tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post2352067428558054604..comments2023-10-16T13:06:42.360+01:00Comments on Happiness of Being: The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: Cultivating uninterrupted self-attentivenessMichael Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-82175003362839178692018-06-23T15:36:59.408+01:002018-06-23T15:36:59.408+01:00U r right, its not possible to be self attentive w...U r right, its not possible to be self attentive while using elevators ,walking corridors etc... The ignorant monkey mind is too wild to be tamed in such situations. Unless u r willing to gv up all and fully do the practice 24/7, u may need to go through numerous lifetimes b4 realization is attained(u may not like to hear this but its true). Until one is willing to sacrifice greatly and releasing everything ,grace wont descend .... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-39750372383308505882009-02-09T12:41:00.000+00:002009-02-09T12:41:00.000+00:00"I think it's like breathing. When you inhale, att..."I think it's like breathing. When you inhale, attention turns inward and thoughts dissolve; when you exhale, attention goes outward into the world of phenomena.<BR/>Breathing goes on in all three states. Breathing is a continuous metaphor, and we see it all around us--in the tides, the seasons, the rhythms of nature."<BR/><BR/>With reference to the above comment, I feel that our self-enquiry is result oriented, attempting to free oneself from some pain or sustain some pleasure. When, in times of our happy unconsciousness, we don't have problems about as to how one can manage the worldly affairs and doing self-enquiry in the same breath. Self-enquiry is not a panacea for our bodily and mental illness brought about by our prarabdha which has to be suffered. In the name of self-enquiry we are clandestinely seeking immortality for our personal ego-bound errors, which means the pursuit of pleasures and and the avoidance of pain. As Baskar has said self-attention or enquiry is not a practice but is one of understanding, which doesn't mean that we should stop self-enquiry that we are doing in whatever manner by virtue of our samskaras. Our whole misconception about enlightenment is attributable to the fact that it is a phenomenon in time happening for some individual, and the self-realized sage as it were is a psycho-somatic apparatus, a soul occupying it. Even though empirically this is true the empirical part of a jnani is not different from that of the ajnani.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-11457516229223245602009-02-09T03:56:00.000+00:002009-02-09T03:56:00.000+00:00Great. I feel the same.Great. I feel the same.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-58188954996189041552009-02-08T18:21:00.000+00:002009-02-08T18:21:00.000+00:00This is a wonderful question Anonymous has asked. ...This is a wonderful question Anonymous has asked. Yes to me too, it does not happen every moment especially when I work. My mind does not seem to be able to do 2 things well simultaneously, work and be self attentive. So all I can do is be self-attentive when I think about it and nothing more, if I forget, it is fine, sooner or later I will remember self-attentiveness and then I do it. One can only hope that these smaller durations of self-attentiveness will gradually become larger and then continuous. At this stage I don't know how but I believe it is possible as all great Sages seem to indicate so. This effect is holistic, in the sense more self-attention will reduce unnecessary work - work done for ego's sake and consequently give more time for self-attention. I think the key point is one needs to be aware that self-awareness is always there, this Beingness is never lost and once this truth takes more effect on our minds, the very nature of work and reason to work changes. In that sense once you know you are Being and not thought then self-awareness itself as an effort is unnecessary. Am I right in this understanding, any comment appreciated.<BR/><BR/>Regards<BR/>ArvindArvindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17207242415166273470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-44872480965195054372008-09-09T15:27:00.000+01:002008-09-09T15:27:00.000+01:00I think it's like breathing. When you inhale, atte...I think it's like breathing. When you inhale, attention turns inward and thoughts dissolve; when you exhale, attention goes outward into the world of phenomena.<BR/>Breathing goes on in all three states. Breathing is a continuous metaphor, and we see it all around us--in the tides, the seasons, the rhythms of nature.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-30808070277569144302008-07-25T17:34:00.000+01:002008-07-25T17:34:00.000+01:00The questioner is doing soft ware work,he has to p...The questioner is doing soft ware work,he has to plan through thinking and has to do some other physical work and he is finding it difficult to be self attentive<BR/>while doing work.It is not his individual problem but a problem of humanity.I feelthat self attentiveness cannot be cultivated by the mind because it is a product of lack awareness of self.<BR/>If we attend to work that we do with complete attention and love<BR/>there is always under current of self-attention during whatever work we do because awareess i.e<BR/>self attention is our very nature.