St. John Cassian
(360-435), quoted in:
The Philokalia, Vol. I.,
P.96-7.
#293. 2007/01/14.
Be yourself and seek
your own path. Know
yourself before you
attempt to get to know
children. Become aware
of what you yourself
are capable of before
you attempt to outline
the rights and
responsibilities of
children. First and
foremost you must
realize that you too
are a child, whom you
must first get to
know, to bring up and
educate. Children are
not the people of
tomorrow, but are
people of today. They
have a right to be
taken seriously, and
to be treated with
tenderness and
respect, they should
be allowed to grow
into whoever they were
meant to be. The
unknown person inside
each of them is our
hope for the future.
Janusz
Korczak (1879-1942),
How to Love a Child,
quoted in: Michael
Shire, The Jewish
Prophet, P.115.
#294. 2007/01/21.
Lacking real
knowledge, we still
trust solely in the
apparent righteousness
of our way of life,
and so lead ourselves
astray, trying to
please men, pursuing
the glory, honour and
praise which they
offer. But the Judge
who cannot be deceived
will certainly come,
and 'will bring to
light the things now
hidden in darkness,
and reveal the
purposes of hearts'
(1Cor 4:5). He neither
respects the wealthy
nor pities the poor,
but strips away the
outward appearance and
reveals the truth
hidden within.
St.
Mark the Ascetic (4th
Century C.E.), quoted
in: The Philokalia,
Vol. I., P.150.
#295. 2007/01/28.
Is not evident (...)
that there is but one
and the same divine
light: that which the
apostles saw on Tabor,
which purifies souls
behold even now, and
which is the reality
of the eternal
blessings to come?
St.
Gregory Palamas
(1296-1359) quoted in:
Speake, Graham (2002).
Mount Athos. Renewal
in Paradise. London,
New Haven: Yale
University Press,
P.92.
#296. 2007/02/04.
Dear
Tom, I write it during
the New Year's Eve,
which we traditionally
spend at home, without
any company, since
that New Year's Eve in
1944/45, when I got
drunk under the most
unfortunate
circumstances. This
is to perform penance
and express our
gratitude, that we
were not immediately
punished after my
stupid acts. (...) I
write less and less
poetry, and I become a
dreamer, which means
that I measure a
distance between what
I would like to and
could (as I feel)
write - from one
point, and this that I
can write - from the
second, and as a
result I write
nothing. My nights are
filled with ecstatic
prayers, joy - I know,
that it simply can be
a trap, but I can't
fight with the
obvious. (...) to my
own surprise I return
to my youth, to play
with the
possibilities. And
this is also my pain;
desire to be useful,
combined with my
personal literary
ambition, pushes me to
do something. In these
times of widespread
negation and mockery,
shouldn't a man give
expression to his
rapture? (....)
(Letter
dated December 31,
1964).
Czesław
Miłosz (1911-2004)
quoted in: Tarnowska,
Maria (Trans.) (2003).
Thomas Merton, Czesław
Miłosz - Listy (Striving
toward Being: The
Letters of Thomas
Merton and Czesław
Miłosz). Kraków,
Poland: Znak, P.147.
#297. 2007/02/11.
On
seeing his
auspicious wife, Rati,
Kama was pierced by
his own arrows and was
overpowered by the
pleasure of alliance.
His wife of fair
completion, tremulous
side-glances and
fawn-eyes, admirably
suited to his love of
pleasure offered him
ample sports. (...)
Inhalling the
naturally sweet
fragrance of her
steady breath Kama
abandoned his faith in
the Malaya breeze.
Seeing her face
resembling the full
moon with all
characteristic
remarks, Kama was
unable to find any
difference between her
face and the moon. Her
pair of breasts
resembled the buds of
golden lotus with
nipples shining like
bees hovering round
them. (...) His eyes
covering the skin with
their glances around
her deep navel shone
like red plums. That
lovely woman of
slender waist with a
natural golden
complexion appeared
like a golden platform
to Kama. Kama looked
at her thighs lovely
like the stump of a
plantain as though
they were his javelin.
The heels, the tips
and the sides of her
feet were reddish in
tinge. With them she
looked as the comrade
of the Cupid. Her red
hands with nails like
Kimsuka flowers and
with well-rounded
tapering fingers were
very beautiful. Her
arms were fine like
the lotus-stalk. They
were glossy and soft.
They resembled corals
putting forth the beam
of splendour. Her
glossy hair resembled
the blue cloud and the
fluffy tail of the
Camari dear. Thus
shone the wife of
Kama.
Just as Lord Siva
accepted Ganga oozing
from the snowy
mountains, Kama
married her. (...)
Great festivities
heightening the
pleasure of everyone
ensued, O dear one.
(...) Rati was highly
delighted on getting
Kama as her husband.
The sweet-voiced Kama
rejoiced with her like
a cloud at sunset
mingled with sparkling
lightning. Thus Kama
took Rati to his chest
(...).
The
marriage of Kama,
Hindu God of Love, as
narrated in:
Shivapurana, Vol.I. New
Dehli: Motilal
Banarsidass.
P.288-290. Happy
Valentine's Day!!!
#298. 2007/02/19.
Fast
before the Lord
according to your
strength, for to do
this will purge you of
your iniquities and
sins; it exalts the
soul, sanctifies the
mind, drives away the
demons, and prepares
you for God's
presence.
St. Evagrios the
Solitary (345-399
C.E.), quoted in: The
Philokalia, Vol. I.,
P.36
#299. 2007/02/25.
They
asked Abba Marcarius:
How should we pray?
The old man answered:
A long speech is not
necessary, but instead
stretch out your hands
and say, Lord, as you
wish and as you know,
have mercy. Yet if
you feel a conflict is
breaking out, you have
to say, Lord, help!
He knows what is good
for us and treats us
mercifully.
Nomura, Yushi. Desert
Wisdom: Sayings from
the Desert Fathers.
P.104
#300. 2007/03/04.
May
your labor is light
and
your child grow
healthy.
May she
feels happy sometimes
and
jumps over abysses.
May her
heart has ability for
perseverance,
and her
mind is alert and far
reaching.
Pour
que l'accuchement soit
leger
et que
l'enfant grandisse en
bonne sante.
Pourvu
qu'il soit heureux
parfois
et
traverse les abimes.
Que son
coeur ne manque pas de
perseverance,
que sa
raison toujours en
eveil, et voie loin.
Wisława Szymborska
(1997). O śmierci bez
przesady [De la mort
sans exagerer]. Kraków:
Wydawnictwo Literackie. P.172
#301. 2007/03/11.
"(...)
you should look to the
areas of your
countries where people
are poverty-stricken
and helpless and then
do all you can to
raise their standards
of living, teaching
them cleanliness and
high morals. To serve
the needy truly and
from the heart is true
service to God."
Haidakhan Babaji. The
Teachings of Babaji.
P.64. (1983-04-20).
More on Haidakhan
Babaji can be found
at:
http://www.babajiashram.org/hua/About-baba.html
#302. 2007/03/18.
When
your joy is sincere
you are a
smile-millionaire. A
genuine smile
distributes the
cosmic current,
prana, to every body
cell. (...) Those
smiles come from
meditation.
The
only thing that can
last is the joy of
God. When you have
it you can smile all
the time.
Find joy within and
express it in your
face. When you do
that, wherever you
go a little smile
will surcharge
everyone with your
divine magnetism.
Everybody will be
happy!
Paramahansa
Yogananda, Man's
Eternal Quest, PP.
89, 173, 174.
By
God, don't linger
in any spiritual
benefit you have
gained,
but yearn for
more - like one
suffering from
illness
whose thirst for
water is never
quenched.
