Guest guest Posted April 9, 2004 Report Share Posted April 9, 2004 Dear Friends: Language has its limitations. All questions about the nature of Reality presume a separation between awareness and the three states. Sri Ramana told Paul Brunton that what is practice of the Sadhaka is the natural state of the Siddha. Awareness is what gives all the mental states life and energy. The Advaitic method of neti, neti, neti is meant to make clear that we are not the body, mind, and the states that the mind experiences during waking, dreaming, sleeping but the pure awareness underlying it all. In Nirvikalpa Samadhi, there is only awareness aware of It Self and the mind is absent. Therefore, there are no dream, waking, or deep sleep states. Once the Self is recognized in its full purity in Nirvikalpa Samadhi, It recognizes It Self in the presence of the varying states of the mind as well and the latent tendencies become weaker. Take the analogy of a lake during winter which has frozen. The sun shines and slowly the ice starts melting. First holes are produced in ice, here and there, and the water asserts itself through those holes. These can be compared to states of clear self awareness or even Nirvikalpa Samadhis. The ice eventually becomes weaker and weaker and more and more holes are to be seen everywhere. Finally, suddenly, one day the ice crashes and we see that the water dominates, although chunks of ice are floating. That is Sahaj Samadhi. Again, this is just an analogy, and like all analogies has many limitations. The nature of water is always the same, although it appears to assume many forms. Self is always the same, although it appears by its own power to assume many forms and enjoy many experiences. Sri Ramana has said that satsang (association with the truth or wise people who know the meaning of scriptures or sages) is the best way to Self-Recognition. They are like the Sun who shine on us giving us warmth and slowly melting the latent tendencies until one day the Self spontaneously asserts It Self as It Self as awareness which we are even now. It is Recognition. So nothing new is added or subtracted. We simply See that We Are. This is why we find sayings like, "I am that I am.I am that what I have always been." The best method is to be natural, to be oneself, to be in surrender to the Lord of the Heart. Food, sex, sleep, breathing, and the underlying root tendency of self-preservation are natural to most beings. All meditation and yoga methods are based on some variation of controlling food, sex, sleep, the breath, and to understand and overcome the desire for self-preservation. Those methods have value and give insights into the nature of the mind and body. The other way is to simply be natural, to be yourself, while in surrender to Lord of the Heart who manifests as the Inner Being, whose nature is awareness, and to see one's identity with the Lord, who turns out to be none other than our own Self. That is the supreme beauty. The one whom we adore is indeed none other than Sat-Chit-Ananda manifesting in the Heart as the Self. One's Own Self. Love to all Harsh "Love itself is the actual form of God." Ramana Maharshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2004 Report Share Posted April 9, 2004 Thank you so much for these words of wisdom. i liked this passage very much "The best method is to be natural, to be oneself, to be in surrender to the Lord of the Heart. (snip) The other way is to simply be natural, to be yourself, while in surrender to Lord of the Heart who manifests as the Inner Being, whose nature is awareness, and to see one's identity with the Lord, who turns out to be none other than our own Self. That is the supreme beauty. The one whom we adore is indeed none other than Sat-Chit- Ananda manifesting in the Heart as the Self. One's Own Self." Is this what is called 'sahaj' (natural) samadhi? In this state, the Sage although a 'self-realized' soul walks like ordinary folks ; talks like ordinary folks'; acts like ordinary folks ! but in reality, such a sage is not at all an ordinary person . HIS HEART shines with the light of illumination ; his eyes sparkle and when one is in the presence of such a sage, one feels the presence of the Divine. well, harshaji, believe it or not, when i was in the meditation room of the Thiruvannamali RramaNAshram, i felt shri ramana's presence in the 'silence'! I recall these famous words of Shri bhagwan "Is this body Bhagavan?." Bhagavan said, "What am I to do? You say that this body is Bhagavan. I say that it is not. Now, if you insist, what am I to do?" To others, he would say, "Look! He says he is going to a place where I am not." Only a swayam siddha can talk like that! love and blessings > > The best method is to be natural, to be oneself, to be in surrender to the Lord of the Heart. > > Food, sex, sleep, breathing, and the underlying root tendency of self-preservation are natural to most beings. All meditation and yoga methods are based on some variation of controlling food, sex, sleep, the breath, and to understand and overcome the desire for self- preservation. > > Those methods have value and give insights into the nature of the mind and body. > > The other way is to simply be natural, to be yourself, while in surrender to Lord of the Heart who manifests as the Inner Being, whose nature is awareness, and to see one's identity with the Lord, who turns out to be none other than our own Self. That is the supreme beauty. The one whom we adore is indeed none other than Sat-Chit- Ananda manifesting in the Heart as the Self. One's Own Self. > > Love to all > Harsh > > > > > "Love itself is the actual form of God." > > Ramana Maharshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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