Realization
D: I want freedom.
M: Remove "I" and "WANT" you are left with Freedom This is PEACE or REALIZATION
M: Remove "I" and "WANT" you are left with Freedom This is PEACE or REALIZATION
I am here
His promise was different “ Iam not going away” Where could I go? I am here” He said not even I shall be here but I am here
True
Progress
What is true progress? The degree of freedom from unwanted
thoughts and degree of concentration on a single thought are the measures to
gauge true progress – Ramana Maharishi
Ramana Maharishi's death experience
Ramamana Maharishi, the sage of Arunachala, sat alone one day in his uncle's house where he came to live after the death of his father, a sudden, unmistakable fear of death seized Ramana. He did not panic but decided to simulate the scene of death. He extended his limbs and held them rigid as though rigor mortis had set in. Holding his breath and lips tight, he watched the proceedings as a witness to determine the reality of the existence. The question he asked was; "With the death of the body, AM I DEAD?" He realised that even with the death of the body, he could feel the full force of his personality and even the sound of "I" within himself, apart from the body. This led to further realisation that "I AM" the spirit, transcending the body, indivisible and eternal. That is "I am the deathless spirit". The fear of the death vanished. From then onward, he got absorbed in the self and moved to Tiruvannamalai where he lived the rest of his life.
Maharishi's teachings can be briefly summed up as follows. The world and the mind rise and set together simultaneously but of the two, the world owes its appearance entirely to the mind. That alone is real in which these two inseparable pairs, the world and the mind, have rising and settings. The mind is nothing but a conglomerate of thoughts which are strung together like beads by single-unending thread of primary "I" thought. This "I" thought due to fear of extinction, seeks support of forms and names and sense perceptions to perpetuate itself. this is the genesis of ignorance.
The real self which is the formless, objectless knowledge pervades the entire body as pure awareness. The Kenopanished refers to it as the eye of the eye, ear of the ear and mind of the mind. The real Self is always a subject and not an object of knowledge. Simply because we cannot see, hear or smell our Self, we mistake it for the body which can be seen, heard, felt and smelt. Having lost ourselves in the body and sense perceptions we end up owning the pains and pleasures, successes and failures, misery and delight and all the other experiences the body undergoes.
Maharishi says that what you perceive, think or do is not important but what you are is. All forms of yoga, meditation and rituals could be at best be the preparatory exercise and can in no way lead to freedom. Maharishi, therefore advocates pursuing the source from which the I thought arises.
The first step in this quest is to analyse the ego-sense and separate the real from the unreal part of it. the ego has an element of reality in it- the light of consciousness which manifests as "I AM" and the insentient things like body and sense perceps. "I AM" is the clue to finding the Self. such inquiry will not lead to an intellectual answer but dissipate all other thoughts in the first leg and the ego itself later.
" உன்னை நீ விசாரத்தறி "
நான் என்பது எங்கிருந்து புறப்படுகின்றதோ அதைக்கவனித்தால் மனம் அங்கே லீனமாகும், அதுவே தபஸ்
ஒரு மந்திரத்தை ஜபம் பண்ணுங்கால் மந்திரத்துவனி எங்கிருந்து புறப்படுகிறது என்று கவனித்தால் மனம் அங்கே லீனமாகும், அதுவே தபஸ்
மனம் என்பது எண்ணங்களின் கூட்டமே அவ்வெண்ணங்கள் எல்லாவற்றிற்கும் மூலம், நான் என்னும் என்ணேமே. மனதுக்கும் கிரியா சக்திக்கும் மூலம் ஒன்றே. ஆதலால் ஆத்மா விசாரணை மூலம் ஒன்று படும் மனத்தில் ஓஜஸ் சக்தி பிராண சக்தியுடன் ஒன்றாகிறது.
எண்ணங்களே எல்லாச் சொல்லுக்கும் செயலுக்கும் மூலம் அகயால் ஒருவனது சொல்லும் செயலும் அவனது நினைப்பை ஒட்டியே இருக்கும்
ஓர் இலையில் ஒருவர் உண்னுமாறு விரிந்த இலைகளை உடையாதாக ஓங்கிப்பரந்த ஆலின் கீழ் அடர்ந்த புதர்கள் சுழந்த ரமணியமான இடம். இங்கேதான் அருணாசல மகசித்தர் ஊறைவதாக கூறப்படுகிறது
ஸ்ரீ பகவான் நிர்வானமேய்திய அக்கணமே (8.47 pm (14th Apr 1950)வானத்தில் அழகிய பேரொளி ஒன்று தெற்குலேற்ந்து வடக்கே நோக்கி பகவனிருபிடத்தின் மேல் வழியே சென்று அண்ணாமலை எல்லையில் மறைந்தது
நிஷ்டையில் மூழ்கிய பெரியோர் இடை விடாது உழைப்பவர். சும்மா இருப்பவர் அல்ல. எப்பொழுதும் அவர்கள் வேலை நடந்து கொண்டுதான் இருக்கிறது.
ஞான மார்கம் க்ரிகஸ்தர்களுக்கு ஏற்றதல்ல என்பதை மகரிஷிகள் ஒப்புக்கோள்வதில்லை " ஸ்ரீராமனை விட சிறந்த ஞாநி யார்? அவர் இல்லற வாழ்க்கை நடத்தி வந்தார்
தியான நிஷ்டையில் தோன்றும் சக்தி, சாதனத்தின் முதிர்ச்சியில் சகஜமாகும். பிறகு இந்த சக்தியின் மூலமே ஒருவன் தனது வேளி வேலைகளையும் செய்துகொண்டு வரலாம். இரண்டுக்கும் முரண்பாடு இல்லை. இந்த பழக்கம் உள்ளவர்களுக்கு ஞான நிஷ்டைக்கும்,வேளி வேலைகளுக்கும் வித்யாசமே தோன்றாது.
