World Peace and Spiritual Advancement Based on the Common Understanding Of the Soul
W.L. Glick (Isa Das)
Gary Tanis (Dharma Das)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Dedication and Preface 3
1 Jewish Souls and Others? 9
2 The Soul’s Purpose in the Material World 11
3 Guru and the Rabbi 13
4 A Godly King 14
5 Translating the Scriptures and Understanding Their Essence 15
6 Free Will and Destiny 17
7 Intoxication and Sexual Enjoyment 19
8 Becoming Fearless of Death 21
9 The Lord in the Heart 24
10 Reincarnation 25
11 The Garden of Eden and Vrindavan 26
12 Israel 29
13 The Lord’s Forms and Incarnations 31
14 The Devastating Flood 33
15 Metatron and Mahavishnu 36
16 A Flaming Sword and Sudarsana Cakra 38
17 The Lord’s Bodily (Brahman) Effulgence 41
18 The Oral and Written Traditions of the Torah and the Vedas 43
19 God’s Form and Beauty 46
20 Direct and Indirect Female Expansions of God’s Energy 48
21 Demigods and Angels 50
22 Chanting the Holy Names of the Lord 52
23 Comparative Analysis of God’s Holy Names 55
24 Balarama and Balam 57
25 Vedic and Jewish Calendars and the End of this Age 59
26 Idol Worship vs Deity Worship 62
27 Food 65
28 Tefillin and Tilaka 67
29 Customs and Traditions 69
30 Taking Shelter of the Lord 71
31 The Universal Form 73
32 The Omniscience and Omnipotence of God and His pure Servants 74
33 Life Comes from Life 77
34 Abortions 79
35 Conclusion 82
Bibliography 85
Dedication and Preface
I would like to dedicate this book to those who have given me the inspiration to compile it and have joined me in living its principles.
First, I owe everything to my spiritual father, my Guru, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He has so patiently prodded me to take responsibility for my life and share my realizations with others. We offer this book to him on his Appearance Day, August 26, 1997.
Next is His Holiness Satsvarupa das Gosvami, my very dear godbrother. When I first heard him speak in Miami in 1974, the words of our Guru poured forth, presented without ego. I knew, here was a spiritual friend and guide to share my life with.
There were times when I felt lost with no support. During those trying times in Miami our close group of friends, Param Dhama das and his wife Trayodisha devi dasi and Madhava Ashraya das and his wife Anjana Suta devi dasi were always bringing me new books and heaps of well-wishes. And my extraordinary wife Mrnalini dasi, who has assisted me in countless ways. I certainly could not have accomplished any of this without her support.
I would also like to thank Dharma das, my co-writer, who has spent endless hours editing and developing the deep devotional mood of the book.
I began this manuscript the winter of 1976. I was traveling with Satsvarupa das Goswami, touring colleges and lecturing about Vedic philosophy. We were reading in the library between classes when I asked him the hundredth time to write a book about sub-religious principles (customs, rituals, prayers etc.). He caught me off guard this time, and told me I should write it. After a few attempts I gave up. But as we moved around the country I had many occasions to test my thoughts and ideas on the college professors we met.
On the road, reading was our main pastime. After rereading the Five Books of Moses (the Old Testament) and the New Testament more times than my godbrothers approved of, I became convinced that the spiritual message presented by the Jews was of the same essence as the Vedic tradition I was now exploring.
Having married and sharing the wonderful birth and development of our daughter (Abhaya), my wife and I moved back to Miami, to be near our relatives. It was here in Miami that His Holiness Jaya Advaita Swami gave me Hebrew translations of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and the Srimad Bhagavatam to share with my Jewish neighbors. I was not able to convince my neighbors to read the books, but I became determined to open an inter-religious dialogue based on the similarities I had discovered. Fourteen years of continued study have passed; I have redoubled again and again my belief that the Jewish and Vedic oral traditions are the same. From the time of creation what the Jews call Yeda and the Hindus call Veda is the root of all spiritual knowledge.
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