Let us follow the path of honesty and devotion. This path will lead us to Shri Hari. Let us shun everything that is condemned and do everything that is commendable with the full devotion of mind. Shloka 2

This shloka, or verse, is taken from Manache Shloka or 'verses of the mind' by Samarth Ramdas Swami from the 1600s

I have become very impressed by the work of this Swami.  After having written a few words myself, trying to describe and expound upon the meaning of many different kinds of verses, I am continuously flabbergasted by the sheer power of expression of certain Swamis, or people.  Jesus is also one such fellow.  Simply a force to follow.

The power of their verses makes me want to express in such a way, and it makes me realize the depths of introspection and depths of study that these men have achieved.  It is no small feat to do what they have done.

Being able to write such things is one thing.  Being able to even follow them is another.  It is certainly important to be able to comprehend the works of such masters.  Just following without understanding can lead to many problems.  Ideally, we should focus on understanding these shlokas.  We should work on internalizing them.

Once this is done, half the work is done.  Submitting ourselves to the understanding is the first step, and sometimes also the last step.   There is all this talk of sadhana or practicing spirituality.  Practicing these verses is nothing but submitting our mind to their truths again and again until they become our truths.

In order to do this, the first step is to read verses and start to see the light in them.  Once we see the light we can begin following, we can begin practicing.   If we don't even see the light we will be stumbling around in the darkness.  We may be practicing but it will be useless, until we catch hold of the light again.

So, let us look at our verse again:

Let us follow the path of honesty and devotion. This path will lead us to Shri Hari. Let us shun everything that is condemned and do everything that is commendable with the full devotion of mind. Shloka 2

There is so much that can be gained from following this verse alone.  Let us take apart this shloka (verse) and see what we can see line by line.

Let us follow the path of honesty and devotion

The very first line says let us follow the path of honesty and devotion.  Following the path of honesty.... this can be a very difficult path, it almost seems treacherous.  What if I say the wrong thing?  What will happen if I say what's really on my mind?  Many of us have fallen into a pattern of cheating ourselves with small lies.  It is one of the single most detrimental thing we can do to ourselves.  Its not such a problem that we cheat others - it is that we cheat ourselves.  It may be for the sake of convenience, usually most of us do not do it in order to hurt others or mislead others for bad intentions.  It's because of our own lacks.  But it is because of our own lacks that we must work on following this path of honesty.  Following the path of honesty leads to greater challenges every day, but these challenges are well worth it because as we pass these challenges our integrity increases and as our integrity increases there is a certain joy that becomes a part of us, and our possibilities also increase.  I feel as though joy is attracted to us in a better way, perhaps prosperity and others also become attracted to us more. 

There is a second part to this line.  Do not only become honest.  Devotion comes with honesty in this verse.  Why?  Because without devotion, dry honesty might not even be a good thing.  If we simply criticize everything and everybody, it may be honest, but where is the devotion?  It may be honest, but it is harmful and being harmful is not going to get you anywhere.  It is simply going to cause pain to you and others.  Actually, simply criticizing is NOT honest.  It is not honest because there are many positive qualities along with negative qualities.  It has become our quality not to notice the good qualities, that is the truth.  This is why we must add devotion. Devotion is something beautiful.  Only by tasting devotion can one understand its beauty.  You may be devoted to a relative, a spouse, God, a pet, your work, your computer, your coffee, your food... it could be anything, but in this devotion there is a spark of life.  There is something worth living in these moments of devotion.  Let us increase those moments.  We don't have to do anything special.  We must just commit ourselves to following the path of honesty and devotion.  Try to add sincerity to what you do, add a little grace to your work, to your smile, to your step.  Don't worry about being reciprocated.  We always want the other to reciprocate when we are being kind or friendly.  Let us try being friendly without such demands.  If we get the friendliness, fine, if we don't, move on.  Let us remain focused on the honesty and devotion.  This takes us to the next key part of this shloka.

Let us shun everything that is condemned and do everything that is commendable with the full devotion of mind.

