Meher Baba:
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Meher Baba- Prem Ashram, 1927, Khosro Namiranian
Swami Vivekananda- complete works:
Mantra
2 Buddhist Chants:
Sri Ramana Maharshi is coming to visit.
High quality photos- pdf files:
life_magazine_and_welling_photos
bhagavan_in_thatched_jubilee_hall
bhagavan_in_new_hall_and_nirvana_room
Parable from Ramana Maharishi
Ten foolish men forded a stream and on reaching the other shore wanted to make sure that all of them had in fact safely crossed the stream. One of the ten began to count, but while counting others left himself out. “I see only nine; we have lost one. Who can it be ?” he said. “Did you count correctly?” asked another, and did the counting himself. But he too counted only nine. One after the other, each each of the ten counted only nine, missing himself. “We are only nine, they all agreed, “but who is the missing one?” they asked themselves. Every effort they made to discover the ‘missing’ individual failed. “Whoever he is that is drowned,” said the most sentimental of ten fools, “we have lost him.”
So saying, he burst into tears, and the rest of the nine followed suit. Seeing them, weeping on the river bank , a sympathetic wayfarer inquired for the cause. They related what had happened and said that even after counting themselves several times they could find no more than nine. On hearing the story, but seeing all the ten before him, the wayfarer guessed what had happened. In order to make them know for themselves that they were really ten, that all of them had come safe from the crossing, he told them, ” Let each of you count for himself but one after the other serially, one, two three and so on, while I shall give you each a blow so that all of you may be sure of having been included in the count, and included only once. The tenth ‘missing’ man will then be found.” Hearing this, they rejoiced at the prospect of finding their “lost” comrade and accepted the method suggested by the wayfarer. While the wayfarer gave a blow to each of the ten in turn, he that got the blow counted himself aloud. ” Ten”, said the last man as he got the last blow in his turn. Bewildered, they looked at one another. We are ten, ” they said with one voice and thanked the wayfarer for having removed their grief.That is the parable. From where was the tenth man brought in? Was he ever lost? By knowing that he had been there all the while, did they learn anything new? The cause of their grief was not the real loss of any one of the ten; it was their own ignorance, rather their mere supposition that one of them was lost( though they could not find who he was) because they counted only nine.
Such is the case with you. Truly there is no cause for you to be miserable and unhappy. You yourself impose limitations on your true nature of infinite Being and then weep that you are but a finite creature. Then you take up this or that sadhana to transcend the nonexistent limitations. But if you sadhana itself assumes the existence of the limitations, how can it help you to transcend them?
Hence I say know that you are really the infinite, pure Being, the Self Absolute. You are always that Self and nothing but that Self. Therefore, you can never be really ignorant of the Self; your ignorance is merely a formal ignorance, like the ignorance of the ten fools about the “lost” tenth man. It is this ignorance that caused them grief.
Know then that true Knowledge does not create a new Being for you: it only removes your ‘ignorant ignorance’. Bliss is not added to your nature; it is merely revealed as your true natural state, eternal and imperishable. The only way to be rid of your grief is to know and be the Self. How can this be unattainable?
The Self is God. “I am” is God. If God is apart from the Self, He must be a selfless God, which is absurd. All that is required to realize the Self is to be still. What can be easier than that?
Official Sri Ramana Maharshi website is http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/.
Thich Nhat Hahn
One of the best known and most respected Zen masters in the world today, poet, and peace and human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh (called Thây by his students) has led an extraordinary life. Born in central Vietnam in 1926 he joined the monkshood at the age of sixteen. The Vietnam War confronted the monasteries with the question of whether to adhere to the contemplative life and remain meditating in the monasteries, or to help the villagers suffering under bombings and other devastation of the war. Nhat Hanh was one of those who chose to do both, helping to found the “engaged Buddhism” movement. His life has since been dedicated to the work of inner transformation for the benefit of individuals and society.
