Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
Mother Kali’s Feet
Brahman alone is addressed as the Mother. This is because a mother is an object of great love. One is able to realize God just through love.
Ecstasy of feeling, devotion, love, and faith - these are the means. Listen to a song:
As is a man's meditation, so is his
feeling of love;
As is a man's feeling of love, so is his gain;
And faith is the root of all.
If in the Nectar Lake of Mother Ka1i's feet
My mind remains immersed,
Of little use are worship, oblations,
or sacrifice.
Ecstasy of feeling, devotion, love, and faith - these are the means. Listen to a song:
As is a man's meditation, so is his
feeling of love;
As is a man's feeling of love, so is his gain;
And faith is the root of all.
If in the Nectar Lake of Mother Ka1i's feet
My mind remains immersed,
Of little use are worship, oblations,
or sacrifice.
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 108
(August 5, 1882)
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Ecstasy, Love and Devotion
The means of realizing God are ecstasy of love and devotion -
that is, one must love God.
He who is Brahman is addressed as the Mother.
He it is, says Ramprasad, that I approach
as Mother;
But must I give away the secret, here in
the market-place?
From the hints I have given, O mind,
guess what that Being is!
Ramprasad asks the mind only to guess the nature of God. He wishes it to understand that what is called Brahman in the Vedas is addressed by him as the Mother.
He who is attributeless also has attributes. He who is Brahman is also Śakti. When thought of as inactive, He is called Brahman, and when thought of as the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer, He is called the Primordial Energy, Kāli.
that is, one must love God.
He who is Brahman is addressed as the Mother.
He it is, says Ramprasad, that I approach
as Mother;
But must I give away the secret, here in
the market-place?
From the hints I have given, O mind,
guess what that Being is!
Ramprasad asks the mind only to guess the nature of God. He wishes it to understand that what is called Brahman in the Vedas is addressed by him as the Mother.
He who is attributeless also has attributes. He who is Brahman is also Śakti. When thought of as inactive, He is called Brahman, and when thought of as the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer, He is called the Primordial Energy, Kāli.
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 107
(August 5, 1882)
Friday, March 27, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Power of Faith
One must have faith and love. Let me tell you how powerful faith is.
A man was about to cross the sea from Ceylon to India. Bibhishana said to him: 'Tie this thing in a corner of your wearing-cloth, and you will cross the sea safely. You will be able to walk on the water. But be sure not to examine it, or you will sink.'
The man was walking easily on the water of the sea - such is the strength of faith - when, having gone part of the way, he thought, 'What is this wonderful thing Bibhishana has given me that I can walk even on the water?' He untied the knot and found only a leaf with the name of Rama written on it. 'Oh, just this!' he thought, and instantly he sank.
There is a popular saying that Hanuman jumped over the sea through his faith in Rama's name, but Rama himself had to build a bridge.
A man was about to cross the sea from Ceylon to India. Bibhishana said to him: 'Tie this thing in a corner of your wearing-cloth, and you will cross the sea safely. You will be able to walk on the water. But be sure not to examine it, or you will sink.'
The man was walking easily on the water of the sea - such is the strength of faith - when, having gone part of the way, he thought, 'What is this wonderful thing Bibhishana has given me that I can walk even on the water?' He untied the knot and found only a leaf with the name of Rama written on it. 'Oh, just this!' he thought, and instantly he sank.
There is a popular saying that Hanuman jumped over the sea through his faith in Rama's name, but Rama himself had to build a bridge.
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 106-07
(August 5, 1882)
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Monday, March 23, 2020
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Ego causes Our Sufferings
Even after the attainment of Knowledge this 'I-consciousness' comes up, nobody knows from where.
You dream of a tiger. Then you awake; but your heart keeps on palpitating! All our suffering is due to this 'I'.
The cow cries, 'Hamba!', which means 'I'. That is why it suffers so much. It is yoked to the plough and made to work in rain and sun. Then it may be killed by the butcher. From its hide shoes are made, and also drums, which are mercilessly, beaten. (Laughter)
Still it does not escape suffering. At last strings are made out of its entrails for the bows used in carding cotton. Then it no longer says, 'Hamba! Hamba!', 'I! I!' but 'Tuhu! Tuhu!', 'Thou! Thou!'. Only then are its troubles over.
