Once again New York will be hosting Amma Ji, “the Hugging Saint” during her U.S. Summer Tour.  She will be at the Manhattan Center in New York City on  July 7th, 8th and 9th.  All programs will be  free of charge.

Her outreach takes two principal forms:

1. Her darshan programs (Where she reaches people individually)
2. Her charities (Designed to improve peoples’ lives on a broader scale)

Dont miss your chance to experience “the Mother of Compassion” as the media dubbed her.

LOVE IS RECESSION PROOF, INVEST IN IT!

The Freecycle Network a nonprofit grassroots movement made up of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. [Read more →]

Challenging American Consumerism Just In Time For The Holidays

Last year Americans spent $456.2 billion during the holiday season, and this year sales are predicted to rise 4 percent to $474.5 billion**.

Have you ever wondered what happens to stuff from holidays past?

A new online film details costs and consequences of consumer culture
as the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear. [Read more →]

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is during this month that Muslims observe the Fast of Ramadan. Lasting for the entire month, Muslims fast during the daylight hours and in the evening eat small meals and visit with friends and family. It is a time of worship and contemplation. A time to strengthen family and community ties.

According to the Islamic Society of North America the first day of fasting for Ramadan 2007 is expected to be today, September 13th. (depending on where you live). Source: www.moonsighting.com

To allow for complete devotion to their faith, Muslims abide by stringent rules from dawn until sunset for the entire month. Eating, drinking, smoking, and sex are strictly forbidden during daylight. In addition, Muslims must show greater sympathy for the needy and poor. Fasting plays a key role in accomplishing these goals by allowing for [Read more →]

Floating Lantern Ceremony

The ancient custom of floating lighted lanterns in waterways symbolizes respect for the lives of people who have gone before us, the lit lanterns are meant to guide our lost loved ones along their spiritual journeys. It also represents a light of hope for peace and harmony that we send over the waters of transmigration. This very colorful, but quiet and serene ceremony provides a place to reaffirm our commitment to building a peaceful future and to pay respect to the lost lives at the World Trade Center.

[Read more →]

If there is a perfect food, I’d have to guess it would be the golden banana. Providing an instant energy boost, bananas contain fiber, plus three natural sugars, sucrose, fructose and glucose.

The true origin of Bananas, world’s most popular fruit, is found in the region of Malaysia. Bananas traveled from there to India where they are mentioned in the Buddhist Pali writings dating back to the 6th century BCE. In his campaign in India in 327 BCE, Alexander the Great relished his first taste of the banana, an unusual fruit he saw growing on tall trees. He is even credited with bringing the banana from India to the Western world. According to Chinese historian Yang Fu, China was tending plantations of bananas in 200 CE. These bananas grew only in the southern region of China and were considered exotic, rare fruits that never became popular with the Chinese masses until the 20th century.

Eventually, [Read more →]

Swimming is such a splendid form of exercise and so perfectly adapted to summer that the increase in swimming pools in all communities is to be welcomed.

But Chlorine used to disinfect swimming pools is a health hazard and may trigger asthma in children. Among adults it has been linked with other health problems including bladder and rectal cancer and may increase the risk for coronary heart disease. [Read more →]

From the acclaimed author of The Epicure’s Lament, comes a grand new novel of literary contention in which two competing biographers collide in their quest for the truth about a great artist.

Oscar Feldman, the “Great Man,” is a New York city painter of the heroic generation of the 40s and 50s. Rather than focusing on abstract canvases like Pollock and Rothko, he stubbornly holds to painting one subject alone—the female nude. Upon his passing in 2001, he leaves behind a wife, Abigail, an autistic son, and a sister, Maxine, herself a notable abstract painter. [Read more →]

His Holiness, The Dalai Lama

I wanted to share with you a great passage from a recent interview his Holiness, the Dalai Lama conducted with Deutsche Welle, (the German international broadcaster).

In the interview, the Dalai Lama stated that his main purpose is not the issue of Tibet, “…but rather the promotion of human values in order to have happier individuals, families and communities — and, in that way, a happier humanity. I consider that to be my contribution. I think every human being has a responsibility to better the world. That’s my conviction, and I always try to promote that. My second goal is the promotion of religious harmony. When I teach in India, more and more Chinese come. Sometimes, the Chinese government puts up restrictions to prevent Chinese from coming to India. But despite that, some Chinese always come. Many of them say that, after seeing the Tibetan community, they found big differences to what they had heard in China. Eventually there’s some positive impact.” [Read more →]

Having evolved among the Brahmin sages of ancient India some 3000-5000 years ago, Ayurveda is a holistic system of healing that is a complete medical system. It recognizes that ultimately all intelligence and wisdom flow from one Absolute source (Paramatman). Health manifests by the grace of the Absolute acting through the laws of Nature (Prakriti). Ayurveda assists Nature by promoting harmony between the individual and Nature by living a life of balance according to her laws. [Read more →]