'I AM THAT' - When the mind stays in the ‘I am’, without moving, you enter a state, which cannot be verbalized, but which can be experienced ~ 'Nisargadatta Maharaj'

 "Hold on to that 'I-AM-ness' which is shining everywhere as the 'Phenomenal World' ~ Swaathmaaraaman.


Go deep into the sense of ‘I am’ and you will find. How do you find a thing you have mislaid or forgotten? You keep it in your mind until you recall it. The sense of being, of ‘I am’ is the first to emerge. Ask yourself whence it comes or just watch it quietly. When the mind stays in the ‘I am’, without moving, you enter a state, which cannot be verbalized, but which can be experienced. All you need to do is to try and try again. After all the sense of ‘I am’ is always with you, only you have attached all kinds of things to it- body, feelings, thoughts, ideas, possessions and so on. All these self-identifications are misleading, because of these you take yourself to be what you are not.
'I AM THAT'- Nisargadatta Maharaj.

'TRIPURA RAHASYA' - chapter XVI, verses 29-33 : The Phenomenal World appears in 'Self-Forgetfulness' and disappears in 'Self-Awareness' or 'Self-Realization' ~ Swaathmaaraaman.

29-31. The sight must be turned away from other objects and fixed on a particular object in order to see it. Otherwise that object will not be perceived in entirety. The fact that the sight is not fixed on it is the same as not seeing it. Similarly is it with hearing, touch, etc.
32. The same applies to the mind in its sensations of pain and pleasure, which are not felt if the mind is otherwise engaged.

33. The other perceptions require the two conditions, namely, elimination of other objects and concentration on the one. But Self-realization differs from them in that it requires only one condition: elimination of all perceptions.
chapter XVI, verses 29-33

*WORDS OF WISDOM*
"If one’s mind has peace, the whole world will appear peaceful".
- Ramana Maharshi

*Glimpses of Self-Realization* - 'Pati-Pasu-Pasa' - Posted by 'shivayashiva' - The conerstone of Shaivaite Philosophy.

‘Pati’ is Lord Siva. It is the object of all the Vedas and the Agamas to explain the concepts of Lord (Pati), bound souls (Pasu) which really means cattle and bondage (Pasa). Lord Siva is infinite, eternal, one without a second. He is changeless and indivisible. He is the embodiment of knowledge and bliss. He energizes the intelligence of all souls. He is beyond the reach of mind and speech. He is the ultimate goal of all. He is smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest. He is self-luminous, self-existent, self-contained and self-delight.

‘Pasus’ are the individual souls who are sunk in the quagmire of Samsara. They assume bodies to work out their good and evil actions and are born as lower and higher beings according to their nature of Karma. They do virtuous and vicious actions in the course of experiencing the endless fruits of their Karma and have countless births and deaths. Ultimately they attain the grace of Lord Siva through meritorious acts and their ignorance is dispelled. They attain salvation and become one with Lord Siva.

‘Pasa’ is bond. The web of bonds is distinguished into Avidya or Anavamala, Karma and Maya. Anavamala is egoism. It is the taint due to the false notion of finiteness which the soul has. The soul imagines itself to be finite and confined to the body and of limited knowledge and power. It erroneously identifies itself with the perishable body and mistakes the body for its reality. It has forgotten its essential divine nature.

‘Karma’ is the cause of bodies and manifold bodily experiences and births and deaths. It is beginning less. It is the cause of the conjunction of the conscious soul with the unconscious body. It is an auxiliary of Avidya. It is done through thought, word and deed. It takes the form of merit and sin and produces pleasure and pain. It is subtle and unseen (Adrishta). It exists during creation and merges into the substratum of Maya during Pralaya. It cannot be destroyed. It must work out its results.

Maya is the material cause of the world. It is unconscious or unintelligent, omnipresent, imperishable. It is the seed of the world. The four categories, viz., Tanu, Karana, Bhuvana and Bhoga beginning with the bodies, spring up from Maya. It permeates all its developments and causes perversion in the Karmic souls. During Pralaya it is the basic resort of all souls. It is itself a bond for the souls. All these processes in it are due to the energizing influence by Lord Siva. Just as the trunk, the leaf and the fruit grow from the seed, so also the universe from Kala to earth, springs from Maya.

The real Nada, the root of sound is evolved from pure Maya by the will of Lord Siva. From Nada, the real Bindu springs up. From it, the real Sadasiva originates and gives birth to Isvara. Suddha Avidya is developed from Isvara. The world originates from Bindu and develops into various forms.

'TRIPURA RAHASYA'- Chapter XIV, verses 56-57).

Examine again your daydreams and mental imagery. Though they are perfect in detail, yet they are no less mental.
Consciousness permeating them obviously remains unblemished before creation or after dissolution of the world; even during the existence of the world, it remains unaffected as the mirror by the images.

Chapter XIV, verses 56-57)

All is Brahman, nothing exists but Brahman, and the world as Brahman is real. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

"The body is the Cross. Jesus, the son of man, is the ego or ‘I am-the-body’ idea. When he is crucified, he is resurrected as the Glorious Self - Jesus, the Son of God! — “Give up this life if thou wouldst live” Talks 396 -RAMANA MAHARSHI

'GOD+ (Plus) EGO=MAN' and 'MAN-( Minus) EGO=GOD' ~Swaathmaaraaman

Beloved, Reject the reality of everything, Deny the universe of appearance, Say no to the phenomenal world, Reside in the secret place inside. As joy rises in the heart At this sudden freedom Enter there and dwell! -Vijnanabhairava Tantra

~ Tripura Rahasya; Chapter IX, verses 94-95: Enter the gap in between two thoughts and enter 'Life-Divine'~ Swaathmaaraaman

Realize with a still mind the state between sleep and wakefulness, the interval between the recognition of one object after another or the gap between two perceptions.
This is the real Self, inhering in which one is no longer deluded. Unaware of this Truth, people have become inheritors of sorrow.
~ Tripura Rahasya; Chapter IX, verses 94-95

*POINTS TO PONDER*

And that 'GRACE' is nothing but 'Truth-Being-Existence- Consciousness and Bliss' ~ Swaathmaaraaman.

"Grace is ever present" ~ RAMANA MAHARSHI

*POINTS TO PONDER*

The Phenomenal world manifests in 'Self-Forgetfulness' and merges in 'Self-Awareness', just like ebb and flow of waves in an ocean ~ Swaathmaaraaman

"For one who has realized the essence of Brahman, there is no reaching out for sense-objects any more. If there is, then one has not realized Brahman because the senses still have an outgoing tendency".

-Adi Shankara

*WORDS OF WISDOM*

Love is not different from the Self. Love of an object is of an inferior order and cannot endure. Whereas the Self is Love, in other words, God is Love.

-RAMANA MAHARSHI

POINTS TO PONDER* - 'Ramana Maharshi'

Consciousness is the screen on which all the pictures come and go.

...from "Ulladu Narpadu" ("40 Verses of Reality ") - Sri Ramana Maharshi

If one has form oneself, the world and God also will appear to have form, but if one is formless, who is it that sees those forms, and how? Without the eye can any object be seen? The seeing Self is the Eye, and that Eye is the Eye of Infinity.
~ Sri Ramana Maharshi
...from "Ulladu Narpadu" ("40 Verses of Reality ")

*POINTS TO PONDER* - 'RAMANA MAHARSHI': In the Transcendental state , identity with Brahman places the man in harmony with everything, and there is nothing apart from his Self.

Someone inquired about the nature of perception.


M.: Whatever state one is in, the perceptions partake of that state.
The explanation is that in the waking state (jagrat) the gross body
perceives gross names and forms; in swapna (the dream state) the mental body perceives the mental creations in their manifold forms and names; in the sushupti (deep dreamless sleep), the identification with the body being lost, there are no perceptions; similarly in the Transcendental state , identity with Brahman places the man in harmony with everything, and there is nothing apart from his Self.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - 'Peace and happiness' are always 'subjective' and not at all 'objective'. 'Peace and happiness' are in abundance, where there is the 'grandeur of egolessness' and the 'wisdom of desirelessness'. -SWAATHMAARAAMAN

(Talks with Ramana Maharshi)

A question was asked as to the nature of happiness.


