18 Principles of a Spiritual Life

Spirit upholds and sustains life. It makes you strong and solid. It breaks own the narrow boundaries of cast, creed, religion and nationality and gives you an awareness of life present everywhere.

1. Confidence
Without confidence, achievement does not come. Doubt is what opposes confidence. Once you eliminate the negative, you will see that the positive has already happened.

I am not telling you to drop your doubt. Doubt as much as you can! Give it your 100%. That will help you through it. Once you cross this barrier of doubt, then further progress comes.

2. Stop Blaming Others and Yourself
Without this movement toward the Self, toward spirit, you have a journey toward matter. The joy you get from matter is tiring. The joy you get from spirit is uplifting.

You will find negative qualities within yourself, but you don't need to blame yourself for them. Whenever you blame yourself, you are bound to blame the other, because self-blame cannot stand for too long. You will find reason to escape from it by hooking it onto someone else. This causes hatred to arise. And whenever you blame someone else, you are preparing again to blame yourself. There is so much blame being given today that it is dampening the consciousness of the whole world.

3. Praise Other and Yourself
Praising others goes a step beyond not blaming others. Praising kindles spirit and the presence of spirit is uplifting to yourself, to the other, and the entire environment. In praising yourself or another, a space is created within you that is filled with joy.

If you can praise yourself, you won't need praise from others. Often we think that praising ourselves is ego, but, in fact, ego cannot praise itself. Rather it hopes for praise from others. And understand that all praise goes to the Divine anyway. If you say you have beautiful eyes, who made them? Every praise goes to the Divine, the Maker.

The act of offering praise expands consciousness. Something inside you opens up. Blaming shrinks consciousness. Since the spiritual dimension is an expansion of consciousness, of the mind, we do not want to counter that by blaming. Sincerely offer praise to someone and see how you feel.

4. Sincerity
In all things, be sincere. Do not fool yourself and do not try to fool anyone else. You are not on the spiritual path for anyone else's sake. Spiritual  seeking without sincerity is empty. It brings no benefits. With sincerity, it brings peace, happiness and joy you can find in no other way on this planet.

5. Responsibility
The spiritual path is not escape from responsibility, but taking responsibility. However much responsibility you have taken for your life, by that much you are on the path. If you think it is difficult to manage what has been given to you to do, more will be given! People mistakenly think that being spiritual is an escape from hard work. No. The spiritual path is marked by effective and dynamic activity.

6. Let Go of the Past
See the entire past as a dream. Then you come to the present moment. You will find it is not necessary to make an effort to be in the present. The moment you let go of the past, your mind comes to the present on its own.

In the present moment, spirit is kindled even a little spark is made into a glow. When you cling to the past, the spark is covered with ashes. Be in the present and blow away the ashes of the past.

7. Acceptance
You need to know how to create a harmonious environment around you. You may think that your environment creates you, but in truth, you create your environment. See that what is, is. The acceptance of what is has two aspects. The first is the acceptance of the present moment as inevitable. It has happened as it happened. If you want it to be different, it can only become different in the next moment. Only when you accept what is and become calm, can you effectively change anything.

The second aspect is to accept other people as they are. Whatever behavior they are exhibiting, see that it is the best that they have to offer in that moment. Be analytical. Look for possible explanations for their actions. And simultaneously take responsibility for your own. In this way, acceptance becomes dynamic and your environment becomes harmonious. 

8. Confirmation of Your Own Death
the understanding that you are going to die one day. Because there is something deep within us that does not die, we may not fully comprehend the fact of our own death. The confirmation of death can bring you to the present moment. It can take you out of all the small temptations that keep you away from the present. Once you know that you are going to die, then the future will not haunt you.

9. Impermanence of Life
The impermanence of all that exists right now,the impermanence of situations, circumstances, emotions and people around you. Knowing that all this is impermanent raises the level of spirit. You can act with more energy, enthusiasm and vigor. We think that if we recognize that everything is impermanent, it will bring down our enthusiasm and lead us to a state of apathy. No. The correct understanding of impermanence kindles spirit.  Whenever spirit is kindled, you feel uplifted. Enthusiasm and dynamism are present.

10. Trust
Trust the supreme and infinite Intelligence which has formed this entire creation, from the cosmic display to the interplay of genes and atoms and molecules. Just in the arrangement of electrons, something becomes a flower and something else becomes a stone, something is gold and something else is charcoal. 

See that there is a basic substratum, an underlying intelligence, a unity, in this entire creation. And see that it is lively. We don't see the universe as a living thing. We see only matter everywhere; in our eyes only objects appear. We know there is a magnetic field in creation, but we often see it as a dead field. Pure consciousness, that which is the basis of mind, that of which you are a part and everyone else is a part, is such a field and it is alive. Understanding, accepting and trusting the Intelligence which creates and sustains all things is the tenth principle of spiritual life.

11. Unity in Creation
When the human mind is stressed and tense, it judges, discriminates, loves this, doesn't love that, makes boundaries. And in so doing, it removes itself from existence. This removal of
existence from the flow of existence is called separation, but it is only apparent. Separation from existence is not possible. If a portion of a circle is removed, there is no longer a circle. See that you are part of existence, a fragment of the expression of the supreme Intelligence, the unifying force which underlies all of creation, all that is.

12. Your Nature is Love and Peace
When you understand the unity in creation, you don't have to make an effort to love others. Love is your nature. Love is what there is. Nothing other than love exists. See that love is not an action that you do, not a moral obligation that you must carry out. See that you exist in love and everything else exists in love.

And know that peace is also your nature. At any moment, in any place, you can just sit and let go, knowing inside you there is a pure clear space, vast and deep. That inner space is what you are. When you feel this, you are in touch with your spiritual dimension. 

I have come from peace, I am in peace, I'll go back to peace. Peace is my origin and my goal. I am peace, I am space, I am love. This inner affirmation or experience makes you a seeker. Knowing that your nature is love and peace is the twelfth principle.

13. Balance
The thirteenth principle of spiritual life is finding a balance between activity and rest between enjoying your world and coming back to your self, and finding a balance between silence and speech. If you kept silent all your life, never uttering a word, you would not necessarily be living the spiritual life. You have been given speech. You have been given talents and abilities. Make right use of these things you have been given and balance that with meditation, the self-referral aspect of your consciousness.

