Ramana Maharshi

[michaelsees]

Excellent site has 8 free complete books to download and more
enjoy
Michael

www.arunachala-ramana.org/downloads/downloads.htm

[skyblue]

Ramana Maharshi


Mercedes de Acosta, a Spanish American who came to Sri Ramana in 1938, was a Hollywood socialite and scriptwriter for films. Long after meeting Sri Ramana she wrote the book Here Lies the Heart, which was dedicated to: Thou Spiritual Guide – Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, the only completely egoless, world detached and pure being, I have ever known.


A Search in Secret India by Paul Brunton had a profound influence on me. In it I learned for the first time about Ramana Maharshi, a great Indian saint and sage. It was as though some emanation of this saint was projected out of the book to me. For days and nights after reading about him I could not think of anything else. I became, as it were, possessed by him. I could not even talk of anything else. Nothing could distract me from the idea that I must go and meet this saint. The whole direction of my life turned towards India. I felt that I would surely go there.
I had very little money, far too little to risk going to India, but something pushed me towards my goal. I went to the steamship company and booked myself one of the cheapest cabins on the S.S.Victoria.

In Madras I hired a car, and so anxious was I to reach the Ashram that I did not go to bed and travelled by night, arriving about seven o’clock in the morning. I was very tired as I got out of the car in a small square in front of the Arunachaleswara Temple.1 The driver explained he could take me no further. I turned towards the Ashram in the hot sun along the two miles of dust-covered road to reach the abode of the Sage. As I walked that distance, deeply within myself I knew that I was moving towards the greatest experience of my life.

When I first entered the hall, I perceived Bhagavan at once, sitting in the Buddha posture on his couch in the corner. At the same moment I felt overcome by some strong power in the hall, as if an invisible wind was pushing violently against me. For a moment I felt dizzy. Then I recovered myself. To my great surprise I suddenly heard an American voice calling out to me, ‘Hello, come in.’ It was the voice of an American named Guy Hague, who had already been with the Maharshi for a year. He came towards me, took my hand, leading me to a place beside him. I was able to look around the hall, but my gaze was drawn to Bhagavan, who was sitting absolutely straight looking directly in front of him.

His eyes did not blink or move. Because they seemed so full of light I had the impression they were grey. I learned later that they were brown, although there have been various opinions as to the colour of his eyes. His body was naked except for a loincloth. As he sat there he seemed like a statue, and yet something extraordinary emanated from him. I had a feeling that on some invisible level I was receiving spiritual shocks from him, although his gaze was not directed towards me. He did not seem to be looking at anything, and yet I felt he could see and was conscious of the whole world. Hague whispered, “Bhagavan is in samadhi.”

After I had been sitting for sometime, Hague suggested that I go and sit near the Maharshi. He said, “You can never tell when Bhagavan will come out of samadhi. When he does, I am sure he will be pleased to see you.”
I moved near Bhagavan, sitting at his feet and facing him. Not long after this Bhagavan opened his eyes. He moved his head and looked directly down at me, his eyes looking into mine. It would be impossible to describe that moment and I am not going to attempt it. I can only say that at that time I felt my inner being raised to a new level – as if, suddenly, my state of consciousness was lifted to a much higher degree. Perhaps in that split second I was no longer my human self but the Self. Then Bhagavan smiled at me. It seemed to me that I had never before known what a smile was. I said, “I have come a long way to see you.”

There was silence. I had stupidly brought a piece of paper on which I had written a number of questions I wanted to ask. I fumbled for it in my pocket, but the questions were already answered by merely being in his presence. There was no need for questions or answers. Nevertheless, I asked, “Tell me, whom shall I follow – what shall I follow? I have been trying to find this out for years.” Again there was silence.

After a few minutes, which seemed to me a long time, he spoke, “You are not telling the truth. You are just using words – just talking. You know perfectly well whom to follow. Why do you need me to confirm it?” “You mean I should follow my inner self?” I asked. His response was, “I don’t know anything about your inner self. You should follow the Self. There is nothing or no one else to follow.”

I asked again, “What about religions, teachers, gurus?” He said, “Yes, if they can help in the quest for the Self. Can a religion, which teaches you to look outside yourself, which promises a heaven and a reward outside yourself, be of help to you? It is only by diving deep into the spiritual Heart
that one can find the Self.” He placed his right hand on his right breast and continued, “Here lies the Heart, the dynamic, spiritual Heart. It is called hridaya and is located on the right side of the chest and is clearly visible to the inner eye of an adept on the spiritual path. Through meditation you can learn to find the Self in the cave of this Heart.”

I said, “Bhagavan, you say that I am to take up the search for the Self by atma vichara, asking myself the question ‘Who Am I?’ May I ask who are you?” Bhagavan answered, “When you know the Self, the ‘I’, ‘You’, ‘He’, and ‘She’ disappear. They merge together in pure Consciousness.”

To write about my experience with Bhagavan, to recapture and record all that he said, or all that his silences implied is trying to put the infinite into an egg cup. On me he had, and still has, a profound influence. I feel it presumptuous to say he changed my life. My life was perhaps not so important as all that. But I definitely saw life differently after I had been in his presence, a presence that just by merely ‘being’ was sufficient spiritual nourishment for a lifetime.

I sat in the hall with Bhagavan three days and three nights. Sometimes he spoke to me, other times he was silent and I did not interrupt his silence. Often he was in samadhi. I wanted to stay on there with him but finally he told me that I should go back to America. He said, “There will be what will be called a war, but which, in reality, will be a great world revolution. Every country and every person will be touched by it. You must return to America. Your destiny is not in India at this time.”

Before I bid a sorrowful farewell to Bhagavan, he gave me some verses he had selected from the Yoga Vasistha. These contained the essence for the path of a pure life: (i) Steady in the state of fullness, which shines when all desires are given up, and peaceful in the state of freedom in life, act playfully in the world, O Raghava! (ii) Inwardly free from all desires, dispassionate and detached, but outwardly active in all directions, act playfully in the world, O Raghava! (iii) Free from egotism, with mind detached as in sleep, pure like the sky, ever untainted, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!
When I returned from India, undiscerning people saw very little change in me. But there was a transformation of my entire consciousness. And how could it have been otherwise? I had been in the atmosphere of an egoless, world-detached and completely pure being.
- Face to Face with Sri Ramana Maharshi

[skyblue]

Ramana Maharshi


Santha Rangachary

ONE OF THE great regrets of my life is the loss of a letter which I received in 1934. It was in reply to a rather hysterical missive I had despatched addressed ‘Personal and Private’ to Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi at Tiruvannamalai. This communication dealt with a serious, self-admitted weakness of mine which was my mother’s despair – a combustible temper which would explode at the slightest provocation. It was a bad time for me. I had just lost a father I had worshipped. I was twelve, going on thirteen and at once all had been said.

