Swami Rama Tirtha

“Sit still, chant Om’ and then think Who is within you. All the Vedanta, nay all the philosophy of the Hindus is simply an exposition of this syllable Om.’ Om’ has a charm about it, an efficiency, a virtue in it which directly brings all feelings and all thoughts into a state of harmony, brings peace and rest to the soul and puts the mind in a state where it is one with God. Science may not be able to explain this, but this is a fact which can be verified by experiment. Woe unto science if it goes against the truth connected with the efficiency of the sacred syllable Om.’ The real Self which is knowledge absolute and power absolute is the only stern Reality, before which the apparent reality of the world melts away! Om’ is the name of this Reality.

                                              

A Question...

 If all of the people on planet Earth disappeared tomorrow and only the plants and animals were left to share the Earth, would good and evil still exist?

Paul Brunton

 Meditation, if successful, accomplishes two main purposes: it draws the mind inward, releasing it from the physical imprisonment, and it elevates the mind to a heavenly state of union with the Overself.

The choice is YOUR''S...

 

The Upanishads, Prabhavananda

 

 The Self resides within the lotus of the heart. Knowing this, consecrated to the Self, the sage enters daily that holy sanctuary. Absorbed in the Self, the sage is freed from identity with the body and lives in blissful consciousness. Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad 8.3.34

                                      

DAILY HUKKAM FROM THE GOLDEN TEMPLE

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

I am just a poor beggar of Yours; You are Your Own Lord Master, You are the Great Giver.Be Merciful, and bless me, a humble beggar, with Your Name, so that I may forever remain imbued with Your Love. ||1||

I am a sacrifice to Your Name, O True Lord.The One Lord is the Cause of causes; there is no other at all. ||1||Pause||

I was wretched; I wandered through so many cycles of reincarnation. Now, Lord, please bless me with Your Grace.Be merciful, and grant me the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan; please grant me such a gift. ||2||

Prays Nanak, the shutters of doubt have been opened wide; by Guru's Grace, I have come to know the Lord.I am filled to overflowing with true love; my mind is pleased and appeased by the True Guru.

                                                     

No dualities, no differentiation. Only Atman exists

Gita: 4: 22------
".....who has gone beyond the conflicting dualities like good (happiness) and bad (sorrow)....."

Gita: 4: 42-----
".....cut all such conflicting dualities (doubts) by the sword (weapon) of knowledge. ....."

Gita: 5: 18-----
"The learned men [who have come out of delusions (māyā), got rid of avidyā] see no differentiation have equal vision for a reverred Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a cāndāla (outcaste, rogue, mleccha, demonic person etc)"

Gita: 5: 19-----
"Those who have achieved the true knowledge i.e. the 'Self-Knowledge' or the 'knowledge of Ātman' and see no difference, are free from conflicting dualities have merged in Brahman"

Gita: 5: 20-----
"One who does not get excited out of happiness on getting good and does not get depressed on getting bad is situated in Brahman i.e. is merged in Brahman"

Gita: 6: 9-----
"The one who has equal vision for a selfless do gooder, a friend, a foe, an unbiased, a well wisher, a depressed and jealous man, relatives, a righteous and a sinner is the best [as he sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as Ātman]"

Gita: 6: 32-----
".....as one seeks and treats oneself with equal vision, the same way one who has equal vision for good and evil, for everybody is the best of all"

Gita: 6: 8-----
"For whom soil, a pebble and gold are alike, he is merged in Brahman"

Gita: 7: 27-----
".....people are getting entangled in the primordial ignorance (avidyā) of the conflicting dualities like good and evil, happiness and sorrow caused due to attachments, desires and hatred....."

Gita: 6: 28-----
".....who have cut-off conflicting dualities [like good and evil] is determinedly in my service. ...."

Only Ātman exists. There exists nothing except Ātman.

Gita: 7: 19-----
"Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Ātman, in the last birth in the series of many births worships Me as-----Ātman alone exists-----everything is VĀSUDEV (Ātman/Brahman), there exists nothing except Vāsudev. Such a man is extremely rare"

                                    

In the beginning, God

 

There is but one God.

