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Spirit News Blog - Inspiration
In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad we get a most illumining description of the immortal Self and its primordial state of complete union with the all-pervading Divine consciousness.
In the Unitive state there is no suffering and pleasure, there is no birth and death; there is only a state of being.
At times the Self may incarnate in a certain body and have a dream like experience in and through this particular body. However whatever may befall this particular body, it is like a mere passing experience which leaves no lasting mark on the state of being.
Thus, when we feel I am hungry or I am in pain, what we really mean is that this particular body is hungry, this body has taken on the experience of pain. In ordinary life we perceive ourselves to be in a body, with a thinking mind and human emotion. But, this is not the real Self. At this point, the immortal words of the Bhagavad Gita throw light on the difference between the material world of impermanence and the Self's reality of absolute permanence
"Even as man discards old clothes for the new ones, so the dweller in the body, the soul, leaving aside the worn-out bodies, enters into new bodies. The soul migrates from body to body. Weapons cannot cleave it, nor fire consume it, nor water drench it, nor wind dry it." [1]
Sometimes it can be hard to find purely uplifting blog entries in the middle of the introspective maelstrom that is the blogosphere, but here are a couple of gems that have shone out recently:
- Freedom: a moment of clarity through running a marathon. Posted on Spirit Flower's blog at Zaadz.
- The most exotic animal: Serial Guiness-record-breaker Ashrita Furman describes his recent record-breaking exploits in Mongolia! Ashrita's records often have a very playful aspect to them, and this blog entry is great fun to read!
- Jellyfish concentration: A mother tries to teach her son how to concentrate, but ends up getting a lesson herself. A post from the Sri Chinmoy Inspiration Group.
- The world's oldest sub-3 marathoner: A short blog article about Ed Whitlock, who ran a 2:54 marathon at age 73
Anger
Anger says:
"I can destroy
The whole world."
Peace says:
"Not when I work
Inside you."
By: Sri Chinmoy
- Poems on Anger at Poetseers.org
Photo by Unmesh Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Related post:
- Losing Face - Gaining Wisdom - Ashrita gives an honest insight into his experience of anger and transcendence.
Many people who are on a journey of self-discovery were introduced to the possibility through reading a book which opened their eyes and made them realise there was something deeper to life than what we see on the surface.
For many people, reading these books marked the starting of their inner quest in earnest, and set off a chain of events which might even have led to them pursuing an altogether different path than the one suggested in the book; nevertheless reading the book was a crucial stepping-stone that helped them to become aware that there was more to life than what just lay on the surface.
The term 'life-changing book' is all to often little more than publisher's blurb nowadays, but there are a few books for whom this claim has held true over the years:
- The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
- The Alchemist - Paolo Coelho
These two books have a very childlike feel to them, but this childlike form lends itself for use as an allegory for bigger and deeper questions. Most memorable quote from the Little Prince: "It is only with the hear that one can see properly. What is essential is invisible to the eye."
- Autobiography of A Yogi: Paramhansa Yogananda
This book is one of the most widely-read accounts of Eastern philosophy available. In this book, the author describes his childhood spiritual experiences and remerkable spiritual figures that he has met. In particular, the chapters where he describes the guidance he recieved from his teacher, Sri Yukteshwar, is one of the best accounts of the meditation teacher-student relationship available.
- Siddhartha - Herman Hesse
A reworking of the tale of how the young prince Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, or the enlightened one. After embracing the extremes of austerity and luxury, the prince attains enlightenment throuth the middle path. Multiple Guinness record holder and long-time meditator Ashrita Furman first became interested in Eastern philosophy after reading this book, beginning a journey which was soon to lead him to his teacher, Sri Chinmoy .
Each good thought
Is the birth of
A new hope.
From 77,000 Thousand Service Trees vol 42
Photo by: Richard
Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, wrote some tremendously inspiring speeches which shaped the course of history. Jefferson was not a good public speaker and he preferred communicating through writing instead, but in this field he was probably one of the most eloquent correspondents ever.
The preamble to the Declaration of Independence is possibly the most famous of Jefferson's writings, and to this day it evokes the original spirit of the American nation:
'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness....'
