Autor: Julio Cesar Tafforelli | Publicado: 2010-11-26T08:17:00-08:00

TAT Profile: Ramana Maharshiby Damien MarkakisTAT Profiles are a guide to the life and thought of individuals, past and present, who havecontributed to the advancement of human awareness.Ramana Maharshi and the Yogic Path of Discriminative WisdomWhy would people from every walk of life, both from the occident and the orient, have traveledout of their ways at great inconvenience and expense to visit the inhabitant of a cave inTiruvannamalai, India? Why would statesmen, writers, and peasants alike all make theoftentimes long journey into the sweltering climate surrounding the sacred hill known asArunacala? Why would such prominent figures as Carl Gustav Jung, Somerset Maugham, ArthurOsborne and Paul Brunton all venture into the heart of the vast Indian sub-continent with the solepurpose of meeting a Hindu renunciate by the name of Ramana Maharshi?. . . a man who hasbeen referred to "as the most saintly of modern Hindu ascetics and mystics." 1 The objective ofthis essay is to explore the life and spiritual teachings of this great sage, and in the process tospeak directly to each of these questions.© 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.1Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1In a small Indian village south of the sacred city of Madurai, there lived a rural lawyer namedSundaram Aiyar and his wife Alagamma. A visiting ascetic who had once been mistreated bythis man's ancestors had cast a curse on the family which was to insure that one offspring in eachgeneration would renounce the world and become an ascetic. This couple's second son wasnamed Venkataraman (of which "Ramana" is an abbreviation). He was born on December 30,1879, a day dedicated to the celebration of Lord Siva's victory over the demon Andhaka (a Hindumyth meant to symbolize the conquest of light over darkness).Raised in the security of a middleclass, Brahmin family, the boy led a normal, uneventfulchildhood in the secluded village of Tirucculi, South India. He demonstrated a keen interest inoutdoor sports, but was indifferent towards his studies in school. While being blessed with anextraordinarily retentive memory and an alert mind he, curiously enough, was an abnormallydeep sleeper. Stories have been recounted of his friends actually striking him while he was asleepwithout being able to awaken him. Another relevant event in his life was the death of his fatherwhen he was twelve. His father's passing apparently caused a noticeable change in the son'snature by making the latter more reflective in a profound sense. Other than these factors, hischildhood development through the fifteenth year left no clues as to Ramana's impendingspiritual destiny.During his sixteenth year, a great spiritual awakening was to radically transform his view of life.The first premonition of this mystical unfoldment came accidentally one day while the boy wasspeaking to an elder relative who had just returned from visiting Arunacala, a noted sacred hillnearby. The mere mention of this spot kindled an intense curiosity in Ramana, who soonafterwards began reading his first piece of religious literature, the Periyapuranam (a tale of thelives of the sixty-three Saiva saints). He became fascinated and overwhelmed by these accountswhich pointed the way to realization of the Divine. The spiritual experience that transformed hislife was soon to follow unexpectedly during 1896, when he was seventeen:It was quite sudden. I was sitting alone in a room on the first floor of my uncle's house. Iseldom had any sickness, and on that day there was nothing wrong with my health, but asudden violent fear of death overtook me. There was nothing in my state of health toaccount for it, and I did not try to account for it or to find out whether there was anyreason for the fear. I just felt "I am going to die" and began thinking what to do about it.It did not occur to me to consult a doctor or my elders or friends; I felt that I had to solvethe problem myself, there and then.The shock of the fear of death drove my mind inwards and I said to myself mentally,without actually framing the words: "'Now death has come; what does it mean? What is itthat is dying? This body dies." And I at once dramatized the occurrence of death. I laywith my limbs stretched out stiff as though rigor mortis had set in and imitated a corpseso as to give greater reality to the enquiry: I held my breath and kept my lips tightlyclosed so that no sound could escape, so that neither the word "I" nor any other wordcould be uttered. "Well then, " I said to myself, "this body is dead. It will be carried stiff© 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.2Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1to the burning ground and there burnt and reduced to ashes. But with the death of thisbody am I dead? Is the body I? It is silent and inert but I feel the full force of mypersonality and even the voice of the 'I' within me, apart from it. So I am Spirittranscending the body. The body dies but the Spirit that transcends it cannot be touchedby death. That means I am the deathless Spirit." 