In the hour of grief you turn to Him;
when grief departs you transgress.
In adversity you moan entreating Him;
when ease returns you turn away.
Those who know God remain steady,
but those who doubt exult at times
and become despondent at others.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first.
-George Matthew Adams
***
Just as a monkey roaming through the forest grabs hold of one branch, lets that go and grabs another, then lets go and grabs still another, so too that which is called "mind" and "mentality" and "consciousness" arises as one thing and ceases as another by day and by night.
-Buddha, "The Connected Discourses of the Buddha"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001
***
Those who renounce attachment in all their deeds live content in the "city of nine gates," the body, as its master. They are not driven to act, nor do they involve others in action.
-Bhagavad Gita 5:13
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
It is better for my enemy to see good in me than for me to see evil in him.
- Yiddish proverb
As cited in "Jewish Wisdom" by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.
Quote
-
Guest
If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don?t, you have achieved half your failure.
-David V.A. Ambrose
***
Observe how the life of this world deceives those around you. It lures them into the traps of vanity, wealth, and fame, and exalts them above others. This splendor blinds them, and they are lost forever in illusion. But then in one instant, life deals the blow of death, and all is gone, and with the Beguiler it stands laughing at their sad end. So overcome your egos that you may be saved from the snares that devoured kings and paupers alike.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
God does not work by only one method, paint in only one color, play in only one key, nor does He make only one star shine onto the earth.
-Eberhard Arnold
***
One sees pleasure as suffering
And sees pain as a dart.
One sees as impermanent the peaceful feeling
That is neither pleasant nor painful.
Such a bhikkhu who sees rightly
Is thereby well released.
Accomplished in knowledge, at peace,
That sage has overcome all bonds.
-Itivuttaka
***
If a man considers that he is born, he cannot avoid the fear of death. Let him find out if he has been born or if the Self has any birth. He will discover that the Self always exists, that the body that is born resolves itself into thought and that the emergence of thought is the root of all mischief. Find from where thoughts emerge. Then you will be able to abide in the ever-present inmost Self and be free from the idea of birth or the fear of death.
-Ramana Maharshi
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
-David V.A. Ambrose
***
Observe how the life of this world deceives those around you. It lures them into the traps of vanity, wealth, and fame, and exalts them above others. This splendor blinds them, and they are lost forever in illusion. But then in one instant, life deals the blow of death, and all is gone, and with the Beguiler it stands laughing at their sad end. So overcome your egos that you may be saved from the snares that devoured kings and paupers alike.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
God does not work by only one method, paint in only one color, play in only one key, nor does He make only one star shine onto the earth.
-Eberhard Arnold
***
One sees pleasure as suffering
And sees pain as a dart.
One sees as impermanent the peaceful feeling
That is neither pleasant nor painful.
Such a bhikkhu who sees rightly
Is thereby well released.
Accomplished in knowledge, at peace,
That sage has overcome all bonds.
-Itivuttaka
***
If a man considers that he is born, he cannot avoid the fear of death. Let him find out if he has been born or if the Self has any birth. He will discover that the Self always exists, that the body that is born resolves itself into thought and that the emergence of thought is the root of all mischief. Find from where thoughts emerge. Then you will be able to abide in the ever-present inmost Self and be free from the idea of birth or the fear of death.
-Ramana Maharshi
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
-
Guest
Persevere, have faith in His benevolence.
Through afflictions God only tests your faith;
He is completely aware of your condition.
Have patience and wait for the divine decree.
Do not become like the foolish laborer
who is removed from the king's palace
for demanding his wages ahead of time.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah," translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed
***
He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
-Roy L. Smith
***
If there's no wound on the hand,
that hand can hold poison.
Poison won't penetrate
where there's no wound.
There's no evil
for those who don't do it.
-Dhammapada, 9, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
The deeper a sand-well is dug the freer is its flow of water.
Even so, the deeper a man's learning the greater is his wisdom.
-Tirukkural 40:396
Excerpted from the Tirukkural, translated by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
***
It is good to give thanks unto the Lord.
- Psalms 92:2
***
We can do no great things --only small things with great love.
-Mother Teresa (submitted by Leander72)
Through afflictions God only tests your faith;
He is completely aware of your condition.
Have patience and wait for the divine decree.
Do not become like the foolish laborer
who is removed from the king's palace
for demanding his wages ahead of time.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah," translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed
***
He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
-Roy L. Smith
***
If there's no wound on the hand,
that hand can hold poison.
Poison won't penetrate
where there's no wound.
There's no evil
for those who don't do it.
-Dhammapada, 9, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
The deeper a sand-well is dug the freer is its flow of water.
Even so, the deeper a man's learning the greater is his wisdom.
-Tirukkural 40:396
Excerpted from the Tirukkural, translated by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
***
It is good to give thanks unto the Lord.
- Psalms 92:2
***
We can do no great things --only small things with great love.
-Mother Teresa (submitted by Leander72)
-
Guest
God created you out of dust, which he formed into a tiny seed. He divided you into two sexes. No woman conceives or gives birth without his knowledge. No one grows old, or dies young, except in accordance with his decree. Every action is easy for God.
-Qur'an, Fatir, 35:11
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
Plunge boldly into the Beyond, then be free wherever you are.
-Shoitsu
From "The Pocket Zen Reader,"
***
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
***
When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it?s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly.
-Edward Teller
-Qur'an, Fatir, 35:11
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
Plunge boldly into the Beyond, then be free wherever you are.
