15. Pain and Purification & Full-time Inquiry for Self

The Pain and Purification message from Inner Ramana is the first message discussed today. Regina says ⁠elsewhere⁠* that this message cannot be understood by the mind, so it might be helpful to practice awareness-watching-awareness before contemplating it in order to break the attachment to mind and come from a place of Self-realization. Regina also says that the Self does not experience pain, the only thing that experiences pain is the mind. When you believe that you experience pain, you are identified with the mind. Awareness as attention has projected itself into thought and imagines itself to be thought. It is like watching virtual reality from what appears to be within virtual reality. “If you place your identity with the false identity ‘I’ in the thinking mind, then you experience everything it thinks up to prove that it exists. …“...But this does not change the fact that you are not it, and it and the experiences that come from it are fully and perfectly illusion.”  ~ Excerpt from the Pain and Purification message from Inner Ramana Just as the Self does not experience pain, the Self does not require purification. It has never been anything but pure. Neither can the mind be purified. All you can do is see that the mind does not exist and that you are not the mind. Thus, the purpose of purification is not to change or improve the mind, it is the process of disengaging from the mind, disregarding its chatter and instead listening to wisdom. It involves seeing that the mind is not real and the mind is not what I am. Full-time Inquiry for Self The Full-time Inquiry for Self message (Regina starts this at the 29:00 minute mark) urges you to seek the awareness of Self at all times and in all circumstances. It says Self-realization is all that matters and if you make it your only purpose, it “shall certainly become your reward.” Assignment for week 15: Practice enquiry with everything, whether you're having a shower, doing the dishes, watching a movie, and so on. Really try to keep focused on awareness by inquiring into every experience that you can inquire into. Learn about Inner Ramana here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/⁠⁠⁠⁠ *⁠https://awakening-together.org/day-319-tip/⁠ Also note that when Regina mentions NTI, she is referring to The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament: A Course in Understanding and Acceptance. You can read more about that book here: https://awakening-together.org/interact/regina-dawn-akers/books-by-regina-dawn-akers/ Musical ident: Helen Allmark #RamanaMaharshi #InnerRamana #surrender #self-inquiry #self-realization #awakening #ReginaDawnAkers #AwakeningTogether #NTI #intuition #devotion #willingness #purification #pain