"Yoga is love. It is nonviolence at the extreme edge."
Mahatma Gandhi
Most people, most of the time, are under the influence of the ego. Now, when someone is driving under the influence, a policeman can pull that drunk driver over and measure the level of inebriation with a breathalyzer test. But what policeman has the authority to pull you over and give you an egolizer test? You are driving, living, acting and speaking under the influence of the ego. Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
Never do anything which you would not wish to do during the last hour of your life. Dada J.P. Vaswani
An old Native American wiseman once said there were always two dogs inside of him fighting–a good dog and a bad dog. When asked, "Which one wins," he replied, "The one I feed."
How to Garden LovePlant three rows of peas: Peace of mind, Peace of heart, Peace of soul.Plant four rows of squash: Squash gossip, Squash indifference, Squash grumbling, Squash selfishness.Plant four rows of lettuce: Lettuce be faithful, Lettuce be kind, Lettuce be patient, Lettuce really love one another.No garden is complete without turnips: Turnip for meetings, Turnip for service, Turnip to help one another.To conclude, our garden must have thyme: Thyme for each other, Thyme for family, Thyme for friends.Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. Yours will be a fruitful garden, because you reap what you sow.
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. Chinese proverb
We all love animals. Why do we call some pets and others dinner? K.D. Lang, pop singer
Members of the younger generation are alike in many disrespects.
To handle yourself, use your head; To handle others, use your heart. Eleanor Roosevelt
Slogan for a now out-of-business restaurant in Carmel, California, "Karma Cafe: We don't have a menu. We give you just what you deserve."
As a dream leads only to waking up, television leads only to turning it off. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, in his new book, Living with Siva
Q: What did one Zen practitioner give to another for her birthday?A: Nothing.
Q: How did the birthday girl respond in return? A: You are thoughtless for giving me this meaningless gift. To which the giver replied, "Thank you."
Possession of Forebearance
Tirukural 151:Just as the Earth bears those who dig into her, it is best to bear with those who despise us.
Tirukural 152:It is always good to endure injuries done to you, but to forget them is even better.
Tirukural 156:The joy of the vengeful lasts only for a day, but the glory of the forbearing lasts until the end of time.
Tirukural 159:Those who patiently endure rude remarks possess the rare purity of an ascetic.
Tirukural 160:Great are those who suffer fasting's hardships; yet they are surpassed by those who suffer hard words.
A Hindu who championed nonviolence had been a wrestler by profession. On a trip to the US, he was hassled about his pacifism by some local youths, who insisted that only force could change someone's beliefs. In response, the ex-wrestler took off his coat, challenged one of the local boys to a match, and promptly threw the youth across the room. He then asked the youth, "Now do you believe that force will change people's views?" "Heck no!" the local boy hollered back. "Exactly my point," chortled the Hindu, who put on his coat and left.
First let us become gods and then help others to become gods. 'Be and make.' Let this be our motto. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
When the Creator dances, the worlds He created dance. To the measure that He dances in our knowledge, our thoughts, too, dance. When He in heart-endearing dances, the several elements, too, dance. Witness in rapture surpassing the dance of that One who is a glowing flame. Tirumantiram, 2786
What I feel right now is just bliss. Daily life tires the soul as well as the body. This one day, this one bath, is like a new birth for my soul. Vivek Ananda Shastri, 28, teacher, after bathing at the January 2001 Kumbha Mela
It gets very cold, but we don't mind the hardship. We pass the night singing songs in praise of our mother Ganga. When we get home, people will touch our feet because we will be sacred now. Ramavati, 50, villager from Uttar Pradesh, at the Mela
Whether Hindu or Muslim or Christian, whoever tries to convert, it's wrong, not good. Dalai Lama, speaking at the Mela
I had been a hippie for a long time, but nothing could give me peace of mind, until I witnessed the Maha Kumbha Mela. Jim Clarke, from Los Angeles, at the Mela
At every point, one must be able to see a bit of ground from the watchtower. Not just a sea of heads. The moment the ground disappears, it means danger. Alok Sharma, Superintendent of Police, Kumbha Mela
A teenaged boy with spiked hair, nose ring, and baggy clothes says to his friend, "I don't really like to dress like this, but it keeps my parents from dragging me everywhere with them."
Every year hundreds of pilgrims "prostrate their length" 33 miles around Mount Kailas–standing, prostrating, moving forward two steps
DID YOU KNOW?
Tons of Hair
According to the guinness Book of World Records, "Pilgrims to the Tirupathi temple in Andhra Pradesh, India, which attracts an average of 30,000 visitors a day, donate their hair as a form of sacrifice. The 600 barbers employed by the temple shave the pilgrims' heads 24 hours a day, and more that us$2.2 million a year is raised through the auction of the hair."