tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post365356835780747703..comments2023-10-16T13:06:42.360+01:00Comments on Happiness of Being: The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: We should ignore all thoughts or mental activity and attend only to ourself, the fundamental awareness ‘I am’Michael Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-76049074551681497622019-05-03T10:20:44.049+01:002019-05-03T10:20:44.049+01:00 சொரூபத்யானம்,
yes, that is the reason. சொரூபத்யானம்,<br />yes, that is the reason.anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-29728418384651654512019-05-02T22:16:15.343+01:002019-05-02T22:16:15.343+01:00Sri Michael James, you say Ego is neither the pers...Sri Michael James, you say Ego is neither the person that it mistakes itself to be nor any of that person’s possessions.<br /><br />Is it because there is only "eka jiva" or "one ego" but infinite number of persons, bodies, possessions etc?Asunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375243105817283476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-51712779704840883892018-12-31T15:22:16.958+00:002018-12-31T15:22:16.958+00:00Aham,
our "understanding" and sadhana ar...Aham,<br />our "understanding" and sadhana are indeed often dramatically reorientated.<br />We must be aware that studying Bhagavan's teaching and Michael's articles and comments always puts us (i.e. our egotistic beliefs and behaviour) in pressing danger.<br />This guy is actually highly dangerous.:-)anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-10532923087225203302018-12-31T13:18:33.814+00:002018-12-31T13:18:33.814+00:00Unknown,
even an "individual ego (which) has ...Unknown,<br />even an "individual ego (which) has not been totally destroyed yet either by bhakti or jnana" cannot seem to exist without the fundamental awareness of divine consciousness.<br />As Bhagavan said: "Yes, there is hope" !!! Even he said that he himself is in essence actually not different from us!!!<br />Therefore there is no one in whose innermost heart is not living our eternal undivided pure awareness which is called also "divine being".anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-35438141517759344592018-12-31T12:49:19.596+00:002018-12-31T12:49:19.596+00:00.
Often sadhana is merely another manifestation ....<br /><br /><br />Often sadhana is merely another manifestation of ego playing games with itself. Perhaps this is an inevitable starting point, however it will go on for eternity unless Am-ness reveals itself. <br /><br />Mr James' commentary and advice in this thread has somehow "dramatically reorientated" my "understanding" and sadhana. Am-ness has suddenly stolen the limelight. And mind is no longer the focal point. <br /><br /><br />.Aham Asmihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11706579115577800525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-73237296606147602162018-12-31T01:26:17.270+00:002018-12-31T01:26:17.270+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Asunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375243105817283476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-87386507802554299242018-12-31T00:25:52.368+00:002018-12-31T00:25:52.368+00:00Unknown,
you say "...because you and I are/am...Unknown,<br />you say "...because you and I are/am not a "divine being" as was Sri Ramana Maharshi.<br />I must contradict your statement because seen from Sri Ramana Maharshi's viewpoint we all are (nothing but) divine beings - if we know it or not.anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-88311280179787418162018-12-30T20:07:56.717+00:002018-12-30T20:07:56.717+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Asunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375243105817283476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-68579355256569165962018-12-30T17:57:24.023+00:002018-12-30T17:57:24.023+00:00Michael,
"...directing our mind (our attentio...Michael,<br />"...directing our mind (our attention) outwards, towards anything other than ourself, is mental activity, because it entails a movement of our mind away from ourself towards something else, and once our mind has moved away from ourself, it begin(s) ceaselessly moving from one thing to another. Therefore mental activity is nothing but the outward flow of our mind or attention."<br />May I put some more questions ?<br />I can easily imagine 'directing our attention outwards' or the 'outward flow of our attention'...<br />1. But how can the mind - as a bundle of thoughts and as such different from our real nature - itself move away from ourself namely from its source at all ?<br />2. Has it actually ever left its source ?<br />3. If yes, how could it ever leave its home/source ?<br />4. Does the mind itself as insentient jada know its source at all ?<br />5. Does the mind itself as insentient jada know that it (actually) has left its source ?<br />6. Has the mere function of the sense organs already to be seen as mental activity ?<br />anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-25505370324674746302018-12-30T12:06:58.801+00:002018-12-30T12:06:58.801+00:00Michael,
many thanks for your replying comments.