M. : If a man thinks that his happiness is due to external causes and his possessions, it is reasonable to conclude that his happiness must increase with the increase of possessions and diminish in proportion to their diminution. Therefore if he is devoid of possessions, his happiness should be nil. What is the real experience of man? Does it conform to this view?

In deep sleep the man is devoid of possessions, including his own body. Instead of being unhappy he is quite happy. Everyone desires to sleep soundly. The conclusion is that happiness is inherent in man and is not due to external causes. One must realize his Self in order to open the store of unalloyed happiness.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

*POINTS TO PONDER* The 'phenomenal world' appears by 'self-forgetfulness' (Athma vismruthi) and disappears in 'self-awareness' ( Athma smruthi). -SWAATHMAARAAMAN

(Talks with Ramana Maharshi)

A question was asked by a monk (sannyasi) about how to prevent the mind from being distracted.

M.: You see the objects on forgetting your own 'Self'. If you keep hold of your 'Self', you will not see the objective world.

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - 'DEALING WITH DESIRES' - 'RAMANA MAHARSHI'

Question : What is the best way of dealing with desires, with a view to getting rid of them — satisfying them or suppressing them?

Bhagavan: If a desire can be got rid of by satisfying it, there will be no harm in satisfying such a desire. But desires generally are not eradicated by satisfaction. Trying to root them out that way is like pouring spirits to quench fire. At the same time, the proper remedy is not forcible suppression, since such repression is bound to react sooner or later into forceful surging up with undesirable consequences. The proper way to get rid of a desire is to find out “Who gets the desire? What is its source?” When this is found, the desire is rooted out and it will never again emerge or grow. Small desires such as the desire to eat, drink and sleep and attend to calls of nature, though these may also be classed among desires, you can safely satisfy. They will not implant vasanas in your mind, necessitating further birth. Those activities are just necessary to carry on life and are not likely to develop or leave behind vasanas or tendencies. As a general rule, therefore, there is no harm in satisfying a desire where the satisfaction will not lead to further desires by creating vasanas in the mind.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

'Self-Realization and' 'Sahaja Samadhi' - can be easily attained by 'Self-Surrender' or 'Self-Inquiry'- already attained by everybody beyond their comprehension. -SWAATHMAA RAAMAN

Self-surrender leads to realization just as enquiry does. Complete self-surrender means that you have no further thought of 'I'.              -Sri Ramana Maharshi 

The Guru will go with the disciple in his [the disciple's] own path and then gradually turn him into the supreme path at the ripe moment. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CITY OF 'BRAHMAN' or 'SELF' ( TRUTH - BEING - EXISTENCE - CONSCIOUSNESS and BLISS). 

-SWAATHMAARAAMAN

'Svarupanusandhanashtakam'(Translated by S.N.Sastri)This is a short work attributed to Shri Shankara.

1. I am that eternal supreme Brahman which is attained by one whose mind has become pure by the practice of austerities,performance of sacrifices, giving of gifts, and the like, and who has acquired total detachment and rejects everything including even the status of a king as worthless tinsel.

2. Having approached and propitiated a Guru who is compassionate, calm and established in Brahman, one should mentally contemplate one’s own real nature. I am that eternal supreme Brahman which such a man of wisdom attains by meditation on the Real.

3. I am that eternal supreme Brahman which is of the nature of bliss, self-luminous, free from all limitations, unconditioned by the world, attainable only through the mental modification in the form ‘I am Brahman’ and which is the Fourth (being beyond the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep).

4. I am that eternal supreme Brahman which is beyond the reach of the mind and speech, pure, and ever liberated. The universe appears(as real) because of ignorance of Brahman and disappears as soon as the Self is realized.

5. When the whole universe is negated as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that Infinite Self which shines in the state of samadhi, which is beyond the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep, which is only one, and non-dual, that eternal supreme Brahman Iam.

