Gathered Blooms

Om Namo Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya Self-Reliant-Are We Really?                            Self-reliance  would normally mean being reliant on work, wealth, intelligence, social strength, relationships etc. Are we really Self-reliant in the truest sense while basing our reliance on these? When one is reliant on the aforesaid aspects, one is indirectly reliant on the mind. They are based on intelligence and emotions which are thought forms which constitute the mind.  In all of these impermanence is engrained. Such reliance is simply attachment which causes pain when their life elapses, or when they fail, while monotony and discontent are unavoidable outcomes of a successful life at some point. The mind hunts for something new. We are reliant on them owing to the belief somewhere; deep down, that they are going to exist for ever. It is only on...

Om Namo Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya “Grace is both the beginning and the end. Introversion is due to Grace; Perseverance is Grace; and Realisation is Grace” says Ramana Maharshi-Talks 319 It would be the experience of every Ramana devotee, who has dedicated himself to the practice of Self enquiry, to experience the Grace of the Guru enveloping him, taking control of his life. This results in diminishing of the sense of ego-the ‘I’ sense which is identifying oneself with the body and the mind. The showers of Grace in every minute detail of life are inexplicable and beyond one’s imagination; the sudden manifestation of it, yet very subtly and naturally, placing things in order leaves one dumbstruck. Will basking in the ‘thought of Grace’ (in different situations) threaten one’s practice in subduing the ego and rather enriching it? In my humble opinion it depends on the mind-set of the people. When Grace has begun to manifest in one’s material life, it is sure to guide one to t...

Om Namo Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya To just be is an effortless state of existence or being. It is a state of pure surrender . It is basically shifting of one’s attention from the mistaken conception of one’s identity with the body mind complex to the self, or the ‘I-ness’ throbbing in one. It is the state of dropping the mind, a deep let go of things . Bhagavan Ramana’s teaching is ‘Just be’. Self enquiry was suggested by Bhagavan as it is difficult to detach oneself from thoughts and to realise the true nature of one’s being at one go. It is the pure state of awareness. It is a state of acceptance . Non-acceptance causes rebellion or conflict in the mind. When one is in the state of just b-e-i-n-g, total acceptance has happened whatever be the external situations, with no trace of conflict in the mind. It is pure b-e-i-n-g or existing. It is not a negative state of simply existing, but a vibrant, throbbing existence full of life - a state of consciousness. It is the g...

Om Namo Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya When the mind is worn out and weary, When it needs to be revived, To drink of your glory, The elixir of life Arunachala, the Mount of Grace,        May the mind rest in your eternal embrace. The turbulent mind This time I rushed to the Master’s presence with a turbulent mind. On 7 th October, peace seemed to be something very distant. I went round Bhagavan’s Samadhi over and over again for thoughts to slow down, which of course did. However the storm did not subside. Meditation was rather difficult as there was a counter thought, a worry, ‘the hankering for peace’. On 8 th morning the mind was totally worn out. It suddenly became averse to be engaged in any activity, be it to go round the master or to meditate in the meditation hall. It just dropped its movements. All of a sudden peace descended as I simply sat in the hall in front of the Mother’s shrine, where a black statue of Bhagavan...