Adherence to the Truth of the Self with effort is spiritual practice

[Guest guest]

Nome, from Mandala Nine of his book, 'Self-Knowledge'

 

Adherence to the Truth of the Self

With effort is spiritual practice.

Effortless abidance in the Truth of the Self

Is Self-Realization.

Self-inquiry eliminates " me. "

With no " me, "

How can " mine " remain?

Surrender eliminates " mine. "

With no " mine, "

How can " me " survive?

Devotedly inquire,

Inquiring to know That

To which one is devoted.

Practice intensely

So that the true " I " is realized.

Practice until doubtless and boundless;

The End itself appears as the means.

Practice until effortless,

Natural and innate is the

Adherence to the Truth of the Self.

 

-------------------------------

Om Arunachala,

Richard

[Guest guest]

Dear Richard,

 

Nome here is essentially paraphrasing Sri Ramana from an answer the sage of

Arunachala gave to Paul Brunton where he said that the practice of the Sahaj

state of Siddha is the Sadhana!

 

Of course, as Nome is a devotee of Sri Ramana, it makes sense. All of us

devotees essentially paraphrase Sri Ramana in one way or another. The

teaching of Sri Ramana was absolutely direct. To make it our own, we

practice and realize the nature of the teaching as being Self-Revealing.

Here is the conversation that I am reminded of from the " Talks " .

 

Paul Brunton: What is to be our sadhana?

 

Maharshi: The sahaja of siddha! Sahaja is the original state so that sadhana

amounts to the removal of obstacles for the realization of this abiding

truth.

 

By repeated practice one can become accustomed to turning inwards and

finding the Self. One must always and constantly make an effort, until one

has permanently realized. Once the effort ceases, the state becomes natural

and the Supreme takes possession of the person with an unbroken current.

Until it has become permanently natural and your habitual state, know that

you have not realized the Self, only glimpsed it.

 

The soul that realizes the Self may still be connected with a working body,

senses, and mind, without identifying itself with that body.

 

There can be satisfaction only when you reach the source, otherwise there

will be restlessness.

 

I am giving the full conversation from the Talks with Paul Brunton on that

day from a post from the list archives.

 

Ramana Maharshi taught mostly in Silence. When he spoke, what he said was

specific to each person. Here he speaks to Paul Brunton.

 

13. Realization:

 

Q: If 'I' am always here and now, why don't I feel it?

 

Maharshi: That's is the point! Who says that it is not felt? Does the real

'I' say it or the false 'I'? Examine it. You will find it is the wrong 'I'.

The wrong 'I' is the obstruction. It has to be removed in order that the

true 'I' might not be hidden.

 

The feeling, 'I have not realized,' is the obstruction to realization. In

fact, you are already realized; there is nothing to realize. If there were,

it would have to be something new, not existing so far, that would occur

sometime in the future.

 

What has birth will also die. If realization were not eternal it would not

be worth having. Therefore, what we seek is not that which must happen

afresh. It is only that which is eternal and which is not known, due to

obstructions, that is what we seek. Ignorance is the obstruction. Remove it,

and all will be well.

 

The ignorance is identical with the 'I'-thought. Find its source and I will

vanish. The 'I'-thought is like a spirit which is not palpable, and it rises

up simultaneously with the body, flourishes on it and disappears with it.

 

The body-consciousness is the wrong 'I'. Give it up! This is done by seeking

the source of the 'I'. The body does not say 'I am'. It is you who says, 'I

am the body.' Find out who this 'I' is. Seeking its source, it will vanish.

 

Q: What is to be our sadhana?

 

M: The sahaja of siddha! Sahaja is the original state so that sadhana

amounts to the removal of obstacles for the realization of this abiding

truth.

 

By repeated practice one can become accustomed to turning inwards and

finding the Self. One must always and constantly make an effort, until one

has permanently realized. Once the effort ceases, the state becomes natural

and the Supreme takes possession of the person with an unbroken current.

 

Until it has become permanently natural and your habitual state, know that

you have not realized the Self, only glimpsed it.

 

The soul that realizes the Self may still be connected with a working body,

senses, and mind, without identifying itself with that body.

