Food for Thought...

If you are seeking closeness to the Beloved,
      love everyone.
whether in their presence or absence,
        see only their good.
if you want to be as clear and refreshing as
         the breath of the morning breeze,
like the sun have nothing but warmth and light
           for everyone.

Shaikh Abu-Said Abil-Khair

The important thing is not to think much,
     but to love much;
        and so, do that which best stirs you to love.

Saint Teresa of Avila

You do not have to struggle to reach God,
    but you do have to struggle to tear away
       the self-created veil that hides him from you.

Paramahansa Yogananda

O, friend! Nobody veils you, but yourself.
    In your path there is no thorn or weed, but yourself.
You asked:  shall I reach the Beloved or not?
    Between you and the Beloved there is nobody, but yourself.

Awhadoddin Kermani

All those who are unhappy in the world
      are so as a result of
          their desire for their own happiness.
All those who are happy in the world
       are so as a result of
           their desire for the happiness of others.

Shantideva

Before you ask God for what you want,
     first thank God for what
         you have.

Talmud, B'rachot 30b

How long will you keep pounding on an open door
     begging for someone to open it?   

Rabi'a  al-'Adawiyya

I do not desire suffering;
     yet fool I am,
             I desire the cause of suffering!

Shantideva

Wisdom tells me I am nothing. 
    Love tells me I am everything. 
        Between the two my life flows.

Nisargadatta Maharaj

In the morning, the one who does not understand will
     consider what he will do,
while the one who understands will
     consider what the one will do with him.

Ibn 'ata 'illah

Until you become an unbeliever in your own self,
    you cannot become a believer in God.

Shaikh Abu-Said Abil-Khair

Student:   Sir, if one gave up the I, nothing whatsoever would remain.

Ramakrishna:   I am not asking you to give up all of the I. you should give up only the "unripe I."  the "unripe I" makes one feel: "I am the doer. these are my wife and children. I am a teacher."

Renounce this "unripe I" and keep the "ripe I" which will make you feel that you are God's servant, His devotee, and that God is the doer and you are His instrument.

Sri Ramakrishna

Worn-out garments are shed by the body,
worn-out bodies are shed by the dweller within the body,
new bodies are donned by the dweller, like garments.

Not wounded by weapons, not burned by fire,
not dried by the wind, not wetted by water,
such is the one.

Not dried, not wetted, not burned, not wounded,
innermost essence, everywhere, always,
being of beings, changeless, eternal, for ever and ever.

Bhagavad-Gita 2:22

Where are you hurrying to?
     you will see
  the same moon tonight
       wherever you go!

Izumi Shikibu

There is no difference in the destination,
     the only difference is in the journey.

Inayat Khan

All the violence, fear and suffering
    that exists in this world
       comes from grasping at "self".
What use is this great monster to you?
    if you do not let go of the "self",
       there will never be an end to your suffering.

Shantideva

In the pursuit of learning,
     every day something is acquired.
in the pursuit of Tao,
      every day something is dropped.

Lao Tzu

Correct behavior
   means that you are
      occupied with commendable activity.

Ibn 'Ata'

There is only one virtue      
          and only one sin
                for a soul on the path:
virtue when he is conscious of God           
          and sin when he is not.

Abu Hashim Madani

I see now
  that all creatures
     have perfect enlightenment
       - but they do not know it.

Buddha

satyameva jayate     
    truth alone is victorious

Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.6