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RISE ABOVE EGOISM

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 5, 2012 at 7:00pm

So long as there is connection with the principle of egoism and the rest, with the body and the sense-organs, there is pleasure, pain and transmigratory existence for the individual soul.
Egoism is the notion of' “I” and "mine" in the gross and subtle bodies. The ignorant ones are attached to the body. They cannot rise above the sense of “I” and mine in the gross body. The discriminating few rise above it through knowledge.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on

THE ROOT CAUSE OF BONDAGE

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 4, 2012 at 7:00pm

"I am the body". This false notion arises by force of the connection between the Atman and egoism. Worldly life, which is the giver of pain and pleasure, has for its root this notion of “I” in the body. On account of this identification of the Atman with the ego the soul acts and is forcibly bound by results.
"I have done much good through my sacrifice, gifts and other charitable acts and shall therefore go to heaven." This is a false notion. A soul enjoys celestial happiness in heaven only for s

THE SELF IS DEAREST

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 3, 2012 at 7:00pm

Man loves his wealth immensely, but a son is dearer than his wealth. The body is dearer than the son; the father may even sell his son during a famine, for the sake of protecting his own body. The senses are dearer than the body, because man instinctively tries to protect his eyes, ears and nose when another comes to attack him.
Life is dearer than the senses. If the king orders the death of a criminal, the latter prefers to have one of his senses removed rather than give up his life. The Atman i

THE FIVE SHEATHS ARE NOT THE SELF

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 2, 2012 at 7:00pm

Illusion arises in man because of ignorance or the absence of the faculty which discriminates between the eternal Atman and the five illusory sheaths which are falsely superimposed upon the Atman.
The five sheaths are creations of the mind on account of ignorance. They cannot be the pure, self-existent, sell-luminous Atman. The Srutis declare that the eternal Atman is bodiless. Tile changes that occur in the five sheaths do not affect their seer and proprietor, the Atman.

From "Daily Sayings" by S

Essay : Takers Economy : An Inquiry into Illegal File Sharing

Posted by Christopher Stewart on September 1, 2012 at 8:30pm

Read on Issuu

I've been nearly completely inactive in my social networks since mid-July or so. Not that I wouldn't have liked to participate, but I have been engrossed in the redaction of the above essay.

When I tackled the project, I thought it would take a few weeks at most, and that I would be able to maintain my regular pace in other activities. However, I soon realized that the endeavour required great amounts of attention, and that the most efficient way of discharging the task was to dedica

THE PUNDIT AND THE SAGE

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 1, 2012 at 7:00pm

The foolish man identifies himself with a mass of flesh, fat, skin, bones and
filth, while the man of discrimination knows that his higher Self is distinct
from his perishable body. The stupid man thinks that he is the body.

The learned pundit, who has read some religious books, identifies himself with a
mixture of body and soul, while the liberated sage regards the eternal,
unchanging Atman as his Self. So long as the pundit does not abandon his
erroneous identification with this unreal, perishable

WHO IS A SAINT?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 30, 2012 at 7:00pm

The company of saints is the cause of emancipa¬tion. Saints are those whose minds are unruffled, who are free from avarice, who have conquered desire, who have brought their senses and internal nature under control, who are devoted to the Lord, who have no longing for anything, who are the same in pleasure and pain, who are free from attachment, who have the attributes of self-control, and who are content with whatever comes their way. Saints are the true benefactors of the world. Tile world is

INNER GOVERNMENT

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 29, 2012 at 7:00pm

Just as there is a government in all countries to govern nations and maintain law and order, so also there is an inner government to maintain law and order in this universe.
The marvelous inner government has Satyam (truth) as its banner, Dharma (righteousness) as its seal, Omkara as its band, discrimination as its coat of arms, and dispassion as its shield. It has one policy – that of helping aspirants to attain Self-realization. The head of the inner government is Brahman or the Supreme Self.

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THE DISAPPEARANCE OF IGNORANCE

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 28, 2012 at 7:00pm

Tile individual soul creates this world of names and forms on account of its ignorance and delusion. When it attains knowledge of the Self through the Grace of the Guru, it dissolves the external world into itself and sees its own Self everywhere.
The soul now sees only oneness everywhere. It is struck with wonder when it thinks of the world of duality. The world of diversity appears to it like a mere dream and it exclaims in surprise: "Where has this world full of the charms of Maya disappeared

MEDITATION ON GOD

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 27, 2012 at 7:00pm

This world is the manifest aspect of the Lord. He alone was in the beginning when there was no creation. After creation He remains unattached and free like the ether in the pot. The earthen pot is full inside and outside with ether, but the ether is not at all affected by the existence or non-existence of the pot.
Even so, the Lord is all-pervading and full inside and outside all beings; and yet He remains ever non-attached. He guides the actions of all beings but He is not the actor.

