“The whole idea is to be silent. Not to add affirmations or words to your garbage pail. It is already filled with garbage. By garbage I mean, preconceived ideas, dogmas, opinions, samskaras from previous lives, you’re filled with these things and you are a reacting machine, you react, that is what you do all day is react, react, react. Therefore when you try to learn more knowledge and you read more books all you’re doing is adding on to the garbage pail.

Of course most of you realize, the highest truth is to delete, not to add. To get rid of the things you believe in now. So empty yourself out totally and completely. All of your ideas, your feelings, all have to be emptied out of you. When you become totally and completely empty there is nothing you have to do to fill it up again. Emptiness is realization. Emptiness is Brahman. Emptiness is the Self. Emptiness is your real nature.”

~ Robert Adams (20th century American Advaita mystic)

[Samskaras = imprints or impressions left on the mind by experience]