This Divine Court
is the Plane of the
Infinite.
Rumi, Mathnawi III,
1960, quoted in:
Helminski, Kabir
(2000). The Rumi
Collection. P.96.
(...) those who
have only recently
escaped from the
agitation of the
world should be
advised to
practice
stillness;
otherwise, by
frequently going
out, they will
reopen the wounds
inflicted on their
minds through the
senses. They
should take care
not to add new
images to their
old fantasies.
Those who have
only just
renounced the
world find
stillness hard to
practice, for
memory now has
time to stir up
all the filth that
is within them,
whereas previously
it had no chance
to do this because
of their many
preoccupations.
But, though hard
to practice,
stillness will in
time free the
intellect from
being disturbed by
impure thoughts.
Since the aim is
to cleanse the
soul and purify it
from all
defilement, such
people should
avoid everything
that makes it
unclean. They
should keep their
intelligence in a
state of profound
calm, far from all
that irritates it,
and should refrain
from talking with
men of frivolous
character.
(:-))They should
embrace solitude,
the mother of
wisdom.
St.
Neilos the Ascetic
(died around the
year 430 CE), quoted
in: The Philokalia,
Vol. I., P.230-1.
#305. 2007/04/08.
Since salvation
comes to you as
a free gift,
give thanks to
God your
saviour. If you
wish to present
Him with gifts,
gratefully offer
from your
widowed soul two
tiny coins,
humility and
love, and God
will accept
these in the
treasure of His
salvation more
gladly than the
host of virtues
deposited there
by others (cf.
Mark 12:41-43).
St. Theognostos
(VIII Century of
the C.E. ?),
quoted in:
(1981). The
Philokalia. Vol.
II., P.369.
#306. 2007/04/15.
The most
beautiful
emotion we can
experience is
the mysterious.
It is the
fundamental
emotion that
stands at the
cradle of all
true art and
science. He to
whom this
emotion is a
stranger, who
can no longer
wonder and stand
rapt in awe, is
as good as dead,
a snuffed-out
candle. To sense
that behind
anything that
can be
experienced
there is
something that
our minds cannot
grasp, whose
beauty and
sublimity
reaches us only
indirectly: this
is
religiousness.
In this sense
only, I am a
devoutly
religious man.
Albert
Einstein, quoted
in: Isaacson, W.
(2007). Einstein
& Faith. Time
Magazine,
Canadian
Edition, April
16, 2007, P.35.
#307. 2007/04/22.
Then the Lord
answered Job out
of the whirlwind
and said, (...)
"Where were you
when I laid the
foundation of
the earth! Tell
me if you have
understanding.
(...) Have you
ever in life
commanded the
morning, and
caused the dawn
to know its
place (...)?
Have you entered
into the spring
of the sea? Or
have you walked
in the recess of
the deep? (...)
Have you
understood the
expanse of the
earth? Tell Me,
if you know all
this. (...) Have
you entered the
storehouses of
the snow, or
have you seen
the storehouses
of the hail
(...)? Where is
the way that the
light is
divided, or the
east wind
scattered on the
earth? Who has
cleft a channel
for the flood,
or a way for the
thunderbolt
(...)? From
whose womb has
come the ice?
And the frost of
heaven, who has
given birth?
(...) Can you
bind the chains
of the Pleiades,
or loose the
cords of Orion?
(...) Can you
send forth
lightnings that
they may go and
say to you,
'Here we are'?
(...) Who
prepares for the
raven its
nourishment,
when its young
cry to God, and
wander without
food? (...) Do
you know the
time the
mountain goats
give birth? Do
you observe the
calving of the
deer? (...) Is
it by your
understanding
that the hawk
soars,
stretching his
wings toward the
south? Is it at
your command
that the eagle
mounts up, and
makes his nest
on high?
Job 38 & 39
Happy Earth Day!
#308. 2007/04/29.
