It is the consciousness itself that has involved a part of itself in its
creation, while a part remains as Creator, as water frozen turns into ice and
yet water abides within.
From The Teachings Of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
Attachment...
All that you are attached to, all that you Love,
all that you know, someday will be gone.
Knowing this, and that the world is your mind
which you create, play in, and suffer from,
is known as discrimination.
Discriminate between the real and the unreal.
The known is unreal and will come and go
so stay with the Unknown, the Unchanging Truth.
All which appears and disappears is not real,
and no nectar will come from it so don’t cling to it,
and once you let go do not turn back to it.
Stay as Eternity in your own Being.
- Papaji
all that you know, someday will be gone.
Knowing this, and that the world is your mind
which you create, play in, and suffer from,
is known as discrimination.
Discriminate between the real and the unreal.
The known is unreal and will come and go
so stay with the Unknown, the Unchanging Truth.
All which appears and disappears is not real,
and no nectar will come from it so don’t cling to it,
and once you let go do not turn back to it.
Stay as Eternity in your own Being.
- Papaji
Degrees of Consciousness..
There are degrees of the ascent of consciousness.
You don't jump into something at once. Gradually,
you move from the lesser, or the more external, to
the higher, and the more internal. From the external,
you move to the internal; from the internal, you move
to the Universal. These are the three stages of
spiritual ascent.
- Swami Krishnananda
You don't jump into something at once. Gradually,
you move from the lesser, or the more external, to
the higher, and the more internal. From the external,
you move to the internal; from the internal, you move
to the Universal. These are the three stages of
spiritual ascent.
- Swami Krishnananda
Surrender into Enlightenment...
Surrender is to surrender your concept of separateness, your ego.
Surrender is to submit your stupidness, your wickedness,
to the will of Existence. That’s all.
You must surrender like a river discharging into the Ocean.
Surrender is to discharge your river of separateness
into the Ocean of Being, losing your limitations,
and allowing to happen what happens.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
This quotation is found on page 7,
Sri H.W.L. Poonja ‘s "The Truth Is"
Yudhishtara, 1995
Surrender is to submit your stupidness, your wickedness,
to the will of Existence. That’s all.
You must surrender like a river discharging into the Ocean.
Surrender is to discharge your river of separateness
into the Ocean of Being, losing your limitations,
and allowing to happen what happens.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
This quotation is found on page 7,
Sri H.W.L. Poonja ‘s "The Truth Is"
Yudhishtara, 1995
The Forms of Consciousness...
Consciousness can assume different forms, can operate on different space and time levels, so that it is relative. But it can also remain itself and assume no form; it is then what has been called absolute, not relative. But to reject the possible existence of all these other forms, however temporary they may be, as do those Indians who limit themselves solely to the doctrine of nonduality--fascinated as they are by the reality of the Real and the illusoriness of the unreal, so that they forget whether they are real or unreal--is to forget that he who holds the doctrine is himself a human being. He who comes back from the mystic experience of universality comes back to a human form, is himself a human being, however divine in his inmost essence. The Absolute is not a human being and can have no possible point of view, but the human being must have a humanized philosophy and can have a point of view. What is he to do after recognizing the opposition between the absolute and the relative consciousnesses, between the real and the unreal? The answer is and must be the double point of view. Not, mind you, the double nature of Truth, but the double point of view for us, humans: the one being empirical, practical, earthly and rational, the other being ultimate, divine, intuitive.
— Notebooks Category 19: The Reign of Relativity > Chapter 2: The Double Standpoint # 23.........Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 19: The Reign of Relativity > Chapter 2: The Double Standpoint # 23.........Paul Brunton
You Are Everything...
You have considered yourself to be a separate
"self" only because of having regarded a "solid"
object with a name, that is the body, as yourself.
But in fact the body itself is nothing but an insig-
nificant, vastly intricate complex of electrical wave-
patterns, a series of rhythmic functions, a throb-
bing field of energy, and emptiness. What you
actually are, then, is what everybody else is:
sentience itself. Therefore, instead of being a
puny self by way of an object, you are indeed
everything.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1966
"self" only because of having regarded a "solid"
object with a name, that is the body, as yourself.
But in fact the body itself is nothing but an insig-
nificant, vastly intricate complex of electrical wave-
patterns, a series of rhythmic functions, a throb-
bing field of energy, and emptiness. What you
actually are, then, is what everybody else is:
sentience itself. Therefore, instead of being a
puny self by way of an object, you are indeed
everything.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1966
"I AM"...
Refuse all thoughts except one: the thought `I am'.
The mind will rebel in the beginning, but with patience
and perseverance it will yield and keep quiet. Once
you are quiet, things will begin to happen spontaneously
and quite naturally, without any interference on your part.
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
The mind will rebel in the beginning, but with patience
and perseverance it will yield and keep quiet. Once
you are quiet, things will begin to happen spontaneously
and quite naturally, without any interference on your part.
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
Sincerity...
Sincerity is the jewel that forms in the shell of the heart.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Very few realize what power sincerity carries. A false man, however physically
strong he is or however great is his willpower, is kept down by his falsehood;
it never allows him to rise. It eats into him because it is rust. Those who have
done great things in life, in whatever walk of life it be, have done them by the
power of truth, the power of sincerity.
Sincerity is the principal thing in life. Youth is the age which is most
attracted to superficiality. That is the reason why many youths adopt an
artificial manner of thought, speech and action, which is very undesirable and
does not benefit their life. It is important to inculcate sincerity in the
character of the youth. To give a youth a love of sincerity is extremely useful,
for the power of sincerity can work miracles.
The more sincerity is developed, the greater share of truth you will have. And
however much sincerity a person may have, there is always a gap to fill, for we
live in the midst of falsehood, and we are always apt to be carried away by this
world of falsehood. Therefore we must never think we are sincere enough, and we
must always be on our guard against influences which may carry us away from that
sincerity which is the bridge between ourselves and our ideal. No study, no
meditation is more helpful than sincerity itself.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Very few realize what power sincerity carries. A false man, however physically
strong he is or however great is his willpower, is kept down by his falsehood;
it never allows him to rise. It eats into him because it is rust. Those who have
done great things in life, in whatever walk of life it be, have done them by the
power of truth, the power of sincerity.
Sincerity is the principal thing in life. Youth is the age which is most
attracted to superficiality. That is the reason why many youths adopt an
artificial manner of thought, speech and action, which is very undesirable and
does not benefit their life. It is important to inculcate sincerity in the
character of the youth. To give a youth a love of sincerity is extremely useful,
for the power of sincerity can work miracles.
The more sincerity is developed, the greater share of truth you will have. And
however much sincerity a person may have, there is always a gap to fill, for we
live in the midst of falsehood, and we are always apt to be carried away by this
world of falsehood. Therefore we must never think we are sincere enough, and we
must always be on our guard against influences which may carry us away from that
sincerity which is the bridge between ourselves and our ideal. No study, no
meditation is more helpful than sincerity itself.
Zen...
I'd like to
Offer something
To help you
But in the Zen School
We don't have a single thing!
-- Zen Master Ikkyu
Offer something
To help you
But in the Zen School
We don't have a single thing!
-- Zen Master Ikkyu
The Heart...
The
Heart is a symbolic location for the energy of non-ego or what we call Love..
This is why the Heart Symbol is used in society to express unselfish-love.. By
offering our Heart to God, we are uniting our True Self with God, instead of the
normal separation felt by the belief in non-unity caused by the belief in the
ego...This is why unity in humans can only be accomplished by unselfish-love..
As the esoteric words express " As it is above, So it is
below"..........namaste, thomas
Heart is a symbolic location for the energy of non-ego or what we call Love..
This is why the Heart Symbol is used in society to express unselfish-love.. By
offering our Heart to God, we are uniting our True Self with God, instead of the
normal separation felt by the belief in non-unity caused by the belief in the
ego...This is why unity in humans can only be accomplished by unselfish-love..
As the esoteric words express " As it is above, So it is
below"..........namaste, thomas
Consciousness...
Consciousness simply never leaves being present—and
one cannot have a memory of the present. -Peter Francis Dziuban
one cannot have a memory of the present. -Peter Francis Dziuban
Calmness...
His unruffled calmness and dispassionate outlook will show itself not only in the day-by-day events of ordinary life but also when tested in the rigorous crises of fate. He will be as detached towards them as if they had happened a half-century before and he was viewing them from afar.
— Notebooks Category 24: The Peace within You > Chapter 3: Practise Detachment > # 112.........Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 24: The Peace within You > Chapter 3: Practise Detachment > # 112.........Paul Brunton
Padre Pio/Lift Up Your Heart...
Don't spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety, and anguish.
Only one thing is necessary. Lift up your heart to God."
Padre Pio
in Carol Kelly-Gangi
_The Essential Wisdom of the Saints_
NY: Fall River Press, 2008, p. 102
Only one thing is necessary. Lift up your heart to God."
Padre Pio
in Carol Kelly-Gangi
_The Essential Wisdom of the Saints_
NY: Fall River Press, 2008, p. 102
Silent Meditation...
Silence of the mind, which is the result of
a deep understanding, that meditation is
a natural, spontaneous meditation which
just happens.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
a deep understanding, that meditation is
a natural, spontaneous meditation which
just happens.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
Ram Tzu Speaks...
You complain to Ram Tzu…
You're tired of mysticism.
You're sick of paradox.
You want to know what's going on.
If you want meaning
Take these words to
Your professor
Or your priest.
It is their job
To make something
Out of nothing.
- Ram Tzu
You're tired of mysticism.
You're sick of paradox.
You want to know what's going on.
If you want meaning
Take these words to
Your professor
Or your priest.
It is their job
To make something
Out of nothing.
- Ram Tzu
The Ego...
Is the ego totally lost, utterly obliterated in this attainment? I can
only say that none of our usual concepts fit the actual result, that
it is hard to describe, and that suggestion must here replace
description. For the ego and the Overself fuse and unite, yet the
union does not destroy the ego's capacity to express itself or to be
active in the world. Its own annihilation is a transient experience
during the contemplative state. Its resumption of worldly life while
permanently established in perfect harmony with, and obedience to, the
divine Overself is the further and final goal.
— Notebooks Category 8: The Ego > Chapter 1: What Am I? > # 207
Paul Brunton
only say that none of our usual concepts fit the actual result, that
it is hard to describe, and that suggestion must here replace
description. For the ego and the Overself fuse and unite, yet the
union does not destroy the ego's capacity to express itself or to be
active in the world. Its own annihilation is a transient experience
during the contemplative state. Its resumption of worldly life while
permanently established in perfect harmony with, and obedience to, the
divine Overself is the further and final goal.
— Notebooks Category 8: The Ego > Chapter 1: What Am I? > # 207
Paul Brunton
Spirit is All...
Since Spirit is all there is, I cannot be outside or separate from it. There is nowhere else to be. I am it. It is me. There can be no death, because no part can cease to exist in the eternal vital wholeness.
Free will enables us to choose to feel separate or outside of God, but separation is only illusion. It is a means by which we push away the bounty, goodness, and wholeness that is continually seeking to express through us.
It is ironic that we use our free will to feel separate from God, thereby imprisoning or limiting our good in life. Spirit does not build a wall around our experience. It is our own thinking that limits us.
Anything we experience that falls short of heavenly is due to ignorance of our divine nature. Ernest Holmes wrote, "There is more to us than we realize. Man is an eternal destiny, a forever-expanding principle of conscious intelligence...the ocean in the drop of water, the sun in its rays...The highest God and the innermost God is One and the same God."
~ Leta Miller
Free will enables us to choose to feel separate or outside of God, but separation is only illusion. It is a means by which we push away the bounty, goodness, and wholeness that is continually seeking to express through us.
It is ironic that we use our free will to feel separate from God, thereby imprisoning or limiting our good in life. Spirit does not build a wall around our experience. It is our own thinking that limits us.
Anything we experience that falls short of heavenly is due to ignorance of our divine nature. Ernest Holmes wrote, "There is more to us than we realize. Man is an eternal destiny, a forever-expanding principle of conscious intelligence...the ocean in the drop of water, the sun in its rays...The highest God and the innermost God is One and the same God."
~ Leta Miller
Only Spirit is Alive...
Certainly we are living
compared to stones,
but compared to
Spirit
we are dead.
In a dream you think
you are seeing and observing
but those who are standing
outside you, awake,
know you are sleeping still.
The living ones
call the dead 'the dead'
and higher living Beings
call living ones the dead.
- Swami Amar Jyoti
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"In Light of Wisdom"
Swami Amar Jyoti
Truth Consciousness, Boulder, Colorado, 1983
compared to stones,
but compared to
Spirit
we are dead.
In a dream you think
you are seeing and observing
but those who are standing
outside you, awake,
know you are sleeping still.
The living ones
call the dead 'the dead'
and higher living Beings
call living ones the dead.
- Swami Amar Jyoti
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"In Light of Wisdom"
Swami Amar Jyoti
Truth Consciousness, Boulder, Colorado, 1983
Detached...
My life is a succession of events, just like yours. Only I am detached and see the passing show as a passing show, while you stick to things and move along with them.
- Sri Nisargadatta
- Sri Nisargadatta
Answers...