நானார் என்ற விசாரணையில் இறங்கி இந்த உடலும் நான் அல்ல, மனதும் நான் அல்ல, மனதிலே தோன்றும் எண்ணங்களும் நான் அல்ல என்பதை உணர்ந்து விட்டால் அந்த விசாரமே ஆத்ம அனுபவமாக பரிணமிக்கும்.
உன் உண்மையான சொரூபத்தை அறிந்தால் ஹ்ரிதய கமலத்திலே உண்மை சூரியன் ஒளிபோல் தானே பிரகாசிக்கும். துயரங்கள் நீங்கி மனதும் நிர்மால்ம் ஆகும். உண்மையான ஆனந்தம் பொங்கும். சுகமே ஆத்ம சொரூபம்.
தன் ஏதார்த்த சொரூபத்தை அறியாத காரணத்தால் எவ்வுலகம் சுகமின்றி தவிக்கிறது.
அவரவர் பிராரப்தப்பிரகாரம் அதற்கானவன் ஆங்காங்கு இருந்து ஆட்டுவிப்பண். என்றும் நடவாதது என் முயற்சிக்கினும் நடவாது. நடப்பது என் தடை செய்யினும் நில்லாது. இதுவே திண்ணம். ஆகலின் மௌனமாய் இருக்கை நன்று.
WHO, THEN AM I?
Whatever is to happen will happen. Whatever happens is due to Prarabdha. A Man’s Balance sheet of destiny acting according to so rigorous a law of cause and effect that even the word ‘justice’ seems too sentimental to express. He refused ever to be entangled in a discussion on free-will and predestination, for such theories although contradictory on the mental plane may both reflect aspects of truth. He would say find out who it is who is predestined (or) has free will
All the actions that the body is to perform are already decided upon at the time it comes into existence. The only freedom you have is whether (or) not to identify yourself with the body. If one acts a part in a play the whole part is written out beforehand and one acts as faithfully whether one is Caesar who is stabbed (or) Brutus who stabs, being unaffected by it because one knows one is not the person. In the same way, he who realizes his identity with the deathless self acts his part on the human stage without fear (or) anxiety. Hope (or) regret, not being touched by the part played,. If one were to ask what reality one has when all one’s actions are determined, it would lead only to the question: WHO, THEN AM I.If the ego that thinks it makes decisions is not real and yet I know that I exist, what is the reality of me? This is only a preparatory, mental version of the quest that Sri Bhagavan prescribed.
That which is called destiny preventing meditation, exists only to the externalized and to the introverted mind. Therefore he who seeks inwardly in quest of the self, remaining as he is does not get frightened by any impediment, that may seen to stand in the way of carrying on this practice of meditation. The very thought of such obstacle is the greatest impediment. THE BEST COURSE THEREFORE, IS TO REMAIN SILENT
EKATMA PANCHAKAM
i. Forgetting the self, mistaking the body for the self, going through innumerable births and finally finding and being the self-this is like waking up from dream of wandering all over the world
ii. He who asks “WHO AM I” although existing as the self, is like a drunken man who asks his own identity and whereabouts.
iii. When in fact the body is in the self, to think that the self is within the insentient body is like thinking that the Cinema Screen on which a figure is projected is inside the figure.
iv. How the ornament any existence apart from the gold(of which it is made). Where is the body apart from the self? The ignorant mistake the body for the self, but the Gnani, knower of the self perceives the self as the self.
v. That one self, the Reality, alone exists for ever. If even the primal Guru (Adi-Guru, Daksinamurthy) revealed it in silence, who can convey it in speech?
Swedish Dream
A Swedish sadhu had a dream in which the afflicted arm opened and he saw there the head of a woman with grey hair disheveled. This was interpreted to mean that it was the karma of his mother that he assumed when he have her moksha, but other say the woman to signify all mankind (or) Maya itself -(Arthur Osborne) from Book Ramana Maharish
Instruction – Arthur Osborne
The instruction, then was to sit concentrating on the heart at the right side and ask “WHO AM I?”, when thoughts arise during the meditation one is not to follow them up but to watch them and
Ask ‘ i) What is this thought?
ii) Where did it come from and to whom?
iii) To me and WHO AM I?
so each thought disappears when scrutinized and is turned back to the basic I though. If impure thoughts rise up they are to be treated in the same way, for sadhana really does what psycho analysis claims to do. It clears out the filth from subconscious, bring it up to the light of day and destroys it. “Yes all kind of thoughts arise in meditation. That is only right for what lies hidden in you is brought out. Unless it rises up how can it be destroyed (Maharishi’s Gospel)
All thought forms are alien to this mode of meditation. Sometimes a devotee would ask if he could use a theme such as “I AM HE” or any other, during the enquiry but he always forbade it.
All thoughts are inconsistent with realization. The right thing to do is to exclude thoughts of oneself and all other thoughts. Thought is one thing and Realisation is quite another.
There is no answer to “WHO am I Question. There can be no answer, for it is dissolving the I thought, which is the parent of all other thoughts, and piercing beyond to the stillness where thought is not. “Suggestive replies to the enquiry such as “Sivoham”(I am Siva” are not to be given to the mind during meditation. The true answer will come of itself. No answer the ego can give can be right.
By constant practice his is to be made moe and more frequent until it becomes continuous not only during meditation but underlying speech and action also. Even then Vichara is still to be used. For the ego will try to make a truce with the current awareness and if it is once tolerated it will gradually grow to power and then fight to recover supremacy.
Enquiry is to be kept up to the very end. Whatever states what ever powers, whatever perceptions or visions may come, there is always the question to whom they come until the self alone remains.
How to seek mind
Breath control may do as an aid but never lead to the goal itself. While doing it mechanically, take care to be alert in mind and remember the “I” thought and seek its source. Then you will find that where breath sinks, there the “I” thought arises. They sink and rise together. The “I” thought will also sink along with breath. Simultaneously another luminous and infinite “I-I” will manifest and it will be continuous and unbroken. That is the goal – GOD, SELF, KUNDALANI,CONSCIOUSNESS, ETC.
Five inner organs
i) Knowledge - Jnana
ii) Mind - Manas
iii) Intellect - Buddhi
iv) Memory - Chitta
v) Ego - Ahankara
Talk Afternoon
D : What is the object of Self-Realization?
M.: Self-Realization is the final goal and it it’s the end in itself
D : I mean, What is the use of Self-Realization?
M.: Why should you seek Self-Realization? Why do you not rest content with your present state? It is evident that you are discontented with the present state. The discontent is at tan end if you realize the Self.
D : What is that Self-Realization which removes the discontent? I am in the world and there are wars in it. Can Self-Realization put an end to it?
M.: Are you in the world? Or is the world in you?
D : I do not understand. The world is certainly around me.
M.: You speak of the world and happenings in it. They are mere ideas in you. The ideas are in the mind. The mind is within you. And so the world is within you.
D: I do not follow you. Even if I do not think of the world, the world is still there.
M: Do you mean to say that the world is apart from the mind and it can exist in the absence of the mind?
D: Yes
M: Does the world exist in your deep sleep?
D: It does.
M: Do you see it in your sleep?
D: No. I don’t. But others, who are awake, see it.
M: Are you so ware in your sleep? Or do you become aware of the other’s knowledge now?
D: In my waking state.
M: So you speak of waking knowledge and not of sleep experience. The existence of the world in your waking and dream states is admitted because they are the products of the mind. The mind is withdrawn in sleep and the world is in the condition of a seed. It becomes manifest over again when you wake up. The ego springs forth, identifies itself with the body and sees the world. So the world is a mental creation.
D: How can it be?
M: Do you not create a world in your dream? The waking state also is a long drawn out dream. There must be a seer behind the waking and dream experiences. Who is that seer? Is it the body?
D: It cannot be.
M: Is it the mind?
D: it must be so.
M But you remain in the absence of the mind.
D: How?
M: In deep sleep.
D: I do not know if I am then.
M: If you were not how do you recollect yesterday’s experiences? Is it possible that there was a break in the continuity of the “I” during sleep?
D: It may be.
M: If so, a Johnson may wake up as a Benson. How will the identity of the individual be established?
D: I don’t know.
M: If this argument is not clear, follow a different line. You admit,” I Slept well”, “I feel refreshed after a sound sleep”. So sleep was your experience. The experiencer now identifies himself with the “I” in the speaker. So this “I” must have been in sleep also.
D: Yes.
M: so ”I” was in sleep, if the world was then there, did it say that it existed?
D: No. But the world tells me its existence now. Even if I deny its existence, I may knock myself against a stone and hurt my foot. The injury proves the existence of the stone and so of the world.
M: Quite so. The stone hurts the foot. Does the foot say that there is the stone?
D: No. – “I”
M: Who is this “I”? It can neither be the body nor the mind as we have seen before. This “I” is the one who experiences the waking, dream and sleep states. The three states are changes which do not affect the individual. The experiences are like pictures passing on a screen in the cinema. The appearance and disappearance of the pictures do not affect the screen. So also, the three states alternate with one another leaving the Self unaffected. The waking and the dream states are creations of the mind. So the Self covers all. To know that the Self remains happy in its perfection is Self-Realization. Its use lies in the realization of Perfection and thus of Happiness.
D: Can it be complete happiness to remain Self-realised if one does not contribute to the happiness of the world? How can one be so happy when there is a war in Spain, a war in China? Is it not selfishness to remain Self-realised without helping the world?
M: The Self was pointed out to you to cover the universe and also transcend it. The world cannot remain apart from the Self. If the realization of such Self be called selfishness that selfishness must cover the world also. It is nothing contemptible.
D: Does not the realized man continue to live just like a non realized being?
M: Yes, with this difference that the realized being does not see the world as being apart from the Self, he possesses true knowledge and the internal happiness of being perfect, whereas the other person sees the world apart, feels imperfection and is miserable. Otherwise their physical actions are similar.
D: The realised being also knows that there are wars being waged in the world, just like the other man.
M: Yes.
D: How then can he be happy?
M: Is the cinema screen affected by a scene of fire burning or sea rising? So it is with the Self?
The idea that I am the body or the mind is so deep that one cannot get over it even if convinced otherwise. One experiences a dream and knows it to be unreal on waking. Waking experience is unreal in other states. So each state contradicts the others. They are therefore mere changes taking place in the seer, or phenomena appearing in the Self, which is unbroken and remains unaffected by them. Just ass the waking, dream and sleep states are phenomena, so also birth, growth and death are phenomena in the Self, which continues to be unbroken and unaffected. Birth and death are only ideas. They pertain to the body or the mind. The Self exists before the birth of this body and will remain after the death of this body. So it is with the series of bodies taken up in succession. The Self is immortal. The phenomena are changeful and appear mortal. The fear of death is of the body. It is not true of the Self. Such fear is due to ignorance. Realisation means True Knowledge of Perfection and immortality of the Self. Mortality is only an idea and cause of misery. You get rid of it by realizing the Immortal nature of the Self.
D: If the world is only a dream, how should it be harmonized with the Eternal Reality?
M: The harmony consists in the realization of its in-separateness from the Self.
D: But a dream is fleeting and unreal. It is also contradicted by the waking state.
M: The waking experiences are similar.
D: One lives fifty years and finds a continuity in the waking experience which is absent in dreams.
M: You go to sleep and dream a dream in which the experiences of fifty years are condensed within the short duration of the dream, say five minutes. There is also a continuity in the dream. Which one of the above two is real now? Is the period covering fifty years of your waking state real or the short duration of five minutes of your dream? The standards of time differ in the two states. That is all. There is no other difference between the experiences.
D: The spirit remains unaffected by the passing phenomena and by the successive bodies of repeated births. How does each body get the life to set it acting?
M: The spirit is differentiated from matter and is full of life. The body is animated by it.
D: The realized being is then the spirit and unaware of the world.
M: He sees the world but not as a separate from the Self.
