10 facts about hinduism

 1. Hinduism is a religion of 330 million gods.

2. Hindus believe that the soul can be reincarnated, undergoing a cycle of rebirth.

3. Hindus hold the belief of the four Vedas high in their mind. This is considered the most ancient scripture throughout the world.

4. The religious tradition of Hinduism is responsible for the creation of such concepts and practices as Yoga, Ayurveda, Vastu, Jyotish, Yajna, Puja, Tantra, Vedanta, Karma, etc.

5. Hindus believe that a soul is able to undergo numerous lifetimes within a physical body. All of the past lives that you have led, contribute to the person you are today.

6. Karma is the universal principle of cause and effect. Our actions, both good and bad, come back to us in the future, helping us to learn from life's lessons and become better people.

7. There is no concept of Creation and a Creator. The world came from God, exists in God and will return back to God, just like waves arise from the ocean, exist in the ocean and subside back into the ocean.

8. Reincarnation is the phenomenon where the immortal soul is continuously born and reborn in any one of 8,400,000 life-forms until it attains moksha. Moksha is ultimate liberation.

9. Hindus believe that all living entities have a soul, or ãtma. Each is eternal – it was never created and will never perish. The ãtmã is characterized as unchanging truth, consciousness and bliss.

10. Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. Hinduism grants you a healthy lifestyle. The Hindu practices like bath in the morning, do Yoga, stay away from meat etc. promote health and hygiene.

Which palace is 3700 m above sea level?

Lhasa is the capital of Tibet, now part of China. Like most of Tibet, Lhasa is located in the Himalayas, among the highest mountains on Earth. Lhasa is at an altitude of 3,700 meters above sea level!

Lhasa's largest building - and one of the largest religious structures in the world - is called Potala, the "Palace of the Gods". The Potala has served as the seat of Tibet's government, as a Buddhist monastery and as the home of the Dalai Lama, the head of all Tibetan Buddhists.

Its construction began in the year 700, on a steep hill outside the city, where it can only be reached by long zigzag stairs up the hill. Altogether, the nine floors of the Potala have approximately 500 rooms and more than 1,400 windows, and house more than a thousand monks.

In times past, Lhasa was known as the "Forbidden City," since only Tibetans were allowed to enter the sacred city.

The roof and towers of the Potala are covered with glittering gold.

The building was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, this declaration was extended in 2000 and 2001 to include the neighbouring monuments Norbulingka Palace and Jokhang Temple.
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Where is the world's largest religious complex?

The nation of Cambodia, formerly known as Kampuchea, is the home of the Khmer people.

More than a thousand years ago, the Khmer (Khmer) built an empire in Southeast Asia, with its capital in Angkor, the largest and most magnificent city in the entire East. Then in the fifteenth century, the city was conquered by the enemies, and the Khmer abandoned it.

In 1861, a French butterfly collector accidentally found Angkor. The growth of the jungle had covered the buildings, where monkeys and panthers roamed freely in the corridors. Angkor had been forgotten in the jungle for four centuries!

Angkor covers almost 40 square miles, with immense palaces, temples, libraries, baths, and courtyards. The city's largest temple, called Angkor Wat, has five acorn-shaped towers - one as tall as a 25-story building.

Stone carvings of gods, men and animals cover the walls. Undoubtedly, Angkor Wat is the largest building in Asia, and the largest religious complex in the world.

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What temple was built to house a rock?

One of the most sacred and famous buildings in the world is located in the city of Jerusalem. It is the mosque of Omar, which is also known as the Dome of the Rock.

This religious sanctuary, with a dome 30 meters high, was built during the seventh century, on the same site as the ancient Hebrew temples. This sanctuary was built for the sole purpose of housing a rock.

According to Islamic belief, the prophet Muhammad was brought to Jerusalem on a winged horse and left on the rock inside the Omar mosque. The granite rock is 18 meters long by 12 meters wide, and completely fills the center of the building. Muslims believe that the holes in the rock mark the points where Muhammad's winged horse landed.

