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| My blessing with thee.
|
And these few precepts in thy memory. |
See thou character, Give thy thoughts no tongue |
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act; |
Be thou familiar; but by no means vulgar. |
| The friends thou hast and their adoption tried |
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel |
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment |
Of each unhatch'd unfledg'd comrade. Beware |
Of entrance to a quarrel but being in |
Bear’t that th' opposed may beware of thee |
Give every man thine ear; but few thy voice. |
Take each man's censure but reserve thy judgments, |
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy |
But not express'd in fancy; rich not gaudy |
| For the apparel oft proclaims the man . . . |
Neither a borrower nor a lender be, |
For loan oft loses both itself and friend, |
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. |
This above all: to thine own self be true: |
And it must follow, as the night the day |
| Thou canst not then be false to any man. |
Baba once said we should always dress suitably and it was better just to have a few good clothes. He also told a close woman disciple that she would always be true to her real self. What a compliment coming from Baba.
Before He gave up the body Baba said He had accomplished His work 100% to His satisfaction. It always takes time for the Awakening and the Spiritual push which the Avatar gives to permeate all phases of life and we cannot foresee at the moment the forms it will take in the world of art and entertainment.
Perhaps Upasni Maharaj gave a clue when he said, "When the men and women of the West sing and dance in praise of God the Spiritual revival will take place." It is worth remembering that Baba asked for a simple love song, "Begin the Beguine" to be played at His tomb — not sermons, hymns or even His own writings. He so often talked about the love St. Francis had for Christ and said, "Love Me as he loved his Master."
The prayer of St. Francis shows that love:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace |
Where there is hatred, let me show love. |
Where there is injury, pardon. |
Where there is despair, hope. |
Where there is darkness, light. |
Where there is sadness, joy. |
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek |
To be consoled, as to console, |
To be understood, as to understand, |
To be loved, as to love, for |
It is in giving that we receive, |
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned. |
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. |
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