SPIRITUALITY STUDIESVolume 6 / Issue 2 FALL 2020
Content issue Spirituality Studies 6-2 Fall 2020 Publisher: The Society for Spirituality Studies Published in partnership with Monastic Interreligious Dialogue and European Union of Yoga Available online: www.spirituality-studies.org Editor-in-Chief: Doc. Dr. Martin Dojčár PhD. Graphic Design: Martin Hynek Contact: editor@spirituality-studies.org ISSN 1339-9578 Editorial Martin Dojčár Donate Spirituality Studies’ mission is to deliver the top quality of studies, articles, educational materials and information related to spirituality in its multiple forms. At the same time, the journal provides a forum for sharing personal spiritual experience. By combining both academic and experiential approaches to spirituality the Spirituality Studies aims at providing a unique platform for dialogue between a variety of viewpoints, approaches and methodologies in the study of spirituality. There are no submission or publishing charges for authors. However, please consider donating to support continual publishing of Spirituality Studies as an open access journal for free. Your donation will be used for financing running the journal. 01 02 Ātma vichāra and its Pathways to Freedom Gejza M. Timčák 16 Romanticism and Religious Crisis: Schleiermacher, Poetry, Peregrinatio vitae Janneke van der Leest 28 Studying Spirituality of Muslim Spouses Fighting Infertility: FromMethodological Problems to Analysis of Everyday Practice Monika Zaviš, Pavel Procházka 40 Some Patristic Inspirations for the Theological Study of Spirituality Miloš Lichner 48 Personality Types and Prānic Energy Perceptions: An Exploratory Study Srikanth N. Jois, Vijaykumar Vinu, Siddalingayya Hiremath, Kiran Kumar K. Salagame, Ramesh Moulya 60 Restraining the Yoga Police Daniel Simpson ← ← Cover: Sri Ramana Maharshi Copyright © 2020 Sri Ramanasramam
S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 1 EDITORIAL Editorial Frightening, and yet always accompanying the history of humankind – such are existential cri - ses! Crises of this kind remind us of our universal human experiences of incompleteness, dissatisfaction, and anxiety by making us aware of our conditioning – our unquestionable dependance on causes of physical, biological, social, cultural and psychological nature. They are these crisis situations that challenge our ways of life, thinking and experiencing, and at the same time, offer a chance for their change. The way we experience reality is related to the way we understand ourselves. Our self-image functions as a matrix that inevitably shapes our experience – creates our reality on our own image. Thus, the reality, as we perceive it, is always constructed, and the agent behind the constructive processes of man-made reality is to be found in our identity constructed on the basis of variety of conditioning factors that affect us. The opening article of the 2020 Fall edition of the Spirituality Studies journal directly addresses the question of our identity and puts it at the very center of every authentic spirituality by doing so on an example of the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, a prominent contemporary representative Cordially Martin Dojčár of the Indian tradition of Advaita Vedānta. In it, G. M. Timčák not only provides a description of the identity constructing mechanism amplified by our hypnotic fascination with metamorphosis of objects, both sensual and mental, but also construes comprehensive didactics of its deconstruction. It cannot be done by thinking, nor ritual practices, as Janneke van der Leest points out on an example of Friedrich Schleiermacher and the European Romantic movement. Spirituality is something more personal as Monika Zaviš and Pavel Procház - ka show by studying spirituality of Muslim spouses fighting infertility, and Miloš Lichner by looking for patristic inspirations for the theological study of spirituality. Priority of experience is put forward by Srikanth N. Jois and his team in their study of correlations between the personality types and prānic energy perceptions. A search for the core of authentic spirituality requires not so much doing as being . This is the message that resonates strongly in the concluding article of the current edition of Spirituality Studies authored by Daniel Simpson. Let us find an invi - tation in this message to turn our predominant attention from doing to being in the challenging times of the present global crisis.
2 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 Ātma vichāra and its Pathways to Freedom Received July 23, 2020 Revised September 5, 2020 Accepted September 8, 2020 Key words Ātma vichāra, Ramana Maharshi, Advaita Vedānta, Yoga Darśana Gejza M. Timčák Ātma vichāra ( Self-enquiry ) is a spiritual practice that has attracted a lot of western attention since 1934 when Paul Brunton (Brunton 1970, 126–157) made Ramana Maharshi from Indian Tiruvannamalai known to the world. Some phenomenological and methodical aspects ofĀtma vichāra are dealt with in this article in order to develop its didactics. The outcomes ofĀtma vichāra courses conducted by the author throughout 40 years were also taken into account in this regard.
