Love...
If you meditate on the meaning of Love, you will find that it is the state of non-ego.. Love cannot exist when ego is present as these two energies are opposites.. This is why we could even give up our own life for that which we Love, as Love is more powerful than ego.. This is why a person without ego is so attractive to others as the Light of God shines from them.. This is the reason that we must eliminate the ego if we wish to rejoin the Consciousnes of God, for God is Love, and will not have any other gods present, especially the false god called "the ego"............namaste, thomas
Negative Thoughts...
Mentalism says that most of one's misery is inflicted on oneself by accepting and holding negative thoughts. They cover and hide the still centre of one's being, which is infinite happiness.........Paul Brunton
THREE STEPS IN HEALING by Joseph Murphy...
1. The first step in healing is not to be afraid of
the manifest condition -- from this very moment.
2. The second step is to realize that the condition
is only the product of past thinking, which will have
no more power to continue its existence.
3. The third step is mentally to exalt the miraculous
healing power of God within you. This procedure
instantly will stop the production of all mental
poisons in you or in the person for whom you are
praying. Live in the embodiment of your desire,
and your thought and feeling will soon be made
manifest. Do not allow yourself to be swayed by human
opinion and worldly fears, but live emotionally in
the belief that it is God in action in your mind and
body. By thought and feeling what you desire is brought
to you, by action you receive it.
After you have imagined and felt the state you desire,
your subconscious will direct your actions step by step
until it is manifested. You won't even be aware that you
are doing what needs to be done in order to manifest it.
It is magical.
the manifest condition -- from this very moment.
2. The second step is to realize that the condition
is only the product of past thinking, which will have
no more power to continue its existence.
3. The third step is mentally to exalt the miraculous
healing power of God within you. This procedure
instantly will stop the production of all mental
poisons in you or in the person for whom you are
praying. Live in the embodiment of your desire,
and your thought and feeling will soon be made
manifest. Do not allow yourself to be swayed by human
opinion and worldly fears, but live emotionally in
the belief that it is God in action in your mind and
body. By thought and feeling what you desire is brought
to you, by action you receive it.
After you have imagined and felt the state you desire,
your subconscious will direct your actions step by step
until it is manifested. You won't even be aware that you
are doing what needs to be done in order to manifest it.
It is magical.
Don’t Blame the Lettuce ...
"When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you
don't blame the lettuce. You look into the reasons it is
not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or
less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have
problems with our friends or our family, we blame the other
person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will
grow well, like lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at
all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments.
That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument,
just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you
understand, you can love, and the situation will change."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
don't blame the lettuce. You look into the reasons it is
not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or
less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have
problems with our friends or our family, we blame the other
person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will
grow well, like lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at
all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments.
That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument,
just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you
understand, you can love, and the situation will change."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Realization...
In August 2004 something happened that corrected a basic mistake in perception I’d lived with all my life. Prior to this occurrence I thought I was an individual consciousness experiencing an infinitely large, infinitely old, external universe of real objects. What I discovered, however, is that the consciousness I mistakenly perceived as belonging to an individual (Me), is in actuality God consciousness, the One consciousness, and that Me, the universe and everything in it are vague, ephemeral thought-forms appearing in and out of emptiness in a timeless, spaceless Now.
an exerpt from from Bart Marshall: Realization
an exerpt from from Bart Marshall: Realization
Empathy...
Empathy with someone else's pain or lack and a desire to help need to be balanced with a deeper realization of the eternal nature of all life and the illusion of all pain. Then let your peace flow into whatever you do, and you will be working on the levels of effect and cause simultaneously.....
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle
Jnani and Bhakti...
The term jnani means seer, or one who has pursued spiritual growth through wisdom or insight. It is used as a noun to describe a type of person, or an individual like Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), and is also used as an adjective to indicate the concepts and practices of a particular path. In India the term is often contrasted with the term bhakti, meaning devotee or devotion.
Advancement...
If he is not too proud to begin at the point where he finds himself rather than
at some point where he once was or would now like to be, if he is willing to
advance one step at a time, he may realize his goal far more quickly than the
less humble and more pretentious man is likely to realize it.........Paul Brunton
at some point where he once was or would now like to be, if he is willing to
advance one step at a time, he may realize his goal far more quickly than the
less humble and more pretentious man is likely to realize it.........Paul Brunton
Buddha's Last Words...
As the Buddha was dying,
Ananda asked
who would be their teacher after death.
He replied to his disciple -
"Be lamps unto yourselves.
Be refuges unto yourselves.
Take yourself no external refuge.
Hold fast to the truth as a lamp.
Hold fast to the truth as a refuge.
Look not for a refuge in anyone besides yourselves.
And those, Ananda, who either now or after I am dead,
Shall be a lamp unto themselves,
Shall betake themselves as no external refuge,
But holding fast to the truth as their lamp,
Holding fast to the truth as their refuge,
Shall not look for refuge to anyone else besides themselves,
It is they who shall reach to the very topmost height;
But they must be anxious to learn.".........Gautama the Buddha
Ananda asked
who would be their teacher after death.
He replied to his disciple -
"Be lamps unto yourselves.
Be refuges unto yourselves.
Take yourself no external refuge.
Hold fast to the truth as a lamp.
Hold fast to the truth as a refuge.
Look not for a refuge in anyone besides yourselves.
And those, Ananda, who either now or after I am dead,
Shall be a lamp unto themselves,
Shall betake themselves as no external refuge,
But holding fast to the truth as their lamp,
Holding fast to the truth as their refuge,
Shall not look for refuge to anyone else besides themselves,
It is they who shall reach to the very topmost height;
But they must be anxious to learn.".........Gautama the Buddha
a jnani...
One does not become a jnani simply by reading philosophy. That is a great
misconception. Many people believe that you can spiritually unfold or evolve
into a jnani through reading books, through understanding another's unfoldment
or performing meditations that he once performed. Understanding another person's
wisdom does not make us wise. Each has to experience the fullness of the path to
enlightenment himself.
The jnani becomes one who postulates that what he has himself realized are the
final conclusions for all mankind. His postulations are filled with assuredness,
for he has experienced what the Vedas, the Agamas and the Upanishads speak of.
He has awakened the power and force of his own realization. He knows. He becomes
the embodiment of that knowing, of the Truth he once sought as something other
than himself. He finds within the scriptures confirmation of his realization
echoed in the verses of rishis written at the dawn of human history.
misconception. Many people believe that you can spiritually unfold or evolve
into a jnani through reading books, through understanding another's unfoldment
or performing meditations that he once performed. Understanding another person's
wisdom does not make us wise. Each has to experience the fullness of the path to
enlightenment himself.
The jnani becomes one who postulates that what he has himself realized are the
final conclusions for all mankind. His postulations are filled with assuredness,
for he has experienced what the Vedas, the Agamas and the Upanishads speak of.
He has awakened the power and force of his own realization. He knows. He becomes
the embodiment of that knowing, of the Truth he once sought as something other
than himself. He finds within the scriptures confirmation of his realization
echoed in the verses of rishis written at the dawn of human history.
The Gospel of Thomas...
Jesus saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb and going to Judea. He said to his disciples, "that person ... around the lamb." They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat it." He said to them, "He will not eat it while it is alive, but only after he has killed it and it has become a carcass."
They said, "Otherwise he can't do it."
He said to them, "So also with you, seek for yourselves a place for rest, or you might become a carcass and be eaten."
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Jesus is saying that your ego must become a carcass, it must become dead.. A place for rest refers to the state of non-ego and recognition of the peace of non desire..Or, you will stay within the illusion of the ego and body and continue in the life and death illusion and continue in ignorance...........namaste, thomas
They said, "Otherwise he can't do it."
He said to them, "So also with you, seek for yourselves a place for rest, or you might become a carcass and be eaten."
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Jesus is saying that your ego must become a carcass, it must become dead.. A place for rest refers to the state of non-ego and recognition of the peace of non desire..Or, you will stay within the illusion of the ego and body and continue in the life and death illusion and continue in ignorance...........namaste, thomas
All Things Change...
If you realize that all things change,
there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
If you aren't afraid of dying,
there is nothing you can't achieve.
Trying to control the future
is like trying to take the master carpenter's place.
When you handle the master carpenter's tools,
chances are that you'll cut yourself.
(Tao Te Ching, trans. by Stephen Mitchell)
there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
If you aren't afraid of dying,
there is nothing you can't achieve.
Trying to control the future
is like trying to take the master carpenter's place.
When you handle the master carpenter's tools,
chances are that you'll cut yourself.
(Tao Te Ching, trans. by Stephen Mitchell)
Time...
He should not be discouraged because others have gone ahead on the path more quickly than he, any more than he should be gratified because some have gone ahead more slowly than he, for the fact is that the goal he seeks is already within his grasp. He is the Overself that he seeks to unite with, and the time it seems to take to realize this is itself an illusion of the mind. Let him, therefore, go forward at his own rate and within the limits of his own strength, leaving the result in the hands of God..........Paul Brunton
Liberation...
"A door swings open in the center of our being and we seem to fall through it into immense depths which, although they are infinite, are all accessible to us; all eternity seems to have become ours in this one placid and breathless contact. Where already, supernatural instinct teaches us that the function of this abyss of freedom, which has been open within our midsts, is to draw us utterly out of our own selfhood and into its own immensity of liberation.".........
Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton
Who is Wise?
"Who is wise,
The eloquent or the quiet man?
Be quiet,
And loving and fearless."
"For the mind talks.
But the body knows."
"Gray hairs do not make a master.
A man may grow old in vain."
"The true master lives in truth,
In goodness and restraint,
Nonviolence, moderation and purity."
Gautama the Buddha
The eloquent or the quiet man?
Be quiet,
And loving and fearless."
"For the mind talks.
But the body knows."
"Gray hairs do not make a master.
A man may grow old in vain."
"The true master lives in truth,
In goodness and restraint,
Nonviolence, moderation and purity."
Gautama the Buddha
Heaven...
A concern that I have is the belief by others that Heaven is the destination
that we must enter.. I believe that there are many levels of Heaven and that
Heaven is not the final freedom.. In this state of Heaven, you are still
separate from God.. you are still experiencing Duality.. You are still not aware
that you and God are One.. you still see other souls as separate from you and
from God.. this is why I believe that the Heavens are actually schools of
Spiritual learning for your next incarnation into the material planes, until you
are finally able to surrender the ego and have the courage to face the death of
the ego and enter Reality with the Knowledge that you and God are One... As
Jesus said:" You must die, to be born again".. He was speaking of the death of
the ego and the birth into Reality..........namaste, thomas
that we must enter.. I believe that there are many levels of Heaven and that
Heaven is not the final freedom.. In this state of Heaven, you are still
separate from God.. you are still experiencing Duality.. You are still not aware
that you and God are One.. you still see other souls as separate from you and
from God.. this is why I believe that the Heavens are actually schools of
Spiritual learning for your next incarnation into the material planes, until you
are finally able to surrender the ego and have the courage to face the death of
the ego and enter Reality with the Knowledge that you and God are One... As
Jesus said:" You must die, to be born again".. He was speaking of the death of
the ego and the birth into Reality..........namaste, thomas
The Fear of Death...
The fear of Death is actually the Ego fearing that it will not exist any longer.. Fear is mentioned many times in Spiritual writings because it not only causes pain in the physical life but also is the reason why many connot achieve Enlightenment.. To enter the Enlightenment experience, you must conquer the greatest Fear.. and that is the Fear of Death.. You must want to mentally die.. If you have a strong belief in life after death, then it will be easier to accomplish this.. But, the main point is that the only way to enter Enlightenment is to sacrifice your desire for life and truly want to become Nothing.. Once, you have achieved this state of mind and surrendered the Ego, then and only then, you will enter the state of non-ego, which is the state of God Consciousness.. you will then Realize that becoming Nothing is becoming Everything..............namaste, thomas
The Trap of Meaninglessness...
There are other traps that are inherent in within this process of going from the initial glimpse of awakening to real abiding awakening. There are several of them that come up and again these traps or these cul-de-sacs, these delusions aren’t inherent to awakening itself but they arise with the mind’s relationship with the awakened view because the awakened view is so far beyond the mind that the mind truly can’t contain it but the mind’s inherent nature is to try to contain everything that it sees. And so one of these very common traps that people can get into is a sense of meaninglessness.
Now this can arise because from the stand point of reality we are free from the egoic desire to find meaning. We see that the egos desire to find meaning in its life is actually a surrogate, a substitute for having a direct connection with life, for having the perception of ‘you are life itself.’ But if we don’t feel that, if we don’t know that , we don’t experience that, then we need surrogates, we need something to stand in to fill the gap as it were. And as egos, what the ego uses is meaning, ‘I’m trying to find the meaning in my life, what’s the meaning to my life. Only someone who is disconnected from life itself will seek meaning. Only someone that’s disconnected from life will look for purpose. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t look for meaning or shouldn’t look for purpose. Actually they are probably wise strategies that are used to help people cope with life. But remember that these egoic yearning for ‘what’s the meaning of my life?, what’s the meaning of my existence?, what’s the purpose of my existence?’ are ultimately derived from a state where we have no real knowledge of what we are, where we’re disconnected from our true nature. I don’t mean actually disconnected, I mean unconscious of.
So when there’s a true realization, when we wake up from the dream state, when we wake up from the ego, what is realized, part of the realization is the search for meaning is now no longer appropriate. When one has a direct connection with life, all of a sudden to find one’s meaning, to find one’s purpose seems to be a rather paltry thing, to be a small thing, to be insignificant. It’s no longer really a drive in our life. The drive for meaning and purpose falls out of our life because we are literally in a different perspective. In a perspective where such things don’t really exist or certainly they don’t exist in the old way, they don’t exist from the egoic standpoint.
Now the mind will perceive this, this truth, this truth that when we wake up from the dream state we see that the dream state is a dream state. How could a dream state have meaning? How could a dream state have purpose. It’s a dream. And that’s very true but as I say over and over, there’s still a human being and there’s still a human mind. And the mind is trying to make sense of all this. The mind is even trying to make sense of awakening itself. It’s trying to make sense of the view of awakening. And as I have also said, for most people there’s not a total disappearance of the ego, of that which is the experience of division. And so the mind is in relationship with the insights of reality, at times. And the mind will start to say, ‘Oh God, there’s no meaning!’ And what’s left of the ego will say, “There’s no meaning! I now have no purpose or meaning! Its like you’ve seen too much of Reality to believe in purpose or meaning.
From The End of Your World - Adyashanti
Now this can arise because from the stand point of reality we are free from the egoic desire to find meaning. We see that the egos desire to find meaning in its life is actually a surrogate, a substitute for having a direct connection with life, for having the perception of ‘you are life itself.’ But if we don’t feel that, if we don’t know that , we don’t experience that, then we need surrogates, we need something to stand in to fill the gap as it were. And as egos, what the ego uses is meaning, ‘I’m trying to find the meaning in my life, what’s the meaning to my life. Only someone who is disconnected from life itself will seek meaning. Only someone that’s disconnected from life will look for purpose. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t look for meaning or shouldn’t look for purpose. Actually they are probably wise strategies that are used to help people cope with life. But remember that these egoic yearning for ‘what’s the meaning of my life?, what’s the meaning of my existence?, what’s the purpose of my existence?’ are ultimately derived from a state where we have no real knowledge of what we are, where we’re disconnected from our true nature. I don’t mean actually disconnected, I mean unconscious of.
