From ‘Life and teachings of Sri Ma Anandamayi’ by Bithika Mukerji

Apply your reasoning power, your intellect, to the quest for Immortality – all else will follow as a matter of course. It is just like watering the roots of a tree. The tree grows by it's own power, throws out branches and leaves, gives forth blossoms and fruits at proper season.

The supreme duty of man is, therefore, to undertake the quest for his true Being – whether one takes the path of devotion, where the ‘I’ is lost in the ‘Thou’ or the path of self-inquiry, in search of the true ‘I’ – it is He alone who is found in the ‘Thou’ as well as in the ‘I’

- Sri Ma Anandamayi



…..samyamavrata …….. Once a week one should make a strong resolve to live in the sphere of Truth only. On that day, one should eat sparingly, watch one’s speech and action carefully to avoid the least incorrect utterance or unworthy behavior; emotions should be controlled. One should look upon the children as child manifestations (bala-gopala) of the Divine; one’s wife or husband as not only an object of love but of reverence as well. One should render services to all the members of the family (including servants) in a spirit of humility. Even if there should be occasions for anger or other provocations one should respond with calmness and not be jolted out of a tranquil frame of mind. In spite of a few or many failures in the beginning one should persevere till the goal of perfect samyama in thought, speech and action is attained. If one member of the family practices this vrata then the entire family will feel the calming effects of that one day.

From ‘The Rupa book of travellers' tales’ Edited by Ruskin Bond

And how did you like India?


And when I go home
and the first, fond frenzy of welcome has quieted,
They’ll say “Well, and how did you like India?”
And I
too happy to think, will reply,
“Oh, it was all right” –
India, the Golden Peacock of the World was “all right!”
But later the wells of memory will flood
and I shall see again
a dawn breaking over the distant hills,
filtering sunlight on to a misty plain
where cattle move like legless ghosts.
Noontide in the bazaar
and a queer nostalgia for the sounds and smells,
Oxen carts and donkeys
and a motley of vendors.
And to round the day a sunset
over the Plains
an aching desert of sand and scrub
and far away a distant tree,
solitary against the sky.
The train surges on, gulping distance in days
where once the Moghuls trod in years.
Yes, each morning brings the same sight,
the plain and the distant tree.
Sunshine, heat; flies, desert, mountains
and lush green valleys
and though it all a thin wailing.
Memory holds the door
and I can leap an age and live again
with the Conquerors.


(The poet who chose to remain anonymous, was a Lance-Corporal in a wireless group. The poem was published in The Soldier’s Corner of The Statesman, January 3, 1943)

From ‘If you meet the Buddha on the road, Kill him! - The pilgrimage of psychotherapy patients’ by Sheldon B Kopp

A favourite method of Zen guidance is the Koan exercise. The disciple is given a problem on which to meditate, a problem that is insoluble by conventional or intellectual means. With it the Zen pilgrim must struggle until either he gives up in despair or he gives in and is enlightened. A classical example is for the master to direct him to concentrate on “the sound of one hand clapping.”



Lao Tzu tells us that:

What is in the end to be shrunk
Must first be stretched.
Whatever is to be weakened
Must begin by being made strong.
What is to be overthrown
Must begin by being set up.
He who would be a taker
Must being as a giver.
This is called “dimming” one’s light.



……. “to a mind that is ‘still’ the whole universe surrenders” [Chuang Tzu]



Camus crystalised life’s absurdity when he wrote: “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.” There is only this life. Live it, or give it up! It does no good to choose to live it reluctantly hedging by whining that it's not sufficient, that someone must make it better for you.



No plain not followed by a slope.
No going not followed by a return.
He who remains persevering in danger
Is without blame.
Do not complain about this truth;
Enjoy the good fortune you still possess.
- I Ching



……… the disciple learns only that there is nothing that anyone else can teach him, He learns, once he is willing to give up being taught, that he already knows how to live, that it is implied in his own tale. The secret is that there is no secret.

…….. There are no hidden meanings……….

