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Michael James about what is true knowledge based on teachings of Ramana Maharshi - Final Part

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True knowledge is therefore only the absolute knowledge that underlies yet

transcends all relative knowledge and ignorance. It transcends them because,

though it is their ultimate substratum or support, it nevertheless remains

distinct from, independent of and unaffected by them, just as a cinema

screen is the support that underlies the appearance of the pictures that

flit across it, yet nevertheless remains distinct from, independent of and

unaffected by them. Just as the screen is not burnt when a picture of a

raging fire is projected upon it, nor does it become wet when a picture of a

flood is projected upon it, so true knowledge – our real non-dual

selfconsciousness ‘I am’ – is not affected in the least by any relative

knowledge or ignorance that may seem to arise within it.

 

In the second half of verse 23 of Ulladu Narpadu Sri Ramana points out the

obvious truth that everything – that is, all duality or otherness – rises

only after our mind or individual sense of ‘I’ has risen, and he advises us

that we should therefore scrutinise with a ‘subtle intellect’ the source

from which this ‘I’ arises. He also adds that when we scrutinise thus, this

‘I’ will slip away, vanish or become entirely non-existent. The inference

that we should understand from his statement, “After an ‘I’ has risen,

everything rises”, from his subsequent advice, “By a subtle intellect

scrutinise where this ‘I’ rises”, and from his final statement that this ‘I’

will then vanish, is stated by him clearly in verse 26 of Ulladu Narpadu:

 

If [our] ego comes into existence [as in the waking and dream states],

everything comes into existence. If [our] ego does not exist [as in sleep],

everything does not exist. [Hence our] ego indeed is everything [this entire

appearance of duality or relativity]. Therefore, know that examining ‘what

is this [ego]?’ is indeed relinquishing everything.

 

Therefore, in order to know God as he really is, all we need do is to

eradicate our own illusory sense of adjuncts. When we thus cease to identify

ourself with any adjuncts, we will no longer imagine God as having any

adjuncts, but will discover him to be nothing other than our own true and

essential self-conscious being. Therefore in verse 25 of Upadesa Undiyar Sri

Ramana says:

 

Knowing [our real] self, having relinquished [all our own] adjuncts, itself

is knowing God, because [he] shines as [our real] self.

 

 

The only means by which we can thus experience God as our own real self or

essential being is then clearly explained by Sri Ramana in verse 22 of

Ulladu Narpadu:

 

Except [by] turning [folding or drawing our] mind back within [and thereby]

keeping [it] immersed [sunk, settled, subsided, fixed or absorbed] in the

Lord, who shines within that mind,giving light to [our] mind, how [can we

succeed in] knowing the Lord by [our] mind? Know [the Lord by thus turning

back within and immersing in him].

 

In most of the major religions of the world the name ‘I am’ is revered as

the first, foremost and ultimate name of God. The supreme sanctity of this

divine name ‘I am’ is expressed and enshrined in the Old Testament (upon

which are based the three great religions of west Asian origin, Judaism,

Christianity and Islam) in the words spoken by God to Moses, “I AM THAT I

AM” (Exodus 3.14), and also in the Vedas (upon which are based the broad

family of south Asian religions known as Hinduism) in the mahavakya or great

saying “I am brahman” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10).

 

Because this Biblical saying, ‘I AM THAT I AM’, is such a perfect expression

of the absolute, eternal, non-dual, non-objective, selfconscious,first

person nature of being, Sri Ramana used to say that it is the greatest

mahavakya, even greater than the four mahavakyas or ‘great sayings’ of the

Vedas. Though the import of each of the Vedic mahavakyas, ‘pure

consciousness is brahman’, ‘I am brahman’, ‘it you are’ and ‘this self is

brahman’, is essentially the same as that of this Biblical saying, they are

actually less perfect and accurate expressions of the reality because they

each contain one or more words that are not first person in form.

 

Source: Happiness and The Art of Being Book

which is a layman’s introduction to the philosophy and practice of the

spiritual teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana By Michael James

 

--

Om namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Prasanth Jalasutram

 

 

 

--

Om namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Prasanth Jalasutram

 

 

 

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