The Way
"Tao is a "Way" of life. It is not a religion nor a philosophy. It is a River. The Tao is the natural order of things. It is a force that flows through every living and sentient object, as well as through the entire universe. When the Tao is in balance it is possible to find perfect happiness."
"When the ten thousand things are viewed in their Oneness, we return to the Origin and remain where we have always been" Ancient
Buddhist Mystic Sen T'sen
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with
God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything
made that hath been made. In Him was life; and life was the
light of men. John
1:1-5
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life"
"Ye are Gods, and all of you are children of the Most
High"
"God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship
Him in Spirit and in Truth." Jesus
in John 4:24
"Do not try to worship Me. If you worship Me, you are
trying to lower yourself. I do not want this. I want you to
be equal. You are a spark of the Supreme Being. Do not think
you are below Me."
"Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will
not taste death. Let one who seeks not stop seeking until one
finds. When one finds, one will be disturbed. When one is disturbed,
one will be amazed, and will reign over all."
"If your leaders say to you, 'Behold, the kingdom is
in the sky,' then the birds in the sky will get there before
you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will
get there before you. Rather, the kingdom is inside you and
outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known,
and will understand that you are children of the living Father.
But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty,
and embody poverty."
"Know what is within your sight, and what is hidden from
you will become clear to you. For there is nothing hidden that
will not be revealed. I have thrown fire on the world and, behold,
I am guarding it until it is ablaze."
"Have you already discovered the beginning, that now
you can seek after the end? For where the beginning is, the
end will be. Blessed is one who stands at the beginning: that
one will know the end, and will not taste death. Blessed is
one who came to life before coming to life."
"When you make the two into one, when you make the inner
like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like
the lower, when you make male and female into a single one,
so that the male will not be male and the female will not be
female, when you make eyes replacing an eye, a hand replacing
a hand, a foot replacing a foot, and an image replacing an image,
then you will enter the kingdom."
"Blessed are those who are alone and chosen: you will
find the kingdom. For you have come from it, and you will return
there again. What you look for has already come, but you do
not know it."
"I disclose my mysteries to those who are worthy of my
mysteries. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand
is doing."
"Whoever knows everything but lacks within lacks everything.
If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save
you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have
within you will kill you. I am the light that is over all things.
I am all: all came forth from me, and all attained to me. Split
a piece of wood, and I am there. Pick up a stone, and you will
find me there."
"Whoever is close to me is close to the fire, and whoever
is far from me is far from the kingdom. Images are visible to
people, but the light within is hidden in the Father's image
of light. He will reveal himself, but his image is hidden by
his light."
"When you see a likeness of yourself, you are happy.
But when you see your images that came into being before you,
and that neither die nor become visible, how much you will be
able to tolerate!"
"Whoever drinks from my mouth will be like me, and I
shall be that person, and what is hidden will be revealed to
that one. Whoever finds Self is worth more than the world."
The kingdom will not come by looking for it. Nor will it do
to say, 'Behold, over here!' or 'Behold, over there!' Rather,
the kingdom of the Father is spread out on the earth, but people
do not see it."
"What you ask for has already come, "The Kingdom of God
is within you." Jesus
"Tao is an undifferentiated yet perfect being, born before
Heaven and Earth.....We may think of it as the Mother of this
world, but I do not know its name; I shall call it Tao; were
i forced to give it a name, it would be the immerse". Great
Sage Lao-Tzu
The nature of the world should be understood from the
vantage point of knowledge of Ultimate Reality, the Tao. Then
it will be seen that things of the world change naturally, in
accordance with the Tao. This leads to the concept of wu-wei,
non-action, which is to let the Tao operate and not to meddle
with things according to human ambitions. The Self-existent
pierced sense openings outward; therefore a man looks out, not
in. But a certain wise man, in search of immortality, turned
his gaze inward and saw the Self within. The foolish go after
outward pleasures and walk into the snare of all-embracing death.
The wise, however, discerning [the path to] immortality, do
not seek the permanent among things impermanent. Tao
Te Ching
Man is a microcosm, a replica of the macrocosm (universe).
