Guest guest Posted August 5, 2002 Report Share Posted August 5, 2002 Hi Rose, There is an excellent book which describes the 'Who Am I' method. It is called the Path of Sri Ramana Vol. 1 by Sri Sadhu Om. They may have it at the NY Ashram, - not sure as I've never been there, or it may be available somehwere on the web. As I understand it the way of doing Who Am I is not an intellectual exercise, it merely involves fixing all your attention on the sensation caused when you say or think 'I'. Who Am I was however only a tool to lead to silence. If you can remain in silence without the need for such a tool then so much the better. Regards Vic >"Fred & Rose Lieberman" <pyrite >RamanaMaharshi ><RamanaMaharshi> >[RamanaMaharshi] Newbie Intro with Question >Sat, 5 Oct 2002 07:32:23 -0400 > >Hello, All. My name is Rose, I'm 54, I live in rural upstate New York with >husband, Fred, and our six cats. We lead a very rural and homestead-type >lifestyle. We are vegans, professional tarot readers; Fred is a healer, as >well. > >We are somewhat familiar with the works of Ramana. They seem to resonate >with our need for minimalism in our lives, as well as the need for living >in >the moment. The big bugaboo in our lives is "grasping." That's the big >troublemaker, eh? > >I have a question about self-enquiry. Based on the following quote from a >recent post...3) A Guru's help is required to do self-enquiry properly.... > >What exactly is proper self-enquiry? How does one achieve that without >grasping, without falling into logical bottomless pits? > >Thanks, > >Rose > _______________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2002 Report Share Posted August 5, 2002 Hi Rose, If I can copy and paste correctly - it is here New York Ashrama 61-12 Clyde St. Rego Park, NY 11374 (718) 575 - 3215 http://www.arunachala.org/ Regards Vic >"Fred & Rose Lieberman" <pyrite >RamanaMaharshi ><RamanaMaharshi> >Re: [RamanaMaharshi] Newbie Intro with Question >Sat, 5 Oct 2002 12:01:13 -0400 > >Thanks for the info, Vic. You mention a NY Ashram. Where would that be? > >Thanks, > >Rose > _______________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2002 Report Share Posted August 5, 2002 om namo bhagavate sri ramanaya Dear Rose, Fred and the six cats, > What exactly is proper self-enquiry? How does one achieve that without > grasping, without falling into logical bottomless pits? >From 'Who Am I? (Nan Yar) by Sri Ramana Maharshi: 11. 'What is the means for constantly holding on to the thought ŒWho am I?¹' 'When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but should inquire: ŒTo whom do they arise?¹ It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should inquire with diligence, ³To whom has this thought arisen?². The answer that would emerge would be ³To me². Thereupon if one inquires ³Who am I?², the mind will go back to its source; and the thought that arose will become quiescent. With repeated practice in this manner, the mind will develop the skill to stay in its source. When the mind that is subtle goes out through the brain and the sense-organs, the gross names and forms appear; when it stays in the heart, the names and forms disappear. Not letting the mind go out, but retaining it in the Heart is what is called ³inwardness² (antar-mukha). Letting the mind go out of the Heart is known as ³externalisation² (bahir-mukha). Thus, when the mind stays in the Heart, the ŒI¹ which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self which ever exists will shine. Whatever one does, one should do without the egoity ³I². If one acts in that way, all will appear as of the nature of Siva (God).' Regards, Miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2002 Report Share Posted August 5, 2002 Hello Rose: The best way to learn about Bhagavan's teaching is to study his own words. I highly recommend reading "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" because this is a long book at it covers every facet of his teaching. Of course, any of the books that quote him are good but the "Talks" has just about anything you might have a question about. I've commit myself to reading several pages daily for many years and it's an excellent way to found yourself firmly in his teaching and inquiry. Best Regards, Mark Hello, All. My name is Rose, I'm 54, I live in rural upstate New York with husband, Fred, and our six cats. We lead a very rural and homestead-type lifestyle. We are vegans, professional tarot readers; Fred is a healer, as well. We are somewhat familiar with the works of Ramana. They seem to resonate with our need for minimalism in our lives, as well as the need for living in the moment. The big bugaboo in our lives is "grasping." That's the big troublemaker, eh? I have a question about self-enquiry. Based on the following quote from a recent post...3) A Guru's help is required to do self-enquiry properly.... What exactly is proper self-enquiry? How does one achieve that without grasping, without falling into logical bottomless pits? Thanks, Rose Sponsor Post message: RamanaMaharshi Subscribe: RamanaMaharshi- Un: RamanaMaharshi- List owner: RamanaMaharshi-owner Shortcut URL to this page: /community/RamanaMaharshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2002 Report Share Posted September 4, 2002 Dear Mark, > "Mark" <milarepa@a...> wrote: > > The best way to learn about Bhagavan's teaching is to > study his own words. I highly recommend reading > "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" because this is a > long book at it covers every facet of his teaching... I believed this too for a long time. And still, today, even though I no longer think that the best way to learn about Bhagavan's "teaching" is from his words, I frequently reread the Talks book. I've probably read it ten times all the way through. Nothing I'm about to say should be taken as suggesting that the book should not be read. This book, for me, is the closest thing I've found to Bhagavan's physical presence. My mind quiets as I read the words. Sounds contradictory, I know. However, I've come to believe that it is misleading to read Ramana's words by themselves, without also reading the memoirs of his disciples who lived at Ramanashramam with him. The problem is that words were not Ramana's main teaching. His main "teaching" was the transmission that occurred in his physical presence. He would look into people's eyes (or in very rare cases, find an excuse to touch them) and this made people's minds become quiet. Sometimes this transmission went further, and caused people's minds to be sucked into the heart. This effect was often incredibly powerful. There are hundreds of