cursed
So why jesus kill him self if you still curse by sins!

*However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
16*You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
Deuteronomy 28

In quran marry is most respectful women in the earth

We have whole aya talking about her and prise her and prophet jesus peace be upon him

we believe in all his miracles

God gave every prophet miracle like noah, mouses, Abraham, jesus ... etc

All of them came for one reason to ask their people to worship allah and mainly allah

 

[Vinayaka]

I liked the thread title ... the guide part ... not like a legal book of laws that must be followed but something that gives suggestions.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

I forgot the Lotus Sutra.

 

[Infinitum]

Maybe my diary.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

The Count of Monte Cristo

 

[biased]

There is no book I look at at a regular basis in any way. In that sense I am very Zen / living in the Tao.

Anyway but I do find lots of inspiration from the Upanishads, Tao Te Ching, Plotinus's Enneads, Some of Adi Shankara's texts he/his disciples wrote, Some of the gnostic gospels, Gospel of John, Christian mystical writings (The Cloud of Unknowing, Meister Eckhart, Jakob Boehme). That pretty much covers it, I'm not a huge fan of Islam or Judaistic traditions but I have a love for Christianity.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Do you have a book (considered holy or not) that pretty much works like your Bible or guides your spiritual life?

I read books and some were influential insofar as to serve as a guideline but my real spiritual path is more akin with just getting out there and see what happens. Books tend to be too static after awhile for religious/spiritual walks.

 

[danieldemol]

The Hidden Words is nice;

Baha'i Reference Library - The Hidden Words