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Nondual Highlights Issue #1811 Friday, May 28, 2004 Editor: Mark
Editor's note: I sometimes feel as though I've strayed from the
practice that I set out to do, and so this is a sort of
"back to basics" issue. Enjoy!
The desire to find the self will be surely fulfilled, provided
you want nothing else. But you must be honest with yourself and
really want nothing else. If, in the meantime, you want many
other things and are engaged in their pursuit, your main purpose
may be delayed until you grow wiser and cease being torn between
contradictory urges. Go within, without swerving, without ever
looking outward.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
9. What is the path of inquiry for understanding the nature of
the mind?
That which rises as ‘I’ in this body is the mind. If
one inquires as to where in the body the thought‘I’
rises first, one would discover that it rises in the heart. That
is the place of the mind’s origin.Even if one thinks
constantly ‘I’ ‘I’, one will be led to that
place. Of all the thoughts that arise in the mind, the
‘I’ thought is the first. It is only after the rise of
this that the other thoughts arise. It is after the appearance of
the first personal pronoun that the second and third personal
pronouns appear; without the first personal pronoun there will
not be the second and third.
10. How will the mind become quiescent?
By the inquiry ‘Who am I?’. The thought ‘who am
I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the stick used
for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get
destroyed. Then, there will arise Self-realization.
11. What is the means for constantly holding on to the thought
‘Who am I?’
When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but should
inquire: ‘To whom do they arise?’ It does not matter
how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should
inquire with diligence, "To whom has this thought
arisen?". The answer that would emerge would be "To
me". Thereupon if one inquires "Who am I?", 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 senseorgans, 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
"inwardness" (antarmukha). Letting the mind go out of
the Heart is known as "externalisation" (bahir-mukha).
Thus, when the mind stays in the Heart, the ‘I’ 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 "I". If one acts in that way, all will appear as
of the nature of Siva (God).
12. Are there no other means for making the mind quiescent?
Other than inquiry, there are no adequate means. If through other
means it is sought to control the mind, the mind will appear to
be controlled, but will again go forth. Through the control of
breath also, the mind will become quiescent; but it will be
quiescent only so long as the breath remains controlled, and when
the breath resumes the mind also will again start moving and will
wander as impelled by residual impressions. The source is the
same for both mind and breath. Thought, indeed, is the nature of
the mind. The thought "I" is the first thought of the
mind; and that is egoity. It is from that whence egoity
originates that breath also originates. Therefore, when the mind
becomes quiescent, the breath is controlled, and when the breath
is controlled the mind becomes quiescent. But in deep sleep,
although the mind becomes quiescent, the breath does not stop.
This is because of the will of God, so that the body may be
preserved and other people may not be under the impression that
it is dead. In the state of waking and in samadhi, when the mind
becomes quiescent the breath is controlled. Breath is the gross
form of mind. Till the time of death, the mind keeps breath in
the body; and when the body dies the mind takes the breath along
with it. Therefore, the exercise of breath-control is only an aid
for rendering the mind quiescent (manonigraha); it will not
destroy the mind (manonasa). Like the practice of breath-control.
meditation on the forms of God, repetition of mantras,
restriction on food, etc., are but aids for rendering the mind
quiescent. Through meditation on the forms of God and through
repetition of mantras, the mind becomes onepointed. The mind will
always be wandering. Just as when a chain is given to an elephant
to hold in its trunk it will go along grasping the chain and
nothing else, so also when the mind is occupied with a name or
form it will grasp that alone. When the mind expands in the form
of countless thoughts, each thought becomes weak; but as thoughts
get resolved the mind becomes one-pointed and strong; for such a
mind Self-inquiry will become easy. Of all the restrictive rules,
that relating to the taking of sattvic food in moderate
quantities is the best; by observing this rule, the sattvic
quality of mind will increase, and that will be helpful to
Self-inquiry.
13. The residual impressions (thoughts) of objects appear wending
like the waves of an ocean. When will all of them get destroyed?
As the meditation on the Self rises higher and higher, the
thoughts will get destroyed.
14. Is it possible for the residual impressions of objects that
come from beginningless time, as it were, to be resolved, and for
one to remain as the pure Self?
Without yielding to the doubt "Is it possible, or
not?", one should persistently hold on to the meditation on
the Self. Even if one be a great sinner, one should not worry and
weep "O! I am a sinner, how can I be saved?"; one
should completely renounce the thought "I am a sinner";
and concentrate keenly on meditation on the Self; then, one would
surely succeed. There are not two minds - one good and the other
evil; the mind is only one. It is the residual impressions that
are of two kinds - auspicious and inauspicious. When the mind is
under the influence of auspicious impressions it is called good;
and when it is under the influence of inauspicious impressions it
is regarded as evil. The mind should not be allowed to wander
towards worldly objects and what concerns other people. However
bad other people may be, one should bear no hatred for them. Both
desire and hatred should be eschewed. All that one gives to
others one gives to one’s self. If this truth is understood
who will not give to others? When one’s self arises all
arises; when one’s self becomes quiescent all becomes
quiescent. To the extent we behave with humility, to that extent
there will result good. If the mind is rendered quiescent, one
may live anywhere.