descriptions and anecdotes about it in the autobiographical books. Dozens of these books are published by Ramanashramam in English translation, and they can be purchased in the U.S. from Arunachala Ashramam in New York (http://www.arunachala.org). One of the most interesting of these books -- possibly the most interesting -- is "No Mind -- I Am The Self" by David Godman (however it is one of the few books in this category not published by Ramanashramam). I notice that there was a heated debate here a few weeks ago about this book. I think that if more people here were familiar, in general, with the many memoirs that have been published, there would be less disagreement about this book. Also, if people had the chance to read the whole book, they might have a different opinion than the one they hold now based on a few quotations. Unfortunately, so far as I know, the book is out of print, and used copies are scarce. My own answer, if somebody asked me to recommend a reading list about Bhagavan, would be: 1. Who Am I? by Ramana Maharshi. 2. Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge by Arthur Osborne 3. Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi edited by David Godman. 4. No Mind -- I Am The Self by David Godman. If (4) is unavailable, I'd substitute one of David Godman's books about Annamalai Swami, either "Living By the Words of Bhagavan" or the small one whose title escapes me at the moment. Also, for people who like thinking about this stuff: 5. Ramana Maharshi and His Philosophy of Existence by T.M.P. Mahadevan. (This is actually the best translation of Bhagavan's most important theoretical work, 40 Verses on Existence, with a commentary by an erudite academic philosopher who was also a disciple.) Best regards, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2002 Report Share Posted September 5, 2002 Rob: You are pointing out some excellent books. I believe I've read every book available and I would also recommend that devotees read them also since the offer different perspectives on Bhagavan's teaching. I probably reread "Who Am I?" about once a month as I cycle through all of these books. It's interesting to me that each time I read one of these books, I learn something new. Mark Dear Mark, > "Mark" <milarepa@a...> wrote: > > The best way to learn about Bhagavan's teaching is to > study his own words. I highly recommend reading > "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" because this is a > long book at it covers every facet of his teaching... I believed this too for a long time. And still, today, even though I no longer think that the best way to learn about Bhagavan's "teaching" is from his words, I frequently reread the Talks book. I've probably read it ten times all the way through. Nothing I'm about to say should be taken as suggesting that the book should not be read. This book, for me, is the closest thing I've found to Bhagavan's physical presence. My mind quiets as I read the words. Sounds contradictory, I know. However, I've come to believe that it is misleading to read Ramana's words by themselves, without also reading the memoirs of his disciples who lived at Ramanashramam with him. The problem is that words were not Ramana's main teaching. His main "teaching" was the transmission that occurred in his physical presence. He would look into people's eyes (or in very rare cases, find an excuse to touch them) and this made people's minds become quiet. Sometimes this transmission went further, and caused people's minds to be sucked into the heart. This effect was often incredibly powerful. There are hundreds of descriptions and anecdotes about it in the autobiographical books. Dozens of these books are published by Ramanashramam in English translation, and they can be purchased in the U.S. from Arunachala Ashramam in New York (http://www.arunachala.org). One of the most interesting of these books -- possibly the most interesting -- is "No Mind -- I Am The Self" by David Godman (however it is one of the few books in this category not published by Ramanashramam). I notice that there was a heated debate here a few weeks ago about this book. I think that if more people here were familiar, in general, with the many memoirs that have been published, there would be less disagreement about this book. Also, if people had the chance to read the whole book, they might have a different opinion than the one they hold now based on a few quotations. Unfortunately, so far as I know, the book is out of print, and used copies are scarce. My own answer, if somebody asked me to recommend a reading list about Bhagavan, would be: 1. Who Am I? by Ramana Maharshi. 2. Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge by Arthur Osborne 3. Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi edited by David Godman. 4. No Mind -- I Am The Self by David Godman. If (4) is unavailable, I'd substitute one of David Godman's books about Annamalai Swami, either "Living By the Words of Bhagavan" or the small one whose title escapes me at the moment. Also, for people who like thinking about this stuff: 5. Ramana Maharshi and His Philosophy of Existence by T.M.P. Mahadevan. (This is actually the best translation of Bhagavan's most important theoretical work, 40 Verses on Existence, with a commentary by an erudite academic philosopher who was also a disciple.) Best regards, Rob Post message: RamanaMaharshi Subscribe: RamanaMaharshi- Un: RamanaMaharshi- List owner: RamanaMaharshi-owner Shortcut URL to this page: /community/RamanaMaharshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2002 Report Share Posted October 5, 2002 Hello, All. My name is Rose, I'm 54, I live in rural upstate New York with husband, Fred, and our six cats. We lead a very rural and homestead-type lifestyle. We are vegans, professional tarot readers; Fred is a healer, as well. We are somewhat familiar with the works of Ramana. They seem to resonate with our need for minimalism in our lives, as well as the need for living in the moment. The big bugaboo in our lives is "grasping." That's the big troublemaker, eh? I have a question about self-enquiry. Based on the following quote from a recent post...3) A Guru's help is required to do self-enquiry properly.... What exactly is proper self-enquiry? How does one achieve that without grasping, without falling into logical bottomless pits? Thanks, Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2002 Report Share Posted October 5, 2002 Thanks for the info, Vic. You mention a NY Ashram. Where would that be? Thanks, Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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