the supposedserpent is in reality only a rope. He projected qualities onto the rope which it did not, in reality,possess. In this analogy "the Reality of Being is the rope, the illusion of the serpent thatfrightened him is the objective world." 13 This philosophical idea of the world as illusion (maya)is meant to reflect the notion that all of phenomenal existence is only the creation of the mind. (Acomparative footnote: this attitude is echoed by the Yogachara and Madhyamika schools ofMahayana Buddhism the posing of the spiritual question, Who am I?, and the whole self-enquiry process are somewhat similar to Zen attempts to solve a koan. Until the finalenlightenment experience, this question remains a mind-boggling riddle).There is a great paradox between the Maharshi's "preparation" for Awakening and what headvocated for others. He explained that his transformative experience was spontaneous andunexpected. Although he did not submit to the process of any arduous training beforehand, hewas quick to note that such an occurrence was due to a highly unusual karmic destiny, not typicalof the average seeker. He repeatedly emphasized the need for determined and persistent effort: 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.5Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1. . .unless the bond of the mind is cut asunder by prolonged and unbroken meditation,"I am the Self, the Absolute," it is impossible to attain the transcendental State of Bliss,which is identical with the annihilation of the mind. So long as subtle tendencies continueto inhere in the mind, it is necessary to carry on the enquiry, "Who am I?" 14He affirmed that one must be prepared to make a long-term commitment to fight through theparade of obstacles that will inevitably attempt to stymie one's progress. Regular meditationdiscipline was endorsed as a means of creating an ongoing current of awareness which wouldenable one to remain relatively detached from the samsara-bound workings of the mind.Various interpretations of Ramana's vichara (self-enquiry) method have been offered as a meansof making an abstract meditation process more translatable to the reader. In essence, the goal ofthe process is to enable one to distinguish between the Real and the unreal through "an intenseactivity of the entire mind to keep it poised in pure self-awareness." 15 After the mind rejectsobjects, one after another, as transient and unreal, That which survives the elimination is Real."By this process of abstraction we get behind the layers of body, mind, and intellect and reachthe Universal Self." 16 By tracing the ego (the "I" sense) back to its source, the yogi strives todis-identify from the mental images and projections of the normal waking state. Application ofthis meditation process initially leads to one-pointedness of mind. We are still identified with thestream of thought consciousness, but at least our minds have begun to focus intently on onething. With relentless concentrative discipline we begin to observe with dispassion thedistractions by things of the world (including sense objects, desires and tendencies) which havepreviously occupied and enslaved our awareness. Their hypnotic spell can and must be broken.Ramana's teachings revolve around the question of whether the ego or "I-sense" really exist. Hisanalysis of