2017-05-13 Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK: discussion with Michael James on importance of practice

At a meeting of the ‘Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK’ on 13th May 2017, Michael James discusses the importance of practising what Bhagavan has taught us, namely the twin paths of self-surrender and self-investigation (ātma-vicāra), and then answers questions on this subject and other aspects of his teachings.
An MP3 audio copy of this video can be listened to or downloaded from mediafire.com/?...

[@moesypittounikos]

Michael, either you are a jnani or you ate a jnani and the jnani speaks out of you! Excellent!

[@srichakrahubli]

He's swallowed many jnanis alive!

[@srichakrahubli]

Bhagwan is back to teach us here!!

[@jeanthornton2107]

excellent. love your talks Michael. work in progress

[@Vrill386]

Very clear and precise. Like

[@arjethtrimex]

Very motivating Very informative, Very comprehensive, Clarity par excellence.

[@truthseeker8764]

Exactly, Michael is the Clarity par excellence! Love&Light to Michael ..and to All as We Are One.

[@gourichatterjee2301]

excellent way of explaining Bhagvan's teaching. Thank you Michael

[@jyotej8555]

Thank you.

[@tarnum113]

Thank you Michael!

[@iloverumi]

pre-liked :)

[@SunshineSpace1]

"If you can't do it in a crowd, you won't be able do it, even if you go sit in a cave in the Himalayas." 1:42:18

[@davide8012]

pure grace

[@vishnudass371]

First, I really appreciate Michaels grasp of the teachings and use of Tamil to break down the Ramana's teachings. I don't mean any disrespect here and I know that in Vedic philosophy respectful debate isn't intended to prove the other wrong, but to strengthen understanding and to also remain open to others viewpoints. One of Micael's comments suggests rather firmly that nirvikalpa samadhi doesn't have any effect on vasanas. This is not accurate from a Vedantic as well as a Yogic perspective. Nirvikalpa samadhi is at the asamprajnata stage (samadhi beyond knowledge) and it is at those levels of samadhi that the samskaras are not just weakened, but roasted. Here only nirodha samskaras are formed for that particular level of absorption and eventually that too goes and only Self abiding in Self remains. He seems to be referring to samprajnata levels and not asamprajnata levels. He even draws a comparison to being able to attain nirvikalpa with the use of drugs as being similar. I agree that if one takes a plant medicine such as ayahuasca, it can bring one to a very deep state of presence and oneness consciousness, but the discipline and the nirodha samskaras needed to return at will to that stage have not been developed, so the individual has no knowledge of the "vagaries" of mind, as Ramana puts it. Much respect to MJ, he is a good brother!!

[@michaelnice93]

I would like to take a middle path here and say the (NS) state is helpful in the way it shows there is another way beyond the mind. This vacation from involvement with cognitive objects allows a fresh perspective on them upon return and can encourage and strengthen our resolve to grow up and move beyond. NS may not burn up vasanas or root out ego, but it can aid greatly in this task.

[@oln3678]

It's like suddenly becoming lucid in a dream. You realise the little strange dream ego character is false and there is suddenly 100% certainty of this. Also you realize the other weird dream characters and even the very dream air you are breathing is nothing but you. They still appear , they are still weird, but you know the truth.. they are nothing but you. Sub ek. Advaita. Only one. Now you may play out your dream with no fear as you are safely lying in your bed, so let what happens happen... ie dream karma. You may also play out this life with no fear as Vishnu lies safe on the Garbhodaka ocean dreaming his cosmic dream 🎉

[@suntahoannes7671]

You can hold body all bodies inside of you compassion to know I as body you are my body two holes Grace Bhagavad marashi

[@sfly3218]

After moksha is obtained, is what is left able to carry on with the prior obligations and responsibilities?

[@BillSikes.]

Yes of course, life just gets one hell of a lot easier when all that background noise in the Mind ceases

[@sachaltyagi6102]

Wow❤️🙏

[@josefbruckner7154]

Can anyone write Michael's words of the last three minutes( from 2:5:00 on to the end) ?

