Daily Reading 65. Swamiji on inner and outer strength.

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

Virtues must be expressed in the world, in thought, word and deed. By expressing them you make sure they are residing in you. Like you say, ‘Do good’. But you must be good before expressing it outside. Strength only in the mind is not good. Truthfulness and strength must also be expressed without. What you think, you must do. And what you do, you must think. This helps you to manifest virtues. You say, be good but your actions may not be so good. Words are good but they do not express it. The hearer hears something else, and the utterer utters something else.

The Lord Jesus Christ said, Love thy neighbour as thyself. If we are following this there is no trouble. But we do not do. Love seeks no return. Christ loved the world, he gave up his life for you. Your neighbour may not be good but you must be good and do good [Lord Buddha’s teachings in one phrase]. [Master] Sri Ramakrishna said, *Hiss, but do not bite.’ Hissing how? By leaving no impression of anger in the mind.

*[Master told a story about a snake that lived in a field and terrorised the local villagers. People would walk around the field rather than through it out of their great fear. One day a holy man came upon him, initiated him into spiritual life and forbad him ever threatening or biting one of the villagers again. The holy man promised to visit the snake again, to check on his new, good, behaviour. Some time later, he did just that. He repeatedly called for the snake but got no answer. Eventually, he found the weak and battered snake in a corner of the field. ‘What happened to you?’ he asked. ‘Well’, said the snake in a quavering voice, ‘You told me never to bite again, so the villagers now throw stones at me and hit me with sticks. My life is a total misery!’ In a compassionate tone the holy man said, ‘Oh you poor fellow. I told you not to bite, but I didn’t tell you to stop hissing!]

People say, ‘Forgive and forget’, but that is very, very difficult. But you can forgive without forgetting. That’s when it’s a lesson to you. Then you do not have to do wrong. Out of that negative you have got positive. You can forgive on a human level, but not forget. The scar remains for some time. But that should not make you a hater, a ‘revenger’. Who are we to forgive? Only God can forgive. This is the subtlest thing.

If something wrong happens to you, and you think it is evil, it is you sinning. So you should not think evil about anybody, but seek to be forgiven by God for thinking that it was evil. If it is not within, it cannot be without. Only those seeds within can be expressed without. He who thinks evil becomes evil. What you think you become. So think the highest, the proper, the good.

If you think anything is separate from Brahman, there is birth and death.

Reading from a book about Swami Vivekananada, referring to his term, ‘Children of the Rishis‘ which he used when addressing Indian audiences: This experience of Truth is not a fancy of the mind. You wake up from this dream and find One. The solidarity of life is that if I hurt anyone I hurt myself, in loving anyone I love myself. A wonderful flow of love comes from the idea of the Personal God.

Swamiji: This is very, very beautiful. Only when you come to experience it, you will know it. ‘IT’, before whose glory space melts into nothingness, and time melts into nothingness. In what is space contained? In space! But here space melts. This gives power to free others, not rule others. What you think you will become.

Reading: If you think you are strong you will become strong. If you think you are impure, you will be impure. If you think you are pure, you will be pure. This teaches us not to think of ourselves as weak but as omnipotent [all-powerful]. Think: Even if omnipotence is not expressed yet, it is in me.

Swamiji: Just as a banyan tree is in the banyan seed. [The Banyan tree seed is smaller than 1mm in diameter. The size of a mustard seed]. You cannot express this but you must believe in it.

Reading: Many children are strong from birth. Do not teach them weak things. Teach them to stand on their own feet, to be bold, to be all-conquering, all-suffering and to learn of the glory of the soul. This is in Vedanta alone. This is the thought that will revolutionise the world. It is the thought that will reconcile the knowledge of the material world with religion.

Swamiji: Vedanta is the future religion. Make children strong from childhood. Teach them not weakness. Give them Vedanta. Give them the formless. Later they will appreciate God with forms.

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.