tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post152217675490638106..comments2023-10-16T13:06:42.360+01:00Comments on Happiness of Being: The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: Is there any such thing as ‘biological awareness’?Michael Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-61448672494136237392019-08-05T12:43:36.570+01:002019-08-05T12:43:36.570+01:00Anonymous, I have replied to your comment of 28 Ju...Anonymous, I have replied to your comment of <a href="#c7326371549339018766" rel="nofollow">28 July 2019 at 11:41</a> in a separate article: <a href="https://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-role-of-grace-in-all-that-ego.html" rel="nofollow">The role of grace in all that ego creates</a>Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-58636696574648389682019-07-30T20:02:32.049+01:002019-07-30T20:02:32.049+01:00Lewis, I have replied to your comment of 29 July 2...Lewis, I have replied to your comment of <a href="https://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2019/07/is-there-any-such-thing-as-biological.html#c3031335506390835804" rel="nofollow">29 July 2019 at 11:52</a> in a separate article: <a href="https://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2019/07/which-comes-first-ego-or-self.html" rel="nofollow">Which comes first: ego or self-negligence (<i>pramāda</i>)?</a>Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-60265571324712733242019-07-29T15:11:51.192+01:002019-07-29T15:11:51.192+01:00Abhilash, I have replied to your comment of 28 Jul...Abhilash, I have replied to your comment of <a href="#c1501117633381826968" rel="nofollow">28 July 2019 at 12:54</a> in a separate article, <a href="https://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2019/07/why-does-ego-rise-again-from-manolaya.html" rel="nofollow">Why does ego rise again from <i>manōlaya</i> and not from <i>manōnāśa</i>?</a>Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-30313355063908358042019-07-29T11:52:44.613+01:002019-07-29T11:52:44.613+01:00Hello Michael,
Help! 🙂
I have just finished r...Hello Michael, <br /><br />Help! 🙂 <br /><br />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. <br /><br />As part of your reply (13 November 2014 at 10:01) to Amai Parai in the comment section you wrote— <br /><br />'We (as our real self) always experience ourself as we really are, so we are never guilty of the ‘original sin’ of self-negligence (pramāda), which alone is the cause of the seeming rising of our ego, whereas we (as this ego) do not experience ourself as we really are, so we alone are guilty of this ‘original sin’.' <br /><br />If self-negligence is the cause of the seeming rising of our ego then what is it that is being self-negligent in the first place, I mean, according to the statement the implication is self-negligence was there prior to the rising of ego. <br /><br /><br />Thank you. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-70772391890387796232019-07-28T23:28:17.467+01:002019-07-28T23:28:17.467+01:00My previous comment was simply some thoughts that ...<br />My previous comment was simply some thoughts that I find useful.<br /><br />And, yes, I know, it is said that we shouldn't focus our attention on the words 'who am I' but instead to place our entire attention upon the awareness or experience 'I am'. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-46384884719309721062019-07-28T23:23:05.276+01:002019-07-28T23:23:05.276+01:00We as ego ask the question 'who am I?'
We...We as ego ask the question 'who am I?'<br /><br />We trust Bhagavan will protect us and guide us along the path to self-discovery.<br /><br />What if instead, we ask 'who is Bhagavan? Don't we claim already to know the answer! <br /><br />Surely, 'who am I?' and 'who is Bhagavan?' are one and the same question and answer.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-66993739588900807872019-07-28T22:48:37.817+01:002019-07-28T22:48:37.817+01:00When we say surrender our burdens to Him/Bhagavan/...When we say surrender our burdens to Him/Bhagavan/God are we not implying that Him/Bhagavan/God is other than ourself.<br /><br />In that context, could we not say: surrender to ourself or, trust ourself.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-20966468952046067452019-07-28T17:04:36.359+01:002019-07-28T17:04:36.359+01:00Hello Michael,
Thank you very much for your reply ...Hello Michael,<br />Thank you very much for your reply to my question, it was extremely well written, helpful, insightful and comforting to read. I found the beautiful verses you quoted helpful too, it was wonderful and much appreciated. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-54732083937861136312019-07-28T13:28:59.723+01:002019-07-28T13:28:59.723+01:00The thought/ego/I am this body seems to rise and f...<br />The thought/ego/I am this body seems to rise and fall.<br /><br />'In order to trace our ego back to its source, therefore, all that we need do is to scrutinise it keenly and closely, because as soon as we begin to attend to it, it will begin to subside and sink back into the source from which it originated. Thus we can ‘go back the way we came’ only by being vigilantly self-attentive.' — http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2009/07/tracing-ego-back-to-its-source.html<br /><br />Pointing to— Does pure awareness/'I am' (ever) rise or fall!<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-15011176333818269682019-07-28T12:54:23.621+01:002019-07-28T12:54:23.621+01:00Michael, Thanks for the guidance. If deep sleep is... Michael, Thanks for the guidance. If deep sleep is a state of pure self awareness( which I can intellectually deduct based on the "memory" of my existence as "I am" in deep sleep, once I wake up) which is devoid of ego(ignorance) why we couldn't recognize our real nature while we are in deep sleep? Is it because the "I"(ego) which wants to realize its real nature is absent during deep sleep? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06987090854078132921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-73263715493390187662019-07-28T11:41:39.093+01:002019-07-28T11:41:39.093+01:00This is my perception.
