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Weaving the Inward Thread to Awakening: The Perennial Appeal of Ramana Maharshi
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 September 2014
Abstract
This article considers the “perennial” appeal of Ramana Maharshi, the twentieth-century Hindu saint from South India (1879–1950). While not as well-known in the West as either Ramakrishna or Ramana's contemporary, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana's life and teaching have evoked a surprisingly strong positive reaction from Indians and Westerners alike. The reason for this, first of all, is to be located in the perennial philosophy which his life and teaching implicate, and the use made of that philosophy by neo-Hindu apologists or Western scholars and spiritual figures interested in “mysticism” across cultures or interfaith dialogue. Second, the appeal of Ramana can also be located in the compelling attraction of holiness, a phenomenon which raises the fundamental question of what it means to be human. In the case of Ramana, the compelling example of human “being” provokes inquiry into the depth dimension of human existence, where, in the non-dualistic tradition which he represents, one discovers divinity.
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References
1 This essay extends and revises a paper that was delivered as part of a panel on “Mahagurus and Their Movements” at the 2002 annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion. I am grateful to Cynthia Humes for her inspiration for and organization of that session, the fruit of which one day will be an edited volume of essays. Some material in this essay first appeared in a brief article, “The Sage of Pure Experience” Hindu-Christian Studies Bulletin 14 (2001): 31–36. I revised, developed, and extended the trajectory of that article for the AAR session on mahagurus; the essay here marks my continued reflection on the impact and importance of the life and teaching of Ramana Maharshi, a project that will be further extended into a cross-cultural exploration of the meaning and value of saints and saintliness. I wish to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the essay and also my colleagues in the Religious Studies Department at Mercyhurst for their continued kindness and support. Special thanks in this regard go to Mary H. Snyder, an extraordinary Chair and a great friend.
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