Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies within us while we live.
-Norman Cousins
****
Wherever the delusion of your selfhood appears — there's hell. Wherever "you" aren't – that's heaven.
-Abu Sa'id in Ibn Munawwar, "Asrar at-tawhid"
****
In Buddhism, the source of moral authority is the causal law. Be kind, be just, be humane, be honest if you desire to crown your future. Dishonesty, cruelty, inhumanity will condemn you to a miserable fall.
-Soyen Shaku
***
Vision looks inwards and becomes duty.
Vision looks outwards and becomes aspiration.
Vision looks upwards and becomes faith.
Stephen Samuel Wise
Quote
I feel very blessed in my life to have a very healthy relationship with a very loving, earthly father.
-Blair Underwood
****
You shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace. The mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
-Isaiah 55:12
***
The laws of life are five:
Nonviolence,
Truthfulness,
Integrity,
Chastity,
Nonattachment.
These laws are universal. Unaffected by time, place, birth, or circumstance, together they constitute the "Great Law of Life."
-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:30-31
***
Read the Qur'an as long as you are attentive, but when you feel your attention slip, put the Book away.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Jundub bin Adb'Allah
***
It is essential in Zen study that you do not cling to a sitting cushion for practice. If you sink into oblivion or distraction, or plunge into ease and tranquility, totally unawares, not only will you waste time, you will not be able to digest the offerings of donors. When the light of your eyes falls to the ground one day, in the end what will you rely on?
-Kao-feng
-Blair Underwood
****
You shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace. The mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
-Isaiah 55:12
***
The laws of life are five:
Nonviolence,
Truthfulness,
Integrity,
Chastity,
Nonattachment.
These laws are universal. Unaffected by time, place, birth, or circumstance, together they constitute the "Great Law of Life."
-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:30-31
***
Read the Qur'an as long as you are attentive, but when you feel your attention slip, put the Book away.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Jundub bin Adb'Allah
***
It is essential in Zen study that you do not cling to a sitting cushion for practice. If you sink into oblivion or distraction, or plunge into ease and tranquility, totally unawares, not only will you waste time, you will not be able to digest the offerings of donors. When the light of your eyes falls to the ground one day, in the end what will you rely on?
-Kao-feng
The Christian is not one who has gone all the way with Christ. None of us has. The Christian is one who has found the right road.
-Charles L. Allen
***
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
-Mary Oliver
***
Bear with what they say, and remember Our servant David who was endowed with incredible might and always turned to Us in repentance. Behold, We compelled the mountains to join him in praise of their Lord in the morning and evening, and the birds in all their assemblies were also obedient to him. We made his kingdom strong and endowed him with wisdom and astute judgment.
-Qur'an, Suad, Surah 38:17-21
***
No village law, no law of market town,
No law of a single house is this—
Of all the world and the worlds of gods
This only is the Law, that all things are impermanent.
-"Buddhist Parables," translated by E.W. Burlingame
***
-Charles L. Allen
***
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
-Mary Oliver
***
Bear with what they say, and remember Our servant David who was endowed with incredible might and always turned to Us in repentance. Behold, We compelled the mountains to join him in praise of their Lord in the morning and evening, and the birds in all their assemblies were also obedient to him. We made his kingdom strong and endowed him with wisdom and astute judgment.
-Qur'an, Suad, Surah 38:17-21
***
No village law, no law of market town,
No law of a single house is this—
Of all the world and the worlds of gods
This only is the Law, that all things are impermanent.
-"Buddhist Parables," translated by E.W. Burlingame
***
One of the key things for people as far as joy is concerned is not living a selfish, self-centered lifestyle where we live our lives expecting everybody else to do something for us.
-Joyce Meyer
****
Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth thrown in. Aim at Earth and you get neither.
-C.S. Lewis
***
Those who truly know God worship Him with all their resolve; they concede to His ubiquitous bounty and obey all His commandments with the utmost fervor. As their adoration grows so does their obedience, since they are aware that this world is a madhouse and its inhabitants madmen wearing shackles of lust and chains of sin.
-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
***
That people are unknowing does not mean that they are unknowing like cows or goats. Even ignorant people look for a pathway to reality. But, searching for it, they often misunderstand what they encounter. They pursue names and categories instead of going beyond that name to that which is real.
-Digha Nikaya
****
"When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere."
La Rochefoucauld
-Joyce Meyer
****
Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth thrown in. Aim at Earth and you get neither.
-C.S. Lewis
***
Those who truly know God worship Him with all their resolve; they concede to His ubiquitous bounty and obey all His commandments with the utmost fervor. As their adoration grows so does their obedience, since they are aware that this world is a madhouse and its inhabitants madmen wearing shackles of lust and chains of sin.
-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
***
That people are unknowing does not mean that they are unknowing like cows or goats. Even ignorant people look for a pathway to reality. But, searching for it, they often misunderstand what they encounter. They pursue names and categories instead of going beyond that name to that which is real.
-Digha Nikaya
****
"When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere."
La Rochefoucauld
I think that that anything you can do that helps to alleviate this huge gaping gap between the rich and the poor will eventually make the world a more peaceful place.
-Susan Sarandon
***
Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.
-Jean Cocteau
***
People differ greatly in the amount of anxiety and worry they can stand: some can endure a great deal without being adversely affected, while others soon show signs of strain. You should observe yourself closely, so that you understand your own powers of endurance. By this means you will learn to divest yourself before any harm is done.
-Razi: Kitab al-Muluki
***
Two from one!
This is the root of suffering.
Only perceive
That I am one without two,
Pure awareness, pure joy,
And all the world is false.