I desperately needed a confidante, an adviser, somebody preferably outside the family, and out of the blue the name of Ramana Maharshi came to me. His was the only name I had ever heard my father – a stubborn, intolerant sceptic – mention without any codicils. I decided, therefore, to write to the sage of Tiruvannamalai secretly. After a number of unsuccessful attempts, I finally sent off a letter asking the Maharshi directly to “please, I beg of you, help me with my temper problem.” Within a week I received a reply signed by the Sarvadhikari, informing me that my letter had been received and placed before the Maharshi and that his message to me was that if I myself made a constant and earnest effort to overcome my temper I would rid myself of it, and that he sent me his blessings.
My first reaction to that letter was one of astonishment at being treated like a grownup, since I had always been told what to do, guided, instructed, warned, but never challenged except on Sports Day. And here was this great Guru as good as telling me: “It is your temper, isn’t it? So, you yourself deal with it.” He had simply batted the ball back to my court in the nicest possible way by treating me as an individual in my own right. I rather liked that.

Ramana Maharshi entered my life again a year or so later when my sister took our whole family on a pilgrimage. The whole thing was going to take less than a week and we were to stay at Tiruvannamalai only for two days. But as it turned out we stayed at Ramanasramam for the whole week and I wept like a lost child when we had to leave. The visit to Ramanasramam was a shattering experience for me. I do believe I literally fell in love with Ramana Maharshi. I was in a daze, a trance, my tongue was gone, my mind was gone, I was in a state of dumbfounded ecstasy. This love which had been awakened was the kind which totally bypasses the physical and creates an awareness of a different kind of consciousness which can only be described as a mindless rapture, pure joy. It is an unlocated, pervasive state of being sparked off by some kind of recognition and it stays with you and you are never the same again.
We arrived at Tiruvannamalai just before dawn. After reaching the Ashram we bathed and had our breakfast, and then made our way to the Hall. My mother, brother and sister went ahead and quickly disappeared into the Hall. I hung back, unaccountably apprehensive. Then, as I at last composed myself and got to the door and looked in, I saw reclining on a sofa, a golden-brown figure with the most radiant countenance I had ever seen before or since and, as I stood there riveted to the spot, the Maharshi turned and looked at me. When I remember it even now, more than forty years later, tears come to my eyes as they did then. I stood there, God knows how long, just looking at that face. Then, as in a trance, I moved forward deliberately towards him and touched his feet. Fighting my way through the disapproving glances that followed, I then made my way to a place near the window. Once I was seated I let my tears flow. I remember I spent a good part of that morning wiping my eyes. They were not tears of grief nor were they tears of joy. Maybe they were for something which I saw in the Maharshi fleetingly and which I also want and shall forever seek. Yes, I cried for myself then and I still do it now.

Never before had I seen in a human countenance a more intense, inward life and yet one which remained so transparent and childlike. There was about him an irresistible and indefinable spiritual power which simply overwhelmed me. I was conscious of people sitting all around me but was totally incurious about them. After an hour or so of silence I suddenly felt like singing.
Without hesitation or embarrassment, I lifted my 12 year-old voice in a rendition of Tyagaraja’s Vinanok koni Yunnanura, keeping time softly with my fingers on my knee. The audience sat still and unresponsive. The total lack of reaction to my performance, should in reason have embarrassed me, but I was away in a state of mind which recognised nobody except that reclining figure on the sofa.

After a few minutes I threw myself with another gush of abandon into Thelisi Rama Chintana. As I began the anupallavi which exhorts the mind to stay still for a moment and realise the true essence of the name Rama, I saw the Maharshi turn his eyes upon me with that impersonal yet arresting look of his, and my heart soared and I thought: “I want to be here for ever and ever.”

For three hours every morning and every evening my vigil in the Hall continued for seven days. After the first day my family had, without any discussion, silently and unanimously changed our planned programme and requested and got extension of residence. I sat in my seat near the window still and thought-free, just gazing at the Maharshi. Occasionally somebody would ask a question and the Maharshi would turn and look at him, and you got the feeling that the question had been answered. Or somebody would ask for the meaning of a particular phrase in a Sanskrit or Tamil stanza, and the Maharshi would answer softly, briefly.
He was not a man of many words. His long years of practised detachment from people made him laconic in speech. His knowledge of classical Tamil religious literature was considerable; he could himself compose verses and he did. His enlightenment had not been directed by a Guru but had come from his own Self-consciousness. It was all there lighting him up from inside and his most effective form of communication was intra-personal through the sense of sight and the medium of silence. He was a very human being, who laughed and joked occasionally, but he could suddenly plunge deep into himself while sitting in a hall full of people and rest in that stillness of spirit, which as he himself said, was being in God.

One afternoon somebody showed Maharshi some verses written on paper. Maharshi read them, made a brief comment, and then clarified it by narrating a story from Yoga Vasishtam. I listened – and felt that I could understand the words that were being spoken though I really could not have grasped their meaning. I wondered in retrospect years later when I myself read that book, at the delightful ease and simplicity with which the Maharshi had narrated that story, going straight to the spirit like an aimed arrow, and then lapsing into what I can only describe as a speaking silence. In those eloquent silences that punctuated his brief remarks, one seemed to feel unspoken thought flowing around the room touching and drawing everybody into its illuminating course. That was a strange experience to me, that in the presence of Maharshi, speech seemed redundant. I was totally and blissfully satisfied just being in his presence.

That whole week we spent in the Ashram. I practically did nothing else but sit in that Hall. We attended the Vedic recitals at dawn of the students of the Ashram Patasala. My brother and I watched every morning the Maharshi’s gangly walk up and down the hill and I remember, on one memorable occasion, the gentle sage himself smilingly stood still for a couple of minutes as he saw my brother adjusting his camera. I had never before spent so many days talking so little, just sitting around so much, or so lost in a single-minded pursuit of the Maharshi. The evening we finally left, my brother and I kept coming back to look at the Maharshi “Just one more time” as he sat in the enclosed veranda beside the hall having a light oil massage. I finally said: “We will go only after he turns his head and looks at us once more.” After a minute or two the Maharshi turned full face towards us and looked at us and without a word we turned and walked away.

I shall not claim that my whole life was transformed after this meeting. No. I went back to school and then to college,
got married, set up house, had children, started a journalistic career of mine own. My grihasthasramam became my main preoccupation. But my visit to Ramanasramam had done something to me. It had left a mark on my mind and heart. The picture of the Ashram and of the Maharshi was always in my mind like the background curtain of a stage. Whenever I was tired or dispirited or perplexed the wish to go to Ramanasramam would possess me like a hunger. Even when I was so busy that I did not know whether I was coming or going a sudden look at a picture of the Maharshi hanging on the wall would momentarily root me to the spot and my mind would suddenly go blank.

I did go to Ramanasramam a fortnight before death claimed the Maharshi’s frail human body. Because of the vast crowds which had come to visit him, the Ashram authorities had made special arrangements for everybody to get darshan of the white-haired smiling figure who sat on an easy-chair on the veranda of the room in which he later breathed his last. For a brief moment I stood below and looked up at that benign countenance, the eyes so bright and serene, and knew it was the last time I was looking at the living Maharshi.
I went to the Ashram again some years later. As usual, as soon as I passed through the Ashram gates, its peace closed around me and emptied my mind. I sat on a veranda where I had only to turn my head to the left to see the mountain and bring my eyes back to the samadhi to see in my mind the Maharshi sitting on his sofa. I sat there the whole of that day doing nothing, not reading, not writing, not eating, not thinking, not remembering, not wondering why it was so quiet or where everybody was, and the voice of a young lad who came running through the gate screaming: “Nehru has passed away” was just an incidental sound. During all those hours I never for a moment wanted to be anywhere else or doing anything else.