There
are many among you
who have no
knowledge of the
inner work required
of the man who would
hold God in
remembrance. Nor do
such people even
understand what
remembrance of God
means, or know
anything about
spiritual
prayer, for they
imagine that the
only right way of
praying is to use
such prayers as are
to be found in
Church books. As
for secret communion
with God in the
heart, they know
nothing of this, nor
of the profit that
comes from it, nor
do they ever taste
its spiritual
sweetness. Those
who only hear about
spiritual meditation
and prayer and have
no direct knowledge
of it are like men
blind from birth,
who hear about the
sunshine without
ever knowing what it
really is. (...)
St.
Dimitri of Rostov,
qouted in: The Art
of Prayer: An
Orthodox Anthology.
P. 43
#309. 2007/05/06.
Suddenly I heard the
uproar of thousands
of voices, (...). I
turned around, too,
toward the point
commanding their
gazes, and I could
see the sun, like a
very clear disc,
with its sharp edge,
which gleamed
without hurting the
sight … It could not
be confused with the
sun seen through a
fog (there was no
fog at that moment),
for it was neither
veiled, nor dim. At
Fatima, it kept its
light and heat, and
stood out clearly in
the sky, with a
sharp edge, like a
large gaming table.
The most astonishing
thing was to be able
to stare at the
solar disc for a
long time, brilliant
with light and heat,
without hurting the
eyes, or damaging
the retina. (Dr.
Almeida Garrett)
The sun began to
dance and, at a
certain moment, it
appeared to detach
itself from the
firmament and to
rush forward on
us, like a fire
wheel. (Alfredo da
Silva Santos)
We suddenly heard a
clamor, like a cry
of anguish of that
entire crowd. The
sun, in fact,
keeping its rapid
movement of
rotation, seemed to
free itself from the
firmament and,
blood-red, to plunge
towards the earth,
threatening to crush
us with its fiery
mass. Those were
some terrifying
seconds. (Dr.
Almeida Garrett)
From
those thousands of
mouths I heard
shouts of joy and
love to the Most
Holy Virgin. And
then I believed. I
had the certainty of
not having been the
victim of a
suggestion. I had
seen the sun as I
would never see it
again. (Mario
Godinho, an
engineer)
#310. 2007/05/13.
"Dr. Daniel
Goleman, a Harvard
psychologist who
investigated
meditation as a
means of coping
with stress,
writes: People who
meditate have long
recognized in
themselves and in
fellow meditators
marked improvement
of their
psychological
state and
psychosomatic
disorders...Even
someone who has
just begun to
meditate regularly
can notice that
immediately after
each meditation he
is not so likely
to respond to
people and
situations in a
tense way - he is
relaxed, and can
take things as
they come. With
prolonged practice
of meditation,
this relaxed
stance toward
life's
vicissitudes
pervades the
meditator's day.
He finds himself
reacting with
equanimity where
once he would have
gotten angry,
paranoid, envious,
greedy,
titillated, or
whatever reaction
his particular
personality makes
him susceptible
to."
Helleberg, Marilyn
Morgan. A Guide to
Christian
Meditation. P.150.
#311. 2007/05/21.
When the Spirit has
come to reside in
someone, that person
cannot stop praying;
for the Spirit prays
without ceasing in
him. No matter if he
is asleep or awake,
prayer is going on
in his heart all the
time. He may be
eating or drinking,
he may be resting or
working - the
incense of prayer
will ascend
spontaneously from
his heart. (…) His
thoughts will be
prompted by God. The
slightest stirring
of his heart is like
a voice which sings
in silence and in
secret to the
Invisible.
Isaac
the Syrian, 6th
Century.
#312. 2007/05/27.
