The following quotes are taken
from Talks with Ramana Maharshi, 2001, Inner Directions Publishing, Carlsbad,
California. These are the passages that struck me the most when I read Talks,
the ones I found particularly illuminating in my spiritual search. I publish
them here in the hope that they may benefit others as they have benefited me.
Om shanti om!
Abide as the Self
“There is no greater mystery than the
following: Ourselves being the Reality, we seek to gain reality. We think there
is something hiding our Reality, and that it must be destroyed before the
Reality is gained. That is ridiculous. A day will dawn when you will yourself
laugh at your own past efforts. That which will be on the day you laugh is also
here and now.” (101-2)
“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?” (126)
Brahman is the world
“The world is illusory; Brahman alone is real; Brahman is the world.” (ix)
“D. What does Maharshi think of the theory of universal illusion (Maya)?
M. What is Maya? It is only Reality.
D. Is not Maya illusion?
M. Maya is used to signify the manifestations of the Reality. Thus Maya
is only Reality.” (13)
“The aspirant (abhyasi) starts with the definition that that which is
real exists always; then he eliminates the world as unreal because it is
changing. It cannot be real; “not this, not this!” The seeker ultimately
reaches the Self and there finds unity as the prevailing note. Then, that which
was originally rejected as being unreal is found to be a part of the unity.
Being absorbed in the Reality, the world also is Real.” (33)
The world “is unreal if viewed as apart from the Self and real if viewed as the
Self”. (408)
Everything exists within you
“The Self does not move. The world moves in it.” (173)
“There are no objects without the subject; that is, the objects do not come and
tell you that they are, rather it is you who say that the objects exist… Find out
what you are and then you understand what the world is.” (292)
“Owing to the idea “I am the body,” the separate objects are seen as if
lying outside. Know that they are all within yourself.” (376)
I Am that I Am
“D. Is there
thought in samadhi?
M. There will only be the feeling I Am and no other thoughts.
D. Is not I Am a thought?
M. The egoless “I am” is no thought; it is realization. The significance of “I”
is God.” (150)
“Wakefulness passes off, I am; the dream state passes off, I am; the sleep
state passes off, I am. They repeat themselves, and yet “I Am” remains.” (160)
“One should not think “I am this – I am not that”. To say “this or that” is
wrong. They are limitations. Only “I am” is the truth.” (164)
“To be the
Self is the same as seeing the Self.” (251)
“The whole Vedanta is contained in two Biblical statements: “I Am that I Am”
and “Be still and know that I am God”.” (255)
“Your duty is to be, and not to be this or that. “I Am that I Am”
sums up the whole truth. The method is summed up in “Be Still”. What does
“stillness” mean? It means: “Destroy yourself.” Because any form or shape is
the cause of trouble. Give up the notion that “I am so and so”… Aham aham
(“I-I”) is the Self; Aham idam (“I am this”) is the ego.” (276)
Bliss, the self-tasting sugar
“Some contend
that the sugar cannot taste its own sweetness and that a taster must taste and
enjoy it. Similarly, an individual cannot be the Supreme and enjoy the Bliss of
that state; therefore, the individuality must be maintained on the one hand and
Godhead on the other so that enjoyment may result! Is God insentient like
sugar?” (140)
“Consciousness is the only truth… Its very nature is Bliss. Bliss alone is.
There is no enjoyer to enjoy pleasure. Enjoyer and joy – both merge in it.”
(159)
“There is happiness at pleasant sights, etc. It is the happiness inherent in
the Self. That happiness is not alien and afar. You are diving into the Pure
Self on occasions, which you consider pleasurable. That diving reveals the
self-existent Bliss. But the association of ideas is responsible for foisting
this bliss onto other things or happenings. In fact, it is within you. On these
occasions you are plunging into the Self, though unconsciously. If you do so
consciously, you call it Realization. I want you to dive consciously into the
Self, i.e., into the Heart.” (177)
The body is only a part
“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.” (126)
“The jnani
says, “I am the body”; the ajnani says, “I am the body”; what is the
difference?... The ajnani’s “I” is the body only. That is the whole
error. The jnani’s “I” includes the body and everything else.” (164)
“To identify oneself with the body and yet to seek happiness is like attempting
to cross a river on the back of an alligator.” (298)
Ignorance
“Identification with the body is dvaita. Non-identification is advaita.”
