Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Quotes | Suffering in the World

SUFFERING IN THE WORLD

Everyone is suffering. Everyone experiences birth, disease, old age and death. Everyone experiences fear, loneliness, emptiness, confusion, mental agitation, and heartache. Yet a fool, despite the fact that he keeps getting his teeth kicked in, never thinks twice about the whole thing. An intelligent person sees he is suffering and wants to know why. He thus becomes motivated to seek a solution to the problems of life. He seeks liberation. That is the beginning of spiritual life.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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The search for wisdom is a great challenge; to act on wisdom is an even greater challenge.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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We all want freedom, but real freedom is possible only if we understand our true identity.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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Existence is the only reality for the self. As water cannot be separated from wetness, so you, the self, cannot be separated from existence. Existence is an integral aspect of your essence.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Quotes | You, the Seer

What about the seer? What about you? This is the crux of the matter. Even if scientists can determine how electrochemical impulses translate into such varying forms as a golden sunset, a red truck, or a flower, the main question still remains: Where is the self who is looking at those forms and images? What is this self made of? In what part of the body or brain is it? In other words: What is your essence, and where are you?

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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The senses (whether they are the “normal” senses or “extra” senses) are really just channels by which information from the external world travels to and is impressed upon the mind. The self, then, perceives or views that information as it appears on the mind.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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“Awareness” refers to that inseparable, essential, inherent attribute of yours, the self, which enables you to perceive thoughts, feelings, the world, etc., and indeed your own existence (self awareness = awareness that “I am”).

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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Awareness refers not to the stream of mindstuff (thoughts, feelings, emotions, ideas, forms, etc.) but rather to the inherent characteristic or ability that enables you, the self, to perceive the stream of mindstuff.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Quotes | There Is Nothing Wrong With Differences In External Appearance

Each body has a multitude of different labels and characteristics. This in itself isn’t bad; just like it is not bad for people to wear different-colored clothes. What is bad is that due to identifying the body as the self, we wrongly consider the person to be the labels that are on his body.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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Being unable to see past the labels to the person himself, we end up in a world of barriers and conflict.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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Your behavior toward another person should not be based upon his external skin color or whatever, but on his behavior.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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There’s nothing wrong with differences in external appearance, labels, and external function. In fact, such differences are necessary and valuable. The problem arises when we falsely identify with our bodies and all the bodily labels and functions.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Quotes | We Cannot Have the Consciousness of Animals and Yet Have the Peace of Humans

Mystic yogis, by the practice of mystic or psychic powers, can do things that ordinary people consider very wonderful and miraculous. Such yogis then exploit the people, claiming that they are God Himself. And millions of foolish people believe such charlatans and blindly follow them. This is very unfortunate.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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There can never be harmony if we live like animals. We cannot have the consciousness of animals and yet have the peace of humans.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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There's a saying: “Misery likes company.” So-called religious fanatics are so miserable that they want to create as much havoc in society as possible. They want others to join them in their misery.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation

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For the world to be peaceful, we have to be peaceful within ourselves.

Jagad Guru Chris Butler - Science of Identity Foundation