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Do thoughts cease at least at Self-realization?
by Gnyana Sangha | Oct 22, 2023 | Advaita, Atma Nirvriti, Atmananda, Body, Death, Direct Path, Dreams, Emptiness, Food, Illusion, Mind, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ramana Maharshi, Sakshi Bhav/Witness, Samadhi, Self- Realization, Sensations, Thoughts
Question:
Didi, you said in your previous post that “Nothing is going to change by following the spiritual path not even your mind’s noise”. But Ramana Maharshi session you read out the quote where he said “The degree of the absence of thoughts is the measure of your progress towards Self-realization”. These seem contradictory. Please help reconcile.
Answer:
Ramana Maharshi still doesn’t mean that you will reach a state where there are zero thoughts while still living in your body-mind and involved in your daily routine [not referring to closed-eyed Samadhi which is a temporary cessation].
Even as an Enlightened being, you will have a sensation arise which says ‘I am hungry’ or ‘I am thirsty. The thought may not be in English but simply as a sensation that draws you towards the food and water. That sensation is a suggestion of the existence of the mind.
That zeroness of mind that you talk about is simply temporary cessation of mind as in Samadhi or it is naturally possible only at the Death of the body-mind complex. Even that is uncertain whether the mind will have zero thoughts or not after death as nobody has ever returned to confirm this after they died 🙂
Then what does Ramana Maharshi mean by the degree of absence of thought?
- As you progress closer to Self-Realization, you recognize that:
- Thoughts are not mine.
- Knowing is the only possibility.
- Thinking is not in my hands. I am not the Thinker at all. [Advaita level III – Ajaata vaad].
- As you recognize thoughts are not mine, you stop associating with thoughts. The ownership of thought drops. So what Maharshi meant is the degree of absence of ownership of thoughts is the measure of your progress towards Self-realization.
Then the next stage of Exploration and Investigation begins:
- When I am not the thinker and simply the witness of the mind, then I cannot increase or decrease my thoughts.
- If I cannot decrease my thoughts then how can thoughts reduce? It’s not possible.
- All that is happening by recognizing that I am the witness and not the thought itself is that I stop associating with them as ‘my thoughts’.
- Now I don’t take thoughts personally. For e.g. When you see a stranger on the road criticizing or insulting you, you don’t take it personally.
Thus a final realization happens: Oh! All that happens, in reality, is that the degree of the absence of ownership of thoughts and ownership of actions increases until you finally hit the last milestone of Self-realization.
It is akin to you saying in the morning, that the tiger in the dream was simply an illusion. You will say at Self-realization that the entire dream world is simply an illusion including the ‘mineness’ of thoughts and actions.
When you recognize experientially that all thoughts are simply an illusion, then a shift happens. You understand that ‘the thoughts even though present are actually absent as MY thoughts’. A clarity shines through where you see it as the dreamer’s mind projecting the entire dream world including the thoughts.
Reminder, an illusion is never present, it only appears to be. Thoughts are not present, they simply appear to be, like a mirage. How can a mirage be increased or reduced?
Happy Self-realization!
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TTM
Here’s what I’ve been told. Life is like a giant theater troop. In one life you play the villain, in the next life you may be the hero, or simply one of the actors. All of this is for the learning and knowledge of your soul. We are not “whole souls,” but fragments of souls, who may be having 500,000 to over 1,000,000 lives going on at the same time across the universe.
Our soul fragments are in what are called “clusters.” Each cluster has on average 6 to 12 soul fragments of one soul, all given different interests by our souls—again for their maximum learning on Earth. Then each of us has on average 600 to 800 lives on Earth, which happen be going on all at the same time, as time is an illusion. Plus we each have 12 parallel lives on 12 different frequencies.
As you can see, this is just the “tip of the iceberg” regarding how all of this is set up. I haven’t even touched on the subject that we are working with four negative energies, while the rest of our universe and the BILLIONS of other universes only work with the 10 positive energies.
Since 2005, I estimate that I have asked at least 25,000 to 30,000 questions in a meditative state. These are all archived on my website for anyone to read in my free weekly newsletters. Here is a link to one to give you an idea of what they include: Election News, Boseman, Choosing Voices, Souls, ET's, Creator, Oliver Ston
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-- Sadhguru
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Sri Ramana had a power that makes him perennially interesting:
He didn’t think he needed to teach anything or that anything needed to be taught.
He was just a guy sitting on the side of a mountain.
People asked him many things, and he sometimes answered them.
For his primary insights, you can read his written works or Guru Vachaka Kovai.
His “teaching” can be summarized in four words:
The truth is only “I am,” and the method is only “be still.”
When thoughts arise, one may ask to whom they arise.
Who is plagued by these thoughts?
Only the ego is plagued by them, but it doesn’t exist.
A spiritual community grew up around him, but he had little to do with it.
He didn’t try to have or maintain power.
He sat with everyone, only agreeing to sit on a cheap sofa in later years, and under protest.
When someone asked him where the guru is, not recognizing him, he always pointed elsewhere.
When others tried to take over and make themselves the guru, he didn’t protest.
He didn’t worry the teachings would get distorted over time.
There were no teachings!
There is only silence, which teaches all.
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PANCHAMUKHI HANUMANJI
The five faces of Lord Hanuman with their directions and significance are
1.Sri Hanuman – (Facing East)
The significance of this face is this face removes all blemishes of sin and confers purity of mind.
2.Narsimha – (Facing South)
The significance of this face is this face removes fear of enemies and confers victory. Narasimha is the Lion-Man avatar of Lord Vishnu, who took the form to protect his devotee Prahlad from his evil father, Hiranyakashipu.
3.Garuda – (Facing West)
The significance of this face is this face drives away evil spells, black magic influences, negative spirits and removes all poisonous effects in one’s body. Garuda is Lord Vishnu’s vehcile, this bird knows the secrets of death and the beyond. The Garuda Purana is a Hindu text based on this knowledge.
4.Varaha – (Facing North)
The significance of this face is this face wards off the troubles caused by bad influences of the planets and confers all eight types prosperity (Ashta Aishwarya). Varaha is another Lord Vishnu avatar, he took this form and dug up land.
5.Hayagriva – (Facing Upwards)
The significance of this face is this face confers knowledge, victory, good wife and progeny.
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