6. By a particle of the bliss of which the entire universe enjoys happiness, because of which shining, everything shines, by the light of which everything else is illumined, that eternal supreme Brahman I am.

7. I am that eternal supreme Brahman which is infinite, all-pervading,devoid of different forms, action less, auspicious, free from attachment, attainable through the pranava Om, formless, extremely resplendent, and deathless.

8. When a person is immersed in that ocean of bliss the universe which is a play of nescience and the cause of which is that wonderful Brahman does not appear anymore. That eternal supreme Brahman I am.

*Sadhana Panchakam*- by Adi Sankaracharya. Translated by 'Swami Chinmayananda'

1. Study the Vedas daily.
Perform diligently the duties (karmas) ordained by them.
Dedicate all those actions (karmas) as worship unto the Lord.
Renounce all desires in the mind.
Wash away the hoards of sins in the bosom. Recognize that the pleasures of sense-objects (samsar) are riddled with pain.
Seek the Self with consistent endeavor.
Escape from the bondage of ‘home'.

2. Seek companionship with Men of Wisdom.
Be established in firm devotion to the Lord.
Cultivate the virtues such as Shanti etc.,
Eschew all desire-ridden actions.
Take shelter at a Perfect Master (Sat-Guru).
Everyday serve His Lotus feet.
Worship "Om" the Immutable.
Listen in depth, the Upanishadic declarations.

3. Reflect ever upon the meaning of the Upanishadic commandments, and take refuge in the Truth of Brahman.
Avoid perverse arguments but follow the discriminative rationale of the Sruti (Upanishads).
Always be absorbed in the attitude (bhav) - "I am Brahman".
Renounce pride.
Give up the delusory misconception - "I am the body".
Give up totally the tendency to argue with wise men.

4. In hunger diseases get treated.
Daily take the medicine of Bhiksha-food.
Beg no delicious food.
Live contentedly upon whatever comes to your lot as ordained by Him.
Endure all the pairs of opposites: heat and cold, and the like.
Avoid wasteful talks.
Be indifferent.
Save yourself from the meshes of other peoples' kindness.

5. In solitude live joyously.
Quieten your mind in the Supreme Lord. Realize and see the All-pervading Self every where. 
Recognize that the finite Universe is a projection of the Self.
Conquer the effects of the deeds done in earlier lives by the present right action.
Through wisdom become detached from future actions (Agami).
Experience and exhaust "Prarabdha" the fruits of past actions.
Thereafter, live absorbed in the bhav - "I am Brahman" !

*POINTS TO PONDER* - 'RAMANA MAHARSHI' - People try to find out things which are outside before they try to find out "Who am I?" Only by the latter means can happiness be gained.

All metaphysical discussion is profitless unless it causes us to seek within the Self for the true reality. All controversies about creation, the nature of the universe, evolution, the purpose of God, etc., are useless. They are not conducive to our true happiness. People try to find out things which are outside before they try to find out "Who am I?" Only by the latter means can happiness be gained.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

If you see the Self, the same will be found to be all, everywhere and always. Nothing but the Self exists. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

*POINTS TO PONDER* - 'SILENCE BESTOWS LIBERATION'- 'Ramana Maharshi'

'In the ecstasy of devotion one may sing and one may dance, but it is mouna (silence) that bestows liberation.'

'Open your eyes! Know the light that shines through your eyes; shines in the Heart as the greatest of all lights, which transcends all thoughts.'
-Ramana Maharshi

-Padamalai, pp. 195; 63

*WORDS OF WISDOM*

And that 'SELF' is nothing but 'Truth-Being-Existence-Consciousness and Bliss'.
-Swaathmaaraaman

"Guru is none other than the Self".
-Ramana Maharshi

*WORDS OF WISDOM*

"Your duty is to be: and not to be this or that".