The site where the Dome of the Rock is located is also sacred to the Jews, who believe that this rock was the place where the Hebrew patriarch Abraham came to sacrifice his son Isaac, obeying God's command.
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What is the legend of St. Patrick and the Clover?

When St. Patrick preached the Gospel in Ireland 1500 years ago, the Irish peasants asked him: "You tell us that there are three gods in one, how is this possible?"

To answer them, the saint cut a clover leaf and said to them: "Do you see how this wild plant has three leaves joined into one stem? In the same way you must believe me when I tell you that there are three people in one God.

Historians have relegated many of the stories about St. Patrick to the field of legend; but despite this, the clover continues to be the emblem of Ireland, and the Irish collect it in large quantities on March 17 of each year, the feast of their patron saint. The real Irish clover (seamrog, a word meaning three leaves) looks very much like the common or white that is found in large numbers in all the meadows of temperate countries; but its flowers are yellow and not white, and its leaves are bluish-green. Each year, large shipments of Irish clover are sent from Ireland to North America to celebrate the feast of St. Patrick.

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What does the word Gospel mean? Are there apocryphal gospels?

The term 'gospel' means, by its Greek roots, 'good news', and so biblical texts are named for the life, teachings and various miracles of Jesus Christ. The word appears in the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians: "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, and in which you also persevere," and a total of sixty times is quoted in the Pauline Epistles. It appears in Matthew and Mark, but it does not appear in Luke and John.

According to one theory 'gospel' is the Greek translation of an Aramaic word that we do not know. Others claim that it is a term linked in ancient times to the cult of Roman emperors.

Gospels recognized by the Church:

Gospel of Matthew (the Gospel of the Messiah)

Gospel of Mark (the Gospel of the Son of the Suffering God)

Gospel of Luke (the Gospel of the Savior for all people)

Gospel of John (the Gospel of the Son who reveals the Father)

Apocryphal Gospels (not recognized by the church):

Fragmentary texts:

Gospel of the Hebrews

Gospel of the Egyptians

Mark's secret Gospel

Gospel of Judas

Gospel of Mary Magdalene

Apocrypha of the Nativity:

Proto-Gospel of Santiago

Gospel of Pseudo Matthew

Book on the Nativity of Mary

Liber de infantia Salvatoris

Apocrypha from childhood:

Gospel of Pseudo Thomas

The Arab Gospel of childhood

History of Joseph the Carpenter

Armenian Gospel of childhood

Book on the childhood of the Savior

Apocrypha of the Passion and Resurrection:

Gospel of Peter

Acts of Pilate

Gospel of Bartholomew

Gnostic apocryphal of Nag Hammadi:

Gospel of Thomas

Gospel of Philip

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Questions and Answers about the Bible

How many books are in the Bible? The Bible contains 66 books, divided between the Old and New Testaments.

How many books are in the Old Testament? There are 39 books in the Old Testament.

How many books are in the New Testament? There are 27 books in the New Testament.

What does "testament" mean? Testament means "covenant" or "contract.

When was the Bible written? It was written over a period of about 1,500 years, from about 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) until about A.D. 100. (after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

What is the oldest book in the Old Testament? Many scholars agree that Job is the oldest book of the Bible, written by an unknown Israelite around 1500 B.C. Others maintain that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) are the oldest books of the Bible, written between 1446 and 1406 B.C.

In what languages was the Bible written? The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek.

When was the Bible printed? The Bible was printed in 1454 by Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the "type mold" for printing. It was the first printed book.

What is the longest book in the Bible? The book of Psalms.

What is the shortest book in the Bible? 2 John.

What is the longest chapter of the Bible? Psalm 119

What is the shortest chapter in the Bible? Psalm 117

What is the longest verse in the Bible? Esther 8:9

What is the shortest verse in the Bible? John 11:35

Who was the oldest man that ever lived? Methuselah who lived to be 969 years old (Genesis 5:27).

