One God Notes Archives
2017
One God Note #737. 2017/01/01.
Steady faith is stronger than destiny. Destiny
is the result of causes, mostly accidental, and therefore loosely woven.
Confidence and good hope will overcome it easily.
(
) Your very nature has the infinite capacity
to enjoy. It is full of zest and affection. It sheds its radiance on all that
comes within its focus of awareness and nothing is excluded. It does not know
evil nor ugliness, it hopes, it trusts, it loves. You people do not know how
much you miss by not knowing your own true self.
Sri Maharaj Nisargadatta. (2005). I am That. Durham, NC: The Acorn Press.
ISBN 0-89386-022-0. P.76 & 212-3.
More on Sri Nisargadatta can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisargadatta_Maharaj
One God Note #738. 2017/01/08.
(Abba Moses said) 'You have given up your
country, your families, everything worldly in order to embrace a life in a
foreign land among rude and uncultured people like us. Tell me, what was your
purpose and what goal did you set before yourselves in doing all this?' We
replied: 'We did it for the kingdom of heaven.' In response Abba Moses said:
(...) 'The goal of our profession, as we have said, is the kingdom of God. Its
immediate purpose, however, is purity of heart, for without this we cannot
reach our goal. We should therefore always have this purpose in mind; (...)
guiding our lives with reference to our purpose as if it were a carpenter's
rule. (...)'
St. John Cassian (360-435), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.95.
More on St. John Cassian can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cassian
One God Note #739. 2017/01/015.
(
) These heavenly lands were only for the
faithful to find in times of danger and crisis. For sincere seekers they were
places of peace and fertility, the ocean of positive energy, eternal youth,
religious virtue, insight, and wisdom. For the advanced practitioners, Khenbalung was itself ultimate reality, a valley where
spiritually awakened beings slip silently and effortlessly into the aura of
intense mystical ecstasy. (
)
Once inside the sensory space of the hidden
valley, in full radiance of the Buddha field, the pilgrim, according to the
guidebook, was certain to encounter endless magical possibilities, plants that
knew no season and cured all diseases, fruits and flowers scented with the
essence of Buddha, sweat from his skin, and more animals than can be imagined,
snow lions and foxes, bears, leopards, apes, jackals, black birds with
red-and-yellow beaks floating in space. Clouds and mist darkened the dawn and
from the sky resounded the roar of dragons.
(
)
For Tibetans it was inconceivable to enter Khenbalung without taking appropriate rituals precautions.
Each traveller wore around the neck a small silver
amulet containing written religious texts to be held close to the heart to ward
off demons and empower the spirit. (
)
Still demons remain, and among the most terrible
are those that dwell within mountain peaks. These are gods of fire and fury,
pitiless in their wrath, merciless in their violence. They are the source of
the poisonous mists that blind travellers. They
launch thunderbolts, loose avalanches; they find gratification in tormenting
human beings with hail, rocks and freezing rain. These terrible and monstrous
demons are only among the spiritual hazards awaiting the insincere. Every
feature of the landscape is the abode of vital life forces, powerful spiritual
entities that dwell everywhere, in caves, lakes, a glacial flow, a juniper
leaf, a songbird, or a blade of glass. As pilgrims move through the sacred
landscape, they engage in a constant reciprocal flow of spiritual energy,
giving fully of themselves, sensing, hearing, seeing with both eyes and mind,
speaking through prayers, taking from the land small symbolic gifts even as
they leave in exchange something of themselves. (
)
From the Tibetan perspective, to go into the
mountains blind, knowing nothing of proper ritual protocols, living in complete
ignorance of anything but what lies on the surface of perception, was an act of
total folly. To enter the hidden lands of Khenbalung,
without adequate spiritual protection, as the British were destined to do,
would seem a sign of madness.
Wade Davis (2011). Into the Silence. The Great
War. Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest. NY, Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf.
P.300-1.
More on Wade Davis can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Davis_(anthropologist)
One God Note #740. 2017/01/22.
Incidentally, practice of meditation affects
deeply our character. We are slaves to what we do not know: of what we know we
are masters. Whatever vice or weakness in ourselves we discover and understand
its causes and its workings, we overcome it by the very knowing; the
unconscious dissolves when brought into the consciousness. The dissolution of
the unconscious releases energy; the mind feels
adequate and becomes quiet.
