Holistic Meditation-Part VI

By Super

Ramana Maharshi
Continued From The Fifth Part

Trace Attention back to the Centre of the Mind

Recognising the fact that thoughts will come back with vengence after the period of meditation, in the enquiry about the subject, one has to go into the question whether thoughts can exist at all unless the individual pays attention to them. The answer must be also 'No'. For all thoughts are the individual's thoughts, the thinker's thoughts. Attention to the individual, the mind's centre is seen to be the crux.

The question is how is one to shift attention back to himself from his thoughts? Half the battle has been won by recognising its importance. Here again one cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that this shifting attention of 'I' to itself is still only a half-way stage. True understanding will come about by maintaining an uninterrupted link with the energising conscious source from which the mind has arisen.

Time and again one should not forget that Ramana's focus is on the single energy source, the heart.

Therefore it is also the source of energy for the mind. The mental energy derived from its unconscious association with this source, during sleep, is only limited to a single day's supply. As this energy gets dissipated in thoughts during waking, mainly, and also in dreams, there is need for fresh supply of energy. Illustratively, the UPS system connected to battery inturn depends on electricity, which charges these batteries. If there is no fresh input of current, then its energy would be exhausted, though it may be called uninterrupted. The computers will start tripping and will shutdown, the fans will stop and lights will go off without being switched off.

If the mind's link is uninterrupted with its unfailing energy source, the heart within the mind will remain charged of the time. Would it not? Hence maintenance of this link with the power source within cannot be over emphasised. But then every thought, by distracting one's attention from oneself, gnaws at this connection until it snaps living one wholly dippy and have merged. Due to lack of Self-attention one becomes a helpless onlooker of the ongoing power thefts by these hangers on.

About the author

A.R.Natarajan

Sri A.R.Natarajan has had the opportunity of a long association of over 50 years with the Ramanashram. He was the editor of "Mountain Path" for two years. He was the secretary of Ramana Kendra, New Delhi for ten years. He founded the Ramana Maharshi centre for learning, a non profit institution. He has authored more than thirty six books and eleven pocket books on the life and teachings of Bhagavan Ramana.

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