Evolution of love

Be as you are

Q: My practice has been a continuous japa of the names of God with the incoming breath and the name of Sai Baba with the outgoing breath. Simultaneously with this I see the form of Baba always. Even in Bhagavan, I see Baba. Now, should I continue this or change the method, as something from within says that if I stick to the name and form I shall never go above name and form? But I can't understand what further to do after giving up name and form. Will Bhagavan enlighten me on this point?

Sri Ramana Maharshi :

You may continue in your present method.
When the japa becomes continuous,
all other thoughts cease and one is in one's real nature,
which is japa or dhyana.

We turn our mind outwards on things of the world
and are therefore not aware of our real nature being always japa.

When by conscious effort of japa or dhyana, as we call it,
we prevent our mind from thinking of other things,
then what remains is our real nature,
which is japa.

So long as you think you are name and form,
you can't escape name and form in japa also.

When you realize you are not name and form,
then name and form will drop of themselves.
No other effort is necessary.

Japa or dhyana will naturally and as a matter of course lead to it.
What is now regarded as the means, japa,
will then be found to be the goal.
Name and God are not different.

This is clearly shown in the teachings of Namdev.

1. The Name permeates densely the sky
and the lowest regions and the entire universe.
Who can tell to what depths in the nether regions
and to what height in the heavens it extends.
The ignorant undergo the 84 lakhs [8.4 million]
of species of births,
not knowing the essence of things.
Namdev says the Name is immortal.
Forms are innumerable, but the Name is all that.

2. The Name itself is Form.
There is no distinction between Name and Form.
God became manifest and assumed Name and Form.
Hence the Name the Vedas established.
Beware there is no mantra beyond the Name.
Those who say otherwise are ignorant.
Namdev says the Name is Keshava [God] Himself.
This is known only to the loving devotees of the Lord.

3. The all-pervading nature of the Name can only be understood when one recognises one's own `I'.
When one's own name is not recognised,
it is impossible to get the all-pervading Name.
When one knows oneself, then one finds the Name everywhere.
To see the Name as different from the Named creates illusion.
Namdev says, `Ask the Saints.'

4. No one can realize the Name by practice of knowledge, meditation or austerity.
Surrender yourself first at the feet of the Guru and learn to know that `I' myself is that Name.
After finding the source of that `I' merge your individuality
in that oneness
which is self-existent and devoid of all duality.
That which pervades beyond dvaita [duality]
and dvaitatita [that which is beyond duality],
that Name has come into the three worlds.
The Name is Parabrahman itself
where there is no action arising out of duality.

The same idea is also found in the Bible:

`In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God and the Word was God.'