Look inside

 

A beggar had been sitting by the side of the road for thirty years.
One day a stranger walked by."Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar.
"I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. Then he asked: "What's that you're sitting on?"
"Nothing, " replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I've been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.
"Ever look inside?," asked the stranger.
"No," said the beggar. "What's the point, there's nothing in there."
"Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The beggar, reluctantly, managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.
I am that stranger who has nothing to give you and who is telling you to look inside. Not inside any box, as in the parable, but somewhere even closer: inside yourself.

 

Eckhart Tolle

Gleðilegt sumar - Sannleikurinn

 

Sannleikurinn er ekki í bókum, og ekki einu sinni í góðum bókum, heldur í mönnum sem hafa gott hjartalag.

 

Halldór Laxness  

Zen-fyrirlestur laugardaginn 21. apríl kl. 10

 

 

 

Hugleiðing um Zen

Helga Kimyo Jóakimsdóttir

laugardag 25. apríl kl. 10:00

 

 

www.zen.is

Karma Yoga - The secret is to forget yourself

 

There is no greater yoga than Karma Yoga. From morning to evening you are doing some action, so everything can be Karma Yoga. Everything should be yogic, from the minute you start brushing your teeth to the minute you go to bed. For Karma Yoga there is no time limit, every time is the right time. You can do it anywhere: inside the church, outside the church, in the street, at home, on the train, on the plane, wherever you are. You become a constant practitioner. You are a yogi throughout the day, throughout your life.

Subramuniya Bharati, a great and saintly poet who lived in India earlier in this century wrote, "The essence of scriptures is Karma Yoga. That alone can save us. Service, service, service, that is enough for us." Mere service alone is enough for your yogic or spiritual practice. Even if you don't have time to meditate or do asanas, it doesn't matter. If you have an opportunity to do Karma Yoga, do that first. Through Karma Yoga your heart, mind and body will soon be cleaned. It even takes care of your health. When you serve well, you get real hunger; you eat well, you digest well, and you sleep well. There's peace in the mind and ease in the body.

You can practice all the other yogas with ease, but the most difficult one is Karma Yoga, because the ego will pop up at every moment. But the secret is to forget yourself, to place yourself last and put others first. Then Karma Yoga will be easy. You will be the happiest person.

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi.

 

Sri Swami Satchidananda

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.

 

Enlightenment is like the
moon reflected on the water.
The moon does not get wet,
nor is the water broken.
Although its light is wide and great,
the moon is reflected even
in a puddle an inch wide.
The whole moon and the entire sky
are reflected in dewdrops on the grass,
or even in one drop of water.

Dogen (1200-1253)

What is this 'seeing one's nature and becoming Buddha'?

 

A monk asks: "What is this 'seeing one's nature and becoming Buddha'?"
Daito replies: "The snow melts and the bones of the mountain appear."

 

Daito (1282-1334)

... present moment is Life itself

 

Most people treat the present moment as if it were an obstacle that they need to overcome. Since the present moment is Life itself, it is an insane way to live.

 

Eckhart Tolle

Meditation is essential for our survival, our peace, our protection.

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Meditation is essential for our survival, our peace, our protection.

Thich Nhat Hanh - The World We Have

Tao

 

The Tao is the law of nature,
Which you can't depart from even
For one instant.
If you could depart from it,
It wouldn't be the Tao.
Thus the mature person looks into
Their own heart and respects what
Is unseen and unheard.
Nothing is more manifest than the hidden;
Nothing is more obvious than the unseen.
Thus the mature person pays
Attention to what is happening
In the innermost self.

Tze-Ssu

www.dailyzen.com

Páskakveðja frá Prajnanananda (2009)

Loving and Divine Soul,

 

On the occasion of Easter and Good Friday I pray to God and masters for all of you. These days are considered holy and spiritually significant. Beginning with the Last Supper, then on Good Friday, and Easter Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, people try to remain in Christ consciousness and intensify their deep love for God. Jesus, in his short span of life, just over thirty years, and teaching for only three years, has inspired and motivated people to the spiritual path, even 2000 years later. His teachings are beautiful, metaphorical, and at the same time, practical. His life was filled with love, compassion, and service.

 

During human civilization many incarnations, prophets, saints, and sages have enriched human life. Nevertheless, many people are not able to understand their teachings and accept that although God is one, there can be many paths to know and love God. There are apparent and visible differences and diversities, but many people become fanatic and dogmatic. In the past it was not easy to communicate due to distance and apparent differences, but now in modern times with information technology we can easily communicate and have dialogues and spread the message of unity easily. We must relinquish apparent differences through understanding and love. The Mahabharata says:

 

shrutir vibhinna smritayas ca bhinna
naiko munir yasya vacah pramanam
dharmasya tattwam nihitam guhayam
mahajano yena gatah sa panthah
        – Mahabharata, Vanaparva, 3:12:315

 

“There are many Vedas and other holy books, law books. There is not a single holy man who has the same view as another. The secret of dharma, spirituality, is hidden. That is the path directed by the realized.”

 

When people realize the ultimate truth, differences disappear; there is only unity. This experience of truth needs sincere and committed practice for inner transformation. Practical spirituality results in the manifestation of love, tolerance, and compassion towards God's creation. This is the time to engender peace and harmony by eliminating apparent differences.

 

Jesus, the prince of peace, led an exemplary life of sacrifice to redeem human misery. He is still watching each one of us to see whether we have understood His message and brought it into our lives. This is the time to love Him with prayer, meditation, and selfless service.

 

On this holy occasion I perceive His presence in every breath, and I humbly request you all to pray and meditate with love and devotion. Do not waste time. Try to change your lives.

 

Again, I am praying for all of you.

 

With Love,
Prajnanananda
Easter, 2009