Guest guest Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 " At times Bhagvan's words and actions would make us wonder whether he is a bhakta melting with love for Arunachala rather than a dispassionate detached jnani. Once, during the Deepam festival, the deity from the temple was being taken in a ceremonial procession around the Hill. As the procession went past Ramanashramam, devotees of Bhagavan offered coconuts, flowers and fruits to the Lord and performed Aarati. Bhagavan was on his way to the cow shed at the time. Hearing the temple drums, he came and sat on the small bridge near the water tap. One of the devotees brought the Aarati plate with the glowing camphor which had been offered to Arunachaleswara. Bhagavan took the sacred ash from the plate, applied it to his forehead and remarked softly: " The son is beholden to the Father " . As he said this Bhagavan's voice choked with emotion. His eyes glittered with unshed tears of extacy. This incident seems to illustrate the saying, " absolute Knowledge (Jnana) is no different from absolute Devotion (Bhakti). Bhagavan's love for Arunachala was so deep that he never left it even for a moment. He never tired of going around the Hill and visiting and revisiting his favourite spots on and around the hill. He would sit for hours silently gazing at the peak of the Hill, totally enraptured by the sight. Every year on Kartigai Deepam day, Bhagavan would gaze at the Hill through a pair of binocuars, his attention totally focused on the spot at which the sacred Deepam would appear. From " Cherished Memories " by T.R. Kanakammal Monsoonhouse Int. Kovalam/Kerala contact: christianecameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 advaitajnana , christiane cameron <christianecameron@m...> wrote: > > " At times Bhagvan's words and actions would make us wonder whether he > is a bhakta melting with love for Arunachala rather than a > dispassionate detached jnani. Once, during the Deepam festival, the > deity from the temple was being taken in a ceremonial procession around > the Hill. As the procession went past Ramanashramam, devotees of > Bhagavan offered coconuts, flowers and fruits to the Lord and performed > Aarati. Bhagavan was on his way to the cow shed at the time. Hearing > the temple drums, he came and sat on the small bridge near the water > tap. One of the devotees brought the Aarati plate with the glowing > camphor which had been offered to Arunachaleswara. Bhagavan took the > sacred ash from the plate, applied it to his forehead and remarked > softly: " The son is beholden to the Father " . As he said this Bhagavan's > voice choked with emotion. His eyes glittered with unshed tears of > extacy. This incident seems to illustrate the saying, " absolute > Knowledge (Jnana) is no different from absolute Devotion (Bhakti). > > Bhagavan's love for Arunachala was so deep that he never left it even > for a moment. He never tired of going around the Hill and visiting and > revisiting his favourite spots on and around the hill. He would sit for > hours silently gazing at the peak of the Hill, totally enraptured by > the sight. Every year on Kartigai Deepam day, Bhagavan would gaze at > the Hill through a pair of binocuars, his attention totally focused on > the spot at which the sacred Deepam would appear. > > From " Cherished Memories " by T.R. Kanakammal Namaste All,IMO, This is very beautiful but it points out the Prarabda karma that Ramana is going through, realised or unrealised. " Bhagavan took the > sacred ash from the plate, applied it to his forehead and remarked > softly: " The son is beholden to the Father " . As he said this Bhagavan's > voice choked with emotion. His eyes glittered with unshed tears of > extacy. This incident seems to illustrate the saying, " absolute > Knowledge (Jnana) is no different from absolute Devotion (Bhakti). " This is again Ramana talking with Prarabda, separating himself in Son and Father. Speaking as the Son not the Absolute. (Of course absolute anything is absolute.) However it shows his 'human prarabda side' and bhakti teaching 'by example'. However this is not his full teaching--'Who am I?' is. This is a step on the way, for it is dualistic to a great extent, even his words Son and Father indicate dualism. He is showing an example, and going through his prarabda. Absolute Devotion is Moksha, with no Ego to enjoy bliss. I am not knocking Bhakti but if one follows only this teaching or step on the way then what happens to Ramana's ultimate teaching 'Who am I?'