Guest guest Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Dear friends, Welcome advice from Swamiji on Sadhana for us. Regards to all, Alan --- On Sat, 31/1/09, Swami sadasivananda <sadasivananda wrote: Swami sadasivananda <sadasivanandaThe Path, the Effort and the GoalalanadamsjacobsDate: Saturday, 31 January, 2009, 1:01 PM THE PATH, THE EFFORT AND THE GOAL Meditation means many things to many individuals and ranges from quiet brooding on a concept or an ideal to the beatitude of the highest spiritual contemplation. But in the sadhana (repeated spiriutal practice) propounded by the Maharshi it strictly means, whatever the method, the attempt to still the thinking faculty, the perpetually-surging waves of the mind, in order that the calm ocean of pure awareness, from which they rise and on which they move, may be experienced. Finding the answer to the query "Who am I?" is not the immediate burden of the practice in the beginning. Stability and fixity of the restless, mercurial mind is the first aim, and this can be achieved by constant practice and by frequently pulling oneself back to the subject of the meditation whenever the mind strays away. Meditation has by then taken a firm grip and has turned from an erstwhile painful and apparently fruitless effort to a joyful, eagerly-looked-forward-to performance, which can no longer be abandoned or even slackened. The thinking processes have by now considerably slowed down and with it, naturally, the restlessness of the mind. Profound peace and inner joy impel more frequent and longer meditation, which in turn reduces thinking still further, till the moment of full maturity is reached, when all of a sudden all thoughts completely cease, and the meditator, the 'I', having nothing to disturb or preoccupy him, spontaneously finds himself in his pure Being, which is the Absolute State or Substratum. This is what the second and third sutras of Patanjali's yoga mean by saying: "Yoga is the suppression of the vritti (modifications of the thinking principle). Then the seer abides in himself." And what is that Self in actual experience? Sri Bhagavan tells us that it is the Light which ever shines in the Cave of the Heart as the flame of the Consciousness 'I' 'I' – the eternal and blissful Sat-chit-ananda. This is the answer to the vichara and its fulfillment. The 'I', which has carried out a determined and protracted search into its own nature, has at long last found itself to be not other than the Pure Mind, the immaculate Being, which is eternally wrapped in blissful stillness. This is Turiya, the Fourth, or Samadhi. There remains nothing more for one to achieve but to consolidate this state into the permanent experience of Sahaja Nirvikalpa, which is the Great Liberation. Sadhakas take courage from the personal assurance of Sri Maharshi and the testimony of those who have found the Ultimate Peace, and relentlessly continue their efforts however sterile these may at first appear to be, strong in the belief of the descent of the Divine Grace on their endeavor to crown them with the greatest of all crowns, that of Supreme Enlightenment. * _______________________________*Posted within "Spiritual instructions" on the website www.spiritualpracticeofbhagavan.org , taken from a chapter in the book Guru Ramana, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2003. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 but what I see is that this is an advice from S.S. Cohen in his book: Guru Ramana and not from the Swami mentioned. , Alan Jacobs <alanadamsjacobs wrote: > > Dear friends, >  >  Welcome advice from Swamiji on Sadhana for us. Regards to all, Alan > > --- On Sat, 31/1/09, Swami sadasivananda <sadasivananda wrote: > > Swami sadasivananda <sadasivananda > The Path, the Effort and the Goal > alanadamsjacobs > Saturday, 31 January, 2009, 1:01 PM > > > >            THE PATH, THE EFFORT AND THE GOAL > > > > > >     Meditation means many things to many individuals and  ranges from quiet brooding on a concept or an ideal to the  beatitude of the highest spiritual contemplation. But in the sadhana (repeated spiriutal practice) propounded by the Maharshi it strictly means, whatever the method, the attempt to still the thinking faculty,  the perpetually-surging waves of the mind, in order that the calm ocean of pure awareness, from which they rise and on which they move, may be experienced.      > >    Finding the answer to the query " Who am I? " is not the immediate burden of the practice in the beginning. Stability and fixity of the restless, mercurial mind is the first aim, and this can be achieved by constant practice and by frequently pulling oneself back to the subject of the meditation whenever the mind strays away.  > >     Meditation has by then taken a firm grip and has turned from an erstwhile painful and apparently fruitless effort to a joyful, eagerly-looked-forward-to performance, which can no longer be abandoned or even slackened. The thinking processes have by now considerably slowed down and with it, naturally, the restlessness of the mind. Profound peace and inner joy impel more frequent and longer meditation, which in turn reduces thinking still further, till the moment of full maturity is reached, when all of a sudden all thoughts completely cease, and the meditator, the 'I', having nothing to disturb or preoccupy him, spontaneously finds himself in his pure Being, which is the Absolute State or Substratum. This is what the second and third sutras of Patanjali's yoga mean by saying:  > > " Yoga is the suppression of the vritti (modifications of the thinking principle). Then the seer abides in himself. " >     And what is that Self in actual experience? Sri Bhagavan tells us that it is the Light which ever shines in the Cave of the Heart as the flame of the Consciousness 'I' 'I' †" the eternal and blissful Sat-chit-ananda. This is the answer to the vichara  and its fulfillment. The 'I', which has carried out a determined and protracted search into its own nature, has at long last found itself to be not other than the Pure Mind, the immaculate Being, which is eternally wrapped in blissful stillness. This is Turiya, the Fourth, or Samadhi. There remains nothing more for one to achieve but to consolidate this state into the permanent experience of Sahaja Nirvikalpa, which is the Great Liberation.  >  >     Sadhakas take courage from the personal assurance of Sri Maharshi and the testimony of those who have found the Ultimate Peace, and relentlessly continue their efforts however sterile these may at first appear to be, strong in the belief of the descent of the Divine Grace on their endeavor to crown them with the greatest of all crowns, that of Supreme Enlightenment. * > > _______________________________ > > *Posted within " Spiritual instructions " on the website www.spiritualpracticeofbhagavan.org , taken from a chapter in the book Guru Ramana, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2003. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Dear Gabriele, You are correct. He sent it in. I should have pointed that out. Thank you. Love, Alan --- On Sun, 1/2/09, Gabriele Ebert <g.ebert wrote: Gabriele Ebert <g.ebert Re: The Path, the Effort and the Goal Date: Sunday, 1 February, 2009, 8:13 AM but what I see is that this is an advice from S.S. Cohen in his book: Guru Ramana and not from the Swami mentioned., Alan Jacobs <alanadamsjacobs@ ...> wrote:>> Dear friends,>  >  Welcome advice from Swamiji on Sadhana for us. Regards to all, Alan > > --- On Sat, 31/1/09, Swami sadasivananda <sadasivananda@ ...> wrote:> > Swami sadasivananda <sadasivananda@ ...>> The Path, the Effort and the Goal> alanadamsjacobs@ ...> Saturday, 31 January, 2009, 1:01 PM> > > >            THE PATH, THE EFFORT AND THE GOAL> > > > > >     Meditation means many things to many individuals and  ranges from quiet brooding on a concept or an ideal to the  beatitude of the highest spiritual contemplation. But in the sadhana (repeated spiriutal practice) propounded by the Maharshi it strictly means, whatever the method, the attempt to still the thinking faculty,  the perpetually- surging waves of the mind, in order that the calm ocean of pure awareness, from which they rise and on which they move, may be experienced.      > >    Finding the answer to the query "Who am I?" is not the immediate burden of the practice in the beginning. Stability and fixity of the restless, mercurial mind is the first aim, and this can be achieved by constant practice and by frequently pulling oneself back to the subject of the meditation whenever the mind strays away.  > >     Meditation has by then taken a firm grip and has turned from an erstwhile painful and apparently fruitless effort to a joyful, eagerly-looked- forward-to performance, which can no longer be abandoned or even slackened. The thinking processes have by now considerably slowed down and with it, naturally, the restlessness of the mind. Profound peace and inner joy impel more frequent and longer meditation, which in turn reduces thinking still further, till the moment of full maturity is reached, when all of a sudden all thoughts completely cease, and the meditator, the 'I', having nothing to disturb or preoccupy him, spontaneously finds himself in his pure Being, which is the Absolute State or Substratum. This is what the second and third sutras of Patanjali's yoga mean by saying:  > > "Yoga is the suppression of the vritti (modifications of the thinking principle). Then the seer abides in himself." >     And what is that Self in actual experience? Sri Bhagavan tells us that it is the Light which ever shines in the Cave of the Heart as the flame of the Consciousness 'I' 'I' â€" the eternal and blissful Sat-chit-ananda. This is the answer to the vichara  and its fulfillment. The 'I', which has carried out a determined and protracted search into its own nature, has at long last found itself to be not other than the Pure Mind, the immaculate Being, which is eternally wrapped in blissful stillness. This is Turiya, the Fourth, or Samadhi. There remains nothing more for one to achieve but to consolidate this state into the permanent experience of Sahaja Nirvikalpa, which is the Great Liberation.  >  >     Sadhakas take courage from the personal assurance of Sri Maharshi and the testimony of those who have found the Ultimate Peace, and relentlessly continue their efforts however sterile these may at first appear to be, strong in the belief of the descent of the Divine Grace on their endeavor to crown them with the greatest of all crowns, that of Supreme Enlightenment. *> > ____________ _________ _________ _> > *Posted within "Spiritual instructions" on the website www.spiritualpracti ceofbhagavan. org , taken from a chapter in the book Guru Ramana, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2003.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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