Those who know the Self as enjoyer
Of the honey from the flowers of the senses,
Ever present within, ruler of time,
Go beyond fear. For the Self is supreme!
-Katha Upanishad
***
The one who wishes to escape from doubt
Should be attentive and alert;
Looking at mind and body both,
He should see the causes and the origins.
-Patisambbida Magga
***
Quote
To everyone of us there must come a time when the whole universe will be found to have been a dream, when we find the soul is infinitely better than the surroundings. It is only a question of time, and time is nothing in the infinite.
-Sai Baba
***
No tongue speaks as much ill of us as our own.
- Sholom Aleichem, "Olom Habo"
***
'You sometimes see the earth dry and barren. But as soon as we send down rain, the earth begins to swell and stir, putting forth radiant flowers of every kind.' This demonstrates that God is truth; he gives life to the dead, and has power over all things.
-Qur'an, Al-Hajj, Surah 22:5-6
***
When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.
-Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief
***
-Sai Baba
***
No tongue speaks as much ill of us as our own.
- Sholom Aleichem, "Olom Habo"
***
'You sometimes see the earth dry and barren. But as soon as we send down rain, the earth begins to swell and stir, putting forth radiant flowers of every kind.' This demonstrates that God is truth; he gives life to the dead, and has power over all things.
-Qur'an, Al-Hajj, Surah 22:5-6
***
When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.
-Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief
***
If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.
-Booker T. Washington
***
When one lacks discrimination
And his mind is undisciplined, the senses
Run hither and thither like wild horses.
But they obey the rein like trained horses
When one has discrimination and has made
The mind one-pointed. Those who lack
Discrimination, with little control
Over their thoughts and far from pure,
Reach not the pure state of immortality
But wander from death to death; but those
Who have discrimination, with a still mind
And a pure heart, reach journey's end,
Never again to fall into the jaws of death.
With a discriminating intellect
As charioteer and a trained mind as reins,
They attain the supreme goal of life
To be united with the Lord of Love.
-Katha Upanishad
***
So follow the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the just.
- Proverbs 2:20
***
Do not become the candle that gives light to others but itself remains in darkness. Do not follow the desires of your lower self. Should the Lord wish, He himself will pick you out and prompt you to be a source of guidance. He Himself shall endow you with the inner strength to endure the changes of fortune and will instill within you infinite wisdom.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
***
Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like.
-Will Rogers
-Booker T. Washington
***
When one lacks discrimination
And his mind is undisciplined, the senses
Run hither and thither like wild horses.
But they obey the rein like trained horses
When one has discrimination and has made
The mind one-pointed. Those who lack
Discrimination, with little control
Over their thoughts and far from pure,
Reach not the pure state of immortality
But wander from death to death; but those
Who have discrimination, with a still mind
And a pure heart, reach journey's end,
Never again to fall into the jaws of death.
With a discriminating intellect
As charioteer and a trained mind as reins,
They attain the supreme goal of life
To be united with the Lord of Love.
-Katha Upanishad
***
So follow the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the just.
- Proverbs 2:20
***
Do not become the candle that gives light to others but itself remains in darkness. Do not follow the desires of your lower self. Should the Lord wish, He himself will pick you out and prompt you to be a source of guidance. He Himself shall endow you with the inner strength to endure the changes of fortune and will instill within you infinite wisdom.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
***
Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like.
-Will Rogers
Whatever he does is without purpose.
His senses have been stilled. His eyes are empty.
He is without desire or aversion.
For him the waters of the world
Have all dried up!
-Ashtavakra Gita 17:9
***
The real man is within, the flesh is only a vestment.
- Zohar
***
Glorified by heaven, O radiant Sun, illumine the earth forever and more that the hearts of its inhabitants unite and ascend and become one with the exalted Divine.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
The one whose mind knows the clarity of perfect wisdom is never afraid or even anxious. Why? Because when being at one with the living power of wisdom, the mother of all the buddhas, that person has the strength to remain in a state of undivided contemplation even while ceaselessly and skillfully engaging in compassionate action. The wise one is enabled to act because of concentration on a single prayer: "May all beings never leave the path of enlightenment, which is their own true nature and is empty of separate self-existence."
-Prajnaparamita
***
Truth is no theory, no speculative system of philosophy, no intellectual insight. Truth is exact correspondence with reality.
-Paramhansa Yogananda
His senses have been stilled. His eyes are empty.
He is without desire or aversion.
For him the waters of the world
Have all dried up!
-Ashtavakra Gita 17:9
***
The real man is within, the flesh is only a vestment.
- Zohar
***
Glorified by heaven, O radiant Sun, illumine the earth forever and more that the hearts of its inhabitants unite and ascend and become one with the exalted Divine.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
The one whose mind knows the clarity of perfect wisdom is never afraid or even anxious. Why? Because when being at one with the living power of wisdom, the mother of all the buddhas, that person has the strength to remain in a state of undivided contemplation even while ceaselessly and skillfully engaging in compassionate action. The wise one is enabled to act because of concentration on a single prayer: "May all beings never leave the path of enlightenment, which is their own true nature and is empty of separate self-existence."
-Prajnaparamita
***
Truth is no theory, no speculative system of philosophy, no intellectual insight. Truth is exact correspondence with reality.
-Paramhansa Yogananda
Well have you renounced these passing pleasures
So dear to the senses, Nachiketa,
And turned your back on the way of the world
Which makes mankind forget the goal of life.
Far apart are wisdom and ignorance.
The first leads one to Self-realization;
The second makes one more and more
Estranged from his real Self. I regard you,
Nachiketa, worthy of instruction,
For passing pleasures tempt you not at all.
-Katha Upanishad
***
Knowledge has two wings. Conjecture is one wing. Conjecture alone is lacking and cuts short the flight. The one-winged bird continues to struggle, hoping to reach the nest somehow with one wing. And then wisdom shows his shining face. Delivered from conjecture, the bird now spreads both wings (and soars once again).
-Rumi, "The Life and Thought of Rumi"
***
When subjective feelings arrange your effort, and activity is obsessed with objects, the matter of your self is neglected; not believing in true universal knowledge in oneself, you'll never attain true awakening.
-Chen-ching
***
As the man and the woman in me
unite in love,
the brilliant beauty
balanced on the two-petalled lotus
within me
dazzles my eyes.
The rays
outshine the moon
and the jewels
glowing on the hoods of snakes.
My skin and bone
are turned to gold.
I am the reservoir of love
alive as the waves.
A single drop of water
has grown into a sea,
unnavigable.
-Lalan
***
The righteous, even when brought to death, has hope.
- Proverbs 14:32
So dear to the senses, Nachiketa,
And turned your back on the way of the world
Which makes mankind forget the goal of life.
Far apart are wisdom and ignorance.