"I saw that a
light, beautiful
and blissful
beyond measure,
was coming from
heaven and it
surrounded me and
shone through me
and illuminated me
entirely, and my
heart was
transformed all of
sudden and filled
with an
unspeakable and
strange joy, so
that I utterly and
completely forgot
all the misery and
torment that I had
ever known until
this time. And in
the light and in
the joy, I saw and
sensed that my God
was taken up from
the heart and out
through my mouth
and high into the
air, and there it
was given me to
see my soul
clearly (…) all
its form and grace
and beauty was
shown to me fully.
(…) It was a
round, beautiful,
and illuminating
light, like the
sun, and was of a
gold-colored red,
and this light was
so immeasurably
beautiful and
blissful that I
could not compare
it with anything
else. (…) And it
seemed to me that
a splendor went
out from me that
illuminated the
whole world, and a
blissful day
dawned over the
whole earth. And
in this light
which was my soul,
I saw God
blissfully
shining, as a
beautiful light
shines out of a
beautiful radiant
lamp, and I saw
that he nestled up
my soul so
lovingly and so
kindly that he was
wholly united
with it and it
with him. And in
this union of
love my soul
acquired from God
the certainty that
all my sins had
been wholly
forgiven me (…). "
Elsbet Stagel (XIV
Century), quoted in:
Buber, Ecstatic
Confessions,
P.83-84.
#313. 2007/06/03.
There is no
paradise more
wondrous for any
soul than to be
exposed to God’s
Manifestation in
His Day, to hear
His verses and
believe in them,
to attain His
presence, which is
naught but the
presence of God,
to sail upon the
sea of the
heavenly kingdom
of His
good-pleasure, and
to partake of the
choice fruits of
the paradise of
His divine
Oneness.
The Persian Bayan.
II, 16. Quoted
after: The Selections
From the Writings
of the Bab.
(1982). Baha'i
World Centre. Page
217.
More on Bab
(1819-1850) can be
found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bab
#314. 2007/06/10.
When we are in
trouble or despair
or have lost hope,
we should do what
David did; pour
out our hearts to
God and tell Him
of our needs and
troubles, just as
they are (cf. Ps.
142:2). It is
because he can
deal with us
wisely that we
confess to God: he
can make our
troubles easy to
bear, if this is
for our benefit,
and can save us
from the dejection
which destroys and
corrupts.
St. Hesyhios the
Priest (8th or 9th
Century), quoted
in: The Philokalia,
Vol. I., P.185
More on Philokalia
can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philocalia
#315. 2007/06/17.
May the Lord of
Love, who projects
himself
into this universe
of myriad forms,
from whom all
beings come and to
whom all
return, grant us
the grace of
wisdom.
He is fire and the
sun, and the moon
and the stars. He
is the air and the
sea, (...).
He has no
beginning, he has
no end.
He is the source
from which the
worlds evolve.
From his divine
power comes forth
all this
magical show of
name and form, of
you
and me, which
casts the spell of
pain and pleasure.
Only when we
pierce through
this magic veil
do we see the One
who appears as
many. (...)
Forgetting our
divine origin,
we become ensnared
in the world of
change
and bewail our
helplessness. But
when
we see the Lord of
Love in all his
glory,
adored by all, we
go beyond sorrow.
What use are the
scriptures to
anyone
who knows not the
one source from
whom they come,
in whom all gods
and worlds abide?
Only those who
realize him as
ever present
within the heart
attain abiding
joy.
Shvetashvatara
Upanishad, quoted
in: Harvey, Andrew
(Ed). (2001).
Teachings of the
Hindu Mystics.
Boston, London:
Shambala Publ.,
P.23-4
More on Shvetashvatara
Upanishad can
be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shvetashvatara_Upanishad
#316. 2007/06/24.
I'm the one who
has the body,
you're the one who
holds the breath.
You know the
secret of my body,
I know the secret
of your breath.
That's why your
body
is in mine.
You know
and I know,
Ramanatha,
the miracle
of your breath
in my body.
Devara Dasimayya
(10th Centrury),
quoted in: Harvey,
Andrew (Ed).
