S: Did you say before that time doesn't exist?
AD: No, I think time does exist, but my conception of time I think would be a little different than most people's.
The production of one image, then another image, then another image: that production is the principle of time to me.
In other words, time is the manifestation of the objective world within the soul.
-- Anthony Damiani 8/83
surrender of the personal will...
"Only through the simple process of self-observation can this thing called the
"self" be seen. We may need years of looking at it, seeing why it does what it
does, thinks what it thinks, until we know it well enough to cease to believe in
it. All of our energy, for all of our life, has been poured into this thing: our
personality, the little self, the ego. A few moments of seeing, while of
monumental importance, will not cause its complete demise. This demise is what
we fear most; for it is seen by the thought-pattern we call "us" as death. At
some point, the initial joy of seeing will turn to the pain of ego-death, as the
Truth becomes known. It will not be pleasant. In fact, the pain and horror felt
by the ego as it faces its own death, will be felt as yours." -Bob Fergeson
(TAT, from "Why Don't We Get It?")
"self" be seen. We may need years of looking at it, seeing why it does what it
does, thinks what it thinks, until we know it well enough to cease to believe in
it. All of our energy, for all of our life, has been poured into this thing: our
personality, the little self, the ego. A few moments of seeing, while of
monumental importance, will not cause its complete demise. This demise is what
we fear most; for it is seen by the thought-pattern we call "us" as death. At
some point, the initial joy of seeing will turn to the pain of ego-death, as the
Truth becomes known. It will not be pleasant. In fact, the pain and horror felt
by the ego as it faces its own death, will be felt as yours." -Bob Fergeson
(TAT, from "Why Don't We Get It?")
Vedic-Hindu metaphysics...
The original Vedas are the oldest sacred writings of the Hindus and are composed of spiritually focused poetry written in Sanskit between 2000-1000 B.C. The spirtually inspired poets who wrote these early Vedas often imply a one-ness with the Divine.
More recent Vedas are known as the Upanishads - a name implying sitting at the feet of a teacher - and are the Hindu sacred texts next in antiquity dating from circa 600 B.C. The Upanishads uphold views that maintain that people are capable of a profound interior spirituality.
It may be that Hinduism should more properly referred to as Vedanta, and that Indian philosophy should be more properly referred to as Vedic philosophy because of these roots in the Vedas.
A certain difficulty for people brought up in monotheistic faith based cultures, in relation to Hinduism, lies in the view that Vedic philosophy speaks of Mystical Union as being with "The Atman which is Brahman".
The Atman being the "Self" and Brahman being the "World Soul" :-
The Self which is free from sin, free from old age, from death and from grief, from hunger and thirst, which desires nothing but what it ought to desire, and imagines nothing but what it ought to imagine, that it is which we must search out, that it is which we must try to understand. He who has searched out that Self and understands it, obtains all worlds and all desires.
Khândogya-Upanishad 8.7.1
All this is Brahman. Let a man meditate on that (visible world) as beginning, ending, and breathing in it (the Brahman)...
...He is my self within the heart, smaller than a corn of rice, smaller than a corn of barley, smaller than a mustard seed, smaller than a canary seed or the kernel of a canary seed. He is also myself within the heart, greater than the earth, greater than the sky, greater than heaven, greater than all these worlds.
Khândogya-Upanishad 3.14 1, 3
Whilst Hindu philosophy holds that Brahman "is" the "World-Soul" it further holds that this World Soul should itself be regarded as being the Three-in-One God known as the Trimutri. Brahma-the Creator, Vishnu-the Preserver, and Shiva-the Destroyer, are all perceived as being aspects or manifestations of the One-ness which is Brahman.
Notwithstanding the view that Mystical Union is with the Atman which is Brahman several very remarkable spiritual teachers and guides who have appeared from time to time across the ages are considered, by the Vedic-Hindu tradition, to have been incarnations of the Lord Vishnu!!!
This may effectively provide something of a bridge towards traditionally monotheistic cultures which view Mystical Union as being purely spiritual rather than with existence in ALL its manifestations.........from age-of-the-sage.org
More recent Vedas are known as the Upanishads - a name implying sitting at the feet of a teacher - and are the Hindu sacred texts next in antiquity dating from circa 600 B.C. The Upanishads uphold views that maintain that people are capable of a profound interior spirituality.
It may be that Hinduism should more properly referred to as Vedanta, and that Indian philosophy should be more properly referred to as Vedic philosophy because of these roots in the Vedas.
A certain difficulty for people brought up in monotheistic faith based cultures, in relation to Hinduism, lies in the view that Vedic philosophy speaks of Mystical Union as being with "The Atman which is Brahman".
The Atman being the "Self" and Brahman being the "World Soul" :-
The Self which is free from sin, free from old age, from death and from grief, from hunger and thirst, which desires nothing but what it ought to desire, and imagines nothing but what it ought to imagine, that it is which we must search out, that it is which we must try to understand. He who has searched out that Self and understands it, obtains all worlds and all desires.
Khândogya-Upanishad 8.7.1
All this is Brahman. Let a man meditate on that (visible world) as beginning, ending, and breathing in it (the Brahman)...
...He is my self within the heart, smaller than a corn of rice, smaller than a corn of barley, smaller than a mustard seed, smaller than a canary seed or the kernel of a canary seed. He is also myself within the heart, greater than the earth, greater than the sky, greater than heaven, greater than all these worlds.
Khândogya-Upanishad 3.14 1, 3
Whilst Hindu philosophy holds that Brahman "is" the "World-Soul" it further holds that this World Soul should itself be regarded as being the Three-in-One God known as the Trimutri. Brahma-the Creator, Vishnu-the Preserver, and Shiva-the Destroyer, are all perceived as being aspects or manifestations of the One-ness which is Brahman.
Notwithstanding the view that Mystical Union is with the Atman which is Brahman several very remarkable spiritual teachers and guides who have appeared from time to time across the ages are considered, by the Vedic-Hindu tradition, to have been incarnations of the Lord Vishnu!!!
This may effectively provide something of a bridge towards traditionally monotheistic cultures which view Mystical Union as being purely spiritual rather than with existence in ALL its manifestations.........from age-of-the-sage.org
The Parable of the Sower...
"The Parable of the Sower" is a teaching which, alongside an unmistakable, Gnostic, message, shows Jesus' own words as suggesting that individual human nature has several aspects. In effect suggesting that spirituality is relative to other facets of human being!!!
The Parable of the Sower
And he began to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was beside the sea on the land.
And he taught them many things by parables, and he said unto them in his doctrine,
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
The sower soweth the word.
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word immediately receive it with gladness;
And have no root in themselves, and so endure for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything secret, but that it should come abroad.
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how,
For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
Jesus Mark 4: 1- 29
The Parable of the Sower
And he began to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was beside the sea on the land.
And he taught them many things by parables, and he said unto them in his doctrine,
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
The sower soweth the word.
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word immediately receive it with gladness;
And have no root in themselves, and so endure for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything secret, but that it should come abroad.
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how,
For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
Jesus Mark 4: 1- 29
Innate Inertia...
It is our innate inertia which keeps us set in habitual outlooks and thus keeps us victims of our own past experience. We copy again every day what we did before, what we thought and felt before. We live in both the conscious and the subconscious memories, desires, fears which time has accumulated for us, and that the ego has created to bind us to itself. We are ruled by compulsions, fixations, and neuroses--some of them not even known--that freeze us, preventing further real advancement. We rarely enter the day to gain really fresh experience, think really new thoughts, or assume really different attitudes. We are prisoners of time. This is because we are so ego-bound. The compulsion which makes us conform ourselves to dead yesterday's ideas and practices, concepts and habits, is an unreal one, an illusory one. In letting ourselves become victims of the past by letting it swallow up the present, we lose the tremendous meaning and tremendous opportunity which the present contains. Whereas the Overself speaks to us from tomorrow's intuitive understanding, the ego speaks to us through memory. Its past enslaves us, preventing a new and higher way of viewing life from being born.
But it is possible to arouse ourselves and to begin viewing life as it unfolds in the Eternal Present, the Now, with wholly fresh eyes. Every morning is like a new reincarnation into this world. It is a fresh chance to be ourselves, not merely echoes of our own past ideological fixations. Let us take it then for what it is and live each moment anew.
When a master mystic like Jesus tells men to refrain from being anxious about the morrow and to let today's evil be sufficient for today, he speaks out of his own consciousness of living in this Eternal Now. Consequently, he spoke not of periods involving twelve or twenty-four hours, but of pinpoints of a moment. He told them to live timelessly, to let the dead past bury itself. He is indeed a Christian, a Christ-self man, who lives cleanly and completely in the present--free, uncontrolled, and unconditioned by what he was, believed, or desired yesterday..............Paul Brunton
But it is possible to arouse ourselves and to begin viewing life as it unfolds in the Eternal Present, the Now, with wholly fresh eyes. Every morning is like a new reincarnation into this world. It is a fresh chance to be ourselves, not merely echoes of our own past ideological fixations. Let us take it then for what it is and live each moment anew.
When a master mystic like Jesus tells men to refrain from being anxious about the morrow and to let today's evil be sufficient for today, he speaks out of his own consciousness of living in this Eternal Now. Consequently, he spoke not of periods involving twelve or twenty-four hours, but of pinpoints of a moment. He told them to live timelessly, to let the dead past bury itself. He is indeed a Christian, a Christ-self man, who lives cleanly and completely in the present--free, uncontrolled, and unconditioned by what he was, believed, or desired yesterday..............Paul Brunton
Spiritual Friendship...
One day Ananda, who had been thinking deeply about things for a while,
turned to the Buddha and exclaimed: "Lord, I've been thinking-
spiritual friendship is at least half of the spiritual life!" The
Buddha replied: "Say not so, Ananda, say not so. Spiritual friendship
is the whole of the spiritual life!"
- Samyutta Nikaya, Verse 2
turned to the Buddha and exclaimed: "Lord, I've been thinking-
spiritual friendship is at least half of the spiritual life!" The
Buddha replied: "Say not so, Ananda, say not so. Spiritual friendship
is the whole of the spiritual life!"
- Samyutta Nikaya, Verse 2
Higher Healing...
The basis of higher healing work is the realization of man as Mind. But the latter is a dimensionless unindividuated unconditioned entity. It is not my individual mind. The field of Mind is a common one whereas the field of consciousness is divided up into individual and separate holdings. This is a difference with vast implications, for whoever can cross from the second field to the first, crosses at the same time from an absurdly limited world into a supremely vital one. Consequently, genuine and permanent healing is carried on without one's conscious association and can be effected by dropping the ego-mind and with it all egoistic desires. Hence the first effort should be to ignore the disease and gain the realization. Only after the latter has been won should the thoughts be allowed to descend again to the disease, with the serene trust that the bodily condition may safely be left in the hands of the World-Mind for final disposal as It decides. There should not be the slightest attempt to dictate a cure to the higher power nor the slightest attempt to introduce personal will into the treatment. Such attempts will only defeat their purpose. The issues will partly be decided on the balance of the karmic and evolutionary factors concerned in the individual case. And yet there are cults which do not find it at all incongruous to suggest to the Infinite Mind what should thus be showered upon one, or to dictate to karma what exactly it should do! Once surrender is truly made, the desires of the self go with it and peace reigns in the inner life whether illness still reigns in the external life or not. Thus there is a false easy yielding of the will which deceives no higher power than the personal self, and there is an honest yielding which may really invoke the divine grace............Paul Brunton
God is Shining Through...
13th August 2006
“Life is this simple. We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent, and God is shining through all the time.
This is not just a fable or a nice story. It is true.
If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes, and we see it maybe frequently.
God shows Himself everywhere, in everything – in people and in things and in nature and in events.
It becomes very obvious that God is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without Him. It’s impossible. The only thing is we don’t see it.”
- Thomas Merton
“Life is this simple. We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent, and God is shining through all the time.
This is not just a fable or a nice story. It is true.
If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes, and we see it maybe frequently.
God shows Himself everywhere, in everything – in people and in things and in nature and in events.
It becomes very obvious that God is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without Him. It’s impossible. The only thing is we don’t see it.”
- Thomas Merton
My Name...
"For my part my name is that sky, those fenceposts, and those cedar trees. I shall not even reflect on who I am and shall not say my identity is nobody's business because that implies a truculence I don't intend. It has no meaning. Now my whole life is this---to keep unencumbered. The wind owns the fields where I walk and I own nothing and am owned by nothing and I shall never even be forgotten because no one will ever discover me. This is to me a source of immense confidence."
~Thomas Merton
~Thomas Merton
Happiness...
Since the main objective of all humans is the search for Happiness, we have to
ask ourselves," What is Happiness" and how can I achieve It?... Most humans seek
this elusive emotion through Love,, the Love of a wife,children,family, and
friends.. In the innermost being, they realize that Love brings Happiness, but,
does it really?.. Or does the acquiring of material objects bring Happiness?..
such as a house, a new car, new clothing, even the taste of expensive food.. The
Wise humans among us tell us that the lack of desire of these objects actually
bring Happiness.. So, the conclusion that we arrive at is that Love and lack of
Desire bring Happiness.. Could this be True?.. But the Love we seek is also
Desire.. So , the answer is that once we surrender the desires of the ego, and
the desire of happiness through objects and other humans, we then begin to
understand that Love exists without desire when we have become Love.. thus, we
have conquered desire by being Love without a further wishing to become Love..
