From Swami Sivananda's Daily Reading:
MAINTAIN SPIRITUAL DIARY
Every student should maintain a spiritual dairy. Then only can defects by rectified and the mind controlled. The spirit of serving the humanity must be ingrained in the heart of every aspirant. Sattvic virtues such as mercy, generosity, tolerance, forgiveness, nobility must be developed.
Keep a daily spiritual diary. Note down in the diary when you become angry towards others and when you hurt the feelings of others. This is very important. If you exhibit anger or hurt others, impose some self-punishment on yourself. Give up your meals at night. Do fifty more Maalas of Japa. Write in the diary, I have forgotten God twice this day. If you proceed like this for one or two years you will attain remarkable Shanti, progress and will power.
While reading The Eternal Companion today I came across something quite similar:
Devote some time every day to self-analysis. Ask yourself: "Why have I come here? How am I passing my time? Do I really want God? Am I really struggling to find him?" A man's mind tries to deceive him, but he must not allow himself to be swayed by his mind; he must curb and rule it. Hold fast to the truth. Be pure-hearted. The purer you become the more will your mind be absorbed in God. You will be able to see the subtle deceptions of the mind, and you will be able to root them out. Who are your enemies? Your own senses. But if you can control them they will become your friends. Your mind is your only enemy, and your mind is your only friend. The man who analyzes himself thus can wipe out the subtle deceptions of the mind, and by doing so move rapidly along the path of spirtuality.
Oh man, and I was just congratulating myself that I did my pranayamaa today, but that might've been mostly because I found myself with an hour to dispose of before I had to leave my room for the check out curfew.
ReplyDeleteFor me, this would have been a BAAAD couple of weeks for writing down transgressions.
ReplyDeleteYa... I'd rather focus on being nice when there's an opportunity. I put some rupees in the children's charity & gave it to a flight attendant leaving my last flight.
ReplyDeleteI noticed how impatient I was getting with Mysore by my attitude toward the more obnoxious rickshaw drivers. The ones who overcharge to begin with and then don't have change. I took to parting, saying things like, "See you later you sorry dickhead!" They didn't know what I was saying but still.
Suffice to say the body has been overtired and the back has been in pain and the Shatavari did not do a great job subduing the hormones this cycle. Good thing I have no social life to begin with....
ReplyDeleteor there would have been no food for me!
ReplyDeleteI'm stuck in pms mode myself. Made me appreciate dinner on the flight from Bangalore. I'd put ovo-lacto vegetarian down when booking the tix and my meals have been cheesy! I don't mind this. I had tortellini in a cheese-cream sauce & it was so good I licked the tinfoil. And cheesecake!
ReplyDelete(The grilled veggies were good too.)
tick tock tick tock - still a couple hours before the 11 hour flight.