Guest guest Posted January 19, 2003 Report Share Posted January 19, 2003 Dear Richard: You are one of the very few seekers on this board who are willing not only to post some terrific stuff, but to share personal experiences with this group. I myself appreciate it much, Love, Alton RamanaMaharshi, "Richard Clarke <r_clarke@i...>" <r_clarke@i...> wrote: > Dear Man of ..., > > I will take your invitation. > > I also live in California, in San Jose. I am nearing 60, encountered > Buddhism in my early 20s, and studied Buddhism, mainly on my own for > about 25 years. Much of my practice, I understand now, > was 'mindfulness.' > > I 'discovered' Ramana Maharshi when taken to Society of Abidance in > Truth in Santa Cruz (SAT) by a girl friend perhaps 12 years ago. The > primary teacher at SAT is Nome, one who came to the Self-knowledge > that is called Self-realization or Enlightenment in his teens through > Self-inquiry, and who has been teaching inquiry and of Ramana's > teachings ever since. SAT was founded over 25 years ago, and for all > that time, the focus has been on the practice of inquiry, and > Ramana's teaching. > > When I first heard Nome teaching, I was not sure exactly what he was > saying, but I found that I had a deep rapport with the teaching. As I > listened for the first couple of years, I went back and reread many > of the Zen books that I had come to love, and found that I was > reading at a far deeper level than before. > > I attend satsang at SAT most Sundays, and will go to each of the 5 > retreats they hold each year if I am able. My wife is also involved > with this practice (which is very good, to support one another > spiritually like this). Many nights we read aloud from books like > Ribhu Gita, Song of Ribhu, or Yoga Vashista. > > For the first few years at SAT, I had a 'barrier' that I created. > This was that I say myself as a 'smart guy' and felt that "I could > figure it out." Needless to say, this was a problem in that I limited > myself largely to what this ego-'I' would accept. Even with the > severe limit, I felt that my spirituality was deepening. > > A few years ago (maybe 5 or 6), I had what was for me a radical new > idea; I would actually follow the instructions of my teacher. I > started a daily meditation practice (using time where I was at my > best). I would stop trying to 'figure it out" and rather use my > energy trying to see how what has been taught by sages for several > thousand years is actually true in my own experience, in my own > reality. It turns out that this works better. > > Started about three years now, I really started using what Sankara > taught as 'Discrimination' as a major aid in my practice. In this > practice, one looks at what is real (that is permanent, unchanging) > and discriminates the real vs. what is not real. Or one looks at what > is 'objective' (that is what is known) and looks to see who is it > that knows all the known. One's identity must be closer to the knower > than the known. > > Discrimination is taught by Nome as an important part of practice. He > says that the process of Self-realization largely consists of > eliminating those ideas that we have about reality that are not the > way it really is. When these erroneous concepts (and attachments) are > removed, what stands is Being, which is who we are. > > My main reason for participating in this group is to share the > wonderful teaching that I receive from living teachers. I need little > inspiration or instruction, since I receive both weekly, and have for > a number of years. My spiritual interest is primarily in actual > practice, and I spend many hours each day practicing, some of the > time in seated mediation, more time during daily activity. > > Perhaps this is too long an answer to your question, but this is what > came when I put fingers to keyboard. > > Glad you see you in this group. > > We are not two, > Richard > > > RamanaMaharshi, "manof678 <manof678>" > <manof678> wrote: > > Dear All: > > > > it will be nice if good souls behind this group can give some > > background about them/this group and the key participants ; looks > > like this was created in 1999... > > > > as far as myself, this struggling body/mind/personality/intellect > > illusory combination is identified with a name of Murthy with a 44 > > year old body and resides in Orange County, California as a > > householder. > > > > Despite the feeling that Bhagavan is always there everywhere, > inside > > and outside, haven't been able to focus and continue the SINCERITY > in > > application. Thanks to that Grace, at least that thinking has > gotten > > initiated and persists.... > > > > love to all.... > > > > RamanaMaharshi, "gabriele_ebert > > <g.ebert@g...>" <g.ebert@g...> wrote: > > > Dear All, > > > a change in moderationship has been made. > > > Moderator is now Alan as I wish to restrict more. > > > Please give him all your support. > > > > > > Yours in Sri Bhagavan > > > Gabriele > > > > > > om gurave namah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2003 Report Share Posted January 19, 2003 Dear Alton, Thank you for your comments. I see this spiritual journey as one that we are all taking. Given this, then sharing openly seems appropriate. More sharing comes now: ----------------------------- Most recently in my practice, I have started to see that consciousness-being is that actual reality--certainly this is true from the point of view of what this Richard sees, experiences, thinks and knows. Nome says that as long as one sees as real the world (all things, ideas, my personal sense of identity, etc.) then spiritual depth will be limited. So now, with the newfound bhava (conviction) as to the sole reality of Being-Consciousness, I return to the inquiry and discrimination. Now I look more closely at how I identity and set as real, for example, this body. When I have a feeling from this body, I identify this body as mine. I have found that one can look directly into this feeling of "mine" in inquiry, to see what it is, how it comes to be, and whether or not it is true. I suspect that there will be freedom that will arise from this. I also notice about sense experiences that some experiences, for example a sound, I do not identify as "me" but others, like a physical sensation, I automatically identify as "me." The identification is not a matter of sense preception, but rather the comcepts that this mind puts on the sense perception. The sages have said for several thousand years that "Only Brahman is real, and you are