tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post8076697298765989419..comments2023-10-16T13:06:42.360+01:00Comments on Happiness of Being: The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: What is the correct meaning of ‘Be in the now’?Michael Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-78171957888091343952019-02-16T03:11:55.762+00:002019-02-16T03:11:55.762+00:00Sanjay Lohia,
Sir, I respectfully disagree.
Sri...Sanjay Lohia,<br /> <br />Sir, I respectfully disagree.<br /><br />Sri Ramana Maharshi was beyond mere first hand experience and things of that sort which may come and go away. Sri Ramana dwelled in sahaja samadhi for 54 years since age 16 until his "maha samadhi". Anyone else like him since? No way, because if there was one we would have known and heard about such a mighty sage of the caliber of Sri Ramana Maharshi. <br /><br />I will give Sri Anandamayi Ma the benefit of the doubt though. But then again I really wish there were thousands upon thousands like Sri Ramana which is not the case at all. All we have today is a whole crop of neo-advaita wannabe's like Tony Parsons and Co.Asunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375243105817283476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-7239461464075633082019-02-15T12:05:00.770+00:002019-02-15T12:05:00.770+00:00Unknown, in many of your recent comments you imply...Unknown, in many of your recent comments you imply that only Sri Ramana Maharshi had ‘first hand experience’, but how can you say this with certainty? We have no doubt that Bhagavan was a <i>jivanmukta</i>, but how can we be sure that our next door neighbour is not one? We cannot know about anybody’s inner state with certainty.<br /> <br />There may be many <i>muktas</i> living even now. They will not advertise themselves as being an 'enlightened one' because they are above the need for self-glorification. They will have no ego, and only ego wants praise and recognition. Every liberation one may not become a famous guru or some such thing. So it is not correct to say that only Ramana Maharshi had ‘first hand experience’. <br />Sanjay Lohiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02384912997886218824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-19951194118107823792019-02-15T08:28:35.491+00:002019-02-15T08:28:35.491+00:00Sanjay Lohia,
Sir,
Too much unnecessary emphasis...Sanjay Lohia,<br /><br />Sir,<br /><br />Too much unnecessary emphasis is being placed here among people on this so called "God" or even the famous word "Self" by these very same people who have had no direct contact or clue or first hand experience themselves with such an entity called "God" or the "Self" with the exception of the one and only Sri Ramana Maharshi, of course.Asunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375243105817283476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-30652417496563967332019-02-15T07:46:01.239+00:002019-02-15T07:46:01.239+00:00Unknown, Michael had said, ‘If we leave it to God,...Unknown, Michael had said, ‘If we leave it to God, God will fill out our Income Tax form’. However, you find this statement ‘a dangerous and convoluted way of thinking and living’. But I find what Michael said to be in perfect tune with Bhagavan’s teachings. Bhagavan teaches us in the paragraph 13 of <i>Nan Ar?</i>:<br /><br />Even though we place whatever amount of burden upon God, that entire amount he will bear. Since one <i>paramēśvara śakti</i> [supreme ruling power or power of God] is driving all activities [everything that happens in this world], instead of yielding to it why should we always think, ‘it is necessary to act in this way; it is necessary to act in that way’? Though we know that the train is going bearing all the burdens, why should we who go travelling in it suffer bearing our small luggage on our head instead of remaining happily leaving it placed on that [train]?<br /> <br />This clearly implies that ‘If we leave it to God, God will fill out our Income Tax form’.<br /><br />You further say, ‘First of all who or what is God other than a belief in some Supreme and Omnipotent Entity. That Supreme Entity or God is also part and parcel of our ego and is a dream entity just like our ego and body are’. At certain places, Bhagavan used the term ‘God’ to mean what actually is, and at other places, he used the term ‘God’ to mean our mind’s imagination. So we have to understand from the context the meaning of the term ‘God’ used by Bhagavan. The term God can be used as our mere belief, but actually, God is what we actually are.<br /><br />You say, ‘How long can one depend on God to save us?’ Bhagavan answers this in the 12th paragraph of <i>Nan Ar?</i>:<br /><br />God and guru are in truth not different. Just as what has been caught in the jaws of a tiger will not return, so those who have been caught in the glance of guru’s grace will surely be saved by him and will never instead be forsaken; nevertheless, it is necessary to walk unfailingly along the path that guru has shown.