[atma_vichara] Awareness watching awareness (AWA) as taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi

[Guest guest]

Dear Michael,

 

I had recently had a more close look at your AWA-page - and discovered that what you are offering

is a meditation-technique - but not!!! representating the fullness of Bhagavan's way.

It is simply one method of so many, and if people take this for Bhagavan's

teaching they are not so well advised.

It is better to read Bhagavan's books as they are offered and not distract

quotes fitting to a theme.

This may be misleading in the last as one tends to press the quotes in one line

which what one may feel like

Bhagavan's teaching should be - to comfort oneself and to fit into one's own concept.

God beware!

 

As the owner of atma-vichara-list and a moderator on RM-list I feel responsible

to say this warning ...

and to speak so openly. Let Bhagavan present His teaching as it is .... there is

no need of any structure-

making and interference! We can understand it as he told .... we can read his Talks etc. ...

AWA is a method made by Michael - may be in some points it is near to Bhagavan - but I only

can advise each one simply to read Bhagavan's teaching: "Who am I" - the Talks

..... and ... and .....

 

Kind regards

Gabriele

 

om namo bhagavate sri ramanaya

-

uarelove

atma_vichara

Saturday, July 24, 2004 8:47 PM

[atma_vichara] Awareness watching awareness (AWA) as taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi

The link posted by Ravi has the Awareness watching awareness (AWA)instructions

in my words.However, many devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi may prefer to havethe

instructions in Sri Ramana's and Sri Muruganar's words.Below are two links where

the AWA instructions can be read from Sri Ramana Maharshi's sayings, collected

by Sri Muruganar.There are two aspects to the Awareness watching awareness

practice.#1. Turning the attention away from the world, body and thought(and

towards awareness watching awareness).#2. Awareness watching awareness (which

can also be called awareness of awarenesss. That is not two. That is only one

awareness being aware of itself.108 of Ramana Maharshi's sayings which are

instructions in the first part of AWA, turning the attention away from the

world can be read by clicking this

link:http://uarelove1.tripod.com/world.htmSri Ramana Maharshi's instructions in

the other aspects of AWATurning the attention away from the body and thought and

towards awareness watching awareness can be found in this collectionof more than

100 of Sri Ramana Maharshi's

sayings:http://uarelove1.tripod.com/TURNING_INWARD.htmThe above two collections

of quotes come from the book"The Garland of Guru's (Sri Ramana Maharshi's

Sayings) collected by Sri Muruganar.Sri Muruganar was liberated shortly after

meeting Sri Ramana.You can read Sri Muruganar's description of his liberation

by clicking this link:http://uarelove1.tripod.com/REALIZATION.htmSri Muruganar

spent decades with Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri Muruganar collected Sri Ramana's

Sayings. Sri Muruganar was a highly skilled, trained, educated poet, and Sri

Muruganar's ability to use words to clearly communicate is extraordinary. Add

to that the fact that Sri Muruganar was a liberated sage for all those years he

was collecting Sri Ramana Maharhshi's sayings, and one finds the greatest

opportunity for the clear communication of Sri Ramana Maharshi's teachings in

the book "The Garland of Guru's Sayings".Those two links at the top of this

page have 153 sayings where Sri Ramana Maharshi teaches the Awareness watching

awareness method specifically and directly.The Awareness watching Awareness

method (AWA) can be called:Awareness of Awareness, Meditation on consciousness,

Direct Abidance, Immediate Abidance, Instant Abidance, Self-Abidance,

Self-Awareness.AWA was taught as the most direct means to end the ego

illusionby Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Muruganar, Sri Sadhu Om, Sri Annamalai

