No mind I Am The Self.. Transmission

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Another Snip by David Godman.

 

This 'spiritual power' needs a few words of explanation. There is a power which

radiates from {or operates in the vicinity of} those who have realized the Self.

Its effect can be experienced: in the presence of the Guru was realized the

Self, devotees' minds automatically quieten down. This power is transmitted

quite spontaneously and effortlessly by the Guru; it is one of the automatic

consequences of realization. The effect it produces is proportional to the

spiritual maturity of the devotee; immature devotees may feel nothing at all

when they are exposed to the power whereas the mind of an advanced devotee may

quieten down completely and subside into the Self. The transmission of this

power, which Sri Lakshamana calls the grace of the Self, is the most direct form

of spiritual teaching; instead of giving instructions on how to control the

mind, the Guru effortlessly emits a power which automatically controls the mind

of people around him.

The strength of the transmission can be controlled by the Guru. if the

disciple makes an effort to control his mind, or fills it with love for God or

Guru, then the flow of grace from the Guru will be stronger. the following

quotation makes this clear:

 

Question: Does the grace of the Guru flow automatically or does the Guru

exercise some control over who receives it and who doesn't?

 

Swami: Grace is always flowing from the form of the Guru. If your mind is quiet

you will automatically receive it. But if a Guru sees that a particular devotee

is full of devotion or free from thoughts, he may respond to the devotee's state

of mind by increasing the flow of grace towards him. So you can say that grace

is always flowing, but that sometimes the flow is increased because the Guru is

deliberately projecting it.

This transmission of power forms the core of Sri Lakshmana's teachings. when

devotees sit with him during a formal Darshan, he will look at each devotee in

turn, see what state each of their minds is in, and then transmit this power of

the Self to all those he feels can be benefited by it. This transmission of

grace usually takes place while he is looking at the devotee's eyes. Swamy

sometimes calls this process chakshu diksha, which means giving power or

initiation through the eyes. Ramana Maharshi also used this method to bring his

own devotees to a state of inner silence. In Guru Vachaka Kovai Sri Ramana says,

The Guru is the bestower of silence who reveals the light of Self-knowledge

which shines as the residual reality. Spoken words are of no use what so ever if

the eyes of the Guru meet the eyes of the disciple.

Ramana Maharshi called this method 'teaching through silence' and he too

regarded it as the most important part of his teachings. There are numerous

accounts in print of devotees and visitors who sat with Sri Ramana and

experienced state of peace, bliss or inner stillness because of the power that

he was transmitting. Devotees at Sri Lakshmana Ashram experience the same state

which they are sitting with Swamy.

In addition to producing a state of temporary quietness, the power which the

Guru transmits cleans and purifies the mind. When the mind becomes pure, free

from thought and out-going tendencies, it is more easy for it to sink into the

Heart and experience the bliss of the Self. The purifying power of the Guru's

grace cannot be overstressed. I have heard Sri Lakshmana say that a single

glance from a Guru can be more spiritually beneficial than many years of

solitary meditation. Again, Ramana Maharshi was of the same opinion. A verse

which he included in one of his rare written works extols the purifying power of

the jnani's look:

Association with the Guru is this considered by Sri Lakshmana to be of

paramount importance for those who are seeking Self-realization. This

association, or sat-sanga, need not necessarily be physical; Swamy says that if

one meditates on the name and form of the Guru then the grace will also flow

into the devotee's mind. He stresses the importance of the Guru's grace so

strongly in his teaching that he insists that, except in very rare instance,

Self-realization is impossible without it.....................