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Sri Ramana Maharshi
Welcome
I propose to use this blog primarily to air my occasional musings on any matters relating to the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshi. There will also be occasional contributions about Arunachala, the sacred mountain where Sri Ramana spent all of his adult life.
Articles and interviews on these topics can also be found on my site: www.davidgodman.org.
Articles and interviews on these topics can also be found on my site: www.davidgodman.org.
2,142 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 2142 Newer› Newest»Stories Ahout Sri Bhagavan:
The Magic Touch:
A Government officer who was newly
married to a girl from Tiruvannamalai, was working in Vellore. One day, she left for her home leaving a message for her husband that she had gone to her mother's house in Tiruvannamalai and keys were with a neighbor. That evening when he came from his office, he found the house locked. The neighbors told him that she had gone to Tiruvannamalai. He was an orphan and not having love of parents, he was very dependent on his wife love for him. He could not bear the separation.
Immediately, not even changing from his office clothes of pants and shoes, he took a bus to Tiruvannamalai and reached his in law's house but his wife was not there. She gone to Sri Ramanasramam with her mother. He wanted to see her immediately and was very upset at not finding her in her parents'
house.
continued......
Soorya,
A good friend of mine who brought me to Bhagavan give a couple of simple advice while practicing self-enquiry. - Be truthful to yourself no matter how uncomfortable they may be.
- Don't be too critical of your self. remember your actions and thoughts do not represent you.
- It is Ok to be confused when walking this path.
I find these useful...
Stories About Sri Bhagavan:
Sadhu Om:
continues.....
He was not aware of who Ramana was and why people should go to see Him. He left for Sri Ramamnasramam to find his wife. When he arrived there, not knowing the rules he went inside with shoes on. When he was then unsure as to where to meet her so he stopped for a while, to light a cigarette and had a deep drag of smoke to relax him. The place where he was standing was the path Sri Bhagavan used to take to go to the Gosala. While he was standing there, smoking, he felt a tap on his arm. When he looked around at Him silently, for a while and this man also looked at Sri Bhagavan. No one knows what transpired between them.
The man went straight back without
meeting his wife. He left his job and was no more to be found. The girl coming to know of this was initially sorrow stricken but later consoled herself with thoughts of destiny and the ultimate power of Sri Bhagavan.
The story is an example of the power of power of Sri Bhagavan's eyes - kaNNokkam - as Sri Muruganar calls it.
concluded.
Ravi,
Good question.I have given it a good deal of thought, perhaps you can add your insights too :) Applying my own experience to Swami Vivekananda's ideal of 'service' - it is true that Swamiji says that you help only yourself by helping others, and that God alone works and not you etc. What exactly bothers me in 'service' to underprivilged/distressed is it reinforces the idea that suffering is real and we have to work with our petty efforts to alleviate suffering, how to reconcile this with the idea that the power who moves the world wants people to go preaching Vedanta and also work through suffering at a worldly level? Isnt there an unmistakable paradox there? There is an interchange between Maurice Frydman and Bhagavan where he asks Bhagavan if more people should not be taught his teachings and Bhagavan replies 'that is the sign of the ignorance, the power which leads you know how to take care of the world too'. He has replied to this effect on many ocassions, he has also said that 'there is nothing wrong with the world, problem is with your outlook, make the outlook that of the Self'. Swami Vivekananda on the other hand teaches that the message of the master/Vedanta should be taught to as many as possible - isnt it more correct to say that all people are not mature enough to understand vedanta(and causing confusions like I am doing here perhaps :)), that the same power which manifests the world takes care of the ripening of the souls as well? Both the stances just dont fit, besides both Bhagavan and Vivekananda have said that there cannot be an ideal world of only happiness, it will be combined with sorrow. SO whatever efforts are made to spread Vedanta or love, the opposite also happens as a reaction - service loses it's meaning ultimately. The world is likened to a drama, and the suffering is said to be similar to those of the actors who mistake themselves for the roles they play. Yes, for us the idea seems far-fetched because of being at the level of sensory perception but we cannot have a perfect God and same time a suffering world full of people whom we ourselves have to take care of - which is no easy thing due to the clash of the egos. I find the path very indirect and defeating it's own purpose. Same time we can/will always do what we can to help when we see suffering because we cant stand the sight of it, but I doubt the reality of 'suffering' to a great extent. Sri Bhagavan says 'it is your pain which you see as suffering outside, find your Self first', does not getting the correct vision occupy more priority?
By the way, Swamiji is said to have been an instrument of his own master. Same way Paul Brunton is said to have been responsible for spreading the word of Ramana Maharshi. That might well be, I am only interested in the teachings for timebeing :)
Thank you Shrini, agree fully with what you conveyed - indeed very grateful :))
Stories About Sri Bhagavan:
Sadhu Om:
continues....
Where is Ramana?
Once when Sri Ramanasramam was in its initial stages, a devotee had only heard of Sri Bhagavan did not give an opportunity to come and see Him. Then he got the opportunity unexpectedly and came to Tiruvannamalai. Asking for directions, to Sri Ramanasramam, he was very excited that he would soon
meet Sri Bhagavan and started looking everyone he met, 'Where is
Ramana?'
In those days, there were very few buildings at the Asramam and also not much of crowd, so he reached the Old Hall without difficulty. He rushed in but as it was the time for Sri Bhagavan's daily walk; the
devotee still did not see Him and continued to asking those nearby, 'Where is Ramana?' 'Where is Ramana?' One devotee pointed out the way Sri Bhagavan usually went on His walk and so, because of his eagerness, and unable to sit still, he went off searching for Him.
continued......
soorya,
In case you wonder why I stick to The Gospel of sri Ramakrishna,and wonder if it is something akin to the Fascination that a Fan(your word!)has for his matinee idol,I think I can share this with you.I am copying it from another Blog where I had responded to some devotee.One may think-'okay it is authentic,well documented and approved.What about its value?Without this value,all the so called authenticity are just like dressing a corpse!Here it is:
For those who wonder why I love The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna-Thought I will share a few of my thoughts here.
Firstly it annuls space and time and puts the reader in the palpable presence of the Great Master,right at his feet.The portrayal and narration is as vivid as that.
Leaving aside my adoration of the Master,which may well be my personal preference,what is it that I find in it that is of value to one and all?
1.Precisely in its huge emphasis on the practical aspects of sadhana-in not giving any scope for any sort of speculation in the minds of the seekers.
2.The Master knows all the kinks and bends of the human mind and pitches the teaching at just the right level;Nothing a notch below or above.
3.He does not give room for any sort of hierarchy in Sadhana-thus cutting off all grounds for 'ego trips'.
4.Truly there is nothing that is held back from the seeker;the master gives a clear assurance that a thing well began,however modest and insignificant be that,would inevitably lead to all that one needs to ever know or attain.
5.Even abstract Truths are made so simple and clear to those who are simply curious or interested, with simple and Homely similes or parables.
6.The wonderful songs that fill the volumes that are rich blend of Bhakti/JnAna.
7.The humor of the Master is infectious as well.This book abounds in this as well.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You may now evaluate how much of Herd instinct or blind adulation that is behind whatever we are supporting or defending with a fanatic zeal(or otherswise!)
Namaskar.
soorya,
"What exactly bothers me in 'service' to underprivilged/distressed is it reinforces the idea that suffering is real and we have to work with our petty efforts to alleviate suffering, how to reconcile this with the idea that the power who moves the world wants people to go preaching Vedanta and also work through suffering at a worldly level"
Soorya,let us proceed simply and clearly,step by step.
Can you ask only one question withing a maximum of 10 to 15 words?
1.This means that we are clear what our problem or doubt is.
2.This would mean that we have an actual problem.
3The more words we use,the more we tend to cover the problem.
So,please tell me 'The Problem' in as few a words.
I will ask you two simple questions.
1.Is there no suffering in your life?Yes or no
2.Do you not see suffering in the world?Yes or No.
We will see what is to be done,if at all we recognize this.
Namaskar.
Stories About Sri Bhagavan:
Sadhu Om:
continues....
By the time Sri Bhagavan had returned from His srtoll on the Hill, and went into the kitchen at the same time as the devotee arrived there. He saw four or five people standing about and wasn't at all sure, which one was Ramana. Seeing all those strange faces, he chose to ask the person who seemed to like a simple man who would not get angry with him. The person he chose was of course, none other than our Sri Bhagavan.
He asked Him, 'Who is Ramana?' Without any hesitancy, Sri Bhagavan smiled and pointed out a big vessel, which had the inscription of 'Sri Ramana'. The others who were there laughed. Sri Bhagavan out of compassion explained His answer: 'At least on these vessels, 'Sri Ramana' is inscribed. But nothing is written on this body.' The devotee who came to see Sri Bhagavan with love got a rare instruction (Upadesa).
The whole of Sri Ramana's philosophy is contained in this. Sri Bhagavan's Self Knowledge is that one is not the body.
concluded.
Ravi/Soorya
The origin of the story about Bhagavan saying that Ganapati Muni did not get enlightened is the 'Talks' manuscript compiled by Munagala Venkataramaiah.
A few hours after Ganapati Muni passed away in 1936 a telegram arrived at the ashram saying that he had attained samadhi. Someone asked Bhagavan if that meant that he had realised the Self, giving Bhagavan the context to say, 'No, his sankalpas were too strong'.
Munagala recorded this comment under the day's events.
When Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi was eventually published in the 1950s, some devotees of Ganapati Muni persuaded the ashram not to include this particular comment by Bhagavan. Arthur Osborne, who was writing and editing books in the 1950s must have known about this. I was told by his wife Lucia that the same devotees who had managed to keep the comment out of the ashram book came to their house to complain that Arthur had put it into his own book on Bhagavan.
Friends,
Regarding service, I recollect a couple of things -
Nisargadatta Maharaj saying if you see suffering and feel bad about it, just go and help. Why do we have to brood about it.
- The story of the brave parrot which tries to save its beloved tree from forest fire is very touching. It jumps into the lake and with its wet feathers, tries to extinguish the fire. This is a Rajasthani folk song sung beautifully by Shabnam Virmani. There is no problem with doing service and help those who are suffering. The problem crops up when we "want" to remove sufferings. This is purely our ego which is speaking.
- Usha Uthup relates an incident about Mother Theresa. When Usha expressed a desire to help in Mother's cause, Mother asked her to collect the leftover food from the dinner party where she will be singing the next day to feed the poor. But Mother Theresa put one condition, that she should not inform anybody, including the hostess about why she wants to collect the leftovers.
Service, I feel is the best way to kill the ego, "provided, we do not tell anybody, EVEN OURSELVES". Otherwise, it is a razor's edge and will just result in inflated ego and dreams. I recollect an elderly man whom I met in a hospital where his wife was admitted. His wife related how her husband managed to take care of his brother's children when the brother passed away, even though they themselves were not doing well. The lady's look towards her husband when she related this showed how much she loved him and how proud she was about him. The elderly gentleman simply replied in kannada "Naan yelli sakdhe, Avnu nodkonda" - Where did i bring them up, he took care... - This is service...
It is alright Ravi, I think that all doubts will cease only with one's own experience of the truth. Sometimes in Bhagavan forums we come across useful tips to sadhana, for instance few devotees used to post Michael James' book 'the happiness of being' on facebook, when I came in with the V.S Iyer's comments I was inwardly hoping for something of the sort.
Thanks for your patience and all the beautiful posts from the Gospel :)
Thanks David
The Nature of Our Mind:
Michael James:
(Jan. - Mar. 2007, Mountain Path)
What we call our 'mind' is just a limited and distorted form of our fundamental consciousness 'I am' - a spurious form of consciousness that identifies itself with a particular body, and that appears to exist only in the states of waking and dream, and disappears in deep sleep. Since this mind is the primary obstacle, that stands in the way of knowing ourself as we really are, let us examine it more closely. What is the nature of this distorted form of consciousness that we call our 'mind'?
Our mind as we now know it is just a bundle of thoughts -- thoughts that is, in the very broadest sense of the term, namely anything that our mind forms and experiences within itself, such as any perception, conception, idea, belief, feeling, emotions, desire, fear or suchlike. All thoughts are just images that our mind forms within itself by its power of imagination. Except our fundamental consciousness 'I am', everything that mind knows or experiences is only a thought. Even our perceptions are thoughts or mental images that our mind forms within itself by its wonderful power of imagination. Whether perception without any external stimuli, as in dream, or whether they are formed by our mind's power of imagination in response to actual external stimuli, is something, we can know for certain only when we discover
the ultimate truth about our mind.
continued......
Dear David,
Re: Ganapati Muni:
I was about to write what you have said since you have told me the same once in the past. However, I kept quiet, since water coming from shanku (conch-shell) is only tirtham. So I wanted the conch-shell to pour water in this issue.
Thanks, Subramanian. R
Today is Gandhi Jayanthi. Any recollection about the great saint will be good. I remember an interview where his secretary says "Gandhi was as naked inside as he was outside". Same as Bhagavan.
The Nature of the Mind:
Michael James:
continues.....
Because the fact that all our perceptions are only thoughts is so important, let us examine it more closely, using the example of sight. According to the 'scientific' explanation of the process of seeing, light from outside world enters our eyeballs and stimulates electro-chemical reactions in our retinas. These then stimulate a chain of further electro-chemical reactions along our optic nerves, and these in turn reach our brain causing more electro-chemical activity to take place there. Thus, far the process is clear cut and simple to understand. But then something mysterious happens. Our mind which is a form of consciousness that interfaces with our brain, then somehow interprets all this electro-chemical activity by forming images within itself that we believe to correspond to the shape, color and size of the external objects, and to their relative distance from our body. But all we actually know when we see something is the image that our mind has formed within itself.
continued......
David/soorya/s/Friends,
Thanks very much David.The Interesting thing is that V .Ganesan has asked the same Munagala venkatrAmaia the very same question.Here is an excerpt from The Human Gospel of Ramana maharshi that s has quoted earlier:
"I was still not satisfied. I had read a tiff that Kavyakantha was not a Self-realized soul because he had so many sankalpas. His detractors often quoted this too, and I was convinced by this logic. I put forth my argument to Munagala. He told me, ―I asked Bhagavan the same thing—how come it is written in such and such a book that Kavyakantha was not Self-realized. Bhagavan told me, ‗That is not what I said, but what the recorder must have expected me to say.‖ Munagala then advised me, ―Go by whatever Bhagavan has said, and you will be near the Truth. Do not go by opinions, particularly if they divide people—whether saints or anyone else. Do not pay heed to them. Aspirants should never be carried away by negative statements made about any sage or saint. In order to
THE HUMAN GOSPEL OF RAMANA MAHARSHI
AS SHARED BY V. GANESAN
95
progress, this is the first guideline to remember. What detractors say are just opinions and if we believe them, we fall victim to the mind."‖
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This in no way confirms that Bhagavan said 'Yes' or 'No'-as usual Bhagavan is neutral!He only maintains that he did not say what the Recorder in that book had said!
In the Talks,whatever Bhagavan had said,Sri Munagala is playing a la Bhagavan-asking Ganesan to stick to what Sri Bhagavan said!Again Bhagavan may have been simply neutral here in observing that he had Sankalpas!This in no way prove that KAvya kanta was realized or not!
Why?We can equally say that Bhagavan also had a sankalpa when it came to his attempt to 'liberate'(whatever this may mean!)Palani swami in the last few moments of his Life.Some of us may say that even this is Divine Sankalpa,Automatic activity of the Self.If that be so,the same benefit may be given to Ganapathi muni as well.
Ultimately we take in our own way!
Namaskar.
The Nature of Our Mind:
Michael James:
continues....
Our belief that such images correspond to actual external objects, and all our scientific explanations of the process by which light from those objects stimulates our mind to form such images, are also only images or thoughts that our mind to form such images of sound, smell, taste and touch that our mind forms within itself, supposedly in response to external stimuli.
Therefore all that we know of the external world is actually only the images or thoughts that our mind is constantly forming within itself. Do we not have to accept, therefore, that the world we think we perceive outside ourself may be nothing other than thoughts that our mind has formed within itself, just as the worlds that we see in dreams are? Even if we are not ready to accept the fact that the world may actually be nothing but our own thoughts, must we not at least accept the fact that the world as we know it, and as we ever can know it, is indeed nothing but thoughts?
continued.....
shrini,
"The elderly gentleman simply replied in kannada "Naan yelli sakdhe, Avnu nodkonda" - Where did i bring them up, he took care... - This is service..."
Absolutely.Thanks very much.
I am reminded of Mark Twain's saying:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
This is equally applicable in the spiritual path as well.
Do we stop stepping on the road because newspapers report accidents everyday.We need to be careful in whatever we do,but this should not thwart us from attempting anything worthwhile.
Service is something that is very very basic-the first sign that one is breaking the bonds of the ego,that we are expanding beyond the boundaries of 'me' 'my family' 'My Home' 'My car' 'My Office' 'My Master' 'My sadhana' 'My own realization',etc.
Can life be subject to formulas and insulated from vulnerabilities?
Devotion to God,love for others,faith,Diligence -These have to be discovered in us and lived.
Namaskar.
The Nature of our Mind:
continues....
Of all the thoughts that are formed in our mind, the first is the thought of 'I'. Our mind first forms itself as the thought of 'I', and only after that does it form other thoughts. Without an 'I' to think them, no other thoughts could be formed. All the other thoughts formed in our mind are constantly coming and going, but the thought of 'I' persists so long as our mind itself persists. Thus the thought 'I' is the root of all other thoughts, and is the one essential thought without which there could be no such thing as 'mind'.
Therefore our mind consists of two distinct elements, namely the knowing subject, the root thought 'I' and known objects, all the other thoughts that are formed and experienced by 'I'. However, though it consists of two elements, the one fundamental and essential element of our mind is the root thought 'I'. Hence, though we use the term 'mind' as a collective term, for both the thinker and its
thoughts, the mind is in essence just the thinker, the root thought 'I' that thinks all other thoughts. This simple but important truth is expressed succinctly by Sri Ramana in Upadesa Undiyar, Verse 18.
continued.....
soorya,
Thanks very much.I have just one story on Swami Vivekananda for your consideration.Swamiji as a young boy Narendra was a devotee of Lord Rama.He had kept the idol of Lord Rama and adored him.It so happened that a Wandering Sanyasin came to his door and was invited in.The SanyAsin happened to notice the Rama Idol and remarked-'After all Rama was a Householder and how he neglected Mother Sita in the end'.
After the SanyAsin left,Naren removed the idol of Rama from where it was and relegated it to an attic!He was uncompromising when it came to anything whatsoever.The Only thing that mattered to him was TRUTH.This is one characteristic of Swamiji,and if he had found anything amiss in 'service' as he called it,as not in line with the Highest Truth,he would have dismissed it outright.
Wish you the Very Best.
Namaskar.
The Nature of Our Mind:
continues.....
Upadessa Undiyar - Verse 18:
Our mind is only multitude of thoughts. Of all the countless thoughts that are formed in our mind, the thought of 'I alone is the root. Therefore, what is called 'mind' is in essence just this root thought 'I'.
Just as on analysis, our mind can thus be resolved into being in essence only this fundamental thought 'I', so on further analysis his fundamental thought 'I can be resolved into being essence only consciousness. Because it knows other thoughts, this thought 'I' is a root form of consciousness. But because it is formed only by feeling 'I am such and such a person', and because it loses its separate form in sleep, when it ceases to feel thus, it is not our permanent and real form of consciousness. 'I am'. Because it can rise only by identifying a physical body as 'I' as it does both in waking and dream, it is a mixed and contaminated form of consciousness, a consciousness that
confuses itself with a body, feeling mistakenly 'I am this body, an individual person called so and so.'
What we mean when we say 'I am such and such a person' is that we are an individual consciousness that identifies itself with an adjunct, a particular body is what defines us as a person or individual. Our individuality is thus nothing other than this adjunct bound consciousness that feels 'I am this body'. By mistaking itself to be a particular body, this consciousness confines itself within the limits of that body, and feels itself to be separate from all that is perceives outside that body. This seemingly separate individual consciousness "I am this body" is what we call by various names such as the mind, ego, the psyche or the soul.
continued......
salutations to all:
David/Ravi/Subramanian/Soorya:
david posted this comment on March 29, 2011 1:18 PM:- wonder why he didn't put the "QUALIFIERS" (in bold below) this time that he'd put earlier! :-)
["...I have been told (but cannot confirm) that the comment was originally transcribed in the "Talks' manuscript but was deleted from the published version after pressure from some of Ganapati Muni's followers. About a third of the original 'Talks' manuscript has survived in manuscript form, and it does have a few deletions, but this incident is not one of them...I believe that Bhagavan did make a comment of this kind when Ganapati Muni passed away, but since there are no contemporary records of it (Osborne's account was first published in the mid-50s) the exact wording must be open to doubt..."]
s/subramanian/Friends,
s,Why are you playing spoilsport now:-)(siva poojai karadi-Bear making its appearance in siva pooja)
Our friend subramanian has to again scout around for the conch-shell.
May I Request David to supply it once more;the conch-shell supplied today seems to be leaky:-)
Namaskar.
Shrini asked for stories about Gandhi since today is his birthday. Here is one that Papaji told me. It was published in Nothing Ever Happened, volume two pages 297-99.
At the time I [Papaji] was visiting Gandhi [in Chennai in the middle of 1947] there was only a small group around him. Each evening he would conduct a communal chanting of the name of Ram. I went regularly and became an unofficial attendant. Because he was quite old and frail, I would help him to and from the platform, and if there were any announcements to be made, I would make them at the end of the meeting.
On one of these nightly meetings some new person went up to Gandhi to prostrate to him. As he was getting up to leave, he took one of Gandhi’s chappals and ran off with it. I wanted to run after him and catch him, but Gandhi stopped me by saying, ‘No, no, one is enough’.
At the end of the meeting I made an announcement, asking the person who had stolen the chappal to return it. I added, ‘If the person doesn’t bring it back, Gandhiji will probably walk around with only one chappal’. My appeal had no result, for the chappal never came back.
I used to talk to him privately as well, but during our conversations he would never look at me eye to eye. He would always be looking down, usually at the takli on which he was spinning thread.
Once he told me as he was spinning a thread, ‘I got this idea that everyone should spin his own thread many years ago when I was travelling in Punjab. I saw all the Punjabi women spinning in their spare time and I thought, “This is a good idea. Everyone in India could profitably use their spare time in this way.” So I started to encourage people to spin in their spare time everywhere else in India.’
He was a great saint. I could see that just by looking at his body. I didn’t need to look into his eyes. He had the most sattvic body I had ever seen. It was copper coloured and at a subtle level it was glowing with the light of Brahman. The only body that I have seen that was as beautiful as his was the Maharshi’s. Both of their bodies used to shine.
I was once sitting with Gandhi when I heard the sound of ‘Ram, Ram’ coming from him. His lips were not moving, so I looked to see where the sound was coming from. As I focused on the source of the sound, I realised that it was emanating from his body. The sound was coming out of the pores of his skin. He didn’t need to repeat the name any more. It was going on continuously inside him and flowing outwards through his skin.
There are several stages of japa, and this is a very advanced stage. First the japa is repeated with the voice. Then it goes on in the mind. Then, thirdly, it is synchronized with the breath. When this goes on effortlessly and becomes spontaneous and automatic, the name repeats itself all the time, even during sleeping and dreaming, because the breath and the name have become one. Without conscious effort the name is repeated with each incoming and outgoing breath.
salutations to all:
Subramanian/David:
subramanian says ["...However, I kept quiet, since water coming from shanku (conch-shell) is only tirtham. So I wanted the conch-shell to pour water in this issue..."]
:-))) laughed out loud - on a lighter vein, subramanian sir - sorry, didn't know you have accepted david (whether david likes it or not) as your "guru" :-))). i suppose in the near future, unknownst to you, you might end up preferring what david says about what bhagavAn said to bhagavAn's own compositions!!! (such a day wouldn't be far if you continue making such sweeping remarks). we all respect david a a lot but based on your personal adulation please don't make it sound as if he is "the" authority on bhagavAn (the only authority on bhagavAn is bhagavAn, isn't it?)... :-). something must be seriously amiss to treat david's words to be 'vEda-vAkku'! :-(
David,
Thanks very much.simply wonderful story on mahAtmA gAndhiji.
Namaskar.
The Nature of Our Mind:
continues.....
In religious terminology, our limited
individual consciousness 'I am this body' is what is called our 'soul',
whereas our unlimited fundamental consciousness 'I am" is what is called our 'spirit', our 'heart' or 'the core of our soul.' The popular belief that our whole self is a compound of these three elements, our body, our soul and our spirit, is rooted in our wrong identification of ourself with a particular body. Though we know ourself to be one, because of our mistaken identification of ourself with a body, we wrongly imagine ourself to be all these three different things. This notion of ours is logically absurd, because since we are one, how can we three
different things be ourself?
Everyday in sleep both our body and our soul (our mind) disappear, yet we continue to exist, and to know that we exist. Therefore, since we remain in sleep without either our body or our soul, neither of these two elements can be our real self. In truth, therefore, these three elements constitute only our false individual self, which is a mere illusion. Our real self consists of only one element, the fundamental and essential element that we call our 'spirit', which is our single non dual consciousness of being 'I am'.
Because of this non dual spirit is entirely distinct from our body and our individual soul, it is not limited in any way, nor is it divided. Therefore the spirit that exists as the heart or core of each individual soul is essentially the same single, undivided, non dual and infinite consciousness of being, 'I am', is the same non dual
real consciousness that exists in every other living being.
continued......
murali,
"Ravi: Did Thakur write anywhere how to renounce this "unripe I"? Is it by constanly repeating that God is the doer? Or is it only after Self Realization - a dark prospect indeed:-("
Very Good question Murali.thAkur would never suggest anything that one is not in a position to Practise.This is the beauty in his approach.
Here is the excerpt from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna where exactly the same question is put by Vijay krishna GoswAmi:
The "wicked I"
"The 'I' that makes one a worldly person and attaches one to 'woman and gold' is the
'wicked I'. The intervention of this ego creates the difference between jiva and Atman.
Water appears to be divided into two parts if one puts a stick across it. But in reality there is
only one water. It appears as two on account of the stick. This 'I' is the stick. Remove the
stick and there remains only one water as before.
"Now, what is this 'wicked I'? It is the ego that says: 'What? Don't they know me? I have so
much money! Who is wealthier than I?' If a thief robs such a man of only ten rupees, first
of all he wrings the money out of the thief, then he gives him a good beating. But the matter
doesn't end there: the thief is handed over to the police and is eventually sent to jail. The
'wicked I' says: 'What? Doesn't the rogue know whom he has robbed? To steal my ten
rupees! How dare he?' "
VIJAY: "If without destroying the 'I' a man cannot get rid of attachment to the world and
consequently cannot experience samadhi, then it would be wise for him to follow the path
of Brahmajnana to attain samadhi. If the 'I' persists in the path of devotion, then one should
rather choose the path of knowledge."
