Memorable Quotations from Yoga Scriptures of the Ancient Siddha Lineage Tradition

"One's own thoughts is one's world. What a person thinks is what he becomes - that is the eternal mystery. If the mind dwells within the supreme Self, One enjoys undying happiness." - Maitri Upanishad

Dancing Shiva The following quotations from the ancient Shaivite and Vedic scriptures are based on the ancient true path of the Siddha (enlightened liberated yogi) lineage and philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism and Vedanta that, I personally believe, has close similarity with the Taoist and Buddhist tantric philosophy and psychology of liberation. Kashmir Shaivism is a nondual philosophy that recognizes the entire universe as a manifestation of Shiva, as the play of His divine conscious energy, Shakti, or Chiti. In Shaivism, Supreme Shiva (Paramashiva) is the all-pervasive supreme Reality, the unmoving, transcedent divine Consciousness. In the Hindu trinity, Shiva, or the Self, is the aspect of God as the destroyer of ignorance.

May the following quotations from the ancient Shaivite and Vedic scriptures lead you to further additional Kundalini Shakti (Qi) exploration, study, chanting, mantra-repetition, selfless service, satsang, spending time in the company of saints and practice of the Guru principle and their basic centering meditation techniques to purify the mind and break the chain of inner words that will eventually assist you in your spiritual journey and liberation, as the practices have assisted me greatly as a long-time Yoga and Qigong practitioner, toward love, transformation, spontaneous healing and personal freedom through Self-realization or Realization of Buddha nature. Siddha Guru Baba Muktananda writes, "The universe is a garden for us to roam with love. It is not intended as a source of attachment, jealousy, hatred, or anxiety. These only destroy our equanimity. Give up all desires. If something comes, let it come; if something goes, let it go. It is all Shiva's play. This is not a mere universe; it is the image of Him. Knowing it as Shiva, love it. Meditate on the awareness that all conscious beings as well as inert matter are Shiva. Having the knowledge of Shiva, understand that the world is the embodiment of Him."

"It is to attain the bliss of samadhi that we should meditate, that we should have our Kundalini awakened by the grace of a master. We do not meditate to attain God, because we have already attained Him. We meditate so that we can become aware of God manifest within us."

And this is why he always tells everyone, "Meditate on your Self, honor your Self, understand your Self, worship your Self, for God dwells within you as you."

"Ignorance is the root cause of all suffering. It is also the forgetfulness of one's own Self." - Shankaracharya, Aparokshanubhuti, 17

Lokananda samadhi sukham - "The bliss of the world is the ecstasy of samadhi." - Shiva Sutras, I, 18

"Moksa or liberation is nothing else but the awareness of one's true nature." - Abhinavagupta, Tantra I, p. 192

"Neither reject anything, nor accept, abide in your essential Self which is an Eternal presence." Abhinavagupta, Anuttarastika, 2

"Why do you look for Him only in churches or mosques? Do you not see His creation? Where does He not abide? The whole universe made by Him recites His tale." - Sarmad

"He is the real Guru Who can reveal the form of the formless before your eyes; who teaches the simple path, without rites or ceremonies; Who does not make you close your doors, and hold your breath, and renounce the world; Who makes you perceive the Supreme Spirit whenever the mind attaches itself; Who teaches you to be still in the midst of all your activities. Fearless, always immersed in bliss, he keeps the spirit of yoga in the midst of enjoyments." - Kabir

"Like oil in sesame seeds, butter in cream, water in the river bed, fire in tinder, the Self dwells within. Realize that Self through meditation." - Shvetashvatara Upanishad

"Just by repeating the Name, that which cannot be understood will be understood. Just by repeating the Name, that which cannot be seen will be seen." - Jnaneshwar Maharaj

"Contemplate Kundalini, Who is supreme Consciousness, who plays from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, Who shines like a flash of lightning, Who is fine as the fiber of the lotus stalk, Who has the brilliant radiance of countless suns, Who isa shaft of light as cool as hundreds of nectarian moonbeams." - Shri Vidya Antar Yaga

"Yoga is the stilling of the vrittis [modifications] of the mind." - Patanjali Yoga Sutras, I, 2

"Smaller than the smallest, greater than the greatest. This Self forever dwells in the hearts of all. A person freed from desire, with mind and senses purified, Beholds the glory of the Self and is without sorrows." - Katha Upanishad

"He who continually perceives this entire universe as a sport of the universal Consciousness is truly Self-realized beyond any doubt; he is liberated in this body." - Vasuguptacharya, Spanda Shastra

"There is neither bondage nor liberation for me. Bondage and liberation frighten only those who are ignorant of their essential nature. The universe appears as a reflection in the intellect like the image of the sun in water." - Vijnana Bhairava, 135

"O my blessed beloved, awake! Why do you sleep in ignorance." - Kabir

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

Baba Muktananda says, "Chanting the divine name is the most sublime way to develop inner love. The divine lover pursues God through his divine name."
"Chant the mantra with great feeling. Chant with all your heart and the bliss will come. No negativities can withstand the bliss of the Lord's name."

"The dancer in this field of universal dance is his
Self of universal consciousness." - Shiva Sutra 3.9

What is this universal dance? It is everything that you experience in your life. It may be coming. It may be going. It may be birth, death, joy, sadness, depression, happiness, enjoyment. All of this forms part of the universal dance, and this dance is a drama. In this field of drama, the actor is your own nature, your own Self of universal consciousness. This Self of universal consciousness is the one who is aware, he is the actor in this universal drama. Those who are not aware are not actors, they are played in this drama. They experience sadness, they experience enjoyment, they become joyful, they become depressed. But those who are aware, they are always elevated; they are the real players in this drama.

So it is your own Self of universal consciousness which is, in fact, the actor. Why? Because he acts. The actor is he who conceals his real nature. When you conceal the real nature of your being and, to the public, reveal another form of your being, that is the behavior of acting. Because when any person, say, a person named Denise, is the real actor and, as an actor, she appears as Lord Krisna, as Lord Siva, as a woman, as a child, as a silly fellow, then the real and actual state of her being is concealed. So for others, the actual state of her being is concealed and a superficial formation is revealed. But for her, the actual state of her being is not concealed. She knows she is Denise. At the time of becoming Lord Krisna or Siva or Jesus Christ, she is aware of her being Denise. In herself, she knows she is really Denise.