<BR/>I think secret lies in attending to work passionately without any effort of the mind.Unless we have the capacity to be established<BR/>in self attentivenss even while working self attentiveness is not complete.As you are used to self attentiveness there is always a back ground of self attentiveness<BR/>even when you occupied in the work.You will be more like a witnessor to your own work without<BR/>the concept of doership.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-6651064595900220422008-07-04T07:15:00.000+01:002008-07-04T07:15:00.000+01:00Past and future are both only thoughts that occur ...Past and future are both only thoughts that occur in the present, as is the passing of time itself, so any thought about any moment or period of time other than the precise present moment will distract our attention away from our own ever-present self-conscious being, ‘I am’. Therefore ignoring all thought of the past or future, we should concentrate only on being uninterruptedly — unforgettingly or pramada-lessly — self-attentive now, at this present moment. If we diligently take care to be undistractedly self-attentive now, our love to be clearly self-conscious at this present moment will spill over into each coming present moment, and thus due to our perseverant effort to be self-attentive at each present moment, the strength, depth, clarity and persistence of our self-attentiveness will steadily and surely increase.<BR/><BR/>The experience of absolutely clear self-knowledge will dawn in just a single moment — that is, a single moment of completely uninterrupted self-attentiveness — and that single moment is available to us at each and every moment. Therefore our aim at any moment should not be to be uninterruptedly self-attentive for a certain period of time, or even for all time to come, but should only be to be uninterruptedly self-attentive — wholly and exclusively self-conscious — now, at this very moment.<BR/><BR/>Now there is no other moment that matters. This present moment is the only moment that is now available for us to experience ourself as we really are. Therefore forgetting every other moment, let us just be wholly and uninterruptedly self-attentive now. That is, let us forget about any pramada that might interrupt our self-attentiveness at some other moment, and instead just be vigilant at this very moment to concentrate our entire attention on our present self-consciousness, thereby preventing it from being interrupted now by even the least momentary pramada or self-negligence.<BR/><BR/>Only if we thus cultivate the love and habit to be vigilantly self-attentive at each given present moment, thereby excluding any thought of what might happen at some other moment, will our self-attentiveness eventually blossom into the true experience of perpetually uninterrupted — absolutely pramada-free — clear self-consciousness, which is eternally our own real nature, ‘I am’.<BR/><BR/> The above beautifully sums up the psychology of self-enquiry, pointing out very clearly our confounding of the timeless state of self-consciousness with some externalized knowledge, the latter requiring extreme concentration as against the former which is one of not paying attention towards anything, not even trying to drive away our so called alien thoughts, but being aware of the impartite base of the Self. All our day to day activities are only peripheral. The mind always by virtue of its identification with the body, is concerned that the external life will be jeopordised if self-enquiry is conducted. Self-enquiry is only in the heart and not in time and space, which if it is understood, such problems will not be courted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-26081025695954931382008-07-01T16:52:00.000+01:002008-07-01T16:52:00.000+01:00Michael,i really like your statement, "that single...Michael,<BR/><BR/>i really like your statement, "that single moment is available to us at each and every moment. Therefore our aim at any moment should not be to be uninterruptedly self-attentive for a certain period of time, or even for all time to come, but should only be to be uninterruptedly self-attentive — wholly and exclusively self-conscious — now, at this very moment." i've printed and posted it right where i can see it. thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-1150162496803495072008-06-30T04:21:00.000+01:002008-06-30T04:21:00.000+01:00Thank you so much for writing an article for my qu...Thank you so much for writing an article for my question. I really appreciate it. Guru Ramana is talking to His devotees thru nice people like you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-13087559511939777122008-06-27T22:20:00.000+01:002008-06-27T22:20:00.000+01:00Michael,It is a real joy to read your postings and...Michael,<BR/>It is a real joy to read your postings and to hear and share in the deep comprehension you have of Bhagavan's teachings.<BR/>Thank you.summahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08709272472448702350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-90692909674945995132008-06-27T15:05:00.000+01:002008-06-27T15:05:00.000+01:00is the practice of being "vigilantly wholly and ex...is the practice of being "vigilantly wholly and exclusively self-concious" just another way of describing "just being" while being awake and not thinking any thoughts or doing anything? Please clarifyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com