The Self

[nonduel]

"Knowing the Self is being the Self, and being means existence - one own's existence - which no one denies, any more than one denies one's eyes, although one cannot see them. The trouble lies with your desire to objectify the Self, in the same way you objectify your eyes, when you place a mirror before them. You have been so accustomed to objectify that you lost the knowledge of yourself, simply because the Self cannot be objectify. Who is to know the Self? Can the insentient body or mind know it? All the time you speak and think of your "I", "I", "I", yet when questioned you deny knowledge of it. You are the Self, yet you ask as to how to know the Self"

From the booklet: Thus Spake Ramana
By Swamy Rajeswarananda
Sri Ramanasramam 2003
#52 page 32

[Subramanian.R]

Dear nonduel,

Nice. The Self has to be experienced and and therefore cannot be
described.  It is beyond any words and explanations. Saint Manikkavachagar
uses one phrase, as to how Siva again and again gave him the taste
of sugar.  One story can be developed on this one phrase.

There is one Ant 1: It lives inside the container containing salt.
This Ant 1 tastes a bit of salt and says Oh, it is very nice. I shall
live and survive with this.

There is one Ant 2: It lives inside the container containing nice
sugar. This Ant 2 tastes a bit of sugar everyday and says, Oh, it is
very nice. The sweetness is beyond description.

Both Ant 1 and Ant 2 came out of the containers and met each other.
Ant 2 asked Ant 1 to come and visit its sugar container. The Ant 1
replied: Why, I am happy inside the salt container. Why should I
come to your container.

The Ant 2 compelled Ant 1 and took it to the sugar container.  It
gave a bit of sugar,. again a bit of sugar, again a bit of sugar.....
Then Ant 2 asked Ant 1: How do you feel?  Is it not better than
salt?  The Ant 1 said: How can I describe? How can I describe?
The Ant 1 shed tears and hugged at Ant 2.

Ant 1 - disciple
Ant 2 - Guru
salt - this world
sugar - the Self.

adithu adithu akkaram theeRRiya aRputham aRiyene..... says
Saint Manikkavachagar. adithu, adithu , compelling, slapping me,
slapping me; akkaram - sugar. theeRRiuya - putting the sugar into
my mouth, again and again, compulsorily.  The Saint says ARputham
ARiyene?  How can I describe this strange miracle?



Arunachala Siva.         

[nonduel]

"The Self has to be experienced and and therefore cannot be
described.  It is beyond any words and explanations. Saint Manikkavachagar
uses one phrase, as to how Siva again and again gave him the taste
of sugar.  One story can be developed on this one phrase."

For the Self to be "experienced" (objectify), wouldn't that imply someone having this experienced?
As long as the experience of the Self is searched, one forgets to BE. Being is the taste of sugar, for this most of us need to be "slapped".

[prasanth_ramana_maharshi]

very nice example subramanian garu.

[nonduel]

Going through some posts and reading again my reply here, I realized that it was a ridiculous reply to Sri Subramanian. To say the least! Sometime the mind is intelligent other times...

You are right Prasanth Ji, it is a very good example!