"The very first step in understanding what this is all about is giving up the concept of an active, volitional 'I' as a separate entity and accepting the passive role of perceiving and functioning as a process." - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

The Tenth Man

Sri Ramana Maharshi:

Ten ignorant men forded a stream and on reaching the other shore counted themselves and found only nine. They grew anxious and grieved at the loss of the tenth unknown man. A wayfarer, ascertaining the cause of their grief, found that each had left himself out in the count, so gave each a blow and asked them to count. They counted ten and were satisfied. The tenth man was not got anew. He was along there and only ignorance had caused their grief. Similarly also with a man and the Self. There is nothing to be gained anew. The Self is ever here and now. Because the limitations have been wrongly assumed, there is the need to transcend them. Moreover, if it were anything to be gained anew, it would imply its previous absence. What was absent once may vanish again also, in which case there would be no permanence in salvation.

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सर्वभूताधिवासं यद्भूतेषु च वसत्यपि।
सर्वानुग्राहकत्वेन तद्स्म्यहं वासुदेवः॥

That in whom reside all beings and who resides in all beings,
who is the giver of grace to all, the Supreme Soul of the universe, the limitless being:
I AM THAT. -- Amritabindu Upanishad