When it comes to religion or morality a lot of time is spent in shunning things or denouncing things.  However, Ramdas Swami here does not talk about condemning things.  He is not interested in talking about the bad things, what they are, and why they are bad.  He simply says to shun them.  There is another verse similar to that in the bible which I have written about previously in this blog from Isaiah 7:15 "refuse the evil and choose the good"

I wrote about this very same concept in that verse.  The funny thing is that I did not intentionally put this new verse in today with the idea of linking it with this bible verse.  It just turns out that they say the same thing.  That is, shunning and refusing are not denouncing.  Don't waste your time on the bad stuff.  In Isaiah 7:15 it is said, refuse the evil and choose the good.  In our verse that we are considering today, it says shun everything that is condemned and do everything that is commendable.  By condemned we should know when we are doing things we "shouldn't" be doing.  I will not go into detail.  However, the solution is given.  Do everything which is commendable.  Let us focus on that part.  Do what is commendable.  It is a simple scale.  See what you are doing, see if it is commendable in any way, and then do it.  If what you are doing is not commendable, make sure what you are doing is not condemnable, stay with the path of honesty and devotion, and try to do something commendable.  We have a choice in our actions, why not exert it?

Sometimes we get caught up with the idea of perfection.  I have seen that so much of the time I am not thinking of things to do which are commendable, however, at least I can make sure they are not condemnable (by the way, typing commendable and condemnable is a finger twister - I highly suggest trying it to increase your typing fluidity).  If we are not doing anything commendable, maybe it's time we try.  One block that gets in the way is the desire to be commended, praised.  If we don't get the praise or the commendation, we don't feel like doing things.  Let that not get in your way.  Just keep doing.  That is the key.  Why should your good action be compromised by others' opinions?

The last part of this verse is to do with full devotion of mind.  Remember to use your full mind for what you are doing.   When you do something with full devotion, your mind, instead of being an obstacle, becomes a like a beautiful instrument, giving you peace and joy and intelligence.  The mind can be bothersome, or it can be wholesome.  It's your choice.

Try following this shloka - see what develops!

Great Quotations

Sometimes, there is no need to expand on quotations because the quotation does all the work for you.  I found all these quotations when I searched for quotations on "fulfillment" on the internet.  The internet is an amazing place, really.  We should all make an effort to gather all the best resources of the internet and save it in places, like a squirrel burying all his nuts for winter.  An apt analogy, I hope you'll agree.  Here they are... please enjoy! 

And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
       - Abraham Lincoln 

There's nothing as beautiful as the happiness of a child

The true way to soften one's troubles is to solace those of others.   
       - Madame De Maintenon

One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people. 
       - Dick Gregory

The secret to happiness is not in doing what one likes to do, but in liking what one has to do.
       - Anonymous

Who is blind? He who can see no other world. Who is dumb? He who can say nothing pleasant about his lot. Who is poor? He who is troubled with too many desires. Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot.
       - Indian Proverb  

You can never be happy at the expense of the happiness of others.
       - Chinese Proverb

While we pursue happiness, we flee from contentment.
       - Hasidic Proverb 

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.
       - James Oppenheim

Happiness itself does not stay -- only moments of happiness do.
       - Spanish Proverb 

Discontent is the source of all trouble, but also of all progress, in individuals and nations.
       - Berthold Auerbach
 
The purpose of life is not to be happy – but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all.
       - Leo Rosten, American teacher and humorist

Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life.
       - Burton Hills

Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.
       - Storm Jameson 

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
       - Margaret B. Runbeck

It is not length of life, but depth of life.
       - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.
      - Anonymous

Unless we think of others and do something for them, we miss one of the greatest sources of happiness.
       - Ray Lyman Wilbur

 The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
      - Allan K. Chalmers 

 

May you live all the days of your life.
       - Jonathan Swift 

Happiness is a state of activity.
       - Aristotle

The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.
       - Helen Keller

A man is not old until regrets start taking place of dreams.
       - Anonymous

The Great Lesson

"The great lesson is that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's backyard" - Abraham Maslow

Searching for the sacred almost seems like a paradox.  It sometimes seems that the more you search for it, the more quickly it disappears.  Searching for It brings you back to the ordinary, or that which seems ordinary.  Is it only that we search for such superlatives, or that we search for such extraordinariness that we don't notice what's in front of our face?

