In the days of great peacec

 This is excerpt from the forward for the book IN THE DAYS OF GREAT PEACE. Forward by Arthur Osborne 

When you have a new dream your dream creates all the people and events in it. They have no reality apart from you, and their creation takes nothing from you and their reabsorption adds nothing to you you are the same after as before. It is something like that with manifestation of the universe.

You cannot be outside the spirit or other than, because there is no other. If you discover the real Self of you behind all thoughts and feelings it is spirit the self of all whether you discover it or not only the self is.

Why then should one trouble to discover it? because by breaking through the illusion of separate individuality and discovering the oneself suffering and frustration is avoided and strife replace by vibrant peace and sorrow by luminous bliss. 

Loss and Advaitha

Just as morning follows night, gain inevitably follows loss. At each important stage of our lifespan we leave behind a part of us who we identified with and step into a new sense of identity. Life is a series of alternations between expansion and contraction. Though we may desire  just the positive and dread the negative , the impersonal current of our existence inexorably moves by laws over which we have little or no control. Our destiny is already pre-ordained according to Bhagawan , it is just a question of whether we identify with the prarabdha of our body-mind complex or not. 

Arthur Osborn once described life in terms of an analogy of sitting in a boat going down a stream without any idea of its course and without knowing what bends or falls loom ahead. The only one who could know all that he said , was one who was sitting on a hill over looking the stream and seeing exactly where the travelers were going. We live with approximations and our understanding is fragmentary. Though we have religious , scientific , social and personal explanations but none of them are ultimately satisfactory because death is implacable.

Bondage and Liberation

It is only if bondage is real that liberation and the nature of its experiences have to be considered. So far as the SELF (Purusha) is concerned it has really no bondage in any of the four states. As bondage is merely a verbal assumption according to emphatic proclamation of the Vedanta system, how can the question of Liberation ,which depends upon the question of bondage , arise when there is no bondage? Without knowing this truth, to enquire into the nature of bondage and Liberation , is like enquiring into the non-existent height, color , etc of a barren woman's son or the horns of a hare. 

Sadhana and Sadhaka

 Long time since I started blogging. But Bhagawan's Grace which is ever flowing initiated me to write this.

The foremost sadhaka is he who has surrendered himself completely to the practice, which he views as the only reason for his being in an embodied existence. Nothing else matters to him. His mind remains fixed on the search for the Heart , whether in hi meditation, which is the time for intense concentration, or in his studies. In this mood he mood he makes rapid progress, for then the mind will be able to shed quickly much for its inherited encumbrances and propensities, its vasanas- and replace them by the habits of the QUEST. He asks nothing of the Guru that has no bearing on his Sadhana , and desires nothing but to be left in peace to pursue it in his own way. 

Page 28 Advaitic Sadhana S.S.Cohen

Good deeds and Sins : Punya and Papa

 

Sri Ramana , Back again after a very very long time . Bhagwan please keep me with you thoughts always and let me keep writing few things about you at regular intervals 

SRI RAMANA 

Bhagavan was most tender with people who thought themselves for some reason or other to be miserable sinners and who went to him torn by repentance.

During summer evenings we used to sit in the open space near the well. We would collect in the dining hall for dinner and come back to the well. Suddenly, one day, a visitor started weeping bitterly, "I am a horrible sinner. For a long time, I have been coming to your feet, but there is no change in me. Can I become pure at last? How long am I to wait? When I am here with you I am good for a time, but when I leave this place I become a beast again. You cannot imagine how bad I can be, hardly a human being. Am I to remain a sinner forever?"

Bhagavan answered: "Why do you come to me? What have I to do with you? What is there between us that you should come here and weep and cry in front of me?"

The man started moaning and crying even more, as if his heart were breaking. "All my hopes of salvation are gone. You were my last refuge and you say you have nothing to do with me! To whom shall I turn now? What am I to do? To whom am I to go?"

Bhagavan watched for some time and said, "Am I your guru that I should be responsible for your salvation? Have I ever said that I am your master?"

"If you are not my master, then who is? And who are you, if not my master? You are my guru, you are my guardian angel, you will pity me and release from my sins!"  He started sobbing and crying again.

We all sat silent, overcome with pity. Only Bhagavan looked alert and matter-of-fact.

 

Bhagavan:  "If I am your guru, what are my fees? Surely you should pay me for my services."

Devotee:  "But you won't take anything," cried the visitor "What can I give you?"

Bhagavan:  "Did I ever say that I don't take anything? And did you ever ask me what you can give me?"

Devotee:  "If you would take, then ask me. There is nothing I would not give you."

Bhagavan:  "All right. Now I am asking. Give me. What will you give me?"

Devotee:  "Take anything, all is yours."

Bhagavan:  "Then give me all the good you have done in this world."

Devotee:  "What good could I have done? I have not a single virtue to my credit."

