Advaita Vedanta, a school of Hindu philosophy, emphasizes
the non-dual nature of reality, asserting that the true self (atman) is
identical to the ultimate reality (Brahman). Here are some quotes that capture
the essence and greatness of Advaita Vedanta:
The ultimate identity of the individual and the supreme soul is the great tenet of the Vedanta. 'That art thou' (Tat Twam Asi) is the first lesson of the beginner, and the last vision of the perfected mystic.
The one supreme soul alone exists; all the separate consciousnesses of individuals are but the reflection of the one soul on the multitudinous 'internal organs' which are the creation of 'ignorance' or illusion.
To reach reality we must strip off the successive veils – the waking world first (where the soul is disguised by the gross effects) and the world of dreams next (where it is disguised by the subtle effects), till we reach that of sound sleep. Here for the time the individual soul does attain its real nature, but its inherent delusion remains latent, and is still capable of being called out into actuality.
Only the knowledge of the highest truth, as taught in the Vedanta, can abolish ignorance, and so destroy personality in its germ.
Prof. E. B. Cowell (Source: The Indian Antiquary, A Journal Of Oriental Research VOL. IX. Published in 1880, Page 25)
"Brahman is the only truth, the world is an illusion,
and there is ultimately no difference between Brahman and individual
self." - Adi Shankaracharya
"The self-existent One has projected out of himself the
entire universe as his own body. Again, he enters into every object of his
creation. Apart from him, there is nothing else." - Swami Vivekananda
"You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your
desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is,
so is your destiny." - Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
"The Self is everywhere. Bright is the Self,
indivisible, untouched by sin, wise, immanent and transcendent. He it is who
holds the cosmos together." - Katha Upanishad
"A man who sees all beings in his own self, and his own
self in all beings, feels no hatred by virtue of that realization." - Isa
Upanishad
"The essence of Vedanta is that there is but one being
and that every soul is that being in full, not a part of that being." -
Swami Vivekananda
"When you realize that everything springs only from
yourself, you will learn both peace and joy." - Dattatreya
"The waves belong to the Ganges, not the Ganges to the
waves. A man cannot realize God unless he gets rid of all such egotistic ideas
as 'I am such an important man' or 'I am so and so'." - Sri Ramakrishna
"He who sees everything as nothing but the Self, and
the Self in everything he sees, such a seer withdraws from nothing. For the
enlightened, all that exists is nothing but the Self, so how could any
suffering or delusion continue for those who know Oneness?" - Isa
Upanishad
"The soul is neither born, nor does it die. It has
neither being nor non-being. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying, and
primeval. The soul is not slain when the body is slain." - Bhagavad Gita
(Chapter 2, Verse 20)
These quotes reflect the profound wisdom and insight of Advaita Vedanta, offering guidance on realizing the ultimate truth and attaining liberation from the illusion of duality.