Abide As The Self - Ramana Maharishi
 

Namaste.

During recuperation (ongoing) from psychosomatic illness, in which knowing I am not the body made no difference to the amount of pain it afflicted me with, I became interested in studying the works of the sage from Arunachala.

There weren't many verbal/written teachings to study, as Ramana Maharishi spoke very little (if at all) as he was a 'silent guru' however, I was still on the lookout for where Monism (Advaita) and Bhakti could meet and hold hands in relative peace.

I found a documentary hosted by Ram Dass, which was very slow to start with and it took me a few attempts before I was able to muster enough concentration and interest to sit through the whole thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSNEib2RDl8

What I got from that, was there is no difference between Bhakti and Advaita, as both methods of inquiry stem from/reside in the heart - the heart of all things...of all matter...of the universe itself.

Ramana Maharishi doesn't produce any real feelings of recognition or devotion within me...and if he even felt any pain from the sarcinoma on his left arm, he didn't make it known, which puts my illness into a much irrelevant light by comparison.

I would have loved to be a 'fly on the wall' though when Swami Yogananda met Ramana Maharishi.

So, this thread is to discuss the teachings/works of Sri Ramana Maharishi.

Aruna Shiva Om.

Hi Shivani Devi

I am not well learned on Ramana Maharishi, but have a lot of respect for his teachings.

Here are some of his wonderful words:

Your own Self-realization is the greatest service you can render the world.

No one succeeds without effort... Those who succeed owe their success to perseverance.

The degree of freedom from unwanted thoughts and the degree of concentration on a single thought are the measures to gauge spiritual progress.

BT

I think you should look into how his leg was beaten by a bat as well as how he handled throat cancer.

It is? :smile: goody...just in my visual range at this moment I see, 'Talks With Ramana Maharshi" and
" The Essential Teachings of Ramana Maharshi - A Visual Journey".

"Make no effort either to work or to give up work;
your very effort is the bondage."


I corrected your spelling of Maharshi, btw. Maharishi is more common, so I get it.

Oh my .... yes, a life could be built on these 3.

Thank you, Tom and thanks to all who have responded in this thread. Some very nice quotes indeed!

A year ago, I was diagnosed with what the medical profession calls "Conversion Disorder" and basically, the main treatment for it is called "Distraction Therapy".

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...s/syc-20355197

It is very difficult to distract oneself when they go blind/deaf at the drop of a hat or collapse into a pile on the floor due to limb paralysis....it's like having a stroke without having a stroke and it's difficult to just ignore something that's so downright annoying (if anything else).

They say it was brought on by my childhood trauma...maybe it was bought on by a premature kundalini awakening...who knows how this started.

Often there is also associated neural/nerve pain, jaw pain, migraines, chest and throat pain, difficulty breathing and swallowing and my whole autonomic nervous system completely shuts down...problem is of course, all the doctors tell me that the more I focus on it, the worse the symptoms will get, when it is debilitating enough already.

So all I can do is pray for Grace...a Divine intervention and intercession here...which, of course, is still focusing on the disease...it's a 'catch 22' whichever way I go.

So, to bring this back to Ramana Maharishi - and I apologise for my typographical error (that was not done intentionally) as I am still not really 100% fully cognitively functional. I never used to make mistakes in spelling or grammar...or anything else for that matter...and now I am making heaps of them which is also frustrating and annoying the hell out of me...it's like I have to see, think, act through a foggy haze all the time.

Anyway...here is Osho's take on it:
http://life-after-joining-ishayoga.b...rience-of.html

Here is a comparison between Ramana Maharishi and Ramakrishna Paramahansa in regards to experience and pain:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-comp...amana-Maharshi

This is a lesson for me, but I am having a very difficult time learning it because it's hard for me to ignore my symptoms when I shouldn't be ignoring them, but dealing with them without focusing on them...get it?



Om Namah Shivay

Blessings and good health to you, Shivani Devi .

Q..For twenty five years I have been doing spiritual disciplines, mostly repeating the name of Krishna. Until now I was managing fifty thousand repetitions a day. Now my mind refuses to engage itself in thought of God. What has happened to me and what should I do?

How did you come here from Madras?

By train.

And then what happened when you got to the station at Tiruvannamalai?

Well, I got off the train, handed my tickets and engaged a bullock cart to take me to the ashram.

And when you reached the ashram and paid off the driver of the cart what happened to the cart?

It went away, presumably back to the town.

The train brought you to your destination. You got off and didn't need it any more. It had brought you to the place you wanted to reach. Likewise the bullock cart. You got off when it had brought you to Sri Ramanasramam. You don't need the train or the cart anymore. They were the means for bringing you here. Now you are here, they are of no use to you.

This is what happened to your spiritual practice – your japa, your reading and your meditation have brought you to your spiritual destination. You don't need them anymore. You yourself did not give up your practices; they left you of their own accord because they have served their purpose. You have arrived.

I love this teaching. You have arrived, you are where you are surposed to be.

ha ha.. thank you so much for starting this thread.

my understanding,

To reach the ultimate one.
You need to connect,

and to see how??
complete concentration on what is that, which is connecting you to the source.

Focus - connect - done. you are One now. :D


practically it is really really difficult to achieve this, not everyone is fortunate enough to be born with extremely pure qualities.

Gyan me if my perception needs another eye.