Ramana Maharishi - Silence And Solitude

Question 1: Is it helpful to take a vow of silence?

What is inwardly silent is naturally surrendered

to the Self. When in silence, the ego speaks no more.

Question 2: Is it necessary for a renunciate to be in solitude?

Solitude is to be found inside of the mind.

Some may live in the most hectic and populated of places,

but if there is silence established within,

solitude is already won.

However, some may live in a cave or forest

and not for one moment experience solitude

because of a mind that is filled with objects of desire.

Solitude is thus always accompanied by internal silence.

Question 3: What is silence?

When the mind no longer has a desire to speak

and your meditation is without internal dialogues,

silence results in the eternal speech of the Self.

When you are able to hear the unending

flow of poetry from the lips of Brahman,

all of the lectures in the world

cannot amount to this level of silence.

When words are no longer heard

even from Brahman,

the silence of the Self silently expresses itself.

Question 4: Why do you not go out and preach

what you know to everyone you meet?

I am not like those who are so eager

to be regarded as saviors.

Many are fond of lecturing about Brahman

while standing behind a podium

for hours on end, but I much prefer

to preach by remaining totally silent.

Though the podium preachers are heard by everyone,

hardly anyone receives the benefits

of such long winded conversations;

whereas one moment in my presence is enough

to change anyone's heart for the better.

Silence speaks eternally to those who know how to listen properly.

Though the world is an ever present witness to the Self,

the world wants to hear many mysteries

that are unrelated to the Self.

Though the Self is in every object of perception

and in every question and in every word,

the Self is often traded for the speculative reasoning powers of the mind.

Though there is only silence and solitude,

the world must learn how to be silent in the presence of the Self.

2 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Julian Colgan on October 31, 2012 at 10:21pm

Permalink Reply by Julian Colgan on October 31, 2012 at 10:22pm

Permalink Reply by Julian Colgan on October 31, 2012 at 11:10pm

Peace And Happiness

Question 1: How can I become more peaceful than I already am?

Peace is what you are made of.

Without the mind being present,

every notion or thought which used to disturb

your enjoyment of peace becomes totally powerless over you.

Once the mind is reduced to one single thought,

and that is "who am I?", the mind vanishes and eternal peace is yours.

Question 2: When I recite poetry or listen to mantras

or look at beautiful landscapes,

I sometimes get to taste what unity is like.

Am I entering into the heart

and thereby becoming more familiar with the bliss of the Self?

When the mind is presented with beautiful objects to perceive,

the natural happiness of the Self begins to well up inside of you.

This happiness, though, is independent of that which

you are experiencing and that which you have labelled

as being the cause of your happiness.

Though unconsciously meeting the Self,

you shall soon strongly identify the happiness

that is felt on these occasions as being

non-different from the bliss of union with Brahman.

By entering into the heart, the one Reality

which is your Reality is claimed as your own.

Permalink Reply by Pat Grabham on November 1, 2012 at 9:32pm

That is lovely Julian.

Pat

Permalink Reply by Geetha on November 5, 2012 at 10:58am

Thank you. Beautiful pictures...

Permalink Reply by Pat Grabham on November 6, 2012 at 4:02am

That is lovely Julian.

Pat

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