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Re: a Post to alt.hindu Why this Ramakrishna- Vivekananda bashing?
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To: alt-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: a Post to alt.hindu Why this Ramakrishna- Vivekananda bashing?
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From: tomh7493@aol.com (TomH7493)
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Date: 18 Jan 1995 10:50:35 -0500
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From news@aol.net Wed Jan 18 10: 40:29 1995
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
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Posted-Date: 18 Jan 1995 10:50:35 -0500
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References: <3fhhna$26n@ucunix.san.uc.edu>
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Reply-To: tomh7493@aol.com (TomH7493)
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Sender: news@aol.net
In his reply to G. R. Vishwanath, Vijay Sadananda Pai wrote:
>Well, I just went and looked at a Ramakrishna book in our school library,
looked up the chapter "Food and Drink". Ramakrishna said that a Jnani
can eat _anything_. RK tasted food before offering it to his deity,
he touched flowers with his feet before offering them and so forth.
In other words, he was an offender (see BG 3.13).
>RK said he took the "Allah" mantra from a Muslim in order to experiment
with the Islamic path. During that time he ate like a Muslim
(which of course includes meat) and avoided all Hindu temples.
Seems to me like he just "found it virtually impossible" whenever
it was convenient.
First, it is ludicrous to call Ramakrishna an offender! How can He who is
above rules, offend rules? Ramakrishna returned to Earth to show us that
following any true path will take us to the Supreme. He is a path and
therefore is not subject to the rules of others.
When He followed the Islamic and Christian paths to demonstrate to His
followers the legitimacy of other religions, He FOLLOWED those paths,
including diets, fully. To do otherwise would not accomplish His
objectives. He did not "experiment."
>RK also said that one could eat beef and pork and still have love of God.
Ramakrishna was challenged by one of His followers regarding a Holy man
who was observed eating beef. He replied that a Holy man who ate meat
would become ONE before an evil man who ate only rice, but it would be
better if he did not eat meat.
To G. R. Vishwanath,
I think that one reason that Ramakrishna may be attacked is that He
proscribed devotion as the optimum path for this age and He proclaimed the
validity of other non-hindu paths.
It is very easy to read and memorize a bunch of passages and criticize
those who don't follow some obscure ancient dictates. (Christians catch
this all the time.) But following a path of true devotion and love of God
requires constant vigilance and leaves one open to redicule. One thing I
see very little of in this newsgroup, is anything that even remotely
resembles devotion, lots of word knowledge though!!
Perhaps If Ramakrisna had NOT sent His devotees out to feed and teach the
poor and needy, but instead instructed them to build armories and
stockpile weapons...
Tom Harding
TomH7493@aol.com
