Ramana Maharshi Mind Quotations

Even the structure of the atom has been found by the mind. Therefore the mind is subtler than the atom. That which is behind the mind, namely the individual soul, is subtler than the mind.

All bad qualities centre round the ego. When the ego is gone, Realisation results by itself. There are neither good nor bad qualities in the Self. The Self is free from all qualities. Qualities pertain to the mind only.

Concentration of the mind is in a way common to both Knowledge and Yoga. Yoga aims at union of the individual with the universal, the Reality. This Reality cannot be new. It must exist even now, and it does exist.

Mind is consciousness which has put on limitations. You are originally unlimited and perfect. Later you take on limitations and become the mind.

Your true nature is that of infinite spirit. The feeling of limitation is the work of the mind.

If one's mind has peace, the whole world will appear peaceful.

Of all the thoughts that rise in the mind, the thought 'I' is the first thought.

Bliss is a thing which is always there and is not something which comes and goes. That which comes and goes is a creation of the mind.

Meditation depends upon the strength of mind. It must be unceasing even when one is engaged in work. Particular time for it is meant for novices.

Apart from thought, there is no independent entity called "world." Just as the spider emits the thread (of the web) out of itself and then withdraws it, likewise, the mind projects the world out of itself and then withdraws it back into itself.

You have to ask yourself the question 'Who am I?' This investigation will lead in the end to the discovery of something within you which is behind the mind. Solve that great problem and you will solve all other problems.

When we turn the mind inwards, God manifests as the inner consciousness.

There is nothing wrong with God's creation. Mystery and Suffering only exist in the mind.

Peace is your natural state. It is the mind that obstructs the natural state.

Meditation is sticking to one thought. That single thought keeps away other thoughts; distraction of mind is a sign of its weakness; by constant meditation it gains strength.

God illumines the mind and shines within it. One cannot know God by means of the mind. One can but turn the mind inwards and merge it in God.

Meditation helps concentration of the mind. Then the mind is free from thoughts and is in the meditated form.

The fact is that the mind is only a bundle of thoughts. The mind is fattened by new thoughts rising up. Therefore it is foolish to attempt to kill the mind by means of the mind. The only way of doing it is to find its source and hold on to it. The mind will then fade away of its own accord.

Peace can reign only where there is no disturbance, and disturbance is due to thoughts that arise in the mind.

When one makes the mind stick to one thought, the mind becomes rock-steady and the energy is conserved.

The pure mind is itself Brahman; it therefore follows that Brahman is not other than the mind of the sage.

Calmness is the criterion of spiritual progress. Plunge the purified mind into the Heart. Then the work is over.

The normal self is the mind. The mind is with limitations. But pure Consciousness is beyond limitations, and is reached by investigation into the "I."

The mind is only a bundle of thoughts. The thoughts have their root in the I-thought. Whoever investigates the True "I" enjoys the stillness of bliss.

When the mind is left without anything to cling to, it becomes still.

Whatever is done lovingly, with righteous purity and with peace of mind, is a good action. Everything which is done with the stain of desire and with agitation filling the mind is classified as a bad action.

Meditation applies the brakes to the mind.

Our identification with the mind and body is the chief reason for our failure to know our self as we truly are.

Pleasure and pain are only aspects of the mind. Our essential nature is happiness

It is said that the heart is in the microcosm just as the orb of the sun in the macrocosm. The mind in Sahasrara is like the disc of the moon.

When the mind, one-pointed and fully focused, knows the supreme silence in the Heart, this is true learning.

Mind is but a poor reflection of the radiant Heart.

Even the structure of the atom has been found by the mind.

Peace is for the purification of one's mind. Power is for the growth of the community. Having established the community with power, one should then establish supreme peace.

The inquiry "who am I" turns the mind introvert and makes it calm.

Mind is a wonderful force inherent in the Self.

Because truth is exceedingly subtle and serene, the bliss of the Self can manifest only in a mind rendered subtle and steady by assiduous meditation.

The life of action need not be renounced. If you meditate for an hour or two every day you can then carry on with your duties. If you meditate in the right manner then the current of mind induced will continue to flow even in the midst of your work.

The deeply learned ones know the mind as the directly expressed meaning of the supreme knowledge. The heart is the meaning aimed at. The Supreme is none other than the heart.

The Sage has no thinking mind and therefore there are no ‘others’ for him.

In truth, you are spirit. The body has been projected by the mind, which itself originates from Spirit.

To ask the mind to kill itself is like making the thief the policeman. He will go with you and pretend to catch the thief, but nothing will be gained. So you must turn inward and see where the mind rises from, and then it will cease to exist.

If one watches whence the notion 'I' arises, the mind gets absorbed there; that is tapas. When a mantra is repeated, if one watches whence that mantra sound arises, the mind gets absorbed there; that is tapas.