This fundamental question has been at the root of all serious enquries into Reality. In fact before any such enquiry into Reality (or illusion) one will have to tackle the question of identity. To whom is this perception of Reality (or illusion) ? Without going into this question, the result of any enquiry will not be valid. The duality, the separation, of the perciever and his perception will remain. And while this duality remains, no answer can be conclusive.

What is this 'I' ?

'The Heart is used in the Vedas and scriptures to denote the place whence the notion 'I' springs. Does it spring only from the fleshy ball ? It springs within us somewhere right in the middle of our being. The 'I' has no location.'  -- From Ramana Maharishi's 'Talks'; Page: 34

'Who is this 'I' ? Wherefrom does it come ? 'I' was not aware in sleep. Simultaneously with its rise sleep changes to dream or wakefulness. But I am not concerned with dream now. Who am I now in the wakeful state ? If I originated in sleep, then the I was covered up with ignorance. Such an ignorant 'I' cannot be what the scriptures say or the wise ones affirm. 'I' am beyond even 'Sleep.'; I must be now and here and what I was all along in sleep and dream also, without the qualities of such states. 'I' must therefore be the unqualified substratum underlying these three states.'  -- From Ramana Maharishi's 'Talks'; Page: 23

'What you take to be the 'I' in the 'I am" is not you. To know that you are is natural, to know what you are is the result of much investigation. You will have to explore  the entire field of consciousness and go beyond it.'  -- From Nisargadatta's 'I am That'; Page: 312

Excerpt from: http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/4401.html

"The dance of Siva represented in the form of naTa-rAja is symbolic of the dynamic aspect of the Ultimate Reality. The art of dancing by the finite human is a meagre attempt to express the mystery of the Cosmic Rhythm in the movements of the physical body. But the divine dance is a supreme reflection and creative expression of the rhythm which underlies the whole universe and thus becomes a unique contribution of Indian thought to the world’s culture. It has an applied symbolism of the five-fold gamut of divine activities sRSTi (Creation, Evolution), sthiti (Preservation, Sustenance), saMhAra (Destruction, Dissolution), tirodhAna (Concealment, Illusion, indicating Bondage) and anugraha (Grace, indicating Release or Moksha)"

The Universe appears in and dissolves back into the Supreme I, the Supreme Being, Arunachala Shiva - the Substrate.

As beads on a string - 'sutre mani-gana iva' the Bhagavad Gita says. The 'I' sense is the string on which the entire Universe is threaded.

Visit these sites for a wider perspective of the spiritual life  Site On Vedic Life and its relevance to the quest of the Absolute Self. Power of Vedic mantras. Excerpts from the discourses of the Sage of Kanchi  Blog devoted to inspirational quotes from Spiritual Masters  Forum for in-depth discussions  Spiritual Technology site for a wide range of spiritual topics  Advaita.org.uk a good reference site for Advaita Vedanta.   Has informative sections dealing with Teachers, Discourses etc.

Quotations from Sri Ramana Maharishi

Sri Ramana Maharishi Updated : Quotations from Sri Ramana Maharishi #111 Misery is due to multifarious thoughts. If the thoughts are unified and centred on a single item there is no misery, but happiness is the result. Then, even the thought , ' I do something' is absent; nor will there be an eye on the fruit of action. -- Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi, from the classic, 'Talks', p 338 You might find these sites interesting: http://vediclife.rvishu.com http://www.rvishu.com http://wp.rvishu.com http://inspirational-quotes.rvishu.com http://www.squidoo.com/inspirational-quotes   Subscribe to: The Daily Blend Quotations from Ramana Maharishi and Quotations to inspire vegetarianism Author : rvishu@vediclife.rvishu.com Publ.Date : 19 Apr 2007 02:20:07 GMT Datafeeds For Blogs Amazon RSS

Quotes to inspire vegetarianism Updated : Quotes to Inspire Vegetarianism #101 I think that people who don't like animals tend to be selfish, but I'm biased.   -- Jessica Alba You might find these sites interesting: http://vediclife.rvishu.com http://www.rvishu.com http://wp.rvishu.com http://inspirational-quotes.rvishu.com http://www.squidoo.com/inspirational-quotes   Subscribe to: The Daily Blend Quotations from Ramana Maharishi and Quotations to inspire vegetarianism Author : rvishu@vediclife.rvishu.com Publ.Date : 19 Apr 2007 02:22:35 GMT RSS Software Increase Website Traffic