I'm not trying to counsel any of youto do anything really specialexcept to dare to think,and to dare to go with the truth,and to dare to really love completely.
R. Buckminster Fuller - 18951983
We each have our own pathways to develop both personally andspiritually. They are based on our character and past experiences. Noone else can identify our paths for us. Tune in to your inner guidancesystem and follow its direction.
M. Scott peck
What every man needs, regardless of his job or the kind of work he isdoing, is a vision of what his place is and may be. He needs anobjective and a purpose. He needs a feeling and a belief that he hassome worthwhile thing to do. What this is no one can tell him. It mustbe his own creation.-- Joseph M. Dodge
Story of Martha and Mary- Sister Dawn Annette
Many of us try to escape the demands of prayer [or meditation] by setting up a false dichotomy between Martha and Mary making either/or what Jesus intended to be both/and. The Marthas say work is primarily their spiritual mode; the Marys say prayer is. Some pretend to be more Martha than Mary to justify their compulsive action and addiction to work/[busyness]. Others pretend to be more Mary to justify their spiritual inertia or laziness. Neither one of the extremes is valid, or isolated from the other.
Tessa Bielecki
All God asks is humility of heart … No one talks about the necessity and power of humility more than St Teresa of Avila, but when it comes to [intimate prayer], she clearly states that this is not a time to get bogged down in a sense of personal sin [or unworthiness]. If we focus on our unworthiness, we will not be able to accept the gift of intimacy. Of course we are unworthy and undeserving! But that is beside the point. What matters now is the incredible overture of love the Holy One is making. Refusing to respond is not truly humble, we do not refuse God’s gift but gratefully accept it the way we accept a human gift with: “Thank-you!” And “Yes!” then we enjoy and delight in the gift.
Tessa Bielecki
How many of us wallow in this kind of false humility? Do we deny the love through Martha’s busyness? Or a spiritual inertia we call Marian? Can you remember a time when you did?
Ah Power that swirls us together
Grant us Bliss
Grant us the great release
And to all Beings
Vanishing, wounded
In trouble on the earth
We pass on this love
May their numbers increase.
Gary Snyder
In safety and in Bliss
May all creatures be of a blissful heart
Whatever breathing beings there may be
Frail or firm … long or big … short or small
Seen or unseen, dwelling far or near
Existing or yet seeking to exist
May all creatures be of a blissful heart
Sutta Nipata
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
10-21-07 humility
Develop the mind of equilibrium.You will always be getting praise and blame,but do not let either affect the poise of the mind:follow the calmness, the absence of pride.
Sutta Nipata
No one is so wrong as the man who knows all the answers. Chuang Tzu preaches an essential humility: not the humility of virtuousness and conscious self-abasement, which in the end is never entirely free from unctuousness, but the basic, one might say “ontological” or “cosmic” humility of the man who fully realizes his own nothingness and becomes totally forgetful of himself, “like a dry tree stump … ”. One may call this humility “cosmic’, not only because it is rooted in the true nature of things, but also because it is full of life and awareness, responding with boundless vitality and joy to all living beings. It manifests itself everywhere.
Chuang Tzu’s Taoism is nostalgic for the primordial climate of paradise in which there was no differentiation, in which man was utterly simple, unaware of himself, living at peace with himself, with Tao, and with all other creatures. But for Chuang this paradise is not something that has been irrevocably lost by sin and cannot be gained except by redemption. It is still ours, but we do not know it, since the effect of life is society is to complicate and confuse our existence, making us forget who we really are by causing us to become obsessed with what we are not. It is this self-awareness which we try to increase and perfect by all sorts of methods and practices, that is really a forgetfulness of our true roots in the unknown Tao and our solidarity in the uncarved block in which there are as yet no distinctions.
Thomas Merton
Your worst enemy cannot harm you as muchas your own unguarded thoughts."
- The Buddha
In what is seen, there should be just the seen;In what is heard, there should be just the heard;
In what is sensed, there should be just the sensed;In what is thought, there should be just the thought.
Sutta Nipata II,14
One day Ananda, who had been thinking deeply about things for a while, turned to the Buddha and exclaimed:"Lord, I've been thinking- spiritual friendship is at least half of the spiritual life!"The Buddha replied: "Say not so, Ananda, say not so. Spiritual friendship is the whole of the spiritual life!"
Samyutta Nikaya, Verse 2
~
The spiritual life is built entirely on humility If there is no growth in humility – Teresa of Avila does not mince words here – “Everything is going to be ruined.” She uses comforting imagery when discussing this foundational virtue: “Humility is an ointment for our wounds. If we are humble – an indispensable requirement for [intimate] prayer- the surgeon, who is our Lord, will come to heal us.”
Teresa distinguishes between true and false humility. The more we know ourselves, the more we feel distress over our wretchedness. … If we experience excessive distress, anger, agitation, disturbance, and frustration, this is a definite sign of false humility, wounded pride, and egotism. Wee must grieve over our offenses, but what matters more is the unfathomable mercy of God. When we are humble we take God so seriously that we take everything else – especially ourselves – light heartedly.
Teresa’s major teaching on humility is clear: To be humble is to walk in truth – the truth of who we are and who God is. Since humility is truth, it does not mean thinking little of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves very little. This virtue is not for wimps, but for warriors! Humility carries with it a breath of greatness, a jubilant freedom, and holy audacity.
