Story:The Stingy Artist

Gessen was an artist monk. Before he would start a drawing or painting he always insisted upon being paid in advance, and his fees were high. He was known as the "Stingy Artist."

A geisha once gave him a commission for a painting. "How much can you pay?" inquired Gessen.

"Whatever you charge," replied the girl, "but I want you to do the work in front of me."

So on a certain day Gessen was called by the geisha. She was holding a feast for her patron.

Gessen with fine brush work did the painting. When it was completed he asked the highest sum of his time.

He received his pay. Then the geisha turned to her patron, saying: "All this artist wants is money. His paintings are fine but his mind is dirty; money has caused it to become muddy. Drawn by such a filthy mind, his work is not fit to exhibit. It is just about good enough for one of my petticoats."

Removing her skirt, she then asked Gessen to do another picture on the back of her petticoat.

"How much will you pay?" asked Gessen.

"Oh, any amount," answered the girl.

Gessen named a fancy price, painted the picture in the manner requested, and went away.

It was learned later that Gessen had these reasons for desiring money:

A ravaging famine often visited his province. The rich would not help the poor, so Gessen had a secret warehouse, unknown to anyone, which he kept filled with grain, prepared for those emergencies.

From his village to the National Shrine the road was in very poor condition and many travellers suffered while traversing it. He desired to build a better road.

His teacher had passed away without realizing his wish to build a temple, and Gessen wished to complete this temple for him.

After Gessen had accomplished his three wishes he threw away his brushes and artist's materials and, retiring to the mountains, never painted again.

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/47thestingyartist.html

Koan:The Dead Man's Answer

When Mamiya, who later became a well-known preacher, went to a teacher for personal guidance, he was asked to explain the sound of one hand.

Mamiya concentrated upon what the sound of one hand might be. "You are not working hard enough," his teacher told him. "You are too attached to food, wealth, things, and that sound. It would be better if you died. That would solve the problem."

The next time Mamiya appeared before his teacher he was again asked what he had to show regarding the sound of one hand. Mamiya at once fell over as if he were dead.

"You are dead all right," observed the teacher, "But how about that sound?"

"I haven't solved that yet," replied Mamiya, looking up.

"Dead men do not speak," said the teacher. "Get out!"

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/42thedeadmansanswer.html

Koan:The Sound of One Hand

The master of Kennin temple was Mokurai, Silent Thunder. He had a little protege named Toyo who was only twelve years old. Toyo saw the older disciples visit the master's room each morning and evening to receive instruction in sanzen or personal guidance in which they were given koans to stop mind-wandering.

Toyo wished to do sanzen also.

"Wait a while," said Mokurai. "You are too young."

But the child insisted, so the teacher finally consented.

In the evening little Toyo went at the proper time to the threshold of Mokurai's sanzen room. He struck the gong to announce his presence, bowed respectfully three times outside the door, and went to sit before the master in respectful silence.

"You can hear the sound of two hands when they clap together," said Mokurai. "Now show me the sound of one hand."

Toyo bowed and went to his room to consider this problem. From his window he could hear the music of the geishas. "Ah, I have it!" he proclaimed.

The next evening, when his teacher asked him to illustrate the sound of one hand, Toyo began to play the music of the geishas.

"No, no," said Mokurai. "That will never do. That is not the sound of one hand. You've not got it at all."

Thinking that such music might interrupt, Toyo moved his abode to a quiet place. He meditated again. "What can the sound of one hand be?" He happened to hear some water dripping. "I have it," imagined Toyo.

When he next appeared before his teacher, Toyo imitated dripping water.

"What is that?" asked Mokurai. "That is the sound of dripping water, but not the sound of one hand. Try again."

In vain Toyo meditated to hear the sound of one hand. He heard the sighing of the wind. But the sound was rejected.

He heard the cry of an owl. This also was refused.

The sound of one hand was not the locusts.

For more than ten times Toyo visited Mokurai with different sounds. All were wrong. For almost a year he pondered what the sound of one hand might be.

At last little Toyo entered true meditation and transcended all sounds. "I could collect no more," he explained later, "so I reached the soundless sound."

Toyo had realized the sound of one hand.

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/21thesoundofonehand.html

Story:How Trees and Grass Become Enlightened

During the Kamakura period, Shinkan studied Tendai six years and then studied Zen seven years; then he went to China and contemplated Zen for thirteen years more.

When he returned to Japan many desired to interview him and asked obscure questions. But when Shinkan received visitors, which was infrequently, he seldom answered their questions.

One day a fifty-year-old student of enlightenment said to Shinkan: “I have studied the Tendai school of thought since I was a little boy, but one thing in it I cannot understand. Tendai claims that even the grass and trees will become enlightened. To me this seems very strange.”

“Of what use is it to discuss how grass and trees become enlightened?” asked Shinkan. “The question is how you yourself can become so. Did you even consider that?”

“I never thought of it that way,” marveled the old man.

“Then go home and think it over,” finished Shinkan.

http://zenblog.in/2009/11/46-how-grass-and-trees-become-enlightened/

Story:Zen in a Beggar's Life

Tosui was a well-known Zen teacher of his time. He had lived in several temples and taught in various provinces.

The last temple he visited accumulated so many adherents that Tosui told them he was going to quit the lecture business entirely. He advised them to disperse and to go wherever they desired. After that no one could find any trace of him.

Three years later one of his disciples discovered him living with some beggars under a bridge in Kyoto. He at one implored Tosui to teach him.

"If you can do as I do for even a couple of days, I might," Tosui replied.

So the former disciple dressed as a beggar and spent a day with Tosui. The following day one of the beggars died. Tosui and his pupil carried the body off at midnight and buried it on a mountainside. After that they returned to their shelter under the bridge.

Tosui slept soundly the remainder of the night, but the disciple could not sleep. When morning came Tosui said: "We do not have to beg food today. Our dead friend has left some over there." But the disciple was unable to eat a single bite of it.

"I have said you could not do as I," concluded Tosui. "Get out of here and do not bother me again."

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/43zeninabeggarslife.html

Koan:Inch Time Foot Gem

A lord asked Takuan, a Zen Teacher, to suggest how he might pass the time. He felt his days very long attending his office and sitting stiffly to receive the homage of others.

Takuan wrote eight Chinese characters and gave them to the man:

Not twice this day
Inch time foot gem.

This day will not come again.
Each minute is worth a priceless gem.

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/32inchtimefootgem.html

Story:Stingy in Teaching

A young physician in Tokyo named Kusuda met a college friend who had been studying Zen. The young doctor asked him what Zen was.

"I cannot tell you what it is," the friend replied, "but one thing is certain. If you understand Zen, you will not be afraid to die."

"That's fine," said Kusuda. "I will try it. Where can I find a teacher?"

"Go to the master Nan-in," the friend told him.

So Kusuda went to call on Nan-in. He carried a dagger nine and a half inches long to determine whether or not the teacher was afraid to die.

When Nan-in saw Kusuda he exclaimed: "Hello, friend. How are you? We haven't seen each other for a long time!"

This perplexed Kusuda, who replied: "We have never met before."

"That's right," answered Nan-in. "I mistook you for another physician who is receiving instruction here."

With such a begining, Kusuda lost his chance to test the master, so reluctantly he asked if he might receive instruction.

Nan-in said: "Zen is not a difficult task. If you are a physician, treat your patients with kindness. That is Zen."

Kusuda visited Nan-in three times. Each time Nan-in told him the same thing. "A phsisician should not waste time around here. Go home and take care of your patients."

It was not clear to Kusuda how such teaching could remove the fear of death. So on the forth visit he complained: "My friend told me that when one learns Zen one loses his fear of death. Each time I come here you tell me to take care of my patients. I know that much. If that is your so-called Zen, I am not going to visit you anymore."

Nan-in smiled and patted the doctor. "I have been too strict with you. Let me give you a koan." He presented Kusuda with Joshu's Mu to work over, which is the first mind-enlightening problem in the book called The Gateless Gate.

Kusuda pondered this problem of Mu (No-Thing) for two years. At length he thought he had reached certainty of mind. But his teacher commented: "You are not in yet."

Kusuda continued in concentration for another yet and a half. His mind became placid. Problems dissolved. No-Thing became the truth. He served his patients well and, without even knowing it, he was free from concern of life and death.

Then he visited Nan-in, his old teacher just smiled.

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/17stingyinteaching.html

Story:Full Awareness

After ten years of apprenticeship, Tenno achieved the rank of Zen teacher. One rainy day, he went to visit the famous master Nan-in. When he walked in, the master greeted him with a question, "Did you leave your wooden clogs
and umbrella on the porch?" 

"Yes," Tenno replied.

"Tell me," the master continued, "did you place your umbrella to the left of your shoes, or to the right?"

