Do not indulge in flattery or censure, even if it costs you your life

“Do not indulge in flattery or censure, even if it costs you your life, as there is no other. Unless the sense ‘I am like this’ goes, the duality will not go. You must understand the ultimate meaning of your Self, by yourself. Then nothing can harm you. One in a million tries to know it. One who realizes it, his consciousness merges peacefully within his own Self. Consciousness disappears into the knower. You know what you are before you know anything else. Convince yourself that you are pure consciousness. All worldly dealings will be carried out spontaneously. It is the only way. The notion that you do something is utterly false.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj