Question: What is the difference between the Baddha and the Mukta, the bound man and the one liberated?
Ramana Maharishi: The ordinary man lives in the brain unaware of himself in the Heart. The jnana-siddha (jnani) lives in the Heart. When he moves about and deals with men and things, he knows that what he sees is not separate from the one supreme reality, the Brahman which he realised in the Heart as his own Self, the real.
Question: What about the ordinary man?
Ramana Maharishi: I have just said that he sees things outside himself. He is separate from the world, from his own deeper truth, from the truth that supports him and what he sees. The man who has realised the supreme truth of his own existence realises that it is the one supreme reality that is there behind him, behind the world. In fact, he is aware of the one, as the real, the Self in all selves, in all things, eternal and immutable, in all that is impermanent and mutable.
Showing posts with label Ramana Maharshi on Guru. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramana Maharshi on Guru. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Ramana Maharshi on Satsang with Realized Sages
Ramana Maharshi - Association with Sages who have realised the Truth removes material attachments; on these attachments being removed, the attachments of the mind are also destroyed. Those whose attachments of mind are thus destroyed become one with That which is Motionless. They attain Liberation while yet alive.
Cherish association with such Sages. That Supreme state which is obtained here and now as a result of association with Sages, and realised through the deep meditation of Self-enquiry in contact with the Heart, cannot be gained with the aid of a Guru or through knowledge of the scriptures, or by spiritual merit, or by any other means.
If association with Sages is obtained, to what purpose are the various methods of self-discipline? Tell me, of what use is a fan when the cool, gentle south wind is blowing? The heat of mental and bodily excitement is allayed by (the rays of) the moon; want and misery are removed by the kalpaka tree; sins are washed away by the sacred water of the Ganges. But all these afflictions
are altogether banished by the mere darshan of the peerless Sage.
Neither the holy waters of pilgrimage nor the images of gods made of earth and stone can stand comparison with the benign look of the Sage. These purify one only after countless days of grace, but no sooner does the Sage bestow his gracious glance than he purifies one
Cherish association with such Sages. That Supreme state which is obtained here and now as a result of association with Sages, and realised through the deep meditation of Self-enquiry in contact with the Heart, cannot be gained with the aid of a Guru or through knowledge of the scriptures, or by spiritual merit, or by any other means.
If association with Sages is obtained, to what purpose are the various methods of self-discipline? Tell me, of what use is a fan when the cool, gentle south wind is blowing? The heat of mental and bodily excitement is allayed by (the rays of) the moon; want and misery are removed by the kalpaka tree; sins are washed away by the sacred water of the Ganges. But all these afflictions
are altogether banished by the mere darshan of the peerless Sage.
Neither the holy waters of pilgrimage nor the images of gods made of earth and stone can stand comparison with the benign look of the Sage. These purify one only after countless days of grace, but no sooner does the Sage bestow his gracious glance than he purifies one
Ramana Maharshi - Grace is necessary for the removal of ignorance
Question : Grace is necessary for the removal of ignorance.
Ramana Maharshi : Certainly. But Grace is there all along. Grace is the Self. It is not something to be acquired. All that is necessary is to know its existence. In the same way, the sun is pure brightness; it does not know darkness, although others speak of darkness fleeing away on its approach. Like darkness, ignorance is a phantom, not real. Because of its unreality, it is said to be
removed when its unreality is discovered.
The sun is there and shines and you are surrounded by sunlight; still, if you would know the sun you must turn your eyes in its direction and look at it. Similarly, Grace is only to be found by effort, although it is here and now.
Ramana Maharshi : Certainly. But Grace is there all along. Grace is the Self. It is not something to be acquired. All that is necessary is to know its existence. In the same way, the sun is pure brightness; it does not know darkness, although others speak of darkness fleeing away on its approach. Like darkness, ignorance is a phantom, not real. Because of its unreality, it is said to be
removed when its unreality is discovered.
The sun is there and shines and you are surrounded by sunlight; still, if you would know the sun you must turn your eyes in its direction and look at it. Similarly, Grace is only to be found by effort, although it is here and now.