S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 3 Gejza M. Timčák 1 Introduction Sanskrit termĀtma vichāra stands for the English word Self-enquiry and denotes a method of contemplation best known through the teachings of Ramana Maharshi (1879– 1950). The method has already been researched (e.g. Glenn Friesen 2005; Dojčár 2013, 1–11; Dojčár 2017, 65–103; Dojčár and Gálik 2017, 121–135), its didactics, however, was not comprehensively developed yet. Dojčár and Gálik (2017) came to the conclusion that “mystical death” was the key to achieving vidyā or jñāna . The phenomenon of the so-calledmystical death is recognized in various religious traditions (Campbell 1988, 245). The alchemic tradition , for instance, is one of such symbolic ways of showing that one has to renounce everything if one is to discover the secrets of life (Jung 1993, 232; Roob 1997, 122). In alchemy, thus, mystical death and resurrection constitutes a central part of the so-called “great work”. There are also examples from the tradition of yoga where sādhakagets throughmystical deathwhen the life experience , as we usually understand it, recedes suddenly to give place to the Life itself . One example is of Ramakrshna who is reported to claim following: “ Almost despairing of the attainment of nirvikalpa samādhi, I then opened my eyes and said to the naked one [Note: Paramahamsa Totapuri, his master]: no, it cannot be done. I cannot make the mind free from functioning and force it to dive into the Self … He said: ‘Collect your mind here into this point ’.” (Saradadananda 1952, 251). “ With firm determination I sat for meditation again … there remained then no function of the mind, which transcended quickly the realm of names and forms, making me merge in samādhi. ” He, however, had already completed his preparation in a dualistic kind of samādhi (Saradadananda 1952, 241). Description of basic About the author Doc. Ing. Gejza M. Timčák, PhD. , is a yoga tutor and author of a number of yoga related books like Joga 1–4 in Slovak (6 editions), Joga 1–2 in Hungarian (2 editions), Yoga 1 in German (1 edition), Personal Development Strategies in Yoga , translation of the Gheranda Samhita, Goraksha Shatakam, Aparoksha Anubhuti, Sarva Upanishad, Satkarma Sangrahah or Shat Chakra Nirupanam . On conferences and courses he had countless presentations on diverse yoga subjects. He co-authored books (e.g. teaching materials for Slovak Yoga Association’s yoga-teacher courses), films (e.g. Disregarded Possibilities ), and videos (e.g. Hitting the Bull’s Eye ) on yoga. He is a co-developer of the Savita Yoga style, president of the Slovak Yoga Association, and chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Yoga. His activities relate also to the European Union of Yoga. He teaches yoga in various European and Asian countries. His email contact is timcak.gejza@atk.sk .
4 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 types of samādhi in the context of Indian yoga is given at Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras (1986, 73–90). In case of Ramana Maharshi, he underwent amystical death experiencewithout prior preparation (Dojčár and Gálik 2017, 128). In the course of an informal discussion, Maharshi pointed out that Self-realization is possible only for those who are prepared. “ The vāsanās must be eliminated before jñāna dawns. One must sacrifice everything for the Truth. Complete renunciation is the index of fitness. ” (Venkataramiah 1968, 284). This means one has to be willing to give up all attachments for this process. As a significant part of the process ofĀtma vichāra is not accessible to mental processing, sometimes it is called a secret . In this paper, it will be attempted to distil from the bibliographical indications given in the available sources complemented by personal experience the structure of the process ofĀtma vichāra – partly by using narratives recorded in various ways by followers and visitors of Ramana Maharshi, partly by using introspection . In hisWho am I , Maharshi provides basic tenets of his method (Maharshi 1966, 1–12). There is also a number of dialogues of Ramana Maharshi with his fol - lowers, where an effort is made to make the process comprehensible to the reader (e.g. Osborn 1971, 8–253). In this regard, the following questions are investigated: 1. How the mind that is to be transcended can be used in the process ofĀtma vichāra ? 2. Whether the process ofmystical death is necessary for achieving the state ofmukti , “liberation”? 3. In what way is the prānarodha a usable pathway to mukti ? 4. Whether surrender is a practicable way for a contemporary practitioner? 5. In what ways were courses onĀtma vichāra contributing to making this approach practiced in the Czech Republic, Slovakia (former Czechoslovakia) and Hungary? 2 The Background Ātma vichāra is close to the neti–neti , “not this–not this” approach of Advaita Vedānta (Maharshi 1966, 1–2; Sanka - racharya 1982, verse 56–58). Both South and North Indian yoga branches declare thatmuktior jivanmukti , i.e. liberation from samsāra , can be achieved. Further, in this way individual human being can regain his/her highest status as a human through whom the Being is shining forth. It means not only a one way ‘implosion’ into the Being, but also a ‘re-emer - gence’ of the human being with his/her ahamkāra , i.e. individuality (Kumar et al . 2005, 61–68). Now, however, it is restructured in such a way, that he/she seems to be the same individuality but is expressing the information and energy flow from the level of Being, not the previous ahamkāricpattern of one living in avidyā (see Fig. 1). Ramana Maharshi said in this respect, “ All these vrittis are doubtless mental concepts of the mind. The wise say that pure abidance in the Self alone is jñāna. ” (Ganapati 2016, 29) . Dyczkowski (1989, 40) explains that the vedantin’s way is one of withdrawal from the finite in order to achieve a return ( nivrtti ) to the infinite is similar to the results ofĀtma vichāra . The concept of Brahman or Being is discussed in many philosophical treatises including Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali (1986, 28). Before a full success in yoga practice, that is samādhi , ahamkāramakes us feel as a conscious individualized beings. The term ahamkāra is often translated as Ego, even though it is our individualized consciousness that is serviced by the sensu latomind includingmanas , buddhi , and the other tattvas . This servicing is done also through processing of information from the outside environment through senses and from data stored in memory that are seamlessly blended into the perceived image of the environment. This process is colored by the reactions from individuality traits that are in turn influ - enced byprarabdha karma as present in karmashaya , “pool of karmas” (Patañjali 2001, 146). Still, any activity performed or experienced under individualized reception of beingness ( pravritti ) results in karma : favorable, neutral or unfavorable. Ramana Maharshi explained the prarabdha karma as “ [t]hat which has already begun to bear fruit ”, and sanchita karma as “ [t]hat which is in store and will later bear fruit ” (Venkataramiah 1968, 43).