The "servant I"
MASTER: "It is true that one or two can get rid of the 'I' through samadhi; but these cases
are very rare. You may indulge in thousands of reasonings, but still the 'I' comes back. You
may cut the peepal-tree to the very root today, but you will notice a sprout springing up
tomorrow. Therefore if the 'I' must remain, let the rascal remain as the 'servant I'. As long as
you live, you should say, 'O God, Thou art the Master and I am Thy servant.' The 'I' that
feels, 'I am the servant of God, I am His devotee' does not injure one. Sweet things cause
acidity of the stomach, no doubt, but sugar candy is an exception.
"The path of knowledge is very difficult. One cannot obtain Knowledge unless one gets rid
of the feeling that one is the body. In the Kaliyuga the life of man is centred on food. He
cannot get rid of the feeling that he is the body and the ego. Therefore the path of devotion
is prescribed for this cycle.
This is an easy path. You will attain God if you sing His name and glories and pray to Him
with a longing heart. There is not the least doubt about it.
"Suppose you draw a line on the surface of water with a bamboo stick. The water appears
to be divided into two parts; but the line doesn't remain for any length of time. The 'servant
I'or the 'devotee I' or the 'child I' is only a line drawn with the ego and is not real".
continued....
Dear S,
There is nothing to laugh at.
Firstly, only only Sri Bhagavan is my Guru, and no one else. I spoke about David because he has told me once about Ganapati Muni not getting self realized because of sankalpas (may be good sankalpas, bad sankalpas or ugly sankalpas...)
If I were to mention this to the Forum, they would ask the authority, source, original text where it has been stated etc., etc., It is the nature of the blog members to always ask these things.
If I quote Nochur, they will say that he is only a secondary or tertiary authority. Then I have to search for primary authority etc.
Secondly I was sure that David would respond to this doubt and so I waited for this. Because for this blog members, David is God and all others are only devils. His words are Shanku tirtham (pure and holy) and other people's words are only Madras Corporation water.
Subramanian. R
The Ego of the Devoteefrom the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna continued...
The "ego of a devotee"
VIJAY (to the Master): "Sir, you ask us to renounce the 'wicked I'. Is there any harm in the
'servant I'?"
MASTER: "The 'servant I'-that is, the feeling, 'I am the servant of God, I am the devotee of
God'-does not injure one. On the contrary, it helps one to realize God."
VIJAY: "Well, sir, what becomes of the lust, anger, and other passions of one who keeps
the 'servant I'?"
MASTER: "If a man truly feels like that, then he has only the semblance of lust, anger, and
the like. If, after attaining God, he looks on himself as the servant or the devotee of God,
then he cannot injure anyone. By touching the philosopher's stone a sword is turned into
gold. It keeps the appearance of a sword but cannot injure.
"When the dry branch of a coconut palm drops to the ground, it leaves only a mark on the
trunk indicating that once there was a branch at that place. In like manner, he who has
attained God keeps only an appearance of ego; there remains in him only a semblance of
anger and lust. He becomes like a child. A child has no attachment to the three gunassattva,
rajas, and tamas. He becomes as quickly detached from a thing as he becomes
attached to it. You can cajole him out of a cloth worth five rupees with a doll worth an
anna, though at first he may say with great determination: 'No, I won't give it to you. My
daddy bought it for me.' Again, all persons are the same to a child. He has no feeling of
high and low in regard to persons. So he doesn't discriminate about caste. If his mother tells
him that a particular man should be regarded as an elder brother, the child will eat from the
same plate with him, though the man may belong to the low caste of a blacksmith. The
child doesn't know hate, or what is holy or unholy.
"Even after attaining samadhi, some retain the 'servant ego' or the 'devotee ego'. The bhakta
keeps this 'I-consciousness'. He says, 'O God, Thou art the Master and I am Thy servant;
Thou art the Lord and I am Thy devotee.' He feels that way even after the realization of
God. His 'I' is not completely effaced. Again, by constantly practising this kind of 'Iconsciousness',
one ultimately attains God. This is called bhaktiyoga.
"One can attain the Knowledge of Brahman, too, by following the path of bhakti. God is
all-powerful. He may give His devotee Brahmajnana also, if He so wills. But the devotee
generally doesn't seek the Knowledge of the Absolute. He would rather have the
consciousness that God is the Master and he the servant, or that God is the Divine Mother
and he the child."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Master is advising us to initiate an attitudinal shift to start with.Immediately,we get rid of the 'wicked I' as he calls it.The Deepening of this attitude and devotion yields the 'Ripe' I.This is within the reach of all.
The Rest of this chapter is also wonderful,how vijay asks all the possible questions and how the Master is always directing him to Practice.Deeply inspiring.
Namaskar.
The Nature of Our Mind:
continues.....
Because our mind or soul is a form of consciousness that has limited itself within the confines of a particular body, and because it sees many other bodies, each of which seems to have a consciousness of its own. In the outlook of our mind there appear to be many other minds. However, because the fundamental consciousness 'I am', which is experienced by each of us, as the essential core of our being, always exists as it is, without limiting itself in any way by identifying itself with an adjunct, there is in reality only one consciousness 'I am', even though due to our distorted individualzed
consciousness we think that the 'I am' in each person is different to that in every other person. The mind or separate individual 'I' that exists in the innermost depth of each one of us, just as the bright light that we see in each fragement of a broken mirror lying on the ground is just as a different reflection of the one Sun shining brightly in the sky!
continued......
Another Gandhi story from 'Talks with Ramana maharshi':
13th March, 1939
Talk 646.
Sri Bhagavan referred to the following passage of Gandhiji in the
Harijan of the 11th instant:
“How mysterious are the ways of God! This journey to Rajkot is
a wonder even to me. Why am I going, whither am I going? What
for? I have thought nothing about these things. And if God guides
me, what should I think, why should I think? Even thought may
be an obstacle in the way of His guidance.
“The fact is, it takes no effort to stop thinking. The thoughts do not
come. Indeed there is no vacuum - but I mean to say that there is no thought about the mission.”
Sri Bhagavan remarked how true the words were and emphasised each
statement in the extract. Then He cited Thayumanavar in support of
the state which is free from thoughts:
“Although I had often heard that all the Srutis declare the state of
stillness to be one of Bliss, all Bliss - yet I continued to be ignorant.
Again I did not follow the advice of my Lord - the Silent Master
- because of my folly. I wandered in the forest of illusion: alas! it
was my fate.”
“Bliss will reveal itself if one is still. Why then is this illusory yoga
practice? Can it (i.e., Bliss) be revealed by directing the intellect in
a particular way? Do not say so, you who are given to the practice
and are therefore an innocent babe.”
“The eternal Being is that state where you have disappeared. Are
you not in it too? You, who cannot speak of it, do not be perplexed.
Although you do not manifest, yet you are not lost. For you are eternal
and also still. Do not be in pain. Here is Bliss - come on!”
Another talk where Bhagavan touches different methods to realization:
Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
20th April, 1937
Talk 406.
Mr. Cohen, a resident disciple, has been for some days past thinking
about a book called Nirvana written by a prominent Theosophist,
wherein the author claims to reach nirvana every night after going
to sleep. He claims to see his own Master and other Masters of the
Theosophical Society as bright lights within the ocean of light which is
nirvana. He asked Sri Bhagavan how it could be possible, considering
the Advaitic teaching that the nirvanic experience is the same as that
of the pure consciousness of Being.
M.: Nirvana is Perfection. In the Perfect State there is neither subject
nor object; there is nothing to see, nothing to feel, nothing to know.
Seeing and knowing are the functions of the mind. In nirvana there
is nothing but the blissful pure consciousness “I am.”
D.: How then can a prominent T. S. leader, who claims clairvoyance
of a high order, praise the author for his supposed correct and vivid
description of nirvana, and why is the T. Society so much obsessed
by the idea of ‘Service’?
M.: Well, Theosophy and other kindred movements are good inasmuch
as they make a man unselfish and prepare him for the highest truth.
Service, like prayers, japas and even business done in God’s name,
lead to the highest goal - Self-Realisation.
D.: But after how long? and why should a man who is ready for the
Absolute knowledge stick to the knowledge of the Relative?
M.: Everything happens in its own time. The one who is ready for
the absolute knowledge will be made somehow to hear of it and
follow it up. He will realise that Atmavidya is the highest of all
virtues and also the end of the journey.
The Nature of our Mind:
continues.....
Though it is formed only by imagining
itself to be a particular body, the mind of each one of us nevertheless contains itself the light of our original consciousness ' I am'. Just as each reflected Sun lying on the ground could not be formed without borrowing both the light of the Sun and the limited form of a fragment of mirror, so without borrowing the light of consciousness from its original source, 'I am' and without at the same time borrowing all the limitations of a physical body, our mind is a mixture composed of two contrary and discordant elements, the essential element of consciousness and the superimposed element of physical limitations.
concluded.
salutations to all:
Subramanian/Ravi/David:
subramanian said: ["...Because for this blog members, David is God and all others are only devils. His words are Shanku tirtham (pure and holy) and other people's words are only Madras Corporation water...."]
hahahahaha...sorry, pardon my error - now i understand that bhagavAn is your "guru" but david is "god" himself (now i know why you keep saying 'David Himself'!!) :-))). since "all others are devils", i suppose bhagavAn too is a devil, isn't? :-). remember that all the fun in this world is only because of the 'devil' :-) why, god himself will be bored to death without the devil around (atleast that's how the devil thinks and obviously i know it only but too well):-)))
David: going by subramanian's categorisation, guess it's only just to request you to make provision for 2 Open Threads:-
Open Thread - Subramanian
Open Thread - Devils
:-)))
Gandhi Jayanti Thoughts - 02.10.2012.
One new wave Tamizh poet wrote some
years back:
They say 'we got it at midnight'.
But it is yet to dawn!
*****
Gandhi Jayanti Thoughts: 02.10.2012.
On school boy was asked:
How do you know today is Gandhi
Jayanti?
The boy said: Yes, I know. They will give chocolates in school and also a tricolor badge to wear. They may also take us to the Gandhi Mantapam in Adyar!
*****
s/subramanian/David/Friends,
"David is God and all others are only devils"
David is making only guest appearance once a while(God!).Hope this does not become a Devil's Blog:-)that it threatens to become.
God,where are you:-)
Namaskar.
Gandhi Jayanti Thoughts: 02.10.2012:
Once, for the Congress Committee President's Post, Subhash Chandra Bose and Pattabhi Sitaramiah contested. Against expectations,
Subahsh Chandra Bose got elected.
Gandhiji commented: The defeat of Pattabhi Sitaramiah is my defeat!
*****
Gandhi Jayanti Thoughts: 02.10.2012:
To observe sexual abstinence, after 30, I think, Gandhiji refrained from having sex with Kastur Ba. But he never for a moment thought, that his wife, who must be younger and may need sex occasionally, had to be consulted beforehand!
****
The Supreme Wisdom of Gandhiji
******************************
[Purushottam Gandhi writing from Rajkot asked Gandhiji three questions : (1) What is the difference between the so-called atheism of the jains and the theism of the Gita? (2) If God is not doer, who dispenses grace? Is prayer anything more than the expression of a person’s wishes? (3) What do you mean when you say the Truth is God? To him Gandhiji replied as follows:]
I do not think there is any contradiction between the Jain and the Vedic doctrine. They are only different ways of looking at a same thing. The God of Hinduism is doer as well as non-doer. God pervades the universe and is therefore a doer, but He is a non-doer inasmuch as action does not affect Him, and He has not to enjoy the fruit of action. The universe is not the result of any karma (action) of God in the sense in which you use that word. Therefore there is no discrepancy in the Gita verses quoted by you. Remember that the Gita is a poem. God neither says nor does anything. He did not say anything to Arjuna. The conversation between the Lord and Arjuna is imaginary. I do not think there was any such conversation between the Krishna and the Arjuna of history. There is nothing improper or untruthful in the setting of the Gita. There was a custom of casting religious books into such a shape, and we cannot find a fault with any cultured individual even today who employs such a vehicle for his ideas. The Jains put it logically, unpoetically and dryly and said that there is no Creator of the universe. There is nothing wrong in saying so. However, mankind cannot live by logic alone, but needs poetry. Therefore even the Jain rationalists found it necessary to have temples, images and similar aids for the spirit of man, which are ruled out by mere logic.
Selected Letters:
http://www.mkgandhi.org/Selected%20Letters/letter.htm
Gandhi Jayanti Thoughts: 02.10.2012.
Mahatma Gandhi came to Tiruvannamlai
on two or three occasions. C.Rajagoplachari accompanied him.
Despite time constraints, Gandhiji wanted to meet Sri Bhagavan. CR effectively prevented it. Perhaps he thought that if Gandhiji met for a few minutes Sri Bhagavamn. he would sit there permanently with Him and start doing Self Inquiry, forgetting all about Swaraj movement etc.,! Such is the power of presence of Sri Bhagavan.
CR never met Sri Bhagavan till His Maha Nirvana. He came to the Asrmama some years later just to see Mother's Temple and the beautifully carved Sri Dakshiknamurti in Mother's Temple. He asked for Sthapathi's name and he was called to build Gandhi Mantapam in Adyar.
(as mentioned by Dr. Raju in another blog.)
******
Gandhi Jayanti Thoughts: 02.10.2012.
Mahatma Gandhiji used to sleep naked in the company of women (Sushila Nayyar and others) just to test his sexual control! Would he have permitted Kastur Ba to do so with men sleeping naked with men?
*****
Subramanian
I read your over-the-top endorsement of my words with some embarrassment.
I think we should evaluate sources a bit more objectively and not assume that one person has a monopoly on truth.
I endeavour to find the source of anything I write, and to cite it appropriately. Once the oldest or best source is established, one may extrapolate from it by giving an opinion or a comment, taking care to make it clear what is an opinion and what is a statement of fact.
Ananda:
Ananda comes from the root 'nand' which means to 'delight'. 'to revel in'. Ananda therefore means 'to revel in all round happiness'. Sri Sankara sings in Bhaja Govindam, 'He alone truly rejoices whose mind ever delights in Brahman, be he in company or solitude, be he in divine communion (Yoga rato va) or immersed in pleasures (bhogo rato va). Nothing diminishes his ananda for it has verily become his very nature (Swarupa), being one with Brahman and hence absolute and unconditional. Thus a Jnani is not an anandi who has happiness but ananda who is of the very form of
happiness.
The Upanishads define Brahman as
Existence, Consciousness and Infinitude. Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahamam. and also Sat Chit Ananda.
While Sat and cit are synonymous with Satyam and Jnana, Amamda, directly flows from anantam brahmam. Sanatkumara instructs Narada accordingly: The Infinite alone is Happiness (Bhuma); there is no happiness in the finite. (Chandgoya Upanishad 7.23.1)
Therefore, Ananda means Infinitude pr limitlessness, fullness, wholeness as the very nature of the Self. Free from all shackling limitations, absolute happiness is a natural corollary of Self Knowledge.
A Jnani crosses all sorrow once for all and is absorbed in positive bliss -- it is not a mere absence of misery but a fullness which does not know the slightest want and hence utter cessation of all desires and fears, otherwise called as total fulfillment (apta kamah). It is the fruit (phalam) of Self Knowledge -- it is simultaneously prayojanam (utility) and purushartha (goal of human pursuit). Therefore, scriptures uses the word ananda in addition to anantam to unumbiguously point out the nature of Brahman.
continued....
Subramanian Sir,
There seems to be more than just blogging in your "Gandhi Jayanthi Thoughts". If the intention is to provoke a debate on Gandhi's life and works, this definitely is not the forum for it. But just to place my opinion on couple of posts, ultimately Gandhi was as much a rebel as any person in the path of finding the truth. Society just tries to find faults in their behavior by using its yardstick. But to Gandhi's credit, he did nothing in hiding. His life was an open book for everyone to evaluate and judge. It is our (misplaced)belief that they care about these criticism.
salutations to all:
Subramanian/Others:
some of your incendiary "Gandhi Jayanti Thoughts" are clearly unwarranted! as Shrini pointed rightly, this is not a forum to indulge in this kind of provokation (in fact, given the occasion it borders on perversion) :-(. you are requested (& advised) to refrain from questioning gAndhI's credibility. it may be a good time to 'stop' typing & start 'thinking' :-).
from pApAji's narrative as well as the respect that bhagavAn always had for gAndhi, it's obvious that the title of 'mahAtmA' was not merely a political honour. a sAdhakA is free to question concepts, not critique people (be it the defamed nityAnanda or be it the renowned vivEkAnanda). despite his so-called shortcomings, we may not be worth the dust of the mahAtma...
salutations to all:
Folks:
and yes, those who wish to criticise personalities in the name of 'freedom of expression', why do it against buddha or christ, gAndhi or vivEkAnanda, where one knows one can blabber anything and get away!!! regardless of whether there is anything wrong or not, does anybody here have the guts to criticise the prophet??? why not show off one's bravado there??? dead-scared that the prevailing uncertainty of life shall inflate exponentially on exercising that freedom???
?why talk ill of anybody at all anytime?
Hi Subbu,
I am disappointed with your question on Gandhiji.I made many similar mistakes and continue to make such mistakes although I have a grip now.You can arrive your own answer if you read the Autobiography of Gandhiji and the Letters link I posted.This problem arises because you judge him without reading his book written by himself.
If you ask me if Mother Ba's request was sincere and earnest to find the Truth Gandhiji wud have been proud to allow her.
To illustrate a bad comparision next time when you go to Arunachala you cud ask Lord Arunachla if he wud allow Mother Bhavani to run after Mohana since Lord ran after Mohini when Mother Bhavani was right next to him.
http://vedabase.net/sb/8/12/en1
In the same letters link read Subhashji's letter to Gandhiji.Although he disagrees with Gandhiji see what respectful language he uses.Subhashji is exhibiting the marks of a Ripe soul.
Gandhiji all his life he genuinely spoke of his mere mortal limitations and humility and the burden of Mahatma thrust upon him.If one reads his book and letters written by him one will melt.
I am also a great fan of his Smartness,Wit,Wisdom,Practicality and Commitment and his subtle sense of humour.Goddamn he was too smart.And with genuine Kindness and Goodness for the rival.
Ripe souls also make mistakes.It is not for us to get stuck on them but to greedily assimilate what we can learn from them:Pls read this most beautiful
Lonaphala Sutta:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.099.than.html
and Rathakara Sutta:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.015.than.html
Dear all,
The idea behind quoting some of the
Mahatma Gamdhi's experiments with truth is only to show how he was a little eccentric in some of his activities. Ir is not to apply tar on his total personality. His non violence, fasting for several days
to bring home his views on certain areas of disputes are undoubtedly noble.
But don't you all accept that his noble principles have been used as lip services by the present day Indian politicians only to their benefits? In fact Gandhiji said that the Congress Party has to be dissolved once and for all after Independence. Why did post Independent politicians / leaders
not do? Because it suited their purpose to prolong an institution that could serve their personal ends!
Subramanian. R
A story shared by a friend:
Is That So?
The Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbours as one living a pure life.
A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered she was with child.
This made her parents angry. She would not confess who the man was, but after much harassment at last named Hakuin.
In great anger the parent went to the master. "Is that so?" was all he would say.
After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin. By this time he had lost his reputation, which did not trouble him, but he took very good care of the child. He obtained milk from his neighbours and everything else he needed.
A year later the girl-mother could stand it no longer. She told her parents the truth - the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fishmarket.
The mother and father of the girl at once went to Hakuin to ask forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back.
Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he said was: "Is that so?"
Dear All,
For that matter my father was a Gandhian to the core and he went to
jail for 6 months and had to re-study his B.A. Honors for one more year to complete. He always wore Khadi. He preferred to work as a school teacher, though he was offered an appointment in A.G.s office, and would have retired as an Accountant General, had he joined there. What caused him disillusionment, was the way post Independent politicians behaved using Gandhi's name. He preferred to be a non politician though he had great love for Gandhi. The chill penury due to a school teacher's life and the consequent financial suffering - caused him
disillusionment in life.
*******
This is a quote by Gandhiji which I absolutely love, more because I love animals :)
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated"
Friends,
There is this story attributed to Socrates-this is called Triple Filter Test.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”
“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything, I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the triple filter test.”
“Triple filter?”
“That’s right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test.”
1. “The first filter is TRUTH. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”
“No,” the man said, “Actually I just heard about it and…”
2. “All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of GOODNESS. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”
“No, on the contrary…”
“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true.”
3. “You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left: the filter of USEFULNESS. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?”
“No, not really.”
“Well,” concluded Socrates, “If what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We need to be responsible in posting here ,always keeping in mind:
1.This is dedicated to ArunAchala and Ramana maharshi
2.It is David's Blog and he has so kindly permitted us to exchange views
3.There are seekers with varied backgrounds and they are spared any unintended embarassment.
I Request people who post here to keep these basics intact and post responsibly.
Namaskar.
Ravi wrote about the "Triple filter" test:
I fully agree with Ravi...100%. I am an avid reader of this blog ever since it started and benefited hugely until perhaps 1.5 years back. At that time, issues regarding core sadhana were discussed at length and it was really a pleasure reading those. In the last 4 years or so of this blog, my concern has been my own "selfish" sadhana and progress there-of and I never indulged in any other discussion.
I humbly request everyone to dedicate this blog for sadhana and sadhana alone. Nothing else really matters.
As Bhagavan said somewhere - how does it help us if a Rama or Buddha is Realized or not?
Regards Murali
"Attend to what you came for"
Ravi Sir what ru talking about?
We need to be responsible in posting here ,always keeping in mind:
1.This is dedicated to ArunAchala and Ramana maharshi
**
What abt Sri Ramakrishna and Kanchi Periyar?Can we post on them or only Arunachala and Bhagawan?
**
2.It is David's Blog and he has so kindly permitted us to exchange views
**
yes exchange views but not endless and unhelpful arguments most often forgetting where you started
**
3.There are seekers with varied backgrounds and they are spared any unintended embarassment.
**
Pls be Mindful that each Flower blossoms in it's own time and way and so no need or use of forcing things.
**
I am sorry that I did not reply to ur question on Nakarmana.I wrote a reply and cancelled that as I saw that it wud end up in another 20 or 30 posts.Couple of days later I thought it wud be disrespectful not to reply to you and so I typed a couple of lines.Even that I thought wud not be helpful.I risked disrespect and not replied to you at all.I am sure I have done this a few times to you in the past 1.5 years just to avoid endless and unhelpful arguments
Thanks for the Triple test.I am surprised because that is exactly what I started doing 1.5 years ago.I designed that out of common sense.Actually I do one more Arunachala check occassionally which I will not go into.
I have also benefitted the highest from a few of your posts.I remember all of them.I will always be thankful for them.
Zee,
I love your post.Just wish to clarify that I have posted what I did in a General way so as not to single out anyone and hurt him/her.
Let me clarify that what I meant by Bhagavan and Arunachala is that whatever we are discussing,we should be in a position to do so if Bhagavan is present(indeed he is,that is another matter)!We can surely discuss anything under the sky,but not something that highlights the Negative aspects.
Please do share whatever you deem appropriate-certainly the Teachings of Lord Buddha are among the Best for someone who wants a rational base for his sadhana and indeed this Rationality is indeed quite important for eveyone,as otherwise the so called Devotion will be only a wallowing in sentimentalism.
I agree with what you have said about exchange of views.I think that the Reason that it goes on endlessly is that we do not define the Problem/issue and discuss only that until we have clarity on that.We also bring our preconceived notions/preferences that also divert us from looking at the issue afresh.
In my next post,I will pick out the central theme of the discussion and post it,and possibly initiate another endless exchange!
It is indeed quite easy for me to keep quiet and leave it at that,if not for the fact that there may be one or two things that may surface during the discussions(arguements,it is that when we are trying to establish that we are right!)that may go unnoticed in the thick of things,but may seek due consideration when the time comes.
Yes,no point forcing anything upon anyone;A flower has to blossom in its own time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please do not desist from speaking your mind out-please feel free to call the 'Bluff' in what I am saying here and please go ahead and call me -'Mulish,stubborn and stupid' if that is how you find me in some of my discussions here:-)
I appreciate your introspective ways and am very happy that you have found something solid and meaningful.
I wish you the Very Best .
Namaskar.
Shrini,
"Usha Uthup relates an incident about Mother Theresa. When Usha expressed a desire to help in Mother's cause, Mother asked her to collect the leftover food from the dinner party where she will be singing the next day to feed the poor. But Mother Theresa put one condition, that she should not inform anybody, including the hostess about why she wants to collect the leftovers"
What a Great soul Mother is!(How can we say 'was'!)
There is a discussion going on in another site that 'Mother is not Realized',etc,etc.
This is another 'Blind' that jnAnA enthusiasts(not seekers!)have shackled themselves in.What to say about this foolishness!
Thanks very much Srini.I will post this wonderful incident over there.
Namaskar.
Friends,
Sri Bhagavan says 'it is your pain which you see as suffering outside, find your Self first'
What Vedanta says is- You are the world;The Others that you see are in fact your self.Serving others is serving yourself.
These two sides of the same coin are combined by Swami Vivekananda:
"Atmano mokshartham jagat hitaya cha,
'For one's own salvation and for the welfare of the world',"
There is no incongruence at all-these two aspects reinforce each other.
Is it possible to keep the air in our Home nice and clean if there is Garbage lying all around and pollution all around?
This is the essence of sanAtana Dharma.
It is not as if service is to be rendered only to 'Daridra NArAyanAs' and not to others!Everyone is nArAyanA only and for daridra nArAyanAs there is no point dishing out 'World is illusion' type of vedanta.
As swamiji said so wonderfully-'The Hungry man wants to see God in the Form of Roti'.
Forget whether swamiji is a Realized soul or an advanced seeker or a Beginner or a Lunatic or an animal!
Understand the Truth behind what he has said and taught.
Namaskar.
Ananda:
continues....
Sri Bhagavan opens His very first spiritual teaching Who am I? with:
'All living beings desire to be happy always, and being endowed with supreme LOVE for oneself and as Happiness alone is the cause of such Love.... one should know the Self.'
This echoes the Upanishadic instruction, 'For the sake of the Self, everything is dear and not for the sake of the object itself.; a wife is dear, not for her sake but for the sake of one's own Self...' (Brh.Up. 4.5.6.). Thus happiness and love are synonymous with the Self.
In spiritual literature, Ananda is translated as Bliss, which is alright as long as 'bliss' is understood as unconditional and supramental happiness and is not way linked to the senses. In non-spiritual parlance, the word 'bliss' is usually associated with peaks of sensual gratification or emotional satisfaction as, for example, in terms like 'marital bliss' or the 'ecstasy' of any achievement or victory in this world. The word has acquired a certain conditionality and has made it a mere 'state of mind' related to a qualified event. Since by common usage, 'bliss' has come to connote a particular 'thought modification' - vritti visesha, it is an inaccurate translation; for, as we have seen, Ananda is the very nature of Atma (Self) and hence eternal (nitya) and not at all a thought (vritti) which comes and goes.
continued....
Shrini/David/Friends,
It is deeply satisfying to be a postman!I found this one on Sri Bhagavan and Gandhiji in another Forum.I am sharing the same:
Ramana Maharshi and Mahatma Gandhi
Saw this piece in Ramana Ashram Face Book Updates on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on 2 Oct 2012 and wanted to share with all of you .
