tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post6492356296709413753..comments2023-10-16T13:06:42.360+01:00Comments on Happiness of Being: The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: What is the ‘self’ we are investigating when we try to be attentively self-aware?Michael Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comBlogger293125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-62615368992501683432016-10-19T16:07:43.258+01:002016-10-19T16:07:43.258+01:00Michael,
many thanks for explaining what we actual...Michael,<br />many thanks for explaining what we actually are with regard to some comments of Ken namely of 8 September 2016 at 02:09, at 17:49 and 9 September 2016 at 00:04 in your new article of today.mixed and confusednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-18498445431806627792016-10-19T15:55:51.590+01:002016-10-19T15:55:51.590+01:00Michael,
thank you for clarification about our ac...Michael, <br />thank you for clarification about our actual self, thereby replying to Ken's comment of 7 September 2016 at 03:26.foggy dewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-90908360199105064772016-10-19T15:47:17.826+01:002016-10-19T15:47:17.826+01:00Michael,
many thanks for your explanation regardin...Michael,<br />many thanks for your explanation regarding what Ken replied in his comment of 5 September 2016 at 04:26 in your today article.Diogenesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-65537334659085138602016-10-19T15:40:32.241+01:002016-10-19T15:40:32.241+01:00Michael,
thank you for clarifying some points in t...Michael,<br />thank you for clarifying some points in the discussion with our friend called Ken particularly what he wrote in his comments on 4 September 2016 at 23:27 (nr.40) and 5 Sept 2016 at 04:16 (nr. 45) in your new article of today "As we actually are, we do nothing and are aware of nothing other than ourself."ever subsistingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-53171362235983713142016-10-19T13:15:49.044+01:002016-10-19T13:15:49.044+01:00Ken, in my comment of 8 September 2016 at 07:56 I ...Ken, in <a href="http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2016/08/what-is-self-we-are-investigating-when.html#c744605258726849736" rel="nofollow">my comment of 8 September 2016 at 07:56</a> I said that I had begun to write an article in which I would explain in more detail why we as we actually are are just pure and immutable self-awareness, which can never make any mistake or identify itself with anything, and in whose clear view no world or characters in it exist or even seem to exist. Though I said I hoped to finish that article on the same day, it became much longer than I had originally anticipated, and in the meanwhile my time was taken up with other work and commitments, including writing several other shorter articles, so I eventually finished my reply to you and posted it only today: <a href="http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2016/10/as-we-actually-are-we-do-nothing-and.html" rel="nofollow">As we actually are, we do nothing and are aware of nothing other than ourself</a>.Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-90156206256424891482016-10-02T20:55:37.530+01:002016-10-02T20:55:37.530+01:00Michael,
many thanks for your detailed reply in th...Michael,<br />many thanks for your detailed reply in the new article today " 'I am' is the reality..." which I will study carefully.extremely simplenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-24968959008459325702016-10-02T09:52:14.372+01:002016-10-02T09:52:14.372+01:00Ken, regarding the comment I wrote a few weeks ago...Ken, regarding the <a href="http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2016/08/what-is-self-we-are-investigating-when.html#c744605258726849736" rel="nofollow">comment</a> I wrote a few weeks ago in which I said I had begun to write an article in reply to one of <a href="http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2016/08/what-is-self-we-are-investigating-when.html#c412907794498234730" rel="nofollow">your earlier comments</a> and hoped to complete it that day, I am sorry that I have not completed it yet, because it has become a much longer article than I expected, and I interrupted my writing of it to write my latest article, <a href="http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2016/10/i-am-is-reality-i-am-this-or-i-am-that.html" rel="nofollow">‘I am’ is the reality, ‘I am this’ or ‘I am that’ is the ego</a>, which I likewise expected to be a short one but ended up becoming much longer than I anticipated. I now have some other urgent work to attend to, but as soon as I finish that I will resume writing my reply to you.Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-1966182864592775902016-10-02T09:50:51.651+01:002016-10-02T09:50:51.651+01:00Extremely Simple, I have replied to your question,...Extremely Simple, I have replied to <a href="http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2016/08/what-is-self-we-are-investigating-when.html?commentPage=2#c5763344308015586088" rel="nofollow">your question</a>, ‘But why should reality be “just behind the ‘I am’”?’ in a separate article, <a href="http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2016/10/i-am-is-reality-i-am-this-or-i-am-that.html" rel="nofollow">‘I am’ is the reality, ‘I am this’ or ‘I am that’ is the ego</a>, which I have posted here today.Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-40395569371277924972016-09-24T21:03:05.660+01:002016-09-24T21:03:05.660+01:00Thank you again Ken for your estimable hints.
