Articles by Stephen Knapp
We found 78 results.
Why Understand the Creation of the Universe
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Oct 2024
We take a look at a different approach to the origin of the universe, the Vedic approach. The difference between most scientists and the Vedic approach is that the Vedic system accepts a descending channel of knowledge coming from previous authorities. Scientists accept no prior authority, except from other scientists.
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Krishna Appears on Earth 5,252 Years Ago–Today
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Aug 2024
26 Aug 2024 Sri Krishna Janmastami (appearance: 3,228 BC): Why Lord Krishna Descends into This World
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Jesus Taught Bhakti Yoga
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Jul 2024
By studying the teachings that are ascribed to Jesus, we can easily recognize that the essence of what Jesus taught was an elementary level of the Vedic process of bhakti-yoga and karma-yoga.
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Beyond Vegetarianism
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jul 2024
On the spiritual path, those who are inclined to lead a peaceful existence that respects all life, often adopt the vegetarian lifestyle.This is in accordance with the yogic principle of ahimsa, which is to observe nonviolence.
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Reaching Our Fullest Potential with Vedic Spirituality
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Jun 2024
These days fewer people are interested in taking up anything that they cannot immediately apply to their lives. The common question is: “What is this going to do for me?” Or “What am I going to get out of this?”
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Christianity’s Similarities with Hinduism
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jun 2024
Over the centuries, numerous historians and sages have pointed out that not only has Hinduism had a predominant influence on Christianity, but that many of the Christian rites could be directly borrowed from ancient Hindu (Vedic) India.
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Ganesh
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 May 2024
Lord Ganesh is son of Shiva and Parvati, being the Demigod of luck and of “opening the way.” That is why devotees pray to Him before starting a new project in order to proceed with as few obstacles as possible.
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Buddhism and Its Vedic Connections
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Mar 2024
Many people may know about Buddhism, but few seem to understand its connections with Vedic Culture and how many aspects of it have origins in the Vedic philosophy. It was several hundred years before the time of Lord Buddha that his birth was predicted in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, a major Vedic scripture.
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Seeing the Divinity in Everyone
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Mar 2024
In essence, we are all consciousness in material forms. Consciousness cannot be destroyed. It is the essence of God in each of us. We are all spiritual beings, reflections of the Divine. We are not our beliefs, our cultures, or our minds and bodies. We are all divine souls on a wondrous journey through Truth. We have all manifested from God, the Supreme Truth, and we are all evolving back to God.
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Can Vedic Dharma Bring Peace to the World?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Feb 2024
The spiritual principles in the Vedic tradition teaches us to embrace all human beings and all living entities of all species. It sets aside false pride, and the sense of superiority. This is our spiritual quality as the outcome of a noble life that knows no distinction of rich and poor, or the high and low. This is our ideal culture.
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World Peace Is a Possibility
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Dec 2023
Being on Earth is like being on a plane. We are all transients sharing a temporary flight. We may not have the best seats but will be landing somewhere else, so why quarrel? Those who have the best seats–fancy houses, wealth, prestige–will also have to give them up when the flight is over, at death.
→ read full articleSpiritual Enlightenment: What It Is
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Nov 2023
There are many explanations of what is enlightenment; many are unclear or misleading. I offer something that is more apparent and direct. Enlightenment is a goal of yoga and meditation, and we should know something of what we are trying to attain.
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Karma of the Nation
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Oct 2023
We must remember that karma is actually a law of physics. Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. On the universal scale it is also a natural law, only it is called the law of karma. Individuals acquire karma as a result of their good or bad activities.
→ read full articleThe Purpose of Defending Dharma
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Aug 2023
It is to our advantage to work for the benefit of others and provide the means for them to learn and participate in the Vedic traditions. This is Dharma, our Dharma, and Dharma will protect those who help protect it. That is one reason that it is sanatana, or that which exists eternally.
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Economics According to the Dharmic Way
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jul 2023
This is a simple explanation of how we should view economics according to the principles of Vedic Dharma.
