Bliss - transitory and everlasting.

[Guest guest]

Sri Ramana distinguished between:

 

a) transient experiences of bliss associated with the Anandamaya kosa

 

and

 

b) that Bliss which is our true nature, ie the Self.

 

Some passages from "Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi" are given below.

 

Regards,

 

Peter

 

 

 

[REFERENCES TO "THE SELF IS BLISS"]:

 

"The inherent nature of the Self is Bliss." ( Talk 204 )

 

"The Self is bliss, pure and simple. You are the Self. So you cannot but be

bliss.." (Talk 618)

 

" What is Bliss but your own being? You are not apart from Being which is

the same as Bliss. You are now thinking that you are the mind or the body

which are both changing and transient. But you are unchanging and eternal.

That is what you should know." (Talk 653)

 

"If one knows that Bliss is none other than the Self the mind becomes inward

turned. If the Self is gained all the desires are fulfilled. That is the

apta kamah atma kamah akamascha (fulfilment of desire) of the

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. That is moksha."

(Talk 502)

 

 

 

 

[REFERENCES TO TRANSITORY BLISS and SUPREME BLISS]:

 

" The common man is aware of himself only when modifications arise in the

intellect (vijnanamaya kosa); these modifications are transient; they arise

and set. Hence the vijnanamaya (intellect) is called a kosa or sheath. When

pure awareness is left over it is itself the Chit (Self) or the Supreme. To

be in one's natural state on the subsidence of thoughts is bliss; if that

bliss be transient - arising and setting - then it is only the sheath of

bliss (Anandamaya kosa), not the pure Self. What is needed is to fix the

attention on the pure 'I' after the subsidence of all thoughts and not to

lose hold of it. This has to be described as an extremely subtle thought;

else it cannot be spoken of at all, since it is no other than the Real

Self."

(Talk 624)

 

 

" Visva, Taijasa and Prajna are the denominations of the experiencer in the

waking, dream and deep sleep states respectively. The same individual

underlies all of them. They do not therefore represent the True Self which

is pure Sat, Chit, Ananda. The experience in deep sleep was said to be the

bliss of Brahman. It is only the negative aspect of such bliss, as it is the

result of the absence of thoughts. Moreover it is transitory. Such a bliss

is only the abhasa, the counterfeit of Supreme Bliss. It is not different

from the blissful feeling of sensual pleasures. In deep sleep the Prajna is

said to be united with the Self. So the individuality is potential in

sleep."

(Talk 617)

 

" The primal bliss is obscured by the non-self which is synonymous with

non-bliss or misery. Duhkha nasam = sukha prapti. (Loss of unhappiness

amounts to gain of happiness.) Happiness mixed with misery is only misery.

When misery is eliminated then the ever-present bliss is said to be gained.

Pleasure which ends in pain is misery. Man wants to eschew such pleasure.

Pleasures are priya, moda and pra-moda. When a desired object is near at

hand there arises priya: when it is taken possession of moda arises; when it

is being enjoyed pra-moda prevails. The reason for the pleasureableness of

these states is that one thought excludes all others, and then this single

thought also merges into the Self. These states are enjoyed in the

Anandamaya kosa only. As a rule Vijnanamaya kosa prevails on waking. In deep

sleep all thoughts disappear and the state of obscuration is one of bliss;

there the prevailing body is the Anandamaya. These are sheaths and not the

core, which is interior to all these. It lies beyond waking, dream and deep

sleep. That is the Reality and consists of true bliss (nijananda).

(Talk 619)