Love is not consolation, it is light.
-Simone Weil
***
No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently.
-Agnes DeMille
***
That which cannot be comprehended by the mind, but by which the mind comprehends; the which encompasses the mind--know that to be Brahman.
-Kena Upanishad
***
If you were to ask the animals, who sends rain from the sky to enliven the barren earth, they would reply: 'God.' So you should proclaim God's praise. Yet most people are too stupid to do this.
The life of this world is merely a sport; it is only an idle pastime. The true life is the life to come—if you only knew it.
-Qur'an, Al-'Ankabut, Surah 29:63-64
From "366 Readings From Islam," translated
***
Death was decreed for all, so that men may not be righteous just for the sake of life.
- Jonathan ben Eleazar, Jewish scholar of the third century, Palestine
***
"Shariputta, does it occur to any of my followers to think that after they have known full enlightenment they should lead all beings to nirvana?"
"No, Honored One."
"But that should be their intention. They should not be too caught up with themselves to believe that. A glowworm or firefly does not think that its light could illuminate the continent of India or even radiate over it. In the same way, the followers do not think that they can, after obtaining full enlightenment, lead all beings to nirvana. But the sun, when it has risen, radiates its light over the whole of India. Just so, an awakened follower when he is fully enlightened, without even consciously attempting to, leads all beings to nirvana."
-Prajnaparamita
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader
Quote
-
maheroonPradhan
- Posts: 75
- Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 2:54 pm
Of all the animal creation of God, man is the only animal who has been created in order that he may know his Maker. Man's aim in life is not therefore to add from day to day to his material prospects and to his material possessions, but his predominant calling is, from day to day to come nearer to his own Maker.
Gandhi
Gandhi
-
Guest
A humble person is more likely to be self confident...a person with real humility knows how much they are loved.
-Cornelius Plantinga, Jr
***
It's always too early to quit.
-Norman Vincent Peale
***
I look upon all creatures equally; none are less dear to me and none more dear. But those who worship me with love live in me, and I come to life in them.
-Bhagavad Gita 9:29
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
The truest and highest stage of worship is to see God face to face, and to receive his guidance from his own mouth. Those who attain this highest stage, choose for themselves whatever God chooses for them. Their entire characters are transformed by God. They are God's friends; so they no longer discriminate between people, but regard all people as friends. Wherever they go, they go from God; wherever they arrive, they arrive at God. Whatever they do, they do for God; whatever service they perform, they perform it in God. The self has been truly annihilated.
-Junayd, "Tawhid"
Reprinted from "366 Readings from Islam,"
***
Every blade of grass has an angel that bends over it and whispers, "Grow! Grow!"
- The Talmud
***
Compassion is characterized as promoting the aspect of allaying suffering. Its function resides in not [enduring] others' suffering. It is manifested as non-cruelty. Its proximate cause is to see helplessness in those overwhelmed by suffering. It succeeds when it makes cruelty subside, and it fails when it produces sorrow.
-Buddhaghosa, "Visuddhimagga"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
-Cornelius Plantinga, Jr
***
It's always too early to quit.
-Norman Vincent Peale
***
I look upon all creatures equally; none are less dear to me and none more dear. But those who worship me with love live in me, and I come to life in them.
-Bhagavad Gita 9:29
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
The truest and highest stage of worship is to see God face to face, and to receive his guidance from his own mouth. Those who attain this highest stage, choose for themselves whatever God chooses for them. Their entire characters are transformed by God. They are God's friends; so they no longer discriminate between people, but regard all people as friends. Wherever they go, they go from God; wherever they arrive, they arrive at God. Whatever they do, they do for God; whatever service they perform, they perform it in God. The self has been truly annihilated.
-Junayd, "Tawhid"
Reprinted from "366 Readings from Islam,"
***
Every blade of grass has an angel that bends over it and whispers, "Grow! Grow!"
- The Talmud
***
Compassion is characterized as promoting the aspect of allaying suffering. Its function resides in not [enduring] others' suffering. It is manifested as non-cruelty. Its proximate cause is to see helplessness in those overwhelmed by suffering. It succeeds when it makes cruelty subside, and it fails when it produces sorrow.
-Buddhaghosa, "Visuddhimagga"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
-
Guest
Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love.
-Mother Teresa
***
The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reasons for remaining ashore.
-Vincent Van Gogh
***
Evil deeds dreaded by the soul will not afflict
The compassionate who foster and protect all life.
This wide and wind-swept fertile earth is witness to the truth
That misery is not for men who keep compassion.
-Tirukkural 25: 244-245
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
You see throngs of afflicted feeble folk seated at the door in ardent hope. O you who are crushed, your pleas have been heard. Hark! Rush toward the mercy of God and be delivered of pain.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Every house a temple, every heart an altar, every human being a priest.
- Moritz Lazarus,
***
A head of gray hairs
Doesn't mean one's an elder.
Advanced in years,
One's called an old fool.
But one in whom there is
Truth, restraint,
Rectitude, gentleness,
Self-control--
He's called an elder,
His impurities disgorged,
Enlightened.
-Dhammpada, 19, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-Mother Teresa
***
The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reasons for remaining ashore.
-Vincent Van Gogh
***
Evil deeds dreaded by the soul will not afflict
The compassionate who foster and protect all life.
This wide and wind-swept fertile earth is witness to the truth
That misery is not for men who keep compassion.
-Tirukkural 25: 244-245
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
You see throngs of afflicted feeble folk seated at the door in ardent hope. O you who are crushed, your pleas have been heard. Hark! Rush toward the mercy of God and be delivered of pain.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Every house a temple, every heart an altar, every human being a priest.
- Moritz Lazarus,
***
A head of gray hairs
Doesn't mean one's an elder.
Advanced in years,
One's called an old fool.
But one in whom there is
Truth, restraint,
Rectitude, gentleness,
Self-control--
He's called an elder,
His impurities disgorged,
Enlightened.
-Dhammpada, 19, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-
Guest
The optimist says the cup is half full. The pessimist says the cup is half empty. The child of God says, "My cup runneth over."
-Unknown
***
Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level.
-Max L. Forman
***
He is formless, and can never be seen
With these two eyes. But he reveals himself
In the heart made pure through meditation
And sense-restraint. Realizing him one is released
From the cycle of birth and death.
-Katha Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
Let those who seek rewards in this life, remember that God holds the rewards in both this life and the next. God sees all and hears all.
-Qur'an, An-Nisa, Surah 4:134
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.
- Jewish proverb
***
In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.
-Shunryu Suzuki, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
-Unknown
***
Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level.
