Brahmacharya (& Ramana Maharshi)

[Guest guest]

Please allow me to make two points with respect to your post.

 

1. 'Control' is an inappropriate word to use. When one understands the

limitations of the senses and the mind in bringing us eternal happiness and

also understands that running after the sense objects and mind objects

causes suffering in the end, this 'running after' reduces and drops on its

own. There is no need to exercise a restraint.

 

2. Its wrong to say Ramana Maharshi did not do sadhana. I would request you

to read his biography 'The Mind of Ramana Maharshi by Arthur Osborne' to

know more about him. Its true that he had a near-death experience at a very

young age through which he passed into Nirvikalpa Samadhi. But that was not

the end, but the beginning of his Sadhana. He immediately left for

Thirvanamalai and spend a number of years in almost silence deeply absorbed

in Dhyaana. The intensity of his Tapas was absolute.

 

Its not easy to understand and walk on the path of 'Self enquiry' for most.

It is indeed a path for few. Here, one has to question every thought, every

emotion and every reaction generated by the body-mind-ego-intellect

phenomenon and ask who is generating it. This questioning has to be

incessant. Slowly one starts realising that he/she is not the

body-mind-ego-intellect, but is the "I" that observes all this. This brings

in a detachment with the phenomenon and all the desires and aversions

associated with it. Its a path of actively questioning and dropping all

associations and go to the root of 'being'... the 'source'.

 

For me, this is not just theory. It is a path of life. I have not spent as

many years as you all pursuing spirituality, but the limited time I have

spent walking this path has led to an increased self-clarity, detachment and

peace.

 

For those who find such a practice abstract, I would suggest learning

Vipassana (Buddha's technique, taught by Sri SN Goenka now). It gives more

tangible logic and practice to achieve the same goal.

 

 

Tat tvam asi

(You are that)

 

Sachin

 

----

 

nsolaikannan

06/16/05 18:05:21

advaitin

Re: Brahmacharya

 

Dear Mr.Mahesh,

 

My main point is controlling the senses. Starting from Gita, it is

advised that we have to control all the 5 senses and mind, that is

dhama (sense control) and sama (mind control) Shankara also in

his "Sadana chatustiyam" mentioned about dhama and sama as the first

sadana for the atmanjana aspirant.

 

Among the 5 sense activities the supreme is sex. Because, while we

eat a food eyes, nose and tongue are fed; while hearing a music ear

is fed. However, in sex all the five sensory organs are fed. So, if

we had controlled the tongue to some extent previously, then while

sex the tongue also awakened. So, I meant by "activating" the feeding

of the senses.

 

If we need not shred the feeding of sensory organs, why then the

scriptures talk about dhama and sama?

 

I was also believing 9 years ago that Knowledge is enough and let us

meditate on this knowledge as Ramana Maharishi did. Whatever may be

my effort I have not moved an inch ahead. So, later, very recently I

realized we are not gifted like Shri Ramana that without sadhanas we

cannot go further.

 

When the sadhanas outlined by Shankara says dhama, sense control,

then we have to control sex too.

 

Waking, dreaming, deep sleep are different states. Our original state

is what we feel in deep sleep. But, we don't realize the bliss of the

deep sleep, while we are awake. That is because of these senses,

mind, ahmkaram. By controlling all these seven we can feel deep sleep

while in the waking state. That is the jeeven muktan state. If we

want to achieve that we have to follow the sadana outlined by

Shankara. This is what Paramachariyal says and that is what I believe.

 

Thanks

Solaikannan

> Dear Solaikannan,

> Please consider me as a fellow spiritual aspirantwho felt like

> saying the following:

> Just Like sex acitvating the senses, even on waking up from sleep

> the sense get activated. Its the experience that before going to

> sleep , there might be peace comming out of meditation for

> example,and immediately on waking up all the senses and latent

> tendencies rush forth.

> I dont think abstaining from sleep is going to help retain the

> peace...

> The shredding off is in the mind only.

> Regards,

> Mahesh

>

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discussion of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity of

Atman and Brahman.

Advaitin List Archives available at: http://www.eScribe

com/culture/advaitin/

To Post a message send an email to : advaitin

Messages Archived at: advaitin/messages

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

advaitin/

 

 

advaitin