→ read full articleThe Prison of Religion and the Freedom in Vedic Culture
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jul 2023
The reason I call it “The Prison of Religion” is that religion, when used improperly or without the real essence of spiritual truth, can also be a way of confining and restricting people of their understanding of the universe and themselves.
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Importance of Bhagavad-gita in This Day and Age
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Jun 2023
Most everyone hears about the Bhagavad-gita, but do they know how profound is the knowledge it provides? It is the core of the deepest levels of spiritual understanding. It is also a handbook for life, like when you purchase a refrigerator, television or computer you get a manual that teaches you how to use it properly.
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Seeing Spiritual India
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 May 2023
India, like other places in the world that have unusual mystical traditions, can be both physically and mentally demanding. India is an exotic, beautiful, and wondrous country, depending on what aspects you see. Living and traveling there can be pleasant and exciting, but it is also likely to provide you with many trying situations. (Photos)
→ read full articleNatural Disasters: Where is God in All of This?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 May 2023
A short article that helps show how we can recognize God in situations that may seem to force us to reassess ourselves and our life, and in the cooperation and renewed spirituality that it may take to overcome disasters and tragedies.
→ read full articleGods and Goddesses of Vedic Culture
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Mar 2023
One of the most confusing topics to people who are new or unfamiliar with the Vedic tradition is the number of Gods there seems to be within it. This is not really so difficult to understand. So here is a quick guide with brief descriptions that may help to bring some clarity to how they fit into the scheme of things.
→ read full articleHow to Understand God
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Feb 2023
Sometimes people say that they want to see God, or that God is not perceivable. This is confirmed in the Vedic Scriptures, but with additional points of instruction on how we can perceive Him/Her/It. This is the means by which we can reach the stage of understanding the Supreme Being.
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Influence of Vedic Culture around the World
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Nov 2022
The Vedas, especially the Bhagavad-gita, are not new to the Western world. There have been seekers, writers, poets, philosophers, and people of all levels who have appreciated the depth, inspiration, and insight of Vedic thought. Scholars outside India who have great respect for the Vedic Culture.
→ read full articleThe Avataras of God
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Oct 2022
As we browse through the internet and the media we see the word avatara increasingly used in a number of ways–but often in ways that have nothing to do with its real meaning. Or we also find an increasing number of persons referring to themselves as avataras of God.
→ read full articleHare Krishna, Hare Krishna–What’s So Special about Chanting Hare Krishna?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Oct 2022
We’ve all heard the Hare Krishna mantra at some time, but what the heck is so special about this mantra? Why are we supposed to spend time chanting it? What can it do for us? First of all, let me explain a little about mantra-yoga.
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Why Is There Suffering?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Aug 2022
It is natural that at some point in our lives we ask, “Why is there suffering?” Or “Why am I not happy?” “Why can’t we simply go on with life and not undergo so many trials and tribulations? Why can’t God make a universe or world where there is no suffering?” Well, He already has, but we are simply in the wrong one.
→ read full articleThe Spiritual Import of the Cow in Vedic Culture
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Aug 2022
The term “sacred cow” has come to mean any stubborn loyalty to a long-standing institution which impedes natural progress. The term originates in India, where the cow is said to be literally worshiped, while thousands of humans suffer from undernourishment. The common, popular view of India in the West has been of an underdeveloped nation steeped in superstition.
→ read full articleGod Is Both Personal (Bhagavan) and Impersonal (Brahman)
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Aug 2022
When it comes to understanding God, many people do not quite understand Who/What He is. Often we find a pervasive view that He is impersonal, like an indescribable force, or that everything is God, we are all God, God is love, the Absolute Truth, and so on. However, we need to understand that these are simply small aspects of what is God.
→ read full articleThe Avataras of God
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Jul 2022
The word avatara is being increasingly used but often in ways that have nothing to do with its real meaning. We also find that an increasing number of people are referring themselves as avataras of God. Let us really understand what the word means and how it is referred in relation to its real purpose, or how to discern who is really an avatara.
→ read full articleUniversal Brotherhood Includes Animals: Another Reason to Be Vegetarian
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Jun 2022
If we expect to attain peace in the world, kindness must extend to all living beings. Otherwise, the violence we perform will manifest in other areas of our lives and in society. Includes quotes from various religious texts and Christian authorities.
