You should plunge into Self-Enquiry

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" Having come to Bhagavan and knowing His teaching you should plunge into

Self-Enquiry " ........ Sri.Muruganar.

 

The standard introduction to Bhagavan's practical advice is the essay composed

by Him in the mid 1920s , is the work that originated with answers written in

the sand in 1901 in reply to the questions asked by a devotee by the name

Sivaprakasam Pillai.

 

I would like to share this essay by posting a portion of the essay on each day

so that we can properly understand the contents and can clear our doubts from

the senior members of this list. As John mentioned in one of the informal

discussions ....... ' It is always best to revert to a SMALL amount of

material. The ego want to expand its studies ( thereby weakneing the Quest ) '.

So I decided to post this essay little by little on a daily basis.

 

I first came to know about this essay thro' an article written on this subject

by Mr.Davidgodman.( pls refer his webpage ).

 

................................. Who am I ? ...............................

Sri. Ramana Maharshi.

 

Every living being longs to be perpetually happy, without any misery.

Since in everyone the highest love is alone felt for oneself, and since

happiness alone is the cause of love, in order to attain that happiness, which

is one's real nature and which is experianced daily in the mindless state of

deep sleep, it is necessary to know oneself. To achieve that, enquiry in the

form ' Who am I ?' is the fremost means.

 

Question: Who am I ?

 

' Who am I ?' The physical body, composed of the seven dhatus, is not ' I

'. The five sense organs ... and the five types of perception known through the

senses... are not ' I '. The five parts of the body which act... and their

functions... are not ' I '. The five vital airs such as 'prana' , which perform

the five vital functions such as respiration, are not ' I '. Even the mind that

thinks is not ' I '. In the state of deep sleep 'vishaya vasanas' remain.

Devoid of sensory knowledge and activity, even this [ state ] is not ' I '.

After negating all of the above as ' not I, not I ' , the knowledge that alone

remains is itself ' I '. The nature of knowledge is 'sat-chit-ananda' [

being-consciousness-bliss ].

 

................... to be continued.

 

Notes : Mr.Davidgodman provided following meanings to the technical terms used in the essay.

' Vasanas ' is a key word in 'Who am I?' It can be defined as , ' the

impressions of anything remaining unconsciously in the mind; the present

consciousness of past perceptions; knowledge derived from memory; latent

endencies formd by former actions, thoughts and speech.' It is usually rendered

in English as 'latent tendencies'.

' Vishaya vasanas ' are those latent mental tendancies that impel one to indulge

in knowledge or perceptions derived from the five senses. In a broader context

it may also include indulging in any mental activity such as daydreaming or

fantasizing, where the content of the thoughts is derived from past habits or

desires.

The sevn 'dhatus' are chyle, blood, flesh, fat, marrow, bone and semen.

The five sense organs are the ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose.

The five types of perception or knowledge, called 'vishayas',are sound, touch,

sight, taste and smell.

The five parts of the body that act are the mouth, the legs, the hands, the

anus, and the genitals and their functions are speaking, walking, giving,

excreting and enjoying.

The five vital airs ( prana vayus ) are responsible for maintaining the health

of the body. They convert inhaled air and ingested food into the energy

required for the healthy and harmonious functioning of the body.

 

Thanks

Ever Yours in Sri Bhagavan

Dora

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