Four paths are prescribed for Union with God. I can adopt anyone of them . I is the base in following any path. I have to do bhakti. I have to perform Karma. I have to undergo yoga. I have to meditate.
Who is this I ? Is this I seperated from God to begin with, Ramana asks.
I is one and identical with God. You shed off you clothes, the external (dress ) and internal ( body with five koshas.) Go naked. It is actually Viyoga of what is not one and integral with YOU !
Of course for immature souls like us, the four paths help in shedding off the coverings. Ramana's PATH is direct. Question the very existence of coverings. You are GOD yourself when you start, on the path, whichever you have chosen and when you reach the destination. Incidentally , destination was the starting point itself. This comes as a revelation.
It is like dreaming you are going to Ramanashrama while sleeping in Ramashrama itself and waking up to see you areTHERE itself !
Friday, 13 June 2008
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Anugraha - Grace
Grace is generally taken as God's gifts for us. It is not so.
We face miseries in life. On the face of it, we suffer. But in reality it is as good as suffering in a dream. Under the snare of Maayaa we suffer. God's Grace turns off Maayaa and you realise it is all a dream. No substance there.
Jesus suffered on the cross. Cancer, more painful than crucifixion, troubled RaamakruShNa and RamaNa. We will suffer for our sins, our karma. God's Grace only keeps you happy despite the pain and worries.
We face miseries in life. On the face of it, we suffer. But in reality it is as good as suffering in a dream. Under the snare of Maayaa we suffer. God's Grace turns off Maayaa and you realise it is all a dream. No substance there.
Jesus suffered on the cross. Cancer, more painful than crucifixion, troubled RaamakruShNa and RamaNa. We will suffer for our sins, our karma. God's Grace only keeps you happy despite the pain and worries.
Maayaa - Illusion
MaYa is yaa+maa - what is seen is not what it is.
Illusion is taking an appearance to be real and a shady appearance as real. Water in a mirage is not real. All that glitters is not gold.
Maayaa has two aspects - aavaraNa and prakShepa - Covering up and projecting a false picture. AavaraNa acts in all our three states - awake, dream and deep sleep. Aavarana puts up a smoke screen to confuse you.
prakShepa projects false pictures in awake and dream states. It is inoperative in sleep. That is how you feel bliss in dreamless sleep. But aavaraNa prevents you from knowing why you are in bliss. In sleep you are in company of God. So to get out of maayaa, you must learn to be awake to God when you are awake. You feel that Bliss you unconsciously enjoyed in sleep.
Illusion is taking an appearance to be real and a shady appearance as real. Water in a mirage is not real. All that glitters is not gold.
Maayaa has two aspects - aavaraNa and prakShepa - Covering up and projecting a false picture. AavaraNa acts in all our three states - awake, dream and deep sleep. Aavarana puts up a smoke screen to confuse you.
prakShepa projects false pictures in awake and dream states. It is inoperative in sleep. That is how you feel bliss in dreamless sleep. But aavaraNa prevents you from knowing why you are in bliss. In sleep you are in company of God. So to get out of maayaa, you must learn to be awake to God when you are awake. You feel that Bliss you unconsciously enjoyed in sleep.
Monday, 2 June 2008
Prema-Aananda - Love and Bliss
Love makes you happy. Happines makes you love. They are one and same.
Love is an expression of our natural state of bliss.
Love for God is devotion. You enjoy pure bliss in His company.
Love for all is a blessing.
Physical love is rerstrictive and transient. Pass over. Don't linger long there.
Love is an expression of our natural state of bliss.
Love for God is devotion. You enjoy pure bliss in His company.
Love for all is a blessing.
Physical love is rerstrictive and transient. Pass over. Don't linger long there.
Sunday, 1 June 2008
Dwandwa - Pairs of opposites
Good and bad is present in all, almost in all.
Yudhisthira said all are good people. Duryodhana saw all bad. This means former was a rare soul who was good himself and saw only the good in all others. Not that all were all good only.
The latter , bad by himself , saw only bad in all others. Not that there was no good in any one.
To clean anything youy require a clean cloth. How to clean yourself ? By looking at only good of others, talk only good of others and doing only good to others. As you sow so you reap. If you look for bad in others you will become worse yourself.
A resident of Ramanashram was bad in all respects and none had any respect from him. When he died , all were relieved he is gone.
When they reported to Ramana expecting him to heave a sigh of relief, he remarked - But his clothes were always washed cleanest of all.
