Self-enquiry as taught by Sri Bhagwan is enough

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Sri Anand,


I would like to quote part of a conversation from the book 'Conscious Immortality' as follows:
"When the financial secretary , Mysore Govt, came and asked, "Is Paul Brunton's The Secret Path useful to Indians also" Mahrshi replied, "Yes, for all."
The enquirer then said: "The doctrine that body, senses etc. are not 'I' is common  among us, but how to practice, to realise it?"
Maharshi replied: "By the threefold method mentioned in Brunton's book.""



Therefore, dear friend, Sri Anand, there is no doubt that Sri Brunton's The Secret Path is useful for all those who are pursuing the Path of Enquiry, as taught by Sri Bhagwan, in all earnestness, whatever the nationality, religion, caste or creed of the devotees and seekers.

However, having said this, I wish to add that as far as my own practice is concerned, I raised the inescapable and fundamental question 'Who am I? and Whence am I?' from the very beginning.  This practice itself enabled me to realise that physical, intellectual and emotional sheaths are not really the true 'I' which I, and in fact, everybody, have been experiencing, at the back of the mind, from the childhood to this day, and thus these sheaths got eliminated on the Path itself. There was hardly any need to engage in any specific, introspective and critical analysis to arrive at this understanding.

Dear friend, Sri Anand, yes, Sri Brunton's first step comprises of three stages:
First, that we cannot be this block of an insentient body.
In the second stage, we subject our emotional nature to critical analysis and arrive at the tentative conclusion that neither the body nor the emotion is our true Self.
The third stage of Sri Brunton's introspective analysis enables one to arrive at the tentative understanding that intellect, mind and senses are not our true Self. That thoughts in their totality alone constitute what we call intellect! However, Sri Brunton himself says with regard to the third stage as following: 

Sri Brunton: "The final proposition is more difficult to substantiate for it is rather a question to be decided by personal experience. For I do not hesitate to say that if the intellect is but the continuous train of thoughts which pass and re-pass in procession through the BRAIN , then, under certain conditions man may cease to think and yet remain CLEARLY conscious of himself. This has occurred several times and the mysticism, both Oriental and European, attests the fact."   

Thus, through this introspective analysis, we begin to discover tentatively that the limits hither to imposed by ourselves on the notion of the self are fictitious, and therefore, these need not be necessarily the only conditions of our conscious existence.


Dear Sri Anand, it follows that the first step, as outlined by Sri Brunton, is only preparatory to our inner journey, for the Real Self is yet to be discovered, and therefore, it is relevant if you are still engrossed with the physical body, emotions, intellect and senses, etc. However, if one has succeeded in turning the mind inward, as you said, and all doubts have disappeared with regard to notion of the Real Self, I do not think one needs to engage in this introspective analysis, repeatedly, over and over again, to draw him from the personality to mighty impersonality.

When the thinking or reasoning intellect subsides, INTUTION, WHICH IS THE DIRECT KNOWLEDGE, HAS A CLEAR FIELD IN WHICH TO MANIFEST ITSELF. 

When we take up Enquiry in all earnestness and concentrate on our sense of being, which is ancient, the mind is surely to become pellucid or calm, gradually. This is the beginning of the dawn of Knowledge. But yes, constant agitation of the mind or the intellect needs to be checked-somehow. Grace or Presence is always there--in the beginning, middle and in the end. There should not even be an iota of doubt about That.

Sri Bhagwan:   THE  PATH  ITSELF  WILL  TEACH  YOU  RIGHT (Conscious Immortality).


Dear Sri Anand, I am sorry for my belated response, but  you are aware that everything happens by and with Sri Bhagwan's Grace only, including 'REALISATION'  ITSELF.


Thanks very much, my dear friend, Sri Anand.
Pranam,
  Anil           
 
 

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Devotees,


The Premier Sage, Sri Jnaneshwar is said to have asked for a boon at the end of His celebrated commentary on the Bahwghavad Gita. In the same strain, a devotee asked Sri Bhagwan to grant boon in the language of the Sage Sri Sohiroba thus:

Devotee: "Oh Bhagwan, if you are going to give us anything, give us this--our ego should vanish our sight and should be focussed on the Self, thought should drop and the world should be no more. May we get natural happiness which depends not on the forms and objects of senses. As salt is dissolved in water, our mind should be merged in the Self."


