I began reading "Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge", a biography by one of his disciples Arthur Osborne. I couldn't help but smile when I encountered Paul Brunton once again and his famous, or infamous, "A Search in Secret India". This is the book that I read in 1967 where I encountered my first reference to Meher Baba and, it now seems, my first reference to Ramana Maharshi because Paul Brunton visited both of them. His report on Ramana was positive while his report on Baba was quite negative. No need to dwell anymore on what that silly writer said however. Osborne's biography is very interesting and the circumstances surrounding Ramana's enlightenment are quite remarkable. More or less spontaneously, at the age of 16, he saw through the illusion of the ego and discovered his true self. As he said to Brunton is his interview:
The sense of ‘I’ pertains to the person, the body and brain. When a man knows his true Self for the first time something else arises from the depths of his being and takes possession of him. That something is behind the mind; it is infinite, divine, eternal. Some people call it the Kingdom of Heaven, others call it the soul and others again Nirvana, and Hindus call it Liberation; you may give it what name you wish. When this happens a man has not really lost himself; rather he has found himself.
Unless and until a man embarks on this quest of the true Self, doubt and uncertainty will follow his footsteps through life. The greatest kings and statesmen try to rule others when in their heart of hearts they know that they cannot rule themselves. Yet the greatest power is at the command of the man who has penetrated to his inmost depth. . . . What is the use of knowing about everything else when you do not yet know who you are? Men avoid this enquiry into the true Self, but what else is there so worthy to be undertaken?
I have to agree wholeheartedly with this and was encouraged to read that he also said:
If you meditate for an hour or two every day you can then carry on with your duties. If you meditate in the right manner, then the current of mind induced will continue to flow even in the midst of your work. It is as though there were two ways of expressing the same idea; the same line which you take in meditation will be expressed in your activities.
I now realise that without meditation there is little chance of any real change occurring in me. Some catastrophe might shake me awake but failing that I'll just remain fast asleep. Regular meditation creates the possibility of change but doesn't ensure it because it depends on the quality of the meditation. It has to be intelligent meditation in the sense that it can't be simply a routine, repetitive activity. Every session has to be entered into freshly and flexibly with no expectations. Some sessions may be relaxing, others might be deeply unsettling. Some sessions may bring fresh insights and challenges while others may not. Time and location should be varied. Although some times and locations are more conducive to meditation than others, it is important to try to sometimes meditate in difficult environments where noise and distractions abound.
In my meditation session last night, I struggled a little between attention to the outer and inner worlds. There was rumbling to be heard from distant thunder and I found my attention would move to this, then it would shift to some inner content that had arisen. I became aware of the duality but then realised that my mind had created this division between the inner and outer. What arrives from without via the senses or what arises from within should just be accepted and observed without classification. As the observer, I can unite these two seemingly disparate worlds.
Earlier that same day, during another meditation session, I became aware of a sort of inner pulsation and that seemed to grow in intensity until a sense of panic started to arise in me. I thought I might be about to have a stroke or heart attack. Simply focusing my attention of the sense of panic caused it to gradually abate. I have no idea what the seemingly physical pulsations were about but the incident illustrates my point that each meditation sessions may bring unique problems and challenges. I am encouraged to continue and I must continue.
The sense of ‘I’ pertains to the person, the body and brain. When a man knows his true Self for the first time something else arises from the depths of his being and takes possession of him. That something is behind the mind; it is infinite, divine, eternal. Some people call it the Kingdom of Heaven, others call it the soul and others again Nirvana, and Hindus call it Liberation; you may give it what name you wish. When this happens a man has not really lost himself; rather he has found himself.
Unless and until a man embarks on this quest of the true Self, doubt and uncertainty will follow his footsteps through life. The greatest kings and statesmen try to rule others when in their heart of hearts they know that they cannot rule themselves. Yet the greatest power is at the command of the man who has penetrated to his inmost depth. . . . What is the use of knowing about everything else when you do not yet know who you are? Men avoid this enquiry into the true Self, but what else is there so worthy to be undertaken?
I have to agree wholeheartedly with this and was encouraged to read that he also said:
If you meditate for an hour or two every day you can then carry on with your duties. If you meditate in the right manner, then the current of mind induced will continue to flow even in the midst of your work. It is as though there were two ways of expressing the same idea; the same line which you take in meditation will be expressed in your activities.
I now realise that without meditation there is little chance of any real change occurring in me. Some catastrophe might shake me awake but failing that I'll just remain fast asleep. Regular meditation creates the possibility of change but doesn't ensure it because it depends on the quality of the meditation. It has to be intelligent meditation in the sense that it can't be simply a routine, repetitive activity. Every session has to be entered into freshly and flexibly with no expectations. Some sessions may be relaxing, others might be deeply unsettling. Some sessions may bring fresh insights and challenges while others may not. Time and location should be varied. Although some times and locations are more conducive to meditation than others, it is important to try to sometimes meditate in difficult environments where noise and distractions abound.
In my meditation session last night, I struggled a little between attention to the outer and inner worlds. There was rumbling to be heard from distant thunder and I found my attention would move to this, then it would shift to some inner content that had arisen. I became aware of the duality but then realised that my mind had created this division between the inner and outer. What arrives from without via the senses or what arises from within should just be accepted and observed without classification. As the observer, I can unite these two seemingly disparate worlds.
Earlier that same day, during another meditation session, I became aware of a sort of inner pulsation and that seemed to grow in intensity until a sense of panic started to arise in me. I thought I might be about to have a stroke or heart attack. Simply focusing my attention of the sense of panic caused it to gradually abate. I have no idea what the seemingly physical pulsations were about but the incident illustrates my point that each meditation sessions may bring unique problems and challenges. I am encouraged to continue and I must continue.
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