These pages contains quotations I originally shared on the nondual quotes list. Enjoy!
From: 'Zen Wisdom' Ed. Timothy Freke
Now. This is it.
The whole purpose and meaning for the existence
of everything.
From: 'The Gitanjali' Rabindranath Tagore 67: THOU art the sky and thou art the nest as well. 0 thou beautiful, there in the nest it is thy love that encloses the soul with colours and sounds and odours. There comes the morning with the golden basket in her right hand bearing the wreath of beauty, silently to crown the earth. And there comes the evening over the lonely meadows deserted by herds, through trackless paths, carrying cool draughts of peace in her golden pitcher from the western ocean of rest. But there, where spreads the infinite sky for the soul to take her flight in, reigns the stainless white radiance. There is no day nor night, nor form nor colour and never, never a word.
Attar (trans Margaret Smith) From The Jawhar Al-Dhat Intoxicated by the Wine of Love. From each a mystic silence Love demands. What do all seek so earnestly? 'Tis Love. What do they whisper to each other? Love. Love is the subject of their inmost thoughts. In Love no longer 'thou' and 'I' exist, For Self has passed away in the Beloved. Now will I draw aside the veil from Love, And in the temple of mine inmost soul, Behold the Friend; Incomparable Love. He who would know the secret of both worlds, Will find the secret of them both, is Love.
Song of the Soul I am neither ego nor reason, I am neither mind nor thought, I cannot be heard nor cast into words, nor by smell nor sight ever caught: In light and wind I am not found, nor yet in earth and sky - Consciousness and joy incarnate, Bliss of the Blissful am I. I have no name, I have no life, I breathe no vital air, No elements have moulded me, no bodily sheath is my lair: I have no speech, no hands and feet, nor means of evolution - Consciousness and joy am I, and Bliss in dissolution. I cast aside hatred and passion, I conquered delusion and greed; No touch of pride caressed me, so envy never did breed: Beyond all faiths, past reach of wealth, past freedom, past desire Consciousness and joy am I, and Bliss is my attire. Virtue and vice, or pleasure and pain are not my heritage, Nor sacred texts, nor offerings, nor prayer, nor pilgrimage: I am neither food nor eating, nor yet the eater am I - Consciousness and joy incarnate, Bliss of the Blissful am I. I have no misgivings of death, no chasms of race divide me, No parent ever called me child, no bond of birth ever tied me: I am neither disciple nor master, I have no kin, no friend - Consciousness and joy am I, and merging in Bliss is my end. Neither knowable, knowledge, nor knower am I, formless is my form, I dwell within the senses but they are not my home: Ever serenely balanced, I am neither free nor bound - Consciousness and joy am I, and Bliss is where I am found. ~Song of the Soul, by Shankaracharya
Living is no laughing matter: you must live with great seriousness like a squirrel, for example- I mean without looking for something beyond and above living, I mean living must be your whole occupation. ~Nazim Hikmet
Like water which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed. ~Indra Devi
The nature of mind is the background to the whole of life and death, like the sky, which enfolds the whole universe in its embrace. ~Sogyal Rinpoche 'Glimpse after Glimpse'
Man is a god clothed in rags, he is a master of the universe going about begging a crust of bread. He is a king prostrated before his own servants, a prisoner walled in by his own ignorance. He could be free. He has only to walk out of his self-constructed prison, for none holds him there but himself. Paul Twitchell
From: 'Method, Wisdom and the Three Paths' by Geshe Lhundrub Sopa What is ignorance? It is a wrong understanding of the self and of the nature of all phenomena. Buddhism talks a lot about the non-self or shunya nature of all things. This is a key teaching. The realization of shunyata, or emptiness, was first taught by Buddha, and then widely disseminated by the great teacher Nagarjuna and his successors, who explained the madhyamaka or middle way philosophy. Theirs is a system of thought free from all extremes, that is they hold that the nature of how things actually exist is free from the extremes of absolute being and non-being. The things we usually perceive do not exist as we see them. As for the "I", our understanding of its nature is also mistaken. This doesn't mean that there is no person and no desire; when Buddha rejected the existence of a self he meant that the self we normally conceive is not existent.
Deeper still into Stillness.... This is so simple The mind can never grok it Nothing happens Here No cause and effect No karma, dharma, drama Just massive Quiet Absolutely still Even in the midst of hell Stop! Check and see: Peace! One million tears of agony are nothing! Give me what I need to remember... ~ Poetry by friends of Vartman
You are the Self, here and now. Leave the mind alone, stand aware and unconcerned and you will realize that to stand alert but detached, watching events come and go, is an aspect of your real nature. ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself. ~Shunryu Suzuki 'Zen Wisdom' Ed. Timothy Freke
"'But great souls resorting to me, the divine nature, their undivided minds are devoted to knowing the imperishable source of being. Always glorifying me and striving with firm resolve and honoring me with devotion, they worship ever united." Baghavad Gita English version by Sanderson Beck
From: 'Living Truth' Jean Klein There is nobody to look for something, because it is your nearness. Nothing can be more near to you than what you are. It is enough to live with this for some time, not to think about it, not to manipulate it, but simply to live with it.