Hearing this, Sri Bhagwan was mightily pleased. Stretching Himself up and in a loud voice proclaimed:
Sri Bhagwan: "Take, take as much you like.  GET  IN,  GET  IN."

Dear devotees, old devotees who moved closely with Sri Bhagwan have attested that the features of Sri Bhagwan on such occasions were a sight for the Gods to see. 

However, the devotee asked for an explanation as to what really 'GETTING  IN' meant.  So, on another occasion he asked thus:
Devotee: "How to get in and stay there when we get in?"
Sri Bhagwan laughed, looked at the devotee compassionately and replied thus:
Sri Bhagwan : "Leave out the body-consciousness (the idea that that I am the body) and then where is 'in' and where is 'out '? ALL  LIFE  CONSCIOUSNESS  IS  ONE ,  THROUGHOUT."

The devotee was satisfied and happy to hear this beautiful answer to his question for asking a boon from Sri Bhagwan.
Source: Direct Teaching of Bhagwan Ramana, Sri V. Ganesan

Dear devotees, in and out or inside and outside have some meaning only so long as subject and objects persist.  FOR  WHOM  ARE  THE  SUBJECT  AND  OBJECTS? Sri Bhagwan has taught that if we investigate thus, they will get resolved into the subject only.  NOW  SEE  WHO  IS  THE  SUBJECT? Sri Bhagwan has assured that the investigation leads one to Pure  Consciousness beyond even the subject. 
Therefore, dear devotees, Enquiry, in my view, is getting in and reaching the Self and remaining as the Self, without the least identification with not-Self, free of thoughts, is Realisation.


Thanks very much.
Pranam,
  Anil   

[Anand]

Dear Shri Anil,
Great to see that you have returned after a brief absence  and thanks for sharing your views on Brunton's book.Your emphasis  on self enquiry being the core of our practice comes through ever so clearly as always.
Can you share with us , for our enrichment as to how in this period ,you went deeper with  your self enquiry, juxtaposing with work as needed to be done.THis may help us all in our sadhana.
On a personal note I am not able to make much progress with self enquiry though not a day goes by without me reading something about Bhagavan.I am somehow unable to still avoid the whom are these thoughts,me who am I routine used by me  to make atleast  some  attempt however miniscule in the  practice of self enquiry since I am not able to discern or hold onto the "I thought " clearly enough .Any practical  tips on this front  will really help.
THanks and Regards,
Anand Sundaram.
I am  asking this

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Devotees,

What follows is an excerpt from the epic 'The Human Gospel of Ramana Maharshi' authored by the great devotee, Sri V. Ganesan:
 
The Heart's Emergence:
 
The boy called Venkataraman in Tiruchuzhi came in response to Arunachala's call at the age of sixteen, and stayed in and around the Arunachaleshwara temple. Others, too, were with Bhagavan to support him in the recording and dissemination of a divine Masterpiece, the revelation of the irrefutable Truth of nonphysical existence in satsang, silence, and Darshan.
This recognition and emergence of the Truth unfolded slowly through Bhagavan's interactions, while in Virupaksha cave, with Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni, Gambhiram Seshayya, Sivaprakasam Pillai, Frank Humphreys, and the others. The revelation of the sublime Truth, for which the term, Arunachala, is a divine representation of the omniscient silent state of 'I Am', is externalized and symbolized as the unmovable hill, and experienced internally as the silent still Self. Bhagavan himself has sung that the 'I Am' is the substratum and Heart of each one of us. In later years, he addressed saying, "Arunachala, your name is Heart itself." Bhagavan's function is to reveal this Truth in all walks of life: that the 'I Am' state within and without each one of us is the true ever present immortal Self. The first phase of this process took place between 1896 and 1922.

In 1922, Bhagavan came down from Skandashram to stay in what is today's Ramanashram. With this starts the second phase, the emergence.
 