Courtesy Karthik Venkatsubramanian
On the night of January 30th, the news of Mahatma Gandhi’s death became known everywhere. I heard the news at home only, because women cannot be in the Ashram in the nights. I went at 7-30 next morning. A prayer was being broadcast over the radio. The news of the death was in the newspapers, and Bhagavan reading it and hearing the prayer,said, “This is the prayer of people who prayed like that throughout his life.” The song “Vaishnava Janato” was broadcast over the radio and Bhagavan listened to it sadly. At 9-45, Bhagavan was about to go out when a newspaper reporter came and requested him to give his views on the tragedy so that they might be published.Bhagavan, his voice choked with emotion, said, “For the Mahatma’s death in this tragic manner, every person’s heart is mourning. What is there in particular that I could say? Who is there who is not grieved? If I say anything, you will publish it and then, one after another, people will come and ask me. What is the good of it?” So saying, Bhagavan sent the reporter away and went for his walk. On his return, “Vaishnava Janato” was again being broadcast and tears fell from Bhagavan’s eyes.At 4-30 that afternoon, all the ladies began to sing “Raghupati Raghava Rajaram”.With tears in his eyes Bhagavan signed to us to continue. At 5 o’clock the conch shell blew and in view of the Mahatma’s death a special arati (waving of lights) was offered in the Mother’s temple. When the sacred ash and vermilion powder were brought,Bhagavan took them with great reverence.
Namaskar.
Friends,
Narsi mehta's song which was dear to gAndhiji:
Who is a Vaishnava?A song by the Great saint Narsi Mehta:
Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye je
[One who is a vaishnav]
PeeD paraayi jaaNe re
[Knows the pain of others]
Par-dukhkhe upkaar kare toye
[Does good to others, esp. to those ones who are in misery]
Man abhimaan na aaNe re
[Does not let pride enter his mind]
Vaishnav...
SakaL lok maan sahune vande
[A Vaishnav, Tolerates and praises the the entire world]
Nindaa na kare keni re
[Does not say bad things about anyone]
Vaach kaachh man nishchaL raakhe
[Keeps his/her words, actions and thoughts pure]
Dhan-dhan janani teni re
[O Vaishnav, your mother is blessed (dhanya-dhanya)]
Vaishnav...
Sam-drishti ne trishna tyaagi
[A Vaishnav sees everything equally, rejects greed and avarice]
Par-stree jene maat re
[Considers some one else's wife/daughter as his mother]
Jivha thaki asatya na bole
[The toungue may get tired, but will never speak lies]
Par-dhan nav jhaalee haath re
[Does not even touch someone else's property]
Vaishnav...
Moh-maaya vyaape nahi jene
[A Vaishnav does not succumb to worldly attachments]
DriDh vairaagya jena man maan re
[Who has devoted himself to stauch detachment to worldly
pleasures]
Ram naam shoon taaLi laagi
[Who has been edicted to the elixir coming by the name of Ram]
SakaL tirath tena tan maan re
[For whom all the religious sites are in the mind]
Vaishnav...
VaN-lobhi ne kapaT-rahit chhe
[Who has no greed and deciet]
Kaam-krodh nivaarya re
[Who has renounced lust of all types and anger]
BhaNe Narsaiyyo tenun darshan karta
[The poet Narsi will like to see such a person]
KuL ekoter taarya re
[By who's virtue, the entire family gets salvation]
Vaishnav...
Namaskar
Ananda:
continues....
To avoid this possible confusion due to our linguistic conditioning, it is perhaps preferable to translate Ananda as simply 'Happiness' as this word does not carry the baggage of any conditionality. We often hear people saying, 'I am simply happy now, for no reason whatsoever!', which is unwittingly advaitic, provided the identification with the mind is dropped. It is important to note these subtle details because much of the confusion that prevails in understanding Advaita is purely semantic in origin and subda pramana (verbal testimony) by its very texture requires extraordinary care and deftness in handling words for unfolding the Self (vastu). A consensus of meaning is crucial between the speaker and the listener for transmitting the understanding.
In our daily life, we encounter the experience of happiness in many ways, which are purely vritti visesha only and hence transient. Even the greatest of these moments of undiluted happiness is said to be but a fraction of the limitless atmananda (bliss of the Self). Without these moments which act as the windows to the eternal atmananda, life would become unbearable and therefore, the Upanishads declare, 'All sentient beings live upon an infinitesimal fraction of this very Brahmananda.' (Brh.Up. 4.3.32.)
continued......
Ananda:
continues...
And, 'Bliss is Brahman; for all these things originate in Bliss and are sustained by Bliss.' (Taitt. Up. 3.6.1.). However, being ignorant of our true nature, as absolute happiness, we mistake these external situational windows to be the very source of our short lived joys. At the grossest level, they happen to be sense objects. It is said camels relish eating up of cactus plant full of thorny bush in
spite of the ulcerated mouth that results from eating it. The saline taste actually comes from the blood oozing out of the ulcerated mouth but the camels mistake it to be from thorny plant. Vedanta urges us to discover directly our real nature as Ananda and not to be penalized by sorrow for the error of seeking happiness from the channels of sense objects.
Sense pleasures, vishayananda, being the lowest manifestation of our Swarupananda, can be classified into three types to facilitate easy understanding as: priya, moda and pramoda. All three are ananda vikaras, the modifications of vritti (thought) which manifest as Ananda in varying degrees. A Bengali living in Hawaii unexpectedly sees a tin of rasagullas (sweets) and is thrilled. This flash of joy is called priya vritti. He buys it and takes it home; it is his own now and relishes the prospect of savoring it, moda vritti. It is a higher pleasure. Finally when he tastes the sweet he is so fond of, the pleasure is the highest, pramoda. These are merely vritti visheshas which arise and die in time and belong to the sheath of bliss - anandamya kosa. They are all droplets of Swarupananda but they make us commit the mistake that the joy comes from the object of enjoyment itself and thus effectively mask our real nature. So they 'cover' the Self as though, and hence is called bliss sheath.
Continued.....
Ananda:
continues......
A higher type of happiness is the one which comes from knowledge (Vidyananda). Any appropriate piece of knowledge resolves the wanting ego temporarily and manifests the bliss of the Self partially. The joy is again mistaken to reside in the discovery of that particular knowledge. A still higher plane of happiness is gained by leading a disciplined life. The bliss becomes higher in proportion as the heart becomes purer, calm, and free from
all cravings. This is called Yogananda which does not depend on any external conditions but still resting on the internal purity and the degree of self conquest. Vidyananda and Yogananda also belong to the bliss sheath because Ananda that is experienced is still conditional (physical and mental well being are still essential) and is not known as one's nature. Ultimately when the knowledge of the Self arises in the heart, Ananda is recognized to be one's own nature - Swarupa. The five koshas (sheaths) cease to delude the intellect anymore. Unconditional bliss that shines forth in all its pristine and unaffected glory. This is the point where Sri Bhagavan says, 'there will come a time when one will have to forget all that one has learnt.'! (Who am I?)
concluded.
Bhagavan in Sussex:
Alasdair Black:
(Aradhana, 2008, Mountain Path.)
Sagely,
By the margent of the field,
Ponders the Self knowing Seer,
Where dappled, wind blown hassocks
murmur,
Down-sown showers of fresh-mown hay
Alike indifferent to the spike
grass, tares,
Brambles and toils;
Himself also of this seeming
tranquil,
Breeze blown summer scene.
*
The rose and the thorn
Touch but the eye and skin --
Not the deep love Self
Where He abides,
Where we abide -
And all of us,
Where Oneness is.
*
Can we but remember this -
Uncover, dissever
From the lower thorn, spiked
Unsightly things
We most times are?
*
Yes, we can
Re-ascend that Unity
We sometime were,
And there stead fast abide --
All of us,
And all of us.
******
a
Friends,
Wish to share this wonderful incident from the Life of Swamiji:
In New York the Swami gave a few lectures at the Vedanta Society, which by this time had enlisted the active co-operation of several professors of Harvard and Columbia University. At the earliest opportunity he spoke to Turiyananda about the proposed gift of land in northern California, but the latter hesitated to accept any responsibility. The Swami said, 'It is the will of the Mother that you should take charge of the work there.'
Swami Turiyananda was amused and said with good humour: 'Rather say it is your will. Certainly you have not heard the Mother communicate Her will to you in that way. How can you hear the words of the Mother?'
'Yes, brother,' the Swami said with great emotion. 'Yes, the words of the Mother can be heard as clearly as we hear one another. But one requires a fine nerve to hear Mother's words.'
Swami Vivekananda made this statement with such fervour that his brother disciple felt convinced that the Divine Mother was speaking through him. He cheerfully agreed, therefore, to take charge of Santi Ashrama, the Peace Retreat, as the new place was called.
In parting, the Swami said to Turiyananda: 'Go and establish the Ashrama in California. Hoist the flag of Vedanta there; from this moment destroy even the memory of India! Above all, lead the life and Mother will see to the rest.'
Namaskar.
On many an idle day have I grieved over
lost time. But it is never lost, my lord.
Thou hast taken every moment of my life
in thine own hands.
Hidden in the heart of things though art
nourishing seeds into sprouts, buds into
blossoms, and ripening flowers into
fruitfulness.
I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed
and imagined all work had ceased. In the
morning I woke up and found my garden
full with wonders of flowers.
-- from Gitanjali, by Rabindranath Tagore
On many an idle day have I grieved over
lost time. But it is never lost, my lord.
Thou hast taken every moment of my life
in thine own hands.
Hidden in the heart of things though art
nourishing seeds into sprouts, buds into
blossoms, and ripening flowers into
fruitfulness.
I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed
and imagined all work had ceased. In the
morning I woke up and found my garden
full with wonders of flowers.
-- from Gitanjali, by Rabindranath Tagore
soorya,
Wonderful poem by Tagore.Thanks very much.
How I wish that the translation of the mahAkavi bharati's poems are as freely available like this.
Namaskar.
Friends,
An excerpt from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
Knowledge and ignorance
(To the devotees) "The feeling of 'I ' and 'mine' is ignorance. People say that Rani Rasmani
built the Kali temple; but nobody says it was the work of God. They say that such and such
a person established the Brahmo Samaj; but nobody says it was founded through the will of
God. This feeling, 'I am the doer', is ignorance. On the contrary, the idea, 'O God, Thou art
the Doer and I am only an instrument; Thou art the Operator and I am the machine', is
Knowledge. After attaining Knowledge a man says: 'O God, nothing belongs to me-neither
this house of worship nor this Kali temple nor this Brahmo Samaj. These are all Thine.
Wife, son, and family do not belong to me. They are all Thine.'
"To love these objects, regarding them as one's own, is maya. But to love all things is daya,
compassion. To love only the members of the Brahmo Samaj or of one's own family is
maya; to love one's own countrymen is maya. But to love the people of all countries, to
love the members of all religions, is daya. Such love comes from love of God, from daya.
"Maya entangles a man and turns him away from God. But through daya one realizes God.
Sages like Sukadeva and Narada always cherished daya in their hearts."
Namaskar.
Friends,
An excerpt from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
"God has put you in the world. What can you do about it? Resign everything to Him.
Surrender yourself at His feet. Then there will be no more confusion. Then you will realize
that it is God who does everything. All depends on 'the will of Rama'."
Story of "the will of Rama"
A DEVOTEE: "What is that story about 'the will of Rama'?"
MASTER: "In a certain village there lived a weaver. He was a very pious,soul. Everyone
trusted him and loved him. He used to sell his goods in the market-place. When a customer
asked him the price of a piece of cloth, the weaver would say: 'By the will of Rama the
price of the yarn is one rupee and the labour four annas ; by the will of Rama the profit is
two annas . The price of the cloth, by the will of Rama, is one rupee and six annas .' Such
was the people's faith in the weaver that the customer would at once pay the price and take
the cloth. The weaver was a real devotee of God. After finishing his supper in the evening,
he would spend long hours' in the worship hall meditating on God and chanting His name
and glories. Now, late one night the weaver couldn't get to sleep. He was sitting in the
worship hall, smoking now and then, when a band of robbers happened to pass that way.
They wanted a man to carry their goods and said to the weaver, 'Come with us.' So saying,
they led him off by the hand. After committing a robbery in a house, they put a load of
things on the weaver's head, commanding him to carry them. Suddenly the police arrived
and the robbers ran away. But the weaver, with his load, was arrested. He was kept in the
lock-up for the night. Next day he was brought before the magistrate for trial. The villagers
learnt what had happened and came to court. They said to the magistrate, 'Your Honour,
this man could never commit a robbery.' Thereupon the magistrate asked the weaver to
make his statement.
'The weaver said: 'Your Honour, by the will of Rama I finished my meal at night. Then by
the will of Rama I was sitting in the worship hall. It was quite late at night by the will of
Rama. By the will of Rama I had been thinking of God and chanting His name and glories,
when by the will of Rama a band of robbers passed that way. By the will of Rama they
dragged me with them; by the will of Rama they committed a robbery in a house; and by
the will of Rama they put a load on my head. Just then, by the will of Rama the police
arrived, and by the will of Rama I was arrested. Then by the will of Rama the police kept
me in the lock-up for the night, and this morning by the will of Rama I have been brought
before Your Honour.' The magistrate realized that the weaver was a pious man and ordered
his release. On his way home the weaver said to his friends, 'By the will of Rama I have
been released.'
"Whether a man should be a householder or a monk depends on the will of Rama.
Surrender everything to God and do your duties in the world. What else can you do? A
clerk was once sent to prison. After the prison term was over he was released. Now, what
do you think he did? Cut capers or do his old clerical work?
"If the householder becomes a jivanmukta, then he can easily live in the world if he likes. A
man who has attained Knowledge does not differentiate between 'this place' and 'that place'.
All places are the same to him. He who thinks of 'that place' also thinks of 'this place'.
Namaskar.
A very good movie on Ayurveda:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6768804779334617069
In Praise of the Lazy Ones;
David Godman:
{October - December 2008, Mountain Path:)
Verses 773 and 774 of Guru Vachaka Kovai, are grouped together under a chapter heading entitled "Being Still" or "Remaining Still". The second of these two verses immediately attracts attention because Sri Bhagavan states quite clearly that abiding in Swarupa, one's true state of laziness:
The method of true and supreme tapas that our Lord Ramana declares to be worthwhile and which the mind should firmly hold onto is this, and no more: 'Being Still'. Other than this there are absolutely no thoughts to think, nor any duties to be contemplated by it.
The lazy state wherein you exist motionlessly and shine is the state of Swarupa. In that supreme state, you have become That. It cannot be obtained except by direct, excellent and rare tapas. You should therefore honor those who are established in that laziness as holy beings.
These verses are from a new English edition of Guru Vachaka Kovai, translated and edited by T.V. Venkatasubramanian, Robert Butler and myself, which will be available by the time this article appears in print. (This is now available since three years and can be had from Sri Ramanasramam book stall).
The state of the Self is described here, perhaps a little ironically, as 'lazy' only because there is no one left there who can do anything. It should not be taken as an encouragement to sadhaks to be lazy. It is simply pointing out that this state of spiritual 'laziness' is inevitable for enlightened beings who have completely lost the 'I am the doer' idea.
continued.....
In Praise of the Lazy Ones:
David Godman and others:
continues.....
Muruganar wrote in Padamalai that Sri Bhagavan bestowed this 'idle' state on him.
The golden Padam (Bhagavan) completely abolished my wandering around as a wicked one and made me shine as a perfect idler.
Even the actions I perform, believing them to be my own are in reality the actions of Padam, the complete and absolute truth.
(Padamalai - Muruganar, Verses, 120 and 256).
Sri Bhagavan also mentioned this state of laziness in Aksharamana Malai Verse 37:
If I sleep consciously as a lazy one, remaining still and consuming bliss, this is the supreme state. Is there any state other than this, O Arunachala? If there is, please tell me!
Chombiyai summa sukam uNdu uRangidil
sol veRu en gathi Arunachala!
Even though this verse begins in Tamizh, 'Sombiyai,,,,' which means 'as a lazy one', most translators have avoided the word 'lazy' in translations, perhaps feeling that is it is a somewhat pejorative description of the Self, and by extentsion, of Sri Bhagavan Himself. In two translations I looked at while I was writing this article one opted for lying in peaceful repose' and the other for 'slumbering in quiet repose'. It is possible that these euphemistic phrases were trying to convey the idea that realization is a state in which nothing can be done or needs to be done. While this is a true description of the state being described, the impact of the original Tamizh phrase 'Sombiyai' is considerably watered down.
continued......
In Praise of the Lazy Ones:
continues....
I believe that when Bhagavan composed
this verse, He was using the word 'lazy' in its full and normal sense. Why? Because when Muruganar wrote his Tamizh commentary on Akshara Mana Malai, (Akshara Mana Malai Vritti Urai) and showed it to Sri Bhagavan, Sri Bhagavan added the following verse from Tirumandiram, one of the classical scriptures of Saivism (Canon 10) to the section of Muruganar's manuscript that dealt with this verse.
The place where the lazy ones dwell
in pure space.
The place where the lazy ones rest
in pure space.
The Consciousness of the lazy ones
remains
in the place of which the Vedas
have abandoned,
as beyond their scope.
The lazy ones have gained the state
in which they are sleeping,
totally unaware of the Vedas.
(Tantra I, 127)
A few weeks ago, I posted my views on the verse on a blog I had recently started (sri-ramana-maharshi.blogspot.com). One reader responded by sending me the following very interesting comment:
There is the fascinating anecdote in the book Drops from the Ocean, written by V. Ganesan. He wrote that Sri Bhagavan's old devotee, TPR told him the following story:
'Bhagavan would accept a new pencil or pen only when the old one was completely exhausted or totally damaged. He would then take a piece of paper and scribble a few times with the new one to see whether it was working properly. Most of us, on similar occasions, sign our names, write OM or some god's name. So I was inquisitive to know what He scribbled. Sri Bhagavan permitted me to see what he wrote. Even those who were close to Him did not know about it. Either He wrote, 'Arunachalavasi' or 'Panilenivadu', meaning, 'One without any work.' (Drops from the Ocean by V. Ganesan.)
'Panilenivadu' is a Telugu term that is made up of three components, pani = work; leni = not there, or non existent; vadu - a person.
continued......
In Praise of the Lazy Ones:
continued.....
Another contributor to the blog, a native Telugu speaker, pointed out that while the three components of the phrase denote a person who is idle, there is also the connotation that it is not a temporary idleness; the laziness is permanent. So, this phrase 'panilenivadu' conveys very well the 'lazy' state of permanent Self abidance in which nothing can be done because there is no longer a doer who can initiate actions.
Verse 15, of Upadesa Undiyar contains similar idea:
For the great yogi who is established as the reality due to the death of the mind-form, there is not any action, (to do because) he has attained his true state.
manam uru mAya mei mannuma yogi
thanakkor seyal ilai undipaRa
thanniyal chArnthanan undhipaRa.
When Sri Bhagavan translated this verse into Telugu, He used this same term 'panilenivadu' to describe the 'great yogi's final state of not having any actions to do.
continued......
In Praise of the Lazy Ones:
David Godman and others:
continues......
This phrase 'the man who has no work' came up in a story that was narrated by Suri Nagamma. She had complained to Sri Bhagavan that Devaraja Mudaliar was teasing her about Sri Bhagavan's 'Telugu Secreatary'.
'What am I do, Bhagavan? He teases me saying 'Nagamma, secretary, secretary'. I requested him several times no to do so but he ignores my entreaties. What great work has Sri Bhagavan got to require a secretary?' No sooner had I said it than Mudaliar laughed and sadi, 'Yes, I did say so. It is based on actual facts. Nagamma is the Telugu Secretary. Murugnar Tamizh Secretary to Sri Bhagavan. What is wrong if I say so? He left the Hall thereafter. Sri Bhagavan merely laughed and kept quiet.
Taking up the thread of then conversation, Balarama Reddy remarked, 'Bhagavan has no work whatsoever. Where is the need for a secretary?' That is exactly what I have been saying. When Bhagavan has no work to do, where is the need for two secretaries. Nagamma and Muruganar? Whatever little work there is, we are doing it on our own to satisfy ourselves. Otherwise where is any work worth mentioning? I have told him several times, that if he has any opinion, to keep it to himself persists. So I thought I should bring the matter to the notice of Sri Bhagavan hoping it would have the desired effect on him. That is all.' Sri Bhagavan laughed and said, 'I have already been dubbed as 'man having no work'.
'Yes. That is just it. like the saying, 'A person having no work has ten people working under him.' I said, 'We all had a hearty laugh.
In spite of all that had happened, Mudaliar did not give up calling me secretary. (Letters and Recollections from Sri Ramanasramam, Suri Nagamma).
continued....
In Praise of the Lazy Ones:
continues....
Since Sri Bhagavan spoke fluent Telugu and Balarama Reddy ad Suri Nagamma were both native Telugu speakers. I think it is reasonable to assume that this conversation would have taken place in Telugu. Sri Bhagavan said, probably in Telugu, 'I have already been dubbed as 'panilenivadu', a man having no work.'
I think the Telugu phrase 'panilenivadu', with its connotations of perpetual 'idleness', would have appealed to Sri Bhagavan, and I can see Him using it to test a new pencil with a smile on His face. However, I don't think that he wrote this phrase very often during His pen tests. As V. Ganesan has reported elsewhere "Moments Remembered" when he was given a new pen or pencil, he generally initiated it by writing 'Arunachala' as the first word.
Oru nAmamam Oruruvam onRumillaRku
Ayiram
tiru nAmam pAdi nAm theLLeNam
kottAmo
Tiruvachakam, ThirutheLLenam, Verse 1.
concluded.
A Papaji story(narrated by Papaji):
Once many years ago a planter invited me to visit his coffee plantation. He took me there on a Sunday; it was my day off from work. He said, "We'll go on Saturday night in the jeep. My cook does not sleep in the bungalow which is at the top of the hill. The coffee is grown on the slopes and the area for drying it is at the bottom. When I go there I stay in the bungalow, which is well equipped, and the cook stays down the hill with his family, in the area for drying the coffee. So as soon as I wake up I will go down the hill to get him."
In the morning he drove off before I was up. I awoke to a very beautiful sight. The plantation was all around me, covered in orange trees. The trees were there just for their shade, to protect the coffee plants from the direct sun. He was not interested in selling the oranges so all the fruits that dropped in the fields were ploughed back in as manure. I came out of the bungalow and saw bushes and bushes full of oranges, very big loose jacket mandarin fruits. I felt so happy to see them, so many bushes laden down with oranges touching the ground, so many orange fruits. I saw all these oranges in the morning sun, and I felt such joy.
As this feeling arose, standing in front of a beautiful bush I addressed it and spoke to the bush out loud: "Good morning, Mother, how do you do? You are very lucky, you have so many children." It did not occur to me to hurt her, not even to pluck one of her fruits for myself. It was enough just to see the beauty of the oranges and this woman so proud of her children. I liked her, I loved her, and I kissed that tree itself. I was so very happy! The thought of picking the oranges did not even come into my mind. In that same moment she also spoke to me: "I am very happy with you so I offer you these fruits," and instantly twelve big oranges fell from the tree.
I am not making this up. This really happened as I am describing it. I have seen many things happen like this. We are all one - there is no separation between us, only we do not realize it. The same is true with rocks, with trees, with birds, with rivers: you can speak with all of them, and you will see how you can get love from everything. So I spoke with this tree, and she responded. She said, "I am also happy. I want to give you my oranges, please take them." I took one and again I kissed her. I could understand how she was feeling; I could understand her language.
What was the trick? It was only love. See everything with eyes full of love. If you look at anybody with that love I do not think that they can be angry with you. Sometimes anger may visit you. When the hotel is full, no rooms, no accommodation available, no one will go there. In the same way, if your house is full of love all these other tourists as anger, lust and greed will see that the house is already full and they will not come inside; they will go away and look for some other lodging house. If the doors are open to greed, lust and anger they will enter immediately; they will not wait for the check-in time.
If you love people who will not return love to you?
- Sri H.W.L Poonja (Papaji) on 13 December, 1991
soorya,
Wonderful story of PoonjAji and the Orange Tree!
Here is one similiar story by mA gurupriya:
In the Company of my Lord - 1
[Published in Vicharasetu – September 1990. The author Ma Gurupriya was then ‘Ratnadeepa’]
Soon after the morning programme at the outer shrine, I entered the pooja-room inside, with the basket of flowers. This is the room where Mataji used to do pooja. A very quiet and serene place – blissful too. In this room, at one corner stands Krishna, the Gopala Choodaamani, an idol made of clay. Blue in color, with both hands placed at the hips, eyes twinkling and lips wearing a sweet enquiring smile – a ‘nayana-manohara moorti’ indeed! And how happy one feels looking at him – will he start talking, one may wonder!
I have a habit of talking to the Lord in my mind; and in doing so I feel Him so close to my heart! Holding the basket in hand, I asked: “ O my ‘pet’ (this is the nick-name by which I call my Lord! Actually I call Him ‘poshaa’ which, in Bengali, means ‘the pet’), which flower do you want me to offer today and where? Shall I place it at your feet?”
My heart felt that he did not want it at his feet, but right on his head, close to the peacock-feather; he wanted me to decorate him. I chose two hibiscus petals – light pink with dark red tinge at the centre – and placed them symmetrically on his head. He was not satisfied and wanted me to place more. One after another I placed six petals beautifully, but the ‘little one’ was pointing at the basket insisting on a bunch of tulasi too. I did so and exclaimed, “Oh! You look beautiful”, only to find that with swollen lips he was asking for something more – not petals, but a whole flower, to be put over the tulasi bunch.
I searched and could find none. So I said: “ Stop now. Let me offer flowers to others. Don’t you know I have enough work waiting for me? How long can I play with you?” I diverted my attention to other pictures and idols. And lo, while offering flowers to Guruvayurappan, suddenly I found a small white flower in the basket. Immediately I knew that my ‘tender one’ was weeping for this all along! I placed the flower beautifully on the tulasi bunch and smiled. “Oh naughty one! You know how to get your wish fulfilled. Yes, now you look extremely beautiful.” He kept his hands firmly on the hips and replied: “ Did I not tell you?”
“Let me call your Sankarnarayandada (dada means elder brother)”, I murmured, “and show him how you have decorated yourself with the flowers he chose so lovingly from the garden. He will feel happy; wouldn’t he?”
I went out to call Sankarnarayan – one of our inmates, a young man, humble, devoted and pious. I called Tulasidas also – a young boy, a local resident. Tulasidas has been coming to the Ashram for the last one year, everyday. He comes punctually at 6:30 AM and leaves by 7:30 AM to go for his work, to a tyre-moulding shop. Sundays and holidays he spends in the Ashram. A very pleasing boy. Seeing his readiness to serve, Swamiji lovingly calls him ‘Hanumaan’. He is an unquestioning bhakta. We feel happy and delighted to see his sincerity and urge to learn.
Both Sankarnarayan and Tulasi felt immensely delighted seeing this Krishna. I narrated to them how it happened – my conversation with my ‘beloved child’ and his loving insistence. Sankarnarayan gazed in awe – “This is bhakti, isn’t it?” Tulasidas, who could not follow fully what I had been talking (he does not know English well enough), wanted Sankarnarayan to translate in Malayalam. His eyes too became shining, the smile radiated purity, as he listened to the narration. I wondered whether it touched their minds and hearts!
continued....