D: If the world is full of pain why should he continue the world-idea?
M: Does the realized being tell you that the world is full of pain? It is the other one who feels the pain and seeks the help of the wise saying that the world is painful. Then the wise one explains from his experience that if one withdraws within the Self there is an end of pain. The pain is felt so long as the object is different from oneself. But when the Self is found to be an undivided whole who and what is there to feel? The realized mind is the Holy Spirit and the other mind is the home of the devil. For the realized being this is the Kingdom of Heaven. “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” The Kingdom is here and now.
Talk 489
D: What is the method of Realisation
M: Holding the mind and investigating it is advised for a beginner. But what is mind after all? It is a projection of Self. See for whom it appears and from where it rises. The “I-thought” will be found to be the root-cause. Go deeper, the “I-thought” disappears and there is an infinitely expanded ‘I-consciousness’. That is otherwise called Hiranyagarbha. When it puts on limitations it appears as individuals”
Talk 611 -
Q : If the soul is the light within. If after death it becomes one with Brahman how can there be transmigration of soul?
M.: Now that you identify yourself with the body you say that the soul is the light within. You mean that there is light within the body. Think a little and say if the body can raise any questions. It is insentient and cannot say ‘I’. Something else says ‘I’. What is it? Can it be the Self? The Self is pure and is not aware of any other so as to be able to say ‘I’. Who then says ‘I’? It is the link between the pure Chit (the Self) and the jada (the body). That is the ego. Who are you now? What is it that is born? The Self is eternal and cannot be born. The body appears and disappears and your identity with it makes you speak of birth and death. See if the true significance of ‘I’ can ever take birth. For whom is transmigration?
(Eg., Man posing as relative to groom vanishes when people look for truth. Ego is like this man when you look for it he will vanish.)
Child and Gnani
D.: Is it not said that one must be like a child before one advances spiritually?
M.: Yes, because the ego is not developed in the child.
D.: I mean exactly the same. We could have remained like the child instead of having developed the ego.
M.: The state of the child is meant. No one can take lessons from the child for the Realisation of the Self. The Master’s state is like the state of the child. There is a difference between the two. Ego is potential in the child, whereas it is totally destroyed in the saint.
Talk 92.
A visitor said: Some say that one should practice meditation on gross objects only: it may be disastrous if one constantly seeks to kill the mind.
M.: For whom is it disastrous? Can there be disaster apart from the Self ? Unbroken ‘I-I’ is the ocean infinite, the ego, ‘I’ thought, remains only a bubble on it and is called jiva, i.e., individual soul. The bubble too is water; when it bursts it only mixes in the ocean. When it remains a bubble it is still a part of the ocean. Ignorant of this simple truth, innumerable methods under different denominations, such as yoga, bhakti, karma....... each again with many modifications, are being taught with great skill and in intricate detail only to entice the seekers and confuse their minds. So also are the religions and sects and dogmas. What are they all for? Only for knowing the Self. They are aids and practices required for knowing the Self. Objects perceived by the senses are spoken of as immediate knowledge (pratyaksha). Can anything be as direct as the Self - always experienced without the aid of the senses? Sense-perceptions can only be indirect knowledge, and not direct knowledge. Only one’s own awareness is direct knowledge, as is the common experience of one and all. No aids are needed to know one’s own Self, i.e., to be aware. The one Infinite Unbroken Whole (plenum) becomes aware of itself as ‘I’. This is its original name. All other names, e.g., OM, are later growths. Liberation is only to remain aware of the Self. The mahavakya “I am Brahman” is its authority. Though the ‘I’ is always experienced, yet one’s attention has to be drawn to it. Only then does knowledge dawn. Thus the need for the instruction of the Upanishads and of wise sages.
UPADESA
Self-enquiry is the one infallible means, the only direct one, to realize the unconditioned absolute Being that you really are.
The attempt to destroy the ego or mind through sadhanas other than self enquiry is like the thief turning policeman to catch the thief that is himself. Self enquiry alone can reveal the truth that neither the ego nor the mind really exists and enable one to realize the pure, undifferentiated Being of the Self (or) Absolute. Having realized the self nothing remains to be known because it is perfect Bliss. It is the all.
The purpose of the self enquiry is to focus the entire mind at its source. It is not, therefore, a case of one “I” searching for another “I”
“ To focus the entire mind at its source, to turn it inward upon itself. The instruction was to sit in meditation, asking “Who am I?”at the same time focusing the attnetin on heart not the physical organ on the left side of the chest but the spiritual heart on the right.
The spiritual heart on the right side of the chest is not one of the yogic chakras. It is the centre and source of the ego-self and the abode of the self and is therefore the place of union.
SRI BHAGAAN has specified a particular place for the heart within the physical body, that is in the chest, two digits to the right from the median.
The Spiritual Heart centre is quite different from the blook propelling muscular organ known by the same name.
If determination of the position of the Heart depended on guess work, no it is not on guesswork that you have to depend but on unerring intuition.
What is concentration? Concentration is binding the mind substance upon a single object. Mind wanders. Bring it back again and again. Effort of concentration to bring your mind back again and again and bind it to single object.
Self
jiva is said to remain in the Heart in deep sleep; and in brain in the waking state. The Heart need not be taken to be the muscular cavity with four chambers which propels blood. There are indeed passages which support the view. There are others who take it to mean a set of ganglia or nerve centres about that region. Whichever view is correct does not matter to us. We are not concerned with anything less than ourselves. That we have certainly within us. There could be no doubts or discussions about that. The Heart is used in the Vedas and the scriptures to denote the place whence the notion ‘I’ springs. Does it spring only from the fleshy ball? It springs within us somewhere right in the middle of our being. The ‘I’ has no location. Everything is the Self. There is nothing but that. So the Heart must be said to be the entire body of ourselves and of the entire universe, conceived as ‘I’. But to help the practiser ( we have to indicate a definite part of the Universe, or of the Body. So this Heart is pointed out as the seat of the Self. But in truth we are everywhere, we are all that is, and there is nothing else
· That which rises in this body as “I” is the mind. (Ramana Maharshi, WHO, 13.