Tessa Bielecki
The idea or practice of surrender does not function in Teresa’s thought to repeat the passivity or the dainty submissiveness of women[“s traditional roles]. Instead it is an empowering recognition of what it means to commit to inner fidelity - to a truth that takes away … subordination and restores … equality. Seldom in life do we give ourselves so totally and fully to the one necessary thing – to find the true self and to know God. Beverly Lanzetta
~
These teachings are like a raft, to be abandoned once you have crossed the flood.Since you should abandon even good states of mind generated by these teachings,How much more so should you abandon bad states of mind!
~
Conquer the angry man by love.Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness.Conquer the miser with generosity.Conquer the liar with truth.
The Dhammapada
Drink your tea slowly and reverently,as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future;Live the actual moment.Only this moment is life.
- Thich Nhat Hahn
Sutta Nipata
No one is so wrong as the man who knows all the answers. Chuang Tzu preaches an essential humility: not the humility of virtuousness and conscious self-abasement, which in the end is never entirely free from unctuousness, but the basic, one might say “ontological” or “cosmic” humility of the man who fully realizes his own nothingness and becomes totally forgetful of himself, “like a dry tree stump … ”. One may call this humility “cosmic’, not only because it is rooted in the true nature of things, but also because it is full of life and awareness, responding with boundless vitality and joy to all living beings. It manifests itself everywhere.
Chuang Tzu’s Taoism is nostalgic for the primordial climate of paradise in which there was no differentiation, in which man was utterly simple, unaware of himself, living at peace with himself, with Tao, and with all other creatures. But for Chuang this paradise is not something that has been irrevocably lost by sin and cannot be gained except by redemption. It is still ours, but we do not know it, since the effect of life is society is to complicate and confuse our existence, making us forget who we really are by causing us to become obsessed with what we are not. It is this self-awareness which we try to increase and perfect by all sorts of methods and practices, that is really a forgetfulness of our true roots in the unknown Tao and our solidarity in the uncarved block in which there are as yet no distinctions.
Thomas Merton
Your worst enemy cannot harm you as muchas your own unguarded thoughts."
- The Buddha
In what is seen, there should be just the seen;In what is heard, there should be just the heard;
In what is sensed, there should be just the sensed;In what is thought, there should be just the thought.
Sutta Nipata II,14
One day Ananda, who had been thinking deeply about things for a while, turned to the Buddha and exclaimed:"Lord, I've been thinking- spiritual friendship is at least half of the spiritual life!"The Buddha replied: "Say not so, Ananda, say not so. Spiritual friendship is the whole of the spiritual life!"
Samyutta Nikaya, Verse 2
~
The spiritual life is built entirely on humility If there is no growth in humility – Teresa of Avila does not mince words here – “Everything is going to be ruined.” She uses comforting imagery when discussing this foundational virtue: “Humility is an ointment for our wounds. If we are humble – an indispensable requirement for [intimate] prayer- the surgeon, who is our Lord, will come to heal us.”
Teresa distinguishes between true and false humility. The more we know ourselves, the more we feel distress over our wretchedness. … If we experience excessive distress, anger, agitation, disturbance, and frustration, this is a definite sign of false humility, wounded pride, and egotism. Wee must grieve over our offenses, but what matters more is the unfathomable mercy of God. When we are humble we take God so seriously that we take everything else – especially ourselves – light heartedly.
Teresa’s major teaching on humility is clear: To be humble is to walk in truth – the truth of who we are and who God is. Since humility is truth, it does not mean thinking little of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves very little. This virtue is not for wimps, but for warriors! Humility carries with it a breath of greatness, a jubilant freedom, and holy audacity.
Tessa Bielecki
The idea or practice of surrender does not function in Teresa’s thought to repeat the passivity or the dainty submissiveness of women[“s traditional roles]. Instead it is an empowering recognition of what it means to commit to inner fidelity - to a truth that takes away … subordination and restores … equality. Seldom in life do we give ourselves so totally and fully to the one necessary thing – to find the true self and to know God. Beverly Lanzetta
~
These teachings are like a raft, to be abandoned once you have crossed the flood.Since you should abandon even good states of mind generated by these teachings,How much more so should you abandon bad states of mind!
~
Conquer the angry man by love.Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness.Conquer the miser with generosity.Conquer the liar with truth.
The Dhammapada
Drink your tea slowly and reverently,as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future;Live the actual moment.Only this moment is life.
- Thich Nhat Hahn
10-14-07 HUMILITY
Divine Mother of all BeingsGreat Goddess of Compassion and MercyMay my heart be home to youlike your island in the sea.May I feel your presence guiding me in fear and rage.May the strength and balance of your grace-filled body be mine when I need them,And may I walk in your Bodhisattva Way with trust and gladness,Beyond time, beyond the end, beyond the beginning.
prayer to quan yin - claudia l'amoreaux
I am bowing my headIn the eye of the Mother who gave me birth,In the eye of the Maiden who loves me,In the eye of the Crone who guides me in wisdom,
In friendship and affection.
Through thy gift of nature, O Goddess,Bestow upon us fullness in our need.
