Sometimes
if you move carefully
through the
forest
breathing
like the ones
in the old stories
who could
cross
a shimmering bed of dry leaves
without a sound,
you
come
to a place
whose only task
is to trouble you
with
tiny
but frightening requests
conceived out of nowhere
but in this
place
beginning to lead everywhere.
Requests to stop what
you are
doing right now,
and
to stop what you
are becoming
while you do
it,
questions
that can make
or unmake
a
life,
questions
that have patiently
waited for
you,
questions
that have no right
to go away.
~ David Whyte
~
(Everything is Waiting for You)
Time...
First...
You use your mind as
The ultimate jigsaw.
You take Totality
And cut it up
Into a million tiny pieces.
Then...
Having tired of that game,
You sit down and try to
Reassemble this jumble of pieces
Into something comprehensible.
Ram Tzu knows...
God invented time
Just so you could do this.
- Ram Tzu
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
No Way for the Spiritually "Advanced"
Ram Tzu
Advaita Press, 1990
You use your mind as
The ultimate jigsaw.
You take Totality
And cut it up
Into a million tiny pieces.
Then...
Having tired of that game,
You sit down and try to
Reassemble this jumble of pieces
Into something comprehensible.
Ram Tzu knows...
God invented time
Just so you could do this.
- Ram Tzu
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
No Way for the Spiritually "Advanced"
Ram Tzu
Advaita Press, 1990
The sage...
The sage helps the world merely by being
the real Self. The best way for one to
serve the world is to win the egoless state.
If you are anxious to help the world, but
think that you cannot do so by attaining the
egoless state, then surrender to God all the
world's problems, along with your own.
- Sri Ramana Maharshi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"Be As You Are"
The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi
Edited by David Godman
Arkana, 1985
the real Self. The best way for one to
serve the world is to win the egoless state.
If you are anxious to help the world, but
think that you cannot do so by attaining the
egoless state, then surrender to God all the
world's problems, along with your own.
- Sri Ramana Maharshi
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"Be As You Are"
The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi
Edited by David Godman
Arkana, 1985
Adyashanti...
When you start to see the light that you really are,
the light waking up in you, the radiance,
you realize it has no intention to change you.
It has no intention to harmonize.
It has no agenda.
It just happens.
The Truth is the only thing you'll ever run into that has no agenda. Everything else will have an agenda.
Everything.
That is why the Truth is so powerful.
Give up your agendas and continue to expose yourself (to the Truth), and harmonization will naturally occur.
the light waking up in you, the radiance,
you realize it has no intention to change you.
It has no intention to harmonize.
It has no agenda.
It just happens.
The Truth is the only thing you'll ever run into that has no agenda. Everything else will have an agenda.
Everything.
That is why the Truth is so powerful.
Give up your agendas and continue to expose yourself (to the Truth), and harmonization will naturally occur.
Be Still...
Be still, quiet and patient. There is only you. How can there be a distance between you and you ?
It is when daily life is imagined to be different from spiritual life that difficulties arise. Without subjective perception of difference there can be no problems.
It's very simple. It's difficult only for the "I", but it's totally natural to return to what you are, to what's underneath the "I" story.
Nothing happens in either the waking or dreaming state, since the substance of both is consciousness.
Jac O'Keeffe
It is when daily life is imagined to be different from spiritual life that difficulties arise. Without subjective perception of difference there can be no problems.
It's very simple. It's difficult only for the "I", but it's totally natural to return to what you are, to what's underneath the "I" story.
Nothing happens in either the waking or dreaming state, since the substance of both is consciousness.
Jac O'Keeffe
Now...
All seeking is a search outside yourself for
peace, happiness... True peace is not found
by looking to the future but realizing now
that anything and everything arises in the
already-present Peace that you are.
- Siddharameshwar Maharaj
peace, happiness... True peace is not found
by looking to the future but realizing now
that anything and everything arises in the
already-present Peace that you are.
- Siddharameshwar Maharaj
Religions...
All creeds are but preliminaries for the masses, leading up to the real truth of the Self. The religions are not necessarily the highest expression or the highest wisdom of their founders, who had to consider the times in which they lived and the mental capacities of the people. The highest wisdom is too subtle for most minds, and so a whole scheme of worlds, gods, bodies, evolution etc. had to be given out because people seem to find it easier to believe all these things rather than believe the simple Truth of the one reality--Self. Thus, reincarnation, astral planes, survival after death, etc. are true but only from a lower standpoint. It is all a matter of standpoint. From the highest, that of the real Self, all else disappears as illusory and only the Reality remains. It is true that subtle astral bodies exist, because in order to function in the dream-world a body is necessary for that world; but it too is real only on its own plane whereas the One Self is always real, always and eternally existent, whether we are aware of it or not. Hence it is better to seek that, because the other self-bodies are only conditionally real. - Ramana
from Conscious Immortality
What is Mysticism?...
