Guest guest Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 HERE LIES THE HEARTE xcerpts from her book of the same nameby Me rcedes De Acosta The author's first knowledge of the Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi ... I used to go constantly to Adrian's. When we came from the studio we often had dinner by ourselves in his house or he would give parties and ask me to help him arrange the table or receive his guests. At one of these dinners I met Paul Brunton who had written a book called A Search in Secret India. When I read this book it had a profound influence on me. In it I learned for the first time about Ramana Maharshi, a great Indian saint and sage. It was as though some emanation of this saint was projected out of the book to me. For days and nights after reading about him I could not think of anything else. I became, as it were, possessed by him. I could not even talk of anything else. So much so, that as a joke, Adrian made a drawing of me peering out from behind a group of Indians and wrote under it A SEARCH IN SECRET INDIA. But nothing could distract me from the idea that I must go and meet this saint. From this time on, although I ceased to speak too much about it, the whole direction of my life turned toward India and away from Hollywood. I felt that I would surely go there although there was nothing at this time to indicate that I would. Nevertheless, I felt I would meet the Maharshi and that this meeting would be the greatest experience of my life. Voyage to India - Conversations with Meher Baba and Sri Aurobindo And this time I wanted most of all to go to India to see the great Indian sage and saint, Ramana Maharshi, and I felt that I must go at once. I had very little money, far too little to risk going to India, but something pushed me toward it. I went to the steamship company and booked myself one of the cheapest cabins on an Indian ship, the S.S. Victoria sailing from Genoa to Bombay toward the beginning of October. In the meantime I flew to Dublin to see my sister Baba and her husband, Freddie Shaw, and their two children Frederick and Mercedes. Like many youngest sons, Fred die had no money, but he was a rem arkably good and fine man. They were living in a modest little house and I never saw a family so devoted to each other or so happy together. Alfredo Sides' wife Consuelo sailed with me to India. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 Funny thing I was just re-reading her story yesterday.. I like this part the best: I moved near Bhagavan, sitting at his feet and facing him. Guy was right. Not long after this Bhagavan opened his eyes. He moved his head and looked directly down at me, his eyes looking into mine. It would be impossible to describe this moment and I am not going to attempt it. I can only say that at this second I felt my inner being raised to a new level--as if, suddenly, my state of consciousness was lifted to a much higher degree. Perhaps in this split second I was no longer my human self but the Self. Then Bhagavan smiled at me. It seemed to me that I had never before known what a smile was. I said, "I have come a long way to see you." He said, "I knew you were coming and I have been guiding your steps." There was a silence. I had stupidly brought a piece of paper on which I had written a number of questions I wanted to ask him. I fumbled for it in my pocket, but the questions were already answered by merely being in his presence. There was no need for questions or answers. Nevertheless, my dull intellect expressed one. "Tell me, whom shall I follow--what shall I follow? I have been trying to find this out for years by seeking in religions, in philosophies, in teachers and teachings." Again there was a silence. After a few minutes, which seemed to me a long trine, he spoke. "You are not telling the truth. You are just using words--just talking. You know perfectly well whom to follow. Why do you need me to confirm it?" "You mean I should follow my inner self?" I asked. "I don't know anything about your inner self. You should follow the Self. There is nothing or no one else to follow." Blessings always in the now Randy , "Era" <n0ndual@w...