Be As You Are
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- Create Date：2021-04-23 13:55:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ramana Maharshi
- ISBN：0140190627
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Summary
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。
Reviews
Julie
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Excellent introduction to Ramana's teaching。 Great place to start。 Excellent introduction to Ramana's teaching。 Great place to start。 。。。more
Kshitij Sharma
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Imagine being born with a last name of Godman and then being true to it in all your deeds！ David has been a practitioner of Maharshi's Self Inquiry （or Aatma Vichaar） for 30 years and has been disseminating them in all his works。 His editing is comprehensive and enjoyed his commentary， for example， in chapter 6 he writes， "Sri Ramana's philosophical pronouncements were very similar to those upheld by the followers of advaita vedanta， an Indian philosophical school which has flourished for well o Imagine being born with a last name of Godman and then being true to it in all your deeds！ David has been a practitioner of Maharshi's Self Inquiry （or Aatma Vichaar） for 30 years and has been disseminating them in all his works。 His editing is comprehensive and enjoyed his commentary， for example， in chapter 6 he writes， "Sri Ramana's philosophical pronouncements were very similar to those upheld by the followers of advaita vedanta， an Indian philosophical school which has flourished for well over a thousand years。 Sri Ramana and the advaitins agree on most theoretical matters but their attitudes to practice are radically different。While Sri Ramana advocated self-enquiry， most advaitic teachers recommended a system of meditation which mentally affirmed that the Self was the only reality。 These affirmations such as ‘I am Brahman' or ‘I am he’， are usually used as mantras， or， more rarely， one meditates on their meaning and tries to experience the implications of the statement。 Because self-enquiry often starts with the question ‘Who am I？’， many of the traditional followers of advaita assumed that the answer to the question was ‘I am Brahman' and they occupied their minds with repetitions of this mental solution。 Sri Ramana criticised this approach by saying that while the mind was constantly engaged in finding or repeating solutions to the question it would never sink into its source and disappear。 He was equally critical， for the same reason， of those who tried to use ‘Who am I？’ as a mantra， saying that both approaches missed the point of self-enquiry。 The question ‘Who am I？’， he said， is not an invitation to analyse the mind and to come to conclusions about its nature， nor is it a mantric formula， it is simply a tool which facilitates redirecting attention from the objects of thought and perception to the thinker and perceiver of them。 In Sri Ramana's opinion， the solution to the question ‘Who am I？’ is not to be found in or by the mind since the only real answer is the experience of the absence of mind。 Another widespread misunderstanding arose from the Hindu belief that the Self could be discovered by mentally rejecting all the objects of thought and perception as not-Self。 Traditionally this is called the neti-neti approach （not this， not this）。 The practitioner of this system verbally rejects all the objects that the ‘I' identifies with – ‘I am not the mind’， ‘I am not the body’， etc。 – in the expectation that the real ‘I' will eventually be experienced in its pure uncontaminated form。 Hinduism calls this practice ‘self-enquiry' and， because of the identity of names， it was often confused with Sri Ramana's method。 Sri Ramana's attitude to this traditional system of self-analysis was wholly negative and he discouraged his own followers from practising it by telling them that it was an intellectual activity which could not take them beyond the mind。 In his standard reply to questions about the effectiveness of this practice he would say that the ‘I’-thought is sustained by such acts of discrimination and that the ‘I' which eliminates the body and the mind as ‘not I' can never eliminate itself。 The followers of the ‘I am Brahman' and ‘neti-neti’ schools share a common belief that the Self can be discovered by the mind， either through affirmation or negation。 This belief that the mind can， by its own activities， reach the Self is the root of most of the misconceptions about the practice of self-enquiry。"May all seekers see the seer！ 。。。more
Tara Danard
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I’m heavy handed with my ratings around these types of books because I believe they are simple in their teachings， clear and direct and the teachings are easy to understand。 If difficulties arises， they serve only to show you （me） where our thoughts and beliefs do not serve us which opens doors to clearer self awareness。 Always a bonus！ No matter what we find within， we must embrace all of it with self love and acceptance which dissolves shame。 One more piece to the grand puzzle。 ✌🏻
Shreeram Bhattarai
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Now， there is no existence of I。 Whenever there are many thoughts， if I ask who am I？ then everything disappears。 My attention goes into the source which is seating in the center。 Awesome and very helpful book。 Thanks for writing and compiling all of the questions and answers so clearly。 This is what I was looking from a long time and found it more practical and useful to self-realization。
Suzanne