14. Self Enquiry
Self-enquiry is the next principle of spiritual life. Start with awareness of the feeling of your own body your own skin, the feeling of your skin under your garments, and under the skin your muscles and nerves and then bones. Do not be insensitive to life, like an animal who only eats, drinks and sleeps. Observe every sensation. Have the keenest awareness. In knowing your own body, you will come to know spirit that which is different from the body.

15. Dispassion and Maturity
Keen awareness comes with maturity, or you could say, with dispassion. Maturity and dispassion come together. You cannot be mature and not be dispassionate also. Dispassion is often wrongly understood to be a flat, dull state of mind or a negative mood. It has the connotation of being aloof and disinterested. This is not true. In dispassion, you are aware; you are intimate with yourself. In maturity there is no fevershness. In maturity here is royalty, there is freedom, there is understanding, there is mystery. This is the fifteenth principle of spiritual life, gaining dispassion and living maturely.

16. Appreciation of Beauty
The sixteenth principle of spiritual life is to acknowledge the beauty in creation, the beauty in every person, the beauty within you, and to know this beauty in the nature of spirit. The mind runs after beauty, appreciates beauty, but there is a difference between appreciating beauty and wanting to possess it. In wanting to possess beauty, we lose our dispassion.

Know it is spirit that is beautiful. Wherever you perceive beauty, spirit is there. If someone is beautiful, it is because of the spirit in them. A dead body is never beautiful. Attributing beauty to spirit and differentiating that from matter takes you a long way on the spiritual path.

17. Worshipfulness and Honor
The appreciation of beauty brings worshipfulness. You worship beauty, you adore it. Adoring and worshiping everything in creation as a reflection of the Creator is the next principle of spiritual life. 

And honor everything. Honoring is more than an emotional response. It is an attitude. It indicates a balanced understanding of life. When respect and love are both present, that brings honor. When there is honor, the mind is one hundred percent present and a sense of sacredness comes. Love and respect bring honor and honor brings sacredness. You cannot feel for something and not feel its sacredness. Sacredness brings alertness in the consciousness. Awareness comes.

18. Life is Imperishable
The final principle of spiritual life is knowing that life is imperishable. This is totally contradictory to the principle of knowing that life is impermanent, that everything is perishable. Now we say that life is imperishable; nothing can happen to it. Truth is always contradictory.

http://officialsrisri.blogspot.in/2011/01/18-principles-of-spiritual-life-by-h-h.html

Technique:Microcosmic Orbit Meditation

This meditation awakens and circulates qi through the two primary energy meridians of the body. In this meditation you will practice ascending qi up the Governing Channel, which runs from the base of the spine to the crown of the head ending in the upper palate of the mouth, and descending qi down the Functional Channel, which runs from the tongue down the front midline of the body. This cycle of ascending and descending qi is called the microcosmic orbit. The circuit of this orbit is only connected when the tongue touches the upper palate of the mouth. For this reason, you see this instruction in the qigong above and in this meditation. 

Intention of the practice: Qi flowing down the front of your body cultivates openness and receptivity to what is unfolding in life both inside and outside. Qi flowing up the back of your body cultivates responsiveness and expressiveness. As qi circulates up and down, around and around, a deep harmony emerges between the microcosm in you and the greater cosmos. This harmony reveals our beingness in a deep, subtle, and profound way. 

Structure of the practice: Please do this meditation for 20 minutes every day after practicing the Energy Circulation Qigong. 

One of the fundamental principles of qigong is “Where the mind moves the qi follows.” When you focus your attention on a particular location in your body, you activate the flow of qi in that area of your body. We will be utilizing this principle in this meditation by moving our attention to lead the qi through the microcosmic orbit. 

1. Posture
a. Sit on the floor or in a chair in such a way that your knees are lower than your hips, your back is upright and supporting itself, and you are solidly grounded. 
b. Tuck your chin in slightly to raise the back of your head and fully elongate your spine. 
c. Direct your gaze at a 45° angle toward the floor in front of you with your eyelids half open/half closed. 
d. Place your hands comfortably in your lap. 

2. Focusing Attention / Focusing Qi 
a. Focus your attention on the center of your belly, your lower dan tian, and begin following your breath as your belly rises and falls. Rest your attention there for several minutes as you follow your breath to allow the mind to settle. 
b. Imagine each breath acting like a bellows fanning a fire in your belly. As you follow your breath, your belly fills with qi and becomes warmer. 

3. Orbiting Attention / Orbiting Qi: 
a. Close your mouth and gently press the tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth to close the circuit of the microcosmic orbit. 
b. Inhaling qi up your back: Inhale as you draw in your abdomen and tighten your anus very slightly. As you do this, move your attention slowly from the perineum up the midline of your back to the crown of your head. 
c. Exhaling qi down your front: Exhale as you gently push your abdomen out slightly and relax your anus. As you do this, move your attention slowly from the crown of your head down the midline of the front of your body to your belly center. 
d. Continue in a cyclical manner to inhale qi up your back and exhale qi down your front. 

4. As in all meditations, your mind may wander. When you notice your mind wandering, simply return your attention back to orbiting without self-judgment. If your mind is wandering a lot, then return to Focusing Qi (step 2) and resettle your mind for a few minutes before continuing with Orbiting Qi (step 3).


5. At some point you may experience the qi moving through this orbit automatically. If this happens, simply allow the qi to move at its own pace without trying to control it.

http://nvwunconference.com/testsite/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Microcosmic-Orbit-Meditation.pdf
http://nvwunconference.com/testsite/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Energy-Circulation-Qigong.pdf

Technique:Luscious Lifestyles Program

The Love Lifestyle Tool: A Perfect Diet Program for physical, emotional mental and spiritual nourishment - The Luscious Lifestyles Program 

1. Meditation. 
2. Prayer. 
3. Mind Mastery & Conscious Programming. 
4. A vegetarian diet where possible. 
5. Exercise. 
6. Service. 
7. Time in silence in nature. 
8. The use of devotional or sacred music. 

1. Meditation: Basically this means – sit down, shut up and be still and silent for a period of time every morning and if possible also every evening. Meditation is a tool to turn our senses inwards so that we can experience inner plane life and be transformed by it. Meditation on the energy that breathes us for example, floods our bio-system with its frequency of Love and Wisdom.Developing an awareness of our breath allows us to become detached and be in meditation all day, which keeps our brain wave patterns tuned to the alpha field. 

