Author: Tom Das
Turiya, “The Life and Teachings of Ramana Maharshi” – Full HD Film
This new documentary on the life and teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi is due to go live today at 4pm Eastern time/ 9pm UK time
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Awakening Through Silence and Gratitude
“Spend time with sages whose minds are dead” ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi
Q. I want to become a Jnani, what should I do? Sri Ramama Maharshi | Aham Sphurana
The following excerpt is from the text Aham Sphurana 18th August 1936 – you can download the entire text here
Questioner: I also want to Realise the Self and become a Jnani like Sri Bhagavan. What should I do?
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: Do not do anything. Step aside and permit the Light to Shine.
Q.: I do not understand what I should do to Realise the Self.
B.: Summa Iru. It means, ‘Remain naturally without thinking.’
Q.: As distinct from suppression or control of thought?
B.: Yes.
Q.: In my case effort is needed to remain without thinking.
B.: That is the problem.
Q.: How am I to reach the state wherein I am able to effortlessly remain in the state of absence of thoughts?
B.: Only by pursuing the investigation ‘Who-am-I?’.
Q.: How long to investigate?
B.: Until investigation is no-longer possible.
Q.: If I am able to effortlessly remain in the state wherein there are no thoughts, can I also become a Jnani?
B.: Undoubtedly.
Q.: God’s Grace is said to be necessary for it.
B.: Yes.
Q.: How to win God’s Grace?
B.: Only by relentlessly pursuing the investigation.
Q.: Is not everything predetermined?
B.: That argument is not meant to be used to justify anticipation of failure.
Q.: So long as the idea or belief ‘The world is real’ is sustained within the mind, vichara will yield no benefit. Am I correct?
B.: Yes. But the vichara itself will progressively facilitate you to see the truth.
Q.: Is it belief in the objective reality of the world that is preventing me from Realising?
B.: Not only that idea, all arbitrary-mental-conceptualisations [vrittis] must be eradicated from the mind before there can be any possibility of Realisation.
Q.: Why so?
B.: Vrittis [mental modifications or arbitrary-mental-conceptualisations] act as water in a cauldron which reflects the Sun as an image upon its surface. Thoroughly empty the cauldron. That is the nivritti state of mind. When the cauldron has been toppled and broken into pieces, chance of reflection – any further – is permanently ruined. This is the Sahaja-stithi of the Jnani. [Tom: Sri Ramana is stating that all vrittis (mental modifications or thoughts) must cease for realisation. When the mind is destroyed (through self-enquiry) and can no longer generate thoughts, that is the Sahaja or natural state of self-realisation, also known as self-knowledge]
Bhagavan then turned to the attendant and asked him to pick out a certain volume of the Bengali work Sri Ramakrishna Kathamritha. But that gentleman could not succeed in identifying the same from the book-case. Bhagavan himself retrieved the same and presently read out for the Hall in Tamil:
‘One attains the state of Brahmajnana when the mind has been destroyed. When the mind disappears and the ego has scarpered without leaving behind the least residue, that which was repeating I,I is discovered to have always been non-existent. It is possible to reach this state through bhakti or jnana. The Jnana-anveshaka considers the world as a mere dream or hallucination. Once perception of the world has ceased, only the ‘I-Consciousness’ remains. Imagine that there are 10 cauldrons filled with water. They all reflect the Sun. Now, totally how many suns do you see?
A Devotee – Ten reflected suns and the one true Sun.
Sri Ramakrishna – Imagine now that one of these cauldrons shatters into pieces. Now how many suns do you see?
The Devotee – Nine reflected suns and the one true Sun.
Sri Ramakrishna – Well, supposing that nine cauldrons are broken, how many suns would you see?
The Devotee- One reflected image of the sun and the one true Sun.
Sri Ramakrishna – What remains after the last cauldron is broken?
The Devotee – The one true Sun.
