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Magnificent answer! Hermano Luis

I am happy! I enjoy my freedom to think for myself. I have tried to cultivate an understanding mind and a heart of loving-compassion. That has led to inner happiness. There is a lot that I still have to accomplish, but in general terms I am satisfied. Hermano Luis

Halloween has no place in my religion. Nevertheless as a child I enjoyed Halloween. I always have sweets for the childre, but in my neighborhood there are few kids. My grandson is out with his mother, and he is dressed as Iron Man (with a talking mask). I had to interrupt writting for there was a group of children with their "trick or treat". To me it is a day of having fun. I know that it is a religious holiday for others, and I respect their spirituality. Hermano Luis

I arrive at my work early in the morning and coffee is part of my morning "meditation" in the coffee shop. I read and write every morning over a cup of hot coffee. Later during the day I might have another cup just for fun. What is odd is that at home I do not drink coffee. Hermano Luis

¡Amen!

Many blessings to you also. Hermano Luis

This year the Sri Bhagavan Krishna Janmashtami fall on September 2, 2010. What Christmas is to Christians, the Janmashtami is to many Hindus. It is a day of celebration and worship, a day in which many Hindus celebrate the appearance of God in the human form of Sri Bhagavan Krishna. I wish my spiritual sisters and brothers of every religion and none many blessings on this day. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

Rev. Lynch, thank you very much for the story of your father. It touched my heart in a very special way. Thank you! Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

7." Everyone is born a mystic and a lover who experiences the unity of things and all are called to keep this mystic or lover of life alive." 8. "All are called to be prophets which is to interfere with injustice." I believe that Mysticism -- the belief that God can be known through prayer, meditation, and spiritual exercises -- is at the root of every religion. But I am also aware that most religions are suspicious of mystics. Why? Mystics like Gnostics tend to disregard the authority of church hierarchies; mystics feel that the relationship between the individual and God is a personal one and the church has no right to intervene. I believe that everyone of us should have that freedom to freely search for the love of God in whatever ways we feel it to be correct. We should not be limited or coerced by ecclesiatical authorities. Of course, this is at the heart of the Universal Life Church (ULC). I believe that we are all called to be prophets, to combat injustice. In the Bible we find the following, "Cease to do evil; learn to do good. Devote yourself to justice" (Isaiah 1:16-17). Lord Buddha said, "Avoid all evil, cultivate the good, purify your mind" (Dhammapada, verse 183). It is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita that the mission of the Avatar or Prophet is "to protect the good, destroy evil, and restore Dharma (Righteousness)" (Gita 4:8). It is interesting to note that in these three different spiritual traditions we find a teaching so similar: it is a call to Prophethood. No matter what spiritual tradition we follow, we are all called to be Prophets. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

6. "Theism (the idea that God is ‘out there’ or above and beyond the universe) is false. All things are in God and God is in all things (panentheism)." Sri Bhagavan Krishna (God) in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita says: "There is nothing that exists separate from me, Arjuna. The entire universe is suspended from me as my necklace of jewels" (Srimad Bhagavad Guita 7:7). God is the Supreme Truth, there is nothing beyond God. So I was taught, and so I have continued to believe. When Jesus Christ said, "Our Father in Heaven..." (Matthew 6:9), I believe He was stating this same doctrine: nothing stands above God, God is supreme. The founding Guru of my spiritual tradition, Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri (1828-1895), said: "God is the God of all." God is not the God of one people, nor is God the God of one particular race, nor of one religion. In my understanding of God, God does not recognize one people over others, or one nation over the other nations; God does not favor one religion over the other religions. Everything exists in God, for everything belongs to God. Paul also expressed this truth in the Christian Testament, "for in him we live and move, in him we exist" (Acts 17:28). That is why I call God the Ocean of Life. Nothing can exist outside of God. The Gita also tells us that God abides in every sentient being, "I am the True Self in the heart of every creature..." (Srimad Bhagavad Gita 10:20). That is in essence what the doctrine of Panenthism is all about. God is always near us, it matters not if we are saints or sinners. Nevertheless I have to disagree when in this thesis it is said, "Theism (the idea that God is ‘out there’ or above and beyond the universe) is false." Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886) insisted -- and I agree with Him -- that there are many ways of conceiving God. I personally subscribe to Panentheism, but just because I believe something doesn't make it true. It is my sincere belief that nobody can honestly say, "This is the only way that God can be understood." Freedom to believe or not believe is at the heart of the ULC spiritual tradition. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

