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Whatever you do for the truth will take you to the truth.
Question: Are austerities and penances of any use?
Maharaj: To meet all the vicissitudes of life is penance enough! You need not invent trouble. To meet cheerfully whatever life brings is all the austerity you need.
Maharaj: To meet all the vicissitudes of life is penance enough! You need not invent trouble. To meet cheerfully whatever life brings is all the austerity you need.
Thank you Father
for the experience of life,
for the joy and harmony of being.
Thank you
for your ever flowing grace
and this deep contentment
inside my heart.
And beyond all this,
thank you for
the seamless unity with you
as Unborn Awareness.
from 'The Mala of God'
for the experience of life,
for the joy and harmony of being.
Thank you
for your ever flowing grace
and this deep contentment
inside my heart.
And beyond all this,
thank you for
the seamless unity with you
as Unborn Awareness.
from 'The Mala of God'
Where the where is not,
When the when is not,
I am.
When the when is not,
I am.
No amount of study,
no attendance in any school
can teach one to be oneself.
Being is everything,
being any thing in particular
is an illusion.
no attendance in any school
can teach one to be oneself.
Being is everything,
being any thing in particular
is an illusion.
— Мне приснилось, что пантера с зелёными глазами съела меня. Поскольку я был в облике овцы, я понял, что это моё Я уничтожало мой менталитет овцы.
— Всё в этом мире являются овцами, постоянно ищущими себе пастуха. Этим пастухом обычно является основатель какой-либо религии. Ты, как католический священник, знаешь это. Пастухи не позволяют овцам отходит от стада, поэтому овцы остаются овцами. Но некоторые смогли сбежать от пастуха и его овчарок, от священников и больше не находятся под их контролем. В этих традициях было несколько хороших Святых, которые говорили об Истине, и различные писания этих традиций говорят некоторые хорошие вещи, но в основном я не видел от них никакой пользы, хотя я в течение десятилетий странствовал по миру в поисках Истины. Я рад, что ты пришёл сюда и преодолел религиозные барьеры. Ты пришёл сюда как независимый человек. Тебе нужно обладать независимым мировоззрением и пониманием, чтобы познать самого себя. Не полагайся на прошлое или на что-либо, что ты слышал или читал в прошлом, ибо Истина — это Сейчас. Освободись Сейчас, и тогда ты поймёшь то, о чём говорили и писали Святые.
— Можно ли найти истину посредством какой-либо религии?
— Да, можно найти конечную Истину в любой религии, но человек должен испытывать страстную устремлённость, быть честным и искренне любить Бога. Это не имеет отношения к посещению церкви или храма. Там ты Бога не найдёшь, только Внутри. Религия мало связана с жизнью людей, кроме того, что внушает им страх. Так что если ты живёшь без принадлежности к религии, то по крайней мере, ты будешь свободным от страха. Будь независимым, так лучше для тебя же. Богом религий является создание идеи безопасности, надёжности, с помощью которой они могут манипулировать твоими страхами и желаниями.
— Похоже, что для духовных общин характерны иерархия, формальность и контроль. Это как-то противоречит идее того, чем является Свобода, И, похоже, иерархия и борьба за власть особенно распространены вокруг духовных Мастеров.
— Ты ощутила вкус Свободы, а затем начала судить и подвергать цензуре поведение других людей, решая, что хорошо, а что плохо.
Оставайся с ощущением Свободы и не смотри на поведение других, иначе ты упустишь шанс.
Не заталкивай Свободу на второй план, вовлекаясь в действия других людей. Пусть они делают, что хотят и что должны делать в соответствии со своей кармой. Кто ты такая, чтобы их судить? Сколько времени ты на это потратишь, сто лет? Люди всегда будут вести себя неправильно, и тебе придётся рождаться снова и снова только для того, чтобы судить их, конца этому не будет! Намного лучше позаботиться о себе и осуществить свою цель.
Ты подошла к определённой цели. Не бросай же взгляды по сторонам! Просто пребывай в Безмолвии.
Ты напоминаешь человека, который нашёл бриллиант и, привязав его к шее своего осла, продолжает работать, таская кирпичи. Эту глупость совершают все, пока не попадут на Сатсанг и не оценят тот факт, что они являются безценным бриллиантом. Тебе был показан этот бриллиант, но ты снова привязала его к ослу — своему уму! Это никогда не принесёт тебе счастья!