There are so many people who are in our court, who are on our side.  There are so many people just waiting for us to do something with them.  So many people right in front of our faces who are there, who are willing, who like us.  Yet we want something greater.

What is this... greater?  There is no greater.  Sometimes even the fan blowing on you is sacred.  If something so small can be sacred, imagine all the small things that are there.  There are so many.  It seems absurd to count them, it seems absurd to list them because there are so many.

Just looking at my dog can make me happy.  But my mind brings forward something that doesn't make me happy, something that irritates me.  Or it brings forward times when things aren't so right.  Just because there are times when things aren't so right doesn't mean that there aren't times when things ARE right.

It's OK for things to NOT be OK, but we mustn't make that huge generalization that things are always one way or the other, because they aren't.  They simply aren't.

Things are OK much of the time and sometimes that just isn't good enough for us.  Our striving for something better doesn't let us appreciate how good OK is.

OK stands for all correct.  If things are OK they really are all correct.  And what's wrong with that?

What's wrong with OK?

When things go very badly, when we face some huge crisis in our lives, only then do we realize how good OK can be.  The only reason we don't always realize how good OK is, is because we are always searching for the superlative.

Let us look at what we have.  Let us enjoy what is.  Let us realize that the ordinary is packed with goodness, and where there is goodness, there is not badness, and in that we can rejoice.

"refuse the evil and choose the good" - Isaiah 7:15

All labels such as Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Taoist, Confuciousist.... etc.... seem to be useless in the face of a powerful verse.

A powerful verse is like a beautifully cut huge diamond in front of a jeweler.  It doesn't matter who brought it, the jeweler will still admire it and want to make use of it.

This is such a simple verse from the Bible but very powerful, and gives you great possibility.  Not only that, it gives you a stark command, a stern command.

Sometimes you need to hear something stern to follow, and something simple.  It does not say to decry evil, or to denounce evil... NO.... it says to refuse evil.  Just refuse it, plain and simple.  And choose good.

Do you see the power in that? 

We should all reflect on such a statement and see how we can incorporate that into our day. 

Because I Live

Because I live, ye shall live also. John 14:19

We think our lives depend on so many things... but in the end, our lives depend on each other.   "Because I live, ye shall live also"

Have you ever noticed, that when you are around someone who is really alive, a part of you comes alive too?   Have you ever noticed that the way you present yourself and the words and ideas you bring to the table have an effect on others?

Perhaps it's obvious, but for many people, it is not.  The way we are affects those around us. 

Sometimes, we get so caught up in certain patterns with people, that we aren't even really alive.   We live life in a dead pattern. 

Sometimes we need to scrub our eyes clean, and look afresh, because the world is bustling with life and when it is not, either we can relax and enjoy the peace, or we can bustle ourselves.  Being in these two states.... we can Live. 

If we find that we are misfitting, or that we are not able to keep up a positive energy, perhaps it is time to reflect on what life is, what a gift life is, and what it means to be living.

Living is sharing ourselves with others, and when others do not need our sharing, life is sharing ourselves with ourselves. 

We like to give appointments to other people, but we rarely give appointments to ourselves.  If we knew how to be with ourselves in such a way that it benefited us it would be such a good thing.

So many times we feel that we have to be around other people, but the honest truth is that we want to be around other people because we don't want to be around ourselves.   Why don't we want to be around ourselves?  Usually because the substance of our thoughts or our body gives us discomfort. 

They say that idle hands are the devil's workshop.  Why?

Because life is about being alive and doing things, keeping our "hands" busy.  There is an equal fight in our mind to stop doing and just relax, but life is not about relaxing.  Luckily there is relaxation given to us every night when we go to bed, but other than that we are created to do things.  We are created to Live, and in our living-ness, others can live as well.

Sometimes we become so anti-doing things that we create a subtle idea that nothing should be done, that we should relax.  We create a goal of not doing anything once our work is finished.  This goal of not doing anything when our work is done, is a dangerous goal because now we are saying the reward of work is to not work, so we are continually focused on the relaxation part of not doing.   If we are continually focused on relaxing after we are done doing then we will not have our minds and our beings fully on what we are doing.  We will be thinking about doing stuff that we are not doing - relaxing.

