Prior to Consciousness

[Guest guest]

March 25, 1981

 

Maharaj: Treat the body like a visitor, or guest, which has come and will go.

You must know your position as a host very clearly while the guest is still

there. What is the exact nature of the host after the guest leaves must be

realized while the guest is present. Have you understood? Give me some idea of

that position in which you will find yourself when this body guest leaves.

 

Q: There is no identity.

 

M: Good. Is this a firm conviction?

 

Q: Yes, in the meditation.

 

M: What is the significance of the guest, the sign?

 

Q: As soon as the guest comes there is the sense of identity as a host.

 

M: The sense of presence, "I Amness" is the sign of the guest. Are your

answers out of deep conviction?

 

Q: Yes.

 

M: Then there is no need to come tomorrow.

 

Q: It is only in deep meditation that I know it.

 

M: Do you accept completely the knowledge that you do not exist?

 

Q: There are moments in meditation when I really feel the conviction.

 

M: It is not a firm conviction if it is not there all the time. When one is

very sleepy - just at the point of going into deep sleep - at that point he

wants nothing else except to go to sleep. Similarly, at the last moment, when

the breath is leaving, there is also a moment of ecstasy. At that point, when

the life force and consciousness leave, there is that moment of ecstasy that

last moment of knowing. One who has thoroughly apprehended this is a jnani to

whom there is no question of birth or death.

 

Even if you hear this and think it is true, the conceptualizing will not

stop. Already some concept has begun in you. Whatever I have told you now is

only about that speck of "I Amness."

 

Q: Would Maharaj tell us more about that moment of death?

 

M: Nothing more can be said about it. It is the culmination or termination of

the Self experience, "I Am." After the termination of "I Amness" there is no

experience of knowingness or not knowingness; the knowingness is the quality of

the material stuff. What did you know prior to you birth? Similarly, after

death this instrument is missing; without the body there is no experience.

Eternity has not birth and no death, but a temporary state has a beginning and

end.

 

Even when the consciousness goes, you prevail - you always are - as the

Absolute. As the consciousness you are everything; whatever is, is you. All

this knowledge has dawned on me, I am not that knowledge. The knowledge "I Am,'

and all its manifestation, are understood. In understating, I am not That.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Please change the fifth from the last word to understanding.

Aloha,

Alton

 

 

RamanaMaharshi, "I'M" <leenalton@h...> wrote:

>

>

>

>

> March 25, 1981

>

> Maharaj: Treat the body like a visitor, or guest, which has come

and will go. You must know your position as a host very clearly while

the guest is still there. What is the exact nature of the host after

the guest leaves must be realized while the guest is present. Have

you understood? Give me some idea of that position in which you will

find yourself when this body guest leaves.

>

> Q: There is no identity.

>

> M: Good. Is this a firm conviction?

>

> Q: Yes, in the meditation.

>

> M: What is the significance of the guest, the sign?

>

> Q: As soon as the guest comes there is the sense of identity as a

host.

>

> M: The sense of presence, "I Amness" is the sign of the guest.

Are your answers out of deep conviction?

>

> Q: Yes.

>

> M: Then there is no need to come tomorrow.

>

> Q: It is only in deep meditation that I know it.

>

> M: Do you accept completely the knowledge that you do not exist?

>

> Q: There are moments in meditation when I really feel the

conviction.

>

> M: It is not a firm conviction if it is not there all the time.

When one is very sleepy - just at the point of going into deep sleep -

at that point he wants nothing else except to go to sleep.

Similarly, at the last moment, when the breath is leaving, there is

also a moment of ecstasy. At that point, when the life force and

consciousness leave, there is that moment of ecstasy that last moment

of knowing. One who has thoroughly apprehended this is a jnani to

whom there is no question of birth or death.

>

> Even if you hear this and think it is true, the

conceptualizing will not stop. Already some concept has begun in

you. Whatever I have told you now is only about that speck of "I

Amness."

>

> Q: Would Maharaj tell us more about that moment of death?

>

> M: Nothing more can be said about it. It is the culmination or

termination of the Self experience, "I Am." After the termination

of "I Amness" there is no experience of knowingness or not

knowingness; the knowingness is the quality of the material stuff.

What did you know prior to you birth? Similarly, after death this

instrument is missing; without the body there is no experience.

Eternity has not birth and no death, but a temporary state has a

beginning and end.

>

> Even when the consciousness goes, you prevail - you always

are - as the Absolute. As the consciousness you are everything;

whatever is, is you. All this knowledge has dawned on me, I am not

that knowledge. The knowledge "I Am,' and all its manifestation, are

understood. In understating, I am not That.

>

>

>