Занимайся своими делами
и позволь другим делать то, что им предначертано.
Ты не можешь внести свою лепту в этот процесс.
Он принадлежит кому-то очень мудрому,
кто знает, как присмотреть за людьми.
Позаботься о себе. Если ты когда-нибудь снова испытаешь переживание Истинного Я, забудь обо всём!!! Даже цари отреклись от своих царств и удалились в лес в полном удовлетворении. Твоим Высшим Желанием должна быть Свобода, независимо от того, находишься ты рядом со Святым или нет. Ты растерялась, потому что попала в компанию людей, которые не говорят о Свободе. Ашрамы приносят, конечно, какую-то пользу, но в большинстве из них главный интерес направлен на социальные отношения братьев и сестер по линии Гуру, но они не пребывают в Безмолвии. Я не рекомендую никому попусту тратить своё время на безполезную деятельность вместо того, чтобы пребывать в молчании. Не нужно создавать социальные отношения с людьми со всего мира, просто Пребывай в Безмолвии. Ты должна смотреть — спокоен твой ум в условиях ашрама или нет. Нет никакой пользы в том, чтобы просто общаться с другими, сплетничать или читать книги.
Пребывание в Безмолвии — самое важное. Ты тратишь своё время попусту, если этого не делаешь.
— Всё в этом мире являются овцами, постоянно ищущими себе пастуха. Этим пастухом обычно является основатель какой-либо религии. Ты, как католический священник, знаешь это. Пастухи не позволяют овцам отходит от стада, поэтому овцы остаются овцами. Но некоторые смогли сбежать от пастуха и его овчарок, от священников и больше не находятся под их контролем. В этих традициях было несколько хороших Святых, которые говорили об Истине, и различные писания этих традиций говорят некоторые хорошие вещи, но в основном я не видел от них никакой пользы, хотя я в течение десятилетий странствовал по миру в поисках Истины. Я рад, что ты пришёл сюда и преодолел религиозные барьеры. Ты пришёл сюда как независимый человек. Тебе нужно обладать независимым мировоззрением и пониманием, чтобы познать самого себя. Не полагайся на прошлое или на что-либо, что ты слышал или читал в прошлом, ибо Истина — это Сейчас. Освободись Сейчас, и тогда ты поймёшь то, о чём говорили и писали Святые.
— Можно ли найти истину посредством какой-либо религии?
— Да, можно найти конечную Истину в любой религии, но человек должен испытывать страстную устремлённость, быть честным и искренне любить Бога. Это не имеет отношения к посещению церкви или храма. Там ты Бога не найдёшь, только Внутри. Религия мало связана с жизнью людей, кроме того, что внушает им страх. Так что если ты живёшь без принадлежности к религии, то по крайней мере, ты будешь свободным от страха. Будь независимым, так лучше для тебя же. Богом религий является создание идеи безопасности, надёжности, с помощью которой они могут манипулировать твоими страхами и желаниями.
— Похоже, что для духовных общин характерны иерархия, формальность и контроль. Это как-то противоречит идее того, чем является Свобода, И, похоже, иерархия и борьба за власть особенно распространены вокруг духовных Мастеров.
— Ты ощутила вкус Свободы, а затем начала судить и подвергать цензуре поведение других людей, решая, что хорошо, а что плохо.
Оставайся с ощущением Свободы и не смотри на поведение других, иначе ты упустишь шанс.
Не заталкивай Свободу на второй план, вовлекаясь в действия других людей. Пусть они делают, что хотят и что должны делать в соответствии со своей кармой. Кто ты такая, чтобы их судить? Сколько времени ты на это потратишь, сто лет? Люди всегда будут вести себя неправильно, и тебе придётся рождаться снова и снова только для того, чтобы судить их, конца этому не будет! Намного лучше позаботиться о себе и осуществить свою цель.
Ты подошла к определённой цели. Не бросай же взгляды по сторонам! Просто пребывай в Безмолвии.
Ты напоминаешь человека, который нашёл бриллиант и, привязав его к шее своего осла, продолжает работать, таская кирпичи. Эту глупость совершают все, пока не попадут на Сатсанг и не оценят тот факт, что они являются безценным бриллиантом. Тебе был показан этот бриллиант, но ты снова привязала его к ослу — своему уму! Это никогда не принесёт тебе счастья!
