O Rama, listen closely: the body is shaped and governed by the mind, following its lead just as the wind, when it enters a fragrant flower, carries the scent with it. When the senses of knowledge awaken, the organs of action are stirred as well, much like dust swirling restlessly in the breeze. As these organs become agitated, their power is fully expressed, and actions unfold widely, like a cloud of dust lifted by the wind. In truth, all action springs from the mind, for the mind is the seed from which action grows. Their existence cannot be separated, just as fragrance cannot be apart from the flower itself. Whatever disposition the mind adopts—especially through steady practice—so too does its movement, called action, proceed and branch out in that very manner. The mind diligently pursues actions that yield results, and upon tasting those results, it becomes bound to them, attached to their flavor. Whatever state the mind assumes, it perceives that as the true object and forms the conviction that this alone is the highest good, dismissing all else. Thus, minds established by their own understanding strive for righteousness, wealth, pleasure, or liberation, each according to their nature. Consider the Kapila philosophers: through their minds, they firmly establish their own doctrines, constructing the views found in their scriptures. Believing that liberation cannot be attained in any other way, they steadfastly expound their perspective, holding fast to their chosen disciplines and convictions. Similarly, the Vedānta teachers, with intellect rooted in the idea that “all this is Brahman,” determine their doctrine through reasoning, tranquility, and self-control, believing their path to liberation is the only way. The followers of the doctrine of consciousness, too, expound their own perspectives, each according to their chosen disciplines and convictions, guided by intellect shaped by their own concepts. Others, such as the Ārhatas and various groups, create diverse doctrines and practices, each with their distinct ways, preferences, and desires. Just as clusters of bubbles arise from calm, causeless water, so too do these many doctrines—each firmly held—arise from individual convictions. O mighty-armed one, know that the mind alone is the single source of all these doctrines, just as the ocean is the source of all jewels. Neem fruits are not inherently bitter, nor are heat and cold, nor moon and fire; everything is perceived exactly as the mind conceives it. Therefore, one should strive for that uncontrived bliss, guiding the mind to become absorbed in it, for by doing so, it is attained. Let go of the mind’s attachment to the insubstantial world of appearances, for pleasure and pain arising from it drag one helplessly along. Do not regard the visible world as impure, unreal, delusive, or a cause of fear; do not imagine bondage in these mere appearances, O sinless one. This is māyā, this is ignorance, this is imagination, and it brings fear; what the wise call action is simply the mind’s identification with these appearances. The merging of seer and seen is the mind’s delusion—it is false, a confusion, like the actions of a child playing with earth. This absorption in the seen is experienced as the nature of the self; it is the intoxicating liquor of worldly existence, which the wise call ignorance. Those afflicted by this ignorance do not attain auspiciousness, just as a person with blinded eyes cannot perceive the radiant sun. This world arises by itself from imagination, like a tree appearing in the sky; and with the mere absence of imagination, it ceases on its own. O wise one, when imagination is weakened by non-conceptualization—through clarity and discriminating awareness—it dissolves. When detachment from all objects is attained, and steadfastness is established, when true perception is clear and the unreal has ended, then the pure consciousness that is without distinctions—the Self—is attained, in which there is neither non-existence nor existence, neither pleasure nor pain. In that state, only pure being is experienced within, not by imagination, nor by the perceptions of mind or senses. That pure being is untouched even by endless tendencies, which are not other than oneself, just as space is untouched by the clouds that pass through it. Just as the illusion of a snake arises in a rope when it is unclear, so bondage is imagined in the space-like consciousness, though it remains truly unbound. The imagined object is conjured by another imagination; that very thing assumes otherness, just as space appears different in day and night. Whatever is not false, effortless, free from conditions, and devoid of confusion—by imagining it as such, it becomes a source of happiness. Just as, in an empty hut, one may fear a lion is inside, so too, in the empty body, there is fear that one is bound. Yet, upon looking inside the empty hut, a lion is not found; similarly, when examined, the bondage of worldly existence is not found. The notion “this world, and I am this” arises as delusion, like the illusory shadow seen by children at twilight. Because of imagination, for a living being, the existence and non-existence of things, auspicious and inauspicious, come and go in an instant, repeatedly becoming unreal and real. Consider this: a mother, when regarded as a wife and embraced around the neck, performs the duties of a wife and becomes a giver of conjugal delight. A beloved, when regarded as a mother and embraced around the neck, completely erases the passionate feelings of love. Observing that the multitude of objects yields results according to one’s attitude, the wise do not declare a single fixed nature for things in this world. Thus, O Rama, the mind is the maker of worlds, doctrines, and destinies; by understanding its power and guiding it wisely, one may attain the highest peace.