The second and third paragraphs of Nāṉ Ār?
In this article I will discuss the history behind the second paragraph of Nāṉ Ār? and the practical and philosophical significance of what Bhagavan teaches us in the third paragraph.
A collection of articles discussing the philosophy and practice of the spiritual teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana, written by Michael James and forming an extension of his main website, www.happinessofbeing.com.
In this article I will discuss the history behind the second paragraph of Nāṉ Ār? and the practical and philosophical significance of what Bhagavan teaches us in the third paragraph.
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Michael James
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11:33
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), philosophy of Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), transitive awareness (suṭṭaṟivu), Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Upadēśa Undiyār
In my previous article, In what sense is it true to say ‘everything is one’?, I wrote:
So Bhagavan is the ultimate reductionist: All phenomena are just thoughts; thoughts are just mind; mind is just ego; and if instead of looking at anything else we look keenly at ourself alone, we will find that ego is actually just pure awareness. Therefore pure awareness is all that actually exists: it is ‘one only without a second’ (ēkam ēva advitīyam).
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Michael James
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15:34
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A friend wrote to me recently, ‘I think I got this part wrong: “Everyone is oneself”. You would say I am saying “Many is one”, right? What would you say? There is just one?’, in reply to which I wrote:
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Michael James
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23:16
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A friend wrote to me asking, ‘Can the practice become constant? Turning attention inward, I remain there (I-AM). Where does effort stop? I had glimpses of Self, how to remain there? Is it at all possible?’, in reply to which I wrote:
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Michael James
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22:25
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Labels: ahaṁ-sphuraṇa, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, bhakti (devotion), effort, practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Upadēśa Undiyār
Bhagavan was born at one o’clock in the morning on 30th December 1879, which was during the lunar constellation (nakṣatra) of punarvasu, which this year occurs today, 31st December 2020, so according to the Hindu custom of celebrating a person’s birthday on their birth nakṣatra, today his 141st birthday or jayantī is being celebrated by devotees all over the world.
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Michael James
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00:00
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, guru, practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham, Upadēśa Taṉippākkaḷ
Last month a friend wrote to me posing two questions, ‘If everything is predestined, how can the law of karma be true? And if it is true, how can everything be predestined?’, to which he offered his own answers based on his understanding of Bhagavan’s teachings. This article is adapted from the replies I wrote to this and several subsequent emails, because what Bhagavan taught us about the law of karma in general and the scope of predetermination in particular is an area of his teachings that have been widely misunderstood and misinterpreted, and hence I am often asked about this subject.
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Michael James
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12:34
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Labels: 1898 note for his mother, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, karma, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), philosophy of Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Upadēśa Undiyār
The following are some extracts from section 80 of Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi (1978 edition, pages 82-3; 2006 edition, pages 83-4):
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Michael James
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10:46
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In Guru Vācaka Kōvai there is a chapter called Naraka Jaya-t-Tiṟaṉ (Explaining the Conquest of Naraka), which consists of five verses, three composed by Muruganar and two composed by Bhagavan. The former are verses 181 to 183, in which Muruganar recorded what Bhagavan explained about the real import of Naraka Caturdaśi and Dīpāvali, and the latter are verses B4 and B5 (and verses 2 and 3 of Upadēśa Taṉippākkaḷ), in the first of which Bhagavan summarised the ideas expressed in verses 181 and 182, and in the second of which he expressed the same idea as verse 183 but in a simpler and clearer manner.
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Michael James
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00:15
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, Guru Vācaka Kōvai, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Upadēśa Taṉippākkaḷ
Yesterday a friend called Asiakas posted a comment on one of my videos, 2020-03-14 Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK: discussion with Michael James on Ēkāṉma Pañcakam verse 4, asking, ‘Dear Michael. Why try to justify that this world is a dream? Do we try to justify to people in our dreams, that it is a dream? Who realizes it is a dream?’, but before I had time to reply to this it was deleted. However, these are questions that deserve a reply, so the following is my reply to them:
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Michael James
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22:31
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, dream, ego, philosophy of Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra)
A friend asked me to adjudicate on a disagreement that he and another friend had about self-abidance and self-investigation. One of them believed that “the terms ‘self-abidance’ and ‘self-investigation’ mean two different things. That is, according to his understanding, in self-abidance we do not use our sharp mind (nun mati or kurnda mati). However, in self-investigation, we are using our sharp mind (nun mati or kurnda mati)”, whereas the other believed that “both these terms, ‘self-abidance’ and ‘self-investigation’ mean the same thing as long as we are practising self-attentiveness. These terms — self-abidance and self-investigation — are just two different ways of describing the practice of atma-vichara”.
