Guest guest Posted December 14, 2001 Report Share Posted December 14, 2001 Jody, I am not interested in censoring you or your views. We have had other discussions on such matters here before. I appreciate the information you give and people can follow up as it suits them. Please do keep the main purpose of the Sangha and the list description in mind. Love to all Harsha jodyrrr [jodyrrr] Friday, December 14, 2001 8:31 PM Re: Digest Number 1514 Hi Harsha. I understand completely the reluctance to see the life of a great saint reflected in the context of a disagreeable sexual preference. However, until you have read the book, you do not have the complete picture. Kripal makes his case not on a Westerner's misunderstanding of Indian male affection, but on a rereading of the Gospel in the original Bengali. Nikhilananda left out a number of passages in his translation that very clearly indicate Ramakrishna's tendencies. Kripal's book has garnered much admiration in the Academy of Religious Studies, and it has made the study of Ramakrishna much more prevalent in the religious studies community. My point in bringing this up is to illustrate the fact that Self realization does not result in cookie-cutter sainthood, and that the actual lives of the saints can be quite different from the traditional rendering of them. As such, I believe it to be entirely on topic here. In fact, I believe it to be vitally important that people understand that the great saints are just as human as the rest of us. Despite the disagreeable nature of the illustration, the story of Ramakrishna makes this case. However, it is not my intention to create discord on the list, so I'll leave it to you to censor my activity as you see fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 17, 2001 Report Share Posted December 17, 2001 Harsha, Nor do I intend to cause discord. However, the definition of what consitutes a saint seems to have relevance. I suppose it can be what is decided for any specific discussion. Certainly, the nature of saintly participation in the world seems important. Since my perspective on the specific comment which initially sparked my remarks is clear, I have no problem dropping the subject altogether. It's not important to me that anyone else agree, as long as it's understood that there is not universal assent to the attribution of saintliness when the such negative behaviour is present. I would not like to think that a "realized" person must be considered an "uber mensch" and beyond all extrinsic constraints. It may be that these things are not particularly pleasant to consider, but life is not merely pleasant. If we shy from difficult or homely issues, we may, to our spiritual detriment, find ourselves with unresolved tendencies of mind. This will be my last comment on the subject, regardless of how untenable my position becomes under the scrutiny of wiser persons. I continue to err with remarkable regularity, but am certainly willing to learn. Regards, Gubster Bug , "Harsha" <harsha-hkl@h...> wrote: > Jody, I am not interested in censoring you or your views. We have had other > discussions on such matters here before. I appreciate the information you > give and people can follow up as it suits them. > > Please do keep the main purpose of the Sangha and the list description in > mind. > > Love to all > Harsha > > > > jodyrrr [jodyrrr@h...] > Friday, December 14, 2001 8:31 PM > > Re: Digest Number 1514 > > Hi Harsha. > > I understand completely the reluctance > to see the life of a great saint reflected > in the context of a disagreeable sexual > preference. However, until you have read > the book, you do not have the complete > picture. > > Kripal makes his case not on a Westerner's > misunderstanding of Indian male affection, > but on a rereading of the Gospel in the > original Bengali. Nikhilananda left out > a number of passages in his translation > that very clearly indicate Ramakrishna's > tendencies. > > Kripal's book has garnered much admiration > in the Academy of Religious Studies, and > it has made the study of Ramakrishna much > more prevalent in the religious studies > community. > > My point in bringing this up is to > illustrate the fact that Self realization > does not result in cookie-cutter sainthood, > and that the actual lives of the saints > can be quite different from the traditional > rendering of them. > > As such, I believe it to be entirely on > topic here. In fact, I believe it to be > vitally important that people understand > that the great saints are just as human > as the rest of us. Despite the disagreeable > nature of the illustration, the story of > Ramakrishna makes this case. > > However, it is not my intention to create > discord on the list, so I'll leave it to > you to censor my activity as you see fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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