There is no other remedy!
-Ashtavakra Gita 2:16
***
The dharma is such that it cannot be attained by groping or searching about. In the realm of seeing, knowledge perishes. At the moment of attaining, mind is surpassed.
-Dogen, "Moon in a Dewdrop"
-Susan Sarandon
***
Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.
-Jean Cocteau
***
People differ greatly in the amount of anxiety and worry they can stand: some can endure a great deal without being adversely affected, while others soon show signs of strain. You should observe yourself closely, so that you understand your own powers of endurance. By this means you will learn to divest yourself before any harm is done.
-Razi: Kitab al-Muluki
***
Two from one!
This is the root of suffering.
Only perceive
That I am one without two,
Pure awareness, pure joy,
And all the world is false.
There is no other remedy!
-Ashtavakra Gita 2:16
***
The dharma is such that it cannot be attained by groping or searching about. In the realm of seeing, knowledge perishes. At the moment of attaining, mind is surpassed.
-Dogen, "Moon in a Dewdrop"
The gospel is like a lion. It doesn't need to be protected, it needs to be turned loose.
-Unknown
***
When you dig another out of their troubles, you find a place to bury your own.
-Anonymous
***
Better than a gift given with a joyous heart
Are sweet words spoken with a cheerful smile.
-Tirukkural 92
***
If they charge thee with falsehood, say: "My work to me, and yours to you! Ye are free from responsibility for what I do, and I for what ye do!"
-Qur'an, Jonah, Surah 10:41
***
The only foundation stone of practice is renunciation.
The only gateway of practice is faith.
The only approach to practice is compassion.
-Jamgon Kontrul, Creation and Completion
***
-Unknown
***
When you dig another out of their troubles, you find a place to bury your own.
-Anonymous
***
Better than a gift given with a joyous heart
Are sweet words spoken with a cheerful smile.
-Tirukkural 92
***
If they charge thee with falsehood, say: "My work to me, and yours to you! Ye are free from responsibility for what I do, and I for what ye do!"
-Qur'an, Jonah, Surah 10:41
***
The only foundation stone of practice is renunciation.
The only gateway of practice is faith.
The only approach to practice is compassion.
-Jamgon Kontrul, Creation and Completion
***
The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.
-Buddha
***
God created suffering and heartache, so that joy might be known as their opposite. Hidden things become manifest through their opposites. But God has no opposite; so he remains hidden. Light is known as the opposite of darkness. But God's light has no opposite. Thus we cannot know him through our eyes.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
It is my belief that whereas the twentieth century has been a century of war and untold suffering, the twenty-first century should be one of peace and dialogue. As the continued advances in information technology make our world a truly global village, I believe there will come a time when war and armed conflict will be considered an outdated and obsolete method of settling differences among nations and communities.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.
-Buddha
***
God created suffering and heartache, so that joy might be known as their opposite. Hidden things become manifest through their opposites. But God has no opposite; so he remains hidden. Light is known as the opposite of darkness. But God's light has no opposite. Thus we cannot know him through our eyes.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
It is my belief that whereas the twentieth century has been a century of war and untold suffering, the twenty-first century should be one of peace and dialogue. As the continued advances in information technology make our world a truly global village, I believe there will come a time when war and armed conflict will be considered an outdated and obsolete method of settling differences among nations and communities.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Help yourself and heaven will help you.
-Jean de la Fontaine
***
The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we will hear Him.
-William McGill
***
Indeed the whole world is imagination.
Only He is the real in Reality.
Whoever understands this
knows the secrets of the spiritual path.
-Ibn 'Arabi, "Masters of the Path"
***
Destiny's last days may surge with oceanic change,
Yet men deemed perfectly good remain, like the shore, unchanged.
-Tirukkural 99:988
***
"Don't judge each day by the harvest
you reap but by the seeds that you plant."
Robert Louis Stevenson
-Jean de la Fontaine
***
The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we will hear Him.
-William McGill
***
Indeed the whole world is imagination.
Only He is the real in Reality.
Whoever understands this
knows the secrets of the spiritual path.
-Ibn 'Arabi, "Masters of the Path"
***
Destiny's last days may surge with oceanic change,
Yet men deemed perfectly good remain, like the shore, unchanged.
-Tirukkural 99:988
***
"Don't judge each day by the harvest
you reap but by the seeds that you plant."
Robert Louis Stevenson
True humility doesn't consist of thinking ill of yourself but of not thinking of yourself much differently from the way you'd be apt to think of anybody else.
-Frederick Buechner
***
A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs --jolted by every pebble in the road.
-Henry Ward Beecher
****
As a great fish swims between the banks of a river as it likes, so does the shining Self move between the states of dreaming and waking.
-Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
***
Don't forget to bring the good experiences of meditation into your daily activities. Instead of acting and reacting impulsively and following your thoughts and feelings here and there, watch your mind carefully, be aware, and try to deal skillfully with problems as they arise. If you can do this each day, your meditation will have been successful.
-Kathleen McDonald, "How to Meditate"
***
5] It is related by Jarir bin 'Abdullah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "They will not obtain the mercy of God in whose hearts there is no mercy for others."
- Bukhari and Muslim
-Frederick Buechner
***
A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs --jolted by every pebble in the road.
-Henry Ward Beecher
****
As a great fish swims between the banks of a river as it likes, so does the shining Self move between the states of dreaming and waking.
-Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
***
Don't forget to bring the good experiences of meditation into your daily activities. Instead of acting and reacting impulsively and following your thoughts and feelings here and there, watch your mind carefully, be aware, and try to deal skillfully with problems as they arise. If you can do this each day, your meditation will have been successful.
