Which books present Ramana’s teachings most accurately?

When you see a book or pamplet that says “by Sri Ramana Maharshi” on the cover, or one that contains records of his conversations, you might assume that the words inside are his. Unfortunately things aren’t so straightforward. To take one example, some of the conversations in Talks With Ramana Maharshi were paraphrased and written […]

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Exit signs in the dream

People often say that the world is like a dream and that when we wake up from it, we become enlightened. The first half of this idea has probably occurred to people in all times and places. In the words of the children’s song, “Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.” The second […]

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Ramana Periya Puranam

After I posted this, a friend emailed me the following paragraph: We have read and re-read Ramana Periya Puranam and every time I read it, tears start to flow down my face. I feel an outpouring of grace whenever I read it. It’s one of the most powerful books that both my husband and I […]

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The Sturdy, Stable Thing

My friend Jyothi sent a message yesterday. She was very excited about an experience that had just happened to her. Earlier in the day, in the morning, she had meditated with voluntary effort. Then later in the afternoon she fell into involuntary meditation. This pattern of intentional meditation in the morning and natural meditation in […]

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Ramana Maharshi 2

There are many books of Ramana’s dialogs; some report his words more faithfully than others. According to David Godman, the great scholar of Ramana’s life and works, Maharshi’s Gospel is among the more reliable ones. In Chapter III of that book we find the following dialog: Devotee: There are times when persons and things take […]

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Ramana Maharshi 1

From Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi number 628: Mrs. D. said there were breaks in her awareness and desired to know how the awareness might be made continuous. A break is a lapse or absence. Awareness is a synonym for consciousness. “Breaks in her awareness” means that Mrs. D. is slipping out of consciousness and […]

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Ramana Maharshi and Meenakshi Amman Temple

The first two posts on this blog pay homage to my guides and protectors, the Goddess and Sri Ramana Maharshi. No amount of thanks could ever be adequate. The house where Ramana Maharshi lived as a teenager is about 300 feet from Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, India, as shown in this picture from Google Earth: […]

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