Fw: Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind

[Guest guest]

-

Gabriele Ebert

SriArunachala

Sunday, February 24, 2002 11:06 AM

Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind

 

 

Crumbs From His Table

By Ramanananda Swarnagiri

5th Edition, 1981

 

8 - Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind

 

D: When I am engaged in enquiry as to the source from which the 'I' springs, I

arrive at a stage of stillness of mind beyond which I find myself unable to

proceed further. I have no thought of any kind and there is an emptiness. a

blankness. A mild light pervades and I feel that it is myself bodiless. I have

neither cognition nor vision of body and form. The experience lasts nearly half

an hour and is pleasing. Would I be correct in concluding that all that was

necessary to secure eternal happiness (i.e. freedom or salvation or whatever one

calls it) was to continue the practice till this experience could be maintained

for hours, days and months together?

 

B: This does not mean salvation; such a condition is termed manolaya or

temporary stillness of thought. Manolaya means concentration, temporarily

arresting the movement of thoughts; as soon as this concentration ceases,

thoughts, old and new, rush in as usual and even though this temporary lulling

of mind should last a thousand years it will never lead to total destruction of

thought, which is what is called salvation or liberation from birth and death.

The practicer must therefore be ever on the alert and enquire within as to who

has this experience, who realises its pleasantness. Failing this enquiry he will

go into a long trance or deep sleep (Yoga nidra). Due to the absence of a proper

guide at this stage of spiritual practice many have been delude and fallen a

prey to a false sense of salvation and only a few have, either by the merit of

good acts in their previous births, or by extreme grace, been enables to reach

the goal safely.

 

Sadhakas (seekers) rarely understand the difference between this temporary

stilling of the mind (manolaya) and permanent destruction of thoughts

(manonasa). In manolaya there is temporary subsidence of thought-waves, and,

though this temporary period may even last for a thousand years, thoughts, which

are thus temporarily stilled, rise up as soon as the manolaya ceases. One must

therefore, watch one's spiritual progress carefully. One must not allow oneself

to be overtaken by such spells of stillness of thought: the moment one

experiences this, one must revive consciousness and enquire within as to who it

is who experiences this stillness. While not allowing any thoughts to intrude,

he must not, at the same time, be overtaken by this deep sleep (Yoga nidra) or

Self-hypnotism. Though this is a sign of progress towards the goal, yet it is

also the point where the divergence between the road to salvation and Yoga nidra

takes place. The easy way, the direct way, the shortest cut to salvation is the

Enquiry method. By such enquiry, you will drive the thought force deeper till it

reaches its source and merges therein. It is then that you will have the

response from within and find that you rest there, destroying all thoughts, once

and for all.

 

This temporary stilling of thought comes automatically in the usual course of

one's practice and it is a clear sign of one's progress but the danger of it

lies in mistaking it for the final goal of spiritual practice and being thus

deceived. It is exactly here that a spiritual guide is necessary and he saves a

lot of the spiritual aspirant's time and energy which would otherwise be

fruitlessly wasted.

 

The writer now realised that it was to get this important lesson at the right

point of his progress, that he was taken, even unknown to himself and against

his will to Sri Ramana, through the intervention of his superior. He had come

exactly to the position where the road bifurcates, one side leading to

destruction of thought (salvation) and the other to Yoga nidra (prolonged deep

sleep). A way-shower or a road sign-post was necessary at this stage and the

way-shower must necessarily be in the shape of a personal Guru, a realized soul,

and perhaps by sheer acts of merit in his past birth and no ''known special

merit'' of his own in this birth, he was brought before such a realized soul, in

the person of Sri Ramana, to obtain these instructions from him, failing which

he would have been probably groping in the same manner as the sage on the banks

of the Ganges, in the story narrated above.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

- Gabriele Ebert

SriArunachala

Sunday, February 24, 2002 11:06 AM

Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind

Crumbs From His Table By Ramanananda Swarnagiri5th Edition, 1981

8 - Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind

D: When I am engaged in enquiry as to the source from which the 'I'

springs, I arrive at a stage of stillness of mind beyond which I find

myself unable to proceed further. I have no thought of any kind and

there is an emptiness. a blankness. A mild light pervades and I feel

that it is myself bodiless. I have neither cognition nor vision of

body and form. The experience lasts nearly half an hour and is

pleasing. Would I be correct in concluding that all that was

necessary to secure eternal happiness (i.e. freedom or salvation or

whatever one calls it) was to continue the practice till this

experience could be maintained for hours, days and months together?

B: This does not mean salvation; such a condition is termed manolaya

or temporary stillness of thought. Manolaya means concentration,

temporarily arresting the movement of thoughts; as soon as this

concentration ceases, thoughts, old and new, rush in as usual and

even though this temporary lulling of mind should last a thousand

years it will never lead to total destruction of thought, which is

what is called salvation or liberation from birth and death. The

practicer must therefore be ever on the alert and enquire within as

to who has this experience, who realises its pleasantness. Failing

this enquiry he will go into a long trance or deep sleep (Yoga

nidra). Due to the absence of a proper guide at this stage of

spiritual practice many have been delude and fallen a prey to a false

sense of salvation and only a few have, either by the merit of good

acts in their previous births, or by extreme grace, been enables to

reach the goal safely.

Sadhakas (seekers) rarely understand the difference between this

temporary stilling of the mind (manolaya) and permanent destruction

of thoughts (manonasa). In manolaya there is temporary subsidence of

thought-waves, and, though this temporary period may even last for a

thousand years, thoughts, which are thus temporarily stilled, rise up

as soon as the manolaya ceases. One must therefore, watch one's

spiritual progress carefully. One must not allow oneself to be

overtaken by such spells of stillness of thought: the moment one

experiences this, one must revive consciousness and enquire within as

to who it is who experiences this stillness. While not allowing any

thoughts to intrude, he must not, at the same time, be overtaken by

this deep sleep (Yoga nidra) or Self-hypnotism. Though this is a sign

of progress towards the goal, yet it is also the point where the

divergence between the road to salvation and Yoga nidra takes place.

The easy way, the direct way, the shortest cut to salvation is the

Enquiry method. By such enquiry, you will drive the thought force

deeper till it reaches its source and merges therein. It is then that

you will have the response from within and find that you rest there,

destroying all thoughts, once and for all.

This temporary stilling of thought comes automatically in the usual

course of one's practice and it is a clear sign of one's progress but

the danger of it lies in mistaking it for the final goal of spiritual

practice and being thus deceived. It is exactly here that a spiritual

guide is necessary and he saves a lot of the spiritual aspirant's time

and energy which would otherwise be fruitlessly wasted.

The writer now realised that it was to get this important lesson at

the right point of his progress, that he was taken, even unknown to

himself and against his will to Sri Ramana, through the intervention

of his superior. He had come exactly to the position where the road

bifurcates, one side leading to destruction of thought (salvation)

and the other to Yoga nidra (prolonged deep sleep). A way-shower or a

road sign-post was necessary at this stage and the way-shower must

necessarily be in the shape of a personal Guru, a realized soul, and

perhaps by sheer acts of merit in his past birth and no ''known

special merit'' of his own in this birth, he was brought before such

a realized soul, in the person of Sri Ramana, to obtain these

instructions from him, failing which he would have been probably

groping in the same manner as the sage on the banks of the Ganges, in

the story narrated above.