Guest guest Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Namah Shivaya, After reading a few of the recent posts, I have been struck by how critical we can be of our selves, how negative we can be in our comments about ourselves, and how this might be Self defeating. Could it be (for us westerners) the result of being raised in a Judeo- Christian society? Could it be that now that our Beloved Amma has found us we can shift to another way of investigating our behavior, motives, vasanas, that does not require judgement, just observation? Could it be that we are not the sinners that our culture has told us that we are? Amma says: "Mother has already sought God's forgiveness for your faults. There is nothing in particular that you need to do. It is enough if you meditate well." Awaken Children Part 1 "When he goes on thinking and saying that he is a sinner or is weak, he will become unable to undertake any kind of useful work. Ups and downs are the nature of life and are unavoidable. An individual who thinks that he is weak or is a sinner will collapse before them. A sinner is one who does not have the mental strength to confront the problems of life. No doubt he will become weaker and weaker if he continues thinking 'I am weak, I am a sinner. I cannot do anything, I cannot accomplish anything in life.' Whereas, he will gain more mental strenght to face the challenges of life if he thinks, 'I am not a sinner, nor am I ignorant or weak. I am strong, I am the Supreme Self or I am protected by God, I am His child.'" Awaken Children Part 2 Paramahansa Yogananda said, "When you analyze what you are, have a firm desire to banish your weaknesses and to make yourself what you ought to be. Don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed with discouragement at the revelation of your shortcomings that honest self analysis usually brings." Man's Eternal Quest In BE As You Are, The Teachings of Sri Raman Maharshi it says, "Instead of attributing suffering to the consequence of wrong actions or to the will of God, Sri Ramana taught that it only arises because we imagine that we are separate individuals interacting with each other and with the world. He said that wrong actions compound the suffering, and are therefore to be avoided, but they are not its orignial cause. It is the mind that creates the illusion of separateness and it is the mind that suffers the consequences of its illusory inventions. Suffering is thus a product and consequence of the discriminative mind; when the mind is eliminated, suffering is found to be non-existent." Sri Vivekananda said, "Teach men of the strength that is already within them. Instead of telling them that they are sinners, Vedanta takes the opposite position and says, 'You are pure and perfect, and what you call sin does not belong to you.'" The Yogas and Other Works Sri Ramakrishna said, "The wretch who constantly says, 'I am bound, I am bound' only succeeds in being bound. He who says day and night, 'I am a sinner, I am a sinner' verily becomes a sinner. "One sould have such burning faith in God that one can say; 'What? I have repeated the name of God, and can sin still cling to me? How can I be a sinner any more? How can I be in bondage any more?'" The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna My goal for myself is to heed the words of all of my teachers and my Guru. I will try to observe my mind, and my behavior to gain awareness, to grow and to finally realize my true Self. Jai Ma! Omana P.S. (Re. song Amma's girl)I also think that humor has a place in this journey, and helps to lighten the load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 - Omana Ammachi Wednesday, April 28, 2004 2:49 PM We are not sinners Namah Shivaya, Omana, what a lovely reminder your post was. Thank you. Namaste, Snehalata Namah Shivaya, After reading a few of the recent posts, I have been struck by how critical we can be of our selves, how negative we can be in our comments about ourselves, and how this might be Self defeating. Could it be (for us westerners) the result of being raised in a Judeo- Christian society? Could it be that now that our Beloved Amma has found us we can shift to another way of investigating our behavior, motives, vasanas, that does not require judgement, just observation? Could it be that we are not the sinners that our culture has told us that we are? Amma says: "Mother has already sought God's forgiveness for your faults. There is nothing in particular that you need to do. It is enough if you meditate well." Awaken Children Part 1 "When he goes on thinking and saying that he is a sinner or is weak, he will become unable to undertake any kind of useful work. Ups and downs are the nature of life and are unavoidable. An individual who thinks that he is weak or is a sinner will collapse before them. A sinner is one who does not have the mental strength to confront the problems of life. No doubt he will become weaker and weaker if he continues thinking 'I am weak, I am a sinner. I cannot do anything, I cannot accomplish anything in life.' Whereas, he will gain more mental strenght to face the challenges of life if he thinks, 'I am not a sinner, nor am I ignorant or weak. I am strong, I am the Supreme Self or I am protected by God, I am His child.'" Awaken Children Part 2 Paramahansa Yogananda