Thursday, June 7, 2018

tall (spiritual) tales

Is there a spiritual persuasion anywhere that does not sip mythology's/hagiography's waters? I doubt it. Tall tales make good reading for those inclined.

I always was partial to the tale of Ramakrishna, a 19th-century Vedanta Hindu whose peregrinations I admired at the time. One day Ramakrishna is said to have run into Jesus as he walked down a road. Jesus passed into Ramakrishna's body, the tale said. What persuaded me at the time of reading was the description of Jesus as having a flattened tip to his nose. Good details make for good myths.

But on reflection, this small tale of encouragement and ballyhoo is useful if you believe it and useful if you don't.

Either way, your coffee's getting cold. Does spiritual persuasion get any better than this?

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