Self-enquiry as taught by Sri Bhagwan is enough

[eranilkumarsinha]

Meditation is only the mental imagination of conceiving oneself to be the supreme reality that shines as sat-chit-ananda. Enquiry is to establish the mind in the Self such that the seed of false delusion (the mind) perishes.
                                                                                   V. 738, GVK, edited by Sri David Godman

He who can effectively meditate on himself as consciousness will merge with Sivam, the Self.
                                                                                  V. 742, GVK, Edited by Sri David Godman

Dear Sri Subramanian Sir,

So, meditation is merely mental imagination of conceiving ‘I am That’ whereas meditation on himself as the consciousness ‘I am’ will merge him with Sivam who is our Atma-swarupa. Meditation is  thinking or conceiving,  which implies a ‘kriya’, a doing, a reflection, a movement. On the other hand, if one practices Self-attention with perseverance, there comes a state from where one is effortlessly drowned in his own Blissful  Atma-Swarupa, one’s true state of ‘Being’. Such is the unique greatness of Sri Bhagwan’s Teaching ! Says Sri Bhagwan in Verse-36 of the ULLadu Narpadu, “Since we are ever That, why should we for ever be meditating that we are That? Does a man meditate ‘I am a man ?’”.

Thank you so much, sir.

Regards,
   Anil             

[Subramanian.R]

Dear Anil,

Sri Bhagavan says in ULLadu Narpadu, Verse 36 as under:

Sri Bhagavan says as long as one thinks I am the body, meditation
saying No,. I am That is helpful to abide as That. But once, the body/
mind complex is overcome, even to meditate that I am That is not
necessary. 

So for beginners, who think I am the body, such meditation is helpful.
Thereafter it is not.



Arunachala Siva. 

[Subramanian.R]

Dear srkudai,

Sri Bhagavan said that if you pursue self inquiry, with all the determination
of a dog searching its Master, through the scent, you will reach the Self.
The Self itself is I AM.  "I am-ness is Self realization.



Arunachala Siva.   

[jacques franck]

yes it is in Maharshi Gospel in the chapter AHAM AND AHAM-VRITTI :

Self-enquiry by following the clue of aham-vritti is
just like the dog tracing its master by his scent. The
master may be at some distant, unknown place, but
that does not at all stand in the way of the dog
tracing him. The master’s scent is an infallible clue
for the animal, and nothing else, such as the dress he
wears, or his build and stature etc., counts. The dog
holds on to that scent undistractedly while searching
for him, and finally it succeeds in tracing him.

Namaste

[eranilkumarsinha]

Bhagavan did say that holding onto "I AM" is like a dog following the scent ... one finally resolves in the Self. am i correct ?

Self-enquiry by following the clue of aham-vritti is
just like the dog tracing its master by his scent. The
master may be at some distant, unknown place, but
that does not at all stand in the way of the dog
tracing him. The master’s scent is an infallible clue
for the animal, and nothing else, such as the dress he
wears, or his build and stature etc., counts. The dog
holds on to that scent undistractedly while searching
for him, and finally it succeeds in tracing him.

Dear Sri Udai Shankar and Sri vishnave,

We do always have the feeling of ‘I’. Otherwise, can we deny our existence, our ‘being’ ? We do not. Therefore, everybody is aware of ‘I am’, though hazily, because of the confusion that this block of an insentient body is ‘I’. ‘I am’ is the pure Existence-Consciousness; it is not a thought but verily our Real Nature, our ‘being’, that is, Swarupam. “I am so and so” is only a, mentation, a thought, a rising, from our pure being, known as the ego. Therefore, ‘I am’ is the ‘being’, Swarupam; whereas “I am so and so” is a mentation, a thinking, a rising—a fiction, a play of illusion (maya) or His Jugglery?

We do not deny our existence. Do we?  So, ‘I am’ is the clue. To pursue the clue till Realisation is Vichara. ‘I am’ is the name of God. THEREFORE, ‘I AM’ IS THE CLUE TO REALISATION AS WELL AS THE NAME OF GOD. IT FOLLOWS THEN THAT VICHARA IS THE PROCESS AND ALSO THE GOAL. TO HOLD ON TO IT WITH EFFORT IS VICHARA. WHEN SPONTANEOUS AND NATURAL IT IS REALISATION.

