Gangaji 'The End Of The Story' Pt1

I Am That!

Freedom

Freedom is Free.

If there were conditions to Freedom,
it would not be Freedom.

If there were hows and whys
and whens to Freedom,
Freedom would be something to attain;
something to achieve.

Freedom is the Space
in which All arises from.
We dance in this Space
as Freedom
Knowing Oneself,

Celebrating Oneself,

In Freedom.

Ocean of Being

Surrender.
Let Silence Have You.
And if you find that you are still swimming
on the surface of the Ocean,
Let go and sink
Into Depths of Love.

excerpt from The Truth Is by H.W.L. Poonja

Are You Willing to Disappear?

Mooji speaks about surrender so beautifully. A wonderful follow up to the previous entry.

Allow Love to Live You

Sometimes we believe that giving everything we know, everything we have, everything we are, to That, we will lose everything. Surrendering our lives to Love is truly one of the most scary and yet, most beautiful things we can experience. What if, in this moment, we offered our lives to this; to what gave us life, to what has been living our lives this whole lifetime, to what has found us Here? It is an opportunity, a rare and significant one. One that may not occur again for thousands of cycles of time.

As we surrender, it may feel as if we are jumping off a cliff, dropping into the depths of the ocean, falling from the highest point in the sky. How will we land? Who will be there when we arrive? It is a mystery which cannot be known and must be done alone. We may feel the most fear we have ever felt. And yet, it is worth the fear we feel. The fear drowns in This, as we see that we are held, we are caught, we are guided in Silence. We realize that we are not separate from this Silence and we rest in it as who we are. We realize this Love that we are is trustworthy. We drown in the Love and it lives us more perfectly, more fully, because we are not resisting it. The battle has ended. All that is left to do is be open, to wait and see where we are lead and where we are used. Life is sacred and pure. All things that occur are leading us into the deepest depths of Being. Enjoy the journey, the journey nowhere, and yet, always Here. It will continue to show us our own Self, in infinite ways, in Love.

Forty Verses on Reality by Ramana

40 Verses on Reality was written at the request of Muruganar, who wanted a concise synopsis of Ramana’s teaching, and wanted 40 verses to fit a classical Hindu poetic form. Ramana wrote the verses as they came to him, and Muruganar arranged them in a particular order. Later, Ramana wrote 40 additional verses, and the original 40 verses were put into a supplement to the 40 verses. 40 Verses contains a short and pithy presentation of Ramana’s teaching of nonduality and practice of inquiry.

Advaita, non-duality, Identity, is the supreme doctrine. Jnana marga, the path of knowledge, is the approach to it: Self-enquiry, 'Who am I?', is the technique Bhagavan taught for this path. There is no more profound and comprehensive statement of it than his 'Forty Verses on Reality'.

Forty Verses on Reality

Invocatory

i. If Reality did not exist, could there be any knowledge of existence? Free from all thoughts, Reality abides in the Heart, the Source of all thoughts. It is, therefore, called the Heart. How then is one to contemplate it? To be as it is in the Heart, is Its contemplation.

ii. Those who know intense fear of death seek refuge only at the feet of the Lord Who has neither death nor birth. Dead to themselves and their possessions, can the thought of death occur to them again? Deathless are they.

Verses

1. From our perception of the world there follows acceptance of a unique First Principle possessing various powers. Pictures of name and form, the person who sees, the screen on which he sees, and the light by which he sees: he himself is all of these.

2. All religions postulate the three fundamentals, the world, the soul, and God, but it is only the one Reality that manifests Itself as these three. One can say, 'The three are really three' only so long as the ego lasts. Therefore, to inhere in one's own Being, where the 'I', or ego, is dead, is the perfect State.

3. 'The world is real.' 'No, it, is a mere illusory appearance.' 'The world is conscious.' 'No.' 'The world is happiness.' 'No.' What use is it to argue thus? That State is agreeable to all, wherein, having given up the objective outlook, one knows one's Self and loses all notions either of unity or duality, of oneself and the ego.

4. If one has form oneself, the world and God also will appear to have form, but if one is formless, who is it that sees those forms, and how? Without the eye can any object be seen? The seeing Self is the Eye, and that Eye is the Eye of Infinity.

5. The body is a form composed of the five-fold sheath; therefore, all the five sheaths are implied in the term, body. Apart from the body does the world exist? Has anyone seen the world without the body?

