Sri Annamalai Swami
Q: I know that the jnani has no dislikes and no preferences, but I have to admit I am different. I have a strong desire to be in your presence. I believe that being here is doing me good, so I stay. Here I have a beautiful feeling that no one has loved me as he does.
AS: Drop the body-mind idea and you will discover that you don't have any likes or dislikes. You do not think that your shirt is yourself. Similarly, the jnani does not believe that he is his body or his mind. The jnani understands that the body and the mind are animated by the Self, but he also knows that he shines as the Self whether the body and mind are there or not.
Without the Self, the body and the mind can do nothing at all. You could not eat, sleep, speak, or do anything at all without the Self.
Keep your body in good condition if you want to, but don't ever believe that it is you. You can keep your car in good working order without ever believing that you are the car. Have the same attitude towards your body. You are not your car and you are not your body. Both will perish, but the Self will continue because it is always there. When you identify with transient things that will pass away or perish, you too will pass away and perish, but when you identify with the Self, you will not pass away or change in any way. The Self has no birth, no death, no bondage, no misery, no youth, no old age, and no sickness. These are attributes of changing bodies and minds, not the Self. Be the Self and none of these things will ever happen to you.
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