Is a man to engage in teaching his knowledge however imperfect?

Devotee:  Is a man to engage in teaching his knowledge however imperfect?

Ramana Maharishi:  If his prarabdha be that way.  In the seventh chapter, Arjuna asks if Karma is a method (sadhana). Krishna answers that it is so if done without the sense of doership. So also are Karmas approved by scriptures which deny Karma. The Karma disapproved by them is that which is done with the sense of doership.  Do not leave Karma. You cannot do so. Give up the sense of doership. Karma will go on automatically. Or Karma will drop away from you. If Karma be your lot according to prarabdha, it will surely be done whether you will it or not; if Karma be not your lot, it will not be done even if you intently engage in it. Janaka, Suka, etc., were also in work without ahankara, Karma may be done for fame, or may be done unselfishly and for the public good. Yet even then they want applause. So it is really selfish.

Is hatha yoga necessary?

Devotee: Is hatha yoga necessary?

Ramana Maharishi: It is one of the aids - not that it is always necessary. It depends upon the person. Vichara surpasses pranayama. In Yoga Vasishta Chudala advises investigation (vichara) to Sikhidvaja for killing the ego. Reality can be reached by holding on to prana or intellect. Hatha yoga is the former; Vichara is the latter.

What is illusion? OR Even the thought, “I do not realise” is a hindrance

Devotee: What is illusion?

Ramana Maharishi: To whom is the illusion? Find it out. Then illusion will vanish. Generally people want to know about illusion and do not examine to whom it is. It is foolish. Illusion is outside and unknown. But the seeker is considered to be known and is inside. Find out what is immediate, intimate, instead of trying to find out what is distant and unknown.

Devotee: I understand theoretically. But they (objects) are still there.

Ramana Maharishi: Yes. It is like a cinema-show. There is the light on the screen and the shadows flitting across impress the audience as the enactment of some piece. Similarly also will it be, if in the same play an audience also is shown. The seer, the seen, will then only be the screen. Apply it to yourself. You are the screen, the Self has created the ego, the ego has its accretions of thoughts which are displayed as the world,  the trees, plants, etc., of which you are asking. In reality, all these are nothing but the Self. If you see the Self, the same will be found to be all, everywhere and always. Nothing but the Self exists.

Devotee: Yes, I still understand only theoretically. Yet the answers are simple and beautiful and convincing.

Ramana Maharishi: Even the thought, “I do not realise” is a hindrance. In fact, the Self alone is.

Sri Ramana Maharshi’s preface to his translation of Sri Sankara’s Viveka Chudamani or “Crown-gem of Discrimination"

SRI SANKARA’S PATH TO SALVATION THROUGH DISCRIMINATION A Note By Sri Maharshi

(In the current issue of The Vision is published the following note, being the translation by Mr. S. Krishna, M. A., of Sri Ramana Maharshi’s preface to his translation of Sri Sankara’s Viveka Chudamani or “Crown-gem of Discrimination”).

Every being in the world yearns to be always happy, free from the taint of sorrow; and desires to get rid of bodily ailments which are not of his true nature. Further, everyone cherishes the greatest love for himself: and this love is not possible in the absence of happiness. In deep sleep, though devoid of everything, one has the experience of being happy. Yet, due to the ignorance of the real nature of one’s own being, which is happiness itself, people flounder in the vast ocean of material existence forsaking the right path that leads to happiness and act under the mistaken belief that the way to be happy consists in obtaining the pleasures of this and the other world.

A SAFE GUIDE: But alas, that happiness which has not the taint of sorrow is not realised. It is precisely for the purpose of pointing out the straight path to happiness that God Siva took on the guise of Sri Sankaracharya, wrote the commentaries on the Triune Institutes (Prasthana Traya) of the Vedanta, which extol the excellence of this bliss; and demonstrated it by his own example in life. These commentaries, however, are of little use to those ardent seekers who are intent upon realising the bliss of absolution, but have not the scholarship for studying them. It is for such as these that Sri Sankara revealed the essence of the commentaries in this short treatise, “The Crown-gem of Discrimination”,
explaining in detail the points that have to be grasped by those who seek absolution, and thereby directing them to the true and straight path.