Whenever I feel I want to go away somewhere, away from home, family, friends, book, mistakes, fears, sorrows, my mind automatically turns to Ramanasramam. And my body follows. I make the journey to Tiruvannmalai, walk into the Ashram, enter the Hall, and I am “home” and totally at peace.
Every human being has really only one Guru like one mother. Some are fortunate enough to meet their Gurus, some pass them by, like ships in the night. I stumbled upon mine when I was twelve. I now stand alone in myself. In a sense I am twelve-going-on thirteen all over again, standing on another threshold, remembering, waiting.
- Surpassing Love and Grace

[anyoldnamewilldo]

Yeah, Ramana Maharshi`s ok, he wore a large pair of pants that looks like a nappy, but what else he got to offer? ( apart from his inner silence)?

[zendancer]

Jan 3, 2013 10:34:11 GMT -5 anyoldnamewilldo said:

Yeah, Ramana Maharshi`s ok, he wore a large pair of pants that looks like a nappy, but what else he got to offer? ( apart from his inner silence)?

Nothing.

[Reefs]

Jan 3, 2013 21:46:44 GMT -5 zendancer said:

Jan 3, 2013 10:34:11 GMT -5 anyoldnamewilldo said:

Yeah, Ramana Maharshi`s ok, he wore a large pair of pants that looks like a nappy, but what else he got to offer? ( apart from his inner silence)?

Nothing.

Talks and walks around the mountain. ;D

[zendancer]

Jan 4, 2013 0:10:01 GMT -5 Reefs said:

Jan 3, 2013 21:46:44 GMT -5 zendancer said:

Nothing.

Talks and walks around the mountain. ;D

;D;D

[silence]

Jan 3, 2013 10:34:11 GMT -5 anyoldnamewilldo said:

Yeah, Ramana Maharshi`s ok, he wore a large pair of pants that looks like a nappy, but what else he got to offer? ( apart from his inner silence)?

Haha, I love it.

[Deleted]

Via Paul Brunton and The Maharshi and his Message:

