Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Compass) [Paperback]

Sri Ramana Maharshi (Author), David Godman (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Compass | Publication Date: February 1989

Ramana Maharshi was one of the most significant spiritual teachers to emerge from India during the first half of the century, and remains widely admired. This recent collection of conversations between him and the many seekers who came to his ashram for guidance contains the essence of his teaching. His concern throughout his long life of imparting his experience to others was to convince his listeners that self-realisation - or enlightenment - is not an alien or mysterious state, but the natural condition of man. This state can be easily discovered by undertaking the self-investigation clearly described in these talks. The lucid instructions to each section provide further illumination of this greater seer's message.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (February 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140190627
• ISBN-13: 978-0140190625
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Evangelism > Sermons

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction To Teaching Of Ramana Maharshi, May 3, 2001

By 

Peter Fennessy (Bloomfield Hills, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Compass) (Paperback)

Godman has done a great service for those who want an introduction to the (conceptual) teaching of Ramana Maharshi, one of the great Hindu mystics and teachers of the last century. Ramana's recorded teachings are mostly conversations with a variety of people, whom he addressed on numerous topics from different levels of awareness according to each one's ability and understanding. The conversations then, read chronologically, seem disorganized, confusing and even contradictory. Godman has defragmented them, as it were, putting together continuous dialogs on each of twenty-one topics. He arranges the topics in order of importance, giving the central and purest teaching first and the adaptations afterwards. The book is divided into six general sections on the nature and experience of the Self, the practice of self-enquiry that leads to this experience, the role of the guru, the place for meditation and yoga, levels or varieties of religious experience, and theoretical metaphysical concerns (creation, reincarnation, God, suffering, and karma). Each general section contains three to five subordinate topics treated in a unified conversation. Of particular value are Godman's one or two page introductions to each section and topic that read sequentially provide an excellent introduction to and summary of Raman's teaching. While the introduction and composite conversations are sometimes repetitious, Ramana's concepts are sufficiently obscure that repetition is a clarifying desideratum.

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple . Lucid . Direct, January 15, 2006

By 

Ganapathy Subramaniam (Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Compass) (Paperback)

Ramana Maharishi, was a philosopher, a realized soul and a teacher. A very humble person who lived at the Arunachala Hill in southern India during late 19th and early 20th century period.

His view of the world, and the way he perceived it and lived his life are simply fantastic. Based on the ancient Hindu philosophy of Advaita, or 'non-dualism', he lived the life of a enlightened soul, and helped others approach reality.

Advaita in a nutshell says that `Everything is the same'. You and me and all the things that we perceive and the entire Universe are one and the same. All the things that we perceive, that we imagine, think and so on.., are nothing but illusion, a mere play of the mind.

What was special about Ramana, was not any uniqueness in his definition of reality. He simply said what Advaita says is basically the truth. What he did was he simplified the approach to the realization of the truth. He prescribed very definite and immediate steps that one can follow in order to realize the Self. His simple method was to first go and figure out who the individual really was? To figure out the root of this feeling of `I'. at each and every moment, right at the time of the `I' feeling arises, such as `I am happy', or `I am feeling overwhelmed' or `I have an Idea'. One has to figure out who this I really is. Excluding step by step the physical body, the thoughts, the ideas etc.. until one reaches the ultimate. It is not merely an intellectual exercise, it is a path that leads to the ultimate realization or awareness. Teaching this Direct method is what makes Ramana unique.

This book by David Godman, makes an excellent introduction to the teachings of Ramana. The book is ordered into chapters of different topics such as The Self, Enquiry & Surrender, The Guru, Meditation and Yoga, Expereince and Theory. Each topic is in the format of a brief overview of the subject according to Ramana, and followed by questions and answers that were actually answerd by Ramana to disciples who came from all over the world, and were recorderd at various points in time.

The material has been well researched and collected from several sources, and from interviews with people who were close to Ramana, making it a very coherent source.

The author understands the anxieties and searchful mind of the reader who is just getting to know Ramana, and Advaita, the text is very very lucid, one can almost hear the author as well as Ramana speak. The questions take one from simple to more deeper discussions.

I realized how simple, clear and straightforward this book was, more after reading lots of other resources on Ramana

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Difficult But Worth It ..., September 8, 2004

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Original Mixed Up-Kid "jg" (New York United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Compass) (Paperback)

This book would have been a certain 5 stars if language were more readable rather than scholarly in tone.
Also one must read the other fine book Talks With Ramana Maharshi to get a firmer grasp of this man and do not pass up the classic I AM THAT...from another great Maharshi,Nisargadatta.I guess transcription is an issue but this book is still a great read..Much insight and dialogue in the master student question and answer format..i am certain that each time one reads its words a new meaning will arise...Eastern philosopy at its finest in my opinion..wisdom from a truly remarkable man. Still a necessary addition to one's bookshelf.Its lucidity still rings despite the complexity of it's prose.