ENLIGHTENMENT BY SELF-INQUIRY–pt115

[The Teaching  of Non-Duality has been adapted from Master Nome, disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi.  Sections appended below derive from Sri Ramana's Teaching.]

There is precision to the spiritual path & Self-Inquiry, but there are not conceptual steps to lay out a follow like a recipe. The instructions, as given by the Wise Sages, include great detail regarding how to inquire & how to transcend the Mind, the Body, & the Ego. But when put into practice these stages or "steps" are of a very formless nature. Tracing out the steps by which those before you have become liberated is as an Upanishad has declared, "Like trying to trace the tracks of birds in the sky."

The Self has nothing to accept or reject & there is nothing or no one else to accept or reject the Self, to think the Self is or that it is not.  Such is the Truth regarding the Self. The Mind becomes the object, the instrument or means of knowing, the actor, the actions, & the results in a Dream.  Just so is the case in the Waking State. The Real Self is different from the Mind & all these things that the Mind becomes. The Self is without interior & exterior, such as the Mind and the World.  The Self is homogenous Consciousness.  Know the Self by ceasing the attribution of anything exterior or interior to the Self.  Remembrance & forgetfulness, including remembrance & forgetfulness of the Self, are also only of the Mind.  Both remembrance & forgetfulness are products of Ignorance & do not touch the Self.  Cease to regard the Self as a known or unknown Object.

[Ramana]

If the Mind subsides, the whole World subsides. Mind is the cause of all "this".  If the Mind subsides, the Natural State presents itself.

The Self proclaims itself at all times as "I". The Self is self-luminous.  The Self

is here. All this is That.  We are in That only.  Being in it, why search for it ?  Sages say: "'Making the vision absorbed in Self-Knowledge, one sees the World as Brahman."

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

www.jpstiga.com/

http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/

This blog is also available on:

jstiga.wordpress.com/

“There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth.”
–  the “no creation” school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com

ENLIGHTENMENT BY SELF-INQUIRY–pt114

[The Teaching  of Non-Duality has been adapted from Master Nome, disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi.  Sections appended below derive from Sri Ramana's Teaching.]

Beyond any words used, such as "Who am I ?", Self-Inquiry is more a matter of experiencing the fact of your Existence.  This Existence does not depend on words to be r to be experienced.  Self-Inquiry is concerned with & takes place entirely within Existence. Just as there is no need to develop trust in the sleep state, we do not need to develop trust in the Truth of your Existence.  We do not need to develop trust in our Existence, the natural nature of Self-Inquiry is inherent in us.  Furthermore, in both sleep & Self-Inquiry, the "Body" is put of the picture.  But we still exist.  Based upon the nature of our Existence & our experience, we can & must discern what that Existence is.  The ability to know itself is intrinsic to the Existence.  We are not dealing with something completely unknown.  We actually deal with what is best known, the fact that we do certainly exist.

The super–imposed veils the view of the underlying Reality. The super–imposed is not a "reality" in & of itself, but is only a product of Imagination, the result of Ignorance.   The super–imposed is like the Snake imagined to be present where there is a Rope. The Snake is not real & was not really "born", but in Imagination it seems to be there.  As long as one is convinced that the Snake is there, the Rope is invisible to him.  If he removes that Snake Illusion with the Light of Knowledge, he sees the Rope alone as it is, which has been the only real thing the entire time. The Snake represents all that is attributed falsely to the Reality of the Absolute Self, such as the World, bodily form, various mental conceptions & tendencies, & Egoism.  For Non-Dual Existence there is no "other". There is thus no difference or non–difference, no oneness or manyness, & no separate Knower or Doer or Experiencer.

[Ramana]

We go round and round in search of the Self saying, "Where is the Self ?  Where is it ?" until at last the dawn of Self-Knowledge is reached, & we say, "This is the Self, this is me."  We should acquire that vision. When once that vision is reached, there will be no attachments even if one mixes with the World & moves about in it. When once you put on shoes, your feet do not feel the pain of walking on any number of stones or thorns on the way. You walk about without fear or care, even if there are mountains on the way. In the same way, everything will be natural to those who have attained Self-Knowledge. What is there apart from one's own Self ?

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

www.jpstiga.com/

http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/

This blog is also available on:

jstiga.wordpress.com/

“There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth.”
–  the “no creation” school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com

ENLIGHTENMENT BY SELF-INQUIRY–pt113

[The Teaching  of Non-Duality has been adapted from Master Nome, disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi.  Sections appended below derive from Sri Ramana's Teaching.]

