BE AWARE OF YOUR RICHES
Q: If a sinner, a breaker of the law, comes before you and asks for your grace, what will be your response?
M: He will get what he asks for.
Q: In spite of being a very bad man?
M: I know no bad people - I only know myself. I see no saints nor sinners, only living beings. I do not hand out grace. There is nothing I can give, or deny, which you do not have already in equal measure. Just be aware of your riches and make full use of them. As long as you imagine that you need my grace, you will be at my door begging for it.
Source: I AM THAT ch. 97
Q: If a sinner, a breaker of the law, comes before you and asks for your grace, what will be your response?
M: He will get what he asks for.
Q: In spite of being a very bad man?
M: I know no bad people - I only know myself. I see no saints nor sinners, only living beings. I do not hand out grace. There is nothing I can give, or deny, which you do not have already in equal measure. Just be aware of your riches and make full use of them. As long as you imagine that you need my grace, you will be at my door begging for it.
Source: I AM THAT ch. 97
CONVERSATIONS WITH ANNAMALAI SWAMI
Question: Bhagavan often told devotees to "Be still". Did he mean "Be mentally still"?
Annamalai Swami: Bhagavan's famous instruction "summa iru" [be still] is often misunderstood. It does not mean that you should be physically still; it means that you should always abide in the Self.
If there is too much physical stillness, tamoguna [a state of mental torpor] arises and predominates. In that state you will feel very sleepy and mentally dull. Rajoguna [a state of excessive mental activity], on the other hand, produces emotions and a mind which is restless.
In sattva guna [a state of mental quietness and clarity] there is stillness and harmony. If mental activity is necessary while one is in sattva guna it takes place. But for the rest of the time there is stillness. When tamoguna and rajoguna predominate, the Self cannot be felt.
If sattva guna predominates one experiences peace, bliss, clarity and an absence of wandering thoughts.
That is the stillness that Bhagavan was prescribing.
- LWB
Question: Bhagavan often told devotees to "Be still". Did he mean "Be mentally still"?
Annamalai Swami: Bhagavan's famous instruction "summa iru" [be still] is often misunderstood. It does not mean that you should be physically still; it means that you should always abide in the Self.
If there is too much physical stillness, tamoguna [a state of mental torpor] arises and predominates. In that state you will feel very sleepy and mentally dull. Rajoguna [a state of excessive mental activity], on the other hand, produces emotions and a mind which is restless.
In sattva guna [a state of mental quietness and clarity] there is stillness and harmony. If mental activity is necessary while one is in sattva guna it takes place. But for the rest of the time there is stillness. When tamoguna and rajoguna predominate, the Self cannot be felt.
If sattva guna predominates one experiences peace, bliss, clarity and an absence of wandering thoughts.
That is the stillness that Bhagavan was prescribing.
- LWB
If you make human company too important
you will not discover your true Self.
Relationships not based in truth are never entirely reliable and are rarely enduring.
Taking time to discover yourself is the best
use of time. Prioritise this.
One should not seek partners or friends.
One should seek to know and be oneself.
As you begin to awaken to the Truth,
you start noticing how well life flows
by itself and how well you are cared for.
Life supports the physical, emotional,
mental and spiritual needs of the one
who is open to self-discovery.
Trust opens your eyes to the recognition of this. Surrender allows you to merge
in your own Eternal Being.
you will not discover your true Self.
Relationships not based in truth are never entirely reliable and are rarely enduring.
Taking time to discover yourself is the best
use of time. Prioritise this.
One should not seek partners or friends.
One should seek to know and be oneself.
As you begin to awaken to the Truth,
you start noticing how well life flows
by itself and how well you are cared for.
Life supports the physical, emotional,
mental and spiritual needs of the one
who is open to self-discovery.
Trust opens your eyes to the recognition of this. Surrender allows you to merge
in your own Eternal Being.
We are all the same, all the same,
longing to find our way back;
back to the One,
back to the only One!
longing to find our way back;
back to the One,
back to the only One!
You want peace and harmony in the world but refuse to have them in yourself.
