into the ocean of Thy Life,
and loses itself in bliss." - Yogananda
Quotes
The following are inspirational quotes from Paramahansa Yogananda:
Change yourself and you have done your part in changing the world...
You do not have to struggle to reach God, but you do have to struggle to
tear away the self-created veil that hides Him from you...
Nothing is impossible unless you think it is...
In the vault of the mind lie all the chains of bondage,
as well as the key to freedom...
Though your errors be as deep as the ocean,
the soul itself cannot be swallowed up by them...
Is a diamond less valuable because it is covered with mud?
God sees the changeless beauty of our souls.
He knows we are not our mistakes...
Happiness depends to some extend upon external conditions,
but chiefly upon mental attitudes...
Essentially, conditions are neither good nor bad;
they are always neutral, seeming to be either depressing
or encouraging because of the sad or bright attitude
of the mind of the individual concerned with them...
Avoid a negative approach to life...
Change your thoughts if you wish to change your circumstances.
Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts,
only you can change them.
You want to change them when you realize
that each thought creates according to its own nature...
To live for the self is the source of all misery...
Have only love in your heart for others.
The more you see the good in them,
the more you will establish good in yourself...
Open your eyes, O blind one!
See how tiny your bird of ego is.
Close your physical eyes
and keep your spiritual eyes
Wide open in the sunlight
of new understanding.
See how big YOU are!
Spread over Infinity
and Eternity...
Other Inspirational Quotes:
The secret of physical wellbeing lies in the realization
of divine life and divine love.
- Emmet Fox
Breathe deeply and no one can put you in a cage.
- Daniel Odier
Everything is saturated with the Divine;
Nothing can be removed from the Divine.
If you realize that, you grasp the true Tantric spirit.
- Daniel Odier
It is only with the heart that we can see clearly.
For what is essential, is hidden from the eyes.
- The Little Prince
Emptiness is two things at once:
The absence of self and the presence of the Divine.
Thus as self decreases, the Divine increases.
- Bernadette Roberts
Who you are is absolutely unimaginable.
When you stop imagining yourself in any form,
there is a revelation that has never been spoken,
but is directly experienced.
- Gangaji
Clinging to what is dear brings sorrow.
Clinging to what is dear brings fear.
To one who is entirely free from endearment,
There is no sorrow or fear.
- The Dhammapada
The heart of forgiveness is based
in forgiving ourselves for forgetting the truth of who we are-
that we are expressions of the Divine.
- Sheri Rosenthal
For what good does it do the soul to know the Way to God,
if it will not walk in it, but goes on in a contrary path?
- Jacob Boehme
If you watch the way you use speech in your own life
you will notice that most of your speech takes you out
of the present moment into the past or future...
Words are often used as fences to keep us
from being with one another.
- Swami Ajaya
Spiritual life is essentially a life of silence.
It means learning to experience deepening,
chastening states of inner quietude.
In the Upanishads, God is described as
Shivam shantam, the essence of goodness,
the essence of silence.
- Swami Shraddahananda
The important thing is not to think much,
but to love much; and so,
do that which best stirs you to love.
- Saint Teresa of Avila
If you are seeking closeness to the Beloved,
love everyone.
Whether in their presence or absence,
see only their good.
If you want to be as clear and refreshing
as the breath of the morning breeze,
like the sun have nothing but warmth
and light for everyone.
- Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir
All those who are unhappy in the world
are so as a result of their desire for their own happiness.
All those who are happy in the world
are so as a result of their desire for the happiness of others.
- Shantideva
O, friend! Nobody veils you, but yourself.
In your path there is no thorn or weed, but yourself.
You said: Shall I reach the Beloved or not?
Between you and the Beloved there is nobody, but yourself.
- Awhadoddin Kermani
Before you ask God for what you want,
first thank God for what you have.
- Talmud, B'rachot 30b
Wisdom tells me I am nothing.
Love tells me I am everything.
Between the two my life flows.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
All the violence, fear and suffering
that exists in this world
comes from grasping at "self."
What use is this great monster to you?
If you do not let go of the "self"
there will never be an end to your suffering.
- Shantideva
Light
Will someday split you open
Even if your life is now a cage...
Love will surely bust you wide open
Into an unfettered blooming new galaxy...
A life-giving radiance will come...
O look again within yourself,
For I know you were once the elegant host
To all the marvels in creation...
From a sacred crevice in your body
A bow rises each night
And shoots your soul into God...
- Hafiz
Kindness
By Naomi Nye
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
You must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
Catches the thread of all sorrows
And you see the size of the cloth...
SHIVOHAM
(Words from Sanskrit texts – adapted by Manish Vyas)
Sachara chara para purna...Shivoham, Shivoham
I am that which prevails everywhere...complete in itself.
Nityananda Swarupa...Shivoham, Shivoham
I am Shiva; the deity of eternal bliss.
Anandoham, Anandoham, Anandoham, Anandoham
I am Joy itself…I am Bliss itself.
ANUSARA YOGA INVOCATION
OM Namah Shivaya Gurave
I bow to the goodness within myself,
the Divine Light that is Shiva,
who is the True Teacher
Sacchidananda Murtaye
Taking on the form of my highest Truth,
Consciousness, and Bliss
Nisprapancaya Shantaya
Always present and full of Peace
Niralambaya Tejase
Completely free, illuminating all
With Divine Light.
Quotes from John Friend Yoga workshops:
(Thanks to Nancy Rischard!)
Close your eyes to find the darkness
and the womb of the heart..
Become like a prayer flag
and send your Blessings
to the World...
The pulsation of Spirit
is the fundamental
essence of Self...
The simplest pulse within us
is the embodiment of the Supreme...
May we choose beauty.
May we choose that
which will create freedom
in the Heart...
Any moment that your recognize
the intrinsic goodness in Another
is a moment of Awakening...
Learn to be Receptive
and all Vibrations
will come into you.
Become a receptacle...
What are the highest fruits
Of the practice of aligning with the Divine?
- to know ourselves
- to have a deeper awareness
- to have an opening
- to bring more goodness into your life
- for greater knowledge
- to achieve Ananda
Make your practice an offering to
your teachers,
your friends,
and the parents of your past.
Everything pulses with the Supreme
- the heartbeat
- the breath
- the Universe
How do we know incompleteness
If we were never full?
Send your blessings
In all directions of the Pose..
Deep in the Heart
Is where all Love,
Compassion, and
Peace arise...
Quotes From Sianna Sherman’s Anusara Yoga Workshop, in MD, 11/07
Let go of the notions
that hold you back.
Offer it up
into the ocean of grace
which can hold this-
and let your awareness dive
into the cave of your heart
And into ignited love...
Here I am-
On this day
I will receive
Whatever the practice offers-
For this is part
Of Opening to Grace,
Which is both
The Attitude of Allowing
And the Art of Acceptance