Dear vishnave, yes, ‘I am’ is the master’s scent, an infallible clue, and the only clue available to us jivas (creatures), and nothing else. Holding on to this scent undistractedly while searching for Him, we finally succeed to attain the State “I AM THAT I AM”.

Thank you,
  Anil       

[eranilkumarsinha]

Sri Bhagavan says in ULLadu Narpadu, Verse 36 as under:

Sri Bhagavan says as long as one thinks I am the body, meditation
saying No,. I am That is helpful to abide as That. But once, the body/
mind complex is overcome, even to meditate that I am That is not
necessary.

So for beginners, who think I am the body, such meditation is helpful.
Thereafter it is not.

Dear Sri Subramanian Sir,

Ji. Yes. So, meditations, such as, “I am That, or I am Brahman” are, at best, aids to Enquiry, and are useful to the extent that we are obsessed with the ‘I am the body’ idea. But, dear sir, as far as I know, Sri Bhagwan never advised any devotee to meditate on any of the Scriptural Mahavakyas.

When we meditate “I am That, or I am Brahman”, what we feel as ‘I’ is the ego-mind which we take to be ourselves and the word ‘That’ or ‘Brahman’ is taken to denote only one of the second and third persons and certainly not the first person. Therefore, meditations, such as, “I am That or I am Brahman” are thus nothing but the activity of the mind which take us towards the second and third persons. Besides, there is a vast difference between the enquiry and meditations on Mahavakyas. As soon as we start meditating ‘I am That or I am Brahman”, the true feeling of ‘being’ or ‘I am’ that is thus roused is at once blurred by the thought of Brahman and diverted into a second and third person feeling. To avoid this very trouble, Sri Bhagwan advised that EVEN IF WE INCESSANTLY THINK ‘I, I, I..’, IT WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO THAT PLACE, THE STATE OF BRAHMAN “I AM THAT I AM”.

Thank you so much, sir.

Regards,
  Anil       

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Devotees,

Yes. Age-old habits make it that much difficult to direct the attention all, of a sudden, to the first person, away from the second and third persons. Reason for this is that the second and third persons are positioned diametrically in the opposite direction to the first person. Door to second and third persons opens externally while door to the first person opens internally. So, when one makes attempt to direct the attention to the first person, one’s mental tendencies or vasanas or subtle desires towards the worldly objects resist and foil the effort in the beginning. What happens is like this : The moment one tries to turn the attention to the first person away from the second and third persons, the inherent tendencies of the mind act as the spring which pulls one’s mind back to the second and the third persons. Therefore, even if one makes sincere effort in the beginning, one is not able to turn the attention fully to the first person despite earnest effort, and as a result, second and third persons are also in one’s awareness, though with persistence and perseverance awareness of these will progressively grow to be feebler and feebler till one is truly and fully established in the Self-attention and one is no longer assailed by the thoughts and desires of the second and third persons objects.

Dear devotees, I once again reiterate that longing to know the Self is of paramount importance. A lot depends on the firmness of the desirelessness and the strength of longing to know the Self, one’s True Nature. As I said before, when earnest effort meets with the Grace, anything can be achieved. When one practices Self-attention in all earnestness and prays to Sri Bhagwan earnestly, both the firmness of desirelessness and the intensity of love and longing to know the Self are certain to increase faster.

As one’s desirelessness and longing to know the Self increase by the practice of the Self-attention  and prayer to the Guru Bhagwan Sri Ramana, one’s abiltiy to attend to the first person rather than to second and third persons will also certainly increase until one is finally fully able to turn the attention to the first person alone, free from even the blurred awareness of the second and third persons. Once this happens, Light starts beckoning, meaning that a tenuous current of Self-awareness accompanies even while one is engaged in different activities. One is then able to experience, progressively clearly, an awareness of one’s own existence or being, irrespective of one’s state of mind. That is, one will be able to experience the ever-present feeling ‘I am’ underlying all those activities. However, this is not the state of the unceasing Self-attention, since one experiences this state when one is favourably so inclined. FOR UNCEASING SELF-ATTENTION IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE STATE OF THE SELF-REALISATION AND NOT IN THE STATE OF PRACTICE. 

