Guest guest Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Dear Friends, Since early childhood, I used to read so many books on spirituality by the famous gurus of the past and the day. When I was around 21, I found the " Talks with Ramana Maharshi. " My teacher Chitrabhanu-ji was very pleased and told me about his meeting with Sri Ramana when he was a teenager in India. My teacher used to visit holy places and saints during his school holidays. Chitrabhanu-ji mentioned that although he had visited many sages in his youth, a couple were unforgettable. Sri Ramana was one of them. I was completely drawn in by Sri Ramana through the “Talks”. Eventually, it became the only book that I focused on. Bhagavan Ramana slowly took away my desire to read other spiritual books and thus protected me. I did not know at the time that there were other books on Sri Ramana. How amazing! It never occurred to me that there must be so many books about Bhagavan's teaching. Bhagavan took away my thinking even on books about him and his teachings!! J Only the “Talks” remained. I used to sleep with the " Talks " under my pillow. That was my only shelter and protection. In those days, I lived with two other students of my teacher Chitrabhanu-ji. We lived in a house in Queens, NY, which we rented. I taught yoga for a living and made very little money. It was barely enough to pay the rent and food. There was not much furniture in the house. I had my own room. There was a sofa chair that one of the neighbors had thrown away as junk. A friend who lived in the house had brought it to me. It was a wonderful gift. When my back got very tired from long meditation, I would continue meditation on that sofa chair. Other than that, there was nothing in the room. I slept happily on the floor every night but felt like a king. Sri Ramana once said that if someone has faith in the Guru, that person lives like a prince in this world. I thought Bhagavan must be talking about me. That is how I thought. Everything Bhagavan said, I took very literally as applying to myself. Bhagavan dominated my mind so that I would come to understand the teaching of the Self at the deepest level, within the Heart itself. I acted like a prince and was very self-satisfied. It was to the point that many people felt I was quite arrogant and egotistical. Once, some very sincere students of my teacher mentioned that to him. They said to my teacher that I was going around telling everyone that I was perfectly enlightened but instead exhibited a huge ego! They recommended that my teacher have a talk with me. Chitrabhanu-ji simply said to them, “Harshadeva has no ego. He just loves to crack jokes.” Those were fun times in many ways. On another point, I have started organizing the Ramana material in one place on the site. It will take a few months. sri-ramana-maharshi Love to all Harsha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Hi Harsha,Thanks for this anecdote. All our love back to you!!In Bhagavan,JohnOn May 29, 2009, at 8:04 PM, Harsha wrote: Dear Friends, Since early childhood, I used to read so many books on spirituality by the famous gurus of the past and the day. When I was around 21, I found the "Talks with Ramana Maharshi." My teacher Chitrabhanu-ji was very pleased and told me about his meeting with Sri Ramana when he was a teenager in India. My teacher used to visit holy places and saints during his school holidays. Chitrabhanu-ji mentioned that although he had visited many sages in his youth, a couple were unforgettable. Sri Ramana was one of them. I was completely drawn in by Sri Ramana through the “Talks”. Eventually, it became the only book that I focused on. Bhagavan Ramana slowly took away my desire to read other spiritual books and thus protected me. I did not know at the time that there were other books on Sri Ramana. How amazing! It never occurred to me that there must be so many books about Bhagavan's teaching. Bhagavan took away my thinking even on books about him and his teachings!! J Only the “Talks” remained. I used to sleep with the "Talks" under my pillow. That was my only shelter and protection. In those days, I lived with two other students of my teacher Chitrabhanu-ji. We lived in a house in Queens, NY, which we rented. I taught yoga for a living and made very little money. It was barely enough to pay the rent and food. There was not much furniture in the house. I had my own room. There was a sofa chair that one of the neighbors had thrown away as junk. A friend who lived in the house had brought it to me. It was