How Ramana Maharshi has greatly helped me?

About a year ago, I was exposed to the teachings of Ramana Maharshi. After 28 years of struggling unsuccessfully with the social difficulties, cognitive troubles associated with Asperger’s Autism, and many other strange, inexplicable experiences and adventures. Ramana Maharshi’s teachings, and the person himself struck me like a lightning bolt sending me spinning in a different direction. Ramana Maharshi is One Who Knows, a jnani. He lived from 1879-1950. Everything about him struck me completely sincere, but not only that, the metaphysical terrors and worries I had been plagued with, he provided clear, simple solutions, that didn’t involve meditating for 80 years, and slowly progressing. Instead a clear path was lit to realize in the depths of my soul, Who am I? Since these writings are mostly posts on David Godman’s website about my experiences, they don’t explain the vernacular of this philosophy I’m using to guide me, or the names of the sages I’m mentioning. Papaji, Lakshmana Swami, Saradamma and Nisargadatta Maharaj are three other jnanis with essentially the same point of view. Realizing that the deeply held notion of being an individual, in a world of individuals, is an illusion that doesn’t hold up under close scrutiny. Asperger’s has helped me to have an open mind about the egoless state, because my ego has been so unsuccessful in the world. In my early twenties I was barely taking care of myself, helplessly relying on others. At 29, I have never had a romantic relationship. Even though the individual lower case self may be an illusion. If that false person is constantly rewarded for pretending to exist with carrots of rewarding relationships, careers, political opinions, lifestyles, then as Maharshi said, it’s like going between the sunshine and the shade. In the shade when desires are fulfilled, in the sunshine struggling to get back to the shade when what you want is lost, or you are struggling to fulfill another deeply rooted desire. Asperger’s put me under the hot sun, for most of the live long day, with strong desires, but no hope of fulfillment, what a blessing. Why stay out in the Sun, not realizing that deep, precious, unlimited source of happiness that is within, unconditional. One other important word, The Self. The Self is in this philosophy, all there is. The Self is the Ocean, the illusory personalities that call themselves I, and him, and her, are but shortlived bubbles emerging from the froth. Realizing the Self, is seeing the bubbles as being transient. The one who claims ownership for the actions of the body, and says, “I did this”, or “I should do that”, dies, or merges in pure being. Once that has happened, the state achieved is called “Realization of the Self” Different jnanis “sages”, have different styles, but this underlying commonality unites them. This short explanation is because these are posts on a blog, and to people who already know the terminology. I put this post first, for the jaded.

Protein People

(Below)This is showing a protein, specifically human p53 bound to DNA. This is an image I created for a powerpoint presentation on the p53 protein. Proteins are little creatures, little machines, that are the leperachauns that make life work. They are the active agents at the size of atoms and molecules in living things.

DNA is the Bible (I love using religious analogies in science, because it is ornery), each gene is a chapter on how to make a specific kind of protein. p53 is a protein that binds to the DNA Bible and activates the creation of certain kinds of protein people that are involved in either repairing DNA, or killing the cell. It does this when other protein people detect that portions of the DNA are damaged that could end up causing cancer.



each Protein Molecule is made up of a large number of atoms, but even still at the scale in the next post they'd be only roughly 10 centimeters accross. The DNA, which is the grey ladder in the picture, would be 2 centimeters wide. Does this give you an idea of scale. DNA vs. a penny, or an earthworm? Now you know and knowing is half the battle.\

(Above) Is the Protein/Chlorophyll machine involved in using sunlight, water molecules, and Carbon Dioxide molecules to create food, in the form of sugars.

Are Atoms really small?

If a millimeter were an Angstrom, which is a ten billionth of a meter, and roughly the size of most atoms, it is easy to give a sense of scale for things that are as small as atoms, molecules, etc....

This Carbon Atom, above would be 1.2 mm accross about the size of a moderate grain of sand. (much smaller then the picture, but still visible) Roughly the size of the smallest metric unit on most rulers. How big would more familiar objects be in comparison.

Well, a red blood cell would be 60-80 meters across. And above you can also see a spider, an earthworm, a petri dish, and a penny if an Angstrom were a millimeter. The penny would weigh 2.75 quadrillion tons, a 16 digit number of tons. Each copper atom, about twice as big as the carbon atoms would weigh individually 105 milligrams. So this gives you a gross idea of the scale of atoms compared to planet sized people.