The Art of Self-Awareness
The ultimate truth is so simple, it is nothing more than being in one's natural original state (of Being Aware of Awareness/Ourself(Self-Awareness)). It is a great wonder that to teach such a simple truth, a number of religions and paths should be necessary, and so many disputes should go on between them as to which is the God-ordained teaching. What a pity! Just Look within and be the Self (Be aware of your own Being/Awareness/ I Am-ness), that is all.-- Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
"It is not wrong to desire Happiness(Peace), for it is your own Self(Real Nature). What is wrong is to seek it outside when it is Inside" - Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
This is a summary on spiritual practice to the best of my understanding. I have tried to summarize the many books, scriptures and inner realizations/experiences I have read/experienced over the last few years into a condensed summary to save some people lots of reading and to deepen my own understanding. May this document be of benefit to you.
Of all the teachers I have come across, none shine as brightly as Sri Ramana Maharshi. His life, the epitome of humility and compassion. His teaching, the most direct and clear, with no need for beliefs or dogmatic ways of thinking. Always directed at inner experience and practice rather than just intellectual analysis/debate. This man is the Whitest spot on white wall… The embodiment of Peace and Love
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi on Spiritual Liberation:
"When the mind moves even a little, that is samsara
(worldly bondage/ego/suffering); when the mind abides firmly and
motionlessly (in the state of Self/Pure Awareness devoid of objects), that is Moksha (Liberation from all suffering and the illusory cycle of birth and death). This is certain. Therefore, know that the wise man must hold
his mind firm by the powerful practice of Self-Awareness."
PART I
"In truth, you are Spirit (bodiless Awareness). The body has been projected by the mind, which itself originates from Spirit (appears within it). If the wrong identification (with mind and body instead of Awareness) ceases, there will be peace and permanent indescribable bliss." (Arising from Being aware of Awareness, which is the knowledge that "I Am") - Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
Defining some terms: Self/Awareness/Consciousness/I Am/Being/God/Life/Attention/Reality all denote the same thing, namely, You(not the body/mind/ego that we now take ourself to be but the True Meaning of the word " I ") !!
Self-Awareness/Consciousness of Being (I Am)/Self-Abidance/Self-Attention/Self-Investigation/Presence/Meditation/Stillness all denote the practice of being Aware of Awareness/Being Self-Aware, since Awareness is ourSelf. Turning our attention away from the mind-body-world and fixing it on the subtle, featureless, formless, Self-Awareness, our own Presence. This Presence is now mixed up with the awareness of the body-mind, which is just our ego, what we take ourself to be now.
O Arunachala (the unmoving Self), you root out the egos of all who think (look within and become aware) of you in the Heart. Such is your Grace! Graciously bestow upon all the state of immaculate Liberation in which no return to this miserable ocean of birth and death is possible! -- Verse of a poem by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
Unless the yearning for the state of Liberation, free of all thoughts/bodys/sense-objects, becomes intense, our minds will constantly misinterpret/ignore the teachings of the great Ones and/or cherry pick the aspects that allow the ego to survive. This is a self-preservation strategy inherent in the ego, therefore be vigilant in seeing this mechanism within your mind, for it is truly the only real obstacle to practicing intensely and thereby destroying this filthy ego-life forever. Bhagavan's Grace flows in proportion to our earnestness on this path and will never fail to deliver the earnest one to the state of Pure Awareness, Liberation, our true nature. Link to a page describing the ego-preservation strategies:
Keep in mind that even though reading about the practice is technically a ego preservation strategy, it can be of aid in that it strengthens our understanding of what the practice is and also inspire us to practice more frequently and more intensely. So reading and reflecting are definitely not in vain. However, it is good to always remember that practice alone can take us to our destination: Experiencing ourself alone as Pure Self-Awareness, devoid of all objects by turning our attention 180 degrees away from the mind-body-world complex and fixing it on ourself alone.
When the practice is with effort it is called "The Path", when it becomes effortless and permanent, It is called "The Goal". Simple as it is, our addiction to compulsive thinking, sense-pleasures as well as suffering(and all else that entails and brings) is quite strong. Very few beings are ready/willing to die as the egoic mind due to attachment, delusion and fear inherent in such a state(not seeing the inherent suffering that arises from such a mistaken identity) and abide permanently as simple Awareness which is by nature full of Peace and is the Absolutely Non-Dual Self-Conscious Being, "I AM"
When our power of Attention/Awareness is directed outwards away from Itself, thoughts(mind), the body and the world perceived through the five senses arise. When that same Awareness is turned 180 degrees toward Itself(The practice of Self-Attention) then mind, body, and world dissolve(in our subjective experience) and all that remains is Pure Consciousness where we are only Conscious of our own Existence/Being, free of all objects.
Therefore, the practice is not to gain our Self anew. It is only directed at destroying this extroversion of our Attention to thoughts/mind, the body and the world which creates the illusion that we are a separate entity in a vast world, rather than Knowing through direct experience that we are not anything other than Pure Awareness. When the mind is Silent(without sleeping(losing Self-Consciousness)) and yet we remain Aware of Being, "I Am", our True Nature(Awareness) shines forth clearly making it seem like it is something gained anew but really all that has happened is the many thoughts covering that Reality have been dispelled through persistent practice. ( Think of the Sun(Awareness) and clouds(thoughts))
You may control an enraged elephant and rob a hungry tiger of his meal. You may ride the lion and part the oceans. You may playfight with cobras and lick a scorpion's tail. You may live off sunlight and be forever youthful. You may walk on water and live in fire. But to gain absolute stillness of the mind is greater and more difficult(or most easy, if we are mature enough to surrender our mind into the Self by seeing that nothing else deserves our Attention.) -- Sri Thayumanavar
"I Am" is the only thing we are all certain about. We always know that "I Am". However, the ideas we have about what or who we are vary upon our conditioning and are numerous. Therefore, in order to find out what the True Nature of " I " is, we must vigilantly and keenly investigate/pay attention to this first person knowledge "I Am" and remain as that Pure Consciousness. This Consciousness of our own Being is at present mixed up and identified with the body and mind due to a lack of keen investigation into this Ever-Present Awareness(I Am).
‘When one refrains from looking out and noting outward objects, and abides within the heart in Self-Awareness, the ego disappears. The Pure Silence that then shines forth, is the immaculate state of Liberation(Unqualified Peace).’ -- Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
It can be sensed at any time as the Formless Presence that we are. It is not an object of the senses and cannot be cognised or imagined by the thinking mind. We can only BE it by fixing the power of our Awareness on ourSelf(Awareness). It is the substratum of all our experiences: "I went, I ate, I did, I saw, I dreamt, I slept, I am the body, I am the mind, I am Mr. so and so, I am depressed/angry/jealous/fearful/anxious/, I am lacking this, I am craving that etc etc." From the above mentioned common assertions, it is clear that we always know "I Am" but we identify this sense of Being with the body and mind. So it is clear that We Exist at all times but what we experience changes constantly. Since we can doubt what we are but not that we are, it is only proper to take this Consciousness of our own Being(Awareness that "I Am") as the target of our attention in order to experience and thereby Know ourSelves as we really are, free of all that we are not.
Since the body and mind cease to be experienced by us in the states of dreamless sleep, fainting, coma and Pure Awareness, our Self-Aware Existence cannot be dependent on the body-mind because we continue to Exist and be Aware(of ourSelf not objects) even without experiencing the body-mind. Thus it is clear that our experience of ourSelf is at present mixed up with these adjuncts(objects). Through the practice of Self-Awareness, we begin to experience ourSelf in our pure state free of objects(Pure Awareness).
‘It is folly to waste one’s life running in all directions searching different goals. Learn to practice firm abidance, at the feet of the Self Supreme, the Eternal and Auspicious Silence, which alone can still the ego’s restlessness.’ -- Sri Murugunar
So in terms of the practice Self-Awareness, in which we are remaining as mere Awareness(I Am), free of all changing objects, it would be improper to pay attention to any changing and fleeting thing(thoughts, emotions, body, world). Instead we must investigate(pay attention to) this extremely subtle but at the same time extremely obvious Inner Presence that is known to us all, at all times, but not clearly and consciously. This lack of clarity is due to the fact that we are much more fascinated and engaged in the world of sensual experience/sense-objects, our emotional highs and lows and the thoughts in our heads. This absorbs so much, if not all of our Awareness that we rarely turn within and experience ourselves clearly as "I Am" free of all these adjuncts and objects. This ignorance of our deepest Self creates a world of suffering and fear due to mistaken identity with the body-mind which is bound for destruction.
Our desire(s) to experience things other than ourSelf(the mind/body/world) creates the illusion that it takes "effort" just to Be. In reality, the effort of practice is only aimed at destroying this extroversion of our Attention away from ourSelf(Awareness) and increasing the Love to Just Be(Remain as Pure Awareness alone). So in the practice of Self-Awareness, the effort is not directed as Being ourSelf but only at refraining from "Becoming" a thought, body, and world by paying Attention to such things which are merely objects known by us instead of paying Attention to That which enables all objects to Be. (The Light of Consciousness Itself!)