You can read a thousand books and listen to a thousand teachers that will lead you down many paths of mysticism, but, the bottom line is that Mysticism is Union with Source.. not just a Union beyond life, but, Union while within life.. This Union is taught by all Mystics and is called Unconditional Love.. This Unconditional Love can only be experienced while in the mental state of Humility.. which is also called selflessness or non-ego.. Our daily goal is to achieve this state of non-self and Realise our True Self called Unconditional Love or what many call God........... namaste, thomas
Lao Tzu...
"What good is it to spend your life accumulating material things?
It isn't in keeping with the Tao.
What benefit in conforming your life to someone else's conventions?
It violates your nature and dissipates your energy.
Why separate your spiritual life from your practical life?
In an integral being there is no such distinction.
Live simply and virtuously, true to your nature,
drawing no line between what is spiritual and what is not.
Ignore time.
Relinquish ideas and concepts.
Embrace the Oneness.
This is the Integral Way."
Lao Tzu
_Hua Hu Ching: The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu_, 50
Translated by Brian Browne Walker
NY: HarperCollins, 1992, p. 62
It isn't in keeping with the Tao.
What benefit in conforming your life to someone else's conventions?
It violates your nature and dissipates your energy.
Why separate your spiritual life from your practical life?
In an integral being there is no such distinction.
Live simply and virtuously, true to your nature,
drawing no line between what is spiritual and what is not.
Ignore time.
Relinquish ideas and concepts.
Embrace the Oneness.
This is the Integral Way."
Lao Tzu
_Hua Hu Ching: The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu_, 50
Translated by Brian Browne Walker
NY: HarperCollins, 1992, p. 62
I Am That...
There is a power in the universe working for enlightenment
— and liberation. We call it Sadashiva, who is ever present in
the hearts of men. It is the unifying factor. Unity — liberates.
Freedom — unites. Ultimately nothing is mine or yours — every-
thing is ours. Just be one with yourself and you will be one with
all, at home in the entire universe.
Nisargadatta Maharaj - I Am That
— and liberation. We call it Sadashiva, who is ever present in
the hearts of men. It is the unifying factor. Unity — liberates.
Freedom — unites. Ultimately nothing is mine or yours — every-
thing is ours. Just be one with yourself and you will be one with
all, at home in the entire universe.
Nisargadatta Maharaj - I Am That
Leo Tolstoy...
Lev Nikolayevitch Tolstoy (9 September 1828 – 20 November 1910) was a Russian writer, philosopher and social activist credited as a major influence on Christian anarchism. )
- All our problems are caused by forgetting what lives within us, and we sell our souls for the “bowl of stew” of bodily satisfactions.
- People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing—refusing to participate in activities that make life bad.
- A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.
- God is the infinite ALL. Man is only a finite manifestation of Him.
- You worldly-minded people are most unfortunate! You are surrounded with sorrows and troubles overhead and underfoot and to the right and to the left, and you are enigmas even to yourselves.
- In life, in true life, there can be nothing better than what is. Wanting something different than what is, is blasphemy.
- The most important person is the one you are with in this moment.
- Everything comes in time to him who knows how to wait.
- When the woman showed her love for the children that were not her own, and wept over them, I saw in her the living God, and understood What men live by.
- When a person inflates his own importance, he does not see his own sins; and his sin get bigger right along with him.
- In order to understand, observe, deduce, man must first be conscious of himself as alive.
- Genuine religion is not about speculating about God or the soul or about what happened in the past or will happen in the future; it cares only about one thing—finding out exactly what should or should not be done in this lifetime.
- Love hinders death. Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.
- People of limited intelligence are fond of talking about "these days," imagining that they have discovered and appraised the peculiarities of "these days" and that human nature changes with the times.
- We measure the earth, sun, stars, and ocean depths. We burrow into the depths of the earth for gold. We search for rivers and mountains on the moon. We discover new stars and know their magnitudes. We sound the depths of gorges and build clever machines. Each day brings a new invention. What don’t we think of! What can’t we do! But there is something else, the most important thing of all, that we are missing. We do not know exactly what it is. We are like a small child who knows he does not feel well but cannot explain why. We are uneasy, because we know a lot of superfluous facts; but we do not know what is really important—ourselves.
Our greatest enemy is ourself...
The soul is first born into the false self, it is blind; in the true self the
soul opens its eyes.
Bowl of Saki, April 21, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Our greatest enemy is ourself. All weakness, all ignorance keeps us from the
truth of our being, from all the virtues hidden in us and all perfection hidden
in our souls. The first self we realize is the false self. Unless the soul is
born again it will not see the kingdom of heaven. The soul is born into the
false self; it is blind. In the true self the soul opens its eyes. Unless the
false self is fought with, the true self cannot be realized...