 

There can be satisfaction only when you reach the source, otherwise there

will be restlessness.

 

 

 

On Behalf Of Richard Clarke

Saturday, April 12, 2008 2:44 AM

 

Adherence to the Truth of the Self

with effort is spiritual practice

 

Nome, from Mandala Nine of his book, 'Self-Knowledge'

 

Adherence to the Truth of the Self

With effort is spiritual practice.

Effortless abidance in the Truth of the Self

Is Self-Realization.

Self-inquiry eliminates " me. "

With no " me, "

How can " mine " remain?

Surrender eliminates " mine. "

With no " mine, "

How can " me " survive?

Devotedly inquire,

Inquiring to know That

To which one is devoted.

Practice intensely

So that the true " I " is realized.

Practice until doubtless and boundless;

The End itself appears as the means.

Practice until effortless,

Natural and innate is the

Adherence to the Truth of the Self.

 

-------------------------------

Om Arunachala,

Richard

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Harsha

 

tku so much for your ongoing effort - your posting IS a wonderful example for my

words...

and this besides your daily life efforts! Work, family and and and

 

 

in His Grace

 

 

michael

 

 

 

-

Harsha

Sunday, April 13, 2008 2:54 AM

RE: Adherence to the Truth of the Self

with effort is spiritual practice

 

 

Dear Richard,

 

Nome here is essentially paraphrasing Sri Ramana from an answer the sage of

Arunachala gave to Paul Brunton where he said that the practice of the Sahaj

state of Siddha is the Sadhana!

 

Of course, as Nome is a devotee of Sri Ramana, it makes sense. All of us

devotees essentially paraphrase Sri Ramana in one way or another. The

teaching of Sri Ramana was absolutely direct. To make it our own, we

practice and realize the nature of the teaching as being Self-Revealing.

Here is the conversation that I am reminded of from the " Talks " .

 

Paul Brunton: What is to be our sadhana?

 

Maharshi: The sahaja of siddha! Sahaja is the original state so that sadhana

amounts to the removal of obstacles for the realization of this abiding

truth.

 

By repeated practice one can become accustomed to turning inwards and

finding the Self. One must always and constantly make an effort, until one

has permanently realized. Once the effort ceases, the state becomes natural

and the Supreme takes possession of the person with an unbroken current.

Until it has become permanently natural and your habitual state, know that

you have not realized the Self, only glimpsed it.

 

The soul that realizes the Self may still be connected with a working body,

senses, and mind, without identifying itself with that body.

 

There can be satisfaction only when you reach the source, otherwise there

will be restlessness.

 

I am giving the full conversation from the Talks with Paul Brunton on that

day from a post from the list archives.

 

Ramana Maharshi taught mostly in Silence. When he spoke, what he said was

specific to each person. Here he speaks to Paul Brunton.

 

13. Realization:

 

Q: If 'I' am always here and now, why don't I feel it?

 

Maharshi: That's is the point! Who says that it is not felt? Does the real

'I' say it or the false 'I'? Examine it. You will find it is the wrong 'I'.

The wrong 'I' is the obstruction. It has to be removed in order that the

true 'I' might not be hidden.

 

The feeling, 'I have not realized,' is the obstruction to realization. In

fact, you are already realized; there is nothing to realize. If there were,

it would have to be something new, not existing so far, that would occur

sometime in the future.

 

What has birth will also die. If realization were not eternal it would not

be worth having. Therefore, what we seek is not that which must happen

afresh. It is only that which is eternal and which is not known, due to

obstructions, that is what we seek. Ignorance is the obstruction. Remove it,

and all will be well.

 

The ignorance is identical with the 'I'-thought. Find its source and I will

vanish. The 'I'-thought is like a spirit which is not palpable, and it rises

up simultaneously with the body, flourishes on it and disappears with it.

 

The body-consciousness is the wrong 'I'. Give it up! This is done by seeking

the source of the 'I'. The body does not say 'I am'. It is you who says, 'I

am the body.' Find out who this 'I' is. Seeking its source, it will vanish.

 

Q: What is to be our sadhana?

 

M: The sahaja of siddha! Sahaja is the original state so that sadhana

amounts to the removal of obstacles for the realization of this abiding

truth.