Ramana Maharshi - essential nature of Upadesa or Spiritual instruction
Question : What is the essential nature of upadesa or spiritual instruction given by the Guru?
Ramana Maharshi - The word upadesa literally means ‘restoring an object to its proper place’. The mind of the disciple, having become differentiated from its true and primal state of Pure Being, which is the Self and which is described in the scriptures as Sat-chitananda (Being-Consciousness-Bliss), slips away therefrom and,
assuming the form of thought, constantly pursues objects of sense-gratification.
Therefore it is assailed by the vicissitudes of life and becomes weak and dispirited. Upadesa consists in the Guru restoring it to its primal state and preventing it from slipping away from the state of Pure Being, of absolute identity with the Self or, in other words, the Being of the Guru.
The word can also be understood as meaning ‘to present an apparently distant object to close view’; that is to say, it consists in the Guru showing the disciple what he had considered as distant and different from himself to be immediate and identical with himself.
Ramana Maharshi - The word upadesa literally means ‘restoring an object to its proper place’. The mind of the disciple, having become differentiated from its true and primal state of Pure Being, which is the Self and which is described in the scriptures as Sat-chitananda (Being-Consciousness-Bliss), slips away therefrom and,
assuming the form of thought, constantly pursues objects of sense-gratification.
Therefore it is assailed by the vicissitudes of life and becomes weak and dispirited. Upadesa consists in the Guru restoring it to its primal state and preventing it from slipping away from the state of Pure Being, of absolute identity with the Self or, in other words, the Being of the Guru.
The word can also be understood as meaning ‘to present an apparently distant object to close view’; that is to say, it consists in the Guru showing the disciple what he had considered as distant and different from himself to be immediate and identical with himself.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Ramana Maharshi - I feel happiness in Bhagwan Presence
Ramana Maharshi - I feel happiness in Bhagwan Presence
Question : This can be realised only by the Grace of the master. I was reading Sri Bhagavata; it says that Bliss can be had only by the dust of the Master’s feet. I pray for Grace.
Ramana Maharshi : What is Bliss but your own being? You are not apart from Being which is the same as Bliss. You are now thinking that you are the mind or the body which are both changing and transient. But you are unchanging and eternal. That is what you should know.
Question : It is darkness and I am ignorant.
Ramana Maharshi : This ignorance must go. Again, who says ‘I am ignorant’? He must be the witness of ignorance. That is what you are. Socrates said, “I know that I do not know.” Can it be ignorance? It is wisdom.
Question : Why then do I feel unhappy when I am in Vellore and feel peace in Your Presence?
Ramana Maharshi : Can this feeling in this place be Bliss? When you leave the place you say you are unhappy. Therefore this peace is not permanent, nay it is mixed with unhappiness which is felt in another place. Therefore you cannot find Bliss in places and in periods of time. It must be permanent in order that it may be useful. Such permanent being is yourself. Be the Self and that is Bliss. You are always That. You say that you left Vellore, travelled in the train, arrived in
Tiruvannamalai, entered the hall and found happiness.
When you go back you are not happy in Vellore. Now, do you really move from place to place? Even considering you to be the body, the body sits in a cart at the gate of the home, the cart moves on to the railway station. Then it gets into a railway carriage which speeds on from Vellore to Tiruvannamalai. There it gets into another cart which brings the body here. Yet when you are asked, you say that you travelled all the way from Vellore. Your body remains where it was and all the places went past it.
Question : This can be realised only by the Grace of the master. I was reading Sri Bhagavata; it says that Bliss can be had only by the dust of the Master’s feet. I pray for Grace.
Ramana Maharshi : What is Bliss but your own being? You are not apart from Being which is the same as Bliss. You are now thinking that you are the mind or the body which are both changing and transient. But you are unchanging and eternal. That is what you should know.
Question : It is darkness and I am ignorant.
Ramana Maharshi : This ignorance must go. Again, who says ‘I am ignorant’? He must be the witness of ignorance. That is what you are. Socrates said, “I know that I do not know.” Can it be ignorance? It is wisdom.
