American lawyer and politician serving as the 16th president of the United States of America. A remarkable man who led his country through civil war described as the bloodiest war America has ever known, he abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government and considered by many to be the forefather of the modern economy with methods first introduced during his presidency.
Lincoln had grown up in a poor family upbringing in Kentucky, largely self educated he was an avid reader and having a life long interest in learning, compelling Lincoln to his destiny. Lincoln married Miss Marry Todd in 1842 the daughter a wealthy slave holding family, they were to have four children of which only one survived to adulthood.
This is said to have had a profound effect of both Lincoln and his wife for the rest of there lives. Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865 a few days after successfully reuniting two opposing forces at war with remarkable policy’s of reconciliation. A highly revered man in not only presidential history but of the history of the United States of America itself
Is a British born Australian Buddhist monk from the Thai forest tradition and tutored under the auspicious Ajahn Chah. Born Peter Betts in London, England to a working class family, he was to have a normal upbringing for the time but whilst at school he showed exceptional abilities and won a scholarship to Cambridge university to study theoretical physics. It was at Cambridge university that a love affaire with Buddhism, eastern mysticism and meditation began and after graduation and a brief one year stint as a teacher he followed the hippy trail overland from England to the east finally finding his way to Thailand. At the age of 23 peter was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Bangkok.
It was a chance encounter with Ajahn Sumedho that led him to the Thai forest tradition, where he settled and under the guidance of Ajahn Chah he would stay and study for 9 years. It was Ajahn Chah who asked him to help with teaching duties in Australia and together with Ajahn Jagaro they set up Bodhinyana monastery in Perth, Western Australia. This was the first Buddhist monastery in the Thai Theravada linage in the Southern Hemisphere, and still the largest today. In 1995 Ajahn Brahm took over as Abbott of Bodhinyana Monastery which is where he still resides today.
An amazing public speaker selling out concert venues across Singapore and Malaysia, author of two excellent books and credited with translating the Vinaya, the monastic code, into the English language. His easy going nature has earn’t him a large following and his down to earth style and approach make him one of the greatest living teachers of today.
For further reading or more information on Ajahn Brahm, this external link is extremely useful, including information on mindfulness, meditation and Bodhinyana monastery.
Born as an Albanian in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire. She was baptised the very next day and considered this to be her true birthday. From a young age Teresa was fascinated by stories of missionaries and their work abroad, committing her to focus on a religious life and by the age of 18 she left home to travel to join the ‘Sisters of Loreto’ in Ireland, it was hear she learnt English and the familiarity with monastic day to day living.
Within a year she had moved to India, still staying with the ‘Sisters of Loreto’ and undertook her novice apprenticeship. She studied diligently and as well as learning the scriptures she also learnt Bengali so as to be able to teach at the local convent, now named The Mother Teresa School.
Almost two years after she arrived in India Teresa was to take her first religious vows and choose the spiritual name of Teresa after the patron saint of missionaries. She would spend almost twenty years teaching at the convent, becoming the headmistress in the process.
It wasn’t until 1948 that Mother Teresa found her “call within the call” and began her missionary work with the poor. It was also at this time she replaced the traditional Sisters of Loreto habit with her own unique style of a white cotton sari with a blue boarder. She also adopted Indian citizenship and undertook several months of basic medical training before entering the slums of Calcutta.
A year later she was joined by a small group of young women laying the foundations for her religious community dedicated to helping the poorest amongst the poor. Over the course of almost 50 years Mother Teresa tirelessly fought for the rights of those poor, she founded hundreds of clinics, schools, hospices and community projects, she helped people from all areas of the world, encouraging us all to look within our own neighbourhood to help those in need.
She was a truly inspirational lady and in recognition of her exception life dedicated to others she has been awarded amongst many other awards, the Romon Magsaysay Award for peace and international understanding in 1962, the Pope John xxiii Peace Prize In 1971 and in 1979 the Nobel Peace Prize for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress.
Some of the other awards an merits bestowed upon this great lady include in 1985 the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Order Of Australia in 1982, the Order of Merit and Honourable citizenship of the United States of America and the Balkan Prize for promoting Humanity to name but just a few. Mother Teresa day is held on the 19th October and is seen as a public holiday in her country of birth.