The lions could not harm Daniel because of the harmony of his will with the
universal Will. The lions represent the destructive elements in the human mind.
They represent wars, disappointments, rivalries, jealousies, envy, passions, and
so forth, in different horrible guises. Our ego is the lion of lions, and if
this is conquered, then these external lions -- different egos around us -- are
conquered also, and wherever we go, with anyone, whether foolish or wise, good
or bad, we now have peace.
The work of the spiritual man is to forget his false self and so to realize the
true self which is God, and this true self not only in him, but in his neighbor
also.
Man struggles with things that are outside him, and so he gives a chance to the
foes who exist in his own being. Therefore the first thing necessary in life is
to make peace for the time being with the outside world, in order to prepare for
the war which is to be fought within oneself. Once peace is made within, one
will gain by that sufficient strength and power to be used through the struggle
of life within and without... Life is one long journey, and the further behind
we have left our self, the further we have progressed toward the goal. Verily
when the false self is lost the true self is discovered.
soul opens its eyes.
Bowl of Saki, April 21, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Our greatest enemy is ourself. All weakness, all ignorance keeps us from the
truth of our being, from all the virtues hidden in us and all perfection hidden
in our souls. The first self we realize is the false self. Unless the soul is
born again it will not see the kingdom of heaven. The soul is born into the
false self; it is blind. In the true self the soul opens its eyes. Unless the
false self is fought with, the true self cannot be realized...
The lions could not harm Daniel because of the harmony of his will with the
universal Will. The lions represent the destructive elements in the human mind.
They represent wars, disappointments, rivalries, jealousies, envy, passions, and
so forth, in different horrible guises. Our ego is the lion of lions, and if
this is conquered, then these external lions -- different egos around us -- are
conquered also, and wherever we go, with anyone, whether foolish or wise, good
or bad, we now have peace.
The work of the spiritual man is to forget his false self and so to realize the
true self which is God, and this true self not only in him, but in his neighbor
also.
Man struggles with things that are outside him, and so he gives a chance to the
foes who exist in his own being. Therefore the first thing necessary in life is
to make peace for the time being with the outside world, in order to prepare for
the war which is to be fought within oneself. Once peace is made within, one
will gain by that sufficient strength and power to be used through the struggle
of life within and without... Life is one long journey, and the further behind
we have left our self, the further we have progressed toward the goal. Verily
when the false self is lost the true self is discovered.
We are already One...
We are already one. But we imagine that we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be is what we are.
- Thomas Merton
The Secret of Happiness...
The secret of happiness is hidden under the cover of spiritual knowledge.
Bowl of Saki, April 20, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
The soul in Sanskrit, in the terms of the Vedanta, is called Atman which means
happiness or bliss itself. It is not that happiness belongs to the soul; it is
that the soul itself is happiness. Today we often confuse happiness with
pleasure; but pleasure is only an illusion, a shadow of happiness; and in this
delusion man may pass his whole life, seeking after pleasure and never finding
satisfaction. ... Do you think that if these people gained their desires they
would be happy? If they possessed all, would that suffice? No, they would still
find some excuse for unhappiness; all these excuses are only like covers over a
man's eyes, for deep within is the yearning for the true happiness which none of
these things can give. He who is really happy is happy everywhere, in a palace
or in a cottage, in riches or in poverty, for he has discovered the fountain of
happiness which is situated in his own heart. As long as a person has not found
that fountain, nothing will give him real happiness.
A Marathi poet has said, 'O mind, my restless mind, my mind with its thoughts of
a thousand things which it supposes will make it happy, saying, 'If I had that,
I should be happy; if I had this, I should feel life was not wasted.' O, my
mind, will you tell me who in this world is happy?' The mind says, 'if I had the
wealth which I see others have, I should be happy.' But are these others happy?
They in their turn say they would be, if they had something still higher!
The secret of happiness is hidden under the veil of spiritual knowledge. And
spiritual knowledge is nothing but this: that there is a constant longing in the
heart of man to have something of its origin, to experience something of its
original state, the state of peace and joy which has been disturbed, and yet is
sought after throughout its whole life, and never can cease to be sought after
until the real source has at length been realized. ... It is only those who are
blessed by perceiving the origin and source of all things who awaken to the fact
that the real inclination of every life is to attain to something which can not
be touched or comprehended or understood. The hidden blessing of this knowledge
is the first step to perfection. Once awake to this fact, man sees there is
something in life that will make him really happy and give him his heart's
desire. He can say, 'Though there are many things in life which I need for the
moment, and for which I shall certainly work, yet there is only that one thing,
around which life centers, that will satisfy me: the spiritual attainment, the
religious attainment, or, as one may even call it, the attainment of God.' Such
a one has found the key to all happiness, and has found that all the things he
needs will be reached because he has the key to all. 'Seek, and ye shall find:
knock, and it shall be opened unto you... Seek first the kingdom of God, and all
these things shall be added unto you.' This kingdom of God is the silent life;
the life inseparable, eternal, self-sufficient, and all-powerful. This is the
life of the wise, whatever be the name given to it; this is the life which the
wise contemplate. It is the face of this life that they long to see; it is the
ocean of this life that they long to swim in; as it is written: 'In Him we live
and have our being.'
