Sri Ramana in front of his beloved Arunachala

Year - 2026 · Size - 47 x 34 cm · Medium - Ink on paper

"BE STILL. Apart from this the mind has no task to do or thought to think." — Sri Ramana Maharshi

This work, painted for my zenthai shiatsu teachers Sally and Yuta, is a portrait of the legendary Indian sage Ramana Maharshi, born in 1879. At the age of sixteen he experienced a profound spiritual awakening that led him to renounce worldly life and take up residence at the holy mountain Arunachala. Through silent teaching he guided disciples in the practice of self-enquiry — centred on the question "Who am I?" — toward the realisation that consciousness is the only reality, and that ego and the world of form are illusions.

Considered by many to have been an enlightened being, Ramana lived in a constant state of meditation, often neglecting to eat or care for his body, stating that though his body felt pain, he himself did not. After taking a vow of silence he attracted a vast following of people and animals who would come simply to sit in the calm of his radiance. There are some wonderful photographs that capture this quality. With this painting, I tried to do the same.