In Saigon in the early 60s, Thich Nhat Hanh founded the School of Youth Social Service, a grass-roots relief organization that rebuilt bombed villages, set up schools and medical centers, resettled homeless families, and organized agricultural cooperatives. Rallying some 10,000 student volunteers, the SYSS based its work on the Buddhist principles of non-violence and compassionate action. Despite government denunciation of his activity, Nhat Hanh also founded a Buddhist University, a publishing house, and an influential peace activist magazine in Vietnam.
Thich Nhat Hanh – No Death, No Fear – 1 of 8
Thich Nhat Hanh – No Death, No Fear – 2 of 8
Thich Nhat Hanh – No Death, No Fear – 3 of 8
Thich Nhat Hanh – No Death, No Fear – 4 of 8
Thich Nhat Hanh – No Death, No Fear – 5 of 8
Thich Nhat Hanh – No Death, No Fear – 6 of 8
Thich Nhat Hanh – No Death, No Fear – 7 of 8
Thich Nhat Hanh – No Death, No Fear – 8 of 8
Go to Thich Nhat Hahn’s website here.
Anandamayi Ma
In answer to Paramahamsa Yoganada’s question to her, “Ma, tell me a little of your life”, Anandamayi Ma replied:
Father, there is little to tell. My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came on this earth. Father, “I was the same.” I grew into womanhood, but still “I was the same.” When the family in which I had been born made arrangements to have this body married, “I was the same.” And, Father, in front of you now, “I am the same.” Even afterwards, though the dance of creation changes around me in the hall of eternity, “I shall be the same”.
“Leave aside every other thought,
Just say Hari, Hari,
Have faith in Him,
And cross the sea of world.”
Question: When will this state of unrest come to an end?
SRI MA: The fact that many of you feel concerned about it and ask: ‘When will it end?’ is also one of the ways of His Self-manifestation.
Jagat (world) means ceaseless movement, and obviously there can be no rest in movement. How could there be peace in perpetual coming and going? Peace reigns where no coming exists and no going, no melting and no burning. Reverse your course, advance towards Him then there will be hope of peace.
By your japa and meditation those who are close to you will also benefit through the helpful influence of your presence. In order to develop a taste for meditation you have to make a deliberate and sustained effort 3 just as children have to be made to sit and study, be it by persuasion or coercion. By taking medicine or having injections a patient may get well; even if you do not feel inclined to meditate, conquer your reluctance and make an attempt. The habit of countless lives is pulling you in the opposite direction and making it difficult for you – persevere in spite of it! By your tenacity you will gain strength and be moulded; that is to say, you will develop the capability to do sadhana. Make up your mind that however arduous the task, it will have to be accomplished. Recognition and fame last for a short time only, they do not accompany you when you leave this world. If your thought does not naturally flow towards the Eternal, fix it there by an effort of will.
Some severe blow of fate will drive you towards God. This will be but an expression of His Mercy; however painful, it is by such blows that one learns one’s lesson.
The obstinacy of the mind must be curbed with resoluteness. Whether the mind co-operates or not, you must be adamant in your determination to do a certain amount of practice without fail – simply because sadhana is man’s real work. For so long you have been accustomed to perform actions that fetter, therefore from sheer force of habit you feel the urge to bind yourself by activity again and again. But if you try hard for some time, you will be able to see for yourself how you are caught in your work, and that the more you engage in sadhana the quicker will be your advance.
As to self-surrender: by constantly endeavouring to live a life of self-dedication, it will come about one day. What does self-surrender mean, if not to surrender to one’s very own Self!
Keep in mind what this little daughter* of yours is asking you to do!
She wrote no books but some wrote down her words-
go here.
Music: Krishnadas
From his website-
Chanting (Kirtan) is a part of the path of Devotional Yoga.
When we see the beauty of our own being we are seeing the beauty of the Being that is the One of which we are all a part. And when we turn towards that One, love is the natural reaction of the heart.
God or Guru is an endless ocean of love truth and presence. First we may hear the distant roar of the crashing waves of the ocean and we’re drawn to that sound. As we get closer, we can smell the ocean air and taste the sweet moisture. When we reach the beach and see the ocean for the first time, we’re transfixed by the vastness and Beauty. We run and we dive in and enjoy the freedom that comes from this ecstasy. Finally we merge with that ocean of love and somehow find ourselves back on the shore, returning to ourselves so that we can share the experience with others.
