I love Ramana Maharshi .

[Guest guest]

I am really sorry that you have had some negative interactions on

. I have been in and out of town and am leaving again

shortly and have not been able to pay detailed attention.

 

Since the list is made up of Sri Ramana devotees,

quotes from Sri Ramana are most welcome and I, along with Gabriele

and Gloria post them often.

 

Sri Ramana for me shines like the brightest Sun ever since my early

youth. I have never had any interest in any other teacher since then.

 

HarshaSatangh has almost 500 members and there is a lot of freedom of

expression. When devotees of Sri Ramana (because everyone claims to

be that) fight with each other, it is difficult for me to know what

to say or even keep up with volume of posts these days. Fighting and

argumentation among devotees was not uncommon at Sri RamanaAshram

even during Sri Ramana's time. So I take it all in stride.

 

In any case, we all wish you well and respect your views. Sri

Ramana's words have enormous potency, I feel. As the Sage of

Arunachala said, "I am Here."

 

So there is no problem. Again, I wish you well Vicki. This list

Ramana Maharshi is a wonderful list and I am glad you feel

comfortable here. I do too.

 

Love to all

Harsha

 

 

 

 

RamanaMaharshi, "viorica weissman" <viorica@z...> wrote:

> I love Ramana Maharshi .

>

> Devotion to Ramana Maharshi is not a stupid cult,

> isn't it , Harsha ?

>

> Quoting Ramana Maharshi is not 'cowardice and inability' ,

> isn't it , Harsha ?

>

> I'll keep quoting Ramana Maharshi always ,

> but not on satsangh because there

> devotion is a stupid cult and quoting is cowardice

> and inability.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Vicki,

 

This problem you have with Mazie and Robert began on your list, where it is your

right

to decide you do not like what they write about in their poetry and consider

their amount of posting excessive.

But they voluntarily left your list with no struggle or arguement, very little

was said by them there.

 

When the conflict was continued over on Harsha's list, (and now here) your

judgements and arguments

are all directed to convincing others to support you against first them, and

then how Harsha should

run his list more like this one or yours. Fine, these are your opinions and you

are entitled to have them.

Did you ever consider the difficulty you present to those of us who love both

you and them, who love your lists

and Harsha's. Perhaps for different reasons? Why must we choose?

 

When you use Ramana to support your views as "the only right ones" - I have to

ask you to show me an example.

Show me when he criticized people and kicked them out of the ashram, or show me

when he ranked his devotees

and valued some over others, depending on some criteria or other? I can remember

stories of him remarking that the slightest interaction with him and

interest in realization would bear fruit over time, even as people left

seemingly rejecting Ramana. Of the many visitors

who could not stay to be devotees at the ashram, did he condemn all those for

leaving or say good riddance? Certainly,

in time, some were closer to realization than others, but did he reject anyone

so forcefully with utter condemnation? Please

show me such a story, as I would be very surprised one exists. When devotees

quarrreled and spent their

time in arguing, he told them to "remember what you came here for" to bring the

focus back where it belongs.

That is each of us minding our own business, doing self-enquiry, not enquiring

into how others are doing to judge them.

 

Yes, Ramana knew. I do not consider it my place to claim to know who is a true

devotee and who not. Thankfully, I am

no longer a moderator at Harsha's and yes, sometimes quarrels are allowed there.

Thankfully, very few take up sides when they do, but allow the parties to "get

out" what may have been a smoldering tension between them. If I may speak

frankly and directly to you, Vicki, we are not the gestapo there to police every

post, nor are we holding auditions to sort the true from the false devotees. It

kinda looks like karma at work. When you reject people's creative poetry,

perhaps they in return criticize you for "just quoting" in their self- defense.

Attacks create defenses, gee here I am writing a defense myself of Harsha's

list. This is not to say it's "right for you", when clearly it doesn't suit you.

But that doesn't make it "wrong" for everyone else, nor mean there are no true

devotees on it. It is not exclusively limited to Ramana's teaching,

never was advertised to be that. People with many different backgrounds also

came to visit Ramana, the ashram was open to all.

 

Harsha has been on the internet for 5 years that I have known him, frequently

posting quotes of Ramana on the 5 or 6 lists we've both been on over this time.

At times when you left Harsha's I would forward your quotes almost daily.

Gabriele sends quotes. I can't recall much criticism of our doing this quoting

ever. Yes, you were, as a quote about quoting ( some joke, eh?) was implied to

be directed at you personally. The ensuing quarrel looked like some carried over

bad feelings from your list, so perhaps a reason many stayed out of it.

 

Again, perhaps I am out of line here to defend Harsha's list. Not choosing sides

in your dispute there, personally, I am sorry for your being so upset and it is

understandable you felt mistreated. Please don't paint everyone on his list as

doing that most of the time, like its some evil place. Perhaps when your

feelings have settled down more, you can see a more balanced view. It's okay

that it doesn't suit you, fortunately

what you prefer is available here. Many who would not come here, will hear of

Ramana and see his words at Harsha's.

 

Gloria

 

-

viorica weissman

RamanaMaharshi

Thursday, August 22, 2002 2:05 AM

Re: [RamanaMaharshi] Re: I love Ramana Maharshi .

 

 

Dear Harsha ,

 

thank you for writing .

 

There is something I see diferently in what you said -

to be a devotee is not to claim being one.

There are many who claim to be and are not .

Fight between devotees is not the view of Ramana .

Fight between devotees is not Ramana and where

accidentally it happens and there is love for Ramana

there is no fight . On this list there are no fights.

Indeed here are devotees.

 

Surely we can feel each other and know who

is a devotee so truly there is no need to claim.

 

In a long time interaction there is no need for claimimg.

 

When people prostrated between Ramana ,

he knew who was a devotee and who was not .

The physical act of prostrating was not what decided.

 

So claiming plays not role not here

and not on any other list .

So let them claim.

 

If you see fight bewteen devotees as normal ,

I don't see it , I don't want it , neither did Ramana.

 

When there was fight he showed anger.

 

 

 

On your list many would have already

began with 'Who showed anger ? There was no

one there to be angry ' so on so on and so on.

 

Why start at all ? To prove that the pattern is

understood ?

 

 

It is a mental game flourishing which is not Ramana's teaching.

 

You know what value it has so what a waste of time for

everybody and how sad that in many occasions

the claiming devotees start biting each other .

 

 

You never interfere and you let people

biting and fighting each other.

 

That is sad.

 

That is not the atmosphere here .

 

This is a satsangh .