Tenno did not know the answer, and realized that he had not yet attained full awareness. So he became Nan-in's apprentice and studied under him for ten more years

http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/zen-for-neighbours.pdf

Story:Concentration

After winning several archery contests, the young and rather boastful champion challenged a Zen master who was renowned for his skill as an archer. The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull's eye on his first try, and then split that arrow with his second shot. "There," he said to the old man, "see if you can match that!" 

Undisturbed, the master did not draw his bow, but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up the mountain. Curious about the old fellow's intentions, the champion followed him high into the mountain until they reached a deep chasm spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log. Calmly stepping out onto the middle of the unsteady and certainly perilous bridge, the old master picked a far away tree as a target, drew his bow, and fired a clean, direct hit. "Now it is your turn," he said as he gracefully stepped back onto the safe ground. Staring with terror into the seemingly bottomless and beckoning abyss, the young man could not force himself to step out onto the log, no less shoot at a target. 

"You have much skill with your bow," the master said, sensing his challenger's predicament, "but you have little skill with the mind that lets loose the shot."

http://www.spiritual-short-stories.com/spiritual-short-story-117-Concentration.html

Story:Hot and Cold

A monk in all earnestness asked Master Tozan, 
“How do you avoid the discomfort of hot and cold?” 
And Master Tozan said, 
“Go to that place where there is no hot and cold.” 
And the monk said, 
“Where is that place?”
 And the Master said, 
“When you are hot, be hot and when you are cold, be cold.”

http://www.wisdompubs.org/sites/default/files/preview/Book%20of%20Equanimity%20Book%20Preview.pdf

Story:Joshu Dog

A monk asked Joshu,
  "Does the dog have buddha-nature, or not?"
Joshu said,
  "It has" [U].
The monk said,
  "If it has it, why did it creep into that skin bag?"
Joshu said,
  "Because it does so knowingly."
Another monk asked,
  "Does the dog have buddha-nature, or not?"
Joshu said,
  "It has not" [Mu].
The monk said,
  "All living beings have buddha-nature. Why doesn't the dog have any?"
Joshu said,
  "Because it is in its karma-consciousness."

http://www.buddhism.org/Sutras/2/100koans.htm

Story:Moving to a New City

There was a person coming to a new village, relocating, and he was wondering if he would like it there, so he went to the zen master and asked: do you think I will like it in this village? Are the people nice?

The master asked back: How were the people on the town where you come from? “They were nasty and greedy, they were angry and lived for cheating and stealing,” said the newcomer.

Those are exactly the type of people we have in this village, said the master.

Another newcomer to the village visited the master and asked the same question, to which the master asked: How were the people in the town where you come from? “They were sweet and lived in harmony, they cared for one another and for the land, they respected each other and they were seekers of spirit,” he replied.

Those are exactly the type of people we have in this village, said the master.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/claudia-azula-altucher/2013/04/8-zen-master-stories-that-illustrate-important-truths/ 

Story:Killing

Gasan instructed his adherents one day: "Those who speak against killing and who desire to spare the lives of all conscious beings are right. It is good to protect even animals and insects. 

But what about those persons who kill time, 
what about those who are destroying wealth, 
and those who destroy political economy? 
We should not overlook them. 

Furthermore, what of the one who preaches without enlightenment? 
He is killing Buddhism."

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/63killing.html

Story: Liberation

A monk set off on a long pilgrimage to find the Buddha. He devoted many years to his search until he finally reached the land where the Buddha was said to live. While crossing the river to this country, the monk looked around as the boatman rowed. He noticed something floating towards them. As it got closer, he realized that it was the corpse of a person. When it drifted so close that he could almost touch it, he suddenly recognized the dead body – it was his own! He lost all control and wailed at the sight of himself, still and lifeless, drifting along the river’s currents. That moment was the beginning of his liberation.

http://spiritualinquiry.com/zen-stories/liberation/

Technique:Isha Upa Yoga Practice

Book:Carlos Casteneda Audio books

Carlos Casteneda - The Separate Reality

Carlos Casteneda - Teaches of Don Juan

Carlos Casteneda - Active Side of Infinity

Book:Yoga Vasistha - The Supreme Yoga

This diversity arises on account of mental modifications and it will cease when they cease.

Neither the world of matter or the modes of creation are truly real; yet the living and dead think and feel they are real. Ignorance of this truth keeps up the appearance.

In this world whatever is gained is gained only by self-effort.Self-effort.. only such effort that indra become king of heaven, that brahma became the creator, and the other deites earned their places.

Self-effort is of two categories: that of past births and that of this birth. The latter effectively counteracts the former. Fate is none other than self-effort of a past incarnation. There is constant conflict between these two in this incarnation; and that which is more powerful triumphs. 

There is no power greater than right action in the present. Hence, one should take recourse to self.effort, grinding one's teeth, and one should overcome evil by good and fate by present effort. 

Who will ever be illiterate and poor? It is because laziness if found on earth that people live the life of animals, miserable and poverty-stricken. 

As is the effort so is the fruit. They indeed are fools who are satisfied with the fruits of their past effort (which they regard as divine will) and do not engage themseleves in self-effort now.

It is ignorance however to attribute all this to an outside agency and to say that God sends me to heaven or to hell or that an outside agency makes me do this or that — such an ignorant person should be shunned. 

Self-effort alone is another name for divine will.
self-effort which springs from right understanding that manifests in one's heart which has been exposed to the teachings of the scriptures and the conduct of holy ones.

O Rama, one should, with a body free from illness and mind free from distress, pursue self-knowledge so that he is not born again here. Such self-effort has a three-fold root and therefore threefold fruit: an inner awakening in the intelligence, a decision in the mind and the physical action. 

Self-effort is based on these three: knowledge of scriptures. instructions of the preceptor and one's own effort. Fate (or divine dispensation) does not enter here. Hence, he who desires salvation should dived the impure mind to pure endeavour by persistent effort — this is the very essence of all scriptures. 

You are not impelled to action by anything other than yourself. Hence you are free to strengthen the pure latent tendencies in preference to the impure ones. The holy ones emphasise: persistently tread the path that leads to the eternal good. And the wise seeker knows: the fruit of my endeavours will be commensurate with the intensity of my self•effort and neither fate nor a god can ordain it otherwise. 

Rama. there are four gate-keepers at the entrance to the Realm of Freedom (Moksa). They are self-control, spirit of enquiry, contentment and good company. The wise seeker should diligently cultivate the friendship of these, or at least one of them. 

For when delusion is gone and the truth is realised by means of enquiry into self•nature, when the mind is at peace and the heart leaps to the supreme truth, when all the disturbing thought-waves In the mind-stuff have subsided and there Is unbroken flow of peace and the heart is filled with the bliss of the absolute, when thus the truth has been seen in the heart, then this very world becomes an abode of bliss. 

He rests in the bliss that is his essential nature. Such bliss is possible only by self-knowledge, not by any other means. Hence, one should apply oneself constantly to self-know-ledge — this alone is one's duty. 

O Rama, whose mind rests in the eternal and is, therefore, fully self-controlled and at peace. He sees that pleasure and pain chase and cancel each other, and in that wisdom there is self-control and peace. He who does not see this sleeps in a burning house. 

The eternal is not attained by rites and rituals, by pilgrimages nor by wealth; it is to be attained only by the conquest of one's mind, by the cultivation of wisdom. Hence everyone — gods, demons, demi-gods or men should constantly seek (whether one is walking, falling or sitting) the conquest of the mind and self-control which are the fruits of wisdom. 

When the mind is at peace, pure, tranquil, free from delusion or hallucination, untangled and free from cravings, it does not long for anything nor does it reject anything. This is self-control or conquest of mind — one of the four gatekeepers to liberation which I mentioned earlier. 

All that is good and auspicious flows from self-control. All evil is dispelled by self-control. No gain, no pleasure in this world or in heaven is comparable to the delight of self-control. The delight one experiences in the presence of the self-con-trolled is incomparable. Everyone spontaneously trusts him. None (not even demons and goblins) hates him. 

Self-control, O Rama, is the best remedy for all physical and mental ills. When there is self-control, even the food you eat tastes better, else it tastes bitter. He who wears the armour of self-control is not harmed by sorrow. 

They in whom the spirit of enquiry is ever awake illumine the world, enlighten all who come in contact with them, dispel the ghosts created by an ignorant mind, and realise the falsity of sense-pleasures and their objects. O Rama, in the light of enquiry there is realisation of the eternal and unchanging reality; this is the supreme. With it one does not long for any other gain nor does one spurn anything. He is free from delusion, attachment; he is not inactive nor does he get drowned in action; he lives and functions in this world and at the end of a natural life-span he reaches the blissful state of total freedom. 

What is enquiry? To enquire thus: Who am I? How has this evil of sathsara (repetitive history) come into being?' is true enquiry. Knowledge of truth arises from such enquiry; from such knowledge there follows tranquillity in oneself; and then arises the supreme peace that passeth understanding, and the ending of all sorrow. 

Vicara - not reasoning nor analysis - directly looking into oneself.

