Guest guest Posted July 11, 2001 Report Share Posted July 11, 2001 Hi Dave -- Yup! :-) " Silence is the best teacher, " quothe the Absurd Guru. " Yes, I'm being very silent " said the Clown-Prince. " Let's meditate to really appreciate the silence " , said the Spirited Buffoon. " This silence just gets deeper and deeper " , said the Avatar of Silliness... " VRRROOOOOOOMMMM!!! " thundered the Wide-Awake Jet as it silently took off for parts Unknown ... Love, Dan Hi Dan, >Remaining silent for even one instant -- >a million years of penance now will not suffice ... Yes when there is no 'one' to remain silent silence is, on the other hand 'one' has to do penance. Your language is ever so articulate, if only a couple of these law-yers (liar-yers) could learn a thing or two here. (hope none d to this list!) ~dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2001 Report Share Posted July 11, 2001 Bhakti Sutras Verse 9 tasminnananyata tadvirodhisudasinata ca Inner stillness, furthermore, requires a single hearted intention, and disinterest in what is antagonistic to spiritual devotion. For people without spiritual orientation, life is a bevy of activity that turns hither and yon with no unifying thread. This is true even for one who develops a purpose in life related to family, career, or adventure of some type. Even the most relatively noble or exciting of these temporal activities will prove dissatisfying because their reward is ultimately, limited. Furthermore, because the goals themselves are finite, likewise will be the enthusiasm and desire. It is a beautiful fact of nature that no one can eternally maintain ambition for that which is not eternal. The resolution for the frustration of limited drives and rewards is the transformation of all motivation into a single-hearted devotion to God and the evaluation of undertakings in relation to the furtherance or hindrance of this goal. Upon first mention this may sound like a tremendous undertaking to the novice, but the development of devotion is such that the process is generally gradual and natural, like all of nature's processes. The unification of motives occurs as a result of one's continuing enjoyment of the peace and joy arising from devotion. It may seem like a great undertaking to blanket the earth with snow, but each snowflake falls from the sky in a graceful, effortless decent, unconcerned with the result of its tenure once it reaches the ground. Udasinata, " disinterest " is used in contradistinction to a word meaning " renunciation " which one might expect to find. This indicates the natural manner in which those aspects of life that support suffering for oneself and others - selfish, ego-based aspects - lose their flavor once one tastes the sweetness of love of God. Their is no poetic fancy. Many who begin yoga practice with a deep rooted stress neuroses, and addictions discover themselves letting go of these past burdens because they discover something that they enjoy even more - their true Self. Most people are unhappy because they do not like being who they are. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to renounce pleasure without having a substitute. If one's life is so unsatisfying that an unhealthy activity brings a shred of happiness, it is nigh impossible to give it up unless something that brings greater happiness can be enjoyed in its stead. A parable may be illuminating. A lion cub was left on its own when its parents were killed. The cub got caught up with a flock of sheep and lived with them, developing all of their habits. One day while hunting, a great lion saw the cub with the sheep and asked why he was living with them. Why was he leading such a small limited life when, after all, he was the king of the jungle? The cub didn't notice what the lion was saying, so the lion took him to a water hole and had him look at his reflection. The cub was astonished to find out how strong and beautiful he was. Then the lion demonstrated to the cub how to roar. At first the cub could only emit squeaky growls, but before long he was roaring away. He then happily left the sheep and went to live the full life that was his birthright. The Yoga of Spiritual Devotion ~ Narada Bhakti Sutras Inner Traditions International Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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