Ramana Maharshi answers How can one attain the Self?

October 1, 2009

Lady: Bhagavan! How can one attain the Self?Bhagavan: Why should you attain the Self?Lady: For shanti (peace).Bhagavan: So! Is that it? Then there is what is called peace, is there?Lady: Yes! there is.

Bhagavan: All right! And you know that you should attain it. How do you know? To know that, you must have experienced it at some time or other. It is only when one knows that sugarcane is sweet, that one wishes to have some.

Similarly, you must have experienced peace. You experience it now and then. Otherwise, why this longing for peace? In fact we find every human being is longing similarly for peace;peace of some kind. It is therefore obvious that peace is the real thing, the reality; call that ‘shanti’, ‘soul’, or ‘Paramatma’ or ‘Self ’ — whatever you like. We all want it, don’t we?

Lady: Yes! But how to attain it?Bhagavan: What you have got is shanti itself. What can I say if some one asks for something which he has already got? If it is anything to be brought from somewhere, effort is required.

The mind with all its activities has come between you and your Self. What you have to do now is to get rid of that.Lady: Is living in seclusion necessary for sadhana, or is it enough if we merely discard all worldly pleasures? Bhagavan merely answered the second part of the question by saying, “renunciation means internal renunciation and not external,” and kept silent.

Source: Letters from Sri Ramanasramam VOLUMES I, II & Letters from and Recollections of Sri Ramanasramam By SURI NAGAMMA Translated by D. S. SASTRI

-- Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Prasanth JalasutramLove And Love Alone