In the great Way of the Buddha patriarchs there is always supreme continuous practice which is the Way without beginning or end. Arousing the thought of enlightenment, practice, bodhi, and nirvana have not the slightest break, but are continuous practice which goes on forever. Therefore, it is neither one's own effort nor someone else's effort; it is pure continuous practice which transcends the opposition of self and others. - Dogen (1200-1253)
the following from "The Golden Age of Zen," John Wu
Tung-shan asked his master Yun-yen, as he was leaving for good, "After
you have completed this life, what shall I say if anyone asks, can you still
recall your master's true face?" The Master remained silent for a long
while and then replied, "Just *this one* is."
...While on his journey, Tung-shan continued to muse on the cryptic words
of his master: "Just *this one* is." Later on in crossing a stream, he
happened to see his own reflection in the water, and right on the spot he
was thoroughly awakened to the real meaning of "Just *this one* is." He
epitomized this experience in a *gatha*:
*Do not seek him anywhere else
Or he will run away from you!
Now that I go on all alone,
I meet him everywhere.
He is even now what I am.
I am even now what he is.
Only by understanding this way
Can there be a true union with the Self-So.*
God is Within You When one realizes God, He grants knowledge and illumination from within; one knows it oneself. In the fullness of one's spiritual realization one will find that He who resides in one's heart, resides in the hearts of others as well - the oppressed, the persecuted, the untouchable, and the outcast. Sri Sarada Devi
Absolute Consciousness Ramana Maharshi p145 Whenever a thought arises, do not be carried away by it. You become aware of the body when you forget the Self. But can you forget the Self ? Being the Self how can you forget it? There must be two selves for one to forget the other. It is absurd. So the Self is not depressed, nor is it imperfect. It is very happy. The contrary feeling is a mere thought which actually has no stamina in it. Be rid of thoughts. Being the Self one remains always realised. Only be free from thoughts.
Absolute Consciousness Ramana Maharshi p145 Ignorance is the forgetfulness of the Self. Can there be darkness before the sun? Similarly can there be ignorance before the self- evident and self-luminous? If you know the Self there will be no darkness, no ignorance and no misery. The impure mind which functions in thinking and forgetfulness, alone is samsara, which is the cycle of birth and death. The real 'I' in which the activity of thinking and forgetfulness has perished, alone is pure liberation, it is devoid of forgetfulness of Self which is the cause of birth and death.
This is from a wonderful discourse 'Vimalakirti's Gate of Nonduality' by Abbot John Daido Loori, M.R.O. which can be found at: http://www.mro.org/zmm/talks/teisho9.htm We come to practice with these sicknesses of anger and fear, mistrust, love and hate, and soon they begin to manifest in the practice itself. We see them functioning in groups, in families, in nations, in cultures. Is it possible to function in this life in a nondual way? Vimalakirti said yes. Buddha said yes. Manjusri said yes. Countless Buddhas and Ancestors from time immemorial have said yes.
When you are in the world of the thinking mind, you are somewhere in the remembered past or the imagined future. You are in a world of thought, memory, concept, idea, opinion and belief. You are not here now. What you are experiencing is not of the present moment. It is not real. You are in a world of illusion (Maya) and yet you have come to believe that it real. Almost the entire human population is lost in this illusion. It is the sole source of our suffering. ~ Leonard Jacobson
Awareness Itself The subtle, perfect essence of awareness is basically spontaneously open and calm, equanimous and pure, vast as space. It cannot be pointed out in terms of any concrete form, it cannot be approached in terms of location. It cannot be entered into by any door or road, it cannot be depicted or copied by the colors of the spectrum. ~Wei-tse From: 'Teachings of Zen' Ed. Thomas Cleary
'Absolute Consciousness' Ramana Maharshi Consciousness is always Self-Consciousness. If you are conscious of anything, you are essentially conscious of yourself.
Hanging Loose by A.H. Almaas from Diamond Heart, Book II When your mind is free, not concerned, or worried, or focused on anything in particular, and your heart is not grasping or clinging to anything, then you are free. The most characteristic quality is that there is no fixation on anything; you're not focused on any issue or experience. Whatever is there, is there. So there is a freedom of mind. The mind is not saying, "I want this," or "I want to look at this," or "It has to be this way." The mind is loose. The expression "hang loose" tells us what it means to be liberated.