From "Daily

FEARLESSNESS – THE FRUIT OF JNANA

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 26, 2012 at 7:00pm

When the knower of the Self is centered in his own Self, when he rests in his own essential divine nature, he sees, hears and tastes nothing else. One can be afraid of another but one cannot be afraid of one's own Self.
How can there be fear for one who sees only his own Self in every being and in everything? So Brahman alone is the cause of the fearlessness of the knower. Although there are various causes of fear in this world, the knowers of the Self are fearless.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami S

THE SUPREME POWER

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 25, 2012 at 7:00pm

The Supreme Self, who is the source of every¬thing, who is the inner ruler of all beings, cannot easily be seen. But you can infer His existence by looking at the sun, the moon, the stars and other marvelous objects of this universe, which bespeak of His supreme glory and ineffable splendor.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda: on the Website of Divine Life Society, Photographs of Swami Sivananda, German Pages on Swami Sivananda

THE DIRECTOR OF YOUR SENSES

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 24, 2012 at 7:00pm

Just as a house exists for the use of someone, so also the ears, eyes, hands and legs exist for the use of their director, who is entirely distinct from these senses.
That director is the real infinite "I," the inner ruler. He is the immortal and pure Consciousness. The capability of the ears to hear sounds and of the eyes to cognize objects is due to the intelligence of this director.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda: on the Website of Divi

MEDITATION ON BRAHMAN

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 23, 2012 at 7:00pm

Brahman is a mass of intelligence. It is destitute of any other characteristic. It is entirely without any sort of difference.
In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad you will find: "As a mass of salt has neither inside nor outside, but is entirely a mass of taste, thus indeed has that Self neither inside nor outside, but is altogether a mass of knowledge." The enlightened sage sees one illimit¬able, homogeneous mass of Consciousness only.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informat

TRUTH IS INDESCRIBABLE

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 22, 2012 at 7:00pm

Saints emphatically declare that Brahman or the Eternal is "that which is undifferentiated; that which is unborn either as cause or effect; that from which speech and mind turn back baffled; that which is neither this nor that – "Neti, Neti."
Brahman is the real, unconditioned Existence. It is the Reality of realities. We are baffled in our attempts to describe It. How can this finite mind grasp the Infinite?

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda

THE NATURE OF THE SELF

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 21, 2012 at 7:00pm

The Atman alone exists. It appears as the objects which we cognize, just as a rope appears as a serpent. The Atman puts on the appearance of the objects. It is really the Self within all objects.
That Atman is without cause and effect, without anything inside or outside It. It is without limbs, without parts, without name or caste. It shines by itself as It is self-luminous. All the objects that you cognize, shine after it, that is, they borrow their light from tile self-effulgent Atman.

From "Dai

"TAT TWAM ASI"

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 20, 2012 at 7:00pm

O beloved Ram, you have forgotten your real essential nature on account of your egoism and desire. Thou art the immortal Soul. "Thou art That – Tat Twam Asi." Rise above infatuation. Give up identification with this perishable body. Take a bath in the Ganges of devotion to the feet of the Guru.
Kill the thieves of lust and anger. Abandon the ideas: '" am the doer, I am the enjoyer." Be fully established in the idea of the unreality of the world.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963).

THINK CORRECTLY

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 19, 2012 at 7:00pm

An apple exists. Man gives value to it. He feels that it is very delicious. An attachment to the fruit is thus created. This is the cause of bondage. He who does not like apples has no attachment to them. He who is a teetotaler has no desire for liquor.
Man is bound by his false and incorrect thinking. O man, think correctly and rightly. Give up all your erroneous notions. Think that you are Brahman or the Absolute and become eternally free and happy.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-

OBJECTS ARE REALLY WITHIN

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 18, 2012 at 7:00pm

The objects created by the mind cause pleasure and pain. It is the mental imagination that generates pleasure and pain.
Lust, greed, delusion and pride do not exist out¬side but are in the mind. They do not really exist. It is the mind that assumes these modifications. Through these modifications man derives immense pleasure and pain. The mind imagines and thinks: "This is a beautiful object outside. Will I be able to possess it?" A desire arises in the mind and the heart burns with longing.

From

THINGS ARE EVER CHANGING

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on August 17, 2012 at 7:00pm

Tile cells and atoms of the body of a man are always changing. The constructive and destructive processes are ever going on in the different systems of the body. Within seven years the body is entirely rebuilt of new atoms. One has then a different body altogether. Still a son says, "This is my lather who lived ten years ago." Is this not false?
An object gives pleasure to a man. The same object gives pain to another. Therefore, pleasure and pain are mental creations.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami

Blog Posts

All Posts (2318)

RISE ABOVE EGOISM

THE ROOT CAUSE OF BONDAGE

THE SELF IS DEAREST

THE FIVE SHEATHS ARE NOT THE SELF

Essay : Takers Economy : An Inquiry into Illegal File Sharing

THE PUNDIT AND THE SAGE

WHO IS A SAINT?

INNER GOVERNMENT

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF IGNORANCE

MEDITATION ON GOD

FEARLESSNESS – THE FRUIT OF JNANA

THE SUPREME POWER

THE DIRECTOR OF YOUR SENSES

MEDITATION ON BRAHMAN

TRUTH IS INDESCRIBABLE

THE NATURE OF THE SELF

"TAT TWAM ASI"

THINK CORRECTLY

OBJECTS ARE REALLY WITHIN

THINGS ARE EVER CHANGING

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