2. Prayer: Prayer is communication with your Divine Essence. The patients did not know they were being prayed for, but the results were that the half being prayed for had a dramatic improvement in their health, compared to the other half who were not being prayed for 

3. Mind Mastery & Conscious Programming: The two aspects of programming are de-programming and re-programming which allow us to review our belief systems to make sure they enhance and serve both ourself and our world. eg: “Perfect Health, Perfect Balance, Perfect Weight and Perfect Image NOW.”

4. A vegetarian diet where possible:  Begin to lighten up your diet. Eat smaller amounts and less often and refine it until you are vegetarian, then you may wish to eliminate dairy products and be a vegan. After this you may then feel to continue on raw food only. Eventually you may feel to live mainly only prana where you are eating only now and then for the pure pleasure of it. 

5. Exercise: Find a combination of exercises from tai chi, yoga, qigong, or even dance and weight training, that allows you to create a strong and fit physical system. Create an exercise program that you like so that you will do it regularly.

6. Service: Do something beneficial for someone every day without the thought of reward. A sincere hearted commitment to service attracts to us a strong wave of Grace so that our service work in the world can unfold with greater ease and joy.Doing some form of selfless service daily keeps us tuned to the kindness and compassion aspect of The Madonna Frequency‘ Field of pure love. 

7. Time in silence in nature: Time in silence allows us to not just absorb more Earth prana but to also become more conscious of our planet in a positive way. Spending time in silence in nature feeds our soul and allows us to appreciate the beauty of creation and become more environmentally aware. Silence is an incredible teacher and when we are still and fully present in each moment so much more can be revealed to us regarding the more subtle energy realms. 

8. The use of devotional or sacred music: A well tuned heart centre that is pure, attracts powerful interdimensional support in the realm of service. The use of sacred music chants and devotional song also keeps us tuned to the Theta – Delta fields as both de-stress our physical, emotional and mental bodies, and allow us to feel and recognize the Divine in its purest form.

The combination of all 8 points brings grace, synchronicity and magic to our lives.also give us more time each day as we will need less sleep because we function better on all levels. Follow the program each day for 21 days in a row, and on the twenty-second day you have formed a new habit. 

http://www.jasmuheen.com/wp-content/uploads/EMBASSY-TOTAL-PROGRAM-2009-web.pdf

Surrender

God will bear whatever burdens we put on Him. All things are being carried on by the omnipotent power of a Supreme God. Instead of submitting ourselves to It, why should we always be planning, ‘We should do this or that’. Knowing that the train carries all the load, why should we, travelling therein, suffer by carrying our small bundle on our heads, instead of leaving it on the train and being happy.

The story of Ashtavakra teaches that in order to experience Brahma Jnana all that is necessary is to surrender yourself completely to the Guru, to give up your notion of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. If these are surrendered, what remains is the Reality.

There are two ways of achieving surrender. One is looking into the source of the ‘I’ and merging into that source. The other is feeling, ‘I am helpless myself, God alone is all powerful, and except by throwing myself completely on Him, there is no other means of safety for me’; and thus gradually developing the conviction that God alone exists and the ego does not count. Both methods lead to the same goal. Complete surrender is another name for jnana or liberation.

Bhakti is not different from mukti. Bhakti is being as the Self. One is always That. He realizes It by the means he adopts. What is bhakti? To think of God. That means only one thought prevails to the exclusion of all other thoughts. That thought is of God, which is the Self, or it is the self surrendered unto God. When He has taken you up, nothing else will assail you.

http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Gems.pdf

Technique:Healing with an Energy Ball

Instructions to Create a Chi Energy Ball

1. Stand up straight, keeping your body relaxed, and take a deep breath. Clear your mind and breathe out slowly, paying attention to your navel area. This allows you to focus and become 'centered.'
2. Imagine cords of energy are attached to your feet and are rooting themselves to the floor. This is a method of 'grounding' and will help you stay relaxed and focused.
3. Rub the palms of your hands together vigorously, for a few seconds, until they feel warm.
4. Place your palms close together, facing each other, as if you are about to clap your hands. Slowly move them apart about a foot, and then move them towards each other again.
5. Do this several times until you feel a slight resistance, which is an indication of energy.
6. Begin to mold this energy into the shape of a ball with your cupped hands. Continue to move your palms back and forth, squeezing the shape of the ball between them.
7. Visualize this energy as a ball of healing light.

Send Healing with an Energy Ball

8. Ensure the person you are healing is in a relaxed position, either standing or lying down.

9. Visualize a suitable healing color for your chi energy ball. It can be white, golden or perhaps a mix of rainbow colors. Choose the color you feel naturally drawn to.

10. Focus your intent into the ball. This can be the person's name, any specific area of the body that requires healing, or the good thoughts and general healing you wish to send them.

11. Take your energy ball to the recipient and place it above their head. Slowly push the ball down, visualizing it entering their entire body.

12. Envision their body filled with light and silently give thanks for the healing they have received.

Tips & Warnings
1. Visualization and healing are best attempted when you are in a positive and relaxed frame of mind.

2. Only give healing to others if they are open to receiving it.

3. Any healing undertaken should not be a substitute for professional medical advice.http://www.ehow.com/how_8313086_make-energy-ball-chi.html

Guru Paduka (Sai Paduka)

Open Relationship

A sannyasin asks about her relationship which she thought was very open, but her boyfriend recently said he was pretending sometimes, and he has other desires. She feels very sick about this.

Osho: I understand. That's why people have completely forgotten what a open relationship is. They have become closed... they have become zombies. And that's why all the charm in life has disappeared.

In a closed relationship, you go on pretending hut you never say. You feel interested in, infatuated by other women, by other men, but you never say -- you hide the fact. The closed relationship is a very unnatural phenomenon.

If a man feels interested in you, that means he is interested in woman, otherwise why should he be interested in you? So if he finds some beautiful woman passing by . . . he is interested in woman, that's why he loves you... if he feels a beautiful person passing by, how can he avoid feeling a certain desire for the woman or for the man? I am not saying that he should go to her, but there are only two possibilities: either he comes and says it to you... that is natural, should be so, and you should love the man more for that!

