Harsha's avatar

Thoughts Change But Not You ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

Thoughts change but not you
Photo art from John Wassenberg’s fb page.

Sri Ramana Maharshi says in Talk 524 (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi), “You must exist in order that you may think. You may think these thoughts or other thoughts. The thoughts change but not you. Let go the passing thoughts and hold on to the unchanging Self. The thoughts form your bondage. If they are given up, there is release. The bondage is not external.”

Devotee says: But it is not easy to remain without thinking.

Sri Ramana replies: You need not cease thinking. Only think of the root of the thoughts; seek it and find it. The Self shines by itself. When that is found the thoughts cease of their own accord. That is freedom from bondage (Talk 524).

Bhagavan Ramana teaches that any thing that appears and disappears is not you. That which remains always, is you. The Advaitic system of Neti, Neti (not this, not this) is based on that. The aspirant analyzes everything that he or she perceives and says, “I am not the body, I am not the senses, I am not the mind, etc. Whatever can be perceived is not me as I am the one perceiving it.”

Continuing to reflect on this and doing Neti, Neti, (I am not this, I am not this), finally, that subjective pure awareness remains which cannot be denied. The Subject cannot deny It Self. Hence Advaita Vedanta declares that when you firmly reach the pure Subject which is only Awareness, you should abide in that. That You Are. Thou Art That. That I AM!

Harsha's avatar

All My Bags Are Gone: By Latha Ramanan

Harsha's avatarLuthar.com

Began the journey from the foothills
There were twists and unknown turns to take
Rough and narrow paths, unfamiliar terrains to cross

View original post 84 more words

Harsha's avatar

The Ordinary Mind Is The Buddha Mind: By Harsh K. Luthar, Ph.D.

Harsha's avatarLuthar.com

Thayumanavar
Photo art found on John Wassenberg’s FB page.

As long as you are looking for and relying on saviours, buddhas, bodhisattvas, gods, gurus, and supermen, you will find it hard to stay with your ordinary everyday consciousness. It appears so fragile, unstable, conflicted, wretched, and filled with self-serving needs. It is no wonder that people get on the spiritual path and seek salvation and wish to run away from where they are and who they are.

View original post 848 more words

Harsha's avatar

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

My Teacher and Sri Ramana

Harsha's avatarLuthar.com

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…

View original post 1,123 more words

Harsha's avatar

LIFE IS A DREAM: By Alan Jacobs

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.

Continue reading

Harsha's avatar

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

Live Gently and Embrace Friendship - Sunday Wisdom from HKL

Harsha's avatar

The Guru Came As Ramu – Conclusion: By Michael Bowes

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/

************************************************************************

By Sri Michael Bowes

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

View original post 667 more words

Harsha's avatar

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

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.

************************************************************************

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…

View original post 1,415 more words

Harsha's avatar

Enjoy what comes: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

20130712_145141

 

Everything is changing and all things are transient.

Holding on to people, things, concepts, and situations is a recipe for suffering.

Enjoy what comes your way.

Let go when needed.

In embracing the love and beauty all around you, remember that everything is a reflection of the great beauty of your own eternal Heart.

Harsha's avatar

Ahimsa – The Antidote to Fear: Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

Harsha's avatarLuthar.com

Bhagavan Sri Ramana used to say, “Ahimsa Param Dharma”. It means that Ahimsa (Nonviolence) is the Supreme Dharma (Duty or Principle). Sri Ramana pointed out to the devotees and yogis that in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Ahimsa is named as the highest virtue above all other virtues. If we are able to understand what Ahimsa means at the deepest level, that clarity itself guides us in discovering the nature of the Self as our own Being.

Ahimsa means to be gentle with others and oneself and all of nature. Ahimsa means to be natural and aware without rushing and pushing and trying to get somewhere quickly. This applies to both the material and the spiritual world.  The mental tendency to grab and consume experiences of various types remains, even as people get on the spiritual path. There is nothing wrong with that. However, we should be aware of the tendencies that…

View original post 697 more words