Ramakrishna and Rama, Dr. Frederick Lenz

The spiritual teacher Sri Ramakrishna reminded me very much of Rama. Wben I was on vacation recently in the Cook Islands.  I visited beautiful, fun, clear energy spots.  I brought four books but  only one stood out: Ramakrishna and his Disciples by Christopher Isherwood.  

If you want to learn about the reality of brilliantly enlightened teachers, their eccentricities and adherence to truth,  and if you want the knowledge in story form that is fun to read, look no further.  Christopher Isherwood is a renowned writer, and his scrivener skills shine.

Ramakrishna was an Indian teacher of the late 19th century.  He grew up in a tiny Indian village.  He went into samadhi, a state of blissful union with eternity, at a very early age.  His elder brother took him to Calcutta (now Kolkata) to help out with worship practices and rituals at the Kali temple in Dakshineswar.  From that point on, Ramakrishna’s spiritual development progressed rapidly, seemingly without his volition.  By his own words, he became completely immersed in bliss, his limbs would lock into place so he had to meditate, his body burned all over with the transforming fire of enlightenment.   All of these experiences happened to Rama, Dr. Frederick Lenz.

To better worship the goddess Kali, Ramakrishna dressed for a time like a woman.  To better understand the god Hanuman, he jumped like a monkey.   When Rama advertised his meditation classes during the 190s, he often wore makeup that mae him look female as ell as male. When Rama danced, he was female as well as male.

Ramaksirhna’s mental state was not understood until other advanced teachers began to arrive at the Kali temple.  Then he was proclaimed an avatar --  an incarnation of God -- a title which really made no difference to Ramakrishna whatsoever.

In the book, I found many parallels to the life of Rama - Dr. Frederick Lenz and his descriptions of mental states he experienced.  I look at the photos of Ramakrishna's disciples and see their shining eyes.  I feel the intense, blissful and thought-free energy that was transmitted to them by their teacher, as Rama transmitted love and light to his students and transmits it today. 

I see the students of Rama now -- many trying to help others learn and experience what we did.  

All the direct students of Ramakrishna are gone now, most passed away before 1920.  Yet a book like Isherwood's brings everything to life and you are there, in the tiny room with his bed and an adjoining cot, where he sat and taught while the room filled with light and growing numbers of people.  You are there for the journeys, the teachings, the struggles.

In American Buddhist Rebel, you are there again, in many rooms, many settings, many witnesses to a magnificent pageant — the story of contemporary enlightenment.