(2001). Teachings
of the Hindu
Mystics. Boston,
London: Shambala
Publ., P.73.
More on Devara
Dasimayya can
be found at:
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/D/DasimayyaDev/index.htm
#317. 2007/07/08.
My soul cries out,
snared by the
beauty
of the formless
one.
As I cry by
myself,
night and day,
beauty amassed
before my eyes
surpasses
numberless moons
and suns.
If I look at the
clouds in the sky,
I see his beauty
afloat;
and I see him walk
on the stars
blazing my heart.
Fakirchand, quoted
in: Harvey, Andrew
(Ed). (2001).
Teachings of the
Hindu Mystics.
Boston, London:
Shambala Publ.,
P.95.
Fakirchand was a
19th century poet of
the Baul tradition.
#318. 2007/07/15.
And the more
intellect is
stripped of the
passions and
purified through
stillness, the
greater the
spiritual
knowledge it is
found worthy to
receive. The
intellect is
perfect when it
transcends
knowledge of
created things and
is united with
God: having then
attained a royal
dignity it no
longer allows
itself to be
pauperized or
aroused by lower
desires, even if
offered all the
kingdoms of the
world.
Abba Philimon
(VI-VII Century
C.E.), quoted in:
(1981). The
Philokalia. Vol.
II., P.345.
#319. 2007/07/22.
As
a deer longs for a
stream of cool
water, so I long
for you, O God.
I
thirst for you,
the living God;
when can I go and
worship in your
presence?
Day
and night I cry,
and tears are my
only food; (...)
Why
must I go on
suffering from the
cruelty of my
enemies?"
I
am crushed by
their insults, as
they keep on
asking me,
"Where is your
God?" (...)
My
heart breaks when
I remember the
past,
when I went with
the crowds to the
house of God,
and
led them as they
walked along,
a
happy crowd,
singing and
shouting praise to
God. (...)
Here in exile my
heart is breaking,
and
so I turn my
thoughts to him.
(...)
May
the Lord show his
constant love
during the day,
so
that I may have a
song at night,
a
prayer to the God
of my life.
Psalm 42: 1-3,
9-10, 4, 6, 8.
Today's English
Version.
#320. 2007/07/29.
This is the
nature of the
unenlightened
mind: the sense
organs, which
are limited in
scope and
ability,
randomly gather
information.
This partial
information is
arranged into
judgments, which
are based on
previous
judgments, which
are usually
based on
someone's else's
foolish ideas.
These false
concepts and
ideas are then
stored in a
highly selective
memory system.
Distortion upon
distortion: the
mental energy
flows constantly
through
contorted and
inappropriate
channels, and
the more one
uses the mind,
the more
confused one
becomes. (...)
Simply avoid
becoming
attached to what
you see and
think.
Relinquish the
notion that you
are separated
from the
knowing-all mind
of the universe.
Then you can
recover your
original pure
insight and see
through all
illusions.
Knowing nothing,
you will be
aware of
everything.
Remember:
because clarity
and
enlightenment
are within your
own nature, they
are regained
without moving
an inch.
Hua Hu Ching 44,
quoted after:
Novak Philip,
The World's
Wisdom. P.172.
#321. 2007/08/05.
If you wish to
be granted a
mental vision
of the divine
you must first
embrace a
peaceful and
quiet way of
life, and
devote your
efforts to
acquiring a
knowledge of
both yourself
and God. If
you do this
and achieve a
pure state
untroubled by
any passion,
there is
nothing to
prevent your
intellect from
perceiving, as
it were in a
light breeze
(cf. 1 Kgs.
19:12. LXX),
Him who is
invisible to
all; (...).
St.
Theognostos
(VIII Century
of the C.E.
?), quoted in:
(1981). The
Philokalia.
Vol. II.,
P.360.
#322. 2007/08/12.