The Zen way to see truth is through your everyday eyes. It is only the heartless questioning of life-as-it-is that ties a man in knots. A man does not need an answer in order to find peace. He needs only to surrender to his existence, to cease the needless, empty questioning. The secret of enlightenment is when you are hungry, eat; and when you are tired, sleep.

The Zen Master warns: “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!” This admonition points up that no meaning that comes from outside of ourselves is real. The Buddhahood of each of us has already been obtained. We need only recognize it. Philosophy, religion, patriotism, all are empty idols. The only meaning in our lives is what we each bring to them. Killing the Buddha on the road means destroying the hope that anything outside of ourselves can be our master ……….



…… the Yaqui brujo answers: “……. any path is only a path ….. All paths are the same: they [all] lead nowhere.” The only important question you must ask is: “Does this path have a heart?” If it has heart for you, then dare to follow it.



…… “the Sage arrives without going.”



Once, in the Orient, I talked of suicide with a sage whose clear and gentle eyes seemed forever to be gazing at a never-ending sunset. “Dying is no solution,” he affirmed. “And living?” I asked. “Nor living either,” he conceded. “But, who tells you there is a solution?”



…… Allen Ginsburg ….. summed up his howling anguish in this way:

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn
looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly
connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery
of the night ……



7. You can’t have anything unless you let go of it.

Thoughts … … …

Men are continually seeking retreats for themselves, in the country or by the sea, or among the hills. And thou thyself are wont to yearn after the like. Yet all this is the sheerest folly, for it is open to thee every hour to retire unto thyself
- Marcus Aurelius
[From ‘Crumbs from the Table’ by Ramananda Swarnagiri]



Anandamoyee Ma …….. told us that if ever one is bitten by a cobra or any other venomous creature, to eat something very hot immediately. It will help to keep the poison from harming you until medical aid can be reached. What happens is that hot milk, or hot, spicy foods slow the flow of blood to the heart, where the poison can kill you. This is only a temporary measure, of course, useful in some cases until one can get medical attention.

[From ‘Shaped by Saints’ by Devi Mukherjee with Durga Smallen and Swami Kriyananda]



Smoking’s the easiest habit in the world to give up: I’ve done it a thousand times – Mark Twain



Time, you old gypsy man,
Will you not stay,
Put up your caravan
Just for one day?
- Ralph Hodgson



‘An eye like the antelope’s, a waist like the lion’s, and a gait like the elephant’s’
- Characteristics of ideal femininity according to an ancient Indian sage



Take care of your Thoughts because they become Words
Take care of your Words because they will become Actions
Take care of your Actions because they will become Habits
Take care of your Habits because they will form your Character
Take care of your Character because it will form your Destiny
And your Destiny will be your Life!
- His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

From ‘Delirious Delhi. Inside India's Incredible Capital’ by Dave Prager

…. all of India’s fruits and vegetables tasted better. That’s because in the States, fruits and vegetables are bred to meet Americans’ demand for unnatural perfection. Consumers prize produce that looks uniform and shiny like it rolled off a factory floor; taste is a secondary consideration. ……. In Indian vegetable markets, the imperfection of unmediated nature is on full display: the vegetables are smaller, uglier and more frequently blemished than those in America. But they’re far more flavourful.

From ‘Meditation. Translate Spiritual Ideals into Daily Life’ by Eknath Easwaran

Saint Francis de Sales explains, “Even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour [of meditation] but bring your mind back and place it again in our Lord’s presence, though it went away every time you bought it back, your hours would be very well employed.”

……… Today you may have to bring it back fifteen times, perhaps thirty. But in three years, you may bring it back only a few times; in six years, perhaps twice; in ten years, not at all.



Buddha opened his Dhammapada with the magnificent line, “All that we are is a result of what we have thought..”



The best time for meditation is early in the morning. In a tropical country like India, “early” has to be very early – sometimes three o’clock in traditional ashrams. But in a milder climate, I would say between five and six is a reasonable hour to begin, depending on your schedule.



For those beginning to meditate, half an hour is the requisite period. Less than that will not be enough; more than that may be hazardous.



The scriptures say that the place of mediation should be calm, clean, and cool. I would add, well-ventilated – and, if possible, quiet. If there are spiritual figures who appeal to you deeply – Jesus, the Buddha ……. – have a picture of one or two. But otherwise the place should be very simple, even austere, not cluttered with furniture and other things.