Love towards the Lady,The affection of the Lady,The laughter of the Lady,The wisdom of the Lady,The passion of the Lady,The blessing of the Lady,And the magic of the Lady
To do in the world of Abred,As the Ageless Ones do in Gwynfyd;
Each shade and light,Each day and night,Each moment in kindness,Grant us Thy Sight.
carmina gadelica - ancient celtic oral tradition
This new Bible shall be writtenOn the hearts of all mankind,Not by pen or book,But by acts of Love.For to Love as She doesIs to truly know who He is.The unchanged truth is eternal lifeFor all, without exception.For no longer do we wander lost in the Word,But live the word in eternal life.
justina m. pernetter
Yet determination and persistence without surrender and humility are like wild horses, undisciplined and unfocused. True desire involves the pursuit of longing though the practice of giving ones self over to God.
Teresa of Avila
The most intense form of courageous humility is surrender of will, for it operates on a determined faith that there is something greater than the individual self.
Not submissiveness, but an expression of self-knowlwdge and self-worth, the soul surrenders itself “with true confidence.” Julian of Norwich says “whether it be seeking or contemplating … [it] taught me to understand that the soul’s constant search pleases God greatly. For it cannot do more than see, suffer, and trust.”
The idea or practice of surrender does not function in Teresa’s thought to repeat the passivity or the dainty submissiveness of women[“s traditional roles]. Instead it is an empowering recognition of what it means to commit to inner fidelity - to a truth that takes away women’s subordination and restores their equality. Seldom in life do we give ourselves so totally and fully to the one necessary thing – to find the true self and to know God. Beverly Lanzetta
The early years of the great painter Paul Cezanne were difficult and his career was, from the very start, troubled with frequent rejection and failure. His family considered him peculiar and were unsupportive of his art.
After much family turmoil in his younger years, his father gave him a small allowance and he left for Paris where he worked alone and ignored.
Another painter Camille Pissarro became his mentor both lending him moral support, and influencing his palette. Cezanne, in a relatively short time period, switched from dark tones to bright colors.
Cezanne produced beautiful works as an unknown painter for many, many years. His commitment to, and passion for, his art was strong and unwavering and he did not strive for fame or even lesser recognition.
One day, a French art dealer happened to see the masterpieces of Cezanne. He was so impressed that he collected several of the paintings and arranged an exhibition in his gallery. Visitors to the dealer's gallery were stunned as they saw for the first time the works of the unknown master.
The story goes that Cezanne arrived at the gallery and was also stunned. He had never before seen his work featured and admired this way. He walked around looking at his paintings, leaning on his son for support. Slowly he turned his head and looked at his son in surprise and awe. Cezanne then said, "They have put them in frames!"
To know the masculine and yet to cleave to the
feminine is to be the womb of the world.
Being the womb of the world, never departing
from the eternal power of the Tao,
you become as an infant once again: immortal.
To know the bright and yet hold to the dull
is to be the example for the world.
Being the example for the world, not deviating
from the everlasting power of the Tao,
you return to the infinite once again:
limitless
To know honor and yet keep to humility
is to be the valley for the world.
Being the valley for the world,
rich with the primal power of Tao,
you return once again to simplicity,
like uncarved wood.
Allow Tao to carve you into a vessel for Tao.
Then you can serve the world without
mutilating it.
The Tao te Ching, Lao Tzu
All life is your own,
All fruits of the earth are fruits of the womb,
Your union, your dance.
Lady and Lord,
We thank –you for blessings and abundance
Join with us, Feast with us, Enjoy with us!
Blessed Be.
Starhawk
prayer to quan yin - claudia l'amoreaux
I am bowing my headIn the eye of the Mother who gave me birth,In the eye of the Maiden who loves me,In the eye of the Crone who guides me in wisdom,
In friendship and affection.
Through thy gift of nature, O Goddess,Bestow upon us fullness in our need.
Love towards the Lady,The affection of the Lady,The laughter of the Lady,The wisdom of the Lady,The passion of the Lady,The blessing of the Lady,And the magic of the Lady
To do in the world of Abred,As the Ageless Ones do in Gwynfyd;
Each shade and light,Each day and night,Each moment in kindness,Grant us Thy Sight.
carmina gadelica - ancient celtic oral tradition
This new Bible shall be writtenOn the hearts of all mankind,Not by pen or book,But by acts of Love.For to Love as She doesIs to truly know who He is.The unchanged truth is eternal lifeFor all, without exception.For no longer do we wander lost in the Word,But live the word in eternal life.
justina m. pernetter
Yet determination and persistence without surrender and humility are like wild horses, undisciplined and unfocused. True desire involves the pursuit of longing though the practice of giving ones self over to God.
Teresa of Avila
The most intense form of courageous humility is surrender of will, for it operates on a determined faith that there is something greater than the individual self.
Not submissiveness, but an expression of self-knowlwdge and self-worth, the soul surrenders itself “with true confidence.” Julian of Norwich says “whether it be seeking or contemplating … [it] taught me to understand that the soul’s constant search pleases God greatly. For it cannot do more than see, suffer, and trust.”
The idea or practice of surrender does not function in Teresa’s thought to repeat the passivity or the dainty submissiveness of women[“s traditional roles]. Instead it is an empowering recognition of what it means to commit to inner fidelity - to a truth that takes away women’s subordination and restores their equality. Seldom in life do we give ourselves so totally and fully to the one necessary thing – to find the true self and to know God. Beverly Lanzetta
The early years of the great painter Paul Cezanne were difficult and his career was, from the very start, troubled with frequent rejection and failure. His family considered him peculiar and were unsupportive of his art.
After much family turmoil in his younger years, his father gave him a small allowance and he left for Paris where he worked alone and ignored.
