Take a Stand

"There are three possibilities open to us at every moment: one, to stand as a separate self, which resists what is present and seeks what is not; two, to stand as the open, empty space of Awareness, in which all experience appears and with which it is known; and three, to stand as the light of pure Knowing, out of which all experience is made. Experience will appear in accordance with whichever stand is taken."

-Rupert Spira

Self-Knowledge vs. Self-Realization

"If, from what has been unfolded so far, you know what awareness is but are not free, you are like the man who heard that there was a large reward for anyone who knew the four Vedas, so he said, 'I k now that there are four vedas. Please give me the money.' But this is not what is meant by the knowledge of awareness. It should be directly and fully known.'"

-Vidyaranya Swami, Panchadasi



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Impediments

“The impediments to Self Realization are: 1/ binding attachment to the objects of the senses, 2/ dullness of the intellect, 3/ indulgence in improper and illogical arguments about the nature of enlightenment, 4/ the deep conviction that the Self is an agent and enjoyer.”

-Vidyaranya Swami, Panchadasi


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'You' are Not the Body

“You never identify yourself with the shadow cast by your body, or with its reflection, or with the body you see in a dream or in your imagination. Therefore you should not identify yourself with this living body, either.”

-Adi Shankaracharya



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