Swamiji asks how serious we are, about our spiritual journey?
This is a hard-hitting talk about gradually increasing meditation time. Swamiji says that even working people should be able to gradually get to one hour a day. Many people do it for shorter periods, but choose to remain stuck with that duration, instead of gradually increasing the time.
Swamiji says that if we think we can get away with five minutes here and there, we must 'be mad'.
Some yogis over millennia, spent their entire lifetimes meditating, and still didn't reach God realisation.
This gives a powerful context. We can't have a casual 'do it when you feel like it' approach to sadhana [spiritual practise] – it has to be a concerted and sustained effort.
Swamiji then goes on to talk about the many people who approached him to 'renounce'. Renounce what? would be Swamiji's response. Most times they were wanting to run away from some or other trouble, or difficulties at home, and think they'd find it easier living at the ashram.
Swamiji explains just how tough it is to live in an ashram. Listen to his description of that life. Summed up by Swamiji saying 'Only heroes can live in an ashram.'
Swamiji draws the homily to a conclusion by saying, 'Ask yourself how serious you are, about this?' [Spiritual journey and the sacrifices that are necessary.] This question is something we all can, and should ask of ourselves. [The Jesuit brothers and priests – Pope Francis was one – have what they call the 'Examen' – it's a twice daily self-examination against a set of criteria. Read all about it HERE.]
To listen to these truths from Swamiji himself, please click on the link below. Jai Sri Ramakrishna!
Duration: 03:54
For the free-to-read, draft 394 page, expanded version of 'A Life Lived For Others'.
Click here for: → Swamiji's biography
You may need to install a PDF reader on your phone if that's where you'll be reading the book.
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.
Admin tip: Underlined words are links. If you click on them, they'll take you to an explanation of the particular word or term. [In these overviews, Admin comments are typically in a smaller green font, and square bracketed, like this statement.]
Dear reader, if you spot typos or or other errors, please feel free to email the site admin on info@imbizo.com with your suggested correction/s.
Context: As always, care should be taken to remember that what Swamiji was saying, was often very specific to the needs of people with him at the time. Please bear this in mind.
Links to our Guru Parampara (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. The Ramakrishna Centre of Johannesburg is also active in Gauteng province in South Africa.
There are various publications [The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna etc.] which you can download at no charge, from the Ramakrishna Centre of SA website page, HERE.