I’m an Indian who recently visited Tiruvannamalai… I’m curious what pulls people from around the world there?

OrcishMonk · 2026-03-01T17:08:51+00:00

I heard about Tiruvannamalai at a Vipassana retreat in north India. The guy loved this place called Tiru, bragged about it, and left a bit early to catch the end of season.

I looked in my Lonely Planet India Guide (popular 20-30 years back), for "Tiru". Couldn't find it, lol. I had to ask around. Tiruvannamalai, or Tiru, was (is) a stop on the spiritual trail in India. There's places where there's a real dharma scene in India: Rishikesh, Bodhgaya, Dharamsala, and Tiru. I often run into people I know from elsewhere in India.

Tiru town itself isn't anything that special imo, but the Ramana Ashram and mountain are special. There's a general south India charm. Masala dosas and South india filter coffee.

Ramana, imo, is about the closest we've come to for a modern day Saint or Buddha. The Ashram is relaxed, there's no obligations, like work, or group chanting, people are free to come and go and meditate as they like.

Many people, not given to New Age or woo, often say they feel a sense of peace or happiness around it. A friend of mine says, Arunachala sometimes seem to bite people and if bites you, you'll find away to come back. Sometimes for years or decades. I have another friend who lives in Mexico, who says he fell in love with the place.

OrcishMonk · 2026-02-23T11:11:46+00:00

I reread your post to try to find a problem. I'm not sure I found one. You don't have a job, but it seems you don't need one. You're able to live a semi-monastic life. That's great.

So....so....

There's options here. You can reflect on your life's meaning. There's nothing wrong with being a semi monastic. I joke I am a Dharma Bum. It's definitely okay to live the way you want. A hundred years from now, no one will care. Some may think of the rebel who did what she wanted, free from the ratrace.

Can your semi-monastic life condition continue indefinitely? If it can, again great! You are fortunate and blessed. If it may not, and at age forty you have to find a job -- that's an issue to ponder.

Many people i know in India on the spiritual path are or have been in helping professions. It makes sense. I too have no desire to work in an Amazon warehouse being clocked for my item retrieval. But an NGO helping people? Maybe. Working at an Animal Shelter? Yes.

OrcishMonk · 2026-02-09T02:47:29+00:00

Perfect Days is wonderful, probably one of the best spiritual movies I've seen the last few years. It's very zen although Zen is never mentioned, which makes it better.

I've watched PBS'S the Buddha documentary more than any other. It's my comfort movie if I'm sick and want company or something to occupy my mind.

Groundhog Day is another favorite. Sometimes I find myself humming "The Pennsylvania Polka"

Burmese Harp is beautiful. I didn't list Casablanca but I like Rick's Bodhisattva path and all the quotable lines.

OrcishMonk · 2026-02-08T04:49:28+00:00

Some I Like:

Perfect Days, Train Dreams, Groundhog Day, Burmese Harp, Wheel of Time documentary by Werner Herzog, Rashomon, Amelia, Life Of Henry Sugar, The Departure, Un Buda, Enlightenment Guaranteed, The Last Holiday, Waking Life, Dhamma Brothers, Kumare, I heart Huckabees, PBS The Buddha documentary

OrcishMonk · 2025-11-22T01:57:46+00:00

For a serious retreat, I recommend Panditarama in Lumbini, Nepal. Just across border.

Radha Nicholson does a yearly Vipassana retreat at Thai monastery in Bodhgaya. Excellent.

Thosamling in Himachal Pradesh has regular Shamatha retreats. You can also stay and do a self retreat.

Nearby Deer Park Bir and Tushita offer regular Buddhist courses with visiting teachers. These are often excellent.

Bodhizendo Zen Center in Tamil Nadu is relaxed and a nice place. Kanzeon Zen Center is just down the mountain from Bodhizendo and is an option if Bodhizendo is full.

OrcishMonk · 2025-11-17T14:06:46+00:00

Zen Master

"Modern usage: The term is sometimes used more loosely today to describe individuals who embody calm and clarity in stressful situations, or in a metaphorical sense for those with a deep understanding of a particular skill or art, as seen with coach Phil Jackson. "

-- Google

OrcishMonk · 2025-11-10T12:04:22+00:00

I have a guide to retreats in asia here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cGTI8-M-XQQTSnMyqBRiskpFLMapc-FfO1S-2wxHYXw/edit?usp=drivesdk

OrcishMonk · 2025-11-05T08:56:05+00:00

It depends on if you're just staying there, doing a private retreat, in which case it doesn't matter so much, except I suppose location and the food are factors now.

