Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi Complete ... - BrahminVoice.org

Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
Uncertainties, doubts and fears are natural to everyone until the Self is
realised. They are inseparable from the ego, rather they are the ego.
D.: How are they to disappear?
M.: They are the ego. If the ego goes they go with it. The ego is
itself unreal. What is the ego? Enquire. The body is insentient and
cannot say ‘I’ . The Self is pure consciousness and non-dual. It
cannot say ‘I’ . No one says, ‘I’ in sleep. What is the ego then? It
is something intermediate between the inert body and the Self. It
has no locus standi. If sought for it vanishes like a ghost. You see,
a man imagines that there is something by his side in darkness; it
may be some dark object. If he looks closely the ghost is not to be
seen, but some dark object which he could identify as a tree or a
post, etc. If he does not look closely the ghost strikes terror in the
person. All that is required is only to look closely and the ghost
vanishes. The ghost was never there. So also with the ego. It is
an intangible link between the body and Pure Consciousness. It is
not real. So long as one does not look closely it continues to give
trouble. But when one looks for it, it is found not to exist.
Again, in a Hindu marriage function, the feasts continue five or
six days. A stranger was mistaken for the best man by the bride’s
party and they therefore treated him with special regard. Seeing him
treated with special regard by the bride’s party, the bridegroom’s
party considered him to be some man of importance related to the
bride’s party and therefore they too showed him special respect.
The stranger had altogether a happy time of it. He was also all
along aware of the real situation. On one occasion the groom’s
party wanted to refer to him on some point. They asked for him.
He scented trouble and made himself scarce. So it is with the ego.
If looked for, it disappears. If not, it continues to give trouble.
How it is to be looked for is learnt from those who have already
done so. That is the reason why the Master is approached.
D.: If the search has to be made within, is it necessary to be in the
physical proximity of the Master?
M.: It is necessary to do so until all doubts are at an end.
D.: If the ego is unreal and troublesome why did we take so much
pains to develop it?
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