“Peace begins with a smile”
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them”
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echos are truly endless”
“Let us always meet each other with a smile, a smile is the beginning of love”
“Do small things with great love”
“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving”
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier”
If you have enjoyed these amazing quotes and words of wisdom from such a truly inspirational lady then please share with friends and family
“The Earth provides enough to satisfy every mans need, but not every mans GREED”
“The future depends on what we do in the present”
“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet”
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
“There is more to life than increasing its speed”
“NOBODY can hurt me without my permission”
Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948
Leader of the Indian independence movement against the British rule of the time. Most memorable for his non violence approach, leading his fellow countrymen on a 400km march to the salt pans of Dandi in protest of the British imposed salt tax. Living modestly Gandhi wore the traditional Indian dhoti which he hand spun on his charkha.
He ate simple vegetarian food and undertook long fasts as a means of both self purification and political protest. October 2nd is Gandhi’s birthday and worldwide has become the international day of non violence, in India it is also a national holiday.
This is a small collection of inspirational quotes from the Buddhist meditation master Ajahn Brahm.
Ajahn Brahm peace quote
“Peace is the most valuable commodity. And it’s FREE!”
“Complaining is finding faults, wisdom is finding solutions”
“Life is what’s happening while your worrying”
“Silence is so much more productive of wisdom & clarity of thinking”
“When you have abandoned all past & future, it is as if you have come alive, you are hear mindful.”
“The secret to life is…. Everything is out of control”
“If you know how to let go and be at peace, you know everything you need to know about living in the world”
“Fear is finding fault with the future”
Ajahn Brahm 1951 – present
Is a British born Australian Buddhist monk from the Thai forest tradition and tutored under the auspicious Ajahn Chah. Born Peter Betts in London, England to a working class family, he was to have a normal upbringing for the time but whilst at school he showed exceptional abilities and won a scholarship to Cambridge university to study theoretical physics. It was at Cambridge university that a love affaire with Buddhism, eastern mysticism and meditation began and after graduation and a brief one year stint as a teacher he followed the hippy trail overland from England to the east finally finding his way to Thailand. At the age of 23 peter was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Bangkok.
It was a chance encounter with Ajahn Sumedho that led him to the Thai forest tradition, where he settled and under the guidance of Ajahn Chah he would stay and study for 9 years. It was Ajahn Chah who asked him to help with teaching duties in Australia and together with Ajahn Jagaro they set up Bodhinyana monastery in Perth, Western Australia. This was the first Buddhist monastery in the Thai Theravada linage in the Southern Hemisphere, and still the largest today. In 1995 Ajahn Brahm took over as Abbott of Bodhinyana Monastery which is where he still resides today.
An amazing public speaker selling out concert venues across Singapore and Malaysia, author of two excellent books and credited with translating the Vinaya, the monastic code, into the English language. His easy going nature has earn’t him a large following and his down to earth style and approach make him one of the greatest living teachers of today.
Is an American best selling author, life coach and professional speaker, she is a regular contributor to Oprah Winfrey’s magazine “O”. Martha found recognition and national attention after writing her best selling “Leaving the Saints” in which she recounts her experience of surviving sexual abuse.
Khalil Gibran positive quote
Khalil Gibran 1883 – 1931
A Lebanese-American writer and poet writing in both English and Arabic. He is considered in the Arabic world as a political rebel. He is most famed for his work “The Prophet” an inspirational tale of fiction, but within it pages contained a series of philosophical essays that gained Gibran a following. A surge in sales in the 1960’s sees him as the 3rd best selling poet of all time.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 1749 – 1832
Was a German writer, scientist, botanist and statesman. He was a prolific writer and artist producing over 13,000 different works ranging from poetry to novels to paintings and drawings. He was already a celebrated literary by the age of 25. Considered one of Germany’s greatest Literary artists.
Shiv Khera positive quote
Shiv Khera
Is an Indian professional speaker, author and activist. He is a passionate advocator against the Indian caste-based system founding the charity Country First Foundation. A self help author mostly known in India for his works on obtaining success.