→ read full articleHindus, Dharmists, Devotees and Politics
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Jun 2022
Many Krishna Devotees, Dharmists and Hindus in general will say they are not interested in politics or getting involved with it or even in voting. It is a distraction from their normal activities or spiritual pursuits. Or they feel all politicians are crooked or corrupt anyway, so what makes the difference between one or the other.
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The Purpose of Life
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Apr 2022
So now that we find ourselves in this human form, and in this material world, what are we really supposed to do with it? Everybody at some point in their life wonders why God created this world and how they got here, and what they are meant to do.
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Sanatana-Dharma: Its Real Meaning
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Mar 2022
Dharma consists of both the force that sustains as well as what is sustained. It can also be said that there is the path of dharma as well as its conclusion, the object of dharma, or what we are seeking, the goal of life. So dharma is the means as well as the goal. Dharma is also said to be the force which maintains the universe.
→ read full articleGod’s Eternal Spiritual Abode–Our Ultimate Goal
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Feb 2022
The Vedic texts describe that there are innumerable spiritual planets in the spiritual sky beyond this material creation, each having one of the unlimited forms of the Lord with countless devotees engaging in His service.
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How We Can See God
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Feb 2022
If we expect to see God with our material senses, we must consider their limitations. We often need glasses to see clearly, and also enough light. We will never experience the spiritual with these dull material senses. When researching atoms, neutrons, protons, etc., scientists actually don’t see every molecule they ‘find.’ Sometimes they only see the evidence that such particles exist. It is in the realm of ‘consciousness.’ The Higgs boson is a case in point.
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Reincarnation: A Simple Explanation
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Jan 2022
Reincarnation is called samsara in the classic Vedic texts of India. The word samsara is Sanskrit and means being bound to the cycle of repeated birth and death through numerous lifetimes. How this works…
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Maha Kumbha Mela 2001: The Greatest Spiritual Festival and Gathering of People in the History of the World
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Jan 2022
Every six years, the Kumbha Mela festival is the largest gathering of people, mostly Hindus, in the history of the world; what to speak of it being a religious festival. Over the course of its 41 days, it is calculated that as many as 70 million people of all kinds attend the Kumbha Mela. However, 2001 saw an amazing increase.
→ read full articleFinding Our Real Spiritual Identity
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jan 2022
The author presents some of the most important spiritual information in Vedic philosophy so that everyone can understand their real spiritual nature. Out of all the philosophical understanding that the Vedic texts provide, this is one of the most important of all.
→ read full articleHow to Spiritualize Your Busy Life–and Why
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Dec 2021
How to spiritualize our lives is easier to explain than why, especially when we are so busy. Where are we going to get the time and how is that going to help? This is a common excuse that many people use to justify why they have no time for spiritual practice. However, there are points we need to consider.
→ read full articleFinding Our Real Spiritual Identity
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Dec 2021
Among all the philosophical understanding that the Vedic texts provide, this is one of the most important. An essential part of understanding spiritual knowledge is that we realize our spiritual identity. The suggestion that we detach from the world or from our bodies to see beyond the influence of the illusory energy, makes no sense until we realize that we are spiritual beings in a temporary material form.
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Frequencies That Can Kill, Heal, and Transcend
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Nov 2021
The ancient Vedic texts of India explain, in summary, that this whole universe is the production or manifestation from particular vibrations from the spiritual energy which cause changes in the material energy. And all these frequencies effect us in many ways. For example, we may hear music that can be soothing and peaceful, or that is abrasive and irritating.
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Buddhism and Its Vedic Connections
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Nov 2021
Many people may know about Buddhism, but few seem to understand its connections with Vedic culture and how many aspects of it have origins in the Vedic philosophy. To begin with, it was several hundred years before the time of Lord Buddha that his birth was predicted in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
→ read full articleOne Reason That I Am Determined to Spread Spiritual Knowledge
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Oct 2021
When you see the people of the world who are troubled or confused by the violence, the political upheavals, the poverty, or the lack of unity on this planet, it’s natural to want to do something about it.
