The author has been asked time and again to summarise Bhagavan Ramana's teachings. The goal of this note is to provide a summary that introduces one toboth the theory and practice of Bhagavan's teachings. No attempt has been made to achieve any sort of logical soundness or completeness in this entire exercise. The author offers profound apologies to apologists of the scientific method. Besides, Godel's shadow looms dark over any attempt to explain the mind using the mind. Where appropriate, illustrations from the Vedantic canon have been cited. Text in quotation marks are either directly quotes from Sri Bhagavan or paraphrases thereof. The second person (you,your) is used instead of the third person (one,one's) to make presentation easier. The author freely admits that nothing in this is original.
Unbroken Happiness
Everybody wants to be happy and be so all the time. Consciously or unconsciously, every sentient being strives for it. However, any happiness that is enjoyed materially though the senses is necessarily transient because of the bio-physical limitations of the human nervous system. As proof, anyone will attest that the first gulaab jamun tastes much better than the fifth. Even a single gulaab jamun becomes a tall order when Yama starts dropping not-so-subtle hints of an impending tete-a-tete. This begs the question: Is unbroken happiness possible in our seemingly short existence on this planet?
The premise
Bhagavan Ramana asserts that this unbroken happiness is possible here and now. As an existential "proof" for such happiness, one can simply look at the life of Sri Bhagavan or any other saint one with God. He further says that to open this store of unbroken happiness, "just be yourself."
Just be yourself
To be your self, you need to know who you are. Clearly, your body is not 'you' because it is 'your' body. Likewise, your mind and its associated thoughts are not 'you' because they are 'yours'. So to be just yourself, you have to be devoid of "doing anything" with body or mind. While one can cease physical activity easily, the real trouble is the unceasing mental activity.
The cessation of thoughts
A moment's thought (no pun intended) reveals that when one thinks, one is always seperate from the thought. That is, when I think a thought X, I can see my sense of 'I' and then there is thought X. The astonishing observation is that I can't of think of anything without the sense of 'I' lurking in the background. To achieve this goal of just being yourself, Sri Ramana says "hold on to this 'I' thought to the exclusion of any other thoughts". In other words, bring the 'I' thought to the foreground and shine the light of attention on this 'I' thought and not on external thoughts.
Is the 'I' thought your true Self?
The short answer: No. Your 'I' thought is what you think is your 'self'. (e.g., 'I' am smart, fat, tall, have two kids, ...). In other words, the 'I' thought is the ego or the ahamkAra (which literally means I-maker in Sanskrit). This ego is the lynchpin which holds together all the disparate thoughts that arise. (People without an 'I' thought are either mad or jnAnis; in fact, Sri Bhagavan says that jnAna is also madness of some form!) Just like any thought cannot arise without the 'I' thought or the ego, every thought reinforces the ego. Ego and thoughts feed on each other. Alternately, the ego cannot sustain itself without any external thoughts. That is why Ramana's method works. When one tries to hold on to the ego without thinking, the ego, like a parasite cut off from its nourishment, dies and the true Self is revealed thereby redeeming the promise of unbroken happiness.
What then is your true Self?
Your Consciousness (chit) is your true Self. Your sense of Existing or Being (sat) even before thinking is your true Self. And this pure Existence-Consciousness, the Scriptures declare, is of the nature of unalloyed unbroken Bliss (ananda) and transcends space and time. The Upanishads say that "sat-chit-anandam-brahma". That is, your true Self, which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, is verily God! This is what the Scriptures mean when they say God resides in everybody.
What you think you are is your false 'self' or ego. What you actually are is your true Self or Consciousness. The natural follow-up question is: Can Consciousness or the true Self exist seperate from the false self or 'I' thought or ego? After all, am 'I' not the one who is conscious? Yes, one can hear the Scriptures almost scream in delight, it is possible to be Conscious without an ego, and that is the supreme state of sahaja samAdhi, the summum bonum of human existence.
Sri Ramana's method: self enquiry
Sri Bhagavan prescribes the method 'self enquiry' or 'Atma vichAra' to realise one's true Self. To recap, the method is to "hold on to the 'I' thought to the exclusion of other thoughts". An alternate statement that Sri Ramana makes is "Examine with a one-pointed mind where this sense of 'I' arises". Both mean the same, and that is to put all of one's attention on one's sense of 'I'.
When one attempts to enquire about oneself, all kinds of thoughts come up. Sri Bhagavan says, "It is natural that what is hidden comes up. How else can what is hidden be eradicated?". When self enquiry is pursuded, the ego fights back by producing all sorts of thoughts. The thoughts that will be produced are usually the ones that affect one most, they are called 'samskAras' or mental conditioning. These thoughts are meant to divert attention from the sense of 'I' to the thought being produced so that the ego or the 'I' thought can lurk in the background without further attention. Which is why Sri Bhagavan says, "When thoughts come up, ask the question "Who am I" and gently put your attention back on the sense of 'I'."
manOlaya: stillness of ego/mind
When self enquiry is diligently pursued, at some point thoughts cease to come up and everything is quiet and peaceful. The ego starts enjoying this peace and progress in meditation is halted. Sri Ramana says "this condition is called manOlaya or stillness of ego. What we want is manOnAsa or destruction of mind. When such stillness of mind comes, ask the question "Who sees this stillness" and focus the attention back on the 'I' thought or the ego." If it is the Stillness of the real Self, there will not be a sense of an individual 'I' at all.