-RAMANA MAHARSHI

BE YOUR 'SELF' ( TRUTH-BEING-EXISTENCE-CONSCIOUSNESS and BLISS) ~Swaathmaaraaman

RAMANA MAHARSHI

'Sahaja-Samadhi' is nothing but 'Conscious-Sleep'.~ Swaathmaaraaman

In order to realize that inherent and untainted happiness, which indeed he daily experiences when the mind is subdued in deep sleep, it is essential that he should know himself. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

The Self is only one. If limited it is the ego. If unlimited it is Infinite and is the Reality. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi ...from 'Talk 146'; 26th January, 1936

*WORDS OF WISDOM* 'BRAHMAN', 'GOD', 'GURU', and 'SELF' are nothing but 'TRUTH'- 'BEING'- 'EXISTENCE'- 'CONSCIOUSNESS' and 'BLISS'; the omnipresent, omnipotent and eternal 'TRANSCENDENTAL' reality, beyond 'space', 'time' and 'causation', without 'CASTE', 'CREED', 'RELIGION', 'GENDER' and 'NATIONALITY'. -SWAATHMAA RAAMAN - There is only one Rama and He has a thousand names.'~-SREE RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA.

"The Brahmins insist that God is formless. Suppose they do. It is enough to call on Him with sincerity of heart. If the devotee is sincere, then God, who is the Inner Guide of all, will certainly reveal to the devotee His true nature.

"But it is not good to say that what we ourselves think of God is the only truth and what others think is false, that because we think of God as formless, therefore He is formless and cannot have any form; that because we think of God as having form, therefore He has form and cannot be formless. Can a man really fathom God's nature?

"This kind of friction exists between the Vaishnavas and the Saktas; The Vaishnava says, 'My Kesava is the only Saviour', whereas the Sakta insists, 'My Bhagavati is the only Saviour.'

"Once I took Vaishnavcharan to Mathur Babu. Now, Vaishnavcharan was a very learned Vaishnava and an orthodox devotee of his sect. Mathur, on the other hand, was a devotee of the Divine Mother. They were engaged in a friendly discussion when suddenly Vaishnavcharan said, 'Kesava is the only Savior.' No sooner did Mathur hear this than his ,face became red with anger and he blurted out, 'You rascal!' (All laugh.) He was a Sakta. Wasn't it natural for him to say that? I gave Vaishnavcharan a nudge.

"I see people who talk about religion constantly quarreling with one another. Hindus, Mussalmans, Brahmins, Saktas, Vaishnavas, Saivas, all quarrel with one another. They haven't the intelligence to understand that He who is called Krishna is also Siva and the Primal Sakti, and that it is He, again, who is called Jesus and Allah. There is only one Rama and He has a thousand names.'

"Truth is one; only It is called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the variance is due to climate, temperament, and name. A lake has many ghats. From one ghat the Hindus take water in jars and call it 'jal'. From another ghat the Mussalmans take water in leather bags and call it 'pani'. From a third the Christians take the same thing and call it 'water'. (All laugh.) Suppose someone says that the thing is not 'jal' but 'pani', or that it is not 'pani' but 'water', or that it is not 'water' but 'jal', It would indeed be ridiculous. But this very thing is at the root of the friction among sects, their misunderstandings and quarrels. This is why people injure and kill one another, and shed blood, in the name of religion. But this is not good. Everyone is going toward God. They will all realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart.

All scriptures - the Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantras - seek Him alone and no one else, only that one 'Sat-chid-ananda'. That which is called 'Satchidananda Brahman' in the Vedas is called Satchidananda Siva in the Tantra. Again it is He alone who is called Satchidananda Krishna in the Puranas."

-SREE RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA.

*Glimpses of Self-Realization* - 'SELF-INQUIRY' and 'SELF-SURRENDER' are the 'pathless paths' leading towards the pathless land of 'SELF-REALIZATION' and 'SAHAJA SAMADHI'. -SWAATHMAA RAAMAN

*SURRENDER*


Question: What is unconditional surrender?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: If one surrenders oneself there will be no one to ask questions or to be thought of. Either the thoughts are eliminated by holding on to the root-thought ‘I’, or one surrenders oneself unconditionally to the highest power. These are the only two ways for realization.

Question: Does not total or complete surrender require that one should not have left even the desire for liberation or God?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Complete surrender does require that you have no desire of your own. You must be satisfied with whatever God gives you and that means having no desires of your own.