Sri Ramakrishna – No. No words can possibly describe what remains. It is what really IS. When there is no reflected sun, how can you tell that there is the real sun? In the state of samadhi the ‘I’ vanishes. What a man experiences then cannot be expressed through ideas when he comes down to a lower plane.
Q.: Is Bhagawan now talking to us from a lower plane, then?
B.: Sri Ramakrishna is describing nirvikalpa samadhi. In the Sahaja-stithi there is no lower plane or higher plane. [Tom: some say there are 2 aspects of reality – that which is with form and changed, and the unchanging formless, and that these 2 are actually a single inseperable whole. However, this is not the actual truth – it is an idea of truth that the ego may like and understand, but not the truth itself. Bhagavan is telling us that the Self, devoid of name, movement and form, that alone is the reality, and that is beyond words and ideas and concepts, that cannot be understood or conceived]
Q.: The example befuddles me. The Sun is never obscured by its reflection on any number of surfaces. Reflections of the Sun do not affect the Sun itself in any way.
B.: Exactly.
Q.: But the Self is obscured by the ego.
B.: Did the Self complain of being obscured by the ego?
Q.: So bondage is a fact only from the ego’s point of view.
B.: Quite so.
Q.: In that case how did the ego arise?
B.: Whose ego?
Q.: Mine. But who am I?
B.: Find out.
Q. Is this world really a dream? I want proof! | Ramana Maharshi on Ramakrishna’s teachings | Aham Sphurana
The following excerpt is from the text Aham Sphurana 14th August 1936 – you can download the entire text here
Questioner: Is your teaching the same as Sri Ramakrishna’s?
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: Absolutely.
Q.: If I-am-God is the Truth, does it not amount to arrogance?
B.: It does not mean you – as you incumbently imagine yourself to be – are God. It means, God is the Real “I”.
Q.: There is a self which is co-eval with the personality and attaches itself to the body. This is known as the mind. Then there is the Parabrahman mentioned in the Vedanta. This is known as the Impersonal Essence of man. Which is my true self? Can I have more than one self?
B.: The mind is a phantom. In the Impersonal Essence the mind is nowhere to be found.
Q.: How to reach it?
B.: There is nobody there to reach it. Thus there is no reaching it. Subside and let the Light shine forth. Subside as the mind and shine as the Self.
Q.: Practically what is the method for it?
B.: The investigation, ‘Who-am-I?’.
Q.: But this investigation also is made with mind only.
B.: It commences no doubt in the mind. It ends in no-mind.
Bhagavan asked Major Chadwick to read out ‘Who-am-I?’ to him in French. This was done and the creature listened carefully, cocking his huge head against a meagre shoulder, so that his left ear should be better exposed to the sounds emanating from Chadwick’s lips. Presently he extracted a small ear-trumpet from the folds of his laborious clothes and grooved the ear-piece of the same into his left ear.
The bell of the contraption was positioned to face Major Chadwick.’s direction. Bhagavan looked at the surprised faces in the Hall and laughed. Presently –
Q.: What is the authority for saying that the world is a dream? Where is the proof, I mean?
B.: Did you exist in sleep?
Q.: Yes.
B.: Do you exist now?
Q.: Yes.
B.: Then what is the difference [in the 2 states]?
Q.: I am not aware of my body and world [in sleep].
B.: Being aware of the body and world is called dreaming. Remain unaware of them now also. That verily is Jnana or Reality. This alone is the state of true wakefulness.
Q.: But how can we call this world a dream?
B.: Why not?
Q.: There are so many people on the Earth. If it is a dream, whose dream might it be?
B.: Yours.
Q.: But why pick me out specifically? For instance it may even be the dream of the amiable Monsieur Chadwick here.
B.: Only you are there.
Q.: What about you, then, sir?
B.: No, I am not here or there. I AM. There is no here or there or anywhere. I AM THAT I AM.
Q.: I comprehend not.
B.: Evidence produced by the sensory organs is merely mental in nature. All knowledge of diversity is fictitious mental information. Your Being is Real. There is nothing else.