Self enquiry - 24/7
Sri Bhagavan says that fixing a time for self enquiry, while certainly a good practice, is a preliminary stage. He exhorts one to constantly perform self-enquiry, even while working. That is, one has to be conscious of the sense of 'I' even while working. He says with practise, it is possible to do this all the time when one works slowly and steadily.
The destination of Self-Enquiry
When the ego or self is sufficiently weakened by self enquiry, the power of God/Guru/Self destroys it completely. This is nirvAnA, mOkshA, jnAnA, liberation, or reaching God. Any training of the mind may result in perception of varied phenomena including visions of gods. Sri Ramana says , "do not put your attention on anything you might see or hear during mediation. Go back to your true Self and rest there, that is true meditation". The Scriptures say the final act of destruction of the ego is brought about by the grace of God/Guru/Self and is vouchsafed to one who tries sincerely.
Some commonly asked questions and their remedy
When told of this technique of self-enquiry, the ego naturally starts pondering about the following questions and their ilk: why should I trust this method works; why was I born; what about my karma; what is the purpose of life; how does the Self appear eventually; when will I realise my true Self; am I making progress; am I enquiring correctly; am I not using the ego in enquiring about the ego; can I function well after realisation; am I using my free will to enquire; and so forth. While Sri Ramana answered these questions tailored to varying degrees of the aspirant's understanding, his brahmAstra (literally, the weapon/astra of brahman) was to ask "Who asks these questions" and to shine the spotlight back on the ego.
The connection to Vedanta
All of Vedanta, according to Sri Ramana, can be summarised in the following four Sanskrit words: "dEham naham kOham sOham" which can be rendered as "Body, I am not, Who am I, I am That". Here, "That" is a synonym for brahman or the Self. The Upanishadhic canon declares in four mahAvAkyAs, your equivalence with God in essence. The vAkyAs are:
"prajNanam brahma" (Consciousness is brahman/God/Self)
"aham brahmAsmi" (I am brahman)
"tat tvam asi" (That you are)
"ayam atma brahma" (This Self is brahman).
As can be seen from these assertions, Ramana's technique is the best way to practise the very essence of Vedanta.
Conclusion
In sum, the teaching of Sri Ramana is to "just be yourself". The technique he prescribed in order to do this is self-enquiry orattention to the 'I' thought. In the process of enquiry, one constantly wards off external thoughts with the question "Who am I?" to put attention back on 'I'. This, Sri Bhagavan promises, is The Path. May Sri Bhagavan guide us on this path to our true Self!
Unbroken Happiness
Everybody wants to be happy and be so all the time. Consciously or unconsciously, every sentient being strives for it. However, any happiness that is enjoyed materially though the senses is necessarily transient because of the bio-physical limitations of the human nervous system. As proof, anyone will attest that the first gulaab jamun tastes much better than the fifth. Even a single gulaab jamun becomes a tall order when Yama starts dropping not-so-subtle hints of an impending tete-a-tete. This begs the question: Is unbroken happiness possible in our seemingly short existence on this planet?
The premise
Bhagavan Ramana asserts that this unbroken happiness is possible here and now. As an existential "proof" for such happiness, one can simply look at the life of Sri Bhagavan or any other saint one with God. He further says that to open this store of unbroken happiness, "just be yourself."
Just be yourself
To be your self, you need to know who you are. Clearly, your body is not 'you' because it is 'your' body. Likewise, your mind and its associated thoughts are not 'you' because they are 'yours'. So to be just yourself, you have to be devoid of "doing anything" with body or mind. While one can cease physical activity easily, the real trouble is the unceasing mental activity.
The cessation of thoughts
A moment's thought (no pun intended) reveals that when one thinks, one is always seperate from the thought. That is, when I think a thought X, I can see my sense of 'I' and then there is thought X. The astonishing observation is that I can't of think of anything without the sense of 'I' lurking in the background. To achieve this goal of just being yourself, Sri Ramana says "hold on to this 'I' thought to the exclusion of any other thoughts". In other words, bring the 'I' thought to the foreground and shine the light of attention on this 'I' thought and not on external thoughts.
Is the 'I' thought your true Self?
The short answer: No. Your 'I' thought is what you think is your 'self'. (e.g., 'I' am smart, fat, tall, have two kids, ...). In other words, the 'I' thought is the ego or the ahamkAra (which literally means I-maker in Sanskrit). This ego is the lynchpin which holds together all the disparate thoughts that arise. (People without an 'I' thought are either mad or jnAnis; in fact, Sri Bhagavan says that jnAna is also madness of some form!) Just like any thought cannot arise without the 'I' thought or the ego, every thought reinforces the ego. Ego and thoughts feed on each other. Alternately, the ego cannot sustain itself without any external thoughts. That is why Ramana's method works. When one tries to hold on to the ego without thinking, the ego, like a parasite cut off from its nourishment, dies and the true Self is revealed thereby redeeming the promise of unbroken happiness.
