#97. 2003/01/19
Suddenly, when I had consented
to the sacrifice with all my heart and my will, God's presence pervaded
me. My soul became immersed in God and was inundated with such happiness
that I cannot put in writing even the smallest part of it. I felt that
His Majesty was enveloping me. I was extraordinarily fused with God. I
saw that God was pleased with me and, reciprocally, my spirit drowned itself
in Him. Aware of this union with God, I felt I was especially loved and,
in turn, I loved with all my soul. (...) It seemed to me that I would die
of love at the sight of His glance. (...) At that moment I felt transconsecrated.
My earthly body was the same, but my soul was different; God was now living
in it with the totality of His delight. This is not a feeling, but a conscious
reality that nothing can obscure. (Faustina Kowalska, Diary, 137.)
#98. 2003/01/26
When the divine joy comes, immediately
my breath is still and I am lifted into the Spirit. I feel the bliss of
a thousand sleeps rolled into one, and yet I don't lose my ordinary awareness.
This is universally the experience of those who go deep in the superconscious
state. When the profound ecstasy of God falls over you, the body becomes
still, the breath ceases to flow, and the thoughts are quiet - banished,
every one, by the magic command of the soul. Then you drink of God's bliss
and experience an intoxication of joy that not a thousands draughts of
wine could give you. (Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.161.)
#99. 2003/02/02
When the soul stands in its majesty
before the source, above all created things, the might of the soul penetrates
into the source, and all the faculties of the soul remain outside. (
)
The soul is naked and bare of all things that bear names. So it stands,
as one, in the One, so that it has a progression in naked divinity, (
).
So (
) as long as the good person lives in time, his soul has a constant
progression in eternity. That is why good people cherish life. (Sister
Katrei, (circa 1300), Buber, Ecstatic Confessions, P.156.)
#100. 2003/02/09
Placed before the sun in the sky,
a thousand pitchers of water will reflect the sun. Then you will see that
the sun in the sky is only one, but the reflections are many. (...)" (Heirakhan
Babaji, explaining why there are so many religions in the world, 1982-03-25,
Teachings of Babaji, pp.20-21)
#101. 2003/02/16
Have we not all one father? Has
not one God created us? Why then we are faithless to one another, profaning
the covenant of our ancestors?
Malachi 2:10
#102. 2003/02/23
O Lord! Unite and bind together
the hearts, join in accord all the souls, and exhilarate the spirits through
the signs of Thy sanctity and oneness. O Lord! Make these faces radiant
through the light of Thy oneness. (...)O Lord God! Make us as waves of
the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties
of Thy love. O Lord! Dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness,
and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as
perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life. Verily, Thou art the Almighty,
the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the Pardoner, the Omniscient,
the One Creator. (Abdu'l-Baha.)
#103. 2003/03/02
Those whose minds are established
in sameness and equanimity have already conquered the conditions of birth
and death. (Gita 5:19) March 1 - Mahashivaratri, a holiday devoted to
Lord Shiva.
#104. 2003/03/09
I ordered that no one is permitted
to abuse anybody or to damage the cities. I ordered that no house
should be damaged and no ones property should be violated and ransacked.
I ordered that everybody should keep to his/her belief system and be free
to worship his/her own God. I ordered that all the people should
be free in their thoughts, choosing the place of their residence and no
one should violate the rights of others. Cyrus the Great, Persian King,
believed to be a follower of Zarathustra (Zoroaster), Quoted after: http://www.zoroaster.net
#105. 2003/03/16
I maintain that every major religion
of the world - Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism,
Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism - has similar ideas of love, the
same goal of benefiting humanity through spiritual practice, and the same
effects of making their followers into better human beings... Differences
of dogma may be ascribed to differences of time and circumstance as well
as cultural influences. Dalai Lama, A Human Approach to World Peace, P.13
#106. 2003/03/23
(
) The absence of peace was in
the hearts, now the absence of peace has come into the world. Our Lady
of Medjugorie, December 1990. (The Gulf War.) Words from Heaven, P.188.
