Meditation
Meditation is an important part of one's spiritual practice (sadhana) as one learns to 'be still and know'. Contrary to popular belief, meditation can be done at anytime, and anywhere, as one advances their practice. This section of the website provides Sri Ramana's answers to questions about meditation.
OPEN FOR A DETAILED SUMMARY OF RAMANA'S TEACHING ON MEDITATION
What Is Meditation?
Key Aspects of Meditation
Methods and Practices of Meditation
Ramana provides practical guidance for meditation, tailored to the aspirant’s tendencies and stage of practice:
Stages and Effects of Meditation
Meditation and the Jnani
Meditation and Related Concepts
Challenges and Clarifications
Practical Guidance for Meditation
Key Insights
Conclusion
Ramana Maharshi’s teachings on meditation emphasize its role as a practice to eliminate thoughts and abide in the Self, which is pure consciousness and inherent peace. Meditation can take various forms—self-inquiry, mental japa, devotion, or breath control—depending on the aspirant’s tendencies, but all lead to the same goal: dissolution of the ego and realization of the Self. Through persistent practice, dispassion, and the Guru’s grace, meditation becomes effortless, merging into the natural state of sahaja samadhi. The key is to remain as the Self by quelling thoughts and discarding false identification with the body and mind, allowing the ever-present reality of the Self to shine forth.
For further details, refer to Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi (Talks 68, 220, 293, 294, 297, 298, 310, 452, 462, 624) and Kunju Swami’s account in the Mountain Path (July 1966).
- Definition: Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind on a single thought or object, such as the Self, a divine form, or a mantra, to exclude all other thoughts and reveal the Self as pure consciousness. It is the effort to remain as one’s true nature (Atmanishtha) by dispelling distractions (Talks 68, 294, 624).
- Purpose: The goal of meditation is to eradicate thoughts, which are obstacles to realizing the ever-present Self. By keeping thoughts at bay, the mind becomes pure and merges into the Self, which is peace and happiness itself (Talks 68, 452, 462).
- Relation to Other Practices: Meditation is part of a progressive sadhana that includes worship (puja), incantation (japa), contemplation (manana), and self-inquiry (vichara). While meditation involves effort, it ultimately leads to the effortless state of jnanam (pure awareness) (Talks 220, 294, 624; Kunju Swami).
Key Aspects of Meditation
- Nature of Meditation:
- Meditation is the act of sticking to one thought to prevent the rise of other thoughts, which are signs of the mind’s weakness. A strengthened mind, free from thoughts, is the Self in its purity (Talks 293, 294).
- It is not about gaining something new but about removing alien thoughts to reveal the Self, which is always present. Ramana emphasizes that meditation is one’s true nature, only called meditation when thoughts distract (Talks 310, 462).
- Meditation involves effort (kartru-tantra), as opposed to jnanam (pure awareness), which is effortless and aligns with the reality of the Self (vastu-tantra) (Talk 624).
- Forms of Meditation:
- Form-Based Meditation: For beginners, meditating on a concrete form (e.g., a deity like Sri Krishna or a mantra) is easier, as it helps focus the mind. This is called dhyana and leads to self-inquiry (vichara) as the practice deepens (Talks 294, 298; Kunju Swami).
- Self-Inquiry as Meditation: Meditating on the Self by inquiring “Who am I?” or holding onto the I-thought is the direct method. It involves tracing the mind to its source in the Heart, where it merges into pure consciousness (Talks 294, 624; Kunju Swami).
- Mental Japa: Repetition of a mantra, initially vocal, becomes mental japa, which is a form of meditation. Continuous japa merges the mind into the mantra, eliminating the sense of individuality (Talks 220; Kunju Swami).
- Breath Control: Watching or controlling the breath (pranayama) is a form of meditation that calms the mind, aiding concentration (Talks 220, Kunju Swami).
- Meditation and the Self:
- The Self is ever-present and not separate from the practitioner. Meditation is needed only because the mind, clouded by vasanas, identifies with the body and external objects (Talks 293, 462).
- In deep sleep, the Self is experienced without thoughts, but this is unconscious. Meditation makes this awareness conscious by holding onto the pure I after thoughts subside (Talks 293, 624).
- The Self is not an object to be attained through meditation but the background of all experience. Meditation removes the false identification with the body and mind (Talks 293, 462).
- Meditation and Thoughts:
- Thoughts are the primary obstacle in meditation, as they create the illusion of duality (subject and object). Meditation involves quelling thoughts as they arise to abide in the thought-free state of the Self (Talks 68, 452, 462).
- All thoughts, including the thought of meditating, arise for the thinker. By remaining as the Self, the thinker and thoughts dissolve, ending the need for meditation (Talks 452, 624).
Methods and Practices of Meditation
Ramana provides practical guidance for meditation, tailored to the aspirant’s tendencies and stage of practice:
- Sticking to One Thought:
- Focus on a single thought, such as the Self, a divine form, or a mantra, to exclude other thoughts. This strengthens the mind and prepares it for thought-free awareness (Talks 293, 294, 310).
- Example: Meditating on “I am” while working or contemplating a divine form like Shakti to merge into universal consciousness (Talk 310; Kunju Swami).
- Self-Inquiry as Meditation:
- Inquire into the source of the I-thought (“Who am I?”) to trace the mind to the Heart. This is the most direct form of meditation, as it targets the root of all thoughts—the ego (Talks 294, 298, 624).
- Hold onto the pure I (awareness) that exists briefly upon waking, before thoughts arise, to abide in the Self (Talks 624).
- Mental Japa:
- Mental repetition of a mantra becomes meditation when it excludes other thoughts. It leads to absorption in the mantra, dissolving the ego (Talk 220; Kunju Swami).
- Example: Ramana cites the Tiruvachakam stanza, urging the mind to focus on God as the source of all bliss, akin to a bee collecting honey from one source (Talk 220).
- Dispassion and Practice:
- Cultivate dispassion (vairagya) to prevent the mind from chasing external objects. Practice (abhyasa) involves turning the mind inward through meditation (Talk 220).
- Meditation and mind control are interdependent. Persistent practice strengthens the mind, making it capable of sustained meditation (Talks 220, 310).
- Guru’s Grace:
- The Guru’s grace is always present and supports meditation by stilling the mind and guiding it toward the Self. Association with a realized being (satsang) facilitates meditation (Talk 220; Kunju Swami).
- Ramana quotes, “Dispassion cannot be acquired, nor realization of the Truth, nor inherence in the Self, in the absence of Guru’s Grace” (Talk 220).
- Integration with Daily Life:
- Meditation is not limited to formal sessions. Holding onto the sense of “I am” during work or daily activities is sufficient, as it strengthens the mind and keeps it focused on the Self (Talks 68, 310).
- Work is no hindrance to meditation, as the Self is always present. The mistaken identity with the worker (body-mind) must be discarded (Talk 68).
- Health and Meditation:
- Physical ailments, like palpitations, may disrupt meditation, but these are thoughts rooted in body-identification. Ramana advises tracing such thoughts to their origin (the false identification with the body) to overcome obstacles (Talk 462).
- The Self is unaffected by bodily conditions, and meditation should focus on the Self, not the body’s limitations (Talk 462).
Stages and Effects of Meditation
- Progressive Practice: Meditation progresses through stages, from worship (puja) to japa, then to meditation (dhyana), and finally to self-inquiry (vichara). Any method, if practiced rigorously, leads to realization by eliminating the ego (Kunju Swami).
- Strengthening the Mind: Constant meditation strengthens the mind, replacing fleeting thoughts with the enduring, thought-free state of the Self. This is the “expanse devoid of thought” (Talks 293, 310).
- Emergence of Latent Tendencies: During meditation, latent vasanas rise as thoughts to be extinguished. This is a natural part of the process, as hidden tendencies must surface to be destroyed (Talk 310).
- Transition to Jnana: Meditation initially involves effort to focus the mind (kartru-tantra). As thoughts subside, it leads to effortless jnanam (pure awareness), where the mind merges into the Self (vastu-tantra) (Talk 624).
- Realization of the Self: When meditation becomes firm, the practitioner abides in the Self without effort, realizing their true nature as peace and happiness. This is Atmanishtha or sahaja samadhi (Talks 294, 310, 624).
Meditation and the Jnani
- Jnani’s State: For the jnani (realized being), meditation is not a separate practice, as their mind is resolved into the Self. They abide in the thought-free state of pure consciousness, unaffected by external activities or thoughts (Talks 310, 624).
- No Need for Meditation: The jnani is always in the natural state of meditation (Atmanishtha), as there are no alien thoughts to dispel. What is called meditation for the aspirant is the jnani’s inherent nature (Talk 310).
- Apparent Activity: Observers may perceive the jnani as meditating or acting, but their mind is pure and identical with the Self, free from the sense of doership (Talk 624).
Meditation and Related Concepts
- Relation to Contemplation:
- Meditation (dhyana) and contemplation (manana) are closely related, both involving focusing the mind on a single thought. Meditation is broader, encompassing forms like japa or devotion, while contemplation often refers to reflection on the Self or teachings (Talks 220, 294).
- Meditation on a form or mantra transitions into contemplation as it becomes mental and leads to self-inquiry (Talks 220, 298).
- Relation to Vasanas:
- Meditation weakens and destroys vasanas by preventing the mind from chasing external thoughts. As thoughts subside, vasanas are extinguished, revealing the Self (Talks 310; Kunju Swami).
- Persistent meditation scorches the seeds of vasanas, ensuring they do not sprout again (Talk 310).
- Relation to Self-Inquiry:
- Meditation on the Self through “Who am I?” is the direct method, as it targets the ego directly. Other forms of meditation (e.g., on a form or mantra) are indirect but lead to self-inquiry as the practice deepens (Talks 294, 298; Kunju Swami).
- Self-inquiry is considered superior for advanced aspirants, as it directly addresses the source of the mind, while meditation on forms suits beginners (Talk 298).
- Relation to Jnana:
- Meditation leads to jnanam (pure awareness) by removing the obstacles of thoughts and ego. While meditation involves effort, jnanam is the effortless state of the Self (Talk 624).
- The jnani’s mind is pure and identical with Brahman, and meditation is their natural state, not a practice (Talk 624).
Challenges and Clarifications
- Thoughts as Obstacles:
- Thoughts, including the thought of meditating, are the primary obstacle. Meditation involves quelling thoughts as they arise by focusing on the Self or a single thought (Talks 68, 452, 462).
- The thought “I cannot meditate” is itself an obstacle. Ramana advises tracing such thoughts to their source (the false identification with the body) to overcome them (Talk 462).
- Vicious Circle:
- Meditation and mind control are interdependent, creating an apparent vicious circle. Ramana explains that both progress together through practice and dispassion, gradually strengthening the mind (Talk 220).
- Formless vs. Form-Based Meditation:
- Beginners may find it easier to meditate on a form or mantra, as the mind is accustomed to concrete objects. However, the Self is formless, and true meditation (Atmanishtha) involves abiding in the formless awareness (Talks 294, 298).
- Form-based meditation is a preparatory step that leads to formless self-inquiry (Talks 298).
- Meditation in Different States:
- Meditation is typically practiced in the waking state (jagrat), as thoughts arise then. In dreams (svapna) or deep sleep (sushupti), the Self is present but not consciously realized due to ignorance. Meditation in the waking state makes this awareness conscious (Talks 297).
- Questions about meditation in dreams or sleep are irrelevant if one realizes the Self as the witness of all states (Talks 297).
- Health and External Conditions:
- Physical disturbances (e.g., palpitations) are thoughts rooted in body-identification. Meditation should focus on the Self, which is unaffected by the body (Talk 462).