What was the significance of Bhagavan coming down the hill to Ramanashram? One obvious reason was that his mother, who, at liberation in his hands in Skandashram in 1922, had to be buried at the foot of the hill, since it could not be done on the hill. Therefore the entire entourage had to come down, too. There is a symbolism to this; the Vedas categorically state that the highest Truth is unattainable unless extraordinary penance is performed. But here, the highest Truth, the recognition that each one of us is the 'I Am' state, was destined to unfold throughout humanity in its rightful place. It was to be available to all, without any conditions. Destiny had called Bhagavan gracefully to reveal it.
Many years later, when Bhagavan was asked why he came down from Skandashram to the present Ramanashram, he said, "The same Higher Power, which drew me from Madurai to Arunachala, brought me from Skandashram to the present Ramanashram." He always emphasized the Higher Power. Until then, the whole Hindu spiritual world stood on the two pillars of guru and disciple or God and devotee. Bhagavan, a spiritual pioneer, fused this fundamental concept of two separate entities into one, the One Truth, which is all consuming, the all inclusive Heart sky. In his hymn Arunachala Pancharatnam he says, "Arunachala, you are the sublime Truth, from which the whole universe emerges, on which it has its stay, and into which it dissolves." Another time, Bhagavan said, "Everyone ultimately has to realize Arunachala." Meaning, everyone is to ultimately reach the silent still Truth as one Self.
What is the meaning of the emergence? It means a paradigm shift from the mortal to being immortal. In 1922, when the Mother fell ill, Bhagavan
put his hands on her chest and her head and recognized her liberation. This was the nucleus. It started like a droplet that would soon develop into a deluge of Self-realization. What is Self-realization? An individual who identifies the Self with the body, as mortal, and then recognizes that they are immortal and formless spirit without boundaries is the illumination. Bhagavan's own story is that his idea of being a mortal body died at the age of sixteen, but he woke up to the Truth and state of 'I Am'. It was grace, conversion, and resurrection. Through Mother's example, Bhagavan celebrated that it is possible for every one of us to reach liberation from the carnal idea. The Mother woke up to the Truth and it is to glorify this, that there is the Matrabhuteshwara temple now in the Ramanashram compound. When we see through the traditional cultural rituals, we realize that it is so beautiful because here is a shrine for the divine Truth of 'I Am'.
 
It is only after 1922, when more devotees began to gather, that the emphasis was given to the teaching of Self-Enquiry. Bhagavan's Self-Enquiry is neither technique nor theory. It is the direct sublime Truth, which many are not able to grasp or recognize immediately. As the Hindu scriptures say, "The fire is already in the charcoal. It is covered with ash, and you will only brush it away to reveal the burning fire." Similarly, the state of I Am' is covered with the ignorance of mortality and its storyline. The endeavour is to remove the mortal idea and discover the eternal still 'I Am', the eternal substratum or Truth. There is no need to create the Truth; it already exists. Bhagavan once said, "There is no gradation to Self-realization, but there is gradation in giving up notions of non- truth or mortality, which conceals Self-realization." Arunachala, the silent Heart-Self, is here to clean away the ash of ignorance, because as the Hindu scriptures state, Arunachala is a symbol of jnana or wisdom.
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Dear devotees, Sri Bhagwan's Self-enquiry is the sublime Truth. Sri Bhagwan has taught that holding 'I  Am' with effort is the practice, abhyasa, This is the Self-enquiry. And when holding the 'I Am', the Self, becomes effortless, It is Realisation or Attainment or, Knowledge, whatever the name we give to That which is nameless and formless.

Thanks very much.
Pranam,
  Anil


Note: Dear Sri Anand, thanks for your response. I wish to respond to certain very important points you have raised in your post, as soon as I get some spare time, today or tomorrow. Thank you. Anil

[eranilkumarsinha]

Quote from Sri Anand:
"Can you share with us , for our enrichment as to how in this period ,you went deeper with your self enquiry, juxtaposing with work as needed to be done. THis may help us all in our sadhana.
On a personal note I am not able to make much progress with self enquiry though not a day goes by without me reading something about Bhagavan.I am somehow unable to still avoid the whom are these thoughts,me who am I routine used by me to make atleast some attempt however miniscule in the practice of self enquiry since I am not able to discern or hold onto the "I thought " clearly enough .Any practical tips on this front will really help."



Dear Sri Anand,


That we are seized with a divine fervour to discover the Atma-swarupa or the Self is itself an Act of Divine Grace. Is it not? The thought of God or the Self is divine fervour. We should not doubt that it is His Grace that we are on the Path in the first place. Sri Bhagwan has assured that the Self-enquiry is an adequate as well as an infallible method for the Purpose. Has He not? Therefore, there is no need to worry.

