self-enquiry - [1]

[Guest guest]

Dear Viorica:

 

Thanks for this one which is quite concise and clear to me.

I send you Ramana posts to 5 or 10 friends on my email list.

I will save this one too, for further review.

 

Love,

Alton

 

RamanaMaharshi, "Viorica Weissman" <viorica@z...> wrote:

> Q: What is the nature of the mind?

>

> A: The mind is nothing other than the `I'-thought.

> The mind and the ego are one and the same.

> The other mental faculties such as the intellect and the memory

> are only this. Mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), the storehouse

of

> mental tendencies (chittam), and ego (ahamkara); all these

> are only the one mind itself. This is like different names

being given

> to a man according to his different functions.

> The individual soul (jiva) is nothing but this soul or ego.

>

> Q: How shall we discover the nature of the mind, that is, its

ultimate

> cause, or the noumenon of which it is a manifestation?

>

> A: Arranging thoughts in the order of value, the `I'-thought is the

> all-important thought. Personality-idea or thought is also the

root

> or the stem of all other thoughts, since each idea or thought

arises

> only as someone's thought and is not known to exist

independently

> of the ego. The ego therefore exhibits thought-activity.

> The second and the third persons (he, you, that, etc.) do not

appear

> except to the first person (I). Therefore they arise only after

the first

> person appears, so all the three persons seem to rise and sink

together.

> Trace, then, the ultimate cause of `I' or personality.

> From where does this `I' arise?

> Seek for it within; it then vanishes. This is the pursuit of

wisdom.

> When the mind unceasingly investigates its own nature,

> it transpires that there is no such thing as mind.

> This is the direct path for all. The mind is merely thoughts.

> Of all thoughts the thought `I' is the root.

> Therefore the mind is only the thought `I'.

> The birth of the `I'-thought is one's own birth;

> its death is the person's death. After the `I'-thought has

arisen,

> the wrong identity with the body arises. Get rid of the `I'-

thought.

> So long as `I' is alive there is grief.

> When `I' ceases to exist there is no grief.

>

> Q: Yes, but when I take to the `I'-thought, other thoughts arise

and

> disturb me.

> A: See whose thoughts they are. They will vanish. They have

their root

> in the single `I'-thought. Hold it and they will disappear.

>

>

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

> Be As You Are

> The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi

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

>

>

>