Saturday, February 23, 2008

The Great Invocation!

From the point of Light within the mind of God
Let light stream forth into human minds
Let Light descend on Earth.

From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into human hearts
May the Coming One return to Earth.

From the center where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide all little human wills
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.

From the center which we call the human race
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Infinite Love!

Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk, Sit or lie down, As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.
~Sutta Nipata

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The thoughts of the earth are my thoughts
The voice of the earth is my voice
All that belongs to the earth belongs to me
All that surrounds the earth surrounds me
It is lovely indeed; it is lovely indeed.
~A Navajo Song

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You are a child of the universe,
No less than the trees and the stars;
You have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
~Max Ehrmann in 'The Desiderata'

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Naked Mystic!

Lalleshwari, also known as Lal Ded, Lalla, Mother Lalla, and Lallayogeshwari was a poet, a holywoman, a sufi, a yogi, a devotee of Shiva.

She is hailed as "Forerunner of Medieval Mystics", one of the greatest apostles of light and love that Kashmir has known, and an apostle of Human values.

She was born in the 14th century at Pandrenthan (ancient Puranadhisthana), about four and a half miles to the south-east of Srinagar.

She says:

You are the heaven and You are the earth,
You are the day and You are the night,
You are all pervading air,
You are the sacred offering of rice and flowers and of water;
You are Yourself all in all,
What can I offer You?


Another saying:

Wake up therefore and stir into action O slothful ignoramus!
Squander not the precious gift of life, cast away not before the swine the pearls of wisdom, waste not your breath and effort;
seek out and secure the lamp of faith and devotion and with the help of its light dispel the darkness of ignorance.
Get rid of the notion of 'I and Mine' and, through the dissolution of the thinking and the calculating mind in the supreme effulgence of the Atma, earn the right to
proclaim the victory of Truth over falsehood, of Light over darkness, of Life over death.


P.N. Kaul Bamzai writes:

She ...succeeded in reaching the 'abode of nectar'. But she did not stop there. All around her was conflict and chaos. Her countrymen and women needed her guidance. She had a mission to perform, and well and effectively she did it. Her life and sayings were mainly responsible in moulding the character of her people and setting up tradition of love and tolerance which characterises them even today.

He goes on to share an insightful story:

There is a high moral teaching which Lalla demonstrated when during her nude state a gang of youthful rowdies were mocking her. A sober-minded cloth vendor intervened and chastised them. On this she asked the vendor for two pieces of ordinary cloth, equal in weight. She put them on either shoulder and continued her wandering.

On the way some had salutations for her and some had gibes. For every such greeting she had a knot in the cloth, for the salutations in the piece on the right, and for the gibes in the piece on the left. In the evening after her round, she returned the pieces to the vendor and had them weighed. Neither had, of course, gained or lost by the knots.

She thus brought home to the vendor, and her disciples, that mental equipoise should not be shaken by the manner people greeted or treated a person.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Enlightened Purpose of Words!

Sri Sri Ravishankar says:

The purpose of words is to create silence.
If words create more noise, then they have not reached their goal.

To illustrates, he shares a beautiful story:

When Buddha got enlightened on that full moon day in the month of May, it is said that he maintained silence for the whole week.

He did not say a word. Mythology says that all the angels in the heaven were frightened.

They knew that it was only once in a millennium that someone blossoms like Buddha. Now he was silent!

The angels then requested him to say something. He said:

Those who know, they know even without my saying and those who do not know, will not know even if I say something.
Any description of light to a blind man is of no use.
There is no point in talking to those who have not tasted the ambrosia of life, and therefore I am silent.
How can you convey something so intimate and personal? Words cannot.
And as many scriptures in the past have declared words end where truth begins.

The angels said, “What you say is right. But consider those who are on the borderline, who are neither fully enlightened nor totally ignorant. For them, a few words will give a push, for their sake you speak and every word of yours will create that silence.”

Rumi echoes:
Let the water settle
You will see the moon and stars mirrored in your being.