> wrote: > > > HERE LIES THE HEARTE xcerpts from her book of the same nameby Me > rcedes De Acosta The author's first knowledge of the Bhagavan Sri > Ramana Maharshi ... > > I used to go constantly to Adrian's. When we came from the studio we often had dinner by ourselves in his house or he would give parties and ask me to help him arrange the table or receive his guests. At one of these dinners I met Paul Brunton who had written a book called A Search in Secret India. When I read this book it had a profound influence on me. In it I learned for the first time about Ramana Maharshi, a great Indian saint and sage. It was as though some emanation of this saint was projected out of the book to me. > For days and nights after reading about him I could not think of > anything else. I became, as it were, possessed by him. I could not even talk of anything else. So much so, that as a joke, Adrian made a drawing of me peering out from behind a group of Indians and wrote under it A SEARCH IN SECRET INDIA. > > But nothing could distract me > from the idea that I must go and meet this saint. From this time on, although I ceased to speak too much about it, the whole direction of my life turned toward India and away from Hollywood. I felt that I would surely go there although there was nothing at this time to indicate that I would. Nevertheless, I felt I would meet the Maharshi and that this meeting would be the greatest experience of my life. > > Voyage to India - Conversations with Meher Baba and Sri Aurobindo And this time I wanted most of all to go to India to see the great Indian sage and saint, Ramana Maharshi, and I felt that I must go at once. I had very little money, far too little to risk going to India, but something pushed me toward it. I went to the steamship company and booked myself > one of the cheapest cabins on an Indian ship, the S.S. Victoria sailing from Genoa to Bombay toward the beginning of October. In the meantime I flew to Dublin to see my sister Baba and her husband, Freddie Shaw, and their two children Frederick and Mercedes. Like many youngest sons, Fred > die had no money, but he was a rem > arkably good and fine man. They were living in a modest little house and I never saw a family so devoted to each other or so happy together. Alfredo Sides' wife Consuelo sailed with me to India. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 oops Sorry Harshaji, I know you don't readly arrove of taking info from orther sites and posting here I just wanted to add to the story that Era posted as it sounded imcomplete to me.. I will be more careful in future Blessings in the now always Randy , "panamavolcan" <panamavolcan> wrote: > > > > Funny thing I was just re-reading her story yesterday.. > > I like this part the best: > I moved near Bhagavan, sitting at his feet and facing him. Guy was > right. Not long after this Bhagavan opened his eyes. He moved his > head and looked directly down at me, his eyes looking into mine. It > would be impossible to describe this moment and I am not going to > attempt it. I can only say that at this second I felt my inner being > raised to a new level--as if, suddenly, my state of consciousness was > lifted to a much higher degree. Perhaps in this split second I was no > longer my human self but the Self. Then Bhagavan smiled at me. It > seemed to me that I had never before known what a smile was. I > said, "I have come a long way to see you." He said, "I knew you were > coming and I have been guiding your steps." There was a silence. I > had stupidly brought a piece of paper on which I had written a number > of questions I wanted to ask him. I fumbled for it in my pocket, but > the questions were already answered by merely being in his presence. > There was no need for questions or answers. Nevertheless, my dull > intellect expressed one. > > "Tell me, whom shall I follow--what shall I follow? I have been > trying to find this out for years by seeking in religions, in > philosophies, in teachers and teachings." Again there was a silence. > After a few minutes, which seemed to me a long trine, he spoke. > > "You are not telling the truth. You are just using words--just > talking. You know perfectly well whom to follow. Why do you need me > to confirm it?" > > "You mean I should follow my inner self?" I asked. > > "I don't know anything about your inner self. You should follow the > Self. There is nothing or no one else to follow." > > Blessings always in the now > Randy > > > > > , "Era" <n0ndual@w...> wrote: > > > > > > HERE LIES THE HEARTE xcerpts from her book of the same nameby Me > > rcedes De Acosta The author's first knowledge of the Bhagavan Sri > > Ramana Maharshi ... > > > > I used to go constantly to Adrian's. When we came from the studio > we often had dinner by ourselves in his house or he would give > parties and ask me to help him arrange the table or receive his > guests. At one of these dinners I met Paul Brunton who had written a > book called A Search in Secret India. When I read this book it had a > profound influence on me. In it I learned for the first time about > Ramana Maharshi, a great Indian saint and sage. It was as though some > emanation of this saint was projected out of the book to me. > > For days and nights after reading about him I could not think of > > anything else. I became, as it were, possessed by him. I could not > even talk of anything else. So much so, that as a joke, Adrian made a > drawing of me peering out from behind a group