There is an answer to every call; those who call on God, to them God comes.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
There is no doubt that if an individual or a multitude believe that a teacher or
a reformer will come, he will surely come to them. Similarly, in the case of
those who do not believe that any teacher or reformer will come, to them he will
not come. To those who expect the Teacher to be a man, a man will bring the
message; to those who expect the Teacher to be a woman, a woman must deliver it.
To those who call on God, God comes. To those who knock at the door of Satan,
Satan answers. There is an answer to every call.
There is nothing that you ask that this universe will not answer. For it is the
nature of this universe to answer your soul's call. ... When a person seeks for
something in the universe and he cannot find it, it is not true that it is not
there. The fact is that he does not see it.
He who is always there has said, 'I am Alpha and Omega. I exist every moment.
When you call me, I am there. Knock at the door, and I will answer you.' And
those whose eyes are open do not need to go to a church and look at a picture or
statue of the Lord. In the eyes of every infant, in the smile of every innocent
child, they receive the blessing of Christ.
It only means changing one's outlook on life, and recognizing the divine in man.
But man has ignored the divine spirit that manifests in humanity, and always
prefers an idol, a painting, a picture, to the living God, who is constantly
before him. For the sage, the seer, the saint, and the yogi who begin to see the
master, and see him living, there is no place where he cannot be seen. Then
everywhere the beloved master is ready to answer the cry of the soul coming from
friend, father or teacher. And if we go a little further forward, we will find
that the teacher speaks aloud, not only through living beings, but through
nature. If the eyes and ears are open, the leaves of the trees become as pages
of the Bible. If the heart is alive, the whole life becomes one single vision of
His sublime beauty, speaking to us at every moment.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
There is no doubt that if an individual or a multitude believe that a teacher or
a reformer will come, he will surely come to them. Similarly, in the case of
those who do not believe that any teacher or reformer will come, to them he will
not come. To those who expect the Teacher to be a man, a man will bring the
message; to those who expect the Teacher to be a woman, a woman must deliver it.
To those who call on God, God comes. To those who knock at the door of Satan,
Satan answers. There is an answer to every call.
There is nothing that you ask that this universe will not answer. For it is the
nature of this universe to answer your soul's call. ... When a person seeks for
something in the universe and he cannot find it, it is not true that it is not
there. The fact is that he does not see it.
He who is always there has said, 'I am Alpha and Omega. I exist every moment.
When you call me, I am there. Knock at the door, and I will answer you.' And
those whose eyes are open do not need to go to a church and look at a picture or
statue of the Lord. In the eyes of every infant, in the smile of every innocent
child, they receive the blessing of Christ.
It only means changing one's outlook on life, and recognizing the divine in man.
But man has ignored the divine spirit that manifests in humanity, and always
prefers an idol, a painting, a picture, to the living God, who is constantly
before him. For the sage, the seer, the saint, and the yogi who begin to see the
master, and see him living, there is no place where he cannot be seen. Then
everywhere the beloved master is ready to answer the cry of the soul coming from
friend, father or teacher. And if we go a little further forward, we will find
that the teacher speaks aloud, not only through living beings, but through
nature. If the eyes and ears are open, the leaves of the trees become as pages
of the Bible. If the heart is alive, the whole life becomes one single vision of
His sublime beauty, speaking to us at every moment.
Question for Vernon Howard...
"Vernon, why is it that we do not seem to be able to face facts?
Because facts are the enemy of the way you are now living, which
you call reality. You see we have this old acquired nature which
is called right in our own eyes and we possess it so completely
that we feel that anything outside of that is an enemy. When the
facts about life come along, for example, the fact that we're lost,
when that fact comes along do you think a person is going to accept
that fact when he is living in dream land of having found himself,
of understanding what life is all about. Facts are the enemy as far
as delusion is concerned."
Because facts are the enemy of the way you are now living, which
you call reality. You see we have this old acquired nature which
is called right in our own eyes and we possess it so completely
that we feel that anything outside of that is an enemy. When the
facts about life come along, for example, the fact that we're lost,
when that fact comes along do you think a person is going to accept
that fact when he is living in dream land of having found himself,
of understanding what life is all about. Facts are the enemy as far
as delusion is concerned."
Light and Darkness...
If consciousness is paired with another
consciousness, light increases and the way
becomes clear; but if a beast joins with another,
darkness increases and the way disappears.
- Rumi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
consciousness, light increases and the way
becomes clear; but if a beast joins with another,
darkness increases and the way disappears.
- Rumi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Consciousness from Jesus Speaks...
I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT THE TRUE NATURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS - of the difference between UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS, Divine Consciousness, and human consciousness. You truly need to understand these differences to enable you to live spiritually pro-active lives within your world... Which is what I have come to help you do.
CONSCIOUSNESS Transcendent and human consciousness!
Consciousness is now a word used widely, even lightly, but is not fully understood by many dear seekers of Truth.
You have drawn your being from Universal Consciousness split into Divine Consciousness at the time of the Big Bang. (See Letter 5)
This is the perfect Consciousness of Loving Intelligence and Intelligent Love. IT is IMPULSES. These IMPULSES are the very basic energy, the MAINSPRING of all existence. This Consciousness is indeed within you, surrounds you, transcends you and can lift you in ever higher strata of spiritual ecstasy and ephemeral perception,. This Consciousness is what many call God.
It is within you and transcends you.
But what humankind must fully realise is: that it is of such a high frequency of vibration, ......so spiritually refined in meaning.......that it cannot be drawn into your own human consciousness to make Itself known to you, until you begin to overcome your ego and ascend in spiritual perception of Truth.
Your ego is the barrier to Super Consciousness.
Only the most systematic and persistent daily attempt to cleanse your consciousness of ego thoughts and behaviour, will make it possible for Divine Consciousness to SEEP into your human consciousness bringing you new insight and perceptions. Illumined by new insight and perceptions, your thoughts, words, actions will begin to change.
When you SEE things differently, you will begin to ACT differently.
Your human consciousness is imperfect. It is fabricated out of selfish egotistical drives. Let not your ego resist this valid statement. You are in no way to be blamed for this, because the ego is divinely created in order to separate Divine Consciousness into individual people. You need the Ego. It defends you and it draws to you what you need to survive BUT it can overwhelmingly force an individual into behaviour which is sick psychologically speaking. You know that Ego is the impulse behind all the crime in the world.
I would have you know it impels people into such deep-seated narcissism and self-interest that anyone trying to arouse in such a mind any empathy or sympathy, is sadly blocked. No matter what topic may be raised, inevitably, such egotistical, narcissistic people draw the topic back to themselves, how it affects them, how it concerns them exclusively, positively or negatively. Absorbed self-interest is like a thick dense fabric of consciousness energies sealing off the minds of people of every strata of society in every part of the world.
The degree of narcissism varies. I have come expressly to make you aware of it because such narcissistic people cannot live in harmony with other people as they are incapable of hearing the messages from others. This, as much as your crime, causes your misery on earth.
Here is a parable for you. Behold the little child playing in a sticky mud pit, making pies, covering itself with mud, enjoying every minute. Mother comes, exhorting child to come and bath and get ready to go to a party. The child fiercely resists, crying. Eventually, mother has her way and the child, freshly groomed with hair shining and clad in smart party clothes enters the hall where the party is being held. It stares in astonishment.
The glorious lights! The brilliant shrubs and flowers! The tables loaded with delicacies, cakes and jellies. And all the presents and games and fun the other children are having. The heart of this child is filled with radiant joy. Laughter begins to well-up and fill its entire being. This is so much better than its mud pit! All the washing and the scrubbing was worth it. How glad the child is that it listened. ..........from Christsway.co.za
CONSCIOUSNESS Transcendent and human consciousness!
Consciousness is now a word used widely, even lightly, but is not fully understood by many dear seekers of Truth.
You have drawn your being from Universal Consciousness split into Divine Consciousness at the time of the Big Bang. (See Letter 5)
This is the perfect Consciousness of Loving Intelligence and Intelligent Love. IT is IMPULSES. These IMPULSES are the very basic energy, the MAINSPRING of all existence. This Consciousness is indeed within you, surrounds you, transcends you and can lift you in ever higher strata of spiritual ecstasy and ephemeral perception,. This Consciousness is what many call God.
It is within you and transcends you.
But what humankind must fully realise is: that it is of such a high frequency of vibration, ......so spiritually refined in meaning.......that it cannot be drawn into your own human consciousness to make Itself known to you, until you begin to overcome your ego and ascend in spiritual perception of Truth.
Your ego is the barrier to Super Consciousness.
Only the most systematic and persistent daily attempt to cleanse your consciousness of ego thoughts and behaviour, will make it possible for Divine Consciousness to SEEP into your human consciousness bringing you new insight and perceptions. Illumined by new insight and perceptions, your thoughts, words, actions will begin to change.
When you SEE things differently, you will begin to ACT differently.
Your human consciousness is imperfect. It is fabricated out of selfish egotistical drives. Let not your ego resist this valid statement. You are in no way to be blamed for this, because the ego is divinely created in order to separate Divine Consciousness into individual people. You need the Ego. It defends you and it draws to you what you need to survive BUT it can overwhelmingly force an individual into behaviour which is sick psychologically speaking. You know that Ego is the impulse behind all the crime in the world.
I would have you know it impels people into such deep-seated narcissism and self-interest that anyone trying to arouse in such a mind any empathy or sympathy, is sadly blocked. No matter what topic may be raised, inevitably, such egotistical, narcissistic people draw the topic back to themselves, how it affects them, how it concerns them exclusively, positively or negatively. Absorbed self-interest is like a thick dense fabric of consciousness energies sealing off the minds of people of every strata of society in every part of the world.
The degree of narcissism varies. I have come expressly to make you aware of it because such narcissistic people cannot live in harmony with other people as they are incapable of hearing the messages from others. This, as much as your crime, causes your misery on earth.
Here is a parable for you. Behold the little child playing in a sticky mud pit, making pies, covering itself with mud, enjoying every minute. Mother comes, exhorting child to come and bath and get ready to go to a party. The child fiercely resists, crying. Eventually, mother has her way and the child, freshly groomed with hair shining and clad in smart party clothes enters the hall where the party is being held. It stares in astonishment.
The glorious lights! The brilliant shrubs and flowers! The tables loaded with delicacies, cakes and jellies. And all the presents and games and fun the other children are having. The heart of this child is filled with radiant joy. Laughter begins to well-up and fill its entire being. This is so much better than its mud pit! All the washing and the scrubbing was worth it. How glad the child is that it listened. ..........from Christsway.co.za
HOW TO MEDITATE. From Letter 8 Christ Returns-Speaks His Truth
When you meditate, take up the position which is most comfortable for you. You do not have to go into physical contortions. Rest and relax. Tell yourself to relax and release all your limbs, including your head, neck, face, into a state of utter limpness.
I must impress on you that meditation should be - eventually - as simple as slipping into slumber. The purpose of meditation is to enable your entire consciousness to move beyond the boundaries of intellect and reason. There are teachers who will tell you to 'imagine'....whatever you are told to imagine, you can rest assured you are not being assisted to go anywhere except into new imaginative realms of your own thought processes. What this method of 'meditating' will achieve for you will be a relief from the thoughts and stress that your ego pressures are creating for you. In the world of imagination, the ego may - or may not - be dormant.
Before commencing meditation, prepare by fully realising you are about to make contact with 'DIVINE CONSCIOUSNESS' both within and transcendant to your consciousness - therefore IT is also out there and around you. Visualise exactly what this means.
Remember, at all times, that what you THINK about is what you are tuning into.
Your thoughts are 'searchlights' making contact with what you seek.
Remember that every 'thought' has its own frequency of vibrations in consciousness. Believe know this for this is true. The more spiritual the thought, the higher the frequencies of vibration.
'Consciousness forms' embodied by words are not visible but are 'specific entities of being'.
They have the life of consciousness within them. They are magnetised to like 'consciousness forms'. Like is drawn to like.
Think 'dog' and visualise what you mean, and your thoughts are attuned to the dog species.
Think 'UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS' or 'DIVINE LIFE' with understanding of what you mean - and your thoughts will be directed into 'UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS' - DIVINE LIFE.
If you have fully understood all that I am trying to tell you, you will KNOW that your meditation reaches its target.
Know this and you will find your faith strengthening.
Your faith remains weak because you only hope, or wish, or magnetically 'want to' tune into - LIFE-CONSCIOUSNESS, because you hope you will derive some benefit from the exercise.
Do you not see how 'earthy' is such an approach to THAT WHICH GAVE YOU 'BEING'?
Is it reverent? Does it befit a person who is seeking true contact, and expects to do so?
Whilst INFINITE UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS is not the mythical 'God' on high as depicted in the Old Testament,
It is the Infinitely Powerful Reality everywhere present, manifesting It's own designing, intelligent, evolutionary, loving caring for all that It has brought into being.
This is what you must realise you will eventually approach, whilst you are still on earth, when you reach the highest dimensions, after your magnetic-emotions have been dissolved not only from your mind, but also your sub-conscious, and solar plexus.
First of all, you will be getting in touch with FATHER-MOTHER-DIVINE LIFE which is ever active within your entire system and the universe.
Remember It is in equilibrium within the infinite universal dimension, and active within the world.
'Father-activity sets the goals. 'Mother-love directs the way the plans will be developed to promote the highest good of that which is being adapted, or healed, or protected.
