Sin.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Ps 51:5
Awareness of our own sinfulness, including that which is inherited, is the first condition for salvation; the next is confession of this sin before God, who desires only to receive this confession so that He can save man. John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, P.58.
(...) Peace be upon you. Your Lord has decreed mercy as His attribute. Thus, if anyone falls in sin due to ignorance, then repents thereafter, and reforms, then God is forgiver, merciful. Quran 6:54
And so I tell you, every one of men's sins and blasphemies will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Matthew 12:31
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Ps 51: 2-3, 10
O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink. Ps 69:5,14
"God, have pity on me, a sinner!" Luke 18:13
(...) when Simon Peter saw it, he fell at Jesus' knees saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." Luke 5:8.
If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body thrown into hell. Matthew 5:29
And my sin was so much the more incurable because I did not think myself to be the sinner; (...) St. Augustine, Confessions, V.10
(...) my whole body is diseased because of my sins. (...) Because I have been foolish my sores stink and rot. Ps 38:3,5
Now you are well again, be sure not to sin any more, or something worse may happen to you. John 5:15
I am become to myself a land of hardship and much sweat. St. Augustine, X.16
(...) but I was strongly drawn to You by Your beauty, and then again torn away from You by my own weight; and I fell down not without sighs among these lower things; and this weight was my carnal habit. St. Augustine, VII.17
At last I admitted to you I had sinned; no longer concealing my guilt, I said, "I will go to Yahweh and confess my fault." And you, you have forgiven the wrong I did, have pardoned my sin. Ps 32:5
Yes, the days of time are few and evil indeed, full of sorrow and trouble. Here man is befouled by many sins, enmeshed in many passions, brushed close by many fears. He is tormented by many cares, dragged this way and that by many strange sights, entangled in many kinds of folly. Many an error surrounds him, many a hard task leaves him exhausted; he is burdened with temptations, enfeebled by pleasures, racked with want. Oh, when will these evils come to an end? Thomas A Kempis, III.48.2-3
You know what I need if I am to make any progress, know how efficient much trouble can be in scrubbing away the rust of my sins. Thomas A Kempis, III.50.6
Carefully examine your conscience and do your best to cleanse and enlighten it by being truly sorry for your sins and humbly confessing them. Thus you will have no serious sin on your conscience that you know of, nothing to prevent your freely approaching the sacrament. Be sorry for all your sins in general, and be particularly remorseful about the faults you commit every day. Thomas A Kempis, IV.7.1
The law of cause and effect is universal; each man must carry his burden of sin, and must go along to its retribution. The same law of cause and effect controls good deeds. Teachings of Buddha, p.194
The soul, because of original sin, is truly a prisoner in this mortal body, in the power of natural passions and desires, and therefore counts it a happy lot when it has gone forth unobserved from this slavery and subjection (...). To effect this, it was advantageous for the soul to have departed in the dark night, in the denial of every pleasure, and in the mortification of every desire. St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, P.62.
Do not remember the sins and offenses of my youth, but remember me in your unfailing love, in accordance with your goodness, Lord. Lord, for the honour of your name forgive my wickedness, great though it is. Ps 25:7,11
Bitterness, not prosperity, had indeed been my lot, but your love saved me from the pit of destruction; for you have thrust all my sins behind you. Isaiah 38:17
The sins of a wicked man are a trap. He get caught in the net of his own sin. He dies because he has no self-control. His utter stupidity will send him to his grave. Proverbs 5:22-23
Judah, you have brought this on yourself by the way you lived and by the things you have done. Your sin caused this suffering; it has stabbed you through the heart. Jeremiah 4:18
There isn't anyone able to keep so careful and all-embracing a watch on himself as not to find himself, now and then, mistaken or at fault; it isn't so easy for a man to slip if he puts his trust in you, Lord, and seeks you in singleness of heart. Thomas A Kempis, Imitation of Christ, III.45.2
Therefore, be patient, for God's promise is truth; ask forgiveness for your sin, and praise and glorify your Lord night and day. Quran 40:55
The devotees of the Lord are released from all sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin. Gita 3:13
He knows Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as Supreme Lord of all the worlds - he, undeluded among men, is freed from all sins. Gita 10:3
You may have committed countless sins but if you sincerely repent and pray for forgiveness and promise not to repeat those evil deeds in future, you will surely be pardoned by the Merciful Lord. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 1098.
