The real meaning of the scriptures can only be known in the silence of the mind.
Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Kerala’s “hugging saint”
You are God. God sees through your eyes, hears through your ears, speaks through your mouth. Satguru Siva Yogaswami (1872-1964), Sri Lankan mystic
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When you demand nothing of the world, nor of God, when you want nothing, seek nothing, expect nothing, then the Supreme State will come to you uninvited and unexpected. Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981), Indian teacher and philosopher
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A person who has realized the principle of nonviolence has God-given strength for his weapon, and the world has not yet known anything that can match it. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
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The touch of an infinite mystery passes over the trivial and the familiar, making it break out into ineffable music. The trees, the stars, and the blue hills ache with a meaning which can never be uttered in words. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), mystic poet
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No individual can ultimately fail. The Divinity which descends into humanity is bound to regain its original state. Nilakanta Sri Ram (1889-1973), Freemason and theosophist
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When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger. Epictetus (55-135 CE), Greek sage and philosopher
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By our stumbling, the world is perfected. Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950), Indian freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi and poet
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All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore love for love’s sake, because it is the only law of life, just as you breathe to live. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
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The benevolent expect no return for their dutiful giving. How can the world ever repay the rain cloud? Tirukural 211
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All fear of distress, grief, avarice, delusion and bewilderment exist only as long as one does not take refuge in the satguru. All wanderings in the ocean of births, called samsara, fraught with grief and impurity, last as long as one has no devotion to a holy Sivaguru. As the boon-giving guru gives the mantra in contentment and beatitude, try to please him with devotion, wealth, your very life. Kularvnava Tantra
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You, Siva, are the earth, You are the sky, and You are the seven seas; You are the goal, You are the letters, and You are the meter; You are the eye, You are the pupil of the eye, You are the image that dances in the eye, the affable! Bestow Your grace so that I may approach Your sacred feet! Sivavakkiyar (10th century), Tamil poet
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Give yourself up to the wave, and you will be absorbed by the current; having dived into the sea, you do not return anymore. Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), Bengali mystic
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When diksha is given to a competent disciple, the guru enters into his soul, establishes himself as the disciple’s inner Self and by means of his power, removes all the impurities that limit the essential nature of the disciple’s Self. Sarvajnananottara Agama
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Live morality before you talk of it. Practice meditation before you preach it. Taste goodness before you recommend it. Gain bliss before you offer it to others. Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993), founder of Chinmaya mission
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Whatever world the man of purified mind desires, whatever desires he wishes to fulfill, all these he attains. Therefore, let whoever is desirous of prosperity worship the man of Self Realization. The man of Self Realization knows the supreme Brahman upon which the universe is based and shines radiantly. Atharva Veda, Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.10
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Youth is not a time of life—it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips and supple knees. It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions. It is freshness of the deep springs of life. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Swami Bua Ji Maharaj (1889-2010), centenarian yogi
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It’s indescribable. That should be clear. Neti, neti. We’re not trying to describe it. Other experiences in meditation we describe. We say, “Okay let’s go from a moon-like glow inner light into a slightly more intense one.” But when it comes to the Self there’s no description except that awareness is missing. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of Hinduism Today
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Just as the memory of each detail of your yesterday has flowed through you, so does intellectual knowing eventually flow through the life of the person who contains it, as a thing of only temporary value. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism Today
D I D Y O U K N O W ?
THE SACRED LOTUS FLOWER
THE LOTUS FLOWER, NELUMBO NUCIFERA, possessing both medicinal and culinary uses, has long been significant and sacred to many cultures. Throughout history it has represented the inner depths of man, reflecting in its prepossessing petals the polychromatic patterns of our universe. Now, yet another of this flower’s wonders has been brought to light.
An international team of researchers from the University of Adelaide has sequenced and described the lotus genome in a paper published online at genomebiology.com [http://genomebiology.com]. Their research delves into the evolution of this ancient plant, which has apparently been cultivated as an edible crop for more than 7,000 years. One of their most interesting findings is that the lotus flower has the astounding ability to regulate its body temperature, much like warm-blooded mammals.
It was found that over a two-to three-day period the lotus was able to keep a constant temperature of around 32-34 degrees by generating and controlling its own heat, while the surrounding environment varied by up to 30 degrees. A biochemical pathway was found which the plant uses for its temperature regulation. This pathway can be switched on or off, depending on whether more or less heat is needed. This generated heat, along with the flower’s aromas, apparently makes the lotus blossoms particularly attractive to pollinating insects.
B A S I C S
A HINDU VIEW OF EVIL
EVIL IS OFTEN LOOKED UPON AS A force against God. But the Hindu knows that all forces are God’s forces, even the waywardness of adharma. This is sometimes difficult to understand when we see the pains and problems caused by men against men. Looking deeper, we see that what is called evil has its own mysterious purpose in life. Yes, bad things do happen. Still, the wise never blame God, for they know these to be the return of man’s self-created karmas, difficult but necessary experiences for his spiritual evolution.
Whenever we are injured or hurt, we understand that our suffering is but the fulfillment of a karma we once initiated, for which our injurer is but the instrument who, when his karma cycles around, will be the injured. Those who perform seemingly evil deeds are not yet in touch with the ever-present God consciousness of their immortal soul
When the outer, or lower, instinctive nature dominates, one is prone to anger, fear, greed, jealousy, hatred and backbiting. When the intellect is prominent, arrogance and analytical thinking preside. When the superconscious soul comes forth, the refined qualities are born—compassion, insight, modesty and the others.
The animal instincts of the young soul are strong. The intellect, yet to be developed, is nonexistent to control these strong instinctive impulses. When the intellect is developed, the instinctive nature subsides. When the soul unfolds and overshadows the well-developed intellect, this mental harness is loosened and removed. When we encounter wickedness in others, let us be compassionate, for truly there is no intrinsic evil.