These are the ones who are really happy, who are above all unhappiness, above
death and the destruction of life.
Bowl of Saki, April 20, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
The soul in Sanskrit, in the terms of the Vedanta, is called Atman which means
happiness or bliss itself. It is not that happiness belongs to the soul; it is
that the soul itself is happiness. Today we often confuse happiness with
pleasure; but pleasure is only an illusion, a shadow of happiness; and in this
delusion man may pass his whole life, seeking after pleasure and never finding
satisfaction. ... Do you think that if these people gained their desires they
would be happy? If they possessed all, would that suffice? No, they would still
find some excuse for unhappiness; all these excuses are only like covers over a
man's eyes, for deep within is the yearning for the true happiness which none of
these things can give. He who is really happy is happy everywhere, in a palace
or in a cottage, in riches or in poverty, for he has discovered the fountain of
happiness which is situated in his own heart. As long as a person has not found
that fountain, nothing will give him real happiness.
A Marathi poet has said, 'O mind, my restless mind, my mind with its thoughts of
a thousand things which it supposes will make it happy, saying, 'If I had that,
I should be happy; if I had this, I should feel life was not wasted.' O, my
mind, will you tell me who in this world is happy?' The mind says, 'if I had the
wealth which I see others have, I should be happy.' But are these others happy?
They in their turn say they would be, if they had something still higher!
The secret of happiness is hidden under the veil of spiritual knowledge. And
spiritual knowledge is nothing but this: that there is a constant longing in the
heart of man to have something of its origin, to experience something of its
original state, the state of peace and joy which has been disturbed, and yet is
sought after throughout its whole life, and never can cease to be sought after
until the real source has at length been realized. ... It is only those who are
blessed by perceiving the origin and source of all things who awaken to the fact
that the real inclination of every life is to attain to something which can not
be touched or comprehended or understood. The hidden blessing of this knowledge
is the first step to perfection. Once awake to this fact, man sees there is
something in life that will make him really happy and give him his heart's
desire. He can say, 'Though there are many things in life which I need for the
moment, and for which I shall certainly work, yet there is only that one thing,
around which life centers, that will satisfy me: the spiritual attainment, the
religious attainment, or, as one may even call it, the attainment of God.' Such
a one has found the key to all happiness, and has found that all the things he
needs will be reached because he has the key to all. 'Seek, and ye shall find:
knock, and it shall be opened unto you... Seek first the kingdom of God, and all
these things shall be added unto you.' This kingdom of God is the silent life;
the life inseparable, eternal, self-sufficient, and all-powerful. This is the
life of the wise, whatever be the name given to it; this is the life which the
wise contemplate. It is the face of this life that they long to see; it is the
ocean of this life that they long to swim in; as it is written: 'In Him we live
and have our being.'
These are the ones who are really happy, who are above all unhappiness, above
death and the destruction of life.
Knowing Yourself...
The more you know yourself, the more you know your being. If you do not know yourself, you do not know your being. And if you remain on the same level of being you cannot get more knowledge.
A big effort depends on circumstances, situation, understanding, on many things. You cannot begin with big efforts. You must begin with small efforts, like, for instance, trying to remember yourself, or trying to stop thoughts three times a day. It is quite a small effort, but if you do it regularly, the need or the possibility of a big effort may come and you will be able to make it at the right moment.
It does not necessarily mean that all that is mechanical is evil; but evil cannot be conscious, it can only be mechanical.
There is no possibility of remembering what has been found and understood, and later repeating it to oneself. It disappears as a dream disappears. Perhaps it is all nothing but a dream.
Suffering is the best possible help for self-remembering if you learn how to use it. By itself it does not help; one can suffer one's whole life and it will not give a grain of result, but if one learns to use suffering, it will become helpful. The moment you suffer, try to remember yourself.
The chief obstacle to the attainment of self-consciousness is that we think we have it. One will never get self-consciousness so long as one believes that one has it. There are many other things we think we have, and because of this we cannot have them. There is individuality or oneness —we think we are one, indivisible. We think we have will, or that if we do not have it always, we can have it, and other things. There are many aspects to this, for if we do not have one thing, we cannot have another. We think that we have these things, and this happens because we do not know the meaning of the words we use.
Efforts! Efforts! The more efforts you make, the more energy you can get. Without efforts you cannot get energy. Even if it is in you, it may be in the wrong place. Do not think about it theoretically; think simply that you have much energy in you that you never use, and you must make more efforts to use it.
