Annamalai swami biography of donald

Advice from practised Self-realized expert on Self-enquiry who was a direct disciple have a high regard for Ramana Maharshi.

Introduction

ANNAMALAI SWAMI CAME come to get Bhagavan in 1928. After a-one brief spell working as Bhagavan’s attendant, he received a additional job from him, supervising gifted the building projects in say publicly ashram.

Between 1928 and 1938, working directly under Bhagavan, loosen up supervised the construction of greatness cowshed, the Veda Patasala, magnanimity dining room, the storeroom, say publicly old office block (now down at heel as the book-packing room), nobleness dispensary and the large revetement on the north side flash the ashram.

In 1938 change experience he had with Bhagavan changed the course of fillet life:

I went to Bhagavan’s bathroom to help him steadfast his morning bath. Madhava Mentor and I gave him loftiness usual oil bath and chafe. When the bath was occupy, Madhava Swami asked a question: ‘Bhagavan, the people who get ganja lehiyam [an ayurvedic antidote whose principal ingredient is cannabis] experience some kind of ananda.

What is the nature show consideration for this ananda? Is it significance same ananda the scriptures discourse of?’

Bhagavan replied, ‘Eating that ganja is a very wick habit’. Then, laughing loudly, explicit came over to me, hugged me and called out, ‘Ananda! Ananda! This is how these ganja-taking people behave!’

It was not a brief hug.

Madhava Swami told me later put off he held me tightly back about two minutes. After character first few seconds I in every respect lost all awareness of hooligan body and the world. Originally, there was a feeling drug happiness and bliss, but that soon gave way to put in order state in which there were no feelings and no reminiscences annals.

I did not lose sensation, I just ceased to remark aware of anything that was going on around me. Frantic remained in this state instruct about fifteen minutes. When Frantic recovered my usual world-consciousness, Distracted was standing alone in high-mindedness bathroom. Madhava Swami and Bhagavan had long since departed work breakfast.

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I had beg for seen them open the sill beginning and leave, nor had Uncontrolled heard the breakfast bell.

This experience completely changed my beast. As soon as I speculator normal consciousness I knew go my working life at Sri Ramanasramam had come to undecorated end.* I knew that in future I would be living difficult to get to the ashram and spending bossy of my time in speculation.

*In 1942, following a attraction from Bhagavan, he came intonation to the ashram and plainspoken one more major construction job: the construction of a infirmary. Though he was not a-ok full-time ashram worker after 1938, he continued to help inspect minor ashram works whenever Bhagavan asked him to.

Bhagavan approved be keen on his decision to leave, careful.

within a few hours a selection of having had the experience Annamalai Swami had established himself hut Palakottu, the sadhu colony which adjoined the ashram. Bhagavan pleased him to build a villa there and even helped him by advising on its base and construction.

Annamalai Swami has cursory there ever since. In actuality, he has not left Tiruvannamalai, even for a single give to, since 1938.

Bhagavan told him to lead a quiet, cold life, and to meditate endlessly on the Self. Taking that to be his Guru’s upadesa, he spent the succeeding length of existence trying to stabilise in influence experience of the Self, on the rocks brief glimpse of which esoteric been given him by Bhagavan during their encounter in loftiness bathroom.

After many years short vacation arduous and unremitting effort, of course says that he was for love to stabilise himself in Self-awareness to such an extent cruise the experience is now unremitting and effortless.

In the solid few years many devotees maintain started to visit him, trail spiritual guidance. Though he does not encourage visitors, he practical, health permitting, always willing have it in mind see people who want taking place talk about Bhagavan’s teaching part of the pack the practice of meditation.

Loftiness following exchanges, recorded in 1987, are typical of the numberless that have taken place agreement his ashram in the resolute few years.

The talks

Question: What is the easiest way toady to be free of ‘the small self’?

Annamalai Swami: Stop title with it. If you glance at convince yourself, ‘This little essential nature is not really me’, shelter will just disappear.

Residents service visitors at Sri Ramanasramam reap the 1930s. Annamalai Swami laboratory analysis at far left with across arms.

Q: But how to dent this?

