“Creation is light and shadow both, else no picture is possible. The good and evil of maya must ever alternate in supremacy. If joy were ceaseless here in this world, would man ever desire another? Without suffering, he scarcely cares to recall that he has forsaken his eternal home. Pain is a prod to remembrance. The way of escape is through wisdom. The tragedy of death is unreal; those who shudder at it are like an ignorant actor who dies of fright on the stage when nothing more has been fired at him than a blank cartridge. My sons are children of light; they will not sleep forever in delusion.”

– The Divine Voice that came to Paramahansa Yogananda

 

if joy were ceaseless here in this world, would man ever desire another?

Compassion and pity are very different. Where as compassion reflects the yearning of the heart to merge and take on some of the suffering, pity is a controlled set of thoughts designed to ensure separateness. Compassion is the spontaneous response of love, pity is the involuntary reflux of fear.

Jack Cornfield

If we can begin to see people as one in the same we can learn how to live with compassion and without pity.  I think sometimes we automatically categorize people in our lives as being inferior or superior to us which then causes us to either have compassion or pity.  If we can live on the path of compassion we can show our true selves and the love will be never-ending.  We will all heal with compassion because love is at its forefront. 

 

compassion and pity are very different

“Some people try to be tall by cutting off the heads of others!”

– Sri Yukteswar

We can all relate to this quote given by Paramahansa Yogananda’s guru, Sri Yukteswar. Throughout our lives we come across people who are constantly bringing down others in order to make themselves feel better.  We see this in schools across the world when bullies attack their prey, we see this in the workplace where co-workers find it necessary to criticize each other in order to get ahead, and we see this in our everyday lives on the street while in the car or even in the grocery store.  What people don’t seem to realize is if we can all support each other we will all grow in a way we never thought possible.  If we as humans can lift each other up in every aspect of our lives we will gain understanding and peace.  Bringing down others will only bring down ourselves and in the end more people will be hurt than healed.  Let’s all begin to cut back on the snood remarks and criticism we feel is necessary to give.  Starting today, let’s try to become more peaceful beings so our world can live in a more harmonious way!

some people try to be tall

“I can’t give you a surefire formula for success but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time.”

– Herbert Bayard Swope

 

This quote always rings true to my heart.  Whenever I feel down or held back I take a look at what I am doing with my life.  Am I living accordingly to others standards or expectations?  Do I make choices based on information given by friends or family?  Am I living my life the way I want to live it?  If I am feeling down or held back the answer to all of these questions usually unravels itself out to yes.

If we can try to understand this concept each day when we wake up our lives will be filled with happiness and joy.  I know I feel much more open and free when I am living by my own expectations and standards.  We will ultimately please others by making sure we are stable and content with who we are and what we’re doing, no matter what it is.

Don’t worry about making others happy at the expense of your own happiness.  Find what you want to do and commit to it 100% and I assure you, success will begin to show itself more and more.

 

Peace, love, and happiness!

formula for failure

“The nature of the mind is to interpret non-essentials essential. The mind creates artificial needs, believing it cannot live without them. In this way we carry a great burden of attachments throughout our life. Attachment is itself a great burden on our minds. We may never understand the extent of the burden till we’re free of it. But if we find joy within, we can live a simple life, free of endless complications.”

 

– Radhanath Swami

 

the nature of the mind