-Kathleen McDonald, "How to Meditate"
***
5] It is related by Jarir bin 'Abdullah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "They will not obtain the mercy of God in whose hearts there is no mercy for others."
- Bukhari and Muslim
Wishing will never be a substitute for prayer.
-Ed Cole
***
What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.
-Yiddish proverb
***
Self-important, obstinate, swept away by the pride of wealth, they ostentatiously perform sacrifices without any regard for their purpose. Egotistical, violent, arrogant, lustful, angry, envious of everyone, they abuse my presence within their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
-Bhagavad Gita 16:13–18
***
Among them are those who adjure, "Our Lord! Bestow upon us in this world that which is worthy and also in the hereafter that which is superlative, and save us from the doom of the Fire."
-Qur'an, Al-Baqara, Surah 2:201
***
Explaining many profound dharmas is easy; living them yourself is hard.
-Adept Godrakpa, "Hermit of Go Cliffs"
-Ed Cole
***
What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.
-Yiddish proverb
***
Self-important, obstinate, swept away by the pride of wealth, they ostentatiously perform sacrifices without any regard for their purpose. Egotistical, violent, arrogant, lustful, angry, envious of everyone, they abuse my presence within their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
-Bhagavad Gita 16:13–18
***
Among them are those who adjure, "Our Lord! Bestow upon us in this world that which is worthy and also in the hereafter that which is superlative, and save us from the doom of the Fire."
-Qur'an, Al-Baqara, Surah 2:201
***
Explaining many profound dharmas is easy; living them yourself is hard.
-Adept Godrakpa, "Hermit of Go Cliffs"
-
From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
Sufi Master-Sheikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen's Quotation from his books
"Within your heart in a space no bigger than an atom, God has placed the 18,000 universes, good and evil, and the wisdom to differentiate between them. That is your farmland. If you plow that land deep with your wisdom and sow God's qualities and actions with the knowledge of the difference between good and evil, you will receive the wealth of your soul, the bountiful harvest of undiminishing grace."
Book: The Golden Words of a Sufi Sheikh
"What we are slaves to will prevent us from praying to God. If we are slaves to all the thoughts we think, if we are slaves to everything our eyes see, if we are slaves to all the music our ears hear, if we are slaves to everything the nose smells and the tongue tastes, if we are slaves to everything the body wants, then how can we ever reach a state of peace? We can never know peace or tranquility this way. We have to escape from this slavery and become a slave only to God."
Book: Questions of Life-Answers of Wisdom Vol.1
"Always use positive words, and never use negative or evil words. Cultivate good thoughts, not bad thoughts. Make sure your intentions are constructive intentions. Never be jealous; be grateful. Be tolerant, peaceful, and honest instead of vengeful. Always be compassionate, never proud and arrogant. Praise God, because God is the Deserving One. You need these in your life. If you can teach yourself to follow these suggestions, you will have a very good life."
Book: God's Psychology
"You must place your faith in the one indestructible, imperishable God. To do this, you must stop depending on the kings, forces, and armies within you. When you give up all this and stand defenseless and alone, saying, O God, it is all Your will! The sheikh will stand by your side. It is only when you surrender to Allah that the sheikh, who is the explaining wisdom of the Qutbiyyat which guides you on the path of God, will come to stand by your side. 'Son' he will say, 'Now you are ready. Come, let us go'."
Book: The Golden Words of a Sufi Sheikh
"This is the only path on which we can proceed with ease. It is the path to the freedom of our soul. Therefore, may we protect ourselves and give love to others. May we protect others as we would protect ourselves, love our neighbors as ourselves, and make all mankind our relatives, our brothers and sisters. May we make everyone our loved ones and help them become those who trust in God. May we all go together on this path as the followers of God, as the representatives of God, as the children of the one Father."
Book: To Die Before Death: The Sufi Way of Life
"To all those who say they believe in God, please realize with faith that God hears every word you say. God hears your every thought. Realizing this, speak only what is truth and act only with God's qualities of love, compassion, justice, patience, and the realization that each life is as important as your own."
Book: To Die Before Death: The Sufi Way of Life
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen's website is http://www.bmf.org
"Within your heart in a space no bigger than an atom, God has placed the 18,000 universes, good and evil, and the wisdom to differentiate between them. That is your farmland. If you plow that land deep with your wisdom and sow God's qualities and actions with the knowledge of the difference between good and evil, you will receive the wealth of your soul, the bountiful harvest of undiminishing grace."
Book: The Golden Words of a Sufi Sheikh
"What we are slaves to will prevent us from praying to God. If we are slaves to all the thoughts we think, if we are slaves to everything our eyes see, if we are slaves to all the music our ears hear, if we are slaves to everything the nose smells and the tongue tastes, if we are slaves to everything the body wants, then how can we ever reach a state of peace? We can never know peace or tranquility this way. We have to escape from this slavery and become a slave only to God."
Book: Questions of Life-Answers of Wisdom Vol.1
"Always use positive words, and never use negative or evil words. Cultivate good thoughts, not bad thoughts. Make sure your intentions are constructive intentions. Never be jealous; be grateful. Be tolerant, peaceful, and honest instead of vengeful. Always be compassionate, never proud and arrogant. Praise God, because God is the Deserving One. You need these in your life. If you can teach yourself to follow these suggestions, you will have a very good life."