In the Company of my Lord continued...
In Tune with Nature
I was telling them how, when I roamed about in the garden, this Krishna would some times draw my attention to a particular flower and beg and plead to have it. Some days I give; some other days I scold him saying: “ Don’t you see how nice the flower is in its mother’s lap? Why do you want to snatch it?”
Immediately I would remember the song by Kazi Nazrul Islam – the famous Bengali poet. Looking at the red hibiscus offered at Kali’s feet, the poet sings: “By what great saadhana, O flower, you have attained the Mother’s lotus feet? …” Yes, it is true. When the flower basket comes close to the flowering plants, the flowers start whispering: “Take me, take me and offer at the Lord’s lotus-feet!” As if they are born for that purpose.
I called Aroopji (now Swami Nirviseshananda Tirtha – ed.) and Swamiji and narrated everything all over again. Swamiji said: “This is real bhakti. It should be like this.” Then he turned to Aroopji and asked: “Don’t you have any such feelings?” He said, “Yes”. I joined in affirmation. Both of us have similar feelings and emotions in this respect. Swamiji said: “You should write all these.” Then he continued: “ … For you, it is in placing flowers, but for me it is in all work that I take up, right from constructing buildings or furniture.”
I nodded enthusiastically and said: “Long back, I had read in one of the conversations of The Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram that even furniture have feelings; if they are not looked after properly, they sigh. That had inspired us to look after them, the so-called insentient beings, also. And later we found that they too call out for love and care.”
Swamiji had moved to his table in the front verandah. He wanted to reply a few letters. I asked: “Swamiji, do you know when we praise a flower, its beauty, the flower becomes extremely happy? It can be seen!”
“ No, I never knew about it”
“Yes, ” Aroopji said, “ they feel happy and proud and stretch out their petals in response."
“ Is it! You should show it to me one day. All of us will come.”
I have always loved Nature, and this love had grown quietly through numerous songs of Rabindranath Tagore – especially the songs on Pooja and Prakriti. This dormant love blossomed forth while I was in Kharagpur. Life in Kharagpur IIT campus brought me closer to Nature – very close and intimate. The open fields and the distant horizon, the sky, the clouds and the seasons, the rains and norwesters, the huge shady trees and the fragrant flowers, the butterflies, birds, squirrels and other animals – everything brought the unseen Creator close to my heart, purifying me, sublimating me with the touch of His vastness and beauty.
On one hand, He was this vastness, this infinitude, and on the other He was a ‘dear little child’ playing and talking to me.
continued...
In the company of my lord continued...
My Pet from the Himalayas
Before we went to Amarnath in 1982, I had a desire to bring a Sivalinga from there. But when we reached Amarnath, I was so full with my experience and so miserable with cold that I forgot everything else.
While coming down, Aroopji asked me – “What about your Sivalinga?” Then he took out from his pocket an oval stone he had picked up from Amarganga – the ice-cold stream flowing down from the cave. He told me that initially he had taken another stone, but immediately his attention was drawn to this one; peeping out from water it was whispering: “Take me, take me please!” The stone that was greenish white at Amarnath turned almost black at the valley.
We brought it home and somehow managed to keep it erect by giving a support. This was our Sivalinga. Soon we found, it had all the lakshanas (features) of a Narayana-sila.
I would give it abhisheka with water and put candana-tilakam. Those days we were in Kolkata and I was teaching in a college. I had little time in the morning and had not grown so much love for spending more time doing pooja. Now with the arrival of the Sivalinga, slowly I started growing interest. On a small stool in one corner of the room, I placed Baba’s and Swamiji’s photos – and also the Sivalinga. I started liking spending some time there regularly. Till then I was not regular in my devotional practices.
Belur Math and Copper Vessels
It was then that once, when we visited Belur Math, as we entered the big prayer hall and walked up to the idol of Sri Ramakrishna Dev, I was wonder-struck seeing something near his feet. It was a big copper vessel. The vessel was cleaned so well that it was shining with a pink lustre. And at the centre of it, there was a big red hibiscus. It was such a pure sight! Purity was radiating from the bowl as well as the flower. Not only purity, it was bliss too. I bought a copper bowl – a smaller one – from Dakshineshwar and came home.
Next day I cleaned that vessel, made it shine spotlessly and placed it on the pooja aasana. We had no hibiscus; not even other flowers to place there.
Seeing my interest my mother gave me a copper-pot which she had brought from Vrindavan and a brass plate which my grandmother had brought from Varanasi long ago. All these I started cleaning and shining everyday before offering abhisheka to the Sivalinga. This became an important part of my spiritual practice, and gradually I started growing a deep fondness for it.
While cleaning the vessels I used to murmur in my mind what Sri Ramakrishna had said: “Just as copper and brass vessels become stained if not cleaned well everyday, the mind too has to be cleaned everyday to keep it pure.” I would not allow even a small stain on my vessels, and while doing so would think – the mind also has to be cleaned so well. I used to remember the words of Sarada Ma also; she used to pray to god: “ Even moon has a little stain on it. Let not my mind have even that.”
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Those interested may explore the series of articles by mA gurupriya here:
http://www.narayanashramatapovanam.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113:in-the-company-of-my-lord-1&catid=40:in-the-company-of-my-lord&Itemid=60
Namaskar.
Thank you very much Ravi, the posts are very beautiful.
Yes indeed nature is holy and connects us with the creator source effortlessly.
Few passages from 'Living with Himalayan Masters , by Swami Rama' -
The love I received from the sages is like the perennial snows which form the silvery glaciers of the
Himalayas and then melt into thousands of streams. When love became the lord of my life, I became quite
fearless and traveled from one cave to another, crossing streams and mountain passes surrounded by snow blanketed
peaks. In all conditions I was cheerful, searching for the hidden sages who preferred to remain
unknown. Every breath of my life was enriched with spiritual experiences which may be difficult for many
others to comprehend.
That gentle and amiable sage of the Himalayas had only one entrancing theme: love—for nature, love—
for creatures, and love—for the Whole. The Himalayan sages taught me the gospel of nature. Then I started
listening to the music coming from the blooming flowers, from the songs of the birds, and even from the
smallest blade of grass and thorn of the bush. In everything lives the evidence of the beautiful. If one does
not learn to listen to the music of nature and appreciate her beauty, then that which impels man to seek love
at its fountain may be lost in the remotest antiquity. Do you need psychological analysis to discover in
nature the source of so much happiness, of so many songs, dreams, and beauties? This gospel of nature
speaks its parables from the glacial streams, the valleys laden with lilies, the forests covered with flowers,
and the light of stars. This gospel reveals that emphatic knowledge through which one learns truth and
beholds the good in all its majesty and glory.
When one learns to hear the music of nature and appreciate her beauty, then his soul moves in harmony
with its entire environment. His every movement and every sound will surely then find its due place in
human society. The mind of man should be trained to love nature before he looks through the corridor of his
life. Then a revelation comes peeping through with the dawn. The pain and miseries of life disappear with
the darkness and the mist when the sun rises. Mortality finds its way in the awareness of immortality. Then
a mortal being suffers no more from the pangs and sorrows which death seems to shower upon him. Death
has for ages been a constant source of misery, but at death man learns to become one with the infinite and
the eternal.
When one learns to appreciate fully the profundity of nature in its simplicity, then thoughts flow
spontaneously in response to the appeals of his delicate senses when they come in contact with nature. This
soul-vibrating experience, in its full harmony with the perfect orchestra of melodies and echos, reflects from
the sound of the ripples of the Ganges, the gushing of the winds, the rustling of leaves, and the roar of
thundering clouds. The light of the self is revealed and all the obstacles are removed. He ascends the top of
the mountain, where he perceives the vast horizon. In the depth of silence is hidden the source of love. The
eye of faith alone can unveil and see the illumination of that love. This music resounds in my ears and has
become the song of my life."
"I realized that nature is
very peaceful. She disturbs only those who disturb themselves, but she teaches wisdom to those who admire
and appreciate her beauty. This is especially true in the Himalayas."
soorya,
Thanks very much for that passage from 'Living with the HimAlayan mAsters'.
Interestingly I have encountered this book in many book shops and have browsed through its contents here and there.I never got sufficiently interested to buy this book despite my frequent encounters.Perhaps its mystifying tone that masters are there in the HimAlayas beyond the reach of the rest of the world,and have to be searched for in the caves,put me off a little.It sounded a little like Jim Corbett on the trail of a man-eater!
Thanks very much all the same.I will welcome if you have found something that is inspiring in this book,apart from the description of Beauty,that may be of interest to all of us.
Namaskar.
Friends,
How to reconcile spiritual aspiration with living in the world?Here are some excerpts from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
It was Sunday afternoon when M. came on his third visit to the Master. He had been
profoundly impressed by his first two visits to this wonderful man. He had been thinking of
the Master constantly, and of the utterly simple way he explained the deep truths of the
spiritual life. Never before had he met such a man.
Sri Ramakrishna was sitting on the small couch. The room was filled with devotees, who
had taken advantage of the holiday to come to see the Master. M. had not yet become
acquainted with any of them; so he took his seat in a corner. The Master smiled as he talked
with the devotees.
Narendra
He addressed his words particularly to a young man of nineteen, named Narendranath, who
was a college student and frequented the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. His eyes were bright, his
words were full of spirit, and he had the look of a lover of God.
How the spiritually minded should look upon the worldly
M. guessed that the conversation was about worldly men, who look down on those who
aspire to spiritual things. The Master was talking about the great number of such people in
the world, and about how to deal with them.
MASTER (to Narendra): "How do you feel about it? Worldly people say all kinds of things
about the spiritually minded. But look here! When an elephant moves along the street, any
number of curs and other small animals may bark and cry after it; but the elephant doesn't
even look back at them. If people speak ill of you, what will you think of them?"
NARENDRA: "I shall think that dogs are barking at me."
God in every being
MASTER (Smiling): "Oh, no! You mustn't go that far, my child! (Laughter). God dwells in
all beings. But you may be intimate only with good people; you must keep away from the
evil-minded. God is even in the tiger; but you cannot embrace the tiger on that account.
(Laughter). You may say, 'Why run away from a tiger, which is also a manifestation of
God?' The answer to that is: 'Those who tell you to run away are also manifestations of God
- and why shouldn't you listen to them?'
Continued.....
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna continued....
Parable of the "elephant God"
"Let me tell you a story. In a forest there lived a holy man who had many disciples. One
day he taught them to see God in all beings and, knowing this, to bow low before them all.
A disciple went to the forest to gather wood for the sacrificial fire. Suddenly he heard an
outcry: 'Get out of the way! A mad elephant is coming!' All but the disciple of the holy man
took to their heels. He reasoned that the elephant was also God in another form. Then why
should he run away from it? He stood still, bowed before the animal, and began to sing its
praises. The mahut of the elephant was shouting: 'Run away! Run away!' But the disciple
didn't move. The animal seized him with its trunk, cast him to one side, and went on its
way. Hurt and bruised, the disciple lay unconscious on the ground. Hearing what had
happened, his teacher and his brother disciples came to him and carried him to the
hermitage. With the help of some medicine he soon regained consciousness. Someone
asked him, 'You knew the elephant was coming - why didn't you leave the place?' 'But', he
said, 'our teacher has told us that God Himself has taken all these forms, of animals as well
as men. Therefore, thinking it was only the elephant God that was coming, I didn't run
away.' At this the teacher said: 'Yes, my child, it is true that the elephant God was coming;
but the mahut God forbade you to stay there. Since all are manifestations of God, why
didn't you trust the mahut's words? You should have heeded the words of the mahut God.'
(Laughter)
"It is said in the scriptures that water is a form of God. But some water is fit to be used for
worship, some water for washing the face, and some only for washing plates or dirty linen.
This last sort cannot be used for drinking or for a holy purpose. In like manner, God
undoubtedly dwells in the hearts of all - holy and unholy, righteous and unrighteous; but a
man should not have dealings with the unholy, the wicked, the impure. He must not be
intimate with them. With some of them he may exchange words, but with others he
shouldn't go even that far. He should keep aloof from such people."
continued....
Friends,
The parable of the 'Elephant' god is a deep one.Most of our choices are like that disciple who believed in god in the elephant but deaf to the blatant call of the Mahut god.
Apart from its humor,this truly reflects the state of mind that attaches more to what it fancies to be true than to Truth.
Namaskar.
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
"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 himself and obtain the Self Pearl."
(Who am I?)
The first clear statement pointing to the practice of Diving into the Heart, appears in Sri Bhagavan's second written book, entitled Who am I?, composed in 1901 and it is thus the chosen quotation of the seminal work quoted at the head of this article.
Sri Ramana used different metaphors and phraseology to describe this practice, which forms one of the key approaches to Self Inquiry, but the metaphor of the 'Pearl of Great Price', pointing to Liberation, is one also used by Jesus Christ and is often found in the poetry of Jalalal-din Rumi, Jami and other Sufi mystics.
It is however, in the Ramana Gita that we see the essence of this practice. In 1915, Ganapati Muni and his students asked Sri Bhagavan a series of questions. The second verse in Chapter II has become immortalized by Sri Ramana Himself, with the answer which is popularly named the Eka Sloki. Of over three hundred verses in the Ramana Gita, all questions and answers were transcribed by the Muni into Sanskrit verse, with the exception of this one, which was composed metrically by Sri Bhagavan Himself, in 1915, also in Sanskrit.
continued.....
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues....
This was His first composition in that language, rather than in Tamizh. In the Supplement to the Forty Verses, (1928), it was repeated by Sri Bhagavan, but now in Tamizh:
In the center of the Heart-Cave
There shines alone
The one Brahman as, 'I-I' the
Atman.
Reach the Heart
By diving deep in quest of the Self
Or by controlling the mind
With the breath,
And stay established in the Atman.
(Verse 8, Supplement)
In the following verse 3 of Ramana Gita, the Muni writes, 'This verse is the utterance of Sri Bhagavan Maharshi Himself and is the essence of the Upanishads and Vedanta. He that fully understands this verse, has no room for any doubts whatsoever. (Ramana Gita, Ch. 2, Verse 3 -notes)
Then in verse 47 of the Marital Garland of Letters, Sri Bhagavan writes, 'Let me by Thy Grace, dive into Thy Self, where in merge only those divested of their minds and thus made pure, O Arunachala!'
In two verses in Forty Verses on Reality composed by Sri Bhagavan we read:
Controlling speech and breath, and diving deep within oneself - like one who, to find a thing, that has fallen into water, dives deep down - one must seek out the source whence the aspiring ego springs. (28).
Cease all talk of 'I' and search with inward diving mind whence the thought of 'I' springs up. This is the way of wisdom. To think instead, 'I am not this, but that I Am', is helpful in the search but it is not the search itself. (29)
S.S.Cohen, makes the cogent point, in his commentary on verse 28. 'Deep Diving is a metaphor that implies salvaging the ego from the depths of ignorance into which it has fallen, not amateurishly, but very expertly and unremittingly, or else success will be sporadic and even doubtful.' (S.S. Cohen, Watkins Publications, London, 2002).
continues......
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues.....
However Kapali Sastriar's commentary on these verses 30 & 31, in the Sat Darsana Bhashya is exhaustive, inspiring and powerful, also gives directions. On page 26 of the same book (1993 edition) in one of the introductory chapters, entitled 'On Sadhana and Siddhi' he writes, 'It throws the whole being into a consuming fire as it were, takes hold of the life breath which is lost in the bodily feeling, and separating it from the bodily grip, enters into the Heart...such is the real Jijnasa, the genuine earnest desire and search for the Self....."
Before moving onto the actual approach and experience of this great practice, it is necessary to point out that there are numerous references to Diving or Plunging in the celebrated Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, in Talks 252 and 616 during which Sri Bhagavan says, 'The aim of the seeker must be to drain away the Vasanas from the heart and let not the reflecting medium obstruct the Light of Eternal Consciousness. This is achieved by the search for the origin of the Ego and by Diving into the Heart. This is the direct method for Self Realization......" (Talks 616).
It is however, in Padamalai, that the richest haul for the aspiring Pearl Diver may be found. (Padamalai, David Godman). To give but one example, from the admirable Padamalai, all of Muruganar's Guru Vachaka Kovai Verse 46 is given in which he quotes Sri Ramana as having commented, 'Put aside completely the extremely extensive Vedas and Agamas because their true benefit is getting established in the inquiry of diving within oneself...." (ibid. page 210).
So we see the extent that Sri Bhagavan repeatedly points to the importance of this practice over and over again. To cap it all we find the Eka Sloki was mounted during Sri Bhagavan's lifetime, obviously with His consent, above His ornate marble couch in the New Hall, where the verse is engraved in gold Sanskrit letters on a tablet of polished black marble!
continued....
Ravi,
Yes, thats true :). I downloaded it from the internet sometime back and read some of the anecdotes which were quite illuminating. I too didnt read it page by page due to lack of impatience, I have skipped reading the wellknown'Autobiography of a Yogi' for the same reason :).
Will post two stories here which come to my mind often:
[The narrator is Swami Rama]
I remember an occasion when I was traveling with my master. The station master in a town we were passing
through came to me and said, “Sir, give me something to practice, and I promise I will follow it faithfully.”
My master said to me, “Give him something definite to practice.”
I said, “Why should one fool misguide another? It will be better if you instruct him.”
So my master said, “From this day on, don’t lie. Practice this rule faithfully for the next three months.”
Most of the employees of the railroad in that area were dishonest and took bribes. But this man decided
that he would not take bribes or lie any more.
That very same week a supervisor from the head office came to investigate him and his assistants. The
stationmaster answered the probing questions of the supervisor honestly. This inquiry brought serious
trouble to his staff. All the employees who had been taking bribes, including the stationmaster himself, were
prosecuted. He thought, “It has been only thirteen days, and look at the difficulty I am in. What is going to
happen to me in three months’ time?”
Soon his wife and children left him. Within a month his life had crumbled like a house of cards from a
single touch.
That day the stationmaster was in great agony, and we were some three hundred miles away on a bank of
the Narmada River. My master was lying under a tree when he suddenly began laughing. He said, “Do you
know what is happening? That man whom I instructed not to lie is in jail today.” I asked, “Then why are
you laughing?” He answered, “I am not laughing at him, I am laughing at the foolish world!”
Twelve people in that man’s office had gotten together and said he was a liar, although he had been
speaking the truth. They accused him of being the only one guilty of taking bribes. He was put in jail and all
the others were released.
When the stationmaster went to court the judge looked down at him from the bench and asked, “Where
is your attorney?”
“I don’t need one.”
The judge said, “But I want someone to help you.”
“No,” said the stationmaster, “I don’t need an attorney; I want to speak the truth. No matter how many
years you put me behind bars, I won’t lie. I used to share in bribes. Then I met a sage who told me never to
lie, no matter what. My wife and children have left me, I have lost my job, I have no money or friends, and I
am in jail. All these things have happened in one month. I have to examine truth for two more months no
matter what happens. Sir, put me behind bars; I don’t care.”
The judge called a recess and quietly called the man to his chamber. He asked, “Who is the sage who
told you this?” The man described him. Fortunately the judge was a disciple of my master. He acquitted the
stationmaster and said, “You are on the right path. Stick to it. I wish I could do the same.”
...contd
contd...
After three months that man did not have anything. On the exact day that the three months were up he
was sitting quietly under a tree when he received a telegram saying, “Your father had a huge plot of land
that was taken long ago by the government. The government now wants to give you compensation.” They
gave him one million rupees [about $100,000]. He had not known about the land, which was in a different
province.
He thought, “Today, I have completed three months of not lying and I have been rewarded so much.” He
gave the compensation to his wife and children, and they happily said, “We want to come back to you.”
“No,” he said. “Until now I have only seen what happens by not lying for three months. Now I want to
find out what will happen if I do not lie for the rest of my life.”
Truth is the ultimate goal of human life, and if it is practiced with mind, speech and action, the goal can
be reached. Truth can be attained by practicing non-lying and by not doing those actions which are against
one’s own conscience. Conscience is the best of guides.
Second story:
Real Knowledge Removes Suffering
Self-reliance is important. It comes when you start receiving experiences directly from within. No doubt you
need a teacher, you need a guide—I am not telling you that you should not learn things from other people,
or that you need not study books. But I have met people who did not even know the alphabet, and yet
whenever we had difficulty in understanding some profound truth or scripture, they alone could give us a
solution.
Once I was teaching the Brahma Sutras. It is one of the most abstruse books in Vedantic literature.
Aphorisms which I myself did not really understand I explained to my students, and they seemed satisfied.
But I was not. So in the evening I would go to a swami who had not actually studied scriptures. He couldn’t
even sign his name—yet his knowledge was unmatched. He said, “You will never understand these terse
aphorisms if you do not have direct experience.” Then he told me this story to help me understand the
difference between direct and indirect knowledge.
A master had a student who had never seen a cow nor tasted milk. But he knew that milk was nutritious.
So he wanted to find a cow, milk it, and drink the milk. He went to his master and asked him, “Do you
know anything about cows?”
The master answered, “Of course.” The student requested, “Please describe a cow to me.” So the master
described a cow: “A cow has four legs. It is a tame, docile animal, not found in the forest but in villages. Its
milk is white and is very good for your health.” He described the type of tail and ears it has, everything.
contd...
After this description the student went in search of a cow. On the way he came across a statue of a cow.
He looked and thought, “This is surely what my master described to me.” By chance that day some people
who lived nearby were whitewashing their house and there was a bucket of whitewash near the statue. The
student saw it and concluded, “This must be that milk which they say is so good for you to drink.” He
gulped down some of the whitewash, became terribly ill, and had to be taken to a hospital.
After he recovered he went back to his master and angrily charged, “You are no teacher!” His master
asked, “What’s the matter?” The student replied, “Your description of a cow was not at all accurate.”
“What happened?” He explained, and the master asked, “Did you milk the cow yourself?” “No.” “That
is why you suffered.”
The cause of suffering among intellectuals today is not because they don’t really know. They know a
little. But what they know is not their own knowledge, and that is why they suffer. A little or partial
knowledge is always dangerous, like partial truths. A partial truth is not truth at all. So is the case with
partial knowledge. The wise directly perceive truth.
The sage who did not even know the alphabet of any language would always remove my doubt.
Systematic study under a self-realized and competent teacher helps in purifying the ego; otherwise scriptural
knowledge makes one egotistical. He who is called an intellectual man today only collects facts from
various books and scriptures. Does he really know what he is doing? Feeding intellect with such a
knowledge is like eating a food with no food-value. One who constantly eats such a food remains sick and
also makes others sick. We meet many teachers and they all teach well, but a student can assimilate only
that which is unalloyed and comes directly from self-experienced teachers.
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues......
Before discussing the practice, from my own experience, from all I have read, and discussed with other devotees, it is necessary to point out that it is only one of the different approaches to Atma Vichara, given by Sri Ramana to suit the dispositions of different seekers according to their temperaments and maturity.
In my own case I found it very difficult, like many Western seekers, to maintain the attention needed for the Self inquiry approaches initially prescribed in Who an I? but when I came across 'Diving Into the Heart' it was a revelation as here was a radical p
practice I could pursue, by stopping my restless mind through breath control and regulation. I have been enjoying this form of Self Inquiry for some years and have great faith and personal evidence in its efficacy. In my enthusiasm I even composed a long narrative poem, published privately called The Pearl Fishers, which describe the practice. Of course, Sri Ramana's long essay Self Inquiry, at the beginning of the Collected Works summarizes the different approaches and the necessary, optional support practices, including regulation of breath, (Self Inquiry, verses 21-26.), and in chapter six of the Ramana Gita, and chapter 2, verse 4 of Spiritual Instruction. Here they are expanded as aids for necessary mind control.
Each practitioner of Self Inquiry, will be drawn to that which he finds the easiest and appeals to him most. Some even have several arrows in their Atma Vichara quiver, with Aum as their bow. When however we come to Diving into the Heart, there is a useful treatise called The Technique of Maha Yoga, by Sri N.R. Narayana Aiyar, which describes his own practice of Diving into the Heart, enjoyed by this earnest sadhaka. (The Technique of Maha Yoga, N.R. Narayana Aiyar.).
continued......
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues....
Briefly this short work summarizes in general terms, his own experience and understanding of Self Inquiry and support practices in the first twenty six pages. But on page 26, he leads one into his own personal sadhana of Diving Deep into the Heart. He then quotes in section 10, chapter 7 called 'The Locus of the Self', the famed quotation from the Supplement to the Forty Verses. 'The two digits to the right of the center chest is the Heart like a lotus bud. Breath, mind, and the Light of Consciousness originate from here.' There are many supporting passages in the Ramana literature, where Sri Bhagavan indubitably affirms this location from His own direct experience. However, in Talks 131, Sri Ramana states, 'Of course there is also the practice of meditation on the heart center. It is only a practice and not an investigation. Only the one who meditates on the heart can remain aware when the mind ceases to be active and remains still.....(Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi).
From this statement, as a practitioner of Diving or Plunging I have deduced, along with trusted and advanced devotees in Sri Ramanasramam, with whom I have discussed the question, that the right side of the chest MUST NOT be seen as an object to be focused on, but merely as a doorway or portal in which one can enter to commence the search for the source of the I-thought.
The point of entry may be found as the author of The Technique of Maha Yoga writes, and Sri Ramana suggests too, 'Watch the movements of the breath... and observe where breath rises and sinks inside the chest.....As in the Upadesa Saram (and elswhere) Sri Bhagavan writes:
Mind and breath (as thought and
action)
Fork out like two branches.
Both spring
From a single root. (Up.Saram 12).
Earnest practitioners of Diving invariably find, as I have, that the Locus where a palpitation can often be felt is on the right side of the chest, where Sri Bhagavan Himself affirms it to be.
continued.....
soorya,
Wonderful posts.Thanks very much.Had a hearty laugh at the cow and milk story.
Here is an Excerpt from The Gospel of sri Ramakrishna where the Master emphasizes Truthfulness:
Truthfulness leads to God
MASTER: "I feel very happy when I see Shivanath. He always seems to be absorbed in the
bliss of bhakti. Further, a man who is respected by so many surely possesses some divine
power. But he has one great defect: he doesn't keep his word. Once he said to me that, he
would come to Dakshineswar, but he neither came nor sent me word. That is not good. It is
said that truthfulness alone constitutes the spiritual discipline of the Kaliyuga. If a man
clings tenaciously to truth he ultimately realizes God. Without this regard for truth, one
gradually loses everything. If by chance I say that I will go to the pine-grove, I must go
there even if there is no further need of it, lest I lose my attachment to truth. After my
vision of the Divine Mother, I prayed to Her, taking a flower in my hands: 'Mother, here is
Thy knowledge and here is Thy ignorance. Take them both, and give me only pure love.
Here is Thy holiness and here is Thy unholiness. Take them both, Mother, and give me
pure love. Here is Thy good and here is Thy evil. Take them both, Mother, and give me
pure love. Here is Thy righteousness, and here is Thy unrighteousness. Take them both,
Mother, and give me pure love.' I mentioned all these, but I could not say: 'Mother, here is
Thy truth and here is Thy falsehood. Take them both.' I gave up everything at Her feet but
could not bring myself to give up truth."