The two - the individual and the universal - are intimately
interrelated, part to part. All that is without is also within
and the spirit in man despite the heavy load of physical and
mental trammels has the capacity to break through the thick
enshrouding veils and peep into what lies beyond - the perpetual
sway of the Supreme God, the eternal self-existing Truth, perennially
the same from the beginning of time.
Take heed that the light which is in thee
be not darkness. St.
Luke
"Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one
branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony,
with friendliness and fellowship. He Who is the Day-Star of
Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful is the light of unity
that it can illuminate the whole earth." Bahá'u'lláh
"They are a universal and fundamental experience, but
the way they are perceived depends on our conditioning. Since
they are by nature limitless, they have the freedom then to
manifest in any form therefore the deities can take on the forms
we are most familiar within our lives or eg, for Christian practitioners,
the deities might take the form of Christ or the Virgin Mary.
Generally, the whole purpose of the enlightened manifestation
of (for Buddhist practitioners) is to help us, so that they
may take on whatever form the deities appear, it is important
to recognize that there is definitely no difference whatsoever
in their fundamental nature" The
Tibetan Book Of Living & Dying
"God is like a mirror. The mirror never changes but everyone
who looks at it sees a different face" Rabbis
of the Midrash
"We are connected to the God who has made us. The essence
of who are springs from the eternal, limitless essence of all
existence. In the philosophic system developed in these readings,
that essence is both universal and personal. In its universal
connotation, it is most often called "Creative Force" or "Creative
Forces". In its personal connotation, it is called God and it
is called the Father. Using the personal terminology then, we
are told that a part of our Creator is at the core of each one
of us. This is the part of us that is made in the image of God.
This is also the part of us that we would call spirit. Spirit
is the essence of all life, the part of an individual makeup
that is the basic life force of our very being we would call
Spirit as well. Not only are we part of the larger reality from
which we derive our being, but we also have an individuality
of consciousness. We have the capacity to create, shape or pattern
the expression or manifestation of spirit in individual form
which is called "mind".
"Spirit takeh form in the mind"
Spirit, mind and will together make up what is generally
called the soul. This is the part of us that is eternal and
which experiences the succession of lives we call reincarnation.
As "companions" and cocreators" with God, we have to develop
spiritually given the free will to do so by the grace of God
and that is the primary reason that we reincarnate. God requires
that we "grow up" spiritually strong into unique, adult companions
so that we can participate completely in the wonders of the
existence he has prepared for us". Edgar
Cayce
"Wherever you turn is God's face" Prophet
Mohammed
"Liberation cannot be achieved except by the perception
of the identity of the individual spirit with the universal
spirit" Indian
Sage Shankara
"The Tathagata teaches that there is no self. He who
says that the soul is his self and that the self is the thinker
of our thoughts and the actor of our deeds, teaches a wrong
doctrine which leads to confusion and darkness. "On the other
hand, the Tathagata teaches that there is a mind. He who understands
by soul mind, and says that mind exists, teaches the truth which
leads to clearness and enlightenment."
"Verily, I say unto thee, thy mind is spiritual, but
neither is the sense-perceived void of spirituality. The bodhi
is eternal and it dominates all existence as the good law guiding
all beings in their search for truth. It changes brute nature
into mind, and there is no being that cannot be transformed
into a vessel of truth."
"All things are made of one essence, yet things are different
according to the forms which they assume under different impressions.