So when there’s a true realization, when we wake up from the dream state, when we wake up from the ego, what is realized, part of the realization is the search for meaning is now no longer appropriate. When one has a direct connection with life, all of a sudden to find one’s meaning, to find one’s purpose seems to be a rather paltry thing, to be a small thing, to be insignificant. It’s no longer really a drive in our life. The drive for meaning and purpose falls out of our life because we are literally in a different perspective. In a perspective where such things don’t really exist or certainly they don’t exist in the old way, they don’t exist from the egoic standpoint.
Now the mind will perceive this, this truth, this truth that when we wake up from the dream state we see that the dream state is a dream state. How could a dream state have meaning? How could a dream state have purpose. It’s a dream. And that’s very true but as I say over and over, there’s still a human being and there’s still a human mind. And the mind is trying to make sense of all this. The mind is even trying to make sense of awakening itself. It’s trying to make sense of the view of awakening. And as I have also said, for most people there’s not a total disappearance of the ego, of that which is the experience of division. And so the mind is in relationship with the insights of reality, at times. And the mind will start to say, ‘Oh God, there’s no meaning!’ And what’s left of the ego will say, “There’s no meaning! I now have no purpose or meaning! Its like you’ve seen too much of Reality to believe in purpose or meaning.
From The End of Your World - Adyashanti
Being finite and Limited...
When the Bible says, "No man hath seen God at any time," it means that the sense and thought perceptions of man, being finite and limited in range, cannot comprehend what is infinite and unlimited. That Jesus knew of a Real beyond intellection may be gleaned from his saying, "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" which is curiously reminiscent of an Indian saying by Ashtavakra: "A million thoughts will only yield another thought." Simply because it eludes conscious grasp, we can form no conception of Mind as reality. For consciousness of anything particular is a signal that the thing is intellectually graspable--that is, finite and limited. But that whose holy presence itself makes thought possible, cannot be expected to step down to the level of denying its own grandly immeasurable and timeless infinitude. The moment particularized consciousness appears, that moment there will also be relativity, and the moment relativity appears, that moment duality with all its transience and destructibility must be there too. Consequently, we cannot have our Overself with all its nonduality and non-limitation and have this kind of consciousness too...........Paul Brunton
Success or Failure...
Our success or failure depends upon the harmony or disharmony of our individual
will with the Divine Will.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
It is the Divine Will that is manifested throughout the whole universe, which
has created the whole universe; and it is part of the divine will that manifests
itself through us. Everything we do in life is governed and directed by that
power. ... Now coming to the question of the will of man as opposed to the will
of God: which is which? We understand the difference when we perceive that the
nature of will power differs only according to whether it exists in its
fullness, or whether it is limited. The will power in its fullness is divine
power; the will power in its limited state is the individual will.
Resignation is a quality of the saintly souls. It is bitter in taste but sweet
in result. Whatever a man's power and position in life may be, he has always to
meet with a more powerful will, in whatever form it may manifest. In truth this
is the divine will. By opposing the divine will one may break oneself; but by
resigning oneself to the divine will one opens up a way.
We come to understand that there are two aspects of will working through all
things in life. One is the individual will, the other the divine will. When a
person goes against the divine will, naturally his human will fails and he finds
difficulties, because he is swimming against the tide. The moment a person works
in consonance, in harmony with the divine will, things become smooth.
Sometimes things are accomplished without the least effort. When it is the
divine will it is like something floating on water; it advances without effort.
Problems and actions may be achieved in a moment then, whilst at other times the
smallest problem cannot be solved without great difficulty. One finds that some
persons are very clever and experienced in industrial work or in politics; and
they have striven very hard to attain their goal, and yet have accomplished
nothing; they are always a failure. And there are others who take up a thing,
and without much effort, without much worry on their part they complete it and
attain their goal.
All this is accounted for by harmony with the divine will. Everyone experiences
such a thing at some time or other. When things are in harmony with the divine
will, everything is there; we just glance towards a thing and it is found, as in
the saying, 'Word spoken, action done.' When we strive with all the material in
our hands and yet cannot achieve our desire, that is when the matter is contrary
to the divine will. Our success or failure all depends upon the harmony or
disharmony of our individual will with the divine will. ... Contentment and
perfect resignation open up a harmonious feeling and bring the divine will into
harmony with our own. Our blessing now becomes a divine blessing, our words
divine words, our atmosphere a divine atmosphere, although we seem to be limited
beings; for our will becomes absorbed into the whole, and so our will becomes
the will of God.
will with the Divine Will.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
It is the Divine Will that is manifested throughout the whole universe, which
has created the whole universe; and it is part of the divine will that manifests
itself through us. Everything we do in life is governed and directed by that
power. ... Now coming to the question of the will of man as opposed to the will
of God: which is which? We understand the difference when we perceive that the
nature of will power differs only according to whether it exists in its
fullness, or whether it is limited. The will power in its fullness is divine
power; the will power in its limited state is the individual will.
Resignation is a quality of the saintly souls. It is bitter in taste but sweet
in result. Whatever a man's power and position in life may be, he has always to
meet with a more powerful will, in whatever form it may manifest. In truth this
is the divine will. By opposing the divine will one may break oneself; but by
resigning oneself to the divine will one opens up a way.
We come to understand that there are two aspects of will working through all
things in life. One is the individual will, the other the divine will. When a
person goes against the divine will, naturally his human will fails and he finds
difficulties, because he is swimming against the tide. The moment a person works
in consonance, in harmony with the divine will, things become smooth.
Sometimes things are accomplished without the least effort. When it is the
divine will it is like something floating on water; it advances without effort.
Problems and actions may be achieved in a moment then, whilst at other times the
smallest problem cannot be solved without great difficulty. One finds that some
persons are very clever and experienced in industrial work or in politics; and
they have striven very hard to attain their goal, and yet have accomplished
nothing; they are always a failure. And there are others who take up a thing,
and without much effort, without much worry on their part they complete it and
attain their goal.
All this is accounted for by harmony with the divine will. Everyone experiences
such a thing at some time or other. When things are in harmony with the divine
will, everything is there; we just glance towards a thing and it is found, as in
the saying, 'Word spoken, action done.' When we strive with all the material in
our hands and yet cannot achieve our desire, that is when the matter is contrary
to the divine will. Our success or failure all depends upon the harmony or
disharmony of our individual will with the divine will. ... Contentment and
perfect resignation open up a harmonious feeling and bring the divine will into
harmony with our own. Our blessing now becomes a divine blessing, our words
divine words, our atmosphere a divine atmosphere, although we seem to be limited
beings; for our will becomes absorbed into the whole, and so our will becomes
the will of God.
Zen...
Nothing is born, nothing is destroyed.
Away with your dualism, your likes and dislikes.
Every single thing is just the One Mind.
When you have perceived this,
you will have mounted the Chariot of the Buddhas.
-Huang Po, "Zen Teaching of Huang
Away with your dualism, your likes and dislikes.
Every single thing is just the One Mind.
When you have perceived this,
you will have mounted the Chariot of the Buddhas.
-Huang Po, "Zen Teaching of Huang
The Mystical "I"...
All discord, all inharmony, and all error are experienced because of a sense of separation from God. But this sense of separation from God is not your fault personally. It is the universal belief that has come down to us from the allegorical experience of Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden. Nevertheless, this universal sense of separation from God is responsible for our sins, diseases, death, lack, and limitation. Therefore, immortality and infinity can be returned to us only as we return to the Father's house.
This means to realize that what you are looking at with your eyes is not "I". "I am" invisible; "I am" omnipresence; "I am" omnipotence; "I am" omniscience. You prove this by not taking thought, by being still, and by letting the Omniscience that "I am" reveal to you whatever wisdom, guidance, or direction is necessary at this moment. You prove this by being still in the listening attitude, letting Omnipresence prove Itself to be the only power. You prove this by taking no thought for your life or anything that concerns your life, and letting Omnipresence prove Omnipresence.
This cannot be done intellectually. It can be done only through unknowing, through silence. Silence is your resting place. Silence is your abiding place, your living place. Live and move and have your being in silence, and then the still small voice will utter itself and live your life.
~ Joel S. Goldsmith, The Mystical "I".
This means to realize that what you are looking at with your eyes is not "I". "I am" invisible; "I am" omnipresence; "I am" omnipotence; "I am" omniscience. You prove this by not taking thought, by being still, and by letting the Omniscience that "I am" reveal to you whatever wisdom, guidance, or direction is necessary at this moment. You prove this by being still in the listening attitude, letting Omnipresence prove Itself to be the only power. You prove this by taking no thought for your life or anything that concerns your life, and letting Omnipresence prove Omnipresence.
This cannot be done intellectually. It can be done only through unknowing, through silence. Silence is your resting place. Silence is your abiding place, your living place. Live and move and have your being in silence, and then the still small voice will utter itself and live your life.
~ Joel S. Goldsmith, The Mystical "I".
The Unawakened Ego..
The unawakened ego submits passively to the lower influences which come to it out of the shadows of its own long past and to the sense-stirring suggestions which come to it out of the surroundings in which it moves. But when it has found and surrendered to the Overself in the heart, this blind, mechanical responsiveness comes to an end and an aroused, enlightened, fully aware, inner rulership replaces it...........Paul Brunton
Snow Geese...
Oh, to love what is lovely, and will not last!
What a task
to ask
of anything, or anyone,
yet it is ours,
and not by the century or the year, but by the hours.
One fall day I heard
above me, and above the sting of the wind, a sound
I did not know, and my look shot upward; it was
a flock of snow geese, winging it
faster than the ones we usually see,
and, being the color of snow, catching the sun
so they were, in part at least, golden. I
held my breath
as we do
sometimes
to stop time
when something wonderful
has touched us
as with a match,
which is lit, and bright,
but does not hurt
in the common way,
but delightfully,
as if delight
were the most serious thing
you ever felt.
The geese
flew on,
I have never seen them again.
Maybe I will, someday, somewhere.
Maybe I won't.
It doesn't matter.
What matters
is that, when I saw them,
I saw them
as through the veil, secretly, joyfully, clearly.
~ Mary Oliver ~
(Why I Wake Early)
What a task
to ask
of anything, or anyone,
yet it is ours,
and not by the century or the year, but by the hours.
One fall day I heard
above me, and above the sting of the wind, a sound
I did not know, and my look shot upward; it was
a flock of snow geese, winging it
faster than the ones we usually see,
and, being the color of snow, catching the sun
so they were, in part at least, golden. I
held my breath
as we do
sometimes
to stop time
when something wonderful
has touched us
as with a match,
which is lit, and bright,
but does not hurt
in the common way,
but delightfully,
as if delight
were the most serious thing
you ever felt.
The geese
flew on,
I have never seen them again.
Maybe I will, someday, somewhere.
Maybe I won't.
It doesn't matter.
What matters
is that, when I saw them,
I saw them
as through the veil, secretly, joyfully, clearly.
~ Mary Oliver ~
(Why I Wake Early)
The Invisible...
What we see is not the most important.
Could dust rise without the invisible
hand of the wind?
Could a fan turn without any current?
Could lungs breathe without breath?
Tell me
What is the shape of Love?
How much does Joy weigh
when held in the palm of your hand?
Can you catch the Spirit of Life in a jar?
All things seen depend
upon the Unseen.
All sounds depend upon Silence.
All things felt depend
upon what is not felt.
. - Adyashanti
Could dust rise without the invisible
hand of the wind?
Could a fan turn without any current?
Could lungs breathe without breath?
Tell me
What is the shape of Love?
How much does Joy weigh
when held in the palm of your hand?
Can you catch the Spirit of Life in a jar?
All things seen depend
upon the Unseen.
All sounds depend upon Silence.
All things felt depend
upon what is not felt.
. - Adyashanti
God is Active...
The Energy and Consciousness that we call God has found Itself "Bored" by
existing within Itself without sharing the Energy that is called "Love"... This
is the Power and Energy of Non-Ego.. This is the Power of "Selflessness".. This
is the power of Unity...This is the Energy and Power called Creativity.. This
creativity is the sharing of Love.. This is why Humans create music and art, and
in Truth, they will tell you that this talent flows through them instead of from
them.. This Creativity within us is actually the flow of the energy of Love from
God.........namaste, thomas
existing within Itself without sharing the Energy that is called "Love"... This
is the Power and Energy of Non-Ego.. This is the Power of "Selflessness".. This
is the power of Unity...This is the Energy and Power called Creativity.. This
creativity is the sharing of Love.. This is why Humans create music and art, and
in Truth, they will tell you that this talent flows through them instead of from
them.. This Creativity within us is actually the flow of the energy of Love from
God.........namaste, thomas
He who wants to understand, will understand...
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In India it is considered a great sin to awaken anyone who is asleep. If a man
is asleep, do not wake him; let him sleep; it is the time for him to sleep; it
will not do to wake him before his time. Thus a mystic understands also that a
person who is taking his time to wake up must not be awakened to give him the
mystic's idea. It would be a sin, because he is not prepared to understand it,
and his beliefs would be shaken. Let him go on thinking God is in Benares; let
him think He is in the temple of Buddha; let him think He is in heaven; let him
think He is in the seventh heaven above the sky. It is the beginning; he will
evolve in time and arrive at the same stage. The rest he is having just now is
good for him. The awakening comes, all in its good time.
This explains what is meant by saying that Sufism is a religious philosophy; the
philosophy is clothed with religion, that it may not break the ideals and faiths
and beliefs of those who are beginning their journey towards the goal.
Externally: the religion, inwardly: the philosophy. The one who wants to
understand will understand. 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'
In whatever form, life expresses its meaning, if only man is able to understand
it. The one who does not understand this will not understand life's meaning. His
inner sense is closed; it is just like being deaf. In the same way his sense of
communication with things has become dull, he does not understand them. But if a
person does not hear he may not say that life is not speaking. In the same way,
if a person cannot sense the meaning of life, he may not say that life has no
meaning. The word is everywhere, and the word is continually speaking.
A mystic removes the barrier that stands between himself and another person by
trying to look at life not only from his own point of view, but also from the
point of view of another. All disputes and disagreements arise from people's
misunderstanding of each other. Mostly, people misunderstand each other because
they have their fixed points of view and are not willing to move from them. ...
If we are willing to understand, then understanding is within our reach. Very
often, however, we are not willing to understand, and that is why we do not
understand. Mankind suffers from a sort of stubbornness. A man goes against what
he thinks is coming from another person. Yet, everything he has learned has come
from others, he has not learned one word from himself. All the same, he calls it
his argument, his idea, and his view, although it is no such thing. He has
always taken it from somewhere. It is by accepting this fact that a mystic
understands all, and it is this which makes him a friend of all.
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In India it is considered a great sin to awaken anyone who is asleep. If a man
is asleep, do not wake him; let him sleep; it is the time for him to sleep; it
will not do to wake him before his time. Thus a mystic understands also that a
person who is taking his time to wake up must not be awakened to give him the
mystic's idea. It would be a sin, because he is not prepared to understand it,
and his beliefs would be shaken. Let him go on thinking God is in Benares; let
him think He is in the temple of Buddha; let him think He is in heaven; let him
think He is in the seventh heaven above the sky. It is the beginning; he will
evolve in time and arrive at the same stage. The rest he is having just now is
good for him. The awakening comes, all in its good time.
