Life 41 (Oct 21 - Jan 22)

[winston]

What is it to have a spiritual vision and how must it express itself in daily life?

Garlands can teach you a great spiritual lesson. This one thread has strung all these different flowers together in beautiful harmony.

It is called Sutra (connecting thread) in Sanskrit. So also, there is the Brahma Sutra, the Universal ‘Brahma Principle’ which passes in and through every jivi (individual) and binds them all in the ‘Atmic bond’.

As you are Embodiments of the Divine Atma (Inner-Self), do not be afraid of sorrows and losses that might come in your way.

An orange is enveloped in bitter skin. You have to remove the skin and eat the sweet fruit that it has protected for so long.

The sweet fruit, that is, your life, is enveloped in the bitter skin of lust, anger, greed, arrogance, attachment and jealousy.

Remove the skin and throw it away, so that the sweetness can be tasted.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 17, 1973.

Become attached to the Divine. Feel His Presence, revel in His Glory. He will look after all your needs.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Let Wisdom Arise

We have to remember to be patient, not to have expectations.

Then one day, we will find ourselves understanding suffering, knowing its origins, observing it, and watching it end.

- Ayya Medhanandi Bhikkhuni, “The Dharma of Snow”

[winston]

What is the Divine prescription we must follow diligently to live happily?

See that by your word, deed or thought, you don’t hurt others, physically or mentally.

When you see injustice and wickedness in others, examine your conduct and character first; for, what you see in others might be the result of what’s in your own self!

Wear the eyeglasses of Prema (Love); the whole world will be filled with Prema.

The Divine is present where only good pervades and prevails. If you examine the present behaviour of men, you will find that their vision and listening is bad, and their thoughts are impure, and so, even the human nature in you is being besmirched and made bestial, if not worse!

When He enters your vision, and the things you listen to, as well as the subjects you think of, your lives will be rendered happy and useful.

Control the mind and regulate the impulses emanating from it by means of a clarified intelligence. These are primary requisites for a happy life!

- Divine Discourse, Mar 17, 1973.

Keep the name of the Divine ever on the tongue and the Glory of Him ever in your memory; seek the company of the good and the divine.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Love Is the Most Meritorious Action

Buddhism emphasizes love’s beneficial power.

Because its nature is joy and because it always brings about happiness and well-being, to love is the most meritorious action.

- Karma Trinlay, “What We’ve Been All Along”

[winston]

As we move about in this world, how to ensure that we retain the right kind of enriching impressions in the heart?

If you examine the nature of the mind, you will find that it’s very much akin to the lens of a camera.

The body is the camera, the mind is the lens, the heart is the photographic plate, thought is the flash, and intelligence, the switch.

Turn the lens towards the source of happiness, not to the seat of anxiety and fear; then, you will be rewarded with a fine picture imprinted on your heart.

It’s difficult, nay, well near to impossible to turn the lens in the direction we are told by saints and seers; for, the mind is very truly characterised as a monkey!

Why, it’s even more wayward than a monkey for it jumps from one perch to another that’s miles away in space and centuries away in time, in less time than a wink!

The mind jumps from one desire to another and entangles us in its coils. Reduce desire, evict the ego, eject anger, and the mind will be your slave, instead of being your master.

Love is the master key which can achieve all this.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 17, 1973.

Just as a gigantic tree emerges out of a small seed, the entire universe has originated from love.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Finding the Right Tone

In music, technical brilliance by itself may be impressive but if the tone isn’t true, the music does not resonate and those who listen soon become bored or restless.

The same holds true for meditation.

There is a quality in attention and when you hit it, your practice is alive and awake.

- Ken McLeod, “One-Breath Meditation”

[winston]

What is true freedom and what is the best means to achieve it?

Start the day with Love, spend the day with Love, fill the day with Love, and end the day with Love - this is the way to the Divine.

On this path, you will not be waylaid by anger, lust or greed.

You will have only the company of the good and proper facilities for speedy progress.

Do your duty with Love, as if you are thereby adoring the Divine.

Many leaders are today clamouring for freedom to follow one's own inclinations. But real freedom is gained only when you are free of the pernicious influence of passions like lust, envy, pride, greed and hate.

To follow one's own inclinations does not mean to follow any and every desire that arises in your mind; it means the inclination of your true self towards the Divine.

If you incline towards Him, the passions that enslave you will be rendered powerless. Then, you will do your 'duty' in freedom, for you will love it with all your heart!

- Divine Discourse, Mar 17, 1973.

"Duty without love" is deplorable, "duty with love" is desirable and "Love without Duty" is Divine.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Pulling at the Root

Only when we clearly see the thirst of craving—the underlying cause of suffering—are we able to quench it.

- Andrew Olendzki, “What’s in a Word? Vipassana”

[winston]

How to connect with the voice of the Divine within and continue to have that guidance?

Follow the dictates of your own clear conscience. Do not copy wishes and resolutions from someone; that is what the blind man does; but, very often he follows an equally blind man.

The Divine is enshrined in your heart; He is ever ready to guide you. He does not appreciate external pomp and exhibitionistic behaviour.

He does not calculate the number of hours you did bhajan (congregational music) or japam (repetition of the Divine's Name), or the number of miles you walked during Nagarasankirtan (street singing of spirituals).

He examines the purity of your heart, as evident from your words and deeds. Do not preach; practice!

Everywhere, we have a surfeit of preachers but famine in practitioners! Heroes on platforms prove themselves zeros when they descend to the ground.

Therefore, demonstrate in your own lives, how Love can confer peace and joy, how all faiths lead to the same goal, and how all men are brothers of one another.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 17, 1973.

The heart of the individual, who makes an attempt to put into practice the good things he has listened to, becomes the temple of the Divine.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What’s Done Is Done

The future is an illusion, the past is now a dream and the only reality we have access to is the present.

In that light, self-forgiveness is the willingness to stop trying to fix our past or make it better.

It is giving up all hope of improving that which has already happened. What is done is done.

- Mark Coleman, “Why Are We So Hard on Ourselves?”