Ramana Maharshi
Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) was an Indian sage and jivanmukta (liberated soul) who is considered one of the greatest sages of India in modern times. He was born in a small village in southern India and at a young age, had a profound spiritual experience that led him to realize the Self. He lived the rest of his life in a state of self-realization and taught others the path to liberation through self-enquiry and the practice of non-duality.
Maharshi’s teachings have influenced many people all over the world, including students of spirituality, Hinduism, and Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism). He is also known for his simple and direct approach to spirituality, which emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and mindfulness in the path to self-realization. He lived in the holy mountain Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai, where he established an ashram, and where thousands of seekers still visit today to pay homage and seek guidance.
Top Ramana Maharshi Quotes
- The mind is everything; what you think you become.
- The self is not something to be attained. It is already there, shining within you, waiting to be discovered.
- Be still, the mind will quieten by itself. The stiller it becomes, the more it reflects the Self.
- You are the source of all that happens, you are the cause of all that goes on, you are the foundation of all things, you are the refuge of all beings.
- Silence is the language of God; all else is poor translation.
- The world is an illusion. Time, space and causation are also part of this illusion.
- The goal of life is to realize the Self, to discover that one is identical with the highest reality.
- Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
- You are not the mind, but the pure consciousness that underlies it.
- The only thing necessary for spiritual progress is to be still and know the truth of one’s existence.
- The greatest obstacle to self-realization is the identification with the body and mind.
- A wise man remains always the same, both in success and failure.
- Awareness is the path to freedom.
- The purpose of human life is to attain self-realization and liberation from ignorance.
- The mind is the source of all misery, and also the source of all happiness.
- The only real enemy is within oneself; the ego, the mind, and the past.
- The root of all suffering is the sense of separation from one’s true nature.
- The truth is always simple and can be expressed in a simple way.
- All the troubles in the world are due to ignorance of the Self.
- The only way to overcome the mind is to be aware of its movements, to see it as it is, and to witness it.