Tribute to Jesus Christ -

Sri Ramakrishna
Sri Ramakrishna The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna is best known through the magnificent work of his disciple known simply as "M.

Sri RamaKrishna Mission Vidyalaya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sri RamaKrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Coimbatore, India is a major educational centre of the well known Ramakrishna Mission. It is 19 km from the Coimbatore city on the highway to

Sri Ramakrishna
advertisement Overview. Date of Birth: 18 February 1836, Kamarpukur, West Bengal, India more. Date of Death: 16 August 1886, Calcutta, India more. Filmography

Ramakrishna Mission Residential College Sri Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna has no peer; nowhere else in this world exists that unprecedented perfection, that wonderful kindness for all that does not stop to justify itself, that intense

Ramakrishna
Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsadeva. The following is a brief excerpt from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. To obtain a copy of this book, please contact

Yoga and Weight Training - Never the Twain Shall Meet? -
Jesus studied yoga for many years before his divinely ordained mission to spread the light of the Supreme. Through intense prayer and meditation Jesus rose above the ordinary level of human consciousness to attain a state of self realization or God Realization. Jesus no longer identified with the body and ego. He became one with the Universal �Christ� consciousness. It is from this perspective of God realization that he was able to proclaim �I and my father� are one. Through his spiritual realization Jesus Christ became unconditional surrendered to the will of God. The highest prayer offered by Christ was his immortal �Thy will be done�. To say this prayer is easy, but to live and embody this constant surrender to God�s will is not possible unless one can feel the inner promptings of God at all times. When faced with his most testing experience of betrayal and execution by torture Jesus faced his fate with equanimity and acceptance. There were many occasions when he could have avoided the most awful fate but he was willing to accept his fate for the fulfillment of the Divine plan. On the physical plane Jesus performed many miracles. Many take this as a sign of his divinity. But a spiritual master like the Christ performed countless more miracles on the inner plane. To be healed from physical pain is good. But the real miracle is to raise a person�s consciousness. Where there was discord, doubt and fear Jesus Christ brought down into the earth a consciousness of peace, light and bliss. According to people�s receptivity there were able to receive from Christ this light and bliss. It is this divine and ever present consciousness that humanity has treasured and valued for so many years. �The Christ performed forty-four miracles and gave a most fruitful, soulful sermon. But he has become humanity�s heart, head and life-breath not because of his miracles, but because he said one thing: �Father, let Thy Will be done.� The world has accepted him and is cherishing, treasuring and worshiping him because of this divine utterance: �Father, let Thy Will be done.� - Sri Chinmoy Jesus Christ was the embodiment of real divine forgiveness. One can never fully appreciate the inner workings and consciousness of a spiritual master like Jesus, but through the recorded Gospels, we get a glimpse of his magnanimity and inner divinity which brought forward his infinite forgiveness. Betrayed and dying on the cross. Jesus offered the most significant prayer to his own enemies. �Father forgive them, for they know not what they do� Jesus was God in human form. He embodied the highest transcendental consciousness but at the same time he identified with the ignorance of suffering humanity. A natural human instinct is to criticize those who torture us. Jesus was able to go beyond this view to realize people were acting through layers of ignorance. Even in the most evil acting people Jesus was able to see their inner divinity. Ceaselessly he worked and prayed for this divinity to be brought to the fore. For the upliftment of the earth�s consciousness Jesus gladly and unconditional accepted both physical and psychic suffering. His crucification is the most obvious and visible expression of his suffering. A most torturous and painful death, but as the mother of Jesus commented; every day of his life on earth Jesus took on the suffering of humanity. It is through his identification with others that he became one with their suffering. In particular he took on the karma or sins of his disciples. Jesus lived on earth only 33 years and of those years only a short period are recorded in the new testament. Yet during this short time period he was able to reshape the course of history and accelerate the spiritual evolution of the earth. His words are immortal utterances for the guidance of human moral and spiritual values. His life embodied the descent into human form the highest transcendental consciousness. To live and act the teachings of Jesus Christ is to enable a human ascent into our own inner divinity. Richard is a student of Sri Chinmoy and has written several articles on spirituality on his own website.By R Pettinger Platinum Quality Author