(Countless people will say that these statements above are all imagination. They can scoff as they will. Those who manage to make contact with 'Father-Mother-Life-Consciousness- another name for DIVINE LIFE CONSCIOUSNESS but denoting its double qualities - will verify that the foregoing is an accurate description of spiritual evolution which follows such contact.)
To return to your meditation.
First of all, before attempting to enter your meditative state, memorise the following prayer so that the words become your own.
When you have become perfectly relaxed, start your meditation with this prayer. Say it slowly and visualise the meaning of each word to enable you to enter into the consciousness of the word and enable the energy consciousness of the word to enter into your deepest self. As you say this prayer, your eyes should be closed and your gaze lifted towards your forehead.
FATHER-MOTHER- LIFE, you are my life, my constant support, my health, my protection, my perfect fulfilment of every need and my highest inspiration.
I ask you to reveal the true Reality of Yourself to me. I know it is your WILL that I shall be fully illumined that I may better receive awareness of Your Presence within and around me. I believe and know that this is possible. I believe that you protect and maintain me within perfect LOVE. I know that my eventual purpose is to EXPRESS YOU.
As I speak to you, I know that you are perfectly receptive of me, for you are UNIVERSAL LOVING INTELLIGENCE which has so marvellously designed this world and brought it into visible form.
I know, that as I ask YOU to speak to me, I am sending out a consciousness searchlight into your Divine Consciousness and as I listen, YOU will be penetrating my human consciousness and coming ever closer to my increasingly receptive mind and heart. I commit myself and my life into your care.'
(Each time you say and visualise this prayer, you create a spiritual consciousness form which will become stronger and ever more elevated in frequencies of vibration as the true meaning of the prayer deepens in your mind and heart and your perceptions heighten.)
After the prayer, relax ever deeper and let your mind go as blank as you can. If thoughts intrude, gently recite 'Divine Life' or 'father-mother-life' to yourself and again quieten your mind. After many months of sincere meditation, you may come to feel that your body is suddenly jerking, like a person entering sleep and then suddenly waking up. If this happens, be thankful as your consciousness is penetrating the barriers of your previously created consciousness forces encapsulating your soul.
When you feel yourself entering a different deep state of consciousness, so deep you are barely breathing, know that you are beginning to attain your goal. At the end of your meditation, always give glad and grateful thanks.
Remember that nothing you can think, say, or do, can in any way reduce all that 'father-motherlife- consciousness' is .
However, any disbelief will form a barrier between you and father-mother-life.
I want to warn you: when you are trying to still your mind and thoughts, you may feel ill-at-ease, physically uncomfortable and even distressed. This is because - initially - you will come up against the black wall of your own 'consciousness' and this can be extremely disconcerting - even painful.
Bless the experience and ask 'father life' to penetrate your consciousness next time you listen.
Then get up and put the experience behind you.
When you find that you are at last entering into the silence, then rest equably, knowing that you have now entered what one might call the 'holy of holies' because, at last, you are achieving contact with 'father-mother-life' within you. It will take time for this highly spiritual experience of the Silence to become a daily routine.
Remember you have a lifetime of ego baggage to discard and dissolve.
No matter what you sense or are aware of during your meditation, when you come out of it, expect to sense a difference in your life. Remember that expectation is a 'consciousness' form and as you 'expect' you are opening the way for that which you 'expect' to be magnetised into your experience, whatever it may be you are needing or dealing with.
If you do not feel any new lightness of spirit, despite your sincere expectations, do not deny changes or doubt the possibility of them.
Remember your consciousness is electromagnetic, of the same substance as your physical body, and it is the foundation of all experiences in your life. Continue to expect - as you do so you are building up the power, the energy of your 'expectations - consciousness forms' which will draw to themselves the manifestation of all that you are expecting. 'Father- mother-lifeconsciousness' can only be magnetised into your individual consciousness by faith, sincere expectancy, and the willingness to open yourself to the cleansing of your magnetic-emotional 'bonding-rejection- impulses.
How many of you presently go into meditation in this way and come out EXPECTING changes?
How many lose heart when they have felt some change and then nothing for a little while?
Bear in mind that I told you that you are subject to rhythms of 'high' and 'low'. When you are in your 'lows', the flow of Divine Life in your system has dropped and the frequencies of vibration of your consciousness also drop. Consequently, contact with 'Father-Mother-Life- Consciousness' during these times, at the beginning of your search, is almost impossible. In the early days of your seeking Truth, during your meditation, you are very much in touch with your subconscious, and you will find that there is an irritating resurgence of all the old negative thoughts and memories you had thought you had overcome.
When you enter your 'highs', you will find a resurgence of your spiritual self and will rejoice in this. Your meditations will be more positive and productive of contact with 'Father-Mother- Life-Consciousness'. If you will have the courage to persist and exercise self-discipline during the 'low' times as well as the good, you will find eventually, that the 'lows' will get less 'low' and any former depression will be lifted.
Remember, that each time of 'prayerful consciousness' brings you closer to your goal, although you may remain completely unaware of this. Nontheless, things are happening for your ultimate good - believe in them. ...........................................from Christsway.co.za
I must impress on you that meditation should be - eventually - as simple as slipping into slumber. The purpose of meditation is to enable your entire consciousness to move beyond the boundaries of intellect and reason. There are teachers who will tell you to 'imagine'....whatever you are told to imagine, you can rest assured you are not being assisted to go anywhere except into new imaginative realms of your own thought processes. What this method of 'meditating' will achieve for you will be a relief from the thoughts and stress that your ego pressures are creating for you. In the world of imagination, the ego may - or may not - be dormant.
Before commencing meditation, prepare by fully realising you are about to make contact with 'DIVINE CONSCIOUSNESS' both within and transcendant to your consciousness - therefore IT is also out there and around you. Visualise exactly what this means.
Remember, at all times, that what you THINK about is what you are tuning into.
Your thoughts are 'searchlights' making contact with what you seek.
Remember that every 'thought' has its own frequency of vibrations in consciousness. Believe know this for this is true. The more spiritual the thought, the higher the frequencies of vibration.
'Consciousness forms' embodied by words are not visible but are 'specific entities of being'.
They have the life of consciousness within them. They are magnetised to like 'consciousness forms'. Like is drawn to like.
Think 'dog' and visualise what you mean, and your thoughts are attuned to the dog species.
Think 'UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS' or 'DIVINE LIFE' with understanding of what you mean - and your thoughts will be directed into 'UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS' - DIVINE LIFE.
If you have fully understood all that I am trying to tell you, you will KNOW that your meditation reaches its target.
Know this and you will find your faith strengthening.
Your faith remains weak because you only hope, or wish, or magnetically 'want to' tune into - LIFE-CONSCIOUSNESS, because you hope you will derive some benefit from the exercise.
Do you not see how 'earthy' is such an approach to THAT WHICH GAVE YOU 'BEING'?
Is it reverent? Does it befit a person who is seeking true contact, and expects to do so?
Whilst INFINITE UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS is not the mythical 'God' on high as depicted in the Old Testament,
It is the Infinitely Powerful Reality everywhere present, manifesting It's own designing, intelligent, evolutionary, loving caring for all that It has brought into being.
This is what you must realise you will eventually approach, whilst you are still on earth, when you reach the highest dimensions, after your magnetic-emotions have been dissolved not only from your mind, but also your sub-conscious, and solar plexus.
First of all, you will be getting in touch with FATHER-MOTHER-DIVINE LIFE which is ever active within your entire system and the universe.
Remember It is in equilibrium within the infinite universal dimension, and active within the world.
'Father-activity sets the goals. 'Mother-love directs the way the plans will be developed to promote the highest good of that which is being adapted, or healed, or protected.
(Countless people will say that these statements above are all imagination. They can scoff as they will. Those who manage to make contact with 'Father-Mother-Life-Consciousness- another name for DIVINE LIFE CONSCIOUSNESS but denoting its double qualities - will verify that the foregoing is an accurate description of spiritual evolution which follows such contact.)
To return to your meditation.
First of all, before attempting to enter your meditative state, memorise the following prayer so that the words become your own.
When you have become perfectly relaxed, start your meditation with this prayer. Say it slowly and visualise the meaning of each word to enable you to enter into the consciousness of the word and enable the energy consciousness of the word to enter into your deepest self. As you say this prayer, your eyes should be closed and your gaze lifted towards your forehead.
FATHER-MOTHER- LIFE, you are my life, my constant support, my health, my protection, my perfect fulfilment of every need and my highest inspiration.
I ask you to reveal the true Reality of Yourself to me. I know it is your WILL that I shall be fully illumined that I may better receive awareness of Your Presence within and around me. I believe and know that this is possible. I believe that you protect and maintain me within perfect LOVE. I know that my eventual purpose is to EXPRESS YOU.
As I speak to you, I know that you are perfectly receptive of me, for you are UNIVERSAL LOVING INTELLIGENCE which has so marvellously designed this world and brought it into visible form.
I know, that as I ask YOU to speak to me, I am sending out a consciousness searchlight into your Divine Consciousness and as I listen, YOU will be penetrating my human consciousness and coming ever closer to my increasingly receptive mind and heart. I commit myself and my life into your care.'
(Each time you say and visualise this prayer, you create a spiritual consciousness form which will become stronger and ever more elevated in frequencies of vibration as the true meaning of the prayer deepens in your mind and heart and your perceptions heighten.)
After the prayer, relax ever deeper and let your mind go as blank as you can. If thoughts intrude, gently recite 'Divine Life' or 'father-mother-life' to yourself and again quieten your mind. After many months of sincere meditation, you may come to feel that your body is suddenly jerking, like a person entering sleep and then suddenly waking up. If this happens, be thankful as your consciousness is penetrating the barriers of your previously created consciousness forces encapsulating your soul.
When you feel yourself entering a different deep state of consciousness, so deep you are barely breathing, know that you are beginning to attain your goal. At the end of your meditation, always give glad and grateful thanks.
Remember that nothing you can think, say, or do, can in any way reduce all that 'father-motherlife- consciousness' is .
However, any disbelief will form a barrier between you and father-mother-life.
I want to warn you: when you are trying to still your mind and thoughts, you may feel ill-at-ease, physically uncomfortable and even distressed. This is because - initially - you will come up against the black wall of your own 'consciousness' and this can be extremely disconcerting - even painful.
Bless the experience and ask 'father life' to penetrate your consciousness next time you listen.
Then get up and put the experience behind you.
When you find that you are at last entering into the silence, then rest equably, knowing that you have now entered what one might call the 'holy of holies' because, at last, you are achieving contact with 'father-mother-life' within you. It will take time for this highly spiritual experience of the Silence to become a daily routine.
Remember you have a lifetime of ego baggage to discard and dissolve.
No matter what you sense or are aware of during your meditation, when you come out of it, expect to sense a difference in your life. Remember that expectation is a 'consciousness' form and as you 'expect' you are opening the way for that which you 'expect' to be magnetised into your experience, whatever it may be you are needing or dealing with.
If you do not feel any new lightness of spirit, despite your sincere expectations, do not deny changes or doubt the possibility of them.
Remember your consciousness is electromagnetic, of the same substance as your physical body, and it is the foundation of all experiences in your life. Continue to expect - as you do so you are building up the power, the energy of your 'expectations - consciousness forms' which will draw to themselves the manifestation of all that you are expecting. 'Father- mother-lifeconsciousness' can only be magnetised into your individual consciousness by faith, sincere expectancy, and the willingness to open yourself to the cleansing of your magnetic-emotional 'bonding-rejection- impulses.
How many of you presently go into meditation in this way and come out EXPECTING changes?
How many lose heart when they have felt some change and then nothing for a little while?
Bear in mind that I told you that you are subject to rhythms of 'high' and 'low'. When you are in your 'lows', the flow of Divine Life in your system has dropped and the frequencies of vibration of your consciousness also drop. Consequently, contact with 'Father-Mother-Life- Consciousness' during these times, at the beginning of your search, is almost impossible. In the early days of your seeking Truth, during your meditation, you are very much in touch with your subconscious, and you will find that there is an irritating resurgence of all the old negative thoughts and memories you had thought you had overcome.
When you enter your 'highs', you will find a resurgence of your spiritual self and will rejoice in this. Your meditations will be more positive and productive of contact with 'Father-Mother- Life-Consciousness'. If you will have the courage to persist and exercise self-discipline during the 'low' times as well as the good, you will find eventually, that the 'lows' will get less 'low' and any former depression will be lifted.
Remember, that each time of 'prayerful consciousness' brings you closer to your goal, although you may remain completely unaware of this. Nontheless, things are happening for your ultimate good - believe in them. ...........................................from Christsway.co.za
Identity...
When you believe yourself to be a person, you see persons
everywhere. In reality there are no persons, only threads of
memories and habits. At the moment of realization the person
ceases. Identity remains, but identity is not a person, it is
inherent in the reality itself. The person has no being in itself;
it is a reflection in the mind of the witness, the 'I am', which
again is a mode of being.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
This quotation is found on page 37,
"I Am That" Talks with
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
everywhere. In reality there are no persons, only threads of
memories and habits. At the moment of realization the person
ceases. Identity remains, but identity is not a person, it is
inherent in the reality itself. The person has no being in itself;
it is a reflection in the mind of the witness, the 'I am', which
again is a mode of being.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
This quotation is found on page 37,
"I Am That" Talks with
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
Hell...