“The life of action need not be renounced. If you will meditate
for an hour or two every day, you can then carry on with your
duties. If you meditate in the right manner, then the current of
mind induced will continue to flow even in the midst of your
work. It is as though there were two ways of expressing the same
idea; the same line which you take in meditation will be expressed
in your activities.”
“What will be the result of doing that?”
“As you go on you will find that your attitude towards people,
events and objects will gradually change. Your actions will tend
to follow your meditations of their own accord.”
“Then you do not agree with the yogis?” I try to pin him down.
But the Maharshi eludes a direct answer.
“A man should surrender the personal selfishness which binds
him to this world. Giving up the false self is the true renunciation.”
“How is it possible to become selfless while leading a life of
worldly activity?”
“There is no conflict between work and wisdom.”
“Do you mean that one can continue all the old activities
in one’s profession, for instance, and at the same time get
enlightenment?”
“Why not? But in that case one will not think that it is the
old personality which is doing the work, because one’s
consciousness will gradually become transferred until it is centred
in That which is beyond the little self.”
“If a person is engaged in work, there will be little time left
for him to meditate.”
The Maharshi seems quite unperturbed at my poser.
“Setting apart time for meditation is only for the merest spiritual
novices,” he replies. “A man who is advancing will begin to enjoy
the deeper beatitude, whether he is at work or not. While his
hands are in society, he keeps his head cool in solitude.”
“Then you do not teach the way of yoga?”
“The yogi tries to drive his mind to the goal, as a cowherd
drives a bull with a stick, but on this path the seeker coaxes the
bull by holding out a handful of grass.”
“How is that done?”
“You have to ask yourself the question, ‘Who am I?’. This
investigation will lead in the end to the discovery of something
within you which is behind the mind. Solve that great problem,
and you will solve all other problems thereby.”
There is a pause as I try to digest his answer. From the squareframed
and barred hole in the wall which does duty as a window,
as it does in so many Indian buildings, I obtain a fine view of
the lower slopes of the sacred hill. Its strange outline is bathed in
the early morning sunlight.
The Maharshi addresses me again:
“Will it be clear if it is put in this way? All human beings are
ever wanting happiness, untainted with sorrow. They want to
grasp a happiness which will not come to an end. The instinct is
a true one. But have you ever been struck by the fact that they
love their own selves most?”
“Well?”
“Now relate that to the fact that they are ever desirous of attaining
happiness through one means or another, through drink or through
religion, and you are provided with a clue to the real nature of man.”
“I fail to see........”
The tone of his voice becomes higher.
“Man’s real nature is happiness. Happiness is inborn in the true
Self. His search for happiness is an unconscious search for his
true Self. The true Self is imperishable; therefore when a man
finds it, he finds a happiness which does not come to an end.”
“But the world is so unhappy?”
“Yes, but that is because the world is ignorant of its true Self.
All men, without exception, are consciously or unconsciously
seeking for it.”
“Even the wicked, the brutal and the criminal?” I ask.
“Even they sin because they are trying to find the Self ’s
happiness in every sin which they commit. This striving is
instinctive in man, but they do not know that they are really
seeking their true selves, and so they try these wicked ways first
as a means to happiness. Of course, they are wrong ways, for a
man’s acts are reflected back to him.”
“So we shall feel lasting happiness when we know this true
Self?”
The other nods his head.
A slanting ray of sunshine falls through the unglazed window
upon the Maharshi’s face. There is serenity in that unruffled
brow, there is contentment around that firm mouth, there is a
shine-like peace in those lustrous eyes. His unlined countenance
does not belie his revelatory words.
What does the Maharshi mean by these apparently simple
sentences? The interpreter has conveyed their outward
meaning to me in English, yes, but there is a deeper purport
which he cannot convey. I know that I must discover that for
myself. The Sage seems to speak, not as a philosopher, not as
a pundit trying to explain his own doctrine, but rather out of
the depth of his own heart. Are these words the marks of his
own fortunate experience?
“What exactly is this Self of which you speak? If what you
say is true, then there must be another self in man.”
His lips curve in smile for a moment.
“Can a man be possessed of two identities, two selves?” he
makes answer. “To understand this matter it is first necessary for
a man to analyse himself. Because it has long been his habit to
think as others think, he has never faced his ‘I’ in the true manner.
He has not a correct picture of himself; he has too long identified
himself with the body and the brain. Therefore, I tell you to
pursue this enquiry, ‘Who am I?’”
He pauses to let these words soak into me. I listen eagerly to
his next sentences.
“You ask me to describe this true Self to you. What can be
said? It is That out of which the sense of the personal ‘I’ arises,
and into which it shall have to disappear.”
“Disappear?” I echo back. “How can one lose the feeling of
one’s personality?”
“The first and foremost of all thoughts, the primeval thought
in the mind of every man, is the thought ‘I’. It is only after the
birth of this thought that any other thoughts can arise at all. It is
only after the first personal pronoun ‘I’ has arisen in the mind
that the personal pronoun ‘you’ can make its appearance. If you
could mentally follow the ‘I’ thread until it leads you back to its
source, you would discover that, just as it is the first thought to
appear, so is it the last to disappear. This is a matter which can
be experienced.”
“You mean that it is perfectly possible to conduct such a
mental investigation into oneself?”
“Assuredly! It is possible to go inwards until the last thought
‘I’ gradually vanishes.”
“What is left?” I query. “Will a man then become quite
unconscious, or will he become an idiot?”
“Not so! On the contrary, he will attain that consciousness
which is immortal, and he will become truly wise, when he has
awakened to his true Self, which is the real nature of man.”
“But surely the sense of ‘I’ must also pertain to that?” I persist.
“The sense of ‘I’ pertains to the person, the body and the
brain,” replies the Maharshi calmly. “When a man knows his
true Self for the first time, something else arises from the depths
of his being and takes possession of him. That something is
behind the mind; it is infinite, divine, eternal. Some people call
it the kingdom of heaven, others call it the soul, still others name
it Nirvana, and we Hindus call it Liberation; you may give it
what name you wish. When this happens, a man has not really
lost himself; rather, he has found himself.”
As the last word falls from the interpreter’s lips there flashes
across my mind those memorable words which were uttered by
a wandering Teacher in Galilee, words which have puzzled so
many good persons: Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose
it: and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
How strangely similar are the two sentences! Yet the Indian
Sage has arrived at the thought in his own non-Christian way,
through a psychological path which seems exceedingly difficult
and appears unfamiliar.
The Maharshi speaks again, his words breaking into my thoughts:
“Unless and until a man embarks upon this quest of the true
Self, doubt and uncertainty will follow his footsteps throughout
life. The greatest kings and statesmen try to rule others, when in
