DEATH AND REBIRTH

Devotee: How long is the interval between death and rebirth?

 

Bhagawan: It may be long or short ,but a realized person undergoes no such change; he merges into the Infinite Being ,as is said in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.some say that those who ,after death,take the path of light arenot reborn ,whereas those hwo take the path of darkness are reborn after they have reaped their karma in their subtle bodies.

 

If a man's merits and demerits are equal he is reborn immediately on earth ; if the merits outweigh the demerits his subtle body goes first to heaven ,while if the demerits outweigh the merits he goes first to hell..But in either case he is later reborn on earth.All this is described in scriptures ,but in fact there is neither birth nor death ;one simply remains what one really is. That is the only truth. 

 

Devotee: Is this consistent with the Hindu doctrine of reincarnating ego? Is the soul a continuous entity which reincarnates again and again according to Hindu doctrine or a mere conglomeration of mental tendencies according to the Buddhists?

 

Bhagawan: The real Self is continuous and unaffected. The reincarnating ego belongs to a lower plane ,that of thought.It is transcended by Self Realization.Reincarnations are due to a spurious offshoot of Being and are therefore denied by Buddhists. The human state is due to the mingling of sentient with insentient.

 

The birth of I-thought is a person's birth and its death is his death. After the I-thought has arisen the false identification with the body arises.but if you cease to identify yourself with the body and realize the true Self this confusion will vanish.

 

 

 

Guru Vaada

A devotee once asked Bhagawan if he is against guruvaada( Guru Shishya Parampara)?

 

Bhagawan: "Why should I be against guruvaada?"He smiled."Some people evidently need a guru; let them follow him.I am against nothing except ego ,the I-ness which is the root of all the evil"

 

Devotee: "But why then don't you come out to preach this great message?" 

 

Bhagawan :" Have you heard of the saying of Vivekananda that if one but thinks a noble ,selfless thougth.even in a cave, it sets up vibrations throughtout the world and does what has to be done ,can be done?"

 

 

BHAGAWAN REPLIES

OM NAMOH BHAGAVATHE SRI RAMANAYA

THESE ARE THE REPLIES GIVEN BY BHAGAWAN ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS TO THE MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS BY DEVOTEES.THESE ANSWERS ,15 IN NUMBERS,SUMS UP BHAGAWAN'S TEACHINGS.

1. Japa of Koham or Soham is not correct.Put the question once and then concentrate on finding the source of ego and preventing occurrence of thoughts.

2. You should not attend to the breathing if you are capable of concentrating on the enquiry without it.Some may have to attend to breathing if unable to concentrate on the enquiry alone .So may practise keval Kumbhaka during enquiry.Pranayama should be practised with usual caution. Pranayama is like reins to control the mind-horse.

3.Suggestive replies such as Sivoham etc., to the enquiry are not be given to the mind during the meditation.The true answer will come by itself.Any answer the ego may give cannot be correct.The method of enquiry is dhyana and the effortless state is Jnana.

4. I is alos a Guru Mantra.The first name of GOD is I.Even OM comes later.Atma of the self is always saying I-I. There is no mantra without the peson who does the japa ie AHAM.the Japa of Aham is always going on within .Japa leads to Dhyana and Dhyana leads to Jnana.You may practise saguna meditation.Only that method which is most suitable for a person will appeal to him.

5. Without losing hold of the knowledge of "who you are "you may continue all activities as prompted to perform by the inner controller.They will go on even without your efforts. What you are destined to do you cannot avoid.They will come your way of their own accord.You should also understand what japa ,kirtans etc are meant for. The real japa is always going on.Japa and God are one and the same.

6.Dont entertain such thoughts of imperfection ,lack of qualities etc.You are already perfect.Get rid of the ideas of imperfection and need for development.There is nothing to realize or annihilate.You are the SELF the ego does not exits.

Pursue the enquiry and see if there is anything to be realised or annihilated.See if there is any mind to be controlled.Even the effort is being made by the mind which does not exist.

7. Real asana is "being established" in the Self-Reality. Sit in your Self. Where can the Self go and sit .Everything sits in the Self.Find out the source of the I and sit there. Dont have the idea that the Self cannot be realized without the help of asanas etc.

8.You can read whichever book you like.Self is the real book. You can look in to it whenever you like. Nobody can take it away.Hold on to your self in your spare time also and then you can read any book.

