Below are Yogananda's words on sectarianism in 1927.
As a period example, the famous photo on the right shows Lenin in Red Square in 1920. Trotsky (one of big three of Communism along with Lenin and Stalin) was in the original. By 1930 he was edited out of the picture, and by 1940 edited out of life altogether following the path of bitter rivalries between once close colleagues as Stalin consolidated monies and power around himself.
THE RAMAKRISHNA SWAMIS—By Swami Yogananda, East-West Magazine, Sep-Oct 1927
Sometimes there is a kind of professional jealousy even in spiritual work and religious organizations of all types. Certain ministers and priests, as well as amateur "Swamis" and "Yogis", betray narrow-mindedness in this respect. Even an average good man belonging to one sect often will not speak well of another good religious man like himself, because the latter happens to belong to another sect. "O, well, find out for yourself how he is," says this kind of religious man, even though he knows in his heart that his brother of another sect is really good.
Such intolerance and jealousy is nowhere out of place so much as in spiritual work. In this country, where true religious teachers often have to undergo various forms of soul-crucifixion and trials of all kinds, it is with sympathy and understanding that I view the efforts of other teachers to bring the message of spiritual knowledge and freedom to America.
So I take pleasure in announcing to East-West readers and Americans in general, that the Ramakrishna Centers in America are bringing a beautiful spiritual message to this country.
One very fine Ramakrishna Swami, Paramananda of California I have known since 1920 in Boston. He invited me to his Asrama (hermitage) in Massachusetts and California several times. He is doing much good in America thru his devotional teachings.
3 comments:
Guruji was so full of love and truth... whenever I hear or read his words my heart swells with love for him, my ego is humbled by his humbleness.. truly that Spirit of the Living God was so fully in Him, He is such an example for any of us looking to live a life of simplicity coupled with service. Jai Jai Jai , I bow at your feet Yogananda.
Is that the same Paramananda who became an SRF Brother?
"... Residents of the Mount Washington complex still talk about the time in the late 1960s when Elvis Presley showed up at their door. "Elvis looked at one of our monks and said, 'Man, you made the right choice,' " recalled Brother Paramananda, who left a promising acting career to devote his life to the fellowship. "Elvis said, 'People don't know my life or that I sometimes cry myself to sleep because I don't know God.' " Fellowship leaders encouraged him to continue singing. "
-from:
http://www.elvicities.com/~presleyinthepres/2006a/200608a.html
It may be.
There are many Elvis and SRF stories in various biographies and the theme occasionally comes up in some of Swami Kriyananda's talks.
Some devotees have told me they have tapes of Elvis singing Yoganadaji's songs. Greg Allman used occasionally to stop into services in Florida to sing. A recent Ravi Shankar biography had a foreword by an SRF Minister.
In some ways, like Saint Augustine, or Siddartha, exhausting the worldly pleasures of wine, women and money leaves the way clear to seek only God, the other pleasures proving only fleeting.
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