It is necessary to put more energy into things—into self study, self-observation, self-remembering and all that. And in order to put more energy into your work it is necessary to find where it is being spent. You awake every morning with a certain amount of energy. It may be spent in many different ways.
P.D. Ouspensky
Mind resting...
Until the storm of conceptual thinking
subsides and the mind learns to rest in a
fasting state, one's true nature must
remain unknown and inaccessible.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
subsides and the mind learns to rest in a
fasting state, one's true nature must
remain unknown and inaccessible.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
Mind-essence...
A further result of this contemplation of the world as the great Void is that the work done by mentalistic study is advanced still further, for not only are the things experienced by the five senses seen to be only thoughts but the thoughts themselves are now seen to be the transient spume and spray flung out of seeming Emptiness. Thus there is a complete reorientation from thoughts to Thought. Instead of holding a single thought or scenes of ideas in perfect concentration, the practiser must now move away from all ideas altogether to that seeming emptiness in which they arise. And the latter, of course, is the pure, passive, undifferentiated mind-stuff out of which the separate ideas are produced. Here there is no knowing and discriminating between one idea and another, no stirring into consciousness of this and that, but rather a sublime vacancy. For the Mind-essence is not something which we can picture to ourselves; it is utterly formless. It is as empty and as ungraspable as space...
Paul Brunton
Paul Brunton
Absolute Reality...
What the so-called finite, human "sensing mind" claims to be its seemingly endless stellar universe, its all, in which everything is locatable and measurable—is a vastly different kind of all than the Infinite, the Absolute meaning of All. In Absolute Reality, the All that Infinite I-Consciousness truly is, is immeasurable, un-dimensional; there is no such thing as location. Most emphatically, the Infinite does not include, nor is the Infinite bound to, a finite universe of space and time.
Infinite Consciousness does not "see" a finite universe of time and
space, because to Infinite Consciousness, there is only Infinity. There is no point at which Infinity ends and where something not-Infinity begins—because the very definition of Infinity is end-less. Again, this is clear only when starting from Infinity. Infinity's Endlessness is not locatable on a physical, spatial, or dimensional basis—because in Infinity there is no such thing. Infinity is not locatable even mentally—for Infinity completely precludes all concept of location, or a mentality that would deal in such. Infinity's Allness simply does not co-exist with anything besides Itself.
To start or "look out from" the Infinite, the Absolute, is to discern that there is only Infinity's formless, changeless Perfection, being All. This is clear only to One who identifies as or "looks out from" Infinity, the Absolute—something that finite human thinking never does. To "look out from" Infinity is to behold there is only this Allness of Infinity, only Undimensional I-Presence, and It never has been otherwise. One never can "attain" this in time as a thinking mind—One only can presently be It, as pure, unthinking Conscious Aliveness.
Consciousness is All
by Peter Dzubian
excerpts pages 68
Blue Dolphin Publishing
P.O.Box 8
Nevada City, CA 95959
c 2008 second edition
Infinite Consciousness does not "see" a finite universe of time and
space, because to Infinite Consciousness, there is only Infinity. There is no point at which Infinity ends and where something not-Infinity begins—because the very definition of Infinity is end-less. Again, this is clear only when starting from Infinity. Infinity's Endlessness is not locatable on a physical, spatial, or dimensional basis—because in Infinity there is no such thing. Infinity is not locatable even mentally—for Infinity completely precludes all concept of location, or a mentality that would deal in such. Infinity's Allness simply does not co-exist with anything besides Itself.
To start or "look out from" the Infinite, the Absolute, is to discern that there is only Infinity's formless, changeless Perfection, being All. This is clear only to One who identifies as or "looks out from" Infinity, the Absolute—something that finite human thinking never does. To "look out from" Infinity is to behold there is only this Allness of Infinity, only Undimensional I-Presence, and It never has been otherwise. One never can "attain" this in time as a thinking mind—One only can presently be It, as pure, unthinking Conscious Aliveness.
Consciousness is All
by Peter Dzubian
excerpts pages 68
Blue Dolphin Publishing
P.O.Box 8
Nevada City, CA 95959
c 2008 second edition
The false personality...
Study of false personality is one of the quickest methods for self-remembering. The more you understand your false personality, the more you will remember yourself. What prevents self-remembering is, first of all, false personality. It cannot and does not wish to remember itself, and it does not wish to let any other personality remember. It tries in every possible way to stop self-remembering, takes some form of sleep and calls it self-remembering. Then it is quite happy. You must not trust your false personality—its ideas, its words, its actions. You cannot destroy it, but you can make it passive for some time and then, little by little, you can make it weaker.
If you want to remember yourself, the best thing is not to think about yourself. As long as you think about yourself, you will not remember yourself.
