Talks with Ramana -3

 Also, another important link to Ramana's works:

http://ramana-collected-works.blogspot.com/2007/06/self-enquiry.html


Self Enquiry


Master: Apart from the statement in the Vedas that wherever there is a body there is misery, this is also the direct experience of all people;

 therefore, one should enquire into one's true nature which is ever bodiless, 

and one should remain as such.

This is the means to gaining that state.

M: Experiences such as, `I went; I came; I was; I did' come naturally to everyone. From these experiences, does it not appear that the consciousness `I' is the subject of those various acts? 

Enquiry into the true nature of that consciousness, and remaining as oneself is the way to understand, through enquiry, one's true nature


D: How is one to enquire `Who am I?'


M: Actions such as `going' and `coming' belong only to the body. And so, when one says, `I went, I came', it amounts to saying that the body is `I'. But, can the body be said to be the consciousness `I', since the body was not before it was born, is made up of the five elements, is non existent in the state of deep sleep, and becomes a corpse when dead?

 Can this body which is inert like a log of wood be said to shine as `I-I'?

 Therefore, the `I-consciousness' which at first arises in respect of the body is referred to variously as self-conceit (tarbodham), egoity (ahankara), nescience (avidya), maya , impurity (mala), and individual soul (jiva). 

Can we remain without enquiring into this? 

Is it not for our redemption through enquiry that all the scriptures declare that the destruction of `self-conceit' is release (mukti)? 

Therefore, making the corpse-body remain as a corpse, and not even uttering the word `I', one should enquire keenly thus: 

"Now, what is it that rises as `I'?" 

Then, there would shine in the Heart a kind of wordless illumination of the form `I-I'. 

That is, there would shine of its own accord the pure consciousness which is unlimited and one, 

the limited and the many thoughts having disappeared.

 If one remains quiescent without abandoning that (experience), 

the egoity, the individual sense, of the form `I am the body' will be totally destroyed,

 and at the end the final thought, viz., the `I-form' also will be quenched 

like the fire that burns camphor. 

The great sages and scriptures declare that this alone is release.

D: When one enquires into the root of `self-conceit' which is of the form `I', all sorts of different thoughts without number seem to rise; and not any separate `I' thought.



M: Whether the nominative case, which is the first case, appears or not, the sentences in which the other cases appear have as their basis the first case; similarly, all the thoughts that appear in the Heart have as their basis the egoity which is the first mental mode `I', the cognition of the form `I am the body'.

 Thus, it is the rise of egoity that is the cause and source of the rise of all other thoughts.

Therefore, if the self-conceit of the form of egoity which is the root of the illusory tree of samsara (bondage consisting of transmigration) is destroyed, 

then all the other thoughts will perish completely like an uprooted tree. 

Whatever thoughts arise as obstacles to one's sadhana  (spiritual discipline), 

the mind should not be allowed to go in their direction,

 but should be made to rest in one's Self which is the Atman. 

One should remain as witness to whatever happens, 

adopting the attitude 

`Let whatever strange things happen, happen; let us see!' 

This should be one's practice. 

In other words, one should not identify oneself with appearances.

 One should never relinquish one's Self. 


This is the proper means for destruction of the mind (manonasha) 

which is of the nature of seeing the body as Self, 

and which is the cause of all the aforesaid obstacles.

 This method which easily destroys egoity deserves to be called devotion (bhakti), meditation (dhyana), concentration (yoga), and knowledge (jnana).

 God remains of the nature of the Self, shining as `I' in the Heart.

 The scriptures declare that thought itself is bondage.

 The best discipline is to stay quiescent without ever forgetting Him (God, the Self), 

after resolving in Him the mind which is of the form of the `I- thought',

 no matter by what means. 

This is the conclusive teaching of the scriptures.

........................

So enquiry is the means to removal of the false belief of self hood in all the three bodies.

.............................

19

D: Although I have listened to the explanation of the characteristics of enquiry in such great detail, my mind has not gained even a little peace. What is the reason for this?



M: The reason is the absence of strength or one-pointedness of the mind.

20

D: What is the reason for the absence of mental strength?



M: The means that make one qualified for enquiry are meditation, yoga, etc. 

One should gain proficiency in these through graded practice, and thus secure a stream of mental modes that is natural and helpful. 

When the mind that has become ripe in this manner, hears about this enquiry, 

it will at once realize its true nature which is the Self, 

and remain in perfect peace, without deviating from that state. 

To a mind which has not become ripe, immediate realization and peace are hard to gain through hearing about the enquiry. 

Yet, if one practises the means for mind control for some time, peace of mind can be obtained eventually.

...

M: The scriptures teach the means for gaining Self-realization in two modes -- as the yoga with eight limbs (ashtanga yoga) and as knowledge with eight limbs (ashtanga jnana). 

