Sri Ramana Teachings Sri Ramana Center of Houston
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- Religion & Spirituality
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Philosophy and practice of self-investigation (ātma-vicāra) and self-surrender (ātma-samarpana) as taught by Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi.
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Self-investigation, effort, doing and being
In a Zoom meeting with the San Diego Ramana Satsang (ramana-satsang-sd@googlegroups.com) on 5th May 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.
The passage from Day by Day (9-1-46 Afternoon) that Michael discussed at the beginning is:
It is false to speak of Realisation. What is there to realise? The real is as it is, ever. How to real-ise it? All that is required is this. We have real-ised the unreal, i.e., regarded as real what is unreal. We have to give up this attitude. That is all that is required for us to attain jnana. We are not creating anything new or achieving something which we did not have before. The illustration given in books is this. We dig a well and create a huge pit. The akasa in the pit or well has not been created by 102 us. We have just removed the earth which was filling the akasa there. The akasa was there then and is also there now. Similarly we have simply to throw out all the age-long samskaras which are inside us, and when all of them have been given up, the Self will shine, alone.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here. -
Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham verse 14
In a Zoom meeting with Sri Ramana Center, Houston, on 4th May 2024, Michael James discusses Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham, verse 14.
The following is Michael's translation of this verse:
வினையும் விபத்தி வியோகமஞ் ஞானமினையவையார்க் கென்றாய்ந் திடலே — வினைபத்தியோகமுணர் வாய்ந்திடநா னின்றியவை யென்றுமிறானாகமன லேயுண்மை யாம். viṉaiyum vibhatti viyōgamañ ñāṉamiṉaiyavaiyārk keṉḏṟāyn diḍalē — viṉaibhattiyōgamuṇar vāyndiḍanā ṉiṉḏṟiyavai yeṉḏṟumiṟāṉāhamaṉa lēyuṇmai yām. பதச்சேதம்: வினையும், விபத்தி, வியோகம், அஞ்ஞானம் இணையவை யார்க்கு என்று ஆய்ந்திடலே வினை, பத்தி, யோகம், உணர்வு. ஆய்ந்திட, ‘நான்’ இன்றி அவை என்றும் இல். தானாக மனலே உண்மை ஆம். Padacchēdam (word-separation): viṉai-y-um, vibhatti, viyōgam, aññāṉam iṉaiyavai yārkku eṉḏṟu āyndiḍal-ē viṉai, bhatti, yōgam, uṇarvu. āyndiḍa, ‘nāṉ’ iṉḏṟi avai eṉḏṟum il. tāṉ-āha maṉal-ē uṇmai ām. English translation: Investigating for whom are suchlike, karma, vibhakti, viyōga and ajñāna, is itself karma, bhakti, yōga and jñāna. When one investigates, without ‘I’ they never exist. Only being permanently as oneself is what is true. Explanatory paraphrase: Investigating for whom [or to whom] are those [defects] such as karma [action], vibhakti [lack of devotion], viyōga [separation] and ajñāna [ignorance], is itself [or alone] [what will fulfil the purpose and aims of each of the paths of] karma [desireless action or niṣkāmya karma], bhakti [devotion or love], yōga [joining, yoking or harnessing, particularly in the sense of yoking the mind to the object or target of its meditation or to any spiritual practice, and in this context referring to practices whose aim is to bring about ‘cessation of mental activity’ (citta-vṛtti nirōdhaḥ)] and jñāna [knowledge or awareness in the sense of true self-knowledge, which is awareness of oneself as one actually is]. When one investigates [oneself keenly enough], [the ‘I’ for whom karma, vibhakti, viyōga and ajñāna seem to exist, namely ego, will cease to exist, and] without [that] ‘I’ they [namely karma, vibhakti, viyōga and ajñāna] never exist. Only being permanently as oneself [one’s own real nature, namely pure awareness] is what is true [or real].
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This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here. -
Bhagavan’s description of his death experience
In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 27th April 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here. -
What is real 'seeing' or 'knowing' God?
During the international celebration of Bhagavan Ramana’s 74th Aradhana (anniversary of the day he left his body) organised by Arunachala Ashrama, New York, on 14th April 2024 Michael James discusses what the real 'seeing' or 'knowing' of God is.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here. -
The blind intelligence of AI cannot help us to see what is real
In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 13th April 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.
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svarūpa and ego are one in substance but differ in appearance
In a Zoom meeting with the San Diego Ramana Satsang (ramana-satsang-sd@googlegroups.com) on 7th April 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.