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All that we are is the
result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil
thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought,
happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
All things appear and disappear because of the
concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone;
everything is in relation to everything else.
All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is
transformed can wrong-doing remain?
Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and
rivals.
An idea that is developed and put into action is more
important than an idea that exists only as an idea.
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a
wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound
your mind.
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said
it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and
your own common sense.
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that
brings peace.
Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on
with diligence.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.
He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
Ennui has made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards
than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair.
Every human being is the author of his own health or
disease.
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this
is the eternal rule.
He is able who thinks he is able.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in
all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an
impartial eye.
He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one
has no woes.
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest
wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the
intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
However many holy words you read,However many you
speak,What good will they do youIf you do not act on upon them?
I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they
act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains
to be done.
In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have
already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for
ourselves.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west;
people create distinctions out of their own minds and then beleive them to
be true.
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures
him to evil ways.
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand
battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by
angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
It is better to travel well than to arrive.
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot
live without a spiritual life.
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue
appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.
To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom
and the guidance of virtue.
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a
lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at
least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so,
let us all be thankful.
On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds
are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the
protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind
speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew
humanity.
"More are the names of God
and infinite are the forms
through which He may be approached.
In whatever name and form
you worship Him, through them
you will realise Him."
"It is said that truthfulness alone constitutes
the spiritual discipline of the Kaliyuga.
If a man clings tenaciously to truth
he ultimately realizes God."
"God can be realized when a man acquires sattva.
Householders engage in philanthropic work, such as charity,
mostly with a motive. That is not good.
Yet it is very difficult to leave motives out of one's actions."
"All will surely realize God. All will be liberated.
It may be that some get their meal in the morning,
some at noon, and some in the evening,
but none will go without food.
All, without any exception,
will certainly know the real Self."
"The rishis of old attained the Knowledge of Brahman.
One cannot have this so long as there is the slightest trace
of worldliness. How hard the rishis laboured !
Early in the morning they would go away from the hermitage,
and would spend the whole day in solitude,
meditating on Brahman. At night they would return to the hermitage
and eat a little fruit or roots.
They kept their mind aloof from the objects of sight,
hearing, touch, and other things of a worldly nature.
Only thus did they realize Brahman as their own inner conciousness."
"In the kaliyuga, man, being totally dependent on food for life,
cannot altogether shake off the idea that he is the body.
In this state of mind it is not proper for him to say:
'I am He'. When a man does all sorts of worldly things,
he should not say, 'I am Brahman'.
Those who cannot give up attachment to worldly things,
and who find no means to shake off the feeling of 'I',
should rather cherish the idea, 'I am God's servant;
I am His devotee.' One can also realize God by following the path of
devotion."
"Through selfless work, love of God grows in the heart.
Then, through His grace, one realizes Him in course of time.
God can be seen. One can talk to Him as I am talking to you. "
"People speak of doing good to the world.
Is the world such a small thing? And who are you, pray,
to do good to the world? First realize God,
see Him by means of spiritual discipline.
If He imparts power, then you can do good to others, otherwise not."
Condemn none: if you can stretch out a
helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers,
and let them go their own way.
You cannot believe in God until you
believe in yourself.
When we really begin to live in the world,
then we understand what is meant by brotherhood or mankind, and not before.
External nature is only internal nature
writ large.
The world is the great gymnasium where we
come to make ourselves strong.
Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ;
feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life,
the strength, the vitality, without which no amount of intellectual activity
can reach God.
The will is not free - it is a phenomenon
bound by cause and effect - but there is something behind the will which is
free.
The more we come out and do good to
others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them.
There is nothing beyond God, and the sense
enjoyments are simply something through which we are passing now in the hope
of getting better things.
The moment I have realized God sitting in
the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every
human being and see God in him -- that moment I am free from bondage,
everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.
Our duty is to encourage every one in his
struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to
make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.
That man has reached immortality who is
disturbed by nothing material.
You have to grow from the inside out. None
can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but
your own soul.
The goal of mankind is knowledge. . . .
Now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it
is all inside. What we say a man "knows," should, in strict psychological
language, be what he "discovers" or "unveils"; what man "learns" is really
what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of
infinite knowledge.
If money help a man to do good to others,
it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner
it is got rid of, the better.
All differences in this world are of
degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.
To devote your life to the good of all and
to the happiness of all is religion. Whatever you do for your own sake is
not religion.
The greatest religion is to be true to
your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!
The spirit is the cause of all our
thoughts and body-action, and everything, but it is untouched by good or
evil, pleasure or pain, heat of cold, and all the dualism of nature,
although it lends its light to everything.
It is our own mental attitude which makes
the world what it is for us. Our thought make things beautiful, our thoughts
make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things
in the proper light. First, believe in this world -- that there is meaning
behind everything. Everything in the world is good, is holy and beautiful.
If you see something evil, think that you are not understanding it in the
right light. throw the burden on yourselves!
In one word, this ideal is that you are
divine.
All the powers in the universe are already
ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is
dark.
Happiness is not
something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
If you want others to
be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best
teacher.
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them humanity cannot survive.
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just
like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is
to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day.
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if
you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
Sleep is the best meditation.
Spend some time alone every day.
The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation
for goodness.
There is no need for temples, no need for complicated
philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is
kindness.
This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples;
no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our
temple; the philosophy is kindness.
Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized
by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human
to human, but also human to other forms of life.
We can live without religion and meditation, but we
cannot survive without human affection.
Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether
one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate
kindness and compassion.