Q.: I want proof.
B.: If proof is given to you, how will you be able to believe it?
Q.: I comprehend not.
B.: The proof given to you, if any, is also going to be mere mental information only.
Q.: What can be believed, then, as true?
B.: Whatever is believed is false only. Truth is in Being only.
Q.: How to attain this Being?
B.: By giving up the idea that there could be anything to be attained and all other ideas.
Q.: Practically, how can I go about it?
B.: Investigate ‘Who-am-I?’.
Q.: Will repetition of sacred syllables not be helpful? Do not the sacred incantations of your religion hold some sort of latent spiritual power? By unlocking this power or energy can we not reach the state of Enlightenment?
B.: You have been appraised of the direct method.
Q.: The others are by-lanes or diversions?
B.: Yes.
Q.: Should food restrictions be followed by a seeker after Enlightenment? Can I eat pork?
B.: Try to thrive on grain and fruit.
Q.: Can the investigation of ‘Who-am-I?’ be done in your presence only? If I do it at, say, Nantes, would I able to succeed in Enlightening myself? Is your physical presence needed? In order so as to bring about a successful outcome to the practise, I mean?
B.: It is the mind that matters. If the mind is kept steadily poised in introversion, such questions cannot arise even.
Q.: Is worship of, or even belief in, a personal God permissible?
B.: Yes.
Q.: Does it not thwart one’s progress toward Enlighenment?
B.: When you become ripe enough, you will no longer feel that it is you who are praying.
Q.: Is philanthropy a distraction or ought one to try to help the suffering world?
B.: It varies according to the temprament of the individual’s psyche.
Q.: I see. What about my case?
B.: When you see suffering, what thought first crosses your mind?
Q.: “I wish God had created a world in which there was no suffering.”
B.: Those destined to help think – impetuously- “Let me see what I can do here…”.
Q.: Is there any need to officially renounce my affirmed affiliation into the La Rochelle Temple?
B.: No.
Q.: Occasionally I become frightened when my health takes a turn for the worse. How to remain free from such fears?
B.: You already know that for this perishable body made of the elements, destruction is certain one day. Why crib over the inevitable?
Q.: But how do I keep fear at bay?
B.: By not identifying the Self with the body or mind.
Q.: But how to get rid of such erroneous identification?
B.: Only by relentless pursuit of the investigation, ‘Who am I?’.
Then the Distraught One proudly produced a gift for Bhagavan – a small tin box which rattled. Bhagavan opened it and smiled.
Q.: [beaming happily] They are roasted seeds belonging to the St. Ignatius fruit – fruits produced by the tree Strychnos ignatius! Very difficult to obtain ever since the War, sir! Specially procured for your consumption, if I may be permitted to say so, sir!
Q. Does God have a distasteful revolting sense of humour, allowing all this suffering in the world? Can we move and act without thinking? Ramana Maharshi | Aham Sphurana
The following excerpt is taken from Aham Sphurana 9th August 1936, you can download the entire text here.
Questioner: If this suffering world is some sort of joke, I find God’s sense of humour distasteful – revolting, even.
Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi: The world is not external to you. Because you imagine yourself to be confined to this body, such a thing called ‘world’ appears outside you. In truth, only you are there and there is nothing else.
Q.: If I am the formless Aathman, how and why did I come to be trapped within or confined to this body?
B.: Who complains that he is limited to a phenomenal body? Is the Aathman raising this complaint?
Q.: No; I am.
[Tom: we will see that the questioner is lead to realise that the entity asking the question is neither the insentient physical body, not the exquisite perfect self, but some imposter that lies inbetween the two – ie. the ego-mind]
B.: Are you apart from the Aathman?
Q.: Yes; the Aathman is formless and perfect; I am confined to the form of this perishable body and therefore imperfect. Am I correct?
B.: Does the body bemoan the fact of its caducity?
Q.: No; I do.
B.: According to your own admission, you are neither the body nor the Aathman. Who, then, are you?