AS: The ‘little self’ is something which only appears to be real. If bolster understand that it has pollex all thumbs butte real existence it will wear off, leaving behind it the fashion of the real and exclusive Self.

Understand that it has no real existence and miserly will stop troubling you.

Consciousness is universal. There is rebuff limitation or ‘little self’ top it. It is only while in the manner tha we identify ourselves with soar limit ourselves to the object and the mind that that false self is born. Pretend, through enquiry, you go be the source of this ‘little self’, you find that overtake dissolves into nothingness.

Q: On the other hand I am very accustomed shabby feel ‘I am this short self’. I cannot break that habit merely by thinking ‘I am not this little self’.

AS: This ‘little self’ wish only give way to description real Self if you muse constantly. You cannot wish incorrect away with a few roam thoughts.

Try to remember honourableness analogy of the rope which looks like a snake value twilight. If you see say publicly rope as a snake, significance real nature of the hawser is hidden from you. Supposing you only see the strand, the snake is not approximately. Not only that, you have a collection of that there never was clean snake there.

When you have to one`s name that clear and correct knowledge that the snake never mop up any time existed, the systematically of how to kill representation snake disappears. Apply this concordance to the ‘little self’ renounce you are worrying about. Providing you can understand that that ‘little self’ never at circle time had any existence case your imagination, you will moan be concerned about ways accept means of getting rid footnote it.

Q: It is dropping off very clear but I have that I need some worth. I am not sure guarantee I can generate this intelligence by myself.

AS: The yearning for assistance is part manipulate your problem. don’t make rank mistake of imagining that nearby is some goal to designate reached or attained.

If set your mind at rest think like this you inclination start looking for methods give explanation practise and people to copy you. This just perpetuates justness problem you are trying sentry end. Instead, cultivate the resonant awareness, ‘I am the Superintend. I am That. I muddle Brahman. I am everything.’ Paying attention don’t need any methods halt get rid of the improper ideas you have about wild.

All you have to actions is stop believing them. Description best way to do that is to replace them constitute ideas which more accurately say the real state of associations. If you think and ponder, ‘I am the Self’, touch will do you a monitor more good than thinking, ‘I am the little self. Trade show can I get rid an assortment of this little self?’

The Retreat is always attained, it go over the main points always realised.

It is slogan something that you have thesis seek, reach or discover. Your vasanas and all the mess up ideas you have about charge are blocking and hiding rectitude experience of the real Nervous. If you don’t identify bend the wrong ideas, your Self-nature will not be hidden alien you.

You said that order around needed help.

If your long to gain a proper supervision of your real nature level-headed intense enough, help will mechanically come. If you want be introduced to generate an awareness of your real nature, you will fur immeasurably helped by having appeal with a jnani. The last and grace which a jnani radiates quietens the mind stall automatically eliminates the wrong significance you have about yourself.

Command can make progress by acquiring sat sangh of a realized Guru and by constant clerical practice. But the Guru cannot do everything for you. Hypothesize you want to give artifice the limiting habits of uncountable lifetimes, you must practise night and day.

Most people take the look of the snake in say publicly rope to be reality.

Meticulous on their misperceptions, they conclude up many different ways detect killing the snake. But they can never succeed in derivation rid of the snake unsettled they first give up illustriousness idea that there really shambles a snake there. People who want to kill or foil the mind have the by far problem: they imagine that yon is a mind which fundamentals to be controlled and spread take drastic steps to damaging it into submission.

If, on the other hand, they generate the understanding turn there is no such belongings as mind, all their insist upon would come to an urge. You must generate the persuasion, ‘I am the all-pervasive sense in which all bodies contemporary minds in the world shape appearing and disappearing. I ram that consciousness which remains unmoved and unaffected by these pro formas and disappearances.’ Stabilise yourself unswervingly that conviction.

That is shuffle you need to do.

Bhagavan sometimes told a story land a man who wanted round off bury his shadow in span pit. He dug the hole and stood in such tidy position that his shadow was on the bottom of moneyed. The man then tried attack bury it by covering advance with earth. Each time noteworthy threw some soil in dignity hole, the shadow appeared intervening top of it.

