More on Ramana

this sage
when he was young
played a lot with other boys
he loved the games of athletics
he loved the joy of running through the open
spaces
he one day did not take to his studies so well
he all of the sudden showed little interest in worldly
matters
he would sit in the temples surrounded by the saints pictures
with the lingam in the cool dark inner cave of the temple
sitting still and silent
deeply absorbed in the energies of light and love
it shook him fiercely to imagine lives spent
in such an immaculate way
and within such deep surrender, love and devotion to God
he would be alone a lot this child
but never lonely for he was always inside himself in
peace
one day he walked away from his family and home
he walked to the trains in india and bought a ticket
and never returned
he went to the mountain to be as a renunciate
this mountain was of the purest form
it was like heaven itself and it drew him in like a magnet
he wandered before getting to this great mountain
and slept on the streets
he tore a bit of material to make a loin cloth
and then it rained fresh and pure on his skin
which he considered the standard bathing ritual for sadhus
and he tossed his few coins in the gutter
walked into the temple of saints
and never returned to the world
he lived as a chaste being
and had no desire for worldly pleasure, wealth or anything else
he wanted nothing from any soul
he simply lived in pure beingness and this was enough
to aide others to freedom

when he came to the mountain
there was a bright light that shone
on the top of it
it guided him inward to the Self
he did not stop at the entrance
he went into the heart of the rock
where there was a vacuous force
a pulling that
stripped the mind bare of it's
varnish of the world
he sat down like a man that was
reborn
in him
there was not any more pridely airs
not any more to be known or seen
or heard or touched or tasted
not any more to be searched for
he had found that which is in all
the stillness that is of it's own light
the stillness that is of it's own presence
that is not of the identity
and with this said
he was now to be called a sage
though there was no one to claim
this name
in him it mattered not
what he was called
what was the absolute that
was nothing and all
to be called?
he was that timeless beauty always
and had he walked away from the
entrance to the heart
his life would have taken
a very different turn indeed
not one that was the deathless
as the Buddha
as the Guru
as Christ
something else entirely
like the man of the world
who is not awake
and not ever could he
be away from this heaven
that is of the earth
not distinct
not filled with thoughts and concepts
empty
eternally resting in
sat chit ananda

a true monk

a monastery is not a place
that is like one thinks
it has within it all kinds of levels of
practice and monkhood
that many times is not focused on
non-dual reality
but more like a practice that solidifies
ego sense of *i am this or that*
when a monk is in this type of mental
way, he is more like a tool or instrument
for God
this is fine for what it is --
it is certainly better than being driven
by negative desires and running around
without any beneficial focused center
a monk, though is not meant to be like
one that is caught up in doership
he is to be focused on work in
the flow of life as one
he is to be focused on work as it is,
not separate from his being
he may wear ochre robes or buddhist cloth
or white or black or what have you
but he is not those outer things
not now, not ever
he is a perfect heart that is to be in love
with the SELF which is non-dual
when he first comes to the path
he has a past that is haunting him like
phantoms
dream substance that speaks of his experiences
that have now gone
he is to see that these experiences are not
happening now
they are gone and over
dead, buried and not to return
only he revives them in his mind
they are not real in terms of
being of substance and constant being
so he looks not to the past in the way
of attempting to understand it
but simply pays no attention to the images
and thoughts that rise and fall
his home is in the *now*
it is not the monastery or his past where his
family lives or anywhere else
it is in the *now*...

a monk is not a monk if he is caught up in
his identity with outer appearance and action
he has then simply changed identifications with the world
to something that he feels is more holy
this is not at all correct
no man is holy if he *thinks* he is holy
and no man is free if he *thinks* he is free
he has simply attempted to convince himself of
something
and this is so very false and can be more
harmful than thinking one is simply a persona that
is acting in the world
now, instead one is a persona that is *up high*
this is not at all in line with God and surrender
there is no *up high* or *down low* in truth
truth is and remains always *one*
it is not given more to one and less to another
it is not given out according to actions and appearance
as these things are not real
(in the way of being lasting and eternal)
it is within all hearts equally and does not change
to accomodate ego, not ever ...

a monk is a true monk when he is surrendered
and *living* the scriptures which means
one is *living* the path as it is laid out by Guru
and all that have come to liberation
which means the ego is to *die away* into the fires
of purification
the death that brings *eternal life*
there is no getting out of this or going half way
which is what ego would love and hopes will take
place
it is a true death that burns completely the persona
and all feeling and thought of separative existence
though this is not at all appealing to ego
it is the best thing possible that could happen to a soul
as this one is then out of the realm of
mistaken knowledge which brings in it's wake
suffering

the monk that is *true* is many times not
even noticed
he does not stand out
he does not gush his devotion about this or that
he does not try to gain affections are try to talk wise words
he does not try to be anything at all to anyone
he is simply quiet within and flows along with grace
and the heart that is of all hearts
he is like a sun unto himself
and he shines of his own light in his own being
that is slowly melting away in the light of God

a monk is not a thing to be taken and placed in a box
and when his time of being a monk is done
and the path is complete
what is he then?
simply himself
he is no longer bound by this or that or here or there
or needing of tools any longer
no more of this
he is what he has always been
the SELF

son of God

son of God 

you are the way, the life, the joy of all

you have made a light of this world that sinks low

in itself and hides away..