Who were the two men in the Bible who never died but were taken to heaven? Enoch, who walked with God and was no more (Genesis 5:22-24). Elijah, who was caught up by a whirlwind to heaven (2 Kings 2:11).

Who does the Bible say was the most meek man in the Bible (not including Jesus)? Moses (Numbers 12:3).

Is the Bible still the best-selling book in the world? Yes.

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Great facts about Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, Albania on August 26, 1910.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta's real name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Her father's name was Nikola and her mother's name was Dranafile.

Agnes' family was economically prosperous and characterized by helping the poor. Her father is thought to have been poisoned because of his political views when she was only 9 years old.

In 1928, at the age of 18, the young woman who would become Mother Teresa joined the missionary sisters of Loreto in Ireland. That same year she would embark to India where the young nun would be moved by the vision of terrible misery.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta made India her home for the last sixty-nine years of her life, and it is precisely in Calcutta that the Mother had the Seat of the Missionaries of Charity.

Mother Teresa spoke five languages: --English, Albanian, Serbo-Croatian, Bengali and Hindi.

In her youth Mother Teresa taught catechism at home, had published articles in a local newspaper and wrote poems.

Mother Teresa, besides advocating for the poor, was a great fighter against abortion.

Mother Teresa was diagnosed with heart problems in 1974, which she kept as secretive as possible because she did not want anything to get in the way of her continued hard work on behalf of the poor.

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

Pope John Paul II visited the "House of the Immaculate Heart" in Calcutta on February 4, 1986. Something that filled Mother Teresa with emotion.

At the time of Mother Teresa's death, her missionaries of charity worked in 123 countries.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta died in September 1997 at the age of 87.

In 2003 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

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Facts about Pope John Paul II

John Paul II, the first Slavic pope in history, was born on May 18, 1920 in the city of Wadowice, Poland.

His real name was Karol Józef Wojtyła.

On October 16, 1978 he was elected pope, with the name of John Paul II.

The pontificate (26 years) of John Paul II was the third longest in the history of the papacy, after that of St. Peter (34 to 37 years) and that of Pius IX (31 years).

He was the first pope in 455 years not to be Italian.

John Paul II was the only pope whose life was portrayed in a comic book. In 1983 Marvel Comics published a biography of the pope.

He is the first pope since Pius II, in the 15th century, to be a "man of letters".

Before being ordained a priest, Karol Wojtyla was a member of an experimental theatre group, poet, stonemason and employee in a chemical factory.

In May 1981, John Paul II was shot by the Turk Mehmet Ali Agca in St. Peter's Square.

John Paul II was known as the 'traveling pope'. No other pope in history has traveled as extensively as he has. His word and presence has reached 117 countries around the world.

Pope John Paul II knew 8 languages. He learned Spanish after becoming a pope.

Time magazine named Pope John Paul II Man of the Year in 1994.

In his last years of life John Paul II suffered from Parkinson's disease.

During his pontificate John Paul II canonized 482 saints and beatified 1338 people, more than all his predecessors combined.

He traveled the equivalent of 30 times the circumference of the Earth, making 104 trips abroad.

In March 2000 the pope traveled to the Holy Land, where he left a personal note on the Wailing Wall, the holiest place in Judaism.

His papal motto was "Totus tuus" (All Yours).

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What are stigmas in the body?

What kind of people carry stigmas?

Padre Pio with stigmas

According to the history of Christianity, the stigmata are the marks left by the cross in the body of Christ.

According to the Catholic religion characters such as St. Francis of Assisi and St. Gemma Galgani (among other 60 saints and blessed) present these marks.

However, Catholicism recognizes that stigmas can appear in any person, as long as they have certain traits such as resistance to infections and physical and emotional pain, among others.

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Who was Lilith?

What is the origin of Lilith?

