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Papaji, Poonjaji - No. One No-Body
Meditation cannot be taught in a school. It is a wild flower, never to be cultivated. Papaji's first question to me in '92 was: Are You happy now? 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? I don't know how to roar.... Oh Yes you doo! .. Listen: Roarrrrrr 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. 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: 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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Some of Papaji's closest devotees are
still living in India, Lucknow.
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Papaji blessing my friends -his home in Lucknow 93: | ||||||
Papaji Guru Pornima 1 - July 94 | ||||||
Papaji Guru Pornima 2 - July 94 | ||||||
Papaji Guru Pornima 3 - July 94 | ||||||
Papaji Guru Pornima 4 - July 94 | ||||||
Raksha Bhanda 94 | ||||||
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