tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post9068317297312745162..comments2024-03-20T13:24:11.422+05:30Comments on Arunachala and Ramana Maharshi: Paul Brunton's BackgroundDavid Godmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10354181925332694222noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-71621859575901851002015-11-19T17:41:57.488+05:302015-11-19T17:41:57.488+05:30"100. Take my words of abuse as words of bles..."100. Take my words of abuse as words of blessing, treat my<br />slander as praise, accept me as a subject of your<br />sovereign grace, keep me as your own and never<br />forsake me, O Arunachala."<br />(Marital Garland of Letters)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-38457501947993793172015-11-19T10:32:42.155+05:302015-11-19T10:32:42.155+05:30...There is a saying, something like: "When a......There is a saying, something like: "When a thief meets Buddha, he sees only his pockets."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-17693000713571925032015-11-18T17:52:04.616+05:302015-11-18T17:52:04.616+05:30Brunton seem a spiritual nomad (even confused) to ...Brunton seem a spiritual nomad (even confused) to me ... exploring a plethora ... right on from Occultism to Theosophy to Indian Advaita? to Eygptian to Zen ... to Meher Baba to Ramana to Subramanya Iyer ... he never settled ... and to add to it, he was on a publication spree esp. in the 30's. <br /><br />As far as Ramana is concerned, getting into a philosophical debate as this only invites activity ... regardless of scholarly interpretations, the best is to realize the truth he describes experientially ... a whole lot of discussions explain why silence still wins because there is no limit to our imaginative mind. Ramana might have recommended Brunton's text because of the language or portions that he resonated with but there are a host other writers whose works were duly verified by Ramana. Again, the best course seem intuition. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-25086070807054459402012-12-03T17:05:20.148+05:302012-12-03T17:05:20.148+05:30Very interesting blog. We are using our limited mi...Very interesting blog. We are using our limited mind to describe the unlimited ramana. Unless we transcend our mind, it's conclusions are bound to fall short. I am also practising hard but going nowhere. We miss Bhagwan very badly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-40187521830400066642011-12-08T02:10:02.860+05:302011-12-08T02:10:02.860+05:30I haven't read through all the other comments ...I haven't read through all the other comments so I don't know if someone else has already made this point. But if to the Jnani all is seen as the Self, including all the phenomena of this universe, then in the eyes of the Jnani, everything that happens is the direct expression of the Self, including Mr Paul Brunton and any terminology he may have used. It is only in the eyes of the non-jnani that there is any such conception as 'self and other' and only such a one who would analyse and make such distinctions as to where Sri Ramana got his lingo from.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-21397980125441335412011-10-06T00:02:36.837+05:302011-10-06T00:02:36.837+05:30Even in the heart of a person who doesn't beli...Even in the heart of a person who doesn't believe Ramana Maharshi, It is He the Ramana Maharshi who is speaking that "I dont believe"Udayarkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12672419667036613120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-46666666276572836952011-06-05T17:00:52.500+05:302011-06-05T17:00:52.500+05:30Dear Ravi,
I am sorry to have used those words.Bu...Dear Ravi,<br /><br />I am sorry to have used those words.But please do not encourage and condemn outright the slanderous camapaign that ramana learnt from paul brunton and that ramana only preached from learning the esoteric books and not from his own experience.<br /><br />OM NAMO BHAGAVATE RAMANAYAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-39166958560780338382011-06-05T14:14:50.581+05:302011-06-05T14:14:50.581+05:30Anonymous,
"Paul brunton is one of the most a...Anonymous,<br />"Paul brunton is one of the most advanced devotees and the truest devotees of sri ramana maharshi.Shut up these discussions."<br />My email id is niveditahr@rediffmail.com.In case you are interested,we may correspond.This Blog is surely not the place to use the language that you have been using.<br />Namaskar.Ravihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14875076137584328729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-8235824261754087852011-06-05T13:23:55.343+05:302011-06-05T13:23:55.343+05:30DEy ravi naye, unmaya sonna enda eriyudu. These ar...DEy ravi naye, unmaya sonna enda eriyudu. These are all constructed by christian mafia.Paul brunton is one of the most advanced devotees and the truest devotees of sri ramana maharshi.Shut up these discussions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-74049415967622164172011-06-05T08:18:38.756+05:302011-06-05T08:18:38.756+05:30David,