S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 5 Gejza M. Timčák In case of a liberated person ( jñāni , jivanmukti ), after re-emerging from nirvikapla samādhi into the perception of one's own body and mind as well as of the outer environment, one's functional non-physical instruments (see Fig. 1) became freely passable to the “will of the Absolute” and the ahamkāra is transformed in such a way that at all times the jñāni is aware of the identity of his psychophysical individuality and of all the environment as the outpour of the Being. This means that the one was absorbed in sahaja samādhi – samādhi that is uninterrupted also in non-meditational states. Maharshi claims, “ [w]hen the mind, which is the cause of all cognition and of all action, becomes quiescent, the world will disappear” (1966, 3). We find a similar view at Vallalar, a 16th century South Indian yogi, who states that “ [t]hose who dwell as knowledge upon the abolition of ignorance, who upon the abolition of both knowledge and ignorance, do not know even that knowledge, and hence are not separate from their Self, have attained absorption in true knowledge [Note: jñāna samādhi ] through the loss of their individual Self, and in that very instant are liberated whilst in body. ” (Vallalar 2013, 91). Muruganar, one of the eminent followers of Ramana Maharshi, describes the process ofĀtma vichāra as: “ Do not look at this, do not look at that. If you simply remain without looking at anything, then by that powerful look at [Note: one’s own] being [Note: that is, by that powerful attention to the Self manifested as ‘I am’] , you will become the supreme reality, which has the outlook of the unlimited space of consciousness. ” (Muruganar 2007, 31). The final outcome ofĀtma vichāra is thus sahaja samādhi , which state implies that the yogi becomes a jñāni through whom the Absolute gets specifically manifested. Fig.1. The Approximation of the Way How the Mind of Jñānis Functions (Ganapati 2016, 37–39) Sat-Chit-Ānanda → Depersonified attention, which perceives the flow of information from the Absolute ← Ahamkāra that was restructured so that it reflects the will of the Absolute → Manas and buddhi are reflecting the information from within and from without → Attention 1 The world perceived as the outflow of the will of the Absolute ← Attention 2 Unimpeded flow of information (will of the Absolute) ending in deeds →
6 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 3 Description of Ātma vichāra on the Basis of Bibliographical Research The whole process ofĀtma vichāra – simple as it may seem to be – needs a good understanding of the relevant model of human structure involved in the sādhana (practice). Understanding of the human structure in Advaita Vedānta is literary fixed in theUpanisads , specifically in the Sarva Upanisad (1921, 624, verses 11–13), where appear references to koshas , tattvas , and prānas . Ramana Maharshi refers to the koshas in Venkataramiah (1968, 234): “ ‘Annamāya kosha’ is the gross body sheath. The senses with the prāna and the karmendriyas form the ‘prānāmāya kosha’. The senses with the mind form the ‘manomāya kosha’ . They are the jñānendriyas. The mind is formed of thoughts only. ‘Idam’ [Note: this] is the object and ‘aham’ [Note: ‘I’] is the subject; the two together form the ‘vijñānamāya kosha’ . ” The available accounts of the process ofĀtma vichāra (Maharshi 1966, 2010; Venkataramiah 1968; Narasimha 1968; Osborn 1971; Ganapati Muni 1977, 2016; Shankaranarayanan 1978; Rao 2010; Ramamohan 2016; Godman 2015, 2018; Timčák 2018) all indicate analogous sādhana patterns . In the Sri Ramana Gita (2016, 15, 2:2), the essence ofĀtma vichāra is described by Ramana Maharshi as follows: “ In the interior of the Heart-cave (hrdaya) Brahman alone shines in the form of the Ātman with direct immediacy as I–I (aham–aham). Enter into the cavity of heart (hrt) with questing mind or by diving deep within or through control of breath and abide in the Ātman. ” Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni, one of the eminent followers of Ramana Maharshi, who collected the dialogues for the Sri Ramana Gita , gave seemingly another type of instruction: “ Find out wherefrom this Ego ‘I’ springs forth and merges at its source; that is ‘tapas’ [Note: meaning austerity, practice]. Find out wherefrom the sound of the ‘mantra’ in ‘japa’ [Note: the repetition of amantram ] rises up and merges there; that is ‘tapas’ ” (Shankaranarayanan 1978, 6). These are versions of the majjana andmargana types ofĀtma vichāra . InĀtma vichāra the so-called spiritual heart is a central con - cept. Usually it is termed as hrt-ayamorhrd-ayam , meaning “Heart–That”, where “That” stands for the Self. Thehrt is considered as “ the centre which sucks in everything ” (Ganapati 2016, 35, 5:5), so if the mind merges there, it results in samādhi . It is considered to be a non-physical center situated in the space of the chest cavity, on its right side. Thus, at the beginning one can only intuitively locate it, but if we do the practice, we will find out which area gives us a perceivable response. As shown above, it is the source of the I–I impulses that give us the awareness of consciousness (Ganapati 2016, 71–75, 9:5–14). It is described as a “cave”, so there is a space . Conceptually it is analogous to the spiritual heart in the “prayer of the heart” as researched in Louchakova (2007, 83– 84). If the attention is merged into this area, then a move - ment of energy in the sushumna nādī can be experienced. Nādīs are channels within the prānāmāya kosha (Woodroffe 1974, 103–115). Sushumna is one of the nādis andconnects mūlādhāra