Fwd: Selections from TALKS WITH SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI-88

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ThePowerOfSilence , " saikali6362 "

<saikali6362 wrote:

 

Selections from TALKS WITH SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI-88

 

TALK 455:

 

Mrs. Dhar: I form part of the creation and so remain dependent. I

cannot solve the riddle until I become independent. Yet I ask Sri

Bhagavan, should He not answer the question for me?

 

M.: Yes. It is Bhagavan that says, " Become independent and solve the

riddle yourself. It is for you to do it. " Again: where are you now

that you ask this question? Are you in the world, or is the world

within you? You must admit that the world is not perceived in your

sleep although you cannot deny your existence then. The world

appears when you wake up. So where is it? Clearly the world is your

thought.

 

Thoughts are your projections. The `I' is first created and then the

world. The world is created by the `I' which in its turn rises up

from the Self. The riddle of the creation of the world is thus

solved if you solve the creation of the `I'. So I say, find your

Self.

 

Again, does the world come and ask you " Why do `I' exist? How

was `I' created? " It is you who ask the question. The questioner

must establish the relationship between the world and himself. He

must admit that the world is his own imagination. Who imagines it?

Let him again find the `I' and then the Self.

 

Moreover, all the scientific and theological explanations do not

harmonise. The diversities in such theories clearly show the

uselessness of seeking such explanations. Such explanations are

purely mental or intellectual and nothing more. Still, all of them

are true according to the standpoint of the individual. There is no

creation in the state of realisation. When one sees the world, one

does not see oneself. When one sees the Self, the world is not

seen. So see the Self and realise that there has been no creation.

The lady being laid up is unable to go to the hall and so feels

unhappy that, though near, she cannot go into the hall. This was

mentioned to Sri Bhagavan. He said, " Well, thinking like this keeps

her always in the Presence. This is better than remaining in the

hall and thinking of something else. "

 

TALK 462:

 

Mrs. Dhar gently related her troubles: My attempts at concentration

are frustrated by sudden palpitations of the heart and accompanying

hard, short and quick breaths. Then my thoughts also rush out and

the mind becomes uncontrollable. Under healthy conditions I am more

successful and my breath comes to a standstill with deep

concentration. I had long been anxious to get the benefit of Sri

Bhagavan's proximity for the successful culmination of my meditation

and so came here after considerable effort. I fell ill here. I could

not meditate and so I felt depressed. I made a determined effort to

concentrate my mind even though I was troubled by short and quick

breaths. Though partly successful it does not satisfy me. The time

for my leaving the place is drawing near. I feel more and more

depressed as I contemplate leaving the place. Here I find people

obtaining peace by meditation in the hall; whereas I am not blessed

with such peace. This itself has a depressing effect on me.

 

M.: This thought, `I am not able to concentrate,' is itself an

obstacle. Why should the thought arise?

 

D.: Can one remain without thoughts rising all the 24 hours of the

day? Should I remain without meditation?

 

M.: What is `hours' again? It is a concept. Each question of yours

is prompted by a thought.

 

Your nature is Peace and Happiness. Thoughts are the obstacles to

realisation. One's meditation or concentration is meant to get rid

of obstacles and not to gain the Self. Does anyone remain apart from

the Self? No! The true nature of the Self is declared to be Peace.

If the same peace is not found, the non-finding is only a thought

which is alien to the Self. One practises meditation only to get rid

of these alien fancies.

 

So, then, a thought must be quelled as soon as it rises. Whenever a

thought arises, do not be carried away by it. You become aware of

the body when you forget the Self. But can you forget the Self?

Being the Self how can you forget it? There must be two selves for

one to forget the other. It is absurd. So the Self is not depressed;

it is not imperfect: it is ever happy. The contrary feeling is a

mere thought which has actually no stamina in it. Be rid of

thoughts. Why should one attempt meditation? Being the Self one

remains always realised, only be free from thoughts.

 

You think that your health does not permit your meditation. This

depression must be traced to its origin. The origin is the wrong

identification of the body with the Self. The disease is not of the

Self. It is of the body. But the body does not come and tell you

that it is possessed by the disease. It is you who say it. Why?

Because you have wrongly identified yourself with the body The body

itself is a thought. Be as you really are. There is no reason to be

depressed.

 

The lady was called away and she retired. The question was however

pursued as follows:

 

D.: Sri Bhagavan's answers do not permit us to put further

questions, not because our minds are peaceful but we are unable to

argue the point. Our discontent is not at an end. For the physical

ailments to go the mental ailments should go. Both go when thoughts

go. Thoughts do not go without effort. Effort is not possible with

the present weakness of mind. The mind requires grace to gain

strength. Grace must manifest only after surrender. So all

questions, wittingly or unwittingly, amount to asking for Sri

Bhagavan's Grace.