Sri Maharaj Nisargadatta. (2005). I am That. P.13-4.
More on Sri Maharaj Nisargadatta can be found
at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisargadatta_Maharaj
One God Note #741. 2017/01/29.
The Dīn-i Ilāhī (Persian: دین
الهی lit. "Religion of
God") was a syncretic religion propounded by the Mughal
emperor Akbar the Great in 1582 AD, intending to merge the best
elements of the religions of his empire, and thereby reconcile the differences
that divided his subjects. The elements were primarily drawn from Islam and Hinduism,
but some others were also taken from Christianity, Jainism and Zoroastrianism.
Akbar
promoted tolerance of other faiths. In fact, not only did he tolerate them, he
encouraged debate on philosophical and religious issues. This led to the
creation of the Ibādat Khāna ("House of Worship") at Fatehpur
Sikri in 1575. (
)
From
the discussions held at the Ibādat Khāna, Akbar concluded that no single religion could
claim the monopoly of truth. This inspired him to create the Dīn-i Ilāhī in
1582. (
). There was no compulsion in its acceptance, no reward, no punishment
and no establishment of religious institutions. Furthermore, it can be said
that it was a political system to bring unity in plurality rather than a
religion.
Din-i-Ilahi prohibits lust, sensuality, slander and
pride, considering them sins. Piety, prudence, abstinence and kindness are the
core virtues. The soul is encouraged to purify itself through yearning of God.
Celibacy is respected and the slaughter of animals is forbidden. There
are neither sacred scriptures nor a priestly hierarchy in this religion.
(
)
the movement never numbered more than
19 adherents, most of whom abandoned
the new religion shortly after the death of the emperor.
Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Din-i_Ilahi on 29
January 2017.
More on Akbar the Great can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akbar
One God Note #742. 2017/02/05.
I look forward confidently to the day when all
who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as
Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day when we
bring into full realization the American dream a dream yet unfulfilled. A
dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed;
a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give
luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color
of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation
where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as
instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where
every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.
Martin
Luther King Jr., (11 May 1959) "Address
at the Religious Leaders Conference"; Washington, D.C. Retrieved from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Black_people on 5 February 2017.
More on Black History Month can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_History_Month
One God Note #743. 2017/02/12.
My
body is meant to dry up one day. This body is nothing; it is here only to serve
people. (
) Even my own body has come only to perform a duty to serve all human
and all living things.
Haidakhan Babaji. The Teachings
of Babaji. 2 February 1983.
More on Haidakhan Babaji can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haidakhan_Babaji
One God Note #744. 2017/02/19.
Once
Parvati asked Lord Shiva, her husband: "You have done good work for the
people in all ages, but I am afraid for the people in the Kali Yuga; how will
they safeguard themselves? " Then Lord Shiva told Parvati: "I will appear in the Kali Yuga and I
will create a new state, a new centre of religion - a
most important place, where I will live and establish all the Gods there."
Haidakhan Babaji. The Teachings
of Babaji. 25 December 1981.
More on Haidakhan Babaji can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haidakhan_Babaji
More on Kali Yuga can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_Yuga
One God Note #745. 2017/02/26.
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.
More on Our Lady of Medjugorie
can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Medjugorje
More on fasting can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting
One God Note #746. 2017/03/05.
I know how it will be when I die,
my beauty will be so extraordinary that God will worship me.
He will not worship me from a distance, for our minds will have wed,
our souls will have flowed into each other.
How to say this: God and I
will forever cherish
Myself.
Rabia (714-801). Quoted in: Ladinsky
Daniel (2002). Love Poems from God.
Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West. Penguin Group.P.18.
More on Rabia can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabi%27a_al-%27Adawiyya
More on International Womens Day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women%27s_Day
One God Note #747. 2017/03/12.
Millions of people never analyze themselves.
Mentally they are mechanical products of the factory of their environment,
preoccupied with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, working and sleeping, and going
here and there to be entertained. They don't know what and why they are
seeking, not why they never realize complete happiness and lasting
satisfaction.
Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's
Eternal Quest, P.73.
More on Yogananda can
be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramahansa_Yogananda
One God Note #748. 2017/03/19.
