Teachings Of Bhagavan

[Guest guest]

Thanks for bringing to our attention the Bhagawan's phrase "Attend to what you come here for"

The very purpose of our joining the HS & RM groups is to properly understand the

teachings of Bhagawan Ramana and to practice what He has preached and not mearly

use the teachings for intellectual discussions.

I take pleasure in quoting His teachings (taken out from

http://arunachala.org/Ramana/teachings.html) so that we don't loose track of

His teachings.

 

HAPPINESS All beings desire happiness always, happiness without a tinge of

sorrow. At the same time everybody loves himself best. The cause for love is

only happiness. So, that happiness must lie in one. Further that happiness is

daily experienced by everyone in sleep, when there is no mind. To attain that

natural happiness one must know oneself. For that, Self-Enquiry, 'Who am I?' is

the chief means. CONSCIOUSNESS Existence or Consciousness is the only reality.

Consciousness plus waking we call waking. Consciousness plus sleep we call

sleep. Consciousness plus dream, we call dream. Consciousness is the screen on

which all the pictures come and go. The screen is real, the pictures are mere

shadows on it.

MIND Mind is a wonderful force inherent in the Self. That which arises in this

body as 'I' is the mind. When the subtle mind emerges through the brain and the

senses, the gross names and forms are cognized. When it remains in the Heart

names and forms disappear.... If the mind remains in the Heart, the 'I' or the

ego which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self, the Real,

Eternal 'I' alone will shine. Where there is not the slightest trace of the

ego, there is the Self.

"WHO AM I?" - ENQUIRY For all thoughts the source is the 'I' thought. The mind

will merge only by Self-enquiry 'Who am I?' The thought 'Who am l?' will

destroy all other thoughts and finally kill itself also. If other thoughts

arise, without trying to complete them, one must enquire to whom did this

thought arise. What does it matter how many thoughts arise? As each thought

arises one must be watchful and ask to whom is this thought occurring. The

answer will be 'to me'. If you enquire 'Who am I?' the mind will return to its

source (or where it issued from). The thought which arose will also submerge.

As you practise like this more and more, the power of the mind to remain as its

source is increased.

SURRENDER There are two ways of achieving surrender. One is looking into the

source of the 'I' and merging into that source. The other is feeling 'I am

helpless myself God alone is all powerful and except throwing myself completely

on Him, there is no other means of safety for me', and thus gradually developing

the conviction that God alone exists and the ego does not count. Both methods

lead to the same goal. Complete surrender is another name for jnana or

liberation. THE THREE STATES: WAKING,DREAM AND SLEEP There is no difference

between the dream and the waking state except that the dream is short and the

waking long. Both are the result of the mind. Our real state is beyond the

waking, dream and sleep states, called turiya. GRACE AND GURU I have not said

that a Guru is not necessary. But a Guru need not always be in human form.

First a person thinks that he is an inferior and that there is a superior,

all-knowing, all powerful God who controls his own and the world's destiny and

worships him or does Bhakti. When he reaches a certain stage and becomes fit

for enlightenment, the same God whom he was worshipping comes as Guru and leads

him on. That Guru comes only to tell him 'That God is within yourself. Dive

within and realize'. God, Guru and the Self are the same. SELF-REALIZATION The

state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or

becoming anything. If one has realized, he is that which alone is, and which

alone has always been. He cannot describe that state. He can only be That. Of

course we loosely talk of self-realization for want of a better term. That

which 'Is' is peace. All that we need do is to keep quiet. Peace is our real

nature. We spoil it. What is required is that we cease to spoil it.

HEART In the centre of the cavity of the Heart the sole Brahman shines by

itself as the atman (Self) in the feeling of 'I'-'I'. Reach the Heart by diving

within yourself, either with control of breath, or with thought concentrated on

the quest of Self. You will thus get fixed in the Self. RENUNCIATION Asked

'How does a grihastha (householder) fare in the scheme of Moksha (liberation)?'

