Handful of Gems (Hrst drahokamů)
Dedicated with love and respect to my master Ramana Maharshi, the sage of Arunachala.
Jiří Vacek
This work is a collection of essays and translations on the direct spiritual practice authored by Jiří Vacek.
It contains instructions and explanations of inner spiritual practice and so forms the second handbook of the author written in English. It deals with principals of the direct spiritual path leading to the realisation of our true Self.
The emphasis is here placed on the meditation practice of the Self-aware observer or witness and Self-enquiry called Atma-Vichara, a direct method of achieving the knowledge of the true essence of our being, which is consciousness, being, and bliss (Sat, Chit, Ananda). This teaching is based on the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, the sage from Arunachala living at the beginning of 20th century in Tiruvannamalai in India.
This book contains the following:
Jnana Gita – a condensed discourse on Jnana yoga, the path to Self-realisation, as taught by Ramana Maharshi. This work was for a long time considered to be a work of Sri Ramana Maharshi himself.
Meditation and Samadhi – a detailed description and explanation of meditation techniques and various types of samadhi. This work originally belongs to an extensive set of books called Řada nejvyšší jóga a mystika (Supreme Yoga and Mysticism), which is a unique encyclopaedia of yoga dealing with and explaining all its main branches, forms, and principles (this complete set is currently available in Czech only).
Articles in English - a set of articles on direct spiritual practice written for Ramanasramam and published in its magazines called the Call Divine and the Mountain Path, including those not published yet.
Excerpt from Book
Blessing (Jnana Gita)
Self-realisation is the highest peak of glory a man can achieve. It is the attainment of the Supreme beyond which there is nothing else to be reached. It is the realization of the Unity with everything that exists because everything is manifested, exists, and then dissolves back into Brahman, which is One without the other, the only Reality.
All worlds, Gods, beings, and everything else are the sole Self. Brahman is the Self residing withing all. Therefore, he, who knows and experiences Brahman as It is, having reached perfect self-control, tranquillity, and absorption in his Self, sees in permanent concentration the Self within and at the same time also sees everything as that Self.
This state of Being is the absolute identification with everything that exists, Realization of this most subtle, direct experience of the Unity and the only Reality of the Self or Brahman, is beyond any thought or image. Metaphorically said, the space, Eternity and all living beings lie at the feet of a sage in the state of happy surrender. Not even Gods can win over the sage who has realized the Self because he has become their Self too.
Sri Ramana Maharshi
What is the Path? (Jnana Gita)
The path lies in turning away from the changing forms to their unchanging nature which is their source. It lies in the withdrawal of consciousness’ attention from observed objects and its turning to the observer or witness, the consciousness itself, which leads to the realisation of our true Nature, the Self, as pure consciousness and destruction of the illusion that we are a being limited by mind and body – ego. This way it leads to liberation from worldly suffering and the rebirth cycle, countless lives and deaths in it, and to the restoration of the natural and original unlimited bliss of pure being. It removes the illusion of diversity and leads to the realisation of the Unity which is the highest Truth, the Lord, the eternal life and true happiness.
Types of Meditation (Meditation and Samadhi)
In meditation, we direct all parts of our being – consciousness, mind, and love – toward God with the aim to become one with Him. Meditation, therefore, is not an exercise performed once a day for a limited time. Rather, it is a state of permanent concentration on God, kept both in quiet and action, which gradually gives way to the life in oneness with God.
At first, we usually meditate in quiet and solitude. This, however, is not because quiet and solitude are necessary for meditation, but because it is easier to practice meditation when nothing disturbs us. I call such a meditation formal. More valuable is informal meditation, practiced when we go about our daily actions or at work. The difference between both kinds of meditation is that in formal meditation, we focus on God fully and to the exclusion of everything else, while in informal meditation, a part of our attention necessary for performing our actions focuses on them and the rest on God.
Contents
- One-pointed Concentration
- The Art of Mind Control
- Samadhi and Ecstasy
- Experience of Pure Being
- Sri Ramana as I know him
- How Sri Bhagavan blessed me
- The Essence of Atmavichara