-Shoitsu
From "The Pocket Zen Reader,"
***
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
***
When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it?s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly.
-Edward Teller
-
Guest
They possess free will and confinement alike. Like raindrops they become pearls inside the oyster shell. Mere raindrops outside the shell, inside they become precious pearls.
-Rumi, "The Life and Thought of Rumi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
If you do not hope, you will not find out what is beyond your hopes.
-Clement of Alexandria
***
Take heed that when effort is too strenuous it leads to strain and when too slack to laziness. So make a firm determination that you will adopt the middle way, not allowing yourself to struggle or to slacken, but recognizing that faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom are the fruits of a calm and equable way.
-Theragatha
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:32
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
On Hanukkah the freeing of the Jewish soul is represented with eight days of candle lighting.
- Rabbi Goldie Milgram
***
Give to your secret angel what she has bestowed upon you: smiles and laughter, charm, honesty, and integrity.
- Suzanne Siegel Zenkel,
"Your Secret Angel"
***
If you think education is expensive - try ignorance.
-Derek Bok
-Rumi, "The Life and Thought of Rumi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
If you do not hope, you will not find out what is beyond your hopes.
-Clement of Alexandria
***
Take heed that when effort is too strenuous it leads to strain and when too slack to laziness. So make a firm determination that you will adopt the middle way, not allowing yourself to struggle or to slacken, but recognizing that faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom are the fruits of a calm and equable way.
-Theragatha
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:32
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
On Hanukkah the freeing of the Jewish soul is represented with eight days of candle lighting.
- Rabbi Goldie Milgram
***
Give to your secret angel what she has bestowed upon you: smiles and laughter, charm, honesty, and integrity.
- Suzanne Siegel Zenkel,
"Your Secret Angel"
***
If you think education is expensive - try ignorance.
-Derek Bok
-
Guest
God's light is found in temples which he has allowed to be built. In these temples men and women constantly remember his name; and every morning and evening they sing his praises. Neither business nor profit can distract these people from remembering God, from offering prayers to him, or from giving generously to the poor.
-Qur'an, Al-Nour, Surah 24:36-37
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
Faith is not being sure where you?re going, but going anyway. A journey without maps.
-Frederick Buechner
***
The person who tells a lie,
who transgresses in this one thing,
transcending concern for the world beyond:
there's no evil
he might not do.
-Dhammapada, 176, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
Being touched by one's children is a delight to the body,
And listening to them chatter is a joy to the ear.
-Tirukkural 65
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
-Qur'an, Al-Nour, Surah 24:36-37
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
Faith is not being sure where you?re going, but going anyway. A journey without maps.
-Frederick Buechner
***
The person who tells a lie,
who transgresses in this one thing,
transcending concern for the world beyond:
there's no evil
he might not do.
-Dhammapada, 176, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
Being touched by one's children is a delight to the body,
And listening to them chatter is a joy to the ear.
-Tirukkural 65
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
-
Guest
The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it to others.
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Uthman bin Affan
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
To guard your home by mysterious ceremonies is not enough, you must guard it by good deeds. With good deeds you should turn to your parents in the east, your teachers in the south, your wife and children in the west and your friends in the north. Above you, worship the spirit, and below you, honor all that serve you.
-Majjhima Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
[The] process of surrender - this movement full speed astern - is repentance.
-C.S. Lewis
***
With blessings of light, of hope, of peace, of spirit--we bring not might, not power, but the Breath of Life.
- Rabbi Arthur Waskow
***
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Uthman bin Affan
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
To guard your home by mysterious ceremonies is not enough, you must guard it by good deeds. With good deeds you should turn to your parents in the east, your teachers in the south, your wife and children in the west and your friends in the north. Above you, worship the spirit, and below you, honor all that serve you.
-Majjhima Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
[The] process of surrender - this movement full speed astern - is repentance.
-C.S. Lewis
***
With blessings of light, of hope, of peace, of spirit--we bring not might, not power, but the Breath of Life.
- Rabbi Arthur Waskow
***
-
Guest
The saints are My children in exile,
torn away from My dominion and glory.
Despised and alone they endure their trials;
in secret I am their intimate friend.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Kindness is Christianity with its working clothes on.
-Unknown
***
The more you practice the three trainings of ethics, meditation, and wisdom, the more difficult it will become for you to act in a way that is contrary to an ethical, compassionate attitude. Ethics arise naturally out of contemplating the three trainings.
-Martine Batchelor, "Meditation for Life"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001
***
torn away from My dominion and glory.
Despised and alone they endure their trials;
in secret I am their intimate friend.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Kindness is Christianity with its working clothes on.
-Unknown
***
The more you practice the three trainings of ethics, meditation, and wisdom, the more difficult it will become for you to act in a way that is contrary to an ethical, compassionate attitude. Ethics arise naturally out of contemplating the three trainings.
-Martine Batchelor, "Meditation for Life"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001
***
-
Guest
Seek what you wish from God, not from men.
Be satisfied in joy; there is honor therein.
On friends and relatives be not a burden.
Rich is he who hopes from God, not from men.
-Al-Ghazzali, "Ihya Ulum Id-Din"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing?a grateful heart!
-George Herbert
***
Don't wave lights and incense, or offer flowers and food. He is found effortlessly when worshipped through self-realization alone.
-Maharamayana
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
Never "for the sake of peace and quiet" deny your own experience or convictions.
-Dag Hammarskjold
Be satisfied in joy; there is honor therein.
On friends and relatives be not a burden.