Namaskar
Ravi,
Your post about master mentioning the importance of keeping one's word reminded me of another similar beautiful story about trusting the Guru's word - which I read in a blog that I stumbled into, while browsing the net for something else.
The blog is by a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba, the 'I' refers to him and 'he' refers to Neem Karoli Baba[apart from the contents of this blog, I hardly know anything about Baba]
The next day he again left in the morning along with some devotees. Before leaving, he told me that if he were late in returning, I should not keep anyone hungry. If I took my food, others would join me.
After he had been gone only a few hours, someone came and told me that Babaji was on the bank of the Ganges and wanted me to come there. Didi accompanied me. The journey was easy until the riverbed started and it was difficult to go over the sand by rickshaw. We reach the place where Tularam, Siddhi Didi, Shukla and Girish were waiting, but Babaji was not there. They said that after sending the message to us, Babaji had gone towards the sangam, not allowing anybody to accompany him. This had been several hours ago and they felt he must have left the sangam and gone someone else. They said it was of no use staying any longer and we should return, especially since obtaining transport was so difficult there.
I did not agree and wanted to wait for his return. I said I would go to the sangam and see if he was there. Girish, a young devotee, accompanied me. The route was along the bank of the river—we could see the Ganges on our left and also the sangam in the far distance ahead. After we had gone some way, Girish looked around and said, "Chachaji [uncle], let us return. Babaji cannot be seen. He must have gone away." I continued going ahead. The same scene was repeated twice more. I didn't want to return, but now I had to think of Girish. He had followed out of his love for me, and if I moved ahead it would be a torture to him, a sad return for his love. But I could not go back as I felt that Babaji couldn't have gone away. He had sent for me; he would give me darshan here. So I was in a fix, unable to move in either direction. Suddenly Girish shouted, "Chachaji, here is Babaji!"
Looking at the river, we saw a small boat coming toward the shore, with Babaji sitting on it. The most striking thing was that we had been walking only a few yards away from the water. We had kept our eyes open, searching for him. I was so excited by this sudden appearance that I couldn't say anything. When the boat anchored we got on it. It was very hot out and Babaji had dropped his blanket, sitting on his bare body. Babaji began heckling me with all kinds of questions: when had I gotten his message, had I come alone, how long did I sit with the others, and so on. But I would not reply to his questions, my heart was too full.
contd...
There was a Vaishnava sadhu sitting with Baba and he began narrating his story. Babaji did his utmost to interrupt, but the sadhu shouted as loudly as he could. The sadhu had come for the Magh Mela. The mela was over and many sadhus had gone away. The day before, while the remaining sadhus were in their huts, they saw a person in a blanket loitering around. They asked him where he lived.
"I have no place to live."
"What about your food?"
"I eat if someone feeds me."
One of the sadhus asked if he would like to stay with them. "If you will feed me, I will stay."
After eating, the sadhus prepared some ganja and were passing the smoke around. When it was Babaji's turn, he jumped up and began abusing everyone. "These wretched and corrupt drug addicts want to spoil me also. I hate sitting with these scoundrels." He got up and went away.
Some of the sadhus went and searched for him. When they inquired at another camp if anyone had seen a man in a blanket, an old sadhu said, "You did not recognize him? That was Neem Karoli Baba." This was a revelation to them. They had heard much about Baba, but had never met him.
That morning the sadhu had seen Babaji moving before his hut and had followed him. Baba started to talk to him and they had been together all day. The sadhu was jubilant. "I have had the darshan of Bala Gopala [Boy Krishna]!"
Our boat reached the place where the others were waiting. All were happy that we had found Babaji and brought him back. However, it was late in the day and it would be difficult getting back home because Babaji had not yet taken his food. Babaji said, "Something will happen." After a few minutes, a devotee arrived in a station wagon. Babaji asked everyone to get into the car and return home, saying he would come afterwards along with me. He insisted they must return as Ma and Maushi Ma were waiting with their food. They left rather reluctantly.
contd...
We two were alone. After a few minutes he started asking me questions about the whole affair, beginning with the message he had sent. The questions had to be answered, there was no option because he hammered it out of me. "When you got the message, what did you think about it?"
"I didn't think about it. I just came here."
"When you did not find me here and the people told you Babaji must have gone away and you should return, what did you do?"
"I waited there for your return."
"Why didn't you believe that I must have gone away?" When I didn't reply he repeated the question. "Tell me what you felt about it."
I told him that my only belief was that since he had sent for me I was sure to have his darshan.
"You thought so. You were right. You had your darshan."
After that I had to narrate the whole episode of going towards the sangam and Girish asking me to return.
"You did not agree with him and continued. But then you stopped suddenly and could not return back or continue forward." I said this was so. "What were you doing when you stopped moving?" For a long while I could not reply. He started stroking my hair and repeated the question, insisting, "Tell me. Tell me."
Then I said, "I was saying 'Ram Ram.'" It was as if something extracted the reply out of me.
He whispered slowly, as if pouring the words into my ear, "Ram nam karne se sab pura ho jata." [Everything is accomplished by taking the name of Ram.]
Looking back, I realized how nicely the drama was enacted from beginning to end, finishing with the Mahamantra [Ram Ram]—the crux of all his teachings. The Mahamantra was not for any particular individual or for me alone, but for the generations of devotees who are attracted to him.
Link : http://neemkarolibaba.blogspot.in/2007/04/chamatkari-baba-babajis-miracles-were.html
soorya,
What a wonderful blessing from Neem Karoli Baba.I have posted about him ,a little here and elsewhere.Our friend Peter,here,has posted some Bhajans of Krishna das,who is a disciple of Baba.
You may read an interesting reminiscence of swami chidAnandA(Disciple of swami SivAnanda)of Rishikesh here:
http://www.dlshq.org/saints/neemkaroli.htm
Great soul.I will refer a few other links and stories of Baba later on.
Namaskar
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues....
Now regarding breath control and breath regulation, the Eka Sloki clearly states, that this is an option. Diving can be practiced, with or without restraint of breath. We once had an Internet Discussions Group called Atma Vichara. with over two hundred subscribing members, world-wide. Many reported that 'as soon as they approached the doorway of the Heart, with devotion and attention, the sacredness of the inner shrine automatically made the mind go quiet, and breath regulation was therefore unnecessary for them.
continued.....
Thanks Ravi.
Krishna Das bhajans are really good, I am addicted to hearing his 'By your grace - jai gurudev', 'Om Nama Shivaya','Jaya Jagadambe', 'Kashi Vishwanath Gange' :)
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues....
Many practitioners, however, especially those like me, with the usual Western rajasic, restless mind, find breath restraint invaluable. Although breath control is summarized in Self Inquiry from verses 21-25, it is more fully detailed by Sri Bhagavan in His answer to the Muni and his disciples in chapter VI of the Ramana Gita called 'Mind Control'.
Sri Ramana's approach to this practice is very simple, and is not the extensive pranyayam which needs the supervision of a competent teacher. One clear demonstration of full inhalation, retention and exhalation, would be adequate. In Verse 6, Sri Bhagavan does recommend Hatha Yoga as an additional aid for those disposed towards this health giving and purification practice, which would include some pranayama (Ramana Gita, Ch VI Verse 6.).
continued......
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues.....
In Verse 7, we are asked to breathe out fully (rechaka) with the necessary time required, and then fully inhale for another unit of the same time (puraka). Then kumbhaka (or retention) may be held for four counts of the time for inhalation. (ibid. V. 7). It is during this period of holding the breath, that I find is the best time to Plunge or Dive into the Heart, by entering the portal on the right side of the chest, using focused attention; like a last beam, from the chakra between the eyebrows, to penetrate deeply as one can, searching for the source of the I-thought; until one is forced to fully exhale, with a full diaphragmatic bhastika, which, more effectively, expels the residual thought and vrittis.
This differs from the approach of the author of The Technique of Maha Yoga where he recommends, 'Slowly exhale and watch the exhalation movement in the chest. With sinking movement in the chest dive into the Heart. (N.R. Narayana Aiyar). Here I assume he is relying on the pranic force to enter the heart, with focused attention issuing from the chakra on pineal gland, between the eye brows, seems to me to me to be far more powerful and would include the Pranic Force on exhalation as well. But obviously as in all matters of sadhana it is for each sadhaka to find his own most effective way which is most amenable for him, guided by the Sadguru within his own Heart.
continued......
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues......
Another interesting suggestion made by me is to strengthen the dive by mentally visualizing a Yantra and then diving with full attention into the bindu (point) of the Heart, thus utilizing the power of Tantra.
Chapter IX of the Ramana Gita in which the great Eka Sloki first appeared has a whole explanation on the granthi bhedam or severence of the knot. In Verse 3, Sri Ramana states that the association of the Self with the body is called the granthi (knot). (Ramana Gita CH. IX, Verse 3). It is my intuitive feeling that Sri Bhagavan's powerfu sword of Diving into the Heart, will eventually cut this identification with the body-mind and sever the ganglion knot. A full explanation to the granthi bhedam can also be found in Spiritual Instruction, Verse 12.
Finally there is the question if posture and here Sri Bhagavan is very clear when He writes in Verse 27 of Self Inquiry. "Of the eighty four main postures siddha is the most excellent. (Self Inquiry, Verse 27).
continued.....
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues....
Narayana Aiyar warns that this process of dedicated Diving into the Heart, may take a number of years, and this writer fully agrees with it from his own experience, also over many years. One assumes it depends on the skill employed in the practice of concentrated probing, with devotion, and the force of attention available, and the strength of the occlusions and vasanas resisting expulsion, as well as the gunas active at the time. Obviously, it will differ with each sadhaka, and no Plunge or Dive, in the search of the source of the I-thought can ever be exactly the same for everyone at any one time.
I find that each Dive is different in quality depending on the force of attention gathered, like an artist preparing to draw an object, or a mathematician concentrating on a difficult problem, or gazing into the wick of a lit candle. Or visualizing a Yantra. In some cases, one feels one strikes a wall, or a sheath, and the attention cannot penetrate. But invariably one finds one can penetrate deeper and deeper until one reaches the abyss when one can go no further. Then on the exhalation a great deal of residual thought or vrittis are expelled.
The more zeal, and determination one devotedly feels, that this is a most urgent vital and necessary effort one can make, the deeper it goes. One is immediately detached from any identification previously agitating the mind. I find it is quite easy to commence the day with three or four dives, and then the opportunity or energy to proceed may happen another three or four times during the day.
continued....
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues....
There is, however considerable grace involved, as this practice churns the nadis, and the nervous system would be overstrained if achievement was too sudden. If there is a strain on the nadis, Sri Bhagavan says, 'That with persistence all will come right in the end.' (Crumbs from His Table, Ramanananda Saraswati). This is expanded in the valuable chapter on 'Problems and Experiences' in David Godman's excellent anthology Be As You Are. Patience must be exercised for ripeness and maturity to fructify, and then grace mercifully chooses the right moment for appropriate glimpses of the real Self, in all its magnificence, as a forerunner to realization, when no further sadhana is needed. There is, however, from my own experience, no doubt that the practice, whenever it is applied, gracefully weakens identification with troublesome thoughts. One notices vasanas coming out. Also pulsations are felt on the right side of the chest, where a niche can be found in which one may rest for sitting in silent meditation. Again, however, every heroic adventure into deep sea pearl fishing will be different, for each sadhaka, and unique according to his own endeavor.
continued.....
Diving into the Heart:
Alan Jacobs:
continues.....
A baffling question arises however, if when reaching the bottom of the abyss with concentrated attention, nothing is discovered, and the space probed seems empty. Wise, experienced devotees of Sri Ramanasramam, with whom I have discussed this question inform me that as long as the practice is still done from the mind, nothing should be expected. But if at a certain point, after earnest and regular persistence in the practice, the inquiry moves into the Heart through grace, then Atma Vichara spontaneously arises, and one is drawn into the Heart, where the source of I-thought may eventually be found with the necessary release. I have found this happens to me occasionally but I have not reached the stage where it becomes frequent or permanent.
I sincerely hope that this practice may be a great help for some devotees, as it is for me, especially for those who find the other approaches too difficult because of lack of necessary yogic preparation, concentration and practice, or inability to control the mind, even using mantra japa.
There is no doubt that the implications of the Maharshi's repetition of this practice, in His own writings and talks, is of major significance. It is as if our Ramana Sadguru appears and tells us:
Dive within the Heart and realize the Self!
concluded.
“A person may have no relatives anywhere, but Mahamaya may make him keep a cat and thus make him worldly. This is how She plays!”
-Sri Sarada Devi
Friends,
I came across a small booklet "Shri Sai the Superman" on the life and teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba. The inner flap of the booklet details Shri Sai Baba's maxims. I though I should share them with you all.
1. Take it for a truth that God does exist.
2. That this world is nothing else but his own manifestation.
3. He is the creator, the sustainer and the destroyer of this world.
4. Not an iota of space is devoid of God.
5. He is the order of paramount (Not sure what Baba means here; wonder if this is a printing error).
6. His Divine Will is supreme.
7. But for his Will, Earth with crumble to pieces, water will dry up, wind will stop, the sun shall not rise, the moon shall not shine, the rains shall stop, the crops shall not grow; men, animals and all creatures will perish; the world would be no more.
8. So, with the tongue you have, chant His Name, with the ears hear His glory, with the eyes see His manifestations.
Waste no time in trifles; Human body, God's Gift is seldom obtained.
9. Treat others in the way you wish they should treat you.
10. Inflicting pain on others by body, mind and speech is sin. The reverse is merit, goodness.
11. Avoid sins if you want happiness and peace of mind.
12. Do not draw comparisons between yourself and others. Each gets what he deserves.
13. Rejoice at other's happiness.
14. Let your life serve as a lesson to others.
15. Help the poor, feed the hungry and afford shelter to the homeless. God assumes diverse forms and there is no knowing when and in what form He will appear before you and beg; so do not be harsh to a beggar, do not give vent to anger, but remain silent if you are not inclined to give him.
16. Do not worry about other's sins; you should mind your ownself and keep it taintless pure (As the Maharishi often used to say "Vandha vellayai par").
17. Only he suffers who does a wicked act; why should others worry about it ?
18. Let people slander you, blame you, abuse you, if they will; answer them not, their slander bore no holes on your physical body, can inflict no injury on you.
19. None can escape its pre-destined course, howsoever he may take it - merrily or grumblingly.
20. Neither fast nor overeat, but be temperate in food, drink etc.
21. Dress should be neat and tidy, suited to one's station in life but not gaudy or foppish. (I think Sri Ramakrishna also said something similar about clothes being neat and clean - he said the Goddess Lakshmi will desert you, if you wear patched clothes. Ravi may like to confirm whether my memory about Sri Ramakrishna' view is correct).
22. Truth is your best friend; it will save you a lot of worries; will give you joy and peace of mind; and what is most important to remember is, God ever helps and even serves the truthful.
Thank you,
shiv
shiv/Soorya/friends,
Wonderful sayings of Shirdi Baba.Thanks ver much.
Here is a saying of Sri Sarada Devi:
I tell you one thing - if you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.
Namaskar.
Shiv,
Yes,you are right on sri Ramakrishna, about wearing tattered
clothes.
Namaskar.
Ravi, If I am not wrong those were her last teachings before she shed the body ,rt? I have seen many devotees quote it as their favorite quote.
Shiv/Friends,
Sri Ramakrishna used to observe common beliefs.Here are some instances from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
1."After partaking of the refreshments the Master was ready to leave. The Brahmo devotees
accompanied him to the cab, which was standing in the street. While coming down the
stairs the Master noticed that there was no light on the ground floor. He said to Amrita and
Keshab's other disciples: "These places should be well lighted. A house without light
becomes stricken with poverty. Please see that it doesn't happen again.".
2."Tuesday, October 24,1882
It was three or four o'clock in the afternoon. The Master was standing near the shelf where
the food was kept, when Balaram and M. arrived from Calcutta and saluted him. Sri
Ramakrishna said to them with a smile: "I was going to take some sweets from the shelf,
but no sooner did I put my hand on them than a lizard dropped on my body. At once I
removed my hand. (All laugh.)
"Oh, yes! One should observe all these things."
The Master was utterly human and as if like any other common folk,with their beliefs.
Here is an example of his utter innocence and sense of humour:
"MASTER: "Once, sitting on the bank of the Ganges neat the Panchavati, holding a rupee in
one hand and clay in the other, I discriminated, 'The rupee is the clay-the clay is verily the
rupee, and the rupee is verily the clay', and then threw the rupee into the river. But I was a
little frightened. 'How foolish of me to offend the goddess of fortune!' I thought. 'What
shall I do if she doesn't provide me with food any more?' Then, like Hazra, I sought help in
a ruse. I said to the goddess, 'Mother, may you dwell in my heart.' Once the Divine Mother
was pleased with a man's austerities and said to him, 'You may ask a favour of Me.' 'O
Mother,' said he, 'if You are so pleased. with me, then grant that I may eat from a gold plate
with my grandchildren.' Now, in one boon the man got everything: grandchildren, wealth,
and gold plate. (All laugh.)
Namaskar.
soorya,
Yes,those were her last words.
Namaskar.
Ravi:
Sri Ramana was very categorical about predestination including the smallest event like myself typing these lines on this date/time.
Can you kindly cull out some extracts from Gospel about Thakur's views on this topic?
Regards Murali
I found the article by Alan Jacobs posted by Subramanian very encouraging. Thanks for posting. Personally, the biggest challenge is perseverance despite failures.
It will be good to hear from this group, how many minutes/hours each one spends and what challenges they encounter.
Murali,
There is nothing like predestination in the whole of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna in a direct sense like what you have mentioned.
Now is there anything indirect?We may find some predictions like 'naren will teach people' ,etc but certainly nothing like what you have mentioned.
Sri Ramakrishna used to term questions like this as 'Counting Leaves' instead of Eating mangoes.
A variation or the other side of the same question would be-whether there is free will?This the Master answered as suited to the inner need of the aspirant.Here are two variants of his response for this
question:
1.Free will
THE YOUNGER NAREN: "Sir, have we any free will?"
MASTER: "Just try to find out who this 'I' is. While you are searching for 'I', 'He' comes
out. 'I am the machine and He is the Operator.' You have heard of a mechanical toy that
goes into a store with a letter in its hand. You are like that toy. God alone is the Doer. Do
your duties in the world as if you were the doer, but knowing all the time that God alone is
the Doer and you are the instrument.
"As long as the upadhi exists there is ignorance. 'I am a scholar', 'I am a jnani', 'I am
wealthy', 'I am honourable', 'I am the master, father, and teacher' -all these ideas are
begotten of ignorance. 'I am the machine and You are the Operator' - that is Knowledge. In
the state of Knowledge all upadhis are destroyed. When the log is burnt up entirely, there is
no more sound; no heat either. Everything cools down. Peace! Peace! Peace!"
2.Free will and God's will
VAIDYANATH: "Sir, I have a doubt. People speak of free will. They say that a man can
do either good or evil according to his will. Is it true? Are we really free to do whatever we
like?"
MASTER: "Everything depends on the will of God. The world is His play. He has created
all these different things-great and small, strong and weak, good and bad, virtuous and
vicious. This is all His maya, His sport. You must have observed that all the trees in a
garden are not of the same kind.
"As long as a man has not realized God, he thinks he is free. It is God Himself who keeps
this error in man. Otherwise sin would have multiplied. Man would not have been afraid of
sin, and there would have been no punishment for it.(Master is referring to how animals do not have the sense of 'sin'-Ravi)
"But do you know the attitude of one who has realized God? He feels: 'I am the machine,
and Thou, O Lord, art the Operator. I am the house and Thou art the Indweller. I am the
chariot and Thou art the Driver. I move as Thou movest me; I speak as Thou makest me
speak.'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Namaskar.
Narikutti Swami:
A Remarkable Devotee of Arunachala:
Kamala Devi:
(Jan.-Mar.2008, Mountain Path:)
Barry Owen Windsor was born in August 1930, in Sydney, Australia. His mother died when he was a teenager and this gave him pause for thought about the transitory nature of life. He studied architecture as a young man and became proficient in design, neat drawing and lettering. He exercised this skill throughout his life not only in letter writing but also in the fastidious way he kept his living quarters clean and spare in
content. As a young man he preferred to spend time alone studying and reading rather than socializing and dating as his fellow students were more inclined to do.
At the age of 19, he came under the influence of a fellow architectural student, Adrian Snodgrass. Snodgrass was an extremely erudite young man with a brilliant mind. He inspired a number of people to study Indian Philosophy and Art particularly Advaita Vedanta. As a consequence, Barry studied Ananda Coomaraswamy and the French metaphysician, Rene Guenon, in depth.
In the days before travel to India became popular, Snodgrass had made repeated journeys and when he was planning to set off again in the early 1950s, Barry Windsor decided to accompany him. Their purpose was to go to Kadirgama in Sri Lanka, where there was an Asramam under the auspices of Swami Yogananda, a famous guru of the time. Neither had any intention of returning, feeling that they would embrace the life of sannyasins.
continued.....
Narikutti Swami:
continues...
After a long sea voyage they reached Ceylon as it was then known and journeyed on to Kadirgama where they met with Gauribala, who was commonly known as the German Swami. Gauribala was a disciple of Sri Yogaswami of Jaffna (Yazhpanam) and had a small circle of people around him, including a seemingly ancient crone, who served him. This old wise man named each of the four young men who had gathered with suffix 'kutti' meaning the small or young one. Snodgrass received the name of Punaikutti, the kitten, whilst Windsor was called Narikutti, the young jackal. He said: 'The jackal will remain here. But the kitten will return to his home.' A prediction which proved correct. The now Narikutti Swami cut all ties with his past and never again contacted his family in Australia.
The two young men lived in Kadirgama for sometime, adapting to an extremely simple life style without any of the Western comforts to which they were accustomed. In the hot climate clothing was reduced to the traditional two pieces of khadi cloth (Veshti and thundu) whilst food was rice and sambhar. At one time, they set off on a pilgrimage, wishing to visit the major Siva temples in South India, which symbolized the five elements. On this journey, they begged their food along with other sadhus who frequented the temples. Narikutti would sit in line with other sadhus, receiving alms. Later he would keep only what he needed to purchase some food and then distribute any surplus to other sadhus, receiving alms. With his keen sense of humor, he enjoyed being a beggar who gave alms. It seemed that Narikutti was made for the life of a sadhu. He seemed to have an ear for language and quickly picked up conversational Tamizh to converse. He made a life long study of Tamizh and spoke in Jaffna style.
continued......
Narikutti Swami:
continues.....
Longing to meet Sri Yogaswami, he made his way to Jaffna. Yogaswami, born in 1872, was a powerful spiritual figure, renowned for his terse words and apparent bad temper. But when for the first time, Narikutti sat down amongst other devotees one evening, Yogaswami beckoned him to come up and sit besides him, favoring him with a fond look. This initial show of favor did not last though and subsequently Narikutti was sometimes forbidden to approach the guru's house, being sternly told 'Go! Go away!' by Yogaswami, and even given a push. This was a common experience of the devotees. Narikutti persisted in remaining as close to his guru as he could until Yogaswami died in 1964. He deeply imbibed the spontaneous outpourings in word and song of his Master, which were mostly written down by whoever happened to be present. Later, amongst his sparse possessions, he kept a copy of Natchintanai Songs and Sayings of Yogaswami which was published by the Sivathondan Society of Jaffna in 1974. Yogaswami was a Jnani of great experience and he demonstrated and emphasized mounam (silence). A little book called Words of Our Master, published in 1972, was also kept by Narikutti wherein Yogaswami's four Maha Vakyas (Great Truths) were set out. These being:
There is no evil.
We do not know - Who knows?
All is Truth.
It was determined long ago.
His teaching to disciple emphasized mounam, so that the Inner Guide could be heard. He instructed them to study and recite Tirumuraigal (12 Saiva Canons) as a way of controlling the wandering mind. They were to practice purity of thought, word and deed, and recognize the sattvic quality of all human beings and the innate divinity of every being.
Narikutti remained in Jaffna for a while after the Mahasamadhi of his Master, performing some duties around the Ashram. One day he questioned, 'Why am I remaining here? Is it just for the sake of a regular supply of meals?' Narikutti was extremely proud of his sadhu status. Though begging for food was a respected way of getting food for a sadhu, his master had told him not to actually ask for anything. Yogaswami had told him, 'Be like a python, let the food come to you.' In 1966, he decided to return to India and embarked on an extended yatra to holy places on foot. He walked as far north as Varanasi where he met Alan Ginsburg who was on his own journey. He finally returned to Sri Lanka but felt some more years of residence, the call of Arunachala which he had visited several times on his trips to South India.
continued.....
Narikutti Swami:
continues......
After a preparatory trip in 1968, he finally set off in 1970 for the only place that he had a desire to go to, which was the Holy Mountain, Arunachala. He knew that Sri Ramana Maharshi had from an early age made His abode there and Narikutti was attracted by both the Hill and the path of Jnana exemplified by Sri Ramana.
In a short time, he discovered that there was a sadhu dwelling up on the Hill which was vacant and being taken care of by a priest of Sri Arunachaleswara Temple. It was the most westerly dwelling in the string of hermitages and ashrams which perched on the mountain, above the Western Wall of the Temple and was called the Lakshmi Ammal Ashram. The approach was ver rough without any proper path, the dwelling itself being partly a cave with an added structure. A deep depression in the rock inside formed a meditation 'hole'.
Narikutti set up residence and remained in this place for many years. He became well known to the surrounding villagers, who would seek his advice and help on their problems. Goatherds and grass gatherers all felt that they could approach him. He also earned the respect of the other sadhus and devotees who lived on the Hill. He made improvements by cleaning out the small but deep tank which was situated just below his hut. With some help he constructed a path which connected to an existing one leading to the Temple. Large and heavy stones were used in keeping with the other paths on the Mountain. Long before anyone thought of systematically planting
trees, he began to plant trees to provide shade and beautify the area with seeds sent from Australia. He took on pruning the lower branches to prevent people from hacking them off roughly for firewood. He had a small team of workers whom he would regularly engage in his projects, such as carrying water, not only for himself but for other devotees, less able to manage themselves.
continued.....
Narikutti Swami:
continues.....
Before Sri Ramanasramam took over the care of Virupaksha Cave, where Sri Bhagavan had stayed for seventeen years, he designed and supervised the construction of a new roof and entry for the place. He also took responsibility for Mulaipal Tirtham, the sacred oasis frequented by all the sadhus on the Hill. He organized funds, supervised the cleaning and in parts, reconstructed with new stones, this major source of water for many of the sadhus of the Hill.
Apart from these activities, which made good use of his strong lion-like constitution, he continued to study Vedantic writings, Puranas relating to the holy places of South India and particularly Sri Ramana's writings. He had a fine intellect and would enjoy discussions on spiritual subjects with other resident swamis who became his friends. His way of communication was very direct, sometimes causing offence when he only meant to be humorous. He was fond of walking around Arunachala, either alone in silence or discussing fine points of spiritual teachings with a companion. His reputation as an expounder of Vedanta became known and quite a few Westerners visiting Tiruvannamalai would regularly find their way to his door.