Swami, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and yours truly.The purpose of "Self-inquiry"

is Self-Abidance. One can take a detour through thought or one can go directly

to Self-Abidance.The discovery of the direct means to Self-abidancetaught by Sri

Ramana Maharshi in the quotes in the links at the top of this page, is a reason

for joy and celebration among those very few humans who are intent upon ending

the ego illusion in this lifetime (who are almost as rare as dogs with

wings).The means to direct Self-abidance has been almost completely overlooked

in the Ramana Maharshi tradition.Michael James points out in his article

(linked below) that maybe only future generations will be able to fully

appreciate the role that Sri Ramana assigned to Sri Sadhu Om and Sri Muruganar

in reveling his teachings.An article by Michael James about Sri Muruganar and

Sri Sadhu Om:http://uarelove1.tripod.com/wings.htmI tend to think that time

will not be enough.Only the extremely intense desire for liberation makes one

insist on getting Sri Ramana's teachings from sources that are liberated,and

makes one insist on discovering the most direct means to Self-abidance, and

makes one stick with the practice until the ego illusion has ended.Even those

two collections of Sri Ramana Maharshi's sayingslinked at the top of this page

may be too many words for many people.Therefore, I will post some of Sri Ramana

Maharshi's Sayings from the Garland of Guru's Sayings in my next post here to

summarize.Sri Ramana gave many warnings against reading, discussing, thinking

about spiritual teachings at this

link:http://uarelove1.tripod.com/READING_AND_DISCUSSING.htmHe even gave

warnings about the size of the book one reads,siting as an example that pure

minds are attracted to small workslike Reality in Forty verses and that impure

minds like to go on and on reading when that time could be far better spent in

practice.However, for those prone to much reading,other helpful quotes on the

practice of AWAand how to stop the ego's lies can be read at this

link:http://uarelove1.tripod.com/FIVE_SAGES.htmTake care,with Love,Michael L.

[Guest guest]

Dear Gabriele,

 

I think Michael L.'s "awareness watching awareness"

method is an accurate description of the essence of

self-enquiry as taught by Ramana Maharshi.

 

In my opinion, Michael L.'s webpages are one of the

very few places on the Internet where a person can

find an accurate presentation of Sri Ramana Maharshi's

method.

 

The two commentators who understood the method

best, Sri Sadhu Om and Sri Muruganar, often described

it in words that were different from the ones chosen by

Ramana Maharshi. Sri Sadhu Om preferred to call it

"self-attention" rather than "self-enquiry." The word

"awareness" is often used in English translations of Sri

Muruganar's poetry. The fact that they chose different

words doesn't mean they were describing different methods.

All three were describing the same method.

 

The first question and answer in "Who Am I?", in the original

form in which Ramana Maharshi dictated it, before

Sivaprakasam Pillai added extra words of his own, was:

 

"Question: Who Am I?"

 

"Answer: Jnana is 'I' and the nature of jnana is sat-chit-ananda."

 

Jnana is usually translated as "knowledge", but it can

also mean "awareness". Chit is often translated as

"awareness". So Michael's choice of terminology is not

foreign to Ramana Maharshi.

 

The most crucial point about the method of self-enquiry

is that attention is placed not on objects, but on the

subject. Subject means "I" or "self" or "that which

feels like me."

 

When we place our attention on the subject, it's a

different kind of attention from the normal one which is

concerned with objects, and immediately we start to

go into a different kind of state. People sometimes

call this "abiding" or "just being" or "being still." It's

reasonable to call it "pure awareness." All these words

point at the same thing. They describe a single thing

and a single method, just as "fast" and "speedy" and

"quick" are different words that describe the same thing.

 

In my opinion, there is only one method of self-enquiry.

There is only one subject, therefore people who try to

attend to it (whether the call it the feeling of "me" or

"awareness" or anything else) are all practicing the same

sadhana.

 

The idea that there is more than one method of self-enquiry

is based on the misunderstanding that self-enquiry is

concerned with objects, for there is a multiplicity of objects,

and if self-enquiry were concerned with them, then indeed

there would be many versions of it.

