Desciples of Ramana Maharshi

[Rushikesh K. Joshi]

>From Ken Stuart <kstuart at mail.telis.org>

>On Fri, 25 Oct 1996 23:30:22 GMT, egodust <egodust at digital.net> wrote:

>>Ken launched this thread, questioning why so many followers of Bhagavan RM
>>seemed to be, in his view, "false teachers."  If this can be interpreted to
>>have a mundane connotation, I failed to see it.  Sue me.

>If the question had been "why are there 'false teachers' in the
>world", then some sort of "everything is maya" response might have
>been warranted, because the question would refer to the nature of
>reality in general.

>However, the actual question was a specific one, ie what was the
>connection between following Ramana and becoming a false teacher.

>Thus, the question calls for a specific answer having to do with the
>nature of Ramana's teachings and/or the nature of those who are
>attracted to his teachings.

There are few related issues here.

Can there be a child without mother ?
Can there be a person without Guru ?
Guru manifests in forms best for the disciple.

Now since you said 'false teacher', what do you see as a 'true teacher' ?
For being a teacher, isn't the awareness of duality essential ?

Ramana was staying on the boundary of that infinite Paramatman
and this manifestation of the same. His face towards the
infinite.

Now what was the necessity for him to stay in this world ? To answer
to children who came to him running from all directions ?

He understands it best. You tried to peep in his
eternal Self and there came the silence.

I understand by what you mean by 'false teacher'.
You want only Ramana and nothing else.

Sage Samarth Ramdas wrote (three hundred years ago) about the types of
Gurus one can have. And he adds finally, the MokshGuru, the Guru
who gives you the liberation is different from all !
You are evaluating every teacher you see as the MokshGuru.

But everything has its place in the jeevas journey towards the destiny.
Mother has been our first Guru with form. She taught us language using
which we read about Ramana. She fed our body using which we go to
Arunachala. When you complete your school education, you go to higher classes
and then you get professors and then even the Nobel laureates as your
teachers. Now will you say that your earlier teachers were false teachers ?
When I am hungry, first my hunger has to be quenched. When I go in search
of job, I get job.

Do not underestimate the value of getting mislead.
Getting mislead is very very great teaching.

I remember, once Ramana said, "Suffering is the only way" !

And it does work that way ! Hope I made myself clear.



Another point for the *Advaiti* :

Are you an advaiti ? Yes ? Then verily you are not the one !
                   No ? Then probably you can aspire to be one !

Someone said in this list that Ramana was the propounder of Advaita philosophy.
Is it true ? Philosophy and Experience are not same.
Then someone was remarking about Samadhi.
Ramana was always in Samadhi. He himself said once, when
eyes are open it is Savikalp, when eyes are closed it is Nirvikalp.

We are trying to capture the experience of Brahman in our minds
using words. I have seen, many times our youngsters get euphoric about
Brahman after knowing "Aham Brahmasmi". And later they cannot stand it.
Maya makes them grind flour. They do understand much later.

Mysterious are the ways of this Maya !
And Glory to that Brahman eternal !

- rushi