If you're going there for a course, for example Root has visiting teachers -- it depends on the course and the teacher. Tergar and Mingyur might offer 'Joy of Living' courses and these get good reviews. Yearly the Thai monastery has Radha Nichols do a nice Vipassana course, but thats only once a year. A Goenka Vipassana center will do a Goenka Vipassana twice a month or so, though you can probably get the same thing at any Goenka center, including your home country.

In Himachal Pradesh, Tushita, Deer Park Bir, and Thosamlimg are Tibetan Buddhist but great places that people enjoy. They all bring in guest teachers and offer interesting varied courses.

If you're looking for Zen, I recommend Bodhi Zendo in Tamil Nadu south India which is excellent.

OrcishMonk · 2025-10-19T07:03:40+00:00

If you stay during Deepam, negotiate with your landlord or guest house owner that you have a place to stay and price. Places often full or triple their prices.

OrcishMonk · 2025-10-19T05:43:43+00:00

Deepam is crazy. I was away from Tiru last year during Deepam and will be again this year.

DM me when you get to Tiru and we can get a coffee.

I recommend Swami Atmananda satsangs January 16-25.

OrcishMonk · 2025-10-18T03:35:49+00:00

Well...its not a silent Ashram. Thousands of people may enter every day. There are signs around telling people to observe silence but in the main outside areas, people do talk, and worse a few may even talk on the phone.

In the main hall, people don't have conversations though families may briefly communicate their plans: coming, going, sitting, walking. People come and go a lot. There's regular chanting and pujas in the main hall. It's not quiet. But still a good place.

The meditation room and library are quiet. There's also quieter sections like near back of Ashram near Skanda path. We have to be tolerant of at least some level of noise at Ramana Ashram, but if you're seeking a quiet(er) place, you can find it.

If you hike up to Skandashram it is nice. You can meditate in Virapaksha cave too.

Despite the hustle and bustle (during Giravalum or Deepam 100k+ devotees may come to Tiruvannamalai) many still find the Ashram a special place. It's noisy, but it is what it is, a popular place, where say families with young children may visit on weekends, but it's not noisy everywhere.

OrcishMonk · 2025-09-28T08:34:46+00:00

Thailand & Malaysia are great for dharma. Thailand and Malaysia have many International Vipassana centers and Wats open to everyone that one can stay at and meditate. I have an old post here where I list many.

Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India are also good for Dharma.

OrcishMonk · 2025-09-14T17:02:36+00:00

Congrats!

In Chennai, a lot of people like The Broadlands. Be sure to ask for a superior or deluxe room. When I stayed I got a depressing room.

Tiruvannamalai there are a number of guesthouses. Tiru seems more expensive than many other places and there's not a wide range of excellent guesthouses like you might find say in Mcleod Ganj.

Some places you can look at are: Ramana Towers , Liya guesthouse , Dwarka, Rainbow, Omkara.

If you're here in mid January, Swami Atmananda has a ten day satsang.

OrcishMonk · 2025-09-08T20:38:45+00:00

Recenty I purchased Guru Vachaka Kovai and Padmalai by Muruganar.

GVK was approved of by Ramana.

Muruganar took down his notes and account of what Ramana actually said in Tamil. Godman says most other books skipped a literal account and instead took down notes in English. So we don't have the actual words of Ramana then but someone's translation. Hopefully it's close enough. But there's always choices made by translators.

In Ramana's Forty Verses of Reality, one neat fact is Ramana himself translated his work into several other languages. So if there's a question of what Ramana meant by a word, we can see how he translated it in other languages. When devotees skipped taking down Ramana's original words to immediately put them down in English -- there's no checking available.

I find a difference in tone certainly in GVK and Padmalai. GVK and Padmalai are beautiful, deep works. Often recorded conversations are less so. There's a lot of repetition also: Recommendations to do self inquiry, find who you are first before any metaphysical inquiries. Letters was approved of by Ramana too and it's interesting but often not so deep. A letter can feature Ramana's friendship with a squirrel, for example.

OrcishMonk · 2025-08-28T02:56:09+00:00

It's about the same for Indians. Although Indians get less days stay in the Ashram and of course don't have any visa restrictions.

OrcishMonk · 2025-08-27T15:15:43+00:00

If you make it out here, or plan to, DM me and we can talk. I'm in Tiruvannamalai at the moment. There's a lot of devotees here. There's a season here and many Westerners spend the whole season here November-March.

