100 Quotes About Liberation

Liberation is a powerful and transformative experience and we all have the potential to experience it. But what is it? Is it freedom from fear, anger, oppression, or those that control you? Is it having total control over your actions? More importantly, do we even know how to achieve such a goal? The answers to these tough questions reveal four paths to liberation: personal, political, spiritual and material. We’ve gathered the most inspiring and wise quotes on liberation — many of which we think you’ll find quite inspiring — in one place for your reading pleasure.

Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom...
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Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. Unknown
Irrational expectations are at the root of most human suffering.
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Irrational expectations are at the root of most human suffering. Stefan Molyneux
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She had lost herself in this old work, her personality dissolving into it, so that she had been set free. The immortality of the soul lies in its dissolution; this was the cryptic comment that so frustrated Olivier and which Julien had only ever grasped as evidence for the history of a particular school of thought. He had known all about its history, but Julia knew what it meant. He found the realization strangely reassuring. . Iain Pears
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Yes, sex is troublesome and beautiful. And only when we drop our expectations, and know that we'll have moments of great sex and moments when our sexuality confounds, pains, or infuriates us, will we be liberated to enjoy it in a way that's true to ourselves. Alexandra Katehakis
Accept yourself: flaws, quirks, talents, secret thoughts, all of it,...
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Accept yourself: flaws, quirks, talents, secret thoughts, all of it, and experience true liberation. Amy Leigh Mercree
I'd rather be interesting, original, & unique then follow the...
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I'd rather be interesting, original, & unique then follow the pack. Revel in who you truly are & be liberated! Amy Leigh Mercree
Whatever it is that may be bothering you, whatever it...
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Whatever it is that may be bothering you, whatever it is that may have your attention arrested, you have the power to rescue yourself. D. Allen Miller
If you've got nothing to dance about, find a reason...
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If you've got nothing to dance about, find a reason to sing. Melody Carstairs
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An afternoon drive from Los Angeles will take you up into the high mountains, where eagles circle above the forests and the cold blue lakes, or out over the Mojave Desert, with its weird vegetation and immense vistas. Not very far away are Death Valley, and Yosemite, and Sequoia Forest with its giant trees which were growing long before the Parthenon was built; they are the oldest living things in the world. One should visit such places often, and be conscious, in the midst of the city, of their surrounding presence. For this is the real nature of California and the secret of its fascination; this untamed, undomesticated, aloof, prehistoric landscape which relentlessly reminds the traveller of his human condition and the circumstances of his tenure upon the earth. "You are perfectly welcome, " it tells him, "during your short visit. Everything is at your disposal. Only, I must warn you, if things go wrong, don't blame me. I accept no responsibility. I am not part of your neurosis. Don't cry to me for safety. There is no home here. There is no security in your mansions or your fortresses, your family vaults or your banks or your double beds. Understand this fact, and you will be free. Accept it, and you will be happy. Christopher Isherwood
The worldly life means a market place of sensual pleasures....
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The worldly life means a market place of sensual pleasures. Worldly life means false (temporary) happiness all the time. And moksha (liberation) means permanent happiness all the time. Dada Bhagwan
The essence of one life is empowering another life, and...
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The essence of one life is empowering another life, and so your passion has to be linked to the liberation of other people’s happiness. Israelmore Ayivor
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For true liberation, you do not need to fight. You simply have to change your thoughts and drift away from conformity, comfort, security, and certainty of life and embrace and enjoy the possibilities and magnificence of the uncertainty of life. Debasish Mridha
Own your own dreams Cornelius Crapp to Gerald Crapp
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Own your own dreams Cornelius Crapp to Gerald Crapp Noel David
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Though he never actually joined it, he was close to some civilian elements of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which was the most Communist (and in the rather orthodox sense) of the Palestinian formations. I remember Edward once surprising me by saying, and apropos of nothing: 'Do you know something I have never done in my political career? I have never publicly criticized the Soviet Union. It’s not that I terribly sympathize with them or anything–it's just that the Soviets have never done anything to harm me, or us.' At the time I thought this a rather naïve statement, even perhaps a slightly contemptible one, but by then I had been in parts of the Middle East where it could come as a blessed relief to meet a consecrated Moscow-line atheist-dogmatist, if only for the comparatively rational humanism that he evinced amid so much religious barking and mania. It was only later to occur to me that Edward's pronounced dislike of George Orwell was something to which I ought to have paid more attention. . Christopher Hitchens
Only Gnan (Knowledge of the Self) will give liberation. All...
