I welcome you with all my heart and with all my being. It's good to see you all here, everyone of you. In 1947 I went to Ramana Maharshi. After spending around three days talking with Ramana, I settled down with the devotees, in the hall, and I used to sit at the right side of the hall against the wall, watching all the people come in. They had devotees, disciples, and seekers. The devotees were always the same. They never said much. They were immersed in themselves. The disciples and the seekers quarreled with each other.
I recall a particular Indian who was very quarrelsome with the disciples, and he used to find fault with everybody. He would go to Ramana and say, "So and so is doing this, so and so is doing that.” And Ramana would tell him, "Remember the reasons why you came here and keep silent.” The reason of course was to find the Self, and not to interfere with anybody else. But there were all kinds of incidents going on. Sikhs came, Hindus, Westerners, Buddhists, Zen Buddhists. People were practicing hatha yoga. All these things were happening in front of Ramana. But it didn't faze Ramana one bit.
I recall a Westerner, I'm trying to think of his name, Henry Wells, from Scotland. He apparently had read a lot of books about Ramana, and this was his first visit. He came into the hall, and I was watching this. He ran over to Ramana and prostrated himself on his stomach, and started going crazy. His feet were shaking, and he was chanting. The devotees wanted to pick him up, and Ramana said, “Let him stay.” When he came out of it he told Ramana, "At last I have found you. You are my father, my mother, my son, my daughter, my friend.” And Ramana just smiled at him. And I said to myself, and I was only 18 years old, I said to myself, “Someone this enthusiastic... let's see what happens, if it lasts.”
The days went by and he kept prostrating himself every day for about a month. Then he finally stopped, and he sat down like everybody else. And after about 2 months or so, looking around the room at everybody, and he started complaining, that this wasn't right, that wasn't right. After about 4 months of being there he donated $40,000 to the ashram, and I'm just watching all these things going on. After about 6 months of being there, he started to find fault with the management. At that time Ramana's brother was managing the ashram. He started to whisper to the other disciples, of course the devotees would have nothing to do with this. It was the disciples and the seekers. He started spreading rumors. He hardly ever talked to me. I guess I was too young. He was about 45 years old.
When about the 7th month he came over to me one day and he asked me, outside the ashram, "Do you think Ramana is really enlightened?” So I just smiled at him. I didn't answer and walked away. He started getting devotees to fight against each other and rebel against the rules of the ashram.
On about the 8th month he saw me again and he tells me, "Do you think it is right for Ramana to stand naked like this? Let's buy him some clothes and dress him up, so when some Westerners come they won't be frightened.” So I told him what Ramana said: "Remember the reason for why you came.” This went on.
A couple of days later I didn't see him in the hall. Second day passed and I didn't see him. Third day passed and I didn't see him. And the fourth day I enquired, "What happened to him?” And the house guest he was living with said, "Oh, Henry packed his suitcase and went back to Scotland,” and nobody ever heard from him again.
The point of the story is this. If you realize the reason why you came you'll be interested in one thing, awakening. And that will dominate your life. Nothing else will. You will not be concerned with what somebody else is doing, and you will be at peace with yourself and everybody else. Everything is preordained anyway. Everything is karmic. So what's going to happen will happen, whether you like it or not. So why get insulted. Why get your feelings hurt. Be at peace.
It's interesting, this morning I was looking through a magazine and I found an article by a devotee who lived at the ashram for quite a while talking about the same subject. Mary would you like to read it?
Now listen carefully to this. It's called Mind the business for which you have come.
“All events in life are shaped according to the Divine plan. What is bound to happen will happen. What is not to happen cannot be brought about by any human effort. On this point Ramana was quite categoric. When Deva Raja Mudalar questioned him as to whether only important things in one's life, such as major occupation or profession, alone are predetermined, or even trifling acts, Ramana replied, ‘Everything is predetermined.’
“One of the purposes of birth is to go through certain experiences which have been marked out in the karmic unfoldment of this life. The whole program is chalked out. This would apparently be a damper to all effort, for one would be puzzled as to what the responsibility of man is. Is he an automation of karmic forces? Where do his free will and effort come in?