We have become ourselves.. A self without ego, A self without desire, A self
without self... We have become Free...........namaste, thomas
ask ourselves," What is Happiness" and how can I achieve It?... Most humans seek
this elusive emotion through Love,, the Love of a wife,children,family, and
friends.. In the innermost being, they realize that Love brings Happiness, but,
does it really?.. Or does the acquiring of material objects bring Happiness?..
such as a house, a new car, new clothing, even the taste of expensive food.. The
Wise humans among us tell us that the lack of desire of these objects actually
bring Happiness.. So, the conclusion that we arrive at is that Love and lack of
Desire bring Happiness.. Could this be True?.. But the Love we seek is also
Desire.. So , the answer is that once we surrender the desires of the ego, and
the desire of happiness through objects and other humans, we then begin to
understand that Love exists without desire when we have become Love.. thus, we
have conquered desire by being Love without a further wishing to become Love..
We have become ourselves.. A self without ego, A self without desire, A self
without self... We have become Free...........namaste, thomas
Desire...
So long as a man has a longing to obtain any particular object, he cannot go
further than that object.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
As a man's ideal is, so is his state of evolution. The man who is only
interested in himself is very narrow and limited, whereas the man who has
expanded his interests to his family and surroundings is greater; while he who
expands them still further to his nation is yet greater, and he who extends them
to the world at large is the greatest. But in all these cases a man is limited.
... The highest ideal of man is to realize the unlimited, the immortal Self
within. There is no need for any higher ideal, for when man holds this ideal in
his vision, he expands and becomes all he wants to be, and in time he attains to
that peace which is the longing of every soul.
There is a constant desire of the soul to find its own nature. Until it finds
it, it is always looking for something, though what it does not know. Is it not
true of every individual in this world that, whatever may be his desire, as long
as he has not attained it he is unhappy, and eager and anxious to achieve it? He
is longing and suffering and doing all he can to attain it; but when he has
succeeded, he does not feel happy. At once a new desire arises; if he has a
thousand he wants a million; if he has done one duty there is another, and after
that another. So it is with love affairs; so it is with paradise. He will never
feel contented and satisfied, because fundamentally it is not the desire that he
is really concerned with. Though he crosses the boundary wall of the desire he
finds himself again with a new desire. And this itself proves the fact that
there is really only one fundamental desire underlying all others: the desire
for spiritual perfection. ...
Motive limits one to certain kinds of accomplishment; and it does not allow one
to accomplish anything beyond the scope of that particular motive. As long as a
person has the desire to attain to something with a particular motive, he cannot
go further. That is why the sages have said, 'Rise above the earthly motives.
Accomplish all you wish to accomplish in life, whatever be the motive, and then
that itself will lead you to a stage from which you can rise above them, and
above the earthly desires of the body'.
further than that object.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
As a man's ideal is, so is his state of evolution. The man who is only
interested in himself is very narrow and limited, whereas the man who has
expanded his interests to his family and surroundings is greater; while he who
expands them still further to his nation is yet greater, and he who extends them
to the world at large is the greatest. But in all these cases a man is limited.
... The highest ideal of man is to realize the unlimited, the immortal Self
within. There is no need for any higher ideal, for when man holds this ideal in
his vision, he expands and becomes all he wants to be, and in time he attains to
that peace which is the longing of every soul.
There is a constant desire of the soul to find its own nature. Until it finds
it, it is always looking for something, though what it does not know. Is it not
true of every individual in this world that, whatever may be his desire, as long
as he has not attained it he is unhappy, and eager and anxious to achieve it? He
is longing and suffering and doing all he can to attain it; but when he has
succeeded, he does not feel happy. At once a new desire arises; if he has a
thousand he wants a million; if he has done one duty there is another, and after
that another. So it is with love affairs; so it is with paradise. He will never
feel contented and satisfied, because fundamentally it is not the desire that he
is really concerned with. Though he crosses the boundary wall of the desire he
finds himself again with a new desire. And this itself proves the fact that
there is really only one fundamental desire underlying all others: the desire
for spiritual perfection. ...
Motive limits one to certain kinds of accomplishment; and it does not allow one
to accomplish anything beyond the scope of that particular motive. As long as a
person has the desire to attain to something with a particular motive, he cannot
go further. That is why the sages have said, 'Rise above the earthly motives.
Accomplish all you wish to accomplish in life, whatever be the motive, and then
that itself will lead you to a stage from which you can rise above them, and
above the earthly desires of the body'.
Liberation from Ignorance...
The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with J. Krishnamurti
January 19
Liberation from ignorance, from sorrow
We listen with hope and fear; we seek the light of another but are not
alertly passive to be able to understand. If the liberated seems to
fulfill our desires we accept him; if not, we continue our search for the
one who will; what most of us desire is gratification at different levels.
What is important is not how to recognize one who is liberated but how to
understand yourself. No authority here or hereafter can give you knowledge
of yourself; without self-knowledge there is no liberation from ignorance,
from sorrow.
---
gill
http://allspirit.co.uk
January 19
Liberation from ignorance, from sorrow
We listen with hope and fear; we seek the light of another but are not
alertly passive to be able to understand. If the liberated seems to
fulfill our desires we accept him; if not, we continue our search for the
one who will; what most of us desire is gratification at different levels.
What is important is not how to recognize one who is liberated but how to
understand yourself. No authority here or hereafter can give you knowledge
of yourself; without self-knowledge there is no liberation from ignorance,
from sorrow.
---
gill
http://allspirit.co.uk
Surrender to Healing...
Dismayed by the failure of my physicians' last resort, I was sitting
up in bed reading a passage from an old journal of John Wesley about
spiritual healing. It quoted a friend as saying: "I could not move
from place to place, but on crutches. In this state I continued about
six years. At Bath I sent for a physician but before he came, as I sat
reading the Bible, I thought, `Asa sought to the physicians, and not
to God; but God can do more for me than any physician'; soon after
rising up, I found I could stand. From that time I have been perfectly
well."
As soon as I finished this passage I thought it should be applied to
my own case, and laid the book aside. A great mental stillness and
inner indrawing came over me at the same time. I saw that all the
methods hitherto used to eliminate the disease were futile precisely
because they were the ego's own methods, whether physical, magical,
mental, or mechanical. I had exhausted them all. So the ego had to
confess its total failure and cast itself on the mercy of the higher
power in humiliation and prayer. I realized that instead of thinking
that I or my physicians were competent to cure the disease, the
correct way was to disbelieve that and to look to the Overself alone
for healing. I saw that the stillness was its grace, that this
quietness was its power. It could best cure me, if only I would relax
and let it enter. So I surrendered to it and within a few weeks was
healed.
— Notebooks Category 10: Healing of the Self > Chapter 5: The Healing
Power of The Overself > # 153.........Paul Brunton
up in bed reading a passage from an old journal of John Wesley about
spiritual healing. It quoted a friend as saying: "I could not move
from place to place, but on crutches. In this state I continued about
six years. At Bath I sent for a physician but before he came, as I sat
reading the Bible, I thought, `Asa sought to the physicians, and not
to God; but God can do more for me than any physician'; soon after
rising up, I found I could stand. From that time I have been perfectly
well."
As soon as I finished this passage I thought it should be applied to
my own case, and laid the book aside. A great mental stillness and
inner indrawing came over me at the same time. I saw that all the
methods hitherto used to eliminate the disease were futile precisely
because they were the ego's own methods, whether physical, magical,
mental, or mechanical. I had exhausted them all. So the ego had to
confess its total failure and cast itself on the mercy of the higher
power in humiliation and prayer. I realized that instead of thinking
that I or my physicians were competent to cure the disease, the
correct way was to disbelieve that and to look to the Overself alone
for healing. I saw that the stillness was its grace, that this
quietness was its power. It could best cure me, if only I would relax
and let it enter. So I surrendered to it and within a few weeks was
healed.
— Notebooks Category 10: Healing of the Self > Chapter 5: The Healing
Power of The Overself > # 153.........Paul Brunton
Forgiveness...
A Wise Mystic once said;" Forgive them Father, for they know not what they
do"... This forgiveness comes from knowing that the humans that commit acts of
evil,are actually committing acts of ego.. this realization of the pain of ego
attachment and the karma envolved brings us the knowledge that the perpetrators
of these crimes will eventually suffer much more than the victimized..
therefore, this insight into the meaning of "You will reap what you sow" brings
the grace of forgiveness and compassion into our own lives.........namaste, thomas
do"... This forgiveness comes from knowing that the humans that commit acts of
evil,are actually committing acts of ego.. this realization of the pain of ego
attachment and the karma envolved brings us the knowledge that the perpetrators
of these crimes will eventually suffer much more than the victimized..
therefore, this insight into the meaning of "You will reap what you sow" brings
the grace of forgiveness and compassion into our own lives.........namaste, thomas
Prashna Upanishad...
It is the Self who sees, hears, smells, touches,
And tastes, who thinks, acts, and is pure
consciousness.
The Self is Brahman, changeless and supreme.
Those who know the supreme Self as formless,
Without shadow, without impurity,
Know all, gentle friend, and live in all.
Those who know the Self, the seat of consciousness,
In whom the breath and all the senses live,
Know all, gentle friend, and live in all.
-Prashna Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran
And tastes, who thinks, acts, and is pure
consciousness.
The Self is Brahman, changeless and supreme.
Those who know the supreme Self as formless,
Without shadow, without impurity,
Know all, gentle friend, and live in all.
Those who know the Self, the seat of consciousness,
In whom the breath and all the senses live,
Know all, gentle friend, and live in all.
-Prashna Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran
Mentalism...
Mentalism is the study of Mind and its product, thoughts. To separate the two, to disentangle them, is to become aware of Awareness itself. This achievement comes not by any process of intellectual activity but by the very opposite--suspending such activity. And it comes not as another idea but as extremely vivid, powerfully compelling insight...........Paul Brunton
To Be Aware...
To be aware is to be awake. Unaware means
asleep. You are aware anyhow, you need not
try to be. What you need is to be aware of
being aware. Be aware deliberately and
consciously, broaden and deepen the field
of awareness. You are always conscious of
the mind, but you are not aware of yourself
as being conscious.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
asleep. You are aware anyhow, you need not
try to be. What you need is to be aware of
being aware. Be aware deliberately and
consciously, broaden and deepen the field
of awareness. You are always conscious of
the mind, but you are not aware of yourself
as being conscious.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
Sikh Wisdom...
Higher than all stands the Realm of Grace--
None can have access there except heroes of supreme might,
Inspired by God-consciousness.
In that sphere abide numberless heroines like Sita of surpassing praise
And beauty indescribable.
Those to God united suffer not mortality nor delusion.
In that sphere abide devotees assembled from the various universes,
Cherishing the holy Eternal ever in their hearts.
In everlasting bliss.
The formless Supreme Being abides in the Realm of Eternity.
Over His creation He casts His glance of grace.
In that realm are contained all the continents and universes,
Exceeding in number all count.
Of creation, worlds upon worlds abide therein--
All obedient to His Will;
He watches over them in bliss,
And has each constantly in mind.
Saith Nanak, Such is that realm's [glory] that to try to describe it is to attempt the impossible
Quote / poem n° 4247 : Guru Granth Sahib Adi Granth, Sikhism
Source : Japuji 37 M.1, p. 8
None can have access there except heroes of supreme might,
Inspired by God-consciousness.
In that sphere abide numberless heroines like Sita of surpassing praise
And beauty indescribable.
Those to God united suffer not mortality nor delusion.
In that sphere abide devotees assembled from the various universes,
Cherishing the holy Eternal ever in their hearts.
In everlasting bliss.
The formless Supreme Being abides in the Realm of Eternity.
Over His creation He casts His glance of grace.
In that realm are contained all the continents and universes,
Exceeding in number all count.
Of creation, worlds upon worlds abide therein--
All obedient to His Will;
He watches over them in bliss,
And has each constantly in mind.
Saith Nanak, Such is that realm's [glory] that to try to describe it is to attempt the impossible
Quote / poem n° 4247 : Guru Granth Sahib Adi Granth, Sikhism
Source : Japuji 37 M.1, p. 8
Lack of Ego...
“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”.........Yeshua ben Yosef (Jesus)
Allowing...
Through allowing, you become what you are; vast, spacious. You become whole. You are not a fragment anymore, which is how the ego perceives itself. Your true nature emerges, which is one with the nature of God............
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle
Learning to Love...
' Learning to Love others is to learn that they have the same troubles, pains,
and sorrows that you have ,and are trying to deal with them in the best way that
they can.. Learning about Love is also learning about the only thing that keeps
us from Love, which is the "false self".. this is the belief that we are
separate from God and from each other.. This is why Humility is practiced by
Saints, as Humility is a disolving of the "false self"..Once, the false self is
disolved, you have become Love, or what is called "Christ
Consciousness"...........namaste, thomas
and sorrows that you have ,and are trying to deal with them in the best way that
they can.. Learning about Love is also learning about the only thing that keeps
us from Love, which is the "false self".. this is the belief that we are
separate from God and from each other.. This is why Humility is practiced by
Saints, as Humility is a disolving of the "false self"..Once, the false self is
disolved, you have become Love, or what is called "Christ
Consciousness"...........namaste, thomas
Consciousness...
Every form of existence can be reduced to a form of consciousness. The
final essence of all these consciousnesses is God...........Paul Brunton
final essence of all these consciousnesses is God...........Paul Brunton
The Light...
"First we receive the Light; then we impart the Light. Thus we repair the world."
~ Kabbalah
~ Kabbalah
Meditation Advice, Guidance and Tips...
