daily sayings december

Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:

DAILY MEDITATIONS BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

MEDITATIONS FOR

DECEMBER



BE OF STRONG NERVES – 1

An aspirant should be sensitive and yet have the body and nerves completely under control. The greater the sensitiveness, tile more difficult is the task. There are many sounds that pass unheeded by ail ordinary person but which are torture to one who is very sensitive.

Neophytes on the spiritual path often mistake their own impulses and imagination for the inner voice or divine command or intuition. Only when the mind is Sattwic will you get flashes or glimpses of intuition.

LIVE IN THE PRESENT – 2

Concern yourself with the present only. Do not look back upon the past or worry about the future. Then alone will you be really happy. You will be free from cares and anxieties. You will have long life. Exercise discrimination in all that you do. Do not think of the past or the future. The past days of boyhood, your days of studentship - all these are dreams when you are over forty. You have to deal with the present only. The present is most important.

NECESSITY OF SECLUSION – 3

Eknath, Raja Janaka and others realized God by practicing spiritual Sadhana while remaining in the world. The central teaching of the Bhagavad Gita is to realize in and through the world. These great sages were really Yoga Brashtas (fallen in Yoga in their previous births). To follow their example is impossible for the vast majority.

Lord Jesus was missing for eighteen years. Lord Buddha went into seclusion for eight years m the Uruvala forest. You can make a beginning in the world but when you have made some progress, you should go into solitude for advanced practices.

PRACTICE DETACHMENT – 4

A householder with Yogic tendency and spiritual inclination can practice meditation in a solitary and quiet room in his own home, or in any solitary place on the banks of a holy river during holidays. If he is a whole-time aspirant, or if he has retired from service, he can practice in such places throughout the year. If you are a householder with spiritual thirst and capacity for intense Sadhana, yon cannot all of a sudden sever your connection with the family. Stay in seclusion for a week or a month to begin with. Then gradually prolong the period. In this way you will not feel in the least the pangs of separation.

BRAHMACHARYA IS INDISPENSABLE – 5

The semen or Veerva tones the nerves and brain and gives energy to the system. He who preserves this vital force through the vow of Brahmacharya and sublimates it into Ojas Shakti, can practice deep and steady meditation for a long period. He can ascend the ladder of Yoga without difficulty.



Without Brahmacharya no spiritual progress is possible, it is the very foundation on which the superstructure of meditation and Samadhi are to be built up. Many people waste the vital energy. This is indeed a great spiritual loss. They become blind and lose their power of reason under sexual excitement. Pitiable indeed is their lot! They cannot make any substantial progress in Yoga.

TRANSFORM THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND – 6

Meditation on the immortal Self will act like a dynamite and blow up all thoughts and memories in the subconscious mind. If thoughts trouble you very much, do not suppress them by force. Be a silent witness, as in a cinema show. They will gradually subside. Then root them out through regular meditation.

The practice of meditation must be constant. Then only can one attain Self-realization surely and quickly. He who practices meditation by fits and for a few minutes daily will not be able to achieve any tangible results in Yoga.

ALL POTENTIALITIES ARE WITHIN – 7

In all man's struggles and attempts at achieving any desired object, there is in reality no necessity at all for him to go in quest of external forces to aid him. Man has within himself vast resources and inherent powers lying untapped or else only partially made use of.

It is because he has allowed his faculties to get scattered on a hundred different things that he fails to achieve anything substantial, despite his inherent potentialities. If he regulates and applies his potentialities intelligently, quick and concrete results will accrue.

CONCENTRATION FOR POWER – 8

To learn to rationally and effectively use existing forces, man need not wait for any kind of striking new methods to be invented for his guidance.

Since early creation nature herself abounds in instructive examples and lessons to aid man in every walk of his life. Observation tells us that every force in nature, when it is allowed to flow freely over a wide area, moves slowly and with comparatively less power than it would do if gathered together in one mass and directed through a single, restricted outlet. The concentrated application of a force makes for maximum results with a minimum of effort and time.

HOW TO DEVELOP CONCENTRATION – 9

The powers of the mind are always scattered and resist attempts at concentration. This oscillatory tendency is an innate characteristic of the mind-stuff. Of the various methods employed to curtail and arrest this tossing of the mind, those using the medium of sound and sight stand prominent, since these two have a peculiar knack of catching the attention and stilling the mind.

Therefore, in the course of spiritual discipline also, the methods of developing concentration take the form of repeating a Mantra, or gazing steadily at a dot or a symbol of Om or the figure of the chosen Deity.



SELF SURRENDER – 10

A little consideration of what takes place around us every day would show us that a law higher than that at our will regulates events; that our painful labours are unnecessary and altogether fruitless; that only in our easy, simple and spontaneous action are we strong; and by being content we become pure and divine. Belief and love will relieve us of a vast load of cares. 0 my brothers, God truly exists and cares for you.

