Who am I? - A Dialogue with Sri Ramana Maharshi

D:  Who am I?
M:  What is your first impression on that matter?
D:  I am the person now sitting here talking and listening.
M:  It is the body that sits here with a voice organ and a sense of hearing. Are you the body then?
D:  Am I not?
M:  What does your body consists of but hands, legs, eyes, nose, and so on. Are you your hands? Can you not exist without hands?
D:  I can exist without my hands, so I am not my hands.
M:  For the same reason, you are not the legs, nose, eyes and so on.
D:  Just so.
M:  If you are not the parts, you are not even the whole body.
D:  How does that follow?
M:  What belongs to you and is your property is not yourself. Is that not so?
D:  It appears so.
M:  "My body" you spoke of. Then the body is your property, is it not?
D:  It seems so, though I cannot see who the 'I' is who owns the body.
M:  Then the owner, yourself, must be invisible. Are there no invisible entities in existence?
D:  Yes, there are, such as ghosts, spirits and so on.
M:  Then you may be spirit, may you not?
D:  How can  a living man be a spirit?
M:  When can he be a spirit?
D:  After his death?
M:  Where was that spirit during life?
D:  It must have been connected with residing in the living body.
M:  What is the distinction in nature between the spirit and the body, living or dead?
D:  I suppose the fact that the sprit is subtle while the body is gross and material, and that the spirit acts upon the body.
M:  Then the neither the body, nor the senses, nor the pranas (the breath and other vital functions) constitute spirit, which is yourself, your 'I'.
D:   No, they are not 'I'.
M:  When you think or talk of 'I', what else do you feel is a part of you or your spirit?
D:  People say that we have both a body and mind. If I am not the body, it follows that I am the mind.
M:  What is that mind? What constitute the mind?
D:  I cannot say.
M:  When you refer to your mind, what idea do you have at the back of your mind? The mind is not a trunk with  limbs head and voice, is it?
D:   No.
M:  You have something more subtle than the gross body which you express with your voice. Why do you talk now?
D:  To express the thoughts and ideas which are in my mind.
M:  Then thoughts and ideas are the contents of the mind, and together constitute the mind.
D:  Yes.
M:  Are thoughts and ideas all of the same sort, or are they the basis of each other?
D:  I do not understand.
M:  When you see a person, what thoughts have you?
D:  I think I see a figure with some qualities such as brightness or shortness?
M:  How do you know that it is brightness or shortness?
D:  I have known them previously. 
M:  So you have the primary sensations, and then you compare with a previous stock of such impressions. Is not this power of memory, comparison and judgement of similarity or dissimilarity, a power higher than mere receptivity to impressions?
D:  Yes.
M:  It is the secondary function that is called the intellect or buddhi,  Which of these two: (1) sensations or thoughts, and (2) intellect, is superior? 
D:  It is the intellect that guids, arranges and controls the thoughts. So the intellect (buddhi) is superior to the thoughts (manas). 
M:  So the intellect (buddhi ) may be regarded as an inner sheath, a sort of core, for this mind (manas). Can you discover any further inner core to which this buddhi  is an outer sheath?
D:  My mind cannot penetrate into such mysterious region.
M:  Why, even now you have penetrated, since you said "my mind"! You include your thoughts and your intellect in the term "my mind", do you not?
D:  Yes.
M:  Do you have no powers besides the intetellect? Why do you not see if you have?
D:  Where or what am I to see?
M:  See within yourself, see yourself.
D:  How can I see what is not visible?
M:  You cannot see with these physical eyes.
D:  What other eyes do I have?
M:  You have your 'I', See with it and enquire 'Who am I?'
D:  How can I see my 'I'?
M:  When you talk of 'I', are you not conscious of something?
D:  Yes.
M:  That consciousness is not a consciousness of objects, so it must be a consciousness of something else, must it not?