Meditation leads to freedom from incessant, nagging thoughts and worries, and to inner strength, peace of mind, a sense of bliss, and in its higher levels, to spiritual awakening and enlightenment. As you see, meditation is much more than a method for relaxing the body, as some people think.
Though it plays an important role in various religions and spiritual practices, it is actually a practice that is free from all religious connotations, and has always been practiced everywhere, from ancient times until the present day. There has always been the desire to go within, to find what is beyond the physical form, and to find the real spirit and the relation between mankind, the world and the creator.
There are many forms, techniques and traditions of meditation, which are practiced and followed for various reasons and aims, such as for gaining peace of mind, spiritual growth and spiritual awakening, as well as for relaxation, health, success, mental powers or the development of psychic abilities.
Meditation calms down the body and the mind, reduces stress and anxiety, normalizes the blood pressure and has a healing effect on the body. It improves the concentration power, sharpens the mind and strengthens the intuition. Its constant practice reduces the number of restless thoughts in the mind, brings peace of mind, happiness and bliss, and in its higher stages, enlightenment.
In order to obtain results it has to be practiced every day, at least once a day, twice better, for at least 15 minutes, though a beginner may start with only 10 minutes a day.
In a very general sense, there are two forms of meditation. One form requires that you focus the mind on some activity, such as the breathing process, a concrete object, mental image, a word or a thought, and there is what may be termed as "formless meditation", in which you focus on the inner silence, inner self or on nothing at all. This form can only be practiced after one is well trained with the first form.
Here are a few tips and advice about meditation:
1. It is important to meditate every day.
2. A positive attitude, patience and an open mind are of great help.
3. Do not meditate when you are tired.
4. Find a place where you can be alone and undisturbed.
5. Sit in a comfortable position with the spine erect.
6. Take a few slow deep breaths.
7. Bring to your mind some pleasnt memory, and enjoy thinking about it for a few moments.
8. Think for a few moments about the benefits of meditation, how it will strengthen your focus, calm down your mind and ease stress and tension.
9. Tell yourself that all thoughts will have to wait now, and that nothing is going to distract your mind.
10. Start meditating calmly, yet with focused attention. The more focused the attention is, the easier it is to ignore thoughts and other distractions.
11. Start with a simple technique. Here are two examples:
a) Focusing your attention on your incoming and outgoing breath.
For a few minutes, just pay attention to your breath and try to ignore everything else. Breathe normally, while focusing on the act of breathing in and breathing out.
b) Thinking about an inspiring quote.
Take any quote that inspires you, and repeat it slowly in your mind, again and again, while thinking about its meaning.........By Remez Sasson
Though it plays an important role in various religions and spiritual practices, it is actually a practice that is free from all religious connotations, and has always been practiced everywhere, from ancient times until the present day. There has always been the desire to go within, to find what is beyond the physical form, and to find the real spirit and the relation between mankind, the world and the creator.
There are many forms, techniques and traditions of meditation, which are practiced and followed for various reasons and aims, such as for gaining peace of mind, spiritual growth and spiritual awakening, as well as for relaxation, health, success, mental powers or the development of psychic abilities.
Meditation calms down the body and the mind, reduces stress and anxiety, normalizes the blood pressure and has a healing effect on the body. It improves the concentration power, sharpens the mind and strengthens the intuition. Its constant practice reduces the number of restless thoughts in the mind, brings peace of mind, happiness and bliss, and in its higher stages, enlightenment.
In order to obtain results it has to be practiced every day, at least once a day, twice better, for at least 15 minutes, though a beginner may start with only 10 minutes a day.
In a very general sense, there are two forms of meditation. One form requires that you focus the mind on some activity, such as the breathing process, a concrete object, mental image, a word or a thought, and there is what may be termed as "formless meditation", in which you focus on the inner silence, inner self or on nothing at all. This form can only be practiced after one is well trained with the first form.
Here are a few tips and advice about meditation:
1. It is important to meditate every day.
2. A positive attitude, patience and an open mind are of great help.
3. Do not meditate when you are tired.
4. Find a place where you can be alone and undisturbed.
5. Sit in a comfortable position with the spine erect.
6. Take a few slow deep breaths.
7. Bring to your mind some pleasnt memory, and enjoy thinking about it for a few moments.
8. Think for a few moments about the benefits of meditation, how it will strengthen your focus, calm down your mind and ease stress and tension.
9. Tell yourself that all thoughts will have to wait now, and that nothing is going to distract your mind.
10. Start meditating calmly, yet with focused attention. The more focused the attention is, the easier it is to ignore thoughts and other distractions.
11. Start with a simple technique. Here are two examples:
a) Focusing your attention on your incoming and outgoing breath.
For a few minutes, just pay attention to your breath and try to ignore everything else. Breathe normally, while focusing on the act of breathing in and breathing out.
b) Thinking about an inspiring quote.
Take any quote that inspires you, and repeat it slowly in your mind, again and again, while thinking about its meaning.........By Remez Sasson
Thoughts...
Thoughts are impediments to seeing your own face. Don't give rise to any thought, and discover who you are.........Papaji
Peace of Mind...
Your nature is absolute peace. You are not the mind. Silence your mind through concentration and meditation, and you will discover the peace of the Spirit that you are, and have always been........Remez Sasson
Realization...
Realization is our true nature. It is nothing new to be gained. What is new cannot be eternal. Therefore there is no need to be doubting whether we would gain or lose the self..............Sri Ramana Maharshi
Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle pg. 15
…You can take the first step right now. Start listening to the voice in your head as often as you can. Pay particular attention to any repetitive thought patterns, those old gramophone records that have been playing in your head perhaps for many years. This is what I mean by "watching the thinker," which is another way of saying: listen to the voice in your head, be there as witnessing presence…listen to it impartially…do not judge or condemn what you hear...You'll soon realize: there is the voice, and here I am listening to it, watching it. This `I am' realization, this sense of your own presence, is not a thought. It arises from beyond the mind…"
Awakening...
"Awakening to truth of reality is something that is very hard to talk about…
The simplest thing one can say about the experiential knowledge of awakening is that it is a "shift in one's perception" This is the heart of awakening…"
"This shift is not revolutionary…it is not a mystical experience; it is a simple experience…a remembering…It is a remembering of what we are, as if we'd known it long ago and had simply forgotten…it's not viewed as a personal thing…What we are wakes up from the seeker. What we are wakes up from the seeking."
"The problem with defining awakening is that upon hearing each of these descriptions, the mind creates another image, another idea of what this ultimate truth or ultimate reality is all about. As soon as these images are created, our perception is distorted once again… In truth, we are not capable of imagining what it is `that we are'. Our nature is literally beyond all imagination. What we are, is `that which is watching'—that consciousness which is watching us pretending to be a separate person. Our true nature is continually partaking of all experience, awake to every instant, to each and every moment…".............
Adyashanti
The simplest thing one can say about the experiential knowledge of awakening is that it is a "shift in one's perception" This is the heart of awakening…"
"This shift is not revolutionary…it is not a mystical experience; it is a simple experience…a remembering…It is a remembering of what we are, as if we'd known it long ago and had simply forgotten…it's not viewed as a personal thing…What we are wakes up from the seeker. What we are wakes up from the seeking."
"The problem with defining awakening is that upon hearing each of these descriptions, the mind creates another image, another idea of what this ultimate truth or ultimate reality is all about. As soon as these images are created, our perception is distorted once again… In truth, we are not capable of imagining what it is `that we are'. Our nature is literally beyond all imagination. What we are, is `that which is watching'—that consciousness which is watching us pretending to be a separate person. Our true nature is continually partaking of all experience, awake to every instant, to each and every moment…".............
Adyashanti
Realization...
It is not by self-realization that man realizes God, it is by God-realization
that man realizes self.
From the writings of HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
that man realizes self.
From the writings of HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
Thoughts...
Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them. You will want to change them when you realize that each thought creates according to its own nature. Remember that the law works at all times and that you are always demonstrating according to the kind of thoughts you habitually entertain. Therefore, start now to think only those thoughts that will bring you health and happiness.
By Paramahansa Yogananda
By Paramahansa Yogananda
Positive...
Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors. Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny......... Gandhi
Life...
A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.........
Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton
Presence...
The inability of little man to enter into the knowledge of transcendent God does not doom him to perpetual ignorance. For God, being present in all things, is present in him too. The flame is still in the spark. Here is his hope and chance. Just as he knows his own personal identity, so God knows God in him as the Overself. This divine knowing is continually going on, whether he is awake or asleep, whether he is an atheist or a saint. He can share in it too, but only by consenting to submit his intellect to his intuition. This is not an arbitrary condition imposed by theocratic whim but one which inheres in the very nature of the knowing processes. By accepting it, he may put the whole matter to the test and learn for himself, in due time, his other nonpersonal identity...............Paul Brunton
The Ten Perfections from Path to Oriental Wisdom ...
First is Giving:
As a jar overturned, pours out the liquid and keeps back nothing, even so shall your charity be without reserve.
Second is Renunciation:
As a cow, when the hair of her tail becomes entangled in anything, would rather suffer death than injure her tail, even so you should keep to your principles as a cow to her tail.
Third is Duty:
As a man in prison, suffering pain for long, knows that there is no pleasure for him but only to wait for release, so shall you look at your existence on earth, as prison, and turn your face towards duty.
Fourth is Insight:
As a begger-monk shuns no families from whom he begs, whether lowly or high or in between, and acquires his daily fare, so shall you at all times question the wise to gain insight.
Fifth is Courage:
As the lion, king of beasts, whether when lying down or standing up, lacks no courage, but is ever light hearted, so shall you always hold true to your courage.
Sixth is Patience:
As the earth bears all that cast upon it, both the pure and the impure, and feels no resentment nor rejoicing, so shall you receive favors and rebuffs alike, with indifference.
Seventh is Truth:
As a star of healing is balanced in the heavens and swerves not form its path in its time and its season, so shall you remain fixed in your path of truth.
Eighth is Resolution:
As the stone mountain, firmly based, quails not before the tempest but abides in its place, so shall you abide in your resolution once resolved.
Ninth is Loving Kindness:
As water quenches the thirst of the good and bad alike and cleanses them of dust and impurity, so shall you treat your friends and your foes alike, with loving kindness.
Tenth is Serenity:
As indeed the earth looks with serenity on all the purity and impurity cast upon it, even so shall you approach with serenity both joy and sorrow, as if you are to attain wisdom.
As a jar overturned, pours out the liquid and keeps back nothing, even so shall your charity be without reserve.
Second is Renunciation:
As a cow, when the hair of her tail becomes entangled in anything, would rather suffer death than injure her tail, even so you should keep to your principles as a cow to her tail.
Third is Duty:
As a man in prison, suffering pain for long, knows that there is no pleasure for him but only to wait for release, so shall you look at your existence on earth, as prison, and turn your face towards duty.
Fourth is Insight:
As a begger-monk shuns no families from whom he begs, whether lowly or high or in between, and acquires his daily fare, so shall you at all times question the wise to gain insight.
Fifth is Courage:
As the lion, king of beasts, whether when lying down or standing up, lacks no courage, but is ever light hearted, so shall you always hold true to your courage.
Sixth is Patience:
As the earth bears all that cast upon it, both the pure and the impure, and feels no resentment nor rejoicing, so shall you receive favors and rebuffs alike, with indifference.
Seventh is Truth:
As a star of healing is balanced in the heavens and swerves not form its path in its time and its season, so shall you remain fixed in your path of truth.
Eighth is Resolution:
As the stone mountain, firmly based, quails not before the tempest but abides in its place, so shall you abide in your resolution once resolved.
Ninth is Loving Kindness:
As water quenches the thirst of the good and bad alike and cleanses them of dust and impurity, so shall you treat your friends and your foes alike, with loving kindness.
Tenth is Serenity:
As indeed the earth looks with serenity on all the purity and impurity cast upon it, even so shall you approach with serenity both joy and sorrow, as if you are to attain wisdom.
Zen Poem...
The past is already past,
the future is not yet here,
the present never abides;
things are constantly changing,
with nothing on which to depend;
so many names and words confusingly self created. What is the use of wasting your life thus idly all day?
Do not retain your timeworn views,
nor persue your newly fashioned imaginations:
Sincerely and wholeheartedly make inquires
and also reflect within yourself;
Inquiring and reflecting,
reflecting and inquiring,
until the moment comes when no further inquires are possible; For this is the time when you will realize that all your past is wrong !
the future is not yet here,
the present never abides;
things are constantly changing,
with nothing on which to depend;
so many names and words confusingly self created. What is the use of wasting your life thus idly all day?
Do not retain your timeworn views,
nor persue your newly fashioned imaginations:
Sincerely and wholeheartedly make inquires
and also reflect within yourself;
Inquiring and reflecting,
reflecting and inquiring,
until the moment comes when no further inquires are possible; For this is the time when you will realize that all your past is wrong !
Friendship...
He is wise who treats an acquaintance as a friend, and he is foolish who treats
a friend as an acquaintance, and he is impossible who treats friends and
acquaintances as strangers; you cannot help him.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Friendship as the average person understands it is perhaps little more than
acquaintance; but in reality it is more sacred than any other connection in the
world. To a sincere person, entering into friendship is like entering the gates
of heaven; and a visit to his friend is a pilgrimage to a true loving friend.
