Q: Bhagavan said that repeating 'I am the Self' or 'I am not this body' is an aid to enquiry but it does not constitute the enquiry itself.
The meditation 'I am not the body or the mind, I am the immanent Self' is a great aid for as long as one is not able to do self-enquiry properly or constantly.
Bhagavan said, 'Keeping the mind in the Heart is self-enquiry'. If you cannot do this 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 said the we should read and study the Ribhu Gita regularly.
In the Ribhu Gita it is said: 'That bhavana [mental attitude] "I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am Brahman, I am everything" is to be repeated again and again until this becomes the natural state.'
Bhagavan sat with us every day while we chanted extracts from the Ribhu Gita which affirm the reality of the Self. It is true that he said that these repetitions are only an aid to self-enquiry, but they are a very powerful aid.
By practising this way the mind becomes more and more attuned with the reality. When the mind has become purified by this practice it is easier to take it back to its source and keep it there. When one is able to bid in the Self directly, one doesn't need aids like this. But if this is not possible these practices can definitely help one.
The meditation 'I am not the body or the mind, I am the immanent Self' is a great aid for as long as one is not able to do self-enquiry properly or constantly.
Bhagavan said, 'Keeping the mind in the Heart is self-enquiry'. If you cannot do this 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 said the we should read and study the Ribhu Gita regularly.
In the Ribhu Gita it is said: 'That bhavana [mental attitude] "I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am Brahman, I am everything" is to be repeated again and again until this becomes the natural state.'
Bhagavan sat with us every day while we chanted extracts from the Ribhu Gita which affirm the reality of the Self. It is true that he said that these repetitions are only an aid to self-enquiry, but they are a very powerful aid.
By practising this way the mind becomes more and more attuned with the reality. When the mind has become purified by this practice it is easier to take it back to its source and keep it there. When one is able to bid in the Self directly, one doesn't need aids like this. But if this is not possible these practices can definitely help one.
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