Book: God's Psychology
"You must place your faith in the one indestructible, imperishable God. To do this, you must stop depending on the kings, forces, and armies within you. When you give up all this and stand defenseless and alone, saying, O God, it is all Your will! The sheikh will stand by your side. It is only when you surrender to Allah that the sheikh, who is the explaining wisdom of the Qutbiyyat which guides you on the path of God, will come to stand by your side. 'Son' he will say, 'Now you are ready. Come, let us go'."
Book: The Golden Words of a Sufi Sheikh
"This is the only path on which we can proceed with ease. It is the path to the freedom of our soul. Therefore, may we protect ourselves and give love to others. May we protect others as we would protect ourselves, love our neighbors as ourselves, and make all mankind our relatives, our brothers and sisters. May we make everyone our loved ones and help them become those who trust in God. May we all go together on this path as the followers of God, as the representatives of God, as the children of the one Father."
Book: To Die Before Death: The Sufi Way of Life
"To all those who say they believe in God, please realize with faith that God hears every word you say. God hears your every thought. Realizing this, speak only what is truth and act only with God's qualities of love, compassion, justice, patience, and the realization that each life is as important as your own."
Book: To Die Before Death: The Sufi Way of Life
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen's website is http://www.bmf.org
When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy.
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
Love has the innate ability to look past the human and see the godly.
-Colette Burnham (submitted by L8DeBugg)
***
From him come all the seas and the mountains,
The rivers and the plants that support life.
As the innermost Self of all, he dwells
Within the cavern of the heart.
-Mundaka Upanishad
***
God does not require his servants to be perfectly clean; indeed, he never requires his servants to do anything that is impossible.
-Razi: Kitab al-Muluki
***
If you can only rid yourselves of conceptual thought, you will have accomplished everything.
-Huang Po, "Zen Teaching of Huang Po"
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
Love has the innate ability to look past the human and see the godly.
-Colette Burnham (submitted by L8DeBugg)
***
From him come all the seas and the mountains,
The rivers and the plants that support life.
As the innermost Self of all, he dwells
Within the cavern of the heart.
-Mundaka Upanishad
***
God does not require his servants to be perfectly clean; indeed, he never requires his servants to do anything that is impossible.
-Razi: Kitab al-Muluki
***
If you can only rid yourselves of conceptual thought, you will have accomplished everything.
-Huang Po, "Zen Teaching of Huang Po"
We must alter our lives in order to alter our hearts, for it is impossible to live one way and pray another.
-William Law
***
Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.
-Ovid
***
If given with love, a handful is sufficient.
-Telugu proverb
***
If you persevere in adversity and depend on God, then know that He will remove your afflictions and bestow vast blessings upon you. For in His Book God promises, "Those who depend upon Allah, Allah bestows His bounty upon them and provides for them from means unknown." Therefore follow the road of patience and rejoice in His infinite bounty.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani
***
-William Law
***
Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.
-Ovid
***
If given with love, a handful is sufficient.
-Telugu proverb
***
If you persevere in adversity and depend on God, then know that He will remove your afflictions and bestow vast blessings upon you. For in His Book God promises, "Those who depend upon Allah, Allah bestows His bounty upon them and provides for them from means unknown." Therefore follow the road of patience and rejoice in His infinite bounty.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani
***
If Christianity is untrue, then no honest man will want to believe it, however helpful it might be: if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it, even if it gives him no help at all.
-C.S. Lewis
***
In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.
-Deepak Chopra
***
Religions are different roads converging on the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads so long as we reach the same goal? I believe that all religions of the world are true more or less. I say "more or less" because I believe that everything the human hand touches, by reason of the very fact that human beings are imperfect, becomes imperfect.
-Mahatma Gandhi
Reprinted with permission
***
The threshold between right and wrong is pain.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Imagine All the People
***
6] It is related by 'Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Aas that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "God will have mercy upon them that are merciful. Treat kindly the dwellers of the earth; He who dwells in the heaven will treat you kindly."
- Abu Da'ud and Tirmidhi
-C.S. Lewis
***
In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.
-Deepak Chopra
***
Religions are different roads converging on the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads so long as we reach the same goal? I believe that all religions of the world are true more or less. I say "more or less" because I believe that everything the human hand touches, by reason of the very fact that human beings are imperfect, becomes imperfect.
-Mahatma Gandhi
Reprinted with permission
***
The threshold between right and wrong is pain.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Imagine All the People
***
6] It is related by 'Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Aas that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "God will have mercy upon them that are merciful. Treat kindly the dwellers of the earth; He who dwells in the heaven will treat you kindly."
- Abu Da'ud and Tirmidhi
Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.
-Mother Teresa
***
Persevere, have faith in His benevolence.
Through afflictions God only tests your faith;
He is completely aware of your condition.
Have patience and wait for the divine decree.
Do not become like the foolish laborer
who is removed from the king's palace
for demanding his wages ahead of time.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
***
Perennial joy or passing pleasure?
This is the choice one is to make always.
The wise recognize these two, but not
The ignorant. The first welcome what leads
To abiding joy, though painful at the time.
The latter run, goaded by their senses,
After what seems immediate pleasure.
-Katha Upanishad
***
Look around your neighborhood today. Who needs help and how can you help? Once you’re open to helping out, you can be sure your angel will know where to send you.
-Margaret Neylon
-Mother Teresa
***
Persevere, have faith in His benevolence.
Through afflictions God only tests your faith;
He is completely aware of your condition.
Have patience and wait for the divine decree.
Do not become like the foolish laborer
who is removed from the king's palace
for demanding his wages ahead of time.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
***
Perennial joy or passing pleasure?
This is the choice one is to make always.
The wise recognize these two, but not
The ignorant. The first welcome what leads
To abiding joy, though painful at the time.
