Becoming unattached

(Quotations from Vasishtha)

I am the changeless Brahman which is realised when both elation at having gained what one desires and depression at not having gained it are transcended.
(p. 343)

Renunciation is the renunciation of hopes and aspirations. When one feels the presence of the Lord in all appearances and modifications and when one abandons all delusion of duality, that is regarded as surrender to the Lord, or offering of self and all to the Lord.
(p. 399)

No delight in the world is comparable to the delight that will fill your heart when you completely abandon all desires and hopes. Not in kingship, nor in heaven, nor in the company of the beloved does one experience such delight as when one is free from hope.
(p. 297)

Not till one renounces everything is self-knowledge gained: when all points of view are abandoned, what remains is the self. This is true even of life in this world: one does not get what one desires unless the obstacle to it is removed. It is even more so in self-knowledge.
(p. 282)

Until one turns away from sense-pleasure here, one will continue to roam in this world of sorrow. Even a strong man will not reach his destination if he does not move towards it. No one can reach the state of total dispassion without persistent practice.
(p. 228)

If you cannot overcome desire completely, then deal with it step by step. The wayfarer does not despair at the sight of the long road ahead but takes one step at a time...
(p. 520)

When dispassion matures, the spirit of enquiry arises in oneself. The spirit of enquiry strengthens dispassion. The two are interdependent, even as the ocean and the clouds are. These two and also self-realisation are all intimate friends and always exist together.
(p. 230)

©1999 by Deb Platt


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