Jean Dunn speaks about life with Nisargadatta Maharaj. This interview was recorded by Malcolm Tillis in 1981, while Jean was living in Bombay, India. Jean Dunn: I am just a normal person of fifty-nine who has been searching all her life until, ten years ago, she heard of Ramana Maharshi. She visited his ashram, went back to the States, then returned to India, where she has been living for the …
An Interview “You already are your perfect Self. It’s only a matter of recognition. There never was, is, or will be more perfection than you are at this perfect moment.” —David Manners David Manners was an actor and writer, the author of several books and articles; including Look Through: An Evidence of Self Discovery and Awakening from the Dream of Me. David was a rising Hollywood film star in 1930s …
An Interview with Francis Lucille Francis Lucille was born in France in 1944. He is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris where he was trained as a mathematician and physicist. In 1973, an encounter with Vedantic and Zen scriptures triggered a deep self-inquiry that found its resolution through meeting his teacher in 1975. Besides working as a scientist and diplomat, he has held dialogues, meditation sessions, and workshops …
An Interview The infinite a sudden guest Has never assumed to be, But how can that stupendous come Which never went away? —Emily Dickinson Thelma Rappold spent three years with Ramana Maharshi (1947-1950) at Sri Ramanasramam, in Tiruvannamalai, South India. At that time, the township of Tiruvannamalai was still a rural area, with none of the everyday amenities a Westerner would be used to. Remarkably, Thelma met her husband (also …
We are told that we are a “person”—that we are a separate individual or a separate entity, and naturally believe it from then on. When you are a little child (before the reasoning starts) it is not “I do this or that,” it is “Johnny does this or Johnny wants that”—or whatever the name may be. Johnny does not initially see himself as a separate entity, only after awhile it …
This interview was recorded in 1998, just after the first edition of the book, The Power of Now was published. IDJ: In the first chapter of The Power of Now, you write that you lived in a state of almost continuous anxiety and occasional suicidal depression. One morning you awoke with the thought “I cannot live with myself any longer.” At that point you became aware of a difference between …
The most important event in my life has been meeting a Self Realized Jnani—Nisargadatta Maharaj—in November 1978. It was through reading an article about him in an issue of The Mountain Path (the magazine published by Ramanashramam of Tiruvannamalai, South India) that I came to know of him, and knew instinctively that meeting him would be the most significant event in my life. He lived in one of the by-lanes …
An Interview IDJ: When and under what circumstances did you first meet Nisargadatta Maharaj? Ramesh: It was in November, 1978. Actually, the reason that I went there was because I read an article in The Mountain Path magazine (published by Sri Ramanasramam, the Ashram of Ramana Maharshi). There was an article in it on Nisargadatta Maharaj, written by an American woman, Jean Dunn. In the article, she mentioned the book, …
An Interview Stephen Levine is an author and meditation teacher. He emphasizes the healing of the heart and works with people who have terminal illnesses. Stephen spoke to Matthew Greenblatt editor of The Inner Directions Journal from his home in New Mexico. Stephen’s books include: Who Dies?, A Gradual Awakening, Healing into Life and Death, Embracing the Beloved, and A Year to Live. IDJ: There are many points of view …
There were many special moments at the Gathering 2001, as we “celebrated the present” together. Since there were technical issues with most of the recordings, we could not bring you selections from each talk. This talk by Adyashanti is the only one to survive this Gathering. The Self, Buddha nature, Spirit, God… these are not sacred words; they are simply pointers. The living reality is closer than any word or …
An Interview Inner Directions Journal:In your book, Awakening the Buddha Within, you write about growing up Jewish in a typical suburban Long Island, New York home. After graduating college you literally left America the next day—to search for answers—not knowing where you would end up. Lama Surya Das: That’s true. IDJ: You wound up in Katmandu with Lama Thubten Yeshe. It struck me that what initially drew you to Buddhism …
The Teacher Questioner: What can I do to find a teacher or Guru? I notice that many people long for this encounter, therefore I think it necessary. Can you show me the way, or do you yourself wish to act as my Guru? Raphael: The aim of life is not to seek a teacher, but truth. When you love truth more than your ego then the Guru will come to …
