Inquiry and the intellect

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

 

I found the material I am posting below useful. It expands of

something that I have heard Nome say, that the intellect, instead of

being "the enemy of practice" can actually be used as an important

aide to practice.

 

This is excepted from an article, "Identity" by Lucy Cornelssen. It

was included within the many contributed articles published in Ramana

Smrti Souvenir – Sri Ramana Maharshi Birth Centenary Offering 1980,

published by Ramanasramam for the occasion.

 

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Question: If the ego or `I' be an illusion who then casts off

the illusion?

 

Answer: The `I' casts off the illusion of `I' and yet remains

as `I'. This appears to be a paradox to you; it is not so to the

jnani. (Guru Ramana, 17 Feb 37)

 

Question: Is an intellectual understanding of the Truth

necessary?

 

Answer: Yes. Otherwise why does not the person realize God or

the Self as soon as he is told that God is all or the Self is all?

One must argue with himself and gradually convince himself of the

Truth. (Talks, 16 Dec 1937)

 

How is this? There are many quotations from Sri Ramana

Maharshi's works and Talks quite to the contrary, when he clearly

states that there is no reaching the Truth by intellect, but that the

intellect (or mind) has to be transcended in order to attain to the

Truth. Isn't this a flagrant contradiction?

 

Only apparently.

 

According to the highest revelations of mankind we are the

Truth. Why then are we not aware of this plain fact? Because the

intellect has developed from being a useful servant into a

troublesome and tyrannic master in the house. It will not and cannot

be convinced of the higher Truth, because this is beyond its scope.

However, it can be transcended and the conviction reached that there

is a higher power, and that will do to open the 'Heart' to the

opportunity of direct experience.

 

.... What is the intellect? It is the faculty of the brain. Its roots

are simple `discriminating and choosing." ...

 

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So as seekers we can use the intellect to discriminate who we are

NOT, and chose to direct our attention to Who We Are (the Self). The

conviction (bhava) that we are the Self is a real aide to the deepest

inquiry.

 

We are Not two,

Richard