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Why ask questions?
Every one of us – from children to adults to the elderly – has questions to ask. Whether it is from morning till evening or from birth till death, we face an onslaught of questions at every moment and at every step of our life. We have to answer our spouses, children, teachers, bosses, employees, co-workers… the list is endless. There seems to be a question behind every thing and we spend our whole life quizzing about so many things. It seems like our whole life is one big question mark?
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Q. What is Path to Anandam?
Path to Anandam is a non- profit spiritual organization. The purpose of this organization is to provide methods and tips to live and propagate Love, Peace and Anandam (abundant life).
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Q. How do we fulfill our purpose?
The purpose of the organization is fulfilled by giving back to society through experience, realized knowledge and training.
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Q. What is Anandam?
Anandam is Eternal-Everlasting happiness and peace, Eternal-Bliss within.
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Q. Who am I?
“I am Anandam”
“I am Love”
“I am Peace”
“I am Divine”
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Q. What is Sat Chit Anandam?
Sat: Absolute Truth
Chit: Consciousness
Anandam: Eternal Bliss
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Q.What is Spirituality?
Awareness of spirit and knowledge of spirit (Self-Knowledge, Knowledge of Absolute) is called spirituality. Spiritual practices help to realize Self-knowledge.
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Q.Why should I follow a Spiritual Path?
Spiritual path is the key to find your hidden treasure of eternal happiness and peace"
Spiritual path is the path that will lead you to everlasting happiness and peace – Anandam (Bliss), because other worldly means give only temporary happiness.
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Q. What does Spirituality do?
"Spirituality improves the quality of life and makes one a better and better person in all aspects of life.”
Spirituality helps reduces stress.
Stress is a state when one’s mind is filled with negative emotions – worry, fear, anger, resentment, haltered, jealousy etc. All come from 5 + 2 enemies. It blocks the mind and one cannot make any decisions and leaves one very confused. It reduces positive energy within us and therefore mental peace and calmness are lost. It could lead to depression if it is not controlled or released. Stress is the cause of insomnia and most of the diseases in our life.
Spirituality helps to reduce our stress and fills us with positive energy, happiness, and Anandam. It takes us to our Higher-self and unites us with our true nature of love, peace and Anandam (spirit, Atma, Self, Super-conscious, GOD). In short, Spirituality increases awareness.
It increases calmness.
It increases Self-satisfaction.
It increases confidence.
It increases forgiveness.
It increases concentration and focus.
It increases tolerance.
It increases Self-knowledge.
It decreases our stress, fears, worries, ego, worldly desires, unduly attachment to things, jealousy, hatred etc.
It reduces our selfishness and increases our enlightened interests leading us to give and share more.
It reduces our doubts and we develop more faith in our self and in others.
It helps to remove our bad habits (vices) and develop divine/noble qualities.
Overall, it makes us a better and better person by increasing our tolerance threshold and response. Thus we will be able to handle crises in our life very calmly, solve the situation more effectively and still be committed to our self.
"If you never want to be cornered in your life, be sure to have a spiritual corner in your heart and in your home.” H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji (Parmarth Niketan Ashram)"
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Q. How can I practice Spirituality?
- Lead a balanced life style
- Read motivational books (Autographies or biographies of well-known achievers) or scriptures that you like.
- Practice GOOD-ness
• Keep GOOD company
• Read GOOD books/scriptures
• Do GOOD i.e. do selfless service – seva
• Make best use of your senses e.g. make good use of your eyes and see Goodness in your self and others
- For a while, change your place just for a change of scenery e.g. Take vacations or go on pilgrimages, visit Ashrams etc.
- Do regular Yoga, Pranayam and meditation
- Develop contentment, forgiveness and other divine qualities
- Surrender, Let go
- Pray to God for his Guidance and thank Him for His support
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Q. How will I measure my Spiritual growth?
- Lead a balanced life style
- Read motivational books (Autographies or biographies of well-known achievers) or scriptures that you like.
- Practice GOOD-ness
• Keep GOOD company
• Read GOOD books/scriptures
• Do GOOD i.e. do selfless service – seva
• Make best use of your senses e.g. make good use of your eyes and see Goodness in your self and others
- For a while, change your place just for a change of scenery e.g. Take vacations or go on pilgrimages, visit Ashrams etc.
