Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi

Sage of self-enquiry teachings.

A highly respected Indian sage known for his teachings on self-enquiry and the nature of the self. His method of self-inquiry, particularly the question "Who am I?", encourages individuals to look beyond the ego and discover their true essence. His teachings emphasize the importance of inner silence and the realization of the self as the ultimate reality, guiding seekers towards profound self-awareness and spiritual liberation.

Ramana Maharshi Quotes about Sleep

  • Every living being longs always to be happy, untainted by sorrow; and everyone has the greatest love for himself, which is solely due to the fact that happiness is his real nature. Hence, in order to realize that inherent and untainted happiness, which indeed he daily experiences when the mind is subdued in deep sleep, it is essential that he should know himself. For obtaining such knowledge the inquiry 'Who am I?' in quest of the Self is the best means.
  • If the mind falls asleep, awaken it. Then if it starts wandering, make it quiet. If you reach the state where there is neither sleep nor movement of mind, stay still in that, the natural (real) state.
  • Bliss is not something to be got. On the other hand you are always Bliss. This desire [for Bliss] is born of the sense of incompleteness. To whom is this sense of incompleteness? Enquire. In deep sleep you were blissful. Now you are not so. What has interposed between that Bliss and this non-bliss? It is the ego. Seek its source and find you are Bliss.
  • That which is not present in deep dreamless sleep is not real.
  • Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts, and there is no world. In the states of waking and dream, there are thoughts, and there is a world also. Just as the spider emits the thread (of the web) out of itself and again withdraws it into itself, likewise the mind projects the world out of itself and again resolves it into itself.
  • The activity affected by causes like fainting, sleep, excessive joy, grief, possession by spirits, fear etc goes to the heart, its own place.