Guest guest Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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