Read...Thank you again Ken for your estimable hints.<br />Reading the first article you mentioned to me (Article of 25 September 2007 Sri Arunachala Stuti Panchakam-English translation by Sadhu Om and Michael James) takes already my breath away. How did Michael James come to that deep inspiration and conviction about his world view, truth and his firm meekness ? His experience of inner awareness or of truth about reality must have been and must be mighty and tremendous. Plotinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-84760088457688521082016-09-24T19:54:31.598+01:002016-09-24T19:54:31.598+01:00Sorry, I have never been further South in India th...Sorry, I have never been further South in India than Varanasi and Bodhgaya. Perhaps some other readers of the blog have been there.<br /><br />A web search might give you some impressions. David Godman has lived there for 40 years, and would have commented on that either in his Youtube videos or his interviews on his web site http://davidgodman.org .<br /><br />In fact, Godman has an article by Michael James on his web site, entitled "The Power of Arunachala" at:<br /><br />http://davidgodman.org/asaints/powerofa1.shtml<br />Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08444422146838072196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-23030819894908825912016-09-24T17:32:09.951+01:002016-09-24T17:32:09.951+01:00Many thanks to you, Ken.
Your advice is very helpf...Many thanks to you, Ken.<br />Your advice is very helpful. So I have to study a lot material about Arunachala.<br />If you have ever been there in Tamil Nadu/Tiruvannamalai bodily at this mountain, would you please be willing to report your impression in short form ?<br />Plotinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-34503181591607035112016-09-24T15:44:47.764+01:002016-09-24T15:44:47.764+01:00Plotin,
In the short term, I found three articles...Plotin,<br /><br />In the short term, I found three articles on Arunachala in this blog:<br /><br />http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2007/09/sri-arunachala-stuti-panchakam-english.html<br /><br />http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2009/06/sri-arunachala-stuti-panchakam-overview.html<br /><br />http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2008/12/truth-of-arunachala-and-of-seeing-light.html<br /><br />Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08444422146838072196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-73817207630239844472016-09-24T12:58:57.951+01:002016-09-24T12:58:57.951+01:00Sir Michael James,
I just read: "Bhagavan Sri...Sir Michael James,<br />I just read: "Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi revealed the direct path of practice of Self-enquiry and awakened mankind to the immense spiritual power of the holy Arunachala Hill, the spiritual heart of the world."<br />That is very interesting.<br />I would be very pleased if you write some lines about that holy mountain Arunachala.Plotinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-38601133380236177562016-09-24T12:15:58.936+01:002016-09-24T12:15:58.936+01:00Viveka Vairagya,
let us consider that phrase of Ni...Viveka Vairagya,<br />let us consider that phrase of Nisargadatta "Reality is just behind the 'I am' " as metaphor. So nobody should be bothered by it and we are not led astray.<br />Regards.extremely simplenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-3846333788416424212016-09-24T11:53:10.137+01:002016-09-24T11:53:10.137+01:00Sanjay Lohia,
in this life of delusion we will not...Sanjay Lohia,<br />in this life of delusion we will not find any clarity about the real state of Nisargadatta. Maybe he tried to smoke his ego in the fire of the beedis (Smile). As we see the outwardly going mind and extroverted intellect do not provide sufficient clearness and transparency. Basically is everybody (every ajnani) a jnani in his real nature. <br />Because the experience of silence - that is self-knowledge - is alone perfect knowledge we should not rove in the forest of objective sense-and mind-bound knowledges and relativity. The mind's rising and jumping out through the senses should be (gradually) subdued. So let us annihilate all thoughts at the very place of origin- by consciously abiding in the self (atma-dhyana) and find the best means for the subsidence of mind. May the light of consciousness of the one real self arise through the extinction of our mental taints. <br />Atman alone exists and is real.<br />extremely simplenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-59684124531781159202016-09-24T10:01:54.780+01:002016-09-24T10:01:54.780+01:00extremely simple,