-Max L. Forman
***
He is formless, and can never be seen
With these two eyes. But he reveals himself
In the heart made pure through meditation
And sense-restraint. Realizing him one is released
From the cycle of birth and death.
-Katha Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
Let those who seek rewards in this life, remember that God holds the rewards in both this life and the next. God sees all and hears all.
-Qur'an, An-Nisa, Surah 4:134
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.
- Jewish proverb
***
In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.
-Shunryu Suzuki, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
-
Guest
Better light work that takes a long time than a hard job that is quickly done.
-Sayings of the Desert Fathers
***
You have two hands. One to help yourself, the second to help others.
-Unknown
***
"In that state, free from attachment, they move at will, laughing, playing, and rejoicing. They know the Self is not this body, but only tied to it for a time as an ox is tied to its cart."
-Chandogya Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
At midnight I say, "I am near you; be not afraid of the night, for I am your protecting friend." Last night in your dream you saw One with a prayer-rug. That was I, and what I told you in that dream about the meaning of prophecy: make those words of Mine your mind's guide.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
With such perfect and saintly patience as all that, you may certainly go and live among these violent people. Go, Purna—who knows, you may be able to deliver some and show them the way to freedom.
-Majjhima Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
-Sayings of the Desert Fathers
***
You have two hands. One to help yourself, the second to help others.
-Unknown
***
"In that state, free from attachment, they move at will, laughing, playing, and rejoicing. They know the Self is not this body, but only tied to it for a time as an ox is tied to its cart."
-Chandogya Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
At midnight I say, "I am near you; be not afraid of the night, for I am your protecting friend." Last night in your dream you saw One with a prayer-rug. That was I, and what I told you in that dream about the meaning of prophecy: make those words of Mine your mind's guide.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
With such perfect and saintly patience as all that, you may certainly go and live among these violent people. Go, Purna—who knows, you may be able to deliver some and show them the way to freedom.
-Majjhima Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
-
Guest
As long as there is a lack of the inner discipline that brings calmness of mind, no matter what external facilities or conditions you have, they will never give you the feeling of joy and happiness that you are seeking. On the other hand, if you possess this inner quality of calmness of mind, a degree of stability within, then even if you lack various external facilities that you would normally consider necessary for happiness, it is still possible to live a happy and joyful life.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
From "The Pocket Dalai Lama,"
***
God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking,
God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.
-Traditional Celtic Prayer
***
The best things in life aren't things.
-Art Buchwald
***
Have faith, my Child, have faith.
Do not be bewildered.
For you are beyond all things,
The heart of all knowing.
You are the Self.
You are God.
-Ashtavakra Gita 15:8
***
Even if all the world tells you, "You are righteous," consider yourself a sinner.
- Rabbi Simlai
***
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
From "The Pocket Dalai Lama,"
***
God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking,
God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.
-Traditional Celtic Prayer
***
The best things in life aren't things.
-Art Buchwald
***
Have faith, my Child, have faith.
Do not be bewildered.
For you are beyond all things,
The heart of all knowing.
You are the Self.
You are God.
-Ashtavakra Gita 15:8
***
Even if all the world tells you, "You are righteous," consider yourself a sinner.
- Rabbi Simlai
***
-
Guest
Prayer has mighty power to move mountains because the Holy Spirit is ready both to encourage our praying and to remove the mountains hindering us.
-Wesley L. Duewel
***
The human race has one effective weapon--and that is laughter.
-Mark Twain
***
Fulfill all your duties; action is better than inaction. Even to maintain your body, Arjuna, you are obliged to act. Selfish action imprisons the world. Act selflessly, without any thought of personal profit.
-Bhagavad Gita 3:8-9
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
Some people asked Allah's Apostle, "Whose Islam is the best? i.e. (Who is a very good Muslim)?" He replied, "One who avoids harming the Muslims with his tongue and hands."
-Hadith narrated by Abu Musa, as related by Al-Bukhari
***
Getting angry is like worshipping idols.
- Midrash LeOlam
***
Conquer your foe by force, you increase his enmity; conquer by love, and you will reap no after-sorrow.
-Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
-Wesley L. Duewel
***
The human race has one effective weapon--and that is laughter.
-Mark Twain
***
Fulfill all your duties; action is better than inaction. Even to maintain your body, Arjuna, you are obliged to act. Selfish action imprisons the world. Act selflessly, without any thought of personal profit.
-Bhagavad Gita 3:8-9
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
Some people asked Allah's Apostle, "Whose Islam is the best? i.e. (Who is a very good Muslim)?" He replied, "One who avoids harming the Muslims with his tongue and hands."
-Hadith narrated by Abu Musa, as related by Al-Bukhari
***
Getting angry is like worshipping idols.
- Midrash LeOlam
***
Conquer your foe by force, you increase his enmity; conquer by love, and you will reap no after-sorrow.
-Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
-
Guest
The penalty of affluence is that it cuts one off from the common lot, common experience, and common fellowship.
-Arnold Toynbee
***
As the earth fares under a rainless sky,
So do a people languish under an unkind king.
Possessions are less pleasant than poverty
To the oppressed living under an unjust king.
If the king acts contrary to justice, contrary seasons will befall
And rain-laden clouds will not come forth.
If the people's protector fails to protect,
Priests will forget the Vedas and cows' milk will dry up.
-Tirukkural 56: 557-560
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Avoid those who regard their religion as a hobby, as an idle pastime, and are seduced by the life of this world. Admonish them, lest their souls be damned by their own sins. They have no guardian or intercessor besides God; and even if they offer compensation to God, it will not be accepted from them. This is the condition of those who have been damned by their own sins. They will drink boiling water, and be sternly punished for their refusal to believe.
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Suah 6:70
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
Freedom of will is given to everyone. If they wish to follow the right path and become righteous, they have the ability to do so. If they wish to follow the path of wrong and become wicked, they have the ability to do so as well.
- Moses Maimonides (Sefer Hamada, Mishneh Torah)
***
As in the ocean's midmost depth no wave is born, but all is still, so let the practitioner be still, be motionless, and nowhere should one swell.
-Sutta-nipata, translated by Dines Anderson and Helmer Smith
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
***
-Arnold Toynbee
***
As the earth fares under a rainless sky,
So do a people languish under an unkind king.
Possessions are less pleasant than poverty
To the oppressed living under an unjust king.
If the king acts contrary to justice, contrary seasons will befall
And rain-laden clouds will not come forth.
If the people's protector fails to protect,
Priests will forget the Vedas and cows' milk will dry up.