This explains what is meant by saying that Sufism is a religious philosophy; the
philosophy is clothed with religion, that it may not break the ideals and faiths
and beliefs of those who are beginning their journey towards the goal.
Externally: the religion, inwardly: the philosophy. The one who wants to
understand will understand. 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'
In whatever form, life expresses its meaning, if only man is able to understand
it. The one who does not understand this will not understand life's meaning. His
inner sense is closed; it is just like being deaf. In the same way his sense of
communication with things has become dull, he does not understand them. But if a
person does not hear he may not say that life is not speaking. In the same way,
if a person cannot sense the meaning of life, he may not say that life has no
meaning. The word is everywhere, and the word is continually speaking.
A mystic removes the barrier that stands between himself and another person by
trying to look at life not only from his own point of view, but also from the
point of view of another. All disputes and disagreements arise from people's
misunderstanding of each other. Mostly, people misunderstand each other because
they have their fixed points of view and are not willing to move from them. ...
If we are willing to understand, then understanding is within our reach. Very
often, however, we are not willing to understand, and that is why we do not
understand. Mankind suffers from a sort of stubbornness. A man goes against what
he thinks is coming from another person. Yet, everything he has learned has come
from others, he has not learned one word from himself. All the same, he calls it
his argument, his idea, and his view, although it is no such thing. He has
always taken it from somewhere. It is by accepting this fact that a mystic
understands all, and it is this which makes him a friend of all.
Inward Seeing...
The translation of the Sanskrit phrase antardrishti is literally "inward seeing" in the sense of seeing beneath appearances what is under them. It does not refer to clairvoyance in the psychic sense, but rather to the metaphysical or mystical sense. It can be particularized as meaning entering into the witness state of consciousness. The ordinary person sees only the object; penetrating deeper, he enters the witness state which is an intermediate condition; going still deeper, he reaches the ultimate state of Reality when there is no subject or object, whereas in the witness there is still subject and object, but the subject no longer identifies himself with the object as the ordinary man does.........Paul Brunton
Meditation and Purification...
Student reads from PB: "Meditation without purification may be dangerous."
S: What kind of meaning would he put into purification?
AD: It covers the gamut. Purification is something that you gradually keep adding to. You don't try all at once to do everything. But you try to live a more ethical life, you try to take care of your body. You attempt to leave out any unethical actions. If there is hatred in a person's heart he really can't meditate. If there is preoccupation with some greed or lust, all these things must gradually be weeded out. So it is in the grand sense that purification must be taken. We can only do it a little at a time. As long as a person is constantly striving to improve his ethics, his character, his morality, then it is all right.
But some people sit to meditate and their heart is full of envy or hatred or something. They are asking for trouble, because it boomerangs, comes right back. Do you remember we pointed out that meditation is very creative, the kind of thoughts you think in those periods when your mind is concentrated inevitably have to get manifested? So meditation without purification may be dangerous.
-- Anthony Damiani and student 8/83
S: What kind of meaning would he put into purification?
AD: It covers the gamut. Purification is something that you gradually keep adding to. You don't try all at once to do everything. But you try to live a more ethical life, you try to take care of your body. You attempt to leave out any unethical actions. If there is hatred in a person's heart he really can't meditate. If there is preoccupation with some greed or lust, all these things must gradually be weeded out. So it is in the grand sense that purification must be taken. We can only do it a little at a time. As long as a person is constantly striving to improve his ethics, his character, his morality, then it is all right.
But some people sit to meditate and their heart is full of envy or hatred or something. They are asking for trouble, because it boomerangs, comes right back. Do you remember we pointed out that meditation is very creative, the kind of thoughts you think in those periods when your mind is concentrated inevitably have to get manifested? So meditation without purification may be dangerous.
-- Anthony Damiani and student 8/83
'Does the devil exist or not?...
'He exists as a temporary idea but not as a permanent Reality.
I'll explain. When you think of the devil, what do you really
have? Only a thought. Now, if it remained only a simple idea
no harm could come to an individual. But the idea of a devil
gets wrongly mixed up with self-reference, fearful imagination,
a hypnotic attraction to danger, and other harmful states.
So now the careless person is taken over and controlled by this
directionless mass of wild energy which is called the devil.
This is the cause of all human violence and suffering.'"................Vernon Howard
I'll explain. When you think of the devil, what do you really
have? Only a thought. Now, if it remained only a simple idea
no harm could come to an individual. But the idea of a devil
gets wrongly mixed up with self-reference, fearful imagination,
a hypnotic attraction to danger, and other harmful states.
So now the careless person is taken over and controlled by this
directionless mass of wild energy which is called the devil.
This is the cause of all human violence and suffering.'"................Vernon Howard
Purity of Heart...
Whenever the wavering and unsteadfast heart wanders away, then so often let him subdue it and bring it back to the control of the soul; For supreme happiness comes to the Yogin whose heart is at rest, in whom passion is tranquilised, who is one with Brahma, and free from sin. The Yogin thus uniting his soul (to Brahma), who has ceased from sin, enjoys easily the boundless happiness of union (lit. contact) with Brahma.
Bhagavad Gita 6:26-29
Bhagavad Gita 6:26-29
Attraction...
The secret of attraction is to love yourself. Attractive people judge neither themselves nor others. They are open to gestures of love. They think about love, and express their love in every action. They know that love is not a mere sentiment, but the ultimate truth at the heart of the universe.” ......
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra
In the depths of falsehood there is Truth...
When a man looks at the ocean, he can only see that part of it which comes
within his range of vision; so it is with the truth.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
As there is water in the depths of the earth, so there is truth at the bottom of
all things, false or true. In some places, one has to dig deep; in other places,
only a short distance; that is the only difference. But there is no place where
there is no water. One may have to dig very, very deep in order to get it; but
in the depths of the earth, there is water, and in the depths of all this
falsehood that is on the surface, there is truth. If we are really seeking for
the truth, we shall always find it.
Man with his learning becomes so proud that he thinks there is nothing else
worthy of attention. He does not know that there is a perfection of wisdom
before which he is not even like a drop in the ocean. Man looks at the surface
of the ocean, yet he is so small that he cannot even be compared with one of its
drops, limited as he is in intellect and knowledge. He seeks to find out about
the whole of creation, whereas those who have touched it have bowed before God,
forgetting their limited selves. After that God remained with them and spoke
through them. These are the only beings who have been able to give any truth to
the world.
When we consider the mystics and thinkers who look at life from a spiritual
point of view, they all agree, be they Yogis, Sufis, Buddhists, or Christians --
it does not matter which. When they arrive at a certain stage of understanding
they all agree, they all have the same experiences, they all have the same
realization to which they come in spite of all differences of form: those who
look at the surface see variations, but those who look below the surface see one
and the same truth hidden beneath all religions, which have been given at
different times by different masters. Naturally, therefore, the method of
expression is different, but when one comes to the essence it is all one and the
same, and those who are spiritually evolved come to the conclusion that they do
not differ one from the other in their belief.
All beliefs are simply degrees of clearness of vision. All are part of one ocean
of truth. The more this is realized the easier is it to see the true
relationship between all beliefs, and the wider does the vision of the one great
ocean become. Limitations and boundaries are inevitable in human life; forms and
conventions are natural and necessary; but they none the less separate humanity.
It is the wise who can meet one another beyond these boundaries.
within his range of vision; so it is with the truth.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
As there is water in the depths of the earth, so there is truth at the bottom of
all things, false or true. In some places, one has to dig deep; in other places,
only a short distance; that is the only difference. But there is no place where
there is no water. One may have to dig very, very deep in order to get it; but
in the depths of the earth, there is water, and in the depths of all this
falsehood that is on the surface, there is truth. If we are really seeking for
the truth, we shall always find it.
Man with his learning becomes so proud that he thinks there is nothing else
worthy of attention. He does not know that there is a perfection of wisdom
before which he is not even like a drop in the ocean. Man looks at the surface
of the ocean, yet he is so small that he cannot even be compared with one of its
drops, limited as he is in intellect and knowledge. He seeks to find out about
the whole of creation, whereas those who have touched it have bowed before God,
forgetting their limited selves. After that God remained with them and spoke
through them. These are the only beings who have been able to give any truth to
the world.
When we consider the mystics and thinkers who look at life from a spiritual
point of view, they all agree, be they Yogis, Sufis, Buddhists, or Christians --
it does not matter which. When they arrive at a certain stage of understanding
they all agree, they all have the same experiences, they all have the same
realization to which they come in spite of all differences of form: those who
look at the surface see variations, but those who look below the surface see one
and the same truth hidden beneath all religions, which have been given at
different times by different masters. Naturally, therefore, the method of
expression is different, but when one comes to the essence it is all one and the
same, and those who are spiritually evolved come to the conclusion that they do
not differ one from the other in their belief.
All beliefs are simply degrees of clearness of vision. All are part of one ocean
of truth. The more this is realized the easier is it to see the true
relationship between all beliefs, and the wider does the vision of the one great
ocean become. Limitations and boundaries are inevitable in human life; forms and
conventions are natural and necessary; but they none the less separate humanity.
It is the wise who can meet one another beyond these boundaries.
The Source is Within...
The source of wisdom and power, of love and beauty, is within ourselves, but not within our egos. It is within our consciousness. Indeed, its presence provides us with a conscious contrast which enables us to speak of the ego as if it were something different and apart: it is the true Self whereas the ego is only an illusion of the mind.......... Paul Brunton
The Flow...
Do not struggle. Go with the flow of things, and you will find yourself at one with the mysterious unity of the Universe.......
By Chuang Tzu
By Chuang Tzu
There is No-one else but Thee..
This is the door to Freedom.. to Know that there is no one else but thee.. Know this well and realize that this is the final Knowledge to learn.. This is the end of Pain and Ignorance.. This is Truth and Reality.. This is You.. This is your goal and your Reality..Love is the Energy of Thee................namaste, thomas
Early Enlightenment...
In the early stages of enlightenment, the aspirant is overwhelmed by his discovery that God is within himself. It stirs his intensest
feelings and excites his deepest thoughts. But, though he does not know it, those very feelings and thoughts still form part of his ego,
albeit the highest part. So he still separates his being into two--self and Overself. Only in the later stages does he find that God not only is within himself but is himself....... Paul Brunton
feelings and excites his deepest thoughts. But, though he does not know it, those very feelings and thoughts still form part of his ego,
albeit the highest part. So he still separates his being into two--self and Overself. Only in the later stages does he find that God not only is within himself but is himself....... Paul Brunton
The Transparency of Things - Rupert Spira ...
The mind is a series of abstract concepts that appear within Consciousness.
Every thought is an object and therefore the objectless
Consciousness in which thoughts appear can never itself appear as
a thought.
All thoughts are objects. Therefore, it is impossible to think of Consciousness.
When we think of anything other than Consciousness (or Truth or
Reality or whatever word is used) we end up with a concept, an idea
of that thing, which is not the thing itself. It is a representation of
that thing in the mind’s code – that is, it is a concept.
However, the thought about Consciousness or Reality is unique
amongst all thoughts. When we try to think of Consciousness, it is
like looking into a black hole. It is not even black. The mind simply
cannot go there. It cannot go to that objectless place because the
mind is itself an object. How could an object fit into a space that has
no dimensions?
So as the mind tries to turn itself towards Consciousness, it dissolves.
It is consumed in what is, from its own point of view, the nothingness
of Consciousness. However, its dissolution is the revelation of
Presence, the revelation of that in which thought dissolves.
So the thought about Consciousness is unique in that it does not
lead to a concept, to a substitute for the thing itself, but rather to the
Reality of Consciousness itself. It leads directly to its referent, not to
a symbol. It leads to the direct experience of Consciousness knowing
itself, knowingly.
Nothing objective is known in this placeless place of Consciousness.
It is a knowing but not a knowing of something. It is pure Knowingness.
The seeking thought, which looks for Consciousness, merges with
Consciousness. It reveals Consciousness.
The seeking thought is like a sugar cube. Looking for Consciousness
is like putting the sugar cube in a cup of tea. The tea dissolves the
sugar cube. Likewise Consciousness dissolves the seeking thought.
A more accurate metaphor would be that of a drop of milk in a jar
of water. The milk is essentially the same substance as the water,
although it is coloured by a slight taint of objectivity. It is white,
not colourless. As we watch the drop of milk, it expands into the
water, losing its form by degrees, until it is utterly merged into the
surrounding water...............Reflections on Mind, Thought and Nondual Awareness
Every thought is an object and therefore the objectless
Consciousness in which thoughts appear can never itself appear as
a thought.
All thoughts are objects. Therefore, it is impossible to think of Consciousness.
When we think of anything other than Consciousness (or Truth or
Reality or whatever word is used) we end up with a concept, an idea
of that thing, which is not the thing itself. It is a representation of
that thing in the mind’s code – that is, it is a concept.
However, the thought about Consciousness or Reality is unique
amongst all thoughts. When we try to think of Consciousness, it is
like looking into a black hole. It is not even black. The mind simply
cannot go there. It cannot go to that objectless place because the
mind is itself an object. How could an object fit into a space that has
no dimensions?
So as the mind tries to turn itself towards Consciousness, it dissolves.
It is consumed in what is, from its own point of view, the nothingness
of Consciousness. However, its dissolution is the revelation of
Presence, the revelation of that in which thought dissolves.
So the thought about Consciousness is unique in that it does not
lead to a concept, to a substitute for the thing itself, but rather to the
Reality of Consciousness itself. It leads directly to its referent, not to
a symbol. It leads to the direct experience of Consciousness knowing
itself, knowingly.
Nothing objective is known in this placeless place of Consciousness.
It is a knowing but not a knowing of something. It is pure Knowingness.
The seeking thought, which looks for Consciousness, merges with
Consciousness. It reveals Consciousness.
The seeking thought is like a sugar cube. Looking for Consciousness
is like putting the sugar cube in a cup of tea. The tea dissolves the
sugar cube. Likewise Consciousness dissolves the seeking thought.
A more accurate metaphor would be that of a drop of milk in a jar
of water. The milk is essentially the same substance as the water,
although it is coloured by a slight taint of objectivity. It is white,
not colourless. As we watch the drop of milk, it expands into the
water, losing its form by degrees, until it is utterly merged into the
surrounding water...............Reflections on Mind, Thought and Nondual Awareness
Mysteries, Yes...
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds
will never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
"Look!" and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
~ Mary Oliver ~
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds
will never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
"Look!" and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
~ Mary Oliver ~
Shiva...
Through the red eye
of Shiva
beyond the Absolute
and into the realm of the spirit
does the mystic travel
transcending matter
and reconciling opposites
into One..............Sananda
of Shiva
beyond the Absolute
and into the realm of the spirit
does the mystic travel
transcending matter
and reconciling opposites
into One..............Sananda
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad ...
‘The Immortal is veiled by the real. The Spirit of life is the immortal. Name and form are the real, and by them the Spirit is veiled.’
The Bhagavad Gita...
"The blessed Lord said,
'The mind absorbed in me, Partha,
practicing union relying on me,
without doubt how you shall know me completely: hear that.
I shall tell you without omission
this knowledge with discrimination, which having understood
nothing more remains here to be known.
Of thousands of people hardly anyone strives for perfection;
of those striving, even of the perfected,
hardly anyone knows me truly.
