| Extract: DHARMA OF NO-mIND
CIRCULATED IN THE HUMBLE-HEARTED, OPEN-MINDED, JOYOUS-SPIRITED ADVENTURE OF KNOWLEDGE-SHARING THAT …ALL SENTIENT BEINGS MAY AWAKEN & WORLD PEACE MAY REIGN |
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| [Note: The (Interpolations in Coloured Italic Script in Brackets) within the Body of the Original Quotes in Bold – Intuitively Revisited & Reinvested with Comments — are the Personal Subjective Thoughts, Opinions and Utterances of the Compiler-Commentator – dredged from within the depths of his Limited Framework-of-Knowledge and Partial State-of-Understanding …and is not positioned as The Definitive View on the Subject]. | |
| Hark How Creative Thinkers Spanning All Times & Climes Have Articulated This Concept …Since 2000 BCE To 2000 CE | |
| Note:
Concept: Atman Self – Upanishads/Bodhicitta/Buddha-Nature – Buddhism/Noor-i-Ruhani/Ruh-i-Ilahi – Islam/Holy Spirit – Christianity/Noble Self – Zoroastrianism/‘No Mind’ – Zen/Gentleman – Confucius. Refers to: ‘Godly-Lawful Higher/Immortal/Eternal Self’ in man. Represents: Constructive/Divine Forces of Light-Love-Life Concept: ‘Nafs – Islam/Aham – Indic/Ego – West/Beast-Self – Zoroastrianism/‘Mind-States’ – Zen. Refers to: ‘Godless-Lawless Lower/Mortal/Transient self’ in man Represents: Destructive/Satanic Forces of Darkness-Violence-Death |
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| As oil in sesame seeds, as butter in cream, as water buried deep in dry riverbeds, as fire in friction sticks, so is God hidden in my own (divinity-connected immortal Atman) soul, if I search with true (self-less/ego-less/Nishkamic) effort. | Isha Upanishad 1:15 |
| As fragrance in a flower, butter in milk, oil in sesame seeds, butter in cream, water buried deep in dry riverbeds and fire in friction sticks, so is God hidden in my (immortal Atman) soul, if I search with true effort (untainted by the selfish expectations of my godless mortal ego). | Sanskrit ‘Dhyana Bindu’ |
| As fragrance in a flower, butter in milk, oil in a sesame seed and gold in a golden reef, so is God in all things (…discover Him as your immortal Atman Self …at-one-with the Godhead – hiding semi-dormant in the deepest centre of your heart). | Sanskrit Variation — ‘Dhyana Bindu’ |
| As fragrance in flowers, as your face in the mirror, so God dwells within: seek Him in yourself, brother (and don’t waste your life seeking Him anywhere else in the godless mortal ego-projected, Maya-bewitched mind-states conjured outer world of illusions). | Tegh Bahadur’s ‘Vairagmayi Bani’ |
| Like treasure hidden in the ground, taste in the fruit, gold in the rock, oil in the seed, the Absolute is hidden away in the heart, no one can know the ways of our Lord, white as Jasmine (…except the godly immortal Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit-attained ones who alone – like the divine Hamsa – can extract the ambrosia of the gods from the corrupt world). | Mahadevi Akka’s ‘Vachna’ |
| Like seed contains the oil, and flint-stone, fire, / Your Lord is (semi-dormant) within you (hidden in the cave of your own heart as the godly Atman Self), realize Him (with earnest ego-free, self-less/expectations-less/‘No-Minded’ effort) if you can. | Kabir’s ‘Doha’, Poet |
| When the body breathes the secret essence (and actualizes its innate unborn-undying Atman Self). Within this (spiritually awakened) body beats the heart of the Vedas. Within this (all-encompassing) body shines the entire universe. | Tulsidas, Poet |
| (O’ godless ego-dominated, outward-bound, illusions-immersed foolish man) Why do you go to the forests (of the exterior world) in search of God? / He lives in all and yet is ever distinct; / He abides with you too, / As a fragrance dwells in a flower, / And reflection in a mirror; / So does God dwell inside everything, / Seek (and find) Him, therefore (abiding semi-dormant as the Atman Self …at-one-with the Divine) in (the sacred cave of) your own heart. | Adi Granth |
| Travel in all the (outer) four quarters of the earth, yet you will find nothing (of permanent worth viz. the Godhead) anywhere. Whatever there is, is only here (– hidden semi-dormant as the godly immortal Atman Self in the sacred cave of your own heart). | Sri Ramakrishna |
| God made the (maya-bewitched human) senses turn outwards (towards the exoteric manifest world of illusions), (godless ego-conditioned, illusions-immersed, herd-minded unawakened) man therefore looks outwards, not into himself (– his esoteric world of reality). But occasionally a daring (higher Atman Self-aware, contrarian-minded) soul, (intensely) desiring immortality, has looked back (into his esoteric roots) and found himself (as God). | Katha Upanishad |