D:  How does that follow?
M:  When you think of an object, you are absorbed and transformed into that object. At that time you are not thinking of 'I' but of the object, are you not?
D:  Just so.
M:  Now if you drop the object, what remains?
D:  Nothing remains.  
M:  But when you preceived the  object, there was both the object perceived (the drisya) and  yourself, the perceiver  (the drik).
D:  Yes. 
M:  If of these two you remove the first mentioned, namely the drisya or object, what should remain?
M:  When you say  "my intellect" ,  what is the relationship between you and the intellect? Is it not that of an owner and his property?
D:  It may be so, but the matter  is  not clear to my intellect.
M:  Is the intellect the same thing to you at all times, or to you and to all others?
D:  No, my own intellect varies at times, and it differs from that of others, especially when I do not agree with them.
M:  Do all men have the same degree or quality of intellect, whatever their age, education, health and so  on?
D:  No. babies have little of it. Older and  educated people have more of it. Sick people have  little of it. Geniuses have much of it. Fools, drunkards and insane people have little or none of it.
M:  In insane people, where is the intellect?
D:  It is clouded or destroyed.
M:  Do they never recover it?
D:  Some do.
M:  Just as you recover stolen property. So the intellect is your property, capable of improvement, subject to variation, liable to destruction, and capable of being again restored to you, the possessor. Is it not so?
D:  Yes.
M:  Then the intellect or buddhi is only your property; it is not you.
D:  Just so.
M:  Then what are you?
D:  I cannot find out what I am.
M:  You mean your intellect does not show you who you are.
D:  Yes, that is what I meant.
D:  Logically or mathematically speaking, the drik  or subject 'I' should remain. But in point of fact I do not find it remaining. When I stop thinking of objects, all thoughts ceases. The 'I' does not remain alone.
M:  You are partly right. The intellectual and relative concept of 'I' as subject  does not exist apart from the similar concept, the object. The subject and object appear together and disappear together. The first person, second person and third person all jump into and jump out of consciousness together. But is there no consciousness apart from these intellectual concepts?
D:  I see none.
M:  Did you have your intellect in deep sleep? That is, were you then perceiving, comparing and contrasting, remembering and judging things or objects?
D:  No, there were no objects to think of and no intellectual play at that time.
M:  Yet as you already admitted, you felt happy, did you not?
D:  Yes.
M:  What is the general feeling, this happiness unrelated to any object or thought, this feeling or consciousness in which the intellect has no part? You have already found that the nature of 'I', the Self, is to be happy, and here you find happiness when you transcend the intellect. Can you therefore conclude that 'I', 'Self' and  'happiness' are one and the same thing, felt as one, though not intellectually perceived as one.
D:  I am convinced that it must be so, but I do not yet feel it clearly. I do not feel this unrelated or absolute happiness transcending the intellect.
M:  That is because of the fact that it has long been your habit to think of and identify yourself with other objects and that you have never faced your 'I' in the above manner. You have always been exercising your intellect and never your intuition. If you reverse your course and take to inward vision, shutting out all external images and falling back on intuitive feeling, in that dark chamber of your mind you will catch the true picture of yourself. This is the real, the realization, the realizer or the Self  - the One which words cannot describe and the mind cannot reach, and which is merely suggested by the term often used for describing it, namely sat-chit-anand, that is, existence  or reality, consciousness or illumination, and bliss.

