Sunday, March 06, 2011
From the Upanishads
Of all the many wisdom books that have come down to us, the Upanishads are among the most important. Composed centuries ago in ancient India, they tell us deep truths about how to live our lives, how to come closer to God, how to become a "realized" human being. Fortunately, many of these wise sayings are available on the internet. Here are some I found today when I was browsing the "net."
See http://www.arcadelamor.org/storytellingmonk/ref/selfstudy/ref-Vedas.htm
for more of these wisdom jewels.
Truth alone conquers, not untruth. By truth is laid out the path leading to the gods by which the sages who have their desires fulfilled travel to where is that supreme abode of truth.
Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3:
“The weak and timid cannot realize the Self. Self Realization is not possible through intellect or hearing spiritual discourse. One who welcomes God in every activity, through a thorough controlled and disciplined life, to him also the Soul is revealed."
Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3
The Soul cannot be realized by the weak and timid.
Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:8
Just as the flowing rivers disappear in the ocean casting off name and shape, even so the knower, freed from name and shape, attains to the divine person, higher than the high.
Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:9
“The knower of God becomes God”
Mundaka Upanishad 2
All this is, verily, Brahman. This self is Brahman. This same self has four quarters.
Narashimha Upanishad 7:3
“Everything is God”
Prasna Upanishad Invocation 1
Aum. May we, O gods, hear what is auspicious with our ears. Oh ye, who are worthy of worship, may we se with our eyes what is auspicious. May we enjoy the life allotted to us by the gods, offering praise, with our bodies strong of limb.
Prasna Upanishad Invocation 2
May Indra, of increasing glory, bestow prosperity on us; may Pusan, the knower of all, bestow prosperity on us; may Tarksya, of unobstructed path, bestow prosperity on us. May Brhaspati bestow prosperity on us. Aum, peace, peace, peace.
Rig Veda 1:90:6-8
"Let every wind that blows drop honey. Let the rivers and streams recreate honey. Let all our medicines turn honey. Let the dawn and evening be full of honey. Let the dark particles be converted to honey. Our nourisher, this sky above, be full of honey. Let our trees be honey. Let the Sun be honey. Let our cows secrete honey."
Rig Veda 1:64:46
"Truth is one but wise men speak in many ways."
Rig Veda 8:19
Let this mortal clay (self) be the immortal God.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad 1:15
As oil in sesame seeds, as butter in cream, as water in river beds, as fire in friction sticks, so is the atman grasped in one's own self when one searches for Him with truthfulness and austerity.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad 2:5 and 3:8
Listen O children of immortality, let this universe be divine. Realize God as (the) Father of all, shining more brilliant than thousand suns. Know Him and be immortal. There is no other way than this.
Note: The following explanation comes from: http://www.hindunet.org/upanishads/
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| Upanishad means the inner or mystic teaching. The term Upanishad is derived from upa (near), ni (down) and s(h)ad (to sit), i.e., sitting down near. Groups of pupils sit near the teacher to learn from him the secret doctrine. In the quietude of the forest hermitages the Upanishad thinkers pondered on the problems of deepest concerns and communicated their knowledge to fit pupils near them. Samkara derives the word Upanishad as a substitute from the root sad, 'to loosen.,' 'to reach' or 'to destroy' with Upa and ni as prefixes and kvip as termination. If this determination is accepted, upanishad means brahma-knowledge by which ignorance is loosened or destroyed. The treatises that deal with brahma-knowledge are called the Upanishads and so pass for the Vedanta. The different derivations together make out that the Upanishads give us both spiritual vision and philosophical argument. There is a core of certainty which is essentially incommunicable except by a way of life. It is by a strictly personal effort that one can reach the truth. The Upanishads more clearly set forth the prime Vedic doctrines like Self-realization, yoga and meditation, karma and reincarnation, which were hidden or kept veiled under the symbols of the older mystery religion. The older Upanishads are usually affixed to a particularly Veda, through a Brahmana or Aranyaka. The more recent ones are not. The Upanishads became prevalent some centuries before the time of Krishna and Buddha. Further comment (from Dorothy): Kundalini in its highest forms is also an introduction to the "secret mystical teachings." When the currents flow through the system, we realize through our own intimate experience that we are indeed part of all that is, and that Brahma (God) is in fact the entire universe of which we are a tiny part. Read the Upanishads and grow wise! "From the unreal lead me to the real! From darkness lead me to light! From death lead me to immortality!" (from the Brihadaranyaks Upanishad) (image from Google. Today, we notice that both teacher and student are male--likely women did not have access to the gurus at that time, for they were--I believe--more or less confined to the home and domestic life. We could construct a different image for today's world, for there are many great women teachers as well as female followers.) |