Keep quiet. Do your work in the world, but
inwardly keep quiet. Then all will come to
you. Do not rely on your work for realization.
It may profit others, but not you. Your hope
lies in keeping silent in your mind and quite
in your heart.
inwardly keep quiet. Then all will come to
you. Do not rely on your work for realization.
It may profit others, but not you. Your hope
lies in keeping silent in your mind and quite
in your heart.
The Self is pure Consciousness, eternal, omnipresent, immutable and self-effulgent like the light of the sun.
Beloved,
Blessings upon your mind and heart.
Let openness, trust and love be your first response.
This is the secret to everlasting joy,
peace and contentment. Om.
Blessings upon your mind and heart.
Let openness, trust and love be your first response.
This is the secret to everlasting joy,
peace and contentment. Om.
I have failed in my foremost task to open people's eyes to the fact that man has a soul, that there is a buried treasure in the field and that our religion and philosophy are in a lamentable state.
Ode to Sri Ramana Maharshi:
Eternity has worn a human face,
Contracted to a little human span,
Lo, the immortal has become a man,
A self-imprisoned thing in time and space.
~ Harindranath Chattopadhyaya
Eternity has worn a human face,
Contracted to a little human span,
Lo, the immortal has become a man,
A self-imprisoned thing in time and space.
~ Harindranath Chattopadhyaya
Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.
Usually, Bhagavan (Ramana Maharshi) answered my queries very patiently, but on one occasion he remarked, 'You have many doubts. You always want me to clear your doubts. But some people come here, sit before me and silently grasp the sole thing to be known. Then, without saying anything, they go away.'
'What can I do, Bhagavan? If your son is a dud and a dunce,
you have to speak to him as often as it is necessary to get
information into his fat head.'
Bhagavan smiled but made no reply.
Bhagavan much preferred to sit in silence, without being bothered by questions, for that was his natural state.
He once remarked to me, 'I am where there is no word'.
Then why do you talk?' I asked.
'Out of compassion,' he replied.
~ Rangan in: The Power of His Presence’ p. 27
'What can I do, Bhagavan? If your son is a dud and a dunce,
you have to speak to him as often as it is necessary to get
information into his fat head.'
Bhagavan smiled but made no reply.
Bhagavan much preferred to sit in silence, without being bothered by questions, for that was his natural state.
He once remarked to me, 'I am where there is no word'.
Then why do you talk?' I asked.
'Out of compassion,' he replied.
~ Rangan in: The Power of His Presence’ p. 27
In reality there is only the source, dark in itself, making everything shine.
Unperceived, it causes perception.
Unfelt, it causes feeling.
Unthinkable, it causes thought.
Non-being, it gives birth to being.
It is the immovable background of motion.
Once you are there, you are at home everywhere.
Unperceived, it causes perception.
Unfelt, it causes feeling.
Unthinkable, it causes thought.
Non-being, it gives birth to being.
It is the immovable background of motion.
Once you are there, you are at home everywhere.
When you think you know something, pride, opinions and argumentativeness can be your emission. When you know you know nothing, an air of openness and humility prevails. Then real understanding enters the mind.
Questioner:
I am tired of all the ways and means and skills and tricks, of all these mental acrobatics. Is there a way to perceive reality directly and immediatelly?
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj:
Stop making use of your mind
and see what happens.
Do this one thing thoroughly.
That is all.
I am tired of all the ways and means and skills and tricks, of all these mental acrobatics. Is there a way to perceive reality directly and immediatelly?
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj:
Stop making use of your mind
and see what happens.
Do this one thing thoroughly.
That is all.
Цель выше чувств,
Мысль выше целей,
Рассудок выше мысли,
Великий Атман выше рассудка,
Неявное выше великого,
Пуруша выше неявного,
Выше Пуруши нет ничего,
Он - завершение, он - конечный путь.
Катха-Упанишада
Мысль выше целей,
Рассудок выше мысли,
Великий Атман выше рассудка,
Неявное выше великого,
Пуруша выше неявного,
Выше Пуруши нет ничего,
Он - завершение, он - конечный путь.