a wonderful gift. When my back got very tired from long meditation, I would continue meditation on that sofa chair. Other than that, there was nothing in the room. I slept happily on the floor every night but felt like a king. Sri Ramana once said that if someone has faith in the Guru, that person lives like a prince in this world. I thought Bhagavan must be talking about me. That is how I thought. Everything Bhagavan said, I took very literally as applying to myself. Bhagavan dominated my mind so that I would come to understand the teaching of the Self at the deepest level, within the Heart itself. I acted like a prince and was very self-satisfied. It was to the point that many people felt I was quite arrogant and egotistical. Once, some very sincere students of my teacher mentioned that to him. They said to my teacher that I was going around telling everyone that I was perfectly enlightened but instead exhibited a huge ego! They recommended that my teacher have a talk with me. Chitrabhanu-ji simply said to them, “Harshadeva has no ego. He just loves to crack jokes.” Those were fun times in many ways. On another point, I have started organizing the Ramana material in one place on the site. It will take a few months. sri-ramana-maharshi Love to allHarsha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Dear John, Good to have you here! All of that was over 30 years ago. How time flies! J. You must have been at the Jain Meditation center some of the times I was there. Probably because you were much younger, we did not hang around the same crowd. Arya Rajan had her own circle in the meditation center that you were a part of. She was a wonderful and serious yogini as I recall. I did not really spend much time around her. I have several articles on Gurudev and Pramoda-ji on the site. Some are by Pramoda-ji herself. She is one of the directors of PETA in India and very involved in social work as well. You can see Pramoda-ji’s pictures from a few years ago in the following article. sri-ramana-and-my-teacher-gurudev-sri-chitrabhanu-ji Also, some of my favorite Ramana stories are on this url. stories-about-ramana-maharshi-by-harsha-harsh-k-luthar-phd Love, Harsha On Behalf Of John Andreadis Friday, May 29, 2009 8:25 PM Re: " Talks with Ramana Maharshi " Hi Harsha, Thanks for this anecdote. All our love back to you!! In Bhagavan, John On May 29, 2009, at 8:04 PM, Harsha wrote: Dear Friends, Since early childhood, I used to read so many books on spirituality by the famous gurus of the past and the day. When I was around 21, I found the " Talks with Ramana Maharshi. " My teacher Chitrabhanu-ji was very pleased and told me about his meeting with Sri Ramana when he was a teenager in India. My teacher used to visit holy places and saints during his school holidays. Chitrabhanu-ji mentioned that although he had visited many sages in his youth, a couple were unforgettable. Sri Ramana was one of them. I was completely drawn in by Sri Ramana through the “Talks”. Eventually, it became the only book that I focused on. Bhagavan Ramana slowly took away my desire to read other spiritual books and thus protected me. I did not know at the time that there were other books on Sri Ramana. How amazing! It never occurred to me that there must be so many books about Bhagavan's teaching. Bhagavan took away my thinking even on books about him and his teachings!! J Only the “Talks” remained. I used to sleep with the " Talks " under my pillow. That was my only shelter and protection. In those days, I lived with two other students of my teacher Chitrabhanu-ji. We lived in a house in Queens, NY, which we rented. I taught yoga for a living and made very little money. It was barely enough to pay the rent and food. There was not much furniture in the house. I had my own room. There was a sofa chair that one of the neighbors had thrown away as junk. A friend who lived in the house had brought it to me. It was a wonderful gift. When my back got very tired from long meditation, I would continue meditation on that sofa chair. Other than that, there was nothing in the room. I slept happily on the floor every night but felt like a king. Sri Ramana once said that if someone has faith in the Guru, that person lives like a prince in this world. I thought Bhagavan must be talking about me. That is how I thought. Everything Bhagavan said, I took very literally as applying to myself. Bhagavan dominated my mind so that I would come to understand the teaching of the Self at the deepest level, within the Heart itself. I acted like a