The more the mind becomes pure, the more a person realizes that there is nothing outside, and that everything is within himself. The only barrier to the vision of God is the impurity of the mind. Do we not know what has held us back and is not allowing us to realize God? We know it very well – if not always, at least from time to time. Again, what good is this knowledge? Our attachment for the world is so strong that we are hypnotized by maya; it is as if we are sleeping while awake. We don’t really want complete awakening. God is real and the world is unreal – if we were fully convinced of this, we would renounce the unreal for the real; but we are reluctant to sever our attachments. That is why we are sleeping while awake.”
(p.137-9, Spiritual Treasures, Swami Turiyananda’s letter to Bihari Babu dt 22 January 1916)