Purity.
Purity of the Heart and Body.

For purity of the Mind, see Mind.

Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Ps 51:10

For Yahweh, your God, goes about within your camp to guard you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must therefore be a holy place; Yahweh must not see anything improper among you or he would turn away from you. Deuteronomy, 23:15.

You must warn the sons of Israel of their uncleanness lest they should die because of it (...). Exodus 15:31

Be pure and free at heart; don't let yourself get wrapped up in anything created. You must strip yourself bare and bring God a pure heart if you wish to be free to see how sweet the Lord is. Thomas A Kempis, Imitation of Christ, II.8.5

My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words, 1.

The pure heart has a range of vision that can reach the heights of heaven, the depths of hell. Thomas A Kempis, Imitation of Christ, II.4.2

Nothing is possible without knowledge, and yet everything is possible through a pure heart. Attributed to Heirakhan Babaji.

There are two wings that lift a man from the ground, singleness of heart and purity; the one regulates your intentions, the other your affections. The single-hearted man makes for God; the pure-minded finds and enjoys him. Thomas A Kempis, Imitation of Christ, II.4.1

Purify your heart and soul if you earnestly desire to attain God. How can the Immaculate Lord dwell in a vicious, impure heart. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 17.

Cleanliness of body, clothing, house, etc. is necessary for good physical health. Similarly, the purity of mind is essential for spiritual health and upliftment. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 72.

The import of sacred scriptures can be comprehended only by those who are pure-hearted and they alone can explain their significance. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 422.

If you repent sincerely for your sins, your heart will become pure and noble. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 1265.

Have a clear and pure conscience. Do not deceive anyone. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 1516.

What goes into the mouth does not make a man unclean; it is what comes out of the mouth that makes him unclean. (...) whatever goes into the mouth passes through the stomach and is discharged into the sewer. But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and it is these that make a man unclean. For from the heart come evil intentions: murder, adultery, fornication, theft, perjury, slander. (...) Matthew 15:11, 17-19.

And I said, "Woe in me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips: yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" Isaiah 6:5.

No evil influence will ever come near you if you pray with purity of heart and mind and with all faith and concentration. Teachings of Babaji, P.2.

Of greatest importance is that the repetition of God's name increases daily. In this way, your heart and mind will be purified. Only then you will find God in yourself. The mind can only be purified by japa. This is the only medicine for the disease of the mind. While your mind and heart are impure, how can God live in your heart? The water to clean your heart is the Name of God. So teach everyone to repeat the name of God - everywhere. Teachings of Babaji, P.40.

God resides only in cleanliness. If there is impurity in you, how can God reside in your heart? So to reach God, look to cleanliness. (...) It is the duty of everyone to be active, to be lazy is like making yourself dirty. Those who live in Haidakhan must be very clean, take baths, have only clean thoughts. Teachings of Babaji, P.48.

(...) In many religions, the fire is sacred and is the witness of spiritual practice. It is considered divine. In ancient India, the rishis guarded their sacred fire most carefully and kept it clean, as it was believed to be the residence of divinity. Sitting by the dhuni (the sacred fire-pit) purifies one's vibrations. (...) Teachings of Babaji, P.71.

It is Love that demands purification, before man can be made ready for that union with God, which is his ultimate vocation and destiny. John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, P.187.

Chastity. (...) You are My spouse forever; your chastity should be greater than that of the Angels, for I call no angel to such intimacy as I do you. The smallest act of My spouse is of infinite value. A pure soul has inconceivable power before God.  Faustina Kowalska, The Diary, 534.

(...) as your heart grows in purity of spirit, it is less dominated by the flesh and more intimately united to God. He will see you more clearly and you will become a source of delight to Him. The Cloud of Unknowing, P.108.

Prepare your hearts for these days when the Lord particularly desires to purify you from all the sins of your past ... Prepare your hearts in penance and fasting. Our Lady of Medjugorie, December 4, 1986. Words from Heaven, P.70.

Dear children, everything has its own time. Today I call you to start working on your hearts. Now that all the work in the fields is over, you are finding time for cleaning even the most neglected areas, but you leave your heart aside. Work more and clean with love every part of your heart. Thank you for having responded to my call. Our Lady of Medjugorie, October 17, 1985. Words from Heaven, P.223.

(…) You pray, dear children! Only that way shall you be able to recognize all the evil that is in you and surrender it to the Lord so the Lord may completely purify your hearts. Therefore, dear children, pray without ceasing and prepare your hearts in penance and fasting. (…). Our Lady of Medjugorie, December 4, 1986. Words from Heaven, P. 239.

Pray and fast! I wish for you to purify your hearts. Purify them and open them to me. Our Lady of Medjugorie, January 29, 1984. Words from Heaven, P.364.

Pray and fast! I desire you to purify your hearts completely. I wish to make you happy. Our Lady of Medjugorie, February 14, 1984. Words from Heaven, P.367.