-Tirukkural 56: 557-560
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Avoid those who regard their religion as a hobby, as an idle pastime, and are seduced by the life of this world. Admonish them, lest their souls be damned by their own sins. They have no guardian or intercessor besides God; and even if they offer compensation to God, it will not be accepted from them. This is the condition of those who have been damned by their own sins. They will drink boiling water, and be sternly punished for their refusal to believe.
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Suah 6:70
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
Freedom of will is given to everyone. If they wish to follow the right path and become righteous, they have the ability to do so. If they wish to follow the path of wrong and become wicked, they have the ability to do so as well.
- Moses Maimonides (Sefer Hamada, Mishneh Torah)
***
As in the ocean's midmost depth no wave is born, but all is still, so let the practitioner be still, be motionless, and nowhere should one swell.
-Sutta-nipata, translated by Dines Anderson and Helmer Smith
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
***
-
Guest
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
-Matthew 6:31-34 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children.
-Kahlil Gibran
***
"That which makes the eye see but cannot be
Seen by the eye, that is the Self indeed.
This Self is not someone other than you."
-Kena Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
How transcendent and immaculate is God! He has neither place, nor time, nor beginning, nor temporal continuity, nor posterior eternity, nor temporal priority, nor terminal end, and yet all the while, He is neither occupied wit, nor seeks succor from, that which He has brought into being. Nonetheless, He is just in all affairs wherein His commandments are issued to people.
-Shibli in Sarraj Tusi: "Kitab al-luma"
From "The Wisdom of Sufism,"
***
Get one by trade, rather than a thousand as gifts.
- Rabbi Samuel HaNagid, poet, Spain (993-1056)
***
Ashamed of what's not shameful,
not ashamed of what is,
beings adopting wrong views
go to a bad destination.
Seeing danger where there is none,
and no danger where there is,
beings adopting wrong views,
go to a bad destination.
-Dhammapada, 22, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
-Matthew 6:31-34 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children.
-Kahlil Gibran
***
"That which makes the eye see but cannot be
Seen by the eye, that is the Self indeed.
This Self is not someone other than you."
-Kena Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
How transcendent and immaculate is God! He has neither place, nor time, nor beginning, nor temporal continuity, nor posterior eternity, nor temporal priority, nor terminal end, and yet all the while, He is neither occupied wit, nor seeks succor from, that which He has brought into being. Nonetheless, He is just in all affairs wherein His commandments are issued to people.
-Shibli in Sarraj Tusi: "Kitab al-luma"
From "The Wisdom of Sufism,"
***
Get one by trade, rather than a thousand as gifts.
- Rabbi Samuel HaNagid, poet, Spain (993-1056)
***
Ashamed of what's not shameful,
not ashamed of what is,
beings adopting wrong views
go to a bad destination.
Seeing danger where there is none,
and no danger where there is,
beings adopting wrong views,
go to a bad destination.
-Dhammapada, 22, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
-
Guest
I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love.
-Mother Teresa, The Simple Path
***
And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
-Anais Nin
***
Through self-effort and self-knowledge make the mind no-mind. Let infinite Consciousness swallow the finite mind, and then go beyond everything.
-Maharamayana
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,
***
Demolish this house that a hundred more may be built. Do not be afraid that treasure lies beneath this house. A thousand houses more shall you build with just one treasure in hand. This house is destined to fall to ruin. That treasure is bound to be unearthed, but then that treasure will not be yours.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Give your ear to all, your hand to a friend, but your mouth only to your wife.
- Yiddish Proverb
Reprinted
***
Crookedness and truth (straightness) are in their nature opposite and cannot dwell together more than frost and fire; for one who has become religious, and practices the way of straight behavior, a false and crooked way of speech is not becoming.
-Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King
-Mother Teresa, The Simple Path
***
And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
-Anais Nin
***
Through self-effort and self-knowledge make the mind no-mind. Let infinite Consciousness swallow the finite mind, and then go beyond everything.
-Maharamayana
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,
***
Demolish this house that a hundred more may be built. Do not be afraid that treasure lies beneath this house. A thousand houses more shall you build with just one treasure in hand. This house is destined to fall to ruin. That treasure is bound to be unearthed, but then that treasure will not be yours.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Give your ear to all, your hand to a friend, but your mouth only to your wife.
- Yiddish Proverb
Reprinted
***
Crookedness and truth (straightness) are in their nature opposite and cannot dwell together more than frost and fire; for one who has become religious, and practices the way of straight behavior, a false and crooked way of speech is not becoming.
-Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King
-
Guest
It's time to stop being gripped by fear and to start gripping God.
-Unknown
***
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.
-Helen Keller
***
When you are with someone you love very much, you can talk and it is pleasant, but the reality is not in the conversation. It is in simply being together. Meditation is the highest form of prayer. In it you are so close to God that you don't need to say a thing--it is just great to be together.
-Swami Chetananda
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
Do not let their speech grieve you. For all glory is Allah's. He hears all and knows all.
-Qur'an, Yunus, Surah 10:65
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Great is the art of writing music or literature...But greater still is the art of bringing about one's regeneration.
- Eli Almi, "Our Unfinished World"
***
Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. That is not just a dream, but a necessity. We are dependent on each other in so many ways that we can no longer live in isolated communities and ignore what is happening outside those communities.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
From "The Pocket Dalai Lama,"
***
-Unknown
***
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.
-Helen Keller
***
When you are with someone you love very much, you can talk and it is pleasant, but the reality is not in the conversation. It is in simply being together. Meditation is the highest form of prayer. In it you are so close to God that you don't need to say a thing--it is just great to be together.
-Swami Chetananda
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
Do not let their speech grieve you. For all glory is Allah's. He hears all and knows all.
-Qur'an, Yunus, Surah 10:65
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Great is the art of writing music or literature...But greater still is the art of bringing about one's regeneration.
- Eli Almi, "Our Unfinished World"
***
Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. That is not just a dream, but a necessity. We are dependent on each other in so many ways that we can no longer live in isolated communities and ignore what is happening outside those communities.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
From "The Pocket Dalai Lama,"
***
-
Guest
Water said to the defiled, "Hurry come to me."
The defiled replied, "But I feel ashamed before the water."
Water said, "But without me how will you wash your shame? How will your filth be removed?"
Shame hinders the faith of the tainted who hide from the water.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
It is no use saying that we are born two thousand years too late to give room to Christ. Nor will those who live at the end of the world have been born too late. Christ is always with us, always asking for room in our hearts.
-Dorothy Day
***
You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.
-Indira Gandhi
***
"The body does this, not I."
"My nature is purity."
With these thoughts,
Whatever he does,
He does nothing.
But he pretends not to know.
He finds freedom in this life,
But he acts like an ordinary man.
