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Know Yourself

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"The simple method to enlightenment
is to first know yourself."

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"There is only one real book
to study and learn from—
the greatest of all books—
and that is the very manuscript
that you, yourself, are."

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"Above all else, remember this one thing:
It is easy to meet that Infinity within you—
to attain that awareness,
you just have to be silent and quiet."

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"The best and deepest of the teachings
is not communicated through
books, speech or actions,
but through silence.
That special teaching is understood
only when you are silent."

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"I am telling you to face this reality:
the path to enlightenment and unfoldment
is not really so austere, abstruse, or difficult—
it’s actually very easy.
The easiest way to make progress
is just to “know thyself”—
to accept and understand
yourself on all levels."

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"There have been many scholarly
commentaries on the Yoga Sutras,
but all the commentaries miss something
very practical. Such commentaries
can only satisfy the intellect, but
do not actually help you beyond that:
'yogash chitta vritti narodha'—
yoga is the control
of the 'modifications' of the mind.
Narodha means control;
there is no other English word for it.
Control doesn't mean suppression,
but channeling or regulating."

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"All sadhanas (spiritual practices),
techniques, and disciplines are actually
means to train the mind.
And the foremost part of the training
is to make the mind aware that
Reality lies beyond itself."

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"Meditate, meditate, meditate.
That's my message to you.
I am only a man messenger,
a child of the Himalayan sages.
I don't claim any more than that.
I speak the wisdom
which was sprinkled on me
in my childhood."

"I want you to be happy.
But remember this:
happiness is never borrowed,
never bought, never earned;
it's already within you.
If you want to be happy
go inside, deep down,
in the inner chamber of your being
and there you'll find
happiness lies in a state of silence.
Learn to practice that everyday."

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"There was once a swami who used to
teach students every day.
One of the students listened attentively
and heard the swami speaking about vairagya,
the philosophy of non-attachment,
and the student took off for a forest dwelling
and there, he was enlightened.

"After dwelling there for twelve years,
he wondered what had happened
and what had been the fate of his friends,
with whom he used to learn.

"So he returned to that place, and
everyone was still sitting there exactly like before,
and the swami was still lecturing.
What a waste of time!

"The point is that
you don’t need much external information;
you already have true knowledge within.
You need to learn how to
apply the knowledge that you have.

"You are taught:
'Be good, be nice, be gentle, be loving.'
You have all been taught that,
but you should learn
to practice, understand,
and to apply that knowledge to yourself.

"You need to understand how you function,
and the process that results in your actions."

Swami Rama

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