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I bought this book on Amazon January 2021。I liked the cover page， the title， and the titles of each chapter。 The book was published in 1985， and then in 2017 by Penguin。The book contains 223 pages and 21 Chapters。You can easily read in 5 days。I took almost 1 month to read the book， as the content is so badly written / repetitive / exclusive / narrow-minded / one direction oriented。It is about as the Author Calls "The Self"， meaning the Universe， The God。I have been practicing Yoga daily since 20 I bought this book on Amazon January 2021。I liked the cover page， the title， and the titles of each chapter。 The book was published in 1985， and then in 2017 by Penguin。The book contains 223 pages and 21 Chapters。You can easily read in 5 days。I took almost 1 month to read the book， as the content is so badly written / repetitive / exclusive / narrow-minded / one direction oriented。It is about as the Author Calls "The Self"， meaning the Universe， The God。I have been practicing Yoga daily since 2014 and wanted to learn some aspects linked to the self-help world。I have been reading self-help books since 2015。 I did not learn anything from this book。Especially in times we are living in today。Destroy the ego， be the self， all the answers are within you。Sorry， I did not need to spent my money to learn this！Buy Osho talks， much better and give you so many positive vibes than this book！Waste of time and money。 。。。more
Trevor
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Tough read for beginners。 I’m not a fan of the question-answer format。
Bakhtiyar Vagifzade
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Eternal masterpiece！
Ria
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Be As You Are goes over the teachings and philosophies that Ramana Maharshi adhered to。 Self-inquiry is his main teaching， and he also went over other teachings。 "But even then you must do it， as we are told， without ahamkara， that is without the sense 'I am the doer'， but feeling， 'I am the Lord's tool。' Similarly， one must not be conceited and think， 'I am helping a man below me。 He needs help。 I am in a position to help。 I am superior and he is inferior。' You must help the man as a means of w Be As You Are goes over the teachings and philosophies that Ramana Maharshi adhered to。 Self-inquiry is his main teaching， and he also went over other teachings。 "But even then you must do it， as we are told， without ahamkara， that is without the sense 'I am the doer'， but feeling， 'I am the Lord's tool。' Similarly， one must not be conceited and think， 'I am helping a man below me。 He needs help。 I am in a position to help。 I am superior and he is inferior。' You must help the man as a means of worshipping God in that man。All such service too is for you the Self， not for anybody else。 You are not helping anybody else， but only yourself。""Good， God， love， are all the same thing。""When you remain as the Self， as in sleep， the world and its sufferings will not affect you。 Therefore look within。 See the Self！ Then there will be an end of the world and its miseries。" 。。。more
David Geschke
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Took me over two years to get through this book piecemeal。 Tough reading for me。 I did finish it， though - so three stars for that。 Not sure this is a book I’d ever highly recommend to anyone though。
Kara Demetropoulos
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Breathtakingly profound。 A must-read for any spiritual seeker。 "Be As You Are" is a collection of questions and answers with Ramana Maharshi， a Hindu sage who developed and promoted a simple， yet potent， means of attaining enlightenment。 This method， known as "self-inquiry" is straightforward and easy to understand， but the depths of its implications and power of its practice can not be overstated。 "Self-inquiry"， rooted in the idea that we are all sparks of the same Divine consciousness， the un Breathtakingly profound。 A must-read for any spiritual seeker。 "Be As You Are" is a collection of questions and answers with Ramana Maharshi， a Hindu sage who developed and promoted a simple， yet potent， means of attaining enlightenment。 This method， known as "self-inquiry" is straightforward and easy to understand， but the depths of its implications and power of its practice can not be overstated。 "Self-inquiry"， rooted in the idea that we are all sparks of the same Divine consciousness， the universe experiencing itself， involves a meditation practice consisting of holding onto the thought "I am。" or just "I"。 If other thoughts arise， the meditator simply redirects the thought back to himself， asking "To whom do these thoughts arise？" With prolonged practice， the true Self is revealed - merging with the infinite consciousness of the cosmos， liberating the ajnani （unawakened） from their ignorant state of being。 This is a concise question-and-answer format book， in which Maharshi answers questions on every spiritual topic you could imagine。 The first few chapters are dedicated to explaining the nuts and bolts of self-inquiry practice， followed by chapters on the guru， surrender， meditation， the nature of God， reality， reincarnation， creation theories， death， karma， and destiny。 A fascinating and thought-provoking expose on one of the most streamlined and effective paths to enlightenment， with virtually no unnecessary frills。 It's a great place to start for anyone new to any spiritual path。 Regardless of their backgrounds， Maharshi's words ring with universal truth for all readers。 。。。more
Jane Evans
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Ramana Maharshi is one of my favourite spiritual teachers - and this is an excellent presentation of his work。 David Godman knows Ramana's work and has done it justice。 A great introduction to this great sage's work - and also good for those of us who are familiar with his work。 Ramana Maharshi is one of my favourite spiritual teachers - and this is an excellent presentation of his work。 David Godman knows Ramana's work and has done it justice。 A great introduction to this great sage's work - and also good for those of us who are familiar with his work。 。。。more
Mahima Manral
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Best spiritual book i have read till now👌
Pushpinder Singh
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Self Enquiry is the closest way to Self。This book really helped transformed me to stop finding self through focus on the objects， and stick to the source。I understand Mind and Body （mental world） is the only cause of all the suffering。
