Sri Ramana Teachings

In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 10th June 2023 Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings. ----more---- 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.

In a Zoom meeting with the San Diego Ramana Satsang (ramana-satsang-sd@googlegroups.com) on 4th June 2023 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 here.  

In this episode recorded on 23rd May 2023 Michael answers the following question asked by Geetha: ----more---- “On good days, the current of self is strong, and thoughts appear and disappear automatically. But on most days, thoughts take shape and attention drifts away from the self before one realises that attention has moved from the self to the thought, and pramada or inattention has occurred. Verse 921 of Guru Vācaka Kōvai advises one to ignore the mind as if it were non-existent. This works sometimes but not always. How can one constantly remind oneself that this world is unreal, and thereby ignore the mind?"  This episode can also be watched as a video, 2023-05-23 Geetha and Michael 2: How to ignore the mind and know oneself, its base?, 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.

In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 27th May 2023 Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings. ----more---- 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.

In this episode recorded on 23rd May 2023 Michael answers the following question asked by Geetha: ----more---- “Bhagavan talks about holding on incessantly to the self in several places in Who am I. In verse 130 of Guru Vacaka Kovai he provides the lizard analogy to illustrate how tightly one should hold on to the self. Elsewhere in Who am I he says that as soon as a thought appears, one should enquire to whom it has appeared. To enquire or shift attention back to self even before the thought takes shape requires a great deal of vigilance and sharpness of mind. How does one cultivate such vigilance or sharpness of mind and sustain it?” This episode can also be watched as a video, 2023-05-23a Geetha and Michael: How to cultivate the sharpness of mind to hold onto oneself?, 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.