Plants and Sun are both th...This is my perception.<br /><br />Plants and Sun are both the higher power. From ego’s perspective, we see Plant as separate entity and thinking that plant grows because of sun. But plant grows because of the sun’s power that exists within the plant. And plant is also the higher power itself.<br /><br />In ulladu narpadhu, Bhagavan never talks about the world being dream. I never saw a word ‘kanavu’ in ulladu narpadhu. This is my understanding. When ego emerges, world appears. This world appears by the power of higher power and is also the higher power. The higher power enables everything and manifests as everything. So the thought that ego created/projected everything itself is very ‘egotistical’ . The body that we all possess functions because of higher power and is also the higher power. The only one error is ego thinking ‘I am the body’ . Everything else happens because of higher power and is higher power itself. <br /><br />So there is no reason to get dejected thinking Bhagavan is ego’s creation. Ego is absolutely not worthy and capable of creating ‘Bhagavan’ .<br /><br />Bhagavan is the created by Bhagavan and appeared in the world because he loves all of us as himself. <br /><br />Any thought in the lines of ego did this and ego did that and ego projected/created something is only egotistical in nature and I only feel there is more arrogance with that line of thinking and is not going to help anyone. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04435289281370413861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-61546225071505632222019-07-28T11:27:58.805+01:002019-07-28T11:27:58.805+01:00In continuation of my previous comment in reply to...In continuation of <a href="#c4178460531793691595" rel="nofollow">my previous comment</a> in reply to Saxon:<br /><br />This state of being devoured by his infinite love is what he refers to in the final sentence of <a href="https://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2017/10/ulladu-narpadu-tamil-text.html#un21" rel="nofollow">verse 21</a> of <i>Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu</i>, ‘ஊண் ஆதல் காண்’ (<i>ūṇ ādal kāṇ</i>), ‘Becoming food is seeing’ (where ‘seeing’ means seeing and thereby being what we actually are), in <a href="https://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-term-nirvisesa-or-featureless.html#aamm27" rel="nofollow">verse 27</a> of <i>Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai</i>, ‘சகலமும் விழுங்கும் கதிர் ஒளி இன மன சலசம் அலர்த்தியிடு அருணாசலா’ (<i>sakalamum viṙuṅgum kadir oḷi iṉa, maṉa-jalajam alartti-y-iḍu aruṇācalā</i>), ‘Arunachala, sun of bright light that swallows everything, make [my] mind-lotus blossom’, and in <a href="http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/is-it-possible-for-us-to-see-anything.html#apr1" rel="nofollow">verse 1</a> of <i>Śrī Aruṇācala Pañcaratnam</i>, ‘அருள் நிறைவான அமுத கடலே, விரி கதிரால் யாவும் விழுங்கும் அருணகிரி பரமான்மாவே, கிளர் உள பூ நன்றாய் விரி பரிதி ஆக விளங்கு’ (<i>aruḷ niṟaivu āṉa amuda-k-kaḍalē, viri kadirāl yāvum viṙuṅgum aruṇagiri paramāṉmāvē, kiḷar uḷa-p-pū naṉḏṟāy viri paridhi āha viḷaṅgu</i>), ‘Ocean of <i>amṛta</i> [the ambrosia of immortality], which is the fullness of grace, <i>paramātmā</i> [my ultimate self], Arunagiri, who swallow everything by [your] spreading rays [of pure self-awareness], shine as the sun that makes [my] budding heart-lotus blossom fully’.<br /><br />The appearance of Bhagavan (in human form) and his teachings in our life are a central part of this process of our being melted and swallowed by his love, which is most beautifully described by him in <a href="https://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2018/09/like-everything-else-karma-is-created.html#aamm101" rel="nofollow">verse 101</a> of <i>Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai</i>: ‘அம்புவில் ஆலி போல் அன்பு உரு உனில் எனை அன்பு ஆ கரைத்து அருள் அருணாசலா’ (<i>ambuvil āli pōl aṉbu-uru uṉil eṉai aṉbu ā karaittu aruḷ aruṇācalā</i>), ‘Arunachala, be gracious, melting me as love in you, the form of love, like ice in water’.Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-41784605317936915952019-07-28T11:26:34.752+01:002019-07-28T11:26:34.752+01:00Saxon, using the honorific plural ‘அவர்’ (avar), ‘...Saxon, using the honorific plural ‘அவர்’ (<i>avar</i>), ‘they’, to refer to the <i>jñāni</i>, in <a href="https://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2017/10/ulladu-narpadu-tamil-text.html#un31" rel="nofollow">verse 31</a> of <i>Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu</i> Bhagavan says and asks rhetorically, ‘தன்னை அலாது அன்னியம் ஒன்றும் அறியார்; அவர் நிலைமை இன்னது என்று உன்னல் எவன்?’ (<i>taṉṉai alādu aṉṉiyam oṉḏṟum aṟiyār; avar nilaimai iṉṉadu eṉḏṟu uṉṉal evaṉ?</i>), ‘They do not know [or are not aware of] anything other than themself; [so] who can [or how to] conceive their state as ‘[it is] like this’?’, so as this finite ego we can never adequately comprehend his state. However, in order to answer the questions implied in your <a href="#c7606073468346452465" rel="nofollow">comment</a> we can try to understand his state at least to a limited extent as follows:<br /><br />He is our own real nature (<i>ātma-svarūpa</i>), which is pure awareness and what alone actually exists, so he is not anything other than ourself. However, whereas he is aware of us only as himself, which is what we actually are, we are aware of ourself as if we were a person, which is not what we actually are, so he loves us as himself and not merely as this person whom we seem to be. Therefore, we cannot adequately comprehend his infinite love for us until we are aware of ourself as we actually are.<br /><br />His infinite love for us as we actually are is what is called ‘grace’, and it is what has manifested outwardly as his human form and his teachings in order to turn our attention back within to see what we actually are. That is, since he has infinite love for himself, he wants nothing other than to be as he always is, and this means that since he does not see us as anything other than himself, he wants us to be as we actually are.<br /><br />However, in order to make us be as we actually are, he does not need to do anything other than to be as he actually is, because he is like the sun, by whose mere presence flowers blossom. By his merely being as he actually is, the flower of love to be as we actually are blossoms in our heart, and when this love blossoms fully it will devour us, and what will then remain is only infinite love, which is his true form and what we actually are.<br /><br />(I will continue this reply in my next comment.)Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-16021533647826254992019-07-28T10:08:42.127+01:002019-07-28T10:08:42.127+01:00Abhilash, the question you ask is one that I attem...Abhilash, the <a href="#c8926841965846463708" rel="nofollow">question</a> you ask is one that I attempted to answer in one of my recent articles, <a href="https://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/2019/06/in-what-sense-and-to-what-extent-do-we.html" rel="nofollow">In what sense and to what extent do we remember what we were aware of in sleep?</a>, so I hope that clarifies the matter adequately for you.<br /><br />You say ‘If only awareness and ignorance were present during deep-sleep’, but how could ignorance exist in the absence of ego? Ignorance can exist only for ego, and is the very nature of ego, so there is no ignorance other than ego, the false awareness ‘I am this body’. Therefore it is only from the perspective of ourself as ego in waking and dream that sleep seems to be a state of ignorance, but in fact it is not a state of ignorance but only one of pure awareness, as Bhagavan often used to point out. For example, in the first chapter of <a href="http://selfdefinition.org/ramana/Maharshi's-Gospel.pdf" rel="nofollow"><i>Maharshi’s Gospel</i></a> (2002 edition, page 9) it is recorded that he said: ‘Sleep is not ignorance, it is one’s pure state; wakefulness is not knowledge, it is ignorance. There is full awareness in sleep and total ignorance in waking’.Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-76060734683464524652019-07-28T08:59:39.388+01:002019-07-28T08:59:39.388+01:00Hello Michael,
You sometimes talk about the lion ...Hello Michael,<br /><br />You sometimes talk about the lion in the elephants dream or say Bhagavan, his teaching and Arunachala are nothing but an outward projection of what we really are (pure awareness) directing our attention back onto our self and telling us to turn within. <br /><br />You also often say that Bhagavan's love for us is boundless. I must admit it is very comforting to think that Bhagavan (what I really am) loves me and is trying to help me (ego) but how can that be true? If what I actually am is pure immutable, indivisible non dual self awareness that is never aware of anything other than itself there is no ego for it to save, help or destroy. So I must conclude that the manifestation of Bhagavan, his teaching and Arunachala are solely my own creation just like all other phenomena in my dream.