There is a Soul at the centre of nature and over the will of every man, so that none of us can wrong the universe. The whole course of the universe and its events goes to teach us faith.

Remember the Lord constantly and attain eternal peace and immortality here and now.

WORSHIP – THE HUMAN PREROGATIVE – 11

Eating, drinking, sleeping, fear and copulation are common to both animals and human beings. But that which makes a person a real man or a God-man is worship. Worship or spiritual practice transmutes a man into a blessed Divinity.

Lord Krishna says in the Gita: "But by devotion to Me alone I may thus be perceived, Arjuna, and seen and known in essence, and also entered into, O Paranthapa."

He who leads a mere outward sensual life without doing any worship is an animal only though he wears outwardly the form of a human being.

GLORY OF SELF-SURRENDER – 12

Self-surrender is one of the nine modes of Bhakti. The will of the devotee becomes one with the Lord's Will, and he enjoys all the divine splendours of the Lord.

The obstacles in the way of self-surrender are desire and egoism. The self-surrender must be pure, total, unreserved and unconditional. Sometimes the devotee keeps certain desires for his own secret gratification. The ego is very still and obstinate. It is as hard as granite. It has to be split through constant hammering with the chisel of Bhakti or devotion.

THIS IS BEAUTY – 13

Minus the skin, dress and ornaments the human body is nothing. Just imagine for a moment that the skin has been removed. You will have to stand by with a long stick to drive away crows and vultures. Physical beauty is superficial, illusory and liable to fade. It is skin deep only. Do not be deluded by appearances. They are the jugglery of Maya. Go to the source - to the pure, eternal Atman - the beauty of beauties, the everlasting beauty.

If your hair becomes grey, that is the first warrant from the Lord of Death. You must get ready to meet him. The wrinkles on the face and the bending of the body will also remind you of the warrant.

THE INDEX OF CHARACTER – 14

Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: "Threefold is by nature the inborn faith of the



embodied-pure, passionate and dark. The faith of each is shaped according to his own nature, O Bharata. The man consists of his faith; that which his faith is, he is even that."

Faith indicates what man's character is. Have true, perfect, living and unswerving faith in God, in His Grace, and in the power of His Name. Meditate and open yourself to the Divine Light. Faith can move mountains and give you peace, spiritual strength, joy, freedom, immortality and bliss.

HAIL, O LORD OF LORDS! – 15

O hidden Love that pervades all objects, O Power that sustains this vast universe, O self-luminous Light that gives light to the sun, moon, stars and the intellect, O adorable Lord of this universe, O God of gods, O Lord of lords, Thou art the womb of the Vedas. Thou art the director or governor of this universe. Thou art the life of my life, Soul of my soul, Prana of my Pranas, mind of my mind, eye of my eye, ear of my ear. Thou art the beauty of flowers and landscapes. Thou art the charm in the face and skin. Thou art the Pranava of the Vedas. Thou art the sweet silence. Thou art the peace that dwells in the heart. Thou art eternal bliss. Thou art the destroyer of ignorance. Thou art the bestower of immortality.

PRAYER TO THE SUPREME BEING – 16

O Beauty, O spiritual, imperishable, inexhaustible wealth, O sweet honey, O light of the heavens, O Light of the gods and celestial beings, O my dear relative, Thou art my body. Thou art the ovum. Thou art the germinal cell. Thou art the very life-element.

Thou art my eye. Thou art the black portion of my eye. Thou art the inner pupil that moves within the eve. Protect me. Let no evil touch me. Let me forget if this world. Let me remember Thee always. Take me to Thy sweet bosom. Make me dwell in Thee forever.

CRAVING IS YOUR ENEMY – 17

Love of sensual objects is bondage; distaste for the objects of the senses is release. Destroy craving and attain the non-dual Brahnic seat.

Know that craving is man's foe here in this world. An ignorant, passionate man regards craving as a friend when he thirsts for objects. He welcomes all sorts of cravings; he thinks constantly of sensual objects. In the end he does not get any real and lasting satisfaction.

DESIRE CANNOT BE SATISFIED – 18

This worldly existence is dreadful. There is no limit to the consuming power of man's desires and cravings. They are never satisfied. They grow day by day, just as a flame increases by pouring oil onto it.

Discrimination and dispassion are the two master weapons to kill this dire enemy of peace. Cravings take to their heels whenever they hear of dispassion and discrimination, lust as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, so also desires cannot exist in the presence of discrimination and dispassion. Without these two qualities one cannot make substantial spiritual progress.

THE SHIELD OF AN ASPIRANT – 19



You must develop discrimination and dispassion to the maximum degree. If you are established in discrimination then dispassion will come by itself.