As regards some analogy between falling asleep & Self-Inquiry, we can note that upon falling asleep we are not left wondering, "What about the World ?  Where is my I ?" & so on.  One can inquire & prove it to oneself.  But it may seem, in the case of sleep, that "it just happens." Yet Self-Inquiry is not haphazard. Self-Inquiry always works because it is the Knowledge of Existence itself.  Analogy to sleep only holds as a pointer to the naturalness of both processes, & the comparable loss of a "World" in each case. We do not aim at a sleep experience in Self-Inquiry.

The Self is Non-Dual, 1–without–a 2^nd.  The Self is neither distinct from nor in relation to anything else, for it relinquishes Mis-identification with the Body & all that is objective.  So should one sever the Identification with the supposed Subject, which is the Ego. The Self's Existence is independent of all & is different from all that is objective. The objectified "I" is the Ego. The superimposed objective portion of the "I"–consciousness should be abandoned, for it is not actually the Self.  Negation of what is objective means also Negation of the Ego. W hat remains is that which is implied in the aphorism, "I am Brahman", (aham brahmasmi).

[Ramana]

The Guru will say only what I am saying now.  He will not give you anything you have not already got.  It is impossible for anyone to get what he has not got already.  Even if he gets any such thing, it will go as it came.  What comes will also go.  What always exists will alone remain. The Guru cannot give you anything new, which you don't have already. Removal of the notion that we have not realized the Self is all that is required.  We are always the Self only we don't realize it.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

www.jpstiga.com/

http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/

This blog is also available on:

jstiga.wordpress.com/

“There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth.”
–  the “no creation” school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com

ENLIGHTENMENT BY SELF-INQUIRY–pt112

[The Teaching  of Non-Duality has been adapted from Master Nome, disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi.  Sections appended below derive from Sri Ramana's Teaching.]

If asked about the benefits of Self-Inquiry, the Teacher must say: "Find out." This is like a person asking, "If I go to sleep, will it be as good as you say it is ?"  You would tell such a person, "Go to sleep & find out."  How can one give an analysis of sleep without going to sleep? When you fall asleep, no struggle is involved, but there is a relinquishment of the bodily orientation, the worldly orientation, etc., & you do that even without the comfort of pre-knowledge. You change the state of Mind by going to sleep, & yet your existence still remains. The actual process of doing so cannot be chalked out in concrete steps. It is similar with Self-Inquiry, inasmuch as a set of concrete steps cannot be chalked out.  The path is rather Formless but very natural.  When you fall asleep, you give up the World and the "I"-notion subsides. All of it is experienced as being very natural.  After you fall asleep, you do not wonder, "Where has the World gone ?" "Where is my 'I' ?"

All qualities, gross or subtle, ought to be negated from the Self, from one’s Identity, if one is to know the Self as it is.  Whatever be the qualities attributed to the Self, be they physical or mental, they are to be regarded as mere ornaments, which would not be regarded as the Identity of the one who wears them. If one rejects all that is objective from one's Identity, one comes to the conclusion that the Self is the Knower free from all that is conceived & perceived.  In the same manner as one relinquishes Mis-identification with the Body & all that is objective, so should one sever the identification with the supposed Subject, which is the Ego.

[Ramana]

The concept about "reaching this Self-Realized state" is that there is a "goal" & a "path" to it.  But we are the "goal" or Peace always. To get rid of the notion that we are not Peace is all that is required.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

www.jpstiga.com/

http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/

This blog is also available on:

jstiga.wordpress.com/

“There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth.”
–  the “no creation” school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com

ENLIGHTENMENT BY SELF-INQUIRY–pt111

[The Teaching  of Non-Duality has been adapted from Master Nome, disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi.  Sections appended below derive from Sri Ramana's Teaching.]

Sri Ramana says, "The World is not seen, & no 'I'-belief."  Why is giving up the objective outlook mentioned ?  It is because, when we have an objectified view of things, inherent in that view, or perspective, there is some definition or set of definitions of the "I".  There must be some definition of "I" so that the objective World can appear as it does to one. Those definitions should be abandoned. The best way to utterly relinquish the "I"-notion is to inquire to see if it actually exists. What you are attempting to negate then is not so much the word or the idea of "I", but the assumed Individuality (jivata), the perspective of existing as a particularized thing.  Such is the base upon which the entire samsara (Illusion) rests.