· Mind is but an aggregate of thoughts. (Ramana Maharshi, CI, n.p.)
· Thoughts alone constitute the mind; and for all thoughts the base or source is the “I” thought. “I” is the mind. (Ramana Maharshi, GFB, chapter 4.
· Thoughts alone make up the mind; And of all thoughts the “I” thought is the root.
What is called mind is but the notion “I.” (Ramana Maharshi, CW, Chapter 5.)
· The mind is a bundle of thoughts. The thoughts arise because there is the thinker. The thinker is the ego. The ego, if sought, will automatically vanish. The ego and the mind are the same. (Ramana Maharshi, TWSRM, Question 347.)
· God illumines the mind and shines within it. One cannot know God by means of the mind. One can but turn the mind inwards and merge it in God. (Ramana Maharshi, GFB, chapter 3.)
· No attempt should be made to destroy [the mind]. To think or wish is in itself a thought. If the thinker is sought, the thoughts will disappear. (Ramana Maharshi, CI, n.p.)
· [Thoughts] will disappear because they are unreal. The idea of difficulty is itself an obstacle to realization. It must be overcome. To remain as the Self is not difficult. This thought of difficulty is the chief obstacle. A little practice in discovering the source of “I” will make you think differently. Absolute freedom from thoughts is the state conducive to such recognition of the Self. (Ramana Maharshi, CI, n.p.)
· What is called “mind” is a wondrous power residing in the Self. It causes all thoughts to arise. Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind. Therefore, thought is the nature of mind. Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts, and there is no world. In the states of waking and dream, there are thoughts, and there is a world also. Just as the spider emits the thread (of the web) out of itself and again withdraws it into itself, likewise the mind projects the world out of itself and again resolves it into itself. When the mind comes out of the Self, the world appears. Therefore, when the world appears (to be real), the Self does not appear; and when the Self appears (shines) the world does not appear. When one persistently inquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving the Self (as the residue). What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. The mind always exists only in dependence on something gross; it cannot stay alone. It is the mind that is called the subtle body or the soul (jiva). (Ramana Maharshi, WHO, 13.)
· In the books explaining the nature of the mind, it is thus stated: "The mind is formed by the concretion of the subtle portion of the food we eat; it grows with the passions such as attachment and aversion, desire and anger; being the aggregate of mind, intellect, memory and egoity, it receives the collective singular name ‘mind,’ the characteristics that it bears are thinking, determining, etc.; since it is an object of consciousness (the self), it is what is seen, inert; even though inert, it appears as if conscious because of association with consciousness (like a red-hot iron ball); it is limited, non-eternal, partite, and changing like wax, gold, candle, etc.; it is of the nature of all elements (of phenomenal existence); its locus is the heart-lotus even as the loci of the sense of sight, etc., are the eyes, etc.; it is the adjunct of the individual soul thinking of an object; it transforms itself into a mode, and along with the knowledge that is in the brain, it flows through the five sense-channels, gets joined to objects by the brain (that is associated with knowledge), and thus knows and experiences objects and gains satisfaction. That substance is the mind."
· Even as one and the same person is called by different names according to the different functions he performs, so also one and the same mind is called by the different names: mind, intellect, memory, and egoity, on account of the difference in the modes -- and not because of any real difference. The mind itself is of the form of all, i.e. of soul, God and world; when it becomes of the form of the Self through knowledge there is release, which is of the nature of Brahman: this is the teaching. (Ramana Maharshi, SE, answer to question 6.)
· Since sattva-guna (the constituent of prakriti which makes for purity, intelligence, etc.) is the nature of mind, and since the mind is pure and undefiled like ether, what is called mind is, in truth, of the nature of knowledge. When it stays in that natural (i.e. pure) state, it has not even the name “mind.” It is only the erroneous knowledge which mistakes one for another that is called mind. What was (originally) the pure sattva mind, of the nature of pure knowledge, forgets its knowledge-nature on account of nescience, gets transformed into the world under the influence of tamo-guna (i.e. the constituent of prakriti which makes for dullness, inertness, etc.) , being under the influence of rajo-guna (i.e. the constituent of prakriti which makes for activity, passions, etc.) , imagines "I am the body, etc.; the world is real," it acquires the consequent merit and demerit through attachment, aversion, etc., and, through the residual impressions (vasanas) thereof, attains birth and death. But the mind, which has got rid of its defilement (sin) through action without attachment performed in many past lives, listens to the teaching of scripture from a true guru, reflects on its meaning, and meditates in order to gain the natural state of the mental mode of the form of the Self, i.e. of the form “I am Brahman” which is the result of the continued contemplation of Brahman. Thus will be removed the mind's transformation into the world in the aspect of tamo-guna, and its roving therein in the aspect of rajo-guna. When this removal takes place the mind becomes subtle and unmoving. It is only by the mind that is impure and is under the influence of rajas and tamas that Reality (i.e. the Self) which is very subtle and unchanging cannot be experienced; just as a piece of fine silk cloth cannot be stitched with a heavy crowbar, or as the details of subtle objects cannot be distinguished by the light of a lamp flame that flickers in the wind. But in the pure mind that has been rendered subtle and unmoving by the meditation described above, the Self-bliss (i.e. Brahman) will become manifest. As without mind there cannot be experience, it is possible for the purified mind endowed with the extremely subtle mode (vritti) to experience the Self-bliss, by remaining in that form (i.e., in the form of Brahman). Then, that one's self is of the nature of Brahman will be clearly experienced. (Ramana Maharshi, SE, answer to question 11.)
Suitable only for Ripe souls
· Although [Advaita is] the ultimate doctrine and [Self-Enquiry is] the supreme and most direct path, this, throughout the ages, has not been the most popular, because for most people it seemed too austere and difficult. (Anon., “Intro” to Ramana Maharshi, FHSA.) This is suitable only for ripe souls. The rest should follow different methods according to the state of their minds. (Ramana Maharshi, SI, Chapter 2, Question 2.)