Yet he is not a fool.
Happy and bright,
He thrives in the world.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:25-26
***
Prompted by love is greater than prompted by fear.
- Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar, Talmud
***
..The body in which one can see the truth will die out, like a fan palm, without any future. But that which is the truth, that which is existence itself, is there although it is deep and infinitely hard to understand. Like the great ocean, one cannot fathom it.
-Digha Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader
The defiled replied, "But I feel ashamed before the water."
Water said, "But without me how will you wash your shame? How will your filth be removed?"
Shame hinders the faith of the tainted who hide from the water.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
It is no use saying that we are born two thousand years too late to give room to Christ. Nor will those who live at the end of the world have been born too late. Christ is always with us, always asking for room in our hearts.
-Dorothy Day
***
You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.
-Indira Gandhi
***
"The body does this, not I."
"My nature is purity."
With these thoughts,
Whatever he does,
He does nothing.
But he pretends not to know.
He finds freedom in this life,
But he acts like an ordinary man.
Yet he is not a fool.
Happy and bright,
He thrives in the world.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:25-26
***
Prompted by love is greater than prompted by fear.
- Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar, Talmud
***
..The body in which one can see the truth will die out, like a fan palm, without any future. But that which is the truth, that which is existence itself, is there although it is deep and infinitely hard to understand. Like the great ocean, one cannot fathom it.
-Digha Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader
-
Guest
The thought that the affairs of the world, like those of the stars, are in God's hands - and therefore in good hands - apart from being actually true, is something that should give great satisfaction to anyone who looks to the future with hope.
-Carlo Carretto
***
"When a man is dying, his family
All gather round and ask, 'Do you know me?
Do you know me?' And so long as his speech
Has not merged in mind, his mind in prana,
Prana in fire, and fire in pure Being,
He knows them all. But there is no more knowing.
When speech merges in mind, mind in prana,
Prana in fire, and fire in pure Being.
There is nothing that does not come from him.
Of everything he is the inmost Self.
He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.
You are that, Shvetaketu; you are that."
-Chandogya Upanishad
***
Fear and hope are two pillars of faith. By practicing either one of them a person will not fall into error, because both fear and hope lead to union. Those who fear devote themselves to God through fear of separation from Him, and those who hope worship in hope of realizing the ultimate union.
-Al-Razi, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Rabbi Joshua said: An evil eye, the evil inclination, and hatred of people remove a man from the world.
- Pirkei Avot, 2:11
***
A hundred thousand elephants,
A hundred thousand horses,
A hundred thousand mule-drawn chariots,
Are not worth a sixteenth part
Of a single step forward.
-Buddha, "The Connected Discourses of the Buddha"
-Carlo Carretto
***
"When a man is dying, his family
All gather round and ask, 'Do you know me?
Do you know me?' And so long as his speech
Has not merged in mind, his mind in prana,
Prana in fire, and fire in pure Being,
He knows them all. But there is no more knowing.
When speech merges in mind, mind in prana,
Prana in fire, and fire in pure Being.
There is nothing that does not come from him.
Of everything he is the inmost Self.
He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.
You are that, Shvetaketu; you are that."
-Chandogya Upanishad
***
Fear and hope are two pillars of faith. By practicing either one of them a person will not fall into error, because both fear and hope lead to union. Those who fear devote themselves to God through fear of separation from Him, and those who hope worship in hope of realizing the ultimate union.
-Al-Razi, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Rabbi Joshua said: An evil eye, the evil inclination, and hatred of people remove a man from the world.
- Pirkei Avot, 2:11
***
A hundred thousand elephants,
A hundred thousand horses,
A hundred thousand mule-drawn chariots,
Are not worth a sixteenth part
Of a single step forward.
-Buddha, "The Connected Discourses of the Buddha"
-
Guest
Christ said we could move mountains if we had faith. But He didn't say we wouldn't need a shovel.
-Joyce Vollmer Brown
***
The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.
-Elizabeth Foley
***
Dark One, hear me, I am mad with visions. Eaten up by separation, I wander from place to place covered in ash and clothed in skins. My body is wasting all because of you. Distraught and desperate, I go from forest to forest. Immortal and Unborn One, visit your beggar. Extinguish her pain with your pleasurable touch. Mira says: "End this coming and going. Let me forever embrace your sweet feet."
-Mirabai
***
O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.
-The Prophet Muhammad, as narrated by Anas, as related by At-Tirmidhi
***
Rabbi Judah says: Whoever does not teach his son a trade or profession teaches him to be a thief.
- Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 29a
***
All beings tremble before violence.
All fear death.
All love life.
See yourself in others.
Then whom can you hurt?
What harm can you do?
-Dhammapada 129-130
***
-Joyce Vollmer Brown
***
The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.
-Elizabeth Foley
***
Dark One, hear me, I am mad with visions. Eaten up by separation, I wander from place to place covered in ash and clothed in skins. My body is wasting all because of you. Distraught and desperate, I go from forest to forest. Immortal and Unborn One, visit your beggar. Extinguish her pain with your pleasurable touch. Mira says: "End this coming and going. Let me forever embrace your sweet feet."
-Mirabai
***
O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.
-The Prophet Muhammad, as narrated by Anas, as related by At-Tirmidhi
***
Rabbi Judah says: Whoever does not teach his son a trade or profession teaches him to be a thief.
- Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 29a
***
All beings tremble before violence.
All fear death.
All love life.
See yourself in others.
Then whom can you hurt?
What harm can you do?
-Dhammapada 129-130
***
-
Guest
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
***
Destiny's last days may surge with oceanic change,
Yet men deemed perfectly good remain, like the shore, unchanged.
-Tirukkural 99:988
***
Consider a woman of faith coming to me, the prophet. She pledges herself to serve no other god but God; she promises not to commit theft, adultery or murder; she undertakes not to tell monstrous lies of her own invention; she says that she will obey me when my commands are just and reasonable. I shall accept her, and beg God to forgive her. God is forgiving and merciful.
-Qur'an, Al-Mumtahinah, Surah 60:12
***
Rather suffer an injustice than commit one.
- Yiddish proverb
***
I urge you not to throw away time, for it's swift as an arrow, fast as a stream. Distraction is entirely due to lack of concentration; stupidity and blindness are caused by lack of true knowledge.
-Yung-Ming, "Five Houses of Zen"
-Dalai Lama
***
Destiny's last days may surge with oceanic change,
Yet men deemed perfectly good remain, like the shore, unchanged.
