Purity and Truth
“Purity is the soul of my strength. Truth is the source of my power. God is my life, and I have no existence apart from Him. His Consciousness is my Light. His all-sustaining and all-creative Beauty constitutes my joy. Prayer is my breath and meditation forms the bread of my Life. All humanity is my family. The Forces of Nature are my Friends. The Godhead in all of you is the object of my adoration.”
—Swami Omkarananda (Indian Mystic and Spiritual Teacher, 1929-)
Wisdom and Humility
“I have seen unlearned men who were truly humble, and they became wiser than the wise. Another unlearned man, upon hearing them praised, instead of imitating their humility, prided himself on being unlearned and so fell into arrogance.”
–St. Mark the Ascetic (a.k.a. Marcus Eremita, Athenian-born Monk and Desert Father, Fifth Century)
{On the Spiritual Law: Philokalia Vol. 1″, p. 115, text 79-80}
“The Philokalia Vol 1: 001” (G.E.H. Palmer, Kallistos Timothy Ware, Philip Sherrard)
The Oneness of the World
“The parts of the world are all so related and linked to one another, that I believe it impossible to know one without the other and without the whole.”
–Blaise Pascal (French Scientist and Religious Philosopher, 1623-1662)
Patience on the Path
“Be patient. The path of self-discipline that leads to God-realization is not an easy path: obstacles and sufferings are on the path; the latter you must bear, and the former overcome — all by His help. His help comes only through concentration. Repetition of God’s name helps concentration.”
–Swami Ramdas (a.k.a. Papa Ramdas, Indian Spiritual Teacher, 1884-1963)
Do Flowers Speak To You? Yet?
“Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of the character, though few can decipher even fragments of their meaning.”
–Lydia Maria Child (American Abolitionist, Writer and Editor, 1802-1880)
Enlightenment
“Enlightenment is that state of being so mature and unshakable by any circumstance. Come what may, nothing can rob the smile from your heart. Not identifying with limited boundaries and feeling “all that exists in this universe belongs to me,” this is enlightenment.”
–Sri Sri Ravishankar (Indian Spiritual Teacher and, in 1982, Founder of the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values, 1956-)
Participation in God’s Being
“We are so identified with our thoughts that we don’t notice the river they are floating upon. That river, which is not apparent in everyday consciousness, is our participation in God’s being. As we learn to be silent, and spaces appear between thoughts, the river becomes visible.”
–Joan Borysenko (American Psychologist, Writer, Mystic and Speaker)
“7 Paths to God: The Ways of the Mystic” (Joan Z. Borysenko)
Passion and Power
“Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.”
–Henri-Frédéric Amiel (Swiss Philosopher, Writer and Poet, 1821-1881)
{Journal, 17 December 1856}
“Amiel’s Journal: The Journal Intime of Henri-Frédéric Amiel” (Henri Frédéric Amiel)
Matter and Mind Are One
“Matter and mind are not separate, they are aspects of one energy. Look at the mind as a function of matter and you have science; look at matter as the product of the mind and you have religion.”
–Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (Indian Spiritual Teacher and Exponent of Jnana Yoga and Advaita Doctrine, 1897-1981)
Life: An Endless Series of Little Details, Actions, Speeches and Thoughts
“A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching.”
–Sri Swami Sivananda (Indian Physician and Spiritual Teacher, 1887-1963)