"'Earth, waters, fire, wind,
space, mind, intuition, and ego,
thus is this divided nature of mine eightfold.
This here is the lower, but know my other highest nature,
the life-being, great-armed one,
by which this universe is sustained.
Understand this to be the womb of all beings.
I am the origin of the entire universe, also its dissolution.
There is nothing whatever higher than me, wealth winner.
On me all this is strung like pearls on a thread.
"'I am the flavor in the waters, Kaunteya;
I am the radiance of the moon and sun,
the sacred word in all the Vedas,
the sound in the air, the virility in men,
and the pure fragrance on the earth;
and I am the brilliance in flame,
the life in all beings,
and I am the austerity in ascetics.
"'Know me as the primeval seed of all beings, Partha.
I am the intuition of the intelligent;
the brilliance of the brilliant am I.
And I am the strength of the strong,
freed from desire and passion;
I am the desire in beings
that is not contrary to duty, Bharata bull.
"'And the good states, the active and the slow
which come from me, know them thus:
I am not in them, but they are in me.
Because of these states formed by the three qualities
all this deluded universe does not recognize me
as higher than these and eternal.
"'Divine indeed is this quality-produced illusion
that is difficult to penetrate;
they attain me who transcend this illusion.
Deluded evil doers, the lowest people, do not attain me,
their knowledge robbed by illusion,
attached to demonic existence.
"'Four kinds of benevolent people worship me, Arjuna:
the suffering, those wanting knowledge,
those wanting success, and the wise, Bharata bull.
Of them the wise, eternally united,
devoted to the One, is the best.
I am extremely fond of the wise, and this one is fond of me.
All these are noble, but the wise is considered my soul.
Staying in this soul union with me is the supreme goal.
'The mind absorbed in me, Partha,
practicing union relying on me,
without doubt how you shall know me completely: hear that.
I shall tell you without omission
this knowledge with discrimination, which having understood
nothing more remains here to be known.
Of thousands of people hardly anyone strives for perfection;
of those striving, even of the perfected,
hardly anyone knows me truly.
"'Earth, waters, fire, wind,
space, mind, intuition, and ego,
thus is this divided nature of mine eightfold.
This here is the lower, but know my other highest nature,
the life-being, great-armed one,
by which this universe is sustained.
Understand this to be the womb of all beings.
I am the origin of the entire universe, also its dissolution.
There is nothing whatever higher than me, wealth winner.
On me all this is strung like pearls on a thread.
"'I am the flavor in the waters, Kaunteya;
I am the radiance of the moon and sun,
the sacred word in all the Vedas,
the sound in the air, the virility in men,
and the pure fragrance on the earth;
and I am the brilliance in flame,
the life in all beings,
and I am the austerity in ascetics.
"'Know me as the primeval seed of all beings, Partha.
I am the intuition of the intelligent;
the brilliance of the brilliant am I.
And I am the strength of the strong,
freed from desire and passion;
I am the desire in beings
that is not contrary to duty, Bharata bull.
"'And the good states, the active and the slow
which come from me, know them thus:
I am not in them, but they are in me.
Because of these states formed by the three qualities
all this deluded universe does not recognize me
as higher than these and eternal.
"'Divine indeed is this quality-produced illusion
that is difficult to penetrate;
they attain me who transcend this illusion.
Deluded evil doers, the lowest people, do not attain me,
their knowledge robbed by illusion,
attached to demonic existence.
"'Four kinds of benevolent people worship me, Arjuna:
the suffering, those wanting knowledge,
those wanting success, and the wise, Bharata bull.
Of them the wise, eternally united,
devoted to the One, is the best.
I am extremely fond of the wise, and this one is fond of me.
All these are noble, but the wise is considered my soul.
Staying in this soul union with me is the supreme goal.
Mystical Principles...
As we put off 'mortality' in each of our meditations, by
standing still, letting the mind see that we are not joining
with its thoughts just now; by relaxing from taking thought,
by opening that inner door, and simply remaining receptive;
we listen, we wait, we observe, we are quietly aware; this
is the vacuum into which the Living Spirit flows and reveals
Itself as a Presence in the midst of your consciousness.
Suddenly, as thoughts drop away, you discover you are
living in the conscious awareness of Eternity - you have
stepped out of the human belief in time. You feel your own
Omnipresence - you have stepped out of the human belief
in space. You silently commune with the Immortal One
that God manifested in the beginning before the world was.
you realize, that you have slipped out of the "parenthesis,"
and are once more dwelling in "the temple not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens."
Behold, the Kingdom of Heaven has entered your
consciousness, and the tabernacle of God is with men..........Bill Skiles
standing still, letting the mind see that we are not joining
with its thoughts just now; by relaxing from taking thought,
by opening that inner door, and simply remaining receptive;
we listen, we wait, we observe, we are quietly aware; this
is the vacuum into which the Living Spirit flows and reveals
Itself as a Presence in the midst of your consciousness.
Suddenly, as thoughts drop away, you discover you are
living in the conscious awareness of Eternity - you have
stepped out of the human belief in time. You feel your own
Omnipresence - you have stepped out of the human belief
in space. You silently commune with the Immortal One
that God manifested in the beginning before the world was.
you realize, that you have slipped out of the "parenthesis,"
and are once more dwelling in "the temple not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens."
Behold, the Kingdom of Heaven has entered your
consciousness, and the tabernacle of God is with men..........Bill Skiles
Jesus teaches the eleven...
NOW, after Judas had gone forth to meet the emissaries of the priests and to betray his Lord, 2 The master said, The hour has come, the son of man will now be glorified. 3 My little children, I am with you yet a little while; soon you will seek me and will find me not, for where I go you cannot come. 4 I give to you a new command: As I love you and give my life for you, so shall you love the world, and give your life to save the world. 5 Love one another as you love yourselves, and then the world will know that you are sons of God, disciples of the son of man whom God has glorified. 6 And Peter said, Lord, where you go there I will go, for I would lay my life down for my Lord. 7 And Jesus said, Boast not of bravery, my friend; you are not strong enough to-night to follow me. 8 Now, Peter, hear! you will deny me thrice before the cock shall crow to-morrow morn. 9 And then he looked upon the eleven and said, You all will be estranged from me this night. 10 The prophet said, Lo, he will smite the shepherd of the sheep; the sheep will flee and hide away. 11 But after I am risen from the dead, lo, you will come again, and I will go before you into Galilee. 12 And Peter said, My Lord, though every other man forsake you I will not. 13 And Jesus said, O Simon Peter, lo, your zeal is greater than your fortitude! Behold, for Satan cometh up to sift you as a pan of wheat, but I have prayed that in your faith you shall not fail; that after trial you may stand a tower of strength. 14 And the disciples all exclaimed, There is no power on earth that can estrange, or cause us to deny our Lord. 15 And Jesus said, Let not your hearts be sad; you all believe in God; believe in me. 16 Behold, for there are many mansions in my Fatherland. If there were not I would have told you so. 17 I will go unto my Fatherland, and I will prepare a place for you that where I am there you may be. But now you do not know the way unto my Fatherland. 18 And Thomas said, We do not know where you intend to go; how could we know the way? 19 And Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the life; I manifest the Christ of God. No man can reach my Fatherland except he comes with me through Christ. 20 If you had known and comprehended me, then you would know my Father-God. 21 And Philip said, Show us the Father and we will be satisfied. 22 And Jesus said, Have I been with you all these years and still you know me not? 23 He who has seen the son has seen the Father has revealed himself. 24 Lo, I have told you many times that what I speak and what I do are not the words and works of man; 25 They are the words of God, who lives in me and I in him. 26 Hear me, you faithful men: He who believes in me and in my Father-God shall say and do what I have said and done. 27 Yea, more, he shall do greater works than I have ever done, because I go to him whose works we do, and then I can reach forth my hand in helpfulness. 28 And in my name, through Christ, you may petition God and he will grant you your request. 29 Do you believe what I have said? Yes, you believe, and if you love the Christ and follow me then you will keep my words. 30 I am the vine; you are the branches of the vine; my Father is the husbandmen. 31 The branches that are worthless, bearing naught but leaves, the husbandmen will cut away and cast into the fire to be burned. 32 And he will prune the branches that bear fruit that they may yield abundantly. 33 The branch cannot bear fruit if separated from the vine; and you cannot bear fruit when separate from me. 34 Abide in me, and do the works that God, through me, has taught you how to do, and you will bear much fruit, and God will honour you as he has honoured me. 35 And now I go my way, but I will pray my Father-God and he will send another Comforter to you, who will abide with you. 36 Behold, this Comforter of God, the Holy Breath, is one with God, but she is one the world cannot receive because it sees her not; it knows her not. 37 But you know her, and will know her, because she will abide within your soul. 38 I will not leave you desolate, but in the Christ, which is the love of God made manifest to men, I will be with you all the way..........from the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ
Letting Go...
The desire to be in control, the illusion of being in control, and the hope
of being in control are all based on the megalomaniacal belief that you know
when and what the outcome should be.
Obviously, you can control many things to a greater or lesser degree, but
there is nothing that you can totally control. You can control your bodily
functions to a degree, as well as circumstances, thoughts, emotions,
position, and survival, but you can never have complete control.
You need no model for letting go. You cannot 'do' letting go. Neither is
letting go a kind of saintly passivity, not being bothered by anything. The
mind is very slippery and can even use the desire to let go as a tactic for
control.
Letting go of control is a deeper relaxation, a floating on the ocean. You
can become aware of where you are holding on, and you can just let go and
allow the ocean to hold you. You can become aware that all your tension and
clinging are unnecessary, and then relax and let yourself be supported.
~ Gangaji
From: 'The Diamond in Your Pocket."
of being in control are all based on the megalomaniacal belief that you know
when and what the outcome should be.
Obviously, you can control many things to a greater or lesser degree, but
there is nothing that you can totally control. You can control your bodily
functions to a degree, as well as circumstances, thoughts, emotions,
position, and survival, but you can never have complete control.
You need no model for letting go. You cannot 'do' letting go. Neither is
letting go a kind of saintly passivity, not being bothered by anything. The
mind is very slippery and can even use the desire to let go as a tactic for
control.
Letting go of control is a deeper relaxation, a floating on the ocean. You
can become aware of where you are holding on, and you can just let go and
allow the ocean to hold you. You can become aware that all your tension and
clinging are unnecessary, and then relax and let yourself be supported.
~ Gangaji
From: 'The Diamond in Your Pocket."
Grace...
Grace is the benign effluence of the Overself, the kindly
radiation from it, ever-present in us. The theological use of this
term to mean particular help given by God to man to enable him to
endure temptation and act rightly is a serious and arbitrary narrowing
down of its original meaning. It may mean this sometimes, but it also
means the loving mercy God shows to man, which appears variously as
enlightenment of the mind or relief of the heart, as change of outward
physical conditions or a dynamic revolution-working energy acting on
the aspirant or on his life......Paul Brunton
radiation from it, ever-present in us. The theological use of this
term to mean particular help given by God to man to enable him to
endure temptation and act rightly is a serious and arbitrary narrowing
down of its original meaning. It may mean this sometimes, but it also
means the loving mercy God shows to man, which appears variously as
enlightenment of the mind or relief of the heart, as change of outward
physical conditions or a dynamic revolution-working energy acting on
the aspirant or on his life......Paul Brunton
The Overself...
The Overself is neither a cold metaphysical concept nor a passing
wave of emotion. It is a Presence--sublime, sacred, and
beneficent--which grips your heart, thought, and body by its own
mysterious power, making you regard life from a nobler standpoint.....Paul Brunton
wave of emotion. It is a Presence--sublime, sacred, and
beneficent--which grips your heart, thought, and body by its own
mysterious power, making you regard life from a nobler standpoint.....Paul Brunton
Illusion of Time...
"Rise above the illusion of time and you will have tomorrow's
wisdom today."
Cosmic Command, # 1323.......Vernon Howard
wisdom today."
Cosmic Command, # 1323.......Vernon Howard
The Tao...
Truthful words are not beautiful.
Beautiful words are not truthful.
Good men do not argue.
Those who argue are not good.
Those who know are not learned.
The learned do not know.
The sage never tries to store things up.
The more he does for others, the more he has.
The more he gives to others, the greater his abundance.
The Tao of heaven is pointed but does no harm.
The Tao of the sage is work without effort.
- Lao-tzu
Beautiful words are not truthful.
Good men do not argue.
Those who argue are not good.
Those who know are not learned.
The learned do not know.
The sage never tries to store things up.
The more he does for others, the more he has.
The more he gives to others, the greater his abundance.
The Tao of heaven is pointed but does no harm.
The Tao of the sage is work without effort.
- Lao-tzu
The Real...
O lord! Lead me from unreal to the Real, from darkness to Light, and Lead me from the fear of death to Immortality.” -- Brihad Aranyakam Upanishad
Everything in the world that is perishable, changing and undependable is considered unreal or delusive like a mirage. “There is no happiness in the finite,” according to Chhandogya Upanishad. The Real is Imperishable, Unchanging and Dependable. It is our very Self called “Atman.”
Darkness is the ignorance of our inner power, strength and potential. Lust, greed, desire for name and fame, pride, arrogance, jealousy and narrow mindedness represent darkness, just as the thirst for illusive physical pleasures represents blindness. Those who have not experienced their True Self are blind. Light is Self Realization. It is free from the gimmicks and deception of maya.
Fear of death will remain with those who worship the body, sensual pleasures, mind, intellect and ego. We, as our Atman, are above these. The only purpose of this invaluable human life is to realize true and lasting Love as Mirabai and all saints have realized. There is no other goal or way for man to be truly happy.
May we act now and make a sincere effort to practice spiritual truth because God’s grace is always available to us. We need only to open the sails of our heart. There, the wind of love is constantly blowing. The inner voice is constantly broadcasting, if only we would tune in and plug ourselves into that Power that is also all around us!
-- Swami Radhanandaji
Everything in the world that is perishable, changing and undependable is considered unreal or delusive like a mirage. “There is no happiness in the finite,” according to Chhandogya Upanishad. The Real is Imperishable, Unchanging and Dependable. It is our very Self called “Atman.”
Darkness is the ignorance of our inner power, strength and potential. Lust, greed, desire for name and fame, pride, arrogance, jealousy and narrow mindedness represent darkness, just as the thirst for illusive physical pleasures represents blindness. Those who have not experienced their True Self are blind. Light is Self Realization. It is free from the gimmicks and deception of maya.
Fear of death will remain with those who worship the body, sensual pleasures, mind, intellect and ego. We, as our Atman, are above these. The only purpose of this invaluable human life is to realize true and lasting Love as Mirabai and all saints have realized. There is no other goal or way for man to be truly happy.
May we act now and make a sincere effort to practice spiritual truth because God’s grace is always available to us. We need only to open the sails of our heart. There, the wind of love is constantly blowing. The inner voice is constantly broadcasting, if only we would tune in and plug ourselves into that Power that is also all around us!
-- Swami Radhanandaji
Existence...
Once a person has realized how he can exist without the physical body, it
produces a faith that gives an ultimate conviction that nothing can change.
From the Teachings of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
produces a faith that gives an ultimate conviction that nothing can change.
From the Teachings of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
Compassion...
Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their
suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.........Gautama the Buddha
suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.........Gautama the Buddha
The Mental State...