What is contentment? To renounce all craving for what is not obtained unsought and to be satisfied with what comes unsought. without being elated or depressed even by them — this is contentment. As long as one is not satisfied in the self, he will be subjected to sorrow. With the rise of contentment the purity of one's heart blooms. The contented man who possesses nothing owns the world. 

One should by every means in one's power adore and serve the holy men who have realised the truth and in whose heart the darkness of ignorance has been dispelled. They. on the other hand, who treat such holy men disrespectfully, surely invite great suffering. 

Contentment is the supreme gain. Satsanga is the best companion to the destination. The spirit of enquiry itself is the greatest wisdom. And, self-control is supreme happiness. if you 

When the world-appearance is seen as an appearance it doesn't produce either elation or sorrow.

The world appears to be a dream vision.

Direct experience alone is the basis for all proofs — the direct experience of truth as it is. That substratum is the experiencing intelligence which itself becomes the experiencer, the act of experiencing, and the experience. 

Even as movement is inherent in air, manifestation (as the subtle perceiving mind and as the gross objects it perceives) is inherent in this experiencing intelligence. And the perceiving mind, on account of ignorance. thinks am such and such an object' and thence becomes that. The object is experienced only in the subject, not elsewhere! 

The qualities and the nature of the created and the potentiality of creation are inherent in the Creator. The mind is non-different from (has no existence independent of) the infinite self. 

If the creation is in fact real then there is no possibility of its cessation.

In the Creator there is no memory of the past since he had no previous karma.

Even the Creator though he has no body, appears to have a body.

Though all these forms are of the nature of pure intelligence, on account of self-forgetfulness of this, and of the thought of physical forms, they freeze into the physical forms, even as goblins though formless are seen to have forms on account of the perceiver's delusion. 

This creation is causeless. Hence, it is essentially spiritual even as the supreme being. The Materiality of the creation is like the castle in the air, an illusory projection of one's own mind - imaginary.

Experience alone is the mind; it is none other than the perceived.

When this notion of the object is firmly rejected and removed from the subject, then consciousness alone exists without even an apparent or potential objectivity. When this is realised, evils like attraction and repulsion, love and hate, cease in one's heart, as also the false notions of the world, you. I. etc. Even the tendency to objectify ceases; this is freedom. 

He is the cosmic intelligence into which countless objects of perception enter. He is the light in which the self and the world shine. He ordains the characteristic nature of every created thing. in him the worlds appear and disappear, even as a mirage appears and disappears repeatedly. His form (the world) vanishes, but his self is unchanging. He dwells in all. He is hidden and he overflows. By his mere presence this apparently inert material world and its inhabitants are ever active. Because of his omnipresent omnipotent omniscience, his very thoughts materialise. 

The supreme self is neither far nor near; it is not inaccessible nor it is in distant places; it is what in oneself appears to be the experience of bliss, and is therefore realised in oneself.

Only the company of holy men and the study of true scriptures are helpful, as they dispel ignorance and delusion.

There is only one remedy for ignorance of the Lord; the firm and decisive renunciation of craving for sense pleasure.

The sentient creates the knowable and gets involved in sorrow. When there is cessation of the knowable, and the flow of attention is towards that which is not knowable (pure intelligence), then there is fulfilment and one goes beyond sorrow.

Mere awareness of the involvement of the jiva in this samsara is of no use. But if the supreme Lord is known, this sorrow comes to an end.

The cosmic intelligence in which the universe, as it were, ceases to be, is the Lord. In him the subject-object relationship appears to have ceased, as such. He is the void in which the universe appears to exist. In him even cosmic consciousness stands still like a mountain. 

Only when the creation is known to be utterly non-existent the Lord is realised.

When the wrong notion is dispelled and the truth realised, that realisation so thoroughly saturates one, that one thinks of it, speaks of it, rejoices in it and teaches it to others. Such people are sometimes called Jivanmukta and also Videhamukta. 

He who, while living an apparently normal life, experiences the whole world as an emptiness. is a Jivanmukta. He is awake but enjoys the calmness of deep sleep; he is unaffected in the least by pleasure and pain. He is awake In deep sleep; but he is never awake to this world. His wisdom is unclouded by latent tendencies. He appears to be subject to likes, dislikes and fear; but in fact he is as free as the space. He is free from egotism and volition; and his intelligence is unattached whether in action or in inaction. None is afraid of him; he is afraid of none. He becomes a Videhamukta when, in due time, the body is dropped. 

All that which is in the past, present and future - all indeed is he and he alone.

That which is perceived here as 'I', 'you' etc only seems to be, for it has never been created. How can we say that that Brahman has become all these worlds?

O Rima, in ornaments I see only gold, in waves I see only water, in air I see only movement, in space I see only emptiness, in mirage 1 see only heat, and naught else; similarly, I see only Brahman the absolute, not the worlds. 

The perception of 'the worlds' is beginningless ignorance. Yet it will vanish with the help of enquiry into truth. The world has never really come into being, yet it appears to be.

When the previous cosmic dissolution took place, all that appeared to be before disappeared. Then the infinite alone remained; it was neither emptiness nor a form; neither sight nor the seen, and one could not say that it was, nor that is was not. It has no ears, no eyes, no tongue, and yet it hears, sees and eats. It is uncaused and uncreated; and it is the cause of everything as water is the cause of waves. This infinite and eternal light is the heart of all; and in its light the three worlds shine, as a mirage.

The world whether you regard it as real or unreal is inherent in the absolute, which is therefore not void. Just as one cannot say that there are no waves present in a calm ocean, the absolute is not empty of the world.

In truth, however, this world does not arise from the absolute nor does it merge in it. The absolute alone exists now and for ever.

Absolute is immaterial and so material sources of light like the sun, do not illumine it. But it is self-luminous, and therefore it is not inert or dark. This absolute cannot be realised or experienced by another; only the absolute can realise itself.

From the infinite the infinite emerges and exists in it as the infinite; hence the world has never really been created - it is the same as that from which it emerges.

It is on account of the infinite that knowledge, knower and known exist as one in the absence of the intellect.

From where does the son of the barren woman come, and where does he go? A barren woman's son has no existence, ever. This world as such has no existence, ever. This analogy baffles you only because you have taken the existence of the world for granted

Consider this: Is there a braceletness in the golden bracelet, is it not just gold? Is there a thing called sky independent of the emptiness? Even so, there is no 'thing' called the world independent of Brahman the absolute. Just as coldness is inseparable from ice. what is called the world is inseparable from Brahman. 

Water in the mirage does not come into being and go out of existence; even so this world does not come out of the absolute nor does it go anywhere. The creation of the world has no cause, and therefore it has had no beginning. It does not exist even now; how can it reach destruction? 

If you concede that the world has not been created out of Brahman but assert that it is an appearance based on the reality of Brahman, then indeed it does not exist and Brahman alone exists. It is like a dream: in a state of ignorance the intelligence within oneself appears as numerous dream-objects, all of which are nothing other than that intelligence. Even so, in what is known as the beginning of creation, such an appearance happened; but it is not independent of Brahman. it -does not exist apart from Brahman. hence it does not exist. 

consciousness -> five elements -> world
The World is nothing but Brahman the absolute.

Even as a mountain is reflected in a mirror and is seen as if it were in the mirror, the jiva reflects the external objects and activities, and soon begins to think that they are all within it-self and that he is the doer of the actions and the experiencer of experiences. 

Thus in the body abides the jiva, which has the extremely subtle body of consciousness, imagining various external physical experiences and various internal psychological experiences. Thus resting in the unreal which however appears to be real, Brahman, now appearing to be jiva, becomes confused.

This same Brahman which has come to regard itself as a finite jiva and endowed with a physical body. apprehends the external world which on account of the veil of ignorance appears to be composed of matter. Someone thinks he is Brahma. someone else thinks he is something else — in this manner the jiva imagines it is this or that, and so binds itself to the illusion of world-appearance. 

Cosmic consciousness alone exists now and ever; in it are not worlds, no created beings. That consciousness reflected in itself appears to be creation.

When true wisdom arises, this unreality vanishes.

Changes in the unchanging are imagined by ignorant and deluded people; but in the vision of sages who have self-knowledge no change whatsoever has taken place in consciousness.

Even as heat is to fire, whiteness is to a conch-shell, firmness is to a mountain, liquidity is to water, butter is to milk, coolness is to ice, brightness is to illumination, oil is to mustard seed, flow is to a river, sweetness is to honey, ornament is to gold, aroma is to a flower — the universe is to consciousness. The world exists because consciousness is: and the world is the body of consciousness. There is no division. no difference. no distinction. Hence the universe can be said to be both real and unreal: real because of the reality of consciousness which is its own reality, and unreal because the universe does not exist as universe, independent of consciousness. 

In reality, there is no difference in the meaning of the words 'world', 'brahman or the infinite' and 'self'

Three types of space - psychological space, physical space, infinite space of consciousness - he who has realised the utter non-existence of the universe can experience this.

