When your mind is liberated your heart floods with compassion: compassion for yourself, for having undergone countless sufferings because you were not yet able to relieve yourself of false views, hatred, ignorance, and anger; and compassion for others because they do not yet see and so are still imprisoned by false views, hatred, and ignorance and continue to create suffering for themselves and for others. Now you look at yourself and at others with the eyes of compassion, like a saint who hears the cry of every creature in the universe and whose voice is the voice of every person who has seen reality in perfect wholeness.
~from The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh
━━━━━━━━━━━━━

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_Bot

Arjuna, in the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, finds himself on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, filled with anguish and confusion. He sees his relatives and beloved teachers on both sides of the battle, leading to a deep moral dilemma within him. Arjuna is overwhelmed by compassion and asks Lord Krishna for guidance.

In this situation, Arjuna represents the human condition, where we often face conflicts and dilemmas in our lives. The battlefield of Kurukshetra symbolizes the challenges and struggles we encounter in the world. Arjuna's inner turmoil reflects the confusion and doubts that arise within us when faced with difficult choices.

Arjuna's initial reaction is to renounce the battle altogether, as he is unable to bear the thought of harming his loved ones. He becomes filled with sorrow, seeing the potential destruction and suffering that will arise from the war. Arjuna's mind is clouded by attachment and fear, preventing him from seeing the bigger picture and understanding his duty as a warrior.

Lord Krishna, the divine charioteer and incarnation of God, begins to impart his wisdom to Arjuna, enlightening him about the true nature of life and the purpose of his existence. Krishna explains that Arjuna's duty as a warrior is to fight for righteousness, without attachment to the results. He highlights the impermanence of the physical body and the eternal nature of the soul.

Krishna emphasizes the importance of performing one's duty in the world, known as "Swadharma," without being swayed by emotions or personal desires. He advises Arjuna to rise above his attachments and ego, and to act selflessly for the welfare of all beings. Krishna teaches that true happiness and liberation can be attained through the performance of one's duty, in alignment with the divine will.

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_Bot

In the sacred scripture of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna emphasizes the vital role of a guru in one's life. A guru is not just a teacher or a mentor; he is the spiritual guide who leads one from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge. The guru is the embodiment of wisdom, compassion, and divine grace.

The importance of a guru in one's life cannot be overstated. It is through the guru's guidance that one attains spiritual awakening and self-realization. The guru imparts knowledge, not merely through words, but through his own example and presence. He illuminates the path of righteousness and helps disciples navigate the challenges of life.

The guru not only imparts knowledge but also offers unconditional love, support, and guidance. He acts as a beacon of light in the darkness, guiding his disciples towards the ultimate truth. The guru's wisdom, attained through years of practice and realization, helps individuals overcome their ignorance and attain spiritual liberation.

It is crucial to approach a guru with humility, surrender, and a sincere desire to learn. One must have complete trust and faith in the guru's teachings and guidance. By surrendering to the guru, the disciple opens the doors to transformation and spiritual growth.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says:

"Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya,
Upadeksyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah." (Bhagavad Gita 4.34)

Translation: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.

The guru-disciple relationship is a sacred bond, built on trust, respect, and devotion. It is a relationship that transcends the material realm and leads one towards the realm of eternal truth and bliss. Therefore, one should always seek the guidance of a qualified guru and follow their teachings with utmost dedication and sincerity.

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_Bot

Marianne Williamson ​​

Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we have learned here. The spiritual journey is the relinquishment—or unlearning—of fear and the acceptance of love back into our hearts. Love is the essential existential fact. It is our ultimate reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life.
Meaning doesn’t lie in things. Meaning lies in us. When we attach value to things that aren’t love—the money, the car, the house, the prestige—we are loving things that can’t love us back. We are searching for meaning in the meaningless. Money, of itself, means nothing. Material things, of themselves, mean nothing. It’s not that they’re bad. It’s that they’re nothing.

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot

Spiritual Library Audio Channel Intro

Veda Ch1 Podcast 1

❝It is weakness, says the Vedanta, which is the cause of all misery in this world. Weakness is the one cause of suffering. We become miserable because we are weak. We lie, steal, kill and commit other crimes, because we are weak. We die because we are weak. Where there is nothing to weaken us, there is no death nor sorrow. We are miserable through delusion. Give up the delusion and the whole thing vanishes.❞

~ Swami Vivekananda
@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot

❝You don’t have to withdraw to a mountain cave to turn spiritual. It does not matter where you are or what you do in life. The spiritual process has nothing to do with the outside – it is something that happens within you.❞

~ Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot

"Let us clearly understand that what we think to be the lowest is the other pole of the highest. The peak of a mountain and the valley around its base are not two separate things, they are part and parcel of the same phenomenon. The deep valley has been caused by the rising mountain, and in the same way the mountain has been possible because of the valley, One cannot be without the other. Or can it? Linguistically the mountain and the valley are two, but existentially they are two poles of the same thing"
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
~Osho
@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot

Jiddu Krishnamurti

It is fairly simple, when you are asked a question, which is familiar, to reply immediately. You are asked your name, your reply is instantaneous; because you have repeated your name so often it comes easily. But if you are asked a complicated question, there is an interval between the question and the answer. During that interval, thought is investigating – and finally finding an answer. But when you are asked a very deep question and you reply, ‘I do not know’, there is an end to thought. Very few people actually say, ‘I do not know’, they pretend to think they know. Probably many of you believe in god. That is the last hope, the last pleasure, the ultimate security. And when you actually ask yourself the question, seriously, with great earnestness: do you really know god, do you really believe? then if you are honest, you say ‘Really, I do not know.’ Then your mind is really observing.

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_Bot

Unless a tree blossoms, it knows no blissfulness. It goes on feeling something is missing. You may have all the pleasures and comforts and luxuries of the world, but unless you know yourself, unless your inner lotus opens, you will go on missing something. You may not be certain what you are missing but a feeling... that something is being missed, that ”I am not complete,” that ”I am not whole,” that ”I am not what existence wanted me to be.” This ”missing” feeling goes on nagging everybody. Only the expansion of your consciousness will help you to get rid of this feeling, of this nagging, of this anguish, this angst.
~from Om Mani Padme Hum,Osho
━━━━━━━━━━━━━

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot

Osho Rajneesh

The condition of a follower is such that he can only remain in the dark shadow of the lamp and look out from there. From there he cannot see the light; only the bottom of the lamp is seen. The bottoms of all lamps are different, and there is deep darkness under them. Their followers stand quarreling over the bottoms. Therefore, whenever I see someone standing in someone’s shadow, I speak against this rather harshly.

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot

The masters only point the way. But if you meditate And follow the dharma You will free yourself from desire. 'Everything arises and passes away.' When you see this, you are above sorrow. This is the shining way.

— Buddha

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot

You see, as long as a man is under maya's spell, he is like a green coconut. When you scoop out the soft kernel from a green coconut, you cannot help scraping a little of the shell at the same time. But in the case of a ripe and dry coconut, the shell and kernel are separated from each other. When you shake the fruit you can feel the kernel rattling inside. The man who is freed from maya is like a ripe and dry coconut. He feels the soul to be separated from the body. They are no longer connected with each other

#Sri_Ramakrishna
@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_Bot

Haemin Sunim

When everything around me is moving so fast, I stop and ask, “Is it the world that’s busy, or is it my mind?”

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot

Seeking Why run around sprinkling holy water?
There's an ocean inside you, and when you're ready you'll drink.

Kabir
@Spiritual_Library_bot
@SpiritualLibrary

Be less of a judge and you will be surprised that when you become a witness and you don't judge yourself, you stop judging others too. And that makes you more human, more compassionate, more understanding.

Rajneesh
Osho

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_Bot

The past has no power to stop you from being present now. Only your grievance about the past can do that. What is grievance? The baggage of old thought and emotion.

— Lao Tzu

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot

"We are here to find that dimension within ourselves that is deeper than thought."

Eckhart_Tolle

@SpiritualLibrary
@Spiritual_Library_bot