The first leads one to Self-realization;
The second makes one more and more
Estranged from his real Self. I regard you,
Nachiketa, worthy of instruction,
For passing pleasures tempt you not at all.
-Katha Upanishad
***
Knowledge has two wings. Conjecture is one wing. Conjecture alone is lacking and cuts short the flight. The one-winged bird continues to struggle, hoping to reach the nest somehow with one wing. And then wisdom shows his shining face. Delivered from conjecture, the bird now spreads both wings (and soars once again).
-Rumi, "The Life and Thought of Rumi"
***
When subjective feelings arrange your effort, and activity is obsessed with objects, the matter of your self is neglected; not believing in true universal knowledge in oneself, you'll never attain true awakening.
-Chen-ching
***
As the man and the woman in me
unite in love,
the brilliant beauty
balanced on the two-petalled lotus
within me
dazzles my eyes.
The rays
outshine the moon
and the jewels
glowing on the hoods of snakes.
My skin and bone
are turned to gold.
I am the reservoir of love
alive as the waves.
A single drop of water
has grown into a sea,
unnavigable.
-Lalan
***
The righteous, even when brought to death, has hope.
- Proverbs 14:32
He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.
-C.S. Lewis
***
I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going but I'm on the way.
-Carl Sandburg
***
Judge the nature of your listeners and speak accordingly.
There is nothing more virtuous or valuable than this.
-Tirukkural 65:644
***
Fools exult in life while the pious prepare for the journey ahead. A major portion of their wealth is spent in God's way, and they themselves suffice with the bare minimum, striving toward the hereafter. They even sacrifice fine victuals confident in the faith that they shall be blessed with better in the hereafter. Even God cherishes them because of their conviction and devotion.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani
***
Shammai said: Receive all people cheerfully.
- Ethics of the Fathers 1:15
***
When there is grasping, the grasper
Comes into existence.
If he did not grasp,
Then being freed, he would not come into existence.
-Nagarjuna, "Mulamadhyamaka-Karika"
***
-C.S. Lewis
***
I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going but I'm on the way.
-Carl Sandburg
***
Judge the nature of your listeners and speak accordingly.
There is nothing more virtuous or valuable than this.
-Tirukkural 65:644
***
Fools exult in life while the pious prepare for the journey ahead. A major portion of their wealth is spent in God's way, and they themselves suffice with the bare minimum, striving toward the hereafter. They even sacrifice fine victuals confident in the faith that they shall be blessed with better in the hereafter. Even God cherishes them because of their conviction and devotion.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani
***
Shammai said: Receive all people cheerfully.
- Ethics of the Fathers 1:15
***
When there is grasping, the grasper
Comes into existence.
If he did not grasp,
Then being freed, he would not come into existence.
-Nagarjuna, "Mulamadhyamaka-Karika"
***
A wise man works modestly toward the hereafter while a foolish man follows his low desires yet expects blessings from Allah.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Shaddad bin Aus
***
The sun gives light by day, the Torah by day and night.
- Asher b. Saul, Kol Bo
***
Spotless, pure, like the moon
?limpid and calm?
his delights, his becomings,
totally gone:
he's what I call
a brahmin.
-Dhammapada 128, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
To the Divine Goddess who resides in all existence in the form of Confusion, we bow to Her; we bow to Her; we bow to Her, continually we bow, we bow.
Presiding over the senses of all beings and pervading all existence, to the Omnipresent Goddess who individualizes creation we bow, we bow.
In the form of Consciousness She distinguishes the individual phenomena of the perceivable universe. We bow to Her; we bow to Her; we bow to Her; we bow to Her, continually we bow, we bow.
-Chandi Patha
From "Teachings
***
The thing about creativity is, people are going to laugh at it. Get over it.
-Twyla Tharp (submitted by eric motlinski)
***
How glorious our Faith is! Rather than restricting hearts, as the world prefers, it uplifts them and increases their capacity to love.
-St. Therese of Lisieux
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Shaddad bin Aus
***
The sun gives light by day, the Torah by day and night.
- Asher b. Saul, Kol Bo
***
Spotless, pure, like the moon
?limpid and calm?
his delights, his becomings,
totally gone:
he's what I call
a brahmin.
-Dhammapada 128, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
To the Divine Goddess who resides in all existence in the form of Confusion, we bow to Her; we bow to Her; we bow to Her, continually we bow, we bow.
Presiding over the senses of all beings and pervading all existence, to the Omnipresent Goddess who individualizes creation we bow, we bow.
In the form of Consciousness She distinguishes the individual phenomena of the perceivable universe. We bow to Her; we bow to Her; we bow to Her; we bow to Her, continually we bow, we bow.
-Chandi Patha
From "Teachings
***
The thing about creativity is, people are going to laugh at it. Get over it.
-Twyla Tharp (submitted by eric motlinski)
***
How glorious our Faith is! Rather than restricting hearts, as the world prefers, it uplifts them and increases their capacity to love.
-St. Therese of Lisieux
Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.
-Dalai Lama
***
When you behold the void nature of Mind,
Analyze it not as one or many
Lest you fall into the void-of-annihilation!
Son, rest yourself without wandering thoughts.
-Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa
***
Life is a constant Advent season: we are continually waiting to become, to discover, to complete, to fulfill.
-Connections
***
Yesterday,
I lived bewildered,
In illusion.
But now I am awake,
Flawless and serene,
Beyond the world.
From my light
The body and the world arise.
So all things are mine,
Or nothing is.
-Ashtavakra Gita
***
This is what the Holy One said to Israel: My children, what do I seek from you? I seek no more than that you love one another and honor one another.
- Tanna d'Bai Eliyahu, medieval rabbinic work
***
Words!
The Way is beyond language,
for in it there is
no yesterday
no tomorrow
no today.
-Seng-Tsan, “Verses On The Faith Mind”
***
The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.
-G.K. Chesterton
***
The mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work unless it's open.
-Unknown
***
Those who realize the Self are always satisfied. Having found the source of joy and fulfillment they no longer seek happiness from the external world. They have nothing to gain or lose by any action; neither people nor things can affect their security.
-Bhagavad Gita
***
-Dalai Lama
***
When you behold the void nature of Mind,
Analyze it not as one or many
Lest you fall into the void-of-annihilation!
Son, rest yourself without wandering thoughts.
-Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa
***
Life is a constant Advent season: we are continually waiting to become, to discover, to complete, to fulfill.
-Connections
***
Yesterday,
I lived bewildered,
In illusion.
But now I am awake,
Flawless and serene,
Beyond the world.
From my light
The body and the world arise.
So all things are mine,
Or nothing is.
-Ashtavakra Gita
***
This is what the Holy One said to Israel: My children, what do I seek from you? I seek no more than that you love one another and honor one another.
