V eiled by ignorance, The minds of man and Buddha Appear to be different; Yet in the realm of Mind Essence They are both of one taste. Sometimes they will meet each other In the great Dharmadhatu.

Milarepa quote, Buddhism, Mahayana

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F or him who... knows his own mind and sees intuitively his own nature, he is a Hero, a Teacher of gods and men, a Buddha.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan) Sutra of Hui Neng 1

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S maller than the smallest, greater than the greatest, this Self forever dwells within the hearts of all. When a man is free from desire, his mind and senses purified, he beholds the glory of the Self and is without sorrow. Though seated, he travels far; though at rest, he moves all things. Who but the purest of the pure can realize this Effulgent Being, who is joy and who is beyond joy. Formless is he, though inhabiting form. In the midst of the fleeting he abides forever. All-pervading and supreme is the Self. The wise man, knowing him in his true nature, transcends all grief.

The Upanishads quote, Hinduism Katha Upanishad 1.2.20-22

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B rahman shines forth, vast, self-luminous, inconceivable, subtler than the subtle. He is far beyond what is far, and yet here very near at hand. Verily, He is seen here, dwelling in the cave of the heart of conscious beings.

The Upanishads quote, Hinduism Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.7

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T he Master said, "Is Goodness indeed so far away? If we really wanted Goodness, we should find that it was at our very side."

Confucius quote, Confucianism Analects 7.29

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T hose who know men are merely clever; there are less than those who know themselves and surpass cleverness

Wang Bi quote, Daoism commentary on the Tao Te King, 33.1, trad. P.J. Lin, 1977, p.60

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C urb your appetite and you will more easily curb every inclination of the flesh.

Thomas a Kempis quote, Christianity Imitation of Christ. Page no 17 of pdf version from catholic encyclopedia site.

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Y our Lord lives within you; what do you search for outside? Kabir says: Listen, 0 brother, the Lord who has ravished my eyes, has united Himself with me.

Kabir quote, Others Beliefs / Litterature Bijak, Shastri, 1941;p.46

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W hat , more do you want, 0 soul! And what else do you search for outside, when within yourself you possess your riches, delights, satisfactions, fullness, and kingdom -your Beloved whom you desire and seek? Be joyful and gladdened in your interior recollection with Him, for you have Him so close to you. Desire Him there, adore Him there. Do not go in pursuit of Him outside yourself. You will only become distracted and wearied thereby, and you shall not find Him, nor enjoy Him more securely, nor sooner, nor more intimately than by seeking Him within you.

Saint John of the Cross quote, Christianity, Catholicism Spiritual Canticle, I.8; Kavanaugh & Rodriguez, 1973; p. 419

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I f men knew themselves, they would know God; and if they really knew God, they would be satisfied with Him and would think of Him alone.

Ibn 'Arabi quote, Islam, Sufism in Landau, 1959; p. 79

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T herefore, know your self, who you are, what is your identity. ... Consider well in what way you are Haqq, and in what way Khalq, as being separate, other. He who knows himself knows his Lord; ... indeed, He is his very identity and reality.

Ibn 'Arabi quote, Islam, Sufism in Austin, 1980; pp. 126, 153

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T hose who testify to the truth of the nature of the Self, Have found it by reflecting within themselves.

Hakuin quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan) in Suzuki, 1961, p. 336

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W ithdraw into yourself and look. And if you do not find yourself beautiful yet, act as does the creator of a statue that is to be made beautiful; he cuts away here, he smoothes there, he makes this line lighter, this other purer, until a lovely face has grown upon his work. So do you also; cut away all that is excessive, straighten all that is crooked, bring light to all that is in shadow; labor to make all one glow of beauty and never cease chiseling your statue until there shall shine out on you from it the godlike splendor of virtue, until you shall see the perfect goodness established in the stainless shrine.

Plotinus quote, Philosophy / Néoplatonism Enneads, 1:9; in Porphyry, Life Of Plotinus, Turnbull, 1936; p. 49

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H e that has the strength, let him arise and withdraw into himself, foregoing all that is known by the eyes, turning away forever from the material beauty that once made his joy.

Plotinus quote, Philosophy / Néoplatonism Enneads, 1:8; in Porphyry, Life Of Plotinus, Turnbull, 1936; p. 48

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Y ou could not in your travels find the source or destination of the soul, so deeply hidden is the Logos. [But] I searched for It [and found It] within myself. That hidden Unity is beyond what is visible. All men have this capacity of knowing themselves, [for] the soul has the Logos within it, which can be known when the soul is evolved. What is within us remains the same eternally; It is the same in life and death, waking and sleeping, youth and old age; for, It has become this world, and the world must return to It.

