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Spirit News Blog - Saints
This video is a very nice interview with Atmananda, one of the principal assistants of the great yogini Anandamayi Ma. Anandamayi Ma grew up in Bengal, which was also the birthplace of other great Masters such as Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Paramhansa Yogananda and Sri Chinmoy. She spent almost sixty years of her life going from one place to another across the vast Indian subcontinent, where crowds of people would throng to see her in the blissful consciousness that gave rise to her name (Anandamayi='filled with bliss')
Film Review: Proces de Jeanne D'Arc by Tejvan
“...they do not order me to disobey the Church, but God must be served first.” - Joan d'Arc at her trial.
Directed by Robert Bresson the trial of Joan of Arc is a fascinating perspective of the show trial of, Joanne d’Arc, the patron saint of France.
The striking feature of the film is its simplicity. There is nothing staged for dramatic or emotional effect. Bresson adds nothing to complicate or distract from the essence of this extraordinary trial. Bresson leaves it to the power of the words and the austere setting to create a thought provoking and very realistic account of this fascinating trial.
The simplicity and power of the film comes from Robert Bresson’s decision to remain as faithful as possible to the exact transcript of the trial. By good fortune, all of Jeanne’s questions and answers were written down. From these extracts, and her later “rehabilitation trial” 25 years after her death, Bresson is able to deliver a realistic and compelling insight into the final moments and inner thoughts of Jeanne d’Arc.
St Therese of Lisieux
As a young girl, St Therese's greatest wish was to become a Saint. At the age of 15 she felt God was calling her to enter into a religious order. As the convent would not accept somebody so young, she travelled to the Vatican to personally petition the Pope. Soon after her heart's desire was filled and she became a nun of the Carmellite order in Lisieux.
St Therese died at the age of only 24, however she left behind a rich treasure of writings which spelt out her approach to the spiritual life. Her belief was that if one should try to do everything, even the smallest things, with an attitude of love.
"Love!...that is what I ask...I know but one thing now - to love Thee, O Jesus! Glorious deeds are not for me, I cannot preach the Gospel, shed my blood...what does it matter? My brothers toil instead of me, and I, the little child, I keep quite close to the royal throne, I love for those who fight."
view: biography St Therese
Dilip Kuamar Roy was a rare combination of the a keen intellect and the devotion of a Bhakti. After a certain amount of deliberation, he forsook a materially prosperous life, to enter under the guidance of Spiritual Master, Sri Aurobindo. In his book “Sri Aurobindo Came to Me” He recalls with great humility and openness his joys and trials of being a spiritual aspirant. Dilip was a supreme singer and musician. His soul stirring songs transport the listener to a realm of heavenly delight, far beyond the domain of worldly thoughts. As Mahatma Gandhi said of him.
“I may make bold to claim that very few persons in India – or rather in the world – have a voice like his, so rich and sweet and intense.”