Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.
-J.I. Packer
***
Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.
-Will Rogers
***
Because of your faith, I shall tell you the most profound of secrets: obtaining both jnana and vijnana, you will be free from all evil.
This royal knowledge, this royal secret, is the greatest purifier. Righteous and imperishable, it is a joy to practice and can be directly experienced.
-Bhagavad Gita 9:1-2
***
Prayer is that which enables the soul to realize its divinity. Through prayer human beings worship absolute truth, and seek an eternal reward. Prayer is the foundation-stone of religion; and religion is the means by which the soul is purified of all that pollutes it. Prayer is the worship of the first cause of all things, the supreme ruler of all the world, the source of all strength. Prayer is the adoration of the one whose being is necessary.
-Ibn Sina, “Kitab al-Najat”
***
First a person should put his house together, then his town, then the world.
- Rabbi Israel Salanter
***
Imagine yourself as a child lying on your back, gazing up into a cloudless sky, and blowing soap bubbles through a plastic ring. As a bubble drifts up into the sky, you watch it rise, and this brings your attention to the sky. While you are looking at the bubble, it pops, and you keep your attention right where the bubble had been. Your awareness now lies in empty space.
-B. Alan Wallace, "Tibetan Buddhism From the Ground Up"
***
Quote
I am death, which overcomes all, and the source of all beings still to be born. I am the feminine qualities: fame, beauty, perfect speech, memory, intelligence, loyalty, and forgiveness.
-Bhagavad Gita 10:34
***
What I fear most for my people are the hypocrites, who talk wisely, yet act unjustly.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Umar bin al-Khattab
***
In my own experience, the period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life. ...Through a difficult period, you can learn, you can develop inner strength, determination, and courage to face the problem. Who gives you this chance? Your enemy.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
***
-Bhagavad Gita 10:34
***
What I fear most for my people are the hypocrites, who talk wisely, yet act unjustly.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Umar bin al-Khattab
***
In my own experience, the period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life. ...Through a difficult period, you can learn, you can develop inner strength, determination, and courage to face the problem. Who gives you this chance? Your enemy.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
***
The Christian on his knees sees more than the philosopher on tiptoe.
-D.L. Moody
***
The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him, "What are you going through?"
-Simone Weil
***
I ask whether I should seek any god besides God--when he is the Lord of all things. All people will reap the harvest of their own deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes.
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:163-164
***
His attachments,
his homes,
can't be found.
Through knowing
he is unperplexed,
has attained the plunge
into deathlessness:
he's what I call
a brahmin.
He has gone
beyond attachment here
for both merit & evil—
sorrowless, dustless, & pure:
he's what I call
a brahmin.
-Dhammapada 411-412, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
-D.L. Moody
***
The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him, "What are you going through?"
-Simone Weil
***
I ask whether I should seek any god besides God--when he is the Lord of all things. All people will reap the harvest of their own deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes.
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:163-164
***
His attachments,
his homes,
can't be found.
Through knowing
he is unperplexed,
has attained the plunge
into deathlessness:
he's what I call
a brahmin.
He has gone
beyond attachment here
for both merit & evil—
sorrowless, dustless, & pure:
he's what I call
a brahmin.
-Dhammapada 411-412, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.
-John 20:21 (Revised Standard Version)
***
If you can dream it, you can do it.
-Walt Disney
***
There is a benefit even in misfortune, for it is the rod
With which a man can measure the loyalty of friends.
-Tirukkural 80:796
***
When we abandon acts that are contrary to God's law, we shed our carnal desires. When we shed our carnal desires, we become sincere in our intentions towards others, and in our worship of God.
-Qushayri: Risalah 3
***
He who keeps one Sabbath properly is accounted as if he had observed all the Sabbaths from Creation to the Resurrection.
- Judah HaNasi, Mekiltah
***
In reply to the question, 'What is the best that people can possess, what brings them truest happiness, what is the sweetest of the sweet, and what is the pleasantest life to live?' the Buddha answered:
'Trust is the best that people can possess; following the way brings happiness; truth is the sweetest of the sweet; and the practice of insight is the pleasantest way to live.'
-Sutta Nipata
-John 20:21 (Revised Standard Version)
***
If you can dream it, you can do it.
-Walt Disney
***
There is a benefit even in misfortune, for it is the rod
With which a man can measure the loyalty of friends.
-Tirukkural 80:796
***
When we abandon acts that are contrary to God's law, we shed our carnal desires. When we shed our carnal desires, we become sincere in our intentions towards others, and in our worship of God.
-Qushayri: Risalah 3
***
He who keeps one Sabbath properly is accounted as if he had observed all the Sabbaths from Creation to the Resurrection.
- Judah HaNasi, Mekiltah
***
In reply to the question, 'What is the best that people can possess, what brings them truest happiness, what is the sweetest of the sweet, and what is the pleasantest life to live?' the Buddha answered:
'Trust is the best that people can possess; following the way brings happiness; truth is the sweetest of the sweet; and the practice of insight is the pleasantest way to live.'
-Sutta Nipata
Practice patience; it is the essence of praise.
Have patience, for that is true worship.
No other worship is worth as much.
Have patience; patience is the key to all relief.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.
-Meister Eckhart
***
Neither the sense of acting, nor actions, nor the connection of cause and effect comes from the Lord of this world. These three arise from nature.
-Bhagavad Gita 5:14
***
Fear builds walls to bar the light.
- Baal Shem Tov
***
In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features of oceans and mountains are infinite in variety; whole worlds are there. It is so not only around you, but also directly beneath your feet, or in a drop of water.
-Genjo Koan
Have patience, for that is true worship.
No other worship is worth as much.
Have patience; patience is the key to all relief.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.
-Meister Eckhart
***
Neither the sense of acting, nor actions, nor the connection of cause and effect comes from the Lord of this world. These three arise from nature.
-Bhagavad Gita 5:14
***
Fear builds walls to bar the light.
- Baal Shem Tov
***
In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features of oceans and mountains are infinite in variety; whole worlds are there. It is so not only around you, but also directly beneath your feet, or in a drop of water.
-Genjo Koan
Wisdom is, and starts with, the humility to accept the fact that you don't have all the right answers, and the courage to learn to ask the right questions.
-Unknown
***
The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear.
-Maya Angelou
***
God made all things.
There is only God.
When you know this,
Desire melts away.
Clinging to nothing,
You become still.