Discrimination is your true and intimate friend. Whenever cravings hiss, hammer them with the rod of discrimination. You will be quite safe then. The blissful, non-dual Para Brahman will be quite close to you then. Enter into It silently.

HOW TO BANISH DESIRES – 20

With the growth of desires, this world also arises. If desire is destroyed, this universe disappears. The extinction of desires a]one is emancipation or real freedom.

The central basis of ail desires is this false illusory "I.” With the contemplation of the infinite Self, the train of ideas of the universe disappears as darkness disappears before the suit.

If desires increase, thoughts of this universe also increase, if the fuel of desire is withdrawn, the fire of worldly thoughts is also extinguished.

CULTIVATE GOOD MANNERS – 21

Good manners are minor morals. They are the shadows of virtue. They are the blossoms of good sense and good feelings.

Pride, ill-nature, want of good sense, arrogance and impatience are the sources of ill-manners. Good manners are a part of good morals. They are rare gifts. They easily and rapidly ripen into morals.

Be simple, humble and unostentatious. Say little or nothing about yourself.

BE CHEERFUL ALWAYS – 22

The mind can cure all the physical diseases of the body through its harmonious and healthy thoughts. This is because all physical diseases take their origin in mental ill-health.

Lack of cheerfulness contributes to ill-health, if one is ever cheerful and entertains divine thoughts, one will have perfect health at all times. It is in your power to enjoy good health as long as you like.

NO PLEASURE IN OBJECTS – 23

When there is a desire the mind is filled with Rajas. It is in an agitated condition It is restless and unpeaceful.

The mind remains in this restless condition till the desired object is attained. After the object has been attained and enjoyed, it becomes thought-free. Its functions cease for some time, it is filled with Sattwa. It becomes introvert. The bliss of the Atman is reflected in the mind. There is no real pleasure in objects; it is only the bliss of the Atman that one experiences in them. Ignorant people attribute the pleasure to the objects. This is a serious mistake.

THE PATH TO DIVINITY – 24

Action is the source of all virtue, wealth and desire. He who has no activity, has no energy or valour. The end of virtue and wealth is the attainment of salvation. He who does not practice



virtue commits sin. The fruit of righteous actions and of wealth accrue to one either in this birth or the next.

Overcome anger by love, lust by purity, greed by liberality, pride by humility, egoism by surrender to God. You will become divine and enjoy eternal bliss.

DO NOT DISPAIR – 25

If you fail to keep your resolves, then make fresh resolves. Just as a child falls many times when it tries to walk without the help of a wall, just as a new cyclist falls from the cycle a number of times before he learns to sit steadily on the seat, so also a new aspirant will fail a number of times in his resolves. He has to make repeated attempts before eventually coming out successful.

THE INCOMPARABLE ACHIEVEMENT – 26

Neither charity, nor sacrifice, nor fame, nor even possession of great powers can stand in comparison to realization of the Self.

You might have crossed the ocean. You might have conquered your pride, delusion and envy. You might have even dwelt among the gods in heaven. Yet, these attainments are nothing when compared to the bliss of God-realization and liberation.

KILL THE INNER DEVIL – 27

Can you acquire eternal bliss and supreme peace through the attainment of vast erudition, through possession of immense wealth, through enjoyment of beautiful young women? No. Supreme, undying bliss can only be attained by realizing the Self. Cross the ocean of delusion by killing lust and anger. Then you can laud on the other shore of immortality.

TRUE FREEDOM – 28

Physical freedom is no freedom at all. If you are easily carried away by surging emotions, if you are under the grip of moods and passions, how can you be really happy and peaceful? Rigorous discipline and self-imposed restrictions will eventually get rid of all riotous thoughts, impulses, moods, cravings and passions and grant you the freedom of the Self.

IMAGINARY FEARS – 29

The mind creates havoc through its power of imagination, imaginary fears, mental dramatization, building castles in the air - all these are due to this power of imagination. Even a perfectly healthy man has some imaginary disease or other created by the power of the mind. Imaginary fears involve a great loss of energy. Give up such forms of fear.

ARCH ENEMIES – 30

Lust, anger and pride are the root causes of all human misery. They are the enemies of peace. Think of the havoc that they bring in one's life. If you can convince yourself that they drain your vitality, and that you should eradicate them for your own well-being, then their conquest becomes easy. Victory over these three arch-enemies is the greatest of all conquests. It makes one a real



hero.

MORE THAN MARTYRDOM – 31

Victory over the mind is certainly victory over death. The inner war with the mind is more terrible and formidable than the outer war with weapons. The conquest of the mind is more difficult than conquest of the world through force of arms. Achieve this conquest and enjoy eternal bliss, everlasting peace and unalloyed felicity.

daily sayings december

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