The latter run, goaded by their senses,
After what seems immediate pleasure.
-Katha Upanishad
***
Look around your neighborhood today. Who needs help and how can you help? Once you’re open to helping out, you can be sure your angel will know where to send you.
-Margaret Neylon
Prayer begins where human capacity ends.
-Marian Anderson
***
Those who look after widows and the destitute are equal to the ones striving in the way of Allah and, in my eyes, the same as those who worship all night and fast all day.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
Indeed,
I am neither bound nor free.
An end to illusion!
It is all groundless.
For the whole of creation,
Though it rests in me,
Is without foundation.
-Ashtavakra Gita 2:18
***
Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.
-John 14:1
***
Consider those who deny the last judgment. They are people who turn away orphans, and are indifferent as to whether the poor are fed. They pray, but they never think about the meaning of their prayers. They make a grand display of their piety, but they give nothing to the destitute. They are doomed.
-Qur'an, Al-Ma'un, Surah 107:1-7
***
There are two kinds of happiness. There is that of the uncommitted life of sensual pleasures, and there is that of the committed life, one of going forth to a new consciousness. Of these, the happiness of going forth is greater.
-Anguttara Nikaya
-Marian Anderson
***
Those who look after widows and the destitute are equal to the ones striving in the way of Allah and, in my eyes, the same as those who worship all night and fast all day.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
Indeed,
I am neither bound nor free.
An end to illusion!
It is all groundless.
For the whole of creation,
Though it rests in me,
Is without foundation.
-Ashtavakra Gita 2:18
***
Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.
-John 14:1
***
Consider those who deny the last judgment. They are people who turn away orphans, and are indifferent as to whether the poor are fed. They pray, but they never think about the meaning of their prayers. They make a grand display of their piety, but they give nothing to the destitute. They are doomed.
-Qur'an, Al-Ma'un, Surah 107:1-7
***
There are two kinds of happiness. There is that of the uncommitted life of sensual pleasures, and there is that of the committed life, one of going forth to a new consciousness. Of these, the happiness of going forth is greater.
-Anguttara Nikaya
One of the greatest gifts we can give people is the hope that their death is nothing to fear--you know, not that it has no fear in it, but the promise of scripture is that God will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death.
-Max Lucado
***
Reshape yourself through the power of your will; never let yourself be degraded by self-will. The will is the only friend of the Self, and the will is the only enemy of the Self.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:5
***
The basic purpose of human existence is acquisition of knowledge of God; there is no relationship more true than this spiritual affiliation. All other types of relationships are but derivative and dependent upon that spiritual connection, and in themselves nothing to boast of.
-Lahiji: "Mafatih"
***
-Max Lucado
***
Reshape yourself through the power of your will; never let yourself be degraded by self-will. The will is the only friend of the Self, and the will is the only enemy of the Self.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:5
***
The basic purpose of human existence is acquisition of knowledge of God; there is no relationship more true than this spiritual affiliation. All other types of relationships are but derivative and dependent upon that spiritual connection, and in themselves nothing to boast of.
-Lahiji: "Mafatih"
***
-
From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
"The prayers you perform, the duties you do, the charity and love you give is equal to just one drop. But if you use that one drop, continue to do your duty, and keep digging within, then the spring of Allah's grace and His qualities will flow in abundance."
Sufi Master of Path--Sheikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
"People with wisdom know that it is important to correct their own mistakes, while people without wisdom find it necessary to point out the mistakes of others. People with strong faith know that it is important to clear their own hearts, while those with unsteady faith seek to find fault in the hearts and prayers of others. This becomes a habit in their lives. But those who pray to Allah with faith, determination, and certitude know that the most important thing in life is to surrender their hearts to Allah."
Sufi Master of Path--Sheikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
"The things that change are not our real life. Within us there is another body, another beauty. It belongs to that ray of light which never changes. We must discover how to mingle with it and become one with that unchanging thing. We must realize and understand this treasure of truth. That is why we have come to the world."
Sufi Master of Path--Sheikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
Sufi Master of Path--Sheikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
"People with wisdom know that it is important to correct their own mistakes, while people without wisdom find it necessary to point out the mistakes of others. People with strong faith know that it is important to clear their own hearts, while those with unsteady faith seek to find fault in the hearts and prayers of others. This becomes a habit in their lives. But those who pray to Allah with faith, determination, and certitude know that the most important thing in life is to surrender their hearts to Allah."
Sufi Master of Path--Sheikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
"The things that change are not our real life. Within us there is another body, another beauty. It belongs to that ray of light which never changes. We must discover how to mingle with it and become one with that unchanging thing. We must realize and understand this treasure of truth. That is why we have come to the world."
Sufi Master of Path--Sheikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
Your love, Jesus, is an ocean
with no shore to bound it.
And if I plunge into it, I carry
with me all the possessions
I have. You know, Lord,
what these possessions are—
the souls you have seen
fit to link with mine.
-St. Therese of Lisieux
****
Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to carry money without spending it, and to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.
-Ann Landers
***
Each person behaves after his own manner, yet only your Lord knows who chose the best path to salvation.
-Qur'an, Al-Isra, Surah 17:84
***
When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore is moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the boat moves. Similarly, if you examine myriad things with a confused body and mind you might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. When you practice intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that nothing at all has unchanging self.
-"Actualizing the Fundamental Point" by Zen Master Dogen
with no shore to bound it.
And if I plunge into it, I carry
with me all the possessions
I have. You know, Lord,
what these possessions are—
the souls you have seen
fit to link with mine.
-St. Therese of Lisieux
****
Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to carry money without spending it, and to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.
