Message #24359

[ding dong]

It is an interesting paradox. Like, Ramana said that it is here and now, and the belief that is not is the delusion. Yet, he also said effort and perseverance were necessary. It is a paradox. This notion is in line with Vedanta which asserts that anything which changes must not be real. Eternity must always be present, even now, otherwise there is a gap in its coverage and hence it is not eternal. Eternity cannot be related to time at all. What I take from the paradox presented by sages like Ramana and others, coupled with what I've observed in myself, is that the many longings and yearnings - desires - are itself a kind of mental delusion which only seems to obstruct what is here and now (but really doesn't - another paradox). And since those longings and yearnings are so deeply cherished and believed in, it might take some gradual process of disillusionment, frustration, or even satisfaction before one is ready to give them up. Until then, they will keep pulling on the mind and making it agitated.