So I've compiled a list of some of the most famous spiritual teachers, enlightened guru's, mathematical geniuses, crucial societal contributors, poet's, and the greatest thinkers from our human history who have all pointed to the exact same thing. Contrary to what media, government, and religious manipulators have told you, we aren't to bomb each other into the understanding of our limited viewpoints. Explosions aren't going to convince anyone on how life is 'supposed' to be, or how someone is supposed to behave. True understanding will only come if we go within and understand ourselves first and foremost. It's not an external problem as you will hopefully come to realize. This took me some time to put together so hopefully you will read this compilation and possibly peek some interest in yourSELF. Most, if not all of these thinkers are smarter than me or you ever were or will be so maybe just for a minute we can put aside our ignorance and biased egoic attitudes and retain the core message trying to be conveyed here....with love. "The kingdom of heaven is within"-Luke 17:20-21 "If you believe that heaven is in the sky, then the birds go in ahead of you"-Jesus (Gospel of Thomas) "He who knows himself knows his Lord". -Muhammad "What we are looking for is what is looking"-St. Francis of Asissi "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."-Albert Einstein "Of all knowledge, the wise and good seek most to know themselves." -William Shakespeare "Why are you so enchanted by this world, when a mine of gold lies within you?"~Rumi "Be still and know that I am god"-Psalm 46:10 “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.â€-Buddha "Thou sleep'st: awake, and see thyself."-William Shakespeare “Purity or impurity depends on oneself, No one can purify another.â€-Buddha “The Way is not in the sky; the Way is in the heart.†-Buddha “Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own self†-Quaran "When we seen men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves." -Confucious "If you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty and you are poverty." -Saint Thomas "Knowing thyself is the beginning of all Wisdom" -Aristotle “No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself. No man is free who cannot command himself.†―Pythagoras “Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.â€-Ramana Maharshi 'Know Thyself'-Plato "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."~Rumi "Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens." -Carl Jung "To be aware is to be awake. You are aware anyhow, you need not try to be. What you need is to be aware of being aware." - Nisargadatta "Know thyself and thou wilt know the universe." ~ Pythagoras "The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to reveal itself." - Thich Nhat Hanh "Instead of searching for what you do not have, find out what it is that you have never lost." - Nisargadatta "Each of us is something of a schizophrenic personality, tragically divided against ourselves." ~Martin Luther King, Jr "To know oneself is to know the everlasting reality that is consciousness, and to know it is to be it."-Kashani The last one is my favorite. Hope you enjoy.
There are literally hundreds of more quotes and enlightened people who have also come to this EXACT same conclusion, however I omitted them due to repetitiveness. Anyone is more than welcomed to add to this post with their own personal or favorite quoted on the topic.
“Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.â€-Ramana Maharshi ........Yep.. Nisargadatta has recently blown my mind with 'I Am That'...just holy shit..all about self-realization...and Q&A..which makes it so much better. Also, I think I posted this somewhere ...but it's so true..a favorite "The spiritual path is truly simple. It is simple because it is not about acquiring, accumulating, or achieving anything. It is all about giving up what we don't need. It's about giving up what isn't useful instead of acquiring things with the idea of going somewhere or achieving something. That was the old game. That game which we have been playing for a long time is like a vicious circle. It has no end. Sometimes the spiritual search itself prevents us from seeing the truth that is always one with us. We have to know when to stop the search. There are people who die while they are searching for the highest truth with philosophical formulas and esoteric techniques. For them spiritual practice becomes another egoic plot which simply maintains and feeds delusions. Amazing! Buddha, God, truth, the divine, the great mystery, whatever you have been searching for, is here right now." ~Anam Thubten Also-that ^ is true, but we must peel the layer back to really realize it. You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room. ~Dr. Seuss ^Just about the best philosopher ever
I like that quote TesseLated...I recently realized that. To constantly delve into the philosophy, minor details, and the how-tos in itself takes away from what you are "looking for".
This is what it looks like when you finally realize the cosmic for what it is... all your seriousness the egoic mind state has built up is no match for the infinite self realized being. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMHcak07pmE
I don't think you can grasp the true self entirely. It is ever changing with eternity, consciousness, infinite possibilities, and in a sense it doesn't even exist. You can gain understanding though. I've had an Alex Grey avatar for 10 years here, so don't question my authoritay "The infinite vibratory levels, the dimensions of interconnectedness are without end. There is nothing independent. All beings and things are residents in your awareness." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDlC7oG_2W4
You posted that somewhere else a long time ago..I looked for it on YT but couldn't find it..glad you posted that again. It's almost like you feel what she is feeling...a mix of absurdity, realization, and emptiness at the same time. I've had some flashes, but nothing nothing like that...lol.
This is from 'I Am That'...dense but worth a read..free on pdf Outside the Self there is nothing. All is one and all is contained in 'I am'. In the waking and dream states it is the person. In deep sleep and turiya it is the Self. Beyond the alert intentness of turiya lies the great, silent peace of the Supreme. But in fact all is one in essence and related in appearance. In ignorance the seer becomes the seen and in wisdom he is the seeing. ~Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj I still like thinking about other people's realizations, even though I believe the Thubten quote strongly...as far as not striving, just interested.
Yes...I think the same. We drop the self and become just Existence,,,and realize no-thing, emptiness? This is funny..heh. Nothing in particular about what we were talking about..although some of it could be applied..lol.
^ and it makes so much sense when you see it like that, yet can be the hardest to feel in the moment. I suspect it is because in the moment a problem can seem as if it is all that is, and like a dream that seems real until we wake up, so it simply takes us over unless we detach in a way that allows us to see 'problems' simply as things that are in need of attention. In a way, worrying about something you cannot change makes no sense, as does worrying about something you can. So not worrying is the only way to be, yet, without some sense of space, stillness, to buffer what appears, these 'tests' can become issues that reveal that in fact we are not quite where we need to be.
Definitely, it takes a long time to master yourself. I haven't..... only in intellect do I realize it's true. The challenge is integrating as a part of you...bring in the moment when problems come is a real test. Sucks when you've realized you haven't done it at all.
“GIVE YOUR ATTENTION to the experience of seeing rather than to the object seen and you will find yourself everywhere.†~Rupert Spira "As I can't be what I perceive, I am not this body-mind or any thing that I am conscious of."-Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj "As there must be something unchanging to register discontinuity, I am not this body-mind, which is neither continuous nor permanent."-Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj