I'll join in the Group Hug

[Guest guest]

Hello Dear Friends, old & new. Long time no see :-)

 

I'd like to share something Pieter sent me recently ~ I am not knowing

if he already has shared it here. As well as another quote from Paul

Ferrini.

 

Warm Regards,

 

Colette

 

"Benediction

 

There is only One Son of God

and You are He.

>From Him, you receive.

To Him, you give.

 

When you look at yourself,

may you remember.

 

When you look at your brother,

may you also remember.

 

When you look away in fear,

remember only this:

 

Subject & Object,

Lover & Beloved,

 

are not two,

but one & the same.

 

What you give

and what you receive

 

are reflections

of each other."

>From Reflections of the Christ Mind by Paul Ferrini.

 

And ~

 

Question and Answers with Ramana Maharshi

-------

 

Q: If the Self alone exists, how do we see diversity ?

A: Where do you see diversity ? Everything is perceived in the mind

alone. There is no world outside the mind.

Q: Isn't the mind a function of the brain ?

A: The body and the rest of the world are in the mind only.

Q: This implies that you are assuming the mind exists independent of

the world.

A: The mind is non-different from the world. When the mind is there,

the world is also there. They arise and perish together.

Q: When did the mind arise ?

A: It is the mind which creates time. So the question is not valid.

Q: Does that mean the mind is always there ?

A: When the world is perceived, the mind is there.

Q: When is the world not perceived ?

A: Did you perceive the world in deep sleep ?

Q: But the world was there.

A: How do you say that ?

Q: I see a continuity in the world before I went to sleep and after I

woke

up. So, it is but logical to assume that the world was there even when I

 

was asleep.

A: Continuity in time ?

Q: Of course, yes.

A: How do you know it ?

Q: I see the same world around me which I saw before going to sleep.

A: To put it in other words, you remember that you saw the same world

before you went to sleep. Right ?

Q: Yes.

A: So you rely on your memory.

Q: Of course, yes.

A: Memory is a part of the mind. Time is perceived only in memory.

Q: So, what are you coming to say ?

A: The present moment alone is true. The past is only in memory. The

future is only in imagination.

Q: But the present is fleeting and momentary.

A: As I told you, time is perceived only in memory. If memory is

ignored,

you are left with the eternal present.

Q: So, you mean time itself is an illusion ?

A: I say that it exists only in the mind.

Q: Is the mind real ?

A: What do you mean by 'real' ?

Q: Is it beyond space and time ?

A: Yes. Space and time are perceived in the mind. So, mind itself must

be independent of space and time.

Q: So is it totally independent ?

A: It is dependant on Consciousness.

Q: What is Consciousness ?

A: The awareness of oneself as the subject.

Q: Is it ego ?

A: What is ego ?

Q: The knowledge that I am so and so.

A: No. Consciousness is not knowledge. Knowledge is in the mind only.

And it is not of that I am so and so. It is the

awareness of oneself as the

subject. The moment you say "so and so", you are objectifying.

Consciousness is the subject.

Q: Consciousness is eternal ?

A: There is no role of time here. So it can be considered eternal. Time

 

is created by memory. Memory is a part of the mind.

Mind exists in

Consciousness.

Q: Is mind always present in Consciousness ?

A: Again you are talking about time. It is mind which creates time.

Q: Let me put it this way. Are mind and Consciousness inseparable ? Can

there be one without the other ?

A: They are identical and inseparable.

Q: Identical ? Then why do we refer them as different things ?

A: For the sake of understanding. Mind is the power of Consciousness to

manifest. Consciousness is the existential property of mind.

Q: Does mind exist in deep sleep ?

A: Deep sleep is known only in memory; not in the present. The question

was asked only to show that the world exists only in

the mind. In reality,

there is nothing called 'deep sleep'.

Q: What happens to the mind when I die ?

A: Death is only in the mind and it is only of the body.

Q: What happens to the world ?

A: The world unfolds itself before the Consciousness afresh every

moment. Every moment it is created and destroyed. Birth is

only in memory and death is only in imagination.

Q: But, I see others dying.

A: It is seen only in the mind. But before death can come to you, this

world itself might not be there. It would have been

replaced by a different

world. You will not have this body too. In that world you might be older

 

or

younger, a beggar or a king. Anything can be the case.

Q: What about the concept of karma, rebirth, etc ?

A: They are all valid. Just that I say it is not you who dies and

takes rebirth, but the world which vanishes and another one

takes its place. Every moment a new world is created around you in

accordance to your karma. Your role in the world also

depends on your karma. You may be a king in one world, in the next you

may be a beggar. In one world you may be a just

born infant, in another you may be a old man on his death bed. It is

memory which makes you think you are so and so, so many

years old, born in some place, etc.

Q: What does the nature of the world depend on ?

A: It depends on karma, which is created by desire. You become what you

desire to be. You face what you want to face.

Here 'you' includes you and everyone in your world. If you want your

neighbour to be prosperous, it is as good as you wanting

to be prosperous. If you mean harm to your neighbour, it is as good as

you meaning harm to yourself. Everyone in your world

is none but projections of the same mind, and so non-different from you.

 

Whatever you see in the world is the result of your

own previous desires.

Q: What happens if a person does not desire ?

A: The world continues for sometime based on the previous desires. When

all of them are exhausted, perception of the world

ceases. What happens after that cannot be described.

Q: You do not know it ?

A: It can be put that way. Knowledge is in the mind. What happens beyond

 

that, no one can 'know'.

Q: Who is God ?

A: The Consciousness-mind principle is God.

Q: What is the role of personal God ?

A: Consciousness principle is refereed to as Siva; Mind principle as

Sakti. They are refereed variedly as Brahman-Maya,

Purusha-Prakriti, Krishna-Radha, Rama-Sita, etc. Other references to

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, Varuna, Agni, Ganesha,

Saraswati, Lakshmi, Hanuman, etc are all various roles in the world. But

 

when it comes to the Ishta devata or Guru, it the

combined Consciousness-mind principle that is refered to. By grace or

coincidence, in the world we see god-realised souls,

incarnations, devotees, scriptures, places of pilgrimage, etc which are

aids to the truth.

Q: Can one realise the truth by devotion to God ?

A: Of course, yes. All that is needed is the eye to see the truth. By

devotion to God, one becomes free from attachment to one's own

personality. Once this obstruction is removed, the devotee

naturally sees the truth. The exact words used to describe the truth

depends on the meaning the person attaches to those

words.

Q: Can one realise the truth by grace of God or Guru ?

A: It IS the only way. There is no other way. Everything else is only a

part of the preparations for grace to dawn.

 

PS:

Q: Why is the 'C' in Consciousness always in capital ?

A: The same reason as why 'I' is always capital. It is first person.