He lived most simply and kept his abode clean and neat. Inside the hut, there was a higher level to the left of the door, which created a platform where he would sit during the day and sleep at night. He sat just inside the door, his back supported by a wooden plank propped against the wall with a steep angle. Within reach, he kept a note book and three or four books, some stationery for writing letters, a black and a red pen and a ruler. His writing was extremely neat in Tamizh and in English and he would rule the page with red ink, creating a neat form. Also within reach was a kerosene lantern, which would light in the
evenings. At the lower level, covered only by a thatch, was a place for bathing and washing vegetables and cooking utensils. A single kerosene stove was used for cooking. Nearby a solid timber chest, in which were kept any food stuffs, cloth and papers not in use. The top of he chest provided a seat for a visitor.
continued.......
The madman of Naranathu - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naranath_Bhranthan
Narikutti Swami:
continues.....
Narikutti was always dressed in white Veshti and thundu and he washed one set of clothes when taking bath and hung it dry on a rod above his bathing place. He prepared simple but tasty food for himself, rice and vegetables and fruit salads from offerings brought to him by or purchased if funds were sufficient. There were times when he survived on a pittance. He never asked for money, as his guru had instructed. Nevertheless, he was given money by local people and some Western visitors. He was thrifty, but frequently helped others out with money or good at his disposal. He would serve visitors making tea or food himself saying, 'In this house, I am the housewife. I am in charge here.' In one of his note books he had written a Sanskrit word related to his name which translated as "living in one's own house, free, independent'. This was very important to him, a source of pride and strength.
Narikutti's health was not always good during these times. The climate was hard on him and, as the years, went by, he suffered from a number of maladies, developing trouble with his liver and intestines. His once powerful body began to show signs of deterioration and weakness despite the various medicines he took.
His life on the Mountain was not always peaceful and quiet. One day, thieves broke into his hut while he was at home. They clubbed him brutally and turned everything upside down, in search of money or valuables, which they were disappointed not to find. This episode caused Narikutti much anguish. With his deteriorating health and difficulty in climbing up and down from the Hill, with deep regret, he was forced to move down from the Hill and was kindly given a room in Seshadri Ashram.
continued.....
Narikutti Swami:
continues......
At this time, he decided to make a journey to Australia as friends had suggested that a few months' rest in Australia could be very beneficial to his extremely poor health. He accepted this advice with the certainty that he would always return to India. Many years earlier he had been told by a Sri Lankan astrologer that he would make one journey to his homeland before he died. He believed implicitly what was foretold in that horoscope. After an absence of over forty years, he returned to the land of his birth and stayed with various friends and, in particular, stayed at the Hill of Fire Sanctuary in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales (founded by Kamala Devi, the author of this article).
After some months, he returned to Mother India but, the next few months were difficult for Narikuttia as his health was failing and he was becoming quiet week. He suffered from serious bile attacks and one morning his cleaning servant arrived to find him sitting in the entrance of his house, breathing with difficulty, and very low indeed. He asked her to go and bring the doctor. But before the doctor could come, while he was alone, and sitting up straight, he ceased to breathe. He left his body as he lived. Alone in the knowledge of his own strength to fearlessly face whatever life had to offer.
He had asked for his body to be cremated so this was arranged and carried out on the same day he was found: 15th September 1994.
Narikutti Swami who came to Arunachlaa full of fire of tapas was absorbed into Arunachala. He touched many by the example, of his firm discipline and the whole hearted, simple life of dedication and surrender to his Guru.
concluded.
The Significance of Pradakshina:
N.A. Mohan Rao:
(Oct.-Dec. 2008, Mountain Path:)
The Tradition of Pradakshina:
Pradakshina is an age-old devotional practice associated largely with temple visits. Before the devotees enter the inner shrine that houses the deity, they go round the shrine as a token of their reverence and self surrender. This is called Pradakshina or circumambulation.
The purpose of Pradakhsina is to afford the devotee some time to halt his flow of worldly thoughts, and bring out into his surface-consciousness his deep seated feelings of devotion, before he comes face-to-face with the deity. Sometimes, to achieve this he may take to japa of the deity's name in a low tone or silently within himself. Having gone through such preparation, he is usually rewarded by a rapturous communion with the divine at the time of darshan.
Pradakshina is practiced around other holy objects too -- such as a mahatma's samadhi, a basil (tulsi) plant in the household, etc., Pradakshina around Arunachala (Tiruvannamalai), Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash (the Himalayas), and Mount Govardhan (Brindavan) are well known. Hindu marriages are often sanctified by Pradakshina by the bridal couple around a fire. In the conduct of Yajnas, Pradakshina of the sacrificial fire forms are an integral part of the proceedings.
In all such Pradakshina, the devotees follow the clockwise direction i.e. they move round keeping their right side towards the object of devotion. The number of circumambulation is left to the choice of the devotee. But generally an odd number is preferred, one, three, eleven being common. A devotee may sometimes undertake a fairly large number, say 108, for a specific purpose e.g. seeking fulfillment of a wish, acknowledging fulfillment of a wish, or in token of penance and self purification.
The clock wise direction is referred to as the savya (or proper) direction. It is followed on auspicious occasions. When the occasion is inauspicious the Pradakshina is done anti clockwise (apasavya) or improper) direction e.g. around the funeral pyre while conducting the last rites.
When the pradakshina route is long, such as that around the a hill, the constant remembrance of the deity, with or without japa, becomes identified with meditation. On such occasions, there is no binding rule that the pradakshina should be non stop. And the devotee may take as many rests in between as he feels like.
continued......
The Significance of Pradakshina:
(continues....)
Esoteric Significance of Pradakshina:
Pradakshina is basically viewed as a practice pertaining to the dvaita tradition (or bhakti or devotion). So it comes to us somewhat as a surprise when Sri Bhagavan chooses to refer to it in Advaitic terms. (Devaraja Mudaliar, Day by Day, entry dated 15.4.1946, Morning.).
'After all, the proper Pradakshina is going round the Self, or more accurately, to realize that we are the Self and that within us all the countless spheres revolve, going round and round."
We normally tend to take such remarks of Sri Bhagavan in a broad philosophical or figurative sense. We come to realize that there is something more to it than what appears on the surface. We shall try to delve into this other meaning taking the illustrative case of a temple visit.
Consider the Pradakshina by a devotee around the inner shrine of a temple. For easy comprehension, let us suppose that the Pradakshina is to be in the clock wise direction, he stands with his right shoulder towards the deity i.e. himself facing south. He moves straight to the end of the pradakshina path in this direction, and then turns to his right. He will then be facing west. He goes to the end in that direction, and again turns right. He will then face north. He continues thus with the remaining stretch of the path, taking two more right turns before he returns to the starting point at the entrance.
We see thus that in the course of the pradakshina, the devotee takes four right turns. It means he has turned round himself once, as he would have f he had taken those four turns, standing still at a place! Since the Self is felt to be inside the body, this would mean he has done pradakshina round the Self, i.e an Atma Pradakshina or Self circumabulation. (Suri Nagamma, Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, dated 19.8.1946.)O.
The fact that he was on the move during the pradakshina does not make a difference. As a matter of fact, even when we do Atma Pradakshina apparently standing still, we are actually not stationary by moving in space along with the earth as it moves round the Sun and round itself. Just was we raise no objection in accepting it as Atma Pradakshina, we should have no objection in accepting the 'walking pradakshina' too as Atma Pradakshina.
continued......
The Significance of Pradakshina:
continues.....
We have assumed here that the pradakshina path is rectangular. But the same thing applies even when it is of some other regular or irregular shape. Because, in tracing it the devotees would be turning all the time to his right, till he comes to face the starting
direction, and in that process he completes a circumambulation round himself. Thus, any customary pradakshina involves an Atma Pradakshina, which in Sri Bhagavan's terms is 'the proper pradakshina' (see quote above).
We see here harmonization of two points of view: dvaita and advaita.
From the dvaita standpoint, the object of pradakshina is held to be outside - say inside the shrine. From the advaita standpoint, the object is held to be within onself as one's own Self. That Sri Bhagavan commends the latter view here admits of a delightful explanation as follows: (Adapted from Talks No. 212.).
When one wants to do pradakshina round God, who is actually unmanifest, the 'best' way is to round the entire universe. (Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, dated 15.4.1946, as per a dialogue quoted from the Ribhu Gita). Since such a pradakshina is not practically feasible, one may consider the alternative of going round Arunachala, which Sri Bhagavan says has the same merit as going round the world. (Sri Bhagavan could as well have said that since, according to the legend, Isvara Himself manifested as Arunachala, a pradakshina round Arunachala is pradakshina round God. But His aim
here is to bring the focus gradually to Atma Pradakshina.).
Simpler than that is to circumambulate the Arunachaleswara temple. The Atma Pradaskhina is even more simple, and yet confers the same benefit, since the Self includes 'all'.
continued....
Dasashloki - By Shankaracharya.
Source: Shaivam.org
na bhuumirna toyaM na tejo na vaayuH
na khaM nendriyaM vaa na teshhaaM samuuhaH .
anekaantikatvaat.h sushhuptyekasiddaH
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 1..
"I am not the Earth nor Water, neither Fire nor Air, I am not space. Neither am I any of the Faculties nor am I their aggregrate. [I am not any of these] as they are all uncertain. I am proved however in the sole experience of deep sleep. That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Only One, am I."
na varNaa na varNaashramaachaaradharmaa
na me dhaaraNaadhyaanayogaadayopi .
anaatmaashrayaahaMmamaadhyaasahaanaat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 2..
"The castes are not for me, nor the observances and duties attached to the castes and the stages of life. Even the steadying of the mind, concentration, self-communion and other courses are not for me. For the mistaken senses of I and MINE which rested on the Non-Self have been abondoned. That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
na maataa pitaa vaa na devaa na lokaa
na vedaa na yaGYA na tiirtha bruvanti .
sushhaptau nirastaatishuunyaatmakatvaat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 3..
"There is no mother nor father; no gods nor regions of experience; no scriptures nor sacrifical sites; and no sacred place-so say the Sages. For, in the state of deep sleep, all these are negatived and that state is completely devoid(of any object of perception) That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
continued...
na saakhyaM na shaivaM na tatpaaJNcharaatraM
na jainaM na miimaaMsakaadermataM vaa .
vishishhTaanubhuutyaa vishuddhaatmakatvaat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 4..
"There is no Sankhya nor Saiva, nor that Pancharatra nor Jaina. The conception of the Mimamsaka and others does not exist. For, through the direct realisation of what is qualified, the Self is known as of the nature of the Absolutely Pure. That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
na chordhva na chaadho na chaantarna baahyaM
na madhyaM na tirya.N na puurvaa.aparaa dik.h .
viyad.hvyaapakatvaadakhaNDaikaruupaH
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 5..
"There is neither above nor below, neither inside nor outside, no middle nor crosswise, no direction, east or west. For it is all-pervasive like space. It is partless and homogeneous in its nature. That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
na shuklaM na kR^ishhNaM na raktaM na piitaM
na kubjaM na piinaM na hrasvaM na diirgham.h .
aruupaM tathaa jyotiraakaarakatvaat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 6..
"It is neither white nor black, neither red nor yellow, neither dwarfish nor stout, neither short nor long. As it is of the nature of light, it is shapeless also. That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
Continued...
na shaastaa na shaastraM na shishhyo na shikshaa
na cha tvaM na chaahaM na chaayaM prapaJNchaH .
svaruupaavabodho vikalpaasahishhNuH
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 7..
"There is no ruler nor rule, no pupil nor training. There is no YOU nor I. This universe is not. For the realistion of the true nature of the Self does not tolerate any distincion. That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
na jaagran.h na me svapnako vaa sushhuptiH
na vishvau na vaa taijasaH praaGYako vaa .
avidyaatmakatvaat.h trayaaNaM turiiyaH
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 8..
"There is no waking state for me nor dream or deep sleep. I am not Visva[the Self identified with the experiencer of the waking state], nor Taijasa[identified with dream state], nor Prajna[identified with deep sleep]. I am really the Fourth(Turiya). That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
api vyaapakatvaat.h hitatvaprayogaat.h
svataH siddhabhaavaadananyaashrayatvaat.h .
jagat.h tuchchhametat.h samastaM tadanyat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 9..
"All this universe which is other than the Self is worthless(having no existence of its own) for it is well known that the Self is all pervasive, recognised as the reality and that its existence is self-proven and does not depend upon anything else. That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
na chaikaM tadanyad.h dvitiiyaM kutaH syaat.h
na kevalatvaM na chaa.akevalatvam.h .
na shunyaM na chaashuunyamadvaitakatvaat.h
kathaM sarvavedaantasiddhaM braviimi .. 10..
"It is not one, for how can there be a second distinct from it? Aloneness cannot be attributed to it nor even not-aloneness. It is neither a void nor a non-void. When it does not admit of a second entity, in what manner can I speak about it though it is established by all the Upanishads.?"
.. iti shriimad.h sha.nkaraachaaryavirachitaM dashashlokii samaaptaM ..
Concluded.
The Significance of Pradakshina:
continues.....
On a more absolutist note, Sri Bhagavan defines Atma Pradakshina thus: "..the ego which goes round like a whirlwind must get destroyed, and must get absorbed in Atma. That is Atma Pradkashina." (Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, dated 19.8.1946).
Quoting from the Ribhu Gita, He says: 'I remain fixed wheres innumerable universes becoming concepts within my mind, rotate, within me,. This meditation is the highest circuit (pradakshina.)'
(Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, 212. The fact that Sri Bhagavan thought it fit to repeat this quotation ten year later in Day by Day, entry dated 15.4.1946 shows the importance He attaches to this concept, which is attributed originally to Sri Sankara.).
Arunachala Pradakshina:
Sri Bhagavan, as a true Master, tailored His teachings to suit his visitors with different levels of maturity. But He always topped them with pronouncements of the highest advaitic import. This is because, He wants us to keep that lofty goal ever within our sight, even as we walk the plain grounds of day to day sadhana. The aforesaid remarks of His on pradakshina fall into this context. While hardline followers of Jnana might embrace them heartily, the others who constitute the vast majority may look for greater comfort from the Master's views on conventional pradakshina which are not 'condemned.' (Day by Day, entry dated 15.4.1946).
Among conventional pradakshinas, Sri Bhagavan assigns a special place of importance to pradakshina round the Arunachala Hill. He not only endorsed and encouraged this 'giri-pradakshina' strongly, but set an example by undertaking it Himself at frequent intervals, till 1926.
He was usually joined on these circuits by a large number of devotees and enthusiasts. He held that as the legend says, Arunachala is Siva's manifestation. He often referred to it unequivocally as his Guru. (AAMM 19). The very name of the Hill arises from Aruna for 'red' with connotations of 'fire', 'light' and 'knowledge' and achala for hill, non moving. It is thus the Hill of Jnana, the Self, the veritable spiritual center of the world.
Sri Bhagavan describes the greatness of giri pradakshina in glowing terms thus: 'To go round this Hill is good. the word pradakshina has a typical meaning. The letter 'Pra' stands for removal of all kinds of sins; 'da' stands for for fulfilling the desires; 'kshi' stands for freedom from future births; 'na' stands for giving deliverance through Jnana.
....One should go round either in mounam (silence) or Dhyana (meditation) or Japa (repetition of Lord's name) or Sankeertana (bhajans) and thereby think of God all the time. One should walk slowly like a woman who is in the ninth month of pregnancy.....
Really, it is difficult to describe the pleasure and the happiness one gets by this pradakshina. The body gets tired, the sense organs lose their strength and all the activities of the body become absorbed within. It is possible thus to forget oneself and get into a state of meditation. As one continues to walk, the body automatically gets harmonized as in the Asana state. The body therefore becomes improved in health. Besides this, there are several varieties of herbs on the Hill. The air that passes over those herbs is good for the lungs.....
continued......
The Significance of Pradakshina:
continues.....
"It used to be very interesting during those days when we were going for Pradakshina. We started whenever we felt it especially if there was any festival day; we used to halt whenever we felt it was late or we were tired, cook for ourselves, and eat. There was no anxiety whatsoever as there was no stipulation that we should stop at any particular place.
...(You become absorbed in your Atma by walking with no other thought than that of God.)....The body becomes light and it walks of its own accord. There will not be the feeling that we are walking. The Dhyana that you cannot get into while sitting, you get it automatically if you go for pradakshina. The place and the atmosphere there are like that. However unable a person is to walk, if he once goes round the Hill, he will feel like going again and again. The more you go, the more enthusiasm for it. It never decreases.....(Letters from Sri Ramnanasamam, 26.6.1949; further readings on pradakshina as practiced in Sri Bhagavan's times may be had from Self Realization, by B.V. Narasimha Swami. ch. XXIII.
Devaraja Mudaliar recalls that even close disciples of Sri Bhagavan, who were expected to be strongly aligned to advaita, went on pradakshina regularly and realized is virtues as extolled by Sri Bhagavan. (Portions of this and the next para are based on the an excellent online article at http://www.davidgodman.org/asaints/powerofa2.shtml#bk2).
Sri Muruganar even reported his going into Samadhi while going round the Hill. Nagamma, the lady-
chronicler of Sri Bhagavan, used to go on the pradakshina all alone without any fear even in pre dawn darkness. Tuesdays are generally believed to be auspicious for this pradakshina. Going barefoot is the norm.
Pradakshina around Arunachala is said to automatically turn one's mind inward, cause steady destruction of Vasanas and finally burn away the mind, as surely as fire drives away moisture from a block of damp wood, and then ignites and burns it. This internal purification, proceeds unknown to the devotee, even when the pradakshina is undertaken without faith in it. All this makes us wonder if Sri Bhagavan has Himself invested remarkable power in this
giri-pradakshina as a lasting benediction to humanity. Therein perhaps lies its extraordinary significance.
concluded.
Sonagiri,
Thank you for the post on Sri Sankara's Dasasloki.
A doubt :
Is the Dasasloki what Sri Sankara answered when his Guru Sri Govinda asked him "Who are you" on their first meeting ?
Thank you,
shiv
Hollowed By Shiva:
Ana Callan Ram"
(April-June 2011, Mountain Path:
Holy Mountain is eating my face
from the inside, peeling its layers
clean away until what is left
is luxurious, unmoving space.
until the quiet inside
is all heart overflowing
soft as snow and still
growing until it consumes
the whole world, thought,
emotion useless now
in its thrall. Once
there was an image
of me, a grand, trumped
up story, and now there
is only That, love's
seamless sanctuary.
******
Grace:
Ana Callan Ram:
(October-December 2010):
For years,
Ramana sat yielding
to the flow of God,
unyielding to the forces
of the world that come
and go
so when his family arrived
to take him home.
He said,
I AM ALREADY HOME
not in words or action
but by sitting like
His Mountain Lord,
immovable and strong
until His family let go
of holding on
and they sat together
glorying in the forgotten
and true familiar face of God.
******
Arunachala Siva:
Ana Callan Ram:
(July -Sept. 2010, Mountain Path:
He first heard a line
in His head as He woke,
but kept going. Next
day, it still spoke
but now louder,
almost a song
swirling inside Him
So as He strolled
He wove a garland
sweet hymns of Heaven
for His Master,
the chorus of which
would ring through
Tiruvannamalai,
and years later,
that refrain He would hear
singing back to Him
through the door
as He lay on His death bed,
only hours left of His breath
enchanting the air,
and He wept in joy
as He drank the tune He had given
now coming back for Him
on the wind
on the Hill
on the lungs
of all who loved Him.
*****
Shiv,
Yes. This was Shankaracharya's answer to his Guru's question when he met him at the age of 8 yrs. There is also another shloka attributed to this incident as well(Nirvana Shatakam) which is simpler but with similar meanings. Both are beautiful.
Giri
Dear sonagiri,
When Sri Sankara was just 8 years old, he went to Narmada Valley to meet his guru Govindbhagavdpada.
When the latter asked: Who are you?
Sri Sankara replied in verses and that poem is Dasa Sloki. It is available as a small booklet in
Sri Ramakrishna Math.
****
Kummi Pattu:
Today is Saturday. The devotees will
be singing Sri Ramana Stuti Panchakam of Sri Satyamangalam Venkaramana Iyer as evening Parayana. In one of the songs, Kummi Pattu (second song) Iyer says in Verse 8:
Holding the individual self (Jiva) and the Supreme Self, uniting them, he lost his individuality. He remains as the Supreme Being, the ripe fruit.
One cannot express the Jivan Mukta
State better than this.
He was a Jiva for simple onlookers, who do not know his Jivan Mukta state. But for other Jnanis and mature seekers, he was the Supreme Self talking and doing daily work.
******
Subramanian,
"He was a Jiva for simple onlookers, who do not know his Jivan Mukta state. But for other Jnanis and mature seekers, he was the Supreme Self talking and doing daily work"
I take this verse to mean that Sri Bhagavan was intensely Human and personification of all noble qualities and at the same time The supreme Being as well.
Namaskar.
On Not Living Through Concepts:
Mukesh Eswaran:
(April - June 2008, Mountain Path:)
The greatest spiritual traditions of the world appear to prescribe rules to live by that are mutually conflicting. Judaism and Islam prohibit idol worship, for example, whereas Hinduism not only tolerates it but also finds no reason to discourage it. A sincere devotee of God who seeks to find common ground between the various traditions may well be confused by the apparent contradictions in the rules they lady down for seekers of Truth. The testimonies of the greatest sages and saints unanimously state that God is One. And since there have been enlightened sages in all the different religious traditions, we can infer that these traditions are merely alternative paths by which we may arrive at the first hand knowledge of Truth. None of them can legitimately claim to be the sole means to Self Realization. Nor can they actually be contradictory in any fundamental sense. When reduced to their bare essentials, they must share a common essence that constitutes their heart, their core teaching. If we grasp this core teaching, we can feel assured that it will surely lead us to God.
What is that essence? What is the core concept that is common to Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Zen Buddhism - the list is not exhaustive -- and which takes us to the threshold of
Truth? If we identify this, we can seek Truth in a truly non-doctrinaire manner for we will have embraced the spirit of every religious tradition but the dogma of none. (Recall St. Paul's maxim: 'The letter kills; the spirit keeps alive.' (2Corinthians, 3:6).
continued....
On Not Living Through Concepts:
continues....
This core injunction seems to be: REFRAIN FROM LIVING THROUGH CONCEPTS.
The purpose of this essay is to argue that this constitutes the essence of spirituality and that this principle, if sincerely implemented in a spiritual aspirant's life, will lead him or her to Truth. We shall then also see why Sri Ramana Maharshi's favorite prescription, self-inquiry (vichara), in such a powerful method for approaching Truth.
To start at the beginning, what exactly do we mean by a concept? A concept is an idea, a mental construct, an object conceived by thought. A concept, in other words, is either a thought or a product of thought. When the word 'bus' is mentioned our minds conjure up what is obviously not a real bus but a visual image of one. That is, our minds serve up a visual concept when we hear the word. Concepts can be very functional - they are useful aids to us in going about our daily lives. The image of a bus, for example, may remind us that we should hurry up and get ready or else we will miss the bus that takes us to work on time. The innumerable concepts that have been conceived of in the arts, the humanities, and the sciences are powerful means by which we make sense of, and navigate, the world around us. Conceptual thought would not have evolved in Nature were it not so useful in enhancing our survival in a harsh world.
But thought, unfortunately, has also made possible the creation of an artificial, conceptual world - one that rivals the real world for our attention. We spend much of our time dwelling on the past and on the future, though only the present truly exists. The past and the future are unreal -- they exist in our minds. As Sri Ramana Maharshi said, 'There is neither past nor future. There is only the present. Yesterday was the present to you when you experienced it, and tomorrow will also be the present, when you experience it. Therefore, experience takes place only in the present, and beyond experience nothing exists. (Quoted by David Godman, Be As You Are: The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi, Chapter 18.). That is, we are merely invoking concepts in the present while pondering the past or future. When engaged in this manner we see objects as they once existed or as we imagine they will exist, but not as they actually are at this moment. To see things as they are now, we do not need to think; we only need to be aware in the present moment.
Thinking, then, can be an escape from the real world into a conceptual world. While thinking, we abandon the real world for an imaginary one, that we CREATE.
continued.....
ON NOT LIVING THROUGH CONCEPTS:
continues....
Unfortunately, the temptation to live in our own conceptual world is very strong, as shown by the amount of time we spend thinking when there is no need to. There is something seductive about thoughts. They capture our attention without us even so much as noticing it. As a result, everybody engages in this habit almost compulsively. Now God is That Which Is (that is, Truth or Reality) and, therefore, can be known only in the present moment. If we believe that Krishna or Christ or Buddha is a special avatar of God we should seek to know him 'in the present', not merely in his historical context. If we indulge in thoughts when we are not required to, we are not attending to the present moment. But if God resides in the present, how can we expect to know him by absenting ourselves from the present? Knowledge of God, therefore requires us to cease dallying with thoughts and concepts.
Does this mean that we are to never use concepts, that we are never to think? Certainly not! Thinking is very useful and if the present moment calls us to think, then we should think. But the trouble is that we are usually thinking even when we are not required to. Most of our thoughts, in fact, serve no useful purpose at all - they are not functional. In this sense, thinking is usually a flight from reality - a flight from God. Our conceptual world thus becomes a serious impediment to establishing conscious awareness of God.
We now come to the issue of all the major spiritual traditions. To begin with, consider one of the most revered scriptures of Hinduism, The Bhagavad Gita. In this scripture, Krishna repeatedly exhorts Arjuna to be even minded in all circumstances. For example, he says:
Nerve thy heart to meet
As things alike to thee - pleasure
or pain,
Profit or ruin, victory or defeat.
(Ch 2, Verse 38. Edwin Arnold translation).
When we feel exultation in victory or humiliation in defeat, we are essentially reacting to concepts. We are getting away from the reality of the situation by putting a label on it like 'Victory' or 'Defeat'. In other words, we are taking an impersonal outcome and giving it an interpretation that is personal, such as, 'I have been defeated'. It is this interpretation that is our undoing. For we then react to our own interpretation and feel either exultation or humiliation. An impartial observer or one whom the concepts of winning or losing mean nothing would feel neither exultation nor humiliation because to him or her, the event does not come with the loaded labels 'Victory' or 'Defeat'. Krishna's emphatic counsel to Arjuna that he should indifferent to the victory and defeat or pleasure and pain, we see, is really an exhortation to live beyond concepts.
continued......
NOT LIVING THROUGH CONCEPTS:
continues.....
We are victims of our interpretation of outward events that, in themselves, carry no intrinsic meaning. WE give them meaning through our interpretations. When this is pointed out we might admit it, and perhaps, even grudgingly agree that we are victims of the concept of 'Defeat' because we find humiliation unpleasant. But we might yet deny that we are victims of the concept of 'Victory'. If so, we delude ourselves. Krishna frequently refers to the 'twin dualities' (as he terms them) of victory and defeat, honor and dishonor, heat and cold, etc., These concepts necessarily come in pairs. It is impossible for us to subscribe to the concept of victory without simultaneously subscribing to the converse concept of defeat, because the one has meaning only in inevitably feel humiliation in the other. We cannot experience of the one without the other. However, if we drop both of the twin concepts, we are not victims of the outcome.
We are free.
