The Book of Freedom

You are not mind. You are not body. You are not feeling. It’s easier to express true essence through negation.

* * *

Only having dumped from yourself all opinions of a society of who you should be, it is possible to learn who you are. Only having learnt who you are, it is possible to see whom you can become.

* * *

Not loving yourself, it’s impossible to experience the same feeling to another. Hating yourself, it’s impossible not to experience the same feeling to another.

* * *

Happiness is out of mind limits. Feeling is out of mind limits. Observation covers them all.

* * *

Ability to feel makes one living. Ability to think makes one reasonable. Nobody but you can aid in learning yourself.

* * *

The fish, who is going down stream, can be washed ashore by inflow. The fish who is going against the stream, may not reach. It’s possible to act without explicit purpose.

* * *

Mind will assure you that you are better. Mind will force you to be at war. Only having been tired of blood of victories, it is possible to start wishing to wash hands.

* * *

Without having the goal, you will not start moving. Having not started moving, it is impossible to reach. Only the one who has no place to go finally reaches.

* * *

Wishing much means to suffer defeat one day. Wishing little means to accept it now. The victory is possible only in the absence of desires but who will desire this victory?

* * *

If everyone can aid himself, aid to others will be ceased. But everyone knows how to aid others, and no one how to aid himself.

* * *

Being reasonable, you cease to be living. Being responsible, you cease to be living. Being moral, you cease to be living. Only having managed to become them all at own will for a while, you remain them.

* * *

Operating the house, it’s possible to do it badly. Operating the country, it’s possible to do it badly. Operating the world, it’s possible to do it badly. The highest skill possible is in mastering yourself.

* * *

Having dissolved in the world - you will lose yourself. Having dissolved in the other - you will lose yourself. Only having dissolved in yourself, you will find true yourself.

* * *

Joy is not in achievement. Joy is not in comprehension. True joy is in their possibility.

* * *

Having learnt others, you will not learn yourself. Without having learnt yourself, it is impossible to learn others. Let everyone think of how much he should do himself.

* * *

To answer a question "Who I am" is more difficult, than a question "Whom I can become". But without having answered the first question, it is impossible to answer the second.

* * *

The one living forever is the one who never dies. The one who never dies is the one who knows no such thing as death.

* * *

To live alone - means to live in suffering. To live together - means to live in suffering. A peace with yourself is necessary at first.

* * *

It’s possible to be a holy man – and never reach. It’s possible to be a sinner – and never reach. Reaching yourself has nothing in common with others.

* * *

It's possible to have things - and not to be adhered to them. It's possible not to have things - and to be adhered to them. But in order to be released from their adherence you once have to reject them.

* * *

The victory of one is defeat of another. Defeat of one is a victory of another. The one truly free can neither win, nor be defeated.

* * *

Release from grief is joy. Release from joy is calmness. Release from calmness is death.

* * *

The thick-skinned do not feel soft touches. Turtles never run. Moles know no such thing as sun. Wingless have no power to fly. Such is the way of things.

* * *

Light cannot reach closed eyes. Eyes of sleeping ones never shine brightly with light. Light disseminates darkness by its very nature. Such is the way of things.

* * *

What was living yesterday, today became dead once again to further create life in a new form. Life and death are inseparable and one does not exist without another. Such is the way of things.

* * *

The unblown flower becomes a weed for those near him.

The withered oasis becomes a part of desert.

Not thawed ice becomes an iceberg in ocean.

The lake, born in adverse environment, becomes a bog.

The nature knows no emptiness.

Such is the way of things.

* * *

Nobody can become everything. The one who was everything can become nobody. External greatness has nothing in common with inner one.

* * *

Plants do feel. Animals do think. Humans consider only themselves reasonable. We are all parts of single whole.

* * *

Living for yourself – you live for others. Living for others – you live for yourself. Only those learnt will confirm these words.

* * *

Joy is necessity. Happiness is necessity. Love is necessity. Creativity remains a possibility.

* * *

They say : “It’s wrong”. They say : “It’s not done in that way”. Only having denied interdictions, it’s possible to learn to create.

* * *

Freedom “together” is not a freedom. Freedom “from” is not a freedom. The true freedom – is a freedom “for”.

* * *

The sun knows not right ones. The sun knows not wrong ones. The sun shines having no purpose to warm someone. The one who has found his true nature is like the sun.

* * *

The stream cannot be compared to the river. The river cannot be compared to the sea. The one who has found his true nature is like the ocean.

* * *

It’s possible to accumulate lots of knowledge – and to know nothing. It’s possible to have no knowledge – and to know a lot. Only in silence of own experience an enlightenment is born.

* * *

To know all about all is impossible. To know all about others is senseless. To learn even yourself, the Eternity may not suffice.

* * *

The dog howls not from joy. The cat purrs not from grief. Both dogs and cats are unable to alter their nature. Is human capable of doing so?

* * *

One thousand opinions on you are not you. Your words are not you. The one who knows himself is capable to operate all three, still remaining the fourth.

* * *

It’s possible to talk with sinners - and to remain holy. It’s possible not to torture the body - and to remain holy. It's possible to live simple life - and to remain holy. The true holiness is holiness of consciousness.

* * *

The one plunged in crowd will not find himself. The one renounced the world will not learn others. One can learn himself without renouncing, but can never renounce himself.

* * *

The sacred accepts approval of others. The sinner accepts hatred of others. The wise does not seek attention of others like the first and the second.

* * *

The prayer “for” is begging. The prayer “contra” is hopelessness. The prayer “pro” is unfulfilled hope. For truly free one his entire life becomes the only possible prayer.

* * *

Only the poor needs alms. Only the ignorant about his own ignorance needs belief. Only the one tempered in hearth of own experience has no need for superstitions of others.

* * *

It’s never possible to accept yourself, renouncing. It’s possible to change yourself, only having accepted. It’s possible to learn yourself, only having remembered.

* * *

The invisible balance reigns in Universe. Because of a dust of personal desires people are not capable to behold it. The human is free to choose his own way in the world. To change the uniform laws of Universe is not in his powers.

* * *

The reason has no physical form. The mind – is just a guide for a reason. The guide knows nothing about an unfamiliar route, but is capable to tell of him to another when the journey is finished.