Question : Why then do I feel unhappy when I am in Vellore and feel peace in Your Presence?
Ramana Maharshi : Can this feeling in this place be Bliss? When you leave the place you say you are unhappy. Therefore this peace is not permanent, nay it is mixed with unhappiness which is felt in another place. Therefore you cannot find Bliss in places and in periods of time. It must be permanent in order that it may be useful. Such permanent being is yourself. Be the Self and that is Bliss. You are always That. You say that you left Vellore, travelled in the train, arrived in
Tiruvannamalai, entered the hall and found happiness.
When you go back you are not happy in Vellore. Now, do you really move from place to place? Even considering you to be the body, the body sits in a cart at the gate of the home, the cart moves on to the railway station. Then it gets into a railway carriage which speeds on from Vellore to Tiruvannamalai. There it gets into another cart which brings the body here. Yet when you are asked, you say that you travelled all the way from Vellore. Your body remains where it was and all the places went past it.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Ramana Maharshi on Satsang, proximity with Guru
Ramana Maharshi on Satsang, proximity with Guru
Question : You say that association with the wise [sat-sanga] and service of them is required of the disciple.
Ramana Maharshi : Yes, the first really means association with the unmanifest sat or absolute existence, but as very few can do that, they have to take second best which is association with the manifest sat, that is, the Guru. Association with sages should be made because thoughts are so persistent. The sage has already overcome the mind and remains in peace.
Being in his proximity helps to bring about this condition in others, otherwise there is no meaning in seeking his company. The Guru provides the needed strength for this, unseen by others. Service is primarily to abide in the Self, but it also includes making the Guru's body comfortable and looking after his place of abode. Contact with the Guru is also necessary, but this means spiritual contact. If the disciple finds the Guru internally, then it does not matter where he goes. Staying here or elsewhere must be understood to be the same and to have the same effect.
Q: My profession requires me to stay near my place of work. I cannot remain in the vicinity of sadhus. Can I have realization even in the absence of sat-sanga?
Ramana Maharshi : Sat is aham pratyaya saram, the Self of selves. The sadhu is that Self of selves. He is immanent in all. Can anyone remain without the Self ? No. So no one is away from sat-sanga.
Q: Is proximity to the Guru helpful?
Ramana Maharshi : Do you mean physical proximity? What is the good of it? The mind alone matters. The mind must be contacted. Sat-sanga will make the mind sink into the Heart.
Such association is both mental and physical. The extremely visible being of the Guru pushes the mind inward. He is also in the Heart of the seeker and so he draws the latter's inward-bent mind into the Heart.
Q: All that I want to know is whether sat-sanga is necessary and whether my coming here will help me or not.
Ramana Maharshi : First you must decide what is sat-sanga. It means association with sat or reality. One who knows or has realized sat is also regarded as sat. Such association with sat or with one who knows sat is absolutely necessary for all. Sankara has said that in all the three worlds there is no boat like sat-sanga to carry one safely across the ocean of births and deaths.
Sat-sanga means sanga [association] with sat. Sat is only the Self. Since the Self is not now understood to be sat, the company of the sage who has thus understood it is sought. That is satsanga. Introversion results. Then sat is revealed.
Question : You say that association with the wise [sat-sanga] and service of them is required of the disciple.
Ramana Maharshi : Yes, the first really means association with the unmanifest sat or absolute existence, but as very few can do that, they have to take second best which is association with the manifest sat, that is, the Guru. Association with sages should be made because thoughts are so persistent. The sage has already overcome the mind and remains in peace.
Being in his proximity helps to bring about this condition in others, otherwise there is no meaning in seeking his company. The Guru provides the needed strength for this, unseen by others. Service is primarily to abide in the Self, but it also includes making the Guru's body comfortable and looking after his place of abode. Contact with the Guru is also necessary, but this means spiritual contact. If the disciple finds the Guru internally, then it does not matter where he goes. Staying here or elsewhere must be understood to be the same and to have the same effect.
Q: My profession requires me to stay near my place of work. I cannot remain in the vicinity of sadhus. Can I have realization even in the absence of sat-sanga?