Hell is the Distance that you are from God.. Hell is the Distance that you are
from Love.. Hell is the Amount of Selfish ego that you still consider to be
you.. Hell is Ignorance of Truth.. Hell exists within this time in the body and
beyond the body.. Hell is a self imposed prison of pain.. The Key out of this
prison is called Love....................namaste, thomas
from Love.. Hell is the Amount of Selfish ego that you still consider to be
you.. Hell is Ignorance of Truth.. Hell exists within this time in the body and
beyond the body.. Hell is a self imposed prison of pain.. The Key out of this
prison is called Love....................namaste, thomas
Life is Simple...
Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works.
You do more of what works.......
Thomas J. Peters
You do more of what works.......
Thomas J. Peters
Thoughts of God...
The thought of God is like a fire which will burn
all desires. The highest knowledge is nothing
but the deep feeling of the presence of God
everywhere. That is the highest wisdom and that
will give a death-blow to other desires of the world.
The desire for God is a desire to destroy all desires.....
- Swami Krishnananda
all desires. The highest knowledge is nothing
but the deep feeling of the presence of God
everywhere. That is the highest wisdom and that
will give a death-blow to other desires of the world.
The desire for God is a desire to destroy all desires.....
- Swami Krishnananda
Presence...
The simple fact of being, your own presence, is the changeless constant. It is doubtless, clear, beyond questions and undeniable. It is the very ground from which the mind, the body and the universe emerge.........
-John Wheeler
-John Wheeler
Awareness...
Looking closely, you see it's always the stuff you seem to be aware of
that's changing and passing, never Awareness itself. Awareness, all by
itself alone, is present as pure Being, a changeless presence which simply,
immovably is.........Peter Francis Dziuban
that's changing and passing, never Awareness itself. Awareness, all by
itself alone, is present as pure Being, a changeless presence which simply,
immovably is.........Peter Francis Dziuban
Truths...
TRUTH 1: YOU HAVE NEVER MADE A MISTAKE BECAUSE...
YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF ERROR OR FAILURE
From the perspective of the infinite correlation of a perfectly evolving Universe, you have done what you have done, and you have allowed others to do what they did to you, in order to learn, grow, and evolve spiritually...PERIOD! In a perfectly evolving Universe, it cannot be any other way. Therefore, you have never made a mistake because everything you did, you did in order to evolve spiritually. You may have missed a few opportunities to learn, but they weren't mistakes; they were all very valuable and necessary lessons that you needed to experience.
Each and every experience that you have created, you created with infinite precision for the evolution of your immortal soul. As a Godlike being, you are incapable of error or failure. What you perceive as error is either your old karma burning off or your spiritual evolution manifesting. An error or failure is just a mental justification, an excuse to deny what you did, or a reason to blame another for what happened. Your ego mind second-guesses your actions, which makes you "think" you are guilty or wrong. Remember, you have never made a mistake. Everything you did, you did to evolve spiritually. Your life is a perfectly orchestrated action plan for the evolution of your immortal soul...a soul that is on a journey home to your true inner Self!..........Holisticlearningcenter.com
YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF ERROR OR FAILURE
From the perspective of the infinite correlation of a perfectly evolving Universe, you have done what you have done, and you have allowed others to do what they did to you, in order to learn, grow, and evolve spiritually...PERIOD! In a perfectly evolving Universe, it cannot be any other way. Therefore, you have never made a mistake because everything you did, you did in order to evolve spiritually. You may have missed a few opportunities to learn, but they weren't mistakes; they were all very valuable and necessary lessons that you needed to experience.
Each and every experience that you have created, you created with infinite precision for the evolution of your immortal soul. As a Godlike being, you are incapable of error or failure. What you perceive as error is either your old karma burning off or your spiritual evolution manifesting. An error or failure is just a mental justification, an excuse to deny what you did, or a reason to blame another for what happened. Your ego mind second-guesses your actions, which makes you "think" you are guilty or wrong. Remember, you have never made a mistake. Everything you did, you did to evolve spiritually. Your life is a perfectly orchestrated action plan for the evolution of your immortal soul...a soul that is on a journey home to your true inner Self!..........Holisticlearningcenter.com
Namaste'...
Namaste' is an ancient Sanskrit word that means...
I honor the place in you where the entire universe dwells.
I honor the place in you which is of truth, of light, of peace, and love.
And when we communicate with that level of awareness,
WE ARE ONE!
I honor the place in you where the entire universe dwells.
I honor the place in you which is of truth, of light, of peace, and love.
And when we communicate with that level of awareness,
WE ARE ONE!
" I Am"...
Go deep into the sense of `I am' and you will find. How do you
find a thing you have mislaid or forgotten? You keep it in your
mind until you recall it. The sense of being, of `I am' is the first to
emerge. Ask yourself whence it comes or just watch it quietly.
When the mind stays in the `I am', without moving, you enter a
state, which cannot be verbalized, but which can be experienced.
All you need to do is to try and try again. After all the sense of `I
am' is always with you, only you have attached all kinds of things
to it- body, feelings, thoughts, ideas, possessions and so on. All
these self-identifications are misleading, because of these you take
yourself to be what you are not.
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
find a thing you have mislaid or forgotten? You keep it in your
mind until you recall it. The sense of being, of `I am' is the first to
emerge. Ask yourself whence it comes or just watch it quietly.
When the mind stays in the `I am', without moving, you enter a
state, which cannot be verbalized, but which can be experienced.
All you need to do is to try and try again. After all the sense of `I
am' is always with you, only you have attached all kinds of things
to it- body, feelings, thoughts, ideas, possessions and so on. All
these self-identifications are misleading, because of these you take
yourself to be what you are not.
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
Edgar Allan Poe...
It has been two hundred and one years since his death.. I was born and raised
next to the Bronx border, so I feel a closeness to Edgar..Edgar Allan Poe was
already a noted literary critic, poet and author when he rented a small cottage
in Fordham for $100 a year in 1846. He vainly hoped the fresh air would cure his
wife's tuberculosis. While living in the cottage, he befriended the Jesuit
teachers at nearby St. John's College (now Fordham University), and wrote
Annabel Lee and The Bells. The cottage, now in Poe Park, is administered by The
Bronx County Historical Society as a historic landmark museum..........In the
last three years of his life, Edgar sought to turn his thoughts from the
negative to the positive by befriending the Religious Brothers at St. Johns
College..He died at only forty years old.......namaste, thomas
next to the Bronx border, so I feel a closeness to Edgar..Edgar Allan Poe was
already a noted literary critic, poet and author when he rented a small cottage
in Fordham for $100 a year in 1846. He vainly hoped the fresh air would cure his
wife's tuberculosis. While living in the cottage, he befriended the Jesuit
teachers at nearby St. John's College (now Fordham University), and wrote
Annabel Lee and The Bells. The cottage, now in Poe Park, is administered by The
Bronx County Historical Society as a historic landmark museum..........In the
last three years of his life, Edgar sought to turn his thoughts from the
negative to the positive by befriending the Religious Brothers at St. Johns
College..He died at only forty years old.......namaste, thomas
Your Path Finds You...
Bhakti yoga says, "Surrender to God."
Advaita Vedanta says, "Everything is One."
Consciousness, however, has no comment about
either position.
No matter your inclination, however, trust that
you'll always be shown what you need to be shown
and that you'll always be taught what you need to
be taught.
Your spiritual path actually chooses you, and sooner
or later, its sacred labyrinth will lead you, inexorably,
directly into the very Heart of who you are.
But, paradoxically, this longed-for rendezvous with
your own Self has already taken place.
You already are what you are seeking.
- Chuck Hillig
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Seeds for the Soul
Chuck Hillig
Black Dot Publications, 2003
Advaita Vedanta says, "Everything is One."
Consciousness, however, has no comment about
either position.
No matter your inclination, however, trust that
you'll always be shown what you need to be shown
and that you'll always be taught what you need to
be taught.
Your spiritual path actually chooses you, and sooner
or later, its sacred labyrinth will lead you, inexorably,
directly into the very Heart of who you are.
But, paradoxically, this longed-for rendezvous with
your own Self has already taken place.
You already are what you are seeking.
- Chuck Hillig
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Seeds for the Soul
Chuck Hillig
Black Dot Publications, 2003
I Am that I Am...
I Am that I Am (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה, pronounced Ehyeh asher ehyeh [ʔehˈje ʔaˈʃer ʔehˈje]) is a common English translation (King James Bible and others) of the response God used in the Bible when Moses asked for His name (Exodus 3:14). It is one of the most famous verses in the Torah. Hayah means "existed" or "was" in Hebrew; "ehyeh" is the first person singular imperfect form. Ehyeh asher ehyeh is generally interpreted to mean I am that I am, though it more literally translates as "I-shall-be that I-shall-be."........from Wikipedia
Brother Lawrence/The Unclouded Vision ...
"By the practice of the Presence of God, by steadfast gaze on Him, the soul
comes to a knowledge of God, full and deep, to an Unclouded Vision.... I know
that there are not many who reach this state; it is a grace which God bestows
only on very few chosen souls, for this Unclouded Vision is a gift from His
all-bounteous hand. Yet, for the consolation of such as would fain embrace this
holy practice, let me say that God seldom denies this gift to those who
earnestly desire it; and if He do withhold this crowning mercy, be well assured
that, by the practice of the Presence of God, with the aid of His all-sufficient
grace, the soul can attained to a state which approaches very nearly to the
Unclouded Vision."
Brother Lawrence
_The Practice of the Presence of God_
Chennai, India: Samata Books, pp. 38-39
comes to a knowledge of God, full and deep, to an Unclouded Vision.... I know
that there are not many who reach this state; it is a grace which God bestows
only on very few chosen souls, for this Unclouded Vision is a gift from His
all-bounteous hand. Yet, for the consolation of such as would fain embrace this
holy practice, let me say that God seldom denies this gift to those who
earnestly desire it; and if He do withhold this crowning mercy, be well assured
that, by the practice of the Presence of God, with the aid of His all-sufficient
grace, the soul can attained to a state which approaches very nearly to the
Unclouded Vision."
Brother Lawrence
_The Practice of the Presence of God_
Chennai, India: Samata Books, pp. 38-39
Each Day...
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Liberation...
Summing up the long history of the struggle for "liberation," all that can be stated with finality is that sentient beings must always appear as such, objectively extended in a space-time context, but that what they are non-phenomenally, other than objectivised concepts, can never be either perceived or conceived since cognizing cannot cognize what is cognizing, and what is cognizing is what they are...........
wei wu wei
wei wu wei
Be at Peace...
“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing:God alone suffices.”
St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Avila
Your Surrender...
Your surrender cannot be done in speech
or writing. It must actually be done.
As the river surrenders to the Ocean
and loses its entity, its taste,
and all its limitations.
Everything absolutely changes
when she meets her Lover, the Ocean.
So do it practically, not just in words.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
This quotation is from:
"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
or writing. It must actually be done.
As the river surrenders to the Ocean
and loses its entity, its taste,
and all its limitations.
Everything absolutely changes
when she meets her Lover, the Ocean.
So do it practically, not just in words.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
This quotation is from:
"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
Focused Desire...
Commonsense too will tell you that to
fulfill a desire you must keep your mind
on it. If you want to know your true
nature, you must have yourself in mind
all the time, until the secret of your
being stands revealed.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
fulfill a desire you must keep your mind
on it. If you want to know your true
nature, you must have yourself in mind
all the time, until the secret of your
being stands revealed.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
Embrace the Light...
First, lay down your head
then one by one
let go of all distractions.
Embrace the light and let it guide you
beyond the winds of desire.
There you will find a spring and
nourished by its sweet waters
like a tree you will bear fruit forever.
- Rumi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Rumi: Hidden Music
Translated by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001
then one by one
let go of all distractions.
Embrace the light and let it guide you
beyond the winds of desire.
There you will find a spring and
nourished by its sweet waters
like a tree you will bear fruit forever.
- Rumi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Rumi: Hidden Music
Translated by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001
Love is Light...
Love others
because Light is in them
not because of the person.
Otherwise
one day you'll miss them
you'll lose them.
Love others
because Light is within them.
That's the Principle.
Then you'll never miss them
even if they die
because the Principle
is still existent.
Embodied or disembodied
it's the Principle
which fulfills.
- Swami Amar Jyoti
because Light is in them
not because of the person.
Otherwise
one day you'll miss them
you'll lose them.
Love others
because Light is within them.
That's the Principle.
Then you'll never miss them
even if they die
because the Principle
is still existent.
Embodied or disembodied
it's the Principle
which fulfills.
- Swami Amar Jyoti
Truth...
Truth can have a variety of meanings, from the state of being the case, being in accord with a particular fact or reality, being in accord with the body of real things, events, actuality, or fidelity to an original or to a standard. In archaic usage it could be fidelity, constancy or sincerity in action, character, and utterance.[1] The term has no single definition about which a majority of professional philosophers and scholars agree, and various theories and views of truth continue to be debated. There are differing claims on such questions as what constitutes truth; what things are truthbearers capable of being true or false; how to define and identify truth; the roles that revealed and acquired knowledge play; and whether truth is subjective, relative, objective, or absolute..........Wikipedia
A Thousand Christs...