Bhagavan said, 'Why do you think you are a grihastha? If you go out as sanyasi

(ascetic), a similar thought that you are a sanyasi will haunt you. Whether you

continue in the household or renounce it and go to the forest, your mind goes

with you. The ego is the source of all thought. It creates the body and the

world and makes you think you are a grihastha . If you renounce the world it

will only substitute the thought sanyasi for grihastha and the environments in

the forest for those of the household. But the mental obstacles will still be

there. They even increase in the new surroundings. There is no help in change

of environment. The obstacle is the mind. It must be got over whether at home

or in the forest. If you can do it in the forest, why not at home? Therefore,

why

change your environment? Your efforts can be made even now - in whatever

environment you are now. The environment will never change according to your

desire'.

FATE AND FREEWILL Freewill and destiny are ever existent. Destiny is the result

of past action; it concerns the body. Let the body act as may suit it. Why are

you concerned about it? Why do you pay attention to it. Freewill and destiny

last as long as the body lasts. But jnana transcends both. The Self is beyond

knowledge and ignorance. Whatever happens, happens as the result of one's past

actions, of divine will and of other factors. There are only two ways to

conquer destiny or be independent of it. One is to enquire for whom is this

destiny and discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the Self and

that the ego is non-existent. The other way is to kill the ego by completely

surrendering to the Lord, by realizing one's helplessness and saying all the

time, 'Not I, but Thou oh Lord' and giving up all sense of 'I' and mine, and

leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you. Complete effacement of the

ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through

self-enquiry or bhakti marga (Path).

JNANI A jnani has attained Liberation even while alive, here and now. It is

immaterial to him as to how, where and when he leaves the body. Some jnanis may

appear to suffer, others may be in samadhi; still others may disappear from

sight before death. But that makes no difference to their jnana. Such suffering

is apparent, seems real to the onlooker, but not felt by the jnani, for he has

already transcended the mistaken identity of the Self with the body. The jnani

does not think he is the body. He does not even see the body. He sees only the

Self in the body. If the body is not there, but only the Self, the question of

its disappearing in any form does not arise.

PRACTICE, DEDICATION AND DEVOTION In the light of the life and teachings of Sri

Ramana Maharshi, the devotees of Arunachala Ashrama believe that spiritual

practice (sadhana) is essential. Peace, joy and immortality are available to

those aspirants who dedicate themselves to the practice of meditation and

Self-enquiry, devotion and dedication. The Grace of the Guru is always present,

but this Grace is only fully experienced by those few sincere sadhakas

(spiritual aspirants) who devote their lives to the practice of the teachings.

We believe that Sri Ramana Maharshi did not live for his time alone. His

presence and guidance can be experienced now just as when he was physically

present. Those who turn to him with sincere aspiration and longing, those who

try their best to apply his teachings, will feel his Grace and guidance. There

is no doubt about this. In Arunachala Ashrama, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

remains the teacher and Guru. Lectures and discussions may have a place in an

aspirant's life, but Arunachala Ashrama is maintained in a manner that allows

visitors and residents to obsorb the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi through

silence. His teachings are always being disseminated in Silence, and to hear

them we must silence our mind. Lectures and discussions can obscurate his

silent teachings to the Heart. "Silence is the ocean in which all the rivers of

all the religions discharge themselves." -Thayumanavar

THE GURU Sri Maharshi did say that a Guru was necessary. He also said that the

Guru may not be external, as in his case. Again, upon his physical demise he

said that he was not leaving, as he was never identified with the body;

meaning, he is present even now. The truth is that no one can give us

liberation. The way can be pointed out, directions can be given. Our intense

earnestness and total dedication to the goal is the most essential factor. If

we become obsessed with this one thing - realizing Truth-Truth, a physical Guru

(if necessary) and all else will be drawn to us automatically. The Guru will

come to us when we are ready. We simply need to attend to making ourselves

ready and the rest is automatic. For those with faith in the Maharshi's living

presence there are no doubts in this matter. "

With Love & Om

Dora

 

 

 

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