"We ought to listen attentively to the words uttered in
the depths of our heart at every moment."
"To listen to our inner promptings in the present moment
means we have to take one crucial step: self-surrender or letting go of
our controlling egos."
"To relinquish our sense of conscious control is difficult.
It requires trust - that what will happen to us in our seemingly vulnerable
state of self-surrender will be for the best, even if it looks doubtful
at the time."
"If we can surrender ourselves to the promptings of our
hearts, we will only have to deal with whatever comes up, moment by moment."
"Imagination is a gift, a way of seeing that requires
an open, receptive, sensitive and sympathetic mind."
"We must challenge our way of seeing the world in only
one dimension."
"If we perform our tasks to the best of our ability, then
no amount of praise will make us better people, or make us work harder.
We need to be self-reliant, and not become dependent on the opinions of
others."
"Those who mediate do so because they gain some benefit,
such as feeling calmest, more peaceful or more alert."
"Quiet activities, from walking to knitting and gardening,
are a positive way of slowing down our metabolisms, meditation proper -
quite apart from the possible benefits listed above - helps to create calmness,
insight and an emotional perspective that softens mood swings."
"It is hard to go wrong: simply sitting still and disengaging
from everyday life, by watching your thoughts or repeating a phrase, helps
to alleviate stress."
"Devote yourself to an hour's meditation every day before
a meal. If you can manage it, meditate early in the morning, when
the mind is not so busy and still fresh from a night's sleep."
"Whether on a train journey, or standing at the bus stop,
or sitting at a work desk, we can picture our spiritual guide by our side,
ready to give us help whenever we need it."
"The strong focus we bring to the visualization stops
our thoughts from wandering."
"Meditation is not about escaping reality, but helping
our ability to engage in and affect reality; not about thinking things,
but about feeling things, in order to do things positively."
"The everyday happenings of our lives that we experience
as fate are like a chain of events we cannot escape from."
"Good and bad fortune are inescapable, it is how we react
to the whole concept of fortune and its changing nature that matters."
"By understanding fortune's fickleness and by having faith that the seemingly random events of fate are in fact part of providence's plan for us, we can live our lives with a greater sense of security and serenity and be better able to deal with the daily trails we encounter."
Written by James Bremner
How
the Sages of the Past Can Help Us in Our Everyday Lives