Make a firm determination not to repeat the sin for which you are repenting and seek forgiveness. Beseech strength from the Lord. He shall definitely forgive you and help you. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 1219.
Do not hear evil talk, do not look towards evil, do not use foul words and do not entertain evil thoughts. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 1223.
Do not sin under the cover of love; do not fulfill material desires under the cover of spirituality. Shanti Vachan Bhandar, 1272.
If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. (...) Has no one condemned you? (...) Neither do I condemn you, said Jesus, go away and don't sin any more. John 8:7-11
When there is an auspicious constellation of the stars in a man's life, then only can he come to a sacred place and meet saintly people. Only in the company of such people can he experience spiritual vibrations and practice the recitation of God's names. When a man's bad karmas are coming to an end, then he is naturally drawn to a sacred place and the company of good people. On the contrary, when the sins of a man reach a climax, then he is drawn to places of low vibrations and to bad company. His karma does not allow him to remain in a sacred place. This is why every man must walk the path of truth. Teachings of Babaji, P.70.
Truth, Simplicity and Love are like a Triveni (the joining place of three rivers). The way to success is to join Karma Yoga to this Triveni. (...) If, with full faith and devotion to God and with a firm determination, people will follow the Path of Truth, Simplicity and Love with karma yoga, they will reach their goal. When the whole world is burning with the fire of sins and sorrows and the flames are about to swallow the world, this is the only way by which humanity can be saved. Only he who has firm determination will survive this destruction. That is why great rishis have proclaimed: "Awake! Arise! Go to the wise and learn from them!" Teachings of Babaji, P.99.
The fact is, a great fire of sins and sorrows is burning throughout the world. Everyone living walks and works through this fire. People have become disheartened. Death is dancing before everyone's eyes. Everyone has this experience. Teachings of Babaji, P.105.
I tell you most solemnly, everyone who commits sin is a slave. John 8:34
( ) if you allow your thoughts to go unchecked to the point where you willingly dwell on them with full consent, then you do commit a deadly sin. For it is a deadly sin when, with full understanding and consent, you dwell on the thought of any person or thing, which stirs your heart to one of the seven deadly sins.
If you brood over an injury, past or present, you will soon feel the painful desire and thirst for revenge. This is the sin of Anger. Or should you conceive an evil disdain for another and the kind of hatred for him full of spite and rash judgment, you have fallen into Envy. If you yield to a feeling of weariness and boredom for good works, it is called Sloth. If the thought which comes to you (or which you invite) is full of human conceit regarding your honor, your intelligence, your gifts of grace, your status, talents, or beauty and, if you willingly rest in it with delight, it is the sin of Pride. If it is a thought of some material thing, that is, of wealth or property or other earthly goods that people strive to possess and call their own and, if you dwell on it with desire, it is the sin of Covetousness. If you yield to inordinate desire for delicacies of food or drink or for any of the delights of taste, it is called Gluttony. And finally, illicit desire for carnal indulgence or for the favor and flattery of others is called Lust. The Cloud of Unknowing, P.62.
I warn you that a person who fails in vigilance and control of his thoughts, even though they are not sinful in their first moments, will eventually grow careless about small sins. It is impossible to avoid all faults and failings in this life, but carelessness about deliberate small sins is intolerable to the true seeker of perfection. For usually negligence about slight sins opens the door to the likelihood of deadly sin. The Cloud of Unknowing, P.63.
For the contemplative work of love by itself will eventually heal you of all the roots of sin. ( ). The work of love not only heals the roots of sin, but nurtures practical goodness. When it is authentic you will be sensitive to every need and respond with a generosity unspoiled by selfish intent. The Cloud of Unknowing, P.64.