Awareness (the Self), is not something foreign to us. Although saying: "The Self" seems to make it into an object of experience, it is not. It is That which is now looking through your eyes at these words! Spiritual practice is turning this familiar everyday Awareness, which illuminates all objects, 180 degrees towards Itself in order to experience ourselves as we really are at the deepest level(beyond the body and mind). A wonderful ancient verse from the Upanishads of India on this:
"Not that which the eye can see, but that whereby the eye can see: know that to be your Self, the Eternal, and not what people here adore; ("What people here adore" would be everything else, thoughts, body and a world of sense objects)
Not that which the ear can hear, but that whereby the ear can hear: know that to be your Self, the Eternal, and not what people here adore;
Not that which the mind can think, but that whereby the mind can think: know that to be your Self, the Eternal, and not what people here adore. "
--- The Upanishads
This is what spiritual practice is all about. It has nothing to do with beliefs, philosophies, dogma, theories and the rest. Anything you can think about, believe in or theorize in your mind, no matter how beautiful, is just a concept. Of course, some concepts have the Power to point to That which is beyond concepts. So reading and thinking about the practice, the state of Pure Awareness, the lives of great Sages like Ramana Maharshi and the obstacles to Abiding Firmly in our true Self can be of great help,purifying the mind, making practice easier. Thinking about such things will increase our inspiration and love to Realize the Immaculate State of Pure Consciousness, free of all suffering, all objects, all fear as well as ending the painful illusion of being a body-bound mind which repeatedly undergoes birth and death due to the compulsive and restless thought-waves that give rise to the ocean of sense-experience and misery.
Many people think that they are spiritual or enlightened just by merely adding "spiritual" concepts to their minds, "All is One", "I love everything", "I have no ego" "I am a great meditator" etc. without actually practicing the Art of Self-Awareness which totally destroys all concepts and is what all "spiritual" concepts are actually pointing towards, the State of Pure Awareness free of all concepts.
Diseases will not be cured merely by repeating the name of the medicine(thinking about meditation/Self-Awareness), but only by drinking the medicine(persistently practicing Self-Attention). Likewise, the bonds of birth and death will not leave us merely by thinking "I am the Supreme Self" but only by Abiding Silently as Self" -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
In fact, at a certain stage, all that one holds as dear and near in the mind(opinions, belief structures, fears, ideas about oneself and the world) must be set aside in order to Abide in that state of Silence where we clearly experience ourselves as "I Am" devoid of anything else.. At the deepest level, it is about knowing ourSelf by keenly, persistently and constantly attending to (Being Aware of) our Ever-Present sense of Being-ness or Awareness(the knowledge that "I Am"), our own Presence/Self!
If the mind falls asleep, awaken it. Then if it starts wandering, make it quiet. If you reach the state where there is neither sleep nor movement of mind, stay still in that, the natural (real) state(Self) which is also true Happiness(Peace). -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
Not believing in every thought that arises in the mind is the first step. You must realize first hand: "There are the thoughts, and here I Am, the Seer of them. Therefore I am not the thoughts that I see". If not, one will continuously identify with the mind and be at the mercy of whatever thoughts one has. If this essential separation does not happen, one will act according to his conditioning and will see himself and the world through a dense veil of mental concepts. Dis-identifying with the voice in the head frees you from it. The thoughts then will be no more powerful than a passing car on the road in terms of dictating how you feel. In short: You are not your mind! The mind is but a tool to be used when necessary and put down when not. Compulsive thinking is the root of suffering. Weed out this root by removing time from your mind(when not necessary for practical purposes) by being intensely Present and practicing the Art of Presence(Stilling the mind but remaining Aware that " I Am "(as opposed to sleep) and thereby be Liberated from the mind.
The term "I Am" sums up the Self very well. "I" represents Awareness and "Am" represents Existing. Since you cannot be Aware without Existing/Being, and you can't Be without being Aware of Being, They are actually one and the same thing. "I Am" is the Self-Conscious("I") Being("Am) that we are at all times. The practice is to remain and abide as this Consciousness by fixing all our attention on this Inner Presence instead of uselessly attending(paying attention) to thoughts which only perpetuates compulsive thinking and thereby obscures our Consciousness of Our Self. Not realizing the Greatness of such a practice, we are ignorant of our Blissful True Self and instead only look worldwards for any scraps of fleeting pleasures/experiences as a poor substitute for the Supreme State of Pure Awareness.
Man, the deluded ego-mind, cannot be freed from the fear and suffering of birth and death unless he stills the mind by taking refuge at the feet of the Supreme Self (The practice of Self-Abidance); for, the force of past deeds and desires(which create the illusory, painful cycle of birth and death) is unconquerable by any other method. -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
The love to pay attention to and thus abide as the Self(Meditate), which is Being-Awareness-Peace/Bliss(defined below) cannot take hold of one strongly so long as the desire/habit/tendency to:
- Think about sense objects/daydream/story make uselessly (at any time when thoughts are not needed for practical things/solutions)
- Create a conceptual sense of self through self-definitions and/or have a relationship with your"self" : (I am nobody, I am a failure, I am a great man, I am an educated scholar, I am a generous person, I am a liberal, I am a cynical person, I love myself, I hate myself, I am a success, I am a terrible person, I am a depressed person etc. etc)
- Engage in non-useful and/or hurtful speech. (gossip, insult, complaining)
- Dwell on and talk about what happened in the past pointlessly(as opposed to learning from it when needed) instead of Being Intensely Present with the Silence within.
- Project a future scenario which is seen as better than (excitement) or worse than (anxiety) the present moment (as opposed to practical planning when needed)
- Get angry at and resist whatever form the Present Moment takes, unconsciously believing that the anger or resentment will change what has already happened or what is happening in the Present. (does not imply complacency/inaction however. Just means you act from the clarity of Peace instead of the murky waters of agitation. In other words, not thinking "This shouldn't be happening" because you realize, it already IS happening! What could be more insane than to internally resist something that already IS. In other words, Accept deeply the Present Moment, then act.)
- Unnecessarily talk about the situation of society, other people or the world at large
- Dwell on and put down other people for their perceived shortcomings/habits in a mean way
- Incessantly crave and chase drug induced highs, thrilling sensory experiences or other sensory-pleasures in order to escape whatever discontent one feels within, believing the sense-objects to be the source of Happiness
- Engage in emotional arguments in order to be right and make the other person wrong and thus inflate the egoic mind. (feeling superior to the other by "proving a point" and feeling "I am Right! See! Ha! as opposed to practically stating facts when needed)
- Be consumed by the rest of the many other toxic and miserable inner states that come with Self-Ignorance/the egoic mind: jealousy, greed, anger, possessiveness, manipulation, exploitation, selfishness, heartlessness, discontent, delusions, insatiable lust for pleasure, grudges, irritation, boredom, restlessness, tension, stress, depression, fear and above all pride, the most venomous of all snakes...
Is stronger than the love of remaining in and practicing the state of Stillness/Pure Awareness/Thoughtless-Awareness, in which Being-Awareness-Peace(Self/Reality) is experienced with absolute clarity, like the Sun on a cloudless day. All of the above symptoms arise from the primal disease: that of fixing our attention on our Self- Awareness.
"Just as the tossing of oil on a fire does not extinguish it but only causes the flames to swell , so also by satisfying desires, the scorching flames of desire will never subside. Indeed desire is the mother of all misery, giving birth to anger, jealousy, greed, attachment and the rest." -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
"One's eagerness to give up being the ego and abide as the real Self must be equal to that of a person kept under water while trying to rise to the surface to breathe." -- Ramana Maharshi
‘Even in this worldly life, one’s labors bear no fruit without abundant faith and effort. Therefore, until one merges in the Boundless Supreme Bliss(The State of Pure Awareness), one’s strong zeal in spiritual practice should never slacken.’ -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
That being said, as soon as one earnestly practices any method whatsoever to still(withdraw attention from and thereby calm) the egoic mind (unobserved/unconscious thinking/imagination infused with a sense of self):
- Feeling/watching the breath with the attention as it flows in and out as well as the pause in between
- Taking the attention deep into the feeling of aliveness/Chi that pervades the entire body. (inner body awareness as described by Eckhart Tolle. Described here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZrY-TYZgZ5vap_uqTh52wLP0uGwoSXdoFa3MVIeBdIM/edit?usp=sharing )
- Repeating a word(s) with each inhale/exhale such as "I" with the inhale and "Am" with the exhale(for example) while ignoring all other thoughts.
- Being intensely Present with and giving attention to every movement and activity of the body. Especially simple tasks that are normally done unconsciously(attention is more absorbed in thinking than the action itself) which can be done consciously. (walking, eating, shaving, washing hands, simple chores etc.)
- Paying full attention to your senses/surroundings without mentally labelling what you see/hear etc.
- Concentrating on/repeating one word, phrase or image in the mind (such as " I Am") in order to divert all attention away from other thoughts that arise.
- Being a detached witness to thoughts that arise in the mind (being vigilant not to get carried into daydreaming. By not identifying with thoughts or believing that they are absolutely true/real, they dissolve as soon as they arise instead of looping)
- Above all however, is the most direct and powerful practice of Self-Awareness/ Self-Abidance (focusing the attention on the formless sense of Awareness/your own Presence/Knowledge that "I Am", which is not an object like any of the other things listed above^^).This implies also ignoring all else (thoughts, body, sense-objects) Therefore this practice is considered to be the most direct one because, since ourSelf is not limited to any object, we cannot remain merely as our Formless Self whilst attending to objects(Forms such as: breath, Chi/Energy/Life-Force/Prana, thoughts, emotions, sense-objects.)
You will begin to feel more clearly the natural, ever-present and Beautiful sense of Peace, Joy, Well-Being, Freedom and Love that naturally arise when Awareness is sensed as your own formless Presence. This state is always present but is almost constantly overlooked due to the fascination and addiction to objects of experience(thoughts/body/world) instead of the Experiencer itself! The love of just Being(Practicing Self-Awareness and not "becoming" an ego through thinking unconsciously) will also increase due to the intense satisfaction and vibrantly alive sense of Peace it brings. This inward pull only gets stronger the deeper and more frequently one goes into the Stillness.