When, in friendship, a thought arises, 'I will love you as you love me,' or, 'I
will do to you as you do to me,' this takes away all the virtue of the
friendship, because it is a commercial attitude, prevalent everywhere in the
commercial world: everything is done for a return, and measure is given for
measure. ... One ought to look upon acquaintanceship as the sowing of the seed
of friendship, not as a situation forced upon one; for those who turn their
backs on a man and look at him with contempt also do that to God. To think,
'That person is perhaps of no value; that person is of no importance,' is
impractical, besides being unkind. As all things have their use, both flowers
and thorns, both sweet and bitter, so all men are of some use; what position,
what class, what race, what caste they belong to makes no difference.
Friendship with good and bad, with wise and foolish, with high and low, is
equally beneficial, whether to yourself or to the other. What does it matter if
another be benefited by your friendship, since you would like to be benefited by
someone else's friendship? He is wise who treats an acquaintance as a friend,
and he is foolish who treats a friend as an acquaintance, and he is impossible
who treats friends and acquaintances as strangers; you cannot help him.
a friend as an acquaintance, and he is impossible who treats friends and
acquaintances as strangers; you cannot help him.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Friendship as the average person understands it is perhaps little more than
acquaintance; but in reality it is more sacred than any other connection in the
world. To a sincere person, entering into friendship is like entering the gates
of heaven; and a visit to his friend is a pilgrimage to a true loving friend.
When, in friendship, a thought arises, 'I will love you as you love me,' or, 'I
will do to you as you do to me,' this takes away all the virtue of the
friendship, because it is a commercial attitude, prevalent everywhere in the
commercial world: everything is done for a return, and measure is given for
measure. ... One ought to look upon acquaintanceship as the sowing of the seed
of friendship, not as a situation forced upon one; for those who turn their
backs on a man and look at him with contempt also do that to God. To think,
'That person is perhaps of no value; that person is of no importance,' is
impractical, besides being unkind. As all things have their use, both flowers
and thorns, both sweet and bitter, so all men are of some use; what position,
what class, what race, what caste they belong to makes no difference.
Friendship with good and bad, with wise and foolish, with high and low, is
equally beneficial, whether to yourself or to the other. What does it matter if
another be benefited by your friendship, since you would like to be benefited by
someone else's friendship? He is wise who treats an acquaintance as a friend,
and he is foolish who treats a friend as an acquaintance, and he is impossible
who treats friends and acquaintances as strangers; you cannot help him.
Adyashanti........Garrison Retreat 2008
So this is what makes our time together enjoyable, actually, when we are interested in what’s real. ‘Cause Reality is the most rich amazing thing there is. Of course reality is the only thing there is. You see Reality isn’t something that’s hidden in a tea cup. It’s not like ‘it’s the essence of the cup.’ Immaterial unformed essence. There’s a reality in here. Of your body, there’s the essence of you as if there’s some little ghostly immaterial thing floating…That’s nonsense, that’s a fantasy. (knocks on the table) This is reality. This is what you’ve got to deal with. This is where you always come back to, isn’t it? You know you have those little spiritual vacations? You might sit in meditation and run into samadhi state. It’s wonderful. And your mind is very quiet. Who knows what happens, you get taken up into the 18th realm. Did you every ask yourself, ‘Why is it that I keep ending up back here.” (knocks the table) Every spiritual vacation I take, that I hope is going to last forever, I keep ending up where? (knocks the table) Right here. You ever noticed? You have some mind blowing revelation and it lasts how long? Couple hours, couple days, couple weeks, couple months, 6 months and then where do you end up? (knocks the table) Pretty much where you started. You end up right back here. Right? Does that make sense.
The day I realized that was like mind-numbing. It wasn’t blowing, it was numbing. Like damn! Literally it took years for it to occur to me, till I asked myself, ‘Why is it I sit and I meditate and I meditate and I meditate, meditate, meditate ‘cause that’s pretty much what I did. Why is it every once in awhile, not that often, once in awhile I’d have some amazing experience and it’s just really lovely and groovy and fantastic and I think ‘this might be it.’ And then why is it I always end up back here? And I though if I always end up back here, why do I keep pursuing over there? That was the mind-numbing insight. When I realized I keep pursuing over there, this place I call Nirvana or enlightenment or awakening. I’ve got awakening or enlightenment somewhere other than here. Even at that time, I had read all the books, I knew they said, ‘Right here, right now.’ I heard all that but it’s not like here here, right? (laughter) It’s like I’m sure it will be like here without totally being here. You know. ‘In this world but not of it.’ Like 2 worlds, one Nirvana, one here. Walking the edge of the relative and the absolute without losing balance. Something like that, you know? (laughs) And then it hit me, why do I keep ending up back here and I thought maybe because ‘back here is where it’s at.’
Maybe there’s something here (knocks). The very place where I don’t want to be, maybe there’s something here.
Spirituality that leads to awakening is really about having our answers questioned. Having our world-view questioned, having our self-view questioned and having our spiritual view questioned. That’s spirituality. Or as St. John of the Cross said “In order to come to that which you know not, you must go by a way in which you know not.” I don’t know if you’re impressed by that but it’s one of the most lovely pieces of spirituality, “In order to come to that which you know not, you must go by a way in which you know not.” It’s lovely and it’s easy to forget. “Go by a way in which you know not.’ To unknow is much more useful than to pile up knowledge. To unknow things. Don’t worry, I don’t mean unknowing like everything you learned in school, well maybe some of the stuff you learned but most of it will probably be there intact for better or worse when it’s all said and done but to unknown. Unknow who you think you are. To unknown it. How do you unknown it? You let yourself see that you actually don’t know. That’s the beauty of a question. The beauty of a question highlights what we don’t know, right. What am I really, what am I ultimately really and truly, absolutely? What really am I? What is the person sitting in this chair? What am I really? Thoroughly, absolutely. What am I? The question gets you to that place of, ‘I don’t know,’ quickly. “In order to come to that which you know not, you must go by a way in which you know not.” And then you get to that unknown and then you stop right in the unknown, in that experience of not-knowing. Something very potent could happen if you let yourself not-know. You stay in that experience of not-knowing.
So in satsang actually we come here to unknow. That’s my hope anyway.
The day I realized that was like mind-numbing. It wasn’t blowing, it was numbing. Like damn! Literally it took years for it to occur to me, till I asked myself, ‘Why is it I sit and I meditate and I meditate and I meditate, meditate, meditate ‘cause that’s pretty much what I did. Why is it every once in awhile, not that often, once in awhile I’d have some amazing experience and it’s just really lovely and groovy and fantastic and I think ‘this might be it.’ And then why is it I always end up back here? And I though if I always end up back here, why do I keep pursuing over there? That was the mind-numbing insight. When I realized I keep pursuing over there, this place I call Nirvana or enlightenment or awakening. I’ve got awakening or enlightenment somewhere other than here. Even at that time, I had read all the books, I knew they said, ‘Right here, right now.’ I heard all that but it’s not like here here, right? (laughter) It’s like I’m sure it will be like here without totally being here. You know. ‘In this world but not of it.’ Like 2 worlds, one Nirvana, one here. Walking the edge of the relative and the absolute without losing balance. Something like that, you know? (laughs) And then it hit me, why do I keep ending up back here and I thought maybe because ‘back here is where it’s at.’
Maybe there’s something here (knocks). The very place where I don’t want to be, maybe there’s something here.
Spirituality that leads to awakening is really about having our answers questioned. Having our world-view questioned, having our self-view questioned and having our spiritual view questioned. That’s spirituality. Or as St. John of the Cross said “In order to come to that which you know not, you must go by a way in which you know not.” I don’t know if you’re impressed by that but it’s one of the most lovely pieces of spirituality, “In order to come to that which you know not, you must go by a way in which you know not.” It’s lovely and it’s easy to forget. “Go by a way in which you know not.’ To unknow is much more useful than to pile up knowledge. To unknow things. Don’t worry, I don’t mean unknowing like everything you learned in school, well maybe some of the stuff you learned but most of it will probably be there intact for better or worse when it’s all said and done but to unknown. Unknow who you think you are. To unknown it. How do you unknown it? You let yourself see that you actually don’t know. That’s the beauty of a question. The beauty of a question highlights what we don’t know, right. What am I really, what am I ultimately really and truly, absolutely? What really am I? What is the person sitting in this chair? What am I really? Thoroughly, absolutely. What am I? The question gets you to that place of, ‘I don’t know,’ quickly. “In order to come to that which you know not, you must go by a way in which you know not.” And then you get to that unknown and then you stop right in the unknown, in that experience of not-knowing. Something very potent could happen if you let yourself not-know. You stay in that experience of not-knowing.
So in satsang actually we come here to unknow. That’s my hope anyway.
Opposites...
There is a pair of opposites in all things; in each thing there exists the
spirit of the opposite.
From the Teachings of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
spirit of the opposite.
From the Teachings of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
The Path...
Indeed the whole world is imagination. Only He is the real in Reality. Whoever
understands this knows the secrets of the spiritual path.
- Ibn 'Arabi, "Masters of the Path"
understands this knows the secrets of the spiritual path.
- Ibn 'Arabi, "Masters of the Path"
Wisdom...
It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf........
Walter Lippmann
Walter Lippmann
Miracle...
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." --A. Einstein
Two Paths...
Saint Teresa perfectly understood the nature of, and difference between, the two paths, and described them well and briefly. She wrote: "It is a great grace of God to practice self-examination, but too much is as bad as too little, as they say: believe me, by God's help, we shall accomplish more by contemplating the Divinity than by keeping our eyes fixed on ourselves."..............Paul Brunton
Practicing Non-Defense...
In a remote village in Japan there lived a Zen master named Hakuin. He practiced the pure and simple life of a monk.
One day, a beautiful, unmarried girl in the village fish market was discovered to be with child. As it was a conservative village, the family was furious. The girl refused to say who the father was, but under pressure, she finally admitted that the father was the master Hakuin.
In great anger the family confronted the master. They asked him, “How could you have betrayed our trust so badly?” Hakuin’s only response was to say gently, “Is that so?”
Hakuin’s reputation was destroyed, but he did not appear to mind. When the baby was born it was brought to Hakuin. He took great care of the child, though he now had to beg to survive. The villagers would scorn him, saying, “We will never forget that you betrayed our trust, you miserable man.” Each time, Hakuin replied gently, “Is that so?”
Several years later, the young mother confessed the truth: the baby’s father was not Hakuin, but another young man from the village who had not been willing to accept his obligation, so she had accused the monk knowing that he would do the right thing.
The villagers went to Hakuin to request the return of the child, saying, “We are so sorry, how could we ever have believed this of you?”
Giving back to the family the child who had become his own, Hakuin said gently, “Is that so?”
One day, a beautiful, unmarried girl in the village fish market was discovered to be with child. As it was a conservative village, the family was furious. The girl refused to say who the father was, but under pressure, she finally admitted that the father was the master Hakuin.
In great anger the family confronted the master. They asked him, “How could you have betrayed our trust so badly?” Hakuin’s only response was to say gently, “Is that so?”
Hakuin’s reputation was destroyed, but he did not appear to mind. When the baby was born it was brought to Hakuin. He took great care of the child, though he now had to beg to survive. The villagers would scorn him, saying, “We will never forget that you betrayed our trust, you miserable man.” Each time, Hakuin replied gently, “Is that so?”
Several years later, the young mother confessed the truth: the baby’s father was not Hakuin, but another young man from the village who had not been willing to accept his obligation, so she had accused the monk knowing that he would do the right thing.
The villagers went to Hakuin to request the return of the child, saying, “We are so sorry, how could we ever have believed this of you?”
Giving back to the family the child who had become his own, Hakuin said gently, “Is that so?”
Consciousness...
I had always had a sense of 'innerness', a sense of a 'center' within. Then at one point it struck me that my sense of center could be an "assumption", not a fact. I suddenly realized that that assumption created a sense of inner/outer, of a 'me' inside and of a 'world' outside. With that realization I was able to 'let go' of that assumption. With that letting go consciousness became as a point that was everywhere at once. There was no longer an 'outside'. Everything was included in that expanded sense of spaceless presence. It was as if the 'subjective geometry' of experience became radically simpler, indeed as if there were no geometry at all!
~Peter Dziuban in Consciousness is All
~Peter Dziuban in Consciousness is All
The Gate...
The gate was opened to me ... in one quarter of an hour I saw and knew more than if I had been many years together at a University ... I saw it as in a great deep in the internal; for I had a thorough view of the Universe, as a complex moving fullness wherein all things are couched and wrapped up.
~Jacob Boehme
~Jacob Boehme
True Nature...
Our true nature is not limited ... it is like the vast ocean. ... When we touch Supreme Consciousness through meditation, then we are boundless, we are everywhere, we are eternal.
~Amma Karunamayi
~Amma Karunamayi
Behold...
Behold what wonderful rest is in the Supreme Spirit
! and he enjoys it; who makes himself meet for it.
Held by the cords of love, the swing of the Ocean of Joy
sways to and fro; and a mighty sound breaks forth in song.
See what a lotus blooms there without water !
and Kabir says"My heart's bee drinks its nectar."
What a wonderful lotus it is,
that blooms at the heart of the spinning wheel of the universe!
Only a few pure souls know of its true delight.
Music is all around it,
and there the heart partakes of the joy of the Infinite Sea.
Kabir says: " Dive thou into that Ocean of sweetness:
thus let all errors of life and of death fiee away."
~Kabir
! and he enjoys it; who makes himself meet for it.
Held by the cords of love, the swing of the Ocean of Joy
sways to and fro; and a mighty sound breaks forth in song.
See what a lotus blooms there without water !
and Kabir says"My heart's bee drinks its nectar."
What a wonderful lotus it is,
that blooms at the heart of the spinning wheel of the universe!
Only a few pure souls know of its true delight.
