PONDER THESE THINGS
"Love Love itself."
-- Gangaji
Faith in the Mother
Look at the torture the mother bears in bringing up the baby. Does she enjoy it? Surely. Fasting and praying and watching. She loves it better than anything else. Why? Because there is no selfishness.
Pleasure will come - good: who forbids it? Pain will come: welcome that too. A mosquito was sitting on a bull's horn; then his conscience troubled him and he said, "Mr. Bull, I have been sitting here a long time. Perhaps I annoy you. I am sorry, I will go away." But the bull replied, "Oh, no, not at all! Bring your whole family and live on my horn; what can you do to me?"
Why can we not say that to misery? To be brave is to have faith in the Mother!
"I am Life, I am Death." She it is whose shadow is life and death. She is the pleasure in all pleasure. She is the misery in all misery. If life comes, it is the Mother; if death comes, it is the Mother. If heaven comes, She is there. If hell comes, there is the Mother; plunge in. We have not faith; we have not patience to see this. We trust the man in the street; but there is one being in the universe we never trust and that is God. We trust Him when He works just our way. But the time will come when, getting blow after blow, the self-sufficient mind will die. In everything we do, the serpent ego is rising up. We are glad that there are so many thorns on the path. They strike the hood of the cobra.
Last of all will come self-surrender. Then we shall be able to give ourselves up to the Mother. If misery comes, welcome; if happiness comes, welcome. Then, when we come up to this love, all crooked things shall be straight. There will be the same sight for the brahmin, the pariah, and the dog. Until we love the universe with same-sightedness, with impartial, undying love, we are missing again and again. But then all will have vanished, and we shall see in all the same infinite, eternal Mother.
-- Swami Vivekananda
Tao
Truthful words are not beautiful.
Beautiful words are not truthful.
Good men do not argue.
Those who argue are not good.
Those who know are not learned.
The learned do not know.
The sage never tries to store things up.
The more he does for others, the more he has.
The more he gives to others, the greater his abundance.
The Tao of heaven is pointed but does no harm.
The Tao of the sage is work without effort.
-- Lao Tsu
Drink the Water
It is enough to believe that
all is possible in God's creation.
Never allow the thought to cross your mind
that your ideas are the only true ones,
and that those of others are false.
Then God will explain everything.
What can a man understand of God's activities?
The facets of God's creation are infinite.
I do not try to understand God's actions at all.
I have heard that everything is possible
in God's creation,
and I always bear that in mind.
Once Hanuman was asked,
"What day of the lunar month is it?"
Hanuman said: "I don't know anything about
the day of the month,
the position of the moon and stars,
or any such things.
I think of Rama alone."
Can one understand the work of God?
He is so near --
still it is not possible for us to know Him...
God has covered all with His maya.
He doesn't let us know anything.
Maya is lust and greed.
He who puts maya aside to see God, can see Him.
Once, when I was explaining
God's actions to someone, God suddenly showed me the lake at Kamarpukur.
I saw a man removing the green scum
and drinking the water.
The water was clear as crystal.
God revealed to me that Satchidananda (Exixtence-
Knowledge-Bliss Absolute or the Ultimate Reality)
is covered by the scum of maya.
He who puts the green scum aside
can drink the water.
-- Sri Ramakrishna
The Silent One
The man who lives in silent solitude
is not only not living
in a state of inactivity and idleness:
He is in the highest degree active,
even more than the one
who takes part in the life of society.
He untiringly acts according
to his highest rational nature.
He is on guard; he ponders;
he keeps his eye
upon the state and progress
of his moral existence.
This is the true purpose of silence.
And in the measure that this ministers
to his own improvement
it benefits others for whom
undistracted submergence within themselves
for the development of the moral life
is impossible.
And he does more, and that of a higher kind
than the private benefactor,
because the private, emotional charities
of people in the world are always limited
by the small number of benefits conferred,
whereas he who confers benefits
by morally attaining
to convincing and tested means
of perfecting the spiritual life
becomes a benefactor of whole peoples.
The silent recluse teaches by his very silence,
and by his very life he benefits, edifies,
and persuades to the search for God.
This benefit springs from genuine silence
which is illuminated and sanctified
by the light of grace.
-- The Way of a Pilgrim
Streams of Joy and Peace
There used to be an apple tree o'er yonder by my wall,
Its big round fruit dropped right down at my feet!
It bloomed so nice in spring and gave me apples in the fall,
But I was just so careless of my treats,
I never did say thank you--oh such a simple deed!
Until one day a bad disease crept in,
That bad disease it killed the flowers, then it hurt the seeds!
I loved that tree and missed it so much then!
I used to have a deep, deep well, my, my, how cool and pure!
I always filled my bucket every day,
And was that water sweet and did it taste good? That's for sure!
But oh, alas, my thanks I ne'er did say.
And so one day when I went out and lowered down that rope,
I cried out, "There's no water anymore!"
I tried again, but it was dry, bone dry, alas no hope!
I should have told my gratitude before!
I used to have a special friend, I thought he'd live so long,
But I forgot that life was just a puff!
I didn't make amends for lots of things when I was wrong,
And didn't say "I love you" near enough!