The Declaration of Independence then goes on to cite a list of grievances against the British crown. among them, Jefferson wanted to include the following denunciation of slavery:
'He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither...'
The Secrets of Happiness by Jogyata Dallas
The quest for lasting happiness lies at the very heart of all human purpose and experience, though this much desired attainment is sought in many different ways. Among the ways that have proven successful a number of recurring themes are evident.
The perennial philosophies of our spiritual teachers urge self-perfecting, the inner way, while most of mankind is searching in the outer world – right person, right possessions, right place.
Here are a few pointers that work:
Start Within
A huge wealth of highly credible literature and teachings concur that happiness is first of all an inner accomplishment, not just a series of circumstances. Prayer, contemplation, quiet time, simply sitting with peaceful music, the practice of inner stillness, all help in developing understanding, balance, an inner harmony and poise. Happiness arises out of these practices like the fragrance of a flower.
Visualise Your Day
Take five minutes at the start of each day to visualize what you intend to accomplish – prepare the mind, your life energy, and burst into your day with vigour, intensity, calm resolve and joy. Every day we create our world with our mind – our moods, emotions, attitudes and consciousness. Train the mind and fill it with inspiration and positive energies, self-faith, the bright colours of your heart and soul.
By: Vidagdha Bennett
"Ultimately everything becomes boring," begins philosopher Sri Chinmoy in a poem from 1973. And who can deny it? The tedium of a long plane flight, of waiting in a queue, of following the same routine day after day, of seeing the same faces, all bring home to us the fact that we easily become bored not only with what we are doing but, essentially, with our own company. The solution, argues Sri Chinmoy, is not necessarily to change our outer circumstances but to radically change our inner attitude. He explains further:
"Every day the sun rises. Every morning we can look at the sun, if we are lucky enough to have a clear day. Although it is the same sun that is rising, every day we can see a new beauty inside the sun. Our mind is telling us that it is the same sun that we saw yesterday and the day before yesterday. But when the heart sees this same sun, there is tremendous joy, tremendous thrill, tremendous ecstasy.
Quotes from Swami Atmachaithanya
Start your day with love
Spend your day with love
Love everyone you meet
Show love and compassion to all
Love is the sole purpose of your being
And is the key to the inner vision of God.
God is always with us
But we are not always with God
That is why we suffer.
By: Swami Atmachaithanya
From: Atmachaithanya.org
Via: Inspirations and Creative Thoughts - blog of Sadiq
Photo by Pranlobha Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Video footage of Sri Ramana Maharshi
"Nearly all mankind is more or less unhappy
because nearly all do not know the true Self.
Real happiness abides in Self-knowledge alone.
All else is fleeting.
To know one's Self
is to be blissful always."
"Happiness is your nature.
It is not wrong to desire it.
What is wrong is seeking it outside
when it is inside. "
- Ramana Maharshi
Pilgrimage to Aladja Monastery Varna, Bulgaria by: Dr Vidagdha Bennett.
Aldja monastery
In 1928, just north of Varna, in a vast and hilly tract of forest, a most remarkable discovery was made. There, in a steep rock face that rises parallel to the Black Sea coastline, a series of interconnecting caves and indentations had been scalloped out of the white limestone.
The topmost tier, some forty metres above the ground, held a small, enclosed chapel, its walls and ceiling covered with frescoes of great vibrancy and intensity. The middle tier contained what had clearly been monks’ cells, while traces of a common kitchen and even a burial crypt were on the lowest level.
It was speculated that a small order of Christian monks belonging to the hesychastic tradition, had sought refuge here during the Ottoman occupation of Bulgaria in the 13th and 14th centuries, although the caves themselves were thought to have been sculpted as early as the 4th century BC.
Speech from World Parliament of Religions
"It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects..."
Such is a Saint
When the heart burns at the sufferings of others,
That is God's own heart.
When eyes strain to see others happy,
Through them God Himself sees.
When hands toil for others' relief,
These hands move only by God's will.
When the tongue sings His Name,
That voice is the voice of God.