Hindu Poet - Kamalakanta -
Yoga is an ancient art of physical and spiritual well being that originated in India. Even today in India it is a vibrant living tradition, it is also seen as a means to attain enlightenment. In other parts of the world especially the west, where yoga is popular it is seen as a fitness exercise. Throughout the world yoga has influenced other religious and spiritual practices but it is seen as an ultimate way of attaining enlightenment in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. History of Yoga researchers have established the timeline of the sculptures of the meditating yogi from the Indus Valley Civilization to be around 6 to 7 thousand years old. The ancient Hindu scripture Rig Veda contains the earliest written account about yoga. As it was maintained and communicated orally for almost a millennium before it was penned down between 1500 and 1200 B.C., it is very difficult to point out the exact timeline. Patanjali (first yoga text) dated around 2nd century BC, preaches about adherence to "eight limbs" to provide harmony to one's mind. The Upanisads thought to have been written between the eight and fourth centuries B.C provides the earliest complete narrative of the principles and goals of yoga. Since Upanishads constitute the end of Spiritual wisdom they are also called as Vedanta. In the Vedantas, the practice of sacrificing animals and conducting ceremonies in order to appease the gods was replaced by the understanding that man can achieve union with God by the means of inner sacrifice. The inner sacrifice meant leading a life of restraint, moral culture and training of the mind. Yoga is loosely translated as "ordinary being achieving union with the Supreme Being". The follower of yoga is called a yogi. The practitioners who have made considerable progress in yoga are called "yogin (male)" or yogini (female)". There are many types of yoga, but basis of most of the forms is concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana). The yoga text describes them as being interconnected; continuous single pointed concentration gradually leads to meditation, through which one's inner self expands and merges with something vast. The tradition of yoga incorporates the beliefs and techniques of yoga with the practical experience. Many gurus have written on the subject, shedding meaning onto the ancient yoga texts. Also a guru can open an institution of yoga through which he can teach yoga the way he wants it. Many artists have derived their inspirations for art, poetry, dance and music from yoga. The students who become associated with a particular yogic institution follow common practices, such as the mantras (chants) and studying sacred texts. The difference between the various schools teaching yoga may always be the way of approach to the various types of yoga. The yogic gurus sometimes have been portrayed as going beyond every day way of life in a rule bound society, which does not mean that they act in an unethical fashion but will act to a certain extent with a direct knowledge of ultimate truth. Some of the notable yogis are Swami Vivekananda, Swami Sivananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. By Michael Russell Platinum Quality Author

The One Religion - The Religion Of Mankind -

Sri Ramakrishna’s first experience of divine joy (ecstasy)
At every time of spiritual crisis in Indian national life there has been born a saint or a prophet who has saved the nation from the impending danger. Sri Krishna, Buddha, Shankara, Nanak, Chaitanya.each fulfilled a great demand of the age in which he was born.

He directed all his attention to the study of the lives and characters of spiritual heroes. Constant study of those subjects often made him forgetful of the world and threw him into deep meditation. As he grew older, he began to have trances whenever his religious feelings were roused. Soon it was found that not only religious subjects but beautiful scenery or some touching incident was also sufficient to make him lose himself. Once an occurrence of this kind caused great anxiety to his parents and relatives. Sri Ramakrishna in later years narrated this incident to his devotees in the following way:
“In that part of the country (that is, Kamarpukur) the boys are given puffed rice for snack. This they carry in small wicker baskets, or, if they are too poor, in a corner of their cloth. Then they go out for play on the roads or in the fields. One day in June or July, when I was six or seven years old, I was walking along a narrow path separating paddy fields, eating some of the puffed rice which I was carrying in a basket. Looking up at the sky I saw a beautiful sombre thunder cloud. As it spread rapidly enveloping the whole sky, a flock of snow white cranes flew overhead across it. It presented such a beautiful contrast that my mind wandered to far-off regions. Lost to outward sense, I fell down, and the puffed rice was scattered in all directions. Some people found me in that plight and carried me home in their arms. That was the first time I completely lost consciousness in ecstasy”.

Source:

1. Sri Ramakrishna Jivan Charitra by M

2. A short life of Sri Ramakrishna by Swami Tejasananda

Ramana Maharshi - A Selected Story

An Astounding Astrologer

Sri Venkateswara Sarma (Sastrigal Mama) was an exceptional and astounding astrologer. From childhood he exhibited a rare genius in this field. While still very young, his extraordinary intelligence enabled him to master the most abstruse and difficult branch of astrology. All, including his guru, declared him as the wisest student.

Prasna is an astrological science based on a perfect fruition between mathematics and intuition. With just some meager information from the questioner, which includes only the first word of the question, a Prasna astrologer can, within seconds, draw up mentally a horoscope. This requires great mathematical precision and perfection. Having drawn the horoscope within his mind, and in a flash also having studied it, the astrologer will have to wait, prayerfully. Then, from the depths of his inner intuition words gush forth, forming the astrological predictions for the questioner. As this Prasna process is not merely based on mathematical horoscopes, it culminates in intuitional revelation, and the predictions are said to be amazingly accurate and correct to the minutest detail. Sri Sastrigal Mama was highly proficient in this system of astrology.

