Ramana Maharshi: Teachings & Self-Inquiry Tips

By Tchiki Davis, MA., PhD.
Discover Ramana Maharshi’s teachings and how to use self-inquiry to find your true Self.
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Ramana Maharshi is perhaps one of the most well-respected sages in recent generations. Having reached full enlightenment as a teenager, he was able to speak of spirituality in a candid way that was relatively uninfluenced by religion or other learnings. Rather, he spoke from a place of knowing the Self—or the One reality—and he aimed to help other people discover that within themselves. In this article, we’ll review some 
of Ramana Maharshi’s key teachings and perspectives so that you can begin to more easily observe the Self in you.
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Who Is Ramana Maharshi?​

Ramana Maharshi is an Indian sage and enlightened being who died in 1950. In India, many visitors received spiritual instruction by sitting silently with him or by asking questions (Wikipedia, n.d.). At age 16, he had a sudden fear of death which led him to inquire, “What is it that dies?” and he realized that the body dies but the Self does not. Ramana Maharshi’s sudden realization is quite different from the gradual realizations that are more common among other enlightened humans.

Ramana Maharshi on Self Enquiry (Self-Inquiry)​

Ramana Maharshi’s sudden realization (or enlightenment) led to his teaching of a practice called self-inquiry. In self-inquiry, we ask ourselves who is the seer (or the awareness that views all of our experiences). Most of Maharshi’s teachings ask people to look at that seer (or witness) of all of our experiences (Maharshi, 1985). Liberation occurs when that seer disappears. That is, we no longer have the “I-thought” (also sometimes referred to as the ego).

Ramana Maharshi on The “I-Thought”

The I-thought is considered to be the root or base thought from which other thoughts are stacked on top. It’s the thought, “I am”, which is, ultimately, a non-existent illusion. We believe that we are separate beings—John is John, Sally is Sally, etc…—but Ramana Maharshi says that all this is an illusion and the Self is a single reality or Source. So the real “I”, which is behind the fake “I” or I-thought, is a non-personal, all-inclusive awareness (Maharshi, 1985).

Without the I-thought, we would not have experiences. In other words, the duality enables the “I” to have interactions with “other” objects, people, etc…(Ayyar, 2019). So the I-thought is key to what most of us consider to be a normal life.

Although the purpose of self-inquiry is hard to grasp from the perspective of a separate self (i.e., someone who considers themselves to be John or Sally), we might think of it as similar to looking at a mirage. When we look at the awareness of our separate self—at the I-thought—we can eventually see that it is simply an illusion and it can fade away. When the illusion of “I” is gone, we can begin to experience ourselves as the true Self, or the All.

Why Ramana Maharshi Says We Should Ask "Who Am I?"

Ramana Maharshi’s self-inquiry is a simple technique. We simply ask ourselves, “Who am I?” Ramana Maharshi’s book, Be As You Are (Maharshi, 1985), recounts many of the Q and A sessions he had with followers. Perhaps one of his most common “answers” to questions is, “Who is the one who is asking this question?” Indeed, many (if not all) of our questions come from the separate self. Here are some examples:

  • How do I achieve self-realization?
  • Should I do X, Y, or Z?
  • Why am I experiencing X, Y, or Z?
  • What will happen to me if I X, Y, or Z?

Do you see how these questions all rely upon the I-thought? If you believe that “I” as a separate entity exists, then these questions make sense. But once one is enlightened, these questions no longer make sense. For example, if there is no “I” there is no achievement, no doing, no experiencing, and no happening. Asking “Who am I?” beyond the separate self can begin to break down these false beliefs, and eventually, the mind’s ability to pretend like it knows things begins to fall apart.

Video: Who Am I? - The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi Teachings

Because Ramana Maharshi’s teachings are from nearly 100 years ago and are translated into English (with a lot of words remaining that don’t have good English translations), they can sometimes be difficult to follow. In my search for an Americanized interpretation, I discovered Akilesh Ayyar, a spiritual teacher who used Ramana Maharshi’s self-inquiry to move beyond the I-thought. 