Занимайся своими делами
и позволь другим делать то, что им предначертано.
Ты не можешь внести свою лепту в этот процесс.
Он принадлежит кому-то очень мудрому,
кто знает, как присмотреть за людьми.
Позаботься о себе. Если ты когда-нибудь снова испытаешь переживание Истинного Я, забудь обо всём!!! Даже цари отреклись от своих царств и удалились в лес в полном удовлетворении. Твоим Высшим Желанием должна быть Свобода, независимо от того, находишься ты рядом со Святым или нет. Ты растерялась, потому что попала в компанию людей, которые не говорят о Свободе. Ашрамы приносят, конечно, какую-то пользу, но в большинстве из них главный интерес направлен на социальные отношения братьев и сестер по линии Гуру, но они не пребывают в Безмолвии. Я не рекомендую никому попусту тратить своё время на безполезную деятельность вместо того, чтобы пребывать в молчании. Не нужно создавать социальные отношения с людьми со всего мира, просто Пребывай в Безмолвии. Ты должна смотреть — спокоен твой ум в условиях ашрама или нет. Нет никакой пользы в том, чтобы просто общаться с другими, сплетничать или читать книги.
Пребывание в Безмолвии — самое важное. Ты тратишь своё время попусту, если этого не делаешь.
Fix your course to a Star, and you can navigate any storm.
Thoughts come and go. Feelings come and go.
Find out what it is that remains.
Find out what it is that remains.
How long shall I walk with you to take you where you already are....
It can take 0 time, 0 distance.
Or it can take years and years of searching, hours of meditation, thousands of kilometers to cover and several lifetimes and even then, never reach the destination.
You choose. Why not here and now?
Don't listen to your mind.
You are Life.
All that you are "seeing" is your life journey.
But I'm not here for any journeys.
I'm here for which has no beginning nor ending.
It can take 0 time, 0 distance.
Or it can take years and years of searching, hours of meditation, thousands of kilometers to cover and several lifetimes and even then, never reach the destination.
You choose. Why not here and now?
Don't listen to your mind.
You are Life.
All that you are "seeing" is your life journey.
But I'm not here for any journeys.
I'm here for which has no beginning nor ending.
First, know you are already free.
This is the unique recognition,
insight and fruit born of self-inquiry:
to reveal our inherent freedom as eternal being.
Thereafter, practise is only to fend off the tendency
to doubt this freedom.
This is the unique recognition,
insight and fruit born of self-inquiry:
to reveal our inherent freedom as eternal being.
Thereafter, practise is only to fend off the tendency
to doubt this freedom.
God is One Formless Being
They think not of Being One,
They think not of the Jiva,
They think not of Karmas two (Good and Bad),
They think not of Mayas two (Pure and Impure);
The One Being within
Stands as Sentience and fosters;
Formless is He,
He supports all.
Stanza 2390
They think not of Being One,
They think not of the Jiva,
They think not of Karmas two (Good and Bad),
They think not of Mayas two (Pure and Impure);
The One Being within
Stands as Sentience and fosters;
Formless is He,
He supports all.
Stanza 2390
God is at home, it's we who have gone out for a walk.
Question: I have read in a book by Romain Rolland about Ramakrishna that nirvikalpa samadhi is a terrible and terrifying experience. Is nirvikalpa so terrible? Are we then undergoing all these tedious processes of meditation, purification and discipline only to end in a state of terror? Are we going to turn into living corpses?
Bhagwan : People have all sorts of notions about nirvikalpa. Why speak of Romain Rolland? If those who have all the Upanishads and vedantic tradition at their disposal have fantastic notions about nirvikalpa, who can blame a westerner for similar notions? Some yogis by breathing exercises allow themselves to fall into a cataleptic state far deeper than dreamless sleep, in which they are aware of nothing, absolutely nothing, and they glorify it as nirvikalpa. Some others think that once you dip into nirvikalpa you become an altogether different being. Still others take nirvikalpa to be attainable only through a trance in which the world-consciousness is totally obliterated, as in a fainting fit. All this is due to their viewing it intellectually.
