Books of Daily Thoughts and Prayers by Swami Paramanda

Swami Paramananda

Description

There are moments when the spirit is mute and powerless to give utterance to its interior yearning. It feels the need of a vibrant word to rouse it from its numbness and voice its voiceless aspiration. Hence attempts to provide, in one form or another, daily thoughts for the day's round are coincident with the rising of the religious consciousness. The ancient Forest-Books or Upanishads of the Vedlc period were but the accumulated effort of great sages to help those who surrounded them in their woodland hermitage, to meet the daily problem with triumphant heart. The mediaeval breviaries and manuals of devotion were written or compiled to the same end. The present volume is another contribution to this daily sacrament of prayer and holy thought. The idea of preparing it is not of recent conception. As far back as 1812 Swami Parama-nanda wrote me from Switzerland "Other day I was thinking a little of the next book (from your letters). Can't we call it A Book of Daily Thoughts and Prayers' ? What do you think of it ?" I had written to him that the idea had come to me to gather from his later letters and certain notes of his teaching material for a companion volume to the "Path of Devotion," made up from earlier letters. The prayers were caught with the same stealthy silent pencil at the moment of their utterance. They sound in consequence the more living note of spoken supplication. The quotations from the Scriptures are from the Swami's translations. Coming from such intimate sources, the words which follow possess special helpfulness in the intimate inward strivings of each day. They have been classified and arranged in consecutive and cumulative sequence. The thought is carried forward from day to day, so that at the end of a month a new and defined impression will be made on the character. Each day brings its salient thought to be held through the waking hours in continuous mindfulness a brief lesson amplifies this and imbeds it more deeply in the consciousness a prayer feeds and strengthens the natural upward-reaching devotional aspirations of the heart. A few lines from the Swami's sacred and illumined poems are given as a daily exercise in memorizing. Memorizing is one of the most productive of spiritual practices. It provides a rich inner library to which one can turn in the moment of emptiness or distress. A single line called up in memory will sometimes turn the thought into an entirely fresh and wholesome channel. Thus on each page will be found food for all the faculties of the aspiring spirit. The Swami's words lend themselves with peculiar aptitude to a work of this nature. His sentences have the focused, shining quality of a finely-cut gem which requires no embellishment of ornate setting. They stir the higher, holier impulses of the soul and impel to consecrated living. They carry forward by their inherent vitality and strength. The book calls for no other introduction than itself. With its tender counsel and ringing appeal it will find its way, by the force of its spiritual power, into the heart and sanctuary of every seeker whose hand it reaches. DEVAMATA. ANANDA-ASHRAMA, APRIL, 1926. JANUARY : LIVING CONSECRATION.. FEBRUARY : STEADFAST RESOLUTION "MARCH : POWER OF HOLINESS- APRIL : BLISS OF HIGHER VISION.. MAY : HUMILITY, SIMPLICITY AND PURITY OF HEABT. JUNE : FAITH AND COURAGE. JULY : ' BLESSING OF SERVICE- AUGUST : TRANQUILLITY AND CHEERFULNESS-SEPTEMBER : SELFLESS LOVE AND DEVOTION.. OCTOBER : RIGHT THOUGHT AND RIGHT ACTION. NOVEMBER : UNFALTEKING TRUST AND SURRENDER. DECEMBER : REDEEMING POWER WITHIN. 7 Be act offended if my mortal hand Lacketfe grace to offer Thee oblation. Yet this hand is Thy gift Sanctified by Thy touch. I will, use it humbly And lift this offering of love to Thy Feet. I will cherish my mind For it hath brought me thoughts of Thee I will cherish my heart For it hath given me vision of Thee And I will crown this life with a crown of bliss For it hath brought me to Thy gate.

