(...) whoever is angry with his brother will be brought to trial, whoever calls his brother 'You good-for-nothing!' will be brought before the Council, and whoever calls his brother a worthless fool will be in danger of going to the fire of hell. Matthew 5:22
Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. Matthew 10:11-14
When they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the times comes, because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. Matthew 10:19-20
Bear heat-cold, honour-dishonour, and develop equipoise in victory-loss, remain happy and devoid of all despair in both conditions. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 1081.
Bear the loss of wealth, family and respect with pleasure but do not harm your inner composure by getting upset and angry. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 1997.
A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, unbewildered, and who knows the science of God, is to be understood as already situated in transcendence. Gita 5:20
Therefore I am unconcerned about myself and tranquil in all that may befall me. And whatever has permission to befall me from the immutable truth and eternal determination of my Lord - to whom I have surrendered my life and my death and all I am and can be, in time and eternity, not presumptuously feeling anything in advance, nor choosing anything for my ease - whatever it may be, I too give it permission to befall me. Gerlach Peters. In: Buber, Ecstatic Confessions, P.97-98.
When some suffering afflicts me, it no longer causes me any bitterness, nor do great consolations carry me away. I am filled with the peace and equanimity that flows from the knowledge of truth. Faustina Kowalska, The Diary, 455.
I accept joy or suffering, praise or humilation with the same disposition. I remember that one and the other are passing. What does it matter to me what people say about me? (...) Faustina Kowalska, The Diary, 485.
"Dr. Daniel Goleman, a Harvard psychologist who investigated meditation
as a means of coping with stress, writes: People who meditate have long
recognized in themselves and in fellow meditators marked improvement of
their psychological state and
psychosomatic disorders...Even someone who has just begun to meditate
regularly can notice that immediately after each meditation he is not so
likely to respond to people and situations in a tense way - he is relaxed,
and can take things as they come. With prolonged practice of meditation,
this relaxed stance toward life's vicissitudes pervades the meditator's
day. He finds himself reacting with equanimity where once he would
have gotten angry, paranoid, envious, greedy, titillated, or whatever reaction
his particular personality makes him susceptible to." Helleberg, Marilyn
Morgan. A Guide to Christian Meditation. P.150.
To remain unsoured even though one's merits are unrecognized by others, is that not after all what is expected of a noble person? Confucius, quoted after Novak Philip, The World's Wisdom, P.116.
A truly human being is calm and at ease; (...) Confucius, quoted after: Novak Philip, The World's Wisdom, P.129.
One who is naturally calm does not lose his sense of reason, justice, or humor under any circumstances. He can always separate sentiment or wishful thinking from fact. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.101.
Moods are like cancer - they eat into the peace of the soul. That is why the moody man cannot rid himself of his troubles. Remember: no matter how wrong everything has gone for you, you have no right to be moody. In your mind you can be a conqueror. When bested, the moody man admits defeat. But the man whose mind remains unconquered, though the world be in cinders at his feet, is yet the victor. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.205.
Learn to laugh at difficulties by remembering that you are immortal: "Killed many times, I yet live; born many times, I am yet changeless." Whether you are suffering in this life, or smiling with opulence and power, your consciusness should remain unchanged. If you can accomplish evenmindedness, nothing can ever hurt you. The lives of all great masters show that they have achieved this blessed state. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.242.
Practice titiksha, which means not to give in to unpleasant experiences, but to resist them without becoming upset mentally. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.244.
He (Vivekananda) was never in any way startled or incredulous under success, being too deeply convinced of the greatness of the Power that worked through him, to be surprised by it. But neither he was unnerved by the external failure. Both victory and defeat would come and go. He was their witness (...). He moved fearless and unhesitant through the luxury of the West. Nivedita, quoted in: Nikhilananda, Vivekananda, A Biography, P.162.
Abbot Macarius said: If, wishing to correct another, you are moved to anger, you gratify your own passion. Do not lose yourself in order to save another. Thomas Merton. The Wisdom of the Desert, P.31.
No matter what provokes it, anger blinds the soul's eyes, preventing it from seeing the Sun of righteousness. Leaves, whether of gold or lead, placed over the eyes, obstruct the sight equally, for the value of the gold does not affect the blindness it produces. Similarly, anger, whether reasonable or unreasonable, obstructs our spiritual vision. St. John Cassian (360-435), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.83.
Accept with equanimity the intermingling of good and evil, and then God will resolve all inequity. St. Mark the Ascetic (4th Century C.E.), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.121.
He who does not envy the spiritual mature and is merciful to the wicked has attained an equal love for all. St. Thalassios the Libyan (VI-VII Century C.E.), quoted in: (1981). The Philokalia. Vol. II., P.311.
Last update: 2007/03/30
See the related subjects: Harmony, Humbleness, Moderation