Sri Ramana Maharshi

Be as you are

The teachings of Sri Ramana Haharshi
Edited by David Godman
Arkana Penguin Books
ISBN57910864

In 1896 a sixteen-year-old schoolboy walked out on his family and, driven by an inner compulsion, slowly made his way to Arunachala, a holy mountain and pilgrimage centre in South India. On his arrival he threw away all his money and possessions and abandoned himself to a newly-discovered awareness that his real nature was formless, immanent consciousness…’

This is how David Godman, editor of this gem of a book, starts his introduction to Ramana Maharshi’s life.

Extracts

That in which all these worlds seem to exist steadily, that of which all these worlds are a possession, that from which all these worlds rise, that for which all these exist, that by which all these worlds come into existence and that which is indeed all these – that alone is the existing reality.  Let us cherish that Self, which is the reality, in the Heart.

Question 
How can I attain Self-realisation?

Answer
Realisation is nothing to be gained afresh; it is already there. All that is necessary is to get rid of the thought ‘I have not realised’.
 Stillness or peace is realisation. There is no moment when the Self is not. So long as there is doubt or the feeling of non-realisation, the attempt should be made to rid oneself of these thoughts. They are due to the identification of the Self  with the not-Self. When the not-Self disappears, the Self alone remains. To make room it is enough that objects be removed. Room is not brought in from elsewhere.