prince and was very self-satisfied. It was to the point that many people felt I was quite arrogant and egotistical. Once, some very sincere students of my teacher mentioned that to him. They said to my teacher that I was going around telling everyone that I was perfectly enlightened but instead exhibited a huge ego! They recommended that my teacher have a talk with me. Chitrabhanu-ji simply said to them, “Harshadeva has no ego. He just loves to crack jokes.” Those were fun times in many ways. On another point, I have started organizing the Ramana material in one place on the site. It will take a few months. sri-ramana-maharshi Love to all Harsha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Thanks Harsha,I'll look at the links today. I'm so grateful to be part of this group and to share with all the sincere sadhaks. This is a wonderful seva you are doing for us all (only one Self)!All my love,JohnOn May 30, 2009, at 9:34 AM, Harsha wrote: Dear John, Good to have you here! All of that was over 30 years ago. How time flies! J. You must have been at the Jain Meditation center some of the times I was there. Probably because you were much younger, we did not hang around the same crowd. Arya Rajan had her own circle in the meditation center that you were a part of. She was a wonderful and serious yogini as I recall. I did not really spend much time around her. I have several articles on Gurudev and Pramoda-ji on the site. Some are by Pramoda-ji herself. She is one of the directors of PETA in India and very involved in social work as well. You can see Pramoda-ji’s pictures from a few years ago in the following article. sri-ramana-and-my-teacher-gurudev-sri-chitrabhanu-ji Also, some of my favorite Ramana stories are on this url. stories-about-ramana-maharshi-by-harsha-harsh-k-luthar-phd Love,Harsha On Behalf Of John Andreadis Friday, May 29, 2009 8:25 PM Re: "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" Hi Harsha, Thanks for this anecdote. All our love back to you!! In Bhagavan, John On May 29, 2009, at 8:04 PM, Harsha wrote: Dear Friends, Since early childhood, I used to read so many books on spirituality by the famous gurus of the past and the day. When I was around 21, I found the "Talks with Ramana Maharshi." My teacher Chitrabhanu-ji was very pleased and told me about his meeting with Sri Ramana when he was a teenager in India. My teacher used to visit holy places and saints during his school holidays. Chitrabhanu-ji mentioned that although he had visited many sages in his youth, a couple were unforgettable. Sri Ramana was one of them. I was completely drawn in by Sri Ramana through the “Talks”. Eventually, it became the only book that I focused on. Bhagavan Ramana slowly took away my desire to read other spiritual books and thus protected me. I did not know at the time that there were other books on Sri Ramana. How amazing! It never occurred to me that there must be so many books about Bhagavan's teaching. Bhagavan took away my thinking even on books about him and his teachings!! J Only the “Talks” remained. I used to sleep with the "Talks" under my pillow. That was my only shelter and protection. In those days, I lived with two other students of my teacher Chitrabhanu-ji. We lived in a house in Queens, NY, which we rented. I taught yoga for a living and made very little money. It was barely enough to pay the rent and food. There was not much furniture in the house. I had my own room. There was a sofa chair that one of the neighbors had thrown away as junk. A friend who lived in the house had brought it to me. It was a wonderful gift. When my back got very tired from long meditation, I would continue meditation on that sofa chair. Other than that, there was nothing in the room. I slept happily on the floor every night but felt like a king. Sri Ramana once said that if someone has faith in the Guru, that person lives like a prince in this world. I thought Bhagavan must be talking about me. That is how I thought. Everything Bhagavan said, I took very literally as applying to myself. Bhagavan dominated my mind so that I would come to understand the teaching of the Self at the deepest level, within the Heart itself. I acted like a prince and was very self-satisfied. It was to the point that many people felt I was quite arrogant and egotistical. Once, some very sincere students of my teacher mentioned that to him. They said to my teacher that I was going around telling everyone that I was perfectly enlightened but instead exhibited a huge ego! They recommended that my teacher have