I have been searching for the "perfect" Sri Ramakrishna book, this is that and more. I have read a great deal about this God Man and found this to bring me closer than ever before. I truly felt I was part and parcel of every chapter. His close friendship with Swami Nikhilananda has made this a book a must read after the Swami's translation of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The best Yet.

Lex Hixon has created a deeply moving, highly spiritual and inspirational book in Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna (1997). Hixon writes in a very accessible and enlightening manner. He brings Ramakrishna to life in very intimate settings. Though the book was written over a decade ago, its message and manner are timeless. This book is an excellent introduction to the life of one of India's most highly revered saints. The book can also serve as a meditation tool for someone already familiar with Ramskrishna.

During the course of my time reading this book, whether I was alone or sitting in a crowded coffee shop, something truly profound happened.
I found myself reaching inwardly and outwardly, as if my soul was set aflame by this remarkable book. I read a LOT, yet Hixon brought Ramakrishna alive to me in a such a way that at times I felt a type of duel awareness- I was both reading the book and almost literally there with Ramakrishna. My senses were on overdrive almost throughout, and that does not happen with just any book.
At one time Sri Ramakrishna will be sitting in deep meditation, then he'll be laughing and dancing, next he might be acting childishly, and then inevitably he will speak wisdom to the heart of each situation.
This book is special. Let me just say that I don't currently have a copy because I've given away every copy I've ever owned. It's that kind of book.

An extraordinary work which reveals the essence of the most recent Avatar in in a most inspiring way. This is the real thing. A tender and lovable and earthy man. ( one of his disciples once challenged him to a swearing contest). A man of true wisdom who ate and sang and danced and died in complete absorbtion in the Divine. His humour and directness stand in contrast both to the humourlessness and the fantasising of lesser teachers. Lex Hixon did a superb job.

Lex Hixon's words float in the reader's mind like clear, sweet water. Hixon is not a philosopher or theologian. He is a lover. His words melt into the heart and rise one's level of awareness into a state of ecstatic bliss. Read this book and discover the Ramakrishna that Lex Hixon knew and loved. The Ramakrishna who believed all religions were ultimately guided by the same Godhead.

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