15. How long should inquiry be practised?
As long as there are impressions of objects in the mind, so long
the inquiry 'Who am I? ' is required. As thoughts arise they
should be destroyed then and there in the very place of their
origin, through inquiry. If one resorts to contemplation of the
Self unintermittently, until the Self is gained, that alone would
do. As long as there are enemies within the fortress, they will
continue to sally forth; if they are destroyed as they emerge,
the fortress will fall into our hands.
16. What is the nature of the Self?
What exists in truth is the Self alone. The world, the individual
soul, and God are appearances in it. like silver in
mother-of-pearl, these three appear at the same time, and
disappear at the same time. The Self is that where there is
absolutely no "I" thought. That is called
"Silence". The Self itself is the world; the Self
itself is "I"; the Self itself is God; all is Siva, the
Self.
17. Is not everything the work of God?
Without desire, resolve, or effort, the sun rises; and in its
mere presence, the sun-stone emits fire, the lotus blooms, water
evaporates; people perform their various functions and then rest.
Just as in the presence of the magnet the needle moves, it is by
virtue of the mere presence of God that the souls governed by the
three (cosmic) functions or the fivefold divine activity perform
their actions and then rest, in accordance with their respective
karmas. God has no resolve; no karma attaches itself to Him. That
is like worldly actions not affecting the sun, or like the merits
and demerits of the other four elements not affecting all
pervading space.
18. Of the devotees, who is the greatest?
He who gives himself up to the Self that is God is the most
excellent devotee. Giving one’s self up to God means
remaining constantly in the Self without giving room for the rise
of any thoughts other than that of the Self. Whatever burdens are
thrown on God, He bears them. Since the supreme power of God
makes all things move, why should we, without submitting
ourselves to it, constantly worry ourselves with thoughts as to
what should be done and how, and what should not be done and how
not? We know that the train carries all loads, so after getting
on it why should we carry our small luggage on our head to our
discomfort, instead of putting it down in the train and feeling
at ease?
19. What is non-attachment?
As thoughts arise, destroying them utterly without any residue in
the very place of their origin is non-attachment. Just as the
pearl-diver ties a stone to his waist, sinks to the bottom of the
sea and there takes the pearls, so each one of us should be
endowed with non-attachment, dive within oneself and obtain the
Self-Pearl.
20. Is it not possible for God and the Guru to effect the release
of a soul?
God and the Guru will only show the way to release; they will not
by themselves take the soul to the state of release. In truth,
God and the Guru are not different. Just as the prey which has
fallen into the jaws of a tiger has no escape, so those who have
come within the ambit of the Guru’s gracious look will be
saved by the Guru and will not get lost; yet, each one should by
his own effort pursue the path shown by God or Guru and gain
release. One can know oneself only with one’s own eye of
knowledge, and not with somebody else’s. Does he who is Rama
require the help of a mirror to know that he is Rama?
21. Is it necessary for one who longs for release to inquire into
the nature of categories (tattvas)?
Just as one who wants to throw away garbage has no need to
analyse it and see what it is, so one who wants to know the Self
has no need to count the number of categories or inquire into
their characteristics; what he has to do is to reject altogether
the categories that hide the Self. The world should be considered
like a dream.
22. Is there no difference between waking and dream?
Waking is long and a dream short; other than this there is no
difference. Just as waking happenings seem real while awake. so
do those in a dream while dreaming. In dream the mind takes on
another body. In both waking and dream states thoughts. names and
forms occur simultaneously.
23. Is it
any use reading books for those who long for release? All the
texts say that in order to gain release one should render the
mind quiescent; therefore their conclusive teaching is that the
mind should be rendered quiescent; once this has been understood
there is no need for endless reading. In order to quieten the
mind one has only to inquire within oneself what one’s Self
is; how could this search be done in books? One should know
one’s Self with one’s own eye of wisdom. The Self is
within the five sheaths; but books are outside them. Since the
Self has to be inquired into by discarding the five sheaths, it
is futile to search for it in books. There will come a time when
one will have to forget all that one has learned.
24. What is happiness?
Happiness is the very nature of the Self; happiness and the Self
are not different. There is no happiness in any object of the
world. We imagine through our ignorance that we derive happiness
from objects. When the mind goes out, it experiences misery. In
truth, when its desires are fulfilled, it returns to its own
place and enjoys the happiness that is the Self. Similarly, in
the states of sleep, samadhi and fainting, and when the object
desired is obtained or the object disliked is removed, the mind
becomes inward-turned, and enjoys pure Self-Happiness. Thus the
mind moves without rest alternately going out of the Self and
returning to it. Under the tree the shade is pleasant; out in the
open the heat is scorching. A person who has been going about in
the sun feels cool when he reaches the shade. Someone who keeps
on going from the shade into the sun and then back into the shade
is a fool. A wise man stays permanently in the shade. Similarly,
the mind of the one who knows the truth does not leave Brahman.
