Fw: Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind

02-23-2002, 09:09 PM

----- Original Message -----
From: Gabriele Ebert
To: SriArunachala (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2002 11:06 AM
Subject: Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind

Crumbs From His Table
By Ramanananda Swarnagiri
5th Edition, 1981

8 - Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind

D: When I am engaged in enquiry as to the source from which the 'I' springs, I
arrive at a stage of stillness of mind beyond which I find myself unable to
proceed further. I have no thought of any kind and there is an emptiness. a
blankness. A mild light pervades and I feel that it is myself bodiless. I have
neither cognition nor vision of body and form. The experience lasts nearly half
an hour and is pleasing. Would I be correct in concluding that all that was
necessary to secure eternal happiness (i.e. freedom or salvation or whatever one
calls it) was to continue the practice till this experience could be maintained
for hours, days and months together?

B: This does not mean salvation; such a condition is termed manolaya or
temporary stillness of thought. Manolaya means concentration, temporarily
arresting the movement of thoughts; as soon as this concentration ceases,
thoughts, old and new, rush in as usual and even though this temporary lulling
of mind should last a thousand years it will never lead to total destruction of
thought, which is what is called salvation or liberation from birth and death.
The practicer must therefore be ever on the alert and enquire within as to who
has this experience, who realises its pleasantness. Failing this enquiry he will
go into a long trance or deep sleep (Yoga nidra). Due to the absence of a proper
guide at this stage of spiritual practice many have been delude and fallen a
prey to a false sense of salvation and only a few have, either by the merit of
good acts in their previous births, or by extreme grace, been enables to reach
the goal safely.

Sadhakas (seekers) rarely understand the difference between this temporary
stilling of the mind (manolaya) and permanent destruction of thoughts
(manonasa). In manolaya there is temporary subsidence of thought-waves, and,
though this temporary period may even last for a thousand years, thoughts, which
are thus temporarily stilled, rise up as soon as the manolaya ceases. One must
therefore, watch one's spiritual progress carefully. One must not allow oneself
to be overtaken by such spells of stillness of thought: the moment one
experiences this, one must revive consciousness and enquire within as to who it
is who experiences this stillness. While not allowing any thoughts to intrude,
he must not, at the same time, be overtaken by this deep sleep (Yoga nidra) or
Self-hypnotism. Though this is a sign of progress towards the goal, yet it is
also the point where the divergence between the road to salvation and Yoga nidra
takes place. The easy way, the direct way, the shortest cut to salvation is the
Enquiry method. By such enquiry, you will drive the thought force deeper till it
reaches its source and merges therein. It is then that you will have the
response from within and find that you rest there, destroying all thoughts, once
and for all.

This temporary stilling of thought comes automatically in the usual course of
one's practice and it is a clear sign of one's progress but the danger of it
lies in mistaking it for the final goal of spiritual practice and being thus
deceived. It is exactly here that a spiritual guide is necessary and he saves a
lot of the spiritual aspirant's time and energy which would otherwise be
fruitlessly wasted.

The writer now realised that it was to get this important lesson at the right
point of his progress, that he was taken, even unknown to himself and against
his will to Sri Ramana, through the intervention of his superior. He had come
exactly to the position where the road bifurcates, one side leading to
destruction of thought (salvation) and the other to Yoga nidra (prolonged deep
sleep). A way-shower or a road sign-post was necessary at this stage and the
way-shower must necessarily be in the shape of a personal Guru, a realized soul,
and perhaps by sheer acts of merit in his past birth and no ''known special
merit'' of his own in this birth, he was brought before such a realized soul, in
the person of Sri Ramana, to obtain these instructions from him, failing which
he would have been probably groping in the same manner as the sage on the banks
of the Ganges, in the story narrated above.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

02-24-2002, 12:09 AM

----- Original Message ----- From: Gabriele Ebert
To: SriArunachala (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2002 11:06 AM
Subject: Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind
Crumbs From His Table By Ramanananda Swarnagiri5th Edition, 1981
8 - Control of Mind vs. Destruction of Mind
D: When I am engaged in enquiry as to the source from which the 'I'
springs, I arrive at a stage of stillness of mind beyond which I find
myself unable to proceed further. I have no thought of any kind and
there is an emptiness. a blankness. A mild light pervades and I feel
that it is myself bodiless. I have neither cognition nor vision of
body and form. The experience lasts nearly half an hour and is
pleasing. Would I be correct in concluding that all that was
necessary to secure eternal happiness (i.e. freedom or salvation or
whatever one calls it) was to continue the practice till this
experience could be maintained for hours, days and months together?
B: This does not mean salvation; such a condition is termed manolaya
or temporary stillness of thought. Manolaya means concentration,
temporarily arresting the movement of thoughts; as soon as this
concentration ceases, thoughts, old and new, rush in as usual and
even though this temporary lulling of mind should last a thousand
years it will never lead to total destruction of thought, which is
what is called salvation or liberation from birth and death. The
practicer must therefore be ever on the alert and enquire within as
to who has this experience, who realises its pleasantness. Failing
this enquiry he will go into a long trance or deep sleep (Yoga
nidra). Due to the absence of a proper guide at this stage of
spiritual practice many have been delude and fallen a prey to a false
sense of salvation and only a few have, either by the merit of good
acts in their previous births, or by extreme grace, been enables to
reach the goal safely.
Sadhakas (seekers) rarely understand the difference between this
temporary stilling of the mind (manolaya) and permanent destruction
of thoughts (manonasa). In manolaya there is temporary subsidence of
thought-waves, and, though this temporary period may even last for a
thousand years, thoughts, which are thus temporarily stilled, rise up
as soon as the manolaya ceases. One must therefore, watch one's
spiritual progress carefully. One must not allow oneself to be
overtaken by such spells of stillness of thought: the moment one
experiences this, one must revive consciousness and enquire within as
to who it is who experiences this stillness. While not allowing any
thoughts to intrude, he must not, at the same time, be overtaken by
this deep sleep (Yoga nidra) or Self-hypnotism. Though this is a sign
of progress towards the goal, yet it is also the point where the
divergence between the road to salvation and Yoga nidra takes place.
The easy way, the direct way, the shortest cut to salvation is the
Enquiry method. By such enquiry, you will drive the thought force
deeper till it reaches its source and merges therein. It is then that
you will have the response from within and find that you rest there,
destroying all thoughts, once and for all.
This temporary stilling of thought comes automatically in the usual
course of one's practice and it is a clear sign of one's progress but
the danger of it lies in mistaking it for the final goal of spiritual
practice and being thus deceived. It is exactly here that a spiritual
guide is necessary and he saves a lot of the spiritual aspirant's time
and energy which would otherwise be fruitlessly wasted.
The writer now realised that it was to get this important lesson at
the right point of his progress, that he was taken, even unknown to
himself and against his will to Sri Ramana, through the intervention
of his superior. He had come exactly to the position where the road
bifurcates, one side leading to destruction of thought (salvation)
and the other to Yoga nidra (prolonged deep sleep). A way-shower or a
road sign-post was necessary at this stage and the way-shower must
necessarily be in the shape of a personal Guru, a realized soul, and
perhaps by sheer acts of merit in his past birth and no ''known
special merit'' of his own in this birth, he was brought before such
a realized soul, in the person of Sri Ramana, to obtain these
instructions from him, failing which he would have been probably
groping in the same manner as the sage on the banks of the Ganges, in
the story narrated above.