Actually Edg, this is UNLIKE TM in all the important ways. Try reading it again.
--- In [email protected], Duveyoung <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Below is Ramana's Dhyana instructions: sure sounds like TM IN ALL THE > IMPORTANT ways, and Ramana was not a Vedic scholar -- hardly educated > at all. The TM method of saying the mantra is in Ramana's words > below. TM had to market itself with the "specialness of the mantra > selection process" to add a mystic of expertise to the sales pitch. > TM is indeed ancient, and as we all know, mantra selection is purely > arbitrary and can be done by a monkey in a cheap suit. > > Edg > > Question: How is meditation to be practised? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: Meditation is, truly speaking, atmanishtha (to be > fixed as the Self). But when thoughts cross the mind and an effort is > made to eliminate them the effort is usually termed meditation. > Atmanishtha is your real nature. Remain as you are. That is the aim. > > Question: But thoughts come up. Is our effort meant to eliminate > thoughts only? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: Yes. Meditation being on a single thought, the > other thoughts are kept away. Meditation is only negative in effect in > as much as thoughts are kept away. > > Questioner: It is said `Atma samstham manah krtva' (fixing the mind in > the Self). But the Self is unthinkable. > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: Why do you wish to meditate at all? Because you > wish to do so you are told `atma samstham manah krtva'. Why do you not > remain as you are without meditating? What is that `manah' (mind)? > When all thoughts are eliminated it becomes `atma samstha' (fixed in > the Self). > > Questioner: If a form is given I can meditate on it and other thoughts > are eliminated. But the Self is formless. > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: Meditation on forms of concrete objects is said > to be Dhyana, whereas the enquiry into the Self is Vichara or > Nididhyasana (uninterrupted awareness of being). > > Question: How is Dhyana practised- with eyes open or closed? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: It may be done either way. The point is that the > mind must be introverted and kept active in its pursuit. Sometimes it > happens that when the eyes are closed the latent thoughts rush forth > with great vigour. It may also be difficult to introvert the mind with > the eyes open. It requires strength of mind to do so. The mind is > contaminated when it takes in objects. Otherwise, it is pure. The main > factors in Dhyana is to keep the mind active in its own pursuit > without taking in external impressions or thinking of other matters. > > Question: How do I prevent myself falling asleep in meditation? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: If you try to prevent sleep it will mean thinking > in meditation, which must be avoided. But if you slip into sleep while > meditating, the meditation will continue even during and after sleep. > Yet, being a thought, sleep must be got rid of, for the final natural > state has to be obtained consciously in jagrat (the waking state) > without the disturbing thought. Waking and sleeping are mere pictures > on the screen of the native, thought-free state. Let them pass unnoticed. > > Question: What is to be meditated upon? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: Anything that you prefer. > > Question: Siva, Vishnu and Gayatri are said to be equally efficacious. > Which should I mediate upon? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: Any one you like best. They are all equal in > their effect. But you should stick to one. > > Top < To top of this page > Index Alphabetical [Index to Pages] > > Question: How do I meditate? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: Concentrate on that one whom you like best. If a > single thought prevails, all other thoughts are put off and finally > eradicated. So long as diversity prevails there are bad thoughts. When > the object of love prevails only good thoughts hold the field. > Therefore hold on to one thought only. Dhyana is the chief practice. > > Dhyana means fight. As soon as you begin meditation other thoughts > will crowd together, gather force and try to sink the single thought > to which you try to hold. The good thought must gradually gain > strength by repeated practice. After it has grown strong the other > thoughts will be put to flight. This is the battle royal always taking > place in meditation. > > One wants to rid oneself of misery. It requires peace of mind, which > means absence of perturbation owing to all kinds of thoughts. Peace of > mind is brought about by Dhyana alone. > > Question: What is the difference between Dhyana (meditation) and > Vichara (investigation)? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: Both amount to the same. Those unfit for > investigation must practise meditation. In meditation the aspirant > forgetting himself meditates `I am Brahman' or `I am Siva' and by this > method holds on to Brahman or Siva. This will ultimately end with the > residual awareness of Brahman or Siva as being. He will then realise > that this is pure being, that is, the Self. > > He who engages in investigation starts by holding on to himself, and > by asking himself `Who am I?' The Self becomes clear to him. Mentally > imagining oneself to be the supreme reality, which shines as > existence-consciousness-bliss, is meditation. Fixing the mind in the > Self so that the unreal seed of delusion will die is enquiry. > > Whoever meditates upon the Self in whatever bhava (mental image) > attains it only in that image. Those peaceful ones who remain quiet > without any such bhava attain the noble and unqualified state of > Kaivalya, the formless state of the Self. > > Questioner: Meditation is more direct than investigation because the > former holds on to the truth whereas the latter sifts the truth from > the untruth. > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: For the beginner meditation on a form is more > easy and agreeable. Practice of it leads to self-enquiry, which > consists in sifting the reality from unreality. > > What is the use of holding on to truth when you are filled with > antagonistic factors? > > Self-enquiry directly leads to realisation by removing the obstacles > which make you think the self is not already realised. > > Meditation differs according to the degree of advancement of the > seeker. If one is fit for it one might directly hold on to the > thinker, and the thinker will then automatically sink into his source, > pure consciousness. > > If one cannot directly hold on to the thinker one must meditate on God > and in due course the same individual will have become sufficiently > pure to hold on to the thinker and to sink into absolute being. > > Meditation is possible only if the ego is kept up. There is the ego > and the object meditated upon. The method is therefore indirect > because the Self is only one. Seeking the ego, that is its source, the > ego disappears. What is left over is the Self. This method is the > direct one. > > Question: Is the practice of concentration between the eyebrows advisable? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: The final result of the practice of any kind of > Dhyana is that the object on which the seeker fixes his mind ceases to > exist as distinct and separate from the subject. They, the subject and > object, become the one Self, and that is the Heart. > > Question: Why does not Sri Bhagavan (Sri Ramana) direct us to practise > concentration on some particular centre or Chakra? > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: Yoga Sastra says that the sahasrara (the Chakra > located in the brain) or the brain is the seat of the Self. Purusha > Sukta declares that the Heart is its seat. To enable the sadhaka to > steer clear of possible doubt, I tell him to take up the thread or the > clue of `I'-ness or `I am' ness and follow it up to its source. > Because, firstly, it is impossible for anybody to entertain any doubt > about this `I' notion. Secondly, whatever be the means adopted, the > final goal is the realisation of the source of `I am'-ness, which is > the primary datum of your experience. > > If you therefore practice self-enquiry, you will reach the Heart, > which is the Self. > > --- In [email protected], Vaj <vajranatha@> wrote: > > > > > > On Nov 16, 2007, at 8:45 AM, shempmcgurk wrote: > > > > > The "uniqueness" that was referred to here was the effortless and > > > ease of the TM Technique. This WAS discussed conceptually by the TMO > > > and MMY and, indeed, what was emphasized from Step One of the 7-Step > > > Program. > > > > > > As anyone knows who reads my posts here on FFL, I have alot of > > > complaints about MMY and the TMO. But this is the one thing that > > > should not and cannot be taken away from the man: he promoted and > > > made available to the world a technique to obtain enlightenment that > > > was easy and effortless to do. And although I can't "prove" it (this > > > can only be something that one can declare subjectively), it is this > > > effortlessness that makes it the most effective self-development > > > technique around. > > > > > > This concept of effortlessness, simplicity, and universal application > > > is an incredible accomplishment and despite all the screw-ups since > > > the introduction of the flying technique (which, IMHO, signalled the > > > beginning of the descent of the Movement), this puts MMY head and > > > shoulders above any spiritual master of the past 5,000 years. > > > > > > Let's not take THAT away from him... > > > > > > He took it away from himself when he declared that TM was NOT > > effortless....it is "easy" but then so are many, many other > > meditation methods. > > > > Any real yogi familiar with Patanjali will be well aware that as long > > as there are supports (alambanas) there will always be some effort. > > > > Effortless meditation or non-meditation can only occur without > > supports or props like mantras, etc. > > >
