inhere in ones own Being

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The Teachings of BhagavanSri Ramana Maharshiin His Own WordsCHAPTER ONEGODSuperficially, it might seem that the Maharshi's statementsabout God were inconsistent, since he would sometimes enjoincomplete faith and submission to God and sometimes speakof God as unreal; but actually there was no inconsistency. Itmust always be remembered that the purpose of his expositionwas not to propound a philosophy but to give practicalguidance on the spiritual path. Someone who could conceiveof the non-dual Self could understand that it was his own Selfand the Self of God and of the world also, whereas one whoclung to the apparent reality of his ego could understand theSelf only as the God who had created him. According to theirneeds he explained. In this, as in other matters, he pointedout the uselessness of discussion. Following either path wasuseful; theorising about them was not.All religions postulate the three fundamentals: the world,the soul and God; but it is the One Reality that manifests itselfas these three. One can say: `The three are really three' only solong as the ego lasts. Therefore to inhere in one's own Being,when the ego is dead is the perfect state.`The world is real', `No, it is mere illusory appearance', `Theworld is conscious,' `No', `The world is happiness', `No,' – Whatuse is it to argue thus? That state is agreeable to all wherein, havinggiven up the objective outlook, one knows one's Self and loses allnotions either of unity or duality, of oneself and the ego.If one has form oneself, the world and God will also appearto have form; but if one is formless, who is to see these forms,and how? Without the eye can any object be seen? The seeingSelf is the Eye, and that Eye is the Eye of Infinity. 11 Forty Verses, 2-4.