Renowned Buddhist scholar, spiritual seeker and Karma Yogi Ramakrishna Bhattacharjee died yesterday in Kolkata of a heart attack at the age of 58.
Born in 1968 in independent Tripura, Bhattacharjee dedicated his life to knowledge, spiritual practice and selfless service. He was a distinguished student of biological sciences at MBB College.
A multidisciplinary graduate, Ramakrishna Bhattacharjee initially worked in the corporate world but soon became disillusioned with its emptiness. This prompted him to explore deeper truths and embark on a lifelong spiritual quest.
A devoted follower of the Karma Kagyu school of Vajrayana Buddhism founded by Milarepa, he was one of the very few Bengali yogi lamas of recent times.
His contributions to Buddhist philosophy and literature are highly regarded in India and abroad. Many of his academic papers on Buddhism have been published by leading universities around the world.
His autobiographies, Lamar Jhola and Antaran, provide a profound insight into his spiritual journey. Other important works include:
Parama Karunamoy, Dhammapada (the first and only work translated from Tibetan into Bengali), Acharya Atish Dipankar.