Rich is he who hopes from God, not from men.
-Al-Ghazzali, "Ihya Ulum Id-Din"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing?a grateful heart!
-George Herbert
***
Don't wave lights and incense, or offer flowers and food. He is found effortlessly when worshipped through self-realization alone.
-Maharamayana
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
Never "for the sake of peace and quiet" deny your own experience or convictions.
-Dag Hammarskjold
-
Guest
Speech is a great blessing conferred on man by God, thereby distinguishing him from all other creatures. But speech like wine intoxicates the mind. Thus the Prophet said: "He who keeps silent shall be saved." For in silence are concealed many spiritual blessings and in speech many evils.
-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
****
Joy is to feel the doors of the self fly open into a wealth that is endless because none of it is ours and yet it all belongs to us.
-William Sloane Coffin
***
Turn away from mischief.
Again and again, turn away,
Before sorrow befalls you.
Set your heart on doing good.
Do it over and over again,
And you will be filled with joy.
-Dhammapada 117-118
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
If a man's kindred cleave to him with unfailing love,
His fortunes will never fail to flourish.
-Tirukkural 53:522
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
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
***
The family fireside is the best of schools.
-Arnold Glasgow
-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
****
Joy is to feel the doors of the self fly open into a wealth that is endless because none of it is ours and yet it all belongs to us.
-William Sloane Coffin
***
Turn away from mischief.
Again and again, turn away,
Before sorrow befalls you.
Set your heart on doing good.
Do it over and over again,
And you will be filled with joy.
-Dhammapada 117-118
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
If a man's kindred cleave to him with unfailing love,
His fortunes will never fail to flourish.
-Tirukkural 53:522
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
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
***
The family fireside is the best of schools.
-Arnold Glasgow
-
Guest
The names of God are the most excellent of all names. Therefore call on God by his names, and keep away from those who misuse his names, violating their sanctity; they will be punished for their sins.
-Qur'an, Al-A'raf, Surah 7:180
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
I don't know what the future holds; but I do know who holds the future.
-Unknown
***
The dharma that is taught and the dharma that is experienced are descriptions of how to live, how to use your life to wake you up rather than put you to sleep. And if you choose to spend the rest of your life trying to find out what awake means and what asleep means, I think you might attain enlightenment.
-Pema Chödrön, "Wisdom of No Escape"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations
***
I sit in my own radiance,
And I have no fear.
Walking,
Dreaming,
Sleeping,
What are they to me?
What is far or near,
Outside or inside,
Gross or subtle?
I sit in my own splendor.
-Ashtavakra Gita 19:5-6
From "The Heart of Awareness:
***
Rock of Ages, let our song
Praise Your saving power;
Thou, amidst the raging foes,
Was our sheltering tower.
From "Rock of Ages," (Hanukkah song), lyrics by Marcus Jastrow (1829-1903) and Gustav Gottheil (1827-1903)
***
There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
-Anais Nin
-Qur'an, Al-A'raf, Surah 7:180
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
I don't know what the future holds; but I do know who holds the future.
-Unknown
***
The dharma that is taught and the dharma that is experienced are descriptions of how to live, how to use your life to wake you up rather than put you to sleep. And if you choose to spend the rest of your life trying to find out what awake means and what asleep means, I think you might attain enlightenment.
-Pema Chödrön, "Wisdom of No Escape"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations
***
I sit in my own radiance,
And I have no fear.
Walking,
Dreaming,
Sleeping,
What are they to me?
What is far or near,
Outside or inside,
Gross or subtle?
I sit in my own splendor.
-Ashtavakra Gita 19:5-6
From "The Heart of Awareness:
***
Rock of Ages, let our song
Praise Your saving power;
Thou, amidst the raging foes,
Was our sheltering tower.
From "Rock of Ages," (Hanukkah song), lyrics by Marcus Jastrow (1829-1903) and Gustav Gottheil (1827-1903)
***
There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
-Anais Nin
-
Guest
To know your own illness is the proper remedy. When you repent you feel humility. That is the time to obey the Prophet?s command "Have mercy." Why do you presume to be safe and fortunate? Don?t you remember God?s solace, "Do not fear"?
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Look outward and be distressed,
Look inward and be depressed,
Look upward and be at rest.
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
The realm of reality is as vast as cosmic space; it is the knowing mind of sentient beings that is small. Just as long as you do not become egotistic and selfish, you will be ever sated with the spiritual food of nirvana.
-Pao-chih
From "The Pocket Zen Reader
***
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
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
A little light will dispel much darkness.
- Isaachar Eilenburg, Tzeda LaDerek
***
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Look outward and be distressed,
Look inward and be depressed,
Look upward and be at rest.
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
The realm of reality is as vast as cosmic space; it is the knowing mind of sentient beings that is small. Just as long as you do not become egotistic and selfish, you will be ever sated with the spiritual food of nirvana.
-Pao-chih
From "The Pocket Zen Reader
***
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
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
A little light will dispel much darkness.
- Isaachar Eilenburg, Tzeda LaDerek
***
-
Guest
Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.
-Alexis Carrel
***
Seek a true friend,
for a friend seeks the benefit of a friend,
Do good to the people for the sake of God
or for the peace of your own soul
that you may always see what is pure
and save your heart from the darkness of hate.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Even in the darkest moments of your life, God is still in charge.
-Marie T. Freeman
***
Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves. Consider, for example: a magician who cuts his body into many parts and places each part in a different region--hands in the south, arms in the east, legs in the north, and then by some miraculous power lets forth a cry which reassembles whole every part of his body. Mindfulness is like that--it is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.
