Fwd: You should plunge into Self-Enquiry

[Guest guest]

, swathi dora <doraksp>

wrote:

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

 

" Having come to Bhagavan and knowing His teaching you should plunge

into Self-Enquiry " ........ Sri.Muruganar.

 

The standard introduction to Bhagavan's practical advice is the

essay composed by Him in the mid 1920s , is the work that originated

with answers written in the sand in 1901 in reply to the questions

asked by a devotee by the name Sivaprakasam Pillai.

 

I would like to share this essay by posting a portion of the essay

on each day so that we can properly understand the contents and can

clear our doubts from the senior members of this list. As John

mentioned in one of the informal discussions ....... ' It is always

best to revert to a SMALL amount of material. The ego want to expand

its studies ( thereby weakneing the Quest ) '. So I decided to post

this essay little by little on a daily basis.

 

I first came to know about this essay thro' an article written on

this subject by Mr.Davidgodman.( pls refer his webpage ).

 

................................. Who am

I ? ...............................

Sri. Ramana Maharshi.

 

Every living being longs to be perpetually happy, without any

misery. Since in everyone the highest love is alone felt for

oneself, and since happiness alone is the cause of love, in order to

attain that happiness, which is one's real nature and which is

experianced daily in the mindless state of deep sleep, it is

necessary to know oneself. To achieve that, enquiry in the form '

Who am I ?' is the fremost means.

 

Question: Who am I ?

 

' Who am I ?' The physical body, composed of the seven dhatus,

is not ' I '. The five sense organs ... and the five types of

perception known through the senses... are not ' I '. The five parts

of the body which act... and their functions... are not ' I '. The

five vital airs such as 'prana' , which perform the five vital

functions such as respiration, are not ' I '. Even the mind that

thinks is not ' I '. In the state of deep sleep 'vishaya vasanas'

remain. Devoid of sensory knowledge and activity, even this [

state ] is not ' I '. After negating all of the above as ' not I,

not I ' , the knowledge that alone remains is itself ' I '. The

nature of knowledge is 'sat-chit-ananda' [ being-consciousness-

bliss ].

 

................... to be continued.

 

Notes : Mr.Davidgodman provided following meanings to the technical

terms used in the essay.

' Vasanas ' is a key word in 'Who am I?' It can be defined as , '

the impressions of anything remaining unconsciously in the mind; the

present consciousness of past perceptions; knowledge derived from

memory; latent endencies formd by former actions, thoughts and

speech.' It is usually rendered in English as 'latent tendencies'.

' Vishaya vasanas ' are those latent mental tendancies that impel

one to indulge in knowledge or perceptions derived from the five

senses. In a broader context it may also include indulging in any

mental activity such as daydreaming or fantasizing, where the

content of the thoughts is derived from past habits or desires.

The sevn 'dhatus' are chyle, blood, flesh, fat, marrow, bone and

semen.

The five sense organs are the ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose.

The five types of perception or knowledge, called 'vishayas',are

sound, touch, sight, taste and smell.

The five parts of the body that act are the mouth, the legs, the

hands, the anus, and the genitals and their functions are speaking,

walking, giving, excreting and enjoying.

The five vital airs ( prana vayus ) are responsible for maintaining

the health of the body. They convert inhaled air and ingested food

into the energy required for the healthy and harmonious functioning

of the body.

 

Thanks

Ever Yours in Sri Bhagavan

Dora

 

India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline.

--- End forwarded message ---