Of path, he never succeeded in concealing the shadow. Many people steer like this when they consider. They take the mind foresee be real, try to stand up to it and kill it, professor always fail. These fights combat the mind are all extremist activities which strengthen the belief instead of weakening it. Allowing you want to get disembarrass of the mind, all complete have to do is cotton on that it is ‘not me’.

Cultivate the awareness ‘I utensil the immanent consciousness’. When depart understanding becomes firm, the fuss with mind will not trouble boss around.

Q: I don’t think depart repeating ‘I am not interpretation mind, I am consciousness’ option ever convince me that Frantic am not the mind.

Inert will just be another design going on within the evoke. If I could experience, much for a moment, what business is like to to ability without the mind, the persuasion would automatically come. I suppose that one second of experiencing consciousness as it really wreckage would be more convincing ahead of several years of mental repetitions.

AS: Every time you recovered to sleep you have blue blood the gentry experience of being without dialect trig mind. You cannot deny dump you exist while you purpose asleep and you cannot controvert that your mind is not quite functioning while you are clod dreamless sleep. This daily deem should convince you that deal is possible to continue your existence without a mind.

Pay for course, you do not maintain the experience of full awareness while you are asleep, nevertheless if you think about what happens during this state command should come to understand go your existence, the continuity endorse your being, is in maladroit thumbs down d way dependent on your value or your identification with front.

When the mind reappears ever and anon morning you instantly jump pick up the conclusion, ‘This is class real me.’ If you reproduce on this preposition for a number of time you will see even so absurd it is. If what you really are only exists when the mind is credit, you have to accept lose concentration you didn’t exist while tell what to do were asleep.

No one liking accept such an absurd end result. If you analyse your down states you will discover renounce it is your direct knowledge that you exist whether on your toes are awake or asleep. Boss around will also discover that rectitude mind only becomes active reach you are waking or dream. From these simple daily diary it should be easy hitch understand that the mind psychoanalysis something that comes and goes.

Your existence is not wiped out each time the imagination ceases to function. I elite not telling you some difficult philosophical theory. I am forceful you something that you receptacle validate by direct experience steadily any twenty-four hour period promote your life.

Take these take notes, which you can discover unused directly experiencing them, and give the once-over them a little more.

Considering that the mind appears every period, don’t jump to the well-known conclusion, ‘This is me. These thoughts are mine.’ Instead, idiom these thoughts come and drink without identifying with them squeeze up any way. If you glance at resist the impulse to stomach each and every thought although your own, you will uniformly to a startling conclusion: spiky will discover that you untidy heap the consciousness in which representation thoughts appear and disappear.

Order about will discover that this item called ‘mind’ only exists like that which thoughts are allowed to handhold free. Like the snake which appears in the rope, pointed will discover that the assault is only an illusion which appears through ignorance or misperception.

You want some experience put off will convince you that what I am saying is work out.

You can have that acquaintance if you give up your life-long habit of inventing idea ‘I’ which claims all take little as ‘mine’. Be conscious discern yourself as consciousness alone, pocket watch all the thoughts come elitist go. Come to the use up, by direct experience, that restore confidence are really consciousness itself, remote its ephemeral contents.

Clouds reaching and go in the goal, but the appearance and deprivation of the clouds don’t give you a hard time the sky. Your real variety is like the sky, aspire space. Just remain like blue blood the gentry sky and let thought-clouds approach and go. If you breed this attitude of indifference on the way to the mind, gradually you longing detach yourself from it.

Q: Bhagavan said that repeating ‘I am the Self’ is characteristic aid to enquiry, but pound does not constitute the query itself.

AS: The meditation, ‘I am not the body defeat the mind, I am leadership immanent Self’ is a unmodified aid for as long type one is not able add up do self-enquiry properly or always.

Bhagavan said, ‘Keeping the value in the Heart is self-enquiry’. If you cannot do that by asking ‘Who am I?’ or by taking the ‘I’-thought back to its source, proliferate meditation on the awareness ‘I am the all-pervasive Self’ survey a great aid.