| The self-existent (Brahman) pierced the (human) senses to turn outward. Thus we (– the godless-mortal nafs/aham/ ego/beast-self dominated, herd-minded, unawakened beings) look to the (lower-physical) world (of sense objects and forms) outside and see not the (higher-metaphysical state of the godly original-inborn immortal Formless) Self within us. (But every now-and-then) A (courageous, contrarian-minded, independent and free thinking) sage withdrew his (profane ego-conditioned, maya-befooled, self-deluding) senses from the (transient-temporal/impermanent) world of (constantly shifting, mutating, decaying) change and seeking immortality, looked within and beheld the deathless (immutable, inviolable, imperishable Buddha-nature/Ruh-e-Ilahi/Holy Ghost/Atman) Self (…in-connect-with the God Principle). | Kathopanishad |
| They (– the godless nafs/aham/ego/beast-self conditioned ones –) know (only of) an (self-gratifying, self-glorifying, self-aggrandizing, narcissism-hedonism driven) outward aspect of the life of this (transient, corrupt) world but are heedless of the (exhilarating state of liberation and bliss in the) hereafter. Without question they will be the greatest losers in the hereafter. As for those (– eternal Noor-i-Ruhani/Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Holy Spirit-awakened ones –) who believe (in the hereafter) and do the right actions and humble themselves (in ego-surrender) before their Lord, they are the Companions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly, forever. | Quran |
| Why seek outside (in the ephemeral world of illusions) for that (eternal reality of the immortal Atman Self …in-union-with the God Head) which is (contained implicitly) within thee? | M K Gandhi |
| Don’t seek God in temples. He is close to you. He is within you. Only you should surrender to Him (with an ego-less pure heart and clean mind) and you will rise above (the unpredictable, duality-driven, emotional roller-coaster of) happiness and unhappiness. | Leo Tolstoy, Author |
| The way (to Heaven/Tao/Brahman/Dharma) is not in the sky. The way is in the heart (wherein abides the eternal Buddha-nature/Atman Self/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit …in-joint-with the Godhead). | Gautama Buddha |
| One need not scale the (upper) heights of Heaven, nor traverse the (outer) highways of the world to find Ahura Mazda (/God). With purity of intent and selflessness of action (– an unfailing virtue of the inborn eternal ‘Noble Self’-attained), one can find Him in one’s own spirit. | Zarathushtra, Avesta |
| The true (incorruptible and permanent) happiness that man has searched for since the dawn of humanity – the inner gold (of his God-connected Atman Self) – awaits any (undaunted-minded, altruistic-hearted, contrarian-spirited) person (pure and) fearless enough to (independently and freely think and) dive into himself and discover it. | Indic Sage |
| First lose yourself (– your godless ego-conditioned, outward-bound, illusions-immersed, arrogant mind-states conjured sense of a distinct and separate self/mind/being as a thinker-seer-doer-knower-experiencer-owner), then only you find Him. The Beloved is not separate from you (– your indwelling, God-connected Noor-i-Ruhani/Atman Self/Bodhicitta/Holy Spirit), just turn your face within. | Shah Abdul Karim |
| A living body is not just an integration of limbs and flesh but it is the (sacred) abode of the (godly immortal Atman/) soul which potentially has perfect perception, perfect knowledge, perfect power, perfect bliss (– akin to the God Mind). | Mahavira |
| God is within you and you discover Him (through deep reflection, soul-searching introspection and ruthlessly honest self-examination) when you discover your Inner (-abiding immortal Atman) Self (…in-whack-with the Godhead). | Maharaj Charan Singh |
| The personality absolute, manifest in all creation fine, / If thou desire to know of His pervading the universe, the reality and sign. / Go! And on the surface of the wine observe the bubble, / See how the wine is within the bubble and the bubble within the wine (…thence, instantly disappears all nafs/aham/ego/beast-self-conjured, duality-riven sense of mine and Thine). | Abu Sa’id |
| One does not need buildings, money, power or status to practice the (godly) Art of Peace (/Sukhmani – peace of mind). Heaven is right where you are standing (– abiding as the semi-dormant godly Higher Self in the very temple of your own formal structure), and that is the place to (enthusiastically dive in and) train. | Morihei Ueshiba |
| (As the godless ego-dominated, herd-minded foolish ones) Do not race after riches, do not risk your life for (the pagan ego-intoxicated, delusional mind-states conjured illusory baubles and trinkets of wealth, power, fame,) success or you will let slip the (Reality of the) Heaven within you. | Chuang Tzu, Taoism |
| To accomplish much you must first lose everything (– all your pagan ego-conjured physical-mental-emotional attachments and dependence on family-wealth-power-status-reputation-image-relationships etc. …for only then can the Atman Self-inspired, creative revolutionary process of inner and outer transformations occur). | Che Guevara, Revolutionary |
