Please note – for a few weeks I will not have internet access
From tomorrow, for at least two weeks and perhaps longer, I will be staying in a place where I will not have an internet connection or access to my e-mail. Therefore if you happen to send me any e-mail, please bear with me if I do not reply promptly. Whenever I have internet access again I will begin replying to the backlog of unanswered e-mails that will no doubt build up.
When I have a regular internet connection once again, I will remove this post, and hopefully begin posting more new articles on the teachings of Sri Ramana.
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6 comments:
Michael..where art thou? Disappeared into the Self?
I appreciate your blog and writing on Sadhu Om and Muruganar. Brought up in India, and my father showing devotion to Bhagavan Ramana, I have read many of the books on Ramana ,inlcuding Sadhu Om.....I would like to know from you the value of simply chanting 'Japa" using 'Om Sri Bhagavan" , a suggestion from my side...though Ramana devotees recite and chant several verses, the emphasis on Japa with Bhagavan's name as 'mantra' is rare.Please do explain from your knowledge and understanding--N K Srinivasan
Dear Srinivasan,
I am sorry that I could not reply earlier.
Constantly remembering Bhagavan's name is an effective way of keeping our mind dwelling upon him. Such remembrance is most efficacious when we do it with the clear understanding that he is not merely an external diety but is our own real self, which is always shining within us as our essential self-conscious being, 'I am'.
When we remember the name of something, that remembrance brings the form or image of that thing to our mind. Likewise, when we remember the name of 'Ramana', it should draw our attention to his true form, which is 'I am'. Thus repetition or japa of his name can be an powerful aid in helping us to focus our attention upon 'I am', which is the practice of atma-vichara or self-investigation which he taught us. And since our mind will subside only when it thus attends to its own essential self-consciousness, 'I am', this self-attention is also the true practice of self-surrender.
Since our aim while doing japa of his name should be to fix our mind on his true form, 'I am', the most efficacious name of his that we can repeat is 'I' or 'I am'. As he often said, 'I am' is the original and foremost name of God, and meditating upon it will lead us directly towards him.
If we truly love Bhagavan Ramana, our aim should be to lose ourself entirely in him, and we can do this only surrending our mind at his feet, which always shine clearly within us as 'I am'. Therefore by whatever means possible, let us keep our mind fixed in loving adoration of his true form, 'I am'.
With best wishes,
Michael
Thanks ,Michael James,for your reply/comments. Most of us stick to the physical form of Bhagavan which could be an obstacle not easily surmounted while meditating on " I Am". Regards.
The fish trap exists because of the fish; once you've gotten
the fish, you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists
because of the rabbit; once you've gotten the rabbit, you can
forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning; once you've
gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I
find a man who has forgotten words so I can have a word
with him?
Chuang Tzu
Ramana Maharshi's gift to the world was not that he realized the Self. A few people have had a deep realization of the Self. Ramana's real gift was that he embodied that realization so thoroughly. It is one thing to glimpse the Self; it is something else altogether to embody that realization to the extent that there is no gap between inner revelation and its outer expression. Some have had the realization of Oneness; few consistently express that realization through their humanness. It is one thing to touch a flame and know it is hot, but quite another to jump into that flame and be consumed by it.
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