chakra and sahasrāra chakra . Mūlādhāra is an energy cum information center at the lower end of the spine, while sahasrāra is located at the top of the skull (Woodroffe 1974, 116–142). As regards the technique ofĀtma vichāra , Maharshi gives another explanation to a visitor (Venkataramiah 1968, 22–23): Ask yourself the question: The body [Note: annamāya kosha ] and its functions are not ‘I’. Going deeper, the mind [Note: manomāya kosha ] and its functions are not ‘I’ … This analysis leads to the conclusion that the individuality is operative as the cognizer of the existence of thoughts and their sequence. This individuality is the Ego [Note: ahamkāra ] , or as people say ‘I’. ‘Vijñānamāya kosha’ is only the sheath of the ‘I’ and not the ‘I’ itself … ‘I’ must therefore be the unqualified substratum underlying these three states [Note: waking, dream, and dreamless sleep] is transcended. ‘I’ is in brief, beyond the five sheaths. Next, the residuum left over after discarding all that is not-Self is the Self, Sat–Chit–Ānanda, i.e. Being–Consciousness–Bliss. Mudaliar (1968, 242, 370) recorded the following response giving further clarification whether ‘Who am I?’ should be repeated as amantra : ‘Who am I’ is not a ‘mantra’. It means you must find out where in you arises the ‘I–thought’, which is the source of all other thoughts …
S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 7 Gejza M. Timčák There is an ‘I’ which comes and goes, and another ‘I’ which always exists and abides. So long as the first ‘I’ exists, the body–consciousness and the sense of diversity or ‘ bheda buddhi‘ will persist. Only when that ‘I’ dies, the reality will reveal itself. Further Maharshi said: “ Ahamkriti [Note: the Ego, ahamkāra ] is not the same as ‘ aham’. The latter is the supreme Reality, whereas the former is the Ego …The supreme Being is unmanifested and the first sign of manifestation is ‘Aham sphurana’ [Note: the light of ‘I’] …That is the original name of the Reality” (Venkataramiah 1968, 500). The described processes still do not resolve the challenges when using the mind for searching for its origin. Thus, it is to be discovered how to get the mind not to work and disturb the silence in chittākāsha , “working space of mind” (Satyananda 1973, 18–19). The key to understanding the process is to execute the recommendation from the Sri Ramana Gita (Ganapati 2016, 15, 2:2). The first point to discover is that on the right sideof the chest bone there is a non-physical area called hrdayamor hrt-ayamor the Heart in short, where the quanta of ‘I’ con - sciousness–impulses ( aham ) appear and expose the rest of the body – all koshas through nādīs (Ganapati 2016, 35, 5: 6–7). As mentioned before, the nādīs are energy cum information channels that penetrate the koshas . The koshas are non-physical structural and functional units of humans described in yoga. The actual practice is to immerseone’s atten - tion intohrdayamand keep it there untilĀtman is realized. This is calledmargana , “quest”. The other method is described asmajjana , “diving deep”, which means to relax the body and mind to such a degree that there would be no attachment to any perceivable process outside or inside the body or mind. Ideally this process is to be practiced so that we “dive into” theHeart-cave . The third method is through prānāyāma , called here as prānārodha , regulation of the flow of prānā , where the incoming and outflowing breath is observed whilst giving our attention also to the meeting point between the exhalation and inhalation – as described also by Laksman Joo (1994, 42) and inVijñāna Bhairava (22, verse 26): “ The energy of breath should neither move out nor enter; when the center [Note: madya ] unfolds by the dissolution of thoughts [Note: nirvikalpa ] , then one attains the nature of Bhairava [Note: the Absolute]” (2002, 22–23). These practices should lead to kumbhaka , “breath retention”, or more exactly kevala kumbhaka , “involuntary breath retention”. InUpadesa Undiyar (Maharshi [undated], 13–16) three verses are important in this regard: By restraining the breath within, the mind will also subside, like a bird caught in a net. This [Note: practice of breath-restraint] is a device to restrain [Note: the mind] . Mind and breath are two branches, which have knowing and doing; their origin is one. When one makes the mind, which has subsided by restraining the breath, go on the one path [Note: of knowing and becoming one with the Self] , its form will die. If this is not giving the desired result, thenprānāyāmapractice is given, “ where the exhalation and inhalation should be one unit of time long and the breath retention after inhalation is to be kept for four units of time. ” (Ganapati 45, 6:7). It is usu - ally an ujjayi type of prānāyāma , where the epiglottis is gently contracted during exhalation and inhalation. The length of the stages of prānāyāmagradually increases through practice and should not be “forceful”. InVijnana Bhairava it is mentioned that “[w]hen the [Note: energy of breath] is retained either outside or inside, at the end [Note: of this practice] the peaceful state [Note: santah ] is revealed by means of shakti ” (2002, 23, verse 27). As shown by Hirai (1974, 69), during Zen meditation the tidal volume increases, but the oxygen consumption decreases, just as the respiratory rate. The prānāyāmamentioned above leads to a similar state, which enables the organism to lower the metabolic rate and prepare it for longer meditation. The Sri Ramana Gita does not mention any mudrasor bandhas , even though they can be useful at the initial stages of theĀtma vichāra practice (Timčák 2020, 41 – 49).
