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If mind does not discriminate,
all things are as they are, as One.
all things are as they are, as One.
We must leave the entire collection of conditioned thought behind and let ourselves be led by the inner thread of silence into the unknown, beyond where all paths end, to that place where we go innocently or not at all, not once but continually. True freedom isn’t ‘I am free.’ True freedom is ‘everything is free.’ Which means everyone has the freedom to be who they are. Whether they are awake or not awake. Deluded or un-deluded. Freedom is that everything and everybody gets to be exactly as they are. Unless we’ve come to that point, unless we’ve seen that is how Reality sees things, then we are actually withholding freedom from the world.
There was once a Guru who had a very young disciple. They had to go to another village, but on their way they had to cross a small stream which, due to the rains had risen and become neck deep. They both could cross the stream because they were able to keep their small bags on their heads. But there was a prostitute standing nearby who had to attend a wedding function and couldn't cross the stream because of her nice dress and make-up. So this saint said she should sit on his shoulders and he would carry her to the other side, and so she did. Then she went her way and the two sannyasins went theirs.
Now the student was very confused and troubled. His Guru had always said not to touch a woman, but then he had told the prostitute to have a ride on his shoulders! After about ten miles he humbly asked, "Sir, I have a question. I am very much annoyed with your behavior. You teach me not to see or touch any woman because we are monks, we are sannyasins, and then you touch that girl."
"Yes, yes, I lifted the girl because she wanted to cross the stream. Then I let her down and we went our way. Now we have been traveling for ten miles, why are you still carrying her? I carried her ten meters but you have carried her ten miles! Why do you still remember her? That is over now.
Like this, whatever comes in front of you take care of the circumstances and forget about it. This is the guidance
Don't avoid anything that comes!
Don't invite anything you don't need!
Attend to circumstances as best you can,
and forget about it!
Now the student was very confused and troubled. His Guru had always said not to touch a woman, but then he had told the prostitute to have a ride on his shoulders! After about ten miles he humbly asked, "Sir, I have a question. I am very much annoyed with your behavior. You teach me not to see or touch any woman because we are monks, we are sannyasins, and then you touch that girl."
"Yes, yes, I lifted the girl because she wanted to cross the stream. Then I let her down and we went our way. Now we have been traveling for ten miles, why are you still carrying her? I carried her ten meters but you have carried her ten miles! Why do you still remember her? That is over now.
Like this, whatever comes in front of you take care of the circumstances and forget about it. This is the guidance
Don't avoid anything that comes!
Don't invite anything you don't need!
Attend to circumstances as best you can,
and forget about it!
Q: So... there's no magic "poof" to make the ego disappear?
MOOJI: Have you been listening to me all these days? I did not say I sell some "detonator" for the ego. I say first of all you can check the credibility of what you call ego, if this is true or not. And also: what is aware of ego? Simple question. What is aware of ego? And we don't want a quick answer about it. Just invite the question to reveal its possibilities. What are you seeing? You say, "ego comes back". But you are there when it comes back! Ego goes, ego comes back. You are here. What's the problem?
You have this thing, "the ego must go". But ego is not. Have you come to that seeing? Ego is only created itself. It's not easy to see.
Ego comes and goes in some presence which is not going and coming. What would that be?
MOOJI: Have you been listening to me all these days? I did not say I sell some "detonator" for the ego. I say first of all you can check the credibility of what you call ego, if this is true or not. And also: what is aware of ego? Simple question. What is aware of ego? And we don't want a quick answer about it. Just invite the question to reveal its possibilities. What are you seeing? You say, "ego comes back". But you are there when it comes back! Ego goes, ego comes back. You are here. What's the problem?
You have this thing, "the ego must go". But ego is not. Have you come to that seeing? Ego is only created itself. It's not easy to see.
Ego comes and goes in some presence which is not going and coming. What would that be?
BHAGAVAN ON SEXUAL DESIRES
Question : Do you approve of sexual continence?
Ramana Maharshi : A true brahmachari [celibate] is one who dwells in Brahman. Then there is no question of desires any more.
Question : At Sri Aurobindo's ashram there is a rigid rule that married couples are permitted to live there on condition that they have no sexual intercourse.
Ramana Maharshi : What is the use of that ? If it exists in the mind, what use is it to force people to abstain ?
