"It's time to go beyond everything you've learned. Everything you've learned has been helpful. It's been helpful toward willingness to take this next step. But without the step that we are taking together now, all that you've learned serves no real purpose toward awakening." - excerpt from the "Looking at the False 'I' Thought" message in the book The Teachings of Inner Ramana. This final podcast episode is Part 13 from a 13-episode series of video teachings by Regina on her book, "Teachings of Inner Ramana." It was first uploaded in November 2012. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, these videos are being included here in case they resonate with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
"Understand that all resistance comes from your willingness to listen to resistance before. It is an echo from the past that is being picked up and heard now. To listen to it again is like shouting into a cave again. The echo will only return." - excerpt from The Circus and the Meadow message in the book, The Teachings of Inner Ramana. This episode was part 12 in a series of video teachings by Regina on her book, "Teachings of Inner Ramana" and was first uploaded in November, 2012. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, these videos are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
"When the mind is not occupied in the silence of the mantra, let it be used for the purpose of surrender. This way the mind is always used purposefully, and one's toes will wiggle and curl delightfully as they feel the coolness of the meadow's ground beneath them." - excerpt from "The Circus and the Meadow" This episode is from a series of video teachings by Regina on her book, "Teachings of Inner Ramana" and was originally uploaded in November, 2012. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, these video recordings are being included here in case they resonate with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. Read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana here: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
Regina continues to teach from the "The Circus and the Meadow" message. "The body remains, as do the senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. In this way, interaction with the world is non-avoidable as long as the image of the world remains in the mind. Attachment to the world continues to build the image of the world and all of the false concepts its represents. Non-attachment through surrender releases the world within the mind, which allows a slowing of its images and a fading of illusion from sight." - excerpt from the "The Circus and the Meadow" message in the book The Teachings of Inner Ramana. Please note that this episode was originally uploaded in November 2012 as part of a series of video teachings by Regina on the "Teachings of Inner Ramana". Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, these video episodes are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. You can learn about The Teachings of Inner Ramana here: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
Regina shares from the message "The Circus and the Meadow" in her book The Teachings of Inner Ramana. This is how that message starts: "The mind is very active. If you watch it you will see it is much like acrobats in a circus. It is always jumping this way and that, bending and turning, and it has some very amazing moves. But it is a circus. It is not at all representative of reality. In fact, it is a complete distraction from reality. You will never notice reality if you remain focused on the circus act of the mind." Please note that this episode is from a series of video teachings by Regina on the "Teachings of Inner Ramana" that were originally uploaded in November 2012. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, these video episodes are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
One of the tools that Inner Ramana provides to help us break our addiction to listening to and believing the mind is the mantra. Here, Regina looks at the message called "Instructions for Using the Mantra" Please note that this episode is from a series of video teachings by Regina on her book "Teachings of Inner Ramana" that were originally uploaded in 2011. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, they are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
Regina continues to teach from the message, "The Purpose of Surrender, Part Two." "To help people with world-focused thoughts by providing world-focused solutions is assisting one to dream. Therefore, the Awakened One, who has accepted the role of continuing the awakening, will not assist in world-focused concerns by providing world-focused answers. The Awakened One will assist world-focus by observing the filter with the one who has a desire to awaken." Please note that this episode is from a series of video teachings by Regina on the "Teachings of Inner Ramana" and was originally uploaded in August 2011. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, these video episodes are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
Regina continues teaching from the message "The Purpose of Surrender, Part Two" in her book "The Teachings of Inner Ramana." Here is an excerpt from that message: "One who is awakening to truth is also discarding the world, which includes discarding his thoughts about the world, so this one is learning to take all of his cues from within . . . from beyond the clouds of his thoughts." Please note that this episode is from a series of video teachings by Regina on the "Teachings of Inner Ramana" that were originally uploaded in 2011. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, they are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate more with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
Regina shares on "The Purpose of Surrender, Part Two" message, which teaches that the only answer to fear is to let go of what is false and to remember reality as true. Please note that this episode is from a series of video teachings by Regina on her book, "Teachings of Inner Ramana" that were originally uploaded in 2011. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, they are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