O Lord, I am the servant; Thou art the Master.
I am the child; Thou art the Mother.
You dream of a tiger. Then you awake; but your heart keeps on palpitating! All our suffering is due to this 'I'.
The cow cries, 'Hamba!', which means 'I'. That is why it suffers so much. It is yoked to the plough and made to work in rain and sun. Then it may be killed by the butcher. From its hide shoes are made, and also drums, which are mercilessly, beaten. (Laughter)
Still it does not escape suffering. At last strings are made out of its entrails for the bows used in carding cotton. Then it no longer says, 'Hamba! Hamba!', 'I! I!' but 'Tuhu! Tuhu!', 'Thou! Thou!'. Only then are its troubles over.
O Lord, I am the servant; Thou art the Master.
I am the child; Thou art the Mother.
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 105
(August 5, 1882)
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Friday, March 20, 2020
Jnani and Vijnāni
The jnani gives up his identification with worldly things, discriminating, 'Not this, not this'. Only then can he realize Brahman. It is like reaching the roof of a house by leaving the steps behind, one by one.
But the vijnāni, who is more intimately acquainted with Brahman, realizes something more. He realizes that the steps are made of the same materials as the roof: bricks, lime, and brick-dust.
That which is realized intuitively as Brahman, through the eliminating process of 'Not this, not this', is then found to have become the universe and all its living beings. The vijnāni sees that the Reality which is nirguna, without attributes, is also saguna, with attributes.
A man cannot live on the roof a long time. He comes down again. Those who realize Brahman in samādhi come down also and find that it is Brahman that has become the universe and its living beings. In the musical scale there are the notes sa, re ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni; but one cannot keep one's voice on 'ni' a long time.
The ego does not vanish altogether. The man coming down from samādhi perceives that it is Brahman that has become the ego, the universe, and all living beings. This is known as vijnāna.
But the vijnāni, who is more intimately acquainted with Brahman, realizes something more. He realizes that the steps are made of the same materials as the roof: bricks, lime, and brick-dust.
That which is realized intuitively as Brahman, through the eliminating process of 'Not this, not this', is then found to have become the universe and all its living beings. The vijnāni sees that the Reality which is nirguna, without attributes, is also saguna, with attributes.
A man cannot live on the roof a long time. He comes down again. Those who realize Brahman in samādhi come down also and find that it is Brahman that has become the universe and its living beings. In the musical scale there are the notes sa, re ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni; but one cannot keep one's voice on 'ni' a long time.
The ego does not vanish altogether. The man coming down from samādhi perceives that it is Brahman that has become the ego, the universe, and all living beings. This is known as vijnāna.
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 103-04
(August 5, 1882)
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Rishis of Ancient India
The rishis of old attained the Knowledge of Brahman. One cannot have this so long as there is the slightest trace of worldliness. How hard the rishis laboured!
Early in the morning they would go away from the hermitage, and would spend the whole day in solitude, meditating on Brahman. At night they would return to the hermitage and eat a little fruit or roots. They kept their minds aloof from the objects of sight, hearing, touch, and other things of a worldly nature. Only thus did they realize Brahman as their own inner consciousness.
But in the Kaliyuga, man, being totally dependent on food for life, cannot altogether shake off the idea that he is the body.
In this state of mind it is not proper for him to say, 'I am He.' When a man does all sorts of worldly things, he should not say, 'I am Brahman.'
Those who cannot give up attachment to worldly things, and who find no means to shake off the feeling of 'I', should rather cherish the idea 'I am God's servant; I am His devotee.'
One can also realize God by following the path of devotion.
Early in the morning they would go away from the hermitage, and would spend the whole day in solitude, meditating on Brahman. At night they would return to the hermitage and eat a little fruit or roots. They kept their minds aloof from the objects of sight, hearing, touch, and other things of a worldly nature. Only thus did they realize Brahman as their own inner consciousness.