How can a mental state be the final realization? It is temporary.
Mystic experience is such a state. It is something one enters and
leaves. Beyond and higher is realization of unchanging truth.........Paul Brunton
Mystic experience is such a state. It is something one enters and
leaves. Beyond and higher is realization of unchanging truth.........Paul Brunton
Animal Dharma...
"Non-rational creatures, as Aldous Huxley put it, live in the animal eternity of
a perpetual present. Instinct is their animal grace and constant inspiration.
They are not worried about right or wrong. They are never tempted to live
otherwise than in accord with their own animal dharma, or immanent law. The
human being, on the other hand, relies on personal cleverness (reasoning) rather
than on instinct and intuition. And this is what Nature intended. This
"wearisome condition of humanity" is a prerequisite of enlightenment. Cleverness
and reason "are not and cannot be a proximate means of union with God". They
are, however, necessary to bring about first, the intellectual understanding of
our real nature that could lead to a deeper understanding in the
heart....Advises Jalal-uddin Rumi: sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment;
cleverness is mere opinion, bewilderment is intuition. The fact of the matter is
that such transaction can take place only at the appropriate time, when the
realization dawns that the human being does not live, but is being
lived........Such simplicity or "purity or maturity of intellect" leaves the
intellect open or vacant to receive the apperception that all there is is
Consciousness..."Self-realization is not available to those who are weak"
(Ashtavakra Gita). What "weakness" truly means is a lack of courage to give up
those traditional routines which were prescribed for when one was a spiritual
beginner. It is the lack of courage to accept the intuitive promptings of the
basic, fundamental Truth in its totality that all there is, is Consciousness. -
Ramesh Balsekar
a perpetual present. Instinct is their animal grace and constant inspiration.
They are not worried about right or wrong. They are never tempted to live
otherwise than in accord with their own animal dharma, or immanent law. The
human being, on the other hand, relies on personal cleverness (reasoning) rather
than on instinct and intuition. And this is what Nature intended. This
"wearisome condition of humanity" is a prerequisite of enlightenment. Cleverness
and reason "are not and cannot be a proximate means of union with God". They
are, however, necessary to bring about first, the intellectual understanding of
our real nature that could lead to a deeper understanding in the
heart....Advises Jalal-uddin Rumi: sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment;
cleverness is mere opinion, bewilderment is intuition. The fact of the matter is
that such transaction can take place only at the appropriate time, when the
realization dawns that the human being does not live, but is being
lived........Such simplicity or "purity or maturity of intellect" leaves the
intellect open or vacant to receive the apperception that all there is is
Consciousness..."Self-realization is not available to those who are weak"
(Ashtavakra Gita). What "weakness" truly means is a lack of courage to give up
those traditional routines which were prescribed for when one was a spiritual
beginner. It is the lack of courage to accept the intuitive promptings of the
basic, fundamental Truth in its totality that all there is, is Consciousness. -
Ramesh Balsekar
Sufi Poem...
What a day today.
There are two Suns rising!
What a day,
Not like any other day.
Look!
The Light is shining in your heart,
The wheel of life has stopped.
Oh, you who can see into your own heart,
What a day,
This is your day.
Rumi
There are two Suns rising!
What a day,
Not like any other day.
Look!
The Light is shining in your heart,
The wheel of life has stopped.
Oh, you who can see into your own heart,
What a day,
This is your day.
Rumi
Realization...
Q: I understand everybody is under the obligation to realize. Is
it his duty, or is it his destiny?
M: Realization is of the fact that you are not a person. There-
fore, it cannot be the duty of the person whose destiny is to dis-
appear. Its destiny is the duty of him who imagines himself to be
the person. Find out who he is and the imagined person will dis-
solve. Freedom is from something. What are you to be free
from? Obviously, you must be free from the person, you take
yourself to be, for it is the idea you have of yourself that keeps
you in bondage.
From Chapter 86
I Am That.........Nisargadatta
it his duty, or is it his destiny?
M: Realization is of the fact that you are not a person. There-
fore, it cannot be the duty of the person whose destiny is to dis-
appear. Its destiny is the duty of him who imagines himself to be
the person. Find out who he is and the imagined person will dis-
solve. Freedom is from something. What are you to be free
from? Obviously, you must be free from the person, you take
yourself to be, for it is the idea you have of yourself that keeps
you in bondage.
From Chapter 86
I Am That.........Nisargadatta
Two Viewpoints...
There are two viewpoints: a qualified truth for the lower stage of
aspirants which admits duality; and the complete viewpoint of
nonduality for the highest student; thus for practical life, when
dealing with other people or when engaged in some activity,
those in the first stage must accept the notion of the world being real,
because of expediency; yet even so, when they are alone or when
keeping quiet, inactive, they ought to revert back to regarding the
world, which includes one's own body as a part of it, as idea. Only
for the sage is the truth always present, no matter whether he is with others,
whether he is working, or whether he is in trance, and this truth is continuous awareness of
one Reality alone and one Self alone...........Paul Brunton
aspirants which admits duality; and the complete viewpoint of
nonduality for the highest student; thus for practical life, when
dealing with other people or when engaged in some activity,
those in the first stage must accept the notion of the world being real,
because of expediency; yet even so, when they are alone or when
keeping quiet, inactive, they ought to revert back to regarding the
world, which includes one's own body as a part of it, as idea. Only
for the sage is the truth always present, no matter whether he is with others,
whether he is working, or whether he is in trance, and this truth is continuous awareness of
one Reality alone and one Self alone...........Paul Brunton
The Ideal of Limitlessness...
Even to utter the name of God is a blessing that can fill the soul with light
and joy and happiness as nothing else can do.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In the East, religion is sown in the heart of the child from birth, no matter to
what religion he may belong. The invocation of the name of God becomes a daily
custom, which he consciously or unconsciously repeats in sorrow as well as in
joy. 'bismillah' -- In the name of Allah, or 'al-hamdulillah' -- Praise be to
Allah, or 'Allahu akbar' -- God is great, and 'ya Allah' -- O God; such
expressions as these are used at the beginning and the end, as well as in the
midst of every ordinary conversation. This attunes the believer and even
attracts the unbeliever to the thought of God, which in the end leads the seeker
to self-realization and the peace of God.
A thousand people may say the same prayer; but one person's prayer said with
such faith and belief is equal to the prayers of a thousand people, because that
prayer is not mechanical. Man is mechanical and he generally says his prayers
mechanically too. If he is genuine and if he has faith and belief and devotion,
all he says has an effect; and that effect will perform miracles. ... When he
invokes the names of God man forgets his limitations and impresses his soul with
the thought of the Unlimited, which brings him to the ideal of limitlessness.
This is the secret of life's attainment.
The mystic on the spiritual path perseveres in wiping out this false ego as much
as he can, by meditation, by concentration, by prayer, by study, by everything
that he does. His one aim is to wipe out so much that one day reality, which is
always there buried under the false ego, may manifest.
By calling on the Name of God, in the form of prayer, or in zikr, or in any
other form, what the mystic does is to awaken the spirit of the real ego, in
order that it may manifest. It is just like a spring that rises up out of the
rock and that, as soon as the water has gained power and strength, breaks even
through stone and becomes a stream. So it is with the divine spark in man.
Through concentration, through meditation, it breaks out and manifests; and
where it manifests, it washes away the stains of the false ego and turns into a
greater and greater stream. This in turn becomes the source of comfort,
consolation, healing and happiness for all who come into contact with that
spirit.
and joy and happiness as nothing else can do.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In the East, religion is sown in the heart of the child from birth, no matter to
what religion he may belong. The invocation of the name of God becomes a daily
custom, which he consciously or unconsciously repeats in sorrow as well as in
joy. 'bismillah' -- In the name of Allah, or 'al-hamdulillah' -- Praise be to
Allah, or 'Allahu akbar' -- God is great, and 'ya Allah' -- O God; such
expressions as these are used at the beginning and the end, as well as in the
midst of every ordinary conversation. This attunes the believer and even
attracts the unbeliever to the thought of God, which in the end leads the seeker
to self-realization and the peace of God.
A thousand people may say the same prayer; but one person's prayer said with
such faith and belief is equal to the prayers of a thousand people, because that
prayer is not mechanical. Man is mechanical and he generally says his prayers
mechanically too. If he is genuine and if he has faith and belief and devotion,
all he says has an effect; and that effect will perform miracles. ... When he
invokes the names of God man forgets his limitations and impresses his soul with
the thought of the Unlimited, which brings him to the ideal of limitlessness.
This is the secret of life's attainment.
The mystic on the spiritual path perseveres in wiping out this false ego as much
as he can, by meditation, by concentration, by prayer, by study, by everything
that he does. His one aim is to wipe out so much that one day reality, which is
always there buried under the false ego, may manifest.
By calling on the Name of God, in the form of prayer, or in zikr, or in any
other form, what the mystic does is to awaken the spirit of the real ego, in
order that it may manifest. It is just like a spring that rises up out of the
rock and that, as soon as the water has gained power and strength, breaks even
through stone and becomes a stream. So it is with the divine spark in man.
Through concentration, through meditation, it breaks out and manifests; and
where it manifests, it washes away the stains of the false ego and turns into a
greater and greater stream. This in turn becomes the source of comfort,
consolation, healing and happiness for all who come into contact with that
spirit.
Self-Delusion...
Self delusion is the belief in the Ego, this is the only delusion that we
have.. When we have completely surrendered this Self delusion, we find our True
Self.. We know that this experience is Real because we have no more Desires to
bind us to the Ego, and are finally Free.. This Freedom and Love that we
experience is the Most Real Event that we have ever experienced.. This
experience is the reason why those that have found this Truth start Schools that
often become Religions, as the person finds that they must transmit this
Knowledge to others so that they too will rise beyond Ignorance and
Pain..........namaste, thomas
have.. When we have completely surrendered this Self delusion, we find our True
Self.. We know that this experience is Real because we have no more Desires to
bind us to the Ego, and are finally Free.. This Freedom and Love that we
experience is the Most Real Event that we have ever experienced.. This
experience is the reason why those that have found this Truth start Schools that
often become Religions, as the person finds that they must transmit this
Knowledge to others so that they too will rise beyond Ignorance and
Pain..........namaste, thomas
An Inner Revolution...
The enlightenment I speak of is not simply a realization, not simply the discovery of one’s true nature. This discovery is just the beginning—the point of entry into an inner revolution. Realization does not guarantee this revolution; it simply makes it possible.
What is this inner revolution? To begin with, revolution is not static; it is alive, ongoing, and continuous. It cannot be grasped or made to fit into any conceptual model. Nor is there any path to this inner revolution, for it is neither predictable nor controllable and has a life all its own. This revolution is a breaking away from the old, repetitive, dead structures of thought and perception that humanity finds itself trapped in. Realization of the ultimate reality is a direct and sudden existential awakening to one’s true nature that opens the door to the possibility of an inner revolution. Such a revolution requires an ongoing emptying out of the old structures of consciousness and the birth of a living and fluid intelligence. This intelligence restructures your entire being—body, mind, and perception. This intelligence cuts the mind free of its old structures that are rooted within the totality of human consciousness. If one cannot become free of the old conditioned structures of human consciousness, then one is still in a prison.
Having an awakening to one’s true nature does not necessarily mean that there will be an ongoing revolution in the way one perceives, acts, and responds to life. The moment of awakening shows us what is ultimately true and real as well as revealing a deeper possibility in the way that life can be lived from an undivided and unconditioned state of being. But the moment of awakening does not guarantee this deeper possibility, as many who have experienced spiritual awakening can attest to. Awakening opens a door inside to a deep inner revolution, but in no way guarantees that it will take place. Whether it takes place or not depends on many factors, but none more important and vital than an earnest and unambiguous intention for truth above and beyond all else. This earnest intention toward truth is what all spiritual growth ultimately depends upon, especially when it transcends all personal preferences, agendas, and goals.
This inner revolution is the awakening of an intelligence not born of the mind but of an inner silence of mind, which alone has the ability to uproot all of the old structures of one’s consciousness. Unless these structures are uprooted, there will be no creative thought, action, or response. Unless there is an inner revolution, nothing new and fresh can flower. Only the old, the repetitious, the conditioned will flower in the absence of this revolution. But our potential lies beyond the known, beyond the structures of the past, beyond anything that humanity has established. Our potential is something that can flower only when we are no longer caught within the influence and limitations of the known. Beyond the realm of the mind, beyond the limitations of humanity’s conditioned consciousness, lies that which can be called the sacred. And it is from the sacred that a new and fluid consciousness is born that wipes away the old and brings to life the flowering of a living and undivided expression of being. Such an expression is neither personal nor impersonal, neither spiritual nor worldly, but rather the flow and flowering of existence beyond all notions of self.
So let us understand that reality transcends all of our notions about reality. Reality is neither Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Advaita Vedanta, nor Buddhist. It is neither dualistic nor nondualistic, neither spiritual nor nonspiritual. We should come to know that there is more reality and sacredness in a blade of grass than in all of our thoughts and ideas about reality. When we perceive from an undivided consciousness, we will find the sacred in every expression of life. We will find it in our teacup, in the fall breeze, in the brushing of our teeth, in each and every moment of living and dying. Therefore we must leave the entire collection of conditioned thought behind and let ourselves be led by the inner thread of silence into the unknown, beyond where all paths end, to that place where we go innocently or not at all—not once but continually.
One must be willing to stand alone—in the unknown, with no reference to the known or the past or any of one’s conditioning. One must stand where no one has stood before in complete nakedness, innocence, and humility. One must stand in that dark light, in that groundless embrace, unwavering and true to the reality beyond all self—not just for a moment, but forever without end. For then that which is sacred, undivided, and whole is born within consciousness and begins to express itself.
© Adyashanti 2008
What is this inner revolution? To begin with, revolution is not static; it is alive, ongoing, and continuous. It cannot be grasped or made to fit into any conceptual model. Nor is there any path to this inner revolution, for it is neither predictable nor controllable and has a life all its own. This revolution is a breaking away from the old, repetitive, dead structures of thought and perception that humanity finds itself trapped in. Realization of the ultimate reality is a direct and sudden existential awakening to one’s true nature that opens the door to the possibility of an inner revolution. Such a revolution requires an ongoing emptying out of the old structures of consciousness and the birth of a living and fluid intelligence. This intelligence restructures your entire being—body, mind, and perception. This intelligence cuts the mind free of its old structures that are rooted within the totality of human consciousness. If one cannot become free of the old conditioned structures of human consciousness, then one is still in a prison.
Having an awakening to one’s true nature does not necessarily mean that there will be an ongoing revolution in the way one perceives, acts, and responds to life. The moment of awakening shows us what is ultimately true and real as well as revealing a deeper possibility in the way that life can be lived from an undivided and unconditioned state of being. But the moment of awakening does not guarantee this deeper possibility, as many who have experienced spiritual awakening can attest to. Awakening opens a door inside to a deep inner revolution, but in no way guarantees that it will take place. Whether it takes place or not depends on many factors, but none more important and vital than an earnest and unambiguous intention for truth above and beyond all else. This earnest intention toward truth is what all spiritual growth ultimately depends upon, especially when it transcends all personal preferences, agendas, and goals.
