*Glimpses of Self-Realization* - Who am I?’ is not a mantra. It means that you must find out where in you the ‘I-thought’ arises, which is the source of all other thoughts. ~ Ramana Maharshi

Breath control may do as an aid but can never by itself lead to the goal. While doing it mechanically, take care to be alert in mind and to remember the ‘I- thought’ and the quest for its source. Then you will find that where the breath sinks, there the ‘I-thought’ arises. They sink and arise together.

The ‘I-thought’ will also sink along with the breath. Simultaneously another luminous and infinite ‘I-I’ will emerge, and it will be continuous and unbroken. That is the goal. It goes by different names - God, Self, Kundalini, Shakti, Consciousness, etc.

Who am I?’ is not a mantra. It means that you must find out where in you the ‘I-thought’ arises, which is the source of all other thoughts. But if you find that 'Vichara marga' (path of inquiry) is too hard for you, you go on repeating ‘I-I’ and that will lead you to the same goal. There is no harm in using ‘I’ as a mantra. It is the first name of God.

- Gems

*Words of Wisdom* - Ramana Maharshi

Your thinking that you have to make an effort to get rid of this dream of the waking state and your making efforts to attain jnana [true knowledge] or real awakening are all parts of the dream. When you attain jnana you will see there was neither the dream during sleep, nor the waking state, but only yourself and your real state.
~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

Let it come what may, let go of what will be. See what remains. ~ Ramana Maharshi (Translated by Bing)

'Silence' - 'OSHO'

Silence

Learn silence. And at least with your friends, with your lovers, with your family, with your fellow travellers here, sit in silence sometimes. Don´t go on gossiping, don´t go on talking. Stop talking, and not only on the outside - stop the inner talk. Be in an interval. Just sit, doing nothing, just being presences to each other. And soon you will start finding a new way to communicate. And that is the right way.
Start communicating through silence sometimes. Holding the hand of your friend, sit silently. Just looking at the moon, feel the moon, and both feel it silently. And see, a communion happens - not only communication, but a communion. Your hearts start beating in the same rhythm. You start feeling the same space. You start feeling the same joy. You start overlapping each other´s being. That is communion. You have said without saying anything, and there will be no misunderstanding.

*WORDS OF WISDOM*

'Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside'.
—Ramana Maharshi

Dispassion brings abundance.

*POINTS TO PONDER* ~ 'Ramana Maharshi'

'The state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or becoming anything. If one has realized, he is That which alone is, and which alone has always been. He cannot describe that state. He can only be That. Of course we loosely talk of Self-Realization for want of a better term'.

The Buddha in 'Majjhima Nikaya' - Accept my words only when you have examined them for yourselves; do not accept them simply because of the reverence you have for me. Those who only have faith in me and affection for me will not find the final freedom. But those who have faith in the truth and are determined on the path, they will find awakening.

Nature of 'Sattvic' Food:
1. Sattvic foods are light and easy to digest
2. They bring clarity and perception
3. Sattvic food has the potential to unfolds love and compassion in the individual
4. Sattvic food promotes the qualities of forgiveness and austerity
5. It gives a feeling of contentment

Examples of sattvic (high prana) food:
1. Fruit - mango, pomegranate, coconut, figs, peaches, pears
2. Grains - rice, tapioca, blue corn
3. Vegetables - sweet potato, lettuce, parsley, sprouts, yellow squash
4. Beans - mung, yellow lentils, lima
5. Dairy - organic milk, fresh homemade yoghurt
6. Meat - none

'The unbroken 'samaya' is a lamp lit in spiritual darkness' - 'TILOPA'S 'MAHAMUDRA' SONG FOR 'NAROPA'

The body is essentially empty like the stem of a reed,
And the mind, like pure space, utterly transcends
the world of thought:
Relax into your intrinsic nature with neither abandon nor control -
Mind with 'no objective' is 'Mahamudra' -
And, with practice perfected, supreme enlightenment is gained.