Dear devotees, unceasing state of the Self-attention is the final state of the Self-realisation and unswerving state of the Self-abidance. From here on, it is Guru’s Grace that enables one to get established in the final state of the Self-abidance. “TRUE , GRACE IS NEEDED; LOVE IS ADDED. BLISS WELL UP.” ( To continue)

Thank You,
   Anil

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear devotees,

Grace is needed;
Love is added.
Bliss wells up.

What do the above three lines mean to us? When will Bliss well up ? Bliss well up in the State of unswerving Self-abidance which is alone the State of unceasing Self-attention. Only by knowing the Self can Bliss well up. We must be convinced that until we know the Self, we will be endlessly courting and experiencing miseries and unhappiness. How to attain unceasing Self-attention? BY REPEATED PRACTICE OF SELF-ATTENTION. Practice is sine-qua-non.

Grace is needed to attain the state of unceasing Self-attention. Remember: Grace is the beginning, middle and the end. So, how to tap the Guru’s Grace to succeed in Enquiry ? Guru’s Grace is efficient and helps more and more to those seekers who PRACTICE SELF-ATTENTION REAPEATEDLY WITH PERSEVERANCE, AND WITH GREAT LOVE AND LONGING TO KNOW THE SELF. THIS IS CERTAIN. Therefore, when unswerving effort with love and longing to know the Self joins the Guru’s Grace, then only one can be able to completely merge in the Self-attention, that is, one becomes able to turn the attention fully Self- ward with perfect clarity of the awareness of one’s being, undisturbed and unimpaired by even the least awareness of the second and third persons. Thus, when the attention is fully turned Self-ward, this is the state when one experiences great change taking place internally. And one is not far away when his power of attention is caught in the powerful magnetic field of the Guru’s Grace which will then not allow the attention to dwell on second and third persons any more. Dear devotees, it is not that Guru’s Grace is available only when one is caught in its clutch. It is always there, helping and guiding seekers. However, it is only when one’s power of attention is caught in the powerful clutch of the Grace that one becomes totally a prey to it.

Therefore, it follows from the above discussion that when one becomes able to turn his total attention towards the Self without the least awareness of the second and third persons, one is sure to be caught in the net of the Guru’s Grace. Realisation is the prerogative of the Guru’s Grace. So, when the ego-mind is thus caught in the clutch of the Guru’s Grace by steadfast practice of the Self-attention with love to know the Self, and is thereby merged irreversibly in its Source, what remains is the Self- Realisation. This is also the State of the unceasing Self-attention.

Thank You,
    Anil           

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear devotees,

Renunciation means internal renunciation and not external and that means all vasanas should be subdued or destroyed by sadhana. Sri Bhagwan says in Day By Day with Bhagwan, P. 245 :
“Renunciation is always in the mind, not in going to forests or solitary places or giving up one’s duties. THE MAIN THING IS TO SEE THAT THE MIND DOES NOT TURN OUTWARD BUT INWARD.” 

Sri Bhagwan says elsewhere that giving up non-self is renunciation and inhering in the Self is Self-realisation. So, renunciation and Realisation are the same and only different aspects of the same state.

Dear  devotees, it is obvious that ‘I am the doer’ and ‘I am the body’ beliefs are at the root of the thought of renunciation. There must be ‘I am the body’ and ‘I am the doer’ belief, at least to some extent, for nurturing the thinking and the thought about renunciation.  Destroying the ego-mind by Vichara or Surrender and remaining still is the true renunciation. To keep on thinking and discussing repeatedly that one should renounce this and that or this way or that way is merely an intellectual exercise which expands the mind and thus further weakens it. It cannot be brought about except by sadhana to attain Realisation.  Sri Bhagwan says that even a sannyasi who thinks ‘I am a sannyasi’ cannot be true sannyasi whereas a householder who does not think ‘I am a house holder’ is truly a sannyasi.

ONE OBSTACLE IS THE MIND. RENUNCIATION AND REALISATION ARE THE SAME. THEREFORE, ONE AND SINGLE OBSTACLE IS INDIVIDUALITY. So long as we carry the baggage of the individuality and hold it dear, thinking and discussing about renunciation defeats its own purpose.

