Jnana Marga

Sri Ramana Maharshi:

What time is most suitable for meditation?

M: What is time?

Tell me what it is!

M: Time is only an idea. There is only the Reality. Whatever you think it is, it looks like that. If you call it time, it is time. If you call it existence, it is existence and so on. After calling it time, you divide it into days and nights, months, years, hours, minutes etc. Time is immaterial for the Path of Knowledge. But some of theses rules and disciplines are good for beginners.

What is jnana marga (Path of Knowledge)?

M: Concentration of the mind is in a way common to both knowledge and yoga. Yoga aims at union of individual with the universal, the Reality. This Reality cannot be new. It must exist even now, and it does exist.

Therefore the Path of Knowledge tries to find out how viyoga (separation) came about. The separation is from the Reality only.

What is illusion?

M: To whom is the illusion? Find it out. Then illusion will vanish. Generally people want to know about illusion and do not examine to whom it is. It is foolish. Illusion is outside and unknown. But the seeker is considered to be known and is inside. Find out what is immediate, intimate, instead of trying to find out what is distant and unknown.

Does Maharshi advise any physical posture for the Europeans?

M: It may be advisable. However, it must be clearly understood that meditation is not prohibited in the absence of asanas, or prescribed times, or any accessories of the kind.

Is work an obstruction to Self-Realization?

M: No. For a realized being the Self alone is the Reality, and actions are only phenomenal, not affecting the Self. Even when he acts he has no sense of being an agent. His actions are only involuntary and he remains a witness to them without any attachment.

There is no aim for this action. Even one who is still practising the path of Wisdom (jnana) can practice while engaged in work. It may be difficult in the earlier stages for a beginner, but after some practice it will soon be effective and the work will not be found a hindrance to meditation.