A. R. Natarajan - Attention - Switch

[Guest guest]

ATTENTION - SWITCH

 

taken from

THE SILENT MIND

The Ramana Way,

by A. R. NATARAJAN,

Published by Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bangalore,

8th edition, 2004

(originally posted to NamoRamana group by saikali)

What is being attempted is 'looking at the mind by the mind".Attention of the mind which has so far not been on the individual,the thinker, the doer, but on his thoughts, is shifted back to theperson. The individual is taken for granted and has not been givenany attention. As a result, the mind's power has not been utilisedfor self-knowledge, knowledge about oneself. At this point, it isworth remembering that the mind is a dynamic force because of itsessential content, namely consciousness, intelligence. The mindidentifies itself with whatever object its attention is fixed on.The purpose of the effort and practice now suggested is to transferthe focus of the mind's attention to itself, to its centre.Consequently, the entire energy of the mind becomes available forrevealing the nature of the mind-"by gathering itself from varietyto thought-free unity of itself, it enjoys freedom

fromdistraction...the gaze turned on itself leads to the discovery ofits nature".Since the individual's "I"-thought rises simultaneously with thecountless other thoughts and also because of the habitual attentionof the mind being on the other thoughts, no care has been bestowedon the "I"-thought. In the Ramana way, the whole situation is met byreplacing "thought attention by self-attention". If attention isfixed on the subject even as conceptualisation takes place, as themovement of thoughts gathers momentum or soon thereafter, one wouldbe tackling the problem at its very inception. vigilance is needednot to be carried away by the swift thought current. Repeatedlyattention is brought back to the individual. How? For self-attentionRamana gives two invincible tools, the first of which is in the formof the question "Who am I? One begins by questioning for whom thesethoughts occur. Since the thoughts are for the person,

attentionreverts to him. Thought formation is muzzled, nipped in the bud bythis device for self-attention in the garb of a question. Thisswitching back of attention to the "I" serves the important purposeof cutting it off from the company of other thoughts. In otherwords, the identification of the mind with the rest of the thoughtsis scissored. The "I"-thought is isolated, actively observed andattacked by the intense enquiry "Who am I?"The isolation of the central thought thus achieved is, however, notan end in itself. It is a step, no doubt an important one, in theintelligent journey back to the source. Here we have to press intoservice the complementary weapon, provided by Ramana, again in theform of a question, "Whence am I?", "Wherefrom does this "I"-thoughtarise?" The whole idea being one of merging the mind in its source.The disease is the identification of the pure mind with theimpurities of the past as a result

of the idea of separateexistence. For eradicating this false notion the potent medicine isawakening of source consciousness through this method. The mind isconstantly reminded of its true strength, its home and unity withthe totality of life. "This practice of self-attention is a gentletechnique which merely invokes awareness of the source from whichthe mind springs". Success depends on the extent to which one issaturated with the keen edge of enquiry. For there is no fixed timefor its practice. Even while engaged in work, there can be, withoutany prejudice to the work itself, the under-current of attention onthe "I" and its real nature as a powerful and silent vehicle ofconsciousness.Recapitulating, the practice of self-enquiry separates the "I" fromits association with other thoughts and the mind turns within. Thishappens more readily with growing awareness of its inner strength.Fed simultaneously with the

invigorating tonic of source-awareness,the mind itself becomes the bridge back to its abode. When the mindis fed with the joy of silence the old habit of seeking links withthe other thoughts gradually wanes till at last the mind stayssubmerged in the vast all-pervading silence of its source.