3. Quiet the Mind and Enter a Calm State, Empty of Self

World Scripture

When all the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest, when the intellect wavers not—then, say the wise, is reached the highest state.
Katha Upanishad 2.6.10 (Hinduism)

Wherever the mind wanders, restless and diffuse in its search for satisfaction without, lead it within; train it to rest in the Self. Abiding joy comes to those who still the mind. Freeing themselves from the taint of self-will, with their consciousness unified, they become one with God.
Bhagavad-Gita 6.26-27 (Hinduism)

The wise man should surrender his words to his mind; and this he should surrender to the Knowing Self; and the Knowing Self he should surrender to the Great Self; and that he should surrender to the Peaceful Self.¹⁰
Katha Upanishad 3.13 (Hinduism)

Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46.10

Block the passages, Shut the doors, Let all sharpness be blunted, All tangles untied, All glare tempered, All dust smoothed. This is called mysterious leveling.
Tao Te Ching 56 (Taoism)

Attain utmost vacuity; Hold fast to quietude. While the myriad things are stirring together, I see only their return. For luxuriantly as they grow, Each of them will return to its root. To return to the root is called quietude, Which is also said to be reversion to one’s destiny. This reversion belongs with the eternal: To know the eternal is enlightenment.
Tao Te Ching 16 (Taoism)

The Self-existent pierced sense openings outward; therefore a man looks out, not in. But a certain wise man, in search of immortality, turned his gaze inward and saw the Self within.¹¹
Katha Upanishad 4.1 (Hinduism)

The wise, self-controlled, and tranquil souls, who are contented in spirit, and who practice austerity and meditation in solitude and silence, are freed from all impurity, and attain by the path of liberation the immortal, the truly existing, the changeless Self.
Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.7-11 (Hinduism)

Only after knowing what to abide in can one be calm. Only after having been calm can one be tranquil. Only after having achieved tranquility can one have peaceful repose. Only after having peaceful repose can one begin to deliberate. Only after deliberation can the end be attained. Things have their roots and their branches. Affairs have their beginnings and their ends. To know what is first and what is last will lead one near the Way.¹²
Great Learning (Confucianism)

Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be silent.
Psalm 4.4

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

We need training in the way we think and the way we use our mind. Meditation and prayer are methods for cultivating the mind.
(67:178, June 10, 1973)

Zen meditation brings your mind to a level place on the horizontal line. There you lose consciousness of self. Consciousness is formed through resonance; in that horizontal state it can resonate with wavelengths coming from the vertical world.
(296:203, November 9, 1998)

When we pray or meditate, as when Buddhists practice Zen, we are seeking a state that is void of self. What is our goal in seeking this state? It is to awaken the elements that can become the nucleus of the mind. If you set that one standard and establish the center of your mind, you will see, hear and cognize everything in accord with the principles of Heaven. Then you can offer a full bow before God and return Him glory.
(2:193, May 19, 1957)

We seek the deep ravine of the world of mind. Buddhists who meditate also ask, “What is mind?” and enter the deep ravine of the mind. When you enter the deep ravine of the mind and journey to the state of the original mind before the Human Fall, you will be connected to Heaven. Indeed, without entering the world of the mind, you cannot make a relationship with Heaven.
As long as we are holding on to the world, we cannot contact or attend Heaven. Human beings are composed of mind and body, yet because spirit and flesh are in opposition, we are unable to attain the original world of the mind in a state of mind-body unity. Instead, the journey to the world of the mind requires that we deny the world of body—deny it one hundred percent. We have to remove all that the body desires and isolate ourselves from the world. We have to separate from the world and put it behind us. This is the religious path; it is opposite the ways of the world. It seeks that original point to which we should return.
(21:37-38, September 1, 1968)

Make your mind taut like a round air-filled balloon. If you are insecure or self-centered, or if you are approaching things from a personal viewpoint, then your mind is not round but wrinkled and jagged. Therefore, you need to stretch your mind and make it round.
When your mind rolls like a ball, it makes smooth contact with a flat plane. But if it is jagged, only the points make contact. In that case, it will not smoothly stimulate anything but will act against everything. That is when we feel conscience-stricken, and if we continue this way gradually the standard of our conscience will decline.
Therefore, you need to keep your mind taut like a round balloon. Then upon receiving a stimulus, the whole of it will resonate. Take two tuning forks and strike one; the other will vibrate with the same frequency. A well-rounded mind makes a good resonating vessel. It has the sensitivity to feel the spiritual vibration coming from the Subject Being. Therefore, when living a life of faith, you need to take time to meditate. Meditate while longing for goodness. When you meditate, open the door of your mind completely and make your mind round.
Then, God’s original nature and your original nature will resonate together. The individual qualities of your mind [e.g., your spring-like personality] will resonate completely with those same qualities of God, uniting you in a complete relationship with the Subject Being. In that state, when you go out to pursue your desired purpose, God will certainly be with you.
(40:278, February 7, 1971)