(34)
“The fact is
that you are ignorant of your blissful state. Ignorance supervenes and draws a
veil over the pure Bliss. Attempts are directed only to remove this ignorance.
This ignorance consists in wrong knowledge. The wrong knowledge consists in
false identification of the Self with the body, the mind, etc. This false
identity must go, and what remains only is the Self.” (172)
“D. What is avidya?
M. Ignorance of Self. Who is ignorant of the Self? The self must be ignorant of
Self. Are there two selves?” (179)
“People ask: “How did ignorance (avidya) arise at all?” We have to say
to them: “Ignorance never arose. It has no real being. That which is, is only vidya
(Knowledge).” (206)
“The ego is simply wrong identity of the Self with the non-self, as in the case
of a colorless crystal and its colored background. If the background is removed
the crystal shines in its original purity. So it is with the Self and the
organs of cognition.” (299)
“Inasmuch as you say you are ignorant, you are wise.” (300)
“Illusion is itself illusory. Illusion must be seen by one beyond it.” (342)
Self-inquiry
“That which is born must die; that which is acquired must be lost. Were you
born? You are ever existent. The Self can never be lost.” (14)
“The quest “Who am I?” is the axe with which to cut off the ego.” (102)
“One has only to remove the transitory happenings in order to realize the
ever-present beatitude of the Self.” (123)
The Self is “the survivor after suicide” (256).
“How does one know the world to be transitory? Unless something permanent is
held, the transitory nature of the world cannot be understood.” (265)
Self-realization
Self-realization “is a matter of fitness of mind” (9).
“The “I” casts off the illusion of “I” and yet remains as “I”. Such is the
paradox of Self-realization. The realized do not see any contradiction in it.”
(23)
“After realization all intellectual loads are useless burdens and are thrown
overboard as jetsam.” (24)
“Self-realization is […] realizing the Self as the limitless spiritual eye”
(25).
“The Self is certainly within the
direct experience of everyone, but not as one imagines it to be.” (95)
“Realization is to get rid of the delusion that you have not realized.” (333)
“The fact of your existence is also your realization.” (375)
“The world may appear or disappear – that is to say, one may be awake or asleep
– but the awareness is unaffected. It is one continuous whole over which the
three states of waking, dream and sleep pass. Be that awareness even now. That
is the Self: that is Realization – there is Peace, there is Happiness.” (389)
“Self-realization is only a euphemism for elimination of ignorance.” (397)
“D. Does not the realized man continue to live just like a non-realized being?
M. Yes, with this difference: that the realized being does not see the world as
being apart from the Self. He possesses true knowledge and the internal
happiness of being perfect, whereas another person sees the world apart, feels
imperfection, and is miserable. But, otherwise, their physical actions are
similar.” (385)
Sleep
Maharshi speaks of “that
undifferentiated happy state which is sleepless sleep” (53).
“Deep sleep is
only the state of nonduality. Can the difference between the individual and
Universal souls persist there? Sleep implies forgetfulness of all differences.
This alone constitutes happiness. See how carefully people prepare their beds
to gain that happiness. Soft cushions, pillows, and all the rest are meant to
induce sound sleep, that is to say an end to wakefulness.” (140)
“Bring about deep sleep even in the waking state and that is realization.”
(149)
“One is always only in sleep. The present waking state is no more than a
dream.” (161)
“There is full awareness in sleep; there is total ignorance in waking.” (229)
To which one of the devotees responded: “So it is an experiment in
somnambulism.” Which extracted a laugh from Maharshi.
“Samadhi means sleep in the waking state.” (282)
Beyond effort
“For a realized being the Self alone is the Reality, and actions are only
phenomenal, not affecting the Self. Even when he acts, he has no sense of being
an agent. His actions are involuntary and he remains a witness to them without
any attachment.” (8)
“The actions
are not mine; therefore, their results cannot be mine, either.” (48)
“The
present difficulty is that man thinks he is the doer. But it is a mistake. It
is the Higher Power which does everything and man is only a tool. If he accepts
that position, he is free from troubles; otherwise he courts them. Take, for
instance, the figure in a temple tower, where it is made to appear to bear the
burden of the tower on its shoulders. Its posture and look are a picture of
great strain while bearing the very heavy burden of the tower. But consider
this. The tower is built on the earth and rests on its foundations. The figure
(like Atlas bearing the Earth) is a part of the tower, but is made to look as
if it bore the tower. Is it not funny? So is the man who takes on himself the
sense of doing.” (52)
“There is a state beyond both effort
and effortlessness. Until it is realized, effort is necessary.” (96)
“D. My work
demands the best part of my time and energy; often, I am too tired to devote
myself to Atma-chintana [concentration on the Self].
M. The feeling “I work” is the hindrance. Inquire: “Who works?” Remember: “Who
am I?” The work will not bind you. It will go on automatically. Make no effort
either to work or to renounce work. Your effort is the bondage. What is bound
to happen will happen.” (186)
“Whatever one does after the ego has vanished is akarma (actionless
act).” (283)
“A passenger in a train keeps his load on the head by his own folly. Let him
put it down; he will find the load reaches the destination just the same.
Similarly, let us not pose as doers, but resign ourselves to the guiding
Power.” (301)
“When egoity ceases, actions become spontaneous.” (363)
Beyond thought
“The intellect derives light from the
Self… How can the reflected and partial light of the intellect envisage the
whole and the original Light?” (52)
“Atman is realized with mruta manas (dead mind), i.e. mind devoid
of thoughts and turned inward. Then the mind sees its own source and becomes
That. It is not as the subject perceiving an object.” (72)
“It is as difficult for a jnani to engage in thoughts as it is for an ajnani
to be free from them.” (96)
“We seek to reach the goal with the ego, but the goal exists before the ego…
take no notice of the ego and its activities but see only the light behind it.
The ego is the I-thought. The true “I” is the Self.” (100)
“The Self is
the unassociated, pure Reality, in whose light the body, the ego, etc. shine.
On stilling all thoughts, the pure consciousness remains.” (128)
On meditation: “It is like giving a piece of chain to an elephant to hold in
its trunk. The trunk of the elephant is usually restless. It puts it out in all
directions when taken out in the streets. If given a chain to carry, the
restlessness is checked. Similarly with the restless mind.” (243)
“What does it matter if the mind is active? It is so only on the
substratum of the Self. Hold the Self, even during mental activities.” (312)
“It is like the sun towards the world activities. The Self always remains
actionless, whereas thoughts arise and subside.” (369)
“Such inward seeking is the path to be gained by man’s intellect. The intellect
itself realizes after continuous practice that it is enabled to function by
some Higher Power. By itself, it cannot reach that Power… It is thus plain that
the purpose of the intellect is to realize its own dependence upon the Higher
Power and its inability to reach the same. So it must annihilate itself before
the goal is gained.” (398)
“D. But thinking is necessary even for realization.
M. That thinking is aimed at the elimination of all thinking.” (410)
Shiva and Shakti
“Mind is only
the dynamic power (shakti) of the Self… There is no difference between
matter and spirit. Modern science admits that all matter is energy. Energy is
power of force (shakti). Therefore, all are resolved in Shiva and
Shakti, i.e. the Self and the Mind.” (185-6)
“The objects are thus Consciousness and forms. But the ordinary person sees the
objects in the universe but not Shiva in these forms. Shiva is the Being
assuming these forms and the Consciousness seeing them. That is to say, Shiva
is the background underlying both the subject and the object, and again Shiva
in Repose and Shiva in Action, or Shiva and Shakti, or the Lord and the
Universe. Whatever it is said to be, it is only Consciousness whether in repose
or in action.” (349)
“The Self makes the universe what it is by His Shakti, yet He does not
Himself act… It is like the sun and the world actions.” (363)
To the movies with Ramana
“Scenes are projected on the screen in a cinema show. But the moving pictures
do not affect or alter the screen. The seer pays attention to the pictures and
ignores the screen. They cannot remain apart from the screen. Still, its
existence is ignored. So also the Self is the screen on which the pictures,
namely activities, are going on. Man is aware of the latter, ignoring the
former. All the same, he is not apart from the Self... The Self comprises all.
It is the screen, the pictures, the seer, the actor, the operator, the light,
and all else… Imagine the actor in the picture asking if he could enact a scene
without the screen. Such is the case of the man who thinks of his acting apart
from the Self.” (228)
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"fire burns away everything...
but the screen remains unaffected" |
“So many pictures pass over the cinema screen: fire burns away everything,
water drenches all, but the screen remains unaffected. The scenes are only
phenomena, which pass away leaving the screen as it was. Similarly the world
phenomena simply pass before the jnani, leaving him unaffected.” (362)
Renunciation and surrender
“It is enough
that one surrenders oneself. Surrender is to give oneself up to the original
cause of one’s being. Do not delude yourself by imagining such a source to be
some God outside you. One’s source is within oneself. Give yourself up to it.”
(140)
“Renunciation is non-identification of the Self with the non-self.” (173)
“The Self is simple renunciation. The Self has renounced all.” (186)
Hints for the seeker
“Telepathy enables one to see and hear from afar. They are all the same,
hearing and seeing. Whether one hears from near or far does not make any
difference in the hearing. The fundamental factor is the hearer, the subject.
Without the hearer or the seer, there can be no hearing or seeing.” (13)
“Silence is unceasing eloquence.” (14)
“Eagerness must be equal to that of a man kept under water trying to rise to
the surface for his life.” (24)
“What is it that exists now and troubles you? It is “I”. Get rid of that and be
happy.” (33)
“Look, the Self is only Being, not being this or that. It is simple Being. Be –
and there is an end of the ignorance.” (38)
“The mind is the rider and the breath the horse. Pranayama is a check on
the horse. By that check, the rider is checked.” (46)
“Suffering is the way for realization
of God.” (77)
“Become the
Subject and there will be no object.” (179)
“God is
perfection. His work also is perfection. But you see it as imperfection because
of your wrong identification.” (188)
“The Self of the advaitins is the God of the bhaktas.” (190)
“Because you
identify yourself with the body you think the Guru, too, to be somebody. You
are not the body, nor is the Guru. You are the Self and so is the Guru.” (199)
“Samskara is samsara.” (207)
“The body is the Cross. Jesus, the son of man, is the ego or “I-am-the-body”
idea. When he is crucified, he is resurrected as the Glorious Self – Jesus, the
Son of God! “Give up this life if thou wouldst live.””(298)
“Willpower should be understood to be the strength of mind which makes
it capable of meeting success or failure with equanimity. It is not synonymous
with certain success. Why should one’s attempts always be attended by success?
Success breeds arrogance and man’s spiritual progress is thus arrested.
Failure, on the other hand, is beneficial, inasmuch as it opens his eyes to his
limitations and prepares him to surrender himself. Self-surrender is synonymous
with eternal happiness. Therefore, one should try to gain equipoise of mind
under all circumstances. That is willpower.” (310)
“The Supreme Being is unmanifest and the first sign of manifestation is Aham
Sphurana (light of “I”).” (408)
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The entrance to the Sri Ramana Ashram near Tiruvannamalai in the South-Indian
state of Tamil Nadu. It was here in the years 1935-39 that Ramana conducted the talks
with visitors to the ashram that formed the basis of the book Talks with Ramana Maharshi. |