There is but one universe.

God is the universe.

God is not one and the universe another. The universe is not a separate creation of God's. It is God.

There is no created-universe.

Nothing is which has not always been.

All created things are from the beginning. They have no beginning. They do not come into being.

They are and always have been and always will be.

Creation means to man the coming into existence of something which was not before in existence.

Man's concept of creation is the coming into being of a physical, visible universe heretofore nonexistent.

The Creator is to man's mind a Sublime Being, separate and apart from man, who created the

physical universe of matter, causing to come into being that which had not been.

Man holds the concept of two universes; a spiritual and a physical. God is presumed to be of the

spiritual universe, perfect. Matter is of the physical universe, imperfect. God supposedly created the

imperfect physical universe separate and apart from Himself.

Man conceives a perfect and omnipotent God. A perfect and omnipotent God could not create

imperfection.

He could not create a lesser than Himself.

He could not create a greater than Himself.

God could not create other than Himself.

God did not create other than Himself, nor greater, nor lesser than Himself.

In the sense generally understood by man God did not create anything.

Nothing has been "created."

This is a "creating" universe, not a "created" one.

Man's concept of the sublime Being as the Creator of a material universe different in substance from

the spiritual universe is a misconcept.

God is all there is.

THE UNIVERSAL ONE

WALTER RUSSELL 1927

Lao Tzu

 

 The Tao doesn't come and go.

It is always present everywhere,

just like the sky.

If your mind is clouded,

you won't see it,

but that doesn't mean

it isn't there.

All misery is created

by the activity of the mind.

Can you let go of words and ideas,

attitudes, and expectations?

If so, then the Tao will loom into view.

Can you be still and look inside?

If so, then you will see that the truth

is always available, always responsive.

                                                

Ramprasad, c. 1718-75

“Oh Kali! My mother full of bliss. Enchantress of Shiva. In your delirious joy you clap and dance. You are the mover of all that moves! We are but helpless toys.”

THE LOST WRITINGS OF WU-HSIN

 

It is understood that
Sleep is the desire for
A period of rest
For the body.
It is less understood that
Sleep is the desire for
A period of rest
Away from the body.”

"What constitutes the sense of 'I am this' is
Constantly changing while
What constitutes the sense of 'I am' is unmoving.
The shift in the attention from
The former to the latter is
The perfume of lucid sight.

                                                         

RĀHULBHADRA

Within my body are all the sacred places of the world, and the most profound pilgrimage I can ever make is within my own body

Buddha

 

Albert Einstein

 

Astavakra Gita

 Being pure consciousness -

do not disturb your mind with thoughts of for and against. Be at peace and remain happily in yourself, the essence of joy.

Robert Adams

 

Dzigar Kongtrul, It's Up to You

 "Seeing the futility of samsara brings a sense of disenchantment, or brokenheartedness. This is the realization that everything we've ever taken refuge in, from time immemorial, has been unreliable. From this realization, feelings of tenderness and sadness arise toward our world - along with a deep sense of renunciation. Longing to move closer to the truth, we realize there is no more genuine refuge than the Three Jewels.

This is not just Dharma 'propaganda.' When you take refuge, it's for your own sake. Nobody benefits but you, and nobody suffers but you when you take refuge in samsara. It is your choice; You can take refuge in samsara, or you can take refuge in waking up. But at some point, you do have to drop your doubts and make up your mind."

THE KATHA UPANISHAD EKNATH EASWARAN VERSION

Hidden in the heart of every creature
Exists the Self, subtler than the subtlest,
Greater than the greatest. They go beyond
All sorrow who extinguish their self-will
And behold the glory of the Self
Through the grace of the Lord of Love.

Though one sits in meditation in a
Particular place, the Self within
Can exercise his influence far away.
Though still, he moves everything everywhere.

When the wise realize the Self,
Formless in the midst of forms, changeless
In the midst of change, omnipresent
And supreme, they go beyond sorrow.