Having said as the above, I wish to add that so long as there is a trace of individuality, so long as there is the belief that ‘I am this body’, internal renunciation, which alone is the true renunciation, cannot be brought about. AND ALL THESE BELIEFS PERTAIN TO THE MIND AND THE BEST WEAPON TO DESTROY THE MIND HAS BEEN TAUGHT BY THE GURU AS THE DIRECT PATH OF ENQUIRY. ENQUIRY ITSELF IS THE PATH AS WELL AS THE LIGHT TO THE TRUE RENUNCIATION.

Thank You,
   Anil         

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Devotees,

Sri Bhagwan  says that ‘I am’ is the Truth, only another name for the Self and ‘I am God’ is not true. ‘I exist’ is the only permanent and self-evident Reality which is ever experienced by one and all. The experiences and knowledge gained through the senses are, on the contrary, far from being self-evident. Sri Bhagwan says that Self alone is self-evident, pratyksha and therefore doing Self-analysis and being  ‘I am’ is the only real thing to be done, for I am this and that is simply not true from the standpoint of True Knowledge.  Sri Bhagwan says that Brahman exists as ‘I’ and not as ‘I am Brahman’.  So, there is no use meditating ‘I am Brahman, I am Brahman….’. Does a man need to keep on thinking that ‘he is a man, he is a man…’ ? So also, the Self is the Self, Self is Brahman, Self is everything and all. AND SELF EXISTS AS ‘I AM’ IN EVERYTHING AND EVERY BEING.

Therefore, it all finally comes down to the effacement of the ego or the individuality, or the personality or the mind. The aim of all sadhanas or the spiritual practices is only the effacement of this calamitous ego which does not exist in the STATE OF TRUE EXISTENCE, TRUE BEING THAT WE TRULY ARE.

Sri Bhagwan Himself has again and again emphasised that whatever path one may adopt, the ‘I’ is inescapable.  THE ‘I’ THAT WANTS TO MEDIATATE, THE ‘I’ THAT WANTS TO RENOUNCE, ‘I’ THAT WANTS TO PERFORM SELFLESS ACTION (NISKAMA KARMA), THE ‘I’ THAT WANTS REUNION WITH THE LORD FROM WHOM IT HAS SEPARATED, THE ‘I’ THAT HAS LOST OR FALLEN FROM ITS NATURAL STATE AND SO ON.

This false ‘I’ wants do so many things. And we say that we do not know that very ‘I’ which wants to know and do so many things. Therefore, ‘I’ must be found out, nay, the source of ‘I’ must be found out, for the Self or the Brahman is the true import of that we call ‘I’.

Unless this ‘I’ is found, no question can be solved, for at the root of every question is this ‘I’ alone. Once one is divested of this false ‘I’ and its true import is attained, one is the Jnani and Srimad Bhagavad Gita says that Jnani alone is best karma yogi, the best devotee, and the highest yogi.

Thank You,
  Anil       
 

[Subramanian.R]

Dear Anil,

Once Major Chadwick had some disturbance in his mediation. He could not do proper meditation
for a number of days.  There was also some emptiness in the mind.  So he thought, he may not
succeed in self  abidance and wanted to return to his home country.  On afternoon, when there
was no one in the Hall, and when Sri Bhagavan was alone, he went inside and pulling the punkah,
he told Sri Bhagavan: I am not able to do proper meditation. I do not have undisturbed current of
meditation. I am not fit for liberation. I think I have to get back to my home country.

Sri Bhagavan was reading a news paper, while He was listening. After some minutes, He asked:

Who is that "I" who does not do meditation? Who is the "I": who does not have undisturbed current
of meditation. Who is the "I" who wants to say that he is not going get liberated. Who is the "I"
who wants to get back to his home country?   Who are all these "I"s?  He gazed at Chadwick.
Chadwick understood and then went away. 

It is the I that retards our progress. It is the I that discourages. If this "I" is killed one would surely
succeed.



Arunachala Siva.     

[eranilkumarsinha]

Who are all these "I"s? He gazed at Chadwick.
Chadwick understood and then went away.

It is the I that retards our progress. It is the I that discourages. If this "I" is killed one would surely
succeed.

Dear Sri Subramanian Sir,

This, in my view, is the greatest Teaching ever declared and enjoined. Thank you so much, sir.

