Inspiring quotes from hinduism and other sources

Thanks Nicole.

'Pilgrims of the Stars' is a great book - filled with light and love.. Worth checking amazon and abebooks for copies of this and other writings of Dadaji.

To be a 'pilgrim of the stars'....sounds pretty good to me!! And the thing is - that's who we really are....

Before we get back to quotes - I'd just like to mention that D.K Roy - Dadaji - was one of Sri Aurobindo's devotees - one on whom He poured out a huge amount of knowledge, light and grace. He wrote over 1,000 letters to DKR during his time in Sri Aurobindo Ashram, and many of them are reproduced in 'Letters on Yoga'.
There is also a new set of volumes of these letters 'Sri Aurobindo to Dilip'.
So much of what Dadaji learned from his greatest of gurus comes through in his own writings - not least a truly divine and endless compassion and love.

 

Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The Death of Jesus

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Luke 15:33-49

 

From 'Savitri' by Sri Aurobindo:

He who would save the race must share its pain:
This he shall know who obeys that grandiose urge.

The Great who came to save this suffering world

And rescue out of Time's shadow and the Law,

Must pass beneath the yoke of grief and pain;

They are caught by the Wheel that they had hoped to break,

On their shoulders they must bear man's load of fate.

Heaven's riches they bring, their sufferings count the price

Or they pay the gift of knowledge with their lives.

The Son of God born as the Son of man

Has drunk the bitter cup, owned Godhead's debt,

The debt the Eternal owes to the fallen kind

His will has bound to death and struggling life

That yearns in vain for rest and endless peace.

Now is the debt paid, wiped off the original score.

The Eternal suffers in a human form,

He has signed salvation's testament with his blood:

He has opened the doors of his undying peace.

The Deity compensates the creature's claim,

The Creator bears the law of pain and death;

A retribution smites the incarnate God.

His love has paved the mortal's road to Heaven:

He has given his life and light to balance here

The dark account of mortal ignorance.

It is finished, the dread mysterious sacrifice,

Offered by God's martyred body for the world;

Gethsemane and Calvary are his lot,

He carries the cross on which man's soul is nailed;

His escort is the curses of the crowd;

Insult and jeer are his right's acknowledgment;

Two thieves slain with him mock his mighty death.

He has trod with bleeding brow the Saviour's way.

He who has found his identity with God

Pays with the body's death his soul's vast light.

His knowledge immortal triumphs by his death.

Hewn, quartered on the scaffold as he falls,

His crucified voice proclaims, `I, I am God;'

`Yes, all is God,' peals back Heaven's deathless call.

The seed of Godhead sleeps in mortal hearts,

The flower of Godhead grows on the world-tree:

All shall discover God in self and things.

But when God's messenger comes to help the world

And lead the soul of earth to higher things,

He too must carry the yoke he came to unloose;

He too must bear the pang that he would heal:

Exempt and unafflicted by earth's fate,

How shall he cure the ills he never felt?

He covers the world's agony with his calm;

But though to the outward eye no sign appears

And peace is given to our torn human hearts,

The struggle is there and paid the unseen price;

The fire, the strife, the wrestle are within.

He carries the suffering world in his own breast;

Its sins weigh on his thoughts, its grief is his:

Earth's ancient load lies heavy on his soul;

Night and its powers beleaguer his tardy steps,

The Titan adversary's clutch he bears;

His march is a battle and a pilgrimage.

Life's evil smites, he is stricken with the world's pain:

A million wounds gape in his secret heart.

He journeys sleepless through an unending night;

Antagonist forces crowd across his path;

A siege, a combat is his inner life.

Even worse may be the cost, direr the pain:

His large identity and all-harbouring love

Shall bring the cosmic anguish into his depths,

The sorrow of all living things shall come

And knock at his doors and live within his house;

A dreadful cord of sympathy can tie

All suffering into his single grief and make

All agony in all the worlds his own.

He meets an ancient adversary Force,

He is lashed with the whips that tear the world's worn heart;

The weeping of the centuries visits his eyes:

He wears the blood-glued fiery Centaur shirt,

The poison of the world has stained his throat.