The path could also be described thus: We have two choices, one is to direct our attention away from ourSelf(our Self-Awareness) and thereby experience a mind-body in a world filled with pleasure and pain. The other is to direct this same attention 180 degrees around to face itself and thereby merge in Pure Awareness, in which this ego-life dies once and for all and we abide in the state of Conscious-Sleep, Liberation. So also, desires could be broadly classified thus: The desire to attend to anything other than ourself, the mind-body-world, and the deisre/love to attend to ourSelf, the Formless, Silent, Intensely Peaceful and Excellent Awareness, devoid of the filthy body-mind experience
Any single person who even once experiences a taste of the natural state of Absolute, Unshakeable Peace, will never again be deluded into thinking that Peace can be gained through anything other than being Aware of ourSelf(Aware of your own Presence/sense of Awareness/Being). Such a person's Attention will never again swerve from Awareness even though his/her body is active. Such a person will most likely go through substantial changes in his behaviour towards others and will always have a love to stay in their natural state of unending Peace and Joy where one senses their formless Presence as the fundamental Consciousness of our own Being "I Am" free of all identifications such as "I am the body" "I am the Mind" "I am Mr. so and so" "I am a miserable failure" "I am x, y, z," etc. etc.. When the attention is focussed keenly and vigilantly on the first person knowledge "I Am"(Awareness(you) becoming aware of Awareness(yourSelf)), thoughts dissolve into the Silence of Pure Awareness.
"Reality is simply loss of ego. Destroy the ego by seeking its source (awareness). Because the ego has no Existence (being only thoughts), it will automatically vanish (when you are mentally silent/aware of awareness with no thought), and Reality (awareness) will shine forth by itself in all its glory. This is the direct path for all, regardless of religion." -- Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
Any moment when one is Content, Laughing, Happy, at Peace(within) etc etc, one is unconsciously tasting the Bliss that is inherent in our True Nature(our own Self). Because during such experiences, the mind's restless craving, daydreaming and fearing come to a relative standstill and thus the natural Bliss that is our Nature arises for some time and to some degree. If it comes to an Absolute standstill, then one will Never again lose Self-Awareness(by ignoring the Inner Presence(I Am)) and thereby Never lose the State of Peace. The Peace experienced during practice will slowly(or quickly) increase the Love of practicing Self-Awareness. Not realising that the State of Peace is always available if one earnestly takes up the practice of Self-Awareness, many people incessantly chase the pleasures and experiences of this world in order to briefly regain that state of Contentment which in truth, is one's own Nature.
A few possible signs of the inward pull towards Self may be:
- The increasing love for and intensity of practice
- A sense of dispassion for the world (Absence of agitating cravings/longings/fears)
- Inner Detachment (not being emotionally affected by whatever happens(pleasurable or painful) by remaining centered in Peace) towards everything (which does not mean an absence of love and care or totally inaction when action is required)
- Responding to what the Present Moment requires with a sense of Acceptance and Peace instead of reacting unconsciously in an agitated and therefore dysfunctional state of being.
- A distaste towards useless activities not conductive to practice and/or harmful to self or others
- A growing disgust/absence of craving for the petty pleasures of the senses which delude one into believing that Happiness/Peace/Joy/Bliss/ exists outside one's Self in the world of sense-objects and thus prevent the inward movement of practice because as long as you identify with the mind which believes Happiness lies without, why would you go within and dissolve (as an egoic entity)?
- Unconditional Love towards all "others" because you begin to sense that all so called "others" are fundamentally not separate from you and share that same Reality that you are beginning to experience more and more clearly. You begin to see through the perceived faults of others and instead sense the Unity you share(Compassion arises from this Inner Realization very naturally) (When the mind is more still and one rests in the Silence, one feels this as clearly as one would feel a bee sting on the lip!)
- Feeling the Presence of the Grace inherent in Life operating in the most wonderful and mysterious of ways.. (The helping hand) Grace makes you see that all your experiences in life are perfect for making you more Conscious of your Self (turned Inwards) by showing you that lasting Peace/Happiness cannot be gained from anything in the world of sense-perceptions and also that the world of sense objects can never take that Peace away when you are established in it deeply. This may manifest in a multitude of ways. (Losing something/one dear to you, facing physical illness/death, succeeding in something only to fail shortly after, disappointments and let downs, deep insights, not wanting to ride the roller coaster of highs and lows any longer, seeing the fleeting and painful nature of the body and world, seeing that the future is quite unpredictable and the past is just a graveyard, radical changes in behavior for the better, etc. etc)
"You call it meditation because other thoughts distract you. When these thoughts are dispelled, you remain in the state of meditation (Self-Awareness), free from thoughts. When the practise becomes firm, your real nature (Pure Awareness) shows itself as true meditation. When meditation (Being Aware of your Awareness/I Am-ness) is well established, it cannot be given up. it will go on automatically and permanently. For it will destroy the ego and the Eternal experience of Pure Awareness will arise, putting an end to suffering once and for all.-- Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
The practice of Self-Awareness/Self-Abidance can and must be "done" (although it is, more accurately, a state of just Being because it is really the giving up of all effort to think of anything so therefore cannot be said to be an action or doing as such.) during all activities of the body and in all situations with sustained attentiveness to be effective in destroying the egoic mind forever. Of course, the intensity of practice is greater when the body is at rest and you are able to devote all of your attention to Self-Awareness. It is harder to go deeper within whilst your attention is required for activity. Nonetheless it is still possible to sense "I Am".
"Always be consciously Aware of the "I Am" in all situations. No matter where you are or what you're doing, be Aware of the "I Am" within your Heart. This is the most effective practice" --- Sri Ramana Maharshi
"What does it matter if the mind is active? It is only so on the screen of the Self (awareness). Pay attention to the Self (awareness), even during mental activity. It is true wisdom for you to turn your attention(Awareness) away from outer objects(thoughts/body/world) and behold your own effulgent form of Pure Consciousness, devoid of objects." -- Sri(Pronounced Shree, is an honourable suffix usually given to spiritual teachers in India, similar to "Sir" in English. Similar to "Mahatma" meaning "Great Soul" e.g: "Mahatma Gandhi") Ramana Maharshi
"No one succeeds without effort. Those successful few owe their success in Self-Abidance to perseverance." - Sri Ramana Maharshi
However, dedicating time to sitting the body down comfortably and closing the eyes (or lying down if it doesn't lead to sleep) is very beneficial because so much attention is freed up (which normally goes out to the body/world of sense-objects/thoughts) to be more powerfully focused onto Awareness, the knowledge that "I AM", while ignoring thought/body/sense-objects. The value of formal seated Meditation on Self should not be underestimated. Although, being Aware of Self(I Am) is not impossible while the body is active either. When first beginning, it is easiest to get familiar with the practice when the body is set down to rest and you do not have to attend to the outer world(e.g.: Driving)
You are awareness. Awareness is another name for you. Since you are Awareness there is no need to attain or cultivate it. All that you have to do is give up being aware of other things, that is of the not-Self. If one gives up being aware of them then Pure Awareness(Devoid of all objects) alone remains, and that is the Self. - Sri Ramana Maharshi
When the mind succeeds in withdrawing your attention from Awareness or any object of your attention and into thinking, if you repeatedly bring it back, this power of concentration increases. As does the degree of Peace you feel, which is an aspect of Reality.
Reality in Indian Spirituality is described as having three characteristics, not separate from one another:
Sat-Chit-Ananda---- (Being/Existence)---(Awareness/Consciousness/Attention)-----(Bliss/Peace/Joy/Love)
You could also put it like this. When you become Aware/Conscious of your Being/Existence there arises a sense of Peace/Bliss. or when Awareness becomes Aware of Awareness, Peace is revealed as your own Being. You cannot Be without being Aware of Being. Likewise you cannot be Aware without Existing.
(Remember not to get stuck on the level of words, all words/concepts are only pointers to the Reality which is beyond the reach of the mind. The words are not it! )
Also note: Reality/Existence in Indian terminology is not the same as the English one. In our language, anything that is perceived/seen/experienced is usually termed as "real" or "reality". However, in Indian languages, Reality/That which is Real/That which exists must meet three prerequisites: Reality must be:
1. Eternally Present (cannot be non-Existent at some one point then appear. In other words, No Beginning, no End.)
2. Without Change, Permanent
3. Self-Shining/Self-Evident (whereas all objects of perception and conception(thoughts) require the Light of Awareness to be known, Awareness requires nothing other than Itself to be known(think of the Sun), thus it reveals Itself through Itself in Itself and by Itself. It is totally independent of any object(Earth) and yet all objects(thoughts, sense-perceptions etc.) are dependent on Awareness/Consciousness/Attention(the Sun) to be known and exist.
Therefore, the world of sense-objects, thoughts in the mind and emotions in the body cannot be considered Real or Reality in this sense of the word. But since we take them to be absolutely real and ignore or overlook the Ever Shining Reality within ourselves, we experience fear and suffering due to mistaken identification with the body and mind which are impermanent projections of our extroverted attention.
"Know well that there is no permanent foothold anywhere for you to stand in Peace except in remaining as the one Reality, your very Self. Destroy useless desires and fears towards everything, but without aversion [towards anything] by Self-Abidance and abide in the Heart as the Supreme Consciousness, "I Am" which eternally shines in all its glory. "
---Sri Ramana Maharshi
One’s own reality [Self], which shines within everyone as " I Am ", is the ocean of unalloyed Bliss. Therefore misery, which is unreal like the horn of a horse, truly does not exist except in mere imagination. - Sri Ramana Maharshi
The key to effective practice of Self-Abidance/Self-Awareness/Being aware of Awareness/Meditation, is to not struggle, suppress or get irritated with thoughts but to be relaxed (it is a state of ultimate relaxation but without drowsiness) and yet intensely alert and persistently, consistently and gently withdraw the power of your Attention/Awareness from thinking/imagining and fix the attention on Awareness Itself whenever you notice that you have lost sight of your Self(Consciousness of " I Am") due to unconscious thinking and imagining. Disinterest in thoughts is essential or else thoughts will pull you in and absorb all your attention and the flow of practice will be interrupted.