→ read full articleAn Alien’s View of Life on Earth
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Oct 2021
The author’s reasons for never having been too comfortable on this human level of existence. A different perspective on the peculiarities of what living on this planet and in a human body can be like, and why it may be better to move on.
→ read full article108: The Significance of the Number in the Vedic Culture
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Aug 2021
Today, 30 Aug 2021, is the celebration (Janmastami) of Lord Krishna’s appearance on planet earth some 5,000 years ago–according to a lunar calendar. He was born in the Vedic Culture, prevalent in Bharata Varsa (India) at the time. The number 108 is also associated with Him and His stay among us.
→ read full articleVedic Literature Says Caste by Birth Is Unjust
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Aug 2021
When it comes to the sensitive topic of Varnashrama, the caste system of India, we have seen both pro and con, back and forth, this way and that. The Vedic system of Varnashrama has been mentioned in the Purusha Sukta verses of the Rig-veda but there is no indication that birth is the essential quality for one’s varna. This article contains many quotes from Vedic shastra to clarify what the caste system is actually supposed to be.
→ read full articleChoosing a Material or Spiritual Lifestyle–or a Balance of Both
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Jul 2021
Quite often I get questions from young people who may be in college or starting out in their career, regarding the decision of whether they should take up a serious spiritual lifestyle, or remain engaged in material pursuits, such as education, career, family, etc. Often times they are worried that their family will not understand or will wonder what will become of them if they become overly spiritual. Or the family may even become overly upset if they show too much spiritual inclination.
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An Alien’s View of Life on Earth
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Jun 2021
The author’s reasons for never having been too comfortable on this human level of existence, giving a different perspective on the peculiarities of what living on this planet and in a human body can be like, and why it may be better to move on.
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Most Famous Man Who Ever Lived
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Apr 2021
One day many years ago at a school in South London a teacher said to the class of 5-year-olds, “I’ll give £20 to the child who can tell me who was the most famous man who ever lived.”
→ read full articleThe Red Phone
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Apr 2021
There was a simple and humble Brahmana, a Hindu priest, who lived in Mathura, India. Once he had the chance to go visit the Pope at the Vatican in Rome.
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Consciousness: The Symptom of the Soul
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Dec 2020
How It Interacts with but Is Separated from the Body
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Were There Two Buddhas?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Aug 2020
We will look at the evidence that seems to indicate that there was first the Avatara Buddha, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu who appeared near 1800 BCE, and then there was another person who became known as Gautama called Buddha, born around 560 BCE.
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When Religions Create Divisions and How to Avoid It
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Jun 2020
Each religion implies, or comes right out and says, that it is the best or the only way to God. All others are inferior and should be ignored, dominated, pushed away, or even destroyed by force. In this way, a most difficult thing to break down is the barrier between us erected by our religions. A first-class religion is not the one that claims it is the highest religion.
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Descriptions of the Spiritual Dimension According to the Vedas of India
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Jun 2020
The spiritual universe is not a myth although it may certainly be a mystery. The Vedic texts have many descriptions of what it is like, more than you will find anywhere else. Some explain the Lord’s pastimes as well as the activities that He and His devotees display and enjoy in the spiritual dimension.
→ read full articleBuddhism and Its Vedic Connections
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 May 2020
Many people may know about Buddhism, but few seem to understand its connections with the Vedic Culture and how many of its aspects originate in the Vedic philosophy. It was several hundred years before the time of Lord Buddha that his birth was predicted in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
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(Português) Verdade Absoluta: O Que É? ou Quem É?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Apr 2020
Os cientistas concordam que todo o tempo, toda a história e toda a criação começam a partir de um único ponto. E esse ponto teria de ser a Verdade última ou Absoluta. Então o que é exactamente a Verdade Absoluta? Como é que recuamos no tempo e no espaço para encontrar a fonte original de tudo? Mesmo que pesquisemos a Bíblia, o Corão, os escritos judeus, ou mesmo os textos sikh, zoroastrianos ou budistas, encontraremos informação limitada sobre o que é a Verdade Absoluta. E esqueçam a dependência da ciência moderna, eles ainda estão à procura e têm muitas teorias diferentes para oferecer.
