The story of Ramakrishna

About a hundred years ago in India, lived a man called Ramakrishna. Ever since he was a little boy, he was able to experience God. If he saw something beautiful in nature, he would feel a thrill. He would feel connected with the whole universe. He could experience that it was God who had become everything. Seeing that everything is actually God, or Brahman, is one of the most exciting ways of experiencing God.

When Ramakrishna was a young boy, he helped his brother who was a priest in a temple of the Mother Goddess. Ramakrishna wondered: "Can anyone actually see the Mother Goddess in real life? Just seeing the statue of the Mother Goddess was not enough for him. He wanted to see the real Mother Goddess. He prayed very hard. Sometimes he would pray for the whole night without going to sleep. He kept praying to the Mother Goddess every day and every night for many years, crying: Oh Mother, if you are real, then show yourself to me. One day when he wept bitterly, he suddenly saw, with open eyes, the whole world disappearing! Everything. including the temple and the ground he was standing on, disappeared. He saw huge waves of light coming towards him from all directions, and then he saw the Mother Goddess smiling and blessing him.

From that day on, he was able to see the Mother Goddess whenever he wished. She would talk to him, play with him, and give him advice This is the true story of a person who was able to see God and talk to God like a real person.

Ramakrishna then wanted to experience God through other religions. He spent time learning about and practising Christianity and Islam. In a very short time, he was able to experience God as described in these religions. This is the first time a person was able to experience God using so many different ways. He was able to see God as the Mother Goddess, he was able to experience God as his inner self: Atman, He was able to see God as everything: Brahman. He was able to experience God using the Christian and Muslim ways. He has proved that all religions lead to the same God.

He taught: We must not fight over which religion is best. Even though all religions look very different, they all lead to the same God.

Reference: Primary Hinduism by Seeta Lakhani (Ch.10, 'Unity In Diversity', p.103)