Dr. Walter Evans-Wentz was the editor/translator of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, was drawn to the mystical clarity of “high, exalted places.” He found it in the mountains of Tibet, the South Indian mountain, Arunachala, and the Cuchama mountain southeast of San Diego, California. For several weeks in 1935 Dr. Evans-Wentz resided at the Ashram of Sri Ramana Maharshi. His plans to visit Mount Kailas and Lake Manasarowar …
A Dialogue Just after Talks with Ramana Maharshi went to press, Ken Wilber was kind enough to answer some questions about what he believes to be the nature of Ramana Maharshi’s teachings, as presented in Talks. The love and respect he has for this beloved sage is apparent in the dialogue, and in his earlier book, Grace and Grit, in which he writes about his wife’s fight with and eventual …
An Interview Inner Directions Journal: The “Work” that you do with people includes several exercises. Does this Work (in approach and application) in any way represent a psychological process? Katie: No. What it does is bring a person back to himself or herself. That is all. IDJ: I understand there are four specific questions to ask oneself: 1. Is the belief I hold true? 2. Can I really know that …
Abide As the Self is a transforming video that takes you on an inner journey into the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and the path of Self-knowledge. Comprehensive film footage of Ramana comes alive, with emphasis on the teachings of Self-Inquiry and its practical application. A special collection of rare photographs enhances Ramana’s presence and captures the compassion and grace of one of the most respected sages of our time. The …
Abide As the Self: The Essential Teaching of Ramana Maharshi Read More . . .
In the fall of 1997, Inner Directions held a board meeting and explored ways to fund raise in order to keep our publishing work ongoing. One of the board members suggested that we call a group of friends together and hold a fundraising program. Originally designed for about fifty to sixty-five people, the February 1998 Inner Directions Gathering (the first one) was held in a hall in downtown La Jolla. …
Rami Shapiro I’m going to ask Elaine Kreston to play a note on her cello, and I’m going to ask you to follow that note and let it lead you into silence. I will offer a prayer out of silence, and then Elaine will bring us back with another note from her cello. “We call upon the one who manifests the many, the source and substance of all reality, to …
These are very uncertain times we live in. The fact that you have all made the effort to come here this weekend is significant. A number of people phoned in the last 48 hours to say that they just couldn’t get themselves onto a plane. It is quite natural to want to feel certainty in our lives, but the only thing we can really be certain of is change. Nisargadatta …
Robert Rabbin I suppose there are some audiences where it’s appropriate to teach or at least attempt to teach. But looking out at you, and truly seeing a brightness coming from everyone, I don’t feel in this moment that anything I know is really worth spending a lot of time on. You know everything that you need to know to be who you are, which is probably one of the …
Francis Lucille FL: I suggest we spend a few moments in silence to make acquaintance at that level. Without words. There is no teacher sitting in this beautiful armchair. If, however, questions arise, answers may arise. And questions and answers have nothing to do really with this body sitting in this armchair, or that body sitting in that much less comfortable chair down there. It’s just God playing with itself, …
In order to retain the flavor of the talks, we have tried not to edit the following excerpts much, so that they read as spoken words rather than written ones. Jonathan Granoff (Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen) began the program speaking about love. We ask for love that doesn’t ask anything in return, for the love that is as easy as breathing, for the love that is in every flower turning toward the …
An Interview Dr. Anderson taught the spiritual traditions of India, the Far East, and the Oracular traditions at San Diego State University. Though he is currently retired, a group of students continue to meet with him weekly—they simply don’t want to graduate from his class. I heard of Allan some years ago, but only met when we had a chance to work on a video project together. His utter sincerity, …
I have a real fascination for tofu, it is a great, versatile food. For a brief (and I stress brief) moment, I even thought of preparing it from scratch, then it would be available whenever I needed it. I don’t know when I first discovered tofu. It was probably many years ago, floating free in a humble bowl of miso soup. But since our first acquaintance, we have been growing …
Sri Ramana Maharshi, just before his death when the devotees were grieving over his imminent departure, reassured them with the above statement. What is the meaning of these immortal words? We have the idea that upon death, we are going somewhere; we are departing from this earth, from this world. It is necessary and, I think, very fruitful to thoroughly investigate this situation for oneself. In the first place, what …