-Tirukkural 99:988
***
Consider a woman of faith coming to me, the prophet. She pledges herself to serve no other god but God; she promises not to commit theft, adultery or murder; she undertakes not to tell monstrous lies of her own invention; she says that she will obey me when my commands are just and reasonable. I shall accept her, and beg God to forgive her. God is forgiving and merciful.
-Qur'an, Al-Mumtahinah, Surah 60:12
***
Rather suffer an injustice than commit one.
- Yiddish proverb
***
I urge you not to throw away time, for it's swift as an arrow, fast as a stream. Distraction is entirely due to lack of concentration; stupidity and blindness are caused by lack of true knowledge.
-Yung-Ming, "Five Houses of Zen"
-
Guest
Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds.
-Norman Vincent Peale
***
Your will be done, my Lord, my Messiah!
Your will be done, my desire, my aspiration!
O essence of my being, my goal, my religion!
O all of my all, my hearing, my sight!
-Al-Hallaj, Mansur, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Rather the bite of a friend than the kiss of an enemy.
- Sholom Aleichem, "Menahem Mendel"
***
And better than a hundred years
lived without seeing
the Deathless state, is
one day
lived seeing
the Deathless state.
-Dhammapada, 114, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
-Norman Vincent Peale
***
Your will be done, my Lord, my Messiah!
Your will be done, my desire, my aspiration!
O essence of my being, my goal, my religion!
O all of my all, my hearing, my sight!
-Al-Hallaj, Mansur, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Rather the bite of a friend than the kiss of an enemy.
- Sholom Aleichem, "Menahem Mendel"
***
And better than a hundred years
lived without seeing
the Deathless state, is
one day
lived seeing
the Deathless state.
-Dhammapada, 114, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
***
-
Guest
The bottom of the river is full of jewels.
Take heed! Do not make the water turbid.
The spirit of man is like the air:
when dust surrounds it the sky is veiled.
Notwithstanding such a state of darkness,
God made visions to help you
find the road to redemption.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
The depths of our spirituality does not depend upon changing the things we do, but in doing for God what we ordinarily do for ourselves.
-Brother Lawrence
***
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
***
O mighty Arjuna, even if you believe the Self to be subject to birth and death, you should not grieve. Death is inevitable for the living; birth is inevitable for the dead. Since these are unavoidable, you should not sorrow. Every creature is unmanifested at first and then attains manifestation. When its end has come, it once again becomes unmanifested. What is there to lament in this?
-Bhagavad Gita 2:26-28
***
All education starts with forbidding.
- Leo Baeck, "Essence of Judaism"
***
All that we are is the result of our thoughts; it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. If you speak or act with a harmful thought, trouble will follow you as the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
All that we are is the result of our thoughts; it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. If you speak or act with a harmonious thought, happiness will follow you as your own shadow, never leaving you.
-Dhammapada
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
Take heed! Do not make the water turbid.
The spirit of man is like the air:
when dust surrounds it the sky is veiled.
Notwithstanding such a state of darkness,
God made visions to help you
find the road to redemption.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
The depths of our spirituality does not depend upon changing the things we do, but in doing for God what we ordinarily do for ourselves.
-Brother Lawrence
***
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
***
O mighty Arjuna, even if you believe the Self to be subject to birth and death, you should not grieve. Death is inevitable for the living; birth is inevitable for the dead. Since these are unavoidable, you should not sorrow. Every creature is unmanifested at first and then attains manifestation. When its end has come, it once again becomes unmanifested. What is there to lament in this?
-Bhagavad Gita 2:26-28
***
All education starts with forbidding.
- Leo Baeck, "Essence of Judaism"
***
All that we are is the result of our thoughts; it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. If you speak or act with a harmful thought, trouble will follow you as the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
All that we are is the result of our thoughts; it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. If you speak or act with a harmonious thought, happiness will follow you as your own shadow, never leaving you.
-Dhammapada
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
-
Guest
Love is a gift, not a reward for service!
-Jack Winter
***
The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.
-Ashley Montagu
***
Enough of the pursuit of pleasure,
Enough of wealth and righteous deeds!
In the dark forest of the world
What peace of mind can they bring you?
-Ashtavakra Gita 10:7
From "The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita,"
***
Establish worship at sunset until the darkness of the night and recite the Qur'an at dawn, for the recitation of the Qur'an at dawn is witnessed by all that is holy.
-Qur'an, Al-Isra, Surah 17:78
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
If you concentrate, enter trance, and sit in meditation, focusing on an objective, setting your mind on awareness and contemplation, practicing the way like a mechanical mannequin, when will you ever arrive at the goal?
-Pao-chih
-Jack Winter
***
The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.
-Ashley Montagu
***
Enough of the pursuit of pleasure,
Enough of wealth and righteous deeds!
In the dark forest of the world
What peace of mind can they bring you?
-Ashtavakra Gita 10:7
From "The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita,"
***
Establish worship at sunset until the darkness of the night and recite the Qur'an at dawn, for the recitation of the Qur'an at dawn is witnessed by all that is holy.
-Qur'an, Al-Isra, Surah 17:78
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
If you concentrate, enter trance, and sit in meditation, focusing on an objective, setting your mind on awareness and contemplation, practicing the way like a mechanical mannequin, when will you ever arrive at the goal?
-Pao-chih
-
Guest
When God’s decree becomes your pleasure,
you become a willing slave,
not because of burdening yourself,
not on account of recompense,
but by virtue of the nature now so pure
that wherever divine edict may take you,
living and dying will appear the same.
You live for God, not for riches;
you die for God, not from fear or pain.
-Rumi, “Mathnawi”
***
In my intellect, I may divide [faith and works], just as in the candle I know there is both light and heat; yet put out the candle, and both are gone.
-John Selden
***
True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.
-Charles Caleb Colton
***
Be seated with spinal column erect
And turn your senses and mind deep within.
With the mantram echoing in your heart,
Cross over the dread sea of birth and death.
Train your senses to be obedient.
Regulate your activities to lead you
To the goal. Hold the reins of your mind
As you hold the reins of restive horses.
Choose a place for meditation that is
Clean, quiet, and cool, a cave with a smooth floor
Without stones and dust, protected against
Wind and rain and pleasing to the eye.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
From The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran
***
It is not by the amount that giving is productive of reward but rather by the generous impulse behind it. Therefore even so little as a handful of rice flour given with a pure heart becomes something that will bring great reward.
-Vimana Vatthu
you become a willing slave,
not because of burdening yourself,
not on account of recompense,
but by virtue of the nature now so pure
that wherever divine edict may take you,
living and dying will appear the same.
You live for God, not for riches;
you die for God, not from fear or pain.