LEARNING WON’T DO: Sri Sankara opens the theme by observing that it is hard indeed to attain human birth, and one should (having attained it) strive for the realisation of the bliss of liberation, which is verily the nature of one’s being. By jnana or Knowledge alone is this bliss realised, and jnana is achieved only through vichara or steady enquiry. In order to know this method of enquiry, says Sri Sankara, one should seek thefavour of a Guru, and proceeds to describe the qualities of the Guru and his sishya and how the latter should approach and serve his master. He further emphasises that in order to realise the bliss of liberation one’s own individual effort is an essential factor. Mere book-learning never yields this bliss which can be realised only through enquiry or vichara, which consists of sravana or devoted attention to the precepts of the Guru, manana or deep contemplation and Nididhyasana or the cultivation of steady poise in the Self.

THE THREE PATHS: The three bodies - physical, subtle and causal - are non-self and are unreal. The Self, or ‘I’, is quite different from them. It is due to ignorance that the sense of the Self or the ‘I’ notion is foisted on that which is not Self, and this indeed is bondage. Since from ignorance arises bondage, from Knowledge ensues liberation. To know this from the Guru is sravana. To reject the three bodies consisting of the five sheaths (physical, vital, mental, gnostic and blissful) as not ‘I’ and to extract through subtle enquiry of “Who am I?” - even as the central blade of grass is delicately drawn out from its whorl - that which is different from all the three bodies and is existent as one and universal in the heart as Aham or ‘I’ and denoted by the words Tvam (in the Scriptural dictum - ‘Tat-tvam-asi’ - That thou art). This process of subtle enquiry is manana or deep contemplation.

THE BEATITUDE: The world of name and form is but an adjunct of Sat or Brahman, and being not different from it is rejected as such and is affirmed as nothing else but Brahman. The instruction by the Guru to the disciple of the Mahavakya, Tat-tvam-asi, which declares the identity of the Self and the Supreme, is upadesa. The disciple is then enjoined to remain in the beatitude of Aham-Brahman - ‘I’ the Absolute. Nevertheless the old tendencies of the mind sprout up thick and strong and form an obstruction (to that state of beatitude). These tendencies are threefold and egoism, which is their root, flourishes in the externalised and differentiating consciousness caused by the forces of vikshepa or dissipation (due to rajas) and avarana or envelopment (due to tamas).

CHURNING THE MIND: To install the mind firmly in the heart until these forces are destroyed and to awaken with unswerving, ceaseless vigilance the true and cognate tendency which is characteristic of the Atman and is expressed by the dicta, Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman), and Brahmaivaham (Brahman alone am I) is termed nididhyasana or atmanusandhana, i.e., constancy in the Self. This is otherwise called Bhakti, Yoga and Dhyana. Atmanusandhana has been likened to churning the curd to draw forth butter, the mind being compared to the churning rod, the heart to the curd and the practice of constancy in the Self to the process of churning. Just as by churning the curd butter is extracted and by friction fire is kindled, even so, by unswerving vigilant constancy in the Self, ceaseless like the unbroken filamentary flow of oil, is generated the natural or changeless trance or nirvikalpa samadhi, which readily and spontaneously yields that direct, immediate, unobstructed and universal perception of Brahman, which is at once Knowledge and Experience and which transcends time and space.

LIMITLESS BLISS: This is Self-Realisation; and thereby is cut asunder the hridaya-granthi or the Knot of the Heart. The false delusions of ignorance, the vicious and age-long tendencies of the mind, which constitute this knot, are destroyed. All doubts are dispelled and the bondage of Karma is severed.
Thus has Sri Sankara described, in this “Crown-gem of Discrimination,” samadhi or trance transcendent, which is the limitless bliss of liberation, beyond doubt and duality, and has at the same time indicated the means for its attainments. To realise this state of freedom from duality is the summum bonum of life: and he alone that has won it is a jivanmukta (the liberated one while yet alive), and not he who has merely a theoretical understanding of what constitutes purushartha or the desired end and aim of human endeavour.

FINAL FREEDOM: Thus defining a jivanmukta, he is declared to be free from the bonds of threefold Karmas (sanchita, agami and prarabdha). The disciple who has reached this stage then relates his personal experience. The liberated one is free indeed to act as he pleases, and when he leaves the mortal frame, attains absolution, and returns not to this “birth which is death”. Sri Sankara thus describes Realisation that connotes liberation as twofold, i.e., jivanmukti and videha mukti referred to above. Moreover, in this short treatise, written in the form of a dialogue between a Guru and his disciple, he has considered many relevant topics.

If you do not make Atma vichara, then loka (world) vichara creeps in

Devotee: Why is Atma vichara necessary?