Dear friend, Sri Anand, when a devotee performing Self-enquiry complained similarly that he was not able to make progress, Sri Bhagwan replied, "How do you know that you are not making progress?" Therefore, the Guru alone knows. However, as far as progress in Self-enquiry is concerned, Sri Bhagwan has taught that degree of absence of thoughts is the measure of success in Enquiry. So, when we sit for enquiry either in the slotted or fixed time or engage ourselves in the practice wherever we are and whatever we are doing, and if there are progressively less and less distracting thoughts to swerve us from the Self-attention, then we can rest assured that we are making progress in Enquiry. Besides, we must understand that nothing is obtained to be afresh. It is only the removal of ignorance. Sri Bhagwan once remarked, 'What kind of progress can be expected in the quest for the Self?'

Dear Sri Anand, you have mentioned in your post that you are not able to discern or hold onto the 'I'-thought clearly enough. In my own case, I never tried to discern the 'I'-thought. Wherever I am, wherever I go, whatever I am doing; first, I am. Who am I? All we have to do is to hold the 'I'-ness or 'I Am'-ness or the 'I'-consciousness or the sense of being. It is the one irreducible datum of all our experiences. Is it not? Yes, we cannot deny.  Therefore, when we cling to that consciousness (i.e. consciousness 'I'), we gradually bring upon it greater and greater intensity of concentration and attention. As a natural consequence, we go deeper and deeper, we gain more and more clarity, AND  WE  ARE  MORE  AND  MORE  FIRMLY  ESTABLISHED  OR  FIXED  IN  OUR  EXISTENCE-CONSCIOUSNESS, destroying tendencies, for then there is no one to attend or care for them.  AND  LAST  BUT  NOT  THE  LEAST, 'I'-THOUGHT  BECOMES  CLEARER  AND  CLARER  FOR  OUR  INSPECTION. We realise the truth of the statement that the ego comes up holding only us (the Self). THEREFORE,  OUR  DUTY  IS  TO  HOLD  OURSELVES  AND  THE  FICTITIOUS  AND  FALSE   'I'-THOUGHT  OR  THE  EGO  WILL VANISH. Remember, seeking the Source from where arises this 'I'-ness or 'I Am'-ness is the dynamic element in the great Quest.


Dear friend, you have also mentioned in your post that you are still not able to avoid 'to whom?', 'to me?' and 'who am I?' sequence. This, in my view, is no cause to worry about at all. It is just a contrivance to return to Self-attention, if it has been lost due to rise of a distracting thought, and when one becomes aware of the lapse. Just keep on performing Enquiry as has been taught by Sri Bhagwan Himself. Path Itself will show you the light. However, I would like to caution here that one must not make excessive effort to do away with what one perceives to be undesirable and strain oneself undesirably. With sincerity, earnestness and perseverance, I am cent percent certain that everything will be right in due course.
 I have read that some even wait for the next thought to come up so that they can fling 'to whom?', 'to Me?', 'who am I?' questions at the risen thought as if they are sitting to hold a court of enquiry, calling one thought after another. Yes, of course, it is futile and is certainly not the right attitude to perform Self-enquiry.   

Dear Sri Anand, as for me, I do not know what to say. What I have written above, they all hold good for me as well.  However, I do not have any fixed time, self-allotted, to perform Self-enquiry. Mind is fascinated with whatever it is experiencing and is thus within the magnetic field of the Self, and therefore, mostly, seeks and attends the Atma-swarupa, of its own accord. BOTH  CURRENT  OF  AWARENESS  AND  SELF-ATTENTION  PERSIST  IN  ALL  CIRCUMSTANCES.  For instance, often now, I feel that I am waking whole night, and on waking up, I find that I had been, in fact, soundly asleep, and experienced freshness and happiness of the sound sleep.  But nevertheless, for sure, I am aware that in truth, 'I', the Self, do not sleep, but simultaneously, I do not remember anything, meaning that the mind remained merged in what is called nescience. Therefore, all I can say, at this stage, is, I am getting more and more firmly established in my existence-consciousness, the pure 'I AM'-NESS, at the Core of my Existence, and have the Foretaste of the ensuing bliss.  'Reaching' aspect of my sadhana, by His Grace, is coming to an end. However, 'abiding' aspect remains. Sri Bhagwan has taught that abidance alone obliterates the last vestige of the hidden and entrenched predispositions. I didn't wish to say all these things for myself, but since you asked so sincerely and earnestly, and words came spontaneously, I wrote what I have written above. Such is Sri Bhagwan's Grace!