Questioner: Now that I am satisfied on that point, I want to know what the steps are by which I could achieve surrender.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: There are two ways. One is looking into the source of ‘I’ and merging into that source. The other is feeling ‘I am helpless by myself, God alone is all-powerful and except by throwing myself completely on him, there is no other means of safety for me.’ By this method one gradually develops the conviction that God alone exists and that the ego does not count. Both methods lead to the same goal. Complete surrender is another name for jnana or liberation.

Questioner: I find surrender is easier. I want to adopt that path.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: By whatever path you go, you will have to lose yourself in the one. Surrender is complete only when you reach the stage '‘Thou art all’ and ‘Thy will be done’.

The state is not different from jnana. In soham (the affirmation of ‘I am he’) there is dvaita (dualism). In surrender there is advaita (non-dualism). In the reality there is neither dvaita nor advaita, but that which is. Surrender appears easy because people imagine that, once they say with their lips '‘surrender'’ and put their burdens on their Lord, they can be free and do what they like. But the fact is that you can have no likes or dislikes after your surrender; your will should become completely non-existent, the Lord’s will taking its place. The death of the ego in this way brings about a state, which is not different from jnana. So by whatever path you may go, you must come to jnana or oneness.

Question: What is the best way of killing the ego?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: To each person that way is the best which appears easiest or appeals most. All the ways are equally good as they lead to the same goal, which is the merging of the ego in the Self. What the bhakta [devotee] calls surrender, the man who does vichara calls jnana. Both are trying only to take the ego back to the source from which it sprang and make it merge there.

Question: Cannot grace hasten such competence in a seeker?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Leave it to God. Surrender unreservedly. One of two things must be done. Either surrender because you admit your inability and require a higher power to help you, or investigate the cause of misery by going to the source and merging into the Self. Either way you will be free from misery. God never forsakes one who has surrendered.
~RAMANA MAHARSHI

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - 'I' AS THE FIRST DIVINE NAME - 'RAMANA MAHARSHI'- After finding the source of that 'I', merge your individuality in that oneness which is Self-existent and devoid of all duality.

The Name permeates densely the sky and the lowest regions and the entire universe… The Name itself is form. There is no distinction between Name and form. God became manifest and assumed Name and form… there is no mantra beyond the Name. The Name is Keshava [God] Himself… The all-pervading nature of the Name can only be understood when one recognizes one's 'I'. When one's own name is not recognized, it is impossible to get the all-pervading Name. When one knows oneself, then one finds the Name everywhere. To see the Name as separate from the named creates illusion… Surrender yourself at the feet of the Guru and learn to know that 'I' myself is that Name. After finding the source of that 'I', merge your individuality in that oneness which is Self-existent and devoid of all duality.

Krishnamurti Meditation - In that silence there may come something that is not touched by thought, because that silence is not created by thought.~ J Krishnamurthi .

Now we are asking a question: is there anything sacred in life? Sacred being that which is deathless, timeless, from eternity to eternity, that which has known no beginning and no end - do you understand? We are asking this. You can only find that out - no, you can't find it out, nobody can find it out - it may come when you have discarded all the things that thought has made sacred - the pictures, the museums, the music, the churches and their beliefs, their rituals, their dogmas, all that is understood and discarded completely. There is no priest, no guru, no follower. Then in that tremendous quality of silence you may find out - in that silence there may come something that is not touched by thought, because that silence is not created by thought. K

'Tripura Rahasya' (chapter IX, verses 68-71)- Is there any moment when the Self is not the Self? Neither is control of mind used to gain it.

Listen to me, my dear, closely. What you have now done to restrain thoughts with the mind turned inward (vichara) is a good beginning and praised by the worthy as the best way. Without it, no one has ever been successful anywhere. However, it does not produce Self-Realization, for the Self remains realized at all times.
If a product, it cannot be the Self. For, how can the Self be got anew? So then, the Self is never gained. Gain is of something which is not already possessed. Is there any moment when the Self is not the Self? Neither is control of mind used to gain it.
~ Tripura Rahasya (chapter IX, verses 68-71)