But in the Kaliyuga, man, being totally dependent on food for life, cannot altogether shake off the idea that he is the body.
In this state of mind it is not proper for him to say, 'I am He.' When a man does all sorts of worldly things, he should not say, 'I am Brahman.'
Those who cannot give up attachment to worldly things, and who find no means to shake off the feeling of 'I', should rather cherish the idea 'I am God's servant; I am His devotee.'
One can also realize God by following the path of devotion.
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 103
(August 5, 1882)
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Monday, March 16, 2020
Does Jnani Speak?
A DEVOTEE: "Suppose a man has obtained the Knowledge of Brahman in samādhi. Doesn't he speak any more?"
MASTER: "Sankaracharya retained the 'ego of Knowledge' in order to teach others. After the vision of Brahman a man becomes silent. He reasons about It as long as he has not realized It.
If you heat butter in a pan on the stove, it makes a sizzling sound as long as the water it contains has not dried up. But when no trace of water is left the clarified butter makes no sound.
If you put an uncooked cake of flour in that butter it sizzles again. But after the cake is cooked all sound stops. Just so, a man established in samādhi comes down to the relative plane of consciousness in order to teach others, and then he talks about God.
The bee buzzes as long as it is not sitting on a flower. It becomes silent when it begins to sip the honey. But sometimes, intoxicated with the honey, it buzzes again.
An empty pitcher makes a gurgling sound when it is dipped in water. When it fills up it becomes silent. (All laugh.) But if the water is poured from it into another pitcher, then you will hear the sound again.” (Laughter)
MASTER: "Sankaracharya retained the 'ego of Knowledge' in order to teach others. After the vision of Brahman a man becomes silent. He reasons about It as long as he has not realized It.
If you heat butter in a pan on the stove, it makes a sizzling sound as long as the water it contains has not dried up. But when no trace of water is left the clarified butter makes no sound.
If you put an uncooked cake of flour in that butter it sizzles again. But after the cake is cooked all sound stops. Just so, a man established in samādhi comes down to the relative plane of consciousness in order to teach others, and then he talks about God.
The bee buzzes as long as it is not sitting on a flower. It becomes silent when it begins to sip the honey. But sometimes, intoxicated with the honey, it buzzes again.
An empty pitcher makes a gurgling sound when it is dipped in water. When it fills up it becomes silent. (All laugh.) But if the water is poured from it into another pitcher, then you will hear the sound again.” (Laughter)
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 103
(August 5, 1882)
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Washing away the heart's impurities with tears
NEIGHTBOUR: "Sir, is it ever possible to realize God while leading the life of a householder?"
MASTER: "Certainly. But as I said just now, one must live in holy company and pray unceasingly.
One should weep for God. When the impurities of the mind are thus washed away, one realizes God.
The mind is like a needle covered with mud, and God is like a magnet. The needle cannot be united with the magnet unless it is free from mud. Tears wash away the mud, which is nothing but lust, anger, greed, and other evil tendencies, and the inclination to worldly enjoyments as well. As soon as the mud is washed away, the magnet attracts the needle, that is to say, man realizes God.
Only the pure in heart see God. A fever patient has an excess of the watery element in his system. What can quinine do for him unless that is removed?
"Why shouldn't one realize God while living in the world? But, as I said, one must live in holy company, pray to God, weeping for His grace, and now and then go into solitude.
Unless the plants on a foot-path are protected at first by fences, they are destroyed by cattle."
MASTER: "Certainly. But as I said just now, one must live in holy company and pray unceasingly.
One should weep for God. When the impurities of the mind are thus washed away, one realizes God.
The mind is like a needle covered with mud, and God is like a magnet. The needle cannot be united with the magnet unless it is free from mud. Tears wash away the mud, which is nothing but lust, anger, greed, and other evil tendencies, and the inclination to worldly enjoyments as well. As soon as the mud is washed away, the magnet attracts the needle, that is to say, man realizes God.