Another painter Camille Pissarro became his mentor both lending him moral support, and influencing his palette. Cezanne, in a relatively short time period, switched from dark tones to bright colors.
Cezanne produced beautiful works as an unknown painter for many, many years. His commitment to, and passion for, his art was strong and unwavering and he did not strive for fame or even lesser recognition.
One day, a French art dealer happened to see the masterpieces of Cezanne. He was so impressed that he collected several of the paintings and arranged an exhibition in his gallery. Visitors to the dealer's gallery were stunned as they saw for the first time the works of the unknown master.
The story goes that Cezanne arrived at the gallery and was also stunned. He had never before seen his work featured and admired this way. He walked around looking at his paintings, leaning on his son for support. Slowly he turned his head and looked at his son in surprise and awe. Cezanne then said, "They have put them in frames!"
To know the masculine and yet to cleave to the
feminine is to be the womb of the world.
Being the womb of the world, never departing
from the eternal power of the Tao,
you become as an infant once again: immortal.
To know the bright and yet hold to the dull
is to be the example for the world.
Being the example for the world, not deviating
from the everlasting power of the Tao,
you return to the infinite once again:
limitless
To know honor and yet keep to humility
is to be the valley for the world.
Being the valley for the world,
rich with the primal power of Tao,
you return once again to simplicity,
like uncarved wood.
Allow Tao to carve you into a vessel for Tao.
Then you can serve the world without
mutilating it.
The Tao te Ching, Lao Tzu
All life is your own,
All fruits of the earth are fruits of the womb,
Your union, your dance.
Lady and Lord,
We thank –you for blessings and abundance
Join with us, Feast with us, Enjoy with us!
Blessed Be.
Starhawk
10-7-07 HUMILITY
Holy Mystery
As we join together this morning in the light of your presence,
we are reminded that we are all one in the divine heart.
May this longing for oneness transform our world.
May our hearts be opened, in the very depths where we find you, God,
May our hearts be open to the glorious expression of your love found in all our religions and spiritual traditions.
You speak to us, Holy Mystery, in this diversity, and we are enriched and humbled by the breadth and depth of your Words.
May our gathering together this morning signify our hopes for the harmony of our planet, the alleviation of suffering, food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, and respect for the poor. May this flame be a testimony of our willingness to struggle together toward the peace of inclusiveness, loving all and embracing all in the family of creation.
Amen.
Life is a lesson in humility.
James Mathew Barrie
We often confuse humility with timidity. Humility is not clothing ourselves in an attitude of self-abasement or self-denigration. Humility is all about maintaining our pride about who we are, about our achievements, about our worth – but without arrogance – it is the antithesis of hubris, that excessive, arrogant pride which often leads to the derailment of [many] as it does with the downfall of the tragic hero in Greek drama. It’s about a quiet confidence without the need for a meretricious selling of our wares. It’s about being content to let others discover the layers of our talents without having to boast about them. It’s a lack of arrogance, not a lack of [assertiveness] in pursuit of achievement.
Bruna Martinuzzi
The Toddler’s Creed
If I want it, it’s mine.
If I give it to you, then change my mind, it’s mine.
If I can take it away from you by force, it’s mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
If we are playing with something together, then all the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like the one I used to have at home, it’s mine.
A sign in a nursery school
Walking a spiritual path . . . means that we are trying to be a little less toddler-like. Lama Surya Das
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to anunderstanding of ourselves.-- C.G. Jung
An epoch will come when people will disclaim kinship with us as we disclaim kinship with the monkey. Kahil Gibran
Humility cannot be an observance by itself, For it does not lend itself to being deliberately practiced. It is, however, an indispensable test of ahimsa, non-harm. In one who has ahimsa in him it becomes a part of his very nature. … To cultivate humility is tantamount to cultivating hypocrisy ….
Gandhi
The King's Humility
One day a sage came to a King for an interview. The sage had to wait for a long time because the King was very busy. Finally, the King said he could come in.
When the sage entered the hall, the first thing he did was to take off his hat and bow to the King. Immediately the King took off his crown and bowed to the sage. The ministers and others who were around the King asked, "What are you doing? He took off his hat because he is an ordinary man. But you are the King. Why should you have to take off your crown?"
The King said to his ministers, "You fools, do you think I wish to remain inferior to an ordinary man? He is humble and modest. His humility is a peerless virtue'. He showed his respect to me. If I did not take off my crown, then I would be showing less humility than an ordinary man, and I would be defeated by him. I f I am the King, I should be better than everybody in everything. That is why I took off my crown and bowed to him!”
Hindu story
Directly if we imagine ourselves to be something, there is egotism. If a man who keeps observances is proud of keeping them, they will lose much, if not, all of their value. And a man who is proud of his virtue, then becomes a curse to society. … Our existence as embodied beings is purely momentary. What are 100 years in eternity? But if we shatter the chains of egotism and melt into the ocean of humanity, we shall share its dignity. . .
How is it possible to cultivate humility? It develops of itself if we understand the spirit of our observances. Can anyone who aspires to follow truth ever be a proud man?
Gandhi
In humility is the greatest freedom.
As long as you have to defend the imaginary self that you think is important, you lose your peace of heart. As soon as you compare that shadow with the shadows of other people, you lose all joy, because you have begun to trade in unrealities and there is no joy in things that do not exist.
thomas merton
In his acclamation, “You are humility," Francis establishes the theological foundation of minority. Francis chose humility as the chief characteristic of his brotherhood because humility characterizes the self-revelation of God: Though he [Christ Jesus] was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness (Phil 2:6-7).
