The
teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi has been instrumental in the earlier
part of my spiritual journey. Till today, I have continued to recommend
it to those who wishes to pursue the path of self-inquiry. (An equally
strong proponent of the self-inquiry method in the Zen/Ch'an Buddhist
tradition would be Master Hsu Yun)
Thusness wrote: "When I was young, after the experience of I AM presence and
read the book by Ramana Maharshi, I was so inspired and felt like giving up
everything and follow the footsteps of Ramana to go reside in Mt
Arunachala. 😝"
One of Ramana's greatest contribution to the world, besides his teachings,is by his own living example as a renunciate.Many so called gurus and teachers,while claiming to be enlightened or having realizations ,sadly ,cannot even properly understood the true essence of letting go.
" One should never underestimate the art of letting go,it soon will proven to be the most difficult endeavour in our lives ....even aeons of lifetimes one may still not fully get the breadht and depth of letting go "
Surely in Ramana's case , his complete detachment after the Self realization experience is the cumulative fruits frm past lives struggle .
Renunciation is not simple lip service,bcos if one still havent reached the level of true letting go, going to live in monastries and living alone in mountains will only gain superficial results.
.... The French photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, who was staying at the ashram prior to Sri Ramana’s passing, recounts the event: “It is a most astonishing experience. I was in the open space in front of my house, when my friends drew my attention to the sky, where I saw a vividly-luminous shooting star with a luminous tail, unlike any shooting star I had before seen, coming from the South, moving slowly across the sky and, reaching the top of Arunachala, disappeared behind it. Because of its singularity we all guessed its import and immediately looked at our watches – it was 8:47 – and then raced to the Ashram only to find that our premonition had been only too sadly true: the Master had passed into parinirvana at that very minute.”
The luminous star was seen in India as far away as Madras and Bombay and millions mourned Ramana Maharshi’s passing. A long article about his death in the New York Times concluded: “Here in India, where thousands of so-called holy men claim close tune with the infinite, it is said that the most remarkable thing about Ramana Maharshi was that he never claimed anything remarkable for himself, yet became one of the most loved and respected of all.” Indeed, despite the fame that surrounds him, Sri Ramana, did not publicise himself as a guru, never claimed to have disciples, and never appointed any successors. Instead, he remained in one place for 54 years, offering spiritual guidance to anyone of any background who came to him, and asking nothing in return. He viewed all who came to him as the Self rather than as lesser beings. He considered humility to be the highest quality. He said the deep sense of peace one felt around a jnani was the surest indicator of their spiritual state, that equality towards all was a true sign of liberation, and that what a true jnani did was always for others, not themselves....