If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.
A jug fills drop by drop.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?
Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.
An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
Ennui has made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair.
Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.
Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.
Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.
He is able who thinks he is able.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?
I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
It is better to travel well than to arrive.
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
On life’s journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
Rouse yourself! Sit up!
Resolutely train yourself to attain peace.
Do not let the king of death, seeing you are careless,
lead you astray and dominate you.
Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.
The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.
The mind is everything. What you think you become.
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.
The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood.
The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast.
The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.
The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.
The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.
There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.
There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
Think not lightly of evil, saying, ‘It will not come to me.’ Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the fool, gathering it little by little, fills himself with evil.
This existence of ours is as transient as Autumn clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is a flash of lightning in the sky. Rushing by, like a torrent down a steep mountain.
Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
Though all his life a fool associates with a wise man, he no more comprehends the Truth than a spoon tastes the flavour of the soup.
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.
Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.
Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.
What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What’s the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?
What we think, we become.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
Without health life is not life; it is only a state of suffering - an image of death.
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.
You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.
You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.
You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.
Buddha Purnima is the most sacred day in the Buddhist religion. It is the most important festival of the Buddhists and is celebrated with great enthusiasm.
Although Buddhists regard every full moon as sacred, that of the month of Vaisakh (April - May) has special significance because on this day the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and attained Nirvana when he died. This strange, three - fold coincidence, gives Buddha Purnima its unique significance.
One of the greatest spiritual teachers of mankind is undoubtedly Lord Buddha. Edwin Arnold has fittingly called him the “Light of Asia”. Buddha’s message has traveled far and wide and captured the hearts and minds of billions of people.
The spiritual and moral forces generated by Buddha have strengthened and enriched Hinduism and helped to wean it from perversions which had set in at that time.
About Lord Buddha
Siddhartha, the only son of Shuddhodana, the King of Kapilavastu situated at the foot-hills of Himalayas, was prophesied by the royal astrologer to become either a famous emperor or a world-renowned ascetic. The father, anxious that his son should not take to the thorny path of a recluse, took extraordinary precautions to avoid every situation which would provoke such thoughts in his son’s mind.
Siddhartha grew of age without ever knowing what misery or sorrow was. One day the prince desired to see the city. The King ordered that the city should be all gay and grand, so that everywhere his son would meet with only pleasing sights. However, an old and crippled man by the roadside happened to catch Siddhartha’s eye.
It was a sight never witnessed before by the prince: a sunken face, a toothless mouth, all the limbs emaciated, the whole body bent and walking with extreme difficulty. The innocent prince asked who that creature was. Chenna, the charioteer, replied that he was a human being who had become old. To further enquiries of Siddhartha, Chenna informed that the old man was of fine shape in his young age and that every human being had to become like him after the youthful days are past. The perturbed prince returned to the palace, deeply engrossed in anxious thoughts.
King Shuddhodana, in order to cheer up his spirits, again ordered for his son’s procession in the capital, but on subsequent rounds, Siddhartha came across a sick man and a corpse being carried to the funeral ground. Again it was Chenna, the charioteer, who explained that human beings were prone to illness and that death inevitably awaited man at the end. As luck would have it, on his final round, Siddhartha saw a person, his face beaming with joy and tranquility, and heard from Chenna that he was an ascetic who had triumphed over the worldly temptations, fears and sorrows and attained the highest bliss of life.
And that clinched the thoughts of the young prince. He was then hardly twenty-nine. In that full bloom of youth, in the midnight of a full-moon day, he bade good-bye to his dear parents, his beloved wife Yashodhara and sweet little child Rahul and all the royal pleasures and luxuries, and departed to the forest to seek for himself answers for the riddles of human misery.
For seven long years, Siddhartha roamed in the jungles, underwent severe austerities and finally, on the Vaishaakha Poornima Day, the supreme light of Realization dawned on him. He thereafter became Buddha, the Enlightened One. When he was an itinerant monk, he was called Gautama and now he became popular as Gautama Buddha. Buddha’s overflowing love for the downtrodden and destitute acted as one of the greatest factors for social harmony and justice to the weaker sections in the society.