... or he can pretend. He can feel that you feel hurt, so he be-comes a liar, pretends that you are the only woman in the world, that no woman attracts him at all. And remember, he can not only pretend it -- he can even manage it, sincerely, not to look at any other woman. But one day you will suddenly see he is no more interested in you either, because if he is not interested in women, why should he be interested in you? You simply represent a woman; you are a personification, an incarnation of womanhood -- nothing else.

So this is the dilemma. Either a relationship has to be open -- then it is very windy and storms come, and sometimes it rains and sometimes it is very cloudy because there is no roof, and you are sitting under the open sky. But there is beauty too, thrill too. There is a kick in it -- a real, alive thing. So you see both the things.

I know your problem. You feel jealous -- that too is natural; so say it! There is no need for you to pretend either. You must be pretending! Mm? you feel jealous and you say, 'No, I don't feel jealous.' Then again you are doing the pretension work.
Simply say, 'Good, but I feel very jealous. And when I am saying that I feel very jealous, I am not saying that you have done anything wrong -- I am simply telling you my mind! It is still there -- I feel very jealous.'

And that too is natural! It is as natural as a man becoming desirous oP other women. That too is natural -- a fear arising that if some other woman becomes too much of an infatuation, he will move away from you. Then you feel that you may lose him. Then all worries arise... and you don't want to lose him! You love him, and you don't want to lose him, so jealousy arises. But don't try to pretend that you are not jealous. Otherwise you will create a problem.

Remember that if you are jealous, you are jealous -- you have to say so. But do it in such a way that the other is not made to feel guilty. He has not done anything wrong. What can he do if a beautiful woman passes by, and suddenly just in that moment he feels attracted? True of him that he comes and says so to you. Now you also have to be true. Don't be afraid!

You are not saying that he is wrong when you say that you feel jealous -- you are simply saying that this is how you feel. He is perfectly okay, and you are thankful that he was true and sincere and that he told you. Tell him to never pretend -- even if you feel hurt, he should never pretend!

Because pretension kills love. Hurts, love can tolerate as many as possible. Hurts are nothing -- in fact they make love even deeper; each hurt brings a new life -- but pretensions kill. So if you pretend that you are not jealous, on the surface you will say, 'I love you', and deep down you will hate; deep down you will want to take revenge. And you will take revenge in many ways. Then you will be in a split.

My suggestion is -- let it be really open. If you are jealous, then you are jealous, and if he felt infatuated, he felt infatuated. What can you do? Human beings are very helpless. You understand his limitations, and he understands your limitations.

Now the second possibility is to make it closed -- then there is every security... but then it is dead! Then you are caged! There are two alternatives: either he pretends that he never looks at any other woman, and when you are not there he's very happy.... In fact when you are not with him, he is very happy that he feels a little freedom. Whenever you are there he is a little depressed, so he becomes a hypocrite. You have killed the man. And how can you love a hypocrite? How is a hypocrite going to give you any happiness?

.... Or the other possibility is that he may be a religious person -- that is even more dangerous... more than the hypocrite. He may be a very sincere person, a serious person: he not only pretends, he tries to do it. Then he can do it. He Gan close all possibilities of being interested in anybody, but then by and by he will lose interest in you.

It is as if you force somebody only to breathe when you are with him. You will find him dead sooner or later, because when you are not there, what is he going to do? He cannot breathe! So for twenty-three hours he cannot breathe, and for one hour he can breathe only when he is with you. That's what we are doing about love. We say, 'Only love me, and for twenty-three hours, no love, no breathing. And then one hour, pour down all your love, breathe as much as you want to breathe!'... It creates a neurotic state!

Very good that it is open. Good that it hurts! You also have to be open -- I don't feel that you are open. That is creating the trouble. You also be open, and you will also feel attracted to men. It is natural. And if you don't feel attracted, that too is good. I'm not saying that you have to! Then maybe that is natural to you. Every-body is so different that there can be no golden rule for everybody.

But be open, and try openness, because openness is far more important than your love, and if openness is dropped, everything is dropped. Even love will disappear -- it will not prove of much help. But if openness is there, only then can love grow in it. Openness gives the space for the love to grow.

It is going to be difficult... challenging. It is not going to be all roses. But nobody is saying that it is all roses. Love is a difficult situation, and everybody needs to pass through it. So keep open, and continue, mm? And whatsoever happens, just say it, express it. If you are feeling sad, be sad! What can you do? If he cannot do anything, then what can you do? If you cannot do anything, then what can he do? If you accept him, he accepts you... and he accepts you as you are; you accept him as he is.

This is the way it should be here with my sannyasins. Otherwise you can get married to him and have a christian marriage and be happy ever afterwards. Mm?

So don't kill it. Let it remain open. If it exists, good! If it disappears, that too is good -- but let it remain open.

O

SHO 
BLESSED ARE THE IGNORANT 
BY SPY — with Zorba The buddha.

http://www.baytallaah.com/osholibrary/reader.php?endpos=26447&page=13&book=Blessed%20Are%20the%20Ignorant