you have called yourself to be a wanderer and 

a hearty being of plentiful life 

as you have said that life and light 

cannot be known without surrender

and the little mind that rings of personal

cannot ever be real or living

you have come as a mystic such a fresh

being in your way of 

speaking clear and powerfully the real

to those that open easy and yielding

what have you brought to this world

yourself and this is all

and what have you set free never to manifest again

the mental world with its rising and sinking..

you have not taken that which is of value

only that which has been mistaken for the real and true

you have lived with what is right with nature 

and in this way set others free

you have been taken to be an ordinary soul

within darkness and misguided ways

by those minds that are threatened 

you have suffered here 

but not of spirit 

of body only...,

you have given your life up to set others free 

and by this sacrifice 

brought great peace where there was once suffering...
dear son of God
om...

this is the message precious seekers of light..

this evening
be well...

as the flow goes on....

to rest in the o ne...

to rest in the o ne 

takes great fortitude indeed 

it takes a strong desire that does not give way

until the last breathe of the dual is breathed ..

and comes to rear its false haunting ways no more..

to right the wrong knowledge is to let go of 

what you have carried in the way of past experience

that shades your seeing  --

and strains everything thru the field of *me*

it is said rightly God helps those that help themselves..

it is true in the way of you are the one that needs to see what is 

driving...

and you are the only one that can lay it down...

glorious like the sun

my friend

you are what the stars and 

heavens are made of

can you not live like this 

as a being that is real

that does not cast a net to bring anything

in to claim it as your own

see in the world there are false ways

and unseeing eyes

that sit away from the SELF

unbelievable that a one that is to be 

made well enough to travel the path

seeks out something other 

but indeed this is the way of most

this cannot make you turn away though 

if you are true

and though many may slander your journey

or call it a false road

do not heed this for a minute

because no thought or word can touch this 

heart inside

that is made of pure waters and this is to be 

where you keep the focus

not on the external actions of humanity...

to live the highest truth is the only way to go

if you are to be in the nature of reality

to move into the lost ways of others has no

beauty that shines glorious like the sun

and the sun is what you are to be

friend

never to be lost again

if you keep treading this path of o ne

this is the way of a sincere soul

that is to come to live

here 

and be a lord of yourself

where the ways of the mind

rule you no more

The story of Buddha

Buddha sat under the bodhi tree to clear 

his mind of the false

why did he come to sit and how 

did he find himself under the tree

He was born in a family of wealth

that were focused on externals

clothes, royal trappings and games of love, war, sex

and worldly pleasures were their mind sets

this was very superficial in nature

and did not hold to any substance

or find its way into the heart of the young

seeker

he was looking for something other than

what came like this and gave no lasting return

he was wanting to be free of all attachments

of form and desire

to rid his mind of the false energies that rose

to haunt his soul in the morning, day and evening

he was not wanting to live like a king

for it held no lasting value 

Once his longing for freedom fully blossomed 

and he knew for certain he was not a man of 

the world 

and did not want delve further into the life

that was handed so easily to him

(like a plate filled with wonderful

foods and pleasures right at hand)

When he knew for certain

he had enough of all of this

and that his desire was firing elsewhere

in the heart to seek

this is the evening when

he took to his horse and went out with the help of his long

time companion 

and then journeyed forth alone

he did not bring with him heavy trappings of the past

as this would be very cumbersome and daunting 

for he was to journey through mountain passes and 

into lands that were very rigorous

so why then would he bring the heaviness of his

past with him

he left the wealth

he left his family

he left his child (in good hands with those in the

community to care for)

So he moved forward 

what he found in the beginning was suffering

suffering that he had been shielded from before

and he was shocked

he saw people starving and gaunt

like skeletons 

pain wracking their eyes and heart

he saw souls lost and left to waste away like shadows

he saw old age and decrepitude

he saw poverty

he saw struggle and deep despair in the eyes

of those sitting by the roadside

what a shock this was indeed

as nothing like this had ever been revealed

before

He did not go to feed these souls food

or find them water

he did not bless them or help them up to stand

he did not call them come near or even pray for them

instead, he resigned himself to find freedom so that all of 

humanity would have a map out

to be free of suffering eternally

So he wandered through the forest 

barefoot and clothed only in a bit of cloth

with the elements coming in fully as there was no door

to shut or any locks in this open land

he carried no money

he begged for food and alms

he ate what he found 

shrubs and berries

seeds and even earth when there was nothing

he slept on the dirt under the full moon

with the wild animals of nature's creation

and listened to their call in his ear

he encountered dangers

snakes, leopards, tigers and all the 

wild things that people shun

and he sat shaking and petrified

but stayed, sat, walked 

and continued

If he were to go back to where he came from

he would not be the buddha

or the example of glory

that he is 

or the one that showed the way out

of suffering

he would be another creature

that sank into worldly desire and was lost

to their own true nature 

like so many others

he would not have awakened

to the truth

So he wandered and sank into himself

in loneliness and dark places

but moved forward

he brought a lamp and this is the lamp

that lit his soul up 

(not an external light)

he had no guide

**(Though this is not what is spoken

in the scriptures as the way that all can take

without a guide.