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 17 septembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781528760157
• Langue: English

Extrait

Book Of Daily Thoughts and Prayers
By SWAMI PARAMANANDA
Foreword
There are moments when the spirit is mute and powerless to give utterance to its interior yearning. It feels the need of a vibrant word to rouse it from its numbness and voice its voiceless aspiration. Hence attempts to provide, in one form or another, daily thoughts for the day s round are coincident with the rising of the religious consciousness. The ancient Forest-Books or Upanishads of the Vedic period were but the accumulated effort of great sages to help those who surrounded them in their woodland hermitage, to meet the daily problem with triumphant heart. The mediaeval breviaries and manuals of devotion were written or compiled to the same end. The present volume is another contribution to this daily sacrament of prayer and holy thought.
The idea of preparing it is not of recent conception. As far back as 1812 Swami Paramananda wrote me from Switzerland; Other day I was thinking a little of the next book-(from your letters). Can t we call it A Book of Daily Thoughts and Prayers ? What do you think of it? I had written to him that the idea had come to me to gather from his later letters and certain notes of his teaching material for a companion volume to the Path of Devotion, made up from earlier letters. It was not possible, at the time, to carry out his new suggestion, as another book under preparation was practically ready for press when the suggestion came; but the intention remained with me and at last has assumed definite form.
The present volume has lost nothing through the delay, for now it has a much richer store to draw upon. From year to year I have garnered stray thoughts jotted down on scraps of paper lying on the Swami s desk or work table, or tucked in some book. I have noted vital sayings and set aside countless passages from letters. All the material used, except the lines taken from the Swami s poems, has been drawn from unpublished sources;-chiefly from familiar instructions given to his household at the morning or evening meal; or from fragments of conversation, written down with groping hand and unseeing eyes on the terrace of the Ashrama in the moonlight, or by the flicker of a hearth-fire, or by the dim flame of a far-away candle. The prayers were caught with the same stealthy silent pencil at the moment of their utterance. They sound in consequence the more living note of spoken supplication. The quotations from the Scriptures are from the Swami s translations.
Coming from such intimate sources, the words which follow possess special helpfulness in the intimate inward strivings of each day. They have been classified and arranged in consecutive and cumulative sequence. The thought is carried forward from day to day, so that at the end of a month a new and defined impression will be made on the character. Each day brings its salient thought to be held through the waking hours in continuous mindfulness; a brief lesson amplifies this and imbeds it more deeply in the consciousness; a prayer feeds and strengthens the natural upward-reaching devotional aspirations of the heart.
A few lines from the Swami s sacred and illumined poems are given as a daily exercise in memorizing. Memorizing is one of the most productive of spiritual practices. It provides a rich inner library to which one can turn in the moment of emptiness or distress. A single line called up in memory will sometimes turn the thought into an entirely fresh and wholesome channel. Thus on each page will be found food for all the faculties of the aspiring spirit.
The Swami s words lend themselves with peculiar aptitude to a work of this nature. His sentences have the focused, shining quality of a finely-cut gem which requires no embellishment of ornate setting. They stir the higher, holier impulses of the soul and impel to consecrated living. They carry forward by their inherent vitality and strength. The book calls for no other introduction than itself. With its tender counsel and ringing appeal it will find its way, by the force of its spiritual power, into the heart and sanctuary of every seeker whose hand it reaches.
DEVAMATA.
A NANDA -A SHRAMA ,
A PRIL , 1926.
Contents

JANUARY:
L IVING C ONSECRATION .
FEBRUARY:
S TEADFAST R ESOLUTION .
MARCH:
P OWER OF H OLINESS .
APRIL:
B LISS OF H IGHER V ISION .
MAY:
H UMILITY , S IMPLICITY AND P URITY OF H EART .
JUNE:
F AITH AND C OURAGE .
JULY:
B LESSING OF S ERVICE .
AUGUST:
T RANQUILLITY AND C HEERFULNESS .
SEPTEMBER:
S ELFLESS L OVE AND D EVOTION .
OCTOBER:
R IGHT T HOUGHT AND R IGHT A CTION .
NOVEMBER:
U NFALTERING T RUST AND S URRENDER .
DECEMBER:
R EDEEMING P OWER W ITHIN .
Be not offended if my mortal hand
Lacketh grace to offer Thee oblation.
Yet this hand is Thy gift
Sanctified by Thy touch.
I will use it humbly
And lift this offering of love to Thy Feet.
I will cherish my mind
For it hath brought me thoughts of Thee;
I will cherish my heart
For it hath given me vision of Thee;
And I will crown this life with a crown of bliss
For it hath brought me to Thy gate.
January

