Guest guest Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 --- rjaymidi <rjaymidi wrote: Dear Ravi, I have been following all of the good words here spoken about vichara and the direct path. I have also read many good views about faith and the role of study and faith in realization--many people believe many different things about this who also practice the vichara. We devotees practice vichara in different ways--there is no "One Way"--not even with vichara practice! Each must find out the right way for him/herself. Bhagavan points us in the right direction of Self; over and over again He does this for us, with His words, with His look, with His Grace in our lives. Learning vichara practice is like learning to ride a bicycle; each of us has to find the right balance. Each of us has a certain way to ride the bicycle, the only way that will work for us. Each of us has to try hard to find that balance. The right balance is the crucial thing! Then something wonderful happens: we seem to ride the bicycle effortlessly. Others look at us and they admire our flawless balance. We no longer feel awkward; we are sure of ourselves, and we even propound what it is to ride a bicycle to others! Sri Ramana says over and over again that both effort and effortlessness are needed. I think it is all right to make effort, knowing that effortlessness is the Truth, both way and realized goal. I think it is all right to have faith in Bhagavan and faith in His words and teachings. I think having "faith" in Bhagavan and faith in the Truth of His Being is important. I think we find out that as we struggle with the learning of how to do the vichara and abide as that witness consciousness, that Bhagavan is running along beside our bicycle, guiding us, steadying us, preventing us from falling on either one side or the other--from falling into either ego despair or ego grandiosity! Both of these are real dangers of the direct path. May your faith in Bhagavan grow more and more each day! May you know His direct guidance, love, and presence with you in your stugggle. Thank you for sharing Sri Ramana's pathless path of direct experience with us all here. I can see that you have many good friends on this listserve--Bhagavan's grace to all is to provide such good company on the way to Self-Realization. Yes, it is a pathless path, a wayless way--but it is not easy in the beginning, in the middle, nor even at the endless end. Good strength to you! In love and in peace, Sister Judith, (rainbowbird) tsisquaunvgoladv Eastern Cherokee Thank you for the kind and wise words, Christiane. > > This sangha is definitely a blessing no doubt. > Thanks everyone. > > Ravi > > > RamanaMaharshi, christiane > cameron > <christianecameron@m...> wrote: > > Dear Ravi, > > > > I don't think that contemplating Maharshi's > teaching will > strengthen > > your ego. Of course, your wish is to remain as > awareness beyond > > thoughts, but when that is not yet possible the > contemplation of > > Maharshi's teaching and his life is all right. And > posting in this > > virtual Sangha can also be of help. This Sangha is > in fact a > blessing. > > It is the thinking of mundane thoughts, to get > carried away in > thought > > chains on, say the life of a TV star that should > be avoided. > Thoughts > > along those lines further grasping and > attachments. Just try and > stay > > aware as much as possible. Follow Maharshi's > teaching on Atma > Vichara. > > Make the vichara constant, an ongoing process, not > just for a > couple of > > hours or the proverbial 20 minutes of meditation > time. Vichara must > go > > on all the time. You can not look towards the > Self, you are the > Self. > > And you are right, don't worry about a thing, with > vichara the ego > will > > surely be destroyed. > > > > Om Arunachala Shiva > > Christiane > > > > > > > > > > > > On Jan 12, 2005, at 09:28, rjaymidi wrote: > > > > > > > > Miles > > > > > > > Experience of the Self is constant. What 'I' > believes is of no > > > consequence. > > > > It is ego which comes and goes, believing > this one day, that > the > > > next. > > > > Removing the ego is the only effective > practice. > > > > > > When I wrote the response yesterday, I had > shared lots of > anxieties. > > > Your mail has very good answers to all of them. > > > > > > On the other had, Christine also sent a quote > from Ramana that > > > says 'Jnana takes time to establish itself'. It > was along the > lines > > > of my original posting. > > > > > > As I was trying to absorb all these and sort > them out, it struck > me > > > that 'answering the ego's questions is like > trying to > > > satisfy a dream hunger' or 'trying to correct > the mistakes in a > > > dream'. > > > > > > This very effort of asking questions and > > > finding answers, this collection of thoughts, > this seeing of > Miles > > > and Harsha and Ravi and Christine and having an > exciting dialog > of > > > agreements and disagreements is prolonging of > the ego. Anything > I do, > > > will only prolong the ego