Once the vichara is undertaken, it teaches itself. So, what I want to do is get you doing the vichara, that's all. All I want is that everybody I speak to begins doing the inquiry according to their own understanding and ability. I don't want you to get enlightened. Enlightenment is not on the table here. It is a fool's game. It gets us hooked up. Whatever you have done in your search, it has brought you here to the question, "Who am I?"
Live recording of Opening Talk at a Meeting with John Sherman during the 2007 Five-Day Retreat in Ojai, California.
Videotaped on November 3, 2007. Length: 29 min
Meeting with John Sherman - November 3, 2007
"Don't concern yourself with spiritual understanding. Look at yourself. Open the door and let the light in. The light takes care of everything."
Live recording of a Meeting with John Sherman during the 2007 Five-Day Retreat in Ojai, California.
Videotaped on November 3, 2007. Length: 29 min
Worldwide Meeting - May 3, 2008 Part 1
Spiritual ideas such as "resist nothing," "stop," or "call off the search" and the like are not instructions, they are simply attempts to speak of the outcome of our seeking. What we seek is the direct taste of the sense of self, and this brings us, again and again, face-to-face with the light of reality. It is that light that does all the work. It is that light that snuffs out the deep, unseen conviction that we are these lives, these minds, these bodies and nothing more, and that we are at stake in these lives. Then we see what is meant by all spiritual ideas.
Live recording of a Worldwide Meeting on May 3, 2008.
Part 1 of a 2-part video with John Sherman. Videotaped in Ojai, California, on May 3, 2008. Length: 29 min
A Worldwide Meeting - May 3, 2008 Part 2
Spiritual ideas such as "resist nothing," "stop," or "call off the search" and the like are not instructions, they are simply attempts to speak of the outcome of our seeking. What we seek is the direct taste of the sense of self, and this brings us, again and again, face-to-face with the light of reality. It is that light that does all the work. It is that light that snuffs out the deep, unseen conviction that we are these lives, these minds, these bodies and nothing more, and that we are at stake in these lives. Then we see what is meant by all spiritual ideas.
Live recording of a Worldwide Meeting on May 3, 2008.
Part 2 of a 2-part video with John Sherman. Videotaped in Ojai, California, on May 3, 2008. Length: 29 min
Worldwide Meeting - April 5, 2008
Once you embark upon the real effort to rid yourself of all beliefs about what you are, that effort makes the mind transparent to reality.
Videotaped in Ojai, California, on April 5, 2008 Duration: 27 min
Worldwide Meeting - September 15, 2007 - Part 1
Most of the questions I receive are about phenomena arising in the mind. None of that needs to be addressed; nothing needs to be done about the mind. All that's needed is to move the beam of your attention to the certainty that you exist as often as possible. Once you start looking for the reality of you, you will come back to this looking, again and again. And it is the looking that does all the work.
Part 1 of a 3-part video with John Sherman. Videotaped in Ojai, California, on September 15, 2007 Duration: 9 min
Worldwide Meeting - September 15, 2007 - Part 2
Most of the questions I receive are about phenomena arising in the mind. None of that needs to be addressed; nothing needs to be done about the mind. All that's needed is to move the beam of your attention to the certainty that you exist as often as possible. Once you start looking for the reality of you, you will come back to this looking, again and again. And it is the looking that does all the work.
Part 2 of a 3-part video with John Sherman. Videotaped in Ojai, California, on September 15, 2007 Duration: 9 min
Worldwide Meeting - September 15, 2007 - Part 3
Most of the questions I receive are about phenomena arising in the mind. None of that needs to be addressed; nothing needs to be done about the mind. All that's needed is to move the beam of your attention to the certainty that you exist as often as possible. Once you start looking for the reality of you, you will come back to this looking, again and again. And it is the looking that does all the work.
Part 3 of a 3-part video with John Sherman. Videotaped in Ojai, California, on September 15, 2007 Duration: 9 min
I Am Never Not Here - Part 1
Part 1 of a 4-part interview with John Sherman. Videotaped in Oak Park, Illinois, on June 21, 2007 Duration: 60 minutes
I Am Never Not Here - Part 2
Part 2 of a 4-part interview with John Sherman. Videotaped in Oak Park, Illinois, on June 21, 2007 Duration: 60 minutes
I Am Never Not Here - Part 3
Part 3 of a 4-part interview with John Sherman. Videotaped in Oak Park, Illinois, on June 25, 2007 Duration: 60 minutes
I Am Never Not Here - Part 4
Last part of a 4-part interview with John Sherman. Videotaped in Oak Park, Illinois, on June 25, 2007 Duration: 60 minutes
The Last Resort - Part 1
Here I am again, seeking to find some way to express and communicate, not just to you, but to the world, how easy it is to be finished with misery and suffering in this life, right now. And, in the finishing of misery and suffering, how all the problems of the human race disappear.
Opening talk extracted from the video The Last Resort. Filmed live in Ojai, California on September 29, 2007. Part 1 of 4 - Duration: 10 minutes
The Last Resort - Part 2
Here I am again, seeking to find some way to express and communicate, not just to you, but to the world, how easy it is to be finished with misery and suffering in this life, right now. And, in the finishing of misery and suffering, how all the problems of the human race disappear.