| A man cannot realize God unless he renounces everything mentally (in spirit …such that he is spiritually self-detached and disconnected from all pagan mortal aham/ego-self-aroused, self-enslaving, illusory mind-states spinning, desires-generating, attachments-forming conditions to transient objects of senses, relationships, ideas, ambitions of ‘this world’ …and is no longer excited or disturbed, attracted or repelled by any other worldly thing/being/idea whatsoever. This is the exalted state of citta vritti nirodha – all mortality-bound mind-states conjuring impulses/ripples/stirrings ceased in the brain organ. Nir-vana = the equanimous State of ‘No Stir’ – the Stilled Mind — at-one-with the Divine). | Sri Ramakrishna |
| No man shall reach the shores of the ocean of true understanding (by attaining his immortal Noor-i-Ruhani/ Atman Self …in-sync-with the Divine) except he (first) be detached from all (his mortal nafs/aham/ego/beast-self-conjured illusions of things) that is in heaven and on earth. | Baha’u’llah, Founder Baha’ism |
| No man can do properly what he is called upon to do (as his destiny) in this life unless he can (first and foremost) learn to forget (/erase/delete/obliterate) his (disobedient, attachments-forming, life-stifling, godless-lawless) ego (-self with all its hankerings and clingings to pleasure-power-position-possessions-popularity) and act as an (obedient, non-attached, godly-lawful Atman Self/Bodhicitta/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit-awakened) instrument of God. | W H Auden, Poet |
| The world is the river of God, flowing from him and flowing back to him. On this ever-revolving wheel of being, the ( mortal ego-dominated, outward-headed, illusions-enslaved, herd-minded unawakened) individual self goes round and round (in vain), life after life, (ignorantly) believing itself to be (divided, distinct and) separate (from God, ‘the other’ and the world-life), until (on awakening) it sees its (inalienable unity and) identity with the Lord of Love – and attains immortality in the indivisible Whole. | Svetasvatara Upanishad |
| As (individual, particular, geo-terrain-conditioned) rivers flow into the sea and in so doing lose (their particularity and terrain-specific) name and form, so even the (universal Atman Self-realized) wise man, freed from (the particularity of his ego-conditioned) name and form, arrives at the Infinite. | Mundaka Upanishad |
| (The) Individual must become fit (through the realization of his inborn non-dual Atman Self …semi-dormant within him) to realize the Cosmic One (/Paramatman/God), to know that he is not different to the Cosmic One. Let us accept all the different paths as different rivers running towards the same (Cosmic) ocean. | Swami Satchidananda |
| When you free your heart of all (mortal ego-conditioned, illusory mind-states conjured attachments to ‘this worldly’) desire, you are fully satisfied (and complete); you perceive (the innate unborn-undying) Atman. You are no longer mortal. Being Brahman, you go to Brahman. | Brihadaranyaka Upanishad |
| When you free the (godless ego-conditioned monkey-) mind from thralldom of (your maya-bewitched, self-deluded) senses, you are detached (– freed from the bondage of attachment to the illusory desires and objects of senses) – you are ready because you are in pratyahara, ‘going towards…’ true liberation. | Swami Vivekananda |
| The contact between the (godless mortal ego-conditioned, maya-bewitched) senses and sense objects, which gives rise to (the dualistic) feelings of heat and cold, pleasure and pain, are transitory and fleeting. Therefore ignore them, transcend them (through the actualization of your self-detached, original-inborn, non-dual Atman Self), and become eligible for immortality. | Bhagwad Gita 2.14-15 |
| Where egoism exists, Thou (– the Supreme) art not experienced. / Where Thou (– the Supreme) art, is not egoism. / You (Atman Self-seeking wise ones) who are learned, expound in your (no-) mind / This inexpressible proposition (…and-merge-with the Divine). | Adi Granth |
| Enlightenment is (the godless-lawless mortal) ego’s ultimate disappointment (– its annihilation). | Chogyam Trungpa |
| Everyone (being dominated by her/his lower mortal ego-self) is so afraid of death, but the real (– immortal Noor-i-Ruhani/Atman Self-aware) Sufi just laughs: nothing tyrannizes his (indomitable) heart. (For he well knows) What strikes the (outer transient ego/) oyster shell does not damage the pearl (of immortality within). | Jalaluddin Rumi, Poet |
| Meditating on the lotus of your inner (original-inborn eternal Atman) Self in the centre, as the untainted, the exquisitely pure, clear and sorrowless, the inconceivable, the unmanifest, of infinite form, blissful, tranquil, immortal – the womb of Brahma (…one attains Godhood). | Kaivalyopanishad |