"Having annihilated the delusive mind which always dwells upon worldly things, having killed the restless ego, and having completely erased the worldly cravings for name, fame and pleasure, shine brightly as Pure Consciousness! -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
In fact, every thought we think and everything we experience can be used as reminder to pay attention to ourSelf because an experience or thought only exists if we exist in order to experience/think it. So in truth, every object of experience is only a reminder that "I AM". So when thoughts arise, not giving it interest and attention, remain aware of your Self(Awareness/I Am).
"When you give up thinking of outward objects and prevent your attention from going outwards by turning it inwards and fixing it on the Self (Awareness), the Self (Pure Awareness free of objects) alone remains." Sri Ramana Maharshi
Awareness is then revealed as the Light that enables every object to be, your own Presence/Self. It is not something mystical and far away that is to be gained from out of the sky! Our addiction to thinking and extroverted attention is the only thing that has to be given up coupled with an increasing love to pay attention to the Consciousness of Being " I Am ".
(Analogy on practice: The movie screen(Awareness) is not seen so long as you are looking at(projecting) the images(thoughts) displayed on the screen(Awareness) but only when the images(thoughts) stop being projected.)
"In the waking or dream state in which things appear, and in the sleep state in which we see no objects, there is always the Light of Consciousness or Self, like the hall lamp which is always burning. The thing to do is to concentrate on the Seer and not on the seen, not on the objects, but on the Light which reveals them." -- Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
The act of ignoring body, sense-objects and thoughts/images in the mind(when not required) and focusing the Attention, which was previously absorbed in thinking, on the Awareness of Being (The sense/knowledge that, "I Am") is precisely the practice of Self-Awareness as taught by the Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi and many other Saints from Ancient times(and modern). (Be more fascinated with the Light then the objects illumined by it)
'Being Still' is not an effortless state of indolence. All mundane activities which are ordinarily called effort are performed with the aid of a portion of the mind(attention) and with frequent breaks. But the act of communion with the Self or remaining still inwardly is an intense activity which is performed with the entire attention and without break. Self-Ignorance(suffering), which cannot be destroyed by any other act, is completely destroyed by this intense activity which is called 'Silence'. ~ Ramana Maharshi
Another way of describing it:
Be Aware that you are Aware, while ignoring all else, not allowing thought to go on by paying attention to the thoughts that arise and getting lost in daydreaming. Destroying each and every thought that arises by not giving it the Light of Awareness, the thought will then dissolve right away into the Silence from which it came. There must be an uninterrupted effort to not allow thoughts to go on and instead attend to your own Being, the Consciousness of "I Am"
This is because nothing can survive without the Light of Awareness(You) attending to it (thoughts). Some people find it helpful to say in the mind, " I ", " I Am " or ask " Who Am I? " when they find they have lost themselves in thinking as these words or phrases point turn your attention back onto your Self, Awareness, the first person Knowledge(not thought), "I Am". Thoughts about the world of sense-objects(anything we experience) will divert our attention outwards and away from ourSelf, the formless "I Am"/Awareness
The question "Who Am I?" can be an aid to getting familiar with the first person Consciousness, " I Am". After asking the question, don't expect or create a verbal/mental answer because any answer that arises in the mind is just another concept. Instead, after you say " I ", " I Am " or ask " Who Am I?", pay attention to/sense your own Formless, Unconditioned, Silent, and Peaceful Presence.
The reason the practice of paying attention to Awareness or the knowledge " I Am" seems to be difficult is because:
1. Our attention at present is not one-pointed and refined enough to hold firmly onto just Awareness. This is because everything else we are used to attending(paying attention) to has a distinctive form and various qualities and things that make it stand out. (thoughts, the body, and every object of experience). However, Awareness, our Self, has no form or features. Thus it seems at first to be very subtle and so practice is required to refine the attention to be Aware of the featureless Awareness.
2. We have a stronger desire to think about sense-objects and enjoy them rather than remain as the Simple, Non-Dual, First-Person Consciousness of Being, I AM. Not realizing the intense Bliss that arises by Abiding as such, we repeatedly imagine that Bliss arises from the world of sense-objects or thoughts in our mind. The dispassion for the world and disgust for being an ego must be strong in order to stop thinking(when not necessary) and turn our Attention inwards onto the first person Consciousness, I Am.
"Whatever thought may arise, not to let it live or grow, but to destroy it then and there, without the least slackness, by merging it back into the Silence(by ignoring it totally and remaining as Awareness with the attention fixed on that Inner Presence), is the Exalted practice of Desirelessness/Dispassion and is the only practice worth undertaking for putting an end to birth and death." -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
That being said, Awareness is, paradoxically, closer(no distance), more intimate and more obvious than any object since, it is our Self! Since at the deepest level we are That which we are trying to pay attention to, it cannot be said to be foreign to us or difficult! What seems to be difficult is JUST remaining with the simple Awareness of Being(Awareness), " I Am" and not getting dragged into thinking. Since there is a strong addiction to attending to thoughts, the practice is refraining from doing so by instead attending to ourSelf, the Consciousness of Being(I AM). Thus it is technically not a "doing" but a state of just Being(ourSelf)!
"If you desire to attain the Eternal Greatness(Self), devoid of the defect of birth and death, the correct sadhana(practice) is to meditate(pay attention) upon the present time and present place(The space of the Eternal(Timeless) Now in which all objects come and go), which does not have the least modification of coming and going." -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
Another key to success in this practice is the development of indifference to whatever thoughts arise. Unless of course they are practical and necessary ones that require your attention to deal with whatever the Present Moment requires of you. Note: Even while thinking, talking, walking, eating, working etc. Attention/Awareness can still remain turned inward onto Awareness. In fact, in the state of Presence, you can give a higher quality of attention to your surroundings and the interactions you have with people because your attention is no longer lost in thinking and is now more available to give to others. A much deeper connection takes place when one is Present instead of lost in thinking. Whomever you interact with from Presence will usually either consciously or unconsciously feel good in your Presence because they can feel that they are being acknowledged and not judged.
‘Just as in a sky covered with thick clouds no eye can see the glorious sun, so also one fails to see one’s own Self when the mind is darkened by the dense cloud of restless thoughts.’
-- Sri Ramana Maharshi
Since it is our own Self, nothing that happens externally can actually prevent us from remaining Aware of Being(I Am). Although, when engaged in other activities, especially in the beginning of practicing, it will be more difficult to hold onto that Presence in comparison to sitting quietly and practicing.
In other words, We are(unconsciously) always the Self(Awareness), but are not consciously abiding as that, instead choosing to seemingly become the ego through extroverted attention and unconscious thinking thereby ignoring the Substratum of all experience, the " I Am ".
The reason for this is that so long as you are more interested and attached to the thoughts that arise (especially if it is emotional interest/attachment) and the world of sense-objects, then your attention will be absorbed in compulsive thinking again and again and you will lose the continuous flow of Awareness on Awareness(Meditation upon the first person Consciousness " I Am ").
However, If/When a thought(sound/word/image) in your head arises you ignore it and use it as a reminder to turn your attention back on Awareness(or any of the above mentioned objects of concentration), the thought will immediately dissolve into the Silence from whence it came and you remain as the Self, "I Am". One's dispassion towards useless thinking must be equivalent to the disregard one gives to a fallen pine needle in a vast forest. In other words, utter disinterest.
Analogy: If in a movie theater, you decide to ignore the images(thoughts, body, world) and instead turn 180 degrees and face the Light(Awareness) that projects the movie, then the images will obviously not be seen!
"The Sages declare that Pure Silence is firm abidance in egoless, Pure Awareness. For such thought-free Silence, the means is clinging to the Self within the Heart." (Ignoring the movements of the mind and instead focussing the Attention on Awareness(Attention Itself)
-- Sri Ramana Maharshi
If the practice of Self-Awareness seems too subtle or difficult to grasp at the moment, you may take up any of the above listed objects(following the breath, feeling of aliveness/energy that flows in the body, etc) to fix your attention on in order to withdraw attention from thoughts/imagination which quiets the mind as well as strengthens the power of concentration so that the final and direct practice of Self-Awareness, which is more subtle, becomes easier.
The other practices also make the mind quite calm and are very beneficial for purifying the mind and making it calmer and more clear by rooting you in the Present. This is because you cannot, for example, be aware of your breathing or feel the energy that pervades the body, without being intensely Present. Being Aware of the thoughts in our mind also prevents us from totally identifying with and believing what the voice in our head is saying. "I am the worst person" will be just as meaningless as "I am the greatest man alive", both being imaginary concepts about ourSelf.
That is why since Ancient times the breath has been a popular meditation "object" because you can't really think about it but you can be aware of it and feel/watch it happening spontaneously and effortlessly in the Present moment. Thus, the practice forces you into the Present and thereby stills the thought process or at least makes you aware of what kind of thoughts are arising. In contrast, when you are not Present, your thinking becomes unconscious and is then infused with a sense of "me" or self because You, Awareness, are totally absorbed in and identified with the thought process (as opposed to being Aware of it as an object separate from you, the "I Am" Consciousness"). With practice, you will realize that you cannot be lost in thinking AND be totally Present with the breath/surroundings/inner-body(feeling of energy in the body etc.)
When one totally believes the mind, one's sense of Being/Self or "I Am-ness" becomes identical to/identified with the thoughts and images that arise in the mind. So, for example, if the mind says "This is an outrage, I can't believe you said that to Me! I am furious!" or "I am a terrible, degenerate low life that deserves to die" and you are totally identified with the mind, (you are not aware that you are thinking because there is no space of Awareness "around" the thought so to speak) you will rage/become agitated and you will feel like a terrible, degenerate low life and possibly commit suicide… Such is the power of mistaken identification!
