Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Collage 595

"Qui etes-vous?"

French general Davout, known for his cruelty, accuses Pierre of being a spy. Pierre has been taken prisoner and his fate is uncertain.

Odd how frightening this question can be: Who are you?

Trish Crapo
from page 445-446, volume 2 of original text
collage
made 6/29/11
Pevear/Volokhonsky translation page 962-964

1 comment:

  1. "Who am I?" This is the inquiry used by meditation master Ramaha Maharshi.In order to reach enlightenment. I found this on the site messagefrommasters.com:

    "Ramana Maharshi : The mind will subside only by means of the enquiry `Who am I?' The thought 'Who am I?', destroying all other thoughts, will itself finally be destroyed like the stick used for stirring the funeral pyre. If other thoughts rise one should, without attempting to complete them, enquire `To whom did they rise?' What does it matter however many thoughts rise? At the very moment that each thought rises, if one vigilantly enquires `To whom did this rise?', it will be known `To me'. If one then enquires `Who am I?', the mind will turn back to its source [the Self] and the thought which had risen will also subside. By repeatedly practising thus, the power of the mind to abide in its source increases.

    Just as a pearl-diver, tying a stone to his waist, dives into the sea and takes the pearl lying at the bottom, so everyone, diving deep within himself with non-attachment, can attain the pearl of Self. If one resorts uninterruptedly to remembrance of one's real nature until one attains Self, that alone will be sufficient." -- Lola

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