The Self cannot be known through study
Of the scriptures, nor through the intellect,
Nor through hearing discourses about it.
The Self can be attained only by those
Whom the Self chooses. Verily unto them
Does the Self reveal himself

                                              

RAMESH BALSEKAR

The nature of the mind-intellect is to project itself outward

towards the acquisition of knowledge

about the universe and its functioning.

But knowledge can only be of what is itself illusory and unreal.

The pursuit of such knowledge merely prolongs ignorance

through continuation of the false identity of the knower.

Unless this process is reversed and the inquiry has turned inward, the discovery of man's true nature and

the true nature of the universe cannot even begin.

*****************

All phenomena are the objective expression of the subjective 'I'.

Before, during, and after the illusion of existence,

there is only one REALITY.

                                                  

Bowl of Saki, January 31, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

 

The pleasures of life are blinding; it is love alone that clears the rust from the heart, the mirror of the soul.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

 

“That inner Self, as the primeval Spirit, Eternal, ever effulgent, full and infinite Bliss, Single, indivisible, whole and living, Shines in everyone as the witnessing awareness. That self in its splendour, shining in the cavity of the heart This self is neither born nor dies, Neither grows nor decays, Nor does it suffer any change. When a pot is broken, the space within it is not, And similarly, when the body dies the Self in it remains eternal.”

                                                   

The Rig Veda (10:16:3)

May the divine light of the Supreme Being illuminate our intellect, to lead us along a path of righteousness

                                              

Samadhi

A state of intense concentration achieved through meditation. In Hindu yoga this is regarded as the final stage, at which union with the divine is reached (before or at death).

SWAMI SANT SEVI JI MAHARAJ

 

Find Your Beloved at the Seat of the Soul, the Third Eye Center

“Enter into the ajna chakra [third eye center] and you will find your Beloved. God is not found in a man-made Ka’ba, but in natural Ka’ba (holy place) within your own heart or self. Turn your attention within. You should listen attentively to the reverberating Divine Sound. The Celestial Sound is coming to take you back to the Source. Remember you cannot hear this with the physical ears. When you focus your gaze within the ajna chakra [third eye center] and the consciousness is inverted inward, your physical ears automatically will close and the inner ears will open. By that power with inner ears you can hear the Celestial Sounds. The Original Sound of the creation comes from the Abode of God and it will take you to God

                                               

NANCY NEITHERCUT

There may arise a profound shift in perspective where it is realized beyond a doubt

always that there are there are no separate things Nor separate moments

Nor any separate person apart from this seamless stream

All there is is in uninterrupted indivisible symphony of perception and the simultaneous inseparable recognition of it 

                                                     

FROM THE GOSPEL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

 

The path of the Vedāntic discipline is the path of negation, "Neti", in which, by stern determination, all that is unreal is both negated and renounced. It is the path of jnāna, knowledge, the direct method of realizing the Absolute.

 After the negation of everything relative, including the discriminating ego itself, the aspirant merges in the One without a Second, in the bliss of nirvikalpa Samādhi, where subject and object are alike dissolved. The soul goes beyond the realm of thought.

 The domain of duality is transcended. Māyā is left behind with all its changes and modifications. The Real Man towers above the delusions of creation, preservation, and destruction. An avalanche of indescribable Bliss sweeps away all relative ideas of pain and pleasure, good and evil.

 There shines in the heart the glory of the Eternal Brahman, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. Knower, knowledge, and known are dissolved in the Ocean of one eternal Consciousness; love, lover, and beloved merge in the unbounded Sea of supreme Felicity; birth, growth, and death vanish in infinite Existence.

 All doubts and misgivings are quelled for ever; the oscillations of the mind are stopped; the momentum of past actions is exhausted. Breaking down the ridge-pole of the tabernacle in which the soul has made its abode for untold ages, stilling the body, calming the mind, drowning the ego, the sweet joy of Brahman wells up in that superconscious state.

 Space disappears into nothingness, time is swallowed in eternity, and causation becomes a dream of the past. Only Existence is. Ah! Who can describe what the soul then feels in its communion with the Self?

