I’ve written before about the autistic boy who I’ve loved and taken care of for years. I should stop calling him a boy because he’ll turn twenty this year. I’ll pretend his name is George. He has — or had — sociopathic tendencies. His father has told me that he himself is a diagnosed sociopath, […]
Eliot Elisofon
Eliot Elisofon was the photographer who took the pictures for Life Magazine‘s long article about Ramana Maharshi that appeared in May, 1949. He was was one of the most famous and accomplished Western photographers of his day, with notable achievements in other fields as well. I’m old enough to remember Life Magazine in its heyday. […]
A hint concerning Self-enquiry
The main tool we use for Self-enquiry, at least in the early stages, is attention. In this context the word ‘attention’ means the deliberate, volitional choice of what is evident. When attention succeeds, we become or remain aware of the object of attention. The reason I’m analyzing this common word in microscopic detail is that […]
Which books present Ramana’s teachings most accurately?
When you see a book or pamplet that says “by Sri Ramana Maharshi” on the cover, or one that contains records of his conversations, you might assume that the words inside are his. Unfortunately things aren’t so straightforward. To take one example, some of the conversations in Talks With Ramana Maharshi were paraphrased and written […]
Exit signs in the dream
People often say that the world is like a dream and that when we wake up from it, we become enlightened. The first half of this idea has probably occurred to people in all times and places. In the words of the children’s song, “Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.” The second […]
Ramana Periya Puranam
After I posted this, a friend emailed me the following paragraph: We have read and re-read Ramana Periya Puranam and every time I read it, tears start to flow down my face. I feel an outpouring of grace whenever I read it. It’s one of the most powerful books that both my husband and I […]
Ilie Cioara and Dada Gavand
Two peas in a pod.
When I watch interviews on Conscious.tv and BatGap, I sometimes think there must be a thousand kinds of enlightenment. But these two men, Ilie Cioara and Dada Gavand, are spiritual twins. Their teachings, their sadhanas, their writing styles, and their states are uncannily alike. When I read one, I am always reminded of the other. […]
Are animals conscious?
People sometimes doubt that animals are conscious. Here’s some evidence about parrots. According to these two articles, parrots eat sap from opium poppies until they are so stoned they fall out of trees. International Business Times Daily Mirror Why do parrots do this? Probably because they like the way it feels. In order to enjoy […]
The Sturdy, Stable Thing
My friend Jyothi sent a message yesterday. She was very excited about an experience that had just happened to her. Earlier in the day, in the morning, she had meditated with voluntary effort. Then later in the afternoon she fell into involuntary meditation. This pattern of intentional meditation in the morning and natural meditation in […]
Susie
I was living at my girlfriend’s apartment in the late 1990s when I got seriously interested in meditation. She had two cats, a male and a female. The female, who I’ll call Susie, was about fourteen years old, black, and very fat. She followed me everywhere in the apartment. When I sat at the desk […]