( ) because of original sin we shall always suffer the burden of our vagrant thoughts, which will seek to divert out complete attention from God. The Cloud of Unknowing, P.85.
For the remnants of original sin will plaque you to the grave despite all your efforts. ( )On account of original sin, every day will bring some new temptations to evil, which you must strike down and cut away with the fierce two-edged sword of discernment. Experience will teach you that in this life there is no absolute security or lasting peace. But never give up and do not become overly anxious about failing. The Cloud of Unknowing, P.90.
Without reading or hearing God's word, a man who is spiritually blind on account of habitual sin is simply unable to see the foul stain on his conscience. The Cloud of Unknowing, P.93.
(...) lift up your heart with a blind stirring of love, conscious now of sin, now of God, desiring God and detesting sin. The Cloud of Unknowing, P.101-2.
If your intellect is freed from all hope in things visible, this is a sign that sin has died in you. If your intellect is freed, the breach between it and God is eliminated. Abba Isaiah the Solitary, taken from Philokalia, 8-9. Found in: Mysticism in World Religions
(...) In one instant the Lord gave me a knowledge of the sins committed throughout the whole world during this day. I fainted from fright, and even though I know the depth of God's mercy, I was surprised that God allows humanity to exist. (...) Faustina Kowalska, The Diary, 926.
Before original sin, man was no danger of choosing and loving a false good, because in his primordial integrity he experienced each thing as it really was. All his faculties were sound and he was not liable to be deceived by any of them. But in the present order of things, man cannot consistently choose the good without the assistance of grace. Original sin left him wounded and blind ... The Cloud of Unknowing, P.131.
The mental sin can be wiped off only by meditation and not otherwise. The verbal sin is wiped off by Japas (i.e. repeating God's name) and the physical sin by forcefully causing the emaciation of the body. Sins committed by means of wealth can be wiped off by making charitable gifts (...). Sivapurana, Vidyesvarasamhita, Ch.12:39-40.
(...) Sickness is the root-cause of misery and sin is the cause of sickness. Sivapurana, Vidyesvarasamhita, 18:138
The sins which are at the root of wordly existence are destroyed certainly by the axe of Siva's name. Sivapurana, Rudrasamhita, 4:52.
You wonder why all these prayers? Look around you, dear children, and you will see how greatly sin has dominated this earth. Pray, therefore, that Jesus conquers. Our Lady of Medjugorie, September 13, 1984. Words from Heaven, P.
You are ready to commit sin, and to put yourselves in the hands of satan without reflecting. Our Lady of Medjugorie, May 25, 1987. Words from Heaven, P.49.
( ) Dear children, I beseech you, surrender to the Lord your entire past, all the evil accumulated in your hearts. I want each one of you to be happy, but in sin nobody can be happy. Therefore, dear children, pray, and in prayer you shall realize a new way of joy. ( ). Our Lady of Medjugorie, February 25, 1987. Words from Heaven, P.243-4.
Nothing is greater than God; indifference to Him is the highest sin. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.26.
Don't think of yourself as a sinner. You are the child of the Heavenly Father. No matter if you are the greatest sinner, forget it. If you have made uo your mind to be good, then you are no longer a sinner. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.196.
Psychoanalysis (...) replaced sin with sickness. (...) It happens often that sickness is chosen to justify oneself. Tischner, Jozef, To Convince God, P.95.
Sin (...) must mean primarily the birth not only of the ego, now conscious of death, which, because it knows it must die, wishes to "have life" here and now and to "have it to the full." (...) Having once said aham, "I," he put it into the genitive case and said mama, "mine." (...) Hence the ego gives birth to egoism which longs not only to be but also to have (...). R.C. Zaehner, Evolution in Religion, P.98-100.
(...) traditionally despair is the sin against the Holy Spirit for which there is no forgiveness. R.C. Zaehner, Evolution in Religion, P.113.
