Maharaj Ji Neem Karoli Baba, known throughout North India as the “Miracle Baba,” was a unique and astonishing mystic who lived in Nanital, in the Himalayas. He was born around 1900 in the village of Akbarpur in Uttar Pradesh, into an affluent Brahmin family. Named Lakshmi Narayan Sharma, He was unmoved by worldly attachments even as a child. He married at the age of 11 but left for Gujarat soon af

Venerated enlightened Master Socrates was one of the greatest ancient Greek philosophers. He showed how discussion and debate could help people understand difficult issues, issues that were superficially political, but deep down were moral questions about the meaning of life and goodness. One of his famous pupils was the venerated enlightened Master and philosopher Plato. Socrates was unlik

During a lecture in 1988, Supreme Master Ching Hai recounted the story of Saint Bernadette. “Her younger brother who always stole her bread asked her, ‘What did you see just now?’ Bernadette did not want to tell him at first, but her younger brother kept asking, so she said, ‘Okay! I will tell you, but you can’t tell anyone else.’ So she told both of them, ‘I saw a beautiful woman just now. and gl

Marie Bernarde Soubirous, a humble peasant girl, was known to all as Bernadette. Her life story has transformed Lourdes from a small market town in the Hautes-Pyrénées department into one of the most important sites of pilgrimage in the world. Young Bernadette was a compassionate sister and daughter, but because of the family’s situation and her own health, she did not have the opportunity to get

The Venerated Mahatma Koot Hoomi, also known as Kuthumi or K. H., is one of the great Masters of Ancient Wisdom. Incarnating again and again, the compassionate Savior’s mission is to aid humanity in their spiritual evolution. In His last incarnation as Master Koot Hoomi, He was instrumental in the founding of the Theosophical Society. Alongside Lord Jesus Christ, the Venerated Mahatma Koot Hoomi n

Renowned as “Sheikh ul Akbar,” meaning “the Greatest Master,” in the Muslim world, Hazrat Sheikh Mohye-ed-din Ibn ul-Arabi was an influential Andalusian Sufi mystic, philosopher, poet, and spiritual teacher. Born on July 28, 1165, in Murcia, Spain, Ibn Arabi provided a far-reaching understanding of Islam and spiritual Masters worldwide through his teachings and writings. Ibn Arabi wrote over 350 w

Babaji has appeared on Earth in many different forms and incarnations. He can form a physical body anytime He needs, without undergoing the normal process of being born into the world through a woman as a baby. The book “Babaji Neti Neti,” written by Sita Rami, records these descriptions of Haidakhan Babaji: “His eyes are dark and sparkling, laughing, full of bliss, endless in their depth; seeming

Shri Mahendra Maharaj, popularly known as Shri Mahendra Baba, was a Siddha yogi, an ascetic with supernatural powers. He travelled across the Indian subcontinent professing the coming of Shri Haidakhan Babaji, who was acknowledged as one of the manifestations of Shiva Mahavatar Babaji, the famous Immortal Saint who revived Kriya Yoga. Shri Mahendra Baba Ji had two subsequent visions. On his fifth

His Excellency Ben Ammi Ben-Israel was the beloved founder and anointed spiritual leader of the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem. After having a divine vision in the 1960s, he led a group of African American Hebrew Israelites on a pilgrimage, eventually settling in Israel, “the Promised Land.” In Dimona, Israel, he established the now-thriving Kingdom of God (or Yah) spiritual community. Dri

A venerated enlightened Master, humanist, poet, and theologian, Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhi Rūmī, known simply as Mawlana in Persian and around the world as Rumi, embodies universal love and understanding that is unfettered by the bounds of tradition. Master Rumi’s early spiritual education was under the tutelage of His father Bahauddin, a professor of religious sciences. When the great s

In the early years of His time in Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo reread the Vedas in its original Sanskrit text, discovering its true meaning: “…I found, first, that the mantras of the Veda illuminated, with a clear and exact light psychological experiences of my own, for which I had found no sufficient explanation either in European psychology or in the teachings of Yoga or of Vedanta.” Together with

Sri Aurobindo was a 20th-century enlightened Master, poet, and writer. He founded Integral Yoga, a spiritual system that conceptualizes “all life is Yoga.” In His “Letters on Yoga,” Sri Aurobindo wrote about the practice: “[It] does not proceed through any set mental teaching or prescribed forms of meditation, mantras or others, but by aspiration, by a self-concentration inwards or upwards, by sel

“That man, he was respected by the whole country – kings, officials, prime ministers, rich and poor people. And many of the monks, Buddha’s monk-disciples, were in awe of him. So when he pretended, he was sick... He may have manifested being sick. Maybe he was sick. Because he saved so many people, of course he got sick. And they came and asked him, ‘Why are you sick?’ For example, ‘If you are so

Bodhisattva Vimalakirti was a renowned lay disciple and wealthy patron of Shakyamuni Buddha. He is also the legendary figure of “The Teaching of Vimalakirti,” a scripture that is included among the classic Mahayana sutras. His story, as well as the teachings recorded in the Vimalakirti Sutra, are important and highly respected in Buddhist history. The name Vimalakirti means “pure reputation.” Ever

During His spiritual mission, Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj went on three world tours. The first was held in 1955. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji spent months in the United States and Europe instructing Western truth seekers on the path of Sant Mat, the Way of the Masters. In 1957, Sant Kirpal Singh Ji was unanimously elected President of the World Fellowship of Religions. He communicated and interacted acti

In 1924, at the Ashram on the banks of the Beas River, Sant Kirpal Singh Ji met Baba Sawan Singh Ji. Immediately, He knew that He had finally met His beloved Master, the One that had constantly appeared to Him in radiant form during His meditations. Hazur Maharaj Sawan Singh Ji gave Sant Kirpal Singh Ji the sacred initiation into the spiritual discipline of Surat Shabd Yoga. At last, Sant Kirpal S

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj was an enlightened Master of Surat Shabd Yoga, the yoga of inner Light and Sound Current, a path leading directly to God. Like His name, meaning “Lion of Mercy or Compassion,” the venerated Master was regally mighty and immensely humble, devoting His every moment to uniting humanity with God. Born in a Punjab village in Rawalpindi district, in 1894, Sant Kirpal Singh J

Since ancient times, numerous Masters have graced our precious planet with their divine presence and have helped to uplift humanity’s spirit and level of consciousness. These Master courageously share their wisdom with the world through their holy teachings and continue to touch the lives of countless beings through their kindness and compassion. One such venerated Master was Prophet Mani, the fou

As we recall from Part 1, Saint Roch dedicated his life to walking the way of Lord Jesus Christ and traveled to plague-stricken cities to treat those afflicted with the devastating disease. Alas, he himself became infected with the plague and quietly retreated to the forest. At the sight of Saint Roch’s sickened body lying on the ground as he serenely awaited his death, God made a water stream mir

Mainly invoked for protection against the plague and other contagious diseases, Saint Roch is also a patron saint of dogs and dog trainers, wrongly accused people, bachelors, surgeons, pilgrims, skin diseases, knee problems, the Faculty of Pharmacy in Montpellier, and more. In this 2-part series, we look at the inspiring life story and legends surrounding Saint Roch to better understand why such p