He once described it to me by citing this example: One day a merchant came to his house while he was engaged offering worship in his puja room. His wife informed him that one Nagappa Chettiar was waiting on the verandah and that he seemed worried about some urgent matter. Not willing to interrupt his worship, and by merely listening to the name and the few details given by his wife, Sri Sastrigal Mama, within a minute, began giving the following prediction:

"Tell Nagappa Chettiar that he has come to inquire about his lost, costly diamond ring. He suspects his servant. Assure him that no one has stolen it. In his gardn, near the well, there are two rows of plantain trees. On one side there are only two trees; on the other there is a cluster of trees. Let him search under the two trees and the diamond ring will be found there. While he was cleaning his clothes on the washing stone the ring slipped off his finger and fell to the ground."

Nagappa Chettiar returned home and found the ring exactly where Sri Sastrigal Mama had said, and because of this and similar astounding predictions Sri Sastrigal Mama became quite famous. He also became convinced that the Prasna branch of astrology was the most perfect science.

At the height of his career he heard about Sri Ramana Maharshi. When he first saw Sri Bhagavan's picture he was immediately captivated and traveled to Arunachala to see the Sage. He climbed up to Skandashram, where Bhagavan then resided. On the very first look that the Maharshi gave him, Sri Sastrigal Mama became his slave. He had a strong desire to stay with the Maharshi permanently, renouncing everything he held dear. Yet, there was still his lifelong attraction to the science of astrology. He felt distracted by it and did not know how to proceed.

One day, gathering courage, he approached Sri Maharshi in all humility and said, "Bhagavan, is not astrology the best and most accurate of all sciences?"

In silence Bhagavan looked at him deeply for some time. Then, slowly but firmly, he replied: "The science of the Self is superior to all other sciences."

It was the peak period in Sri Sastrigal Mama's life. For every prediction he was richly rewarded and was consequently acquiring immense wealth. Nevertheless, the words from the Master convinced him immediately to renounce his lucrative profession and pursue the science of the Self. His wife too fully supported him in this decision. The remainder of their life they lived in utter poverty at the holy feet of the Sat-Guru, under the protective shade of the Sacred Mountain, Arunachala.

V. Ganesan

Source: http://www.cosmicharmony.com/Sp/Ramana2a/Ramana2a.htm

Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi or Amma


On the morning of the 27th of September 1953, in a small poor fishing village, Parayakadavu in the Quilon district of Kerala, a baby girl was born. Her parents gave her the name Sudhamani. She came into this world not in tears as babies usually do, but with a beaming smile on her face, as if prophesying the joy and bliss she was to bring to the world.

Sudhamani spent the years of her childhood and teens immersed in intense spiritual practices in order to present a living example for the world. Even as a small child, she could often be found absorbed in deep meditation, totally oblivious of her surroundings. By the age of five, she had already begun composing devotional songs laden with deep mystical insight.

Another quality that was clearly manifest in Sudhamani from this tender age was her love and compassion toward her fellow human beings. Though only a child, Sudhamani did whatever she could to ease the suffering of her elderly neighbors. She washed their clothes, bathed them and even brought them food and clothing from her own home. This habit of giving away things from her family’s house landed her in deep trouble. However, no amount physical abuse or punishment could stop the expression of her inborn compassion. She later said, " An unbroken stream of Love flows from me towards all beings in the cosmos. That is my inborn nature."

‘Amma’ as she is known all over the world today, has inspired and started innumerable humanitarian services. She has earned international recognition for her outstanding contributions to the world community. She is recognized as an extraordinary spiritual leader by the United Nations and by the people all over the world.

Though Amma makes no claims herself, those who watch her closely notice that she is the greatest example of her teaching. Her disciples and believers imbibe her teachings by just watching her.

For the past 35 years Amma has dedicated her life to the uplifting of suffering humanity through the simplest of gestures – an embrace. In this intimate manner Amma had blessed and consoled more than 25 million people throughout the world.

When someone asked Amma why she receives every person who comes to her in a loving embrace Amma replied, “ If you ask the river,' why do you flow?' what can it say?”

Amma spends most of her waking hours receiving the distressed and all who come to her for comfort, day after day without a break.

Once a press reporter asked Amma how was it possible for her to embrace each and every one in the same loving way, even if they were diseased or unpleasant. Amma replied, “ When a bee hovers over a garden of varied flowers, what it beholds is not the difference between the flowers but the honey within them. Similarly Amma sees the same Supreme Self in each and every one.”
As Dr. Jane Goodall, while presenting Amma with the 2002 Gandhi-King Award for Non-violence said,
" She stands here in front of us. God's love in a human body."