Nirvikalpa is chit – effortless, formless consciousness. Where does the terror come in, and where is the mystery in being oneself? To some people whose minds have become ripe from a long practice in the past, nirvikalpa comes suddenly as a flood, but to others it comes in the course of their spiritual practice, a practice which slowly wears down the obstructing thoughts and reveals the screen of pure awareness ‘I’-’I’. Further practice renders the screen permanently exposed. This is Self-realization, mukti, or sahaja samadhi, the natural, effortless state. Mere nonperception of the differences [vikalpas] outside is not the real nature of firm nirvikalpa. Know that the non-rising of differences [vikalpas] in the dead mind alone is the true nirvikalpa.
Bhagwan : People have all sorts of notions about nirvikalpa. Why speak of Romain Rolland? If those who have all the Upanishads and vedantic tradition at their disposal have fantastic notions about nirvikalpa, who can blame a westerner for similar notions? Some yogis by breathing exercises allow themselves to fall into a cataleptic state far deeper than dreamless sleep, in which they are aware of nothing, absolutely nothing, and they glorify it as nirvikalpa. Some others think that once you dip into nirvikalpa you become an altogether different being. Still others take nirvikalpa to be attainable only through a trance in which the world-consciousness is totally obliterated, as in a fainting fit. All this is due to their viewing it intellectually.
Nirvikalpa is chit – effortless, formless consciousness. Where does the terror come in, and where is the mystery in being oneself? To some people whose minds have become ripe from a long practice in the past, nirvikalpa comes suddenly as a flood, but to others it comes in the course of their spiritual practice, a practice which slowly wears down the obstructing thoughts and reveals the screen of pure awareness ‘I’-’I’. Further practice renders the screen permanently exposed. This is Self-realization, mukti, or sahaja samadhi, the natural, effortless state. Mere nonperception of the differences [vikalpas] outside is not the real nature of firm nirvikalpa. Know that the non-rising of differences [vikalpas] in the dead mind alone is the true nirvikalpa.
We go through life walking in the immense darkness of unknown realities with a little flashlight in our hands, imagining that only what our little light makes visible is real. We generally see and experience only an infinitesimally small sliver of what actually exists and remain strictly within the confines of what our tiny light illumines. The true power of life does not lie within the confines of our tiny light, but in the immense darkness of unknown realities that are the greater story of our lives. Our lives are much more immense than we know, and connected to vast currents of hidden influences and possibilities. But we must stretch out into the darkness with the full measure of our longing, and surrender to the greater unknown context of our lives in order to begin to embrace and be embraced by a Love that is awaiting our invitation. And it is not only an invitation in word but also in deed—the act of offering our Being and the fullness of our lives to the darkness of the unknown currents—eternal possibilities that we cannot control but must instead invite with heartfelt surrender.
Sri Ramana Maharshi Jayanti
30 December 1879 - 14 April 1950
Salutations and boundless gratitude,
love and veneration to
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi,
the sage of Arunachala,
on his 139th Jayanti (birthday).
Following the Tamil calendar,
this auspicious day was celebrated
at Sri Ramanashramam on 24 December.
‘The Self is the only One.
If it is limited, it is the ego.
If unlimited, it is infinite. It is the Reality.’
~ Sri Ramana Maharshi
'All seekers of the Truth should turn their
heads and hearts towards Sri Ramana Maharshi
on this very day and leave them there.
For it is He, as a pure expression of the Supreme Being
—The Unborn Awareness,
who has opened the door to Nirvana for all Humanity.
How fortunate are we to be sat at his holy feet
in veneration to the Limitless.'
December 30, 2018
30 December 1879 - 14 April 1950
Salutations and boundless gratitude,
love and veneration to
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi,
the sage of Arunachala,
on his 139th Jayanti (birthday).
Following the Tamil calendar,
this auspicious day was celebrated
at Sri Ramanashramam on 24 December.
‘The Self is the only One.
If it is limited, it is the ego.
If unlimited, it is infinite. It is the Reality.’
~ Sri Ramana Maharshi
'All seekers of the Truth should turn their
heads and hearts towards Sri Ramana Maharshi
on this very day and leave them there.
For it is He, as a pure ex
—The Unborn Awareness,
who has opened the door to Nirvana for all Humanity.
How fortunate are we to be sat at his holy feet
in veneration to the Limitless.'