Катха-Упанишада
The goal is higher than the senses,
The mind is higher than any goal,
The intellect is higher than the mind,
The Great Atman is higher than the intellect,
The Unmanifest is higher than the great,
Purusha (God) is higher than the Unmanifest,
There is nothing higher than Purusha (God),
He is the end, he is the final path.
~ Katha-Upanishad
The mind is higher than any goal,
The intellect is higher than the mind,
The Great Atman is higher than the intellect,
The Unmanifest is higher than the great,
Purusha (God) is higher than the Unmanifest,
There is nothing higher than Purusha (God),
He is the end, he is the final path.
~ Katha-Upanishad
Everything we have been seeking has been perishable. Everything that we have done was to search and to find that which is perishable. Which is impermanent. Blood, sweat and tears—wars we have done. So many things to find things you cannot keep.
I point you to something, which you cannot not be. Which is not perishable. Because all that you see, all that you taste, all that you imagine, all that you dream, all you think or believe, time says: all this belongs to me. I have eaten generations before you. Great men, great Kings and Queens and Emperors, I’ve eaten all of them. And I’m about to eat you also.
The only thing it cannot eat is the pure awareness from where it came. And I’m showing you where that awareness is, and how you cannot be other than that. For you to discover that which is imperishable...
I point you to something, which you cannot not be. Which is not perishable. Because all that you see, all that you taste, all that you imagine, all that you dream, all you think or believe, time says: all this belongs to me. I have eaten generations before you. Great men, great Kings and Queens and Emperors, I’ve eaten all of them. And I’m about to eat you also.
The only thing it cannot eat is the pure awareness from where it came. And I’m showing you where that awareness is, and how you cannot be other than that. For you to discover that which is imperishable...
YOU ARE THE SILENCE. THE SILENCE OF THE HEART.
Always ask yourself, ‘Why am I here?’ It is always good to ask yourself this. I don’t mean, why are you in the universe? Why are you here in this room, in this class, at ‘satsang’?
What do you want? What are you looking for?
You Are Spirit
Remember, if you are looking for any-thing, you are here for the wrong reason. For there is nothing that I can give you really, that you haven’t already got. There is absolutely I can do for you for I am not the doer. Neither are you.
You are already fulfilled. Everything I have is yours. There is absolutely nothing lacking in you. You are Spirit. You are not the body that appears to be a body. You are Spirit. Something absolutely different than what you can ever imagine. Everything that you can ever imagine, that you want to be, YOU ALREADY ARE.
You are the Imperishable SELF that has always been, that you always will be. Beyond birth, beyond death, beyond experiences, beyond doubts, beyond opinions. Beyond whatever it is your body is going through, whatever thoughts your mind thinks. YOU are beyond that.
You are the Silence. The Silence of the Heart. Know your SELF. Whenever you think of yourself, think of your-self as the SELF. Not the I Thought. Not the personal self, but as the Supreme Energy. Sat Chit Ananda. Nirvana. You are That. If you really believed you are That, you would be in total peace. There would be no- thing in this world that can ever disturb you. You would have no doubts. You would have Unalloyed Happiness, total joy. It would make no difference what your body is going through, or what thoughts come into your mind. Or what people are doing, or are not doing, who is right, who is wrong, who is enlightened, who is not. You would never think of things like this.
When you think you are human, you have duality to contend with. Right and wrong, healthy or sick, rich or poor, happy or sad, and the rest of it. But, when you have transcended this, you see yourself in a completely different light.
YOU Are the Light That Shineth in the Darkness
You see your SELF as the light. The Light that Shineth in the darkness. The Eternal Glow that can never diminish. Omnipresence, All Pervading. YOU are that One. YOU have always been that One. You are not what you think you are when you are sad. When you are angry. When you are upset. This is a lie. There is something within you that knows the Truth. That is the Truth. You are That.
Source: 'Silence of the Heart'
Always ask yourself, ‘Why am I here?’ It is always good to ask yourself this. I don’t mean, why are you in the universe? Why are you here in this room, in this class, at ‘satsang’?
