. . . and "the very low lives with the very high."
When man bridges heaven and earth, neither is abandoned for the other. "In the beginning, God created heaven and earth."
Ramana Maharishi's goal was extinction of the I, that is, its eradication and dissolution into the Self.
On the other hand, Ramakrishna's way was Christ's, for Ramakrishna said,
"How very few can obtain this union (samadhi) and free themselves from this 'I'? It is very rarely possible. Talk as much as you want, isolate yourself continuously, still this 'I' will always return to you. Cut down the poplar tree today, and you will find tomorrow it forms new shoots. When you ultimately find that this 'I' cannot be destroyed, let it remain as 'I' the servant."
In short, Ramakrishna acknowledged and embraced the cross. The cross of heart suffering. In the words of Ecclesiastes,
Much wisdom, much grief;
the more knowledge, the more sorrow.
I now believe these practices comprise the yogic cross:
Right/Left: alternation between the physical heart (egoic I) and the spiritual heart (the Self);
Up/down: alternation between the perineum and the third eye or crown.
The spiritual principle operative here is that the Very High co-exists with the Very Low.
newpov
postscript:
The way of the cross -- the very high living with the very low, the very low living with the very high -- the two pairings that constitute any cross -- are evident in the spiritual poetry of Revelation 22:11 --
Meanwhile let the sinner continue sinning,
and the unclean continue to be unclean;
let the upright continue in his uprightness,
and those who are holy continue to be holy.
