Sri Annamalai Swami - Quotes
Mind
"Mind is just a shadow. Attempts to catch it and control it are futile. They are just shadows chasing shadows. You can't control or eliminate a shadow by chasing it or by putting a shadow hand on it."
— Sri Annamalai Swami
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Mind
" Attempts to eliminate or control your mind cannot succeed while there is still a belief that the mind is real, and that it is something that can be controlled by physical or mental activity. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Meditation
" Meditation needs to be continuous. Don't allocate periods of time for this. Don't regard it as something you do when you sit with your eyes closed. Continue to do it while you are eating, walking and even talking. It has to be continued all the time. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Meditation
" When I say, ‘Meditate on the Self’ I am asking you to be the Self, not think about it. Be aware of what remains when thoughts stop. Be aware of the consciousness that is the origin of all your thoughts. Be that consciousness. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Meditation
" Self-enquiry must be done continuously. It does not work if you regard it as a part-time activity. You may go two steps forward when you practise, but you go five steps backward when you stop your practice and go back to your worldly affairs. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Awareness
" In every moment you only have one real choice: to be aware of the Self or to identify with the body and the mind. If you choose the latter course, don't blame God or God's will, or predestination. God did not make you forget the Self. You yourself are making that choice every second of your life. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Awareness
" At the moment this 'I am the body' idea seems very natural for you. You should work towards the point where 'I am the Self' becomes natural to you. It happens when the wrong idea of being the body goes, and when you stop believing it to be true, it vanishes as darkness vanishes when the sun appears. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
In the presence of a Jnani
" When you are in the presence of a Jnani, keep quiet. Make contact with the silence of the Self within. This is the way of making contact with your Guru, and it is also the best attitude to have when you are sitting in his presence. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
In the presence of a Jnani
" Those who come to a jnani and do selfless service to him find themselves becoming spiritual millionaires when they receive the jnani's unused Punyas. And those who come to abuse and insult the jnani end up receiving all his unused Papams. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Surrender
" For the Guru's grace to work on us, we have to surrender. We have to give up all the things of this world, and all the other worlds and direct all our attention towards the Self. If we want anything in this world or the next, our energies will be dispersed in these desires and to fulfil these desires we will have to be born again and again. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Work
" Don't differentiate between work and meditation. If you don't differentiate, every job you do becomes meditation. And don't make distcinctions between different kinds of work. Don't think, 'This is good work. That is bad work.' If you treat all work equally, any work you do will be beneficial for your sadhana. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Thoughts
" Whatever kind of thought arises, have the same reaction:'Not me, not my business'.It can be a good thought or a bad thought. Treat them the same way.'To whom are these thoughts arising? To You.'That means you are not the thought. You are the Self.Remain as the Self, and don't latch onto anything that is not the Self. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Thoughts
" The thought ‘I am meditating’ is an ego thought. If real meditation is taking place, this thought cannot arise. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami
Thoughts
" Remember that nothing that happens in the mind is 'you', and none of it is your business. You don't have to worry about the thoughts that rise up inside you. It is enough that you remember that the thoughts are not you. "
— Sri Annamalai Swami