8 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 3.1 The Mind That Is to Be Transcended & Its Use in the Process of Ātma vichāra The yogic concept of themind is a complex one. Usually it includesmanas , buddhi , and ahamkāra . A wider concept of the mind is described, for instance, by Bernard (1958, 81–119). It is the attention, which activates the data processing, evokes the emergence of all relevant data and presenting it to the individualized consciousness. Themind ( manas ) can be modelled as a unit responsible for processing information from outside and from memory and presenting it through ahamkāra in front of the individualized consciousness. Buddhi can be defined as the decision-making unit. Ātma vichāra is a pro - cess, where the attention, instead of being directed to outer processes presented by the mind, is directed into “searching” for the source of the cognition of ‘I’. Ramana Maharshi, when asked about his advice on the point that the mind, which is to be “subdued” is used for a search of the Self that is beyond its reach, answered: “ Of course we are employing the mind. It is well known and admitted that only with the help of the mind can the mind be killed. But instead of setting about saying there is a mind and I want to kill it; you begin to seek its source and you find it does not exist at all. The mind turned outwards results in thoughts and objects. Turned inwards, it becomes itself the Self. ” (Osborn 1971, 140–141). Still, he admitted the “risks” as expressed in the following quotation: “ To ask the mind to kill the mind is like making the thief the policeman… ” (Osborn 1971, 140). It means, that the mind often deletes our effort by presenting us some interesting motive, which defocuses our attention. He further claims, “ when in this manner the mind becomes quiescent, in its own state, Self-experience arises of its own accord, without any hindrance. ” (Maharshi 1994, 12). This is identical with the implication of sūtra1:2 and 1:3 of the Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras (Patanjali 1989, 93–114). On a practical level, Maharshi recommends during sādhana that “ one should remain as a witness to whatever happens, adopting the attitude ‘Let whatever strange things happen, happen, let us see!’ This should be one’s practice. ” (Maharshi 1994, 4). This is a direct reference to thewitness , or amirroring function of consciousness termed in Vedānta as Sāksī . It also means that the process is not related to will. In an answer to the question of Maurice Frydman, Maharshi responds, “ Why the Ego is not cut down at one stroke and destroyed so as to gain Supreme Bliss? ” ( Mountain Path1981, 69), Maharshi asked him to hold out his Ego so that he could strike it down. As for the position of thewitness , when the mind is not allowed to move and create its usual constructions, the manonāsa , “destruction of the mind” happens, cleaning the way to jñāna (Maharshi 1994, 4). If one starts a practice of disentangling the mind and the sense of individualized sense of Self from all sensual percep - tions, until comes a state when there is no more perceptible information, then there may manifest an unbelievably strong light and ānanda through an extra-sensory cognition. As Vallalar comments, “ The unalloyed state of overflowing bliss is comparable to the state of total unconsciousness. Those who have transcended even that state will be like the rays of the silvery moon of the Self, moving in the ambrosial essence which lies beyond the sphere of consciousness. ” (Vallalar 2013, 78). In fact, the yogi, who does not stop at this ānandic experience would melt into the Being. When this becomes reality, the yogi gets manifested as a direct outlet of the Absolute will (Fig. 1). This is mentioned also by Ramana Maharshi (2010, 14): “ True knowledge is Self-effulgent: it is neither knowledge nor ignorance, ” meaning that the real knowledge is not coming from perceptual or dualistic mental knowledge, but it manifests through abiding or melting/merging into the Being. Maharshi also says that “[t]rue knowledge is neither knowledge nor ignorance. Objective knowledge is not true knowledge. Because the Self is Self-effulgent, having no second to know or be known, it is supreme Knowledge, not empty nothingness.” (2010, 14, verse 12). So, this is a way, how the mind can be ‘used’ forĀtma vichāra and how it gets transcended. 3.2 The Process of Mystical Death & its Necessity for Reaching Mukti When researching the history of reaching sahaja sthitior nat - ural state of being in the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, the first indication of a crucial stage of liberation ( mukti ) are his death experiences (see also Dojčár and Gálik 2017, 121–135). The first one , which happened when he had a fear of death during his stay at home (before leaving for Tiruvannamalai), experiencing that if the body is dead he still remains alive, then he had a strong experience of “light” and absorption in the Self (Narasimha 1938, 22). The second occurrenceof the death experience that happened on Arunachala seems to be more dramatic (Grimes 2016, 52). A light coming from the right wiped out all perception of the world, but he remained conscious of the body where the heart and blood flow stopped. Then, after 15–20 minutes, an outburst of energy from the right towards the physical heart
S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 9 Gejza M. Timčák made the heart to start working again. So, in a way the death experiencewas the first process that has led to the absorp - tion into the Being. The second one did no change his state of Being, only shows how the body loses and regains its ability to carry the Self. If one gets the possibility to experience the “death” of the body and the continuity of consciousness without it, this is a very important stage of the path to samādhi . It has to be said that if the guru is willing to help to part with the perception of the outer world and where the perception of the body also vanishes (one has to leave behind all that was perceptible before), it needs great courage to yield-in to this process. Godman is referring to such experience of Ramana Maharshi’s devotees, when they asked for enlightenment, and when Ramana Maharshi rested his sight and energy on them, they suddenly were not able to bear the feeling of “dying” and the process was interrupted (Godman 2015). The author’s experience with this process of letting go everything known and knowable in meditation happened during the inner guidance of an eminent Indian yogi Deoraha Baba. It was a process, where all had to be left behind and the body was as if left to die. It seems that very often this process depends on the help of a qualified yogi. 3.2.1 Mystical Death & Lokās