(…) Dear
children, I
beseech you,
surrender to
the Lord your
entire past,
all the evil
accumulated in
your hearts. I
want each one
of you to be
happy, but in
sin nobody can
be happy.
Therefore,
dear children,
pray, and in
prayer you
shall realize
a new way of
joy. (…).
Our Lady of
Medjugorie,
February 25,
1987. Words
from Heaven,
P.243-4.
More on Our Lady
of Medjugorie can
be found at:
http://www.medjugorie.org/
#324. 2007/09/02.
|
"Gdziekolwiek
patrzę, tam On jest obecny. On nigdy nie jest daleko.
On jest wszech-przenikający,
wszędzie. O mój umyśle, medytuj o Nim ciągle.
Ten jeden jest nazwany twoim
towarzyszem, który nie jest od ciebie oddalony, teraz i
zawsze.
Ta przyjemność, która
przemija w jednej chwili, jest trywialna.
On cieszy się nami i
podtrzymuje nas. Niczego mu nie brakuje.
Z każdym oddechem, mój Bóg
otacza opieką Swoje stworzenia.
Bóg jest niemożliwy do
oszukania, nieprzenikniony i nieskończony. Jego forma jest
wzniosła i budząca zachwyt.
Spiewając i medytując nad
ucieleśnieniem cudu i piękna, Jego pokorni słudzy są w
stanie ekstazy.
Pobłogosław mnie, O Miłościwy
Panie Boże, takim zrozumieniem, żebym zawsze o Tobie
pamiętał.
Nanak błaga Boga o dar kurzu
ze stóp świętych Jego ludzi."
|
GURU ARJAN (1563-1606). Adi Guru Granth, strona:
677. Przysłane przez: dr Teja Singh.
GURU ARJAN zbudował Złotą Swiątynię w
Amritsar i skompilował święte księgi Sikhów w Adi Guru
Granth.
#325. 2007/09/09.
Przychodzi mi na myśl Tomasz z Akwinu, który po mistycznym
przeżyciu w kościele w Vosa Nova na krótko przed śmiercią
miał powiedzieć: "Wszystko, co napisałem, wydaje mi się
słomą w porównaniu z tym, co widziałem i co mi zostało
objawione." Według Tomasza Bóg nie może być obecny tylko
jakąś częścią siebie, ponieważ w Bogu nie ma części. On jest
całą swoją istotą (esencją) we wszystkich rzeczach. Dlatego
Eckhart może powiedzieć: "Gdyby mnie nie było, nie byłoby
Boga."
Willigis Jager, OSB. (2007).
Zycie nigdy sie nie konczy. O życiu, starości i śmierci.[W
orginale niemieckim: Das Leben endet nie], s: 19-20. Warsaw:
Jacek Santorski & Co.
#326. 2007/09/16.
Hashem" is one of
the popular ways of
calling God. It
literally means "The
Name." Rosh Hashonah
is the celebration
of the Jewish New
Year, beginning this
year at sundown on
September 12. This
new year is 5768.
(...). Yom Kippur is
the Day of
Atonement, to ask
for forgiveness for
all the mistakes of
the year. There is
no Hebrew word for
sin. The Hebrew word
"chet" translates
"to miss the mark,"
so that we may
adjust ourselves
within and without,
the next time we
act. Jews may only
be forgiven for the
ways we have
offended God, what
we have done to each
other we must deal
with directly.
(...). L'Shanah
Tovah is the way we
say Happy New Year
or Sweet New Year.
(...). Hashem
determines who walks
into your life....It
is up to you to
decide who you let
walk away, who you
let stay, and who
you refuse to let
go. Hashem, bless
all my friends and
special family in
whatever it is that
you know they may be
needing this day!
And may their life
be full of peace,
prosperity and power
as they seek to have
a closer
relationship with
you. Amen. (...)
L' Shannah Tovah
with Love. From
Linda (?) to her
non-Jewish friends.
Forwarded by Jeff
Solomon.
#327. 2007/09/23.
