About this Website

The purpose of this website is to give experiential instructions for attaining Self-realization.

By “experiential instructions” we mean vivid, precise descriptions of what you do and observe in consciousness. Such instructions are practical not theoretical. They help you match their words to your experience. They help you answer questions like, “Am I doing it right?” and “Is this what the instructions mean?” They compensate for the fact that many words that describe subjective events and states are vague and ambiguous. For examples of experiential instructions go here and here and here.

By “Self-realization” we mean the state that Ramana Maharshi was in. We choose him as the benchmark for our definition because his life is extremely well documented. If you want to observe a living person on video who you can use as a benchmark, we suggest Shiva Rudra Bala Yogi.

This site isn’t devoted to Ramana or Shiva Rudra Bala Yogi or anyone else. We point to them as examples. They show you what Self-realization is.

We can also define Self-realization as permanent awareness of Brahman, as unbroken peace, and as irrevocable freedom from compulsive thinking.

Self-realization is not a mental state. It has nothing to do with the mind.

For a brief description of Self-realization, read this.

Most of the information about enlightenment that circulates today in videos, books, social media, satsangs, etc., is about mental states not Self-realization as we’ve defined it here.

This site began in 1999. It has never sold anything or published paid content or accepted advertising. It does, however, receive a small commission when somebody clicks one of its Amazon links and makes a purchase. The buyer pays the normal price and Amazon pays the commission. In the early years these commissions offset the site’s expenses but nowadays, due to the advent of cheap ebooks and a decline in our web traffic, this is no longer true.

This page was first published on August 24, 2023 and last revised on September 14, 2024.