CONCENTRATING ON THE HEART

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THE MAHARSHI

January/February 2001 Vol. 11 - No. 1

Produced & Edited byDennis HartelDr. Anil K. Sharma

Letters and Comments

Concentrating on the Heart

I found your e-mail address on both your websites, where it said that

you would not consider it an imposition to be asked for advice and

assistance. I have a fairly fundamental question about practice that

I hope you might answer for me.

Arthur Osborne in Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge

states: "The instruction, then, was to sit concentrating on the heart

at the right side and ask 'Who am I?' When thoughts arise during the

meditation one is not to follow them up but to watch them and ask:

'What is this thought? Where did it come from? And to whom? To me-and

who am I?'"

Graham Boyd on the www.ramana-maharshi.org website states that he

chose to cite certain passages from Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi:

"Because of their reference to Self-enquiry and the Heart-centre,

specifically because they clarify the method of enquiry and remove

the idea that the devotee is supposed to concentrate on the

chest-after all, who is concentrating on the chest other than the

Self?" In my reading, I have not yet come across any conclusive

statement by Sri Ramana Maharshi about whether the Heart-centre is to

be concentrated upon or not when practising Self-enquiry.

Is there an authoritative answer to this question? If so, I would

appreciate it if you would tell me what the proper method of

practising Self-enquiry is. Also, if I should be asking some other

question(s) or if there is any other information you think I should

know, I would appreciate your passing it along to me.

Thank you so much for your help. Sincerely, USA

Your question is a good one. Sri Bhagavan has clearly explained the

role of the spiritual Heart in the method of Self-enquiry. He has

said that the Heart is the centre wherefrom the I-thought springs and

by tracing the I-thought back to its source we experience the Heart,

which is synonymous with the Self.

His method of Self-enquiry does not require that we meditate on any

point, whether it be the heart, the point between the eyebrows or

some chakra. Rather he has asked us to trace the I-thought to its

source by questing 'Who am I?' The former would be a form of

concentration which implies a subject/object relationship.

What actually happens is that the last physical awareness before the

mind sinks into the Self is that of the Heart, and upon returning

from that experience the first awareness is the experience of the

Self in the Heart. That is only in relation to the body. The Self is

actually beyond all time and space. Because we identify ourselves

with the body, the Heart is mentioned. It is the seat of experience,

not the object of meditation.

Read chapters four and five in the Maharshi's Gospel. There the Heart

and its place in concentration is explained.

-Editor

"To enable the sadhaka to steer clear of possible doubt, I tell him to

take up the 'thread' or the clue of 'I'-ness or 'I-am'-ness and follow

it up to its source. Because, firstly it is impossible for anybody to

entertain any doubt about his 'I'-notion; secondly, whatever be the

sadhana adopted, the final goal is the realization of the source of

'I-am'-ness which is the primary datum of your experience.

If you, therefore, practise Atma-vichara you will reach the heart which is the Self."

-The Maharshi's Gospel

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