M...Michael,<br />many thanks for your replying comments.<br />May I summarize for me:<br />1. Referring to your latest reply to Aham:<br />"To be still we need to refrain from rising as ego, and to refrain from rising as ego we need to attend only to ourself, the ever-shining ‘am-ness’."<br />In the above statement the refraining 'we' is at first nothing other than the ego-mind itself.<br /><br />2. Referring to your latest reply to me:<br />"Turning our mind back towards ourself, away from everything else, is not a mental activity, but a subsidence or cessation of all mental activity. It is the returning of our mind to its source, namely ourself."<br />Because "the ego will therefore subside by attending only to itself" the mind-turning entity/subject is also the ego-mind itself to which the mind-turning and self-attending task is imposed on.<br />anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-87015225847467824232018-12-30T10:10:08.384+00:002018-12-30T10:10:08.384+00:00Josef, directing our mind (our attention) outwards...Josef, directing our mind (our attention) outwards, towards anything other than ourself, is mental activity, because it entails a movement of our mind away from ourself towards something else, and once our mind has moved away from ourself, it begin ceaselessly moving from one thing to another. Therefore mental activity is nothing but the outward flow of our mind or attention.<br /><br />Turning our mind back towards ourself, away from everything else, is not a mental activity, but a subsidence or cessation of all mental activity. It is the returning of our mind to its source, namely ourself.<br /><br />The root of all mental activity is ego, which rises by attending to anything other than itself, and which will therefore subside by attending only to itself. Therefore self-attentiveness is the priceless key to end all mental activity along with its root, ego, and when ego comes to an end what remains is only absolute stillness, which is our real nature.Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-50655655426243210172018-12-30T10:04:35.472+00:002018-12-30T10:04:35.472+00:00The Advent:
Tiruchuzhi - Holy eddy, time 1.17 a.m....The Advent:<br />Tiruchuzhi - Holy eddy, time 1.17 a.m.(past midnight), it was Tuesday, December 30th in 1879,...<br />near he temple of Lord Bhuminatha, near the banks of Kaundinya River (Gundaru in Tamil),<br /><br />A child born today in Sundaram Iyer's house...a divine being...anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-15459234378992202512018-12-30T09:54:48.502+00:002018-12-30T09:54:48.502+00:00Yes, Aham, what you call ‘am-ness’ is ourself. Tha...Yes, Aham, what you call ‘am-ness’ is ourself. That is, ‘am-ness’ denotes existence, but not just any existence (which is what is denoted by ‘is-ness’), because the existence it denotes is only the existence of ourself, the first person, ‘I’. Therefore, since we and our existence are one and inseparable, ‘am-ness’ denotes ourself, which is what we should attend to. It is not an object, but the subject. However, when we go deeper into it, it is not even the subject, but the underlying awareness that appears as subject.<br /><br />As you say, ‘am-ness’ is stillness, because stillness is our real nature. Therefore stillness is what is always present, not as an object but as ourself, the awareness underlying the appearance of the subject. However, though it is always present, in waking and dream it seems to be obscured, because as ego we do not experience ourself as stillness but as an object, a body consisting of five sheaths.<br /><br />Ego is the antithesis of stillness, so as ego we can never experience stillness. Thoughts of one kind or another always accompany ego, but they are only a secondary problem. The primary problem is ego. We cannot get rid of thoughts without getting rid of ego. That is why Bhagavan taught us to ignore thoughts and focus only on ego, because if we attend to ego it dissolves and disappears, and hence all its thoughts will dissolve and disappear along with it.<br /><br />Stillness is not something to be gained, because it is always present. What is required is only to give up (or surrender) ego, because when ego is surrendered what remains is only stillness, our real nature.<br /><br />To be still we need to refrain from rising as ego, and to refrain from rising as ego we need to attend only to ourself, the ever-shining ‘am-ness’.Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03460943269122289281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-57394707038340845062018-12-30T00:12:02.919+00:002018-12-30T00:12:02.919+00:00Michael,
"We should ignore all thoughts or me...Michael,<br />"We should ignore all thoughts or mental activity and attend only to ourself, the fundamental awareness ‘I am’".<br />Attending only to ourself, the fundamental awareness 'I am' is obviously/presumably no thought and therefore also no mental activity - though it is done/carried out or through/implemented/performed/put into practice or effect by the mind.<br />...If I understand you correctly.anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-52908644502236884002018-12-29T21:42:20.516+00:002018-12-29T21:42:20.516+00:00.
Thank you for your detailed reply Mr James. It....<br /><br /><br />Thank you for your detailed reply Mr James. It has given me clarity and confidence.<br /><br />When Sri Ramana uses the word stillness, it is easy to interpret this as no thoughts or be rid of thoughts. But as you explain this is just another version of ego attending to what is other than itself.<br /><br />As such, and if I understand you correctly, our attention is not to be directed to the thoughts nor to being rid of thoughts. But rather, <b>attend only to the 'Am-ness';</b> between, around, and through, thoughts.<br /><br />Interestingly, that 'Am-ness' is also a stillness. However, it is always, irrespective of the continuation or cessation of thoughts.<br /><br /><br />.Aham Asmihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11706579115577800525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-59218221577530200112018-12-29T20:31:24.723+00:002018-12-29T20:31:24.723+00:00Sanjay,
in addition to the heading of your recent ...Sanjay,<br />in addition to the heading of your recent comment I would like to note that <br />even Bhagavan's and Arunachala's appearance as our guru(s) is a concession to our ignorance. Does not actually the entire world appear only as a concession to our ignorance ?anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-30936790763843811532018-12-29T17:26:40.569+00:002018-12-29T17:26:40.569+00:00Ultimately, Bhagavan’s whole teaching is a concess...<b><i>Ultimately, Bhagavan’s whole teaching is a concession to our ignorance</i></b><br /><br />It is only in our view that Bhagavan is a person. It is only in our view that Bhagavan seems to be a mind. So because we see him as a mind, he says that that mind is like a burnt rope - that doesn’t bind anything. But that is not the ultimate truth. That is a concession to our ignorance. A lot of things Bhagavan said are a concession to our ignorance. Ultimately, his whole teachings are a concession to our ignorance because in his experience there is no ego.<br /><br />If Bhagavan tells us ‘there is no ego’, how does this help us? If he tells us, ‘you don’t exist’, how is that of any use to us? We have a problem, so he acknowledges our problem. He comes down to our level and says, ‘yes, there is ego, and that is the root of your all your problems’. Ego seems to exist so long as it is facing outwards – so long as it is attending to anything other than itself.<br /><br />Grasping form ego rises; grasping form it stands; grasping and feeding on forms it flourishes… <br /><br />Edited extract from the video: <i>2018-03-10 Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK: Nāṉ Ār? paragraph 4 (1:06)</i><br />Sanjay Lohiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02384912997886218824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345918888953765241.post-52622798741663828192018-12-29T15:54:49.505+00:002018-12-29T15:54:49.505+00:00Michael,
thanks for your clearing explanation whic...Michael,<br />thanks for your clearing explanation which let us see 'mental stillness' and 'self-attentiveness' in greater detail i.e. in their real meaning. Thereby you remind us of the correct application, the range of application and applicability of self-attentiveness. anadi-anantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815024045988099944noreply@blogger.com