Guest guest Posted June 28, 1999 Report Share Posted June 28, 1999 Tim Wrote: Dear List, If I was asked, " whose words could be absolutely trusted, " first and foremost in my mind are the words of Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and Vivekananda. But I would also add these: * Sri Ramana Maharshi * Shankara * Buddha That's about it. Other than this, the words of any other guru should be carefully examined and compared against the insights of the above six sages, and/or the insights of personal experience. Buddha, of course, taught a different path, in a different way than Advaita Vedanta does. But his words ring true, and there is no question in this mind that he was a Realized being. Tom Comments: After reading your posting above, I actually felt a pain right under my heart [the same place where the Roman Lance entered the body of Jesus, while He was hanging from the cross]. Tim, my brother in Tapasya, the following quote from Sri Swami Vivekananda will describe ONE VERY IMPORTANT HISTORICAL PERSONAGE who seems to be missing from your illustrious list: ____________________ Swami Vivekanada, Los Angeles, 1900 " .....So, we find Jesus of Nazareth, in the first place, the true son of the Orient, intensely practical. He has no faith in this evanescent world and all its belongings. No need of text-torturing, as is the fashion in the west in modern times, no need of stretching out texts until they will not stretch any more. Texts are not India-rubber, and even that has its limits. Now, no making of religion to pander to the sense vanity of the present day! Mark you, let us all be honest. If we cannot follow the ideal, let us confess our weakness, but not degrade it; let us not try to pull it down. One gets sick at heart at the different accounts of the life of the Christ that Western people give. I do not know what he was or what he was not! One would make him a great politician; another, perhaps, would make of him a great military general; another, a great patriotic Jew, and so on. Is there any warrant in the books for all such assumptions? The best commentary on the life of a great teacher is his own life. " The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. " That is what Christ says is the only way to salvation; he lays down no other way. Let us confess in sackcloth and ashes that we cannot do that. We still have fondness for 'me' and 'mine'. We want property, money, wealth. Woe unto us! Let us confess and not put shame to that great Teacher of Humanity! He had no other occupation in life; no other thought except that one, that he was a Spirit. He was a dis-embodied, unfettered, unbound Spirit. And not only so, but he, with his marvellous vision, had found every man and woman, whether Jew of Gentile, whwther rich or poor, whether saint or sinner, was the embodiment of the same un-dying Spirit as himself. Therefore, the one work his whole life showed, was calling upon them to realise their own spiritual nature. Give up, he says, these superstitious dreams that you are low and that you are poor. Think not that you are trampled upon and tyrranized over as if you were slaves, for within you is something that can never be trampled upon, never be troubeld, never be killed. You are all Sons of God, Immortal Spirit. " Know " , he declared, " The Kingdom of Heaven is within you " . Excerpted from: " Christ the Messenger " [a lecture delivered at Los Angeles, California, 1900] Vivekananda ________________ Blessings and Love, Tom ____ 123India - India's Premier Search Engine Get your Free Email Account at http://www.123india.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 1999 Report Share Posted June 29, 1999 Why do you not absolutely trust the words of Sri Aurobindo ? Have you come across His works, particularly, the Synthesis of Yoga and Life Divine ? Why do you not absolutely trust the words of Jesus, the Son of God? Why do you not absolutely trust the words of Sri Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a Mumbai-householder-turned Sthithaprajna? If you trust the words of Sri Ramakrsihna, then all incarnations of God and Sages are like as many fruits in the tree of Brahman. Only, their tecahings are for people of different mentalities and temperaments. Some like fish curry and some others fish pulao and so on. Kind regards. omtatsat <omtatsat ramakrishna <ramakrishna > Tuesday, June 29, 1999 9:07 AM [ramakrishna] Digest 117 ><omtatsat > >Tim Wrote: > >Dear List, > > If I was asked, " whose words could be absolutely trusted, " first and > foremost in my mind are the words of Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and > Vivekananda. But I would also add these: > > * Sri Ramana Maharshi > * Shankara > * Buddha > > That's about it. Other than this, the words of any other guru should be > carefully examined and compared against the insights of the above six > sages, and/or the insights of personal experience. Buddha, of course, > taught a different path, in a different way than Advaita Vedanta does. > But > his words ring true, and there is no question in this mind that he was > a > Realized being. > >Tom Comments: After reading your posting above, I actually felt a pain right under my heart [the same place where the Roman Lance entered >the body of Jesus, while He was hanging from the cross]. > >Tim, my brother in Tapasya, the following quote from Sri >Swami Vivekananda will describe ONE VERY IMPORTANT >HISTORICAL PERSONAGE who seems >to be missing from your illustrious list: >____________________ >Swami Vivekanada, Los Angeles, 1900 > > " .....So, we find Jesus of Nazareth, in the first place, the true son >of the Orient, intensely practical. He has no faith in this evanescent >world and all its belongings. No need of text-torturing, as is the fashion in >the west in modern times, no need of stretching out texts until they will not >stretch any more. Texts are not India-rubber, and even that has its limits. > >Now, no making of religion to pander to the sense vanity of the present day! > >Mark you, let us all be honest. If we cannot follow the ideal, let us confess our >weakness, but not degrade it; let us not try to pull it down. > >One gets sick at heart at the different accounts of the life of the Christ that >Western people give. I do not know what he was or what he was not! One >would make him a great politician; another, perhaps, would make of him a >great military general; another, a great patriotic Jew, and so on. > >Is there any warrant in the books for all such assumptions? The best commentary >on the life of a great teacher is his own life. " The foxes have holes, and the birds >of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. " > >That is what Christ says is the only way to salvation; he lays down no other way. > Let us confess in sackcloth and ashes that we cannot do that. We still have > fondness for 'me' and 'mine'. >We want property, money, wealth. Woe unto us! >Let us confess and not put shame to that great Teacher of Humanity! > >He had no other occupation in life; no other thought except that one, >that he was a Spirit. He was a dis-embodied, unfettered, unbound Spirit. >And not only so, but he, with his marvellous vision, had found every man >and woman, whether Jew of Gentile, whwther rich or poor, whether saint or > sinner, was the embodiment of the same un-dying Spirit as himself. Therefore, >the one work his whole life showed, was calling upon them to realise their own >spiritual nature. Give up, he says, these superstitious dreams that you are low >and that you are poor. > >Think not that you are trampled upon and tyrranized over as if you were slaves, > for within you is something that can never be trampled upon, never be troubeld, >never be killed. You are all Sons of God, Immortal Spirit. " Know " , he declared, > " The Kingdom of Heaven is within you " . > >Excerpted from: " Christ the Messenger " [a lecture delivered at Los Angeles, >California, 1900] >Vivekananda > > >________________ > >Blessings and Love, > >Tom > > >____ >123India - India's Premier Search Engine >Get your Free Email Account at http://www.123india.com > > > >--------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- > >Where do some of the Internet's largest email lists reside? > >At ONElist - the most scalable and reliable service on the Internet. > >------ >Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah >Vivekananda Centre London >http://www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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