thoughts must disappear before the state of Realisation

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The Teachings of BhagavanSri Ramana Maharshiin His Own WordsCHAPTER ONESINSin and evil of every kind are the result of egoism unrestrainedby consideration for the injury caused to others or thedeleterious effect on the sinner's own character. Religions guardagainst them by moral and disciplinary codes and emotionalappeals, seeking to keep the ego within bounds and preventits trespassing into forbidden places. However, a spiritual paththat is so radical and direct as to deny the ego itself does notneed to attend specifically to the various excesses of egoism.All egoism has to be renounced. Therefore, non-duality turnsthe attack on the ego itself, not on its specific manifestations.However sinful a person may be, if he would stop wailinginconsolably: `Alas, I am a sinner: how shall I attain liberation?'and, casting away even the thought that he is a sinner, if hewould zealously carry on meditation on the Self, he would mostassuredly get reformed. 1Similarly, a discipline which aims at transcending thoughtcompletely, in realisation of the super-rational Self, does notneed to inveigh specifically against evil thoughts. All thoughtsare distractions. An European lady asked whether good thoughtswere not helpful in seeking Realisation, at any rate in the earlystages, like the lower rungs of the ladder and was told:Yes, insofar as they keep off bad thoughts; but theythemselves must disappear before the state of Realisation. 21 Who Am I, § 14.2 Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, 341.