Catch a moment when you are particularly far from remembering yourself—at this moment you will remember yourself.
P.D. Ouspensky
If you want to remember yourself, the best thing is not to think about yourself. As long as you think about yourself, you will not remember yourself.
Catch a moment when you are particularly far from remembering yourself—at this moment you will remember yourself.
P.D. Ouspensky
God is Love...
"God is love" - three words which open up an unending realm for the thinker who
desires to probe the depths of the secret of life.
Bowl of Saki, April 16, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Every kind of power lies in this one thing which we call by the simple name:
love. Charity, generosity, kindness, affection, endurance, tolerance, and
patience -- all these words are different aspects of one; they are different
names of only one thing: love. Whether it is said, 'God is love,' or whatever
name is given to it, all the names are the names of God; and yet every form of
love, every name for love, has its own peculiar scope, has a peculiarity of its
own. Love as kindness is one thing, love as tolerance is another, love as
generosity is another, love as patience another; and yet from beginning to end
it is just love.
Mystics of all ages have not been known for their miraculous powers or for the
doctrines they have taught, but for the devotion they have shown through out
their lives. The Sufi in the East says to himself, 'Ishq Allah Ma'bud Allah,
which means 'God is Love, God is the Beloved', in other words it is God who is
love, lover, and beloved. When we hear the stories of the miraculous powers of
mystics, of their great insight into the hidden laws of nature, of the qualities
which they manifested through their beautiful personalities, we realize that
these have all come from one the same source, whether one calls it devotion or
whether one calls it love.
When we look at this subject from a mystic's point of view, we see that love has
two aspects. Love in itself, and the shadow of love fallen on the earth. The
former is heavenly the latter is earthly. The former develops self-abnegation in
a person; the latter makes him more selfish than he was before. Virtues such as
tolerance, mercy, forgiveness and compassion rise of themselves in the heart
which is awakened to love.
How beautiful are the words of the Prophet: 'The shrine of God is the heart of
man.' How true that is! Is God to be found in a mosque, or temple, or church, or
in any place where people sing hymns and offer their prayers? Can He be found
where there is no love? He is not to be found in the houses that men have built
for worship. These are only schools for children, and their playgrounds.
Children like playing with toys, and yet they are preparing themselves for
something else. When man has come to know the real beauty of God, he will find
that it dwells only in one place: in the heart of man. God is love, and He is
found in the heart of man.
Love, whether it is human or divine is considered to be sacred, in the view of
the mystics, philosophers, and thinkers. That it is possible to regard it thus
is shown by the fact that in its root it is beyond both the human and the
divine. As it is written in the Bible, 'God is Love', three words which open up
an unending realm for the thinker who desires to probe the depth of the secret
of love. In ordinary life, we make this word mean affection for our
surroundings, for our relatives or our beloved, but when we think deeply about
it, we see that from start to finish it represents the power underlying the
power of all activities and all intelligences.
desires to probe the depths of the secret of life.
Bowl of Saki, April 16, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Every kind of power lies in this one thing which we call by the simple name:
love. Charity, generosity, kindness, affection, endurance, tolerance, and
patience -- all these words are different aspects of one; they are different
names of only one thing: love. Whether it is said, 'God is love,' or whatever
name is given to it, all the names are the names of God; and yet every form of
love, every name for love, has its own peculiar scope, has a peculiarity of its
own. Love as kindness is one thing, love as tolerance is another, love as
generosity is another, love as patience another; and yet from beginning to end
it is just love.
Mystics of all ages have not been known for their miraculous powers or for the
doctrines they have taught, but for the devotion they have shown through out
their lives. The Sufi in the East says to himself, 'Ishq Allah Ma'bud Allah,
which means 'God is Love, God is the Beloved', in other words it is God who is
love, lover, and beloved. When we hear the stories of the miraculous powers of
mystics, of their great insight into the hidden laws of nature, of the qualities
which they manifested through their beautiful personalities, we realize that
these have all come from one the same source, whether one calls it devotion or
whether one calls it love.
When we look at this subject from a mystic's point of view, we see that love has
two aspects. Love in itself, and the shadow of love fallen on the earth. The
former is heavenly the latter is earthly. The former develops self-abnegation in
a person; the latter makes him more selfish than he was before. Virtues such as
tolerance, mercy, forgiveness and compassion rise of themselves in the heart
which is awakened to love.
How beautiful are the words of the Prophet: 'The shrine of God is the heart of
man.' How true that is! Is God to be found in a mosque, or temple, or church, or
in any place where people sing hymns and offer their prayers? Can He be found
where there is no love? He is not to be found in the houses that men have built
for worship. These are only schools for children, and their playgrounds.
Children like playing with toys, and yet they are preparing themselves for
something else. When man has come to know the real beauty of God, he will find
that it dwells only in one place: in the heart of man. God is love, and He is
found in the heart of man.