Akilesh’s approach focuses a bit more on the question “Where am I?” and tracing it to the highest level of awareness. In other words, you might first determine that you are your body, but if you are aware of your body, then you can not be it. Okay, so then maybe you are the internal witness that is aware of your body. But you’re aware of that too, so that can't be you either. You continue this process of looking inward, attempting to do it every waking moment. And if you’re concerned that you won’t work as well, question who has this thought (Ayyar, 2019).
​
Get the Book: Spiritual Dialogues with Akilesh

Video: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi - Interview With David Godman​

What Is Ramana Maharshi’s Self-Inquiry Attempting to Achieve?

The mind is a collection of thoughts. These thoughts act as filters, coloring how we see the world. You might consider the true Self or reality as a bright, white light. The I-thought or “I am” thought is the first filter, and we are “veiled” from knowing that we are the light rather than the I-thought (Ayyar, 2019).

The I-thought then begins to attach itself to, and identify as, other things. For example, I am Sally, I am a woman, I am blonde, I am kind, I see John, I like John, and on and on. The I-thought has just grown like a virus attaching itself to nearly everything in our lives. As adults, we have hundreds, if not thousands, of filters that color how we experience the world. 

Some of the thoughts that get attached to the I-thought are stickier than others. For example, we appear to be more attached to the thoughts that highlight how we are different (or more) than others. For example, we could be more beautiful, more wealthy, or more smart. Or we could even be more negative things like more depressed, more terrible, or more victimized. When these thoughts become stories that we use to define our I-thought, they become even harder to let go of. 

Richard Schwartz’ book, No Bad Parts, can be a helpful tool for helping us to identify these sticky stories and filters. 

Get the Book: No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model

Benefits of Ramana Maharshi’s Self-Inquiry
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Self-inquiry is often considered to be the direct path to spiritual realization because instead of discarding each and every thought as an illusion, we look at the root thought, the “I am” thought. If we can see that this thought is an illusion, all the other thoughts that are built on it can fall away, enabling us to glimpse the background—or our true Self.

Challenges of Ramana Maharshi’s Self-Inquiry
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Personally, I believe self-inquiry is a difficult place to start for early-stage spiritual seekers. It can be difficult for us to simply accept that the I-thought is an illusion. Our entire lives are based on the I-thought. For the skeptical people among us (like me), it can be helpful to experience other, less integral thoughts and identities falling away first. 

For example, we might suddenly realize that our consumerist society coerces us into buying things that don't actually make us happy. Our identities as consumers can then fall away. Or, we might realize that the media is lying to us. Our thoughts about who designs our reality then come into question. Or, we might suddenly realize that we are in an abusive relationship. We can then let go of whatever thoughts and beliefs kept us in that relationship. 
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Experiences like these begin to chip away at thoughts that are attached to the I-thought, and this creates cracks in the “I” identity as a whole. If we are not what we thought we were then what else have we been lying to ourselves about? Who are we really? What is reality? It is often in these later stages of personal growth that we begin this serious questioning. We then slowly deconstruct the identity and ego and eventually question the I-thought (Shutan, 2015). 

For those who have a hard time wrapping their head around the idea that “I” is an illusion, techniques like shadow work can be a good place to start.

Get the Book: Shadow Work for the Soul: Seeing Beauty in the Dark

Ramana Maharshi on Silence

Ramana Maharshi’s main means of instruction was through sitting together with visitors in silence. He suggested that the Truth is beyond words and that speaking just interrupted the flow (Wikipedia, n.d.). Further, he suggested that liberation is achieved in silence, so encouraging silence felt to him to be the best route to spiritual growth. However, this approach only reached advanced learners. Less advanced learners needed words to gain inspiration from Ramana Maharshi (Maharshi, 1985).

Ramana Maharshi on Reincarnation

Ramana Maharshi’s perspective on reincarnation comes from a place beyond the I-thought. The ultimate Truth, as he sees it, is that there is no reincarnation. If there is no “I”, how can the “I” be reincarnated? However, he sometimes capitulated to those who still viewed the world through the I-thought by admitting that there was indeed reincarnation for those who believed that they were a separate self (Maharshi, 1985). 

