Sri Ramakrishna and Mysticism - Report Example

Sri Ramakrishna: In The Way To Mysticism Introduction: Among the best known saints, Ramakrishna Parmasha is the leading one in the nineteenth century. In 1836, he was born in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. His parents were poor Brahmins living in a small town. He was a famous storyteller, artist and actor in his young age. Spirituality is there inherited from his family as his parents were religious. Vision of Vishnu (god Gadadhara) is there by the Ramakrishna father on his religious pilgrimage. It was Vishnu who told Ramakrishna’s father that he will soon have a spiritual and mystic child. Early Spirituality in Ramakrishna: Spiritual reverie was experienced by Ramakrishna in a very young age with a temporary loss of consciousness. In a school play, while playing the role of the god Shiva he was too indulged into it that he lost his consciousness of the world outside himself. Other spiritual experiences of Ramakrishna was watching the flight of a cranes which going into a state of rapture. Having very little interest in practical things, outer world and school; Ramakrishna became the priest in 1866. The temple where Ramakrishna started serving was located on the Ganges River near Calcutta and belongs to goddess Kali and dedicatedly built by Rani Rasmani – a pious widow. In order to seek the vision of the goddess Kali, Ramakrishna mediated on the edge of the temple grounds in a sacred grove of five trees (Laude, 146). Ramakrishna and Kali face to face: It was the point when Ramakrishna felt that he could not live without consciously seeing Kali and was really frustrated on the feeling. He was too passionate to see Kali that he threatened to take his own life if his demand of seeing Kali will not fulfill. In the hand of the Kali statue, held a ritual dragger, the same where Ramakrishna threatened to take his life. It was his passion that Kali appeared to him. He explained how, as an ocean of light, he saw Kali, in following words: On jumping up and seizing a sword like a mad man, I felt that suddenly Kali revealed to him as a blessed mother. About the surroundings he added that everything vanished from his sight either it be temple or different parts of the building leaving no traces behind them. An effulgent, infinite and limited ocean of consciousness was then seen by Ramakrishna. He felt that to swallow him up a terrific noise and shinning billows rushed towards him and that was the point he collapsed feeling like caught in a rush and was no more in conscious. He felt the presence of the Divine Mother and an undiluted bliss making him new altogether. ( McDaniel, 95) Definition of Mysticism: Originated from the Greek language, the term mysticism refers to the phenomena of concealing. A secret Religious ritual is also one form of mysticism as defined by the Hellenistic world. The hidden presence of the Scriptures and hidden allegorical interpretation also refers to the same phenomena in Christianity. Direct experience of the divine termed as mystical theology is the later denotation of the term mysticism. Desire to see their mystical experience is the dominating part of such undertaking leading to transformation in the human. As defined in number of traditions, mysticism can be collectively thought as the assemblage of distinctive practices, experiences, traditions, tests, discourse and institution aiming at human transformation. The Mystical and the Erotic in Ramakrishna’s Life and Teachings By Jeffrey J Kripal:  Based on the Freudian presuppositions, the study of Sri Ramakrishna result in the Jeffrey J Kripal publication on Kali’s Child demonstrating the mystical and erotic aspects of Ramakrishna life and teachings. In 1995, his publication leads to a fit of anger and furor among masses. The idea maintained was that repressed by the homosexual tendencies, Ramakrishna experienced mysticism that is even not recognized by himself. In the way to thesis development he added that Ramakrishna suffered child abuse and later sexually abused as a boy and a young man by sadhas, Kamarpurkar, Mathur Babu, Bhairavi Brahmani, Vedantic guru Tota Puri even (Kripal). A landmark in Ramakrishna scholarship by Swami Tyagananda and Pravrajika Vrajaprana: Pravrajika Vrajaprana and Swami Tyagananda are honored for an exceptional achievement in terms of mentioning that interpreting Ramakrishna is clear to turn into a milestone in Ramakrishna scholarship. Vivekananda Award should be given for such a prodigious achievement. Natural Mystical Experiences of Ramakrishna By Isherwood: Isherwood in order to eradicate the misconception about the mysticism factor in the life of Ramakrishna emphasis that an open minded and open heart study of the life and teachings of the Ramakrishna will lead to the fact that its simply an extension to the ordinary man that Ramakrishna inherited and experienced as mystic. Number of devotees were attracted by the book of Isherwood from the male and female group irrespective of the regional changes that either its West or Asia, Isherwood’s book was equally demanded. From the most popular books of Isherwood, Rolland and Muller, a jarring change of tone was experienced with a different dynamic in 1970’s resulted from the Ramakrishna’s interpretations. That emerged in 1970s in the Western Academic world. Freudian psychoanalysis on Ramakrishna’s mystical experience: Interpretations of Jeffrey Kripal, Malcolm McLean, Narasingha Sil, Jeffrey Masson and Walter Neevel As the previous sources of interpretation never question the legitimacy of the authenticity of their work, in 1970s the Western academic world was not in favor of the assumption of trustworthiness and accuracy of the provided material. It was the time when the hermeneutic of suspicion replaced the hermeneutic of empathy. The interpretations and writings of Jeffrey Kripal, Malcolm McLean, Narasingha Sil, Jeffrey Masson and Walter Neevel (Tyagananda) describes the mysticism experienced by the Ramakrishna as a result of psychopathology. Interpreters subjected the words and experiences of Ramakrishna to Freudian psychoanalysis while doubting that it was merely possible to transcend the body consciousness to such an extreme. Ramakrishna’s Multilayered Personality by Amiya Sen: The insightful interpretation about the life of Ramakrishna was published by Sen in 1993 in his Hindu Revivalism in Bengal. Amiya Sen highlighted the role of Ramakrishna in reviving the Hindu tradition by classifying him as many layered personality with the combination of diverse possibilities dormant in his life and teachings (Sen). Conclusion: Some of the experiences about the life and teachings of Ramakrishna in English enriched literature was discussed. It is a brief glimpse on the multi dimensional and dynamic personality of Ramakrishna. Wide range of readings by the interpreters is there to explore the Ramakrishna life from different perspectives. Agreeing to all of the research of every interpreted paper is not mandatory but going through the reading extended the viewpoint about the personality of Ramakrishna and then to cross check the presented beliefs to check for the similar repetitions. The diversity in the interpretations is not the surprising one as it refers to someone latent mysticism practices. Almost all of the interpretations are confined to and circulated by the Western academic world. The collision of the academic and non academic world was resulted in response of the Kali’s Child by Kripal. Based on the Freudian presuppositions, the study of Sri Ramakrisha result in the Jeffrey J Kripal publication on Kali’s Child demonstrating the mystical and erotic aspects of Ramakrishna life and teachings. In 1995, on its publication this leads to a fit of anger and furor among masses. However, not all academic and non academic interpreters put forth the same operation with the hermeneutic of suspicion. Amiya Sen is the notable exception among them. Citation: Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Kripal, Jeffrey J. Kalis Child: The Mystical and the Erotic in the Life and Teachings of Ramakrishna. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. Print. Laude, Patrick. Pray Without Ceasing: The Way of the Invocation in World Religions. Bloomington, Ind: World Wisdom, 2006. Print. McDaniel, June. The Madness of the Saints: Ecstatic Religion in Bengal. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989. Print. Sen, Amiya P. Hindu Revivalism in Bengal: 1872-1905 : Some Essays in Interpretation. Delhi u.a: Oxford Univ. Press, 1993. Print. Tyagananda, Swami.“Sri Ramakrishna as Achine Gach: “The Tree Without a Name”, June 2012, Bottom of Form Read More