There is another class of practices which, like prayer meditations, builds on itself over a period of time. That is the daily meditation on sayings. These may be meant to be used each day for a year and are keyed to dates, or may be collections.
I suggest that you read the saying in the morning and do a short meditation on it. It is approached with the attitude that during the day that particular attribute and its understanding will grow within oneself.
In the evening, sit quietly, read the saying again, and listen. Feel what comes to you. Then write down what you hear (sense, feel, know, experience, etc.). Keep the writings as a Journal. Do this twice through the list with which you are working.
There are several works available that can be used for a calendar year. Among them are writings of the I-Ching, saying of Buddha, the Tao, and more. Here are some selections from The Bowl of Saki, by Inayat Khan.
| "Where the flame of love rises, the knowledge of God unfolds of itself.
The wise man should keep the balance between love and power; he should keep the love in his nature ever increasing and expanding, and at the same time strengthen the will so that the heart may not easily be broken. To renounce what we cannot gain is not true renunciation: it is weakness. It is wise to see all things yet to turn our eyes from all that should be overlooked. Our soul is blessed with the impression of the glory of God whenever our lips praise Him. There is one Teacher, God Himself: we are all His pupils. The first sign of the realization of Truth is tolerance. He who is filled with the knowledge of names and forms has no capacity for the knowledge of God. Until the heart is empty, it cannot receive the knowledge of God. He who depends upon his eyes for sight, his ears for hearing, and his mouth for speech, he is still dead. The perfect life is following one's own ideal, not in checking those of others; leave everyone to follow his own ideal.
Tolerance does not come by learning, but by insight, by understanding that each one should be allowed to travel along the path which is suited to his temperament." .......... |