Inter-  Faiths  Dialogue

The Ways > Love & Devotion

146 quote(s)  | Page 6 / 6




T here are two kinds of love: the love of a man for his wife, which should manifest itself in secret and not where there are spectators, for this love can be consummated only in a place apart from other beings; and there is the love for one's brothers and sisters and children, a love which does not require secrecy.
And there are two kinds of love for God: the spent in learning and praying and fulfilling the commandments, which should be shown in and not in the presence of others, lest it tempt to glory and pride; and the love shown in the company of other human beings, when one bears and speaks, gives and takes, and, in one's secret heart, clings to God and never ceases dwelling upon him.


quote 2744  | 
Martin Buber’s ten rungs, collected Hassidic saying, p.21 




Q uestion: Why is it written: "In the day that God created a man on earth," and not "in the day that God created man on earth"?
Answer: You shall serve your Creator as if there were only one man in the world, only you yourself.


quote 2739  | 
Martin Buber’s ten rungs, collected Hassidic saying, p.18 




E very lock has its key which fits into and opens it. But there are strong thieves who know how to open locks without keys. They break the lock. So every mystery in the world can be unriddled by the particular kind of meditation fitted to it. But God loves the thief who breaks the lock open: I mean, the man who breaks his heart for God.


quote 2737  | 
Martin Buber’s ten rungs, collected Hassidic saying, p.17 




T hose "devout" souls who knew that no one can be really devout in relation to God, if he is not devout toward His creation, and that the love of God is unreal, unless it is crowned with love for one's fellow men.


quote 2729  | 
Martin Buber’s ten rungs, collected Hassidic saying, p.7 




A ll stress of egoistic choice, all hankering after personal profit, all stipulation of self-regarding desire must be extirpated from the nature. There must be no demand for fruit and no seeking for reward; the only fruit for you is the pleasure of the Divine Mother and the fulfillment of her work, your only reward a constant progression in divine consciousness and calm and strength and bliss. The joy of service and the joy of inner growth through works is the sufficient recompense of the selfless worker.


quote 2708  | 
All for her, in the Teaching of the Hindu Mystics, by Andrew Harvey, Shambala. 




A ll your life must be an offering and a sacrifice to the Supreme; your only object in action shall be to serve, to receive, to fulfill, to become a manifesting instrument of the Divine Shakti in her works. You must grow in the divine consciousness till there is no difference between your will and hers, no motive except her impulsion in you, no action that is not her conscious action in you and through you.


quote 2707  | 
All for her, in the Teaching of the Hindu Mystics, by Andrew Harvey, Shambala. 




T his is the gist of all worship: to be pure and to do good to others. He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worships Shiva. And if he sees Shiva only in the image, his worship is but preliminary. He who has served and helped one poor man seeing Shiva in him, without thinking of his caste or creed or race or anything, with him Shiva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples.


quote 2694  | 
"Vedanta: Voice of Freedom", Vedanta Society of St. Louis, 205 S. Skinker Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63105. 




I t IS IN LOVE that religion exists and not in ceremony-in the pure and sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body and mind, his coming into a temple and worshipping Shiva is useless. The prayers of those who are pure in mind and body will be answered by Shiva, and those who are impure and yet try to teach religion to others will fail in the end. External worship is only a symbol of internal worship, but internal worship and purity are the real things. Without them, external worship would be of no avail.


quote 2693  | 
"Vedanta: Voice of Freedom", Vedanta Society of St. Louis, 205 S. Skinker Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63105. 




G od reveals Himself to a devotee who feels drawn to Him by the combined force of these three attractions: the attraction of worldly possessions for the worldly man, the child's attraction for its mother, and the husband's attraction for the chaste wife. If one feels drawn to him by the combined force of these three attractions, then one can attain him.


quote 2684  | 
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna as translated into English by Swami Nikhilananda and published by the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, Copyright 1942, by Swami Nikhilananda. 




N OW BE ATTENTIVE while I explain the highest kind of devotion.
One who constantly listens to my virtues and recites my names,
Who is firmly intent on me, a treasury of auspicious qualities,
Whose concentration is ever steady like a continuous flow of oil,
Who has no ulterior motive at all in these actions,
Having no desire for liberation in any form-whether living in my presence, sharing my powers, merging into me, or dwelling in my heaven
Who knows absolutely nothing better than serving me,
Cherishing the notion of servant and master and thus not aspiring even for liberation,
Who enthusiastically thinks of me alone with supreme affection,
Knowing me truly as never separate from oneself, not acknowledging any difference,
Who thinks of beings as embodiments of myself, loving other selves as one's own Self;
Who makes no false distinctions, realizing the universality of pure consciousness,
My omnipresent essence manifested in all beings everywhere at all times,
Who honors and respects even the lowest outcaste, 0 Lord,
Discarding any sense of difference and thus wishing harm to no one,
Who is eager to see my sacred sites and to see my devotees,
And is eager to listen to scriptures that describe the mantras and rites used in worshipping me, 0 Ruler,
Whose heart is overwhelmed with love for me, whose body ever thrills with joy,
Whose eyes are filled with tears of love, and whose voice falters,
Who, with such enraptured feelings, 0 Mountain Chief, worships
Me as ruler, womb of the world, and cause of all causes,
Who performs my splendrous rites, both the regular and the occasional, always with devotion and without miserly regard for cost,
Who longs to sec my festivals and to participate in them,
Ever impelled by such desires arising spontaneously, 0 Mountain,
Who sings on high my names while dancing,
Unselfconscious and forgetful of the body,
Who accepts the fruits of past karma as what must bc,
Unconcerned with thoughts of preserving the body,
Such a person practices devotion deemed supreme,
In which there is no thought of anything except me, the Goddess.
The person in whom such supreme devotion truly arises, 0 Mountain,
Then dissolves into my essential nature of pure consciousness.


quote 2670  | 
The Song of the Goddess: Translation, Annotation, and Commentary by C. Mackenzie Brown, the State University of New York Press (0 1998, State University of New York. 