By regulation of breath (pranayama) or by absolute retention thereof (kevala kumbhaka), which is one of the limbs of yoga, the mind gets controlled. Without leaving the mind at that, if one practises the further discipline such as withdrawal of the mind from external objects (pratyahara), then at the end, Self- realization which is the fruit of enquiry will surely be gained.

..

28.
...In order to get at this true significance, one should meditate on the pranava.

 This is meditation which is of the nature of devotion consisting in reflection on the truth of the Self.

 The fruition of this process is samadhi which yields release, 

which is the state of unsurpassed bliss. 

The revered Gurus also have said that release is to be gained only by devotion which is of the nature of reflection on the truth of the Self.
..

29

....Reality is this: Scripture defines meditation in these words, 

`In the middle of the eight petalled Heart lotus which is of the nature of all, 

and which is referred to as Kailasa, Vaikunta, and Paramapada,

 there is the Reality which is of the size of the thumb, 

which is dazzling like lightning and which shines like a flame. 

By meditating on it, a person gains immortality.' 

From this we should know that by such meditation one avoids the defects of 

(1) the thought of difference, of the form `I am different, and that is different', 

(2) the meditation on what is limited, 

(3) the idea that the Real is limited, and 

(4) that it is confined to one place.

...

If one meditates for a long time, without disturbance, on the Self ceaselessly, 

with the `I am He' thought 

which is the technique of reflection on the Self,

 the darkness of ignorance 

which is in the Heart

 and all the impediments which are but the effects of ignorance will be removed, and the plenary wisdom will be gained.⁷

..
Since the Self is the reality of all the gods, the meditation on the Self which is oneself is the greatest of all meditations. 

All other meditations are included in this. 

It is for gaining this that the other meditations are prescribed.

 So, if this is gained, the others are not necessary. 

Knowing one's Self is knowing God. 

Without knowing one's Self that meditates, 

imagining that there is a deity which is different and meditating on it, is compared by the great ones 

to the act of measuring with one's foot one's own shadow, 

and to the search for a trivial conch after throwing away a priceless gem that is already in one's possession.

...

30

D: Even though the Heart and the Brahmarandhra alone are the loci fit for meditation, could one meditate, if necessary, on the six mystic centres (adharas)?

M: The six mystic centres, etc., which are said to be loci of meditation, are but products of imagination. All these are meant for beginners in yoga. 

With reference to meditation on the six centres, the Sivayogins say, `God, who is of the nature of the non-dual, plenary, Consciousness-Self, manifests, sustains and resolves us all. 

It is a great sin to spoil that Reality by superimposing on it various names and forms such as Ganapati, Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Maheswara and Sadasiva', and the Vedantins declare, `All those are but imaginations of
the mind.' 

Therefore, if one knows one's Self, 

which is of the nature of consciousness that knows everything; 

then one knows everything. 

The great ones have also said: `When that One is known as it is in Itself, all that has not been known becomes known.' 

If we who are endowed with various thoughts meditate on God that is the Self, we would get rid of the plurality of thoughts by that one thought. 

Then, even that one thought would vanish. 

This is what is meant by saying that knowing one's Self is knowing God. 

This knowledge is release.

...

M: The eight limbs are those which have been already mentioned, viz., yama, niyama etc., but differently defined:



(1) Yama : This is controlling the aggregate of sense-organs, realizing the defects that are present in the world consisting of the body, etc.



(2) Niyama : This is maintaining a stream of mental modes that relate to the Self and rejecting the contrary modes. In other words, it means love that arises uninterruptedly for the Supreme Self.



(3) Asana : That with the help of which constant meditation on Brahman  is made possible with ease is asana .



(4) Pranayama : Rechaka (exhalation) is removing the two unreal aspects of name and form from the objects constituting the world, the body etc., puraka (inhalation) is grasping the three real aspects, existence, consciousness and bliss, which are constant in those objects, and kumbhaka is retaining those aspects thus grasped.



(5) Pratyahara : This is preventing name and form which have been removed from re-entering the mind.



(6) Dharana: This is making the mind stay in the Heart, without straying outward, and realizing that one is the Self itself which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.



(7) Dhyana : This is meditation of the form `I am only pure consciousness'. That is, after leaving aside the body which consists of five sheaths, one enquires `Who am I?', and as a result of that, one stays as `I' which shines as the Self.



(8) Samadhi: When the `I-manifestation' also ceases, there is (subtle) direct experience. This is samadhi.
...

The great teachers say that forgetfulness is the root of all evil. 

It is death for those who seek release,

Therefore,  one should rest the mind in one's Self and 

should never forget the Self. 

This is the aim.

......................The End............................