Thoughts are the enemy of happiness ! Happiness reigns when thoughts subside! In
fact, thoughts are the veil that covers over the happiness; when this veil is
removed, happiness is revealed.
Where thoughts cease, happiness reigns supreme; such is the
truth about happiness. Although the
thought-free state is gained & happiness is experienced for a while, such a
thought-free state obtained by contact with external objects does not last
long. Therefore, it is clear that one
can never achieve the thought-free happy state permanently with the help of the
5 senses.
Whatever doubt may rise, it cannot rise without the rising
of you the first to have risen — who raised it. Therefore the primal doubt,
namely that of not knowing who you are, is the root of all doubts !
Until this primal doubt is cleared, replying to your other
doubts will be just like cutting the leaves off the branches of a tree, because
they will sprout again & again ! But
if the root is cut, they will not sprout again !
As the gracious light of inner realization entered my heart,
all knowledge acquired through learning was exposed as merely a creation of the
mind & as it fell away, my consciousness — free of attributes, shining in
its natural state of attachment to the Self, that shines without attachment to
anything — gained its final victory as the consciousness that is absolute &
all-embracing.
The particular nature of a Sensation is determined by the
receiving organ, & not by the stimulus. Appearance as such is nothing more
than the Senses. Sensing & Sense-objects
are one with Sensory Perception.
Reality is defined as that which transcends change. The immutable
Reality is the Self, the Self being that single Consciousness in which the many
& various aspects of objective experience come & go. Now it is true that our Sensations are the
mere masks & symbols of Reality.
We cannot have an objective knowledge of Reality, which for
us is identical with Non-Duality. The Notion of a World arises despite the fact
that Objects as such are not perceived. Objects
exist only as Notions, that is to say, they exist when they are thought of
& not otherwise. Now we cannot have more than a single thought at a time,
although the rapidity with which thoughts succeed one another makes plain men
believe the contrary. It follows that
the simultaneous existence of objects is an impossibility. But we remember our
past notions & it is Memory therefore that makes us believe in the
coexistence of objects.
The illusion of the simultaneous & independent existence
of objects arises from the idea that we can cognize several objects
simultaneously. This is one of the many
erroneous habits of thought that becloud our understanding. Such habits will be found to play an
important part, as does the nature of Memory.
We give objective experience to the notion of a World. In this connection, Abstract thought &
generalization pertain. The notion of a World
is a generalization & nothing more. Sensations are Words of a Sensory
Language. When there is no objectification of Consciousness, when
in other words there is no Sensory Perception, what seemed to be an Object
loses both its Sensory & intellectual attributes, remaining as the
principle of Consciousness in which the Object seemed to appear.
It cannot then be called an Object; nor in reality, was
there ever one, for in itself it transcended Name & Form. When a something is cognized, something is present. When a something
is cognized, a something does
certainly exist, but not as it appears. For the appearance is determined solely
by the perceiver & not by the thing in itself.
Some more selected verses from the Ramana Maharshi disciple Master Nome:
[about the
Body & about “activity”]
Become more & more certain of how you are not the Body.
The whole question of being active or inactive thus disappears. The activity
& inactivity are only for the Body. They are never for your real Self.
Become more & more certain of how you are not the Body, & it will make
no difference whether you are having just a little twitch during a seated Meditation,
which you regard as still, or your limbs are very active, busy doing whatever
they are doing. It is a matter of Knowledge of your Identity.
[about Identity]
When you Discern in the process of Self-Inquiry to know the
Self; 3 things happen. First, you clear up the question of where Happiness is.
Happiness returns to its origin. Secondly, you clear up this question of
Identity. This sense of Identity returns to its origin. & thirdly, you clear up the question of
Reality, & the sense of Reality returns to its origin. When Happiness,
Identity & Reality coincide within, your Knowledge is firm.
[about Detachment]
For what reason do you become attached to something? It is
only because you think that there is Happiness in it. & of course, you think that it is Real &
that it has some connection with you. Usually, you think that it will endure,
as well [instead of temporary as with all things]. Meditation on the Transience
of objects tends to make one Detached. One is attached to something only
because one is mixing up the Immortality of his own nature with the object. One
thinks it will endure. As soon as one thinks about how it will not
continue, Detachment begins.
Even more so, Detachment from objects comes about when one
discerns where Happiness is & no longer thinks something else is going to
give Happiness to him. As long as one thinks that objects, situations, &
other people, or the relations with them, are going to give him his own, innate
Happiness, one remains attached. When one feels that there is no Happiness in
them, such are not going to give the Happiness to him, he becomes quite naturally
Detached.
When one acts upon that Detachment, it is called
Renunciation. Renunciation is an expression, & sometimes a confirmation,
for yourself, concerning the Detachment that has been born within. In the
course of practice, everyone renounces to some degree. It depends on the
seeker, though, which particular objects or things are renounced. It is not
reasonable to assume that, when you become Detached from all things due to Discrimination,
you will go on acting in the identical fashion as you did when you were in the
utter darkness of Ignorance. Those activities & those objects that you
associated with due to Ignorance will be renounced. Those that were neutral,
or even helpful or beneficial to your spirituality, may remain.
If you see the Transience in Life, you become
Detached. If you contemplate deeply the question about what is Happiness &
what not, you become more Detached. If you see that all things are a Dream of
your own mind, you become much, much more Detached. &
if you realize who you are, you have innate Detachment, which is supreme
Detachment. The greater the Detachment, the greater the Bliss. The more the
attachment, the more the suffering. Suffering & attachment are the same
thing.
[responding to a question as whether Detachment entails
Duality]
No. In a state of attachment, there is Duality. There are
you & the object. You
cling to the object, but fruitlessly so, because the object will
vanish or your Body will vanish or both will vanish. It is purposeless. While you are attached to
the object, you suffer. Even though you do so in the name of gaining
Happiness, you suffer. You suffer when the object is not there. Then, you
suffer fear of its loss when it is there. That is not the way to be. That is
not the Ideal State
The above themes & 1600 pages
more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of
a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:
or with Caps-sensitive:
Duplicates have been available on:
jstiga.wordpress.com/
[But from now on, they will be different & still usually daily.]
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