Note: *the word "Identify" means to make the same. So when it is said, "stop identifying with the mind" It means, give up equating your sense of " I "(Being-ness) with the words and images that arise in your head.*
The most important step is to be Present as the watcher of the thoughts in your mind in order to see how they create negative emotions and control your behaviour. Identifying with the mind creates compulsive and addictive behaviour and obscures the faculty of reason, will-power and above all Self-Awareness. When the attention is lost in thinking, the Present Moment is almost always considered to be either an obstacle to be overcome, an enemy or at best, a means to an end. In other words, the future becomes more important than the Present and thus we never give our full attention to the Now. You can observe this movement within yourself as an almost constant pull to the "next moment". This of course links back to the ego's addiction to time(past and future) which it depends upon for survival. No time=No mind. Of course this does not apply to practically using the concept of time to function in this world but more to the psychological obsession with past and future.
Since the practice of Self-Awareness has two components, namely, of withdrawing the attention from all objects AND focusing it on the first person knowledge "I Am" (Awareness), practicing any method of concentration on an object (watching the breath, repeating a word(s) (I Am for example) in the mind repeatedly, feeling the inner body(Flow of Chi/Energy) etc) will only strengthen the power of withdrawing attention from other thoughts but will not assist one in fixing the attention solely on Awareness. Therefore it is best to make effort to practice Self-Attention from the beginning.
An analogy for this: Imagine you are learning how to ride a bike and you have to bike from San Francisco to Vancouver. While learning, it would be wise to start learning while going north(Self-Awareness) towards Vancouver instead of practicing while going south (Concentration on the breath, inner-body, thoughts, a mantra etc.) because then you would be furthering yourself from the destination (Thought-less Pure Awareness of I Am free of all objects)
That being said:
When the breath is watched, without manipulating it, it calms down and deepens. When breath is calm/slow, mind is calm and vice-versa. Therefore, by calming the breath, mind movements slow down, enabling one to attend to Awareness more easily. This can be used as an aid to calming the mind. Once the breath is calm and the mind's movements slow down, begin to shift your Attention away from the breath and onto Awareness Itself(Attention Attending to Attention). Slow, deep breathing is also immensely healing for the body.
Just as the reflection of the Sun on agitated waters
seems to break up, but remains perfect on a calm surface,
so also am I, the Conscious Self, unrecognizable in agitated minds though I clearly shine in those which are calm. -- Hastamalaka Stotra
A note on surrendering the egoic sense of doership: The idea that we as individuals are the sole doers of actions is a total illusion. Although in common conversation it is necessary and useful to say "I Did" "I Went" "I Ate" etc. Inwardly, one must always remember.. there are trillions of cells and processes going on continuously within just this one body without our thinking.. That Supreme Life-Force digests food, rebuilds cell, beats the heart, pulls in air, takes in and processes of all sensory input, secretes the perfect amount of enzymes and fluids to take food and make it into bones, brain cells, muscles etc. and millions of other processes simultaneously.... Not even to mention the literally infinite causes of every single action of every single thing in existence. So even to say that "By my own effort I did this, that and the other. Look at me! How great I am at this!" is an utter delusion if one looks at the bigger picture.
Would passengers, if wise, carry their luggage on their own heads, while travelling on a train which hauls, under steam-power, the heaviest loads like wisps of straw? Similarly, since, by it’s very nature, the Supreme Power alone sustains all things, it is wise for people to leave the burdens[mental stress and anxiety] of their life on that Supreme Power, and thus to feel free. -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
Therefore, to foolishly think that somehow there is a "Me" that does everything (or fails at everything) is a grand delusion that gives birth to pride (or depression). Why not put down your luggage (sense of doership) realizing that the train(Life) carries the weight and surrender to the Supreme(the train)? The ego getting out of the way, that Power can then use the mind, body and speech much more gracefully and effectively, taking care of all that needs to be taken care of with no more anxiety, stress and struggle. This is because when your attention is rooted in the Present and not lost in thinking, (being without thought but still Aware) any action that is necessary happens spontaneously and is much more likely to be effective because more Attention flows into the action. The state of final and full Inner Surrender, which can only come by abiding as Pure Consciousness alone, can be summarized by the old Christian prayer:
"Not My Will O Lord, But THY WILL BE DONE!"
So long as we think that life should not have happened the way it has or we resist the form of the present moment, or are anxious about the future, we can determine that full surrender has not happened. This is not to say at all that one should never take action to improve one's situation, help another person or take effective action when required. It only means giving up the sense of "I am the Doer" or "I am doing this kind action that is helping someone, look how generous I Am" etc. etc. while totally accepting inwardly the form of the present moment, whatever form that happens to be. With Acceptance, comes Peace. From Peace comes Clarity. And from Clarity, the right action arises spontaneously, almost effortlessly, and with no stress. Leading to a far more productive result. If no action is possible, and you cannot remove yourself from a certain situation, then you rest in deep Acceptance and Inner Peace until you can take action or remove yourself.
Acting without expecting a personal reward is what is meant. It does not mean we are ignorant of the possible outcomes of actions, it just means our Inner Peace is not affected in the least by the results(good or bad) of actions. The fruits of actions are totally out of our hands. For example: If we do good deeds such as charity but expect something in return(recognition, profit) then that action is just as ego-based as any other and we will experience some form of let-down/suffering. The causes and therefore effects of everything are infinite and therefore way beyond the comprehension of the human intellect.
However, acting in a logical and beneficial way for all is still proper, of course. If we act with pure intention and without expecting personal rewards then the action is far more likely to be beneficial and productive as it will be empowered by Life itself, since the egoic entity is not present to interfere and pervert the efforts. In other words: We are free to will, but what we will is predetermined by Life, as is the result of our actions. So our duty is to use this will usefully and for the benefit of all without being attached emotionally to the outcomes.
The best course of action is to be totally independent on what happens for our Inner Peace. Instead, if we realize that the Peace/Happiness we seek is actually within, our love to turn within and abide as the Self, our True Nature, will increase more and more as will our dispassion for the world of sense-experience. The more deeply rooted within ourSelf we are, the less we will be inwardly affected by whatever happens outside(anything through the five-senses and within our mind).
"Those who dive deep within, fixing their attention in Self -- the Bliss of Consciousness, the vast ocean of Peace, the Greatest thing -- will attain the Grace of Self, the unending treasure." -- Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
It may be helpful to remember that everything that happens can show us the changing, fleeting, unstable quality of the world/body. This can create in us a disgust for sense pleasures by seeing that they do not lead to permanent, lasting and therefore REAL Happiness, Joy or Peace but delude us into believing otherwise. So, with this knowledge, it becomes easy to turn away from thoughts/body/world and go deeper within, into the Silence of our Being and welcome whatever comes to us uninvited as a blessing in disguise(Grace).
Again, Acceptance does not mean complacency and inaction when action is required of you in practical situations. If you know for example you can save a group of children from being run over by a car by yelling out to them, you wouldn't think, "I must accept this and allow them to be destroyed"......
The Supreme Power/Life, which we ultimately not separate from in the least, always gives all beings the most helpful experiences possible (whether painful or pleasurable, loss or gain, success or failure etc.) to help them develop spiritually(go deeper within).. If one Inwardly surrenders to it, one will see clearly how this Grace operates.
The mature aspirant, discriminating and knowing well that all the sufferings that come to him by destiny are sent by God's Grace in order to make his practice of Self-Abidance stronger and thereby save him, let that aspirant bear with all challenges and suffering patiently as part of spiritual practice, without being alarmed even in the least. -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
Of course, full and total Surrender is only possible if you fully surrender the resentful, fearful and complaining egoic mind into that Concept-Free Awareness by practicing Self-Abidance/Self-Awareness. So surrender of the ego and practice of Meditation on Awareness(Self) is one and the same thing!
Ego-Death happens in a split second, after which, we will eternally be aware ONLY of ourSelf-Conscious Being, Silent, Formless and indescribably Peaceful. In the eyes of others, they may see our body mind continue acting as normal, but in our subjective experience, we will be in Conscious-Sleep, Conscious in that we are Aware of ourSelf/Being, but asleep in that we will no longer experience ANY mind-body-world. Ternal Peace can only become reality in this Non-Dual state because only when there is no duality will there be no desire and no fear. Up until this moment, we are in the stage of practice, purifying the mind of its attachments more and more until all that we truly desire is this state of Conscious-Sleep.
In that state, we come to know that we have never been the "doer" because the "doer" is also one of the many thoughts that arise. The Supreme Awareness, which we are not separate from, alone is responsible for everything that happens. When thinking, words and actions are required, that Power will do the right thing spontaneously using the mind, speech and body much more effectively and much better than any egoic reaction born out of effort, stress, anxiety and struggle.
Aside from practicing Meditation(at all times, not just when one can sit down and close the eyes), which is the obviously the best way to deepen the experience of Stillness, Ramana and other teachers of old always, when asked, stated quite firmly that the greatest of all rules of conduct for helping cultivate calmness of mind were: Moderation of Speech, Moderation of Sleep, Moderation of Activity, Eating only Sattvic foods in moderate quantities and above all, absolute Humility in all circumstances.
Note: In Ayurvedic Science (Indian Medicine) Sattva(literally, "of the nature of Truth/Being") is one of three qualities of nature inherent in all things. Representing purity, clarity, calmness, love, joy etc. Sattvic foods would be: uncontaminated, fresh, whole/minimally processed and if possible organic: ripe fruits(all), vegetables(all), raw honey, pure maple syrup, properly prepared(soaked, sprouted and/or fermented): grains legumes nuts and seeds, Organic grass fed dairy*, preferably raw and fermented/soured: butter, sour cream, raw milk cheeses, yogurt, kefir. Coconut oil, extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil, ghee, herbs, and no old or over cooked/spiced foods. Certain spices(cayenne, chilli powder) tend to make the mind more restless while some help calm it (turmeric, basil and cinnamon for example). If you google Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic qualities/foods you can learn more in depth into the three qualities of nature and which foods increase which qualities of mind/body based on Ayurvedic science.
