RE: Chris' email

[Guest guest]

font-family:Verdana;color:blue">Dear Chris

font-family:Verdana;color:blue">I am touched deeply by your email this moment,

and this question arises in me –how much are you still involved in

worldly activities and responsibilities? Totally/as before you began atma

vichara? Or have you made changes in your life along with these inner changes? What

has your ‘intensive sadhana’ involved exactly?

font-family:Verdana;color:blue">I have been with this ‘journey’ for

years and feel very blessed. I still wrestle sometimes with feelings that come

up about how much I should be working, how much I have a right to withdraw, the

time I spend with my partner. I have distaste for the ever changing mundane

world - though that is feelings arising too - and also in another way I love

life and I love this life this body lives, especially when my mind is still, no

doing! And I know the truth is I am not this body. Yet I live in the west. I,

this being I am, loves my work and my partner, and there is also this ‘I

couldn't get enough of it’ you mention and my whole life feels like a letting

go of who I think I am, moment to moment, yet…. …it is somehow a

desire to compare with others experiences, to know how far along – or not

– I am. And who wants to know…? Who loves…? I would appreciate

hearing from you.

font-family:Verdana;color:blue">Thanks

font-family:Verdana;color:blue">In Him

font-family:Verdana;color:blue">Joy

 

RamanaMaharshi [RamanaMaharshi] On Behalf

Of christiane cameron

29 April 2005 02:07

RamanaMaharshi

Re: [RamanaMaharshi] Re:

self realization of Fuzzie

12.0pt">

Dear Rob,

as I am up and awake and reading your mail, I feel compelled to answer you from

my own experience with intensive sadhana (I practice atma vichara as taught by

Ramana Maharshi). It was spiritual yearning, distaste for the mundane world and

a desire for liberation that led me to Maharshi to begin with. Second followed

the understanding that here was my Guru, the perfect teaching that I instantly

grasped as Truth. And last what has compelled me to go for intensive sadhana,

what you termed as "unnatural" is that the effect was so stunning,

that I couldn't get enough of it. My inner life improved in a radical way.

Vichara helps to get rid of cravings, it calms you, it helps you to

concentrate, it makes you feel peaceful, sometimes blissful, it gets rid of

disturbing thoughts, it makes you sensitive and insightful, it makes you rest

content in your being, it cuts through fears and hang ups, it frees you from

the tyranny of the mind, from the roundabout of thoughts, it connects you to

your inner Guide, it cuts through many veils of illusion about yourself and the

world, it makes you desireless. In short it helps in all aspects of life. And

wonderfully there comes a day when it doesn't take any more effort. It comes

easy. It is the state of Being. It is the natural state as Bhagawan said.

You see I am a hopeless case. Lost and gone. In Love with HIM

May he also set you on fire

Om Arunachala Shiva

Chris

On Apr 29, 2005, at 02:05, Richard Clarke wrote:

Hi Rob,

I have to

say that I do sense some of the frustration that you seem

to feel. I

guess part of Sankara's idea is that if the desire is

strong

enough, the seeker will somehow find a way. This seems to be

the case for

Fuzzie.

Certainly

with Ramana's teaching, we have been presented with a

wonderful

approach.

I guess that

this frustration is why, amoung Sankara's "six

essentials"

of the "Requisites for Realiztion" were faith and

fortitude

(or perseverance).

I have

faith, due to the many sages I see lining up for thoushands of

years,

telling us what seems like the same Truth. I have faith from

what I read

of Ramana. I have faith from what I hear from Nome.

Now it may

be that your practice is worth examining. Nome has said

that this is

worthwhile from time to time. Review the practice,

discard what

is not working (not bringing you closer to the Peace of

Being that

you are), and focus on what is bring you this Peace and a

greater

sense of Freedom (etc.).

I suspect

that a part of your issue my be that you are not with a

jnani who

you can keep asking about practice. This has been the

greatest

boon that I can possibly imagine for me. Otherwise I would

still be

breath watching and practicing mindfulness.

You have

seen a bit of my recent journey, not great 'breakthroughs,'

but I do

have a sense of continuing tiny steps towards that which is

never apart

from me in the first place.

Anyway, we

are all together in this. It is nice to see anyone making

steps,

getting deeper. It is even better to see one who is shedding

the personal

identity.

One thing

that I do wonder about your practice, if I may, is that you

speak of

something like standing more in (or closer to)

Consciousness.

This is great! The issue finally is where one places

one's own

identity. The discrimination that I have been doing makes

it harder

and harder for me to place identity as a body. This seems

to be adding

freedom and depth.

Not two,

Richard

RamanaMaharshi, "Rob Sacks" <editor@r...>

wrote:

> Hi

Richard,

>

> >

desire for liberation is the

> >

most important element.

>

> Desire

motivates us to make an effort only if we believe that the

effort can

> lead to

the desired result.

>

> In the

absence of that belief, desire causes despair.

>

> I was

trying to ask Fuzzie what immediate sense he or she was

getting that

> this

unnatural act, this sadhana, was leading to the desired result.

>

> Best

regards,

>

> Rob

>

>

>

>

 

> RamanaMaharshi

[RamanaMaharshi]

> On

Behalf Of Richard Clarke

> Sent:

Thursday, April 28, 2005 8:59 AM

> RamanaMaharshi

>

[RamanaMaharshi] Re: self realization of Fuzzie

>

> Dear

Rob,

>

> To me,

Fuzzie's story supports what Adi Sankara said in

> his

"Requisites for Realization," that desire for liberation is the

> most

important element.

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