6. The world is nothing more than an embodiment of the objects perceived by the five sense-organs. Since, through these five sense-organs, a single mind perceives the world, the world is nothing but the mind. Apart from the mind can there be a world?

7. Although the world and knowledge thereof rise and set together it is by knowledge alone that the world is made apparent. That Perfection wherein the world and knowledge thereof rise and set, and which shines without rising and setting, is alone the Reality.

8. Under whatever name and form one may worship the Absolute Reality, it is only a means for realizing It without name and form. That alone is true realization, wherein one knows oneself in relation to that Reality, attains peace and realizes one's identity with it.

9. The duality of subject and object and trinity of seer, sight, and seen can exist only if supported by the One. If one turns inward in search of that One Reality they fall away. Those who see this are those who see Wisdom. They are never in doubt.

10. Ordinary knowledge is always accompanied by ignorance, and ignorance by knowledge; the only true Knowledge is that by which one knows the Self through enquiring whose is the knowledge and ignorance.

11. Is it not, rather, ignorance to know all else without knowing oneself, the knower? As soon as one knows the Self, which is the substratum of knowledge and ignorance, knowledge and ignorance perish.

12. That alone is true Knowledge which is neither knowledge nor ignorance. What is known is not true Knowledge. Since the Self shines with nothing else to know or to make known, It alone is Knowledge. It is not a void.

13. The Self, which is Knowledge, is the only Reality. Knowledge of multiplicity is false knowledge. This false knowledge, which is really ignorance, cannot exist apart from the Self, which is Knowledge-Reality. The variety of gold ornaments is unreal, since none of them can exist without the gold of which they are all made.

14. If the first person, I, exists, then the second and third persons, you and he, will also exist. By enquiring into the nature of the I, the I perishes. With it 'you' and 'he' also perish. The resultant state, which shines as Absolute Being, is one's own natural state, the Self.

15. Only with reference to the present can the past and the future exist. They too, while current, are the present. To try to determine the nature of the past and the future while ignoring the present is like trying to count without the unit.

16. Apart, from us where is time and where is space? If we are bodies, we are involved in time and space, but are we? We are one and identical now, then, and forever, here, and everywhere. Therefore we, timeless, and spaceless Being, alone are.

17. To those who have not realized the Self, as well as to those who have, the word 'I' refers to the body, but with this difference, that for those who have not realized, the 'I' is confined to the body whereas for those who have realized the Self within the body the 'I' shines as the limitless Self.

18. To those who have not realized (the Self) as well as to those who have the world is real. But to those who have not realized, Truth is adapted to the measure of the world, whereas to those that have, Truth shines as the Formless Perfection, and as the Substratum of the world. This is all the difference between them.

19. Only those who have no knowledge of the Source of destiny and free-will dispute as to which of them prevails. They that know the Self as the one Source of destiny and free-will are free from both. Will they again get entangled in them?

20. He who sees God without seeing the Self sees only a mental image. They say that he who sees the Self sees God. He who, having completely lost the ego, sees the Self, has found God, because the Self does not exist apart from God.

21. What is the Truth of the scriptures which declare that if one sees the Self one sees God? How can one see one's Self? If, since one is a single being, one cannot see one's Self, how can one see God? Only by becoming a prey to Him.

22. The Divine gives light to the mind and shines within it. Except by turning the mind inward and fixing it in the Divine, there is no other way to know Him through the mind.

23. The body does not say 'I'. No one will argue that even in deep sleep the 'I' ceases to exist. Once the 'I' emerges, all else emerges. With a keen mind enquire whence this 'I' emerges.

24. This inert body does not say 'I'. Reality-Consciousness does not emerge. Between the two, and limited to the measure of the body, something emerges as 'I'. It is this that is known as Chit-jada-granthi (the knot between the Conscious and the inert), and also as bondage, soul, subtle-body, ego, samsara, mind, and so forth.

25. It. comes into being equipped with a form, and as long as it retains a form it endures. Having a form, it feeds and grows big. But if you investigate it this evil spirit, which has no form of its own, relinquishes its grip on form and takes to flight.

26. If the ego is, everything else also is. If the ego is not, nothing else is. Indeed, the ego is all. Therefore the enquiry as to what this ego is, is the only way of giving up everything.