<br /><br />So God or guru does save us, but how does he save us? He saves us by consuming us – by consuming our ego.Sanjay Lohiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02384912997886218824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-64959840786374535882019-02-15T07:09:08.543+00:002019-02-15T07:09:08.543+00:00Bhagavan says that he has no will, but from our vi...<b><i>Bhagavan says that he has no will, but from our viewpoint, he seems to have a will because he has ordained our actions by his mere being</i></b><br /><br />We judge certain events or situations in our life as good destiny and certain events or situations in our life as a bad destiny. Who makes such judgments? It is our mind. We may be born as an orphan living in a poor country, have very little food or clothing, be living on the streets of London, but such things are given to us by Bhagavan to mature us spiritually. So from this viewpoint, there is nothing bad in our life. Whatever destiny is given to us is the most favourable condition for our overall good.<br /><br />If we judge things as good or bad, it will be very difficult to accept things as they are. Consequently, it will become difficult for us to develop <i>vairagya</i> and turn within. Everything is happening by Bhagavan’s will – see here I bring in Bhagavan’s will, but Bhagavan says he has no will. However, from our viewpoint, he seems to have a will because he has ordained our destiny by his mere being. <br /><br />Once we accept everything to be Bhagavan’s will, we will have no desire to change things. We will accept them as they are. This attitude will help us to subside back within. This way we take the load off our head, put it on the train and travel happily. We need to turn our attention within unmindful of the world – this is taking the load off our head. This is called <i>vairagya</i> – freedom of concern, freedom of any interest in these external things. <br /><br />Bhagavan wants to concern ourselves with being and not doing because he is taking care of all our doings. So we need to <i>just be</i>. <br /><br />Paraphrased extract from the video: <i>2019-02-09 Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK: discussion with Michael James on Nāṉ Ār? paragraph 15 (44:00 and 57:00)</i><br /><br />Sanjay Lohiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02384912997886218824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-4517501404924510632019-02-13T22:41:46.475+00:002019-02-13T22:41:46.475+00:00If we leave it to God, God will fill out our Incom...If we leave it to God, God will fill out our Income Tax form. Quote.<br /><br />This is a dangerous and convoluted way of thinking and living. First of all who or what is God other than a belief in some Supreme and Omnipotent Entity. That Supreme Entity or God is also part and parcel of our ego and is a dream entity just like our ego and body are. <br /><br />Secondly, if I (as ego) left all these things on God to do it for me I would have been in prison or homeless person or died long back from poverty. Without our ego, body and world rising, where is the thought of God? <br /><br />How long can one depend on God to save us? Sooner or later death is coming to grab all of us. But that is actually a good thing and a blessing in disguise.Asunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375243105817283476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-62205999331087504262019-02-13T16:53:15.887+00:002019-02-13T16:53:15.887+00:00If we leave it to God, God will fill out our Incom...<b><i>If we leave it to God, God will fill out our Income Tax form</i></b><br /><br />A friend: If I am all the time absorbed in myself, who will fill out my Income Tax form? Obviously, God will not fill it.<br /><br />Michael: If you leave it to God, God will fill out your Income Tax form. Bhagavan says, ‘however much burden you place on God, he will bear of all of it’. He will fill out your Income Tax form, but he will use your body and mind to do so. The trouble is the doership. We feel, ‘I am filling the form’, and this sense of doership is because we take the body and mind to be ourself. <br /><br />Leave the body and mind to God. The body and mind is the luggage we are carrying on our head. Bhagavan says, ‘leave it aside on the train’. The train will carry it.<br /><br />Edited extract from the video: <i>2019-02-09 Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK: discussion with Michael James on Nāṉ Ār? paragraph 15 (1:03)</i><br /><br />Reflection: It is in all fairness that Bhagavan should fill out our Income Tax form. He is responsible for our income, so he is responsible for paying tax on this income, and he has to fill out the Income Tax form. It is all his responsibility. <br />Sanjay Lohiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02384912997886218824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-56947530813364966112019-02-13T16:06:54.436+00:002019-02-13T16:06:54.436+00:00Thanks, Michael. I will read this article again to...Thanks, Michael. I will read this article again to absorb and assimilate its content better. Sanjay Lohiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02384912997886218824noreply@blogger.com