The cause existed in the past - memory. Memory is like space, empty. 
All creation here is the effect of that emptiness - and hence the creation is empty, too.

Indeed, in every atom there are worlds withing worlds.

Distance and measures of time are all hallucinations.

Libereation is the realisation of the total non-existence of the universe as such. Liberation is to realise that all this is pure consciousness.

There is no cause and effect relationship. The infinite consciousness is forever in infinite consciousness.

In dream the dream-body appears to be real,but when there is an awakening to the fact of dream, the reality of that body vanishes.

The liberated sage appears to live and to think, he only appears to do so.

Thinking of that alone, speaking of that, conversing of that with one another, utter dedication to that one alone - this is called abhyasa or practice by the wise.

The overcoming of attraction and repulsion by the use of will force is austerity, not wisdom.

Universes come and go like particles of dust in a beam of sunlight that shines through a hole in the roof.

All this happened in pure space: there is no universe, no distance, no barriers.

Everything exists in the one infinite consciousness; everything arises from it; it alone is everything.

When in consciousness the image of the world arises, at that very instant it becomes so. What is reflected in one's consciousness shines outside also.

"This yogi is dead". For, where is the body, what exists and what dies? That which is - is; only delusion vanished!

But to the sage whose consciousness has overcome limitations, there is neither day nor night.
Universe as such is not the infinite consciousness, just as the bracelet is made of gold but gold is not made of bracelet.

No creation takes place in the supreme being or the infinite consciousness; and the infinite consciousness is not involved in the creation.

They who know the infinite consciousness as the nameless, formless substratum of the universe, gain victory over samsara.

Creation (of the mind) is but agitation in consciousness; and the world exists in the mind! It it really not more than a long dream.

When many candles are kindled from another it is the same flame that burns in all candles; even so, the one Brahman appears to be many.

Mind is able to make one see diversity in unity. Even as a drunkard sees a tree moving, the ignorant one sees movement in this world.

When one is firmly established in the oneness of the infinite consciousness, whether he is quiet or actively engaged in work, then he is considered to be at peace with himself. That is also known as the state of non-sef, or the state of knowledge of the void or emptiness.

When there is such knowledge, then there is no craving in the mind for sense-pleasure which aggravates the ignorance. Hence if there is craving, do not fulfill it: what difficulty is there in this?

When the mind entertains notions of objects, there is agitation or movement In the mind; and when there are no objects or ideas, then there is no movement of thought in the mind. When there is movement, the world appears to be; when there is no movement. there is cessation of world-appearance. The movement of thought itself is called jiva. cause and action; that is the seed for world-appearance. Then follows the creation of the body. 

In infinite space this infinite consciousness has made infinite objects appear; though all this seems to have been done, such effect being a mere fancy, nothing has been done. Hence, it is both consciousness and inertia, the doer and the non-doer.

This atomic self or infinite consciousness alone appears to be a moment or an epoch, near and far, and there is nothing apart from it; and these are not mutually contradictory in themselves.

As long as one sees the bracelet as a bracelet, It Is not been as gold; but when it is seen that 'bracelet' is just a word and not the reality. then gold is seen. Even so. when the world Is assumed to be real, the self S not seen: but when this assumption is discarded, consciousness is realised. It is the all; hence real. It is not experienced: hence unreal. 

Jugglery of Maya, which creates a division in consciousness into subject and object. It is as real as the dream-city. ?It is neither real or unreal, but a long-standing illusion. It is the assumption of division that creates diversity.

Just as in a single seed the diverse characteristics of the tree remain at all times, even so this apparent diversity exists in the self at all times, but as consciosness.

From that consciousness all experiences expand, for the experiencing in the sole experiecer (which is consciousness).

Wise men do not desire to do anything; and wise men do not desire to abandon action either.

When this mind confidently engages in self-effort, then it is beyond the reach of sorrow, Whenever it strives, then and there it surely finds the fruition of its striving.

Desire alone is thereafter the cause of all this.

O Rama, such is this forest known as world appearance; he who cuts its very root with the axe of investigation (enquiry) is freed from it.

Action is nothing but the movement of energy in consciousness, and it inevitably bears its own fruit.

When the mind ceases to be, there is no action - applies to the liberated sage.

Since the entire universe is within the mind, the notions of bondage and liberation are also within it.

It is only in a state of ignorance that you think you experience pain, though you are untouched by pain.

Even the mind does not cease to be until it is burnt in the fire of self-knowledge; not to mention the self.

The mind experiences what it itself constructs.

When the mind contemplates the inert objects for a considerable time, it assumes the characteristics of such inertness. When the same mind is devoted to enquiry and wisdom, it shakes off all conditioning and returns to its original nature as pure consciousness.

You are not the doer of any action here. O Rama, so, why do you assume doership? When one alone exists, who does what and how? Do not become inactive, either; for what is gained by doing nothing? What has to be done has to be done. Therefore rest in the self.

Pure wish or intention Is the first, enquiry is the second, the third is when the mind becomes subtle, establishment in truth is the fourth, total freedom from attachment or bondage is the fifth, the sixth is cessation of objectivity, and the seventh is beyond all these - transcending even the body (turiyatita).

They may or may not work or be active. They rejoice in the self and do not stand in need of others to make them happy.

The notions of far and near, of diversity, of here and there are as valid as the distance between two objects in a mirror in which a whole city is reflected.

O Rama, the only way to cross this formidable ocean of world-appearance is the successful mastery of the senses. 

What has to be done has to be done by wise men here, remaining egoless and unselfish as if in deep sleep: do not let this be violated.

If the mind turns towards the truth it abandons its identification with the body and attains the supreme.

Now I wish for nothing, nor do I wish to avoid anything: let nature take its course.

Rejoicing in joy and suffering in suffering, the great ones appear to behave like the ignorant, though in fact they are enlightened.

Whatever that pure mind wishes, that materialises.

It is when one thus experiences the truth, that he is freed from illusion. At the same time one's craving for pleasure is thinned out. This is the only proof of wisdom.

They who contemplate the absolute Brahman, become Brahman.

When all doubt comes to rest and when there is neither elation nor depression, then the mind shines like the full moon.

Just as waves rise and fall in the ocean, the worlds arise and vanish: this deludes the ignorant, but not the wise.


To the ignorant, this body is the source of suffering; but to the enlightened man, this body is the source of infinite delight, and when its life-span comes to an end he does not regard it as a loss at all.

One should abandon all cravings for pleasure and attain wisdom. Only the mind that has been well disciplined really experiences happiness. However, the craving disappears completely only after the supreme truth has been seen.

He whose mind is conditioned can be defeated; in the absence of such conditioning even a mosquito becomes immortal.

Only one's direct experience leads one along the safest way to the supreme goal.

He who looks upon the world as less valuable than a blade of grass never comes to grief. He who has fully realised the infinite is protected by cosmic deities.

Having given up all craving for pleasure. Adore the saints: this will save you from death.

Knowing that the entire universe, including one's wealth, wife, son, etc., are nothing but the creation of the jugglery of the mind, one does not grieve when they are lost, nor does one feel elated when they prosper.

Do not enterain ideas. Do not hold onto the notion of your existence. For it is only by these that the future comes into being.

Already as the notions weaken, one is less affected by happiness and unhappiness, and knowledge of the unreality of the objects prevents attachment. When there is no hope, there neither elation nor depression.

He who has thus renounced everything from his heart is indeed the supreme Lord, whether he continues to live an active life or whether he rests in contemplation all the time.

Engage oneself in the enquiry into the nature of the self: 'Who am I, how has this world illusion arisen?'

It is by emulating the example of the holy ones that one makes progress towards the supreme state.

Pleasure and pain are neither of the body nor of the self which transcends everything: they belong only to ignorance. 

Be at peace within, with a steady mind. Let there be no sorrow in your mind. Rest in the inner silence. Remain alone, without self-willed thoughts. Be brave, having conquered the mind and the senses. Be desireless, content with what comes to you unsought. Live effortlessly, without grabbing or giving up anything.

In the case of those who have taken birth in this world, two possibilities exist for the attainment of liberation. The first is: treading the path indicated by the master, the seeker gradually reaches the goal of liberation. The second is: self-knowledge literally drops into one's lap, as it were, and there is instant enlightenment.

One should enjoy the delight that flows from peace. The man whose mind is well-controlled is firmly established in peace. When the heart is thus established in peace, there arises the pure bliss of self without delay.

When the mind is thus established in desirelessness, when it does not seek pleasure, when the body and its limbs perform their natural functions, action and inaction are of equal value or meaning.

Let the body engage itself in its natural functions; without such activity, the body will disintegrate. When the mind ceases to entertain the notion 'I do this'. 'I enjoy this', in regard to the actions thus performed, action becomes non-action.