Heraclitus quote, Philosophy Adapted from fragments of Heraclitus found in Freeman, K., 1962; pp. 24-34. Fragment nbr. 45, 101, 54, 116, 115,88

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T he wise, having searched deep within their own hearts, Have perceived the bond (bandha) between the Real (sat) and the unreal (asat).

The Rig Veda quote, Hinduism x.129.2-7

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T o find a buddha all you have to do is see your nature. Your nature is the buddha.

Bodhidharma quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan) The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma. Trans. Red Pine. New York: North Point Press, 1987, pp. 13-15

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A humble knowledge of ourselves is a surer way to God than is the search for depth of learning.

Thomas a Kempis quote, Christianity The Imitation of Christ. Trans. Richard Whitford, moderenized by Harold C. Gardiner. New York: Doubleday, 1955, p. 35

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Q uestioner: How can we know ourselves? K. Answers: …Through self knowledge you begin to find out what is God, what is truth, what is that state which is timeless. Your teacher may pass on to you the knowledge which he received from his teacher, and you may do well in your examinations, get a degree and all the rest of it; but, without knowing yourself as you know your own face in the mirror, all other knowledge has very little meaning. Learned people who don't know themselves are really unintelligent; they don't know what thinking is, what life is. That is why it is important for the educator to be educated in the true sense of the word, which means that he must know the workings of his own mind and heart, see himself exactly as he is in the mirror of relationship. Self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom. In self-knowledge is the whole universe; it embraces all the struggles of humanity.

Jiddu Krishnamurti quote, Hinduism Think on these Things

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T he door by which we can enter this castle is prayer. It is absurd to think that we can enter Heaven without first entering our own souls -- without getting to know ourselves, and reflecting upon the wretchedness of our nature and what we owe to God, and continually imploring His mercy.

Saint Teresa of Avila quote, Christianity, Catholicism Interior Castle. Trans. E. Allison Peers. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1990, p. 53, Second Mansions, Chapter 1, paragraph 12

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W ho knows his soul knows his Lord.

Jalâl ud Dîn Rumi quote, Islam, Sufism Signs of the Unseen: The Discourses of Jalaluddin Rumi, p. 59, Trans. W.M. Thackston, Jr. Putney, Vermont: Threshold Books, 1994

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I have lived on the lip of insanity, wanting to know reasons, knocking on a door. It opens. I've been knocking from the inside!

Jalâl ud Dîn Rumi quote, Islam, Sufism The Essential Rumi, p. 281, Trans. Coleman Barks with John Moyne. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995

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T here is a force within that gives you life- Seek that. In your body there lies a priceless jewel- Seek that. Wandering Sufi, If you are in search of the greatest treasure, don't look outside, look inside, and seek That.

Jalâl ud Dîn Rumi quote, Islam, Sufism Star, Jonathan, and Shiva, Shahram, trans. A Garden Beyond Paradise. New York: Bantam Books, 1992

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R emember that the Hidden Power within us pulls the strings; there is the guiding force, there is the life, there, one might say, is the man himself Never think of yourself as a mere body with its various appendages; the body is like the ax of a carpenter: dare we think that the ax is the carpenter himself? Without this Inner Cause, which dictates both action and inaction, the body is of no more use than the weaver's shuttle without a weaver, the writer's pen without a writer, or the coachman's whip without a horse and carriage. Honor the highest thing in the Universe; it is the power on which all things depend; it is the light by which all of life is guided. Honor the highest within yourself; for it, too, is the power on which all things depend, and the light by which all life is guided. Dig within. Within is the well-spring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig.

Marcus Aurelius quote, Philosophy, Stoicism Book 10:38, Book 5:2 1, and Book 7:59.

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I f you would free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death, you must learn the direct way to become a Buddha. This way is no other than the realization of your own Mind … If you want to realize your own Mind, you must first of all look into the source from which thoughts flow. Sleeping and working, standing and sitting, profoundly ask yourself, 'What is my own Mind," with an intense yearning to resolve this question. This searching of one's own Mind leads ultimately to enlightenment.

Bassui Zenji quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan) Kapleau, Philip. The Three Pillars of Zen. Boston: Beacon Press, 1965, PP. 160-161, 164, 169.

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