Find out who has the thoughts

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The Teachings of BhagavanSri Ramana Maharshiin His Own WordsCHAPTER ONESUFFERINGA very devoted and simple devotee had lost his only son, achild of three. The next day he arrived at the Asramam with hisfamily. Referring to them Bhagavan said: "Training of mindhelps one to bear sorrows and bereavements with courage; butthe loss of one's children is said to be the worst of all griefs.Grief only exists as long as one considers oneself to have adefinite form; if the form is transcended, one knows the OneSelf to be eternal. There is neither death nor birth. What isborn is only the body and this is the creation of the ego. But theego is not ordinarily perceived without the body and so isidentified with it. It is thought that matters. Let the sensibleman consider whether he knew his body while in deep sleep.Why, then, does he feel it in the waking state? Although thebody was not felt in sleep, did not the Self exist? What was hisstate when in deep sleep and what is it now when awake? Whatis the difference? The ego rises up and that is waking.Simultaneously thoughts arise. Find out who has the thoughts.Where do they come from? They must arise from the consciousself. Apprehending this even vaguely helps towards the extinctionof the ego. The realisation of the One Infinite Existence becomespossible. In that state there are no individuals but only EternalBeing. Hence there is no thought of death or grieving."If a man thinks that he is born he cannot escape the fearof death. Let him find out whether he was ever born or whetherthe Self takes birth. He will discover that the Self always existsand that the body which is born resolves itself into thought,and that the emergence of thought is the root of all mischief.Find where thought comes from, and then you will abide in theever-present inmost Self and be free from the idea of birth andfear of death."11 Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, 80.