The clear light of Mahamudra cannot be revealed
By the canonical scriptures or metaphysical treatises
Of the Mantravada, the Paramitas or the Tripitaka;
The clear light is veiled by concepts and ideals.
By harboring rigid precepts the true 'samaya' is impaired,
But with cessation of mental activity all fixed notions subside;
When the swell of the ocean is at one with its peaceful depths,
When mind never strays from indeterminate, non-conceptual truth,
The unbroken 'samaya' is a lamp lit in spiritual darkness.
Free of intellectual conceits, disavowing dogmatic principles,
The truth of every school and scripture is revealed.

'Being the source of everything, it is in everything' ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj'

*POINTS TO PONDER*

M: Again, it all depends on how you look at it. On the verbal level everything is relative. Absolutes should be experienced, not discussed.

Q: How is the Absolute experienced?

M: It is not an object to be recognized and stored up in memory. It is in the present and in feeling rather. It has more to do with the 'how' than with the 'what'. It is in the quality, in the value; being the source of everything, it is in everything.

Q: If it is the source, why and how does it manifest itself? M: It gives birth to consciousness. All else is in consciousness.

'I AM THAT' no 20 - Nisargadatta Maharaj

*POINTS TO PONDER*

'When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."

Jesus Christ in the 'Gospel of Thomas'

I have a thousand brilliant lies
For the question:
How are you?
I have a thousand brilliant lies
For the question:
What is God?

If you think that the Truth can be known
From words,
If you think that the Sun and the Ocean
Can pass through that tiny opening
Called the mouth,
O someone should start laughing!
Someone should start wildly
Laughing Now!
- Hafiz

'SELF' OR 'BRAHMAN' is nothing but Pure Consciousness without 'Name and Form' ~Swaathmaaraaman

Truly speaking, Pure Consciousness is indivisible, it is without parts. It has no form and shape, no 'within' and 'without'. There is no 'right' or 'left' for it. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

Jai Maa Durga!
 
“To gain noble virtues, all evil tendencies in the mind must be destroyed. This destruction is represented by the Goddess Durga. Durga is 'durgati harini': “She who removes our evil tendencies.” This is why she is called Mahishasura Mardini, the destroyer of Mahishaasura (demon), mahisha meaning “buffalo.” Isn’t there a buffalo in our minds as well?
The buffalo stands for 'tamoguna', the quality of laziness, darkness, ignorance and inertia. We have these qualities too. We love to sleep. Although we may have a lot of energy and potential inside us, we prefer to do nothing - just like the buffalo that likes to lie in pools of water. In the Puraanic story, Durga Devi’s killing of the 'Mahisha' demon is, symbolically, the destruction of the tamoguna within us that is very difficult to destroy. In the Durga Devi Havana (sacrifice), we invoke that Divine Power within us to destroy our animalistic tendencies.”

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - "Within, there is a wellspring of love. Tap that source and the energy of divine love will fill your heart." -Amma

A wise man should not give up the body out of aversion to it. Know that when once the prarabdha karma (result of accumulated actions) which was responsible for the creation of the body ceases, the bodily burden will automatically fall off.
~ Devikalottara

'Silence is the speech of the spiritual seeker'. ~ Sri 'Sathya Sai Baba'

Be silent yourself; that will induce silence in others. Do not fall into the habit of shouting, talking loudly or for long. Reduce contacts to the minimum. Carry with you an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, wherever you happen to be. Silence is the speech of the spiritual seeker.
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba

TILOPA'S 'MAHAMUDRA' SONG FOR NAROPA
The darkness of a thousand aeons is powerless
To dim the crystal clarity of the sun’s heart;
And likewise, aeons of samsara have no power
To veil the clear light of the mind’s essence.

Although space has been designated "empty",
In reality it is inexpressible;
Although the nature of mind is called "clear light",
Its every ascription is baseless verbal fiction.
The mind’s original nature is like space;
It pervades and embraces all things under the sun.
Be still and stay relaxed in genuine ease,
Be quiet and let sound reverberate as an echo,
Keep your mind silent and watch the ending of all worlds.
(excerpt)