-Thich Nhat Hanh, "Miracle of Mindfulness"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
Refuse not food to those who are hungry.
When you feed the hungry, you serve the Lord,
From whom is born every living creature.
Those who realize the Self within the heart
Stand firm, grow rich, gather a family
Around them, and receive the love of all.
-Taittriya Upanishad
From The Upanishads
***
To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.
-Unknown
-Alexis Carrel
***
Seek a true friend,
for a friend seeks the benefit of a friend,
Do good to the people for the sake of God
or for the peace of your own soul
that you may always see what is pure
and save your heart from the darkness of hate.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Even in the darkest moments of your life, God is still in charge.
-Marie T. Freeman
***
Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves. Consider, for example: a magician who cuts his body into many parts and places each part in a different region--hands in the south, arms in the east, legs in the north, and then by some miraculous power lets forth a cry which reassembles whole every part of his body. Mindfulness is like that--it is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.
-Thich Nhat Hanh, "Miracle of Mindfulness"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
Refuse not food to those who are hungry.
When you feed the hungry, you serve the Lord,
From whom is born every living creature.
Those who realize the Self within the heart
Stand firm, grow rich, gather a family
Around them, and receive the love of all.
-Taittriya Upanishad
From The Upanishads
***
To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.
-Unknown
-
Guest
Indeed the whole world is imagination.
Only He is the real in Reality.
Whoever understands this
knows the secrets of the spiritual path.
-Ibn 'Arabi, "Masters of the Path"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
When you face the perils of weariness, carelessness, and confusion, don't pray for an easier life. Pray instead to be a stronger man or woman of God.
-Luis Palau
***
All beings are by nature Buddha,
as ice by nature is water.
Apart from water there is no ice;
apart from beings, no Buddha.
-Hakuin Zenji, "Song of Zazen"
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
***
I was born from the nectar of immortality as the primordial horse and as Indra's noble elephant. Among men, I am the king.
Among weapons I am the thunderbolt. I am Kamadhuk, the cow that fulfills all desires; I am Kandarpa, the power of sex, and Vasuki, the king of snakes.
-Bhagavad Gita 10:27-28
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
When is prayer heard? When the soul is subdued.
- Yehuda Al-Harizi, Sefer Tahkemoni
***
Only He is the real in Reality.
Whoever understands this
knows the secrets of the spiritual path.
-Ibn 'Arabi, "Masters of the Path"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
When you face the perils of weariness, carelessness, and confusion, don't pray for an easier life. Pray instead to be a stronger man or woman of God.
-Luis Palau
***
All beings are by nature Buddha,
as ice by nature is water.
Apart from water there is no ice;
apart from beings, no Buddha.
-Hakuin Zenji, "Song of Zazen"
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
***
I was born from the nectar of immortality as the primordial horse and as Indra's noble elephant. Among men, I am the king.
Among weapons I am the thunderbolt. I am Kamadhuk, the cow that fulfills all desires; I am Kandarpa, the power of sex, and Vasuki, the king of snakes.
-Bhagavad Gita 10:27-28
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
When is prayer heard? When the soul is subdued.
- Yehuda Al-Harizi, Sefer Tahkemoni
***
-
Guest
God is knowledge; he is knowing; and he is being known. Since God has knowledge of his own essence, and since God is one, it follows that the essence of God is knowledge. And knowledge means that he knows himself, and is known by himself.
-Ibn Sina, "al-Risalat al-Arshiya"
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
The master shines.
He never says "mine."
Gold, stone, earth—
They are all the same to him.
He is not bound by sloth,
Nor consumed by his own activity.
He has severed the knots which bind his heart.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:88
From "The Heart of Awareness
***
We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same.
-Carlos Castaneda
-Ibn Sina, "al-Risalat al-Arshiya"
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
The master shines.
He never says "mine."
Gold, stone, earth—
They are all the same to him.
He is not bound by sloth,
Nor consumed by his own activity.
He has severed the knots which bind his heart.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:88
From "The Heart of Awareness
***
We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same.
-Carlos Castaneda
-
Guest
Lord! Do not cause our hearts to go astray after You have guided us on the right path. Bestow upon us the gift of Your divine benevolence. You alone can confer true Grace.
-Qur'an, Al-Imran, Surah 3:8
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Live the Dhamma well.
Don't live it badly.
One who lives the Dhamma
sleeps with ease
in this world & the next.
-Dhammapada, 13, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
The bonds that good men share, like good bound books,
Reveal new enjoyments at each new encounter.
The object of friendship is not merrymaking
But a stern rebuking when friends go astray.
It is not constant meeting and companionship
But mutual sensibilities that confer the alliance of friendship.
Friendship is not seen on a friendly face,
But felt deep within a friendly heart.
-Tirukkural, 79:783-86
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
With faith, there are no questions; without faith there are no answers.
- The Chofetz Chaim
-Qur'an, Al-Imran, Surah 3:8
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Live the Dhamma well.
Don't live it badly.
One who lives the Dhamma
sleeps with ease
in this world & the next.
-Dhammapada, 13, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
The bonds that good men share, like good bound books,
Reveal new enjoyments at each new encounter.
The object of friendship is not merrymaking
But a stern rebuking when friends go astray.
It is not constant meeting and companionship
But mutual sensibilities that confer the alliance of friendship.
Friendship is not seen on a friendly face,
But felt deep within a friendly heart.
