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BE As You Are
Aham Sphurana
A Glimpse of Self Realisation
New Book about Sri Ramana Maharshi
Available Worldwide
On www.openskypress.com and Amazon:
“In my opinion, Aham Sphurana, a Glimpse of Self Realisation, will become a Treasure Trove of Wisdom to the Seekers of Truth in general, and particularly to the devotees of Bhagavan.”
Swami Hamsananda – Athithi Ashram, Tiruvannamalai
BE As You Are
Q: How shall I Realise the Self?
B: Why should you realise anything? Why not BE or remain as you are?
Q: I am very eager to Realise the Self – as quickly as possible. Please encourage my ambition. Please tell me how I shall Realise the Self.
B: Only by BEing as you ARE.
Q: I don’t understand.
B: Remain without thinking and without being overcome by drowsiness or torpor.
Q: Impossible.
B: Practise vichara.
Q: It seems difficult.
B: Remove the idea of difficulty and it becomes easy.
Q: Then is God’s Grace also not needed?
B: Sincere and pertinacious effort to introvert the mind will win Grace automatically. The deeper the introversion of mind accomplished, the more is the Grace won. There will arrive a point wherein Grace alone remains i.e., the one who had been seeking it has vanished: this is referred to as SELF REALISATION.
Edited by John David Nov 2024
Ripe Souls Attain Jnana
Aham Sphurana
A Glimpse of Self Realisation
New Book about Sri Ramana Maharshi
Available Worldwide
On www.openskypress.com and Amazon:
“In my opinion, Aham Sphurana, a Glimpse of Self Realisation, will become a Treasure Trove of Wisdom to the Seekers of Truth in general, and particularly to the devotees of Bhagavan.”
Swami Hamsananda – Athithi Ashram, Tiruvannamalai
Ripe Souls Attain Jnana
Q: It is said that the Jnani breathes Jnana into others through the power of his silence, that words are not necessary for him. How does the Jnani enlighten his disciples?
B: His bodily presence creates a natural ‘force field’ of mental quietness in the vicinity. Science has made the observation that if an adequate length of insulated copper wire is repeatedly wound around an iron truncheon and then electricity is passed through the wire, iron filings placed near the truncheon are attracted to it.
There is no modus operandi visible to the naked eye by means of which the magnetised iron is able to influence the iron filings, yet in fact it happens. Likewise, the invisible waves of Jnana radiating off the mindless one, spontaneously effect those around him, whether they are aware of it or not. Sensitive minds become aware of it.
Just like iron filings are quietly sucked towards the magnetised iron bar, the Jnani’s silent influence introverts the mind and facilitates its submergence or absorption in the Beingness of the Self. Once the initial right experience has been gained in vicinity of the Jnani’s presence, thereafter as a result of incessant practice, the sadhaka understands that the state of extroversion is a departure from the natural state and that effortlessly and volitionlessly maintained thought free and languor free Subjective Consciousness is the natural state.
It is only then that he reaches the formless realm of Indestructible Peace. Note that all this is from the sadhaka’s point of view only. The Jnani cannot be aware of any ‘others’ to help, nor is he necessarily even aware that he is bringing about all this; it all merely happens by the Power of the Presence.
Q: I feel no such magnetic effect in Bhagavan’ s presence. What fault have I committed?
B: I have already said that it requires sensitivity of mind. Nevertheless, your inability to feel it does diminish its effectiveness. You may not feel the potency of the Jnani’s silent influence. Yet, it is there and it is helping you, regardless of your opinions.
Edited by John David Nov 2024
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Mixed Blogs
Got It !
As I sat there looking at him doing what I could to just be and when the five seconds were over he asked me what happened. I said well I’m just sitting here. He said, no, no, I told you no thinking. I am sitting here thinking. So let’s do it again. So we did it again. At that point I…
Gossip
Chad.: How had she come to know about Bhagawan? Paul Brunton’s Secret India was not published then.
B.: She had read about me in the International Psychic Gazette, but that article had not motivated her visit. Reading that article, she had become briefly fascinated with the ‘Hindoo-saint’ described therein; later on she forgot all about him. One day, she seems to have heard a knock on the door of her apartment, situated near Stonewall Inn in Manhattan. On opening it, who should be standing there but Sri Ramana Maharshi himself! [laughing]
Real Transformation by Going Inside
CH: I’m very touched.
JD: Yes.
CH: There’s a deep longing to really live, to connect and to share. It’s very, very strong, I didn’t expect that.
JD: This came out of just doing this ten minute exercise?
