THE PRACTICE OF SELF-ENQUIRY-PART VII

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THE PRACTICE OF SELF-ENQUIRY-THE RAMANA WAY

PART VII

 

Another uniqueness in the teaching of Bhagavan is that He revealed

the importance of paying attention. We can thus boldly say that the

correct technique of Self-enquiry as taught by Bhagavan is paying

full attention to the mere feeling "I". As soon as we try to attend

to the feeling "I", all sorts of thoughts arise and distract our

attention. However, it is interesting to observe that thoughts do

not rise of their own accord, they rise only because we think them.

Moreover, thoughts do not have any power of their own, they gain

power only by our attending to them. If we do not attend to the

thoughts that rise, they will subside of their own accord. Bhagavan

says: "If you deny the ego and scorch it by ignoring it, you would

become free. If you accept the ego, it will impose limitations on

you and throw you into a vain struggle to transcend them". We have,

thus, to set aside thought- attention and regain Self-attention.

This method of attention is clearly taught by Sri Bhagavan in the

small book: WHO AM I? Where He says: "If other thoughts rise, one

should, without attempting to complete them, enquire "To whom did

they rise?". What does it matter however many thoughts rise? At the

very moment, that each thought rises, if one vigilantly

enquires "Who am I?", the mind (our power of attention) will turn

back (from the thought) to its source, Self; (then, since no one is

there to attend to it) the thought which had risen will also

subside. By repeatedly practicing thus, the power of the mind to

abide in its source increases". This is a great clue for practicing

sadhaks (spiritual aspirants): so long as our attention clings to

this feeling "I", we cannot know or attend to anything else. The

sole purpose of the quest is to divert our attention back towards

this "I". Therefore, Self can be known only by means of Self-enquiry

and Self-enquiry is not an activity of the mind but the state of

stillness of mind. As Sri Bhagavan says in verse 26 of "Upadesa

SaramBeing the Self is itself knowing the Self, because Self is

not two. This is Self-abidance".

 

In verse 27 of "Ulladu Narpadu", Bhagavan declares that unless we

attend to Self we cannot attain the state of egolessness in

which "I" does not rise, and unless we attain that egolessness we

cannot abide in our true state of oneness with Reality. Why should

this be so? Why should not other sadhanas (spiritual disciplines)

also enable us to realize the Self? The reason is lucidly explained

by Bhagavan in "Maharshi's Gospel" (Book-I, Ch.1): "Self-enquiry

alone is the direct means to realize the Self, because every other

kind of sadhana presupposes the retention of the mind as the

instrument for carrying on the sadhana, and without the mind it

cannot be practiced. Therefore, the attempt to destroy the ego or

mind by sadhanas other than Self-enquiry is just like a thief posing

as a policeman and pretending to try to catch the thief. Self-

enquiry alone can reveal the truth that neither the ego nor the mind

really exists, and thus it alone can enable one to realize the

Self". Bhagavan has also employed another analogy. He used to

explain that trying to kill the mind by other sadhanas is like

trying to bury one's shadow. If the mind were real, it could perhaps

kill itself. But, the truth is that the mind is non-existent and

hence it can no more kill itself than a man can bury his own shadow!

 

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