I personally find this distinction fascinating. Because our reality depends on the unique filters we use to view the world, advice that is helpful to one individual who views the world in one way may not be helpful to another individual who views the world in another way. 

For example, an atheist may believe that the body and mind are the ultimate reality. The best advice for them may be practical advice for helping them heal the body and quiet the mind (practices that do indeed help remove filters). Others may believe that the soul is the ultimate reality. These folks may be advised to act in kind and generous ways to ensure the next life is a good one (these practices also remove filters). Of course, none of this is the ultimate reality, but pursuing self-growth at our current level of illusion is often necessary for progressing to the next level.

Ramana Maharshi on Miracles

Like reincarnation, Ramana Maharshi viewed miracles or spiritual gifts as thoughts, and therefore, illusions (Maharshi, 1985). For example, “Who is the one experiencing the miracle?” “What thoughts or beliefs make this particular experience a miracle?” It’s difficult for us mere humans to fully grasp the totality of this understanding, but once we start questioning our reality seriously, it’s hard to ignore that it’s all held together with silly string.

Interestingly, miracles or spiritual gifts may emerge for those with higher levels of consciousness—that is, those with fewer filters. But this can be a trap. The I-thought seems to be especially drawn to things that make us “more” or “better” than others. So the experience of supernormal phenomena can often inflate the ego and strengthen the I-thought. Now, our identity includes: “I am the one who experiences miracles”, or “I have X, Y, Z ability.”

Ramana Maharshi on Free Will

Like reincarnation or miracles, Ramana Maharshi viewed free will as an illusion. “Who is the “I” with free will?” he might say. If there is no separate self, how can that self have free will? 

When asked about free will, it comes again to the level of consciousness of the seeker. If you view yourself as “I”, then you perceive yourself to have free will and Ramana Maharshi would suggest you use that free will to do self-inquiry and find the true Self (Maharshi, 1985). But ultimately, if you view the world the way Ramana Maharshi did, you’d stop seeing yourself as a doer and rather see yourself more as an activity of the one Self. According to Ramana Maharshi, the divine will then guide the course of events.

Ramana Maharshi Quotes

  • “It is the Higher Power which does everything, and the man is only a tool. If he accepts that position, he is free from troubles; otherwise, he courts them.” - Ramana Maharshi
  • “Mind is consciousness which has put on limitations. You are originally unlimited and perfect. Later you take on limitations and become the mind.” - Ramana Maharshi
  • “When there are thoughts, it is distraction: when there are no thoughts, it is meditation.” - Ramana Maharshi
  • “All bad qualities center round the ego. When the ego is gone, Realization results by itself. There are neither good nor bad qualities in the Self. The Self is free from all qualities. Qualities pertain to the mind only.” - Ramana Maharshi
  • “All activities and events that a body is to go through are determined at the time of conception.” - Ramana Maharshi
  • “There is no doubt whatsoever that the universe is the merest illusion.” - Ramana Maharshi

Articles Related to Ramana Maharshi​

​Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

Books Related to Ramana Maharshi​

If you’d like to keep learning more, here are a few books that you might be interested in.

Final Thoughts on Ramana Maharshi​

Ramana Maharshi’s teachings provide a fascinating perspective on the nature of reality. Even if we are not able to fully realize this perspective, his views provide a light that can guide us in that direction, helping us to let go of our metal filters and illusions. Hopefully, this review of Ramana Maharshi’s teachings wasn't too opaque and helped you look at your reality in a new way. Perhaps, it even opened a small window into the light—the one Self from which you arose.

Spiritual Disclaimer​

Although meaningful knowledge can be found through spiritual insight, we humans filter this knowledge through our own mental frameworks. Even the best, most advanced spiritual teachers have access only to reflections of Truth, which still maintain some distortions. My truth may not equal your truth which may not equal another person’s truth. So, always check in with your Self or intuition to verify whether the spiritual information you receive resonates with your Truth.

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