*Dairy being Sattvic is now debatable since the treatment and health of even organic dairy cows is severely compromised. Also, male cows in the dairy industry are killed young for veal so buying dairy supports this. Eating Vegan alone can be considered Sattvic in todays world.
Ramana (and countless other spiritual teachers of old) state that the intake of Sattvic food and Sattvic sensory information such as: calming and pleasant music perhaps sung with devotion to the Supreme(classical Indian Music for example), company of cheerful/peaceful people who realize the greatness of meditation on the Self, company of people who are humble and see the falseness of the ego, company of people who are not totally and solely engrossed in pursuing sense pleasures/objects/experiences, people who don't prattle their mouths harshly and in vain, natural landscapes(forests, beaches), focussing on the good qualities of others rather than faults, refraining from feeding the mind movies, tv shows, books, articles etc. filled with violence, hate, fear and drama, etc. etc. are the most helpful of all observances in calming the mind and making the practice of Self-Awareness (or any meditation) easier. I can attest to this since experimenting with diets of all sorts.
- Note: It must be added that regardless of where you are, what food you eat or what you're life situation is, practice is possible. Many people complain that their life circumstances must all become perfect and easy: "I must be healthy, rich, get a house, car, wife etc. etc. before I can begin practicing and/or be at Peace." This is a delusional excuse created by the ego to prolong its lifespan. As Eckhart Tolle stated rightly in A New Earth: "Listen to people's stories and they all could be entitled "Why I Cannot Be At Peace Now". The ego doesn't know that your only opportunity for being at Peace is Now."
Spiritual practice cannot be a part time gig and ultimately, like anything, can only be done Now and need only be done Now. . Since your entire life experience happens in the Now, Practice can only take place Now. The rest is anticipation(I will meditate at 4pm.) or memory(Wow, I'm a great meditator, I meditated for 2 hours this morning), also known as THOUGHT. In other words, when you're thinking of what you have done or will do(unnecessarily), at that moment the flow of Attention on the Consciousness, I Am, is interrupted.. Thus there must be an extremely vigilant effort at all times to be Self-Attentive.(Aware of Being("I Am")) Which also implies being Absolutely Present. Otherwise, Time will creep into the mind and create innumerable useless thoughts about what has happened or what may happen.
Link containing Ramana's response to questions on diet/conduct:
"The Sages say that the treasure of Silence, the unbroken state of Attention to Self(Awareness) – is the real wealth. That lustrous Supreme treasure, which is difficult to attain, is the wealth which is available only to those who have the love to destroy all thought."
-- Guru Vachaka Kovai verse 1066
"Know that for those who abide within with dutiful love for Self, Bliss will overwhelmingly rise more and more. Bliss, Love, God, Shiva, Self, Grace, Knowledge, Peace and Liberation – all these are only names for one’s own real Nature(Pure Awareness)." -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
From what I have gathered, It is my firm conviction that if you are blessed to have any inclination whatsoever towards this kind of material and practice, then I recommend that you kindle that flame as you would the life of your baby child. (If you have read this far, you qualify)
Make the best use of this extremely rare human birth!
Just think for a moment….
Out of all mobile and immobile things in the universe, the mobile are few.
Out the mobile there are hundreds of millions of species/life-forms(just on Earth…).
Out of the millions and millions of life-forms, one is the Human Being.
Of all the human beings in the world, very few indeed are destined to be exposed to a spiritual teaching/teacher or have an awakening experience. (The number of people is increasing however, at this stage of the human evolution because more people are seeing the insanity of the egoic state of Consciousness)
Of those that do, very few will have the clarity of mind to recognize the significance of the experience or their readings and thereby seek to realize the state of Self, which is beyond all misery.
Of those that do, very few are truly and utterly fed up with the suffering that comes with the egoic state and the endless cycles of birth and death that follow and therefore they may flirt with these concepts, but will not be inspired/fed up with being a body-mind enough to earnestly read, contemplate and practice what these concepts are pointing to.
Of Those that are fed up with suffering in all its forms, earnestly read/contemplate the teaching/words of a teacher and recognize the need for practice, few are willing to surrender and dissolve the familiar individual ego(thinking mind) in the Supreme Self by fixing the attention on the Formless Self/Pure Awareness whilst ignoring thought. (The practice of Self-Awareness is no doubt the final and highest practice as stated by Sri Ramana, all other practices mentioned above and elsewhere are only aids to Silencing the mind.)
This is due to the addiction to thinking, the attachment to sensory experience/the body, the fear of the unknown and of that which is beyond the intellect. Ultimately this fear and attachment is rooted in the deep seated fear of death which is unavoidable as long as the ego appears to exist because the ego identifies with a limited form, namely, a physical body subject to birth and death. When Self-Attention grows in intensity and the Silence of mind increases in length, the ego starts to sink into its source(Silent Self-Awareness) during which, the attachment to (Consciousness of) the body/mind/world begins to dissolve.
The egoic mind then senses it's incoming destruction and may attempt to prevent the experience of Pure Awareness(devoid of thought/body/world) by creating an intense fear of death(sometimes a great heat and trembling of the body as well) which shocks the compulsive mind to think about our attachments to family, friends and the world. Or it says: "What is happening to Me?! " and thus disrupts the Stillness. (I have experienced this a few times and Ramana also has talked about it.). This is because so long as we identify ourSelf as the body-mind, when we begin to lose Awareness of the body in such deep states of meditation, a fear of death arises because we mistakenly believe that "We" are dying. Whereas in reality, all that is happening is the false ego-consciousness is being removed through the powerful practice of Self-Awareness. Thus, the yearning to die as this ego must be very intense for us to let go of our individual ego-experience and abide as our real Self, Pure Awareness devoid of all objects.
One’s fear and quaking of one’s body while one is entering samadhi (the state in which you are only Aware of Awareness/Being, "I Am" and nothing else (no thoughts/body/world) is due to the slight ego-consciousness still remaining. But when this dies completely, without leaving even a trace, one abides as the vast space of Pure Consciousness where Bliss (Peace) alone prevails, The quaking then stops, as does the fear(of death), never to return." -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
If the fear of death truly comes and takes possession of us, that alone will be sufficient. The power of our attention will then automatically turn within and take refuge in the Deathless and Birthless Supreme Self, The Pure(object/body free) Consciousness, "I Am". However, if the fear of death comes to those who are possessed by selfishness, perverted intellectual cunning and immature discrimination between the Real(Consciousness) and unreal fleeting sense-objects and pleasures, then such people will ruin themselves and waste this lifetime by making great efforts to enjoy all the petty pleasures of the five senses before the body perishes while simultaneously looking down on those who practice the noble disciplines required to gain Liberation from the miserable cycle of birth and death. -- Sri Sadhu Om
To most people, death is but an abstract concept and therefore the implications of it are not contemplated deeply enough to drive people to look to the practice of Self-Abidance which bestows Liberation, Eternal Freedom from the misery of taking a body to be "I" and experiencing the diseases, pains, fleeting pleasures, decay and death of that body repeatedly over and over due to Self-Forgetfulness.
But if the fear of death comes to people who have mature and calm minds, they will scrutinize the connection that exists between the "I" that is common to all and the body composed of flesh by keenly focussing their attention on their Knowledge of Being "I Am" in order to find out, “To what extent does the death of the body affect me(The Silent, Formless Presence/Awareness)?”. Having understood, “If death is only the destruction of the body, then it is merely the state in which I, Consciousness, am separated from the insentient body,” the mind of such a aspirant will come to a bold determination, “Let me remain in the same manner as I would be when death occurs, in practice.” (In the state of Pure Self-Awareness in which one is only Aware of Existing(I Am) but no thoughts, body or world of sense-objects.) Sri Sadhu Om
Only perseverance in the practice of Self-Awareness, inner surrender to Life(The Present Moment itself) and the Grace of the Supreme Self, which is always present and identical with our effort, will help one overcome this intense fear of death that may arise and prevent one from merging permanently in the Thought-Less Reality, Self.
The fear of death is really the fear of non-Existence. Since we are Existence-Consciousness itself, we fear this supposed death of our Existence very much. The belief that we cease to exist when the body ceases to exist is due to identifying our Self(the Formless Conscious principle that we are) with a body(which is an insentient collection of food, water, minerals and 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% space), and is called the "I am the body" idea...
Since our nature is Being-Consciousness "I Am", when we identify with a body in the form of the thought/experience: "I am this body of flesh and bones" and that said body is threatened with destruction(as all bodies eventually will be), we will then experience this great fear because we fear losing our (much loved) Self, namely, our Existence-Consciousness "I Am". However in the state of Pure Awareness as well as dreamless sleep/fainting, it is quite clear that we continue to Exist(Be Aware) in the absence of the body and mind. Pure Awareness can be compared to dreamless sleep, but with a clarity of Self-Awareness, The knowledge that "I Am". Sometimes termed, Conscious-Sleep.
In our subjective experience, which is what we must use in the science of Self-Knowledge, We experience no body or mind in dreamless sleep, swoon, fainting, Self-Realization etc. thereby proving that we continue to Exist(Be Aware that "I Am") without a body or mind. The fact that we are still Aware of our own Existence("I Am") in the state of dreamless sleep where thoughts and the body are totally absent is shown by the our confident and common testimonies about the state of sleep: "I was asleep, I knew nothing(no objects/thoughts/body/world), I was quite peaceful, WHY DID YOU WAKE ME UP!!"