Ramana Maharishi: If you do not make Atma vichara, then loka vichara creeps in. That which is not, is sought for, but not that which is obvious. When once you have found what you seek, vichara (enquiry) also ceases and you rest in it. As long as one is confusing the body with the Atman, Atman is said to be lost and one is said to seek for it, but the ATMAN itself is never lost. It always exists. A body is said to be Atman, an indriya is said to be Atman, then there is the Jivatman and Paramatman and what not. There are a thousand and one things called Atman. The search for Atman is to know that which is really Atman.

Why do you say that you are a sinner?

Devotee: I am a sinner. I do not perform religious sacrifices (homas), etc. Shall I have painful rebirths for that reason? Pray save me!

Ramana Maharishi: Why do you say that you are a sinner? Your trust in God is sufficient to save you from rebirths. Cast all burden on Him. In the Tiruvachagam it is said: “Though I am worse than a dog, you have graciously undertaken to protect me. This delusion of birth and death is maintained by you. Moreover, am I the person to sift and judge? Am I the Lord here? Oh Maheswara! It is for you to roll me through bodies (by births and deaths) or to keep me fixed at your own feet.” Therefore have faith and that will save you.

So long as you think that there are others different from you, you pray for them. Help yourself by complete surrender!

“If the individual Self merges into the universal Self, how can one pray to God for the uplift of humanity?” The question seems to be common among the thinkers of the West.

Sri Bhagavan said: They pray to God and finish with “Thy Will be done!” If His Will be done why do they pray at all? It is true that the Divine Will prevails at all times and under all circumstances. The individuals cannot act of their own accord. Recognise the force of the Divine Will and keep quiet. Each one is looked after by God. He has created all. You are one among 2,000 millions. When He looks after so many will He omit you? Even common sense dictates that one should abide by His Will. Again there is no need to let Him know your needs. He knows them Himself and will look after them. Still more, why do you pray? Because you are helpless yourself and you want the Higher Power to help you. Well, does not your Creator and Protector know your weakness? Should you parade your weakness in order to make Him know it?

Devotee: But God helps those who help themselves.

Ramana Maharishi: Certainly. Help yourself and that is itself according to God’s Will. Every action is prompted by Him only. As for prayer for the sake of others, it looks so unselfish on the surface of it. But analyse the feeling and you will detect selfishness there also. You desire others’ happiness so that you may be happy. Or you want the credit for having interceded on others’ behalf. God does not require an intermediary. Mind your business and all will be well.

Devotee: Does not God work His Will through some chosen person?

Ramana Maharishi: God is in all and works through all. But His presence is better recognised in purified minds. The pure ones reflect God’s actions more clearly than the impure minds. Therefore people say that they are the chosen ones. But the ‘chosen’ man does not himself say so. If he thinks that he is the intermediary then it is clear that he retains his individuality and that there is no complete surrender.

Devotee: Are not the Brahmins considered to be the priests or intermediaries between God and others?

Ramana Maharishi: Yes. But who is a Brahmin? A Brahmin is one who has realised Brahman. Such a one has no sense of individuality in him. He cannot think that he acts as an intermediary. Again, as for prayer, a realised man does not see others as different from oneself. How can he pray at all, and to whom and for what? His very presence is the consummation of happiness for all. So long as you think that there are others different from you, you pray for them. But the sense of separateness is ignorance. This ignorance is again the cause of feeling helplessness. You  know that you are weak and helpless. How then can you help others? If you say, “By prayer to God”, God knows His business and does not require your intercession for others. Help yourself so that you may become strong. That is done by complete surrender. That means you offer yourself to Him. So you cannot retain your individuality after surrender. You then abide by His Will. Thus Silence is the Highest of all achievements. Silence is the ocean in which all the rivers of all the religions discharge themselves. So says Thayumanavar. He also adds that the Vedic religion is the only one which combines both philosophy and religion.

To be happy is natural; suffering is unnatural

Devotee: I suffer in both mind and body. From the day of my birth I have never had happiness. My mother too suffered from the time she conceived me, I hear. Why do I suffer thus? I have not sinned in this life. Is all this due to the sins of past lives?

Ramana Maharishi: If there should be unrelieved suffering all the time, who would seek happiness? That is, if suffering be the natural state, how can the desire to be happy arise at all? However the desire does arise. So to be happy is natural; all else is unnatural. Suffering is not desired, only because it comes and goes.

The questioner repeated his complaint.

Ramana Maharishi: You say the mind and body suffer. But do they ask the questions?  Who is the questioner? Is it not the one that is beyond both mind and body? You say the body suffers in this life; the cause of this is the previous life: its cause is the one before it, and so on. So, like the case of the seed and the sprout, there is no end to the causal series. It has to be said that all the lives have their first cause in ignorance. That same ignorance is present even now, framing this question. That ignorance must be removed by jnanam. “Why and to whom did this suffering come?” If you question thus you will find that the ‘I’ is separate from the mind and body, that the Self is the only eternal being, and that It is eternal bliss. That is jnanam.

Devotee: But why should there be suffering now?

Ramana Maharishi: If there were no suffering how could the desire to be happy arise? If that desire did not arise how would the Quest of the Self be successful?

Devotee: Then is all suffering good?

Ramana Maharishi: Quite so. What is happiness? Is it a healthy and handsome body, timely meals, and the like? Even an emperor has troubles without end though he may be healthy. So all suffering is due to the false notion “I am the body”. Getting rid of it is jnanam.

What is mouna (Silence)?

Devotee: ‘What is mouna (silence)?’

Ramana Maharishi: Mouna is not closing the mouth. It is eternal speech.

Devotee: I do not understand.

Ramana Maharishi: That state which transcends speech and thought is mouna.

Devotee: How to achieve it?

Ramana Maharishi: Hold some concept firmly and trace it back. By such concentration silence results. When practice becomes natural it will end in silence. Meditation without mental activity is silence. Subjugation of the mind is meditation. Deep meditation is eternal speech.

Devotee: How will worldly transaction go on if one observes silence?

Ramana Maharishi: When women walk with water pots on their heads and chat with their companions they remain very careful, their thoughts concentrated on the loads on their heads. Similarly when a sage engages in activities, these do not disturb him because his mind abides in Brahman.

Renunciation means giving up the possessor

Devotee: What is Renunciation?

Ramana Maharishi: Giving up of the ego.

Devotee: Is it not giving up possessions?

Ramana Maharishi: The possessor too.

Devotee: The world will change if the people will give up their possessions for the benefit of others.

Ramana Maharishi: First give yourself up and then think of the rest.

Self is here and now and eternal. Wisdom seems to dawn, though it is natural and ever present.

Ramana Maharishi: There is nothing to be gained anew. Ignorance of the Self is the cause of the present misery; knowledge of the Self brings about happiness.   Moreover, if anything is to be got anew it implies its previous absence. What remained once absent might vanish again. So there would be no permanency in salvation. Salvation is permanent because the Self is here and now and eternal . Thus the man’s efforts are directed towards the removal of ignorance. Wisdom seems to dawn, though it is natural and ever present.

Why are there so many methods?

Devotee: Why are there so many methods mentioned? For instance Sri Ramakrishna says that bhakti is the best means for salvation.

Ramana Maharishi: It is according to the standpoint of the aspirant. You have studied the Gita. Sri Krishna said: “There was never a time when I, and you, and these kings were not; nor will they not be in future. That which is unreal never exists. But that which is real never disappears. All that ever was even now is and will ever be.” Again, “I taught this Truth to Aditya; he taught it to Manu; etc.” Arjuna asked: “How can it be? You were born some years back and only recently. How could you have taught Aditya?” Sri Krishna answered; “Yes. We have had several births in the past. I know mine; whereas you do not know yours. I tell you what happened in those past births.” Look! That Krishna who began saying there was not I, nor were you, nor these kings, says now that he had several births before. Krishna does not contradict Himself, though it looks like it. He conforms to the outlook of Arjuna and speaks to him from his level. There is a parallel passage in the Bible where Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am”. The teachings of the Sages are suited to the time, place, people and other surroundings

Signs of aspirant's progress towards Self-Realisation

Devotee: In the practice of meditation are there any signs of the nature of subjective experience or otherwise, which will indicate the aspirant’s progress towards Self-Realisation

Ramana Maharishi: The degree of freedom from unwanted thoughts and the degree of concentration on a single thought are the measure to gauge the progress.

'I am this- I am not that' indicates limitations. Only ‘I am’ is the truth.