Ramana Maharshi : Sat is aham pratyaya saram, the Self of selves. The sadhu is that Self of selves. He is immanent in all. Can anyone remain without the Self ? No. So no one is away from sat-sanga.
Q: Is proximity to the Guru helpful?
Ramana Maharshi : Do you mean physical proximity? What is the good of it? The mind alone matters. The mind must be contacted. Sat-sanga will make the mind sink into the Heart.
Such association is both mental and physical. The extremely visible being of the Guru pushes the mind inward. He is also in the Heart of the seeker and so he draws the latter's inward-bent mind into the Heart.
Q: All that I want to know is whether sat-sanga is necessary and whether my coming here will help me or not.
Ramana Maharshi : First you must decide what is sat-sanga. It means association with sat or reality. One who knows or has realized sat is also regarded as sat. Such association with sat or with one who knows sat is absolutely necessary for all. Sankara has said that in all the three worlds there is no boat like sat-sanga to carry one safely across the ocean of births and deaths.
Sat-sanga means sanga [association] with sat. Sat is only the Self. Since the Self is not now understood to be sat, the company of the sage who has thus understood it is sought. That is satsanga. Introversion results. Then sat is revealed.
Ramana Maharshi on Gurus work Guru Grace, Presence
Ramana Maharshi on Gurus work, Guru Grace and Presence
Question : Is not grace the gift of the Guru?
Ramana Maharshi : God, grace and Guru are all synonymous and also eternal and immanent. Is not the Self already within? Is it for the Guru to bestow it by his look ? If a Guru thinks so, he does not deserve the name.
The books say that there are so many kinds of diksha, initiation by hand, by touch, by eye, etc. They also say that the Guru makes some rites with fire, water, japa or mantras and calls such fantastic performances dikshas, as if the disciple becomes ripe only after such processes are gone through by the Guru.
If the individual is sought he is nowhere to be found. Such is the Guru. Such is Dakshinamurti. What did he do? He was silent when the disciples appeared before him. He maintained silence and the doubts of the disciples were dispelled, which means that they lost their individual identities. That is jnana and not all the verbiage usually associated with it.
Silence is the most potent form of work. However vast and emphatic the sastras may be they fail in their effect. The Guru is quiet and peace prevails in all. His silence is more vast and more emphatic than all the sastras put together. These questions arise because of the feeling that, having been here so long, heard so much, exerted so hard, one has not gained anything. The work proceeding within is not apparent. In fact the Guru is always within you.
Question : Is not grace the gift of the Guru?
Ramana Maharshi : God, grace and Guru are all synonymous and also eternal and immanent. Is not the Self already within? Is it for the Guru to bestow it by his look ? If a Guru thinks so, he does not deserve the name.
The books say that there are so many kinds of diksha, initiation by hand, by touch, by eye, etc. They also say that the Guru makes some rites with fire, water, japa or mantras and calls such fantastic performances dikshas, as if the disciple becomes ripe only after such processes are gone through by the Guru.
If the individual is sought he is nowhere to be found. Such is the Guru. Such is Dakshinamurti. What did he do? He was silent when the disciples appeared before him. He maintained silence and the doubts of the disciples were dispelled, which means that they lost their individual identities. That is jnana and not all the verbiage usually associated with it.
Silence is the most potent form of work. However vast and emphatic the sastras may be they fail in their effect. The Guru is quiet and peace prevails in all. His silence is more vast and more emphatic than all the sastras put together. These questions arise because of the feeling that, having been here so long, heard so much, exerted so hard, one has not gained anything. The work proceeding within is not apparent. In fact the Guru is always within you.
Ramana Maharshi on proper Guru Virtue of True Guru
Ramana Maharshi on proper Guru, Virtue of a True Guru
Question : How is one to decide upon a proper Guru? What is the swarupa [nature or real form] of a Guru?
Ramana Maharshi : He is the proper Guru to whom your mind is attuned. If you ask, `How to decide who is the Guru and what is his swarupa?', he should be endowed with tranquillity, patience, forgiveness and other virtues; he should be capable of attracting others even with his eyes just as a magnet attracts iron; he should have a feeling of equality towards all.