Love, whether it is human or divine is considered to be sacred, in the view of
the mystics, philosophers, and thinkers. That it is possible to regard it thus
is shown by the fact that in its root it is beyond both the human and the
divine. As it is written in the Bible, 'God is Love', three words which open up
an unending realm for the thinker who desires to probe the depth of the secret
of love. In ordinary life, we make this word mean affection for our
surroundings, for our relatives or our beloved, but when we think deeply about
it, we see that from start to finish it represents the power underlying the
power of all activities and all intelligences.
Ego and Egoless man...
The ordinary man is aware of his surroundings, first, by naming and labelling them; second, by linking them with past memory of them; and third, by relating them to his own personal self. The illumined egoless man is simply aware of them, without any of these other added activities..
Paul Brunton
Paul Brunton
Love will never rest...
You see people suffer and you seek the best way of helping
them. The answer is obvious - first put yourself beyond the
need of help. Be sure your attitude is of pure goodwill, free of
expectation of any kind.
Those who seek mere happiness may end up in sublime
indifference, while love will never rest.
As to method, there is only love - you must come to know
yourself - both what you appear to be and what you are.
Clarity and charity go together - each needs and strengthens
the other.
~Nisargadatta Maharaj
them. The answer is obvious - first put yourself beyond the
need of help. Be sure your attitude is of pure goodwill, free of
expectation of any kind.
Those who seek mere happiness may end up in sublime
indifference, while love will never rest.
As to method, there is only love - you must come to know
yourself - both what you appear to be and what you are.
Clarity and charity go together - each needs and strengthens
the other.
~Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Ideal of God...
The ideal of God is a bridge connecting the limited life with the unlimited;
whosoever travels over this bridge passes safely from the limited to the
unlimited life.
Bowl of Saki, April 12, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
There is a side in man's being - call it spirit - which remains unsatisfied with
all that one has attained in one's lifetime. The satisfaction of the spirit,
which is the deepest being of man, lies only in the pursuit of the ideal. With
all progress that humanity makes, idealism neglected will show at each step
towards progress a great lack, and nothing can substitute that lack. If there is
anything that fills the gap, if there is anything that makes a bridge between
God and man, it is the ideal.
An ideal is something to hope for and to hold on to, and in the absence of an
ideal hope has nothing to look forward to. It is the lack of idealism which
accounts for the present degeneration of humanity in spite of all the progress
it has made in other directions. There are many kinds of ideals: principles,
virtues, objects of devotion; but the greatest and highest of all ideals is the
God-ideal. And when this God-ideal upon which all other ideals are based is
lost, then the very notion of ideal is ignored. Man needs many things in life,
but his greatest need is an ideal.
If a man is standing on a staircase and remains on the first step, he may be a
believer but he is not going up. Thus there are many believers who have a
certain conception of God, but they are standing there without moving, while
perhaps a person who has no conception of God at all may be moving. There are
thousands of people who pronounce the name of God many times during the day, but
who are perhaps most wretched. The reason is that they have not yet discovered
the purpose of the God-ideal. It is not merely belief; belief is only the first
step. God is the key to truth, God is the stepping-stone to self-realization,
God is the bridge which unites the outer life with the inner life, bringing
about perfection. It is by understanding this that the secret of the God-ideal
is to be realized.
The God-ideal is so tremendous that men can never comprehend it fully, therefore
the best method adopted by the wise is to allow every man to make his own God.
In this way he forms whatever conception he is capable of forming. He makes Him
King of the heavens and of the earth; he makes Him judge, greater than all
judges; he makes Him Almighty, having all power; he makes Him the possessor of
all grace and glory; he makes Him the beloved God, merciful and compassionate;
he recognizes in Him providence, support, and protection; and in Him he
recognizes all perfection. This ideal becomes a stepping-stone to the higher
knowledge of God.
whosoever travels over this bridge passes safely from the limited to the
unlimited life.
Bowl of Saki, April 12, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
There is a side in man's being - call it spirit - which remains unsatisfied with
all that one has attained in one's lifetime. The satisfaction of the spirit,
which is the deepest being of man, lies only in the pursuit of the ideal. With
all progress that humanity makes, idealism neglected will show at each step
towards progress a great lack, and nothing can substitute that lack. If there is
anything that fills the gap, if there is anything that makes a bridge between
God and man, it is the ideal.
An ideal is something to hope for and to hold on to, and in the absence of an
ideal hope has nothing to look forward to. It is the lack of idealism which
accounts for the present degeneration of humanity in spite of all the progress
it has made in other directions. There are many kinds of ideals: principles,
virtues, objects of devotion; but the greatest and highest of all ideals is the
God-ideal. And when this God-ideal upon which all other ideals are based is
lost, then the very notion of ideal is ignored. Man needs many things in life,
but his greatest need is an ideal.