Sayings of Anandamayi Ma

1. There is One unchanging indivisible Reality which, though unmanifest, reveals Itself in infinite multiplicity and diversity.
2. That One – the Supreme Truth – is ever present everywhere in all circumstances.
3. Referred to as Brahman, He is no other than God Almighty.
4. God Almighty is nameless and formless; yet all names and forms are His.
5. He is the Father, Mother, Guru, Friend, Creator, Preserver, Destroyer – everything.
6. His essence is Being, Consciousness and Bliss.
7. Indeed, He is in everything and everything is in Him; there is nothing but Him.
8. Try to see God in everything and in everybody, including yourself.
9. God Himself is revealed in some guise even in individuals supposed to be sinners, as also in Suffering seemingly unbearable.
10. The vision of the Eternal Lila of the Supreme Being is impossible unless one has seen His Bliss in His universality and self-sufficiency and unless one finds this repeated in one in union with, and as part of, the whole.
11. The immutable Brahman and the primeval sound AUM are one and the same as (the word) Ma.
12. God’s name is He Himself – the Name and the Named are identical.
13. Refuge has to be sought in His Name in order to realize Him Whose Name is invoked.
14. At every breath try to be in communion with Him through His Name.
15. If the Name that appeals most to you is constantly repeated, you will realize that all names are His Names, all forms are His forms.
16. Since all names are His indeed, He will let Himself be grasped by any one of them; furthermore, it will gradually be revealed that He is also without name and without form.
17. Whether with full awareness or in ignorance, whether willingly or unwillingly, whether with faith or in doubt, if God’s name is adhered to, and His image in the mind is sustained, gradually what is to be burnt will burn and what is to be melted will melt.
18. The nature of fire is to convert everything into itself. Similarly, assosiacion with His Name inevitably enables one to be identified with Him.
19. Take it from me – repetition of His Name makes everything possible.
20. If you live with the conviction that God is in the closest contact with you, you will gradually discover that there is nothing but God.
21. If at all your “I” remains, let it exist only as His servant or as His child and, therefore, the notion that He is far removed will be ruled out.
22. The more one thinks of one’s Ishta (beloved Deity), the firmer will one’s faith in Him grow.
23. People meditate in front of a picture. But what is a mere picture? Just paper! Yet if faith is maintained in meditation, the Lord Himself appears in that picture.
24. Faith is always blind; but this blind faith may ultimately lead to firm belief.
25. You cannot find the Mother until the faith awakens in you that whatever the Mother does is all for the best of Her child.
26. God Himself appears as the Guru. He has to be invokes, full of faith.
27. Just as a vigraha must not be regarded as a piece of stone, so the Guru must not the regarded as an ordinary human being.
28. The signification of the word “guru” is “Jagadguru” (World Teacher). A World Teacher is one who diverts men from the path leading to death and puts him on the path of Immortality. He who does this is the “inner Guru”.
29. Once the Guru has accepted a disciple, He will never leave him until the goal has been attained. The questio of leaving does not arise at all.
30. The Guru actually emerges from within. When genuine search takes effect, his genuine manifestation is bound to occur; it cannot possibly be otherwise.
31. The One Himself assuming the shape of the Guru of His own accord brings about His manifestation or becomes manifestated.
32. There is “nothing” in this world; yet everyone is madly pursuing this nothing – some more, some less.
33. What a comedy God’s Lila is! What a lunatic asylum! He Himself is sporting with Himself!
34. Man is no other than the Self; but he wrongly thinks of himself as a separate individual centre on his body and identified by a particular name.
35. All sorrow is due to the fact that many are seen where there is only One.
36. Duality is pain. So long as man does not wake up to his identity with the One, the cycle of birth and death continues for him.
37. In wealth and property there is certainly no peace.
38. If you choose to feed upon the objects of the senses, you move towards the realm of death.
39. Sense enjoyment acts like slow poison. You are driven thereby towards death. Therefore, it is Man’s duty as a human being is to get into the current that leads to immortality.
40. When the mind is full of worldly desires, it is their very nature to confuse the mind. Withdraw the mind from outer things and turn it inwards.
41. According as worldly interests decrease, one progresses towards real joy.
42. Even while living in the world, you can with a calm spirit attend to spiritual practices. Then only will that which is to be given up, falls away; and that which can never be relinquished, which does not go, that indeed will remain.
43. In proportion as one loves God, detachment from sense objects ensues. To concentrate on God means to become drawn towards Him. And vairagya (detachment) means becoming disentangled from sense objects. Feeling of attraction towards God and indifference to sense objects occur simultaneously.
44. The search after Truth is man’s duty, so that he may advance towards immortality.
45. Your sole duty is to remember that He alone is, and that everything is His doing.
46. Invoke Him and be constantly intent on realizing Him.
47. Householders should emulate the ancient Rishis, who were married men living with their families and leading a life dedicated to God.
48. Love and serve your consort and children as Divine manifestations. Perform all works as God’s service.
49. Since you seek ownership of the garden, you feel unhappy. Be the gardener instead of trying to be the owner, and then you will feel happy.
50. What is life-breath is really an aspect of the Universal, all-pervasive Energy that functions continuously; it is He in one of His forms – He Who is Truth Consciousness, revealing Himself in this mode.
51. Endeavour to concentrate on the breath; this will provide a check on the mind preventing it from wandering away to outer objects.
52. Restlessness and serenity both are aspects of the mind.
53. Do not allow your mind to wander here and there; endeavor to make it one-pointed; have one single end in view.
54. Water inside a pitcher noisily moves to and fro when the pitcher is disturbed. But as soon as the pitcher is placed in a position of equilibrium, the water becomes calm. Similarly, sit for long in a steadfast posture with your mind concentrated on one fixed thought or aim, the restlessness of your mind will be slowly subdued.
55. When engaged in japa you are attentively to mark the motions of your breathing – inhaling and exhaling; if your mind tries to stray to and fro, forcibly attune it to your breathing; this will slowly set in the process of calming your mind.
56. Utensils used for worshipping a god or goddess must be washed clean and bright, the place for worship also must be carefull scrubbed and kept clean. Then the mind of the worshipper will also feel a sense of purity. Mind you – you’re your body also is a ceremonial vessel to be used mainly for worship. This will bring inner purity of the mind.
57. You need at least two meals a day. Similarly, you should remember God and chant His Name at least twice a day – say, morning and evening. This is for your mind’s well-being.
58. If you do not like to meditate on an image, you are just to sit still and carefully attend to your breathing; you may not do anything else; even this practice will quieter your mind.
59. “Who am I?” With this attitude endeavor to let the mind stand back as a witness. Search after your Self. As long as possible, sit immersed in meditation, becoming quite still, steady and fully concentrated.
60. It is natural for worldly desires to try to take exclusive possession of your mind. These confuse the mind.
61. Control your mind for sense objects. Be moderate in eating, sleeping. As a pilgrim on the path to God, you should be content with such food and sleep as will help you to remain fit for the onward march.
62. Discipline of the tongue and other sense organs will help the mind to withdraw from outer things and will turn it inwards.
63. Regular prayer purifies the mind and the heart. Set apart at least ten minutes for your daily prayer at a fixed hour. You may even go on doing your usual work during this period, but observe silence and meditate on Him in any way you like. See that throughout your life there should be no slackness in regularity and punctuality.
64. Whatever may be your shortcomings, don’t be depressed, don’y lose hope. Try to improve yourself.
65. Exert yourself to the limits of your power, however feeble. He is there to fulfill what has been left undone.
66. Begin here and now, it is never too late to begin.
67. How can you expect to see the road when you have kept your door shut? Open the door and you will see the road.
68. Proceed along this road where you will meet many fellow-travelers who will of their own accord enquire about your destination. They will often direct you to the right path, if you have chosen the wrong one.
69. Everyone should start along the lines taught by his own religion.
70. By saying “I cannot” one does not get far. One has to acquire capacity and achieve his end.
71. By God’s grace one is born as a human being. Try to make the best of this opportunity. Everything is possible for man.
72. Even though someone may slip and fall, he will not remain lying on the ground but will attempt to rise, stand up and walk again. 
73. The speed of advancing must become brisk. In order to find your Self, progress along your own path, in your own rhythm.
74. How long do you want to stay in the wayside inn? Will you not go to your own Home? How nice to think – you are yourself your home, you are also the pilgrim, and at the same time a foreign visitor!
75. A spiritual traveler must not allow his mind to be distracted by anything; he should proceed with firm determination towards his goal.
76. Don’t sit idle. Always be engaged in doing something useful. Either chant God’s Name in silence or read a good book, or discuss good topic. But don’t waste your valuable time in idle gossip.
77. Even though you feel that your spiritual practice is mere tedious reiteration, it is this very practice that will clear the path for you within you.
78. Whatever spiritual exercise, ritual and so forth one is engaged in, should be carried out with faith and love. No ritual should be performed irreverently.
79. It is by yearning and pining for Him that the One is found. In times of adversity and distress as well as in times of well-beings and good fortunes, try to seek refuge in the One alone. Keep in mind that whatever He does is wholly for the best. He is the fountain of goodness.
80. Prayer never goes in vain. So long as no response is received, prayer must be continued.
81. It is but the Self that calls Itself, and none other than the Self that realizes Itself.
82. By ceaseless prayer He Who is Akhands (whole) is found. One’s own Self, the Life of one’s life, the Beloved of One’s heart is the One to be eagerly sought.
83. There is One Centre in your being from Which come vibrations of Mantra; images also are revealed there from together with the Truth underlying them. Who is it that does all this? Reflect! He dwells within you and does everything. He awakens enthusiasm, He inspires without you knowing it. He is the omniscient Being. Why speak of Self-realization in the future? It is here and now – only the veil that hides It has to be destroyed.
84. Relative happiness, that is to say, happiness depending on the fulfillment of any worldly desire, ends in grief.
85. A worldly desire, if unfulfilled, makes you miserable; if fulfilled, it is almost invariably followed by some other desire and the chain of desire disturbs your peace of mind.
86. You will have peace only if you can rise above worldly desires.
87. So long a one believes that true happiness can be had in this world without searching within, one will remain in bondage.
88. Strive to abandon yourself, without reserve, to Him. Then you will have no grief, no pain, no disappointment, no frustration.
89. He is the fountain of Peace and the treasure-house of real Happiness.
90. It is only when you leave everything to Him that there is hope for Peace and Happiness.
91. In Him is all attainment, the summit of fulfillment.
92. Perfect resignation gives the deepest joy. Accept it as your sole resource.
93. Unconditional surrender to Him is the best solace for man.
94. Among all creatures man alone has been endowed with the capacity to realize God.
95. Man’d bounden duty is to endeavor to awake to his real nature as a human being and to kindle the desire to realize.
96. “Who am I?”. This realization is the purpose of human life.
97. Don’t indulge in cynical despair. Don’t say: “Realization is not for me, not for me!”. Resolve with determination “I must attain Self-realization, I must.” Doubt is sin.
98. Self-realization is God-realization and God-realization is Self-realization.
99. It is the Will of the Almighty that prevails. By living in harmony with His Will and becoming an instrument in His hands you should try to realize Him.
100. What does Atma-darshana, the direct perception of the Self, imly? The seer, the seen and the act of seeing – where these three are One, there the Brahman is realized.

