The Teaching of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi:
As all living beings
desire to be happy always, without misery, as in the case of everyone there is
observed supreme love for one's self, and as happiness alone is the cause for
love, in order to gain that happiness which is one's nature and which is
experienced in the state of deep sleep where there is no mind, one should know
one's self. For that, the path of knowledge, the inquiry of the form "Who
am I?", is the principal means.
1 . Who
am I ?
The gross body which
is composed of the seven humours (dhatus), I am not; the five cognitive sense
organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which
apprehend their respective objects, viz. sound, touch, colour, taste, and
odour, I am not; the five cognitive sense-organs, viz. the organs of speech,
locomotion, grasping, excretion, and procreation, which have as their
respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, and enjoying, I am
not; the five vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five
functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not; even the mind which thinks, I am
not; the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual impressions of
objects, and in which there are no objects and no functioning's, I am not.
2. If
I am none of these, then who am I?
After negating all of
the above-mentioned as 'not this', 'not this', that Awareness which alone
remains - that I am.
3. What
is the nature of Awareness?
The nature of
Awareness is existence-consciousness-bliss
4. When
will the realization of the Self be gained?
When the world which
is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realization of the Self which
is the seer.
5. Will
there not be realization of the Self even while the world is there (taken as
real)?
There will not be.
6. Why?
The seer and the
object seen are like the rope and the snake. Just as the knowledge of the rope
which is the substrate will not arise unless the false knowledge of the
illusory serpent goes, so the realization of the Self which is the substrate
will not be gained unless the belief that the world is real is removed.
7. When
will the world which is the object seen be removed?
When the mind, which
is the cause of all cognition's and of all actions, becomes quiescent, the
world will disappear.
8. What
is the nature of the mind?
What is called 'mind'
is a wondrous power residing in the Self. It causes all thoughts to arise.
Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind. Therefore, thought is the
nature of mind. Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the
world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts, and there is no world. In the
states of waking and dream, there are thoughts, and there is a world also. Just
as the spider emits the thread (of the web) out of itself and again withdraws
it into itself, likewise the mind projects the world out of itself and again
resolves it into itself. When the mind comes out of the Self, the world
appears. Therefore, when the world appears (to be real), the Self does not
appear; and when the Self appears (shines) the world does not appear. When one
persistently inquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving
the Self (as the residue). What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. The
mind always exists only in dependence on something gross; it cannot stay alone.
It is the mind that is called the subtle body or the soul (jiva).
9. What
is the path of inquiry for understanding the nature of the mind?
That which rises as
'I' in this body is the mind. If one inquires as to where in the body the
thought 'I' rises first, one would discover that it rises in the heart. That is
the place of the mind's origin. Even if one thinks constantly 'I' 'I', one will
be led to that place. Of all the thoughts that arise in the mind, the 'I'
thought is the first. It is only after the rise of this that the other thoughts
arise. It is after the appearance of the first personal pronoun that the second
and third personal pronouns appear; without the first personal pronoun there
will not be the second and third.
10. How
will the mind become quiescent?
By the inquiry 'Who
am I?'. The thought 'who am I?' will destroy all other thoughts, and like the
stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get
destroyed. Then, there will arise Self-realization.
11. What
is the means for constantly holding on to the thought 'Who am I?'
When other thoughts
arise, one should not pursue them, but should inquire: 'To whom do they arise?'
It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should
inquire with diligence, "To whom has this thought arisen?". The
answer that would emerge would be "To me". Thereupon if one inquires
"Who am I?", the mind will go back to its source; and the thought
that arose will become quiescent. With repeated practice in this manner, the
mind will develop the skill to stay in its source. When the mind that is subtle
goes out through the brain and the sense-organs, the gross names and forms
appear; when it stays in the heart, the names and forms disappear. Not letting
the mind go out, but retaining it in the Heart is what is called
"inwardness" (antar-mukha). Letting the mind go out of the Heart is
known as "externalisation" (bahir-mukha). Thus, when the mind stays
in the Heart, the 'I' which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self
which ever exists will shine. Whatever one does, one should do without the
egoity "I". If one acts in that way, all will appear as of the nature
of Siva (God).
12. Are
there no other means for making the mind quiescent?
Other than inquiry,
there are no adequate means. If through other means it is sought to control the
mind, the mind will appear to be controlled, but will again go forth. Through
the control of breath also, the mind will become quiescent; but it will be
quiescent only so long as the breath remains controlled, and when the breath
resumes the mind also will again start moving and will wander as impelled by
residual impressions. The source is the same for both mind and breath. Thought,
indeed, is the nature of the mind. The thought "I" is the first
thought of the mind; and that is egoity.