 The name Lilith means "night monster." It is a female demon that appears in Hebrew folklore. Its name and legend derive from a very ancient tradition of Assyria and Babylon, where there was a very similar demon called Lilit or Lilu.

Part of rabbinical literature says that she was the mother of the diabolical son that Adam had after separating from Eve.

The cult of Lilith remained active for many years. In the 7th century A.D. it still survived in certain Jewish groups. Today it symbolizes the destructive force of the feminine, but also its irreverence and rebellion.

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What is the legend of the Buddha's birth?

 Who was the Buddha?

Buddhism is one of the most important religions in the world; and a curiosity about it is that its followers believe that the founder's conception occurred when his mother dreamed that a celestial elephant with six tusks came down to her, and entered from the side of her belly.

Then, according to the same legend, the exact birth of Siddhartha occurred when his mother walked through Lumbini's garden and looked up at Heaven. At birth the child took seven steps in each direction from Heaven, growing a lotus flower at each step he took; then he prophesied that he would not be born again (this because Buddhists, as in the Brahmanic religion, believe in reincarnation).

Then, in a vision, the father of the young prince was told that he would be a mighty king walking in time, or instead, a man of holiness (the Buddha).

The father, fearing for his succession, removed the child from all that was religion or from knowing what human suffering was, depriving him of the outside world; he hoped that his son, Gautama Siddharta, would become the great king of whom the vision spoke.

However, the fate of the child was already marked as the future Buddha.

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Where is the Western Wall?

Wailing Wall - Kotel - Western Wall

Many Israeli pilgrims come to the Western Wall with the desire to pray. This pilgrimage centre is located in Jerusalem, the holy city of Jews, Christians and Muslims.

In Jerusalem, near the site of Solomon's temple, which has now disappeared, the remains of a high wall made up of large cubic stones, which was built at the time of King Herod, rise up. A religious custom that was imposed through the ages summons the Jews to come every Friday to the foot of this symbolic wall to mourn the ruin of the "Jewish Jerusalem". From the multitude of faithful gathered there rises a whining cry, which sometimes drowns out the noises of the city. Today, Israeli pilgrims flock to the foot of the wall, and along with traditional lamentations read fragments of the psalms, proverbs, or Talmud.

What does Hindu mean?

   Many people think that everyone in India is a Hindu. Calling everyone in India a Hindu is like calling everyone in America a Christian. For Hinduism is a religion just as Christianity is.
   Actually most of the people of India are Hindus. For when the old India was divided into the two countries of India and Pakistan, most Indians who were not Hindus settled in Pakistan.

   Here are some of the Hindu beliefs:
   There are many gods. Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are the greatest.
   The cow is sacred. It must not be killed.
   After death everyone is reborn in another form. He may be reborn as an animal. He may be reborn higher in the scale of human beings. Everything depends on the kind of life he has led.
   The Ganges River is sacred. If a Hindu dies on its banks or if he dies elsewhere but has his ashes thrown into the river, he earns a rest from being reborn.
   Within the Hindu religion there are different beliefs, just as there are different beliefs in the Christian religion. Some Hindus, for instance, call all life sacred. They wear cloths over their faces to keep from swallowing tiny insects.
   Along with the Hindu religion a caste system developed. All Hindus were divided into classes called castes.    Rules were made for each caste. A person 'lost caste" if he did not obey these rules. Now the caste system is breaking down.
   In Hindu temples there are many images of the Hindu gods. Some of them have several arms. These arms show that the gods have many powers.

What is a dervish?

   A dervish is a member of a Muslim religious order. Dervishes, or fakirs, represent the mystical Sufi movement in Islam, which encourages direct experience of God. Like Christian monks and friars, most dervishes are committed to repentance, abstinence, and poverty. Generally, initiates live in monasteries and lay members in secular communities, but some dervishes wander about begging.    Dervishes meet periodically to celebrate the dikhr, or liturgy, which may include prayer, howling chants, and whirling dances Many dervishes do charitable work, and all are missionaries of Islam.

