be the self

BE THE SELF

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Q: When a man realizes the Self, what will he see? 

A: There is no seeing. 

Seeing is only being. 

The state of Self-realization, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, 

but simply being that which you 

always are and which you always have been. 

All that is needed is that you give up your realization of the not-true as true. All of us 

are regarding as real that which is not real. We have only to give up this practice on our part. 

Then we shall realize the Self as the Self; 

in other words, 

`Be the Self'. 

At one stage you will laugh at yourself 

for trying to discover the Self which is so self-evident. So, what can we say to this question? 

That stage transcends the seer and the seen. There is no seer there to see anything. The seer who is seeing all this now ceases to exist and the Self alone remains. 

Q: How to know this by direct experience? 

A: If We talk of knowing the Self, there must be two selves, one a knowing self, another the self which is known, and the 

process of knowing. The state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or becoming anything. 

If one has realized, one is that which alone is and which alone has always been. 

One cannot describe that state. 

One can only be that. 

Of course, we loosely talk of Self-realization, for want of a better term. 

How to `realize' or make real that which alone is real ?

~ Bhagvan Sri Ramana Maharishi

- Be as you are.

self

There is no goal to be reached. There is nothing to be attained. You are the Self. You exist always. Nothing more can be predicated of the Self than that it exists. Seeing God or the Self is only being the Self or yourself. Seeing is being. 

You, being the Self, want to know how to attain the Self. It is something like a man being at Ramanasramam asking how many ways there are to reach Ramanasramam and which is the best way for him. 

All that is required of you is to give up the thought that you are this body and to give up all thoughts of the external things or the not-Self.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

BE AS YOU ARE

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whoever earnestly seeks refuge in him 

   Lord Arunachala Ramana

he eagerly welcomes them

   and generously grants the shelter

whoever worships him

  he gifts the fulfilment in life, the peace

wherever he is praised

   his grace takes control of their lives

however their life styles maybe

   he purifies and reforms their minds

whatever his devotees offer

   he kindly accepts them willing fully

whoever chants his holy name

   he grants a simple and dignified life

whoever wants to serve his divine feet

   he makes them as his servant

his devotees gaining his grace

  they live in harmony with the world

whoever praises his glory

   so weak he is

   

like a boy gets coyed by a beautiful girl

   he falls in the net of his devotees love

whoever gives himself to him

  he gives himself as an exchange

Such is the glory of Sri Ramana

   where words lose all their meaning

privileged are his devotees

  Iam lucky to be one of those.

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Emptiness is there; space is there. 

This is your inherent nature. You can call it presence or space or anything else. It is obstructed by desire and by thinking. It is always obstructed by desire. 

Emptiness is just the lack, 

the absence of thoughts and desires. 

When you have a burden on your shoulder, you are restless. Let us say that you are holding onto two hundred pounds and that you want to get rid of this trouble, this burden. When you drop it, you have not gained anything. You have not attained some new state that was never there before. You have simply thrown something away that was troubling you and returned to your inherent nature, the inherent state that was there before you loaded yourself up with this weight.

This thinking process, this burden, is a desire that we always carry with us. I am showing you how to drop this unwanted burden. 

When you ask the question, "Who is thinking?" you arrest the process of thinking and return back to your true nature, your inherent nature, your spontaneous nature, the pure Source that is empty. 

This is your own nature, and this is what you are always. 

The mind does not enter there. 

Time does not enter. 

Death does not enter. 

Fear does not enter. 

This is your inherent, Eternal nature. If you stay there, there will be no fear. If you step out of it, you step into samsara, manifestation, and there you are in trouble all the time.

~ Papaji 

From: Freedom Now. 

Chapter: Who is thinking?