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Only Gnan (Knowledge of the Self) will give liberation. All other instruments (& practices) create bondage. Dada Bhagwan
Unity does not exist in the world. Only when the...
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Unity does not exist in the world. Only when the Gnani Purush [the enlightened one] grants moksha [liberation], does unity arise. Unity cannot prevail without Gnan [knowledge of the self]. Dada Bhagwan
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The actions carried out with ignorance of the Self [agnan bhaav, ignorance intent] is all bondage. Every action done with the awareness of I am pure Soul [gnan bhaav, knowledge intent], will grant liberation. Dada Bhagwan
Ignorance is not bliss its painful and embarrassing
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Ignorance is not bliss its painful and embarrassing Rassool Jibraeel Snyman
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Every action (‘doing’) causes bondage. ‘Doing’ is not needed for Liberation. For liberation, ‘action’ of Knowledge is required. Action of ignorance [of the self] is bondage. Action done with egoism is known as ignorant-action and the action done without egoism is known as knowledge-action. Dada Bhagwan
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Knowledge’ may be there but ‘correctness’ is required along with it. If you have ‘knowledge’ but don’t have the ‘correctness’; you will go to moksha, but others will not gain any benefit! Dada Bhagwan
What is the body complex (pudgal)? It is influx and...
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What is the body complex (pudgal)? It is influx and outflow (puran-galan); it is credit and debit. And if you attain knowledge of the Soul, the Self, then you will attain Moksha (liberation). Dada Bhagwan
Education is liberation, knowledge is power.
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Education is liberation, knowledge is power. Henry Johnson Jr
Life may try to knock you down but be persistent...
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Life may try to knock you down but be persistent with your passions - cultivate grit, resilience, tenacity and endurance success will come. Amit Ray
Freedom of speech is unnecessary if the people to whom...
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Freedom of speech is unnecessary if the people to whom it is granted do not think for themselves. Mokokoma Mokhonoana
Liberate yourself from any mental captivity.
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Liberate yourself from any mental captivity. Lailah Gifty Akita
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Even scientists and academics are frequent prey to the delusion that reality is reducible. Fear, deep and wide, is the secret motive force of much human behavior, and I think reduction is often rooted in fear. Passing over fear, I think, is the beginning of every liberatory project. Stan Goff
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Don't be afraid of books, even the most dissident, seemingly 'immoral' ones. Culture is a sure bet in life, whether high, low, eclectic, pop, ancient or modern. And I am convinced that reading is one of the most important tools of liberation that any human being, and a contemporary Arab woman in particular, can exploit. I am not saying it is the ONLY tool, especially with all the new alternative - more visual, interactive and hasty - ways of knowledge, learning and growth. But how could I not be convinced of literature's power, when it has been my original emancipator? . Joumana Haddad
We have glorified wealth and freedom so much that it...
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We have glorified wealth and freedom so much that it is impossible for most of us to truly believe that a man can truly be happy in a shack or within the confines of a prison cell. Mokokoma Mokhonoana
When one remains ‘sincere’, no type of fear will come...
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When one remains ‘sincere’, no type of fear will come to him in the worldly life (sansar) and it will lead him to moksha (ultimate liberation)! Dada Bhagwan
Own your own dreams
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Own your own dreams Noel David
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All the colours in the rainbow don't compare, With one look in your impossible eyes, And I walked into the trap with my eyes wide shut, But I never knew what it would be like. All the plans were made, In the wooded glade, Where your body was split wide open, And I count to ten, As the race begins, Round your hairpin bends. Sometimes I feel I'll float away, Sometimes I feel I'll float away, Sometimes I feel I'll float away, Without you to hold me. I can't count the times I forgot my lines, And you pretended that you didn't know, Let me take you through each stage of the male mistake, And we'll adopt our natural roles. And I need you more, Than you need to be needed, So I sign my will one stab at a time, And I count to ten, As the race begins, Round your hairpin bends. Sometimes I feel I'll float away, Sometimes I feel I'll float away, Sometimes I feel I'll float away, Without you to hold me. Sometimes I feel I'll float away, Sometimes I feel I'll float away, Sometimes I feel I'll float away, Without you to hold me. Away, away, away, away ". Suede
Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.
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Those who do not move, do not notice their chains. Rosa Luxemburg
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You can do anything you want. You don't believe me. You think, she's out of her head. Yeah, I'm out of my head- on being me. What are you on? On being them. You don't even know. I bet you were never given a chance to know...Listen. You can be anything you want to be. Be careful. It's a spell. It's magic. Listen to the words.. You are anything..everyone, anyone..You listen to them, teachers, parents, politicians. They're always saying, if you steal you're a thief, if you sleep aroung you're a slut, if you take drugs you're a junkie. They want to get inside your head and control you with their fear..Don't play their game. Nothing can touch you; you stay beautiful. . Melvin Burgess
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I just wondered what a thing it would be...if overnight everything you owe anything to, justice, or love, had really gone away. Free.It would be...heartless terror. Yes. Terrible, and... Very great. To shed your skin, every old skin, one by one and then walk away, unemcumbered, into the morning. Tony Kushner
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Liberation, I guess, is everybody getting what they think they want, without knowing the whole truth. Or in other words, liberation finally amounts to being free from things we don't like in order to be enslaved by things we approve of. Here's to the eternal tandem. Robert Fulghum
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In learning a language, when from mere words we reach the laws of words, we have gained a great deal. But if we stop at that point and concern ourselves only with the marvels of the formation of a language, seeking the hidden reason of all its apparent caprices, we do not reach that end, for grammar is not literature… When we come to literature, we find that, though it conforms to the rules of grammar, it is yet a thing of joy; it is freedom itself. The beauty of a poem is bound by strict laws, yet it transcends them. The laws are its wings. They do not keep it weighed down. They carry it to freedom. Its form is in law, but its spirit is in beauty. Law is the first step toward freedom, and beauty is the complete liberation which stands on the pedestal of law. Beauty harmonizes in itself the limit and the beyond — the law and the liberty. Rabindranath Tagore
The world I held so closely, she played me like...
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The world I held so closely, she played me like a game, I released and left her laughing to stand on my own two feet. Coco J. Ginger
Perhaps, there is no such person who can be called...
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Perhaps, there is no such person who can be called truly free, but only those who can be deemed so by comparison. Ashim Shanker
Relief is a great feeling. It’s the emotional and physical...
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Relief is a great feeling. It’s the emotional and physical reward we receive from our bodies upon alleviation of pain, pressure and struggle. A time to bask in the lack of the neg Vera Nazarian
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Anon from the castle walls The crescent banner falls, And the crowd beholds instead, Like a portent in the sky, Iskander's banner fly, The Black Eagle with double head; And a shout ascends on high, For men's souls are tired of the Turks, And their wicked ways and works, That have made of Ak-HissarA city of the plague; And the loud, exultant cry That echoes wide and far Is: "Long live Scanderbeg! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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You are not in any way aware that you are already victorious, that life has happened to you. You are already a winner and nothing more is possible, all that could happen has happened to you. You are already an emperor, and there is no other kingdom to be won. But you have not recognized it, you have not known the beauty of the life that has already happened to you. You have not known the silence, the peace, the bliss that is already there. And because you are not aware of the inner kingdom, you always feel that something more is needed, some victory, to prove that you are not a beggar. Osho
How freeing of a thought: instead of worrying about leaving...