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The Absolute Truth: What or Who Is It?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Apr 2020
Scientists agree that all time, all history, and all creation start from a single point. And that point would have to be the ultimate or Absolute Truth. So what exactly is the Absolute Truth? How do we go back through time and space to find the original source of everything? Even if we research the Bible, the Koran, the Jewish writings, or even the Sikh, Zoroastrian, or Buddhist texts, we will find limited information on what is the Absolute Truth. And forget about depending on modern science, they are still searching and have many varying theories to offer.
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Nonviolence According to Dharma
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Mar 2020
When understanding Vedic Dharma and the need for us to raise our consciousness, which includes perceiving the Divine in all beings, it should also be clear that we need to observe respect, kindness, non-injury, and nonviolence toward all.
→ read full articleConsciousness: The Symptom of the Soul
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Mar 2020
How It Interacts with but Is Separate from the Body – An excerpt from The Secret Teachings of the Vedas
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Your Thoughts Create Your Future
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Feb 2020
This will show how your thinking creates your consciousness and how to help control it. It provides evidence so that you can see how your life unfolds according to what you draw to it, as dictated by your consciousness and thoughts. By taking the responsibility for yourself and your thinking process, you can make your life more positive and uplifting, reducing or negating the influence of any hurt or negative energies you encounter.
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Mahatma Gandhi on Conversion
Swami Aksharanandaji | Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Feb 2020
“I disbelieve in the conversion of one person by another. My effort should never to be to undermine another’s faith. This implies belief in the truth of all religions and, therefore, respect for them. It implies true humility.” (Young India: April 23, 1931)
→ read full articleWorld Peace Is a Possibility
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Jan 2020
Being on this planet is similar to being on a plane going from one place to another. We are all transients sharing a flight, which is temporary. We may not have the best seats for the moment, but we will soon be landing somewhere else. So why should we engage in quarreling over temporary seats?
→ read full articleWhy All Religions Are Not the Same
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) - TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Dec 2019
It is often said by some Hindu gurus and leaders that all religions are the same. But is this really the case? Naturally, anyone who studies religion can see many similarities between them. And if we are talking about getting closer to God and increasing our understanding and love for God, then what religion is not trying to do that? Who cannot go to a church, mosque, or temple and worship and bow to God in prayer? So, what is the difference? Are not all religions the same?
→ read full articleSeeing Beyond the Illusion
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Dec 2019
The first thing to understand is that it is better not to try to see what is beyond the illusion, but to know how to recognize the illusory nature itself. Then the Truth beyond the veil will reveal itself.
→ read full articleCasteism: Is It the Scourge of Hinduism, or the Perversion of a Legitimate Vedic System?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Nov 2019
Casteism in India has gotten a lot of criticism, and rightly so. The way casteism is at present should not even exist. Casteism as we find it today is now nothing more than a misrepresentation and misinterpretation of a legitimate and progressive Vedic system known as varnashrama. However, we need to know the difference between the two, and then get rid of present-day casteism to again utilize the genuine and liberal form of social organization, known as varnashrama.
→ read full articleMoksha/Liberation: What Is It?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Oct 2019
Moksha is also called mukti, which essentially means to attain freedom from any further forms of differentiated, temporal, and ordinary material existence in the mortal world. It also means, quite simply, becoming free from samsara or the continued rounds of birth and death in the material realm, which is caused by the accumulation and continuation of karma.
→ read full articleEnvironmentalism According to the Vedic View
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Oct 2019
As everything is created from the Supreme Creator, then we should certainly have a high regard for everything as the expansion of God’s energies. This not only includes all of our fellow humans, but all creatures, as well as all aspects of the planet. We should care for the environment as if it is not ours but God’s property, and in this way assure ourselves that it will continue to provide all of our necessities for many years to come, and into many future generations. This is the Vedic view.
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What is the Kumbha Mela?
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Sep 2019
The Greatest Gathering of People in the History of the World
→ read full articleNatural Disasters: Where Is God in All of This?