The word ‘killing’ should not scare anybody, for, if the ego is killed either by Enquiry or Surrender, there is no loss to our Swarupa. Rather we attain our Atma-Swarupa which is hidden, at present, by that very ghost-like spurious ‘I’. So, one should have no apprehension that when the ego-mind is killed, it may result in blank and not happiness. Sri Bhagwan says that what happens is really that the thinker, the object of thought and thinking, all merge in the Consciousness from where all three arise. Consciousness Itself is Bliss. Hence, the question of fear of ending in blankness and inertness does not arise.

Regards,
  Anil   

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Devotees,

 Sri Bhagwan explains Sravana, Manana, Nidhidyasana, and Samadhi, in Talk—647 thus :

Sravana: Knowledge dawns, The flame is ignited.

Manana : The Knowledge that dawns by Sravana is not allowed to vanish. Just as the flame is protected by a wind-screen, so also the other thoughts are not allowed to overwhelm the Right Knowledge.

Nidhidhyasana : The Flame of Knowledge is kept to burn bright unwaveringly by trimming the wick implying that whenever other thoughts arise, the mind is at once turned to the Light of True Knowledge.

Samadhi : The Flame of Knowledge burns bright effortlessly and naturally, It is Samadhi.

     Therefore,

Enquiry “Who Am I ?” is the Sravana.
The ascertainment of the True Import of ‘I’ is the Manana.
The practical application on each occasion is Ndhidhyasana.
Being as ‘I’ is Samadhi.

Thank You,
   Anil

[Subramanian.R]

Dear Anil,

Yes. Self inquiry comprises all the four sadhanas, mananam etc.,



Arunachala Siva.

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Sri Subramanian Sir,

In the present state of our ignorance we identify ourselves with the ego-mind. But mind appears and disappears, sometimes functions, sometimes does not. This is a simple daily experience of one and all. When the mind suddenly rises on waking, we immediately conclude, “Ah! This is real me”. Don’t we ? This will simply imply that when the mind is not present we cease to exist as in deep sleep, which obviously is absurd. So, the ‘being’ that we really are, and the continuity of our ‘being’, are in no way either dependent or impaired by either the appearance or disappearance or by our identification with the mind. We exist even without the mind. It follows that mind is something that comes and goes, but our existence per se is not wiped out each time the mind ceases to function. This is something that can be validated by direct experience in a 24-hour daily life-situation.

Sri Annamalai Swami says that when the mind appears every morning on waking, one should not instantly conclude, “This is me; these thoughts are mine”. Instead, one should watch the thoughts come and go without identifying with them in any way. If only we can resist the impulse to claim each and every thought as our own, we soon reach a wonderful discovery: WE WILL DISCOVER THAT WE ARE THE CONSCIOUSNESS IN WHICH THOUGHTS APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR. WE HAVE A STARTLIG DISCOVERY THAT THE ENTITY CALLED MIND EXISTS ONLY WHEN THOUGHTS ARE ALLOWED TO RUN FREELY. Like the snake which appears in the rope is illusory, mind is a pure illusion which appears through present ignorance or misconception.     

Therefore, all we do need is to give up our age-old habits, by Atma-Vichara, of inventing an ‘I’ which claims all thoughts as ‘mine’.

Sri Annamalai Swami says :
“BE CONSCIOUS OF YOURSELF AS CONSCIOUSNESS ALONE, WATCH ALL THE THOUGHTS COME AND GO. COME TO THE CONCLUSION, BY DIRECT EXPERIENCE, THAT YOU ARE REALLY CONSCIOUSNESS ITSELF, NOT ITS EPHEMERAL CONTENTS.”
                                                                         Living by the Words of Bhagwan

This, indeed, is a great Teaching. Clouds come and go but the sky is not affected by the appearance and disappearance of the clouds. OUR REAL NATURE IS LIKE THE SKY, LIKE SPACE, MERE PURE ILLUMINATION. THEREFORE, WE SHOUD REMAIN LIKE THE SKY, THAT IS, AS THE MERE PRESENCE, MERE ILLUMINATION, AND WATCH THE THOUGHTS COME AND GO. If this attitude of indifference is cultivated consciously towards the mind, we will gradually cease to identify ourselves with the mind. 

Thank you so much, sir.
Regards,
   Anil