“Cling to the feet of a master who can introduce you to yourself.”

What is marriage? Falling in love anew every day always with the same person. Dada J.P. Vaswani

I’m sorry, but your karma made me do it.

It is easy to play with a cobra. It is easy to walk over the fire. It is easy to uproot the Himalayas. But it is difficult to eradicate lust. Swami Sivananda Saraswati Maharaj, founder of the Divine Life Society in India

Those who don’t seem to have any willpower, always have plenty of won’t power.

You cannot do wrong without suffering wrong. The exclusive in fashionable life does not see that he excludes himself from enjoyment in the attempt to appropriate it. The exclusionist in religion does not see that he shuts the door of heaven on himself in striving to shut out others. Treat men as pawns and ninepins, and you shall suffer, as well as they. If you leave out their heart, you shall lose your own. The senses would make things of all persons: of women, of children, of the poor. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Even as water becomes one with water, fire with fire, and air with air, so the mind becomes one with the Infinite Mind and thus attains final freedom. Krishna Yajur Veda, Maitreya Upanishad 6.34.11.

Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way. Native American saying

A poor devotee points to the sky and says, “God is up there.” An average devotee says, “God dwells in the heart as the Inner Master.” The best devotee says, “God alone is and everything I perceive is a form of God.” Ramakrishna

Precious gems are profoundly buried in the earth and can only be extracted at the expense of great labor. Sri Anandamayi Ma

Our peace of mind increases in spite of suffering; we become braver and more enterprising; we understand more clearly the difference between what is everlasting and what is not; we learn how to distinguish between what is our duty and what is not. Our pride melts away and we become humble. Our worldly attachments diminish and, likewise, the evil within us diminishes from day to day. Mahatma Gandhi

Remember, when you find yourself arguing with a fool, he is doing the same thing.

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.

Man’s freedom is not in being saved troubles, but is the freedom to take trouble for his own good, and makethe trouble an element in his joy. Rabindranath Tagore

Whenever possible, it is always good to be kind. It is always possible. Dalai Lama

At this supremely dangerous moment in human history, the only way of salvation is the ancient Hindu way. Here we have the attitude and spirit that can make it possible for the human race to grow together into a single family. British historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889-1975)

An English professor announced to the class, “There are two words I don’t allow in my class. One is gross and the other is cool.” From the back of the room a voice called out, “So, what are the words?

The highest form of grace is silence. Swami Chinmayananda

In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher. Dalai Lama

If you go on working with the light available, you will meet your Master, as he himself will be seeking you. Ramana Maharshi

Praise can be your most valuable asset, as long as you don’t aim it at yourself. O.A. Battista

As clouds are blown away by the wind, the thirst for material pleasures will be driven away by the utterance of the Lord’s name. Sri Sarada Devi

I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed.

There is a startling parallelism between today’s physics and the world vision of Eastern mysticism. The increasing contribution of Eastern scientists from India, China and Japan, among others, reinforces this conjunction. Physical science has now become planetary and draws into its fold an increasing number of non-Easterners who find in its new vision of the universe many elements that are quick to note, one cannot always distinguish between statements made by Eastern metaphysics based on mystical insight and the pronouncements of modern physics based on observations, experiments and mathematical calculations. Werner Karl Heisenberg, (1901-1976) German theoretical physicist who was one of the leading scientists of the 20th century. He is best known for his Uncertainty Principle and was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics.

Why shouldn’t truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense. Mark Twain

If the chimney is full of smoke, how can the light be seen? If the mind is full of dirt, how can the soul shine? Yogaswami of Jaffna (1872-1964)

The future is the continuing summation of all our past actions and reactions, for there is only the moment in which we live. The eternal now is the only consciousness we have when living in the higher states of mind. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

DID YOU KNOW?

The Sacred Illupai Tree

Every part of the famed illupai tree (Madhuca longifolia, mahua in Hindi, or “butter tree”) can be used. It is the only tree used for the massive temple chariotsÑno other wood can withstand the immense weight. The wood is so strong that, when dried properly, it cannot be shaped by iron chisels. The wood is also used for temple doors. The blossoms taste like pressed figs and ooze sweet juice which can be used in drinks. The fruit is eaten as a vegetable, the inner skin is ground into meal, and oil is extracted from the seeds. It is said that Tiruvalluvar, author of the famed South Indian scripture, the Tirukural, was born under the shade of a sacred illupai.

Avoidance of Pointless Speech

Tirukural 191:Everyone is disgusted by a man who offends one and all with meaningless chatter.

Tirukural 193:A long and pointless discourse itself declares to all the speaker’s lack of worth.

Tirukural 199:The wise, faultless and free from ignorance, never utter pointless words, even forgetfully.

Tirukural 200:In your speaking, say only that which is purposeful. Never utter words that lack purpose.

Leave a Comment

Your name, email and comment may be published in Hinduism Today's "Letters" page in print and online. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top