-Tirukkural, 79:783-86
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
With faith, there are no questions; without faith there are no answers.
- The Chofetz Chaim
-
Guest
Kindness is wisdom.
-Philip James Bailey
***
Abdullah, Muhammad's father, died while Amina was pregnant.
Muhammad was born in the year of the elephant. Amina sent a message to Muhammad's paternal grandfather to inform him of the birth, inviting him to come and look at the baby. When the grandfather arrived, Amina told him of the voice she had heard while she was pregnant. The grandfather took the baby to the Kaba, the shrine in the centre of Mecca, and gave thanks to God for this gift.
-Ibn Ishaq, "The Life of Muhammad"
***
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.
-St. Augustine of Hippo
***
Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
***
-Philip James Bailey
***
Abdullah, Muhammad's father, died while Amina was pregnant.
Muhammad was born in the year of the elephant. Amina sent a message to Muhammad's paternal grandfather to inform him of the birth, inviting him to come and look at the baby. When the grandfather arrived, Amina told him of the voice she had heard while she was pregnant. The grandfather took the baby to the Kaba, the shrine in the centre of Mecca, and gave thanks to God for this gift.
-Ibn Ishaq, "The Life of Muhammad"
***
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.
-St. Augustine of Hippo
***
Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
***
-
Guest
My mind is a garden. My thoughts are the seeds. My harvest will be either flower or weeds.
-Mel Weldon (submitted by mmellow)
***
Renewing peace between two aggrieved parties surpasses ritual praying, fasting, and almsgiving.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Darda'a
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
-Luke 14:27 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Of all the ways you can think of, none has a sixteenth part of the value of loving-kindness. Loving-kindness is a freedom of the heart which takes in all the ways. It is luminous, shining, blazing forth.
Just as the stars have not a sixteenth part of the moon's brilliance, which absorbs them all in its shining light, so loving-kindness absorbs all the other ways with its lustrous splendor.
Just as when the rainy season ends and the sun rises up into the clear and cloudless sky, banishing all the dark in its radiant light, and just as at the end of a black night the morning star shines out in glory, so none of the ways you can use to further your spiritual progress has a sixteenth part of the value of loving-kindness. For it absorbs them all, its luminosity shining forth.
-Itivuttaka Sutta
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
Get into the habit of dancing. It will displace depression and dispel hardship.
- Nahman of Breslov
***
-Mel Weldon (submitted by mmellow)
***
Renewing peace between two aggrieved parties surpasses ritual praying, fasting, and almsgiving.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Darda'a
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
-Luke 14:27 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Of all the ways you can think of, none has a sixteenth part of the value of loving-kindness. Loving-kindness is a freedom of the heart which takes in all the ways. It is luminous, shining, blazing forth.
Just as the stars have not a sixteenth part of the moon's brilliance, which absorbs them all in its shining light, so loving-kindness absorbs all the other ways with its lustrous splendor.
Just as when the rainy season ends and the sun rises up into the clear and cloudless sky, banishing all the dark in its radiant light, and just as at the end of a black night the morning star shines out in glory, so none of the ways you can use to further your spiritual progress has a sixteenth part of the value of loving-kindness. For it absorbs them all, its luminosity shining forth.
-Itivuttaka Sutta
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
Get into the habit of dancing. It will displace depression and dispel hardship.
- Nahman of Breslov
***
-
Guest
God is the light of the heavens and the earth. His light is like a niche that holds a lamp; it is like a lamp which contains a crystal as bright as a star. It is kindled from a blessed tree, an olive tree that belongs neither to the east nor to the west. Its oil would almost shine, even with no fire touching it. It is light upon light. God guides towards his light all whom he chooses.
-Qur'an, Al-Nour, Surah 24:35a
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
All other days have either disappeared into darkness and oblivion or not yet emerged from it. Today is the only day there is.
-Frederick Buechner
***
When you see with discernment,
'All fabrications are inconstant'--
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path to purity.
When you see with discernment,
'All fabrications are stressful'--
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path to purity.
When you see with discernment,
'All phenomena are not-self'--
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path
to purity.
-Dhammapada, 20, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
To be shameless, uninquisitive, loveless and uncaring
Are the fool's four failings.
No fool is more foolish than one who eagerly expounds
His learning to others while failing to follow it himself.
-Tirukkural 84:833-834
Excerpted from the Tirukkural,
***
The community of the living is the carriage of the Lord.
- Hasidic proverb
-Qur'an, Al-Nour, Surah 24:35a
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
All other days have either disappeared into darkness and oblivion or not yet emerged from it. Today is the only day there is.
-Frederick Buechner
***
When you see with discernment,
'All fabrications are inconstant'--
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path to purity.
When you see with discernment,
'All fabrications are stressful'--
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path to purity.
When you see with discernment,
'All phenomena are not-self'--
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path
to purity.
-Dhammapada, 20, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
To be shameless, uninquisitive, loveless and uncaring
Are the fool's four failings.
No fool is more foolish than one who eagerly expounds
His learning to others while failing to follow it himself.
-Tirukkural 84:833-834
Excerpted from the Tirukkural,
***
The community of the living is the carriage of the Lord.
- Hasidic proverb
-
Guest
IDD MUBARAK!
Hardship may dishearten at first,
but every hardship passes away.
All despair is followed by hope;
all darkness is followed by sunshine.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
Translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed
***
Compassion and justice are companions, not choices.
-William Sloane Coffin
***
If false thinking suddenly stops for an instant, and you see through your own mind, the vastness of its original perfect light, the purity of its original state, no thing in it at all, this is called awakening. There is nothing to be awakened or cultivated other than this mind.