-Rumi, “Mathnawi”
***
In my intellect, I may divide [faith and works], just as in the candle I know there is both light and heat; yet put out the candle, and both are gone.
-John Selden
***
True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.
-Charles Caleb Colton
***
Be seated with spinal column erect
And turn your senses and mind deep within.
With the mantram echoing in your heart,
Cross over the dread sea of birth and death.
Train your senses to be obedient.
Regulate your activities to lead you
To the goal. Hold the reins of your mind
As you hold the reins of restive horses.
Choose a place for meditation that is
Clean, quiet, and cool, a cave with a smooth floor
Without stones and dust, protected against
Wind and rain and pleasing to the eye.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
From The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran
***
It is not by the amount that giving is productive of reward but rather by the generous impulse behind it. Therefore even so little as a handful of rice flour given with a pure heart becomes something that will bring great reward.
-Vimana Vatthu
-
Guest
I choose goodness...I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
-Max Lucado
***
One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears--by listening to them.
-Dean Rusk
***
Because of your faith, I shall tell you the most profound of secrets: obtaining both jnana and vijnana, you will be free from all evil.
This royal knowledge, this royal secret, is the greatest purifier. Righteous and imperishable, it is a joy to practice and can be directly experienced.
-Bhagavad Gita 9:1-2
***
In the valley, on the mountain, I beheld only God.
In hardship I saw Him by my side.
In ease and well-being I beheld only God.
Like a candle I melted in His flame.
Amid the sparks of the flames,
I beheld only God.
-Baba Kuhi of Shiraz, "Rabi'a the Mystic"
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Contemplate the wonders of creation, the Divine dimension of their being, not as a dim configuration that is presented to you from a distance, but as the reality in which you live.
- Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
***
Conquer anger
with lack of anger;
bad, with good;
stinginess, with generosity;
a liar, with truth.
-Dhammapada, 17, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-Max Lucado
***
One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears--by listening to them.
-Dean Rusk
***
Because of your faith, I shall tell you the most profound of secrets: obtaining both jnana and vijnana, you will be free from all evil.
This royal knowledge, this royal secret, is the greatest purifier. Righteous and imperishable, it is a joy to practice and can be directly experienced.
-Bhagavad Gita 9:1-2
***
In the valley, on the mountain, I beheld only God.
In hardship I saw Him by my side.
In ease and well-being I beheld only God.
Like a candle I melted in His flame.
Amid the sparks of the flames,
I beheld only God.
-Baba Kuhi of Shiraz, "Rabi'a the Mystic"
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Contemplate the wonders of creation, the Divine dimension of their being, not as a dim configuration that is presented to you from a distance, but as the reality in which you live.
- Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
***
Conquer anger
with lack of anger;
bad, with good;
stinginess, with generosity;
a liar, with truth.
-Dhammapada, 17, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-
Guest
By a Carpenter mankind was made, and only by that Carpenter can mankind be remade.
-Desiderius Erasmus
***
If the creator had a purpose in equipping us with a neck, he surely meant us to stick it out.
-Arthur Koestler
***
How swiftly men perish who praise themselves, unappraised of
Their real measure and unable to live peacefully with others.
Load too many of them and even peacock feathers
Would break the cart's axle.
-Tirukkural 48: 474-475
***
The best dhikr is: "There is no god but Allah"; and the best invocation: "All praise is due to Allah."
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Ja'bir bin Abd'Allah
***
All beginnings require that you unlock a new door.
- Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
***
Every minute you perform hundreds of karmic actions, yet you are hardly conscious of any of them. In the stillness of meditation, however, you can listen to your mind, the source of all this activity. You learn to be aware of your actions to a far greater extent than ever before. This self-awareness leads to self-control, enabling you to master your karma rather than be mastered by it.
-Lama Thubten Yeshe, "In Wisdom Energy"
***
-Desiderius Erasmus
***
If the creator had a purpose in equipping us with a neck, he surely meant us to stick it out.
-Arthur Koestler
***
How swiftly men perish who praise themselves, unappraised of
Their real measure and unable to live peacefully with others.
Load too many of them and even peacock feathers
Would break the cart's axle.
-Tirukkural 48: 474-475
***
The best dhikr is: "There is no god but Allah"; and the best invocation: "All praise is due to Allah."
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Ja'bir bin Abd'Allah
***
All beginnings require that you unlock a new door.
- Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
***
Every minute you perform hundreds of karmic actions, yet you are hardly conscious of any of them. In the stillness of meditation, however, you can listen to your mind, the source of all this activity. You learn to be aware of your actions to a far greater extent than ever before. This self-awareness leads to self-control, enabling you to master your karma rather than be mastered by it.
-Lama Thubten Yeshe, "In Wisdom Energy"
***
-
Guest
There is only one success--to be able to spend your life in your own way.
-Christopher Morley
***
Love alone will abide thee.
-Tamil Proverb
***
I swear by the planets that follow their courses, by the stars that rise and set, by the darkness of night, and by the first light of dawn, that my words are those of an honoured messenger, held in esteem by the Lord who sits on the divine throne and is obeyed in the heavens; I swear that I am worthy of the trust that he has placed in me.
-Qur'an, At-Takwir, Surah 81:15-21
***
Before he died, Rabbi Zusya said: "In the world to come they will not ask me, 'Why were you not Moses?'
"They will ask me, 'Why were you not Zusya?'"
- Legend about Hasidic Rabbi Zusya of Hanipoli
***
The one who wanders independent in the world, free from opinions and viewpoints, does not grasp them and enter into disputations and arguments. As the lotus rises on its stalk unsoiled by the mud and the water, so the wise one speaks of peace and is unstained by the opinions of the world.
-Sutta Nipata
-Christopher Morley
***
Love alone will abide thee.
-Tamil Proverb
***
I swear by the planets that follow their courses, by the stars that rise and set, by the darkness of night, and by the first light of dawn, that my words are those of an honoured messenger, held in esteem by the Lord who sits on the divine throne and is obeyed in the heavens; I swear that I am worthy of the trust that he has placed in me.
-Qur'an, At-Takwir, Surah 81:15-21
***
Before he died, Rabbi Zusya said: "In the world to come they will not ask me, 'Why were you not Moses?'
"They will ask me, 'Why were you not Zusya?'"
- Legend about Hasidic Rabbi Zusya of Hanipoli
***
The one who wanders independent in the world, free from opinions and viewpoints, does not grasp them and enter into disputations and arguments. As the lotus rises on its stalk unsoiled by the mud and the water, so the wise one speaks of peace and is unstained by the opinions of the world.
-Sutta Nipata
-
Guest
For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?