their heart of hearts they know that they cannot rule themselves.
Yet the greatest power is at the command of the man who has
penetrated to his inmost depth. There are men of giant intellects
who spend their lives gathering knowledge about many things.
Ask these men if they have solved the mystery of man, if they
have conquered themselves, and they will hang their heads in
shame. What is the use of knowing about everything else when
you do not yet know who you are? Men avoid this enquiry into
the true Self, but what else is there so worthy to be undertaken?”
“That is such a difficult, superhuman task,” I comment.
The Sage gives an almost imperceptible shrug of his shoulders.
“The question of its possibility is a matter of one’s own
experience. The difficulty is less real than you think.”
“For us, who are active, practical Westerners, such
introspections . . . . . ?” I begin doubtfully and leave my sentence
trailing in midair.
The Maharshi bends down to light a fresh joss stick, which
will replace one whose red spark is dying out.
“The realization of truth is the same for both Indians and
Europeans. Admittedly the way to it may be harder for those
who are engrossed in worldly life, but even then one can and
must conquer. The current induced during meditation can be
kept up by habit, by practising to do so. Then one can perform
his work and activities in that very current itself; there will be no
break. Thus, too there will be no difference between meditation
and external activities. If you meditate on this question, ‘Who
am I?’, if you begin to perceive that neither the body nor the
brain nor the desires are really you, then the very attitude of
enquiry will eventually draw the answer to you out of the depths
of your own being; it will come to you of its own accord as a
deep realization.”
Again I ponder his words.
“Know the real Self,” he continues, “and then the truth will
shine forth within your heart like sunshine. The mind will
become untroubled and real happiness will flood it; for happiness
and the true self are identical. You will have no more doubts
once you attain this Self-awareness.”
He turns his head and fixes his gaze at the far end of the hall.
I know then that he has reached his conversational limit. Thus
ends our last talk and I congratulate myself that I have drawn
him out of the shell of taciturnity before my departure.
§
I leave him and wander away to a quiet spot in the jungle,
where I spend most of the day among my notes and books.
When dusk falls I return to the hall, for within an hour or two a
pony-carriage or a bullock-cart will arrive to bear me away from
the hermitage.
Burning incense makes the air odorous. The Maharshi has
been half reclining under the waving punkah as I enter but he
soon sits up and assumes his favourite attitude. He sits with legs
crossed, the right foot placed on the left thigh and the left foot
merely folded beneath the right thigh. I remember being shown
a similar position by Brama, the yogi who lives near Madras,
who called it “The Comfortable Posture.” It is really a half-
Buddha posture and quite easy to do. The Maharshi, as is his
wont, holds his chin with his right hand and rests the elbow on
a knee; next he gazes attentively at me but remains quite silent.
On the floor beside him I notice his gourd-shell, water jug and
his bamboo staff. They are his sole earthly possessions, apart
from the strip of loin-cloth. What a mute commentary on our
Western spirit of acquisitiveness!
His eyes, always shining, steadily become more glazed and fixed;
his body sets into a rigid pose; his head trembles slightly and then
comes to rest. A few more minutes and I can plainly see that he has
re-entered the trance like condition in which he was when I first
met him. How strange that our parting shall repeat our meeting!
Someone brings his face close to mine and whispers in my ear,
“The Maharshi has gone into holy trance. It is useless now to talk.”
A hush falls upon the little company. The minutes slowly
pass but the silence only deepens. I am not religious but I can
no more resist the feeling of increasing awe which begins to grip
my mind than a bee can resist a flower in all its luscious bloom.
The hall is becoming pervaded with a subtle, intangible and
indefinable power which affects me deeply. I feel, without doubt
and without hesitation, that the centre of this mysterious power
is no other than the Maharshi himself.
His eyes shine with astonishing brilliance. Strange sensations
begin to arise in me. Those lustrous orbs seem to be peering into
the inmost recesses of my soul. In a peculiar way, I feel aware of
everything he can see in my heart. His mysterious glance penetrates
my thoughts, my emotions and my desires; I am helpless before
it. At first this disconcerting gaze troubles me; I become vaguely
uneasy. I feel that he has perceived pages that belong to a past
which I have forgotten. He knows it all, I am certain. I am powerless
to escape; somehow, I do not want to, either. Some curious
intimation of future benefit forces me to endure that pitiless gaze.
And so he continues to catch the feeble quality of my soul for
a while, to perceive my motley past, to sense the mixed emotions
which have drawn me this way and that. But I feel that he
understands also what mind-devastating quest has impelled me
to leave the common way and seek out such men as he.
There comes a perceptible change in the telepathic current
which plays between us, the while my eyes blink frequently but
his remain without the least tremor. I become aware that he is
definitely linking my own mind with his; that he is provoking
my heart into that state of starry calm which he seems perpetually
to enjoy. In this extraordinary peace, I find a sense of exaltation
and lightness. Time seems to stand still. My heart is released
from its burden of care. Never again, I feel, shall the bitterness
of anger and the melancholy of unsatisfied desire afflict me. I
realize deeply that the profound instinct which is innate in the
race, which bids man look up, which encourages him to hope
on, and which sustains him when life has darkened, is a true
instinct, for the essence of being is good. In this beautiful,
entranced silence, when the clock stands still and the sorrows
and errors of the past seem like trivialities, my mind is being
submerged in that of the Maharshi and wisdom is now at its
perihelion. What is this man’s gaze but a thaumaturgic wand,
which evokes a hidden world of unexpected splendour before
my profane eyes?
I have sometimes asked myself why these disciples have been
staying around the Sage for years, with few conversations, fewer
comforts and no external activities to attract them. Now I begin
to understand — not by thought but by lightning like
illumination — that through all those years they have been
receiving a deep and silent reward.
Hitherto, everyone in the hall has been hushed to a deathlike
stillness. At length, someone quietly rises and passes out. He is
followed by another, and then another, until all have gone.
I am alone with the Maharshi! Never before has this happened.
His eyes begin to change; they narrow down to pin-points. The
effect is curiously like the “stopping-down” in the focus of a camera
lens. There comes a tremendous increase in the intense gleam
which shines between the lids, now almost closed. Suddenly, my
body seems to disappear, and we are both out in space!
It is a crucial moment. I hesitate — and decide to break this
enchanter’s spell. Decision brings power and once again I am
back in the flesh, back in the hall.
No word passes from him to me. I collect my faculties, look
at the clock, and rise quietly. The hour of departure has arrived.
I bow my head in farewell. The Sage silently acknowledges
the gesture. I utter a few words of thanks. Again, he silently
nods his head.
I linger reluctantly at the threshold. Outside, I hear the tinkle
of a bell. The bullock cart has arrived. Once more I raise my
hands, palms touching.
And so we part.

