Sri Annamalai Swami was a disciple of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. Here we shall note down some sayings of Annamalai Swami. Annamalai Swami was a Liberated person in his own right and I believe that Bhagavan Ramana's essential teachings are best conveyed through the works of Annamalai Swami.
Here is a short index for this topic: (the post numbers are listed)
1. Dont Get Attached to Temporary Mental states of Bliss: 1
2. Ignore Mind : 2,3,4,5,6,9
3. You are already the Self: 7,14
4. Ribhu Gita/Shastras as Aid to Self Enquiry: 8
5. Handling vasanas:11,12
6. Understanding that I am Self is a Must: 11
7: conviction:12,13
8. You Do not Need An Experience:7,15
9. Why Dont I See/Recognize Self ?: 15
10. Continuous Meditation: 16
11. True Meaning of Samadhi: 17
12: Manonasha is not thoughtlessness: 18
13. World is a Dream, Treat it as a dream: 19
14. Faith in Mind and Senses ? : 21
1. Dont Get Attached to Temporary Mental states of Bliss: 1
2. Ignore Mind : 2,3,4,5,6,9
3. You are already the Self: 7,14
4. Ribhu Gita/Shastras as Aid to Self Enquiry: 8
5. Handling vasanas:11,12
6. Understanding that I am Self is a Must: 11
7: conviction:12,13
8. You Do not Need An Experience:7,15
9. Why Dont I See/Recognize Self ?: 15
10. Continuous Meditation: 16
11. True Meaning of Samadhi: 17
12: Manonasha is not thoughtlessness: 18
13. World is a Dream, Treat it as a dream: 19
14. Faith in Mind and Senses ? : 21
POST 1
Page 333 : living by the words of Bhagavan
Page 333 : living by the words of Bhagavan
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Q: I feel that the bhakti path is an effortless way. When I enquire "Who am I" I feel that I must make a great effort to make the mind subside. The Bhakti path seems to be more sweet, more joyfull and more effortless.
A: It is always good to worship the guru, but abiding in the guru's teachings is far better. You follow the bhakti path if you want to but you should remember that its almost impossible for a devotee to judge whether he is making progress or not. you should not jump to the conclusion that you are not making any progress with your self inquiry simply because you find it hard to do. And you should not think tht you will make more progress as a bhakta simply because you find it easy to generate joyful states of mind.
The same consciousness which is within you and within bhagavan's form is within all forms. we must learn to contact this consciousness by being aware of this all the time.
A: It is always good to worship the guru, but abiding in the guru's teachings is far better. You follow the bhakti path if you want to but you should remember that its almost impossible for a devotee to judge whether he is making progress or not. you should not jump to the conclusion that you are not making any progress with your self inquiry simply because you find it hard to do. And you should not think tht you will make more progress as a bhakta simply because you find it easy to generate joyful states of mind.
The same consciousness which is within you and within bhagavan's form is within all forms. we must learn to contact this consciousness by being aware of this all the time.
Q: I know that Bhagavan is in all forms but some times I find it easier to feel his grace by concentrating on an image of him. Self inquiry is such hard work. One rarely finds blissful or peaceful doing it. sometimes i feel like treating myself to a little bliss by looking at bhagavan's picture for a while.
A: There is nothign wrong with looking at Bhagavan's picture. Thats a good practise. But you should not get sidetracked from our main objective which is establishing yourself as consciousness. dont get attached to states of bliss or give them priority over the quest for Self. If you become attached to peaceful or blissful states you may lose your interest in the main quest. It is good to feel blissful and peaceful but don’t indulge yourself in these states at the expense of self inquiry. If you realize the inner Self, if you realize that there is not an atom which is apart from Self, you will experience the real peace and bliss of the Self. You will be the peace or the bliss rather than being the experiencer of it. if you experience temporary states of peace or bliss in the mind, the experiencer of that peace or bliss will not want to subside into the Self and disappear.