This fact that we are conscious of sleep as a state distinct from waking and dream clearly indicates that we are the Consciousness that underlies the rising and subsiding of the transient entity we call ‘mind’. However, a mere theoretical understanding of the truth that we are only Consciousness will be of little use to us if we do not apply it in practice by endeavouring to gain real experiential knowledge of that truth. The next three paragraphs are taken from Sri Michael James' book, Happiness of Being, although I have changed the wording substantially.
Take what happens in dream: – our mind creates and identifies itself as a particular body and through the five senses of that body it perceives/projects a seemingly real and external world. When we wake up from a dream, we understand that the body we mistook to be ‘I’ and the world we mistook to be real and external were both in fact only figments of our imagination. Thus from our experience in dream we all know that our mind has a wonderful power of imagination by which it is able to create a body, to mistake that imaginary body to be ‘I’, and through that body to project a world which, at the time we perceive it, appears to be every bit as real and external to us as the world that we now perceive in this waking state.
Knowing that our mind possesses this wonderful power of creation and self-deception, is it not reasonable for us to suspect that the body we take to be ‘I’ and the world we take to be real in our present waking state may in fact be nothing more than a mere imagination or mental projection, just like the body and world that we experience in dream? Granted, that though the waking state seems to be more convincing and impressive/better quality than the dream state, this does not qualify it as being any more "Real"(defined above as: Eternal, Unchanging, Self-Shining/Existing) than the dream state. In both states our mind rises, creates a body, identifies that body as " I ", and through the senses of that body sees a world bound within the limits of time and space, filled with numerous people and other objects, both sentient and insentient, all of which it is convinced are absolutely real.
Is it also not plausible that we are now experiencing a prolonged sleep of Self-Forgetfulness (ignorance of our True Self, Pure Awareness) and that once we "awaken" from this sleep by the practice of Self-Attention, our true nature will become crystal clear thereby putting an end to the cycle of birth and death caused by such Self-Ignorance/Forgetfulness? Surely this is worth some consideration given the implications.
Self-knowledge can only be gained by direct experience of the Pure(Object Free) Unlimited(by space or time) Self-Consciousness which is our real Self, because only such experience can root out the ignorance that we are anything other than that Consciousness.
This painful illusion of birth and death is a effect of the formless Awareness that is our Being/Self, extroverting it's power of attention away from itself, thereby "incarnating" into forms (Thoughts, ego, body, world of sense-objects etc). So for dissolving this illusion, it is clear that we must refrain from "incarnating" (literally, "Embodying a form") by (being Aware of thoughts/body/world) and instead powerfully(but calmly) focus our Awareness/Attention exclusively on Awareness(Our Sense of Existence/I Am-ness, free of all objects) because only then will the delusion of separateness, and of being a limited and vulnerable body subject to birth and death, created by extroverted attention, come to an end forever.
"Since it is impossible to know beforehand the last moment of one’s life, it is best for one who has a firm determination(to put an end to birth and death) to renounce(his inner attachments to the body/world) at the very moment he gets disgust for the body and world and take up the practice of Self-Abidance without hesitation and with uninterrupted effort."
-- Sri Ramana Maharshi
Therefore Self-Attention is Self-Abidance, the state of merely Being as we really are. So long as we attend(pay attention) to things other than ourSelf, our mind is active, and its activity clouds and obscures our natural clarity of Self-Consciousness. When we try to attend to ourSelf(Consciousness), the activity of our mind begins to subside, and thus the veil that obscures our natural Self-Consciousness begins to dissolve. The more keenly, consistently and intensely we focus our attention upon our basic Consciousness ‘I Am’, the more our mind will subside, until finally it disappears in the Clear Light of True Self-Knowledge.
"Except those who abide in the Heart [with remembrance of the Existence-Consciousness ‘I am’], no one can attain the flawless state of Reality, because the Reality is veiled by the mind’s forgetfulness(in sleep) and thinking(in waking/dream)." -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
In that state of Pure Awareness, we are aware of no objects, no world, no body, no mind, no thing whatsoever, but, we are Clearly and Blissfully Aware of our own Being, "I Am". Then by the Grace of the Self and practice, we become firmly rooted in that state where our Attention is always Blissfully fixed on the Awareness of Being.
Some people doubt, “If it is so, will the mind then remain drowned forever in Pure Awareness? Will it not be able to come out again and know all the second(thoughts and emotions) and third person(the visible body and world) objects?
Yes, it is true that though Realized Beings like Sri Ramana Maharshi always remain in the state of Self-Realization, in the outlook of others He was seen to be knowing the world. How can this be accounted for? To remain with the body and mind completely inert is not the only sign of Pure Awareness.
Therefore, even while a Realized Being is (in the view of onlookers) attending to second and third person objects, He is (in His own view) attending only to Self(Awareness). Hence, even though He may appear to be engaged in so many activities, both physical and mental, He is in fact ever abiding in the natural state of unceasing Self-Attention. Therefore, unceasing Self-Awareness/Attention is possible only in the state of Self-realization and not in the state of practice.
What one has to do during the period of practice is to cultivate an ever-increasing love to attain Self-Knowledge and to make repeated attempts to turn one’s attention a full 180 degrees towards Self (Pure Awareness). If one once succeeds in doing so, or more accurately, Being That Pure Awareness, then unceasing Self-attention will from then on be natural, effortless and permanent.
However, trying to imagine and understand this state is impossible(and unnecessary) because it lies beyond the reach of the mind and senses. There is no way to conceive of it in the mind, just as it is impossible to imagine the state of dreamless sleep. Nor is it necessary to mentally understand it. You can only "Understand" it by Being It. The idea of Conscious-Sleep probably comes closest to describing it.
By keeping as much attention as possible(all that is not required for necessary daily activities of the mind and body) turned inward onto ourSelf (The Consciousness "I Am"), gradually the restless and wandering mind will lose its power. Since Attention alone is the power that illuminates, nourishes and sustains all objects, when we withdraw attention from the thoughts in our mind and turn it on Awareness itself, then the number and power of any rising thoughts will weaken while simultaneously, the power to Abide as Simple Awareness will increase more and more. As our desire to attend to and fulfil our desires weaken, at the same time, our love to remain in the Peaceful state of Just Being(Remaining as Awareness) will increase.
"If you manifest love through you mind, speech and body then for your beloved soul there will never be any hatred. To err is human, but to forgive others' faults with love flourishing in the heart is distinguished and godly behaviour." -- Ramana Maharshi
The reason we can't imagine the state of dreamless sleep or Pure Awareness is because in such a state in, there is no objects(world), no mind and no body but only the Knowledge/Awareness of Being, "I AM". In order to imagine anything, the mind must first project a body as a "seer" then only can the act of "seeing" the "seen" take place. In other words, we can't imagine the void of no objects because there is nothing to be imagined (thought of) in that state.
"The body is transitory and hence unreal. Whether the body is resting or moving, whether it is living or dead, the One who knows his Self (One who abides in Pure Awareness) is no longer Aware of the body, just as one who is blinded by intoxication does not know whether his shirt is still on his body. " -- Sri Ramana Maharshi
The addiction to thinking uselessly due to the compulsive desire to mentally label/analyze every(people places events and things) and enjoy the world of sense-pleasures(due to attachment), coupled with the inability to let go of Psychological Time which is the obsession with and projection of past and future(food for the ego) are obstacles to this state.
When you remove Time(Become Present), the mind stops because it requires time to think and the objects of thought are always somehow related to past or future. The removal of Time from your Awareness dissolves the mind into Silence.
"No matter what kind of person one may be, everyone says, “I am”; so what obstacle can there be for anyone to attend unceasingly to that Self-Consciousness “I am?” Therefore, without giving room for even an iota of doubt or confusion, Attend(Be Aware of) with Love and Joy only to your own Being." -- Sri Sadhu Om
You have been given the wealth, circumstances and ability to take care of the body with relative ease. You don't have to constantly think about avoiding death/disease/famine/war and just getting food on the table with some clean water like billions of people in the world do. You also have been blessed with the clarity of intellect required to read and understand what is implied and pointed to by the Scriptures/Teachings.
Read carefully and reflect well and deeply on what has been written above and/or any of the links posted below. Above all, try to neither accept nor reject what has been said. Instead, apply the practice in daily life and see the results for yourself. That is the greatest way to know the truth of something, not merely believing or rejecting some words. There is a reason you are receiving this email and not many others.. This is the Grace of The Supreme Self in the form of an email.
Eternal Immortality by Abiding in the Bodiless, Object-Free, Ever Peaceful, Ever Existent, Ever Conscious, Thought-Free Self, or endless births and deaths as an egoic entity. experiencing diseases, pains, cravings, decay and death repeatedly and drinking from the salt-water river of sense pleasures that never quenches the thirst for such pleasure, another 57 billion lifetimes, for example.
The choice is totally in your hands, destiny only applies to what happens to the body, not your ability to turn within and thus transcend the body/mind.
The scriptures state that wasting this precious human birth in merely chasing more sense experience, pleasure and knowledge only while ignoring spiritual practice, is as foolish as a shopkeeper who works endlessly just to pay his rent (providing the food, shelter and clothing that is necessary). Instead of also seeking to make a profit (Become aware of Awareness and thus realize the Self), he is content to just pay his rent. (gather up more and more pleasures and possessions).
Another analogy:
A man who spends every day pushing a heavy boulder up a steep mountain, only to foolishly lose his footing on some pebbles near the top, causing the boulder roll down back down the hill. Then to do this over..and over.. and over again.. Not learning from his mistakes.