-Matthew 16:26 (Revised Standard Version)
***
An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.
-Elbert Hubbard
***
From him come the scriptures, chants, and prayers,
Religious rites and sacrificial gifts;
From him come work, time, and givers of gifts,
And all things under the sun and moon.
From him come the gods of the natural world,
Men, beasts, and birds, and food to nourish them;
From him come all spiritual disciplines,
Meditation, truth, faith, and purity.
-Mundaka Upanishad
***
Good humor and character is manifested in a cheerful face, generous giving, and not imposing one's problems on others.
-Hasan Al-Basri in Nurbakhsh: Hasan Basri, 174
***
Love is as strong as death.
- Song of Songs 8:6
***
Crush your sense of self-allure
like an autumn lily in the hand.
Nurture only the path to peace
--Unbinding--
as taught by the One Well Gone.
-Dhammapada, 20, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-Matthew 16:26 (Revised Standard Version)
***
An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.
-Elbert Hubbard
***
From him come the scriptures, chants, and prayers,
Religious rites and sacrificial gifts;
From him come work, time, and givers of gifts,
And all things under the sun and moon.
From him come the gods of the natural world,
Men, beasts, and birds, and food to nourish them;
From him come all spiritual disciplines,
Meditation, truth, faith, and purity.
-Mundaka Upanishad
***
Good humor and character is manifested in a cheerful face, generous giving, and not imposing one's problems on others.
-Hasan Al-Basri in Nurbakhsh: Hasan Basri, 174
***
Love is as strong as death.
- Song of Songs 8:6
***
Crush your sense of self-allure
like an autumn lily in the hand.
Nurture only the path to peace
--Unbinding--
as taught by the One Well Gone.
-Dhammapada, 20, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-
Guest
Jesus Christ turns life right-side-up, and heaven outside-in.
-Carl F.H. Henry
***
Man can live for about forty days without food, and about three days without water, about eight minutes without air ... but only for one second without hope.
-Hal Lindsey
***
Be fearless and pure; never waver in your determination or your dedication to the spiritual life. Give freely. Be self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire to serve. Realize the truth of the scriptures; learn to be detached and to take joy in renunciation. Do not get angry or harm any living creature, but be compassionate and gentle; show good will to all. Cultivate vigor, patience, will, purity; avoid malice and pride. Then, Arjuna, you will achieve your divine destiny.
-Bhagavad Gita 16:1-3
***
You see throngs of afflicted feeble folk seated at the door in ardent hope. O you who are crushed, your pleas have been heard. Hark! Rush toward the mercy of God and be delivered of pain. How often has your disease been cured? How often has your soul been delivered of grief?
-Rumi, “Mathnawi”
***
If I knew God, I would be God.
- Medieval Jewish proverb
As cited
***
Every single thing arises from the evil mind, sang the Sage. So there is nothing dangerous in the three worlds other than the mind.
-Santideva, "Bodhicaryavatara"
***
-Carl F.H. Henry
***
Man can live for about forty days without food, and about three days without water, about eight minutes without air ... but only for one second without hope.
-Hal Lindsey
***
Be fearless and pure; never waver in your determination or your dedication to the spiritual life. Give freely. Be self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire to serve. Realize the truth of the scriptures; learn to be detached and to take joy in renunciation. Do not get angry or harm any living creature, but be compassionate and gentle; show good will to all. Cultivate vigor, patience, will, purity; avoid malice and pride. Then, Arjuna, you will achieve your divine destiny.
-Bhagavad Gita 16:1-3
***
You see throngs of afflicted feeble folk seated at the door in ardent hope. O you who are crushed, your pleas have been heard. Hark! Rush toward the mercy of God and be delivered of pain. How often has your disease been cured? How often has your soul been delivered of grief?
-Rumi, “Mathnawi”
***
If I knew God, I would be God.
- Medieval Jewish proverb
As cited
***
Every single thing arises from the evil mind, sang the Sage. So there is nothing dangerous in the three worlds other than the mind.
-Santideva, "Bodhicaryavatara"
***
-
Guest
Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
-Winston Churchill
***
It is harmful to make a multitude of foes,
But it is ten times worse
To give up the friendship of the worthy.
-Tirukkural 45:450
***
If you have faith and do good works, God will never impose a duty on you greater than you can bear. You are the heirs of paradise, and you will abide there for ever. "We shall take away all hatred from your hearts." Rivers will flow at your feet, and you will say, "Praise be to God who has guided us to this place. If he had not guided us, we should have strayed from the right path. His apostles have surely preached the truth." And a voice will cry out to them, "This is paradise, which you have earned by your labors."
-Qur'an, Al-A'raf, Surah 7:40-43
***
I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
- Albert Einstein
***
But then it came to me as an insight that I should teach this truth, for it is also happiness. There are people whose sight is only a little clouded, and they are suffering through not hearing the reality. They would become the knowers of the truth. It was in this way I went forth to teach.
-Majjhima Nikaya
-Winston Churchill
***
It is harmful to make a multitude of foes,
But it is ten times worse
To give up the friendship of the worthy.
-Tirukkural 45:450
***
If you have faith and do good works, God will never impose a duty on you greater than you can bear. You are the heirs of paradise, and you will abide there for ever. "We shall take away all hatred from your hearts." Rivers will flow at your feet, and you will say, "Praise be to God who has guided us to this place. If he had not guided us, we should have strayed from the right path. His apostles have surely preached the truth." And a voice will cry out to them, "This is paradise, which you have earned by your labors."
-Qur'an, Al-A'raf, Surah 7:40-43
***
I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
- Albert Einstein
***
But then it came to me as an insight that I should teach this truth, for it is also happiness. There are people whose sight is only a little clouded, and they are suffering through not hearing the reality. They would become the knowers of the truth. It was in this way I went forth to teach.
-Majjhima Nikaya
-
Guest
Jesus Christ is God's everything for man's total need.
-Richard Halverson
***
When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'
-Sydney J. Harris
***
"The wise see the Lord of Love in the month;
Rayi is the dark half, prana the bright.
The wise worship in the light of wisdom,
Others in the darkness of ignorance."
-Prashna Upanishad
***
What did you accomplish in your life? How did you consume your sustenence and strength? Where did you lose the luster of your eyes? Where did you lose all the five senses? I gave you bounty. Where is your gratitude? I gave you the capital. Come show me the interest.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
"When you practice generosity, Subhuti, you should not rely on any object to be the cause of your generosity. You should not rely on words, for they are merely labels. If you practice generosity without relying on causes or labels, you cannot conceive of the happiness. Subhuti, do you think that the space in the east can be measured?"