Weapons are tools of violence; all decent men detest them. Weapons are tools of fear; a decent man will avoid them except in the direct necessity and, if compelled, will use them only with utmost restraint. Peace is his highest value. (...) He enters a battle gravely, with sorrow and with great compassion, as if he were attending a funeral. Tao Te Ching 31, quoted after: Novak Philip, The World's Wisdom. P.157.
#107. 2003/03/30
The first (...) supernatural prayer
that I noticed in myself (...) is an inward concentration (...). No sense
is lost here, no faculty, everything remains intact, but only for the purpose
of conversing with God. (...) This concentration often produces a calmness
and inner peace, in which the soul finds that there is nothing left for
her to do; even speech is burdensome to her. (...) she wants nothing but
love. Teresa de Jesus (1515-1582). Quoted in: Buber, Ecstatic Confessions,
P.112-113.
#108. 2003/04/06
Through fasting and prayer one
can stop wars, one can suspend the laws of nature. Our Lady of Medjugorie,
July 21, 1982. Words from Heaven, P.33.
#109. 2003/04/13
At about three o'clock Jesus cried
out with a loud shout, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachtani?" which means, "My God,
my God, why did you abandon me?" Matthew 27:46, Today's English Version.
#110. 2003/04/20
I am not really alone, because
the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you will have peace
by being united to me. (...) be brave! I have defeated the world! John
16:32-33, Today's English Version. April 20 - Easter, celebrates the
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
#111. 2003/04/27
It is only when we see with the
eye of the complete union and feel this truth in the depths of our being
that we can entirely discover behind that mask too the calm and beautiful
face of the all-blissful Godhead and in this touch that tests our imperfection
the touch of the friend and builder of the spirit in man. The discords
of the world are God's discords and it is only by accepting and proceeding
through them that we can arrive at the greater concords of his supreme
harmony (...). Shri Aurobindo (1872-1950), Essays on the Gita, quoted in
Satprem (1968), Sri Aurobindo, or the Adventures of Consciousness. P.164.
#112. 2003/05/04
If the soul is immortal (said Socrates),
she needs care, not only for the time which we call life, but for all time
(...). For if death were release from everything, a great blessing it would
be for evil men to be rid of the body and their own wickedness along with
the soul. But since, as things are, she appears to be immortal, there could
be no escape from evil for her and no salvation, except that she should
become as good and wise as possible. For when the soul comes to Hades she
brings with her nothing but her education and training (...). Great Dialogues
of Plato, Phaedo. N.Y.: Mentor Books, P.512.
#113. 2003/05/11
And we have enjoyed upon man to
be good to his parents. With difficulty upon difficulty did his mother
bear him and wean him for two years. Show gratitude to Me and to your parents;
to Me is your final goal. Quran 31:14. May 11 - Mother's Day, May 13
- Mawlid al-Nabiy, the anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad.
#114. 2003/05/19
Not to do any evil, to cultivate
good, to purify one's mind - this is the advice of the Buddhas. Dhammapada,
183. Quoted from: The Teachings of Buddha. (1966). Tokyo: Bukkyo Dendo
Kyokai. May 16 - Wesak is the most important day of the year for Buddhists.
Coming on the full moon, it marks the tripple celebration of the Buddha's
Birth, Enlightenment and Final Demise.
#115. 2003/05/25
O Son of Man! Veiled in My immemorial
being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee:
therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed
to thee My beauty. Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words, 3.
#116. 2003/06/01
Be always humble, gentle, and patient.
Show your love by being tolerant of one another. Do your best to preserve
your unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you
together. There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to
which God has called you. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptsim; there
is one God and Father of all mankind, who is Lord of all, works through
all, and is in all. Letter of Paul to Ephesians, 4:2-6. Today's English
Version.
#117. 2003/06/08
What human nature does is quite
plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy and indecent actions; in worship
of idols and witchcraft; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They
separate into parties and groups; they are envious, get drunk, have orgies,
and do other things like this. (...) But the Spirit produces love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.
There is no law against such things like these. Letter of Paul to Galatians,
5:19-23. Today's English Version.