                                                 

   

Kahlil Gibran

All things in this creation exist within you, and all things in you exist in creation; there is no border between you and the closest things, and there is no distance between you and the farthest things, and all things, from the lowest to the loftiest, from the smallest to the greatest, are within you as equal things. 

In one atom are found all the elements of the earth; in one motion of the mind are found the motions of all the laws of existence; in one drop of water are found the secrets of all the endless oceans; in one aspect of you are found all the aspects of existence.

                                                   

SAINT JNANESHWAR ~ SHIVA-SHAKTI

It cannot be spoken of or spoken to;
by no means may It be comprehended by the intellect.

It is that one pure Consciousness who becomes everything,
From the gods above to the earth below.

Objects may be regarded as high or low,
But the ocean of Consciousness, ever-pure,
Is all that ever is.

Though the shadows on the wall are ever changing,
The wall itself remains steady and unmoved.
Likewise, the forms of the universe take shape from Consciousness,
The eternal, primordial One.

                                                 

   

RAMANA MAHARSHI

“The Divine gives light to the mind and shines within it. Except by turning the mind inward and fixing it in the Divine, there is no other way to know Him through the mind.”

                                               

R.Tagore

 

Hippocrates

 “The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.”

 

Thích Nhất Hạnh

 

Joel Goldsmith

 'Realize that all the good you experience is the shining forth of your own consciousness even when it appears to come from, or through, some other individual. Recognize every evil appearance as a false perception of harmony and therefore not to be feared or hated, and this will result in the disappearance of the illusion and the showing forth of reality,'

Guru Vachaka Kovai

Since one’s own reality, the sun of Jnana - Knowledge which has never seen the darkness of delusion, itself shines as happiness, the confusion of misery appears only because of the unreal sense of individuality; but in truth, no one has ever undergone any such thing - ‘misery’

                                                   

        

THE METAPHYSICAL GODDESS THE DEVI-MAHATMYA Author Unknown

"Through Her we know the Consciousness,
Of Brahman without duality,
Like a wave of Existence and of Joy.
She has entered all beings,
within and without
Of each of them, and on all
She shines Her light!"

Bahvricha Upanishad

"It is here, in the Devi-Mahatmya, that the concept of an all-inclusive Goddess is fully elucidated. within a mythical framework of the Goddess's martial deeds, is the assertion that she is the Ultimate Reality, an idea transmitted by inference rather than in direct terms. Mythically, in order to conquer the asuras (demons) that threatened the very existence of the devas (gods), a supremely powerful goddess was created from the combined anger of the gods.

                                                        

Ramana Maharshi

 

'The truth of oneself alone is worthy to be scrutinized and known. Taking it as the target of one’s attention, one should keenly know it in the Heart.

This knowledge of oneself will be revealed only to the consciousness which is silent, clear and free from the activity of the agitated and suffering mind.

Know that the consciousness which always shines in the Heart as the formless Self ‘I’, and which is known by one’s being still without thinking about anything as existent or non-existent, alone is the perfect reality.'

                                                

☀ SHRI LAKSHMI DEVI ॐ ☀

“I offer my obeisances unto the lotus-born mother of all beings, unto Sri the Goddess of fortune, having full-blown lotus-like eyes, and reposing in the bosom of Vishnu.”~Lakshmi-Sruti

                                                       

THE DIVINE SECRET SWAMI SIVANANDA

True wisdom is love. The way is only one love divine that is all. Love divine is a great power; it is the basis of all religious life. Divine love has no sex. It sees God in all and all in God. Where love is, there God is. From love the world is born, by love it is sustained and into love it enters. He who loves not, knows not God, because God is love.

Open the floodgates of your heart for the inpouring of love divine. The path is through love – every moment of separation is a pang of death to the lovers and the devotees. Day and night the flame of love burns in the hearts of the devotees. Solace comes to the devotee in the flow of tears. The creeper of love is nourished by the eyes.

Love is not a passing sentiment or a feeble emotion – it is strong, deep, enduring. There is real love only when there is true inward identification with the life of another entity. Pure love divine communes with the beloved, with unity, with the one, the all pervading essence of bliss.