27. The State of non-emergence of 'I' is the state of being THAT. Without questing for that State of the non-emergence of 'I' and attaining It, how can one accomplish one's own extinction, from which the 'I' does not revive? Without that attainment how is it possible to abide in one's true State, where one is THAT?

28. Just as a man would dive in order to get something that had fallen into the water, so one should dive into oneself, with a keen one-pointed mind, controlling speech and breath, and find the place whence the 'I' originates.

29. The only enquiry leading to Self-realization is seeking the Source of the 'I' with in-turned mind and without uttering the word 'I'. Meditation on 'I am not this; I am That' may be an aid to the enquiry but it cannot be the enquiry.

30. If one enquires 'Who am I?' within the mind, the individual 'I' falls down abashed as soon as one reaches the Heart and immediately Reality manifests itself spontaneously as 'I-I'. Although it reveals itself as 'I', it is not the ego but the Perfect Being, the Absolute Self.

31. For Him who is immersed in the bliss of the Self, arising from the extinction of the ego, what remains to be accomplished? He is not aware of anything (as) other than the Self. Who can apprehend his State?

32. Although the scriptures proclaim 'Thou art That', it is only a sign of weakness of mind to meditate 'I am That, not this', because you are eternally That. What has to be done is to investigate what one really is and remain That.

33. It is ridiculous to say either 'I have not realized the Self' or 'I have realized the Self'; are there two selves, for one to be the object of the other's realization? It is a truth within the experience of everyone that there is only one Self.

34. It is due to illusion born of ignorance that men fail to recognise That which is always and for everybody the inherent Reality dwelling in its natural Heart-centre and to abide in it, and that instead they argue that it exists or does not exist, that it has form or has not form, or is non-dual or dual.

35. To seek and abide in the Reality that is always attained, is the only Attainment. All other attainments (siddhis) are such as are acquired in dreams. Can they appear real to someone who has woken up from sleep? Can they that are established in the Reality and are free from maya, be deluded by them?

36. Only if the thought 'I am the body' occurs will the meditation 'I am not this, I am That', help one to abide as That. Why should we for ever be thinking, 'I am That'? Is it necessary for man to go on thinking 'I am a man'? Are we not always That?

37. The contention, 'Dualism during practice, non-dualism on Attainment', is also false. While one is anxiously searching, as well as when one has found one's Self, who else is one but the tenth man?1

38. As long as a man is the doer, he also reaps the fruit of his deeds, but, as soon as he realizes the Self through enquiry as to who is the doer his sense of being the doer falls away and the triple karma2 is ended. This is the state of eternal Liberation.

39. Only so long as one considers oneself bound, do thoughts of bondage and Liberation continue. When one enquires who is bound the Self is realized, eternally attained, and eternally free. When thought of bondage comes to an end, can thought of Liberation survive?

40. If it is said, that Liberation is of three kinds, with form or without form or with and without form, then let me tell you that the extinction of three forms of Liberation is the only true Liberation.




Notes

1 - This refers to a traditional story of a party of ten fools who were travelling together. They had to cross a river and on reaching the other shore wanted to check up whether all of them had got safely across. Each one counted in turn, but each one counted the nine others and forgot himself. So they thought the tenth man had been drowned and began to mourn him. Just then a traveller came past and asked them what was the matter. He at once saw the cause of their mistake and in order to convince them he made them walk past him one by one, giving each one a blow as he passed and telling them to count the strokes.

2 - Sanchita, Agami and Prarabdha.

From The Mountain Path, Volume 1, #4, October 1964, Copyright Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Edited by Arthur Osborn

Arunachala ~ Tat Tvam Asi

An Interview with Ganesan

This interview with Ganesan, the grand nephew of Ramana Maharshi, and Richard Miller at Never Not Here, is a rare gem. Ganesan's presence and insight is beyond words. Enjoy!

The Seer

At one of Gangaji's silent retreats in California a few years ago, Gangaji picked up a letter and read it quietly for a few moments. She then looked up to find the author of the letter and when she located her, she said in a somewhat annoyed voice, "Linda, I do see you." She then continued speaking to Linda, and addressed all of us in the room. She said, "The real question is, are you seeing?"

We are often so concerned with being seen by the world, but it's really the opposite of that. It is really when we see that is the opening. Many attempts are made in life to be seen and to be heard. The ego tries to accomplish this through our actions, through our work and through our relationships. If we really look at what we want, at the very core, being seen is often one of the most basic of desires. When we pause for a moment and notice this, there is a profound opportunity to stop and to open. This opening can allow us to notice that we are being seen right now, because we are the Seer.