In the market-place of Matter's capital

Amidst the chafferings of the affair called life

He is tied to the stake of a perennial Fire;

He burns on an unseen original verge

That Matter may be turned to spirit stuff:

He is the victim in his own sacrifice.

The Immortal bound to earth's mortality

Appearing and perishing on the roads of Time

Creates God's moment by eternity's beats.

He dies that the world may be new-born and live.

 

Hare Krishna!


Where is Half-a-hippie, who started this wonderful thread, gone ? All these very beautiful posts ! Let me thank you H-A-H once again. Reading this thread alone does the job of reading thousand books. Thanks to all the contributors, particularly to SvgGrdnBeauty and BlackBillBlake for their continuous wonderful participation. I have been very selfish and always wanted to read here more and enjoy. Keep it up friends. More we talk about Him, more we inch forward to deeper meditation on Him.

Love,

Kumar.

 

http://www.babaji.ca/english/articles/art24-yoga-asanas-and-samadhi.htm


Yoga Asanas and Samadhi

by Durga Ahlund

I recently received a question from a student. I would like to share it and my answer.

Question… "How can the practice of the asana eventually lead to experience of the infinite? I think I have a general idea, that it brings you to an increasingly meditative state, and deepens the meditations you do have. Where can I find a reference to this to increase my understanding?"- M.D.

Answer: To begin, I'd like to quote the Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram: "The body is a mystic bridge between the physical and spiritual components of one's being. Through Hatha Yoga one can achieve power, light, purity and freedom as the soul unites with the physical body. Hatha Yoga strengthens the body and readies it for a deeper connection to the soul through the use of the asana and pranayama."

A yogi can realize the cosmic consciousness in any point or any level of his/her being, in mind, heart or the body, for cosmic Spirit is everywhere, in every point of the universe. The deeper we allow ourselves to go into the experiences of ascension, bouyancy, light, expansion in the body the closer we come to the infinite. Experiencing the movement of prana in asana one can be taken from one pose to another, the breath can become still and one may witness or experience intense emotional warmth, flashes of light, a pulsing vibration, a sweeping release of joy, or even vast continuous luminosity. Remaining in a pose in absolute stillness in deep mental calm, opens one to the experience of feeling, seeing and hearing the sound of the pulsation of the universe, as we drop into the depth of who we are. The kundalini is awakened, and the prana and apana regulated and balanced in the ida and pingala nadis, are stilled, the sushumna opens and the prana is released or merges into the sushumna. We are supported on the inner prana without need of breathing.

The best reference is the discovery for your self. Choose an asana, work with it daily. I recommend especially the meenasana, paambuasana, or yogamudra. Choose asana which you can hold it for longer and longer times in ease and with depth. There is a sense of intensity, persistence and aspiration, but never is there pain. There will be an "edge," where you realize if you went any further you would move into pain. It is a threshold to be crossed if you want to find the true life force behind the tension. But you stay at the edge and at that point of resistance, you breathe and consciously relax in both body and mind. This will ease the tightness and resistance and allow you to hold the stretch in relative comfort. Practice in this way will eventually release into physical and mental joy.

Kriya Hatha Yoga is an integral Yoga and the goal is Self realization. Kriya Hatha Yoga is an integral part of that process toward Self-realization. An integral Yoga is one which comprises all parts of the being and all the activities of the being. But, what we find is that the practices for one being will not be as powerful as the practices for another. This is because we are not all integrated to the same extent. Only when all of our being participates in the Yoga, will it become for us an integral Yoga. To fully participate means that all parts of our being are engaged.

The body is a temple of divinity. It expresses the Spirit. It is not only for living a physical and mental life. Man has the ability to educate his body to develop his latent faculties. We can systematically develop and remedy our defects and shortcomings and acquire things which we did not once have. This Kriya Hatha Yoga will work on all parts of our being, and it can literally change our outer nature. It has changed me. It is dynamic and transformational Yoga.

We know that everything is animated by a marvelous consciousness. And we all feel that given the right circumstances we could even see that marvelous Supreme consciousness, which sustains life everywhere, directing both the outer and inner universe. We feel that same Supreme consciousness is residing within, as our very Self. But most of us don't have the experience. We don't feel that consciousness residing in our bodies or in our homes, even if we yearn for it.