A liberated soul knows that he is not the doer. He knows and feels that he is a mere instrument for the higher power. It is this awareness that enables him to be a channel for divine light. A liberated soul does not deal with his own individual will and individual freedom; he seeks only to be a channel for the Divine Will.
"Because I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me." - Jesus Christ [1]
This humility is only possible when a person has subdued his ego. When our ego is predominant we feel that we are the doer. But, if we transcend the dominance of the ego, we learn true humility. This state of consciousness gives does not give us a sense of superiority, but oneness with others. Because of his sense of identification with others a liberated soul will never feel better than others.
"A real spiritual Master will never think that he is superior to anybody. He will feel that it is his bounden duty to be of service to the divinity, to the Supreme in humanity."
Sri Chinmoy
At birth a person is soft and yielding,
at death stiff and hard.
All beings, the grass, the trees:
alive, soft and yielding
dead, stiff and hard.
Therefore the hard and inflexible
are friends of death.
The soft and yielding
are friends of life.
An unyielding army is destroyed.
An unbending tree breaks.
The hard must humble itself
or be otherwise humbled.
The soft will ultimately ascend.
The Tao te Ching, Lao Tzu
The greatest achievement is selflessness.The greatest worth is self-mastery.The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.The greatest precept is continual awareness.The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.The greatest generosity is non-attachment.The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.The greatest patience is humility.The greatest effort is not concerned with results.The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.
Atisha
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (KJV, Matthew 5:5-9)
As we join together this morning in the light of your presence,
we are reminded that we are all one in the divine heart.
May this longing for oneness transform our world.
May our hearts be opened, in the very depths where we find you, God,
May our hearts be open to the glorious expression of your love found in all our religions and spiritual traditions.
You speak to us, Holy Mystery, in this diversity, and we are enriched and humbled by the breadth and depth of your Words.
May our gathering together this morning signify our hopes for the harmony of our planet, the alleviation of suffering, food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, and respect for the poor. May this flame be a testimony of our willingness to struggle together toward the peace of inclusiveness, loving all and embracing all in the family of creation.
Amen.
Life is a lesson in humility.
James Mathew Barrie
We often confuse humility with timidity. Humility is not clothing ourselves in an attitude of self-abasement or self-denigration. Humility is all about maintaining our pride about who we are, about our achievements, about our worth – but without arrogance – it is the antithesis of hubris, that excessive, arrogant pride which often leads to the derailment of [many] as it does with the downfall of the tragic hero in Greek drama. It’s about a quiet confidence without the need for a meretricious selling of our wares. It’s about being content to let others discover the layers of our talents without having to boast about them. It’s a lack of arrogance, not a lack of [assertiveness] in pursuit of achievement.
Bruna Martinuzzi
The Toddler’s Creed
If I want it, it’s mine.
If I give it to you, then change my mind, it’s mine.
If I can take it away from you by force, it’s mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
If we are playing with something together, then all the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like the one I used to have at home, it’s mine.
A sign in a nursery school
Walking a spiritual path . . . means that we are trying to be a little less toddler-like. Lama Surya Das
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to anunderstanding of ourselves.-- C.G. Jung
An epoch will come when people will disclaim kinship with us as we disclaim kinship with the monkey. Kahil Gibran
Humility cannot be an observance by itself, For it does not lend itself to being deliberately practiced. It is, however, an indispensable test of ahimsa, non-harm. In one who has ahimsa in him it becomes a part of his very nature. … To cultivate humility is tantamount to cultivating hypocrisy ….
Gandhi
The King's Humility
One day a sage came to a King for an interview. The sage had to wait for a long time because the King was very busy. Finally, the King said he could come in.
When the sage entered the hall, the first thing he did was to take off his hat and bow to the King. Immediately the King took off his crown and bowed to the sage. The ministers and others who were around the King asked, "What are you doing? He took off his hat because he is an ordinary man. But you are the King. Why should you have to take off your crown?"
The King said to his ministers, "You fools, do you think I wish to remain inferior to an ordinary man? He is humble and modest. His humility is a peerless virtue'. He showed his respect to me. If I did not take off my crown, then I would be showing less humility than an ordinary man, and I would be defeated by him. I f I am the King, I should be better than everybody in everything. That is why I took off my crown and bowed to him!”
Hindu story
Directly if we imagine ourselves to be something, there is egotism. If a man who keeps observances is proud of keeping them, they will lose much, if not, all of their value. And a man who is proud of his virtue, then becomes a curse to society. … Our existence as embodied beings is purely momentary. What are 100 years in eternity? But if we shatter the chains of egotism and melt into the ocean of humanity, we shall share its dignity. . .
How is it possible to cultivate humility? It develops of itself if we understand the spirit of our observances. Can anyone who aspires to follow truth ever be a proud man?
Gandhi
In humility is the greatest freedom.
As long as you have to defend the imaginary self that you think is important, you lose your peace of heart. As soon as you compare that shadow with the shadows of other people, you lose all joy, because you have begun to trade in unrealities and there is no joy in things that do not exist.
thomas merton
In his acclamation, “You are humility," Francis establishes the theological foundation of minority. Francis chose humility as the chief characteristic of his brotherhood because humility characterizes the self-revelation of God: Though he [Christ Jesus] was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness (Phil 2:6-7).
