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Happiness of Being - The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: The crest-jewel of Sri Ramana's teachings 31/01/2016
Michael James
Because we mistake ourself to be this thinking mind or object-knowing
The writer of the articles in this blog, consciousness, the one fundamental reality is said to exist within us, but this is
Michael James, is the author of only a relative truth — a truth that is only true relative to the distorted
Happiness and the Art of Being, a book perspective of our mind, which experiences dualities such as subject and object,
exploring in depth the philosophy and ‘self’ and ‘other’, ‘inside’ and outside’, and so on. Since the one fundamental
practice of the spiritual teachings of reality transcends all such dualities, the absolute truth about its nature is not
Bhagavan Sri Ramana, which is
currently available both as a printed merely that it exists within us, but that it exists as us.
book and as a Kindle book, and also as
a free PDF, which can be downloaded Finally, by asking, "ulla-porul ullal evan?", which means ‘how to [or who can]
from Michael's main website, meditate [upon this] being-essence?’, Sri Ramana emphasises the truth that
www.happinessofbeing.com. since the absolute reality is that which transcends thought, it cannot be
conceived by mind or reached by thought. Therefore, since its nature is such,
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what is the means by which we can ‘reach’ it, ‘attain’ it or experience it as it
really is?
Feed Subscription Links
Since it is not only that which is completely devoid of thought, but is also that
If you would like to be updated which is essentially self-conscious, and since it is our own ‘heart’ or essential
whenever any new article or comment being, the only way we can experience it is by just being it. In other words, the
is posted on this blog, you can right- only means by which we can ‘attain’ this one non-dual absolute reality is by
click on either or both of the links simply remaining as we always truly are — that is, as our own true, essential,
below, select ‘Copy link address’ or an
equivalent option, and then paste the thought-free, self-conscious being. Therefore in the third sentence of this verse
address (URL) into your feed reader: Sri Ramana says, "Being in [our] heart as it is alone is meditating [upon this
truly existing reality, which is called ‘heart’]", thereby declaring emphatically that
Subscribe to article feed this practice of ‘being as we are’ is the only means by which we can experience
Subscribe to comment feed the absolute reality as it is.
If you do not already use a feed Thus in this first mangalam verse Sri Ramana succinctly reveals both the
reader, and if your browser is Google essential nature of reality and the means by which we can ‘reach’ it, ‘attain’ it or
Chrome, you can install the following experience it as it really is. Hence in a nutshell this verse expresses the very
extension to it: RSS Feed Reader for essence of Ulladu Narpadu, and all the other forty-one verses of this profound
Chrome. This will add an icon to the text are a richly elaborated explanation of the fundamental truths that he
toolbar of your browser, which you can expressed so briefly yet so clearly and powerfully in this first verse.
click on to add either or both the feed
URLs above, and then whenever a new Indeed, since it reveals so clearly not only the nature of the one absolute reality
article or comment is posted here, at but also the only means by which we can actually experience it, this verse
the bottom corner of the icon a summarises the essence not only of Ulladu Narpadu but of the entire teachings
number will display or the existing of Sri Ramana. Therefore it is truly the chudamani or crest-jewel of his
number will increment.
teachings, and if we are able to understand its full import correctly,
comprehensively and clearly, we have truly understood the very essence of his
Sri Ramana Teachings on teachings.
Facebook As in all his other teachings, in this verse Sri Ramana explains to us the nature
An alternative way to be updated of reality for a single purpose, namely to direct our mind towards the one
whenever any new article or comment practice that will actually enable us to experience reality as it truly is. Unless we
by Michael is posted on this blog is to understand the real nature of our goal, we will not be able to understand why
visit Sri Ramana Teachings, a public the only one path by which we can ‘reach’ that goal is to practise just being as
Facebook page where links to them or we always really are.
copies of them will be posted, and if
you have a Facebook account you can
like it and choose to receive If our goal were something other than ourself, there would be some distance
notifications. for us to travel in order to reach it. But since we ourself are the goal that we
seek, there is absolutely no distance between us and it, and hence the path by
which we can reach it cannot be essentially any different from it. That is,
Sri Ramana Teachings between us and our goal, which is our own real self, there is truly no space to
accommodate any path that is other than our goal. Hence our path and our
goal must be one in their essential nature. Since our goal is just thought-free
Videos and Audios self-conscious being, our path must likewise be just thought-free self-conscious
All the currently available videos of being. This is the essential truth that Sri Ramana reveals so clearly in this verse,
Michael James discussing the teachings and that he reiterates in so many different words throughout his other
of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi can teachings [as he does, for example, in verse 579 of Guru Vachaka Kovai, which
be viewed either on the Videos page of I quoted in my recent post Actions or karmas are like seeds and which I referred
his website or on his YouTube channel: to in another recent post Atma-vichara is only the practice of keeping our mind
fixed firmly in self].
Sri Ramana Teachings
In our natural state of absolutely non-dual self-knowledge, which is our goal,
The latest video uploaded to this our experience of our thought-free self-conscious being is effortless, because it
channel is the one taken on 12th is what we always really are. However in our present state, in which we imagine
September 2015: ourself to be this thinking mind, we appear to be not devoid of thought, as in
truth we are, and hence we feel that we have to make effort to experience our
thought-free self-conscious being. Thus the only difference between our path
and our goal is the effort that now seems to be necessary in order for us to
abide in our natural state of thought-free self-conscious being.