It is from that
whence egoity originates that breath also originates. Therefore, when the mind
becomes quiescent, the breath is controlled, and when the breath is controlled
the mind becomes quiescent. But in deep sleep, although the mind becomes
quiescent, the breath does not stop. This is because of the will of God, so
that the body may be preserved and other people may not be under the impression
that it is dead. In the state of waking and in samadhi, when the mind becomes
quiescent the breath is controlled. Breath is the gross form of mind. Till the
time of death, the mind keeps breath in the body; and when the body dies the
mind takes the breath along with it. Therefore, the exercise of breath-control
is only an aid for rendering the mind quiescent (manonigraha); it will not
destroy the mind (manonasa).
Like the practice of
breath-control. meditation on the forms of God, repetition of mantras,
restriction on food, etc., are but aids for rendering the mind quiescent.
Through meditation on
the forms of God and through repetition of mantras, the mind becomes
one-pointed. The mind will always be wandering. Just as when a chain is given
to an elephant to hold in its trunk it will go along grasping the chain and
nothing else, so also when the mind is occupied with a name or form it will
grasp that alone. When the mind expands in the form of countless thoughts, each
thought becomes weak; but as thoughts get resolved the mind becomes one-pointed
and strong; for such a mind Self-inquiry will become easy. Of all the
restrictive rules, that relating to the taking of sattvic food in moderate
quantities is the best; by observing this rule, the sattvic quality of mind will
increase, and that will be helpful to Self-inquiry.
13. The
residual impressions (thoughts) of objects appear wending like the waves of an
ocean. When will all of them get destroyed?
As the meditation on
the Self rises higher and higher, the thoughts will get destroyed.
14. Is
it possible for the residual impressions of objects that come from
beginningless time, as it were, to be resolved, and for one to remain as the
pure Self?
Without yielding to
the doubt "Is it possible, or not?", one should persistently hold on
to the meditation on the Self. Even if one be a great sinner, one should not
worry and weep "O! I am a sinner, how can I be saved?"; one should
completely renounce the thought "I am a sinner"; and concentrate
keenly on meditation on the Self; then, one would surely succeed. There are not
two minds - one good and the other evil; the mind is only one. It is the
residual impressions that are of two kinds - auspicious and inauspicious. When
the mind is under the influence of auspicious impressions it is called good;
and when it is under the influence of inauspicious impressions it is regarded
as evil.
The mind should not
be allowed to wander towards worldly objects and what concerns other people.
However bad other people may be, one should bear no hatred for them. Both
desire and hatred should be eschewed. All that one gives to others one gives to
one's self. If this truth is understood who will not give to others? When one's
self arises all arises; when one's self becomes quiescent all becomes quiescent.
To the extent we behave with humility, to that extent there will result good.
If the mind is rendered quiescent, one may live anywhere.
15. How
long should inquiry be practised?
As long as there are
impressions of objects in the mind, so long the inquiry "Who am I?"
is required. [NOTE It is surprising to me that so many
miss this point!! C.H.] As thoughts arise they should be destroyed then and
there in the very place of their origin, through inquiry. If one resorts to
contemplation of the Self unintermittently, until the Self is gained, that
alone would do. As long as there are enemies within the fortress, they will
continue to sally forth; if they are destroyed as they emerge, the fortress
will fall into our hands.
16. What
is the nature of the Self?
What exists in truth
is the Self alone. The world, the individual soul, and God are appearances in
it. like silver in mother-of-pearl, these three appear at the same time, and
disappear at the same time. The Self is that where there is absolutely no "I"
thought. That is called "Silence". The Self itself is the world; the
Self itself is "I"; the Self itself is God; all is Siva, the Self.
17. Is
not everything the work of God?
Without desire,
resolve, or effort, the sun rises; and in its mere presence, the sun-stone
emits fire, the lotus blooms, water evaporates; people perform their various
functions and then rest. Just as in the presence of the magnet the needle
moves, it is by virtue of the mere presence of God that the souls governed by
the three (cosmic) functions or the fivefold divine activity perform their
actions and then rest, in accordance with their respective karmas. God has no
resolve; no karma attaches itself to Him. That is like worldly actions not
affecting the sun, or like the merits and demerits of the other four elements
not affecting all pervading space.
18. Of
the devotees, who is the greatest?