How does Self Enquiry Work?
· Vichara begins when you cling to your Self and are already off the mental movement, the thought-waves. (Ramana Maharshi, SDB, ix.) Once the “I” emerges, all else emerges. With a keen mind enquire whence this “I” emerges. (Ramana Maharshi, FVR, verse 23.)
· ”Whence does this “I” arise?” Seek for it within; it then vanishes. This is the pursuit of Wisdom. (Ramana Maharshi, WHO, 24.)
· Thoughts alone constitute the mind; and for all thoughts the base or source is the “I” thought. “I” is the mind. If we go inward questing for the source of the “I,” the “I” topples down. This is the jnana enquiry.
· If one enquires “Who am I?” within the mind, the individual “I” falls down abashed as soon as one reaches the Heart and immediately Reality manifests itself spontaneously as “I-I.” Although it reveals itself as “I,” it is not the ego but the Perfect Being, the Absolute Self. (Ramana Maharshi, FVR, verse 30.)
· What you call your self now is not the real Self which is neither born nor dies. (Ramana Maharshi, SDB, xvi.)
· When one persistently inquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving the Self (as the residue). What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. (Ramana Maharshi, WHO, 13.)
· When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but should inquire: “To whom do they arise?” It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should inquire with diligence, "To whom has this thought arisen?" The answer that would emerge would be "To me." Thereupon if one inquires "Who am I?,” the mind will go back to its source; and the thought that arose will become quiescent. With repeated practice in this manner, the mind will develop the skill to stay in its source. (Ramana Maharshi, WHO, 14.)
· You must distinguish between the “I,” pure in itself, and the “I”-thought. The latter, being merely a thought, sees subject and object, sleeps, wakes up, eats and thinks, dies and is reborn. But the pure “I” is the pure Being, eternal existence, free from ignorance and thought-illusion. If you stay as the “I,” your being alone, without thought, the I-thought will disappear and the delusion will vanish for ever. In a cinema-show you can see pictures only in a very dim light or in darkness. But when all lights are switched on, all pictures disappear. So also in the flood-light of the Supreme Atman all objects disappear. (Ramana Maharshi, GR, 46.)
· The Real is ever-present, like the screen on which all the [movie] pictures move. While the pictures appear on it, it remains invisible. Stop the pictures, and the screen, which has all along been present, in fact the only object that has existed throughout, will become clear. All these universes, humans, objects, thoughts and events are merely pictures moving on the screen of Pure Consciousness, which alone is real. Shapes and phenomena pass away, but Consciousness remains ever. (Ramana Maharshi, GR, 46.)
· [Turning the mind inward] is done by practice and dispassion and that succeeds only gradually. The mind, having been so long a cow accustomed to graze stealthily on others' estates, is not easily confined to her stall. However much her keeper tempts her with luscious grass and fine fodder, she refuses the first time; then she takes a bit; but her innate tendency to stray away asserts itself; and she slips away; on being repeatedly tempted by the owner, she accustoms herself to the stall; finally even if let loose she would not stray away. Similarly with the mind. If once it finds its inner happiness it will not wander outward. (Ramana Maharshi, TWSRM, Question 213.)
· By repeated practice one can become accustomed to turning inwards and finding the Self. One must always and constantly make an effort, until one has permanently realized. Once the effort ceases, the state becomes natural and the Supreme takes possession of the person with an unbroken current. Until it has become permanently natural and your habitual state, know that you have not realized the Self, only glimpsed it. (Ramana Maharshi, CI, n.p.)
· As thoughts arise they should be destroyed then and there in the very place of their origin, through inquiry. … As long as there are enemies within the fortress, they will continue to sally forth; if they are destroyed as they emerge, the fortress will fall into our hands. (Ramana Maharshi, WHO, 17.)
How do you meditate?
Disciple: I begin to ask myself "Who am I?”', eliminate body as not “I,” the breath as not “I,” the mind as not “I” and I am not able to proceed further.
M: Well, that is so far as the intellect goes. Your process is only intellectual. Indeed, all the scriptures mention the process only to guide the seeker to know the Truth. The Truth cannot be directly pointed out. Hence this intellectual process. You see, the one who eliminates all the “not I” cannot eliminate the “I.” To say “I am not this” or “I am that” there must be the “I.” This “I” is only the ego or the “I”-thought. After the rising up of this “I”-thought all other thoughts arise. The “I”-thought is therefore the root-thought. If the root is pulled out all others are at the same time uprooted. Therefore seek the root “I,” question yourself "Who am I?”'; find out its source. Then all these will vanish and the pure Self will remain ever.
D: How to do it?
M: The “I” is always there - in deep sleep, in dream and in wakefulness. The one in sleep is the same as that who now speaks. There is always the feeling of “I.” Otherwise do you deny your existence? You do not. You say “I am.” Find out who is.
D: Even so, I do not understand. “I,” you say, is the wrong “I” now. How to eliminate this wrong “I”?
M: You need not eliminate the wrong “I.” How can “I” eliminate itself? All that you need do is to find out its origin and abide there. Your efforts can extend only thus far. Then the Beyond will take care of itself. You are helpless there. No effort can reach it.
D: If “I” am always-here and now, why do I not feel so?
M: That is it. Who says it is not felt? Does the real “I” say it or the false “I”? Examine it. You will find it is the wrong “I.” The wrong “I” is the obstruction. It has to be removed in order that the true “I” may not be hidden. The feeling that I have not realised is the obstruction to realisation.
In fact it is already realised; there is nothing more to be realised. Otherwise, the realisation will be new; it has not existed so far; it must take place hereafter. What is born will also die. If realisation be not eternal it is not worth having. Therefore what we seek is not that which must happen afresh. It is only that which is eternal but not now known due to obstructions; it is that we seek. All that we need do is to remove the obstruction. That which is eternal is not known to be so because of ignorance. Ignorance is the obstruction. Get over this ignorance and all will be well.