2Ramana claimed that this whole enlightenment experience took barely half an hour, andproduced results which would normally have been achieved only after a lengthy striving towardsliberation. The normal process of working with a physical Guru was completely omitted in hisevolution. That he was able to attain the peak of spirituality without any arduous study ortraining was, in his own estimation, the consequence of a highly unusual karmic destiny. Rareindeed is one who could offer such profound mystical proclamations without having previouslyheard of the philosophical notions of Brahman, samsara, and so forth:. . .that pure Awareness is what I am. This Awareness is by its very nature Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Consciousness-Bliss).3Ramana emphatically stated that this experience was Absolute (meaning fully conscious Identitywith Self), and that "there was no more sadhana, no more spiritual effort, after this." 4Having undergone such a radical awakening produced a noticeable change in Venkataraman'sattitude towards the phenomenal world. Unable to find meaning any longer in his high schoolstudies and the superficialities of worldly existence, he soon left home unexpectedly to travel toTiruvannamalai, a spiritual power point to which he had felt magically attracted for some time.For seventeen years he resided within the confines of the local temple grounds and a nearby caveat Arunacala practicing an extreme asceticism and samadhic absorption that manifestlydemonstrated that: "he was living in timeless Reality. He did not even feel the bites of ants andother insects. The blood and pus that oozed out of his back and thighs stained the wall and thefloor. Ramana remained unaffected and unconcerned because what happened to the body couldnot touch the Self." 5 This complete absorption in the Self characterized this phase of hismystical career. During this early era he attracted the devotion of two yogis who wouldoccasionally put several questions to the now-matured sage concerning philosophy and thespiritual life. Although still silent, he would answer through writing and gestures. Thesequestions and answers were recorded and published later in the booklets entitled, "Self-Enquiry"and "Who Am I?" These works contain the essence of his realization and the suggested methodsfor practicing the meditational technique of "self-enquiry" which he so strongly advocated.Carl Jung had spoken of Sri Ramana as "a true son of the Indian earth. He is genuine and, inaddition to that, something quite phenomenal. In India he is the whitest spot in a white space." 6Jung spoke highly of this man's Realization as being typically Indian, with its emphasis on theidentification of the Self with God. To understand the yogic path of self-enquiry is important instudying the Maharshi's teachings because he was a jnana yogi of the highest order. Jnana yoga© 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.3Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1has been described as "the path of intellectual discrimination; the way of finding God throughanalysis of the real nature of phenomena. . . a difficult path, calling for tremendous powers ofwill and clarity of mind." 7The term "jnani" refers to those sages who have emerged out of that school of Indian philosophyknown as Advaita Vedanta. The importance of developing an appreciation of this classic schoolof Hinduism becomes apparent when we discover that "it was the purest Advaita that SriBhagavan taught." 8 The most noteworthy exponent of Advaita (meaning "non-dual") Vedantawas Shankara, a spiritual giant of Hinduism around the 7th century A.D., whose philosophy isconcisely summarized by these three aspects:1. "the sole reality of Brahman (the Absolute)2. the illusoriness of the world3. the non-difference of the soul from Brahman" 9A solid background in the Upanishadic scriptures of Indian philosophy would certainly enhanceone's appreciation of Ramana Maharshi's teachings, because they lay the foundations on which allof Advaita Vedanta is based. The Upanishads are the "concluding portion of the Vedas, the oldestand most authoritative scriptures of India. Often called Vedanta, these teachings are the basis ofIndia's many religious sects and are regarded as the highest authority of religious truth." 10Ramana Maharshi embodied the fullest power of the Hindu tradition of which he was a part. Hedid not, at any point, iconoclastically refute his spiritual heritage like a Krishnamurti. He foundall the tools necessary to achieve and convey the nature of spiritual liberation within the esotericvehicle of the Advaita Vedantin school. He was noted for his emphasis on a method of self-analytical meditation called vichara (self-enquiry). The crucial and fundamental question wasalways "Who am I?" In the following response is presented an answer to this spiritual riddlewhich reflects the essence of the meditative process whereby Ramana systematically and directlyviewed the difference between the illusory and the Real nature of the mind and the universe:"Who am I? – The gross body which is composed of the seven humours (dhatus), I am not; thefive cognitive sense organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, whichapprehend their respective objects, viz. sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour, I am not; the fiveconative sense organs, viz. the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, andprocreation, which