Q.: I am the intermediary entity, namely the individual soul [Tom: ie. Jiva or sense of separate self] or mind.
B.: How are you conscious of the mind’s existence? Is the mind you or are you aware of it as something apart from you?
[Tom: we will see that Bhagavan leads the questioner to realise that there are 2 aspects to his supposed identity or sense of self – consciousness and the thought or personality stream; he will see that consciousness is fundamental whereas the mind-personality-stream is not]
Q.: The mind seems to be the sentient life-force or stream of consciousness underlying my personality.
B.: Which is dependant on which for survival?
Q.: The mind’s sentience or consciousness is the fuel for my personality to function…
B.: Among these two, which can be eliminated by you?
Q.: Consciousness seems to be a given force or current. All I can do is to avoid the personality by refusing to indulge in thoughts; for thoughts seem to constitute the personality.
B.: So, if there are no thoughts, there is no possibility of raising the question ‘How and why did I come to be trapped within or confined to this body?’ or any other question; is that correct?
Q.: No doubt in the thought-free state the question cannot possibly be raised; but the question – as such – remains! Will avoiding the question address it?
B.: The question supplies the answer as itself!
Q.: I do not understand.
B.: The thought ‘I have a body’ is not a description of an independant situation. The body appears to exist ONLY by virtue and as a consequence solely of such thought.
Q.: So, it is the thought ‘I have a body’ that is responsible for creating the false impression that I have a body, whereas in truth I have none. Am I correct?
B.: Yes.
Q.: In that case, if I think, ‘I have no body’, the body should disappear, but it does not disappear. Why is this so?
B.: Intensely thinking about the disappearance of the body does make it disappear; but accquisition of such worthless siddhis is not our objective. You were asked to remove the idea ‘I have a body’ and keep quiet. Instead you remove that idea and in its place introduce the idea ‘I have no body’. Jnana is the disappearance of all ideas. ‘All ideas must disappear’ is also an idea. Eschew that idea also and keep quiet.
Q.: How will day-to-day life go on in the absence of thoughts?
B.: Many times better than it is going on now.
Q.: Can we move or speak without thinking?
B.: Once the ego is burnt away in the crucible of Jnana, all actions become automatic.
Q.: This is the Jnani’s point of view. Can it apply to an ajnani?
B.: Never mind Jnanis and ajnanis. Keep quiet and see whether your body’s actions are not spontaneously guided by an unfathomable Higher Power.
Q.: Can the Higher Power be trusted to always act in accordance with my interest?
B.: He always does the right thing. What he does may or may not co-incide with your weltanschauung and your understanding of or preferance for how things ought to go about or events ought to unfold. His actions may even seem unwise in your eye. What you should do is to close the eye of perception or judgement once and for all and open the eye of wisdom once and for all. Let the Master take care of the body and the circumstances, favourable or adversarious, that it is destined to face. You remain permanently submerged in the Heart and lose yourself there. Then it will not matter whether the body is drenched in rain or roasted in the sun or buried in the bowels of the earth; you remain unaffected, irrevocably and irretrievably lost in supreme shanti and not knowing anything apart therefrom.
Q.: Only a Jnani could be so indifferent to the body.
B.: Be a Jnani, then.
Q.: But it is said to be the hardest of all attainments.
B.: On the other hand, it is always your natural state.
Q.: If so why am I unaware of the same?
B.: Because you think you are unaware.
Q.: How to remedy the affliction?
B.: Stop thinking.
Q.: How is that done?
B.: Every time a thought arises, ask yourself, ‘To whom has this thought arisen?’ and then take the mind back to its origin, which is the primordial state of subjective-awareness-sustained-effortlessly-and-volitionlessly.
Q.: The thought ‘To whom has this thought arisen?’ is also a thought.
B.: The stick which is used to stir a burning pyre – what is its ultimate fate?
Q.: Generally it is thrown into the pyre itself to burn.
B.: Exactly.
Tom Das 