#118. 2003/06/14
The One God is the Father of all,
we are all his Children. The One God is the cause of all causes; knowledge,
wisdom, discrimination are His gifts to us. He is not far, He is not near,
He is with us all. Saith Nanak: Praise the Lord with abiding love. Adi
Granth.
#119. 2003/06/23
Be afraid of nothing. Hating none,
giving love to all, feeling the love of God, seeing His presence in everyone,
and having but one desire - for His constant presence in the temple of
your consciousness - that is the way to live in this world. Paramahansa
Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.128.
#120. 2003/07/01
When the soul clings to the Lord,
and the Lord, moved by compassion and love, comes to the soul and clings
to it, and the mind remains constantly in the grace of the Lord, then the
soul and its Lord become one spirit, one nature and one mind. And while
the body of this soul lies on earth, its spirit lives wholly in the heavenly
Jerusalem, rises to the third heaven, attaches itself to the Lord, and
serves him. Makarios, The Egyptian. (301-391), quoted after: Buber, Ecstatic
Confessions, P.151.
#121. 2003/07/20
The states (ahwal) and their definition.
Junayd defined hal as a form of inspiration which comes down to the heart
but does not stay in it permanently. A list of states: attentive observation
(muraqaba), nearness (qurb), love (mahabba), hope (raja), fear (khawf),
diffidence (haya). (...) Then come yearning (shawq), intimacy (uns), serenity
(tuma'nina), certainty (yaqin), and the experience of vision (mushahada),
which is the last of the states. Then come various forms of divine inspiration:
signs (fawatih), appearances of light, and graces, all of which are ineffable.
Kitab Adab al-Muridin (circa 1097-1168 C.E). A Sufi Rule for Novices. (1975).Translated
and edited by Menahem Milson. London: Harvard University Press.
#122. 2003/07/27
So, waiting, I have won from you
the end: God's presence in each moment. Goethe, quoted after Buber, Martin
(1958). I and Thou. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
#123. 2003/08/10
In all respects, we are one humanity,
one human family. Limitations arise from political beliefs and world leaders
who hold thinking to time, place and culture, thereby creating differences
and separateness. The birthright of all mankind is to love and follow God.
Limitations arise from erroneous human beliefs. Haidakhan Babaji (1970-1984).
"Teachings of Babaji." P.39
#124. 2003/08/17
If one offers Me with love and
devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it. Bhagavad-Gita
9:26
#125. 2003/08/24
Life is the light of God, the expression
of Divinity. It is divine. It is the stream of eternal Being, a flow of
existence, of intelligence, of creativity, of purity, and of bliss. Life
is unity. (...) Life is unity in God consciousness. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
(1963). Transcendental Meditation. London: New American Library.
#126. 2003/08/31
"Allah: there is no god but Him,
the Living, the Eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. His
is what the heavens and the earth contain. Who can intercede with Him except
by His permission? He knows what is before and behind men. They can grasp
only that part of His knowledge which He wills. His throne is as vast as
the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not weary
Him. He is the Exalted, the Immense One. There shall be no compulsion in
religion. (...) Allah hears all and knows all." The Koran, 2:255-6. (1974).
Penguin Classics.
#127. 2003/09/07
"The antidote to craving is rest;
we quench our thirst with Sabbath tranquillity. We invite a time in which
we can taste what we have been given, take delight in what we already have,
and see that it is good. We focus less on our lack and more on our abundance.
As we do, our thirst and hunger for more than we need begins to fall away.
In quiet stillness we can identify genuine needs with more precision, and
separate them more easily from our mindless wants and desires. We can feel
the difference between happiness, which is often simple and easy, an inner
shift towards appreciation and gratefulness for what is before us, and
desire, which is often frantic and relentless, cutting the heart with its
sharp and painful demands." Wayne Muller, Sabbath, PP. 123-127. Submitted
to Merton-L Discussion Group by Norman King.
#128. 2003/09/14
"And Jesus answered: Seek not the
law in your scriptures, for the law is life, whereas the scripture is dead.
