SELF-ENQUIRY
COLORING PAGE
Ramana Maharshi’s image shows the true Self, the flame, as a constant, unmoving witness inside an inner chamber. The ego (the mirror/crystal or I-thought) has no light of its own; it only reflects the Self’s light and so seems conscious, illuminating objects and experiences.
Identifying with the ego — the reflected light — causes delusion (maya), making us think we are separate doers and feelers. Waking, open courtyard, dreaming, the middle chamber and deep sleep, the inner chamber, however, are only passing appearances, like images on a screen.
Flame = Self
Inner Chamber = Deep sleep / causal body / seeds of karma, the state where the ego is absent and only the Self shines.
Inner Wall = Avidya / veil of ignorance, this ignorance separates the ego from the direct experience of the Self.
Door = Sleep
Doorway = Mahat-tattva/ cosmic mind/pure intelligence
Mirror / Crystal = Ego, reflecting the Self
Middle Chamber = Dream / subtle body / senses and energy
Windows = Five cognitive senses, through these windows, the ego experiences the external world.
Open Courtyard = Waking state / physical body, the external world of physical objects perceived through the senses.