-Ann Landers
***
Each person behaves after his own manner, yet only your Lord knows who chose the best path to salvation.
-Qur'an, Al-Isra, Surah 17:84
***
When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore is moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the boat moves. Similarly, if you examine myriad things with a confused body and mind you might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. When you practice intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that nothing at all has unchanging self.
-"Actualizing the Fundamental Point" by Zen Master Dogen
-
From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
"Intelligence is like an underwear
It is important that you have
it, but not necessary that
you show it...."
Unknown
"Whoever has beauty, must know
that is borrowed..."
Great Sufi Master of Path Mowlana Rumi
"Praise be to God who is hidden from the
knowledge of men and who is above imagination
-Greetings be on His apostle, the best of
mankind who dispelled the darkness by the
Light of Islam and who invited people to
"abode of safety" - Greetings be on Harat
Mowlana Ali and his pure progeny forever...."
------Author Unknown-----
" The Lamp is kindled from a blessed tree, an
Olive neither of the East nor of the West and
Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for
Allah is knower of all things"
------Holy Quran-------
It is important that you have
it, but not necessary that
you show it...."
Unknown
"Whoever has beauty, must know
that is borrowed..."
Great Sufi Master of Path Mowlana Rumi
"Praise be to God who is hidden from the
knowledge of men and who is above imagination
-Greetings be on His apostle, the best of
mankind who dispelled the darkness by the
Light of Islam and who invited people to
"abode of safety" - Greetings be on Harat
Mowlana Ali and his pure progeny forever...."
------Author Unknown-----
" The Lamp is kindled from a blessed tree, an
Olive neither of the East nor of the West and
Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for
Allah is knower of all things"
------Holy Quran-------
The Christian on his knees sees more than the philosopher on tiptoe.
-D.L. Moody
***
The mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work unless it's open.
-Unknown
***
Only he can take great resolves who has indomitable faith in God and has fear of God.
-Mahatma Gandhi, 1938
***
Listen, open a window to God
and begin to delight yourself
by gazing upon Him through the opening.
The business of love is to make that window in the heart,
for the breast is illumined by the beauty of the Beloved.
Gaze incessantly on the face of the Beloved!
Listen, this is in your power, my friend!
-Rumi, Mathnawi [VI, 3095-3097]
-D.L. Moody
***
The mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work unless it's open.
-Unknown
***
Only he can take great resolves who has indomitable faith in God and has fear of God.
-Mahatma Gandhi, 1938
***
Listen, open a window to God
and begin to delight yourself
by gazing upon Him through the opening.
The business of love is to make that window in the heart,
for the breast is illumined by the beauty of the Beloved.
Gaze incessantly on the face of the Beloved!
Listen, this is in your power, my friend!
-Rumi, Mathnawi [VI, 3095-3097]
My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.
-John 4:34 (Revised Standard Version)
***
No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.
-Calvin Coolidge
***
I am the mother-of-pearl.
The world is a vein of silver,
An illusion!
This is the truth.
Nothing to grasp,
Nothing to spurn,
Nothing to dissolve.
I am in all beings.
All beings are in me.
This is the whole truth.
Nothing to embrace,
Nothing to relinquish,
Nothing to dissolve.
-Ashtavakra Gita 6:3-4
***
To show compassion to the wicked is to oppress the righteous; to pardon oppressors is to tyrannize the oppressed.
-Sadi, "Gulistan"
***
-John 4:34 (Revised Standard Version)
***
No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.
-Calvin Coolidge
***
I am the mother-of-pearl.
The world is a vein of silver,
An illusion!
This is the truth.
Nothing to grasp,
Nothing to spurn,
Nothing to dissolve.
I am in all beings.
All beings are in me.
This is the whole truth.
Nothing to embrace,
Nothing to relinquish,
Nothing to dissolve.
-Ashtavakra Gita 6:3-4
***
To show compassion to the wicked is to oppress the righteous; to pardon oppressors is to tyrannize the oppressed.
-Sadi, "Gulistan"
***
You should not suffer the past. You should be able to wear it like a loose garment, take it off and let it drop.
-Eva Jessye
***
If you go on working with the light available, you will meet your Master, as he himself will be seeking you.
-Ramana Maharshi
***
Every morning two angels come down from the Heaven. One says, "O Allah! Reward all those who give in Your cause," while the other says, "O Allah! Uproot every miser who withholds."
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
Life responds when we risk.
-Rodney Smith, "Lessons From the Dying"
***
-Eva Jessye
***
If you go on working with the light available, you will meet your Master, as he himself will be seeking you.
-Ramana Maharshi
***
Every morning two angels come down from the Heaven. One says, "O Allah! Reward all those who give in Your cause," while the other says, "O Allah! Uproot every miser who withholds."
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah
***
Life responds when we risk.
-Rodney Smith, "Lessons From the Dying"
***
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save what Thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
-Hymn, "Be Thou My Vision"
***
It takes as much stress to be a success as it does to be a failure.
-Emilio James Trujillo
***
Because of your faith, I shall tell you the most profound of secrets: obtaining both jnana and vijnana, you will be free from all evil.
This royal knowledge, this royal secret, is the greatest purifier. Righteous and imperishable, it is a joy to practice and can be directly experienced.
-Bhagavad Gita 9:1-2
***
When God fills an adept with the desire to comprehend His essence, knowledge becomes vision, vision revelation, revelation contemplation, and contemplation existence in God. Words are hushed to silence, life becomes death, explanations come to an end, signs are effaced, and disputes are cleared up.
-Junayd, in "Rabi'a the Mystic"
***
Look into the sphere of birthless mind!