He who has these virtues is the true Guru, but if one wants to know the swarupa of the Guru, one must know one's own swarupa first. How can one know the real nature of the Guru if one does not know one's own real nature first? If you want to perceive the real nature or form of the Guru you must first learn to look upon the whole universe as Guru rupam [the form of the Guru]. One must see the Guru in all living beings.
It is the same with God. You must look upon all objects as God's rupa [form]. How can he who does not know his own Self perceive the real form of God or the real form of the Guru? How can he determine them? Therefore, first of all know your own real form and nature.
Question : Isn't a Guru necessary to know even that?
Ramana Maharshi : That is true. The world contains many great men. Look upon him as your Guru with whom your mind gets attuned. The one in whom you have faith is your Guru.
Question : What is the significance of Guru's grace in the attainment of liberation?
Ramana Maharshi : Liberation is not anywhere outside you. It is only within. If a man is anxious for deliverance, the internal Guru pulls him in and the external Guru pushes him into the Self. This is the grace of the Guru.
Question : How is one to decide upon a proper Guru? What is the swarupa [nature or real form] of a Guru?
Ramana Maharshi : He is the proper Guru to whom your mind is attuned. If you ask, `How to decide who is the Guru and what is his swarupa?', he should be endowed with tranquillity, patience, forgiveness and other virtues; he should be capable of attracting others even with his eyes just as a magnet attracts iron; he should have a feeling of equality towards all.
He who has these virtues is the true Guru, but if one wants to know the swarupa of the Guru, one must know one's own swarupa first. How can one know the real nature of the Guru if one does not know one's own real nature first? If you want to perceive the real nature or form of the Guru you must first learn to look upon the whole universe as Guru rupam [the form of the Guru]. One must see the Guru in all living beings.
It is the same with God. You must look upon all objects as God's rupa [form]. How can he who does not know his own Self perceive the real form of God or the real form of the Guru? How can he determine them? Therefore, first of all know your own real form and nature.
Question : Isn't a Guru necessary to know even that?
Ramana Maharshi : That is true. The world contains many great men. Look upon him as your Guru with whom your mind gets attuned. The one in whom you have faith is your Guru.
Question : What is the significance of Guru's grace in the attainment of liberation?
Ramana Maharshi : Liberation is not anywhere outside you. It is only within. If a man is anxious for deliverance, the internal Guru pulls him in and the external Guru pushes him into the Self. This is the grace of the Guru.
Ramana Maharshi on Guru Grace Guru n Self Realization
Ramana Maharshi on Guru Grace, Guru and self Realization
Question : What is Guru's grace? How does it lead to Self-realization?
Ramana Maharshi : Guru is the Self. Sometimes in his life a man becomes dissatisfied and, not content with what he has, he seeks the satisfaction of his desires through prayer to God. His mind is gradually purified until he longs to know God, more to obtain his grace than to satisfy his worldly desires. Then, God's grace begins to manifest. God takes the form of a Guru and appears to the devotee, teaches him the truth and, moreover, purifies his mind by association.
The devotee's mind gains strength and is then able to turn inward. By meditation it is further purified and it remains still without the least ripple. That calm expanse is the Self. The Guru is both external and internal. From the exterior he gives a push to the mind to turn it inwards. From the interior he pulls the mind towards the Self and helps in the quietening of the mind. That is Guru's grace. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self.
Question : In the Theosophical Society they meditate in order to seek masters to guide them.
Ramana Maharshi : The master is within; meditation is meant to remove the ignorant idea that he is only outside. If he is a stranger whom you await, he is bound to disappear also. What is the use of a transient being like that ? But so long as you think you are separate or that you are the body, an external master is also necessary and he will appear to have a body. When the wrong identification of oneself with the body ceases, the master will be found to be none other than the Self.
Question : Will the Guru help us to know the Self through initiation?
Ramana Maharshi : Does the Guru hold you by the hand and whisper in the ear? You may imagine him to be what you are yourself. Because you think you are a body, you think he also has a body and that he will do something tangible to you. His work lies within, in the spiritual realm.
