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Rating: 
Summary: Rock bottom
Review: A devotee comes along and asks "why is there no meditation during dreaming?" Ramana's response: "Ask it in the dream."Most of the answers from Ramana Maharshi in this huge volume of ultimate spiritual Q&A are as disconcerting as this one -- which by the way has a double entendre for those who know the advaita equalization of waking life and dreams (the devotee did not get he WAS INDEED asking "in the dream"...). What strikes the reader first is the brilliance of this humble man, his razor-sharp intelligence. But as we turn the pages and ponder his words in hundreds of dialogues, little by little we realize we are dealing here with the real thing: a man who has crossed over to the other shore, a jivanmukta ("liberated while alive"). I have read quite a lot in the last few years on philosophy and spirituality, and my feeling regarding this book is one of reaching rock bottom: you simply cannot go deeper. The question "Did you exist in deep sleep?", for example, sounds to me the best argument for the unreality of the ego, which Ramana sometimes call the "small I". Very ingenious. No one denies, while awake, his own existence in deep sleep. But whence comes our certainty, if we where unconscious? It comes from a silent witness. If you understand that the same witness is the indestructible background of the bundle of thoughts we call "mind", it is game over for the ego and the suffering it brings to you. My limited exposure to advaita vedanta suggests that it may not be suitable for some (perhaps most) spiritual seekers, because it may be misconstrued as nihilistic. If you want to take the risk, this may be one of the best books to read. Overall, a very fine edition, compleat with sanskrit glossary, anotated vedanta bibliography and full thematic index. A work of love.
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Summary: This is it!
Review: I have read more than a thousand spiritual books and "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" is number one on my list as the greatest spiritual book ever written. There are many books that contain Sri Ramana Maharshi's teachings. This book "Talks" is the best source of His teachings. "Talks" is a record of Sri Ramana Maharshi's dialogues from 1935 to 1939. A large book with the answers to hundreds of questions posed by seekers. Most likely, whatever spiritual question you have, has been answered by Sri Ramana Maharshi in the book "Talks". Instead of commentaries and opinions about Sri Ramana Maharshi's Teachings as is seen in so many other books, here in "Talks" are Sri Ramana Maharshi's actual Teachings without commentary. Ken Wilber wrote that Ramana Maharshi is the greatest sage of the twentieth century. I would go further and say that Sri Ramana Maharshi is the greatest sage of all time and beyond time. Most spiritual teachings take many detours. Sri Ramana Maharshi's Teaching takes no detours. Sri Ramana Maharshi Teaches the Direct Path for ending the ego-notion via the inquiry "Who am I?". Most spiritual teachings make what should be very simple into something very complicated. Sri Ramana Maharshi's Teaching remains very simple and easy to understand. Sri Ramana Maharshi teaches that all that is futile and all suffering comes from the ego-notion. This a great book for those who are ready to end the ego-notion, transcend human consciousness and abide eternally as the Infinite Self. If you are going to purchase a spiritual book make it "Talks with Ramana Maharshi". C. G. Jung said of Ramana Maharshi: "He is genuine and, in addition to that, something quite phenomenal. In India he is the whitest spot in a white space. What we find in the life and teachings of Sri Ramana is the purest of India". Sri Ramana Maharshi was one in whom the ego-notion had ended.
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Summary: Dave from San Diego
Review: I'm not going to write a lot about this book, as other reviewers have illustrated the finer points very well. In fact, one reviewer sums it up perfectly when he says..."you simply can not go deeper." I completely agree with this; "Talks" will take you as far on the spiritual path as books can take you.
That being said, anyone can read this book and gain some benefit from it, but I feel it will be most effective for the person who is already familiar with the basic concepts of Advaita and is already practicing the method of self-enquiry. The main reason I say this is because there is A LOT of repeated material here. This is excellent for helping to control and strengthen the mind, which will give it the ability (eventually) to turn its focus inward to its own origin. But, for the person who may be new to this path or is not very familiar with this method, it may bring a loss of interest.
This book has been more influential for me than any other book I have ever read, but I am glad I read many other books of the Maharishee before so. I recommend starting with a few of the other, shorter, books about Ramana Maharshi, such as "The Path Of Self Knowledge" or "Collected Works" or any of the many others. Read a few of these, digest them, work to assimilate them into your life, then pick up "Talks."
For the beginner, read a few others before. For controlling the mind, "you simply can not go deeper."
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Summary: The ego doesn't reach the infinite.
Review: If you're wondering when you will achieve the Absolute wonder no longer. The ego never reaches Brahman/Self/Absoulte. It is in the destruction of the ego that the Self is realized. Ramanas techinique is very esoteric and only for the "ripe". Ultimately the search itself is a hinderance to realization. That which is gotten afresh is impermanant and not to be sought, but Consciousness is here and now, untouched by the ego and it's world, the mind and it's forms. Therefore put your mind and attention on Consciousness Itself and (if grace will have it) identify with It. Indeed you have always been That, haven't you?
Rating:
Summary: The ego doesn't reach the infinite.