There is naught here in this world which can lead you to the state of fullness. Hence, resolutely take refuge in courage and endurance, and overcome your own waywardness.

Remaining forever in the consciousness of the infinite, he experienced the state of non-action, even though he appeared to others to be ever busy in diverse actions.

One's inner light alone is the means, naught eles. When this inner light is kept alive, it is not affected by the darkness of inertia.

Desirelessness (absence of all expectations). fearlessness. unchanging steadiness. equanimity, wisdom, non-attachment. non-action, goodness. total absence of perversion, courage. endurance, friendliness, intelligence, contentment, gentle-ness. pleasant speech — all these qualities are natural to one who is free from the instincts of acquisition and rejection: and even those qualities are non-intentional and spontaneous. 

Live a non-volitional life here. Such is the nature of the Lord who may therefore be said to be both the doer and the non-doer of all actions here.

He who is confirmed in his conviction that the infinite consciousness alone exists, is instantly freed from the thoughts of pleasure and is therefore tranquil and self-controlled.

In truth, there is no mind, no intelligence, no embodied being; the self alone exists at all times. Because it is extremely subtle it seems not to exist, though it exists.

Sorrrowless and free from impurity, Such a desire is regarded by the wise as free from bondage.

You have no unhappiness, no birth, no father, no mother: you are the self and naught else. The sages perceive the middle path, they see what is at the moment, they are at peace, they are established in witness consciousness.

When the mind is conquered, everything is conquered.

As long as there is mind there is neither god nor a natural order; when the mind has ceased to be, let there be whatever is!

Service of the guru and the study of scriptures, with dispassion as the constant companion.

When dispassion matures, the spirit of enquiry arises in oneself. These two and also self-realisation are all intimate friends and always exist together.

One should utilize this wealth to acquire the company of good and holy men endowed with noble qualities. Such company of holy men generates dispassion. Then there arises the spirit of enquiry, knowledge and the study of scriptures. By stages, one reaches the supreme truth.

One who is not Visnu does not derive any benefit by worshipping Visnu. One should worship Visnu by being Visnu. Hence I am Visnu. He who is known as Prahlada is none other than Visnu: there is no duality.

All these infinite objects appear in the limitless space of consciousness. They appear to grow and they appear to diminish, even as a shadow seems to grow and to diminish in the light of the sun.

This world-appearance is pervaded by me for my own delight.

You entertained no guest, and you did not go anywhere! All this, too, was but hallucination. 

It is only as long as the infinite consciousness limits itself into the fintie mind, that such agitation and expansion take place.

Their consciousness has reached the pure state of non-objectiveness.

Know 'I am the all' and live in the waking state as if in deep sleep.

Self-knowledge alone is their light. In fact, the sun and the worlds become non-objects of perception to they who have gone beyond the realm of objective perception and knowledge, even as lamps lose their luminosity while the midday sun shines.

Purity, total fulfillment of all desires (hence, their absence), friendliness to all, truthfulness, wisdom, tranquillity and blissfulness, sweetness of speech, supreme magnanimity, lustrousness, one-pointedness. realisation of cosmic unity, fearlessness, absence of divided consciousness, non-perversity —these are my constant companions.

Uddalaka was completely transmuted into bliss itself and hence he had gone beyond the realm of bliss. He experienced neither bliss nor non-bliss. He became pure consciousness. He who experiences this even for a moment is disinterested even in the delights of heaven.

With all notions of duality totally at rest, he lived devoid of body-consciousness, established in pure being.

The unconditioned mind is firm, and that in itself is meditation, freedom and peace eternal.

The enlightened ones are forever in samadhi, even though they engage themselves in the affairs of the world. On the other hand, one whose mind is not at peace does not enjoy samadhi by merely sitting in the lotus posture.

That is known as the state of samadhi in which there is eternal satisfaction, clear perception of what is, egolessness, not being subject to the pairs of opposites, freedom from anxiety and from the wish to acquire or to reject. From the very moment of the dawn of self-knowledge, the state of samadhi becomes permanent in the sage.

When there is no desirer, there is supreme peace at heart.

Man foolishly ascribes to the self the sorrow and sufferings that do not touch it in the least, and becomes miserable.

Even as by its proximity to water wood is reflected in the water, the body is reflected in the self.

The self is ever untouched by pain and pleasure; but thinking itself to be the body, it undergoes the experiences of the body. The abandonment of this ignorant belief is liberation.

Actions performed by the unconditioned are non-action; the conditioned mind acts even while outwardly refraining from it.

Conditioning is the cause of all sorrow.

Adorable conditioning - self-knowledge arises from the realisation of truth wisdom; this enables one to avoid birth and death.
Barren conditioning - ignorant of self-knowledge, which arises from things like the body and which is conducive to repeated birth and death.

That mind which is unattached to anything, which is established in the peace of infinite expansion, is conducive to delight.

Firmly established in turiya state, the sage perceives the universe as if it is a cosmic playground and life in it is a cosmic dance. The state beyond that - who have transcended body-consciousness is not for words to describe - the state beyond the turiya. O Rama, strive to reach that.

The mind sees the body as if from a great height. Recognising the body as an aggregate of the elements, it transcends body consciousness and becomes enlightened.

Abandon all these three attitudes, O Rama, and remain as pure consciousness. 'I am the extremely subtle and transcendent self', 'I am all and everything', 'I am this body'.

There is no liberation in the sky or on earth or in the nether world; liberation is but a synonym for pure mind, correct self-knowledge and truly awakened state.

When the truth is realised through such enquiry, strength, intelligence and radiance increase.

He has no hopes for the future, he does not recall the past nor does he even live in the present; and yet he does all. Asleep, he is awake; awake, he sleeps. He does all, yet he does nothing.

The sage is unattached to anything or anybody.

He is not surprised if the moon shines hot and the sun shines cool. He is not timid and he is not given to outbursts of anger.

O Rama. there are two ways in which this cessation can be achieved: one is the way of yoga which involves the restraint of the movement of thought. and the other is the way of knowledge which involves the right knowledge of truth. 

O mind, you are neither the doer nor the experiencer, Hence, grieve not.

Whenever there was contact with the objects of the senses he resorted to the peace of contemplation, and enjoyed the bliss of the self.

The ignorant man's body is composed and decomposed on account of the states of his mental conditioning; in case of one who has no such conditioning, there is no momentum for decomposition.

When a violent creature comes into contact with one who has reached utter equanimity, it also becomes temporarily equanimous and tranquil, though it may return to its violence  when this contact is lost.

Since Vitahavya's consciousness did not undergo any change, no change happened to his body. Since there was no movement of prana in it, seen decompostion could not take place.

He in whom the very notions of calamity, poverty, elation, pride, dullness and excitement do not arise -  his mind is dead, and he liberated while living.

The cessation of the movement of prana is the cessation of the world-appearance too.

Great yogi regard this pranayama itself as the most appropriate method for the achievement of tranquility of the mind, peace, etc.

The men of wisdom, born of their direct experience: they declare that the midn is born of one's obstinate clinging or a fancy or deluded imagination.

When one is arrested (mind, prana), both fall.

O Rama, strive to eradicate the desire for experience. Get rid of idleness. Free yourself from all experiences

He who has no desire or hope for anything here, nor entertains a wish to rest in inactivity, such a one does not exist as a jiva, he is neither inactive nor does he seek to experience.

If you can at one stroke cut off all mental conditioning and by great self-effort rest in the state of pure existence (even for a second) in no time you will be established in it.

For, until the mind is free from the movement of thought, cessation of conditioning is difficult, and vice versa; and unless the truth is realised, the mind does not cease to function, and vice versa.

Hence O Rama by every means in your power renounce the pursuit of pleasure and resort to all three simultaneously.

Wise ones declare that the abandonment of conditioning and the restraint of prana are of equal effect: hence, one should practice them simultaneously.

Knowledge of self, company of holy men, the abandonment of conditioning and the restraint of prana are the means to overcome the mind.

Ignoring these and resorting to violent practices like Hatha Yoga, austerities, pilgrimage, rites and rituals, is a waste of time. Self-knowledge alone bestows delight on you.

Holy ones declare that the abandonment of attachment is itself liberation. 

If you have gained self-knowledge and if, endowed with equal vision, you engage yourself in spontaneous and appropriate action in the here and now, you are unattached.

Whether he is subjected to great pain or he is appointed the ruler of heaven, he remains in a balanced state of mind.

There knowers of truth are mindless and are in a state of perfect equilibrium; they live their life here playfully.

Salutations to you, O cosmic being that is infinite consciousness.

From the pursuit of prosperity arise countless branches of pleasure and numberless branches of unhappiness.

When all vasana are destroyed and even the potentiality of the vasana does not exist, that state is known as the fourth (beyond waking, dream and deep sleep) and transcendental state. It brings about perfection.

Brahman is satisfied with Brahman, Brahman is established in Brahman.

To the ignorant the world is full of sorrow; to the wise the same world is full of bliss.

