The world is not external to you

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The Teachings of BhagavanSri Ramana Maharshiin His Own WordsCHAPTER ONESUFFERINGDevotee: If some one we love dies, it causes grief. Should weavoid such grief by either loving all alike or not loving at all?Bhagavan: If someone we love dies, it causes grief to the one whocontinues living. The way to get rid of grief is not to continueliving. Kill the griever, and who will then remain to grieve? Theego must die. That is the only way. The two alternatives yousuggest amount to the same. When all are realised to be the oneSelf, who is there to love or hate? 2Sometimes, however, the questions were impersonal, referringnot to some private tragedy but to the evil and suffering inthe world. In such cases they were usually by visitors who didnot understand the doctrine of non-duality or follow the pathof Self-enquiry.Visitor : Widespread distress, such as famine and pestilence,spreads havoc through the world. What is the cause of this stateof affairs?B.: To whom does all this appear?V.: That won't do. I see misery all round.B.: You were not conscious of the world and its sufferingswhile asleep, but you are now that you are awake. Continue inthe state in which you are not affected by such things. Whenyou are not aware of the world, that is to say when you remainas the Self in the state of sleep, its sufferings do not affect you.Therefore turn inwards and seek the Self and there will be anend both of the world and of its miseries.V.: But that is selfishness.B.: The world is not external to you. Because you wronglyidentify yourself with the body, you see the world outside youand its suffering becomes apparent to you; but the world andits sufferings are not real. Seek the reality and get rid of thisunreal feeling.2 Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, 252.