Spiritual Books

Svetasvatara Upanishad

To realize God, first control the outgoing senses and harness the mind. Then meditate upon the light in the heart of the fire--meditate, that is, upon pure consciousness as distinct from the ordinary consciousness of the intellect. Thus the Self, the Inner Reality, may be seen behind physical appearance.
Control your mind so that the Ultimate Reality, the self-luminous Lord, may be revealed. Strive earnestly for eternal bliss.
With the help of the mind and the intellect, keep the senses from attaching themselves to objects of pleasure.
They will then be punfied by the light of the Inner Reality,
and that light will be revealed.
The wise control their minds, and unite their hearts with the infinite, the omniscient, the all-pervading Lord.
Only discriminating souls practice spiritual disciplines.
Great is the glory of the self-luminous being, the Inner Reality.
Hear, all ye children of immortal bliss, also ye gods who dwell in the high heavens: Follow only in the footsteps of the illumined ones, and by continuous meditation merge both mind and intellect in the eternal Brahman.
The glorious Lord will be revealed to you.

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Alan Watts

To remain stable is to refrain from trying to separate yourself from a pain because you know that you cannot. Running away from fear is fear, fighting pain is pain, trying to be brave is being scared. If the mind is in pain, the mind is pain. The thinker has no other form than his thought. There is no escape.


But so long as you are not aware of the inseparability of thinker and thought, you will try to escape. From this follows, quite naturally, absorption. It is no effort; the mind does it by itself. Seeing that there is no escape from the pain, the mind yields to it, absorbs it, and becomes conscious of just pain without any “I” feeling it or resisting it.


It experiences pain in the same complete, unselfconscious way in which it experiences pleasure. Pain is the nature of this present moment, and I can only live in this moment. Sometimes, when resistance ceases, the pain simply goes away or dwindles to an easily tolerable ache.


At other times it remains, but the absence of any resistance brings about a way of feeling pain so unfamiliar as to be hard to describe. The pain is no longer problematic. I feel it, but there is no urge to get rid of it, for I have discovered that pain and the effort to be separate from it are the same thing.


Wanting to get out of pain is the pain; it is not the “reaction” of an “I” distinct from the pain. When you discover this, the desire to escape “merges” into the pain itself and vanishes.

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Seung Sahn

You say that in the beginning you were enthusiastic and now you are discouraged. Both extremes are no good. It is like a guitar string: if you make it too tight, it will be out of tune and will soon snap; if you make it too loose, it will still be out of tune and will not play.

You must tune it just right. Too enthusiastic is no good, too discouraged is also no good. Zen mind is everyday mind. You must keep this mind during every action - eating, talking, playing tennis, watching television.

Always keep don't-know mind. What is most important is how you keep your mind at this very moment. Just-now mind. If you have free time, it is good to sit. If you don't have free time, then just do action Zen.

But be very careful about wanting enlightenment. This is a bad Zen sickness. When you keep a clear mind, the whole universe is you, you are the universe. So you have already attained enlightenment. Wanting enlightenment is only thinking. It is something extra, like painting legs on the picture of a snake. Already the snake is complete as it is. Already the truth is right before your eyes.

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J Krishnamurti

Have you ever sat very silently, not with your attention fixed on anything, not making an effort to concentrate, but with the mind very quiet, really still? Then you hear everything, don’t you? You hear the far off noises as well as those that are nearer and those that are very close by, the immediate sounds—which means really that you are listening to everything. Your mind is not confined to one narrow little channel. If you can listen in this way, listen with ease, without strain, you will find an extraordinary change taking place within you, a change which comes without your volition, without your asking; and in that change there is great beauty and depth of insight.


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Nikita Gill

Imagine how much the universe must have loved
this thing to make it happen.
 
Imagine how many stars gave up their hearts
to bring this into fluid motion.
 
Does it make you curious?
Make you wonder what could be so marvellous?
 
That idea . . . it was you.
You are the universe’s fairytale come true.

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J Krishnamurti

Unfortunately, education at present is aimed at making you conform, fit into and adjust yourself to this acquisitive society. That is all your parents, your teachers and your books are concerned with. As long as you conform, as long as you are ambitious, acquisitive, corrupting and destroying others in the pursuit of position and power, you are considered a respectable citizen.

You are educated to fit into society; but that is not education, it is merely a process which conditions you to conform to a pattern. The real function of education is not to turn you out to be a clerk, or a judge, or a prime minister, but to help you understand the whole structure of this rotten society and allow you to grow in freedom, so that you will break away and create a different society, a new world.

There must be those who are in revolt, not partially but totally in revolt against the old, for it is only such people who can create a new world a world not based on acquisitiveness, on power and prestige. I can hear the older people saying, It can never be done. Human nature is what it is, and you are talking nonsense .

But we have never thought about unconditioning the adult mind, and not conditioning the child. Surely, education is both curative and preventive. You older students are already shaped, already conditioned, already ambitious; you want to be successful like your father, like the governor, or somebody else.

So the real function of education is not only to help you uncondition yourself, but also to understand this whole process of living from day to day so that you can grow in freedom and create a new world a world that must be totally different from the present one. Unfortunately, neither your parents, nor your teachers, nor the public in general are interested in this.

That is why education must be a process of educating the educator as well as the student.

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Swami Vivekananda

When a farmer is irrigating his field the water is already in the canals, only there are gates which keep the water in. The farmer opens these gates, and the water flows in by itself, by the law of gravitation. So, all human progress and power are already in everything; this perfection is every man’s nature, only it is barred in and prevented from taking its proper course.


If anyone can take the bar off, in rushes nature. Then the man attains the powers which are his already. Those we called wicked become saints, as soon as the bar is broken and nature rushes in. It is nature that is driving us towards perfection, and eventually she will bring everyone there.


All these practices and struggles to become religious are only negative work to take off the bars, and open the doors to that perfection which is our birthright, our nature. To-day the evolution theories of the Yogis will be better understood in the light of modern research.


And yet the theory of the Yogis is a better explanation. The two causes of evolution advanced by the moderns, viz., sexual selection and survival of the fittest, are inadequate. Suppose human knowledge to have advanced to much as to eliminate competition, both from the function of acquiring physical sustenance and of acquiring a mate. Then, according to the moderns, human progress will stop and the race will die.


And the result of this theory is to furnish every oppressor with an argument to calm the qualms of conscience, and men are not lacking, who, posing as philosophers, want to kill out all wicked and incompetent persons (they are, of course, the only judges of competency), and thus preserve the human race!


But the great ancient evolutionist, Patanjali, declares that the true secret of evolution is the manifestation of the perfection which is already in every being; that this perfection has been barred, and the infinite tide behind it is struggling to express itself.

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"How to Focus" by Thich Nhat Hanh is a thought-provoking guide that offers practical advice on cultivating concentration and mindfulness. This book is part of the Mindfulness Essentials series, which provides readers with simple yet powerful tools to achieve mental clarity and focus.

Through his simple, refreshing meditations, Thich Nhat Hanh gives readers the tools to cultivate concentration and overcome distractions. He shares the essential foundations of mindful practice and meditation, making it easier for readers to incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives.

Readers have found "How to Focus" to be a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their concentration and reduce mind-wandering. The book's guidance on mindfulness and meditation has been particularly helpful for those seeking to reduce stress and increase productivity.

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Wabi Sabi

When you realize you are perfectly imperfect just as you are, you have less need for "stuff" to boost your self-image. This understanding allows you to let go of unnecessary possessions and focus on what truly matters. Ultimately, soulful simplicity in your home is about you and the experience you want to create for yourself, your family, and your friends.


It's about tuning into what you love and making space for authentic inspiration. This approach prioritizes quality, depth, and choice, rather than quantity. By embracing this philosophy, you create a restful atmosphere that nourishes family life and welcomes guests.


A wabi-sabi-inspired home embodies principles of embracing imperfection, simplicity, authenticity, quality over quantity, and non-judgment. There is no right or wrong in this approach. It's unpretentious styling, done in a perfectly imperfect way.


By embracing wabi-sabi, you create a space that celebrates the beauty of imperfection. This space honors treasured possessions that carry love and evoke memories, rather than impulse buys. It's about focusing on experience, not material possessions, and prioritizing what brings joy and meaning.


Japanese concepts related to wabi-sabi include wabi (simplicity, rustic beauty), sabi (aging, patina), yūgen (profound, mysterious sense of beauty), and mingei (folk art, emphasizing everyday beauty). These principles encourage self-reflection, simplicity, and intentional living.


This journey of embracing wabi-sabi creates a harmonious and beautiful space that nurtures both body and soul. By letting go of perfectionism and judgment, you cultivate gratitude for what you already have and create a truly special home.

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Robin Sharma

One of the greatest lessons for a highly fulfilling life is to rise from a life spent chasing success to one dedicated to finding significance. And the best way to create significance is to ask yourself one simple question: “How may I serve?” All great leaders, thinkers and humanitarians have abandoned selfish lives for selfless lives and, in doing so, found all the happiness, abundance and satisfaction they desired. Joy comes from giving.


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Atma Upanishad

The inner self perceives the outside world,
Made up of earth, water, fire, air, and space.

It is the victim of likes and dislikes,
Pleasure and pain, and delusion and doubt.

It knows all the subtleties of language,
Enjoys dance, music, and all the fine arts;

Delights in the senses, recalls the past,
Reads the scriptures, and is able to act.

This is the mind, the inner person.


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Dalai Lama

When life becomes too complicated and we feel overwhelmed, it’s often useful just to stand back and remind ourselves of our overall purpose, our overall goal. When faced with a feeling of stagnation and confusion, it may be helpful to take an hour, an afternoon, or even several days to simply reflect on what it is that will truly bring us happiness, and then reset our priorities on the basis of that.


This can put our life back in proper context, allow a fresh perspective, and enable us to see which direction to take. From time to time, we are faced with pivotal decisions that can affect the entire course of our lives.


We may decide, for instance, to get married, to have children, or to embark on a course of study to become a lawyer, an artist, or an electrician. The firm resolve to become happy – to learn about the factors that lead to happiness and take positive steps to build a happier life – can be just such a decision.


The turning toward happiness as a valid goal and the conscious decision to seek happiness in a systematic manner can profoundly change the rest of our lives.

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Thich Nhat Hanh

As a monk, I do not have genetic children or grandchildren, but I do have spiritual children. I have seen that it is possible to transmit my realization and wisdom, and the capacity to adapt, to my students—my spiritual children and grandchildren.

Just as I look like my parents, so do my students and disciples also somehow look like me. This is not genetic transmission, but spiritual transmission. There are many thousands of people in the world who walk, sit, smile, and breathe like me. This is proof of a real transmission that has been incorporated into the life of my students and inscribed in every cell of their bodies.

Later on, my students will in turn transmit this adaptation to their descendants. We can all contribute to helping Homo conscius—the species that embodies mindfulness, compassion, and enlightenment—develop and continue in the world for a long time.

The world is in great need of enlightenment, understanding, compassion, mindfulness, and concentration. There is so much suffering caused by stress, depression, violence, discrimination, and despair, and we need a spiritual practice. With a spiritual practice, we will be able to adapt and survive.

By living with solidity and freedom, we can transmit mindfulness, concentration, insight, joy, and compassion to others. This is our legacy, our continuation body, and we hope future generations will inherit our life’s offering.


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Shakti Gaiwan

Let us imagine that life is a river. Most people are clinging to the bank, afraid to let go, and risk being carried along by the current of the river.


When the pain of hanging on becomes greater than the fear of letting go, we let go and the river begins to carry us along safely. Once we are used to being in the flow of the river, we can begin to look ahead and guide our course.


We choose which of the many branches of the river we prefer to follow, all the while still going with the flow. We can enjoy being here now, flowing with what is, and at the same time, guide ourselves consciously toward our goals by taking full responsibility for creating our own lives.

As I relax and let go, I flow toward
my greatest good.

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