A liberated soul knows that he is not the doer. He knows and feels that he is a mere instrument for the higher power. It is this awareness that enables him to be a channel for divine light. A liberated soul does not deal with his own individual will and individual freedom; he seeks only to be a channel for the Divine Will.
"Because I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me." - Jesus Christ [1]
This humility is only possible when a person has subdued his ego. When our ego is predominant we feel that we are the doer. But, if we transcend the dominance of the ego, we learn true humility. This state of consciousness gives does not give us a sense of superiority, but oneness with others. Because of his sense of identification with others a liberated soul will never feel better than others.
"A real spiritual Master will never think that he is superior to anybody. He will feel that it is his bounden duty to be of service to the divinity, to the Supreme in humanity."
Sri Chinmoy
At birth a person is soft and yielding,
at death stiff and hard.
All beings, the grass, the trees:
alive, soft and yielding
dead, stiff and hard.
Therefore the hard and inflexible
are friends of death.
The soft and yielding
are friends of life.
An unyielding army is destroyed.
An unbending tree breaks.
The hard must humble itself
or be otherwise humbled.
The soft will ultimately ascend.
The Tao te Ching, Lao Tzu
The greatest achievement is selflessness.The greatest worth is self-mastery.The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.The greatest precept is continual awareness.The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.The greatest generosity is non-attachment.The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.The greatest patience is humility.The greatest effort is not concerned with results.The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.
Atisha
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (KJV, Matthew 5:5-9)
Quotes 9-30-07 HOPE
Come, Come, Whoever you are.
Wanderer, Worshiper,
Lover of leaving – it doesn’t matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vows
A hundred times, a thousand times
Come, come again, come
Rumi
A brother asked one of the elders: What good thing shall I do, and have life thereby? The old man replied: God alone knows what is good. However, I have heard it said that someone inquired of Father Abbot Nisteros the great, the friend of Abbot Anthony, asking: What good work shall I do? And that he replied: “Not all works are alike. For Scripture says that Abraham was hospitable, and God was with him. Elias loved solitary prayer, and God was with him. And David was humble, and God was with him. Therefore, whatever you see your soul to desire according to God, do that thing, and you shall keep your heart safe.
Wisdom of the Desert Fathers
Do I believe in a decadent state (or society)? How am I passively guided by it? How do I depend on accepted conventional values?
Am I prepared to seek my own true self, in Christ? And to reject my false self, fabricated under social compulsion?
What does my false self look like? What social compulsions have fabricated it?
[What do you give up to belong?]
What does my true self look like? What do I need to realize it?
Have I freely chosen my [own] way to God? Or have I inherited it from others who mapped it out beforehand? What is an appropriate balance between these two?
How much do I conform? Am I courageous enough to be different? To follow the secret, hidden, inscrutable will of God for me?
Am I hospitable like Abraham? Humble like David? Do I love solitary prayer like Elias? [Or is my path something altogether different?}
Since God is the authority, and apart from [the Divine’s] manifest will there are few or no principles, what do I see [my] soul to desire according to God?
Thomas Merton
How is it they live for eons in such harmony –
the billions of stars –
when most men can barely go a minute
without declaring war in their mind against someone they know.
There are wars where no one marches with a flag though that does not keep casualties from mounting.
Our hearts irrigate this earth.
We are fields before
each other.
How can we live in harmony?
First we need to
know
we are all madly in love
with the same
God.
St. Thomas Aquinas
It has been told, that during the reign of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, there lived a certain Haidar Ali Jan. His father, Iskandar Khan, wanted to gain the patronage of the Sultan, so he sent Haidar Ali away to study spirituality under the guidance of a well known sage.
After Haidar Ali had mastered various exercises and spiritual recitals, taught in the Sufi schools, his father took him before Sultan Mahmud.
"Mighty Sultan Mahmud," said Iskandar Khan, "I have had my eldest and most intelligent son specially trained in the ways of the Sufi, so that he might be given a good position in your court, knowing that you are a patron of learning!"
Sultan Mahmud did not look up, but just said, "Bring him back in a year!"
Slightly disappointed, but maintaining high hopes, Iskandar Khan sent Haidar Ali to study the works of the great Sufis of the past and to visit the shrines of the ancient masters, so that he would be better prepared the following year.
The next year, when he took Haidar Ali back to Sultan Mahmud's court, he said, "Your Majesty, my son has covered long and difficult journeys and is now more knowledgeable in Sufi history and classical spiritual exercises. Please have him tested, so it can be proven that he will be a wonderful asset to your court."
"Let him," said Sultan Mahmud without hesitation, "return after another year!"
Over the next twelve months, Haidar Ali crossed the Amu Darya river and visited Bukhara and Samarqand, Qasr-i-Arifin and Tashkent, Dushambe and the turbats of the Sufi saints of Turkestan.
When he returned to the court, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna took one look at him and said, "He may care to come back after a year!"
Haidar Ali made the pilgrimage to Mecca that year. He then traveled to India and in Persia he consulted rare books and never missed an opportunity to seek out and pay his respects to the great dervishes of the time.
When he returned to Ghazna, Sultan Mahmud said to him, "Now select a sheikh (teacher) if he will have you, and come back in a year!"
Another year was over and Iskandar Khan prepared to take his son to the court, however, this time Haidar Ali showed no interest in going before the Sultan. He sat at the feet of his sheikh in Herat and nothing that his father could say would move him.