[silver]

I'm halfway done...really nice selection.

“Unless and until a man embarks upon this quest of the true
Self, doubt and uncertainty will follow his footsteps throughout
life. The greatest kings and statesmen try to rule others, when in
their heart of hearts they know that they cannot rule themselves.
Yet the greatest power is at the command of the man who has
penetrated to his inmost depth. There are men of giant intellects
who spend their lives gathering knowledge about many things.
Ask these men if they have solved the mystery of man, if they
have conquered themselves, and they will hang their heads in
shame. What is the use of knowing about everything else when
you do not yet know who you are? Men avoid this enquiry into
the true Self, but what else is there so worthy to be undertaken?”
“That is such a difficult, superhuman task,” I comment.
The Sage gives an almost imperceptible shrug of his shoulders.
“The question of its possibility is a matter of one’s own
experience. The difficulty is less real than you think.”

*The whole thing was amazing...the above just caught my attention.*

Nice to wake up to. 


ps:  I can't believe I read the whole thing. 

[Deleted]

Who Am I?

Om Namo Bhagavathe Sri Ramanaya
Who Am I?
(Nan Yar?)
As all living beings desire to be happy always, without misery, as in the case of everyone there
is observed supreme love for one’s self, and as happiness alone is the cause for love, in order to
gain that happiness which is one’s nature and which is experienced in the state of deep sleep
where there is no mind, one should know one’s self. For that, the path of knowledge, the inquiry
of the form “Who am I?”, is the principal means.
1. Who am I ?
The gross body which is composed of the seven humours (dhatus), I am not; the five cognitive
sense organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which apprehend their
respective objects, viz. sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour, I am not; the five cognitive senseorgans,
viz. the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, and procreation, which have as
their respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, and enjoying, I am not; the five
vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not;
even the mind which thinks, I am not; the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual
impressions of objects, and in which there are no objects and no functioning’s, I am not.
2. If I am none of these, then who am I?
After negating all of the above-mentioned as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that Awareness which alone
remains - that I am.
3. What is the nature of Awareness?
The nature of Awareness is existence-consciousness-bliss
4. When will the realization of the Self be gained?
When the world which is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realization of the Self
which is the seer.
5. Will there not be realization of the Self even while the world is there (taken as real)?
There will not be.
6. Why?
The seer and the object seen are like the rope and the snake. Just as the knowledge of the rope
which is the substrate will not arise unless the false knowledge of the illusory serpent goes, so the
realization of the Self which is the substrate will not be gained unless the belief that the world is
real is removed.
7. When will the world which is the object seen be removed?
When the mind, which is the cause of all cognition’s and of all actions, becomes quiescent, the
world will disappear.
8. What is the nature of the mind?
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).
9. What is the path of inquiry for understanding the nature of the mind?
That which rises as ‘I’ in this body is the mind. If one inquires as to where in the body the thought
‘I’ rises first, one would discover that it rises in the heart. That is the place of the mind’s origin.
Even if one thinks constantly ‘I’ ‘I’, one will be led to that place. Of all the thoughts that arise in
the mind, the ‘I’ thought is the first. It is only after the rise of this that the other thoughts arise. It is
after the appearance of the first personal pronoun that the second and third personal pronouns
appear; without the first personal pronoun there will not be the second and third.
10. How will the mind become quiescent?
By the inquiry ‘Who am I?’. The thought ‘who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the
stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise
Self-realization.
11. What is the means for constantly holding on to the thought ‘Who am I?’
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. When the mind that is subtle goes out through the brain and the senseorgans,
the gross names and forms appear; when it stays in the heart, the names and forms disappear.
Not letting the mind go out, but retaining it in the Heart is what is called “inwardness” (antarmukha).
Letting the mind go out of the Heart is known as “externalisation” (bahir-mukha). Thus,
when the mind stays in the Heart, the ‘I’ which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self
which ever exists will shine. Whatever one does, one should do without the egoity “I”. If one acts
in that way, all will appear as of the nature of Siva (God).
12. Are there no other means for making the mind quiescent?
Other than inquiry, there are no adequate means. If through other means it is sought to control the
mind, the mind will appear to be controlled, but will again go forth. Through the control of breath
also, the mind will become quiescent; but it will be quiescent only so long as the breath remains
controlled, and when the breath resumes the mind also will again start moving and will wander as
impelled by residual impressions. The source is the same for both mind and breath. Thought, indeed,
is the nature of the mind. The thought “I” is the first thought of the mind; and that is egoity. It is from
that whence egoity originates that breath also originates. Therefore, when the mind becomes quiescent,
the breath is controlled, and when the breath is controlled the mind becomes quiescent. But in deep
sleep, although the mind becomes quiescent, the breath does not stop. This is because of the will of
God, so that the body may be preserved and other people may not be under the impression that it is
dead. In the state of waking and in samadhi, when the mind becomes quiescent the breath is controlled.
Breath is the gross form of mind. Till the time of death, the mind keeps breath in the body; and when
the body dies the mind takes the breath along with it. Therefore, the exercise of breath-control is only
an aid for rendering the mind quiescent (manonigraha); it will not destroy the mind (manonasa).
Like the practice of breath-control. meditation on the forms of God, repetition of mantras, restriction
on food, etc., are but aids for rendering the mind quiescent.
Through meditation on the forms of God and through repetition of mantras, the mind becomes onepointed.
The mind will always be wandering. Just as when a chain is given to an elephant to hold
in its trunk it will go along grasping the chain and nothing else, so also when the mind is occupied
with a name or form it will grasp that alone. When the mind expands in the form of countless
thoughts, each thought becomes weak; but as thoughts get resolved the mind becomes one-pointed
and strong; for such a mind Self-inquiry will become easy. Of all the restrictive rules, that relating
to the taking of sattvic food in moderate quantities is the best; by observing this rule, the sattvic
quality of mind will increase, and that will be helpful to Self-inquiry.
13. The residual impressions (thoughts) of objects appear wending like the waves of an ocean.
When will all of them get destroyed?
As the meditation on the Self rises higher and higher, the thoughts will get destroyed.
14. Is it possible for the residual impressions of objects that come from beginningless time, as
it were, to be resolved, and for one to remain as the pure Self?
Without yielding to the doubt “Is it possible, or not?”, one should persistently hold on to the meditation
on the Self. Even if one be a great sinner, one should not worry and weep “O! I am a sinner, how can
I be saved?”; one should completely renounce the thought “I am a sinner”; and concentrate keenly on
meditation on the Self; then, one would surely succeed. There are not two minds - one good and the
other evil; the mind is only one. It is the residual impressions that are of two kinds - auspicious and
inauspicious. When the mind is under the influence of auspicious impressions it is called good; and
when it is under the influence of inauspicious impressions it is regarded as evil.
The mind should not be allowed to wander towards worldly objects and what concerns other
people. However bad other people may be, one should bear no hatred for them. Both desire and
hatred should be eschewed. All that one gives to others one gives to one’s self. If this truth is
understood who will not give to others? When one’s self arises all arises; when one’s self becomes
quiescent all becomes quiescent. To the extent we behave with humility, to that extent there will
result good. If the mind is rendered quiescent, one may live anywhere.
15. How long should inquiry be practised?
As long as there are impressions of objects in the mind, so long the inquiry “Who am I?” is
required. As thoughts arise they should be destroyed then and there in the very place of their
origin, through inquiry. If one resorts to contemplation of the Self unintermittently, until the Self is
gained, that alone would do. 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.
16. What is the nature of the Self?
What exists in truth is the Self alone. The world, the individual soul, and God are appearances in
it. like silver in mother-of-pearl, these three appear at the same time, and disappear at the same
time. The Self is that where there is absolutely no “I” thought. That is called “Silence”. The Self
itself is the world; the Self itself is “I”; the Self itself is God; all is Siva, the Self.
17. Is not everything the work of God?
Without desire, resolve, or effort, the sun rises; and in its mere presence, the sun-stone emits fire,
the lotus blooms, water evaporates; people perform their various functions and then rest. Just as in
the presence of the magnet the needle moves, it is by virtue of the mere presence of God that the
souls governed by the three (cosmic) functions or the fivefold divine activity perform their actions
and then rest, in accordance with their respective karmas. God has no resolve; no karma attaches
itself to Him. That is like worldly actions not affecting the sun, or like the merits and demerits of
the other four elements not affecting all pervading space.
18. Of the devotees, who is the greatest?
He who gives himself up to the Self that is God is the most excellent devotee. Giving one’s self up to
God means remaining constantly in the Self without giving room for the rise of any thoughts other
than that of the Self. Whatever burdens are thrown on God, He bears them. Since the supreme power
of God makes all things move, why should we, without submitting ourselves to it, constantly worry
ourselves with thoughts as to what should be done and how, and what should not be done and how
not? We know that the train carries all loads, so after getting on it why should we carry our small
luggage on our head to our discomfort, instead of putting it down in the train and feeling at ease?
19. What is non-attachment?
As thoughts arise, destroying them utterly without any residue in the very place of their origin is
non-attachment. Just as the pearl-diver ties a stone to his waist, sinks to the bottom of the sea and
there takes the pearls, so each one of us should be endowed with non-attachment, dive within
oneself and obtain the Self-Pearl.
20. Is it not possible for God and the Guru to effect the release of a soul?
God and the Guru will only show the way to release; they will not by themselves take the soul to
the state of release. In truth, God and the Guru are not different. Just as the prey which has fallen
into the jaws of a tiger has no escape, so those who have come within the ambit of the Guru’s
gracious look will be saved by the Guru and will not get lost; yet, each one should by his own
effort pursue the path shown by God or Guru and gain release. One can know oneself only with
one’s own eye of knowledge, and not with somebody else’s. Does he who is Rama require the
help of a mirror to know that he is Rama?
21. Is it necessary for one who longs for release to inquire into the nature of categories (tattvas)?
Just as one who wants to throw away garbage has no need to analyse it and see what it is, so one
who wants to know the Self has no need to count the number of categories or inquire into their
characteristics; what he has to do is to reject altogether the categories that hide the Self. The
world should be considered like a dream.
22. Is there no difference between waking and dream?
Waking is long and a dream short; other than this there is no difference. Just as waking happenings
seem real while awake. so do those in a dream while dreaming. In dream the mind takes on
another body. In both waking and dream states thoughts. names and forms occur simultaneously.
23. Is it any use reading books for those who long for release?
All the texts say that in order to gain release one should render the mind quiescent; therefore their
conclusive teaching is that the mind should be rendered quiescent; once this has been understood
there is no need for endless reading. In order to quieten the mind one has only to inquire within
oneself what one’s Self is; how could this search be done in books? One should know one’s Self
with one’s own eye of wisdom. The Self is within the five sheaths; but books are outside them.
Since the Self has to be inquired into by discarding the five sheaths, it is futile to search for it in
books. There will come a time when one will have to forget all that one has learned.
24. What is happiness?
Happiness is the very nature of the Self; happiness and the Self are not different. There is no
happiness in any object of the world. We imagine through our ignorance that we derive happiness
from objects. When the mind goes out, it experiences misery. In truth, when its desires are fulfilled,
it returns to its own place and enjoys the happiness that is the Self. Similarly, in the states of sleep,
samadhi and fainting, and when the object desired is obtained or the object disliked is removed,
the mind becomes inward-turned, and enjoys pure Self-Happiness. Thus the mind moves without
rest alternately going out of the Self and returning to it. Under the tree the shade is pleasant; out in
the open the heat is scorching. A person who has been going about in the sun feels cool when he
reaches the shade. Someone who keeps on going from the shade into the sun and then back into the
shade is a fool. A wise man stays permanently in the shade. Similarly, the mind of the one who
knows the truth does not leave Brahman. The mind of the ignorant, on the contrary, revolves in the
world, feeling miserable, and for a little time returns to Brahman to experience happiness. In fact,
what is called the world is only thought. When the world disappears, i.e. when there is no thought,
the mind experiences happiness; and when the world appears, it goes through misery.
25. What is wisdom-insight (jnana-drsti)?
Remaining quiet is what is called wisdom-insight. To remain quiet is to resolve the mind in the
Self. Telepathy, knowing past, present and future happenings and clairvoyance do not constitute
wisdom-insight.
26. What is the relation between desirelessness and wisdom?
Desirelessness is wisdom. The two are not different; they are the same. Desirelessness is refraining
from turning the mind towards any object. Wisdom means the appearance of no object. In other
words, not seeking what is other than the Self is detachment or desirelessness; not leaving the Self
is wisdom.
27. What is the difference between inquiry and meditation?
Inquiry consists in retaining the mind in the Self. Meditation consists in thinking that one’s self is
Brahman, existence-consciousness-bliss.
28. What is release?
Inquiring into the nature of one’s self that is in bondage, and realising one’s true nature is release.
SRI RAMANARPANAM ASTU

[Deleted]

Nov 7, 2014 10:23:29 GMT -5 maxdprophet said:

Who Am I?