I am shocked to see this comment by Anonymo...David,<br />I am shocked to see this comment by Anonymous on this wonderful website.Please delete this uncouth comment,if possible.<br />Namaskar.Ravihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14875076137584328729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-50317789153266511382011-06-05T00:44:47.566+05:302011-06-05T00:44:47.566+05:30Dey christiva devadiya pasangala, Ramanara patti p...Dey christiva devadiya pasangala, Ramanara patti pesa ennada yogyata irrukku. Don't believe Dr friesin for he is the disciple of Abshiktananda a christian monk. Ramana himself t00k interest after his silent month for 4 years after realisation to speak when asked by true seekers and he was slowly getting into the worldly activities and learnt malayalm, sanskrit etc and the books on self realisation. He did not do it discreetly, He did do it straight in the full glare of his devotees.Why? I twas bhagavat sankalpa. He lived his life pulicly before everyone. He did not hide himself in seperate room, unlike these modern self appointed gurus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-29867407095151456772010-12-25T11:37:37.692+05:302010-12-25T11:37:37.692+05:30I haven’t read such unmitigated crap in a long lon...I haven’t read such unmitigated crap in a long long time as Friesen has put up. His website has this little shocker concerning Bhagavan:<br /><br />“He was deeply influenced not only by traditional Hindu thought, but also by western-oriented neo-Hinduism, as well as by Christian and other western mystical traditions.”<br /><br />It just shows how little he really knows about Bhagavan. And sorry folks, there is nothing commendable about any research, or scholarship for that matter, if it produces conclusions that are patently incorrect, nay, as hare-brained as this.<br /><br />Best wishesArvind Lalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08360948041915924290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-79204990379875432732010-08-18T16:26:35.407+05:302010-08-18T16:26:35.407+05:30This is nice blog and post<a href="http://money-maker-4free.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">This is</a> <a href="http://free-offshore.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">nice</a> <a href="http://allmoviesstreaming.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">blog and</a> <a href="http://comedystreaming.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">post</a>Aniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02571619275450524704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-80104946685878846722010-08-01T10:57:21.535+05:302010-08-01T10:57:21.535+05:30Namaste David,
With all due respect, Mr. Frieswen ...Namaste David,<br />With all due respect, Mr. Frieswen is entitled to his point of view and shall also have it. My view is based on what I read Bhagavan to have said, "This is what the Rishi in the past did, this is what they do today and this is what shall be done in the future as well." Maybe this is not an accurately phrased sentence here, but it conveys what Bhagavan referred to -- the PRACTICE of moving towards the source of the mind. Currently referred to as Self Inquiry, and in the past, as the practice of "Deham / Naham / Soham / Koham?" done in conjunction with Pranayam. Without PRACTICE, Mr. Friesen's view is just like my own. It matters only for those who care.<br />Thanks and Regards,<br />VibhavUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18196750864339691571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-80593978792989339622010-07-10T13:54:03.549+05:302010-07-10T13:54:03.549+05:30Kannan, Below are the thoughts of Arthur Osborne, ...Kannan, Below are the thoughts of Arthur Osborne, a critique on Mouni Sadhu's writing;<br />"In his latest book Mouni Sadhu turns back from his unfortunate attempts to expound Hinduism to Christianity, with which he seems far more familiar. By "Theurgy" he seems to mean Christian devotional worship, though on the rather low level of seeking boons in reward for one's worship(p.15) On a more spiritual plane the worshipper turns to God for love alone with no thought of reward. What vitiates the book is the author's obsession with powers and occultism and his constant self-advertisement as a master of these. There is no doubt that ritual can be effective, in Christianity as in any other religion, but only when it is prescribed by tradition and conducted by duly ordained persons. A hotch-potch of ritual from ecclesiastical and occult sources prescribed by a self-styled authority and conducted by unauthorised persons is something from which it would be well to abstain."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-29145556691584662952010-07-10T10:47:45.337+05:302010-07-10T10:47:45.337+05:30Dear David,
On a related note, I always wondered ...Dear David,<br /><br />On a related note, I always wondered about the life and background of another Ramana devotee, namely Mouni Sadhu (the person who wrote "In Days of Great Peace"). I read this book long time back and really enjoyed it. I also read some of his other books on meditation and concentration techniques. David, do you know any other information about Mouni Sadhu, who he was, where he was from etc.<br /><br />Regards<br /><br />KannanUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06455118323041215453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-60721364934532997662010-07-04T02:58:05.651+05:302010-07-04T02:58:05.651+05:30Dear David,
"...reading the words of philoso...Dear David,<br /><br />"...reading the words of philosophers such as Sankara. I will repeat it again here:"<br /><br />I don't mean to compare or anything but Shri Shankara was not merely a philosopher. He was a realized man just as Sri Ramana.<br /><br />Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-51458630777415116202010-06-25T13:11:37.516+05:302010-06-25T13:11:37.516+05:30Hello Anonymous, Yes peace is what we want! I agre...Hello Anonymous, Yes peace is what we want! I agree that concentrating on ones breathe is helpful.I find Self enquiry is difficult to do when one is troubled.<br />Sometimes just being able to be in the present moment is also helpful.<br />Unfortunately I know little about the Gayatri mantra. I certainly do know all about a troubled mind and how hard it is to subdue all the tormenting, unnecessary thoughts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-24182312939060897002010-06-25T07:07:29.970+05:302010-06-25T07:07:29.970+05:30@ Anonymous. I'm kind of in the same boat. Bec...