The ignorance is identical with the “I”-thought. Find its source and it will vanish.
The “I”-thought is like a spirit which, although not palpable, rises up automatically with the body, flourishes and disappears with it. The body-consciousness is the wrong “I.” Give up this body-consciousness. It is done by seeking the source of “I.” The body does not say “I am.” It is you who say, “I am the body!” Find out who this “I” is. Seeking its source it will vanish.
D: Then, will there be bliss?
M: Bliss is coeval with Being-Consciousness. All the arguments relating to the eternal Being of that Bliss apply to Bliss also. Your nature is Bliss. Ignorance is now hiding that Bliss. Remove the ignorance for Bliss to be freed.
D: Should we not find out the ultimate reality of the world, individual and God?
M: These are all conceptions of the “I.” They arise only after the advent of the “I”-thought. Did you think of them in your deep sleep? You existed in deep sleep and the same you are now speaking. If they be real should they not be in your sleep also? They are only dependent upon the “I”-thought. Again does the world tell you “I am the world”? Does the body say “I am [the] body”? You say, "This is the world,” "this is [the] body” and so on. So these are only your conceptions. Find out who you are and there will be an end of all your doubts. (Ramana Maharshi, TWSRM, Question 197.)
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An interview with Annamalai
Swami by Jim Lemkin
Jim : Thank you very much to allow me to talk
with you
Jim: First
question is personal question. Interested in knowing
Where he was born, what was his occupation and how
he came to Arunachala. What brought him here
Anna Born in a village called
thondarkuruchi which is near
Vridhachalam a town on the way to Trichi. Even in my younger days I was
involved in Bakthi and devotion.About the age of 19, I met a Sadhu who showed
Bhagwan’s photo and Upadesa. Same night I dreamt of Bhagawan coming down from
Arunachala and I prostrate before. He stopped and poured water into my mouth
with a Kamandala and I started telling Mahadeva, Mahadeva.. Next day night I
left for Tiruvannamalai and it was Full moon day. Bhagavan was coming from the mountain. I prostrate before him near the old hall.,but he did not pour water into my mouth. He washed
his legs and I took the water from three and sprinkled on my head.
Bhagawan sat in the sofa and I sat before him. He started looking at me for 10
minutes. It was cool as though a person who wandered in the hot sun comes to a
shade.
Jim: What was it that made to take the first
step towards Arunachala. What was the feeling
Anna: I had a craving for attaining true self. To
realize a true self help of a guru is necessary.This prompted me .
Jim: From where did that craving arise
Anna: Craving came from my heart
Jim: After you came to the Ashram what
happened.
Anna: I came here
and was doing the work given by Bhagwan. He gave the plan for building (Gho
sala, Dining
room, store room, old office room)
Jim: Was there a particular moment in which
liberation was attained and what led that or did it take Long
time
Anna: While doing
the work he said do not forget the self.Do not think that you are
doing.Your body and mind is not you.. Keep doing the work and do not leave the
meditation.You are the self and self is everything. Keep this as meditation and
do your work. I was listening to what Bhagwan was saying.. Even during night
time I used to listen to Parayana. Because of this I have got the feeling that
I am not this mind. I was continuing like this for 10 years. (1928 to 1938)
Jim: Was there a
particular moment that all fell away are is it a continual observing or
noticing
Anna: Every day I have to make Bhagwan’s bath
ready, One day in 1938 he and Madhavaswamy was giving massage to Bhagwan. At
that time Madhavaswamy was asking Bhagwan about happiness or bliss of people
who are taking taking Ganja . He did not answer Madhavaswamy but embraced me
for a minute and said Ananda, Ananda and laughed and said my Karma is complete.
Madhavaswamy and Bhagwan went away but I was standing there like a statue for
more than 10 to 15 minutes. I did not know when the bell rang in the Ashram and
I did not know that the bathroom door was open. Bhagwan took idli and walked to
the mountain. I took Idli in the ashram and went to see bhagwan and said that I
am going to pallatkothu to meditate and for that bhagwan said very good 3
times. I gave the key to chinnaswamy and went to palakothu. I did not know
where I will be staying and how I am going to manage my food. Venkatramani who
was staying there gave his key of his hut
and asked me to stay as he was going to Bombay . I stayed there for a
month. When chadwik came to know of this he sent his servant and asked him to
prepare food for me before Ashram is ready for food . It was happening for 5
years.He said I need not go anywhere and I will take care of you.We were
staying together in his room for a year and I was friendly to him.
Jim: When did
you set up this Ashram
Anna: There was an old lady by name mudaliar patti.
Her son was staying in this room for some time and he went to Dharmapuram and gave the key and said that it is for
me.When I was staying here Bhagwan used to come here for a walk. Once he asked
a mason by name Arumugam to construct room for me . He said he would do it and
this room was constructed. Bhagwan said whenever you get money you can
construct more rooms. Gradually some devotees started coming and this is
constructed.
Jim: When I speak to many people who are happy
they say that they are happy because they have enough to eat, they have
shelter, clothes, family . I ask
them what happens if these thing disappear and they say that they will not be
happy.What is the problem. Why are they not happy when their possession, family
, job disappear.
Anna Joy or happiness is not in external world.
If you keep your mind in the atma then you will be happy. What possession you
have while having a deep sleep.. Reason for suffering is mind. Even people who have wealth suffer.
So the happiness is not because of wealth.Bhagwan says happiness is only in the
self and not in the external world.
Jim: When an American is told that I am not
the body it is totally a mystery to them. What do you mean by “I am not the
body” How to explain
Anna: Do you have your body, mind, world while sleeping.
Were you there or not.
Jim: Which
I are you asking about.I know that it is
my body which is living. I have no awareness of anything when I sleep.
Anna Whether you are aware of your body while you
are asleep.
Jim: I am not
aware of my body when I am in sleep.