In this path, the effort that we have to make is not actually an effort to be,
because we always effortlessly are, but is an effort to avoid mistaking ourself to
be this thinking mind. So long as we imagine ourself to be this mind, we do not
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Happiness of Being - The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: The crest-jewel of Sri Ramana's teachings 31/01/2016
This state in which we focus our entire attention upon our own self-conscious
being, thereby excluding all thoughts, is the true state of ‘meditation’, which Sri
If you would like to be notified by Ramana describes in this verse as ullatte ullapadi ullade or ‘only being in heart
YouTube via email whenever any new as it is [or as we are]’. That is, since the true nature of our essential self or
video is added to this channel, you can ‘heart’ is just thought-free self-conscious being, ‘being in heart as it is’ is just the
subscribe to it either by clicking on state of abiding calmly and peacefully in our own essential self as our own
Subscribe to Sri Ramana Teachings or essential self — that is, free of all thoughts as our own true non-dual self-
by visiting Sri Ramana Teachings and
clicking on the ‘Subscribe’ button that conscious being, ‘I am’.
you will see in the upper right-hand
corner just under the banner showing Thus the only path by which we can ‘reach’ or ‘attain’ our own essential self,
Arunachala hill. which is the one and only absolute reality, is this simple practice of keenly
attentive self-consciousness — self-consciousness that is so keenly attentive
Audio copies of many of these videos that it gives absolutely no room for the rising of any thought. Since no thought
are available on MediaFire in a folder can rise unless we attend to it, when we focus our entire attention upon our
called Discussions with Michael James, own essential self-consciousness, ‘I am’, we automatically exclude the
where they can either be listened to possibility of any thought arising.
online or downloaded as MP3 files.
That is, thoughts arise only because we think them, and this act of thinking
involves an imaginary diverting of our attention away from our essential self-
Support this blog consciousness, ‘I am’. Therefore the only effective means by which we can
remain completely free of all thoughts — and hence completely free of our
If you would like to support me to mind, which can rise and appear to exist only by thinking — is by just being
continue writing for this blog and doing
other related work, you may contribute attentively, keenly and vigilantly self-conscious.
to my living expenses by clicking on
this button: This state of thought-free and therefore mind-free self-conscious being alone is
the state that Sri Ramana describes as ‘being as we are’, and it is not only our
path but also our goal. When we practise this vigilantly attentive and therefore
thought-excluding self-consciousness with effort, it is the path, and when we
experience it effortlessly as our unavoidable natural state, it is our goal, which is
Until December 2015 I was able to the absolutely non-dual state of true self-knowledge.
carrying on writing this blog without
needing to accept any of the kind Posted by Michael James at 08:22
offers of financial support that I Labels: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, consciousness, effort, Happiness and the Art of
received from friends and well-wishers, Being, just being (summa iruppadu), philosophy of Sri Ramana, self-investigation (ātma-
but I eventually reached a point where I vicāra), Ulladu Narpadu
seemed to have no option but to
accept whatever support may be
offered. Writing articles for this blog 3 comments:
and replying to comments and emails
asking questions about Bhagavan’s ads said...
teachings is my full-time occupation
(and one that I do solely for the love of Michael this is great blog, keep up the good work, best blog ever
this subject), so any financial help that :).
any of you may be able to offer would
be much appreciated. How can be attention to seer, seer can't be seen by seer because
However, I would like to emphasise seer is the watcher. Seer can's view by seer. I dont understod how
that this blog and whatever else I write can we attain and watch our own self-consciousness. I know I
about Bhagavan’s teachings is still exist because of awerness and of course I'am the observer and not
intended to be an entirely free service, mind and body, but how can observer observe the observer if
because I believe his teachings are too observer just obeserve.
valuable to be sold and should not be Michael can you explain a bit more about how to practice self-
used for financial gain, so any inquiry.
contributions to me should be entirely
voluntary and no one should feel any thanks :)
compulsion to contribute. I am sure
that most of you have your own I will keep coming.
financial difficulties and constraints,
because having given us the true MasterzDee
wealth of his teachings, Bhagavan
generally does not bestow material 21 August 2007 at 19:02
wealth on those of us who aspire to
follow the path he has shown us, and ads said...
because he has made us understand
that money and material gain are not I read your book and got the answer. Now I know how to do it.
the aim or purpose of our life. Great book :)
Therefore please do not try to
contribute anything more than you can 23 August 2007 at 21:37
comfortably afford, and if you are Anonymous said...
unable to contribute anything, please
do not feel bad about it, because Apropos of the comments of ads regarding the seer incapable of
ultimately it is up to Bhagavan to being seen, it is to be pointed out that in view of the knowledge
decide how (or if) he wants to provide of the Knower being endless, though the seer doesn't see, he yet
for my material needs, and I am sure
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Happiness of Being - The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: The crest-jewel of Sri Ramana's teachings 31/01/2016
Article Archive
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Third e-book edition of Happiness and
the Art of B...
Spanish translation of Happiness and
the Art of Be...
The importance of compassion and
ahimsa
The supreme compassion of Sri Ramana
The crest-jew el of Sri Ramana's
teachings
The practice of self-investigation is our
natural ...
The question ‘w ho am I?’ as a
verbalised thought
Sri Ramana’s figurative use of simple
w ords
Atma-vichara and the question ‘w ho am
I?’
Atma-vichara is only the practice of
keeping our m...
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Index of Topics
ahaṁ-sphuraṇa (3)
ahiṁsā (2)
ajāta (4)
Anma-Viddai (16)
Appala Pattu (1)
Arunachala (9)
Bhagavad Gita (1)
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi (214)
bhakti (devotion) (29)
cit-śakti (2)
consciousness (72)
dream (64)
effort (37)
ego (75)
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