Sri Ramakrishna was a highly revered saint who lived in India during the 19th century (1836-1886). He is known for his message of the harmony of religions, which was based on his own realizations of the truth of various religious paths. Sri Ramakrishna’s special message was the oneness of existence and the divinity of humankind. He taught that God, or the higher Self, could be realized in this very lifetime through the paths of knowledge, meditation, ecstatic love and selfless service.

Sri Ramakrishna’s spiritual journey began as a boy in the village of Kamarpukur, outside Calcutta. As he grew older, his desire to lead a spiritual life only intensified. When he became a temple priest, he was consumed by an unquenchable thirst for union with God, and he immersed himself in intense meditation and other spiritual practices. He was constantly absorbed in the thought of God and would often go into high spiritual states where he would merge with the Infinite Reality. For him, the Vedantic teaching of unity of all existence was more than theory; he literally saw, and knew, this to be true.

Sri Ramakrishna followed different religious paths including various branches of Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. He came to the conclusion, based on his direct experience, that all religions lead to the same goal. His exposure to Sikhism and Buddhism further confirmed his experience of the universality of spiritual truth. Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings regarding the highest truths of spiritual life were delivered in the simplest language and were punctuated by parables and homely metaphors as illustrations. Many noted writers and philosophers were deeply impressed and influenced by him.