- Tanna d'Bai Eliyahu, medieval rabbinic work
***
Words!
The Way is beyond language,
for in it there is
no yesterday
no tomorrow
no today.
-Seng-Tsan, “Verses On The Faith Mind”
***
The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.
-G.K. Chesterton
***
The mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work unless it's open.
-Unknown
***
Those who realize the Self are always satisfied. Having found the source of joy and fulfillment they no longer seek happiness from the external world. They have nothing to gain or lose by any action; neither people nor things can affect their security.
-Bhagavad Gita
***
We call this time Advent because it reminds us of what comes from God for the creation of his kingdom on earth.
-C.F. Blumhardt
***
Tell me whom you love, and I will tell you who you are.
-Houssaye
***
What use are the scriptures to anyone
Who knows not the one source from whom they come,
In whom all gods and worlds abide?
Only those who realize him as ever present
Within the heart attain abiding joy.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
***
For those who honour the majesty of the Lord, there are two gardens, each planted with trees which give shade. Which of the Lord's blessings would you deny? Each garden is watered by a spring which constantly flows. Which of the Lord’s blessings would you deny? Each garden contains a pair of every kind of tree; so there is every kind of fruit. Which of the Lord's blessings would you deny?
-Qur'an, Ar-Rahman, Surah 55:46-53
***
To please all is an impossible aim, and to escape some criticism is an unattainable goal.
- M. Ibn Ezra, "Shirat Yisrael"
***
Sandalwood, tagara,
lotus, & jasmine:
Among these scents,
The scent of virtue
Is unsurpassed.
Next to nothing, this fragrance
--sandalwood, tagara—
while the scent of the virtuous
wafts to the gods, supreme.
-Dhammapada, 4, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-C.F. Blumhardt
***
Tell me whom you love, and I will tell you who you are.
-Houssaye
***
What use are the scriptures to anyone
Who knows not the one source from whom they come,
In whom all gods and worlds abide?
Only those who realize him as ever present
Within the heart attain abiding joy.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
***
For those who honour the majesty of the Lord, there are two gardens, each planted with trees which give shade. Which of the Lord's blessings would you deny? Each garden is watered by a spring which constantly flows. Which of the Lord’s blessings would you deny? Each garden contains a pair of every kind of tree; so there is every kind of fruit. Which of the Lord's blessings would you deny?
-Qur'an, Ar-Rahman, Surah 55:46-53
***
To please all is an impossible aim, and to escape some criticism is an unattainable goal.
- M. Ibn Ezra, "Shirat Yisrael"
***
Sandalwood, tagara,
lotus, & jasmine:
Among these scents,
The scent of virtue
Is unsurpassed.
Next to nothing, this fragrance
--sandalwood, tagara—
while the scent of the virtuous
wafts to the gods, supreme.
-Dhammapada, 4, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
If I won't be myself, who will?
-Alfred Hitchcock
***
Those whose spiritual awareness has been awakened never make a false move. They don't have to avoid evil. They are so replete with love that whatever they do is a good action. They are fully conscious that they are not the doer of their actions, but only servants of God.
-Ramakrishna
***
One pang of conscience is worth more than many lashes.
- Jose b. Halafta, Talmud: Berakhot, 7a
***
They awaken, always wide awake:
Gotama's disciples
whose mindfulness, both day & night,
is constantly immersed
in the Buddha.
They awaken, always wide awake:
Gotama's disciples
whose mindfulness, both day & night,
is constantly immersed
in the Dhamma.
-Dhammapada, 21, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-Alfred Hitchcock
***
Those whose spiritual awareness has been awakened never make a false move. They don't have to avoid evil. They are so replete with love that whatever they do is a good action. They are fully conscious that they are not the doer of their actions, but only servants of God.
-Ramakrishna
***
One pang of conscience is worth more than many lashes.
- Jose b. Halafta, Talmud: Berakhot, 7a
***
They awaken, always wide awake:
Gotama's disciples
whose mindfulness, both day & night,
is constantly immersed
in the Buddha.
They awaken, always wide awake:
Gotama's disciples
whose mindfulness, both day & night,
is constantly immersed
in the Dhamma.
-Dhammapada, 21, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. Advent is a winter training camp for those who desire peace.
-Edward Hays
***
The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.
-Benjamin Franklin
***
You are the sole companion of my heart, though my body is available for those who wish its company. This body is hospitable to its guests; the love of my heart is the guest of my soul.
-Rabi'a, "Rabi’a the Mystic"
***
Our mind and our delusions are formless and colorless. However, our ignorance believing in true existence is harder than a rocky mountain. Our delusions are harder than steel.
-Lama Zopa Rinpoche, "The Door to Satisfaction"
***
-Edward Hays
***
The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.
-Benjamin Franklin
***
You are the sole companion of my heart, though my body is available for those who wish its company. This body is hospitable to its guests; the love of my heart is the guest of my soul.
-Rabi'a, "Rabi’a the Mystic"
***
Our mind and our delusions are formless and colorless. However, our ignorance believing in true existence is harder than a rocky mountain. Our delusions are harder than steel.
-Lama Zopa Rinpoche, "The Door to Satisfaction"
***
Hope, struggle, fear, expectation and fulfillment are all part of our Advent experience.
-Connections
***
We may not be able to give much but we can always give the joy that springs in a heart that is in love with God.
-Mother Teresa
***
Banishing the folly of rebirth and thus beholding
Perfection's True Being - that is wisdom.
-Tirukkural 36:358
***
Shammai said: Receive all people cheerfully.
- Ethics of the Fathers 1:15
***
You are the sole companion of my heart, though my body is available for those who wish its company. This body is hospitable to its guests; the love of my heart is the guest of my soul.
-Rabi'a, "Rabi’a the Mystic"
***
Real peace will arise spontaneously
When your mind becomes free
Of attachments,
When you know that the objects of the world
Can never give you what you really want.
-Theragatha
-Connections
***
We may not be able to give much but we can always give the joy that springs in a heart that is in love with God.
-Mother Teresa
***
Banishing the folly of rebirth and thus beholding
Perfection's True Being - that is wisdom.
-Tirukkural 36:358
***
Shammai said: Receive all people cheerfully.
- Ethics of the Fathers 1:15
***
You are the sole companion of my heart, though my body is available for those who wish its company. This body is hospitable to its guests; the love of my heart is the guest of my soul.
-Rabi'a, "Rabi’a the Mystic"
***
Real peace will arise spontaneously
When your mind becomes free
Of attachments,
When you know that the objects of the world
Can never give you what you really want.
-Theragatha
It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope.
-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, "Seek That Which Is Above"
***
Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win.
-Nadia Comaneci
***
Who is this Self on whom we meditate?