Buddha’s life abounds in such instances when he honored and upheld the purity and devotion of the lowliest in the society. Once Buddha had camped in the kingdom of Bindusara. The king - a disciple of Buddha - honored his Guru with chariots-loads of royal presents and offerings. The other disciples also, many of them rich, made offerings to the best of their ability. At the end, an old and poor woman trekked slowly to the presence of Buddha, offered a small pomegranate and collapsed at his feet, Buddha ordered the bell of honor to be rung in her name for that day, to the utter surprise of the king and his subjects.
Buddha passed into eternity after completing his Sahasra Chandra Darshana i.e., 1000 full moon days (80th year) on the full moon day of Vaishaakha - the day of his birth as also of his Enlightenment.
What can we learn?
The present-day sublime thoughts and convictions of a common Hindu owe a lot to the life and preachings of Buddha. And Buddha himself has been revered as an Avataar of God by Hindus. Buddha Gaya where he attained his supreme enlightenment has to this day remained one of the most sanctified places of pilgrimage for the entire Hindu World.
Buddha’s philosophical analysis of the basic problem of human suffering and misery helped to hold before the common man a purified and simplified Eight-Fold Path of Salvation, i.e., the right type of life-view, of intention, of speech, action, livelihood, effort, frame of mind and of concentration. Buddha, like Mahaveera, denounced the animal sacrifices in the yajnas and yagas and himself stood as the very embodiment of compassion to all living beings. He also forcefully brought home the limited merit of such rituals and stressed that the attainment of Final Beatitude is the summum bonum of human life.
As days passed, the effect of Buddha’s teachings not only influenced the Hindu people in general but contributed decisively in elevating spiritually several races spreading over a vast region of the globe, including areas such as the present-day Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Brahmadesh, Siam, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Annam, Cochin, China, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Malaya, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Khotan in Central Asia.
To this day most of these countries look upon Buddha as their supreme spiritual redeemer.
And to this day, Buddha lives on as a beacon-light to billions the world over, who yearn for the peace and well-being of all living creation.
The birthday of Lord Rama, the celebrated hero of the famous epic, ‘Ramayana‘, is enthusiastically celebrated on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra (Hindu calender), all over India. Lord Vishnu is worshipped in his human incarnation as Rama, the divine ruler of Ayodhya.
Celebrations begin with a prayer to the Sun early in the morning. At midday, when Lord Rama is supposed to have been born, a special prayer is performed. People sing devotional songs in praise of Rama and rock his idol/image in a cradle to celebrate his birth. Rathyatras or chariot processions of Ram, his wife Seeta, brother Lakshman and devotee Hanuman are held from many temples. People gather in thousands on the banks of the sacred river Sarayu for a dip. Some observe a strict fast on this day.
Ayodhya is the focus of great celebrations. Devotees throng the temples of Ayodhya and Pondicherry, two places closely connected with the events of the Ramayana to participate in Ramnavami festivities.
The festival commemorates the birth of Rama who is remembered for his righteous reign. Ramrajya (the reign of Rama) has become synonymous with good governance which maintained a period of peace and prosperity and true justice to all.
Mahatma Gandhi also used the term Ram-rajya to describe how according to him, India should be after independence.
Baisakhi marks the beginning of New Year, particularly in the northern part of India. It is among the few Indian festivals that have a fixed date. Baisakhi is always on April 13th.
It is on this day that Sun enters Aries, the first sign of Zodiac. This signifies ushering of the New Year in Hindu calender.
In Kerala, Baisakhi is called as “Vishu” and in Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as “Puthandu”.
Considered a holy day, the devout celebrate the Baisakhi with a dip in the holy rivers just around the break of dawn. Later it involves a lot of social gathering where friends and relatives are invited and delicious meals are served.
In Northern India, farmers perform their own prayers and give ‘thanks’ to the Lord Almighty for their fortune and pray for a better crop the next year. On this day, they commence reaping their harvest. The fields can be seen full of nature’s bounty.
For the Sikhs the day is a collective celebration of New Year along with the commemoration of the founding of the Khalsa Panth (Sikh brotherhood) by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. The holy book of the Sikhs, ‘Granth Sahib’ is taken in a procession, led by the ‘Panj Pyaras’ (five senior Sikhs) who are symbolic of the original leaders. Dressed in their typical folk attire, both men and women, celebrate the day with Bhangra and Gidda.
The above two are the main reasons for celebrating Baisakhi.
