Favorite sacred text, liturgy, spiritual writing quotes

[dauer]

I'm creating this thread as a way for us all to share favorite pieces of sacred text and liturgy together, and I include in this also later writing as well that might not necessarily be canonical, anything written up until this present moment. Just let your heart be the judge of whether a text is valid or not, anything spiritual. Please don't post anything so long that it would discourage reading, even if you yourself would easily read it. Try to have nothing longer than an average to a little longer than average stanza'd song or poem or so. This will keep the flow moving. I will start.

This is a translation from midrash yalkot shim'oni on psalm 150:6. The translation is by Gershon Winkler. Psalm 150:6, according to another translation reads:

"6. Let every soul praise God. Hallelujah!" It's the last line in psalms. The following is Reb Gershon's translation from midrash yalkot shim'oni:

"When King David completed his composition of the psalms, he bragged to God and said: "Creator of the Universe! Is there any creature in your world that has sung praises unto your Name more than I have?" Suddenly, a toad leaped up on a rock in front of him and croaked: "Don't let it go to your head, for I sing far more praises to God in a single day than you could in a lifetime!"

Dauer

[Popeyesays]

68. O CHILDREN OF MEN!
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.

(Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words, 68)

[arthra]

Thanks Dauer for satarting this thread... Here's my favorite piece from the "Baha'i Writings":


O my brother, when a true seeker determineth to take the step of search in the path leading to the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse and purify his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments.

He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth. Even as thou dost witness in this day how most of the people, because of such love and hate, are bereft of the immortal Face, have strayed far from the Embodiments of the divine mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of oblivion and error. That seeker must at all times put his trust in God, must renounce the peoples of the earth, detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords.

He must never seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vainglory, must cling unto patience and resignation, observe silence, and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smouldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endure a century...

- Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Iqan found at

http://www.bahai-library.com/writing...n/iq-2.htm#192

[pohaikawahine]

AUTONOMY


The Master seemed quite impervious to what people thought of him. When disciples asked how he had attained this stage of inner freedom,he laughed aloud and said, "Till I was twenty I did not care what people thought of me. After twenty I worried endlessly about what my neighbors thought. Then one day after fifty I suddenly saw that they hardly ever thought of me at all."

Anthony de Mello, SJ

"WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

The greatest weapon of mass destruction on earth is the human mind. It not only conceives plots to obliterate the world, but it's relentless in its need to keep us from ever being happy. It's a boom box that never shuts up and it speaks every language on earth. To quiet the mind is the first step in eliminating weapons of mass destruction." author unknown

[dauer]

This is a prayer by Arele Roth, translated not entirely literally by Reb Zalman to allow for a modern audience's appreciation (smoothing over coarsely ethnocentric statements), containing all of the mitzvot (commandments) that can be achieved with consciousness alone. There are 32, which is the equivalent to heart in Hebrew.

O my Creator! May Your Name be praised: With my mouth, brain, and heart prepared, I am ready to fulfill Your mitzvot - You who shape me.

1. Faith I place in You. 2. Oneness I affirm in You. 3. I am Mindful of You. 4. I focus on Your vast Greatness 5. and focus on my insignificance. 6. Thus do I turn back to You in teshuva (returning or repentance) 7. and am bashful in Your Presence. 8. I am awed by You 9. and love you. 10. I accept the authority of your mitzvot, 11. find my joy in You 12. and place my trust in You. 13. I deny all false gods and those in their service; I reject unfit thoughts that rise in my heart. 14. I give You my thanks 15. and aim to hold You sacred. 16. I remember Jerusalem - Your House of Prayer for all peoples, 17. and look out to You to redeem us and free our souls. 18. Amalek I will blot out 19. by loving my neighbor as myself 20. and adhering to you in devekut (cleaving or attachment) 21. walking in Your ways. 22. Thus will I make a Holy Space in me for You to be at home in. 23. I long for your intimacy and love 24. and am energized to find You empowering my heart. 25. I affirm that Your actions are just 26. and am mindful that You redeem us from Mitzrayim (Egypt, the narrow or tight place.) 27. Therefore I will not welcome in my awareness thought that opposes - faith in Your/our service - and in Your Torah. 28. I will not yield to pride. 29. I will not hate any fellow Godwrestler in my heart 30. and I will give up all vindictiveness not consider my self flawless 31. but remember that I caused You displeasure. 32. With all these I intend not to forget Your presence in my life. Amen!

