Religious Thought 126



Who is that Self? The Self, pure awareness, shines as the light within the heart, surrounded by the senses. Only seeming to think, seeming to move, the Self neither sleeps nor wakes nor dreams. When the Self takes on a body, he seems to Assume the body's frailties and limitations; But when he sheds the body at the time of Death, the Self leaves all these behind.
- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
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What does the spring wind have in mind, Coming day and night to these groves and gardens? It never asks who owns the peach and damson trees But blows away their crimson without a word.
- Ch'i-chi, "Clouds Should Know Me By Now"
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Religious Thought 125



If a man considers that he is born, he cannot avoid the fear of death. Let him find out if he has been born or if the Self has any birth. He will discover that the Self always exists, that the body that is born resolves itself into thought and that the emergence of thought is the root of all mischief. Find from where thoughts emerge. Then you will be able to abide in the ever-present inmost Self and be free from the idea of birth or the fear of death.
- Ramana Maharshi
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Materialistic knowledge can only provide a type of happiness that is dependent upon physical conditions. It cannot provide happiness that springs from inner development.
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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