<br /><br />So there is nothing trying to help me but instead I have become tired at long last of duality and have created my own solution in the form of Bhagavan and his teaching to lead to my own self destruction.<br /><br />Or is it more like how the plants grow as a side effect of being in the presence of the sun without the sun intending to help them, care about them or even being aware of them. Can the same be said about why Bhagavan, his teaching and Arunachala have manifested in my dream? Are they just a side effect, this is not as comforting I must confess. <br /><br />Thank you very much for clarifying.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-89268419658464637082019-07-28T06:15:05.250+01:002019-07-28T06:15:05.250+01:00Hi Michael,
Could you clarify this confusion on d...Hi Michael,<br /><br />Could you clarify this confusion on deep sleep.<br /><br />We understand that in deep sleep ego is subdued, given this is the case when we wake up, how the memory that I slept well and did not know anything is obtained. If only awareness and ignorance were present during deep-sleep who reports this experience of absence back to ego in the waking state. As awareness transcends time/space/causality how can we say "awareness" posses memory? Kindly clarify.<br /><br />Thank you<br />AbhilashAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06987090854078132921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-67249088814416364532019-07-27T18:08:59.832+01:002019-07-27T18:08:59.832+01:00Michael, Fantastic answer to my question re: the r...Michael, Fantastic answer to my question re: the role and function of the brain, thanks so much!!!Jay Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10811808861797326075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-461303400801236902019-07-27T17:20:11.044+01:002019-07-27T17:20:11.044+01:00In a recent comment on one of my videos, 2017-09-0...In a recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBQjiMhf8TU&lc=UgzrsiF9_3m6BgovzIZ4AaABAg" rel="nofollow">comment</a> on one of my videos, <a href="https://youtu.be/DBQjiMhf8TU" rel="nofollow">2017-09-09 Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK: discussion with Michael James on unconditional surrender</a>, a friend wrote: “Michael, at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBQjiMhf8TU&t=6510s" rel="nofollow">1:48:30</a> you say that if somebody says that while meditating they can maintain a thought free state for 20 mins, it is not really a thought free state because there is an I there which experiences that state, therefore it is only a relative quiescence. After waking from deep sleep also we say that I was in a thought free state, and from what you have explained elsewhere I think that sleep is not relative quiescence but total though temporary quiescence. Why is the quiescence in the first case relative while in the case of deep sleep, not relative? Typing this I think I understand the difference. In the first case the I that experiences 20 mins of quiescence is the mind or ego, while the I that experiences the quiescence of deep sleep while asleep is not the mind. Also I cannot say how long the state of deep sleep lasted, whether it lasted for two minutes or 20, so even time didn't exist in deep sleep.”<br /><br />In reply to this I wrote:<br /><br />Yes, Saroj, your understanding (as expressed in your final two sentences) is correct. In sleep there is no ego, and hence there are no phenomena of any kind whatsoever, so what remains there is only pure awareness, which is our real nature (<i>ātma-svarūpa</i>) and what alone actually exists. In waking and dream, however, we have risen as ego, and consequently we are aware of phenomena, including time.<br /><br />According to Bhagavan both ego and all phenomena are just thoughts, so as long as we are aware of phenomena of any kind whatsoever, we are aware of ourself as ego, the false awareness ‘I am this body’, and hence we are not in a truly thought-free state. During meditation our usual mental chatter may subside to a greater or letter extent, but other more subtle thoughts remain, including ego and time, so whatever quiescence we may experience is only relative, unless of course we subside in sleep or some other such state of <i>manōlaya</i> (temporary dissolution of mind).Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-52977410172862224702019-07-27T17:18:03.290+01:002019-07-27T17:18:03.290+01:00Jay, what is the role and function of the brain in...Jay, what is the role and function of the brain in whatever body we mistake to be ourself in a dream? While we are dreaming the neuroscientists we meet there may tell us that our brain has a certain role and function, enabling us to process sensory input, respond appropriately, reason, remember and so on, but when we wake up we recognise that those neuroscientists, their theories, our body, our brain and its functions were all just a mental fabrication and did not exist independent of our perception of them.<br /><br />Why should we believe that this body, brain and all the other phenomena that we perceive in our present state, and all the scientific theories about such things, are not likewise just a mental fabrication? Why should we believe that anything we perceive exists independent of our perception of it? Many of our scientific theories may seem to be very useful and significant so long as we assume that this world is not a mental fabrication and does exist independent of our perception of it, but if this state and any other state in which we perceive phenomena is just a dream, as Bhagavan says, the usefulness and significance of any scientific theories are just a part of this dream that we are currently projecting and perceiving.<br /><br />You may be correct in saying that this body is not stuffed with cotton, but if it is just a mental fabrication, all the complexity and wonderful abilities it is stuffed with are likewise just a mental fabrication.<br /><br />Therefore the crucial question we need to consider is whether this world is a dream or not. How can we resolve this question? Unless we know the truth about ourself, the perceiver, we cannot know the truth about anything that we perceive, so if we want to resolve the question of whether or not anything we perceive exists independent of our perception of it, we first need to investigate ourself keenly enough to know what we ourself actually are.Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-32490584889275215882019-07-25T17:51:48.014+01:002019-07-25T17:51:48.014+01:00Michael, Thank you for your awesome post. I certai...Michael, Thank you for your awesome post. I certainly agree with this perspective, but I wonder what is the best way to characterize the role and function of the brain.<br /><br />For example, the function of the lungs is to inhale oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. The function of the heart is to move blood throughout the body. The function of the brain is to organize behavior, both within the organism (organizing "involuntary" behavior)and in relation to the external world (perception, reasoning, language ability). <br /><br />Now, all of this happens within the context of Awareness. I would say, it's as if we are dreaming of persons whose bodies function in certain ways, and are moreover dreaming that we're peering through the eyes of one of these persons. When we investigate the human body, we will, of course, find beauty and complexity. The fact that the body is not the source of awareness doesn't mean it's stuffed with cotton!<br /><br />Would you say this is the best explanation for the brain's complexity and evident ability to regulate many aspects of perception and behavior, i.e. in the research of the cognitive sciences? Or would you propose another explanation?Jay Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10811808861797326075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-6166813269168145672019-07-25T01:49:05.320+01:002019-07-25T01:49:05.320+01:00So amazing, Love this Michael. . . Dhamma DasaSo amazing, Love this Michael. . . Dhamma DasaDhammahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17339328651498820865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-17486345795162876672019-07-24T21:18:13.222+01:002019-07-24T21:18:13.222+01:00Michael,
In some way, your article seems related ...Michael,<br /><br />In some way, your article seems related to an incident from yesterday— <br /><br />While watching one of the neighbours remove a section of their garden hedge and placing the pieces one on top of another I was thinking about the analogy of the screen and the movie appearing on it and about the rope being mistaken for a snake when suddenly the neighbour ignited the pile and the thought arose: look at the rising of those flames. But then there weren't any individual flames only the one fire. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com