We should realize that just working is a reward because when we train our brain to solve problems and work and act, we find that the reward continually is forthcoming and the idea of relaxing does not occur to us.   Time flies when we are having fun, and certainly when we add our intensity to our work we find that time does fly because we are actually having fun whether we believe it or not.

When we harbor the subtle desire to do nothing or to go and sit and doze off when we are working, then we create a split mind and we create a mental pattern that is NOT life. 

When we create this pattern, we are not spreading life that can be given to others.  We are truly spreading ignorance and death.  We are spreading tamas.  We are spreading the idea of unawareness because our mind stops being sharp when we keep calculating when we are going to relax.  Then the work suffers because every other thought of ours is towards not doing.

Our mind starts to calculate how NOT to do.... and this infects everyone around us because as we are, so others become.  As others are, so we become. 

There is a great deal of people who have this subtle desire to not do.  Well, in order to turn it around, we have to find that we need to LIVE and in order to truly live we must work with joy.  We must do with joy.  We must play with joy.  We must be intense. 

This intensity will drive you and you will find that you are with other people who also share this mentality because you are on the same wavelength. 

This is what the statement means - "Because I live, ye shall live also"

More ideas

"Have a strong experiential clarity about you.  Nobody should be able to penetrate and alter your idea about you within you." - Paramahamsa Nithyananda

Understanding thyself is a key.  The more I understand myself the more I realize my proclivity to frustrating thoughts and the more I realize the joy I experience or the liquid feeling I experience when I am simply flowing with my mind, thoughts, and my actions.  If there is flowing with my thoughts, words, actions, there is a liquid feeling.  Writing certainly helps with this.  It hammers out the thinking process, it adds fluidity to the mind, and fluidity is the state of our Being.

Whenever we feel like a solid entity this is actually not who we are.  Because of our human form we think that we are a solid entity but we are not.  We are smooth, flowing entities.  Once you experience this fluid, flowing space, you realize that it is true, then you crave to experience this at all times and then when you are forced to work you get frustrated because sometimes you think you can't do the work that is expected of you.

But this is not true.  You can do the work that is expected of you, it is only a figment of your imagination that makes you feel that cannot do things.

Again and again shower yourself with this truth that you are capable.  YOU ARE CAPABLE. Sometimes you don't feel that you are, and that leads to another truth that Swamiji says...


"Be available to the part of you which is able" - Paramahamsa Nithyananda

Whenever you are in any situation, there is some part of you which is available to you.  Sometimes you want to use the wrong part to be available, but you don't need to use that part, you simply need to use the part of you which is able to be available.  Once you have the knack of always using the part of you which is available to be able to be used, then you will become more practical and will certainly stay in better spirits.

Energetic Quotations

"For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God" - I Peter 1:23 (NAS) 

This quotation gives great strength and great solace.  First and foremost it says that you were born of something that is imperishable.  This is a hard pill to swallow for some.  The idea that we are imperishable is our root fear or doubt.  We doubt that we are imperishable.

I am in no mood to argue for or against the idea of imperishability.  Let us simply look, with Shraddha or sincerity, or faithfulness, that this quotation is correct.  Debate is useful when it establishes groundwork for an understanding, however it is not useful when it creates more confusion and more chaos, as it usually does.

When we look at something with Shraddha or sincerity, it opens the doors to a spiritual experience.  When we look at something worth trusting with Trust, it opens that door, it opens our hearts.

So, the quotation is saying that you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but a seed which is imperishable.  We always think we are born of something that is perishable because we are so caught up with this idea of the body.  We are originally born physically in a body, but from the seed of imperishability which is the living and abiding word of God, we are born again.  We are promised that we can live anew, we can refresh ourselves because our very notion of ourselves changes as we are not only exposed to the truth, but begin living in the truth.   The seed of living in the truth is the word of truth and that is the word of God.  As we follow the words of God we are able to experience the truth of Love and not just think we understand the concept.  Living the word and thinking we know things are two different things. 