The one cosmic consciousness sees diversity within itself even as a dreamer dreams of diverse objects within himself.

I am the consciousness in which all things are strung and through whose power all beings engage themselves in all their activities; I am the essence of all things - such is the truth.

I am that pure consciouness or Brahman which exists unbroken in the waking, dream and deep sleep states, and which is therefore the fourth or the transcendental truth.

I am that conscious energy(cit-sakti) which larger than the universe and yet subtler than the minutest atomic particle and therefore invisible.

It plays the roles of all beings and it is the source of all affection and peace, though it is forever united and liberated.

They conquered their enemies and they ruled as emperors and they engaged themselves in diverse activities in accordance with scriptural injunctions, as they realised that such was appropriate conduct. They enjoy the pleasures of life: they visited pleasure gardens and were entertained by celestial damsels. 

They were engaged in natural activities, allowing all actions to proceed from them non-volitionally.

Self-knowledge is one type and restraint of the life-force is another. But my conviction is that the path of enquiry is easy for all, because self-knowledge is the ever present truth.

In accordance with the nature of each being, that which is to be comes to be.

Whatever is happening in the present creation has happened exactly in the same manner during three previous creations.

Death does not wish to kill one who does not suffer from mental illness.

Even the contemplation of the self which is infinite consciousness banishes sorrow, terminates the long-dream vision of the world-appearance, purifies the mind and the heart, and dispels worries and misfortunes. 

It is that contemplation of prana that has bestowed longevity and also self-knowledge on me. Being devoted to them I live as if in deep sleep, forever in homogeneious consciousness.

He who practises these kumbhaka is not attracted by external objects. They have attained that which is worthy of being attained.

If one is able to reach that space where the apana unites with the prana, he does not grieve any more, nor is he born again.

By seeing where the prana and the apana terminate their motions, and by holding fast to that state of peace, one is to subject to sorrow again.

I salute that consciousness in which prana ceases to move but apana does not arise, and which dwells in the space in front ( or, at the root) of the nose... I take refuge in that supreme being.

I do not contemplate either the past or the future: my attention Is constantly directed to the present. I do w hat has to be done in the present. without thinking of the results. Without considerations of being or non•being. desirable or undesiraable. I remain in the self: hence I am happy. healthy and free from illness. 

I embrace the supreme renunciation, having renounced even the desire to live thus my mind does not entertain cravings, but is peaceful and balanced.

I am not worried by thoughts like, 'What shall I do now?' or 'What shall I get tomorrow morning?' I am not bothered by thoughts of old age and death, or by longing for happiness. nor do I regard some as 'mine' and others as •not•mines. I know that everything at all times. everywhere, is but the one cosmic consciousness. These are the secrets of my state of happiness and health. 

I rejoice with the happy ones and share the grief of t grief-stricken, for I am the friend of all, knowing I belong to none and none belong to me. I know that I am the world, its intelligence, and all the activities in it. 'This is the secret of my longevity. 

Dreams are real during the dream-state; even so the body is real when it is experienced as a real substance.

This is wealth, This is body, This is a nation - all these are notions.

O Rama, do thou live in this world without entertaining any hope. What has to be done has to be done and what is inappropriate should be given up. Live happily and playfully in this world without considerations of desirable and undesirable.

Either realise that 'I am not and these experiences are not mine' or know that 'I am everything' you will be free from the lure of world-appearance. You will be freed from attraction and aversion.Whatever there is in the world, in the firmament and in heaven is attained by one who has destroyed the twin forces of attraction and aversion.

Even as when a statue is broken, no life is lost, when the body born of thoughts and notions is dead, nothing is lost.

The inert body does not entertain any desire (to motivate its actions) and the self (which is the infinite consciousness) has no such desire either; hence there is in truth no doer of action but only the witnessing intelligence.

When the ego-sense is stripped of its coverings, ignored and abandoned by the awakened intelligence, it is incapable of doing you any harm.

Do not wallow in this mud known as family-relationship for the sake of this impermanent body.

If one is unable to worship this Siva (pure consciousness), then he is encouraged to worship the form. The latter yields finite results but the former bestows infinite bliss.

Sages sometimes worship a form playfully.

Even as consciousness alone is the reality in the dream state, consciousness alone is the substance in the wakeful state too. That is the Lord, that is the supreme truth, that you are, that am I and that is all.

The worship of that Lord is true worship. His adoration is the fountain source of joy.

The entire universe is pure consciousness. That is God, that 'all' I am; everything is attained from and through him.

This consciousness is like a mirror which holds a reflection within itself, as it were, without undergoing any modification thereby.

It is the infinite consciousness which appears as the bodies, which are in fact inert and which come into contact with one another and derive various experiences.

The realisation of this infinite consciousness (which is totally effortless) is alone the best form of worship.

The supreme being is formless, and yet the following five are its aspects: will, space, time, order (or destiny) and the cosmic unmanifest nature.

The Lord who is the infinite consciousness is the silent but alert witness of this cosmic dance. He is non-different from the dancer (the cosmic natural order) and the dance (the happenings).

First of all, one should abandon the body-idea (the notion that 'I am this body'). Meditation alone is true worship. Hence one should constantly worship the Lord of the three worlds by means of meditation.

This Lord is to be worshipped by one's own consciousness, not by material substances — by waving of lamps. lighting incense, offering flowers or even food or sandal paste. He is attained without the least effort; he is worshipped by self-realisation alone. This is the supreme meditation, this is the supreme worship: the continuous and unbroken awareness of the indwelling presence, inner light or consciousness. While doing whatever one is doing — seeing. hearing, touching, smelling, eating. moving, sleeping. breathing or talking — one should realise one's essential nature as pure consciousness. Thus does one attain liberation. 

Having bathed in self-knowledge, one should worship this inner intelligence with the materials of self-realisation.

He is immediately seen everywhere, for he is the pure experiencing in all experiences.

He who contemplates in this manner is equanimity itself, his behaviour is equanimous, guided by equal vision. He has reached the state of natural goodness and inner purity and he is beautiful in every aspect of his being. He worships the Lord who is the intelligence that pervades his entire body. 

The Lord should be worshipped with everything that is obtained without effort. One should never make the least effort to attain that which one does not poseess.

This worship is performed day and night perpetually, with the objects that are effortlessly obtained, and are offered to the Lord with a mind firmly established in equanimity and in the right spirit (for the Lord is consciousness and cares only for the right spirit). The Lord should be worshipped with everything that is obtained without effort. One should not make the least effort to attain that which one does not possess. The Lord should be worshipped by means of all the enjoyments that the body enjoys. through eating. drinking, being with one's consort and such other pleasures. The Lord should be worshipped with the illnesses one experiences and with every sort of unhappiness or suffering one experiences. The Lord should be worshipped with all of one's activities, including life and death and all of one's dreams. The Lord should be worshipped with one's poverty and prosperity. The Lord should be worshipped even with fights and quarrels as well as with sports and other pastimes, and even with the manifestations of the emotions of attraction and aversion. The Lord should be adored with the noble qualities of a pious heart: friend-ship, compassion. joy and indifference. 

The Lord should be worshipped with all kinds of pleasures that are granted to one unsought. whether those pleasures are sanctioned by the scriptures, etc., or forbidden by them. The Lord should be worshipped with those that are regarded as desirable and others that are regarded as undesirable, with those that are considered appropriate and others that are considered inappropriate. For this worship one should abandon what is lost and one should accept and receive what has been obtained without effort. 

Without craving and without rejecting. that which is effortlessly and naturally obtained may be enjoyed. One should not get excited or depressed when faced with insignificant and significant objects, just as neither sky nor space is affected by the diverse objects that exist and grow in it. One should worship the self, with-out psychological perversion. with every object that is obtained purely on account of the coincidence of the time, place and activity — whether they are popularly known as good or as not-good. 

Established in this state of equanimity. the wise man should experience infinite expansion within himself v‘ bile carrying out his natural actions externally without craving or rejection. Such is the nature of the worshipper of this intelligence.

O sage. experiencing everything as a child does. Worship the Lord of this body (the intelligence that pervades it) with all that is brought to you by time, circumstance and environment, and rest in supreme peace. devoid of desire. 

Abandoning all such limited concepts, abandoning even the division between the worshipper and the worshipped (Lord), worship the self by the self. Be at peace, pure, free from cravings. Consider that all your experiences and expressions are the worship of the self.

The reality is beginningless and endless and it is not even reflected in any-thing: that is the reality. However, since it is not possible to experience it through the mind and the senses. it is even regarded as if it were non-being. 

It is only the self that becomes aware of the self.

The self is not revealed either by the scriptures or by the instructions of a preceptor, and the self is not revealed without the instructions of a preceptor and without the help of the scripture. It is revealed only when all these come together. It is mil% when the scriptural knowledge. instructions of a preceptor and true discipleship come together that self-knowledge is attained. 

