Who Am I? (23) Reading books any use
Who Am I ? (contd.)
23. Is it any use reading books for those who long for release (salvation, liberation, self-realization)?
All the texts say that in order to gain release (from bondage), one should render the mind quiet; therefore their conclusive teaching is that the mind should be made quiet; once this has been understood there is no need for endless reading. In order to quieten the mind one has only to inquire within oneself what one’s Self is; how could this search be done in books?
One should know one’s Self with one’s own eye of wisdom. The Self is within the five sheaths; but books are outside them. Since the Self has to be inquired into by discarding the five sheaths, it is futile to search for it in books. There will come a time when one will have to forget all that one has learned.
