#ramana maharshi

[know-the-self]

#advaita #nonduality #spiritual #spirituality #yoga #meditation #hinduism #freedom #self inquiry #peace #awareness #consciousness #sri ramakrishna #sri ramana maharshi #ramana maharshi #ramana #sri nisargadatta maharaj #nisargadatta #who am i? #who am i #knowthyself #know thyself #meditatedaily #meditateonthis #awakening #spiritual awakening #awakethesoul #the matrix #self realization #selfless

[thecalminside]

Let what comes come.

Let what goes go.

Find out what remains.

-Ramana Maharshi

#ramana maharshi #quote #peace #calm #stillness #life #wisdom #inner peace #love #happiness #spiritual

[vesora]

You impose limits on your true nature of infinite being. Then you get displeased to be only a limited creature. Then you begin spiritual practices to transcend these non-existing limits.

If your practice itself implies the existence of these limits, how could they allow you to transcend them?

Ramana Maharshi

#nd #nondualism #nonduality #ramana maharshi #sri ramana maharshi #advaita vedanta #advaita

[4dkellysworld]

Why clear the subconscious to realise Self

I hope this helps people who are struggling with trauma/deeply rooted wounds and are looking for a way to reconcile this with their goal of self-realisation 💕

Context:

The prime obstacle we meet in seeking this unlimited being is the subconscious mind. It is full of thoughts of limitations which propel us every day and they do so automatically. We have made these habits of subconscious thoughts so strong that even when we recognize the direction we would like to go in, the subconscious thoughts keep directing us for quite some time (sometimes lifetimes) until we finally succeed in overcoming them. We overcome them with thoughts of what we really want to do in life, and in that way we become master over the mind, controlling and eliminating the thoughts until only the thoughts we want determine our behavior. Then we’re in a position where we can do something about the mind. We can start to transcend the mind, rising above it and dropping it. In short we let it go! And when we do we find ourselves this pure, infinite, limitless, totally free Being that we naturally are. Then happiness is complete. from Session 9: Mastering Mind and Matter of Keys to the Ultimate Freedom - Lester Levenson

The following excerpt illustrates Lester Levenson's own journey to self-realisation: he actually cleared a chunk of his own subconscious thoughts first before going onto self-inquiry. This would have allowed for a much quieter mind than if he just dived into self-inquiry without it.

I began correcting all my thoughts and feelings in that direction from that of wanting to be loved, to that of loving. And in that process, I discovered another major thing that kind of shocked me. I saw that I wanted to change this entire world, and that was the cause of my ulcers — or one of the major causes. In realizing how much I wanted to change things in this world, I saw how it made me a slave of this world, I made the decision to reverse that. And in the process of following out these two directions — actually unloading all the sub-conscious concepts and pressures in those directions — I discovered I was getting happier, freer, lighter, and feeling better in general. As I saw this direction was good, I made the decision that if a slice of pie tasted this good, I wanted the whole pie. And I decided not to let go of this direction until I got that entire pie of happiness, and with it the answer to “What am I?  What is this life, and what is my relationship to it?” This decision allowed me, as I claim, to get the answer to life itself in a matter of only three months. I believe if I can do it, anyone can do it if they have that much “want to”. In that three month period, all the ailments I had in my physical body corrected. All my miseries dropped away. And I ended up in a place in which I was happy all the time, without sorrow. Not that the world stopped pushing against me —it continued — but I was at a place where I could resolve things almost immediately. Having cleared out the negative fears, all the negative “I can not’s,” I would focus right on the answer to every problem, and get it very quickly. And so, my whole life turned around from being depressed and sick, to being happy all the time, and being in perfect health all the time. from About the Author of another version of Keys to the Ultimate Freedom, also probably in his autobiography No Attachments, No Aversions

I'm not sure why some of the digital versions of Lester's Keys to The Ultimate Freedom didn't include this final session 37 because it's in a scanned copy of a 1993 version (1 year before he died). He had spoken on the importance of clearing subconscious thoughts first to quiet the mind but this was watered down in the 109 page digital version and even overlooked in Session 1 where he says it's "not necessary to dig up this unconscious mind, in fact it's much better to try to quiet the mind." (the wording was changed in other versions to highlight clearing subconscious thoughts first). Depending on the individual ego's own history of trauma, limiting/negative beliefs, tendencies, habits etc (aka samskaras in Hindu philosophy), they may or may not be able to easily quiet their mind to see their Self (the main goal) if they keep getting bombarded with thoughts they can't control despite their best efforts to disidentify/drop/ignore/meditate/control it.