The pure consciousness appears to be the knowable object and gives rise to the concept of intelligence or consciousness, though being the innermost self, it is not an object of knowledge. On account of a momentary conceptualisation, this pure consciousness gives rise to the ego-sense.

This ego-sense then gives rise to the notions of time and space. Endowed with the energy of the vital air, it then becomes jiva or the individual. The individual thenceforward follows the dictates of the notions and slips into dense ignorance, and thus were the various senses, their corresponding objects and their connecting experiences brought into being.

Thus were all these substances created; but nothing was created in fact.

When the truth concerning them is realised, all these shine as the Lord. How-ever, even that is untrue, for all these have never become material substances or objects. On account of one's own notions of their being substances which one experiences, they appear to have a substantiality. Thus conjuring up a substantiality. the consciousness sees the substantiality. 

Conditioned by such notions it seems to suffer. Conditioning is sorrow. But conditioning is based on thoughts and notions (or sensual and psychological experiences). However, the truth is beyond such experiences and the world is an appearance, like a mirage!

The jiva thinks of itself as Creator, Preserver and so on, but all this is nothing more than thought-form. However, this thought-form conceives and perceives other thought-forms and experiences them. 

To come into relationship (to possess and to be possessed) is common to all embodied beings; but the ,ogi is forever vigilant, and such vigilance is the wor-ship of the self. Adopting this inner attitude and with a mind utterly devoid of any attachment, I roam in this dreadful forest of sari's-Ara (world-appearance). If you do so. you will not suffer. 

Dear Rama. you are pure consciousness which is not affected by the illusory perception of the diversity of creation. If you see this, how will notions of the desirable and the undesirable arise in you? Realising thus, O Rama. remain establish-ed in the turiya (transcendental) state of consciousness. 

An object gives you pleasure only when it is desired. So the pleasure belongs to the desire - hence give up desire.

Let hopes cease and let notions vanish, let the mind reach the state of no-mind, while you live unattached.

When knower, known and knowledge merge in the one self, the pure experiencer does not once again generate a division within.

With the slightest movement in the mind (when the mind blinks) the sarinsara (world-appearance) arises and ceases. Make the mind unwinking (free from movement of thought) by the restraint of the prana and also the latent tendencies (vasana). 

The bliss that is experienced in a state of no-mind, that bliss which is uncaused, is not found even in the highest heaven.

After living with such no-mind for some time, there arises the state known as turiya-atita ( the state beyond the transcendental, or the turiya state).

This energy of the infinite consciousness. without even for a moment abandoning its true nature. has manifested this creation. as it were, by merely willing it in its own intelligence

Since the seed does not contain anything other than the seed, even the flowers and the fruits are of the same nature as the seed: the substance of the seed is the substance of subsequent effects, too. Even so, the homogeneous mass of cosmic consciousness does not give rise to anything other than what it is in essence. When this truth is realised, duality ceases. 

At the same time there is the notion of potential diversity (of flowers, fruits) supposedly present in the seed. Even so, cosmic consciousness is one, devoid of diversity; yet the universe of diversity is said to exist only in notion. 

Even as the notion of the existence of lotuses in the stone does not destroy the stone, Brahman is unaffected by world-appearance which exists as the very nature of Brahman in Brahman.

For that is non-dual though apparently diverse, just like the notion of diversity in the fluid in the peacock's egg. The notion of Brahman and the world is therefore both dual and non-dual. That which is the substratum for all these notions of unity and diversity — that is the supreme state. 

Even so. the sages. gods and the perfect-ed ones remain in their transcendental consciousness, tasting the bliss of their own nature. They have abandoned the illusion of duality of the observer and the object. and the consequent movement of thought. Their gaze is fixed and unwinking. 

They are firmly rooted in the abandonment of the relationship between the knower and the known (subject and object).

They engage themselves in appropriate activity by a little movement of thought in consciosness. However, such movement also produce great joy in them.

That alone exists, naught else: neither the body nor the senses and life-force. neither the mind nor the storehouse of memory or latent tendencies, neither the jiva nor even a movement in consciousness, neither consciousness nor the world. It is neither real nor unreal. nor something in between, neither void nor non-void, neither time nor space nor substantiality. Free from all these and free from a hundred veils in the heart, one should experience the self in all that is seen. 

For whatever is seen in this world is Brahman, free from characteristics and qualities: it is eternal, peaceful, pure and utterly quiescent.

You, I and all these things are pure Brahman: there is no ignorance at all.

Even when you observe this ignorance very carefully and keenly you do not see it: it vanishes. The water in the mirage, being unreal, has never been water at all. In the light of truth the reality of all thins is revealed, and delusion or illusory perception vanishes.

Even as to the child the unreal ghost it visualises at night is truly real, the jiva conceives of the five elements which it sees as existing. And so it experiences them.

The dreamer dreams of a village which occupies his mind, and in which he lives for the time being; a little later he dreams of another situation and thinks he lives there. Even so, the jiva goes from one body to another; the body is but the reflection of the notion entertained by the jiva. The unreal (body) alone dies and it is the unreal that is born again. apparently in another body. Just as in the dream one experiences things seen and unseen, even so in the dream of the jiva it experiences the world and even secs what is to come in the future. 

Even as an error yesterday can be rectified and turned into a good action by self-effort today, the habits of the past can be overcome by appropriate self-effort. However, the notion of jiva-hood and of the existence and functioning of the eyes. etc.. cannot be abolished except by the attainment of liberation. Till then, they become alternately latent and patent. 

The state of liberation while living is itself the turiya consciousness.

Dense and heasy conditioning is existence as inert objects, middling conditioning as animals and thin conditioning as humans. But enough of the perception of division: the whole universe is but the manifestation of the energy of infinite consciousness. 

I have attained an awakening of intelligence through your grace. Arjuna will then engage himself in the conduct of the war, as if in a play.

O Rama, remain unattached, endowed with the spirit of renunciation and with the realisation that whatever you do or you experience is an offering to the omnipresent being. Brahman.

The notion of 'world' arises only when the spirit of enquiry is absent.

Awareness of this movement in consciousness ends the movement. The ego-sense ceases the very moment one observes it, for it has no support any longer.

That which is omnipresent and which is without beginning and end, and which is pure, unmodified, undifferentiated being - that is known as existence or reality.

'All this is pervaded by me for I am omnipresent and devoid of body and such other limitation' and dwell in peace and supreme happiness.

When the jiva by coincidence comes into contact with an enlightened person, then its impure vasana turn away.
This happens to that person who constantly longs for such contact with an enlightened person.

They awakened intelligence of hundered Rudra. The one form had become many, as it were.

Just as all waves are of the same substance and are therefore one, the awakened jiva realise their oneness and thus understand one another. Each jiva has its own illusory world-appearance. However, even as one finds empty space wherever one digs the ground. when this world-appearance of the jiva is enquired into, it invariably leads to the same infinite consciousness. 

Differentiated consciousness is bondage; liberation is its absence.

That which is gained by 'being still', exists already and has therefore already been 'gained'!

In the heart of that infinite consciousness everything exists, and one experiences what one sees in it.

The dream-like nature of thought-form is realised only by the intense practice of yoga, not otherwise.

Each one of them had his own world: hence until the Rudra-consciousness was awakened in them they were unaware of one another. It was in fact by the will of Rudra that they were thus veiled, that they became of different forms and nature.

The infinite consciousness which is the true self of all is endowed with omni-potence, but the jiva (which Is essentially non-different from the self) is endowed with one faculty (appropriate to its notion). Hence, depending upon the nature of the jisa, it enjoys endless powers or limited powers.

The infinite consciousness is free from expansion and contraction: it is the jiva that gets what it seeks. The yogi who have acquired various faculties exist and manifest such faculties here and also elsewhere. However, since they are enjoyed here and there and in different places. such experiences appear to be many and varied — even as the famous Kartavirya generated fear in the hearts of many. though he remained. at home! (A modern example is the radio: without leaving the studio. the speaker or singer enters countless drawing rooms. S.V.) 

Similarly, lord Visnu, without leaving his abode, incarnates as a human being on earth. 

The birth and death of countless beings takes place in the one infinite consciousness, as it were. They imagine diversity in this world-appearance and then they seek unity in the self.

From one such dream he goes on to another dream, until he abandons the false notion 'I am the body'.

Movement and so on are imaginary expressions. There is neither motion nor non-motion, neither one nor many - what is is as it is. Diversity arises in the unawakened state and it vanishes when one commences one's enquiry.

Four types of silence have been described: (1) silence of speech, (2) silence of the senses (eyes, etc.) (3) violent restraint, as also (4) the silence of deep sleep. Of these the first three involve elements of the rigid mouna. It is the fourth that is really conducive to liberation.

He lives and works without intending to do so, without reacting to events on a causal basis, his actions being pure and spontaneous; or he may not do anything at all!

Self-knowledge puts an end to vasana and to the link between the mind and the life-force.