In many religions, the fire is sacred and is the
witness of spiritual practice. It is considered divine. In ancient India, the rishis guarded their sacred fire most
carefully and kept it clean, as it was believed to be the residence of
divinity. Sitting by the dhuni
purifies one's vibrations. This you can find out for yourself. Whenever you
have any kind of trouble, go to the dhuni and let it
give you solace and uplift your spirit.
Shastriji, quoted in: Haidakhan
Babaji. The
Teachings of Babaji. 2 August 1983.
More on Haidakhan Babaji can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haidakhan_Babaji
More on dhuni can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhuni
One God Note #749. 2017/03/26.
(
) chanting Hare Krsna,
Hare Krsna, Krsna, Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare Hare you are immediately elevated to the transcendental
platform (
). Krsna is the perfect name for God. The
Sanskrit word krsna
means all-attractive. And rama means the supreme pleasure. So
if God is not all-attractive and full of supreme pleasure, then what is the
meaning of God? God must be the source of supreme pleasure; otherwise how could
you be satisfied with Him? (
) And He must be also all-attractive. If God is
not attractive to every person, how can He be God? (
)
Swami Prabhupada
(2001), The Journey of Self-Discovery.
Baktivedanta Books. P.133.
More on Lord Rama: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama
More on Ramayana can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana
More on Swami
Prabhupada: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._C._Bhaktivedanta_Swami_Prabhupada
One God Note #750. 2017/04/02.
The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
Anonymous nursery
rhyme set to the tune of "Yankee Doodle", quoted in "The Health
Club" in School Life, Vol. IV (January - June 1920), p. 17
More on Health: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health
One God Note #751. 2017/04/09.
Yes! God is Love and precisely for this He gave
His Son, to reveal Himself completely as Love. Christ is the One who
"loved ... to the end" (Jn 13:1). "To the end" means to the
last breath. (
)
John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope,
P.66.
More on Gods love for humans: http://www.onegodsite.net/godsloveforhumans.html
More on the Holy Week: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Week
More on Good Friday: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday
More on John Paul II: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II
One God Note #752. 2017/04/16.
Your God still
walks in Eden, between the ancient trees,
Where Youth and Love go wading through pools of primroses.
And this is the sign we bring you, before the darkness fall,
That Spring is risen, is risen again,
That Life is risen, is risen again,
That Love is risen, is risen again, and
Love is Lord of all.
Alfred Noyes,
retrieved from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Main_Page
on 16 April 2017.
More on Alfred Noyes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Noyes
More on the Resurrection: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection
One God Note #753. 2017/04/23.
Philosophia perennis
the phrase was coined by Leibniz; but the thing the metaphysic that
recognizes a divine Reality substantial to the world of things and lives and
minds; the psychology that finds in the soul something similar to, or even
identical with, divine Reality; the ethic that places mans final end in the
knowledge of the immanent and transcendental Ground of all being the thing is
immemorial and universal. (
)
But
the nature of this one Reality is such that it cannot be directly and
immediately apprehended except by those who have chosen to fulfill certain
conditions, making themselves loving, pure in heart and poor in spirit. Why
should this be so? We do not know. (
)
(
)
in every age there have been some men and women who chose to fulfill the
conditions upon which alone, as a matter of brute empirical fact, such
immediate knowledge can be had (
). To such first-hand exponents of the
Perennial Philosophy those who knew them have generally given the name of
saint or prophet, sage or enlightened one. (
)
Based
upon the direct experience of those who fulfilled the necessary conditions of
such knowledge, this teaching is expressed most succinctly in the Sanskrit
formula, tat tvam asi
(That art thou); (
)
God
within and God without (
) cannot be realized and experienced except in
deepest and most central part of the soul. (
)
The
man who wishes to know the That which is thou may set to work in any one of
three ways. He may begin by looking inwards into his particular thou
and, by a process of dying to self self in reasoning, self in willing, self
in feeling come at last to a knowledge of the Self, the Kingdom of God that is
within. Or else he may begin with the thous
existing outside himself, and may try to realize their essential unity with
God, and, through God, with one another and with his own being. Or, finally
(and this is doubtless the best way), he may seek to approach the ultimate That
both from within and from without, so that he comes to realize God
experimentally as at once the principle of his own thou and of all other
thous, animate and inanimate.
