Spiritual Maxims

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Swami Shivananda

 

• THE ONLY WAY to lasting peace is complete surrender to the will of God. Restlessness destroys all peace of mind. When the mind becomes restless one should pray earnestly to God, for He alone is the abode of peace.
• Constant recollection of God will bring an overflowing
  blessedness.
• The only real purpose of human life is the search for
  Reality. To know the Reality we must meditate. Therefore, the spiritual aspirant should make the practice of meditation a regular habit. The early morning is the best time for spiritual practices. The sacred hours before sunrise are better than any other time of the day or night for the practice of inwardness.
• The tribulations of the world indirectly drive the mind
  toward God. The more you are troubled and tortured in the world the more you will think of God, and know it for certain that loving remembrance of God severs all our attachments to the world.
• As long as a man remains satisfied with earthly enjoyments and attainments, he has not started on the spiritual path; and when the pangs of separation from God pierce the mind, the time for God-vision is at hand.
• A true devotee asks nothing of God but pure love for
  Him. Even as a child depends entirely upon its mother, so the devout soul depends entirely upon God.
• God is with form, and also without form; again, He is
  beyond both. He transcends all our conceptions of Him. He can be meditated upon in any one of His multifarious aspects.
• When the mind is overcome by a feeling of monotony, one should resort to scriptural study, repetition of the Name of God, prayer, and holy company. But of all the means for purification and realization, meditation is the highest. Constant remembrance of God makes us "whole."
• Kindle the fire of renunciation in your heart, dive deep in the ocean of His love, then alone will spiritual experiences come.
• When you have succeeded in enshrining God within your heart you will see Him everywhere.
• Everything depends upon the Grace of God even the desire for spiritual practice. Eventually His vision too comes as a result of His blessing.
• Dreams of holy men and holy places are very auspicious. One should shun all evil association by all means.
• If you sincerely adhere to your spiritual exercises with
  faith, purity and devotion, you will surely be illumined.
• Spiritual life must be lived in absolute secrecy; publicity hinders our attempts. To give expression to divine emotions is to lessen them, and it is unwholesome. The more they are concealed, the more they are intensified.
• Be ever prayerful, then evil thoughts, even if they come to the mind, cannot linger long. A prayerful man is ever peaceful.
• The power of a divine Incarnation is infinite. Unflinching reliance on the Chosen Ideal is the religion of the devotee. For him the veil of ignorance is quickly removed.
• Liberation in life, as contrasted with liberation after death, is like standing on the threshold of a room, with one foot placed inside and the other outside. In this state everything of the inner and the outer world is visible, while in the latter state one enters the inner world and sees nothing of the outer world; the outward consciousness is totally eliminated from
  the mind.
• To think of a divine form within the heart is one kind of meditation. Imagine that the form is very gracious and is looking at you with deep affection and kindness. Such thoughts will fill the soul with love, hope and peace, and you will be blessed.
• It is the nature of the mind to become restless and unsteady at times. But we must not allow ourselves to be unsettled or upset by this. When the mind is restrained, such occasional reactions will strengthen rather than weaken it.
• Patient and regular practice is the whole secret of spiritual realization. Do not be in a hurry in spiritual life. Do your utmost, and leave the rest to God.
• Past tendencies will be uprooted and obliterated by the constant remembrance of God, and the heart will be filled with peace. The mind is stilled by His grace alone.
• The building of a pure life and character is the sole concern of the spiritual aspirant. It is the primary object of his life; everything else is secondary.
• The more you call upon God the nearer will you be to
  Him. Overflowing devotion is the only condition of His
  Grace.
• A pure and spotless life is a source of real welfare to the world. When such a life is actually lived, there is no need for oral teaching. Example is more potent than precepts.
• The Lord gives us difficulties only to test and strengthen our faith. Look to Him for help and guidance. Love all equally. Do not wound the feelings of others.
• It is difficult to turn the course of our mind towards God after it has been steeped in worldliness for so long, but if you are resolute never to abstain from thinking of Him, it will change. The Lord is most merciful. He rejects no prayer. Be regular and sincere in your daily meditation, and never allow despair to overwhelm your mind.
  
  (From 'Vedanta For the Western World', edited by Christopher Isherwood.)

 

 

 

 

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- www.vivekananda.net edited by Frank Parlato Jr.

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