- External circumstances, like work, do not hinder meditation if the practitioner remains aware of the Self and discards false identification with the doer (Talks 68, 310).
Practical Guidance for Meditation
- Focus on the Self:
- Meditate on the sense of “I” or the pure awareness (I-I) by inquiring “Who am I?” This traces the mind to its source in the Heart, dissolving thoughts and revealing the Self (Talks 294, 624).
- Remain as you are without chasing thoughts. This is true meditation (Atmanishtha) (Talk 294).
- Single-Pointed Focus:
- Concentrate on one thought (e.g., the Self, a mantra, or a divine form) to exclude all others. This strengthens the mind and prepares it for thought-free awareness (Talks 293, 310; Kunju Swami).
- Example: Meditate on “I am” during work or focus on a divine form like Shakti to merge into universal consciousness (Talk 310; Kunju Swami).
- Mental Japa and Devotion:
- Practice mental japa by repeating a mantra until it becomes continuous and merges the mind into its source. This is equivalent to meditation (Talk 220; Kunju Swami).
- Devotional meditation on God or a divine form leads to absorption in the Self if practiced with deep feeling (bhavana) (Kunju Swami)。
- Dispassion and Practice:
- Cultivate dispassion to prevent the mind from chasing external objects. Practice involves turning the mind inward through meditation (Talks 220).
- Persistent practice strengthens the mind and makes meditation effortless over time (Talks 220, 310).
- Guru’s Grace:
- The Guru’s presence or teachings facilitate meditation by calming the mind and guiding it toward the Self. Association with a realized being enhances the meditative state (Talk 220; Kunju Swami).
- Ramana emphasizes the importance of grace in achieving realization (Talk 220).
- Handling Obstacles:
- When thoughts or physical disturbances (e.g., palpitations) arise, trace them to their source—the false identification with the body or ego. This refocuses the mind on the Self (Talks 462).
- Do not be discouraged by thoughts arising during meditation; they are natural and will be extinguished with practice (Talks 310).
- Integration with Daily Life:
- Meditation can be practiced at any time by holding onto the sense of “I am” or the Self during daily activities. This ensures continuity of practice (Talk 68, 310).
- Work and meditation are compatible if the practitioner remains aware of the Self and avoids identification with the doer (Talk 68).
Key Insights
- True Nature Is Meditation: Meditation is not an act of acquiring something new but of remaining as the Self by dispelling alien thoughts. The Self is always present, and meditation removes the obstacles (vasanas and ego) that obscure it (Talks 294, 310, 462).
- Effort Leads to Effortlessness: Meditation requires effort initially due to the mind’s wandering tendencies. With practice, it becomes effortless, revealing the Self as one’s true nature (Atmanishtha) (Talks 310, 624).
- Individualized Approach: Ramana tailored meditation advice to the aspirant’s tendencies, recommending worship, japa, meditation, or self-inquiry based on their predisposition. Any method, if practiced earnestly, leads to realization (Kunju Swami).
- Focus on the Present: Questions about meditation in dreams or sleep are irrelevant if one realizes the Self as the constant witness of all states. Meditation in the waking state makes this awareness conscious (Talk 297).
- Destruction of Ignorance: Meditation destroys ignorance (avidya) by focusing the mind on the subtle awareness of the Self, which is not affected by transient thoughts or states (Talk 624).
Conclusion
Ramana Maharshi’s teachings on meditation emphasize its role as a practice to eliminate thoughts and abide in the Self, which is pure consciousness and inherent peace. Meditation can take various forms—self-inquiry, mental japa, devotion, or breath control—depending on the aspirant’s tendencies, but all lead to the same goal: dissolution of the ego and realization of the Self. Through persistent practice, dispassion, and the Guru’s grace, meditation becomes effortless, merging into the natural state of sahaja samadhi. The key is to remain as the Self by quelling thoughts and discarding false identification with the body and mind, allowing the ever-present reality of the Self to shine forth.
For further details, refer to Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi (Talks 68, 220, 293, 294, 297, 298, 310, 452, 462, 624) and Kunju Swami’s account in the Mountain Path (July 1966).
Devotee Kunju Swami on What Ramana Maharshi
said about Sadhana
From July 1966 Mountain Path
AFTER SPENDING about twelve years in personal attendance on Bhagavan, I began to feel an urge to devote myself entirely to sadhana, spending my time all alone. However, I could not easily reconcile myself to the idea of giving up my personal service to Bhagavan. I had been debating the matter for some days when the answer came in a strange way. As I entered the hall one day I heard Bhagavan explaining to others who were there that real service to him did not mean attending to his physical needs but following the essence of his teaching: that is concentrating on realizing the Self. Needless to say, that automatically cleared my doubts.
I therefore gave up my Ashram duties, but I then found it hard to decide how in fact I should spend the entire day in search of Realization. I referred the matter to Bhagavan and he advised me to make Self-enquiry my final aim, but to practice Self-enquiry, meditation, japa and recitation of scripture turn by turn, changing over from one to another as and when I found the one I was doing irksome or difficult. In course of time, he said, the sadhana would become stabilised in Self-enquiry or pure Consciousness or Realization.
From my personal experience, as well as from that of others within my knowledge, I can say that before recommending any path to an aspirant Bhagavan would first find out from him what aspect, or form, or path he was naturally drawn to and then recommend him to follow it. He would sometimes endorse the traditional stages of sadhana, advancing from worship (puja) to incantation (japa), then to meditation (dhyana), and finally to Self-enquiry (vichara). However, he also used to say that continuous and rigorous practice of any one of these methods was adequate in itself to lead to Realization.
