No One Bathes In The Same River Twice-Part I

Ramana Maharshi

oi-Staff

By Staff

Monday, March 9, 2009, 14:33

When some one says that he took a bath in the same river twice, he is wrong because, when he bathed for the second time, the river was not the same as it was when he bathed for the first time. On seeing the brightness of a flame, a man says that he sees the same flame but this flame is changing every moment.

Bhagavan Ramana.

The waking and dream states are a flow of thoughts. Each succeeding thought has no essential connection with the previous one and they are disparate. Therefore this moment is not the same as the previous one and the present moment also will not be the same when it is replaced by the next moment which will occupy its place. There is only a succession of present moments.

If this is the correct position, why do we say that the past is never behind us? Don"t we get linked to the past moments and coming future moments? Yes, of course. What one does is to bring the past or future into the now. A fresh lease of life is given to the dead past or the unforeseen future by such action. We simply do not allow the caravan of thoughts to pass on. Why? Because we keep re-living the past or anticipating the future by constantly pressing the rewind button or the fast forward button.

It would be wonderful if only we could stay in the now experiencing its beauty. To the extent to which one succeeds in remaining with the present moment and not losing it by allowing thought interference from past and future one will be able to experience the fresh air of freedom. The capacity to stay clear of past and future and abiding uninterruptedly in each succeeding moment is labelled by Ramana as the most difficult penance. For in such alert living there is no room for sloth or slightest mental laziness because the focus remains without distraction on each succeeding moment, on the present. One might call this timeless living and its beauty and enchantment are hard to describe.

To Be Continued

Chat With The Devotees Of Bhagwan Ramana Maharishi