-Han-shan
From "The Pocket Zen Reader,"
***
Here our selfless desires are hidden by selfish ones. They are real, but they are covered by what is false. Therefore whoever of our own departs from this life, not one can ever be brought back before our eyes. But all those we love, alive or departed, and all things we desire but do not have, are found when we enter that space within the heart; for there abide all desires that are true, though covered by what is false.
-Chandogya Upanishad
From The Upanishads
***
Shame is an iron fence against sin.
- Orchot Tzaddikim
Reprinted from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,' edited by Joseph L. Baron, Jason Aronson Inc.
***
Hardship may dishearten at first,
but every hardship passes away.
All despair is followed by hope;
all darkness is followed by sunshine.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
Translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed
***
Compassion and justice are companions, not choices.
-William Sloane Coffin
***
If false thinking suddenly stops for an instant, and you see through your own mind, the vastness of its original perfect light, the purity of its original state, no thing in it at all, this is called awakening. There is nothing to be awakened or cultivated other than this mind.
-Han-shan
From "The Pocket Zen Reader,"
***
Here our selfless desires are hidden by selfish ones. They are real, but they are covered by what is false. Therefore whoever of our own departs from this life, not one can ever be brought back before our eyes. But all those we love, alive or departed, and all things we desire but do not have, are found when we enter that space within the heart; for there abide all desires that are true, though covered by what is false.
-Chandogya Upanishad
From The Upanishads
***
Shame is an iron fence against sin.
- Orchot Tzaddikim
Reprinted from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,' edited by Joseph L. Baron, Jason Aronson Inc.
***
-
Guest
No one would ever have crossed the ocean if he could have gotten off the ship in the storm.
-Charles Kettering (submitted by ducharlach)
***
Everything has its own food, and music is the food of the spirit.
-Nasrabadi in 'Attar, "Tadhkirat"
From "The Wisdom of Sufism,"
***
Teach me, my God and King,
In all things thee to see,
And what I do in anything,
To do it as for thee.
-George Herbert
***
Moghavagan came to the Buddha. "I have come to you with a question, great sage. I am afraid of death. Is there any way to look upon the world so as not to be seen by the king of death?"
"Look upon the world as empty," the Buddha replied. "This is the way to overcome death. Cease thinking of yourself as an entity that really exists. If you look on the world in this way you will never be seen by the king of death."
-Sutta Nipata.
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
Sattvic knowledge sees the one indestructible Being in all beings, the unity underlying the multiplicity of creation. Rajaistic knowledge sees all things and creatures as separate and distinct. Tamasic knowledge, lacking any sense of perspective, sees one small part and mistakes it for the whole.
-Bhagavad Gita 18:20-22
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita,
***
Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.
-Henry Van Dyke
-Charles Kettering (submitted by ducharlach)
***
Everything has its own food, and music is the food of the spirit.
-Nasrabadi in 'Attar, "Tadhkirat"
From "The Wisdom of Sufism,"
***
Teach me, my God and King,
In all things thee to see,
And what I do in anything,
To do it as for thee.
-George Herbert
***
Moghavagan came to the Buddha. "I have come to you with a question, great sage. I am afraid of death. Is there any way to look upon the world so as not to be seen by the king of death?"
"Look upon the world as empty," the Buddha replied. "This is the way to overcome death. Cease thinking of yourself as an entity that really exists. If you look on the world in this way you will never be seen by the king of death."
-Sutta Nipata.
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
Sattvic knowledge sees the one indestructible Being in all beings, the unity underlying the multiplicity of creation. Rajaistic knowledge sees all things and creatures as separate and distinct. Tamasic knowledge, lacking any sense of perspective, sees one small part and mistakes it for the whole.
-Bhagavad Gita 18:20-22
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita,
***
Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.
-Henry Van Dyke
-
Guest
God cushions our hurting hearts with soft pillows of comfort and hope.
-Judy Gordon
***
Guarded in speech,
Well-restrained in body & mind,
Do nothing unskillful.
Purify
These three courses of action.
Bring to fruition
The path that seers have proclaimed.
-Dhammapada, 20, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-Judy Gordon
***
Guarded in speech,
Well-restrained in body & mind,
Do nothing unskillful.
Purify
These three courses of action.
Bring to fruition
The path that seers have proclaimed.
-Dhammapada, 20, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-
Guest
If you wish to shine like the daylight, burn up the night of self-importance. Dissolve the self like copper in the elixir; dissolve in Him who fosters all existence. But you are bound by the discord of "I" and "We." The cause of your ruin is this sad dualism.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
-Laura Ingalls Wilder
***
The tongue is the heart's pen and the mind's messenger.
- Bahya, Hobot HaLebabot
***
Birth decrees to all men who live a common circumstance.
Diverse actions define their unique specialness.
Lowly men are never high, even when elevated.
High souls are never low, even when downtrodden.
-Tirukkural 98: 972-73
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
If you think, “I breathe,” the “I” is extra. There is no you to say “I.” What we call “I” is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no “I,” no world, no mind nor body; just a swinging door.
-Shunryu Suzuki, "Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind"
From "365 Buddha:
***
There is a communion with God that asks for nothing, yet asks for everything...He who seeks the Father more than anything He can give, is likely to have what he asks, for he is not likely to ask amiss.
-George McDonald
***
Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
-Karl Barth
***
Common sense is strengthened by joy.
