Talks with Ramana -10

https://selfdefinition.org/ramana/Talks-with-Sri-Ramana-Maharshi--complete.pdf

300

 ....M.: This is only a repetition. That is the obstruction. 

This arises because you think that the non-self is you. 

That is the mistake.

 Do not take the non-self to be the Self. 

Then the Self will be evident to you.

....

M.: Trance is only temporary in its effects. There is happiness so long as it lasts. After rising from it the old vasanas return. 

Unless the vasanas are destroyed in sahaja samadhi (effortless samadhi), trance is of no use.

........

D.: But trance must precede sahaja samadhi? 

M.: Trance is the natural state. Although there are activities and phenomena, yet they do not affect the trance. If they are realised to be not apart from the Self, the Self is realised. Where is the use of trance, unless it brings about enduring peace of mind? Know that even now you are in trance whatever happens. That is all.

.......

M.: That means that one should be aware of his eternal state of trance. Inattentiveness to it is ignorance. Pramado vai mrtyuh (inattention is death itself).

.....

D.: Are the Self-realised persons reborn? e.g., Vamadeva, Jada Bharata, etc. 

M.: The Realised ones cannot be reborn. Rebirth is due to vasanas which are binding. But they are destroyed in the state of Self-realisation.

.........

D.: Are we to take it that they had gone to the stage of kevala nirvikalpa but not to sahaja nirvikalpa? 

M.: Yes.

........

M.: Guru is said to be external for the seeker. The in-turn of the mind is brought about by the Guru. Since the seeker is out-ward-bent he is advised to learn from a Guru whom he will in due course find to be the Self.

.......

M.: Surrender will make one understand the Grace.

......

305

D.: How to gain Divine Grace? 

M.: By surrender. 

D.: Still I do not feel Grace. 

M.: Sincerity is wanting. Surrender should not be verbal nor conditional.

To merge into the Heart is prayer. That is also Grace.

....

D.: Grace is necessary. 

M.: Yes, Grace is both the beginning and the end. 

Introversion is due to Grace:.

Perseverance is Grace.

 Realisation is Grace. 

That is the reason for the statement: 

Mamekam sharanam vraja. 

Only surrender to Me. 

If one has entirely surrendered oneself is there any part left to ask for Grace? 

He is swallowed up by Grace.

D.: The obstacles are powerful and obstruct meditation. 

M.: If a Higher Power is recognised and surrendered to, how will they obstruct you? 

If you say “They are powerful,” the source of their Power must be held so that they do not obstruct you.

.......

Talk 320.

 In the course of an informal conversation Sri Bhagavan pointed out that 

Self-Realisation is possible only for the fit. 

The vasanas must be eliminated before jnana dawns.

 One must be like Janaka for jnana to dawn. 

One must be ready to sacrifice everything for the Truth. 

Complete renunciation is the index of fitness.

.........

M.: But you know that it was happiness. Otherwise you would not be saying “I slept happily”. When there is no thought, no ‘I’, and nothing In fact except yourself, you are happy. That is the whole Truth.

.

M.: Why do you want to know of Brahman apart from yourself? The scripture says “You are That”. The Self is intimate to you and you cannot indeed be without the Self. Realise it. That is the Realisation of Brahman also.

.......

D.: But I am unable to do it. I am too weak to realise my Self. 

M.: In that case surrender yourself unreservedly and the Higher Power will reveal Itself. 

D.: What is unconditional surrender? 

M.: If one surrenders oneself there will be no one to ask questions or to be thought of. 

Either the thoughts are eliminated by holding on to the root-thought ‘I’ or 

one surrenders oneself unconditionally to the Higher Power. 

These are the only two ways for Realisation.

.....

Nammalvar, the Vaishnavite saint, has said: “Only my Self is you”. What does it mean? “Before I realised my Self I was wandering looking out for You; 

having now realised my Self I see that you are my Self”. 

How will this fit in with qualified monism? It must be explained thus: “Pervading my Self you remain as the antaryamin (Immanent Being). Thus I am a part of your body and you are the owner of the body (sariri)”

.....

M.: Prana and mind arise from the same source.