 

M.: Smiled and said, " Yes. "

 

D.: Surrender is said to be bhakti. But Sri Bhagavan is known to

favour enquiry for the Self. There is thus confusion in the hearer.

 

M.: Surrender can take effect only when done with full knowledge.

Such knowledge comes after enquiry. It ends in surrender.

 

D.: The knowledge of the Supreme Being is after transcending the

individual self. This is jnana. Where is the need for surrender?

 

M.: Quite so. There is no difference between jnana and surrender.

(Smile).

 

D.: How is the questioner satisfied then? The only alternative left

is association with the wise or devotion to God (satsanga or Isvara

bhakti).

 

M.: Smiled and said, " Yes. "

 

TALK 465:

 

Sri Bhagavan explained to a retired Judge of the High Court some

points in the Upadesa Saram as follows:-

 

(1) Meditation should remain unbroken as a current. If unbroken it

is called samadhi or Kundalini sakti.

 

(2) The mind may be latent and merge in the Self; it must

necessarily rise up again; after it rises up one finds oneself only

as ever before. For in this state the mental predispositions are

present there in latent form to remanifest under favourable

conditions.

 

(3) Again the mind activities can be completely destroyed. This

differs from the former mind, for here the attachment is lost, never

to reappear. Even though the man sees the world after he has been

in the samadhi state, the world will be taken only at its worth,

that is to say it is the phenomenon of the One Reality. The True

Being can be realised only in samadhi; what was then is also now.

Otherwise it cannot be Reality or Ever-present Being. What was in

samadhi is here and now too. Hold it and it is your natural

condition of Being. Samadhi practice must lead to it. Otherwise how

can nirvikalpa samadhi be of any use in which a man remains as a log

of wood? He must necessarily rise up from it sometime or other and

face the world. But in sahaja samadhi he remains unaffected by the

world. So many pictures pass over the cinema screen: fire burns

away everything; water drenches all; but the screen remains

unaffected. The scenes are only phenomena which pass away leaving

the screen as it was. Similarly the world phenomena simply pass on

before the Jnani, leaving him unaffected.

 

You may say that people find pain or pleasure in worldly phenomena.

It is owing to superimposition. This must not happen. With this end

in view practice is made.

 

Practice lies in one of the two courses: devotion or knowledge.

Even these are not the goals. Samadhi must be gained; it must be

continuously practised until sahaja samadhi results. Then there

remains nothing more to do.

 

TALK 467:

 

Yogi Ramiah: All actions take place owing to Sakti. How far does

Sakti go? Can she effect anything without one's own effort?

 

M.: The answer to the question depends on what the Purusha is

understood to be. Is he the ego or the Self?

 

D.: Purusha is svarupa.

 

M.: But he cannot make any prayatna (effort).

 

D.: Jiva is the one who makes the prayatna.

 

M.: So long as egoity lasts prayatna is necessary. When egoity

ceases to be, actions become spontaneous. The ego acts in the

presence of the Self. He cannot exist without the Self. The Self

makes the universe what it is by His Sakti, and yet He does not

Himself act. Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, " I am not the

doer and yet actions go on " . It is clear from the Mahabharata that

very wonderful actions were effected by Him. Yet He says that He is

not the doer. It is like the sun and the world actions.

 

D.: He is without abhimana (attachment) whereas the jiva is with

abhimana.

 

M.: Yes. Being attached, he acts and also reaps the fruits. If the

fruits are according to his desire he is happy; otherwise he is

miserable. Happiness and misery are due to his attachment. If

actions were to take place without attachment there would be no

expectation of fruit.

 

D.: Can actions take place spontaneously without individual effort?

Should we not cook our food in order to eat it later?

 

M.: Atman acts through the ego. All actions are due to efforts only.

A sleeping child is fed by its mother. The child eats food without

being wide awake and then denies having taken food in sleep. However

the mother knows what happened. Similarly the Jnani acts unawares.

Others see him act, but he does not know it himself. Owing to fear

of Him wind blows, etc. That is the order of things. He ordains

everything and the universe acts accordingly, yet He does not know.

Therefore He is called the great Doer. Every embodied being

(ahankari) is bound by niyama. Even Brahma cannot transgress it.

[This devotee later explained the significance of his question. He

hears Sri Bhagavan say that the world goes on and the individual

needs are met by Divine Will. But he finds that Sri Bhagavan wakes

up the Asramites at about 4 a.m. to cut vegetables for the day's

curry. He wanted to have the doubt cleared for his own benefit and

the question was not meant for discussion].

 

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