Daily Reading 60. Swamiji gives guidance on child mind and behaviour development, and talks about what influences rebirth.

Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Parents must tell each child stories of saints and sages. Bring to the child’s mind all the positive things. Use the word ‘don’t’, very little. Always use the word ‘do’. Thus you make the child not do negative things.

Joel Goldsmith [a prolific, spiritual, Western author about whom Swamiji used to enthuse] says, ‘We must master the ability to remain in the silence, without thought.’ This is very important. It is the most difficult part of spiritual practice. It is such a deep communication with God that thought stops of its own accord. The individual who is master of his own destiny has reached the stage when nothing in the world is of any importance to him.

Spoken by Swamiji on Sri Ramakrishna’s Birthday celebration: The Lord comes in many forms, to cure the disease of the mind and of the heart. The disease of the body does not matter. The disease of the mind, if not cured, carries on to the next birth – which makes the glory of the soul appear dull and dead in the world. This is a very serious thing. No doctor under the sun can cure you.

In Incarnations, the grace of God ‘condenses’ and appears on earth and teaches us the method of curing the disease of the mind. The disease [samsara] which gives us birth after birth and therefore death after death. Birth can be thought of as another opportunity to cure the disorders of your mind. But if you make mistakes in this life, it leads to more births. God is so full of compassion that He appears in the world as an Avatar – Incarnation. He appears to have the same disease and yet He gives you a method to cure the disease.

Sri Ramakrishna’s mind always went towards God. It was never negative or fault-finding or gossipy. When he had visitors at the Dakshineswar Temple, with one glance he knew their intentions and motives. He gave the people what they deserved [or desired].  If they wanted gossip he sent them to see the flower garden. For those who wanted God, he would weep and cry for God. If Master chose his company, how much more must we choose our company?

He would liken us to houseflies who often sit on dirt, or on a flower. Wherever it goes it leaves a vibration on the object it has left. Then there is the bee. No matter where it finds itself, it always sits on flowers. It discriminates and sits on that which gives nectar, then goes and deposits it in the hive.
Master [Sri Ramakrishna] discriminated between the worldly housefly and the bee. When the bees
deposit nectar, they always go where there is the queen bee. The nectar goes on to nurture further bees or honey. So when we join people we must do so with a purpose – to serve the Queen Bee, the Divine Mother Herself.

At the time of conception, the soul which is destined to manifest in an area where it will fulfil its further destiny. It pushes towards that family which will further its destiny, or terminate its destiny. If you are born with worldly people that may fulfil your further destiny. Or you may be born with
people who will terminate your destiny.

A holy man is born with holy people. His mind will always gravitate towards God and God alone. Remember, his past made him worthy of this in the present. Practise dharma [righteousness] now, then in your next life you will be born with holy people. The Gospel [in religions] leads you to God Himself. But gossip, which almost sounds the same, leads you away from God.

Underlined words are hypertext links to clarification, explanation or other sources. Just tap on them.

The free-to-read or download, 396-page Flipbook version of Swamiji’s biography, ‘A Life Lived For Others‘, is available by clicking HERE. If you’d prefer the PDF version, please click HERE.

For our gurubhai Atmaprakash Kramer’s beautiful pictorial ‘memoir’ booklet of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, Avoca Ashram, please click HERE.

There’s also a Facebook site for Swamiji’s posts now. They feature newer readings published more recently. Click HERE to view.

These recordings or the excerpts from them, were made from the early 1970s onward, by Mother Radha, a close devotee of Swamiji’s and edited for uploading here by our gurubhai and her son, Brother Tim. Please be mindful that what Swamiji was saying may have been specific to those with him at the time.