Cutting the bonds
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
767
[Pravrajika] Atmaprana [The first sannyasini (Hindu nun) of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]: With knocks the bonds [of samsara, attachment, birth and death] get loosened. Is that a slow process or . . . ?
Swamiji: It depends on the intensity of you wanting to loosen yourself. You will know it is loosening up by how much more intense your mind grows to know That.
Slow process? Yes it is a slow process. Long process? It is also a long process. Fast process? Yes it is. Because everything we see is mind. And each one of these minds (even the flowers and everything) is sometimes taking long, sometimes taking short. The crocodile and elephant live so long – look at the process.
Atmaprana: How is it that sometimes you may feel a loosening?
Swamiji: As long as you feel – it is not that. Once, if it is completely broken, then it is broken. But that doesn't mean if a few knots are broken that it's broken.
Gurudev [His Holiness Swami Nischalananda Puri, Swamiji's beloved Guru] used to tell me, 'Mmm, you are a great renunciate, Inder [Swamiji's pre-monastic name], hey?' I used to say, 'Yes Swamiji, what a renunciate. I have renounced.' He used to say, 'The day you renounce renunciation then you have renounced.' Do you see how the knot in the beginning was opened? And I thought, 'Well I am free.' No. You are bound.
Catch the spirit of what I am saying.
That is why I keep saying to you all: lectures are not God-realisation. Forget it. You are boosting your ego. When you lecture it must come out of utmost humility. That's a lecture. And in my life I found very few people who have really given me a lecture. In my Guru's time, he sometimes gave it to me. At other times he used to speak consciously so that others could hold onto it.
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.
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