thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
to qualify it. You want to say that as long as this doesn't happen, or as long as that does happen, then you're willing to be happy. That's why it seems like it is out of your control. Any condition you create will limit your happiness. You simply aren't going to be able to control things and keep them the way you want them.You have to give an unconditional answer. If you decide that you're going to be happy from now on for the rest of your life, you will not only be happy, you will become enlightened. Unconditional happiness is the highest technique there is. You don't have to learn Sanskrit or read any scriptures. You don't have to renounce the world. You just have to really mean it when you say that you choose to be happy. And you have to mean it regardless of what happens. This is truly a spiritual path, and it is as direct and sure a path to Awakening as could possibly exist.Once you decide you want to be unconditionally happy, something inevitably will happen that challenges you. This test of your commitment is exactly what stimulates spiritual growth. In fact, it is the unconditional aspect of your commitment that makes this the highest path. It's so simple. You just have to decide whether or not you will break your vow. When everything is going well, it's easy to be happy. But the moment something difficult happens, it's not so easy. You tend to find yourself saying, "But I didn't know this was going to happen. I didn't think I'd miss my flight. I didn't think Sally would show up at the party wearing the same dress that I had on. I didn't think that somebody would dent my brand-new car one hour after I got it." Are you really willing to break your vow of happiness because these events took place?Billions of things could happen that you haven't even thought of yet. The question is not whether they will happen. Things are going to happen. The real question is whether you want to be happy regardless of what happens. The purpose of your life is to enjoy and learn from your experiences. You were not put on Earth to suffer. You're not helping anybody by being miserable. Regardless of your philosophical beliefs, the fact remains that you were born and you are going to die. During the time in between, you get to choose whether or not you want to enjoy the experience. Events don't determine whether or not you're going to be happy. They're just events. You determine whether or not you're going to be happy. You can be happy just to be alive. You can be happy having all these things happen to you, and then be happy to die. If you can live this way, your heart will be so open and your Spirit will be so free, that you will soar up to the heavens.This path leads you to absolute transcendence because any part of your being that would add
a condition to your commitment to happiness has got to go. If you want to be happy, you have to let go of the part of you that wants to create melodrama. This is the part that thinks there's a reason not to be happy. You have to transcend the personal, and as you do, you will naturally awaken to the higher aspects of your being.In the end, enjoying life's experiences is the only rational thing to do. You're sitting on a planet spinning around in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Go ahead, take a look at reality. You're floating in empty space in a universe that goes on forever. If you have to be here, at least be happy and enjoy the experience. You're going to die anyway. Things are going happen anyway. Why shouldn't you be happy? You gain nothing by being bothered by life's events. It doesn't change the world; you just suffer. There's always going to be something that can bother you, if you let it.This choice to enjoy life will lead you through your spiritual journey. In truth, it is itself a spiritual teacher. Committing yourself to unconditional happiness will teach you every single there is to learn about yourself, about others, and about the nature of life. You will learn all about your mind, your heart, and your will. But you have to mean it when you say that you'll be happy for the rest of your life. Every time a part of you begins to get unhappy let it go. Work with it. Use affirmations, or do whatever you need to do to stay open. If you are committed, nothing can stop you. No matter what happens, you can chose to enjoy the experience. If they starve you and put you in solitary confinement, just have fun being like Gandhi. No matter what happens, just enjoy the life that comes to you.As difficult as that sounds, what's the benefit of not doing it? If you're totally innocent and they lock you up, you might as well have fun. What good does it do to not have fun? It doesn't change anything. In the end, if you stay happy, you win. Make that your game, and just stay happy no matter what. Copyright 2007 Reprinted with permission by New Harbinger Publications, Inc. From the book Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer http://www.newharbinger.com/productdetails.cfm?SKU=5372 ___________________Michael A. Singer received a master's degree in the economics from the University of Florida in 1971. During his doctoral work, he had a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a now long-established yoga and meditation center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Through the years, Singer has made major contributions in the areas of business, the arts, education, healthcare, and environmental protection. He has previously authored two books in the integration of Eastern and Western philosophy: The Search for Truth and Three Essays on Universal Law: Karma, Will