The following is adapted from the reply I wrote to them:
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Michael James
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11:13
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A friend wrote to me saying:
It appears that the doership tendency is one of the hardest to overcome. I grapple with it quite often these days. Although I am more acutely aware and do recognise it most of the time when it arises, it simply refuses to disappear altogether. I sometimes wonder as to whether attempting to be self-attentive in all three states will eventually reduce one’s identification with the body, and thereby destroy the doership tendency. Getting into a state of complete stillness prior to falling asleep does sometimes help one experience the Self in deep sleep. However, I haven’t so far been able to become self-attentive at all in the dream state. I should perhaps just concentrate on being more keenly self-attentive, and leave the rest to Bhagavan.In reply to this I wrote:
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Michael James
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09:17
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, dream, ego, practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), sleep, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu
A friend wrote to me asking for some personal guidance regarding a dilemma he was facing, in which whatever choice he made would have a major impact on his life and possibly on his health, and which also had a moral dimension to it. Faced with this dilemma, he found that his mind tended to become agitated, making it difficult for him to cling calmly to the practice of self-investigation. In reply to him I wrote:
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Michael James
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20:28
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Labels: 1898 note for his mother, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), self-surrender
A friend wrote to me recently:
I wondered if you could shine some light on something regarding Ramana’s Enlightenment for me. I’ve always thought that when the moment of Enlightenment transpires for anyone that it is instantaneous & does not involve time, even though there may have been a Spiritual progression up to that point. It is commonly said that when Ramana laid down & watched the death of his self at that point he was instantly Enlightened.
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Michael James
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20:11
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, philosophy of Sri Ramana, practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Upadēśa Undiyār
A friend wrote to me recently:
I came across the following quote supposedly by Bhagavan:
Question: How is the ego to be destroyed?
Maharshi: Hold the ego first and then ask how it is to be destroyed. Who asks this question? It is the ego. Can the ego ever agree to kill itself? This question is a sure way to cherish the ego and not to kill it. If you seek the ego you will find it does not exist. That is the way to destroy it.
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Michael James
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14:20
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, manōnāśa (annihilation of mind), Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Upadēśa Undiyār
A friend wrote to me recently asking:
If all the Bhagavan’s teachings are telling us to ignore the world and only look within, then why does the world of thoughts and things manifest at all? Is it there for us to be seduced by to suffer in until we voluntarily start the journey home to the only true reality, the I am? Is this the meaning of the Parable of the prodigal son in Christianity?In reply to her I wrote:
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Michael James
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15:00
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Labels: ajāta, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, dream, ego, philosophy of Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra)
In a comment on 18 July 2020 at 11:27 I appealed to everyone writing comments on this blog:
I have not had time to read most of the comments that have been posted here recently, but a friend has written to me pointing out that of late many of the comments have been blatantly transgressing the Guidelines for Comments, so could I please ask you all to abide by these guidelines for the sake of all who read your comments. That is, please do not allow any discussion about Bhagavan’s teachings to deteriorate into a series of ad hominem attacks and abuse. If you disagree with any idea expressed by anyone else, you are welcome to explain why you disagree with it, but please do not criticise personally whoever has expressed whatever ideas you disagree with.I still have not had time to read most of the recent comments, but from the few I have read and from emails I have received from several friends deploring the tone of many of them I understand that what I wrote in this comment had little or no effect, because the same behaviour seems to have been continuing. This is very sad, because it shows a lack of respect for Bhagavan and his teachings, and it is inconsiderate, because it deters many serious aspirants from taking part in what could otherwise be useful discussions about his teachings.
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Michael James
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20:16
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Labels: 1898 note for his mother, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, karma, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham, Upadēśa Undiyār
A friend sent me a WhatsApp message yesterday saying that while explaining the first verse of Saddarśanam someone had said, ‘Many ask why Ramana Maharshi stated that heart is on your right. It is because you think that it is on the left. Heart actually is where one experiences the existence as consciousness’. I understood this to mean that that person had implied that the right side of the chest is where one experiences existence as consciousness, so I replied accordingly, but later my friend clarified that what that person was trying to convey was that ‘ullam or heart is not on right or left or nothing to do with the position in the body, but where or what one experiences as consciousness — not the body or mental consciousness which many associate this word with’.
