The ShinsungHwa of Ramana Maharshi (2019) – Inner Landscape of the Arunachala Sage

What is ShinsungHwa?
ShinsungHwa represents a unique art form where I visualize the invisible spiritual energy of subjects through meditation. These meditative insights manifest as geometric forms and patterns on canvas. The artwork centers around key elements: the spiritual core, spiritual centerlines, light symbolism, and cosmic principles, all expressed through various geometric symbols whose meanings shift depending on their placement within the composition.

Brief Description of Ramana Maharshi’s ShinsungHwa

The spiritual core radiates with an intensely luminous Symbol of the light, from which powerful spiritual energy emanates outward. A brilliant aureole encircles the form, pulsing with profound energetic presence. This particular ShinsungHwa of Ramana Maharshi calls for renewed artistic exploration and deserves to be reimagined with fresh vision.

“Your duty is to be and not to be this or that. ‘I am that I am’ sums up the whole truth. The method is summed up in the words ‘Be still’. What does stillness mean? It means destroy yourself. Because any form or shape is the cause for trouble. Give up the notion that ‘I am so and so’. All that is required to realize the Self is to be still. What can be easier than that?”
_Ramana Maharshi

The Sage Who Asked One Simple Question: Ramana Maharshi’s Journey to Enlightenment

When Venkataraman Iyer was 16, he experienced something that would completely redirect his life12. Faced with an intense fear of death, he lay down and contemplated what it would be like if his body became lifeless. Rather than being overwhelmed by this thought, he found himself asking a straightforward question: “Who am I?”

This wasn’t just a moment of teenage reflection—it marked the beginning of a spiritual inquiry that would transform him into Ramana Maharshi, a teacher whose simple approach to self-investigation would later attract seekers from around the world.

A Normal Beginning

Born on December 30, 1879, in the small South Indian town of Tiruchuli, Venkataraman seemed like any other child. He loved playing with friends, making paper boats from his father’s legal documents, and had such deep sleep that bullies would actually beat him up at night while he remained completely unconscious. His family was middle-class, his childhood unremarkable—except for one thing that would prove significant later.

Even as a young boy, whenever trouble found him, he would instinctively seek refuge in sacred spaces. Once, after his father scolded him, little Venkataraman disappeared, only to be found hiding behind a statue of the Divine Mother in their local temple. It was as if something inside him already knew where peace could be found.

“Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.”
_Ramana Maharshi

The Awakening That Changed Everything

At 17, while living with his uncle in Madurai and attending high school, Venkataraman experienced something that defied explanation. A sudden, intense fear of death overwhelmed him. But instead of running from this terror, he did something remarkable—he decided to explore it.

Lying perfectly still, he imagined his body as a corpse and began asking: “Who am I? Am I this body that will decay? Am I this mind that will disappear with the brain? Am I these emotions and personality traits that death will erase?” Through this process of elimination—what Hindu philosophy calls “neti-neti” (not this, not that)—he discovered something beyond all these temporary things.

What he found was a state of pure consciousness, an awareness that existed independent of body, mind, or personality. This wasn’t just a philosophical realization—it was a direct, unmistakable experience that Hindu tradition calls “samadhi,” a state of profound spiritual absorption.

“Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try as you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to prevent it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent.”
_Ramana Maharshi

The Call of the Sacred Mountain

This awakening created an irresistible pull toward Arunachala, a sacred hill associated with Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of transformation. When a relative casually mentioned returning “from Arunachala,” young Venkataraman’s excitement was so intense that the relative was puzzled by the boy’s reaction.

Six weeks after his spiritual experience, without telling anyone, Venkataraman left his uncle’s house with just a few coins and traveled to Tiruvannamalai, where the sacred mountain Arunachala stands. He threw away his remaining money, shaved his head, and took on the life of a “sannyasin”—a religious renunciant devoted entirely to spiritual pursuit.

He would never leave Arunachala again.

“Wanting to reform the world without discovering one’s true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes.”
_Ramana Maharshi

The Silent Teacher

What made Ramana Maharshi extraordinary wasn’t just his awakening, but how he shared what he’d discovered. For years, he remained largely silent, absorbed in deep meditation. Yet people were drawn to him like metal to a magnet. Visitors would sit in his presence and often experience profound peace without him saying a word.

When he did teach, his method was refreshingly simple. He didn’t offer complex philosophies or elaborate rituals. Instead, he gave seekers one powerful tool: the question “Who am I?” This wasn’t meant to be answered intellectually, but experienced directly—just as he had done during his own awakening.

“The mind consists of thoughts,” he would explain. “The ‘I’-thought is the first to arise in the mind. When the enquiry ‘Who am I?’ is persistently pursued, all other thoughts get destroyed”. Like using a stick to stir a fire until the stick itself burns up, this question would eventually dissolve all mental chatter, revealing the pure awareness underneath.

“Let what comes come. Let what goes go. Find out what remains.”
_Ramana Maharshi

A Living Example of Inner Peace

Despite popular images of him as someone who just sat in meditation all day, Ramana was surprisingly active in daily life. He cooked, planned building projects for his growing ashram, and engaged warmly with the thousands of visitors who came seeking guidance. His presence radiated such natural joy and peace that people often left feeling transformed, whether they understood his teachings intellectually or not.

He never claimed to be special or different from others. “The jnani (awakened person) sees no one as an ajnani (unawakened person). All are only jnanis in his sight,” he taught. To him, everyone already possessed this pure awareness—they just needed to recognize it.

“Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”
_Ramana Maharshi

A Timeless Legacy

When Ramana Maharshi passed away in 1950, his influence was just beginning to spread beyond India. His teachings found eager audiences in the West, where seekers appreciated his non-dogmatic approach and universal message. Unlike many spiritual traditions that require belief in specific doctrines, Ramana’s path was open to anyone willing to honestly investigate their own nature.

Today, Sri Ramanasramam, the ashram that grew around him, continues to welcome visitors from every corner of the globe. His simple question—”Who am I?”—continues to guide people toward the same direct experience of peace and awareness that he discovered as a teenager facing his fear of death.

The Question That Changes Everything

What makes Ramana Maharshi’s story so compelling isn’t just his personal awakening, but how accessible he made the path to others. In a world often complicated by endless spiritual techniques and theories, he offered something beautifully simple: turn your attention inward and honestly ask who you really are beneath all the labels, thoughts, and identities you carry.

Perhaps that’s why his influence continues to grow decades after his passing. In our age of constant distraction and external seeking, Ramana’s message feels more relevant than ever: the peace and understanding we seek isn’t somewhere “out there”—it’s the very awareness through which we’re seeking it.

The boy who once hid behind temple statues when troubled grew up to show millions that the sanctuary they’re looking for has been with them all along. All it takes is the courage to ask one simple question: “Who am I?”