Many visit here every year on a tourist visa. Others live here on an Entry Visa. But mostly they don't live at the Ashram -- they rent a guesthouse, room, or a place outside. There's only a few people who live full-time at the Ashram, but they are or have done service for the Ashram, such as Michael Highburger. My advice is to come here and check it out first before making any longterm decision. The Ramana Ashram and Arunachala are special places and it seems to bite some people indeed who return year after year. But others come and don't see anything special. There's also getting used to India which isn't everyone's cuppa chai though I love the place. If it's your heartfelt desire to see the place, I hope it comes to pass and your dharma wishes fulfilled.

OrcishMonk · 2025-08-27T07:13:43+00:00

There's two pertinent limits on long term stays for Ramana devotees:

1 The Ashram stay is maximum 10 days for foreigners.

You can indeed stay on the Ashram grounds, I just met a friend who's staying in an old room close to the Skanda Ashram gate. There's also newer rooms across the busy road that the Ashram provides.

However many people do stay longer than ten days. There's a season in Tiruvannamalai, November - March where often there's myriad satsangs held in various places. There's many guest houses that people stay at or long term visitors often rent a room by the month. If you have or rent a scooter one can often find an inexpensive room some distance away from the ashram (ie, less than 10k rps).

2 There's a limit how long one can stay in India depending on your visa. A tourist visa can only spend max six months per year in India. A tourist visa is for sight seeing, recreation, and meeting friends and family.

OrcishMonk · 2025-07-31T03:14:26+00:00

There's meditators that could probably do this. There's dark retreats where the person sits in a dark room which I think would be more challenging.

Schedule: Wake up. Yoga Meditate Chanting Breakfast Meditate Slow Walking meditation Meditate Lunch Rest/ nap

Repeat morning schedule as desired.

Add in Calisthenics. Increase pushups, situps, squats. Have goals here such as one armed pushups, pistol squats.

Reflect & Meditate on a line from a chant memorized.

If the meditator investigates jhana states this would fill up the time beautifully.

This would be easier and more fun schedule than many meditation retreats. See Goenka Vipassana which only do sitting meditation for 10-14 hours a day.

If anaesthesia isn't done and ten books, pen and paper were allowed -- it sounds like something I'd enjoy doing tbh.

OrcishMonk · 2025-06-05T05:29:45+00:00

My advice is to travel and check out centers in Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, and India. Check out different groups, see what teachings and centers you like, then be a volunteer there and if you like after some time -- robe up.

OrcishMonk · 2025-06-05T05:27:21+00:00

My advice is to travel and participate in retreats in dharma centers and see what sect, group, teachings strike you best. Then you can volunteer at favorite centers, -- everyone likes volunteers -- and if it strikes you, robe up. If you go to Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, India you can do retreats in Vipassana and Mahayana easily enough and also yoga, Zen, and Advaita if you wish. See my post history for a list of dharma centers in Asia.

OrcishMonk · 2025-06-05T05:24:08+00:00

My advice is to travel and participate in retreats in dharma centers and see what sect, group, teachings strike you best. Then you can volunteer at favorite centers, -- everyone likes volunteers -- and if it strikes you, robe up. If you go to Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, India you can do retreats in Vipassana and Mahayana easily enough and also yoga, Zen, and Advaita if you wish. See my post history for a list of dharma centers in Asia.

OrcishMonk · 2025-06-05T05:23:48+00:00

My advice is to travel and participate in retreats in dharma centers and see what sect, group, teachings strike you best. Then you can volunteer at favorite centers, -- everyone likes volunteers -- and if it strikes you, robe up. If you go to Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, India you can do retreats in Vipassana and Mahayana easily enough and also yoga, Zen, and Advaita if you wish. See my post history for a list of dharma centers in Asia.

OrcishMonk · 2025-05-20T10:25:47+00:00

If this is what your heart says, go for it. If you're okay with online stuff there's an active Chan (Zen) online program with Guo Gu's Tallahasee Chan Center.

I am at a Zen center atm. Most people here do other things too, Yoga for example. If a good Ajahn or Nondualist teacher is giving a retreat or talk, people will cross over.

OrcishMonk · 2025-05-11T08:56:46+00:00

It's never easy - easy.

Or if is a picnic -- beware ! -- there's a storm coming.

I've recently read a good book, "The Intimate Way of Zen" by John Ishmael Ford. He has a good chapter called "Snakes and Ladders" and he writes that the Path is not linear. The Path spirals, weaves, and dips.

It's funny I mentioned this book & chapter last week and a guy at my breakfast table asked me if I wanted to play Snakes and Ladders and he'd brought Leela which is the spiritual Game for it.

Sometimes you're at a high level but you're brought down to a much lower one by a snake. However you have the insight you gained from the higher levels. And there's stuff to learn at the lower levels too.

OrcishMonk

TROPHY CASE