Let dawn the enjoyment of ceaseless play!
When free of hope and fear--that's the result.
Why speak of birth and death?
Come to the natural, unmodified state!
-Drinking the Mountain Stream: Songs of Tibet's Beloved Saint, Milarepa
***
If we can understand that death is not the end but is really a transition into the next life, the great part of life, that frees us up into receiving God’s courage and his help.
-Max Lucado
Naught be all else to me, save what Thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
-Hymn, "Be Thou My Vision"
***
It takes as much stress to be a success as it does to be a failure.
-Emilio James Trujillo
***
Because of your faith, I shall tell you the most profound of secrets: obtaining both jnana and vijnana, you will be free from all evil.
This royal knowledge, this royal secret, is the greatest purifier. Righteous and imperishable, it is a joy to practice and can be directly experienced.
-Bhagavad Gita 9:1-2
***
When God fills an adept with the desire to comprehend His essence, knowledge becomes vision, vision revelation, revelation contemplation, and contemplation existence in God. Words are hushed to silence, life becomes death, explanations come to an end, signs are effaced, and disputes are cleared up.
-Junayd, in "Rabi'a the Mystic"
***
Look into the sphere of birthless mind!
Let dawn the enjoyment of ceaseless play!
When free of hope and fear--that's the result.
Why speak of birth and death?
Come to the natural, unmodified state!
-Drinking the Mountain Stream: Songs of Tibet's Beloved Saint, Milarepa
***
If we can understand that death is not the end but is really a transition into the next life, the great part of life, that frees us up into receiving God’s courage and his help.
-Max Lucado
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint; therefore we must be saved by the final form of love, which is forgiveness.
-Reinhold Niebuhr
***
The stories of the prophets in the Qur'an sadden the soul within its prison. The captive soul seeks freedom from ignorance. Look to the prophets, those souls freed from bonds. Their voices call from within their religions, "This is the way! Escape! Escape! This is the way we escaped. There is no other way but our way."
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us. This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good heart whatever they might have to say.
-Mahatma Gandhi
***
The only way to pass any test is to take the test.
-Anonymous
***
Mindfulness is never boring.
-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"
***
I see my relationship with my heavenly father, with God in heaven--as someone to look to if I want to look for guidance, to feel comfortable with my thoughts, my actions, someone to be accountable to.
-Blair Underwood
***
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.
-Buddha
***
Meditation is running into reality. It does not insulate you from the pain of life. It allows you to delve so deeply into life and all its aspects that you pierce the pain barrier and go beyond suffering.
-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"
-Reinhold Niebuhr
***
The stories of the prophets in the Qur'an sadden the soul within its prison. The captive soul seeks freedom from ignorance. Look to the prophets, those souls freed from bonds. Their voices call from within their religions, "This is the way! Escape! Escape! This is the way we escaped. There is no other way but our way."
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us. This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good heart whatever they might have to say.
-Mahatma Gandhi
***
The only way to pass any test is to take the test.
-Anonymous
***
Mindfulness is never boring.
-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"
***
I see my relationship with my heavenly father, with God in heaven--as someone to look to if I want to look for guidance, to feel comfortable with my thoughts, my actions, someone to be accountable to.
-Blair Underwood
***
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.
-Buddha
***
Meditation is running into reality. It does not insulate you from the pain of life. It allows you to delve so deeply into life and all its aspects that you pierce the pain barrier and go beyond suffering.
-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"
Resolve to keep happy and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
-Helen Keller
****
The marksman hitteth the mark partly by pulling, partly by letting go.
-Egyptian proverb
***
Sleeping, sitting, walking,
Nothing good or bad befalls me.
I sleep, I sit, I walk,
And I am happy.
-Ashtavakra Gita 13:5
***
Our problems are opportunities to discover God's solutions.
-Unknown
****
Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.
-Ralph Charell
***
Do not seek sustenance from people. God is the real Provider. If He wills a certain person to be the means of your livelihood, do not consider that person to be in control of your destiny. Have faith and be certain in the knowledge that your daily bread does not depend upon any mortal, but upon God who created all.
-Al-Hajwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
-Helen Keller
****
The marksman hitteth the mark partly by pulling, partly by letting go.
-Egyptian proverb
***
Sleeping, sitting, walking,
Nothing good or bad befalls me.
I sleep, I sit, I walk,
And I am happy.
-Ashtavakra Gita 13:5
***
Our problems are opportunities to discover God's solutions.
-Unknown
****
Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.
-Ralph Charell
***
Do not seek sustenance from people. God is the real Provider. If He wills a certain person to be the means of your livelihood, do not consider that person to be in control of your destiny. Have faith and be certain in the knowledge that your daily bread does not depend upon any mortal, but upon God who created all.
-Al-Hajwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.
-Luke 12:15 (Revised Standard Version)
****
Seek what you wish from God, not from men.
Be satisfied in joy; there is honor therein.
On friends and relatives be not a burden.
Rich is he who hopes from God, not from men.
-Al-Ghazzali, "Ihya Ulum Id-Din"
***
If the eye never sleeps, all dreams will naturally cease. If the mind makes no discriminations, the ten thousand things are as they are, of single essence. To understand the mystery of this One essence is to be released from all entanglements. When all things are seen equally the timeless Self-essence is reached. No comparisons or analogies are possible in this causeless, relationless state.
-Seng-Tsan, “Verses On The Faith Mind”
****
We aren’t what we ought to be. We aren’t what we’re going to be. We aren’t what we want to be. But, thank God, we aren’t what we were.
-Anonymous
***
The first duty of love--is to listen.
