Friday, September 30, 2011

DIVINE WAY TO SCRUTINIZE

DIVINE WAY TO SCRUTINIZE

 

Millions come to Kashi as pilgrims. It is said that those who see Kashi will not be born again. 


One day at Kailasha, Parvathi asked Shiva, "Lord, I have heard that all those who visit Kashi, where there is a celebrated shrine for your worship, will attain Kailasha and stay on there in your presence. Millions are coming to Kashi, but is this place big enough to accommodate all of them?" 

Shiva replied, "Every one of them cannot come to Kailasha. I shall design a play and make clear to you who among the millions can come here. You, too, have a role to act. Do as I direct you to." 

Parvathi became an old lady of 80 and Shiva a rickety old man of 90. The old woman had the old man on her lap, right at the main entrance of the famous Shiva shrine of Vishweshwara, and she lamented: "My husband is terribly thirsty. He is about to die of thirst. I cannot leave him and go to the river Ganga to bring him water. Will any of you pour a little Ganges water down his throat and save his life?"

The pilgrims were coming up from the ghats after their ceremonial bath in the holy river, their clothes still wet and clinging to their bodies. Some of them commented that their peace was disturbed by the sight of this pathetic couple. `We have come to take Darshan of the Lord, and look what meets our eye.' There were some who flatly ignored her cries and lifted their noses in the air. Some said, `Wait. Let us finish the worship inside the temple and then we shall bring the Ganga water for you.' No one offered them Ganga water since they needed it for themselves! 

Just then a robber, who was hurrying into the temple to pick a few pockets, heard the plaintive voice of the old woman and halted near them. 

She cried, "Son, we came to this place to have Darshan of Lord Vishweshwara of Kaashi, but my husband has fainted out of sheer exhaustion. He might survive if someone will bring a little Ganga water and pour it down his throat. I cannot leave him here and go for water. Please help me and earn the merit." 

The robber was moved into compassion despite his `profession' ! He had a little Ganga water in the hollow gourd he had with him. He knelt down near the dying person on the lap of the old woman, but the woman stopped him suddenly saying, "The moment the Ganga water wets his throat, my husband may die; he is in the last stage of living. Therefore speak a word of truth and pour the water." 

The robber could not understand what she meant, so she explained, "Speak within his hearing, some good deed that you have done in your life, and then pour the water in his mouth." That created a problem for the robber. He was at his wits end. He could not quite comply. 

He said, "I have, in truth, not done any good deed so far. This present act, the offering of water to this thirsty man, is the very first good deed I am responsible for." And saying this, he placed the gourd at the lips of the old man and gave him a mouthful. 
Just at the moment, the couple disappeared and in their placed stood Shiva and Parvathi, in all their splendour, blessing the robber who was completely stunned & speechless!

Lord Shiva told him, "Life is to be dedicated for the service of others and not devoted to the exclusive interests of oneself. Howsoever many wicked deeds you might have done so far, for your selfless offering of Ganga water with truth on your tongue, we bless you with this Vision & grant you liberation! Remember there is no morality higher than truth; there is no prayer more fruitful than seva. No amount of rituals & worship would help if you don't do seva. Both are essential just like a bird requires two wings. With these two wings you can reach Kailasha!!!"

 

 

 

Few Ramana Maharshi Talks

Happiness is born of Peace and can reign only when there is no disturbance. Disturbance is due to thoughts, which arise in the mind. When the mind is absent, there will be perfect Peace.

Even the present is mere imagination, for the sense of time is purely mental.

"You and I are the same. What I have done is surely possible for all. You are the Self now and can never be anything else. Throw your worries to the wind, turn within and find Peace."

The ultimate truth is so simple; it is nothing more than being in one's natural, original state.

The Self is always there. It is you. There is nothing but you.

Everyday life is not divorced from the Eternal State. So long as the daily life is imagined to be different from the spiritual life these difficulties arise. If the spiritual life is rightly understood, the active life will be found to be not different from it (Talk 375).

When a pot is broken, the space within it is not, and similarly, when the body dies the Self in it remains eternal.

All that is required to realize the Self is to be still.