As shown in Timčák (2018, 19), there may be also a question how to avoid reaching higher levels of beingness ( lokās ) during the sādhana andmystical death that requires sometimes more than one life span according to the Indian understanding of life, instead of merging into the Being. Ramana Maharshi himself noted, that some of his followers due to a sudden emergence of desires at the time of death, were to be born at a higher lokā (Godman 2015a) instead of liberation. Godman (2015, 2018) gives references to situations, when Ramana Maharshi expected that to happen. Venkataramiah (1968, 201–202) narrated the following events: It must be remembered that Sri Bhagavan has been with his mother from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until she passed away. He was all along holding her head with one hand, the other hand placed on her bosom. What does it signify? He Himself said later that there was a struggle between himself and his mother until her spirit reached the Heart. Evidently the soul passes through a series of subtle experiences and Sri Bhagavan’s touch generates a current which turns the soul back from its wandering, into the Heart. The samskāras, however, persist and a struggle is kept up between the spiritual force set up by his touch and the innate samskāras, until the latter are entirely destroyed and the soul is led into the Heart to rest in eternal peace, which is the same as Liberation. Its entry into the Heart is signified by a peculiar sensation perceptible to the Mahātmā [Note: Ramana Maharshi] similar to the tinkling of a bell… When Maharshi attended on Palni swami on his death bed, he took away his hand after the above signal. But Palni swami’s eyes opened immediately, signifying that the spirit had escaped through them, thereby indicating a higher rebirth, but not Liberation. The quotation shows that the vāsanās in the ahamkāra are not easy to annihilate and here qualified help is needed. In case of Ramana Maharshi, only a few of his followers were helped in this process as only a few people appear to have been prepared for this. Nevertheless, even a partial success can make the inner journey to jñāna easier to follow. 3.3 Majjana or “Diving” into the Heart-cave Majjana is characterized as acceptance of the transitoriness of the body (willingness to let go any identification with the body) and non-attachment to sense objects, either internal or external (Ganapati 2016, 55, verse 11). Maharshi himself pro - vides us with the following description of this kind of diving : “ Diving into the Heart – restraining both speech and mind and seeking where shines the I–consciousness – is the direct means of winning the awareness of the Self ” (1991, 21). The diving into the Heart is practiced in a way, that one lets go everything, so that virtually one’s perceptible conscious - ness ‘sinks’ out of the perceptible domain. As mentioned, it is advised to do it in the direction of the Heart-cave ( hrdayakuha ). One of the tasks is to relax from the head-centered feeling of identity to the hridayamone, as the natural tendency is to identify with the body parts as sensed through the cortex (see Fig. 1).
1 0 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 When successful, it brings necessarily the silence of the mind. It may happen, that if the perception of sinking that is still felt at the beginning was too speedy, the mind can bring in the feeling of fear. It comes from the association with an earthly fall, where the consequences may be painful. We can note, that inholotropic breathwork , if one happens to get into the fourthBasic Perinatal Matrix – BPM 4 (Grof 2014, 97–101) there may be a feeling of falling into an infinite depth and also a perception of death/rebirth, liberation or emergence into the light . The crossing to the experience of identity with unlimited existence can be accompanied also with moments of intense fear due to the “guarding principles” (Grof 1992, 88, 96). That may appear projected into consciousness of the sādhakabefore merging into the Being. During themajjana type of practice, one can also be in a state, where the EEG would show an increased delta activity (0,1–4 Hz), and in this case one would not be able to recall the experience during this phase of the practice (Hirai 1974, 32), even though there is no sleep. Thusmajjana is very effective, but only in case one can disentangle one’s attention from all the processes created and ex - ecuted by the mind. It also means – as explained by Maharshi (1966, 3) that one has to be able to lose interest in vāsanās – tendencies coded in ahamkāra . 3.4 The Application of Prānārodha as a Pathway to Mukti Ramamohan (2016, 26) directs the attention to the appli - cability of prānāyāma in Self-enquiryby becoming aware of the “content” of the points, where exhalation ends and the ‘I’ notion rises. Similar practices are described inVijnana Bhairava (2002, 21–25). Laksman Joo (1997, 43) recommends maintaining an undisturbed movement of the breath. The breath should be slow, inaudible and without any pause. The continuity of the movement of breath is very important, and it should be maintained with full awareness focused at the point where the incoming breath reaches its completion and the point where the outgoing breath is born. The observation of the source of the starting impulses for inhalation and exhalation is also a means to quieten the mind. Ramana Maharshi had specific comments on kumbhaka in prānāyāma and meditation when answering the question, “ When one meditates, the whole body appears overheated. Why so? And is it good?” (Nagamma 1973, 446): Yes, would it not be so? When the mind gets concentrated, the act of breathing stops involuntarily. When that happens, the body does feel over-heated. What of that? In due course one gets accustomed to it. In Vicharasangraham (Maharshi 1994, 21–22), the following dialogue is recorded: Q: Of the means of mind control, what is the most important? A: Breath control is the means for mind control. Q: How is breath to be controlled? A: Breath can be controlled either by absolute retention of breath [Note: kevala kumbhaka] or by regulation of breath [Note: prānāyāma ]. Q: What is the absolute retention of breath? A: It is making the vital air [Note: prāna ] stay firmly in the Heart even without exhalation and inhalation. This is achieved through meditation on the vital principle [Note: prāna ] etc. Q: What is the regulation of breath? A: It is making the vital air [Note: prāna ] stay firmly in the Heart through exhalation, inhalation and retention, according to the instructions given in the yoga texts. This method is relatively easy to practice, though it takes a lot of time to perfect it to the above-mentioned level. 3.5 Surrender as a Practicable Way for a Contemporary Sādhaka All the above-mentioned practices could relatively easily take us to the critical point, where we would have to abandon the services of the mind and to relax our attention from all the products of ahamkāra , specially the sense of the individualized Self but will be unable to get through. It is a critical process and it may be necessary to have the help of a guru or of grace of the Absolute. Ramana Maharshi, when asked how to attract grace (Venkataramiah 1968, 283), an - swered that by surrender to the guru or the Being. Godman