 

If you want to criticize people who distort Sri Ramana's

teachings, I suggest you begin with the people who

think that self-enquiry means placing attention on some

kind of object such as a sound, a voice, breathing, a

sensation in the chest, and so forth. These sorts of

methods truly are distortions of self-enquiry as Ramana

Maharshi taught it.

 

I think Michael L. is exactly right when he reminds us

that the ego is terribly resistant to practicing in a way

that will bring it to an end.

 

The ego is the ongoing production of thoughts, images,

feelings, fantasies, understandings, conclusions, decisions,

apprehensions, etc. etc. etc.

 

It's natural, when we try to understand how to meditate,

to select some practice that is an activity of this kind.

In other words, we tend to select a practice that the ego

can participate in -- a practice that involves seeing something

or imagining something or conceiving something or

understanding something. In other words, a practice that

involves placing attention on an object.

 

But self-enquiry, by definition, first and foremost, means

we take our attention away from objects and place it on

the subject, i.e., on the feeling of "me." The ego cannot

participate in this activity for very long.

 

To Michael L.: keep up the good work. The hostility you

arouse is a sign that you are telling the truth.

 

Best wishes,

 

Rob

 

 

-

gabriele ebert

RamanaMaharshi ; atma_vichara

Sunday, July 25, 2004 3:37 AM

[RamanaMaharshi] Re: [atma_vichara] Awareness watching awareness (AWA)

as taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi

Dear Michael,

 

I had recently had a more close look at your AWA-page - and discovered that what you are offering

is a meditation-technique - but not!!! representating the fullness of Bhagavan's way.

It is simply one method of so many, and if people take this for Bhagavan's

teaching they are not so well advised.

It is better to read Bhagavan's books as they are offered and not distract

quotes fitting to a theme.

This may be misleading in the last as one tends to press the quotes in one line

which what one may feel like

Bhagavan's teaching should be - to comfort oneself and to fit into one's own concept.

God beware!

 

As the owner of atma-vichara-list and a moderator on RM-list I feel responsible

to say this warning ...

and to speak so openly. Let Bhagavan present His teaching as it is .... there is

no need of any structure-

making and interference! We can understand it as he told .... we can read his Talks etc. ...

AWA is a method made by Michael - may be in some points it is near to Bhagavan - but I only

can advise each one simply to read Bhagavan's teaching: "Who am I" - the Talks

..... and ... and .....

 

Kind regards

Gabriele

 

om namo bhagavate sri ramanaya

[Guest guest]

Dear Rob and members,

 

it is not about the term awareness itself ...

How shall I explain it otherwise?

Possibly someone of those which whom I had spoken about the matter recently shall now come in more

actively and speak....

Several people felt not well with this AWA-thing, not only myself..... It was

discussed in the moderator's

team of RM-list, but unfortunately Miles is absent for some days.

We discussed it and were of the same opinion, that AWA does not represent Bhagavan's teaching

correctly ... out of various reasons. So far for now ...

 

Best wishes to all

Gabriele

 

Sorry, I can't go more in details now - have to go to work.

-

Rob Sacks

atma_vichara

Monday, July 26, 2004 1:19 AM

Re: [atma_vichara] Awareness watching awareness (AWA) as taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi

Dear Gabriele,

 

I think Michael L.'s "awareness watching awareness"

method is an accurate description of the essence of

self-enquiry as taught by Ramana Maharshi.

 

In my opinion, Michael L.'s webpages are one of the

very few places on the Internet where a person can

find an accurate presentation of Sri Ramana Maharshi's

method.

 

The two commentators who understood the method

best, Sri Sadhu Om and Sri Muruganar, often described

it in words that were different from the ones chosen by

Ramana Maharshi. Sri Sadhu Om preferred to call it

"self-attention" rather than "self-enquiry." The word

"awareness" is often used in English translations of Sri

Muruganar's poetry. The fact that they chose different

words doesn't mean they were describing different methods.