Is it the Self by which we see, hear, smell, and taste,
Through which we speak in words? Is Self the mind
By which we perceive, direct, understand,
Know, remember, think, will, desire, and love?
These are but servants of the Self, who is
Pure consciousness.
This Self is all in all.
He is all the gods, the five elements,
Earth, air, fire, water, and space; all creatures,
Great or small, born of eggs, of wombs, of heat,
Of shoots; horses, cows, elephants, men, and women;
All beings that walk, all beings that fly,
And all that neither walk nor fly. Prajna
Is pure consciousness, guiding all. The world
Rests on prajna, and prajna is Brahman.
-Aitareya Upanishad
***
Have faith in Allah and His messenger, and strive in His way with your wealth and your lives. That is for your own good, for He will forgive you for your transgressions and admit you into graceful moments in the Gardens of bliss where rivers run through. That indeed is the greatest triumph. Deliver the glad tidings to the believers that Allah will bestow yet another blessing upon them, His succor and a speedy victory.
-Qur'an, As-Saff, Surah 61:11-13
***
One who says, "Let good people [and only good people] bless You," is considered to have spoken heresy.
- Mishna Megillah 4:9
***
-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, "Seek That Which Is Above"
***
Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win.
-Nadia Comaneci
***
Who is this Self on whom we meditate?
Is it the Self by which we see, hear, smell, and taste,
Through which we speak in words? Is Self the mind
By which we perceive, direct, understand,
Know, remember, think, will, desire, and love?
These are but servants of the Self, who is
Pure consciousness.
This Self is all in all.
He is all the gods, the five elements,
Earth, air, fire, water, and space; all creatures,
Great or small, born of eggs, of wombs, of heat,
Of shoots; horses, cows, elephants, men, and women;
All beings that walk, all beings that fly,
And all that neither walk nor fly. Prajna
Is pure consciousness, guiding all. The world
Rests on prajna, and prajna is Brahman.
-Aitareya Upanishad
***
Have faith in Allah and His messenger, and strive in His way with your wealth and your lives. That is for your own good, for He will forgive you for your transgressions and admit you into graceful moments in the Gardens of bliss where rivers run through. That indeed is the greatest triumph. Deliver the glad tidings to the believers that Allah will bestow yet another blessing upon them, His succor and a speedy victory.
-Qur'an, As-Saff, Surah 61:11-13
***
One who says, "Let good people [and only good people] bless You," is considered to have spoken heresy.
- Mishna Megillah 4:9
***
T]he whole of our life must be an 'advent,' a vigilant awaiting of the final coming of Christ.
-John Paul II
***
Life was a lot simpler when what we honored was father and mother rather than all major credit cards.
-Robert Orben (submitted by Jillin2001)
***
Those whose consciousness is unified abandon all attachment to the results of action and attain supreme peace. But those whose desires are fragmented, who are selfishly attached to the results of their work, are bound in everything they do.
-Bhagavad Gita 5:12
***
When reason reaches its peak and the souls of His lovers feel helpless and disabled, they grow restless and stretch their hands in supplication, seeking comfort for their burning souls. When every manner of search within their power has been consumed, the doorway to Him is opened.
-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
***
We cannot achieve self-respect if we are afraid of self-knowledge.
- M.R. Cohen, "A Dreamer's Journey"
***
Real Love is not based on attachment, but on altruism. In this case, your compassion will remain as a humane response to suffering as long as beings continue to suffer.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
-John Paul II
***
Life was a lot simpler when what we honored was father and mother rather than all major credit cards.
-Robert Orben (submitted by Jillin2001)
***
Those whose consciousness is unified abandon all attachment to the results of action and attain supreme peace. But those whose desires are fragmented, who are selfishly attached to the results of their work, are bound in everything they do.
-Bhagavad Gita 5:12
***
When reason reaches its peak and the souls of His lovers feel helpless and disabled, they grow restless and stretch their hands in supplication, seeking comfort for their burning souls. When every manner of search within their power has been consumed, the doorway to Him is opened.
-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
***
We cannot achieve self-respect if we are afraid of self-knowledge.
- M.R. Cohen, "A Dreamer's Journey"
***
Real Love is not based on attachment, but on altruism. In this case, your compassion will remain as a humane response to suffering as long as beings continue to suffer.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
We all have a mind and a will. I may have to depend upon God in ways that I’ve never depended upon Him before, but God will deliver anyone who truly wants to be delivered from any stronghold, any sin.
-Charles Stanley
***
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
-Oscar Wilde
***
Whatever you are doing, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, or saying, realize your essential nature as pure Consciousness. This is the way to liberation.
-Maharamayana
***
Since you are not a prophet, follow the way taught by prophets. Since you are not a king, be a loyal subject to the king. Since you are not a captain, do not take the helm of the ship. Since you do not possess every skill, have partners in your business. Be as pliant as dough in the hands of others, that you may rise well.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Revere your teacher as you revere Heaven.
- Eleazar b. Shammua, Mishna: Abot
***
Subhuti asked: "You say, Honored One, that a follower of the way does not need to build up goodness and happiness. Why is that?"
The Buddha replied: "Subhuti, a true follower will express goodness and happiness but will not be caught up in the concepts of goodness and happiness. That’s why I say that he does not need to build up goodness and happiness, which would only be concept traps, for goodness and happiness will be there without any idea of them."
-Diamond Sutra
-Charles Stanley
***
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
-Oscar Wilde
***
Whatever you are doing, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, or saying, realize your essential nature as pure Consciousness. This is the way to liberation.
-Maharamayana
***
Since you are not a prophet, follow the way taught by prophets. Since you are not a king, be a loyal subject to the king. Since you are not a captain, do not take the helm of the ship. Since you do not possess every skill, have partners in your business. Be as pliant as dough in the hands of others, that you may rise well.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Revere your teacher as you revere Heaven.
- Eleazar b. Shammua, Mishna: Abot
***
Subhuti asked: "You say, Honored One, that a follower of the way does not need to build up goodness and happiness. Why is that?"
The Buddha replied: "Subhuti, a true follower will express goodness and happiness but will not be caught up in the concepts of goodness and happiness. That’s why I say that he does not need to build up goodness and happiness, which would only be concept traps, for goodness and happiness will be there without any idea of them."
-Diamond Sutra
He who carries God in his heart bears heaven with him wherever he goes.
-St. Ignatius of Loyola
***
Without the rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
***
With the pincers of truth I have plucked
From the dark corners of my heart
The thorn of many judgments.
I sit in my own splendor.
Wealth or pleasure,
Duty or discrimination,
Duality or nonduality,
What are they to me?
-Ashtavakra Gita 19:1-2
***
I swear by the glow of the sunset, by the night and all that the night brings to life, and by the full moon, that you will move from your present existence to a different existence.
