Swami Rama
Swami Rama Quotes about Thoughts
In my practice, when all the thoughts have gone through the mind, then I sit down and start to remember my mantra. Usually, you try to remember your mantra from the very beginning, and there are those thoughts waiting for your consultation, but you do not pay attention to them. Then, the thoughts are coming and going in your mind and you are trying to repeat your mantra, and the more the thoughts come, the more you repeat your mantra, and the result is an internal battle. That is not helpful; you do not need that.
Once we are determined to search for the truth through purified thoughts, speech, and actions, we are certain to find the way and reach the goal. Truth itself becomes our guide, and without making a mistake we will find ourselves on the right path.
A thought is like an unripened fruit that is not yet eaten by anyone. Ripening the fruit means bringing a positive thought into action. Many good thoughts die because they are not brought into action, so your good thoughts should definitely be brought into action.
Do not allow yourself to suppress your thoughts. Instead, let the thoughts come before you and become a sort of observer. Start observing your own mind. Do not try to escape; do not be afraid of your thinking.
The spiritual seeker should not worry about who the guru is, or what the guru will do. The seeker’s first concern is getting prepared, organizing his or her life and thoughts in a spiritually healthy way, and then working toward a way of life that simplifies and purifies. At the right time, the master will be there.
Careful vigilance and observation lead the student to study the incoming thoughts from the unconscious mind. The yogis recall all their samskaras, watch them, examine, and even select and reject them according to their need. Those thought patterns that are disturbing are rejected by the yogis, and those that are helpful are strengthened. A deep study of these three states-waking, dreaming, and sleeping-reveals that, with the help and practice of yoga nidra, one can go beyond all the levels of the unconscious.
It is impossible to understand what exists through reasoning or intellectual debates. Absolute truth cannot be scientifically proven because it cannot be observed, verified, or demonstrated through sensory perceptions. (...) This is why scientists cannot come to any objective conclusion about the immortality of the soul and the afterlife, and in any case, nothing could convince them. (...) The objective world is only half of the universe. What we perceive through our senses is not the world in its entirety. The other half, which includes the mind, thoughts, and emotions, cannot be explained by sensory perceptions of external objects. (...) The soul has not been created. It is essentially consciousness and is perfect. After the dissolution of the gross body, everything remains latent. The soul survives.
To achieve purity of mind, one should cultivate constant awareness by being mindful all the time. One should remain always aware of one's thoughts.