Bhagavan said, "Keeping the mind in the Heart is self-enquiry". If you cannot do this by asking "Who am I?" or by taking the "I"-thought back to its source, then meditation on the awareness "I am the all-pervasive Self" is a great aid.
Bhagavan often said that we should read and study the Ribhu Gita regularly. In the Ribhu Gita it is said, 'That bhavana (attitude) "I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am Brahman, I am everything" is to be repeated again and again until this becomes the natural state.'
It is true that He said that these repetitions are only an aid to self-enquiry, but they are a very powerful aid.
By practicing this way the mind becomes more and more attuned with reality. When the mind has become purified by this practice it is easier to take it back to its source and keep it there. When one is able to abide in the Seif directly, one doesn't need aids like this. But if it is not possible, these practices can definitely help one.
(Photo of Bhagavan and AS)
Technorati Tags: annamalai swami, ramana maharshi, self-enquiry