This inner revolution is the awakening of an intelligence not born of the mind but of an inner silence of mind, which alone has the ability to uproot all of the old structures of one’s consciousness. Unless these structures are uprooted, there will be no creative thought, action, or response. Unless there is an inner revolution, nothing new and fresh can flower. Only the old, the repetitious, the conditioned will flower in the absence of this revolution. But our potential lies beyond the known, beyond the structures of the past, beyond anything that humanity has established. Our potential is something that can flower only when we are no longer caught within the influence and limitations of the known. Beyond the realm of the mind, beyond the limitations of humanity’s conditioned consciousness, lies that which can be called the sacred. And it is from the sacred that a new and fluid consciousness is born that wipes away the old and brings to life the flowering of a living and undivided expression of being. Such an expression is neither personal nor impersonal, neither spiritual nor worldly, but rather the flow and flowering of existence beyond all notions of self.
So let us understand that reality transcends all of our notions about reality. Reality is neither Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Advaita Vedanta, nor Buddhist. It is neither dualistic nor nondualistic, neither spiritual nor nonspiritual. We should come to know that there is more reality and sacredness in a blade of grass than in all of our thoughts and ideas about reality. When we perceive from an undivided consciousness, we will find the sacred in every expression of life. We will find it in our teacup, in the fall breeze, in the brushing of our teeth, in each and every moment of living and dying. Therefore we must leave the entire collection of conditioned thought behind and let ourselves be led by the inner thread of silence into the unknown, beyond where all paths end, to that place where we go innocently or not at all—not once but continually.
One must be willing to stand alone—in the unknown, with no reference to the known or the past or any of one’s conditioning. One must stand where no one has stood before in complete nakedness, innocence, and humility. One must stand in that dark light, in that groundless embrace, unwavering and true to the reality beyond all self—not just for a moment, but forever without end. For then that which is sacred, undivided, and whole is born within consciousness and begins to express itself.
© Adyashanti 2008
Your own body is farther from you than God is ...
Man is closer to God than the fishes are to the ocean.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
One day Inayat was praying on the roof of the house, offering his prayers and he
thought to himself that there had not been an answer yet to all the prayers he
had offered to God and he did not know where God was to hear his prayers and he
could not reconcile himself to going on praying to the God whom he knew not. He
went fearlessly to his father and said: "I do not think I will continue my
prayers any longer, for it does not fit in with my reason. I do not know how I
can go on praying to a God I do not know." His father, taken aback, did not
become cross lest he might turn Inayat's beliefs sour by forcing them upon him
without satisfying his reason and he was glad on the other hand to see that,
although it was irreverent on the child's part, yet it was frank, and he knew
that the lad really hungered after Truth and was ready to learn now, what many
could not learn in their whole life.
He said to him: "God is in you and you are in God. As the bubble is in the ocean
and the bubble is a part of the ocean and yet not separate from the ocean. For a
moment it has appeared as a bubble, then it will return to that from which it
has risen. So is the relation between man and God. The Prophet has said that God
is closer to you than the jugular vein, which in reality means that your own
body is farther from you than God is. If this be rightly interpreted, it will
mean that God is the very depth of your own being." This moment to Inayat was
his very great initiation, as if a switch had turned in him, and from that
moment onward his whole life Inayat busied himself, and his whole being became
engaged in witnessing in life what he knew and believed, by this one great
Truth.
The innermost being of man is the real being of God; man is always linked with
God. If he could only realize it, it is by finding harmony in his own soul that
he finds communion with God. All meditation and contemplation are taught with
this purpose: to harmonize one's innermost being with God, so that He is seeing,
hearing, thinking through us, and our being is a ray of His light. In that way
we are even closer to God than the fishes are to the ocean in which they have
their being.
Many think that spiritual attainment can only be achieved by great labor. It is
not so; labor is necessary for material attainment, but for spiritual attainment
what one needs is a seeking soul like that of Moses. Moses falling upon the
ground may be interpreted as the cross, which means, 'I am not; Thou art.' In
order to be, one must pass through a stage of being nothing. In Sufi terms this
is called Fana, when one thinks, 'I am not what I had always thought myself to
be.' This is the true self-denial, which the Hindus called Layam, and the
Buddhists annihilation. It is the annihilation of the false self which gives
rise to the true self; once this is done, from that moment man approaches closer
and closer to God, until he stands face to face with his divine ideal, with
which he can communicate at every moment of his life.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
One day Inayat was praying on the roof of the house, offering his prayers and he
thought to himself that there had not been an answer yet to all the prayers he
had offered to God and he did not know where God was to hear his prayers and he
could not reconcile himself to going on praying to the God whom he knew not. He
went fearlessly to his father and said: "I do not think I will continue my
prayers any longer, for it does not fit in with my reason. I do not know how I
can go on praying to a God I do not know." His father, taken aback, did not
become cross lest he might turn Inayat's beliefs sour by forcing them upon him
without satisfying his reason and he was glad on the other hand to see that,
although it was irreverent on the child's part, yet it was frank, and he knew
that the lad really hungered after Truth and was ready to learn now, what many
could not learn in their whole life.
He said to him: "God is in you and you are in God. As the bubble is in the ocean
and the bubble is a part of the ocean and yet not separate from the ocean. For a
moment it has appeared as a bubble, then it will return to that from which it
has risen. So is the relation between man and God. The Prophet has said that God
is closer to you than the jugular vein, which in reality means that your own
body is farther from you than God is. If this be rightly interpreted, it will
mean that God is the very depth of your own being." This moment to Inayat was
his very great initiation, as if a switch had turned in him, and from that
moment onward his whole life Inayat busied himself, and his whole being became
engaged in witnessing in life what he knew and believed, by this one great
Truth.
The innermost being of man is the real being of God; man is always linked with
God. If he could only realize it, it is by finding harmony in his own soul that
he finds communion with God. All meditation and contemplation are taught with
this purpose: to harmonize one's innermost being with God, so that He is seeing,
hearing, thinking through us, and our being is a ray of His light. In that way
we are even closer to God than the fishes are to the ocean in which they have
their being.
Many think that spiritual attainment can only be achieved by great labor. It is
not so; labor is necessary for material attainment, but for spiritual attainment
what one needs is a seeking soul like that of Moses. Moses falling upon the
ground may be interpreted as the cross, which means, 'I am not; Thou art.' In
order to be, one must pass through a stage of being nothing. In Sufi terms this
is called Fana, when one thinks, 'I am not what I had always thought myself to
be.' This is the true self-denial, which the Hindus called Layam, and the
Buddhists annihilation. It is the annihilation of the false self which gives
rise to the true self; once this is done, from that moment man approaches closer
and closer to God, until he stands face to face with his divine ideal, with
which he can communicate at every moment of his life.
Recognition...
Enlightenment is but a recognition, not a change at all.
So instead of working so hard and struggling to "improve" who I think I am - all I really need do is remember who I truly am........Adyashanti
So instead of working so hard and struggling to "improve" who I think I am - all I really need do is remember who I truly am........Adyashanti
A Mystic...
The mystic is really anybody who seeks to experience above all else, the direct expression of God/Source/Being in one’s life. He or she is anyone with the deep desire and courage necessary to look - and see - beyond the obvious conditioning of our manufactured world view; to see beyond the illusions of our self-created identities, and find what lies forever before and all around us, as the One that is All. The path is one of surrendering all that we currently hold on to as belief, identity, intellect. What emerges is the full expression of Being within the language of Love.......ronda larue
Sin...
"It is true that we cannot be free from sin, but at least let our sins not be always the same.” .......
St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Avila
Blessed...
"Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and an be of service to him. And blessed is he who loves his brother as well when he is afar off as when he is by his side, and who would say nothing behind his back he might not, in love, say before his face.”........
St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi
Ignorance...
Ignorance is the root of suffering.
When I use the word "ignorance,"
I am speaking about ignoring the truth of who you
are in favor of some problem or identification with suffering.
Ignoring the limitless truth of yourself,
ignoring the eternal presence of divinity, of beingness itself,
is the very source of continued suffering.
Continued suffering occurs
when your concepts of happiness, truth, and freedom
are seen as separate from who you already are.
When I speak of suffering,
I am referring to what could be called "unnecessary" suffering,
when you are wrapped up in replaying your own
or the world's dramatic stories
over and over in your mind.
Unnecessary suffering is actually the resistance to suffering.
Unnecessary suffering can be dropped in an instant,
yet it is usually perpetuated through cycles
of mental and emotional activity
as an attempt to escape the experience of emotional pain.
~Gangaji
Excerpt from "The Diamond In Your Pocket,"
When I use the word "ignorance,"
I am speaking about ignoring the truth of who you
are in favor of some problem or identification with suffering.
Ignoring the limitless truth of yourself,
ignoring the eternal presence of divinity, of beingness itself,
is the very source of continued suffering.
Continued suffering occurs
when your concepts of happiness, truth, and freedom
are seen as separate from who you already are.
When I speak of suffering,
I am referring to what could be called "unnecessary" suffering,
when you are wrapped up in replaying your own
or the world's dramatic stories
over and over in your mind.
Unnecessary suffering is actually the resistance to suffering.
Unnecessary suffering can be dropped in an instant,
yet it is usually perpetuated through cycles
of mental and emotional activity
as an attempt to escape the experience of emotional pain.
~Gangaji
Excerpt from "The Diamond In Your Pocket,"
Tolerance...
The first sign of the realization of truth is tolerance.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
A soul shows the proof of its evolution in the degree of the tolerance it shows.
The life in the lower creation shows the lack of tolerance. The tendency of
fighting with one another, which one sees among beasts and birds, shows the
reason at the back of it, that intolerance is born in their nature. ... But when
a soul has evolved still more, tolerance becomes the natural thing for him.
Because the highly evolved soul then begins to realize 'Another person is not
separate from me, but the other person is myself. The separation is on the
surface of life, but in the depth of life I and the other person are one.'
Therefore tolerance is not learned fully by trying to follow it as a good
principle. It is learned by having the love of God, by attaining the knowledge
of self, and by understanding the truth of life.
A Sufi tries to keep harmony in his surroundings, the harmony which demands many
sacrifices. It makes one endure what one is not willing to endure, it makes one
overlook what one is not inclined to overlook, it makes one tolerate what one is
not accustomed to tolerate, and it makes one forgive and forget what one would
never have forgotten if it were not for the sake of harmony. But at whatever
cost harmony is attained, it is a good bargain. For harmony is the secret of
happiness, and in absence of this a person living in palaces and rolling in gold
can be most unhappy.
The first step to the attainment of the truth cannot be taught in books, or be
imparted by a teacher. It must come spontaneously, namely through the love for
truth. The next step is to search for it; the third step is the actual
attainment. How can one attain? In order to attain truth one must make one's own
life truthful. ... Passing from the state of natural man, through the state of
being a lover of truth and a seeker after truth, one begins to express truth ...
One begins to understand what the great teachers have taught. Then one becomes
tolerant to the various religions. Nothing seems strange any more. Nothing
surprises. For now one begins to know the innermost nature of man; one sees the
cause behind every action. Therefore tolerance and forgiveness and understanding
of others come naturally. The person who knows the truth is the most tolerant.
It is the knower of truth who is forgiving; it is the knower of truth who
understands another person's point of view. It is the knower of truth who does
not readily voice his opinion, for he has respect for the opinions of others.
When man gains insight into himself, he also gains insight into the hearts of
others. All this desire for learning occult or mystical powers or psychic powers
now disappears, because he begins to see all this power in one truth -- loving
truth, seeking truth, looking for truth, living the truthful life. That it is
which opens all doors.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
A soul shows the proof of its evolution in the degree of the tolerance it shows.
The life in the lower creation shows the lack of tolerance. The tendency of
fighting with one another, which one sees among beasts and birds, shows the
reason at the back of it, that intolerance is born in their nature. ... But when
a soul has evolved still more, tolerance becomes the natural thing for him.
Because the highly evolved soul then begins to realize 'Another person is not
separate from me, but the other person is myself. The separation is on the
surface of life, but in the depth of life I and the other person are one.'
Therefore tolerance is not learned fully by trying to follow it as a good
principle. It is learned by having the love of God, by attaining the knowledge
of self, and by understanding the truth of life.
A Sufi tries to keep harmony in his surroundings, the harmony which demands many
sacrifices. It makes one endure what one is not willing to endure, it makes one
overlook what one is not inclined to overlook, it makes one tolerate what one is
not accustomed to tolerate, and it makes one forgive and forget what one would
never have forgotten if it were not for the sake of harmony. But at whatever
cost harmony is attained, it is a good bargain. For harmony is the secret of
happiness, and in absence of this a person living in palaces and rolling in gold
can be most unhappy.
The first step to the attainment of the truth cannot be taught in books, or be
imparted by a teacher. It must come spontaneously, namely through the love for
truth. The next step is to search for it; the third step is the actual
attainment. How can one attain? In order to attain truth one must make one's own
life truthful. ... Passing from the state of natural man, through the state of
being a lover of truth and a seeker after truth, one begins to express truth ...
One begins to understand what the great teachers have taught. Then one becomes
tolerant to the various religions. Nothing seems strange any more. Nothing
surprises. For now one begins to know the innermost nature of man; one sees the
cause behind every action. Therefore tolerance and forgiveness and understanding
of others come naturally. The person who knows the truth is the most tolerant.
It is the knower of truth who is forgiving; it is the knower of truth who
understands another person's point of view. It is the knower of truth who does
not readily voice his opinion, for he has respect for the opinions of others.
When man gains insight into himself, he also gains insight into the hearts of
others. All this desire for learning occult or mystical powers or psychic powers
now disappears, because he begins to see all this power in one truth -- loving
truth, seeking truth, looking for truth, living the truthful life. That it is
which opens all doors.
Believe Nothing...
Believe nothing on the faith of traditions,
even though they have been held in honor
for many generations and in diverse places.
Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it.
Do not believe on the faith of the sages of the past.
Do not believe what you yourself have imagined,
persuading yourself that a God inspires you.
Believe nothing on the sole authority of your masters and priests.
After examination, believe what you yourself have tested
and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.............Gautama the Buddha
even though they have been held in honor
for many generations and in diverse places.
Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it.
Do not believe on the faith of the sages of the past.
Do not believe what you yourself have imagined,
persuading yourself that a God inspires you.
Believe nothing on the sole authority of your masters and priests.
After examination, believe what you yourself have tested
and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.............Gautama the Buddha
Homage...
“He who pays homage to those who deserve homage, whether the awakened (Buddha) or their disciples, those who have overcome the host (of evils), and crossed the flood of sorrow, he who pays homage to such as have found deliverance and know no fear, his merit can never be measured by anybody.”......
Friedrich Max Muller
Friedrich Max Muller
Bliss...
If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.”....
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra
Perceive...
Perceive these two things now: the dreamlike character of life in the world, and the illusory character of the personal ego. Hence the need of the "What am I?" enquiry, that the illusion of the ego may be dispelled. When you can see these things clearly, then you may be still and undisturbed, unentangled, and unillusioned amid the struggle of life. You will be wise, free, impervious to the petty persecution of men--their lies, malice, and injuries--for being no longer identified with the personality, you are no longer their target............Paul Brunton
Your Purpose...
Never forget the purpose of why you're here. It is true in the
Absolute Reality there is no purpose. The universe has no purpose for
existing. You have no purpose for existing, in the Absolute Reality.