Remember, perseverance is the key to open the door of success in Enquiry, but please, do not stretch yourself, allow Sri Bhagwan's Grace to act and steer you clear of all obstacles on the Path. Thanks very much my dear friend, Sri Anand.
Pranam,
  Anil       

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Devotees,


Quote:
"Without giving up hope, this school teacher (Sadhu Sri Natanananda) went to Bhagavan again and pleaded, "Bhagavan I want to experience your gracious wisdom. Kindly fulfill my prayer!"
 Bhagavan looked at him for a full fifteen minutes. When a question was put to Bhagavan, he would usually not answer immediately. Instead he would prepare the questioner with silence and only then give the answer, so that it remained with the aspirant as direct experience. He was more interested in communing with the questioner than in the question. He gazed at Natanananda for fifteen minutes and then said, "Is it the body in front of me which desires to obtain grace, or is it the awareness within it? If it is the awareness, is it not looking upon itself as the body and making this request? If so, let the awareness first of all recognize its nature. It will then automatically recognize God and grace. The Truth of this can be realized even now and here." Wave after wave of pure ecstasy pulsed through Natanananda, and he stayed in Bhagavan?s presence for hours. He too had been blessed by Bhagavan?s glance of grace. God sees God."
Source: The Human Gospel of Ramana Maharshi






Dear devotees, Self is Grace. We ask for Grace because we, the spaceless and timeless Awareness, do not recognise our True Nature as the Awareness. If we enquire and recognise our True Nature as spaceless and timeless Awareness, Sri Bhagwan has revealed that we automatically recognise God and Grace, for God and Grace are the Blissful, Pure Awareness.


   

Quote:
"He once told me that even Bhagavan's glance did not permanently fulfill him, and there were some residual tendencies in him, despite being austere. Once when he was in Bhagavan's presence, Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni and other scholarly devotees were sitting with Bhagavan and speaking in Sanskrit about Hindu scriptures. He felt utterly dejected that he could not follow a single word about the lofty subjects that were being discussed and began to feel sad silently. He closed his eyes, with tears streaming down his cheeks. When he opened his eyes, everyone had left and only Bhagavan was there. Bhagavan looked at him compassionately and asked, "Why are you so dejected? If you were really unfit to realize the Self in this life, you could not have come to this place at all."  (This applies to everyone) Bhagavan continued, "The power that drew you here will make you realize the Self. If not today, then at some other time, it is bound to fulfill its commitment. There is no reason why you should be dejected." This sealed any form of imperfection in Sadhu Natanananda and drove out all his ignorance. With this, he, too, became a Self-realized sage."
Source: The Human Gospel of Ramana Mahrashi



Dear devotees, If we have really come to the Lotus Feet of Sri Bhagwan and taken up Self-enquiry, as taught by Him, in all sincerity and earnestness, to realise the Atma-Swarupa, there is indeed no reason why we should be dejected at any stage in the greatest Quest. Certainly, the Power that drew us to Him and enabled to practice Atma-Vichara will also make us realise the Self, if not today, then some other day of His Choice. THERE  CANNOT  BE  AN  ESCAPE  NOW! 