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Michael James
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12:08
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A friend wrote to me today asking, ‘In the deep sleep state, it is said that there is no mind. In that case, what is it that carries through the information back to the waking state that one has experienced deep sleep? Is the mind present but it is dormant (thereby registering experience and creating memory)? In other words, is there anything other than the true I (I-I) in the deep sleep state?’, in reply to which I wrote:
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Michael James
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19:34
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Labels: Āṉma-Viddai, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, philosophy of Sri Ramana, sleep, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Upadēśa Undiyār
Yesterday I discussed with a friend called Murthy what Bhagavan pointed out to us about what exists and what we are aware of in sleep, and our discussion is recorded in the video 2020-06-16 Michael and Murthy discuss the non-existence of ego and its five sheaths in sleep:
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Michael James
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12:31
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), philosophy of Sri Ramana, practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), sleep, Upadēśa Undiyār
A friend recently wrote to me:
It seems to that “Self-Attention” as taught by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi is possible only when I am in the Waking State, and not when I am in the Sleeping State and in the Dreaming State. In that case, what do I have to do in the latter two states, according to the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi? If I cannot do anything in those two states, will that be a problem or should I take it that as long as I am doing “Self-Attention” correctly during the Waking State, that will be enough?
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Michael James
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18:21
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, dream, effort, ego, Guru Vācaka Kōvai, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), sleep, Sri Muruganar, Upadēśa Taṉippākkaḷ, Upadēśa Undiyār
A friend recently wrote to me:
There is something I find hard to “understand”. You say that Sri Ramana Maharshi said that when we are in deep sleep, without dreams, that we have let go of the ego and are still aware of our self existence.
How can we know that, when seemingly there is no awareness in that time? It leads me to think that if the oneness of the true self, of existence/god itself is nothing, no experience at all, then why would I want to get there? While there is suffering in this life with the ego here, there is also pleasure. As I get closer to non-attachment I suffer far less (I witness the suffering), but if I achieve complete non-attachment I will cease to exist in this way. In my form as a human I reach states of freedom and happiness but I am experiencing/aware of that. In sleep (and therefore death) am I really experiencing that?
Posted by
Michael James
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10:48
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, dream, ego, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), philosophy of Sri Ramana, self-forgetfulness, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), sleep, Upadēśa Undiyār
In April of last year a Finnish friend, Jussi Penttinen, invited me to Helsinki, where he had arranged for me to give a talk and answer questions at a meeting organised by Forum Humanum. A video of this meeting, 2019-04-03 Forum Humanum, Helsinki: Michael James discusses self-investigation as the way to love, is available on my YouTube channel, Sri Ramana Teachings:
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Michael James
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21:43
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Michael James
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08:39
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Michael James
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15:22
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Michael James
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11:11
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Posted by
Michael James
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17:22
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Labels: Āṉma-Viddai, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, philosophy of Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), transitive awareness (suṭṭaṟivu), Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Upadēśa Undiyār
Posted by
Michael James
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18:55
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Posted by
Michael James
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22:06
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), self-surrender
Michael mentioned in one of his recent videos (I’ll be paraphrasing) that one of the problems of vedantic teachings is that historically, the simple teachings of the Upanishads started to be complicated to understand because all the commentaries, and the commentaries on the commentaries (and the commentaries on the commentaries on the commentaries!) appeared...
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Michael James
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17:07
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Michael James
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13:30
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Posted by
Michael James
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21:11
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Labels: ajāta, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, cit-śakti, ego, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu
Posted by
Michael James
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22:28
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Labels: Āṉma-Viddai, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Ēkāṉma Pañcakam, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Upadēśa Mañjari, Upadēśa Undiyār
Posted by
Michael James
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16:16
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, ego, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), self-surrender, Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Upadēśa Undiyār
Posted by
Michael James
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21:45
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Posted by
Michael James
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14:51
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Posted by
Michael James
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16:40
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I think that I understand your explanation on the descending and ascending process but when I try to write something on the subject, I become wordless-thoughtless and, instead of feeling freedom, since there are not walls from every angle which, at first, enabled me to turn towards myself to a great extent, now I’m having the opposite feeling of being immured and paralyzed and don’t know how to proceed from here. Does it make any sense? Why is it so?
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Michael James
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15:17
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra)
Posted by
Michael James
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10:40
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, dream, ego, practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), sleep, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham
வெளிவிட யங்களை விட்டு மனந்தன்
னொளியுரு வோர்தலே யுந்தீபற
வுண்மை யுணர்ச்சியா முந்தீபற.
Posted by
Michael James
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12:28
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Posted by
Michael James
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12:12
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Upadēśa Undiyār
அகமுகமா ரந்த வமலமதி தன்னா
லகமிதுதா னெங்கெழுமென் றாய்ந்தே — யகவுருவை
நன்கறிந்து முந்நீர் நதிபோலு மோயுமே
யுன்கணரு ணாசலனே யோர்.
