Swami Satchidananda

The aim of all spiritual practice is to know your real Self, to know the Knower. 

The Bible says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But without knowing what your Self is, how can you love your Self in your neighbor? Know your Self and then see your own Self in your neighbor’s Self. 

Then you can really love your neighbor as your Self. 

What if I ask you to love all fruits as you love an apple—to see the apple in all other fruits? If you don’t know what an apple is, you won’t be able to see other fruits as an apple. 

To love everybody or everything as the spirit, you should realize your spiritual truth; you should realize the divine in you.

Swami Venkatesananda

On Self effort (From Yoga Vasishta)

Sage Vasishta addresses Rama.

"Self-effort, Rama, is that mental, verbal and physical action which is in accordance with the instructions of a holy person well versed in the scriptures. 

It is only by such effort that Indra became king of heaven, that Brahma became the creator, and the other deities earned their place.

Self-effort is of two categories: that of past births and that of this birth. 

The latter effectively counteracts the former. 

Fate is none other than self-effort of a past incarnation. 

There is constant conflict between these two in this incarnation; and that which is more powerful triumphs.

Self-effort which is not in accord with the scriptures is motivated by delusion. 

When there is obstruction in the fruition of self-effort one should examine it to see if there is such deluded action, and if there is, it should be immediately corrected. 

There is no power greater than right action in the present. 

Hence, one should take recourse to self-effort, grinding one's teeth, and one should overcome evil by good and fate by present effort.

One should never yield to laziness but strive to attain liberation, seeing that life is ebbing away every moment. 

One who says "Fate is directing me to do this" is brainless and the goddess of fortune abandons him. 

Hence, by self-effort acquire wisdom and then realise that this self-effort is not without its own end, in the direct realisation of the truth.

If this dreadful source of evil named laziness is not found on earth, who will ever be illiterate and poor? 

It is because laziness is found on earth that people live the life of animals, miserable and poverty-stricken."

( Extract from "Yoga Vasishta" by Swami Venkatesananda)

Mata Amritanandamayi

ON WAIT FOR GOD

You may be waiting for God or God’s grace, but the thought of God occurs in you only once in a blue moon or on Sundays or at best two or three times a day. 

Furthermore, those few occasions on which you may think of God are very dull and lacking in intensity, because you are preoccupied with so many other supposedly important things. 

It is all right if you faithfully wait for Him to come, but be sure you are attentive in your waiting. If you are preoccupied with other things, how can God come? How can His grace flow? 

The Guru is there. His ever-flowing grace is there; it is always present. But you want Him to come uninvited, without any effort on your part. In the name of waiting you idle away your time. You do not consider it an intrinsic part of your life to wait faithfully. 

You do not take this period of waiting seriously and sincerely. You say, ‘I am waiting for God, for His grace to come. He is all-compassionate, so He will come. Until then, let me engage in other important matters.’ This is foolishness. You will neither receive grace nor will you have the power to overcome difficult situations with this kind of faith.”