Thus, for instance, when one adopts the method of worship, say of the Shakti, one should, by constant practice and concentration, be able to see the Shakti everywhere and always and in everything and thus give up identification with the ego. Similarly with japa. By constant and continuous repetition of a mantra one gets merged in it and loses all sense of separate individuality. In dhyana again, in constant meditation, with bhavana or deep feeling, one attains the state of Bhavanatheeta, which is only another name for pure Consciousness. Thus, any method, if taken earnestly and practiced unremittingly, will result in elimination of the "I" and lead to the goal of Realization.
Once some awkward problems concerning Ashram management cropped up. Without being directly concerned, I was worried about them, as I felt that failure to solve them satisfactorily would impair the good name of the Ashram. One day two or three devotees went to Bhagavan and put the problems before him. I happened to enter the hall while they were talking about them, and he immediately turned to me and asked me why I had come in at this time and why I was interesting myself in such matters. I did not grasp the meaning of his question, so Bhagavan explained that a person should occupy himself only with that purpose with which he had originally come to the Ashram and asked me what my original purpose had been. I replied: "To receive Bhagavan's Grace." So he said: "Then occupy yourself with that only."
He further continued by asking me whether I had any interest in matters concerning the Ashram management when I first came here. On my replying that I had not, he added: "Then concentrate on the original purpose of your coming here."
I therefore gave up my Ashram duties, but I then found it hard to decide how in fact I should spend the entire day in search of Realization. I referred the matter to Bhagavan and he advised me to make Self-enquiry my final aim, but to practice Self-enquiry, meditation, japa and recitation of scripture turn by turn, changing over from one to another as and when I found the one I was doing irksome or difficult. In course of time, he said, the sadhana would become stabilised in Self-enquiry or pure Consciousness or Realization.
From my personal experience, as well as from that of others within my knowledge, I can say that before recommending any path to an aspirant Bhagavan would first find out from him what aspect, or form, or path he was naturally drawn to and then recommend him to follow it. He would sometimes endorse the traditional stages of sadhana, advancing from worship (puja) to incantation (japa), then to meditation (dhyana), and finally to Self-enquiry (vichara). However, he also used to say that continuous and rigorous practice of any one of these methods was adequate in itself to lead to Realization.
Thus, for instance, when one adopts the method of worship, say of the Shakti, one should, by constant practice and concentration, be able to see the Shakti everywhere and always and in everything and thus give up identification with the ego. Similarly with japa. By constant and continuous repetition of a mantra one gets merged in it and loses all sense of separate individuality. In dhyana again, in constant meditation, with bhavana or deep feeling, one attains the state of Bhavanatheeta, which is only another name for pure Consciousness. Thus, any method, if taken earnestly and practiced unremittingly, will result in elimination of the "I" and lead to the goal of Realization.
Once some awkward problems concerning Ashram management cropped up. Without being directly concerned, I was worried about them, as I felt that failure to solve them satisfactorily would impair the good name of the Ashram. One day two or three devotees went to Bhagavan and put the problems before him. I happened to enter the hall while they were talking about them, and he immediately turned to me and asked me why I had come in at this time and why I was interesting myself in such matters. I did not grasp the meaning of his question, so Bhagavan explained that a person should occupy himself only with that purpose with which he had originally come to the Ashram and asked me what my original purpose had been. I replied: "To receive Bhagavan's Grace." So he said: "Then occupy yourself with that only."
He further continued by asking me whether I had any interest in matters concerning the Ashram management when I first came here. On my replying that I had not, he added: "Then concentrate on the original purpose of your coming here."
Sri Ramana Answering Questions on Meditation
from "Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi"
Talk 68
What is the difference between meditation and distraction?
Sri Ramana: No difference. When there are thoughts, it is distraction: when there are no thoughts, it is meditation. However, meditation is only practice (as distinguished from the real state of Peace.)
Devotee: How to practice meditation?
Sri Ramana: Keep off thoughts.
Devotee: How to reconcile work with meditation?
Sri Ramana: Who is the worker? Let him who works ask the question. You are always the Self. You are not the mind. It is the mind which raises these questions. Work proceeds, always in the presence of the Self only. Work is no hindrance to realisation. It is the mistaken identity of the worker that troubles one. Get rid of the false identity.
Talk 220
Mr. B. C. Das, the Physics Lecturer, asked: Contemplation is possible only with control of mind and control can be accomplished only by contemplation. Is it not a vicious circle?
Sri Ramana: Yes, they are interdependent. They must go on side by side. Practice and dispassion bring about the result gradually. Dispassion is practised to check the mind from being projected outward; practice is to keep it turned inward. There is a struggle between control and contemplation. It is going on constantly within. Contemplation will in due course be successful.
D.: How to begin? Your Grace is needed for it.
Sri Ramana: Grace is always there. “Dispassion cannot be acquired, nor realization of the Truth, nor inherence in the Self, in the absence of Guru’s Grace,” the Master quoted.
Practice is necessary. It is like training a roguish bull confined to his stall by tempting him with luscious grass and preventing him from straying.
Then the Master read out a stanza from Tiruvachakam, which is an address to the mind, saying: “O humming bee (namely, mind)! Why do you take the pains of collecting tiny specks of honey from innumerable flowers? There is one from whom you can have the whole storehouse of honey by simply thinking or seeing or speaking of Him. Get within and hum to Him (hrimkara).”
D.: Should one have a form in one’s mind, supplemented with reading or chanting God’s name in one’s meditation?
Sri Ramana: What is mental conception except it be meditation?
D.: Should the form be supplemented by repetition of mantras or dwelling on divine attributes?
Sri Ramana: When japa is the predominating tendency, vocal japa becomes eventually mental, which is the same as meditation.
Talk 293
Mr. K. K. V. Iyer: There is no way found to go inward by means of meditation.
Sri Ramana:: Where else are we now? Our very being is that.
Devotee: Being so, we are ignorant of it.
Sri Ramana: Ignorant of what, and whose is the ignorance? If ignorant of the Self, are there two selves?
D.: There are no two selves. The feeling of limitation cannot be denied. Due to limitations....