Opening talk extracted from the video The Last Resort. Filmed live in Ojai, California on September 29, 2007. Part 2 of 4 - Duration: 10 minutes
The Last Resort - Part 3
Here I am again, seeking to find some way to express and communicate, not just to you, but to the world, how easy it is to be finished with misery and suffering in this life, right now. And, in the finishing of misery and suffering, how all the problems of the human race disappear.
Opening talk extracted from the video The Last Resort. Filmed live in Ojai, California on September 29, 2007. Part 3 of 4 - Duration: 6 minutes
The Last Resort - Part 4
Here I am again, seeking to find some way to express and communicate, not just to you, but to the world, how easy it is to be finished with misery and suffering in this life, right now. And, in the finishing of misery and suffering, how all the problems of the human race disappear.
Opening talk extracted from the video The Last Resort. Filmed live in Ojai, California on September 29, 2007. Part 4 of 4 - Duration: 9 minutes
Truth Is Easy
All your suffering is caused by the belief that you are your life, your thoughts, your story. The only solution is the truth about what you are. And that is easy to find: you are always here. From the DVD I Am Never Not Here Filmed live in Ojai, California on October 7, 2006. Duration: 7 minutes
John Meets Gangaji - Part 1
John talks about his first meeting with his teacher, Gangaji, and how that meeting changed his life. Filmed live in Ashland, Oregon on May 18, 2006. Duration: 10 minutes
John Meets Gangaji - Part 2
John talks about his first meeting with his teacher, Gangaji, and how that meeting changed his life. Filmed live in Ashland, Oregon on May 18, 2006. Duration: 10 minutes
Rid Yourself of Spiritual Understanding
For thousands of years, sages have told us that reality is not what we think it is; that the world is not what we think it is, and that our experiences of pleasure and pain are not what we think they are. And, most fundamentally, that we are not what we think we are. From the DVD At the End of Your Rope Filmed live in Santa Monica, California on November 21, 2004. Duration: 2 minutes 46 seconds
Spiritual Life Is Not Therapy
For thousands of years, sages have told us that reality is not what we think it is; that the world is not what we think it is, and that our experiences of pleasure and pain are not what we think they are. And, most fundamentally, that we are not what we think we are. From the DVD At the End of Your Rope Filmed live in Santa Monica, California on November 21, 2004. Duration: 5 minutes 43 seconds
Ramana and Who Am I?
For thousands of years, sages have told us that reality is not what we think it is; that the world is not what we think it is, and that our experiences of pleasure and pain are not what we think they are. And, most fundamentally, that we are not what we think we are. From the DVD At the End of Your Rope Filmed live in Santa Monica, California on November 21, 2004. Duration: 7 minutes 23 seconds
Don't Miss the Point
For thousands of years, sages have told us that reality is not what we think it is; that the world is not what we think it is, and that our experiences of pleasure and pain are not what we think they are. And, most fundamentally, that we are not what we think we are. From the DVD At the End of Your Rope Filmed live in Santa Monica, California on November 21, 2004. Duration: 2 minutes 41 seconds
Over Time, All Is Taken Care Of
In this practice of self-inquiry, over time, all things are taken care of: the impulse to aggression, self-hatred and violence, all that vanishes, as the life and death relationship with the personal story vanishes. Filmed live in Ashland, Oregon on May 18, 2006. Duration: 2 minutes
All You Want Is to Know Yourself
It is a great gift in a life time to realize that all you want is to know the truth. It is possible, right now, to taste the reality of waht you are -- in this moment. Filmed live in Ashland, Oregon on May 18, 2006. Duration: 3 minutes 47 seconds
Taste the Reality of What It Feels Like to Be
I don't care about your practices, they are all okay. All I am suggesting to you is that if you want to know the truth about what you are, you can stop for a second and taste the reality of what it feels like to be here. Filmed live in Ashland, Oregon on May 18, 2006. Duration: 5 minutes
Taste What You Really Are
I don't care about your practices, they are all okay. All I am suggesting to you is that if you want to now the truth about what you are, you can stop for a second and taste the reality of what it feels like to be here. Filmed live in Ashland, Oregon on May 18, 2006. Duration: 7 minutes
By Hook or by Crook
All I seek to do is, by hook or by crook, get you to taste this reality just once and know it to be yourself. And to suggest to you that you can do it any time you want to. Filmed live in Ashland, Oregon on May 18, 2006. Duration: 1 minute 26 seconds
A Public Meeting in Ojai, California
Saturday, August 9 at 2:15 pm
Sacred Space Studio
410-A Bryant Circle
Ojai, CA 93023
"The seeing of what I want to communicate is very clear. The effort resides in trying to convey it in words. This is a two-way relationship. As I hear from you, my capacity of communicating this that I see evolves and improves." — John Sherman
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Our work is to teach Ramana Maharshi's insight and method of self-inquiry to all who will receive
it. Ramana's insight is that the only problem anywhere to be found is the false belief that you are your life, and the only solution is the
truth, which is everywhere and always present and self-evident. Ridding oneself of the false is as easy as repeatedly tasting the truth
of being here, unmovingly, unchangingly here. This repeated looking directly at oneself is Ramana's infallible method
of self-inquiry.
Although our meetings are free of charge, they are certainly not free of cost. The money needed for this work must come entirely from
the generosity and compassion of those who, like us, have seen for themselves the immense worth of spreading this good news to all humanity.
Please help provide financial support for the work of making Ramana's method of Self Inquiry more widely available in the world by making a
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