Question : What is Guru's grace? How does it lead to Self-realization?
Ramana Maharshi : Guru is the Self. Sometimes in his life a man becomes dissatisfied and, not content with what he has, he seeks the satisfaction of his desires through prayer to God. His mind is gradually purified until he longs to know God, more to obtain his grace than to satisfy his worldly desires. Then, God's grace begins to manifest. God takes the form of a Guru and appears to the devotee, teaches him the truth and, moreover, purifies his mind by association.
The devotee's mind gains strength and is then able to turn inward. By meditation it is further purified and it remains still without the least ripple. That calm expanse is the Self. The Guru is both external and internal. From the exterior he gives a push to the mind to turn it inwards. From the interior he pulls the mind towards the Self and helps in the quietening of the mind. That is Guru's grace. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self.
Question : In the Theosophical Society they meditate in order to seek masters to guide them.
Ramana Maharshi : The master is within; meditation is meant to remove the ignorant idea that he is only outside. If he is a stranger whom you await, he is bound to disappear also. What is the use of a transient being like that ? But so long as you think you are separate or that you are the body, an external master is also necessary and he will appear to have a body. When the wrong identification of oneself with the body ceases, the master will be found to be none other than the Self.
Question : Will the Guru help us to know the Self through initiation?
Ramana Maharshi : Does the Guru hold you by the hand and whisper in the ear? You may imagine him to be what you are yourself. Because you think you are a body, you think he also has a body and that he will do something tangible to you. His work lies within, in the spiritual realm.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Ramana Maharshi Teachings on Guru and Guru Grace
Ramana Maharshi Teachings on Guru and Guru Grace
Question : How is Guru found?
Ramana Maharshi : God, who is immanent, in His Grace takes pity on the loving devotee and manifests Himself according to the devotee's development. The devotee thinks that He is a man and expects a relationship as between two physical bodies. But the Guru, who is God or the Self Incarnate, works from within, helps the man to see the error of his ways and guides him in the right path until he realizes the Self within.
Question : How can I obtain Grace?
Ramana Maharshi : Grace is the Self. That also is not to be acquired; you only need to know that it exists. The sun is brightness only. It does not see darkness. Yet you speak of darkness fleeing on the sun's approach. So also the devotee's ignorance, like the phantom of darkness, vanishes at the look of the Guru. You are surrounded by sun-light; yet if you would see the sun, you must turn in its direction and look at it. So also Grace is found by the proper approach you make, though it is here and now.
Question : Cannot Grace hasten ripeness in the seeker?
Ramana Maharshi : Leave it all to the Master. Surrender to Him without reserve. One of two things must be done; either surrender yourself, because you realize your inability and need a Higher Power to help you; or investigate into the cause of misery, go into the Source and so merge in the Self. Either way, you will be free from misery. God or Guru never forsakes the devotee who has surrendered himself.
Question : How is Guru found?
Ramana Maharshi : God, who is immanent, in His Grace takes pity on the loving devotee and manifests Himself according to the devotee's development. The devotee thinks that He is a man and expects a relationship as between two physical bodies. But the Guru, who is God or the Self Incarnate, works from within, helps the man to see the error of his ways and guides him in the right path until he realizes the Self within.
Question : How can I obtain Grace?
Ramana Maharshi : Grace is the Self. That also is not to be acquired; you only need to know that it exists. The sun is brightness only. It does not see darkness. Yet you speak of darkness fleeing on the sun's approach. So also the devotee's ignorance, like the phantom of darkness, vanishes at the look of the Guru. You are surrounded by sun-light; yet if you would see the sun, you must turn in its direction and look at it. So also Grace is found by the proper approach you make, though it is here and now.
Question : Cannot Grace hasten ripeness in the seeker?
Ramana Maharshi : Leave it all to the Master. Surrender to Him without reserve. One of two things must be done; either surrender yourself, because you realize your inability and need a Higher Power to help you; or investigate into the cause of misery, go into the Source and so merge in the Self. Either way, you will be free from misery. God or Guru never forsakes the devotee who has surrendered himself.
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