Nothing Belongs to Me
Close your eyes and imagine that there is nothing that belongs to you. Not even the body you are in. Who can rob you then? Who can kill you? No one.
Once you give up the sense of belonging to the fortune you inherited or accumulated by hard work, the family and children you reproduced, and to the body itself, you gradually also give up the pride of I.
I am Non Doer
We, the Atman (पुरुष / आत्मा) are intrinsically blissful (आनंद स्वरूप), unattached (स्वाधीन), non-doer (अकर्ता) and observer/witness (साक्षी). It is only after taking birth on earth, that we get influenced by the 3 qualities of nature and we forget our real self.
We become consumer of maya through sensory faculties (ज्ञानेंद्रियां) and enjoy the pleasure it gives but never get complete happiness that is non existent in this mayavi outside world.
The right way to live life is to remember who we really are and minimize the influence of maya and its 3 qualities. Ātma-darśan (to see oneself by knowledge) is the ultimate way of living life that brings peace and maximum possible happiness.
Prakriti is the doer
Prakriti/Yogmaya/Nature is the doer of everything in this world. It has three qualities or gunas: sattva (harmony, goodness), rajas (activity, passion), and tamas (inertia, ignorance). They govern the body-mind complex and influence our actions and experiences.
The ratio in which these qualities/gunas are present in you becomes your personality. This determines the way you live your life.
Satvik Conduct
While for existence, a balance among these energies is very important. Yet, Sattvagun is the best among these energies and humans should try to increase Sattva qualities in their personalities to attain good karma, satisfaction, peace and reach higher dimension.
However, salvation is possible only when one goes beyond these three qualities and becomes nirguna (निर्गुण) – Which is free from all three gunas of this world.
Meditation
We all know what is ethical and right yet we do the opposite. A thief knows that its no good to steal, yet he steals. A corrupt officer knows that accepting bribe is against his religious teachings yet he accepts and sometimes even demands it. A rapist knows what he is going to do is wrong, yet he does it. A married person knows infidelity is bad, yet many indulge in it. So, what makes us do the things that we know are wrong? Its our mind which under the influence of senses/indris does it. So, we must train our mind to resist the urge and that’s where meditation is useful.
Meditation can train the mind to stay equanimous in pain and joy and just observe the feelings. After all, these feelings are impermanent and will pass away. Once the mind is trained (after years of practice), it becomes much easier to follow the path of righteousness.