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How freeing of a thought: instead of worrying about leaving a legacy, to leave no trace of one's existence. How liberating indeed! Kamand Kojouri
The birthplace of anarchy is the cemetery of freedom.
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The birthplace of anarchy is the cemetery of freedom. Craig D. Lounsbrough
The most liberating feeling in the world is to not...
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The most liberating feeling in the world is to not give the negative opinions of others any traction. Carlos Wallace
Unless you are free from your own mind, you can...
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Unless you are free from your own mind, you can never truly experience the freedom with life. Roshan Sharma
To embrace an attitude of humility is to free myself...
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To embrace an attitude of humility is to free myself from myself. And that is likely the great liberation of all. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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Sometimes the very things that we’re expending our lives to sustain are the very things that are killing our ability to live. And against our blind and frequently raging protests, these are the very things that God let’s die so that we can live. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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One of the greatest lies is to believe that we don’t have value. One of the greatest mistakes is to act on that belief. And the greatest liberation is found in looking at the cross of Christ and realizing the enormity of the lie. Craig D. Lounsbrough
That which I cannot hold is that which I can...
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That which I cannot hold is that which I can treasure the most because it affords me no burden other than to enjoy it. Craig D. Lounsbrough
I'm not quite sure what freedom is, but i know...
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I'm not quite sure what freedom is, but i know damn well what it ain't. How have we gotten so silly, i wonder. Assata Shakur
It's the duty of every man to free himself. Never...
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It's the duty of every man to free himself. Never accept to live an underdog's life in god’s world. Bangambiki Habyarimana
Every revolution starts with the aim to help the poor,...
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Every revolution starts with the aim to help the poor, but when the poor get it they forget who they were and become the new oppressors. The cycle goes on forever Bangambiki Habyarimana
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Let no one ever intimidate you, you are standing on no one's ground. But again, some have claimed the earth as their own and usurped power from the rest of us. But they are usurpers; power belongs to every one of us. Seek it as much as possible. There is no shame in that. In fact it's a necessity. Either you have power or you are trampled to death in the stampede to get to the top Bangambiki Habyarimana
Self-questioning is the road to personal liberation and spiritual enlightenment....
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Self-questioning is the road to personal liberation and spiritual enlightenment. Self-questioning spurs the mind to consider new opportunities to arrive at truth. Kilroy J. Oldster
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In our desire to impose form on the world and our lives we have lost the capacity to see the form that is already there; and in that lies not liberation but alienation, the cutting off of things as they really are. Colin E. Gunton
Cuba will be free. I already am.
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Cuba will be free. I already am. Reinaldo Arenas
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Liberate yourself as far as you can, and you have done your part; for it is not given to every one to break through all limits, or, more expressively, not to every one is that a limit which is a limit for the rest. Consequently, do not tire yourself with toiling at the limits of others.. He who overturns one of his limits may have shown others the way and the means; the overturning of their limits remains their affair. Max Stirner
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Is it possible that my walls are specifically erected and intentionally reinforced out of the fear that God calls me to an existence without walls? And if this is so, do I realize that I am the warden of prison that I created in which I myself am the prisoner? Craig D. Lounsbrough
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Sometimes what is said to be a gift may appear more of a curse only because the greatest gifts of all are the gifts that have enough disruptive force to break us out of everything that’s breaking us. And God loves us far too much not to give us exactly those kinds of gifts. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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Until you realize how easily it is for your mind to be manipulated, you remain the puppet of someone else's game. Evita Ochel
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Women have sat indoors all these millions of years, so that by this time the very walls are permeated by their creative force, which has, indeed, so overcharged the capacity of bricks and mortar that it must needs harness itself to pens and brushes and business and politics. Virginia Woolf
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When I say that we must establish values with originate in sisterhood, I mean to say that we must not accept, even for a moment, male notions of what non-violence is. These notions have never condemned the systematic violence against us. The men who hold these notions have never renounced the male behaviours, privileges, values and conceits which are in and of themselves acts of violence against us. Andrea Dworkin
Feminism liberated women from the natural dignity of their sex...
