THE PRACTICE OF SELF-ENQUIRY-PART IV

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THE PRACTICE OF SELF-ENQUIRY-THE RAMANA WAY

PART IV

 

3-THE UNIQUENESS OF THE RAMANA WAY

 

The term Self-enquiry or Atma Vichara is found in many of the

ancient scriptures of India. In his great work "Vivekachudamani" Sri

Adi Sankara says that Liberation cannot be attained by any amount of

action but only by Self-enquiry.

 

In "Jnana Vasishta" Sage Vasishta proclaims: "Shining in every body

as "I"-"I" is nothing but the Self on which one has to meditate…With

the stick of enquiry strike the fierce-looking mind and snakelike

senses and make them abide in the Heart".

 

"Kaivala Navaneeta" declares: "Enquiry alone can lead to the

knowledge revealed in the Vedas. Knowledge of Self cannot be gained

by study".

 

"Srimad Bhagavad Gita" portends: "Fix the mind firmly in the Self".

 

So, when it is asked "When Self-enquiry is already mentioned in the

scriptures, what new revelation has been made by Bhagavan?" the

answer is easy and ready for those who have eyes to see and ears to

hear.

 

Though Self-enquiry is mentioned in the scriptures, the actual

method of practicing it is not clearly given. The scriptures give

clues, it is true, such as: "You are not the body, prana (vital air;

life force; breath), mind, etc.; you are Brahman", but these clues

do not emphasize how to put it into practice. Such meditation brings

in another activity of the mind – any act by the mind fetters

oneself. We start with meditation but soon find ourselves again back

at the place where we started! Perhaps, noticing this constant

riddle continuing in spite of existing scriptural statements, the

Supreme Reality which gave those Scriptures, out of profound

compassion for the human race, has come again in the comely form of

Bhagavan Ramana, in order to give easier clues to find the Truth

that can be easily understood, practiced and realized by even a

common man.

 

The uniqueness of Bhagavan's teaching is that it is not within the

framework of the mind. In fact, Bhagavan is the great Master who has

exclusively dealt with the realm, scope and ultimate futility of

trying to rid of the shackles of the mind through mental methods.

When questioned it will merge in its source and new dimension of

functioning will come about.

 

In the first benedictory verse of "Ulladu Narpadu", Sri Bhagavan

points out the futility of meditation (in the sense in which the

term is generally understood) by askingSince the Reality exists

in the Heart beyond thought, who can and how to meditate upon the

reality, which is called the Heart?" That is to say, if meditation

is understood in its usual sense, namely a process of thinking, no

amount of meditation can enable one to know or realize the Reality,

which is beyond thought. For, How can any amount of thought enable

one to realize that which is beyond the range of thought? How then

is the reality to be realized? The answer is given by Bhagavan

Himself in the remaining portion of the same verse: "To abide in the

Heart as it IS, is truly meditating upon it". In other words, Since

the Reality is beyond thought, to abide without thought as that

Reality is the only way to meditate upon it and to realize it as it

IS, But how to abide thus without thought?

 

NOTE: TAKEN FROM: "BE THE SELF", BY V. GANESAN", PAGES 5 TO 17.