Category Archives: PERSONAL

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Sri Ramana and My Teacher Gurudev Sri Chitrabhanu-Ji: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. ADVAITA & YOGA, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , , , , , , , ,

My Teacher and Sri Ramana

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All of us come from different backgrounds, and we walk the path in our own unique way. Yet, we all have the same innermost longing to know the deepest mystery of our own nature and being. Reflecting on the purest teachings of the Self and on the nature of Ahimsa as nonmovement of the mind, we are bound to have experiences and openings in our consciousness.

When my teacher, Gurudev Sri Chitrabhanu-ji visited Sri Ramana, he was just a teenager. Chitrabhanu-Ji became a Jain monk in 1942 at the age of 20. Prior to that, he was searching and visiting different saints in the various traditions of India and asking them questions about the spiritual path and how to become Self-Realized.

Gurudev Sri Chitrabhanu

Chitrabhanu-Ji told me that of all the saints and sages he visited in India in his teen years, a few were unforgettable and stood out to…

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You know that you know nothing ~ Sri Ramana

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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“You know that you know nothing. Find out that knowledge. that is liberation (mukti)” ~ Bhagavan speaking in Talk 12 (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi).

A man had asked the Maharshi to say something to him. When asked what he wanted to know, he said that he knew nothing and wanted to hear something from the Maharshi. Bhagavan gave the response above. (See Talk 12).

Bhagavan used to say that the only direct knowledge we have is that “I Exist”. All other knowledge is via inference. Hence the Self-Inquiry, “Who Am I?” was advised by Bhagavan as the primary spiritual practice.

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Harsha's avatar

Sunday Homespun Wisdom – 2: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. INSPIRATIONAL, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , ,

After the wise men have spoken

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LIFE IS A DREAM: By Alan Jacobs

. ADVAITA & YOGA, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Bhagavan's smile

Bhagavan’s smile

“To know that the world is a dreamlike illusion. Know that all of the following are a dreamlike illusion. The world, the body, the universe, all dimensions, time and all events, motions and actions”. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

215. “The world appears distinctly only in wakefulness and dream with concepts filled. In concept-free, all empty sleep, one sees no world; so then conceptual is… the world’s whole substance.”

Taken from Step Two of The Seven Steps to Awakening. All of the Ramana quotes in The Seven Steps to Awakening are taken from K. Swaminathan’s English translation of The Garland of Guru’s Sayings.

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Sunday Homespun Wisdom-1: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , , , ,

Live Gently and Embrace Friendship - Sunday Wisdom from HKL

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The Guru Came As Ramu – Conclusion: By Michael Bowes

. ADVAITA & YOGA, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , , , , ,

Harsha's avatarLuthar.com

Michael Bowes is well known to us as an authentic and genuine and a very experienced yogi and a devotee of Sri Bhagavan Ramana. Internationally, he is well travelled and has been to India. He has visited various Ashrams and Gurus and Swamis in both the U.S. and abroad.Michael has an uncanny ability to see to the heart of the matter and his spiritual insights pierce through the veils of sentimentality and conceptual baggage. Michael is a long term member of the HarshaSatsangh community and his presence has been a gift.

Given below is the conclusion of a three part story from Michael about his visit to a Swami in India.

You can see Part I at the following link. https://luthar.com/2006/01/page/2/
Part II is at https://luthar.com/2006/01/

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By Sri Michael Bowes

In the first two parts of this story, I related some events that occurred during my association with a…

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The Guru Came As Ramu- Part II: By Michael Bowes

. ADVAITA & YOGA, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , , , , , ,

Harsha's avatarLuthar.com

Michael Bowes is well known to us as an authentic and genuine and a very experienced yogi and a devotee of Sri Bhagavan Ramana. Internationally, he is well travelled and has been to India. He has visited various Ashrams and Gurus and Swamis in both the U.S. and abroad.

Michael has an uncanny ability to see to the heart of the matter and his spiritual insights pierce through the veils of sentimentality and conceptual baggage. Michael is a long term member of the HarshaSatsangh community and his presence has been a gift.

Given below is the second part of a three part story from Michael about his visit to a Swami in India. This is Part II.

You can see Part I at the following link.

https://luthar.com/2006/01/page/2/

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By Sri Michael Bowes

Many persons would love to meet their guru. Imagine meeting a Swami of the Shankara Order who was…

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The Guru Came As Ramu – Part I: By Michael Bowes

. ADVAITA & YOGA, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , , , , , ,

Harsha's avatarLuthar.com

sri-yantra-23.gif

Michael Bowes is well known to us as an authentic and genuine and a very experienced yogi and a devotee of Sri Bhagavan Ramana. Internationally, he is well travelled and has been to India. He has visited various Ashrams and Gurus and Swamis in both the U.S. and abroad.

Michael has an uncanny ability to see to the heart of the matter and his spiritual insights pierce through the veils of sentimentality and conceptual baggage. Michael is a long term member of the HarshaSatsangh community and his presence has been a gift.

Given below is a three part story from Michael about his visit to a Swami in India. This is Part I.

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By Sri Michael Bowes

In the spring of 1992 I met a Swami who was making his first trip to the United States. By the time I met him he had been in the States for…

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ALL IS ONE -Yet We Are Not Alone: By Michael Bowes

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , ,

Harsha's avatarLuthar.com

By Michael Bowes

One can be certain that one is not alone in this world. As long as we consider ourselves to be a separate, limited, mortal individual in this sometimes bewildering existence, one can be certain that the presence and guidance of the true guru, the eternal guide, is always with us. That loving guide draws us to ItSelf just as the flowers attract the bees.

Have you noticed how persons use expressions similar to the following – “I said to myself”, “I thought to myself”, “I told myself”, “I asked myself”?
Who is the “I” that asks one’s self, who is the “I” that thinks to one’s self, who is the “I” that tells one’s self? And who is the “myself” that “I” tells?
These expressions and questions are subtle indications of the fractured nature of our existence; but they are also indications of the one who is…

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Mother Divine: The Supreme Goddess

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shak24

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When I was very young, my meditations made me soar so high that I was afraid of falling and felt anxious. In those moments the most gentle and angelic female presence firmly held me from behind and guided my flights over celestial regions like a mother showing a child how to ride a bicycle. It happened often.

This angel was always behind me at my back holding my shoulders in the most reassuring manner. Gliding over the heavenly realms of light with this divine companion was pure joy.  But I could never see her face and wondered who she was.

Who was this motherly angel who manifested in my meditations to protect me from fears? Who was this being that embraced me with such tenderness and silently guided and navigated the path?

This went on for many years. She was my guardian angel. Where she came from, I don’t know.

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