Moving In A Circle
“Humanity is moving in a circle. The progress in mechanical things of the past hundred years has proceeded at the cost of losing many other things which perhaps were much more important for it.”
–George Gurdjieff (Armenian-born Adept, Teacher and Writer, c.1873-1949
Focus + Will = Action
“For purposes of action nothing is more useful than narrowness of thought combined with energy of will.”
–Henri-Frédéric Amiel (Swiss Philosopher, Writer and Poet, 1821-1881)
“Amiel’s Journal: The Journal Intime of Henri-Frédéric Amiel” (Henri Frédéric Amiel)
The Ultimate Realm
“If you touch the phenomenal realm deeply, you touch the ultimate realm which is the realm of no birth and no death. The ultimate is nirvana, it is God, and it is available to us twenty-four hours a day.”
–Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, 1926-)
“Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers” (Thich Nhat Hanh)
Habits Have Their Place, But…
“Habit is the denial of creativity and the negation of freedom; a self-imposed straitjacket of which the wearer is unaware.”
–Arthur Koestler (Hungarian-born British Writer and Philosopher, 1905-1983)
Moving Toward Mastery
“The inactive man does not do his duty to his Creator or to the society that maintains him. The recluse who devotes his entire life to sincere effort in meditation fulfills part of his duty by trying to find and love God, and thus spiritualize his own life. To improve oneself is to help society by the example of virtue and by making at least one of its members good! But the yogi (monastic or householder) who does his duty to God, and also to the world through some form of uplifting service, is the most highly evolved type of being. He becomes a master (asiddha) when by such dutiful action he attains the supreme inactive state (nirvikalpa God-union), which is free from karmic effects of actions and is filled with the bliss of Spirit.”
–Paramahansa Yogananda (Indian Spiritual Teacher and, in 1920, Founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship, 1893-1952)
“God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita” (Paramahansa Yogananda)
Finding Tranquility Within Ourselves
“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.”
–François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (French Writer and Moralist, 1613-1680)
Working On Yourself. And Your Legacy
“Even if no one appreciates the efforts you make to perfect yourself, don’t let that discourage you; you are making these efforts for yourself, not for other people. You will keep all the spiritual riches you are now amassing when you come back to earth. In what form? In the form of more favorable conditions, which heaven will give you for your spiritual development. If you see you are still not able to acquire a particular quality, or conquer a particular fault, or overcome a bad habit, tell yourself frankly, ‘It’s because I didn’t make the efforts I should have in the past, and now everything is difficult.’ That’s what you must tell yourself, and then you must get to work at once. Yes, even if you only have a year to live, a single year, you should make a start, for in that short time considerable changes would take place.”
–Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov (Bulgarian Spiritual Master, 1900-1986)
Evolution Is The Law of Life
“Evolution is the law of life. Everything must evolve, even minerals; they evolve very slowly, but they do evolve. There is a force in minerals which works to bring to light all the qualities and virtues they contain. Precious stones and precious metals are more highly evolved minerals, possessing beneficial virtues. Plants also evolve, and the more they do the more they provide nutritious, healing flowers and fruits. It’s the same with animals and people, and it’s even true for our planet and the whole solar system.
Everything must progress and improve; where this law is impeded, destruction occurs. Entire human cultures, worlds and constellations have disappeared, because they have opposed the law of evolution. So, try to take this law seriously: your whole life will be transformed by it, and you will create a magnificent future for yourself.”
–Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov (Bulgarian Spiritual Master, 1900-1986)
Universal Mind
“The universe is as inseparable from the universal mind as man’s ideas are inseparable from his own mind. When we know fully by insight the essence of the tiniest ant, we know also the essence of the whole universe.”
–Paul Brunton (a.k.a. Raphael Hurst, English Philosopher, Traveler, Spiritual Teacher and Author, 1898-1981)
Life Is An Adventure
“Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing.”
–Helen Keller (American Blind and Deaf Author, Educator and Swedenborgian Philosopher, 1880-1968)