December 30, 2018
Men seek retreats for themselves - in the country, by the sea, in the hills - and you yourself are particularly prone to this yearning. But all this is quite unphilosophic, when it is open to you, at any time you want, to retreat into yourself. No retreat offers someone more quiet and relaxation than that into his own mind, especially if he can dip into thoughts there which put him at immediate and complete ease: and by ease I simply mean a well-ordered life. So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself. The doctrines you will visit there should be few and fundamental, sufficient at one meeting to wash away all your pain and send you back free of resentment at what you must rejoin. And what is it you will resent? Human wickedness? Recall the conclusion that rational creatures are born for each other's sake, that tolerance is a part of justice, that wrongdoing is not deliberate. Consider the number of people who spent their lives in enmity, suspicion, hatred, outright war, and were then laid out for burial or reduced to ashes. Stop, then. Or will you fret at your allocation from the Whole? Revisit the alternatives -providence or atoms - and the many indications that the universe is a kind of community. But will matters of the flesh still have their hold on you? Consider that the mind, once it has abstracted itself and come to know its own defining power, has no contact with the movement of the bodily spirit, be that smooth or troubled: and finally remember all that you have heard and agreed about pain and pleasure. Well then, will a little fame distract you? Look at the speed of universal oblivion, the gulf of immeasurable time both before and after, the vacuity of applause, the indiscriminate fickleness of your apparent supporters, the tiny room in which all this is confined. The whole earth is a mere point in space: what a minute cranny within this is your own habitation, and how many and what sort will sing your praises here! Finally, then, remember this retreat into your own little territory within yourself. Above all, no agonies, no tensions. Be your own master, and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mortal creature. And here are two of the most immediately useful thoughts you will dip into. First that things cannot touch the mind: they are external and inert; anxieties can only come from your internal judgement. Second, that all these things you see will change almost as you look at them, and then will be no more. Constantly bring to mind all that you yourself have already seen changed. The universe is change: life is judgement.
~ Meditations, Book IV
~ Meditations, Book IV
IT IS NOT YOUR WORK
D: Is a set meditation necessary for strengthening the mind?
M: Not if you keep the idea always before you that it is not your work. At first, effort is needed to remind yourself of it, but later on it becomes natural and continuous. The work will go on of its own accord, and your peace will remain undisturbed.
Meditation is your true nature. You call it meditation now, because there are other thoughts distracting you. When these thoughts are dispelled, you remain alone — that is, in the state of meditation free from thoughts; and that is your real nature, which you are now trying to gain by keeping away other thoughts. Such keeping away of other thoughts is now called meditation. But when the practice becomes firm, the real nature shows itself as true meditation.
- Maharshi's Gospel
D: Is a set meditation necessary for strengthening the mind?
M: Not if you keep the idea always before you that it is not your work. At first, effort is needed to remind yourself of it, but later on it becomes natural and continuous. The work will go on of its own accord, and your peace will remain undisturbed.
Meditation is your true nature. You call it meditation now, because there are other thoughts distracting you. When these thoughts are dispelled, you remain alone — that is, in the state of meditation free from thoughts; and that is your real nature, which you are now trying to gain by keeping away other thoughts. Such keeping away of other thoughts is now called meditation. But when the practice becomes firm, the real nature shows itself as true meditation.
- Maharshi's Gospel
Blessed is the spirit of Christ
—so powerful that 2,000 years after
leaving the body, this light shines today
throughout the world.
May all who hold inside their heart
the true desire for freedom,
come swiftly to the recognition of the pure Self
and be timelessly happy.
Wherever you are, may Grace wash away
the trivia that distract you.
May all who meet you on the path of life
be transformed through this encounter.
May they be so touched by your light, peace and joy,
that they are compelled to search
within themselves to find the light
that they see in you.
Let this Freedom be contagious,
let this Love be contagious,
let this Truth be contagious.
This is your true responsibility
—to live out the fullness of your Being.
Merry Christmas!
Dec 24, 2018
—so powerful that 2,000 years after
leaving the body, this light shines today
throughout the world.
May all who hold inside their heart
the true desire for freedom,
come swiftly to the recognition of the pure Self
and be timelessly happy.
Wherever you are, may Grace wash away
the trivia that distract you.