Music is all around it,
and there the heart partakes of the joy of the Infinite Sea.
Kabir says: " Dive thou into that Ocean of sweetness:
thus let all errors of life and of death fiee away."
~Kabir
Experience...
At midnight I abruptly awakened. At first my mind was foggy, then suddenly that quotation flashed into my consciousness: "I came to realize clearly that Mind is no other than mountains, rivers, and the great wide earth, the sun and the moon and the stars." And I repeated it. Then all at once I was struck as though by lightning, and the next instant heaven and earth crumbled and disappeared. Instantaneously, like surging waves, a tremendous delight welled up in me, a veritable hurricane of delight, as I laughed loudly and wildly: "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! There's no reasoning here, no reasoning at all! Ha, ha, ha!" the empty sky split in two, then opened its enormous mouth and began to laugh uproariously ... Shakyamuni and the patriarchs haven't deceived me!"
~from "The Three Pillars of Zen" by Phillip Kapleau
~from "The Three Pillars of Zen" by Phillip Kapleau
The White Light...
If I were to spend years and years imagining how to invent anything so beautiful, I could not do it, and I do not even know how I should try, for, even in its whiteness and radiance alone, it exceeds all that we can imagine.
~Saint Teresa of Avila
~Saint Teresa of Avila
Renunciation...
The poverty of one who has renounced is real riches compared with the riches of
one who holds them fast.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
The saints and sages and prophets all had to go through this test and trial, and
in proportion to the greatness of their renunciation, so great have these souls
become. Renunciation is the sign of heroes, it is the merit of saints, it is the
character of the masters, and it is the virtue of the prophets. ... It is as
Fariduddin Attar, the great Persian poet, says, 'Renounce the good of the world,
renounce the good of heaven, renounce your highest ideal, and then renounce your
renunciation.'
He who wants anything becomes smaller than the thing he wants; he who gives away
anything is greater than the thing he gives. Therefore, to a mystic each act of
renunciation becomes a step towards perfection.
Forced renunciation, whether forced by morality, religion, law, convention, or
formality, is not necessarily renunciation. The real spirit of renunciation is
willingness; and willing renunciation comes when one has risen above the thing
one renounces. The value of each thing in life - wealth, power, position,
possession - is according to the evolution of man. There is a time in his life
when toys are his treasures, and there is a time when he puts them aside; there
is a time in his life when copper coins are everything to him, and there is
another time when he can give away gold coins; there is a time in his life when
he values a cottage, and there is a time when he gives up a palace. ...
Every step towards progress and ascent is a step of renunciation. The poverty of
the one who has renounced is real riches compared with the riches of the one who
holds them fast. One could be rich in wealth and poverty-stricken in reality;
and one can be penniless and yet richer than the rich of the world... The final
victory in the battle of life for every soul is when he has abandoned, which
means when he has risen above, what once he valued most... Such is the case with
all things of the world; they seem important or precious when we need them or
when we do not understand them; as soon as the veil which keeps man from
understanding is lifted, then they are nothing.
one who holds them fast.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
The saints and sages and prophets all had to go through this test and trial, and
in proportion to the greatness of their renunciation, so great have these souls
become. Renunciation is the sign of heroes, it is the merit of saints, it is the
character of the masters, and it is the virtue of the prophets. ... It is as
Fariduddin Attar, the great Persian poet, says, 'Renounce the good of the world,
renounce the good of heaven, renounce your highest ideal, and then renounce your
renunciation.'
He who wants anything becomes smaller than the thing he wants; he who gives away
anything is greater than the thing he gives. Therefore, to a mystic each act of
renunciation becomes a step towards perfection.
Forced renunciation, whether forced by morality, religion, law, convention, or
formality, is not necessarily renunciation. The real spirit of renunciation is
willingness; and willing renunciation comes when one has risen above the thing
one renounces. The value of each thing in life - wealth, power, position,
possession - is according to the evolution of man. There is a time in his life
when toys are his treasures, and there is a time when he puts them aside; there
is a time in his life when copper coins are everything to him, and there is
another time when he can give away gold coins; there is a time in his life when
he values a cottage, and there is a time when he gives up a palace. ...
Every step towards progress and ascent is a step of renunciation. The poverty of
the one who has renounced is real riches compared with the riches of the one who
holds them fast. One could be rich in wealth and poverty-stricken in reality;
and one can be penniless and yet richer than the rich of the world... The final
victory in the battle of life for every soul is when he has abandoned, which
means when he has risen above, what once he valued most... Such is the case with
all things of the world; they seem important or precious when we need them or
when we do not understand them; as soon as the veil which keeps man from
understanding is lifted, then they are nothing.
Dzogchen...
According to some schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, Dzogchen is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of every sentient being, including every human being. Dzogchen, or "Great Perfection", is the central teaching of the Nyingma school and is considered by them to be the highest and most definitive path to enlightenment.[1] The Madhyamaka teachings on emptiness are fundamental to and thoroughly compatible with Dzogchen practices.
Our ultimate nature is said to be pure, all-encompassing, primordial awareness. This "intrinsic awareness" has no form of its own and yet is capable of perceiving, experiencing, reflecting, or expressing all form. It does so without being affected by those forms in any ultimate, permanent way. The analogy given by Dzogchen masters is that one's nature is like a mirror which reflects with complete openness but is not affected by the reflections, or like a crystal ball that takes on the colour of the material on which it is placed without itself being changed. Other evocative phrases used by masters describe it as an "effulgence", an "all-pervading fullness" or as "space that is aware". When an individual is able to maintain the dzogchen state continually, he or she no longer experiences dukkha, or feelings of discontent, tension and anxiety in everyday life. (Compare with nirvana).
from wikipedia
Our ultimate nature is said to be pure, all-encompassing, primordial awareness. This "intrinsic awareness" has no form of its own and yet is capable of perceiving, experiencing, reflecting, or expressing all form. It does so without being affected by those forms in any ultimate, permanent way. The analogy given by Dzogchen masters is that one's nature is like a mirror which reflects with complete openness but is not affected by the reflections, or like a crystal ball that takes on the colour of the material on which it is placed without itself being changed. Other evocative phrases used by masters describe it as an "effulgence", an "all-pervading fullness" or as "space that is aware". When an individual is able to maintain the dzogchen state continually, he or she no longer experiences dukkha, or feelings of discontent, tension and anxiety in everyday life. (Compare with nirvana).
from wikipedia
Rigpa...
Rigpa (Tibetan; Sanskrit vidya) is the primordial, nondual awareness advocated by the Dzogchen and Mahamudra teachings.
“ Rigpa is a Tibetan word, which in general means ‘intelligence’ or ‘awareness’. In Dzogchen, however, the highest teachings in the Buddhist tradition of Tibet, rigpa has a deeper connotation, ‘the innermost nature of the mind’. The whole of the teaching of Buddha is directed towards realizing this, our ultimate nature, the state of omniscience or enlightenment – a truth so universal, so primordial that it goes beyond all limits, and beyond even religion itself.
—Sogyal Rinpoche
“ Rigpa is a Tibetan word, which in general means ‘intelligence’ or ‘awareness’. In Dzogchen, however, the highest teachings in the Buddhist tradition of Tibet, rigpa has a deeper connotation, ‘the innermost nature of the mind’. The whole of the teaching of Buddha is directed towards realizing this, our ultimate nature, the state of omniscience or enlightenment – a truth so universal, so primordial that it goes beyond all limits, and beyond even religion itself.
—Sogyal Rinpoche
The Dalai Lama on Dzogchen and Rigpa:..
“Dodurupchen says that all phenomena are quite definitely such that they arise as rigpa’s energy or rigpa’s display. From the point of view of the new schools of tantra (sarma), everything that appears arises as the display of great bliss, and the display of emptiness. In the terminology of Dzogchen whatever manifests arises as the display of rigpa, and that is certain. So the agent responsible for all of this as well as the space and ground for it all, is the single state of Clear Light. Everything, in fact , is the display or array of Clear Light… Such experiences of Clear Light will arise, and when they do, you are left without any fear of falling into samsara: you are left without any hope of attaining nirvana: you are left without any hope or fear whatsoever. All experiences and all feelings, be they good or bad, karma, its results, birth and death and change: all of this manifests as the magical display of Clear Light.
Constructs...
Every presented thing which is seen smelled, heard, felt, or tasted, no less than every representative thought, idea, name, or image, is entirely mental. The streets of busy towns and the forests of lonely mountains are all, without exception, mere constructs of the imagining faculty..........Paul Brunton
The Wall of Separation...
Our limited self is a wall separating us from the Self of God.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In order to reach spiritual perfection the first thing is to destroy this false
self. First this delusion must be destroyed. And this is done by the ways taught
by the great teachers, ways of concentration and meditation, by the power of
which one forgets oneself and removes one's consciousness from oneself, in other
words rises from one's limited being. In this way a person effaces himself from
his own consciousness, and places God in his consciousness instead of his
limited self. And it is in this way that he arrives at that perfection which
every soul is seeking.
Real justice cannot be perceived until the veil of selfishness has been removed
from his eyes. The least spark of selfishness will prevent man from being just;
he will continue to have a partial interest, because he will be looking after
his own interest. Whatever furthers his own interests, he will call his right
and his justice.
The prophets and the holy ones have all recognized the justice of God as the
only real justice. What is the nature of the justice of God? It cannot be read
in scripture; it cannot be learned from a book; it can only be learned from the
Self within after selfishness has been removed. Our limited self is like a wall
separating us from the Self of God. God is as far away from us as that wall is
thick.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In order to reach spiritual perfection the first thing is to destroy this false
self. First this delusion must be destroyed. And this is done by the ways taught
by the great teachers, ways of concentration and meditation, by the power of
which one forgets oneself and removes one's consciousness from oneself, in other
words rises from one's limited being. In this way a person effaces himself from
his own consciousness, and places God in his consciousness instead of his
limited self. And it is in this way that he arrives at that perfection which
every soul is seeking.
Real justice cannot be perceived until the veil of selfishness has been removed
from his eyes. The least spark of selfishness will prevent man from being just;
he will continue to have a partial interest, because he will be looking after
his own interest. Whatever furthers his own interests, he will call his right
and his justice.
The prophets and the holy ones have all recognized the justice of God as the
only real justice. What is the nature of the justice of God? It cannot be read
in scripture; it cannot be learned from a book; it can only be learned from the
Self within after selfishness has been removed. Our limited self is like a wall
separating us from the Self of God. God is as far away from us as that wall is
thick.
Thought...
The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love Born out of concern for all beings............Gautama the Buddha
Transcendentalism...
In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his 1842 lecture The Transcendentalist:
"The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine. He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power; he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy. He wishes that the spiritual principle should be suffered to demonstrate itself to the end, in all possible applications to the state of man, without the admission of anything unspiritual; that is, anything positive, dogmatic, personal. Thus, the spiritual measure of inspiration is the depth of the thought, and never, who said it? And so he resists all attempts to palm other rules and measures on the spirit than its own....
"It is well known to most of my audience, that the Idealism of the present day acquired the name of Transcendental, from the use of that term by Immanuel Kant, of Konigsberg, who replied to the skeptical philosophy of Locke, which insisted that there was nothing in the intellect which was not previously in the experience of the senses, by showing that there was a very important class of ideas, or imperative forms, which did not come by experience, but through which experience was acquired; that these were intuitions of the mind itself; and he denominated them Transcendental forms. The extraordinary profoundness and precision of that man's thinking have given vogue to his nomenclature, in Europe and America, to that extent, that whatever belongs to the class of intuitive thought, is popularly called at the present day Transcendental...."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Transcendentalist, 1842
"The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine. He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power; he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy. He wishes that the spiritual principle should be suffered to demonstrate itself to the end, in all possible applications to the state of man, without the admission of anything unspiritual; that is, anything positive, dogmatic, personal. Thus, the spiritual measure of inspiration is the depth of the thought, and never, who said it? And so he resists all attempts to palm other rules and measures on the spirit than its own....
"It is well known to most of my audience, that the Idealism of the present day acquired the name of Transcendental, from the use of that term by Immanuel Kant, of Konigsberg, who replied to the skeptical philosophy of Locke, which insisted that there was nothing in the intellect which was not previously in the experience of the senses, by showing that there was a very important class of ideas, or imperative forms, which did not come by experience, but through which experience was acquired; that these were intuitions of the mind itself; and he denominated them Transcendental forms. The extraordinary profoundness and precision of that man's thinking have given vogue to his nomenclature, in Europe and America, to that extent, that whatever belongs to the class of intuitive thought, is popularly called at the present day Transcendental...."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Transcendentalist, 1842
The Golden Rule...
Let us treat men and women well; treat them as if they were real. Perhaps they are.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Esoteric Teachings:...
1. God is
2. God is love
3. I am love
4. I am God
5. Everything is God
6. Everything is important and nothing is important
7. Everything is illusion back to God
8. Everything is already accomplished; all you do is bring your Consciousness to it
9. Divine Order is always in place
10. There is no place to go and nothing to do
11. Show up and be lovingly present, no matter what it looks like out there or inside yourself
12. Always speak the Truth of your Heart
13. Have the patience and persistence to practice your Truth
14. Self-Love
from Goddirect.org
2. God is love
3. I am love
4. I am God
5. Everything is God
6. Everything is important and nothing is important
7. Everything is illusion back to God
8. Everything is already accomplished; all you do is bring your Consciousness to it
9. Divine Order is always in place
10. There is no place to go and nothing to do
11. Show up and be lovingly present, no matter what it looks like out there or inside yourself
12. Always speak the Truth of your Heart
13. Have the patience and persistence to practice your Truth
14. Self-Love
from Goddirect.org
The Ego Resistance...
“Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said, Bob, why are you resisting me? I said, I'm not resisting you! He said, You gonna follow me? I said, I've never thought about that before! He said, When you're not following me, you're resisting me.”
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Sacrifice...
“The sacrifice which causes sorrow to the doer of the sacrifice is no sacrifice. Real sacrifice lightens the mind of the doer and gives him a sense of peace and joy. The Buddha gave up the pleasures of life because they had become painful to him.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
You must die, to be Born Again...
The eventual trend of evolution is through and away from personality, as we now know it. We shall find ourselves afresh in a higher individuality, the soul. To achieve this, the lower characteristics have slowly to be shed. In this sense, we do die to the earthly self and are born again in the higher self. That is the only real death awaiting us.........Paul Brunton
The Present Presence...
"Truth or Reality cannot be stored, cannot be amassed--it does not accumulate.
The value of any insight, understanding, or realisation can only be in
the ever-fresh presence of the moment.
Yesterday's realisation is not a bit of good. Now it is dead. Now it
has lost it's vitality.
It is useless to try and cling to or hold onto an insight, an
understanding, or a realisation, for only in it's movement can there
be the enabling of ever-fresh and new insights of Truth or Reality to
appear.
The idea of enlightenment or self-realisation as a onetime event or a
lasting and permanent state or experience is an erroneous concept.
Understand-ING or know-ING is alive in the immediacy which can never
be negated. The emphasis is on the activity of know-ING which is going
on as the immediacy now--not the dead concept 'I understand' or 'I
know'".........."Sailor" Bob Adamson
The value of any insight, understanding, or realisation can only be in
the ever-fresh presence of the moment.
Yesterday's realisation is not a bit of good. Now it is dead. Now it
has lost it's vitality.
It is useless to try and cling to or hold onto an insight, an
understanding, or a realisation, for only in it's movement can there
be the enabling of ever-fresh and new insights of Truth or Reality to
appear.
The idea of enlightenment or self-realisation as a onetime event or a
lasting and permanent state or experience is an erroneous concept.
Understand-ING or know-ING is alive in the immediacy which can never
be negated. The emphasis is on the activity of know-ING which is going
on as the immediacy now--not the dead concept 'I understand' or 'I
know'".........."Sailor" Bob Adamson
The Albigen System...
The Albigen System is a unique path created several decades ago by teacher/author Richard Rose when he first began working with those who wished to find a retreat from error and a vector that would bring them to a full realization of Truth or Enlightenment. Based on his book, The Albigen Papers, along with personal notes and observations he held about the psychology of observation and action, he “prescribed” a ways and means of “Becoming” as he put it – so that one could identify their obstacles and chief feature in order to become the Truth. He would often refer to the phrase, “becoming as a little child,” to bring about the understanding that a person must rid themselves of their “barnacles and bugs” to even begin to develop an intuition and clarity which would eventually bring them to an understanding of their essential nature.
The Albigen System aims directly at Self-Realization or Enlightenment. It is a practical, subtractive system. It is not jaded by political correctness, positive thinking, devotion, dogma or ritual. It is simply based on going beyond illusion, beginning with the self. His system of meditation is likewise simply based on going within and observing your thoughts, humiliations, errors and egos with a detached “massive indifference.” It does not seek for definitions of Truth but instead encourages the individual to develop a vector that leads away from untruth. He referred to this as the Maximum Reversal System. By uncovering and acknowledging the illusions, untruths and inconsistencies in our own lives we stand a chance of stumbling upon our true nature and our very Source.
The Albigen System aims directly at Self-Realization or Enlightenment. It is a practical, subtractive system. It is not jaded by political correctness, positive thinking, devotion, dogma or ritual. It is simply based on going beyond illusion, beginning with the self. His system of meditation is likewise simply based on going within and observing your thoughts, humiliations, errors and egos with a detached “massive indifference.” It does not seek for definitions of Truth but instead encourages the individual to develop a vector that leads away from untruth. He referred to this as the Maximum Reversal System. By uncovering and acknowledging the illusions, untruths and inconsistencies in our own lives we stand a chance of stumbling upon our true nature and our very Source.
Mystic Doctrines...
In the Webster's New Riverside Dictionary it defines Mysticism as, "A spiritual dicipline aiming at direct union or communion with God or with ultimate reality through trancelike contemplation or deep meditation."
That definition is a good place to start. This website will detail the Mystic Doctrines of Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and explore the Secrets of Enoch and other ancient teachings that illuminate the true nature of reality and ourselves.
One of the problems seekers of truth find when researching into inter-faith mysticism, is the use of words difficult to understand. The reason for this is because of the problems in translating ancient texts into other languages. Because there are words in some languages that do not translate well into just one word in another language, the original word is used as a way to avoid misleading translations. Unfortunately only linguistic scholars can use these orginal words and extract meaning from their use. That is why when researching Sufism (Islamic Mysticism) you come across words like nafs, tark and salek. Or when studying Yoga (Hindu Mysticism) you struggle with words like manas, sadhaka, dharana and dhyana. The Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism) is loaded with arcane words such as sephiroth, chaya and the upper and lower ruach.
This website will strive to avoid such words, and will either use a good english eqivalent or a word-pair, in an attempt to better communicate concepts at the risk of being slightly inaccurate from the pure original doctrines. In some cases concepts will be formed from blends of Taoism and Sufism or, for example, Yoga and the Kabbalah. Rather than point out the different semantics used from the two sources, the concept or doctrine will be paraphrased in neutral language for the purpose of clarity............from the Reluctant Messenger
That definition is a good place to start. This website will detail the Mystic Doctrines of Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and explore the Secrets of Enoch and other ancient teachings that illuminate the true nature of reality and ourselves.
One of the problems seekers of truth find when researching into inter-faith mysticism, is the use of words difficult to understand. The reason for this is because of the problems in translating ancient texts into other languages. Because there are words in some languages that do not translate well into just one word in another language, the original word is used as a way to avoid misleading translations. Unfortunately only linguistic scholars can use these orginal words and extract meaning from their use. That is why when researching Sufism (Islamic Mysticism) you come across words like nafs, tark and salek. Or when studying Yoga (Hindu Mysticism) you struggle with words like manas, sadhaka, dharana and dhyana. The Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism) is loaded with arcane words such as sephiroth, chaya and the upper and lower ruach.
This website will strive to avoid such words, and will either use a good english eqivalent or a word-pair, in an attempt to better communicate concepts at the risk of being slightly inaccurate from the pure original doctrines. In some cases concepts will be formed from blends of Taoism and Sufism or, for example, Yoga and the Kabbalah. Rather than point out the different semantics used from the two sources, the concept or doctrine will be paraphrased in neutral language for the purpose of clarity............from the Reluctant Messenger
The real spirituality ~~ Inayat Khan
The real spirituality is in living a life of fullness, in penetrating all
planes of existence. It is a deep insight into life which is the sign of
spirituality. Spirituality is raising of the consciousness from manhood to
Godhood. Spirituality is widening, expanding of the heart as a bubble
expanding to an ocean. Spirituality is in raising the soul to the greatest
heights and touching the deepest depths. Spirituality is in forgetting
one's false self and realizing one's real self. Spirituality is enjoying
and appreciating all things, understanding and comprehending everything,
using and utilizing everything to its best advantage, surmounting
difficulties, solving problems, clearing clouds of confusion and depression.
Spirituality is fearlessness, joyfulness, calmness and peace.
planes of existence. It is a deep insight into life which is the sign of
spirituality. Spirituality is raising of the consciousness from manhood to
Godhood. Spirituality is widening, expanding of the heart as a bubble
expanding to an ocean. Spirituality is in raising the soul to the greatest
heights and touching the deepest depths. Spirituality is in forgetting
one's false self and realizing one's real self. Spirituality is enjoying
and appreciating all things, understanding and comprehending everything,
using and utilizing everything to its best advantage, surmounting
difficulties, solving problems, clearing clouds of confusion and depression.
Spirituality is fearlessness, joyfulness, calmness and peace.
Ego and Mind...
The thinking mind, the ego, the "me" are all the same. They are different names for the same thing, which is an illusion.
It is the nature of the monkey-mind to jump about and chatter.
Ego is the thinking mind.
Mind is merely a collection of thoughts, or a collection of impressions which makes up this "me", this self image.
The ego is the identified consciousness. When the impersonal Consciousness identifies itself with the personal organism, the ego arises.
Identification with the body is so total that it gives one a sense of separate identity. Now, the separate identity is merely a concept, a concept based on the individual body appearing solid.
All there is is consciousness. That is the Source from which the manifestation has come.
The only truth is I AM - I Exist. That is the only truth. Everything else is a concept. Rebirth is a concept. Your karma is a concept.
What is seeking? Seeking is "you" wanting to know God.
Consciousness is the only Reality.
Seekers continue to practice all kinds of self-torture without realizing that such 'spiritual practice' is a reinforcement of the very ego that prevents them from their natural, free state.
Enlightenment is total emptiness of mind. There is nothing you can do to get it. Any effort you make can only be an obstruction to it.
The same Consciousness prevails at rest as the Absolute and in motion as duality. When the sense of "me" disappears completely, duality vanishes in ecstasy.
Ramesh Balsekar
It is the nature of the monkey-mind to jump about and chatter.
Ego is the thinking mind.
Mind is merely a collection of thoughts, or a collection of impressions which makes up this "me", this self image.
The ego is the identified consciousness. When the impersonal Consciousness identifies itself with the personal organism, the ego arises.
Identification with the body is so total that it gives one a sense of separate identity. Now, the separate identity is merely a concept, a concept based on the individual body appearing solid.
All there is is consciousness. That is the Source from which the manifestation has come.
The only truth is I AM - I Exist. That is the only truth. Everything else is a concept. Rebirth is a concept. Your karma is a concept.
What is seeking? Seeking is "you" wanting to know God.
Consciousness is the only Reality.
Seekers continue to practice all kinds of self-torture without realizing that such 'spiritual practice' is a reinforcement of the very ego that prevents them from their natural, free state.
Enlightenment is total emptiness of mind. There is nothing you can do to get it. Any effort you make can only be an obstruction to it.
The same Consciousness prevails at rest as the Absolute and in motion as duality. When the sense of "me" disappears completely, duality vanishes in ecstasy.
Ramesh Balsekar
Mind and Consciousness...by Remez Sasson
The mind is like a machine that never shuts down. Does the engine of your car or your vacuum cleaner work incessantly, twenty four hours a day? Why does your mind work this way?
Learn to be aware and conscious of your consciousness, and you will find who you really are.
Concentration is the ability to focus the mind on one point.
There is consciousness of the ego and the world around you, and there is consciousness of the Real Self, the Real You.
Stop your agitated thoughts, and find out who it is that stops them.
Concentration and meditation lead to the ability to be without thoughts, but yet retain full consciousness.
In full calmness and peace you experience the unchanging, eternal pure being that you are.
You, the real you, are eternal, not the ego, body, feelings or thoughts, but the spirit beyond them.
You are the the consciousness and awareness beyond words and thoughts.
Upon Self-Realization, you will burst into laughter. You will be amazed how simple and different it is from what you have thought it is.
To realize your inner self is pure simplicity. You do not have to do anything; yet you have to work hard to get it. It may seem a paradox, but it is not.
Freedom is won by throwing away your mental illusions and attachments.
Thoughts are not a necessity; most of the time they are just distractions that obstruct your inner vision.
It is possible, through proper means, to teach the mind to think only when it is necessary, for the period of time you decide.
Without incessant thinking, you become more conscious and alive.
People's experience of the no-thinking state is limited to times of deep sleep or unconsciousness, as in a swoon or under anesthetics.
Being fully conscious, yet without thoughts, is like sleep, but yet being awake.
To understand what inner freedom means, imagine the state of the happiness, calmness, relaxation and peace of mind of deep sleep, but combined with full awakening and awareness.
The waves of the mind lose their power to disturb and distract you, when you still the mind and rise above its desires and whims.
To use the mind when needed, and to switch it off afterwards, is a great art and science.
Cleanse your mind with the soap of concentration, and wash it with the water of meditation.
Consciousness of your real nature dawns, as you start gaining the ability to still your mind.
Learn to be aware and conscious of your consciousness, and you will find who you really are.
Concentration is the ability to focus the mind on one point.
There is consciousness of the ego and the world around you, and there is consciousness of the Real Self, the Real You.
Stop your agitated thoughts, and find out who it is that stops them.
Concentration and meditation lead to the ability to be without thoughts, but yet retain full consciousness.
In full calmness and peace you experience the unchanging, eternal pure being that you are.
You, the real you, are eternal, not the ego, body, feelings or thoughts, but the spirit beyond them.
You are the the consciousness and awareness beyond words and thoughts.
Upon Self-Realization, you will burst into laughter. You will be amazed how simple and different it is from what you have thought it is.
To realize your inner self is pure simplicity. You do not have to do anything; yet you have to work hard to get it. It may seem a paradox, but it is not.
Freedom is won by throwing away your mental illusions and attachments.
Thoughts are not a necessity; most of the time they are just distractions that obstruct your inner vision.
It is possible, through proper means, to teach the mind to think only when it is necessary, for the period of time you decide.
Without incessant thinking, you become more conscious and alive.
People's experience of the no-thinking state is limited to times of deep sleep or unconsciousness, as in a swoon or under anesthetics.
Being fully conscious, yet without thoughts, is like sleep, but yet being awake.
