On March 13, 1936, a devotee from Bombay asked Ramana Maharshi a question while attending his Ashram: “Do I keep my mind blank without thoughts arising so that God might show himself in his true being?”

Maharshi answered: “The essence of mind is only awareness or consciousness. However, when the ego dominates, it functions as the reasoning, thinking, or sensing faculty. The cosmic mind, not being limited by the ego, has nothing separate from itself and is, therefore, only aware. That is what the Bible means by ‘I Am that I Am.’ The ego-ridden mind has its strength sapped and is too weak to resist the torturing thoughts. The egoless mind is happy in deep, dreamless sleep. Clearly therefore, bliss and misery are only modes of mind; but the weak mode is not easily interchangeable with the strong mode. Activity is weakness and consequently miserable; passivity is strength and therefore not utilized. The cosmic mind, manifesting in some rare being is able to connect the linkage in others of the individual (weak) mind with the universal (strong) mind of the inner recess. Such a rare being is called the Guru or God in manifestation.”

In my spiritual experience, Jesus would be an example of such a rare being that Maharshi was referring to in the above quote.

Recall in John 8:58, Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”