May all who meet you on the path of life
be transformed through this encounter.
May they be so touched by your light, peace and joy,
that they are compelled to search
within themselves to find the light
that they see in you.
Let this Freedom be contagious,
let this Love be contagious,
let this Truth be contagious.
This is your true responsibility
—to live out the fullness of your Being.
Merry Christmas!
Dec 24, 2018
After God-realization, one sees that God manifests Himself in all things. However, there is a greater degree of His manifestation in the human being. And He is manifested more in devotees endowed with the quality of sattva - people who have no desire at all to enjoy `lust and gold'.
WORK AND RENUNCIATION
Disciple: What is the highest goal of spiritual experience for man?
Maharshi: Self-realization.
D: Can a married man realize the Self?
M: Certainly. Married or unmarried, a man can realize the Self; because That is here and now.
If it were not so, but attainable by some effort at some time, and if it were new and had to be acquired, it would not be worth pursuit. Because, what is not natural is not permanent either. But what I say is that the Self is here and now, and alone.
- Maharshi's Gospel
Disciple: What is the highest goal of spiritual experience for man?
Maharshi: Self-realization.
D: Can a married man realize the Self?
M: Certainly. Married or unmarried, a man can realize the Self; because That is here and now.
If it were not so, but attainable by some effort at some time, and if it were new and had to be acquired, it would not be worth pursuit. Because, what is not natural is not permanent either. But what I say is that the Self is here and now, and alone.
- Maharshi's Gospel
WHAT IS MEANT BY SAMSARA?
During the early days of my arrival here, on one day at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a middle-aged Andhra, who had come recently, asked Bhagavan, “Swami, as I repeat Rama Namam (the name of Rama) regularly every morning and every evening for an hour, other thoughts come in, one by one, increase from time to time and ultimately find that I have forgotten my japam. What shall I do?”
“At that time catch hold of that name (Rama Namam)” said Bhagavan. We all laughed. Poor man! He felt grieved and said,
“The reasons for these interruption is the samsara (family), is not it? I am therefore thinking of abandoning the samsara.”
Bhagavan said, “Oh! Is that so? What really is meant by samsara? Is it within or without?” “Wife, children and others” he said. “Is that all the samsara? What have they done? Please find out first what really is meant by samsara. Afterwards we shall consider the question of abandoning them,” said Bhagavan. He could not reply and so kept quiet, crestfallen.
Bhagavan’s heart was full of compassion. With a look full of tender kindness he said, “Supposing you leave your wife and children. If you are here this will become another kind of samsara. Supposing you take to sannyasa. Another kind of samsara comes into existence in the shape of a karra (walking stick), kamandalu (water bowl) and the like. Why all that? Samsara means samsara of the mind. If you leave that samsara, it will be the same thing wherever you are. Nothing troubles you.”
Poor man! He mustered up some courage and said, “Yes, that is it, Swami. How to give up that samsara of the mind?” Bhagavan said, “That is just it; you said you were doing the japam of Rama Namam. During the train of thoughts, you said you were sometimes reminded of the fact that you had forgotten the japam of Rama Namam. Try to remind yourself of that fact as often as possible and catch hold of the name of Rama frequently. Other thoughts will then slowly decrease. For the japam of nam (repeating the name of the Lord) several stages have been prescribed.
It is better to repeat the name by the mere motion of the lips than by repeating it aloud; better than that is to repeat it in the mind, and the best is dhyanam.
Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, 2nd December, 1945
During the early days of my arrival here, on one day at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a middle-aged Andhra, who had come recently, asked Bhagavan, “Swami, as I repeat Rama Namam (the name of Rama) regularly every morning and every evening for an hour, other thoughts come in, one by one, increase from time to time and ultimately find that I have forgotten my japam. What shall I do?”
“At that time catch hold of that name (Rama Namam)” said Bhagavan. We all laughed. Poor man! He felt grieved and said,
“The reasons for these interruption is the samsara (family), is not it? I am therefore thinking of abandoning the samsara.”
Bhagavan said, “Oh! Is that so? What really is meant by samsara? Is it within or without?” “Wife, children and others” he said. “Is that all the samsara? What have they done? Please find out first what really is meant by samsara. Afterwards we shall consider the question of abandoning them,” said Bhagavan. He could not reply and so kept quiet, crestfallen.