What do you want? What are you looking for?
You Are Spirit
Remember, if you are looking for any-thing, you are here for the wrong reason. For there is nothing that I can give you really, that you haven’t already got. There is absolutely I can do for you for I am not the doer. Neither are you.
You are already fulfilled. Everything I have is yours. There is absolutely nothing lacking in you. You are Spirit. You are not the body that appears to be a body. You are Spirit. Something absolutely different than what you can ever imagine. Everything that you can ever imagine, that you want to be, YOU ALREADY ARE.
You are the Imperishable SELF that has always been, that you always will be. Beyond birth, beyond death, beyond experiences, beyond doubts, beyond opinions. Beyond whatever it is your body is going through, whatever thoughts your mind thinks. YOU are beyond that.
You are the Silence. The Silence of the Heart. Know your SELF. Whenever you think of yourself, think of your-self as the SELF. Not the I Thought. Not the personal self, but as the Supreme Energy. Sat Chit Ananda. Nirvana. You are That. If you really believed you are That, you would be in total peace. There would be no- thing in this world that can ever disturb you. You would have no doubts. You would have Unalloyed Happiness, total joy. It would make no difference what your body is going through, or what thoughts come into your mind. Or what people are doing, or are not doing, who is right, who is wrong, who is enlightened, who is not. You would never think of things like this.
When you think you are human, you have duality to contend with. Right and wrong, healthy or sick, rich or poor, happy or sad, and the rest of it. But, when you have transcended this, you see yourself in a completely different light.
YOU Are the Light That Shineth in the Darkness
You see your SELF as the light. The Light that Shineth in the darkness. The Eternal Glow that can never diminish. Omnipresence, All Pervading. YOU are that One. YOU have always been that One. You are not what you think you are when you are sad. When you are angry. When you are upset. This is a lie. There is something within you that knows the Truth. That is the Truth. You are That.
Source: 'Silence of the Heart'
Some falsely imagine that Self-realisation
is the highest state within the phenomenal realm,
but this is not so.
The realisation of the Self reveals
one's true position as the unfathomable,
beyond even the concept of Self-realisation.
The fully awakened one has transcended
the illusion of duality,
of cause and effect as a fact.
They have surpassed the distractions
and temptations of phenomenality.
They are one with the concept-free totality
as indivisible awareness.
is the highest state within the phenomenal realm,
but this is not so.
The realisation of the Self reveals
one's true position as the unfathomable,
beyond even the concept of Self-realisation.
The fully awakened one has transcended
the illusion of duality,
of cause and effect as a fact.
They have surpassed the distractions
and temptations of phenomenality.
They are one with the concept-free totality
as indivisible awareness.
To be in the company of those whose minds and hearts are turned towards the Truth is to be in the company of holiness. Don’t hold on to any image of what freedom should be like or how your life will change. Throw all these things overboard. Just present yourself at the feet of God with a big Yes inside your heart.
Say, ‘Yes. I’m helpless without you. Rid me of ego and merge me in you. I’m here only for this. I don’t know any way or path. You are my refuge.’
Come to the shrine like this—- empty.
Say, ‘Yes. I’m helpless without you. Rid me of ego and merge me in you. I’m here only for this. I don’t know any way or path. You are my refuge.’
Come to the shrine like this—- empty.
The thought of God is Divine Favor! He is by nature Grace (prasad or arul). It is by God’s Grace that you think of God.
~ Talk 29
~ Talk 29
If you are firm in your belief in the guidance of God, stick to it, and do not concern yourself with what happens around you.
Talk 596
Talk 596
I want to tell you this:
Right there in the midst of the biggest crisis, the most overpowering fear, lies a portal to the infinite.
It is immovable, sacred and open to those who have the courage or the desperateness to surrender all for Truth.
Right there in the midst of the biggest crisis, the most overpowering fear, lies a portal to the infinite.
It is immovable, sacred and open to those who have the courage or the desperateness to surrender all for Truth.