Philosophy Spirituality

The Ultimate Understanding

by Ramesh S Balsekar Review by David Lorimer, August 2004

Published: 2002
Publisher: Watkins Publishing
Format: Hardback
Pages: 259 pp.
ISBN: 9788188479931

Publisher’s description

The Ultimate Understanding, is, according to Ramesh himself, "a book containing the full essentials of the philosophy of Advaita, or Non-duality (Unicity). It is perhaps the most explicitly expressed book on this complex subject. What is the ultimate understanding? That there is no one to understand anything." Recognized as one of the foremost contemporary sages, married and father of three, and a banker who retired from the top of his profession, Ramesh could be considered a householder Guru. In his latest book, Ramesh shares openly, poignantly, and with stunning humility, how a sage lives his life. Backed by the total conviction of the final understanding of a true Master, and at the same time presented from the perspective of "life as we know it," this treasure of Advaita is unrivalled in its unique conceptual expression of the highest Truth, delivered with fundamental wisdom, simplicity, and clarity - and with Ramesh's widely-loved gaiety and humor. Ramesh elaborates his own concepts with those of his Guru, Nisargadatta Maharaj, the Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, selected Hindu scriptures, several Taoist Masters and Wei Wu Wei, all serving as pointers to the Truth, to the ultimate understanding. While the book is a compilation of such classic themes as the nature of the phenomenal manifestation including the human being, the concept of space-time, temporality and Intemporality, the Guru, free will and non-volitional living, enlightenment and Self-realization, the Impersonal Energy - the Source, Noumenon or God, and conclusively, 'Consciousness is all there is', Ramesh explicitly summarizes that ultimately what he is talking about is "the most important thing in your life: peace and harmony in your life." A rare gift to anyone and everyone seeking insight into how life happens, The Ultimate Understanding is perhaps the pinnacle of Ramesh's writing. The Ultimate Understanding, heralds the total message he has to convey. What else remains can only be the final understanding, the final Truth, the silence of Unicity.

Balsekar's teaching is that of Advaita and here he takes as his point of departure the Taoist teaching of Wei Wu Wei (alias an Irish aristocrat Terrence Gray. The book is unusual in that it contains reflections on the text both in print and facsimile manuscript form, which gives a more immediate and live feel. The essential difference between the sage and the ordinary person is said to be 'essentially in the fact that the sage looks at what arises in the mind as a reaction of the brain to any happening in life with which 'he' is not concerned'. There is only impersonal witnessing without any identification with the doer. This teaching is has a real feel of authenticity that nourishes the soul and allows a resting in the unity of life and experience.

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