The Universal Path to Enlightenment
The Way to Spiritual Success for Everyone
by Stephen Knapp
This book brings together the easy and joyful principles and practices that are common to all major religions of the world. These are what can be used by all people from any culture or tradition for the highest spiritual progress, and to bring about a united one world religion that can be shared by everyone. This is a happy process of spiritual success for everyone. This is much easier to recognize than most people think, and is a way to bring down the differences, barriers and separations that seem to exist between religions.
This book presents the universal way for everyone to reach the highest levels of spiritual truth by practical and personal realization, in other words, how to find God. This book provides a most interesting and revealing survey of the major spiritual paths of the world and describes their histories, philosophical basis, and goals. It also promotes spiritual understanding and provides the information that will help all sincere seekers of Truth to decide which path may be the best for them.
--the essential similarities of all religions that all people of any culture and tradition can practice, which could bring about a united world religion, or "THE UNIVERSAL PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT."
--how Christianity and Judaism were greatly influenced by the early pre-Christian or "pagan" religions and adopted many of their legends, holidays, and rituals that are still accepted and practiced in Christianity today.
--about evidence that shows Jesus traveled to India to learn its spiritual knowledge, and then made bhakti-yoga the basis of his teachings.
--who were the real Vedic Aryans, the founders of the earliest of organized religions and cultures, and how widespread and influential their civilization was to other cultures, such as the Egyptian, Greek, Oriental, etc., and how the Vedic teachings are still found in Christianity and other traditions today, which makes it the source of the world's spiritual heritage.
--the philosophical basis and origin of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and others.
--about the Chakras, mystical powers, and the different yoga systems, such as raja-yoga, hatha-yoga, bhakti-yoga, mantra-yoga, kundalini-yoga, etc., what the goals are, and how practical each one is in this age.
--about the main philosophical systems of the East, including Nyaya, Vaisesika, Sankhya, Mimamsa, Vedanta, etc. and what the purpose is of each one.
--the different levels of knowledge the many branches of Vedic literature contain, and the ultimate spiritual path they recommend for realizing the Absolute Truth.
--how spiritual enlightenment is the cure for the many problems in society.
--what the qualifications are of a genuine spiritual teacher or guru.
--and, most importantly, what is the real purpose of a spiritual path that you should strive for, which is easily found in the Eastern teachings, and how to practice the path that is especially recommended as the easiest and most effective for the people of this age to reach the highest levels of spiritual understanding and perception.
--plus much more information not easily found elsewhere.
Contents
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
EVERYONE MUST CHOOSE A PATH
CHAPTER TWO
THE LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE CONTAINED IN THE VEDAS
The four primary Vedas * The Upanishads * The Vedanta-sutras * The Itihasas * The Puranas * The Srimad-Bhagavatam * Different paths in the Vedas * The Ultimate Path to the Absolute
CHAPTER THREE
FINDING OUR REAL SPIRITUAL IDENTITY
The Living Being in Material Existence * Seeing the Spiritual Unity Between Us * The Reincarnation of the Soul
CHAPTER FOUR
THE MAIN PHILOSOPHICAL SYSTEMS OF THE EAST
Buddhism * Nyaya * Vaisesika * Sankhya * Yoga * Mimamsa * Vedanta * Vaishnavism * Jainism * Carvaka * Pasupatas or Shaivism * Shaktas and the Tantras * Sikhism
CHAPTER FIVE
OTHER MAJOR RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD
Zoroastrianism * Judaism * Islam * Confucianism and Taoism * Shinto * Conclusion: Arriving at Genuine Spiritual Truth
CHAPTER SIX
CHRISTIANITY AND THE VEDIC TEACHINGS WITHIN IT
A Brief Look at Christianity’s Beginnings * Paganism in Christianity * Vedic Influence in Christianity * The dark side of Christianity * Jesus Taught Bhakti-yoga, The Essential Teachings of Christ * Do all Christians go to Heaven? * The Bible Teaches the Chanting of God’s Names * The Names of God * Conclusion: The Core of Every Religion
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE REAL PURPOSE OF YOGA AND RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS
Purifying the Mind * Spiritualizing our Existence * The Supreme Yoga
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE SPIRITUAL PATH FOR THE PRESENT AGE
Bhakti-yoga * How bhakti-yoga works * The Ecstasy of Devotional Service
CHAPTER NINE
MANTRA-YOGA: A NECESSITY FOR THIS AGE
Chanting the maha-mantra * Lord Vishnu’s Names are More Powerful than the Greatest Holy Places * The Power of the maha-mantra: How it works * Attaining Liberation through Chanting * God Inaugurates Chanting the Holy Names * How to Chant the maha-mantra * Conclusion
CHAPTER TEN
THE ONE WORLD RELIGION
APPENDIX ONE
HOW TO SPIRITUALIZE YOUR BUSY LIFE AND WHY
Individual Benefits * Global Benefits * How do we do This
APPENDIX TWO
THERE IS NO FAILURE IN SPIRITUAL LIFE
God Gives Us All a Chance * God Gives Us Many Lives if Necessary * God Helps Us Along the Way * If We Keep at It, We Can be Successful * We All have to Help Each Other
APPENDIX THREE
THE MEANING OF THE PHRASE "GOD IS LOVE"
APPENDIX FOUR
SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT: A CURE FOR SOCIAL ILLS
REFERENCES / GLOSSARY / INDEX / ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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