Sri Ramakrishna Quotes on Knowledge
Sri Ramakrishna (1836–1886), the Bengali Hindu mystic whose teachings were transcribed by his disciples in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita), grounded religious knowledge in direct experience (anubhava) of the divine across the forms of the major traditions. The doctrine of the harmony of religions — that the Vedantic, Tantric, Vaishnava, Christian, and Islamic paths converge upon a single experiential reality variously named — derived not from comparative philosophy but from the sequence of contemplative practices Ramakrishna himself undertook at Dakshineswar. His most prominent disciple, Vivekananda, carried the framework into the modern global articulation of Vedanta.
Quotes
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Attributed to Sri Ramakrishna:
“God is realized through love, not through knowledge alone.”
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“As long as I live, so long do I learn.”
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna -
Attributed to Sri Ramakrishna:
“The same water is called by different names in different languages, but the substance is the same.”
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“Knowledge leads to unity , but Ignorance to diversity . So long as God seems to be outside and far away, there is ignorance. But when God is realised within, that is true knowledge.”
As quoted in Hindu Psychology : Its Meaning for the West (1946) by Swami Akhilananda, p. 204 -
“Meditate upon the Knowledge and Bliss Eternal , and you will also have bliss. The Bliss indeed is eternal, only it is covered and obscured by ignorance. The less your attachment is towards the senses, the more will be your love towards God .”
As quoted in Hindu Psychology : Its Meaning for the West (1946) by Swami Akhilananda, p. 204 | Variant translation: Meditate upon the Knowledge and Bliss Eternal, and you also will have bliss. Bliss indeed is eternal, only it is covered and obscured by ignorance. The less your attachment is to the senses, the more will be your love to God. Saying 806, in Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna (1948) edited -
“Variant translation: Meditate upon the Knowledge and Bliss Eternal, and you also will have bliss. Bliss indeed is eternal, only it is covered and obscured by ignorance. The less your attachment is to the senses, the more will be your love to God. Saying 806, in Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna (1948) edited by Swami Vireswarananda”
Meditate upon the Knowledge and Bliss Eternal , and you will also have bliss. The Bliss indeed is eternal, only it is covered and obscured by ignorance. The less your attachment is towards the senses, the more will be your love towards God . -
“Iron, after it is converted into gold by the touch of philosopher's stone , may be kept under the ground or thrown into a rubbish heap; it will always remain gold and will not return to its former condition. Similar is the state of the man whose soul has touched, even once, the feet of the Almighty Lord. Whether he dwells in the bustle of the world , or in the solitude of the forest, nothing ever ”
As quoted in Hindu Psychology : Its Meaning for the West (1946) by Swami Akhilananda, p. 204 -
“It's enough to have faith in one aspect of God. You have faith in God without form. That is very good. But never get into your head that your faith alone is true and every other is false. Know for certain that God without form is real and that God with form is also real. Then hold fast to whichever faith appeals to you.”
As quoted in Ramakrishna and His Disciples (1965) by Christopher Isherwood , p. 263