The senses have been conditioned by attraction to the pleasant and aversion to the unpleasant: a man should not be ruled by them; they are obstacles in his path.
His disciples said to Jesus,”When will the repose of the dead
come about, and when will the new world come?”
He said to them, “What you look forward to has already come,
but you do not recognize it.”
come about, and when will the new world come?”
He said to them, “What you look forward to has already come,
but you do not recognize it.”
Explode.
Become a volcano of joy.
Become so full of joy
that you cannot walk.
Joy is just another name
for the Self.
Become a volcano of joy.
Become so full of joy
that you cannot walk.
Joy is just another name
for the Self.
The purest doctrines, such as those of Ramana Maharshi, Padma Sambhava, Huang Po and Shen Hui, just teach that it is sufficient by analysis to comprehend that there is no entity which could have effective volition, that an apparent act of volition when in accord with the inevitable can only be a vain gesture and, when in discord, the fluttering of a caged bird against the bars of his cage. When he knows that, then at last he has peace and is glad.
And every time you step back from your own melodrama, the cosmic humor gets higher and higher.
How can you break through the barrier and know personally, intimately, what it means to be immutable? The word itself is the bridge. Remember it, think of it, explore it, go round it, look at it from all directions, dive into it with earnest perseverance: endure all delays and disappointments till suddenly the mind turns round, away from the word, towards the reality beyond the word. It is like trying to find a person knowing his name only. A day comes when your inquiries bring you to him and the name becomes reality. Words are valuable, for between the word and its meaning there is a link and if one investigates the word assiduously, one crosses beyond the concept into the experience at the root of it. As a matter of fact, such repeated attempts to go beyond the words is what is called meditation.
The greatest step towards a life of happiness and simplicity is to let go. Trust in the power that is already taking care of you spontaneously without effort.
When you truly feel this equal love for all, when your heart has expanded so much that it embraces the whole of creation, you will certainly not feel like giving up this or that. You will simply drop off from secular life as a ripe fruit drops from the branch of a tree. You will feel that the whole world is your home.
As meditation progresses, the breath can become more and more of a teacher to us, demonstrating the laws of impermanence, of arising and passing.
Self-forgetting is inherent in self-knowing. Consciousness and unconsciousness are two aspects of one life. They co-exist. To know the world you forget the self - to know the self you forget the world. What is world after all? A collection of memories. Cling to one thing that matters, hold on to 'I am' and let go all else. This is sadhana. In realization there is nothing to hold on to and nothing to forget. Everything is known, nothing is remembered.
Running after saints is merely another game to play. Remember yourself instead and watch your daily life relentlessly. Be earnest, and you shall not fail to break the bonds of inattention and imagination.
When a fish is dying it is more active and so mind becomes very active in the last few minutes like a fish flopping out of the water. This fish has troubled you for so long so now feast on it. All you can do is not think and not try.
When you are curious, you learn. When you are desperate, you discover.
We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.
Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole existence. Why limit yourself to small things? When the whole is available.
If someone’s actions or words push a button within you or you have some kind of reaction, they are mirroring some energy that wants release or integration within you. If you have no reaction; it is theirs. This is also true when you are touched deeply by someone’s Wisdom or Beauty or Love; they are mirroring to you what you are within.
Above all, don’t wish to become a future Buddha;
Your only concern should be,
As thought follows thought,
To avoid clinging to any of them.
Your only concern should be,
As thought follows thought,
To avoid clinging to any of them.
Everything you see has its roots in the unseen world.
What is normal? Is your life — obsessed by desires and fears, full of strife and struggle, meaningless and joyless — normal? To be acutely conscious of your body is it normal? To be torn by feelings, tortured by thoughts: is it normal? A healthy body, a healthy mind live largely unperceived by their owner; only occasionally, through pain or suffering they call for attention and insight. Why not extend the same to the entire personal life? One can function rightly, responding well and fully to whatever happens, without having to bring it into the focus of awareness. When self- control becomes second nature, awareness shifts its focus to deeper levels of existence and action.
We’re fascinated by the words - but where we meet is in the silence behind them.
Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry—all forms of fear—are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.
Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this - walking, sitting, or lying down - everything you do is Zen.
I am in you and you in me, mutual in divine love.
When you begin to become conscious, more aware, when your eyes begin to open, the first thing you see is how deluded you are and how much you’re holding onto that which makes you suffer. This is, in many ways, the most important step: Are you willing to be aware?