Friday, May 2, 2008

Excerpt from Vasistha's Yoga

"[T]he conditioned mind alone is bondage; and liberation is when the mind is unconditioned. The conditioning of the mind drops away when the truth is clearly seen and realized; and when the conditioning has ceased one's consciousness is made supremely peaceful, as when the flame of a lamp is put out. To realize that 'The Self alone is all this, whatever one may think of anywhere' is clear perception. 'Conditioning' and 'mind' are but words without corresponding truth: when the truth is investigated, they cease to be meaningful - this is clear perception. When this clear perception arises, there is liberation."

"Bondage is the craving for pleasure; and its abandonment is liberation".

- from Yoga Vasistha, translated by Swami Ventakesananda