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Discussion of the teachings of Ramana Maharshi
- Thread starter Shrew
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Shantanu
Well-Known Member
The question of 'Who am I' sums it all up really for truth seekers. You can only seek the truth when you are not attached to any thought, belief, desires, as well as your body and mind. In other words you have given yourself wholeheartedly to Truth in you consciousness.
When one seeks constantly one finds the surfacing of the Self (Paramatma) within ones heart. It would appear that this is what Ramana Maharshi determined and taught. If so than obviously I agree that he was a sage.
When one seeks constantly one finds the surfacing of the Self (Paramatma) within ones heart. It would appear that this is what Ramana Maharshi determined and taught. If so than obviously I agree that he was a sage.
One of my favorite stories about Ramana is when he spoke with a devotee about how said devotee had arrived at the ashram. (I can't remember which devotee it was just now.)
But the story goes that the chap had just arrived, and Ramana asked, 'How did you get here?" The devotee thought the question irrelevant, and small talk, but answered anyway ... I took the train to (from Madras) Vellore, and then switched trains to come here."
"But then how did you get here to the ashram?" Devotee continued to wonder why this line of questioning ... but answered. "I hired a bullock cart to bring me here."
"So you are here now?" asked Ramana.
"Yes, I am here now, buy why does this matter, Swami?"
Then Ramana went on to explain how the train and the cart were totally necessary steps in getting to the destination. You need them. That is siddhanta, the path. But once you're at the state Ramana is in, no longer necessary.
So this story, to me, illustrates the difference between advaita and neo-advaita. In advaita, there is a path. (The ashram's newsletter for years was entitled "the Mountain Path" I believe.
Neo-advaitins make the huge mistake of thinking they are already there. They have one experience, like an NDE, a glimpse, an 'awakening' etc. and they think that that's it. Not so. There is a defined path. A train ride, a bullock ride, a methodology.
Ramana spent time down at Arunaleswara staying in the sanctum there, begging. He did penance, meditated, etc. He was celibate, never married, etc. He took a well known path to become what he became.
So too, now, with pilgrims. Where do they go? Straight to the ashram. They don't even enter that magnificent temple of Siva, saying, 'We don't need temple any more." So they have forgotten the cart, the train. Ramana was different. Besides actually being there, he didn't forget how he got there.
Arunachaleswarar Temple Thiruvannamalai, Virtual Tour
But the story goes that the chap had just arrived, and Ramana asked, 'How did you get here?" The devotee thought the question irrelevant, and small talk, but answered anyway ... I took the train to (from Madras) Vellore, and then switched trains to come here."
"But then how did you get here to the ashram?" Devotee continued to wonder why this line of questioning ... but answered. "I hired a bullock cart to bring me here."
"So you are here now?" asked Ramana.
"Yes, I am here now, buy why does this matter, Swami?"
Then Ramana went on to explain how the train and the cart were totally necessary steps in getting to the destination. You need them. That is siddhanta, the path. But once you're at the state Ramana is in, no longer necessary.
So this story, to me, illustrates the difference between advaita and neo-advaita. In advaita, there is a path. (The ashram's newsletter for years was entitled "the Mountain Path" I believe.
Neo-advaitins make the huge mistake of thinking they are already there. They have one experience, like an NDE, a glimpse, an 'awakening' etc. and they think that that's it. Not so. There is a defined path. A train ride, a bullock ride, a methodology.
Ramana spent time down at Arunaleswara staying in the sanctum there, begging. He did penance, meditated, etc. He was celibate, never married, etc. He took a well known path to become what he became.
So too, now, with pilgrims. Where do they go? Straight to the ashram. They don't even enter that magnificent temple of Siva, saying, 'We don't need temple any more." So they have forgotten the cart, the train. Ramana was different. Besides actually being there, he didn't forget how he got there.
Arunachaleswarar Temple Thiruvannamalai, Virtual Tour
Last edited:
Shantanu
Well-Known Member
Yes there is definitely a path in a long and arduous process. The end state when you do not need them is what I was calling the state of being an avatar when one is a living God as far as living ones personal life ideally is concerned.