A thousand Christs sent to earth would not redeem its people unless they themselves become Christlike by purifying and expanding their individual consciousness to receive therein the second coming of the Christ Consciousness, as was manifested in Jesus....Contact with this Consciousness, experienced in the ever new joy of meditation, will be the real second coming of Christ — and it will take place right in the devotee's own consciousness." —Paramahansa Yogananda
Experience...
Every kind of experience, whether it be wakeful, dream, hypnotic, or hallucinatory, is utterly and vividly real to the ego at the time its perceptions are operating on that particular level. Why, then, amidst such bewildering relativity, do we talk of divine experience as being the ultimate reality? We speak this way because it is concerned with what bestows the sense of reality to all the other forms of experience. And that is nothing else than the central core of pure Mind within us, the unique mysterious source of all possible kinds of our consciousness. This, if we can find it, is what philosophy calls the truly real world.
— Notebooks Category 21: Mentalism > Chapter 5: The Key To the Spiritual World > # 205............Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 21: Mentalism > Chapter 5: The Key To the Spiritual World > # 205............Paul Brunton
The Doer...
The present difficulty is that man thinks
he is the doer. But it is a mistake. It is the
higher power which does everything, and
man is only a tool. If he accepts that position
he is free from troubles, otherwise he courts
them.
- Sri Ramana Maharshi
he is the doer. But it is a mistake. It is the
higher power which does everything, and
man is only a tool. If he accepts that position
he is free from troubles, otherwise he courts
them.
- Sri Ramana Maharshi
The Gospel of Thomas...
Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."
Total Effortlessness...
True understanding, which is enlightenment,
can happen only when there is total effortlessness -
in other words, in the utter absence of any com-
prehender. Then there is only the witnessing of the
dream of life without the least desire to change
anything.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
can happen only when there is total effortlessness -
in other words, in the utter absence of any com-
prehender. Then there is only the witnessing of the
dream of life without the least desire to change
anything.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
Peace...
Peace is perfected activity; that is perfect which is complete in all its
aspects, balanced in each direction and under complete control of the will.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
It is useless to discuss the peace of the world. What is necessary just now is
to create peace in ourselves that we, ourselves, become examples of love,
harmony and peace. That is the only way of saving the world and ourselves.
Peace is independently felt within oneself. It is not dependent upon the outer
sensation. It is something that belongs to one, something that is one's own
self. ... Peace is not a knowledge, peace is not a power, peace is not a
happiness, but peace is all these. And besides, peace is productive of
happiness. Peace inspires one with knowledge of the seen and unseen, and in
peace is to be found the divine Presence. It is not the excited one who conquers
in this continual battle of life. It is the peaceful one who tolerates all, who
forgives all, who understands all, who assimilates all things. The one who lacks
peace, with all his possessions, the property of this earth or quality of mind,
is poor even with both. He has not got that wealth which may be called divine
and without which man's life is useless. For true life is in peace, a life which
will not be robbed by death.
The secret of mysticism, the mystery of philosophy, all is to be attained after
the attainment of peace. You cannot refuse to recognize the divine in a person
who is a person of peace. It is not the talkative, it is not the argumentative
one, who proves to be wise. He may have intellect, worldly wisdom, and yet may
not have pure intelligence, which is real wisdom. True wisdom is to be found in
the peaceful, for peacefulness is the sign of wisdom. It is the peaceful one who
is observant. It is peace that gives him the power to observe keenly. It is the
peaceful one, therefore, who can conceive, for peace helps him to conceive. It
is the peaceful who can contemplate; one who has no peace cannot contemplate
properly. Therefore, all things pertaining to spiritual progress in life depend
upon peace.
And now the question is what makes one lack peace? The answer is, love of
sensation. A person who is always seeking to experience life in movement, in
activity, in whatever form, wants more and more of that experience. In the end
he becomes dependent upon the life which is outside, and so he loses in the end
his peace, the peace which is his real self. ... the first thing is to seek the
kingdom of God within ourselves, in which there is our peace. As soon as we have
found that, we have found our support, we have found our self. And in spite of
all the activity and movement on the surface, we shall be able to keep that
peace undisturbed if only we hold it fast by becoming conscious of it.
aspects, balanced in each direction and under complete control of the will.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
It is useless to discuss the peace of the world. What is necessary just now is
to create peace in ourselves that we, ourselves, become examples of love,
harmony and peace. That is the only way of saving the world and ourselves.
Peace is independently felt within oneself. It is not dependent upon the outer
sensation. It is something that belongs to one, something that is one's own
self. ... Peace is not a knowledge, peace is not a power, peace is not a
happiness, but peace is all these. And besides, peace is productive of
happiness. Peace inspires one with knowledge of the seen and unseen, and in
peace is to be found the divine Presence. It is not the excited one who conquers
in this continual battle of life. It is the peaceful one who tolerates all, who
forgives all, who understands all, who assimilates all things. The one who lacks
peace, with all his possessions, the property of this earth or quality of mind,
is poor even with both. He has not got that wealth which may be called divine
and without which man's life is useless. For true life is in peace, a life which
will not be robbed by death.
The secret of mysticism, the mystery of philosophy, all is to be attained after
the attainment of peace. You cannot refuse to recognize the divine in a person
who is a person of peace. It is not the talkative, it is not the argumentative
one, who proves to be wise. He may have intellect, worldly wisdom, and yet may
not have pure intelligence, which is real wisdom. True wisdom is to be found in
the peaceful, for peacefulness is the sign of wisdom. It is the peaceful one who
is observant. It is peace that gives him the power to observe keenly. It is the
peaceful one, therefore, who can conceive, for peace helps him to conceive. It
is the peaceful who can contemplate; one who has no peace cannot contemplate
properly. Therefore, all things pertaining to spiritual progress in life depend
upon peace.
And now the question is what makes one lack peace? The answer is, love of
sensation. A person who is always seeking to experience life in movement, in
activity, in whatever form, wants more and more of that experience. In the end
he becomes dependent upon the life which is outside, and so he loses in the end
his peace, the peace which is his real self. ... the first thing is to seek the
kingdom of God within ourselves, in which there is our peace. As soon as we have
found that, we have found our support, we have found our self. And in spite of
all the activity and movement on the surface, we shall be able to keep that
peace undisturbed if only we hold it fast by becoming conscious of it.
The Void...
If Mind is to be regarded aright, we must put out of our thought even the notion of the cosmic Ever-Becoming. But to do this is to enter a virtual Void? Precisely. When we take away all the forms of external physical existence and all the differences of internal mental existence, what we get is an utter emptiness of being which can hardly be differentiated after we have taken away its features and individualities, its finite times and finite distances. There is then nothing but a great void. What is the nature of this void? It is pure Thought. It is out of this empty Thought that the fullness of the universe has paradoxically evolved. Hence it is said that the world's reality is secondary whereas Mind's reality is primary. In the Void the hidden oneness of things is disengaged from the things themselves. Silence therefore is not merely the negation of sound but rather the element in which, as Carlyle said, great things fashion themselves. It is the supreme storehouse of power.
— Notebooks Category 28: The Alone > Chapter 1: Absolute Mind > # 114.......Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 28: The Alone > Chapter 1: Absolute Mind > # 114.......Paul Brunton
Realization...
If you want it [realization], it will come. There is
no qualification necessary, except wanting it.
That is the only qualification. If it is not wanted,
it will not come. It comes when it is wanted,
but wanted wholly, not a little.
- Swami Krishnananda
no qualification necessary, except wanting it.
That is the only qualification. If it is not wanted,
it will not come. It comes when it is wanted,
but wanted wholly, not a little.
- Swami Krishnananda
Twilight...
I Love the Twilight.. the minutes between Light and Dark.. When the Sun declares that it is not Master and the Darkness is still a servant.. The Earth cries that it is neutral and continues it's whirl.. There are no shadows, but there is Light.. What brings Happiness in this Time?.............namaste, thomas
Your Role...
You'll automatically find along your path whatever
"props" that you'll need in order to play out your
scenes on the stage of your life.
If something (like wealth, fame, power, etc.) has
not shown up for you in life in spite of your best
efforts, then trust that you won't need it in order
to successfully play out your role.
In fact, your heart will unconsciously sabotage
your ego's attempts to get any of those things.
- Chuck Hillig
"props" that you'll need in order to play out your
scenes on the stage of your life.
If something (like wealth, fame, power, etc.) has
not shown up for you in life in spite of your best
efforts, then trust that you won't need it in order
to successfully play out your role.
In fact, your heart will unconsciously sabotage
your ego's attempts to get any of those things.
- Chuck Hillig
This Too Shall Pass...
When the understanding arises that "This too shall
pass," whether it is happiness or misery, that under-
standing will bring about a tremendous change in
perspective.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
pass," whether it is happiness or misery, that under-
standing will bring about a tremendous change in
perspective.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
Yoganada Speaks...
As a small cup cannot be a receptacle for the vast waters of an ocean, so the limited human mind cannot contain the universal Christ Consciousness. But when, by meditation, one continues to enlarge his mind he finally attains omniscience. He becomes united with the Divine Intelligence that permeates the atoms of creation.
The Only Teaching...
Enlightenment absorbs this universe of qualities.
When that merging occurs, there is nothing
but God. This is the only doctrine.
There is no word for it, no mind
to understand it with, no categories
of transcendence or non-transcendence,
no vow of silence, no mystical attitude.
There is no Shiva and no Shakti
in enlightenment, and if there is something
that remains, that whatever-it-is
is the only teaching.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
When that merging occurs, there is nothing
but God. This is the only doctrine.
There is no word for it, no mind
to understand it with, no categories
of transcendence or non-transcendence,
no vow of silence, no mystical attitude.
There is no Shiva and no Shakti
in enlightenment, and if there is something
that remains, that whatever-it-is
is the only teaching.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
Was Jesus a Sacrifice for our Sins?...
Did not Jesus abhor the killing of animals as the sacrifice for
sin.. Why would He then submit Himself to this false teaching?.. His death was
to show you that material life is small compared to eternal life.. He gave All,
His Life, His ego, and His desires.. this is what the cross means.. He gave All
to receive All.. This is the goal of all Mystics..... ........namaste, thomas
sin.. Why would He then submit Himself to this false teaching?.. His death was
to show you that material life is small compared to eternal life.. He gave All,
His Life, His ego, and His desires.. this is what the cross means.. He gave All
to receive All.. This is the goal of all Mystics..... ........namaste, thomas
The First Step...
All will come as you go on. Take the first step first.
All blessings come from within. Turn within. ‘I am’ you know.
Be with it all the time you can spare, until you revert to it
spontaneously. There is no simpler and easier way.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
All blessings come from within. Turn within. ‘I am’ you know.
Be with it all the time you can spare, until you revert to it
spontaneously. There is no simpler and easier way.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
Self-forgetting...
Self-forgetting is inherent in self-knowing.
Consciousness and unconsciousness are two
aspects of one life. They co-exist. To know
the world you forget the self - to know the
self you forget the world. What is world after
all? A collection of memories. Cling to one
thing that matters, hold on to 'I am' and let go
all else. This is sadhana. In realization there is
nothing to hold on to and nothing to forget.
Everything is known, nothing is remembered.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
Consciousness and unconsciousness are two
aspects of one life. They co-exist. To know
the world you forget the self - to know the
self you forget the world. What is world after
all? A collection of memories. Cling to one
thing that matters, hold on to 'I am' and let go
all else. This is sadhana. In realization there is
nothing to hold on to and nothing to forget.
Everything is known, nothing is remembered.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
Rumi Poem...
Our death is our wedding with eternity.
What is the secret? "God is One."
The sunlight splits when entering the windows of the house.
This multiplicity exists in the cluster of grapes;
It is not in the juice made from the grapes.
For he who is living in the Light of God,
The death of the carnal soul is a blessing.
Regarding him, say neither bad nor good,
For he is gone beyond the good and the bad.
Fix your eyes on God and do not talk about what is invisible,
So that he may place another look in your eyes.
It is in the vision of the physical eyes
That no invisible or secret thing exists.
But when the eye is turned toward the Light of God
What thing could remain hidden under such a Light?
Although all lights emanate from the Divine Light
Don't call all these lights "the Light of God";
It is the eternal light which is the Light of God,
The ephemeral light is an attribute of the body and the flesh.
...Oh God who gives the grace of vision!
The bird of vision is flying towards You with the wings of desire.
What is the secret? "God is One."
The sunlight splits when entering the windows of the house.
This multiplicity exists in the cluster of grapes;
It is not in the juice made from the grapes.
For he who is living in the Light of God,
The death of the carnal soul is a blessing.
Regarding him, say neither bad nor good,
For he is gone beyond the good and the bad.
Fix your eyes on God and do not talk about what is invisible,
So that he may place another look in your eyes.
It is in the vision of the physical eyes
That no invisible or secret thing exists.
But when the eye is turned toward the Light of God
What thing could remain hidden under such a Light?
Although all lights emanate from the Divine Light
Don't call all these lights "the Light of God";
It is the eternal light which is the Light of God,
The ephemeral light is an attribute of the body and the flesh.
...Oh God who gives the grace of vision!
The bird of vision is flying towards You with the wings of desire.
The Smile...
There is a Smile of Love
And there is a Smile of Deceit
And there is a Smile of Smiles
In which these two Smiles meet.
