Reject the thought "I am the doer" completely and remember only "I am" - Ramana Maharshi; My comments

Last updated on 5th Aug. 2021

Reject the thought "I am the doer" completely and remember only "I am". - Ramana Maharshi, Ramana Arunalchala p.41, https://www.facebook.com/RamanaMaharshi/posts/10159182802994631 , 9th July 2021

That's an interesting approach.

I have not been much successful in viewing myself as an instrument and dedicating all actions to God. Maybe I have not tried that hard enough. Somehow that approach has not jelled with me so much.

But this approach of not telling myself that 'I am the doer' and focusing only on the 'I am' part suits me, I think. I mean, I am into 'I am I' meditation and contemplation with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba teaching me the 'I am I' aspect through discourse(s) of His (having the 'I am I' teaching), one of which I heard live sitting in Kulwant Hall and which message struck me very deeply. Perhaps I had read or heard Bhagavan's 'I am I' teaching earlier but at that time, I was not ready for that message and so it had not struck me deeply then.

I am also not much into thinking of myself as doer, except from legal and related perspectives. Though even in the latter case, I view it as the mind-body complex of Ravi S. Iyer that my divine-unchanging-awareness I inhabits temporarily - so temporary mind-body complex I as against eternal awareness I.

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In response to a comment on associated Facebook post:  https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3165902693626286 , I wrote (slightly edited):

Sairam and thanks --name-snipped-- for your comment.

Perhaps due to my efforts at contemplation and meditation over many years, I am able to relate very well to what you said about our consciousness witnessing all the "doing". I mean, I am quite into the witness aspect of our consciousness or awareness.

About life happening through us and not so much by us part of your comment: This is something that I am not able to relate well with. Of course, I have heard Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba speak about this - I recall the flute example that he would use in his discourses.

Here's one such example from https://saispeaks.sathyasai.org/discourse/snippet/become-flute-his-hands (April 1957 discourse at Venkatagiri): "I would advise you to become the flute, for then the Lord will come to you, pick you up, put you to His lips, and breathe through you. Out of the hollowness of your heart due to the utter absence of egoism that you have developed, He will create captivating music for all Creation to enjoy. Be straight, without any will of your own. Merge your will in the Will of God. Inhale only the breath of God. That is divine life, that is what I want you all to achieve."

I am not able to do this, as of now at least. It does not jell so much with me (mind-body complex me), as of now at least. Perhaps it may change over time. I think many others seem to be able to do it, at least partly, with many Sai devotee speakers even talking about it publicly in their speeches.

But in the same discourse fragment, Bhagavan says, "Ignorance is just a mistake, mistaken identity of the body as the Self!" This aspect of Bhagavan's teaching jells very well with me. Bhagavan has said (elsewhere) that we should drop the "dehabhimaanam" (identifying/thinking that we are the body (or rather mind-body complex)). That part jells very well with me! 

I think this is perhaps because I have been very involved with Upanishads/Vedanta approach right from a very young age (perhaps from when I was around 10 years old), even though I did not understand many of the teachings well then.

I was not into devotion till well into my late twenties and/or early thirties. Perhaps that's why I find the flute teaching of Bhagavan somewhat difficult to follow.

In devotional path, what I have been able to pick up well and enjoy is praising the Lord (especially Avatars) for the great things He/They have done/do. I can easily get into a mode of awe and joy during such worship. Namasmarna (remembering/chanting name of the Lord) is another thing that I have been able to pick up well, and is a strong source of support for me. And, of course, I pray regularly to God with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba being my Ishta Devata (favourite Divine Being).

But somehow offering our actions to God is something that I have not been able to get into. Note that I am not so much into the feeling that I am the doer.

I think in Karma marga (path of activity), offering our actions to God and not having attachment to the fruits of our actions is very important. I have had reasonable success with the latter part of not having attachment to fruits of my actions, and viewing results as the Will of God, but not much success with the former part.

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In response to a comment, I wrote: Yes --name-snipped--. I (my mind-body complex I) am surely a work-in-progress with many human flaws😀.

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