have as their respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, andenjoying, I am not; the vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not; even the mind which thinks, I am not; the nescience too, which isendowed only with the residual impressions of objects and no functionings, I am not. If I amnone of these, then who am I? After negating all of the above-mentioned as 'not this', 'not this',that Awareness which alone remains – that I am." 11Bhagavan ("One with God") repeatedly emphasized throughout his discourses that this methodof trying to go directly to the root-source of the mind was the only completely effective methodof "killing the ego" and obtaining an Absolute state of awareness. He viewed religious-© 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.4Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1devotional observances, rituals, invocations, mantras and breath control (pranayama) as beingindirect methods of furthering one's spiritual progress. While being important aids to many whofind value in their use, they are inefficient in comparison to the "direct style" of jnana yoga.Ramana's tolerance for working with people on all levels of understanding is, however, reflectedin his comment that "all the yogas – karma, bhakti, and jnana – are just different paths to suitdifferent natures with different modes of evolution and to get them out of the long cherishednotion that they are the Self." 12Paul Brunton, a prolific esoteric writer in his own right, was directly responsible for discoveringand introducing this "sage of Arunacala" to the West. The former's book, A Search In SecretIndia, has a couple of chapters devoted exclusively to personal experiences with the Maharshiwhile visiting the latter's ashram. If not for Brunton's writings, Bhagavan might have remainedan obscure, local spiritual guide.Ramana stated emphatically that there was a level of consciousness "behind" the normal humanmind that was both Eternal and Absolute. This principle reflects another classic theme ofVedanta, which maintains that there are four states of consciousness:4. turiya (the highest level of spiritual Realization underlying all three of the former mentalstates).Shankara originally formulated an explanation by analogy of the notion that the world, as wesubjectively perceive it, is an illusory projection of the human mind. This traditional examplewas frequently referred to by Ramana: A man sees a coiled rope at dusk, and mistakenlyconcludes that it is a snake. The next morning at daybreak he returns to see that the supposedserpent is in reality only a rope. He projected qualities onto the rope which it did not, in reality,possess. In this analogy "the Reality of Being is the rope, the illusion of the serpent thatfrightened him is the objective world." 13 This philosophical idea of the world as illusion (maya)is meant to reflect the notion that all of phenomenal existence is only the creation of the mind. (Acomparative footnote: this attitude is echoed by the Yogachara and Madhyamika schools ofMahayana Buddhism – the posing of the spiritual question, Who am I?, and the whole self-enquiry process are somewhat similar to Zen attempts to solve a koan. Until the finalenlightenment experience, this question remains a mind-boggling riddle).There is a great paradox between the Maharshi's "preparation" for Awakening and what headvocated for others. He explained that his transformative experience was spontaneous andunexpected. Although he did not submit to the process of any arduous training beforehand, hewas quick to note that such an occurrence was due to a highly unusual karmic destiny, not typicalof the average seeker. He repeatedly emphasized the need for determined and persistent effort:© 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.5Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1. . .unless the bond of the mind is cut asunder by prolonged and unbroken meditation,"I am the Self, the Absolute," it is impossible to attain the transcendental State of Bliss,which is identical with the annihilation of the mind. So long as subtle tendencies continueto inhere in the mind, it is necessary to carry on the enquiry, "Who am I?" 14He affirmed that one must be prepared to make a long-term commitment to fight through theparade of obstacles that will inevitably attempt to stymie one's progress. Regular meditationdiscipline was endorsed as a means of creating an ongoing current of awareness which wouldenable one to remain relatively detached from the samsara-bound workings of the mind.Various interpretations of Ramana's vichara (self-enquiry) method have been offered as a meansof making an abstract meditation process more translatable to the reader. In essence, the goal ofthe process is to enable one to distinguish between the Real and the unreal through "an intenseactivity of the entire mind to keep it poised in pure self-awareness." 