a talk with me. Chitrabhanu-ji simply said to them, “Harshadeva has no ego. He just loves to crack jokes.” Those were fun times in many ways. On another point, I have started organizing the Ramana material in one place on the site. It will take a few months. sri-ramana-maharshi Love to allHarsha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 welcome, john! Friends In all this Boundless Incomparable creation There is No greater treasure Then friends. True friendship is incalculable Far beyond the value Of greatest riches. To bind one free man With love without conditions Is incomparably superior To setting free A thousand Slaves. _()_ yosy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Rarely do members of the same family live under one roof - Richard Bach --- On Sat, 5/30/09, yosyflug <yosyflug wrote: yosyflug <yosyflugRe: "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" Date: Saturday, May 30, 2009, 8:13 PM welcome, john! FriendsIn all thisBoundless Incomparable creationThere isNo greater treasureThen friends.True friendship is incalculableFar beyond the valueOf greatest riches.To bind one free manWith love without conditions Is incomparably superiorTo setting freeA thousandSlaves._()_yosy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 YOSSI namaste SHALOM ......you are..... BOOM yours like always in gratitude michael - ramesh chivukula Saturday, May 30, 2009 5:26 PM Re: "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" Rarely do members of the same family live under one roof - Richard Bach --- On Sat, 5/30/09, yosyflug (AT) isdn (DOT) net.il <yosyflug (AT) isdn (DOT) net.il> wrote: yosyflug (AT) isdn (DOT) net.il <yosyflug (AT) isdn (DOT) net.il>Re: "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" Date: Saturday, May 30, 2009, 8:13 PM welcome, john! FriendsIn all thisBoundless Incomparable creationThere isNo greater treasureThen friends.True friendship is incalculableFar beyond the valueOf greatest riches.To bind one free manWith love without conditions Is incomparably superiorTo setting freeA thousandSlaves._()_yosy Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.46/2143 - Release 05/30/09 05:53:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Great poem, Yosy. Many thanks, Peter > > > On Behalf Of > yosyflug > 30 May 2009 15:43 > > Re: " Talks with > Ramana Maharshi " > > welcome, john! > > Friends > > In all this > Boundless > Incomparable creation > There is > No greater treasure > Then friends. > True friendship is incalculable > Far beyond the value > Of greatest riches. > > To bind one free man > With love without conditions > Is incomparably superior > To setting free > A thousand > Slaves. > > _()_ > yosy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 ramesh chivukula wrote: > > > > Rarely do members of the same family live under one roof - Richard Bach > same say that god committed a mistake creating relatives, but corrected it by giving us friends we chose for ourselves hahahaha remember, the is only way to meet real friends wherever whenever you are: be a true friend. _()_ yosy (friend of friends) > > > > > --- On *Sat, 5/30/09, yosyflug /<yosyflug/* > wrote: > > > yosyflug <yosyflug > Re: " Talks with Ramana > Maharshi " > > Saturday, May 30, 2009, 8:13 PM > > welcome, john! > > Friends > > In all this > Boundless > Incomparable creation > There is > No greater treasure > Then friends. > True friendship is incalculable > Far beyond the value > Of greatest riches. > > To bind one free man > With love without conditions > Is incomparably superior > To setting free > A thousand > Slaves. > > _()_ > yosy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Dear Yosy,Thank you for your very warm welcome to this group. I'm happy to be here among friends. I feel a real connection in Spirit (The Only One) with everyone here. Satsangh occurs in Silence everywhere we awaken to it. The Radiant Light that Bhagavan is, the Self, is ever present, is it not? I'm fortunate to be among you all. Through Grace we have a human birth, the desire for Liberation and the grace of the Guru! Love,JohnOn May 30, 2009, at 10:43 AM, yosyflug wrote: welcome, john! Friends In all this Boundless Incomparable creation There is No greater treasure Then friends. True friendship is incalculable Far beyond the value Of greatest riches. To bind one free man With love without conditions Is incomparably superior To setting free A thousand Slaves. _()_ yosy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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