"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

Monday, March 9, 2015

Conclusive Teaching Of Scriptures

Sri Ramana Maharshi

Q: When one enquires into the root of self-conceit which is of the form 'I', all sorts of different thoughts without number seem to rise; and not any separate 'I' thought.

M: Whether the nominative case, which is the first case, appears or not, the sentences in which the other cases appear have as their basis the first case; similarly, all the thoughts that appear in the heart have as their basis the egoity which is the first mental mode I, the cognition of the form 'I am the body'; thus it is the rise of egoity that is the cause and source of the rise of all other thoughts; therefore if the self-conceit of the form of egoity which is the root of the illusory tree of samsara is destroyed, all other thoughts will perish completely like an uprooted tree. 

Whatever thoughts arise as obstacles to one's sadhana, the mind should not be allowed to go in their direction, but should be made to rest in one's Self which is the Atman; one should remain as witness to whatever happens, adopting the attitude 'let whatever strange things happen, happen; let's see!' This should be one's practice. In other words, one should not identify oneself with appearances; one should never relinquish one's self. This is the proper means for destruction of the mind which is of the nature of seeing the body as Self and which is the cause of all the aforesaid obstacles. This method which easily destroys egoity deserves to be called devotion, meditation, concentration and knowledge. 

Because God remains of the nature of the Self, shining as 'I' in the heart, because the scriptures declare that thought itself is bondage, the best discipline is to stay quiescent without ever forgetting Him (God, the Self), after resolving in Him the mind which is of the form of the I-thought, no matter by what means. This is the conclusive teaching of the scriptures.

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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