By day I praised you, and never knew it. By night I stayed with you, and never knew it. I always thought that I was me--but no, I was you and never knew it

The realized person weeps with the weeping, laughs with the laughing, plays with the playful, sings with those who sing, keeping time to the song.

By whatever path you go, you will have to lose yourself in the One.

Since the one aim is to realize the Self by destroying the ego, to engage oneself in verbal wrangling about the nature of the world is but vain. ~ Truth Revealed (Sadvidya)

We are always the Self. Only, we don't realise it.

There are no stages in Realization or degrees in Liberation.

You speak as if you are here, and the Self is somewhere else and you had to go and reach it, but in fact the Self is here and now, and you are always It.

Your business is simply to surrender and leave everything to me.

Engage yourself in the living present. The future will take care of itself.

The body itself is a thought.

You imagine it is something somewhere high in the sky, far away, and has to descend. It is really inside you, in your Heart, and the moment you effect subsidence or merger of the mind into its Source, grace rushes forth, sprouting as from a spring within you.

Your duty is to Be, and not to be this or that.

Since you shine as ''I'' in the Heart, your name itself is Heart.

It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should inquire with diligence, "To whom has this thought arisen?"

The mind is commonly said to be strong if it can think furiously. But here the mind is strong if it is free from thoughts.

I would like to take a moment to thank each and everyOne of you who support this page with your wonderful insights. May you rediscover your true nature and live as That. Lve blessings from the Heart

Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind.

The mind cannot seek the mind.

Grace is not something to be acquired from others. If it is external, it is useless. All that is necessary is to know its existence in you.

You know that you know nothing.

Without consciousness, time and space do not exist; they appear within Consciousness but have no reality of their own.

When will the realization of the Self be gained? When the world which is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realization of the Self which is the seer. ~ from Who Am I? (Nan Yar?)

Be yourself and nothing more.

You and I are the same. What I have done is surely possible for all. You are the Self now and can never be anything else. Throw your worries to the wind, turn within and find Peace.

True humanity lies not in returning violence for violence, but in forgiveness.

"Only those who need not engage in action, are happy; they are perfectly content, and self-contained, and they experience happiness which extends to all the pores of the body." ~ Tripura Rahasya

When there is no "I" there is no karma.

Questioner: What is the state beyond bliss? Maharshi: It is the state of unceasing peace of mind which is found in the state of absolute quiescence.

The existence of this existence-consciousness can be inferred by the objects illuminated by it. It does not become the object of consciousness.

Guru is none other than the Self. If there is a external guru he will only point to the self

Q: How long does it take a man to be reborn after death? Is it immediately after death or some time later? 

Maharshi: You do not know what you were before birth, yet you want to know what you will be after death. Do you know what you are now?

Existence or Consciousness is the only reality. Consciousness plus waking we call waking. Consciousness plus sleep we call sleep. Consciousness plus dream, we call dream. Consciousness is the screen on which all the pictures come and go. The screen is real, the pictures are mere shadows on it.

"Only the knowledge of direct experience can be true and useful; the Self is to be realized and not to be talked about." ~ The Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge

To the ignorant and the wise alike the world exists. To the former, the world observed alone is real. To the wise, the formless source of the visible is the one world, Real and Perfect." ~ Sat-Darshana Bhashya

You know that you are.

"The Self is one and is identical with the Lord. In order to see the Self or to see the Lord, the ego must get consumed and lost, having surrendered itself to the Supreme Being." Truth Revealed (Sadvidya)


The seat of Realization is within and the seeker cannot find it as an object outside him. That seat is bliss and is the core of all beings. Hence it is called the Heart.

The realized being does not see the world as different from himself.

Married or unmarried, a man can realise the Self, because that is here and now. If it were not so, but attainable by some efforts at some other time, and if it were new and something to be acquired, it would not be worthy of pursuit. Because what is not natural cannot be permanent either. But what I say is that the Self is here and now and alone.

Be what you are. That which is, is ever present. Even now you are It, and not apart from It. The expectation to see and the desire to get something are all the working of the ego. Be yourself and nothing more.

"The changeless infinite Self transcends time and space, which are relative to the body and the mind." ~ Truth Revealed (Sadvidya)

All will come right in the end.

A Self-realised being cannot help benefiting the world. His very existence is the highest good.