4. "God the Punitive Father is not a God worth honoring but a false god and an idol that serves empire-builders. The notion of a punitive, all-male God, is contrary to the full nature of the Godhead who is as much female and motherly as it is masculine and fatherly." 5. “'All the names we give to God come from an understanding of ourselves.'” (Eckhart) Thus people who worship a punitive father are themselves punitive." Look at what the Charter For Compassion has to say. This Charter was prepared by Karen Armstrong, author of spiritual books and a former Roman Catholic nun, and presented in the last Parliament For The World's Religioins: THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION "The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect. "It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion. "We therefore call upon all men and women *to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion; *to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate; *to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures; *to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity; *to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies. "We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community." Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

That is called spiritual maturity. It happens to all of us. Hermano Luis

I loved that! Hermano Luis

3. "God is always new, always young and always 'in the beginning'.” I consider this third thesis to be very revealing, for in many ways to those of us who follow the contemplative side of the Sanatana Veda Dharma God is alway new. The great Rishis of antiquity understood that God could never be defined. In the Srimad Bhagavad Gita Arjuna tells Sri Krishna (God), "Indeed, you alone know yourelf, O Supreme Spirit" (Gita 10:15). Nevertheless the great spiritual ideal of the Sanatana Veda Dharma (Hinduism) is finding God. The sages of India have said that God can be found in our lives, but never defined. Even though God can not be defined these great sages insist that there are certain things that can be said about God. God -- they say -- is the Essence of existence; so God is called SAT, Pure Existence. God is the essence of consciousness; so God is called CHIT, Pure Consciousness. God -- the great sages insist -- is the source of all ss or Joy; so God is called ANANDA, Pure Happiness or Joy or Bliss. Based on this fact, many Hindu traditions call God SAT-CHIT-ANANDA, Pure Existence-Consciousness-Joy. Hindu mystics tell us that the greatest manifestation of God in our lives is ANANDA. Sri Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952) called ANANDA Ever-New-Joy. God is ever new, for God is infinite. We can never exhaust God. As we submerge ourselves in the love of God, it is as we are always finding God for the first time. In Hindu iconography, God is always presented with a youthful face. God is always new. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

"2. At this time in history, God is more Mother than Father because the feminine is most missing and it is important to bring gender balance back." I do not believe that "at this time in history, God is more Mother than Father" for I believe that God at all moments is Mother-Father. Nevertheless, I do believe that the femenine side of God is strongly lacking in our theistic religions. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886) was a Hindu priest dedicated to God as the Divine Femenine. By worshipping the Divine Mother this humble priest also found God as the transpersonal Ocean of Life (Brahman). So he taught that God could be worshipped in many ways, and that if we offered God our sincere devotion, the true nature of God would manifest in our lives as Ever-New-Joy (Ananda). One of my favorite names for God is Beloved One. In the idea of the Beloved One I find both the Divine Mother and Heavenly Father nature of God. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

The first thesis says, "God is both Mother and Father." The Sanatana Veda Dharma (a.k.a. Hinduism) was proclaiming this truth even before Jesus Christ was born. In the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, God -- manifested in Sri Bhagavan Krishna -- says, "I am the Father and Mother of this universe, and its Grandfather too" (Srimad Bhagavad Gita 9:17). Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), a Hindu missionary who came to the United States back in 1920, would always talk of God as being Divine Mother and Heavenly Father. In the New Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church paragraph #370 states, "In no way is God in man's image. He is neither man nor woman. God is pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes. But the respective 'perfections' of man and woman reflect something of the infinite perfection of God: those of a mother and those of a father and husband." Paragraph 239 of the New Cathchism of the Roman Catholic Church also states the following, "By calling God 'Father', the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for all his children. God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood, which emphasizes God's immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of God for man." In Isaiah we find God saying, "As a mother comforts her son, so I will comfort you" (Isaiah 66:13). Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

I have gone through the 95 thesis of Matthew Fox. They are a wonderful source of meditation. But they trascend Christianity, it is my belief that they have a value for all the religions of Mankind. Of course, one has to have a very open mind and a loving heart. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

I have also scrutinized my beliefs closely, and I have also found them to be believable. I think that if I asked a devout Muslim if he/she had scrutinized his/her Islamic beliefs, that Mulim would probably say that he/she had found them to be believable. I would probably get the same answer from a devout Parsi, Buddhist, Jew, etc. That is why we have so many religions. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