The same Absolute Brahman appears according to one's understanding as "Gos", who is said to be the "Lord" who dispassionately distributes the results of karma.  Or else Brahman appears as the Witness, which is Consciousness in relation to all.  Or else Brahman appears as the attributeless, Eternal "I" of the nature of Indivisible, Non-Dual Existence–Consciousness which alone exists, without–a–2^nd.  The Self has neither rise nor set, is neither in darkness nor illumined, but is always the spiritual Light, with nothing material or mental in its nature at all.  The distinction between the Self & oneself is due only to super–imposition. This super–imposition is like imagining different "holes" to be different "spaces" due to emphasizing the structure with the openings rather than perceiving the Space itself.

[Ramana]

There is a story about a lady who had a precious necklace round her neck.  Once in her excitement she forgot it & thought that the necklace was lost.  She became anxious & looked for it in her home but could not find it.  She asked her friends & neighbors if they knew anything about the necklace.  They did not.  At last a kind friend of hers told her to feel the necklace round her neck.  She found that it had all along been

round her neck & she was happy.  When others asked her later if she had found the necklace which was lost, she said, "Yes, I have found it."  She still felt that she had recovered a lost jewel.  Now did she lose it at all ?  It was all along round her neck.  But judge her feelings.  She was as happy as if she had recovered a lost jewel.  Similarly with us, we imagine that we will realize that Self some time, whereas we are never anything but the Self.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

www.jpstiga.com/

http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/

This blog is also available on:

jstiga.wordpress.com/

“There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth.”
–  the “no creation” school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com

ENLIGHTENMENT BY SELF-INQUIRY–pt110

[The Teaching  of Non-Duality has been adapted from Master Nome, disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi.  Sections appended below derive from Sri Ramana's Teaching.]

For the Absolute Self there is nothing based on an "I".  For the Absolute Self there is no World. This realization should be even while apparently awake. Sri Ramana Maharshi has emphasized that our Self-Inquiry & our knowledge should not consist of suppositions, however apparently conclusive those ideas may be.  Our knowledge should consist of the true Knowledge of Reality.  The revelation Truth comes by giving up the objective outlook, abandoning the Ego-notion, & knowing one's Self.

The Self's Existence is independent of all & is different from all that is objective. The objectified "I" is the Ego. The super–imposed objective portion of the "I"–consciousness should be abandoned, for it is not actually the Self.  Negation of what is objective means also Negation of the Ego. What remains is that which is implied in the aphorism, "I am Brahman", (aham brahmasmi). Only Brahman can be itself, 1–without–a–2^nd. That is the only true "I".  Brahman is Unborn, Immortal, Imperishable, ageless, & all-comprehensive.

[Ramana]

If it were it true that you realize it later it means that you are not Self-Realized now. Absence of Realization in the present moment may be repeated at any moment in the future, for time is infinite.  So such Realization is impermanent.  But that is not true.  It is wrong to consider Realization to be impermanent.  Self-Realization is the true Eternal state which cannot change.

You are already That.  Time & Space cannot affect the Self.  Time & Space are in you.  So also all that you see around you is in you.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

www.jpstiga.com/

http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/

This blog is also available on:

jstiga.wordpress.com/

“There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth.”
–  the “no creation” school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com

ENLIGHTENMENT BY SELF-INQUIRY–pt109

[The Teaching  of Non-Duality has been adapted from Master Nome, disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi.]

If the dearness of sleep were just rest for the body, a horizontal position would suffice, and there would be less interest in sleep. A person who is lying in a bed & who cannot sleep, even though the body is in a horizontal position, after some time, may become agitated. He wants her sleep. He wants to get rid of this "I" & this World. Though waking & sleeping are a natural cycle, we should remain in identity with the Absolute Self which is "I"– less, which has no "I" arising.

True Knowledge is not experienced unless the prior ignorant conception is negated, just as the Snake-notion is destroyed to see the Rope. The Self, of the nature of Pure Consciousness, is self-existent & can never be negated. Egoism has its origin in Delusion & has for its object that which is only imagined.  Ego's definitions are only thoughts. The discernment of "neti neti" – "not this, not this" negates the Ego's very existence, along with its origin, its effects, & its imagined objects.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

www.jpstiga.com/

http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/

This blog is also available on:

jstiga.wordpress.com/

“There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth.”
–  the “no creation” school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com