http://www.arunachala-ramana.org/forum/index.php?topic=6842.0

Hymn to Brahma

Use to invoke the help of the Masters or Guru.

Brahmanandam parama sukhadam
(Full of transcendental bliss, giving supreme joy)
Kabalam gyan moorteem
(The sole Image of Wisdom)
Dandwa teetum gagana sadrisham
(Beyond duality, clear as the heavens)
Tattwa mashyadi laksham
(Whose motto is: “Thou Art That”)
Akam nityum bimala machalam
(One, permanent, pure, immovable)
Sarbada sakshi bhootum
(The everlasting Seer of all things)
Bhawa teetum triguna rahitum
(Beyond though, free from the three qualities)
Sudgurum twum namami(My good Guru, I bow to Thee.)

Mary Kretzmann: This direct translation, above, helps deepen our understanding of the poetic translation, below.

(The following is an English translation especially adapted for singing, according to the musical notes on page 38 in Cosmic Chants.)

Full of bliss, giving joy transcendent,Of higher knowledge, the abode,Dual no more, clear as the heavens,Known to all as: “Thou art That”.He is pure, permanent, unmoving,The everlasting Seer of all,Far, far beyond qualities and thought,Guru-Lord, I bow to Thee.

http://www.ananda.org/prayers/articles-on-healing/cosmic-chants/healing-power-cosmic-chants/use-cosmic-chants/#.Up9efdJkPng

Thou Art My Life

To sweeten a sour disposition.

Thou art my life, Thou art my love,
Thou art the sweetness which I do seek.
In the thought by my love brought;
In the thought by my love brought,
I taste Thy name so sweet, so sweet…
Devotee knows how sweet you are.
Devotee knows how sweet you are.
He knows whom You let know

http://www.ananda.org/prayers/articles-on-healing/cosmic-chants/healing-power-cosmic-chants/use-cosmic-chants/#.Up9efdJkPng

Technique:Gibberish and Let-Go Meditation

Gibberish and Let-Go
"Gibberish is to get rid of the active mind, silence to get rid of the inactive mind and let-go is to enter into the transcendental." Osho

First Stage: Gibberish
While sitting, close your eyes and begin to say nonsense sounds – any sounds or words, so long as they make no sense. Just speak any language that you don't know! Allow yourself to express whatever needs to be expressed within you. Throw everything out. The mind thinks, always, in terms of words. Gibberish helps to break up this pattern of continual verbalization. Without suppressing your thoughts, you can throw them out. Let your body likewise be expressive.