Only the pure in heart see God. A fever patient has an excess of the watery element in his system. What can quinine do for him unless that is removed?
"Why shouldn't one realize God while living in the world? But, as I said, one must live in holy company, pray to God, weeping for His grace, and now and then go into solitude.
Unless the plants on a foot-path are protected at first by fences, they are destroyed by cattle."
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 98
(April 9, 1882)
Friday, March 13, 2020
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Good of Holy Company
DEVOTEE: "What is the good of holy company?"
MASTER: "It begets yearning for God. It begets love of God.
Nothing whatsoever is achieved in spiritual life without yearning. By constant living in the company of holy men, the soul becomes restless for God.
This yearning is like the state of mind of a man who has someone ill in the family. His mind is in a state of perpetual restlessness, thinking how the sick person may be cured.
Or again, one should feel a yearning for God like the yearning of a man who has lost his job and is wandering from one office to another in search of work. If he is rejected at a certain place which has no vacancy, he goes there again the next day and inquires, 'Is there an vacancy today?'”
MASTER: "It begets yearning for God. It begets love of God.
Nothing whatsoever is achieved in spiritual life without yearning. By constant living in the company of holy men, the soul becomes restless for God.
This yearning is like the state of mind of a man who has someone ill in the family. His mind is in a state of perpetual restlessness, thinking how the sick person may be cured.
Or again, one should feel a yearning for God like the yearning of a man who has lost his job and is wandering from one office to another in search of work. If he is rejected at a certain place which has no vacancy, he goes there again the next day and inquires, 'Is there an vacancy today?'”
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 96
(April 9, 1882)
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Monday, March 9, 2020
God and His glory & Dangers of Worldly Life
MASTER: “God and His glory. This universe is His glory. People see His glory and forget everything. They do not seek God, whose glory is this world. All seek to enjoy 'woman and gold'. But there is too much misery and worry in that. … …
Again, the world is like a thorny bush: you have hardly freed yourself from one set of thorns before you find yourself entangled in another. Once you enter a labyrinth you find it very difficult to get out. Living in the world, a man becomes seared, as it were."
A DEVOTEE: "Then what is the way, sir?"
MASTER: "Prayer and the company of holy men. You cannot get rid of an ailment without the help of a physician. But it is not enough to be in the company of religious people only for a day. You should constantly seek it, for the disease has become chronic. Again, you can't understand the pulse rightly unless you live with a physician. Moving with him constantly, you learn to distinguish between the pulse of phlegm and the pulse of bile.
Again, the world is like a thorny bush: you have hardly freed yourself from one set of thorns before you find yourself entangled in another. Once you enter a labyrinth you find it very difficult to get out. Living in the world, a man becomes seared, as it were."
A DEVOTEE: "Then what is the way, sir?"
MASTER: "Prayer and the company of holy men. You cannot get rid of an ailment without the help of a physician. But it is not enough to be in the company of religious people only for a day. You should constantly seek it, for the disease has become chronic. Again, you can't understand the pulse rightly unless you live with a physician. Moving with him constantly, you learn to distinguish between the pulse of phlegm and the pulse of bile.
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 96
(April 9, 1882)
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Combined Force of Three Attractions
God reveals Himself to a devotee who feels drawn to Him by the combined force of these three attractions:
the attraction of worldly possessions for the worldly man,
the child's attraction for its mother, and
the husband's attraction for the chaste wife.
If one feels drawn to Him by the combined force of these three attractions, then through it one can attain Him.
The point is, to love God even as the mother loves her child, the chaste wife her husband, and the worldly man his wealth. Add together these three forces of love, these three powers of attraction, and give it all to God.
Then you will certainly see Him.
the attraction of worldly possessions for the worldly man,
the child's attraction for its mother, and
the husband's attraction for the chaste wife.
If one feels drawn to Him by the combined force of these three attractions, then through it one can attain Him.
The point is, to love God even as the mother loves her child, the chaste wife her husband, and the worldly man his wealth. Add together these three forces of love, these three powers of attraction, and give it all to God.
Then you will certainly see Him.
