Beyond All - Ashtavakra Gita

It is hard to find
A man who has an open mind,
Who neither seeks nor shuns
Wealth or pleasure,
Duty or liberation,
Life or death. . .

He does not want the world to end.
He does not mind if it lasts.

Whatever befalls him,
He lives in happiness.
For he is truly blessed.

Now that he understands,
He is fulfilled.
His mind is drawn within,
And he is fulfilled.

He sees and he hears,
He touches and smells and tastes,
And he is happy.

Whatever he does is without purpose.
His senses have been stilled.
His eyes are empty.

I Am Shiva

I am fulfilled.

The elements of nature,
The body and the senses,
What are they to me?

Or the mind?

What is emptiness or despair?

What are holy books,
Or knowledge of the Self,
Or the mind,
Even when it is free of the senses?

Or happiness,
Or freedom from desire?

I am always
One without two.

Knowledge or ignorance,
Freedom or bondage,
What are they?

What is "I,"
Or "mine,"
Or "this"?

Or the form of the true Self?

I am always one.

What do I care for freedom
In life or in death,
Or for my present karma?

I am always
Without I.

18 The Master

Love your true Self,
Which is naturally happy
And peaceful and bright!

Awaken to your own nature,
And all delusion melts like a dream.

How much pleasure you take
In acquiring worldly goods!

But to find happiness
You must give them all up.

The sorrows of duty,
Like the heat of the sun,
Have scorched your heart.

But let stillness fall on you
With its sweet and cooling showers,
And you will find happiness.

For the world is nothing.
It is only an idea.

But the essence of what is
And of what is not
Can never fail.

The Self is always the same,

Stillness - Ashtavakra Gita

All things arise,
Suffer change,
And pass away.

This is their nature.

When you know this,
Nothing perturbs you,
Nothing hurts you.

You become still.

It is easy.

God made all things.
There is only God.

When you know this,
Desire melts away.

Clinging to nothing,
You become still.

Sooner or later,
Fortune or misfortune
May befall you.

When you know this,
You desire nothing,
You grieve for nothing.

Subduing the senses,
You are happy.

Whatever you do
Brings joy or sorrow,
Life or death.

When you know this,

Bondage - Ashtavakra Gita

Bondage is when the mind longs for something,
grieves about something, rejects something, holds on to something,
is pleased about something or displeased about something. 8.1

Liberation is when the mind does not long for anything,
grieve about anything, reject anything, or hold on to anything,
and is not pleased about anything or displeased about anything. 8.2

Bondage is when the mind is tangled in one of the senses,
and liberation is when the mind is not tangled in any of the senses. 8.3

When there is no "me," that is liberation,

The mind desires this,
And grieves for that.
It embraces one thing,
And spurns another.

Now it feels anger,
Now happiness.

In this way you are bound.

But when the mind desires nothing
And grieves for nothing,

When it is without joy or anger
And, grasping nothing,
Turns nothing away. . .

Then you are free.

When the mind is attracted
To anything it senses,
You are bound.

When there is no attraction,
You are free.
Where there is no I,

You are free.
Where there is I,

You are bound.

Consider this.

It is easy.

Embrace nothing,
Turn nothing away.

The Clear Space of Awareness

The man who is pure of heart
Is bound to fulfill himself
In whatever way he is taught.

A worldly man seeks all his life,
But is still bewildered.

Detached from the senses,
You are free.

Attached, you are bound.

When this is understood,
You may live as you please.

When this is understood,
The man who is bright and busy
And full of fine words
Falls silent.

He does nothing.
He is still.

No wonder

Awareness

Yesterday
I lived bewildered,
In illusion.

But now I am awake,
Flawless and serene,
Beyond the world.

From my light
The body and the world arise.

So all things are mine,
Or nothing is.

Now I have given up
The body and the world,
I have a special gift.

I see the infinite Self.

As a wave,
Seething and foaming,
Is only water

The Self

O Master,
Tell me how to find
Detachment, wisdom, and freedom!
Child,
If you wish to be free,
Shun the poison of the senses.

Seek the nectar of truth,
Of love and forgiveness,
Simplicity and happiness.

Earth, fire and water,
The wind and the sky -
You are none of these.

If you wish to be free,
Know you are the Self,
The witness of all these,
The heart of awareness.

Ashtavakra Gita

If we tell you this is a famous Sanskrit scripture, you'll probably think ugh, heavy turgid stilted.

But it's none of those things. It's just a guy talking to you, an enlightened guy, telling you what he knows and how to see it for yourself. His words are weightless, airy, transparent -- especially in the remarkable translation by Thomas Byrom.

These are words for eye dancing, for mere awareness, for floating into infinity.