David Godman’s “Be As You Are” places Ramana Maharshi’s message in the wider tapestry of world spirituality, highlighting both shared threads and striking contrasts.

At the heart lies self-inquiry—“Who am I?”—a method that cuts to the chase unlike ritual-laden paths. In Advaita Vedanta, echoes of Ramana’s insistence on non-duality appear, yet Godman shows Maharshi’s approach as refreshingly stripped of ceremony. Zen Buddhism, with its koans and silent sitting, dances around the same emptiness; Ramana, however, homes in on the source of thought itself rather than playing verbal tennis with paradox.

Christian mystics such as St. John of the Cross and Meister Eckhart find kinship here too. Their contemplative prayer aims at union with God, and Maharshi’s “Self-as-awareness” rings just as majestic—two sides of the same coin. Sufi poets like Rumi swirl around divine love in ecstatic verses; Maharshi’s teachings feel like quiet devotion rather than a whirling dervish, yet both celebrate the One beyond form.

Buddhist insight into impermanence and non-self diverges at first glance—“anatman” versus “atman”—but Godman gently shows that observing thoughts as they arise and dissolve dovetails with Ramana’s directive to watch the “I-thought.” Both roads meet in the land of pure presence, even if one signpost speaks of no-self and the other of true-Self.

Bridging East and West, “Be As You Are” also nods to today’s mindfulness craze—apps like Headspace and teachers like Jon Kabat-Zinn steer users toward breath awareness, yet rarely push the full “Who am I?” investigation. Eckhart Tolle’s “power of now” theory shadows Maharshi too, but user-friendly as it is, it stops short of Ramana’s razor-sharp pinpointing of consciousness.

By weaving direct quotes and anecdotes, Godman presents a colorful mosaic: each tradition lends a piece, yet Ramana Maharshi’s simple, pointed inquiry remains uniquely transformative—a clear beacon amid a constellation of spiritual stars.