“D: Why is it so difficult to turn the mind inwards?
M: It depends on practice and dispassion and succeeds only gradually.
Like a cow accustomed to grazing stealthily on other’s estates, the mind cannot
be easily confined to her stall. However much her owner tempts her with
luscious grass and fine fodder, she refuses the first time; then she takes a
bit , but her innate tendency to stray asserts itself and she slips away; on
being repeatedly tempted by the owner, she gradually accustoms herself to the
stall; finally, even if let loose, she would not stray away. Similarly with the
mind : if once it finds its inner happiness, it will not wander outward.”
Talks with Ramana Maharishi , Talk 213
Listen, my friend: do not despair.You forgot your source and just got lost in the movie.
Discover who you really are and find true and lasting joy.
Discover who you really are and find true and lasting joy.
For too long, you
have been accustomed to the intoxication of illusion, the maddening temptations
of the senses, the highs of duality , the addictions of power and pelf, of pleasure
and pain.
The vasanas of
desire and anger and greed, the self-inflicted torments of guilt and doubt and jealousy have been
deeply engrained in you over so many lifetimes ; even your suffering has become
too precious to let go!
You cling to your myth, your story, your script, terrified of losing
your only identity, no matter how much you are in misery.
Don’t worry, there is a high greater than all the highs, a potion that
can destroy all the poisons and set you free. Just discover the sat-chit-ananda
of the infinite Self within and your suffering will dissolve in that ecstasy like salt in the sea.
In the silence of the mind, we find true rest: this is why everyone
treasures the joy of deep, thought-free sleep.
How can you reach that thought-free
state while still remaining awake and aware?
By seeking the source of the “I “thought, the place to where it retires in sleep.
By seeking the source of the “I “thought, the place to where it retires in sleep.
Atma Vichara or Self Inquiry is the practice of seeking the source of
the “I” thought.
At first, you will struggle to turn inwards, to find the silent
thought-less centre; this is the tapasya, the sadhana , the effort that will,
one day, suddenly drop you into
effortless infinity.
Like a swimmer learning to dive, you will dip in and out; over time,
you will learn how to stay submerged longer and longer, to dive deeper and
deeper.
Practice is everything.
Once you taste the deep peace and the ineffable bliss of the Self in
your Heart, nothing else will ever satisfy you.
In the beginning , you will be able to stay in the Heart only for brief
moments: this is enough.
As your practice of atma vichara
deepens over time, you will find it easier and easier to turn inwards, until it
becomes effortless and automatic. This happens when Grace takes over and pulls
you deep into the Self.
And, eventually, like the drop falling into the ocean, you will let go
of your mind, your story, your ego, and dissolve totally into the Self.
The rest is only silence .
4 comments:
Very beautiful posts, thank you.
I have been reading Ramana Maharishi teachings on Who Am I (the small booklet, from Be As You Are David Godman, Path of Ramana, Part-I by Sadhu Om and Michael James commentary). And I have been trying to put into practice for almost an year.
I know Ramana / Nisgardatta have instructed not to follow thoughts but find the source of I-thought by firmly holding on to sense of I exclusively, the sense of being or I-feeling. When we hold on to the sense of I not as an object but subjectively by being that, it slowly subsides. Based on this understanding, I started practicing and have been doing it.
But the problem I face is - I don't know how to pay attention to the sense of I or I-feeling? even when the power goes off in the room and is completely dark and nothing to see or hear , I'm still there. But what does it like paying attention to the I-feeling. My mind tricks asking if I'm holding on to I-feeling etc. Would you be able to help in anyway?
Its all a matter of practice..atma vichara ...just keep trying...keep re-reading the teachings of the Guru, keep having faith in the words of the Guru, keep feeling love and devotion for the Guru...and keep on trying. Shravana, manana and nidhidhyasana have to be practiced again and again...until it gets easier, less and less effort is needed, the mind becomes more and more pure and one-pointed and subtle. Never give up..have faith that you will find the knack...just like learning to ride a cycle or swimming.
There is one clue given by Bhagawan...he says see where thee mind goes to rest in sleep. In the process of falling asleep, all the thoughts slowly become less and less and finally the mind switches off and you fall asleep. This is everyone's daily experience. Follow this process..but keep the inner witness alert..keep the focus of attention inwards on the Self..just enough so you don't fall asleep.
Thank you so much. Yes I have so much faith in the words of Bhagavan Ramana and it is His grace that has brought me to Him. As you said, I need to keep re-reading His talks, works etc and keep practice.
So when you say follow the process. Each night at bed as I go to sleep, keep the inner witness alert and see the mind go to sleep?
please email me at manprab@gmail.com if you want to discuss any further
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