9. In the enquiry ,I refers to the ego.

10.Ask yourself "To whom do these doubts ,fears and worries occur?" and they will vanish.Cease to pay attention to them.Pay attention to the ~Self within.Fears etc can only arise when there are two ,or when anybody else exists apart from and separate to you the Self.If you turn the mind inward towards the Self fears etc will disappear.If you try to remove a doubt or fear another will sprout.There is no end of it.The best method to annihilate them is to ask "To whom do they occur"?and they will disappear.Destroying a tree by plucking its leaves one by one is impossible -other leaves will grow by the time you pluck a few.Remove the root of the tree-the ego-and the whole tree with its leaves and branches will be destroyed.Prevention is better than cure.

11.Should I look for the source within the body?

The ego arises within the body.Hence in the first instance you may look within the body for its source.When you reach the source there will be no inside or outside,because the source of the Self is all-pervading.After realizaiton everything will be inside the Self.

12. Is the source on the right side of the mid line of the chest?
The Heart is defined as the place from which the "I thought" arises.Hear means the Centre ,of Consciousness).It cannot be identified with any part of body.

13 Keep the mind quite.That is enough.Sitting in the hall (In Bhagawan's Presence ) will help you. The purpose of effort is to get rid of all efforts. The force will be clearly felt when the still ness is achieved.

Spiritual vibrations exist everywhere and they will manifest when the mind is stilled.

14.Look at your Self or Atman ,rather than anywhere else.
The eyes may be kept open or closed-it is immaterial.There is only one I -EYE .There is no point in opening or closing the eyes.Attention must be focused on inner I. You cease to think of the world when you think of the Self. If you are in a room and close your eyes and do no look out, it is immaterial whether you close the windows or not.

Looking at ajna-chakra etc is not necessary in this method.Concentrate on the Self without which there are  no chakras.The do not exist without you.You are all of them.

15. First find out whether the ego ,which is depressed by thoughts ,exists.Find out how you go the idea of the body .Solve this problem of your ego ,then see if anything remains to be solved.

OM NAMOH BHAGAVATHE SRI RAMANAYA
 

SENSES UNDER CHECK

In 1937 ,and ealderly American came alon giwth a group to visit Sri Bhagavan.The trend of the discussion was that the five senses were to put under check.Since the old American was deaf he couldnot follow the discussions. Sri Bhagavan remarked that the American needed to control only four senses as the fifth(hearing) was already under check.Someone in the hall explainedthis tot he American and he beamed with joy.

MULTIPLICATION OF TENDENCIES

Many who take the PATH , many members of spiritual groups, will be found to be more egoistic than those one would be likely to meet in some group of people united for worldly or social ends - more jealous ,more ungoverned ,quicker to take offence ,less generous, less inclined to give in, atleast in the early phase of the PATH. This is likely to come as a shock and disillusionment to one joining such group.

BUT THE WISE HOLD ON AND CARRY ON FORWARD.

One explanation that is given is that spiritual training squeezes aout the lower tendencies in man ,of which he himself is unaware, bringing them to the surface and thereby making them temporarily more obtrusive , so that an aggravation is a stage in the cure.

When a devotee complained to the Maharishi that other thougths arose more forcilbly when he tried to meditate,

 Bhagawan replied "Yes All kinds of thoughts arise in meditation ,That is only right ,for what is hidden in is brought out.Unless it rises up how can it be destroyed?Thoughts rise up spontaneously but only to be extinguished in due course, thus strengthening the mind"

Source :Teachings Of Ramana Maharishi in His Own Words

PUNISHMENT

A devotee asked Bhagawan once " Is society right in taking the life of a murderer? Can the state do so either? The Christian countries begin to think that it is wrong to do so"?

Bhagawan :" What is it that prompted the murderer to commit the drime? The same power awards him the punishment.Society or State is only  a tool in the hands of power.You speak of one life taken away , But what about the innumerable lives lost in wars"?

 

 

 

Ref: Talks With Ramana Maharishi  

E-Books on Sri Ramana Maharishi

Please find links for Books on Sri Ramana Maharishi PDF and Kindle version.

