Sadhus Reminiscences of Raman Maharshi

Author(s): Arunachal Sadhu
Publisher: Ramanasramam Tiruvannamalai

Page 47

A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi 41 Monism then premising one we infer a whole series, one, two, three etc. No such series actually exists, there is just Not-Two.
When we see things we see duality; in one sense this duality is not unreal, it is only unreal in the sense that there is Not-Two. It is there in appearance but yet is impermanent and fleeting. This fleeting manifestation is called Maya, which is often taken to mean illusion, but actually means “that which is not,” or which sets a limit to the limitless. In fact we sense everything, everything being in the mind, and the senses being only the instrument of the mind. For as a matter of fact there is no illusion, only impermanence.
The same truth is behind all. What then is the solution, seeing that everything has no permanency and is only an appearance? This, Bhagavan taught, also applies to our bodies and even our egos, which are thought by us to be all-important, but now we find them discarded as fleeting shadows. There is, however, no need to be despondent, for behind even the most fleeting appearance there must be something to appear. We jump aside because we think we see a snake only afterwards to discover that it is but a rope. But even though the snake is quite unreal the rope is there. So the obvious solution to our riddle is to search out and find the permanent behind the impermanent. This was Bhagavan's solution and he taught us how to do it by his method of self-enquiry. Though the ego changes minute by minute, though we are entirely different people through every stage of our life, there has