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| 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