CH: Yes, a strong urge to live.
Realisation and Doubts
A person like Ramana Maharshi or a person like Eckhart Tolle, who I know quite well, who realised, and that’s it, end of doubts, end of everything, end of the vasanas, the tendencies, is very, very rare. It’s a very, very rare occurrence.
Aham Sphurana
B.: The importance of Summa Iru is, “Keep your mind idle or asleep in the Beingness of the Self.” As for the body, it has its own prarabdha (destiny that effects our life now) to attend to. You have no right of say over the body. You cannot decide whether the body should work or remain idle. What is bound to happen will happen. If the body is destined to remain without working, work cannot be obtained even if you hunt for it. If the body is destined to work you cannot alter such destiny, for the body will be forced to engage in it. So leave it to the Higher Power.
The Play Around Bhagavan
B.: The genuine state of Self is the non-dual Sahaja-stithi [ ]. This cannot be experienced because in that state there is no experiencer. Whatever is experienced is only unreal and illusory. The fact that an experiencer is available to assert ‘I experience.’ shows that all experiences are futile and worthless. ‘Who is the experiencer?’ is what we must find out. Some think experiencing bliss means that the Self is Realised. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Bliss is a dangerous distraction.
An Open Heart Is Beautiful – be a Knower,a Jnani
We all know it’s beautiful when the heart opens and the tears flow, and the love is gushing out. What more could we want at that time? Because when we are in that type of love – which is devotion itself – there’s almost no mind. The mind just disappears in that love and in that devotion, but as one teacher said to me, “And in that place no one wants to enquire.”
Mrs Piggot’s Diary
I was told that the Maharshi had his finger on the pulse of the whole ashram, although he appeared prima facie totally unconcerned with all mundane affairs. For instance, when in the Hall, he was supposed to know what was going on even in the kitchen — and incidentally I was surprised to find that he himself assisted in the cutting up of vegetables for the daily meal.
I was also told that he knows what is passing in the minds of people. Of this latter ability, I had a small personal experience.
Jaws of the Tiger
Q.: Has anyone succeeded in winning the admiration of Maharshi himself?
B.: Oh! yes.
Q.: Who?
B.: You.
Q.: [face superciliously lights up with pompous joy, but manages to modestly utter] How can that be? I am a spectacularly worthless creature. Even after years of repeatedly visiting the sacred soil of Tiruvannamalai, I remain an unenlightened person.
B.: That is it.
Rooting Out the Ego and Persevering on the Path
Q: Which is genuine Vichara – asking myself Who am I? every time a thought arises or keenly investigating the problem of who I am?
B: The latter. If you want to get rid of a poisonous tree, do you lop off its leaves one by one? What is the use of such an approach? In the time it takes for you to cut down one leaf, leaves multitudinous in number and multifarious in variety would have sprouted forth from the vicious tree. Instead, attack the poisonous root of illusion, namely the ahamvritti, straightaway!
Love is
Love is
Only love is
Love moves the leaves in the wind and the planets in the universe
All is LOVE and you are this LOVE
Devotion Opens the Heart
JD: Hello Bhakti, which is the Hindi word for devotion.
BHA: This is my treasure. In the first three minutes of silence, already I noticed I’m always just in thoughts.
So busy in the thoughts, and then I go more into myself and the tears came. If I hear you talking, then in just a short time I really can go into my heart. I appreciate this so much and I really recognise your energy, like a mystery.
The Juggler
A certain man who, I learn, puts on juggling performances every year during the Karthigai Deepam festival, has come to the Hall; he has questions to ask of the master—
Q.: Does Sri Maharshi possess the power to turn his body invisible at will? Does Sri Maharshi possess the power to materialise objects out of nothing or thin-air?
B.: Sri Maharshi does not even possess a will.
War and Peace
There will be War until you find Inner Peace which is your Essential Nature.
Peace is your essential nature. Therefore there is nothing to do to be at Peace. We arrive on this planet in tremendous Peace with an invitation to enjoy, play and have fun! Then our parents raise us to be adults and without knowing better, they condition us to be nearly constantly at war.
Guru’s Grace
Q.: The terms Aham-sphurana [Self-realization] and Sahaja-asamprajnatha-samadhi [oneness with God] are synonymous. Am I correct? _
B.: No.
Q.:Why not?
B.: Sometime after a fire is lit underneath a pot containing water, only an empty pot will be left. Yet, the space inside the pot is always vulnerable to being filled-up again. If the pot is smashed into pieces, it is quite ruined and there can be no scope any more for depositing anything into it.