ABOUT TOTAPURI - Guru of Sri RamaKrishna Paramhansha

[Guest guest]

TOTAPURI

 

http://www.angelfire.com/realm/bodhisattva/totapuri.html

 

Totapuri, sometimes Tota Puri, was a parivrajaka, a wandering monk who followed the path of wisdom taught by Advaita Vedanta as well as being the teacher-guru that brought the full fruit of Awakening to Sri Ramakrishna. He was a member of the Naga sect of sannyasins, a highly austere and uncompromising monastic order. Nagas normally live with only "space as clothing" (Digambara), refusing to submit to any comfort the body or mind might enjoy. Totapuri was an adept of the formless reality, the cloudless sky of the absolute. He, like Swami Trailanga, was, it has been claimed by some, to be over 250 years old when he died. He regarded the worship of divine forms as childish. Naked and smeared with ashes, Totapuri strolled through Dakshineswar Temple Garden and noticed Ramakrishna seated there, clapping his hands ecstatically and chanting the name of Mother Kali. Totapuri recognized at once that Ramakrishna, despite his appearance as a simple devotee of the Goddess, was inwardly prepared to receive initiation into the knowledge of the absolute, in which all forms and all emotions are left behind.

Totapuri approached Ramakrishna with the proposal that he receive initiation into Advaita Vedanta. Ramakrishna replied, "I must ask my Mother Kali." He entered the temple and received permission from the living divinity that he experienced pulsatiing through the stone image enshrined there. That evening, Toatpuri began instructing him in Formless Meditation. But as Ramakrishna concentrated deeply, the radiant figure of the Goddess appeared to his inner eye. When he reported this to Totapuri, the austere naked monk took a sharp stone and pressed it firmly against Ramakrishna's forehead, instructing him to concentrate on the pain and assuring him that he could transcend the divine form and merge into the infinite expanse of the absolute. Once more, Ramakrishna meditated and, as he later expressed it, "with the sword of wisdom, I cut through the divine form of Kali." Her form dissolved, and his individuality completely disappeared into Her formless aspect.

For three days Ramakrishna was completely lost to the world in a near state of suspended animation called Nirodha, seated in the small Meditation Hut, motionless, all breathing and body functions slowed to a standstill. Totapuri was amazed, because, like the Buddha's brother or cousin Ananda, Totapuri had practiced for forty years to achieve the same level of experience -- nirvikalpa samadhi -- the disappearance of individual identity in the Absolute. It occurred to Ramakrishna in a single sitting.

Ramakrishna remained silent for six days and finally, when he opened his eyes he thanked Totapuri saying "If you had not come, I would have lived my whole life with the hallucination. My last barrier has fallen away." He became Enlightened after he had cut the last barrier. But even the followers of Ramakrishna don't mention the incident because it makes the whole effort of worshipping futile.

Totapuri as an orthodox wandering monk never remained more than three days in one location. However, he became so awed by Ramakrishna's ability in Samadhi to remain 'rigid as a corpse for days on end', that he broke his longstanding rule, resulting in him staying eleven months at Dakshineswar hoping to learn from the man who had previously been his disciple. During this long stay he contracted serious dysentery.

There was prolonged and severe pain, which was distracting Totapuri during meditation. Since he considered the body just a medium, essentially unnecessary after the realization of the Absolute, he decided to give up his body by drowning in the Ganges.

He walked out into the river, but, even though the river should have been extremely deep, at least in the middle, no matter how far he went the water never got above his knees. He ended up without ever reaching deep water. Eventually he came upon the bank on the far side and when he turned to look back, he saw the Kali temple gleaming in moonlight and experienced a sudden deep Awakening.

He recognized sheer divine power and consciousness, moving through all beings and controlling all events, including his own attempt to discard the body. Totapuri thus accepted the manifest universe and its energy as a radiant expression of the Absolute. The demarcation between form and formless no longer existed for him. Although his whole life had been spiritual in nature, Totapuri, without any verbal teaching, had opened beyond he experience of the formless absolute into the continuum of consciousness, from which no divine, human, or natural forms are excluded and to which no particular doctrine exclusively applies.

