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Readings About Faith

Chapter Thirteen

These readings, about faith and being, are taken from the Bible and from literature that is read by the students of Siddha Yoga. They are included for your study and reflection and to help you decide about the similarities and differences between the Bible and Siddha Yoga.

Matthew 6: 33-34:
Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God's saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Exodus 3:14-15:
God said to Moses, "I am he who is." And he said, "This is what you are to say to the Israelites, 'I am has sent me to you.'"

Matthew 8:10:
When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, "In truth I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found faith as great as this."
(Matthew 8:8:
"The centurion replied, 'Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured.'")

Jnaneshwar's Bhagavad Gita, 5:10:
Offering his actions to [God] . . . , having abandoned attachment, he who acts is not tainted by evil any more than a lotus leaf is by water.

Jnaneshwar's Bhagavad Gita, 46:
O Arjuna, he seems to perform all actions but, because of the power of Self-realization, he [knows he] is not the doer.

Jnaneshwar's Bhagavad Gita, 3:25:
While those who are unwise act from attachment to action, O Arjuna, so the wise should act without attachment, intending to maintain the welfare of the world.

Jnaneshwar's Bhagavad Gita, 3:167:
The disinterested person should work with his whole heart, in the same way that a foolish person works who hopes for the fruit of his actions.

Matthew 8: 25-6:
So they went to Him and woke him saying, "Save us, Lord, for we are lost!" And he said to them, "Why are you so frightened, you who have so little faith?"

Matthew 9: 20-22:
Then suddenly from behind him came a woman, who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, and she touched the fringe of his cloak, for she was thinking, "If only I can touch his cloak I shall be saved." Jesus turned round and saw her; and he said to her, "Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you." And from that moment the woman was saved.

Matthew 9: 29-30:
Then he touched their eyes saying, "According to your faith, let it be done to you?" And then sight returned.

Deuteronomy 12:28:
Faithfully keep and obey all these orders which I am giving you, so that you and your children after you may prosper forever, doing what is good and right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.

Deuteronomy 13:5:
Yahweh your God is the one you must follow, him you must fear, his commandments you must keep, his voice you must obey, him you must serve, to him you must hold fast.

Matthew 6:24b.
You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.

2 Corinthians 16-18:
. . . though this outer human nature of ours may be falling into decay; at the same time our inner human nature is renewed day by day. The temporary, light burden of our hardships is earning us forever an utterly incomparable, eternal weight of glory, since what we aim for is not visible but invisible. Visible things are transitory, but invisible things, eternal.

2 Corinthians 6: 9-10:
. . . dying, and yet we are alive; scourged but not executed; in pain yet always full of joy; poor and yet making many people rich; having nothing, and yet owning everything.

John 15: 1-2:
I am the true vine,

and my father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit

he cuts away,
and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes

to make it bear even more.

John 6:63:
It is the spirit that gives life,

the flesh has nothing to offer.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit

and they are life.

John 4:34:
My food
is to do the will of the one who sent me,
and to complete his work.

Gurumayi, I at 28:
O my dear one, where are you looking for Me?
I am with you.
Don't think I live just in your bones or flesh.
Don't think I live just in your hair.
I am with you constantly.
Where are you looking for Me?
Don't look for Me in a temple,
Don't look for Me in a mosque,
Don't look for Me in a holy place,
Don't look for Me in a holy river.
I don't live in these places.
I live in your trust,
I live in your faith.

* * *

If you look for Me, you will find Me.
I live in your search.

Gurumayi I, at 50:
Faith is good, but not blind faith. When you have experiences in meditation, you realize what faith is, and what lack of faith is. As human beings, we are impressionable. This is a good quality, but we don't want to become gullible. We need to use our own inner understanding. . . .

Gurumayi I, at 128:
The only desire of a true disciple is to serve humanity, God's creation, and to follow the Guru's command. Such a disciple has complete Viragia, absolute detachment, and his mind is inseparably tied to the Guru's command. . . . When you follow the teaching, not with blind faith, but with absolute faith, you are purified.

Philippians 1:20-26, The Way of Life Bible:

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor; yet what I shall choose I do not know.

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better; Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Gurumayi I, at 159:
This steadfastness, this firmness, is very difficult to attain, even more difficult to attain than humility because we are very, very impressionable . . . There is no steadfastness, no faith.

Muktananda II, at 315:
Faith is the ladder to heaven; it is a most beautiful thing. Our scriptures teach us to give with faith, to speak with faith, to act with faith. Faith is a strong cord that unites God and his devotees who have become alienated from Him. So let your faith grow.

Muktananda II, at 318:
You must have the faith that you will be awakened, that you will be able to see the divine light within yourself, and that you will be able to attain God. . . . There is no better path than this faith. There is no makeup more adorning than this awareness. There is no perfume more fragrant than this awareness. Therefore, meditate with reverence on the Guru within.

Muktananda II, at 319:
Faith is a magnet. It pulls God toward you. So don't have any obstacle to this faith.

Gurumayi I, at 62:
I feel the most gratitude toward God when I remember that His love for us does not depend on our faith and belief. It is an inner happening.

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