Ramana-literature

Dear Sai,

>I guess the "recognising him "as all in all" is the crucial/important factor
here

Yes, indeed.


> Do you have a favorate book that you feel gives a
good 'flavour' of Ramana? Do you think P Brunton gave an accurate portrayal
in his "secret search" book (keep meaning to buy a copy!)

There are many books on Ramana. The first I read and which brought me in contact
with Ramana was Brunton's Search in Secret India. He gives a beautiful portrayal
of Ramana in the Thirties - but no full portrayal, because Brunton spend only a
relativly short time (perhaps some months) in the Ashram (compared with other
devotees; Sadhu Arunachala spend with Ramana 15 years, Kunju Swami 30 years!).
The Brunton book was published in the early Thirties and Ramana died in 1950. I
can recommend the book to start with but one should not be satisfied with it.

A good biography is Arthur Osborne: Ramana Maharshi and the Path of
Self-Knowledge and the new biography by A.R. Natarajan: Timeless in Time.
If you want to go more in details there are the Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by
Suri Nagamma and Day by Day with Bhagavan by A. Devaraja Mudaliar. I can also
recommend the reminiscences by various devotees (Cohen, Sadhu Arunachala, Kunju
Swami, Balarama Reddy...) and David Godman: Power of the Presence.
The "one" book does not exist. If you want to have a real good portrayal and
'flavour' of Ramana you have to read several books.

Studying the teachings of Ramana the book of Godman: Be As You Are is good to
start with, but you should not miss reading also the Talks with Ramana Maharshi
and the Collected Works.


> I don't know whether it so much sounds confusing to me; i feel i
intellectually understand the relationship between Guru and devotee; it's
more about how in practice i'm actually relating - whether i'm connecting
emotionally(seperation) or consciously seeing/feeling the unity. I think
it's probably a mixture of the two. Thinking on it now; is that not how all
devotees must relate - untill the time comes when the outer guru is no
longer needed?

As long as there is an individual I there is seperation. As long as there is an
individual ego the relationship between Guru and devotee is needed.

> Perhaps i'm worrying too much about it and need to relax - it's like half my
mind is saying "forget the form - realise 'It' within you" and the other
half is saying " take what you can from the form" Aaargghh!!! i've had this
uncertainty with me for several years now of how to proceed in my sadhana,
and i know that that uncertainty has had an effect of 'dampening down the
fire of intensity' in any direction

> I don't want this lukewarm intensity to continue any longer. It feels like
my soul is nudging me to 'fan the flame'...

Once the fire is burning it destroys everything including the form - earlier or
later.



Love
Gabriele


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