Sri Ramana: Limitation is only in the mind. Did you feel it in deep sleep? You exist in sleep. You do not deny your existence then. The same Self is now and here, in the wakeful state. You are now saying that there are limitations. What has now happened is that there are these differences between the two states. The differences are due to the mind. There was no mind in sleep. whereas it is now active. The Self exists in the absence of the mind also.
D.: Although it is understood, it is not realised.
Sri Ramana: It will be by and by, with meditation.
D.: Meditation is with mind and how can it kill the mind in order to reveal the Self?
Sri Ramana: Meditation is sticking to one thought. That single thought keeps away other thoughts; distraction of mind is a sign of its weakness. By constant meditation it gains strength, i.e., to say, its weakness of fugitive thought gives place to the enduring background free from thoughts. This expanse devoid of thought is the Self. Mind in purity is the Self. Sri Bhagavan continued in reply to the former questioner: Everyone says “I am the body”. It is the experience of the sage as also of the ignorant. The ignorant man believes that the Self is confined to the body only, whereas the wise man believes that the body cannot remain apart from the Self. The Self is infinite for him and includes the body also.
Talk 294
Mr. Parkhi: How is meditation to be practised?
Sri Ramana: Meditation is, truly speaking, Atmanishtha (to be fixed as the Self). But when thoughts cross the mind and an effort is made to eliminate them the effort is usually termed meditation. Atmanishtha is your real nature. Remain as you are. That is the aim.
D.: But thoughts come up. Is our effort meant to eliminate thoughts only?
Sri Ramana: Yes. Meditation being on a single thought, the other thoughts are kept away. Meditation is only negative in effect inasmuch as thoughts are kept away.
D.: It is said Atma samstham manah krtva (fixing the mind in the Self). But the Self is unthinkable.
Sri Ramana: Why do you wish to meditate at all? Because you wish to do so you are told Atma samstham manah krtva (fixing the mind in the Self); why do you not remain as you are without meditating? What is that manah (mind)? When all thoughts are eliminated it becomes Atma samstha (fixed in the Self).
D.: If a form is given I can meditate on it and other thoughts are eliminated. But the Self is formless.
Sri Ramana: Meditation on forms or concrete objects is said to be dhyana, whereas the enquiry into the Self is vichara (enquiry) or nididhyasana.
Explaining adhyaropapavadabhyam (superimposition and its elimination), Sri Bhagavan pointed out that the first turns you inward to the Self; and then according to the second, you know that the world is not apart from the Self.
Talk 297
Mr. Cohen asked: Meditation is with mind in the jagrat (waking) state. There is mind in dream also. Why is there no meditation in dream? Nor is it possible?
Sri Ramana.: Ask it in the dream.
After a short silence Sri Bhagavan continued: You are told to meditate now and find who you are. Instead of doing it you ask “Why is there no meditation in dream or in sleep?” If you find out for whom there is jagrat (waking), it will be clear that dream and sleep are also for the same one. You are the witness of jagrat (waking), svapna (dream) and sushupti (sleep) - rather, they pass before you. Because you are out of meditation now, these questions arise. Stick to meditation and see if these questions arise.
Talk 298
A certain visitor formulated a question, saying that meditation is more direct than investigation, because the former holds on to the truth whereas the latter sifts the truth from untruth.
Sri Ramana: For the beginner meditation on a form is more easy and agreeable. Practice of it leads to Atmavichara which consists in sifting the Reality from unreality.
What is the use of holding on to truth when you are filled with antagonistic factors?
Atmavichara directly leads to realisation by removing the obstacles which make you think that the Self is not already realised.
Talk 310
Devotee: Work leaves no time for separate meditation. Is the constant reminder “I am”, trying to feel it while actually at work, enough?
Sri Ramana: It will become constant when the mind becomes strengthened. Repeated practice strengthens the mind; and such mind is capable of holding on to the current. In that case, engagement in work or no engagement, the current remains unaffected and uninterrupted.
D.: No separate meditation is necessary?
Sri Ramana: Meditation is your true nature now. You call it meditation, because there are other thoughts distracting you. When these thoughts are dispelled, you remain alone, i.e., in the state of meditation free from thoughts; and that is your real nature which you are now attempting to gain by keeping away other thoughts. Such keeping away of other thoughts is now called meditation. When the practice becomes firm, the real nature shows itself as the true meditation.
Other thoughts arise more forcibly when you attempt meditation.
Sri Maharshi continued after a number of questions were asked on this topic: Yes, all kinds of thoughts arise in meditation. It is but right. What lies hidden in you is brought out. Unless they rise up how can they be destroyed? They therefore rise up spontaneously in order to be extinguished in due course, thus to strengthen the mind.
Talk 452
Mr. Dhar, I. C. S., a high Officer and his wife, both young, highly cultured and intelligent, are on a visit here. But they fell ill since they arrived here. She desired to know how meditation could become steady.
Sri Ramana: What is meditation? It consists in expulsion of thoughts. All the present troubles are due to thoughts and are themselves thoughts. Give up thoughts. That is happiness and also meditation.
Mr. Dhar: How are thoughts given up?
M.: The thoughts are for the thinker. Remain as the Self of the thinker and there is an end of thoughts.
Mr. Dhar asked Sri Bhagavan why Brahma, who is Perfection, creates and puts us to ordeals for regaining Him.
Sri Ramana: Where is the individual who asks this question? He is in the universe and included in the creation. How does he raise the question when he is bound in the creation? He must go beyond it and see if any question arises then.
Talk 462
Mrs. Dhar had been anxious to ask some questions and get help from Sri Bhagavan. She approached Him with great hesitation and gently related her troubles: My attempts at concentration are frustrated by sudden palpitations of the heart and accompanying hard, short and quick breaths. Then my thoughts also rush out and the mind becomes uncontrollable. Under healthy conditions I am more successful and my breath comes to a standstill with deep concentration. I had long been anxious to get the benefit of Sri Bhagavan’s proximity for the successful culmination of my meditation and so came here after considerable effort. I fell ill here. I could not meditate and so I felt depressed. I made a determined effort to concentrate my mind even though I was troubled by short and quick breaths. Though partly successful it does not satisfy me. The time for my leaving the place is drawing near. I feel more and more depressed as I contemplate leaving the place. Here I find people obtaining peace by meditation in the hall; whereas I am not blessed with such peace. This itself has a depressing effect on me.
