Ramana Maharshi was one of the great spiritual teachers of modern India. He lived from 1879 - 1950. When he was seventeen years old he had a profound experience of realizing the Eternal Self, without even the help of a guru. From that experience he remained in the consciousness of the Self for the rest of his life. In a book entitled, "Bhagavan Sri Ramana, A Pictorial Biography", by Sri T.N. Venkataraman, Ramana Maharshi tells of this experience.
"I was sitting alone in a room on the first floor of my uncle’s house. I seldom had any sickness, and on that day there was nothing wrong with my health, but a sudden violent fear of death overtook me. There was nothing in my state of health to account for it, and I did not try to account for it or to find out whether there was any reason for the fear. I just felt, "I am going to die", and began thinking what to do about it. It did not occur to me to consult a doctor or my elders or friends. I felt that I had to solve the problem myself, then and there.
The shock of the fear of death drove my mind inwards and I said to myself mentally, without actually framing the words, "Now death has come; What does it mean? What is it that is dying? This body dies, and at once dramatized the occurrence of death. I lay with my limbs stretched out stiff as though rigor mortis had set in and imitated a corpse so as to give greater reality to the inquiry.
I held my breath and kept my lips tightly closed so that no sound could escape, so that neither the word "I" nor any other word could be uttered. Well, then I said to myself, this body is dead. It will be carried stiff to the burning ground and there burnt and reduced to ashes. But with the death of this body, am I dead? Is the body I? It is silent and inert, but I feel the full force of my personality and even the voice of the "I" within me, apart from it.
So I am spirit transcending the body. The body dies, but the spirit that transcends it can not be touched by death. That means I am the deathless spirit. All this was not dull thought; It flashed through me vividly as living truth which I perceived directly, almost without thought process. I was something very real, the only real thing about my present state, and all the conscious activity connected with my body was centered on that "I".
From that moment onwards the "I" or self focused attention on itself by a powerful fascination. Fear of death had vanished once and for all. Absorption in the Self continued unbroken from that time on. Other thoughts might come and go like the various notes of music, but the "I" continued like the fundamental note that underlies and blends with all other notes.
Whether the body was engaged in talking, reading, or anything else, I will still be centered on "I". Previous to that crisis I had no clear perception of my self, and was not consciously attracted to it. I felt no perceptible or direct interest in it, much less any inclination to dwell permanently in it."
Sai Baba, in His writings, speaks of this "Eternal I". When a person says I think or I feel. The thinking or feeling may be different, but the I always remains the same. When another person says I think, or I feel something, their feeling and thinking may be different from yours, however the "I" in them is the same as the "I" in you. That "I" is the Eternal Self. Our language is depicting the nature of true reality, except that most people do not see it.
The essence of Ramana Maharshi’s teachings is that the Eternal Self and this Eternal "I" is our true identity, not our physical bodies. Self realization, which we are all striving for, is nothing more than realizing this and getting rid of the small "i" that says we are something other than what we really are.
Again I would like to quote from a book called, "Maharshi’s Gospel", by T.N. Venkataraman Publishers. In this passage, Ramana Maharshi is having a question and answer session with a disciple.
Self Realization
D. "How can I attain Self-realization?
M. Realization is nothing to be gained afresh; it is already there. All that is necessary is to get rid of the thought "I have not realized."
Stillness or Peace is Realization. There is no moment when the Self is not. So long as there is doubt or the feeling of non-Realization, 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 the cramping be removed; room is not brought in from elsewhere.
D. Since Realization is not possible without vasana-ksaya, how am I to realize that state in which the vasanas are effectively destroyed?
M. You are in that state now!
D. Does it mean that by holding on to the Self, the vasanas should be destroyed as and when they emerge?
M. They will themselves be destroyed if you remain as you are.
D. How shall I reach the Self?
M. There is no reaching the Self. If the Self were to be reached, it would mean that the Self is not here and now but is yet to be obtained. What is got afresh will also be lost. So it will be impermanent. What is not permanent is not worth striving for. So I say the Self is not reached. You are the Self, you are already That."
Maharshi’s Gospel Continued….
"The fact is, you are ignorant of your blissful state. Ignorance supervenes and draws a veil over the pure Self, which is Bliss. Attempts are directed only to remove this veil of ignorance, which is merely wrong knowledge. The wrong knowledge is the false identification of the self with the body, mind, etc. This false identification must go, and then the Self alone remains."
"Therefore Realization is for everyone; Realization makes no differences between aspirants. This very doubt whether you can realize and the notion "I have not realized" are themselves the obstacles. Be free from these obstacles also."
There is nothing to do to achieve God, we already are God. This is how God created us. This is our true identity. It always has been and always will be. Our lesson is to own this fact, see it in others, and demonstrate it on earth. We either believe the material world is real or we see beyond appearances to the Eternal Self living in all things.
The spiritual practice that Ramana Maharshi used was a method of self inquiry based on asking oneself, "Who am I?" Ramana Maharshi explains this in a book called "The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi" by Shambala Publishing. "When other thoughts arise, one should not purse them, but should inquire, "To whom did 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." There upon, 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."
Ramana Maharshi says this process will bring all thoughts back to the heart which is the source of all thoughts, and hence back to the Eternal Self. Any thoughts not of the Eternal Self would be termed ego, the little i, or illusion. His practice is to never let the mind move in that direction, but always remain on the Self. The Eternal Self has no sense of separate individuality of the body consciousness and little i.
A married or unmarried person can realize the Self, for it is what they have been all along. They just thought they were something other than what they already were. Remaining in this state of consciousness was Ramana Maharshi’s whole practice. The guru was seen as the embodiment of this Self. All happiness stems from the realization of this Self. Ramana Maharshi saw that process of Self inquiry as the only direct way to realize the unconditioned, absolute being that we really are.
The cause of all misery is not form life outside, but rather from this illusionary ego within. All unhappiness is due to the ego. The realization of the Self brings bliss. Ramana Maharshi saw spiritual practices (sadhana) as a means to transcend a non-existent limitation. The only spiritual practice he saw needed was the getting rid of ignorance of not realizing who we really are, and who our brothers and sisters really are.
The essential teaching of the Vedas, he said, was to teach us the nature of the imperishable Atman (Eternal Self), and to teach us that "Thou art that." To keep the mind constantly turned within and to abide thus in the Self is alone Self inquiry. The Self alone exists, and the Self alone is real. The Self alone is the world, the "I", and God. All that exists, is but a manifestation of the Supreme Being. The personal Self is not realized unless the mind is quiet, for the Self is beyond and behind the mind. We are wrapped in seven sheaths or bodies and the Eternal Self is at the very core. The problem is that people identify themselves with the sheathes and bodies (thoughts, feelings, sensations, instincts…) Instead of the true identity at the core. The mind of the enlightened one never exists apart from the Self, Absolute, or Brahman (God).
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