Such is a Saint - God's own image!
By: Swami Ramdas
Photo by Ranjit Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Swami Ramdas was born Vittal Rao in a devout Hindu home in Kerala, South India. His father initiated him into the use of a mantra Rama. This repitition of Rama transformed his life into a great God seeker and God lover
Ramana Maharshi
Happiness of Being is a new website developed by Michael James and dedicated to the great Spiritual Master Ramana Maharshi .
"Happiness lies deep within us, in the very core of our being. Happiness does not exist in any external object, but only in us, who are the consciousness that experiences happiness. Though we seem to derive happiness from external objects or experiences, the happiness that we thus enjoy in fact arises from within us."
- From: Happiness of Being website
An article about a world record set by Ashrita Furman for balancing the longest pole on your chin.
Aspendos – what magic and charm are to be found in that name! Fifty kilometres east of Antalya, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, lies this masterpiece of the ancient world. In AD 162, out of the granite bedrock, the Roman architect Zeno crafted an amphitheatre which could seat 12,000 spectators – a perfect acoustic and visual shell. From tiers of ascending marble seats, people could watch dramas, pageants and heroic athletic feats.
The Awakening Age
O ye who travel the meridian line,
May the vision of a new world within you shine.
May eyes that have lived with poverty's rage,
See through to the glory of the awakening age.
For we are all richly linked in hope,
Woven in history, like a mountain rope.
Together we can ascend to a new height,
Guided by our heart's clearest light.
When perceptions are changed there's much to gain,
A flowering of truth instead of pain.
There's more to a people than their poverty;
There's their work, wisdom, and creativity.
Along the line may our lives rhyme,
To make a loving harvest of space and time.
Copyright Ben Okri, 1999
By: Ben Okri
More Poems of Ben Okri
Photo by Phoolanjaya Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
An African Elegy
We are the miracles that God made
To taste the bitter fruit of Time.
We are precious.
And one day our suffering
Will turn into the wonders of the earth.
There are things that burn me now
Which turn golden when I am happy.
Do you see the mystery of our pain?
That we bear the poverty
And are able to sing and dream sweet things.
And that we never curse the air when it is warm
Or the fruit when it tastes so good
Or the lights that bounce gently on the waters?
We bless the things even in our pain.
We bless them in silence.
That is why our music is so sweet.
It makes the air remember.
There are secret miracles at work
That only Time will bring forth.
I too have heard the dead singing.
And they tell me that
This life is good
They tell me to live it gently
With fire, and always with hope.
There is wonder here
And there is surprise
In everything the unseen moves.
The ocean is full of songs.
The sky is not an enemy.
Destiny is our friend.
By: Ben Okri
Photo by Phoolanjaya Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Cosmic Consciousness
I have wrapped the wide world in my wider self
And Time and Space my spirit's seeing are.
I am the god and demon, ghost and elf,
I am the wind's speed and the blazing star.
All Nature is the nursling of my care,
I am its struggle and the eternal rest;
The world's joy thrilling runs through me, I bear
The sorrow of millions in my lonely breast.
I have learned a close identity with all,
Yet am by nothing bound that I become;
Carrying in me the universe's call
I mount to my imperishable home.
I pass beyond Time and life on measureless wings,
Yet still am one with born and unborn things.
By: Sri Aurobindo
Photo By: Phoolanjaya from: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Prayer
Great God, I ask for no meaner pelf
Than that I may not disappoint myself,
That in my action I may soar as high
As I can now discern with this clear eye.
And next in value, which thy kindness lends,
That I may greatly disappoint my friends,
Howe'er they think or hope that it may be,
They may not dream how thou'st distinguished me.
That my weak hand may equal my firm faith
And my life practice what my tongue saith
That my low conduct may not show
Nor my relenting lines
That I thy purpose did not know
Or overrated thy designs.
Photo from: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Thought of the Day by Sanjaya Spettigue.
In this episode of "Thought Of The Day", Sanjaya Spettigue reflects on the legacy and contribution of George Harrison, one of the Beatles, whose genuine interest in Eastern philosophy influenced a whole generation.