Don’t get attached to mental peace. Go beyond it to the real peace which comes from being the Self
POST 2
Page 84 of Final Talks
Page 84 of Final Talks
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What ever kind of thought arises, have the same reaction: 'Not me, not my business'. IT can be a good thought or a bad thought. Treat them the same way. To whom are these thoughts arising ? To You. That means you are not the thought.
You are the Self. Remain as the Self, and don't latch onto anything that is not the Self.
You are the Self. Remain as the Self, and don't latch onto anything that is not the Self.
POST 3:
Page 86: Final Talks
Page 86: Final Talks
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Whatever thoughts come, ignore them. You have to ignore anything that is connected to the body-mind idea, anything that is based on the notion that you are the mind or the body. if you can do this, the raising of thought will not disturb or distract you. in a split second , it will run away.
All thoughts are distractiosn, including the thought ' i am meditating'. if you are the Self, darkness will not overcome you. what ever thoughts arise in that state wont affect you.
All thoughts are distractiosn, including the thought ' i am meditating'. if you are the Self, darkness will not overcome you. what ever thoughts arise in that state wont affect you.
POST 4
Page 82 of final talks
Page 82 of final talks
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Sadhana, effort and practise , and any ideas you may have about them, are concepts that can only arise when you believe that you are not the Self, and when you believe that you have to do something to reach the Self.
Even the sequence "to whom has this thought come? To me" is based on ignorance of the truth. Why? Because its verbalising a state of ignorance; its perpetuating an erroneous assumption that there is a person who is having troublesome thoughts. You are the Self not some make-believe person who is having thoughts
Even the sequence "to whom has this thought come? To me" is based on ignorance of the truth. Why? Because its verbalising a state of ignorance; its perpetuating an erroneous assumption that there is a person who is having troublesome thoughts. You are the Self not some make-believe person who is having thoughts
POST 5
Page 82, Final Talks
Page 82, Final Talks
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Remember , nothing that happens to mind is 'you', and none of it is your business. You dont have to worry about thoughts that rise up inside you.Its enough that you remember that the thoughts are not you.
POST 6:
Page 86 : Final Talks
Page 86 : Final Talks
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Thoughts will come as long as the potential for them is inside you. Good thoughts, bad thoughts, they will keep coming.
There is nothing you can do about this flow, but at the same time, this flow of thoughts need not be a problem. Be the Self, be the peace that is your real nature, and it will not matter what comes up.
There is nothing you can do about this flow, but at the same time, this flow of thoughts need not be a problem. Be the Self, be the peace that is your real nature, and it will not matter what comes up.
Post 7:
Page 292: living by the words of Bhagavan
Page 292: living by the words of Bhagavan
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Giving up the identity with the body and the mind is tapas, samadhi, dhyana and nishta.
Spiritual seekers have a very strange habit: they are always looking for a way to reach, attain,discover,experience, or realize the Self. They try many things because they cannot comprehend that they are already the Self. This is like running around looking for one's eyes with one's own eyes.
Why should you imagine that it is some new experience to be discovered or found ? You are the Self right now, and you are aware of it right now. Do you need a new experience to prove that you exist? The feeling "I am existing" is the Self. You pretend that you are not experiencing it, or cover it up with all kinds of false ideas, and then you run around looking for it as if it were something external to be reached or found. There is a story about someone like thus.
Once a king imagined that he was a poverty-striken peasant. He thought , "if I go and meet the king he may be able to help me by giving some money"
He searched for the king in many places but he could not find him anywhere. Ultimately he became very depressed because his search was not yeilding any results. One day he met a man on the road who asked him why he was so depressed.
He answered, " I am searching for the king. I think that he can solve all my problems and make me happy but I cant find him anywhere".
The man, who already recognized him, said with some astonishment, "But you yourself as the king!"
The king came to his senses and remembered who he was. His problems all ended the moment he remembered his real identity.
You may think that the king was fairly stupid but he had at least enough sense to recognize the truth when it was told to him.