That." Our task as seekers is to see for ourselves how it is true. Many of us have many habits that we must break to do this. As a metaphor about this process, I recently saw on TV something about the psychology of vision. In this show they talked about the famous experiment where a researcher put on prisms that inverted the visual images, so all was upside down, then after about a week, all flipped and was right side up again (except with the glasses were removed). This experiment was recently redone, and the researcher reported that before the vision 'flipped' then individual items, like a tree or a house were seen as right-side up in the midst of an inverted field of vision. I think that maybe this is a metaphor for the changes that come through inquiry and spiritual practice. We start our practice with an inverted view, seeing this body and the world as the sole reality. Gradually (or suddenly for some) this view 'flips' to where reality is seen as the Consciousness that we are. Before this change of view comes fully, we start to see some of the "trees and houses" right side up in our inverted view of things. Enough for now. We are not two, Richard RamanaMaharshi, "Alton Slater <leenalton@h...>" <leenalton@h...> wrote: > Dear Richard: > You are one of the very few seekers on this board who are willing not > only to post some terrific stuff, but to share personal experiences > with this group. I myself appreciate it much, > Love, > Alton > > RamanaMaharshi, "Richard Clarke > <r_clarke@i...>" <r_clarke@i...> wrote: > > Dear Man of ..., > > > > I will take your invitation. > > > > I also live in California, in San Jose. I am nearing 60, > encountered > > Buddhism in my early 20s, and studied Buddhism, mainly on my own > for > > about 25 years. Much of my practice, I understand now, > > was 'mindfulness.' > > > > I 'discovered' Ramana Maharshi when taken to Society of Abidance in > > Truth in Santa Cruz (SAT) by a girl friend perhaps 12 years ago. > The > > primary teacher at SAT is Nome, one who came to the Self- knowledge > > that is called Self-realization or Enlightenment in his teens > through > > Self-inquiry, and who has been teaching inquiry and of Ramana's > > teachings ever since. SAT was founded over 25 years ago, and for > all > > that time, the focus has been on the practice of inquiry, and > > Ramana's teaching. > > > > When I first heard Nome teaching, I was not sure exactly what he > was > > saying, but I found that I had a deep rapport with the teaching. As > I > > listened for the first couple of years, I went back and reread many > > of the Zen books that I had come to love, and found that I was > > reading at a far deeper level than before. > > > > I attend satsang at SAT most Sundays, and will go to each of the 5 > > retreats they hold each year if I am able. My wife is also > involved > > with this practice (which is very good, to support one another > > spiritually like this). Many nights we read aloud from books like > > Ribhu Gita, Song of Ribhu, or Yoga Vashista. > > > > For the first few years at SAT, I had a 'barrier' that I created. > > This was that I say myself as a 'smart guy' and felt that "I could > > figure it out." Needless to say, this was a problem in that I > limited > > myself largely to what this ego-'I' would accept. Even with the > > severe limit, I felt that my spirituality was deepening. > > > > A few years ago (maybe 5 or 6), I had what was for me a radical new > > idea; I would actually follow the instructions of my teacher. I > > started a daily meditation practice (using time where I was at my > > best). I would stop trying to 'figure it out" and rather use my > > energy trying to see how what has been taught by sages for several > > thousand years is actually true in my own experience, in my own > > reality. It turns out that this works better. > > > > Started about three years now, I really started using what Sankara > > taught as 'Discrimination' as a major aid in my practice. In this > > practice, one looks at what is real (that is permanent, unchanging) > > and discriminates the real vs. what is not real. Or one looks at > what > > is 'objective' (that is what is known) and looks to see who is it > > that knows all the known. One's identity must be closer to the > knower > > than the known. > > > > Discrimination is taught by Nome as an important part of practice. > He > > says that the process of Self-realization largely consists of > > eliminating those ideas that we have about reality that are not the > > way it really is. When these erroneous concepts (and attachments) > are > > removed, what stands is Being, which is who we are. > > > > My main reason for participating in this group is to share the > > wonderful teaching that I receive from living teachers. I need > little > > inspiration or instruction, since I receive both weekly, and have > for > > a number of years. My spiritual interest is primarily in actual > > practice, and I spend many hours each day practicing, some of the > > time in seated mediation, more time during daily activity. > > > > Perhaps this is too long an answer to your question, but this is > what > > came when I put fingers to keyboard. > > > > Glad you see you in this group. > > > > We are not two, > > Richard > > > > > > RamanaMaharshi, "manof678 <manof678>" > > <manof678> wrote: > > > Dear All: > > > > > > it will be nice if good souls behind this group can give some > > > background about them/this group and the key participants ; looks > > > like this was created in 1999... > > > > > > as far as myself, this struggling body/mind/personality/intellect > > > illusory combination is identified with a name of Murthy with a > 44 > > > year old body and resides in Orange County, California as a > > > householder. > > > > > > Despite the feeling that Bhagavan is always there everywhere, > > inside > > > and outside, haven't been able to focus and continue the > SINCERITY > > in > > > application. Thanks to that Grace, at least that thinking has > > gotten > > > initiated and persists.... > > > > > > love to all.... > > > > > > RamanaMaharshi, "gabriele_ebert > > > <g.ebert@g...>" <g.ebert@g...> wrote: > > > > Dear All, > > > > a change in moderationship has been made. > > > > Moderator is now Alan as I wish to restrict more. > > > > Please give him all your support. > > > > > > > > Yours in Sri Bhagavan > > > > Gabriele > > > > > > > > om gurave namah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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