Let us first understand what the term living word means.  It means that these words are not dead even if they were written or spoken in the past.  It means that when these words are thought of in the present we achieve the state of imperishability in the NOW.  It also means because these are words of wisdom speaking a language of immortality that is true, when you are born "again" out of your ignorance of perishability, these living words will guide you beyond the seed you were originally born in.  The original seed you were born in was one of the bodily frame which does perish.  But whence you connect with the seed of the living word then you move into the space of imperishability of immortality.

One of the things I am trying to do is follow the Living Word.  I am finding the Living Word and writing about them, because as I write about the Living Word I am pouring it into my consciousness which will surely benefit from this work. 

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all that I have not seen" -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all that I have not seen" -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just reading this quotation makes me realize that trust is the key.  That's where we go a bit wrong, that's where we have trouble and that's where the solution is.  Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna's wife and disciple once said that Trust is God.  Even if you trust someone you don't think is trustworthy, just that trust alone is enough to help.

Because when we trust, God himself/herself/itself is existing.  And in that existence what is good for you is bound to happen.

It's that simple.


Sometimes, we don't feel like trusting, or we don't know if we can trust, but by that very trust things that are good are bound to happen. 

They are simply bound to happen, and your life, your family's life, and everyone's life will be affected in the best way possible.

It's a win-win situation because trust breeds trust and distrust breeds distrust, especially distrust within ourselves.

Sowing the seeds of trust is the path of dharma. And they say that we don't hold dharma up - dharma holds us up.


Chalk one up for Ralph Waldo Emerson.... Now I feel like reading his works.... but alas... not the right time or place for that!

Children's Philosophy

An ongoing pastime of mine has been to find words of wisdom, and if not pass them on to others, at least try to apply them to my life.  Sometimes I feel that sharing them with others is more enjoyable than just applying them.  How much application can you do before you feel like sharing?

I, for one, really enjoy sharing, and I think all of us can attest to that joy.

Linda knows I have a passion for books, and as she likes to say - she finds it curious how I will get many books and then just fish out little ideas from all of them.  It seems that I cannot simply sit down and read a whole book at a time.

I think I'm a fiend for finding interesting ideas that bring joy or peace into my life and hopefully others' as well.

Since we have a captive audience here, I figured that I could put up various good quotes and write what I think about them.

It's an idea - so here goes:

"One should take children's philosophy to heart, they do not despise a bubble because it bursts.  They immediately set to work to blow another one" - Keynote

I got this quote from a book called "Little Miracles: Cherished messages of hope, joy, love, kindness, and courage" by Tonkin

Most of the quotes are by people who have names.  This particular quote is by "Keynote" - I'm not sure who or what that is, but at the end of the day, isn't the idea more important than the person?

Our lives are like bubbles, our ideas, our thoughts, or doings, are like bubbles.  I find that many times, I simply feel like stopping blowing bubbles all together because of there being too many bubbles.

I think it's so apt of Mr. or Mrs. Keynote to show how blowing bubbles is so important.  It's such a joyous thing for children.  Just the sight of the soapy bubble awakens the mystery of life in a child, and of course, the child doesn't say anything like "this bubble has awakened the the mystery of life in me".  If a child says something like that, you might just wonder what is wrong with it.  Or you'd probably make her or him write more.

A child simply enjoys seeing the bubble.  The magic of such a thing, forming out of seemingly nothing.  Seeing a liquid turn into a bubble - simply fascinating.

However, this quote isn't so much about the bubble itself, but more about the bubble bursting, and how the bubble bursting does not interfere with the child blowing yet another bubble.

How long can we maintain our enthusiasm?  Our minds are quick to wonder, "eh - what's the use of a bubble?"  or "What's the point of what I'm doing?"

We forget how to have fun.  We forget how to keep having fun.  We forget how to maintain enthusiasm even when the fun has ended, even when the bubble has burst.

Every idea has an end.  Every doing has an end, and in that end, sometimes there is a loss.  Sometimes there is that thought that we should have no more ideas.  Or that we should not set out to complete what we are doing because the bubble has burst.  We are left shattered and tattered.

Yet, there is only one thing to do, blow another bubble, and do it with fascination, enthusiasm.

Stay tuned for more quotations.