-Ashtavakra Gita 11:2
***
It was God who created you; yet some of you refuse to believe, while others have faith. He is aware of all your actions. He created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth. He fashioned each one of you--and each one of you is beautiful. To God you will all return. He knows all that the heavens and the earth contain. He knows all that you hide and all that you reveal. He knows your deepest thoughts.
-Qur'an, At-Taghabun, Surah 64:2-4
From "366 Readings From Islam," translated
***
Great moments are always outside of time.
- S. Zweig, "World of Yesterday"
***
I--like an elephant in battle,
enduring an arrow shot from a bow--
will endure a false accusation,
for the mass of people
have no principles.
The tamed is the one
they take into assemblies.
The tamed is the one
the king mounts.
The tamed who endures a false accusation
is, among human beings,
the best.
-Dhammapada, 23, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-Unknown
***
The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear.
-Maya Angelou
***
God made all things.
There is only God.
When you know this,
Desire melts away.
Clinging to nothing,
You become still.
-Ashtavakra Gita 11:2
***
It was God who created you; yet some of you refuse to believe, while others have faith. He is aware of all your actions. He created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth. He fashioned each one of you--and each one of you is beautiful. To God you will all return. He knows all that the heavens and the earth contain. He knows all that you hide and all that you reveal. He knows your deepest thoughts.
-Qur'an, At-Taghabun, Surah 64:2-4
From "366 Readings From Islam," translated
***
Great moments are always outside of time.
- S. Zweig, "World of Yesterday"
***
I--like an elephant in battle,
enduring an arrow shot from a bow--
will endure a false accusation,
for the mass of people
have no principles.
The tamed is the one
they take into assemblies.
The tamed is the one
the king mounts.
The tamed who endures a false accusation
is, among human beings,
the best.
-Dhammapada, 23, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Prayer is the acid test of devotion.
-Samuel Chadwick
***
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for.
-Epicurus
***
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he who grants
Freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he who gave
The sacred scriptures at the dawn of time.
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he who is
The source of purity and perfection.
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he who is
The bridge from death to immortality.
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he whose grace
Has made me long for his lotus feet.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
***
The outward form of things passes away, but the essence remains forever. How long will you be besotted with the shape of the jug? Cast aside the jug, and seek the water. If you look too closely at the form, you miss the essence. If you are wise, you will always pick out the pearl from the shell.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Prayer cannot bring water to parched field, nor mend a broken bridge, nor rebuild a ruined city; but prayer can water an arid soul, mend a broken heart and rebuilt a weakened well.
- "Gates of Prayer," the Reform prayer
***
Don't associate with lowly qualities.
Don't consort with heedlessness.
Don't associate with wrong views.
Don't busy yourself with the world.
Get up! Don't be heedless.
Live the Dhamma well.
One who lives the Dhamma
sleeps with ease
in this world & the next.
-Dhammapada, 13, translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-Samuel Chadwick
***
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for.
-Epicurus
***
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he who grants
Freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he who gave
The sacred scriptures at the dawn of time.
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he who is
The source of purity and perfection.
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he who is
The bridge from death to immortality.
Lord Shiva is my refuge: he whose grace
Has made me long for his lotus feet.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
***
The outward form of things passes away, but the essence remains forever. How long will you be besotted with the shape of the jug? Cast aside the jug, and seek the water. If you look too closely at the form, you miss the essence. If you are wise, you will always pick out the pearl from the shell.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Prayer cannot bring water to parched field, nor mend a broken bridge, nor rebuild a ruined city; but prayer can water an arid soul, mend a broken heart and rebuilt a weakened well.
- "Gates of Prayer," the Reform prayer
***
Don't associate with lowly qualities.
Don't consort with heedlessness.
Don't associate with wrong views.
Don't busy yourself with the world.
Get up! Don't be heedless.
Live the Dhamma well.
One who lives the Dhamma
sleeps with ease
in this world & the next.
-Dhammapada, 13, translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue. God’s voice in response to mine is its most essential part.
-Andrew Murray
***
It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them.
-George Eliot
***
Though you guard it well, what destiny does not decree disappears.
Though you cast it aside, what fate calls yours will not depart.
-Tirukkural 38: 376-377
***
Humbly do I implore You, keep me in Your divine grace, and deprive me not of peace. Save me from sudden misfortunes; deliver me and sustain me. May I never displease You, my Lord.
-From the prayer book "Al-Hizbul-A'zam"
***
As long as the soul is within me, I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, my God and God of my fathers.
- Talmud: Berakot 60b
***
Attentiveness is the path to true life;
Indifference is the path to death.
The attentive do not die;
The indifferent are as if they are dead already.
-Dhammapa
-Andrew Murray
***
It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them.
-George Eliot
***
Though you guard it well, what destiny does not decree disappears.
Though you cast it aside, what fate calls yours will not depart.
-Tirukkural 38: 376-377
***
Humbly do I implore You, keep me in Your divine grace, and deprive me not of peace. Save me from sudden misfortunes; deliver me and sustain me. May I never displease You, my Lord.
-From the prayer book "Al-Hizbul-A'zam"
***
As long as the soul is within me, I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, my God and God of my fathers.
- Talmud: Berakot 60b
***
Attentiveness is the path to true life;
Indifference is the path to death.
The attentive do not die;
The indifferent are as if they are dead already.
-Dhammapa
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save what Thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
-Hymn, "Be Thou My Vision"
***
More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so busy denying them.
-Harold J. Smith
***
The Lord is the supreme poet, the first cause, the sovereign ruler, subtler than the tiniest particle, the support of all, inconceivable, bright as the sun, beyond darkness. Remembering him in this way at the time of death, through devotion and the power of meditation, with your mind completely stilled and your concentration fixed in the center of the spiritual awareness between the eyebrows, you will realize the supreme Lord.
-Bhagavad Gita 8:9-10
***
Good conjecture is a gift from divine grace.
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
Firewood becomes ash, and it does not become firewood again. Yet, do not suppose that the ash is future and the firewood past. You should understand that firewood is firewood, which fully includes past and future. Ash is ash, which fully includes future and past. Just as firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash, you do not return to birth after death.
-Dogen, "Actualizing the Fundamental Point"
Naught be all else to me, save what Thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
-Hymn, "Be Thou My Vision"
***
More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so busy denying them.
-Harold J. Smith
***
The Lord is the supreme poet, the first cause, the sovereign ruler, subtler than the tiniest particle, the support of all, inconceivable, bright as the sun, beyond darkness. Remembering him in this way at the time of death, through devotion and the power of meditation, with your mind completely stilled and your concentration fixed in the center of the spiritual awareness between the eyebrows, you will realize the supreme Lord.
