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Reference Books and Translation
Aham Sphurana
A Selection of Teachings
From
Sri Gajapathi Aiyyer’s Unpublished 1936 Journal
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
Reference Books and Translation
Much of the content presented here, showing Bhagavan reeling off verses from the Bible and other texts, is done so with the implicit assumption that the reader would naturally give himself to understand that Bhagavan was reading out from a book; certainly, Bhagavan did not burst out with these lines of prose or poetry from memory— at least, not in a majority of the cases.
I felt too lethargic to jot down every time Bhagavan asked the attendant to fetch this or that book from the bookcase in the Hall. When the attendant complied, Bhagavan then opened the book at the requisite page, without searching, and handed over the same to the interpreter with instructions to read out select portions to the Hall…and so forth.
Likewise, an interpreter — many times Mr. TKS, occasionally myself in those fortunate few months I dwelt continuously in Tiruvannamalai, or someone else — was used whenever the other person was to be spoken to in English [even if it was a long-standing devotee domiciled within the Ashram on a permanent basis, such as Chadwick or Cohen].
Bhagavan himself needed no interpreter. When Bhagavan himself speaks English the same is indicated in brackets here by me. There were times when, for a Caucasian language, no interpreter would be available. It was then that the master would himself speak it, mellowly, placidly, and distinctly. An example is a conversation with the Swiss Professor Hüber, which took place directly in German without the assistance of any interpreter. Needless to say, on such occasions, what I have reported is certainly limited to how much I could follow. For instance, the substance of the above conversation, since it was in German, could be rudimentarily followed by me, albeit not without difficulty — but when in December 1936 a Mrs. Suzanne Sen visited the Ashram and exchanged a few words with the master in French, I was clueless, and had to depend upon Chadwick to later relate to me what they had spoken about.
I have not pointed out separately conversations which were carried on through an interpreter in consideration of the length of this manuscript. Likewise the names, cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, nationalities, and professed existing spiritual competencies of the various visitors who quizzed the master have also been—largely—filtered out whilst preparing this manuscript. A lengthy manuscript may fizzle out the patience of a prospective publisher; also, I am aware that a book that appears tediously lengthy is — more often than not — ignored and bypassed at bookshops!
Edited by John David Oct 2021
Love Is
The End of all Wisdom
is Love, Love, Love.
- Ramana Maharshi
Aham Sphurana
A Selection of Teachings
From
Sri Gajapathi Aiyyer’s Unpublished 1936 Journal
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
Love Is
23rd August, 1936
Today morning when I entered the Hall, Sri Bhagavan smiled at me sweetly, like a child, and handed unto me a letter, saying,
‘ உனக்கு இது பிடிக்கும் , பாரேன் !. ’ [‘See, you will like this!’]
Piqued, I unfolded it and read it. It was from a Mons. Alfred E. Sorensen [Sunyata], and ran thus [reproduced from memory] —
Oh! Master of the Formidable Mountain! I was earlier like a filthy pig, consuming with eager relish the turds excreted by the sensory organs. I came with a restless mind to impudently scrutinise your authenticity, but the moment your eyes fell on me, I became motionless like you, for you graciously annihilated my maleficent faculty of assertion-manufacture, which arrogantly declared “I”, and immersed me in my own intrinsic inner state of Absolute Being, which in truth is only You.
I kiss the dust of your sacred feet every day, for by drowning me once and for all in the unfathomable ocean of exultation which is truly You, you have devoured my traitorous mind forever. Now I live only as Love-of-you. I have happily lost myself in You, who are Love Itself. Never ever will the miseries of the world manage to trace me out again, for I see only Lovely you in them.
When your omniscient eyes bored into mine and said ‘THERE IS NO ANYTHING,’ my Heart tugged from within, and, knowing it was you who was calling, I meekly followed. There I was rendered NAUGHT; now I am NOT. Now I roam around the universe like an unbridled wild animal, knowing not what I am doing nor why. Now all I know is you in which there is no me.
My Master has been kind enough to send word through Mr. Hurst that he regards me as a Sahajajnâni, or natural mystic. But my joy is in knowing that this ugly form — which I once considered as one with myself — has found a place in my hallowed Master’s memory! Although now there is no question of anything remaining apart from my Master, my heart aches to set eyes upon his physical frame again. May Sri Bhagavan expeditiously fulfil my wish! [Leave-taking:] Bhagavan’s Love
G.: Who is this man?
B.: He came here earlier this year, perhaps at Mr. Brunton’s invitation.
G.: Bhagavan took one look at him, and he attained the Final State?!
B.: [twinkling] Bhagavan does not cause anything to happen. Why, are you thinking along the lines of “Oh! I am sitting in the Hall every day, hearing reports of people obtaining lofty, transformative, spiritual experiences from Bhagavan every day, and avidly listening to Bhagavan’s teachings every day — when is all this going to bear fruit, and when shall I become a Jnani? Is the allure of Jnana sorely tempting you?!” [laughs]
G.: Oh! no. The moment I came here and Bhagavan looked at me, I forgot all about myself. Now I think only of Bhagavan, who is already a Jnani. So, for whom am I to ask Jnana?
B.: The secret of Jnana is bhakti. Unselfish Love — motiveless, incessant, intransigent Love — is the key that unlocks the Gate of the Heart once and for all. Long and yearn for Him fervently not so that He may destroy your ignorance, but merely because such Love is possible [unto you]. One alone who knows so to madly Love has fulfilled the purpose of human birth; he need not be born again. The Loveless ones repeatedly come back to the fetid ocean of samsara to suffer more and more.