-Qu'ran, Al-Inshiqaq, Surah 84:16-19
***
To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.
- Simone Weil, "The Need for Roots"
***
-St. Ignatius of Loyola
***
Without the rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
***
With the pincers of truth I have plucked
From the dark corners of my heart
The thorn of many judgments.
I sit in my own splendor.
Wealth or pleasure,
Duty or discrimination,
Duality or nonduality,
What are they to me?
-Ashtavakra Gita 19:1-2
***
I swear by the glow of the sunset, by the night and all that the night brings to life, and by the full moon, that you will move from your present existence to a different existence.
-Qu'ran, Al-Inshiqaq, Surah 84:16-19
***
To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.
- Simone Weil, "The Need for Roots"
***
Every gift, though it be small, is in reality great if given with affection.
-Pindar
***
The meek attract the Shekina, the proud...drive it away.
- Mekilta, based on the work of Ishmael b. Elisha
***
Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.
-Mother Teresa
***
You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
-Christopher Robin to Pooh
***
You are pure awareness.
The world is an illusion,
Nothing more.
When you understand this fully,
Desire falls away.
You find peace.
For indeed!
There is nothing.
-Ashtavakra Gita 15:17
***
If you have no eyes, do not walk blindly;
take a staff in your hand.
If you have no staff of insight,
do not walk without a guide.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Who finds a faithful friend finds a treasure.
- Ben Sira 6:14
***
Subhuti asked: "Is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? Is it unimaginable and totally unique but nevertheless reaching the unreachable and attaining the unattainable?"
The Buddha replied: "Yes, Subhuti, it is exactly so. And why is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? It is because all its points of reference cannot be thought about but can be apprehended. One is the disappearance of the self-conscious person into pure presence. Another is the knowing of the essenceless essence of all things in the world. And another is luminous knowledge that knows without a knower. None of these points can sustain ordinary thought because they are not objects or subjects. They can't be imagined or touched or approached in any way by any ordinary mode of consciousness, therefore they are beyond thinking."
-Prajnaparamita
-Pindar
***
The meek attract the Shekina, the proud...drive it away.
- Mekilta, based on the work of Ishmael b. Elisha
***
Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.
-Mother Teresa
***
You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
-Christopher Robin to Pooh
***
You are pure awareness.
The world is an illusion,
Nothing more.
When you understand this fully,
Desire falls away.
You find peace.
For indeed!
There is nothing.
-Ashtavakra Gita 15:17
***
If you have no eyes, do not walk blindly;
take a staff in your hand.
If you have no staff of insight,
do not walk without a guide.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Who finds a faithful friend finds a treasure.
- Ben Sira 6:14
***
Subhuti asked: "Is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? Is it unimaginable and totally unique but nevertheless reaching the unreachable and attaining the unattainable?"
The Buddha replied: "Yes, Subhuti, it is exactly so. And why is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? It is because all its points of reference cannot be thought about but can be apprehended. One is the disappearance of the self-conscious person into pure presence. Another is the knowing of the essenceless essence of all things in the world. And another is luminous knowledge that knows without a knower. None of these points can sustain ordinary thought because they are not objects or subjects. They can't be imagined or touched or approached in any way by any ordinary mode of consciousness, therefore they are beyond thinking."
-Prajnaparamita
Let us practice the fine art of making every work a priestly ministration. Let us believe that God is in all our simple deeds and learn to find him there.
-A.W. Tozer
***
Whenever you see darkness, there is extraordinary opportunity for the light to burn brighter.
-Bono
***
Where there is separateness, one sees
another, smells another, tastes another,
speaks to another, hears another, touches
another, thinks of another, knows another.
But where there is unity, one without a
second, that is the world of Brahman. This is
the supreme goal of life, the supreme treasure,
the supreme joy. Those who do not seek this
Supreme goal live on but a fraction of this joy.
-Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
***
I seek refuge in Allah from knowledge that brings no wisdom, from a heart that lacks kindness, from desires that bring discontent, and from supplications that go unanswered.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
The Second Temple was destroyed because of causeless hatred. Perhaps the Third will be rebuilt because of causeless love.
- Rav Abraham Isaac Kook
***
Just as the word chariot is merely a means of expressing how axle, body, wheel, and poles are brought together in a certain relationship, but when we look at each of them one by one there is no chariot in an absolute sense; and just as the word house is a way of expressing how wood and other materials stand in relationship to each other in a certain space, but in the absolute sense there is no house; and just as the word fist is an expression for the finger and thumb in relationship, and tree for trunk, branches, leaves, and so on, but in an absolute sense there is no fist or tree--in exactly the same way the words living entity and person are but ways of expressing the relationship of body, feeling, and consciousness, but when we come to examine the elements of being, one by one, we find there is no entity there. In the absolute sense there is only name and form and the mystery which they express. Such ideas as "I" and "I am" are not absolute.
-Visuddhi Magga
-A.W. Tozer
***
Whenever you see darkness, there is extraordinary opportunity for the light to burn brighter.
-Bono
***
Where there is separateness, one sees
another, smells another, tastes another,
speaks to another, hears another, touches
another, thinks of another, knows another.
But where there is unity, one without a
second, that is the world of Brahman. This is
the supreme goal of life, the supreme treasure,
the supreme joy. Those who do not seek this
Supreme goal live on but a fraction of this joy.
-Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
***
I seek refuge in Allah from knowledge that brings no wisdom, from a heart that lacks kindness, from desires that bring discontent, and from supplications that go unanswered.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
The Second Temple was destroyed because of causeless hatred. Perhaps the Third will be rebuilt because of causeless love.
- Rav Abraham Isaac Kook
***
Just as the word chariot is merely a means of expressing how axle, body, wheel, and poles are brought together in a certain relationship, but when we look at each of them one by one there is no chariot in an absolute sense; and just as the word house is a way of expressing how wood and other materials stand in relationship to each other in a certain space, but in the absolute sense there is no house; and just as the word fist is an expression for the finger and thumb in relationship, and tree for trunk, branches, leaves, and so on, but in an absolute sense there is no fist or tree--in exactly the same way the words living entity and person are but ways of expressing the relationship of body, feeling, and consciousness, but when we come to examine the elements of being, one by one, we find there is no entity there. In the absolute sense there is only name and form and the mystery which they express. Such ideas as "I" and "I am" are not absolute.
-Visuddhi Magga
No clever arrangement of bad eggs will make a good omelet.
-C.S. Lewis
**
You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
-Unknown (submitted by prcincyta)
***
We call [the holiday] the Festival of Lights, giving this name to it, I think, from the fact that the right to worship appeared to us [like a flash of light] at a time when we hardly dared hope for it.
- Josephus, Jewish Antiquities
***
Have patience; Allah does not deny the reward of the righteous.
