Avoid intense sadhana when ill
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[now a Centre of the international Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission]
DAILY READINGS
Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.
Day 953
Don't do rigorous [intense] sadhana [spiritual practice] if you have ill-health. Our gurus [spiritual teachers and preceptors] say that first of all you must have a calm mind. Serene mind. Comfortable mind. You can pray – you can pray to God, 'God, I don't know, this may be my past karma [debt/obligations from previous birth behaviour and actions] or it must be my karma now [prarabdha karma, being worked out now] – I made a mistake, now please Lord take this away,' and feel that you're getting healthier. So you're putting prana [ki, chi – the universal energising, sustaining and healing life-force] in that place. Then you'll be directing prana to that place. And when prana enters there, it will itself ease up [correct] the position.
On the other hand, if you can't meditate too long, rather sing some bhajan and kirtan [spiritual or religious songs, devotional singing]. I'm sure any man can sing. Or repeat God's name [japa – the meditative repetition of a mantra or one of the many names attributed to God] loudly. But don't force yourself to do meditation. Take it easy. You force yourself you're going to get into trouble. You'll make yourself even more sick. Then you blame God. 'I'm praying to him but I'm not getting better.' [Swamiji chuckles] Praying to him is correct. That's a different thing. Like a lot of people criticised Sri Ramakrishna. "Oh, he said 'You mustn't worry about the body,'". You must note who he was speaking to. He was speaking to those addicts [body conscious people] who wanted to beautify the body only. I will tell you that too. But for another person you'd say, 'Alright, do a little bit of exercise, eat good food, keep yourself comfortable and do sadhana [spiritual practice]. You must worry about your body because it's the temple of God. It's the only thing you have to play with [to use as an instrument] to realise God.
1) Care should be taken by the reader to understand and take Swamiji's words in these postings, in context. Every teaching or instruction that he gave was specific to the people who were with Swamiji at the time.
2) Mouse-over the words highlighted in red in the posting for further explanation or links.
There are currently available, over 100 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order.
Click HERE for the second website on Swamiji's life and teachings.
For more about the Holy Trinity, and also the founding Swamis of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, please mouse over their names below:
Sri Ramakrishna Sri Sarada Devi Swami Vivekananda
Swami Nischalananda Swami Shivapadananda
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - read online
Reference websites – please mouse over the name and click to connect:
Ramakrishna Math and Mission Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa Ramakrishna Dham