Sublime

The true practice of yoga cannot occur until all aspects of experience throughout the day and night are attended to with singular intention and devotion.

associated with a specific religious tradition, the religion of Śiva-Śakti, also known as Shaivism, the dominant religion of India throughout the medieval period.

Svādhyāya can seem brutal—having to admit (to ourselves, no less) our shortcomings and mistakes and to stop covering up our imperfections. However, once we watch closely, looking past our presumptions, judgments, actions, and feelings, it is not harsh at all. A deeply satisfying feeling of living in alignment with ourselves, as if we’ve come home

For every Jain devotee it is an essential practice to begin the day with the darshan of a holy person or sacred image in a temple. It must be done before breakfast, before work, before any form of activity, so that the spirit of the encounter can permeate the day and every activity.

He promised himself that during his free time he would recite all the sutras using his newly gained insight.

Keep a diary of your spiritual life. I used to make a record of how long I had meditated daily and how deep I had gone. Seek solitude as much as possible. Do not spend your leisure in mixing with people for merely social purposes.

I am afraid the word guru is overused in the West. It would be better to speak of one’s “spiritual friend,” because the teachings emphasize a mutual meeting of two minds. It is a matter of mutual communication, rather than a master-servant relationship between a highly evolved being and a miserable, confused one.