The guru may tell his disciples a thousand times "You are the self, you are not what you imagine youself ot be", they all keep asking the guru for methods and routes to reach the place they are already are.
Spiritual seekers have a very strange habit: they are always looking for a way to reach, attain,discover,experience, or realize the Self. They try many things because they cannot comprehend that they are already the Self. This is like running around looking for one's eyes with one's own eyes.
Why should you imagine that it is some new experience to be discovered or found ? You are the Self right now, and you are aware of it right now. Do you need a new experience to prove that you exist? The feeling "I am existing" is the Self. You pretend that you are not experiencing it, or cover it up with all kinds of false ideas, and then you run around looking for it as if it were something external to be reached or found. There is a story about someone like thus.
Once a king imagined that he was a poverty-striken peasant. He thought , "if I go and meet the king he may be able to help me by giving some money"
He searched for the king in many places but he could not find him anywhere. Ultimately he became very depressed because his search was not yeilding any results. One day he met a man on the road who asked him why he was so depressed.
He answered, " I am searching for the king. I think that he can solve all my problems and make me happy but I cant find him anywhere".
The man, who already recognized him, said with some astonishment, "But you yourself as the king!"
The king came to his senses and remembered who he was. His problems all ended the moment he remembered his real identity.
You may think that the king was fairly stupid but he had at least enough sense to recognize the truth when it was told to him.
The guru may tell his disciples a thousand times "You are the self, you are not what you imagine youself ot be", they all keep asking the guru for methods and routes to reach the place they are already are.
POST 8:
Page 293-294 living by the words of bhagavan
Page 293-294 living by the words of bhagavan
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Q: Bhagavan said that repeating 'I am Self' or 'I am not the body' is an aid to enquiry but it does not constitute enquiry itself.
AS: The meditation "I am not the body or the mind, I am the immanent Self" is a great aid as long as one is not able to do self inquiry properly or constantly.
Bhagavan said, 'Keeping the mind in the heart is self-enquiry'. If you cannot do thys by asking "who am I?" or by taking the "I"-thought back to its source, then meditation on the awareness "I am the all pervasive Self" is a great aid.
Bhagavan often siad that we should read and study the Ribhu Gita regularly.
In Ribhu Gita its said: "That Bhavana "I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am Brahman, I am everything" is to be repeated again and again until it becomes natural state.
Bhagavan sat with us every day while we chanted extracts from Ribhu Gita which affirm the reality of the Self. Its true that he said that these repetitions are only an aid to self-enquiry, but they are very powerful aids.
By practising this way the mind becomes more and more attuned to the reality. When the mind has become purified by this practise its easier to take it back to the source and keep it there. when one is able to abide in the Self directly, one does not need aids like this. But if this is not possible these practises can definitely aid.
AS: The meditation "I am not the body or the mind, I am the immanent Self" is a great aid as long as one is not able to do self inquiry properly or constantly.
Bhagavan said, 'Keeping the mind in the heart is self-enquiry'. If you cannot do thys by asking "who am I?" or by taking the "I"-thought back to its source, then meditation on the awareness "I am the all pervasive Self" is a great aid.
Bhagavan often siad that we should read and study the Ribhu Gita regularly.
In Ribhu Gita its said: "That Bhavana "I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am Brahman, I am everything" is to be repeated again and again until it becomes natural state.
Bhagavan sat with us every day while we chanted extracts from Ribhu Gita which affirm the reality of the Self. Its true that he said that these repetitions are only an aid to self-enquiry, but they are very powerful aids.
By practising this way the mind becomes more and more attuned to the reality. When the mind has become purified by this practise its easier to take it back to the source and keep it there. when one is able to abide in the Self directly, one does not need aids like this. But if this is not possible these practises can definitely aid.
POST 9
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How to give up this false idea that mind is real ?
Annamalai Swami Answers: the same way that you give up any wrong idea. you simply stop believing in it. if this does not happen spontaneously when u hear the truth from a teacher, keep telling yourself "i am not the mind, i am not the mind. There is no mind; there is no mind. consciousness alone exists". if you have firm conviction that this is the truth, one day this firm conviction will mature to the point where it becoems your direct experience.