@ Anonymous. I'm kind of in the same boat. Because of that, I do things like listen to audio of sages as I walk around and do things, or at home, I have the computer on playing for instance Nome, and Robert adams on repeat. So that I'm always inundated in the message. This really helps a lot. You'd have to decide what sages you respect, that have audio. Also, I think often, I've moved on to the level of spiritual discrimination. For instance, Nome gave me some important things to contemplate. Where is the source of happiness? One big thing, I have to fight is anger. Anger is the grossest assertion of my ego. It's arising, and feels justified in it's ignorance. Adhering strongly to ahimsa (in body, speech and mind), has been very helpful to move on to a deeper inquiry. Sometimes I have to question the identifications that I am embodied, or the mind, instead of the pure un-moving Consciousness. Correspondence with Nome has been greatly helpful in my case.Losing M. Mindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08593870441560584967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-26363022068341940352010-06-25T01:10:37.404+05:302010-06-25T01:10:37.404+05:30I've tried to obtain whatever material I could...I've tried to obtain whatever material I could from Ramana. I have bought two of his books back home, and I have some PDFs that are freely available.<br /><br />Enquiring "Who Am I" is definitely too difficult for me, not something I can ever achieve in this life time. I don't even know what the next thought must be. So I'm doing Gayathri and Sandhya vandanam, but that is also mechanical and sort of forced. When I close my eyes and utter the gayathri or even try to "feel" its meaning it only brings some peace for a few moments, after which all my worries of the external world comes screaming into my head. I tried breath control, it makes it a bit better.<br /><br />I read in one place Ramana talked highly of gayathri, but obviously I must be doing something wrong. Since I'm still pretty young, I'd like to do it the right way.<br /><br />David, could you find any references to what Sri Ramana had to say about Gayathri mantra and how it should be practiced? Even in the mantra he had said "find out who is saying the mantra". It is not so simple to try find that out :)<br /><br />Thanks,<br />XYZ.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-91526345996197918802010-06-04T12:50:48.151+05:302010-06-04T12:50:48.151+05:30The Simple Path
Traditionally the Eightfold Path ...The Simple Path<br /><br />Traditionally the Eightfold Path is taught with eight steps such as<br />Right Understanding, Right Speech, Right Concentration, and so forth.<br />But the true Eightfold Path is within us - two eyes, two ears, two<br />nostrils, a tongue, and a body. These eight doors are our entire Path<br />and the mind is the one that walks on the Path. Know these doors,<br />examine them, and all the darmas will be revealed.<br />The heart of the path is so simple. No need for long explanations.<br />Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.<br />That is all I do in my own practice.<br />Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into<br />anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you<br />sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist<br />nothing.<br />Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop<br />samadhi and many kinds of viassana. But it all comes back to this -<br />just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle.<br /><br />Why not give it a try? Do you dare?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-54425809570305128912010-06-04T12:43:23.030+05:302010-06-04T12:43:23.030+05:30One time a group of devotees reported to Ramana Ma...One time a group of devotees reported to Ramana Maharshi that Seshadri<br />Swami (who knew Ramana well but had now passed on) was being channeled by a<br />man in town. The devotees discussed how the dead Swami was being channeled<br />by this man, and how surprising it all was. The Sage of Arunachala smiled<br />and said light heartedly, " We knew Seshadri well and moved together often on<br />the hill. It is a pity that he does not come and speak to us but instead<br />chooses to channel through this other man!" :-). The devotees roared with<br />laughterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-4677756373446301072010-06-04T10:47:39.414+05:302010-06-04T10:47:39.414+05:30If only Dr. Friesen spent his valuable time in med...If only Dr. Friesen spent his valuable time in meditation or something useful, instead of such a futile analysis! What use of all the "intellectual" jugglery? Just to prove a few points? What the Maharishi knows, Maharishi knows well. Those who haven't experience, would just not know. Another guy may come tomorrow and in the name of "scholarly" can de-rationalize all of Friesen's "conclusions". Friesen may satisfy himself for what he is trying to prove, but its only the satisfaction of his own mind, not the discovery of truth.Vasuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10021094634221315273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-86105007660716293852010-05-26T08:40:11.671+05:302010-05-26T08:40:11.671+05:30Well the author starts under the premise that his ...Well the author starts under the premise that his thought and rational is the absolute. How many times we have seen the science correcting it's models one after another. When Maharshi refer to that WHICH IS ( beyond the mind and matter, as we have to use some form of communication however lacking that may be ) how can one look into such in the plane o mind and matter?<br /><br />One who is blind cannot SEE, however much one tries to compare it to hearing faculties...<br /><br />A form of intellectual entertainment. Too much theory with no experience...I couldn't finish reading it as it was too dry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-57464394071845129442010-05-11T09:09:13.007+05:302010-05-11T09:09:13.007+05:30Akira
Thanks for pointing out the bad link. I hav...Akira<br /><br />Thanks for pointing out the bad link. I have fixed it.David Godmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10354181925332694222noreply@blogger.com