But as long as you believe you have a body or a mind, then your
purpose is to become no purpose. You spend your energy becoming
nothing. But do not believe you are nothing when you haven't become
nothing yet.
Be honest with yourself. See where you are coming from, by the way you
react to life situations every day. This will tell you where you are
at, by the way you see yourself reacting to life's predicaments. Life
will present to you many predicaments, and it's up to you to see
these things in the right perspective: never to be frightened, never
to believe anything is wrong, always to know, even though you believe
you are a body, you are not alone. There is the Pure Awareness that
is with you all the time, just awaiting your recognition, awaiting
your understanding that you are not the body, that you are a spirit,
called the Atman, Brahman, Absolute Reality. This is who you really
are. This is your real nature.
– From Robert Adams' Silence of the Heart'
Absolute Reality there is no purpose. The universe has no purpose for
existing. You have no purpose for existing, in the Absolute Reality.
But as long as you believe you have a body or a mind, then your
purpose is to become no purpose. You spend your energy becoming
nothing. But do not believe you are nothing when you haven't become
nothing yet.
Be honest with yourself. See where you are coming from, by the way you
react to life situations every day. This will tell you where you are
at, by the way you see yourself reacting to life's predicaments. Life
will present to you many predicaments, and it's up to you to see
these things in the right perspective: never to be frightened, never
to believe anything is wrong, always to know, even though you believe
you are a body, you are not alone. There is the Pure Awareness that
is with you all the time, just awaiting your recognition, awaiting
your understanding that you are not the body, that you are a spirit,
called the Atman, Brahman, Absolute Reality. This is who you really
are. This is your real nature.
– From Robert Adams' Silence of the Heart'
Truth is the Highest Religion...
Those of us who have studied philosophy over many years, know that this doctrine has been around in different parts of the world under different disguises. The Buddhists aren't the only ones to know it. The Vedantists know it, the Taoists know it, the Shintos knew about it, Platonists, Egyptians -- even the Laplanders, some of the Laplanders. Any place where there's been any kind of civilization, there's always been someone who's known about it. So I don't like people who think that it's something very peculiar to them, that it belongs to their tradition or their religion. That's not the way to look at it. Truth is higher than any religion. It doesn't belong to any religion. In two or three hundred years, all the religions that we know now may not be around any more. But that doesn't mean that Truth will not be around.
-- Anthony Damiani August 83
-- Anthony Damiani August 83
Should All be Awakened?...
"One may ask why the awakened ones do not awaken people in the
world from the sleep of confusion. The answer is that it is
not to be advised that little children, whose only happiness
is slumber, should be awakened. Their growth depends on their
sleep. If they are kept up late they become ill, and will not
be so useful in the affairs of life when they are grown up.
Childhood needs more sleep, and the children must sleep. Such
is the nature of immature souls. They are children, however
old their bodies may appear. Their fancies, their joys, their
delights are for unimportant things in life, as the life of
children is absorbed in sweets and toys. Therefore those who
are awakened walk slowly and gently, lest their footsteps may
disturb the slumber of the sleeping ones. They only awaken on
their way those whom they find tossing in their beds. They are
the ones to whom the travelers on the spiritual path give their
hand quietly. It is for this reason that the spiritual path is
called the mystical way. It is not unkind to awaken a few and
to let many sleep, but on the other hand it is great kindness
to let those slumber who require sleep."..........Hazrat Inayat Khan:
world from the sleep of confusion. The answer is that it is
not to be advised that little children, whose only happiness
is slumber, should be awakened. Their growth depends on their
sleep. If they are kept up late they become ill, and will not
be so useful in the affairs of life when they are grown up.
Childhood needs more sleep, and the children must sleep. Such
is the nature of immature souls. They are children, however
old their bodies may appear. Their fancies, their joys, their
delights are for unimportant things in life, as the life of
children is absorbed in sweets and toys. Therefore those who
are awakened walk slowly and gently, lest their footsteps may
disturb the slumber of the sleeping ones. They only awaken on
their way those whom they find tossing in their beds. They are
the ones to whom the travelers on the spiritual path give their
hand quietly. It is for this reason that the spiritual path is
called the mystical way. It is not unkind to awaken a few and
to let many sleep, but on the other hand it is great kindness
to let those slumber who require sleep."..........Hazrat Inayat Khan:
Jesus teaches the people. He takes Peter, James and John and goes to a high mountain and is transfigured before them...
THE news soon spread that Jesus and the twelve were come, and many people came to see. 2 And Jesus said, Behold, you come to see, but that means naught. If you would have the benedictions of the Christ, take up your and follow me. 3 If you would give your life for selfish self, then you will lose your life. 4 If you will give your life in service of your fellow men, then you will save your life. 5 This life is but a span, a bauble of to-day. There is a life that passes not. 6 Where is your profit if you gain the world and lose your soul? What would you take in payment for your soul? 7 If you would find the spirit life, the life of man in God, then you must walk a narrow way and enter through a narrow gate. 8 The way is Christ, the gate is Christ, and you must come up by the way of Christ. No man comes unto God but by the Christ. 9 The kingdom of the Christ will come; yea, some of you who hear me now will not pass through the gates of death until you see the kingdom come in power. 10 For seven days the master and the twelve remained in Caesarea-Philippi. 11 Then Jesus, taking Peter, James and John, went forth unto a mountain top to pray. 12 And as he prayed a brilliant light appeared; his form became as radiant as a precious stone; 13 His face shone like the sun; his garments seemed as white as snow; the son of man became the son of God. 14 He was transfigured that the men of earth might see the possibilities of man. 15 When first the glory came the three disciples were asleep; a master touched their eyes and said, Awake and see the glory of the Lord. 16 And they awoke, and saw the glory of the Lord; and more, they saw the glory of the heavenly world, for they beheld two men from thence stand forth beside the Lord. 17 And Peter asked the master who awakened them, Who are these men who stand beside the Lord? 18 The master said, These men are Moses and Elijah, who are come that you may know that heaven and earth are one; that masters there and masters here are one. 19 The veil that separates the worlds is but an ether veil. For those who purify their hearts by faith the veil is rolled aside, and they can see and know that death is an illisive thing. 20 And Peter said, Praise God! And then he called to Jesus and he said, My master and my Lord, this is the gate of heaven, and it is well that we remain. 21 May we go down and bring three tents; a tent for you, a tent for Moses, and for Elijah one? But Jesus answered not. 22 And Moses and Elijah talked with Jesus on the mount. They talked about the coming trial of the Lord; 23 About his death, his rest within the tomb; about the wonders of the resurrection morn; the transmutation of his flesh, and his ascension on the clouds of light; 24 And all symbolic of the path that every man must tread; symbolic of the way the sons of men become the sons of God. 25 The three disciples were amazed, and suddenly the ethers were surcharged with song, and forms as light as air moved all about the mountain top. 26 And then from out the glory of the upper world they heard a voice that said, 27 This is the son of man, my chosen one to manifest the Christ to men. Let all the earth hear him. 28 When the disciples heard the voice they were afraid; they fell upon the ground and prayed. 29 And Jesus came; he touched them and he said, Arise, fear not; lo, I am here. 30 Then they arose, and as they looked about they saw no one; the men had gone. The master only stood with them. 31 As Jesus and the three came from the mountain top they talked about the meaning of the scene, and Jesus told them all; and then he said, 32 Till I have risen from the dead tell not to any one what you have seen. 33 But the disciples could not comprehend the meaning of the words, Till I have risen from the dead. 34 And Jesus told them once again about his death, and rising from the grave; about the kingdom of the soul that was to come in glory and in power. 35 But Peter said, The scribes have taught that e'er the king shall come Elijah must appear. 36 And Jesus said, Elijah has already come; but scribes and Pharisees received him not; 37 And men reviled him, bound him, cast him in a prison cell, and shouted with a fiend's delight to see him die. 38 What men have done to him, that they will do to me. 39 Then the disciples understood that Jesus spoke of John whom Herod slew..........from The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ
The Bhagavad Gita...
"Arjuna said,
'Of the constantly united who worship you with love
and those with the imperishable unmanifest,
which has the best knowledge of union?'
"The blessed Lord said,
'The mind focused on me, those who worship me
eternally united, endowed with supreme faith,
they are thought to be most united with me.
"'But those who worship the imperishable, ineffable,
unmanifest, omnipresent and inconceivable,
unchanging, immovable, constant,
controlling the senses, the same intuition everywhere,
they attain me, rejoicing in the welfare of all beings.
The exertion is great for those whose consciousness
is set on the unmanifest, for the goal of the unmanifest
is reached with difficulty by the embodied.
"'But those renouncing in me all actions,
intent on me with undistracted union,
who meditating worship me,
I soon become their deliverer
from the ocean of the death cycle, Partha,
whose consciousness has entered into me.
"'Keep the mind on me; let the intuition enter into me;
then no doubt you will live in me hereafter.
If you are not able to keep consciousness steadily on me,
then by yoga practice seek to attain me, wealth winner.
If you are unable even in practice,
become intent on my work;
doing actions for my sake also, you will attain perfection.
If you are even unable to do this,
then resorting to my union,
renouncing all the fruits of action, act self-restrained.
For knowledge is better than practice;
meditation is superior to knowledge;
renunciation of the fruit of action
is better than meditation;
from renunciation peace follows.
"'A non-hater of all beings, friendly and compassionate,
free of "mine," free of ego,
indifferent to pain and pleasure, patient,
the yogi who is always satisfied, self-restrained,
firmly resolved with mind and intuition focused on me,
who is devoted to me, this one is my beloved.
"'Whomever the world does not trouble
and who does not trouble the world,
who is liberated from the anxieties of joy, anger, and fear,
this one also is my beloved.
"'Whoever is impartial, pure,
capable, detached, untroubled,
who renouncing all undertakings is devoted to me,
this one is my beloved.
"'Whoever does not rejoice nor hate nor grieve nor crave,
renouncing good and bad, who is full of love,
this one is my beloved.
"'The same toward enemy and friend
and thus in honor and disgrace,
the same in cold, heat, pleasure, pain,
freed from attachment,
alike in blame or praise, quiet,
satisfied with anything whatever,
homeless, steady-minded,
the person full of love is my beloved.
Those who worship this immortal justice previously spoken
endowed with faith, intent on me, devoted,
they transcendentally are my beloved.'
'Of the constantly united who worship you with love
and those with the imperishable unmanifest,
which has the best knowledge of union?'
"The blessed Lord said,
'The mind focused on me, those who worship me
eternally united, endowed with supreme faith,
they are thought to be most united with me.
"'But those who worship the imperishable, ineffable,
unmanifest, omnipresent and inconceivable,
unchanging, immovable, constant,
controlling the senses, the same intuition everywhere,
they attain me, rejoicing in the welfare of all beings.
The exertion is great for those whose consciousness
is set on the unmanifest, for the goal of the unmanifest
is reached with difficulty by the embodied.
"'But those renouncing in me all actions,
intent on me with undistracted union,
who meditating worship me,
I soon become their deliverer
from the ocean of the death cycle, Partha,
whose consciousness has entered into me.
"'Keep the mind on me; let the intuition enter into me;
then no doubt you will live in me hereafter.
If you are not able to keep consciousness steadily on me,
then by yoga practice seek to attain me, wealth winner.
If you are unable even in practice,
become intent on my work;
doing actions for my sake also, you will attain perfection.
If you are even unable to do this,
then resorting to my union,
renouncing all the fruits of action, act self-restrained.
For knowledge is better than practice;
meditation is superior to knowledge;
renunciation of the fruit of action
is better than meditation;
from renunciation peace follows.
"'A non-hater of all beings, friendly and compassionate,
free of "mine," free of ego,
indifferent to pain and pleasure, patient,
the yogi who is always satisfied, self-restrained,
firmly resolved with mind and intuition focused on me,
who is devoted to me, this one is my beloved.
"'Whomever the world does not trouble
and who does not trouble the world,
who is liberated from the anxieties of joy, anger, and fear,
this one also is my beloved.
"'Whoever is impartial, pure,
capable, detached, untroubled,
who renouncing all undertakings is devoted to me,
this one is my beloved.
"'Whoever does not rejoice nor hate nor grieve nor crave,
renouncing good and bad, who is full of love,
this one is my beloved.
"'The same toward enemy and friend
and thus in honor and disgrace,
the same in cold, heat, pleasure, pain,
freed from attachment,
alike in blame or praise, quiet,
satisfied with anything whatever,
homeless, steady-minded,
the person full of love is my beloved.
Those who worship this immortal justice previously spoken
endowed with faith, intent on me, devoted,
they transcendentally are my beloved.'
Consciousness...
Chandrakirti, a Mahayana Buddhist guru, said, "We teach the illusion of existence only as an antidote to the obstinate belief of common mankind in the existence of this world." What he means by this is that the world is only relatively existent in relation to the physical senses and the physical brain. The senses report its existence quite correctly and Mentalism agrees with mankind in the factuality of this experience. But it says this is only a relative truth, that the basic or real truth is that both world and self exist in consciousness, that they are nothing else than Consciousness itself.........Paul Brunton
Aware...
“Right now, as you read this, you exist and are aware that you exist. You are undoubtedly present and aware…. Once it is pointed out it can not be grasped or understood very quickly because it is just a matter of noticing, ‘Oh, that is what I am!’ It is a bright, luminous, empty, presence of awareness; it is absolutely radiant, yet without form; it is seemingly intangible, but the most solid fact of your existence; it is effortlessly here right now, forever untouched. Without taking a step you have arrived; you are home. No practice can reveal this because practices are in time and in your mind….........John Wheeler
God alone is Power...
This, that has been troubling me and that I have been battling, is an appearance that I am retaining in my thought as a mental image: it is not really a thing. I cannot win a battle over nothing, but I can relax in quietness and in confidence, and realize that this picture with which I am confronted is nothing but a picture~ not a person or a condition, even though it may appear as person or condition.
This world is not to be feared or hated or loved: this is the illusion, and right where the illusion is, is the kingdom of God, My kingdom.
My kingdom is the reality. This, that my eyes see or my ears hear, this is the superimposed counterfeit, not existing as a world, but as a concept, a concept of temporal power.
My kingdom is intact; My kingdom is the kingdom of God; My kingdom is the kingdom of the children of God; and My kingdom is here and now.
All that exists as a temporal universe is without power. I need not hate it, fear it, or condemn it: I need only understand it.
And as we sit beside a person who is ill, and realize, "I will not give power to this disease, this sin, or this false appetite. This is temporal power which means it is no power, and I will not believe in it," we shall find him getting better, and then we will know that we have proved, if only in a small way, that temporal power is not a power in any form.
~ Joel S. Goldsmith, A Parenthesis In Eternity
This world is not to be feared or hated or loved: this is the illusion, and right where the illusion is, is the kingdom of God, My kingdom.
My kingdom is the reality. This, that my eyes see or my ears hear, this is the superimposed counterfeit, not existing as a world, but as a concept, a concept of temporal power.
My kingdom is intact; My kingdom is the kingdom of God; My kingdom is the kingdom of the children of God; and My kingdom is here and now.
All that exists as a temporal universe is without power. I need not hate it, fear it, or condemn it: I need only understand it.
And as we sit beside a person who is ill, and realize, "I will not give power to this disease, this sin, or this false appetite. This is temporal power which means it is no power, and I will not believe in it," we shall find him getting better, and then we will know that we have proved, if only in a small way, that temporal power is not a power in any form.