Om Namo Bhagavathe Sri Ramanaya
Who Am I?
(Nan Yar?)
As all living beings desire to be happy always, without misery, as in the case of everyone there
is observed supreme love for one’s self, and as happiness alone is the cause for love, in order to
gain that happiness which is one’s nature and which is experienced in the state of deep sleep
where there is no mind, one should know one’s self. For that, the path of knowledge, the inquiry
of the form “Who am I?”, is the principal means.
1. Who am I ?
The gross body which is composed of the seven humours (dhatus), I am not; the five cognitive
sense organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which apprehend their
respective objects, viz. sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour, I am not; the five cognitive senseorgans,
viz. the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, and procreation, which have as
their respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, and enjoying, I am not; the five
vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not;
even the mind which thinks, I am not; the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual
impressions of objects, and in which there are no objects and no functioning’s, I am not.
2. If I am none of these, then who am I?
After negating all of the above-mentioned as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that Awareness which alone
remains - that I am.
3. What is the nature of Awareness?
The nature of Awareness is existence-consciousness-bliss
4. When will the realization of the Self be gained?
When the world which is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realization of the Self
which is the seer.
5. Will there not be realization of the Self even while the world is there (taken as real)?
There will not be.
6. Why?
The seer and the object seen are like the rope and the snake. Just as the knowledge of the rope
which is the substrate will not arise unless the false knowledge of the illusory serpent goes, so the
realization of the Self which is the substrate will not be gained unless the belief that the world is
real is removed.
7. When will the world which is the object seen be removed?
When the mind, which is the cause of all cognition’s and of all actions, becomes quiescent, the
world will disappear.
8. What is the nature of the mind?
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).
9. What is the path of inquiry for understanding the nature of the mind?
That which rises as ‘I’ in this body is the mind. If one inquires as to where in the body the thought
‘I’ rises first, one would discover that it rises in the heart. That is the place of the mind’s origin.
Even if one thinks constantly ‘I’ ‘I’, one will be led to that place. Of all the thoughts that arise in
the mind, the ‘I’ thought is the first. It is only after the rise of this that the other thoughts arise. It is
after the appearance of the first personal pronoun that the second and third personal pronouns
appear; without the first personal pronoun there will not be the second and third.
10. How will the mind become quiescent?
By the inquiry ‘Who am I?’. The thought ‘who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the
stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise
Self-realization.
11. What is the means for constantly holding on to the thought ‘Who am I?’
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. When the mind that is subtle goes out through the brain and the senseorgans,
the gross names and forms appear; when it stays in the heart, the names and forms disappear.
Not letting the mind go out, but retaining it in the Heart is what is called “inwardness” (antarmukha).
Letting the mind go out of the Heart is known as “externalisation” (bahir-mukha). Thus,
when the mind stays in the Heart, the ‘I’ which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self
which ever exists will shine. Whatever one does, one should do without the egoity “I”. If one acts
in that way, all will appear as of the nature of Siva (God).
12. Are there no other means for making the mind quiescent?
Other than inquiry, there are no adequate means. If through other means it is sought to control the
mind, the mind will appear to be controlled, but will again go forth. Through the control of breath
also, the mind will become quiescent; but it will be quiescent only so long as the breath remains
controlled, and when the breath resumes the mind also will again start moving and will wander as
impelled by residual impressions. The source is the same for both mind and breath. Thought, indeed,
is the nature of the mind. The thought “I” is the first thought of the mind; and that is egoity. It is from
that whence egoity originates that breath also originates. Therefore, when the mind becomes quiescent,
the breath is controlled, and when the breath is controlled the mind becomes quiescent. But in deep
sleep, although the mind becomes quiescent, the breath does not stop. This is because of the will of
God, so that the body may be preserved and other people may not be under the impression that it is
dead. In the state of waking and in samadhi, when the mind becomes quiescent the breath is controlled.
Breath is the gross form of mind. Till the time of death, the mind keeps breath in the body; and when
the body dies the mind takes the breath along with it. Therefore, the exercise of breath-control is only
an aid for rendering the mind quiescent (manonigraha); it will not destroy the mind (manonasa).
Like the practice of breath-control. meditation on the forms of God, repetition of mantras, restriction
on food, etc., are but aids for rendering the mind quiescent.
Through meditation on the forms of God and through repetition of mantras, the mind becomes onepointed.
The mind will always be wandering. Just as when a chain is given to an elephant to hold
in its trunk it will go along grasping the chain and nothing else, so also when the mind is occupied
with a name or form it will grasp that alone. When the mind expands in the form of countless
thoughts, each thought becomes weak; but as thoughts get resolved the mind becomes one-pointed
and strong; for such a mind Self-inquiry will become easy. Of all the restrictive rules, that relating
to the taking of sattvic food in moderate quantities is the best; by observing this rule, the sattvic
quality of mind will increase, and that will be helpful to Self-inquiry.
13. The residual impressions (thoughts) of objects appear wending like the waves of an ocean.
When will all of them get destroyed?
As the meditation on the Self rises higher and higher, the thoughts will get destroyed.
14. Is it possible for the residual impressions of objects that come from beginningless time, as
it were, to be resolved, and for one to remain as the pure Self?
Without yielding to the doubt “Is it possible, or not?”, one should persistently hold on to the meditation
on the Self. Even if one be a great sinner, one should not worry and weep “O! I am a sinner, how can
I be saved?”; one should completely renounce the thought “I am a sinner”; and concentrate keenly on
meditation on the Self; then, one would surely succeed. There are not two minds - one good and the
other evil; the mind is only one. It is the residual impressions that are of two kinds - auspicious and
inauspicious. When the mind is under the influence of auspicious impressions it is called good; and
when it is under the influence of inauspicious impressions it is regarded as evil.
The mind should not be allowed to wander towards worldly objects and what concerns other
people. However bad other people may be, one should bear no hatred for them. Both desire and
hatred should be eschewed. All that one gives to others one gives to one’s self. If this truth is
understood who will not give to others? When one’s self arises all arises; when one’s self becomes
quiescent all becomes quiescent. To the extent we behave with humility, to that extent there will
result good. If the mind is rendered quiescent, one may live anywhere.
15. How long should inquiry be practised?
As long as there are impressions of objects in the mind, so long the inquiry “Who am I?” is
required. As thoughts arise they should be destroyed then and there in the very place of their
origin, through inquiry. If one resorts to contemplation of the Self unintermittently, until the Self is
gained, that alone would do. 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.
16. What is the nature of the Self?
What exists in truth is the Self alone. The world, the individual soul, and God are appearances in
it. like silver in mother-of-pearl, these three appear at the same time, and disappear at the same
time. The Self is that where there is absolutely no “I” thought. That is called “Silence”. The Self
itself is the world; the Self itself is “I”; the Self itself is God; all is Siva, the Self.
17. Is not everything the work of God?
Without desire, resolve, or effort, the sun rises; and in its mere presence, the sun-stone emits fire,
the lotus blooms, water evaporates; people perform their various functions and then rest. Just as in
the presence of the magnet the needle moves, it is by virtue of the mere presence of God that the
souls governed by the three (cosmic) functions or the fivefold divine activity perform their actions
and then rest, in accordance with their respective karmas. God has no resolve; no karma attaches
itself to Him. That is like worldly actions not affecting the sun, or like the merits and demerits of
the other four elements not affecting all pervading space.
18. Of the devotees, who is the greatest?
He who gives himself up to the Self that is God is the most excellent devotee. Giving one’s self up to
God means remaining constantly in the Self without giving room for the rise of any thoughts other
than that of the Self. Whatever burdens are thrown on God, He bears them. Since the supreme power
of God makes all things move, why should we, without submitting ourselves to it, constantly worry
ourselves with thoughts as to what should be done and how, and what should not be done and how
not? We know that the train carries all loads, so after getting on it why should we carry our small
luggage on our head to our discomfort, instead of putting it down in the train and feeling at ease?
19. What is non-attachment?
As thoughts arise, destroying them utterly without any residue in the very place of their origin is
non-attachment. Just as the pearl-diver ties a stone to his waist, sinks to the bottom of the sea and
there takes the pearls, so each one of us should be endowed with non-attachment, dive within
oneself and obtain the Self-Pearl.
20. Is it not possible for God and the Guru to effect the release of a soul?
God and the Guru will only show the way to release; they will not by themselves take the soul to
the state of release. In truth, God and the Guru are not different. Just as the prey which has fallen
into the jaws of a tiger has no escape, so those who have come within the ambit of the Guru’s
gracious look will be saved by the Guru and will not get lost; yet, each one should by his own
effort pursue the path shown by God or Guru and gain release. One can know oneself only with
one’s own eye of knowledge, and not with somebody else’s. Does he who is Rama require the
help of a mirror to know that he is Rama?
21. Is it necessary for one who longs for release to inquire into the nature of categories (tattvas)?
Just as one who wants to throw away garbage has no need to analyse it and see what it is, so one
who wants to know the Self has no need to count the number of categories or inquire into their
characteristics; what he has to do is to reject altogether the categories that hide the Self. The
world should be considered like a dream.
22. Is there no difference between waking and dream?
Waking is long and a dream short; other than this there is no difference. Just as waking happenings
seem real while awake. so do those in a dream while dreaming. In dream the mind takes on
another body. In both waking and dream states thoughts. names and forms occur simultaneously.
23. Is it any use reading books for those who long for release?
All the texts say that in order to gain release one should render the mind quiescent; therefore their
conclusive teaching is that the mind should be rendered quiescent; once this has been understood
there is no need for endless reading. In order to quieten the mind one has only to inquire within
oneself what one’s Self is; how could this search be done in books? One should know one’s Self
with one’s own eye of wisdom. The Self is within the five sheaths; but books are outside them.
Since the Self has to be inquired into by discarding the five sheaths, it is futile to search for it in
books. There will come a time when one will have to forget all that one has learned.
24. What is happiness?
Happiness is the very nature of the Self; happiness and the Self are not different. There is no
happiness in any object of the world. We imagine through our ignorance that we derive happiness
from objects. When the mind goes out, it experiences misery. In truth, when its desires are fulfilled,
it returns to its own place and enjoys the happiness that is the Self. Similarly, in the states of sleep,
samadhi and fainting, and when the object desired is obtained or the object disliked is removed,
the mind becomes inward-turned, and enjoys pure Self-Happiness. Thus the mind moves without
rest alternately going out of the Self and returning to it. Under the tree the shade is pleasant; out in
the open the heat is scorching. A person who has been going about in the sun feels cool when he
reaches the shade. Someone who keeps on going from the shade into the sun and then back into the
shade is a fool. A wise man stays permanently in the shade. Similarly, the mind of the one who
knows the truth does not leave Brahman. The mind of the ignorant, on the contrary, revolves in the
world, feeling miserable, and for a little time returns to Brahman to experience happiness. In fact,
what is called the world is only thought. When the world disappears, i.e. when there is no thought,
the mind experiences happiness; and when the world appears, it goes through misery.
25. What is wisdom-insight (jnana-drsti)?
Remaining quiet is what is called wisdom-insight. To remain quiet is to resolve the mind in the
Self. Telepathy, knowing past, present and future happenings and clairvoyance do not constitute
wisdom-insight.
26. What is the relation between desirelessness and wisdom?
Desirelessness is wisdom. The two are not different; they are the same. Desirelessness is refraining
from turning the mind towards any object. Wisdom means the appearance of no object. In other
words, not seeking what is other than the Self is detachment or desirelessness; not leaving the Self
is wisdom.
27. What is the difference between inquiry and meditation?
Inquiry consists in retaining the mind in the Self. Meditation consists in thinking that one’s self is
Brahman, existence-consciousness-bliss.
28. What is release?
Inquiring into the nature of one’s self that is in bondage, and realising one’s true nature is release.
SRI RAMANARPANAM ASTU

