Paul Brunton And Major Chadwick's primary criticism of Ramana Maharshi

Brunton felt that Ramana took no stand on issues like the coming war. Brunton seems
particularly upset by an incident when news was brought to the ashram that Italian planes had gunned undefended citizens on the streets of Ethiopia (the Italians invaded Ethiopia in October, 1935).

Brunton reports that Ramana said:

The sage who knows the truth that the Self is indestructible will remain unaffected even if five million people are killed in his presence.Remember the advice of Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield when disheartened by the thought of the impending slaughter of relatives on the opposing side.

Brunton’s criticisms of Ramana are quite different from what he said in Search:

But perhaps it maybe good for us to have a few men who sit apart from our world of unending activity and survey it for us from afar (Search,289).

Chadwick also made some criticisms of Ramana. He says that Ramana used to chew snuff(A pinch of smokeless tobacco inhaled at a single time), and that when Chadwick knew him he still chewed betel nut (Chadwick, 35).

A more serious ethical shortcoming is that caste was observed in the ashram dining room.On one side the Brahmins were seated, on the other side the rest. Ramana insisted on it (Chadwick, 34).

And Ramana seemed unconcerned regarding World War II. He is reported to have once remarked, “Who knows but that Hitler is a Jnani, a divine instrument.” (Chadwick, 35).

Ramana seemed to believe that a realized person was above ethical obligations of right and wrong. For the jnani there is no good or evil, only spontaneous activity or actionlessactivity of Tao:

What is right and wrong? There is no standard by which to judge something to be right and another to be wrong. Opinions differ according to the nature of the individual and according to the surroundings. They are again ideas and nothing more. Do not worry about them. But get rid of thoughts. If you always remain in the right, then right will prevail in the world (Talks, 428; Feb. 8, 1938).

It is this lack of ethical concern for others that was Brunton's primary criticism of Ramana, and the reason that he chose V. Subrahmanya Iyer as his guru instead of Ramana.

Source: Paul Brunton and Ramana Maharshi by Dr. J. Glenn Friesen Book

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Major A.W. Chadwick Says Ramana Maharshi Was Deeply Interested In Construction His Mother's Samadhi

BHAGAVAN WAS DEEPLY interested in the construction of the shrine built over his mother’s samadhi. He attended every function in connection with it, placing his hands in blessing on the various objects that were to be enclosed in the walls. At night, when no one was about, he would walk round and round the construction consecrating it.

That he should take such a demonstrative part in anything has a very deep significance. It was extremely rare and has been doubted by many, but I myself was an eye-witness to these things and can vouch for their truth.

He took a personal interest in the cutting of the Sri Chakra Meru in granite (pyramidal form), which was installed in the completed temple and is regularly worshipped. This is about one and a half feet square and proportionately high.

At the time of the kumbabhishekam on the penultimate night before the sacred water was poured over the images, he personally supervised the installation in the inner shrine.

It was an extremely hot night and with three charcoal retorts for melting the cement
adding to the heat. It must have been intolerable inside the airless cave of the inner shrine. Yet for approximately one and a half hours Bhagavan sat there telling the workmen what to do.

On the last night of the function he went in procession,opening the doors of the new hall and temple and passing straight up into the inner shrine, where he stood for some five minutes with both hands laid on the Sri Chakra in blessing. I happened that night to be at his side the whole time. This was unusual, as I deliberately avoided taking a prominent part in such things, preferring to watch from the back.

Strangely, something made me keep by him on this occasion and on account of this I was able to understand his deep interest in the temple and especially in the Sri Chakra. It was because of this knowledge that I was instrumental, after Bhagavan’s passing, in persuading the Ashram authorities to institute the Sri Chakra pujas six times a month.

The explanation for this unusual action on Bhagavan’s part may be found in the necessity of Siva always to be accompanied by Shakti. The world would stop otherwise.

On the only occasion when such a puja was performed, shortly after the dedication of the temple during the life of Bhagavan, he refused to go for his evening meal, but insisted on remaining a witness of it until the end.

Someone remarked how magnificent it had been and that it would be a good thing if such pujas could be performed regularly, “Yes, but who will take the trouble?” asked Bhagavan.Trouble is being taken now and it undoubtedly has the blessings of Bhagavan.

Source: The Silent Power Selections from The Mountain Path and The Call Divine

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Ramana Maharshi Clarifies To Sadhu Arunachala (A. W. Chadwick) About Dream And Waking States

Bhagavan refused to see the least difference between the two states, and in this he agreed with all the great Advaitic Seers.Some have questioned if Sankara did not draw a line of difference between these two states, but Bhagavan has persistently denied it. Sankara did it apparently only for the purpose of clearer exposition, he would explain.

Go beyond both states, all three states including deep sleep,and study them from that point of view. You now study one limitation from the point of view of another limitation. Could anything be more absurd? Go beyond all limitation, then come
here with the problem.”

But in spite of this, doubt still remained.

I somehow felt at the time of dreaming there was something unreal in it, not always of course. But just glimpses now and then. “Doesn’t that ever happen to you in your waking state too?”

Bhagavan queried. “Don’t you sometimes feel that the world you live in and the thing that is happening is unreal?”

Still in spite of all this, doubt persisted.

But one morning I went to Bhagavan and much to his amusement handed him a paper on which the following was written:

“Bhagavan remembers that I expressed some doubts about the resemblance between dreams and waking experience. Early in the morning most of these doubts were cleared by the
following dream, which seemed particularly objective and real:

“I was arguing philosophy with someone. I pointed out that all experience was only subjective, that there was nothing outside the mind.

“The other person demurred, pointing out how solid everything was and how real experience seemed. It could not be just personal imagination.

“ I replied, ‘No, it is nothing but a dream. Dream and waking experience are exactly the same.’

“‘You say that now’, he replied, ‘but you would never say a thing like that in your dream.’”

And then I woke up.

Source: SURPASSING LOVE AND GRACE SRI RAMANASRAMAM By His devotees

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Ramana Maharshi Disciple Major A. W. Chadwick (Sadhu Arunachala)

Major A. W. Chadwick, later Sadhu Arunachala was a very rare Western devotee. There are a number of special things about him.His name and incidents connected with his life and his experiences are narated in a number of Ramanasramam books, including Talks.He has also written a book tiitled: A Sadhu's Reminiscences.

A few rare things about this great seeker are:-

1. He came to Bhagavan in 1936 and never returned to his place or country.

2. He showed great interest in Veda Parayana, Sri Chakra Pooja and other ancient rituals.

3. After Bhagavan's Maha Nirvana, he used to sit between 8 a.m to 10 a.m. and again between 5 p.m to 7 p.m. in front of Bhagavan's Samadhi and meditate.

4. He was helpful in organizing a Veda Patasala inside Ramanasramam and also organized Sri Chakra Pooja in Mathrubhutesvarar Temple.

5. He used to delight in Narayana Suktam of Maha Narayana Upanishad,which was chanted in Asram.

6. Bhagawan indirectly indicated to his close disciples that Major Chadwik is his father.

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