As they form themselves so they act, and as they act so they
are. And as all things originate from one essence, so they are
developing according to one law and they are destined to one
aim which is Nirvana." Buddha
"In this seeing, we neither hold an object nor trace
distraction; there is no two. The man is changed, no longer
himself nor self-belonging; he is merged with the Supreme, sunken
into it, one with it....." 3rd
Century Roman Philosopher & Mystic Plutinus
"The Lord takes His stand upon hearing, sight, touch,
taste,smell,and upon the mind. He enjoys what mind and senses
enjoy. Deluded men cannot trace His course. Only the eye of
wisdom sees Him clothed in the states of existence, going forth,
being in the body, or taking in experience. Disciplined men
can also make an effort and see His presence in themselves." Bhagavad
Gita 15.9-11
"The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,
nor will they say, "Lo, here it is!" or "There!" for behold,
the kingdom of God is within you." Christianity
Bible, Luke 17.20-21
"One may understand the true nature of the Tirthankara....One
may have interest in and devotion to the Scripture. One may
have self-control and penance. With all these, if one is not
capable of realizing his own true self, to him Nirvana is beyond
reach." Jainism. Kundakunda,
Pancastikaya 170
Ordinary men and ignorant people understand neither the
Essence of Mind nor the Pure Land within themselves, so they
wish to be born in the East or the [Western Paradise]. But to
the enlightened, everywhere is the same. As the Buddha said,
"No matter where they happen to be, they are always happy and
comfortable." If your mind is free from evil, the West is not
far from here; but difficult indeed it would be for one whose
heart is impure to be born there by invoking Amitabha! Buddhism.
Sutra of Hui Neng 3
"The power of spiritual forces in the universe-how active
it is everywhere! Invisible to the eyes and impalpable to the
senses, it is inherent in all things, and nothing can escape
its operation." Confucius
We shall show then Our signs on the horizons and within
themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the Truth. Islam.
Qur'an 41.53
He who looks inwardly at the self revels in the self;
He who revels in the self looks inwardly at the self. Jainism.
Acarangasutra 2.173
So priceless is the birth, O brother,
That in it, the Supreme Lord can be met.
The human body is the Door to salvation.
If the meeting is not accomplished while alive,
If the contact is not made while alive,
If the Lord of the universe is not found while alive,
Then one is simply drowned.
The One who has made this temple of our hearts,
He alone dwells in this temple.
None else but our Beloved is in our hearts.
With thee is thy Friend. Let thyself recognize Him.
Look not at a distance. Know Him as thy reflection, O Dadu.
God is within all beings. He accompanies all and is close by.
Musk is in the musk deer, and yet it goes around smelling grass.
The self knows not God, although God is with the self.
Being deaf to the Holy Sound of the Master, sadly does he wander.
He for whom thou searchest in the world dwells within thyself.
Thou knowest Him not, because the veil of 'mine' and 'thine'
is there.
He dwells within all beings, yet rarely anyone knows Him.
He alone who is a devotee of God will know Him.
A true Master unites us with God
And shows all within the body.
Within the body is the Creator,
And within the body is Onkar [divinity of the second heaven].
The sky is within the body, and close by
Is the earth within the body.
Air and light are within the body.
So is water contained within the body.
Within the body are the Sun and the Moon
And the Bagpipe is played within the body.
By rendering service within the heart,
See thou the One who is indestructible and boundless,
Having no limit either on this end or on that end, sayeth Dadu.
After entering within, let one, O Dadu, bolt the doors of the
house.
Let one, O Dadu, serve the Lord at the
Door of Eternity. God is within the self, His worship alone
is to be done.
Search thou for the Beloved close to the place
Wherefrom the Sound emerges, and thou shalt find Him, sayeth
Dadu.
There is solitude there, and there is luster of Light.
One who, turning the attention inward,
Brings it within the self,
And fixes it on the Radiant Form of the Master,
Is indeed wise, O Dadu.
Where the self is, there is God; all is filled with Him.
Fix thine attention within, O valiant servant. So does Dadu
proclaim.
Fix thine attention within, and sing always within the self.
This mind then dances with ecstasy, and beats with pleasure
the rhythm.
God is within the self; He is close to the worshipper.
But leaving Him aside, men serve external constructions, lameteth
Dadu.
This is the true mosque, this is the true temple.
So hath the Master shown.
The service and worship are performed within
Sant Dadu, 1544 - 1603,
was a Master in the Kabir Lineage of Santmat. Dadu was a Muslim
by birth. At the age of eighteen he was initiated into the science
of spirituality by his Master: Buddhan. Eventually Dadu Dayal
became a Sant (Saint), and his mystic-poetry and hymns are,
centuries later, still highly revered in India and Pakistan.
Contemplating Light is a form of transportation for the
soul. If we can find this Single Eye and merge with the Light
within, we will find ourselves being elevated spiritually, be
made Divine, what the Eastern Orthodox Mystics call "Theosis."