Signifying the process of taking birth as every possible species then finally attaining the human birth in which Realization of the Eternal Self is easiest(almost reaching the top) then wasting it by getting entangled in worldly desires exclusively and forgetting that Peace, Joy and Love all arise from within, not from the world of sense-objects. (Slipping and losing his progress)
"There is no greater mystery than this; Being Reality (Existence) ourselves, we seek to gain Reality (Awareness). You speak as if you are here, and the Self (Awareness) is somewhere else and you have to go and reach it... but in fact the Self (Being-ness/Awareness) is here and now, and you are always It ((we are always Aware of and experience "I Am" although, not realizing that it is our nature, we identify with the mind and body, thus the need for practice)). It is like a woman travelling the whole world asking countless people how to find her "lost" necklace that is all the while around her neck!" -- Ramana Maharshi (All we have to do is look keenly within, with a love to Just Be ourSelf and not the phantom ego.)
Grace is always present. You imagine it is something somewhere high in the sky, far away, and has to descend. It is really inside you, in your Heart, and the moment you practice stilling the mind by merging in the source of mind (Pure Awareness), Grace(being identical to practice) rushes forth, sprouting like a fountain from within you assisting you at every step. For the old saying is true, " Take one step towards God(Self/Reality/Awareness) and He will take 9 steps towards you" -- Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
Of course, all words and concepts are only pointers to the Reality which is beyond the reach of concepts. Ramana always insisted that Silence is the highest teaching, and that all verbal exposition is given only for those who cannot understand the direct teaching of Silence yet. Ramana displayed this by his well-known Silent Presence (most of the time he was mute) which had the effect of Silencing the minds of those present for hours on end….Many times completely changing the person's outlook and mode of behaviour because when the mind is still, all problematic, self created sufferings dissolve and something Deeper and Grander shines clearly!
That being said, reading or thinking about the practice or any related material, is not useless. It is by doing so that the inspiration for practicing and thus abiding in that Thought-Less Reality arises in one. Also, having these concepts arise in the mind act as reminders for practice moment to moment. Just as someone who only hears a fact once and never thinks about it is more likely to forget it than the one who continuously(or even periodically) contemplates the fact. Thinking about the Guru's words and actions purifies the mind of worldly attachments and assists us in the practice of Self-Attention.
At a certain stage in our spiritual development, our real Self manifests as an outer Guru/Teacher, and in this form reveals to us through spoken or written words(actions too) the Truth that we ourself are Infinite and Eternal Being, Consciousness/Awareness and Bliss/Peace/Happiness, and that to experience ourself as we really are (Pure Awareness) we should look within(pay attention to our "I Am-ness") to become Aware of our Being/Awareness thereby surrender our false individual self (extroverted attention in the form of the egoic mind)
When we have once heard or read this truth revealed by our real Self in the form of Guru/Teacher, and if we have been genuinely attracted by this truth, we have truly come under the influence of Guru, and we are therefore well on our way to reaching our final goal of true Self-Knowledge.
This state in which we have come under the influence of the Guru is described beautifully by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi:
"God (Our own Awareness of Being, "I Am"), Self and Guru are in truth not different. Just as the prey which has been caught in the jaws of a tiger will not escape, so those who have been caught by the Guru’s Grace will surely be saved by Him and will never be forsaken. Nevertheless, it is still necessary for the aspirant to proceed [behave/practice] unfailingly and consistently according to the path that the Guru has shown."
-- Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
The outer Guru/Teacher(Self) shows the way through words and actions and pushes you inward, while the inner Guru(the Self) pulls the attention increasingly onto Itself (The Inner Presence, I Am). If you are genuinely attracted by these teachings and earnestly practice, then you are caught in the Guru's Grace.
What is easier, to cover the entire world in leather so that you don't step on thorns or to cover one's own feet with leather? Likewise, while it is noble to wish the best for others and the world, we can only effectively and permanently help the world/others for the better if we first deeply reform ourselves. This is because society itself is but a conglomerate of people is it not? Therefore, the primary practice of all who wish for a more peaceful world should be the Art of Self-Awareness. By practicing thus, one becomes deeply rooted in an unshakeable experience of Inner Peace. Then only can one show others how to cover their feet with leather and thereby avoid stepping on thorns(experience mental-emotional suffering)! What use is it jumping into the turbulent ocean to save a drowning man if you yourself do not know how to swim?
The reading and contemplating of the scriptures/books/stories/quotes serve the purpose of increasing the inspiration for practicing and of course understanding what the practice is, intellectually. But when practice takes the spotlight over reading and thinking, experience replaces intellectual understanding. This is the stage where one realizes that all that has been learnt must be let go of in order to abide in the thought-free state of Self.
Just as we don't want to wake up from a pleasurable dream but instantly and without hesitation awaken when confronted with great fear or suffering, so also in this waking state, we will not earnestly practice the Art of Self-Awareness, which alone can "wake us up" from our sleep of Self-Forgetfulness, unless we are utterly finished and disgusted with being a body-bound ego and experiencing countless forms of suffering. Therefore, it is wise to contemplate such things in order to gain the necessary dispassion towards the world so that sinking deep within ourSelf becomes easy and effortless.
I have the rock firm conviction that whosoever recognizes the Truth of what is contained in this writing, feels the pull Inward and wisely uses this rare human lifetime to absorb the nectar of wisdom from the great Saints of old and thereby puts the Supreme teaching into practice earnestly, with Love and Persistence, will drink the sweet Nectar of Eternal Peace/Liberation!
" There will be absolutely no lack of Peace for those who have humbly dissolved as the ego"
" Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world." -- Sri Ramana
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PART II
Reading more books and scriptures on the subject can fulfill the purpose inspiring one more and more so that the love of practice becomes stronger. The contents below also help to clarify any doubts that may arise and to make the practice/state more clear. That being said, there will come a point where reading and thinking about the teaching will be replaced by practicing the Art of Self-Abidance in which you are ignoring all thoughts, good, bad, worldly and spiritual.
May the following (and preceding information) be of assistance to you in all aspects of Life.
Links:
Understanding of the sanskrit terms within the following books/scriptures is indispensable, look them up as and when needed in this link:
The following are the most powerful and awe-inspiring scriptures/books that have come across my path. The Maharshi's guidance is still felt when mentally sought with love, coupled with an earnest desire to realize the Truth of one's Self, regardless of the non-existence of his physical body. The name "Ramana Maharshi" literally translates as "The Great Seer who dwells in the Heart of all living Beings" and was affectionately given to him by devotees. It stuck because by saying or thinking of the name one is reminded of the Seer(Awareness) within instead of just a body-mind seen with the senses. So seeking the guidance of "The Maharishi" is seeking the guidance of the Self, Our True Nature!
They say that I am dying, but I am not going away. Where could I go? I am the Eternal(Timeless) Here and Now. You attach too much importance to the body. I am your own undecaying Self. Where is the question of coming and going? -- Ramana Maharshi in reply to devotees who were weeping on his last day before the cancer finally consumed his body. (His life story is so inspiring and full of amazing events..)
The fact that this information is being passed on to you is uplifting and is nothing less than a sign of Grace. If you should sincerely put to practice any of the contents contained within this email, it will be only of great benefit. This is my assurance to all who take to the path of Self-Knowledge as taught by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
BOOKS:
The first three links/books below are really the most accurate source of information on his life and teaching. They explain the deepest level of practice. if you have to choose, these three would be the best. The first written by Ramana and the other two written by his close disciples. The second one is a personal favourite. As it is just so detailed, clear, concise and covers every imaginable topic. (even if you don't read all of it all at once.. it is something you can read a few verses every day and contemplate and apply.)
http://www.happinessofbeing.com/nan_yar.html#translation
http://www.happinessofbeing.com/Guru_Vachaka_Kovai.pdf
http://www.happinessofbeing.com/Sadhanai_Saram.pdf
The second link above is a collection of Ramana's words/sayings/verbal teaching in the form of 1300 short verses recorded by the poet-Saint: Sri Murugunar (foremost disciple of the Maharishi, nicknamed, "Bhagavan's Shadow" for how close the two were) and commentaries by Sri Sadhu Om, and Michael James, also well learned disciples of Ramana.
Ancient Scripture translated by Ramana Maharshi:
http://ramana-maharshi.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/7/2/24723372/devikalottaram_sri_ramana_translation.pdf
First few pages of the book Happiness and the Art of Being by Michael James, a devotee who lived with a close disciple of Ramana and absorbed the teaching very thoroughly. He does a great job of explaining the practice. The intro does a great job of summarizing his huge 500 page book titled "Happiness & The Art of Being" :
A book about his life and teaching, more story oriented and recorded personal conversations he had with the thousands of people who came to him for advice. (none more accurate as the first three linked above in terms of the practice itself because the replies given were suited to each individual at their stage of spiritual maturity):
Book containing many many recollections and first hand accounts of devotees who lived with Ramana, quite entertaining and full of miraculous incidents.. :
http://www.thewizardllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/The-Human-Gospel-Sharing-Western-Version2.pdf
So this is the library. Read whatever you feel drawn to read, I don't expect everyone to read every single book contained within. But it is nice to have this storehouse of links easily accessible should one become interested. If you have to choose, the second book linked is best, followed by the first and third links. (not including the glossary or biography which are technically the first and second links) This is because the contents of the second book was reviewed and edited by Sri Ramana himself. If you come across any contradictions, remember that only the first three books are 100% accurate and anything said in other books that may be contradictory was said to different people to suit their needs at their state of mind and stage of practice.
Overall, I tried to post all the links in accordance to their importance, accuracy, clarity of explanation and how inspiring they are in my eyes.
As a parting link, this is a forum where Devotees have posted many awe-inspiring and some hilarious, compassion filled incidents with Ramana and how he related with the many animals that lived in and around the Ashram. It's a great, light-hearted read. Many miraculous things took place in this little Ashram in Southern India, at the foot of the Sacred hill, Arunachala.
May this work be of aid to you on the path we call Life.
With Love, In Joy
Peace, Peace, Peace
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