Sengtsan, a sixth century patriarch of Zen Buddhism, also dispensed the same wisdom that Krishna emphasized:
Do not seek for the truth;
Only cease to cherish opinions. (Verses on the Faith Mind, tr. R.B. Clarke).
In the same vein, the Greek philosopher Epictetus said: 'True instruction is this: to learn to wish that each thing should come to pass as it does. And how does it come to pass? As the Disposer has disposed it.' (The Golden Sayings of Epictetus). By cherishing opinions we put an interpretation according to our whim on what we see. By wishing for something contrary to what God disposes, we struggle to change reality into something other that what it is. God is before us as Reality, but we ignore the fact in front of our nose and embrace the fiction of our belief instead.
continued......
ON NOT LIVING THROUGH CONCEPTS:
continues......
In Islam and in Judaism, as we have noted, there is a rule, that strictly prohibits the worship of idols - something that would puzzle a devout Hindu. The rule is not often understood the way it is intended. It is usually assumed that an idol is something manmade object representing God. And since no created object can be substituted for God, the worship of idols is prohibited. Strict adherents of this rule are often misled by its intent because they interpret the letter of the law instead of its spirit (to use the words of St. Paul).
In reality, every concept is an idol -- for it is poor substitute for Reality. When people pursue honor, they are really worshipping the idol that they have made of honor. When they covet wealth, the concept of wealth is the idol they prostrate before, and so on. Idol worship, rightly interpreted, is really worship of concepts that we have put in the place of God. The greatest idol is the concept of 'I', the person we take ourselves to be. We cater to this idol day and day out, putting our whole lives at its disposal. Sri Ramana Maharshi has emphasized this particular concept (I-thought) is the source of all others, and that is why He proposed a technique to destroy it. Idol worship (in the inclusive sense described here) is disastrous because it clouds the presence of God, who is beyond concepts.
It is for this reason, that the scriptures in Hinduism and Buddhism urge seekers of Truth to become desireless. Krishna repeatedly tells Arjuna that enlightened sages (stithaprajnas) are completely desireless. Buddha identified desire as the cause of all sorrow. Being desireless, means being free from the tyranny of concepts. For to have a preference for victory over defeat, as we have seen, is to remain a captive of of both concepts. Preferences keep us mired in the world of illusion because they keep us straining for what we desire and rejecting what actually exists in the present moment.
The ban on idol worship in Islam and Judaism is really a dictum to cease idolizing concepts, for they are empty substitutes for God. The important point to note, however, is that we may put away images, statues, and paintings of our conceptions of God, but unless we firmly renounce our continual homage to concepts (especially the 'I') we remain idol worshippers.
continued.......
ON NOT LIVING THROUGH CONCEPTS:
continues......
Hinduism finds idol worship perfectly compatible with the worship of God because here the image of God (be it Ganesa or Kali or Siva) is seen not as a 'substitute' for God but merely as a reminder to God. It was thus that Sri Ramakrishna, by ardently worshipping the image of Goddess Kali, achieved enlightenment. This underlines the fact that the efficacy of any spiritual practice depends on the intention or spirit with which it is done; merely performing it mechanically counts for nothing.
One might object to the claim made in this essay that the precept of not living through concepts is the common essence of all the major spiritual traditions. One might, indeed, reasonably say, 'Is not surrender the last word in spirituality and, therefore, central to all traditions?' In fact, Krishna closes the Bhagavad Gita with the declaration that surrender is the highest yoga. The Bible and the Koran consider surrender to God as our highest duty. How can one reconcile this with the claim made in this essay?
It is indeed the case that surrender is the last word of all true spirituality. But the purpose of this essay is to identify the COMMON ESSENCE of all the major spiritual traditions. In Buddhism and Zen Buddhism there is not much talk of surrender (because there is no mention of God), and yet there are countless enlightened sages in those traditions too. Can we reconcile this with the pivotal role given to surrender in Self Realization?
We can. The abandonment of concepts and thoughts takes one to the same place that surrender does. In fact, we cannot truly surrender to God unless we have first surrendered our reliance on concepts. This is why in the Bhagavad Gita Krishna tirelessly harps on tnhe point of an enlightened sage is beyond dualtiies. This important lesson can also be gleaned from the life of Sri Ramakrishna.
continued......
ON NOT LIVING THROUGH CONCEPTS:
continues.....
Recalling his days of Sadhana, he once told his devotees, 'Taking flowers in my hand, I used to say to the Divine Mother, - Mother, here is Your sin and here Your Holy Deeds. I want neither. Pray grant me pure love and devotion. Here is Your good and here Your evil. I want neither good nor evil. Pray grant me pure love and devotion..... (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, recorded by Mahendranath Gupta, V. 3, Sec. XVIII, Ch. 2).
In his characteristically childlike - but highly original and effective - way, the sage broke free from the hold of concepts. He handed them over to Kali. With his peculiar genius, he had instinctively zeroed in on the same profound insight as the medieval English mystic who emphatically declared: 'By love He may be known and held, but by thinking never.' (The Cloud of Unknowing).
The book of Job in the Old Testament provides a deeply touching story of a man of faith. Job was visited by the worst sorts of physical afflictions that covered his body from head to toe with sores. His relatives and close friends, rather than being sources of solace during his time of trouble, taunted him instead and attributed his afflictions to divine retribution for his sins. But even in his moment of greatest trial, when overwhelmed by physical suffering, Job's response to his plight was: 'Shall we receive good from the hand of god and shall we not receive adversity?' (Job, 2.10). This degree of detachment from the twin dualities of pleasure and pain reveals Job as one of the holiest people chronicled in the Bible.
Sri Ramana Maharshi pointed to the necessity of relinquishing concepts when He said, 'There will come a time, when one will have to forget all that one has learned.' (Who am I?). In the final analysis, what we learn are only concepts. But concepts are merely thoughts and, as long as we live through thoughts, we are frittering away our lives in an illusory world of our own creation. Sri Ramana's technique of self-inquiry for arresting thoughts is well known. By persistently asking ourselves 'Who am I?', we are forced to abandon our fictitious worlds to remain with the real one. Self inquiry releases us from the compulsive habit of conceptualization by first ensuring that we always remain in 'the here and now', and then dissolving the very concept of self (I-thought). With one stroke it demolishes all our assumptions, mental constructions, beliefs, conjectures, theories, and fantasies. Self inquiry thus brings us to the surrender of concepts.
continued......
ON NOT LIVING THROUGH CONCEPTS:
continues......
In Zen Buddhist practice, aspirants are asked to relentlessly work on a problem (koan) that is not solvable by the conceptual mind. One such koan is Who am I? The koan neutralizes the thinking process by tying up in knots. After struggling with the koan, the aspirant's (egoistic_ mind finally give up. This surrender of the ego results in enlightenment. In the Theravada Buddhist practice of mindfulness (vipasana meditation), one is required to observe all that transpires in one's inner world with detachment and without converting what is witnessed into concepts. In the end, the ego collapses for want of a role to play. So in Theravada Buddhism and Zen Buddhism, too, -- though they make no explicit reference to surrender -- enlightenment is the outcome of the ego's surrender. But this surrender is forced by requiring the aspirant to abandon all concepts.
concluded.
subramanian,
"In Zen Buddhist practice, aspirants are asked to relentlessly work on a problem (koan) that is not solvable by the conceptual mind. One such koan is Who am I?"
?
Namaskar.
Dear Raviji and Friends,
I have come with a RoughCut of why the regulars hang on to these posts.The real ones take the message and get out and get on with themselves.The various ways Ego diguises itself in various degrees and at various maturity levels.This needs improvement and refinement and it is only a roughcut.
A)When we want a friend to see a movie that we have already seen we re-relish the discovery
through him.Similarily some postings here fall in that category.
B)The itch to show off our accumulated learning.As audience becomes surprised/awed at us we relish it thru him(audience).
C)The more Fundamentalist the more the itch.
We need an enemy to oppose our findings.
Just like when you smell perfume you take it away from your nose every now and then and
bring it back to relish the smell.So if you dont
find opposition here(Buddha etc) you will soon become bored and move on to where opposition is. This is also the reason why even some Ripe Souls like to be born as Crusaders,Activists etc.
D)We also argue when we are not sure of our own beliefs(We need a Prop)
E)We want praise/Attention for the good findings we made
Like All(I mean ALL) one needs praise(Ego Validation),Attention to wet one's Ego.
Praise and Attention is the basic nutriment of Ego.Without it it will die.When one dont get
enough of it it will become jealous.
(To quote UG To be boring is the most difficult thing in the world)
F)Alter Ego:You like Sri Ramakrishna becuase he is your alter Ego as he is a simple, childlike unassuming village man
who doesn not show off his greatness,learning(intellect,wisdom etc).
G)Spiritual Entertainment:Like people look at News,Political blogs etc this our Entertainment.
H)Habit.
Please feel free to add more or refine or correct.
The idea is not to stop but be mindful of it and smile at it.Solutions will come from.It will die it's own natural death.
Any idea why Venkatesananda asked readers of his book, the English translation of Yoga Vasishta to read just one page a day?365 pages will take one year.I doubt if anyone will follow it.Cud this be the solution to my recetn post?Read this blog just once a day, week?
I have some idea of the wisdom behind that advise but what do u folks think about it?
Zee/Friends
Our mind works only by searching for trends in experiences, a common denominator. A person is considered a genius when he is able to identify a common thread which can be extrapolated to other areas. This is how science, maths and other knowledge based activities works. And this has greatly helped man in many ways. The mistake we make in our living is that we seek the 'common thread' is our experiences and try to extrapolate them when we face similar experiences. So, our reference point becomes the mind and not our experience. The consequence of this is that we fear the 'unknown', not venture into anything new. This is because mind is given predominance while deciding on one's reaction rather than act as per the given situation. Sri Ramana is right in saying that we should ignore this mind since this is not knowledge. It is best not to apply our mind to take care of our daily life. Zee has tried to analyse the reason for why we end up posting in the blog. Again, this is mind which is working. How will it matter if one posts out of ego or as a seeker? The same mistake is being made by the author of "on not living through concepts" by seeking a common thread among all religion.
Thought a good article by Bhikku Thanissaro:
I once had a dream that depicted the sensual realm as nothing more than two types of people: dreamers and criminals. Some people sit around dreaming about what they'd like, while others decide that they won't take no for an answer, they're going to get what they want even if they have to get violent. It's a very unpleasant world to be in. That's the way the sensual realm really is, but we tend to forget because we're so wrapped up in our dreams, wrapped up in our desires, that we don't look at the reality of what we do in the process of our dreaming, what we do in the process of trying to get what we want.
http://media.audiodharma.org/documents/paramis/VowsTB.html
zee,
I am not sure of your Rough cut:-)
Some of the ideas,I find interesting,like when you talk of lack of opposition leading to boredom!
It recalls to me the tale that Sri Ramakrishna narrated:
THE PANDIT WHO COULD NOT SWIM
Once, several men were crossing the Ganges in a
boat. One of them, a pandit, was making a great
display of his erudition, saying that he had studied
various books—the Vedas, the Vedanta, and the
six systems of philosophy. He asked a fellow
passenger, "Do you know the Vedanta?" "No,
revered sir." "The Samkhya and the Patanjala?"
"No, revered sir." "Have you read no philosophy
whatsoever?" "No, revered sir." The pandit was
talking in this vain way and the passenger sitting in
silence when a great storm arose and the boat was
about to sink. The passenger said to the pandit,
"Sir, can you swim?" "No", replied the pandit. The
passenger said, "1 don't know Samkhya or the
Patanjala, but I can swim."
What will a man gain by knowing many scriptures?
The one thing needful is to know how to cross the
river of the world. God alone is real, and all else is
illusory".
continued...
zee,
With Regard to the following:
We also argue when we are not sure of our own beliefs(We need a Prop)
Yes and No.It Depends on the participants.If we go by what you say,even Buddha and sankara also argued,whether the arguement is long or short depends on the subject matter and understanding of each other's position.
Sometimes,amusingly I have found both the sides talking the same thing but are continuing the Arguement because they thinkthat the other side is differeing!
You are also right,that many a time the arguement is a ruse to hold onto pet beliefs,likes and dislikes.
E)We want praise/Attention for the good findings we made
Like All(I mean ALL) one needs praise(Ego Validation),Attention to whet one's Ego.
Praise and Attention is the basic nutriment of Ego.Without it it will die.When one dont get
enough of it it will become jealous.
(To quote UG To be boring is the most difficult thing in the world)
Possibly ,you are right;it again depends on the person.A Genuine seeker may not at all like the attention or publicity and may well be uncomfortable with it.
F)Alter Ego:You like Sri Ramakrishna becuase he is your alter Ego as he is a simple, childlike unassuming village man
who doesn not show off his greatness,learning(intellect,wisdom etc).
I have narrated the story of Sri Ramakrishna,and till date I have not come across a single person who does not relish this story.Is He only a simple childlike Villager?:-)Ofcourse you are also adding that he is wise and intelligent(and this should clearly tell you that he is not my alter ego!).Fact is that most people like him and this means that the quality adored is universal:-)What do we think of his sadhana,with none to guide and only his zeal and natural zest for Truth?What do we think of his uncompromising attitude towards the pining for and subsequent discovery of the Existence of the Divine,as the Divine Mother?What tremendous spirit and dominant will?Incredible.....No,let me not go into this:-)What to speak of his communication ability?Reading of the needs of the seekers?...With all this,so utterly accessible!Enough.I hate this simpleton:-)
G)Spiritual Entertainment:Like people look at News,Political blogs etc this our Entertainment.
Not at all sure of this.Depends on the person.
H)Habit.
Possibly yes.
I will add this one sure thing:No one expects to achieve self Realization through Browsing:
Perhaps alan Jacob,in his artcle posted by subramanian ,talked about how many seekers shared their experience of 'Who am I',and this comes to as close to as it can possibly get:-)
Namaskar.
I was attracted with the quote here, to this discussion,
- (To quote UG To be boring is the most difficult thing in the world)
What is more intriguing for me, is passing off the coming moment. The moment doesn't end at all, it is endless, infinite. Unable to Just Be, remain bored? why are we resisting boredom? Mind strives to keep itself occupied, perhaps with a sense of awareness as well, since it knows no answer.
Nagaraj
Yes Ravi those are specific which I qualified at the beginning.
Too heavy Nagaraj.
Sonagiri I didn't get u.
Zee,
"Any idea why Venkatesananda asked readers of his book, the English translation of Yoga Vasishta to read just one page a day?365 pages will take one year.I doubt if anyone will follow it.Cud this be the solution to my recetn post?Read this blog just once a day, week?"
This is good advice on account of the nature of subject matter.I recall how AchArya VinobA used to take up only 1 verse of Gita for contemplation of that day.I read somewhere that he used to take recourse to this approach-Just read one sloka and contemplate the meaning!Not to finish it off like a novel at one stretch.
Yet,when I read biographies,I just read large portions at a time.
However when it comes to reading The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna,We may read the whole of a chapter.It can be so easy to read,yet the subject matter may be contemplated in a deep way.
I think it depends on what the objective is-Is it to Study the subject?Or is it to just read and let the thing percolate in an unobtrusive way.I find that the second way is equally valid and perhaps more so than the First approach.
It is like Heads I win and Tails you lose!
As to whether this method is valid for visiting Blog(!),Perhaps we should not atke what happens here too seriously as if it represents one's Living!It may reflect to some degree but may not reflect what one may otherwise be doing.
This would mean that whether one posts frequently or rarely is not going to alter who or what one is!Not posting is no reflection of maturity and wisdom and frequent posting need not be an 'Itch' as you call it!It may be,it need not be.
Namaskar.
P.S :I have not even reviewed what I have keyed,so take it as a straight from the Head(or Heart!Possibly the Left one:-)You know whose!)to the 'Thread' here.
Dear all,
I have read the following sentences in "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam".
"As you keep on trying, eventually with the ripening of the
mind and with God’s grace, the vasanas get extinguished
and efforts succeed. That is called purushakaram (human effort). How could God be expected to be favourable towards you without your striving for it?” said Bhagavan"(93,P188)
I searched 'purushakaram'in the web, but I can't find the meaning of 'effort' in the word. I searched the words of 'akaram and karam'. Would you give me some advices about this word?
Thank you
shiba,
The Word is purushAkAram meaning =purusha(man or self)+karam(doing,effort),when combined,the a is prolonged into A(aa).You may like to listen to the chant on Maharshi patanjali to hear how purushAkAram sounds.
You may wonder whether it is Human effort or Self effort.All that we call 'human effort' to begin with becomes revealed as the Divine Will when the sadhana bears fruit.
Human effort fulfills itself in purushAkAram when it metamorphs as Divine will.
Not all human endeavour can be called purushAkAram;only that which overcomes all obstacles and challenges to discover the Self(purusha)-this is PurushAkAram.
Please listen to the chant of Sri B K S IyengAr here:
http://www.yoga-cph.dk/om_eng/iyengar_patanjali_eng.html
Namaskar.
Friends,
Interesting Reminiscence of SwAmi vivekAnandA by Sister DevamAtA.
Those interested may read here:
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/reminiscences/121_sd.htm
Namaskar.
A friend shared with me these lines few days back:
The conscious mind perpetuates itself,
and we all help it to do that.
It is carried on in ramification by its own novelty.
We can always find in the conscious mind
some distraction to please us, to intrigue us,
to dominate our awareness of other states of consciousness.
~ Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
- It has been noticed that the mind loses interest quickly when it's tricks are found out :). In UG's terms it gets 'bored' :)
soorya,
Just see how Sri Ramakrishna puts it in his inimitable style:
"I have scored too many points and am therefore out of the game. (All laugh.) Do you know
the game called 'nax'? It is a game of cards, and anyone scoring above seventeen is out of
the game. Those who score fewer points-say five, seven, or ten-are clever. I have scored too
many and am out of the game."
Namaskar.
soorya,
"It has been noticed that the mind loses interest quickly when it's tricks are found out :). In UG's terms it gets 'bored' :)"
If its tricks are found,why should it be bored?Will the mind as mind continue if its tricks are found?Is not self-enquiry meant to dissolve the Tricks of the mind and see that the mind itself is a trick?
It will be more appropriate to say that the mind gets bored when it has got tired of its existing bag of tricks,and is yet to find a new one,more exciting.
Boredom when pushed to the extreme becomes ennui and is a tAmasic condition.
There is yet another extreme to which the mind can be pushed and this is disinteretedness,like Sri Rama was in his sixteenth year;how this was handled by his Guru Vasishta is the Story of how the YOga vAsishtam was born.
UG's boredom-unless I know the context,will not be in a position to assess what he meant,so cannot comment.
Namaskar.
Ravi,
To answer your question -
If its tricks are found,why should it be bored?Will the mind as mind continue if its tricks are found?Is not self-enquiry meant to dissolve the Tricks of the mind and see that the mind itself is a trick?
Yes it continues by latching itself to a new topic, sometimes it does even when it is not really interested in the topic, just so that it can survive. It even makes Self Enquiry into a method and then gets 'bored' of it too :).I saw you mention in a comment that you dont practice it, so may not be obvious to you.
Self realization is difficult because it requires one to become very very ordinary as to even disappear out of trace, which is just the opposite of what the ego always wants.
Soorya,
"Yes it continues by latching itself to a new topic, sometimes it does even when it is not really interested in the topic, just so that it can survive"
What is this 'survive' business?It means that it is still interested(in abeyance) in the hunt for something new,which it thinks it has not yet found,and this is again a 'new interest'.I have said this.
In disnterestedness,the state of the mind is one of 'openness'.It is not looking for something to 'hold onto' to enable it to come out of its present entrenchment!There is no 'Entrenchment'!So no holding onto status quo.
Namaskar.
P.S Do not assume what I may be aware or I may not be aware based on some single statement that I make here!:-)
Zee,arguement in the offing:-)Watch out to correct and polish your rough cut:-)
Ravi,
The line between 'boredom' and 'disinterestedness' is a very thin one. If anyone can allow themselves to remain 'bored' for sometime, without giving new food for mind, he will find a lot about himself(both his mind and Self).
It is Ok to be 'bored' :)
'Boredom' is actually a symptom :))
By the way my mind says it is 'bored' :))
Stopping here for the timebeing :)
soorya,
The difference between Boredom and Disinteretedness is that between a closed and open mind.
zee,
What is this?No opposition to challenge here.Either you provide some or I will go scouting to some other site to find some opposition:-)
Feel like Bhima looking for bakAsura in the mahAbhArata:-)
Another matter whether this is Bheema here!:-)
Your rough cut has to maintain status quo unless soorya or someone ,may be you,decide to help out.:-)
Namaskar.
My Childhood with Sri Bhagavan:
Smt. Rajalakshmi:
(a combined article based on a video interview with the author and a report submitted by her son A. Viswanthan.)
My name is Rajalakshmi. I am the grand daughter of Venu Ammal, the younger sister of Echammal who served Sri Bhagavan faithfully for many years, cooking and serving Him
food amongst other duties. Venu Ammal was also a committed devotee and did service from Sri Bhagavan's days at Virupaksha Cave. During the last days of Sri Bhagavan's mother Azhagammal, Venu Ammal was constantly at her side. Azhagammal loved her so much that she used to tell people that Venu Ammal was her own daughter to her.
Like her sister, Echammal, Venu Ammal's life was also full of tragedy. Shortly after the birth of my mother Balakuchambal, my grandfather (Venu Ammal's husband) died. My grandmother struggled to bring up my mother alone. She eventually managed to perform my mother's marriage. I was born on 30th October 1920 and my grandmother was very happy to be blessed with a grand daughter. The joy was short lived and a second tragedy struck in my grand mother's life when my mother passed away in January 1923 of natural causes. I was hardly two and half years old. From then on, my grandmother was left with the responsibility of raising me single-handedly.
On the day of the death of my mother Balakuchambal, Venu Ammal was completely devastated, unable to bear the loss of her only daughter. She decided to meet Sri Bhagavan at the present Sri Ramanasramam location where He had settled down after vacating Skandasramam. While her daughter's dead body lay overnight at home, she sought the help of one Jnanambal Patti and with a kerosene-lit hurricane lamp, she walked all the way from Tiruvannamalai town to the then distant Sri Ramanasramam at 11 pm. on a dark lonely night.
continued......
My Childhood with Sri Bhagavan:
continues.....
On seeing Sri Bhagavan, she was unable to control her emotions and wept uncontrollably. She fell at Sri Bhagavan's feet crying about the death of her beloved daughter. At that time, Sri Bhagavan's younger brother, Chinnaswami, was by the side of Sri Bhagavan. He was angry and objected to Venu Ammal falling at the feet of Sri Bhagavan for a worldly reason. To this, Sri Bhagavan countered Chinnaswami by asking him if he would have objected to his sister Alamelu doing the same thing in a similar circumstance.
Sri Bhagavan shared the grief with Venu Ammal and consoled her by telling her that the purpose of which her daughter was born in this world was over and so she had to leave this world. Moreover, Sri Bhagavan told her that only the body dies whereas the Atman is deathless. Deeply consoled, Venu Ammal returned home.
From then on, Venu Ammal accepted the responsibility of bringing me up. At the time of death of my mother, my father, Sri Ramasesha Iyer, also a staunch devotee of Sri Bhagavan, was working in the Revenue Department at Tiruvannamlai.
I first saw Sri Bhagavan in 1923, when I was three years old. From that time onwards, Venu Ammal, who was serving at the Asramam, took me
along with her every morning returning home only in the evening. In the early years of Sri Ramanasramam, Sri Bhagavan used to sit near Pali Tirtham tank on a raised platform under a tree and as a young child I would play with Him there. Once, I was playing a 'cooking' game by offering small stones as cooked rice to Sri Bhagavan and I asked Him to eat them. Sri Bhagavan readily put those stones into His mouth and pretended to eat. On seeing this, Venu Ammal asked Sri Bhagavan why He was putting stones in His mouth. Sri Bhagavan replied that the young child was happily offering stones to Him as food and if He did not put them in His mouth, it would disappoint her.
As a young child, I vividly remember walking with Sri Bhagavan while holding His stick. At times, I was not able to walk due to pain in legs and on my mentioning to Thatha (grandfather, ie. Sri Bhagavan), either Ramaswamy Pillai or Kunju Swami who were accompanying us, would carry me.
continued.......
My Childhood with Sri Bhagavan:
continues.....
On another occasion, in the dining hall, I was seated next to Sri Bhagavan and Venu Ammal was serving food. She served me a portion of a
vegetable preparation made of brinjal (aubergine) and I wanted more. She quoted a Sanskrit proverb, Aasa aasa parama dukkam, Nirasa parama sukham. (Desire is the supreme suffering, and contentment is the supreme happiness) and refused to give me more curry. When she was about to serve more curry to Sri Bhagavan, He asked her to stop serving Him and repeated the same proverb back to her. Venu Ammal told Sri Bhagavan that the proverb was meant for the child, not for Him. Sri Bhagavan replied that what was applicable to a child was also applicable to Him and if she did not serve more curry to this young child then He also should not be served!
As a child I very rarely worked in the kitchen. However, I have observed two incidences in the kitchen which I would like to narrate. Once, the devotees in the kitchen were cutting a large quantity of brinjal (aubergine) for cooking. They kept aside the thick skin covering the brinjals (known as pAvAdai in Tamizh) with the intention of throwing them away as rubbish. Sri Bhagavan noticed the heap of pAvAdai kept on one side and asked them to bring it inside for cooking. He Himself cut the pAvAdai into small pieces and prepared a tasty koottu (vegetable curry) out of them. The other occurrence pertained to banana flowers which are used a vegetable. Generally, whenever banana flower is used for cooking, the outer leaves of the flower, which are thick and consisting of several layers, are never used for cooking since they are bitter and not considered a vegetable. However, out of this collection of skins as well, Sri Bhagavan made a tasty koottu. He had an absolute aversion to wasteful behavior.
Sri Bhagavan was my Guru. When, as a child, I first requested Sri Bhagavan to teach me a few songs. He taught me two songs from Navamani mAlai, one starting with 'Seerana Sonagiri' and the other 'Annamalaiyai adiyenai....
continued.......
My Childhood with Sri Bhagavan:
continues......
He taught me Tamizh, Telugu and Sanskrit starting from the alphabets. Sri Bhagavan also taught me mathematics. By the grace of Sri Bhagavan, I learnt all the three languages in a very short time and was able to get admission to the fourth class in the Municipal Girl's School at Tiruvannamalai straight away. The first Sanskrit sloka Sri Bhagavan taught me was from Upadesa Saram. Sri Bhagavan Himself wrote all the thirty slokas of Upadesa Saram in Sanskrit in a note book and presented it to me so that I could memorize them. He wrote two slokas per page so that I could easily read them. I memorized all the thirty slokas of Upadesa Saram within a short period and recited them before Sri Bhagavan who was very pleased and started teaching me more slokas. My humble opinion is that I could recite Upadesa Saram in such a short period only by Sri Bhagavan's grace and that it was He who recited the slokas through me. No one was too young or insignificant to merit Sri Bhagavan's complete and total attention, and no one was ever excluded.
Daily, around 3 pm. I would start reading the works of Sri Bhagavan in front of Him and when it neared 5 pm. He would remind me that it was time to go home. I left and was often escorted by the dog Jacky (whose small Samadhi lies within the Asramam).