(...) sense of sin is a sign of the first and the lowest step of spiritual development. (...) If you say, "I am a sinner," eternally, you will remain a sinner to all eternity. (...) But that man is free who says, "I am free from the bondage of the world. I am free. Is not the Lord our Father?" Bondage is of the mind, but freedom is also of the mind (...). Ramakrishna, quoted in: Rolland, Romain. (1994). The Life of Ramakrishna. P.250.
A conceited person sees some sin,
and the flames of Hell rise up in him.
He calls that hellish pride defense of the Religion;
he doesn't notice his own arrogant soul.
Rumi, Mathnawi I, 3347-3348, quoted in: Helminski, Kabir (2000). The Rumi Collection. P.20.
If your intellect is freed from all hope in things visible, this is a sign that sin has died in you. St. Isaiah the Solitary (died in Gaza in 491 C.E.), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.23.
When you sin, blame your thought, not your action. For had not your intellect run ahead, your body would not have followed. St. Mark the Ascetic (4th Century C.E.), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.118.
Do not listen to talk about other people's sins. For through such listening the form of these sins is imprinted on you. St. Mark the Ascetic (4th Century C.E.), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.120.
Afflictions that come to us are the result of our own sins. But if we accept them patiently through prayer, we shall again find blessings. St. Mark the Ascetic (4th Century C.E.), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.126.
For the flesh of youth, gorged with food and wine, is like a pig ready for slaughter. The flames of sensual pleasure kill the soul, while the intellect is made a prisoner by the fierce heat of evil desire and cannot then resist such pleasure. (...) Young people should particularly avoid drinking wine, and even getting the smell of it. Otherwise the inward action of passion and the wine poured in from outside will produce a double conflagration; the combination of the two will bring the flesh's sensual pleasure to boiling point, driving away the spiritual pleasure that accompanies the pain of contrition, and producing confusion and hardness of heart. St. Mark the Ascetic (4th Century C.E.), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.154.
The intellect of someone who has lately withdrawn from sin is like a body that has begun to recover from a protracted illness: when the physical organism is in this state, something quite trivial is enough to cause a relapse, since it has not yet fully regained its strength. St. Neilos the Ascetic (died around the year 430 CE), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.231.
You are confused, because you believe that you are in the world, not the world in you. Who came first you or your parents? You imagine that you were born at a certain time and place, that you have a father and a mother, a body and a name. This is your sin and your calamity! Surely you can change your world if you work at it. ( ) a world of which you are the only source and ground is fully within your power to change. What is created can always be dissolved and re-created. All will happen as you want it, provided you really want it. ( ) All is due to your having forgotten your own being. Having given reality to the picture on the screen, you love its people and suffer for them and seek to save them. It is just not so. You must begin with yourself. ( ) You are the all-pervading, eternal and infinitely creative awareness consciousness. All else is local and temporary. Dont forget who you are. In the meantime work to your hearts content. Work and knowledge should go hand in hand. Sri Maharaj Nisargadatta. (2005). I am That. P.42-3.
Discard all traditional standards. Leave them to the hypocrites. Only what liberates you from desire and fear and wrong ideas is good. As long as you worry about sin and virtue you will have no peace. ( ) Sin and virtue refer to a person only. Without a sinful or virtuous person what is sin or virtue? At the level of the absolute there are no persons; the ocean of pure awareness is neither virtuous nor sinful. Sin and virtue are invariably relative. Sri Maharaj Nisargadatta. (2005). I am That. P.71.
( ) To nourish the ideas: I am a sinner, I am not a sinner, is sin. To identify oneself with the particular is all sin there is. ( ) Why do you insist on polluting the impersonal with your ideas of sin and virtue? ( ) The impersonal cannot be described in terms of good or bad. It is Being Wisdom Love all absolute. Sri Maharaj Nisargadatta. (2005). I am That. P.71-2.
Whatever you do against your better knowledge is sin. ( ) Remembering your self is virtue, forgetting your self is sin. ( )Sri Maharaj Nisargadatta. (2005). I am That. P.72.
See the related subjects: Death, Fear of God, Forgiveness, Humbleness, Justice, Karma, Mercy, Penance, Proper Life, Salvation, Suffering
Last updated: 2013/06/03