Every living being longs to be happy, unsullied by sorrow; and everyone has the greatest love for himself, which is solely due to the fact that happiness is his true nature. To realize that inherent and undefiled happiness, which indeed he experiences daily when the mind is in deep sleep, it is essential that he should know himself. To obtain such knowledge the question is ‘Who am I?’ seeking the Self is the best means. Who am I?
The mind is a wonderful force that resides in the Self. It causes all thoughts to arise. Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind. Therefore, thinking is the nature of the mind. Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts and there is no world. In the states of waking and dreaming there are thoughts, and there is also a world.
The thought ‘who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the stick used to stir the pyre, it will eventually burn itself out. Then there will be self-realization. When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but diligently ask oneself, “To whom do they arise?” It doesn’t matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should ask alertly, “To whom has this thought occurred?” The answer that would emerge would be ‘for me’. Then when someone asks, “Who am I?” the mind will return to its source; and the thought that arose will disappear.
That which arises as ‘I’ in the body is the mind. If you examine where in the body the thought “I” first arises, you would find that it arises in the heart. That is the place where the spirit comes from. Even if you constantly think “I”, “I”, you are led to that place. Of all the thoughts that arise in the mind, the “I” thought is the first. Only after the emergence of the ‘I-thought’ do other thoughts arise.
By repeatedly practicing in this way, the mind will develop the ability to stay with its source. When the subtle mind goes out through the brain and the senses, the gross names and forms appear; if it remains in the heart, the names and forms disappear. Not letting the mind go out, but keeping it in the heart, is called “inwardness.” Releasing the mind from the heart is known as ‘externalization’. So when the mind remains in the Heart, the ‘I’, which is the source of all thoughts, will disappear, and the Self that ever existed will shine forth.
Apart from research, there are no adequate means to permanently calm the mind. If the mind is controlled in other ways, it will appear as if it is controlled, but it will rise again. By regulating breathing the mind will become calm; but it will remain calm only as long as breathing remains controlled. When breathing is no longer regulated, the mind will become active and wander.
Like the practice of breath control, meditation on the forms of God, repetition of mantras and restriction of diet are temporary aids to quiet the mind. By practicing meditation on the forms of God and repeating mantras the mind attains one-pointedness. For such a focused mind, self-examination will become easy. Observing dietary restrictions improves the quality of the mind, which promotes self-exploration.
When one’s self comes into existence, everything comes into being; when one’s self becomes calm, everything becomes calm.
To the extent that we behave humbly, to that extent something good will come from it.
When the mind becomes still, one can live anywhere.
However sinful a person may be, if he were to diligently continue to meditate on the Self, how could he surely be reformed?
The mind should not wander towards worldly objects and what concerns other people.
No matter how bad other people are, one should not harbor hatred towards them.
Everything you give to others, you give to yourself. When this truth is understood, who will not give to others?
He who surrenders himself to the Self that is God is the most excellent devotee. Surrendering yourself to God means constantly remembering the Self. Whatever burdens are cast on God, He bears them all. Since the supreme power of God moves all things, why should we, without submitting to it, be constantly occupied with thoughts of what should and should not be done and what should not be done? We know that the train carries all the cargo, so why, after getting on it, should we carry our small luggage on our heads to our discomfort, instead of putting it down on the train and feeling comfortable?
What exists in truth is the Self alone. The world, the individual soul and God are appearances in it like silver in mother of pearl. These three appear and disappear at the same time. The Self is that where absolutely no ‘I’ thought exists. That’s called ‘Silence’. The Self itself is the world; the Self itself is ‘I’; the Self itself is God; everything is Siva, the Self.