In a Zoom meeting with Ramana Kendra, Delhi, on 14th May 2023 Michael James concludes to discuss the meaning and implications of verse 1 of Āṉma-Viddai and begins to discuss verse 2: ----more---- Verse 1: மெய்யாய் நிரந்தரந்தா னையா திருந்திடவும் பொய்யா முடம்புலக மெய்யா முளைத்தெழும்பொய் மையார் நினைவணுவு முய்யா தொடுக்கிடவே மெய்யா ரிதயவெளி வெய்யோன் சுயமான்மா — விளங்குமே; இரு ளடங்குமே; இட ரொடுங்குமே; இன்பம் பொங்குமே. (ஐயே) meyyāy nirantarandā ṉaiyā dirundiḍavum poyyā muḍambulaha meyyā muḷaitteṙumpoy maiyār niṉaivaṇuvu muyyā doḍukkiḍavē meyyā ridayaveḷi veyyōṉ suyamāṉmā — viḷaṅgumē; iru ḷaḍaṅgumē; iḍa roḍuṅgumē; iṉbam poṅgumē. (aiyē) பதச்சேதம்: மெய் ஆய் நிரந்தரம் தான் ஐயாது [அல்லது: நையாது] இருந்திடவும், பொய் ஆம் உடம்பு உலகம் மெய் ஆ முளைத்து எழும். பொய் மை ஆர் நினைவு அணுவும் உய்யாது ஒடுக்கிடவே, மெய் ஆர் இதய வெளி வெய்யோன் சுயம் ஆன்மா விளங்குமே; இருள் அடங்குமே; இடர் ஒடுங்குமே; இன்பம் பொங்குமே. (ஐயே, அதி சுலபம், ...) Padacchēdam (word-separation): mey āy nirantaram tāṉ aiyādu [or: naiyādu] irundiḍavum, poy ām uḍambu ulaham mey ā muḷaittu eṙum. poy mai ār niṉaivu aṇuvum uyyādu oḍukkiḍavē, mey ār idaya veḷi veyyōṉ suyam āṉmā viḷaṅgumē; iruḷ aḍaṅgumē; iḍar oḍuṅgumē; iṉbam poṅgumē. (aiyē, ati sulabham, ...) English translation: Though oneself exists incessantly and indubitably as real, the body and world, which are unreal, arise sprouting as real. When unreal darkness-pervaded thought is dissolved without reviving even an iota, in the reality-pervaded heart-space oneself, the sun, will certainly shine by oneself; darkness will cease; suffering will end; happiness will surge forth. (Ah, extremely easy, ...) Explanatory paraphrase: Though oneself exists incessantly and indubitably [or imperishably] as real, the body and world, which are unreal, arise sprouting as [if] real. When thought, which is pervaded by [or full of] unreal darkness [the darkness of self-ignorance, namely ego, which is the cause for the appearance of the body and world], is dissolved without reviving even an iota [in other words, when it is dissolved in such a manner that it does not ever revive even an iota], in the heart-space, which [alone] is real, oneself, [who is] the sun [of pure awareness], will certainly shine by oneself [spontaneously or of one’s own accord]; darkness [self-ignorance in the form of ego] will cease; suffering will end; happiness will surge forth. ([Therefore] ah, extremely easy, ātma-vidyā, ah, extremely easy!) Verse 2: ஊனா ருடலிதுவே நானா மெனுநினைவே நானா நினைவுகள்சே ரோர்நா ரெனுமதனா னானா ரிடமெதென்றுட் போனா னினைவுகள்போய் நானா னெனக்குகையுட் டானாய்த் திகழுமான்ம — ஞானமே; இதுவே மோனமே; ஏக வானமே; இன்பத் தானமே. (ஐயே) ūṉā ruḍaliduvē nāṉā meṉuniṉaivē nāṉā niṉaivugaḷsē rōrnā reṉumadaṉā ṉāṉā riḍamedeṉḏṟuṭ pōṉā ṉiṉaivugaḷpōy nāṉā ṉeṉakkuhaiyuṭ ṭāṉāyt tikaṙumāṉma — ñāṉamē; iduvē mōṉamē; ēka vāṉamē; iṉbat tāṉamē. (aiyē) பதச்சேதம்: ‘ஊன் ஆர் உடல் இதுவே நான் ஆம்’ எனும் நினைவே நானா நினைவுகள் சேர் ஓர் நார் எனும் அதனால், ‘நான் ஆர் இடம் எது?’ [அல்லது, ‘நான் ஆர்? இடம் எது?’] என்று உள் போனால், நினைவுகள் போய், ‘நான் நான்’ என குகை உள் தானாய் திகழும் ஆன்ம ஞானமே. இதுவே மோனமே, ஏக வானமே, இன்ப தானமே. (ஐயே, அதி சுலபம், ...) Padacchēdam (word-separation): ‘ūṉ ār uḍal iduvē nāṉ ām’ eṉum niṉaivē nāṉā niṉaivugaḷ sēr ōr nār eṉum adaṉāl, nāṉ ār iḍam edu eṉḏṟu uḷ pōṉāl, niṉaivugaḷ pōy, ‘nāṉ nāṉ’ eṉa guhai uḷ tāṉāy tikaṙum āṉma-ñāṉamē. iduvē mōṉamē, ēka vāṉamē, iṉba-tāṉamē. (aiyē, ati sulabham, ...) அன்வயம்: ‘ஊன் ஆர் உடல் இதுவே நான் ஆம்’ எனும் நினைவே நானா நினைவுகள் சேர் ஓர் நார் எனும் அதனால், ‘நான் ஆர் இடம் எது?’ (அல்லது, ‘நான் ஆர்? இடம் எது?’) என்று உள் போனால், நினைவுகள் போய், குகை உள் ‘நான் நான்’ என ஆன்ம ஞானமே தானாய் திகழும். இதுவே மோனமே, ஏக வானமே, இன்ப தானமே. (ஐயே, அதி சுலபம், ...) Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): ‘ūṉ ār uḍal iduvē nāṉ ām’ eṉum niṉaivē nāṉā niṉaivugaḷ sēr ōr nār eṉum adaṉāl, nāṉ ār iḍam edu eṉḏṟu uḷ pōṉāl, niṉaivugaḷ pōy, guhai uḷ ‘nāṉ nāṉ’ eṉa āṉma-ñāṉamē tāṉāy tihaṙum. iduvē mōṉamē, ēka vāṉamē, iṉba-tāṉamē. (aiyē, ati sulabham, ...) English translation: Since the thought ‘this, the body composed of flesh, itself is I’ alone is the one thread on which the various thoughts are strung, if one goes within thus: what is the place from which I spread out, thoughts ceasing, in the cave ātma-jñāna alone will shine spontaneously as ‘I am I’. This alone is silence, the one space, the abode of bliss. (Ah, extremely easy, ...) Explanatory paraphrase: Since the thought ‘this, the body composed of flesh, itself is I’ alone is the one thread on which [all] the various thoughts are strung, if one goes within [investigating] what is the place from which I spread out [or: who am I, what is [my] place], [all] thoughts [including the root thought, ‘I am this body’] will cease [or depart], and in the cave [of one’s heart] ātma-jñāna [pure self-awareness] alone will shine spontaneously [or as oneself] as ‘I am I’ [that is, as awareness of oneself as oneself alone]. This alone is silence, the one space [of pure awareness], the abode of bliss. ([Therefore] ah, extremely easy, ātma-vidyā, ah, extremely easy!). 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.

In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 13th May 2023 Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings. ----more---- 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.

In a Zoom meeting of ‘Yo Soy Tu Mismo’ (a group of Spanish devotees of Bhagavan Sri Ramana) on 10th May 2023, Michael James is first asked, ‘In Path of Sri Ramana p. 156, Sadhu Om says "It is normal for one who is truly engaged in the practice of self- attention to frequently experience as if one’s true nature of absolute self shines at times and then obscures. On such occasions, one will be able to understand very clearly from one’s own experience how the world’s appearance vanishes and how it again comes into existence". Is he talking about subsiding in laya or does the world really vanish when a deep vairagya is combined with a strong love to turn within? Does this happen in the advanced stages of practice?’, so he answers this and several other related questions. ----more---- 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 here.  

In a Zoom meeting with the San Diego Ramana Satsang (ramana-satsang-sd@googlegroups.com) on 7th May 2023 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 here.  

In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana group, Helsinki, on 1st May 2023, there was a very special gathering with the guests Swami Sarvapriyananda and Michael James who discussed the essence of Advaita Vedanta and the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, and how to put these teachings into practice. The event was broadcasted live on Zoom/YouTube and reached hundreds of participants. The discussion brought up many interesting and deep insights about the true core of Advaita and how Sri Ramana has given an easy but also subtle practice of self-investigation. In the end this is the only practice to eliminate the ego, which seems to exist if not investigated. ----more---- 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.