I also believe this is the missing piece and answer to dealing with trauma in a practical and appropriate way on the path to self-realisation. Any good therapy also ultimately concludes with releasing & letting go so it no longer affects the person anymore; this is the true essence of healing. I've personally found a lot of benefit and peace from clearing subconscious thoughts on my own journey and Lester did this too and benefited a lot - he didn't jump straight to self-inquiry (Ramana Maharshi considered self-inquiry to be a practice for 'ripe souls' and recommended other methods for aspirants first depending on their state of mind (to clear and quiet their mind in preparation for self-inquiry)).

So we are all going through the same trip of trying to discover what is this all about, where is my happiness, and when we stop chasing after it out there and we turn inward, we discover that all these hard negative, terrible feelings are only a feeling. And that it is possible to get rid of these feelings by releasing them. All these feelings are subconscious programs — every bit of them put in as pro survival — it's not only fear, but survival. All our feelings have been programmed in to automatically keep us surviving. They keep looking out there, trying to survive, keeping our minds active subconsciously 24 hours a day, so never do we stop to think and discover what we are. So what is it that is keeping us from being in the most delectable state that there is? Simply the accumulated programs called feelings, all these negative feelings have us constantly struggling to survive, having us constantly looking away from this tremendous thing that we are, and all we need to do is quiet that mind and become self-obvious to ourselves of this tremendous being that we are. How do we do it? I say it’s simple. The Release Technique*. It happens to be the fastest, the most effective way there is to achieve this high state of being. When we are in total control of our universe, where every moment is a wonderful, wonderful moment, it is impossible to be unhappy. And I say that is our natural state when these negative feelings are released. So I urge you to learn this technique. It’s a tool, and in one week's time, there will be a big change in you for the better, and from there on, you wiil continue to get better and better, lighter and lighter, happier and happier. from Session 37: Release your Loving Nature - Keys to the Ultimate Freedom *The appendix describing this technique refers to a whole book called The Sedona Method (written by one of Lester's students) and it was too damn long & boring for me to read lol. (If you're interested in the book, you can download it from my Google Drive) The basic instructions is to bring subconscious thoughts to the conscious so they can be dropped: Feel all the thoughts/emotions (if any) and imagine them leaving your being, acknowledge them then consciously choose to release & let them go now so they no longer have a hold on you.

So clearing a chunk of subconscious thoughts first (not aiming for perfection, just clearing the major roadblocks - in particular the ones that keep causing intrusive/compulsive thoughts no matter how much you ignore them) will help a lot in quieting the mind and then you can more easily do the other practices such as meditate/do self-inquiry/self-surrender with a quiet mind to see & know the Infinite Being you are.

Remember that there is no "one size fits all" approach to self-realisation because everyone has different history, traumas, mental/emotional/spiritual maturity, temperament etc (this is a reminder to let your Self be your main guide & guru and do what's appropriate for your own journey, you don't have to follow any guidance/practices/teachings that don't resonate with you even if others are saying something is this way or that way). Even Ramana Maharshi acknowledged this:

When asked once by Swami Yogananda, a Swami with a large following in America, what spiritual instruction should be given to the people for their uplift, Ramana Maharshi replied: “It depends on the temperament and spiritual maturity of the individual. There can be no mass instruction.”

Obligatory disclaimer that this post does not constitute as medical advice as I am not a therapist, this is based on my own understanding of non-duality as well as my personal ego experiences both on this journey and prior to. If there are major traumas that you feel you need to release first in order to quiet the mind, I would actually recommend finding a competent and trustworthy professional to help you unless you already have experience going through therapy and know how to dig into your own subconscious and release things on your own properly (going to therapy in the past gave me the understanding and experience to do this on my own now). I emphasize on the *properly* part because if you attempt to bring up major traumas from the subconscious without knowing how to properly deal with them, it could actually cause more harm to the psyche so be careful on this please.