The mind of the ignorant, on the contrary, revolves in the world,
feeling miserable, and for a little time returns to Brahman to
experience happiness. In fact, what is called the world is only
thought. When the world disappears, i.e. when there is no
thought, the mind experiences happiness; and when the world
appears, it goes through misery.
- excerpt from Who Am I? (Nan Yar?): The
Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi;
Translation by Dr. T. M. P. MAHADEVAN From the original Tamil,
Published by V. S. RAMANAN PRESIDENT, BOARD OF TRUSTEES SRI
RAMANASRAMAM TIRUVANNAMALAI, S. INDIA
More here: http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/
Too Vast
for Partnership
Will it be better for us when we
dissolve into the ground, or worse?
Let's learn now what will happen.
This is lovers' work, to break through
and become this earth, to die before
we die. Don't think of pairing up
somehow with God! That claim is a
religious self-indulgence. You know
it by the smell: smoke coming off
dried dung is different from that of
aloe wood! The presence that one
second is soil, then water, fire,
smoke, woof, warp, a friend, a shame,
a modesty, is too vast and intimate
for partnership! Observers watch as
presence takes thousands of forms.
But inside your eyes the presence
doesn't brighten or dim; it just
lives there. A saint or a prophet,
one like Muhammad can see the trees
of heaven, the fruit hanging so close
he could reach and pick one for his
friend. But it's not time for that.
They melt and flow away from sight.
- Ghazal (Ode) 941 Version by Coleman Barks, with Nevit Ergin The
Glance Viking-Penguin, 1999, posted on
Sunlight
The Practice of Tonglen
Each of us has a "soft spot": the place in our
experience where we feel vulnerable and tender. This soft spot is
inherent in appreciation and love, and it is equally inherent in
pain.
Often, when we feel that soft spot, it's quickly followed by a
feeling of fear and an involuntary, habitual tendency to close
down. This is the tendency of all living things: to avoid pain
and cling to pleasure. In practice, however, covering up the soft
spot means shutting down against out life experience. Then we
tend to narrow down into a solid feeling of self against other.
One very powerful and effective way to work with tendency to push
away pain and hold onto pleasure is the practice of tonglen.
Tonglen is a Tibetan word that literally means "sending and
taking." The practice originated in India and came to Tibet
in the eleventh century. In tonglen practice, when we see or feel
suffering, we breathe in with the notion of completely feeling
it, accepting it, and owning it. Then we breathe out, radiating
compassion, lovingkindness, freshness; anything that encourages
relaxation and openness.
In this practice, it's not uncommon to find yourself blocked,
because you come face to face with your own fear, resistance, or
whatever your personal stuckness happens to be at that moment. At
that point, you can change the focus and do tonglen for yourself
, and for millions of others just like you, at that very moment,
who are feeling exactly the same misery.
I particularly like to encourage tonglen, on the spot. For
example, you're walking down the street and you see the pain of
another human being. On-the-spot tonglen means that you just
don't rush by; you actually breathe in with the wish that this
person can be free of suffering, and send them out some kind of
good heart or well-being. If seeing that other person's pain
brings up fear or anger or confusion, which often happens, just
start doing tonglen for yourself and all the other people who are
stuck in the very same way.
When you do tonglen on the spot, you simply breathe in and
breathe out, taking in pain and sending out spaciousness and
relief. When you tonglen as a formal practice, it has four
stages:
1) First,rest your mind briefly in a state of openness or
stillness.
2) Second, work with texture. Breathe in a feeling of hot, dark,
and heavy, and breathe out a feeling of cool, bright, and light.
Breathe in and radiate completely, through all the pores of your
body, until it feels synchronized with your in-and out-breathe.
3) Third, work with any painful personal situation that is real
to you. Traditionally, you begin by doing tonglen for someone you
care about. However, if your stuck, do the practice for your pain
and simultaneously for all those just like you who feel that kind
of suffering.
4) Finally, make the taking in and the sending out larger.
Whether your doing tonglen for someone you love or for someone
you see on television, do it for all the others in the same boat.
You could even do tonglen for people you consider your
enemies--those who have hurt you or others. Do tonglen for them,
thinking of them as having the same confusion and stuckness as
your find or yourself.
This is to say that tonglen can extend indefinitely. As you do
the practice, gradually, over time, your compassion naturally
expands-- and so does your realization that things are not as
solid as you thought. As you do this practice, at your own pace,
you'll be surprised to find yourself more and more able to be
there for others, even in what seemed like impossible situations.
- Pema Chodron from When Things Fall Apart:
Heart Advice for Difficult Times
The Buddha said, "The renunciate Sramana cuts off the
passions, frees himself of attachments, understands the source of
his own mind, penetrates the deepest doctrine of Buddha, and
comprehends the Dharma which is immaterial. He has no prejudice
in his heart, he has nothing to hanker after. He is not hampered
by the thought of the Way, nor is he entangled in karma. No
prejudice, no compulsion, so discipline, no enlightenment, and no
going up through the grades, and yet in possession of all honours
in itself - this is what is meant by the Way."
- excerpt from The Sayings of the Buddha in Forty-Two Sections
More
here: http://www.ozarkzen.org/42say.html