Lyndon B Johnson positive quote
Lyndon B Johnson 1908 – 1973
American politician serving as the 36th president of the United States America, succeeding John F Kennedy after his assassination. He started life as a school teacher before politics took over as his main career. Johnson is remembered fondly for the many laws and policies affecting civil rights, wilderness protection and social security.
Carly Fiorina positive quote
Carly Fiorina 1954 – present
Carly is an American business women and political figure, she became the first woman to run a Top 20 company, as ranked by Forbes magazine, as chief executive officer for Hewlett-Packard.
Dalai Lama positive quote
Dalai Lama 1935 – present
The 14th Dalai Lama, born as Tenzin Gyatso is the current spiritual leader of Tibet. Tenzin was born in the small village of Taktser in Tibet, selected from a young age as being the possible reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama.
He was 15 years old when he partly took over the political duties of Tibet. During the 1950’s China progressively and violently claimed Tibet as a state of the Chinese and denounced the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader and all who followed him. The uprising that came and the cultural cleansing preformed by the communist Chinese is one of recent history’s most tragic stories. China was swift and brutal, burning all cultural as religious artefacts, destroying temples and performing horrific acts upon monks and nuns, while the civilised world just watched. The Dalia Lama fled with his life along with a few number of government officials to India in 1959.
Dharamshala has now become residence to the refugees of Tibet and his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It is also the capital for the central Tibetan administration (Tibet’s government in exile) from hear the Dalai Lama gives talks and meets and greets thousands upon thousands of tourists and well wishers who have travelled vast distances just to glimpse this truly enlightened man. A true loving example of peace
“A spiritually established life is not an easy task. But a materially satisfied life is an impossible task” Sri Chinmoy
Sri Chinmoy 1931 – 2007
An Indian spiritual teacher in the art of meditation. After moving to New York in 1964 he set up hos first meditation centre eventually having over 7,000 students from 60 countries world wide. He accredited his spiritual path to God and through meditation realised inner enlightenment. A passionate runner and weightlifter and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
Sogyal Rinpoche quote
“Meditation is bring the mind home” Sogyal Rinpoche
Sogyal Rinpoche 1947 – present
Is a Tibetan Dzogchen Lama from the Buddhist tradition. Born in Tibet he was recognised at an early age as the reincarnation of Terton Sogyal and started his monastic training at Dzongsar Monastery. Founder of over 100 Buddhist meditation centres in 23 countries around the world, and author of the internationally best selling “The Tibetan book of living and dying”
Francis of Assisi quote
“For it is in giving that we receive” Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi 1182 – 1226
An Italian born catholic friar and preacher who set up and founded the men’s ‘Order of friars minor’ and the women’s ‘Order of Saint Clare’. One of the most well know figures in religious history and known as patron Saint of animals. It was also Saint Francis who was he first person to arrange a Christmas Nativity.
Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati quote
“Quiet the mind and the soul will speak” Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati 1940 – 2012
Was a spiritual teacher and author born in Brooklyn, United States. A chance encounter with a yogic breath exercise led to a spiritual awakening. Considered by many as someone who had attained inner enlightenment, she was influenced by Jesus Christ, Hinduism and Saint Bhagawan Nityananda. Affiliated to no religion she taught only Loving kindnessand compassion. She founded the Kashi Ashram in Florida in 1976.
Eckhart Tolle quote
“It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up” Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle 1948 – present
Is a German Canadian spiritual teacher and author, best known for his work “the power of now”. He has been heralded as one of the most influential people living today. Born in a small town just outside of Dortmund, Germany, Tolle himself describes his childhood as depressing, until the age 29 when living and studying in London, he was to experience an inner transformation that left him with an ever lasting inner peace and tranquility.
Cory Booker Quote
“You can’t have a physical transformation until you have a spiritual transformation” Cory Booker
Cory Booker 1969 – present
An American politician and member of the Democratic Party. He is serving as the junior United States senator for New Jersey. The first African-American US senator from New Jersey.
Gurumayi Chidvilasananda quote
“Meditate, let the light of the heart engulf you” Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
Gurumayi Chidvilasananda 1955 – present
Is an Indian born spiritual teacher and currently head of the Siddha Yoga Path. She is a highly accomplished international author with 15 books to her name. She is founder of countless organisations to help people achieve lives of self reliance and dignity.
Finding the Calm in Karma 