THE RAMANA WAY

[Guest guest]

THE RAMANA WAY

 

Sri Ramana has not taught a "new Truth" (for Truth is neither new

nor old, it always is), but has forged a new way of approaching the

Truth…The newness of the Ramana Way lies in its relevance to our

current manner of living and approach to things, its aptness to the

needs and responsiveness of our time. Bhagavan Ramana's teachings

are eminently relevant to the crucial business of living in the

current context.

 

The special emphasis of Sri Ramana is on natural happiness. He never

tires of pointing out that happiness is our own nature, which is why

we seek it so persistently, at all times, consciously or

unconsciously. What prevents our being aware of this flood of

happiness, this surging joy, is simply the fact that we are out of

tune with it. Having forgotten our true nature, we identify

ourselves with a limited entity, a name and form which alone we take

to be our self. The magic revival of Self-awareness will occur when

we are rid of the false notion, the illusion that we are limited.

 

…Sri Ramana's unique path of self-enquiry…leads us directly to Self-

awareness. We are directed to examine the nature of the mind and

upon doing so we find that it has two aspects. One consists of the

crowd of thoughts that are ever changing, ever moving. There is the

other, the continuous element in the mind which is the "I" -

thought. Every other thought depends for its existence on the

attention of the "I", every thought exists only in association with

the "I". The "I" – thought also appears to be equally dependent on

other thoughts, for throughout our waking and dream experiences the

continuous rush of thoughts plagues us. However, the very fact that

thoughts are changing but the "I" – thought is continuous implies

that it exists when one thought goes and another comes, that is, it

exists even in the gap between thoughts. Hence, it is really

independent of thoughts and only due to force of habit clings to

them. Sri Ramana says that if we cut at the root of this habit

through self-enquiry then the "I" thought will be isolated. If we

question the very validity of the "I" – thought with the query "Who

am I?", it will have no locus-standi to associate itself with other

thoughts. What happens then? As the "I" – thought cannot take

pointed scrutiny it will shrink back into its source, the Self. One

may wonder how we can say that the "I" rises from the Self, that the

Self is the source. This is evident to us through the daily

experience of deep sleep when the "I" – thought is absent, when

there is no consciousness of identity, but existence is untrammeled.

That is why we are able to recall the peace of sleep on waking. It

is also on waking that we become conscious once more of the name and

form. The identity, the "I" – thought rises again. Thus we infer

that the "I" thought merges into the Self in deep sleep and rises on

waking. To experience this merger consciously is the purpose of self-

enquiry.

 

What happens when, through self-enquiry, the "I" is merged in the

source, the Self? Does it imply a cessation of thinking, (or) will

it result in a void? Far from it. Sri Ramana describes it as an

inundation of bliss. One is "swallowed alive" as it were, he says,

but then one becomes or is the very bliss that swallows one. It is

like the river merging in the sea and dancing as the sea. It is

surging joy. Thus one comes full circle from the seeking of

happiness to experiencing it.

 

The other factor, which Sri Ramana highlights, is the immediacy of

the experience. Since happiness is natural, and since it is the

kingdom of heaven that lies within, it must be here and now. It is

not something to be created, or reached after death or even attained

in the normal sense of the word. It is ever present. All effort is

merely to rid ourselves of the notion that we are apart from this

bliss, that we are limited and mortal. The significance of self-

enquiry lies in turning attention Self-ward, in breaking the

habitual dependence on thought and identity. However, along with the

enquiry, while seeking one must remember not to distance Self-

knowledge and out it away as a goal to be reached in some distant

future. One must seek always with the faith it is ever available.

Finally, then, even the process of seeking would cease, and

attention alone would remain. The Self would reveal itself. All

things would be bathed in a glorious freshness, and all would dance

with surging joy.

 

NOTE: TAKEM FROM THE INTRODUCTION TO "SURGING JOY" (SELF DISCOVERY),

BY DR SARADA NATARAJAN, 1995 EDITION, PAGES I TO III.

[Guest guest]

Dear Saikali,

 

Thanks for the posting. I had the priviledge of hearing a discourse

from Dr. Sarada Natarajan at the Ramana Marharshi shrine in Bangalore

in January, on our way to Ramanasramam.

 

She and her father, A. R. Natarajan have done good work to create and

sustain The Ramana Marharshi Centre for Learning and the Ramana

Maharshi Shrine in Bangalore.

 

In addition, they have been very busy publishing books centered on

Ramana's teaching.