Thanks very much.
Pranam,
  Anil

[eranilkumarsinha]

Quote:
"Thus, though others seldom saw Ramaswami Pillai, Bhagavan and he were working together telepathically almost all the time. Bhagavan was continuously blessing him with his presence and Ramaswami Pillai was always chanting Bhagavan's name while doing his work. One day however, he had misgivings about his progress. He wondered if it was a mistake not to actively participate in any of the other activities of the Ashram, such as chanting, puja, and festivities. So he asked, "Bhagavan am I doing the right thing?"  Bhagavan replied, "Do Self-Enquiry. It embraces all other activities."
Even while he was working in the garden or going to town by cycle, he was unconsciously doing Self-Enquiry. Whenever I met him at the Ashram after 1960, he would advise me very fervently, "Do not get involved in any of these puja and other activities. They will not take you anywhere. Do only Self-Enquiry."
A few years before he passed away, he would talk to my friends, like Anuradha, and say, "We must have a room or a hall where only Self-Enquiry is done."
Once, on losing his keys, he went to Bhagavan saying, "My keys are lost, Bhagavan." Bhagavan smiled and said, "The keys are not lost; they are where they are. You have forgotten where you have left them." Then, as he often did, Bhagavan supplemented what he had said with his teachings: "It is just like the Self. It is always where it is. We forget it and take so many paths searching for it, saying, 'I am not able to find the Self; I don't know what the Self is, or where it lies.' We are searching for it even though it is always here. The Self is not lost, it is only forgotten." With the help of anecdotes, Ramaswami Pillai would give me Bhagavan's teachings."
Source: The Human Gospel of Ramana Maharshi




Dear Devotees,

Whether we have a room or a hall where only the Self-enquiry is done, or we don't have such a hall, llke Sri Ramaswami Pillai, I also have always felt deeply that whether we are engaged in auxiliary spiritual practices or not, we must always do Self-enquiry, if we can.  For, the Self is always where It has always been, and That is none other than the real 'I'.  If 'I' alone is the truth and our only real destination, why should we search It outside 'I' ?  'I' is visible and palpable. Is it not? Therefore, why not take a straight path to the Atma-swarupa, the Self or the Param Dham? Why should we take  circuitous streets, lanes and by-lanes to search and reach 'Ourselves'?   Much as we wish to believe that our salvation lies in pilgrimage to different spiritual and religious centres, or in hovering around myriad ahrams, or adopting myriad spiritual practices, fact remains that Sri Bhagwan, on most occasions, turned the attention of the questioners from the thought to the thinker himsel, i.e., from the object to the subject. It is not for nothing that He laid so much emphasis and attached profound importance to the practice  of Self-enquiry as a spiritual sadhana. I  BELIEVE  THAT  HE   CAME  TO  GRACE  HIS  DEVOTEES  AND   REVEAL  THE  SELF-ENQUIRY  IN  ITS  NEW  AVATAR!


Thanks very much.
Pranam,
  Anil 

[eranilkumarsinha]

"As long as a human being worries about when he will die, and what he has that is his,
all of his works are zero.
When affection for the I-creature and what it owns is dead,
then the work of the Teacher is over."
Sage Sri Kabir

[Anand]

Dear Shri Anil,
Self enquiry seems easier  in the evenings or on weekends etc when we are relatively in a comfortable frame of mind, with no possibility of the mind being disturbed.
On the otherhand especially in the work place , especially in present difficult times, where the mind seems to  be caught up in guilt feelings for things wrongly said or work undone or contrastingly  switches into  an aggressive mode condeming either mentally or verbally someone else's action ,whether justified or not.
Is there a way to reduce the effect of these obtrusive feelings and  retain self abidance even during the working days and also in other situations -personal or professional -where there is a lot of emotional upheaval.
Secondly please share if possible any ways  how we can avoid condemning any one else under any circumstance so that we we do not have to deal with the second stage of negative feelings due to  condemnation of others.
Extending the above , please see if you can share with us again whenever time permits and if possible, how we can also equally avoid self condemnation which Bhagavan said was equally counter prductive to sadhana.
My request for  above, is to imbibe  your insight to create a meditative frame of mind  and maintain the current at all waking times.
Thanks  and Regards,
Anand Sundaram.

[Jewell]

Dear Sri Anil,

I am so happy to see Your post!!! I wondered why are You not comming. But indeed,the best time we can spend,is the time we spend in practice.

And it is true,the real selfenquiry is only Being,only to Be. Pure Self abidance. Like You said,to hold onto the Self,or God,and so long we fix and keep our intention strickly and only on our chosen ideal,it is genuine practice. Than it ceases to be effort,and we become verily that chosen ideal.

Happy to see You back,dear friend!