Source: http://www.amma.org/amma/index.html

Ramayana
Ramayana

Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play - IV
When devotion is at an immature stage, weakness is observed in a devotee. At the early stage of devotion, a devotee cannot imagine God as being the devoid of power. In course of the time, devotion deepens and love for God is established. Thinking of God as all-powerful then becomes an obstacle in the path of devotion; the mature devotee shuns that attitude. All devotional scriptures declare this repeatedly. It is well known that Yashoda, the foster mother of Lord Krishna every day, and yet she nurtured and disciplined Him as her own son. The gopis knew that Krishna was the creator of the Universe, yet they could think of Him only as their beloved. There are many such instances in the scriptures.

When devotees fervently asked Sri Ramakrishna to grant them the vision of a particular manifestation of God’s majestic power, he would tell them: “Look, it is not good to ask for that kind of vision. You will be terrified when you see His power. Serving Him food, dressing Him with clothes, and the loving ‘You and I’ relationship with Him will all cease.” Alas, many times we sadly thought the Master refused our request because he did not wish us to have visions. Sometimes a bold devotee would beseech him passionately, saying, “Sir, your grace can make the impossible possible. Please be merciful and grant me the vision of God.” At this the Master would say tenderly: “My child, can I bring about anything? What the Divine Mother wills, happens.” If the devotee would insist, saying, “Whatever you wish shall be the Mother’s will,” the Master’s usual reply was: “My child, I do wish that all of you would have all kinds of spiritual states and visions. But does it happen?” If the devotee still insisted with dogged faith, the Master would express his love for that devotee with an affectionate look and a sweet smile. Then he would either remain silent or say: “My child, what more shall I say? Let the Mother’s will be done.” Even when pressed with destroying his erroneous but firm faith. Quite often we saw the Master respond in that manner and heard him say repeatedly, “My child, never destroy another’s spiritual attitude.”

"To ask you, Swami, for your credentials is like asking the sun to state its right to shine!&qu ...
"To ask you, Swami, for your credentials is like asking the sun to state its right to shine!" -- Prof. John Henry Wright to Swami Vivekananda after their very first meeting of a few hours in the US.

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Inspiration for Meditation -
Throughout the ages India has been the home of numerous Spiritual Masters and Saints. They have each offered a unique message and inspirational example of how we might aspire to a more illumining life. These saints have shared their wisdom and light in a way to suit the needs of the age and circumstances. However at heart they share a common message which is to �Know Thyself�. This is the supreme goal of yoga and spirituality; to know and realize our sense of divine consciousness. A selection of India's Great Saints Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna has been described as the perfect Avatar. Even from his birth he embodied the Supreme Consciousness. To his mother and devoted disciple, Arjuna he showed that in his human body resided the entire universe. During his time with the Gopis of Brindaban, Sri Krishna showed the path of love, devotion and surrender. Sri Krishna also left the immortal legacy of the Bhagavad Gita, which is a transcript of the conversation between Arjuna and Sri Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. In the Gita Sri Krishna, explained in simple language, how any sincere seeker could realise God; through devoted action and meditation on God. Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha took incarnation in a time of religious decline. The essential purity of Hinduism and been lost as priests concentrated on outer forms, rituals and sacrifices. Lord Buddha revitalised spirituality in India by teaching how a seeker through right action, right thought and meditation could discover his own spiritual essence within. Lord Buddha was born in palace with all the worldly comforts. However he sacrificed all the pleasures of the world to seek liberation from bondage. After attaining a state of Nirvana Buddha stayed in the world for many years selflessly teaching others how they may seek liberation. Lord Buddha did not explicitly talk about God but he did talk about the infinite peace, light and love that could be experience through meditation and spiritual practise. Sri Chaitanya. Sri Chaitanya was a Bhakti saint of the Vaishnava tradition. Intoxicated with divine love Sri Chaitanya revitalized the devotional Vaishanvism tradition of Hinduism. As a young man he was a brilliant scholar who was an excellent debater. However in his early 20s he became tired of his worldly pursuits as he gained an ever-increasing realization of God. Through meditation and devotion to Sri Krishna, Sri Chaitanya became absorbed in the ecstasy of God communion. Sri Chaitanya urged his followers and disciples to ignore the distractions of the world and devote themselves to spiritual practice. Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna was an uneducated simple village boy who attracted the most learned scholars of Bengal to imbibe his spiritual wisdom and spiritual magnetism. At times people felt his devotion was so intense they mistook it for madness. Sri Ramakrishna was only mad in the sense that he was so absorbed in the divine consciousness that he struggled to act in the world. Sri Ramakrishna was unique because he practiced the religious disciplines of different sects and religions. Through his own personal experience he was able to testify that all religions did lead to God. It was his firm belief that all religious paths could lead to the same goal. At the same time he taught that outer rituals were not important. The essences of true religion and spirituality were to love God without reservation. Sri Ramakrishna also taught many notable disciples who spread his message of spirituality and religious tolerance. In particular Swami Vivekananda most powerfully encapsulated his message of religious tolerance at the world parliament of religions in 1893. Richard Pettinger is a member of Sri Chinmoy Centre and follows the guidance of spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy.By R Pettinger