All three were describing the same method.

 

The first question and answer in "Who Am I?", in the original

form in which Ramana Maharshi dictated it, before

Sivaprakasam Pillai added extra words of his own, was:

 

"Question: Who Am I?"

 

"Answer: Jnana is 'I' and the nature of jnana is sat-chit-ananda."

 

Jnana is usually translated as "knowledge", but it can

also mean "awareness". Chit is often translated as

"awareness". So Michael's choice of terminology is not

foreign to Ramana Maharshi.

 

The most crucial point about the method of self-enquiry

is that attention is placed not on objects, but on the

subject. Subject means "I" or "self" or "that which

feels like me."

 

When we place our attention on the subject, it's a

different kind of attention from the normal one which is

concerned with objects, and immediately we start to

go into a different kind of state. People sometimes

call this "abiding" or "just being" or "being still." It's

reasonable to call it "pure awareness." All these words

point at the same thing. They describe a single thing

and a single method, just as "fast" and "speedy" and

"quick" are different words that describe the same thing.

 

In my opinion, there is only one method of self-enquiry.

There is only one subject, therefore people who try to

attend to it (whether the call it the feeling of "me" or

"awareness" or anything else) are all practicing the same

sadhana.

 

The idea that there is more than one method of self-enquiry

is based on the misunderstanding that self-enquiry is

concerned with objects, for there is a multiplicity of objects,

and if self-enquiry were concerned with them, then indeed

there would be many versions of it.

 

If you want to criticize people who distort Sri Ramana's

teachings, I suggest you begin with the people who

think that self-enquiry means placing attention on some

kind of object such as a sound, a voice, breathing, a

sensation in the chest, and so forth. These sorts of

methods truly are distortions of self-enquiry as Ramana

Maharshi taught it.

 

I think Michael L. is exactly right when he reminds us

that the ego is terribly resistant to practicing in a way

that will bring it to an end.

 

The ego is the ongoing production of thoughts, images,

feelings, fantasies, understandings, conclusions, decisions,

apprehensions, etc. etc. etc.

 

It's natural, when we try to understand how to meditate,

to select some practice that is an activity of this kind.

In other words, we tend to select a practice that the ego

can participate in -- a practice that involves seeing something

or imagining something or conceiving something or

understanding something. In other words, a practice that

involves placing attention on an object.

 

But self-enquiry, by definition, first and foremost, means

we take our attention away from objects and place it on

the subject, i.e., on the feeling of "me." The ego cannot

participate in this activity for very long.

 

To Michael L.: keep up the good work. The hostility you

arouse is a sign that you are telling the truth.

 

Best wishes,

 

Rob

-

gabriele ebert

RamanaMaharshi ; atma_vichara

Sunday, July 25, 2004 3:37 AM

Re: [atma_vichara] Awareness watching awareness (AWA) as taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi

Dear Michael,

 

I had recently had a more close look at your AWA-page - and discovered that what you are offering

is a meditation-technique - but not!!! representating the fullness of Bhagavan's way.

It is simply one method of so many, and if people take this for Bhagavan's

teaching they are not so well advised.

It is better to read Bhagavan's books as they are offered and not distract

quotes fitting to a theme.

This may be misleading in the last as one tends to press the quotes in one line

which what one may feel like

Bhagavan's teaching should be - to comfort oneself and to fit into one's own concept.

God beware!

 

As the owner of atma-vichara-list and a moderator on RM-list I feel responsible

to say this warning ...

and to speak so openly. Let Bhagavan present His teaching as it is .... there is

no need of any structure-

making and interference! We can understand it as he told .... we can read his Talks etc. ...

AWA is a method made by Michael - may be in some points it is near to Bhagavan - but I only

can advise each one simply to read Bhagavan's teaching: "Who am I" - the Talks

..... and ... and .....