Sri Bhagavan said: The Jnani says, “I am the body”; The ajnani says, “I am the body”; what is the difference? ‘I am’ is the truth. The body is the limitation. The ajnani limits the ‘I’ to the body. ‘I’ remains independent of the body in sleep. The same ‘I’ is now in the wakeful state. Though imagined to be within the body, ‘I’ is without the body.  The wrong notion is not ‘I am the body.’ ‘I’ says so. The body is insentient and cannot say so. The mistake lies in thinking that ‘I’ is what ‘I’ is not. ‘I’ is not insentient. ‘I’ cannot be the inert body. The body’s movements are confounded with ‘I’ and misery is the result.  Whether the body works or not, ‘I’ remains free and happy. The ajnani’s ‘I’ is the body only. That is the whole error. The jnani’s ‘I’ includes the body and everything else. Clearly some intermediate entity arises and gives rise to the confusion.

Devotee: If the Jnani says “I am the body,” what happens to him in death?

Ramana Maharishi: He does not identify himself with the body even now.

Devotee: But you said just before that the Jnani says “I am the body.”

Ramana Maharishi: Yes. His ‘I’ includes the body. For there cannot be anything apart from ‘I’ for him. If the body falls away there is no loss for the ‘I’. ‘I’ remains the same. If the body feels dead let it raise the question. Being inert it cannot. ‘I’ never dies and does not ask the question. Who then dies? Who asks questions?

Devotee: For whom are all the sastras then? They cannot be for the real ‘I’. They must be for the unreal ‘I’. The real one does not require them. It is strange that the unreal should have so many sastras for him.

Ramana Maharishi: Yes. Quite so. Death is only a thought and nothing more. He who thinks raises troubles. Let the thinker tell us what happens to him in death. The real ‘I’ is silent. One should not think ‘I am this - I am not that’. To say ‘this or that’ is wrong. They are also limitations. Only ‘I am’ is the truth. Silence is ‘I’. If one thinks ‘I am this’, another thinks ‘I am this’ and so on, there is a clash of thoughts and so many religions are the result. The truth remains as it is, not affected by any statements, conflicting or otherwise.

Devotee: What is death? Is it not the falling away of the body?

Ramana Maharishi: Do you not desire it in sleep? What goes wrong then?

Devotee: But I know I shall wake up.

Ramana Maharishi: Yes - thought again. There is the preceding thought ‘I shall wake up’. Thoughts rule the life. Freedom from thoughts is one’s true nature - Bliss.

Ajapa (unspoken chant) eternally goes on

Devotee: It is said “Know thyself” or see who the “I” in you is. What is the way to do it? Is it by simply repeating the mantra mechanically all along or have you to do it, remembering every moment why you are repeating the mantra?

Ramana Maharishi: You are always repeating the mantra automatically.   If you are not aware of the ajapa (unspoken chant) which is eternally going on, you should take to japa. Japa is made with an effort. The effort is meant to ward off other thoughts. Then the japa becomes mental and internal. Finally, its ajapa and eternal nature will be realised.  For it will be found to be going on even without your effort. The effortless state is the state of realisation.

Seer is not separate from the experience

Devotee: Maharshi knows that I am ignorant.

Ramana Maharishi: Do you know that you are ignorant? Knowledge of ignorance is no ignorance. All scriptures are only for the purpose of investigating if there are two consciousnesses. Everyone’s experience proves the existence of only one consciousness. Can that one divide itself into two? Is any division felt in the Self? Awaking from sleep one finds oneself the same in the wakeful as well as in the sleep states. That is the experience of each one. The difference lies in seeking, in the outlook. Because you imagine that you are the seer separate from the experience, this difference arises. Experience shows that your being is the same all through.

What need is there to think of heaven?

Devotee: Do not we go to Heaven (svarga), etc. as the result of our actions?

Ramana Maharishi: That is as true as the present existence. But if we enquire who we are and discover the Self, what need is there to think of heaven, etc.?

How to get Bliss?

Devotee:  How to get Bliss?

Ramana Maharishi:  Bliss is not something to be got. On the other hand you are always Bliss. This desire is born of the sense of incompleteness. To whom is this sense of incompleteness? Enquire. In deep sleep you were blissful: Now you are not so. What has interposed between that Bliss and this non-bliss? It is the ego. Seek its source and find you are Bliss. There is nothing new to get. You have, on the other hand, to get rid of your ignorance which makes you think that you are other than Bliss. For whom is this ignorance? It is to the ego. Trace the source of the ego. Then the ego is lost and Bliss remains over. It is eternal. You are That, here and now.… That is the master key for solving all doubts. The doubts arise in the mind. The mind is born of the ego. The ego rises from the Self. Search the source of the ego and the Self is revealed. That alone remains. The universe is only expanded Self. It is not different from the Self.

