Unlearning with Guruji

A man once came to Ramana Maharshi and said, “I have come from very far, all the way from Germany, to learn from you.”

Sri Ramana Maharshi looked at him and replied, “Then you should go elsewhere, because here, we teach unlearning.”

I would like to share a story of my own unlearning—the process of dropping a belief that made me feel limited for a very long time.

Learning or developing of the belief

Almost 25 years ago, my family discovered that I had a hole in my heart (an Atrial Septal Defect, or ASD) and that I needed to undergo closure surgery. I was young at the time, and the mere thought of heart surgery was terrifying. Interestingly, I hadn't experienced any physical symptoms; it was an accidental discovery made by a physician while I was being treated for a severe fever.

Eventually, I went through with the surgery. As I was regaining consciousness in the ICU, the silence was suddenly broken by the sharp, rhythmic beeping of an ECG machine. I looked over and saw a flat red line on a monitor. Panic surged through me; I was convinced it was my own heart failing.

Nurses and doctors came running toward the bed next to mine. They administered shock treatment and followed emergency protocols to resuscitate the patient beside me. Even though it wasn't my monitor making that sound, the trauma of that moment stayed with me. From then on, I carried a fear of death by heart failure for a while.

Upon my discharge, the surgeon was very clear: “You can dance, do yoga, get married, and have children. You are now as healthy as anyone else your age.” But despite his reassurance, the fear remained deeply embedded in my subconscious. For two decades, I doubted my own strength—whether I was climbing a mountain or embarking on a long journey alone, the shadow of that ICU monitor followed me.

The Path to Unlearning

In many of our sessions, Guruji often spoke about the power of belief and the necessity of unlearning. I began to introspect, looking at the layers of my own conditioning and identifying what I needed to let go of.

During a 21-day retreat on the banks of the River Ganga, Guruji spoke specifically about dropping beliefs and how we eventually become what we believe. He reminded us that if a belief is not serving us, we have the choice to drop it. It is rarely easy to discard a conditioning you have carried for over twenty years, but in that moment, something shifted.

I told myself, "Let’s drop this belief that climbing this mountain is difficult." As I began the ascent, I started using a simple affirmation, repeating "it is easy" with every step. I also distracted my mind by engaging in deep conversations with friends along the way.

To my amazement, a pathway that was so steep I usually required four or five breaks was covered in only two. The physical exhaustion I expected never arrived because the mental weight had been lifted. Suddenly, I was free from my self-imposed limitations.

Now, I am looking inward with fresh eyes, identifying what else I need to unlearn.

-- Divya Sri