Sadhu Paksha

Several days ago our monks began their two-week retreat known as Sadhu Paksha. It is a time when they break from their usual morning routine to do personal sadhana, perhaps walking through or meditating in the sacred gardens, and enjoying the quiet of nature in the early hours of the morning. It is a wonderful time for us to appreciate the aadheenam's vast natural beauty and active wildlife.

Lord Muruga is our guide, elucidating the yogic path of the renunciate.

one of the many small flowers, who\

s simple beauty often goes unnoticed among the more grandiose flora'

\"As the bee takes the essence of a flower and flies away without destroying its beauty and perfume, so let the sage wander in this life.\"

\"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. We seek problems because we need their gifts.\"

\"Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children.\"

\"The whole path is a total surrendering.\"

\"What is the secret of the true life? To remain still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly awake while in meditation.\"

Some of our many lizards who bathe in the sun

\"What has learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the Good Feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?\"

\"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.\"

\"Seek the Infinite, for that alone is Joy unlimited, imperishable, unfailing, self-sustaining, unconditioned, timeless. When you have this joy, human life becomes a paradise; the light, the grace, the power, the perfections of that which is highest in your inner consciousness, appear in your everyday life.\"

\"It s better to see God in everything than to try to figure it all out\"

\"It takes a lot of courage to be happy all the time.\"

\"You don\

t want to see God. You must feel God. God is you. Just be that.\"'

\"Truth is not only Eternal but also unlimited and infinite. Sanatana Dharma is very simple and natural because it is based on the Laws of Nature.\"

\"Every step I take in light is mine forever.\"

\"Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.\"

\"Do not have blind faith, but also no blind criticism.\"

\"Knowing others is wisdom; knowing the Self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force; mastering the Self needs strength.\"

\"The sun can give heat and light to the whole world, but he cannot do so when the clouds shut out his rays. When egotism veils the heart, God cannot shine upon you.\"

\"It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?\"

\"Look at you, you madman! Screaming you are thirsty and dying in a desert, when all around you there is nothing but water!\"

\"Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place you must find.\"

\"A drop melting into the sea, this everyone can see. But the sea absorbed in a drop--this only a rare one can follow!\"

\"Waste not a minute. Be bold. Realize the Truth, here and now!\"

\"The highest form of grace is silence.\"

\"Divisions are imaginary lines drawn by small minds.\"

\"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.\"

\"Fear less, hope more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.\"

\"Devout Hindus meet a satguru and in seeing him, draw the darshan vibration from him, absorbing it into themselves. When we say someone is holy or saintly we are feeling the radiations of that divine energy flooding through him and out into the whole world.\"

\"To define God is grinding what is already ground; for He is the only being we know.\"

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