Ravi Ravindra quotes (showing 1-16 of 16)

As spiritual searchers we need to become freer and freer of the attachment to our own smallness in
which we get occupied with me-me-me. Pondering on large ideas or standing in front of things which
remind us of a vast scale can free us from acquisitiveness and competitiveness and from our likes and
dislikes. If we sit with an increasing stillness of the body, and attune our mind to the sky or to the ocean
or to the myriad stars at night, or any other indicators of vastness, the mind gradually stills and the heart
is filled with quiet joy. Also recalling our own experiences in which we acted generously or with
compassion for the simple delight of it without expectation of any gain can give us more confidence in
the existence of a deeper goodness from which we may deviate. (39)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: attachment, compassion, confidence, expectations, generosity, goodness, joy, meditation, non-
attachment, quiet, spirituality, stillness 32 people liked it like
What we most love is not what we know, but what knows us and draws us. . . . (78)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: knowledge, love 16 people liked it like
Each place is the right place--the place where I now am can be a sacred space. (3)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: mindfulness, sacred-space, space 11 people liked it like
The Self says I AMas in the very grand sayings of Christ, especially in the Gospel of John, in which he
says in the state of onenenss with Yahweh (which in Hebrew means I AM), I AM is the way and the
truth and the lifebut the ego says I am this or I am that, thus attaching itself only to a small portion
of the Vastness. (62)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: christ, ego, gospel-of-john, oneness, self 7 people liked it like
Yoga practice can make us more and more sensitive to subtler and subtler sensations in the body.
Paying attention to and staying with finer and finer sensations within the body is one of the surest ways
to steady the wandering mind. (39)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: body, mind, mindfulness, practice, yoga 7 people liked it like
A need for approval lies behind all efforts of evangelism. If someone else can be convinced, that will
show us that we are on the right path. The attempt to convince someone of anything is a mark of
insecurity. (173)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: approval, evangelism, insecurity, right-path 6 people liked it like
*I+t is important not to abandon the practice *of yoga+ because we believe it is driven by the wrong
motivation. The practice of yoga itself transforms. Yoga has a magical quality. . . . (20)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: motivation, practice, transformation, yoga 6 people liked it like
Different states of consciousness project different images of Godloving or vengeful or jealous,
energetic or terrifying, and different images of God affect the nature and quality of our response to God.
. . . The image or idea of God as wrathful and jealous will have a different effect than the image or the
idea of God as loving. Similarly, whether God is regarded as male or female will have a significant impact
on the culture. (29)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: consciousness, god 5 people liked it like
Whoever is full of wisdom is naturally compassionate; in fact we recognize that someone has gained
spiritual wisdom by seeing their compassionate behavior. . . . Individuals and countries with power need
to develop wisdom and compassion, for without these attributes, there is a danger that the power will
be used to oppress and exploit others. (31)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: compassion, spiritual-wisdom, wisdom 5 people liked it like
Most of us assume that human beings have free will. However, . . . *we+ are very much conditioned by
our species, culture, family, and by the past in general. . . . It is rare for a human being to have free will. .
. . (140)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: free-will, past 4 people liked it like
It is useful to study different traditions in order to be free of attachment to any one way of expressing
what is beyond expression. (x)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: attachment, non-attachment, spiritual-wisdom, spirituality, study, wisdom 4 people liked it like
Each one of us needs to discover the proper balance between the masculine and feminine energies,
between the active and the receptive. (104)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: active, balance, feminine, masculine, receptive 3 people liked it like
Depending on their psychic make up, for some people, closing the eyes or being quiet produces anxiety
and increases mental agitation. In such situations it is better to undertake the practice of yogawhether
physical yoga or meditationwith other people with whom one is comfortable and at ease. Gradually, as
we see more and more clearly their roots, the fears and the imaginings will diminish. Mental distractions
are harder to overcome when practicing alone. (109)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: community, fears, meditation, practice, quiet, sangha, yoga 3 people liked it like
*S+cripture are not weapons in intellectual warfare.
Ravi Ravindra
3 people liked it like
Patanjali says that we can meditate on anything that our heart desires. The important thing is not what
we meditate on, but more that we meditate. And then gradually to meditate more and more on what
corresponds to the innermost longing of our heart. The practice of meditation . . . gradually works its
magic in stilling the mind. (42)
Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
tags: heart, meditation, mind, practice 2 people liked it like
Spiritual progress is when on becomes free not only of the knowledge which is inevitably from the past,
but also from the need to know... and a desire to predict and control.
Ravi Ravindra, Whispers From The Other Shore: A Spiritual Search East And West