- Do regular Yoga, Pranayam and meditation
- Develop contentment, forgiveness and other divine qualities
- Surrender, Let go
- Pray to God for his Guidance and thank Him for His support
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Q.There are too many problems in my life. Can I still be happy?
Yes, you can be happy despite having many problems in your life.
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Q. How is that possible?
This is possible if you live and practice a spiritual life style as:
- Perform Selfless service: render service to the world, without any selfish motive.
- Learn to control personal desire and develop contentment. Do not run after worldly things and learn to discriminate between worldly and divine desires.
- Do not impose your expectations on others and do not expect personal favors from them.
- Do regular Yoga, Pranayam, meditation and prayers.
- Develop contentment, forgiveness and other divine qualities.
- Do your best then Surrender and Let go.
- Pray to God for his Guidance and thank Him for His support.
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Q. What is death?
“Death is the disconnection of body, breath and spirit.”
“Death is the interval between two lives.”
—Sathya Sai Baba
“To assume a body is birth and to cast off the same is death.”
—Sathya Sai Baba
Death is certain for all.
Death is beyond our control.
Death is the hardest truth of life.
Death is the ultimate reality of life.
Death is not the final destination of life.
Death is not an evil act but a divine act.
Birth may not be certain for all but death is.
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Q. Why death?
We all have come to the universe with a return ticket.
Death is certain for one who is born; birth too is certain for one who dies. (G.2.26–27)
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Q. What is body creation and who is the creator of the body?
“Body is a moving temple and Spirit resides in it.”
The physical body is the foundation for life and the means for action. It is also called the field of action creation—created by its Creator (God, Spirit)
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Q. What is Soul-Spirit?
Spirit is the driving force of the body.
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Q. What is the relationship of body and soul?
“The Body is like a garment for the Spirit”
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The individual person (Jiva +Atma) is made of Body, Mind, Intellect (Buddhi) and Spirit (Atma). All these are required for a man to function properly and lead a wholesome life. |
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Q How to deal with grief of death?
Celebrate the person’s good life and cherish his wonderful memories but free the departing soul, do not bind him by your sorrow and sadness. Pray, not cry for the Departing Soul and learn to endure it. As Lord Krishna guides Arjuna in the Gita:
Death is certain for one who is born; birth too is certain for one who dies. Therefore, you should not grieve over this inevitable.(G.2.26–27)
Arjuna, the soul residing in the body of all beings is eternal and indestructible. Therefore, you should not mourn for any being. (G.2.25, 2.30)
If the deceased one has some unfinished projects, you may want to carry on for him. Move forward with your life and focus on the soul and purpose of your life. |
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Q. Where does Soul (Atma, Spirit) go after death?
“The journey of the Soul continues even after death.”
“The soul moves from one body to the next one (rebirth—reincarnation) until it unites with Self-God.”
Just as the living entity (jivatma) continuously passes from childhood to youth to old age during its life, similarly, the Soul passes into another body after death. The wise are not confused by this. (G.2.13) |
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Q. What does an individual soul take from one body to the next body?
Karmas (Experiences and expressions) are the only possessions the soul will carry.
Just as the air takes aroma from the flower, similarly, when the individual soul (Jivatma) leaves the body, it takes its different experiences of life (memories and senses from the world) from one body to another. (G.15.08)' |
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Q. What should one do at the time of death?
Focus on the breath and constant recite öAum mantra.
At the time of death, while departing the body, one who controls all senses, with a single-minded devotion, draws the flow of breath, Prana, between the two eyebrows (6th chakra) and holds there or pulls prana, life energy, at the top of the head (7th crown chakra, cerebellum), meditates on Me and utters the sacred monosyllable “ö, AUM” (Eternal sound of the Supreme Brahman), certainly attains the Supreme Abode (Self-Realization). (G.8.10, 8.12–13)
One must not think of worldly objects, people and one’s past life. Because whatever object and whoever one thinks of at the time of death—one attains that very object and goes into that very form in the next birth. (G.8.06)
However, it is very difficult to remember God if one has not practiced it during the life time. One must remember God at all times because each moment could be the final moment. One does not know when death will arrive.
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Q. How a person, who dies in accident, can remember God at the time of death?