Spirituality � Bhagavan Nityananda, the Great Siddha of India -
Very often when giving meditation classes for Sri Chinmoy Centre people remark that meditation is quite difficult. Meditating in a group often gives a good experience but when meditating on their own they find it difficult to maintain this standard of meditation.. It is important to remember that spiritual practise is not like drinking instant coffee. If somebody told you could master playing the piano in one week, you would be suspicious. It is the same with meditation. We should feel that to be proficient in meditation it takes time and regular practice. It is like developing muscles it will get stronger with regular practise. 1. The first difficulty of meditation is that many people find in meditation is finding time in their busy schedule to meditate. Often people feel they have too many constraints upon their time. However if we really value something then we will make time. For example a good time to meditate is early in the morning. If we get up 15 mins earlier then we can meditate before our other activities start. It is also a good time if other people are still sleeping. If we try to meditate at dinner time, people may start calling you to do the dishes or something! 2. Be regular. It is important to try and develop some discipline for meditation. If our meditation is sporadic, perhaps once a week, we will lose focus. If we meditate every day at the same time then our meditation will become more powerful. Our mind will become accustomed to the idea of meditation. This will help overcome many problems. As Sri Chinmoy says: "Regularity is of paramount importance. Every day we eat at least twice, if not three times, to satisfy the demands of our physical body. Similarly, we have to meditate every day to nourish our soul, our inner existence. So, let us do the first thing first. Since the soul was created before the body, we have to think of the child who came into the family first. " Sri Chinmoy [1]. 3. Our thoughts seem to be too powerful. It is no exaggeration to say that at times our mind can feel like an overactive monkey. There can seem no end in sight to an endless stream of thoughts. However we should not be discouraged by the nature of our mind. It is possible to quieten the mind and eventually stop the thoughts altogether. A most useful idea is to feel that we are not our thoughts. Thoughts are separate from our real nature. Once we start to be aware of this, thoughts lose their power and it becomes possible to stop the thoughts completely. 4. Distracted by noise. Another common difficulty is getting distracted by outside noise. When we are a beginner in meditation this can be a big problem. Ideally we need to find a quite place and a quite time. However despite our best intentions this can prove difficult. However we can still meditate despite external noises. Firstly we can listen to meditative music. The music will drown out the external noises. If the music is meditative it can also enhance our meditation. Secondly if do we hear noises we can just try to absorb it into our meditation. Although it is difficult at first overcoming such difficulties will make our meditation capacity stronger. 5. Falling asleep. It is true meditation helps us to relax but this relaxation is quite different to the relaxation of sleep. Meditation means being dynamically focused. In real meditation we bring into our body energising cosmic energy. Therefore we must try not to allow ourselves to fall asleep or drift into a doze. To prevent this there are a few things we can do. Firstly we can try meditating with our eyes open or at least half open. This makes it more difficult to doze. Secondly we should meditate when do not feel very tired. Often after a big meal we feel dozy because we are digesting a big meal. Therefore it is always best to meditate at least 2 hours after a meal. "When you meditate, you have to be absolutely dynamic. Do not allow sleepiness to enter into you. Feel that you are entering into the battlefield where you have to fight against ignorance, doubt, imperfection and death." - Sri Chinmoy [2]. The most important thing for successful meditation is to feel the real benefits that can come from meditation. If we sincerely aspire for something more fulfilling. If we feel meditation can feed our inner hunger then our determination will help us to over come any obstacles that may crop up. References [1] Excerpt from What I Need From God by Sri Chinmoy. [2] Excerpt from Meditation: Humanity's Race And Divinity's Grace, Part 2 by Sri Chinmoy. Richard lives in Oxford where he works as a tutor. He offers free meditation classes in Oxford on behalf of the Sri Chinmoy Centre. He updates a blog including topics on meditation and self transcendence.By R Pettinger.