Guest guest Posted August 22, 2000 Report Share Posted August 22, 2000 A Ramana story: I made preparations for my departure, packed up my small belongings, and, after taking my evening meal, requested an inmate of the Ashram to kindly get a carriage for me; but I was told that no carriage would be available at that hour, that I should have informed him earlier so that one might have been fetched from the town. I was thus compelled to stay at the Ashram for another day. Next morning I attended the usual prayers. I did not experience anything abnormal during the meditation period. Discussions generally take place when they assemble in the hall after breakfast. Maharshi also answers questions from earnest seekers. That morning also discussions were going on. As they were talking mostly in Tamil (a language not known to me) my attention was not attracted till I found some people turning their heads and laughing at me. On enquiry I learnt that they were discussing the subject-matter of my first letter to Maharshi. Evidently, he had spoken something to them regarding this letter. Though made a laughing-stock, I was still glad to find that he had at last taken notice of me. I took part in the discussions and, as I was in the back row, some distance away from them, they asked me to come nearer so that there might not be any difficulty in following each other, and I obeyed. I was thus brought very near Maharshi's seat. Our discussions over, I heard Maharshi say, "He is concentrating on the reflection and complains that he cannot see the original." It struck me forcefully. What did he mean by reflection and what was the original? I shut my eyes and tried to find out the meaning. Immediately after, I felt a pull in the region of the heart, similar to what I felt two days previously but much stronger in intensity. My mind was completely arrested -- stilled, but I was wide awake. Suddenly, without any break in my consciousness, the "I" flashed forth! It was self-awareness, pure and simple, steady, unbroken and intensely bright, as much brighter than ordinary consciousness as is sunlight brighter than the dim light of a lamp. In ordinary consciousness the "I"-sense dimly remains in the background -- as a matter of inference or intuition -- the whole of the consciousness being occupied by the object. Here, "I" came to the foreground, occupied, or rather became, the whole consciousness, and intensely existed as pure consciousness, displacing all objects. I was, but I was neither the subject nor the object of this consciousness. I WAS this consciousness, which alone existed. There were no objects. The world was not, neither the body nor the mind -- no thought, no motion; time also ceased to exist. I alone existed and that I was consciousness itself, self-luminous and alone, without a second... Suddenly, and again without any break in my consciousness, I was brought back to my normal, ordinary consciousness. A great miracle had been performed in broad daylight in the presence of so many people, without their knowing it. No argument of the greatest philosophers and scientists of the world will now make me doubt the possibility of experiencing the "I" in its pure state or pure consciousness, without any subject-object relationship. Of course, I myself had not the least inkling of such a state even a second earlier, and I never expected to get such an experience. I, an insignificant creature, wallowing in the mud of mundane existence, and without any sadhana, being granted this supreme experience! -- an experience which is rarely obtained even by great yogis after austerest spiritual practices strenuously performed for ages together. Such is the wonder of His Grace! -- immeasurable and unfathomable Grace! Excerpted from Anonymous, "Sri Ramana's Wondrous Grace" in Golden Jubilee Souvenir: 1896-1946, 1946, Tiruvannamalai: Ramanasramam, 3rd ed, 1995, pp. 459-62. Copyright Sri Ramanasramam. Illustration: The sun, courtesy of NASA. http://realization.org/page/doc0/doc0072.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 28, 2000 Report Share Posted August 28, 2000 Thank you Gloria for that story. Many speak. A few know. Rest is Silence. TLP , "Gloria Lee" <glee@i...> wrote: > A Ramana story: > > I made preparations for my departure, packed up my small belongings, and, > after taking my evening meal, requested an inmate of the Ashram to kindly > get a carriage for me; but I was told that no carriage would be available at > that hour, that I should have informed him earlier so that one might have > been fetched from the town. I was thus compelled to stay at the Ashram for > another day. > Next morning I attended the usual prayers. I did not experience anything > abnormal during the meditation period. Discussions generally take place when > they assemble in the hall after breakfast. Maharshi also answers questions > from earnest seekers. That morning also discussions were going on. As they > were talking mostly in Tamil (a language not known to me) my attention was > not attracted till I found some people turning their heads and laughing at > me. On enquiry I learnt that they were discussing the subject- matter of my > first letter to Maharshi. Evidently, he had spoken something to them > regarding this letter. Though made a laughing-stock, I was still glad to > find that he had at last taken notice of me. I took part in the discussions > and, as I was in the back row, some distance away from them, they asked me > to come nearer so that there might not be any difficulty in following each > other, and I obeyed. I was thus brought very near Maharshi's seat. Our > discussions over, I heard Maharshi say, "He is concentrating on the > reflection and complains that he cannot see the original." It struck me > forcefully. What did he mean by reflection and what was the original? I shut > my eyes and tried to find out the meaning. Immediately after, I felt a pull > in the region of the heart, similar to what I felt two days previously but > much stronger in intensity. My mind was completely arrested -- stilled, but > I was wide awake. Suddenly, without any break in my consciousness, the "I" > flashed forth! It was self-awareness, pure and simple, steady, unbroken and > intensely bright, as much brighter than ordinary consciousness as is > sunlight brighter than the dim light of a lamp. In ordinary consciousness > the "I"-sense dimly remains in the background -- as a matter of inference or > intuition -- the whole of the consciousness being occupied by the object. > Here, "I" came to the foreground, occupied, or rather became, the whole > consciousness, and intensely existed as pure consciousness, displacing all > objects. I was, but I was neither the subject nor the object of this > consciousness. I WAS this consciousness, which alone existed. There were no > objects. The world was not, neither the body nor the mind -- no thought, no > motion; time also ceased to exist. I alone existed and that I was > consciousness itself, self-luminous and alone, without a second... Suddenly, > and again without any break in my consciousness, I was brought back to my > normal, ordinary consciousness. > A great miracle had been performed in broad daylight in the presence of so > many people, without their knowing it. No argument of the greatest > philosophers and scientists of the world will now make me doubt the > possibility of experiencing the "I" in its pure state or pure consciousness, > without any subject-object relationship. Of course, I myself had not the > least inkling of such a state even a second earlier, and I never expected to > get such an experience. I, an insignificant creature, wallowing in the mud > of mundane existence, and without any sadhana, being granted this supreme > experience! -- an experience which is rarely obtained even by great yogis > after austerest spiritual practices strenuously performed for ages together. > Such is the wonder of His Grace! -- immeasurable and unfathomable Grace! > > Excerpted from Anonymous, "Sri Ramana's Wondrous Grace" in Golden Jubilee > Souvenir: 1896-1946, 1946, > Tiruvannamalai: Ramanasramam, 3rd ed, 1995, pp. 459-62. > Copyright Sri Ramanasramam. Illustration: The sun, courtesy of NASA. > > http://realization.org/page/doc0/doc0072.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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