Brian D. Stephens
Muruganar was a prolific poet and writer who attained liberation through the grace of Ramana Maharshi. Muruganar spent years in Sri Ramana Ashram listening to Ramana answer questions from devotees. He summarized many of the answers into four line verses which were then edited by Ramana Maharshi. Read some of Muruganar’s profound spiritual insights… Read more
The divine is present throughout creation. It is the formless intelligence that guides and sustains creation. Enlightened teachers have different names for the divine such as the Paramatman or the Self. And they describe the divine in various ways such as light, stillness, and love… Read more
Ramana Maharshi is one of the most well-known spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. He lived as a renunciant at the base of Arunachala mountain. His Advaita Vedanta teachings emphasize the spiritual practices of surrender and self-enquiry. Many of his devotees attained liberation. Learn what he had to say about the nature of reality… Read more
Reading Ramana Maharshi’s teachings each day has attuned my system to his enlightened presence. It is a deep and profound stillness. The grace of Ramana Maharshi is present in all of his teachings. By reading them you will be drawn into the deeper reality… Read more
Papaji is a modern enlightened master who practiced devotional japa to Krishna for 25 years. According to Papaji, there are stages to using japa as a spiritual practice. In the beginning, you repeat a mantra using the voice. In the second stage, you repeat the mantra in the mind without saying it out loud. During the third stage, you learn to synchronize the mantra with the breath. And eventually the mantra and the breath become one. The mantra is repeated automatically, without your conscious attention. In the last stage, you become aware that the mantra is arising from the Heart—the formless unity from which the “I” arises. And the sound of the mantra subsides into the silence of the formless… Read more
For the last few days, I have practiced self-enquiry throughout the day. When placing my attention on the source of the ego I clearly perceive Papaji’s enlightened presence, which is very similar to that of Krishna. Perhaps it is a result of Papaji attuning himself so closely with Krishna. Papaji was a Krishna bhakti before meeting Ramana Maharshi and attaining liberation… Read more
I’m reading Ramana Maharshi’s teachings and a biography about Papaji. Being exposed to their grace has affected my system. Both men taught the spiritual practice of self-enquiry. You focus on the source of the “I” (or ego) in order to draw your attention inward and still the mind. When the “I” recedes into the Self permanently you attain liberation. After an encounter with a dove tonight my mind stilled… Read more
There is no shortage of people falsely claiming to have attained liberation. You will not be able to tell for certain whether someone else is enlightened until you reach an advanced spiritual state. But most of us need an enlightened teacher to help us progress spiritually and reach an advanced state. How do we resolve this dilemma? … Read more
It is common to find a list of enlightened people on someone’s website. But most people have not advanced far enough along the spiritual path to ascertain another person’s spiritual state. The best they can do is guess. They assume that just because a lot of people believe someone is enlightened that it must be true. This list is different, it contains real spiritual masters… Read more
I have found that reading an enlightened teaching changes my internal reality and the way I interact with the world. The grace of an enlightened teacher draws my awareness within, toward the Self and away from the illusion of separate objects. For some reason, the teachings of Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi are the most helpful in drawing my intention deeply within. Three in particular are the most powerful: Guru Vachaka Kovai, God Speaks, and In God’s Hand… Read more
It has become clear that most of my thoughts put some sort of limitation on what I am capable of doing. And they are lies. Any thought which appears in the mind should be viewed skeptically. They either arise from the ego, which is a part of maya. It is a foreign life form that has taken control of your awareness. It causes suffering by keeping you focused on external objects and trapped in the illusion of separateness. It uses fear to keep you from realizing your potential in life and from connecting with your deeper nature… Read more
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi lived as a renunciant in a small town in India. Yet he became a well-known spiritual teacher. His grace has enabled thousands of people to progress spiritually. And during his lifetime a small number of his devotees attained liberation. Using the spiritual practices he recommended (surrender and self-enquiry) the stillness of the divine will became more accessible to you… Read more
After Mother Meera darshans today, I shut my eyes for a while and had two visions of the ocean at sunset. Spiritual visions are nice, yet they can also be a distraction. Meher Baba taught about the dangers of a seeker getting lost in the energetic planes. Some become so engrossed in visions that they do not focus on the deeper reality and their spiritual progress stalls… Read more