~ Joel S. Goldsmith, A Parenthesis In Eternity
Our greatest enemy is ourself...
Verily, he is victorious who has conquered himself.
Bowl of Saki, 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 soul is a bird of paradise, a free dweller in the heavens. Its first prison
is the mind, then the body. In these it becomes not only limited, but also
captive. The whole endeavor of a Sufi in life is to liberate the soul from its
captivity, which he does by conquering both mind and body.
If a man has control over himself, he will smile and be patient even if he is
exposed to rages a thousand times. He will just wait. He who has spiritual
control has great control; but he who has it not can control neither spiritual
nor physical events. He cannot control his own sons and daughters, for he never
listens to himself first. If he listened to himself, not only persons but even
objects would listen to him.
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.
Bowl of Saki, 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 soul is a bird of paradise, a free dweller in the heavens. Its first prison
is the mind, then the body. In these it becomes not only limited, but also
captive. The whole endeavor of a Sufi in life is to liberate the soul from its
captivity, which he does by conquering both mind and body.
If a man has control over himself, he will smile and be patient even if he is
exposed to rages a thousand times. He will just wait. He who has spiritual
control has great control; but he who has it not can control neither spiritual
nor physical events. He cannot control his own sons and daughters, for he never
listens to himself first. If he listened to himself, not only persons but even
objects would listen to him.
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.
Perception...
That which a mystic cannot see or does not see before his eyes he sees
in space; and therefore if a thousand people say, 'This does not exist',
yet for the mystic it does exist. While they depend on the objective
world one day to produce their thought in a material form, the mystic
sees it already in space. Naturally his faith becomes more firm and
powerful, whereas the faith of those who depend upon the objective world
becomes weaker every time their wish does not come true. When a person
says of something that it is not there, the mystic says, 'It is there,
it is before me, I see it.' But because the other cannot see it he is
confused; thus the same idea that confuses the one confirms other in his
faith.
This is how the mystic builds steps to climb to his final destination,
which is the real meaning of resurrection. Whereas the man that has not
made any steps, no sooner loses touch with the objective world than he
is lost in space. The mystic finds steps already made in space to help
him on his climb upward, but the other finds himself lost when once the
garb of the objective world is discarded. Then the soul feels no ground
under its feet, while the mystic has already attained his goal.
May this help the seekers in finding
and threading the path which leads upwards
to luminous realms, and the treasure
of the Internal Peace...
---S.W.P.
in space; and therefore if a thousand people say, 'This does not exist',
yet for the mystic it does exist. While they depend on the objective
world one day to produce their thought in a material form, the mystic
sees it already in space. Naturally his faith becomes more firm and
powerful, whereas the faith of those who depend upon the objective world
becomes weaker every time their wish does not come true. When a person
says of something that it is not there, the mystic says, 'It is there,
it is before me, I see it.' But because the other cannot see it he is
confused; thus the same idea that confuses the one confirms other in his
faith.
This is how the mystic builds steps to climb to his final destination,
which is the real meaning of resurrection. Whereas the man that has not
made any steps, no sooner loses touch with the objective world than he
is lost in space. The mystic finds steps already made in space to help
him on his climb upward, but the other finds himself lost when once the
garb of the objective world is discarded. Then the soul feels no ground
under its feet, while the mystic has already attained his goal.
May this help the seekers in finding
and threading the path which leads upwards
to luminous realms, and the treasure
of the Internal Peace...
---S.W.P.
Dhammapada...
Abandon anger,
Be done with conceit,
Get beyond every fetter.
When for name & form
You have no attachment
--have nothing at all--
no sufferings, no stresses, invade.
-Dhammapada 17, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Be done with conceit,
Get beyond every fetter.
When for name & form
You have no attachment
--have nothing at all--
no sufferings, no stresses, invade.
-Dhammapada 17, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
To See Within Others...
You'll start feeling a lot less fearful of others once you realize that anyone who wants to impress you with all that he knows... really doesn't understand much at all!.........Guy Finlay
This is Love...
“This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet.”......
Jalal ad-Din Rumi
Jalal ad-Din Rumi
Christlike...
If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today.....
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Two Mistakes...
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: 1.) not going all the way; and 2.) not starting........Gautama the Buddha
Endurance...
Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes........Gautama the Buddha
"I" as Consciousness...
Everything remembered is a thought in consciousness. This not only applies to objects, events, and places. It also applies to persons, including oneself, he who is remembered, the "I" that I was. This means that my own personality, what I call myself, was a thought in the past, however strong and however persistent. But the past was once the present. Therefore I am not less a thought now. The question arises what did I have then which I still have now, unchanged, exactly the same. It cannot be "I" as the person, for that is different in some way each time. It is, and can only be, "I" as Consciousness......Paul Brunton
The Eight Bondages...
"The eight bondages or snares are hatred, shame, fear, grief, condemnation, race prejudice, pride of family and smugness. Removal of the eight bondages leads to magnanimity of the Heart. "
From: The Holy Science by Sri Yukteswar
From: The Holy Science by Sri Yukteswar
Don't be Afraid...
Don't be afraid. Human birth is full of suffering and one has to endure everything patiently, taking the name of God. None, not even God in human form, can escape the sufferings of body and mind.
I tell you one thing my child -- if you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather, see your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.
(From Sri Sarada Devi's last words, spoken before passing away on July 20, 1920)
I tell you one thing my child -- if you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather, see your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.
(From Sri Sarada Devi's last words, spoken before passing away on July 20, 1920)
Truth is God...
God is truth, and truth is God.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Many intellectual people, with their various ideas, differ from one another in
their opinions and in their way of looking at things, in their speculations, but
do the prophets differ from one another? No, they cannot differ. The reason is
that it is the various minds which differ, not the souls. The one who lives in
his mind, is conscious of his mind; the one who lives in his soul is conscious
of the soul. ... When a person is living in his mind, he is living through the
darkness of the night. The moment he rises above his mind and awakens in the
light of the soul he becomes spiritual. And if a thousand spiritual people
speak, they will say the same thing, perhaps in different words but with only
one meaning, for they have one and the same vision. This is why spiritual
realization is called the truth. There are many facts but only one truth. The
facts can be put into words but not the truth, for God is truth, the soul is
truth, the real self of man is truth.
We generally confuse truth with fact, and we often use the word fact for truth.
When we look at it from the mystic's point of view we find that words are too
intricate ever to explain what is truth. ... Truth is that which cannot be
pointed out, because all things that can be compared have their opposite, but
neither God nor truth has an opposite. Names are to point out forms, and words
are to distinguish one thing from another, while definitions come from the pairs
of opposites or at least from differences. That which is all-pervading and is in
all things and beings, that which every word explains and yet no word can
explain, is God and is truth.
The seeker after truth goes out into the world and he finds innumerable
different sects and religions. He does not know where to start. Then he desires
to find out what is hidden under these sects, these different religions, and he
begins to seek the object which he wishes to gain through wisdom. Wisdom is a
veil over truth, even wisdom cannot be called truth. God alone is truth, and it
is truth that is God. And truth can neither be studied nor taught nor learned;
it is to be touched, it is to be realized; and it can be realized by the
unfoldment of the heart.
Truth is one, God is one, life is one. To me there is no such thing as two. Two
is only one plus one.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Many intellectual people, with their various ideas, differ from one another in
their opinions and in their way of looking at things, in their speculations, but
do the prophets differ from one another? No, they cannot differ. The reason is
that it is the various minds which differ, not the souls. The one who lives in
his mind, is conscious of his mind; the one who lives in his soul is conscious
of the soul. ... When a person is living in his mind, he is living through the
darkness of the night. The moment he rises above his mind and awakens in the
light of the soul he becomes spiritual. And if a thousand spiritual people
speak, they will say the same thing, perhaps in different words but with only
one meaning, for they have one and the same vision. This is why spiritual
realization is called the truth. There are many facts but only one truth. The
facts can be put into words but not the truth, for God is truth, the soul is
truth, the real self of man is truth.
We generally confuse truth with fact, and we often use the word fact for truth.
When we look at it from the mystic's point of view we find that words are too
intricate ever to explain what is truth. ... Truth is that which cannot be
pointed out, because all things that can be compared have their opposite, but
neither God nor truth has an opposite. Names are to point out forms, and words
are to distinguish one thing from another, while definitions come from the pairs
of opposites or at least from differences. That which is all-pervading and is in
all things and beings, that which every word explains and yet no word can
explain, is God and is truth.
The seeker after truth goes out into the world and he finds innumerable
different sects and religions. He does not know where to start. Then he desires
to find out what is hidden under these sects, these different religions, and he
begins to seek the object which he wishes to gain through wisdom. Wisdom is a
veil over truth, even wisdom cannot be called truth. God alone is truth, and it
is truth that is God. And truth can neither be studied nor taught nor learned;
it is to be touched, it is to be realized; and it can be realized by the
unfoldment of the heart.
Truth is one, God is one, life is one. To me there is no such thing as two. Two
is only one plus one.
Illusion of Matter...
"Physicists have discovered that the apparent
solidity of matter is an illusion created by our senses. This includes the
physical body, which we perceive and think of as form, but 99.99% of which is
actually empty space."
"So your physical body, which is form, reveals itself as essentially formless
when you go deeper into it. It becomes a doorway into inner space. Although
inner space has no form, it is intensely alive. That "empty space" is life in
its fullness, the unmanifested Source out of which all manifestation flows. The
traditional word for that Source is God.".......eckhart tolle
solidity of matter is an illusion created by our senses. This includes the
physical body, which we perceive and think of as form, but 99.99% of which is
actually empty space."
"So your physical body, which is form, reveals itself as essentially formless
when you go deeper into it. It becomes a doorway into inner space. Although
inner space has no form, it is intensely alive. That "empty space" is life in
its fullness, the unmanifested Source out of which all manifestation flows. The
traditional word for that Source is God.".......eckhart tolle
The Illusion of the Material World...
The key to understanding that the material world is an illusion is to know that
all objects including ourselves are unlimited numbers of atoms that are actually
quite far apart.. they are small galaxies that appear to come together to form
objects.. this is the belief that we have formed in our consciousness and the
limited ability of our human senses to see and feel only limited frequencies..
Once you have traveled beyond the frequencies of the material plane, you will
realize that it is all just a projection of our thoughts on a screen.. This is
why it is so important to surrender the ego, so that you can experience Reality
as it Truly Is............namaste, thomas
all objects including ourselves are unlimited numbers of atoms that are actually
quite far apart.. they are small galaxies that appear to come together to form
objects.. this is the belief that we have formed in our consciousness and the
limited ability of our human senses to see and feel only limited frequencies..
Once you have traveled beyond the frequencies of the material plane, you will
realize that it is all just a projection of our thoughts on a screen.. This is
why it is so important to surrender the ego, so that you can experience Reality
as it Truly Is............namaste, thomas
Religion...
Religion is a state of power and influence over the humans.. Spirituality is the
individual path of the soul towards the knowledge of Truth.. We can learn from
religious texts but the True Power comes not from texts but from our experience
with Consciousness.. All knowledge of Truth is the same, it just appears in
different languages .. It becomes ceremonies when the religious leaders become
filled with the ego and wish to give a show to those that desire a physical
representation of the teaching..This is to draw the souls to the ceremony to
gather money from the students..therefore power and wealth is the aim... but we
know better, that is why we are here.. as knowledge of the Truth requires no
money.........namaste, thomas
individual path of the soul towards the knowledge of Truth.. We can learn from
religious texts but the True Power comes not from texts but from our experience
with Consciousness.. All knowledge of Truth is the same, it just appears in
different languages .. It becomes ceremonies when the religious leaders become
filled with the ego and wish to give a show to those that desire a physical
representation of the teaching..This is to draw the souls to the ceremony to
gather money from the students..therefore power and wealth is the aim... but we
know better, that is why we are here.. as knowledge of the Truth requires no
money.........namaste, thomas
The Physical Body...
Until man loses himself in the vision of God, he cannot be said to live really.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Man wrongly identifies himself with the physical body, calling it 'myself.' And
when the physical body is in pain he says, 'I am ill,' because he identifies
himself with something which belongs to him but which is not himself. The first
thing to learn in the spiritual path is to recognize the physical body not as
one's self, but as an instrument, a vehicle, through which to experience life.
Every soul seeks after beauty; and every virtue, righteousness, good action, is
nothing but a glimpse of beauty. Once having this moral, the Sufi does not need
to follow a particular belief or faith, to restrict himself to a particular
path. He can follow the Hindu way, the Muslim way, the way of any Church or
faith, provided he treads this royal road: that the whole universe is but an
immanence of beauty. ... Therein lies the whole of religion. The mystic's prayer
is to that beauty, and his work is to forget the self, to lose himself like a
bubble in the water [like a drop in the ocean].
As life unfolds itself to man the first lesson it teaches is humility; the first
thing that comes to man's vision is his own limitedness. The vaster God appears
to him, the smaller he finds himself. This goes on and on until the moment comes
when he loses himself in the vision of God. In terms of the Sufis this is called
fana, and it is this process that was taught by Christ under the name of
self-denial. Often man interprets this teaching wrongly and considers
renunciation as self-denial. He thinks that the teaching is to renounce all that
is in the world. But although that is a way and an important step which leads to
true self-denial, the self-denial meant is the losing oneself in God.
There is a [Hadith] which says: 'Mutu kubla anta mutu', which means, Die before
death. A poet says, 'Only he attains to the peace of the Lord who loses
himself.' God said to Moses, 'No man shall see me and live.' To see God we must
be non-existent.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Man wrongly identifies himself with the physical body, calling it 'myself.' And
when the physical body is in pain he says, 'I am ill,' because he identifies
himself with something which belongs to him but which is not himself. The first
thing to learn in the spiritual path is to recognize the physical body not as
one's self, but as an instrument, a vehicle, through which to experience life.
Every soul seeks after beauty; and every virtue, righteousness, good action, is
nothing but a glimpse of beauty. Once having this moral, the Sufi does not need
to follow a particular belief or faith, to restrict himself to a particular
path. He can follow the Hindu way, the Muslim way, the way of any Church or
faith, provided he treads this royal road: that the whole universe is but an
immanence of beauty. ... Therein lies the whole of religion. The mystic's prayer
is to that beauty, and his work is to forget the self, to lose himself like a
bubble in the water [like a drop in the ocean].
As life unfolds itself to man the first lesson it teaches is humility; the first
thing that comes to man's vision is his own limitedness. The vaster God appears
to him, the smaller he finds himself. This goes on and on until the moment comes
when he loses himself in the vision of God. In terms of the Sufis this is called
fana, and it is this process that was taught by Christ under the name of
self-denial. Often man interprets this teaching wrongly and considers
renunciation as self-denial. He thinks that the teaching is to renounce all that
is in the world. But although that is a way and an important step which leads to
true self-denial, the self-denial meant is the losing oneself in God.
There is a [Hadith] which says: 'Mutu kubla anta mutu', which means, Die before
death. A poet says, 'Only he attains to the peace of the Lord who loses
himself.' God said to Moses, 'No man shall see me and live.' To see God we must
be non-existent.
Books...
Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business.
Henry David Thoreau
US Transcendentalist author (1817 - 1862)
Henry David Thoreau
US Transcendentalist author (1817 - 1862)
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