- Listen Now
- Thought of the Day is hosted at Radio Sri Chinmoy
Because I could not stop for Death
by: Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labour, and my leisure too,
For his civility.
We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.
Since then 'tis centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.
By: Emily Dickinson.
Photo by Unmesh Swanson Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
young boy buddha from nepal
Quite an interesting story, a little outdated now but still worth mentioning.
A young boy by the name of Ram Bomjan decided to meditate under a tree continuously for several months. His followers claimed that during this time he didn't take any food or water. When his activities were observed by a Nepalese government team who gained permission to observe the boy continually for 48 hours. They found that to their amazement, he did remain rigid and focused in meditation.
Back in March he disappeared, perhaps because of all the interest he was receiving. Many locals believe he has gone to meditate in peace away from the glare of the media spotlight.
Poem - Hope
Hope, my pilot-star, hope
I have seen your face.
I have felt your heart.
Therefore
In ignorance-night
I shall no more grope.
Hope, my pilot-star, hope
You are humanity's peerless rope
For human souls to climb
God's transcendental height.
By: Sri Chinmoy
From: Excerpt from Eternity's Breath by Sri Chinmoy.
Photo b yRichard Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Who is it That Suffers?
Sri Anandamayi Ma
"Who is it that loves and who that suffers?
He alone stages a play with Himself.
The individual suffers because he perceives duality.
Find the One everywhere and in everything
and there will be an end to pain and suffering."
Poem - The World
by: Sa'adi
The world, my brother! will abide with none,
By the world's Maker let thy heart be won.
Rely not, nor repose on this world's gain,
For many a son like thee she has reared and slain.
What matters, when the spirit seeks to fly,
If on a throne or on bare earth we die?
Poem By: Saadi
Photo by Sharani Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Edgar Cayce in 1910
Edgar Cayce was mystic who offered many "channelled readings" he hoped would be of spiritual benefit.
"Over a lifetime of giving at least two reading a day, Cayce branched out into discourses on the individual soul's journey ("life-readings" detailing an individual's past incarnations, personality, talents and karma), predictions of the future, and the origin and spiritual destiny of man and his relationship with God. The topics and answers given were only limited to the intention, imagination and need of the person asking them."
The Story of Edgar Cayce By Thomas Sugrue from John's Log
Edgar Cayce at Amazon.com
Quotes on Transformation
"Neither an individual effort nor an individual abnegation can bring about the transformation of your consciousness.
This transformation is possible only by the descent of a Higher Light. "
"Both the descent of Truth into the lower nature and the ascent of the lower nature into the higher Truth are capable of solving the problem of problems, the illumination of human consciousness. They are equally effective and have an equal speed. "
"Be Universal in your love.
You will see the universe to be the picture of your own being. "
Quotes By: Sri Chinmoy
From: Excerpt from Eternity's Breath by Sri Chinmoy.
Photo by Kamalika Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Quotes by R.W. Emerson
"The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common."
" What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. "
"People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. "
"Is it so bad to be misunderstood?
Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton,
and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh."
By:Ralph Waldo Emerson
Photo by Jogyata Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
One Earth - 26000km - 2 years - 1 runner
Jesper Olsen is the first person to have successfully completed the unique feat of running around the world. Beginning on the 1st of January, 2004, from the Greenwich time meridian in London; Jesper successfully circumnavigated the world finishing nearly 2 years later in October 2005, in London. During his epic run of 26,000 Km Jesper kept a detailed log and even participated in local ultra distance runners. His extraordinary experiences have now been produced into a book. It is an epic tale of self transcendence and inspiration to others - World Run
Jesper Olsen is now preparing for World Run 2 which could be over 40,000 Km
The Children's Hour
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Between the dark and the daylight,
When the- night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the days occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.
I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet
...
View: Video of Poem being Recited at You Tube
click more for rest of poem
"Affirm divine calmness and peace, and send out only thoughts of love and goodwill if you want to live in peace and harmony. Never get angry, for anger poisons your system. Try to understand people who cross you, and whenever anybody tries to inflame you, mentally say: “I am too comfortable to be angry. I don’t want to be sick with anger.”