“Ramana points out that there is another deeper purpose to life. That is to search and find out the truth for oneself. He would say that the only useful purpose of life is to turn within and realize there's nothing else to do. Ramana would therefore constantly din into everyone the fact that the ultimate truth is Sat-Chit, immediately available here and now.
“When Natananananda asked Ramana, ‘Is it possible for everyone to know directly without doubt what exactly is one's true nature?,’ prompt came the reply, ‘Undoubtedly it is possible. The ultimate truth is so simple,’ Ramana would say. ‘It is nothing more than abiding in one's own state.’ This is the essential message of all religions and creeds. Leaving aside the automatic course of our lives regulated by the Creator, according to His Law, one's duty is to channel effort to be self-aware. Steadfastness of purpose is in treading the inner path through vigilant self-enquiry. On such enquiry as to the Source of the individual, the enquirer merges in the conscious Source.
“The inner odyssey is seldom smooth sailing. Full many a delusion would wean one away. For instance, people who go to Shri Ramana ashram to breathe its rarified atmosphere, while there, instead of surrendering to His flowing Grace, they would get involved in the happening of the ashram management. Ramana used to jovially remark of some visitors on their first visit to Shri Ramana ashram, they seemed to be alright. On the second visit they discovered that the ashram is not properly run. On the third visit they start giving advice. On the fourth they know best how to run the place. And on the fifth they discover that the management is not responsive. On the sixth they suggest that the present staff should walk out leaving the ashram to them They would thus get bogged down in things which are irrelevant for the search. When such people complained, Ramana would say: ‘Mind the business for which you have come.’
“This would apply, of course, not only to their visit to Shri Ramana ashram, but also to the purpose of human life itself. One has to constantly keep before the minds eye the liberating purpose, the only worth while one of freeing oneself from the karmic chain by discovering the hidden truth. Ramana would even seemingly chide if one failed to pursue one's own sadhana, but spent time thinking and talking of others
“A devotee once told Ramana: ‘I have been here for many years. People got into Samadhi. I close my eyes for a minute and my mind travels around the world.’ Ramana replied: ‘Why do you think about others? Let them meditate, sleep or snore. Look to yourself. Whenever your mind goes astray bring it back to the quest.’
“Once Bhagwan told a devotee to wake up, look at the mirror, it shows the growth to be got rid of. Instead of waiting time, start shaving. Similarly, heaven knows when the allotted time would end. Hence not to seek the truth by vigilant self-enquiry is truly suicidal. Many would like to blame their circumstances for their indolence and laziness and failure to pursue self-enquiry. Ramana would ask, ‘Why depend on that which is not in your hands. Go ahead with the business which is in your hands, under your control, leaving aside what you cannot do anything about.’
“Proper utilization of God given freedom of turning the mind is what is needed all the time. As for adverse circumstances in life of which everyone has a belly full, while sympathizing, Ramana would at the same time say, ‘You are always free not to be affected by the pleasure and pain consequent on action.’ The teeth have to be taken out of an event by an attitudinal change which neutralizes it.
“Sometimes Ramana would advise leaving things to the sure hand of the Sat Guru, and to stick single mindedly to the effort which would make one self-aware. Ramana would say, ‘Why don't you do what the first class railway passenger does? He tells the guard his destination, locks the door and goes to sleep. The rest is done by the guard. If you can trust your Guru as much as you trust the railway guard, it will be good enough to make you reach the destination.’ Again when someone pestered him for the darshan of Shri Krishna, he said, ‘Why don't you leave the shaktakara of Krishna to Krishna.’ We also have the pointed advice given by him to Ganapada Muni. ‘Remain all the time steadfast in the heart. God will determine the future for you to accomplish the work. What is to be done will be done at the proper time. Don't worry. Abide in the heart.’
Life becomes meaningful if we joyously tread the inward path, remembering that ours is to do the Vichara and it is for the inner source to do the rest. Then bliss is not the end product to be found on reaching the goal, but is felt all along the homeward, heartward journey.”
