Swamiji speaks about your living, ‘all-mighty’ Deity.
Swamiji talks about the stages of meditation. Starting with contemplation, leading to concentration and then meditation.
He gives practical, humour-filled examples of how he interacted with his own beloved Deity – Lord Shiva. [Swamiji stressed innumerable times that the Deity must be living, and not static, in our imaginations.]
Once again, we devotees are reminded that understanding the meaning of a mantra brings the benefit of optimum power and impact from that mantra. Swamiji stressing as always, that our individual Deity is 'all-mighty'. Not a fragment of something. But that ONE great omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient power itself.
Swamiji explains how he 'created' his Lord Shiva as a wandering mendicant in his imagination – with Swamiji playing costume master and make-up artist in the production. This, Swamiji says, is how the Deity is made and kept living in the mind and experience of the sadhaka.
Swami Vivekananda enters the discussion when Swamiji tells the story of his worship in many births, of Lord Rama. [Swami Vivekananda, himself one of the Sapta Rishis, said that his greatest privilege was to accompany Sri Ramakrishna in birth after birth – see picture at top of post.] At some point, Swami Vivekananda decided to 'switch' deities – Swamiji explains why. Until Sri Ramakrishna, in this most recent incarnation, instructed him to go back to worshipping his original Deity – Lord Rama. [These lilas (divine plays, even 'games') are often played out to teach us great and valuable lessons. Not theoretically, but practically. Swamiji used to remind us that the Wise Ones may assume some of the limitations of the human condition, to demonstrate to us, that what they achieve spiritually, can be accomplished by we ordinary seekers.]
Swamiji wraps up the discussion by explaining how we're sometimes attracted by just one 'facet' of another Deity, but this must never become a temptation or excuse to 'switch allegiance.'
[When spiritual seekers arrived at the ashram in the early 1970s, the first question Swamiji would ask them was: 'What religion do you follow?' If Christian, he'd say, 'Good, I want you to become an even better Christian.' If Jewish, he'd say, 'Good – I want you to become an even better follower of Judaism.' If Islam, 'Good, I want you to be come an even better Muslim.' And so on.
The (then) University of Durban Westville students who visited Swamiji, noticed this, and mischievously set up one of their peers to try to confound Swamiji. When Swamiji asked what religion the new young visitor followed, he answered, 'I'm an atheist.' 'Wonderful', answered Swamiji, without missing a beat, 'I want you to become an even better human being.' They'd met their match!]
To listen to these words of wisdom and guidance, please click on the link below. Jai Sri Ramakrishna!
Duration: 08:58
The original audio recordings of these posts were made by close Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa and Swami Shivapadananda devotee, Mother Radha. The audio editing and noise reduction of the original 1970s-onwards tapes, has been lovingly engineered, over many years, by her son and our dear gurubhai, Brother Tim. May Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji bless them both.
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Links to our Guruparampara (spiritual lineage) organisations, which will broaden your knowledge base: Ramakrishna Math and Mission and our alma maters, the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa and the Sri Sarada Devi Ashram in Durban.