Quotes from Inner peace
Photo by Phoolanjaya Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
A very interesting article in business week. Modern business leaders are increasingly looking to the wisdom of India for practical solutions to creating a successful business. There is a growing realisation that a successful business does not have to compromise its principles. In fact an "ethical" business which seeks to promote the well being of its workers and consumers can actually be a very successful business model.
" THE ANCIENT SPIRITUAL wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita seems at first like an odd choice for guiding today's numbers-driven managers. Also known as Song of the Divine One, the work relates a conversation between the supreme deity Krishna and Arjuna, a warrior prince struggling with a moral crisis before a crucial battle. One key message is that enlightened leaders should master any impulses or emotions that cloud sound judgment. Good leaders are selfless, take initiative, and focus on their duty rather than obsessing over outcomes or financial gain. "The key point," says Ram Charan, a coach to CEOs such as General Electric Co.'s (GE) Jeffrey R. Immelt, "is to put purpose before self. This is absolutely applicable to corporate leadership today."
Read more Karma Capitalism at Businessweek.com
Modern life with all its distractions and features seems particularly unsuited to silence. Even if we have actual outer silence our mind is rarely silent. If we analyse our thoughts there seem to be a never ending stream of worries, anxieties, and regrets.
In meditation we try to do a very difficult thing - silence our thoughts completely. It is difficult only because we are so unused to this idea. The mind is so used to thinking that it is easy to think our existence is defined by our thoughts and this must be our only existence. To quote the famous saying of Descartes “I think therefore I am” However meditation teaches that what we are is unencumbered by thoughts. The real “I” is our self which is beyond thought.
Time
Is everywhere
Precious.
Do not waste time
Thinking of a better future
The futures is here –
In the heart of
Here and Now.
Poems By: Sri Chinmoy
Photo by Kamalika Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Danny Goldfield has set out to photograph a child from every country in the world (194 countries) However they must all live in New York city. Danny Goldfield says the project seeks to celebrate the universality of people from different countries.
Directed by Bristol Baughan, Reason Pictures. Editing by Lindsay Utz, Public Media Works. Director of Photography, Evan Savit...
See also NY Children The project is currently about 70% complete. See some of the pictures on this site.
Sri Aurobindo was a poet, philosopher and Spiritual Master.
In Sri Aurobindo’s early life he threw himself heart and soul into politics and the Indian independence Movement.
However at various times and particularly during a spell in prison, very powerful spiritual experiences came to Sri Aurobindo. These spiritual illuminations encouraged him to leave the political struggle to others and concentrate only on his future spiritual mission.
Extract from Play on Sri Aurobindo
(Bombay. After his address at a meeting of the Bombay National Union, Aurobindo returns to the residence of a friend. Standing on a balcony he looks out on the city.)
Aurobindo: “I see the whole busy movement of Bombay as a picture in a cinema-show, all unreal and shadowy. The entire material world is quite unsubstantial, void. Ever since I had the experience of the vacant state of Nirvana the silent Infinite alone has become real to me.”
enter Lele
- From “Descent of the Blue” – A Play by Sri Chinmoy on the life of Sri Aurobindo
See Bande Mataram translated by Sri Aurobindo.
See: Biography of Sri Aurobindo
"...We see the Pyramids from several miles away, as they rise up behind the palm trees, looking very sharply defined, altogether splendid, awe-inspiring and simultaneously very soft and veiled. They floated in a thick haze, which took from them every appearance of lifeless stone and made them seem merely like airy creatures from a dream - things which, even as we watched, would turn into rows of indistinct arches, or perhaps delicate columns and ever and again transformed themselves into all the lovely forms of architecture, only then to fade delightful away and melt into the trembling air. "
By:Mark Twain (1)
Photo by: Zbigniew Kosc
My Country Awake
Where the mind is without fear and the head held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action; Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
- Tagore Poems at Poetseers
- Listen To Martin Sheen Recite "My Country Awake" by Tagore at Wired For Books
I enjoyed watching these highlights of the first years series.
- Inspiration News Highlights Podcast at Sri Chinmoy TV