Aldous
Huxley (2009, 1945), The Perennial Philosophy. NY:HarperPerennial. Vii, viii, 1-3.
More on Aldous Huxley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxley
One God Note #754. 2017/04/30.
The
simple, absolute and immutable mysteries of divine Truth are hidden in the
super-luminous darkness of that silence which revealeth
in secret. For this darkness, though of deepest obscurity, is yet radiant
clear; and though beyond touch and sight, is more than fills our unseeing minds
with splendour of transcendent beauty. (
) We long
exceedingly to dwell in this translucent darkness and, through not seeing and
not knowing, to see Him who is beyond both vision and knowledge by the very
fact of neither seeing not knowing Him. (
)
Dionysius
the Areopagite. Quoted in: Aldous Huxley (2009, 1945), The Perennial
Philosophy. NY:HarperPerennial.
P34.
More on Dionysius the
Areopagite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysius_the_Areopagite
More on Aldous Huxley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxley
One God Note #755. 2017/05/07.
Then
the Blessed One spoke and said: Know, Vasetha, that
from time to time a Tathagata is born into the world, a fully enlightened One,
blessed and worthy, abounding in wisdom and goodness, happy with knowledge of
the worlds, unsurpassed as a guide to erring mortals, a teacher of gods and
men, a Blessed Buddha. He thoroughly understands this universe, as though he
saw it face to face (
). The Truth does he proclaim in its letter and its
spirit, lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, lovely in its consummation.
A higher life doth he make known in all its purity and
in all its perfectness.
Tevigga Sutta. Quoted in:
Aldous Huxley (2009, 1945), The Perennial Philosophy. NY:HarperPerennial. P50.
More on Buddha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha
More on Wesak: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak
More on Aldous Huxley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxley
One God Note #756. 2017/05/14.
Happy he with such a mother! Faith in
womankind
Beats with his blood, and trust in all things high
Comes easy to him, and though he trip and fall,
He shall not blind his soul with clay.
Alfred
Tennyson, The Princess (1847), Canto VII, line 308. Retrieved
from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mothers on 14 May 2017.
More on Alfred Tennyson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson
One God Note #757. 2017/05/28.
Riches are not from
abundance of worldly goods, but from a contented mind. (...) God loveth those
who are content.
Hadith, quoted after:
Novak Philip, The World's Wisdom, P.320.
More on Hadith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadith
One God Note #758. 2017/06/04.
The soul lives by that
which it loves rather than by the body which it animates. For it has not its
life in the body, but rather gives it to the body and lives in that which it
loves.
St. John of the Cross,
quoted after: Aldous Huxley (2009), The Perennial Philosophy, P.91.
More on St. John of the Cross: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_the_Cross
One God Note #759. 2017/06/11.
Talk much philosophy as
you please, worship as many gods as you like, observe all ceremonies, sing
devoted praises to any number of divine beings liberation never comes, even
at the end of a hundred of aeons, without the
realization of the Oneness of Self.
Shankara, quoted after: Aldous Huxley (2009), The
Perennial Philosophy, P.208.
More on Shankara: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara
More on Aldous Huxley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxley
One God Note #760. 2017/06/18.
We have experience of
three kinds of (grace) animal grace, human grace and spiritual grace. Animal
grace comes when we are living in full accord with our nature on the biological
level not abusing our bodies by excess, not interfering with the workings of
our indwelling animal intelligence by conscious cravings and aversions, but
living wholesomely and laying ourselves open to the virtue of the sun and the
spirit of the air. The reward of being thus in harmony with Tao (
) is sense
of well-being, an awareness of life as good, not for any reason, but just
because it is life. (
) in this state there is no distinction between the
reasons for living and life itself. Life, like virtue, is then its own reward.
(
)
We all had experience of
different types of human grace. There is, for example, the grace which, during
childhood, comes from mother, father, nurse or beloved teacher. At a later
stage we experience the grace of friends; the grace of men and women morally
better and wiser than ourselves; the grace of the guru, or spiritual director.