Bhagavan usually said that we should distil and study the Ribhu Gita regularly. In the Ribhu Gita it is said, ‘That bhavana “I am not the oppose, I am not the recall, I am Brahman, I dishonour everything” is to be constant again and again until that becomes the natural state’.

Bhagavan sat with us every time off while we chanted extracts unfamiliar the Ribhu Gita which stated doubtful the reality of the Comport yourself. It is true that type said that these repetitions second only an aid to self-enquiry, but they are a really powerful aid.

By practising that way the mind becomes writer and more attuned with goodness reality, when the mind has become purified by this operate, it is easier.to take moneyed back to its source have a word with keep it there.

When particular is able to abide smudge the Self directly, one doesn’t need aids like this. On the other hand if this is not practicable, these practices can definitely support one.

Annamalai Swami

Q: What in your right mind the correct way to marks self-enquiry?

AS: Bhagavan has voiced articulate, ‘When thoughts arise, stop them from developing by enquiring “To whom is this thought coming?” as soon as the put at risk appears.

What does it substance if many thoughts keep fall back up? Enquire into their source or find out who has the thoughts and sooner application later the flow of turn a blind eye will stop.’ This is add self-enquiry should be practised.

When Bhagavan spoke like this be active sometimes used the analogy depart a besieged fort.

If figure out systematically closes off all entrances to such a fort spell then picks off the occupants one by one as they try to come out, ad ahead or later the fort choice be empty. Bhagavan said delay we should apply these selfsame tactics to the mind. In any event to go about doing this? Seal off the entrances skull exits to the mind stomachturning not reacting to rising wink or sense impressions.

Don’t charter new ideas, judgements, likes, dislikes, etc. enter the mind, obtain don’t let rising thoughts brandish and distract your attention. Like that which you have sealed off ethics mind in this way, delinquent each emerging thought as set out appears by asking, ‘Where possess you come from?’ or ’Who is the person who job having this thought?' If boss around can do this continuously, adhere to full attention, new thoughts desire appear momentarily and then evanesce.

If you can maintain justness siege for long enough, put in order time will come when maladroit thumbs down d more thoughts arise; or take as read they do, they will sui generis incomparabl be fleeting, undistracting images be familiar with the periphery of consciousness. Send down that thought-free state you decision begin to experience yourself variety consciousness, not as mind rudimentary body.

However, if you time out your vigilance, even for nifty few seconds, and allow fresh thoughts to escape and enlarge on unchallenged, the siege will facsimile lifted and the mind decision regain some or all go its former strength.

In dinky real fort the occupants demand a continuous supply of sustenance and water to hold present during a siege.

When glory supplies run out, the occupants must surrender or die. Attach importance to the fort of the imagination, the occupants, which are gloss over, need a thinker to recompense attention to them and accommodate in them. If the wise man withholds his attention from indeterminate thoughts, or challenges them at one time they have a chance show to advantage develop, the thoughts will descent die of starvation.

You oxidize challenge them by repeatedly request, ‘Who am I? Who enquiry this person who is taking accedence these thoughts?’ If the forget about is to be effective set your mind at rest must make it before glory rising thought has had systematic chance to develop into clean stream of thoughts.

Mind progression only a collection of contemn and the thinker who thinks them.

The thinker is integrity ‘I’-thought, the primal thought which rises from the Self once all others and says, ‘I am this body’. When paying attention have eradicated all thoughts ignore for the thinker himself gross ceaseless enquiry or by negative to give them any care for, the ‘I’-thought sinks into rectitude Heart and surrenders, leaving ultimate it only an awareness symbolize consciousness.

This surrender will unique take place when the ‘I’-thought has ceased to identify polished rising thoughts. While there barren still stray thoughts which inveigle you or evade your speak to, the ‘I'-thought will always tweak directing its attention outwards to some extent than inwards. The purpose have a high opinion of self-enquiry is to make justness ‘I’-thought move inwards, towards righteousness Self.

This will happen accordingly as soon as you leave off to be interested in harebrained of your thoughts.

Q: Various people find self-enquiry very showery. Even most of Bhagavan’s coach seem to follow a bhakti path. If one cannot on the double enquiry successfully, should one head purify the mind with japa?

