May/June 2000

Quotes & Quips

"The downfall of a religous sect begins from the day that the worship of the rich enters into it."

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)

Whatever people may say about the faults that you know are not in you, do not feel for it. As for the faults that are in you, try to correct them yourself, even before others point them out to you. Do not harbor anger or bitterness against persons who point out your faults; do not retort by pointing out the faults of those persons themselves, but show your gratitude to them. Sathya Sai Baba

The hope of all men, in the last analysis, is simply for peace of mind. The Dalai Lama

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who are we to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others! Nelson Mandella at his1994 inaugural address

Looking for enlightenment is like looking for a flashlight when all you need the flashlight for is to find the flashlight.

You have the potential to be like the great oceans, like the trees and the mountains, strong, determined--full of destiny and purpose. Mansukh Patel [see People]

Youth is not a time of life--it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips and supple knees. It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions. It is freshness of the deep springs of life. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Swami Bua, 110

Anything is possible if the path can be perceived.

What I experienced on the plane has changed me forever. I don't know what it is: Hinduism, the so-called "fatalism" of Indians. But the way the passengers stayed so calm throughout, even the children, was exemplary. I told myself, if the plane had been full of Italians or French, it would have been very different. Roberto Giori after his release from the airplane hijacking over India. Giori is Switzerland's richest man who controls 90 percent of the world's currency-printing business.

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

As you pray to God for devotion, so also pray that you may not find fault with anyone. Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886)

How many members of your sign does it take to change a light bulb?

ARIES: Just one. You want to make something of it?
TAURUS: One, but just try to convince them that the burned-out bulb is useless and should be thrown away.
GEMINI: Two, but the job never gets done--they just keep arguing about who is supposed to do it and how it's supposed to be done!
CANCER: Just one. But it takes a therapist years to help them through the grief process.
LEO: Leos don't change light bulbs, although sometimes their agent will get a Virgo in to do the job for them.
VIRGO: Approximately 1.00000000 with an error of +/- 1 millionth.
LIBRA: Er, two. Or maybe one. No, on second thought, make that two. Is that OK with you?
SCORPIO: That information is strictly secret and shared only with the Enlightened Ones in the Star Chamber of the Ancient Hierarchical Order.
SAGITTARIUS: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burnt-out light bulb?
CAPRICORN: I don't waste my time with these childish jokes.
AQUARIUS: Well, you have to remember that everything is energy, so...
PISCES: Light bulb? What light bulb?
Written by Walter Pullen and Richard Wendt.

If you believe everything you read, you had better not read. Japanese Proverb

I discovered the secret of the sea in meditation upon the dewdrop. Kahlil Gibran

Science sometimes runs the risk of not seeing the truth, because it does not want to know about miracles. Jacques Cousteau, explorer

Did You Know?