Blog

Spiritual Teachings
from the Heart of Satsang

Browse by Topic through the Archive

Spirituelle Retreats in Deutschland mit John David

Or use the Search Function

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
post
page

Latest Blog

How we Sabotage Vichara

Ramana Group Picture

Aham Sphurana

A Glimpse of Self Realisation

New Book about Sri Ramana Maharshi

Available Worldwide

On  www.openskypress.com  and Amazon:

A Glimpse of Self Realisation

New Book about Sri Ramana Maharshi

“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

Available Worldwide

on  www.openskypress.com  and Amazon:

How we Sabotage Vichara

Chadwick: [unhappily] I have been staying here for months. I see no improvement in me. If anything, my condition seems to be taking a turn for the worse. I am desperate to Realise in this lifetime
B: Give up the idea that you are striving for Realisation. 
 
C: [Aghast] What?! Bhagavan would have me abandon the quest? Has he decided I am unworthy to Realise? 
B: Did you pay attention to what was said to you? You were not asked to abandon the quest. You were asked to abandon the spurious idea that there is a ‘you’ which is trying to merge with a ‘super-you’.
 
C: [gloomily] I understand nothing. 
B: Throw away the belief in the existence of the personal self. It is only on that erroneous basis that you are now asking questions.
 
C: But I must remain to perform sadhana! 
B: What is the objective of sadhana? 
 
C: Destruction of the ego. 
B: No, transcendence of the idea of its existence. 
 
C: So, if I just free myself from the idea that I exist as an individual person, the Who am I? method is not needed? 
B: First discard that erroneous idea. In having discarded that idea, do not bring in any other idea in its place, such as Aham Brahmasmi [I am Brahman], I am being consciousness, etc. Remain free from all ideas, that is from all mental identification. Let the mind remain in the state of pure Subjective Consciousness free from all objectification or identification. 
      Then, as and when thoughts arise, tackle them with the counter-thought, ‘To whom has this thought arisen?’. This arrests the further development of the thought. Then return the mind to its native state of pure Subjective Consciousness. This is the way. 

Edited by John David Nov 2024

Leave a Reply

Am I doing Vichara Correctly?

Ramana 3

Aham Sphurana

A Glimpse of Self Realisation

New Book about Sri Ramana Maharshi

Available Worldwide

On  www.openskypress.com  and Amazon:

A Glimpse of Self Realisation

New Book about Sri Ramana Maharshi

“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

Available Worldwide

on  www.openskypress.com  and Amazon:

Am I doing Vichara Correctly?

Yes when Aham Sphurana flashes forth

Q: What are the indicators based on which I shall be enabled to find out for myself whether I am doing vichara correctly or not? 
B: If vichara has resulted in a state of mind wherein it abides as identical with pure Subjective Consciousness, then you have done it correctly. However, it is not easy for the neophyte to tell whether his mind is presently abiding as identical with pure Subjective Consciousness, because the torpid mental state of manolayam [state where mind structures are hazily projected] is often mistakenly regarded as being the tabula-rasa mental state of pure Subjective Consciousness. 
      When mind abides as identical with pure Subjective Consciousness, it unmistakeably scintillates ‘I’-’I’. Thus, the definitive answer to your question is that vichara has been done correctly when doing it has resulted in the Aham Sphurana flashing forth.
 

Q: And how to recognise the Aham Sphurana when it ‘flashes forth’? 
B: There is no possibility of mistaking it when the experience actually occurs. Whatever description is given, is not only useless but also counter-productive, because if a description of the experience of Aham Sphurana is given, the mind twists and contorts the present banal experience of outward protruding, satiation craving mental impulses into one that seems to perfectly match with the description given; because it wants to avoid getting destroyed.
       So, even if you have heard a description of the experience of the Aham Sphurana being furnished in this Hall, please make no effort to recollect it. When the Aham Sphurana actually flashes forth, you will know it alright. Cognition of the Aham Sphurana is not based on intellectual corroboration it is a direct experience of the Self, inferior only to the Sahajastithi of the Jnani.

Edited by John David Nov 2024

Leave a Reply

Mixed Blogs

Aham Sphurana

Ramana Maharshi on Jesus Teachings

Bhagavan explains Jesus’ words as Advaitic teaching, guiding the seeker towards Self-Realization, surrender, and a still, inward-turned mind.

Blog Posts

Third Chinese Patriarch of Zen

The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When not attached to love or hate,
all is clear and undisguised.
Separate by the smallest amount, howe
and you are as far from it as heaven is from earth.

Blog Posts

Have the Conviction that You are Free

It’s simple, even if you don’t think you’re free, or even if you’re not completely free, have the conviction that you are free. Even if you know it intellectually that you’re free, hold on to that. It may be just intellectual, but it will help you because it won’t let your mind disturb you so much.

Aham Sphurana

Gossip

Chadwick recounts a miracle New York visit, illustrating Grace beyond space, attachment, and the inward path to formlessness.

Aham Sphurana

Unrealise the not-Self

Recognise that all ideas of ego and identity are unreal, and by seeing this clearly, only the true Self remains.

Blog Posts

Meditation

Practiced diligently, meditation techniques purify the mind because they bring awareness to unholy patterns of thought and feeling. Unhealthy thoughts cannot survive the penetrating light of awareness. Nothing purifies like experience of the Self, which releases a flood of healing, cleansing, spiritual energy into the conscious and unconscious minds.

Ramana Maharshi, Aham Sphurana
Aham Sphurana

Sri Gajapathi Aiyyer, Author of Aham Spraruna

Gajapathi Aiyyer’s Red Notebooks preserve Bhagavan’s profound teachings, offering timeless guidance for seekers, now published and accessible to all.

Blog Posts

Summa Iru

Summa Iru means resting quietly, free from thought and activity, allowing the mind to dissolve and reveal natural peace.

Blog Posts

Limits of the Intellect

Of course I respect that everybody here has read the same books that I’ve read. We all read the same books so we all know what the books say but of course we don’t really ‘know’ from reading books.

Blue Portrait of Rajneesh Bagavan
Blog Posts

Osho Ten Commandments

You have asked for my ten Commandments. It’s a difficult matter,
because I am against any kind of commandment. 
Yet, just for the fun of it.

Bee
Blog Posts

Bee

Suddenly…

Blog Posts

What is the Point of Life?

My understanding is that the point of our life, if anything, is to become Self-realised. This means that we see the ego, the movie of our life, is not who we are. When this is clearly seen, everything profoundly changes.

Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi
Aham Sphurana

Meditation

Meditation means sticking to one thought to the exclusion of every other. One particular thought keeps away all others.

Blog Posts

Meeting Papaji

I asked the Master how much effort you have to make if you want to be free. Papaji whispered, he said, ‘You don’t have to make any effort to be free.’ The moment I heard those words, a vision appeared in my mind’s eye. I saw water flowing down the side of a mountain…