Sat-Sanga ­ Association With the Real

[Guest guest]

If in the name of conscious association (sat-sanga) you gather

together all kinds of people, said "holy gathering" will consist only

of a crowd of people who are skilled in oratory, or who have studied

innumerable books, or who have mastered the sixty-four mundane arts

(apara-vidyas); all of which are unreal products of the mind's power

of imagination. Reject all such gatherings, knowing that they are not

at all true conscious company (sat-sanga).

 

55. Rather than associating with such people, thinking their company

to be sat-sanga, it is better for you to remain alone, without

associating with anyone; because such solitude or non-association

will help you at least gradually to gain more and more detachment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>From the book, A LIGHT ON THE TEACHING OF BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA

MAHARSHI (Sadhanai Saram), which is a collection of Tamil poems and

songs composed by Sri Sadhu Om, a direct disciple of Bhagavan Sri

Ramana Maharshi, and is soon to be published by AHAM Publications.

[Guest guest]

That is a great quote applying to my life for 34 years, one that

still applies and will continue to do so until the mind-body

ceases to function: 'solitude unless'.

The analogy with food is too obvious:

instead of fresh & ripe, highly processed has become the default.

Not to mention the department of "canned entertainment".

One and the same conditioning of course: when free from it,

on this planet that means solitude.

 

 

 

On 7/20/02 at 10:51 AM muse1949 wrote:

 

ºIf in the name of conscious association (sat-sanga) you gather

ºtogether all kinds of people, said "holy gathering" will consist only

ºof a crowd of people who are skilled in oratory, or who have studied

ºinnumerable books, or who have mastered the sixty-four mundane arts

º(apara-vidyas); all of which are unreal products of the mind's power

ºof imagination. Reject all such gatherings, knowing that they are not

ºat all true conscious company (sat-sanga).

º

º55. Rather than associating with such people, thinking their company

ºto be sat-sanga, it is better for you to remain alone, without

ºassociating with anyone; because such solitude or non-association

ºwill help you at least gradually to gain more and more detachment.

º~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ºFrom the book, A LIGHT ON THE TEACHING OF BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA

ºMAHARSHI (Sadhanai Saram), which is a collection of Tamil poems and

ºsongs composed by Sri Sadhu Om, a direct disciple of Bhagavan Sri

ºRamana Maharshi, and is soon to be published by AHAM Publications.

º

º

º

º

º/join

º

º

º

º

º

ºAll paths go somewhere. No path goes nowhere. Paths, places, sights,

ºperceptions, and indeed all experiences arise from and exist in and

ºsubside back into the Space of Awareness. Like waves rising are not

ºdifferent than the ocean, all things arising from Awareness are of the

ºnature of Awareness. Awareness does not come and go but is always Present.

ºIt is Home. Home is where the Heart Is. Jnanis know the Heart to be the

ºFinality of Eternal Being. A true devotee relishes in the Truth of

ºSelf-Knowledge, spont

ºaneously arising from within into It Self. Welcome all to a.

º

º

º

ºYour use of is subject to

[Guest guest]

, "muse1949" <muse1949> wrote:

>

>

> If in the name of conscious association (sat-sanga) you gather

> together all kinds of people, said "holy gathering" will consist

only

> of a crowd of people who are skilled in oratory, or who have

studied

> innumerable books, or who have mastered the sixty-four mundane arts

> (apara-vidyas); all of which are unreal products of the mind's

power

> of imagination. Reject all such gatherings, knowing that they are

not

> at all true conscious company (sat-sanga).

>

> 55. Rather than associating with such people, thinking their

company

> to be sat-sanga, it is better for you to remain alone, without

> associating with anyone; because such solitude or non-association

> will help you at least gradually to gain more and more detachment.

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> From the book, A LIGHT ON THE TEACHING OF BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA

> MAHARSHI (Sadhanai Saram), which is a collection of Tamil poems and

> songs composed by Sri Sadhu Om, a direct disciple of Bhagavan Sri

> Ramana Maharshi, and is soon to be published by AHAM Publications.

 

Hi:

 

This quote is interesting because it supplies an idea of Ramana's

teaching of the completeness of submission to God or surrender.

Reject any semblance of companionship in favor of aloneness!

 

He advised devotees considering renunciation by going into the

jungle that they would just exchange one set of problems with

another. So he probably wasn't suggesting physical aloneness.

 

I don't think he means to say it would be better to seek out the

company of innebriates and worldly people instead of the company of

spiritual seekers. As he said, he was referring to detachment.

 

This non-attachment could be like breath control in one sense.

Breath control is not just watching and numbering the breaths without

loosing track. That is probably one stage.

 

Once control is attained it is not exerted. The attention is focused

on the ongoing realism of breathing and its changing appearance.

That is, even before the in-breath, the ability to control is there

by virtue of the intent focus. But control is not exerted. The air

is not forced in. Natural breathing continues. The body is seen as

continuing without the identification with it. The attention

constantly changes its focus as the requirement to control the in and

out changes. No relaxation of the intentness is permitted or control

is lost even though it was never exerted.

 

Non-attachment or surrender, would be like this intent watchfulness

or vigilance while alone.

 

Just my POV

Love

Bobby G.