Ramana Maharshi, who lived from 1879 to 1950.

His simple teachings continue to grow in popularity all over the world.

His teachings don’t need to be updated for modern times.

In fact, many people consider him to be a wonderful example of how spiritual teaching should be.

All his ideas have aged really well:

1. He refused to consider himself a teacher, stressing instead the equality of all.
2. He was kind to animals, considering them his equals.
3. He practiced charity and non-possession. He never owned anything but a water jug, and made sure everyone was fed and cared for. He refused to eat even a scrap of food that others didn’t get.
4. He insisted on gender, racial, and class equality in his presence.
   
   Gender: Although he allowed his visitors to separate into gender groups if this was their custom, he refused to let the women sit in the back. He insisted on a schedule which allowed each gender to sit in front for equal time-periods.
   
   Race and ethnicity: Sri Ramana discouraged purity practices in his presence. If someone was from a culture which considered another group to be impure or untouchable, he discouraged the ritual expression of this belief. Although he respected others’ traditions, he clearly considered this kind of behavior to be codified racism and therefore a bridge too far.
   
   Class: Although he allowed his Indian visitors to follow the traditional separation of dining by caste, he always ate with the lower castes, although he was a Brahmin. Eventually, the Brahmins abandoned this practice, so they could eat with Sri Ramana!
5. He was non-violent in all his ways and followed a vegetarian diet.
6. Despite having strong and clear ethics, he was 100% forgiving. He always recommended mercy and forgiveness when anyone did anything wrong.
7. He considered those whom society scorned to be his equals. He was friends with sex workers and said nothing but good things about them. He also said nothing but supportive and kind things about members of the LGBT community. (I’m indebted to the scholarship of Michael James for this latter point.)
8. He was extraordinarily practical and lived by the precept that the universe is nothing but a grain of sand, but every grain of sand is the universe. He did all things to an impeccable standard, and kept a close watch over everyone. Though he's often portrayed as just sitting quietly, he spent much of his time cooking, cleaning, making minor repairs, and caring for people and animals.
   
   An example of this is his treatment of those with mental illness. He insisted that people exhibiting a wide range of behaviors be respected as equals and allowed to stay in his presence. But he kept a watchful eye and acted with extraordinary discernment.
   
   For example:
   
   An Australian man sat with apparent absorption at the back of the hall. Everyone thought he was in samadhi, but Sri Ramana asked that he be taken to the hospital right away. He contacted the Australian consulate for the man’s next-of-kin. It turned out he was suffering from a life-threatening but treatable disorder. He thanked Sri Ramana profusely for saving his life.
   
   This is how Sri Ramana was every day:
   Though silent and seemingly absorbed in God, he would suddenly provide clear and commonsense direction regarding important situations others missed.
9. He was careful to not identify with any religion, and to support all religions. When people told him his teachings seemed similar to Shankara, he was happy to translate Shankara. He had attended a Christian high school, and he said his teaching is essentially Exodus 3:14 and Psalm 46:10. He was happy to recommend submission to God for Muslims and others who understood this approach. He was truly all things to all people.
10. He was careful to support any practice his visitors derived benefit from. He knew all paths lead to the goal. When people asked for a practice, he would gently recommend asking themselves who has these troubles and doubts. Seeking the source of this fickle sense of ‘I’ leads to Reality or the Self.
11. He said his true teaching is only silence, and there’s nothing, really, to understand. This point has been forgotten over time and it can’t be emphasized enough.
    
    When we sit quietly, a feeling of peace arises. This peace deepens when we follow it. When we pop out of silence, our troubles seem to begin. The way to end them is to gently return to silence.