The most significant contribution of the Sufi poets of the Punjab is their rising above the narrow and parochial concepts of religion and laying emphasis on the love of God alone. They believe that the love of God can be attained through the love of man. Sain Bulleh Shah is the most important voice among them. The rational and socialistic content of his verse, more importantly his sympathy with the have-nots and the downtrodden speaks volumes for his forward-looking vision. His romantic defiance of both Hindu and Muslim bigotry and ritualism is particularly telling. Bulleh Shah fostered communal amity and understanding which is the primary need of our times ridden with blind fundamentalism and petty political considerations. It is a pity that no authentic version of Sain Bulleh Shah’s work is obtaining. All that has travelled to us is from mouth to mouth. It, therefore, varies from Persian script to Gurumukhi, script, from Pakistan to India. This may, at times, be evident from the text covered in these pages. The English translation is based on Gurumukhi script prevalent in India while the text in Persian script is that available in Pakistan.

Destiny, karma, and fateare they predetermined, or is it we who control our own lives? In The Mystic Muse, a young man survives a tsunami and then has his own life upended by a girl he met who gives him an incredible gift. As he searches for survival and meaning in his life, Karan Kaspar confronts a crazed soldier and romances a sweet-voiced singer while chasing an unlikely fortune in the stock market. He asks for help from the gods, but he needs to find it within himself to overcome the storms that threaten to wreck his life.

Destiny, karma, and fateare they predetermined, or is it we who control our own lives? In The Mystic Muse, a young man survives a tsunami and then has his own life upended by a girl he met who gives him an incredible gift. As he searches for survival and meaning in his life, Karan Kaspar confronts a crazed soldier and romances a sweet-voiced singer while chasing an unlikely fortune in the stock market. He asks for help from the gods, but he needs to find it within himself to overcome the storms that threaten to wreck his life.

The Present Volume Of The Annual Series Of Art And Culture Carrying The Sub-Title 'Painting And Perspective' Relates To The Following Themes: (A) Cultural Set-Up And Values; (B) Sculpture And Painting And (C) Science And Technology. The Articles Of The Volume Are Not Restricted To Any Particular Period Or Geographical Area. Moreover, The Purpose Is To Encourage Scholars To Think And Write In Terms Of Social Mores And Values As Far As Possible.

The mystic, zero, or void experience—the ecstatic disappearance of self along with everything else—is considered by those who have had it to be the most beautiful, blissful, positive, profound, and significant experience of their lives. Offering both a descriptive and a comparative perspective, this book explores the mystic experience across cultures as both a human and cultural event. The book begins and ends with descriptions of the author's own mystical experiences, and looks at self-reported experiences by individuals who do not link their experiences to a religious tradition, to determine characteristics of this universal human experience. These characteristics are compared to statements of acknowledged mystics in diverse religious traditions. The mystic experience is also situated within other ecstatic religious experiences to distinguish it from similar, but distinct, experiences such as lucid dreams, shamanism, and mediumism. Jordan Paper goes on to look at how the mystic experience has been considered in various fields, such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, biology, and comparative religious studies.

Drawing on experience as an interreligious monk, Brother Wayne Teasdale reveals the power of spirituality and its practical elements. He combines a profound Christian faith with an intimate understanding of ancient religious traditions.