Dear Krishnan, Friends,
Firstly Thanks to Sri Ravi's response and, thanks to you too, for posting his response here.
Yes, Ramana did raise few very fundamental questions which mostly we fail to recognise in our hot pursuit of our goal.
My observation is that, this notion of Middle way is very much notional, this middle way is a very personal thing to each person. In our country, since time immemorial, there have been various paths, some extreme and some very cordial to our life. We have Sadhakas such as Aghoris, who eat human dead bodies at mid night, and we also have Krishna Bhakthas who dance and sing kirthans all days and nights, and, there are these wandering monks, which we even now see in cities as well, who sing song and live by just what they get to eat. i mean to say that there has always been space for everything. There has never been pressure or a dictum that it has to be moderate or extreme. nothing is specified. Only one has to be true and honest to oneself, this much is the basic requirement!
This 'want' of a middle way itself is an hindrance, (this is my experience) as i found there is no middle way, really speaking, it is very notional!
As for that matter, I am sure, all devotees, especially Ramana devotees are in some degrees, definitely differ from the general lot, other schools of thoughts. I am sure, devotees in serious quest of truth may all experience some difference in their daily lives, because, the society and world survives with the power of ego and mind, and here, there is no place for both!
Buddha, who first propogated the middle path, itself was the greatest failure, for, by the time sincere sadhakas discovered the middle path, their life in world would have ended
as in they woul no longer be in main stream wordly life. They become monks!
For instance, Major Chadwick, came and remained in Arunachala as a recluse, to just name one, there are so many!
I believe a sadhaka, who is in search of truth goes through the path based on his past impressions, if it is so, that one has to under go extreme path in his quest for truth, one cannot avoid, for instance, look at the life of Buddha, he had to undergo extreme suffering and extreme sadhana before attaining Samatva. It is said that Buddha ate just one morsel of rice eac day at some point. On the other hand Ramana Maharshi got liberated even without desiring for liberation and stayed put in one place, never moved anywhere, whereas Shankara went round the country 3 times!
There is no real boundry who is true search for truth! There is a line, which restricts persons in search of truth, and this border is really invisible. this line is the freedom of a Sanyasi, where rules don't apply, once if a sadhaka crosses this hidden line, he is bound to face differences, untill he attains peace or samatva or samadhi, he undergoes all sorts of experiences, here, our demand for moderation or middle way will not apply, and not even work, for the power of the fire for the quest for truth will push one beyond any restrictions, even if one does not want to, it will show by itself to the sadhaka the Shocking realities of world, like Shiva's third eye, this is the Rudra Thaandavam.
It is commonly said that one can see Arunachala truly only after having darshan of Chidambara Nataraja, ie, the cosmic dance of Nataraja, that is cause of pralaya. The vision of Truth initially is shocking, as shared elsewhere before, each time when parts of truth is beig revealed, it is very shoking for the sadhaka, it is said, that when Krishna showed Vishwaroopa Darshan to Arjuna, he could not see it with his naked eye, and he gave him divine eyes.
So, such being the case, want for moderation is really a barricade. One who wishes to really see the truth, cannot avoid having to face the bare truth in its simplest self.
There is no wrritten way. It is mysterious, no rules, wordless, each person's experience is different according to his own past impressions.
One cannot avoid facing terrible extremes if one has to, no matter how much one tries to side towards middle way!
One cannot avoid facing the simple middle way, if one has to, no matter how mucg one tries to side towards extremes!
nothing is determined, even if it is determined, we can never know, can we? whether there is destiny or not? we have no way of knowing it! it is better to not believe in destiny! In the same way, who knows if really there is freewill? If it is true that we have freewill, then what ever we wish would have happened, but it is not so! Suppose Ramana himself says that there is no freewill or destiny or if he says yes, there is freewill and destiny, how does it change our position? in what way can we confirm what Ramana has said? We can never know, yes or no! We have only to discern ourselves by our own experiences alone.
I observed on my way, that it does not matter, to know, if there is free will or not, or if there is destiny or not, what ever answer i may get, is only inference, and we have no way of really 'knowing' it
So, i landed on this revelation, that it is best to leave these questions aside, I don't know, if there is free will or destiny, and i have no way of ascertaining it, so it is as good as not there at all, and this was a revelation to me!
We can know nothing, we can know nothing! period! there is no middle way, there is no extremes, it is all where one is, it is only our notions that describes something as extreme and moderation. For, in my own experience, my own truth sometimes contradict the declarations of sages, then is when i realised that we are more dependent on questions and answers of others and books, more than our own experiences, which is REAL, and truly to claims ours, as it is my experience, i don't have to prove it to anybody, such is the power of putting focus on ones own experience.
be ready to go in search of truth, whereever it takes you. this is my understanding! For I am sure that Truth shall never fail you!
One thought that broke down many barriers within me is these quotes of Buddha and Swami Vivekananda, it made me truly independent:
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
(Buddha)
...And here is the test of truth- anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually and spiritually reject as poison; there is no life in it, it cannot be true. Truth is strengthening. Truth is purity. Truth is all knowledge.
(Swami Vivekananda)
Having said these, i request all to feel free to accept and reject any ideas reflected by me here based on ones own shcool of thought. please apply the formula as quoted by Swami Vivekanada as above
Salutations to Bhagavan