The most important aspect of spiritual life is bhakti (devotion), and the secret of bhakti is love, a love which embraces all. Company of saints, kirtan (chanting) of the Lord’s names, study of the Bhagavatam and service of the saints will create love for the Lord.

Love of the body or skin is passion. Love of God is prema (or devotion). It is pure love, love for love’s sake. To love someone for attaining a selfish gain, is selfish love. It binds you to this earth. To love all beings, as manifestations of the Lord himself is pure love and leads to liberation. Pure love redeems and purifies the heart and transmutes you into divinity. God is an embodiment of love an ocean of love. If you wish to attain God realisation you must also become an embodiment of love. Love inspires, illumines and leads the way. Love is giving and not taking. Love cements the broken heart. It is the key to open the door to moksha.

Love inspires love. It is divine elixir; it bestows immortality, supreme peace and everlasting joy. Love is the golden link which binds heart to heart, mind to mind and soul to soul. Love never reasons but ever profusely gives. It is not affected by offence or insult. It looks only with the heart.

                                                 

AMODA MAA

 

“Awakening is the initial recognition of that which is awake in you. It’s the moment when you wake up out of the slumber of mistaken identity and open your eyes to the light of your essential nature. The maturation of awakening is like the process of a tiny bud becoming a flower. Only a flower in full bloom can fulfill its divine destiny by revealing the beauty of its true colors and by releasing the intoxication of its fragrance.

The flower is neither trying to give anything nor trying to get anything and yet its beauty and fragrance are freely available; it is simply being itself. In full embodiment of awakening, that which moves through you as ‘your life’ will be given in service to the awakeness inherent in all things. Just like the flower, you have no choice; you are simply being yourself. There is no division here; no trying to give anything or get anything. It is the heart of you meeting the heart of what is.”

                                           

BABA

 

" When the mind is turned inwards, it looks only at the Divine Spirit and enjoys the bliss. Therefore you will not notice any difference between pleasure and pain, bad or good.

You will only realize the oneness of everything and become one with God. This is real bliss, meaning equanimity. "

                                                

Lao Tzu

 The Tao doesn’t take sides; it gives birth to both yin and yang. All is welcome, both light and dark.

Your mind owns reality

 

Anon I mus (Spiritually Anonymous)

 ”Whoever has surrendered to the heart of Divine has entered only through the doorway of unconditional love.” 

 

Ramesh Balsekar

Richard Lubbock, Alfred North Whitehead MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT…

 

“The doctrine of The Jewel Net of Indra forms the core of Hua-Yen Buddhism. It teaches that the cosmos is like an infinite network of glittering jewels, all different. In each one we can see the images of all the others reflected. Each image contains an image of all the other jewels; and also the image of the images of the images, and so ad infinitum. The myriad reflections within each jewel are the essence of the jewel itself, without which it does not exist. Thus, every part of the cosmos reflects, and brings into existence, every other part. Nothing can exist unless it enfolds within its essence the nature of everything else.”

                                                                

Rumi

You have no need to travel anywhere - journey within yourself. Enter a mine of rubies and bathe in the splendor of your own light.

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti Yoga is one of the four main yogic paths to enlightenment. The term Bhakti comes from the root 'Bhaj', which means 'to be attached to God', And this path contains various practices to unite the bhakta with the Divine

KABIR, THE SONGS OF KABIR, TR. BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE:

 

Inner Space, The Kingdom of the Heavens Within You

WITHIN this earthen vessel are bowers and groves, and within it is the Creator:

Within this vessel are the seven oceans and the unnumbered stars.

The touchstone and the jewel-appraiser are within;

And within this vessel the Eternal soundeth, and the spring wells up.

Kabir says: “Listen to me, my Friend! My Beloved Lord is within.”

                                         

LORD MAHAVIRA, JAINISM

God is Within: The enlightened should contemplate that his soul is endowed with Boundless Energy. Whatever is the Supreme Soul, so am I. Whatever is my essential nature is the essence of Supreme Soul. Therefore, I am fitted for meditating on my inner Supreme Soul – none other