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Feminism liberated women from the natural dignity of their sex and turned them into inferior men. Francis Parker Yockey
I am the bended, but not broken. I am the...
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I am the bended, but not broken. I am the power of the thunderstorm. I am the beauty in the beast. I am the strength in weakness. I am the confidence in the midst of doubt. I am Her! Kierra C.T. Banks
Great praxis demands great piety.
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Great praxis demands great piety. Sallie McFague
Life is there to attain Liberation while going through the...
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Life is there to attain Liberation while going through the experience of it. It should not be ‘above normal’ or ‘below normal, ’ it should be ‘normal’. Dada Bhagwan
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Worshipping ‘Gnani Purush’ [the enlightened one] is equal to worshiping the Pure Soul and it is indeed same as the worship of absolute supreme Self (Parmatma). And it is the main cause for moksha [final liberation]. Dada Bhagwan
If one were to worship the Soul (self) for even...
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If one were to worship the Soul (self) for even a moment, he will attain moksha without fail. Such is the elegance of the body-complex (paudgalik ramanta) in this world! Dada Bhagwan
He who wants to go to moksha (Final Liberation), he...
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He who wants to go to moksha (Final Liberation), he will have to realize his own self. Otherwise no matter how much of anything else he does, he will not attain moksha (liberation). Dada Bhagwan
Bowing down in prayer to a body results in worldly...
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Bowing down in prayer to a body results in worldly life and bowing down in prayer to Soul results in attaining moksha (final liberation). Dada Bhagwan
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Who doesn’t allow one to attain siddh gati (the final state of Liberation, moksha)? The body-complex (pudgal - that which charges and discharges). Similarly, what doesn’t let a gourd covered with mud, to go on top and float on water? The mud. The negative atoms, they weigh very heavily. They drag the Soul, the Self lower down. Dada Bhagwan
Liberation happens each time we become conscious of the contents...
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Liberation happens each time we become conscious of the contents of the soul. Michael Meade
Where are you looking for samadhi (enlightened blissful state)? You...
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Where are you looking for samadhi (enlightened blissful state)? You just come into your own original Self-form of the Soul, final liberation and samadhi are the natural qualities of the Soul! Dada Bhagwan
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There is no means other than vitrag-science (science that frees us from all attachments) that will give Final-Liberation [Moksha]. Other means [methods, instruments] will cause bondage; they only help to pass the time; [whereas] means to attain the Eternal Thing (experience of Pure Soul) can be attained from the ‘Gnani Purush’ (the enlightened one). Dada Bhagwan
How far is the Soul from attaining moksha (ultimate liberation)?...
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How far is the Soul from attaining moksha (ultimate liberation)? Only the obstructive (antray) karmas. Dada Bhagwan
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Fruit of discharge karma with shukladhyan (contemplation as the Self, Pure Soul) is moksha, and fruit of discharge karma with dharmadhyan (auspicious contemplation; to not hurt anyone, to give happiness to others) is tremendous punya. It binds punyanubandhi punya (merit karma which binds more merit karma). Dada Bhagwan
With love, we can save every soul from self-destruction.
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With love, we can save every soul from self-destruction. Lailah Gifty Akita
Have you ever noticed that our maximum loss of energy...