 The source can be reached by holding the breath or tracing the mind.

 If you cannot do the latter the former will no doubt be helpful. 

Regulation of breath is gained by watching its movements.

If the mind is watched thoughts cease. 

Peace results and it is your true nature. 

King Janaka said: “I have now found the robber (namely the mind) who has been robbing me of my ‘I’-ness. 

I will instantly kill this thief.”

The perturbation owing to thoughts appears to rob the Self of its peace.

 The perturbation is the mind. 

When that ceases the mind is said to take flight. 

The Self remains as the undisturbed substratum

.....

Talk 332. D.: What are the three voids (Muppazh) () in Tamil?

 M.: (1) Tat = Isvara turiya. 

(2) tvam = jiva turiya. 

(3) asi = asi turiya. 

Turiya is the substratum of the waking, dream and sleep states.

..

D.: The first two are all right; what is the third? 

M.: All-pervasiveness is said to be the waking; 

all-shining is said to be the dream; 

perfection (ananta) is said to be the sleep;

 that which underlies these is asi-turiya

....

Why waste time in such polemics? Only turn your mind inward and spend the time usefully.

.......

To resume polemics - the author of Vritti Prabhakara claims to have studied 350,000 books before writing this book. What is the use? Can they bring in Realisation of the Self? 

Vichara Sagara is full of logic and technical terms. Can these ponderous volumes serve any real purpose? However, some people read them and then seek sages only to see if they can meet their questions. To read them, to discover new doubts and to solve them, is a source of pleasure to them.

Knowing it to be sheer waste, the sages do not encourage such people. 

Encourage them once and there will be no end. 

Only the enquiry into the Self can be of use.

..........

Those familiar with logic, Vritti Prabhakara, Vichara Sagara or Sutra Bhashya, or similar large works, cannot relish small works like Truth Revealed dealing only with the Self and that pointedly too, because they have accumulated vasanas. 

Only those whose minds are less muddy, or are pure, can relish small and purposeful works.

........

Talk 333. 

Pratyabhijna = Prati + abhijna. 

abhijna is direct perception; 

prati is to be reminded of what was already known. 

“This is an elephant” direct perception 

“This is that elephant” is pratyabhijna 

In technical works, pratyabhijna is used for realising the ever-present Reality and recognising it.

........

329

M.: There is no question of time and space. Understanding depends on ripeness of mind. What does it matter if one lives in the East or in the West? 

Sri Bhagavan referred the lady to a few stanzas in Truth Revealed and to Thayumanavar. She retired. Later Sri Bhagavan said the whole Vedanta is contained in the two Biblical statements: “I am that I am” and “Be still and know that I am God.”

....

Churning the mind: 

To install the mind firmly in the heart until these forces are destroyed and to awaken with unswerving, ceaseless vigilance the true and cognate tendency which is characteristic of the Atman and is expressed by the dicta, Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman), and Brahmaivaham (Brahman alone am I) is termed nididhyasana or atmanusandhana, i.e. constancy in the Self. This is otherwise called Bhakti, Yoga and Dhyana. 

Atmanusandhana has been likened to churning the curd to draw forth butter, 

the mind being compared to the churning rod, 

the heart to the curd 

and the practice of constancy in the Self to the process of churning. 

Just as by churning the curd butter is extracted and by friction fire is kindled, 

even so, 

By unswerving vigilant constancy in the Self, 

ceaseless like the unbroken filamentary flow of oil,

 is generated the natural or changeless trance or nirvikalpa samadhi.

It readily and spontaneously yields that direct, immediate, unobstructed and universal perception of Brahman.

It is at once Knowledge and Experience and which transcends time and space.

.......

Limitless bliss: 

This is Self-Realisation; and thereby is cut asunder the hridaya-granthi or the Knot of the Heart. 

The false delusions of ignorance, the vicious and age-long tendencies of the mind, which constitute this knot, are destroyed. All doubts are dispelled and the bondage of Karma is severed.

..Imp........

Thus has Sri Sankara described, in Vivekchudamani,

” Samadhi  which is the limitless bliss of liberation, beyond doubt and duality, and has at the same time indicated the means for its attainments.