Annamalai Swami Answers: the same way that you give up any wrong idea. you simply stop believing in it. if this does not happen spontaneously when u hear the truth from a teacher, keep telling yourself "i am not the mind, i am not the mind. There is no mind; there is no mind. consciousness alone exists". if you have firm conviction that this is the truth, one day this firm conviction will mature to the point where it becoems your direct experience.
POST 10:
Living by the Words of Bhagavan , pg 281
Living by the Words of Bhagavan , pg 281
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If you try to meditate without understanding that your real nature is Self, and Self alone, your meditation practise will only lead you to more mental bondage.
Bhagavan once said, 'To keep the mind in the Self, all you have to do is remain still'
To realize the Self you dont actually have to do anything except be still. Just give up the identifying with the mind and hold onto the Self. That is enough. Be still and cultivate the awareness 'I am the Self;the Self is all'. What difficulties can arise from doing a simple practise like this ?
Bhagavan once said, 'To keep the mind in the Self, all you have to do is remain still'
To realize the Self you dont actually have to do anything except be still. Just give up the identifying with the mind and hold onto the Self. That is enough. Be still and cultivate the awareness 'I am the Self;the Self is all'. What difficulties can arise from doing a simple practise like this ?
POST 11:
Pg 282 of Living by the words of Bhagavan
Pg 282 of Living by the words of Bhagavan
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Doing any sadhana without first understanding that the individual self is non-existent is self-indulgence. Its a form of spiritual entertainment in which the illusory "I" plays games with itself.
Saint Tayumanuvar once said,'Why all these maha yogas ? All these yogas are maya!'
When I say, 'Meditate on the Self' , I am asking you the be the Self, not think about it. Be aware of what remains when thoughts stop. Be aware of the consciousness that is the origin of all your thoughts. Be that consciousness. Feel that that is what you reall are. If you do this you are meditating on the Self. But if you cannot stabilise in that consciousness because your vasanas are too strong and too active , its beneficial to hold onto the thought 'I am Self, I am everything' If you meditate in this way you will not be cooperating with the vasanas that are blocking the Self-awareness. If you do not cooperate with the vasanas, sooner or later they are bound to leave you.
If this method does not appeal to you , then just watch the mind with full attention. Whenever the mind wanders, become aware of it. See how thoughts connect with each other and watch how this ghost called mind catches hold of your thoughts and says 'This is my thought'. Watch the ways of mind without identifying with them in any way. If you give your mind your full detached attention, you begin to understand the futility of all mental activities. Watch the mind wandering here and there , seeking out useless or unnecessary things or ideas which will ultimately create more misery for itself. Watching the mind gives us the knowledge of the inner processes. It gives us an incentive to stay detached from all our thoughts. Ultimately if we try hard enough, it gives us the ability to remain as consciousness , unaffected by transient thoughts
Saint Tayumanuvar once said,'Why all these maha yogas ? All these yogas are maya!'
When I say, 'Meditate on the Self' , I am asking you the be the Self, not think about it. Be aware of what remains when thoughts stop. Be aware of the consciousness that is the origin of all your thoughts. Be that consciousness. Feel that that is what you reall are. If you do this you are meditating on the Self. But if you cannot stabilise in that consciousness because your vasanas are too strong and too active , its beneficial to hold onto the thought 'I am Self, I am everything' If you meditate in this way you will not be cooperating with the vasanas that are blocking the Self-awareness. If you do not cooperate with the vasanas, sooner or later they are bound to leave you.