Why don't we? Why don't we have that experience? Because we identify with our body and with mind as we are conditioned to. In order to have that experience of that vital power within us we must learn to pay attention to that consciousness. Only with the greatest attention to the Self will we become absorbed in the Self. Awareness begins with attention. It begins with inwardness, when part of our attention, some of our awareness is resting within watching what the rest of our consciousness is doing, seeing, feeling, or thinking. It can begin as we begin to watch our self breathe and do asana.

On a physical level, notice the position of the spine…keep the spine straight and the abdominal muscles tightened and the breath deep… continue with diaphragmatic breathing…then on a vital, pranic level, direct the prana though the body into the deepest recesses of the body and to various chakras. On a mental level, make your mind as silent and passive as possible. You will experience a silencing of the senses, pratyahara, as you withdraw consciousness so that it is not all going out through the senses and direct it inward toward the Self. With this inwardness we engage the buddhi, the intellect, as we sense a silencing of the mind and begin to rest in the inner being who is simply watching the postures forming on the flow of prana, and watching the inhale begin and end and the exhale begin and end.

In the midst of doing our postures, some of our awareness, some of our attention, rests on an unchanging sense of presence, the witness. As we continue to practice this inwardness during our asana practice, we will begin to extend and widen ourselves and find within the space of our inner body, new depths of being, which has limitless expansion and consciousness.

Contemplate the following as you rest in a posture:

We begin with Kriya Asana Vanekom, Salutation Pose: Salutation to the Self,

To worship the Self, is truly to begin Yoga.

Be aware of the Stillness,

Become aware of that which is aware of your stillness.

Become aware of the existence of awareness.

Become aware of the feeling of being.

Become aware of your breathing...

Aware of the one who is breathing....

Be aware of a steady feeling of presence....the presence of the Self.

This inwardness allows us to move closer and closer to the Greater Self.

And more and more we will find ourselves aligning with that Self.

watch video​

OM KRIYA BABAJI NAMA AUM

Much Love & Bright Blessings ~~*

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Shalom Sat Nam Sadhu ~~*

 

The way of devotion is as good as the way of knowledge. But as long as God keeps the feeling of ego in us, it is easier to follow the path of devotion.

-Ramakrishna

 

Beyond Personality the Mayavadin sees Indefinable Existence; I followed him there and found my Krishna beyond in indefinable Personality.


Sri Aurobindo - 'Thoughts and Aphorisms'

 

One whose book of the heart has opened needs no other books. The value of books is to create desire in us. They are merely the experiences of others.~ Swami Vivekanandaji

Sayings and utterances. Complete Works, 5:410.

 

Meditation and Progress

The number of hours spent in meditation is no proof of spiritual progress. It is a proof of your progress when you no longer have to make an effort to meditate. Then you have rather to make an effort to stop meditating: it becomes difficult to stop meditation, difficult to stop thinking of the Divine, difficult to come down to the ordinary consciousness.
Then you are sure of progress, then you have made real progress when concentration in the Divine is the necessity of your life, when you cannot do without it, when it continues naturally from morning to night whatever you may be engaged in doing. Whether you sit down to meditation or go about and do things and work, what is required of you is consciousness; that is the one need -to be constantly conscious of the Divine.

But is not sitting down to meditation an indispensable discipline, and does it not give a more intense and concentrated union with the Divine?

That may be. But a discipline in itself is not what we are seeking. What we are seeking is to be concentrated on the Divine in all that we do, at all times, in all our acts and in every movement. There are some here who have been told to meditate; but also there are others who have not been asked to do any meditation at all. But it must not be thought that they are not progressing. They too follow a discipline, but it is of another nature. To work, to act with devotion and an inner consecration is also a spiritual discipline. The final aim is to be in constant union with the Divine, not only in meditation but in all circumstances and in all the active life.

Sweet Mother - 'The Sunlit Path'

 

This universe comes forth from Brahman and will return to Brahman. Verily, all is Brahman.

A person is what his deep desire is. It is our deepest desire in this life that shapes the life to come. So let us direct our deepest desires to realize the Self.