of Indians and wrote > under it A SEARCH IN SECRET INDIA. > > > > But nothing could distract me > > from the idea that I must go and meet this saint. From this time > on, although I ceased to speak too much about it, the whole direction > of my life turned toward India and away from Hollywood. I felt that I > would surely go there although there was nothing at this time to > indicate that I would. Nevertheless, I felt I would meet the Maharshi > and that this meeting would be the greatest experience of my life. > > > > Voyage to India - Conversations with Meher Baba and Sri Aurobindo > And this time I wanted most of all to go to India to see the great > Indian sage and saint, Ramana Maharshi, and I felt that I must go at > once. I had very little money, far too little to risk going to India, > but something pushed me toward it. I went to the steamship company > and booked myself > > one of the cheapest cabins on an Indian ship, the S.S. Victoria > sailing from Genoa to Bombay toward the beginning of October. In the > meantime I flew to Dublin to see my sister Baba and her husband, > Freddie Shaw, and their two children Frederick and Mercedes. Like > many youngest sons, Fred > > die had no money, but he was a rem > > arkably good and fine man. They were living in a modest little > house and I never saw a family so devoted to each other or so happy > together. Alfredo Sides' wife Consuelo sailed with me to India. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 > HERE LIES THE HEART excerpts from her book of the same nameby Mercedes De Acosta The author's first knowledge of the Bhagavan Sri > Ramana Maharshi ... > > I used to go constantly to Adrian's. When we came from the studio we often had dinner by ourselves in his house or he would give parties and ask me to help him arrange the table or receive his guests. At one of these dinners I met Paul Brunton who had written a book called A Search in Secret India. When I read this book it had a profound influence on me. In it I learned for the first time about Ramana Maharshi, a great Indian saint and sage. It was as though some emanation of this saint was projected out of the book to me. > For days and nights after reading about him I could not think of > anything else. I became, as it were, possessed by him. I could not even talk of anything else. So much so, that as a joke, Adrian made a drawing of me peering out from behind a group of Indians and wrote under it A SEARCH IN SECRET INDIA. > > But nothing could distract me > from the idea that I must go and meet this saint. From this time on, although I ceased to speak too much about it, the whole direction of my life turned toward India and away from Hollywood. I felt that I would surely go there although there was nothing at this time to indicate that I would. Nevertheless, I felt I would meet the Maharshi and that this meeting would be the greatest experience of my life. > > Voyage to India - Conversations with Meher Baba and Sri Aurobindo And this time I wanted most of all to go to India to see the great Indian sage and saint, Ramana Maharshi, and I felt that I must go at once. I had very little money, far too little to risk going to India, but something pushed me toward it. I went to the steamship company and booked myself > one of the cheapest cabins on an Indian ship, the S.S. Victoria sailing from Genoa to Bombay toward the beginning of October. In the meantime I flew to Dublin to see my sister Baba and her husband, Freddie Shaw, and their two children Frederick and Mercedes. Like many youngest sons, Fred > die had no money, but he was a rem > arkably good and fine man. They were living in a modest little house and I never saw a family so devoted to each other or so happy together. Alfredo Sides' wife Consuelo sailed with me to India. > > Alfredo Sides' wife Consuelo sailed with me to India. She intended to stay there several years with Sri Meher Baba, but Alfredo, when he came to the station to see us off to Genoa, said, "Don't let Consuelo do anything foolish and please take care of her." Before Alfredo, Consuelo had been married to Charles Nungesser, a dashing, devil-may-care French World War I pilot of legend. He was reputed to have spent more time in the hospital and in various women's beds than he did in the air. He did however spend enough time in the air to shoot down 43 German aircraft. He also talked himself into the American Lafeyette Escadrille for one month, from July 14 until August 15, 1916 where he relaxed and showed the American pilots and crews his gold teeth, teeth that were necessitated after being shot in the mouth during a dogfight with the Germans. After the war he tried to fly west over the Atlantic at the same time that Lindbergh flew east. Nungesser was lost on the flight. But it was not until she married the unmarriageable Alfredo