Guest guest Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 Letters and Comments Prarabdha and Effort I have read as much as possible the books written on Ramana Maharishi and more in the "Maharishi" newsletters. Through my research I came to the conclusion that according to his teachings there is a succession of rebirths for the individual self; that is, as long as the ego is not dropped, there will be rebirth. This teaching of his on reincarnation is confirmed when he mentions that some individuals realized the Self in a short period of time while others struggled long because he said it was their "prarabdha." Even the reason for leaving his home at sixteen he explained as his "prarabdha." So here is my confusion: when I began reading related Advaitic teachings of other teachers I learned that there is only Consciousness, and everybody (they call it "body mind organism" is preprogrammed by karma and thus there is no free will. Therefore, there is no rebirth and no reincarnation. I have no problem believing that there is only Consciousness or the Self and there is no free will. However, preprogramming is the part which I am struggling with. According to the teachings of Ramana Maharishi, as I understand them, this preprogramming (or no free will) is only because of the prarabdha or past karma. But according to other Advaitic teachers there is no such thing as rebirth and at death there is no difference between a realized person and an unrealized person, i.e., individuality dissolves into the Consciousness, regardless or whether he or she were realized or not. Did I miss something from the teachings of Ramana Maharshi regarding rebirth? Is sadhana worth an effort if the end result is the same? Please help. Devotee in California Of course these writings of Advaitic teachers you have read are bound to cause some confusion. According to the creed of Advaita known as Ajatavada there is no birth or death, no liberation or bondage and not even an individual. The one Supreme Reality alone exists. Those who can immediately grasp the absolute truth of these statements and realize it have nothing more to do with the body, the world and duality. But such a one is extremely rare. For the vast majority, dedicated, one-pointed effort is required. About realization the Maharshi has said: "If we can attain it or be in it, it is all right. But one cannot reach it without effort, the effort of deliberate meditation. All the age long vasanas (impressions) carry the mind outwards and turn it to external objects. All such thoughts have to be given up and the mind turned inward. For that effort is necessary, for most people." By such statements that you quoted we shouldn't be lulled into thinking we are already liberated. In a delusive way we may think it is so, but vasanas will continue to rise, attraction and aversion will continue to cloud our vairagya and viveka, detachment and discrimination. You will have to control the mind by Self-enquiry or any other method and allow it to sink into the Heart. Editor THE MAHARSHI November/December 2004Vol. 14 - No. 6 Produced & Edited byDennis HartelDr. Anil K. Sharma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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