Question : Is marriage a bar to spiritual progress?
Ramana Maharshi : The householder's life is not a bar, but the householder must do his utmost to practise self-control. If a man has a strong desire for the higher life then the sex tendency will subside. When the mind is destroyed, the other desires are destroyed also.
Question : I have committed sexual sin.
Ramana Maharshi : Even if you have, it does not matter so long as you do not think afterwards that you have done so. The Self is not aware of any sin and renunciation of sex is internal, not merely of the body alone.
Question : I am carried away by the sight of the breasts of a young woman neighbor and I am often tempted to commit adultery with her. What should I do?
Ramana Maharshi : You are always pure. It is your senses and body which tempt you and which you confuse with your real Self. So first know who is tempted and who is there to tempt. But even if you do commit adultery, do not think about it afterwards, because you are yourself always pure. You are not the sinner.
Question : Do you approve of sexual continence?
Ramana Maharshi : A true brahmachari [celibate] is one who dwells in Brahman. Then there is no question of desires any more.
Question : At Sri Aurobindo's ashram there is a rigid rule that married couples are permitted to live there on condition that they have no sexual intercourse.
Ramana Maharshi : What is the use of that ? If it exists in the mind, what use is it to force people to abstain ?
Question : Is marriage a bar to spiritual progress?
Ramana Maharshi : The householder's life is not a bar, but the householder must do his utmost to practise self-control. If a man has a strong desire for the higher life then the sex tendency will subside. When the mind is destroyed, the other desires are destroyed also.
Question : I have committed sexual sin.
Ramana Maharshi : Even if you have, it does not matter so long as you do not think afterwards that you have done so. The Self is not aware of any sin and renunciation of sex is internal, not merely of the body alone.
Question : I am carried away by the sight of the breasts of a young woman neighbor and I am often tempted to commit adultery with her. What should I do?
Ramana Maharshi : You are always pure. It is your senses and body which tempt you and which you confuse with your real Self. So first know who is tempted and who is there to tempt. But even if you do commit adultery, do not think about it afterwards, because you are yourself always pure. You are not the sinner.
On every side shine devotees, like stars around the moon;
Their Friend, the Lord All-merciful, joyously plays with them.
Behold! the gates of paradise today are open wide.
Their Friend, the Lord All-merciful, joyously plays with them.
Behold! the gates of paradise today are open wide.
Nobody suffers in a play, unless one identifies himself with it.
Don't identify yourself with the world and you will not suffer.
Don't identify yourself with the world and you will not suffer.
The truth is revealed by removing things that stand in its light, an art not unlike sculpture, in which the artist creates, not by building, but by hacking away.
Sitting quietly
doing nothing
spring comes,
and the grass grows by itself.
doing nothing
spring comes,
and the grass grows by itself.
The greatest step towards a life of happiness and simplicity is to let go. Trust in the power that is already taking care of you spontaneously without effort.
The most spiritual men, as the strongest, find their happiness where others would find their destruction…Their joy is self-conquest: asceticism becomes in them nature, need, and instinct. Difficult tasks are a privilege to them; to play with burdens that crush others, a recreation. Knowledge-a form of asceticism. They are the most venerable kind of man: that does not preclude their being the most cheerful and the kindliest.
Eternal life is now. We’re surrounded by it, like the fish in the ocean, but we have no notion about it at all. We’re too distracted with this attachment. Temporarily, the world rearranges itself to suit our attachment, so we say, ‘Yeah, great! My team won!’ But hang on; it’ll change; you’ll be depressed tomorrow. Why do we keep doing this?
Do this little exercise for a few minutes. Think of something or someone you are attached to; in other words, something or someone without which or without whom you think you are not going to be happy. It could be your job, your career, your profession, your friend, your money, whatever. And say to this object or person, ‘I really do not need you to be happy. I’m only deluding myself in the belief that without you I will not be happy. But I really don’t need you for my happiness; I can be happy without you. You are not my happiness, you are not my joy.’ If your attachment is a person, he or she is not going to be very happy to hear you say this, but go ahead anyway. You can say it in the secrecy of your heart. In any case, you’ll be making contact with the truth; you’ll be smashing through a fantasy. Happiness is a state of non-illusion, of dropping the illusion.