 

Kind regards

Gabriele

 

om namo bhagavate sri ramanaya

[Guest guest]

Dear Rob and Michael:

 

You are right in that this is one essence of

Bhagavan's teaching but your emphasis is misplaced and

your views reflect a rigidity that was not at all

characteristic of Sri Ramana himself.

 

First, to support your view there is practically

overwhelming evidence both from the literature and

Self-Realized sages.

 

When Paul Brunton asked Sri Ramana about when Sahaj

Samadhi should be practiced, the sage said and I

paraphrase...."right from the beginning....that which

is the practice of the Sadhaka is the state of the

Siddha." This is what he meant. Recognition of our

nature as pure awareness is the goal. Awareness

scanning Awareness, Awareness being Aware of Awareness

is the method and Awareness abiding in Itself is the

essence of the nonudal realization. Sri Ramana is

clear on that point.

 

However, Gabriel is completely correct in pointing out

that Bhagavan gave the essential teachings in a

variety of ways in his own words to suit the devotees

and these words or sentiments poured forth are imbued

with a certain energy if one is in tune with the Sage

of Arunachala.

 

Self-Realization is a matter of sincere effort and

whatever method one is using gradually clarifies into

Awareness. I recall Sri Bhagavan saying one time to an

obviously sincere devotee something like

..."Realization will be forced upon you in spite of

yourself..." Note the term, "Forced upon you, in spite

of yourself." It totally bypasses any loyalty to a

particular method. Bhagavan's own realization, you may

recall, was "forced" upon him.

 

It is the sincerity of effort which calls forth Grace

that leads to Realization. Bhagavan knew this

intimately as only a Self-Realized Sage can know. A

variety of works by Bhagavan, the ancient stories he

used from scriptures, or recorded conversations or

recollection of devotees may be (and are) useful.

 

What I sense in Michael (uarelove) is a certain

rigidity and adherence to a sanitized structure of

Bhagavan's teaching. This leads Michael to

periodically lecture the group about "ego preservation

strategies and so forth". Even a great truth which is

repeated often without sensitivity to others becomes a

nuisance.

 

Bhagavan used to say that the highest teaching he gave

us was in Silence. How one comes to this Silence and

Recognizes It as one's own essence as Awareness, as

Sat-Chit-Ananda is unique to all.

 

Did Sri Muruganar not write in one of his poems

that........the path a sage takes to Self-Realization

is like that of a bird that flies in the sky. It

leaves no trace of a path.

 

Love to all

Harsha

 

 

--- Rob Sacks <editor wrote:

> Dear Gabriele,

>

> I think Michael L.'s "awareness watching awareness"

> method is an accurate description of the essence of

> self-enquiry as taught by Ramana Maharshi.

>

> In my opinion, Michael L.'s webpages are one of the

> very few places on the Internet where a person can

> find an accurate presentation of Sri Ramana

> Maharshi's

> method.

>

> The two commentators who understood the method

> best, Sri Sadhu Om and Sri Muruganar, often

> described

> it in words that were different from the ones chosen

> by

> Ramana Maharshi. Sri Sadhu Om preferred to call it

> "self-attention" rather than "self-enquiry." The

> word

> "awareness" is often used in English translations of

> Sri

> Muruganar's poetry. The fact that they chose

> different

> words doesn't mean they were describing different

> methods.

> All three were describing the same method.

>

> The first question and answer in "Who Am I?", in the

> original

> form in which Ramana Maharshi dictated it, before

> Sivaprakasam Pillai added extra words of his own,

> was:

>

> "Question: Who Am I?"

>

> "Answer: Jnana is 'I' and the nature of jnana is

> sat-chit-ananda."

>

> Jnana is usually translated as "knowledge", but it

> can

> also mean "awareness". Chit is often translated as

> "awareness". So Michael's choice of terminology is

> not

> foreign to Ramana Maharshi.