- Nahman of Breslov
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
-Laura Ingalls Wilder
***
The tongue is the heart's pen and the mind's messenger.
- Bahya, Hobot HaLebabot
***
Birth decrees to all men who live a common circumstance.
Diverse actions define their unique specialness.
Lowly men are never high, even when elevated.
High souls are never low, even when downtrodden.
-Tirukkural 98: 972-73
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
If you think, “I breathe,” the “I” is extra. There is no you to say “I.” What we call “I” is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no “I,” no world, no mind nor body; just a swinging door.
-Shunryu Suzuki, "Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind"
From "365 Buddha:
***
There is a communion with God that asks for nothing, yet asks for everything...He who seeks the Father more than anything He can give, is likely to have what he asks, for he is not likely to ask amiss.
-George McDonald
***
Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
-Karl Barth
***
Common sense is strengthened by joy.
- Nahman of Breslov
-
Guest
A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
***
God is Consciousness that pervades the entire universe of the living and the non-living.
-Ramakrishna
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
If you cling to an idea as the inalterable truth, then when the truth does come in person and knock at your door, you will not be able to open the door and accept it.
-Udana Sutta
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader
***
No matter how tough life gets, if you can see the shore [of heaven] and draw your strength from Christ, you’ll make it.
-Randy Alcorn
***
God has no ultimate cause. The ultimate cause of a being is the ultimate reason why that being exists. Yet God does not exist for the sake of any other being; he exists for the sake of his own perfection, which is both the cause and the consequence of his existence.
-Ibn Sina, “al-Risalat al-Arshiya”
***
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
***
God is Consciousness that pervades the entire universe of the living and the non-living.
-Ramakrishna
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
If you cling to an idea as the inalterable truth, then when the truth does come in person and knock at your door, you will not be able to open the door and accept it.
-Udana Sutta
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader
***
No matter how tough life gets, if you can see the shore [of heaven] and draw your strength from Christ, you’ll make it.
-Randy Alcorn
***
God has no ultimate cause. The ultimate cause of a being is the ultimate reason why that being exists. Yet God does not exist for the sake of any other being; he exists for the sake of his own perfection, which is both the cause and the consequence of his existence.
-Ibn Sina, “al-Risalat al-Arshiya”
***
-
Guest
If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.
-George MacDonald
***
To confess one's sins is to honor the Holy One.
- Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, Talmud: Sanhedrin, 43b
***
It is not those who lack energy or refrain from action, but those who work without expectation of reward who attain the goal of meditation. Theirs is true renunciation. Therefore, Arjuna, you should understand that renunciation and the performance of selfless service are the same. Those who cannot renounce attachment to the results of their work are far from the path.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:1-2
***
Hunger: the foremost illness.
Fabrications: the foremost pain.
For one knowing this truth
As it actually is,
Unbinding
Is the foremost ease.
Freedom from illness: the foremost good fortune.
Contentment: the foremost wealth.
Trust: the foremost kinship.
Unbinding: the foremost ease.
-Dhammapada, 15, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
-Luke 12:32 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Once Abu Umamah asked the Prophet about the rights of parents over their children. The Prophet replied, "They are your Paradise and they are your Hell."
-Reported by Abu Umamah
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
-George MacDonald
***
To confess one's sins is to honor the Holy One.
- Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, Talmud: Sanhedrin, 43b
***
It is not those who lack energy or refrain from action, but those who work without expectation of reward who attain the goal of meditation. Theirs is true renunciation. Therefore, Arjuna, you should understand that renunciation and the performance of selfless service are the same. Those who cannot renounce attachment to the results of their work are far from the path.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:1-2
***
Hunger: the foremost illness.
Fabrications: the foremost pain.
For one knowing this truth
As it actually is,
Unbinding
Is the foremost ease.
Freedom from illness: the foremost good fortune.
Contentment: the foremost wealth.
Trust: the foremost kinship.
Unbinding: the foremost ease.
-Dhammapada, 15, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
-Luke 12:32 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Once Abu Umamah asked the Prophet about the rights of parents over their children. The Prophet replied, "They are your Paradise and they are your Hell."
-Reported by Abu Umamah
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
-
Guest
Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
***
Who fills his mind with Torah clears it of fear and folly.
- Rabbi Chanina Sgan HaKohanim
***
For fair-faced maidens virtue's modesty brings bashfulness,
But the deeper modesty shies away from wrongful deeds.
-Tirukkural 102:1011
***
If we pick up the handle, we pick up the pot. Similarly, if we meditate on and develop compassion—the wish that all others be without suffering—we hold within us the essence of all other Dharma practices.
-Geshe Hgawang Dhargyey, "Advice From a Spiritual Friend"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001
***
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
***
Behold! We have given you a clear victory that you may be absolved of the sins of your past and those yet to follow and that the Lord may perfect His favor to you and guide you and assist you with His invincible helping hand. It is but He who fills the hearts of the believers with peace and reassurance and adds strength to their conviction. Allah's are the legions of the heavens and the earth. He alone is the Knowing, Wise.
-Qur'an, Al-Fath, Surah 48:1-4
From "The Bounty of Allah
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
***
Who fills his mind with Torah clears it of fear and folly.
- Rabbi Chanina Sgan HaKohanim
***
For fair-faced maidens virtue's modesty brings bashfulness,
But the deeper modesty shies away from wrongful deeds.
-Tirukkural 102:1011
***
If we pick up the handle, we pick up the pot. Similarly, if we meditate on and develop compassion—the wish that all others be without suffering—we hold within us the essence of all other Dharma practices.