[@swiftfest]

Questioner: "So does nothing exist at all"? Michael: "No! You exist! Can you doubt your existence? (pause) You definitely exist because if you didn't exist you couldn't be aware of all these things. The very fact that you are aware of anything shows that you exist. Everything that you are aware of could be an illusion. It could be just a mental projection. But YOU who are aware of it cannot be an illusion. So you must exist. The fact THAT you are is beyond doubt. But what IS doubtful is WHAT you are. Now you seem to be this person but is that what you really are? Because if you really are this person you should feel "I am this person" even when you are asleep....so this person is something that comes and goes whereas YOU are permanent. So you cannot be what you seem to be... So you definitely exist but you are not definitely what you seem to be. So who are you? That is what we need to investigate..." "When we know what we are we know that we alone exist, though other things seem to exist. But there can never be a state of "Nothing exists"! So long as we take ourselves to be a person we can conceive our own death. That is we all know this body is going to die one day, it's going to be cremated or buried or whatever. But can you conceive your own non-existence? (long pause, questioner makes inaudible comment) ...We can't. Bagavan said, "In a battle field when soldiers see their comrades dying all around them they are afraid but they never think they are going to die at this moment. we never feel that we are going to die at the particular moment. We are afraid. We feel that death may come at any moment, but not this moment. We know that we cannot cease to exist but because we think we are the body we take that notion and impose it on the body. Look how we all live in this world. we strive for things, we try to accumulate money as if these things were permanent. But one day all these things are going to go away. We give this illusory dream a sense of permanence because we are permanent. So we superimpose our own immortality upon this body. Although we don't think this body is going to live forever we live as though this body is going to live forever"...

[@michaelnice93]

Thank you for typing that. We live like we are going to live forever. That is such a profound point.

[@anllpp]

Like a glass of fizzy pop and the bubbles are thoughts or what we think of ourselves...and the pop is no thoughts but just awareness...I'm just thinking/thoughting out load ha So somewhere in the pop is?

[@vickychauhan2722]

I love u Michael..

[@fabiomaiolo4593]

What did Ramana mean when he said: "destroy the I thought? the I thought no longer rises". Does the simple knowledge "I AM", the awareness of being remain in the one who is enlightened? I suppose if someone had asked Ramana, "are you aware?" He would have replied: "yes, I am aware". Does the mere use of thought as a function remain? Can you help me clarify this doubt? Thanks.

[@Iiisgracebestill]

Was the answer to the question discovered? Has investigation yielded the desired results ? cx

[@swamyramanagiri.9769]

Giri madurai

[@D.K.TyagiYT]

🪔🙏

[@jazzsnare]

What is pure awareness? If it is aware of anything, it is impure. So, if awareness is aware even of itself, being aware, that is already impure, since awareness has an object (itself). So, pure awareness is awareness of... what? And, anyway, as soon as you notice it, it would not be pure awareness any longer, since now there is a duality: awareness (apparently of nothing) and the awareness of awareness. My point then is, what good is pure awareness, since it is aware of nothing, and cannot even know itself without disturbing its pure awareness? If you are it, you cannot know it, and if you know it, you no longer are it. I do not see a way out of this. Has anyone ever recognized pure awareness? If so, they are separate from it. But, it also cannot be aware of itself, or for that matter anything at all. And this is supposed to be the highest knowledge no less? Knowledge of what, exactly?

[@mohann.v4930]

எனக்கு இது தமிழில் கிடைக்குமா?

[@bhavaniwilmer]

@@Ananthan-m7q Hi, I would like to join such satsang discussion. Could you please inform me as well?

[@ddot99]

the poor chap continues trying to rephrase the teaching in his own wrds.. this is what makes the Maharshi so special! he puts it in the most simple and direct way! your silly ego is futile in attempting its affirmations. there were countless "masters" prior to and post bhagavan era that could not even convey this teaching so perfectly simple.. so stop trying to rephrase the teaching with your silly mind. keep quiet! enquire! contemplate!

[@Sethan777]

beejum ittahb 👍👍👍

[@michaelnice93]

I find Michael James to be encouraging us to practice by clarifying Ramana’s teachings. His faith that the path will bear fruit and his knowledge of the teachings is obviously very plain to see. You have a point as far as the teaching being beyond words but Michael makes that point as well. Perhaps he could emphasize it more and that would be your point made in a less egotistical way.

[@JyoSco007]

@@michaelnice93 Michael, that was Nice. 👌☺️