Life 41 (Oct 21 - Jan 22)

[winston]

What is the secret technique to live in happiness and peace of mind, today and all through this year?

To get happiness and peace, you must develop a pure and unsullied mind, untarnished by egoism and its progeny - lust, greed, envy, anger, hatred and the rest.

For this, you must seek good company, perform good deeds, entertain only good thoughts and read good books.

You may see a thousand good things or listen to a thousand good words or read a thousand good books but unless you put at least one into practice, the blemishes in the mirror of your heart will not be wiped off.

The Divine cannot be reflected therein. Constant practice with full faith will transmute man into Divine; for Divinity is your real nature and is your real essence.

You are but a wave of the sea; know it, and you are free.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 17, 1966.

There is no need to go to a forest and lead an austere life to experience the Divine who is within each one.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Slow Down

There may be good reason to move quickly. There is never good reason to rush.

- Martin Aylward, “The Art of Slowing Down”

[winston]

Why is the Divine not visible in us sometimes and what can we do to let Him shine through?

Picture a rosary of several types of beads. The string passes through each and holds all beads together, no doubt; but it’s only in the transparent beads, that the string is visible.

So too, make yourself transparent, free from the wish and will that hide or befog: only then can the Inner Motivator be seen.

You can’t argue that since it is not seen, it is not there. You can earn this transparency through purity of intention, impulse and instinct; that’s achieved by systematic and sincere spiritual discipline.

A ladder has to be as tall as the height you want to reach; your sadhana (spiritual practice) has to be as long as the time taken to reach the goal.

When the walls are completed, the scaffolding is removed; when the vision of the Reality is attained, forms of spiritual disciplines such as repetition, religious vows, worship, offerings, listening and singing, can be dispensed with.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 30, 1965.

Just as fire is needed till the rice is cooked, so also spiritual practices are needed
till you realize your own innate divinity.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is the Divine not visible in us sometimes and what can we do to let Him shine through?

Picture a rosary of several types of beads. The string passes through each and holds all beads together, no doubt; but it’s only in the transparent beads, that the string is visible.

So too, make yourself transparent, free from the wish and will that hide or befog: only then can the Inner Motivator be seen.

You can’t argue that since it is not seen, it is not there. You can earn this transparency through purity of intention, impulse and instinct; that’s achieved by systematic and sincere spiritual discipline.

A ladder has to be as tall as the height you want to reach; your sadhana (spiritual practice) has to be as long as the time taken to reach the goal.

When the walls are completed, the scaffolding is removed; when the vision of the Reality is attained, forms of spiritual disciplines such as repetition, religious vows, worship, offerings, listening and singing, can be dispensed with.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 30, 1965.

Just as fire is needed till the rice is cooked, so also spiritual practices are needed
till you realize your own innate divinity.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Being at Ease With Unease

Sitting every day requires sitting even when one does not feel like it because that is when discomfort arises, and one can begin to become at ease with unease.

This is easier said than done but in the end that is precisely the point.

- Alex Tzelnic, “Meditation Is Not Always Bliss and That’s a Good Thing”

[winston]

[b]What should we foster, if we hope to achieve the highest goal? [/b]

Man is fundamentally Divine and so, naturally, the more one manifests Divine attributes of Love, Justice, Truth and Peace, the more ananda (bliss) one is able to enjoy and impart.

The less one manifests them, the more ashamed one ought to be, as one is living counter to one’s heritage.

The tree of life has to be watered at the roots but now, those who plan to raise the standard of living, water branches, leaves and blossoms.

The roots are the virtues; they have to be fostered so that the flowers of actions, words and thoughts, may bloom in fragrance and yield the fruit of seva (service), full of the sweet juice of ananda (bliss).

Planning for food, clothing and shelter, is only promoting the well-being of the cart; also plan for the horse, the mind of man which has to use the food, clothing, shelter and other material instruments for the high purpose of 'escaping from the ego into the universal'.

- Divine Discourse, Aug 03, 1966.

The more human values are cherished, the better will be the growth of society,
the nation and the world.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What Is Beginner’s Mind?

Beginner’s mind is Zen practice in action.

It is the mind that is innocent of preconceptions and expectations, judgments and prejudices.

Blanche Hartman, “The Zen of Not Knowing”

[winston]

Even as we progress on the spiritual path, what must we do to guard the wisdom gained?

For all types of spiritual discipline, congenial company is very necessary.

Man is shaped by the company one keeps; so, be ever vigilant of the air you breathe; it is fouled by foul thoughts of men amongst whom you move.

The pure water that falls as rain from the sky is changed into a hundred tastes and colours by the soil on which it falls. But, even slimy slush of gutter has some hope of turning into pure water again; for, when the Sun shines, it can rise as vapour into clouds and regain its pristine nature.

To cleanse the mind, prayer is the water and repentance is the soap. Mere water or detergent cannot do the job; repentance must be followed by a resolute determination not to repeat the wrong.

You must pray for help in sadhana (spiritual practice), through Grace! Guard the wisdom gained from snares of attachment and aversion - this must be the theme. For, where there is duality, there is fear, decline and death.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 30, 1965.

Seek the company of the good, the seekers, the aspirants, and the detached.
Then you will see the light.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Life Doesn’t Wait

The breath waits for no one.

It just keeps coming and going, coming and going.

It will not stop for you.

Just like the river will not stop—it flows and flows, it doesn’t wait—so it is with our lives.

They just keep going.

Guo Jun, “Zen’s Seven Wonders”

[winston]

Why is silence precious? What are the different means by which we are distracted from nobler goals?

Be silent yourself; that will induce silence in others. Do not fall into the habit of shouting, talking long and loud. Reduce contacts to a minimum.

Carry with you an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, wherever you happen to be.

There are some who live in a perpetual hullabaloo, in a tornado of noise. Whether they are in an exhibition, a fair or a hotel, or temple they wag their tongues and will not stop. These will not proceed far on the Divine road.

There are others who relish disputes and arguments; they are never content with obvious facts; they must create doubts where none existed before, and shake faith.

People who have not touched the outskirts of the capital city dare dispute about the appearance and glory of the Emperor, who resides in the palace in the heart of the city.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 30, 1965.

Silence is the speech of a pure and sincere spiritual seeker.

Source: radiosai.org