[plutus]

I have the utmost respect for this "men". Can you say he is a men? Maybe he was a men till he was 16 or so, right? I never had a lot of people to look up to, just felt they did not deserve it and I am not a big scholar on this topic WHo am I but I will learn in time in my way but this "men" deserves more respect then words can describe. When I think about something abstract like God walking on Earth I remember this "men", I think that is the biggest compliment anybody could get.

Can anybody tell me what is a good start with his teachings? Just to start the "flow", afterwards things perhaps go easier...thank you

[zendancer]

Dec 24, 2014 20:54:21 GMT -5 plutus said:

I have the utmost respect for this "men". Can you say he is a men? Maybe he was a men till he was 16 or so, right? I never had a lot of people to look up to, just felt they did not deserve it and I am not a big scholar on this topic WHo am I but I will learn in time in my way but this "men" deserves more respect then words can describe. When I think about something abstract like God walking on Earth I remember this "men", I think that is the biggest compliment anybody could get.

Can anybody tell me what is a good start with his teachings? Just to start the "flow", afterwards things perhaps go easier...thank you

Plutus: You can start with the book, "The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi," but this thread contains several sources of free online source material.

[Deleted]

www.coursnondualite.com/Download/Teachings%20of%20Ramana%20Maharshi%20in%20His%20Own%20Words.pdf