Those that have returned have given us these Names of God. These Names are the sound of the surf of that Ocean of Love. They hold the power to help us find our way back to that ocean. We don’t have to create anything; we don’t have to manufacture any emotions or feelings. We can’t make it happen. It already is. All we have to do is Remember. Everyone has their own path to this beach, to the Ocean, but we all wind up in the same place. There is only one…One.
The following is an excerpt from ‘Pilgrim of the Heart’ audio series by Krishna Das:
“The words of these chants are called the divine names and they come from a place that’s deeper than our hearts and our thoughts, deeper than the mind. And so as we sing them they turn us towards ourselves, into ourselves. They bring us in, and as we offer ourselves into the experience, the experience changes us. These chants have no meaning other than the experience that we have by doing them. They come from the Hindu tradition, but it’s not about being a Hindu, or believing anything in advance. It’s just about doing it, and experiencing. Nothing to join, you just sit down and sing.”
Satsang is where people gather together to remember, to turn within and find their own inner path to the One. When we gather together to sing like this we are helping each other find our own paths. We all must travel this path by ourselves because each of us is our own path. All these paths wander on in their own way, but in truth we are all travelling together and until the last of us arrives we will all keep travelling. So let’s sing!
‘And when he sees me in all and sees all in me,
Then I never leave him and he never leaves me.
And he, who in this oneness of love
Loves me in whatever he sees,
Wherever this man may live,
In truth, he lives in me…’
Bhagavad Gita, VI:30,31
One Track Heart
PDF/ Books &Various Dharma Talks
[Ebook of Kornfields Teacher]A Tree in a Forest – A Collection of Ajahn Chah’s Similes
DaiganLueck_EnlightenmentOfTheBuddha
Chogyan Trungpa Rimpoche- The Open Way
The Origin of Suffering
The Avatamsaka Texts- (click for big picture)
Sri Sathya Sai Baba mantra audio-
scandals aside…
Om
Sufi saint: Shirdi Sai Baba-
untainted
From Wikipedia article:
Sai Baba of Shirdi (September 28, 1838 – October 15, 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba (Marathi: शिर्डीचे श्री साईबाबा,Urdu: شردی سائیں بابا), was an Indian guru, yogi, and fakir who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim devotees as a saint. Hindu devotees consider him an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. Many devotees believe that he was a Sadguru, an enlightened Sufi Pir (Urdu: پیر), or a Qutub. He is a well-known figure in many parts of the world, but especially in India, where he is much revered.
Sāī is of Sanskrit origin, meaning “Sakshat Eshwar” or the divine. The honorific “Baba” means “father; grandfather; old man; sir” in Indo-Aryan languages. Thus Sai Baba denotes “holy father” or “saintly father”.
His parentage, birth details, and life before the age of sixteen are obscure, which has led to speculation about his origins.
Sai Baba had no love for perishable things and his sole concern was self-realization. He remains a very popular saint,[2] and is worshipped by people around the world. He taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, and devotion to God and guru. Sai Baba’s teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam: he gave the Hindu nameDwarakamayi to the mosque he lived in,practiced Hindu and Muslim rituals, taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions, and was buried in a Hindu temple in Shirdi. One of his well known epigrams, “Sabka Malik Ek ” (“One God governs all”), is associated with both the Bhagavad-Gita and Sufism. He always uttered “Allah Malik“ (“God is King”).
Though the debate over his Hindu or Muslim origins continues, many of his practices point more to his being a Muslim: believing in the unity of God, reciting Al-Fatiha and other Qur’anic readings at Muslim festival times, listening to hamds and qawwali twice daily,practicing Salah (Namaz), wearing clothing reminiscent of a Sufi fakir, eating meat, and abstaining from alcohol. A mosque still stands in Shirdi, a place in which he once lived and continued to visit regularly. According to Purdom, when Kulkarni Maharaj requested Upasni Maharaj to pay a visit to Sai Baba, Upasni replied ‘Why should I go to a Muslim?’
more to come-
be careful with Kali…
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