Sri Ramana Maharshi
Fred calls Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) his “spiritual godfather” and “the best known guru of the 20th Century.” The Hindu sage has taught and influenced a great many non-dual teachers.
Select Quotes
Realization
“The state we call realization is simply being one’s self,
not knowing anything or becoming anything.
If one has realized,
he is that which alone is and which alone has always been.
He cannot describe that state, he can only be that.”
Be the Self
“Be the Self and the desires and doubts will disappear. If you go the way of your thoughts, you will be carried away by them and you will find yourself in an endless maze.”
Liberation
“One believes that there is bondage, and therefore seeks liberation. But the fact is that there is no bondage but only liberation. Only remove ignorance. That is all there is to be done.”
Clearing Doubts
“A doubt arises and is cleared. Another arises and that is cleared, making way for yet another; and so it goes on. So there is no possibility of clearing away all doubts. See to whom the doubts arise. Go to their source and abide in it. Then they cease to arise. That is how they are cleared.”
Self Inquiry
“As and when thoughts occur, they should, one and all, be annihilated then and there, at the very place of their origin, by the method of inquiry in the quest of the Self.”
Perseverance
“No one succeeds without effort. Those who succeed owe their success to perseverance.”
Association with Sages
“If one associates with sages, where is the need for all of these methods of discipline?
When a pleasant breeze from the south is blowing, tell me, of what use is a fan?”
Happiness
“Happiness is your true nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”