With love and prayers,

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Sri Anand,


Sri Bhagwan has said that all time is auspicious time to conduct Self-enquiry. But, yes, some time back, I felt the same.  There are times and states when it is easier to perform enquiry, when the mind is more sattvic. Take advantage of such occasions and states  and seek to go deeper.  I am sure, if you conduct enquiry in right manner, as taught by Sri Bhagwan, you will gradually be able to carry the current of meditation wherever you go, whatever you are doing, whether you are at the work place, or driving even a car! After all, Sri Bhagwan Himself is the Commander-in-Chief of this Battle Royale against the demonic tendencies of the mind, to end its tyranny.  Such is His Grace!   
 

Dear friend, Sri Anand, Sri Bhagwan has taught that we have to conduct ourselves according to the workings of the minds of the others. We are duty bound to adjust ourselves thus. Sri Bhagwan says that people of intelligence examine their own minds. There is no knowing the minds of the others. Bhagwan says that He has to adjust Himself according to the desires and intentions of others (Letters from Sri Ramanasramam)! Dear friend, this is a great percept, and we must follow it as far as possible and practicable for each one of us. 
 

Dear Sri Anand, negative feelings are not something external to us. You are aware that the world and objects in  it, as well as thoughts and feelings, are all only created by our mind. They  all pertain to the filmsy ego. They do not exist during our sleep. Therefore, method to get rid of these guilt feelings. etc., for once and all, is only one.  Since they all come from within us, by looking into the Source from whence they issue forth, we will sure be able to conquer them.  Remember amidst all these, you are, who are you? Pay attention diligently, dear friend, on to yourself. That alone is the crux of the matter!


Thanks very much, dear friend, Sri Anand.
Pranam,
  Anil

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Sri Jewell,

Thanks very much, dear friend, for your beautiful response. 
Yes, it is the essence of Sri Bhagwan's Teaching.
Sri Bhagwan has taught without any ambiguity whatever that mind springs up and sinks down. It is transitory. But I am eternal.  There is nothing but the Self.  Therefore, inhering in the Self is the thing. Sri Bhagwan has also taught, "Never mind the mind. If its source is sought, it will vanish leaving the Self unaffected", because the mind, in fact, does not exist at all. 
My dear friend, Sri Jewell, indeed, I am never tired contemplating and meditating on Sri Bhagwan's Teaching: There is nothing to be obtained, there is no Goal to be reached. You are the Self. You exist always. Nothing can be predicated of the Self than It exists, It Is.  Seeing God or the Self is only being the Self or yourself or myself or ourselves. (We should always remember that there  are not numerous selves, there is one Self.) Seeing is being. You, being the Self, want to know how to attain the Self.

Self is only Be-ing, nothing other than simple Being. Therefore, yes, our duty is only to be.  I, the Self or Being is always there--It is the standing Presence, if I may say so. There is no time when It is not there. Time does not exist.  So, to even say that It is ever present, with reference to time, is, in fact, a misnomer. Nothing can be predicated of the Existence Itself than 'It Is'.  That is real 'I' or 'You'  or 'any body' whoever. 

It follows, therefore, that being fixed in that 'I' or 'You' or 'It is', for the search of the Atma-swarupa, or the Self (what an irony!), from the start to the finish, is indeed the real practice, as you said.

Thanks very much, dear friend, Sri Jewell.
Pranam,
  Anil       

[Anand]

Dear Shri Anil,

It is interesting you raised the dream issue.Please help share your thoughts on the below and please ignore any impropriety in the way I may have worded the same.

I am always confused whether Bhagavan meant when the world is a dream
This  :-
i.e I dream a waking dream in which I raise some doubt and Shri Anil obliges with his answer but Shri Anil himself is my dream creation

or THIs :-
The one self because of its innate tendencies imagines itself as  Anil and  Anand and it is on account of the power of the self that the imagined jiva  of Anand raises the doubts and the imagined jiva  of Anil obliges by answering the same.

I am inclined to believe it is the latter but would gladly like to hear from you.

Thanks and Regards,
Anand Sundaram.

[Jewell]

Dear Sri Anil,

My dear friend, Sri Jewell, indeed, I am never tired contemplating and meditating on Sri Bhagwan's Teaching: There is nothing to be obtained, there is no Goal to be reached. You are the Self.

