I hesitate to post Henri Cartier-Bresson’s famous photos of Ramana because some people find them sad if not gruesome. But it must be done. If you feel sad when you look at them, maybe it will help to remember Ramana’s famous words to devotees just before he died: You say I am going away. But […]
Tag: Sri Ramana Maharshi
Gajanan Govind Welling
Anybody who has been interested in Ramana Maharshi for more than ten minutes has probably seen the next picture. It’s reproduced frequently on book covers and web sites. The photo’s popularity is completely understandable; it’s a wonderful picture. This photo and similar ones are sometimes called “the Welling busts.” They were taken in 1946 by […]
Eliot Elisofon
Eliot Elisofon was the photographer who took the pictures for Life Magazine‘s long article about Ramana Maharshi that appeared in May, 1949. He was was one of the most famous and accomplished Western photographers of his day, with notable achievements in other fields as well. I’m old enough to remember Life Magazine in its heyday. […]
A hint concerning Self-enquiry
The main tool we use for Self-enquiry, at least in the early stages, is attention. In this context the word ‘attention’ means the deliberate, volitional choice of what is evident. When attention succeeds, we become or remain aware of the object of attention. The reason I’m analyzing this common word in microscopic detail is that […]
Which books present Ramana’s teachings most accurately?
When you see a book or pamplet that says “by Sri Ramana Maharshi” on the cover, or one that contains records of his conversations, you might assume that the words inside are his. Unfortunately things aren’t so straightforward. To take one example, some of the conversations in Talks With Ramana Maharshi were paraphrased and written […]
Exit signs in the dream
People often say that the world is like a dream and that when we wake up from it, we become enlightened. The first half of this idea has probably occurred to people in all times and places. In the words of the children’s song, “Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.” The second […]
Ramana Periya Puranam
After I posted this, a friend emailed me the following paragraph: We have read and re-read Ramana Periya Puranam and every time I read it, tears start to flow down my face. I feel an outpouring of grace whenever I read it. It’s one of the most powerful books that both my husband and I […]
The Sturdy, Stable Thing
My friend Jyothi sent a message yesterday. She was very excited about an experience that had just happened to her. Earlier in the day, in the morning, she had meditated with voluntary effort. Then later in the afternoon she fell into involuntary meditation. This pattern of intentional meditation in the morning and natural meditation in […]
Ramana Maharshi 2
There are many books of Ramana’s dialogs; some report his words more faithfully than others. According to David Godman, the great scholar of Ramana’s life and works, Maharshi’s Gospel is among the more reliable ones. In Chapter III of that book we find the following dialog: Devotee: There are times when persons and things take […]
Ramana Maharshi 1
From Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi number 628: Mrs. D. said there were breaks in her awareness and desired to know how the awareness might be made continuous. A break is a lapse or absence. Awareness is a synonym for consciousness. “Breaks in her awareness” means that Mrs. D. is slipping out of consciousness and […]