Bhagavan:  "You have promised to give. Now give. Don't talk of your credit. Just give away all the good you have done in your past."

Devotee:  "Yes, I shall give. But how does one give? Tell me how the giving is done and I shall give."

Bhagavan:  "Say like this: 'All the good I have done in the past I am giving away entirely to my guru. Henceforth I have no merit from it nor have I any concern with it.' Say it with your whole heart."

Devotee:  "All right, Swami, I am giving away to you all the good I have done so far, if I have done any, and all its good effects. I am giving it to you gladly, for you are my master and you are asking me to give it all away to you."

Bhagavan:  "But this is not enough," said Bhagavan sternly.

Devotee:  "I gave you all I have and all you asked me to give. I have nothing more to give."

Bhagavan:  "No, you have. Give me all your sins."

Devotees:  The man looked wildly at Bhagavan, terror-stricken. "You do not know, Swami, what you are asking for. If you knew, you would not ask me. If you take over my sins, your body will rot and burn. You do not know me; you do not know my sins. Please do not ask me for my sins." And he wept bitterly.

Bhagavan:  "I shall look after myself, don't you worry about me," said Bhagavan. "All I want from you is your sins."

For a long time, the bargain would not go through. The man refused to part with his sins. But Bhagavan was adamant.

Bhagavan:  "Either give me your sins along with your merits, or keep both and don't think of me as your master."

 

In the end the visitor's scruples broke down and he declared:   "Whatever sins I have done, they are no longer mine. All of them and their results, too belong to Ramana."

Bhagavan seemed to be satisfied. "From now on there is no good nor bad in you. You are just pure. Go and do nothing, neither good nor bad. Remain yourself, remain what you are."

A great peace fell over the man and over us all. No one knows what happened to the fortunate visitor, he was never seen in the Ashram again. He might have been in no further need of coming.

 

Arunachala Ramana, Eternal Ocean of Grace

The Guiding Presence, Book 7, page 337-339

Some Incidents

 One day when all the visitors went to the dining hall for the midday meal a Brahmin youth was ejected

 from there. At the sight of this a devotee felt disinclined to sit down for his meal ; however he consoled

 himself and took his food . He was , however , so badly upset buy the incident that he did not take any of

the prasdam given to him later that day .At about 3 PM ., a monkey came and sat apposite to him in the

 Hall and he attempted to give it all the prasdam so far collected. Sri Bhagawan , looking at him ,

 remarked that if he fed that one fellow hundreds of others idlers would pour in to the ashram and it would

 be converted form a place of retreat of sadhakas , Jananis and yogis to an idlers asylum . 

Divine Grace and Self Surrender

 Divine Grace is a manifestation of the cosmic free will in operation. It can alter the course of events in a mysterious manner through its own unknown laws, which are superior to all natural laws, and can modify the latter by interaction. It is the most powerful force in the universe.

It descends and acts only when it is invoked by total self- surrender. It acts from within, because God resides in the Heart of all beings. Its whisper can be heard only in a mind purified by self-surrender and prayer. Rationalists laugh at it, and atheists scorn it, but it exists. It is a descent of God into the soul’s zone of awareness. It is a visitation of force unexpected and unpredictable. It is a voice spoken out of cosmic silence - It is ‘Cosmic Will which can perform authentic miracles under its own laws’.

From :Gems of Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharishi 

Revelation -- Sri Raman Hridayam

 All the ills of the worldly life are the outcomeof the primary ignorace, by which the body, composed of the five sheaths, is identified with the SELF, so that all the defects and limitations of the former are tansferred to the latter; this is improper , because the SELF is pure spirit, Consciousness, not only distinct from these sheaths but also quite unconnected with them. The SELF is therefore timeless and spaceless, the Transcendental Reality, which is the substratum of the world-appearance, which is not real in its own right, but only because it has Reality for its substratum, which alone is real.  The Self therefore is ever-free and perfect , and does not need to be freed or perfected. By following the direct path , the mind- the agent of ignorance - is disolved in the Self , bondage and all the ills of life are trancended , and the Self is realised as Pure Consciouseness-Bliss without wants and limitations.

Revelation -- Sri Raman Hridayam 

Author Introduction.

Sri Ramanaya Namah

Egotism-- Enemy Of Wisdom

Vashista Gita -- the oft quoted scripture by Bhagawan is a jewel of Vednatic teachings.

Sri Rama explaining his depodency and vairagya to sage Vashsista says the following 

" I am bevildered and scared when I contemplate the coming in to being of the dreadufl enemy of wisdom known as egotism. It comes into being in the darkness of ignorance and flourishes in ignorance. It generates endless sinful tendencies and sinful actions . All suffering surely revolves around egotism and egotism is the sole cause of mental distress. I feel that egotism is the worst disease . Spreading the net of wordly objects of pleasure , it is the egotism that traps the living beings . Indeed , all the terrible calamities in this world are born of egotism . Egotism eclipses self-control, destroys virtue and dissipates equanimity. Giving up the egotismtic notion that ' I am Rama ' and giving up all desires, I wish to rest in the self. I realise that whatever I have done with egoistic notion is vain- non-egoistism is alone is truth. When I am under the influence of egotism ,I am unhappy; when Iam free form egotism I am happy. Egotism promotes cravings, without it they perish. It is egotism alone,without rythm or reason , that has spread the net of family and social relationships to cathc the unwary soul . I think I am free from egotism ; yet I am miserable . Pray , enlighten me."

