Meditational Prayer

For a predetermined time, alone, focus all your thoughts on the Divine and the influence of the Divine on your life. The only requirement is that you be alone and without ostentation for this time. Meditational Prayer is not a social activity, let no one else know what you are thinking or doing: this moment is between you and the Divine.

Quotations

These quotes are meant to inspire and clarify, not define the various traditions. There is no order to the quotations under the specific tradition. While this may make it difficult to search, the scattering is meant to portray a larger concept: there is no order or hierarchy amongst world religions.Similarly, some quotes are not even from sacred or spiritual texts in the traditional sense; inspiration can come from any source.

Our sources are listed at the end along with the ISBN’s of our texts. We encourage all readers to consult the original source (preferably in the original language) for their own spiritual guidance and clarification.

Feel free to add comments with your own favorite quotations.

Jesus speaking: “’And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

‘But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

‘And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

‘Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

‘In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed by Your name

‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

‘Give us this day our daily bread.

‘And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.

‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’”

(The Bible, Matthew 6:5-13)

“God’s guidance alone is true guidance.”

(Al-Qur’ān, 2:120)

“While circumambulating the house thou art a stranger;

When thou enterest in thou art at home.”

(God’s Breath, Book of Rumi, p. 191)

“Then a priestess said, Speak to us of Prayer.

And he answered, saying:

You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.

For what is prayer but the expansion of yourself into the living ether?

And if it is for your comfort to pour your darkness into space, it is also for your delight to pour forth the dawning of your heart.

And if you cannot but weep when your soul summons you to prayer, she should spur you again and yet again, though weeping, until you shall come laughing.

When you pray you rise to meet in the air those who are praying at that very hour, and whom save in prayer you may not meet.

Therefore let your visit to that temple invisible be for naught by ecstacy and sweet communion.

For if you should enter the temple for not other purpose than asking you shall not receive:

And if you should enter into it humble yourself you shall not be lifted:

Or even if you should enter into it to beg for the good of others you shall not be heard.

It is enought that you enter the temple invisible.”

(Gibran, The Prophet, pp. 67-8)

“The man who searches deeply for the truth, and wishes to aviod being decieved by false leads, must turn the light of his inner vision upon himself. He must guide his soaring thoughts back again and teach his spirit that it possesses hidden among its own treasures whatever it seeks outside itself.”

(Boethius, p. 69)

“Any offering–a leaf,

a flower or fruit, a cup

of water–I will accept it

if given with a loving heart.”

(Bhagavad Gita, p. 118)

“And then a scholar said, Speak of Talking.

And he answered, saying:

You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts;

And when you can no longer dwell in the solitute of your heart you live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a pastime.

And in much of your talking, thinking, is half murdered.

For thought is a bird of space, that in a cage words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly.”

(Gibran, The Prophet, p. 60)

“When it comes to seeing great things, our concentration is quite confined, but once it is seen, the happiness of our awareness is vast.”

(Hermetica, Asclepius, p. 87)

“‘God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

(The Bible, John 4:24)

“Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.”

(Gibran, The Prophet, p. 30)

“Then Arjuna, looking at the battle ranks of Dhritarashtra’s men, raised his bow as the weapons were about to clash, and said to Krishna, ‘Drive my chariot and stop between the two armies, so that I can see these warrriors whom I am about to fight, drawn up and eager for battle. I want to look at the men gathered here ready to do battle service for Dhritarashtra’s evil-minded son.’

After Arjuna has spoken, Krishna drove the splendid chariot and brought it to a halt midway between the two armies. Facing Bhishma, Drona, and the other great kings, he said: ‘Look, Arjuna. From here you can see all the Kurus who ar gathered to do battle.’”

(Bhagavad Gita, p. 43; Krishna is name for the Divine in Hinduism)

“That hypocrite in prayers and fasts

Displays exceeding diligence,

That men may think him drunk with the love of God;

But if you look in to the truth, he is drowned in hypocrisy.”

(God’s Breath, Book of Rumi, p. 197)

“Indeed during the day

you have a long schedule of occupations.

But recite the name of your Lord

withdrawing yourself from everything,

devoting yourself exclusively to Him.”

(Al-Qur’ān, 73:7-8)

“When they stand up for performing the service of prayer

they do so indolently, only for show,

and remember God but little…”

(Al-Qur’ān, 4:142)

“My God and my Lord:

Eyes are at rest, the stars are setting. Hushed are the movements of birds in their nests, of monsters in the sea; and You are the Just Who knows no change; the Equity that does not swerve, the everlasting that never passes away. The doors of kings are locked now and guarded by their henchmen, but your door is open to all who call upon You. My Lord, each lover is now alone with his beloved. And i am alone with Thee.”

(Rabi’a, Essential Sufism, p. xi)

“It is therefore fitting to pray to the father and to call on him with all our soul—not externally with the lips but with the spirit, which is inward, which came forth from the depth….”

(Nag Hammadi, The Exegesis on the Soul, p. 197)