Daily Thought For The Day by Eknath Easwaran http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/05/09 – Thomas Traherne

A state of permanent joy, hidden at the very center of consciousness, is the Eden to which the long journey of spiritual seeking leads. There, the mystics of all religions agree, we uncover our original goodness. We don’t have to buy it; we don’t have to create it; we don’t have to pour it in; we don’t even have to be worthy of it. This native goodness is the essential core of human nature.

We are made, the scriptures of all religions assure us, in the image of God. Nothing can change our original goodness. Whatever mistakes we have made in the past, whatever problems we may have in the present, in every one of us the uncreated spark in the soul remains untouched, ever pure, ever perfect. Even if we try with all our might to douse or hide it, it is always ready to set our personality ablaze with light. ]]> info@easwaran.org (Eknath Easwaran) http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/29/8 http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/05/09 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:23 PDT – Sufi proverb

During the early stages of the spiritual journey, we can feel a certain deprivation when we have to keep saying no to the senses as they clamor for things that will only add to the burden of the journey later on. “Don’t eat this. Don’t drink that. Don’t smoke this. Don’t watch that.” This is what you hear from your spiritual teacher. There is no rapture; there is no ecstasy; only “keep plugging along.”

This discriminating restraint of the senses is not asceticism. Its purpose is not to subjugate the body. We need to train the senses to be faithful allies on our journey for two compelling reasons: first, the body is our vehicle, and we need to keep it healthy, strong, and resilient so that it can carry us steadily and safely to the summit of consciousness; second, training the senses strengthens the will day by day, enabling us gradually to gain control over the fierce passions that rage beneath the surface of consciousness. Without a trained will it is not possible to move up out of the Valley of the Shadow of Death which is our physical world. Untrained, the will becomes self-will, our worst enemy; but trained, the will can become our most powerful ally. ]]> info@easwaran.org (Eknath Easwaran) http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/30/8 http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/05/09 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:23 PDT – Hindu proverb

Pilgrims traveling in the Himalayas sometimes must cross deep ravines on rope bridges. While on the bridge, which is swinging like a pendulum, everyone says Rama, Rama, Rama, “Lord, Lord, Lord,” with as much devotion as he or she can muster. But as soon as the first step is taken on terra firma, it is likely to be kama, kama, kama, “Pleasure, Pleasure, Pleasure.” When we are in the middle of turmoil we are very responsive to the mantram; but as soon as our health is good, our income is steady, and pleasures are flowing smoothly, we forget.

The Lord is a good psychologist: he knows the way our minds run. Turmoil can be his way of tapping us on the shoulder and saying, “Don’t forget me.” ]]> info@easwaran.org (Eknath Easwaran) http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/31/8 http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/05/09 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:00:23 PDT – The Gospel According to Saint Matthew

This is love at its most magnificent. In order to love like this, we cannot be attached to ourselves. It is because we think so much about ourselves that we strike back, show resentment, speak harshly, move away.

Jesus’ words do not mean agreeing with everything people say or supporting whatever they do. We sometimes have to oppose people we love. Yet, if we do it tenderly, it is not likely that it will cost us a single friend. In fact, that person might say, “I’ve found a friend who will support me and stand beside me always.” ]]> info@easwaran.org (Eknath Easwaran) http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/1/9 http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/05/09 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:23 PDT – Milarepa

The human being simply does not have enough fuel in one lifetime to explore every byway that presents itself. If we had a thousand years to live, we could explore every roadside attraction, doing all the little things that appeal to us, and still have time left for realizing the goal of life. But even the most long-lived of us will be given a hundred years at most – and but a fraction of that time before vitality and resolution begin to wane.

People approach spiritual growth in one of two ways: there are the “locals” and the “express” trains. The “locals” stop at every little station along the way to sample the food and enjoy the local color. But the “express” goes straight through to the destination. Fortunately, there seems to be an inner law: we start as “locals” but become “expresses” as we make progress on our journey.

When we take to meditation and put all our heart into practicing spiritual disciplines, we find ourselves speeding towards the goal. ]]> info@easwaran.org (Eknath Easwaran) http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/2/9 http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/05/09 Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:00:23 PDT – Saint Augustine

Assessing his own inner resources and finding them meager, Augustine strikes a humble bargain with the Lord that has endeared him to spiritual aspirants down the ages. He says, “I’ll do whatever you like, Lord. I’ll overcome the most towering passion. But only if you make it possible.”

It would be poor sportsmanship indeed if the Lord were to throw us into the arena of life, loose the lions upon us, and then leave us to our own devices. But this is not his way. When he sends us a temptation, he also grants the weapons with which to resist it. By moving closer to the Lord in meditation, by calling on him with the mantram, by striving to carry out all the disciplines that wise spiritual counselors have recommended through their own lives, we can gradually ally ourselves with the Lord so completely that we have access to everything that is his. We learn love without limit, courage without fail, wisdom that can penetrate the toughest problems life offers. ]]> info@easwaran.org (Eknath Easwaran) http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/3/9 http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/05/09 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 00:00:23 PDT – The Gospel according to Saint Matthew

This is a strange paradox, a little-known secret. Jesus isn’t speaking of worldly goods. He is speaking of a very rare kind of treasure: the more you draw on it, the more you will have. The more patient you are with people, for instance, the more patience you will have. The more generous you are today, the more generosity you will have tomorrow. The more love you give, the more loving you become.

The principle can be stated in the plainest of terms: if you are selfish with your love, the scant security you cling to will be battered by life. But if you give of yourself freely, your security will be unshakable. Your joy will be limitless. You will always have more to give. ]]> info@easwaran.org (Eknath Easwaran) http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/4/9 http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/05/09 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:00:23 PDT – E.F. Schumacher

The very air we breathe is not inexhaustible. If we love our children as we profess to, we should remember that the air is limited, exhaustible, a perishable member of the family of life. Treat it gently. Treat it with care. Don’t blow fumes into the air or dump poisons into the rivers and oceans just because it increases profits. Don’t fan overconsumption by buying things you do not need. It is not only corporations who carry the responsibility for pollution. Insofar as we tell them, “Produce all you want! We’ll buy whatever you make,” the rest of us are responsible too.

It is a wise commentator on today’s world who points out that we do not inherit from our parents: we borrow from our children. Let us do all we can from today onwards to ensure that our children’s children will live in a world unthreatened by radioactive waste and chemical pollution. ]]> info@easwaran.org (Eknath Easwaran) http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/5/9 http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts/05/09 Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:00:23 PDT