 

By repeated practice one can become accustomed to turning inwards and

finding the Self. One must always and constantly make an effort, until one

has permanently realized. Once the effort ceases, the state becomes natural

and the Supreme takes possession of the person with an unbroken current.

 

Until it has become permanently natural and your habitual state, know that

you have not realized the Self, only glimpsed it.

 

The soul that realizes the Self may still be connected with a working body,

senses, and mind, without identifying itself with that body.

 

There can be satisfaction only when you reach the source, otherwise there

will be restlessness.

 

On Behalf Of Richard Clarke

Saturday, April 12, 2008 2:44 AM

Adherence to the Truth of the Self

with effort is spiritual practice

 

Nome, from Mandala Nine of his book, 'Self-Knowledge'

 

Adherence to the Truth of the Self

With effort is spiritual practice.

Effortless abidance in the Truth of the Self

Is Self-Realization.

Self-inquiry eliminates " me. "

With no " me, "

How can " mine " remain?

Surrender eliminates " mine. "

With no " mine, "

How can " me " survive?

Devotedly inquire,

Inquiring to know That

To which one is devoted.

Practice intensely

So that the true " I " is realized.

Practice until doubtless and boundless;

The End itself appears as the means.

Practice until effortless,

Natural and innate is the

Adherence to the Truth of the Self.

 

-------------------------------

Om Arunachala,

Richard

 

---

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Michael,

 

Thank you for your kind and warm comments as always. To have the company of

Bhagavan's devotees provides much comfort. Yes, there is effort in many of

these things but it is made easy because to love the Sage of Arunachala is

natural and effort free. What follows from this love is only the labor of

love. And by divine grace, we get by. Sri Ramana, what can one really say

about him, the master of masters before whom the greatest yogis and

shankracharyas sat? He is the Guru who erases the distance between the mind

and the Heart and makes us see that indeed there is Pure Oneness of Being

only as our very own nature.

 

I found the following in the archives in my response to something our dear

friend Alan had written. A devotee says of Sri Ramana, " He used to make us

just like Himself " .

 

Dear Alan,

 

After reading your post about Sri Ramana in the kitchen, I took out the

small book, " Unforgettable Years " which is a memoir of 29 devotees of Sri

Ramana who spent time with him. There are several stories from the " kitchen

ladies devotees " and these are wonderful and fun to read.

 

I forget now where I saw it once...it was an account of one of Sri Ramana's

devotees, I believe a lady who used to work in the kitchen. She like many

other women devotees did not understand the subtleties of nonduality. You

may know that most women in India in the 1920s and 1930s usually did not

have much education and could barely read.

 

Well, one thing this lady devotee said about Bhagavan stood out for me....

Talking about the early years with Sri Ramana when there were only 10-15

devotees around, ....She said something like, " He used to make us like

himself. " She explained that the experience of Heart which escapes pundits

and scholars and which yogis have after many years of intense meditation,

many devotees got without much effort at all. Some of these early women

devotees were illiterate and one of them Sampoornamma told Bhagavan that she

could not make heads or tails out of the Ribhu Gita.

 

They did not have to, because as this lady devotee said in her complete

innocence, by the mere presence of the Sage of Arunachala and his look, " He

used to make us just like himself. "

 

Love to all

Harsha

 

 

 

Alan wrote:

 

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi in the kitchen

 

 

You must cover your vegetables when you cook them.

Then only will they keep their flavour and be fit for food.

It is the same with the mind.

You must put a lid over it and let it simmer quietly.

Then only does a man become food fit for God to eat.