Guru is none other than the Self

Devotee:  Realisation is said to be helped by Guru’s Grace.

Ramana Maharishi:  Guru is none other than the Self.

Devotee:  Krishna had Sandipini for his Guru and so Rama had Vasishta.

Ramana Maharishi:  Guru is said to be external for the seeker. The in-turn of the mind is brought about by the Guru. Since the seeker is out-ward-bent he is advised to learn from a Guru whom he will in due course find to be the Self.

Transcending Gunas

Ramana Maharishi: Does not one find some kind of peace while in meditation? That is the sign of progress. That peace will be deeper and more prolonged with continued practice. It will also lead to the goal. Bhagavad Gita - Chapter XIV - the final verses speak of gunatita (one who has transcended the gunas). That is the final stage. The earlier stages are asuddha satva (impure being), misra satva (mixed being), and suddha satva (Pure Being). Of these, the impure being is when overpowered by rajas and tamas; the mixed being is that state in which the being - satva - asserts itself spasmodically; the suddha satva overpowers rajas and tamas. After these successive stages there comes the state transcending gunas.

Right and wrong are nothing but ideas and nothing more

Devotee: If it is a question of doing something one considers wrong, and hereby saving someone else from a great wrong, should one do it or refrain?

Ramana Maharishi: What is right and wrong? There is no standard by which to judge something to be right and another to be wrong. Opinions differ according to the nature of the individual and according to the surroundings. They are again ideas and nothing more. Do not worry about them. But get rid of thoughts. If you always remain in the right, then right will prevail in the world.

Are the gods Iswara or Vishnu and their sacred regions Kailasa or Vaikuntha real?

Devotee: “Are the gods Iswara or Vishnu and their sacred regions Kailasa or Vaikuntha real?"

Ramana Maharishi: As real as you are in this body.

Devotee: Where do they exist?

Ramana Maharishi: In you.

Devotee: Then it is only idea - that which I can create and control?

Ramana Maharishi: Everything is like that.

Devotee: Do devas and pisachas (devils) exist similarly?

Ramana Maharishi: Yes.

Are you in the family or is the family in you?

Devotee: I am a man with a family. Is it possible for those in a family to get release, and if so how?

Ramana Maharishi: Now what is family? Whose family is it? If the answers to these questions are found the other questions solve themselves. Tell me: Are you in the family, or is the family in you?
The visitor did not answer. Then Sri Bhagavan’s answer was continued: Who are you? You include three aspects of life, namely, the waking, the dream and the sleep states. You were not aware of the family and their  ties in your sleep and so these questions did not arise then. But now you are aware of the family and their ties and therefore you seek release. But you are the same person throughout.

Devotee: Because I now feel that I am in the family it is right that I should seek release.

Ramana Maharishi: You are right. But consider and say: Are you in the family or is the family in you?

Another Devotee interposed: What is family?

Ramana Maharishi: That’s it. It must be known.

Devotee: There is my wife and there are also my children. They are dependent on me. That is the family.

Ramana Maharishi: Do the members of the family bind your mind? Or do you bind yourself to them? Do they come and say to you “We form your family. Be with us”? Or do you consider them as your family and that you are bound to them?

Devotee: I consider them as my family and feel bound to them.

Ramana Maharishi: Quite so. Because you think that so-and-so is your wife and so-and-so are your children you also think that you are bound to them. These thoughts are yours. They owe their very existence to you. You can entertain these thoughts or relinquish them.  The former is bondage and the latter is release.

Devotee: It is not quite clear to me.

Ramana Maharishi: You must exist in order that you may think. You may think these thoughts or other thoughts. The thoughts change but not you. Let go the passing thoughts and hold on to the unchanging Self. The thoughts form your bondage. If they are given up, there is release. The bondage is not external. So no external remedy need be sought for release. It is within your competence to think and thus to get bound or to cease thinking and thus be free.

Devotee: But it is not easy to remain without thinking.

Ramana Maharishi: You need not cease thinking. Only think of the root of the thoughts; seek it and find it. The Self shines by itself. When that is found the thoughts cease of their own accord.  That is freedom from bondage.

The peace is your natural and permanent state

Devotee: The mind becomes peaceful for a short while and again emerges forth. What is to be done?