"What am I to do now?", "How am I to see this?", "How shall I listen?", "How shall I be now?", "What am I to hear?", "What would you have me know?", "What is my perspective as given by you?", "How shall I respond?", "What shall I think?", "What would you have me see in me that I am not seeing?" ~The Purpose of Surrender In this episode, Regina continues to teach from the The Purpose of Surrender message in her book "The Teachings of Inner Ramana". Please note that this episode is from a series of video teachings by Regina on the "Teachings of Inner Ramana" that were originally uploaded in 2011. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, they are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate more with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
"We are going to learn not to listen to the mind, first, by listening to another Voice, which speaks through the mind, but does not speak from mind, for mind or with mind." ~The Purpose of Surrender message from "The Teachings of Inner Ramana" In this episode, Regina reads from the Purpose of Surrender message. Please note that this episode is from a series of video teachings by Regina on the "Teachings of Inner Ramana" that were originally uploaded in 2011. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, they are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate more with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
"Think of mind as a filter. This filter enables one to distinquish differences where there are none. ... It places a veil of perception over reality so reality can be experienced in a new way." ~ The Commentary on Mind message from The Teachings of Inner Ramana In this episode, Regina reads from the second half of the The Commentary on Mind message. Please note that this episode is from a series of video teachings by Regina on the "Teachings of Inner Ramana" that were originally uploaded in 2011. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, they are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate more with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
"The mind is not constant. This is why one must step away from the mind to find peace. Peace cannot be found with the mind." ~The Commentary on Mind Please note that this video is from a series of video teachings by Regina on the "Teachings of Inner Ramana" that were originally uploaded in 2011. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the earlier audio-only teachings in this podcast, they are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate more with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
The story of how "The Teachings of Inner Ramana" was received by Regina Dawn Akers. Please note that this video is from a series of video teaching by Regina that were originally uploaded in 2011. Despite their age and the fact they may repeat some of the content in the audio teachings, they are being included here in case, for some reason, they resonate more with some spiritual students. Please be guided by your own inner teacher as to whether they are for you or not. To read more about The Teachings of Inner Ramana, please visit: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/
In the final episode in this series, Regina Dawn Akers teaches from the following three messages from Inner Ramana: The Only Choice is Where, Moving from Resistor to Abiding in Self (starts 14:06), and The Missing Ramana Message (starts 19:03). The first message explains why "knowing your Heart is your only business." You can learn more about the themes in it here: https://awakening-together.org/day-323-tip/ The second and third messages are about three states of mind: Resistor– The state of mind when we fully believe the body-mind-personality is what we are. Doubter– The state of mind when we learn about Truth and question everything we believed as resistor. Abiding– The state of mind when we embrace Truth as our reality and live from that instead of from thought. Learn more about these stages at https://awakening-together.org/gentle-healing-2-day-324-moving-from-resistor-to-abiding-in-self/ and https://awakening-together.org/day-326-tip/ In this episode, Regina says: "What he's really asking us to do at the end of the book is to step off the bridge into abiding and just trust that you will know what you are to know in every moment." Learn about Inner Ramana here: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/ 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 #grace
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
In this episode, Regina Dawn Akers starts by teaching the Contract about Awakening message from Inner Ramana, which she says is about noticing which source you are. Are you the chatter in the mind or are you the heart? If you look at your willingness and your desire for devotion and say, "That's me", you're reminding yourself which source you really are. Excerpt from A Contract for Awakening message from Inner Ramana: "Your identification with the mind is the obstacle to knowing the beauty of your true Self. It is this identity that makes you blind. When you judge me and when you judge life by the mind's standards, you throw a blanket over the truth, and you choose not to see." Regina starts teaching the The Grace of the Guru message at about the 15:52 minute mark. Excerpt from the The Grace of the Guru message from Inner Ramana:"It is as if I have come to abide in your Heart for a time. I have lit a campfire there and I sit by that fire singing the songs of the Heart. But that is only so you can hear yourself more clearly and recognize your Self above the chatter of the mind, so you may return to you there in the center of the Heart." Assignment for week 14: Inner Ramana says to practice everything he teaches. As you do that, whenever you notice willingness, whenever you notice devotion, whenever you notice desire for God, whisper to yourself, "That's me. That willingness is my voice." Learn about Inner Ramana here: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/ Musical ident: Helen Allmark #RamanaMaharshi #InnerRamana #surrender #self-inquiry #self-realization #awakening #ReginaDawnAkers #AwakeningTogether #NTI #intuition #devotion #willingness #grace