 

G.V. Subbaramayya, a college professor and poet, used to visit the Ashram

regularly during his college vacation. Whilst staying there from April to

June 1940 he helped Sri Ramana with the preparation of breakfast in the

kitchen. “The hours of duty were between 2.30 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sri Bhagavan

would come punctually at 2.30 a.m. and first spend some time in cutting

vegetables with the workers and devotees. Then He would enter the kitchen

and prepare sambar or chutney for breakfast, and occasionally some extra

dishes also. … At first I was an ignoramus in the work. … I did not know at

first how to hold the pestle and grind. Sri Bhagavan placed His hand upon

mine and turned the pestle in the proper way. Again what a thrill ! … After

the work was finished, Sri Bhagavan would take out a bit from the dish,

taste a little of it and give us the remainder to taste, and sometimes when

our hands were unwashed, He would Himself throw it into our mouths with His

own hand. That would be the climax of our happiness. Then He would hasten

back to the Hall and lie reclining on the couch and appear dozing as the

Brahmins arrived for parayana [singing of the Vedas].”65

 

Work with Sri Ramana had both its difficult moments and its pleasant

moments. Although he was full of kindness he was also a strict

disciplinarian and would not tolerate the slightest negligence. Everything

had to be done perfectly and with full awareness. He demanded that his

instructions be followed to the letter.

 

One evening a disciple who was a solicitor, insisted on helping with the

work. He was asked to move a vessel containing sambar. As he moved it some

drops spilled over the sides. At once Bhagavan said, “You are fit only for

arguing before the Court. This work is not for you.”

 

Kunju Swami narrates, “Sri Bhagavan used to go into the kitchen by 4 a.m.

and start cutting vegetables; one or two of us would also join and help.

Sometimes the amount of vegetables used to startle us. Bhagavan managed to

cut much more and more quickly than the rest of us. At such times we would

look up at the clock in our impatience to finish the job and try and have

another nap. Bhagavan would sense our impatience and say: ‘Why do you look

at the clock?’ We tried to bluff Bhagavan saying: ‘If only we could complete

the work before 5, we could meditate for an hour.’ Bhagavan would mildly

retort: ‘The allotted work has to be completed in time. Other thoughts are

obstacles, not the amount of work. Doing the allotted work in time is itself

meditation. Go ahead and do the job with full attention.”

 

 

The Song of the Poppadum

 

 

No need about the world to roam

And suffer from depression;

Make poppadum within the home

According to the lesson

Of 'Thou art That', without compare,

The Unique Word, unspoken

'Tis not by speech it will declare.

The silence is unbroken

Of Him who is the Adept-Sage,

The great Apotheosis,

With His eternal heritage

That Being-Wisdom-Bliss is.

 

Make poppadum and after making fry,

Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy.

 

The grain which is the black gram's yield,

The so-called self or ego,

Grown in the body's fertile field

Of five-fold sheaths, put into

The roller-mill made out of stone,

Which is the search for Wisdom,

The 'Who am I?'. 'Tis thus alone

The Self will gain its freedom.

This must be crushed to finest dust

And ground up into fragments

As being the non-self, so must

We shatter our attachments.

 

Make poppadum and after making fry,

Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy.

 

Mix the juice of square-stemmed vine,

This association

With Holy Men. With this combine

Within the preparation

Some cummin-seed of mind-control

And pepper for restraining

The wayward senses, with them roll

That salt which is remaining

Indifferent to the world we see,

With condiment of leanings

Towards a virtuous unity.

These are their different meanings.

 

Make poppadum and after making fry,

Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy.

 

The mixture into dough now blend

And on the stone then place it

Of mind, by tendencies hardened,

And without ceasing baste it

With heavy strokes of the 'I-I'

Delivered with the pestle

Of introverted mind. Slowly

The mind will cease to wrestle.

Then roll out with the pin of peace

Upon the slab of Brahman.

Continue effort without cease

With energetic élan.

 

Make poppadum and after making fry,

Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy.

 

 

 

 

On Behalf Of Michael Bindel

Sunday, April 13, 2008 2:30 AM

 

Re: Adherence to the Truth of the

Self with effort is spiritual practice

 

Dear Harsha

 

tku so much for your ongoing effort - your posting IS a wonderful example

for my words...

and this besides your daily life efforts! Work, family and and and

 

 

in His Grace

 

 

michael

 

 

 

-

Harsha

Sunday, April 13, 2008 2:54 AM

RE: Adherence to the Truth of the

Self with effort is spiritual practice

 

 

Dear Richard,

 

Nome here is essentially paraphrasing Sri Ramana from an answer the sage

of

Arunachala gave to Paul Brunton where he said that the practice of the

Sahaj

state of Siddha is the Sadhana!

