身体和世界只是那如如不动的“存在——本识”之屏幕上的现象

Moonseed 沉默中的诗

室利·拉玛那·马哈希

唯真我独存

问：那些说自己曾有“宇宙意识”闪现的西方人，他们的领悟到的是什么？

马：它像是一道闪光般出现，也以同样的方式消失了。凡是一闪而至的，必然会一闪而终。唯有证悟那恒常的本识，它才是永恒的。本识从未离开过我们。每个人都知道“我在”，没有人能否认自己的存在。人在沉睡中是不觉的，醒来似乎是有所觉知的，但这是同一个人。睡着的人就是现在醒着的人，并无改变。在沉睡中未觉知自己的身体，因此没有身体意识；在清醒中他觉知到自己的身体，因此有了身体意识。所以，区别只在于是否有身体意识，并非真实的本识有任何的变化。

身体与身体意识是俱生俱灭的。所有这些意思就是在说：在深度睡眠中是不受任何限制的，而在清醒状态中则有种种限制，这些限制就是束缚。有“这个身体就是我”的这种感觉是错误的。这种错误的自我感必须消除。

真正的“我”一直都存在，就在这里现在。它从未新生，也不会再度消失。那真实存在的，必定永存。凡是本无而今有的，终将消失。试比较一下清醒与深睡的状态：身体在清醒状态中出现，在深睡中消失。因此，身体终将消失。本识是在身体之前已然存在的，并在身体不在之后继续存在。

没有人不知道“我是”。但误认为“我是这个身体”便是一切烦恼的根源。必须去除这个妄见。那才是证悟。证悟并不是获得了什么新的东西，也不是得了什么新的本事，它只是去除了所有的伪装而已。

终极的真理非常简单，不过是处于纯净的本然状态，仅此而已。

问：我们在深度睡眠中是否比在清醒时更接近纯净的本识？

马：睡眠、梦境与清醒状态都是出现在真我之上的种种现象，而真我本身是如如不动的，它也是一种纯然的觉知状态。有哪个人能脱离真我而单独存留片刻？

那个本然的“存在”状态是永恒的，而身体和外界则不是，它们只是转瞬即逝的现象，在那永恒不动的“存在—本识”的屏幕上显现又消失。

问：什么是自我（ego-self)？它与真我有什么关系？

马：自我会出现又消失，是短暂无常的，而真我是真实永恒的。虽然你本来就是真我，但你却偏要错误的把自我当成真我。

问：这错误是怎么产生的？

马：看看它是否真的发生了。

问：我们必须将自我升华，融入到真我中。

马：自我根本不存在。

问：那它为什么会让我们升起烦恼？

马：烦恼是对谁而言的？这烦恼也是想象出来的。只有自我才会升起欢喜与烦恼。

问：为什么这个世界充满了无明？

马：你先照顾好自己，世界会照看好它自己。去见到真我。如果你就是这身体，那粗重的物质世界也就随之而来；如果你是那心灵(Spirit)，那一切也都只是心灵。

问：“无明”存在吗？

马：是对谁而言存在？

问：对自我而言存在。

马：是的，无明对自我存在。除去自我，无明也就随之消失。你一去寻找自我，它就消失了，唯有真我独存。
那个声称有无明的自我根本见不着的。在真实中根本没有无明。
所有的经典都是为了证明无明并不存在。

问：虚妄是如何产生的？虚妄是从真实中产生的吗？

马：去看看它是否真的产生了。从另一个角度来看，根本没有所谓的“不真实”。存在的唯有真我。自我是对世界与万物觉知的基础，当你去寻觅它，就会发现自我根本不存在，你见到的这一切创造也同样不存在。

英版原文：

Q: Of what nature is the realization of westerners who relate that they have had flashes of cosmic consciousness?

Ramana: It came as a flash and disappeared as such. That which has a beginning must also end. Only when the ever-present consciousness is realized will it be permanent. Consciousness is indeed always with us. Everyone knows ‘I am’. No one can deny his own being. The man in deep sleep is not aware; while awake he seems to be aware. But it is the same person. There is no change in the one who slept and the one who is now awake. In deep sleep he was not aware of his body and so there was no body-consciousness. In the wakeful state he is aware of his body and so there is body- consciousness. Therefore the difference lies in the emergence of body-consciousness and not in any change in the real consciousness.

The body and body-consciousness arise together and sink together. All this amounts to saying that there are no limitations in deep sleep, whereas there are limitations in the waking state. These limitations are the bondage. The feeling ‘The body is I’ is the error. This false sense of ‘I’ must go.

The real ‘I’ is always there. It is here and now. It never appears anew and disappears again. That which is must also persist for ever. That which appears anew will also be lost. Compare deep sleep and waking. The body appears in one state but not in the other. Therefore the body will be lost. The consciousness was pre-existent and will survive the body.

There is no one who does not say ‘I am’. The wrong knowledge of ‘I am the body’ is the cause of all the mischief. This wrong knowledge must go. That is realization. Realization is not acquisition of anything new nor is it a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage.

The ultimate truth is so simple. It is nothing more than being in the pristine state. This is all that need be said. 

Q: Is one nearer to pure consciousness in deep sleep than in the waking state?

Ramana:The sleep, dream and waking states are mere phenomena appearing on the Self which is itself stationary. It is also a state of simple awareness. Can anyone remain away from the Self at any moment? This question can arise only if that were possible.

Therefore the state of being is permanent and the body and the world are not. They are fleeting phenomena passing on the screen of being-consciousness which is eternal and stationary.

Q: What is the ego-self? How is it related to the real Self?
Ramana: The ego-Self appears and disappears and is transitory, whereas the real Self is permanent. Though you are actually the true Self you wrongly identify the real Self with the ego-self.

Q: How does the mistake come about?

Ramana: See if it has come about.

Q: One has to sublimate the ego-self into the true Self.

Ramana: The ego-self does not exist at all.

Q: Why does it give us trouble?

Ramana: To whom is the trouble? The trouble also is imagined. Trouble and pleasure are only for the ego.

Q: Why is the world so wrapped up in ignorance?

Ramana: Take care of yourself. Let the world take care of itself. See your Self. If you are the body there is the gross world also. If you are spirit all is spirit alone.

Q: Is there avidya [ignorance]?
Ramana:  For whom is it?

Q: For the ego-self.
Ramana: Yes, for the ego. Remove the ego and avidya is gone. Look for it, the ego vanishes and the real Self alone remains.

The ego professing avidya is not to be seen. There is no avidya in reality.

All sastras [scriptures] are meant to disprove the existence of avidya.

Q: How has the unreal come? Can the unreal spring from the real?

Ramana: See if it has sprung. There is no such thing as the unreal, from another standpoint. The Self alone exists. When you try to trace the ego, which is the basis of the perception of the world and everything else, you find the ego does not exist at all and neither does all this creation that you see.

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