In the interior of the Heart cave

[Guest guest]

Dear Herry,

meanwhile a lot of comments about the spiritual heart have been given.

 

This verse about the heart (Sri Ramana Gita II, 2) is said to be also the

"heart" of Sri Ramana's teaching.

Sri Ramana started to use the term "hridayam" as he has found it in the

literature and it suits his own experience.

 

The spiritual heart can be felt bodily, but it is not restricted to the body.

Its true meaning is the Self.

 

Sri Ramana gave the exact location on the right side of the chest (not identical

with the physical heart). (see also the Maha Narayana Upanishad.)

There is a very interesting report from Sri Ramana himself about his bodily

experience of this spot when he had his second death experience at the Tortoise

rock:

 

"All of a sudden a light came from one side erasing the world vision in its

course until it spread all round when the vision of the world was completely cut

out. I felt the muscular organ on the left had stopped work; I could understand

that the body was like a corpse, that the circulation of blood had stopped and

the body became blue and motionless. Vasudeva Sastri empraced the body, wept

over my death, but I could not speak. All the time I was feeling that the Heart

centre on the right was working as well as ever. This state continued 15 or 20

minutes. Then suddenly something shot out from the right to the left resembling

a rocket bursting in air. The blood circulation was resumed and normal condition

restored ... The Heart is thus the centre of the body. It can be felt in the

absence of the body also. It is said to be a centre because we have been

accustomed to think that we remain in the body. In fact the body and all else

are in that centre alone." (Talks with Ramana Maharshi, Talk 408)

 

But the deepest meaning of the spiritual heart is: "It is the centre of the

Self. The Self is the centre of centres." - "It is the seat wherefrom 'I'-'I'

arises" (Talks with Ramana Maharshi).

 

"The Heart is not physical; it is spiritual. Hridaya = hrit + ayam = This is the

centre. It is that from which thoughts arise, on which they subsist and where

they are resolved. The thoughts are the content of the mind and they shape the

universe. The Heart is the centre of all. 'Yato va imani bhutani jayante' etc.

is said to be Brahman in the Upanishads. That is the Heart. Brahman is the

Heart." (Talks, Talk 97)

 

If you point on yourself as "I" you point automatically to the heart on the

right side, not to the head or elsewhere. If you practice Self enquiry or

surrender there can be a bodily experience of this spot. But it is not meant to

give this experience too much importance, because the heart is truely not

bodily.

 

 

Gabriele

 

 

 

 

>>Dear Gabriele,

 

We've discussed about this "heart", i agreed that there is no really

heart-cave as residential of Brahman, and also will in contradiction

with statement that Brahman all pervading Entity. You can say that

Brahman exist everywhere and also exist in our heart. I would like to

have your comments.

 

Love

 

Herry Ermawan

advaitin, "Gabriele Ebert" <g.ebert@g...> wrote:

> In the interior of the Heart-cave

> Brahman alone shines in the form of the Atman

> with direct immediacy as I, as I.

> Enter into the Heart

> with questing mind

> or by diving deep within

> or through control of breath,

> and abide in the Atman.

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> Sri Ramana Gita, II,2

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

>

>