The best method is to enquire into the nature of the self which is infinite. Your mind will be completely absorbed - then both the mind and the enquiry will cease. Remain firmly established in what remains after that.

You will achieve the impossible if you are able to remain firm in your knowledge of the truth and if you engage yourself in appropriate action in a life characterised by effortless experiencing of the nature course of events.

Sorrow ceases, all the bondages are rent asunder and doubts are dispelled when one is fully established in the equanimity of the self for a long time.

By self-effort and by resolutely turning away from the pursuit of pleasure, and by the resolute breaking down of the prison-house of shame (false dignity), etc. If you abandon all this and remain firm, the ego-sense will vanish and you will realise that you are the supreme being!

Even the mind and the senses are but the reflections of consciousness, though they are unreal independently of consciousness. This supreme consciousness alone exists.

In it there is no division into subject-object and their relationship. It is consciousness alone that is manifest as the mind, intellect and the senses.

The seer (subject) and the seen (object) are in reality the one pure consciousness.

In the case of the enlightened ones these categories do not exist, for they look  upon everything as a mere play and hence are utterly indifferent to everything seen or unseen.

When the prana or life-force which is in the heart reaches the abode of the kundalini, there arises within oneself an awareness of the elements of nature. It is when the kundalini unfolds and begins to move that there is awareness withing oneself.

'I have gained this, I have yet to gain that', All this intensifies delusion: all these give rise to  psychic disturbances.

Physical ailments that are not psychosomatic may be dealt with by meditation, prayers and by right action, as also by baths. 

Consciousness, when it becomes aware of itself, gains the world. When such objectification is abandoned there is liberation.

The jiva itself is realised as a non-entity and it is reabsorbed in the consciousness of which it is but the first thought-emanation.

Just as the tree is agitated by the wind, this body is agitated by the mind.

If one renounces everything, then everything exists within the void of the one infinite consciousness

Uproot the tree whose seed is the 'I' idea with all its branches, fruits and leaves, and rest in the space in the heart.

By engaging oneself in the enquiry into the nature of the self - 'Who am I?' This enquiry is the fire in which the very seed and roots of the tree known as citta (mind) are burnt completely.

You are therefore neither the doer of actions nor the enjoyer of experiences. You are the all, ever at peace, unborn and perfect.

When thus the objectivity of the world is seen to be unreal, what is experience and of what? when there is no experience, there is no experiencer (the ego-sense). Thus, you are pure and liberated. 

The creator himself is non-different from the reality; hence his appearance as other than the reality (this creation, etc) is delusion.

From the self ( which is absolute peace ) nothing is created and nothing ever returns to it.

Whatever appears to be is uncreated.
It is the self-reflection of Brahman, which is of infinite forms, that appears to be universe with its creation-dissolution cycle.

When the unsubstantiality of such expressions is realised, then what was seen as the world is realised as Brahman.

When such pure awareness arises, all notions subside. In the absence of objects, there is no experience or its concomitant ego-sense.

Everything (even the energy that manifests as desire and desirelessness) is your own self.

If you are established in that state of equanimity which treats of both movement and non-movement of thought as non-different, you will rest in the eternal.

Heaven is everywhere and also nowhere. 

You are unconditioned, never conditioned by time, space etc

Ignorance, too, is infinite even as Brahman is infinite. It is the infinite consciousness alone that sees countless universes here and there. When this truth is not realised, it is known as ignorance; when it is realised the very same consciousness is known as Brahman.

In this infinite space there are countless worlds even as we have our own world: one man's world is not experienced by another person.

People sleeping in one  house have different dreams in which they experience life in different worlds, as it were: even so, some people have different worlds in the same space, while others may not have.

When the 'ojas' of this macrocosmic being is disturbed, it is agitated, and that effect is experienced by all of us who are in his heart. By coincidence, when some people engage themselves in evil actions, the resultant unhappiness befalls all.

You are not this little personality; you are the macrocosmic person himself.

You will see countless universes and then realise that just as all this is unreal and diverse in the eyes of the ignorant, they are real and indivisible to the enlightened.

Brahman remains as Brahman and it does not create something which was not already in existence!

Abandon even the concepts of liberation and bondage. Remain in the pure, egoless state, engaging yourself in natural activity.

A world is seen only by the ignorant who cling to the notion 'I am not enlightened'.

He exists in that cosmic body as you exist in your heart when you are in meditation.

Give up all your doubts. Resort to moral courage. Be a mahabhoktia (great enjoyer of delight), mahakarta (great doer of actions) and mahatyigi (perfect renouncer). 

He is a mahakarta (great doer of actions) who is freed of doubts and performs appropriate actions in natural situations (whether they be regarded as dharma [right] or adharma [wrong)) without being swayed by likes and dislikes or success and failure. without ego-sense or jealousy, remaining with his mind in a state of silence and purity. He is unattached to anything but remains as a witness of every-thing, without selfish desires or motives, without sorrow or grief, indifferent to action and inaction, without excitement or exultation but with a mind at peace. His very nature is peace and equilibrium or equanimity, which is sustained in all situations (in the birth, existence or annihilation of all things). 

What you see here does not exist, my son, none of it! 

The one infinite consciousness alone exists, neither one nor many! Abandon all thought of bondage and liberation and rest in peace.

The actions of one who has attained self-knowledge are not motivated and are non-volitional; hence he is not tainted by their merit. He is beyond praise and censure. He is not agitated by others; he does not agitate others. He alone is fit to be worshipped. Not by rites and rituals but by the worship of such sages alone does one attain wisdom.

Whatever you do and whatever you enjoy, you do not really do, nor do you enjoy. Know this and be free.

That pure and equanimous state which is devoid of ego-sense and non-ego-sense, of the real and the unreal, and which is free, is known as turiya (the fourth state). It is the state of the liberated sage. It is the unbroken witness conscious-ness. It is different from the waking and the dreaming states which are characterised by movement of thought: it is different from the deep sleep state which is characterised by inertia and ignorance. When the ego-sense is abandoned, there arises the state of perfect equilibrium in which the turiya manifests itself. 

Rest in nirvana without movement of thought, with the mind greatly 'weakend' and the intelligence at peace; rest in the self as if you are deaf, dumb and blind.

By remaining unaware of pleasure and pain and of even that which lies between the two, you rise above sorrow. Just by this little self-effort you attain the infinite.

When one realises the supreme which is the only essence or truth beyond this ocean of samsara, he realises 'I am not the doer but god alone is the doer; not even in the past did I do anything'. This is superior freedom. In it he enjoys peace and contentment, virtue and purity, wisdom and self-enquiry.

He is void within, void without, void like an empty vessel; and the same time he is full within and full without, like a full vessel immersed in the sea.

Desire is elephant. It should be slain by the weapon known as courage or determination born of the realisation of oneness.

Only as long as one believes in objective existence does desire arise!

Recognition of 'objects' gives rise to desire. Non-recognition of objects ends desire. When desire ends. the jiva drops its self-limitation. The great man therefore abandons all thoughts concerning what has been experienced and what has not been experienced. I declare with uplifted arms that the thought-free, motionless state is the best. It is infinitely superior to the sovereignty of the world. Non-thinking is known as yoga. Remaining in that state, perform appropriate actions or do nothing!

Dive deep into the inner peace, not in the sea of diversity. Who lives, who is dead, who has come - why do you get lost in such false notions? The enlightened ones rest forever in the truth which does not even appear to be different.

This insentient world when it is offered into the infinite consciousness becomes one with it.

When the movement of the mind has ceased the self shines by its own light. In that light all sorrow comes to an end and there is the bliss which the self experiences in itself. There is direct awareness of the truth, 'there is none but the self'.

Immerse yourself in that ocean of nectar which is full of peace; do not drown in diversity.

He is a guru who is able to give rise to god-consciousness in the disciple by a look, by a touch, by verbal communication or by grace. Sakti-pata (direct transmission of spiritual energy)

O Rama, Get up and bring joy to the world. When people are still in bondage, it is not proper for the yogi to merge in the self.

It is pure vasana or tendencies fill one's heart, all conflicts cease, and there is harmony, liberation and longevity.

With your gaze turned inward, swimming in the bliss of the self and with your heart and mind at peace, what you do you do not do.

Resort to the knowers of truth in privacy, not in public. For when different people express different points of view, your understanding may be stunted or perverted.

The ignorant person cannot meditate: nor is it desirable for him to do so...in the case of the wise, meditation becomes natural and effortless.

Even the love and affection that the gods and the angels possess are nothing compared to the limitless love that flows from the holy ones.

It is the ego that makes the effort and gains the powers. These powers intensify the vasana or mental conditioning.

Yogi can perform actions everywhere and experience all things in all the three periods of time, though apparently remaining in one place.

Liberation is attained by one whose very nature is totally free and unattached.

http://www.estudantedavedanta.net/The-Supreme-Yoga-Swami-Venkatesananda.pdf