A rather rough graphic I drew of the Five Koshas Appearing in one of the earliest Upanishads is the important and influential mystical concept is five selves. The Taittiriya Upanishad is exceptional in that it is one of the first writings to present a systemmatic metaphysic or theory of first principles. It speaks of the individual as divided into five selves (atma, initially - as with all such terms - "breath", and then "self" or "soul"; the term elsewhere, and especially later, came to characterise that aspect of the self which is synonymous with the Absolute).Five levels of self are referred to:the anna-maya-atma or the "Self (atma) made of Food" the prana-maya-atma or "the Self made of Vital Breath (prana)" the mana-maya-atma or "the Self made of Mind (manas)" the vijnana-maya-atma or "the Self made of Consciousness or intellect (vijnana)" the ananda-maya-atma or "the Self made of Bliss (ananda)", where one attains to BrahmanThe spiritual aspirant, in the quest for Self- and God-realisation, passes under the guidance of the Master through each of these selves in turn, finally attaining to the Absolute or Brahman, which is synonymous with the highest or Bliss Self.There is a strong resemblance here to the Hellenistic Hermetic and Neoplatonic scheme of more than a millenia later. According to this, the gross physical body is only the outermost of a number of "bodies" or "vehicles" - ochema - to use the Neoplatonic term. Death means the discarding, first of the physical, than of the successive subtle vehicles, until only the immortal Spirit, the Nous, remains. As expressed in the Corpus Hermetica:"The mind (nous) has for its vehicle the soul (psyche); the soul has for its vehicle the vital spirit (pnuema); and the vital spirit, traversing the arteries with the blood, moves the body.... (W)hen men quit the body...(t)he soul ascends to its own place, and is separated from the vital spirit; and the mind is separated from the soul. Thus the mind, which is divine by nature, is freed from its integuments..." [pp.195-9]Comparing the Indian with the Hermetic scheme, it is obvious that the Food self is more or less the same as the Soma (Physical body), the Life-force self to the Vital Spirit (Pneuma), the Mental self to the Psyche, and the Consciousness self to the Nous, the Divine mind or spirit principle.There is however little or no similarity with the Egyptian, Chinese, and classical Kabbalistic conceptions, all of which spoke in terms of many souls, rather than a single gradational continuum from material body to divine spirit. (Later Kabbalisticwriters on the other hand did posit a five-fold continuum (Nefesh-Ruah-Neshamah-Hayyah-Yehidah) more or less analogous to the Taittiriya and Hellenistic Hermetic versions.The Taittiriya Upanishad presents a very world-affirming philosophy, because each level of self is described in a positive way, and Brahman itself is referred to emphatically as the nature of Bliss (Ananda). Thus, one begins with Life (or "food", referring perhaps to the ecological web) and attains to Bliss.In the world-affirming cosmology of the Taittiriya Upanishad, in which each level of self is described in a positive
way, and the highest self-level, the Self made of Bliss, is equated with Brahman, the Absolute. Brahman is therefore also of the nature of Bliss (Ananda). Fifteen hundred years after the Taittiriya Upanishad was composed (i.e. around the seventh and eighth centuries), the sages Guadapada and his prolific sucessor Shankara, who saw the cosmos as ultimately illusory (or Maya) and only the Absolute as real. In the teachings of Gaudapada and Shankara, the world-affirming element of the original Taittiriya Upanishad was denied, and the five selves (atma) become five koshas or "sheaths" which veil the light of the True transcendent self or Atman. The Taittirya Upanishad's terminology was retained, but the concepts used were, for the most part, rather different. This of course is always the case: words change much more slowly than the ideas they are used to represent. Thus a polemicist can use an ancient and respected authority to mean something totally different, and at times even totally at variance to, the meaning intended by the original writer (the classic example being the contemporary Christian fundamentalist's use (or misuse) of the Hebraic religious corpus).Rather clumsily, the koshas are also identified with the four states of consciousness of the Mandukya Upanishad. So for example the Bliss kosha is equated with dreamless sleep, but how can dreamless sleep be blissful (except in the negative sense of freedom from pain)?This Advaitin interpretation became very popular, and is still taught by practically all the gurus from the East. It also had a strong influence on Theosophy. There, the Food kosha became the Gross Physical body, the Life-force kosha the subtle double or Etheric body, the Mental kosha the Astral/Emotional and Mental principles, and the higher koshas and the Atman the higher self and transcendent spirit.