-Qur'an, Hud, Surah 11:115
***
Restraint with the eye is good,
good is restraint with the ear.
Restraint with the nose is good,
good is restraint with the tongue.
Restraint with the body is good,
good is restraint with speech.
Restraint with the heart is good,
good is restraint everywhere.
A monk everywhere restrained
is released from all suffering & stress.
-Dhammapada, 25, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-C.S. Lewis
**
You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
-Unknown (submitted by prcincyta)
***
We call [the holiday] the Festival of Lights, giving this name to it, I think, from the fact that the right to worship appeared to us [like a flash of light] at a time when we hardly dared hope for it.
- Josephus, Jewish Antiquities
***
Have patience; Allah does not deny the reward of the righteous.
-Qur'an, Hud, Surah 11:115
***
Restraint with the eye is good,
good is restraint with the ear.
Restraint with the nose is good,
good is restraint with the tongue.
Restraint with the body is good,
good is restraint with speech.
Restraint with the heart is good,
good is restraint everywhere.
A monk everywhere restrained
is released from all suffering & stress.
-Dhammapada, 25, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first.
-George Matthew Adams
***
The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.
-Lady Bird Johnson
***
A learned man's learning shines the brightest
among luminaries capable of critiquing his language.
Speaking to an audience of thinking men
is like watering a bed of growing plants.
-Tirukkural 72: 717-718
***
The lasting achievement of the Maccabees was not that they won a war but that they rekindled the light of hope in Jewish hearts and saved the faith of monotheism from defeat.
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, 1997
***
Since man is made of clay, he can never be completely pure. Since clay is basically foul, how can humans escape their basic nature? Purity does not lie in rituals, nor can human nature be changed by effort. Those who love God and remain conscious only of their Beloved attain purity.
-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al Mahjub"
***
Just as vessels made of clay by a potter all have breaking as their end, so is the life of mortals.
-Sutta Nipata
-George Matthew Adams
***
The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.
-Lady Bird Johnson
***
A learned man's learning shines the brightest
among luminaries capable of critiquing his language.
Speaking to an audience of thinking men
is like watering a bed of growing plants.
-Tirukkural 72: 717-718
***
The lasting achievement of the Maccabees was not that they won a war but that they rekindled the light of hope in Jewish hearts and saved the faith of monotheism from defeat.
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, 1997
***
Since man is made of clay, he can never be completely pure. Since clay is basically foul, how can humans escape their basic nature? Purity does not lie in rituals, nor can human nature be changed by effort. Those who love God and remain conscious only of their Beloved attain purity.
-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al Mahjub"
***
Just as vessels made of clay by a potter all have breaking as their end, so is the life of mortals.
-Sutta Nipata
I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.
-Louisa May Alcott
***
This supreme Self is without a beginning, undifferentiated, deathless. Though it dwells in the body, Arjuna, it neither acts nor is touched by action. As akasha pervades the cosmos but remains unstained, the Self can never be tainted though it dwells in every creature.
-Bhagavad Gita 13:31-32
***
Muhammad now felt compelled to speak openly about the divine revelations he had received. At first people were friendly, listening attentively to what he said; and some were quickly convinced by him. But when he disparaged their ancient gods, most took grave offence; they resolved to regard Muhammad as an enemy, and to treat his followers with contempt. Muhammad was distressed at their reaction, but refused to be deterred from obeying God's command. And Abu Talib, Muhammad's uncle, tried to protect him.
-Ibn Ishaq, "The Life of Muhammad"
***
The answer to the simple question Mai Hanukkah?--What is Hanukkah?--has continued to be like the flickering flame of the menorah. The flame never looks the same from one instant to the next, but at its core it remains unchanged.
- Rabbi Michael Strassfeld
***
Keep on pondering, and suddenly the flower of mind will bloom with enlightenment, illuminating the whole universe.
This can be called getting it in the mind, responding to it in action. Thereupon you can turn the earth into gold and churn the rivers into cream. Wouldn't that make life exhilarating?
-Chien-ju
-Louisa May Alcott
***
This supreme Self is without a beginning, undifferentiated, deathless. Though it dwells in the body, Arjuna, it neither acts nor is touched by action. As akasha pervades the cosmos but remains unstained, the Self can never be tainted though it dwells in every creature.
-Bhagavad Gita 13:31-32
***
Muhammad now felt compelled to speak openly about the divine revelations he had received. At first people were friendly, listening attentively to what he said; and some were quickly convinced by him. But when he disparaged their ancient gods, most took grave offence; they resolved to regard Muhammad as an enemy, and to treat his followers with contempt. Muhammad was distressed at their reaction, but refused to be deterred from obeying God's command. And Abu Talib, Muhammad's uncle, tried to protect him.
-Ibn Ishaq, "The Life of Muhammad"
***
The answer to the simple question Mai Hanukkah?--What is Hanukkah?--has continued to be like the flickering flame of the menorah. The flame never looks the same from one instant to the next, but at its core it remains unchanged.
- Rabbi Michael Strassfeld
***
Keep on pondering, and suddenly the flower of mind will bloom with enlightenment, illuminating the whole universe.
This can be called getting it in the mind, responding to it in action. Thereupon you can turn the earth into gold and churn the rivers into cream. Wouldn't that make life exhilarating?
-Chien-ju
Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
***
Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?
-Sai Baba
***
He reveals His portents to you and sends down sustenance for you from the sky. Yet none pay heed save those who turn to Him repentant. Therefore worship your Lord and none other but Him, however much the non-believers be averse.
-Qur'an, Ghafir, Surah 40:13-14
***
They're addicted to heedlessness
—dullards, fools—
while one who is wise
cherishes heedfulness
as his highest wealth.
-Dhammapada, 2, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
***
Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?
-Sai Baba
***
He reveals His portents to you and sends down sustenance for you from the sky. Yet none pay heed save those who turn to Him repentant. Therefore worship your Lord and none other but Him, however much the non-believers be averse.
-Qur'an, Ghafir, Surah 40:13-14
***
They're addicted to heedlessness
—dullards, fools—
while one who is wise
cherishes heedfulness
as his highest wealth.
-Dhammapada, 2, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
-Roy L. Smith
***
You don't just luck into things...You build step by step, whether it's friendships or opportunities.
-Barbara Bush
***
Those who see all creatures in themselves
And themselves in all creatures know no fear.
Those who see all creatures in themselves
And themselves in all creatures know no grief.
How can the multiplicity of life
Delude the one who sees its unity?
-Isha Upanishad
***
On Hanukkah the freeing of the Jewish soul is represented with eight days of candle lighting.
- Rabbi Goldie Milgram
***
When the ocean of Mercy begins to foam,
even stones drink the water of life.