There's another article prior, previous to that , before that. The Purpose of Life, by Lucille Osborne. Let Jay read this.
“Those whose spiritual effort is in the right direction get progressively closer to their perfect Self, become more peaceful, happier and are increasingly liked and helped by those with whom they come into contact. Some of the negative category will attend rigorously only to externals like clothing and pure food which will not help them much if it combines with egocentric selfish behavior and possessiveness. They will do anything to be able to possess a few more things of scarcely any importance. They do not realize the harm they do to themselves getting deeper into samsara with all its problems and suffering, away from realizing the glorious peaceful joy in their heart. “This pertains also to those in positions of power who treat the people with whom they deal without goodwill, sincerity, or even truthfulness. They will usually be disliked, have a few friends, if any. Those who associate with them will either have some affinity, or feel sorry for them, combined usually with reluctance to forgo some convenience or other. Not a particularly spiritual motive. One might say that a misguided seeker forfeits the great opportunity of gaining the greatest fortune possible for a human being. The purpose of life is to return to the Source. The source is mysterious, glorious, peaceful joy, which is God in everybody's heart. This is realization. We do not gain it. It is always there in the heart. Only the obstructions, vasanas, have to be removed to reveal it.”Thank you Jay. Any question about that before we go on? Everybody understand it perfectly? O.K. Let’s play a song.
Hello again. It's good to be with you. I talk to many people during the week, both on the telephone and in person. I speak to Zen Buddhists, Hindus1 Americans, all kinds of people, and 80% tell me they're enlightened. Most of them tell me they've experienced the Void. Some say they've seen lights. Some say they hear certain sounds. And they say, "What do you think?” So I remark, "Somebody has to be present to experience these things. As long as somebody is present, and somebody is present or you'll not be able to tell me about it, then there's no enlightenment. Find out who is present, and hold on to that you, because you are present to experience the Void. You are present to experience the light or the sound. Who is that you? Find out. Hold on to that you. Hold on to I. I was present to experience the Void. As long as I am present I cannot possibly be enlightened, because I still exist.”
It is like a movie theater. Let's take rather a stage theater, stage play, where the lights shine on the players and on the audience. When the play is over the audience and the actors both leave, but the light still shines, even though it shines on nothing. So the empty theater is the Void. The light is still shining on the Void as well as on the people.
A better example is: we see a room full of furniture, the eyes look and they see. Then somebody turns off the light. The eyes are still there but they don't see anything. That's how the Void is compared to the seer. There has to be a seer to see the Void. Who is that seer? And you find out by self-enquiring, "Who am I? Where did the I come from? What is the Source of I that sees all these things?” Remember, all this phenomena is a projection of your mind. The mind appears to be very powerful. It projects voids, light, sounds, images, as well as the entire universe, and as well as your body and mind. It projects itself out of the mind. The idea is to stop the projection, and you stop the projection through self-enquiry. This is the fastest way.
So whenever you have some experience, go beyond the experience. Because there has to be somebody to have the experience. Just like the eyes see when it's light, and the eye is still there when it's dark, so the I is present when you sleep, the I is present when you dream, the I is present when you are awake. Find out who the I is. Dive deep within. Work on yourself. Just like the article we read before, forget about the world, forget about others, forget about your body, and enquire of the Self. Find out who the Self is. Who are you? Are there two I's or one I?
There cannot possibly be two I's because that's duality. There has to be one I only. Find the source of the I. Follow it diligently until you merge with the source. Then you will find that you're happier than you've ever been in your life. When you touch the source of I you have bliss, you have Absolute Reality, you have God. This is the most important question in life. Nothing else is so important. Can you think of anything else that is as important? Then why do you worry so much about others? Why do you get mixed up with all kinds of problems? Do your duty. Enquire. Find the source of I. It doesn't make any difference how long it takes. Think of how many incarnations you had to go through in order to be in this class today. Make yourself happy. Forget about your troubles. They don't exist. Only God exists as yourself. But you must find it out for yourself. Do it.
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