Guest guest Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 Namaste and happy holidays to all, Swamiji recently summed up Ramakrishna's teachings into 3 sentences: 1. God is one but has many different names. Take for example "water" some people call it 'jal', or 'pani', or 'agua', etc. But still it is the same water. 2. As many people as there are, there are that many paths to God. 3. Religious experience is not an intellectual understanding, it is an ecstatic feeling of love in the heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 >> 1. God is one but has many different names. Take for example "water"some people call it 'jal', or 'pani', or 'agua', etc. But still it is the same water. <<Greetings all: That passage of Ramakrishna's regarding water from different sources with different names (and it's given a number of different ways throughout the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) has affected me more than any other religious teaching. I have it printed out and hanging on my wall, in the following form .... "Wherever I look, I see men quarrelling in the name of religion --- Hindus, Mohammedans, Brâhmos, Vaishnavas, and the rest. But they never reflect that He who is called Krishna is also called Úiva, and bears the name of the Primal Energy, Jesus, and Âllâh as well --- the same Râma with a thousand names. A lake has several ghâts. At one the Hindus take water in pitchers and call it 'jal'; at another the Mussalmâns take water in leather bags and call it 'pâni'. At a third the Christians call it 'water'. Can we imagine that it is not 'jal', but only 'pâni' or 'water'? How ridiculous! The substance is One under different names, and everyone is seeking the same substance; only climate, temperament, and name create differences. Let each man follow his own path. If he sincerely and ardently wishes to know God, peace be unto him! He will surely realize Him."-- Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) It has given me much food for thought as well as inspired a number of poems, like this one: Water seeks its own level,on a quest to find the sea;The answers we seek taste of metal,our understanding like liquid drawn from a wellthat finds the hard edgesof knowing, the galvanized pail holding the essence of our beingin one place, in this world.What is outside this frame of steel,this skeleton that time binds to this space?To where are we going?From where did we come?What can we know of answers,we who will be one day poured from this bucketinto the ocean?What need is there of questions then,when we are part of the wave?And to those who are still on the shore, separate,how shall we describe what is gained, what is lost? Namaste, ya'll... John Litzenberg john (AT) sonnetarium (DOT) com http://www.sonnetarium.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 John, That is a wonderful passage. Your writing is nice too. Welcome! Chris , "Greybeard Dances" <pansmate@b...> wrote: > >> 1. God is one but has many different names. Take for example "water" > some people call it 'jal', or 'pani', or 'agua', etc. But still it > is the same water. << > > Greetings all: > > That passage of Ramakrishna's regarding water from different sources with > different names (and it's given a number of different ways throughout the > Gospel of Sri > Ramakrishna) has affected me more than any other religious teaching. I have > it printed out and hanging on my wall, in the following form ... > > "Wherever I look, I see men quarrelling in the name of religion --- Hindus, > Mohammedans, Brâhmos, Vaishnavas, and the rest. But they never reflect that > He who is called Krishna is also called Úiva, and bears the name of the > Primal Energy, Jesus, and Âllâh as well --- the same Râma with a thousand > names. A lake has several ghâts. At one the Hindus take water in pitchers > and call it 'jal'; at another the Mussalmâns take water in leather bags and > call it 'pâni'. At a third the Christians call it 'water'. Can we imagine > that it is not 'jal', but only 'pâni' or 'water'? How ridiculous! The > substance is One under different names, and everyone is seeking the same > substance; only climate, temperament, and name create differences. Let each > man follow his own path. If he sincerely and ardently wishes to know God, > peace be unto him! He will surely realize Him." > > -- Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) > > It has given me much food for thought as well as inspired a number of poems, > like this one: > > Water seeks its own level, > on a quest to find the sea; > The answers we seek taste of metal, > our understanding like liquid drawn from a well > that finds the hard edges > of knowing, the galvanized pail > holding the essence of our being > in one place, in this world. > What is outside this frame of steel, > this skeleton that time binds to this space? > To where are we going? > From where did we come? > What can we know of answers, > we who will be one day poured from this bucket > into the ocean? > What need is there of questions then, > when we are part of the wave? > And to those who are still on the shore, separate, > how shall we describe > what is gained, what is lost? > > > > Namaste, ya'll... > > John Litzenberg > john@s... > http://www.sonnetarium.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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