Anna In the deep sleep state you exist without
this body. Then who Is that. If you sleep well you realize that you slept well.
Who is that who realizes that I had a good sleep
Jim: I do not
know anything when I am in deep sleep.
Anna: Who is that who says he does not know
anything during deep sleep.Who is that.
Jim: It is the
mind. It is saying I do not know when I am sleeping.
Anna: Your
mind was not present while sleeping Whoever is there during sleep is what you
are when you are awake. But now you think that you body and mind. It is like
saying that the shirt is me and forgetting the body. AS this shirt is not you
this body is not you. Without Atma body will not operate. It is like rope and
the snake. IF you know that it is only a rope then the snake will not be there
at all. If you see the rope as snake then there is no rope. Similarly if you
know that you are the self then you will not think that the body and mind is
you. So instead of thinking that I am the body if you know that you are the
self then body and mind will disappear. It is only the mind that thinks that I
am the body and I am the mind.
Jim: How
can I come to know this in every cell in my body, if I rely on my mind to
understand this I cannot. Because my mind constantly say that I am the mind and
I am the body. This is why I am . How can I get rid of the mind.
Anna: You are saying I. Who is that I. Is it body
or mind. This inquiry will take you to
the self
Jim: I have tried many many times.Something
know that I must be more than this body and mind.But if I rely on the mind in
that inquiry I cannot get that answer
Anna:: To whom does
it come. Who is that real self. Everything is self
Jim: I do not
know who is this I
Anna: Who is that I
do not know. If it is not body and mind.then it should be Self. Body and mind
is like
a car. And driver
is the self.Car cannot go by itself. If the self is not in you then you will
not have the intelligence to make a car.There is no atom apart from
selfWhatever you see and hear is all self.World is you and people in that is
you..If you see all as yourself then there is no sorrow.. Perceiving that
everything is you is like wakeful sleep.This self is real and it is peace,There
is no one in this world who does not want peace.If you say you do not know then
it is you who is peace. It is like wanting to become a man when you are already
a man.This is maya
Jim: There has been several times in my
life even for several weeks that I stop
trying anything and everthing I though
real became a joke. It all disappeared like a dream.
Anna: This
world is a like a dream. Life is a dream, long dream. Seeing it as a
dream is gnana. This world and all the happening is within the self. You are
like a cinema screen and the world cinema is going on in your screen.This
screen is self as it id not changing. As the screen is not affected by the rain
or fire happening in the cinema . It is in this self the world is appearing and
disappearing like that of a screen.This self does not have birth, death, sick.
It is only ananda. This self is one.This one is all. As the gold is one and the
jewel is many.As the current is same but functions are many.
Jim: What if I have tasted this several time,
but seem to lose it .appears to lose it even though I know that there it is my basic nature. What
is getting in the way.What is causing this understanding to appear to not part of me all the time
Anna: It is because you are not thinking that you
are self really.If it appears and disappears then it only body and mind..You
have forgotten that you are self.Keep inquiring
towards self.If the light is on
all the time then there is no darkness.. This light is like self.,
Jim: What must I
stop to achieve so that it does not come and go.It is continues.
Anna: Know your real self then nothing else is
required. You have forgotten your real self all these are happening..In deep
sleep state there is no mind so there is no problem. If you leave the thought
that your body and mind is I then you are peace. Only dropping the idea that
body and mind is I then you need not leave anything. The real sanyas is leaving
the body and mind.Not foregetting that I am self is great sadhana..It is simple
is what Bhagwan says. What is the difficulty is achieving this. Saying that I
have known myself is a matter to be laughed at and saying that I have not
realized is a matter to be laughed at.
Jim: So there is
no other source of happiness than this
Anna: There are many ways but everything will lead
to this.This is the easiest.There are many relihion but all will lead to this.
Seeing everything happening in the world is a peace. . It os like seeing the
reflection in the well and thinking that he is in the well and starts crying.
Guru insists that it is only reflection and the head is here is this. Instead
of looking at self we are looking at body and mind. Do not love or hate this
world.
Jim: If one sits in arunachala it is easier.
But if one goes to New York or los angels then everything is pulling in
opposite direction to identify it as mind
Anna: Is it the same for a child. It is only your
mind. Even a person living in Arunachala not living in self does not attain
peace. He is also away from grace. It is the self which is important. If your
mind is in self then it is everywhere.
Jim: I have not
understood this.
Anna: Who is saying this. Self or mind.
Jim: It is the mind
Anna: you are not the mind
Jm : I understand the truth sometimes but comes why
Anna. If you strongly establish in self then there is no
but. Keep the mind in self then there is no but.
Jim. Is the simplest way to achieve this is
inquiry.
Anna: the
constant inquirey. If you want to reach America you have to travel
continuously till you reach America. If you reach America then there is no
journey. Similarly you should constantly inquire till you reach your self. Then
there is no inquiry required.Till you get this stage medidate I am the self and
all is self.
Jim: shoud this
be formal meditation
Anna: all the time not required to sit. It can be
done while walking, working at any time.Just continue doing this. Strict
posture is not required. If you are a man and you have misunderstood then to
know that back you do not need to do anything special just understand that you
are man. That is enough like that know that you are self just like how you know
that you are a man. All I said is all said by bhagwan. Nothing new from me.
Jim: Thank you
very much. It is good for all
Anna: All are self
and laughs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some good links
Bhagwan Ramana Maharishi - http://bhagwan-ramana-maharshi.blogspot.com/
Bhagwan Ramana Maharishi - Quote http://www.successconsciousness.com/ramana_maharshi_quotes.htm
Sri Ramana Maharishi on Self Inquiry http://www.angelfire.com/space2/light11/diction/ramana.html#1
Arunachala Ocean of grace Divine - http://www.scribd.com/doc/10652712/oceanofgracedivine
Note : This is only a scribbling note. These are purely my understanding.
These may or may not be the correct one. This is not to hurt anybody's feeling.