We will be drawn back to the Kingdom of the Light again. When
we contemplate this inner Light our soul is being Baptized in
a River of Light that returns to our True Home in the heavenly
realms. Saying of Yeshua from "Pistis Sophia," the book of Faith-Wisdom:
"Do not cease seeking day or night, and do not let yourselves
relax until you have found all the Mysteries of the Kingdom
of Light, which will purify you and make you into Pure Light
and lead you into the Kingdom of Light." Sant
Rajinder Singh
"The Light of one soul is equal to that of sixteen suns." The Indian Poet-Mystic Kabir
Within us is the Light of Life. Day and night burneth
eternally this celestial lamp in the dome of the bodily shrine.
'Whosoever comes by this Light of lights, to higher realms,
he soars unfettered.' This is the truth and leads unto Truth.
"He that knows the Truth knows where that light is and he who
knows that light, knows eternity, (St.Augustine) knowing which
(Truth) shall make you free" (free from all the impregnable
bondages, regrets of the past, fears of the present and terrors
of death in which we constantly live). (John
8:12)
The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine
eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. (Matthew
6:22, King James Version)
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The
similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The
lamp is in a glass...whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself)
though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto
His light whom He will. (Quran
24.35)
"From the Fount of His Knowledge has my Light shot forth;
upon His wonders has my eye gazed. Your Holy Spirit illuminates
the dark places of the heart of your servant with Light like
the sun." The Dead
Sea Scrolls -- A New Translation
"God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness." And,
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." (The
New Testament)
"Can you cleanse your inner vision until you see nothing
but the light?" Lao-Tzu,
Tao-te-Ching 10
"We do not see things as they are. We see them as we
are." The Talmud
"The soul is always invested by the Light of God; the
Light dwells in it by nature." Saint
John of the Cross
"When you concentrate (in meditation), do not listen
with your ears. Draw your attention inwardly, but do not listen
with your mind. Listen with your spirit. Your ears can only
hear the outer sounds, and the mind can only collect intellectual
information. However, your spirit, or Self-nature, which is
essentially void, receives all. The Great Truth can only be
found in this realm of emptiness. Therefore, when you reach
this state of emptiness, you are observing the fasting of the
heart. Before observing the fasting of the heart (meditation),
my "self" still existed. After observing the fasting of the
heart, I no longer felt my existence. That is the state of emptiness.
It is easy to remain still; but it is difficult to walk without
leaving a trace on the ground. It is easy to have flaws and
to act unnaturally according to the human mind, but it will
be naturally perfect to act in compliance with heaven's will.
You have heard of flying with wings, but not flying without
wings; you have heard of knowing with knowledge, but you have
never heard of knowing without knowledge. Look closely at the
empty space before your eyes(concentrate on and look out from
the wisdom eye), light will appear in the void; the infinite
wisdom of the universe and incredible visions will also appear
before your eyes. This is what we call `traversing the universe
spiritually while sitting still'! If you focus your ears and
eyes inwardly, and are detached from the outer perceptions of
the mind, even the ghosts and deities would surrender to you,
not to mention ordinary humans." Confucius
"Birth is not a beginning; death is not an end. There
is existence without limitation; there is continuity without
a starting point. Existence without limitation is space. Continuity
without a starting point is time. There is birth, there is death,
there is issuing forth, there is entering in. That through which
one passes in and out without seeing its form, that is the Portal
of God". Chuang
Tzu
"Just as cells die out constantly and are continually
replaced, so are humans, animals and plants, planets and stars.
Yet their spirit essence does not die, progresses evermore,
evolving back to God in an infinite expansion. It is God expanding
and exploring God's self continuously through all these forms,
yet at the same time perpetually and infinitely creating God.
Infinite Creations exploring infinite." Book
Of Daniel
"Do not cease seeking day or night, and do not let yourselves
relax until you have found all the Mysteries of the Kingdom
of Light, which will purify you and make you into Pure Light
and lead you into the Kingdom of Light." A
Saying of Yeshua from "Pistis Sophia" the book of Faith-Wisdom
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