what is inspiration?
Perhaps the initial page has given you a glimpse that you are not what you think you are, but rather ( if one wants to attempt to describe the indescribable) the screen on which the thoughts appear and disappear. Or in another analogy, when the wave realizes that it is the ocean and not a temporary wave, a paradigm shift is happening. It is an extremely simple revelation, but almost too obvious, so it is easily overlooked. The mind loves to cling to the ongoing drama and sees itself as a separate entity. But fortunately there have been many wise people on the earth inspiring us to remember, who we really are.
During thousands of years of looking for lasting happiness and contentment, the early human beings must have followed their instincts to influence their living conditions and learned to improve the environment . But since perhaps 3000 years there are records of humans exploring within and asking themselves questions like "Who are we?" and "Why are we here?".
Some of these people found solutions, some started sharing their insights and became an inspiration to their fellow human beings. They are our spiritual teachers, leaders, guides, gurus or saints. Here is a selection of 36, which I have chosen from their importance for humanity and my personal liking.
The masters are in order of their (sometimes estimated) date of birth from left to right and top to bottom. The list below the picture contains more information on each master.
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Of course this selection can never be complete. I had to limit it at some point and thirty-six seemed to be a good number. Quite a few have been chosen as representatives of long standing traditions with many more great masters, like the Tibetan Buddhist lineages, the Bön lineage in Tibet, the Chan and Zen lineages in China and Japan and the Sufi masters from Central Asia.
I would like to express my reverence and gratitude to all the presented ones plus the ones not shown!
Here is a further selection of masters and teachings, which I found inspiring:
- Ganga Mira
- Ranjit Maharaj
- Ramesh Balsekar
- Mooji Baba
- James Swartz
Former lover and disciple of Papaji
If I appears, the world appears. Without I, is there anything?
How can it be said that the body is pure? It produces shit and piss. It's a dirty thing, a shit factory, and yet you say, "I am this." As long as the power continues to animate it, you worship it, but the moment the power leaves it to die, you want to get rid of it as soon as possible. Don't be the owner of a dying shit factory, but rather be the owner of the Eternal Reality.
Consciousness is all there is.
Satsang is the invitation to step into the fire of Self-discovery. This fire will not burn you, it will burn only what you are not, and set your heart free.
Because suffering is unnatural and freedom is natural to us, everyone seeks freedom knowingly or unknowingly.
- Akram Vignan
- Arjuna Ardagh
Self Realization – The Gateway to Eternal Happiness: The true Self is an abode of infinite bliss, yet you are looking for happiness in temporary things! Until you realize who you really are, everything proves to be transient and temporary. When you realize the Self, you attain eternal happiness.
Arjuna was born in 1957 in England. After earning his master's degree in literature in Cambridge he went to India in search of a deeper meaning of life.
In 1981 I met him in the Shree Rajneesh Ashram, where we both worked in the Ashram. In 1991 he introduced me to the work of HWL Poonja, whom he had met the same year.
He developed some powerful techniques to work with the mind and wrote some interesting books, like "The Translucent Revolution". He also contributed to the film "Awake", a documentary about contemporary spiritual teachers.
15th century Indian mystic and poet
Known also as the Madman of the Dragon Lineage he was a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan Mahamudra tradition, as well as a famous poet. He lived in Tibet and Bhutan from 1455 to 1529.
Sanskrit epic of ancient India by Vyasa
Sanskrit epic of ancient India by ValmikiThe Samayasara
The most profound and sacred exposition in the Jain religious tradition by Acharya Kundkund.
In a living organism the soul can be conceived as the nucleus circumscribed by the limits of the gross physical body. It is to be liberated and enlightened. Acharya Kundkund's advice – remain a spectator, an observer, a witness to all that is happening in the physical world but do not become an actor, a doer, because the drama is being played by the aliens and you being a spectator have right knowledge, right faith and right conduct constituting the right path to final emancipation and liberation of soul. The trio is known as “The Three Jewels”.
Samayasâra is the ultimate conscious reality. The enlightened soul has infinite glory. It has the innate ability to demolish the power of karmas, both auspicious (punya) as well as inauspicious (pâpa), which constitute the cycle of births and deaths, and are an obstacle in the path of liberation of the soul.<
Ancient wisdom from Vedic India
Early Christian mysticism by Dionysius
Ancient Chinese wisdom by Jianzhi Seng-Ts'anThe Manual of Kshnoom
The Teaching of Seth Behramshah Naoroji Shroff, who spread the light of the knowledge of kshnoom and removed the darkness in the study of Zoroastrian faith.
A Tibetan Mahasiddha