Be As You Are  (English, Paperback, Maharshi Ramana Sri)

Be As You Are: The Teachings Of Sri Ramana Maharshi enumerates the important teachings of the great sage Sri Ramana Maharshi, in a way that is easy to understand for all kinds of people.

Summary Of The Book

Ramana Maharshi was a great sage who lived in Tamil Nadu, India, from 1879 to 1950. In his later years, a significantly large community of followers developed around him. He did not believe in creating a sect and did not pen down his own teachings. Instead, his teachings were written down by many of his devoted followers.

David Godman’s Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi chronicles most of the important teachings of Ramana Maharshi. The book segregates the varied teachings into broad headings such as The Self, Enquiry and Surrender, The Guru and such. Each chapter has a brief introduction on the kinds of topics the chapter will deal with. This is followed by the question and answer method to clarify the teachings of Ramana Maharshi.

Ramana Maharshi would be available to visitors for most of the day when he preached. The visitors listened to his wise words and asked him questions, which he profoundly answered. David Godman has followed the same method to replicate the experience of physically asking the great sage questions and imbibing his teachings provided through his answers.

The teachings, as enumerated by David Godman, provide a pathway to liberation of the Self by realizing the Self through Self Enquiry. Aspects of Indian Spirituality, which offer a way of life which is simple, and the philosophy behind ancient Indian practices such as Yoga, meditation, Karma and reincarnation are explained as Ramana Maharshi explained them to his followers.

David Godman’s Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi is one of the most popular books for acquiring the teachings of Ramana Maharshi. The book has been in print since 1985, and has been translated into twelve languages.

About David Godman

David Godman is an Englishman who became interested in Eastern Spirituality in his second year at Oxford University. He was profoundly inspired by a book on Ramana Maharshi’s teachings and was the librarian and archivist at the Tiruvannamalai ashram from 1978 to 1985.

His books include No Mind: I am the Self, Living by the Words of Bhagavan, Nothing Ever Happened, The Power of the Presence, Sri Ramana Darsanam, and Ramana Puranam.

He currently lives in Tamil Nadu and is working at translations of Tevaram poetry and the poetry of the sage Guhai Namasivaya. David Godman has written extensively on the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshi and other Indian sages. He has also been part of the documentaries Who Am I?, Summa Iru and Call off The Search.