-Bhagavad Gita 8:9-10
***
Good conjecture is a gift from divine grace.
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
Firewood becomes ash, and it does not become firewood again. Yet, do not suppose that the ash is future and the firewood past. You should understand that firewood is firewood, which fully includes past and future. Ash is ash, which fully includes future and past. Just as firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash, you do not return to birth after death.
-Dogen, "Actualizing the Fundamental Point"
The best gifts to give:
To your friend, loyalty;
To your enemy, forgiveness;
To your boss, service;
To a child, a good example;
To your parents, gratitude and devotion;
To your mate, love and faithfulness;
To all men and women, charity.
-Oren Arnold
***
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
-Indira Gandhi
***
The master goes about his business
With perfect equanimity.
He is happy when he sits,
Happy when he talks and eats,
Happy asleep,
Happy coming and going.
Because he knows his own nature,
He does what he has to without feeling ruffled
Like ordinary people.
Smooth and shining
Like the surface of a vast lake.
His sorrows are at an end.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:59-60
***
A kind word of forgiveness is better than charity accompanied by insults. God is self-sufficient and merciful.
-Qur'an, Al-Baqara, Surah 2:263
***
God is of no importance unless he is of extreme importance.
- Abraham Joshua Heschel, "Man's Quest for God"
***
Fulfillment of desire is an illusion; desire leads to more desire, not satisfaction.
-Kathleen McDonald, "How to Meditate"
***
To your friend, loyalty;
To your enemy, forgiveness;
To your boss, service;
To a child, a good example;
To your parents, gratitude and devotion;
To your mate, love and faithfulness;
To all men and women, charity.
-Oren Arnold
***
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
-Indira Gandhi
***
The master goes about his business
With perfect equanimity.
He is happy when he sits,
Happy when he talks and eats,
Happy asleep,
Happy coming and going.
Because he knows his own nature,
He does what he has to without feeling ruffled
Like ordinary people.
Smooth and shining
Like the surface of a vast lake.
His sorrows are at an end.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:59-60
***
A kind word of forgiveness is better than charity accompanied by insults. God is self-sufficient and merciful.
-Qur'an, Al-Baqara, Surah 2:263
***
God is of no importance unless he is of extreme importance.
- Abraham Joshua Heschel, "Man's Quest for God"
***
Fulfillment of desire is an illusion; desire leads to more desire, not satisfaction.
-Kathleen McDonald, "How to Meditate"
***
I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.
-John 14:6 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine.
-Kathleen Norris
***
Though you speak unkind words to a man's face,
Do not speak words behind his back heedless of consequent harm.
Though every word is full of kindly virtue,
A man's mean back-biting will betray his empty heart.
If a man spreads tales of others' faults,
His own worst faults will be exposed and spread.
-Tirukkural 19: 184-186
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Fear is a state of darkness in which the soul wanders, bewildered, seeking help, and then comes hope as a ray of light, and grace prevails.
-Al-Sarraj, "Rabi'a the Mystic"
***
He who saves a single life saves the entire world.
- The Talmud
***
But I say and I protest—don't stop your quest while anything further remains to be discovered or done. What further needs to be done? You must train yourselves, saying: 'We will become unsullied in our conduct, brilliant and pure. We will neither exalt ourselves nor look down on anyone else.'
-Digha Nikaya
-John 14:6 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine.
-Kathleen Norris
***
Though you speak unkind words to a man's face,
Do not speak words behind his back heedless of consequent harm.
Though every word is full of kindly virtue,
A man's mean back-biting will betray his empty heart.
If a man spreads tales of others' faults,
His own worst faults will be exposed and spread.
-Tirukkural 19: 184-186
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Fear is a state of darkness in which the soul wanders, bewildered, seeking help, and then comes hope as a ray of light, and grace prevails.
-Al-Sarraj, "Rabi'a the Mystic"
***
He who saves a single life saves the entire world.
- The Talmud
***
But I say and I protest—don't stop your quest while anything further remains to be discovered or done. What further needs to be done? You must train yourselves, saying: 'We will become unsullied in our conduct, brilliant and pure. We will neither exalt ourselves nor look down on anyone else.'
-Digha Nikaya
Vain, boastful talk repels acts of kindness
and tears the branch of mercy from the trunk of the tree.
Speak honestly or else be silent,
and then behold grace and delight in it.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi" [III, 751-752]
***
Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation.
-Andrew Murray
***
It is not the cards you are dealt but what you do with them that counts.
-Anonymous
***
The seven great sages and the four ancient ancestors were born from my mind and received my power. From them came all the creatures of the world. Whoever understands my power and the mystery of my manifestations comes without doubt to be united with me.
-Bhagavad Gita 10:6-7
***
He who saves is worth more than he who earns.
- Yiddish proverb
***
For some years now, students have not been getting to the root of the aim of Zen, instead taking the verbal teachings of Buddhas and Zen masters to be the ultimate rule. That is like ignoring a hundred thousand pure clear oceans and only focusing attention on a single bubble.
-Ying-an
and tears the branch of mercy from the trunk of the tree.
Speak honestly or else be silent,
and then behold grace and delight in it.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi" [III, 751-752]
***
Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation.
-Andrew Murray
***
It is not the cards you are dealt but what you do with them that counts.
-Anonymous
***
The seven great sages and the four ancient ancestors were born from my mind and received my power. From them came all the creatures of the world. Whoever understands my power and the mystery of my manifestations comes without doubt to be united with me.
-Bhagavad Gita 10:6-7
***
He who saves is worth more than he who earns.
- Yiddish proverb
***
For some years now, students have not been getting to the root of the aim of Zen, instead taking the verbal teachings of Buddhas and Zen masters to be the ultimate rule. That is like ignoring a hundred thousand pure clear oceans and only focusing attention on a single bubble.
-Ying-an
Character is what you are in the dark.
-D.L. Moody
***
When you put your hand to the plow, you can't put it down until you get to the end of the row.
-Alice Paul
***
The Lord of Love holds in his hand the world,
Composed of the changing and the changeless,
The manifest and the unmanifest.
The separate self, not yet aware of the Lord,
Goes after pleasure, only to become
Bound more and more. When it sees the Lord,
There comes an end to its bondage.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
***
Believers, let no man among you mock another man; the man being mocked is usually superior to the man who mocks. Let no woman among you mock another woman; the woman being mocked is usually superior to the woman who mocks. Do not slander one another, nor call each other by rude names; it is wrong that someone who has embraced the faith, should be called by a rude name. Those who do not repent, are sinners.
-Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:11
***
He who, for the sake of learning, lowers himself by exposing his ignorance, will ultimately be elevated.
- Ben Azzai, Talmud: Berakot, 63b
***
By self alone is evil done, by self alone does one suffer.
By self alone is evil left undone,
by self alone does one obtain Salvation.
Salvation and Perdition depend upon self; no man can save another.
-Dhammapada 165
***
-D.L. Moody
***
When you put your hand to the plow, you can't put it down until you get to the end of the row.
-Alice Paul
***
The Lord of Love holds in his hand the world,
Composed of the changing and the changeless,
The manifest and the unmanifest.
The separate self, not yet aware of the Lord,
Goes after pleasure, only to become
Bound more and more. When it sees the Lord,
There comes an end to its bondage.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
***
Believers, let no man among you mock another man; the man being mocked is usually superior to the man who mocks. Let no woman among you mock another woman; the woman being mocked is usually superior to the woman who mocks. Do not slander one another, nor call each other by rude names; it is wrong that someone who has embraced the faith, should be called by a rude name. Those who do not repent, are sinners.
-Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:11
***
He who, for the sake of learning, lowers himself by exposing his ignorance, will ultimately be elevated.
- Ben Azzai, Talmud: Berakot, 63b
***
By self alone is evil done, by self alone does one suffer.
By self alone is evil left undone,
by self alone does one obtain Salvation.
Salvation and Perdition depend upon self; no man can save another.
-Dhammapada 165
***
Every prophet to the world came alone,
within him carrying a hundred unseen worlds.
The cosmos was charmed by his depth
and folded itself into his modest frame.
The foolish thought he was lonely and weak.
With the King as his companion,
how is he weak?
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.
-Anne Lamott
***
Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring and integrity, they think of you.
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
***
The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results; all his selfish desires have been consumed in the fire of knowledge. The wise, ever satisfied, have abandoned all external supports. Their security is unaffected by the results of their action; even while acting, they really do nothing at all. Free from expectations and from all sense of possession, with mind and body firmly controlled by the Self, they do not incur sin by the performance of physical action.
-Bhagavad Gita 4:19-21
***
It is better for my enemy to see good in me than for me to see evil in him.
- Yiddish proverb
***
Different winds come from all directions. Some are clear, some carry dust, some are cold or hot, fierce gales or gentle breezes. In the same way sensations arise in the body--pleasant or unpleasant or neutral. When a meditator sees sensations as he does the winds, coming and going, clear or dust laden, fierce or gentle, he will fully understand them and be free from dependence on them. When he understands sensations perfectly, he will see beyond this conditioned world.
-Samyutta Nikaya
within him carrying a hundred unseen worlds.
The cosmos was charmed by his depth
and folded itself into his modest frame.
The foolish thought he was lonely and weak.
With the King as his companion,
how is he weak?
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.
-Anne Lamott
***
Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring and integrity, they think of you.
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
***
The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results; all his selfish desires have been consumed in the fire of knowledge. The wise, ever satisfied, have abandoned all external supports. Their security is unaffected by the results of their action; even while acting, they really do nothing at all. Free from expectations and from all sense of possession, with mind and body firmly controlled by the Self, they do not incur sin by the performance of physical action.
-Bhagavad Gita 4:19-21
***
It is better for my enemy to see good in me than for me to see evil in him.
- Yiddish proverb
***
Different winds come from all directions. Some are clear, some carry dust, some are cold or hot, fierce gales or gentle breezes. In the same way sensations arise in the body--pleasant or unpleasant or neutral. When a meditator sees sensations as he does the winds, coming and going, clear or dust laden, fierce or gentle, he will fully understand them and be free from dependence on them. When he understands sensations perfectly, he will see beyond this conditioned world.
-Samyutta Nikaya
God takes us into deep waters, not to drown us but to cleanse us.
-Unknown
***
A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.
-Hugh Downs
***
People weep for their spouses, their children, and their wealth, but who weeps for God?
While a child is engrossed with its toys its mother attends to her household duties, but when the child throws the toys aside and screams for its mother, then the mother puts down her cooking pot and takes the child in her arms.
-Ramakrishna
***
Do not think of God as isolated from his creation. Do not think of God as bound by rules. Do not compare God with any other entity. Beware of thinking of God as remote.
You are not God; and you are God. You see him in the essences of all things; yet he is boundless.
-Ibn Arabi, "Fusus al-hikam"
***
It is not your obligation to complete the task [of perfecting the world], but neither are you free to desist [from doing all you can].
- Ethics of the Fathers 2:16
***
He who treads the Path in earnest
Sees not the mistakes of the world;
If we find fault with others
We ourselves are also in the wrong.
-The Sutra of Hui Neng
***
-Unknown
***
A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.
-Hugh Downs
***
People weep for their spouses, their children, and their wealth, but who weeps for God?
While a child is engrossed with its toys its mother attends to her household duties, but when the child throws the toys aside and screams for its mother, then the mother puts down her cooking pot and takes the child in her arms.
-Ramakrishna
***
Do not think of God as isolated from his creation. Do not think of God as bound by rules. Do not compare God with any other entity. Beware of thinking of God as remote.
You are not God; and you are God. You see him in the essences of all things; yet he is boundless.
-Ibn Arabi, "Fusus al-hikam"
***
It is not your obligation to complete the task [of perfecting the world], but neither are you free to desist [from doing all you can].
- Ethics of the Fathers 2:16
***
He who treads the Path in earnest
Sees not the mistakes of the world;
If we find fault with others
We ourselves are also in the wrong.
-The Sutra of Hui Neng
***
The income of God's Word is the outcome of a changed life.
***
Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.
-Lauren Bacall
***
Learn perfectly all that you learn, and
Thereafter keep your conduct worthy of that learning.
-Tirukkural 40: 391
***
Live in this world like a stranger, a wayfarer, and deem yourselves as dwellers of the graves.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Ibn Umar
***
It should not be believed that all the beings exist for the sake of the existence of humanity. On the contrary, all the other beings too have been intended for their own sakes, and not for the sake of something else.
- Maimonides
***
Hands restrained,
feet restrained
speech restrained,
supremely restrained--
delighting in what is inward,
content, centered, alone:
he's what they call
a monk.
A monk restrained in his speaking,
giving counsel unruffled,
declaring the message & meaning:
sweet is his speech.
-Dhammapada, 25, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.
-Lauren Bacall
***
Learn perfectly all that you learn, and
Thereafter keep your conduct worthy of that learning.