When a person recites God’s name or lives in God’s Consciousness all the time, his or her mind will subconsciously be reciting God’s name and will be enriched with God’s name even at the time of accidental death. The key is to live in God’s Consciousness all the time. |
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Q. What is the benefit of focusing on God at the time of Death?
Lord Krishna said in the Gita that one who thinks of God at the time of death will certainly attain Liberation. (G.8.07)
For more detail information on this subject, books are available on our website —My questions & God’s Answers and Lasting forever… Birth, death and beyond… |
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Q. How could I see God in all especially in those who have hurt me the most in my life?
Learn to forgive. Make a list of all the hurts and the one who have hurt you and forgive them one by one. If not you will hurt yourself more than what they have hurt you.
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Q. Why does God not listen to me?
Because, you are not connected with God. When you call Him, your mind is not 100% there, you are also thinking about something else, and many other disturbances are coming in the way, such as fear of not getting what you are asking Him, fear of losing what you have, asking for more and more, cursing someone, asking for more than you need. Just as when you dial a number to speak to someone, if the line has disturbances and not clear both of you can not listen to each other. Similarly, if your mind is not connected with God due to disturbances in your mind how can He hear you. Therefore, when you speak to Him next time, first connect with Him, and then He will hear.
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Q. You are asking for the impossible, my mind is always filled with other thoughts so how can I connect with God 100%?
Learn to focus (and build a stronger relationship with Him) and you can do it. Just as when you watch movie, you totally forget rest of the word for 2-3 hours because you have totally merged yourself with the movie - do the same with God. Focus on the breath, do Yoga, learn contemplation and Meditation. |
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Q. What is the Mind?
The Mind is a bundle of thoughts and it has three levels;
Conscious (Present, Current data)
Subconscious (Semi-pure, stores old data, all the sanskaras, old thoughts, habits,)
Super conscious (100% Pure, Supreme)
The purpose is to reach to third lever that is the place of the Supreme. This can be done through various spiritual practices.
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Q. How could I see God in all specially the one who have heart me a lot in my life?
Learn to forgive. Make a list of all the hurts and the one who have hurt you and forgive them one by one. If not you will hurt yourself more than what they have
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Q. When does one behold (divine vision, dharshan) of God?
One may behold God in following three situations:
When one is in intense distress and anxiety and longing to behold Him
When one is in peace
When there is no desire whatsoever, neither of the world, nor of God, and then one may behold God.
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Q. How do I know if I am doing right action or not?
Before doing any action ask yourself: why am I doing this? For fulfilling my own desire, becoming more richer (greed), gaining fame (ego), showing off to someone (anger}, or due to my attachment. If any one applies, you might be doing it for wrong reasons.
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Q. Why does God put me through tough times?
The reason any situation comes in our life is for us to learn a lesson. God wants us to be perfect and we will be put in the situations until we learn from it. All the situations are test for us to see how much we have learned e.g. after studying we give quiz/small exercise to practice and then big exam. If we fail we have to take the exam again. God has the same system as God loves us very much and he want us to realize that we are no different then Him and part of Him. So he makes us perfect to realize Him. This is called Self Realization or God Realization. Therefore, if there is any situation we should ask ourselves, what can I learn from it and what does God want me to learn. We should not waste our time feeling bad or getting angry or talking about it. A great example - A man asked God why me? God said ask the book that has the records, he asked the book. The book said I have nothing to do with it, ask the pen who wrote it and he did. The pen said I have nothing to do with it, I was in your hand and I wrote whatever action you did
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Q. Who am I?
I am part of God. I am divine. I am divinity. I am God. For example, an Atom in made up of neutrons, protons and electrons but neutrons, protons and electrons are part of atom. |
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Q. What is the goal of our life?
Live in love, peace and Bliss—Anandam.
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Q. What is stopping us to go back to our original place (God) or our original home?
Our own old baggage is the cause for it. We have collected a lot of baggage over a period of time of several lives, and are tangled in it like a spider in a web.
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Q. What is the way to get out?
Remove the old baggage through spiritual practices.
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Q. What is the old baggage?
Our negative attributes anger, desires, greed, ego, attachments, criticizing others, seeing negative in others and only positive in ourselves and vice versa. If we criticize ourselves too much and see only the positive in others, we may develop guilt, hatred towards others and ourselves |
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