said, "When you analyze what you are, have a firm desire to banish your weaknesses and to make yourself what you ought to be. Don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed with discouragement at the revelation of your shortcomings that honest self analysis usually brings." Man's Eternal Quest In BE As You Are, The Teachings of Sri Raman Maharshi it says, "Instead of attributing suffering to the consequence of wrong actions or to the will of God, Sri Ramana taught that it only arises because we imagine that we are separate individuals interacting with each other and with the world. He said that wrong actions compound the suffering, and are therefore to be avoided, but they are not its orignial cause. It is the mind that creates the illusion of separateness and it is the mind that suffers the consequences of its illusory inventions. Suffering is thus a product and consequence of the discriminative mind; when the mind is eliminated, suffering is found to be non-existent." Sri Vivekananda said, "Teach men of the strength that is already within them. Instead of telling them that they are sinners, Vedanta takes the opposite position and says, 'You are pure and perfect, and what you call sin does not belong to you.'" The Yogas and Other Works Sri Ramakrishna said, "The wretch who constantly says, 'I am bound, I am bound' only succeeds in being bound. He who says day and night, 'I am a sinner, I am a sinner' verily becomes a sinner. "One sould have such burning faith in God that one can say; 'What? I have repeated the name of God, and can sin still cling to me? How can I be a sinner any more? How can I be in bondage any more?'" The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna My goal for myself is to heed the words of all of my teachers and my Guru. I will try to observe my mind, and my behavior to gain awareness, to grow and to finally realize my true Self. Jai Ma! Omana P.S. (Re. song Amma's girl)I also think that humor has a place in this journey, and helps to lighten the load. Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Links Ammachi/ b.. Ammachi c.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 29, 2004 Report Share Posted April 29, 2004 Namaste Omana, A humble thank you for opening my eyes. At Amma's Feet, Robin Omana <eveningstar8 wrote: Namah Shivaya, After reading a few of the recent posts, I have been struck by how critical we can be of our selves, how negative we can be in our comments about ourselves, and how this might be Self defeating. Could it be (for us westerners) the result of being raised in a Judeo- Christian society? Could it be that now that our Beloved Amma has found us we can shift to another way of investigating our behavior, motives, vasanas, that does not require judgement, just observation? Could it be that we are not the sinners that our culture has told us that we are? Amma says: "Mother has already sought God's forgiveness for your faults. There is nothing in particular that you need to do. It is enough if you meditate well." Awaken Children Part 1 "When he goes on thinking and saying that he is a sinner or is weak, he will become unable to undertake any kind of useful work. Ups and downs are the nature of life and are unavoidable. An individual who thinks that he is weak or is a sinner will collapse before them. A sinner is one who does not have the mental strength to confront the problems of life. No doubt he will become weaker and weaker if he continues thinking 'I am weak, I am a sinner. I cannot do anything, I cannot accomplish anything in life.' Whereas, he will gain more mental strenght to face the challenges of life if he thinks, 'I am not a sinner, nor am I ignorant or weak. I am strong, I am the Supreme Self or I am protected by God, I am His child.'" Awaken Children Part 2 Paramahansa Yogananda said, "When you analyze what you are, have a firm desire to banish your weaknesses and to make yourself what you ought to be. Don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed with discouragement at the revelation of your shortcomings that honest self analysis usually brings." Man's Eternal Quest In BE As You Are, The Teachings of Sri Raman Maharshi it says, "Instead of attributing suffering to the consequence of wrong actions or to the will of God, Sri Ramana taught that it only arises because we imagine that we are separate individuals interacting with each other and with the world. He said that wrong actions compound the suffering, and are therefore to be avoided, but they are not its orignial cause. It is the mind that creates the illusion of separateness and it is the mind that suffers the consequences of its illusory inventions. Suffering is thus a product and consequence of the discriminative mind; when the mind is eliminated, suffering is found to be non-existent." Sri Vivekananda said, "Teach men of the strength that is already within them. Instead of telling them that they are sinners, Vedanta takes the opposite position and says, 'You are pure and perfect, and what you call sin does not belong to you.'" The Yogas and Other Works Sri Ramakrishna said, "The wretch who constantly says, 'I am bound, I am bound' only succeeds in being bound. He who says day and night, 'I am a sinner, I am a sinner' verily becomes a sinner. "One sould have such burning faith in God that one can say; 'What? I have repeated the name of God, and can sin still cling to me? How can I be a sinner any more? How can I be in bondage any more?'" The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna My goal for myself is to heed the words of all of my teachers and my Guru. I will try to observe my mind, and my behavior to gain awareness, to grow and to finally realize my true Self. Jai Ma! Omana P.S. (Re. song Amma's girl)I also think that humor has a place in this journey, and helps to lighten the load. Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Ammachi/ Ammachi Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 10, 2004 Report Share Posted May 10, 2004 Thankyou for this. I felt such self forgiveness reading it. I've felt very anguished since the last 2 retreats with Amma here in Australia. I reacted against what I heard as the judgemental tone of a lot of the talks, including Amma's. I realise now I was hearing them through the ears of my own religious conditioning. I need to hear Amma's comments about selfishness, ego, etc IN THE CONTEXT OF HER LOVE FOR US. Yes, we have our faults and need to see them, observe them etc - but we are fundamentally loved, in our Mother's Universal Arms. God Bless Shane Ammachi, Robin Wilson <lilymoonjewel> wrote: > Namaste Omana, > > A humble thank you for opening my eyes. > > At Amma's Feet, > Robin > > > > Omana <eveningstar8@h...> wrote: > Namah Shivaya, > After reading a few of the recent posts, I have been struck by how > critical we can be of our selves, how negative we can be in our > comments about ourselves, and how this might be Self defeating. Could > it be (for us westerners) the result of being raised in a Judeo- > Christian society? Could it be that now that our Beloved Amma has > found us we can shift to another way of investigating our behavior, > motives, vasanas, that does not require judgement, just observation? > Could it be that we are not the sinners that our culture has told us > that we are? > > Amma says: > "Mother has already sought God's forgiveness for your faults. There > is nothing in particular that you need to do. It is enough if you > meditate well." Awaken Children Part 1 > > "When he goes on thinking and saying that he is a sinner or is weak, > he will become unable to undertake any kind of useful work. Ups and > downs are the nature of life and are unavoidable. An individual who > thinks that he is weak or is a sinner will collapse before them. A > sinner is one who does not have the mental strength to confront the > problems of life. No doubt he will become weaker and weaker if he > continues thinking 'I am weak, I am a sinner. I cannot do anything, I > cannot accomplish anything in life.' Whereas, he will gain more > mental strenght to face the challenges of life if he thinks, 'I am > not a sinner, nor am I ignorant or weak. I am strong, I am the > Supreme Self or I am protected by God, I am His child.'" Awaken > Children Part 2 > > Paramahansa Yogananda said, > "When you analyze what you are, have a firm desire to banish your > weaknesses and to make yourself what you ought to be. Don't allow > yourself to be overwhelmed with discouragement at the revelation of > your shortcomings that honest self analysis usually brings." Man's > Eternal Quest > > In BE As You Are, The Teachings of Sri Raman Maharshi it says, > "Instead of attributing suffering to the consequence of wrong actions > or to the will of God, Sri Ramana taught that it only arises because > we imagine that we are separate individuals interacting with each > other and with the world. He said that wrong actions compound the > suffering, and are therefore to be avoided, but they are not its > orignial cause. It is the mind that creates the illusion of > separateness and it is the mind that suffers the consequences of its > illusory inventions. Suffering is thus a product and consequence of > the discriminative mind; when the mind is eliminated, suffering is > found to be non-existent." > > Sri Vivekananda said, > "Teach men of the strength that is already within them. Instead of > telling them that they are sinners, Vedanta takes the opposite > position and says, 'You are pure and perfect, and what you call sin > does not belong to you.'" The Yogas and Other Works > > Sri Ramakrishna said, > "The wretch who constantly says, 'I am bound, I am bound' only > succeeds in being bound. He who says day and night, 'I am a sinner, I > am a sinner' verily becomes a sinner. > > "One sould have such burning faith in God that one can say; 'What? I > have repeated the name of God, and can sin still cling to me? How can > I be a sinner any more? How can I be in bondage any more?'" > The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna > > My goal for myself is to heed the words of all of my teachers and my > Guru. I will try to observe my mind, and my behavior to gain > awareness, to grow and to finally realize my true Self. > > Jai Ma! > Omana > P.S. (Re. song Amma's girl)I also think that humor has a place in > this journey, and helps to lighten the load. > > > > > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! > > > > > Links > > > Ammachi/ > > > Ammachi > > Terms of Service. > > > > > > Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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