Second Stage: Moving In
After some minutes of Gibberish, there is a drumbeat, at which point the Gibberish stops. Osho’s voice then guides the listener into a space of deep silence, stillness and relaxation, saying, for example, “Be silent, close your eyes...no movement of the body – feel frozen. Go inwards, deeper and deeper, just like an arrow. Penetrate all the layers and hit the center of your existence.”

Third Stage: Let-Go
Another drumbeat and, without arranging yourself, just allow yourself to fall down "like a bag of rice," so you are lying, utterly still and relaxed, on your back as you are guided even more deeply into a silent stillness.

Fourth Stage: Coming Back
At the final drumbeat, Osho’s voice guides you back to a sitting position, with the reminder to carry the glimpse of silent awareness one may have had into everyday activities.

http://www.osho.com/Main.cfm?Area=Meditation&Sub1Menu=GibberishAndLet-Go&Sub2Menu=GibberishAndLet-Go

Sounds of Isha - Bloom, Desh, Bilvastakam, Amba Shambhavi...

Radhe Radhe Syamal Pyare

Technique:Inner Smile

An ancient Taoist practice that gives a simple way to activate a healthy state of mind, body and spirit. 

http://www.paulahoran.com/freeStuff.html
http://www.paulahoran.com/freeDownloads.html

Divine Nutrition Program – Jasmuheen
1. Sit quietly and imagine that you are in your body, as if your mind has taken you inside somehow and you see your lungs before you.
2. Imagine beaming a great big smile at your lungs and at the same time 
3. think how thankful you are for the job that your lungs have been doing for you your whole life – filtering the air you breath, extracting the chi or pranic particles from the atmosphere around you.
4. Say over and over to your lungs as you smile at them, “I love you, I love you, I love you” and/or “thank you, thank you, thank you”.

5. Do this with your brain, then your heart, then your kidneys, your liver and your sexual organs until you have smiled at every organ in your body.
6. Do this daily and soon your organs will begin to feel appreciated and loved and will co-operate quickly with your new programming codes.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/43667225/Jasmuheen-the-Food-of-Gods

Step 1: Breathe From the Mouth
Osho - “Relax the lower jaw and let your mouth open just slightly. Start breathing from the mouth, but not deeply. Just let the body breathe so it becomes more and more shallow. And when you feel that the breath has become very shallow and your mouth is open and jaw relaxed, your whole body will feel very relaxed.

Step 2: Feel a Smile
Osho - “In that moment, start feeling a smile — not on your face but all over your being — and you will be able to. It is not a smile that comes on the lips; it is an existential smile that spreads just inside. Try and you will know what it is, because it cannot be explained. No need to smile with your lips on your face but just as if you are smiling from the belly, the belly is smiling.

“And it is a smile, not a laugh, so it is very very soft, delicate, fragile — like a small rose opening in the belly and the fragrance spreading all over the body.

“Once you have known what this smile is, you can remain happy for twenty-four hours a day. And whenever you feel that you are missing that happiness, just close your eyes and catch hold of that smile again, and it will be there. In the daytime as many times as you want, you can catch hold of it. It is always there.”

http://meditation-zen7.blogspot.in/2013/03/osho-inner-smile-meditation.html

http://www.paulahoran.com/FreeDownload/Inner%20Smile/02-Track02.mp3

Technique:Visualization

Divine consciousness is omnipresent.  In order to attune one’s consciousness to it, it is necessary first to expand the mind by meditation on some aspect of God's infinite nature.  Visualization is not realisation; but visualization is an effective aid in deepening one's concentration, which is essential for the deep meditation that yields realisation.  The following exercise in visualization and mental expansion given by Paramahansa Yogananda will be found helpful in preparing the mind to practice the scientific techniques of meditation.

"Sit upright.  Focus your gaze and your mind at the Christ Consciousness centre between the eyebrows.  Fill your heart with joy.  Behold! The sphere of darkness that you see with closed eyes is becoming a sphere of light and joy.  This sphere is enlarging. Now it is bigger than your body.  Go on expanding the sphere of joy and light.  Your home and everyone in it are present in the sphere of light that you are beholding.  Go on expanding it until you see your whole city in this sphere of light and joy.  Ever increasing, the sphere of light and joy is encompassing the entire country, and still it is expanding, including Europe, Asia, the world!  See the world bathed in the light of this peaceful sphere of joy.  The earth appears as a little ball moving in the vast sphere of light and joy.  The sphere is becoming even larger; see! Our planetary and stellar system, the Milky Way, and island galaxies, like little bubbles, are floating in it.

Expand the sphere of light and joy within you, in which all things are moving, glimmering like the lights of a city.  Meditate on and try to be one with that joy.  God is joy, and we must find Him through joy.  The scriptures say: 'Thou art That.  ‘Your Self is one with this vast sphere of light that is your Father.  You are this sphere of light and joy!  Meditate on that.  You have no boundaries--eternity above, below, everywhere.  In this eternal sphere of light and joy all things are moving.  Mentally affirm: 'In me worlds are floating like bubbles.  I and my Father are One.'

Now open your eyes.  Look at the body and see how little it is!  Close your eyes and realize again that you are not the body.  You are the eternal sphere of light and joy in which all things have their being.  Go on meditating, mentally affirming: 'I am the cosmic sphere of light, of joy, of love, in which worlds and universes are floating like bubbles.  My Father is this cosmic sphere of light; my Father and I are One.  I am not the body; I am the eternal sphere of light.  Aum.  Aum.  Amen."

These basic instructions on meditation were written by Paramahansa Yogananda and are used daily by all Kriya yogi's if you are interested in learning more about the SRF techniques. Please contact Mother Center http://www.yogananda-srf.org/ or http://www.yssofindia.org/ or http://www.yssofindia.org/meditation/Lessons-for-Home-Study-English

http://www.acorntooak.org.uk/blog/how-to-meditate

Technique:Entering the Now

BREAK THE OLD PATTERN of present-moment denial and present moment resistance. Make it your practice to withdraw attention from past and future whenever they are not needed. Step out of the time dimension as much as possible in everyday life.

PRESENCE IS THE KEY to freedom, so you can only be free now.