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 83
(February 1882)
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Friday, March 6, 2020
Four Classes of Human Beings
Men may be divided into four classes:
those bound by the fetters of the world,
the seekers after liberation,
the liberated, and
the ever-free.
Among the ever-free we may count sages like Narada. They live in the world for the good of others, to teach men spiritual truth.
Those in bondage are sunk in worldliness and forgetful of God. Not even by mistake do they think of God.
The seekers after liberation want to free themselves from attachment to the world. Some of them succeed and others do not.
The liberated souls, such as the sadhus and mahatmas, are not entangled in the world, in 'woman and gold'. Their minds are free from worldliness. Besides, they always meditate on the Lotus Feet of God.
Suppose a net has been cast into a lake to catch fish. Some fish are so clever that they are never caught in the net. They are like the ever-free. But most of the fish are entangled in the net. Some of them try to free themselves from it, and they are like those who seek liberation. But not all the fish that struggle succeed. A very few do jump out of the net, making a big splash in the water. Then the fishermen shout, 'Look! There goes a big one!' But most of the fish caught in the net cannot escape, nor do they make any effort to get out. On the contrary, they burrow into the mud with the net in their mouths and lie there quietly, thinking, 'We need not fear any more; we are quite safe here.' But the poor things do not know that the fishermen will drag them out with the net. These are like the men bound to the world.
those bound by the fetters of the world,
the seekers after liberation,
the liberated, and
the ever-free.
Among the ever-free we may count sages like Narada. They live in the world for the good of others, to teach men spiritual truth.
Those in bondage are sunk in worldliness and forgetful of God. Not even by mistake do they think of God.
The seekers after liberation want to free themselves from attachment to the world. Some of them succeed and others do not.
The liberated souls, such as the sadhus and mahatmas, are not entangled in the world, in 'woman and gold'. Their minds are free from worldliness. Besides, they always meditate on the Lotus Feet of God.
Suppose a net has been cast into a lake to catch fish. Some fish are so clever that they are never caught in the net. They are like the ever-free. But most of the fish are entangled in the net. Some of them try to free themselves from it, and they are like those who seek liberation. But not all the fish that struggle succeed. A very few do jump out of the net, making a big splash in the water. Then the fishermen shout, 'Look! There goes a big one!' But most of the fish caught in the net cannot escape, nor do they make any effort to get out. On the contrary, they burrow into the mud with the net in their mouths and lie there quietly, thinking, 'We need not fear any more; we are quite safe here.' But the poor things do not know that the fishermen will drag them out with the net. These are like the men bound to the world.
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 86-87
(February 1882)
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Monday, March 2, 2020
Sunday, March 1, 2020
How to Live in World
M. (humbly): "How ought we to live in the world?"
MASTER: "Do all your duties, but keep your mind on God. Live with all - with wife and children, father and mother - and serve them. Treat them as if they were very dear to you, but know in your heart of hearts that they do not belong to you.
"A maidservant in the house of a rich man performs all the household duties, but her thoughts are fixed on her own home in her native village. She brings up her Master's children as if they were her own. She even speaks of them as 'my Rama' or 'my Hari'. But in her own mind she knows very well that they do not belong to her at all.
"The tortoise moves about in the water. But can you guess where her thoughts are? There on the bank, where her eggs are lying. Do all your duties in the world, but keep your mind on God.”
MASTER: "Do all your duties, but keep your mind on God. Live with all - with wife and children, father and mother - and serve them. Treat them as if they were very dear to you, but know in your heart of hearts that they do not belong to you.
"A maidservant in the house of a rich man performs all the household duties, but her thoughts are fixed on her own home in her native village. She brings up her Master's children as if they were her own. She even speaks of them as 'my Rama' or 'my Hari'. But in her own mind she knows very well that they do not belong to her at all.
"The tortoise moves about in the water. But can you guess where her thoughts are? There on the bank, where her eggs are lying. Do all your duties in the world, but keep your mind on God.”
- Gospel
of Sri Ramakrishna, P 81
(February 1882 Sri Ramakrishna Birthday)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)