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The following story was often narrated by Papaji. Here I recall it after
memory. If you want an
exact version you can find in David Godman's excellent book about
Papaji:
Wake up and Roar. Vol.1
Davids books about Spiritual Masters around
Ramana Maharshi are all wonderfully free from
ego-fuss.
Once upon a time in ancient India a dhobi wallah, a person washing
clothes, went down to the river with his donkeys loaded with clothes for
washing. Just before a hunter had killed a lioness not far from
the river. Close to the river bank, hidden in the the rush and out of
sight of the hunters the lioness had hidden its little cub.
It so
happened that the dhobi wallah found this cub. He took the little lion
cub with him and raised it together with the donkeys. As the years went
by the cub grew into a adult lion. But since it had been raised with
donkeys it took itself to be a normal donkey doing its duty, carrying
clothes down to the river with its donkey-friends and its master the
dhobi wallah. The lion-donkey was quite happy with this life.
Then one fine day a wild Lion came down to the river to quench its
thirst. At the river bank the Wild Lion watched something that made it
look in a state of disbelief. The unbelievable sight of a big lion
walking with
donkeys, sheep
and a human, carrying a huge load of clothes on its bag. The
strange party had just unloaded the clothes at river bank when the wild
lion with one jump landed just in between them. They
all flew in terror, including the lion-donkey.
But the wild lion caught
hold of the neck of the lion-donkey and kept it from fleeing. It was
bleating in fear and cried out: oh big animal!.. please don't kill
me!!... ! The wild lion laughingly replied: But we are from
the same family. You are a lion like me!
- Oh, no Sir! You are mistaken. I am a poor and weak donkey doing my
duty!
The wild lion had never heard such a joke before. It was laughing
exactly as the man on the picture to the left: Come dear lion
brother! I will show you something.
And then the Wild Lion dragged the lion-donkey down to the river and
showed it its face in the mirror of the water:
Look! Can you see your face? It is just like mine do you believe me
now?
Oh, yes Now I see! How a fool I was! How could I be such an idiot!!
- replied the rediscovered Lion!
Oh Yes my dear friend - We are equal!, said the Wild Lion!
Now you just have to conform that you are what you have always been!
Make a roar!
I don't know how to roar....
Oh Yes you doo! .. Listen:
Roarrrrrr
And after this demonstration the young Lion roared for the first time in
its life.
After telling this story
Papaji would ask if anybody would stand up and roar like a lion...
Great fun and roaring sounds of all kinds.
And then He would start explain the significance of this ancient tale:
•
As a
Spiritual student you don't have to become a spiritual Lion - since you
already are a Lion!
No meditation techniques are needed. You just have to remove
the wrong notion of donkey-ness.
• The wild Teacher-Lions
only role is to remind you that you are his equal.
•
A Spiritual Lion don't follow the
path of others - it cuts its own path. And it is not afraid of roaring.
۞
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Who am eye?
I have to tell a story about eye. This event changed my
life. In 1994 I went to stay with Poonjaji
for one year. I had taken one year leave from my job and was eagerly
looking forward to be with the
most outstanding Being I had ever met. (First meeting in 92).
With me I had a present for Him, a painting of His Master,
Ramana. I had asked a Danish artist to make
this painting. When the artist had
finished the job after 3 months he did not want any money for his work. He said
that it had changed his life to make this painting. I was very happy
and grateful - his work was brilliant and his attitude was easy to
feel in the painting. He had used a special
technique from the Renaissance: he had painted Ramanas Eyes in such
a way that Ramana would look at you from what ever angle you were
watching the painting. I placed the painting on the wall in my living
room just to enjoy Ramana's Pan-optic blessings.
Every visitor was in a state of awe on seeing the painting. It was
really amazing how Ramanas compassionate eyes would follow you
wherever you were placed in the room.
When I came to Luck Now in India, I went straight to Poonjaji's house to
present the gift to him.
This event is still as clear as this moment. He was sitting at his table watching
Hindi-TV. A lot of visitors crowded
his little humble living room, not half the size of my living room in
Denmark.
After hello and a big, big smile as only he could smile I placed the
picture in front of him on the table.
He looked at it and said thanks with one more big smile. Eagerly I
wanted to show him the special technique used for painting Ramana's eyes:
Look
Papaji! - I rotated the painting in front of him - From every
angle Ramana is looking at you!
He did not reply...
long time no reaction... I thought He might have overheard my
comment.
The TV was
damned Indian style loud. I repeated my statement in fierce
competition with a crying Heroine and pistol shooting gundas ...
Still no reaction... He now seemed to watch the screaming Heroine
with full attention...I felt jealous.
Then one of Poonjajis most wonderful devotees, Yamuna came to my assistance. She had
followed the incident from a distance. She repeated my previous
comment while I moved the
painting into different positions in front of Him:
Look Papaji!
- Ramana is looking at you from all sides...
NO!!!...........RAMANA
DID NOT LOOK AT ANYONE!!!
This moment of roaring silence is still today. First this
NO!!!
struck like lightening... power-cut ... it was like a thunder bolt
at broad daylight... totally unexpected...
NO!!!
thoughts in this
roar....
just clear sky...
Then thoughts came back with the most overwhelming insight... In a
split second I innerstood what Papaji was
pointing at: The very same eyes that I felt were looking at ME were
actually eyes that did not look at anyone. Of course the important
"I" sees itself as the center of the Universe and thus thinks that Ramana only looks at "ME". But the very same look was - seen from the level of The Greatest
Impersonality - not at all interested in the self
important
Ego. RAMANA
DID NOT LOOK AT ANYONE ... he only looked at SELF.
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None can stone
me, who would injure me?
The world stands aside to make room for me.
I come, O blazing Light! The shadows must flee.
Hail, O ye ocean, divide up and part!
Or parched up and scorched up, be dried up, depart!
None can tone me, who would injure me?
Beware, O ye mountains! Stand not in my way.
Your ribs will be shattered and tattered today!
Friends and couns’lors, pray waste not your breath,
Take up my orders, devour up ye death!
None can tone me, who would injure me?
I ride on the tempest, astride on the gale.
My gun is the lightning, my shots never fail.
I chase as a huntsman, I eat as I seize
The trees and the mountains, the land and the seas.
None can tone me, who would injure me?
I hitch to my chariot the fates and the gods;
In the voice of thunder, proclaim it abroad!
Howl, O ye winds! Blow, bugles, blow free!
Liberty! Liberty! Liberty! Om!
None can tone me, who would injure me?
None can tone me, who would injure me?
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