"I have wasted my time and money, and my son has failed the tests imposed by Sultan Mahmud," Iskandar Khan cried to his family and friends. He decided to abandon his great plans for Haidar Ali and left him alone with his sheikh.
The day preset for Haidar Ali to present himself at the court came and went. Sultan Mahmud said to his courtiers, "Prepare for a journey to Herat, for there is someone in that city I have to meet."
When Sultan Mahmud's entourage entered Herat to the sound of drums and trumpets, Haidar Ali and his sheikh were sitting in a garden sanctuary near by. Sultan Mahmud and his courtier Ayaz, approached the sanctuary and took off their shoes in respect.
"Welcome, Sultan Mahmud," said the Sufi sheikh, and he pointed to Haidar Ali and said, "Here is the man who was nothing while he was a visitor at your court, but now, he is worthy of a visit from a king. Take him as your Sufi counselor, for he is ready!"
Note: This is a true story from the life and studies of Hiravi also called, Haidar Ali Jan, the Sage of Herat!
We must adjust our trials to ourselves,and not ourselves to our trials.--John of the Cross
It is your destiny to see as God sees,
to know as God knows,
to feel as God
feels.
How is this possible? How?
Because divine love cannot defy its very self.
Divine love will be eternally true to its own being,
and its own being is giving all it can,
at the perfect
moment.
And the greatest gift
God can give us is His own experience.
Every object, every creature, every man, woman, and child
has a soul and it is the destiny of all
to see as God sees,
to know as God knows,
to feel as God feels,
to Be
as God
Is.
Meister Eckhardt
I am the wind on the sea.I am the wave of the sea.I am the bull of seven battles.I am the eagle on the rock.I am a flash from the sun.I am the most beautiful of plants.I am a strong wild boar.I am a salmon in the water.I am a lake in the plain.I am the word of knowledge.I am the head of the spear in battle.I am the God that puts fire in the head.Who spreads light in the gathering on the hills?Who can tell the ages of the moon?Who can tell the place where the sun rests?
druid - song of amergin
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,And what I assume you shall assume,For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.I loafe and invite my soul,I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.My tongue, every atom of my blood, form'd from this soil, this air,Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same,I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,Hoping to cease not till death.Creeds and schools in abeyance,Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten,I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard,Nature without check with original energy.
verse 1 - song of myself - Walt Whitman
Amazing grace! How sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like me.I once was lost, but now am found,Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,And grace my fears relieved.How precious did that grace appearThe hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snaresI have already come;'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus farAnd grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to meHis word my hope secures;He will my shield and portion be,As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,and mortal life shall cease,I shall possess within the veil,A life of joy and peace.
When we've been there ten thousand yearsBright shining as the sun,We've no less days to sing God's praiseThan when we've first begun.
traditional hymn - John Newton - ± 1760 c.e.
May I be happy, well and peaceful.May my parents, grandparents and ancestors be happy, well and peaceful.May my brothers and sisters, my spouse and children, my grandchildrenand all future generations be happy, well and peaceful.May all my friends and all my enemies be happy.May all human beings sharing the earth be happy.May all forms of life, plants, animals, birds, fish and insects be happy.May all sentient beings in the universe be happy.May we all be free from suffering and pain.May we all be free from attachment of greed, anger and ignorance.May we all attain perfect peace and happiness of Enlightenment throughBuddha's Wisdom and Compassion.
loving kindness meditation - reverend t. Kenjitsu Nakagaki
Wanderer, Worshiper,
Lover of leaving – it doesn’t matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vows
A hundred times, a thousand times
Come, come again, come
Rumi
A brother asked one of the elders: What good thing shall I do, and have life thereby? The old man replied: God alone knows what is good. However, I have heard it said that someone inquired of Father Abbot Nisteros the great, the friend of Abbot Anthony, asking: What good work shall I do? And that he replied: “Not all works are alike. For Scripture says that Abraham was hospitable, and God was with him. Elias loved solitary prayer, and God was with him. And David was humble, and God was with him. Therefore, whatever you see your soul to desire according to God, do that thing, and you shall keep your heart safe.
Wisdom of the Desert Fathers
Do I believe in a decadent state (or society)? How am I passively guided by it? How do I depend on accepted conventional values?
Am I prepared to seek my own true self, in Christ? And to reject my false self, fabricated under social compulsion?
What does my false self look like? What social compulsions have fabricated it?
[What do you give up to belong?]
What does my true self look like? What do I need to realize it?
Have I freely chosen my [own] way to God? Or have I inherited it from others who mapped it out beforehand? What is an appropriate balance between these two?
How much do I conform? Am I courageous enough to be different? To follow the secret, hidden, inscrutable will of God for me?
Am I hospitable like Abraham? Humble like David? Do I love solitary prayer like Elias? [Or is my path something altogether different?}
Since God is the authority, and apart from [the Divine’s] manifest will there are few or no principles, what do I see [my] soul to desire according to God?
Thomas Merton
How is it they live for eons in such harmony –
the billions of stars –
when most men can barely go a minute
without declaring war in their mind against someone they know.
There are wars where no one marches with a flag though that does not keep casualties from mounting.
Our hearts irrigate this earth.
We are fields before
each other.
How can we live in harmony?
First we need to
know
we are all madly in love
with the same
God.
