Atmanusandhana Atmanusandhana [ thinking constantly of the Self ] has been compared to churning curds in order to make butter, the mind being compared to the churn, the heart to the curds, and the practice of concentrating on the Self to the process of churning. Just as butter is made by churning the curds and fire by friction, so the natural and changeless state of nirvikalpa samadhi is produced by unswerving vigilant concentration on the Self, ceaseless like the unbroken flow of oil. This readily and spontaneously yields that direct, immediate, unobstructed, and universal perception of Brahman, which is at once knowledge and experience and which transcends time and space. This perception is Self-realisation. Achieving it cuts the knot of the heart. The false delusions of ignorance the vicious and age-long tendencies of the mind which continue this knot are destroyed. All doubts are dispelled and the bondage of karma is severed. Thus in this crown-gem of discrimination has Sri Sankara described samadhi or spiritual trance which is the limitless Bliss of Liberation beyond doubt and duality, and at the same time has indicated the means for its attainment. To attain this state of freedom from duality is the real purpose of life, and only he who has done so is a Jivanmukta, liberated while yet alive, not one who has a mere theoretical understanding of what constitutes purushartha or the desired end and aim of human endeavour. From the Introduction to Vivekachudamani, by Bhagavan Ramana The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi, p. 161.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 16:29:29 +0000
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