Silent Power :http://archive.org/details/SilentPower

 Ramana Maharishi and Path of Self Knowledge : http://archive.org/details/RamanaMahaishiAndPathOfSelfKnowledge

My Life and Quest :http://archive.org/details/MyLifeAndQuest-arthurOsborne

Crumbs from his Table :http://archive.org/details/CrumbsFromHisTable-ramanandaSwarnagiri

A sadhus Reminiscences and Ramana Maharishi http://archive.org/details/ASadhusReminiscencesAndRamanaMaharishi

Face to Face with Ramana Maharishi : http://archive.org/details/FaceToFaceWithSriRamanaMaharishi

More to Come ...............

Sri Ramana

GREATNESS--BONDAGE AND LIBERATION

As an answer to Annamalai swamy's question on moksha Bhagawan said the following :

" It is natural for a person to think that he should be well-known to the people of the world and be praised by them.But if this thought is present one cannot attain true greatness or happiness.God is not interested in those who promote their own claims to greatness. One who is not satisfactory to God is an inferior person, not a great one.

If anyone dedicates both his mind and his body to God in every possible way, God will make him be famous and praised by people all over the world"

Bhagawan then supported his remarks by quoting a verse from Vairagya Shatakam

" O mind, you are thinking how to make the people of the world regard you as great.The ever-existing God alone is the one who bestows bondage and lieration.What is the use of others knwoing your greatness? O mind, perform the rare tapas of surrendering to the holy golden feet of God. Then God will make you so great that the world will know your greatness and praise you.Know thus."

Bhagawan also gave a text to Annamalai Swamy called Sivabhoga Saram (96 verse)

"Those who suppress the thought 'I am Great' by not paying any attention to it, the Vedas will say that they are great ,

Those who shay 'I am great' are small people,Say other than them who will undergo misery in this world"

(Source LIVING BY THE WORDS OF BHAGAWAN( Page 124-125) by David Godman )

Realization is it a Flood?

One day Mr.Cohen told Bhagavan that he always understood that Realization is like a flood and sudden.

Bhagawan answered that it must not be forgotten that before realisation (the suddenes) maturity is required which is a very slow process, like the ripening of an apple on the tree.

FROM GURU RAMANA MEMORIES AND NOTES BY S.S.COHEN.

PERSONAL GOD

Dr.H of the small group of Americans spen a few weeks in the Ashram in Feb 1936 asked Sri.Maharishi if there exists such thing as Personal God

Bhagawan said Yes Ishwara

Dr.H: What with eys, nose and ears?

Bh:Yes if you have them why should not God also have them.

Cohen:When I read in the Kabbala and the Puranas the God has these organs ,I laugh

Bh: Why Don’t you laugh at yourself for having them.

[FROM GURU RAMANA MEMORIES AND NOTES BY S.S.COHEN]

MAYA AND REALITY

A disciple remarks that Sri Bhagavan often says that Maya and Reality is the same .How can that be?

Shankara was criticised for his views on Maya without understanding him. He said 1. brahmam is real and the universe is unreal and brahmam is the universe. He did not stop at the second, because the third explains the other two. It signifies that the universe is real if perceived as the Self and unreal if perceived apart from the Self

Hence Maya and Reality are one an the same.

{ FROM GURU RAMANA MEMORIES AND NOTES BY S.S.COHEN}

HEART AND GOD

A student of PhD asked Bhagavan

God is said to be immanent, how do you justify your confining Him to heart?

God is said to reside in the Heart in the same way as you are said to reside in your body. Yet Heart is not a place. Some place must be named as the dwelling of God for those who take their bodies for themselves and who comprehend only relative knowledge. The fact is neither God nor we occupy any space. We are bodiless and space less in deep sleep, yet in the waking state, we appear to be the opposite. Atman and Paramatman is that from which the body is born, in which it lives and into which it finally resolves.

(FROM GURU RAMANA MEMORIES AND NOTES BY S.S.COHEN)

GOD OF CREATION AND LAXATIVE RECIPE

SRI MAHARISHI composed a verse in Tamil over which an English lady devotee grew very jubilant and looked forward to reading in English translation, taking it to be a hymn in praise of lord of creation. I turned out too e a laxative recipe, which Bhagavan had written with his own hand in ten long lines. Bhagavan is bubbling with joy over it and is showing it to everybody like a school boy who has written his first poem. (29th August 1949)

FROM GURU RAMANA MEMORIES AND NOTES BY S.S.COHEN.