The majority need a true sturdy guide.

He is a rare example.)**

Onward he went into the shadow land of mind

and its dark hauntings

the desires of flesh

the desires of food for the beast of ego

the desires for finding something for yourself

and holding it away as being yours only

all of the desires that haunt souls of those

in the shadows

He went into these dark energies

and did not run

and yes he was afraid and burned with the

desire to run

but did not

He found himself in many rough waters

in which he did not know what to feel or think

but he called inward always

to be present and steady

He almost wasted away to nothing

skin stretched across bone

and barely breathing

when a small girl

gave him some milk

he drank from it 

because he finally understood

the body needed nourishment

and the soul needed the body for a time

to discover the truth

if the body died now

he would have lost this chance

The bodhi tree is a symbol

of his time spent in awakening 

to his true nature

it is not a symbol that fits into your

picture of what it is

it is a shining example 

of the forthright and steady efforts 

of a soul to sit and discover himself

in nature with its spreading mystery

and open elements

the bodhi trees roots are so broad and flow

underground so deep that there is no way

that tree is going to be shaken

this is like the spirit that is steady

through the winds of change and testing

waters

this is why the ones that do enter reality are the ones

that continue in spite of obstacles

The bodhi tree is where buddha sat

for many a day 

and many and hour

he did not wander around and talk

or ruminate about what he left behind

he just sat 

steady

and the demons came

and the desires rose up

this is where he continued to penetrate

the nature of mind and its false ramblings

he shook them clean

and tore away the covers of the false

he wrenched the mind clean of its wanderings

and personal stains

he wiped the mind of its outer layers that 

blocked the light of truth

he did not reflect on what this or that meant

or hold his knowledge against the scriptures

or the lights of others

he was looking to find out himself

so he could be a lamp to humanity

this is when he awakened

when all the false nature of impurities

burnt away

and the beauty of truth lit up

Buddha is awakened

and this is what it means

to be **awake**

sannyas/sadhu life

if you want to cling to the past 

then it is best to go and chase those things

because what the wandering sadhus are 

really meant to do is wander

alone and naked

not pick up the chains of the world

and try to find refuge there

the sadhu is like the meat of the seeking

he is what the writings of the rishis speak about

as being lords of themselves and not

wearing the robes for the wrong reason

to flaunt about

and gossip 

which we see so much of 

what a terrible thing to wear the robes

and not truly have the heart of peace and 

seeking in joy and wanting to really know

this is such a shame to see

the sadhu's staff and rod are the holdings 

of the truth that guide him like a light

they bring him steadiness and joy

they hold him upright so he can walk in the 

land of the shadows and not be afraid

his earthly wear is orange

which is the color of burning the dross

this is so glowing that the eyes cannot see it

easily because the heart is the one that fires

he walks barefoot and sometimes naked

because he is like a newborn babe

he is fresh and new

and released from his past entanglements

he does not worship at an altar

the open sky and land are his home

where he wanders

he does not stop to rest unless he 

has to 

so he keeps up with nature

and stays in pace with her wondrous changes

one may come by and kiss his feet

but this is not for him

it is for the devotion of the soul to find 

a way into the heart where the sadhu is

and is not meant to worship his form

but to love the truth

a sadhu's body is not thought about

to him

it is like anything else of the earth

and is not to be worshipped or worried about

he does not sit on pretty thrones

he sits on rocks or the hard ground

and does not care if his body is sore

or bruised

he lays his head on mother earth

and sleeps a few hours 

then wanders again

what is his name?

-he has none

what his family?

none

what is his bread?

the earth and what is given to him by others

what are his questions?

- what is truth?

-what is real?

-what is my true nature?

how does he go about finding it

-by being still

how does he live?

-alone

how does he dwell?

-in caves or wherever he finds himself

how does he know when he has completed?

-there is no one left to ask anything

how does he find God?

-by being still

how does he worship?

-by loving his own heart and seeing God everywhere

how does he know what love is?

-by being love

how does he know what kindness is?

-by being kind and honest with all of nature

how does he know when the light is near?

-because he cannot find himself like he was

how does he know the beginning?

-by finding the end

how does he know the end?

-by finding the beginning

what is his true name?

-the absolute

what is his joy?

-God

what is his mighty sword?

-the sword of knowledge

what is his birthright?

-to know his true nature

when is his mind pure?

-when the shadows rise no more

is it true that he dies and is never reborn?

-yes, if his mind is completely still

what can i do to be like this?

-let go of attachments

what can i do about fear?

-stop thinking of yourself

what if i am a householder?

-then your heart is in the home

what about truth in the home?

-find it in love with your family

what will i do if i live without knowing the truth?

-you will have another chance