Upon further reflection it stri...extremely simple,<br /><br />Upon further reflection it strikes me that what Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj means by 'I am' Sri Ramana Maharshi means by 'I-thought'. That is, both 'I am' and 'I-thought' refer to the same entity, namely, reflected light or reflected consciousness (chidabhasa), that is, reflection of Self or Pure Consciousness in the mind. Hence, just like Self or Reality can be said to be behind the 'I-thought', Self or Reality can be said to be behind the 'I am'.Viveka Vairagyanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-35379169831156110742016-09-24T08:39:58.218+01:002016-09-24T08:39:58.218+01:00extremely simple,
Maharaj uses the term 'I am...extremely simple,<br /><br />Maharaj uses the term 'I am' to refer to reflected consciousness (chidabhasa), that is, reflection of Self or Pure Consciousness in the mind. Hence, just like an object can be said to be behind its reflection, reality, that is Self or Pure Consciousness, is said to be behind its reflection, the 'I am'. Bhagavan uses 'I am' to refer to something else as Sanjay pointed out.<br /><br />As far as why Maharaj smoked cigarettes, see Sanjay's explanation of it above this comment.Viveka Vairagyanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-59856538369855976242016-09-24T08:17:39.087+01:002016-09-24T08:17:39.087+01:00extremely simple, you ask Viveka Vairagya: ‘But wh...extremely simple, you ask Viveka Vairagya: ‘But why should reality be "just behind the 'I am'"? According to Bhagavan’s teaching, there is nothing behind or in front of ‘I am’, and therefore this ‘I am’ exists absolutely alone. Anything we experience other than our essential awareness, ‘I am’, is merely our ego’s imagination, and since our ego is an formless phantom which exists only in its own view, nothing other than ‘I am’ actually exists.<br /><br />Yes, I have also read that Nisargadatta smoked cigarettes, or more specifically Indian <i>beedis</i>, which are a crude form of cigarettes. Devotees of Nisargadatta believe that he was an <i>atma-jnani</i> - which may or may not be true - however for our argument sake let us assume that he was indeed a <i>jnani</i>. Therefore, when Nisargadatta was seen smoking <i>beedis</i>, what was smoking <i>beedis</i> was only Nisargadatta’s body. Since he was not that body, he was not really smoking. Smoking cigarettes is an action, whereas the <i>jnani</i> is an actionless reality, and therefore he cannot act in any way.<br /><br />We should not judge an <i>atma-jnani</i> merely by his outward, mental or bodily actions, because these may not really reveal his inner state. It is said that even if we see our <i>sadguru</i> consuming liquor, we should not feel that he is no more worthy to be our <i>sadguru</i>.<br /><br />Of course, generally we will not find a <i>jnani</i> smoking cigarettes or drinking liquor, but even if they are seen indulging in such acts, they still remain a <i>jnani</i>. Their bodies may have picked up certain habits in the past, and these bodies (of <i>atma-jnanis</i>) may still continue with those old habits.<br /><br />For example, Bhagavan had repeatedly told us that he was not the body and mind which we mistook him to be, but in our ignorant view we did see Bhagavan indulging in many bodily and mental actions. Therefore, the <i>jnani’s</i> actions are only in our view. He just exists, and therefore in his clear experience he is merely pure, non-dual consciousness, or ‘I am’.Sanjay Lohiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02384912997886218824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-72285911524790379782016-09-23T23:09:45.693+01:002016-09-23T23:09:45.693+01:00Ken,
we are already aware of ourself i.e. of our s...Ken,<br />we are already aware of ourself i.e. of our self without any interruption. How could reading Nisargadatta lead to an experience of the self ?extremely simplenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-87802930080579228642016-09-23T22:37:35.100+01:002016-09-23T22:37:35.100+01:00Extremely Simple,
