Remembering Ramesh S. Balsekar (May 25, 1917 – September 27, 2009) was a disciple of the late Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a renowned Advaita master. From early childhood, Balsekar was drawn to Advaita, a nondual teaching, particularly the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Wei Wu Wei. He wrote more than 20 books, was president of the Bank of India, and received guests daily in his home in Mumbai until shortly before his death. Ramesh Balsekar was a well-educated young man at the London School of Economics. He married in 1940, then, after working his way up the corporate ladder, for a decade he served as General Manager of the Bank of India in Bombay until his mandatory retirement at age 60 in 1977. For three years (1978-1981) Ramesh was one of several translators for Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981). During his early life, Ramesh always felt he was enacting some role in a play that must, and would, end soon. Deep within, he believed that there had to be more to life than merely getting ahead of the other man. The answer came soon after his retirement when he had an encounter, which soon led to daily meetings, with the well-known sage, and his Guru, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. For Ramesh the total understanding that no one does anything happened in 1979. Ramesh began translating most of the daily talks held by Nisargadatta Maharaj. He himself began teaching in 1982. The command to talk was given by his Guru, he says. He began his talks or conversations with smaller groups and gradually, the number of visitors who came to listen to Ramesh began to grow. Since then, he has written many books and held several seminars in Europe and the USA. He continued to give discourse and answer questions in his Mumbai home until shortly before his death. He was admitted to hospital in early August 2009 with a fractured pelvis and had corrective surgery on 12 August. Whilst in recovery, he contracted pneumonia and spent two weeks in intensive care. His pneumonia was pronounced cured and he was discharged from hospital on 17 September, spending his last days at home. Balsekar taught from the tradition of Advaita Vedanta nondualism. His teaching begins with the idea of an ultimate Source, Brahman, from which creation arises. Once creation has arisen, the world and life operate mechanistically according to both Divine and natural laws. While people believe that they are actually doing things and making choices, free will is in fact an illusion. All that happens is caused by this one source, and the actual identity of this source is pure Consciousness, which is incapable of choosing or doing. This false identity which revolves around the idea that I am the body or I am the doer keeps one from seeing that ones actual identity is free Consciousness. Like other Vedanta teachers, he says that while creation and creator appear to be different and separate, that they are actually two sides of the same coin. Balsekar taught that life is a happening but there is no individual doer of life. Source: Wikipedia https://youtube/watch?v=7g_enYBWIkk
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 19:46:55 +0000
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