Then there is the grace which comes to us because of our attachment to country,
party, church or other social organization a grace which helped even the
feeblest and most timid individuals to achieve what, without it, would have
been impossible. (
)
Spiritual grace cannot
be received continuously or in its fullness, except by those who willed away
their self-will to the point of being able truthfully to say, Not I, but God
in me. (
) Spiritual grace originates from the divine Ground of all being, and
it is given for the purpose of helping man to achieve his final end, which is
to return out of time and self-hood to that Ground. (
)
Aldous Huxley (2009),
The Perennial Philosophy, P.166-8.
More on Aldous Huxley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxley
One God Note #761. 2017/06/25.
Canada is today the
most successful pluralist society on the face of our globe, without any doubt in
my mind.... That is something unique to Canada. It is an amazing global human asset.
Aga Khan IV, in "Canada: 'A model for the world', in The
Globe and Mail (2 February 2002). Retrieved from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Canada on 25 June 2017.
More on Canada:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada
More on Aga Khan IV: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV
One God Note #762. 2017/09/24.
It is the duty of each individual to pay
attention and drop unnecessary activity. Do your duty! Do not be idle. This is
an Age of Action. Perform your karma yoga. Show the world ideal actions.
Service to humanity is service to and worship of God. (...)
Haidakhan Babaji. The Teachings
of Babaji, P.11. (16 Dec 1981).
More on Haidakhan Babaji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haidakhan_Babaji
One God Note #763. 2017/10/01.
If one has no
affection for a person or a system, one should feel free to give the fullest
expression to his disaffection so long as he does not contemplate, promote, or
incite violence.
Mahatma Gandhi. Statement during his trial for
"exciting disaffection toward His Majesty's Government as established by
law in India" (18 Mar 1922). Retrieved from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi on 1 October 2017.
More on Mahatma Gandhi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi
One God Note #764. 2017/10/08.
I beg Mr Jefferson
that in case I should die without will or testament he should bye out of my money so many Negroes and free them, that the
restart Sum should be Sufficient to give them education and provide for their
maintenance. That is to say each should know before, the duty of a Citizen in
the free Government, that he must defend his Country against foreign as well
internal Enemies who would wish to change the Constitution for the worst to
enslave them by degree afterwards, to have good and human heart sensible for
the sufferings of others, each must be married and have 100 acres of land, with
instruments, Cattle for tillage and know how to manage and Govern it as well to
know how to behave to neighbours, always with
kindness and ready to help them-to them selves
frugal, to their Children give good education I mean as to the heart and the
duty to the Country, in gratitude to me to make themselves happy as possible.
T. Kosciuszko [before 5.V.1798] Retrieved
from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tadeusz_Ko%C5%9Bciuszko on 8 October 2017.
More on Tadeusz Kościuszko: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadeusz_Ko%C5%9Bciuszko
One God Note #765. 2017/10/15.
O Son of Man! Thou art My dominion and My
dominion perisheth not, wherefore fearest
thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall never be extinguished,
why dost thou dread extinction? Thou are My glory and My glory fadeth not; thou art My robe and My robe shall never be
outworn. Abide then in thy love for Me, that thou mayest find Me in the realm
of glory.
Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words, 14.
More on Baha'u'llah: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%27u%27ll%C3%A1h
More on Diwali: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali
More quotations about God as Light: http://www.onegodsite.net/light.html
One God Note #766. 2017/10/22.
The Lord created me (wisdom P.R.) first of all,
the first of his works, long ago. I was made (
) before the world began. (...)
I was there when he laid the earth`s foundation. (...) I was his daily source
of joy, always happy in his presence- happy with the world and pleased with the
human race. (
) Now, young men, listen to me. (
) The man who listens to me
will be happy. (
) The man who finds me finds life (
) The man who does not
find me hurts himself: anyone who hates me loves death.
Proverbs 8:22-23, 29-32, 35-36
More on the Book of Proverbs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Proverbs
More on Jnana: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jnana
More quotations about Wisdom: http://www.onegodsite.net/wisdom.html
One God Note #767. 2017/10/29.
Dwell in peace in the home of your own being, and the Messenger of Death
will not be able to touch you.
Guru Nanak (1469-1539).
Retrieved from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nanak on 29 Oct 2017.
More on Guru Nanak: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Nanak
More on Halloween: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
One God Note #768. 2017/11/05.