The correct posture for meditation is to sit erect with the spinal column, the nape of the neck, and the head in a straight line: not like a ramrod, rigid and tense, but easily upright. Your hands may be placed anyway they feel comfortable. ………



The human mind is rather like the trunk of an elephant. It never rests …….. most of the time it wanders at large, simply because we do not know how to keep it quiet or profitably engaged.

But what should we give it to hold on to? For this purpose I recommend the systematic repetition of the mantram, which can steady the mind at any time and in any place …… man, “the mind,” and tri, “to cross”. The mantram, repeated regularly for a long time, enables us to cross the sea of the mind.



……. Mantrams have different sounds and come from diverse traditions. But essentially they all do the same thing; turn us away from our dependency on what lies outside …… to the serenity and goodness within our own being. ….. Please exercise some care in your choice of a mantram. After all, it will be with you for a long time. Deliberate for a while and take into account the practical significance of the words, your religious background, and your personal response. ……. I strongly urge you to choose a mantram that has been sanctified by long use – one of proven power, that has enabled many men and women before you to realize the unity of life. ……. The mantram works best when we repeat it silently in the mind with as much concentration as possible.



Between the last waking moment and the first sleeping moment, a tunnel stretches down deep into consciousness. Most people do not perceive this subtle state; indeed, you cannot be aware of it with everyday mind. At that instance, when you are neither awake nor asleep, this tunnel opens up, and if you know how, you can send the mantram down it as you might a bowling ball. The proof is that you may hear the mantram during sleep; when an unpleasant dream begins, you may discover the mantram echoing through consciousness, dissolving that dream completely.



…….. After a long while, the mind builds up sensational strength and has a permanent hold on the mantram.

In this glorious state, the mantram repeats itself ceaselessly without any effort whatsoever. ….. Sanskrit has a precise word for this state: ajapajapam. Japam alone means “the repetition of the mantram,” and a means “without”: ajapajapam is japam without having to do japam. You receive all the benefits without having to do the work.



Buddha ……… “When you are walking, walk. When you are standing, stand. When you are sitting, sit. Don’t wobble.”



The Sufis …… advise us to speak only after our words have managed to issue through three gates. At the first gate, we ask ourselves, “Are these words true?” If so, let them pass on; if not, back they go.

At the second gate, we ask, “Are they necessary?” They may be true, but it doesn’t follow that they have to be uttered; they must serve some meaningful purpose. Do they clarify the situation or help someone? Or do they strike a discordant or irrelevant note?

At the last gate we ask, “Are they kind?” If we still feel we must speak out, we need to choose words that will be supportive and loving, not words that embarrass or wound another person. ….. we do not realize that words can created a more painful injury, one that can last for many years.

From ‘Amma. A Living Saint’ by Judith Cornell

Sudhamani [Amma] said, “There are six chakras, or centers of spiritual power in the human body. The vital life force [Kundalini shakti] that flows through all living beings is called serpent power, and it rests below the base of the spine in the form of a coiled, sleeping female snake.”

“When this power is awakened, through incessant meditation, it ascends through the spine, passing through the chakras. When each chakra is reached, the physical body can suddenly become hot, and the person may start to sweat profusely. He or she may also have visions, both divine and earthly. When the serpent power has transcended all six chakras, it rises to the top of the head – to the crown chakra. At that moment the body suddenly experiences a refreshing coolness as it is transformed into a new vessel of tremendous spiritual power.”



“The body has a sheath or an aura. Just as a tape recorder records everything we say, our aura records our every thought vibration. And this recording remains even after we have died. When we commit suicide, we are causing the soul much pain.”

“When the opening of a blown-up balloon is untied, the air in it is gradually released. But when we prick a balloon and it bursts, it explodes with a bang. So too when we forcefully end our own life, sudden pain-filled vibrations will be formed in our aura. This aura forms the basis for the next birth of the soul in a body. All that we are experiencing now is the result of our past actions. Understanding this, we should move forward in life, surrendering to God whatever we have to experience.”