Bhagavan’s heart was full of compassion. With a look full of tender kindness he said, “Supposing you leave your wife and children. If you are here this will become another kind of samsara. Supposing you take to sannyasa. Another kind of samsara comes into existence in the shape of a karra (walking stick), kamandalu (water bowl) and the like. Why all that? Samsara means samsara of the mind. If you leave that samsara, it will be the same thing wherever you are. Nothing troubles you.”
Poor man! He mustered up some courage and said, “Yes, that is it, Swami. How to give up that samsara of the mind?” Bhagavan said, “That is just it; you said you were doing the japam of Rama Namam. During the train of thoughts, you said you were sometimes reminded of the fact that you had forgotten the japam of Rama Namam. Try to remind yourself of that fact as often as possible and catch hold of the name of Rama frequently. Other thoughts will then slowly decrease. For the japam of nam (repeating the name of the Lord) several stages have been prescribed.
It is better to repeat the name by the mere motion of the lips than by repeating it aloud; better than that is to repeat it in the mind, and the best is dhyanam.
Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, 2nd December, 1945
THE PLACE OF THE HEART
D: But I have heard it said by a Saint that his spiritual experience is felt at the place between the eyebrows.
M: As I said previously, that is the ultimate and perfect Realization which transcends subject-object relation. When that is achieved, it does not matter where the spiritual experience is felt.
D: But the question is, which is the correct view of the two, namely, (1) that the centre of spiritual experience is the place between the eyebrows, (2) that it is the heart.
M: For purposes of practice you may concentrate between the eyebrows, it would then be bhavana or imaginative contemplation of the mind; whereas the supreme state of anubhava or Realization, with which you become wholly identified and in which your individuality is completely dissolved, transcends the mind. Then, there can be no objectified centre to be experienced by you as a subject distinct and separate from it.
- Maharshi's Gospel
D: But I have heard it said by a Saint that his spiritual experience is felt at the place between the eyebrows.
M: As I said previously, that is the ultimate and perfect Realization which transcends subject-object relation. When that is achieved, it does not matter where the spiritual experience is felt.
D: But the question is, which is the correct view of the two, namely, (1) that the centre of spiritual experience is the place between the eyebrows, (2) that it is the heart.
M: For purposes of practice you may concentrate between the eyebrows, it would then be bhavana or imaginative contemplation of the mind; whereas the supreme state of anubhava or Realization, with which you become wholly identified and in which your individuality is completely dissolved, transcends the mind. Then, there can be no objectified centre to be experienced by you as a subject distinct and separate from it.
- Maharshi's Gospel
You ask, ‘What breaks this spell of delusion?
Is it determination?’ No.
The Self does not need determination.
You don’t need some extra strength, courage or blessing.
You don’t need anything,
for you are perfect and beyond need.
You are Truth itself, but presently you cannot step out of
what you always thought of as yourself,
your constructed self-image or self-portrait.
Your mind is not accepting that it is already done.
It is not even done.
It is neither finished nor unfinished.
It just Is.
Is it determination?’ No.
The Self does not need determination.
You don’t need some extra strength, courage or blessing.
You don’t need anything,
for you are perfect and beyond need.
You are Truth itself, but presently you cannot step out of
what you always thought of as yourself,
your constructed self-image or self-portrait.
Your mind is not accepting that it is already done.
It is not even done.
It is neither finished nor unfinished.
It just Is.
The Master is both within and without,
so he creates conditions to drive you inwards and at the same time
prepares the interior to drag you to the Centre.
~ Path of Self-Knowledge, 14
so he creates conditions to drive you inwards and at the same time
prepares the interior to drag you to the Centre.
~ Path of Self-Knowledge, 14
You are pure Awareness.
You are not Awareness sometimes
and sometimes not Awareness.
The idea that you are only sometimes awareness
and sometimes not awareness
is itself an idea appearing in Awareness.
Be aware of this.
You are not Awareness sometimes
and sometimes not Awareness.
The idea that you are only sometimes awareness
and sometimes not awareness
is itself an idea appearing in Awareness.
Be aware of this.
If you could look inside the Heart of any and every single human being, you would fall in love with them completely. If you see the inside as it really IS and not as your mind projects it to be, you would be so purely in love with the whole thing.
Beings
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