I'm an American who became a Hindu without ever meeting a Hindu and without ever visiting India. If that wasn't strange enough, I've been working for self-realization ever since I became a Christian at the age of eleven. Since I started looking for God at a very young age, I've concluded that I must have done so in previous lifetimes. Why else would I have made God the center of my life and searched so early and diligently? Given that I was raised in a home where no mention of Eastern religions was made, why would I select the Hindu route?
Today I am convinced of reincarnation, as Hindus and Buddhists are.
This is not only because Hindu and Buddhist scriptures give testament of its
veracity, but also because I spent 17 years as a Certified Clinical
Hypnotherapist facilitating past life regression therapy. Those years convinced
me, beyond any doubt, that we all have lived lives that we cannot remember. I
have personally had four spontaneous past life regressions: two in a dream in
which my guide revealed to me that we were viewing my past lives, and two which
were viewed in that twilight state known as the Alpha brainwave just before
sleep. Following these revelations, I began a regular Buddhist meditation
practice. In 2016, I discovered Hinduism and formally converted. I now do
Bhakti (devotional) yoga. I provide my background so you know that I have
searched low, high, and far to the East in my pursuit of the truth, which is to
find the Self. At the age of 53, I was fortunate to discover Sri Ramana
Maharshi's teachings. Sri Ramana, an exceptional self-realized teacher and
Hindu saint born in 1879, passed away in 1950. He established an ashram in
Southern India, and admirers worldwide addressed him as Bhagavan. Even if you
are not pursuing self-realization, you are interested in spiritual topics
because you want to be happier or, at the very least, to enrich your life in
some manner. If so, then these lessons are for you. When Bhagavan's basic
approach of self-inquiry is used, it might change the way you perceive yourself
and our enigmatic counterpart, the ego. When practiced, these teachings may
lead to more calm, contentment, and, most importantly, increased control over
your thoughts.
When I
discovered Bhagavan’s technique of self-inquiry, I gave up all other spiritual
methods and plunged into his teachings. To digest them, I wrote commentaries
for my own enrichment, which I stitched together to create this book. In no way
do these lessons offer a summary of Sri Ramana’s work, because his wisdom fills
many volumes. In no way are these simple lessons designed to be the final word
on how one should interpret or apply his teachings. And in no way do they
represent Bhagavan or the ashram that disseminates his work. I offer one
month’s worth of lessons taken from my life solely to acquaint you with the
teachings of this wonderful saint and the Hindu concept of the soul, which
Hinduism refers to as the Self.
If you wish to know more about Bhagavan’s method of self-inquiry,
I urge you to read his books, including “How To Practice Self-Inquiry” and
“Who Am I?” Sri Ramana Maharshi discovered this method through silent
meditation and by practicing non-attachment and in his non-reaction to the difficulties
of life. As a child, Bhagavan left his home to sit in complete and profound meditative
silence at an ancient Indian temple that he took up residence in, even losing
the power of mobility and speech for a time. While the Buddha sat beneath a
Bodhi tree to find enlightenment (also located in India), Bhagavan sat in the
shadow of his beloved holy mountain, Arunachala. Both jnani’s minds, the
Buddha, and Sri Ramana were silenced by asking the same question: “Who Am I?” I hope these basic teachings help you on your path to apply Sri Ramana
Maharshi's knowledge and discover who you truly are.
Devi Nina
Bingham, MH
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