What I'm Reading Now
Have just finished the 100+ page introduction and am about 10 pages into "The Gospel of Ramakrishna."
What a life. What an example of burning love and devotion. Ramakrishna was indeed literally "God-intoxicated." His passion - his bhakti - for God is both profound and contagious, spilling over from the pages into the heart of the reader.
Here are a few portions of his biography from ramakrishna.org:
Sri Ramakrishna, who was born in 1836 and passed away in 1886, represents the very core of the spiritual realizations of the seers and sages of India. His whole life was literally an uninterrupted contemplation of God. He reached a depth of God-consciousness that transcends all time and place and has a universal appeal. Seekers of God of all religions feel irresistibly drawn to his life and teachings...
...Through his God-intoxicated life Sri Ramakrishna proved that the revelation of God takes place at all times and that God-realization is not the monopoly of any particular age, country, or people. In him, deepest spirituality and broadest catholicity stood side by side. The God-man of nineteenth-century India did not found any cult, nor did he show a new path to salvation. His message was his God-consciousness. When God-consciousness falls short, traditions become dogmatic and oppressive and religious teachings lose their transforming power. At a time when the very foundation of religion, faith in God, was crumbling under the relentless blows of materialism and skepticism, Sri Ramakrishna, through his burning spiritual realizations, demonstrated beyond doubt the reality of God and the validity of the time-honored teachings of all the prophets and saviors of the past, and thus restored the falling edifice of religion on a secure foundation...
...The greatest contribution of Sri Ramakrishna to the modern world is his message of the harmony of religions. To Sri Ramakrishna all religions are the revelation of God in His diverse aspects to satisfy the manifold demands of human minds. Like different photographs of a building taken from different angles, different religions give us the pictures of one truth from different standpoints. They are not contradictory but complementary. Sri Ramakrishna faithfully practiced the spiritual disciplines of different religions and came to the realization that all of them lead to the same goal. Thus he declared, "As many faiths, so many paths." The paths vary, but the goal remains the same. Harmony of religions is not uniformity; it is unity in diversity. It is not a fusion of religions, but a fellowship of religions based on their common goal -- communion with God...
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4 comments:
Trev,
Check out Jon Anderson's homepage
(jonanderson.com)and his link to Sri Ramakrishna through his relationship with Divine Mother Audrey Kitagawa (srkspiritualfamily.org)
Jon, the lead singer with the band "Yes" is deeply spiritual and it comes through in his music and in how he lives his life. I was first introduced to Sri Ramakrishna years ago through the music of Yes (the powerful vocals of Jon Anderson and his lyrics) and through Divine Mother.
The East and teachings of the masters gives us truth unlike any other (there is so much clarity). There are many, many lessons to be learned, the biggest- how to unlearn all we have been taught here in the West and begin to see the beauty and Truth overlooked through dogmatic teachings of Christianity.
The West still has so much to unlearn, but this is the path before us and there is Divine Direction in the going.
Thanks for the lead, Tommy. I'll check out those sites.
I had no idea that about Jon Anderson from Yes (I have never followed them very closely, but will investigate).
Yes, clarity. It's the clarity that draws us to those like Ramakrishna. Clarity and practice. It's not just "head stuff" - they teach us how to "go there" ourselves.
That last paragraph is awesome. Great theme, Trev. And like you say, it's about going there ourselves. That's the game. I think that's what we are so focused on in this time/age: The hope that more than one or two, or three or four will connect. It's the hope that many will start connecting in everyday life. That's what I live for, and that's why I am here.
Thanks Mark. I share your hope that many more will start connecting in everyday life! Blessings.
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