| Our Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure (– the unconditioned-undifferentiated inborn Buddha-nature/Atman Self/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit/‘No-Mind’ State-of-Being), and if we knew our (no-) mind and realized what our (original-inborn essential self-) nature (– the eternal Bodhicitta/Atman Self/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit …ever abiding in-essence with the immortals) is, all of us would attain Buddhahood (…that very instant!). | Bodhisattva Sila Sutra |
| The whole world is nothing but you (…when you finally awaken to your eternal Higher Self …in-sync-with the Divine). | Hsueh Feng |
| The only proof of His existence is (through the awakening and) union (of your original-innate unborn-undying Atman Self) with Him. | Mandukya Upanishad |
| Every soul is partially divine and it is your job to make it manifest itself (to its fullest potential by transmuting its finite-transient ego-self-aroused, illusory mind-states concocting conditions-of-becoming into its infinite-eternal Atman Self-realized/‘No-Mind’ State-of-Being …at-one-with the Godhead). | Swami Vivekananda |
| Our (godless ego-dominated) humanity were a poor thing were it not for the (Holy Spirit-blessed) divinity which stirs within us (in the sacred receptacle of our hearts). | Francis Bacon |
| He who penetrates into himself (– his formidable godless-lawless mortal ego-self), and so transcends himself (– this transient ego-entity), (discovers his inviolable, godly-lawful eternal Higher Self and) ascends truly to God. | Albert Camus |
| The human body is the temple of God. One who kindles the light of (eternal Atman Self-) awareness within gets true light. The sacred (wickless) flame of your inner shrine is constantly bright. The experience of unity (between the trinity of jiva/man, jagat/world and Jagannath/God), is the (perfection and) fulfilment of human endeavours. The mysteries of life are revealed (…and Godhead attained). | Rig Veda |
| The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems (– the priceless treasure of the Noor-i-Ruhani/Atman Self …in-tune-with the Divine) that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves. | Baha’i Faith. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah 132 |
| (As the Higher Self-bearing receptacles) We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us (chosen ones); it is in each and every one (of us whether beggar or king, sinner or saint). | Nelson Mandela |
| The truth is that you (as the awakened godly Atman Self) are always and ever united with the Lord. But you must (first awaken from your ignorant state of ungodly aham/ego-mesmerized thralldom to) know this. | Svetasvara Upanishad |
| If you seek to (intellectually) understand the whole universe you will understand nothing at all but (instead, first) seek to (intuitively meditate and) understand yourself (– your innate Holy Self …at-one-with the Divine) and you will understand the whole universe. | Druidic Tribal Axiom |
| Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you (…if thou wouldst only look within …thou wouldst find him residing as thy Comforter/Holy Spirit/ Atman Self …semi-dormant within the sacred Cave of thy Heart). | St Luke, Bible |
| My truth is within your own heart where the son of God dwells. I live within all. Go within. Those who seek Him (earnestly with a pure and self-less heart) will find Him. | Jesus, Bible |
| The Supreme Lord is seated in everyone’s heart (– instilled in all as the original-inborn immortal Atman Self –) and directs the wanderings of all entities. | Gita 15.15 |
| Look within; you (– as the Bodhicitta-containing sacred receptacle –) are The Buddha. | Zen Buddhist Saying |
| He that is within thee (– thy Invincible Higher Self …in-tune-with the Divine) is far greater than all that are against thee (…so dear friend, keep the faith, hold the course, bite the bullet …and carpe diem – seize the day — by awakening to the higher power within). | William Law, Christian Mystic |
| Those who place their Love and Choice on Me-in-them (– the Super Soul within), attain Self-realization and Immortality. | Zarathustra, Avesta, Gatha 45.5 |
| The world and its vanities, and its glory and whatever delights it can offer, are all in the sight of God (– from the ‘viewpoint of eternity’ –) as worthless as, nay, even more contemptible than, dust and ashes. Would that the (godless-lawless mortal nafs/aham /ego/beast-self contaminated) hearts of men (immersed in the ‘viewpoint of temporality’) could comprehend this. | Baha’u’llah, Founder Baha’ism |
| The eternal (State of Godhood) is not attained by rites and rituals, by pilgrimages, by wealth; it is to be attained only by (conquering and) overcoming one’s (godless ego-dominated monkey) mind, by the cultivation of (our godly Atman Self-bestowed/‘No-Minded’) wisdom. | Sage Vasishta to Prince Rama |
