To watch this video without advertisements (which TH-cam have now began to place even on videos in channels like this that are not monetised), please visit vimeo.com/ramanahou/un14
Sri Michael James, I thank you for the excellent quality of the video in this recording. In this video, we can also clearly see the audience whenever they are asking any questions. So thank you.
Michael. As the ego is necessary for us to sense anything at all, I sense this illusion necessary, in that only because of it can there be a reflection of a world. And by that imagined world and its parade of events, we can come to know it is all unreal. And so I see purpose in the illusion - even in the necessity of its continuance. Am I on track?
Ego is a false awareness of ourself, an awareness of our self as 'I am this body', which is not what we actually are. Therefore ego obscures the pure self-awareness that we actually are, so when it is removed what remains is our real nature. Therefore ego is in no way necessary. What is actually necessary for our true happiness is complete freedom from ego. When the ego is not present, as in sleep, there is no illusion and no world, just perfect sat-cit-ananda: being, awareness and happiness, without beginning, without end, without any limitation and without any division. This is our real nature, and the only thing that obscures it is ego, so eradicating the ego is the supreme and ultimate goal.
Sri Ramana Teachings Yes, of course. Would I be wrong,though,to believe the events in my life create opportunities to realize the ego illusion? Whereas in deep sleep I need do nothing, in the waking state I must realize "deep sleep while awake". For example, through arriving at this video, I may be impelled to ask Who Am I. In which case, an event in my imagined world has lead me to realize that the world (ego) is imagined.
Yes, what happens in the seemingly external world (whether in waking or in dream) is useful if (and to the extent that) it prompts us to turn our attention inwards to investigate what we ourself actually are
Michael, thank you for the great book you wrote. I only have one question? Do you know anyone in person who succeeded in self investigation recently? I love that practice and feel so much calmer and peaceful than before. There is definitely a progress. How long does it usually take? I know that asking such questions puts me farther away from self realization bit I can’t help to wonder :) Sorry for my English.
Alex, how can we know who has or has not succeeded? It is not an external achievement, so there are no definitive external indicators. When we do not know our real nature or what our own real state is, how can we know the inner state of others? Trying to know the inner state of others is anātma-vicāra (investigating what is not ourself), whereas what we should be investigating is in whose view those others seem to exist, which is ātma-vicāra (self-investigation). And what do we mean by 'succeeded'? What is success in self-investigation? It is not an achievement of anything but a loss of everything. It is the complete and permanent dissolution of the ego, the 'I' who rises and grasps a body as 'I am this person', so there is no such thing as a self-realised person. So long as one is a person, one is not self-realised, because 'self-realisation' is the annihilation of the ego, the false awareness 'I am this person', which is the root of all illusion. How long does it usually take? As long as it takes for us to become willing to let go of everything, including the ego and all that we now seem to be. The practice of self-investigation is a process of inner purification, a weakening of our desires and attachments to anything other than ourself, so how long it takes depends on the extent to which we are already purified.
And regarding the question of who has succeeded, there is a saying in Tamil: 'kandavar vindillai, vindavar kandillai', which means 'those who have seen do not say, and those who say have not seen', so if anyone says 'I have succeeded', they have not, because if they had succeeded there would be no 'I' to say 'I have succeeded'. So all talk about who has succeeded is mere speculation and meaningless. Who wants to know who has succeeded? That is what we should seek to know. That is the only beneficial investigation.
Sri Ramana Teachings thank you for the quick reply! I’ve been practicing self investigation for one year now and discovered your videos only recently. Along with the book they were a great help to me. Although I have never cited “Who am I” as a mantra but nevertheless the focus always have been more on the question than on the “I” thought. And also your incredible explanation of Bhagavan’s concept of the world really stirred something in me few days ago. Now before sleep I watch your videos and practice self investigation. Please do not abandon your channel 😊
To watch this video without advertisements (which TH-cam have now began to place even on videos in channels like this that are not monetised), please visit vimeo.com/ramanahou/un14
Thank you 🌷
Sri Michael James, I thank you for the excellent quality of the video in this recording. In this video, we can also clearly see the audience whenever they are asking any questions. So thank you.
Thank you Michael 🙏
🙏🪔
Michael. As the ego is necessary for us to sense anything at all, I sense this illusion necessary, in that only because of it can there be a reflection of a world. And by that imagined world and its parade of events, we can come to know it is all unreal. And so I see purpose in the illusion - even in the necessity of its continuance. Am I on track?
Ego is a false awareness of ourself, an awareness of our self as 'I am this body', which is not what we actually are. Therefore ego obscures the pure self-awareness that we actually are, so when it is removed what remains is our real nature.
Therefore ego is in no way necessary. What is actually necessary for our true happiness is complete freedom from ego.
When the ego is not present, as in sleep, there is no illusion and no world, just perfect sat-cit-ananda: being, awareness and happiness, without beginning, without end, without any limitation and without any division. This is our real nature, and the only thing that obscures it is ego, so eradicating the ego is the supreme and ultimate goal.
Sri Ramana Teachings Yes, of course. Would I be wrong,though,to believe the events in my life create opportunities to realize the ego illusion? Whereas in deep sleep I need do nothing, in the waking state I must realize "deep sleep while awake". For example, through arriving at this video, I may be impelled to ask Who Am I. In which case, an event in my imagined world has lead me to realize that the world (ego) is imagined.
Yes, what happens in the seemingly external world (whether in waking or in dream) is useful if (and to the extent that) it prompts us to turn our attention inwards to investigate what we ourself actually are
Michael, thank you for the great book you wrote. I only have one question? Do you know anyone in person who succeeded in self investigation recently? I love that practice and feel so much calmer and peaceful than before. There is definitely a progress. How long does it usually take? I know that asking such questions puts me farther away from self realization bit I can’t help to wonder :) Sorry for my English.
Alex, how can we know who has or has not succeeded? It is not an external achievement, so there are no definitive external indicators. When we do not know our real nature or what our own real state is, how can we know the inner state of others? Trying to know the inner state of others is anātma-vicāra (investigating what is not ourself), whereas what we should be investigating is in whose view those others seem to exist, which is ātma-vicāra (self-investigation).
And what do we mean by 'succeeded'? What is success in self-investigation? It is not an achievement of anything but a loss of everything. It is the complete and permanent dissolution of the ego, the 'I' who rises and grasps a body as 'I am this person', so there is no such thing as a self-realised person. So long as one is a person, one is not self-realised, because 'self-realisation' is the annihilation of the ego, the false awareness 'I am this person', which is the root of all illusion.
How long does it usually take? As long as it takes for us to become willing to let go of everything, including the ego and all that we now seem to be. The practice of self-investigation is a process of inner purification, a weakening of our desires and attachments to anything other than ourself, so how long it takes depends on the extent to which we are already purified.
And regarding the question of who has succeeded, there is a saying in Tamil: 'kandavar vindillai, vindavar kandillai', which means 'those who have seen do not say, and those who say have not seen', so if anyone says 'I have succeeded', they have not, because if they had succeeded there would be no 'I' to say 'I have succeeded'. So all talk about who has succeeded is mere speculation and meaningless. Who wants to know who has succeeded? That is what we should seek to know. That is the only beneficial investigation.
Sri Ramana Teachings thank you for the quick reply! I’ve been practicing self investigation for one year now and discovered your videos only recently. Along with the book they were a great help to me. Although I have never cited “Who am I” as a mantra but nevertheless the focus always have been more on the question than on the “I” thought. And also your incredible explanation of Bhagavan’s concept of the world really stirred something in me few days ago. Now before sleep I watch your videos and practice self investigation. Please do not abandon your channel 😊