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Lalit sir,

these r realy very interesting stories. Thanx for forwarding these stories on group mail. It realy stimulated my thought process towards my goal. Thanx. Sir i have a thurst to know about Trilang swami from a long time and today i come across this enlighted artical . thanx.

TAKE CARE

HAVE A NICE DAY

Dr. AMIT MISHRA

 

 

litsol <mishra.lalitVedic Astrologyandhealing Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 5:31:05 PM[Vedic Astrologyandhealing] ABOUT TOTAPURI - Guru of Sri RamaKrishna Paramhansha

 

 

TOTAPURI

 

http://www.angelfir e.com/realm/ bodhisattva/ totapuri. html

 

Totapuri, sometimes Tota Puri, was a parivrajaka, a wandering monk who followed the path of wisdom taught by Advaita Vedanta as well as being the teacher-guru that brought the full fruit of Awakening to Sri Ramakrishna. He was a member of the Naga sect of sannyasins, a highly austere and uncompromising monastic order. Nagas normally live with only "space as clothing" (Digambara), refusing to submit to any comfort the body or mind might enjoy. Totapuri was an adept of the formless reality, the cloudless sky of the absolute. He, like Swami Trailanga, was, it has been claimed by some, to be over 250 years old when he died. He regarded the worship of divine forms as childish. Naked and smeared with ashes, Totapuri strolled through Dakshineswar Temple Garden and noticed Ramakrishna seated there, clapping his hands ecstatically and chanting the name of Mother Kali. Totapuri recognized at once that Ramakrishna, despite his appearance as a simple

devotee of the Goddess, was inwardly prepared to receive initiation into the knowledge of the absolute, in which all forms and all emotions are left behind.

Totapuri approached Ramakrishna with the proposal that he receive initiation into Advaita Vedanta. Ramakrishna replied, "I must ask my Mother Kali." He entered the temple and received permission from the living divinity that he experienced pulsatiing through the stone image enshrined there. That evening, Toatpuri began instructing him in Formless Meditation. But as Ramakrishna concentrated deeply, the radiant figure of the Goddess appeared to his inner eye. When he reported this to Totapuri, the austere naked monk took a sharp stone and pressed it firmly against Ramakrishna' s forehead, instructing him to concentrate on the pain and assuring him that he could transcend the divine form and merge into the infinite expanse of the absolute. Once more, Ramakrishna meditated and, as he later expressed it, "with the sword of wisdom, I cut through the divine form of Kali." Her form dissolved, and his individuality completely disappeared into Her

formless aspect.

For three days Ramakrishna was completely lost to the world in a near state of suspended animation called Nirodha, seated in the small Meditation Hut, motionless, all breathing and body functions slowed to a standstill. Totapuri was amazed, because, like the Buddha's brother or cousin Ananda, Totapuri had practiced for forty years to achieve the same level of experience -- nirvikalpa samadhi -- the disappearance of individual identity in the Absolute. It occurred to Ramakrishna in a single sitting.

Ramakrishna remained silent for six days and finally, when he opened his eyes he thanked Totapuri saying "If you had not come, I would have lived my whole life with the hallucination. My last barrier has fallen away." He became Enlightened after he had cut the last barrier. But even the followers of Ramakrishna don't mention the incident because it makes the whole effort of worshipping futile.

Totapuri as an orthodox wandering monk never remained more than three days in one location. However, he became so awed by Ramakrishna' s ability in Samadhi to remain 'rigid as a corpse for days on end', that he broke his longstanding rule, resulting in him staying eleven months at Dakshineswar hoping to learn from the man who had previously been his disciple. During this long stay he contracted serious dysentery.