Sri Ramana: This thought, ‘I am not able to concentrate,’ is itself an obstacle. Why should the thought arise?
D.: Can one remain without thoughts rising all the 24 hours of the day? Should I remain without meditation?
Sri Ramana: What is ‘hours’ again? It is a concept. Each question of yours is prompted by a thought.
Your nature is Peace and Happiness. Thoughts are the obstacles to realisation. One’s meditation or concentration is meant to get rid of obstacles and not to gain the Self. Does anyone remain apart from the Self? No! The true nature of the Self is declared to be Peace. If the same peace is not found, the non-finding is only a thought which is alien to the Self. One practises meditation only to get rid of these alien fancies. So, then, a thought must be quelled as soon as it rises. Whenever a thought arises, do not be carried away by it. You become aware of the body when you forget the Self. But can you forget the Self? Being the Self how can you forget it? There must be two selves for one to forget the other. It is absurd. So the Self is not depressed; it is not imperfect: it is ever happy. The contrary feeling is a mere thought which has actually no stamina in it. Be rid of thoughts. Why should one attempt meditation? Being the Self one remains always realised, only be free from thoughts.
You think that your health does not permit your meditation. This depression must be traced to its origin. The origin is the wrong identification of the body with the Self. The disease is not of the Self. It is of the body. But the body does not come and tell you that it is possessed by the disease. It is you who say it. Why? Because you have wrongly identified yourself with the body.
The body itself is a thought. Be as you really are. There is no reason to be depressed.
Talk 624
A devotee asked Sri Bhagavan: With every thought the subject and the object appear and disappear. Does not the ‘I’ disappear when the subject disappears thus? If that be so how can the quest of the ‘I’ proceed?
Sri Ramana: The subject (knower) is only a mode of mind. Though the mode (vritti) passes, the reality behind it does not cease. The background of the mode is the ‘I’ in which the mind modes arise and sink.
D.: After describing the Self as srota (hearer), manta (thinker), vijnata (knower), etc., it is again described as asrota, amanta, avijnata, non-hearer, non-thinker, non-knower, Is it so?
Sri Ramana: Just so. The common man is aware of himself only when modifications arise in the intellect (vijnanamaya kosa); these modifications are transient; they arise and set. Hence the vijnanamaya (intellect) is called a kosa or sheath. When pure awareness is left over it is itself the Chit (Self) or the Supreme. To be in one’s natural state on the subsidence of thoughts is bliss; if that bliss be transient - arising and setting - then it is only the sheath of bliss (Anandamaya kosa), not the pure Self. What is needed is to fix the attention on the pure ‘I’ after the subsidence of all thoughts and not to lose hold of it. This has to be described as an extremely subtle thought; else it cannot be spoken of at all, since it is no other than the Real Self. Who is to speak of it, to whom and how?
This is well explained in the Kaivalyam and the Viveka Chudamani. Thus though in sleep the awareness of the Self is not lost, the ignorance of the jiva is not affected by it. For this ignorance to be destroyed this subtle state of mind (vrittijnanam) is necessary; in the sunshine cotton does not burn; but if the cotton be placed under a lens it catches fire and is consumed by the rays of the Sun passing through the lens. So too, though the awareness of the Self is present at all times, it is not inimical to ignorance. If by meditation the subtle state of thought is won, then ignorance is destroyed. Also in Viveka Chudamani: ativa sukshmam paramatma tattvam na sthoola drishtya (the exceedingly subtle Supreme Self cannot be seen by the gross eye) and esha svayam jyotirasesha sakshi (this is Self-shining and witnesses all).
This subtle mental state is not a modification of mind called vritti. Because the mental states are of two kinds. One is the natural state and the other is a transformation into forms of objects. The first is the truth, and the other is according to the doer (kartru-tantra). When the latter perishes, jale kataka renuvat (like the clearing nut paste in water) the former will remain over.
The means for this end is meditation. Though this is with the triad of distinction (triputi) it will finally end in pure awareness (jnanam) Meditation needs effort: jnanam is effortless. Meditation can be done, or not done, or wrongly done, jnanam is not so. Meditation is described as kartru-tantra (as doer’s own), jnanam as vastu-tantra (the Supreme’s own).
What is the difference between meditation and distraction?
Sri Ramana: No difference. When there are thoughts, it is distraction: when there are no thoughts, it is meditation. However, meditation is only practice (as distinguished from the real state of Peace.)
Devotee: How to practice meditation?
Sri Ramana: Keep off thoughts.
Devotee: How to reconcile work with meditation?
Sri Ramana: Who is the worker? Let him who works ask the question. You are always the Self. You are not the mind. It is the mind which raises these questions. Work proceeds, always in the presence of the Self only. Work is no hindrance to realisation. It is the mistaken identity of the worker that troubles one. Get rid of the false identity.
Talk 220
Mr. B. C. Das, the Physics Lecturer, asked: Contemplation is possible only with control of mind and control can be accomplished only by contemplation. Is it not a vicious circle?
Sri Ramana: Yes, they are interdependent. They must go on side by side. Practice and dispassion bring about the result gradually. Dispassion is practised to check the mind from being projected outward; practice is to keep it turned inward. There is a struggle between control and contemplation. It is going on constantly within. Contemplation will in due course be successful.
D.: How to begin? Your Grace is needed for it.
Sri Ramana: Grace is always there. “Dispassion cannot be acquired, nor realization of the Truth, nor inherence in the Self, in the absence of Guru’s Grace,” the Master quoted.