The teaching of Ramana Maharshi...Extremely Simple,<br /><br />The teaching of Ramana Maharshi was given by him, in a very clear and logical fashion, as a description of the world and who we are, and a suggested practice for us to discover the truth of that for ourselves, in Nan Yar and Ulladu Narpadu.<br /><br />Since he was from a family of lawyers and legal aides, he was highly educated in the Victorian British educational system, and so he had excellent reading, writing, and thinking skills, even by the age of 16.<br /><br />Nisargadatta was a working class person with no formal education. All of his knowledge of spiritual concepts came from a propensity to spend his free evenings in religious discussions with more educated acquaintances.<br /><br />His major work, "I Am That" was a collection of tape recordings of his question-and-answer sessions that was translated by Maurice Frydman, who Nisargadatta (and others) stated was also a Jnani (and whom had previously created a similar collection of question-and-answers by Ramana called "Maharshi's Gospel").<br /><br />So, it seems likely to me that the polished language and statements of "I Am That" were partially due to Frydman's restatements of Nisargadatta's talks.<br /><br />Nisargadatta often said that the specifics of his answers were only designed for the immediate spiritual benefit of the listener, rather than to be an accurate statement of reality. He told David Godman:<br /><br />===<br /><br /> DG: For several months I have been reading I am That. Through those words I felt a very strong connection with you and the teachings. Can one have a connection with a Guru simply by reading his words, or is it necessary to come in person to see him? <br /><br /> Maharaj: The words will do their work wherever you hear or read them. You can come here and listen to them in person, or you can read them in a book. If the teacher is enlightened, there will be a power in them. <br /><br /> DG: In my particular case I read the words of a Guru who was still alive, and those words compelled me to come here and see you. Perhaps your words had such a strong effect because you are still alive and teaching. I made contact with a living teacher, a living presence. What about a hypothetical case of someone picking up I am That in fifty years' time, and in a country several thousand miles away. That person will never have a chance to see you. Will those words still have the power to transform and awaken? <br /><br /> Maharaj: Time and space exist in your mind, not in the Self. There is no limit to the power of the Self. The power of the Self is always present, always working, always the same. What varies is the readiness and willingness of people to turn their attention to it. If someone picks up this book ten thousand miles away in a thousand years' time, those words will do their work if the reader is in the right state to listen to and assimilate the words. <br /><br />===<br /><br />So, one should read Ramana for an accurate description of the world and Self-investigation pracice, and read Nisargadatta to get an experience of the Self (if the reader is sufficiently receptive).Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08444422146838072196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-25951926807827879822016-09-23T20:55:05.250+01:002016-09-23T20:55:05.250+01:00Michael,
if our infinite self-awareness is always ...Michael,<br />if our infinite self-awareness is always in its original pristine form and we have not undergone any change, how can this ego ever have any wrong perception of ourself ?<br />How can our awareness of ourself ever be distorted by being mixed and confused ... ?meek as a lambnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-39248833033563884042016-09-23T20:38:24.200+01:002016-09-23T20:38:24.200+01:00Michael,
"We are always aware of ourself, but...Michael,<br />"We are always aware of ourself, but our self-awareness is now confused, because it seems (in the view of ourself as this ego) to be mixed ..."<br /><br />Assuming that our pure self-awareness can never be confused, should we not correctly say: Our self-awareness seems now to be confused instead of 'is now confused',... ?meek as a lambnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-57633443080155860882016-09-23T20:06:18.019+01:002016-09-23T20:06:18.019+01:00Viveka Vairagya,
regarding 'The Simple Path of...Viveka Vairagya,<br />regarding 'The Simple Path of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,<br />Holding on to the sense 'I am' to the exclusion of everything else sounds very easy.<br />But why should reality be "just behind the 'I am' " ?<br />What was Sri Nisargadatta's reason for smoking cigarettes ?extremely simplenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-70854725970724686832016-09-23T19:44:26.339+01:002016-09-23T19:44:26.339+01:00Ken,
ah, Mojo's comment rang false and therefo...Ken,<br />ah, Mojo's comment rang false and therefore did not rank high.<br />Let us be on our guard.lame monkeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-5272615479566749622016-09-23T19:16:26.256+01:002016-09-23T19:16:26.256+01:00Oops, "Page Ranging" should be "Pag...Oops, "Page Ranging" should be "Page Ranking". Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08444422146838072196noreply@blogger.com