GLIMPSES FROM SCRIPTURES

Freedom from Aversion and Attachment - The Bhagavad Gita

Those who are focused on the objects of the senses, become attached to those objects. From attachment comes desire; and from desire comes anger; from anger comes confusion of mind; from confusion of mind comes loss of memory; from loss of memory comes loss of intelligence; and from loss of intelligence comes destruction.

But those who can move in the world of the senses, and yet be free from both attachment and aversion, experience inner peace, in which there is no sorrow or sadness. This is wisdom, which arises from knowledge of the soul.

If your mind is distracted by the senses, how can you meditate? If you cannot meditate, how can you experience inner peace? And if you cannot experience inner peace, how can you know joy? When you let your mind follow the senses, they carry away all wisdom — just as storms carry a boat from its course on the sea.

Devote yourself to freeing the senses from attachment and aversion alike. In this way, you will dispel the darkness of ignorance — which most people regard as day — and awake to the light of truth.

Rivers flow into the sea, but cannot make the sea overflow. In the same way, the streams of impressions from the world of senses will flow into your mind, but they will not make your passions overflow. On the contrary, you will remain calm and tranquil.

Please Others, Not Yourselves - The Bible

We who are strong in the faith ought to help the weak to carry their burdens. We should not please ourselves. Instead, we should all please our brothers for their own good, in order to build them up in the faith. For Christ did not please himself. Instead, as the scripture says, "The insults which are hurled at you have fallen on me." Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us. And may God, the source of patience and encouragement, enable you to have the same point of view among yourselves by following the example of Christ Jesus, so that all of you together may praise with one voice the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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