Practice is necessary. It is like training a roguish bull confined to his stall by tempting him with luscious grass and preventing him from straying.
Then the Master read out a stanza from Tiruvachakam, which is an address to the mind, saying: “O humming bee (namely, mind)! Why do you take the pains of collecting tiny specks of honey from innumerable flowers? There is one from whom you can have the whole storehouse of honey by simply thinking or seeing or speaking of Him. Get within and hum to Him (hrimkara).”
D.: Should one have a form in one’s mind, supplemented with reading or chanting God’s name in one’s meditation?
Sri Ramana: What is mental conception except it be meditation?
D.: Should the form be supplemented by repetition of mantras or dwelling on divine attributes?
Sri Ramana: When japa is the predominating tendency, vocal japa becomes eventually mental, which is the same as meditation.
Talk 293
Mr. K. K. V. Iyer: There is no way found to go inward by means of meditation.
Sri Ramana:: Where else are we now? Our very being is that.
Devotee: Being so, we are ignorant of it.
Sri Ramana: Ignorant of what, and whose is the ignorance? If ignorant of the Self, are there two selves?
D.: There are no two selves. The feeling of limitation cannot be denied. Due to limitations....
Sri Ramana: Limitation is only in the mind. Did you feel it in deep sleep? You exist in sleep. You do not deny your existence then. The same Self is now and here, in the wakeful state. You are now saying that there are limitations. What has now happened is that there are these differences between the two states. The differences are due to the mind. There was no mind in sleep. whereas it is now active. The Self exists in the absence of the mind also.
D.: Although it is understood, it is not realised.
Sri Ramana: It will be by and by, with meditation.
D.: Meditation is with mind and how can it kill the mind in order to reveal the Self?
Sri Ramana: Meditation is sticking to one thought. That single thought keeps away other thoughts; distraction of mind is a sign of its weakness. By constant meditation it gains strength, i.e., to say, its weakness of fugitive thought gives place to the enduring background free from thoughts. This expanse devoid of thought is the Self. Mind in purity is the Self. Sri Bhagavan continued in reply to the former questioner: Everyone says “I am the body”. It is the experience of the sage as also of the ignorant. The ignorant man believes that the Self is confined to the body only, whereas the wise man believes that the body cannot remain apart from the Self. The Self is infinite for him and includes the body also.
Talk 294
Mr. Parkhi: How is meditation to be practised?
Sri Ramana: Meditation is, truly speaking, Atmanishtha (to be fixed as the Self). But when thoughts cross the mind and an effort is made to eliminate them the effort is usually termed meditation. Atmanishtha is your real nature. Remain as you are. That is the aim.
D.: But thoughts come up. Is our effort meant to eliminate thoughts only?
Sri Ramana: Yes. Meditation being on a single thought, the other thoughts are kept away. Meditation is only negative in effect inasmuch as thoughts are kept away.
D.: It is said Atma samstham manah krtva (fixing the mind in the Self). But the Self is unthinkable.
Sri Ramana: Why do you wish to meditate at all? Because you wish to do so you are told Atma samstham manah krtva (fixing the mind in the Self); why do you not remain as you are without meditating? What is that manah (mind)? When all thoughts are eliminated it becomes Atma samstha (fixed in the Self).
D.: If a form is given I can meditate on it and other thoughts are eliminated. But the Self is formless.
Sri Ramana: Meditation on forms or concrete objects is said to be dhyana, whereas the enquiry into the Self is vichara (enquiry) or nididhyasana.
Explaining adhyaropapavadabhyam (superimposition and its elimination), Sri Bhagavan pointed out that the first turns you inward to the Self; and then according to the second, you know that the world is not apart from the Self.
Talk 297
Mr. Cohen asked: Meditation is with mind in the jagrat (waking) state. There is mind in dream also. Why is there no meditation in dream? Nor is it possible?
Sri Ramana.: Ask it in the dream.
After a short silence Sri Bhagavan continued: You are told to meditate now and find who you are. Instead of doing it you ask “Why is there no meditation in dream or in sleep?” If you find out for whom there is jagrat (waking), it will be clear that dream and sleep are also for the same one. You are the witness of jagrat (waking), svapna (dream) and sushupti (sleep) - rather, they pass before you. Because you are out of meditation now, these questions arise. Stick to meditation and see if these questions arise.
Talk 298
A certain visitor formulated a question, saying that meditation is more direct than investigation, because the former holds on to the truth whereas the latter sifts the truth from untruth.
Sri Ramana: For the beginner meditation on a form is more easy and agreeable. Practice of it leads to Atmavichara which consists in sifting the Reality from unreality.
What is the use of holding on to truth when you are filled with antagonistic factors?
Atmavichara directly leads to realisation by removing the obstacles which make you think that the Self is not already realised.
Talk 310
Devotee: Work leaves no time for separate meditation. Is the constant reminder “I am”, trying to feel it while actually at work, enough?
Sri Ramana: It will become constant when the mind becomes strengthened. Repeated practice strengthens the mind; and such mind is capable of holding on to the current. In that case, engagement in work or no engagement, the current remains unaffected and uninterrupted.
D.: No separate meditation is necessary?
Sri Ramana: Meditation is your true nature now. You call it meditation, because there are other thoughts distracting you. When these thoughts are dispelled, you remain alone, i.e., in the state of meditation free from thoughts; and that is your real nature which you are now attempting to gain by keeping away other thoughts. Such keeping away of other thoughts is now called meditation. When the practice becomes firm, the real nature shows itself as the true meditation.
Other thoughts arise more forcibly when you attempt meditation.
Sri Maharshi continued after a number of questions were asked on this topic: Yes, all kinds of thoughts arise in meditation. It is but right. What lies hidden in you is brought out. Unless they rise up how can they be destroyed? They therefore rise up spontaneously in order to be extinguished in due course, thus to strengthen the mind.