And there is a Frown of Hate
And there is a Frown of disdain
And there is a Frown of Frowns
Which you strive to forget in vain.
For it sticks in the Heart's deep Core
And it sticks in the deep Back bone.
And no Smile that ever was smil'd
But only one Smile alone.
That betwixt the Cradle and Grave
It only once Smil'd can be,
But when it once is Smile'd
There's an end to all Misery.
William Blake
And there is a Smile of Deceit
And there is a Smile of Smiles
In which these two Smiles meet.
And there is a Frown of Hate
And there is a Frown of disdain
And there is a Frown of Frowns
Which you strive to forget in vain.
For it sticks in the Heart's deep Core
And it sticks in the deep Back bone.
And no Smile that ever was smil'd
But only one Smile alone.
That betwixt the Cradle and Grave
It only once Smil'd can be,
But when it once is Smile'd
There's an end to all Misery.
William Blake
Enlighten your desires...
Enlighten your desires.
Meditate on who you are.
Quit imagining.
What you want is profoundly expensive,
and difficult to find,
yet closeby.
Don't search for it. It is nothing,
and a nothing within nothing.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
Meditate on who you are.
Quit imagining.
What you want is profoundly expensive,
and difficult to find,
yet closeby.
Don't search for it. It is nothing,
and a nothing within nothing.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
A figment of my Imagination...
Sometimes I feel like a king,
sometimes I moan in my own prison.
Swaying between these states
I can't be proud of myself.
This "I" is a figment of my imagination.
- Rumi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"Rumi - Whispers of the Beloved"
Selected and translated by
Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi
Thorsons, London 1999
sometimes I moan in my own prison.
Swaying between these states
I can't be proud of myself.
This "I" is a figment of my imagination.
- Rumi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"Rumi - Whispers of the Beloved"
Selected and translated by
Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi
Thorsons, London 1999
Feeling Love...
When you feel Love, you are feeling your Real Self.. The false self known as the
ego prevents you from knowing your Real Self and Knowing that this Real Self is
called Love.. This is why Jesus said;" The Kingdom of God is within".. When you
have surrendered the false ego during meditation, you will Realize that You are
Light, You are Love,You are Free, and You are Divine
Consciousness...........namaste, thomas
ego prevents you from knowing your Real Self and Knowing that this Real Self is
called Love.. This is why Jesus said;" The Kingdom of God is within".. When you
have surrendered the false ego during meditation, you will Realize that You are
Light, You are Love,You are Free, and You are Divine
Consciousness...........namaste, thomas
The Dream...
It is asked why, if the world is like a dream or a hallucination, we all have
the same dream or suffer the same hallucination. Why do we project it in common
instead of independently, since we all do have quite different dreams when
asleep at night or quite different reveries when awake by day? The answer is
that there is another and vaster Mind behind our personal minds which imposes
the same world-image upon them all, so that all see it and live in it. Moreover,
they are of necessity themselves projected by this Mind so that this image is
not less real for them than their own selves. The mind makes for itself this
world of illusion, this stage of space and time and form. But it does not make
it independently of all prompting. For the image that it constructs is imposed
upon it--or projected into it--by the Mind behind it.........Paul Brunton
the same dream or suffer the same hallucination. Why do we project it in common
instead of independently, since we all do have quite different dreams when
asleep at night or quite different reveries when awake by day? The answer is
that there is another and vaster Mind behind our personal minds which imposes
the same world-image upon them all, so that all see it and live in it. Moreover,
they are of necessity themselves projected by this Mind so that this image is
not less real for them than their own selves. The mind makes for itself this
world of illusion, this stage of space and time and form. But it does not make
it independently of all prompting. For the image that it constructs is imposed
upon it--or projected into it--by the Mind behind it.........Paul Brunton
Divine Love...
Concerning Love, Love is only experienced when you have cast aside your ego..
contemplate upon that sentence,It is very important... If you have the feeling
of Love within you, you then have the Presence of God within you.. the ego
creates a wall that prevents Love(God) from appearing.. If you wish to call the
practice of Love, Worship of God, that is your choice.. Do you worship your
father or do you Love your father?............namaste, thomas
contemplate upon that sentence,It is very important... If you have the feeling
of Love within you, you then have the Presence of God within you.. the ego
creates a wall that prevents Love(God) from appearing.. If you wish to call the
practice of Love, Worship of God, that is your choice.. Do you worship your
father or do you Love your father?............namaste, thomas
Worship...
Why do you feel that you must worship anything?.. Only an ego filled creature
would desire to be worshiped.. You are confused because you still think that God
is separate, that God is a He, That this being judges you... Your definition of
God is keeping you in a state of ignorance and non-understanding.....God is
Consciousness, this Consciousness is non-selfishness, this non-selfishness is
felt as Love.. Karma or what is known as "Cause and Effect" is your Teacher..It
is not any wrath of God or judgement of God to punish you.. you punish yourself
by the laws of karma and ignorance of the laws of unselfish
Love.........namaste, thomas
would desire to be worshiped.. You are confused because you still think that God
is separate, that God is a He, That this being judges you... Your definition of
God is keeping you in a state of ignorance and non-understanding.....God is
Consciousness, this Consciousness is non-selfishness, this non-selfishness is
felt as Love.. Karma or what is known as "Cause and Effect" is your Teacher..It
is not any wrath of God or judgement of God to punish you.. you punish yourself
by the laws of karma and ignorance of the laws of unselfish
Love.........namaste, thomas
Duality...
Is a drop of water in the ocean any different from the ocean?........As long as
you believe that you are separate from God, you will remain separate from God..
This belief in Duality will keep you in the pain of the material
worlds.........namaste, thomas
you believe that you are separate from God, you will remain separate from God..
This belief in Duality will keep you in the pain of the material
worlds.........namaste, thomas
Wake Up !...
"Snap the spell. Snap it now. Become aware of what happens as it
happens. Notice the expression on that man's face, the tone of
your voice, the color of that teacup, the position of your left
arm, that flashing thought. Bring yourself back to yourself. There
is good reason for it."
The Power of Your Supermind, p. 145......Vernon Howard
happens. Notice the expression on that man's face, the tone of
your voice, the color of that teacup, the position of your left
arm, that flashing thought. Bring yourself back to yourself. There
is good reason for it."
The Power of Your Supermind, p. 145......Vernon Howard
Divinity...
All Mystics that have Realized Enlightenment Know that they Are Divinity, Have
Always been Divinity, Cannot be Anything but Divinity, Know that there is Only
Divinity, and Know that they have entered these bodies to experience the
illusion of non-Divinity, so that they will Know more deeply
Divinity............namaste, thomas
Always been Divinity, Cannot be Anything but Divinity, Know that there is Only
Divinity, and Know that they have entered these bodies to experience the
illusion of non-Divinity, so that they will Know more deeply
Divinity............namaste, thomas
To Rise...
If you would lift me you must be on higher ground.
-- Society and Solitude (Eloquence)... Ralph Waldo Emerson
-- Society and Solitude (Eloquence)... Ralph Waldo Emerson
Life Is...
Life is the same for the saint and for Satan;
and, if they are different, it is because of their
outlook on life. The one turns the same life
into Heaven and the other into Hell.
-Hazrat Inayat Khan
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Hazrat Inayat Khan
Mastery Through Accomplishment
Omega Press, 1978
and, if they are different, it is because of their
outlook on life. The one turns the same life
into Heaven and the other into Hell.
-Hazrat Inayat Khan
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Hazrat Inayat Khan
Mastery Through Accomplishment
Omega Press, 1978
True Happiness...
True happiness cannot arise until the identification
with the body-mind apparatus is demolished.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1966
with the body-mind apparatus is demolished.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1966
Living from the ego...
"People mistakenly assume that they could be happy if only this
or that exterior condition would change. No. No man or woman is
happy - regardless of his exterior prosperities - if he lives
from his false self. The invented self is unhappiness itself.
This is a fact which can never be successfully contradicted;
our daily griefs prove it conclusively."
The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power, p. 165...Vernon Howard
or that exterior condition would change. No. No man or woman is
happy - regardless of his exterior prosperities - if he lives
from his false self. The invented self is unhappiness itself.
This is a fact which can never be successfully contradicted;
our daily griefs prove it conclusively."
The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power, p. 165...Vernon Howard
Work for the Cause of the Brother/Sisterhood by Hazrat Inayat Khan...
I have a great pleasure and happiness in opening today the Brotherhood section in Geneva. I would like to tell my mureeds what responsibility it is and what an opportunity it is to be on the soil of Geneva to work for the Cause of Brother/Sisterhood. This place, the soil of Geneva, is not only the place which is chosen by all the nations to form a League of Nations to work for the humanity and for peace, but also destined by God that the center of this universal harmony and peace from a spiritual point of view may also be formed here. It is therefore our privilege, which is our blessing, to be here together and to think of forming this league of friendship beyond all the differences and distinctions of faiths or beliefs.
What is the meaning of the word Geneve? The meaning of the word Geneve in Sanskrit language is the sacred thread. And who must prove the meaning and the value of this sacredness? It is us who are serving in this sacred Cause to bring about harmony and peace for humanity. We unite here on the soil of this land, coming from different countries, born in different lands, and yet come here with that brotherly love to do good for one another, and we are welcomed by the people of this land with open arms to discuss the affairs of the world and the affairs of humanity for the benefit of which all the people are anxious and eager.
Now what benefit there is in store for our Movement? From the spiritual point of view it is destined, it is promised, that the Message must spread, that the Message must reach all the parts of the earth. But the other benefit which is attached to the center being here on the soil of Geneva is that people coming from all different nations with the idea of uniting the world, bringing about better understanding, harmony or peace, the atmosphere that we shall create of love and of sacredness and of spirituality will envelop all the souls coming here or passing here from the North to the South, or from the South to the North. Therefore, however small the number of our group, still its responsibility, its privilege and its blessing is indeed great. But from a mystical point of view number is not counted, it is the depth, it is the sincerity, it is the solidarity of the faith which is the thing and which is counted.
Now I should like to explain a little more what work we have to do in the Movement of Brother/Sisterhood. Is it political work? Not at all. We have the League of Nations here to discuss it, we do not need to discuss that matter. Our love for humanity, our good will, our desire for fraternity, that itself will spread as an atmosphere congenial to those who will come to discuss matters in the League of Nations. Then are we to discuss socialism? That is also not necessary. There are several unions and there are various movements working on that question. That is not our purpose, that is not our work.
Then are we to discuss the difference of the faiths and religions? Not even that. The problem that is before us is that problem, that when that problem is solved, the Divine Light will manifest. And that problem is what purpose is behind this whole creation, what purpose is behind the life of an individual. And how we can best solve this problem, that is the subject of our study, and it is the work of our practice. When a person has studied perhaps for his whole life, what result, in the end, does he come to? He arrives at one stage, and that stage is the stage of Brother/Sisterhood. What does it show? It shows that the first lesson that we have to learn in this world is Brother/Sisterhood, and the last lesson, after learning all philosophy and mysticism and after all our efforts, is Brother/Sisterhood.
Then remember my friends, that if you studied Sufism for twenty years, all the problems of metaphysics and philosophy, and if that spirit of Brother/Sisterhood were not developed in you, you must be sure that progress has not been made. Or if you meditated for thirty years in a solitude, and if you communicated with God, and yet if the spirit of Brother/Sisterhood is not developed in you, no progress is made. A person who is loved by everybody in the world, and yet if he has not loved anybody, he has done nothing. A person who has possessed the wealth of the whole world, but if he has given nothing, he has not earned. A person honored by everyone in the world, but if he has not respected, he has not lived.
What does it mean? It only means that what we gain is nothing, it is what we give that counts. It is nothing what has been done to us, if only we did all we wished to do, that is what counts. Either learning or wisdom, position or power, or wealth, all these things gained are very small compared with what one can give to the others. Therefore, my friends, it is not talking about Brother/Sisterhood, nor discussing about this subject, that does much good. It is living that Brother/Sisterhood, and realizing that one Source of all which is the Father, and in whose Fatherhood we observe Brother/Sisterhood. Let us therefore all unite together in silence with the intention of doing what little we can in endeavoring to serve and promote the good work of Brother/Sisterhood; and let us pray to God to bless us all to do our little part in this big scheme of life.
God bless you.
What is the meaning of the word Geneve? The meaning of the word Geneve in Sanskrit language is the sacred thread. And who must prove the meaning and the value of this sacredness? It is us who are serving in this sacred Cause to bring about harmony and peace for humanity. We unite here on the soil of this land, coming from different countries, born in different lands, and yet come here with that brotherly love to do good for one another, and we are welcomed by the people of this land with open arms to discuss the affairs of the world and the affairs of humanity for the benefit of which all the people are anxious and eager.
Now what benefit there is in store for our Movement? From the spiritual point of view it is destined, it is promised, that the Message must spread, that the Message must reach all the parts of the earth. But the other benefit which is attached to the center being here on the soil of Geneva is that people coming from all different nations with the idea of uniting the world, bringing about better understanding, harmony or peace, the atmosphere that we shall create of love and of sacredness and of spirituality will envelop all the souls coming here or passing here from the North to the South, or from the South to the North. Therefore, however small the number of our group, still its responsibility, its privilege and its blessing is indeed great. But from a mystical point of view number is not counted, it is the depth, it is the sincerity, it is the solidarity of the faith which is the thing and which is counted.
