Fwd: The Ultimate Truth Is So Simple

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" The Ultimate Truth Is So Simple " as told by Ramana

Maharshi.

 

- taken from

http://www.easternmasters.com/ramanamaharshi.htm

 

 

“ The ten foolish men in the parable forded a stream

and on reaching the other shore wanted to make sure

that all of them had in fact safely crossed the

stream. One of the ten began to count, but while

counting others left himself out. “ I see only nine;

we have lost one. Who can it be ?” he said. “Did you

count correctly?” asked another, and did the counting

himself. But he too counted only nine. One after the

other, each each of the ten counted only nine, missing

himself.” We are only nine, they all agreed, “ but who

is the missing one?” they asked themselves. Every

effort they made to discover the ‘missing’ individual

failed. “Whoever he is that is drowned, “ said the

most sentimental of ten fools, “ we have lost him.”

 

So saying, he burst into tears, and the rest of the

nine followed suit. Seeing them, weeping on the river

bank , a sympathetic wayfarer inquired for the cause.

They related what had happened and said that even

after counting themselves several times they could

find no more than nine. On hearing the story, but

seeing all the ten before him, the wayfarer guessed

what had happened. In order to make them know for

themselves that they were really ten, that all of them

had come safe from the crossing, he told them, “ Let

each of you count for himself but one after the other

serially, one, two three and so on, while I shall give

you each a blow so that all of you may be sure of

having been included in the count, and included only

once. The tenth ‘missing’ man will then be found.”

Hearing this, they rejoiced at the prospect of finding

their “lost” comrade and accepted the method suggested

by the wayfarer. While the wayfarer gave a blow to

each of the ten in turn, he that got the blow counted

himself aloud. “ Ten”, said the last man as he got the

last blow in his turn. Bewildered, they looked at one

another. We are ten, “ they said with one voice and

thanked the wayfarer for having removed their grief.

 

That is the parable. From where was the tenth man

brought in? Was he ever lost? By knowing that he had

been there all the while, did they learn anything new?

The cause of their grief was not the real loss of any

one of the ten; it was their own ignorance, rather

their mere supposition that one of them was lost(

though they could not find who he was) because they

counted only nine.

 

Such is the case with you. Truly there is no cause for

you to be miserable and unhappy. You yourself impose

limitations on your true nature of infinite Being and

then weep that you are but a finite creature. Then you

take up this or that sadhana to transcend the

nonexistent limitations. But if you sadhana itself

assumes the existence of the limitations, how can it

help you to transcend them?

 

Hence I say know that you are really the infinite,

pure Being, the Self Absolute. You are always that

Self and nothing but that Self. Therefore, you can

never be really ignorant of the Self; your ignorance

is merely a formal ignorance, like the ignorance of

the ten fools about the “ lost “ tenth man. It is this

ignorance that caused them grief.

 

Know then that true Knowledge does not create a new

Being for you: it only removes your “ignorant

ignorance”. Bliss is not added to your nature; it is

merely revealed as your true natural state, eternal

and imperishable. The only way to be rid of your grief

is to know and be the Self. How can this be

unattainable?

 

The Self is God. “I am “ is God. If God is apart from

the Self, He must be a selfless God, which is absurd.

All that is required to realize the Self is to be

still. What can be easier than that? “