Talk 452
Mr. Dhar, I. C. S., a high Officer and his wife, both young, highly cultured and intelligent, are on a visit here. But they fell ill since they arrived here. She desired to know how meditation could become steady.
Sri Ramana: What is meditation? It consists in expulsion of thoughts. All the present troubles are due to thoughts and are themselves thoughts. Give up thoughts. That is happiness and also meditation.
Mr. Dhar: How are thoughts given up?
M.: The thoughts are for the thinker. Remain as the Self of the thinker and there is an end of thoughts.
Mr. Dhar asked Sri Bhagavan why Brahma, who is Perfection, creates and puts us to ordeals for regaining Him.
Sri Ramana: Where is the individual who asks this question? He is in the universe and included in the creation. How does he raise the question when he is bound in the creation? He must go beyond it and see if any question arises then.
Talk 462
Mrs. Dhar had been anxious to ask some questions and get help from Sri Bhagavan. She approached Him with great hesitation and gently related her troubles: My attempts at concentration are frustrated by sudden palpitations of the heart and accompanying hard, short and quick breaths. Then my thoughts also rush out and the mind becomes uncontrollable. Under healthy conditions I am more successful and my breath comes to a standstill with deep concentration. I had long been anxious to get the benefit of Sri Bhagavan’s proximity for the successful culmination of my meditation and so came here after considerable effort. I fell ill here. I could not meditate and so I felt depressed. I made a determined effort to concentrate my mind even though I was troubled by short and quick breaths. Though partly successful it does not satisfy me. The time for my leaving the place is drawing near. I feel more and more depressed as I contemplate leaving the place. Here I find people obtaining peace by meditation in the hall; whereas I am not blessed with such peace. This itself has a depressing effect on me.
Sri Ramana: This thought, ‘I am not able to concentrate,’ is itself an obstacle. Why should the thought arise?
D.: Can one remain without thoughts rising all the 24 hours of the day? Should I remain without meditation?
Sri Ramana: What is ‘hours’ again? It is a concept. Each question of yours is prompted by a thought.
Your nature is Peace and Happiness. Thoughts are the obstacles to realisation. One’s meditation or concentration is meant to get rid of obstacles and not to gain the Self. Does anyone remain apart from the Self? No! The true nature of the Self is declared to be Peace. If the same peace is not found, the non-finding is only a thought which is alien to the Self. One practises meditation only to get rid of these alien fancies. So, then, a thought must be quelled as soon as it rises. Whenever a thought arises, do not be carried away by it. You become aware of the body when you forget the Self. But can you forget the Self? Being the Self how can you forget it? There must be two selves for one to forget the other. It is absurd. So the Self is not depressed; it is not imperfect: it is ever happy. The contrary feeling is a mere thought which has actually no stamina in it. Be rid of thoughts. Why should one attempt meditation? Being the Self one remains always realised, only be free from thoughts.
You think that your health does not permit your meditation. This depression must be traced to its origin. The origin is the wrong identification of the body with the Self. The disease is not of the Self. It is of the body. But the body does not come and tell you that it is possessed by the disease. It is you who say it. Why? Because you have wrongly identified yourself with the body.
The body itself is a thought. Be as you really are. There is no reason to be depressed.
Talk 624
A devotee asked Sri Bhagavan: With every thought the subject and the object appear and disappear. Does not the ‘I’ disappear when the subject disappears thus? If that be so how can the quest of the ‘I’ proceed?
Sri Ramana: The subject (knower) is only a mode of mind. Though the mode (vritti) passes, the reality behind it does not cease. The background of the mode is the ‘I’ in which the mind modes arise and sink.
D.: After describing the Self as srota (hearer), manta (thinker), vijnata (knower), etc., it is again described as asrota, amanta, avijnata, non-hearer, non-thinker, non-knower, Is it so?
Sri Ramana: Just so. The common man is aware of himself only when modifications arise in the intellect (vijnanamaya kosa); these modifications are transient; they arise and set. Hence the vijnanamaya (intellect) is called a kosa or sheath. When pure awareness is left over it is itself the Chit (Self) or the Supreme. To be in one’s natural state on the subsidence of thoughts is bliss; if that bliss be transient - arising and setting - then it is only the sheath of bliss (Anandamaya kosa), not the pure Self. What is needed is to fix the attention on the pure ‘I’ after the subsidence of all thoughts and not to lose hold of it. This has to be described as an extremely subtle thought; else it cannot be spoken of at all, since it is no other than the Real Self. Who is to speak of it, to whom and how?
This is well explained in the Kaivalyam and the Viveka Chudamani. Thus though in sleep the awareness of the Self is not lost, the ignorance of the jiva is not affected by it. For this ignorance to be destroyed this subtle state of mind (vrittijnanam) is necessary; in the sunshine cotton does not burn; but if the cotton be placed under a lens it catches fire and is consumed by the rays of the Sun passing through the lens. So too, though the awareness of the Self is present at all times, it is not inimical to ignorance. If by meditation the subtle state of thought is won, then ignorance is destroyed. Also in Viveka Chudamani: ativa sukshmam paramatma tattvam na sthoola drishtya (the exceedingly subtle Supreme Self cannot be seen by the gross eye) and esha svayam jyotirasesha sakshi (this is Self-shining and witnesses all).
This subtle mental state is not a modification of mind called vritti. Because the mental states are of two kinds. One is the natural state and the other is a transformation into forms of objects. The first is the truth, and the other is according to the doer (kartru-tantra). When the latter perishes, jale kataka renuvat (like the clearing nut paste in water) the former will remain over.
The means for this end is meditation. Though this is with the triad of distinction (triputi) it will finally end in pure awareness (jnanam) Meditation needs effort: jnanam is effortless. Meditation can be done, or not done, or wrongly done, jnanam is not so. Meditation is described as kartru-tantra (as doer’s own), jnanam as vastu-tantra (the Supreme’s own).
