Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The proof that you love

The proof that you love someone is not that you have warm
affectionate feelings toward them. The proof is in your actions,
your words and your sacrifice, your willingness to give the best of
yourself and your willingness to get nothing in return.
- Katherine Walden

My additional paraphrase of that would be "no ego return".

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Wisdom

"It is through not understanding, not penetrating four things that we have run so erratically, wandered so long in this round of existence, both you and I. What are the four? Goodness, concentration, wisdom and liberation. When these four things are understood and penetrated, craving for superficial existence is rooted out and that which leads to continued return to the same conditions is ended. There is no more constant journeying."

~Digha Nikaya

When God touches a human being

I have always believed that, when God touches a human being, the
experience will survive three tests: 1.) The time test: The person
touched by God will never be the same again...2.) The reality test:
The soul which has been touched by God will not be drawn up into an
other-worldly posture or into bowered ivory towers of private
ecstasy but will be deepened in awareness of the world around...3.)
The charity test: The human being who has opened to God's touch
will be made more God-like by reason of that contact.
- John Powell

Friday, June 18, 2010

Transition

"radically accept release.
wildly desperately let go.
quietly hear the inner calm.
slowly, begin to know."

~terri st. cloud

Monday, June 14, 2010

"Growth Patterns" by Sharon Grimes

Tomorrow's burden

It has been well said that no one ever sank under the burden of the
day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today
that the weight is more than a person can bear. Never load
yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at
least remember this: it is your own doing, not God's. He begs you
to leave the future to Him and mind the present.
- George MacDonald (1824-1905), "Annals of a Quiet
Neighbourhood," v. I

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Christians are talking where they should be listening

Many people seek a sympathetic ear and do not find it among
Christians, because these Christians are talking where they should
be listening. But he who can no longer listen to one another will
soon no longer be listening to God either; they will always be
talking even in the presence of God. This is the beginning of the
death of the spiritual life, and in the end there will be nothing
left but spiritual chatter and clerical condescension arrayed in
pious words ... never really speaking to others.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), "Life Together"

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Set your heart

"Don't set your heart on something less valuable than you yourself
are. If you do that, you surrender your dignity
because--remember--people come to resemble what they love."
- Catherine of Siena

Monday, June 07, 2010

Let God operate in thee

Let God operate in thee; hand the work over to Him and do not
disquiet thyself as to whether or no He is working with nature or
above nature, for His are both nature and grace.
- Meister Eckhart (1260-1327)

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Facebook

" To step beyond absolutes is to step into the realm of Spirit and her ability to bring newness out of
desperate situations."

~Jason Derr

Saturday, June 05, 2010

Organized Religion?

'God and the devil were walking down a path one day when God spotted something sparkling by the side of the path. He picked it up and held it in the palm of his hand.
'Ah, Truth,' he said.
'Here, give it to me,' the devil said. 'I'll organize it.'"

Friday, June 04, 2010

Can I See This As My Path?

"It is absolutely fundamental that we learn that when difficult situations and feelings arise they are not obstacles to be avoided, but rather these very difficulties are, in fact, the path itself. They're our opportunity to wake up out of our little protected world; they're our opportunity to awaken into a more genuine way of living. This point can't be overemphasized.

Of course, you have heard this idea before--that our difficulties are our path. But it's a lot easier to understand this intellectually than it is to remember it when we're in the middle of the muddiness of life. Why? Because, again, we instinctively want a life that is problem free. So we usually continue seeking comfort and safety until, at some point, if we're fortunate, we get disappointed enough by life's blows to realize that our strategies--control, trying harder, withdrawing, blaming, whatever they are--will never give us the quality in life that all of us want. At that point--with life's disappointments as our teacher--we can start to use our difficulties as our path to awakening. Remembering the importance of this allows us to make the critical practice step of welcoming our distress, because we understand that as long as we continue to resist our experience we will stay stuck."

~Ezra Bayda in "Shambala Sun"