-All different people came to Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar and went away satisfied.
-He accepted people of all traditions, believers and non-believers, and had a positive approach towards all.
-The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is unique as a document of acceptance of all paths.
-The message that the spiritual experience of God transcends all boundaries of faith and dogma helps to lessen religious conflicts and doubts.
-Sri Ramakrishna did not like people to have a negative outlook on life. A devotee has the characteristic of inner bliss because he lives with God.
-His approach was essentially humanistic. He did not like the egotism of thinking that you have to save the world. Rather his disciple Swami Vivekananda preached that to serve man is to worship the “Taj Mahal of temples.”
-His message helped India to hold to its Vedic tradition and also helped Swami Vivekananda deliver a message of universal harmony of the Parliament of World’s Religions in 1893. This was done in a time of great challenge to religion.
This lecture was delivered at the Vedanta Society of Northern California on April 15, 2012.