Simone Pedroso
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This book was a series of familiar and comforting moments。 I think I almost marked the entire book。 It is so simple when I read it， and yet， when not reading it， I tend to forget the I， the I am。。。 nothing。
Bridie Tulloch
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Known to have been one of the most significant and popular spiritual teachers in India， Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi approved a number of paths and practices， although he recommended self-enquiry above all as a means to recognise the awareness of the true self void of all ignorance。 This supreme state of presence and direct communication of truth was a direct spontaneous experience of Ramana’s following an immense fear of death as a young boy。 This spontaneous awakening was permanent and irrever Known to have been one of the most significant and popular spiritual teachers in India， Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi approved a number of paths and practices， although he recommended self-enquiry above all as a means to recognise the awareness of the true self void of all ignorance。 This supreme state of presence and direct communication of truth was a direct spontaneous experience of Ramana’s following an immense fear of death as a young boy。 This spontaneous awakening was permanent and irreversible， and he didn’t function as an individual person again。 For Ramana Maharshi Self-awareness and Bhakti （devotion） or surrender to the Self were the only methods needed to experience Sat-chit-ananda （being-Consciousness-bliss）。 His teaching was often presented in the presence of his silence as Ramana barely spoke， his teachings were more of a transmission of consciousness， although later he did give verbal teachings for those who were unable to understand his silence。 These writings by David Goodman who has studied and practiced the teachings of Sri Ramana for many years， describe the essence of the teaching as a single immanent reality of the source in which the real nature of everything exists， this experience is experienced by the Self （awareness） otherwise known as Jnana or knowledge。 The experience of the Self in Self-realisation is Jnana or true knowledge， this is not knowledge of a person who has knowledge of the self， or an object of experience， but a direct awareness of one reality where the existence of both subjects and objects do not exist。 The book contains a glossary of Sanskrit words used throughout and the teaching is presented in a question and answer format with each chapter focusing on a specific topic of self-enquiring。 As with other spiritual teachings， the Heart is referred to in Sanskrit as ‘hridayam’ referring to the Self， the Self being the non-personal permanent and continuous awareness void of all delusion of the mind activity， which is translated as ‘this is the centre’ not as a particular location but as the source from which all appearances are manifested。 。。。more
Divesh Gurung
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One book that answers to all the life’s question。
Prashant Hegde
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This book influenced me a lot。 I have seen my Guru Samartha Shreedhara Swamy Maharaj in Ramana Maharshi while reading this book。
Eena Gurung
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Absolutely beautiful。 No words I have here on wards。 This book’s message is a lamp that’ll be with me forever。
Shiva Somadev
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Book which totally changed my life！ Five Stars！ Anyone on a spiritual journey must read teachings of Ramana Maharshi - possibly the most well known and iconic sage of our times。 If you are searching for Truth and spiritual realization， you simply cannot skip Ramana Maharshi's greatest teachings， for his teaching is the very heart of all spirituality。 David Goodman have done a great job compiling the most essential Ramana's ideas into the easy-read book of profound teachings。 A must-read book fo Book which totally changed my life！ Five Stars！ Anyone on a spiritual journey must read teachings of Ramana Maharshi - possibly the most well known and iconic sage of our times。 If you are searching for Truth and spiritual realization， you simply cannot skip Ramana Maharshi's greatest teachings， for his teaching is the very heart of all spirituality。 David Goodman have done a great job compiling the most essential Ramana's ideas into the easy-read book of profound teachings。 A must-read book for all seekers after the Ultimate Truth！ 。。。more
Vipul Patel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Very good
Sumit pratap singh
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Non-duality explainedIf you think you are Born then you must go through this book。 It might end your seeking。 Ramana Maharishi❤️
Victor Van Ranst
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There is nobody to experience this book as profound。
Ryan
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I must confess， I originally was quite reluctant to read Ramana Maharshi， in fact; I'm quite reluctant for any supposed "guru" who has gotten popular in the last century or so。 Especially to those after the mid-20th century when individuals such as Rajneesh and Muktananda became popular。。。and then hated。But I submitted and read this， which is more of an anthology than to a proper work of Maharshi's， taken from at least half-a-dozen books。 It appears most come from the "Talks with Ramana Maharshi I must confess， I originally was quite reluctant to read Ramana Maharshi， in fact; I'm quite reluctant for any supposed "guru" who has gotten popular in the last century or so。 Especially to those after the mid-20th century when individuals such as Rajneesh and Muktananda became popular。。。and then hated。But I submitted and read this， which is more of an anthology than to a proper work of Maharshi's， taken from at least half-a-dozen books。 