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
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
Sri Ramana Maharshi Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside. Nearly all mankind is more or less unhappy because nearly all do not know the true Self. Real happiness abides in Self-knowledge alone. All else is fleeting. To know one's Self is to be blissful always. ...Bliss is not something to be got. On the other hand you are always Bliss.This desire [for Bliss] is born of the sense of incompleteness. To whom is this sense of incompleteness? Enquire. In deep sleep you were blissful. Now you are not so. What has interposed between that Bliss and this non-bliss? It is the ego. Seek its source and find you are Bliss. Wanting to reform the world without discovering one's true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes.From `Happiness and God's Grace' by Ramana Maharshi We loosely talk of Self-realization, for lack of a better term. But how can one realize or make real that which alone is real? All we need to do is to give up our habit of regarding as real that which is unreal. All religious practices are meant solely to help us do this. When we stop regarding the unreal as real, then reality alone will remain, and we will be that. Nobody doubts that he exists, though he may doubt the existence of God. If he finds out the truth about himself and discovers his own source, this is all that is required. 'That inner Self, as the primeval Spirit, Eternal, ever effulgent, full and infinite Bliss, Single, indivisible, whole and living, Shines in everyone as the witnessing awareness. That self in its splendour, shining in the cavity of the heart This self is neither born nor dies, Neither grows nor decays, Nor does it suffer any change. When a pot is broken, the space within it is not, And similarly, when the body dies the Self in it remains eternal. Every living being longs always to be happy, untainted by sorrow; and everyone has the greatest love for himself, which is solely due to the fact that happiness is his real nature. Hence, in order to realize that inherent and untainted happiness, which indeed he daily experiences when the mind is subdued in deep sleep, it is essential that he should know himself. For obtaining such knowledge the inquiry 'Who am I?' in quest of the Self is the best means."-The Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi(Page 39, Samuel Weiser Edition 1977) Reality is simply the loss of ego. Destroy the ego by seeking its identity. Because the ego is no entity it will automatically vanish and reality will shine forth by itself. -'Be As You Are', The Teachings of Sri Ramana MaharshiEdited by David Godman "God dwells in you, as you, and you don't have to 'do' anything to be God-realized or Self-realized, it is already your true and natural
state." Just drop all seeking, turn your attention inward, and sacrifice your mind to the One Self radiating in the Heart of your very being. For this to be your own presently lived experience, Self-Inquiry is the one direct and immediate way." It is false to speak of realisation. What is there to realise?The real is as it is always. We are not creating anything new orachieving something which we did not have before. The illustrationgiven in books is this. We dig a well and create a huge pit. Thespace in the pit or well has not been created by us. We have justremoved the earth which was filling the space there. The spacewas there then and is also there now. Similarly we have simplyto throw out all the age-long samskaras [innate tendencies] whichare inside us. When all of them have been given up, the Self willshine alone.-"Be As You Are"The Teachings of Sri Ramana MaharshiEdited by David Godman There is no greater mystery than this, that we keepseeking reality though in fact we are reality. We think that there is something hiding reality and thatthis must be destroyed before reality is gained.How ridiculous! A day will dawn when you will laughat all your past efforts. That which will be the dayyou laugh is also here and now. Relative knowledge pertains to the mind and not to the Self. It is therefore illusory and not permanent. Take a scientist, for instance. He formulates a theory that the Earth is round and goes on to prove it on an incontrovertible basis. When he falls asleep the whole idea vanishes; his mind is left a blank. What does it matter whether the world remains round or flat when he is asleep? So you see the futility of all such relative knowledge. One should go beyond relative knowledge and abide in the Self. Real knowledge is such experience, and not apprehension by the mind.-"Talks with Ramana Maharshi" 'I exist' is the only permanent self-evident experience of everyone. Nothing else is so self-evident as 'I am'. What people call self-evident, that is, the experience they get through the senses, is far from self-evident. The Self alone is that. So to do self-enquiry and be that 'I am' is the only thing to do. 'I am' is reality. I am this or that is unreal. 'I am' is truth, another name for Self.-"Be As You Are"The Teachings of Sri Ramana MaharshiEdited by David Godman "Heart" is merely another name for the Supreme Spirit, because He is in all hearts. The entire Universe is condensed in the body, and the entire body in the Heart. Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole Universe. Your own Self-Realizationis the greatest service you canrender the world. You and I are the same. What I have done is surely possible for all. You are the Self now and can never be anything else.Throw your worries to the wind,turn within and find Peace.