In thinking, “This is I” and “That is mine”, he binds himself with his self, as does a bird with a snare.
Those who are ignorant of the supreme purpose of life will never be able to attain nirvana (liberation) in spite of their observance of the vratas (vows) and niyamas (rules) of religious conduct and practice of shila (celibacy) and tapas (penance).
Those who read books cannot understand the teachings and, what’s more, may even go astray. But those who try to observe the things going on in the mind, and always take that which is true in their own minds as their standard; never get muddled.
God first created light, all men are born out of it. The whole world came out of a single spark; who is good and who is bad? The Creator is in the creation, and the creation in the Creator, He is everywhere…He who surrenders to Him gets to know Him. God is invisible, He cannot be seen. The Guru has granted me this sweet gift. My doubts are dispelled. I have seen the Pure with my own eyes.
Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.