Review: If you're wondering when you will achieve the Absolute wonder no longer. The ego never reaches Brahman/Self/Absoulte. It is in the destruction of the ego that the Self is realized. Ramanas techinique is very esoteric and only for the "ripe". Ultimately the search itself is a hinderance to realization. That which is gotten afresh is impermanant and not to be sought, but Consciousness is here and now, untouched by the ego and it's world, the mind and it's forms. Therefore put your mind and attention on Consciousness Itself and (if grace will have it) identify with It. Indeed you have always been That, haven't you?
Rating:
Summary: The only book that never leaves my side
Review: Ramana Maharshi's technique of Self-realization is simplicity itself. This should already be indication enough that he has discovered the profoundest truth. This book is a bit like a Mozart score. When you look at the pages there doesn't seem to be very much there. It all seems so simple. Yet when you play the Mozart, as when you apply the principle of Self-Inquiry, something very unexpected and altogether miraculous happens. When one correctly applies the single and singular principle he expounds in these talks, the result is well-nigh infallible. Which is not to say that one sees bright lights or is consumed with ecstasy or anything of the sort--that's not what is supposed to happen anyway. What happens simply is that the mind is stilled, and the true nature of mind, ego, and Self is glimpsed. With practice, this glimpse turns into a gander and then turns into a wide open view. Alas, as one very wise reviewer below put it, many people "enjoy being lost." What Maharshi makes absolutely crystal clear in these talks is that Realization is right there for taking, and always has been, and always will be. In other words, "The Kingdom of Heaven is within." Those who do not realize do so because, in the final analysis, they either enjoy being lost or they are profoundly afraid of what realization implies--even those who claim to be seeking the way. And so the endless rounds continue: the books, the tapes, the discussion groups and meditation retreats, the trips to India and Tibet, the fumbling attempts at Tantric Yoga, the crystals, the gurus, etc. This is all well and good: the Self is always still there, watching, and will still be there when one has tired of the spiritual circus. My own words crumble and dissolve in the face of Maharshi's very modest-seeming but singularly pure and profound wisdom. I don't know what else to say except that Maharshi's words show the way, and then provide the guidance and inspiration to abide in the Self that is always already there. I give this book all the stars in the cosmos!
Rating:
Summary: The only book that never leaves my side
Review: Ramana Maharshi's technique of Self-realization is simplicity itself. This should already be indication enough that he has discovered the profoundest truth. This book is a bit like a Mozart score. When you look at the pages there doesn't seem to be very much there. It all seems so simple. Yet when you play the Mozart, as when you apply the principle of Self-Inquiry, something very unexpected and altogether miraculous happens. When one correctly applies the single and singular principle he expounds in these talks, the result is well-nigh infallible. Which is not to say that one sees bright lights or is consumed with ecstasy or anything of the sort--that's not what is supposed to happen anyway. What happens simply is that the mind is stilled, and the true nature of mind, ego, and Self is glimpsed. With practice, this glimpse turns into a gander and then turns into a wide open view. Alas, as one very wise reviewer below put it, many people "enjoy being lost." What Maharshi makes absolutely crystal clear in these talks is that Realization is right there for taking, and always has been, and always will be. In other words, "The Kingdom of Heaven is within." Those who do not realize do so because, in the final analysis, they either enjoy being lost or they are profoundly afraid of what realization implies--even those who claim to be seeking the way. And so the endless rounds continue: the books, the tapes, the discussion groups and meditation retreats, the trips to India and Tibet, the fumbling attempts at Tantric Yoga, the crystals, the gurus, etc. This is all well and good: the Self is always still there, watching, and will still be there when one has tired of the spiritual circus. My own words crumble and dissolve in the face of Maharshi's very modest-seeming but singularly pure and profound wisdom. I don't know what else to say except that Maharshi's words show the way, and then provide the guidance and inspiration to abide in the Self that is always already there. I give this book all the stars in the cosmos!
Rating:
Summary: Self Inquiry, incredibly powerful, & very under-appreciated
Review: Self Inquiry, is an incredibly powerful spititual technique. It is little understood, & very under-appreciated. I have read this book in its original version, printed in India. It is one of my most treasured books, and I felt very fortunate to discover it one day in a used bookstore. I think it was very much needed in that Sri Ramana elaborates on the deceptively simple method he put forth in his first book "Who Am I?" Self Inquiry is a technique used in several modern teachings including Krishnamurti and Gurdjieff. Ramana however really cuts to the heart of the matter, when he proposed the practice of the question, "Who am I?". All I can say is that he is absolutely correct that it's use is the most direct route one can take toward understanding their own relationship between their own individuality and that of the All Encompassing (call it what you will). This book is needed now more than ever, in an era where cheap pop spirituality is ever-present. I rejoice to see it made available to a wider audience.
Rating:
Summary: This is it!
Review: The best book on Spirituality, Advaita and Ramana Maharshi. Reading the book itself takes one close to his true nature (Self). Ramana Maharshi is the greatest teacher of our time. Every page in the book is witness to that. I will be reading that book many many times. A great book to read again and again and contemplate!
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