Do this little exercise for a few minutes. Think of something or someone you are attached to; in other words, something or someone without which or without whom you think you are not going to be happy. It could be your job, your career, your profession, your friend, your money, whatever. And say to this object or person, ‘I really do not need you to be happy. I’m only deluding myself in the belief that without you I will not be happy. But I really don’t need you for my happiness; I can be happy without you. You are not my happiness, you are not my joy.’ If your attachment is a person, he or she is not going to be very happy to hear you say this, but go ahead anyway. You can say it in the secrecy of your heart. In any case, you’ll be making contact with the truth; you’ll be smashing through a fantasy. Happiness is a state of non-illusion, of dropping the illusion.
There is trouble only when you cling to something. When you hold on to nothing, no trouble arises. The relinquishing of the lesser is the gaining of the greater. Give up all and you gain all. Then life becomes what it was meant to be: pure radiation from an inexhaustible source. In that light the world appears dimly like a dream.
If your mind carries a heavy burden of past, you will experience more of the same. The past perpetuates itself through lack of presence. The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future.
For things are things because of mind,
as mind is mind because of things.
These two are merely relative
and both at source are Emptiness.
as mind is mind because of things.
These two are merely relative
and both at source are Emptiness.
Those who wish to embody the Tao should embrace all things. To embrace all things means first that one holds no anger or resistance toward any idea or thing, living or dead, formed or formless.
A truly spiritual person lives for the Truth,
........and breathes for Love.
........and breathes for Love.
Enlightenment is not about words and thoughts and concepts which can be doubted. Enlightenment is always here. By 'here' I don't mean this present space. Here is somewhere within where mind cannot reach. Presence is always here and you are always That. This here is not the opposite of 'there'. This here is nowhere, it is your Heart. When mind is still all comes back to the Heart. All the cosmos is but a speck in your Heart. Turn mind over into this 'here' and it is lost. Then only light, wisdom and love remain and This you are not different or apart from.
The only way you will ever awaken is when you are totally empty of all the learnings, of all the teachings, empty of everything.
Then there is freedom.
But as long as you have one iota of knowledge, it will keep you back.
Human knowledge is a death knell for spirituality.
All of the knowledge has to be transcended.
For a complete awakening the words have to go.
There are really no words.
As an example, self-inquiry brings you to the place where you inquire, 'Who am I?'
But it is not the 'Who am I?' that wakes you up.
It is the silence after you say, 'Who am I?' and you keep still.
Then the time comes when the stillness wakes you up and you become free.
Then there is freedom.
But as long as you have one iota of knowledge, it will keep you back.
Human knowledge is a death knell for spirituality.
All of the knowledge has to be transcended.
For a complete awakening the words have to go.
There are really no words.
As an example, self-inquiry brings you to the place where you inquire, 'Who am I?'
But it is not the 'Who am I?' that wakes you up.
It is the silence after you say, 'Who am I?' and you keep still.
Then the time comes when the stillness wakes you up and you become free.
Deepen and broaden your awareness of yourself and all the blessings will flow. You need not seek anything, all will come to you most naturally and effortlessly.
With a single stroke you are freed from bondage;
nothing clings to you and you hold to nothing.
All is empty, clear, self-illuminating,
with no need to exert the mind.
Here, thinking, feeling, understanding, and imagination
are of no value.
In this world 'as it really is'
there is neither self nor other-than-self.
nothing clings to you and you hold to nothing.
All is empty, clear, self-illuminating,
with no need to exert the mind.
Here, thinking, feeling, understanding, and imagination
are of no value.
In this world 'as it really is'
there is neither self nor other-than-self.
Stillness is your essential nature. What is stillness? The inner space or awareness in which the words on this page are being perceived and become thoughts. Without that awareness, there would be no perception, no thoughts, no world. You are that awareness, disguised as a person.
Having never left the house you are looking for the way home.
When we start to suffer, it tells us something very valuable. It means that we are not seeing the Truth, and we are not relating from the Truth. It's a beautiful pointer. It never fails.
Live without a reason, a purpose, a position. The mind is frightened of this because then 'my life' is over with, and Life lives itself and moves from itself in a totally different dimension. This way of living is just Life moving. That's all.
Live without a reason, a purpose, a position. The mind is frightened of this because then 'my life' is over with, and Life lives itself and moves from itself in a totally different dimension. This way of living is just Life moving. That's all.
Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.
Beings
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