He who gives himself
up to the Self that is God is the most excellent devotee. Giving one's self up
to God means remaining constantly in the Self without giving room for the rise
of any thoughts other than that of the Self. Whatever burdens are thrown on
God, He bears them. Since the supreme power of God makes all things move, why
should we, without submitting ourselves to it, constantly worry ourselves with
thoughts as to what should be done and how, and what should not be done and how
not? We know that the train carries all loads, so after getting on it why
should we carry our small luggage on our head to our discomfort, instead of
putting it down in the train and feeling at ease?
19. What
is non-attachment?
As thoughts arise,
destroying them utterly without any residue in the very place of their origin
is non-attachment. Just as the pearl-diver ties a stone to his waist, sinks to
the bottom of the sea and there takes the pearls, so each one of us should be
endowed with non-attachment, dive within oneself and obtain the Self-Pearl.
20. Is
it not possible for God and the Guru to effect the release of a soul?
God and the Guru will
only show the way to release; they will not by themselves take the soul to the
state of release. In truth, God and the Guru are not different. Just as the
prey which has fallen into the jaws of a tiger has no escape, so those who have
come within the ambit of the Guru's gracious look will be saved by the Guru and
will not get lost; yet, each one should by his own effort pursue the path shown
by God or Guru and gain release. One can know oneself only with one's own eye
of knowledge, and not with somebody else's. Does he who is Rama require the
help of a mirror to know that he is Rama?
21. Is
it necessary for one who longs for release to inquire into the nature of
categories (tattvas)?
Just as one who wants
to throw away garbage has no need to analyse it and see what it is, so one who
wants to know the Self has no need to count the number of categories or inquire
into their characteristics; what he has to do is to reject altogether the
categories that hide the Self. The world should be considered like a dream.
22. Is
there no difference between waking and dream?
Waking is long and a
dream short; other than this there is no difference. Just as waking happenings
seem real while awake. so do those in a dream while dreaming. In dream the mind
takes on another body. In both waking and dream states thoughts. names and
forms occur simultaneously.
23. Is
it any use reading books for those who long for release?
All the texts say
that in order to gain release one should render the mind quiescent; therefore
their conclusive teaching is that the mind should be rendered quiescent; once
this has been understood there is no need for endless reading. In order to
quieten the mind one has only to inquire within oneself what one's Self is; how
could this search be done in books? One should know one's Self with one's own
eye of wisdom. The Self is within the five sheaths; but books are outside them.
Since the Self has to be inquired into by discarding the five sheaths, it is
futile to search for it in books. There will come a time when one will have to
forget all that one has learned.
24. What
is happiness?
Happiness is the very
nature of the Self; happiness and the Self are not different. There is no
happiness in any object of the world. We imagine through our ignorance that we
derive happiness from objects. When the mind goes out, it experiences misery.
In truth, when its desires are fulfilled, it returns to its own place and
enjoys the happiness that is the Self. Similarly, in the states of sleep,
samadhi and fainting, and when the object desired is obtained or the object
disliked is removed, the mind becomes inward-turned, and enjoys pure
Self-Happiness. Thus the mind moves without rest alternately going out of the
Self and returning to it. Under the tree the shade is pleasant; out in the open
the heat is scorching. A person who has been going about in the sun feels cool
when he reaches the shade. Someone who keeps on going from the shade into the
sun and then back into the shade is a fool. A wise man stays permanently in the
shade. Similarly, the mind of the one who knows the truth does not leave
Brahman. The mind of the ignorant, on the contrary, revolves in the world,
feeling miserable, and for a little time returns to Brahman to experience
happiness. In fact, what is called the world is only thought. When the world
disappears, i.e. when there is no thought, the mind experiences happiness; and
when the world appears, it goes through misery.
25. What
is wisdom-insight (jnana-drsti)?
Remaining quiet is
what is called wisdom-insight. To remain quiet is to resolve the mind in the
Self. Telepathy, knowing past, present and future happenings and clairvoyance
do not constitute wisdom-insight.
26. What
is the relation between desirelessness and wisdom?
Desirelessness is
wisdom. The two are not different; they are the same. Desirelessness is
refraining from turning the mind towards any object. Wisdom means the
appearance of no object. In other words, not seeking what is other than the
Self is detachment or desirelessness; not leaving the Self is wisdom.
27. What
is the difference between inquiry and meditation?
Inquiry consists in
retaining the mind in the Self. Meditation consists in thinking that one's self
is Brahman, existence-consciousness-bliss.
28. What
is release?
Inquiring into the
nature of one's self that is in bondage, and realising one's true nature is
release.
- Jay Sri
Ramana Maharshi
