Hi,
For the benefit of those who do not have time or money to buy the infamous book "100 spritual leaders who shaped world history" by Samuel Willard Crompton -here are some excerpts-with my comments -perhaps no different from yours when u read the book.
2 proverbs need mention here for the book's author's benefit:
1. Little knowledge is a dangerous thing .
2. If u tell a lie a hundred times - it becomes the truth.
I think that he already practises the second proverb through his writings.
The most striking ones first:
RamaKrishna
kalik is the Hindu godess of destruction and transformation. Depictions of her swirling arms bring a sense of terror to the uninitiated, but....
By his own admision , Ramakrishna became "perfectly insane" for a year or two... (The author never mentions the saint's deep devotion to Goddess Kali -who revealed her divine form -just as Ramakrishna was about to chop off his own head -if she didn't)
A middle aged woman named Yogeshwari was the first of his teachers. She instructed him inTantric disciplines that emphasize themeeting point between spirituality and sexuality ( I wonder whether Saddam Hussain had sexual relations with male Tantric ChandraSwamy - Whose disciple Saddam was. Tantra is gory -involving people eating human flesh and visiting graveyards-I do not know the details myself --but here the book's author has tried to slur Ramakrishna's reputation -who was reputed to have had no sexual relations even with his young and attractive wife -incidents galore on that -check out books by Ramakrishna Mission )...
"Some tantric practises call for a complete abandonment to sensual pleasure, while others emphasize the containment, or bottling up, or spiritual energies, until they can be released, in a moment of choice. In either case, the point is to use sexuality as a bridge toward one's spiritual nature." (so the author says that the lady gave sex education to the man who remained celibate even in marriage -throughout life)
..Next came a man named Totapuri....Totapuri believed that a spiritual seeker had to go beyond any or all forms -icluding God --and reach the nameless and formless presence that lies beneath them all. ( May I know what form of God does Christinity preach)
Vivekanand
"...a member of India's upper-class caste system helped spread the revival of modern Hinduism..... He was of the kayastha caste, the upper class in Indian society. ( Her the author is trying to use the old theory of divide and rule --by trying to separate Dalit Hindus from Vivekanand's message)
.."In 1897, Vivekand returned to India a famous man. (So now Viveknand is accused of having craved for fame -it is not only important what you say but how u say it - the author has used his verbal skills to denigrate these leaders' morals and achievem\ents)
...ancient Hindu tets had always spoken of something akin to evolution. This was one reason that many Indians accepted the caste system --they believed that all would be put right in the future. (Here the author propses a fanatstic theory that Hindus believe that all people of the world would in coming times -adopt Hindu caste system --on the other hand Hindu texts say that in current times --Kali yuga -- all people in the worl dhave become debased - Shudras --there are no other castes and only after complete spiritual revolution would an achieve high spiritual form -- in Sat Yuga --all humans --no caste system then either!!)
Mahatma Gandhi
..."As a youth , he was influenced by Muslim friends and Hindu family members. He also bcame an adherent of Jainism ---the doctrine of non injury to all living things..
( Yesterday I dug up a book I had purchased during college years in 1993--Life of Mahatma Gandhi -by Louis Fischer --he most famous biography --Louis was a former reporter and a professor at Princeton --He has written a complete chapter on Gandhi and Gita -the Hindu religious text which was the backbone of Gandhi's nonviolence. He even dated Mahabharat battle and Gita as in 1000 B.C -close to that 1400 B.C. figure arrived at by Prf Rao of IISc, Bangalore. It is surprising that the author -Crompton- never mentioned anywhere that Gandhi was a Hindu --the only Hindu mentioned was the following..)
.."he was assasinated by a Hindu fanatic..(mind the bold italics by the author)
At the time , Great Britain ruled over hundreds of millions of Indians, who were divided amonst themsleves because of the caste system. Gandhi announced a movement intending to bring an end to British rule.
( I wonder what caste system the hundreds of millions of muslims had in the the then undivided India- who made this guy a history professor at Holyoke College, Massachussetts, USA??)
Muhammad
... Muhammad wanted wealth and Khadijah wanted children....
(How did the author know for sure??)
...Today , the faith is embraced by hundreds of millions of people around the world.. (playing down the figures. I thnik the figure is above 1.2 billion)
Mahavira - Jainism
The highest scievement that a man could aspire to was to commit suicide through volutanry starvation: this was probably because of Mahavira's belief that eating caused death and pain to other life form...
(Here the author tries to paint Jainism as an impractical faith -whow would one survive if not eat!! Even Hindu sages follow this ancient practise --but only when in old age --in last stages of life)
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Read the book and challenge what I have quoted , would you?
Umesh
PS - I thank the Americans for having devised the Internet which is giving me the opportunity to speak out against what I belive to be untrue.
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