LIVING CONSECRATION
He who is ever content and meditative, self-subjugated and possessed with firm conviction, with mind and heart dedicated to Me, he who is thus consecrated to Me is dear to Me.
Bhagavad-Gita
JANUARY FIRST
Salient Thought for the Day .
When we choose the spiritual life, we must make it real and vibrant.
Lines to Memorize .
We bring Thee our humble hearts.
No merit have we save our faith in Thine infinite compassion.
Do Thou make of us Thy tools that at all hours, in work and play,
We may revolve in Thy safe-keeping.
Lesson .
When we are imbued with the true spirit of consecration, all our activities are turned into worship. All tasks before us, small and big, become of deep significance. When our heart is thus filled with the consciousness of the ever-living and all-blissful Deity, we no longer feel the weary weight of life.
Prayer .
O Lord, help me to consecrate my whole life to Thee.
May I find all my joy in Thy blessed Presence.
Help me to fasten my heart to eternal Truth.
Fix my thought on Thee alone.
May I never fail to look up to Thee and seek Thy holy guidance.
Fill me and surround me with Thy Divine peace.
May Thy holy peace reign in my heart and life.
JANUARY SECOND
Salient Thought for the Day .
Represent the Ideal in your life. Let this always be your prayer.
Lines to Memorize .
Children of Light, walk in the light;
Let all darkness vanish from your path!
Children of Light, let your face shine with love and joy! . . .
Children of Light, dwell in the light!
Think of the light and live in the light!
Lesson .
The world is conquered by that one whose mind rests in his spiritual being. If a man keeps his thought fixed on his lower self, in spite of all his planning and calculating, he will give way to anger, hatred and jealousy, and his face will bear the mark of anger or hatred. If a man has love in his heart, his whole countenance will be shining. If we carry a sense of consecration with us in all we do or say, we become a channel for the Highest, and as a channel our power is unlimited.
Prayer .
O Thou All-effulgent Spirit,
I bring Thee my love and humble worship.
Awaken in me such wisdom that I may seek all my strength and safety in Thee.
Cleanse my mind from all alien thoughts And make my heart so pure and shining That it will ever reflect Thy Divine radiance and glory.
JANUARY THIRD
Salient Thought for the Day .
Hold fast to the Light, then all will come out right.
Lines to Memorize .
Let your life be a perpetual light;
Your words will scatter sparks of wisdom;
Your glance of love will penetrate desolate hearts;
Your song of bliss will rouse all downcast spirits . . . .
Children of Light, walk in the Light!
Let all darkness vanish from your path.
Lesson .
If we keep our mind free, clear and open, then there is no crisis in our life. We must never leave our inner house in darkness; we must ever keep the light of consecration burning there. Where there is light, God comes and no sense-robbers can enter. If we keep our life in harmony, evil will stay far from us. Some people pray only when in trouble. If we pray continually, then when trouble comes, our prayer will go on of itself.
Prayer .
O Thou Infinite Spirit,
Kindle my little lamp by Thy great Light
That I may never walk in darkness.
In my life may I ever have Thy holy Guidance.
May Thy Light ever shine upon my path.
Grant me Thy loving protection.
JANUARY FOURTH
Salient Thought for the Day .
We must order our whole life so that we may live close to God.
Lines to Memorize .
I walk before thee, and I watch over thee;
I dwell within thee
And I surround without thee;
In darkness I reveal thy path,
In sadness I lighten thy heart.
Fear not, nor be distressed;
I infill all space.
I am with thee always.
Lesson .
We must rest our life on the fundamental facts of being. If our life is empty, we must fill it; and more easily we are overthrown. But when we live in the material world, more we become bound and more easily we are overthrown. But when we live in Spirit, nothing can overthrow us. We should never fasten ourselves to the outer world.
Prayer .
O Lord, I lift my thought and prayer to Thee.
R