Since we are the Seer, we are seeing and being seen, both being accomplished at the same time, in this very moment. All polarity vanishes in the realization that there truly is only Oneself. Nothing is needed because it is complete by one's own existence, by one's very nature. As we let this knowledge in and as we notice oneself as the Seer, we are naturally seeing all as Self. Nothing else is required. It is now simply a matter of, in each moment, seeing the world through the perspective of the Seer's eyes, the eyes that rest in You. The world is a rich, beautiful and intricate mirror for the Seer to see Itself everywhere, in all things and in all ways.

Papaji's Prayer

The Rose of Arunachala

Silence is the True Teacher

Silence is the pause between the breath,
the space between the thoughts,
the moment of stillness at sunrise,
The container of It All.

Simply notice the quiet,
unmovingness of life.
It is here, eternal, alive.

This Silent Awareness
asks us to surrender,
in this moment.
It asks us to be conscious,
as it reveals the profound,
quiet knowledge;
our true nature
as Silence.

You Have Arrived

There are many great dialogues between Ramana Maharshi and his devotees. This one, which is a dialog between Ramana and Papaji, highlights the use of meditation and the natural falling away of practices along the path of realization.

At one point, after meeting Ramana, Papaji could no longer chant the name of God, a practice he had been doing daily for many years. In the book, Nothing Ever Happened, by David Godman, he writes, " When I tried to resume my chanting, I found that I could not repeat the name of Krishna anymore. Somehow my mind refused to cooperate. For a quarter of a century the divine name had been flowing effortlessly through my mind; now I can't even utter it once. "

Papaji asked quite a few teachers about this. He was told that he needed to continue to try and that he was going through a phase, and needed to get through it. He wasn't satisfied with these answers, so during his next visit to see Ramana, he asked to speak to him privately about this matter.

He sat with Ramana and told him his predicament and asked "What has happened to me and what should I do?" Ramana responded by asking "How did you come here from Madras?" Papaji responded, not sure why he was being asked about this, that he had taken the train and a bollock cart. Ramana then asked "Where is the cart and train now?" Papaji replied that the cart had presumably returned to the station and the train was heading to another destination.

Ramana then explained his questioning. He said "The train brought you to your destination. You got off of it because you didn't need it anymore. You yourself did not give up your practices; they left you of their own accord because they had served their purpose. You have arrived. '

In that moment, Papaji became aware of the Self and realized that yes, there is no where to go and nothing to do to be who one is. He was home, Home Itself.

Life Itself is a Pointer

Self Realization is an all consuming experience. It is occurring with each breath, and in each moment. We often believe that we need to attend satsang and retreats with a realized teacher, read books, listen to recordings, watch videos and meditate in order to deepen into the truth of one's being. These resources are all very helpful on the journey, yet, on a daily basis, we are being asked to surrender in countless ways. These small surrenders seem insignificant, yet they are profound. Instead of looking into the future for the next satsang with a teacher, simply notice, right now, what is calling you. What are you being asked to acknowledge? Is there resistance appearing? Is there a need to control a situation? Is there unmet pain, such as fear, sadness or anger? Are you holding back love somewhere, even with yourself? Right now, are you willing to let go?

Life is the true teacher, life as you. There is no need to look to the apparent outside for the next moment of deepening. Simply use this moment, whatever is here, as an opportunity to surrender. In this portal of time, allow what is arising here, and then see. Sometimes allowing may mean we change our perspective on the situation and it naturally shifts. Other times we may make a choice to actively change the situation, yet the decision is not based on fear. It comes from a place of peace and knowing. The more we trust this, the more we can live from here with each breath. We know we are being guided by our true nature.

Our daily experiences are pointers, calling us to rest in who we are and to trust That. When we surrender to being held in the arms of Oneself, life transforms into a mysterious play. It engages us in unknown ways, asking us to let go again and again. Eventually, we realize there is no end to the opportunity to surrender and no one here to resist it. In this life, this play, there are simply innumerable doors opening to be even more quiet, more still and to dissolve more into Love, as our Self.

Om Shanti

Let there be peace and love

among all beings of the universe.
Let there be peace, let there be peace.
Om shanti, shanti, shantihi.