The Concise Yoga Vasistha provides a very clear and provocative summary of one of the leading texts on nondual Vedanta. Swami Venkatesananda continues the long tradition of elaborating on and clarifying the teachings of the sage Vasistha, and captures the vitality of the original text while eliminating much of the repetition. This edition also makes available a guide to the original Sanskrit without sacrificing philosophicaldepth. Yoga Vasistha contains some of the most profound teachings on the nature of reality and the individual ever recorded.
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Excerpt
The Self alone is to be sought, adored, and meditated upon. It is very easily accessible; it can be easily won over like a good friend, for it dwells in the heart-lotus of every one. It is attained in one’s own body, without even the need to call upon it: it manifests itself and reveals itself even if it is contemplated for an instant. This Self dwells in all bodies even as fragrance resides in flowers. It is realized through selfenquiry; there is an instant experience of supreme bliss and one gets an undying vision of truth: all fetters drop away, all enemies are quelled, and cravings do not agitate the mind.