S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 1 1 Gejza M. Timčák (2018) in a video report on surrender indicates the difficulty in keeping the surrender to stay with one and to prevent the mind to try to solve issues in its own way and thus to scatter the attention away from meditation and the state of surrender. Surrender has a very specific algorithm. If the surrender if oriented towards a qualified guru , then there a subtle con - nection is created, where for any life experience a gentle hint comes regarding what to do mentally or physically. This hint manifests through the vijñānamāya kosha . If the surrender is oriented to the Being, the algorithm is similar, but the hint is even more subtle. Sometimes it turns out that our action is not needed. Looking at surrender from another point of view, if one follows one’s own dharma correctly, then one can speak about a surrender to one’s dharma . Dharma is defined in a way that is difficult to comprehend, but it is life in har - mony with the will of the Being. Dharma can be understood also as virtue, i.e. living an “optimal life” (Patanjali, 2001, 131). Mudaliar (1968, 99) recorded the following dialogue related to this issue: Q: Are only important events in a man’s life … or are trifling acts of his life … also predetermined? A: Yes, everything is predetermined. Q: Then what responsibility, what free will one has? A: The whole program is chalked out. Not an atom moves except by His will …As for freedom for man, he is always free not to identify himself with the body and not to be affected by the pleasures or pains consequent on the body’s activities. Balsekar (Timčák 2015, 55–61) pushes the issue into an ex - treme advising the surrender as the logical way of accepting the lack of possibility to go against the will of the Absolute. Vallalar (2013, 71) gives the following advice: “ Unless it is revealed to you, you cannot know the Self .” Surrender seems to be an easy process, but in fact it is very difficult, as one has to walk “on a razor’s edge”– and to act only as advised through the above-mentioned intuitive hints coming from a guru or the Absolute. For this the inner perception is to be opened, which enables to perceive and accept the guidance streamed to us. This, in case of a jñāni , means a life, where life events follow the logics as given in Fig.1. 4 Supportive Processes of Ātma vichāra As we can see in the life of Ramana Maharshi, he was constructively active – he took walks every day, he was reading and/or editing papers or books, answered questions, helped people, he accepted what his karmabrought to him, when he was inspired to accept a goal like adding new buildings to the āshram, he made managerial choices, e.g. to find the right individual to carry out the job and got the projects completed. He kept to traditional vegetarian principles regarding food and nutrition and kept to the simple āshram diet. Venkataramiah (1968, 19) recorded the following dialogue: Q: What diet is prescribed for a sādhaka? A: Sattvic food in limited quantities. Q: What is sattvic food? A: Bread [Note: called chapat and roti ] , fruit, vegetables, milk, etc. It is natural to expect from anĀtma vichāra practitioner an adherence to the yamas and niyamas (Patanjali 2001, 2:30– 32; Ganapati 2016, 23). It means that unless we optimize our life processes and the way how we deal with life situations; it is impossible to expect theĀtma vichāra practice to bear adequate fruits. 5 Ātma vichāra in Everyday Life – Feedback from Ātma vichāra Courses As can be expected, practicingĀtma vichāra does not automatically warrant getting established in samādhi . Our dispositions, life situation, lifestyle, depth of involvement, available help and other factors influence the course of path toward the ultimate result ofĀtma vichāra . But on this road no effort is wasted and what we invest into the practice as regards lifestyle amendments, mainly effort and time, will bring the aim closer to fulfilment. As it can be clear from the above text, it is impossible to shape anĀtma vichāra standard procedure to be followed, as the process in its key steps defies full objective description and depends on the possibilities of the practitioner. This holds true in spite of the fact that the structure of the de-
1 2 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 scribedĀtma vichāra processes do not change. The quality of the ahamkāra including the vāsanāsof the practitioner will always bring into the sādhana also individualized elements. It this way, we have to rely on the available resources for finding a solution to ourĀtma vichāra related problems. Fortunately, there is a number of sources, e.g. the books on dialogues with Ramana Maharshi, in theMountain Pathpublished by Sri Ramanasramam or in the texts and videos of David Godman (2015, 2018) and of other commentators (e.g. Dojčár 2017, 65–103) that contain valuable information in this respect. Further, courses, where the basic techniques related toĀtma vichāra are taught are also a way, how to learn the basics. To give an example, Rao (2010, 9–19) describes the process ofĀtma vichāra as transcending first the koshas through dissociation from their products caused by vāsanās . He also mentions that there is a stage of the process, when there is no effort possible. This is when we have reached the limits of the instruments included in the ahamkāra bundle (Venkataramiah 1968, 283). Here, as already noted, the help of a guru , i.e. a qualified expert, may be of importance (Maharshi 1966, 9, verse 20). Much more so as he also noted regarding the practice ofĀtma vichāra that in this way the mind and the vāsanās – other than that which enablesĀtma vichāra – are willing to subside during the practice. They melt into the Heart and rest there and – after jñānahappens – re-emerge in a new, attachment andmāla (impurity) free form (Maharshi 1966, 5, verse 12). There is undoubtedly a strong reason to visit the Ramanasra - mam in Tiruvannamalai, South India, because that locality is conductive to sādhana . Further, we may also experience that sometimes a strong, fiery inner purification may occur during a stay in the āshram. We could say that Ramana Maharshi acts