There was prolonged and severe pain, which was distracting Totapuri during meditation. Since he considered the body just a medium, essentially unnecessary after the realization of the Absolute, he decided to give up his body by drowning in the Ganges.

He walked out into the river, but, even though the river should have been extremely deep, at least in the middle, no matter how far he went the water never got above his knees. He ended up without ever reaching deep water. Eventually he came upon the bank on the far side and when he turned to look back, he saw the Kali temple gleaming in moonlight and experienced a sudden deep Awakening.

He recognized sheer divine power and consciousness, moving through all beings and controlling all events, including his own attempt to discard the body. Totapuri thus accepted the manifest universe and its energy as a radiant expression of the Absolute. The demarcation between form and formless no longer existed for him. Although his whole life had been spiritual in nature, Totapuri, without any verbal teaching, had opened beyond he experience of the formless absolute into the continuum of consciousness, from which no divine, human, or natural forms are excluded and to which no particular doctrine exclusively applies.

 

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[Guest guest]

Hi Amit,

 

If it gives u direction and strength, the objective of posting the

stories of saints is achieved. I have gone through major branches of

tantra, read few tantra granthas and most of upnishads too. On the

basis of my experience i can say, there are one god visible in dual

state - Inert Nature like Mountains, Buildings, Roads, Equipmemts

etc .. and Living Soul, like human beings, animals etc.

 

There is invisible supreme Chaitanya God, call it by any name, who

rules all of us. We could feel our union with God, God's love and

protection. Provided we are good human beings.

 

Spritiuality makes one good human being, coz it enables u think

beyond ur selfishness, It enables u to judge urself.

 

Many times, when I saw while walking silently on the road or when

people approached me for their problems like wealth problem or health

problem, I was praying mother divine - " Maa, he is getting bored with

his state of pain, now give him some joy, why constant failure, give

him a break and bring some success in his life " , She was doing it.

But later i watched, people are not getting changed, Whatever good u

do,their narrow selfishness, will make them still cunning and

opportunistic, they worship the God like they polish their Boss in

office.

 

Otherwise, what it takes for the God to give u 2 more years to live

in, he may subtract it in installments in 5 future births, u can

recount cases. we are bounded by our imagination and limits that we

impose on us, In india where social and financial conditions are not

very favorable, spritiuality is the easisest tool to improve ur

personality, to make u a strong man a good human being, and that

with solid proven results.

 

Perhapse, this is where difference lies. But sometimes God also does

fun with you, I had one exception for my prayers , like whenever i

asked maa for a girl friend, She never responded, i remember, once I

askeed maa to take away all the flirty girls, all 2nd hand girls from

me, and this prayer seems very difficult to me and mother divine

both. As we dont have good Fathers who can educate their Daughters

about their future life, We dont get good Girls in india.

 

 

regards,

Lalit.

 

 

 

 

 

Vedic Astrologyandhealing , MEET

<dearamitmishra wrote:

>

> Dear Lalit sir,

> these r realy very interesting stories.

Thanx for forwarding these stories on group mail. It realy stimulated

my thought process towards my goal. Thanx. Sir i have a thurst to

know about Trilang swami from a long time and today i come across

this enlighted artical . thanx.

>

> TAKE CARE

> HAVE A NICE DAY

> Dr. AMIT MISHRA

>

 

> litsol <mishra.lalit

> Vedic Astrologyandhealing

> Sunday, August 26, 2007 5:31:05 PM

> [Vedic Astrologyandhealing] ABOUT TOTAPURI - Guru of Sri

RamaKrishna Paramhansha

>

> TOTAPURI

>

> http://www.angelfir e.com/realm/ bodhisattva/ totapuri. html

>

> Totapuri, sometimes Tota Puri, was a parivrajaka, a wandering monk

who followed the path of wisdom taught by Advaita Vedanta as well as

being the teacher-guru that brought the full fruit of Awakening to

Sri Ramakrishna. He was a member of the Naga sect of sannyasins, a

highly austere and uncompromising monastic order. Nagas normally live

with only " space as clothing " (Digambara), refusing to submit to any

comfort the body or mind might enjoy. Totapuri was an adept of the

formless reality, the cloudless sky of the absolute. He, like Swami

Trailanga, was, it has been claimed by some, to be over 250 years old

when he died. He regarded the worship of divine forms as childish.

