Like the practice of breath control, meditation on the forms of God, repetition of mantras, food restrictions, etc., are but aids for rendering the mind quiescent.
In truth, you are spirit. The body has been projected by the mind, which itself originates from Spirit.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the idea that our true essence is spiritual, and our physical existence is a manifestation of our mind's connection to that spirit.
Ramana Maharshi's quote emphasizes the profound relationship between spirit, mind, and body. It suggests that our true identity is rooted in spirit, and the physical form we inhabit is merely a projection shaped by the mind. This perspective invites introspection into the nature of existence and encourages individuals to look beyond their physical selves to understand their deeper spiritual essence.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophical lecture on the nature of existence, this quote was used to illustrate the distinction between physical and spiritual identity.
More from Ramana Maharshi
All quotes βThink of God; attachments will gradually drop away. If you wait till all desires disappear before starting your devotion and prayer, you will have to wait for a very long time indeed.
The mind of one meditating on a single object becomes one-pointed. And one-pointedness of mind leads to abidance in the self. Real attainment is to be fully conscious, to be aware of surroundings and the people around, to move among them all, but not to merge consciousness in the environment. One should remain in inner independent awareness.
You need not aspire for or get any new state. Get rid of your present thoughts, that is all.
Realisation is not acquisition of anything new nor is it a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage
Bliss is a thing which is always there and is not something which comes and goes. That which comes and goes is a creation of the mind.
Similar quotes
The best interpreter of the law is custom.
We spend our time envying people whom we wouldn't wish to be.
You must do the asana with your soul. How can you do an asana with your soul? We can only do it with the organ of the body that is closest to the soul - the heart. So a virtuous asana is done from the heart and not from the head. Then you are not just doing it, but you are in it. Many people try to think their way into an asana, but you must instead feel your way into it through love and devotion
Listen; this world is the lunatic's sphere , _x000D_ Don't always agree it's real, _x000D_ Even with my feet upon it And the postman knowing my door _x000D_ My address is somewhere else.
One of the challenges Christians confront is how the politics we helped create has made it difficult to sustain the material practices constitutive of an ecclesial culture to produce Christians.
Other people's lives come at us without a backstory most of the time. The present is like that.