So I actually do think therapy and trauma healing has a place on this path to self-realisation and this is where my beliefs deviate from 4dbarbie a bit (I still agree with leaving the mind alone but again, clearing the major subconscious traumas/wounds/blockages first has been immensely beneficial and effective in quieting the mind to make it easier to let go of/disidentify from ego and abide as Self). Everything that I share on this blog are intended to be pointers, suggestions and helpful tips for people on the same journey. If you resonate with it, feel free to explore it further and if it doesn't, you can disregard it :)

#writings #lester levenson #keys to ultimate freedom #ramana maharshi #practical #exercise #releasing

[kamala-laxman]

"Live always in the present; there is no past or future, except in the mind." Ramana Maharshi

#ramana maharshi #present #mindful

[mountain-sage]

God dwells in you, as you, and you don't have to 'do' anything to be God-realized or Self-realized, it is already your true and natural state.

Just drop all seeking, turn your attention inward,and sacrifice your mind to the One Self radiating in the Heart of your very being.

For this to be your own presently lived experience, Self-Inquiry is the one direct and immediate way."

Sri Ramana Maharshi

#spirituality #ramana maharshi #non duality #consciousness #meditation

[rini-descartes]

“Using another as a means of satisfaction and security is not love. Love is never security; love is a state in which there is no desire to be secure; it is a state of vulnerability.”

— Jiddu Krishnamurthy

#jiddu krishnamurti #J krishnamurti #books & libraries #inspirational quotes #quotes #english literature #literature #inspiring quotes #love quotes #philosophy #literature quotes #philosophyoflife #non dualism #non duality #monism #the book of life #osho #ramana maharshi #pessimism #misanthropy #poetry #hope #true love #unconditional love #unconventional #ideal man #textposts #annie besant #alan watts #eckhart tolle

[infiniteko]

#ramana maharshi #hindu bhagavadgita hinduquotes hindusahebannahisamjhegitavedpuran ramananmaharshi india meditation meditationquotes yoga templeso #awareness #brahman #consciousness #nothingness #atman #sri nisargadatta maharaj #rupert spira #robert adams

[lotusmi]

Doubter ceasing, doubts will cease.

"There is no use removing doubts. If we clear one doubt, another arises and there will be no end of doubts. All doubts will cease only when the doubter and his source have been found. Seek for the source of the doubter, and you find he is really nonexistent." Ramana Maharshi

#non dual #non duality #nothingness #non dualism #nonduality #ramana maharshi

[psicologiadealtaconsciencia]

Tienes qué morir para ser lo que ya eres

Bhagavan: No hay que ayudar a los demás. Cuando trasciendes la conciencia del cuerpo, los demás también desaparecen. El realizado no ve al mundo como diferente de sí mismo.

Reflexion: La hija menor de un amigo está atravesando una crisis emocional, como la que atraviesan muchos jóvenes en estos tiempos, así que siendo padre obviamente quiere ayudarla. ¿Pero puede ayudarla realmente? Ella tiene que experimentar lo que está en su prarabdha, así que tiene que luchar su propia batalla. Podemos estar ahí para ella, pero no podemos luchar su batalla en su nombre. Podemos ponernos a su disposición para estar ahí siempre que nos necesite, pero más allá de eso no podemos hacer mucho para ayudarnos, ¿verdad?

Sin embargo, tenemos que intentar llegar a una etapa en la que no veamos a nadie m��s. Mientras sienta que "tengo que ayudar a mi hija", sigue habiendo un "yo" presente que siente que debe ayudar. Así que mi tarea debe ser eliminar este ego, y cuando sea capaz de hacerlo, automáticamente ayudaré a todos.

Porque cuando mi ego desaparezca, la gracia que es Bhagavân brillará y ayudará directamente a los demás en lo que necesiten. Así pues, nuestro yo es un obstáculo y, por consiguiente, nunca podremos ayudar plenamente a los demás si nos mantenemos como ego y obstruimos la luz de la gracia de Bhagavân. Bhagavân solía decir: Tu gloria está cuando dejas de existir.

#psicologia #advaita #vedanta #ramana maharshi

[aads22]

#ramana maharshi #destiny

[ndbookstudy]

“Work is no hindrance to realization. Doing things does not block you from realization. It is the sense of wrong identification that is the source of all your trouble. Get rid of the false identification.”

#ramana maharshi #non dualism #nondualism

[thecalminside]

Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.

-Ramana Maharshi

#ramana maharshi #quote #peace #calm #stillness #life #wisdom #inner peace #love #happiness #spiritual #yogi #nondual

[entheognosis]

Pleasure and pain are only aspects of the mind. Our essential nature is happiness, but we have forgotten the Self and imagine that the body or the mind is the Self. It is this wrong identification that gives rise to misery.

