When I was a freshman in college half a century ago, my favorite novelist was Doris Lessing. In one of her novels, maybe several of them, a character makes a deliberate effort to silence his or her mental chatter. The idea intrigued me because it touched a major feature of everyone’s experience yet I had […]
Words of Wisdom
If it’s true that Brahman is more real than things we experience, writings about the world, God, and our apparent selves cannot be as profound as writings about Self-realization. It often seems that way to me. But nonetheless, some writings about those topics are more profound than others, and it’s good to read and think […]
More about Ramana’s transmissions
A few days ago I wrote about Ramana giving initiation or transmission by looking into people’s eyes. Here’s another quote that makes the point even more clearly and concisely than the ones I already posted. The speaker is Sankarammal, a woman who worked in the ashram kitchen. V. Ganesan, who recorded her words, says she […]
Sadhu Natanananda’s ferocious lecture about Self-enquiry It is only to make you be like him!
This post used to appear on realization.org but since I’ve removed most of the content from that website, I’ll publish it here. V. Ganesan, Ramana Maharshi’s grandnephew, has written an extraordinarily wonderful book called Ramana Periya Puranam. Please don’t be put off by the Tamil title. The book is an easy, enjoyable read in English […]
Ramana’s glance of grace Initiation by look
I wonder how many people know today that Ramana Maharshi was famous during his lifetime for giving initiation or transmission to visitors by looking into their eyes. He often did this for almost an hour at a time. His devotees at the ashram sometimes called this his “glance of grace.” The effect was often strong […]
Where are the Self-realized people who teach Ramana’s method based on their own experience?
I don’t know of a single living person who: 1. Claims to have reached Ramana’s state by following the method that he taught, and 2. Teaches that method. The only person I can think of who met those criteria was Arunachala Ramana, the man who started Aham and wrote this book, but he died in […]
Fish space out when they hear about water Experience is to you as water is to fish.
Today’s topic is a hard one for the same reason that fish get bored and stop listening when you tell them they’re floating in water. Everything you’ve ever known has been an experience, just like fish have always been in water. This topic is not only boring, it’s incomprehensible, because if everything has always been […]
A chat with ChatGPT about consciousness
I’ve been a computer programmer for 40 years, and I think the idea that computers may become conscious is complete nonsense. That idea is based on the mistaken belief that consciousness and information processing have a special relationship to each other. Consciousness feels love, pain, fear, heat, desire, disgust, and so forth — none of […]
How I became convinced that Self-realization is not a myth
An episode from my life came up in a comment the other day. It may sound trivial but it made a huge impression on me. I’ll do my best to describe it but it may be one of those things you had to be there to appreciate. In 2005 I spent a few weeks with […]
Sri Mahaprabu could not find the mind
Quoted from Journey of Sri Mahaprabu. Black emphasis is Mahaprabu’s; green is Freddie’s. Then came the words from Karl [Renz], as if he had read Mahaprabu’s mind. “Come on, ask the question!” (He probably saw the smile on my [Mahaprabu’s] face) Mahaprabu: “Myself?” Karl: “Yes! You.” Mahaprabu: “You are telling ‘Drop the mind.’ But how […]