--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Self is self-luminous without…" description: "\"The Self is self-luminous without darkness and light, and is the reality which is self-manifest. Therefore, one should not think of it as this or as th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d4/ramana-maharshi-915_darkness_the-self-is-self-luminous-without-darkne_669969.jpg" --- # The Self is self-luminous without darkness and light, and… ![“The Self is self-luminous without darkness and light, and is the reality which is self-manifest. Therefore, one should not think of it as this or as that. The very thought of thinking will end in bondage.” quote by Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d4/ramana-maharshi-915_darkness_the-self-is-self-luminous-without-darkne_669969.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d4/ramana-maharshi-915_darkness_the-self-is-self-luminous-without-darkne_669969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d4/ramana-maharshi-915_darkness_the-self-is-self-luminous-without-darkne_669969.jpg) > “The Self is self-luminous without darkness and light, and is the reality which is self-manifest. Therefore, one should not think of it as this or as that. The very thought of thinking will end in bondage.” [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Self is self-existing, beyond concepts of light or darkness, and trying to label it creates mental bondage. **In simple terms:** The Self is beyond all labels and thinking binds you. Key Takeaway Release conceptual thinking to experience true self. Themes spirituality self‑realization non‑duality Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - self‑inquiry - mindful living - spiritual study Key Concepts Advaita self‑luminous consciousness conceptual bondage Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance inquiry with everyday responsibilities? - What practices help quiet the mind without suppressing useful thought? A Different Perspective Conceptual thinking can be useful for analysis, so total abandonment may hinder practical problem solving. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness And Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-and-light/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The Self is the heart, self-luminous. Illumination arises from the heart and reaches the brain, which is the seat of the mind. 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The Self cannot be found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/you-may-go-on-reading-any-number-of-books-on-meditation-they-can-only/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The Self itself is the world; the Self itself is 'I'; the Self itself is God; all is Siva, the Self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-self-itself-is-the-world-the-self-itself-is-i-the-self-itself-is/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [There is no reaching the Self. If Self were to be reached, it would mean that the Self is not here and now but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-were-to-be-reached-it-would/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Speaking of Self-realizatio n is a delusion. 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They will become reality only through self confidence, determination, dedication and effort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mouloud-benzadi/your-dreams-will-never-come-true-through-some-kind-of-magic-they-will/) [Mouloud Benzadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mouloud-benzadi/) > [“The British academic Richard Schoch, in his book The Secrets of Happiness, put it this way: “Your imagination must, to some extent, be found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/the-british-academic-richard-schoch-in-his-book-the-secrets-of/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) ## More by Ramana Maharshi > [Then all this earth shines like one house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/then-all-this-earth-shines-like-one-house/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Silence is most powerful. Speech is always less powerful than silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/silence-is-most-powerful-speech-is-always-less-powerful-than-silence/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Meditation is sticking to one thought. That single thought keeps away other thoughts; distraction of mind is a sign of its weakness; by constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/meditation-is-sticking-to-one-thought-that-single-thought-keeps-away/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The more you prune a plant, the more it grows. So too the more you seek to annihilate the ego, the more it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-more-you-prune-a-plant-the-more-it-grows-so-too-the-more-you-seek/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Think of God; attachments will gradually drop away. 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And one-pointedness of mind leads to abidance in the self. Real attainment is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-mind-of-one-meditating-on-a-single-object-becomes-one-pointed-and/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Eating, bathing, going to the toilet, talking, thinking, and many other activities related to the body are all work. How is it that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/eating-bathing-going-to-the-toilet-talking-thinking-and-many-other/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Knowing the Self, God is known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/knowing-the-self-god-is-known/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Every moment there is creation, every moment destruction. There is no absolute creation, no absolute destruction. Both are movement, and that is eternal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/every-moment-there-is-creation-every-moment-destruction-there-is-no/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The entire Universe is condensed in the body, and the entire body in the Heart. Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-entire-universe-is-condensed-in-the-body-and-the-entire-body-in/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The state of self-realization, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-state-of-self-realization-as-we-call-it-is-not-attaining/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [God illumines the mind and shines within it. One cannot know God by means of the mind. One can but turn the mind inwards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/god-illumines-the-mind-and-shines-within-it-one-cannot-know-god-by/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [We are so engrossed with the objects, or appearances revealed by the light, that we pay no attention to the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/we-are-so-engrossed-with-the-objects-or-appearances-revealed-by-the/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) [Explore all 329 Ramana Maharshi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) ## More Darkness quotes > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Strange - is it not? 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