Thank you, Brother Michael Sky! The Gita and the Vedic Upanishads sre the foundation of my spirituality. Nevertheless I do not limit myself to those sacred books of my faith. At the Moriviví Hermitage I have many of the holy texts of mankind, and they also contribute to my spiritual life. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu spiritual book with a vast following in the West. Henry David Thorough (1817-1862), the American author, said of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial." Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson (1803-1882), American essayist, poet, and lecturer, said: "I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us." The Bhagavad Gita or "Song of the Lord" ("Gita" means "song" and "Bhagavad" means "of the Lord") is a small portion of the longest epic poem in world literature: The Mahabharata. This vast poem is the story of a royal family of ancient India that has been divided over who is the rightful holder of the throne. At the beginning of the great war Prince Arjuna asks his charioteer -- the Supreme Lord (God) in His incarnation as Lord Krishna -- to take him between the two armies to see those whom he must fight. In both armies are found friends, teachers, and family members. Prince Arjuna, an already experienced warrior, finds it difficult to fight against his own family and friends: "We are prepared to kill our own relations out of greed for the pleasures of a kingdom" (BG 1:45). Arjuna finds this to be a great sin and refuses to fight. At this moment Lord Krishna says. "This dispair and weakness in a time of crisis are mean and unworthy of you, Arjuna. How have you fallen into a state so far from the path to liberation? It does not become you to yield to this weakness. Arise with a brave heart and destroy the enemy" (BG 2:2 - 3). The Srimad Bhagavad Gita (or Gita for short) is -- in my understanding -- an allegorical dialogue between God (Lord Krishna) and Man (Prince Arjuna). The Gita is a book written in various levels.The war of the Mahabharata can be taken as an actual war or it can be taken as a symbolical one. My spiritual teachers taught me that the great battle is an allegorical one; it is the battle each and every one of us must face when we decide to walk the path of Spiritual Enlightenment. Lord Krishna (God) wants everyone to face this battle and come out of it victorious (enlightened). God is aware that our human nature -- because of our attachment to our physical bodies and its pleasures -- is weak, and sometimes we might want to run from the battle (the spiritual path) offering all kinds of excuses. Everyone of us is Prince Arjuna, and God is our Divine Charioteer or Spiritual Guide. It is said that the Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the essence of Vedic teachings. Lord Krishna starts by affirming the immortality of life. "You were never born; you will never die. You have never changed; you can never change. Unborn, eternal, immutable, immemorial, you do not die when the body dies" (BG 2:20-21). Lord Krisha will also say that the nature of our soul (life) is divine... it is of the same essence as God: "I am the true Self (Soul/Life) in the heart of every creature, Arjuna, and the Beginning, Middle, and End of their existence" (BG 10:20). Hinduism is famous for its many Divinities. Lord Krishna in the Gita will affirm what the Rig Veda had already said: One Truth, Many Names (see Rig Veda I:164:46). The Blessed One will say, "Those who worship other Gods with faith and devotion also worship me even if they do not observe the traditional forms. I am the Object of all worship, its Enjoyer and Lord" (BG 9:23-24). There is only one Supreme Reality that we call by different Names and worship under different Forms. The different Divinities of Hinduism are nothing but reflections of that One Supreme Being. But the Lord in the Gita says that we must understand God's "true nature" (BG 9:25) only then shall we be liberated spiritually and not subject to the process of reincarnation. Reincarnation is a key doctrine in Hinduism. Lord Krishna says "You and I have passed through many birth, Arjuna. You have forgotten, but I remember them all" (BG 4:3). It is by searching for the Supreme Truth that we will find spiritual liberation (Moksha or Salvation). Lord Krishna defines the liberated person in the following manner: "They are forever free who renounce all selfish desires and break away from the ego-cage of 'I, me, and mine' to be united with the Lord. This is the supreme state. Attain this, and pass from death to immortality" (BG 2:72). The Srimad Bhagavad Gita does recognize that there are many paths that lead to union with God. The Gita never insists that only by being a Hindu will you find the Supreme Truth, but It insists that the the best path is the path of LOVE: "But through unfailing devotion (love), Arjuna, you can know me, see me, and attain union with me. Whoever makes me the supreme goal of all his work and acts without selfish attachment, who devotes himself to me completely and is free fom ill will for any creature, enters into me" (BG 11:55). Our Jewish sisters and brothers have a similar teaching in their Torah: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). In Hinduism that is called Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion to the Supreme Being or Supreme Truth. The Gita makes a sacred promise to all Mankind, God will be there whenever we have a need of God. "Whenever Dharma (spiritual truth) declines and the purpose of life is forgotten, I (God) manifest myself on earth. I am born in every age to protect the good, to destroy evil, and to re-establish dharma" (BG 4:7-8). That is called the doctrine of the Avatars or Divine Incarnations. God will appear in special beings periodically to restore the spiritual values of mankind. Not always will we recognize God's presence among us. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita is short, yet in Its 18 chapters and 700 verses the essence of the Vedas is found. In Its teachings I have found a path that leads to happiness through communion with God. It was with me when I married for the first time, and during the tumultuos years of that marriage it helped me overcome great difficulties. It served with me during my years of military service helping me to overcome the obstacles that I had to face during those years. My second marriage of 33 years has been inspired by the Gita. It was the Gita that inspired me to live when I felt that there was no hope during a great crisis in my life. Today the Gita continues to be the foundation of my spiritual life and is the basis of my ministry. I have chosen the Srimad Bhagavad Gita as my Holy Book, not because I think that it is the Word of God, for I believe -- and the Gita says -- that it was written by man (Vyasa, the Hindu Homer), an enlightened soul. I have adopted the Gita, because in It I have found something more than just a Book; I have found a companion, a loyal friend, inspiration, and a true spiritual guide. But the Gita does not deprive me of expanding my understanding of other spiritual cultures. The Gita has inspired me to study the Bible, the Qur'an, the Vedic Upanishads, the Dhammapada, and other spiritual literature of mankind. Let us never stop searching for Supreme Truth. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