Ramana Maharshi

#ramana maharshi

[4dkellysworld]

Self-realisation and life duties

For those wondering how to reconcile a life of work, studies or obligations with self-realisation, you don't have to stop those activities (Robert said the same thing, you give it up mentally). I compiled a bunch of Q&As with Ramana Maharshi on the topic which may be helpful guidance.

Q: Is solitude necessary for a Jnani? M: Solitude is in the mind of man. One might be in the thick of the world and maintain serenity of mind; such a one is in solitude. Another may stay in a forest, but still be unable to control his mind. He cannot be said to be in solitude. Solitude is a function of the mind. A man attached to desire cannot get solitude wherever he may be; a detached man is always in solitude. Q: So then, one might be engaged in work and be free from desire and keep up solitude. Is it so? M: Yes. Work performed with attachment is a shackle, whereas work performed with detachment does not affect the doer. He is, even while working, in solitude.

Q: Is work an obstruction to Self-realisation? M: No. For a realised being, the Self alone is the Reality and actions are only phenomenal; not affecting the Self. Even when he acts he has no sense of being an agent. His actions are only involuntary and he remains a witness to them without any attachment. There is no aim for this action. Even one who is still practising the path of Wisdom (jnana) can practise while engaged in work. It may be difficult in the earlier stages for a beginner, but after some practice it will soon be effective and the work will not be found a hindrance to meditation. Q: My work hinders me. M: If you have the right attitude, the kind of life you lead does not matter very much.

Q: Our work-a-day life is not compatible with such efforts. M: Why do you think that you are active? Take the gross example of your arrival here. You left home in a cart, took train, alighted at the Railway Station here, got into a cart there and found yourself in this Asramam. When asked, you say that you travelled here all the way from your town. Is it true? Is it not a fact that you remained as you were and there were movements of conveyances all along the way. Just as those movements are confounded with your own, so also the other activities. They are not your own. They are God's activities.

Q: My work demands the best part of my time and energy; often I am too tired to devote myself to Atmachintana (Contemplation on the Self). M: The feeling "l work" is the hindrance. Enquire, "Who works?" Remember, "Who am l?" The work will not bind you. It will go on automatically. Make no effort either to work or to renounce work. Your effort is the bondage. What is bound to happen will happen. If you are destined to cease working, work cannot be had even if you hunt for it. If you are destined to work you cannot leave it; you will be forced to engage in it. So leave it to the Higher Power. You cannot renounce or hold as you choose.

Q: Should we do our duty or not? M: Yes - certainly. Even if you try not to do your duty you will be perforce obliged to do it. Let the body complete the task for which it came into being. Sri Krishna also says in the Gita, whether Arjuna liked it or not he would be forced to fight. When there is work to be done by you, you cannot keep away; nor can you continue to do a thing when you are not required to do it, that is to say, when the work allotted to you has been done. In short, the work will go on and you must take your share in it - the share which is allotted to you. Q: How is work to be done? M: Like an actor playing his part in a drama - free from love or hatred.

Q: How to practice meditation? M: Keep off thoughts. Q: How to reconcile work with meditation? M: Who is the worker? Let him who works ask the question. You are always the Self. You are not the mind. It is the mind which raises these questions. Work proceeds, always in the presence of the Self only. Work is no hindrance to self-realisation. It is the mistaken identity of the worker that troubles one. Get rid of the false identity.

Q: I have my professional work and yet I want to be in perpetual dhyana. Will they conflict with each other? M: There will be no conflict. As you practise both and develop your powers you will be able to attend to both. You will begin to look on business as a dream. The Bhagavad—Gita says: "That which is the night of all beings, for the disciplined man is the time of waking; when other beings are waking, then is it night for the Sage who Sees."

Q (a professor): How can I do my duties without attachment? There is my wife, there are my children. I must do my duty towards them. Affection is necessary. Am I right? M: How do you do your work in the College? D: (laughing) For wages. M: Not because you are attached, simply as doing your duty. D: But my pupils expect me to love them. M: "Detachment in the interior and attachment in appearance" says Yoga Vasishta.

#excerpts #ramana maharshi #practical

[kamala-laxman]

When ego ends, Grace fills all space. Ramana Maharshi

#ramana maharshi #ego #grace