This week’s message is about surrender. Regina says that in order to fully realize the lesson in the message, you need to surrender to the message. “Confusion comes from judgment or deciding or thinking one knows without checking with me. This is the core of all confusion, and without this one error, confusion becomes impossible.” ~ excerpt from The Mind that Thinks it is Lord message from Inner Ramana Assignment for week 13: Continue to practice surrender but try the mantra "Abide in me as I abide in you" and say it as often as you remember to say it. Learn about Inner Ramana here: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/ Musical ident: Helen Allmark #RamanaMaharshi #InnerRamana #surrender #self-inquiry #self-realization #awakening #ReginaDawnAkers #AwakeningTogether #NTI #intuition
The Truth Made Manifest message explains that the human body always follows a script, which can also be called karma, but the script can be a script of clarity and wisdom instead of a script of ignorance and delusion. Since you are awareness and not a human body, you can decide which script to cast attention on, and that is the script that will move the body-mind-personality. Regina explains that when you choose surrender, you choose to follow the script of wisdom instead of the script of delusion. “Today as you practice your devotion, I ask you to remember your desire to be an instrument of truth in this world. This is your desire to be fully surrendered . . . "…Focus on this desire, and realize the power this desire has over you. Then surrender to this power, and let God walk the earth through you." ~ excerpt from the Truth Made Manifest message from Inner Ramana The second message this week, Extinguishment of the ‘I’ Thought, which starts at the 10:32 minute mark, addresses three common ideas that people have about ego death: - It will take a long time. - It will be difficult. - When the ego dies, I will cease to exist. As Regina explains, none of these statements are true. "So as you see, it does not take time to extinguish a false identity. It only takes the desire to know living truth now." ~ excerpt from the Extinguishment of the ‘I’ Thought message from Inner Ramana Assignment for week 12: This week, as you practice your devotion, remember how much you want to be the instrument of truth in the world. Focusing on desire is important because as your desire blossoms, you actually practice better so it's good to take time out every now and then to focus on your desire. Learn about Inner Ramana here: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/ Musical ident: Helen Allmark #RamanaMaharshi #InnerRamana #surrender #self-inquiry #selfrealization #awakening #ReginaDawnAkers #AwakeningTogether #NTI #Intuition #Guidance
In the s/Self-Inquiry message taught first in this episode, Inner Ramana introduces us to two forms of inquiry: self-inquiry and Self-inquiry. Regina says we practice self-inquiry when we question thought in order to discover false beliefs or to notice that thought isn’t me. Some forms of self-inquiry are Root Cause Inquiry* and Byron Katie’s “The Work.” Another form of self-inquiry is the form that’s taught through Inner Ramana. That is asking, “Who thinks this thought?” Through self-inquiry, you (awareness) see the attachment to mind, and then you can choose to break the attachment to mind. Regina says we practice Self-inquiry when we place attention on awareness instead of mind. Self-inquiry is looking deeply at awareness until awakening to infinite awareness occurs. Awareness-watching-awareness** is a form of Self-inquiry. “Watch the mind for thoughts, which may be saying anything, but underneath the anything they say, they are truly saying, “I am thinking.” Question, “Who is the ‘I’ that thinks?” and you will discover the belief in an individual and separate “I.” That is the false “I,” which exists only in thought.” ~ Excerpt from the s/Self-Inquiry message from Inner Ramana The Love of Discipline Regina says that for a lot of Inner Ramana students, the message The Circus and the Meadow is their favorite, while her favorite is the next message she teaches in this episode, The Love of Discipline, which starts at the 21:08 minute mark. This message says: “Right now, it is as if two “I”s live within you. … One “I” is the false thought, the false idea of who you are. The other “I” is best described now as your true Heart.” When you believe the voice telling you what to think, feel, believe and do, you are literally a puppet of unreality. But devoted discipline – which could also be called disciplined devotion – offers a way out, one that involves living from within, in other words living from intuition, silence and awareness, instead of living from belief in mental chatter. - "I have told you that discipline means consistency. You know that you want the consistent experience of God without end and without distraction, and you also know that consistent practice brings this experience. So you see, you love it.” (Excerpt from The Love of Discipline message from Inner Ramana) Assignment for week 11: Practice self-inquiry when you notice you’re caught up in mind, in order to break the attachment to mind. Also practice Self-inquiry, which is devotion and falling in love with awareness. If you have problems with consistency, The Love of Discipline message can help remind you how much you truly love discipline. *For more about Root cause inquiry: https://awakening-together.org/root-cause-inquiry/ **For more about Awareness-watching-awareness: https://awakening-together.org/interact/meditation-audios/direct-path-meditations/ Learn about Inner Ramana here: https://awakening-together.org/about-awakening-together/other-resources/teachings-inner-ramana/ Musical ident: Helen Allmark #RamanaMaharshi #InnerRamana #surrender #self-inquiry #selfrealization #awakening #ReginaDawnAkers #AwakeningTogether #NTI