-Geshe Hgawang Dhargyey, "Advice From a Spiritual Friend"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001
***
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
***
Behold! We have given you a clear victory that you may be absolved of the sins of your past and those yet to follow and that the Lord may perfect His favor to you and guide you and assist you with His invincible helping hand. It is but He who fills the hearts of the believers with peace and reassurance and adds strength to their conviction. Allah's are the legions of the heavens and the earth. He alone is the Knowing, Wise.
-Qur'an, Al-Fath, Surah 48:1-4
From "The Bounty of Allah
-
Guest
Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.
-John Wesley
***
Who works for a living is greater than he who fears God.
- Talmud: Berakot, 8a
***
I know that earthly treasures are transient,
And never can I reach the eternal through them,
Hence have I renounced all my desires for earthly treasures
To win the eternal through your instruction.
-Katha Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
In the same way that someone in the midst of a rough crowd guards a wound with great care, so in the midst of bad company should one always guard the wound that is the mind.
-Santideva, "Bodhicaryavatara"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
True worship from the heart, then, means responding to God’s glory and love with our entire being.
-Marjorie Thompson
***
When the mirror of the heart becomes pure and clear, impressions of the other world will become manifest. The image and the image-maker will become visible, like the carpet and the carpet-spreader.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi," 2:72-73
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
-John Wesley
***
Who works for a living is greater than he who fears God.
- Talmud: Berakot, 8a
***
I know that earthly treasures are transient,
And never can I reach the eternal through them,
Hence have I renounced all my desires for earthly treasures
To win the eternal through your instruction.
-Katha Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
In the same way that someone in the midst of a rough crowd guards a wound with great care, so in the midst of bad company should one always guard the wound that is the mind.
-Santideva, "Bodhicaryavatara"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
True worship from the heart, then, means responding to God’s glory and love with our entire being.
-Marjorie Thompson
***
When the mirror of the heart becomes pure and clear, impressions of the other world will become manifest. The image and the image-maker will become visible, like the carpet and the carpet-spreader.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi," 2:72-73
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
-
Guest
If I have learned one thing in this life, it is that God will not tie my shoes without me.
-Doug Boyd
***
The demonic do things they should avoid and avoid the things that they should do. They have no sense of uprightness, purity, or truth.
"There is no God," they say, "no truth, no spiritual law, no moral order. The basis of life is sex; what else can it be?" Holding such distorted views, possessing scant discrimination, they become enemies of the world, causing suffering and destruction.
-Bhagavad Gita 16:7-9
***
Sitting there the venerable Ananda said to the Lord, "Half of this holy life, Lord, is good and noble friends, companionship with the good, association with the good."
"Do not say that, Ananda. Do not say that, Ananda. It is the whole of this holy life, this friendship, companionship and association with the good."
-Samyutta Nikaya
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
***
Spiritual life depends on the purposes we cherish.
-Charles Spurgeon
***
Have faith in God the Omnipotent,
the Eternal, the First and the Last,
who grants life and determines death.
He bestows bounty,
and only He can restore crushed hopes.
Have faith, do not lose hope, wait patiently.
He indeed will create a way
to deliver you from your hardships.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah
-Doug Boyd
***
The demonic do things they should avoid and avoid the things that they should do. They have no sense of uprightness, purity, or truth.
"There is no God," they say, "no truth, no spiritual law, no moral order. The basis of life is sex; what else can it be?" Holding such distorted views, possessing scant discrimination, they become enemies of the world, causing suffering and destruction.
-Bhagavad Gita 16:7-9
***
Sitting there the venerable Ananda said to the Lord, "Half of this holy life, Lord, is good and noble friends, companionship with the good, association with the good."
"Do not say that, Ananda. Do not say that, Ananda. It is the whole of this holy life, this friendship, companionship and association with the good."
-Samyutta Nikaya
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
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Spiritual life depends on the purposes we cherish.
-Charles Spurgeon
***
Have faith in God the Omnipotent,
the Eternal, the First and the Last,
who grants life and determines death.
He bestows bounty,
and only He can restore crushed hopes.
Have faith, do not lose hope, wait patiently.
He indeed will create a way
to deliver you from your hardships.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah
-
Guest
All that the righteous have accomplished, they have accomplished through the Holy Spirit.
- Tanhuma, VaYehi
***
Liberation,
Bondage,
What are they to me?
What do I care for freedom?
For I have known God,
The infinite Self,
The witness of all things.
Without, a fool.
Within, free of thought.
I do as I please,
And only those like me
Understand my ways.
-Ashtavakra Gita 14:3-4
From "The Heart of Awareness
***
If your heart has blossomed
& given birth to a wish
for what can't be expressed,
your mind not enmeshed
in sensual passions:
you're said to be
in the up-flowing stream.
-Dhammapada, 16, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap, and then you grow wings.
-William Sloane Coffin
***
- Tanhuma, VaYehi
***
Liberation,
Bondage,
What are they to me?
What do I care for freedom?
For I have known God,
The infinite Self,
The witness of all things.
Without, a fool.
Within, free of thought.
I do as I please,
And only those like me
Understand my ways.
-Ashtavakra Gita 14:3-4
From "The Heart of Awareness
***
If your heart has blossomed
& given birth to a wish
for what can't be expressed,
your mind not enmeshed
in sensual passions:
you're said to be
in the up-flowing stream.
-Dhammapada, 16, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap, and then you grow wings.
-William Sloane Coffin
***