The face of earth becomes lush green,
the dead wood springs to life,
the lamb and the wolf together play,
the despairing becomes valiant and strong.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Many people are afraid to empty their minds lest they may plunge into the Void. They do not know that their own Mind is the Void. The ignorant eschew phenomena but not thought; the wise eschew thought but not phenomena.
-Huang Po, "Zen Teaching of Huang Po"
***
-Roy L. Smith
***
You don't just luck into things...You build step by step, whether it's friendships or opportunities.
-Barbara Bush
***
Those who see all creatures in themselves
And themselves in all creatures know no fear.
Those who see all creatures in themselves
And themselves in all creatures know no grief.
How can the multiplicity of life
Delude the one who sees its unity?
-Isha Upanishad
***
On Hanukkah the freeing of the Jewish soul is represented with eight days of candle lighting.
- Rabbi Goldie Milgram
***
When the ocean of Mercy begins to foam,
even stones drink the water of life.
The face of earth becomes lush green,
the dead wood springs to life,
the lamb and the wolf together play,
the despairing becomes valiant and strong.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
Many people are afraid to empty their minds lest they may plunge into the Void. They do not know that their own Mind is the Void. The ignorant eschew phenomena but not thought; the wise eschew thought but not phenomena.
-Huang Po, "Zen Teaching of Huang Po"
***
This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ.
-Frank McKibben
***
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
-Carl Jung
***
Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth,
For material wealth is possessed by even contemptible men.
Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion.
For if the various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to liberation.
-Tirukkural 25: 241-242
***
When our sense of hope and change darkens, we think ourselves helpless; but then as we light the candles we remember the Maccabees and the Rabbis, who faced a power much greater than their own.
- Rabbi Shefa Gold
***
Jubilant are they [the martyrs] because of the grace Allah bestowed upon them, rejoicing in the glad tidings given to those who were left behind and have not yet joined them, that they need have no fear, neither shall they grieve.
-The Family of ‘Imran 3:170
***
Sitting peacefully on a cushion day and night seeking to attain Buddhahood, rejecting life and death in hopes of realizing enlightenment, is all like a monkey grasping at the moon reflected in the water.
-Shoitsu
***
-Frank McKibben
***
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
-Carl Jung
***
Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth,
For material wealth is possessed by even contemptible men.
Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion.
For if the various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to liberation.
-Tirukkural 25: 241-242
***
When our sense of hope and change darkens, we think ourselves helpless; but then as we light the candles we remember the Maccabees and the Rabbis, who faced a power much greater than their own.
- Rabbi Shefa Gold
***
Jubilant are they [the martyrs] because of the grace Allah bestowed upon them, rejoicing in the glad tidings given to those who were left behind and have not yet joined them, that they need have no fear, neither shall they grieve.
-The Family of ‘Imran 3:170
***
Sitting peacefully on a cushion day and night seeking to attain Buddhahood, rejecting life and death in hopes of realizing enlightenment, is all like a monkey grasping at the moon reflected in the water.
-Shoitsu
***
Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.
-Unknown
***
Whatever befalls him,
He is always happy.
He wanders where he will.
And wherever he finds himself
When the sun sets,
There he lies down to rest.
He does not care if the body lives or dies.
He is so firmly set in his own being,
He rises above the round of birth and death.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:85-86
***
With blessings of light, of hope, of peace, of spirit--we bring not might, not power, but the Breath of Life.
- Rabbi Arthur Waskow
***
Every good deed is charity whether you come to your brother's assistance or just greet him with a smile.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Ja'bir bin Abd'Allah
***
This mind is like a fish out of water that thrashes and throws itself about, its thoughts following each of its cravings.
Such a wandering mind is weak and unsteady, attracted here, there and everywhere. How good it is to control it and know the happiness of freedom.
-Dhammapada
-Unknown
***
Whatever befalls him,
He is always happy.
He wanders where he will.
And wherever he finds himself
When the sun sets,
There he lies down to rest.
He does not care if the body lives or dies.
He is so firmly set in his own being,
He rises above the round of birth and death.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:85-86
***
With blessings of light, of hope, of peace, of spirit--we bring not might, not power, but the Breath of Life.
- Rabbi Arthur Waskow
***
Every good deed is charity whether you come to your brother's assistance or just greet him with a smile.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Ja'bir bin Abd'Allah
***
This mind is like a fish out of water that thrashes and throws itself about, its thoughts following each of its cravings.
Such a wandering mind is weak and unsteady, attracted here, there and everywhere. How good it is to control it and know the happiness of freedom.
-Dhammapada
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
-Norman Vincent Peale
***
No pressure, no diamonds.
-Mary Case
***
The Self is hidden in the lotus of the heart.
Those who see themselves in all the creatures go
day by day into the world of Brahman hidden
in the heart. Established in peace, they rise
above body consciousness to the supreme
light of the Self. Immortal, free from fear, this
Self is Brahman, called the True. Beyond the
mortal and the immortal, he binds both worlds
together. Those who know this live day after
day in heaven in this very life.
-Chandogya Upanishad
***
Rock of Ages, let our song
Praise Your saving power;
Thou, amidst the raging foes,
Was our sheltering tower.
- "Rock of Ages," a traditional Hanukkah song written by a poet named Mordechai. (13th century C.E.)
***
Someone who is about to admonish another must realize within himself five qualities before doing so [that he may be able to say], thus:
"In due season will I speak, not out of season. In truth I will speak, not in falsehood. Gently will I speak, not harshly. To his profit will I speak, not to his loss. With kindly intent will I speak, not in anger."
-"Vinaya Pitaka," translated by F.S. Woodward
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
***
-Norman Vincent Peale
***
No pressure, no diamonds.
-Mary Case
***
The Self is hidden in the lotus of the heart.
Those who see themselves in all the creatures go
day by day into the world of Brahman hidden
in the heart. Established in peace, they rise
above body consciousness to the supreme
light of the Self. Immortal, free from fear, this
Self is Brahman, called the True. Beyond the
mortal and the immortal, he binds both worlds
together. Those who know this live day after
day in heaven in this very life.
-Chandogya Upanishad
***
Rock of Ages, let our song
Praise Your saving power;
Thou, amidst the raging foes,
Was our sheltering tower.
- "Rock of Ages," a traditional Hanukkah song written by a poet named Mordechai. (13th century C.E.)
***
Someone who is about to admonish another must realize within himself five qualities before doing so [that he may be able to say], thus:
"In due season will I speak, not out of season. In truth I will speak, not in falsehood. Gently will I speak, not harshly. To his profit will I speak, not to his loss. With kindly intent will I speak, not in anger."
-"Vinaya Pitaka," translated by F.S. Woodward
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
***
For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is "hurry." And yet...the hour comes when the rushing ends and...Christmas itself is eternal.
-Burton Hills
***
What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.
