The Atma Jyoti Blog

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In September of 2004 when the Atma Jyoti website was started, our site had only a handful of articles on meditation and spiritual life. Today there are roughly one thousand. There are writings by some of the most esteemed authors and spiritual figures of recent times, including Swami Vivekananda, Rama Tirtha, Swami Sivananda, Dr. Raymond Bernard, Swami Ritajananda, and others. With all these articles, ebooks and more scattered in different categories, it is easy to overlook some of the treasures on our site. Here are just a few of these hidden gems for you to read and profit by.

• All Is One (Ellam Ondre)

“If you want moksha, read and practise the instructions in Ellam Ondre.” –Ramana Maharshi

This small but extraordinary book was written in the 19th century and has been translated from Tamil into English. The author is unknown. It was popularized by the sage, Ramana Maharshi, who often named it along with a few others to disciples who were in pursuit of wisdom. This book, highly saturated in wisdom teachings, names the single most effective method of attaining to realization (i.e. enlightenment, moksha or liberation). The Maharshi especially emphasized the book to those who had difficulty reconciling the concept of multiple gods (as in the Hindu religion) with the Advaita concept of a single Universal Creator. This book explains how there is no basic conflict between these points of view, as long as things are viewed from the perspective that all the diverse beings and objects in this expansive universe are essentially parts of a greater whole–or as the book sums it up: All is One.

• May a Christian Believe in Reincarnation? by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

No serious Christian wishes to be “carried about with divers and strange doctrines,” (Hebrews 13:9) but rather to be established in “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) Therefore the purpose in this brief study is to determine if, in good conscience, a Christian may believe in reincarnation.

Reincarnation-also known as the transmigration of souls-is not some exotic idea of non-Christian mysticism. In ancient orthodox Jewish and Christian writings, as well as the Holy Scriptures, we can find reincarnation as a fully developed belief, although today it is commonly ignored.

• Commentary on the Yoga Sutras by Raghavan Iyer

Raghavan Iyer was a noted theosophist, with a long and distinguished career in academia, as well as the editor of several prestigious metaphysical and theosophical magazines. His extensive knowledge of spiritual matters make his writings on the Yoga Sutras some of the most inciteful on the subject.

• The Chidakasha Gita by Paramahansa Nityananda

The Chidakasha Gita is a transcription of random teachings of Nityananda, given when he would walk unannounced into a house, sit down, and begin speaking. Though the devotees did the best they could, writing frantically in hope of keeping up with his words, the resulting records are often disjointed and sometimes make no sense since something is missing. This of course is a defect of the transcribers and not of Nityananda who was speaking spontaneously in spirit consciousness without interest in polished expression. Nevertheless, a devotee collected these fragments and had them printed under the title of Chidakasha Gita. They have been translated into several Indian languages as well as English.

• The Aquarian Gospel by Levi Dowling

In 1908 a book appeared on the shelves of American bookstores that was destined to garner interest throughout the world, so much so that today it has gone through more than seventy editions in America alone. This book was The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi H. Dowling. It evoked a response in those who intuited and sought for a deeper meaning of the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Many at that time, as well as today, could not honestly accept the limited interpretation of Jesus and His words that was offered by “Churchianity”–an acceptance that would have obligated them to reject Him as but one of many misperceiving religionists of the past. For them the Aquarian Gospel was truly Light in Darkness, a fount of life-giving knowledge.

For more spiritually profitable links, read 19 Exceptional Web Resources for Spiritually Minded People.

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