15 After the mind rejectsobjects, one after another, as transient and unreal, That which survives the elimination is Real."By this process of abstraction we get behind the layers of body, mind, and intellect and reachthe Universal Self." 16 By tracing the ego (the "I" sense) back to its source, the yogi strives todis-identify from the mental images and projections of the normal waking state. Application ofthis meditation process initially leads to one-pointedness of mind. We are still identified with thestream of thought consciousness, but at least our minds have begun to focus intently on onething. With relentless concentrative discipline we begin to observe with dispassion thedistractions by things of the world (including sense objects, desires and tendencies) which havepreviously occupied and enslaved our awareness. Their hypnotic spell can and must be broken.Ramana's teachings revolve around the question of whether the ego or "I-sense" really exist. Hisanalysis of this dilemma can be summarized in this manner; if the ego and the mind are composedmerely of thoughts and through investigation we conclude that thoughts are transient projectionsof the mind onto an underlying and more real mental state of pure, apperceptive awareness, wecannot help but give serious consideration to the Advaitin notion that ". . . . for one who can holdto the view that there is only the One Self all outer activity appears a dream or cinema showenacted on the substratum of the Self, so that he will remain an impassive witness." 17At first impression one could easily be misled to believe that the Maharshi was strictly animpersonal and intellectual spiritual guide. However, the bhakti (devotional element) was quiteactive in him at times, and he used to sometimes weep spontaneously while reading certainmystical texts. Ramana vividly described the emotional dimension of his early spiritual life inthese terms:I used to go and weep before those images and before Nataraja (Shiva) that God shouldgive me the same grace He gave to those saints. But this was after the "death"experience. Before that the Bhakti for the sixty-three saints lay dormant, as it were. 18Unlike many contemporary Hindu teachers, the Maharshi discouraged his disciples frombecoming fascinated with the siddhic (supernatural) powers such as telepathy, levitation, astralprojection, or other "miraculous" yogic practices. He advised against indulging in any of these© 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.6Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1psychic "gymnastics." Some yogis might develop such powers of mind through destiny, orincidentally as part of their mystical unfolding. According to Ramana, these psychic practicescould easily become diversionary sidetracks from the real problem of trying to discover one'sreal Self.In evaluating the realization of a spiritual teacher we are naturally led to investigate hisdescription of enlightenment. Is this mystical experience a final, once-in-a-lifetime episode, orcan there exist varying degrees of an ever-expanding awakening? The Maharshi spoke of twolevels of immersion in the Self (Brahman):1. nirvikalpa samadhi – "a complete absorption in the Self with resultant oblivion to themanifested world; often compared to a bucket of water lowered into a well. . ., in thebucket is water (mind) which is merged with that in the well (the Self); but the bucket(ego) still exists to draw it out again.2. sahaja samadhi – pure uninterrupted Consciousness, transcending the mental and physicalplane and yet with full awareness of the manifested world and full use of the mental andphysical faculties. . . often compared with the waters of a river merged in those of theocean." 19Observations on Direct Enquiry as a Meditation TechniqueArthur Osborne, a long-time student of Ramana, observed that most meditators are intellectuallyand experientially quite far from understanding the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, or practicingthe sadhana (spiritual discipline) of self-enquiry. Because of its abstract nature and rigorousmental demands, its appeal has always been, and will always be limited to a ripe few individuals.To construct a written account of this yogic system that will inspire both the head and the heartpresents a major problem because it is notoriously hard to expound on. The Maharshi's spiritualteachings can be difficult to apply on a practical level because of their highly abstract nature.This problem confronts anyone trying to work with a system having an Advaita Vedantinfoundation.Controlling the outgoing (extroverted) mind of the senses is fundamental to any yogic system. Ifwe are an intuitive-intellectual type of personality, the path of jnana yoga might possess atremendous appeal. Whereas, if we are emotionally oriented, the highly abstract nature of a jnanayoga method might strike us as being cold and lifeless.Sooner or later we have got to learn to directly study and experience the fact that we have nocontrol over our minds. We cannot control our own thoughts for even a minute without havingour awareness richocheting off on an endless series of tangential diversions. Genuine applicationof jnana yoga confirms the fact that we are slaves to sensory input projected onto our minds.Unless we have diligently studied the mechanics of the mind through meditation we will neverknow how fragmented and dissipated our mental focus actually is. The analogy of the mind asbeing like an uncontrollable monkey swinging from branch to branch (from sense object to sense© 