Inner Work

Self Enquiry by Ramana Maharshi

Who am I?

Is the Fundamental question on the Spiritual Journey

"Self Enquiry means effort to trace thought back to its source.

If you incessantly hold on to the source of thought, there will come a time when emergence from such source becomes altogether impossible.

If Self Enquiry has resulted in a state of mind wherein it abides as identical with pure Subjective Consciousness, then you have done it correctly. Self Enquiry has been done correctly when doing it has resulted in the Self-realisation flashing forth. "

Self Enquiry explained

When a thought rises up “lunch time” – “When is lunch?” As soon as this thought arises rather than taking the thought, you ask yourself “To whom has this thought arisen?”
   This thought about lunch. “To whom did it arise?” You immediately get the answer “to me”. Because you’re completely identified with me. This thought arose to “me”.   And then you ask a second question “Who is this me?” 
    You think you know, but you don’t. The second question doesn’t have a verbal answer. You can say “I’m consciousness”. Well, that doesn’t really answer that question. 
    So you come to Silence, you fall into Silence. You fall into the Emptiness. This is actually Self Enquiry, its that simple. This question is a fundamental part of the spiritual investigation.

Self Enquiry Workshop with John David

In a Self Inquiry workshop we sit together, lovingly asking each other “Who are you?”
    Through this exercise over some hours we notice deeply that all answers that we give to that question are not who we really are and after some time we fall deeper inside, looking for what the question can reveal inside of ourself.
     This Exercise rather quickly, in a few hours, can bring people to have a taste of their True Nature, their being. Its a bit like going down into the clear water and suddenly wow, its so beautiful. 

The Self Enquiry Workshop is part of each of John David’s Retreats

Photo Gallery from the Workshop

Ramana Maharshi, Aham Sphurana

There is a state when
words cease and silence prevails.
Silence is the ocean
into which all the rivers
of all religions discharge themselves.
It is the speech of the Self.
That which Is, is Silence.

More from Ramana Maharshi

Quotations by Ramana Maharshi about Self Enquiry, Surrender and the Role of the Guru

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Ramana eyes

Rooting Out the Ego and Persevering on the Path

Q: Which is genuine Vichara – asking myself Who am I? every time a thought arises or keenly investigating the problem of who I am?
B: The latter. If you want to get rid of a poisonous tree, do you lop off its leaves one by one? What is the use of such an approach? In the time it takes for you to cut down one leaf, leaves multitudinous in number and multifarious in variety would have sprouted forth from the vicious tree. Instead, attack the poisonous root of illusion, namely the ahamvritti, straightaway!

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Ramana with Boy and Stick

Danger of Emptiness [shunyastithi]

Bhagavan: ( )…Otherwise, the aspirant will in all likelihood unknowingly mistake the shunyastithi [state of emptiness] to be Jnana and rest in it, eventually becoming hopelessly lost.

It is an unfortunate fact that many teachers of meditation tutor shunyastithi and purposely delude their pupils into believing that it is Jnana.

Shunyastithi [state of emptiness] is a deadly spiritual poison.

It drives one away from the Heart, thereafter the lost ground has to be recovered all the way by means of doubling-back if Jnana is to be reached. That is why meditation is not encouraged here, but only Vichara.

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Rama Na

BE As You Are

Bhagavan: People are so obsessed with and enamoured by mental activity that they imagine that by some special kind of mental activity, such as meditation, for instance, the Self can be duped into revealing Itself. It is not so. Only complete cessation of mental activity can reveal the Self. Giving up the personal self or the idea of the seekers existence, should, again, be volitionless and unconditional; it should not be driven by any motive.

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Ramana5

Ripe Souls Attain Jnana

Bhagavan: People are so obsessed with and enamoured by mental activity that they imagine that by some special kind of mental activity, such as meditation, for instance, the Self can be duped into revealing Itself. It is not so. Only complete cessation of mental activity can reveal the Self. Giving up the personal self or the idea of the seekers existence, should, again, be volitionless and unconditional; it should not be driven by any motive.

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Ramana Group Picture

How we Sabotage Vichara

Chadwick: [unhappily] I have been staying here for months. I see no improvement in me. If anything, my condition seems to be taking a turn for the worse. I am desperate to Realise in this lifetime
B: Give up the idea that you are striving for Realisation.

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Ramana 3

Am I doing Vichara Correctly?

Q: What are the indicators based on which I shall be enabled to find out for myself whether I am doing vichara correctly or not?
B: If vichara has resulted in a state of mind wherein it abides as identical with pure Subjective Consciousness, then you have done it correctly. However, it is not easy for the neophyte to tell whether his mind is presently abiding as identical with pure Subjective Consciousness, because the torpid mental state of manolayam [state where mind structures are hazily projected] is often mistakenly regarded as being the tabula-rasa mental state of pure Subjective Consciousness.

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Sex Ramana Maharshi

Sex and the Self

Bhagavan: People are so obsessed with and enamoured by mental activity that they imagine that by some special kind of mental activity, such as meditation, for instance, the Self can be duped into revealing Itself. It is not so. Only complete cessation of mental activity can reveal the Self. Giving up the personal self or the idea of the seekers existence, should, again, be volitionless and unconditional; it should not be driven by any motive.

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Ramana Maharshi Unselfish Love

Complete Cessation of Mental Activity

Bhagavan: People are so obsessed with and enamoured by mental activity that they imagine that by some special kind of mental activity, such as meditation, for instance, the Self can be duped into revealing Itself. It is not so. Only complete cessation of mental activity can reveal the Self. Giving up the personal self or the idea of the seekers existence, should, again, be volitionless and unconditional; it should not be driven by any motive.

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The Secret of Jnana is Bhakti

B.: Is it the mind that wants to kill the mind? The mind cannot kill the mind. Anything that you endeavour to ‘do’ with the mind will only reinforce and perpetuate the notion of mind. Rather than pointlessly wondering, ‘How shall I eradicate the mind?’, go on seeking the mind. Incessant search for what mind is results in its disappearance.

The thing to do is to completely ignore the objects that appear by the reflected light of the mind, and instead seek the source of the mind’s illumination. If the source of the mind is continuously sought for, it begins to subside.

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How shall we kill the mind?

B.: Is it the mind that wants to kill the mind? The mind cannot kill the mind. Anything that you endeavour to ‘do’ with the mind will only reinforce and perpetuate the notion of mind. Rather than pointlessly wondering, ‘How shall I eradicate the mind?’, go on seeking the mind. Incessant search for what mind is results in its disappearance.

The thing to do is to completely ignore the objects that appear by the reflected light of the mind, and instead seek the source of the mind’s illumination. If the source of the mind is continuously sought for, it begins to subside.

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Vichara, Self Enquiry

Q.: What are the indicators based on which I shall be enabled to find out for myself whether I am doing vichara [Self enquiry] correctly or not?

B.: If vichara has resulted in a state of mind wherein it abides as identical with pure Subjective Consciousness, then you have done it correctly.

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Meditation

Practiced diligently, meditation techniques purify the mind because they bring awareness to unholy patterns of thought and feeling. Unhealthy thoughts cannot survive the penetrating light of awareness. Nothing purifies like experience of the Self, which releases a flood of healing, cleansing, spiritual energy into the conscious and unconscious minds.

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"You may imagine to yourself that you have parted from God, but know that He never parts from you."