Skip to main content

Self-Reliant-Are We Really?

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 one’s true Self , the eternal which can bestow a perennial flow of contentment. It is to be noted that it is not about shunning work, wealth, relationships etc. It is about understanding deeply that they are transitory.




Bhagavan’s question to Paul Brunton throws light on what the true Self is. He simply brushed aside his’s (Paul Brunton) answers to His single question as to who he was, when he (Paul Brunton) replied with his name, profession, nationality etc. Bhagavan clearly pointed out that they were simply his name, profession etc and not his Self.

Hence what is the ‘Self’ or ‘Who Am I?’

A little story from the book “The Way of the Wizard” by Deepak Chopra is a good pointer. Merlin, the wizard, visits King Aruther’s court and questions who he (the king) was to the courtiers, promising a bagful of gold dust for the correct answer. Merlin brushes aside all answers like he is “the king” (by a knight), “Arthur” (by an old maid), “beloved husband” (by the queen) and even “your old friend and disciple” (by Arthur himself). When everyone leaves the room, Arthur sees Merlin empty the bag of gold dust out of the window. When he is questioned, Merlin says that he gave it to the wind, which answered correctly!

Arthur said, “The wind? But it didn’t say anything”

“Exactly,” said Merlin.

So how can ‘Nothingness’ be realised with the mind? It is simply impossible, for the mind dwells by clutching something by the way of thought. The Self can be realised only with the dropping of the mind. Here comes the importance of practice, which can change one’s perspective about one self.  Self-enquiry immerses one in the true Self to experience it.

Shri V Ganesan’s explanation of Self enquiry in his ‘Direct Teaching of Bhagavan Ramana’ beautifully exposes it. “One questions ‘Who am I?’ Watch! Immediately, all thoughts stop! When there are no thoughts, there is no mind. You need no other proof than your own experience. With proper Self-enquiry there ensues a state where the mind has voluntarily become inoperative. A state of silence alone prevails. That Silence is the Self.  You are THAT-‘TAT TVAM ASI”

He further says, “See the simplicity of all! Don’t convert “You are That” into a concept, yet another thought. Experience it as the Reality that is your core, the imperishable, unchanging ground of your existence. Experiencing (not thinking) is the clue”

One can call oneself to be self-reliant when one bases himself on the Silence of the Self while in the pursuit of self-enquiry each time it is employed, at the rise of each thought. There is immense peace even while practising it. It bestows clarity in day today activities and the vision to look at life as a continuous flow with the degree of contentment rising only to become the very contentment (Realisation) someday. One is in life yet beyond it.

That Silence is the base for all creativity and intelligence. It is in fact the very intelligence, simply because its nature is AWARENESS!

It is the experience of devotees that even while in the practise of enquiry as per  the Master’s teachings; they experience showers of His Grace, ever manifest in numerous forms to tide over the storms of the temporal sea, the world. May His Grace guide us in the pursuit of self-enquiry to be self-reliant and to realise the Self.


Om Namo Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya.

Comments

Post a Comment

THEY ALSO READ

Waking Up To Reality From The Three States Of Consciousness

Om Namo Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya It is not some dry philosophy, but the day to day happening in each of our lives, from birth to death that we have missed to pay attention to- the waking state, the dream state and the deep sleep state. "The world is a changing phenomena, an illusion." A spiritual comrade uttered in the course of a casual conversation. The conversation drifted to the three states of consciousness-the waking, dreaming and the deep sleep states. They are alternating phases. A little scrutiny, and we can understand about these three states, which we experience every day from birth to death. By the term "Real", we mean "Original", in the things that we encounter in our day to day life. We call "Original" because there is no change in them ever. So are the three states of consciousness, the waking state, where we engage in day to day activities; and the dream state, where we move about in our dreams with a different set o...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Illusory World When It Becomes a Reality!

Just a shift in our perception of ourselves can bring about a change in how we look at the world. The Illusory nature of the world can be understood by first-hand experience from our day to day life  of  the waking state, dream state and the deep sleep state, the three states in Consciousness. We actually perceive and experience the world through the mind. Our mind is nothing but a collection of thoughts, which have the ‘I thought’ as the primary thought. The ‘I thought’ is an impostor that springs from Consciousness donning the appearance of Consciousness, which is the REAL I. If but for the thoughts, there is no such thing called the mind, states Ramana Maharshi. In deep sleep, the mind is lost along with the world, but when we wake up, the individual self (identification with the body and the mind), or the ‘I thought’ rises after which we begin to experience the world for the day. When we view the world as the individual self or the ‘I thought’ in th...
Post a Comment
Read more

About Miracles - A Different Outlook!

Om Namo Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya! The womb of miracles is Grace, which is none other than the Self. Miracles here, may be defined as not the glaring ones as in Physic powers, Clairvoyance or materialising objects etc that bears the stamp of doership. They are simply divine interference in day to day life that are too very natural, and could often escape from even an alert eye. Such were those which took place in the presence of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. Any ardent seeker's life is peppered with miracles or divine interference. There are two common outlooks towards miracles. While most intellectual seekers on the path of Self realization often have a self imposed indifferent attitude towards miracles, seekers on the path of bakti or devotion often get lost in miraculous happenings. In my humble opinion, I guess focusing on Grace, the underlying factor of miracles than focusing on miraculous happenings themselves, or being aware of miracles rather than b...
8 comments
Read more

The Meaning of Consciousness: A Deeper Understanding

Om Namo Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya! The word ‘Consciousness,’ was not more than a spiritual term, until I came across a book that introduced me to its deeper meaning. In one of my visits to Sri Ramakrishna Ashram, in the book store, I happened to pick up a book by Swami Ashokananda, “When the many become one.”  The title was nevertheless catchy and promised a detailed expression of the truth. It is a book very potent in knowledge and to be read slowly in order to grasp and digest the lofty truth that the words tried to portray. The word ‘Consciousness,’ as the book revealed, is the simple fact that all objects existed in our own consciousness (i.e.), any object that we perceive is in our own consciousness.  They will have to remain in the field of our consciousness in order to exist.  In other words we will have to be conscious of objects, only then can they be perceived. For example we perceive a glass only because we are conscious of it. We perceive an ant only because we...
1 comment
Read more