Dalai Lama

Tenzin Gyatso 14th Dalai Lama

   The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader of Lamaism, or Tibetan Buddhism, and traditionally the political ruler of Tibet. The office originated in the 15th century. It is believed that when a Dalai Lama dies, his spirit is immediately reincarnated in a male baby. Buddhist lamas, or monks, search for this child throughout Tibet and in neighboring countries and determine his identity by an elaborate system of magical signs. The 14th Dalai Lama now resides in India, where he sought asylum after Tibet came under Communist Chinese control.

Buddha quotes

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?

The tongue like a sharp knife... Kills without drawing blood.

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.

To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

It is better to travel well than to arrive.

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.


The best quotes of Buddha

The Golgotha

   The GOLGOTHA was the scene of Christ's crucifixion. The exact location of the site is undetermined, because it can be established only through knowledge of the position of the walls of Jerusalem during Jesus' time and this is not thoroughly known. According to tradition Bishop Macarius determined the location of Golgotha in 325 at the command of the Emperor Constantine. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre now stands on this site.

Who was Daniel

   Daniel was a Jewish prophet and a book of the Old Testament containing his life and visions. Most scholars believe that the book was written by an unknown person in the 2d century B.C. to inspire the Jews to hold out against the Seleucid kings of Syria, who were persecuting them.
   In the first half of the book the author describes the life of Daniel, a pious young Jew who was taken to the court of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar after the king had conquered Jerusalem in the 6th century B.C. Daniel gained favor because he could interpret the king's dreams. At a feast given by the succeeding king, Belshazzar, Daniel interpreted mysterious handwriting on the wall to mean that the Babylonian kingdom would be conquered by the Persians. That night the Persian king Darius captured Babylon. Later, when jealous rivals had Daniel cast into a lion's den for breaking a new antireligious Persian law, Darius restored Daniel to favor and proclaimed the greatness of God throughout his kingdom.
   Daniel's apocalyptic visions, or prophecies about the end of the world, form the subject of the second half of the book. Using rich symbols, such as four beasts for the four empires, the Son of Man for Israel, and the Ancient of Days for God. Daniel foretells the Last Judment and the establishment of an everlasting kingdom of the Jews. Early Christians believed that he was prophesying the Second Coming of Christ, as described in Revelation.

Archangel Gabriel

   Gabriel is the name of one of the seven archangels who are of the highest rank in the hierarchy of angels. In the Old Testament his name is only mentioned in Daniel (8:15 ff. and 9:21 ff.). In the New Testament he appears before Mary and announces God's plan to make her the mother of the Saviour (Luke 1:26). He also appears as a messenger to Zacharias informing him that Elizabeth is to bear a son and that he shall have the name of John (Luke 1:8—20). Since Gabriel appears in both Daniel and Luke as the revealing angel, it is possible that it was this biblical representation which formed the basis of the Mohammedan conception of the archangel as the messenger who delivered the Koran from Allah to the prophet, Mohammed.

Franciscans

Franciscan monk

   Franciscans, in the Roman Catholic Church, members of three religious orders that follow the rule of St. Francis of Assisi. Founded by Francis in Italy in the 13th century, the orders are devoted to serving the poor and preaching. The first order, formed in 1209, is composed of three independent branches: the Friars Minor, who keep a strict rule of poverty; the Friars Minor Conventual, who own property in common; and the Friars Minor Capuchin, a reform group of the Friars Minor. There is a second order of nuns, called Poor Clares, founded in 1212 by St. Francis and his follower St. Clare. Members of the third order are called Tertiaries and include men and women in community life. All three orders are governed by a minister-general in Rome, who is elected for a six-year term. Friars Minor and Capuchins wear brown tunics, hoods, and sandals; Conventuals wear black. In medieval England, Franciscans were called Gray Friars because their habits were then gray.