-Mother Teresa
***
Through constant efforts over many cycles, a person becomes purified of all selfish desires and attains the supreme goal of life.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:45
***
We should study; Judaism has always insisted that knowledge has the power not only to make people smart but to make them good...
- Rabbi Harold Kushner
***
Strengthen me, my lord,
for I am overcome with feebleness.
Ennoble me once more,
for I have been cast down.
Sustain me, Lord,
for I am impoverished.
-From the prayer book, "Al-Hizbul-A'zam"
***
Subhuti asked: "How can the practitioner who wishes to help all beings find enlightenment awaken to the complete and perfect wisdom?"
The Buddha said: "This most subtle awakening comes about through moment-to-moment attentiveness. By way of attentiveness, there is attunement to the ways in which things manifest, such as form and consciousness. The practitioner awakens to perfect wisdom by becoming blissfully free from obsessions with habits, names, sense experiences, personal feelings, and with dread of dying and all the despair that goes with it."
-Prajnaparamita
-Burton Hills
***
What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.
-Mother Teresa
***
Through constant efforts over many cycles, a person becomes purified of all selfish desires and attains the supreme goal of life.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:45
***
We should study; Judaism has always insisted that knowledge has the power not only to make people smart but to make them good...
- Rabbi Harold Kushner
***
Strengthen me, my lord,
for I am overcome with feebleness.
Ennoble me once more,
for I have been cast down.
Sustain me, Lord,
for I am impoverished.
-From the prayer book, "Al-Hizbul-A'zam"
***
Subhuti asked: "How can the practitioner who wishes to help all beings find enlightenment awaken to the complete and perfect wisdom?"
The Buddha said: "This most subtle awakening comes about through moment-to-moment attentiveness. By way of attentiveness, there is attunement to the ways in which things manifest, such as form and consciousness. The practitioner awakens to perfect wisdom by becoming blissfully free from obsessions with habits, names, sense experiences, personal feelings, and with dread of dying and all the despair that goes with it."
-Prajnaparamita
[W]ith light and joy pouring out of Heaven like water through a broken dam, [the angels] began to shout and sing the message that baby Jesus had been born. The world had a Savior! The angels called it "Good News," and it was.
-Larry Libby
***
The sage Vamadeva declared of old:
"While dwelling in the womb I understood
The birth of all the gods. A hundred forms,
Strong as steel, held me prisoner. But I
Broke loose from them, like a hawk from the cage,
And came out swiftly." While still in the womb,
Vamaveda made this declaration.
He emerged from his mother's womb, fully
Illuminated, to live in abiding joy,
And went beyond death. Indeed
He went beyond death.
-Aitareya Upanishad
Excerpted from
***
Give your life for that cup of divine wisdom. How can you succeed without endurance and patience? To wait for the sake of that cup is no hardship. Show patience, for patience is the key to joy.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
We cannot learn from general principles: there may be exceptions.
- Johanan, Talmud: Kiddushin
-Larry Libby
***
The sage Vamadeva declared of old:
"While dwelling in the womb I understood
The birth of all the gods. A hundred forms,
Strong as steel, held me prisoner. But I
Broke loose from them, like a hawk from the cage,
And came out swiftly." While still in the womb,
Vamaveda made this declaration.
He emerged from his mother's womb, fully
Illuminated, to live in abiding joy,
And went beyond death. Indeed
He went beyond death.
-Aitareya Upanishad
Excerpted from
***
Give your life for that cup of divine wisdom. How can you succeed without endurance and patience? To wait for the sake of that cup is no hardship. Show patience, for patience is the key to joy.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
We cannot learn from general principles: there may be exceptions.
- Johanan, Talmud: Kiddushin
Age has given me the gift of me, it just gave me what I was always longing for, which was to get to be the woman I’ve already dreamt of being.
-Anne Lamott
***
Self-trust is the first secret of success.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
***
As the intense fire of the furnace
refines gold to brilliancy, so does
The burning suffering of austerity
purify the soul to resplendence.
-Tirukkural 27:267
***
When I was young I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
- Abraham Joshua Heschel
***
Praise be to Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who appointed the angels with two, three, and four wings as His messengers. He may multiply what He wills, for He has power over all things. Once the gates of His mercy have opened, none can withhold it, but should He decide to withhold it, none has the power to release it thereafter. Allah is the Most Powerful and Wise.
-Qur'an, Fatir, Surah 35:1-2
-Anne Lamott
***
Self-trust is the first secret of success.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
***
As the intense fire of the furnace
refines gold to brilliancy, so does
The burning suffering of austerity
purify the soul to resplendence.
-Tirukkural 27:267
***
When I was young I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
- Abraham Joshua Heschel
***
Praise be to Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who appointed the angels with two, three, and four wings as His messengers. He may multiply what He wills, for He has power over all things. Once the gates of His mercy have opened, none can withhold it, but should He decide to withhold it, none has the power to release it thereafter. Allah is the Most Powerful and Wise.
-Qur'an, Fatir, Surah 35:1-2
How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing...it is irresistible. If even 10 percent of the world’s population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before the year’s end?
-C.S. Lewis
***
Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.
-Sandra Carey
***
Freedom is that triumphant state of consciousness that is beyond the influence of desire. The mind ceases to thirst for anything it has seen or heard of; even what is promised in the scriptures.
And supreme freedom is that complete liberation from the world of change that comes of knowing the unbound Self.
-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:15-16
***
When a thief has nothing to steal, he regards his "virtue" as real.
- Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 22a
***
Seek self-discipline with all your soul. Devote yourself to worship and save your soul. Be grateful that God gave you the gift of self-discipline, for you had no power over it. He inspired it within you with the command, "Be!"
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
There is a difference between watching the mind and controlling the mind. Watching the mind with a gentle, open attitude allows the mind to settle down and come to rest. Trying to control the mind, or trying to control the way one's spiritual practice will unfold, just stirs up more agitation and suffering.
-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness"
-C.S. Lewis
***
Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.
-Sandra Carey
***
Freedom is that triumphant state of consciousness that is beyond the influence of desire. The mind ceases to thirst for anything it has seen or heard of; even what is promised in the scriptures.
And supreme freedom is that complete liberation from the world of change that comes of knowing the unbound Self.
-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:15-16
***
When a thief has nothing to steal, he regards his "virtue" as real.
- Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 22a
***
Seek self-discipline with all your soul. Devote yourself to worship and save your soul. Be grateful that God gave you the gift of self-discipline, for you had no power over it. He inspired it within you with the command, "Be!"
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
There is a difference between watching the mind and controlling the mind. Watching the mind with a gentle, open attitude allows the mind to settle down and come to rest. Trying to control the mind, or trying to control the way one's spiritual practice will unfold, just stirs up more agitation and suffering.
-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness"