Reading & the Good Life
Join the conversation! Every Friday at Noon EST (Register here), Perennial Meditations readers are welcome to gather for Reading & the Good Life (a space for casual conversations on the art of living). This Friday, we are continuing our exploration of selected readings from Be As You Are: The Teaching of Sri Ramana Maharshi, edited by David Godman.
The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi
Be As You Are is the definitive compendium of Ramana Maharshi’s teachings, edited by the former librarian from Sri Maharshi's ashram, which can be found flourishing at the foot of the holy mountain of Arunachala. The book collects conversations with the many seekers who came to him for guidance, answering the questions sought on the road to enlightenment. “The essence of Sri Ramana's teachings is conveyed in his frequent assertions that there is a single immanent reality, directly experienced by everyone,” writes Godson, “which is simultaneously the source, the substance, and the real nature of everything that exists.”
Selected Passages from Be As You Are:
Q: You sometimes say the Self is silence. Why is this?
A: For those who live in Self as the beauty devoid of thought, there is nothing which should be thought of. That which should be adhered to is only the experience of silence, because in that supreme state nothing exists to be attained other than oneself.
— Ramana Maharshi, Be As You Are
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It is false to speak of realisation. What is there to realise? The real is as it is always. We are not creating anything new or achieving something which we did not have before. The illustration given in books is this. We dig a well and create a huge pit. The space in the pit or well has not been created by us. We have just removed the earth which was filling the space there. The space was there then and is also there now. Similarly we have simply to throw out all the age-long samskaras [innate tendencies] which are inside us. When all of them have been given up, the Self will shine alone.
— Ramana Maharshi, Be As You Are
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Q: But how to do this and attain liberation?
A: Liberation is our very nature. We are that. The very fact that we wish for liberation shows that freedom from all bondage is our real nature. It is not to be freshly acquired. All that is necessary is to get rid of the false notion that we are bound. When we achieve that, there will be no desire or thought of any sort. So long as one desires liberation, so long, you may take it, one is in bondage.
— Ramana Maharshi, Be As You Are
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Q: What is the difference between the mind and the Self?
A: There is no difference. The mind turned inwards is the Self; turned outwards, it becomes the ego and all the world. Cotton made into various clothes we call by various names. Gold made into various ornaments, we call by various names. But all the clothes are cotton and all the ornaments gold. The one is real, the many are mere names and forms. But the mind does not exist apart from the Self, that is, it has no independent existence. The Self exists without the mind, never the mind without the Self.
— Ramana Maharshi, Be As You Are
Who was Sri Ramana Maharshi?
Ramana Maharshi (“Bhagavan”) was a 20th-century South Indian sage who continues to radiate peace and Self-awareness to the global community of spiritual seekers. You do not need to join any organization, adopt any belief system, or worship anyone or anything to experience this transmission of bliss and clarity. Bhagavan simply points you toward your innermost Self, the unchanging reality underlying all that exists.
“Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”
― Sri Ramana Maharshi
It is as if your life and the world are a movie; Bhagavan’s practice of asking Who Am I? allows you to find real happiness through the realization you are the screen itself, not the projected movie.
Source: The Official website of Ramana Maharshi
The Nature of the Self
“The essence of Sri Ramana's teachings is conveyed in his frequent assertions that there is a single immanent reality, directly experienced by everyone,” writes Godson, “which is simultaneously the source, the substance, and the real nature of everything that exists.” Maharshi gave it several names, each signifying a different aspect of the same indivisible reality.
However, most frequently, he utilized the term The Self,
Maharshi defined it by saying that the real Self or real ‘I’ is, contrary to perceptible experience, not an experience of individuality but a non-personal, all-inclusive awareness. It is not to be confused with the individual self, which he said was essentially non-existent, being a fabrication of the mind which obscures the true experience of the real Self. He maintained that the real Self is always present and always experienced, but he emphasized that one is only consciously aware of it as it really is when the self-limiting tendencies of the mind have ceased. Permanent and continuous Self-awareness is known as Self-realization.
If you are available on a Friday (at Noon EST), feel free to drop into one of our Reading & the Good Life meetups (Register here). It’s a highly casual space for connection and conversations on the art of living.
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Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
P.S. As always, feel free to comment, ask questions, or suggest future reads!