Thus may You be pleased O Supernal Parent, that by the merit and the power of my making mention of these mitzvot with my mouth there be stimulated the energy of these mitzvot in their supernal root to draw down to me that High Holy flow that will shield my thoughts, my voice and my words from all damage, all taint, all dross and dirt and there be drawn to me a flow that will make pure my thoughts and heart, my voice and words. May all of them be surrendered to You, Praised One to the end that I may merit to be connected to You in devekut and love and to attain the fulfillment of Your mitzvah to cleave to You. Thus will I be priveileged to be an instrument of Your will, a vehicle for the blessed Shechinah (Divine presence, feminine) of Your Glory. Thus will the light in my soul not darken nor will Your Divine spark be extinguished in me from now on and forever Amen! May this be Your will.

[chakraman]

is god to be found in churches, or in our hearts? the urge to be comforted breeds illusion; it is this urge which creates churches, temples and mosques. we get lost in them, or in the illusion of an omnipotent state, and the real thing goes by. the unimportant becomes all-consuming. truth, or whatever you will, cannot be found by the mind; thought cannot go after it; there is no path to it; it cannot brought through worship, prayer or sacrifice. if we want comfort, consolation, we shall have it in one way or another; but with it come further pain and misery. the desire for comfort, for security, has the power to create every form of illusion. it is only when the mind is still that there is a possibility of the coming into being of the real. - j krishnamurti

[bodhi_mindisfree]

The wise rejoice in giving and thereby gain happiness thereafter.

Dhammapada 177

[Francis king]

well...for me, it'd have to be- nagarjuna's mahayanavimsika... I will post it later...

[dauer]

"Honoring your own tenderness is called strength."

--Tao Teh Ching 52

[Prober]

Psalms Chapter 51

א לַמְנַצֵּחַ, מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד. 1 For the Leader. A Psalm of David;
ב בְּבוֹא-אֵלָיו, נָתָן הַנָּבִיא-- כַּאֲשֶׁר-בָּא, אֶל-בַּת-שָׁבַע. 2 When Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.
ג חָנֵּנִי אֱלֹהִים כְּחַסְדֶּךָ; כְּרֹב רַחֲמֶיךָ, מְחֵה פְשָׁעָי. 3 Be gracious unto me, O God, according to Thy mercy; according to the multitude of Thy compassions blot out my transgressions.
ד הרבה (הֶרֶב), כַּבְּסֵנִי מֵעֲו*ֹנִי; וּמֵחַטָּאתִי טַהֲרֵנִי. 4 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
ה כִּי-פְשָׁעַי, אֲנִי אֵדָע; וְחַטָּאתִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד. 5 For I know my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me.
ו לְךָ לְבַדְּךָ, חָטָאתִי, וְהָרַע בְּעֵינֶיךָ, עָשִׂיתִי:
לְמַעַן, תִּצְדַּק בְּדָבְרֶךָ-- תִּזְכֶּה בְשָׁפְטֶךָ. 6 Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Thy sight; {N}
that Thou mayest be justified when Thou speakest, and be in the right when Thou judgest.
ז הֵן-בְּעָווֹן חוֹלָלְתִּי; וּבְחֵטְא, יֶחֱמַתְנִי אִמִּי. 7 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
ח הֵן-אֱמֶת, חָפַצְתָּ בַטֻּחוֹת; וּבְסָתֻם, חָכְמָה תוֹדִיעֵנִי. 8 Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts; make me, therefore, to know wisdom in mine inmost heart.
ט תְּחַטְּאֵנִי בְאֵזוֹב וְאֶטְהָר; תְּכַבְּסֵנִי, וּמִשֶּׁלֶג אַלְבִּין. 9 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
י תַּשְׁמִיעֵנִי, שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה; תָּגֵלְנָה, עֲצָמוֹת דִּכִּיתָ. 10 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which Thou hast crushed may rejoice.
יא הַסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ, מֵחֲטָאָי; וְכָל-עֲו*ֹנֹתַי מְחֵה. 11 Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
יב לֵב טָהוֹר, בְּרָא-לִי אֱלֹהִים; וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן, חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי. 12 Create me a clean heart, O God; and renew a stedfast spirit within me.
יג אַל-תַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי מִלְּפָנֶיךָ; וְרוּחַ קָדְשְׁךָ, אַל-תִּקַּח מִמֶּנִּי. 13 Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy holy spirit from me.
יד הָשִׁיבָה לִּי, שְׂשׂוֹן יִשְׁעֶךָ; וְרוּחַ נְדִיבָה תִסְמְכֵנִי. 14 Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and let a willing spirit uphold me.
טו אֲלַמְּדָה פֹשְׁעִים דְּרָכֶיךָ; וְחַטָּאִים, אֵלֶיךָ יָשׁוּבוּ. 15 Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall return unto Thee.
טז הַצִּילֵנִי מִדָּמִים, אֱלֹהִים-- אֱלֹהֵי תְּשׁוּעָתִי:
תְּרַנֵּן לְשׁוֹנִי, צִדְקָתֶךָ. 16 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; {N}
so shall my tongue sing aloud of Thy righteousness.
יז אֲדֹנָי, שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח; וּפִי, יַגִּיד תְּהִלָּתֶךָ. 17 O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall declare Thy praise.
יח כִּי, לֹא-תַחְפֹּץ זֶבַח וְאֶתֵּנָה; עוֹלָה, לֹא תִרְצֶה. 18 For Thou delightest not in sacrifice, else would I give it; Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.
יט זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים, רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה:
לֵב-נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה-- אֱלֹהִים, לֹא תִבְזֶה. 19 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; {N}
a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
כ הֵיטִיבָה בִרְצוֹנְךָ, אֶת-צִיּוֹן; תִּבְנֶה, חוֹמוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם. 20 Do good in Thy favour unto Zion; build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.
כא אָז תַּחְפֹּץ זִבְחֵי-צֶדֶק, עוֹלָה וְכָלִיל;
אָז יַעֲלוּ עַל-מִזְבַּחֲךָ פָרִים. 21 Then wilt Thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt-offering and whole offering; {N}
then will they offer bullocks upon Thine altar. {P}