If this method does not appeal to you , then just watch the mind with full attention. Whenever the mind wanders, become aware of it. See how thoughts connect with each other and watch how this ghost called mind catches hold of your thoughts and says 'This is my thought'. Watch the ways of mind without identifying with them in any way. If you give your mind your full detached attention, you begin to understand the futility of all mental activities. Watch the mind wandering here and there , seeking out useless or unnecessary things or ideas which will ultimately create more misery for itself. Watching the mind gives us the knowledge of the inner processes. It gives us an incentive to stay detached from all our thoughts. Ultimately if we try hard enough, it gives us the ability to remain as consciousness , unaffected by transient thoughts
POST 12
pg 274 , of living by the words of bhagavan
pg 274 , of living by the words of bhagavan
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The best mantra is "i am the self, everything is my Self. Everything is one" If you keep this in your mind all the time, Self will eventually reveal itself to you.
Dont be statisfied with rituals and other kindergarten techniques. If you are serious, head directly for the self. Hold onto it as tenaciously as you can and dont let anything or anyone loosen your grip.
Dont be statisfied with rituals and other kindergarten techniques. If you are serious, head directly for the self. Hold onto it as tenaciously as you can and dont let anything or anyone loosen your grip.
POST 13:
Pg 260 of Living by the words of Bhagavan
Pg 260 of Living by the words of Bhagavan
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You must generate the conviction, "I am the all-pervasive consciousness in which all bodes and minds in the world are appearing and disappearing. I am that consciousness which remains unchanged and unaffected by these appearances and disappearances ". Stabilise yourself in that conviction. Thats all you need to do.
Post 14:
Living by the words of bhagavan , conversations
Living by the words of bhagavan , conversations
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Q.: What is the easiest way to be free of the 'little self'?
Annamalai Swami: Stop identifying with it. If you can convince yourself, 'This little self is not really me,' it will disappear.
Q.: But how to do that?
AS.: The little self is something that only appears to be real. If you understand that it has no real existence it will disappear, leaving behind it the experience of the real and only Self. Understand that it has no real existence and it will stop troubling you.
Consciousness is universal. There is no limitation or 'little self' in it. It is only when we identify with and limit ourselves to the body and the mind that this false sense of self is born. If, through enquiry, you go to the source of the 'little self', you find that it dissolves into nothingness.
Q.: But I am very accustomed to feel 'I am this 'little self' '. I cannot break this habit merely by thinking 'I am not this 'little self''.
AS.: This 'little self' will only give way to the real Self if you meditate constantly. You cannot wish it away with a few stray thoughts. Try to remember the analogy of the rope which looks like a snake in twilight. If you see the rope as snake the real nature of the rope is hidden from you. If you only see the rope the snake is not there. Not only that - you know that there never was a snake there. (Then) the question of how to kill the snake disappears... If you can understand that this 'little self' never at any time had any existence outside your imagination, you will not be concerned about ways and means of getting rid of it.
Annamalai Swami: Stop identifying with it. If you can convince yourself, 'This little self is not really me,' it will disappear.
Q.: But how to do that?
AS.: The little self is something that only appears to be real. If you understand that it has no real existence it will disappear, leaving behind it the experience of the real and only Self. Understand that it has no real existence and it will stop troubling you.
Consciousness is universal. There is no limitation or 'little self' in it. It is only when we identify with and limit ourselves to the body and the mind that this false sense of self is born. If, through enquiry, you go to the source of the 'little self', you find that it dissolves into nothingness.
Q.: But I am very accustomed to feel 'I am this 'little self' '. I cannot break this habit merely by thinking 'I am not this 'little self''.
AS.: This 'little self' will only give way to the real Self if you meditate constantly. You cannot wish it away with a few stray thoughts. Try to remember the analogy of the rope which looks like a snake in twilight. If you see the rope as snake the real nature of the rope is hidden from you. If you only see the rope the snake is not there. Not only that - you know that there never was a snake there. (Then) the question of how to kill the snake disappears... If you can understand that this 'little self' never at any time had any existence outside your imagination, you will not be concerned about ways and means of getting rid of it.
Q.: It is all very clear but I feel I need some help. I am not sure that i can generate this conviction by myself.