Now I should like to explain a little more what work we have to do in the Movement of Brother/Sisterhood. Is it political work? Not at all. We have the League of Nations here to discuss it, we do not need to discuss that matter. Our love for humanity, our good will, our desire for fraternity, that itself will spread as an atmosphere congenial to those who will come to discuss matters in the League of Nations. Then are we to discuss socialism? That is also not necessary. There are several unions and there are various movements working on that question. That is not our purpose, that is not our work.
Then are we to discuss the difference of the faiths and religions? Not even that. The problem that is before us is that problem, that when that problem is solved, the Divine Light will manifest. And that problem is what purpose is behind this whole creation, what purpose is behind the life of an individual. And how we can best solve this problem, that is the subject of our study, and it is the work of our practice. When a person has studied perhaps for his whole life, what result, in the end, does he come to? He arrives at one stage, and that stage is the stage of Brother/Sisterhood. What does it show? It shows that the first lesson that we have to learn in this world is Brother/Sisterhood, and the last lesson, after learning all philosophy and mysticism and after all our efforts, is Brother/Sisterhood.
Then remember my friends, that if you studied Sufism for twenty years, all the problems of metaphysics and philosophy, and if that spirit of Brother/Sisterhood were not developed in you, you must be sure that progress has not been made. Or if you meditated for thirty years in a solitude, and if you communicated with God, and yet if the spirit of Brother/Sisterhood is not developed in you, no progress is made. A person who is loved by everybody in the world, and yet if he has not loved anybody, he has done nothing. A person who has possessed the wealth of the whole world, but if he has given nothing, he has not earned. A person honored by everyone in the world, but if he has not respected, he has not lived.
What does it mean? It only means that what we gain is nothing, it is what we give that counts. It is nothing what has been done to us, if only we did all we wished to do, that is what counts. Either learning or wisdom, position or power, or wealth, all these things gained are very small compared with what one can give to the others. Therefore, my friends, it is not talking about Brother/Sisterhood, nor discussing about this subject, that does much good. It is living that Brother/Sisterhood, and realizing that one Source of all which is the Father, and in whose Fatherhood we observe Brother/Sisterhood. Let us therefore all unite together in silence with the intention of doing what little we can in endeavoring to serve and promote the good work of Brother/Sisterhood; and let us pray to God to bless us all to do our little part in this big scheme of life.
God bless you.
Hazrat Inayat Khan ...
Hazrat Inayat Khan was a Sufi teacher from India who started "The Sufi Order in the West" (now called the Sufi Order International) in the early part of the 20th century. Though his family background was Muslim, he was also steeped in the Sufi notion that all religions have their value and place in human evolution.
Inayat was born into a family of musicians in 1882. His grandfather was a well-known musician respected as a composer, performer, and developer of a musical annotation which combined a group of diverse musical languages into one simplified integrated notation.
The house in which he grew up was a crossroads for visiting poets, composers, mystics, and thinkers. There they met and discussed their views (religious and otherwise) in an environment of openness and mutual understanding. This produced in the young man a sympathy for many different religions, and a strong feeling of the "oneness" of all faiths and creeds.
Inayat would listen to the evening prayers sung in his household with great interest, and was impressed with the spiritual atmosphere produced by the chanting. From a young age, he was interested in going beyond thinking about religious issues. He wanted a direct "link with God".
He developed considerable skill at the Vina (an Indian instrument). At eighteen, he went on a concert tour throughout India intent on reviving some of the older folk songs which were being replaced by more popular melodies. He felt these songs carried a special spiritual quality which was being lost. This brought him some critical acclaim, and he was invited to perform in the courts of Rajas (the rulers of India's princely states who cooperated with the British).
Inayat began to seek spiritual guidance at this point. He had seen the face of a very spiritual bearded man off and on in his dreams for some time. One day in Hyderabad, he had a premonition that something important was about to occur. A short time later, the man he had seen in his dreams entered the room.
Both teacher and disciple were immediately drawn to each other. The teacher was Mohammed Abu Hasana (or Said Abu Hashim Mudan depending on one's source) whose family originally came from Medina, the sacred city of Islam in Saudi Arabia. Mohammed was a member of the Chishti Sufi Order that was introduced into India at the close of the 12th century A.D.
Inayat describes the close relationship the disciple should develop with his or her teacher:
The next thing in the attainment of the inner life is to seek a spiritual guide - someone whom a man can absolutely trust and have every confidence in, someone to whom one can look up to, and one with whom one is in sympathy - a relationship which would culminate in what is called devotion. And if once he has found someone in life that he considers his Guru, his Murshad, his guide, then he should give him all confidence, so that not a thing is kept back. If there is something kept back, then what is given might just as well be taken away, because everything must be done fully, either have confidence or not have confidence, either have trust or not have trust. On the path of perfection, all things must be done fully.
The Inner Life, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Orient Books, 1980, P. 43)
Inayat maintained close contact with his teacher for four years. During this time, he experienced a level of realization that made God a reality in his life.
As his master lay dying, the teacher told him: "Go to the Western world my son and unite East and West through the magic of your music". Two years later, in September of 1910, Inayat sailed for America.
Inayat began to teach and discuss his world view with different people who would ask what to call this mode of thought. For a long time, Inayat refused to give it a name fearing it would create barriers between people. He would say only it was ancient wisdom from the one and only source. He emphasized how none of the great spiritual teachers gave a name to their religious views. Finally, knowing that a body of thought needs some identifier to unify it, he told people it was Sufism.
Inayat began to travel and lecture first in the United States and later in Europe. He traveled widely between 1910 and 1920. He decided to do more intensive teaching during the summer in France, and took up residence there near Paris in Suresnes where he could hold his "summer schools".
His teaching strongly emphasized the fundamental oneness of all religions. He was deeply concerned that many of the western religious traditions had lost knowledge of the "science of soul", and the prayer and meditation techniques necessary to develop higher consciousness in mankind.
This Sufi universalism, or interest in and respect for different religions is reflected in a saying by the thirteenth century Andalusian Sufi teacher Ibn 'Arabi. This respected scholar and mystic who authored among other works the classic Sufi retreat manual Journey To The Lord Of Power wrote:
Beware of confining yourself to a particular belief and denying all else, for much good would elude you - indeed, the knowledge of reality would elude you. Be in yourself for all forms of belief, for God is too vast and tremendous to be restricted to one belief rather than another. (Awakening - A Sufi Experience by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, Jeremy P. Tarcher - Putnam, New York, 1999, p. VIII)
It was at Suresnes that Inayat developed the Universal Worship service that is now associated with the "Sufi Order in the West". The ritual consists of an invocation, a reading from one of the holy books of the world's major religions, and the lighting of a candle for each tradition. A candle is also lit for all those individuals or religious systems (unknown or forgotten) that have inspired mankind. The ritual continues with a discourse, and ends with a blessing. One goal of the Universal Worship service is to show people from different cultures the many common elements they share in their religious traditions, and to create a sense of unity among people from different cultures by teaching them to read each other's scriptures and "pray each other's prayers".
Inayat said that he traveled a great deal not only to introduce people to the teachings but also to "tune the inner spheres of a country" to a "higher pitch of vibration". His disciple Sirkan Von Stolk talks about these vibrations during his meditation with Inayat:
At those moments he attuned and raised my consciousness to such a high degree that I could hardly stand it. The rate of vibration- that is the only way I can describe it - was so fantastic that it was almost too powerful for me, and I longed to return to the limited security of my own personality where I could I go on living at my own rhythm! (Memories of a Sufi Sage, Hazrat Inayat Khan by Sikar Van Stok with Daphne Dunlop, East-West Publications Fonds B.V., The Hague, 1967, p.40)
Inayat was also concerned that people who did esoteric practices and had deeper spiritual experience find ways to harmonize with the larger religious community and society of which they were a part. He wrote that a person deeply involved in the spiritual life could go to church, mosque, or temple and act in harmony with their fellow religious seekers though their paths might inwardly be very different. Thus, the Sufi at the Mosque, the householder sadhu at the Hindu temple, or the saintly person at the church would fit in with the larger community. Inayat recommended the such people carry out their responsibilities and practice the group's rituals as an ordinary member of their religious congregation. Such an approach conveys respect and admiration for religious people regardless of how they choose to practice their tradition.
In later life, Inayat went through a three stage set of realizations which had such a profound effect on him as to make him "almost unrecognizable" to those who knew him. Inayat claimed that while his consciousness was far removed from the body, he was obliged to pass through the different states of awareness that all human beings pass through in their development. The experience was analogous to Dante's experience of hell, purgatory, and heaven which concludes in the Beatific Vision of God.
Part of this initiation consisted of an experience of Hell. Hell is a place that the living visit in dreams, and the dead experience when their consciousness lives on to reap the results of their negative actions in life. Inayat's view was that hell in the afterlife is comparable to dreaming but much more intense.
The next vision was an experience of purgatory where souls suffer in an effort to move beyond their attachments and limitations. This act of purification requires a great effort of will.
The third vision was a stage of bliss where the human element was purified and purged to the point of illumination. Von Stalk describes Inayat as "cosmic" and as a being "now given up to service as a superb channel for the divine" following this final experience.
Inayat had been a tireless teacher, writer, and lecturer traveling and lecturing almost continuously for seventeen years. He had established his school in France, and a dedicated group of disciples. But, his difficult schedule had weakened him over the years. He left for India to see his homeland for the first time in seventeen years. He hoped to rest and meditate but was asked to lecture and graciously consented as was common. He died in New Delhi in 1927 of influenza.
Hazrat Inayat Kahn is probably the best known teacher of Sufism in America and Europe in the 20th century. His legacy of Sufi universalism or what one author terms "nonIslamic Sufism" is seen primarily in the three areas of the Sufi Order International organization, Omega Institute, and the Dances of Universal Peace.
Inayat's son Vilayet Khan, who died in 2004, had continued to spread the message of Sufism in the west. He also traveled and taught extensively and wrote several books. He was a co-founder of the Omega Institute, a large "new age" teaching institute in Rhinebeck New York begun in 1977. The center for the Sufi Order International is the Abode of the Message located since 1975 on an old Shaker community farm in New York State near Albany. They publish a magazine for spiritual seekers called Elixir (see link below).
Pir Zia Khan, the grandson of Inayat Khan, is the current leader of the Sufi Order International of North America. He studied Buddhism with the Dalai Lama as well as the classical Indian Sufism of the Chishtiya Order. He recently published a book titled Holy Mysteries of the Five Elements.
The Dances of Universal Peace developed by Samuel Lewis in conjunction with the Sufi Order and the modern dance teacher Ruth St. Denis are known throughout the world as a spiritual practice mixing meditation, song, and dance. Sufi Sam, as Lewis was known, was deeply influenced by his study with two people. One was Hazrat Inayat Khan of the Sufi Order, and the other was Ruth St. Denis, who was a teacher of Martha Graham and a feminist pioneer in the modern dance movement in America and Europe.
Lewis' and St. Dennis' idea of melding peace into the arts through dance drew on such diverse influences as Jalaleddin Rumi's whirling dervishes, modern dance, early American Shaker circle dances, square dancing, and Zen walking meditation (or kinhin) for patterns of movement. They combined the dance movements with spiritual prayers, chants, scriptures, mantras, and poetry from all the world's religions. Sam and Ruth also incorporated the Muslim concept of Zikir or "rememberence" of the divine name by emphasizing the repetition of simple spiritual phrases. They set these phrases to music and added the simple dance steps. Many of the early chants came directly from the sacred Muslim phrases used in Zikr.
The emphasis was on "meditation in movement" and on "participation, not presentation". The original dances, which numbered about fifty, have grown over the years to more than 500 in number. Lewis said he wanted to teach the hippies of San Francisco to dance. There was a cultural renaissance in San Francisco's music and art scene in the late sixtys and Lewis thought some of that enthusiasm could be channeled into spiritual practice through dance. He said he created the dances to show young people how to deepen their spirituality and as a way to help them find bliss (or get high) without the use of drugs.
The essential nonsectarian message of the Sufi Order International is still expressed in the Universal Worship service which honors all the world's major religions by reading passages from their holy books.
Inayat was born into a family of musicians in 1882. His grandfather was a well-known musician respected as a composer, performer, and developer of a musical annotation which combined a group of diverse musical languages into one simplified integrated notation.
The house in which he grew up was a crossroads for visiting poets, composers, mystics, and thinkers. There they met and discussed their views (religious and otherwise) in an environment of openness and mutual understanding. This produced in the young man a sympathy for many different religions, and a strong feeling of the "oneness" of all faiths and creeds.
Inayat would listen to the evening prayers sung in his household with great interest, and was impressed with the spiritual atmosphere produced by the chanting. From a young age, he was interested in going beyond thinking about religious issues. He wanted a direct "link with God".
He developed considerable skill at the Vina (an Indian instrument). At eighteen, he went on a concert tour throughout India intent on reviving some of the older folk songs which were being replaced by more popular melodies. He felt these songs carried a special spiritual quality which was being lost. This brought him some critical acclaim, and he was invited to perform in the courts of Rajas (the rulers of India's princely states who cooperated with the British).
