Can one realise the Brahman by intellect alone?

[Roger Floyd]

Dear Jagannath and friends

I am a westerner and a newcomer to the list. However membership has begun to
reveal to me the full extent and richness of  the vedic spiritual tradition
which was not my birthright and I grow very sad.

I was surprised by Jagannath's question. Perhaps he poses it mainly to
provoke a discussion. That, of course, is not a bad thing. Anyway Sri Ramana
Maharshi was very clear on this matter. His position is perhaps best
encapsulated by his reply to a question put to him by a supplicant;

Question:  I begin to ask myself, "Who am I?" I eliminate the body as not
"I", the breath as not "I" and I am not able to proceed further.

Reply: Well, that is as far as the intellect can go. Your process is only
intellectual. Indeed all the scriptures mention the process only to guide the
seeker to know the truth. The truth cannot be directly pointed out. Hence
this intellectual process.

My interpretation of this is that intellect may be useful to us in taking the
first few steps down the road but it can never do more than that. In fact it
may well become a hinderance. There are other  statements of Sri Ramana
Maharshi that I could quote that reinforce this view ( ref. "Be as you are:
the Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (ed. by D Godman)). I am, of course,
open to correction.

May all beings find peace

Roger Floyd