Devotee: There are widespread disasters spreading havoc in the world e.g., famine and pestilence. What is the cause of this state of affairs?
Ramana Maharishi: To whom does all this appear?
Devotee: That won’t do. I see misery around.
Ramana Maharishi: You were not aware of the world and its sufferings in your sleep; you are conscious of them in your wakeful state. Continue in that state in which you were not afflicted by these. That is to say, when you are not aware of the world, its sufferings do not affect you. When you remain as the Self, as in sleep, the world and its sufferings will not affect you. Therefore look within. See the Self! There will be an end of the world and its miseries.
Devotee: But that is selfishness.
Ramana Maharishi: The world is not external. Because you identify yourself wrongly with the body you see the world outside, and its pain becomes apparent to you. But they are not real. Seek the reality and get rid of this unreal feeling.
Devotee: There are great men, public workers, who cannot solve the problem of the misery of the world.
Ramana Maharishi: They are ego-centred and therefore their inability. If they remained in the Self they would be different.
Devotee: Why do not Mahatmas help?
Ramana Maharishi: How do you know that they do not help? Public speeches, physical activity
and material help are all outweighed by the silence of Mahatmas. They accomplish more than others.
Devotee: What is to be done by us for ameliorating the condition of the world?
Ramana Maharishi: If you remain free from pain, there will be no pain anywhere. The trouble now is due to your seeing the world externally and also thinking that there is pain there. But both the world and the pain are within you. If you look within there will be no pain.
Devotee: God is perfect. Why did He create the world imperfect? The work shares the nature of the author. But here it is not so.
Ramana Maharishi: Who is it that raises the question?
Devotee: I - the individual.
Ramana Maharishi: Are you apart from God that you ask this question? So long as you consider yourself the body you see the world as external. The imperfections appear to you. God is perfection. His work also is perfection. But you see it as imperfection because of your wrong identification.
Devotee: Why did the Self manifest as this miserable world?
Ramana Maharishi: In order that you might seek it. Your eyes cannot see themselves. Place a mirror before them and they see themselves. Similarly with the creation. “See yourself first and then see the whole world as the Self.”
Devotee: So it amounts to this - that I should always look within.
Ramana Maharishi: Yes.
Devotee: Should I not see the world at all?
Ramana Maharishi: You are not instructed to shut your eyes from the world. You are only to “see yourself first and then see the whole world as the Self”. If you consider yourself as the body the world appears to be external. If you are the Self the world appears as Brahman.
Ramana Maharishi: To whom does all this appear?
Devotee: That won’t do. I see misery around.
Ramana Maharishi: You were not aware of the world and its sufferings in your sleep; you are conscious of them in your wakeful state. Continue in that state in which you were not afflicted by these. That is to say, when you are not aware of the world, its sufferings do not affect you. When you remain as the Self, as in sleep, the world and its sufferings will not affect you. Therefore look within. See the Self! There will be an end of the world and its miseries.
Devotee: But that is selfishness.
Ramana Maharishi: The world is not external. Because you identify yourself wrongly with the body you see the world outside, and its pain becomes apparent to you. But they are not real. Seek the reality and get rid of this unreal feeling.
Devotee: There are great men, public workers, who cannot solve the problem of the misery of the world.
Ramana Maharishi: They are ego-centred and therefore their inability. If they remained in the Self they would be different.
Devotee: Why do not Mahatmas help?
Ramana Maharishi: How do you know that they do not help? Public speeches, physical activity
and material help are all outweighed by the silence of Mahatmas. They accomplish more than others.
Devotee: What is to be done by us for ameliorating the condition of the world?
Ramana Maharishi: If you remain free from pain, there will be no pain anywhere. The trouble now is due to your seeing the world externally and also thinking that there is pain there. But both the world and the pain are within you. If you look within there will be no pain.
Devotee: God is perfect. Why did He create the world imperfect? The work shares the nature of the author. But here it is not so.
Ramana Maharishi: Who is it that raises the question?
Devotee: I - the individual.
Ramana Maharishi: Are you apart from God that you ask this question? So long as you consider yourself the body you see the world as external. The imperfections appear to you. God is perfection. His work also is perfection. But you see it as imperfection because of your wrong identification.
Devotee: Why did the Self manifest as this miserable world?
Ramana Maharishi: In order that you might seek it. Your eyes cannot see themselves. Place a mirror before them and they see themselves. Similarly with the creation. “See yourself first and then see the whole world as the Self.”
Devotee: So it amounts to this - that I should always look within.
Ramana Maharishi: Yes.
Devotee: Should I not see the world at all?
Ramana Maharishi: You are not instructed to shut your eyes from the world. You are only to “see yourself first and then see the whole world as the Self”. If you consider yourself as the body the world appears to be external. If you are the Self the world appears as Brahman.
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