Rebirthing Breathwork

Past Life Regression Session

Shamanism

Shamanism is a system for psychic, emotional, and spiritual healing and for exploration, discovery, and knowledge gathering about non-material worlds and states of mind. Anthropologists have identified shamanistic practices in tribal cultures, ancient and modern, throughout the world. Shamanism is a "technique of ecstasy" (Mircea Eliade) in which the spirit of the shaman leaves the body and travels to communicate with spirit helpers and other beings for the purpose of obtaining knowledge, power, or healing. However, the shaman usually retains control over his or her body. In many cultures, a shaman is chosen or called, sometimes by healing him- or herself of a serious illness.

Shamanic journeying is an altered state of consciousness wherein you enter a realm called "non-ordinary reality." By journeying, you can gather knowledge and perform healing in ways that are not accessible in ordinary waking reality.

Shamanic healing is a process whereby a person journeys on behalf of another, and brings back information or instructions that can be used to provide psychic/emotional/spiritual healing to another person.

How does shamanism work?

Some people think that in shamanic journeying, the spirit leaves the body, and in shamanic healing, a person is being healed by spirit helpers. Others think that shamanic journeying allows access to one's own intuition, which may otherwise be drowned out by the prattle of everyday thinking, or by anxiety; and that shamanic healing is a way of engaging a person's subconscious desires for healing. I think that as long as it works (which it does, for many people), it doesn't much matter which way you explain it. Use the way that's most comfortable for you.

The shamanic view of health.

In the system of shamanism that I work with, there are four aspects to psychic/emotional/spiritual health. If there is a problem with any of these aspects fails, shamanic techniques can be used to help restore strength. Note that shamanic healing may not cure physical or psychological illness, but it may help one gain psychic energy that will allow one better to handle illness. Shamanic healing therefore is best used in conjunction with other treatments, not as a substitute for them.

http://www.shamana.co.uk/native_american_shamanism/

Precious Necklace

A lady had a precious necklace round her neck. Once in her excitement she forgot it and thought that the necklace was lost. She became anxious and looked for it in her home but could not find it. She asked her friends and neighbors if they knew anything about the necklace. They did not. At last a kind friend of hers told her to feel the necklace round her neck. She found that it had all along been round her neck and she was happy. When others asked her later if she had found the necklace which was lost, she said, `Yes, I have found it.' She still felt that she had recovered a lost jewel.

Now did she lose it at all ? It was all along round her neck. But judge her feelings. She was as happy as if she had recovered a lost jewel. Similarly with us, we imagine that we will realize that Self some time, whereas we are never anything but the Self.

http://selfdefinition.org/ramana/Ramana%20Maharshi%20-%20Be%20As%20You%20Are--The%20Teachings%20of%20Sri%20Ramana%20Maharshi--Godman.pdf

Puzzle:A Pregnant Deer

In a forest, a pregnant deer is about to give birth to a baby. It finds a remote grass field nearby a river and slowly goes there thinking it would be safe. As she moves slowly, she gets labor pain.At the same moment, dark clouds gather around that area and lightning starts a forest fire. Turning left, she sees a hunter who is aiming an arrow from a distance. As she tries to move towards right, she spots a hungry lion approaching towards her.
Friends, Now imagine what can the pregnant deer do, as she is already under labor pain? 

What do you think will happen?
Will the deer survive? 
Will it give birth to a fawn? 
Will the fawn survive? OR Will everything be burnt by the forest fire? 

Can the deer go left?  No, the hunter’s arrow is pointing at her. 
Can she go right? No, the hungry male lion is approaching her. 
Can she move up? No, there the forest is on fire.
Can she move down? No, that is where the fierce river is.


THINK
Answer: She does nothing. She just focuses on giving birth to a new LIFE The sequence of events that happens at that fraction of a second (moment) are as follows:
In a spur of MOMENT, a lightning strikes, and blinds the eyes of the hunter. At that MOMENT, he releases the arrow missing and zipping past the deer. 
At that MOMENT the arrow hits and injures the lion badly. At that MOMENT, it starts to rain heavily and puts out the forest fire. At that next MOMENT, the deer gives birth to a healthy fawn. In our life too there are MOMENTS of CHOICE when we all have to deal with negative thoughts from all sides. Some thoughts are so powerful they overpower us, and make us clueless. Anything can happen in a MOMENT in this life. If you are religious, superstitious, atheist, agnostic, or whatever, you can attribute this MOMENT to divine intervention, faith, sudden luck, serendipity, coincidence, karma, or a simple ‘I just don’t know’. The priority of the deer, in that given moment, was simply giving birth to a baby, because LIFE IS PRECIOUS.

In future, may you always be inspired to have a focused positive insight, oblivious of all imaginary, negative probabilities.
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, BELIEF IS POWERFUL AND WHEN YOU MARRY THE TWO TRANSFORMATION IS BORN


http://transformationplus.com/blog/?cat=2&paged=13

Story:True Meaning of the Black Belt

A martial artist knelt before his master sensei in a ceremony to receive the hard-earned Black Belt. After years of relentless training, the student has finally reached a pinnacle of achievement in the discipline.

"Before granting you the belt, you must pass one more test," the sensei solemnly tells the young man.
"I'm ready," responds the student, expecting perhaps one more round of sparring.