Inayat began to seek spiritual guidance at this point. He had seen the face of a very spiritual bearded man off and on in his dreams for some time. One day in Hyderabad, he had a premonition that something important was about to occur. A short time later, the man he had seen in his dreams entered the room.
Both teacher and disciple were immediately drawn to each other. The teacher was Mohammed Abu Hasana (or Said Abu Hashim Mudan depending on one's source) whose family originally came from Medina, the sacred city of Islam in Saudi Arabia. Mohammed was a member of the Chishti Sufi Order that was introduced into India at the close of the 12th century A.D.
Inayat describes the close relationship the disciple should develop with his or her teacher:
The next thing in the attainment of the inner life is to seek a spiritual guide - someone whom a man can absolutely trust and have every confidence in, someone to whom one can look up to, and one with whom one is in sympathy - a relationship which would culminate in what is called devotion. And if once he has found someone in life that he considers his Guru, his Murshad, his guide, then he should give him all confidence, so that not a thing is kept back. If there is something kept back, then what is given might just as well be taken away, because everything must be done fully, either have confidence or not have confidence, either have trust or not have trust. On the path of perfection, all things must be done fully.
The Inner Life, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Orient Books, 1980, P. 43)
Inayat maintained close contact with his teacher for four years. During this time, he experienced a level of realization that made God a reality in his life.
As his master lay dying, the teacher told him: "Go to the Western world my son and unite East and West through the magic of your music". Two years later, in September of 1910, Inayat sailed for America.
Inayat began to teach and discuss his world view with different people who would ask what to call this mode of thought. For a long time, Inayat refused to give it a name fearing it would create barriers between people. He would say only it was ancient wisdom from the one and only source. He emphasized how none of the great spiritual teachers gave a name to their religious views. Finally, knowing that a body of thought needs some identifier to unify it, he told people it was Sufism.
Inayat began to travel and lecture first in the United States and later in Europe. He traveled widely between 1910 and 1920. He decided to do more intensive teaching during the summer in France, and took up residence there near Paris in Suresnes where he could hold his "summer schools".
His teaching strongly emphasized the fundamental oneness of all religions. He was deeply concerned that many of the western religious traditions had lost knowledge of the "science of soul", and the prayer and meditation techniques necessary to develop higher consciousness in mankind.
This Sufi universalism, or interest in and respect for different religions is reflected in a saying by the thirteenth century Andalusian Sufi teacher Ibn 'Arabi. This respected scholar and mystic who authored among other works the classic Sufi retreat manual Journey To The Lord Of Power wrote:
Beware of confining yourself to a particular belief and denying all else, for much good would elude you - indeed, the knowledge of reality would elude you. Be in yourself for all forms of belief, for God is too vast and tremendous to be restricted to one belief rather than another. (Awakening - A Sufi Experience by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, Jeremy P. Tarcher - Putnam, New York, 1999, p. VIII)
It was at Suresnes that Inayat developed the Universal Worship service that is now associated with the "Sufi Order in the West". The ritual consists of an invocation, a reading from one of the holy books of the world's major religions, and the lighting of a candle for each tradition. A candle is also lit for all those individuals or religious systems (unknown or forgotten) that have inspired mankind. The ritual continues with a discourse, and ends with a blessing. One goal of the Universal Worship service is to show people from different cultures the many common elements they share in their religious traditions, and to create a sense of unity among people from different cultures by teaching them to read each other's scriptures and "pray each other's prayers".
Inayat said that he traveled a great deal not only to introduce people to the teachings but also to "tune the inner spheres of a country" to a "higher pitch of vibration". His disciple Sirkan Von Stolk talks about these vibrations during his meditation with Inayat:
At those moments he attuned and raised my consciousness to such a high degree that I could hardly stand it. The rate of vibration- that is the only way I can describe it - was so fantastic that it was almost too powerful for me, and I longed to return to the limited security of my own personality where I could I go on living at my own rhythm! (Memories of a Sufi Sage, Hazrat Inayat Khan by Sikar Van Stok with Daphne Dunlop, East-West Publications Fonds B.V., The Hague, 1967, p.40)
Inayat was also concerned that people who did esoteric practices and had deeper spiritual experience find ways to harmonize with the larger religious community and society of which they were a part. He wrote that a person deeply involved in the spiritual life could go to church, mosque, or temple and act in harmony with their fellow religious seekers though their paths might inwardly be very different. Thus, the Sufi at the Mosque, the householder sadhu at the Hindu temple, or the saintly person at the church would fit in with the larger community. Inayat recommended the such people carry out their responsibilities and practice the group's rituals as an ordinary member of their religious congregation. Such an approach conveys respect and admiration for religious people regardless of how they choose to practice their tradition.
In later life, Inayat went through a three stage set of realizations which had such a profound effect on him as to make him "almost unrecognizable" to those who knew him. Inayat claimed that while his consciousness was far removed from the body, he was obliged to pass through the different states of awareness that all human beings pass through in their development. The experience was analogous to Dante's experience of hell, purgatory, and heaven which concludes in the Beatific Vision of God.
Part of this initiation consisted of an experience of Hell. Hell is a place that the living visit in dreams, and the dead experience when their consciousness lives on to reap the results of their negative actions in life. Inayat's view was that hell in the afterlife is comparable to dreaming but much more intense.
The next vision was an experience of purgatory where souls suffer in an effort to move beyond their attachments and limitations. This act of purification requires a great effort of will.
The third vision was a stage of bliss where the human element was purified and purged to the point of illumination. Von Stalk describes Inayat as "cosmic" and as a being "now given up to service as a superb channel for the divine" following this final experience.
Inayat had been a tireless teacher, writer, and lecturer traveling and lecturing almost continuously for seventeen years. He had established his school in France, and a dedicated group of disciples. But, his difficult schedule had weakened him over the years. He left for India to see his homeland for the first time in seventeen years. He hoped to rest and meditate but was asked to lecture and graciously consented as was common. He died in New Delhi in 1927 of influenza.
Hazrat Inayat Kahn is probably the best known teacher of Sufism in America and Europe in the 20th century. His legacy of Sufi universalism or what one author terms "nonIslamic Sufism" is seen primarily in the three areas of the Sufi Order International organization, Omega Institute, and the Dances of Universal Peace.
Inayat's son Vilayet Khan, who died in 2004, had continued to spread the message of Sufism in the west. He also traveled and taught extensively and wrote several books. He was a co-founder of the Omega Institute, a large "new age" teaching institute in Rhinebeck New York begun in 1977. The center for the Sufi Order International is the Abode of the Message located since 1975 on an old Shaker community farm in New York State near Albany. They publish a magazine for spiritual seekers called Elixir (see link below).
Pir Zia Khan, the grandson of Inayat Khan, is the current leader of the Sufi Order International of North America. He studied Buddhism with the Dalai Lama as well as the classical Indian Sufism of the Chishtiya Order. He recently published a book titled Holy Mysteries of the Five Elements.
The Dances of Universal Peace developed by Samuel Lewis in conjunction with the Sufi Order and the modern dance teacher Ruth St. Denis are known throughout the world as a spiritual practice mixing meditation, song, and dance. Sufi Sam, as Lewis was known, was deeply influenced by his study with two people. One was Hazrat Inayat Khan of the Sufi Order, and the other was Ruth St. Denis, who was a teacher of Martha Graham and a feminist pioneer in the modern dance movement in America and Europe.
Lewis' and St. Dennis' idea of melding peace into the arts through dance drew on such diverse influences as Jalaleddin Rumi's whirling dervishes, modern dance, early American Shaker circle dances, square dancing, and Zen walking meditation (or kinhin) for patterns of movement. They combined the dance movements with spiritual prayers, chants, scriptures, mantras, and poetry from all the world's religions. Sam and Ruth also incorporated the Muslim concept of Zikir or "rememberence" of the divine name by emphasizing the repetition of simple spiritual phrases. They set these phrases to music and added the simple dance steps. Many of the early chants came directly from the sacred Muslim phrases used in Zikr.
The emphasis was on "meditation in movement" and on "participation, not presentation". The original dances, which numbered about fifty, have grown over the years to more than 500 in number. Lewis said he wanted to teach the hippies of San Francisco to dance. There was a cultural renaissance in San Francisco's music and art scene in the late sixtys and Lewis thought some of that enthusiasm could be channeled into spiritual practice through dance. He said he created the dances to show young people how to deepen their spirituality and as a way to help them find bliss (or get high) without the use of drugs.
The essential nonsectarian message of the Sufi Order International is still expressed in the Universal Worship service which honors all the world's major religions by reading passages from their holy books.
The Fountain...
As water in a fountain flows as one stream, but falls in many drops divided by
time and space, so are the revelations of the one stream of truth.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In a fountain there is a big stream which flows up and then breaks into many
drops. The stream is like the divine will, and the different drops like the
wills in us. One drop goes higher, another lower, one falls to the left, another
to the right, one goes north, another south. But the source of all this activity
is one; it is one thing that turns into so many, scattering in all directions.
Thus from unity there has come variety.
Different methods called religions and philosophies have been adopted by
different nations at various periods. Though the form and teachings of the
several religions appear so unlike, their source is one and the same. But from
the very beginning the differences have created prejudice, envy, and antagonism
between man. Such dissensions occupy a large portion of the histories of the
world and have become the most important subject in life.
So many castes and so many creeds,
So many faiths, and so many beliefs,
All have arisen from ignorance of man,
Wise is he who only truth conceives.
A wise man realizes that the fundamental basis of all religions and beliefs is
one: Haqq, or truth. ... Those who see the truth uncovered abandon reason and
logic, good and bad, high and low, new and old; differences and distinctions of
names and forms fade away, and the whole universe is realized as nothing other
than Haqq. Truth in its realization is one; in its representation it is many,
since its revelations are made under varying conditions of time and space.
As water in a fountain flows in one stream but falls in many drops, divided by
time and space, so are the revelations of the one stream of truth.
time and space, so are the revelations of the one stream of truth.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In a fountain there is a big stream which flows up and then breaks into many
drops. The stream is like the divine will, and the different drops like the
wills in us. One drop goes higher, another lower, one falls to the left, another
to the right, one goes north, another south. But the source of all this activity
is one; it is one thing that turns into so many, scattering in all directions.
Thus from unity there has come variety.
Different methods called religions and philosophies have been adopted by
different nations at various periods. Though the form and teachings of the
several religions appear so unlike, their source is one and the same. But from
the very beginning the differences have created prejudice, envy, and antagonism
between man. Such dissensions occupy a large portion of the histories of the
world and have become the most important subject in life.
So many castes and so many creeds,
So many faiths, and so many beliefs,
All have arisen from ignorance of man,
Wise is he who only truth conceives.
A wise man realizes that the fundamental basis of all religions and beliefs is
one: Haqq, or truth. ... Those who see the truth uncovered abandon reason and
logic, good and bad, high and low, new and old; differences and distinctions of
names and forms fade away, and the whole universe is realized as nothing other
than Haqq. Truth in its realization is one; in its representation it is many,
since its revelations are made under varying conditions of time and space.
As water in a fountain flows in one stream but falls in many drops, divided by
time and space, so are the revelations of the one stream of truth.
The secret cannot be spoken...
Last night
I begged the Wise One to tell me
the secret of the world.
Gently, gently he whispered,
"Be quiet,
the secret cannot be spoken,
it is wrapped in silence."
- Rumi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"Rumi - Whispers of the Beloved:
Selected and translated by
Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi
Thorsons, London 1999
I begged the Wise One to tell me
the secret of the world.
Gently, gently he whispered,
"Be quiet,
the secret cannot be spoken,
it is wrapped in silence."
- Rumi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"Rumi - Whispers of the Beloved:
Selected and translated by
Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi
Thorsons, London 1999
Being...
“Being is desirable because it is identical with Beauty, and Beauty is loved because it is Being. We ourselves possess Beauty when we are true to our own being; ugliness is in going over to another order; knowing ourselves, we are beautiful; in self-ignorance, we are ugly.” .........
Plotinus
Plotinus
Samadhi...
Much of the writing of Plotinus is descriptive of the state Hindus
call Nirvikalpa Samadhi. It is the total dispersal of the world from
the field of awareness, a complete flight from sensations, thoughts,
mental images, the physical body, and, above all, from any and every
kind of activity. To an outside observer, it may seem to be a trance
state, but he would not be correct in his observation, nor altogether
wrong. It is as deep as contemplation can possibly go. It is
Consciousness freed from any kind of personal admixture, staying only
with itself. All these other things being removed, what is left is
then true self-knowledge, even if it is unconscious to the ego.
— Notebooks Category 23: Advanced Contemplation > Chapter 8: The Void
As Contemplative Experience > # 75........Paul Brunton
call Nirvikalpa Samadhi. It is the total dispersal of the world from
the field of awareness, a complete flight from sensations, thoughts,
mental images, the physical body, and, above all, from any and every
kind of activity. To an outside observer, it may seem to be a trance
state, but he would not be correct in his observation, nor altogether
wrong. It is as deep as contemplation can possibly go. It is
Consciousness freed from any kind of personal admixture, staying only
with itself. All these other things being removed, what is left is
then true self-knowledge, even if it is unconscious to the ego.
— Notebooks Category 23: Advanced Contemplation > Chapter 8: The Void
As Contemplative Experience > # 75........Paul Brunton
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