JESUS CHRIST AND RAMANA MAHARISHI
by Brother Martin
These thoughts are a response to a question:
What are the similarities and differences between Jesus Christ and Ramana Maharishi?
The similarities between Jesus Christ and Raman Maharishi are:
Jesus Christ was the unique manifestation of the eternal truth.
Ramana Maharishi also was the unique manifestation of the eternal truth.
The birth of Christ is called Christmas: the birth of eternal truth in time and space
The manifestation of Ramana also can be called Christmas as it manifested the eternal truth in time and space in an original and unique way.
Jesus Christ manifested the truth of Sathya Yuga
Raman Maharishi also manifested the truth of Sathya Yuga.
The Hindu tradition presents four yugas: Kali Yuga, Dwapara Yuga, Tretha Yuga, and Sathya Yuga.
In Kaliyuga truth walks on one foot, extreme individualism. The society is dominated by individualism.
In Dwapara Yuga (dwa means two) truth walks on two feet, it is extreme collectivism. The society is dominated by collective belief systems.
In Tretha Yuga (tre means three) truth walks on three feet: it is universalism, dominated by avatars and great personalities.
In Sathya Yuga truth walks on four feet: eternalism, dominated by eternal truth manifesting in the present. It is the life of living moment by moment.
In the first three yugas truth is somewhat fragmented: there will be good and evil. In the Sathya Yuga there will be only the manifestation of absolute good without evil.
Both Jesus Christ and Ramana Maharishi lived in Sathya Yuga. They manifested the truth of Sathya Yuga. They manifested the absolute goodness without the duality of good and evil.
This is the similarity between Jesus Christ and Ramana Maharishi.
The differences between them are:
Christ was born 2018 years ago in Palestine in a Jewish family. Ramana Maharishi was born at the end of 19th century. Other differences are their questions, their relationship with the world and the way they lived their lives.
The question of Jesus Christ was: who am I in relationship with God and in relationship with my brothers and sisters, particularly those who are suffering, oppressed and marginalized in the society. These questions made him to awaken (baptism experience) to his eternal reality and to realize that he was one with God: I and the Father are one. He realized that he was one with the whole of humanity and with the whole of creation. He saw that the world in which he lived did not correspond to the will of God. He was given the mission to confront all the oppressors in the society, religious, political, economical and religious and work for the liberation of all the oppressed people in the society. This brought him to his crucifixion and death and his victory manifested in his resurrection. He lived around 33 years. He called his spiritual vision the kingdom of God and invited everyone to search for it and discover it.
The question of Ramana Maharishi was: who am I? What is my Real or eternal self? This question brought him to realize that he was not his physical body and mind but undying eternal Brahman and Atman. He was called to bear witness to that eternal self. He was lead to Arunchala and remained there until he died bearing witness to the eternal self. He lived around seventy years. He had no mission of social transformation or working for the liberation of people from the oppressive social, political, economic and religious structures. His call or vocation was to bear witness to the eternal truth. He invited everyone to discover that eternal truth by asking the question: who am I? Or what is my eternal self?
Both Jesus Christ and Ramana Maharishi were the unique manifestations of Sathya Yuga. They both did what the eternal truth commissioned them to do. But the way the Sathya Yuga manifested in Jesus Christ was unique and the way it manifested in Ramana Maharishi was unique. Both were doing the will of God. In the sight of God they were equal: no one is higher and no one lower. Both will receive the same reward from the infinite. What is important in life is to do the will of God that we discover. Manifestations of the will of God may differ but the source is the same.
But it is very important for people not to try to imitate them, to be like them. Each individual is the unique manifestation of God and has a unique vocation in the world. It is violence trying to imitate Christ and wishing to be crucified. It is violence trying to imitate Ramana Maharishi and wishing to live like him. Each individual has to look for the eternal truth or Sathya Yuga and realize what that eternal truth wants him or her to manifest in the world. Each individual has to ask his or her own original questions, not just imitate others by asking the questions that others have asked. If we ask the questions someone has asked it is mechanical and we receive the same answers someone has discovered. . We need to ask our own original questions that arise within us. Original questions make us unique and experience God in a unique way. Original questions bring original answers. It is the will of God that every individual lives an original and creative life. Jesus Christ is great. He lived his own original and creative life. Ramana Maharishi is great. He lived his own original and creative life. Each individual has to realize his or her own greatness and live his own or her own original and creative life. Asking original questions is the key to realize one’s own uniqueness and greatness.