I had to laugh!

I am praying for my sisters and brothers in Haiti. May the Beloved watch after them. OM Peace Amen! Hermano Luis

I should not post here, because I am not a Christian; but I would like to say something. Every religion has liberals and conservatives. It is an unavoidable reality. Most of the conservatives are literalists and most liberals are allegorists. We have one Scripture, and we understand it in different ways. As a religious liberal, I believe in the fundamental teachings of my religion just like my conservative sisters and brothers do. Nevertheless I interpret those fundamentals in a different way. I reject some current practices of my religion, because I understand that they go against the spirit of the Vedas. Some followers of my religion believe that you can not find Enlightenment (Spiritual Emancipation, Salvation) unless you follow the strict Vedic path. That means that Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Parsis, liberal Hindus (me and others like me),etc., can not find Spiritual Emancipation, Enlightenment or Salvation. For generations this attitude has been challenged by the more liberal followers of our faith. I believe that Hindus of all sects and castes, Christian, Muslims, Parsis, Atheists, Buddhists, and members of all religions who follow a path of Understanding, Love, and Compassion are already living the life of Spiritual Emancipation. As a religious liberal I have enjoyed reading the Bible, the Qur'an, the Dhammapada, the old Gnostic texts, the Greek and Roman philosophers together with modern philosophy and science, and I have found in those teachings words that inspire me in my search for God (I have also found things that I do not understand). I have visited Hindu temples (liberal and conservative), Christian churches of many denominations, and in each I have found people that are filled with the Spirit of Understanding, Love, Compasson, and Joy. I do not find myself a stranger among them. I continue to be who I am... a liberal Hindu. But my contact with members of other religions has changed my life in many ways... I have discovered that the Spirit of God -- under different names or no name at all -- abides in the hearts of my sisters and brothers of those different religions. I have come to understand that we all worship the same God, but we call God by different Names; I have come to understand that every religion is a different path that leads to the Divine; I have come to understand that every Sacred Book is an instrument of God written by inspired persons to help us in our path to Supreme Enlightenment. But the most important thing that I have learned is that God is Love, and that God is the God of all. May all my sisters and brother -- conservative and liberals -- find happiness. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage

When I was a young man back in the 1960's I heard of the Urantia Book, I looked through its pages, but I never got a chance to read it. For a few years it even disappeared from the the book stores. A few years ago a good friend invited some of us to a group that is dedicated to the study of the Urantia Book. It was a very small group, but I have not heard again from the group. Hermano Luis

I believe that spirituality is about expressing Understanding, Love, Compassion, and Joy in our everyday life. It does not matter if we believe in God or not. Hermano Luis Moriviví Hermitage