Sri Ramana Maharshi
A young man asked: “Are thoughts mere matter?”
M.: What do you mean? Do you mean ‘matter’ like the things you see around you?
D.: Yes - gross.
M.: Who asks this question? Who is the thinker?
D.: The thinker is spirit.
M.: Do you then mean that spirit generates matter?
D.: I want to know.
M.: How do you distinguish between matter and spirit?
D.: Spirit is consciousness and the other not.
M.: Can consciousness generate non-consciousness, or light darkness?