ABSTRACT
Sri Ramakrishna, from the beginning of his association with her, gradually prepared her for her future role, and he later instructed her in the various phases of spiritual discipline and experience. Spirituality is awakened by the transmission of light from the living, through the living, to the living. The transmitter is called the guru or teacher, the method of transmission is known as initiation, and the person to whom it is transmitted is called the sishya or disciple. Spiritual truth is the living truth coexisting with and inherent in God himself. Initiation is the descent of God through a human channel and is bestowed upon a living disciple. Spirituality can be literally handed down like any physical object, if the teacher possesses it and the student is capable of receiving it. Spiritual experience involves, as already mentioned, the descent of God and the ascent of the soul—the grace of God and the right effort of the seeker.