also as an inner ‘fire’, that burns up all the inner granthis , “inner obstacles”, to all who came near him physically or inwardly with a genuine desire for enlightenment. His imprint in the psychospiritual environment is such that the help in sādhana can be felt even now. So our psychophysical structure can be burnt clean of its predispositions, vanities and ignorance ( Who is a Genuine Guru2020, 3–7). It is like a deep, intensive fiery burning sensation in the whole body and mind, which one could sometimes experience during meditation in the Virupaksha Cave, where Ramana Maharshi lived for some years and where sage Virupaksha is buried. The way ofĀtma vichāra is usually a long one. The author learned about Ramana Maharshi andĀtma vichāra in 1965, but had to meet and get help from yogis like Shri Deoraha Baba (in 1977), through whom the process ofmystical death and also ofĀtma vichāra could be truly opened. As the author is also a yoga teacher since 1979, on some yoga courses, Ātma vichāra type sādhanawas also practiced. Since 1980 a number of such courses were held in various countries and up to 1000 participants attended them. Some participants attended the courses repeatedly, some not. The practices were aligned around the techniques described above. The sādhana thus included prānārodha , ajapa japa that is resting the attention during involuntary inhalation and exhalation on the sound produced in the upper respiratory parts, then pratyāhāra , i.e. withdrawal of attention from all mentally perceivable processes, and finally withdrawing attention from all processes and states that need the energy of attention, andmajjana . These courses were not designed for research, so only the feedback from the participants can be summed up as follows: 1. Depending on the personality type of the participants, thus on the content of ahamkārawith its databases, the disentanglement of mental processes from the energy of attention and merging the attention to the spiritual Heartwas variable. Only people with more thorough meditation practice had experienced the first stages of passing beyond the realm of the ‘world created through the mind.’ This means a perception of inner stillness. 2. Only very few people could achieve significant slow - ing the breath rate, maximum 1 cycle per 90 seconds, was observed. Only about a dozen participants experienced longer kumbhaka as a result of longer prānārodha and ajapa japapractice. Involuntary breath retention was seen, however on holotropic breathwork sessions, where the involuntary suspension of breath lasted maximum for 6–8 minutes and brought about a deep state of meditation. 3. Majjana as a part of theĀtma vichāra sādhanawas very interesting in the sense that this was where the course participants realized how many desires are keeping them from really “ diving into ” (here the “ diving into ” has no directional reference).
S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 1 3 Gejza M. Timčák 6 Conclusions Ātma vichāra is not a mental process (Dojčár and Gálik 2017, 131), but is a process of relaxing from all functions of the mind and from the perception of the individualized con - sciousness that results from avidyā . As indicated above, the inner mechanisms ofĀtma vichāra – after the initial stages are transcended – are identical. The process of disentangling from all that can be felt through the mind and then through making all mental functions immobile, results in the emergence of the Being. The “vanishing” mind that was ruling all our life processes turns into a servant, which helps to live an inspired life in wisdom, jñāna . The sādhana related toĀtma vichāra is challenging as – in contrast to what is usually understood under the term meditation – it requires the sādhaka to give up all what he/ she had known before or what he/she considered to be him/ her. This sādhana is impeded by vāsanās , mālas (tendencies, ill habits, impurities) etc., that form an obstacle not easy to cross. The aid of a qualified individual helps to bridge the gap between that which is achievable by effort, and which is beyond that. Conditions for a success inĀtma vichārawas stated by Ramana Maharshi as: “ He who has been purified through upāsanā, i.e. sitting close to a competent individual and other means or by merit acquired in past lives, who perceives the imperfections of the body and sense-objects, and feels utter distaste whenever his mind has to function among sense objects and who realizes that the body is impermanent, he is said to be fit for Self-enquiry. ” (Ganapati 2016, 55). The sādhanaunits described in this paper may help to achieve the goal ofĀtma vichāra by pointing out different pathways indicated by Ramana Maharshi, and pointing out how to relax from all that is in the domain of usual knowledge and ignorance. That, which always exists is waiting to be uncovered by us. The needed support processes are also discussed. The aims and results ofĀtma vichāra courses show that this path takes usually a long time and a lot of energy. Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the support of Selvaraja Yesudian, Deoraha Baba, Prabhudatta Brahmachari, swami Vireshwarananda, Mastaram Babu, Abott Shih Ming-Ding, Swami Veda Bharati, and others whom he had the possibility to know, and also of the Ramanasramam in Tiruvannamalai, which upkeeps the energies of Ramana Maharshi anchored in its premises. He is also grateful to all, who were willing to incorporate the discussed sādhana into their life. 4. Themystical death type of experience was described only by even fewer people and it lasted for a rela - tively short time, thus did not bring a break-through. This may be so as the moment where all knowable and known has to be left behind can evoke a strong fear. 5. The process of surrender was difficult to monitor as it is a longer process, with many self-delusional traps and no one reported any significant progress inĀtma vichāra using this technique. Nevertheless those, who reported keeping up with the practice shared that they became aware of the necessity of staying with their dharma as precisely as possible. For that, information coming from the above described mechanisms of surrender are necessary. Thus, it can be stated, thatĀtma vichāraneeds a far longer and deeper effort than the one accessible through a week - end-long, week-long, month or yearlong course. Specially, in case of a life of a householder living in a usual social and working environment, the process is demanding and needs years of diligence and proper life management. We also have to note, that the number of yogis, who are competent in helpingĀtma vichāra is also low, but those practitioners, who are prepared, will surely meet them.
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