-Tirukkural 40: 391
***
Live in this world like a stranger, a wayfarer, and deem yourselves as dwellers of the graves.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Ibn Umar
***
It should not be believed that all the beings exist for the sake of the existence of humanity. On the contrary, all the other beings too have been intended for their own sakes, and not for the sake of something else.
- Maimonides
***
Hands restrained,
feet restrained
speech restrained,
supremely restrained--
delighting in what is inward,
content, centered, alone:
he's what they call
a monk.
A monk restrained in his speaking,
giving counsel unruffled,
declaring the message & meaning:
sweet is his speech.
-Dhammapada, 25, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Last edited by kmaherali on Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
-John Newton, "Amazing Grace"
***
Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.
-Pablo Picasso (submitted by serena xxi)
***
The states of sattva, rajas, and tamas come from me, but I am not in them. These three gunas deceive the world: people fail to look beyond them to me, supreme and imperishable. The three gunas make up my divine maya, difficult to overcome. But they cross over this maya who take refuge in me. Others are deluded by maya; performing evil deeds, they have no devotion to me. Having lost all discrimination, they follow the way of their lower nature.
-Bhagavad Gita 7:12-15
***
All animals that roam the earth, and all birds that fly through the air, form communities like your own. 'We have left out nothing from our book.' All animals and all birds will be gathered before their Lord. 'Those men and women who deny our revelations, are deaf and dumb; they wander about in utter darkness.'
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:38-39
***
Patience gives peace, haste regret.
- Ibn Gabirol, "Mibhar HaPeninim"
***
Generosity begins with our recognition of our debt to others.
-Master Hsing Yun, "Describing the Indescribable"
***
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
-John Newton, "Amazing Grace"
***
Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.
-Pablo Picasso (submitted by serena xxi)
***
The states of sattva, rajas, and tamas come from me, but I am not in them. These three gunas deceive the world: people fail to look beyond them to me, supreme and imperishable. The three gunas make up my divine maya, difficult to overcome. But they cross over this maya who take refuge in me. Others are deluded by maya; performing evil deeds, they have no devotion to me. Having lost all discrimination, they follow the way of their lower nature.
-Bhagavad Gita 7:12-15
***
All animals that roam the earth, and all birds that fly through the air, form communities like your own. 'We have left out nothing from our book.' All animals and all birds will be gathered before their Lord. 'Those men and women who deny our revelations, are deaf and dumb; they wander about in utter darkness.'
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:38-39
***
Patience gives peace, haste regret.
- Ibn Gabirol, "Mibhar HaPeninim"
***
Generosity begins with our recognition of our debt to others.
-Master Hsing Yun, "Describing the Indescribable"
***
Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.
-Luke 17:19 (Revised Standard Version)
***
The heart, like the grape, is prone to delivering its harvest in the same moment it appears to be crushed.
-Roger Houseden (submitted by jrnorwood)
***
Practice right conduct, learning and teaching;
Be truthful always, learning and teaching;
Master the passions, learning and teaching;
Control the senses, learning and teaching;
Strive for peace always, learning and teaching;
Rouse kundalini, learning and teaching;
Serve humanity, learning and teaching;
Beget progeny, learning and teaching.
Satyavacha says: "Be truthful always."
Taponitya says: "Master the passions."
Naka declares: "Learning and teaching are
Necessary for spiritual progress."
-Taittiriya Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran, copyright 1987. Reprinted with permission from Nilgiri Press, www.nilgiri.org. To order the book, please call 1-800-475-2369.
***
Sometimes servants of God try to behave like the Lord, without a doubt. Sometimes servants of God behave like servants. When they behave like servants, they are truly like the Lord. When they behave like the Lord, they are in a sorry condition.
-Ibn Arabi, "Fusus al-hikam"
***
Rather a short prayer recited slowly and with devotion, than a long prayer recited hurriedly and without devotion.
- Sefer Hasidim
***
He who has put away evil, who is humble, free
from impurity, self restrained, versed in knowledge,
leading a holy life,
That man may be truly called a Brahmana.
For him there are no desires anywhere in the world.
-Udana
-Luke 17:19 (Revised Standard Version)
***
The heart, like the grape, is prone to delivering its harvest in the same moment it appears to be crushed.
-Roger Houseden (submitted by jrnorwood)
***
Practice right conduct, learning and teaching;
Be truthful always, learning and teaching;
Master the passions, learning and teaching;
Control the senses, learning and teaching;
Strive for peace always, learning and teaching;
Rouse kundalini, learning and teaching;
Serve humanity, learning and teaching;
Beget progeny, learning and teaching.
Satyavacha says: "Be truthful always."
Taponitya says: "Master the passions."
Naka declares: "Learning and teaching are
Necessary for spiritual progress."
-Taittiriya Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran, copyright 1987. Reprinted with permission from Nilgiri Press, www.nilgiri.org. To order the book, please call 1-800-475-2369.
***
Sometimes servants of God try to behave like the Lord, without a doubt. Sometimes servants of God behave like servants. When they behave like servants, they are truly like the Lord. When they behave like the Lord, they are in a sorry condition.
-Ibn Arabi, "Fusus al-hikam"
***
Rather a short prayer recited slowly and with devotion, than a long prayer recited hurriedly and without devotion.
- Sefer Hasidim
***
He who has put away evil, who is humble, free
from impurity, self restrained, versed in knowledge,
leading a holy life,
That man may be truly called a Brahmana.
For him there are no desires anywhere in the world.
-Udana
The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness.
-William Blake
***
The fool practices concentration
And control of the mind.
But the master is like a man asleep.
He rests in himself
And finds nothing more to do.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:33
***
The spiritual path ruins the body, but susequently restores it to health. It ruins the house to reveal the treasure, and with that treasure it builds better than before.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Remember the virtues you lack and the faults you have; forget the good you did and the wrong you received.
- Orhot Tzaddikim
***
Not even if it rained gold coins
would we have our fill
of sensual pleasures.
'Stressful,
they give little enjoyment'--
knowing this, the wise one
finds no delight
even in heavenly sensual pleasures.
He is one who delights
in the ending of craving,
A disciple of the Rightly
Self-Awakened One.
-Dhammapada, 14, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-William Blake
***
The fool practices concentration
And control of the mind.
But the master is like a man asleep.
He rests in himself
And finds nothing more to do.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:33
***
The spiritual path ruins the body, but susequently restores it to health. It ruins the house to reveal the treasure, and with that treasure it builds better than before.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Remember the virtues you lack and the faults you have; forget the good you did and the wrong you received.
- Orhot Tzaddikim
***
Not even if it rained gold coins
would we have our fill
of sensual pleasures.
'Stressful,
they give little enjoyment'--
knowing this, the wise one
finds no delight
even in heavenly sensual pleasures.
He is one who delights
in the ending of craving,
A disciple of the Rightly
Self-Awakened One.
-Dhammapada, 14, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
It's never too late to start doing what is right.
-Charles Swindoll
***
To commit no wrong, even against one's enemies,
Is said to be supreme wisdom.
Only the forgetful plot another's ruin; others remember
That virtue itself devises a plotter's downfall.
-Tirukkural 21: 203-204
***
Believers, why do you say what you do not execute? It is most offensive in the sight of Allah when you say what you do not practice!
-Qur'an, As-Saff, Surah 61:2-3
***
Teach your tongue to say, "I do not know," lest you be led to lie.
- Babylonian Talmud, "Berakhot 4a"
***
If we're looking for outer conditions to bring us contentment, we're looking in vain.
-Ayya Khema, "Be an Island"
***
-Charles Swindoll
***
To commit no wrong, even against one's enemies,
Is said to be supreme wisdom.
Only the forgetful plot another's ruin; others remember
That virtue itself devises a plotter's downfall.
-Tirukkural 21: 203-204
***
Believers, why do you say what you do not execute? It is most offensive in the sight of Allah when you say what you do not practice!
-Qur'an, As-Saff, Surah 61:2-3
***
Teach your tongue to say, "I do not know," lest you be led to lie.
- Babylonian Talmud, "Berakhot 4a"
***
If we're looking for outer conditions to bring us contentment, we're looking in vain.
-Ayya Khema, "Be an Island"
***
If you want to have sustained joy, you have to not only make sure that you think right, but you also have to make decisions now that are going to guarantee some joy in the future.
-Joyce Meyer
***
The Supreme Reality stands revealed in the consciousness of those who have conquered themselves. They live in peace, alike in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, praise and blame.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:7
***
His words were filled with such eloquence and wisdom, as though an ocean abided inside him, and the ocean filled with eloquent pearls. The light that shone from every pearl became a criterion of right and wrong.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
For I desire kindness, not sacrifice.
- Hosea 6:6, speaking in the name of God
***
Fields are spoiled by weeds;
people, by passion.
So what's given to those
free of passion
bears great fruit.
Fields are spoiled by weeds;
people, by aversion (to spirituality).
So what's given to those
free of aversion
bears great fruit.
-Dhammapada, 24, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-Joyce Meyer
***
The Supreme Reality stands revealed in the consciousness of those who have conquered themselves. They live in peace, alike in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, praise and blame.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:7
***
His words were filled with such eloquence and wisdom, as though an ocean abided inside him, and the ocean filled with eloquent pearls. The light that shone from every pearl became a criterion of right and wrong.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
For I desire kindness, not sacrifice.
- Hosea 6:6, speaking in the name of God
***
Fields are spoiled by weeds;
people, by passion.
So what's given to those
free of passion
bears great fruit.
Fields are spoiled by weeds;
people, by aversion (to spirituality).
So what's given to those
free of aversion
bears great fruit.
-Dhammapada, 24, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
-Hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul"
***
Friends are like melons. Shall I tell you why? To find a good one, you must a hundred try.
-Claude Mermet
***
Those whose hearts are drawn toward compassion
Will never be drawn into the dark and woeful world.
Evil deeds dreaded by the soul will not afflict
The compassionate who foster and protect all life.
-Tirukkural 25: 243-244
***
Do not be ruled by lust; seek freedom by following the righteous. Mere claims of piety will not earn you inner freedom. Remain patient in adversity to attain peace, for adversity is the threshold to freedom. Those who cannot persevere are held back from the doors of Mercy.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani
***
He who spares a tree is apt to spare a man.
- Joel Blau, "The Wonder of Life"
***
Do not underestimate your ability.
-Geshe Chekawa, "In Advice From a Spiritual Friend"
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
-Hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul"
***
Friends are like melons. Shall I tell you why? To find a good one, you must a hundred try.
-Claude Mermet
***
Those whose hearts are drawn toward compassion
Will never be drawn into the dark and woeful world.
Evil deeds dreaded by the soul will not afflict
The compassionate who foster and protect all life.
-Tirukkural 25: 243-244
***
Do not be ruled by lust; seek freedom by following the righteous. Mere claims of piety will not earn you inner freedom. Remain patient in adversity to attain peace, for adversity is the threshold to freedom. Those who cannot persevere are held back from the doors of Mercy.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani
***
He who spares a tree is apt to spare a man.
- Joel Blau, "The Wonder of Life"
***
Do not underestimate your ability.
-Geshe Chekawa, "In Advice From a Spiritual Friend"
Indra and Virochana went away satisfied. But Prajapati said to himself: "They have seen the Self, but they have not recognized the Self. They mistake the Self to be the body. Those who think the Self is the body will lose their way in life."
-Chandogya Upanishad
***
The finest of the believers conduct themselves with honorable bearing. And the finest of the finest are those who treat their mates with affection.
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
If you want to raise a man from mud and filth, do not think it is enough to keep standing on top and reaching down to him a helping hand.
You must go all the way down yourself, down into mud and filth. Then take hold of him with strong hands and pull him and yourself into the light.
- Solomon ben Meir ha-Levi of Karlin
***
Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves. The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath. Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are all sacred.
-Thich Nhat Hanh, "Miracle of Mindfulness"
***
-Chandogya Upanishad
***
The finest of the believers conduct themselves with honorable bearing. And the finest of the finest are those who treat their mates with affection.
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
If you want to raise a man from mud and filth, do not think it is enough to keep standing on top and reaching down to him a helping hand.
You must go all the way down yourself, down into mud and filth. Then take hold of him with strong hands and pull him and yourself into the light.
- Solomon ben Meir ha-Levi of Karlin
***
Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves. The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath. Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are all sacred.
-Thich Nhat Hanh, "Miracle of Mindfulness"
***
The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.
-Erica Jong
***
O god of fire, lead us by the good path
To eternal joy. You know all our deeds.
Deliver us from evil, we who bow
And pray again and again.
-Isha Upanishad
***
Do not follow advice which you do not understand. Make detailed inquiries with your eyes, ears and mind.
Do not strut about proudly. You cannot possess the earth, and you cannot rival the mountains in stature.
-Qu'ran, Al-Isra, Surah 17:37
***
In the hour of a person's departure, neither silver nor gold nor precious stones nor pearls accompany them, but only Torah and good works.
