The Self
What lies within
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am my beloved and my lover
I am in love with no other than myself, and my very separation is my union… I am my beloved and my lover; I am my knight and my maiden. – Ibn ‘Arabi
True love has no Lover or Beloved
Know that what appears to be Love for an ‘other’ is really Love of Self because ‘other’ doesn’t exist. So this innermost Love can be given to no ‘other’. Love of friends is for the sake of Self, not for body to body. True love has no Lover or Beloved because all Love is Love…
It is neither this nor that
It does not appear or disappear. It is not born and does not die. It is neither constructed nor raised up, Neither made nor produced. It is neither sitting nor lying, Neither walking nor standing still, Neither moving nor turning over, Neither at rest nor idle. It does not advance or retreat, Knows not safety…
Jewel in the crown
Neither this body am I, nor soul, Nor these fleeting images passing by, Nor concepts and thoughts, mental images, Nor yet sentiments and the psyche’s labyrinth. Who then am I? A consciousness without origin, Not born in time, nor begotten here below. I am that which was, is and ever shall be, A jewel in…
Happiness comes from the Self
True happiness cannot be found in things that change and pass away. Pleasure and pain alternate inexorably. Happiness comes from the Self and can be found in the Self only. Find your real Self and all else will come with it. – Nisargadatta Maharaj
The abyss that separates us from ourselves
What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we cannot cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? – Thomas Merton
Our unchanging centre
We are completely unaware of our true nature because we identify ourselves with our body, our emotions and our thoughts, thus losing sight of our unchanging centre, which is pure consciousness. When we return to our true nature, our thoughts and perceptions no longer appear as modifications of a single substance, they come into being…