Forty Verses on Reality

[Guest guest]

Many people talk of traditions and scripture and the right way to understand

Vedanta as they see it and interpret it. Fine. Yet there have been living

Sages whose experiential knowledge and realization gives life to scriptures

and traditions. Surely their words constitute the scriptures. Is there any

substitute for understanding the nature of awareness? Is there any

substitute for looking within? Is there any substitute for looking at the

looker. How could there be? We continue now with Sri Ramana's Forty Verses

on Reality. Verses 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 are given below.

 

 

4. If one has form oneself, the world and God also will appear to have form,

but if one is formless, who is it that sees those forms, and how? Without

the eye can any object be seen? The seeing Self is the Eye, and that Eye is

the Eye of Infinity.

 

5. The body is a form composed of the five-fold sheath; therefore, all the

five sheaths are implied in the term, body. Apart from the body does the

world exist? Has anyone seen the world without the body?

 

6. The world is nothing more than an embodiment of the objects perceived by

the five sense-organs. Since, through these five sense-organs, a single mind

perceives the world, the world is nothing but the mind. Apart from the mind

can there be a world?

 

7. Although the world and knowledge thereof rise and set together it is by

knowledge alone that the world is made apparent. That Perfection wherein the

world and knowledge thereof rise and set, and which shines without rising

and setting, is alone the Reality.

 

8. Under whatever name and form one may worship the Absolute Reality, it is

only a means for realizing It without name and form. That alone is true

realization, wherein one knows oneself in relation to that Reality, attains

peace and realizes one's identity with it.

 

9. The duality of subject and object and trinity of seer, sight, and seen

can exist only if supported by the One. If one turns inward in search of

that One Reality they fall away. Those who see this are those who see

Wisdom. They are never in doubt.