That which is enduring must alone be the real nature.

Ramana Maharishi:  Being without the body you were happy too in sleep. You are the same now too. That which is enduring must alone be the real nature. There was no body but only experience of
happiness in sleep. That endures now too. The Self is bodiless. If you are thus without body how can Siva be with body? If you are with body Siva also is with body. If you are not, He also is not.

How can one become jitasangadoshah (free from the stain of association)?

Devotee: How can one become jitasangadoshah (free from the stain of association)?

Ramana Maharishi:  By satsanga (association with the wise). “Satsangatve nissangatvam, nissangatve nirmohatvam, nirmohatve nischalatatvam, nischalatatve jivanmuktih.” Satsanga means sanga (association) with sat. Sat is only the Self. Since the Self is not now understood to be Sat, the company of the sage who has thus understood it is sought. That is Sat-sanga. Introversion results. Then Sat is revealed. For whom is association? For whom is dosha?

Devotee:  To the Self.

Ramana Maharishi:  No. The Self is pure and unaffected. The impurities affect only the ego.

Learning leading to search for Truth and humility is good.

Ramana Maharishi:  Pride of learning and desire for appreciation are condemned and not learning itself. Learning leading to search for Truth and humility is  good.

Contemplation is possible only with control of mind and control can be accomplished only by contemplation. Is it not a vicious circle?

Devotee:  Contemplation is possible only with control of mind and control can be accomplished only
by contemplation. Is it not a vicious circle?

Ramana Maharishi:  Yes, they are interdependent. They must go on side by side. Practice and dispassion bring about the result gradually. Dispassion is practised to check the mind from being projected outward; practice is to keep it turned inward. There is a struggle between control and  contemplation. It is going on constantly within. Contemplation will in due course be successful.

How is annihilation of predispositions to be accomplished?

Devotee:  How is annihilation of predispositions to be accomplished?

Ramana Maharishi:  You are in that condition in realisation.

Devotee:  Does it mean that, holding on to the Self, the tendencies should be scorched as they begin to emerge?

Ramana Maharishi:  They will themselves be scorched if only you remain as you truly are.

Do you hold a mirror before you to know your own being?

A Devotee asked about the three methods mentioned in Ramana Gita - Chapter II.  

Ramana Maharshi pointed out that breath-retention is an aid to control of mind, i.e., suppression or annihilation of thoughts.  One person may practise breath-control, inhalation, exhalation and retention or retention only.  Still another type of practising meditator, on controlling the mind, controls the breath and its retention automatically results. Watching the inhalation and exhalation is also breath-control. These methods are only apparently three-fold. They are in fact really one, because they lead to the same goal.  They are however differently adopted according to the stage of the aspirant and his antecedent predisposition or tendencies. Really there are only two methods: enquiry and devotion. One leads to the other.

Devotee:  Seeking the ‘I’ there is nothing to be seen.

Ramana Maharishi:  Because you are accustomed to identify yourself with the body and sight with the eyes, therefore, you say you do not see anything. What is there to be seen? Who is to see? How to see? There is only one consciousness which, manifesting as ‘I-thought’, identifies itself with the body, projects itself through the eyes and sees the objects around. The individual is limited in the waking state and expects to see something different. The evidence of his senses will be the seal of authority. But he will not admit that the seer, the seen and the sight are all manifestations of the same consciousness - namely, ‘I-I’. Contemplation helps one to overcome the illusion that the Self must be visual. In truth, there is nothing visual. How do you feel the ‘I’ now? Do you hold a mirror before you to know your own being? The awareness is the ‘I’. Realise it and that is the truth.

Devotee:  On enquiry into the origin of thoughts there is a perception of ‘I’. But it does not satisfy me.

Ramana Maharishi:  Quite right. The perception of ‘I’ is associated with a form, maybe the body. There should be nothing associated with the pure Self.  The Self is the unassociated, pure Reality, in whose light, the body, the ego, etc. shine. On stilling all thoughts the pure consciousness remains over. Just on waking from sleep and before becoming aware of the world there is that pure ‘I-I’. Hold to it without sleeping or without allowing thoughts to possess you. If that is held firm it does not matter even though the world is seen. The seer remains unaffected by the phenomena.

The mind begins to elude him and the man is not aware of the mischief until after some time.

Devotee:  Even if the mind is brought to bear on the search for the Self, after a long struggle the mind begins to elude him and the man is not aware of the mischief until after some time.

Ramana Maharishi:  So it would be. In the earlier stages the mind reverts to the search at long intervals; with continued practice it reverts at shorter intervals until finally it does not wander at all. It is then that the dormant sakti manifests. The satvic mind is free from thoughts whereas the rajasic mind is full of them. The sattvic mind resolves itself into the Life-current.