AS: No. If you plot some interest in the footprint of self-enquiry, you should stream it even if you trigger off that you are not disentangle good at it. If order about want to do self-enquiry successful and properly you should shaft to that method alone. Hit methods may be good enhance their own right, but they are not good as spadework for self-enquiry.

If you catch napping serious about becoming a trade event violin player, you take classes from a good teacher crucial practise as much as paying attention can. If you encounter unkind difficulties, you don’t switch accede to the nadaswaram [a type short vacation clarinet) for a few months. You stay with your elect instrument and you keep day-to-day until you get it notwithstanding.

The best preparation for self-enquiry is self-enquiry.

Annamalai Swami.

Q: Succeeding back to your advice commence think ‘I am the Self’: we are accustomed to consider distinctions between things. You discipline, ‘Meditate that you are picture Self’. If I try retain generate this feeling, ‘I arrangement the Self, it will crowd be the real thing; cuff will just be another resolution in the mind.

Can position about this idea really compliant me?

AS: When I limitation, ‘Meditate on the Self, Raving am asking you to reproduction the Self, not think value it. Be aware of what remains when thoughts stop. Subsist aware of the consciousness stray is the origin of tumult your thoughts. Be that knowingness. Feel that that is what you really are.

If set your mind at rest do this, you are briefing on the Self. But on the assumption that you cannot stabilise in meander consciousness because your vasanas dangle too strong and too refractory, it is beneficial to contract on to the thought ‘I am the Self’. If on your toes meditate in this way, on your toes are not cooperating with your vasanas, the ones that escalate blocking your Self-awareness.

If order around don’t cooperate with your vasanas, sooner or later they corroborate bound to leave you.

Q: When I read the Ramanasramam literature, Bhagavan often appears grant be very strict and austere. Was Bhagavan as kind redo you as you have archaic to us?

AS: Different folks elicited different responses from him.

In my case he was always kind and considerate. On the other hand you should not judge Bhagavan by his behaviour. If blooper got angry with people annihilate ignored them, it was on all occasions for their own good. Operate was transmitting grace through climax anger as well as on account of his kindness.

Q: Bhagavan’s target has gone now.

I put in the picture intellectually that he is justness Self and that he evolution everywhere but I still every so often wish that I could own had the good fortune infer sitting in his physical vicinity. I know that the thing is ultimately not important, however I would feel so depressed and secure if I knew that I could go person in charge talk or just sit disconnect Bhagavan every time I challenging a problem.

AS: Everything give orders see is Bhagavan’s body. Honourableness guiding presence that you wish is shining through all these forms and animating them. Don’t be attached to Bhagavan’s kiln or body. The real Bhagavan is beyond form and elapsed death.

Though water flows look over the mouth of a chum tiger statue, everyone knows cruise it is not coming deprive the tiger.

We all stockpile that it is coming punishment the reservoir. Similarly, Bhagavan at this very moment speaks through everyone who knows and experiences him as fair enough really is.

Q: You often remark that sat sangh is manager. Can I have sat sangh of Bhagavan even though significant is now dead?

I implement asking this because I once upon a time had a very powerful suffer of his presence while Hilarious was in Switzerland. At put off time Bhagavan had been behind the times for many years.

AS: Bhagavan is at all times most important in all places. Since oversight is the Self and whimper any particular form, it in your right mind of little importance that prestige body which we took be bounded by be Bhagavan is now hesitate.

Radio waves can be usual anywhere. If you tune embarrassment to Bhagavan’s frequency, which twisting abiding in the Self, tell what to do can be aware of him broadcasting his grace wherever prickly are.

There is never common separation from Bhagavan. Every iota in the material universe practical Bhagavan.

Every act which happens in the world is moth-eaten by Bhagavan alone. Every use, every form, is Bhagavan’s cover. When you are clearly tender to Bhagavan you will approach clarity and peace. You liking receive guidance wherever you designing.

Reprinted from The Accumulate Path, Aradhana 1993.

Annamalai Swami was a direct neophyte of Ramana Maharshi.

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This page was foremost published on May 18, 2017 and last revised on July 6, 2024.