Moment to Speak

The statement by Ramana Maharshi , "Be as you are," (Be As You Are, Ramana Maharshi ), is an averment to recognise and abide by one's true nature, which he describes as pure awareness or consciousness. This journey is not about attaining a new state but about realising what is already present within, hidden beneath the veil of Avidya, or ignorance . Our own Avidya veils us so that we remain unaware of the thought-manufacturing mind's inherent natural tendency to move outward into the phenomenal world. That is why all of our scriptures, including the Upanishads and the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, prophetically assert that we should realise the 'I', or Atman , within ourselves. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita (6.34-35) says the mind is very restless, turbulent, strong, and obstinate and is indeed very difficult to restrain. However, one can control it through practice and detachment. The Bhagavad Gita (6.6) says that the mind is a friend to those who have conquered it. ...

The Ashtavakra Gita , a dialogue between Sage Ashtavakra and Sage King Janaka, explores the nature of Atman (Self), self-realisation and liberation. It teaches the oneness of existence and the non-duality of Atman (Self) and Brahman (Cosmic Self, or Absolute Existence, or Ultimate Reality). At the heart of the Ashtavakra Gita is the belief that Atman is beyond the body, mind, intellect and senses. It presents the idea that human suffering stems from identifying with the transient aspects of existence, ego and the phenomenal world, rather than realising the eternal, uncaused, unchanged, unmoved, unfettered, and undecayed nature of Atman . It focuses on the nature of Atman , the illusory nature of the external world, and the path to Moksha ,  or liberation. Atman , or Self, is the all-pervading, unchanging Brahman . It is the subject that remains constant, but the objects are subject to changes due to birth, growth and decay. It emphasises the oneness of all beings and the in...