Science doesn't purvey absolute truth. Science
is a mechanism. It's a way of trying to improve your knowledge of nature. It's
a system for testing your thoughts against the universe and seeing whether they
match. And this works, not just for the ordinary aspects of science, but for
all of life. I should think people
would want to know that what they know is truly what the universe is like, or
at least as close as they can get to it.
Isaac
Asimov, Interview by Bill Moyers on Bill Moyers' World Of
Ideas (21 October 1988); transcript (pages 5-6). Retrieved from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Science on 5 Nov 2017.
More on Issac
Asimov: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov
One God Note #769. 2017/11/19.
To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is
man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed,
is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman
is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more
self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater
courage? Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being,
the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart
than woman?
Mahatma
Gandhi, Young India (4 October 1930). Retrieved from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Women on 19 Nov 2017.
More on Mahatma Gandhi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi
One God Note #770. 2017/11/26.
Not only do physically disabled people have experiences which are not
available to the able-bodied, they are in a better position to transcend
cultural mythologies about the body, because they cannot do things the
able-bodied feel they must do in order to be happy, normal, and sane
.If
disabled people were truly heard, an explosion of knowledge of the human body
and psyche would take place.
Susan Wendell, in: The Rejected Body: Feminist Philosophical Reflections
on Disability. Retrieved from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Disability on 26 November 2017.
More on Susan Wendell: http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-susan-spencer-wendel-20140606-story.html
One God Note #771. 2017/12/03.
A man whose mind wanders
among desires, and is longing for objects of desire, goes again to life and
death according to his desires. But he who possesses the End of all longing and
whose self has found fulfillment, even in this life his desires will fade away.
As rivers flowing into the ocean find their final peace and their name and form
disappear, even so the wise become free from name and form and enter into
radiance of the Supreme Spirit who is greater than all greatness.
Katha Upanishad, quoted
after: Novak Philip, The World Wisdom, P.16-17.
More on Katha Upanishad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katha_Upanishad
One God Note #772. 2017/12/10.
You can see religion as a battle, a holy war, in which you win a victory for your faith by force or fear. Or you can see it as
a candle you light to drive away some of
the darkness of the world. The difference is that the first sees other
religions as the enemy. The second sees them as other candles, not
threatening mine, but adding to the light we share. What Jews remembered from that victory over the Greeks twenty-two centuries ago was not a God of war but the God of light. And its only the God
of light who can defeat the darkness in the human soul.
Rabbi Sacks in: Gilles Teuliι,
Laurence Lux-Sterritt War Sermons, Cambridge Scholars, 2009, p. 231.
More on Rabbi Sacks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonason_Sacks
More on Hanukkah: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah
One God Note #773. 2017/12/17.
In the old days, it was not called the Holiday
Season; the Christians called it "Christmas" and went to church; the Jews called it
"Hanukkah" and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and
drank. People passing each other on the street would say "Merry
Christmas!" or "Happy Hanukkah!" or (to the atheists) "Look
out for the wall!"
Dave Barry, in "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide", as quoted in: Snark! The Herald Angels
Sing: Sarcasm, Bitterness and the Holiday Season (2013) by Lawrence
Dorfman.
More on Hanukkah: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah
One God Note #774. 2017/12/25.
This day is a most
important and auspicious one, as we are celebrating Christmas here in a
universal way. In the history of mankind this is the first time that Christ's
birthday has been celebrated in such a way. (...)
Everyone should forget
nationality: we are one here. This is a universal family. Have no idea of
separation of identity: discard feelings of separateness. Serve the people with
mind, body, wealth, and brain. (
)
God now blesses every
devotee on the auspicious occasion of Christmas. (
)
From tonight at twelve
to noon at Christmas Day, no evil spirits will come. For twelve hours these
evil spirits and ghosts will leave the planet Earth. During these twelve hours
Christ will come and go to many places where Christmas is being celebrated.
Somewhere He will stay for one minute, somewhere one second, somewhere one
hour. He will be moving quickly through those twelve hours. In those twelve
hours, all your wishes will be fulfilled. There are few days, which have been
fixed for such things, when all the bad spirits are made to leave. On these
days people can achieve liberation and attain what they wish.
Haidakhan Babaji The
Teachings of Babaji. (16 Dec 1981, 25 Dec 1981, 24
Dec 1983).
More on Haidakhan Babaji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haidakhan_Babaji
More on Christmas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas