By Luke Miller | Truth Theory
A few days back I was at a spiritual music event and was having a conversation with a guy. He was a poet and said to me that sometimes he listens back to his stuff and disagrees with it as he has grown as a person or his opinion has changed since writing it.
It was funny because the same thing happens to me. Sometimes I read back an article and say to myself “did I really think like that?” It is quite a surreal experience.
My response to this guy’s comment was- “a piece of writing can be a snippet of how you are feeling in a certain state of consciousness.” I think that holds some truth and that is one of the reasons why it can be difficult for books to contain certain ideas.
Just think about the time it usually takes to write a book, let’s say a year, although I know it can take a lot longer. In a day or over a few hours you can feel different states of consciousness, so to capture ideas, especially unique ones, can be quite difficult over time, without them evolving and changing.
Spirituality is a state and it is very hard to define with words, you can express it to a certain extent with words, but you cannot capture the essence of spirituality within language as we know it. Words can induce a spiritual experience, but you cannot capture the spiritual experience with words.
Spirituality is a state, you can try and conceptualize it, label it and package it up within the confines of language, but you will never be able to fully share the spiritual experience through words.
When you take into account both of these points, it is hard to think that anyone could possibly capture any spiritual literature worth looking at, but many do and do so very well!
So this article is about some of the snippets of written spiritual knowledge that resonated deeply with me and can help you to go deep within and grow spiritually….. Enjoy!
Taken from Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu – Chapter 33
Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightenment.
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self needs strength.
He who knows he has enough is rich.
Perseverance is a sign of will power.
He stays where he is enduring.
To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.
Taken from Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu – Chapter 22
Yield and overcome;
Bend and be straight;
Empty and be full;
Wear out and be new;
Have little and gain;
Have much and be confused.
Therefore wise men embrace the one
And set an example to all.
Not putting on a display,
They shine forth.
Not justifying themselves,
They are distinguished.
Not boasting,
They receive recognition.
Not bragging,
They never falter.
They do not quarrel,
So no one quarrels with them.
Therefore the ancients say, ‘Yield and overcome.’
Is that an empty saying?
Be really whole,
And all things will come to you.
Taken from Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu – Chapter 11
Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore profit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.
Taken from A Man’s Search For Meaning- Viktor Frankl
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Taken from The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior- Dan Millman
“There is no need to search; achievement leads to nowhere. It makes no difference at all, so just be happy now! Love is the only reality of the world because it is all One, you see. And the only laws are paradox, humor, and change. There is no problem, never was, and never will be. Release your struggle, let go of your mind, throw away your concerns, and relax into the world. No need to resist life, just do your best. Open your eyes and see that you are far more than you imagine. You are the world, you are the universe; you are yourself and everyone else, too! It’s all the marvelous Play of God. Wake up, regain your humor. Don’t worry, just be happy. You are already free!”
Taken from The Kybalion
“Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything
has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same;
opposites are identical in nature but different in degree;
extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes
may be reconciled.”–The Kybalion.
Taken from Mastery by Robert Green
“We are all in search of feeling more connected to reality—to other people, the times we live in, the natural world, our character, and our own uniqueness. Our culture increasingly tends to separate us from these realities in various ways. We indulge in drugs or alcohol or engage in dangerous sports or risky behavior, just to wake ourselves up from the sleep of our daily existence and feel a heightened sense of connection to reality. In the end, however, the most satisfying and powerful way to feel this connection is through creative activity. Engaged in the creative process we feel more alive than ever, because we are making something and not merely consuming, Masters of the small reality we create. In doing this work, we are in fact creating ourselves.”
Taken from What The Buddha Taught Walpola Sri Rahula
“There is no unmoving mover behind the movement. It is the only movement. It is not correct to say that life is moving, but life is the movement itself. Life and movement are not two different things.”
Taken from The Prophet by Kahil Gibran On Giving
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
Taken from The Prophet by Kahil Gibran On Freedom
You can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment.
Taken From Zen Flesh Zen Bones- 101 Zen Stories- 19: The First Principle
When one goes to Obaku temple in Kyoto he sees carved over the gate the words “The First Principle.” The letters are unusually large, and those who appreciate calligraphy always admire them as being a masterpiece. They were drawn by Kosen two hundred years ago.
When the master drew them he did so on paper, from which workmen made the larger carving in wood. As Kosen sketched the letters a bold pupil was with him who had made several gallons of ink for the calligraphy and who never failed to criticize his master’s work.
“That is not good,” he told Kosen after the first effort.
“How is that one?”
“Poor. Worse than before” pronounced the pupil.
Kosen patiently wrote one sheet after another until eighty-four First Principles had been accumulated, still without the approval of the pupil.
Then, when the young man stepped outside for a few moments, Kosen thought: “Now is my chance to escape his keen eye,” and he wrote hurriedly, with a mind free from distraction. “The First Principle.”
“A masterpiece,” pronounced the pupil.
Taken From Zen Flesh Zen Bones- 101 Zen Stories- 75: Temper
A Zen student came to Bankei and complained: “Master, I have an ungovernable temper. How can I cure it?”
“You have something very strange,” replied Bankei. “Let me see what you have.”
“Just now I cannot show it to you,” replied the other.
“When can you show it to me?” asked Bankei.
“It arises unexpectedly,” replied the student.
“Then,” concluded Bankei, “it must not be your own true nature. If it were, you could show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it, and your parents did not give it to you. Think that over.”
Taken from The Celestine Prophecy By James Redfield
“We must assume every event has significance and contains a message that pertains to our questions…this especially applies to what we used to call bad things…the challenge is to find the silver lining in every event, no matter how negative.”
These stories/quotes are just a small snippet of that which is resonating at this very moment in time, from books I have read over the years, I may come back to this soon and it makes less sense in the future, but this is a snippet of my current consciousness! I hope you have managed to draw some inspiration from it and would love to hear from you in the comments section below! Much love, Luke
Luke Miller is the creator of Potential For Change and the author of this article. He believes that spirituality is the foundation for good health and likes to blend psychology and spirituality to help you create more happiness in your life. Grab a copy of his free 33 Page Illustrated eBook- Psychology Meets Spirituality- Secrets To A Supercharged Life You Control Here
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Correct
It’s true I try explain my spiritual experience I’ve been through and it’s different maybe one day I’ll find the way to write about it. Night and day spiritual experiences can, may and do happen.
I had spiritual experience too, almost gone insane and got saved by God in the end