Day by day
The best measuring-stick for progress is, in earlier stages, the degree of disappearance of the egos rule and, in later ones, the degree of disappearance of the ego itself.
6.8.0.2Listen 1 Apr 2022When meditation deepens into contemplation, the man penetrates the still centre of his being and there finds the best part of himself—the Overself.
4.4.1.262Listen 2 Apr 2022It is the personal ego which operates the will and tries to bring about the result. This is quite proper and pertinent on the Long Path practice. But when attention is turned away from it to the Short Path, it is no longer the will but the higher power which should be looked to for the result.
15.23.5.113Listen 3 Apr 2022A philosopher’s prayer: “That which is the ever-living presence in man: to That I turn when in trouble; on That I meditate when at rest; may That bless with its grace my entry into the other side of death.”
12.18.2.34Listen 4 Apr 2022Where do these phenomena originate? Not always from himself, but more often from outside himself, from the mysterious and unknown mind which is the soul of the universe and the ground in which all individual minds are rooted.
16.25.4.270Listen 5 Apr 2022It is inaccessible to the intellect, unknowable by ordinary egoistic man. Yet there are some into whose consciousness It has entered.
14.22.3.291Listen 6 Apr 2022The little centre of consciousness that is myself rests in and lives by the infinite ocean of consciousness that is God …
16.25.1.31, ExcerptListen 7 Apr 2022Practising mantram consists of repeating a selected word over and over, soaking oneself in it. There are three stages: (a) chanting the word out loud; (b) whispering it; (c) repeating it mentally. Then, when repetition ceases, all thoughts cease. Through this constant concentration, the mantram becomes a backdrop to one's daily life. Just as one can hum a tune while attending to other affairs, so the mantram becomes an ever present accompaniment. When one turns full attention onto it and concentrates fully upon it and then stops—all thoughts stop. This is the purpose of the mantram. This result may take weeks or months.
4.4.6.5Listen 8 Apr 2022”Ask not for healing, or longevity, or prosperity; ask only to be free!” exclaimed Vivekananda.
7.10.5.139Listen 9 Apr 2022What we know from past births does not have to be learned again from experiences of the same kind in the present birth, unless we do not know it or feel it strongly enough.
6.9.2.111Listen 10 Apr 2022From the day that he abandons the egoistic attitude, he seeks no credit, assumes no merit. Hence Lao Tzu says: “Those most advanced in Tao are the least conspicuous of men.”
12.18.4.89Listen 11 Apr 2022On the Short Path he must give no backward glances at the ego, must no longer abase himself by identifying himself with that fraudulent self. He must cling to his new attitude with the ardour of a new convert.
15.23.1.61Listen 12 Apr 2022The mystic, who knows more about the internal world than the scientist, is entitled to a hearing not less respectful than that to which the scientist is entitled because he knows more about the external world.
5.7.6.73Listen 13 Apr 2022… Effort that springs from the self and Grace that springs from beyond it are two things essential to success in this quest. The first we can all provide, but the second only the Overself can provide …
3.2.9.67, ExcerptListen 14 Apr 2022Jesus: ”Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added unto you,” and “To him that hath [enlightenment] shall be given [what he personally needs].”
2.1.1.130, ExcerptListen 15 Apr 2022Buddha found his way to Enlightenment within six years and with no guru. This is to note that the depth of concentration he used was such that he would not let go until he kept his oath and reached Nirvana. This meant not only determination but also faith that there was such a truth as Nirvana.
15.23.5.125Listen 16 Apr 2022The greatest evils of our age are not in its outward materialism but in its inward ignorance, and not in its practical inventiveness but in its mental unbalance.
13.20.1.325, ExcerptListen 17 Apr 2022A man has many burdens to bear at different times during his life, but the heaviest of them all is the burden of his own ego.
6.8.3.155Listen 18 Apr 2022To sit down for meditation with the secret expectation, the half-hidden hope, or the fully conscious desire for a dramatic glimpse, a sudden transformation, or a speedy result is to introduce the ego and thus block the way to the egoless plane of the Overself.
1.4.0.28Listen 19 Apr 2022With every thought we break the divine stillness. Yet behind all thoughts is Mind. Behind all things that give rise to thoughts is Mind.
16.28.1.10Listen 20 Apr 2022The thoughts he takes into his consciousness should be of a kind to carry him farther on his quest of the Perfect.
3.2.4.105Listen 21 Apr 2022Hindu religion worships light in its intensest form—the sun. The Hindu holy men say that the sun-bath is good for the body; if taken when its rays are mild—that is, at dawn and at dusk—it can cure the body of many diseases. They further claim this practice will re-absorb the semen into the blood stream and thus strengthen the physical body.
7.10.2.68Listen 22 Apr 2022We have to accept the fact that most people have an immense capacity for being quite comfortable within the limits of the ego, and have no wish to get away from them to a higher level.
6.8.4.130Listen 23 Apr 2022He will come to the point where he will give up the burden of always trying to do something for his spiritual development, the burden of believing that it rests entirely upon his own shoulders.
12.18.4.12Listen 24 Apr 2022The ego expresses desires and preferences, the intellect thinks and remembers, the body's sense organs experience and perceive the world outside. None of these three is the real “I”-ness of a man.
6.8.1.62Listen 25 Apr 2022The effect of his studies and meditations will slowly but surely reveal itself in his life. His world outlook will sparkle with vitality, his speech will form itself with precision, his deeds will be wise and more virtuous. For philosophy, unlike metaphysics, is not only a theory to be learned from books but even more an integral way of life to be practised in society.
13.20.1.335Listen 26 Apr 2022We come into birth as distinct persons—even babies begin to show their individual differences with characters formed already in previous existences. This is one reason why some amount of tolerance, some acceptance of one another as we are, is necessary if we are to live peaceably together.
6.9.2.62Listen 27 Apr 2022The vain man, the stupid man, or the lustful man cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. He must first be humble enough to silence the ego, intuitive enough to expose its deception, and strong enough to overcome its desires.
3.2.4.19Listen 28 Apr 2022To put an end to this constant working of the mind, this manufacture of thoughts without apparent stop, is the purpose of yoga. But by the practice of philosophy, by the utter calm, thoughts end themselves.
15.23.7.186Listen 29 Apr 2022Life remains what it is—deathless and unbound. We shall all meet again. Know what you are, and be free. The best counsel today is, keep calm, aware. Don't let the pressure of mental environment break into what you know and what is real and ultimately true. This is your magic talisman to safeguard you; cling to it. The last word is—Patience! The night is darkest before dawn. But dawn comes.
1.12.0.44Listen 30 Apr 2022
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