Who am I ?

[sadananda]

>Gummuluru Murthy wrote:
>
>> We are striving here to reach paramatma and break away from the cycle of
>> births and re-births. To achieve this, we should do good deeds, dictated
>> by pure conscience.
Surehs wrote:
>  Ramana Maharishi differs here. According to him we should not even
>  strive to reach the parmaatma.  One sould either find out the "I" which is
>  the source of all thoughts by enquiry or we should surrender everything to
>  the lord including the desire for salvation and redemption from the
>  birth-death cycle.

I have to disagree with the readings of Ramana Maharshi's teaching by suresh.

in the upadesha saara:

    iiswararpitam nechayaakritam
     chittasodhakam muktisaadhakam.

    that action performed with no self centered desires offering to the
Lord would contribute to the purification of the mind. and will help in the
liberation.

    puujanam japaa chintamam kramat.

   puuja, japa and meditation (or inquiry) has to be in the order

    jagada iishadhiiH yukata sevam
    ashtamuurthibruk daiva (puujanam?)

   perform appropriate actions taking the whole world as the Lord - This is
nothing but karma yoga - an attitude in the action by understanding the
whole world is nothing but the Lord. ashtamuurthi - in the form of 8
elements - 5 elements + mind and intellect and jeeva - Bhoomiraaponalovaayu
kham mano buddhi revacha, ahakaaramiddiyamme bhinna prakRitimashTadda -
B.G. 15. ?


in Vivekachuudaamani - sankara says- chittasya suddaye karma na tu
vastuupalabhyate -

Action has a role - it helps to purify the mind so that it is readily
available for the inquiry of who am I. Bhagavan emphasized the things to be
done- kramat - in the order.
 This is called sapta vaDa nyaaya - I cannot have my seventh vada, the
fulfilling vaDa witout the first six.  Remember many went to Ramanaasrama
not everybody could get the same help since their minds are not equaly
prepared.  Who am I is  an inquiry not a japa, and mind has to be
sufficiently detached or purified to do that inquiry

Of course he pointed out when the mind is ready to start with the abhidaa
bhaavana - soham iti  -  that Tat twam asi -the feeling that He and I are
one - which is superior to bedha baavana - He is different and I am
different - which is involved in karma and bhakti.

And the rayol path is:

    maanasantu kim maargane kR^ite
    naaiva maanasam marga arjavat.

Proceed to inquire into the nature of the mind and one finds there is no
mind (the world of plurality) -that is the straight path -

This does not mean other paths are wrong - They are required for
purification of the mind - not for realization.  Path depends on where one
and there is no wrong path in the flight to self realization.

In the Arunaachala Siva - Bhagavaan himself wrote examplyfuing the
indiviual role in relation to paramaatma.

Hari Om!
sadananda



>
>  Even Good deeds done with expectation of salvation will put one in the cycle
>  of birth-death after spending many years in heaven. I think it is there
>  somewhere in the Bhagavad Gita.
>
>  Action without attachment alone can grant salvation. I suppose if one becomes
>  detached one will automatically tend to do good deeds because good deeds tend
>  to unify, and god is the ultimate unification, and as one becomes more
> detached
>  one gets more anchored in god.
>
>Namaskar,
>Suresh.

K. Sadananda
Code 6323
Naval Research Laboratory
Washington D.C. 20375
Voice (202)767-2117
Fax:(202)767-2623

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What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your
gift to Him: Swami Chinmayananda
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