St. Thomas Aquinas
It has been told, that during the reign of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, there lived a certain Haidar Ali Jan. His father, Iskandar Khan, wanted to gain the patronage of the Sultan, so he sent Haidar Ali away to study spirituality under the guidance of a well known sage.
After Haidar Ali had mastered various exercises and spiritual recitals, taught in the Sufi schools, his father took him before Sultan Mahmud.
"Mighty Sultan Mahmud," said Iskandar Khan, "I have had my eldest and most intelligent son specially trained in the ways of the Sufi, so that he might be given a good position in your court, knowing that you are a patron of learning!"
Sultan Mahmud did not look up, but just said, "Bring him back in a year!"
Slightly disappointed, but maintaining high hopes, Iskandar Khan sent Haidar Ali to study the works of the great Sufis of the past and to visit the shrines of the ancient masters, so that he would be better prepared the following year.
The next year, when he took Haidar Ali back to Sultan Mahmud's court, he said, "Your Majesty, my son has covered long and difficult journeys and is now more knowledgeable in Sufi history and classical spiritual exercises. Please have him tested, so it can be proven that he will be a wonderful asset to your court."
"Let him," said Sultan Mahmud without hesitation, "return after another year!"
Over the next twelve months, Haidar Ali crossed the Amu Darya river and visited Bukhara and Samarqand, Qasr-i-Arifin and Tashkent, Dushambe and the turbats of the Sufi saints of Turkestan.
When he returned to the court, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna took one look at him and said, "He may care to come back after a year!"
Haidar Ali made the pilgrimage to Mecca that year. He then traveled to India and in Persia he consulted rare books and never missed an opportunity to seek out and pay his respects to the great dervishes of the time.
When he returned to Ghazna, Sultan Mahmud said to him, "Now select a sheikh (teacher) if he will have you, and come back in a year!"
Another year was over and Iskandar Khan prepared to take his son to the court, however, this time Haidar Ali showed no interest in going before the Sultan. He sat at the feet of his sheikh in Herat and nothing that his father could say would move him.
"I have wasted my time and money, and my son has failed the tests imposed by Sultan Mahmud," Iskandar Khan cried to his family and friends. He decided to abandon his great plans for Haidar Ali and left him alone with his sheikh.
The day preset for Haidar Ali to present himself at the court came and went. Sultan Mahmud said to his courtiers, "Prepare for a journey to Herat, for there is someone in that city I have to meet."
When Sultan Mahmud's entourage entered Herat to the sound of drums and trumpets, Haidar Ali and his sheikh were sitting in a garden sanctuary near by. Sultan Mahmud and his courtier Ayaz, approached the sanctuary and took off their shoes in respect.
"Welcome, Sultan Mahmud," said the Sufi sheikh, and he pointed to Haidar Ali and said, "Here is the man who was nothing while he was a visitor at your court, but now, he is worthy of a visit from a king. Take him as your Sufi counselor, for he is ready!"
Note: This is a true story from the life and studies of Hiravi also called, Haidar Ali Jan, the Sage of Herat!
We must adjust our trials to ourselves,and not ourselves to our trials.--John of the Cross
It is your destiny to see as God sees,
to know as God knows,
to feel as God
feels.
How is this possible? How?
Because divine love cannot defy its very self.
Divine love will be eternally true to its own being,
and its own being is giving all it can,
at the perfect
moment.
And the greatest gift
God can give us is His own experience.
Every object, every creature, every man, woman, and child
has a soul and it is the destiny of all
to see as God sees,
to know as God knows,
to feel as God feels,
to Be
as God
Is.
Meister Eckhardt
I am the wind on the sea.I am the wave of the sea.I am the bull of seven battles.I am the eagle on the rock.I am a flash from the sun.I am the most beautiful of plants.I am a strong wild boar.I am a salmon in the water.I am a lake in the plain.I am the word of knowledge.I am the head of the spear in battle.I am the God that puts fire in the head.Who spreads light in the gathering on the hills?Who can tell the ages of the moon?Who can tell the place where the sun rests?
druid - song of amergin
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,And what I assume you shall assume,For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.I loafe and invite my soul,I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.My tongue, every atom of my blood, form'd from this soil, this air,Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same,I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,Hoping to cease not till death.Creeds and schools in abeyance,Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten,I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard,Nature without check with original energy.
verse 1 - song of myself - Walt Whitman
Amazing grace! How sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like me.I once was lost, but now am found,Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,And grace my fears relieved.How precious did that grace appearThe hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snaresI have already come;'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus farAnd grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to meHis word my hope secures;He will my shield and portion be,As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,and mortal life shall cease,I shall possess within the veil,A life of joy and peace.
When we've been there ten thousand yearsBright shining as the sun,We've no less days to sing God's praiseThan when we've first begun.
traditional hymn - John Newton - ± 1760 c.e.
May I be happy, well and peaceful.May my parents, grandparents and ancestors be happy, well and peaceful.May my brothers and sisters, my spouse and children, my grandchildrenand all future generations be happy, well and peaceful.May all my friends and all my enemies be happy.May all human beings sharing the earth be happy.May all forms of life, plants, animals, birds, fish and insects be happy.May all sentient beings in the universe be happy.May we all be free from suffering and pain.May we all be free from attachment of greed, anger and ignorance.May we all attain perfect peace and happiness of Enlightenment throughBuddha's Wisdom and Compassion.
loving kindness meditation - reverend t. Kenjitsu Nakagaki
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