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Michael James
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19:55
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Labels: Arunachala, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Śrī Aruṇācala Aṣṭakam, Śrī Aruṇācala Pañcaratnam
Posted by
Michael James
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13:52
209
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In an interview when you were asked “When you talk to me now, is there feeling of pure awareness?” you responded that “it is always there in the background” (because of many years of practice) even though you don’t experience it in its purity. Then you added that “the distinction between pure awareness and the awareness that we call mind or ego, the awareness of things, that distinction becomes clearer and clearer.”
Posted by
Michael James
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13:33
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Can you tell from your experience if practicing Self investigation is something that is started in a “wrong” manner and evolves into the correct practice over the years?This article is adapted from the reply I wrote to him.
I think I have the correct intellectual understanding of how to perform Self investigation but in practice I get trapped again and again: I try to be aware of myself alone but as I cannot be objectified my attention is always landing on subtle objects. It takes a while to realize this, then I try to redirect my attention to myself again which results in dwelling on another subtle object and so on. I feel that directing my attention happens only in the realm of the mind and I seem to be unable to investigate into the one who is directing his attention/ attend to myself because I am not skilled enough to attend to anything other than objects. Has this search with my attention landing on objects to go on until I gain the skill to transcend it and attend to myself?
And isn’t the attitude of “Now I will try to direct my attention to myself” in itself wrong because the I in this sentence can only attend to objects? Don’t I have to investigate instead into from where this intention arose? Because that I am unable to do right now.
Posted by
Michael James
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16:28
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Posted by
Michael James
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15:28
351
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Posted by
Michael James
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12:41
122
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I have just finished reading your article— There is only one ‘I’, and investigation will reveal that it is not a finite ego but the infinite self.
Posted by
Michael James
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19:50
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Posted by
Michael James
at
14:54
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, manōnāśa (annihilation of mind), philosophy of Sri Ramana, practice taught by Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Upadēśa Undiyār
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Michael James
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, dream, ego, Nāṉ Yār? (Who am I?), philosophy of Sri Ramana, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu
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Michael James
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Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, dream, ego, philosophy of Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), Śrī Aruṇācala Aṣṭakam, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Upadēśa Undiyār
Sri Ramana TeachingsThere are currently more than three hundred videos on this channel, organised into the following twenty-five playlists:
If you would like to support me to continue writing for this blog and doing other related work, you may contribute to my living expenses by clicking on this button (or by choosing an alternative means as suggested in the note below):
Until December 2015 I was able to carrying on writing this blog without needing to accept any of the kind offers of financial support that I received from friends and well-wishers, but I eventually reached a point where I seemed to have no option but to accept whatever support may be offered. Translating Bhagavan’s Tamil writings, writing articles for this blog, replying to emails asking questions about his teachings, discussing his teachings with fellow devotees by Zoom and other such means, and making videos of such discussions to share on my YouTube channel, Sri Ramana Teachings, is my full-time occupation (and one that I do solely for the love of this subject), so I have no other job and I receive only a small pension and some royalties from my book sales, which amount to far less than I need for rent, food and other essential expenses, so any financial help that any of you may be able to offer would be much appreciated.
However, I would like to emphasise that this blog and whatever else I write about Bhagavan’s teachings is still intended to be an entirely free service, because I believe his teachings are too precious to be sold and should not be used for financial gain, so any contributions to me should be entirely voluntary and no one should feel any compulsion to contribute. I am sure that most of you have your own financial difficulties and constraints, because having given us the true wealth of his teachings, Bhagavan generally does not bestow material wealth on those of us who aspire to follow the path he has shown us, and because he has made us understand that money and material gain are not the aim or purpose of our life. Therefore please do not try to contribute anything more than you can comfortably afford, and if you are unable to contribute anything, please do not feel bad about it, because ultimately it is up to Bhagavan to decide how (or if) he wants to provide for my material needs, and I am sure he will take care of me in one way or another (whether or not I like the way he chooses).
Note: The ‘Donate’ button above is for giving contributions via PayPal, which is often the easiest but not necessarily the cheapest option, particularly if you live in the UK, where you can make a bank transfer free of charge, or if you live in a country where the use of PayPal is restricted. If you live outside the UK, you can use this comparison tool, which should show you the most cost-effective means to transfer any specified amount from your country to the UK.
If you would like to use any means other than PayPal you will need my bank details, in which case you may ask me for them by writing to me using the email link at Contact Michael James.