Q. Why do so many people practice self inquiry by Ramana Maharshi incorrectly? Ramana said the question ‘who am I’ should not be asked but one should put the attention on the “I” inner feeling. Sadhu Om and Sri Muruganar confirmed that that’s the correct way to practice.

Tom: Yes, true. Perhaps it was because Ramana gave slightly different instructions to different people. For some he said to ask the question verbally, to others he said be with the feeling ‘I’, to others he simply said ‘Summa iru’ (Be still).

A common instruction he gave was to dive into the heart…Anyway, all these methods culminate in the same place, and that is the key.

A living teacher can be very useful in finding how the living teaching interacts with the living seeker.

To confuse things more, Ramana also said there is no fixed teaching, and to some he prescribed work and chores, to others meditation, and so on.

That said, here is a collection of quotes from Ramana’s teachings that I compiled that may be helpful to some, with a brief summary at the end, best wishes:

Ramana Maharshi: the path to self-realisation

Here is one possible summary of the essence of Ramana’s teachings:

Ramana Maharshi: Self-abidance, the ‘vision of God’ and the end of suffering