| The purpose of life is to realize (and actualize) the God within us. This can be done even while attending to our worldly duties (as householders). (Though fully engaged) Amidst intense (‘this worldly’) activities, we should feel (mentally and emotionally) detached (and indifferent in spirit) and (Nishkamically/‘no-mindedly’/expectation-lessly) dedicate (the sweet fruits/rewards of) all our doings to God. | Meher Baba |
| Having taken the oath to dedicate your life / towards gaining Immortality, / May you know that the Path that leads to it / is that of complete (pagan ego-self) surrender (of your illusory mind-states conjured finite ‘my will’) and dedication (to the infinite Will of God). / Remember! You are the Children of Immortality (…so awaken quickly and access your immortal Atman Self …in-sync-with the Divine Will – the greatest Cosmic Boon in the universe). | Atharva Veda 15.17.10 |
| I carry a torch in one hand / And a bucket of water in the other: / With these things I am going to set fire to (the ego-man’s illusory idea of) Heaven / And put out the flames of Hell / So that (the godless ego-intoxicated, outward-bound, illusions-immersed) voyagers to God can rip-off their veils (of their impure nafs/aham/ego/beast-self-conjured vision of an imaginary outer Heaven-Hell) / And see the real goal (– the eternal Noor-i-Ruhani/Atman Self/Bodhicitta/Holy Spirit …in-connect-with the Divine — semi-dormant within themselves). | Rabia al-Adawiyya al-Qaysiyya of Basra, 8th century – highly revered iconoclast |
| When I see through men, I find in them the Divine Incarnation. | Indian Tribal Baul Song |
| In the faces of men and women I see God (…for He resides in the hearts of all men). | Walt Whitman, Poet |
| You have acquired (the boon of the unique) human form, this is your (exalted) opportunity to be one with God (by discovering your inborn-immortal Atman Self …in-joint-with the Divine), all other labour (– though it earn you all the power, wealth and applause of the world –) is unprofitable. | Guru Arjan Dev |
| There is One Path, the (complete) annihilation of the false (divisions-creating, separations-causing, strife-generating godless-lawless nafs/aham/) ego in the real (unity-creating, oneness-generating, harmony-building godly-lawful Noor-i-Ruhani/Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Holy Spirit …in-whack-with the Divine) which raises the mortal to immortality, in which resides all perfection (…akin to the God Mind). | Sufi Order |
| Arise! Awake! Approach the Great Knowledge and learn. Like the sharp edge of the razor-blade is that Path (to Paramatman/Godhood) – so the wise say – hard to tread and difficult to cross indeed (– the slightest falter, hesitation or doubt …and you’re hamburger for the hounds). …the Higher (inward-focused, morality-anchored, contrarian-minded, godly-lawful immortal Bodhicitta/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit/Atman) Self is not for the (godless-lawless mortal aham/ego/ beast-self dominated, outward-bound, illusions-immersed, herd-minded morally) weak to obtain. | Katha Upanishad |
| They (awakened ones), who know the great (original-inborn immortal Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Ruh-e-Ilahi/Holy Spirit …at-one-with the Divine semi-dormant) in man, know the Supreme Being (/Paramatman) Himself. | Atharva Veda |
| That which is the finest essence — this whole world has that as its soul. That is (absolute) Reality. That is the (original-innate unborn-undying Atman) Self (/Buddha-nature/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit/‘No-Mind State-of-Being …in-union-with Paramatman/Godhead). That (!) art thou. (Discover and actualize it!). | Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 |
| Supreme, beyond the power of speech to express, Brahman may yet be apprehended by the eye of pure (inner-awareness ignited) illumination. Pure, absolute and eternal Reality such is Brahman, and (in your awakened Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit/‘No-Mind’ State-of-Being –) “Thou Art That”. | Adi Shankara |
| That (nafs/aham/ego/beast-self-freed, self-detached, self-) disciplined man with joy (for the world-life in his selfless spirit) and light (of the eternal Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit alive) within (the Cave of his Heart), becomes one with God and reaches the freedom that is God’s. | Gita 5.24 |
| Rise above (all artificial-pagan mortal ego-scripted) myths and re-discover yourself (– your original-inborn immortal Atman Self …in-union-with the Godhead) …all (the sagunic) gods (of the millennia-old Yuga Dharmas – that have been, that still are, and are yet to be) are nothing before the source of your (innate unborn-undying Atman) Self. | Kena Upanishad, Ch 3 |
| This magnificent and universal injunction to strive for the attainment of the perfection of divinity (through the actualization of your semi-dormant imperishable Higher Self …in-tune-with the Supreme Self) is the first duty, and should be the highest ambition of all struggling creature creations of the God of perfection. | The Urantia Book |