AS.: The desire for assistance is part of your problem. Don't make the mistake of imagining that there is a goal to be reached or attained. If you think like this you will start looking for methods to practice and people to help you. This just perpetuates the problem you are trying to end. Instead, cultivate the strong awareness, 'I am the Self. I am That. I am Brahman. I am everything.'.. The best way to (stop believing the wrong ideas about yourself) is to replace them with ideas which more accurately reflect the real state of affairs. ...
The Self is always attained, it is always realized; it is not something that you have to seek, reach or discover. Your vasanas and all the wrong ideas you have about yourself are blocking and hiding the experience of the real Self. If you don't identify with these wrong ideas, your Self-nature will not be hidden from you.
POST 15:
Q: You say that everything is the Self, even maya. If this is so, why cant I see the Self clearly ? If this is so, why can't I see the Self clearly ?
Why is it hidden from me ?
AS: Because you are looking in the wrong direction. You have the idea that the Self is something that you see or experience . This is not so. The Self is the Awareness or consciousness in which the seeing and the experiencing take place.
Even if you don't see the Self, the Self is still there. Bhagavan some times remarked humorously: "People just open a newspaper and glance through it. Then they sau , ' I have seen the paper'. But really they haven't seen the paper , they have only seen the letters without the paper, but people always forget the paper while they are reading the words "
Bhagavan would then use this analogy to show that while people see the names and forms that appear on the screen of consciousness, they ignore the screen itself. With this kind of partial vision its easy to come to the conclusion that all forms are unconnected with each other and separate from the peron who sees them. If people were to be aware of the consciousness instead of the forms that appear in it, they would realize that all forms are just appearances which manifest within the one invisible consciousness.
That consciousness is the Self that you are looking for. You can be that consciousness but you can never see it because its not something that is separate from you.
Why is it hidden from me ?
AS: Because you are looking in the wrong direction. You have the idea that the Self is something that you see or experience . This is not so. The Self is the Awareness or consciousness in which the seeing and the experiencing take place.
Even if you don't see the Self, the Self is still there. Bhagavan some times remarked humorously: "People just open a newspaper and glance through it. Then they sau , ' I have seen the paper'. But really they haven't seen the paper , they have only seen the letters without the paper, but people always forget the paper while they are reading the words "
Bhagavan would then use this analogy to show that while people see the names and forms that appear on the screen of consciousness, they ignore the screen itself. With this kind of partial vision its easy to come to the conclusion that all forms are unconnected with each other and separate from the peron who sees them. If people were to be aware of the consciousness instead of the forms that appear in it, they would realize that all forms are just appearances which manifest within the one invisible consciousness.
That consciousness is the Self that you are looking for. You can be that consciousness but you can never see it because its not something that is separate from you.
Pg: 265-6 of Annamalai Swami 's living by the words of bhagavan.
This is called Recognition.
POST 16:pg 271-2, Living by the words of bhagavan
Continuous inhalation and exhalation are necessary for continuation of life. Continuous meditation is necessary for all those who want to stay in the Self.
You divide your life up into different activities: "I am eating", "I am meditating", "I am working", etc. If you have ideas like these you are still identifiying with the body. Get rid of all these ideas and replace them with the single thought , "I am Self", Hold onto that idea and dont let it go. Dont give these "I am the body" ideas any attention.
"I must eat now", "I will go to sleep now", "I will have a bath now", all thoughts like these are I am the body thoughts. Learn to recognize them when they arise and learn to ignore them or deny them. Stay firmly seated in the Self and dont allow the mind to identify with anything that the body does.
You divide your life up into different activities: "I am eating", "I am meditating", "I am working", etc. If you have ideas like these you are still identifiying with the body. Get rid of all these ideas and replace them with the single thought , "I am Self", Hold onto that idea and dont let it go. Dont give these "I am the body" ideas any attention.
"I must eat now", "I will go to sleep now", "I will have a bath now", all thoughts like these are I am the body thoughts. Learn to recognize them when they arise and learn to ignore them or deny them. Stay firmly seated in the Self and dont allow the mind to identify with anything that the body does.
Beautiful
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