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#3357 -
The Nonduality
Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
In this issue, Greg
Goode's regular Friday column. Also a very nice step
by step introductory teaching in Advaita. Only the
first 40 of the 1008 brief steps are given; you can
visit the link and read all of them.
Why it's OK not
to be Ramana Maharshi
There's Ramana, who
passed away in 1950, and who is revered and worshipped by more
people every year. A quick google search yields over
230,000 hits for web pages with the search term "ramana
maharshi".
And then there's me. Ordinary joe.
Would the outcome of self inquiry actually transform me into
Ramana Maharshi? Would it make me similar to Ramana?
Would I attain a person-to-person comparative similarity to
him? What would that similarity consist of? The same
height, weight, eyes, accent? The same physical, mental or
meditative states? The same renown?
I've known people who seriously consider these questions.
Others have asked these questions about Jesus, Buddha or other
world-renowned teachers.
For myself, I do not have these questions. Let Thine Eye/I
Be Single. The "I" of Awareness is unconditional,
always and already. It is equally the being of Ramana,
Jesus and Buddha, as well as all ordinary joes and janes.
Awareness is the being of all. So "this
joe" doesn't need to be "Ramana" because
"I" already is.
--Greg Goode
http://heartofnow.com
A step by step
first exposure to advaita
Through a
dialogue of 1008 entries
http://www.geocities.com/profvk/advaitadialoguepage1.html
Important note: The
following rambling conversation has been composed as an attempt
to bring to the lay reader some truths of advaita, without
venturing into long passages. So a conscious effort has been made
to reduce each bit of the conversation to a single line
(with just eight exceptions). It has turned out to be a
no-holds-barred dialogue, long and continuous. In the modern
days of desire to learn ‘without tears’, this
perhaps would carry a message to those of us who, inspite of
their intelligence in everything pertaining to the world, think
of themselves as dummies in advaita. Incidentally I imposed on
myself another restriction, namely I will not exceed 1008 entries
in this conversation. And thus it has been a useful ‘nidhidhyAsana’
(Contemplation on what I have learnt) exercise for me. And one
may notice, the whole treatment goes in slow motion, step
by step. Concepts are brought in, one step at a time. I
think this is good for a purposeful nidhidhyAsanA, especially for
a beginner on the spiritual path. I apologise for not breaking it
into smaller sections or chapters, because the continuous flow of
thoughts would not admit breaks.
My PraNAms to all the
Great Gurus of the world and the Guru of Gurus, Shri
dakshhiNAmUrti.
V. Krishnamurthy
A step by step first
exposure to advaita
Through a dialogue of
1008 single lines
1.
Shishhya:
2.
Guru : JnAna-vairAgya-siddhir-astu (May you achieve Wisdom and
Dispassion)
3.
S: I wish the painfulness in the world were unreal.
4.
G: What makes you wish so?
5.
S: Because I feel the pain.
6.
G: Who is this that feels the pain?
7.
S: I, myself.
8.
G: Did you say ‘yourself’ or ‘your self’?
9.
S: What is the difference?
10. G: There is a lot of
difference. But please answer my question.
11. S: I don’t
see any difference.
12. G: That is the
problem; in fact it is a disease called ‘samsAra’.
13. S: I don’t see
it as a disease, but I see you are hinting at something. Can you
explain?
14. G: Your self is
different from yourself.
15. S: I see you are
referring to that something called my self, which is not
myself ?
16. G: You may better
call it your Self, with a capital ‘S’.
17. S: Where is it? I
have not seen it or felt it.
18. G: You have never
seen it because it is you yourself.
19. S: Just now you said
there is a difference between myself and my Self.
20. G: But you said you
don’t see any difference.
21. S: So what is right?
You are confusing me.
22. G: Good, that is
where you have to start. State your confusion clearly.
23. S: What is the
difference between myself and my Self?
24. G: One is perishable,
the other is not.
25. S: I see. Yes, myself
is perishable. But I am not clear why my Self is not
perishable.
26. G: You are jumping
the line.You have not yet accepted there is a Self other than
yourself.
27. S: I thought you said
that my Self is myself.
28. G: It depends
on what you mean by the words ‘myself’ and ‘my
Self’.
29. S: Are you not
playing with words?
30. G: No. ‘yourself’
is what you ordinarily think you are. ‘your Self’ is
what you are.
31. S: Then what I am is
my Self. Is that right?
32. G: Yes, that is the
final teaching of the Upanishads. Better to call it ‘The
Self’.
33. S: What difference
does it make to my daily life?
34. G: It makes this
difference; if you don’t absorb this teaching, you are bound
to suffer.
35. S: Are you referring
to ‘me’ or , ‘my Self’ – which you are
calling ‘The Self’.
36. G: The Self will
never suffer; it is you who will suffer.
37. S: I am still not
clear why you are making this distinction between ‘me’
and ‘my Self’.
38. G: When I talk to you
as ‘you’ I am only talking to you as a body, with mind
& intellect.
39. S: And in the other
case?
40. G: I am referring to
the Self or the Atman that is permanently within you –
not the body, mind or intellect.
Read the remaining 968
lines! http://www.geocities.com/profvk/advaitadialoguepage1.html