INTRODUCTION - The One Thing Needful
From the most ancient times of spiritual endeavor and attainment in all of the major religions of this world, the truths that inspired mankind were conveyed from Master to disciple in the tradition of oral transmission. One became fit for discipleship with the developed skill of appropriate attention to the teachings, invoked by a keenly alert questioning and a willing receptivity to the course of effort charted by the Master.
The Sage Vasistha (the guru of the Lord Sri Rama) proclaimed that this form of teaching through satsang (keeping close company and a living relationship with the Holy and Noble Ones) would not only produce perfection in practice, but would convey the highest Liberation. Therefore he revealed that of the four gatekeepers to the ‘Palace of Liberation’, satsang is included.
To find true satsang that can transform is an act of grace, to be receptive to it, and thus to spiritually progress, is an act of effort. In keeping with the traditions of old, the contents of this book are presented in the form of satsang containing questions and answers concerning practical instruction regarding the teachings prescribed by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. The inspiring truths conveyed concerning spiritual pursuit are of great practical value to all who seek to find the ‘pearl of great price’, which has come to be known in theory as ‘religion’, but in practice as the path leading to a ‘life of the Spirit’.
Though the ancient form of instruction is maintained, the answers reflect what has evolved in our ‘modern times’ as a uniquely universal spiritual teaching that can be taken up by anyone the world over without adopting the limiting constraints of any one religious tradition. It has been said that these teachings were indeed God given, for they began with the words of grace flowing from Sri Ramakrishna and continued with the blessing of perfection that was embodied as Sri Ramana Maharshi.
As did his predecessor, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi stressed practice that produces purification (removal of that fog of ignorance, the obstacles and habits of the mercurial mind which diminish our pure vision) as well as the grace of the knowledge of the Self as the eternal companions of those who would be led:
From the unreal to the Real,
From darkness to Light
From death to Immortality!
Why has satsang been deemed to be essential for the spiritual progress that leads to Realization? What is the task of the guru (qualified teacher), if not to show us the way and patiently lead us towards it?
During the blessed years of Sri Bhagavan’s physical sojourn amongst us, those who took shelter at his feet were daily inspired to continue in the ‘practice that makes perfect’. This was a true example how history repeats itself since the ancient times of Sanatana Dharma, the religion where men have eternally sought God, their effort only to be outdone by God’s longing to become manifest within man.
When Lord Rama sojourned on earth, he once asked his guru Sri Vasistha why it was that when they were together his knowledge and experience of the Self was undiminished, but when they were apart forgetfulness obstructed the vision of his divinity? Sri Vasisthadeva simply, but with great profundity, declared that the reason for forgetfulness was:
“Lack of abhyas (repeated spiritual practice).”
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi echoed the same Truth when answering a devotee’s comment that:
“Bhagavan’s Grace is needed in order that meditation (and thus remembrance) should become effortless.”
Bhagavan replied: “Practice is necessary, there is Grace.” 1
The Winds of Change
Though God and His Truths never change, we seem to have wandered somewhat astray, being led by the whimsical desires of infantile habits. Assuredly, this ‘child by adoption’ (our ego) is habitually perverse and dangerously errant, and deserves disownment. In fact, our very liberation demands it! A great scholar of Vedanta, and devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Yatiswarananda, has stated this condition with crystal clarity:
“We all know that the ego is perverse and how it is constantly changing its center of gravity. It is now identified with outside things, next moment with the body, then with the senses or the mind. It is mad and runs the risk of tumbling down any moment. How at times it becomes too much one-pointed, centered on itself! We forget that our individual consciousness is part of an infinite consciousness; we forget that the welfare of our fellow beings is inseparable from our own; we become egocentric, selfish and mean- a danger to ourselves, to our family and society.” 2
The complete eradication of this ‘habit’, and the state of perfection that we must strive for is exemplified completely with every detail of the life of Sri Ramana Maharshi. He has made the mold, now we must cast the image in his likeness.
In our own era the ‘winds of change’ blow with gale force, they toss the externalized mind about like a boat on a stormy sea. With even greater force our heedless impatience impels us to seek the easy road to Realization, a way that avoids and even denies the need for a path that skillfully trains one to overcome the mind by turning within.
Calming the Storm
Bhagavan emphasized this clearly when He stated:
“How to transcend the mind?” The Master answers: “Mind is by nature restless. Begin liberating it from restlessness: give it peace; make it free from distractions; train it to look inward; make this a habit. This is done by ignoring the external world and removing all obstacles to peace of mind.” 3
These words of Bhagavan are in perfect keeping with the tradition of the eternal religion of India. He declares the goal, and then proceeds to show the way to get there. He reveals to us that we habitually live in the shadow of an awareness of a distracted externalized mind, and that training is needed to remove these ingrained obstacles.
We must begin our sadhana (spiritual practice) with an unshakable understanding that for the vast majority of us this condition, though only a superimposition on our real nature, is exactly where we stand. We must recognize as Sri Ramana’s predecessor, Sri Krishna, exemplified to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita; there are enemies (obstacles), and the training of a skillful warrior is needed for victory (liberation from restlessness).
So the first question for us is “Where do we stand”? Perhaps the magnitude of the grace and compassion of Bhagavan Sri Ramana is demonstrated by the fact that although his incarnation focused on revealing to us the answer to the enquiry “Who we are”, it was said that he seemed to like nothing better than helping to deal with the obstacles and clearing the doubts of those who came before Him. Perhaps the hidden efficacy of this fact is born out by one of the truly essential statements of Bhagavan recorded by his close disciple Sri Muruganar:
“If we perform sadhana to the limit of our abilities, the Lord will accomplish for us that which is beyond our capabilities. If we fail to do even that which is within our capabilities, there is not the slightest fault in the grace of the Lord.” 4
The Virtue of Patience
Though Bhagavan began walking amongst men now over a century past, he was very much in our ‘modern times’. Thus one of his close disciples wrote, for us to consider while we analyze ‘where we stand’, words that give a clear description of what we all face:
“This is the age of shortcuts. Time has shrunk and space more so, and the dual inconvenience has affected men’s moods and temper. Even the supreme Knowledge has nowadays to be given in massive doses and has to produce quick results too, or they will have none of it…The result is that we return from the guru and his Ashram with our doubts still in our heads uncleared, and our minds, about truth and untruth, still befogged.” 5
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1. Guru Ramana, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2006, p. 76.
2. Meditation and Spiritual Life, Swami Yatiswarananda, Ramakrishna Math Bangalore 2001, p. 241.
3. Reflections on Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2006, Talk 26 p. 129.
4. Padamalai, Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi Recorded by Muruganar, p. 186. (Reference is to Sri Ramana Jnana Bodham, vol. 8, verse 192).
5. Advaitic Sadhana The Yoga of Direct Liberation, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2007, p. 1-2.
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