"No, Honored One."
"Can the space in the west, the north, or the south, or up above or down below be measured?"
"No, Honored One."
"In the same way, Subhuti, if you do not rely on any concept when practicing generosity, the happiness that results is as immeasurable as space."
-Diamond Sutra
***
-Richard Halverson
***
When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'
-Sydney J. Harris
***
"The wise see the Lord of Love in the month;
Rayi is the dark half, prana the bright.
The wise worship in the light of wisdom,
Others in the darkness of ignorance."
-Prashna Upanishad
***
What did you accomplish in your life? How did you consume your sustenence and strength? Where did you lose the luster of your eyes? Where did you lose all the five senses? I gave you bounty. Where is your gratitude? I gave you the capital. Come show me the interest.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
"When you practice generosity, Subhuti, you should not rely on any object to be the cause of your generosity. You should not rely on words, for they are merely labels. If you practice generosity without relying on causes or labels, you cannot conceive of the happiness. Subhuti, do you think that the space in the east can be measured?"
"No, Honored One."
"Can the space in the west, the north, or the south, or up above or down below be measured?"
"No, Honored One."
"In the same way, Subhuti, if you do not rely on any concept when practicing generosity, the happiness that results is as immeasurable as space."
-Diamond Sutra
***
-
Guest
All God's plans have the mark of the cross on them, and all His plans have death to self in them.
-E.M. Bounds
***
The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one.
-Russell Lynes
***
The laws of life are five:
Nonviolence,
Truthfulness,
Integrity,
Chastity,
Nonattachment.
These laws are universal. Unaffected by time, place, birth, or circumstance, together they constitute the "Great Law of Life."
-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:30-31
***
Lord, forgive us our transgressions.
Help us remain steadfast.
We seek Your support against the transgressors.
-From the prayer book "Al-Hizbul-A'zam"
***
Passover, with its message of hope, tells us that like the Egyptian slaves, we can escape from our straits.
- Lesli Koppelman Ross, "Celebrate! The Complete Jewish Holiday Handbook"
***
Clearly, buddha-dharma is not practiced for one's own sake, and even less for the sake of fame and profit. Just for the sake of buddha-dharma you should practice it.
All buddhas' compassion and sympathy for sentient beings are neither for their own sake nor for the sake of others. It is just the nature of buddha-dharma.
-Dogen, "Moon in a Dewdrop"
-E.M. Bounds
***
The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one.
-Russell Lynes
***
The laws of life are five:
Nonviolence,
Truthfulness,
Integrity,
Chastity,
Nonattachment.
These laws are universal. Unaffected by time, place, birth, or circumstance, together they constitute the "Great Law of Life."
-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:30-31
***
Lord, forgive us our transgressions.
Help us remain steadfast.
We seek Your support against the transgressors.
-From the prayer book "Al-Hizbul-A'zam"
***
Passover, with its message of hope, tells us that like the Egyptian slaves, we can escape from our straits.
- Lesli Koppelman Ross, "Celebrate! The Complete Jewish Holiday Handbook"
***
Clearly, buddha-dharma is not practiced for one's own sake, and even less for the sake of fame and profit. Just for the sake of buddha-dharma you should practice it.
All buddhas' compassion and sympathy for sentient beings are neither for their own sake nor for the sake of others. It is just the nature of buddha-dharma.
-Dogen, "Moon in a Dewdrop"
-
Guest
Failure is a stepping-stone to greatness.
-Oprah Winfrey
***
Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear.
Those who follow this path, resolving deep within themselves to seek Me alone, attain singleness of purpose. For those who lack resolution, the decisions of life are many-branched and endless.
-Bhagavad Gita 2:40-41
***
Winds are the heralds of Allah's mercy, though they bear both compassion and chastisement. So implore Allah for their aid, and seek refuge in Him from their destructive power.
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
Passover affirms the great truth that liberty is the inalienable right of every human being.
- Morris Joseph, "Judaism as Creed and Life"
***
Before, this mind went wandering
however it pleased,
wherever it wanted,
by whatever way that it liked.
Today I will hold it aptly in check--
as one wielding a goad, an elephant in rut.
-Dhammapada, 23, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-Oprah Winfrey
***
Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear.
Those who follow this path, resolving deep within themselves to seek Me alone, attain singleness of purpose. For those who lack resolution, the decisions of life are many-branched and endless.
-Bhagavad Gita 2:40-41
***
Winds are the heralds of Allah's mercy, though they bear both compassion and chastisement. So implore Allah for their aid, and seek refuge in Him from their destructive power.
-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
Passover affirms the great truth that liberty is the inalienable right of every human being.
- Morris Joseph, "Judaism as Creed and Life"
***
Before, this mind went wandering
however it pleased,
wherever it wanted,
by whatever way that it liked.
Today I will hold it aptly in check--
as one wielding a goad, an elephant in rut.
-Dhammapada, 23, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-
Guest
Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
-Luke 23:34 (Revised Standard Version)
***
You can't be afraid of stepping on toes if you want to go dancing.
-Lewis Freedman
***
Not killing is the first and foremost good.
The virtue of not lying comes next.
-Tirukkural 323
***
Indeed, Allah bestowed His grace upon the believers by sending them a Prophet of their own, who recited before them the Lord's revelations in order to purify and enlighten them through divine wisdom. For before that they were lost in grave error.
-Qur'an, Al-Imran, Surah 3:164
***
"You tell me to stand still, but I am not walking," he shouted, "whereas you who are walking say you are still. How is it that you are standing still but I am not?"
The Buddha turned round. "My legs move but my mind is still," he said. "Your legs are still but your mind moves all the time in a fire of anger, hatred, and feverish desire. Therefore, I am still but you are not."
-Majjhima Nikaya
-Luke 23:34 (Revised Standard Version)
***
You can't be afraid of stepping on toes if you want to go dancing.
-Lewis Freedman
***
Not killing is the first and foremost good.
The virtue of not lying comes next.
-Tirukkural 323
***
Indeed, Allah bestowed His grace upon the believers by sending them a Prophet of their own, who recited before them the Lord's revelations in order to purify and enlighten them through divine wisdom. For before that they were lost in grave error.
-Qur'an, Al-Imran, Surah 3:164
***
"You tell me to stand still, but I am not walking," he shouted, "whereas you who are walking say you are still. How is it that you are standing still but I am not?"
The Buddha turned round. "My legs move but my mind is still," he said. "Your legs are still but your mind moves all the time in a fire of anger, hatred, and feverish desire. Therefore, I am still but you are not."
-Majjhima Nikaya