We went about our busy ways and thought we had good health,
But one day Mr. Death he snatched my mate,
And oh, what good is fancy houses, cars, and lots of wealth?
For once a soul is lost, then it's too late!
So open up your mouth and say those things--now go on, start!
Like Thank You and I'm Sorry and the rest.
And don't you dare forget the one that softens any heart,
Please say I Love You--that's the very best!
Don't let your tongue be lazy, please just stand up now and speak!
And if you do, your love will grow and grow!
So all you have to do to find the Light of Love is seek,
And streams of Joy and Peace will flow and flow!
-- Eldeen Rafferty in The Suncatchers, Nelson Pub., 1995
"Why do you get up in the morning? The reduction of suffering." --
Russian Mystic
"The acceptance of free choice as Divine Expression is Absolute Truth."
-- Anonymous
I may not be able to get past other peoples’ closed minds but I can always get past mine.
God’s grace is your companion.
"Success is doing what you love." -- Anonymous
That'll Do
A kind and steady heart can make a grey sky blue
And a task that seems impossible is quite possible for you
A kind and steady heart is sure to see you through
It may not seem like very much right now
But it'll do, it'll do.
When you find yourself in the middle of a storm
And you're tired and cold and wet
And you're looking for a place that's cozy and warm
You'll make it...
You can never forget!
A kind and steady heart can conquer doubt and fear
A little courage goes a long, long way
Gets you a little bit farther down the road each day
And before you know it, you'll hear someone say,
"That'll do, Babe, that'll do."
A kind and steady heart is sure to see you through
A little courage goes a long, long way
Gets you a little bit farther down the road each day
And before you know it, you'll hear SOMEONE say,
"That'll do, that'll do, that'll do, Babe, that'll do."
-- Randy Newman
"I understand less and less about more and more and care less and less about more and more."
-- Anonymous
"We always want to know what everyone else is doing, but we never try to figure out what is it that’s going
on within our own hearts. What is it that we really want? What is it that we really want to hold within ourselves?
What is it that we want to live for? No matter how many times you forget to feel your own heart, again and again
bring yourselves back to your own heart. Whether you know what your heart is or not doesn’t matter; there is something
inside. Bring yourself back to it…and this very heart speaks to you. It is the tender sprout which breaks a rock…It
is in this place we do get recognition, we do get the approval, we do get the permission to live this life of ours…So
look within, look inside your own heart." -- Anonymous
"The only thing that keeps us from fully knowing ourselves as we truly are is our own false self-image."
-- Anonymous
"Wherever you set your foot,
O Beloved, tulip and violet
And jasmine spring up.
"You breathe upon a piece of clay,
and it becomes either
a dove or an eagle.
"You wash your hands in a dish,
and from the water of your hand,
the dish becomes of gold.
"Your hem strikes against a thorn,
and its clutch becomes
a strumming lute."
-- Anonymous
"Would today be different if it were the first or the last day of living on our good planet earth?"
-- Anonymous
"If we weren’t so busy worrying about what’s going to happen next we might realize that nothing yet has ever
happened." -- Anonymous
"Life is a mystery to be lived and not a problem to be solved." -- Anonymous
"Deepen your own power to thought and love. Bring your own lotus to blossom: the bees will come of themselves.
Believe first in yourself, then in God. A handful of strong men will move the world. We need a heart to feel, a
brain to conceive and a strong arm to do the work. Buddha gave himself for the animals. Make yourself a fit agent
to work. But it is God who works, not you. One man contains the whole universe. One particle of matter has all
the energy of the Universe at its back. In a conflict between the heart and the brain follow your heart.
"Yesterday, competition was the law. Today, co-operation is the law. Tomorrow, there is no law. Let sages
praise thee, or let the world blame. Let fortune itself come or let poverty and rags stare thee in the face. Eat
the herbs of the forest, one day, for food; and the next, share a banquet of fifty courses. Looking neither to
the right hand nor to the left, follow thou on!" -- Anonymous
THE GREAT INVOCATION
"From the point of Light
Within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into
The minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
"From the point of Love
Within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into
the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
"From the center where the
Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little
Wills of men –
The purpose which the
Masters know and serve.
"From the center which we
Call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and
Light work out.
And may it seal the door
where evil dwells.
"Let Light and Love and
Power restore the Plan
On Earth."
--In the Alice Bailey books
Recipe for Happiness
"Take two heaping cups of patience
One heart full of love
Two hands of generosity
Dash of laughter
One head full of understanding
Sprinkle generously with kindness
Add plenty of faith and mix well
Spread over a period of a lifetime
Serve everyone you meet."
-- Anonymous
I’d Pick More Daisies
"If I had my life to live over again, I’d try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I know of a very few things I would take seriously. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers and watch more sunsets. I would do more walking and looking. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. You, see, I am one of those people who lives prophylactically and sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments and if I had it to do over again, I’d have more of them. In fact I’ll try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead each day. I have been one of those people who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, aspirin, and a parachute. If I had it to do over again, I would go places, do things, and travel lighter than I have.
"If I had my life to live over, I would start bare-footed in the
spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would play hooky more. I wouldn’t make such good grades except by
accident. I would ride on more merry-go-rounds. I’d pick more daisies."
-- Don Herold