"You must answer the essential question, 'What is the true meaning of the Black Belt?'"
"Why, the end of my journey," says the student. "A well-deserved reward for all of my hard work."
The master waits for more. Clearly, he is not satisfied. The sensei finally speaks: "You are not ready for the Black Belt. Return in one year."

As the student kneels before his master a year later, he is again asked the question, "What is the true
meaning of the Black Belt?"
"A symbol of distinction and the highest achievement in our art," the young man responds.
Again the master waits for more. Still unsatisfied, he says once more: "You are not ready for the Black Belt. Return in one year."

A year later the student kneels before his sensei and hears the question, "What is the true meaning of the Black Belt?"
This time he answers, "The Black Belt represents not the end, but the beginning, the start of a never ending journey of discipline, work and the pursuit of an ever-higher standard."
"Yes," says the master. "You are now ready to receive the Black Belt and begin your work."

http://read.goodweb.cn/PDF/p33/101%20Zen%20stories.pdf

Story:A Man Died...

When he realized it, he saw God coming closer with a suitcase in his hand.

Dialog between God and Dead Man:
God: Alright son, it’s time to go

Man: So soon? I had a lot of plans...
God: I am sorry but, it’s time to go

Man: What do you have in that suitcase?
God: Your belongings

Man: My belongings? You mean my things... Clothes... money...
God: Those things were never yours, they belong to the Eartha

Man: Is it my memories?
God: No. They belong to Time

Man: Is it my talent?
God: No. They belong to Circumstance

Man: Is it my friends and family?
God: No son. They belong to the Path you travelled

Man: Is it my wife and children?
God: No. they belong to your Heart

Man: Then it must be my body
God: No No... It belongs to Dust

Man: Then surely it must be my Soul!
God: You are sadly mistaken son. Your Soul belongs to me.

Man with tears in his eyes and full of fear took the suitcase from the God's hand and opened it...
EMPTY!!
With heartbroken and tears down his cheek he asks God...

Man: I never owned anything?
God: That’s Right. You never owned anything.

Man: Then? What was mine?
God: your MOMENTS. Every moment you lived was yours.
Life is just a Moment. Live it

https://www.facebook.com/onlyUsefulinfo/posts/647433478675996

Story:Janaka - Soham Mantra

Once King Janaka was sitting on the bank of a river, repeating so'ham at the top of his voice. A sage named Ashtavarka happened to be passing by. He was a great knower of Truth, an enlightened being. When he saw Janaka, he was surprised. He knew that Janaka was a being with great understanding, so he wondered why he was repeating so'ham, so'ham in this manner. 

Great beings do not teach only through philosophical discourses. They use many subtle means to make their point. Ashtavakra watched Janaka for a while, wondering how he should instruct him. Then he had an idea. He sat down. In one hand he had a water bowl, and in the other hand he had the T-shaped stick which yogis use for support in meditation. He began to say very loudly, "This is my water bowl; this is my yoga stick! This is my water bowl; this is my yoga stick!" 

King Janaka began repeating his mantra louder. The sage also began to repeat his mantra louder. After a whileKing Janaka became annoyed. He opened his eyes and asked, "O brother what are you doing?" "What are you doing?" asked Ashtavakra.

"I am repeating the mantra so'ham," Janaka said. Ashtavakra said, "I am also repeating a mantra. I am repeating, "This is my water bowl; this is my yoga stick." The king said, "Have you lost your brains? Who told you that the water bowl and the stick don't belong to you? Why do you have to keep shouting about it?" The sage replied, "It seems to me that you are the one who lacks understanding. Who told you that you are not That? Why do you have to go on repeating that you are That?" When Janka heard this, he suddenly realized that he was That and that he did not need to go on repeating so'ham.

Story:Socrates in Marketplace

Socrates believed that the wise person would instinctively lead a frugal life. He himself would not even wear shoes; yet he constantly fell under the spell of the marketplace and would go there often to look at all the wares on display.

When one of his friends asked why, Socrates said, "I love to go there and discover how many things I am perfectly happy without."

http://read.goodweb.cn/PDF/p33/101%20Zen%20stories.pdf