- "Ethics of the Fathers"
***
Friends, I know nothing which brings suffering as does an untamed, uncontrolled, unattended and unrestrained heart. Such a heart brings suffering.
-Anguttara Nikaya
***
When it is a question of God's almighty Spirit, never say, "I can't."
-Oswald Chambers
***
Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it.
-Cullen Hightower
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.
-Erica Jong
***
O god of fire, lead us by the good path
To eternal joy. You know all our deeds.
Deliver us from evil, we who bow
And pray again and again.
-Isha Upanishad
***
Do not follow advice which you do not understand. Make detailed inquiries with your eyes, ears and mind.
Do not strut about proudly. You cannot possess the earth, and you cannot rival the mountains in stature.
-Qu'ran, Al-Isra, Surah 17:37
***
In the hour of a person's departure, neither silver nor gold nor precious stones nor pearls accompany them, but only Torah and good works.
- "Ethics of the Fathers"
***
Friends, I know nothing which brings suffering as does an untamed, uncontrolled, unattended and unrestrained heart. Such a heart brings suffering.
-Anguttara Nikaya
***
When it is a question of God's almighty Spirit, never say, "I can't."
-Oswald Chambers
***
Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it.
-Cullen Hightower
The greatest gift I ever had came from God, and I call him Dad!
-Unknown
***
We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.
-Anais Nin (submitted by Rajaa)
***
Muhammad trusted God completely, and accepted without question, the truth of what he heard. He knew that in conveying God’s revelations to others, he would encounter varying reactions. Some would listen eagerly and treat him well, while others would be angry and hostile. Thus he was aware that God was laying a heavy and troublesome burden upon him. Yet he accepted it willingly, believing that God would give him the courage and determination to face every kind of opposition.
-Ibn Isaq, "The Life of Muhammad"
***
If a Jew breaks a leg, he thanks God he did not break both legs; if he breaks both, he thanks God he did not break his neck.
- Yiddish proverb
***
Fools, their wisdom weak,
are their own enemies
as they go through life,
doing evil
that bears
bitter fruit.
-Dhammapada, 66, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
-Unknown
***
We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.
-Anais Nin (submitted by Rajaa)
***
Muhammad trusted God completely, and accepted without question, the truth of what he heard. He knew that in conveying God’s revelations to others, he would encounter varying reactions. Some would listen eagerly and treat him well, while others would be angry and hostile. Thus he was aware that God was laying a heavy and troublesome burden upon him. Yet he accepted it willingly, believing that God would give him the courage and determination to face every kind of opposition.
-Ibn Isaq, "The Life of Muhammad"
***
If a Jew breaks a leg, he thanks God he did not break both legs; if he breaks both, he thanks God he did not break his neck.
- Yiddish proverb
***
Fools, their wisdom weak,
are their own enemies
as they go through life,
doing evil
that bears
bitter fruit.
-Dhammapada, 66, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
Heaven is a gift, a gift that's given to you for your faith in Jesus. Faith at that level is a choice.
-Anne Graham Lotz
***
Lives based on having are less free than lives based on doing or being.
-E.Y. Harburg
***
To trust a stranger without investigation invites troubles
so endless that even descendants must endure them.
Without investigation, trust no one. Having investigated,
entrust a man with matters for which he is trustworthy.
To trust a man who has not been tested and to suspect a man
who has proven trustworthy lead alike to endless ills.
-Tirukkural 51: 508-510
***
Do not look at your own form, be it beautiful or ugly; look at the true object of your love, and the goal of your search. Do not look at your own state, which is feeble and vile; look at the true object of your hopes and aspirations. In whatever state you are, seek God. Seek God as if your lips were dry and you were seeking water. Dry lips are a sign that you will eventually reach a spring. Dry lips are a message from the water: 'If you keep searching, you will find me.' To seek is a blessed activity; it destroys the obstacles on the path to God. If you seek, you will find.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Include friend and foe in your petitions, for how can one ask God for blessings which he does not want others to have?
- Orhot Tzaddikim, medieval ethical text
Reprinted from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,' edited by Joseph L. Baron, Jason Aronson Inc.
***
Find a friend to be with and stay in that relationship, avoiding the dangers of hurting others. Stay with your friend and become mindful and joyful. If you can find no friend, then go on by yourself. Better to carry on alone than live with the foolish. Journey on alone, unconcerned, working no evil, like the bull elephant in the jungle.
-Sunnata Vagga
-Anne Graham Lotz
***
Lives based on having are less free than lives based on doing or being.
-E.Y. Harburg
***
To trust a stranger without investigation invites troubles
so endless that even descendants must endure them.
Without investigation, trust no one. Having investigated,
entrust a man with matters for which he is trustworthy.
To trust a man who has not been tested and to suspect a man
who has proven trustworthy lead alike to endless ills.
-Tirukkural 51: 508-510
***
Do not look at your own form, be it beautiful or ugly; look at the true object of your love, and the goal of your search. Do not look at your own state, which is feeble and vile; look at the true object of your hopes and aspirations. In whatever state you are, seek God. Seek God as if your lips were dry and you were seeking water. Dry lips are a sign that you will eventually reach a spring. Dry lips are a message from the water: 'If you keep searching, you will find me.' To seek is a blessed activity; it destroys the obstacles on the path to God. If you seek, you will find.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Include friend and foe in your petitions, for how can one ask God for blessings which he does not want others to have?
- Orhot Tzaddikim, medieval ethical text
Reprinted from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,' edited by Joseph L. Baron, Jason Aronson Inc.
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Find a friend to be with and stay in that relationship, avoiding the dangers of hurting others. Stay with your friend and become mindful and joyful. If you can find no friend, then go on by yourself. Better to carry on alone than live with the foolish. Journey on alone, unconcerned, working no evil, like the bull elephant in the jungle.
-Sunnata Vagga
The remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
-Charles Swindoll
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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box.
-Italian Proverb
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May the light of wisdom illumine us.
May we become united with the Lord.
Let us contemplate five categories:
The world and luminous worlds in the sky,
Education, progeny, and speech.
-Taittiriya Upanishad
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God hears the words of the woman who complains to Muhammad about the cruelty of her husband; God hears her words when she complains directly to him. God listens to everything that is said; he hears all and observes all.
-Qur'an, Al-Mujadilah, Surah 58:1
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It is good to make a habit of inspiring yourself with a melody…For the loftiness of melody is beyond all measure.
- Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav
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Do you want to understand? The whole world is one of your eyes, the body produced by your parents is a cataract. All ordinary people ignore the indestructible, marvelously clear, unfailingly mirroring eye, and cling fast to the dust cataract produced by the relationship of their father and mother. Therefore they take illusions for realities, and grasp at reflections as the physical forms themselves.
-P'u-an
-Charles Swindoll
***
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box.
-Italian Proverb
***
May the light of wisdom illumine us.
May we become united with the Lord.
Let us contemplate five categories:
The world and luminous worlds in the sky,
Education, progeny, and speech.
-Taittiriya Upanishad
***
God hears the words of the woman who complains to Muhammad about the cruelty of her husband; God hears her words when she complains directly to him. God listens to everything that is said; he hears all and observes all.
-Qur'an, Al-Mujadilah, Surah 58:1
***
It is good to make a habit of inspiring yourself with a melody…For the loftiness of melody is beyond all measure.
- Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav
***
Do you want to understand? The whole world is one of your eyes, the body produced by your parents is a cataract. All ordinary people ignore the indestructible, marvelously clear, unfailingly mirroring eye, and cling fast to the dust cataract produced by the relationship of their father and mother. Therefore they take illusions for realities, and grasp at reflections as the physical forms themselves.
-P'u-an
Life without repentance is spiritual agony;
to be absent from God is immediate death.
Life and death both are sweet with God’s presence:
without God even the Water of Life is fire.
-Mathnawi [V, 770-771]
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Lord, help me to rest a while in the cooling shade of your presence. Slow down my restless heart and fill me with gentle compassion for all your people. Amen.
-Prayer for Summer
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There has never been an age that did not applaud the past and lament the present.
-Lillian Eichler Watson
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If men are disposed to spread the faults of friends,
What deadly harm might they do to strangers?
-Tirukkural 188
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God longs for the prayer of the righteous.
- Rabbi Isaac, Talmud: Yebamot, 64a
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Adverse circumstances test our courage, our strength of mind, and the depth of our conviction in the Dharma. There is nothing exceptional about practicing Dharma in a good environment and atmosphere. The true test is if we can maintain our practice in adverse conditions.
-Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, "Advice From a Spiritual Friend"
to be absent from God is immediate death.
Life and death both are sweet with God’s presence:
without God even the Water of Life is fire.
-Mathnawi [V, 770-771]
***
Lord, help me to rest a while in the cooling shade of your presence. Slow down my restless heart and fill me with gentle compassion for all your people. Amen.
-Prayer for Summer
***
There has never been an age that did not applaud the past and lament the present.
-Lillian Eichler Watson
***
If men are disposed to spread the faults of friends,
What deadly harm might they do to strangers?
-Tirukkural 188
***
God longs for the prayer of the righteous.
- Rabbi Isaac, Talmud: Yebamot, 64a
***
Adverse circumstances test our courage, our strength of mind, and the depth of our conviction in the Dharma. There is nothing exceptional about practicing Dharma in a good environment and atmosphere. The true test is if we can maintain our practice in adverse conditions.
-Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, "Advice From a Spiritual Friend"
Work as if everything depended on you and pray as if everything depended on God.
-D.L. Moody
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Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.
-Oscar Wilde
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He who knows me as his own divine Self breaks through the belief that he is the body and is not reborn as a separate creature. Such a one is united with me. Delivered from selfish attachment, fear, and anger, filled with me, surrendering themselves to me, purified in the fire of my being, many have reached the state of unity in me.
-Bhagavad Gita 4:9-10
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The best of the people are the first to greet others.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Umamah
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He is great who is not ashamed to admit he does not know.
- Judah HaNasi, Talmud Jerushalmi: Hagiga
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Considering the harm others do to you
As created by your former deeds, do not anger.
Act such that further suffering will not be created
And your own faults will disappear.
-Nagarjuna, "Precious Garland"
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-D.L. Moody
***
Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.
-Oscar Wilde
***
He who knows me as his own divine Self breaks through the belief that he is the body and is not reborn as a separate creature. Such a one is united with me. Delivered from selfish attachment, fear, and anger, filled with me, surrendering themselves to me, purified in the fire of my being, many have reached the state of unity in me.
-Bhagavad Gita 4:9-10
***
The best of the people are the first to greet others.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Umamah
***
He is great who is not ashamed to admit he does not know.
- Judah HaNasi, Talmud Jerushalmi: Hagiga
***
Considering the harm others do to you
As created by your former deeds, do not anger.
Act such that further suffering will not be created
And your own faults will disappear.
-Nagarjuna, "Precious Garland"
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Christ came to heal the sick, not the well or self-sufficient.
-Professor Paul Krishna, a former Hindu
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Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.
-Robert Frost
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In the city of Brahman is a secret dwelling,
the lotus of the heart. Within this dwelling is a
space, and within that space is the fulfillment
of our desires. What is within that space
should be longed for and realized.
-Chandogya Upanishad
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God gives this parable, "On the one hand there is a helpless slave, the property of his master. On the other hand there is a man whom we have greatly blessed; this man is generous both in secret and openly." Are the two alike? All praise is due to God! Yet most people do not understand.
-Qur'an, An-Nahl, Surah 16:75
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It is not in our power to explain either the prosperity of the wicked or the sufferings of the righteous.
- Ethics of the Fathers 4:15
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Don't ask about caste or riches but instead ask about conduct. Look at the flames of a fire. Where do they come from? From a piece of wood—and it doesn't matter what wood. In the same way, a wise person can come from wood of any sort. It is through firmness and restraint and a sense of truth that one becomes noble, not through caste.
-Sutta Nipata
-Professor Paul Krishna, a former Hindu
***
Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.
-Robert Frost
***
In the city of Brahman is a secret dwelling,
the lotus of the heart. Within this dwelling is a
space, and within that space is the fulfillment
of our desires. What is within that space
should be longed for and realized.
-Chandogya Upanishad
***
God gives this parable, "On the one hand there is a helpless slave, the property of his master. On the other hand there is a man whom we have greatly blessed; this man is generous both in secret and openly." Are the two alike? All praise is due to God! Yet most people do not understand.
-Qur'an, An-Nahl, Surah 16:75
***
It is not in our power to explain either the prosperity of the wicked or the sufferings of the righteous.
- Ethics of the Fathers 4:15
***
Don't ask about caste or riches but instead ask about conduct. Look at the flames of a fire. Where do they come from? From a piece of wood—and it doesn't matter what wood. In the same way, a wise person can come from wood of any sort. It is through firmness and restraint and a sense of truth that one becomes noble, not through caste.
-Sutta Nipata