Sri Ramanaya Namaha.

PRAYER

This one is from "In the Days of Great Peace" by Mouni Sadhu , devotee of Bhagawan

Achievement is the same for all religions. But the ways to it can be seen differently . If you study the lives of the saints of all faiths, you will find that they are all brothers in the love and realization of God. Let our prayers be unselfish, and remeber always that the Lord knows better how to rule His Universe than we do. Therefore, He does not need our suggestions in this matter. Try to make perfect that which is really yours -- your own consiousness. That is our only aim.

Here is the mysitc prayer by St. Francis of Assissi:

"Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred , let me sow love;

where there is injury , let me sow pardon;

where there is doubt, let me sow faith;

where there is diapair -hope;

where there is darkness -Light;

where there is sadness ,let me sow joy'.

 May this divine prayer stay in our hearts and surrender ourselves to HIM.

Sri Ramana

Happiness and Misery in Creation

Apologies once again for my absence . Some times life drifts away from the Spiritual waters. By Bhagawans grace I am back again at his feet.

Was reading SS Cohen's book on Bhagawan and found this, and thought this is a pertinent time to share this.

On May 4th 1937 in Bhagawan's presence a book was read which touches on weather the world was created for happiness or for misery. 

Bhagawan answered as follows 

"Creation is neither good nor bad; it is as it is . IT is on the human mind which puts all sorts of constructions on it, as it sees things from its own angle and as it suits its own interests. A women is just a women, but one mind calls her mother , another sister and still another aunt and  so on. Men love women, hat snakes and are indifferent to the grass and stones by the road side. These connections are the cause of misery in the world. Creation is like a peepul tree; birds come to eat its fruit, or take shelter under its branches , men cool themselves in its shade , but some may hang themselves on it.Yet the tree continues to lead its quiet life , unconcerned with , and unaware of , all the uses its is put to . It sis the human mind that creates its own difficulties and then cries for help. Is God so partial as to give peace to one person and sorrow another? In creation there is room of everything , but man refuses to see the good, the healthy and the beautiful , and goes on whining , like the hungry man who sits besides a tasty dish and instead of stretching out his hand to satisfy hunger , he goes on lamenting."

To ask for protection form HIM is to doubt his GRACE 

Sri Ramana 

Visons , Miracles and Mystic experience

I was going through old Mountain path issues and one of the issues on Aradhana day had the following from Sri Ramakrishna on Visions.This caught my mind for a long time and sent me in to thinking and self reflection.

" Taking visions to be the whole of religion, many come to the wrong conclusion that any one who has not had such experiences is not at all spiritual. Spirituality and aimless miracle mongering seem to them the same thing. But this kind of hankering after miracles does not make man spiritual ; on the contrary it makes him weaker daily in all respects. That which does not lead to steadfastness and strength of character, that which does o tenable man to take his stand on the rock of purity and truth in defiance of the whole world , or that which entangles him more and more in various kinds of desires instead of setting him free from them , is outside the realm of spirituality. If extraordinary visions have not produced such results in your life and nevertheless you are having those visions , know that you are still outside the realm of spirituality , and that the visions are due to a diseased brain and so are of no value. IF , on the other had , instead of having wonderful visions and experiences , you find yourself acquiring strength , know for certain that you are on the right path and that you will also have those visions and experiences at the proper time."

Sri RamaKrishna , The Great Master.

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

WHAT IS GURU AND GOD FOR ME

HERE IS A SAINTS HEART ABOUT GURU AND GOD

If He wants to initiate a soul in the path of perfection , he can do it in a word. He will tell us how to 

overcome karma and get on in life. When earnestly sought for, he will come without a moments delay and 

without pretexts for holding off. To me , he is the umbrella for rain and food for hunger. He will give me 

money when I ask for it. Bear and forbear even when I scoff at him. Console me with dance and song and 

know without my telling him what is my hearts desire. Among all saints, where is one so kind? 

If I get conceited, he will bring me to senses by sending me a severe blow. He will contemptuously turn away 

form hypocrisy. In times of depression his words of grace will flood our soul and light and cheer. When we 

have our quarel with him and feel he has neglected us , he will do something to gladden our heart and fillit 

with gratitude.When we are in great peril , he will come and stand by us and avert the catastrophe. By his 

grace all evils will be consumed like moths in a flame.

Now else this can be except BHAGAWAN.

Sri Ramanaya Namaha.