Hi Friends ,
Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi's teachings are subtle , most often his highest teaching was simply to remain silent : Mauna-Vyakya.
If we were to ask what is his highest teaching in words it would be "Just Be"
And any other teaching one may come across is ultimately supposed to be a movement towards that ultimate Maunam - Just Be.
So if i have faith in God and am able to surrender completely : that leads directly to Just Be.
If i say "i cannot have faith in God", he would probably say "find out who cannot". That is a means to see that here is no one out there who cannot and so lands one in Just Be as well!
Self Attention is yet another oft spoken teaching of Bhagavan and Sri Nissargadatta Maharaj : obviously Self being not an object one cannot "hold onto it". But Bhagavan said "Hold onto Self" umpteen times. How can one hold onto Self ? Please see. Holding onto Atma is to discard anatma or withdraw attention from anatma. There is nothing like holding onto Atma in a positive sense -Bhagavan would often ask "who would say aham brahmasmi ? is it brahman ? " , same way who would pay attention to Self ? Self ? Obviously it would not be right to think one has to concentrate on Self or "I AM". "I AM" is being. one needs to withdraw attention from the non-being, jada, insentient stuff and relax as "Being". in other words Bhagavan is simply saying : revert back to Just Be. Relaxed Awareness which is the True You.
Either do this through Self inquiry: ie, ask who is not "just be" and see there is none and since there is none, what else is there but to just be ?
or through self surrender ! it just means the same.
if at all one has to hold onto : hold onto just be ! but that means to simply relax and be! nothing to do, nowhere to go.
by living a liberated life, becomes a saint. the means and the end are the same ... practice relaxed being until it becomes natural
Love!
Silence
