Guest guest Posted October 9, 2005 Report Share Posted October 9, 2005 This was posted on PracticeofSelfInquiry/ And I thought it would be or interest to this group. Richard ------------------------------ Dear Group, I have read this account many times. I think it is worth considering it when one thinks about practice. First, Ramana started with a great 'desire,' a desire 'to find out the truth for himself.' Sankara said that desire, desire for liberation, is the most important of the spiritual 'requisites.' Here Ramana's story reinforces what Sankara taught. Next Ramana did a deep discriminative inquiry on his identification with the body. In this inquiry he came to see that, in fact, he was not the body. Ramana taught again and again that misidentification with the body was the chief misidentification, and if this be cleared up, then spiritual freedom comes. The 'conclusion' of this inquiry was Self-Knowledge: "So I am the Spirit transcending the body. The body dies but the Spirit that transcends it cannot be touched by death. That means I am the deathless Spirit" This Self-Knowledge remained after this, always. So Ramana's own practice was this discriminative inquiry. It was not 'standing in the quiet' or any such as that. His own story, I think, provides great guidance to the seeker: find out for yourself, are you the body? If you are not the body, then just who are you? Keep this up until Self-Knowledge comes. If there is even the hint of body identification or identification with as some kind of individual, then keep inquiring. If, in inquiry, I notice the sense that I am 'this person' or in 'this location' then I understand this is just body identification, and though I have asked "Who am I? Am I this body?" in many forms, for a number of years now, I know that I have to keep asking, investigating, inquiring, discriminating the Real from the unreal. How can I be the unreal? This story gives straight forward guidance. If we listen carefully, contemplate deeply, and meditate to see the Truth within. Not two, Richard PracticeofSelfInquiry, "Xan" <xanma9> wrote: > > . > It was about the middle of the year 1896; Venkataraman was seventeen > then. One day he was sitting up alone on the first floor of his > uncle's house. He was in his usual health. There was nothing wrong > with it. But a sudden and unmistakable fear of death took hold of > him. He felt he was going to die. Why this feeling should have come > to him he did not know. > > The feeling of impending death, however, did not unnerve him. He > calmly thought about what he should do. He said to himself, "Now, > death has come. What does it mean? What is it that is dying? This > body dies." Immediately thereafter he lay down stretching his limbs > out and holding them stiff as though rigor mortis had set in. He > held his breath and kept his lips tightly closed, so that to all > outward appearance his body resembled a corpse. Now, what would > happen? > > This was what he thought : "Well, this body is now dead. It will be > carried to the burning ground and there burnt and reduced to ashes. > But with the death, of this body am I dead? Is the body I? This body > is silent and inert. But I feel the full force of my personality and > even the voice of the 'I' within me, apart from it. So I am the > Spirit transcending the body. The body dies but the Spirit that > transcends it cannot be touched by death. That means I am the > deathless Spirit". > > As Bhagavan Sri Ramana narrated this experience later on for the > benefit of his devotees it looked as though this was a process of > reasoning. But he took care to explain that this was not so. The > realization came to him in a flash. He perceived the truth > directly. 'I' was something very real, the only real thing. Fear of > death had vanished once and for all. > > From then on, 'I' continued like the fundamental sruti note that > underlies and blends with all the other notes. Thus young > Venkataraman found himself on the peak of spirituality without any > arduous or prolonged sadhana. The ego was lost in the flood of Self- > awareness. > > from www.ramana-maharshi.org > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 9, 2005 Report Share Posted October 9, 2005 Ramana laid down to experience utter stillness - death. Would that not be "standing in the quiet"? (OK, it's laying, not standing, but metaphorically it is the same.) Not not two, Jeff , "Richard Clarke" <rclarke@s...> wrote: > > This was posted on > PracticeofSelfInquiry/ > And I thought it would be or interest to this group. > > Richard > ------------------------------ > > Dear Group, > > I have read this account many times. I think it is worth considering > it when one thinks about practice. > > First, Ramana started with a great 'desire,' a desire 'to find out > the truth for himself.' > > Sankara said that desire, desire for liberation, is the most > important of the spiritual 'requisites.' Here Ramana's story > reinforces what Sankara taught. > > Next Ramana did a deep discriminative inquiry on his identification > with the body. In this inquiry he came to see that, in fact, he was > not the body. > > Ramana taught again and again that misidentification with the body > was the chief misidentification, and if this be cleared up, then > spiritual freedom comes. > > The 'conclusion' of this inquiry was Self-Knowledge: "So I am the > Spirit transcending the body. The body dies but the Spirit that > transcends it cannot be touched by death. That means I am the > deathless Spirit" > > This Self-Knowledge remained after this, always. > > So Ramana's own practice was this discriminative inquiry. It was > not 'standing in the quiet' or any such as that. His own story, I > think, provides great guidance to the seeker: find out for yourself, > are you the body? If you are not the body, then just who are you? > Keep this up until Self-Knowledge comes. If there is even the hint of > body identification or identification with as some kind of > individual, then keep inquiring. If, in inquiry, I notice the sense > that I am 'this person' or in 'this location' then I understand this > is just body identification, and though I have asked "Who am I? Am I > this body?" in many forms, for a number of years now, I know that I > have to keep asking, investigating, inquiring, discriminating the > Real from the unreal. How can I be the unreal? > > This story gives straight forward guidance. If we listen carefully, > contemplate deeply, and meditate to see the Truth within. > > Not two, > Richard > > PracticeofSelfInquiry, "Xan" <xanma9> > wrote: > > > > . > > It was about the middle of the year 1896; Venkataraman was > seventeen > > then. One day he was sitting up alone on the first floor of his > > uncle's house. He was in his usual health. There was nothing wrong > > with it. But a sudden and unmistakable fear of death took hold of > > him. He felt he was going to die. Why this feeling should have come > > to him he did not know. > > > > The feeling of impending death, however, did not unnerve him. He > > calmly thought about what he should do. He said to himself, "Now, > > death has come. What does it mean? What is it that is dying? This > > body dies." Immediately thereafter he lay down stretching his limbs > > out and holding them stiff as though rigor mortis had set in. He > > held his breath and kept his lips tightly closed, so that to all > > outward appearance his body resembled a corpse. Now, what would > > happen? > > > > This was what he thought : "Well, this body is now dead. It will be > > carried to the burning ground and there burnt and reduced to ashes. > > But with the death, of this body am I dead? Is the body I? This > body > > is silent and inert. But I feel the full force of my personality > and > > even the voice of the 'I' within me, apart from it. So I am the > > Spirit transcending the body. The body dies but the Spirit that > > transcends it cannot be touched by death. That means I am the > > deathless Spirit". > > > > As Bhagavan Sri Ramana narrated this experience later on for the > > benefit of his devotees it looked as though this was a process of > > reasoning. But he took care to explain that this was not so. The > > realization came to him in a flash. He perceived the truth > > directly. 'I' was something very real, the only real thing. Fear of > > death had vanished once and for all. > > > > From then on, 'I' continued like the fundamental sruti note that > > underlies and blends with all the other notes. Thus young > > Venkataraman found himself on the peak of spirituality without any > > arduous or prolonged sadhana. The ego was lost in the flood of Self- > > awareness. > > > > from www.ramana-maharshi.org > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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