Ashtavakra says:You are not the body which is composed of the five elements. You are that Consciousness which has provided the inert body with the sentience that makes the senses function I regard to their objects. It is sentience which makes the psychosomatic apparatus work as a unit.Anticipating the query from his intelligent disciple, the guru tells him further, "You" are not the physical organism but Consciousness which works not as someone in charge of the operations o...

Ramesh S. Balsekar was one of the most profound spiritual Master of this Age. He was both a brilliant writer and a captivating speaker. Shortly after retiring as the President of the Bank of India, he met the sage Nisargadatta Maharaj and being translating for Maharaj's daily morning talks. It was not long before Ramesh too experienced the ultimate Understanding. He was therefore a wonderful blend of East and West, spiritual and material. His compassion and gentle humor infuse the Teaching...

You cannot have an 'ego' because you are the ego: Consciousness identified with a name and form as a separate entity. The sage responds to his name being called; therefore, the sage has an ego. The ordinary man also responds to his name being called. What is the difference between the ego of the sage and the ego of the ordinary man? That is the core question. The answer is that in the ego of the sage the sense of personal doership has been totally annihilated: he knows that he is only a ps...

RAMESH S. BALSEKAR is one of the most profound spiritual Masters of this Age. He is both a brilliant writer and a captivating speaker. Shortly after retiring as the President of the Bank of India, he met the sage Nisargadatta Maharaj and began translating for Maharaj's daily morning talks. It was not long before Ramesh too experienced the Ultimate Understanding. He is therefore a wonderful blend of East and West, Spiritual and material. His compassion and gentle humor infuse the Teaching w...

Ramesh S. Balsekar has authored more than 45 well-known books over two decades.He has always had a uniquely individualistic approach to spiritual seeking and, in the course of his teaching, he has developed several unique concepts. For instance, what is the ego? He has clarified that 'you' cannot have an ego, from which you seek freedom. You are the ego, the separate entity, the seeker who seeks the freedom of enlightenment, and finally arrives at the successful conclusion that wha...

You think the proposition is preposterous, don't you? You have always believed that enlightenment would get you lasting happiness, even bliss. In fact, you have believed that a prerequisite for "getting" Enlightenment was shunning happiness, maybe even embracing pain. If that is so, welcome to a refreshingly new understanding.What Pursue Happiness And Get Enlightened does is to turn the whole subject of enlightenment or self-realization on its head. Ramesh Balsekar, articulate sage...

In the genre of books about the Guru-disciple relationship, Ramesh Balsekar has succeeded where many other writers of spiritual lore have failed... Balsekar communicates with both heartfelt conviction and profound insight into the dynamics of that most sacred relationship between Master and devotee. This is not another abstract, philosophical treatise on Advaita Vedanta, but a living, dynamic portrayal of what can happen when an illumined jnani encounters a small group of sincere and earne...

The essence of Advaita is that the One unmanifest source has become the duality – and then the many – in manifestation. The unmanifest Unicity has become the duality in manifestation. Shiva, the unmanifest, has become Shiva-Shakti in manifestation.

RAMESH BALSEKAR was one of the most profound spiritual Masters of this Age. He was both a brilliant writer and a captivating speaker. Shortly after retiring as the President of the Bank of India, he met the sage Nisargadatta Maharaj and began translating for Maharaj's daily morning talks. It was not long before Ramesh too experienced the Ultimate Understanding. He was therefore a wonderful blend of East and West, spiritual and material. His compassion and gentle humour infused the Teaching...

Pythagoreanism is sometimes called 'number mysticism', and Pythagoras attached great importance to the numbers three and seven,and to the laws governing musical notes. Gurdjieff had also spoken of the "law of three" and the "law of seven". The law of three states that all creation involves a "third force". We are inclined to think in terms of dualities: positive and negative, male and female, good and evil. Gurdjieff – who derived the ideas from the Sankhya philosophy of India – sta...

Ramana Maharshi composed The Essence of Spiritual Instruction in response to the supplications of the devoted Muruganar. The poet-devotee was writing in Tamil the story of the wayward rishis of Daruka forest who were practicing special rites for attaining powers they desired. Their egos deflated by Siva, and perceiving the error of their approach, they humbly sought spiritual instruction from Siva. Siva graciously bestowed the instruction, and it is these teachings that Muruganar requested...

The Sage of Arunachala preferred to teach in silence. But when he did use words, he used few and he used them with telling effect. What struck you most about what he said was the authority of knowing that backed each word uttered.Though all of what Ramana said was rich with meaning, if one has to grasp the very core of his teaching, one needs to sieve and filter, doggedly staying focussed on the very fundamentals of what he taught. Even those who have read many books on Ramana Maha...