A comparison of the lives and teachings of Ramakrishna, the great saint of 19th century India, and Jesus Christ, the avatar of the West.
The author adds, “Just as a new Ramakrishna is presented here, so there is much that is unexpected in the portrayal of the Galilean; in both cases, the orthodox devotee will doubtless suffer unavoidable chagrin, not only from the nature of the material, but from the realization that minds exist which the object of his reverence from standpoints that never occurred to him.
Why Compare Ramakrishna and Christ?
Mysticism is the current of saving grace for modern man. India is the hope and seedbed of the world's mysticism. In the long line of great Indian mystics Ramakrishna (1836-1886) is preeminent.
By comparing Ramakrishna and Christ, the supreme figures in each of two vast religious traditions, we are better able to grasp the uniqueness and universal character of each.
With the detailed information available on the life of Ramakrishna, the author outlines the spiritual development of a God-man from his unique childhood to his remarkable marriage and beyond. He guides us through his extraordinary struggle for ever-deepening levels of God?realization far transcending our earthbound imaginings.
Why is Ramakrishna's life so compelling?
His life embodies three central ideas that we are realizing in our own age: the universality of religious truth; the indwelling divinity in all mankind; and the special divine nature of woman. Unlike his peers, such as Christ and Buddha, we have unprecedented documentation and photographs of the man himself.
Paul Hourihan is the author of: Children of Immortal Bliss.