 

I think they hold satsang weekly in Ramana Marharshi shrine in

Bangalore. I would invite anyone who is able to attend. And to visit

this shrine.

 

Not two,

Richard

 

RamanaMaharshi, "saikali6362"

<saikali6362> wrote:

>

>

> THE RAMANA WAY

>

> Sri Ramana has not taught a "new Truth" (for Truth is neither new

> nor old, it always is), but has forged a new way of approaching the

> Truth…The newness of the Ramana Way lies in its relevance to our

> current manner of living and approach to things, its aptness to the

> needs and responsiveness of our time. Bhagavan Ramana's teachings

> are eminently relevant to the crucial business of living in the

> current context.

>

> The special emphasis of Sri Ramana is on natural happiness. He

never

> tires of pointing out that happiness is our own nature, which is

why

> we seek it so persistently, at all times, consciously or

> unconsciously. What prevents our being aware of this flood of

> happiness, this surging joy, is simply the fact that we are out of

> tune with it. Having forgotten our true nature, we identify

> ourselves with a limited entity, a name and form which alone we

take

> to be our self. The magic revival of Self-awareness will occur when

> we are rid of the false notion, the illusion that we are limited.

>

> …Sri Ramana's unique path of self-enquiry…leads us directly to Self-

> awareness. We are directed to examine the nature of the mind and

> upon doing so we find that it has two aspects. One consists of the

> crowd of thoughts that are ever changing, ever moving. There is the

> other, the continuous element in the mind which is the "I" -

> thought. Every other thought depends for its existence on the

> attention of the "I", every thought exists only in association with

> the "I". The "I" – thought also appears to be equally dependent on

> other thoughts, for throughout our waking and dream experiences the

> continuous rush of thoughts plagues us. However, the very fact that

> thoughts are changing but the "I" – thought is continuous implies

> that it exists when one thought goes and another comes, that is, it

> exists even in the gap between thoughts. Hence, it is really

> independent of thoughts and only due to force of habit clings to

> them. Sri Ramana says that if we cut at the root of this habit

> through self-enquiry then the "I" thought will be isolated. If we

> question the very validity of the "I" – thought with the query "Who

> am I?", it will have no locus-standi to associate itself with other

> thoughts. What happens then? As the "I" – thought cannot take

> pointed scrutiny it will shrink back into its source, the Self. One

> may wonder how we can say that the "I" rises from the Self, that

the

> Self is the source. This is evident to us through the daily

> experience of deep sleep when the "I" – thought is absent, when

> there is no consciousness of identity, but existence is

untrammeled.

> That is why we are able to recall the peace of sleep on waking. It

> is also on waking that we become conscious once more of the name

and

> form. The identity, the "I" – thought rises again. Thus we infer

> that the "I" thought merges into the Self in deep sleep and rises

on

> waking. To experience this merger consciously is the purpose of

self-

> enquiry.

>

> What happens when, through self-enquiry, the "I" is merged in the

> source, the Self? Does it imply a cessation of thinking, (or) will

> it result in a void? Far from it. Sri Ramana describes it as an

> inundation of bliss. One is "swallowed alive" as it were, he says,

> but then one becomes or is the very bliss that swallows one. It is

> like the river merging in the sea and dancing as the sea. It is

> surging joy. Thus one comes full circle from the seeking of

> happiness to experiencing it.

>

> The other factor, which Sri Ramana highlights, is the immediacy of

> the experience. Since happiness is natural, and since it is the

> kingdom of heaven that lies within, it must be here and now. It is

> not something to be created, or reached after death or even

attained

> in the normal sense of the word. It is ever present. All effort is

> merely to rid ourselves of the notion that we are apart from this

> bliss, that we are limited and mortal. The significance of self-

> enquiry lies in turning attention Self-ward, in breaking the

> habitual dependence on thought and identity. However, along with

the

> enquiry, while seeking one must remember not to distance Self-

> knowledge and out it away as a goal to be reached in some distant

> future. One must seek always with the faith it is ever available.

> Finally, then, even the process of seeking would cease, and

> attention alone would remain. The Self would reveal itself. All

> things would be bathed in a glorious freshness, and all would dance

> with surging joy.

>

> NOTE: TAKEM FROM THE INTRODUCTION TO "SURGING JOY" (SELF

DISCOVERY),

> BY DR SARADA NATARAJAN, 1995 EDITION, PAGES I TO III.