-Chandogya Upanishad

 

".....people who are touched by His Grace may look the same as others, but their inner beings are transformed by His contact, and are very different from the others"


Ma Indira Devi.

 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God…But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

- Matthew 5:9; Luke 6:27-31

 

'The Semitic peoples have afflicted mankind with the conception of a God who is a stern & dignified king & solemn judge & knows not mirth. But we who have seen Krishna know Him for a boy fond of play and a child full of mischief & happy laughter.'


Sri Aurobindo - 'Thoughts and Aphorisms'

 

'Calvin, who justified eternal hell, knew not God, but made one terrible mask of Him His eternal reality. If there were an unending hell, it could only be a seat of unending rapture; for God is Ananda and than the eternity of His bliss there is no other eternity'


Sri Aurobindo - 'Thoughts and Aphorisms'.

 

'When will the world change into the model of Heaven? When all mankind becomes boys and girls together with God revealed as Krishna and Kali, the happiest boy and strongest girl of the crowd, playing together in the gardens of Paradise. The Semitic Eden was well enough, but Adam and Eve were too grown up and its God himself too old and stern and solemn for the offer of the serpent to be resisted'


Sri Aurobindo - 'Thoughts and Aphorisms'.

 

M: Is it possible to see God?
Master: Yes, certainly. Living in solitude now and then, repeating God's name and singing His glories, and discriminating between the Real and the unreal--these are means to employ to see Him.
M: Under what conditions does one see God?
Master: Cry to the Lord with an intensely yearning heart and you will certainly see Him. People shed a whole jug of tears for wife and children. They swim in tears for money. But who weeps for God? Cry to Him with a real cry. [...] The point is to love God even as the mother loves her child, the chaste wife her husband, and the worldly man his wealth. Add together these three forces of love, these three powers of attraction and give it all to God. Then you will certainly see Him. It is necessary to pray to Him with a longing heart....

- The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna 1: 83

 

"The spiritual life is not a thing that can be formulated in a rigid definition or bound by a fixed mental rule; it is a vast field of evolution, an immense kingdom potentially larger than the other kingdoms below it, with a hundred provinces,a thousand types, stages, forms, paths, variations of the spiritual ideal, degrees of spiritual advancement. It is from the basis of this truth.....that things regarding spirituality and its seekers must be judged, if they are to be judged with knowledge.

It is only by so understanding it that one can understand it truly, enter in its past or in its future or put in their place the spiritual men of the past and the present or relate the different ideals, stages, etc, thrown up in the spiritual evolution of the human being"

Sri Aurobindo - letter to D.K.Roy (Dadaji).

 

"Sri Aurobindo, through his innumerable illuminating writings has left the world a vast mass of his actually experienced living knowledge, which is a priceless treasure house for all who want to tread the path of the evolution of human consciousness. He was a ceaseless explorer, not only delving deep into the "past dawns" but also lifting the veils that withhold our vision of the "noons of the future". He stands out, therefore, as a Supreme Teacher, Maha Guru of the entire human race, who came to reveal to man the higher and higher peaks of consciousness that he has to conquer through his ever new experiments in this "thinking and living laborotary" of human life and mind, until he reaches or attains Supermind, where the purpose of the creation will be fully revealed ultimately to him one day".


Gobindo Gopal Mukhopadhyaya.

 

"Error is created. Truth is eternal. Error, or Creation, will be Burned up, & then, & not till Then, Truth or Eternity will appear. It is Burnt up the Moment Men cease to behold it. I assert for My Self that I do not behold the outward Creation & that to me it is hindrance & not Action; it is as the dirt upon my feet, No part of Me. "What," it will be Question'd, "When the Sun rises, do you not see a round disk of fire somewhat like a Guinea?" O no, no, I see an Innumerable company of the Heavenly host crying, `Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.' I question not my Corporeal or Vegetative eye any more than I would Question a window concerning a Sight. I look thro' it & not with it."

William Blake 'A Vision of the Last Judgement'.

 

Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilitie s that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Lord does not look at the greatness or difficulty of our action, but at the love with which you do it. " Ste Thérèse, Little Flower of Jesus