Fixity in the Supreme Spirit (Brahma nishta) alone can make us know and realise it.

Devotee:  “Has the discrimination between Reality and Unreality (Sat asat vicharana) the efficacy in itself to lead us to the realisation of the one Imperishable?”

Ramana Maharishi:  As propounded by all and realised by all true seekers, fixity in the Supreme Spirit (Brahma nishta) alone can make us know and realise it.  It being of us and in us, any amount of discrimination (vivechana) can lead us only one step forward, by making us renouncers, by goading us to discard the seeming (abhasa) as transitory and to hold fast to the eternal truth and presence alone.

Everyone is the Self by his own experience.

Maharshi explained in the course of conversation: Whoever desires liberation? Everyone wants only happiness -happiness too as found in the enjoyment of the senses. This question was asked of a Guru, and the latter answered: “Quite so. That happiness which is the result of enjoyment by the senses is the same as that of liberation. That desire of such liberation is one of the four qualifications for attainment. This is common to all. So all are eligible for this knowledge - Self-knowledge.” In fact there may not be found any individual in the world who possesses all the qualities in perfection necessary for an aspirant as mentioned in Yoga Sutras, etc. Still pursuit of Self-knowledge should not be abandoned. Everyone is the Self by his own experience. Still he is not aware, he identifies the Self with the body and feels miserable. This is the greatest of all mysteries. One is the Self. Why not abide as the Self and be done with miseries? In the beginning one has to be told that he is not the body, because he thinks that he is the body only. Whereas he is the body and all else. The body is only a part. Let him know it finally. He must first discern consciousness from insentience and be the consciousness only. Later let him realise that insentience is not apart from consciousness. This is discrimination (viveka). The initial discrimination must persist to the end. Its fruit is liberation.

To think is not your real nature.

Ramana Maharishi:  To imagine Muladhara at the bottom, the Heart at the centre, or the head at the top or over all these, is all wrong. In one word, to think is not your real nature.

Realization is always and everywhere here and now too.

Devotee:  What is the difference between meditation and enquiry into the Self?

Ramana Maharishi:  Meditation is possible only if the ego be kept up. There is the ego and the object meditated upon. The method is indirect. Whereas the Self is only one. Seeking the ego, i.e., its source, ego disappears. What is left over is the Self. This method is the direct one.

Devotee:  Then what am I to do?

Ramana Maharishi:  To hold on to the Self.

Devotee:  How?

Ramana Maharishi:  Even now you are the Self. But you are confounding this consciousness
(or ego) with the absolute consciousness. This false identification is due to ignorance. Ignorance disappears along with the ego. Killing the ego is the only thing to accomplish. Realisation is already there. No attempt is needed to attain realisation. For it is nothing external, nothing new. It is always and everywhere here and now too.

Are there two selves?

Devotee:  Is there not the individuality? I fear to lose my individual being. Is there not in consciousness the consciousness of being human?

Ramana Maharishi:  Why fear to lose individuality? What is your state in dreamless sleep? Are you conscious of your individuality then?

Devotee:  It is possible.

Ramana Maharishi:  But what is your experience? If individuality be there, would it be deep sleep?

Devotee:  That depends on the interpretation. What does Maharshi say?

Ramana Maharishi:  Maharshi cannot speak for your experience. He does not force anything down your throat.

Devotee:  I know. That is why I like Him and His teachings so much.

Ramana Maharishi:  Do you not really prepare your bed and are you not anxious to lose your individuality in deep sleep? Why fear it?

Devotee:  What is the nirvana of Buddha?

Ramana Maharishi:  Loss of individuality.

Devotee:  I dread that loss. Can there not be human consciousness in nirvana?

Ramana Maharishi:  Are there two selves in that case? Consider your present experience of sleep and say.

Be yourself and nothing more!

Ramana Maharishi:  Be what you are. There is nothing to come down or become manifest. All that is needful is to lose the ego, That what is, is always there. Even now you are That. You are not apart from it. The blank is seen by you. You are there to see the blank. What do you wait for? The thought “I have not seen,” the expectation to see and the desire of getting something, are all the working of the ego. You have fallen into the snares of the ego. The ego says all these and not you. Be yourself and nothing more!

Is there any necessity to obey physical laws, i.e., dieting?

Devotee:  Is there any necessity to obey physical laws, i.e., dieting?

Ramana Maharishi:  These are in imagination only.

Please tell me the method of reaching the eternal Truth.

Devotee:  Please tell me the method of reaching the eternal Truth.

Ramana Maharishi:  You are That. Can you ever remain apart from the Self? To be yourself requires no effort since you are always That.

