was noted for his emphasis on a method of self-analytical meditation called vichara (self-enquiry). The crucial and fundamental question wasalways "Who am I?" In the following response is presented an answer to this spiritual riddlewhich reflects the essence of the meditative process whereby Ramana systematically and directlyviewed the difference between the illusory and the Real nature of the mind and the universe:"Who am I? The gross body which is composed of the seven humours (dhatus), I am not; thefive cognitive sense organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, whichapprehend their respective objects, viz. sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour, I am not; the fiveconative sense organs, viz. the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, andprocreation, which have as their respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, andenjoying, I am not; the vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not; even the mind which thinks, I am not; the nescience too, which isendowed only with the residual impressions of objects and no functionings, I am not. If I amnone of these, then who am I? After negating all of the above-mentioned as 'not this', 'not this',that Awareness which alone remains that I am." 11Bhagavan ("One with God") repeatedly emphasized throughout his discourses that this methodof trying to go directly to the root-source of the mind was the only completely effective methodof "killing the ego" and obtaining an Absolute state of awareness. He viewed religious- 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.4Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1devotional observances, rituals, invocations, mantras and breath control (pranayama) as beingindirect methods of furthering one's spiritual progress. While being important aids to many whofind value in their use, they are inefficient in comparison to the "direct style" of jnana yoga.Ramana's tolerance for working with people on all levels of understanding is, however, reflectedin his comment that "all the yogas karma, bhakti, and jnana are just different paths to suitdifferent natures with different modes of evolution and to get them out of the long cherishednotion that they are the Self." 12Paul Brunton, a prolific esoteric writer in his own right, was directly responsible for discoveringand introducing this "sage of Arunacala" to the West. The former's book, A Search In SecretIndia, has a couple of chapters devoted exclusively to personal experiences with the Maharshiwhile visiting the latter's ashram. If not for Brunton's writings, Bhagavan might have remainedan obscure, local spiritual guide.Ramana stated emphatically that there was a level of consciousness "behind" the normal humanmind that was both Eternal and Absolute. This principle reflects another classic theme ofVedanta, which maintains that there are four states of consciousness:4. turiya (the highest level of spiritual Realization underlying all three of the former mentalstates).Shankara originally formulated an explanation by analogy of the notion that the world, as wesubjectively perceive it, is an illusory projection of the human mind. This traditional examplewas frequently referred to by Ramana: A man sees a coiled rope at dusk, and mistakenlyconcludes that it is a snake. The next morning at daybreak he returns to see that