B e aware of me always, adore me, make every act an offering to me, and you shall come to me; this I promise;


quote 2668  | 
translated by Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, Tomales, California 




T herefore, having been born in this transient and formless world, give all your love to me. Fill your mind with me; love me; serve me; worship me always.


quote 2663  | 
translated by Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, Tomales, California 




W hatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart-a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water I partake of that love offering. Whatever you do, make it an offering to me-the food you eat, the sacrifices you make, the help you give, even your suffering. In this way you will be freed from the bondage of karma, and from its results both pleasant and painful. Then, firm in renunciation and yoga, with your heart free, you will come to me.


quote 2662  | 
translated by Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, Tomales, California 




T he process of offering is Brahman; that which is offered is Brahman. Brahman offers the sacrifice in the fire of Brahman. Brahman is attained by those who see Brahman in every action.
Some aspirants offer material sacrifices to the gods. Others offer selfless service as sacrifice in the fire of Brahman. Some renounce all enjoyment of the senses, sacrificing them in the fire of sense restraint. Others partake of sense objects but offer them in service through the fire of the senses. Some offer the workings of the senses and the vital forces through the fire of self-control, kindled in the path of knowledge.

Some offer wealth; others offer sense restraint and suffering. Some take vows and offer knowledge and study of the scriptures; and some make the offering of meditation. Some offer the forces of vitality, regulating their inhalation and exhalation, and thus gain control over these forces. Others offer the forces of vitality through restraint of their senses. All these understand the meaning of service and will be cleansed of their impurities.

True sustenance is in service, and through it a man or woman reaches the eternal Brahman. But those who do not seek to serve are without a home in this world. Arjuna, how can they be at home in any world to come?

These offerings are born of work, and each guides mankind along a path to Brahman.


quote 2661  | 
translated by Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, Tomales, California 




E verything from ruler, minister, husband, wife, and friends to mountains, rivers, spiritual beings, birds, animals, and plants should be truly loved in order to realize my humanity that forms one body with them, and then my clear character will be completely manifested, and I will really form one body with Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things.

This is what is meant by "manifesting the clear character throughout the empire." (1) This is what is meant by "regulation of the family … .. Ordering the state, and bringing peace to the world." (3) This is what is meant by "full development of one's nature”. (3).


quote 2420  | 
Wang Wen-ch'eng Kung ch'uan-shu, or Complete Works of Wang Yang-ming, Inquiry on the Great Learning, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 35 

(1) The text of the Great Learning. (2) The text of the Great Learning. (3) The Mean, ch. 22.




Q uestion: Why, then, does the learning of the great man consist in loving the people?
Answer: To manifest the clear character is to bring about the substance of the state of forming one body with Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things, whereas loving the people is to put into universal operation the function of the state of forming one body.


quote 2419  | 
Wang Wen-ch'eng Kung ch'uan-shu, or Complete Works of Wang Yang-ming, Inquiry on the Great Learning, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 35 




I have three treasures.
Guard and keep them:
The first is deep love,
The second is frugality,
And the third is not to dare to be ahead of the world.
Because of deep love, one is courageous.
Because of frugality, one is generous.
Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world.
Now, to be courageous by forsaking deep love,
To be generous by forsaking frugality,
And to be ahead of the world by forsaking following behind-
This is fatal.
For deep love helps one to win in the case of attack,
And to be firm in the case of defense.
When Heaven is to save a person,
Heaven will protect him through deep love.


quote 2212  | 
Laozi 67, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7. 




H e who loves the world as his body may be entrusted with the empire.


quote 2178  | 
Laozi 13, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7. 

On the basis of this attitude toward the body (also found in Lao Tzu, ch. 44.), it is difficult to accept the theory that Yang Chu, who would preserve one's own life under any circumstances, was an early Taoist, as Fung has maintained. (History of Chinese Philosophy, vol. 1, P. 137.).




M encius said, "The reason why the superior man is different from other men is because of what he preserves in his mind. He preserves humanity and propriety. The man of humanity loves others. The man of propriety respects others. He who loves others is always respected by others, and he who respects others is always respected by them


quote 2156  | 
Book of Mencius, 4B:28, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 3. 




M encius said, "Treat with respect the elders in my family and then extend that respect to include the elders in other families. Treat with tenderness the young in my own family, and then extend that tenderness to include the young in other families….


quote 2149  | 
Book of Mencius, IA:7, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 3. 



Page:  5 |6





Follow the daily quotes on


World Sacred Scriptures
The Dhammapada
The Diamond sutra and the Heart Sutra
The Bible
Corpus Hermetica
The Bhagavad Gita
The Laws of Manu
The Upanishads
The Holy Koran (External Link)
The Zohar (External Link)
Shri Guru Granth Sahib
The Avesta
The Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Apocrypha of the Bible
The Dao De Jing
Tibetan Book of the Dead



Quotes from the World Religion


God Love All Beings





Scriptures 360

Bahai 360
Buddhism 360
Christianity 360
Hinduism 360
Islam 360
Jainism 360
Judaism 360
Sickhim 360
Taoism 360
Zoroastrism 360




Quotes by sacred scriptures




Quotes by authors




Quotes by schools of thought




Quotes by subjects




Search quotes by keywords
:

: