Meditation 372
Revising Ramakrishna
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I encountered a quotation from Sri Ramakrishna which I found myself nearly in agreement with. But not completely, in part because it involved spirituality, a concept that is foreign to me, and in part, because of the way our view of language has evolved, the passage seemed somewhat sexist. So, I took the liberty of amending it:Do not care for doctrines,
Do not care for dogmas,
or sects, churches or temples;
they count for little compared
with the essence of existence in
each person, which is self-awareness, and
the more this is developed in you,
the more powerful are you for good.
Earn that first, acquire that, and
criticize no one, for all doctrines
and creeds have some good in them.
Show by your life that your beliefs do not mean words, or
names, or sects, but that they mean
understanding of your self-awareness.
Only those can understand who
have felt. Only those who have
attained to self-awareness can communicate
it to others, can be great
teachers of humanity. They alone
are the powers of light.(based on Sri Ramakrishna - original text below)
Original text:
Do not care for doctrines,
Do not care for dogmas,
or sects, churches or temples;
they count for little compared
with the essence of existence in
each man, which is spirituality, and
the more this is developed in a man,
the more powerful is he for good.
Earn that first, acquire that, and
criticize no one, for all doctrines
and creeds have some good in them.
Show by your lives that religion does not mean words, or
names, or sects, but that it means
spiritual realization.
Only those can understand who
have felt. Only those who have
attained to spirituality can communicate
it to others, can be great
teachers of mankind. They alone
are the powers of light.
-Sri Ramakrishna