-Paul Tillich
***
-Luke 12:15 (Revised Standard Version)
****
Seek what you wish from God, not from men.
Be satisfied in joy; there is honor therein.
On friends and relatives be not a burden.
Rich is he who hopes from God, not from men.
-Al-Ghazzali, "Ihya Ulum Id-Din"
***
If the eye never sleeps, all dreams will naturally cease. If the mind makes no discriminations, the ten thousand things are as they are, of single essence. To understand the mystery of this One essence is to be released from all entanglements. When all things are seen equally the timeless Self-essence is reached. No comparisons or analogies are possible in this causeless, relationless state.
-Seng-Tsan, “Verses On The Faith Mind”
****
We aren’t what we ought to be. We aren’t what we’re going to be. We aren’t what we want to be. But, thank God, we aren’t what we were.
-Anonymous
***
The first duty of love--is to listen.
-Paul Tillich
***
The path of spiritual growth is a path of lifelong learning.
-M. Scott Peck
****
There is only one state. When corrupted and tainted by self-identification, it is known as an individual. When merely tinted by the sense of presence, of animated consciousness, it is the impersonal witnessing. When it remains in its pristine purity, untainted and untinted in primal repose, it is the Absolute.
-Ramesh Balsekar
***
Do not think of God as isolated from his creation. Do not think of God as bound by rules. Do not compare God with any other entity. Beware of thinking of God as remote.
You are not God; and you are God. You see him in the essences of all things; yet he is boundless.
-Ibn Arabi, "Fusus al-hikam"
***
How boundless and free is the sky of Awareness!
How bright the full moon of wisdom!
Truly, is anything missing now?
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes; this very place is the Lotus Land; this very body, the Buddha.
-Hakuin Zenji, “Song of Zazen”
***
-M. Scott Peck
****
There is only one state. When corrupted and tainted by self-identification, it is known as an individual. When merely tinted by the sense of presence, of animated consciousness, it is the impersonal witnessing. When it remains in its pristine purity, untainted and untinted in primal repose, it is the Absolute.
-Ramesh Balsekar
***
Do not think of God as isolated from his creation. Do not think of God as bound by rules. Do not compare God with any other entity. Beware of thinking of God as remote.
You are not God; and you are God. You see him in the essences of all things; yet he is boundless.
-Ibn Arabi, "Fusus al-hikam"
***
How boundless and free is the sky of Awareness!
How bright the full moon of wisdom!
Truly, is anything missing now?
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes; this very place is the Lotus Land; this very body, the Buddha.
-Hakuin Zenji, “Song of Zazen”
***
God, the supreme being, is neither circumscribed by space, nor touched by time; he cannot be found in a particular direction, and his essence cannot change. The secret conversation is thus entirely spiritual; it is a direct encounter between God and the soul, abstracted from all material constraints.
-Ibn Sina, "Kitab al-Najat"
***
These three sounds when they are separated
Cannot lead one beyond mortality;
But when the whole mantra, A, U, and M,
Indivisible, interdependent,
Goes on reverberating in the mind,
One is freed from fear, awake or asleep.
-Prashna Upanishad
***
When temptation claims your reason,
know that misfortune is about to strike.
Fall down prostrate and begin to pray.
With flowing tears implore the Lord
that He may deliver you
from the throes of doubt.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
There is only one way to know the Self,
And that is to realize him yourself.
The ignorant think the Self can be known
By the intellect, but the illumined
Know he is beyond the duality
Of the knower and the known.
-Kena Upanishad
Excerpted from The
***
God has given you the earth as your inheritance. He has raised some to a higher rank than others, so that he may test you in the way you treat this inheritance. He is swift in retribution, but he is also forgiving and merciful.
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:165
-Ibn Sina, "Kitab al-Najat"
***
These three sounds when they are separated
Cannot lead one beyond mortality;
But when the whole mantra, A, U, and M,
Indivisible, interdependent,
Goes on reverberating in the mind,
One is freed from fear, awake or asleep.
-Prashna Upanishad
***
When temptation claims your reason,
know that misfortune is about to strike.
Fall down prostrate and begin to pray.
With flowing tears implore the Lord
that He may deliver you
from the throes of doubt.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
There is only one way to know the Self,
And that is to realize him yourself.
The ignorant think the Self can be known
By the intellect, but the illumined
Know he is beyond the duality
Of the knower and the known.
-Kena Upanishad
Excerpted from The
***
God has given you the earth as your inheritance. He has raised some to a higher rank than others, so that he may test you in the way you treat this inheritance. He is swift in retribution, but he is also forgiving and merciful.
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:165
I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.
-Rumi
****
One cannot see God as long as one feels "I am the doer."
Fully awakened souls are beyond virtue and vice. They realize that it is God who does everything.
-Ramakrishna
***
Life has no whence; it is carrying forth, and carrying forth again. Death has no whither; it is carrying away; and carrying away again. Ultimately how is it? If the mind does not differ, myriad things are one suchness.
-Dôgen, "Rational Zen"
***
Every blade of grass has an angel that bends over it and whispers, "Grow! Grow!"
-The Talmud
-Rumi
****
One cannot see God as long as one feels "I am the doer."
Fully awakened souls are beyond virtue and vice. They realize that it is God who does everything.
-Ramakrishna
***
Life has no whence; it is carrying forth, and carrying forth again. Death has no whither; it is carrying away; and carrying away again. Ultimately how is it? If the mind does not differ, myriad things are one suchness.
-Dôgen, "Rational Zen"
***
Every blade of grass has an angel that bends over it and whispers, "Grow! Grow!"
-The Talmud