 To realise this state of freedom from duality is the summum bonum of life: 

and he alone that has won it is a jivanmukta (the liberated one while yet alive), and not he who has merely a theoretical understanding of what constitutes purushartha or the desired end and aim of human endeavour.

...

341

The disciple surrenders himself to the master. That means there is no vestige of individuality retained by the disciple. If the surrender is complete all sense of individuality is lost and there is thus no cause for misery. The eternal being is only happiness. That is revealed.

342

The thought rises up as the subject and object. ‘I’ alone being held, all else disappears. It is enough, but only to the competent few.

D.: Nevertheless, being only products of intellect they cannot turn the mind inward. 

M.: Just for this reason the scriptures speak of “in-turned look”, “one pointed look” and so on. The Self being always the Self, why should only a dhira be illumined? Does it mean a man of courage? No; 

dhih = intellect

rah = watch. protection. 

So dhira is the one who always keeps the mind inward bent without letting it loose.

.........

343

Turiya only another name for the Self. 

Aware of the waking, dream and sleep states, we remain unaware of our own Self. Nevertheless the Self is here and now, it is the only Reality. There is nothing else. So long as identification with the body lasts the world seems to lie outside us. Only realise the Self and they are not.

......

M.: Removal of ignorance is the aim of practice, and not acquisition of Realisation.

Realisation is ever present, here and now. Were it to be acquired anew, Realisation must be understood to be absent at one time and present at another time. In that case, it is not permanent, and therefore not worth the attempt. But Realisation is permanent and eternal and is here and now.

...

...Again, the sun is there and also bright. You are surrounded by sunlight. Still if you would know the sun you must turn your eyes in his direction and look at him. So also Grace is found by practice alone although it is here and now.

.....

D.: By the desire to surrender constantly, increasing Grace is experienced, I hope.

 M.: Surrender once for all and be done with the desire. 

So long as the sense of doership is retained there is the desire. That is also personality.

 If this goes the Self is found to shine forth pure. 

The sense of doership is the bondage and not the actions themselves. 

“Be still and know that I am God.” 

Here stillness is total surrender without a vestige of individuality. 

Stillness will prevail and there will be no agitation of mind. Agitation of mind is the cause of desire, the sense of doership and personality. If that is stopped there is quiet. There ‘Knowing’ means ‘Being’. It is not the relative knowledge involving the triads, knowledge, subject and object.

..

351

M.: The sastras are not meant for the wise because they do not need them; the ignorant do not want them. Only the mumukshus look up to the sastras. That means that the sastras are neither for wisdom nor for ignorance.

..................351.........................................

M.: The Self can never be illusory. It is the only Reality. 

That which appears will also disappear and is therefore impermanent. The Self never appears and disappears and is therefore permanent.

What can be easier? 

The Self is more intimate than anything else. If that cannot be realised, is it easy to realise what is apart and farther away?

.....

M.: The Master is within.

 Meditation is meant for the removal of ignorance, of the wrong idea that he is without. 

If he be a stranger whose advent you await, then he is bound to disappear also. 

Where is the use of transient being like that? 

However, as long as you think that you are an individual or that you are the body, so long the master also is necessary and he will appear with a body. 

When this wrong identification ceases the master will be found to be the Self. 

There is a stanza in Kaivalya: 

“My Lord! You had remained as my Self within, protecting me in all my past incarnations. 

Now, by your Grace, you have manifested yourself as my master and revealed yourself as the Self."

Just see what happens in sleep. There is no ego, no India, no seekers, no master, etc.; and yet you are - and happy too. The ego, India, seekers, etc., appear now; but they are not apart from nor independent of you.

 There was a large group of visitors on account of the election holidays and some of these also joined in the discussion. One of them asked about reincarnation.

...

D.: Cannot Grace hasten such competence in a seeker? 

M.: Leave it to Him. Surrender unreservedly. One of two things must be done. 

Either surrender because you admit your inability and also require a High Power to help you; or investigate into the cause of misery, go into the source and merge into the Self. Either way you will be free from misery. 

God never forsakes one who has surrendered. 

Mamekam saranam vraja.

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