Daily Reading 82. Swamiji stresses reminding ourselves of our true, divine nature.
Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.
I see my guru in everything, in everyone.
When the mind is annihilated, when it stops debating the pros and cons, one goes into samadhi, one attains knowledge of Brahman. A mere vision of God isn’t everything. You must bring Him to your room, talk to Him.
OM, [the mantra] is for sannyasis, not for initiated people [regular, non-monastic devotees or aspirants].
Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘If you go on practising holiness it will become natural, you will become like a professional dancer.’ [Who, Master said, ‘Never takes a wrong step.’]
If you do 15,000 to 20,000 japa [repetitions of the mantra or God’s names] a day, it changes the vibration of the mind – and the body becomes purified.
If something is wrong – look at yourself. Read Sri Ramakrishna. Chew it over, that is your real sadhana.
I say that what you don’t find in India you won’t find anywhere in the world – and I’ll go further and say that what you don’t find here [with Swamiji and the ashram] you won’t find anywhere in the world.
It is extremely difficult to give up action, to sit in meditation, to still [calm down or bring to a halt] action. If God is already there, serve Him, ask for bhakti [devotion], Jnana [knowledge] – and you’ll get samadhi [superconsciousness].
Don’t surrender the Truth to God, think of it in your spare time.
In the Upanishads it states, ‘It is everything – everywhere.’ This means It is, including you, where you are standing, where you are, everything.
Quote from a book [not sure which one or who the devotee was] on Master [Sri Ramakrishna]: One day I said to Sri Ramakrishna, ‘I am not able to undertake any spiritual practise because I don’t have the capacity.’ Sri Ramakrishna very tenderly put his hand over my heart and comforted me. He said, ‘You don’t have to do anything, I am inside you and you are inside me.’
When you think you are brave, you become brave – and in describing God you become God. If you hear of people who have problems, just do japa [repetition of a mantra or one of the many names attributed to God]. It works through them as well.
To keep the mind on God is very hard. It is austerity. One who does that will succeed in stopping the mind’s restlessness for ever.
It’s a pity you don’t read the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Everything is in it that you need. You must meditate on Master’s sayings thousands of times. Swami Vivekananda said, ‘I am It [God/Brahman].’ Repeat this again and again till it becomes part of you.
To Radha Ma [the very close devotee who made notes and recordings of Swamiji’s talks over decades, and therefore made these posts possible]: Offer all your sadhana at my feet. The more japa you do, the better for me. I talk to you like this because you are my very own. You should do three hours of meditation a day after so many years. Otherwise what is the use?
[In a separate discussion] Radha Ma to Swamiji: We pray for your health every day, Swamiji.
Swamiji: Yes, but then say, ‘Ma [Divine Mother], thy will be done.
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.