Fwd: Help on the Quest for Self-realization-Reminders-14

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ThePowerOfSilence , " saikali6362 "

<saikali6362 wrote:

 

Help on the Quest for Self-realization-Reminders-14

 

From Surging Joy

By Dr Sarada Nataragan

 

If one finds waning interest in things external but no special joy

in inwardness, one may well be approaching the danger zone of no-

man's land where one belongs neither to the world nor to the Truth.

(48) …The way out is to revive one's spirit of enquiry. (49)…

 

To accept someone as one's Guru implies investing total faith in

Him, in what the Guru says. And what does Bhagavan (Sri Ramana

Maharshi) say? He says that the Self alone is and that the Guru and

the Self are non-different. If one had total faith in Bhagavan, the

moment one hears or reads, the moment one knows what Bhagavan says,

those words should become one's own experience. (52) Thus to have

total faith in Bhagavan as Guru means to experience His presence as

the Self…It is faith in His words which keeps us at self-enquiry…

What is this self-enquiry that one strives to pursue? The process

seems simple enough. Bhagavan has explained that the sense of " I " ,

one's identity, the feeling that " I am so and so " , exists only in

the waking and dream states. Even in dream it often undergoes

drastic changes of name, form, circumstance and so on. And in deep

sleep, the identity, this " I " -thought as Bhagavan calls it, is

totally absent. However, in deep sleep one is not conscious of the

experience that exists when identity ceases. To consciously observe

the dissolution of the " I " -thought into the source constitutes self-

enquiry.

 

Bhagavan has also clearly delineated the methodology for doing so.

The means to track the " I " -thought to its source while remaining

alert is to isolate it. The mind is a bundle of thoughts, in which

each and every thought is linked with or can exist only in relation

to the " I " -thought. Without the connection with the " I " -thought no

other thought can subsist. The " I " -thought, although it is thus the

central thought can also not exist by itself. That is, since it has

no consciousness of its own but only reflects the consciousness of

the Self, it cannot bear pointed scrutiny. Hence it camouflages

itself by constantly associating itself with other thoughts. How to

penetrate this camouflage is, therefore, the question. " By

questioning the " I " -thought, by questioning its locus standi "

answers Bhagavan. " When any thought arises ask of (53) yourself " For

whom is this thought? " The answer will come " For me " . Then again

ask " Who am I? " This question will scorch all other thoughts and

attention will rest on the " I " -thought. Repeat this process as often

as attention wanders to other thoughts and give attention invariably

to the " I " -thought. Then it will automatically merge in the source,

the Self.

 

There can be no doubt that self-enquiry is the sure means to Self-

knowledge. But we must be sure that what we are practicing is self-

enquiry as taught by Bhagavan…Having understood the technique

clearly we fail to remember the attitude with the enquiry is to be

made…Has not Bhagavan repeated that it is not merely a verbal

question? To ask the question " Who am I? " one must really be in

doubt about one's true nature.

 

If the enquiry is real, it is bound to prevent the rising of any

other thoughts, on any motivation. Only the intense searchlight of

attention on the " I " -thought will remain and then the " I " -thought

will automatically dissolve into its source, the Self. (54)

 

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