It appears most come from the "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" series， which reputes to be a transcription of various discussions with him during the final years of the Interwar period。 And I must say， I was pleasantly surprised with it。 He isn't the pseudo-New Age goof I had anticipated; but a rather humble Vedantist philosopher。He appears to not be of the Neo-Vedantist's who arose with Ramakrishna in the 1870's and 1880's， and later with Vivekananda， Tirtha and so-forth， but more to what could be called "Classical Vedanta"， although since I haven't gone too far into Ramakrishna; to say objectively this is so would be unadvised on my part。 Whatever the case， he is rather interesting。 I'm not going to say though， that I agree with him all the way， I don't。 His idea of inquiring into the "I-thought" to release it's bond to oneself does seem to be a bit off to my standards; as well as his emphasis on teaching whilst in silence。 Albeit， I don't think this is necessarily disagreeable， just slightly fallible in some circumstances。But there are other things I can agree with him on， at least somewhat。 His view that the idea of reincarnation is but a folly of ignorance， based upon the concept that birth and death are illusions; is something I can contend with。 I do think birth and death are， in some means; illusions to what they are， but I go in the sense of it being the appearance and disappearance of material or the organism - much alike a flower dies after it's bloom。 It's in the sense that the body isn't born with a force of life， and dies when it disappears; but is born as a result of the material means that gave way to it; and dies when it withers from it's initial bloom。 So in this respect; I can gladly agree with him。And at last， I discovered one particular thing of notice; that Maharshi doesn't accept the idea of free will。 I found this rather shocking， given for the general tone of his other ideas found prior to this revelation in the final chapter; I was certain he was going to assert that man had complete free will。 But no， he doesn't say such a thing。 He appears to take almost a deterministic stance on the issue; saying that in the process of jnana， one's "will" is taken into process by the divine; which in Maharshi's case is pretty much everything。 In other terms， once one realizes themselves; the world will follow a person as it sees it by the actions done。 I think I'll have to go read another of Maharshi's book's now， I really am curious to see what else he has to say。 Indeed， if there's one modern guru to learn about， I'd fancy you take up him and give it a shot。 。。。more
Abhijeet Parihar
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It a great book that will help you learn about the Truth from a complete different standpoint。
Veena
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Absolutely enlightening book on knowing how to reach the self in the simplest way possible。
IPS
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Awesome Book。 Must Read it to know about Self & Awareness。。。Our True Nature。
Caroline
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Read it at different times in the last 10 years。 Each time it's read， it touches me differently。 It was this book that led me to the Sage。 Read it at different times in the last 10 years。 Each time it's read， it touches me differently。 It was this book that led me to the Sage。 。。。more
Lowez
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This book is excellent for its purpose。 It provides a thorough digest of Sri Ramana's philosophy with a Q&A format， taken from audio recordings of his conversations with pupils。 Sri Ramana never wrote a systematic account of his belief system， so it has been hobbled together by David Godman in a pretty coherent manner。 He provides a great introduction to each chapter， where he discusses the broader approach of Sri Ramana， which at times isn't obvious from the excerpts。 They can also be seemingly This book is excellent for its purpose。 It provides a thorough digest of Sri Ramana's philosophy with a Q&A format， taken from audio recordings of his conversations with pupils。 Sri Ramana never wrote a systematic account of his belief system， so it has been hobbled together by David Godman in a pretty coherent manner。 He provides a great introduction to each chapter， where he discusses the broader approach of Sri Ramana， which at times isn't obvious from the excerpts。 They can also be seemingly contradictory， but David helps to reconcile these moments。 I found Sri Ramana's philosophy super resonant with my experience; the insistence on questioning the very existence of any truly separate self。 He pays some credit to Hindu belief forms， but always only as a stepping stone to the deeper truths。 I feel deep in my guts that any belief system ultimately has to be shed to have the transcendant experience。 Which for a cloud or bog is just existing， but for us we have the special opportunity to be just existing， but with consciousness。 Beautiful， but tricky。 So I feel more drawn to voices who encourage the shedding of all attachment and identification （beliefs being one of these）。 The only thing is that Sri Ramana's message is very simple， and the book is a compendium of people who don't get it and are asking inane questions with obvious answers/finding it hard to let go of their identifications。 Sometimes it is illuminating to hear things said in different ways， and I did enjoy alot of it， but towards the second half was often losing interest with the questions。 Regardless， I got so much out of it and would recommend it to anyone。 。。。more
Gaurav
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There is no spoon。
Jonny Valente
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One of the best you can read in your life
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Be As You Are
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Be As You Are&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Be As You Are&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0