Adi Shankara

“To be free from bondage, the wise man must practice discrimination between the Self and the non-Self.”

“Liberation cannot be achieved except by the direct perception of the identity of the individual self with the Universal Self.”

“He who though learned in the scriptures is yet attached to sense-objects, his erudition is in vain.”

“There is no liberation for him who is attached to the body, the senses, and so on.”

“The first and foremost qualification of the seeker is discrimination between the eternal and the non-eternal.”

“Indifference to the enjoyment of fruits in this world or in the next is a qualification.”

“Tranquility, self-control, withdrawal, forbearance, faith, and concentration of the mind — these are the six treasures.”

“And longing for liberation is the most important.”

“Without the desire for liberation, all other practices are like a body without life.”

“That thou art — Tat tvam asi — this is the supreme truth.”

“There is no greater obstacle to liberation than identification with the body.”

“Through the path of right discrimination, the wise come to discern the Self.”

“The Self can never be the body or the senses, for these are perceived; the Self is the perceiver.”

“That which is unseen, unborn, eternal — that is the Self.”

“The Self shines with its own light. Witness this in your direct experience.”

“Knowledge alone destroys ignorance, as light destroys darkness.”

“Just as a fire dies down when fuel is exhausted, so does the play of the mind cease when its fuel — desires — is exhausted.”

“The mind alone is the cause of bondage and of liberation.”

“For God dwells in the heart of all beings.”