The Discovery Channel

Ramana Maharshi

oi-Staff

By Staff

Monday, April 20, 2009, 16:33

Many are drawn to Ramana"s teachings by its direct simplicity, because of its emphasis on practice and experience. Unfortunately after sometime they lose their initial enthusiasm having successfully reduced this life transforming path to a mere routine or successfully pigeon-holing its relevance into some philosophic mould be it Advaita or Ajata.

This problem arises because the only available instrument for enquiry is the mind itself. Its ego defence system is so perfect that one is lured into its labyrinthine ways, even if there is the slightest off guard time.

Heaven knows how often we are off guard particularly when we are meditating. Hence utmost importance has to be attached to be sound on first principles and be constantly attentive in adhering to these principles.

The first and foremost is that we are a Discovery Channel, to discover our inherent natural happiness. Discovery always implies a spirit of adventure, a sense of joy, an eagerness to experiment, to find out. There is no scope for making, heavy weather of it. It is good fun. Joy all along the way. Why all along the way? In the Ramana way the air is thick with the fragrance of joy. Because the natural joy is not the light at the end of a tunnel. It is here right within us, not even round the corner.

The experiencing of the natural happiness is 'Now", in this very second. For, any postponement of the experience which is in the present moment, would be to introduce the element of time into what is essentially a timeless experience. If you understand right, it is now or it is not the experience of natural joy to which Ramana is drawing our attention and inviting us, cajoling us to experience it, almost as if we are doing him a favour.

This proposition is apparently simple enough. But it foxes those who are having some conceptual ideas about Self-Knowledge and Self-abidance and have therefore persuaded themselves that it can be experienced only at some distant date which could extend to several lifetimes later.

Be that as it may, build your faith on the immediacy of the experience of the natural joy which means a joy that is not a creation of the mind with its built in dualistic mode of pain and pleasure judgements. It is experienced when the mind is merged in its source, which happens whenever one is successful in self-enquiry and Self-attention.

This necessitates looking into the way we are handling the wonderful weapons given to us by Ramana for putting to the sword one"s thought-hordes, innate tendencies.

About the author

A.R.Natarajan

Sri A.R.Natarajan has had the opportunity of a long association of over 50 years with the Ramanashram. He was the editor of “Mountain Path" for two years. He was the secretary of Ramana Kendra, New Delhi for ten years. He founded the Ramana Maharshi centre for learning, a non profit institution. He has authored more than thirty six books and eleven pocket books on the life and teachings of Bhagavan Ramana.

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