If the mind is turned inward God manifests as inner consciousness.

The Heart is not physical; it is spiritual. Hridayam = hrit + ayam - This is the centre. It is that from which thoughts arise, on which they subsist and where they are resolved.

Satisfaction can be only when you reach the Source. Otherwise restlessness remains.

The conception that there is a goal and a path to it, is wrong. We are the goal or peace always.

The thing to do is to concentrate on the seer and not on the seen, not on the objects, but on the Light which reveals them.

Grace is ever present. All that is necessary is that you surrender to It.

The body itself is a thought. Be as you really are.

Forgetfulness of your real nature is true death;remembrance of it is rebirth.

When you speak of a path, where are you now?

Guru is not the physical form. So the contact will remain even after the physical form of the Guru vanishes.

If the light of the sun is invisible to the owl, it is only quiry realize that the mind which remains at the end of the inquiry is Brahman."

There is no difference between the dream and the waking states except that the dream is short and the waking long. Both are the result of the mind. Our real state, called turiya (fourth), is beyond the waking, dream and sleep states.

Regulation of life, such as getting up at a fixed hour, bathing, doing mantra, japa, observing ritual, all this is for people who do not feel drawn to self-enquiry or are not capable of it. But for those who can practise this method all rules and discipline are unnecessary.

Reality lies beyond the mind. So long as the mind functions, there is duality. Once it is transcended, Reality shines forth.

Birth and death pertain only to the body…they are superimposed on the Swe are free.

The fact of your existence is also your realization.

'I exist' is the only permanent self-evident experience of everyone.

Eventually, all that one has learnt will have to be forgotten.

Doesn't one find some kind of peace while in meditation? That is a sign of progress. That peace will become deeper and more prolonged with continued practice. It will also lead to the goal.

OAM NAMO BHAGAVATE SRI RAMANAYA

"Those who follow the path of inquiry realize that the mind which remains at theby this intense activity which is called 'silence' (mauna).

There is no help in changing your environment.The obstacle is the mind, which must be overcome, whether at home or in the forest. If you can do it in the forest, why not in the home? Therefore, why change the environment?

Mind and breath have the same source. Hence breath is controlled when mind is controlled and mind when breath is controlled. Breath is the gross form of the mind. Pranayama (breath control) is only an aid to subdue the mind and will not serve to kill it. Like pranayama, worship of a deity, japa (repetition) with a mantra, strict regulation of diet are all aids for mind control.


There is no greater mystery than this: Being Reality ourselves, we seek to gain Reality.

.lf, giving rise to the delusion that birth and death relate to the Self. Discover the undying Self and be immortal and happy.

The highest form of grace is silence. It is also the highestspiritual instruction. .. All other modes of instruction are derivedfrom silence and are therefore secondary. Silence is the primaryform. If the Guru is silent the seeker's mind gets purified by itself. Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, 518.

Maya (delusion or ignorance) which cannot be desYour duty is to Be, and not to be this or that.

To him who is one with the formless Self, everything is formless.

They say I am dying, but I am not going away. Where could I go? I am here.

Be as you already are.

"If mind-consciousness subsides into the source from which it arose, the experience of Being, absolute perfection, will unite with you here and now."

Christ is the ego. The Cross is the body.When the ego is crucified, and it perishes, what survives is the Absolute Being, and this glorious survival is called Resurrection. - Talks, November 6, 1935

All spiritual teachings are only meant to make us retrace our steps to our Original Source...We need not acquire anything new, only give up false ideas and useless accretions...Instead of doing this, we tr2That which is, is only Sat. That is called Brahman. The luster of Sat is chit and its nature is ananda. These are not different from Sat. And the three together are known as Sat-chit-ananda."

The mind is only a bundle of thoughts. The thoughts arise because there is the thinker. The thinker is the ego. The ego, if sought, will vanish automatically. The ego and the mind are the same. The ego is the root-thought from which all other thoughts arise.

What exists in truth is the Self alone.

Your duty is to Be, and not to be this or that.

To him who is one with the formless Self, everything is formless.

Thit must be ddying, but I athe truth is gained. This is clearly ridiculous. A day will dawn when you will laugh at your past efforts. What you realize on the day you laugh is also here and now.

