Overview
"Ramakrishna and Christ, The Supermystics," provides a much-needed unifying message of the truth that forms the basis of all enduring faiths. Its timely publication occurs at the dawn of a new century when interest in the spiritual insights of the East and a cooperative approach to religion are destined to become the norm.
This in-depth study, which compares the lives and mysticism of Ramakrishna, the great saint of 19th century India, and Jesus Christ, the avatar of the West, enables us to grasp the uniqueness and universal character of each.
With the detailed information available, Dr. Hourihan covers Ramakrishna's life from his unique childhood to his remarkable marriage and beyond. He guides us through his extraordinary struggle for ever-deepening levels of God-realization far transcending our earthbound imaginings.
Ramakrishna's life manifests the idea of unity and truth more than any we know of. Through his own direct experiences he was able to validate the following declarations of the ancient sages of India: "Truth is one: sages call it by various names," and "as many faiths, so many paths."
A significant part of the book is devoted to an interpretation of Christ's life as seen from the viewpoint of India's yoga traditions.
This compelling and pertinent work will appeal to all interested in a Universalist, non-creedal approach to religion, and receptive to the truths of mysticism.
Winner of the Best Spiritual Book Award for 2002-2003 from the Sacramento Publishers & Authors.
Synopsis
"Ramakrishna and Christ, The Supermystics," provides a much-needed unifying message of the truth that forms the basis of all enduring faiths. Its timely publication occurs at the dawn of a new century when interest in the spiritual insights of the East and a cooperative approach to religion are destined to become the norm.
This in-depth study, which compares the lives and mysticism of Ramakrishna, the great saint of 19th century India, and Jesus Christ, the avatar of the West, enables us to grasp the uniqueness and universal character of each.
With the detailed information available, Dr. Hourihan covers Ramakrishna's life from his unique childhood to his remarkable marriage and beyond. He guides us through his extraordinary struggle for ever-deepening levels of God-realization far transcending our earthbound imaginings.
Ramakrishna's life manifests the idea of unity and truth more than any we know of. Through his own direct experiences he was able to validate the following declarations of the ancient sages of India: "Truth is one: sages call it by various names," and "as many faiths, so many paths."
A significant part of the book is devoted to an interpretation of Christ's life as seen from the viewpoint of India's yoga traditions.
This compelling and pertinent work will appeal to all interested in a Universalist, non-creedal approach to religion, and receptive to the truths of mysticism.
Winner of the Best Spiritual Book Award for 2002-2003 from the Sacramento Publishers & Authors.
Midwest Book Review
Ramakrishna and Christ: Supermystics represents the first comprehensive study to compare the lives and spiritual beliefs of Ramakrishna, the 19th century Indian saint, and Christ, his Western version. From interpretations of Christ from an India yoga viewpoint to insights into Ramakrishna's life, Ramakrishna and Christ: Supermystics is packed with intriguing comparisons and insights.Editorials
James M. Somerville
For Ramakrishna devotees, Paul Hourihan's book, "Ramakrishna and Christ," will serve as a refreshing review of the many stages of Ramakrishna's spiritual development. For newcomers, the book offers an engrossing introduction to a great Hindu mystic. By entering sympathetically into the well-documented spiritual life of this nineteenth century holy man, we should be able to understand better Jesus of Nazareth, his first-century precursor. Though the two are removed from one another in time and space, not to say in religion and external practice, what they have in common at the highest level as mystics overshadows cultic and cultural differences....
Another parallel between Jesus and Ramakrishna, at least in the telling, is the way most of the people around them turn out to be flawed in one way or another. Thus, Yogeswari, proved to be possessive and jealous of anyone who got close to her client. Tota Puri, the teacher of Jnana Yoga, was exposed as an intolerant exclusivist who could not measure up to Ramakrishna's openness to all faiths and spiritualities. In like manner, Jesus stands head and shoulders above his bumbling apostles. They fail to understand him; they doubt, betray, deny him. He alone is without sin or fault. By exposing the flaws of the disciples, the virtues and prowess of the master are set in relief....
"Ramakrishna and Christ" makes a point of showing how Jesus, like his Hindu counterpart, had a high regard for women and that both he and Ramakrishna benefited by a close association with one particular woman. For the latter it was primarily Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna's wife, devotee, and future apostle. Paul Hourihan sees Mary Magdalene functioning as Jesus' female consort in his earthly mission, a role traditionally assigned to Jesus' mother Mary in Roman Catholic dogmatic and devotional practice....
Paul Hourihan's book is a glowing tribute to his knowledge of Hinduism. He is masterful in his command of the information he incorporates into his text. By his profound understanding of Ramakrishna, he has in the bargain introduced us to a Jesus more plausible than the one usually presented in theology textbooks and Sunday school classes.
—The American Vedantist, Summer 2002