Guest guest Posted April 30, 2001 Report Share Posted April 30, 2001 "When a man has been granted constant prayer, it will mean that he has reached the summit of all virtues & has become the abode of the Holy Spirit; for a man who has not wholly received this grace of the Comforter cannot keep this prayer in his heart with joy. Therefore it is said that when the Holy Spirit comes to live in a man, he never ceases to pray, for then the Holy Spirit constantly prays in him (Romans 8:26). Then prayer never stops in a man's soul, whether he is asleep or awake. In eating or drinking, sleeping or doing something, even in deep sleep his heart sends forth without effort the incense & sighs of prayer. Then prayer never leaves him, but at every hour, even if externally quiet, it continues secretly to act within. This is why someone has called the silence of the pure bearers of Christ ~ prayer; for their thoughts are Divine movements, & the movements of mind & heart that are pure are meek voices by which they secretly sing praises to the One who is in secret." Saint Isaac the Syrian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 30, 2001 Report Share Posted April 30, 2001 colette [colette] "When a man has been granted constant prayer, it will mean that he has reached the summit of all virtues & has become the abode of the Holy Spirit; for a man who has not wholly received this grace of the Comforter cannot keep this prayer in his heart with joy. Therefore it is said that when the Holy Spirit comes to live in a man, he never ceases to pray, for then the Holy Spirit constantly prays in him (Romans 8:26). Then prayer never stops in a man's soul, whether he is asleep or awake. In eating or drinking, sleeping or doing something, even in deep sleep his heart sends forth without effort the incense & sighs of prayer. Then prayer never leaves him, but at every hour, even if externally quiet, it continues secretly to act within. This is why someone has called the silence of the pure bearers of Christ ~ prayer; for their thoughts are Divine movements, & the movements of mind & heart that are pure are meek voices by which they secretly sing praises to the One who is in secret." Saint Isaac the Syrian ========= MADHAVA ADDS TO THE ABOVE :-) ====== Lord Krishna From Bhagawad Gita: pralapanvisR^ijangR^ihNannunmishhannimishhannapi . indriyaaNiindriyaartheshhu vartanta iti dhaarayan.h .. 5\.9.. brahmaNyaadhaaya karmaaNi saN^ga.n tyak{}tvaa karoti yaH . lipyate na sa paapena padmapatramivaambhasaa .. 5\.10.. kaayena manasaa bud.hdhyaa kevalairindriyairapi . yoginaH karma kurvanti saN^ga.n tyak{}tvaatmashuddhaye .. 5\.11.. "I do nothing at all, " thus would the harmonised knower of Truth think seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing, (8)Speaking, letting go, seizing, opening and closing the eyes --- convinced that the senses move among the sense-objects. (9) He who does actions, offering them to BRAHMAN, abandoning attachment, is not tainted by sin, just as a lotus leaf remains unaffected by the water on it. ahaM sarvasya prabhavo mattaH sarvaM pravartate . iti matvaa bhajante maaM budhaa bhaavasamanvitaaH .. 10\.8.. mach{}chittaa madgatapraaNaa bodhayantaH parasparam.h . kathayantashcha maa.n nitya.n tushhyanti cha ramanti cha .. 10\.9.. teshhaa.n satatayuk{}taanaaM bhajataaM priitipuurvakam.h . dadaami buddhiyogaM taM yena maamupayaanti te .. 10\.10.. teshhaamevaanukampaarthamahamaGYaanajaM tamaH . naashayaamyaatmabhaavastho GYaanadiipena bhaasvataa .. 10\.11.. I am the Source of All; from Me everything evolves; understanding thus, the "wise, " endowed with 'loving consciousness' worship Me. (8) With their minds wholly resting in Me, with their senses absorbed in Me, enlightening one another, and ever speaking of Me, they are satisfied and delighted. (9)To the ever-steadfast, worshipping Me with love, I give the "BUDDHI YOGA, " by which they come to Me. (10)Out of mere compassion for them, I, dwelling within their hearts, destroy the darkness born of ignorance by the luminous Lamp-of-Knowledge. (11) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 30, 2001 Report Share Posted April 30, 2001 what seems to work for me is inner chanting... my Guru has recorded chanting of the mantra in various ragas that evoke the feeling of love. These chants or japa are easier for me to chant than just dry syllables.... sometimes I do like a monotone chant as well though... Sometimes I am able to come up with a melody or scale that goes well with the mantra... makes it easier to chant all the time... I believe that chanting the mantra with Love is a very high practice and eventually, it chants itself... you just listen... It is hard to chant the mantra all the time if I am stuck in self centered thinking.... Then, there is the ajapa japa.... ajapa japa is the unrepeated mantra.... a familiar mantra is So Ham... on the outbreath, So, on the inbreath Ham.... the mantra is mixed with the breath... but when silent, one can listen to the sound of the breath... Since we don't control our breath really.... we let go and breathing happens... or... we let go and let God breathe.... to listen to the sound of the breath is to listen to God repeating the mantra. in the Guru Gita, it is said that the Guru is surrounded by the petals Ham and Sa... I believe this means the Guru or inner silence is surrounded by the sound of the incoming and outgoing breath. the problem I have with this is falling asleep... so asana is required... a straight spine... my main obstacle to meditation besides thinking is sleeping.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 30, 2001 Report Share Posted April 30, 2001 > the problem I have with this is falling asleep... so asana is > required... a straight spine... my main obstacle to meditation > besides thinking is sleeping.... Neither one is or should be an obstacle. Both are natural phenomena. Thoughts indicate some purification going on. Sleep will come if the body is tired. Meditate more when you wake up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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