(...) The law is living word of living God to living prophets for living
men. In everything that is life is the law written. You find it in the
grass, in the tree, in the river, in the mountain, in the birds of heaven,
in the fishes of the sea, but seek it chiefly in yourselves. (...) They
are in your breath, your blood, your bone; in your flesh, your bowels,
your eyes, your ears, and in every little part of your body. They are present
in the air, in the water, in the earth, in the plants, in the sunbeams,
in the depths and in the heights. (...) God wrote not the laws in the pages
of books, but in your heart and in your spirit. (..) They all speak to
you that you may understand the tongue and the will of the living God.
(...) For I tell you truly, all living things are nearer to God than the
scripture which is without life." The Essene Gospel of Peace.(1981), p.13.
#129. 2003/09/21
A father complained to the Besht
(Baal Shem Tov) that his son had forsaken God. "What, Rabbi, shall I do?"
"Love him more than ever," was the Besht's reply. Rabbi Dov Baer, In Praise
of the Baal Shem Tov. Quoted in: Michael J. Shire. (2001). The Jewish Prophet.
Woodstock, VE: Jewish Lights Publ.
#130. 2003/09/28
The word 'service' means an obedience
to the order through body, mind and speech. A disciple with a pure soul
shall of necessity carry out the order of the preceptor risking his life
and staking his possessions even if the task is not within his power. The
word Sisya (disciple) means a person who is worth of being ordered about.
The Siva-Purana, Vol.I, Ch.18 - Vidyesvarasamhita, 87-88.
#131. 2003/10/05
The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm
51:17
#132. 2003/10/12
The Net of Gratitude
Giving thanks for abundance
is sweeter than the abundance itself:
Should one who is absorbed with
the Generous One
be distracted by the gift?
Thankfulness is the soul of beneficence;
abundance is but the husk,
for thankfulness brings you to
the place where the Beloved lives.
Abundance yields heedlessness;
thankfulness brings alertness:
hunt for bounty with the net of
gratitude.
Rumi, Mathnawi III, 2895-2897, Kabir Helminski, editor: "The Rumi Collection," Shambhala, Boston & London, 2000, p. 59
#133. 2003/10/17
Recognize all humankind as one.
The Creator and the Merciful, the Provider and the Gracious are the same
God. Do not, in error or doubt, accept any other. All serve the One. He
is the One Divine Teacher of all, there is but One Form, let us understand
Him to be the same Light.
Dasam Granth Sahib, the sacred
scripture of Sikhs.
#134. 2003/10/23
He Dwells Forever
He dwells forever, exalted, alone,
and no one comes near him
whose kingdom is One-
from the light of his garment he
fashioned his world
within three
words that are sealed.
(...)
Who fathoms the mystery is shaken
with fear.
From this he discerns who's beyond
all compare.
Prior to "One" - what does one
number?
He's prime to all primes-
and to all that's
exalted he's higher.
(...)
It's he who brought forth Being
from Nothing,
and then from
Chaos substance was formed;
he set up huge pillars beyond comprehension,
established an azure and inlaid
circumference-
the abysmal
waters flow forth from its stones.
He fixed six-directions sealed with
his Name:
From water hurled fire with heavenly
strength;
he established within them
his host and his throne
for signs and
seasons and days.
His Name which is raised and borne
over all
he placed in
all with desire and labor;
the earth he hung like grapes in
a cluster;
from his lofty place he's the place
of all:
The Lord is
a Rock everlasting.
On the upper spirit he established
his throne,
where his kingdom's glory is eternally
home;
there is dominion
over all is defined:
for the spirit
of God is Life beyond time.
High above all, and of all the strongest,
he sees the cosmos, and over all
watches;
above all holds sway,
surrounds all there is;
by means of
his Name all creatures exist.
He fashioned all with a blemishless
word;
he alone leads, he's instantly
heard;
the Lord carries all
without growing weary-
within their
own wisdom he captures the wise.
(...)
he who breathes through the body
his breath;
he who keeps it upright in health;
he who deep
into earth returns it;
and he who will
wake us from sleep.
Solomon Ibn Gabirol (11th Century)Quoted after: Cole, Peter (Trans.) (2001). Selected Poems of Solomon Ibn Gabirol. Princeton, Oxford: Princeton University Press. P.126-8.
