Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Arkana S.)

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on non-duality.
Review: BE AS YOU ARE is full of well rounded questions and answers on all topics of interest to the spiritual seeker.
If you're inclined to "bare bones" essentials in your spiritual teachings this is a highly recommended book. The core teaching is self-inquiry, a method of keeping sharp focus on the Self. Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj were both well known for very direct approaches to spirituality. This book shows how Ramana Maharshi keeps his teachings very simple and direct from all angles. How he addresses questions to
subjects like: Surrender, Meditation, Yoga, Mantras, Reincarnation, Karma and many, many other topics posed to him. He always found a way to keep all these topics aligned with knowing the Self, your unconditioned state. If there is one thing this book does is help streamline many different angles and teachings into one core practice: Dive inside the "I AM" know that intimimately until you know you are not the body.
If you like this book and Ramana Maharshi I highly recommend The Power of Now also.

Rating:
Summary: Ramana's teaching is absolute truth
Review: Contains the words of a true man of understanding. I would venture to guess everything you might need as a spiritual seeker is contained in this single book. Ramana describes his own unique brand of seeking known as "Enquiry" where unlike conventional meditation of controlling thoughts and stilling the mind, one tries to root out the source of the thoughts one identify's with to get at the root "I-thought". Ramana maintains that all forms of meditation will lead one to "Self Enquiry" eventually.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Introduction To Teaching Of Ramana Maharshi
Review: Godman has done a great service for those who want an introduction to the (conceptual) teaching of Ramana Maharshi, one of the great Hindu mystics and teachers of the last century. Ramana's recorded teachings are mostly conversations with a variety of people, whom he addressed on numerous topics from different levels of awareness according to each one's ability and understanding. The conversations then, read chronologically, seem disorganized, confusing and even contradictory. Godman has defragmented them, as it were, putting together continuous dialogs on each of twenty-one topics. He arranges the topics in order of importance, giving the central and purest teaching first and the adaptations afterwards. The book is divided into six general sections on the nature and experience of the Self, the practice of self-enquiry that leads to this experience, the role of the guru, the place for meditation and yoga, levels or varieties of religious experience, and theoretical metaphysical concerns (creation, reincarnation, God, suffering, and karma). Each general section contains three to five subordinate topics treated in a unified conversation. Of particular value are Godman's one or two page introductions to each section and topic that read sequentially provide an excellent introduction to and summary of Raman's teaching. While the introduction and composite conversations are sometimes repetitious, Ramana's concepts are sufficiently obscure that repetition is a clarifying desideratum.

Rating:
Summary: Just One Of The UnHoly
Review: I picked this book up at a local bookstore this past summer and just got into it after the first of the new year. I am interested in Eastern teachings and have an extensive collection of works. I say this to explain the length of time it took me to get around to reading "Be As You Are" . After reading it I actually sort out others opinions (via Amazon) with hope that I am not alone in my bafflement at how anyone could take the book's ramblings as anything other than nonsense. In checking out all of the reviews provided I discovered that I wasn't.

My advice to anyone coming upon "Be As You Are" is to let it be as it is unless you enjoy endless head games. It answers nothing. It questions everything. It is very akin to talking to a shrink, who, after hearing your question will answer "What do you think ?" Read the telephone book ! At least it will give you something of value.

Rating:
Summary: You are That.
Review: If you are already well versed in meditation and Hindu thought you will love this book. The reason it doesn't answer all of the questions is because the answers to the big ones are beyond mind and speech. Ramana Maharshi is teaching the reader a technique for identifying your self with that which is infinite. "Be as you are" transcends the ego-based quest with all it's ups and downs and hacks at the root of ignorance: identification with the wrong thing.

Rating:
Summary: There are no words
Review: No words can describe my gratitude. David's book introduced me to my master. My master introduced me to myself. If you are ready to know the truth, there is no better place to start. But be willing to try what is suggested, and try and try and try again. Otherwise you will be like the person who went to a restaurant, and left after only reading the menu. It is difficult and confusing at first, but try to turn Sri Ramana's advice into experience. An extraordinary adventure awaits you.

Rating:
Summary: You don't find a book, a book finds you!
Review: Ramana was a true master, He knew that truth could not be put into words, he new that truth could not be a concept or an idea, he new that truth was beyond mind, beyond the horizontal plane of existence of apparent beginings and ends so his favorite method was his silent teaching. Silence was his prefer way to communicate truth. Those who needed more than silence, will ask him questions and he will answer. But as always as soon as you use words to explain truth you will encounter that with the same words, on the same answer, some will see beautiful wisdom and others absolute nonsense. That is the power, beauty and mistery that happens when you try to express truth in words.If this book has find you, or even if you are reading this review,realize that there is something you can learn or become aware from this book, because even if you feel you got nothing out of it, that is still something! Read some of the pages from this book, and by doing that, something inside you will tell you yes, there is some beautiful wisdom here, or no, this is a soup of letters and I have no clue what this guy is talking about.
Thanks Ramana, thanks David, thank you for having enough compassion to know that there are fools like myself out there that need more than silence to have at least a taste of what truth is all about!

Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: This book is excellent and I strongly recommend it. Why did he fail to satisfy some other readers ? I think it is not the best introduction to Ramana Maharshi`s teaching because of its thematic organizing of chapters. Very helpful for the persons familiar with the teachings, I think it loses for the others, the wonderful flow and naturalness that make you just fall in love with this extraordinary person and teachings. I would rather recommend as an introduction Arthur Osborne`s Teachings of Ramana Maharshi or his Path of Self-Knowledge. This takes nothing from this excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult But Worth It ...
Review: This book would have been a certain 5 stars if language were more readable rather than scholarly in tone.
Also one must read the other fine book Talks With Ramana Maharshi to get a firmer grasp of this man and do not pass up the classic I AM THAT...from another great Maharshi,Nisargadatta.I guess transcription is an issue but this book is still a great read..Much insight and dialogue in the master student question and answer format..i am certain that each time one reads its words a new meaning will arise...Eastern philosopy at its finest in my opinion..wisdom from a truly remarkable man. Still a necessary addition to one's bookshelf.Its lucidity still rings despite the complexity of it's prose.

Rating:
Summary: Be As You Are "in your Real state"
Review: This is the meaning of this title. Needs some experience in phylosophy to understand the content of this book, not just the reading of some other books. I simply amazed to see the greatness and simplicity in the teachings of this Saint. He says the Self is right here and now, all that we need to do is wake up and see the Reality. The Saint preaches some really easy method of Realization which simply works! You dont have to break your nervous system to see that Reality! Simply great! Very encouraging for practical people. Finally, the editing done by Godman is simply a great collection of content.