The heavens
declare the
glory of God,
the sky
proclaims His
handiwork. Day
to day makes
utterance, night
to night speaks
out. There is no
utterance, there
are no words,
(yet) their
voice carries
throughout the
earth (...).
Psalms, quoted
after: Novak
Philip, The
World's Wisdom,
P.203.
"Those who see the
great God in the
sun, moon, stars,
earth, air, fire,
and water, and
always meditate on
Him only, get
success in life
and are the true
devotees.(...)"
Haidakhan Babaji
(1970-1984).
Teachings of
Babaji.(1982-03-25)(P.19)
#328. 2007/11/25.
You can see
"dialectics" with
your bare eyes,
when Jasiek,
Władek and Józek
get drunk. When
Jasiek gets drunk,
booze drags him
down. When Władek
gets drunk,
alcohol drags him
sideways. And in
Józek's case,
booze pulls him
backward. So when
they all get
drunk, they grab
each other's
shoulders and hold
together. This is
also how they
walk. And when
none of them would
be able to walk by
himself, together
they can do it.
They walk and sing
to themselves. And
this is what is
called unity in
contradiction."
Jędrek z
Pyzówki (Heraclitus
from Ephez)(...).
Józef Tischner
(2007). Historia
filozofii po
góralsku [History
of philosophy for
highlanders].
Kraków: Znak.
P.16. (Translated
from Polish
#329. 2007/12/02.
(...) the eyes of
the soul were
opened, and I saw
love coming toward
me. And I saw the
beginning, but I
did not see its
end, only its
continuation. And
of its colors I
can tell no
comparison. (...)
And forthwith I
was filled with
love and an
inexpressible
contentment which,
though it
contented me, yet
created the
greatest hunger in
me (...). I am so
filled with that
love that I do not
believe I could
ever do without it
again.
Angela Di Foligno
(1248-1309). In:
Buber, Ecstatic
Confessions, P.99.
#330. 2007/12/09.
If there is a
plant in your hand
when they say to
you: Behold the
Messiah has come!
Go plant the plant
and afterwards go
out to greet him.
Yohanan Ben Zakkai
(1st Century CE,
Judea), quoted in:
Michael Shire, The
Jewish Prophet,
P.50.
#331. 2007/12/16.
The saints'
"absorption" is
such that God
causes them to
fear Him with a
fear different
from the fear
humans have of
lions, tigers, and
tyrants. He
reveals to them
that fear is from
God, security is
from God, pleasure
and ease are from
God, and the
necessities of
day-to-day life
are from God.
(...) all serenity
and beautiful
things are from
God. Now, although
the saint's fear
does not resemble
ordinary fear, it
can be glimpsed
through ordinary
fear. (...)
Rumi, Fihi ma Fihi,
#11, quoted in:
Helminski, Kabir
(2000). The Rumi
Collection. P.132.
#332. 2007/12/23.
Interspirituality
is a term to
describe the
breaking down of
the barriers that
have separated the
religions for
millenia. It is
also the
crossing-over and
sharing in the
spiritual,
aesthetic, moral
and psychological
treasures that
exist in the
spiritualities of
the world
religions. The
deepest level of
sharing is in and
through one
another’s mystical
wisdom, whether
teachings,
insights, methods
of spiritual
practice and their
fruits. The
mystical life, in
its maturity, is
naturally
interspiritual
because of the
inner freedom that
is ignited in the
depths of the
person on the
mystical journey.
This path frees us
from the obstacles
within us that
would hold us back
from that
generosity and
willingness to
partake from the
mystical springs
of other
traditions. To
drink this
precious nectar
requires openness
and a capacity to
assimilate the
depth experience
of these venerable
traditions. More
and more it is
becoming common
for individuals to
cross over the
frontiers of their
own faith into the
land of another or
others. We can,
indeed, speak of
this new millenial
period as the
Interspiritual Age.
(...)