If a man is standing on a staircase and remains on the first step, he may be a
believer but he is not going up. Thus there are many believers who have a
certain conception of God, but they are standing there without moving, while
perhaps a person who has no conception of God at all may be moving. There are
thousands of people who pronounce the name of God many times during the day, but
who are perhaps most wretched. The reason is that they have not yet discovered
the purpose of the God-ideal. It is not merely belief; belief is only the first
step. God is the key to truth, God is the stepping-stone to self-realization,
God is the bridge which unites the outer life with the inner life, bringing
about perfection. It is by understanding this that the secret of the God-ideal
is to be realized.
The God-ideal is so tremendous that men can never comprehend it fully, therefore
the best method adopted by the wise is to allow every man to make his own God.
In this way he forms whatever conception he is capable of forming. He makes Him
King of the heavens and of the earth; he makes Him judge, greater than all
judges; he makes Him Almighty, having all power; he makes Him the possessor of
all grace and glory; he makes Him the beloved God, merciful and compassionate;
he recognizes in Him providence, support, and protection; and in Him he
recognizes all perfection. This ideal becomes a stepping-stone to the higher
knowledge of God.
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
Understanding...
We often suffer because we do not understand.
Understanding is a great thing; once we under-
stand, we can tolerate.
- Hazrat Inayat Khan
Understanding is a great thing; once we under-
stand, we can tolerate.
- Hazrat Inayat Khan
Dead to self...
It is being dead to self that is the recognition of God.
Bowl of Saki, April 7, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
There is a poem by the great Persian poet Iraqi in which he tells, 'When I went to the gate of the divine Beloved and knocked at the door, a voice came and said -- Who art thou?' When he had told, 'I am so and so', the answer came, 'There is no place for anyone else in this abode. Go back to whence thou hast come'. He turned back and then, after a long time, after having gone through the process of the cross and of crucifixion, he again went there -- with the spirit of selflessness. He knocked at the door; the word came, 'Who art thou? ', and he said, 'Thyself alone, for no one else exists save Thee'. And God said, 'Enter into this abode for now it belongs to thee'. It is such selflessness, to the extent that the thought of self is not there, it is being dead to the self, which is the recognition of God.
One finds this spirit to a small extent in the ordinary lover and beloved, when a person loves another from the depth of his heart. He who says, 'I love you but only so much, I love you and give you sixpence but I keep sixpence for myself, I love you but I stand at a distance and never come closer, we are separate beings'- his love is with his self. As long as that exists, love has not done its full work. Love accomplishes its work when it spreads its wings and veils man's self from his own eyes. That is the time when love is fulfilled, and so it is in the life of the holy ones who have not only loved God by professing or showing it, but who have loved God to the extent that they forgot themselves.
Bowl of Saki, April 7, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
There is a poem by the great Persian poet Iraqi in which he tells, 'When I went to the gate of the divine Beloved and knocked at the door, a voice came and said -- Who art thou?' When he had told, 'I am so and so', the answer came, 'There is no place for anyone else in this abode. Go back to whence thou hast come'. He turned back and then, after a long time, after having gone through the process of the cross and of crucifixion, he again went there -- with the spirit of selflessness. He knocked at the door; the word came, 'Who art thou? ', and he said, 'Thyself alone, for no one else exists save Thee'. And God said, 'Enter into this abode for now it belongs to thee'. It is such selflessness, to the extent that the thought of self is not there, it is being dead to the self, which is the recognition of God.
One finds this spirit to a small extent in the ordinary lover and beloved, when a person loves another from the depth of his heart. He who says, 'I love you but only so much, I love you and give you sixpence but I keep sixpence for myself, I love you but I stand at a distance and never come closer, we are separate beings'- his love is with his self. As long as that exists, love has not done its full work. Love accomplishes its work when it spreads its wings and veils man's self from his own eyes. That is the time when love is fulfilled, and so it is in the life of the holy ones who have not only loved God by professing or showing it, but who have loved God to the extent that they forgot themselves.
The names of God...
In every religion and philosophy, humans give a name to the Source.. The fact is that these different names are the cause of wars and pain.. The Truth is that the only name of God is Love.. all other names are the result of ignorance............ namaste, thomas
Happy Easter to All...
The rising from death of Yeshua is the insight of Our rising from the death of
the ego consciousness.. This rebirth into Divine Consciousness is our goal as
exhibited by Yeshua.......... namaste, thomas
the ego consciousness.. This rebirth into Divine Consciousness is our goal as
exhibited by Yeshua.......... namaste, thomas
In my own house...
I went everywhere with longing
in my eyes, until here
in my own house
I felt truth
filling my eyes.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
in my eyes, until here
in my own house
I felt truth
filling my eyes.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
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