. As I understand it the 'little I' realises it is the 'big I' only. At this point Moksha and realisation of Nirguna occurr. At the end of Prarabda when the body drops, everything connected with the illusion of body, and very creation itself collapses, as never having happened in the first place.....Bhakti is all very well and good but that type of devotional path isn't what he teaches as such, only as a step...........ONS.........Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 advaitajnana , christiane cameron <christianecameron@m...> wrote: > > " At times Bhagvan's words and actions would make us wonder whether h Namaste Chris, How do you synchronise your Parabhakti with 'Who am I?', I would appreciate your comments on this for claritiy..........ONS..Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Before I answer please clarify the difference between Bhakti and Parabhakti. On Jan 7, 2005, at 19:52, Tony OClery wrote: > > advaitajnana , christiane cameron > <christianecameron@m...> wrote: > > > > " At times Bhagvan's words and actions would make us wonder whether h > > Namaste Chris, > > How do you synchronise your Parabhakti with 'Who am I?', I would > appreciate your comments on this for claritiy..........ONS..Tony. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 advaitajnana , christiane cameron <christianecameron@m...> wrote: > Before I answer please clarify the difference between Bhakti and > Parabhakti. Namaste, Ultimate. However for arguments sake lets just say Bhakti. I would really like to know what you think of his teaching and how you synchronise it..............ONS...Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 Dear Tony, I never said anything about synchronizing Bhakti with " who am I " . Chris On Jan 7, 2005, at 19:52, Tony OClery wrote: > > advaitajnana , christiane cameron > <christianecameron@m...> wrote: > > > > " At times Bhagvan's words and actions would make us wonder whether h > > Namaste Chris, > > How do you synchronise your Parabhakti with 'Who am I?', I would > appreciate your comments on this for claritiy..........ONS..Tony. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 advaitajnana , christiane cameron <christianecameron@m...> wrote: > Dear Tony, > > > > I never said anything about synchronizing Bhakti with " who am I " . > > Chris > Namaste Chris, Do you follow Bhakti or Jnana? Do you follow 'Who am I?........ONS..Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 Dear Tony, Haven't I described my personal sadhana before? In very early childhood I used to pray to a formless God, repeating prayers like mantras. When I failed to connect to the image of Jesus there was a gap in religious practices until age 17 even though I always followed intuition and believed in God. After playing around with channeling and other new age stuff, I fell in love with Lord Shiva shortly after my first trip to India in 1979, where that connection was made through some Sadhus preparing for Armanath Yatra. They initiated me into Shiva Mantra. Devotion to Lord Shiva became stronger and stronger and I was granted wonderful experiences of devotional exstacy. I was led to Maharshi and Arunachala in 1995 through a book by David Godman. When I read the upadesa " who am I " there was instant recognition and samadhi. But I had to get into a bad situation before I took sadhana more serious. My mind was overpowering me with horrible thoughts feelings of black depression and I wasn't able to hold the thoughtless state, intensive japa helped. Intensive japa means without break. In 1998 I started the vichara again. I had a time when I was every day in samadhi for many hours. By Bhagavan's Grace to reach the state of thoughtfree awareness comes easy to me. But as my mind is not yet dead, it rises again and again. When I notice that, I just put it back. Sometimes I pray to my Lord Shiva and sometimes I do a little japa, but my main sadhana is to remain in thoughtless awareness as much as possible. When I do think I contemplate Bhagavan's teachings, his life (that's when my heart melts with intense Bhakti), the universe, death s.o. I try not to get carried away by mundane thought trains. It is an ongoing and very intensive inner process. Om Arunachala Shiva Chris On Jan 8, 2005, at 20:21, Tony OClery wrote: > > advaitajnana , christiane cameron > <christianecameron@m...> wrote: > > Dear Tony, > > > > > > > > I never said anything about synchronizing Bhakti with " who am I " . > > > > Chris > > > > Namaste Chris, > > Do you follow Bhakti or Jnana? Do you follow 'Who am > I?........ONS..Tony. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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