The world is nothing more than an embodiment of the objects perceived by the five sense-organs. Since, through these five sense-organs, a single mind perceives the world, the world is nothing but the mind. Apart from the mind can there be a world? ~ Forty Verses on Reality,verse 6

f one has form oneself, the world and God also will appear to have form, but if one is formless, who is it that sees those forms, and how? Without the eye can any object be seen? The seeing Self is the Eye, and that Eye is y to grasp something strange and mysterious because we believe happiness lies elsewhere. This is the mistake.

Do not think too much of psychical phenomena and such things. Their number is legion; and once faith in the psychical thing is established in the heart of a seeker, such phenomena have done their work. Clairvoyance, clairaudience, and such things are not worth having, when so much far greater illumination and peace are possible without them than with them."

There is no greater mystery than this: Being Reality ourselves, we seek to gain Reality. We think that there is something hiding Reality and that it must be destroyed before the truth is gained. This is clearly ridiculous. A day will dawn when you will laugh at your past efforts. What you realize on the day you laugh is also here and now.

The world is nothing more than an embodiment of the objects perceived by the five sense-organs. Since, through these five sense-organs, a single mind perceives the world, the world is nothing but the mind. Apart from the mind can there be a world? ~ Forty Verses on Reality,verse 6

f one has form oneself, the world and God also will appear to have form, but if one is formless, who is it that sees those forms, and how? Without the eye can any object be seen? The seeing Self is the Eye, and that Eye is the Eye of Infinity. ~ Forty Verses on Reality,verse 4

Abide as That in which there is no beginning or end, no top or bottom or middle, no holy place or god, no gifts or pious acts, no time or space, no objects of perception - and be always happy, free from all traces of thought. ~ The Heart of the Ribhu Gita

Reality is simply loss of the ego. Destroy the ego by seeking its identity.Because the ego has no real existence, it will automatically vanish, and Reality will shine forth by itself in all its glory. This is the direct method. All other methods retain the ego.

Without consciousness, time and space do not exist; they appear within Consciousness but have no reality of their own.

You speak as if you are here, and the Self is somewhere else and you had to go and reach it… …But in fact the Self is here and now, and you are always It. It is like being here and asking people the way to the ashram, then complaining that each one shows a different path and asking which to follow

Happiness is born of Peace and can reign only when there is no disturbance. Disturbance is due to thoughts, which arise in the mind. When the mind is absent there will be perfect Peace.

The world does not exist in sleep and forms a projection of your mind in the waking state. It is therefore an idea and nothing else.

"If you seek God with your whole Heart, then you may be assured that the Grace of God is also seeking you."

Place your burden at the feet of the Lord of the Universe who accomplishes everything. Remain all the time steadfast in the heart, in the Transcendental Absolute. God knows the past, present and future. He will determine the future for you and accomplish the work. What is to be done will be done at the proper time. Don't worry. Abide in the heart and surrender your acts to the divine.

Your duty is to Be, and not be this or that. Let the world bother about its reality or falsehood. Find out first about your own reality. Then all things will become clear.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

DROP YOUR LUGGAGE HERE

DROP YOUR LUGGAGE HERE

 

A beggar lived near the king's palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party. 

 

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare? 

 

He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. "Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king."

 

"Wait here," the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. "His majesty will see you," he said, and led the beggar in.

 

"You wish to see me?" asked the king.

 

"Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?"

 

The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king's face. "You have been wise in coming to me," the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. "Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes."

The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for.

 

"You are now eligible to attend the king's banquet tomorrow night," said the prince. "But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever."

 

The beggar dropped to his knees. "Oh, thank you," he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again. Quickly he gathered them up. 

 

The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies. 

 

Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags. One day as he lay dying, the king visited him.

 

The beggar saw the sad look on the king's face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed. Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince's words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly. 

 

 

When we put our faith in God, we must let go of our worries, our past sins and our old ways of living. When we turn on a new leaf at any point of our lives, forgetting the past and letting go our old habits and thoughts is important. We can let go only if we have complete trust in the Lord that HE would be with us in our new journey and take us to our destination.

 

Our journey of life would be enjoyable if the unnecessary luggage's of the past we carry in our minds are minimal.

 

Why fear, when God is near?