>

> The most crucial point about the method of

> self-enquiry

> is that attention is placed not on objects, but on

> the

> subject. Subject means "I" or "self" or "that which

> feels like me."

>

> When we place our attention on the subject, it's a

> different kind of attention from the normal one

> which is

> concerned with objects, and immediately we start to

> go into a different kind of state. People sometimes

> call this "abiding" or "just being" or "being

> still." It's

> reasonable to call it "pure awareness." All these

> words

> point at the same thing. They describe a single

> thing

> and a single method, just as "fast" and "speedy" and

> "quick" are different words that describe the same

> thing.

>

> In my opinion, there is only one method of

> self-enquiry.

> There is only one subject, therefore people who try

> to

> attend to it (whether the call it the feeling of

> "me" or

> "awareness" or anything else) are all practicing the

> same

> sadhana.

>

> The idea that there is more than one method of

> self-enquiry

> is based on the misunderstanding that self-enquiry

> is

> concerned with objects, for there is a multiplicity

> of objects,

> and if self-enquiry were concerned with them, then

> indeed

> there would be many versions of it.

>

> If you want to criticize people who distort Sri

> Ramana's

> teachings, I suggest you begin with the people who

> think that self-enquiry means placing attention on

> some

> kind of object such as a sound, a voice, breathing,

> a

> sensation in the chest, and so forth. These sorts

> of

> methods truly are distortions of self-enquiry as

> Ramana

> Maharshi taught it.

>

> I think Michael L. is exactly right when he reminds

> us

> that the ego is terribly resistant to practicing in

> a way

> that will bring it to an end.

>

> The ego is the ongoing production of thoughts,

> images,

> feelings, fantasies, understandings, conclusions,

> decisions,

> apprehensions, etc. etc. etc.

>

> It's natural, when we try to understand how to

> meditate,

> to select some practice that is an activity of this

> kind.

> In other words, we tend to select a practice that

> the ego

> can participate in -- a practice that involves

> seeing something

> or imagining something or conceiving something or

> understanding something. In other words, a practice

> that

> involves placing attention on an object.

>

> But self-enquiry, by definition, first and foremost,

> means

> we take our attention away from objects and place it

> on

> the subject, i.e., on the feeling of "me." The ego

> cannot

> participate in this activity for very long.

>

> To Michael L.: keep up the good work. The

> hostility you

> arouse is a sign that you are telling the truth.

>

> Best wishes,

>

> Rob

>

>

> -

> gabriele ebert

> RamanaMaharshi ; atma_vichara

> Sunday, July 25, 2004 3:37 AM

> [RamanaMaharshi] Re: [atma_vichara]

> Awareness watching awareness (AWA) as taught by Sri

> Ramana Maharshi

>

>

> Dear Michael,

>

> I had recently had a more close look at your

> AWA-page - and discovered that what you are offering

>

> is a meditation-technique - but not!!!

> representating the fullness of Bhagavan's way.

> It is simply one method of so many, and if people

> take this for Bhagavan's teaching they are not so

> well advised.

> It is better to read Bhagavan's books as they are

> offered and not distract quotes fitting to a theme.

> This may be misleading in the last as one tends to

> press the quotes in one line which what one may feel

> like

> Bhagavan's teaching should be - to comfort oneself

> and to fit into one's own concept.

> God beware!

>

> As the owner of atma-vichara-list and a moderator

> on RM-list I feel responsible to say this warning

> ...

> and to speak so openly. Let Bhagavan present His

> teaching as it is .... there is no need of any

> structure-

> making and interference! We can understand it as

> he told .... we can read his Talks etc. ...

> AWA is a method made by Michael - may be in some

> points it is near to Bhagavan - but I only

> can advise each one simply to read Bhagavan's

> teaching: "Who am I" - the Talks .... and ... and

> .....

>

> Kind regards

> Gabriele

>

> om namo bhagavate sri ramanaya

>

>

 

 

 

 

 

=====

/join