thinking Thoughts...

The architect Moshe Safdie ended his TED talk with this poem:

He who seeks truth shall find beauty. He who seeks beauty shall find vanity.

He who seeks order, shall find gratification. He who seeks gratification, shall be disappointed.

He who considers himself the servant of his fellow beings shall find the joy of self-expression. He who seeks self-expression, shall fall into the pit of arrogance.

Arrogance is incompatible with nature. Through nature, the nature of the universe and the nature of man, we shall seek truth.

If we seek truth, we shall find beauty.

It never ceases to amaze me how things of this life are interwoven, while still being able to preserve a certain element of contrast. Every virtue marries another and slowly but steadily goes on to shape and mold a character. This being true for the vices as well. It's interesting how malleable we are. Our choices either make us or break us.

Religion of the Spirit...

I read these lines on the Dalai Lama's Facebook page. They are quite insightful in helping connect with humanity through a certain understanding.

1. Whatever path our activity takes, if our intentions is to make ourselves useful to others, there is a good chance our conduct will be useful; whereas activities generally considered to be good, such as the practice of religion, risk causing more harm than good if they are not motivated by a desire to help our fellow beings.

2. Love, compassion and concern for others are real sources of happiness. If you have these in abundance, you will not be disturbed even by the most uncomfortable circumstances. If you nurse hatred, however, you will not be happy even in the lap of luxury. Thus, if we really want happiness, we must widen the sphere of love. This is both religious thinking and basic common sense.

3. Some people automatically associate morality and altruism with a religious vision of the world. But I believe it is a mistake to think that morality is an attribute only of religion. We can imagine two types of spirituality: one tied to religion, while the other arises spontaneously in the human heart as an expression of love for our neighbors and a desire to do them good.

PS: I find these clowning images of the Dalai Lama so endearing! :)

In closing, I wish to say,"Philosophy lets me be the dreamer, Religion brings the law and order into thoughts (basically prevents disorientation), and Science helps me discover the effects created by a Cause - God."

Think Time!

This, on staying true to ourselves: 

Jesus Christ said,"For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?"

And this, on remembering that 'humility' is one of the key virtues:

Philosopher Michel de Montaigne said,"Even on the highest throne in the world, we are still sitting on our behinds."

Peace Be Unto Thee, Stranger

I have picked these poetic lines from a book called "The Science of Mind" by Ernest Holmes. Everytime I read these lines, I can't help but loose myself into the depths of its reflection.

Peace be unto thee, stranger, enter and be not afraid.
I have left the gate open and thou art welcome to my home.
There is room in my house for all.
I have swept the hearth and lighted the fire.
The room is warm and cheerful and you will find comfort and rest within.
The table is laid and the fruits of Life are spread before thee.
The wine is here also, it sparkles in the light.
I have set a chair for you where the sunbeams dance through the shade.
Sit and rest and refresh your soul.
Eat of the fruit and drink of the wine.
All, all is yours, and you are welcome.

Loving courage...

It is liberating to understand the thought: True love has no fear.

Just as they say,"Know the truth and it shall set you free." In the same way:

Know love with every fiber of your being, and love shall set you free.

The Lord's Prayer

My Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be Thine Infinite Existence.
May Thy kingdom come into my soul, my being. May Your kingdom fill me with it's presence.
May Your will constantly be the voice of my intuition and manifest in my life.
Dear Father, I beg that you expand within my soul. Father, I wish that You increase that I may decrease. May Thy will in my life resound in the heavens and the hells.

Oh my Father, I know that You will provide me with the sustenance in spirit to remain forever strong.
Whenever I wander away from You, bid me come back.
Help me be understanding towards those who think apart from me. Help me remain compassionate. I claim Your divine providence in this regard.
Deliver me from the false illusions that I have brought on my self through years of pre-conditioning. Help me grow into the individual that You created me to be.
Amen.

 

To enjoy the freedom in love...

I read this article in a blog: Positive Thoughts, which I follow. As I have done in the past, when I see deep truth in articles or quotations by other people I put it down here on the blog. This to establish it's permanency, and also to allow for it to remain as a constant source of inspiration.

Love

By Kent Nerburn

Too often, when love comes to people, they try to grasp the love and hold it to them, refusing to see that it is a gift freely given and a gift that just as freely moves away. When they fall out of love, or the person they love feels the spirit of love leaving, they try desperately to reclaim the love that is lost rather than accepting the gift for what it was.

They want answers where there are no answers. They want to know what is wrong with them, or they try to get their lover to change, thinking that if some small thing were different love would bloom again. They blame their circumstances. They blame each other. They try anything to give meaning to what has happened. But there is no meaning beyond the love itself, and until they accept its own mysterious ways they live in a sea of misery.

You need to treat what love brings you with kindness. If you find yourself in love with someone who does not love you, be gentle with yourself. There is nothing wrong with you. Love just doesn't choose to rest in the other person's heart.

If you find someone else in love with you toward whom you feel no love, feel honored that love came and called at your door, but gently refuse the gift you cannot return. Do not take advantage, do not cause pain. How you deal with love is how love will deal with you, and all our hearts feel the same pains and joys, even if our lives and ways are very different.

If you fall in love with another who falls in love with you, and then chooses to leave, do not try to reclaim it or to assess blame. Let it go. There is a reason and there is a meaning. You will know it in time, but time itself will choose the moment.

Remember this and keep it in your heart. You don't choose love. Love chooses you. All you can really do is accept it for all its mystery when it comes into your life. Feel the way it fills you to overflowing, then reach out and give it away. Give it back to the person who brought it to you. Give it to others who seem poor in spirit. Give it to the world around you in any way you can.

Love has its own time, its own season, and its own reasons for coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it or reason it into staying. If it chooses to leave, from your heart or from the heart of your lover, there is nothing you can do and nothing you should do. Be glad that it came to live for a moment in your life. If you keep your heart open, it will surely come again.

Thank you, oh wise one...

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

-Lao Tzu 

O love, O pure deep love, be here, be now.
Be all; worlds dissolve into your stainless endless radiance,
Frail living leaves burn with you brighter than cold stars;
Make me your servant, your breath, your core.

sufi mystic - jelaluddin rumi - 13th century