To understand what inner freedom means, imagine the state of the happiness, calmness, relaxation and peace of mind of deep sleep, but combined with full awakening and awareness.
The waves of the mind lose their power to disturb and distract you, when you still the mind and rise above its desires and whims.
To use the mind when needed, and to switch it off afterwards, is a great art and science.
Cleanse your mind with the soap of concentration, and wash it with the water of meditation.
Consciousness of your real nature dawns, as you start gaining the ability to still your mind.
Wisdom of Gautama the Buddha...
If a man who enjoys a lesser happiness beholds a greater one, let him leave aside the lesser to gain the greater.
I reached in experience the nirvana which is unborn, unrivalled, secure from attachment, undecaying and unstained. This condition is indeed reached by me which is deep, difficult to see, difficult to understand, tranquil, excellent, beyond the reach of mere logic, subtle, and to be realized only by the wise.
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.
What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
The mind is the source of happiness and unhappiness.
As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care. And let it spring from love, born out of concern for all beings.
Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.
Look within, thou art the Buddha.
Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.
I reached in experience the nirvana which is unborn, unrivalled, secure from attachment, undecaying and unstained. This condition is indeed reached by me which is deep, difficult to see, difficult to understand, tranquil, excellent, beyond the reach of mere logic, subtle, and to be realized only by the wise.
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.
What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
The mind is the source of happiness and unhappiness.
As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care. And let it spring from love, born out of concern for all beings.
Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.
Look within, thou art the Buddha.
Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.
Presence...
Presence is needed to become aware of the beauty, the majesty, the
sacredness of nature. Have you ever gazed up into the infinity of space on a
clear night, awestruck by the absolute stillness and inconceivable vastness
of it? Have you listened, truly listened, to the sound of a mountain stream
in the forests? Or to the song of a blackbird at dusk on a quiet summer
evening?
To become aware of such things, the mind need needs to be still. You have to
put down for a moment your personal baggage of problems, of past and future,
as well as all your knowledge; otherwise, you will see but not see, hear but
not hear. Your total presence is required.
Beyond the beauty of the external forms, there is more here: something that
cannot be named, something ineffable, some deep, inner, holy essence.
Whenever and whenever there is beauty, this inner essence shines through
somehow. It only reveals itself to you when you are present.
Could it be that this nameless essence and your presence are one and the
same? Would it be there without your presence? Go deeply into it. Find out
for yourself.
~ Eckhart Tolle
Excerpted from Practicing The Power of Now
sacredness of nature. Have you ever gazed up into the infinity of space on a
clear night, awestruck by the absolute stillness and inconceivable vastness
of it? Have you listened, truly listened, to the sound of a mountain stream
in the forests? Or to the song of a blackbird at dusk on a quiet summer
evening?
To become aware of such things, the mind need needs to be still. You have to
put down for a moment your personal baggage of problems, of past and future,
as well as all your knowledge; otherwise, you will see but not see, hear but
not hear. Your total presence is required.
Beyond the beauty of the external forms, there is more here: something that
cannot be named, something ineffable, some deep, inner, holy essence.
Whenever and whenever there is beauty, this inner essence shines through
somehow. It only reveals itself to you when you are present.
Could it be that this nameless essence and your presence are one and the
same? Would it be there without your presence? Go deeply into it. Find out
for yourself.
~ Eckhart Tolle
Excerpted from Practicing The Power of Now
Our Relation To the Absolute ...
To keep this origin always at the back of one's mind because it is also the end of all things, is a necessary practice. But this can only be done if one cultivates reactionlessness to the happenings of every day. This does not mean showing no outward reaction, but it does mean that deep down indifference has been achieved--not an empty indifference, but one based on seeing the Divine essence in all things, all creatures, and a Divine meaning in all happenings..........Paul Brunton
Surrendering to God...
So give up your intellectual exercises of trying to know God with the mind or to worship Him with the mind, and live in the constant atmosphere of, "I live, yet not I. Christ liveth my life. God is my being." In the degree that you live in that atmosphere, you give up any pretense that you are accomplishing anything of your own self. Then there is no sense of personal attainment, there is no ego, there is no personal self.
The more you surrender your self that God may function as your mind, you soul, your life, your breathing, your being, your body, the more Divine Grace will be expressed as and through you. The ignorant may say that you are wonderful, noble beautiful. But you, within yourself, will say to yourself, "How I wish you knew that this is not me you see but 'the Father who sent me,' for I and the Father are one." But this is true only when you have surrendered your self to the extent that you are not trying to manipulate and influence God with your mind, not even in your behalf or your neighbor's behalf. It is true only when you accept God as the Being of every being and let Him function through you.
~ Joel S. Goldsmith, Living By Grace
The more you surrender your self that God may function as your mind, you soul, your life, your breathing, your being, your body, the more Divine Grace will be expressed as and through you. The ignorant may say that you are wonderful, noble beautiful. But you, within yourself, will say to yourself, "How I wish you knew that this is not me you see but 'the Father who sent me,' for I and the Father are one." But this is true only when you have surrendered your self to the extent that you are not trying to manipulate and influence God with your mind, not even in your behalf or your neighbor's behalf. It is true only when you accept God as the Being of every being and let Him function through you.
~ Joel S. Goldsmith, Living By Grace
Famous quotes regarding the Bhagavad Gita~
When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe, everything else seems so superfluous.
~ Albert Einstein
When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.
~Henry David Thoreau
The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions.
~Dr. Albert Schweitzer
The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization.
~Sri Aurobindo
The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states…" behold we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant." This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in chapter 15 of Bhagavad-Gita.
- Carl Jung
The Bhagavad-Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander purpose of the universe.
- Jawaharlal Nehru
The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life's wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion.
- Herman Hesse
I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it.
- Rudolph Steiner
From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures.
- Adi Shankara
The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity.
- Aldous Huxley
The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is the essence of all spiritual knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna's primary purpose for descending and incarnating is relieve the world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are opposed to spiritual development, yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be perpetually within reach of all humanity.
- Ramanuja
The Bhagavad-Gita is not seperate from the Vaishnava philosophy and the Srimad Bhagavatam fully reveals the true import of this doctrine which is transmigation of the soul. On perusal of the first chapter of Bhagavad-Gita one may think that they are advised to engage in warfare. When the second chapter has been read it can be clearly understood that knowledge and the soul is the ultimate goal to be attained. On studying the third chapter it is apparent that acts of righteousness are also of high priority. If we continue and patiently take the time to complete the Bhagavad-Gita and try to ascertain the truth of its closing chapter we can see that the ultimate conclusion is to relinquish all the conceptualized ideas of religion which we possess and fully surrender directly unto the Supreme Lord.
- Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
The Mahabharata has all the essential ingredients necessary to evolve and protect humanity and that within it the Bhagavad-Gita is the epitome of the Mahabharata just as ghee is the essence of milk and pollen is the essence of flowers.
- Madhvacarya
~ Albert Einstein
When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.
~Henry David Thoreau
The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions.
~Dr. Albert Schweitzer
The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization.
~Sri Aurobindo
The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states…" behold we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant." This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in chapter 15 of Bhagavad-Gita.
- Carl Jung
The Bhagavad-Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander purpose of the universe.
- Jawaharlal Nehru
The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life's wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion.
- Herman Hesse
I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it.
- Rudolph Steiner
From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures.
- Adi Shankara
The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity.
- Aldous Huxley
The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is the essence of all spiritual knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna's primary purpose for descending and incarnating is relieve the world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are opposed to spiritual development, yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be perpetually within reach of all humanity.
- Ramanuja
The Bhagavad-Gita is not seperate from the Vaishnava philosophy and the Srimad Bhagavatam fully reveals the true import of this doctrine which is transmigation of the soul. On perusal of the first chapter of Bhagavad-Gita one may think that they are advised to engage in warfare. When the second chapter has been read it can be clearly understood that knowledge and the soul is the ultimate goal to be attained. On studying the third chapter it is apparent that acts of righteousness are also of high priority. If we continue and patiently take the time to complete the Bhagavad-Gita and try to ascertain the truth of its closing chapter we can see that the ultimate conclusion is to relinquish all the conceptualized ideas of religion which we possess and fully surrender directly unto the Supreme Lord.
- Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
The Mahabharata has all the essential ingredients necessary to evolve and protect humanity and that within it the Bhagavad-Gita is the epitome of the Mahabharata just as ghee is the essence of milk and pollen is the essence of flowers.
- Madhvacarya
The Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita...
Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace.
Neither in this world nor elsewhere is there any happiness in store for him who always doubts.
Delusion arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down when reasoning is destroyed.
Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.
The mind is restless and difficult to restrain, but it is subdued by practice.
There has never been a time when you and I have not existed, nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist. As the same person inhabits the body through childhood, youth, and old age, so too at the time of death he attains another body. The wise are not deluded by these changes.
Those who eat too much or eat too little, who sleep too much or sleep too little, will not succeed in meditation. But those who are temperate in eating and sleeping, work and recreation, will come to the end of sorrow through meditation.
Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without a doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart.
The soul who meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied within the Self; there remains nothing more for him to accomplish.
Fear Not. What is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed.
Not by refraining from action does man attain freedom from action. Not by mere renunciation does he attain supreme perfection.
Action is greater than inaction. Perform therefore thy task in life. Even the life of the body could not be if there were no action.
When the sage climbs the heights of Yoga, he follows the path of work; but when he reaches the heights of Yoga, he is in the land of peace.
Whenever the mind unsteady and restless strays away from the spirit, let him ever and for ever lead it again to the spirit.
No work stains a man who is pure, who is in harmony, who is master of his life, whose soul is one with the soul of all.
Neither in this world nor elsewhere is there any happiness in store for him who always doubts.
Delusion arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down when reasoning is destroyed.
Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.
The mind is restless and difficult to restrain, but it is subdued by practice.
There has never been a time when you and I have not existed, nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist. As the same person inhabits the body through childhood, youth, and old age, so too at the time of death he attains another body. The wise are not deluded by these changes.
Those who eat too much or eat too little, who sleep too much or sleep too little, will not succeed in meditation. But those who are temperate in eating and sleeping, work and recreation, will come to the end of sorrow through meditation.
Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without a doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart.
The soul who meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied within the Self; there remains nothing more for him to accomplish.
Fear Not. What is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed.
Not by refraining from action does man attain freedom from action. Not by mere renunciation does he attain supreme perfection.
Action is greater than inaction. Perform therefore thy task in life. Even the life of the body could not be if there were no action.
When the sage climbs the heights of Yoga, he follows the path of work; but when he reaches the heights of Yoga, he is in the land of peace.
Whenever the mind unsteady and restless strays away from the spirit, let him ever and for ever lead it again to the spirit.
No work stains a man who is pure, who is in harmony, who is master of his life, whose soul is one with the soul of all.
Peace of Mind...
Peace of mind is experienced when the stormy waves of the mind quell down.
Real peace of mind is the companion of the silence of the mind.
You get peace of mind not by thinking about it or imagining it, but by quietening and relaxing the restless mind.
Your nature is absolute peace. You are not the mind. Silence your mind through concentration and meditation, and you will discover the peace of the Spirit that you are, and have always been.
The mind is like a TV screen. There is always movement and action there. As you can switch off your TV, so you can switch off the TV screen of your mind.
When you sleep, you entertain no visitors at your house, and your windows and doors are closed. When you want to enjoy peace of mind you have to let your thoughts go, and close the windows and doors of your mind.
You switch off the engine of your car, so why don't you switch off the engine of your mind?
Inner peace creates outer peace.
The mind is like a room that is always full with stuff. There is no free space there. When it becomes vacant, peace of mind prevails.
Give your brain some rest by switching off the movements of the mind.
Stop your thoughts, but stay awake, and you will experience the great ocean of peace beyond the mind.
You are the consciousness beyond the mind. By stilling the mind you realize this fact. Then peace of mind will be always be with you.
True peace of mind is not dependent on circumstances. It comes from the inside.
The wind causes waves to arise at the sea. Restless thoughts are the winds that bring waves and storms into the mind.
Learn to calm down the winds of your mind, and you will enjoy great inner peace.
Worries, fears, desires, restlessness, nervousness drive peace of mind away.
When you sleep deeply, nothing worries you. You enjoy peace. You can enjoy this same peace while awake and active.
Through concentration and meditation you become the boss of your mind, and gain the ability to tell it when to be active and when to stay silent.
Constant meditation awakens the ability to enjoy peace of mind while talking, eating, walking, working and throughout any other activity.
Negative feelings and negative thoughts keep peace of mind away.
The presence of a true spiritual teacher, reading inspiring words and letting in inspiring thoughts, tend to make the mind peaceful.
Meditate regularly, think only positively, aspire to find the consciousness beyond the mind, and peace of mind will be yours.
Do you need or enjoy fear, worries and restlessness? If you don't, then why do you keep inviting them into your mind?
As the house is cleaned, so the mind can be cleaned. As you enjoy a clean house, you will enjoy a clean and unclutterd mind.
When you unclutter your mind, you enjoy peace of mind..........Remez Sasson
Real peace of mind is the companion of the silence of the mind.
You get peace of mind not by thinking about it or imagining it, but by quietening and relaxing the restless mind.
Your nature is absolute peace. You are not the mind. Silence your mind through concentration and meditation, and you will discover the peace of the Spirit that you are, and have always been.
The mind is like a TV screen. There is always movement and action there. As you can switch off your TV, so you can switch off the TV screen of your mind.