Ramana Maharishi: The peace often gained must be remembered at other times. That peace is your natural and permanent state. By continuous practice it will become natural. That is called the ‘current.’ That is your true nature.

Practice is power

Ramana Maharishi:  Practice is power. If thoughts are reduced to a single thought the mind is said to have grown strong. When practice remains unshaken it becomes sahaja (natural).

Identification with the body & inadvertence of the ego is the cause of misery

Ramana Maharishi:  The ego identifies itself with the body, and so loses sight of the Self and the result of this inadvertence is dark ignorance and the misery of the present life.

You are beyond will and fate

A devotee asked about free-will and destiny.

Ramana Maharishi: Whose will is it? ‘It is mine’, you may say. You are beyond will and fate. Abide as that and you transcend them both. That is the meaning of conquering destiny by will. Fate can be conquered. Fate is the result of past actions. By association with the wise the bad tendencies are conquered. One’s experiences are then viewed to their proper perspective. I exist now. I am the enjoyer. I enjoy fruits of action. I was in the past and shall be in the future. Who is this ‘I’? Finding this ‘I’ to be pure Consciousness beyond action and enjoyment, freedom and happiness are gained. There is then no effort, for the Self is perfect and there remains nothing more to gain. So long as there is individuality, one is the enjoyer and doer. But if it is lost, the divine Will prevails and guides the course of events. The individual is perceptible to others who cannot perceive divine force. Restrictions and discipline are for other individuals and not for the liberated. Free-will is implied in the scriptural injunctions to be good. It implies overcoming fate. It is done by wisdom. The fire of wisdom consumes all actions. Wisdom is acquired by association with the wise, or rather, its mental atmosphere.

Temporary and Reality

Devotee: What is the necessity for reincarnation?

Ramana Maharishi: Let us first see if there is incarnation before we speak of reincarnation.

Devotee: How?

Ramana Maharishi: Are you now incarnated that you speak of reincarnation?

Devotee: Yes. Certainly. An amoeba developed into higher organisms until the human being has been evolved. This is now the perfection in development. Why should there be further reincarnation?

Ramana Maharishi: Who is to set limits to this theory of evolution?

Devotee: Physically it is perfect. But for the soul, further development may be required which will happen after the death of the man.

Ramana Maharishi: Who is the man? Is he the body or the soul?

Devotee: Both put together.

Ramana Maharishi: Do you not exist in the absence of the body?

Devotee: How do you mean? It is impossible.

Ramana Maharishi: What was your state in deep sleep?

Devotee: Sleep is temporary death. I was unconscious and therefore I cannot say what the state was.

Ramana Maharishi: But you existed in sleep. Did you not?

Devotee: In sleep the soul leaves the body and goes out somewhere. Then it returns to the body before waking. It is therefore temporary death.

Ramana Maharishi: A man who is dead never returns to say that he died, whereas the man who had slept says that he slept.

Devotee: Because this is temporary death.

Ramana Maharishi: If death is temporary and life is temporary, what is it that is real?

Devotee: What is meant by the question?

Ramana Maharishi: If life and death be temporary, there must be something which is not temporary. Reality is that which is not temporary.

Devotee: There is nothing real. Everything is temporary. Everything is maya.

Ramana Maharishi: On what does maya appear?

Devotee: Now I see you; it is all maya.

Ramana Maharishi: If everything is maya, how does any question arise?

With Sraddha Grace will manifest

Ramana Maharishi: Grace is the Self. It is not manifest because of ignorance prevailing. With sraddha, it will become manifest. Sraddha, Grace, Light, Spirit are all synonymous with the Self.

Is the experience of the Highest State the same to all? Or is there any difference?

Devotee: “Is the experience of the Highest State the same to all? Or is there  any difference?”

Ramana Maharishi: The Highest State is the same and the experience is also the same.

Devotee:  But I find some difference in the interpretations put on the Highest Truth.

Ramana Maharishi: The interpretations are made with the minDevotee The minds are different and so the interpretations are different.

Devotee: I mean to ask if the seers express themselves differently?

Ramana Maharishi: The expressions may differ according to the nature of the seekers. They are meant to guide the seekers.

Devotee:  One seer speaks in the terms of Christianity, another in those of Islam, a third of Buddhism, etc. Is that due to their upbringing?

Ramana Maharishi: Whatever may be their upbringing, their experience is the same. But the modes of expression differ according to circumstances.