Do you agree with this statement? I am thinking of India where there is much poverty and yet humanity survives.

How much is spirituality connected with human misery? If we were comfortable and had what we needed on a daily basis would we achieve deeper levels? Would we need to?

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InterfaithForums.com-Where your ideas and beliefs count.

I definitely think the Dalai Lama has something.

We Baha'is would concur.

Material developement while important needs a concomitant or parallel advance in spirituality.

Here is what Abdul-Baha said along these lines:

"Know ye, verily, that the happiness of mankind lieth in the unity and the harmony of the human race, and that spiritual and material developments are conditioned upon love and amity among all men."

- Abdul-Baha

So happiness in this view requires some unanimity and cohesive relationships.

- Art

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"it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."
- Johannes Kepler

There is an inner as well as an outer balance that must be obtained. There are some things we should do for al three of our aspects; mind, body and soul. Strengthen your mind with knowledge, attention to your body by eating correctly and to remember to devote attention to your soul (proper sleep for dreaming and meditation).

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"There is one thing that organized religion is not qualified to teach and that is an individual's purpose."-GOD

His Holiness the Dalai Lama said:

To be born as Dalit would be - in my opinion - the greatest trial that a person could ever endure.
It seems to me that the Dalit class has the potential to produce the most spiritually advanced Beings on this plane of existence.

Religion and Dalit Identity
Wikipedia - Dalit

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The Peaceful Place: http://www.agedhippy.plus.com/

"An object is perceived, or not perceived, according as the mind is, or is not, tinged with the colour of the object. "
Patanjali - Sutra 4:17

The human mind, when put to use, is a wonderful instrument for growth in non-material directions.

However, I do not observe that very many humans ever put their minds to that use. For every Einstein, there are 10,000 who sit in front of the T.V. watching hockey. For every Maya Angelou, there are hundreds who post hatred on the web, or rude graffiti on washroom and building walls. For every Beethoven, there are hundreds of rappers using the "f-word" as a ritual chant or mantra.

And yet, the Einsteins, Angelous and Beethovens are enough.

Therefore, while it would be a wonderful thing to ensure that everyone's material needs are met, it would likely not improve the overall levels of achievement on the planet. Just more World Cup hooliganism.

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evangelicalhumanist: Greek "eu"=good and "angelos"=messenger. Spreading the good news of Humanism.