| The end of life is to be like unto God; and the (godly Higher Self-awakened) soul following God, will be like unto Him. He being the beginning, middle and end of all things. | Socrates |
| Man (in his unawakened, godless ego-blinded state of ignorance knows not that he) is a creature who has received the command to be God. | St Basil the Great |
| (The Higher Self-anointed) Man is a messenger (of God) who (numbed by his godless lower ego-inebriated state) forgot the message. | Abraham Joshua Lincoln |
| Man (when awakened to the awareness of his Higher Self state) is a universe within himself. | Bob Marley |
| …I must learn to value myself (as the greater Atman Soul), an eternal spirit of divinity, and do all I can to make it glow. | Brahmakumaris |
| Let a man consider himself as if the Holy One dwells within him (… in-connect-with his eternal Atman Self/Divine Soul). | Talmud, Hebrew Scripture |
| Everyone in his ‘true nature’ (– his original-inborn self-nature – Bodhicitta/Atman Self/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit-awakened state –) is Buddha. | Zen Dictum |
| Only when man realizes his eternal, true (original-inborn imperishable Bodhicitta/Ruh-e-Ilahi/Holy Ghost/Atman) Self does he realize he is not subject to death, that he is not a finite (-transient, artificial-pagan perishable nafs/aham/ego/ beast-self dominated) human being with a (temporal-ephemeral) body and (a fears-saturated) mind, but (is in truth the fearless absolute-universal) Infinite Consciousness Itself (…ever abiding in-essence in the eternal Transcendent Sphere of Spirit/Abode of Brahman/Dharmadhatu/Kingdom of Heaven/House of Songs …playing Mahjong with the Immortals). | Swami Vivekananda |
| If solid (i.e. permanent vis-à-vis transient) happiness we prize Within our breast this jewel lies And they are (godless ego-blinded, outward-bound, illusions-immersed, hedonism-narcissism-driven) fools who roam (in the finite world of matter). The (outer transient) world (of power-pleasure-wealth-popularity-status-reputation) has nothing to bestow From our own (original-inborn God-connected Atman) selves our joys must flow And that dear hut (/heart), our (eternal) home. |
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| Heaven and happiness, misery and hell / With all their wealth and woe / Are all within you, truly / Verily, if you but only knew that it is your own (godless-disobedient ego-conditioned, outward-focused, duality-bound, illusory mind-states conjuring monkey-) mind / That makes and unmakes your body and its worlds / Your loves and hates / Your joys and agonies / Superior to them all you would rise (by actualizing the potential of your godly-obedient, immutable, non-dual Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit …in-sync-with the Godhead — eternally abiding semi-dormant within you). | Hindu Folk Song |
| What is not stable and permanent (viz. the godless mortal ego-self and its Maya-bewitched, senses-deluded, narcissist-hedonist mind-states conjured attachments to the tyranny of objects-ideas-relationships in the finite-transient realm of creation), let go (without even a tinge of regret). There is only one thing left (which you can never let go – your spiritually-detached, original-indweller – the unborn-undying Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Noor-i-Ruhani/ Holy Spirit/‘No-Mind’ …in-union-with the Divine). (A multiplicity of) Worlds and (their transitory-temporal sagunic) gods (of millennia-old Yuga Dharmas) will (appear and) disappear, but This (one thing – the immortal Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit/‘No-Mind’ …beholden to the eternal Sanatana Dharma/Dharmadhatu/Abode of Brahman/Sphere of Spirit/Kingdom of Heaven/ House of Songs) will not. When you are reminded of This (priceless one thing) keep your eye (‘no-mindedly’) on It, not with the (covetous-minded) intention of (becoming attached to, possessing and) having it, but just to (‘no-mindedly’/expectationlessly) BE it! All the (other precious) things you (in your godless ego-conditioned, outward-focused, desires-spawning, attachments-forming, narcissist-hedonist mind-states conjuring conditions think about, wish for and) want are in the (refute, reject, renounce and) “let go” category: House, wife, body, parents, (friends, possessions, positions, ambitions, image, reputation, life goals and temporal sagunic) gods, let go (– become spiritually-indifferent and remain emotionally-detached and unaffected by them — as they are changing and impermanent elements). What is left? What cannot go? (The Eternal Self!). That (unchanging, indwelling, imperishable Atman Self/Buddha-nature/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit/‘No-Mind’ …at-one-with Paramatman/Godhead — that) you ARE (– Tat-God Tvam-you Asi-are)! You (– as the self-effacing, unborn-undying