Free Will and Effort

Bhagawan wrote the following as his reply to his mother Alagammal

"The Ordainer controls the fate of the souls in accordance with their prarabdhakarma ( destiny to be worked out in this life, resulting from the balance-sheet of actions in past lives). Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen , try as you may. Whatever destined to happen will happen, do what you may to prevent it. this is certain. The best course , therefore is to remain silent "

Bhagawan was uncompromising in his teaching that whatever is to happen will happen, while at the same time he taught that whatever happens is due to prarabdha. He refused ever to be entangled in a discussion on free-will and predestination , for such , theories, although contradictory on the mental plane, may both reflect aspects of truth

He said explicitly "All the actions that the body is to perform are already decided upon at the time it comes into existence; the only freedom you have is whether or not to identify yourself with the body"

The apparently conflicting view that a man makes his own destiny is no less true,since everything happens by the law of cause and affect and every thought , word and actions brings about its repercussion.

Sri Ramana said " AS beings reap the fruit of their actions in accordance with God's laws, the responsibility is theirs, not His.

Bhagawan gave an example " The way to managed to come to Thiruvannamali, by physical effort , similarly make an effort to move forward on spiritual path.

Effort is needed. When a devotee complained that the peace he experienced whilst at the Ashramam diminished in time after reaching his home, Bhagawan advised him to strengthen his mind by effort to keep the flow of peace for longer time. The stronger the mind gets the longer the peace prevails , this can be achieved only by self effort, without focus on results.

SRI RAMANAYA NAMAH

Advaitic Sadhana - The yoga of Direct Liberation--Book

Advaitic Sadhana -The Yoga of Direct Liberation

This book is an essay written by S.S.Cohen, one of the earliest devotees of Bhagawan. This is a Gem of a book , containing also the English translations of Mandukyopanishad and Atma Bhoda. The book is divided in to three sections

Part one deals with the Sadhana itself qualifications of sadhaka , dhyana , pitfalls and samadhi. Nicely elucidated in this essay we can compare our position and move forward.

Part Two is the Mandukyopanishad , translation , this is not an exhaustive commentary ,but will emphasise the zest of the upanishad in plain English.

Part Three is the English translation of Atma Bhoda.Atma Bhoda is one of the smallest treatises written by Sri Shankaracharya , occupies a unique place in the science of Self-Knowledge and liberation. In 68 short stanzas the Acharya gives the cream of the Vedanta.

Overall this small book is a super guide and a pleasure read. Published by Motilal Banarsidass , this is a book of vedanta in nutshell. A must for Sadhakas.

Sri Ramana Sri Ramana Sri Ramana

Ramanashramam Visit

Apologies for the long absence.

 By grace of Bhagawan I should be able to write two posts ,atleast, per week.

I visited Bhagawan and Ramanashramam in August. Some pics from my visit

 

Entrance Sri  Ramanashramam 

 Holy Hill From Ramanashramam

Arunachaleswara Temple Gopuram Early Hours 

Another View of Holy Arunachala Hill 

 

The GURU

God (Ishvara), Guru (Master) and SELF (Atman) are one and the same reality. The Self splits , as it were, into God and soul, Guru and disciple. The lower member of each pair regains the Self through the grace of the higher member:the soul through worshiping God, the disciple through serving the Guru. Infact ,these are no two different pairs. It is God that appears in the form of the Guru in order to show the soul the way to release by imparting to it the light of knowledge.

Normally, the Guru appears in human form ; but in certain cases he may manifest in non-human forms as well. The Guru is not only without ,but also within.

Speaking about the Grace of the Guru, Sri Ramana once said:

"The Guru is the Self. At sometime a man grows dissatisfied with his life and not content with what he has, seeks the satisfaction of his desires through prayers to God. His mind is gradually purified until he longs to know God , more to obtain His Grace than to satisfy worldly desires. Then God's grace begins to manifest itself. God takes the form of a Guru and appears to the devotee, teaches him the Truth , and , moreover , purifies his mind by associating with him. The devotee's mind thus gains strength and is then able to turn inward. By meditation it is further purified until it remains calm without the least ripple. That calm Expanse is the Self.

Sri Ramana Sri Ramana

REMOVAL OF MISERY

Bhagawan answers the question of misery 

Devotee: When dukha (misery) overpowers me enquiry is impossible.

Maharishi: Because mind is too weak .Make it strong.

D: By what means?

M : Sat-sanga,Isvara Arradhana, Pranayama.

D What happnes then?

M: Misery is removed ; our aim is removal of misery. You do not acquire happiness. Your very nature is happiness.Bliss is not newly earned.All that is done is to remove  unhappiness. These methods do it.

D: Association with the wise may strengthen the mind.There must also be practice. What practice should be done

M: Yes practice is necessary too. Practice means removal of predispositions.Practice is not for any fresh gain, it is to kill the predispositions.

D: Abhayasa should give me that power.

M: Abhayasa is power. If thoughts are reduced to single thought , the mind is said to have grown stronger. When practice remains unshaken it becomes sahaja (natural)

D: What is such practice?

M: Enquiring into the SELF. That is all . Atmanyeva vasam nayet- FIX the mind on the SELF.

D: What is the aim to be kept in view. Practice requires an aim

M: Atman is the aim. What else can there be? All other aims are for those who are incapable of atmalakasya .They lead you ultimately to atma vichara. . One piontedness is the fruit of all kinds of practice. One may get it quickly another after long time, Everything depends on the practice.

CONTROL OF SPEECH

Question : Will control of Speech lead to control of Mind?

Bhagawan : Speech is controlled by the mind. Mere silence will not quieten the mind. If the mind is subdued , then automatically the breath will become regulated. Forceful regulation of breath through yoga is like applying brakes to the engine. However , if the source of the mind is searched the mind becomes silent. It is like letting off steam from the engine. The very movement of the train is cut off. Through self-enquiry , Self-abidance becomes possible.

Sri Ramana Sri Ramana Sri Ramana 

WAY TO PEACE AND HAPPINESS

Question: What is the best way to living in peace? 

Bhagawan : To eliminate the thinking mind and the profane ego through constant meditation is a good practice to live in supreme peace. People have the tendency of not understanding the simple truth, the truth of their daily experience , always current and eternal. This truth is the SELF. But people do not want to hear about this. They prefer to know about what happens in the beyond, in an imaginary paradise , in the hell , they want to know about reincarnation. They prefer mystery to the simple truth , the mystery that the religions use to attract man through crooked paths. But it is useless to go through such paths. It is necessary to become conscious of the SELF. Why, then , not establish oneself immediately in it?

Question: How to obtain happiness?

Bhagawan : Happiness is not a state to be obtained. The desire of happiness comes from the feeling of in-satisfaction. And this pertains to the ego. To obtain happiness, it is not necessary to conquer something new, but only to free oneself from ignorance that makes one believe in unhappiness. The victim of this ignorance is the ego. It is when one destroys the ego that prefect happiness appears naturally.

Many people seek happiness in new adventures , discovering new regions, finding rare and curious objects. All this awakens great passion in them. But where can they find happiness? In themselves and in no other place. It is not necessary to seek happiness beyond the self.

All have the desire to be happy, protected from all suffering. They also seek to be free from all the diseases of the body and in their own way , preserve the great love , without which they believe happiness cannot be possible.In deep sleep , even though everything has disappeared , each one has the experience of happiness. However , due to the ignorance of the true nature , men prefer to act accordion to erroneous belief that the path of happiness consists in obtaining earthly and celestial pleasures. the pleasure that ends in pain is still unhappiness and the wise man prefers to avoid it. 

SRI RAMAN BHAGAWAN