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Devotee: “How long is the practice to continue?”

Sri Ramana Maharshi replied: “Till success is achieved and until yoga - liberation becomes permanent. Success begets success.

If one distraction is conquered the next is conquered and so on, until all are finally conquered.

The process is like reducing an enemy’s fort by slaying its manpower - one by one, as each issues out.” (Talks #28)     

Letter # 26 Suffering

When I was at Arunachala there was a group of us of similar age who

shared our insights and stories. Quite often the topic of illness would

arise. We all fell ill in different ways due to malnourishment and

consequent anaemia or were the victims of a seasonal flu virus we

caught in a crowd. Sometimes it was malaria, typhoid or hepatitis. But

none of these incidents deterred us because we knew there was a

purpose to the suffering. It was a purification. Those moments, hours or

days in which we were generally alone with our pain were times of

intense loneliness as one would hover between self-pity and frustration

as the body struggled to regain normality. The feeling of impotence was

palpable.

During the illness, on the screen of the mind a flow of negative thoughts,

harmful emotions or physical twinges would invade one’s

consciousness. There was nothing one could do except patiently bear

the trauma. At one stage I endured one cold after another for perhaps

two months due to a lack of vitamin C as much as anything else. The

upshot was I took loads of lemon juice which in turn created an ulcer in

my stomach! Too much of anything is not good for us! Medicines may

heal us but they also can poison us too if improperly consumed. We

should keep in mind the Buddha’s admonition about the middle way.

Moderation in all things. Too much asceticism is not good just as too

much involvement in sensory experiences is not good. Think of the

strings of a violin. Too taut the strings may break, too lax and the right

sound is compromised.

Our physical lives develop a rhythm depending on innate genetic factors,

age, food, friendships, phases of the moon and other disparate

influences. The general rule in many religions is that there is one day a

week when we take time off. This is important. Too often we are driven to

achieve, to fill our days with accomplishments. I discovered that one of

the hardest aspects of any spiritual practice (sadhana) is when to let go

and relax. Not to do anything but quietly digest what has recently

occurred.

Impatience coupled with the sense of ‘nothing is happening’ makes for

dissatisfaction and from that we are easily diverted by seemingly

innocuous distractions, be it fantasies about our own importance or

enticing desires we imagine are gratifying. But we all know only too well

the insubstantial and ultimately frustrating after effect of a mind out of

control. It is akin to eating a meal that externally looks scrumptious but

whose inner content is a series of artificial flavours with no nutritious

ingredients. We are left disappointed and vaguely hungry.

Waking up to the futility of attaining lasting happiness or peace of mind

through our normal daily lives with all its demands on our time and the

stress it involves, is a pivotal moment in our quest for understanding. But

where do we turn for help? It is up each of us to seek what is appropriate

for our individual disposition. Be it Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism,

Judaism, Sikhism… all are legitimate roads. Jesus says, “Ask, and it will

be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be

opened to you.” This applies to all religions. Essentially all it requires is

sincerity and a wholehearted commitment whatever the cost. Suffering is

an essential element in this request. The sharp energy suffering

generates drives us to seek. The turning point may be a book we

accidently discover; it may be something someone says which piques

our interest; it may be an illness that shuts down all our normal

behaviour and causes us to reevaluate our lives. Something shifts in our

consciousness.

Our suffering does not end there. In some ways it increases as we come

to terms with our past and all its so-called sins. Sin in the Greek is an

archery term that originally meant ‘missed the mark’, or more broadly,

losing one’s way. In other words, we need to clean up our act. Just as

we wash our clothes and our bodies when they get dirty so do we need

to clean up our minds and hearts. And this is painful. Some of it we can

do alone but there are concealed areas of our being that require a

mentor or guide to enlighten us.

In our spiritual journey, our meeting with a guide is a decisive influence

which paradoxically can also cause illness. It is the grace of the guru

and here I speak personally of that particular path of Sri Ramana

Maharshi. It is a mysterious force that removes our ignorance, that is,

our impurities and heals us. All who tread an authentic spiritual path

know of this energy that transforms our lives. To give just one example,

we see how important lineage is in the Tibetan tradition. Each student

has a valid mentor who guides them.

Our relationship with Sri Ramana Maharshi as a teacher is also

dependent on a direct connection. The implications of how it functions is

beyond my comprehension but it unquestionably exists as many will

attest who have spent years in the orbit of his divine grace. To be

inducted into a legitimate living tradition requires sincerity and a

willingness to work on one’s own deficiencies. The doors remain closed

until we demonstrate our dedication. We may think we are alone but the

divine energies which suffuse our universe are ever alert. Like a spider’s

delicate web, the universe vibrates at the slightest touch, and responds

appropriately.

We may pray for help but it is of no use if we do not listen. For this to

influence our lives in a positive way the harmful strands of wrong

thinking and feeling must be altered. The clue to their detrimental activity

is shown when we suffer and are blind to our responsibility for it. We

suffer. We endure. Those who sincerely practise the teachings of Sri

Ramana Maharshi know this all too well. With the recognition and

acceptance of our accountability comes the direct realisation of the

vicious cycle of thoughts that binds us. We are caught rehashing again

and again a problem that simply won’t go away. As alluded to in a

previous Letter, Sri Ramana spoke about vasanas (tendencies) which

are like enemy soldiers who one after the other come out of the fortress

of the ahamkara, the individual consciousness which generates the false

identification of ‘I am’ with thoughts. We can cut them down with the

withering question ‘Who Am I?’ Who is asking the question?

Rightly used suffering can give us the sharpness, the energy and sense

of purpose to exterminate our wrong sense of identity. Suffering can be a

laser beam that shines directly on the injury to our sense of happiness.

How often have we said when faced with an intolerable situation, ‘There

must be a better way.’ Suffering is a remedy if you see it correctly in your

life, then you realise that like a bitter medicine it is actually a cure.

In Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, it is recorded:

“D.: Why does God permit suffering in the world? Should He not with His

omnipotence do away with it at one stroke and ordain the universal

realisation of God?

M.: Suffering is the way for Realisation of God.

D.: Should He not ordain differently?

M.: It is the way.

D.: Are Yoga, religion, etc., antidotes to suffering?

M.: They help you to overcome suffering.

D.: Why should there be suffering?

M.: Who suffers? What is suffering?”

Whether we accept it or not suffering opens us up to new vistas of

understanding and humbles us before the divine forces at play. It breaks

down our false pride and its concomitant delusions about our

importance. Life is forever teaching us to be vigilant.