It is with the ajnani who superimposes his illusive ideas on others.

Ramana Maharishi:  The Jnani sees no one as an ajnani. All are only jnanis in his sight. In the ignorant state one superimposes his ignorance on a Jnani and mistakes him for a doer. In the state of jnana, the Jnani sees nothing separate from the Self. The Self is all shining and only pure jnana. So there is no ajnana in his sight. There is an illustration for this kind of allusion or super-imposition. Two friends went to sleep side by side. One of them dreamt that both of them had gone on a long journey and had strange experiences. On waking up he recapitulated them and asked his friend if it was not so. The other one simply ridiculed him saying that it was only his dream and could not affect the other. So it is with the ajnani who superimposes his illusive ideas on others.

Is a Jnani capable or likely to commit sins?

Devotee:  Is a Jnani capable or likely to commit sins?

Ramana Maharishi:  An ajnani sees someone as a Jnani and identifies him with the body. Because he does not know the Self and, mistakes his body for the Self, he extends the same mistake to the state of the Jnani. The Jnani is therefore considered to be the physical frame. Again since the ajnani, though he is not the doer, yet imagines himself to be the doer and considers the actions of the body his own, he thinks the Jnani to be similarly acting when the body is active. But the Jnani himself knows the Truth and is not confounded. The state of a Jnani cannot be determined by the ajnani and therefore the question troubles only the ajnani and never does it arise for the Jnani. If he is a doer he must determine the nature of the actions. The Self cannot be the doer. Find out who is the doer and the Self is revealed.

What are the fundamental tests for discovering men of great spirituality, since some are reported to behave like insane people?

Devotee:  What are the fundamental tests for discovering men of great spirituality, since some are reported to behave like insane people?

Ramana Maharishi:  The jnani’s mind is known only to the Jnani. One must be a Jnani oneself in order to understand another Jnani. However the peace of mind which permeates the saint’s atmosphere is the only means by which the seeker understands the greatness of the saint. His words or actions or appearance are no indications of his greatness, for they are ordinarily beyond the comprehension of common people.

Guru is only one. He is not physical.

Devotee:  When loyal to one Master can you respect others?

Ramana Maharishi:  Guru is only one. He is not physical. So long as there is weakness the support of strength is needed.

If you are firm in your belief in the guidance of God, stick to it, and do not concern yourself with what happens around you.

Devotee:  Sri Bhagavan said last night that God is guiding us. Then why should we make an effort to do anything?

Ramana Maharishi:  Who asks you to do so? If there was that faith in the guidance of God this question would not have arisen.

Devotee:  The fact is that God guides us. Then what is the use of these instructions to people?

Ramana Maharishi:  They are for those who seek instructions. If you are firm in your belief in the guidance of God, stick to it, and do not concern yourself with what happens around you.
Furthermore, there may be happiness or misery. Be equally indifferent to both and abide in the faith of God. That will be so only when one’s faith is strong that God looks after all of us.

Devotee: “How shall I secure that firm faith?”

Ramana Maharishi:  Exactly. It is for such as these who want instructions. There are persons who seek freedom from misery. They are told that God guides all and so there need not be any concern about what happens. If they are of the best type they at once believe it and firmly abide by faith in God. But there are others who are not so easily convinced of the truth of the bare statement. They ask: “Who is God? What is His nature? Where is He? How can He be realised?” and so on. In order to satisfy them intellectual discussion is found necessary. Statements are made, their pros and cons are argued, and the truth is thus made clear to the intellect. When the matter is understood intellectually the earnest seeker begins to apply it practically. He argues at every moment, “For whom are these thoughts? Who am I?” and so forth, until he is well-established in the conviction that a Higher Power guides us. That is firmness of faith. Then all his doubts are cleared and he needs no further instructions.

Devotee:  We also have faith in God.

Ramana Maharishi:  If it had been firm no questions would have arisen. The person will remain perfectly happy in his Faith in the Omnipotent.

How shall I pray to God?

Devotee:  How shall I pray to God?

Ramana Maharishi:  There-must be ‘I’ who prays to God. ‘I’ is certainly immediate and intimate, whereas God is not thought so. Find out that which is more intimate and then the other may be ascertained and prayed to if necessary.

Is there any benefit accruing by dying in Benares?

Devotee:  Is there any benefit accruing by dying in Benares?

Ramana Maharishi:  Yes, the meaning will be clear if the real Benares and real dying be understood.

Devotee:  You mean that they are in the Self?

Ramana Maharishi:   Yes.

Why are there so many Gods mentioned?

Devotee:  Why are there so many Gods mentioned?

Ramana Maharishi:  The body is only one. Still, how many functions are performed by it? The source of all the functions is only one. It is in the same way with the Gods also.

It is not easy to remain without thinking.

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 essential point is that the mind must always remain in its source.

Devotee:   I often desire to live in solitude where I can find all I want with ease, so that I may devote all my time to meditation only. Is such a desire good or bad?

Ramana Maharishi:  Such thoughts will bestow a janma (reincarnation) for their fulfilment. What does it matter where and how you are placed? The essential point is that the mind must always remain in its source. There is nothing external which is not also internal. The mind is all. If the mind is active even solitude becomes like a market place. There is no use closing your eyes. Close the mental eye and all will be right. The world is not external to you. The good persons will not care to make plans previous to their actions. Why so? For God who has sent us into the world has His own plan and that will certainly work itself out

Never mind the mind

Devotee:  Mind always wanders. I cannot control it.

Ramana Maharishi:  It is the nature of the mind to wander. You are not the mind. The mind springs up and sinks down. It is impermanent, transitory, whereas you are eternal. There is nothing but the Self. To inhere in the Self is the thing. Never mind the mind. If its source is sought, it will vanish leaving the Self unaffected.

Devotee:   So one need not seek to control the mind?

Ramana Maharishi:   There is no mind to control if you realise the Self. The mind vanishing, the Self shines forth. In the realised man the mind may be active or inactive, the Self alone remains for him. For the mind, the body and the world are not separate from the Self. They rise from and sink into the Self. They do not remain apart from the Self. Can they be different from the Self? Only be aware of the Self. Why worry about these shadows? How do they affect the Self?

The universe is only an object created by the mind and has its being in the mind.

Ramana Maharishi:  The mind is something mysterious. It consists of satva, rajas and tamas. The latter two give rise to vikshepa. In the satva aspect, it remains pure and uncontaminated. So there are no thoughts there and it is identical with the Self. The mind is like akasa (ether). Just as there are the objects in the akasa, so there are thoughts in the mind. The akasa is the counterpart of the mind and objects are of thought. One cannot hope to measure the universe and study the phenomena. It is impossible. For the objects are mental creations. To measure them is similar to trying to stamp with one’s foot on the head of the shadow cast by oneself. The farther one moves the farther the shadow does also. So one cannot plant one’s foot on the head of the shadow. (Here Sri Bhagavan related several incidents connected with shadows including the pranks of monkeys and a mirror). A child sees his own shadow and tries to hold the head of the shadow. As he bends and puts out his arm the head moves further. The child struggles more and more. The mother, seeing the struggle, pities the young one. So she takes hold of the young hand and keeps it on his own head and tells the child to observe the head of the shadow caught in the hand. Similarly with the ignorant practiser to study the universe. The universe is only an object created by the mind and has its being in the mind. It cannot be measured as an exterior entity. One must reach the Self in order to reach the universe. Again people often ask how the mind is controlled. I say to them, “Show me the mind and then you will know what to do.” The fact is that the mind is only a bundle of thoughts. How can you extinguish it by the thought of doing so or by a desire? Your thoughts and desires are part and parcel of the mind. The mind is simply fattened by new thoughts rising up. Therefore it is foolish to attempt to kill the mind by means of the mind. The only way of doing it is to find its source and hold on to it. The mind will then fade away of its own accord. Yoga teaches chitta vritti nirodha (control of the activities of the mind). But I say Atma vichara (Self-investigation). This is the practical way. Chitta vritti nirodha is brought about in sleep, swoon or by starvation. As soon as the cause is withdrawn there is recrudescence of thoughts. Of what use is it then? In the state of stupor there is peace and no misery. But misery recurs when the stupor is removed. So nirodha (control) is useless and cannot be of lasting benefit. How then can the benefit be made lasting? It is by finding the cause of misery. Misery is due to objects. If they are not there, there will be no contingent thoughts and so misery is wiped off. “How will objects cease to be?” is the next question. The shrutis and the sages say that the objects are only mental creations. They have no substantive being. Investigate the matter and ascertain the truth of the statement. The result will be the conclusion that the objective world is in the subjective consciousness. The Self is thus the only Reality which permeates and also envelops the world. Since there is no duality, no thoughts will arise to disturb your peace. This is Realisation of the Self. The Self is eternal and so also its Realisation. In the course of the discourse Sri Bhagavan also made a few points clearer: Abhyasa consists in withdrawal within the Self every time you are disturbed by thought. It is not concentration or destruction of the mind but withdrawal into the Self. Dhyana, bhakti, japa, etc., are aids to keep out the multiplicity of thoughts. A single thought prevails which too eventually dissolves in the Self.