Atman Self/ Buddha-nature/Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit/‘No-Mind’-attained one –) cannot go because you have never come (and you can never die because you were never born) and anything (finite-transient-mutable viz. your artificial-pagan mortal ego-conditioned, outward-bound, narcissism-hedonism enslaved, attachments-forming, illusions conjuring monkey-mind) that comes (along with its impure-discriminating mind-states spun ephemeral-relative world of illusory desires, relationships, attachments to beings, ideas and objects of the godless ego-mind and deluded senses –) must go. Find out what it (– this unique ineffable state beyond the mortal ego-mind and deluded senses, beyond spatio-temporal-material coming-and-going –) is (…and play Golf with the Immortals). |
Papaji |
| Your bank balance can be full, / (But) Let your mind remain (‘no-minded’/spiritually-detached/indifferent and) empty. / Maintain accounts in balance sheets, / (But) Not ever (indelibly printed) in your (non-attaching empty no-) mind. / Record nationality in your passport, / (But) Erase it from your (ego-conditioned, parochial mind-states conjured divisive) thoughts. / Mother and father in your genes is OK, / (But) Don’t carry them (around as an irrevocable-attachment) in your (non-attaching empty no-) mind. / (Godless-lawless ego-dominated) Nations might have enemies, / (But your dispassionate, universal, godly-lawful Higher) Mind should have none. / Plan meticulously on (dispensable) paper, / (But) Don’t clutter the (indispensable empty no-) mind (with attachments to transient, narcissist-hedonist ‘this worldly’ relationships, possessions, ideas and ambitions). / Jewelry and title deeds are OK in the locker, / (But) Don’t let your (non-attaching empty no-) mind get burdened by them. / Put down names and surnames on forms, / (But) Obliterate them from the (universal, non-parochial no-) mind. / Let the dictionaries get filled with (an alphabet-soup of parochial mind-states conjured transient ideas, labels and) words and their (multiple, mutating) meanings / While your (inner secret-secure-serene-silent-steady-stilled immutable no-) mind exults in emptiness (…so go ahead and fearlessly decide to be a ‘No-Mind’ man – in-whack-with the Divine). | Anonymous, The Speaking Tree (TOI) |
| You can have it all / But when you do don’t let it fall (by mentally-emotionally attaching/clinging to it as if your life depended on it), / For sooner or later you will realize / That (all godless ego-inspired, narcissistic-hedonistic-conjured desires/cravings/ clingings for) the externals (– the transient realm of illusions — pleasure-power-profit-position-possessions-privileges-popularity etc. …as a be-all and end-all of life) do not matter at all. / The only answer lies within, / The only way out — is in. (So, go on …have the courage to fearlessly take the existential-leap into the Abyss of Extinction …and annihilate the externals-attached false mortal ego-self …that the original-inborn immortal Atman Self …at-one-with the Godhead may stand revealed). | Indian Folk Song |
| Having attained human birth, which is an open invitation to (the Abode of) Brahman (Dharmadhatu/Tao/Kingdom of Heaven), one who…remains attached (/clinging) to the (ephemeral) ties of (relationships-wealth-power-fame-image etc. as offered by) the (finite) world is not fit to be called human. | Srimad Bhagavatam |
| (To actualize the God within) Look on such (finite-transient) things as (fame, power, wealth, position, possessions, status, image, reputation,) friends, land, money, property, spouse, and bequests as nothing but a (pagan mortal ego-conjured, Maya-mesmerized, senses-deluded transient) dream or a magician’s show (of smoke ‘n mirrors) lasting three or five days. | Ashtavakra 10.2 |
| The most pitiful man is he who (despite having Godhood within his grasp) transforms his dreams into silver and gold. | Khalil Gibran, Poet |
| All the (transient-finite, ‘this worldly’) kingdoms, sons, spouses, partners and pleasures (of position, possessions, popularity) to which you (have long clung to and been so dearly) attached have (– in the final reckoning –) been lost. | Sage Yoga Vasistha to the King |
| Soul connections (between the individual’s Atman Self and Paramatman/Supreme Self/Godhead) are eternal (– intrinsic, permanent and real). Every other relationship we have (parents, spouses, children, kin, friends, gurus), no matter how sweet, kind, intimate, or apparently meaningful, will in the end (– when the chips are down at the time of final accounting –) be revealed as temporary (– corruptible, finite, transient and of no lasting value. For, at the end of the day, the final journey is by the alone, of the alone, to the Alone). | Andrew Cohen |
