Life 04 (Aug 09 - Sep 09)

[winston]

Thought must inevitably divide

Thought is matter; it is in the very structure, in the very cells of the brain, so when the brain operates—whether psychologically, socially or religiously—it must invariably operate in terms of its past conditioning.

We see that thought is essential and must function absolutely logically, objectively, impersonally; and yet we see how thought divides.I am not pushing you to agree, but do you see that thought must inevitably divide?

Look what has happened: thought says that nationalism has led to all kinds of war and mischief, so it says, “Let us all be united, form a League of Nations.” But thought is still operating, still maintaining the separation—you , as an Italian, keeping your Italian sovereignty and so on.

There is talk about brotherhood and yet the maintaining of separation, which is hypocrisy. It is characteristic of thought to play double games with itself.

The Impossible Question, pp 40-41

Source: jkrishnamurthi.com

[winston]

Why should we restrain from unkind acts, knowingly or unknowingly?

One should not act in an arbitrary manner with limitless ego. Everybody should enquire, "If I do this, what will happen? Whether I should do it or not?" You should see to it that you do not see what is evil, do not do what is evil and do not speak what is evil.

You have to reap the consequences of your actions, if not today, at least tomorrow. You may think that the Divine has forgiven you for your sins, but you will have to suffer the consequences of your actions, some time or the other.

It is also possible that all your evil deeds may come to you, all at once. If you want society to progress and prosper, you should always keep the welfare of the society in your view.

- Divine Discourse, July 6, 2009.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Going Backwards?

If you feel as though you are stuck or going backwards, it is not because you actually are stuck or going backwards, it is because you are not accepting where you are.

When you don't accept where you are, it's frustrating to be where you are. It hurts, and therefore, you want to be somewhere else that you think will not hurt so much. But it's not the place you stand that hurts, it's the nonacceptance of where you stand that hurts.

Instead of trying to move forward, to a physical place that feels better, try to move inward, to an emotional place that feels better.

Once you emotionally move, your physical state will move effortlessly to match that of your new emotional state.

Source: www.followyoursoul.com

[winston]

Thought has no importance psychologically

Thought is important in its right place, but it has no importance whatsoever psychologically. Thought is the reaction of memory, it is born from memory.

Memory is experience as knowledge stored up in the brain cells. You can watch your own brain, you don’t have to become a specialist. The brain cells hold memory; it is a material process, there is nothing sacred, nothing holy about it.

And thought has created everything that we have done: going to the moon and planting a silly flag up there; going to the depths of the sea and living there; all the complicated technology and its machinery. Thought has been responsible for all this.

Thought has also been responsible for all wars. It is so obvious that you don’t even have to question it. Your thoughts have divided the world into Britain, France, Russia, and so on. And thought has created the psychological structure of the “me”. That “me” is not holy, something divine.

This Light in Oneself, p 56

Source: jkrishnamurthi.com

[winston]

What is the essence of devotion?

Those who conduct themselves without morality will never be respected in the society. One who has morality will be respected by all. People will talk high of them saying, "He/she is a good person. Do not put obstacles in their way."

You should always diligently follow moral principles. One without morality will be looked down upon, as worse than a dog. Body is meant to perform good deeds. When you put this body to proper use, you will have a good mind.

When you have a good mind, you can earn the love of the Divine. A devotee should always aspire for the love of the Divine. This is the essence of devotion. To attain love of the Divine, morality and fear of sin are very essential for everyone.

- Divine Discourse, July 6, 2009.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why this importance to thought?

Why has humanity given such extraordinary importance to thought? Is it because it is the only thing we have, even though it is activated through the senses? Is it because thought has been able to dominate nature, dominate its surroundings, has brought about some physical security?

Is it because it is the greatest instrument through which man operates, lives and benefits? Is it because thought has made the gods, the saviours, the super-consciousness, forgetting the anxiety, the fear, the sorrow, the envy, the guilt? Is it because it holds people together as a nation, as a group, as a sect?

It is because it offers hope to a dark life? Is it because it gives an opening to escape from the daily boring ways of our life? Is it because not knowing what the future is, it offers the security of the past, its arrogance, its insistence on experience?

Is it because in knowledge there is stability, the avoidance of fear in the certainty of the known? Is it because thought in itself has assumed an invulnerable position, taken a stand against the unknown?

Letters to the Schools, p 43

Source: jkrishnamurthi.com

[winston]

When the Divine is ever-present within, why does one experience suffering?

Out of the nine paths of devotion, Hearing is the first and foremost. You should enquire what you are hearing is good or bad. When you yourself think that what you are hearing is bad, how can you put the first path of devotion to practice?

Today, many people achieve success by resorting to untruth, injustice and evil ways. You may think that you are not going to reap the consequences of your sins immediately and no one knows what may happen at a later date. You should not have such a misconception. Results may come this very moment, or the next. Therefore, make sure that every thought of yours is sacred.

Your every action must be sacred. One may have devotion but his actions may not be good. It is very essential that you perform good actions. Purity is very essential. You should make your mind pure by performing sacred actions. This will lead to realization of the Divine.

- Divine Discourse, 6 July 2009.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Knowledge is always accompanied by ignorance

A great many scientists in the West have gone into the question of the brain. They say that we are using only a very small part of the whole brain. We can observe whether this is so in ourselves, for it is part of meditation to find out—for ourselves—whether the whole brain or only a very small part is operating.

Now, thought is the response of memory which has been stored through knowledge; knowledge is gathered through experience. That is, experience, knowledge, memory stored in the brain, then thought, then action. This is our pattern of living, and the whole process is based on this movement.

Man has done this for the last million years. He has been caught in the cycle, which is the movement of thought. And within this area he has choice. He can go from one corner to the other and say, “This is my choice, this is my movement of freedom”—but it is always within the limited field of the known.

And knowledge is always accompanied by ignorance because there is no complete knowledge about anything. So we are always in this contradictory state: knowledge and ignorance.

A Timeless Spring, p 163

Source: jkrishnamurthi.com

[winston]

When is it that we have to get rid of to lead a light and happy life?

Reduce the luggage you carry about when on the journey of life. Remember, all that is not "you" is luggage.

You are not the body, so the body is an item of luggage. The mind, the senses, the intelligence, the imagination, the desires, the plans, the prejudices, the discontent, the distress, etc. are all items of luggage.

Jettison them soon, so as to make your travel lighter, safer and more comfortable.

- Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 7.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

The Responsibility of Happiness

Your biggest responsibility to the world is to get happy.
You contribute not with your action, but with your energy.

When you are happy, when your energy is positive, you light up. Everything around you is affected by this light and it has the capacity to stretch further than your arms can stretch. Your physical arm can stretch only far enough to feed a handful of people while your light can stretch far beyond the eyes can see.

We are more than physical beings, we are energy. Life is energy. Everything is energy.

Have you ever done so much only to net so little from your efforts? Do you ever take action from a feeling of obligation or guilt? Do you ever do things you feel like you should do but don't really want to, and doing them only feels laborious, draining or ineffective? Do you feel like no matter how much you do, it's not enough or you can't seem to get the results you want no matter how hard you try?

If you identify with any of these, you are trying to make up for misaligned energy by taking action. If you line up your energy first, you will be inspired to take the right action. When you're inspired to take the right action, it's easy, it feels good, you want to do it and everything just falls into place. In fact, you'll notice that very little action is required for very big results.

But you must take the time to line up your energy first. When your energy is aligned, the whole world seems to support you. And you'll be surprised at how much of the world you can support, simply by getting happy.

Source: www.followyoursoul.com