that we became close friends. I will never know what made Alfredo suddenly marry. He was out of character in doing so and was certainly not the husband for Consuelo. I had booked passage to Ceylon intending from there to cross over to southern India and go directly to Tiruvannamalai where Ramana Maharshi lived. But when the ship called at Bombay, Princess Norina Matchabelli came on board to see me with a message from Meher Baba saying that Consuelo and I must get off the ship and come to see him in Ahmednagar, about two hours from Bombay. I did not want to do this as my real purpose in India was to see the Maharshi, and I was impatient to get to him. But Consuelo was going to Baba and she and Norina pressed me to do the same. It was an appallingly hot day and I had a migraine headache, so I let them pack my things and, in a daze, followed them off the boat. I remember edging my way through masses of people whose dark faces stood out in the brilliant sunlight against the white which the men wore. There was also a great deal of color among the crowds -- turbans and saris of brilliant pinks, blues, greens, every imaginable color, and after the incessant black one sees worn in occidental countries, Bombay gave me the impression of a gay festival. The next day we motored to Baba's ashram in Ahmednagar. This a place he had built a number of years ago, even before he had European disciples. He had built it for what are called in India "God-mad men and women" These are people who become possessed by God and the spiritual life, and go out of their minds. A great many of them had become insane at an early age. Thousands of them wander all over India, sleep in the fields and are fed by anyone who gives them food. Most of them are harmless, but their physical condition becomes tragic. Although they are considered holy and like the Sacred Cow allowed privileges, down through the ages nothing had been done about them by the government or by individuals. Meher Baba is the first person in India who has taken care of them and attempted to cure them. He sends his Mandali (men disciples) throughout India to bring as many of them as they can to his ashram. Here he puts them in order physically, and then works spiritually and psychologically to cure them. He has cured hundreds of them and many of them, after coming to their senses, have become his Mandali and helped to cure others. When I arrived in Ahmednagar, Baba had a great compound where about five thousand of these mad people lived. I saw him bathe many of them, a technique he uses to work spiritually through water, which seems to calm a great many of them in an extraordinary fashion. I was very much impressed by these sessions. I was, however, not at all happy my first night in the ashram. Baba had many times spoken to me about it, and he had always promised me that if I ever went there I would have a room or a cabin of my own. This point had been brought up because Norina had told me that all the women slept in dormitories. I am a poor sleeper and I knew that under these conditions I would not be able to sleep. Also I have a horror of a lot of women herded together. This is one of the reasons why I have always hated convents and the life of nuns and any kind of dormitory school life. So I was extremely upset when I was told I would have to sleep in a dormitory. I mentioned this to Norina, who brushed my objections aside and said that I had to be "like everyone else." Looking back on it now I realize that I had no right to expect special treatment. Baba was possibly teaching me a lesson, but I felt that a man who was a spiritual teacher should not break his word. In any case I spent a miserable night. The heat was terrific, many of the women snored, and all of them had pots under their beds which they used during the night. This was about the last straw for me. I arose at five and I was in no good mood when Norina told me that Baba expected Consuelo and me to stay with him for five years. Five years!" I cried. "Are you out of your mind? I came to India to see the Maharshi and I am leaving here today." I went to Baba's cabin. He was sitting on the floor in the Buddha posture with bare feet and a garland of flowers around his neck. He embraced me warmly and I sat down on the floor before him. He spelled out on his board, "I see you have slept badly." I shrugged my shoulders. I was not going into all that again. He continued. "I want you and Consuelo to stay here with me for five years. I hope you will agree to this." "I regret terribly to have to refuse you this request. I could not possibly remain here and I must not deceive you, Baba - In case you don't already know it, I must tell you I came to India to see Ramana Maharshi." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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