Bible and Mishneh Torah for All - Jews and Gentiles / Mechon Mamre

[Francis king]

nagarjuna's mahayanavimsika (twenty verses on the great vehicle)

homage to the Buddha (inconceivable
glory) mind unattatched:
whose compassion
taught the law (expressed
the inexpressible)

Buddhas and beings are of one essence
(like space) do not arise
through an essence: do not cease
in reality

(and we are impelled to this world:
to nirvana) by what does not occur
by what is born in dependence
by what the omniscient know

for all things
are pure (and calm:
beyond duality) like a reflection
:reality

and we think there is a self
where there is no self
happiness and sorrow
are real for us: and realisation

the six destinies and this
world: highest happiness of heaven
great suffering in hell
old age: disease: and death

we see what isnt there (and burn
in hell) burn
by our own fault (as reeds
are burned by fire

and experience things
at the magic show
(go to a destiny:
born in dependence

at the magic show

fools fear the world (a painter
paints a demon
and screams) a child digs
a mudhole: falls in

stuck in the mud of imposing upon reality
and cant get out (and see no:thing
as real) feel sorrow: false things
tormenting with the poison of fear

but the buddhas: constant
in compassion (seek
to help) see us as helpless
and lead us to enlightenment

that we may be buddhas: knowledge
attained: and freed from the net
of things (friends of the world)

they see reality (unborn
unmade) they see the world:
empty (and without beginning
without middle: without end)

they see there is no world
(no nirvana) stainless it is
unchanging (and radiant in the beginning
in the middle: in the end)

a magician puts on a magic show
when he stops: nothing
nothing: the nature of reality
nothing (but thought)

a magic trick (and then we do
good and evil) and go
to good and evil
destiny

we construct a world
(and we do not occur) occurence is a construct: and things
do not exist

fools conceive of permanence
(and self and happiness) in things
essenceless: and are wrapped
in darkness (wandering
in the ocean of existence)

>>>>>>>>>

[path_of_one]

My modified version of a modern Druidic prayer:

O Divine One
Revealed in all, and through all, and beyond all
Grant, my God, thy protection
And in protection, awareness
And in awareness, inspiration
And in inspiration, guidance
And in guidance, deliverance
And in deliverance, peace
And in peace, the vision of the Song of the All
And in that vision, the love of the Song and all in it
And in that love, the love of You, my God, and all goodness.
May the blessing of the Uncreated One, the Creative Word, and the
Spirit that is the Inspirer be always with me.

[arthra]

O SON OF SPIRIT!

The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale the charm of the rose; whilst those birds, the hearts of men, content with transient dust, have strayed far from their eternal nest, and with eyes turned towards the slough of heedlessness are bereft of the glory of the divine presence.

Alas! How strange and pitiful; for a mere cupful, they have turned away from the billowing seas of the Most High, and remained far from the most effulgent horizon.

- Baha'u'llah from the Persian Hidden Words