55 quotes
The aim of life is to attain peace. No one can give us peace. We can't buy or borrow it. We have to cultivate it by practicing yama and niyama (yoga restraints and observances).
Ashtanga Yoga Primer (1981)
If the ego is pulled toward the world, it makes a wall. If the same ego is pulled toward God, it makes a ladder.
Control of the mind can be achieved by understanding yourself, the aim and the energy which is blocking us from progressing. Between God and the Self, the blocking energy is the ego.
Within the physical body every human being has a subtle body made up of invisible structures and energies (kundalini, nadis, and chakras); and within the subtle is the causal body out of which the subtle and physical bodies are formed.
Ashtanga Yoga Primer (1981)
We cannot describe it. We cannot reveal it. And when we do, we disappear.
The Yellow Book (1974)
You have everything and you want more. It's natural in human beings. You don't need to give away your house, money, and car, and leave your family to find God. The only thing necessary is to understand attachment.
To get out of the rut is not one day's job or one hour in a day or going to temples, churches or mosques on particular days. We have to reflect on all our thoughts all the time and turn the outgoing mind inward in every second of life.
Q: How do you define ego?
A: Ego is life. To keep the body's existence is ego. It is the part of the mind which identifies a creature with the world. Ego self tells you, “This is my body,” and also tells you, “This is my Self.” It connects the two.
Silence Speaks, from the chalkboard of Baba Hari Dass (1977)
Using siddhis (powers) is not good for those who possess them. It can also trap the mind into desires. By being pure in mind siddhis will come by itself, and a yogi should not try to show his powers. First thing is to have siddhis and then not to get trapped in siddhis.
The Yellow Book (1974)
Q: Is life a dream or a meditation?
A: Life is a meditation when you know it is a dream.
Yoga Journal (1977)
Human birth is the highest. It is for attaining liberation. If we don't consciously try for liberation, then we are misusing our human birth.Every action, thought, and word should be spiritual. It happens only when the mind is purified by sadhana (spiritual practice).
A person knows what he knows. An animal knows, but doesn't know what he knows. In Yoga, "I" consciousness is called asmita klesha. It is classified as an affliction and a hindrance to attaining higher consciousness.
Fire without Fuel - The Aphorisms of Baba Hari Dass (1986)
When I was building Kenchi Ashram, which is in Nainital District, I was told by the villagers that Hariakhan Maharaj used to live in a cave there. I preserved that cave, which is behind Hanuman Temple at Kenchi.
Hariakhan Baba: Known, Unknown (1975)
Q: Can intellect aid understanding?
A: It helps in the beginning but cannot give full enlightenment. The mind is the main instrument to gain enlightenment, but enlightenment is only reached when the mind stops.
Silence Speaks, from the chalkboard of Baba Hari Dass (1977)
Q: What can I do to overcome my fear of death?
A: Attachment to the body causes fear of death. It is the strongest attachment. Even a newborn infant has this attachment. To overcome the fear of death it is necessary to accept that we all have to die.
Silence Speaks, from the chalkboard of Baba Hari Dass (1977)