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Sep 2019
As we look around the world or watch and read the news, practically everywhere is affected by some kind of natural disaster. Floods are displacing millions of people, forest fires are destroying thousands of acres and burning out of control, earthquakes continue to force people to live in fear, and tornadoes and hurricanes have become more fierce and numerous than ever. And if that is not enough, droughts are causing massive crop damage and water shortages.
→ read full articleKarma: What Is It?
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Sep 2019
Karma is one of those topics that many people know a little about, but few understand the intricacies of it. To start with, Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. On the universal scale, this is the law of karma.
→ read full articleFrequencies That Can Kill, Heal, and Transcend
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Aug 2019
There are all kinds of frequencies and vibrations all around us. There are frequencies we see (such as light waves), hear (sound waves), or feel, and others that are beyond our ability to sense, such as gamma rays, infrared, or radio and television frequencies.
→ read full articleChoosing a Material or Spiritual Lifestyle–or a Balance of Both
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Jul 2019
Quite often I get questions from young people who may be in college or starting out in their career, regarding the decision of whether they should take up a serious spiritual lifestyle or remain engaged in material pursuits such as education, career, family, etc. Others are worried that their family will not understand or will wonder what will become of them if they become overly spiritual. Or the family may even become overly upset if they show too much spiritual inclination. Let us think this over.
→ read full articleDispelling the Fear of Death
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jun 2019
Death is not an enemy; it is a natural fact of life, a stage of our existence, and a transition or doorway between planes of reality. Death has its own harmony with nature just as a tree loses its leaves every fall. We don’t feel that it is unjust or that the tree failed to stay fully alive when it goes dormant through the winter. It is natural. Neither should doctors and nurses feel they have failed if after every endeavor a patient dies.
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Curing Depression with Spirituality
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 May 2019
The reason for depression may be different for each person, and there are a variety of causes. So it must be analyzed and understood. What can we do to help cure such an attitude, as long as it is not a biological problem? Spiritually, there are many ways to help take care of this condition. So let us take a deeper look at this.
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Consciousness: The Symptom of the Soul
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Apr 2019
The current idea that the mind is part of the brain is held not only by many biologists, neurologists, etc., but by others in all branches of science, including physics, computer science, and psychology. We might, however, point out a number of problems with this current thinking. Let us suggest that it is just as reasonable to consider an alternative view, and that the Vedic concept is actually more consistent and does not have as many problems as their concept has.
→ read full articleCan Vedic Dharma Bring Peace to the World?
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Apr 2019
When you progress in yoga, you can feel the unwanted burdens of the mind fall away, such as anxiety, anger, greed, envy, hate, discontent, etc. Then other qualities like peacefulness, tranquility, contentment, and blissfulness will be felt. These are qualities everyone is trying to find and are some of the many things that can be accomplished with yoga, at least on the elementary level. As you make further progress, you may enter into the deeper levels of understanding and transcending the mind and gradually go so far as to attain realizations as to what your own spiritual identity is and what your relationship is with the Absolute.
→ read full articleBecoming Free from Sex Desire
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Apr 2019
The greatest happiness for the soul starts with complete freedom: freedom from misery, unhappiness, suffering, freedom from the dictates of desires, and, ultimately, freedom from being trapped in a material body. But what keeps us ensnared in such a condition are the desires for sensual and mental pleasures. And the hardest freedom to attain is freedom from sex desire.
→ read full articleYour Thoughts Create Your Future
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Jul 2018
One thing I want to do right now before we go any farther is to explain some information that many people can use. This will show how your thinking creates your consciousness and how to help control it. It provides evidence so that you can see how your life unfolds according to what you draw to it, as dictated by your consciousness and thoughts. By taking the responsibility for yourself and your thinking process, you can make your life more positive and uplifting, and reduce or negate the influence of any hurt or negative energies you encounter.
→ read full articleWere There Two Buddhas?
Stephen Knapp – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Apr 2017
In the following material, we will look at the evidence that seems to indicate that there was first the Avatara Buddha, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu who appeared near 1800 BCE, and then there was another person who became known as Gautama called Buddha, born around 560 BCE.
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