Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self Knowledge [Paperback]

Arthur Osborne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1995

This book is an account of the life and teachings of this great spiritual guide. Introduced to the West by Paul Brunton in the 1950s, Ramana Maharshi's presence invoked a remarkable and transformational impression of benevolence and dignity, kindness and simplicity, which proved to be fundamental to the movement toward spiritual enlightenment throughout the Western world. In the foreword to this volume, Dr. S. Radhakrishman, a former Vice President of the Republic of India writes "[This book] has a special relevance to our age with its dominant mood of wistful reluctant scepticism...Sri Ramana Maharshi gives us the outlines of a religion based on the Indian Scriptures which is essentially spiritual, without ceasing to be rational and ethical."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur Osborne(1906-70) was an ardent devotee of Sri Ramana Maharshi and particularly well known as the Founder Editor of the Mountain Path, the spiritual journal of Sri Ramanasramam. An Oxford scholar, he was on the faculty of Chulaongkon University in Bangkok, Siam, before he came to India in 1945 and had his darshan of Maharshi.

He is the Editor of The collected works of Ramana Maharshi and Author of Teachings of Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi in His Own Words and other works. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Red Wheel / Weiser (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877280711
• ISBN-13: 978-0877280712
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,457,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spiritual classic of modern times, January 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self Knowledge (Paperback)

A spiritual classic of modern times, this authoritative work on the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshi dispels the popular notion that books of this kind are meant only for the philosophically inclined'. Though a serious work, it makes for absorbing reading.

The Maharshi's habitual silence that communicated more than speech, his intuitive grasp of a questioner's mind, his simple answers to the most complex philosophical and religious problems, his sense of kinship with the animals and birds who sought his company, his compassion and humour, and above all the power and radiance of his mere presence -- all these are captured by Osborne in page after page.

Some of the best commentaries on the Sage of Arunachala have come from his western disciples, like Paul Brunton and S.S.Cohen; and Osborne is foremost among them. With ease and precision, Osborne evokes the spirit of the south Indian religious and social customs of the early part of this century, especially of the life in the Ashram at the foothills of Arunachala.

Ramana Maharshi insisted that the only way to freedom is through the enquiry `Who am I?'. It is a quest that reveals that what we call the mind is an illusion, and thus liberates us from our accumulated tendencies (`vasanas'). It can be undertaken by anybody at any time and requires neither scholarship nor austerities. The timelessness of such an ancient teaching adapted by the Maharshi to suit the modern times comes through lucidly in the author's presentation.

In `discovering' this book, one sets out on a journey of self-discovery.

- K. Krishnamurthy ([e-mail]), Madras, India

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent If Dated Bio of Noted Hindu Mystic, Saint, & Guru, April 2, 2001

By 

Peter Fennessy (Bloomfield Hills, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self Knowledge (Paperback)

This is a most welcome reissue of a hard to find and out of print 1954 biography of Ramana Maharshi, one of the great spiritual figures of the last century, whose life, dialogues and silent teaching have been of enormous value and good example to people of all faiths. It has been written for the general reader and is quite accessible and intelligible even while presenting the basic teachings of Ramana. A helpful glossary clarifies the meaning of technical terms. It is written, however, in the hagiographical style common in many religious traditions from ancient times to the last century, so the modern sophisticated reader might well read some of the more usual stories about the Maharshi with a bit incredulity. Nevertheless, it is an excellent introduction to the man and his teaching, a help in the spiritual life whatever your faith, and a classic work.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Biography, November 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self Knowledge (Paperback)

This book is a bio of a being who never claimed to be the body. It is written for beings who still think they are their bodies. The majority of the book is about Ramana and his life around the ashram with devotees and interactions with visitors and even the local wildlife. Most books about Ramana are question and answer format so this one shows how an enlightened being interacts with life and people in everyday situations.
One of the most amazing parts was when Ramana was dying. The doctors knew he would die before the day was done and so did all the devotees. They sang songs outside his room. Even though he said he was not the body but the SELF, the ONE SELF in all of us, the drama was being played out on the physical plane. As the devotees sang, Ramana had tears in his eyes and then he just stopped breathing. I had tears in my eyes too, just reading about those last moments.