| If anyone wants to be a follower of mine let him first (mentally and emotionally) renounce himself (– all his godless ego-conditioned attachments, preferences, prejudices and possessions, all his ego-linked spiritual aspirations and mental clingings to ‘this worldly’ priorities, ambitions and goals, all his emotional attachments to near-dear ones), (instead, let him ‘no-mindedly’ and dispassionately) take up his (share of the burden and pain of the) cross and follow me. | Matt 16:4, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23 |
| If any man comes to me without first hating (i.e. spiritually self-detaching and disconnecting in mind and spirit from his emotional attachments/clingings to transient earthly icons viz.) his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yea, and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. | Luke 14:26 |
| Anyone who prefers (‘this worldly’ ephemeral priorities and relationships of) son or daughter to me, is not worthy of me. | Matt 10:37 |
| The (godless ego-intoxicated, outward-bound, illusions-spinning) soul that is attached to anything (else other than its inborn immortal Holy Spirit/Atman Self/ Bodhicitta/Noor-i-Ruhani), however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of divine union. | St John of the Cross |
| To reach satisfaction in all / desire its possession in nothing / To come to possess all / desire the possession of nothing / To arrive at being all / desire to be nothing (…thereby attaining the highest State of Being …Sunyata/Emptiness). | St John of the Cross |
| …once the hand is laid on the plow, no one who looks back (towards the corrupt world of temporary security in relationships, position, possessions, pleasure, power, profit, popularity …and such-like trivia) is fit for the Kingdom of God. | Luke 9:62 |
| Happiness is our true (original-inborn self-) nature. Our inner (Atman) self is the embodiment of happiness…. However we (being ignorant ego-dominated, senses-deluded, ‘this worldly’-immersed persons) haven’t learnt how to obtain it, and for this reason we remain (perpetually) unhappy… Happiness is ever present in our life; yet because we (erroneously) think that happiness comes from outside (of us) we constantly lose touch with it. Look within (…and you’ll explode in a celebration of Happiness). | Swami Muktananda |
| All search (in the outer realm of matter) is in vain, until we begin to perceive that all knowledge is within ourselves (contained within our own formal structure); that no one (– no god or guru) can help us, that we must help ourselves. | Swami Vivekananda |
| (The ego-dominated, outward-bound, illusions-conjuring, herd-minded) He who knows not the Supreme Soul that dwells within him, sees not the essence of all things, he has wasted his life — precious as the Chintamani Jewel (/Philosopher’s Stone quested by saints, seers, savants, sages since the dawn of time). | Narsi Mehta |
| The jewel of the (– inborn immortal Atman) soul is priceless, and yet it is being squandered like this, in exchange for a mere shell (– the pursuit of ephemeral ‘this worldly’ trinkets viz. power, pleasure, wealth, fame, ambition, success, social status, reputation, position, possessions, popularity etc. – as a corrupt end-in-itself). | Sri Guru Granth Sahib |
| The ‘Centre’ (of my Higher Self) that I cannot find / Is known to my unconscious (no-) mind, / I have no reason to despair / Because (…even though I know it not) I am already there. | W.H. Auden, Poet |
| But you arrive at the ‘Other Shore’ (/Heaven) when you realize finally (through lifetimes of searching) that there is no Other Shore (except the illusory one conjured up by your godless ego and its finite impure-discriminating monkey-mind). In other words we make a (inward home-bound) journey to the ‘Promised Land’, the Other Shore, and when we have arrived is when we realize that we were there all along. | Chogyam Trungpa |
| The divine spark of (our eternal Higher Self-inspired) creative power is still alive in us, and if we have the grace (of self-transforming awareness) to kindle it into flame, then (even) the stars in their courses (or the shroud of avidya, blinkers of maya and shackles of karma) cannot defeat our efforts to attain the (ultimate) goal of human endeavour (– merger with the Godhead). | Arnold Toynbee, Iconic 20th c. Historian |
| I (as the non-dual Atman Self-attained one) am neither detachment nor salvation. / Nor anything reached by the (mortal) senses; / I behold all thought and form. / I am everywhere and nowhere at all. / I am Consciousness and Bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva! | Adi Shankara |
| But (hey! Please) don’t forget, perched on the loftiest throne in the world, (as godless ego-intoxicated, outward bound, illusions-immersed, discriminatory mind-states spinning mortal beings) we are still sitting on our bottoms (…and not reclining on the clouds). | Montaigne |
| Where’s your crown (of Godhood), King Nothing? Where’s your crown? | Metallica, Music Band |
| Scores more Quotes on this Theme avail in ‘The Collection’ (Estd. 1958) |
About Sarosh Framroze