When you go to a temple , dont look at the dirt around or waste time talking of money-minded priests. Concentrate of God, the main purpose of your visit.
NOTE:
2nd June ,2008.
Sukha-Dukha is another common dwanda. Actually , dukha is as non-entity. It is just absence or negation of sukha. Negation is negative approach to sukha which is our natural state. Sukha i.e. happiness is absolute whereas dukha i.e. unhappiness is tyransient and relative, never absolute. In our ignorance we seek sukha in wrong things or by wrong methods and away from sukha get into dreamland of dukha .For example, drinking alcohol.
Yudhisthira said all are good people. Duryodhana saw all bad. This means former was a rare soul who was good himself and saw only the good in all others. Not that all were all good only.
The latter , bad by himself , saw only bad in all others. Not that there was no good in any one.
To clean anything youy require a clean cloth. How to clean yourself ? By looking at only good of others, talk only good of others and doing only good to others. As you sow so you reap. If you look for bad in others you will become worse yourself.
A resident of Ramanashram was bad in all respects and none had any respect from him. When he died , all were relieved he is gone.
When they reported to Ramana expecting him to heave a sigh of relief, he remarked - But his clothes were always washed cleanest of all.
When you go to a temple , dont look at the dirt around or waste time talking of money-minded priests. Concentrate of God, the main purpose of your visit.
NOTE:
2nd June ,2008.
Sukha-Dukha is another common dwanda. Actually , dukha is as non-entity. It is just absence or negation of sukha. Negation is negative approach to sukha which is our natural state. Sukha i.e. happiness is absolute whereas dukha i.e. unhappiness is tyransient and relative, never absolute. In our ignorance we seek sukha in wrong things or by wrong methods and away from sukha get into dreamland of dukha .For example, drinking alcohol.
Sex
GOD created the world. Out of HIS mind He created Manus and asked them to fill the world with progeny. WE ,humans i.e.maanavas came from the manus.
God in His Wisdom, put maximum pleasure in sex so that world will ever be full humans , animals and all others living beings, including plant kingdom. He knew man cannot be trusted. If there was no pleasure in sex, we would have gone extinct long back.
Our Seers knew this. But lest we think that sex is the goal, the best in life and purpose of life, they said pleasure of sex is same as between a dog and a bitch and Indra and his consort Sachi. There is BLISS beyond pleasures.
Ramakrushna had said- Bliss of meeting God is as if enjoying pleasure of sex in every pore in the skin of your body. Max Muller called him vulgar for this statement but it is the Naked truth.
Sex has a place in life - TO keep world going. It is the secret and personal bond between husband and wife. A way of mutual expression of love and understanding.No sin in it. Why give it a bad name and blame it ?
God in His Wisdom, put maximum pleasure in sex so that world will ever be full humans , animals and all others living beings, including plant kingdom. He knew man cannot be trusted. If there was no pleasure in sex, we would have gone extinct long back.
Our Seers knew this. But lest we think that sex is the goal, the best in life and purpose of life, they said pleasure of sex is same as between a dog and a bitch and Indra and his consort Sachi. There is BLISS beyond pleasures.
Ramakrushna had said- Bliss of meeting God is as if enjoying pleasure of sex in every pore in the skin of your body. Max Muller called him vulgar for this statement but it is the Naked truth.
Sex has a place in life - TO keep world going. It is the secret and personal bond between husband and wife. A way of mutual expression of love and understanding.No sin in it. Why give it a bad name and blame it ?
Seetaapati - Sita's husband
Dasharatha called Him as Rama. All others generally called Him as Ramachandra. Queen mothers called Him Ramabhadra. The Sages called Him Vedas in person. The subjects called Him Raghunaatha. For the people of Mithilaa, Sita's home, He remains as Sita's husband. He had no other identity. Just husband of Our Sita.
Brahman is the only Reality. The world is unreal, an illusion. Thus says Shankaracharya.
We have elements made of atoms and protons. These are indestructible. So are the elements. This is beyond man's capacity to splilt them. But to the One Who created the elements out of Himself and formed them into elements, they all remain only Himself i.e. Brahman.
Gold is gold in all ornaments, by whatever form you see them, by whatever name you call them.
Brahman is the only Reality. The world is unreal, an illusion. Thus says Shankaracharya.
We have elements made of atoms and protons. These are indestructible. So are the elements. This is beyond man's capacity to splilt them. But to the One Who created the elements out of Himself and formed them into elements, they all remain only Himself i.e. Brahman.
Gold is gold in all ornaments, by whatever form you see them, by whatever name you call them.
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