 

Of course, as Nome is a devotee of Sri Ramana, it makes sense. All of us

devotees essentially paraphrase Sri Ramana in one way or another. The

teaching of Sri Ramana was absolutely direct. To make it our own, we

practice and realize the nature of the teaching as being Self-Revealing.

Here is the conversation that I am reminded of from the " Talks " .

 

Paul Brunton: What is to be our sadhana?

 

Maharshi: The sahaja of siddha! Sahaja is the original state so that

sadhana

amounts to the removal of obstacles for the realization of this abiding

truth.

 

By repeated practice one can become accustomed to turning inwards and

finding the Self. One must always and constantly make an effort, until one

has permanently realized. Once the effort ceases, the state becomes

natural

and the Supreme takes possession of the person with an unbroken current.

Until it has become permanently natural and your habitual state, know that

you have not realized the Self, only glimpsed it.

 

The soul that realizes the Self may still be connected with a working

body,

senses, and mind, without identifying itself with that body.

 

There can be satisfaction only when you reach the source, otherwise there

will be restlessness.

 

I am giving the full conversation from the Talks with Paul Brunton on that

day from a post from the list archives.

 

Ramana Maharshi taught mostly in Silence. When he spoke, what he said was

specific to each person. Here he speaks to Paul Brunton.

 

13. Realization:

 

Q: If 'I' am always here and now, why don't I feel it?

 

Maharshi: That's is the point! Who says that it is not felt? Does the real

'I' say it or the false 'I'? Examine it. You will find it is the wrong

'I'.

The wrong 'I' is the obstruction. It has to be removed in order that the

true 'I' might not be hidden.

 

The feeling, 'I have not realized,' is the obstruction to realization. In

fact, you are already realized; there is nothing to realize. If there

were,

it would have to be something new, not existing so far, that would occur

sometime in the future.

 

What has birth will also die. If realization were not eternal it would not

be worth having. Therefore, what we seek is not that which must happen

afresh. It is only that which is eternal and which is not known, due to

obstructions, that is what we seek. Ignorance is the obstruction. Remove

it,

and all will be well.

 

The ignorance is identical with the 'I'-thought. Find its source and I

will

vanish. The 'I'-thought is like a spirit which is not palpable, and it

rises

up simultaneously with the body, flourishes on it and disappears with it.

 

The body-consciousness is the wrong 'I'. Give it up! This is done by

seeking

the source of the 'I'. The body does not say 'I am'. It is you who says,

'I

am the body.' Find out who this 'I' is. Seeking its source, it will

vanish.

 

Q: What is to be our sadhana?

 

M: The sahaja of siddha! Sahaja is the original state so that sadhana

amounts to the removal of obstacles for the realization of this abiding

truth.

 

By repeated practice one can become accustomed to turning inwards and

finding the Self. One must always and constantly make an effort, until one

has permanently realized. Once the effort ceases, the state becomes

natural

and the Supreme takes possession of the person with an unbroken current.

 

Until it has become permanently natural and your habitual state, know that

you have not realized the Self, only glimpsed it.

 

The soul that realizes the Self may still be connected with a working

body,

senses, and mind, without identifying itself with that body.

 

There can be satisfaction only when you reach the source, otherwise there

will be restlessness.

 

 

On Behalf Of Richard Clarke

Saturday, April 12, 2008 2:44 AM

Adherence to the Truth of the Self

with effort is spiritual practice

 

Nome, from Mandala Nine of his book, 'Self-Knowledge'

 

Adherence to the Truth of the Self

With effort is spiritual practice.

Effortless abidance in the Truth of the Self

Is Self-Realization.

Self-inquiry eliminates " me. "

With no " me, "

How can " mine " remain?

Surrender eliminates " mine. "

With no " mine, "

How can " me " survive?

Devotedly inquire,

Inquiring to know That

To which one is devoted.

Practice intensely

So that the true " I " is realized.

Practice until doubtless and boundless;

The End itself appears as the means.

Practice until effortless,

Natural and innate is the

Adherence to the Truth of the Self.

 

-------------------------------

Om Arunachala,

Richard

 

---