Naked and smeared with ashes, Totapuri strolled through Dakshineswar

Temple Garden and noticed Ramakrishna seated there, clapping his

hands ecstatically and chanting the name of Mother Kali. Totapuri

recognized at once that Ramakrishna, despite his appearance as a

simple devotee of the

> Goddess, was inwardly prepared to receive initiation into the

knowledge of the absolute, in which all forms and all emotions are

left behind.

> Totapuri approached Ramakrishna with the proposal that he receive

initiation into Advaita Vedanta. Ramakrishna replied, " I must ask my

Mother Kali. " He entered the temple and received permission from the

living divinity that he experienced pulsatiing through the stone

image enshrined there. That evening, Toatpuri began instructing him

in Formless Meditation. But as Ramakrishna concentrated deeply, the

radiant figure of the Goddess appeared to his inner eye. When he

reported this to Totapuri, the austere naked monk took a sharp stone

and pressed it firmly against Ramakrishna' s forehead, instructing

him to concentrate on the pain and assuring him that he could

transcend the divine form and merge into the infinite expanse of the

absolute. Once more, Ramakrishna meditated and, as he later expressed

it, " with the sword of wisdom, I cut through the divine form of

Kali. " Her form dissolved, and his individuality completely

disappeared into Her formless aspect.

> For three days Ramakrishna was completely lost to the world in a

near state of suspended animation called Nirodha, seated in the small

Meditation Hut, motionless, all breathing and body functions slowed

to a standstill. Totapuri was amazed, because, like the Buddha's

brother or cousin Ananda, Totapuri had practiced for forty years to

achieve the same level of experience -- nirvikalpa samadhi -- the

disappearance of individual identity in the Absolute. It occurred to

Ramakrishna in a single sitting.

> Ramakrishna remained silent for six days and finally, when he

opened his eyes he thanked Totapuri saying " If you had not come, I

would have lived my whole life with the hallucination. My last

barrier has fallen away. " He became Enlightened after he had cut the

last barrier. But even the followers of Ramakrishna don't mention the

incident because it makes the whole effort of worshipping futile.

> Totapuri as an orthodox wandering monk never remained more than

three days in one location. However, he became so awed by

Ramakrishna' s ability in Samadhi to remain 'rigid as a corpse for

days on end', that he broke his longstanding rule, resulting in him

staying eleven months at Dakshineswar hoping to learn from the man

who had previously been his disciple. During this long stay he

contracted serious dysentery.

> There was prolonged and severe pain, which was distracting Totapuri

during meditation. Since he considered the body just a medium,

essentially unnecessary after the realization of the Absolute, he

decided to give up his body by drowning in the Ganges.

> He walked out into the river, but, even though the river should

have been extremely deep, at least in the middle, no matter how far

he went the water never got above his knees. He ended up without ever

reaching deep water. Eventually he came upon the bank on the far side

and when he turned to look back, he saw the Kali temple gleaming in

moonlight and experienced a sudden deep Awakening.

> He recognized sheer divine power and consciousness, moving through

all beings and controlling all events, including his own attempt to

discard the body. Totapuri thus accepted the manifest universe and

its energy as a radiant expression of the Absolute. The demarcation

between form and formless no longer existed for him. Although his

whole life had been spiritual in nature, Totapuri, without any verbal

teaching, had opened beyond he experience of the formless absolute

into the continuum of consciousness, from which no divine, human, or

natural forms are excluded and to which no particular doctrine

exclusively applies.

>

>

>

>

>

>

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