What then is your true Self?
Your Consciousness (chit) is your true Self. Your sense of Existing or Being (sat) even before thinking is your true Self. And this pure Existence-Consciousness, the Scriptures declare, is of the nature of unalloyed unbroken Bliss (ananda) and transcends space and time. The Upanishads say that "sat-chit-anandam-brahma". That is, your true Self, which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, is verily God! This is what the Scriptures mean when they say God resides in everybody.
What you think you are is your false 'self' or ego. What you actually are is your true Self or Consciousness. The natural follow-up question is: Can Consciousness or the true Self exist seperate from the false self or 'I' thought or ego? After all, am 'I' not the one who is conscious? Yes, one can hear the Scriptures almost scream in delight, it is possible to be Conscious without an ego, and that is the supreme state of sahaja samAdhi, the summum bonum of human existence.
Sri Ramana's method: self enquiry
Sri Bhagavan prescribes the method 'self enquiry' or 'Atma vichAra' to realise one's true Self. To recap, the method is to "hold on to the 'I' thought to the exclusion of other thoughts". An alternate statement that Sri Ramana makes is "Examine with a one-pointed mind where this sense of 'I' arises". Both mean the same, and that is to put all of one's attention on one's sense of 'I'.
When one attempts to enquire about oneself, all kinds of thoughts come up. Sri Bhagavan says, "It is natural that what is hidden comes up. How else can what is hidden be eradicated?". When self enquiry is pursuded, the ego fights back by producing all sorts of thoughts. The thoughts that will be produced are usually the ones that affect one most, they are called 'samskAras' or mental conditioning. These thoughts are meant to divert attention from the sense of 'I' to the thought being produced so that the ego or the 'I' thought can lurk in the background without further attention. Which is why Sri Bhagavan says, "When thoughts come up, ask the question "Who am I" and gently put your attention back on the sense of 'I'."
manOlaya: stillness of ego/mind
When self enquiry is diligently pursued, at some point thoughts cease to come up and everything is quiet and peaceful. The ego starts enjoying this peace and progress in meditation is halted. Sri Ramana says "this condition is called manOlaya or stillness of ego. What we want is manOnAsa or destruction of mind. When such stillness of mind comes, ask the question "Who sees this stillness" and focus the attention back on the 'I' thought or the ego." If it is the Stillness of the real Self, there will not be a sense of an individual 'I' at all.
Self enquiry - 24/7
Sri Bhagavan says that fixing a time for self enquiry, while certainly a good practice, is a preliminary stage. He exhorts one to constantly perform self-enquiry, even while working. That is, one has to be conscious of the sense of 'I' even while working. He says with practise, it is possible to do this all the time when one works slowly and steadily.
The destination of Self-Enquiry
When the ego or self is sufficiently weakened by self enquiry, the power of God/Guru/Self destroys it completely. This is nirvAnA, mOkshA, jnAnA, liberation, or reaching God. Any training of the mind may result in perception of varied phenomena including visions of gods. Sri Ramana says , "do not put your attention on anything you might see or hear during mediation. Go back to your true Self and rest there, that is true meditation". The Scriptures say the final act of destruction of the ego is brought about by the grace of God/Guru/Self and is vouchsafed to one who tries sincerely.
Some commonly asked questions and their remedy
When told of this technique of self-enquiry, the ego naturally starts pondering about the following questions and their ilk: why should I trust this method works; why was I born; what about my karma; what is the purpose of life; how does the Self appear eventually; when will I realise my true Self; am I making progress; am I enquiring correctly; am I not using the ego in enquiring about the ego; can I function well after realisation; am I using my free will to enquire; and so forth. While Sri Ramana answered these questions tailored to varying degrees of the aspirant's understanding, his brahmAstra (literally, the weapon/astra of brahman) was to ask "Who asks these questions" and to shine the spotlight back on the ego.
The connection to Vedanta
All of Vedanta, according to Sri Ramana, can be summarised in the following four Sanskrit words: "dEham naham kOham sOham" which can be rendered as "Body, I am not, Who am I, I am That". Here, "That" is a synonym for brahman or the Self. The Upanishadhic canon declares in four mahAvAkyAs, your equivalence with God in essence. The vAkyAs are:
"prajNanam brahma" (Consciousness is brahman/God/Self)
"aham brahmAsmi" (I am brahman)
"tat tvam asi" (That you are)
"ayam atma brahma" (This Self is brahman).
As can be seen from these assertions, Ramana's technique is the best way to practise the very essence of Vedanta.
Conclusion
In sum, the teaching of Sri Ramana is to "just be yourself". The technique he prescribed in order to do this is self-enquiry orattention to the 'I' thought. In the process of enquiry, one constantly wards off external thoughts with the question "Who am I?" to put attention back on 'I'. This, Sri Bhagavan promises, is The Path. May Sri Bhagavan guide us on this path to our true Self!
1 comment:
Arun,
Could you possibly email me? (I have a question for you.)
In Sri Bhagavan,
ramanamayi@hotmail.com
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