Links, Citations and References
Following my recent article about mystical experiences, I had a charming note which included this question:
"Could you kindly give a reference or link to the above quote from Ramana Maharshi?"
This was my response:
"I am traveling at the moment, so I don’t have access to my library.
Happily I remember exactly where the quote came from. It was from someone who taught me a great deal – the late Paul Brunton. I think that Paul probably did more to introduce Ramana Maharshi to the West than anyone else, and he was also a close friend of Aurobindo. He once commented that it was rather convenient that two of the greatest sages of the 20th century only lived 65 miles apart!
He also mentions Ramana’s comment in Chapter 9, paragraph 23 of Volume 16 of The Notebooks of Paul Brunton.
Here’s the exact quote:
"That these differences of view exist even among illumined mystics is a striking but rarely studied fact. Why did Ramana Maharshi poke gentle fun at Aurobindo’s doctrine of spiritual planes?"I do not know off hand whether there are any websites that specifically discuss their – respectful – differences of opinion.
If that does not give you what you need, please do let me know: I shall be home in a couple of days and I’d be happy to do a bit more digging in my library: I have over 12,000 volumes, and there are quite a lot of lesser known titles in there. Since I raised it, I shall also have a look online when I get home.”
The reason for re-printing this correspondence is this. Regular readers will know that my blog entries are festooned with links, citations and references. That is very deliberate. This blog is a bit different from most of the other medical ones out there in that I try to ensure that you can check everything that I say.
The other day I had the privilege of speaking to the Rotary Club of New York and mentioned that I had written something about five strategies that can dramatically reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease as well as discussing some of the evidence concerning nutrition and neurogenesis: the production of new neurons. I was asked what they were, and I recommended that people asking the question should check out the article. The reason was simply this: I wanted them to see the evidence for themselves.
I think that we have all had enough of people simply expressing opinions.
Now is the time for people who are writing on line – or anywhere else for that matter – to provide data to support what they are saying.
If you need further reading material on any of the topics that I write about, just let me know: I have access to a great many sources that are not always easy to get at.
Dr. Richard G. Petty, MD is a world-renowned authority on the brain, and his revolutionary work on human energy systems has been acclaimed around the globe.
He is also an accredited specialist in internal and metabolic medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry, acupuncture and homeopathy. He has been an innovator and leader of the human potential movement for over thirty years and is also an active researcher, teacher, writer, professional speaker and broadcaster. He is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking and best selling CD series Healing, Meaning and Purpose. He has taught in over 45 countries and 48 states in the last ten years, but spends as much time as possible on his horse farm in Georgia.
