Fwd: Awareness of awareness: a 14th century Christian mystic

[Guest guest]

RamanaMaharshi, "dmcewen_1"

<David.McEwen@e...> wrote:

Namaste,

 

You may enjoy these quotes from a 14th century Christian English

mystic. They are by the Unknown Author, most famous for his work,

The Cloud of Unknowing. These quotes are from a less well known

work, The Book of Privy Counsel, from the book, The Cloud of

Unknowing--which is actually a collection of both works mentioned,

William Johnston editor.

 

==================Begin ===============

"...do not think _what_you_are_ but _that_you_are_....[You] possess

an innate ability to know that you are, and that you can experience

this without any special natural or acquired genius."

 

"If you begin to analyze throughly any or all of man's refined

faculties and exaulted qualities..., you will come at length to the

farthest reaches and ultimate frontiers of thought only to find

yourself face to face with naked being itself….you will find

yourself in the end, on the essential ground of being with the naked

perception and blind awareness of your own being."

 

"Leave the awareness of your being unclothed of all thoughts about

its attributes, and your mind quite empty of all particular details

relating to your being or that of any other creature. For such

thoughts will not satisfy your present need, further your growth,

nor bring you and others closer to perfection. Let them alone. Truly

these meditations are useless to you now. But this blind general

awareness of your being, conceived in an undivided heart, will

satisfy your present need, further your growth, and bring you and

all mankind closer to perfection."

 

"Every particular thought of creatures that enters your mind, in

addition to or instead of that simple awareness of your naked

being…,draws you back to the business of your subtle, inquisitive

faculties. Then you are no longer totally present to yourself or

your God, and this amounts to the fragmentation and scattering of

any deep concentration on his being and yours. And so, with the help

of his grace and the light of the wisdom that comes from

perserverance in this work, remain whole and recollected in the

depths of your being as ofter as you can."

===================End=================

 

Strange to say, it is through the Book of Privy counsel that I came

to understand diving into the heart of awareness. I had been

practicing raja yoga and reading Eastern texts for many years, even

thumbing through an older copy of the Collected Works by Osborne

many years ago. But when reading the Book of Privy Counsel, somehow

it was speaking to _me_. When I read the quote, "...do not think

_what_you_are_ but _that_you_are_," understanding dawned on how to

do it. My next thought was, "This is what Ramana Maharshi teaches!"

It became clear that all my old practices had brought me to that

point, having served their purpose they were of no further use.

These words really struck home, "such thoughts will not satisfy your

present need, further your growth, nor bring you and others closer

to perfection. Let them alone. Truly these meditations are useless

to you now." And so they were. I have been at the feet of Bhagavan

ever since that day.

 

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

 

David

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