[SufiMystic] Your True Companion, The Self Within

[Guest guest]

Beautiful Paul. Thanks.

Jan

 

At 3/8/2002-01:12 AM bondzai wrote:

>MINISTER'S MESSAGE

>Your True Companion: The Self Within

>Contemplate the teachings. Gain a vision of the exalted spiritual

>being that you truly are.

>BY Swami Chidvilasananda

>

>With great respect, with great love, I weLcome you with all my heart.

>In the sacred text called the Atmabodha the great sage Shankaracharya

>says: " When a seeker hears the Truth and contemplates it, the fire of

>knowledge is kindled within. Then, freed from impurities, he shines

>like gold. "

>

>The teachings that you hear from the great ones and the scriptures

>ignite a beneficial fire within. This fire is beneficial because of

>what it begins to burn away: painful thoughts, unresolved feelings,

>dampening emotions and the old tenacious grudges you have been

>lugging around for years. It is the Truth blazing in the teachings

>that reduces your useless tendencies to ashes.

>

>The more you contemplate the teachings, the more they enter you. As

>you examine their worth attentively and try to apply them,

>increasingly you see their impact on your life. You come to

>understand their incredible power, which enables you to uphold

>dharma, to live a life of goodness. You realize how timely these

>timeless messages are for you, right now. And you begin to surrender

>to your own inner Self. This is what the teachings give you: the

>power to surrender to your Self again and again. When that happens,

>these beautiful, fruitful teachings begin to arise from within of

>their own accord. Having heard them over and over again in the

>scriptures, in satsangs, from fellow seekers, you let them anoint

>your being. And then, as the Atmabodha says, you shine like gold.

>

>The kind of life you lead when you follow the teachings, when you

>become aware of God's presence in your heart, is truly golden. You no

>longer live an ordinary life, you live a golden life. You live yoga.

>You are not just marking off the days, the weeks, the months. Each

>day becomes a beautiful garland of your contemplations, your

>unselfish deeds, profound transformations, meditations, kind

>thoughts, enlightening revelations and purposeful living. At the end

>of the day you offer this garland to the Great Lord whose glory your

>heart sings without ceasing. But it doesn't end there. Everything

>that happens in the night also becomes an offering to the Lord. Each

>day and each night become another exquisite garland for you to offer.

>

>The teachings of the sages are penetrating. Take them in. They are

>valuable. Even if you are able to grasp only a minuscule portion of

>what you hear or read, allow your heart to embrace it. Allow the

>teachings to penetrate your being. It doesn't matter if you are

>hearing a teaching for the first time or for the thousandth time,

>allow it to reveal a newer, greater meaning. Let it enter you. Then

>that tiny ray will expand and your intellect will be illumined by its

>radiance.

>

>In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells his disciple,

>Arjuna: " Truly, nothing in this world purifies like knowledge. He who

>in time becomes perfect in yoga finds this knowledge in his own

>Self. " Knowledge of the Self arises from within. As you walk the

>spiritual path, knowledge of the Self becomes your true companion. It

>stands by you. Whatever happens, whether you are joyful or sorrowful,

>whether you are making progress or being challenged by adversity,

>knowledge of the Self supports you. It steadies you and lights your

>way.

>

>This message that the scriptures give is very piercing. They want to

>take you beyond the bondage of the physical body. They want you to

>realize that the body is as transitory as a butterfly's wings, and

>that the happiness you find in it is just as short lived. Become

>aware that there is a greater happiness, they say. The wisdom of the

>Self, the light of God within--that is your true companion. When

>everything works, when nothing works, the knowledge of the Self keeps

>you anchored; it keeps you afloat. Welcome the teachings of the sages

>and scriptures wholeheartedly and generously. Give yourself to

>spiritual practices as you never have before. Embrace your true

>companion within.

>

>Have you ever seen rain falling on parched ground? Isn't it amazing

>how quickly the tender green shoots push their way to the surface? It

>can happen in the twinkling of an eye. Think of the grace of the

>teachings in the same way--as the sweetest rain falling from heaven.

>This shower of grace falls upon each moment of your life. Each moment

>is saturated with the wisdom of the teachings. Allow yourself to be

>soaked in this wisdom. Let the refreshing knowledge of the Self rise

>from the core of your being and bring forth its fruit. Truly the core

>of your being is so strong, so courageous. It is stronger than steel,

>more radiant than gold. So reach the core of your being. Don't get

>stuck at the different layers of skin, muscles and tissues; don't

>become enmeshed in the different strata of emotions and feelings.

>Keep traveling deeper and deeper within. Reach the strong core of

>your being, where you abide all of the time. Embrace your true

>companion within.

>

>Allow each moment of your day to become the embodiment of the Truth.

>Always remember that each person carries the golden light of the

>teachings. Let each object shimmer with God's message. Let each

>element of nature reveal God's magnificence, God's compassion, God's

>generosity, God's love, the Guru's unconditional love, the ecstasy of

>the heart. Be with God as He creates the days and nights and suffuses

>them with His splendor. Embrace the true companion within, the

>knowledge of your own Self, the wisdom of your own Self.

>

>With great respect, with great love, I welcome you all with all my

>heart. Sadgurunath Maharaj Ki Jay! Your own,

>

>Swami Chidvilasananda

>

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