Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Self-Abnegation

Every act of charity, every thought of sympathy, every action of help, every good deed, is taking so much of 
self-importance away from our little selves and making us think of ourselves as the lowest and the least, and, therefore, it is all good. 
Here we find that Jnana, Bhakti, and Karma -- all come to one point. 
The highest ideal is eternal and entire self-abnegation, 
where there is no "I", but all is "Thou"; and 
whether he is conscious or unconscious of it, 
Karma-yoga leads man to that end.


- Swami Vivekananda, 
Karma-Yoga (Classes in New York) 


Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Buddha Purnima

Buddha is the only prophet who said, "I do not care to know your various theories about God. What is the use of discussing all the subtle doctrines about the soul? Do good and be good. And this will take you to freedom and to whatever truth there is." 

He was, in the conduct of his life, absolutely without personal motives; and what man worked more than he?  
He is the ideal Karma-Yogi, acting entirely without motive, and the history of humanity shows him to have been the greatest man ever born; beyond compare the greatest combination of heart and brain that ever existed, the greatest soul-power that has ever been manifested. 
He is the first great reformer the world has seen.

                      - Swami Vivekananda,
                         Karma-Yoga, New York