Expert: William Schindler, a.k.a. Brother William - 10/22/2009

Question
This is great. Are there any resources you could point me to that elaborate on this idea?

Thank you!

Answer
Dear Katarina,

Thank you for your follow-up question.

I came upon the issue of authors using pseudonyms while studying Medieval Hindi and Bengali songs. I can remember a Sanskrit professor at UC Berkeley mentioning that commentaries on spiritual literature were often published in the names of famous saints.

I know in my own spiritual tradition little emphasis is placed on one's individual personality, and the pursuit of fame particularly is considered counter-productive spiritually.

I think what you'll find, for instance, in the conversations of Sri Ramakrishna (See: THE GOSPEL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA) are many references to shifting one's attention from the personal “I” to “Thou.“ As Ramakrishna used to say to the Divine Mother Kali, ”I am the machine and You are its operator. I am the house and You are the housewife. I do as you make me do. Not I, O Mother, but Thou and Thou alone.“

Best wishes,

Brother Williiam