Words cannot describe the joy of the soul whose impurities are cleansed in deep contemplation - who is one with his Atman, his own Spirit. Only those who feel this joy know what it is. Maitri Upanishad, quoted after: Novak Philip, The World Wisdom, P.20.

Puritas cordis means much more to the Fathers than moral or even ascetic perfection.  It is the end of a long process of spiritual transformation in which the soul, perfect in charity, detached from all created things, free from the movements of inordinate passion, is able to love absorbed in God, and is penetrated from time to time with vivid intuitions of His action, intuitions which plumb the depths of the divine mysteries., which "grasp" God in a secret and intimate experience not only of  Who He is, but of what He is doing in the world.  the man who is pure in heart not only knows God, the Absolute Being, pure Act, but knows Him as the Father of Lights, the Father of Mercies, Who has so loved the world as to give His only begotten Son for its redemption.  Such a man knows Him not merely be faith, nor by theological speculation, but by intimate and incommunicable experience. Merton, Thomas. Bread In The Wilderness. PP. 26, 27. Submitted to L-Center Discussion Group by Gary Horn  <ghorn@uswest.com>

Each father should therefore realize that he has a responsibility to behave properly, for the transparent light of Spirit cannot flow through him if his mind is darkened with delusions and erroneous thoughts. He must keep himself pure, for it is through him and through all other fathers that the Heavenly Father looks after the children of earth. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.249.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." In that one sentence lies the gist of all religion (...). A vision of God, a glimpse of the Beyond, never comes until the soul is pure. Vivekananda, quoted in: Nikhilananda, Vivekananda, A Biography, P.209.

To praise God is to be purified: when purity arrives, corruption quickly leaves. Opposites flee from each other: night flees when the light dawns. When the pure Name enters the mouth, neither impurity nor sorrow remain. Your awe and love are the rope to catch My gift: beneath every "O Lord" of yours is many a "Here am I" from Me. Rumi, Mathnawi III, 186-188, quoted in: Helminski, Kabir (2000). The Rumi Collection. P.97.

When you have no cleansing water,
sand suffices-
the prophet gave this rule to those in need,
and still it continues. (...)
Freed of any method,
purely by Spirit you'll be ruled. (...)

Rumi, When Sand Suffices, quoted in: Helminski, Kabir (2000). The Rumi Collection. P.178.

(...) by itself abstinence from food does not contribute to perfect purity of soul unless the other virtues are active as well. (...) Freedom from anger, from dejection, self-esteem and pride also contributes to purity of soul in general, while self-control and fasting are especially important for bringing about that specific purity of soul which comes through restraint and moderation. St. John Cassian (360-435), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.74.

Humility and ascetic hardship free a man from all sins, for the one cuts out the passions of the soul, the other those of the body. It is for this reason that the Lord says: 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God' (Matt. 5:8). They shall see God and the riches that are in Him when they have purified themselves through love and self-control; and the greater their purity, the more they will see. St. Hesyhios the Priest (8th or 9th Century), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.175.

Love and self-control purify the soul, while pure prayer illumines the intellect. St. Thalassios the Libyan (VI-VII Century C.E.), quoted in: (1981). The Philokalia. Vol. II., P.307.

We must pray unceasingly lest some thought comes and separates us from God, distracting our intellect from Him. For the pure heart, being completely receptive to the Holy Spirit, mirrors God in His entirety. Abba Philimon (VI-VII Century C.E.), quoted in: (1981). The Philokalia. Vol. II., P.354.

It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony - in the pure and sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body and mind, his coming into a temple and worshipping Shiva is useless. (...) External worship is only a symbol of internal worship, but internal worship and purity are the real things. (...) This is the gist of all worship: to be pure and to do good to others. He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worship Shiva. And if he sees Shiva only in the image, his worship is preliminary. (...) He who wants to serve Shiva must serve His children - must serve all creatures in this world first. (...) Vivekananda, quoted in: Harvey, Andrew (Ed). (2001). Teachings of the Hindu Mystics, P.109-10.

(...) for the Orthodox the Uncreated Divine Energies of grace are just the beginning and the Indwelling is the highest state, coming only with perfect love. They see the Orthodox Fathers insisting on complete purity for contact with God. Pennington, Basil. (1978). O Holy Mountain! Journal of a Retreat on Mount Athos. P.24.

Lord, give me a very soft, warm, human heart that can gently and lovingly receive the impression of all who come and give them a place to rest, yet an exquisitely pure heart (…). may I be an instrument of your great love to purify and uplift even as I receive and console. Pennington, Basil. (1978). O Holy Mountain! Journal of a Retreat on Mount Athos. P.248.


Last modified: 2008/03/25

See the related subjects: Holiness, Mind, Name, Nature, Simplicity

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