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Have you ever noticed that our maximum loss of energy occurs when we try torestrain the flow of whatever that is coming from within? Deep Trivedi
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A journey to make real impact that changes lives, give meaning to life and living, and turns vision of the masses into realities demands a true focus, an utmost zeal and robustness and an unfailing tenacity to do whatever necessary within the powers and reach of a true leader, and with all needed dexterity, wit and wisdom, to make real impact have a meaning and give real liberation to the masses! . Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
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To liberate yourself from your own self-judgment is to liberate others from it as well. To love yourself is an act of love for the world. Vironika Tugaleva
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For true liberation, the only war we need to win is the war between presence and ego. John Maiorana (oohGiovanni)
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Eternal love’ (sanatan sneha) is indeed moksha [ultimate liberation]. Dada Bhagwan
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What do the Vitaraag [the enlightened one] say? ‘If you want to continue to remain in the worldly life, then do what people say, but if you want to attain Moksha [ultimate liberation], then do only what I say, then only you can go to Moksha! Dada Bhagwan
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Your anger, pride, deceit, and greed should be such that they hurt no one. If they are limited to where they only hurt only you and no one else, then the path of liberation is open. Dada Bhagwan
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Man has obeyed commands of the Mother, the Father, the Guru; but he has not obeyed the commands of ‘God’ (Bhagwan). Had he obeyed ‘God’s’ commands, his work (for liberation) would have been accomplished. Alas! He will follow his boss’s commands and even his wife’s commands! Dada Bhagwan
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All these objections are raised by people, has God raised them? He who wants to be free (attain Liberation) has no objections, and he who wants to be bound, he will have nothing but objections. People become addicts of objections. Dada Bhagwan
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What do the vitarags [the enlightened one] say? This world will keep on running, You do not interfere with anything in it. If you want to attain ultimate liberation (moksha) then you will have maintain a state of vitaragta (state free of attachment). Dada Bhagwan
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If you want to attain moksha (ultimate liberation), then you cannot give unsolicited advice. Give advice only when it is asked for. In order to give advice, you have to become the chief! Dada Bhagwan
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God says that the one who does not find the worldly life boring at all, is not worthy of moksha [the ultimate liberation] at all. While earning money one gets bored, while not earning money one gets bored, everywhere one gets bored, then he is considered worthy of moksha. Dada Bhagwan
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What will the ego not do? It is the ego that has given rise to all this. And when the ego leaves, there is Liberation. Dada Bhagwan
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One's liberation begins once he does the darshan of kashaya-free (absence of inner anger, pride, deceit and greed) Gnani purush [the enlightened one]. Who is considered kashaya-free? The one whose state is that where there was no kashaya, there is no kashaya, and there never will be any. The one who is never in the state of the non- Self. Doing darshan of such a One brings ultimate well being. Dada Bhagwan
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Physical action [paudgalik kriya] will give only worldly fruits; it will not go in vain. If you plant sugar cane, you will eat sweet food and if you plant bitter gourd, you will eat bitter food. Plant whichever taste appeals to you and if you want liberation [Moksha], then don’t plant anything. Stop sowing seeds altogether. Dada Bhagwan
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If you want liberation [moksha], you will have to be rid of the duality of ‘right-and-wrong’. If you want to attain an auspicious (good) state, then have abhorrence for the ‘wrong’, and attachment for the ‘right’. There is no attachment or abhorrence in the pure state [shuddha]. Dada Bhagwan
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What are dualities? They are what creates the worldly life [sansaar]. And if one attains Liberation [moksha], he will be beyond dualities! Dada Bhagwan
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The language for attaining Liberation [moksha] is beyond duality. The language for worldly life is with duality. Dada Bhagwan
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Where there is any kind of doer-ship, there is karmic bondage, and where there is knower-ship and inner understanding, there is Moksha [Liberation]. Dada Bhagwan
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By doing actions, one will not attain Liberation [Moksha]; through understanding leads one to Liberation. The fruit (effect) of action is the worldly life [sansaar]. Dada Bhagwan
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The one who can see all the viewpoints of the world is a savior (tarantaranhaar — one who has attained liberation and graces others with the same). Dada Bhagwan
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If one were to just understand the worldly life and what it is, he would attain liberation [moksha]. The worldly life is ‘relative’. And “All these relatives are temporary adjustments”. Dada Bhagwan
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If attachment becomes fixed on a 'Gnani' [The enlightened one], then it becomes Real attachment (prashastaraag). It will get one’s work done. It will uproot attachment in all other places. Because the Gnani is Vitarag, attachment-free. Attachment for a Vitarag gives liberation from all the suffering. Dada Bhagwan