the means and the end

[Giri]

On Mon, 21 Apr 1997, Allan Curry wrote:

> It would seem that authentic experience of the Self need not necessarily be
> permanent according to Natarajan (Ramana too?).  As this very doubt has
> often occured and caused much distress and confusion, I would be very
> interested in hearing from others about their experience and understanding
> of "intermittent abidance in the natural state" and "repeated effort".

        savikalpa progresses to nirvikalpa and then to sahaja nirvikalpa.
The 'Talks with Ramana Maharshi' has a table explaining the differences
between these states.
        Look at it this way, one purifies the mind and stays in the
natural state of nirvikalpa. Due to the inherent vaasanaa-s of the mind,
the person does not stay in that state and "comes out of it" Till all
vaasanaa-s are destroyed, sahaja nirvikalpa is not "attained." The first
can be compared to a bucket lowered in a well and then pulled out while
the latter is like the river running into the sea. After the river and
sea has been mixed, they can not be separated. Please don't carry the
analogies too far and say that there is no bucket, well, river, sea etc
only the Self.

Namaste.