In the Forest The community of trees- thousands of bodies with a human body among them. Branches and leaves are waving. Then the call of the creek, and my eyes open to the sky of the great Mind. A smile is seen on every leaf. The forest is here, because the city is down there. But Mind has gone with the trees and put on a new green dress. The sunshine is the leaves. The leaves are the sunshine. The sunshine is no different from the leaves. The leaves are no different from the sunshine. All other forms and sounds are of the same nature. Thich Nhat Hanh 'call me by my true names'
Silence A day of Silence Can be a pilgrimage in itself. A day of Silence Can help you listen To the Soul play In marvelous lute and drum. Is not most talking A crazed defense of a crumbling fort? I thought we came her To surrender in Silence, To yield to Light and Happiness, To Dance within In celebration of Love's Victory! ~Hafiz 'I Heard God Laughing' Daniel Ladinsky
You are, in all that you represent, a part of living. Not somewhere in a corner all by yourself, but like the incense of a burning incense stick, gradually spreading itself out into infinity. This is the way you are sharing in living. ~Abbah Frédéric
From: 'The Sutra of Hui-Neng Trans. Thomas Cleary Good friends, let each of you clear your mind to listen to my teaching. If you want to accomplish all-knowledge, you must attain absorption in oneness and absorption in unified activity. If you do not dwell on appearances wherever you are, and you do not conceive aversion or attraction to those appearances, and nei- ther grasp nor reject, and do not think of things like gain, success, or failure, but are peaceful, serene, empty and fluid, tranquil and calm, this is called absorption in oneness. If your unadulterated, undivided, straightforward mind does not move from the site of enlightenment wherever you are, whatever you are doing, with reality constituting the Pure Land, this is called absorption in unified activity. If people have these two absorptions, it is like the earth having seeds, which it stores and nurtures, and matures the fruits. So it is with oneness and unified activity: my teaching now is like seasonal rain moistening the great earth everywhere; your buddha-natures are like seeds, which will all grow when thoroughly moistened thus. Those who get my message will certainly attain enlightenment; those who follow my practice will definitely realize the sublime result. Listen to my verse: The mind ground contains the seeds: With universal rain, all of them sprout. When you've suddenly realized the blossoming heart The fruit of enlightenment will naturally mature. Having uttered this verse, the Master said, The teaching has no dualism, neither does the mind; the Way is pure, without any signs. You should be careful not to contemplate stillness and empty your minds. The mind is originally clean, with nothing to grasp or reject. Each of you work on your own, going along as best you can according to circumstances.
Take no heed of time nor of right and wrong. Passing into the realm of the Infinite, take your final rest therein. (THE WISDOM OF LAOTSE, Pgs. 54-55)
Moon Viewing Thich Nhat Hanh If there is no self, there will be no samsara. Why then do you have to dissolve the self? Why do you have to stop samsara? There is no self, but there is the belief in a self. There is no samsara, but there is the idea of samsara. Is the full moon tonight a self? No, it is not a self. Is the moon viewer a self? No, he is not a self. How then can the moon viewer enjoy the moon? It is precisely because the moon has no self and the moon viewer has no self that both moon and moon viewer are wonderful, and that moon viewing is a wonderful thing. Moon viewing is our practice. From: 'my true names - collected poems'
"One man cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole." ~Mahatma Gandhi
*To be free from the idea of being someone - that is illumination* The human form is a microcosm of the universe. All that supposedly exists outside us in reality exists in us. The world is in you and can become known in you, as you. ~Jean Klein 'Who am I?'
Krishna said, "When the man or woman of vision sees that the powers of nature are only actors of this vast drama and beholds that which is beyond the powers of nature . . . he comes into my Being . . . and he who with neverfailing love adores me and works for me . . . passes beyond the three powers and can be one with the One." 'The Truth Will Set You Free' Svami Purna
Liberation Let go of all your previous imaginings, opinions, interpretations, worldly knowledge, intellectualism, egoism, and competitiveness; become like a dead tree, like cold ashes. When you reach the point where feelings are ended, views are gone, and your mind is clean and naked, you open up to Zen realization. After that it is also necessary to develop consistency, keeping the mind pure and free from adulteration at all times. If there is the slightest fluctuation, there is no hope of transcending the world. Cut through resolutely, and then your state will be peaceful. When you cannot be included in any stage, whether of sages or of ordinary people, then you are like a bird freed from its cage. ~Zen Master Yuanwu 'Zen Essence - The Science of Freedom' Ed. Thomas Cleary
The Way is arrived at by enlightenment. The first priority is to establish resolve-it is no small matter to step directly from the bondage of the ordinary person into transcendent experience of the realm of sages. It requires that your mind be firm as steel to cut off the flow of birth and death, accept your original real nature, not see anything at all as existing inside or outside yourself, and make your heart perfectly clear, without any obstruction, so all actions and endeavors emerge from the fundamental. ~Zen Master Yuanwu 'Zen Essence - The Science of Freedom' Ed. Thomas Cleary
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