Books of Daily Thoughts and Prayers by Swami Paramanda. Swami Paramananda

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      A person whose faculties are all active on the outside is ever bound. It indicates a great sense of poverty to go outside for everything. A wise man, when things go wrong, turns within himself. If a blow falls upon him, he does not take it; he withdraws himself from it. A man of small nature, who lives in the outside world, goes out to meet the blow and strikes back.

      Prayer.

      May I seek only that which is uplifting;

      May all my thoughts, words and actions manifest Divinity.

      Guard me from all selfishness and harshness.

      Bless my life and give it power and strength for Thy service.

      Fill my heart with Thy peace and Thy blessing.

       JANUARY TWENTY-FIRST

      Salient Thought for the Day.

      It is better to look up and find our contact with something higher.

      Lines to Memorize.

      When life’s perpetual spring is unsealed

      Your stains will be washed,

      Your thirst will be quenched,

      And your parched spirit healed by its living waters.

      In its miracle your barren heart will blossom with love, hope and joy.

      Lesson.

      If we are weak, we must look up to strength. If we are overwhelmed with despondency, we must look up to joy. If the darkness of gloom covers our mind, we must look up to the light. If we are in bodily pain, we must look up to health and holiness. If we are disheartened, we must strive for cheerfulness. Thus keeping our mind fixed on the higher, we transcend the lower.

      Prayer.

      O Thou All-abiding Spirit!

      Help me to lift my thoughts from fleeting things

      And fasten them to the Infinite.

      Thou art the Giver of all joy and blessing.

      Grant unto me thy peace and quietness of spirit.

       JANUARY TWENTY-SECOND

      Salient Thought for the Day.

      Let your heart be fixed on Him; and whatever may be the outward change, remain undisturbed.

      Lines to Memorize.

      Perchance misfortune’s hammering hand strikes its cruel blow.

      Let it not harden thee.

      Again when fortune gives thee her sweet caress,

      Let it not make thee soft nor rob thee of thine aim.

      Lesson.

      No great success is ever accomplished without opposition. We must hold fast to our Ideal in all circumstances, especially when there are occasions for failure and depression, misunderstanding and criticism. This is the way we prove our strength—our deep spiritual strength and our devotion to our Ideal. The Divine Presence will always sustain us. It is never absent from us, in the forest, in the mountain-cave or in the world. When we have perceived the reality of God, we are freed from all fear, doubt and faltering.

      Prayer.

      O Thou Unchanging One!

      Free my mind from all worldly cares.

      Make it so pure and full of love that it may be a fitting altar unto Thee.

      O Thou infinite Being! Reveal unto me Thy Reality

      And grant that I may never lose sight of Thee.

       JANUARY TWENTY-THIRD

      Salient Thought for the Day.

      Let your life be a constant sacrifice for your Ideal.

      Lines to Memorize.

      Lover, give thine all,—all thou hast and all thou art.

      Give, give till thy hands and heart are free.

      Dost thou fear?

      Nay, perfect love knoweth not fear nor aught but joy in giving.

      Lesson.

      The thoughts we think steadily, create our atmosphere. People who are soaked with the world have occasional noble thoughts, but they do not think them often enough to produce an enduring effect on their atmosphere. It is only in living the life we create what endures. Spirituality becomes a vital factor only when we live and serve our Ideal faithfully. Our whole existence must be shaped by it. Then alone will our life be productive.

      Prayer.

      O Supreme Spirit, help me to forget myself,—all my grievances and struggles—

      And lose myself wholly in selfless devotion unto Thee.

      Guard me from pettiness and calculation.

      Fill me with Divine love and the true spirit of self-sacrifice.

       JANUARY TWENTY-FOURTH

      Salient Thought for the Day.

      Blessed are those who sacrifice their lives for God and his children.

      Lines to Memorize.

      Give thy life and give thy love:

      Give all! Give all!

      When thy hands and heart are free

      Thou shalt receive Him who is all, yea, all in all.

      Lesson.

      We do our best part when we leave behind the element of self. It is not that we lack the power of love, we lack its application. We fail to find an avenue through which to express it. More we establish love in our heart and abide by it, more the vista of our usefulness expands. We never do anything noble without love. We must sever ourselves from selfish interest and fix our thought on loving self-forgetting service.

      Prayer.

      Infinite and All-loving Lord, I lay my heart at Thy Feet;

      May it be cleansed of all stain of selfishness;

      May СКАЧАТЬ