FORGET ABOUT YOUR LIFE SITUATION and pay attention to your life. 
Your life situation exists in time. Your life is now. 
Your life situation is mind-stuff. Your life is real.”
Find the "narrow gate that leads to life." It is called the Now. Narrow your life down to this moment. Your life situation may be full of problems - most life situations are - but find out if you have any problem at this moment. Not tomorrow or in ten minutes, but now. Do you have a problem now?

USE YOUR SENSES FULLY. Be where you are. Look around. Just look, don’t interpret. See the light, shapes, colors, textures. Be aware of the silent presence of each thing. Be aware of the space that allows everything to be. Listen to the sounds; don’t judge them. Listen to the silence underneath the sounds. Touch something - anything - and feel and acknowledge its Being. Observe the rhythm of your breathing; feel the air flowing in and out, feel the life energy inside your body. Allow everything to be, within and without. Allow the “isness” of all things. Move deeply into the Now.

FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON THE NOW and tell me what problem you have at this moment.

WHEN YOU CREATE A PROBLEM, you create pain. All it takes is a simple choice, a simple decision: No matter what happens, I will create no more pain for myself. I will create no more problems.

ASK YOURSELF: Is there joy, ease, and lightness in what I am doing? If there isn't, then time is covering up the present moment, and life is perceived as a burden or a struggle,

If there is no joy, ease, or lightness in what you are doing, it does not necessarily mean that you need to change what you are doing. It may be sufficient to change the how. "How" is always more important than "what." See if you can give much more attention to the doing than to the result that you want to achieve through it. Give your fullest attention to whatever the moment presents. This implies that you also completely accept what is, because you cannot give your full attention to something and at the same time resist it. 

DO NOT BE CONCERNED WITH THE FRUIT OF YOUR ACTION - just give attention to the action itself. The fruit will come of its own accord. This is a powerful spiritual practice.

WHEN YOU HAVE HAD YOUR FIRST FEW GLIMPSES OF THE TIMELESS STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS, you begin to move back and forth between the dimensions of time and presence. First you become aware of just how rarely your attention is truly in the Now. But to know that you are not present is a great success. That knowing the presence - even if initially it only lasts for a couple of seconds of clock time before it is lost again.

Then with increasing frequency, you choose to have the focus of your consciousness in the present moment rather than in the past or future, and whenever you realize that you had lost the Now, you are able to stay in it not just for a couple of seconds, but for longer periods as perceived from the external perspective of clock time.

So before you are firmly established in the state of presence, before you are fully conscious, you shift back and forth for a while between consciousness and unconsciousness, between the state of presence and the state of mind identification. You lose the Now, and you return to it, again and again. Eventually presence becomes your predominant state.

http://library.worldtracker.org/Metaphysics%20&%20Spirituality/Eckhart%20Tolle%20PRACTICING%20THE%20POWER%20OF%20NOW.pdf

Technique:Daily Goals

In The Art of Joyful Living (pp. 128-129), Swami Rama suggests that one develop thirty goals for thirty days, and pick one for each day. These should be small points, but things you work on steadily. For example, you may decide that today you are not going to lie. That does not mean that you will redouble your lies tomorrow, but rather, that today your whole thinking process is about this: that you are not going to lie. You never claim that you will be able to speak the total Truth, but simply decide that you are not going to consciously lie. 

If you adopt thirty points to work on for thirty days, you can just watch what you have accomplished in thirty days’ time. The point is not, for instance, whether you have lied or not lied: it is that you have built your willpower. This is the real process of building willpower. After thirty days you will conclude, “Yes, I have done what I wanted to do.” But do not choose big principles that you cannot fulfill—that is destructive. Instead, select little things. 

Later, you may want to do this experiment of “thirty goals for thirty days” using a separate list of goals which you make up yourself, but for now, you will find the following to be a useful practice. You might want to write a few words or sentences each day about what you have observed. Start by using the number on the list which matches today’s date. Check-off the goal at the end of the day. 

1. Lovingly serve others today. 
2. Observe one of the yamas (non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence or Brahmacharya, non-materialism), directing your actions and speech, while observing your thoughts. 
3. Allow your actions to come from conscious choice rather than as a result of habit. 
4. Observe one of the niyamas (purity, contentment, training senses, self-study, surrender) 
5. Observe all of your actions and ask yourself, “why am I doing this action?” 
6. Observe one of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, space), externally and internally. 
7. Witness everything, external and internal. 
8. Observe one of the five cognitive senses (hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, smelling). 
9. Be aware of your breath today, noticing its qualities and how it relates to thoughts and emotions. 
10. Observe one of the five active senses (speaking, grasping, moving, reproducing, eliminating). 
11. Notice how fears can control you, and how fears are related to imagination. 
12. Observe one of the four functions of mind (manas, chitta, ahamkara, buddhi). 
13. Speak very little today—only what is accurate, purposeful, and non-hurting. 
14. Observe your reactions when a desire, expectation, want, or need is or is not fulfilled. 
15. Observe your gestures and body language, noticing how they reflect thoughts and emotions. 
16. Observe one of the yamas (non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence or Brahmacharya, non-materialism), directing your actions and speech, while observing your thoughts. 
17. Practice one-pointedness, paying attention to whatever you are doing today. 
18. Observe one of the niyamas (purity, contentment, training senses, self-study, surrender) 
19. Resolve that today “I will love everyone and not hate anyone today.” 
20. Observe one of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, space), externally and internally. 
21. Observe whether your “first thoughts” or “second thoughts” are good or bad, clear or clouded. 
22. Observe one of the five cognitive senses (hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, smelling). 
23. Be aware of the principle of meditation in action. 
24. Observe one of the five active senses (speaking, grasping, moving, reproducing, eliminating). 
25. Be aware of how you adjust to changing circumstances around you. 
26. Observe one of the four functions of mind (manas, chitta, ahamkara, buddhi). 
27. Observe how you relate to other people. 
28. Observe your reactions when a desire, expectation, want, or need is or is not fulfilled. 
29. Notice which thoughts coming into your mind are “useful” or “not useful.” 
30. Choose one of the primitive fountains (food, sleep, sex, self-preservation) and observe how it 
affects your other desires, emotions, thoughts, speech, and actions. 
31. Witness everything, external and internal (in months which have 31 days). 

http://www.swamij.com/pdf/swamiramateachings.pdf