#135. 2003/11/02
In the bowl of the sky, the sun
and moon are the lamps; the stars in the constellations are the pearls.
The fragrance of sandalwood is the incense, the wind is the fan, and all
the vegetation are flowers in offering to You, O Luminous Lord. (...) The
Divine Light is within everyone; You are that Light. Yours is that Light
which shines within everyone. (...) My soul is enticed by the honey-sweet
lotus feet of the Lord; night and day, I thirst for them. Bless Nanak,
the thirsty song-bird, with the water of Your Mercy, that he may come to
dwell in Your Name.
DHANAASAREE, FIRST MEHL, AARTEE:
ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. Guru Granth Sahib, || 4 || 1 || 7 || 9 |I quoted
after: http://www.sikhs.org/english/frame.html
#136. 2003/11/07
Only when the lamp of search, of
earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid
love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker's heart, and
the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness
of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated,
and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being. At that hour
will the Mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine
forth from the City of God resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast
of knowledge, will awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the
slumber of heedlessness. Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1983), CXXV, pp. 264-70.
quoted after: http://www.bahai.org/article-1-3-2-20.html
#137. 2003/11/16
The Only Teaching.
For lovers, the only teaching is
the beauty of the Beloved:
their only book and lecture is
the Face.
Outwardly they are silent,
but their penetrating remembrance
rises
to the high throne of their Friend.
Their only lesson is enthusiasm,
whirling, and trembling,
not the minor details of law.
Rumi, Mathnawi III, 3847-3819, translated by Kabir and Camille Helminski, quoted in: "The Rumi Collection," Shambhala, Boston & London, 2000, p. 32.
#138. 2003/11/23
I know truly the rule for God's
Provision, (...). Truly whatever my daily portion is - of money, food,
clothing, or of the fire of lust - if I sit quietly, it will come to me.
If I run around in search of my daily bread, the effort exhausts and demeans
me. If I am patient and stay in my place, it will come to me without pain
and humiliation. My daily bread is seeking me out and drawing me. When
it can't draw me, it comes - just as when I can't draw it, I go to it.
The upshot of these words is that you should be so engaged in the spiritual
work that this world will run after you. (...)
Rumi, Fihi Ma Fihi #4, quoted in:
Helminski, Kabir (2000). The Rumi Collection. P.62.
#139. 2003/11/30
"Be on guard so that your hearts
are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of
this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will
come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all
times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things
that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." The New Testament,
Luke 21:34-36.
#140. 2003/12/07
If you go even three feet toward
Solomon's mountain,
others will use that as a yardstick
to measure their lives.
If your leg is gimpy, and you have
to hop, what's difference?
Going there, even by limping, the
leg grows whole.
Rumi, quoted in: Helminski, Kabir (2000). The Rumi Collection. P.129.
#141. 2003/12/14
I would regard a compassionate,
warm, kindhearted person as healthy. If you maintain a feeling of compassion,
loving kindness, then something automatically opens your inner door. Through
that, you can communicate much more easily with other people. And that
feeling of warmth creates a kind of openness. You'll find that all human
beings are just like you, so you'll be able to relate to them more easily.
That gives you a spirit of friendship. Then there's less need to hide things,
and as a result, feeling of fear, self-doubt, and insecurity are automatically
dispelled. Dalai Lama, quoted in: Cutler, Howard (1998). The Art of Happiness.
A Handbook for Living. P.40.
#142. 2003/12/21
Remove hatred and jealousy from
the heart. The same thing has been repeatedly written in the Bible and
spoken through Christ. Where there is jealousy and hatred, there is no
religion. Haidakhan Babaji (1970-1984), quoted in: Teachings of Babaji,
P.41.
#143. 2003/12/25
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light (...). For a child has been born for us, a son
given to us; (...). How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the
messenger who announces peace, who brings the good news, who announces
salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."(...) He is the reflection
of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being (...). The true
light, which enlightens everyone (...); and we have seen his glory, the
glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. Isaiah 9:2, 6;
52:7; Hebrews 1:3; John 1:9,14
#144. 2003/12/28
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the
Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out with joy to the living God. Psalm 84:1-2