& BAPA said... "Prayers seem to have disappeared from this world because they are taught, instead of being kindled.
By teaching, they have become artificial.
And since such prayer is not kindled from within, life remains empty and reeks of filth.
Never teach a prayer to anybody.
The very act of teaching makes it worthless..."
& BAPA said... "A prayer is meant for you to meet God.
It is different for everybody.
Everyone's expression of love is different.
Everyone's prayer may be different but the inner state from where prayers emerge, is the same.
Prayer is an inner dance, an expression of joy, a content state of being..."
& BAPA said... "Make death an instrument to attain immortality, self-realisation.
Neither fear nor love death, but use it to attain that which is beyond death, and you will triumph over it.
Utilise death to proceed on the inward journey.
It is not merely to be used as something to meditate upon, but to go deeper within.
If you are able to think about death, your life will take on a new dimension.
There will be a different meaning to life.
Your mind will start exploring new avenues..."
& BAPA said... "Develop the awareness of death and bring it closer to you, so that you can see it,contemplate upon it.
That observation and contemplation will give you entry into your inner self.
That reflection will create the new necessity for an inward journey, it will open the gates to your Inner Self..."
& BAPA said... "The Enlightened Ones say that it makes no difference whether death is two hours away or twenty years away.
Even if you were given twenty years, nothing would be accomplished.
You would not live longer, only your awareness would live longer.
That is to say, unawareness will eat into the larger part of your life.
Therefore, do not get cheated.
Awaken!
Be aware of death and make your life meaningful..."
& BAPA said... "If a prayer is a prayer, it is enough.
But the real question is, has your prayer come from the heart, or is it borrowed?
Is it something you have learnt or read, or has it come from within?
If it has come from the depths of your heart, then it is certainly enough..."
& BAPA said... "A true prayer begins as a request to change one-self and culminates in a tranquil, silent and thoughtless state of mind.
On the other hand, any request to change circumstances cannot be called a prayer.
That would be sheer begging..."
& BAPA said... "Something has awakened within the person who question himself, 'Can the life I am leading really be called a life?'
This is an auspicious sign, the begining of spirituality.
This is the first step in the journey, the first ray of light, without which the sun of enlightenment cannot rise in your life..."
& BAPA said... "There is no doubt that the teachings of the Enlightened are effective, but when your own knowledge, which has emerged from within, derived from your own experiences, is firmly set within your heart; then the delusion in your beliefs will definitely cease..."
& BAPA said... "Even in the sphere of religion we do not give up the habit of 'I' and 'mine'. We nurture the ego through religion whereas religion really means the dissolution of the ego..."
& BAPA said... "A disciple is one who is ready to lie down on the operation table.
He has such faith in his surgeon, his Guru, that he is ready to be rendered unconscious by him, even to have his stomach cut open by him!
He keeps the faith that, in his Guru's hands lie his true well-being, even if there is some pain associated with it..."
& BAPA said... "Every word of Shrimadji is like a priceless diamond; every letter an invaluable diamond mine. His preaching illuminates the path of liberation..."
& BAPA said... "The Guru takes away worthless things from your house and gives you a diamond.
He endows you with the eternal and robs you of the ephemeral.
You may feel that everything that you had has been destroyed - your dreams, your ego, your world, everything!
But he establishes in your life the Eternal, the essence of life, and takes away the ephemeral and useless..."
& BAPA said... "The enlightened ones bestow blessings. They only have flowers, therefore they can only shower flowers on you. They wish that your life be full of fragrance, that there be music and dance in your life, and that nectar fills your life... but only if you allow it to happen..."
& BAPA said... "Only a worthy seeker is able to recognise and develop certainty about the Enlightened One..."
& BAPA said... "The one who puts in an effort towards being steady in his true self is religious..."
& BAPA said... The grace of the Guru is endless indeed, and the way he showers his grace is simply amazing too!
& BAPA said... "The Guru reveals a new world to you, opens up a whole new perspective. First, he awakens himself, sees and experiences the Infinite within; and then out of compassion, invites others to share that ocean of joy and peace..."
& BAPA said... "The Enlightened ones have said that in order to focus within, first develop awareness towards death. with this, your life will also be full of awareness and the search for the ultimate purpose of life, self-realisation will start..."
& BAPA said... "No matter what the excuse, regardless of the means, do not allow even the slightest space to unhappiness in your life. Only if you pull out the weeds of unhappiness from the garden of your life, will roses be able to bloom..."
& BAPA said... "In order to be religious, you have to start the search yourself, dive deep within yourself..."
& BAPA said... "The only important thing in life is true, inner joy. If you can be joyous without any expectation, without any support,without needing any help, without being dependent; then you have attained the most precious, most priceless thing in this world..."
& BAPA said... "Just as a lotus remains untouched even in mud; a religious person remains untouched, joyful and fragrant no matter where he is..."
& BAPA said... "Rather than being frightened of death, create the need to know, to understand the soul through the awareness of death. Take refuge in religion and advance on the path which takes you beyond death, that is, on the path of religion..."
& BAPA said... "Only he is religious, who does not create unhappiness in and around him, and therefore, he is very joyous. And religion is the art of being ever joyful; it is always staying in a state of happiness..."
