Sri Ramana: The Jnani and the World #1

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Disciple: Is the world perceived by the jnani?

Maharshi: From whom is the question? It is from a jnani or ajnani?

D: From an ajnani, I admit.

M: Is it the world that seeks to decide the issue about its reality?

The doubt arise in you. Know in the first instance who the doubter

is, and then you may consider if the world is real or not.

D: The ajnani sees and knows the world and its objects, which affect

his sense of touch, taste, etc. Does the jnani experience the world

in like manner?

M: You talk of seeing and knowing the world. But without knowing

yourself, the knowing subject (without whom there is no knowledge of

the object), how can you know the true nature of the world, the known

object? No doubt, the objects affect the body and the sense organs,

but is it to your body that the question arises? Does the body say,

"I feel the object, it is real"? Or is it the world that says to you,

"I , the world, am real'?

D: I am only trying to understand the jnani's point of view about the

world. Is the world perceived after Self realization?

M: Why worry yourself about the world and what happens to it after

Self-realization? First realize the Self. What does it matter if the

world is perceived or not? Do you gain anything to help you in your

quest by the non-perception of the world during sleep? Conversely,

what would you lose now by the perception of the world? It is quite

immaterial to the jnani or ajnani if he perceives the world or not.

It is seen by both, but their viewpoints differ.

 

Ajnani; One who has not realized the Self.

Jnani: Sage, a knower of Brahman

 

Taken from "The Spiritual Teachings of Ramana Maharshi..Shambala press.