and not remove it, > except looking > towards > > > the Self. > > > > > > I realized that I should look towards the > Self/ignore the > > > ego not even care about whether it goes away or > not. > > > > > > Thanks for that insight! > > > > > > Silence for now. > > > > > > > > > RamanaMaharshi, > "rjaymidi" <rjaymidi> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Thank you for the great pointers, Miles! > > > > > > > > > 'Sadhana is necessary only if there is > a thing other > > > > > than 'I', Self. Sadhana is required > only for one > > > > > who does not look towards the Self > which is permanent'. > > > > > > > > popped at me. > > > > > > > > I remembered Harsha quoting Bhagavan once > that Looking towards > > > > the Self (Vichara) is both the Sadhana (the > Effort) and the > Goal! > > > > What is practice for a novice is also the End > state for the > > > Realized. > > > > What a beauty! No other method can fit this > definition and so > it is > > > > all indirect! > > > > > > > > Thanks Harsha. > > > > > > > > Harsha, of course, there is One thing that is > sweeter than > hearing > > > to > > > > Ramana's words and seeing 'new people' shown > the right path > > > by 'true > > > > devotees'. > > > > > > > > Looking towards the Self. > > > > > > > > Ravi > > > > > > > > RamanaMaharshi, > "Harsha" > wrote: > > > > > Thank you dear Miles! For the people new to > Bhagavan's > teachings, > > > > there is > > > > > nothing better than reading the words of a > true devotee who > knows > > > > Bhagavan > > > > > and his teachings intimately. And for a > devotee of Bhagavan, > > > there > > > > is > > > > > nothing sweeter than hearing another > devotee speak of > Bhagavan > > > and > > > > his > > > > > teachings. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Lots of love > > > > > > > > > > Harsha > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _____ > > > > > > > > > > Miles [miles.wright@b...] > > > > > Tuesday, January 11, 2005 10:08 AM > > > > > RamanaMaharshi > > > > > Re: [RamanaMaharshi] Time and > Space and Egoless > === message truncated === Mail - now with 250MB free storage. Learn more. http://info.mail./mail_250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Thank you Sister. Ravi RamanaMaharshi, Sister Judith Thackray-OSAh <thckry_jdth> wrote: > > > > --- rjaymidi <rjaymidi> wrote: > > Dear Ravi, > I have been following all of the good words here > spoken about vichara and the direct path. I have also > read many good views about faith and the role of study > and faith in realization--many people believe many > different things about this who also practice the > vichara. We devotees practice vichara in different > ways--there is no "One Way"--not even with vichara > practice! Each must find out the right way for > him/herself. > Bhagavan points us in the right direction of Self; > over and over again He does this for us, with His > words, with His look, with His Grace in our lives. > > Learning vichara practice is like learning to ride a > bicycle; each of us has to find the right balance. > Each of us has a certain way to ride the bicycle, the > only way that will work for us. Each of us has to try > hard to find that balance. The right balance is the > crucial thing! > > Then something wonderful happens: we seem to ride the > bicycle effortlessly. Others look at us and they > admire our flawless balance. We no longer feel > awkward; we are sure of ourselves, and we even > propound what it is to ride a bicycle to others! > > Sri Ramana says over and over again that both effort > and effortlessness are needed. > I think it is all right to make effort, knowing that > effortlessness is the Truth, both way and realized > goal. I think it is all right to have faith in > Bhagavan and faith in His words and teachings. I think > having "faith" in Bhagavan and faith in the Truth of > His Being is important. > > I think we find out that as we struggle with the > learning of how to do the vichara and abide as that > witness consciousness, that Bhagavan is running along > beside our bicycle, guiding us, steadying us, > preventing us from falling on either one side or the > other--from falling into either ego despair or ego > grandiosity! Both of these are real dangers of the > direct path. > > May your faith in Bhagavan grow more and more each > day! May you know His direct guidance, love, and > presence with you in your stugggle. Thank you for > sharing Sri Ramana's pathless path of direct > experience with us all here. > > I can see that you have many good friends on this > listserve--Bhagavan's grace to all is to provide such > good company on the way to Self-Realization. Yes, it > is a pathless path, a wayless way--but it is not easy > in the beginning, in the middle, nor even at the > endless end. > > Good strength to you! > > In love and in peace, > Sister Judith, > (rainbowbird) > tsisquaunvgoladv > > Eastern Cherokee > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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