When you sleep, you entertain no visitors at your house, and your windows and doors are closed. When you want to enjoy peace of mind you have to let your thoughts go, and close the windows and doors of your mind.
You switch off the engine of your car, so why don't you switch off the engine of your mind?
Inner peace creates outer peace.
The mind is like a room that is always full with stuff. There is no free space there. When it becomes vacant, peace of mind prevails.
Give your brain some rest by switching off the movements of the mind.
Stop your thoughts, but stay awake, and you will experience the great ocean of peace beyond the mind.
You are the consciousness beyond the mind. By stilling the mind you realize this fact. Then peace of mind will be always be with you.
True peace of mind is not dependent on circumstances. It comes from the inside.
The wind causes waves to arise at the sea. Restless thoughts are the winds that bring waves and storms into the mind.
Learn to calm down the winds of your mind, and you will enjoy great inner peace.
Worries, fears, desires, restlessness, nervousness drive peace of mind away.
When you sleep deeply, nothing worries you. You enjoy peace. You can enjoy this same peace while awake and active.
Through concentration and meditation you become the boss of your mind, and gain the ability to tell it when to be active and when to stay silent.
Constant meditation awakens the ability to enjoy peace of mind while talking, eating, walking, working and throughout any other activity.
Negative feelings and negative thoughts keep peace of mind away.
The presence of a true spiritual teacher, reading inspiring words and letting in inspiring thoughts, tend to make the mind peaceful.
Meditate regularly, think only positively, aspire to find the consciousness beyond the mind, and peace of mind will be yours.
Do you need or enjoy fear, worries and restlessness? If you don't, then why do you keep inviting them into your mind?
As the house is cleaned, so the mind can be cleaned. As you enjoy a clean house, you will enjoy a clean and unclutterd mind.
When you unclutter your mind, you enjoy peace of mind..........Remez Sasson
Thoughts...
Thoughts are impediments to seeing your own face. Don't give rise to any thought, and discover who you are.
What is purification of the mind? No thought. This thought-less mind, sattvic mind, no mind, can be called Consciousness itself. Self itself.
If you address the mind with "Who are you?" it will disappear.
Mind is nothing but thought. You can't separate thought itself from the mind.
When we use the word "I", there is ego. Then there is the mind, then there is a body, then there are senses, then there are sense objects, and then all manifestation arises.
Who is journeying for freedom? The one who is already free. Just get rid of the concept, "I am the body, separate from the source." You return to what you always were.
Nothing arises without Self. All existence is one in one's own Self.
Meditation is to effortlessly turn the mind toward that energy which energizes mind.
The Silence that I speak about is neither meditating nor sitting quiet. The Silence that I speak about has nothing to do with meditation or talking or not talking because then the mind is still running about here and there and everywhere. What I mean by Silence is that should be no thought rising from the mind. No thought rising from your mind is Silence.
Stillness of mind comes from giving up all attachments except that attachment to Self.
When the mind is quiet, all is Self.
When mind moves the world arises, so be still, throw away everything, and be free.
Self is what you are. You are That Fathomlessness in which experience and concepts appear. Self is the Moment that has no coming or going. It is the Heart, Atman, Emptiness. It shines to Itself, by Itself, in Itself.
Self is what gives breath to Life. You need not search for It, It is Here. You are That through which you would search. You are what you are looking for! And That is All it is.
You are the unchangeable Awareness in which all activity takes place.
Papaji - Sri H.L. - Poonja Quotes
What is purification of the mind? No thought. This thought-less mind, sattvic mind, no mind, can be called Consciousness itself. Self itself.
If you address the mind with "Who are you?" it will disappear.
Mind is nothing but thought. You can't separate thought itself from the mind.
When we use the word "I", there is ego. Then there is the mind, then there is a body, then there are senses, then there are sense objects, and then all manifestation arises.
Who is journeying for freedom? The one who is already free. Just get rid of the concept, "I am the body, separate from the source." You return to what you always were.
Nothing arises without Self. All existence is one in one's own Self.
Meditation is to effortlessly turn the mind toward that energy which energizes mind.
The Silence that I speak about is neither meditating nor sitting quiet. The Silence that I speak about has nothing to do with meditation or talking or not talking because then the mind is still running about here and there and everywhere. What I mean by Silence is that should be no thought rising from the mind. No thought rising from your mind is Silence.
Stillness of mind comes from giving up all attachments except that attachment to Self.
When the mind is quiet, all is Self.
When mind moves the world arises, so be still, throw away everything, and be free.
Self is what you are. You are That Fathomlessness in which experience and concepts appear. Self is the Moment that has no coming or going. It is the Heart, Atman, Emptiness. It shines to Itself, by Itself, in Itself.
Self is what gives breath to Life. You need not search for It, It is Here. You are That through which you would search. You are what you are looking for! And That is All it is.
You are the unchangeable Awareness in which all activity takes place.
Papaji - Sri H.L. - Poonja Quotes
Peace and Trust...
The peace in such a man's heart is as measureless as his trust in
Infinite Mind. Indeed the peace is there because of the trust. He has
no need to open the door of the future. The experience he needs or the
thing he must have will, he knows, emerge from its obscurity before
his eyes at the proper time. So he is patient enough to let
circumstances ripen of themselves, when patience is necessary.
Infinite Mind. Indeed the peace is there because of the trust. He has
no need to open the door of the future. The experience he needs or the
thing he must have will, he knows, emerge from its obscurity before
his eyes at the proper time. So he is patient enough to let
circumstances ripen of themselves, when patience is necessary.
~ Does God Exist? ~
Does God exist? The only answer to this question would be:
God is all that exists. It is you and me (as separate entities)
who do not really exist. "I Am that I Am."
There can only be a mystical awareness of God that can never be
proved scientifically for the simple reason that any external or
indirect proof can only be something separate from That (Source)
which is proved. Any external proof could only be circular logic --
a dog chasing its own tail!
In a word, you cannot truly 'think' about God, because it is He who
is the thinker and the thinking. The fact of the matter is that there
is indeed a Reality that exists, but it cannot be reached. That
Reality can reach you.
Therefore, there is an extraordinary consistency in the assertions
of the mystics through all time and space. Their assertions were
totally in agreement with one another, however far apart they may be
in time, distance and culture. Reality can only be experienced.
~ Ramesh Balsekar
Nuggets of Wisdom
God is all that exists. It is you and me (as separate entities)
who do not really exist. "I Am that I Am."
There can only be a mystical awareness of God that can never be
proved scientifically for the simple reason that any external or
indirect proof can only be something separate from That (Source)
which is proved. Any external proof could only be circular logic --
a dog chasing its own tail!
In a word, you cannot truly 'think' about God, because it is He who
is the thinker and the thinking. The fact of the matter is that there
is indeed a Reality that exists, but it cannot be reached. That
Reality can reach you.
Therefore, there is an extraordinary consistency in the assertions
of the mystics through all time and space. Their assertions were
totally in agreement with one another, however far apart they may be
in time, distance and culture. Reality can only be experienced.
~ Ramesh Balsekar
Nuggets of Wisdom
Consciousness...
It is thanks to Consciousness being present that all things can appear to be identified. Things always depend entirely on Consciousness being present to give them their identification.
No thing has any awareness, any intelligence or ability to identify itself. No thing has its own identity.
By themselves, things don’t even know they appear to exist. This book doesn’t know it appears to be here, nor does this hand, nor the sensation of touch. The body doesn’t know it exists.
Not one single thing in the entire universe knows that it exists!
The only One conscious to know anything exists is Consciousness. It is the only one that knows there is such a thing as existing!
You know you exist, which means Consciousness, not any thing, is Your Identity.
Since you are not an identified thing called a body, you cannot honestly take the point of view of the body. Ever. It is not your point of view to take.
Only what is true of Consciousness is true of you.
So never be intimidated by Consciousness, Awareness, or any other synonym, or put them on a pedestal because they are spelled with a capital letter. The Consciousness that is gently being aware right here, now, is never in awe of itself.
Consciousness always is silent, peaceful—yet absolutely certain in being present.
This silent, peaceful certainty isn’t what consciousness is to you.
The silent certainty is You.
From Consciousness is All
Peter Francis Dziuban
Blue Dolphin Publishing 2006
No thing has any awareness, any intelligence or ability to identify itself. No thing has its own identity.
By themselves, things don’t even know they appear to exist. This book doesn’t know it appears to be here, nor does this hand, nor the sensation of touch. The body doesn’t know it exists.
Not one single thing in the entire universe knows that it exists!
The only One conscious to know anything exists is Consciousness. It is the only one that knows there is such a thing as existing!
You know you exist, which means Consciousness, not any thing, is Your Identity.
Since you are not an identified thing called a body, you cannot honestly take the point of view of the body. Ever. It is not your point of view to take.
Only what is true of Consciousness is true of you.
So never be intimidated by Consciousness, Awareness, or any other synonym, or put them on a pedestal because they are spelled with a capital letter. The Consciousness that is gently being aware right here, now, is never in awe of itself.
Consciousness always is silent, peaceful—yet absolutely certain in being present.
This silent, peaceful certainty isn’t what consciousness is to you.
The silent certainty is You.
From Consciousness is All
Peter Francis Dziuban
Blue Dolphin Publishing 2006
On Realization...
"On realization, you feel complete, fulfilled, free from the pleasure-pain complex, and yet not always able to explain what happened, why and how. You can put it only in negative terms: "Nothing is wrong with me any longer". It is only by comparison with the past that you know that you are out of it. Otherwise, you are just yourself. Don't try to convey it to others. If you can, it is not the real thing. Be silent and watch it expressing itself in action."..........Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Mental Projection...
It is not possible to explain intellectually how sensations of the physical world are converted into ideas, how the leap-over from nervous vibrations into consciousness occurs, and how a neurosis becomes a psychosis. No one has ever explained this, nor will any scientist ever succeed in doing so. Truth alone can dispose of this poser by pointing out that sensations never really occur, but that the Self merely projects ideas of them; just as a man sees a mirage and mistakes it for real water merely by his mental projection, so people regard the world as real when they are merely transferring their own mental ideas to the world.........Paul Brunton
Consciousness Merging...
We all have this problem of understanding the meaning of God and how we as
individual consciousness fit into this knowledge.. Entering the state of
Enlightenment only occurs when you have allowed the self to die.. When you have
offered the greatest sacrifice to God.. this sacrifice is individuality.. In the
first stage of Enlightenment, you find your self as Light and Love, existing
with nothing but Light and Love and desireing nothing else.. But, this is not
the final freedom, as you still have a small part of the ego left.. this is the
thought that you still have an individuality.. this belief keeps you from the
final freedom, which is the desolving of this small part of ego and entering the
complete state of non-ego.. This is the state of Consciousness that we call
God..This complete state of non-ego is also called Un-Self-Ish
Love................namaste, thomas
individual consciousness fit into this knowledge.. Entering the state of
Enlightenment only occurs when you have allowed the self to die.. When you have
offered the greatest sacrifice to God.. this sacrifice is individuality.. In the
first stage of Enlightenment, you find your self as Light and Love, existing
with nothing but Light and Love and desireing nothing else.. But, this is not
the final freedom, as you still have a small part of the ego left.. this is the
thought that you still have an individuality.. this belief keeps you from the
final freedom, which is the desolving of this small part of ego and entering the
complete state of non-ego.. This is the state of Consciousness that we call
God..This complete state of non-ego is also called Un-Self-Ish
Love................namaste, thomas
We are God...
Saying that you are God with humility is very difficult.. We have been taught to
believe that God is separate from us and always will be.. We have been taught
that the best achievement is to exist in a heaven that is close to God but not
completely God.. The Secret to understanding this relationship with God and who
you really are is to understand the definition of God..."God Is Love and
Light".. God is not an old man on a throne.. The schools of Philosophy and
Spirituality lead to the end of egoism and the birth of Love..We, in Reality and
Truth are Love and Light, but the belief in the false ego keeps us from this
Knowledge.. This is why, we can state that We are God because there is nothing
but God.............namaste, thomas
believe that God is separate from us and always will be.. We have been taught
that the best achievement is to exist in a heaven that is close to God but not
completely God.. The Secret to understanding this relationship with God and who
you really are is to understand the definition of God..."God Is Love and
Light".. God is not an old man on a throne.. The schools of Philosophy and
Spirituality lead to the end of egoism and the birth of Love..We, in Reality and
Truth are Love and Light, but the belief in the false ego keeps us from this
Knowledge.. This is why, we can state that We are God because there is nothing
but God.............namaste, thomas
Finding Love...
You
can read many books about Love but the feeling of Love is much easier than you
believe.. It is caring about others without caring for yourself.. This is why
Jesus said;" Lose all and follow Me"... the All that you are losing is your
"self".. the self is the only barrier between you and Love.. and Love is
Happiness.. This is why many Saints give up all their possessions and work to
help those that have only poverty as their possession... You do not have to go
to this degree of physical poverty but the poverty of your Soul is extinguished
by the degree of Love that you have become..Do not wait for Love to come to you,
as it will only come to you when you have given it away
first..............namaste, thomas
can read many books about Love but the feeling of Love is much easier than you
believe.. It is caring about others without caring for yourself.. This is why
Jesus said;" Lose all and follow Me"... the All that you are losing is your
"self".. the self is the only barrier between you and Love.. and Love is
Happiness.. This is why many Saints give up all their possessions and work to
help those that have only poverty as their possession... You do not have to go
to this degree of physical poverty but the poverty of your Soul is extinguished
by the degree of Love that you have become..Do not wait for Love to come to you,
as it will only come to you when you have given it away
first..............namaste, thomas
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