Behind My Hand

D.: Which is the best of the different yogas, Karma, Jnana, Bhakti or Hatha? M.: See stanza 10 of “Upadesa Sara” [ see below ]. To remain in the Self amounts to all these in their highest sense. Maharshi added: In dreamless sleep there is no world, no ego and no unhappiness. But the Self remains. In the waking state there are all these; yet there is the Self. One has only to remove the transitory happenings in order to realise the ever-present beatitude of the Self. Your nature is Bliss. Find that on which all the rest are superimposed and you then remain as the pure Self. ( Ramana Maharshi in Talk 189 ) —- Upadesa Saram v. 10 hrtsthalemanah svasthatAkriyA / bhaktiyogabodhAScaniScitam // The act (kriyA) of abiding in one’s natural state, the mind set in the Heart, is without doubt, Devotion, Yoga and Knowledge.   Notes: Here, kriyA (action) refers to the one truly continuous, uncaused, meritorious ‘act’ (kriyAyoga). This is eternal Being, the Self. Where the m...

“It is said that the sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and the stars, nor lightning nor fire. All the lights in the universe cannot be compared even to a ray of this inner light of the Self. Conceptual twaddle falls away in obeisance to this Light of all. Take to Vichara and merge yourself in this constant, eternal light of lights, the light of the Self.” Excerpt From Talks on Self Enquiry Miles Wright & Gabriele Ebert https://books.apple.com/gb/book/talks-on-self-enquiry/id1078197373 This material may be protected by copyright.

The doubts arise in the mind. The mind is born of the ego. The ego rises from the Self. Search the source of the ego and the Self is revealed. That alone remains. The universe is only expanded Self. It is not different from the Self.  Ramana Maharshi - from Talk 106

hṛtsthalemanaḥ svasthatākriyā | bhaktiyogabodhāścaniścitam || 10| | The act (kriyā) of abiding in one’s natural state, the mind set in the Heart, is without doubt, Devotion, Yoga and Knowledge.   Notes: Here, kriyā (action) refers to the one truly continuous, uncaused, meritorious ‘act’ (kriyāyoga). This is eternal Being, the Self. Where the mind finds this place (dhyāna), i.e. its place of birth, there is the culmination of karma, bhakti, yoga, and jnana. For the purified mind, this takes the form of constant remembrance, also called nididhyāsana. This is realisation of one’s natural state. Referring to this verse Sri Bhagavan proclaims, “That is the whole truth in a nut-shell.” (Talk 222) —- —- —- Excerpt From Essence of Instruction (Upadesa Saram) Ramana Maharshi, Miles Wright & Gabriele Ebert https://books.apple.com/gb/book/essence-of-instruction-upadesa-saram/id908258526 This material may be protected by copyright.

31-1-1935 Talk 21. Mr. Ellappa Chettiar, a member of the Legislative Council of Madras Presidency and an influential Hindu, asked: “Why is it said that the knowledge born of hearing is not firm, whereas that born of contemplation is firm?” M.: On the other hand it is said that hearsay knowledge (paroksha) is not firm, whereas that born of one’s own realisation (aparoksha) is firm. It is also said that hearing helps the intellectual understanding of the Truth, that meditation makes the understanding clear, and finally that contemplation brings about realisation of the Truth. Furthermore, they say also that all such knowledge is not firm and that it is firm only when it is as clear and intimate as a gooseberry in the hollow of one’s palm. There are those who affirm that hearing alone will suffice, because a competent person who had already, perhaps in previous incarnations, qualified himself, realises and abides in peace as soon as he hears the Truth told him only once, where...

Bhartrhari (The Grammarian) asserts that powers such as kālaśakti (time), karanaśakti (causality), dikśakti (direction), sādhanaśakti (means) and kriyaśakti (action) are non-different from Brahman. Although they might be considered in some philosophies, such as by the Vaißesikas, to be separately existing entities, in the Vakyapadiya, they are considered powers of Sabdabrahman. They always appear united in the same object, function together, and have no independent reality at any level of discussion. A multiplicity of powers belonging to the Ultimate reality is admitted in preference to postulating multiple entities. The latter moves too far from the fundamental assertion that Brahman is one.

From UG Krishnamurti: Q: Where do all these thoughts come from? A: They are all over. There is a thought sphere in which we are all functioning. But one question (I don't ask myself that question because there is no point in posing that question to myself, nor am I interested in finding an answer for it) for which the answer is not very clear is: do these thoughts come from outside passed on from generation to generation, or are they also transmitted through the genes? I have every reason to believe that the totality of knowledge is not only transmitted through our education in all forms, shapes, sizes, and degrees, but also, to a greater extent, through the genes. Now they are saying that the capacity to learn not only languages but a language is genetically controlled. (Thought Is Your Enemy)

Bhartrhari writes in Vākyapadīya, ś abde ś vev āś rit ā ś aktir vi ś vasy ā sya nibandhani / yannetrah pratibh ā tm ā yam bhedarupah pratiyate // ( VP , 1. 118) “The power which resides in words is the sole cause of this universe. Led by the  intuitive (unerring) self, this appearance of division is recognised.” (trans. MWright)