G.: To everyone who comes here Bhagavan recommends vichara only.
B.: Vichara is a means to eliminate ignorance, which obscures Love from Shining forth — for the nature of the Self is Love Itself. Love cannot be practised as a sadhana. All that is possible is to surrender to it. There is no such thing as inculcation of Love.
Love is already there. It alone IS. All that is needed on your part is to give up thought, which makes you imagine yourself to be apart from Love, and so merge in Love. Then there is only Love, which is bliss beyond imagination. To one who has discovered the ecstatic joy of volitionless Love, sadhana is a laughable absurdity. To those who solicit justifications, we may say that such Love blossoms only in souls which have perfected their sadhanas in previous births.
G.: But among sadhanas [ practices] vichara is the best?
B.: Undoubtedly.
Edited by John David Oct 2021
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Mixed Blogs
Trust in God
A scene took place in the Hall, wherein the master upbraided the sarvadhikari [manager] in front of all the attendees. Seeing the dilapidated condition of the Draupadiamman-temple near the Ashram, Mr. Knowles had donated a sum of 75 rupees toward its upkeep and maintenance, with a view to prevent at least further incremental damage to the somewhat neglected ancient shrine on account of efflux of time; he had donated the sum to Sri Sadai Chettiar, the temple’s manager. The sarvadhikari had come to know about this, and had wrested away the sum in part from the poor man, telling him,
Mrs. Piggot Introduces the Ashram And Bhagavan’s Meetings in 1934
I had visited India on several occasions prior to this trip, but this was
my maiden venture off the beaten track.
I was told of Sri Ramana Maharshi, and even from the little I heard, I knew I would travel anywhere and put up with any inconvenience in order to meet him and experience the sanctity of his presence. The friend who gave me the welcome news of the Maharshi’s existence offered to take me to him, and so we arrived at Tiruvannamalai late one afternoon.
My Job is to Destroy You
Then one day, this was the big change, I’ll never forget it, never to this day.
He sat up cross-legged on His bed and I was sitting on the floor in the hospital.
He drew a line and He said, “Look.” He said it like, “Look (gruffly), this is a line. On this side of the line is everything you’ve ever known, everything…
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.
The Desire for Material Wealth
Much of life has become solely focused on material wealth. Money has become the focus all around the world, and through that focus the planet itself has become threatened by the ecological consequences. Yet the economic rationalism of the society always takes first place.
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.
40th Anniversary Event
Late in the evening today, the sarvadhikari [manager] requested the master to formally oversee and approve of the preparations the Ashram has made, for the celebrations arranged for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the day on which the master is said to have attained Eternal Union with Arunachala: 1st September, 1896.
Many devotees, Indians as well as Caucasians, have gathered together here now, and the place is overflowing with people.
Suppressing Our Mechanisms
I would say that that seeing of our nature is like the first step in an ongoing process that reveals everything that’s been suppressed or been jumped over, and in that process it’s really a fire, but ultimately the fire is not for any person, it’s actually for the benefit of all beings.
How shall we kill the mind?
B.: Is it the mind that wants to kill the mind? The mind cannot kill the mind. Anything that you endeavour to ‘do’ with the mind will only reinforce and perpetuate the notion of mind. Rather than pointlessly wondering, ‘How shall I eradicate the mind?’, go on seeking the mind. Incessant search for what mind is results in its disappearance.
The thing to do is to completely ignore the objects that appear by the reflected light of the mind, and instead seek the source of the mind’s illumination. If the source of the mind is continuously sought for, it begins to subside.
Non-Doing
Q.: If I stay at the root of the mind or abide as pure consciousness, will I Realise the Self?
B.: The question shows that the arbitrary mental conceptualisation, ‘Realising the Self’, is still present in the mind. Staying in the root of the mind should be a matter of course; it must be the natural state. On the other hand, you are trying to deliberately do it so that you can thereby gain the reward you call ‘Self-Realisation’. Can it work? No.
Consciousness
Q.: After investigating ‘Who am I?’ I find that blankness prevails. What do I
do?
B.: Did you exist or not whilst the blankness mentioned by you prevailed?
It is only because you existed then that you now are able to recollect having experienced something at that time. Is that correct?
Q.: Yes.
B.: So, blanknesses come and go, but YOU always ARE. For YOU there is
neither coming nor going. YOU ARE now as YOU always WERE and YOU
will BE always as YOU ARE now.
Wisdom from Steve Jobs
′′ I have reached the epitome of success in the business world. In other people’s eyes, my life is a success.
However, aside from work, I had little joy. Ultimately wealth is just one fact I’ve gotten used to…
Zen Verses on Faith
Sōsan’s Master for six years was Huike whose Master was Bodhidharma who Buddha sent to China.
Sōsan: I am riddled with sickness. Please absolve me of my sin.
Huike: Bring your sin here and I will absolve you.
Sōsan: (after a long pause): When I look for my sin, I cannot
find it.
Huike: I have absolved you. You should live by the Buddha, the
Dharma, and the Sangha.
My Second Dialogue with Papaji
On my last blog I published this exchange between Sosan and his Master Huike.
Apparently Sosan spent six years with Huike who had received the transmission of the Buddha’s teaching from Bodhidarma.
Osho told that many people…
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