Sometime later, my friend at school wanted to see Sri Bhagavan's hand written notebook of Upadesa Saram and I gave it to her. However, this class mate never returned the notebook. I was very upset about the loss of this priceless treasure and wept before Sri Bhagavan. Sri Bhagavan pacified me by saying that I need not bother about the loss of the notebook since I had already memorized all the slokas of Upadesa Saram which I know in my heart where nobody could steal them from me.
After learning Sanskrit from Sri Bhagavan, I started attending Sanskrit classes at Arunachaleswara Temple. After becoming proficient in Sanskrit I copied in a note book, the works of Nayana such as Sad Darsanam, Ramana Chatvarimsat,
Vibhakti Ashtakam, Ramana Dasakam etc., including the works of Sri Bhagavan and Muruganar. I would show it to Sri Bhagavan who would go through it meticulously, making the necessary corrections. Mostly there was little to correct, because He had taught me well.
continued......
Two articles on JK's talks on 'boredom' :
http://krishnamurtidiscourses.blogspot.in/2008/12/jiddu-krishnamurti-thoughts-on-boredom.html
http://www.acarpenterfromnazareth.com/2012/09/j-krishnamurti-right-education-is-not.html
Hope this doesnt get one more bored! :)))
My Childhood with Sri Bhagavan:
continues.....
Whenever any new book was published, Sri Bhagavan would write my name in it and give it to me. I would read a portion from the book and Sri Bhagavan would explain its contents to the devotees. Ramana Padananda brought out the first edition of Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai and Sri Bhagavan immediately gave me a copy. Sri Bhagavan also gave me Ramana Nool Tirattu (the Collected Works) which I presented to Sri M. J. Kalyanarama Iyer (nephew of Echammal and Venu Ammal), who wanted a copy. In those days, the Asramam would receive Suddhananda Bharati's magazine, Sri Ramana Vijayam and I would read out the weekly Ramana Vijayam edition in front of Sri Bhagavan in the Old Hall. Sri Bhagavan would explain the contents for the benefit of the devotees. One day, I saw a lot of new books near Sri Bhagavan and asked Him what they were. He told me to open them myself and find out. It was Ramana Vijayam which used to be serialized weekly but had now been compiled into a book. He presented a copy to me after writing my name in it.
After reading the chapter of Ramana Vijayam which told the story of Sri Bhagavan's stay at Patala Lingam in the Arunachaleswara temple. It was curious to go inside this place and see it myself. Next day, while returning from Sanskrit class at the Big Temple, I tried to go into the Patala Lingam but could not bear to enter it due to bees flying around and the stinking smell coming from inside. After my return to the Asramam, I told Sri Bhagavan about my experience and asked Him how He had been able to stay inside such a place, for a long time. Sri Bhagavan told that He was not aware of His stay there and that He came to know of it only from others, which shows that He was completely
oblivious of time and space.
Bhakta Vijayam was too big a book to handle and read for a small girl. A wooden stand in the form of X known as a Saraswati Palakai (plate) was provided for me and I read one portion per day which Sri Bhagavan explained the meaning to everybody present. Sometimes, I asked innocent questions from the book and Sri Bhagavan patiently replied. The devotees in the Hall used to say that they got answers to their doubts from the questions raised by me and the response of Sri Bhagavan.
Sri Bhagavan used to tell me that I should write in the same language in which the original work was written, such as Upadesa Saram in
Sanskrit and Upadesa Undiyar in Tamizh. Also, He used to say that writing once is equivalent to reading ten times. While reciting Ulladu Narpadu, or Upadesa Undiyar if I skipped a verse, Sri Bhagavan would immediately come to my rescue by reciting the skipped verse. On week ends, the school children would go to the Asramam and play in front of Sri Bhagavan. Children usually referred to Bhagavan respectfully as Thatha (grandfather). Chinnaswami, whom I called Chinna mama (uncle) was very nice to me and used to say that
Rajalakshmi was the senior grand daughter of the Asramam.
continued......
My Childhood with Sri Bhagavan:
continues.....
In the school, where I was studying, children used to play kolattam ( a game using two colored wooden sticks). I did not have kolattam sticks of my own and so could not play. My grandmother Venu Ammal was not willing to buy me kolattam sticks which cost one and a half paisa. I told Sri Bhagavan about my problem and He immediately, asked His attendant Madhavaswami to get two wooden sticks out of which Sri Bhagavan made two beautiful kolattam sticks and presented them to me. I still have these sticks.
Having lost Sri Bhagavan's hand written Upadesa Saram notebook, I told Sri Bhagavan that I would not lend these kolattam sticks to anybody. However, Sri Bhagavan told me that if any of my friends wanted to borrow my kolattam sticks, I should lend mine to them and later should not forget to collect them back. On Sundays, I would bring some friends and play kummi or kolattam before Sri Bhagavan who invariably enjoyed our performance.
Somebody told me that I should not call Sri Bhagavan, Thatha (but address Him as Bhagavan. But Sri Bhagavan replied that since I was there from childhood, there was nothing wrong in my calling Him 'Thatha'. Similarly Sri Bhagavan's sister Alamelu was very affectionate to me.
One day, in the Old Hall, I was continuously coughing due to inflamed tonsils and could not read to Sri Bhagavan, the verses from a book. At once, Sri Bhagavan directed Dr. Ramakrishnan, Bellary Lakshmi Ammal, to treat me for tonsillitis. Dr. Ramakrishnan took me to Ginjee Government Hospital and operated on me, removing the tonsils. Only after my complete recovery, did the doctor send me back to Tiruvannamalai. I mention this to illustrate how attentive and caring Sri Bhagavan was to those who came to Him.
I was married in 1936, to Sri C.S. Arunachalam. My first visit to Sri Bhagavan with my husband was in 1939, and we paid our respects to Him. My husband served in the Indian Army and was posted to different parts of India. Wherever I was, I would write letters to Sri Bhagavan and get prompt replies.
continued.....
punarvasu vaNNam:
Today is the punarvasu star day, in the Tamizh month of Purattasi. Sri Bhagavan was born on the punarvasu star day in the month of Margazhi.
I must have written this as first post of today, this morning. But I forgot.
However, every punarvasu day of the month, the Asramam performs special pujas to Sri Ramaneswara Mahalingam. The Lingam is adorned with golden casket.
A few verses from Ayal Ninaiyap Pathu:
Decad of No Other Thoughts:
576. To Annamalai on whose slope
nestle
Cool gardens filled with sandal
wood
You came from Tiruchuzhi, Venkata,
And with one gracious glance you
summoned
And saved this beggar. Of whom but
you,
O Mother, can I now think?
578. Venkata of Tiruchuzhi, in-
comparable,
Safe sanctuary to those who
come
To you for refuge, your
gracious glance
Gave me release from heinous
sin
And suffering. Of who but
you,
O Father, can I now think?
581. On those who seek and reach
Your Presence, still, silent,
speechless,
You bestow daily by one
bright glance
Your Grace. Of whom too fell
Your glance! Of whom but you,
O Lord, can I now think?
585. In the hearts of those who
think of you
You dance and on sublime
Sonai,
O Dancer with red, smiling
lips,
You glanced and drew me and
you gave
Me comfort. Of whom but you,
O near and dear One, can I
now think?
(Tr. Prof. K. Swaminathan)
******
Ravi,
Thanks for the One Sloka a day.Yes that cud be the reason.
I was also thinking balance. I.e Growing wholesome, in balance, rather than getting obsessed in one direction to the exclusion of all other aspects which wud lead to Pre-mature fruit.The reason for this cud be immeadiacy of Results.Or am I widly guessing here or reading too much into it??It most probably is what u said but there is this deeper use too of such an attitude to things.
I like this Sutta on Laziness.It helps me a lot.I hope Friends here dont think that I am proletyzing Buddhism.I only post here what has been very useful to me and I also post whatever I am reading at that time.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an08/an08.080.than.html
Sri Arunachala Stuti Panchakam:
Today is Monday. After the puja for Sri Ramaneswara Maha Ligam is completed, the devotees would for
evening parayana. Today, the parayna is Sri Ramana Stuti Panchakam, the
five songs starting with Arunachala Akshara Mana Malai.
The last verse in Arunachala Ashtakam is one of the great verses to contemplate.
The rain drops showered down by the clouds, risen from the sea cannot rest until they reach, despite all hindrance, once again their ocean home. The embodied soul from You proceeding may through various self chosen wander aimless for a while,
but cannot rest till it rejoins You, the source. A bird may hover here and there, and cannot in mid
heaven stay. It must come back the way it went to find at last on earth alone its resting place. Even so the soul must turn to You, Aruna Hill, and merge again in You alone, Ocean of Bliss.
The Tamizh verse starts as - kadal ezhum ezhiliyal pozhi tharum neer thaan.....
This verse can also be compared with Verse 2 of Arunachala Pancharatnam.
As on a screen a wondrous picture,
On You, fair Hill, is all this
world
Formed and sustained and then
withdrawn.
Ever as 'I' in the heart you dance.
Hence are You called the Heart.
******
Dear, Ravi
Thank you very much for your kind and useful explanation. It make me understand clearly the meaning of purushakaram.
One good thing about boredom is that it doesn't last long enough to bore you :) Only when we are bored, we strive to struggle to overcome or analyse what boredom is, but otherwise, things are very normal, as usual.
There are other moments, we just are, without any need to pass the coming moment. Absolutely at peace.
Both are momentary. In those moments, something that remains watches you struggle with boredom and watches you be at peace as well, otherwise, it would not be possible even report these.
This moment, I am extremely at peace, there is no trouble or urges or expectations, no urge to pass the moment that is infinity, what so ever, but, is there, truly a possibility, to "Be This" for ever? If not, what is going to stop me? Perhaps, I have to renounce this very expectation!
just expressing my contemplation.
...
Nagaraj
God/Guru/Dhamma is not for everyody.It is official and as always most beautifully put.
I have heard some saints put in a cruder way.I cant give miracles to everybody.So next time when you monger for miracles which we all do remember this very improtant Sutta.
Gilana Sutta:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.022.than.html
My Childhood with Sri Bhagavan:
Smt. Rajalakshmi:
continues.....
In the year 1948, I visited the Asramam with my youngest son Sivakumar who was three months old. Since the Old Hall was crowded with devotees, I left the young child outside in the shade near the window and went inside to prostrate before Sri Bhagavan who did not notice me at that time, as there was a large crowd around Him. However, Sri. M.J. Kalyanarama Iyer who was there in the Old Hall, spotted me prostrating to Sri Bhagavan and he came out and started talking to me. On hearing this conversation, Sri Bhagavan too came out and asked about the well being of every member of my family. Then Sri Bhagavan asked where i had left my child. I told Him that the child was near the window in the shade. Sri Bhagavan went there and pointed His stick towards the baby's stomach, and the child firmly caught hold of it. Sri Bhagavan talked to the infant, jokingly remarking that He, an old man, required a stick but what need for it was there for a young child? Then He continued to talk to me and mentioned to the others gathered around how, as a young girl, I had memorized all the thirty slokas of Upadesa Saram in a short period and also how I used to play with Him during my childhood days.
This conversation went on affably for a while, and then some new comer in the crowd chided me for making Sri Bhagavan stand for such a long time. At once Sri Bhagavan answered that gentleman, telling him that I was an Asramam grand child, brought up in the Asramam and who was he to question me? Then Sri Bhagavan asked Subbulakshmi Patti to take me to the kitchen and provide food for me.
Whenever I gave birth to a child, I used to visit the Asramam to show the child to Sri Bhagavan and get His blessing. Once, on a Jayanti day, I took my eldest son Lakshmi Kanthan who was two years old. In the dining area, hot sambhar (soup) was kept in vessels ready for serving. The little boy keeping his hands folded behind him, was going around the hot sambhar vessels, so the people there shouted and wanted him to be taken away. But Sri Bhagavan jocularly told them that the little boy was supervising them!
continued......
My Childhoom with Sri Bhagavan:
continues....
On another occasion my second son Viswanathan, who was a young child was running around a peacock trying to pull out a feather from it. On seeing this Sri Bhagavan directed Madhava Swami to find a peacock feather and give it to the child, telling him that they could poke his eyes. As Sri Bhagavan asked the people around to keep an eye on the little boy in case he went too near the well.
In the early months of 1950, when Sri Bhagavan was very ill, I was at Lucknow. My grandmother Venu Ammal asked His permission to visit me at Lucknow and intended to see Kasi as well. She received His blessings and Sri Bhagavan told her that when she took a dip in Ganga, she could perform the ceremony on His behalf too. After a few days, at Lucknow, she went to Kasi and had a dip in the river one night whilst thinking 'Ramana'. At that very moment, somebody told her to look up. She saw a large star trailing its light across the sky. The next day, she learnt that Sri Bhagavan had shed His body. She was lucky to see the star rising and trailing across the
sky. This happened at the exact time of His Mahanirvana. Thus Sri Bhagavan blessed her even at the time o His departing from the body, by enabling her to see the star.
Now I am 87 years old and live in Chennai with my sons. I lost my husband in 2000 when he was 84 years old. I have 5 children, 12 grandchildren and 14 great grand children and everybody is doing well by the grace of Sri Bhagavan Ramana. All the time Sri Bhagavan's name is on my lips and I consider Him as my Guru and God. My family and I enjoy the full grace (paripoorna aruL) of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi.
concluded.
The Practice of the Presence of God:
by Brother Lawrence:
(Selections from his Letters)
Mountain Path, Jayanti, 1999.
Nicholas Herman of Lorraine, France (1605-1691), while yet in his teens, once saw a dry and leafless tree in mid-winter. It was clear to him at once that it would grow in full stature, with the onset of spring. This signified the power of
God. His realization of this fact was so vivid that it proved a turning point in his life. He embarked on a religious career.
He was admitted a lay brother among the barefooted Carmelites in Paris in 1666. Since then he has been known as Brother Lawrence.
Brother Lawrence lived a holy life of communion with God. His main teaching is that one should live in a constant awareness of the Presence of God.
The Practice of the Presence of God containing the maxims, conversations, and letters of Brother Lawrence, is a valuable guide to seekers.
The following is some selections of the letters, originally published on the recommendation of Cardinal Noailles, Archbishop of Paris.
I
Since you desire so earnestly that I should communicate to you the method by which I arrived at that habitual sense of God's Presence, which our Lord, of His mercy, has been pleased to vouchsafe to me, I must tell you that it is with great difficulty that I am prevailed on by your importunities; and now I do it only upon the terms that you show my letter to nobody. If I knew that you would let it be seen, all the desire that I have for you advancement would not be able to determine me to it. The account I can give you is:
Having found in many books different methods of going to God, and diverse practices of the spiritual life, I thought this would serve rather to puzzle me than facilitate what I sought after, which was nothing but how to become wholly God's.
continued......
The Practice of the Presence of God:
Brother Lawrence:
continues....
This made me resolve to give the all for the all; so after having given myself wholly to God, that He might take away my sins, I renounced, for the love of Him, everything that was not He, and I began to live as there were none but He and I in the world. Sometimes I considered myself before Him as a poor criminal at the feet of his judge; at other times, I beheld Him in my heart as my Father, as my God. I worshipped Him the oftenest that I could, keeping my mind in His holy presence, and recalling it as often as I found it wandered from Him. I found no small pain in this exercise, and yet I continued it, notwithstanding all the difficulties that occurred, without troubling or disquieting myself when my mind had wandered involuntarily. I made this my business as much all the day long as at the appointed times of prayer; for at all times, every hour, every minute, even in the height of my business, I drove away from my mind everything that was capable of interrupting my thoughts of God.
Such has been my common practice ever since I entered in religion; and though I have done it very imperfectly, yet I have found greater advantages by it. These, I well know, are to be imputed t the mere mercy and goodness of God, because we can do nothing without Him, and I still less than any. But when we are faithful to keep ourselves in His holy presence, and set Him always before us, this not only hinders our offending Him and doing anything that may displease Him, at least wilfully, but it also begets in us a holy freedom, and, if I may so speak, a familiarity with God, wherewith we ask and, that successfully, the graces we stand in need of. In fine, by often repeating these acts, they become habitual, and the presence of God rendered as it were natural to us. give Him thanks, if you please, with me, for His great goodness toward me, which I can never sufficiently admire, for the many favors He has done to so miserable a sinner as I am. May all things praise Him. Amen.
I am, in our Lord,
Yours etc.,
continued......
The Practice of the Presence of God:
Brother Lawrence:
II
To the Reverend,
Not finding my manner of life, in books, although I have no difficulty about it, yet, for greater security, I shall be glad to know your thoughts, concerning it.
In a conversation, some days since with a person of piety, he told me the spiritual life was a life of grace, which begins with servile fear, which is increased by hope of eternal life, and which is consummated by pure love; that each of these states had its different stages, by which one arrives at last at the blessed consummation.
I have not allowed all these methods. On the contrary, from I know not what instincts, I found they discouraged me. This was the reason why, at my entrance into religion, I took a resolution to give myself up to God, as the best return I could make for His love, and, for the love of Him, to renounce all besides.
For the first year I commonly employed myself during the time set apart for devotion, with the thought of death, judgement, heaven, hell, and my sins. Thus I continued some years, applying my mind carefully the rest of the day, and even in the midst of my business, to the presence of God, whom I considered always as with me, often as in me.
At length I came insensibly to do the same thing during my set time of prayer, which caused in me great delight and consolation. This practice produced in me so high an esteem for God that FAITH alone was capable to satisfy me in that point.
Such was my beginning, and yet I must tell you that for the first ten years, I suffered much. The apprehension that I was not devoted to God as I wished to be, my past sins always present to my mind, and the great unmerited favors which God did me, were the matter and source of my sufferings. During this time, I fell often, and rose again presently. It seemed to me that all creatures, reason, and God Himself were against me, and FAITH alone for me. I was troubled sometimes with thoughts that to believe I had received such favors was an effect of my presumption, which pretended to be AT ONCE where others arrive with difficulty. At other times, that it was a wilful delusion, and that there was no salvation for me.
When I thought of nothing, but to end my days in these troubles, (which did not at all diminish the trust I had in God, and which served only to increase my faith), I found myself changed all at once. And my soul, which till that time was in trouble, felt a profound inward peace, as if she were in her center and place of rest.
Ever since that time I walk before God simply, in faith, with humility and with love, and I apply myself diligently to do nothing and think nothing which may displease Him. I hope that when I have done what I can, He will do with me what He pleases.
Part II continues......
The Practice of the Presence of God:
Brother Lawrence:
II.continues......
As for what passes in me at present, I cannot express it. I have no pain or difficulty about my state, because I have not will but that of God, which I endeavor to accomplish in all things, and to which I am so resigned that I would not take up a straw from the ground against His order, or from any other motive than purely that of love to Him.
I have quitted all forms of devotion and set prayers but those to which my state obliges me, and I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and a general fond regard to God, which I may call an ACTUAL PRESENCE of God. Or to speak better, an habitual, silent and secret conversation of the soul with God, which often causes me joys and raptures inwardly, and sometimes also outwardly, so great that I am forced to use means to moderate them and prevent their appearance to others.
In short, I am assured beyond all doubt that my soul has been with God above these thirty years. I pass over many things that I may not be tedious to you yet I think it proper to inform you after what manner I consider myself before God, whom I behold as my King.
I consider myself as the most wretched of men, full of sores and corruption, and who has committed all sorts of crimes against his King. Touched with a sensible regret, I confess to Him all my wickedness, I ask His forgiveness, I abandon myself in His hands that He may do what He pleases with me. The King, full of mercy and goodness, very far from chastising me, embraces me with love, makes me to eat at His table, serves me with His own hands, gives me the key of His treasures. He converses and delights Himself with me incessantly, in a thousand and a thousand ways, and treats me in all respects, as His favorite. It is thus I consider myself from time to time in His holy presence.
My most useful method is this simple attention, and such a general passionate regard to God, to whom I find myself often attached with greater sweetness and delight than that of an infant at
the mother's breast; so that if I dare use the expression, I should choose to call this state the bosom of God, for the inexpressible sweetness which I taste and experience there.
If sometimes my thoughts wander from it by necessity or infirmity, I am presently recalled by inward motions so charming and delicious that I am ashamed to mention them. I desire your Reverence to reflect rather upon my great wretchedness,
of which you are fully informed, than upon the great favors which God does me, all unworthy and ungrateful as I am.
continued........
The Practice of the Presence of God:
Brother Lawrence:
II continues.....
As for my set hours of prayer, they are only a continuation of the same exercise. Sometimes I consider myself there as a stone before a carver, whereof he is to make a statue; presenting myself thus, before God, I desire Him to form His perfect image in my soul, and make me entirely like Himself.
At other times, when I apply myself to prayer, I fell all my spirit and all my soul lift up without any care or effort of mine, and it continues as it were suspended and firmly fixed in God, as in its center, and place the rest.
I know that some charge this state with inactivity, delusion, and self love. I confess that is a holy activity, and would be a happy self love if the soul in that state were capable of it, because, in effect, while she is in this repose, she cannot be disturbed by such acts as she was formerly accustomed to, and which were then her support, but which would now rather hinder than assist her.
Yet I cannot bear that this should be called delusion, because the soul which thus enjoys God desires herein nothing but Him. If this be delusion in me, it belongs to God to remedy it. Let Him do what He pleases with me: I desire only Him, and to be wholly devoted to Him. You will, however oblige me in sending me your opinion, to which I always pay a great deference, for I have a singular esteem for your Reverence, and am, in our Lord.
Yours etc.,
II - concluded.
continued.......
The Practice the Presence of God:
Brother Lawrence:
III
I have taken this opportunity to communicate to you the sentiments f one of our society, concerning the admirable effects and continual assistance which he receives from the PRESENCE OF GOD. Let you and me both profit from them.
You must know his continual care has been, for about forty years past, that he has spent in religion, to be always with God, and to do nothing, say nothing, and think nothing which may displease Him, and because He deserves infinitely more.
His now so accustomed to that DIVINE PRESENCE that he received from it continual succors upon all occasions. For about thirty years, his soul has been filled with joy so continual, and sometimes so great, that he is forced to use means to moderate them, and to hinder their appearing outwardly.
If sometimes, he is a little too much absent from that DIVINE PRESENCE, God presently makes Himself to be felt in his soul to recall him, which often happens when he is most engaged in his outward business. He answers with exact fidelity to these inward drawings, either by an elevation of his heart toward God, or by meek and fond regard for Him; or by such words of love forms upon these occasions, for instance, MY GOD, HERE I AM ALL DEVOTED TO THEE. LORD MAKE ME ACCORDING TO THY HAERT. And then it seems to him (as in effect he feels it) that this God of love, satisfied with such few words, reposes again, and rests in the fund and center of his soul. The experience of these things gives him such an assurance that God is always in the fund or bottom of his soul that it renders him incapable of doubting upon any account whatever.
Judge by this what content and satisfaction he enjoys while he continually finds in himself so great a treasure. He is no longer in an anxious search after it, but has it open for him, and may take what he pleases of it.
He complains much of our blindness, and cries often that we are pitied who content ourselves with so little. God, said he, has infinite treasure to bestow, and we take up with a little sensible devotion, which passes in a moment. Blind as we are, we hinder God and stop the current of His Grace. But when He finds a soul penetrated with a lively faith, He pours into it His
Grace and and favors plentifully. They they flow like a torrent which, after being forcibly stopped
against ordinary course, when it has found a passage, spreads itself with impetuosity and abundance.
III - continued.....
The Practice of the Presence of God:
Brother Lawrence:
III continues......
Yes, we often stop this torrent by the little value we set upon it. But let us stop it no more; let us enter into ourselves and break down bank which hinders it. Let us make way for Grace; let us redeem the lost time, for perhaps we have but little left. Death follows us close; let us be well prepared for it. For we die but once, and a miscarriage there is irretrievable.
I say again, let us enter into ourselves. The time presses, there is no room for delay; our souls are stake. I believe you have taken such effectual measures that you will not be surprised. I commend you for it; it is the one thing necessary. We must nevertheless, always work at it, because not to advance in the spiritual life is to go back. But those who have the gale, of the Holy Spirit, go forward even in sleep. If the vessel of our soul is still tossed with winds and storms, let us awake the Lord, who reposes in it, and He will quickly calm the sea.
I have taken liberty to impart to you these good sentiments, that you may compare them with your own. It
will serve again to kindle and inflame them, if by misfortune (which God forbid for it would indeed a great misfortune) they should be, though never so little, cooled. Let us then both recall our first favors. Let us profit by he example and the sentiments of this brother, who is little known of the world, but known to God, and extremely caressed by Him. I will pray for you, and do you pray instantly for me, who am, in our Lord.
Yours etc.,
III concluded.
continued.....
Some personal insights on 'Boredom'
Boredom is not something ordinary! It results when there is a sudden lapse or break on ones grip with the mind. It is a temporary breakage in the continuity of thoughts. It is a peak into the vastness of something which can be said as void or unknown and is an expression of being unable to apprehend or grasp that, which is not measurable. It is an expression of frustration of its inability before the might of that which is much greater and more profound than itself.
Nagaraj
Nagraj,
Dont know ur meaning of Boredom?But below are a couple of links by UG.He is a past master in this 'line' and or 'section' of Unwinding.But make sure when reading UG you dont throw the stick used to stir the pyre into it before the dead body is burnt.
http://praveennv.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/ug-krishnamurti-quotes.html
http://www.beyond-the-pale.co.uk/ugk3.htm
Nagaraj/zee/Friends,
The Difference between boredom and disinterestedness is the one between loneliness and aloneness.
Namaskar.
The Practice of the Presence of God:
Brother Lawrence:
continues.....
IV.
I received this day two books and a letter from Sister --, who is preparing to make her profession, and upon that account desires the prayers of your holy society, and yours in particular. I perceive that she reckons much upon them; pray, do not disappoint her. Beg of God that she may make her sacrifice in the view of His love alone, and with a firm resolution to be wholly devoted to Him. I will send you one of these books, which treat of THE PRESENCE OF GOD, a subject which, in my opinion, contains the whole spiritual life; and it seems to me that whoever duly practices it will soon become spiritual.
I know that for the right practice of it, the heart must be empty of all other things, because God will possess the heart ALONE. And as He cannot possess it ALONE without emptying it of all besides, so neither can He act THERE, and do in it what He pleases, unless it be left vacant for Him.
There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it; yet I do not advise you to do it from that motive. It is not pleasure which we ought to seek in this exercise; but let us do it from a principle of love, and because God would have us.
Were I a preacher, I should, above all other things, preach the practice of the PRESENCE OF GOD. And were I a director, I should advise all the world to do it, so necessary do I think, and so easy, too.
Ah! knew we but the want we have of the grace and assistance of God, we should never lose sight of Him --no, not for a moment. Believe me; make immediately a holy and firm resolution never more wilfully to forget Him, and to spend the rest of your days, in His sacred presence, deprived, for the love of Him, if He thinks fit, of all consolations.
Set heartily about this work, and if you do it, as you ought, be assured that you will soon find the effects of it. I will assist you with my prayers, poor as they are. I recommend myself earnestly to yours and those of your holy society, being theirs, and more particularly.
Yours etc.,
IV CONCLUDED.
continued.....
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