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.7Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1object) is a classic example of Indian philosophy's attempt to convey the fickle and sensory-grasping nature of all human awareness. The senses are constantly bombarding ourconsciousness with an endless array of impressions which immediately impinge upon ourawareness, with predictably negative results.Ramana Maharshi claimed that ultimately the mind and the ego do not exist (in the sense that weusually view them). For him, only the Self was Real. Now this position might sound tantalizingto our ears, but we are confronted by the seemingly insurmountable task of trying to actuallybecome that realized awareness. The only viable alternative is to begin a rigorous disciplining ofour chaotic minds as a starting point for spiritual practice. We cannot successfully just jump intoa direct-enquiry analysis of consciousness without previous training in mental concentration. Thedistinction between indirect versus a direct method of meditation (as previously discussed in thisessay) is very real in fact, but one should realize that the concurrent use of both methods mightbe necessary for a period of time until an unshakeable power of mental energy is harnessedwhich will enable one to relentlessly pursue an intense self-analysis of one's mind withoutsurrendering from fatigue at the first sign of resistance from the relative ego(s). Vichara (self-enquiry) must become a continuous, unbroken mental current "for the ego will try to make atruce with this current of awareness and if it is once tolerated it will gradually grow to power andthen fight to recover supremacy." 20Concentrative ability (often called "samadhi power" in the Hindu tradition) is the fundamentalmeditation skill whose importance cannot be overemphasized.Those of us who might be telling ourselves that we know how to regulate our thinking, had bettertake another long, hard look at the deeply-engrained, mechanical and uncontrollable nature ofawareness.Ramana Maharshi died in 1950 at his ashram in Tiruvannamalai. An important consideration is,did he transmit his Realization to any of his disciples before his mahasamadhi (final absorptionin the Self at the time of death)? If so, are they teaching in the West or elsewhere? Thesequestions remain unanswered, although there is no doubt that this venerable teacher left hispresence felt on many individuals. In any case, his stature as one of the greatest esoteric teachersof this century remains an unchallenged fact. The profound qualities of his spirituality willalways stand as a monumental contribution to the Indian mystical heritage.T.M.P. Mahadevan, Ramana Maharshi – The Sage of Arunacala (London, 1977), p. 3Arthur Osborne, Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge (New York, 1973), p. 18Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Words of Grace (Tiruvannamalai, 1971), p. 2© 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.8Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1Ramana Maharshi, The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi (Boulder London, 1972), p. viiVedanta Press brochure, (Hollywood, 1978), p. 610. Vedanta Press brochure, p. 311. Ramana Maharshi, The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi, p. 412. A. Devaraja Mudaliar, Day By Day With Bhagavan (Tiruvannamalai, 1968), p. 23714. Ramana Maharshi, Words of Grace (Tiruvannamalai, 1971), p. 1415. Lex Hixon, "Ramana Maharshi and Buddhist Non-Dualism", The Laughing Man (SanFrancisco, 1976), Vol. I, Number 1, p. 78Mahadevan, T.M.P., Ramana Maharshi – The Sage of Arunacala, London, George GeorgeAllen & Unwin, 1977Muhaliar, A. Devaraja, Day By Day With Bhagavan, Tiruvannamalai, Sri Ramanasramam,1968Ramana Maharshi, Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi, Vol. I-III. Tiruvannamalai, SriRamanasramam, 1972Ramana Maharshi, The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi, Boulder & London,Shambhala Publications, 1972© 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.9Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1Osborne, Arthur, Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge, New York, SamuelWeiser, 1973Osborne, Arthur, ed., The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi, New York, SamuelWeiser, 1959Cohen, S.S., Reflections On Talks With Ramana Maharshi, Tiruvannamalai: SriRamanasramam, 1971Sadhu, Mouni, In Days of Great Peace, N. Hollywood, Wilshire Book Co., 1952Ramana Maharshi, Words of Grace, Tiruvannamalai: Sri Ramanasramam, 197110. Prince, Raymond, M.D., "The Convergence of East and West: A Study of Bhagavan SriRamana Maharshi and Arthur Osborne," Newsletter-Review of the R.M. Bucke Society,Vol. VI, No. 1 and 2 Spring, 1973, Montreal, p. 38-6111. Hixon, Lex, "Ramana Maharshi and Buddhist Non-Dualism", The Laughing Man, Vol. I,No. I, 1976, p. 76-80A detailed list of virtually every book ever printed about Ramana Maharshi may be obtained byrequesting a publication listing from: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Ctr., Inc. 342 East 6thStreet, New York, N.Y. 10003Also, his ashram in India publishes a quarterly magazine, "The Mountain Path," which providesan excellent overview of his philosophical ideas.Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai 606 603, South India