Blog
Spiritual Teachings
from the Heart of Satsang
Browse by Topic through the Archive
Or use the Search Function
Latest Blog
How we Sabotage Vichara
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
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
Am I doing Vichara Correctly?
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
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
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Mixed Blogs
Renunciation
Q.: How does viveka [discernment] differ from
vairagya [renunciation]?
B.: Mere intellectual discernment of the real from the unreal is not of any great use. The unreal must be totally shunned, that is to say, the mind must be divested of any inclination to pursue it. One’s vasanas [ tendencies of mind] must be incinerated to the point of complete annihilation in the fire of vairagya; otherwise rebirth cannot be successfully avoided. Viveka may stop with intellectualisation and mental contemplation of the truth. But without vairagya Jnana cannot be achieved
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.
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!
I have a body
Q.: So, it is the thought ‘I have a body.’ that is responsible for creating the false impression that I have a body, whereas in truth I have none. Am I correct? _
B.: Yes. _
Q.: In that case, if I think, ‘I have no body.’, the body should disappear, but it does not disappear. Why is this so?
B.: Intensely thinking about the disappearance of the body does make it disappear; but accquisition of such worthless siddhis [Psychic Powers] is not our objective.
Day by Day with a Jnani
Q : Does the Jnani have no sensory perceptions? For instance, if Bhagavan inadvertantly stubs his toe against a brick, is there no sensation?
B : The sensation is there, but not the idea, “I am feeling this sensation.” The Jnani’s state can be correctly comprehended only by the Jnani; others merely wonder about with complicated sounding words without actually Knowing. The Jnani or Jivanmuktha is said to be like a person fast asleep inside a house whose doors and windows are wide open.
What is Spiritual Awakening?
The only sure way to step out of all the stories and all the nonsense is to really see with great clarity that this ‘me’ that we are so fond of referring everything to, simply doesn’t exist. Once you see it doesn’t exist then the whole thing falls away. Everything just falls away and you’re left with your essence.
Be Part of Creation
Alienation from nature and the loss of the experience of being part of the living creation is the greatest tragedy of our materalistic era. It is the causative reason for ecological devastation and climate change. Therefore I attribute absolute highest importance to consciousness change.
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…
Nothing to get
You’re all awakened. It’s very beautiful to realise that you’re already complete, you’ve already got everything, there’s nothing more to get from the outside. In fact the only thing to get from the outside is not to look so much on the outside and to look more on the inside.
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…
Mind and Jesus Teachings
Q.: I have heard Bhagawan saying “Knowledge of the world is exclusively knowledge of the knower of the world.” What does it mean?
B.: That the world is only in the mind–that the appearance of any world, or the phenomenon of manifestation, is not possible in isolation from your mind.
Q.: Are there as many minds in the world as there are people? Are all these minds emanating from the Self at the same time?
B.: There are not multiple minds. Only your mind emerges from the Self, styles itself “I”.
Awakening to your Essence
The only true way to step out of all the stories and all the nonsense is to really see with great clarity that this ‘me’ that we are so fond of referring everything to, simply doesn’t exist. Once you see it doesn’t exist then the whole thing falls away. Everything just falls away and you’re left with what is.
Often there is a tremendous release of energy.
Essential Extracts from the Manuscript
Q: So, is this state of consciousness steadily remaining merely as Itself, undisturbed by thought, called the Sahajastithi?
B: No. It is called Aham Sphurana.
Q: Then what is the Sahajastithi?
B: No description is possible. The reflected being — consciousness which is localised in a physical body — is destroyed; after this is destroyed, that alone remains which has always been.
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.
Diamond Thief
There was a diamond thief who thought to steal only the most exquisite of gems. This thief would hang around the diamond district to see who was purchasing a gem, so that later he could pick their pocket. One day he saw a well-known diamond merchant purchase the jewel he had been waiting for all his life…
