"Know Thyself"

The simple method to enlightenment is to first know yourself.

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There was once a swami who used to teach students every day. One of the students listened attentively and heard the swami speaking about vairagya, the philosophy of non-attachment, and the student took off for a forest dwelling and there, he was enlightened. After dwelling there for twelve years, he wondered what had happened and what had been the fate of his friends, with whom he used to learn. So he returned to that place, and everyone was still sitting there exactly like before,and the swami was still lecturing. "What a waste of time!"

The point is that you don’t need much external information;you already have true knowledge within.You need to learn how to apply the knowledge that you have.You are taught: “Be good, be nice, be gentle, be loving.”You have all been taught that, but you should learn to practice, understand, and to apply that knowledge to yourself. You need to understand how you function,and the process that results in your actions.

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There is only one real book to study and learn from-the greatest of all books—and that is the very manuscript that you, yourself, are.

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Above all else, remember this one thing:It is easy to meet that Infinity within you—to attain that awareness, you just have to be silent and quiet.

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The best and deepest of the teachings is not communicated through books, speech or actions, but through silence. That special teaching is understood only when you are silent.

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I am telling you to face this reality: the path to enlightenment and unfoldment is not really so austere, abstruse, or difficult—it’s actually very easy. The easiest way to make progress is just to “know thyself”—to accept and understand yourself on all levels.

~ Swami Rama of The Himalayas ~