This is something i was thinking last night. I remembered Bhagavan's words that we will laugh at our past efforts and struggles when we realize the Truth. It is indeed irony. Even that very word "The Self" is pointing on our true nature and reality. And even more than that,this very Presence,like You beautifully said it. What ever we  do,what ever thoughts or feelings come,this Presence is the background of everything. They all only appear like ripples on the surface,not touching the essence of our Being.
How strange is this all... I guess this is the meaning of making distinction between real and false "I". But even the thoughts about it are not possible at all. Only Silence is the language of the Soul. That is what i realize with every attempt to understand it. Seeing this all,no need to understand it actually... It is the way it is.
Than,like You said it,only abidance is what is left,nothing more,and nothing less.

Here is something on this subject i have found recently. And this is indeed something we could see for ourselves,and what You mentioned so many times.



Thank You,my dear friend!

With love and prayers,

[eranilkumarsinha]

Quote from Sri Anand:
"I am always confused whether Bhagavan meant when the world is a dream
This :-
i.e I dream a waking dream in which I raise some doubt and Shri Anil obliges with his answer but Shri Anil himself is my dream creation

or THIs :-
The one self because of its innate tendencies imagines itself as Anil and Anand and it is on account of the power of the self that the imagined jiva of Anand raises the doubts and the imagined jiva of Anil obliges by answering the same.

I am inclined to believe it is the latter but would gladly like to hear from you."



Dear Sri Anand,

World is product of mind or ego. It rises with the mind and sets with the mind. The difference in waking and sleep states is only in the awareness and non-awareness of the world. World therefore is only a projection of the mind. The universe exists on account of the 'I'-thought. In sleep there was no 'I'-thought and there was no world, nothing. On waking, true 'I' is not apparent and the false 'I' is parading itself. This false 'I' is obstacle to our right knowledge.

Sri Bhagwan says that the mind goes outward and derives experiences from its mode in the waking and dream states, and remains indrawn in sleep.
Dear Sri Anand, enquiry enables one to recognise that the world is projected simultaneously with the projection of the 'I'-thpought. Sri Bhagwan has taught unequivocally that when one seeks the Self, and on reaching It, abides as the Self, there is no world to be seen. Therefore, Reality is only the Seer, and certainly not the world.

Dear friend, Sri Anand, the mind is only a bundle of thoughts, and therefore, we cannot extinguish or get rid of it by the thought of doing so or desire. We must reach the Self. As for the world, it is an idea, and remember, we are not in the world, world is verily in us. For, the world is a projection of the mind and the mind is verily in the Self.

Dear friend, the above was in response to your confusion as to what Sri Bhagwan exactly meant when He revealed that the world was a dream.  However, before  I respond to your last question, we should go through following conversation:

D: There is an idiot who cannot count up to ten. His mind does not certainly wander as does that of a thinker. Is the former a better man than the latter?
Sri Bhagwan: Who says that he is an idiot? Your mind in its wandering says so.

Similarly, who says that Anil obliged and answered questions to clear your doubt in a waking or sleeping dream? Certainly your mind in its wandering said so. Isn't it? This is the answer to your question.
Sri Bhagwan has taught that such wandering fritters away the strength of the mind. Its strength lies in being confined to itself with external activities arrested.
Besides, acceptance of the existence of the world requires a seer who is no other than myself or yourself. Let us, therefore, first find ourselves so that we may know the relation between the world and the seer.

Dear Sri Anand,  Sri Major Chadwick once asked of Sri Bhagwan, "There is no mind when I sleep. Is the world not existent to others at that time? Does it not show that the world is a product of a universal mind?"
Sri Bhagwan: The world does not tell you that it is of the individual mind or of the universal mind. It is only the individual mind that sees the world. When this mind disappears the world also disappears (talk-556).   

However, Sri Bhagwan has revealed that a unique power regulates all activities of the individuals and of the universe.

HENCE,  IT  IS  ONLY  THE  INDIVIDUAL  MIND  WHICH  SEES  WORLD  AND  AN  ANIL  AND  OTHERS  IN  IT  AND  IS  FACED  WITH  SO  MANY  DOUBTS.

Therefore, I wish to say, "Instead of mere speculation, we should practice, so that all these doubts disappear, and then only we will be what we are--Absolute Being."

Thanks very much, Dear Sri Anand.
Pranam,
  Anil