Guest guest Posted July 25, 1999 Report Share Posted July 25, 1999 In a message dated 7/25/99 8:37:19 AM Pacific Daylight Time, vivekananda writes: << May be it is better to leave flowers on the plants than pluck them and put them on a plate in front of God? But I admit I have offered flowers to Sri Ramakrishna many a times --- I have ignored his advise! What to do? >> I think the whole matter comes down to where we are in our hearts. If our hearts are pure and we make our offerings from a Spirit of love, that is what counts. If our hearts are pure, there is no way in the world that we could possibly kill an animal or offer it as a sacrifice. Love is the answer. Do everything with love, and there is never a need to question our intention. I put flowers on my altar as an offering of love to our beloved teachers. There is no evil or malicious intent. I might add that applies to the way in which we communicate with one another on this listserv also. Do we share from a place of love? That is the question we must seek to answer in ALL of our interactions with others. Blessings and Love, Jody Hoelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 25, 1999 Report Share Posted July 25, 1999 >May be it is better to leave flowers on the plants than pluck them and put >them on a plate in front of God? But I admit I have offered flowers to Sri >Ramakrishna many a times --- I have ignored his advise! What to do? Friends, This post was very touching. It raises a few thoughts: Is not everything " in front of God " ? Or even " in " God or " of " God? Without going into an endless discussion of what the meaning of the word " God " could possibly be, isn't it the truth that nothing could exist outside of " God " ? What of intent and motivation? If it is agreed that most human actions are performed out of ignorance (the illusion of seperation), then what of the sentiment behind those actions? If one is acting out of the highest ideals they can conceive of at that moment, would that not have some sort of bearing on the karma that is being set into motion? Is it not all a matter of where one's consciousness is directed? And is it not true that all consciousness eventually returns to it's source, thereby revealing the fact that it was always one with the source (as this dimension of time and space is illusory)? These are but questions inspired by and offered to my honorable brothers and sisters. Namaste, Thomas Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 26, 1999 Report Share Posted July 26, 1999 Dear Jay, It seems to me that Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda) suggested plucking the flowers growing face down or behind the outside flowers of a bush for offering at the shrine, so that the outer flowers remain as offerings to the Divine at large. Edith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 To sacrifice for others is the greatest thing that one can do. Swami always says that selfless service is like a Big tree — help it grow and water it, when the tree grows everyone will enjoy it because everyone has seen the tree from the beginning, they have cared for it, and when it blossoms they feel happy. That is real Dharma. The basis of dharma is Yajna — to sacrifice. Always Give what Little you have to others. - Swami Download prohibited? No problem. CHAT from any browser, without download. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.