Sunday, May 29, 2011

Ramakrishna


Minus the celibacy thing (to each their own) I totally love this guy. The West has damed little knowledge of India, but THIS was one of the greatest men of all time. 

Ramakrishna (Bengali: রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস Ramkṛiṣṇo Pôromôhongśo) (February 18, 1836 – August 16, 1886), born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay[2] (Bengaliগদাধর চট্টোপাধ্যায় Gôdadhor Chôţţopaddhae), was a famous mystic of 19th-century India.[3] His religious school of thought led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple Vivekananda[4][5][6][7] – both were influential figures in theBengali Renaissance[8] as well as the Hindu renaissance during the 19th and 20th centuries.[9][10][11] Many of his disciples and devotees believe he was an Avatar or incarnation of God.[12] He is also referred as "Paramahamsa" by his devotees, as such he is popularly known as Ramkrishna Paramhansa.
Ramakrishna was born in a poor Brahmin Vaishnava family in rural Bengal. He became a priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, dedicated to the goddess Kali, which had the influence of the main strands of Bengali bhakti tradition.[2] His first spiritual teacher was an ascetic woman skilled in Tantra and Vaishnava bhakti.[13] Later an Advaita Vedantin ascetic taught him non-dual meditation, and according to Ramakrishna, he experienced nirvikalpa samadhi under his guidance. Ramakrishna also experimented with other religions, notably Islam and Christianity, and said that they all lead to the same God.[2] Though conventionally uneducated, he attracted the attention of the middle class and numerous Bengali intellectuals.[citation needed]

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2 comments:

Ulla said...

I have read some of the books about his talks, but I think he is a bit too highly appreciated :) He was a brilliant thinker, but so 'Indian'. Matti rekommended him.

He departed himself from the Theosofian Community.

Phil Warnell said...

Hi Steven,

With a little investigation I find that I too can connect with Ramarishna. That is with how he considered reality as one, with the path and the substance as distinct yet inseparable parts of the whole.

”Brahman and Śakti are identical. If you accept the one, you must accept the other”.

-Ramkrishna

“Maya is to Brahman what the snake in motion is to the snake at rest. Force in action is Maya, force in potency is Brahman.”

-Ramkrishna

Best,

Phil